Not a lovely bride at all, this Maultasche; who is verging now
towards middle life withal, and has had enough to cross her in the
world. Was already married thirteen years ago; not wisely nor by
any means too well. A terrible dragon of a woman. Has been in
nameless domestic quarrels; in wars and sieges with rebellious
vassals; claps you an iron cap on her head, and takes the field
when need is: furious she-bear of the Tyrol. But she has immense
possessions, if wanting in female charms. She came by mothers from
that Duke of Meran whom we saw get his death (for cause), in the
Plassenburg a hundred years ago. [Antes, p.102.] Her ancestor was
Husband to an Aunt of that homicided Duke: from him, principally
from him, she inherits the Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria; is herself
an only child, the last of a line: hugest Heiress now going. So
that, in spite of the mouth and humor, she has not wanted for
wooers,--especially prudent Fathers wooing her for their sons.

In her Father's lifetime, Johann King of Bohemia, always awake to
such symptoms of things, and having very peculiar interests in
this case, courted and got her for his Crown-Prince (as we just
saw), a youth of great outlooks, outlooks towards Kaisership
itself perhaps; to whom she was wedded, thirteen years ago, and
duly brought the Tyrol for Heritage: but with the worst results.
Heritage, namely, could not be had without strife with Austria,
which likewise had claims. Far worse, the marriage itself went
awry: Johann's Crown-Prince was "a soft-natured Herr," say the
Books: why bring your big she-bear into a poor deer's den? Enough,
the marriage came to nothing, except to huge brawlings far enough
away from us: and Margaret Pouch-mouth has now divorced her
Bohemian Crown-Prince as a Nullity; and again weds, on similar