Page:The Enchanted Knights; or The Chronicle of the Three Sisters.djvu/96

16 king, covered with all the insignia of his rank, entered to welcome and give friendly embrace to his guest;—“Brother,” said he, “you are in your property and I am rejoiced at finding an occasion of returning the friendship you proved for me.” Udo felt no small embarassment at being received as a sovereign by the same king whom he had treated as a private man, and excused himself by alleging the strict incognito his majesty had chosen to preserve. To turn the thoughts of the sorrowful guest into another channel, Waidewuth explained to the prince all he wished to know respecting him when in his dominions, not yet having satisfied his curiosity upon that subject.

“I went travelling,” said the king, “to study mankind; to observe the manners and customs of foreign nations in order to become more accomplished and learned, and at the same time, I shall not deny it, to choose a consort amongst Eve’s daughters. Elfrieda, the daughter of the king of the East Angles, in Britania, was in the repute of high beauty and virtue, and her renown came to my ears. I freighted a vessel to transport my suite, and the presents destined for the princess; as for myself I needed no ship, as I made use of a much more secure and con-