initial commit of ebook 3460HEADmain

1 files changed, 15566 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/3460.txt b/3460.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70db766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/3460.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,15566 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Fritz and the New Era, by Louise Muhlbach
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Old Fritz and the New Era
+
+Author: Louise Muhlbach
+
+Translator: Peter Langley
+
+Posting Date: January 28, 2009 [EBook #3460]
+Release Date: October, 2002
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+
+
+OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA
+
+By L. Muhlbach
+
+
+Translated from the German by Peter Langley
+
+
+
+
+     BOOK I.
+
+     OLD FRITZ.
+
+     I. The Lonely King
+
+     II. Wilhelmine Enke
+
+     III. Frederick William
+
+     IV. The Drive to Berlin
+
+     V. The Oath of Fidelity
+
+     VI. The Parade
+
+     VII. The Miraculous Elixir
+
+     VIII. The Golden Rain
+
+     IX. German Literature and the King
+
+
+
+
+     BOOK II.
+
+     ROSICRUCIANS AND POWERFUL GENIUSES.
+
+     X. Goethe in Berlin
+
+     XI. The Inner and the Middle Temple
+
+     XII. The Jesuit General
+
+     XIII. A Pensioned General
+
+     XIV. The King's Letter
+
+     XV. Hate and Love
+
+     XVI. Charles Augustus and Goethe
+
+     XVII. Goethe's Visits
+
+     XVIII. Farewell to Berlin
+
+
+
+
+     BOOK III.
+
+     STORM AND PRESSURE.
+
+     XIX. The King and the Austrian Diplomat
+
+     XX. The King and the Lover
+
+     XXI. In Weimar
+
+     XXII. The Reading
+
+     XXIII. Witchcraft
+
+     XXIV. The Purse-Proud Man
+
+     XXV. The Elopement
+
+     XXVI. Under the Starry Heavens
+
+     XXVII. The Sacrifice
+
+
+
+
+     BOOK IV.
+
+     THE VISIBLES AND THE INVISIBLES.
+
+     XXVIII. Old Fritz
+
+     XXIX. Cagliostro's Return
+
+     XXX. The Triumvirate
+
+     XXXI. Future Plans
+
+     XXXII. Miracles and Spirits
+
+     XXXIII. The Return Home
+
+     XXXIV. Behind the Mask
+
+     XXXV. The Curse
+
+     XXXVI. The King and the Rosicrucians
+
+     XXXVII. The Espousals
+
+     XXXVIII. Revenge Fulfilled
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+I would merely say a few words in justification of the Historical
+Romance, in its relation to history. Any one, with no preceding profound
+study of history, who takes a few well-known historical facts as a
+foundation for an airy castle of romantic invention and fantastic
+adventure, may easily write an Historical Romance; for him history is
+only the nude manikin which he clothes and adorns according to his own
+taste, and to which he gives the place and position most agreeable
+to himself. But only the writer who is in earnest with respect
+to historical truth, who is not impelled by levity or conceited
+presumption, is justified in attempting this species of composition;
+thoroughly impressed with the greatness of his undertaking, he will with
+modest humility constantly remember that he has proposed to himself
+a great and sublime work which, however, it will be difficult if not
+impossible for him wholly and completely to accomplish.
+
+But what is this great, this sublime end, which the Historical Romance
+writer proposes to attain? It is this: to illustrate history, to
+popularize it; to bring forth from the silent studio of the scholar and
+to expose in the public market of life, for the common good, the great
+men and great deeds embalmed in history, and of which only the studious
+have hitherto enjoyed the monopoly. Thus, at least, have I considered
+the vocation I have chosen, not vainly or inconsiderately, but with
+a profound conviction of the greatness of my undertaking, and with
+a depressing consciousness that my power and acquirements may prove
+inadequate for the attainment of my proposed end.
+
+But I am also fully conscious of what was and still is my greatest
+desire: to give an agreeable and popular form to our national history,
+which may attract the attention and affections of our people, which may
+open their understandings to the tendencies of political movements, and
+connect the facts of history with the events of actual life.
+
+The severe historian has to do but with accomplished facts; he can only
+record and describe, with the strictest regard to truth, that which has
+outwardly occurred. He describes the battles of peoples, the struggles
+of nations, the great deeds of heroes, the actions of princes--in short,
+he gives the accomplished facts. To investigate and explain the secret
+motives, the hidden causes of these facts, to present them in connection
+with all that impelled to them, this is the task of Historical Romance.
+
+The historian presents to you the outward face, the external form of
+history; Historical Romance would show you the heart of history, and
+thus bring near to your heart what, else, would stand so far off. To
+enable him to do this, the writer of an Historical Romance must, indeed,
+make severe and various studies. He must devote his whole mind and soul
+to the epoch he would illustrate, he must live in it and feel with it.
+He must so familiarize himself with all the details, as in a manner to
+become a child of that epoch; for he can present a really living image
+of only that which is living in himself. That this requires a deep and
+earnest study of history is self-evident. Historical Romance demands the
+study of the historian, together with the creative imagination of the
+poet. For the free embodiment of the poet can blossom only from out
+the studio of the historian, as the flower from the seed; as, by a
+reciprocal organic action, the hyacinth is derived from the onion, and
+the rose from its seed-capsule, so are history and poetry combined
+in the Historical Romance, giving and receiving life to and from each
+other.
+
+The Historical Romance has its great task and its great justification--a
+truth disputed by only those who either have not understood or will not
+understand its nature.
+
+The Historical Romance has, if I may be allowed so to speak, four
+several objects for which to strive:
+
+Its first object is, to throw light upon the dark places of history,
+necessarily left unclear by the historian. Poetry has the right and duty
+of setting facts in a clear light, and of illuminating the darkness
+by its sunny beams. The poetry of the romance writer seeks to deduce
+historical characteristics from historical facts, and to draw from the
+spirit of history an elucidation of historical characters, so that the
+writer may be able to detect their inmost thoughts and feelings, and in
+just and sharp traits to communicate them to others.
+
+The second task of Historical Romance is, to group historical characters
+according to their internal natures, and thus to elucidate and
+illustrate history. This illustration then leads to the third task,
+which is the discovery and exposition of the motives which impel
+individual historical personages to the performance of great historical
+acts, and from outwardly, apparently insignificant events in their lives
+to deduce their inmost thoughts and natures, and represent them clearly
+to others.
+
+Thence follows the fourth task: the illustration of historical facts
+by a romance constructed in the spirit of the history. This fourth and
+principal task is the presentation of history in a dramatic form and
+with animated descriptions; upon the foundation of history to erect the
+temple of poesy, which must nevertheless be pervaded and illuminated by
+historic truth. From this it naturally follows that it is of very little
+consequence whether the personages of the Historical Romance actually
+spoke the words or performed the acts attributed to them; it is only
+necessary that those words and deeds should be in accordance with the
+spirit and character of such historical personages, and that the writer
+should not attribute to them what they could not have spoken or done.
+In the Historical Romance, when circumstances or events are presented in
+accordance with historical tradition, when the characters are naturally
+described, they bear with them their own justification, and Historical
+Romance has need of no further defence.
+
+Historical Romance should be nothing but an illustration of history. If
+the drawing, grouping, coloring, and style of such an illustration
+of any given historical epoch are admitted to be true, then the
+illustration rises to the elevation of a work of art, worthy of a place
+beside the historical picture, and is equally useful.
