At last the Crown Prince stood still, looked at the Jew astonished, but asked pleasantly: “What is it you wish?” The dealer in old clothes scraped a bow and said: “Have you any old clothes to sell?” At this the Crown Prince laughed outright and answered: “My good friend, I have a large family, and there are no old clothes; when I am done with anything, it is made over for the boys.”
A Change of Methods
While the Crown Prince Frederick William was dedicating a chapel of the University at Halle, he noticed among the students drawn up in line, one whose face was a mass of scars. Turning to Dr. Volkman, the well-known surgeon, he said, jovially: “That head gave you a lot of mending to do!”
“Ah, your Royal Highness,” answered the man of science, “that sort of thing we sew only by machine now!”
Presented With a Leg
In honor of the presence of a number of crowned heads, who were taking the waters, a gala performance was to be given at the theatre of Hamburg. The first to appear in the royal box was the Grandduke of Hesse, with two Princesses. He took a chair and sat down between them, when the chair broke to pieces and his Royal Highness found himself sitting upon the floor. The accident created great merriment both in the royal box and among the audience.
Soon after, the Crown Prince Frederick William appeared in the box, and when told of the mishap, laughed heartily and took pains to throw himself heavily into his chair, but it held together. Finally the Prince of Wales, now King Edward, appeared. The Crown Prince at once presented to him the leg of the chair with the most comical solemnity.
Followed Instructions
When Emperor William and the Crown Prince visited Erfurt after the war with France, the youths of the city enthusiastically greeted the latter, whom they adored. The Crown Prince leaning from his carriage called out: “Boys, in the carriage behind is Moltke; scream for all you are worth!”