Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 133.djvu/34

28 ? As if I were not unhappy enough. What does Edward feel? Does he too expect me to tell him of something that does not exist?"

"Poor Edward! All I can say is, that if we are unhappy, he is unhappy too, and unhappier than either you or me, for he is Poor boy! but he is young and he will get over it," said Miss Cherry with a deep sigh.

"Oh, hush, hush! but tell me of him -- hush!" said Cara eagerly; "I hear him coming up the stairs."

There was some one certainly coming up-stairs, but it was not Edward's youthful footstep, light and springy. It was a heavier and slower tread. They listened, somewhat breathless, being thus stopped in an interesting discussion, and wondered at the slow approach of these steps. At last the door opened slowly, and Mr. Beresford, with some letters in his hand, came into the room. He came quite up to them before he said anything. The envelope which he held in his hand seemed to have contained both the open letters which he carried along with it, and one of them had a black edge. He was still running his eyes over this as he entered the room.

"I think," he said, standing with his hand upon Cara's table, at the place where Edward usually sat, "that you had better stop your packing for the moment. An unfortunate event has happened, and I do not think now that I can go away — not so soon at least; it would be heartless, it would be unkind!"

"What is it?" cried Miss Cherry, springing to her feet. "Oh, James, not any bad news from the Hill?"

"No, no; nothing that concerns us. The fact is," said Mr. Beresford, gazing into the dim depths of the mirror and avoiding their eyes, "Mr. Meredith, the father of the boys, has just died in India. The news has come only to-day."



 From The Contemporary Review.

history of Prussia during the present century naturally divides itself into five great periods: first, what I shall call the period of fall and humiliation, 1806-1812; then the period of rise and regeneration, 1813-1815; after that the period of reaction and red-tape, 1816-1830; then from 1830 to 1866, an epoch of tentative liberalism and constitutionalism; and lastly, from 1866 to the present hour, the period of nationality and empire. The object of the present paper is shortly to sketch the character and significance of these five epochs in the great drama of European politics.

the many external consequences of the military preponderance of France which arose out of the French Revolution, not the least notable was the sudden breakdown of Prussia by the battle of Jena in 1806. Of the accidental causes that may have contributed to this unexpected result, it were of no use to discourse. The essential causes which it is instructive to note were: (1.) The military genius of Napoleon, coupled with the unity of action, energy, and complete organization, which arose out of his political position and the authority with which he was invested. (2.) The democratic inspiration of the French people, and the high spirit and military temper of the French army thence resulting. No doubt that democratic impulse, though strong, was far from pure, and became ever more impure the farther it proceeded from its well-head. But it was unquestionably there; and enabled the most absolute despot that modern history has seen to put himself forward on the great stage of European politics as "the armed apostle of a democratic movement" which there was nothing in old Europe strong enough to resist. (3.) The political division of Germany, which prevented common action among its members; and specially the hereditary hostility betwixt Prussia and Austria, which had enabled the thundering Corsican to strike first one and then the other with a force that, in his hands, was irresistible. The eventful campaign of 1806-7, presenting, in some respects, an exact opposite to the recent campaign, which ended even more suddenly in the humiliation of France, was not a trial of strength between France and Germany; but the real antagonistic powers were France in alliance with one-third of Germany, and inspired by the genius of Napoleon, against one-third of Germany, without a great military head; while the other third — viz., Austria — remained neuter. (4.) The fourth cause that contributed largely to the sudden downfall of Prussia was the entire want of popular institutions and a popular spirit among the Prussian people. When the army did not happen to be commanded by a military genius like Frederick the 