+
+Raphael's "School of Athens," his "Institution of the Communion," and
+many others of his pictures, are such illustrations of history--as also
+the great paintings of Rubens from the life of Anna dei Medici; and then
+the historical pictures of Horace Vernet, of Delaroche, of Lessing, and
+of Kaulbach--all these are illustrations of history. What those artists
+present and illustrate with paint and pencil, the Historical Romancer
+represents in words with his pen; and when he does this successfully,
+he will live in the memory of his reader as imperishably as the great
+historical pictures of the painters in the memory of their beholders.
+
+It would occur to no one to accuse a successful historical picture of
+falsehood, because the books of history do not show that the occurrence
+took place precisely in the manner represented, that the historical
+personages really so laughed or wept, or so deported themselves. If
+the situation and grouping of historical events are allowed to be in
+accordance with the general tenor of history, then the picture may be
+pronounced historically true, and is just as good a piece of history as
+the record of the special historian. It is the same with the pictures
+of the romancer as with those of the painter; and this is my answer to
+those who, on every occasion, are continually asking: "Was it really
+thus? Did it really occur in that manner?"
+
+Show me from history that it could not be so; that it is not in
+accordance with the character of the persons represented--then I will
+confess that I am wrong, and you are right; then have I not presented an
+illustration, but only a caricature of history, faulty as a work of art,
+and wanting the dignity of truth.
+
+I am conscious of having earnestly and devotedly striven for the truth,
+and of having diligently sought it in all attainable historical works.
+The author of an Historical Romance has before him a difficult task:
+while he must falsify nothing in history, he must poetize it in a manner
+that both historical and poetic truth shall be the result. To those,
+however, who so very severely judge Historical Romance, and would deny
+its historical worth, I now, in conclusion, answer with the following
+significant quotation from Schiller:
+
+"I shall always prove a bad resource for any future historian who may
+have the misfortune to recur to me. History is generally only a magazine
+for my fantasy, and objects must be contented with whatever they may
+become under my hand."--(See Weisnar's "Musenhof," p. 93.)
+
+This declaration of Schiller satisfies me with respect to the nature of
+my own creations. I desire not to be a resource for historical writers,
+but I shall always earnestly and zealously seek to draw from the
+wells of history, that nothing false or unreal may find a place in the
+"magazine of my fantasy."
+
+CLARA MUNDT,
+
+(L. MUEHLBACH. )
+
+BERLIN, September 22, 1866.
+
+
+
+
+
+OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA.
+
+
+
+
+BOOK I. OLD FRITZ.
+
+
+CHAPTER I. THE LONELY KING.
+
+
+"Well, so let it be!" said the king, sighing, as he rose from his
+arm-chair; "I must go forth to the strife, and these old limbs must
+again submit to the fatigue of war. But what matters it? The life of
+princes is passed in the fulfilment of duties and responsibilities,
+and rarely is it gladdened with the sunny rays of joy and peace! Let us
+submit!
+
+"Yes, let us submit!" repeated the king, thoughtfully, slowly pacing his
+cabinet back and forth, his hands folded upon his staff behind him, and
+his favorite dog, Alkmene, sleepily following him.
+
+It was a melancholy picture to see this bowed-down old man; his thin,
+pale face shaded by a worn-out, three-cornered hat, his dirty uniform
+strewn with snuff; and his meagre legs encased in high-topped,
+unpolished boots; his only companion a greyhound, old and joyless as
+his master. Neither the bust of Voltaire, with its beaming, intelligent
+face, nor those of his friends, Lord-Marshal Keith and the Marquis
+d'Argens, could win an affectionate glance from the lonely old king.
+He whom Europe distinguished as the Great Frederick, whom his subjects
+called their "father and benefactor," whose name was worthy to shine
+among the brightest stars of heaven, his pale, thin lips just murmured,
+"Resignation!"
+
+With downcast eyes he paced his cabinet, murmuring, "Let us submit!"
+He would not look up to those who were gazing down upon him from the
+walls--to those who were no more. The remembrance of them unnerved
+him, and filled his heart with grief. The experiences of life, and the
+ingratitude of men, had left many a scar upon this royal heart, but had
+never hardened it; it was still overflowing with tender sympathy
+and cherished memories. To Lord-Marshal Keith, Marquis d'Argens, and
+Voltaire, Frederick owed the happiest years of his life.
+
+D'Argens, who passionately loved Frederick, had been dead five years;
+Lord-Marshal Keith one month; and Voltaire was dying! This intelligence
+the king had received that very morning, from his Paris correspondent,
+Grimm. It was this that filled his heart with mourning. The face, that
+smiled so full of intelligence, was perhaps distorted with agony, and
+those beaming eyes were now closing in death!
+
+Voltaire was dying!
+
+Frederick's thoughts were with the dead and dying--with the past! He
+recalled, when crown prince at Rheinsberg, how much he had admired,
+loved, and distinguished Voltaire; how he rejoiced, and how honored he
+felt, when, as a young king, Voltaire yielded to his request to live
+with him at Berlin. This intimacy, it is true, did not long continue;
+the king was forced to recognize, with bitter regret, that the MAN
+Voltaire was not worthy the love which he bestowed upon the POET. He
+renounced the MAN, but the poet was still his admiration; and all the
+perfidy, slander and malice of Voltaire, had never changed Frederick.
+The remembrance of it had long since faded from his noble heart--only
+the memory of the poet, of the author of so many hours of the purest
+enjoyment, remained.
+
+Voltaire was dying!
+
+This great and powerful spirit, who so long a time, in the natural body,
+had instructed, inspired, and refreshed mankind, would leave that body
+to rise--whither?
+
+"Immortality, what art thou?" asked the king, aloud, and for the first
+time raising his eyes with an inquiring glance to the busts of his
+friends. "I have sought for thee, I have toiled for thee, my whole
+life long! Neither the researches of the learned, nor the subtleties of
+philosophy reveal thee to me. Is there any other immortality than
+fame? Any other eternal life than that which the memory of succeeding
+generations grants to the dead?" In this tone of thought Frederick
+recited, audibly, the conclusion of a poem, which he had addressed to
+D'Alembert:
+
+"I have consecrated my days to philosophy, I admit all the innocent
+pleasures of life; And knowing that soon my course will finish, I enjoy
+the present with fear of the future. What is there to fear after death?
+If the body and the mind suffer the same fate, I shall return and mingle
+with nature; If a remnant of my intellectual fire escapes death, I will
+flee to the arms of my God." [Footnote: Posthumous works, vol. vii.,
+p.88.]
+
+"And may this soon be granted me!" continued the king; "then I shall be
+reunited to those loved ones--gone before. I must be content to tarry
+awhile in this earthly vale of sorrow, and finish the task assigned me
+by the Great Teacher; therefore, let us submit."
+
+He sighed; pacing to and fro, his steps were arrested at a side-table,
+where lay a long black velvet box; it contained the flute that his
+beloved teacher, Quantz, had made for him. Frederick had always kept
+it in his cabinet as a memento of his lost friend; as this room he had
+devoted to a temple of Memory--of the past!
+
+"Another of the joys, another of the stars of my life vanished!"
+murmured the king. "My charming concerts are at an end! Quantz, Brenda,
+and my glorious Graun are no more. While they are listening to the
+heavenly choir, I must be content with the miserable, idle chatter
+of men; the thunder of battle deafening my ears, to which that mad,
+ambitious Emperor of Austria hopes to force me!"
