quietly if I meant to be everywhere recognised."

After re-assuring Heinrich, the king told
him, that he was prepared to do what he
could to push him forward  in the profession
he had chosen. " But, first," he said, " I must
hear how you preach. On Sunday next,
therefore, you shall preach before me; but,
mind, I shall choose the text. You may
retire."

By the time Heinrich Meyer reached
his own room in the inn, he had fixed in
his mind the fact that he was to preach to the
king. The fact was only too clear, and all
he could do was to set about his sermon as
soon as he should have been furnished with
the text. For the remainder of that day, he
never stirred out; every step on the stair
was to his ears that of the bearer of the
text.

Nevertheless, evening and night passed,
and the next day was far advanced, but still
no text.

What was to be done? There were only
two days before Sunday! He must go and
consult the marshal, but the latter could give
him no further information; all he could do
was, to promise that, if the king.sent the text
through him, it should be forwarded with the
utmost possible despatch.

That day and the next passed, and yet Heinrich
heard nothing from either king or marshal.
Only an official intimation had been sent,
as was customary, that he had been selected
as the preacher on the following Sunday at
the chapel royal.

If it had not been that Heinrich knew
himself to possess no mean powers of oratory, and
that he could even extemporise in case of
emergency, he would have certainly run away
from Berlin and abjured his discovered
cousin. As it was, he abided the course of
events, and fortified himself by prayer and
philosophy for the momentous hour. Sunday
morning arrived, but no text!

Heinrich went to the church appointed,
and was conducted to the seat always set
apart for the preacher of the day. The king,
with the royal family, occupied their
accustomed places.

The service commenced, but no text!—the
prayers were ended, and whilst the organ
pealed forth its solemn sounds, the preacher
was led to the pulpit. The congregation were
astonished, not only at his youthfulness, but at
his being an utter stranger.

The pulpit steps were gained, and the
thought flashed across Heinrich's mind that
possibly he should find the text placed for
him on the desk.

But, as he was on the point of mounting
the stairs, an officer of the royal household
delivered to him a folded piece of paper,
saying, " His majesty sends you the text."

After having recited the preliminary
prayers, the preacher opened the paper, and
lo! —it was blank —not a word was written
on it. What was to be done? Heinrich
deliberately examined the white sheet, and
after a short pause, held it up before the
congregation, saying, "His majesty has furnished
the text for my sermon. But you may
perceive that nothing whatever is upon this sheet
of paper. ' Out of nothing God created the
world; ' I shall, therefore, take the Creation
for the subject of my discourse this
morning."

In accordance with this decision, the
preacher went through the whole of the first
chapter of Genesis in a masterly way, his
style being forcible and clear, and his fluency
of language remarkable. His audience,
accustomed to the king's eccentricities, were far
more astonished at the dexterity with which
the preacher had extricated himself from the
difficulty, than at the dilemma in which he
had been placed. At last the sermon was
ended, the congregation dismissed, and Heinrich
found himself in the sacristy receiving
the congratulations of several dignitaries of
the church, who all prophesied for him a
brilliant future.

Heinrich ventured to express his amazement
at the singular proceeding of the king,
but was told that he could only have arrived
recently from the provinces, if he did not
know that such vagaries were quite common
to his majesty. In the midst of the conversation
a messenger arrived to conduct him to
the royal presence. Being totally unaware what
impression his sermon might have made upon
the king, the cousin-seeker rather dreaded the
approaching audience. But Heinrich had
scarcely crossed the threshold of the king's
room when his majesty jumped up, and
thrust a roll of paper into the young
preacher's hand, exclaiming, " Hurra! sir!
—puff away!— take this for the light you
gave me!"

Then, throwing himself back in a chair, he
laughed heartily at the young preacher's look
of surprise and confusion. The latter scarcely
knew what reply to make or what to
do, but just as he had got as far as " Your
majesty "-- the king interrupted him,
saying, "Make no fine speeches; go home
quietly and examine the contents of the
paper. You came to Berlin to seek a cousin;
you have found one, who, if you go on
steadily, will not neglect you."

It is hardly necessary to add, that the roll
of paper contained a good appointment at the
university of Berlin, and made Heinrich
Meyer one of the royal preachers.

On Thursday, the 22nd of November (Almanack Day),
will be published, in Twenty-eight pages, stitched,
PRICE FOURPENCE,
THE HOUSEHOLD WORDS ALMANAC
FOR THE YEAR 1856
Household Words Office, No. 16, Wellington Street
North, Strand.—Sold by all Booksellers, and at all
Railway Stations.