SECKENDORF.

Good evening, Your Majesty.

KING.

Good evening, Seckendorf.

COUNT SCHWERIN.

Good evening, Your Majesty.

KING.

Good evening, Schwerin.  Does it taste good?

SCHWERIN.

Fine!  Thanks, Your Majesty.

COUNT WARTENSLEBEN.

Good evening, Your Majesty.

KING.

Good evening, Wartensleben.  Pipe draw well?

WARTENSLEBEN.

Yes.  Thanks, Your Majesty. [He moves past the KING _.  The others pass one after the other, or sometimes several at once, with similar greetings_.]

KING.

Take your seats, gentlemen—­no formalities—­free choice—­the smoke of war levels all rank.

GRUMBKOW.

But the subject, Your Majesty, the subject promised for this evening?

KING.

Ha, ha!  The target?  There it comes.

[HOTHAM and the PRINCE OF BAIREUTH come in.]

ALL.

The Prince of Baireuth?

PRINCE.

Good evening.

KING.

Right, oh!  Prince, that you are come.  Now, at least, you will have something good about my family to tell them in Rheinsberg. [Aside.] Spy! [Aloud.] But your pipe is cold.

PRINCE (with suppressed anger).

I am hoping that I may find fire enough here.

[The company sit down, the KING and GRUMBKOW at one end of the table, HOTHAM and the PRINCE at the other.]

KING.

Lay on, gentlemen—­there stand the care-chasers.

SECKENDORF.

To His Majesty’s health!

KING.

No, let us rather drink, after such a day of annoyance and sorrow—­let us rather drink to cheer, jollity, and a happy turn of wit!

[They touch glasses with one another. EVERMANN moves about, serving the guests, passing coal for the pipes, and so forth.]

KING (aside).

Grumbkow, I wager it will be right jolly tonight.

GRUMBKOW (aside).

We’ll soon begin to tap the Prince.

KING (aside).

Be merciful.  His brow is already bedewed with the sweat of anxiety. [Aloud.] Tell me.  Prince, since you have windbagged yourself about so much of the world—­do they smoke tobacco in Versailles also?

[Illustration:  KING FREDERICK WILLIAM I AND HIS “TOBACCO COLLEGIUM” ADOLPH VON MENZEL]

 PRINCE.

No.  Your Majesty, but I’ve seen sailors in London who chew it.

KING.

Brr!  Grumbkow, we’ll not introduce that fashion here.  It’s not because of the taste, but such meals would be right costly.

HOTHAM.

Our sailors use tobacco as a remedy for scurvy.

SECKENDORF.

What is scurvy?

PRINCE.

The scurvy, Count, is a disease which begins with an evil tongue.