+
+As the king thus soliloquized, he involuntarily drew from the box the
+beautiful ebony flute, exquisitely ornamented with silver. A smile
+played around his delicate mouth. He raised the flute to his lips, and
+a melancholy strain floated through the stillness--the king's requiem to
+the dead, his farewell to the dying!
+
+No sound of the outer world penetrated that lonely room. The guard of
+honor, on duty upon the Sans-Souci terrace, halted suddenly, as the
+sad music fell upon his ear. The fresh spring breeze swept through the
+trees, and drove the laden-blossomed elder-bushes tapping against the
+windowpanes, as if to offer a May-greeting to the lonely king. The
+servant in waiting stole on tiptoe to the door of the anteroom,
+listening breathlessly at the key-hole to the moving melody.
+
+Even Alkmene suddenly raised her head as if something unusual were
+taking place, fixed her great eyes upon her master, jumping upon his
+knee, and resting her fore-paws lovingly upon his breast.
+
+Frederick neither observed nor felt the movement of his favorite; his
+thoughts were absent from the present--absent from the earth! They were
+wandering in the unknown future, with the spirits of those he longed to
+see again in the Elysian fields.
+
+The wailing music of his flute expressed the lamentation of his
+soul, and his eyes filled with tears as he raised them to the bust
+of Voltaire, gazing at it with a look of pain until the melody was
+finished. Then abruptly turning, half unwillingly, half angrily, he
+returned the flute to the box, and stole away, covering his face with
+his hands, as if to hide his emotion from himself.
+
+"Now we have finished with the dead, and the living claim our thoughts,"
+sighed the king. "What an absurd thing is the human heart! It will never
+grow cold or old; always pretending to a spark of the fire which that
+shameful fellow Prometheus stole from the gods. What an absurdity! What
+have I, an old fellow, to do with the fire of Prometheus, when the
+fire of war will soon rage around me," At this instant the door gently
+opened. "What do you want, Muller? What do you poke your stupid face in
+here for?" said the king.
+
+"Pardon me, your majesty," replied the footman, "the Baron von Arnim
+begs for an audience."
+
+"Bid him enter," commanded the king, sinking back in his old, faded
+velvet arm-chair. Resting his chin upon his staff, he signed to the
+baron, who stood bowing upon the threshold, to approach. "Well, Arnim,
+what is the matter? What papers have you there?"
+
+"Sire," answered Baron von Arnim, "the contract of the French actors,
+which needs renewing, I have to lay before your majesty; also a paper,
+received yesterday, from Madame Mara; still another from the singer
+Conciliani, and a petition from four persons from the opera."
+
+"What stupid stuff!" growled the king, at the same time bestowing a
+caress upon Alkmene. "Commence with your report. Let us hear what those
+singers are now asking for."
+
+"The singer Conciliani has addressed a heart-breaking letter to your
+majesty, and prays for an increase of salary--that it is impossible for
+him to live upon three thousand dollars."
+
+"Ah! that is what is wanted?" cried the king, furious, and striking his
+staff upon the floor. "The fellow is mad; When he cannot live upon
+three thousand, he will not be able to live upon four. I want money for
+cannon. I cannot spend it for such nonsense. I am surprised, Von Arnim
+that you repeat such stuff to me."
+
+"Your majesty, it is my duty that I--"
+
+"What! Your duty is not to flatter them. I pay them to give me pleasure,
+not presumption. Remember, once for all, do not flatter them. Conciliani
+will get no increase of salary. If he persists, let him go to the
+mischief! This is my decision.--Proceed! What is Madame Mara begging
+for?"
+
+"Madame Mara constantly refuses to sing the airs which your majesty
+commanded to be introduced into the opera of 'Coriolanus.' She has
+taken the liberty to address you in writing; here is the letter, if your
+majesty will have the grace to read it."
+
+"By no means, sir, by no means!" cried the king; at the same instant
+catching the paper with his staff, he slung it like a shot arrow to the
+farthest corner of the room, to the great amusement of Alkmene, who,
+with a loud bark, sprang from her master's knee, and with a bound caught
+the strange bird, and tore it in pieces. "You are right, my pet," said
+the king, laughing, "you have written my answer with your nose to this
+arrogant person. Director, say to Madame Mara that I pay her to sing,
+not to write. She must sing both airs, or she may find herself at
+Spandau for her obstinacy, where her husband is, for the same reason.
+She can reflect, and judge for herself."
+
+The director could scarcely repress a sigh, foreboding the disagreeable
+scene that he would have to encounter with the proud and passionate
+singer. Timidly Von Arnim alluded to the four persons from the opera.
+"Who are these demoiselles, and what do they want?" asked the king.
+
+"Sire," replied the Baron von Arnim, "they are the four persons who
+personate the role of court ladies and maids of honor to the queens and
+princesses. They beg your majesty to secure to them a fixed income."
+
+"Indeed! Go to my writing-table and bring paper and pencil; I will
+dictate a reply to them," said the king. "Now write, Von Arnim: 'To the
+four court ladies and maids of honor of the opera: You are mistaken in
+addressing yourselves to me; the affair of your salaries concerns YOUR
+emperors and kings. To them you must address yourselves.--Adieu.'"
+
+Von Arnim could scarcely repress a smile.
+
+"Now we come to the last affair--the salaries and pensions of the French
+actors," said the king; "but first tell me the news in Berlin--what
+report has trumpeted forth in the last few days."
+
+"Your majesty, the latest news in Berlin, which rumor brings home to
+every hearth-side and every heart is, that your majesty has declared war
+with Austria on account of the Bavarian succession. Every one rejoices,
+sire, that you will humble that proud and supercilious house of Austria,
+and enter the lists for Germany."
+
+"Listen!" answered the king, sternly. "I did not ask you to blow the
+trumpet of praise, as if your honor, inspector of the theatres, thought
+yourself upon the stage, and would commence a comedy with the king of
+lamps. So it is known then that my soldiers will enter the great theatre
+of war, and that we are about to fight real battles."
+
+"It is known, sire," replied Von Arnim, bowing.
+
+"Then what I am about to communicate to you will not surprise you. The
+present juncture of affairs leads us to await very grave scenes--we can
+well dispense with comedy. I withdraw the salaries and pensions of the
+French actors--your own is included. After you have dismissed the
+French comedians, you will be entirely at leisure to pursue your
+love-intrigues.--Farewell!"
+
+"Your majesty," cried the baron, amazed, "has your highness dismissed
+me?"
+
+"Are you deaf, or have you some of the cotton in your ears which I
+presented to you at your recall from Copenhagen?" replied the king.
+[Footnote: Baron von Arnim was ambassador to Copenhagen until 1754, when
+he begged for his recall, stating that the damp climate was injurious
+to his health. The king granted his request, and the baron returned to
+Berlin. At the first audience with the king, Frederick handed Baron von
+Arnim a carefully-packed box, saying, "I do not wish the government to
+lose so valuable a servant; in this box you will find something that
+will keep you warm." Arnim could scarcely await his return home, to open
+the box; it contained nothing but cotton. Some days afterward, however,
+the king increased Von Arnim's income a thousand dollars, and sent him
+ambassador to Dresden. Von Arnim was afterward director of the Royal
+Theatre until dismissed in the above manner.]
+
+"Sire, I have heard all, but I cannot believe it."
+
+"Yes, yes," interrupted the king, "To believe is difficult; you, I
+presume, never belonged to the pious and believing. Your intrigues would
+not admit of it; but now you have the leisure to pursue them with a
+right good-will. You have only to discharge, as I have said, the entire
+French troupe, and the whole thing is done with.--Adieu, Arnim, may you
+be prospered!"
