Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786 -- Fiction; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786 -- Fiction
“I believe you; I take you to be an honorable man,” said the king. “You
will always be mindful of the great responsibility which rests upon you,
as you have a prince to educate who will one day govern a kingdom, and
upon whom the weal and woe of many millions are dependent. And when
those millions of men one day bless the king whom you have educated,
a part of the blessing will fall upon you; but when they curse him, so
falls the curse likewise upon your guilty head, and you will feel the
weight of it, though you may be in your grave! Be mindful of this,
and act accordingly. Now you may depart. I will write the instructions
immediately, so that you may receive them to-day.”
Herr Behnisch bowed, backing out toward the door.
“One thing more,” cried the king, motioning with his Staff to the tutor.
“In order that you may ever remember our interview, I will present you
with a souvenir.”
He opened the drawer of his private writing-table, and took out a gold
snuff-box, with his initials set in brilliants upon the cover; handing
it to Herr Behnisch, he motioned him to retire, and thus spare him the
expression of his gratitude.
“Your majesty,” stammered Herr Behnisch, with tears in his eyes, “I--”
“You are an honest man, and so long as you remain so, you can count upon
me. Adieu!--Now,” said the king, as the door closed, “have you recovered
the plaything?”
“Here it is, your majesty,” shouted the prince, as he held up
triumphantly the battledoor and shuttlecock high in the air.
“You deserve your reward, and you shall have it. You can stay with me
and play with it here. Take care and not make too much noise, as I wish
to write.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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