"Your majesty can depend upon the whole truth. My tutor says that
lying is despicable, and that a prince who will one day be a king
should be too proud to tell a lie! I will tell you all about it. The
officers came to see me at Easter, just as I had put the Easter eggs
in the garden, for my little brother and some other boys whom I had
invited to hunt for them. I had spent my last six groschen for the
eggs, and I anticipated so much pleasure with the hide-and-seek for
them. We had just begun, when the officers came."

"That was really unfortunate," said the king, sympathizingly.

"Yes, sire, very disagreeable, and I could not possibly feel kindly.
While the officers were talking, I was always wishing they would go.
But they stayed and stayed--and when Major von Werder began to make
a long speech to me, and I thought there was no end to it, I became
impatient and furious--and--"

"Why do you hesitate?" asked the king, looking tenderly at the
frank, glowing face of the boy. "What happened?"

"Something dreadful, sire! I could not keep in any longer. The major
kept on talking, and looked at me so sharply, I could not help
making an abominable face. It is unfortunately true--I ran my tongue
out at him--only just a little bit--and I drew it back in an
instant; but it was done, and a dreadful scene followed. The major
did not say any thing, my tutor was red as fire, and I was
thunderstruck!"

"That was excessively rude, my little flag-bearer," cried the king.