"
"You have, then, nothing to ask of me?" said the king, becoming
indignant.
She gazed at him long and searchingly, with her great piercing eyes.
"No," she said harshly. "I have nothing to ask."
At this moment the door was thrown open, and the two children, Karl
and Anna, ran in, calling for their mother; but they became silent
on perceiving the strangers, and crept shyly to her side. Dorris
Ritter was strangely moved by the appearance of her children; her
countenance, which had borne so hard an expression, became mild and
gentle. She grasped the hands of the two children, and with them
approached the king.
"Yes, your majesty, I have a petition to make. I implore your pity
for my children. They are pure and innocent as God's angels; let not
the shame and misery of their parents fall upon their heads. King
Frederick, have pity on my children!"
And overcome by her emotions and her anguish, this unhappy woman
sank with her children at the feet of the king. The king regarded
her thoughtfully, then turned to Jordan.
"Jordan," said he, "to you I intrust the care of these children."
The wretched woman started to her feet, and pressed her children to
her arms with an expression as terrified and full of agony as that
of the noble and touching statue of the Greek Niobe.
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