“What sort of new-fashioned, disrespectful handwriting is this?” growled George William.  “This is not at all as if it had been written by a prince’s son, but by a scholar who had carefully sought to crowd as many lines as possible into one page in order to save paper.  A prince should never renounce or be unmindful of his own dignity.  But it is unbecoming, indeed, and unworthy of a prince to write such a fine hand, as if he were a scholar or a writing master.  I can not read these small intricate characters.  Read the letter to me, Electress, in short, share it with me from the first.”

The Electress took the sheet held out to her, and read it over with hurried glances.  “The Electoral Prince uses the most humble, submissive words,” she said, finally.  “It is just the letter of an obedient and respectful son, who is all anxiety to obey the commands of his father, and who is deeply grieved that he must nevertheless go contrary to them.”

“Must?” cried George William.  “Be pleased to tell me why he must.”

“Only hear, my lord and husband, what the Prince writes about it,” said the Electress, and with loud voice she read: 

“’There are various circumstances which compel me to prolong my stay in this country.  In the first place, Admiral Tromp is here, and he is very useful in aiding me to arrive at a more perfect knowledge of nautical affairs, as, also, the condescension and kindness of my uncle, the Prince of Orange, that great general, affords me a glorious opportunity of perfecting myself in the science of war.  And I think that, the more I learn and study here, the more capable will I become of serving hereafter under your highness.  But, apart from these things, it would be exceedingly difficult at this season of the year and under the present conditions, to make the long journey from The Hague to Prussia; most probably it would consume a half year, and the expenses would be enormous, while next summer I might easily accomplish the journey in two months.  The voyage by sea would be next to impossible during this present winter on account of the violent storms, which might occasion tedious delays.  Moreover, I dread the privateers of Dunkirk, against which the Dutch convoy could hardly protect me.  But yet more formidable seems the journey by land in the existing state of the times.  In Westphalia the Hessians and Swedes rove about, rendering the roads unsafe.  Even should I take my way over the flats, along the strand, yet the Swedish and Hessian troops could easily catch up with me, and overpower the escort promised me for safe-conduct by the counts of East Friesland and Oldenburg and the Bishop of Bremen.  Or should I bend my course through Upper Germany and Franconia, there, again, other hindrances present themselves, for throughout all these provinces reigns the greatest wretchedness—­men even devouring one another for hunger.  On that account my uncle, the Prince Stadtholder himself, has opposed my undertaking the journey, considering it