"May God bless your councils," said the queen fervently.
"These are evil times, dear Lex," said the queen, affectionately, to the privy councillor, who bowed low as she passed him; "would that they were safely over!" And she slowly left the king's cabinet.
The ministers entered and seated themselves around the table.
Besides Count Platen, Bacmeister, and General von Brandis, the minister of the household and supreme chamberlain, von Malortie, was present. He was an old gentleman, with short grey hair and a small wrinkled face, who, from his discontented expression, bent figure, tall black necktie, and half buttoned-up frock-coat, looked more like an invalided government clerk than the witty composer of a book considered as an authority at every court, "The Lord Chamberlain as he should be."
There was besides the minister of equity, Leonhardt, the well-known lawmaker, a plain, slight man, with thin hair and sharply-cut, intelligent features, whose expressive, animated, and penetrating eyes were concealed behind silver spectacles; the minister for education, von Hodenburg, a fair man, who was still young, and who had formerly been diplomatic resident at the Hague; and also the young minister of finance, Dietrichs, who had been named as secretary by Count Platen--a highly-aristocratic minister, and whom the king had appointed, saying, "If he has ability, and if he works, he will some day be minister himself."
All these gentlemen had entered the king's cabinet in deep and solemn silence. When they had taken their places, George V. spoke:
"Gentlemen, the King of Prussia, through the ambassador at my court, has proposed to conclude an alliance with me, now that the German Confederation is at an end. You know what has taken place in Frankfort. I do not consider the dissolution of the German Confederacy as lawfully accomplished by the declaration of the Prussian ambassador, though, alas! I must acknowledge that the German union is in fact broken. Since the misfortune to Germany is unavoidable, of a war between Austria and Prussia, I desire, as I repeat before you all, to enter into a treaty of neutrality with the King of Prussia. But that is not what his Majesty of Prussia requires of me. Count Platen, I beg you to read aloud Prince Ysenburg's note."
Count Platen slowly read the Prussian ultimatum. When he had ended, the king again spoke:
"I believe, gentlemen, that you are acquainted with the Prussian project of reform on the foundation of which I should have to conclude this alliance?"
The ministers simultaneously assented.