Courts and courtiers -- Fiction; German fiction -- Translations into English; Germany -- Fiction
Did the people catch a glimpse of him--at the Albrechtstor it might be,
when wrapped in his heavy fur coat, which his father had worn before
him, and on whose thick collar his delicate head now rested, he stepped
into his carriage--timid glances were levelled at him, and the cheering
was faint and hesitating. For the lower classes felt that with a prince
like this there could be no question of cheering him and thereby
cheering themselves at the same time. They looked at him, and did not
recognize themselves in him; his refined superiority made it clear that
they were of different clay from his. And they were not accustomed to
that. Was there not a commissionaire posted in the Albrechtsplatz that
very day, who with his high cheek-bones and grey whiskers looked a
coarse and homely replica of the late Grand Duke? And did one not
similarly meet with Prince Klaus Heinrich's features in the lower
classes?
It was not so with his brother. The people could not see in him an
idealized version of themselves, whom it could make them happy to
cheer--as it meant cheering themselves too! the Grand Duke's
Highness--his undoubted Highness!--was a nobility of the usual kind,
undomestic, and without the stamp of the graciousness which inspires
confidence. He too knew that; and the consciousness of his Highness,
together with that of his want of popular graciousness, were quite
enough to account for his shyness and haughtiness. He began already to
delegate as far as possible his duties to Prince Klaus Heinrich. He sent
him to open the new spring at Immenstadt and to the historical
town-pageant at Butterburg. Indeed, his contempt for any exhibition of
his princely person went so far that Herr von Knobelsdorff had the
greatest difficulty in persuading him to receive the Presidents of the
two Chambers in the Throne-room himself, and not, "for reasons of
health," as he was minded, to give place to his brother on this solemn
occasion.
Albrecht II lived a lonely life in the Old Schloss; that was unavoidable
in the nature of things. In the first place, Prince Klaus Heinrich,
since Johann Albrecht's death, kept a Court of his own. That was
demanded by etiquette, and he had been given the "Hermitage" as a
residence, that Empire Schloss on the fringe of the northern suburbs,
which, reposeful and charming, but long uninhabited and neglected, in
the middle of its overgrown park next the Town Gardens, looked down on
its little mud-thick pond. Some time ago, when Albrecht came of age, the
"Hermitage" had been freshened up and for form's sake destined to be the
Heir Apparent's palace; but as Albrecht had always come in summer
straight from his warm, dry foreign resort to Hollerbrunn, he had never
used his palace....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account