+
+Baron von Arnim muttered some incomprehensible words, and retreated
+from the royal presence. The door had scarcely closed, when it was again
+opened without ceremony by a young man, wearing a gold-laced dress.
+
+"Your majesty," said he, hastily, in an undertone, "your majesty,
+she has just gone to the Palace Park, just the same hour she went
+yesterday."
+
+"Is she alone?" asked the king, rising.
+
+"No, she is not alone; at a little distance the nurse follows with the
+princely infant!"
+
+The king cast an angry glance at the saucy, laughing face of the young
+man, who at once assumed a devoted, earnest mien. "Has your majesty any
+further commands?" asked he, timidly.
+
+"I command you to hold your tongue until you are spoken to!" replied
+the king, harshly. "You understand spying and hanging about, as you have
+good ears, a quick eye, and a keen scent. I therefore make use of you,
+because I need a spy; but, understand that a fellow who allows himself
+to be used as a spy, is, indeed, a useful subject, but generally a
+worthless one, and to whom it is becoming to be modest and humble. I
+am now going to Berlin; you will accompany me. Take off your finery, so
+that every one may not recognize at once the peacock by his feathers.
+Go to the taverns and listen to what they say about the war; whether the
+people are much dissatisfied about it. Keep your great ears wide open,
+and bring me this evening all the latest news. Go, now, tell my coachman
+to be ready; in half an hour I shall set off."
+
+The young man slunk away to the door, but stood without opening it, his
+head down, and his under-lip hanging out.
+
+"What is the matter?" asked the king, in a milder tone, "why do you not
+go, Kretzschmar?"
+
+"I cannot go away if your majesty is angry with me," muttered the
+servant, insolently. "I do not wish to hear or see any thing more for
+you when your majesty abuses me, and considers me such a mean, base
+fellow. Your majesty first commanded me to listen, and spy, and now that
+I am obeying, I am despised and scolded for it. I will have nothing
+more to do with it, and I wish your majesty to leave me a simple footman
+rather than to accord me such a mean position."
+
+"I did not mean so badly," said the king. "I mean well enough for
+you; but you must not permit yourself to be arrogant or disrespectful,
+otherwise you may go to Tophet! You are no common spy, you are listening
+about a little because you know I am fond of hearing what the people are
+saying, and what is going on in Berlin and Potsdam. But take care that
+they know nothing about it, otherwise they will be careful, and you will
+hear nothing. Now be off, and in order to see a cheerful face on you,
+I will make you a present." The king drew from his vest-pocket a purse,
+well filled with small coin, and gave it to the young man, who took it,
+though he still looked angry and insolent. "Do not let your under-lip
+hang down so, for I may step upon it," said the king. "Put the money in
+your pocket, and hurry off to tell old Pfund to harness quickly, or I
+shall not arrive in time at the park."
+
+"There is no danger, your majesty, for the miss seems very fond of the
+promenade; she remained two hours in the park yesterday, always walking
+in the most quiet places, as if she were afraid to meet any one. She sat
+a whole hour on the iron seat by the Carp Pond, and then she went to the
+Philosopher's Walk, and skipped about like a young colt."
+
+"You are a very cunning fellow, and know how to use your eyes well,"
+said the king. "Now be off, and order the carriage."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. WILHELMINE ENKE.
+
+The Palace Park was as quiet and deserted as usual. Not a voice, not a
+sound, disturbed the stillness of those silent walks. For this reason,
+undoubtedly, a young lady had sought it; at least her whole being
+expressed satisfaction and delight to wander unobserved through those
+quiet, shady alleys. She was of slight and elegant proportions, simply
+attired, without pretension, in a dark dress of some thin silk material.
+Her black silk mantle was thrown aside upon the stone seat near her,
+uncovering thus, in solitude, to the sun and birds, her lovely neck and
+arms, the beauty of which might rival the statues of the ancients. Her
+face was not of regular beauty, yet it possessed that expression of
+grace, spirit, and energy, which is oftener a more powerful and more
+enduring charm than regular beauty. Her large, expressive black eyes
+possessed a wonderful power, and her red, pouting lips wore a sweet
+smile; her fine Roman nose lent an air of decision, whilst her
+high-arched forehead led one to believe that daring, energetic thought
+lay hidden beneath those clusters of brown curls. She was not in the
+bloom of youth, but at twenty-five she appeared younger than many
+beauties at eighteen; and if her form no longer possessed the charm
+of girlhood, it was attractive from its suppleness and full, beautiful
+bust.
+
+"Louisa, Louisa, where are you?" cried the young lady, stepping quickly
+forward toward a side-path, which led from the broad avenue, and at the
+end of which was a sunny grassplot.
+
+"Here I am, miss; I am coming."
+
+"Miss," murmured the young lady, "how dreadfully it sounds! The blush of
+shame rises to my face, for it sounds like bitter mockery and contempt,
+and brings my whole life before me. Yet, I must endure it--and I
+scarcely wish it were otherwise. Ah, there you are, Louisa, and there
+is my beautiful boy," she cried, with a glad voice, hastening toward the
+peasant-woman and bending fondly over her child. "How beautiful and how
+knowing he looks! It seems as if my little Alexander began to recognize
+me--he looks so earnest and sensible."
+
+"He knows you, miss," said the nurse, courtesying, "and he knows, like
+other children, who loves him. Children and dogs know who love them. The
+children cry, and the dogs hide themselves when people are around who
+dislike them."
+
+"Nonsense, Louisa!" laughed the young lady, as she bent to kiss her
+child--"nonsense! did not my little boy cry when his father took him
+yesterday? And he loves his child most tenderly, as only a father can."
+
+"Oh, there is another reason for that," said the nurse. "He has just
+passed his first stupid three months, and he begins to hear and see what
+passes around him, and it was the first man's face that he had seen. But
+only look, miss, what a beautiful little dog is coming up the path."
+It was indeed a lovely greyhound, of the small Italian race, which came
+bounding joyfully toward them, and as he saw the woman barked loudly.
+
+"Be quiet, Alkmene, be quiet!" cried a loud, commanding voice.
+
+"Oh, Heaven! it is the king!" whispered the young lady, turning pale,
+and, as if stunned, retreated a few steps.
+
+"Yes, it is really the king," cried the nurse, "and he is coming
+directly from the grass-plot here."
+
+"Let us go as quickly as possible, Louisa. Come, come," and she hastily
+threw her mantle around her, drawing the hood over her curly head. She
+had only proceeded a few steps, when a loud voice bade her to remain--to
+stand still. She stood as if rooted to the spot, leaning upon her nurse
+for support; her knees sank under her, and it seemed as if the whole
+world turned around with her. After the first tumult of anxiety and
+fear, succeeded an insolent determination, and, forcing herself to
+calmness, she said: "It is the turning-point of my life; the next few
+minutes will either crush me or assure my future; let me struggle
+for the future, then. I will face him who approaches me as my judge."
+Forcing herself to composure, slowly and with effort she turned toward
+the king, who, approaching by the side path, had entered the avenue,
+and now stood before her. But as she encountered the fiery glance of the
+king's eye, she quailed before it, casting down her own, covered with
+confusion.
+
+"Who are you?" demanded the king, with stern authority, keeping his
+eagle eye fixed upon her. Silent and immovable she stood; only the
+quick, feverish breathing and the heaving bosom told the storm that was
+raging within.
