To say truth, it has been the young man's fixed purpose ever since he entered on this Journey, nay was ever since that ignominy in the Camp of Radewitz, to run away;--and indeed all this while he has measures going on with Katte at Berlin of the now-or-never sort.

Rash young creatures, elder of them hardly above five-and-twenty yet: not good at contriving measures.

But what then?
Human nature cannot stand this always; and it is time there were an end of deliberating.

Can we ever have such a chance again ?--What I find of certain concerning Friedrich while at Anspach is, That there comes by way of Erlangen, guided forward from that place by the Rittmeister von Katte, a certain messenger and message, which proved of deep importance to his Royal Highness.

The messenger was Lieutenant Katte's servant: who has come express from Berlin hither.