"Your majesty, may I come in?" asked a gentle, happy child's voice.

The king turned hastily toward the door, so softly opened, and there
stood a charming little boy, in the uniform of a flag-bearer, with
the cap upon his head, and a neat little sword by his side. "Yes,
you may enter," nodded the king kindly to him. "You know I sent for
you, my little flag-bearer."




CHAPTER III.

FREDERICK WILLIAM.


The little flag-bearer skipped into the room with graceful vivacity,
and sprang, with a merry bound, up to the king, took his hand
without ceremony, and pressed it to his lips. Then, raising up his
head and shaking back his light-brown curls from his rosy cheeks,
his bright-blue eyes sparkling, he looked him full in the face.
"Your majesty, you say that you sent for me; but I must tell you
that if you had not sent for me I would have come here alone, and
begged so long at the door, that you would have let me come in!"

"And what if I would not have let you come in at all?" said the
king, smiling.

The little flag-bearer reflected a moment, then answered with a
confident air: "Your majesty, I would have forced open the door,