saw. Thief-keys were made to pattern in Berlin; first set did not
fit, second did; and stealthy Menzel gains admittance to that
Chamber of the Archives, can steal thither on shoes of felt when
occasion serves, and copy what you wish,--for a consideration.
Intermittently, since about Easter-Fair, 1753. Three persons are
cognizant of it, Winterfeld, Mahlzahn, Friedrich; three, and no
more. Probably the abstrusest study; and the most intense, going on
in the world at that epoch. [Rotzow, Charakteristik des
Siebenjahrigen Krieges (Berlin, 1802), i. 23.]

"At a very early stage of the Menzel Excerpts it became manifest
that certain synchronous Austrian Ditto would prove highly
elucidative; that, in fact, it would be indispensable to get hold
of these as well. Which also Winterfeld has managed to do. A deep-
headed man, who has his eyes about him; and is very apt to manage
what he undertakes. One Weingarten Junior, a Secretary in the
Austrian Embassy at Berlin (Excellency Peubla's second Secretary),
has his acquaintanceships in Berlin Society; and for one thing, as
Winterfeld discovers, is 'madly in love' with some Chambermaid or
quasi-chambermaid (let us call her Chambermaid), 'Daughter of the
Castellan at Charlottenburg.' Winterfeld, through the due channels,
applied to this Chambermaid, 'Get me a small secret Copy of such
and such Despatches, out of your Weingarten; it will be well for
you and him; otherwise perhaps not well!' Chambermaid, hope urging,
or perhaps hope and fear, did her best; Weingarten had to yield the
required product and products, as required. By this Weingarten,
from some date not long after Menzel's first mysterious Dresden
Excerpts, the necessary Austrian glosses, so far as possible to
Weingarten on the indications given him, have been regularly had,
for the two or three years past.