+
+"Who are you?" repeated the voice, with still more severity--"who permit
+themselves to use my park as a nursery? What child is that? and who are
+its parents? They should be of high position at court, who would dare
+to send their child and nurse to the royal park; and with what joy they
+must regard the offspring of their conjugal tenderness! Tell me to whom
+does this child belong?"
+
+Sobbing convulsively, the lady sank, kneeling, with uplifted arms,
+imploring for mercy. "Sire, annihilate me with your anger, but do not
+crush me with your scorn!"
+
+"What language do you permit yourself to hold?" asked the king.
+
+"Sire, it is the language of an unhappy, despairing woman, who knows
+that she stands before that great monarch whose judgment she fears more
+than that of her God, who sees into her heart, and reads the tortures
+and reproaches of her conscience; who knows what she suffers, and knows,
+also, that she is free from self-interest, and every base desire. I
+believe that God will forgive what I fear your majesty will not."
+
+"You speak presumptuously, and remind me of the theatre princesses
+who represent a grand scene with a pathetic exit. Let me inform you,
+I despise comedians--only high tragedy pleases me. Spare yourself the
+trouble to act before me, but answer me--who are you? Whose child is
+that?"
+
+"Sire, only God and my king should hear my reply--I beg the favor to
+send away the nurse and child." The king assented, slightly nodding his
+head, at the same time bidding her not to kneel to him as to an image.
+
+The lady rose and sought the nurse, who, from fright, had withdrawn into
+the shrubbery, and stood staring at the king with wide-open eyes. "Go
+home, Louisa, and put the child to sleep," said she, quickly.
+
+The nurse obeyed promptly, and when alone, the king demanded again, "Who
+are you? and to whom does the child belong?"
+
+"Your majesty, I am the daughter of your chapel musician Enke, and the
+child is the son of Prince Frederick William of Prussia," she replied,
+in a firm and defiant manner.
+
+The king's eyes flashed as he glanced at the bold speaker. "You say so,
+but who vouches for the truth of it? You permit yourself to use a
+high name, to give your child an honorable father! What temerity! what
+presumption! What if I should not believe you, but send you to the house
+of correction, at Spandau, as a slanderer, as guilty of high-treason, as
+a sinner and an adulteress?"
+
+"You could not do it, sire--you could not," cried Wilhelmine Enke, "for
+you would also send there the honor and the name of your successor to
+the throne."
+
+"What do you mean?" cried the king, furiously.
+
+"I mean, your majesty, that the prince has holy duties toward me. I am
+the mother of that child!"
+
+"You acknowledge your shame, and you dare confess it to me, your king,
+that you are the favorite, the kept mistress of the Prince of Prussia,
+who has already a wife that has borne him children? You do not even seek
+to deny it, or to excuse yourself?"
+
+"I would try to excuse myself, did I not feel that your majesty would
+not listen to me."
+
+"What excuse could you offer?--there is none."
+
+"Love is my excuse," cried Wilhelmine, eagerly. "Oh! my ruler and king,
+do not shake your noble head so unbelievingly; do not look at me so
+contemptuously. Oh, Father in heaven, I implore Thee to quicken my
+mind, that my thoughts may become words, and my lips utter that which
+is burning in my soul! In all these years of my poor, despised, obscure
+life, how often have I longed for this hour when I might stand before
+my king, when I might penitently clasp his knees and implore mercy for
+myself and my children--those poor, nameless beings, whose existence is
+my accusation, and yet who are the pride and joy of my life! Oh, sire,
+I will not accuse, to excuse myself; I will not cast the stone at others
+which they have cast at me. But it is scarcely charitable to judge and
+condemn a young girl fourteen years of age, who did but obey the command
+of her parents, and followed the man who was the first and only one that
+ever whispered the word of love in her ear."
+
+"I have heard that your parents sold their child to shame. Is it true?"
+cried the king.
+
+"Sire, my father was poor; the scanty income of a chapel musician
+scarcely sufficed to educate and support four children. The prince
+promised my father to educate me."
+
+"Bah! The promises of a young man of twenty-five are made without
+reflection, and rarely ever fulfilled."
+
+"Sire, to the Prince of Prussia I owe all that I know, and all that I
+am; his promise to my dying father was fully redeemed."
+
+"Indeed, by whom were you taught, and what have you learned?"
+
+"Your majesty, the prince wished, before all, that I should learn to
+speak French. Madame Girard was my French instructress, and taught me to
+play the guitar and spinet also."
+
+"Oh, I presume you have learned to jabber a little French and drum a
+little music," said the king, shrugging his shoulders.
+
+"I beg pardon, sire; I have a tolerable knowledge of history and of
+geography. I am familiar with the ancient and modern poets. I have read
+a good French translation of Homer, Horace, and Virgil, with a master. I
+have studied the history of Brandenburg, of Germany, and of America. We
+have read the immortal works of Voltaire, of Jean Jacques Rousseau, and
+of Shakespeare, with many of our modern poets. My instructor has read
+all these works aloud to me, and he was much pleased when I repeated
+parts of what he had read to me some days afterward."
+
+"You appear to have had a very learned instructor," remarked the king,
+sneeringly. "What is his name?"
+
+"His name, sire, is Prince Frederick William of Prussia. Yes, it is
+he who has taught me--he who has made me an intelligent woman. However
+young he was when he undertook the task, he has accomplished it with
+fidelity, firmness, and patience. He loved me, and would make me worthy
+of him, in heart and mind. I shall ever be grateful to him, and only
+death can extinguish the love and esteem with which he in spires me."
+
+"Suppose I command you to leave the prince? Suppose I will no longer
+endure the scandal of this sinful relation?"
+
+"I shall never willingly separate myself from my dear prince and
+master--from the father of my two children. Your majesty will be obliged
+to force me from him," answered Wilhelmine, defiantly.
+
+"Oh, that will not be necessary, mademoiselle," cried the king. "There
+are ways enough. I will make known my wishes to the prince; I will
+command him to leave you, and have no further communication with you."
+
+"Sire," she answered, gently, "I know that the prince is an obedient
+and respectful subject and servant to his king in all things, but this
+command he would not obey."
+
+"He would not dare to brave my commands!"
+
+"He would not brave them, sire. Oh, no; it would be simply impossible to
+obey them."
+
+"What would hinder him?"
+
+"Love, sire; the respect which he owes to me as the mother of his two
+children--who has consecrated her love, her honor to him, and of whom no
+one can say that she has injured the fidelity which she has sworn to
+the prince--to the man of her first and only love--even with a word or
+look."
+
+"You mean to say, that I cannot separate you from the prince but by
+force?"
+
+"Yes, your majesty," cried she, with conscious power, "that is exactly
+what I mean."
+
+"You will find yourself deceived; you will be made to realize it," said
+the king, with a menacing tone. "You know nothing of the power that lies
+in a legitimate marriage, and what rivals legitimate children are, whom
+one dares acknowledge before God--before the world. Boast not of the
+love of the prince, but remember that an honorable solitude is the only
+situation becoming to you. Such connections bear their own curse and
+punishment with them. Hasten to avoid them. Lastly, I would add, never
+dare to mingle your impure hands in the affairs of state. I have been
+obliged to give the order to the state councillors in appointments and
+grants of office, not to regard the protection and recommendation of a
+certain high personage, as you are the real protectress and bestower of
+mercy. Take care, and never let it happen again. You will never venture
+to play the little Pompadour here, nor anything else but what your
+dishonor allows you; otherwise you will have to deal with me! You say
+that you have read Homer; then, doubtless, you remember the story of
+Penelope, who, from conjugal fidelity, spun and wove, undoing at night
+what she had woven by day. It is true, you bear little resemblance to
+this chaste dame, but you might emulate her in spinning and weaving; and
+if you are not in future retiring, I can easily make a modern Penelope
+of you, and have you instructed in spinning, for which you will have the
+best of opportunities in the house of correction at Spandau. Remember
+this, and never permit yourself to practise protection. I will keep
+the spinning-wheel and the wool ready for you; that you may count upon.
