Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/82

 subjects. He fails in this duty when he is too busy with his own happiness. It is not for the happiness of a single man that Heaven has put the sceptre in the hand of this person, it is for the satisfaction of all; and not to create the happiness of the people is so close to the misfortune which negligence can create that it is necessary to keep it in mind always."

"Well," said Frederick, "I shall continue my searches for some time and if I continue to be unsuccessful in finding the one I seek then I will return sadly to my throne which will be a bed of thorns for me. All the days of my life will become days of grief when I shall no longer see the one who used to share them with me."

When they were making their way to their apartment for the night, Frederick was surprised to see the respectful homages which all the soldiers and servants gave him. He turned to protest this to his host.

"Milord, I can see only a sovereign in you, as you are not my prisoner, but my guest. I owe all the possible respects to you because of your position, and because of your misfortune it would be a great blessing to me to be your friend. Ah, Milord, a smile from a suffering being is better than all the caresses of fortune."

Our knights left the next day, and both agreed that it is rare to find in a military man of that century so much feeling and sincerity.

The Prince of Saxony, on leaving the chateau, went toward Trier, and while he is on his way let's return to the prisons of the secret court where the unfortunate Adelaide is made even more unhappy by the fact that they refused to bring her the clothes of her sex.

"It is absolutely necessary," Stolbach said to her, "that you appear before your judges in the same clothes which you wore on arriving in this prison. That becomes one of the essential pieces of evidence in the case."

Time passed without anything happening to quiet the mortal uneasiness of these two women, when Stolbach appeared finally to take them before the judge. Adelaide asked for women's clothes again, but they were refused. She had to accept the