"From the beginning our Crown Prince had objected to the formal etiquette which Frederick the Great imposed upon our Prussian Court. He longs always to have his home life free from formality.
"'I desire with all my heart,' said he, 'to live as a plain person and not as a royal one.'
"One evening the Crown Princess returned from a feast, and ridding herself of her finery, ran like a girl to her husband.
"Clasping her hands, he gazed in her wonderful eyes.
"'Thank God,' he said, 'thou art again my wife.'
"The Crown Princess' silvery laugh rang through the room.
"'What?' she cried, 'am I not that always?'
"The Crown Prince shook his head with an air of sad discontent.
"'No,' he said, 'thou must so often be Crown Princess.'
"The Countess von Voss thought it her duty to bring this lively pair to order.