"When the meal was over, the king played on his flute a short time,
and then attended to more business."

"Did he work till bedtime, Hans?"

"Oh, no. In the evening there was a concert or lecture, or something
like that. But, all the same, the king was a hard-working man, even
in times of peace."

"He loved his people dearly, father once told me," said Bertha. "He
said he understood his subjects and they understood him."

"Yes, and that reminds me of a story the schoolmaster told. King
Frederick was once riding through the street when he saw a crowd of
people gathered together. He said to his groom, 'Go and see what is
the matter.' The man came back and told the king that the people
were all looking at a caricature of Frederick himself. A caricature,
you know, is a comical portrait.

"Perhaps you think the king was angry when he heard this. Not at
all. He said, 'Go and hang the picture lower down, so they will not
have to stretch their necks to see it.'

"The crowd heard the words. 'Hurrah for the king!' they cried. At
the same time, they began to tear the picture into pieces."

"Frederick the Great could appreciate a joke," said Bertha. "I
should think the people must have loved him."

"He had some fine buildings put up in his lifetime," Hans went on.