Meanwhile the 22nd of March passed, William the Great was a hundred years old and his monument had not yet been erected in the public park. Questions without end were asked at the meetings of the Town Council, several times additional credits were sanctioned after great difficulty, only to be vetoed again. The worst blow the community received was when His Majesty refused to have his lamented grandfather on foot and commanded an equestrian statue. Spurred on by his impatience Diederich often went to Meisestrasse in the evening to see how the work was progressing. It was the month of May and unpleasantly warm even in the twilight, but there was a breeze blowing through the deserted, newly planted area of the public park. With feelings of irritation Diederich thought again of the excellent stroke of business which the lord of the manor, Herr von Quitzin, had done here. That fellow had it all his own way! It was not very difficult to speculate in landed property when one's cousin was Governor! The town had no alternative but to take over the whole lot for the monument and pay whatever he demanded. … Then two figures appeared. Diederich saw in time who it was, and drew back among the shrubbery.
"We can breathe here," said old Buck. His son answered: "Unless the place takes away all desire to do so. They have contracted a debt of a million and a half to create this dumping ground for rubbish." And he pointed to the unfinished erection of stone pedestals, eagles, circular seats, lions, temples and figures. With beating wings the eagles had planted their talons on the still empty pedestal, others were perched on top of those temples which were set at symmetrical distances in the circular seats; behind, lions were crouching ready to spring into the foreground, where there was enough movement caused by fluttering flags and people in violent agitation. Napoleon III, in the crushed attitude of Wilhelmshöhe, adorned the rear of the pedestal, as the vanquished in the rear of the triumphal chariot. He was also threatened with an attack from one of
