"You have been in the service?"

"Yes, your Majesty--as lieutenant in the Royal Hanoverian Garde du
Corps."

"There were then commoners as officers in that regiment."

"May it please your Majesty, my name is Baron von Grubenhagen, but the
'Baron' was in the way of the merchant."

The open and manly bearing of the Baron, combined with the deference due
to his sovereign, appeared to please the Emperor. He gazed long into the
clear-cut, energetic face, with its bold and intelligent eyes.

"You have seen much of the world?"

"Your Majesty, I was in America, and for many years in England, before
entering business."

"A good merchant often sees more than a diplomatist, for his view is
unbiassed, and freer. I love your Hamburg; it is a loyal city, full of
intelligence and enterprise."

"The Alster people would reckon themselves happy to hear your Majesty
say so."

"Do not the Hamburgers suffer great losses from the war?"

"Many people in Hamburg think as I do, your Majesty."