RODEN. "'From Soest' [venerable "stone-old" little Town, in Vellinghausen region]. KING. "'Did you get my Letter?' RODEN. "'Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT.' KING. "'I will give you some employment. Have you got a pencil?' RODEN. "'Yea' [and took out his Note-book and tools, which he had "bought in a shop a quarter of an hour before"]. KING. "'Listen. By the War many Houses have got ruined: I mean that they shall be put in order again; for which end,--to those that cannot themselves help, particularly to Soest, Hamm, Lunen and in part Wesel, as places that have suffered most,--I intend to give the moneys. Now you must make me an exact List of what is to be done in those places. Thus [King, lifting his finger, let us fancy, dictates; Roden, with brand-new pencil and tablets, writes:] "'1. In each of those Towns, how many ruined Houses there are which the proprietors themselves can manage to rebuild. 2. How many which the proprietors cannot. 3. The vacant grounds or steadings of such proprietors as are perhaps dead, or gone else-whither, must be given to others that are willing to build: but in regard to this, Law also must do its part, and the absent and the heirs must be cited to say, Whether they will themselves build? and in case they won't, the steadings can then be given to others.'" Roden having written,-- KING. "'In the course of six days you must be ready [what an expeditious King! Is to be at Cleve the sixth day hence: Meet me there, then],--longer I cannot give you.' RODEN (considering a moment). "'If your Majesty will permit me to use ESTAFETTES [express messengers] for the Towns farthest off,--as I cannot myself, within the time, travel over all the Towns,--I hope to be ready.' KING. "'That I permit; and will repay you the ESTAFETTE moneys.--Tell me, How comes the decrease of population in these parts? Recruits I got none.' RODEN. "'Under favor of your Majesty, Regiment Schenkendorf got, every year, for recompletion, what recruits were wanted, from its Canton in the Grafschaft Mark here.' KING. "'There you may be right: but from Cleve Country we had no recruits; not we, though the Austrians had, [with a slight sarcasm of tone]. RODEN. "'Out of Cleve, so far as I know, there were no recruits delivered to the Austrians.' KING. "'You could not know; you were with the Allied Army' [Duke Ferdinand's, commissariating and the like, where Duke Ferdinand recognized you to have a head]. RODEN. "'There have been many epidemic diseases too; especially in Soest;--after the Battle of Vellinghausen all the wounded were brought thither, and the hospitals were established there.' KING. "'Epidemic diseases they might have got without a Battle [dislikes hearing ill of the soldier trade]. I will have Order sent to the Cleve Kammer, Not to lay hindrance in your way, but the contrary. Now God keep you (GOTT BEWAHRE IHN).'"--EXIT Roden;--"DARAUF RETIRIRTE MICH," says he;--but will reappear shortly.