+Remember, also, that it is very disagreeable to me that you visit my
+park, as I like to breathe pure air. Direct your promenade elsewhere,
+and avoid meeting me in future."
+
+"Your majesty, I--"
+
+"Silence! I have heard sufficient. You have nothing more to say to me.
+Go, hide your head, that no one may recognize your shame, or the levity
+of the prince. Go--and, farewell forever!" He motioned impatiently to
+her to retire, fastening his eyes with a fiery, penetrating glance upon
+her pale, agitated face, her bowed, humble attitude, and still continued
+to regard her as she painfully dragged herself down the walk, as if her
+limbs were giving way under her. Long stood the king gazing after her,
+resting upon his staff; and as she disappeared at the end of the walk,
+he still stood there immovable. By degrees his face assumed a milder
+expression. "He who is free from sin, let him cast the first stone at
+her," said the king, softened, as he slowly turned down the path which
+would lead to his carriage, waiting outside the park.
+
+Frederick was lost in thought, and addressed no conversation to the
+equerry, Von Schwerin, who sat opposite to him. But as they drove
+through the beautiful street Unten den Linden, at Berlin, Frederick
+glanced at the equerry, and found that he had fallen asleep, wearied
+with the long silence and the monotony of the drive. The king spoke
+to Alkmene, loud and earnestly, until Herr von Schwerin, awakened
+and startled, glanced at the king, frightened, and trying to discover
+whether his fearful crime against etiquette would draw upon him the
+royal censure. Frederick, however, appeared not to notice his fright,
+and spoke kindly to him: "Did you not tell me, Schwerin, that Count
+Schmettau would sell his country residence at Charlottenburg?"
+
+"At your service, your majesty, he asked me to purchase it, or find him
+a purchaser."
+
+"How much is it worth?"
+
+"Sire, Count Schmettau demands eight thousand dollars for it. There is
+a beautiful park belonging to it, and the house is worthy the name of a
+castle, so large is it."
+
+"Why do you not buy it, if the count offered it to you?"
+
+The equerry assumed a sad mien, and answered, sighing: "Sire, I should
+be the happiest of men if I could buy that charming residence, and it
+would be a real blessing to me if I could enjoy in summer at times the
+fresh air. My finances unfortunately, do not allow such expenses, as I
+am not rich, and have a large family."
+
+"Then you are right not to spend money unnecessarily," said the king,
+quietly. "You can have as much fresh air at Potsdam as can ever enter
+your mouth, and it costs neither you nor I any thing. Say to
+Count Schmettau that you have a purchaser for his residence at
+Charlottenburg."
+
+"Oh, you are really too kind," cried the equerry, in an excitement of
+joy; "I do not know--"
+
+Here the carriage entered the palace court, and the concluding words
+were inaudible. Herr von Schwerin alighted quickly to assist the
+king. "Say to Schmettau to present himself to my treasurer and cabinet
+councillor, Menkon, tomorrow morning at twelve o'clock, at Sans-Souci."
+
+The king nodded kindly to the equerry, and passed into the Swiss saloon,
+and farther on into the private rooms which he was accustomed to occupy
+whenever he remained at the capital. The Swiss saloon was fast filling,
+not alone with the generals and staff-officers of the Berlin garrison,
+but with the officers of the regiments from the provinces, who presented
+themselves at the palace according to the order of the king. The most
+of them were old and worn out, body and mind. They all looked morose and
+sorrowful. The great news of the approaching war with Austria had spread
+through the military. The old laurel-crowned generals of the Seven
+Years' War were unwilling to go forth to earn new laurels, for which
+they had lost all ambition. Not one dared betray his secret thoughts
+to another, or utter a word of disapproval. The king's spies were
+everywhere, and none could trust himself to converse with his neighbor,
+as he might prove to be one of them. There reigned an anxious,
+oppressive silence; the generals and staff-officers exchanged the
+ordinary greetings. All eyes were turned toward the door through which
+the king would enter, bowed down, like his generals, with the cares
+of life, and the burden of old age. The king slowly entered. He was,
+indeed, an old man, like those he came amongst, and now saluted. An
+expression of imperishable youth lighted up his pale, sunken face, and
+his eyes flashed with as much daring and fire as thirty-eight years
+before, when he had assembled his young officers around him in this very
+hall, to announce to them that he would march against Austria. How many
+wars, how many battles, how many illusions, victories, and defeats
+had the king experienced in these thirty-eight years! How little the
+youthful, fiery king of that day resembled the weak old man of to-day;
+how little in common the young King Frederick had with "Alten Fritz."
+And now in this feeble body dwelt the same courageous spirit. In the
+course of these years King Frederick II had become Frederick the Great!
+And great he was to-day, this little old man--great in his intentions
+and achievements, never heeding his own debility and need of repose. All
+his thoughts and endeavors concentrated on the welfare of his people and
+his country--on the greatness and glory of Germany. Those eyes which now
+glanced over the circle of generals were still flashing as those of the
+hero-king whose look had disarmed the lurking assassin, and confounded
+the distinguished savant in the midst of his eloquence, so that he
+stammered and was silent. He was still Frederick the Great, who, leaning
+upon his staff, was surrounded by his generals, whom he called to fight
+for their fatherland, for Germany!
+
+"Gentlemen," said the king, "I have called you together to announce
+to you that we must go forth to new wars, and, God willing, to new
+victories. The Emperor of Austria forces me to it, for, against all
+laws and customs, and against all rights of kingdoms, he thinks to bring
+German territory into the possession of the house of Hapsburg. Charles
+Theodore, prince-elector, having no children, has concluded a treaty
+with the Emperor Joseph, that at his death the electorate of Bavaria
+will fall to Austria. In consequence thereof an Austrian army has
+marched into Bavaria, and garrisoned the frontier.--The prince-elector,
+Duke Charles Theodore, was not authorized to proceed thus, for, though
+he had no children to succeed him, he had a lawful successor in his
+brother's son, Duke Charles von Zweibrucken. Electoral Saxony and
+Mecklenburg have well-founded pretensions, even if Zweibrucken were
+not existing. All these princes have addressed themselves to me, and
+requested me to represent them to the emperor and to the imperial
+government--to protect them in their injured rights. I have first
+tried kindness and persuasion to bring back Austria from her desire
+of aggrandizement, but in Vienna they have repulsed every means of
+peaceable arbitration. I, as one of the rulers of the empire (and as
+I have reaffirmed the Westphalian treaty through the Hubertsburger
+treaty), feel bound to preserve the privileges, the rights, the liberty
+of the German states. I have therefore well reflected, and decided to
+draw the sword--that what the diplomats have failed to arrange with the
+pen should be settled with the sword. These are my reasons, gentlemen,
+which make it my duty to assemble an army; therefore I have called you
+together." His fiery eyes flashed around the circle, peeling into the
+thin, withered faces of his generals, and encountering everywhere a
+grave, earnest mien.
