King Frederick of Prussia had rung his bell and no one had come to its call. The king peered out of the room and saw the reason why. There was his page, sleeping soundly in a chair! Now a page is a boy who works in a castle and is on his way to becoming a knight. A boy in medieval times could become a page at as early an age as seven and generally graduated when he was fourteen to the position of a knight's squire (a close personal servant and student to a specific knight). And so this young page went on sleeping, despite his majesty's call.

Coming closer to awake the young man, the king saw something hanging out of the servant’s pocket. It was a letter. Curious of what it contained, the king pulled it out and began to read it. It was from the young man’s mother. She was thanking her son for sending part of his money to her, thereby easing her misery. The mother wrote that God would reward him for his dutiful affection.

Having read the letter, Frederick took out a purse of money. Gently, so as not to wake him, the king slipped the letter and money into the page’s pocket. Then, returning to his chamber, the king again rang his bell. This time the rings were purposefully loud. The drowsy page shot up and immediately entered the room.

"You have had a sound sleep," the king said. The page, not knowing how to excuse himself, unintentionally placed his hand into his pocket. To his amazement, he felt the hidden purse and pulled it out. When he saw what it was, he turned deathly pale.

"What is that?" the king asked him, "What is the matter?" The poor man looked helplessly at the king and threw himself on his knees.

"Ah, Sire," he cried, "someone is trying to ruin me. I know nothing of this money that I have just found in my pocket, nor do I know how it has been put there."

"My young friend," the good king said kindly, "God often does great things for us even in our sleep. Send that to your mother, along with my greetings, and assure her that I will take care of both her and you."