Peace In A Palace
"You
were
weeping
in
the
night,"
said
the
Emperor,
"Weeping
in
your
sleep,
I
am
told."
"It
was
nothing
but
a
dream,"
said
the
Empress;
But
her
face
grew
gray
and
old.
"You
thought
you
saw
our
German
God
defeated?"
"Oh,
no!"
she
said.
"I
saw
no
lightnings
fall.
I
dreamed
of
a
whirlpool
of
green
water,
Where
something
had
gone
down.
That
was
all.
_"All
but
the
whimper
of
the
sea
gulls
flying,
Endlessly
round
and
round,
Waiting
for
the
faces,
the
faces
from
the
darkness,
The
dreadful
rising
faces
of
the
drowned._
"It
was
nothing
but
a
dream,"
said
the
Empress.
"I
thought
I
was
walking
on
the
sea;
And
the
foam
rushed
up
in
a
wild
smother,
And
a
crowd
of
little
faces
looked
at
me.
They
were
drowning!
They
were
drowning,"
said
the
Empress,
"And
they
stretched
their
feeble
arms
to
the
sky;
But
the
worst
was--they
mistook
me
for
their
mother,
And
cried
as
my
children
used
to
cry.
_"Nothing
but
a
whimper
of
the
sea-gulls
flying,
Endlessly
round
and
round,
With
the
cruel
yellow
beaks
that
were
waiting
for
the
faces,
The
little
floating
faces
of
the
drowned."_
"It
was
nothing
but
a
dream,"
said
the
Emperor,
"So
why
should
you
weep,
dear,
eh?"--
"Oh,
I
saw
the
red
letters
on
a
life
belt
That
the
green
sea
washed
my
way!"--
"What
were
they?"
said
the
Emperor.
"What
were
they?"--
"Some
of
them
were
hidden,"
said
the
Empress,
"But
I
plainly
saw
the
L
and
the
U!"
"In
God's
name,
stop!"
said
the
Emperor.
"You
told
me
that
it
was
not
true!
_"Told
me
that
you
dreamed
of
the
sea
gulls
flying,
Endlessly
round
and
round,
Waiting
for
the
faces,
and
the
eyes
in
the
faces,
The
eyes
of
the
children
that
we
drowned._
"Kiss
me
and
forget
it,"
said
the
Emperor,
"Dry
your
tears
on
the
tassel
of
my
sword.
I
am
going
to
offer
peace
to
my
people,
And
abdicate,
perhaps,
as
overlord.
I
shall
now
take
up
My
Cross
as
Count
of
Prussia--
Which
is
not
a
heavy
burden,
you'll
agree.
Why,
before
the
twenty
million
dead
are
rotten
There'll
be
yachting
days
again
for
you
and
me.
Cheer
up!
It
would
mean
a
rope
for
anyone
but
Me."
_"Oh,
take
care!"
said
the
Empress.
"They
are
flying,
Endlessly
round
and
round.
They
have
finished
with
the
faces,
the
dreadful
little
faces,
The
little
eyeless
faces
of
the
drowned."_
