[Illustration: George William, Elector of Brandenburg.
From an engraving by H. Jacopsen]

THE YOUTH OF THE GREAT ELECTOR.

THE HEIR TO THE THRONE.

BOOK I.

I.--GEORGE WILLIAM, THE ELECTOR.


With hasty strides George William, the Elector, paced to and fro the
length of his cabinet. His features wore a dark, agitated expression, his
blue eyes flashed with indignation and wrath; his hands were folded behind
his back, as if he would shut out from sight the paper they held with so
firm a grasp, and which he had crumpled within his fist, until it bore
greater resemblance to a ball than a letter. Yet he _must_ look at it once
more--that unfortunate epistle, which had stirred within him such a
tempest of fury; he _must_ withdraw his hands from his back, and again
unfold the paper, for nothing else would satisfy his rage.

"Would that I could thus crush between my hands the insolent, seditious
authors of this letter!" he murmured, as with a sigh he smoothed the paper
and read it over. "I see it plainly," he said then to himself; "with right
unworthy motive, these lords of the duchy of Cleves intend to vex and
mortify me. To ask me to give them the Electoral Prince for their
stadtholder, to fix his residence among them! That were a fine story