if he was a king and was born in the grand palace at Berlin. His
coat was often very shabby.

"In the next place, he slept only about four hours out of the whole
twenty-four for a good many years. He got up at three o'clock on
summer mornings, and in the winter-time he was always dressed by
five, at the very latest.

"While his hair-dresser was at work, he opened his most important
letters. After that, he attended to other business affairs of the
country. These things were done before eating or drinking. But when
they had been attended to, the king went into his writing-room and
drank a number of glasses of cold water. As he wrote, he sipped
coffee and ate a little fruit from time to time.

"He loved music very dearly, and sometimes rested from his work and
played on his flute.

"Dinner was the only regular meal of the day. It was served at
twelve o'clock, and lasted three or four hours. There was a bill of
fare, and the names of the cooks were given as well as the dishes
they prepared."

"Did the king ever let them know whether he was pleased or not with
their cooking?" asked Bertha.

"Yes. He marked the dishes he liked best with a cross. He enjoyed
his dinner, and generally had a number of friends to eat with him.
There was much joking, and there were many clever speeches.