+
+The king repressed with an effort a sigh; then continued, with a mild
+voice: "My feeble old age does not allow me to travel as in my fiery
+youth. I shall use a post-carriage, and you, gentlemen, have the liberty
+to do the same. On the day of battle you will find me mounted; you
+will follow my example. Until then, farewell!" [Footnote: The king's
+words.--See "Prussia, Frederick the Great," vol. iii.]
+
+"Long live the king!" cried General von Krokow; and all the generals who
+formerly joined in this cry of the Prussian warrior, now repeated it
+in weak, trembling tones. Frederick smiled a recognition, bowing on all
+sides, then turned slowly away, leaning upon his staff.
+
+When once more alone, the youthful expression faded from his eyes, and
+the gloomy shadows of old age settled down upon his thoughtful brow.
+"They have all grown old and morose," said he, mildly, "they will not
+show any more heroism; the fire of ambition is quenched in their souls!
+A warm stove must warm their old limbs. Oh! it is a pitiful thing
+to grow old; and still they call themselves the images of God! Poor
+boasters, who, with a breath of the Almighty, are overturned and bent as
+a blade of grass in the sand!"
+
+"Your majesty, may I come in?" asked a gentle, happy child's voice.
+
+The king turned hastily toward the door, so softly opened, and there
+stood a charming little boy, in the uniform of a flag-bearer, with the
+cap upon his head, and a neat little sword by his side. "Yes, you may
+enter," nodded the king kindly to him. "You know I sent for you, my
+little flag-bearer."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. FREDERICK WILLIAM.
+
+
+The little flag-bearer skipped into the room with graceful vivacity,
+and sprang, with a merry bound, up to the king, took his hand without
+ceremony, and pressed it to his lips. Then, raising up his head and
+shaking back his light-brown curls from his rosy cheeks, his bright-blue
+eyes sparkling, he looked him full in the face. "Your majesty, you say
+that you sent for me; but I must tell you that if you had not sent for
+me I would have come here alone, and begged so long at the door, that
+you would have let me come in!"
+
+"And what if I would not have let you come in at all?" said the king,
+smiling.
+
+The little flag-bearer reflected a moment, then answered with a
+confident air: "Your majesty, I would have forced open the door, thrown
+myself at your feet, and kissed your hand, saying, 'My king, my dear
+great-uncle, I must come in to thank you a thousand times for the
+flag-bearer's commission you have sent me, and for the beautiful
+uniform.' Then I would see if your majesty had the courage to send me
+away."
+
+"Let me see, my prince--do you think my courage could fail me upon any
+occasion?"
+
+"Yes, in bad things," zealously cried the prince, "and it would be bad
+if you would not let me thank you. I am so happy with the commission and
+the beautiful uniform which you so graciously sent to me! Tell me, your
+majesty, do I not look beautifully?" The boy straightened his elegant,
+slender form, and saluted the king, putting the two fingers of his right
+hand upon his cap.
+
+"Yes, yes," said Frederick, "you look very nicely, my prince; but it is
+not enough that you look well--you must behave well. From a flag-bearer
+in my army I expect very different things than from any common child.
+Who wears my uniform must prove himself worthy of the honor."
+
+"Your majesty," cried the prince, "I assure you, upon my word of honor,
+that I have no bad marks when I wear the uniform. Your majesty can ask
+my tutor. He came with me, and waits in the anteroom to speak with you.
+He will tell you that I have a good report."
+
+"Very well, we will call him presently," said Frederick, smiling.
+"Now we will chat a little together. Tell me whether you are very
+industrious, and if you are learning anything of consequence?"
+
+"Sire, I must learn, even if I had no inclination to; Herr Behnisch
+leaves me no peace. I have scarcely time to play. I am always learning
+to read, to write, to cipher, and to work."
+
+"How about the geography and universal history?"
+
+"Oh, your majesty, I wish there were no geography and history in the
+world, and then I should not have to study so cruelly hard, and I could
+play more. My mother sent me last week a new battledore and shuttlecock,
+but I can never learn to play with it. I no sooner begin, than Herr
+Behnisch calls me to study. To-day I was very cunning--oh, I was so sly!
+I put it in the great-pocket of my tutor's coat, and he brought it here
+without knowing it."
+
+"That was very naughty," said the king, a little severely. The prince
+colored, and, a little frightened, said: "Sire, I could not bring it
+any other way. I beg pardon, the uniform is so tight, and then--then,
+I thought it would be dishonoring it to put a shuttlecock in the
+cartridge-box."
+
+"That was a good thought, prince, and for that I will forgive you the
+trick upon your tutor. But what will you do with the ball here? Why did
+you bring it?"
+
+"Oh, I wished to show it to your majesty, it is so beautiful, and then
+beg you to let me play a little."
+
+"We will see, Fritz," said the king, much pleased. "If you deserve it,
+that shall be your reward. Tell me the truth, is your tutor satisfied
+with you?"
+
+"Sire, Herr Behnisch is never really pleased, but he has not scolded me
+much lately, so I must have been pretty good. One day he wrote 'Bien'
+under my French exercise. Oh, I was so happy that I spent six groschen
+of the thaler my father gave me a little while since, and bought two
+pots of gilly-flowers, one for myself and one for my little brother
+Henry, that he should have a souvenir of my 'Bien!'"
+
+"That was right," said the king, nodding approvingly. "When you are
+good, you must always let your friends and relations take part in it;
+keep the bad only for yourself."
+
+"I will remember that, and I thank you for the kind instruction."
+
+"The studies seem to go very well, but how is it with the behavior? They
+tell me that the prince is not always polite to his visitors; that he is
+sometimes very rude, even to the officers who pay their respects to him
+on his father's account, and on my account, not on his own, for what
+do they care for such a little snip as he? They go to honor Prince
+Frederick William of Prussia, though he is only a little flag-bearer.
+They tell me that you do not appreciate the honor, but that at Easter
+you behaved very badly."
+
+"Sire, it is true; I cannot deny it--I did behave badly," sighed the
+little prince.
+
+"What was the matter?" asked the king. "It was not from fear, I hope? I
+should be very angry at that. Tell me yourself, and tell me the truth."
+
+"Your majesty can depend upon the whole truth. My tutor says that lying
+is despicable, and that a prince who will one day be a king should be
+too proud to tell a lie! I will tell you all about it. The officers came
+to see me at Easter, just as I had put the Easter eggs in the garden,
+for my little brother and some other boys whom I had invited to hunt for
+them. I had spent my last six groschen for the eggs, and I anticipated
+so much pleasure with the hide-and-seek for them. We had just begun,
+when the officers came."
+
+"That was really unfortunate," said the king, sympathizingly.
+
+"Yes, sire, very disagreeable, and I could not possibly feel kindly.
+While the officers were talking, I was always wishing they would go. But
+they stayed and stayed--and when Major von Werder began to make a long
+speech to me, and I thought there was no end to it, I became impatient
+and furious--and--"
+
+"Why do you hesitate?" asked the king, looking tenderly at the frank,
+glowing face of the boy. "What happened?"
+
+"Something dreadful, sire! I could not keep in any longer. The major
+kept on talking, and looked at me so sharply, I could not help making
+an abominable face. It is unfortunately true--I ran my tongue out at
+him--only just a little bit--and I drew it back in an instant; but
+it was done, and a dreadful scene followed. The major did not say any
+thing, my tutor was red as fire, and I was thunderstruck!"
+
+"That was excessively rude, my little flag-bearer," cried the king.
+
+The young prince was so ashamed, and was looking down so penitently,
+that he did not see the smile on Frederick's face, and the affectionate
+look with which he regarded the youthful sinner.
