" O Frederick, Frederick!" I exclaimed one day
with tears and kisses, " have I really found you
again? "

"And you rushed out to find and nurse me,
Martha? That was heroic and — foolish."

" Foolish — I know it. I imagined I heard your
voice calling me; I had a presentiment, which was
imagination and superstition, that you were lost
to me. But heroic — no. If you only knew how
cowardly I was in the presence of all that misery.
You I could have nursed, only you. Oh, our beau-
tiful world! how can man make it so terrible? A
world in which two human beings can love each
other as you and I love, in which such fiery happi-
ness as ours can blaze — how can one be so mad
as to light the flame of death and misery-laden
hate?"

" I have seen things horrible enough, Martha —
something I shall never forget. One day, whom do
you think I saw spring upon me with uplifted
saber, during a cavalry engagement at Sadowa?
Gottfried von Tessow."

"Aunt Cornelia's son?"

"Yes; he recognized me in time and dropped
his sword."

"Which he was not justified in doing. What!
spare an enemy of king and country, under the
unworthy pretense that he was a dear friend and
cousin! "

"The poor young fellow! He had scarcely
dropped his arm when a saber fell on his own
head. It was done by my neighbor, a young lieu-



"GROUND ARMSr 177

tenant, who saw his colonel in danger and wanted
to save him."

Frederick covered his face with his hands.
"Killed?" I asked shuddering.
He nodded.
"Mamma, Mamma!" came from the adjoining
room, and the door was thrown open. It was my
little Rudolph with Lilli.
