Then she held them a moment one by one in her arms and begged them to be good and to pray always for their country.
"Auf wiedersehen, darlings, as soon as possible you will see both your dear father and your mother."
Then they had separated, the Countess Voss and the children going towards the Baltic, the Queen joining her husband in the strong old fortified town where he was then in hiding.
But something very annoying happened to the Queen at Stettin.
There she had been promised fresh horses. She waited and waited and none were brought forth. At last it was discovered that all the horses had been turned into the field after her arrival, and that she must go on to the King with her tired one.
"It was the work of that villain, Napoleon. All believe that everywhere," put in Ludwig.
When Dr. Hufeland had finished his story, Ludwig Brandt told of the entrance of Napoleon into Berlin; how he came in a splendid procession with flags flying and trumpets sounding.
"But the Berliners, watching him from the windows, wept," he added, his face glowing.
Then he related how Napoleon had said all manner of things against the Queen, and of how surprised he was when he first beheld her portrait at Potsdam. "I had no idea that she looked like that," he said, and began to ask questions about her and listened attentively to all the praise which on every side was given her.
But, however much he was interested, it did not prevent his accusing her of having caused the war, before an assembly of Berliners he called to discuss matters. Only one of these Prussians had courage to defend the Queen. He was an old clergyman named Erman.