The Prince gazed at me in surprise, and I told him that this was Ernst's betrothed.
The Prince extended his hand to Martella. She kissed it and covered it with tears, when he said to her:
"I shall do all that I can."
"Oh, God is gracious to you! you are all-powerful. O how happy you are that you can do all these things! I knew it!"
The Prince said that he was occupied at the moment; that she might go, and he would attend to all that was necessary afterwards.
"No, no!" cried Martella; "not so. I shall not leave in that way. Now is the right time. Let the whole world wait until this is done."
"I have already informed his father that the deserter will receive but a mild punishment, if he now returns and helps us to fight for our Fatherland."
"Yes, yes; I believe all that; but I must have it in writing, with a great seal under it, or else it is of no avail, and your subordinates will not respect it.
"O Prince! the winter before the fearful war you were hunting in the district to which my Ernst belonged, and he had much to tell me about you; and he said that, if one considered how you had been spoiled, it was wonderful to find our Prince so well behaved, so just and upright a man.
"And Rothfuss said, 'In such a war as that of 1866, the Prince would have been just as willing to desert as Ernst was, if he only could have done so; but he could not get away.'"