me, and go home; and, above all things, do
not tread upon my carnations."

Heinrich turned towards his friends. "Are
you content," said he, "with the evasive, the
ferocious irony, which has dictated the tyrant's
words?"

''My worthy friend, Heinrich," said the
Prince quietly, "you really must be so
obliging as to leave my garden. It would
give me great pain to use force, even with my
cane."

"I see," said Heinrich, "that the end of
the career which I have embraced, will bring
me but a martyr's crown; but I am ready to
shed my blood for the People. Take my
head!"

"Your head? What should I do with
your head? I am sure I should find it as
utterly useless as you do," responded the
Prince. "I shall expect my people to-morrow.
I have some excellent beer; and we will talk
over our affairs. In case of rain, there shall
be an awning."

When the delegates had departed, the
Prince made a bouquet of his finest carnations
for Albertina; and wrote to remind
her that she had promised to waltz with him
on the ensuing evening.

At daybreak, on the following morning,
the band assembled at the palace, for the
final rehearsal of Beethoven's symphony,
which was to be performed for the first time
in public, that evening.

"What on earth can my people want with
me?" thought Richard; "and what
unfortunate accident can have recalled to their
minds that I am a prince? However," he
exclaimed to a servant, "rinse out some
glasses for my People! Happy the sovereign
who can thus hob-nob with his subjects!"

At the appointed hour, an assemblage of
about one hundred persons made their
appearance at the palace. After them came a
second hundred to see what the first were
about; and finally, the whole of the remaining
inhabitants of the capital, who were capable
of locomotion, brought up the rear, anxious
to ascertain the cause of the unaccustomed
gathering.

"My friends," said his Serene Highness,
"drink your beer while it is fresh."

The people did as they were told.

When the barrels had to be tilted, the
Prince asked his people what they wanted?
"Have I," he said, "ever interfered with your
pleasures or your affairs? Do I even know
what you do, or how you pass your time?"

"Down with the tyrants!" said Heinrich.

"Down with the tyrants!" shouted the
Club in cuckoo chorus.

"Why is the Prince surrounded with
guards?" demanded Heinrich.

"I am surrounded by my musicians,"
replied the Prince; "the rest of the soldiers
are gone out to take a walk.—Pray be silent
for one moment and listen to me:—Have you
anything to complain of? Are you unhappy?
I am not rich; but he among you, whoever
he be, who has wished to partake of my soup
or my beer, has he not ever been welcome?"

"We desire," said Heinrich, the "liberty of
the press."

"Yes, we desire the liberty of the press,"
repeated the Club.

"Well," replied the Prince, "buy a press if
you want one. You have my full liberty to use
it if you know how. But, alas, I am afraid that
there are a great many of you who cannot
read."

Something was then said about "dying for
liberty and fatherland," but, during the
parley, Rrobrecht had succeeded in collecting
the scattered forces, and now disposed them
round the court-yard. "I beg to acquaint
your Highness," said he pompously, "that
our troops hem in the rebels on all sides, and
that they are now in our power."

"I am sorry to hear it," said Richard;
"for what am I to do with rebels? I have
no place to put them in. There is but one
prison in Minnigissenbourgh, and that I
converted long ago into an orangery. Dismiss
the soldiers!"

"But if I might suggest to your Highness
—your personal safety—"

"Pray don't alarm yourself about trifles,
Rrobrecht, and do as I bid you."

"Treachery!" shouted Heinrich, as the
soldiers dispersed.

"Treachery!" echoed the Club.

"The palace of the tyrant is about to be
reddened with the blood of patriots!"
screamed Heinrich, hoarsely.

But no denunciative enthusiasm was to be
infused into the other patriots; too much of
whose attentions were rivetted on the Prince's
beer. When they found the casks producing
nothing but lees, they sauntered peaceably
home.

After the signal failure of this
"demonstration," all went on well for some time.
But the liberty of the "Press" was taken
advantage of—only the pen supplied its place.
Heinrich started a newspaper in manuscript;
although never was a place so destitute of
news as Minnigissenbourgh; however, even
for the few occurrences, there were "leaders"
ready-made. "Rr-r-r-robrecht," above all, was
never spared; and the latter came one day to
the Prince to request his permission to start
a newspaper also.

"They have desired the liberty of the
press," said his Highness; "you have it, and
may use it as you think proper."

Then began the great paper war between
Rrobrecht and Heinrich. The journals
appeared every morning. Heinrich expressed
in every number his conviction that all
princes were criminals; Rrobrecht inculcated
that a sovereign's most trivial action was
angelic.

As there was scarcely any news stirring in
the city from month's end to month's end,
the Baron's journal was a sort of court