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The Youth of the Great Elector by L. (Luise) Mühlbach
page 289 of 608 (47%)
She covered her face with her hands, weeping aloud. The Electoral Prince
gave her a look of mingled grief and pain, took one hurried step forward,
as if he would go to her, and encircle her in his arms, then paused,
retreated slowly, gently, ever farther from the spot where she still stood
with face concealed and sobbing aloud. It was as if an invisible hand
continually drew him farther from his mother, ever nearer the door of the
antechamber. Now he stood close to it, leaned against it, and--was the old
castle so disjointed, or had the Electoral Prince with sudden touch
pressed upon the latch?--the door flew open. The Electoral Prince fell
backward into the antechamber, and, had it not been for the Electress's
valet, against whom he stumbled, would have fallen to the ground.

"By my faith!" he cried, while he nodded to the lackey, who stood there
with red face and deep embarrassment of manner--"by my faith! it was a
piece of good luck for me that you were standing so near the door, my
friend, else I should probably have had a bad fall. This rickety old
castle must be repaired. One can not even lean against the doors without
their flying open!"

He nodded to the lackey, who stood there in confusion, not having at all
recovered his self-possession, and stepped back into the room. In passing,
his eye caught that of Leuchtmar, who replied by a nod of assent, stolen
and significant; then he approached the Electress, who, surprised by this
sudden and unexpected interlude, had let her hands glide from before her
face, and now dried her tears.

"I beg my revered mother's pardon for disturbing her so ridiculously," he
said, seizing her hand and pressing it to his lips. "It was not my fault,
and only occasioned by the insecure fastening upon the door. It was by a
right fortunate accident that your grace commanded your valet to station
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