Brandenburg (Germany) -- History -- Juvenile literature; Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, 1620-1688 -- Juvenile literature
stationed on an upper balcony, had to stop playing for a long time. You
would have imagined that great alarm might have ensued, but it all went
off well and not a person was injured. Oh, but it was not much like the
times nowadays. Where can we get the money for such a celebration now?”
The nurse suddenly sprang from her seat. A shot was heard. “Oh dear!”
cried she. “The English are entering the city, and it means fighting.”
The maid assumed an air of confidence but wished in her heart that the
night were well over. The cathedral bell struck one. After a little she
rose from her seat and paced the room to and fro. As she was thus
engaged she noticed a book, bound in red morocco, lying upon a table
near the door. As she picked it up, she saw the nurse looking at it
curiously, and said to her: “Why, nurse, is this your book? Can you
read?”
“I wish I could,” answered the nurse. “Surely our gracious Electoress
must have forgotten the book when she came in to see and kiss her little
son before he went to sleep. Yes, now I remember, she had such a book in
her hand.”
“Let us take a look at it,” said the maid, seating herself at a table
and opening the volume. “It was printed last year,” she said. “It reads,
‘at Frankfort-on-the-Oder, by Michael Kochen, 1619.’” After she had
examined the title-page, which was ornamented with red and black
lettering, she lightly turned over some of its leaves. The nurse looked
at her like a hungry person gazing upon another at a bountiful repast.
At last the maid noticed her eager look and said: “Shall I read you some
of it?”
“I should be delighted to have you do so!”
“You must first know that a regular Francophobist wrote this book.”
“Are there such people as Francopho—”
The maid was only restrained from a peal of laughter by fear of waking
the child. “Ah! You are still way back in Ukermark,” she said.
“Francophobists is the name of persons who cannot abide anything that is
French.” She turned the leaves once more and then said: “Listen to what
he has written.” She read a long tirade against the French and their
influence upon German life, habits, literature, music, and attire. “What
does this man know of our attire?” said she.
The nurse meanwhile sat staring at the maid’s head-dress. The latter was
irritated and said: “What are you looking at, you marigold of Ukermark,
with your taffeta head ribbon? You would gladly dress like me if there
were no regular style of dress prescribed for you.”
They would have resumed their casual talk had not the tumult increased
around the castle and in the streets near by. The maid immediately
betook herself to the dark room and looked out of the window. Armed men
were rushing about excitedly. She saw military officers and heard wild
cries and curses, shouts and laughter. Now and then a shot was fired.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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