"And he knew me, dear grandfather; I know that he did, only he could not dream that his Bettina was here in Prussia, could he?"
"Indeed, no," said her grandfather, and then went to sleep. It was not often that he had such a soft bed as the carriage cushions, and he meant to make the most of it. And so they came to Custrin.
"Now," said Hans, his face full of joy, "we shall see the King!"
But, alas!
Certainly, the King had been there; the Queen, also.
An old peasant woman outside the walls, whom Hans questioned, knew all about it.
The King had come first and gone straight to a house in the Market.
"It is a sad event that brings me here," he had said. And then, later, had come the Queen. "They were here some time," said the old woman. "Her Majesty, wrapped in a travelling cloak, used to walk on the walls and try to put some courage into the soldiers. Foolish work," she added; "you might as well try to fill broken bottles; all she put in their hearts went out at their heels, and Custrin surrendered without fighting."
The King and Queen, she said, were at Graudenz, on the Vistula.
"We will follow," announced Hans.