History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 09Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 09
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Wilhelmina is very poorly; "near her time," as wives say; rusticating
in "the Hermitage," a Country-House in the vicinity of Baireuth; Husband
and Father-in-law gone away, towards the Bohemian frontier, to hunt
boars. Oh, the bustle and the bother that high Lady had; getting her
little Country House stretched out to the due pitch to accommodate
everybody,--especially her foolish Sister of Anspach and foolish
Brother-in-law and suite,--with whom, by negligence of servants and
otherwise, there had like to have risen incurable quarrel on the matter.
But the dexterous young Wife, gladdest; busiest and weakliest of hopeful
creatures, contrived to manage everything, like a Female Fieldmarshal,
as she was. Papa was delighted; bullied the foolish Anspach people,--or
would have done so, had not I intervened, that the matter might die.
Papa was gracious, happy; very anxious about me in my interesting state.
"Thou hast lodged me to perfection, good Wilhelmina. Here I find my
wooden stools, tubs to wash in; all things as if I were at Potsdam:--a
good girl; and thou must take care of thyself, my child (MEIN KIND)."
At dinner, his Majesty, dreading no ill, but intent only on the
practical, got into a quiet, but to me most dreadful, lecture to the old
Margraf (my Father-in-law) upon debt and money and arrears: How he, the
Margraf, was cheated at every turn, and led about by the nose, and
kept weltering in debt: how he should let the young Margraf go into the
Offices, to supervise, and withal to learn tax-matters and economics
betimes. How he (Friedrich Wilhelm) would send him a fellow from Berlin
who understood such things, and would drill his scoundrels for him!
To which the old Margraf, somewhat flushed in the face, made some
embarrassed assent, knowing it in fact to be true; and accepted the
Berlin man:--but he made me (his poor Daughter-in-law) smart for
it afterwards: "Not quite dead YET, Madam; you will have to wait a
little!"--and other foolish speech; which required to be tempered down
again by a judicious female mind.
Grumkow himself was pleasant on this occasion; told us of Kladrup, the
Prag etiquettes; and how he was like to go mad seeing his Majesty so
humiliate himself. Fraulein Grumkow, a niece of his, belonging to the
Austrian court, who is over here with the rest, a satirical intriguing
baggage, she, I privately perceive, has made a conquest of my foolish
Brother-in-law, the Anspach Margraf here;--and there will be jealousies,
and a cat-and-dog life over yonder, worse than ever! Tush, why should
we talk?--These are the phenomena at Baireuth; Husband and Father-in-law
having quitted their boar-hunt and hurried home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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