Part 182

“My Dear Neighbour,

I cannot allow you to sell the mill. It must remain in the possession of your family as long as one of your descendants survives, for the building belongs to the history of Prussia, and is a standing memorial of the integrity of our judges and the impartiality of our laws. I am sorry, however, to hear that you are in straitened circumstances, and therefore send you six thousand dollars to pay off your debts, and hope the sum will be sufficient for the purpose. Consider me always

Your affectionate neighbour,

FREDERICK WILLIAM.”

The mill still stands, and is occupied by the descendants of the resolute miller who had the fortitude to thwart the despotic monarch in his desire to improve the prospect from the windows of his palace.—CHAMBERS’S “SHORT STORIES.”

reminding — hands = reminded him of the refusal (+abschlägige Antwort+) which Fred. the Gr. had received at the hands (+seitens+).

= stated.

= that he would in his present embarrassed circumstances most willingly sell the mill, if, etc. ‘To obtain possession of the property’, here +das Besitzthum käuflich erwerben+.

with — hand, +eigenhändig+, adj., which use after ‘following’.

+noch am Leben sein.+

+an´gehören.+

+bleibend+, adj.; to, +an+.

+Thaler+ (m.), formerly the standard coin in Germany, and equal to 3 sh. English.

= I remain always.

here +wohlwollend+, adj.

= and is still in the possession of the.

to thwart — desire = to oppose (+sich einer Sache widersetzen+) the desire of the despotic king.

Section 209.

A FRIEND IN NEED (S. 3, N. 2).

One wet wintry night, when a gentleman was hurrying along one of the crowded thoroughfares of London, his attention was arrested by a lean, hungry-looking dog which rushed past him. He observed that it had a collar round its neck, to which a basket was attached. If it was (App. § 36) a dog that ran on errands, he thought that surely its owner would feed it better, and its ribs would not look so spare. Thinking that there was some mystery connected with the animal, he resolved to follow it. After a time it turned up a narrow lane into a stable-yard, where some coachmen and hostlers were loitering about. It then got up on its hind-legs, and began walking about in circles. The bystanders, surprised at this strange proceeding, formed round in a ring and looked on. It walked five times round, standing erect, and looking fixedly before it like a soldier on duty, evidently doing its utmost to make the company laugh. After taking a short rest, it began its performance again, but this time on its fore-feet, pretending to stand on its (S. 43, N. 9) head. Tiring of this, it lay down in the middle of the ring, feigning to be dead, and going through all the convulsions of a dying dog, breathing heavily, panting, suffering the lower jaw to fall, and then turning over motionless. It did this so well, that a woman in the crowd exclaimed: “Poor beast!” and drew her hand across her eyes. Having lain still a minute, with its eyes closed, it got up and shook itself, to show that the performance was over. It then went round begging on its hind-legs, standing a little while before each of the spectators, and earnestly watching to see whether they put their hands into their pockets or not. The basket round its neck had a slit in the lid, into which the coppers might be dropped.

to hurry along, +durchei´len+, insep. comp. w. v. Place ‘one — night’ after ‘gentleman’; wet = rainy; thoroughfares = streets.

here +Halsband+, n.; round its neck, +um+.

to run on errands, +Besorgungen aus´richten+; and — spare = and it would not look so dreadfully lean.

= Since the matter appeared very mysterious (+rätselhaft+) to him.

= the animal.

+kurz+; turned up = ran into; into = which led to.

+im Kreise.+

= held himself.