The King and Queen, though plain and unattractive in person and manner, were kind, charitable, devoted to each other, conscientious in the discharge of their public duties and universally popular. They moved unceremoniously about the _salle_, chatting pleasantly with their niece’s guests and seemingly finding the scene enjoyable. My brother said next day: “At first disappointed, I was glad the King and Queen did not wear their crowns, for if they had they would not have talked so freely with us.” After the arrival of some other royal personages, followed by a number of gorgeously-uniformed officers and some handsomely-dressed maids of honor, attendants on the Queen and Princess, the ladies-in-waiting distributed the programmes, gilt-engraved, embossed cards, and escorting the Queen and Princess to the front chairs, assigned us to those in the rear. [Illustration: The Old Sans Souci Mill] The programme read: PANORAMIC PRELUDE. FIRST PART. _Scenes from the Story of the Nativity._ 1st SCENE.--Annunciation: Hail Mary! Blessed art thou among women! 2nd SCENE.--Adoration of the Magi: We hail Thee, King Of the Jews. 3rd SCENE.--The Flight into Egypt: Arise, take the young Child, flee into Egypt, and be there until I bring thee word. 4th SCENE.--Transfiguration: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. SECOND PART. _Scenes from Prussian History._ 1st SCENE.--Economy and Industry kingly attributes: King Frederic noticing a crowd watching a shop-window picture, depicting a shabbily-dressed old man, a _fac simile_ of himself, who, holding a coffee-mill, turned the handle with one hand and with the other caught the falling coffee grains, ordered the picture to be lowered so his subjects could see, without craning their necks, what a thrifty king they had. 2nd SCENE.--In Prussia Justice outranks Power: An unsightly old mill obscuring the view from Sans Souci, King Frederic determined to buy and remove it. The miller, however, refusing to sell, the agent said: “Don’t choose to sell, indeed! You forget His Majesty can seize your mill and clap you in jail.” “Not,” said the miller, “while we have the Kammer-gericht here in Berlin.” The King, hearing the agent’s report, said: “The miller is right; here in Prussia Justice outranks Power.” 3rd SCENE.--Honor to whom honor is due: Queen Louisa, as patriotic as gracious, visited the Prussian camp after the battle of Yena, and with her own hands bestowed the order of the Black Eagle on those heroes most conspicuous in defense of King and Fatherland. [Illustration: William I., Emperor of Germany]