+
+"Do you know that you deserve to be imprisoned fourteen days, and live
+on bread and water, for insubordination?"
+
+"I know it now, sire. I beg pardon most humbly," said the prince,
+with quivering voice and with tears in his eyes. "I have been punished
+enough, without that. Herr Behnisch would not let me go to the garden
+again, and I have never seen the eggs which I spent my last groschen
+for, nor the boys whom I had invited. I was made to stay in my room all
+Easter week, learn twenty Latin words every day, and write three pages
+of German words in good handwriting. It was a hard punishment, but I
+knew that I deserved it, and did not complain. I only thought that I
+would do better in future."
+
+"If you thought so, and you have already been punished, we will say
+no more about it," said the king. "But tell me, how did you get on at
+Whitsuntide, when the officers paid you their respects again?"
+
+"Your majesty," answered the prince, "it was a great deal better; I
+behaved tolerably well, except a very little rudeness, which was not so
+bad after all. [Footnote: The little prince's own words.--See "Diary of
+Prince Frederick William," p. 18.] Herr Behnisch did not punish me;
+he only said, another time, that I should do better, and not be so
+taciturn, but greet the gentlemen in a more friendly manner. I must tell
+you, sire, that when Herr Behnisch does not scold, it is a sure sign
+that I have behaved pretty well; and this time he did not."
+
+"Fritz, I believe you," said the king, "and you shall have the reward
+that you asked for--stay here and play a little while. Go, now, and call
+your tutor; I have a few words to say to him."
+
+The little prince sprang toward the door, but suddenly stopped,
+embarrassed.
+
+"What is the matter?" asked the king. "Why do you not call your tutor?"
+
+"Sire, I am very much troubled. Herr Behnisch will be very angry when
+you tell him about the shuttlecock. I beg you not to betray me!"
+
+"Yes, but if you will play before me, you must get the plaything which
+you say is in his pocket."
+
+"Sire, then I had rather not play," cried the prince.
+
+"On the contrary," said the king, "your punishment shall be, to take the
+plaything as cleverly out of the pocket as you put it in. If you do it
+well, then I will say nothing about it; but, if your tutor discovers
+you, then you must submit to the storm. It lies in your own hands.
+Whilst I am conversing with the tutor, try your luck. Now call him in."
+
+The prince obeyed thoughtfully, and the tutor entered. He stood near
+the door, and made the three prescribed bows; then he waited with a
+submissive air for further commands.
+
+The king was sitting opposite the door, his hands folded upon his staff
+and his chin resting upon his hands, looking the tutor full in the face.
+Herr Behnisch bore it calmly; not a feature moved in his angular,
+wooden face. Near the tutor stood the little prince, his graceful, rosy,
+childlike face expressing eager expectation.
+
+"Approach!" said the king.
+
+Herr Behnisch stepped forward a little, and remained standing. The
+prince glided noiselessly after him, keeping his eyes fixed on the tails
+of the flesh-colored satin coat with which the tutor had adorned himself
+for this extraordinary occasion. The prince smiled as he saw the pocket
+open and the feathers of the shuttlecock peeping out. He stretched out
+his little hand and crooked his fingers to seize it.
+
+"Come nearer! Herr Behnisch," said Frederick, who had observed the
+movement of the little prince, and who was amused at the thought of
+keeping him in suspense a little longer.
+
+Herr Behnisch moved forward, and the prince, frightened, remained
+standing with outstretched hand. He menaced the king with a glance of
+his bright blue eyes. Frederick caught the look, smiled, and turned to
+the tutor.
+
+"I believe it is three years since you commenced teaching the little
+prince?" said the king.
+
+"At your service, your majesty, since 1775."
+
+"A tolerably long time," said the king--"long enough to make a savant
+of a child of Nature. You have been faithful, and I am satisfied. The
+copybooks which you sent me according to my orders are satisfactory. I
+wished to acquaint you myself of my satisfaction, therefore I sent for
+you."
+
+"Your majesty is very condescending," said the tutor, and his sharp,
+angular face brightened a little. "I am very happy in the gracious
+satisfaction of your royal highness. I wished also to make known to you
+personally my wishes in regard to the petition for the little prince's
+pocket-money; he should learn the use of money."
+
+"Very well," said the king, nodding to the prince, who stood behind the
+tutor, holding up triumphantly the shuttle cock.
+
+Yet, the most difficult feat remained to be accomplished. The battledoor
+was in the very depths of the pocket; only the point of the handle was
+visible.
+
+"Your majesty," cried Herr Behnisch, who had taken the approving
+exclamation of "very well" to himself--"your majesty, I am very happy
+that you have the grace to approve of my petition for pocket-money."
+
+"Yes, I think it well," said the king, "that the prince should learn
+not to throw money out of the window. I will send you, monthly, for the
+prince, two Fredericks d'or, and, before you hand it over to him, change
+it into small pieces, that there may be a great pile of it." [Footnote:
+The king's own words--See "Confidential Letters."]
+
+Just at that moment the prince tried to seize the battle door. Herr
+Behnisch felt the movement, and was on the point of turning around, when
+Frederick stopped him, by saying, "I believe it is time to commence a
+regular course of instruction for the prince. At eight years of age
+the education of an heir to the throne must progress rapidly, and be
+regulated by fixed principles. I will write out my instructions, that
+you may always have them before you."
+
+"It will be my most earnest endeavor to follow your majesty's commands
+to the letter," answered the tutor, who saw not the little prince, with
+beaming face, behind him, swinging the battledoor high in the air.
+
+"I am about to enter upon a new war; no one knows if he will ever return
+from a campaign. I dare not spare my life, when the honor and fame of
+my house are at stake. Our life and death, however, are in God's hands.
+Before we risk our lives, we should put every thing in order, and leave
+nothing undone which it is our duty to do. I will write my instructions
+to-day, and send them to you. Promise me, upon your word of honor as
+a man, that you will act upon them, as long as you are tutor to Prince
+Frederick William, even if I should not return from the campaign."
+
+"I promise it to your majesty," answered the tutor. "I will, in all
+things, according to the best of my ability, follow your majesty's
+instructions."
+
+"I believe you; I take you to be an honorable man," said the king. "You
+will always be mindful of the great responsibility which rests upon you,
+as you have a prince to educate who will one day govern a kingdom, and
+upon whom the weal and woe of many millions are dependent. And when
+those millions of men one day bless the king whom you have educated,
+a part of the blessing will fall upon you; but when they curse him, so
+falls the curse likewise upon your guilty head, and you will feel the
+weight of it, though you may be in your grave! Be mindful of this,
+and act accordingly. Now you may depart. I will write the instructions
+immediately, so that you may receive them to-day."
+
+Herr Behnisch bowed, backing out toward the door.
+
+"One thing more," cried the king, motioning with his Staff to the tutor.
+"In order that you may ever remember our interview, I will present you
+with a souvenir."
+
+He opened the drawer of his private writing-table, and took out a gold
+snuff-box, with his initials set in brilliants upon the cover; handing
+it to Herr Behnisch, he motioned him to retire, and thus spare him the
+expression of his gratitude.
+
+"Your majesty," stammered Herr Behnisch, with tears in his eyes, "I--"
+
+"You are an honest man, and so long as you remain so, you can count upon
+me. Adieu!--Now," said the king, as the door closed, "have you recovered
+the plaything?"
+
+"Here it is, your majesty," shouted the prince, as he held up
+triumphantly the battledoor and shuttlecock high in the air.
+
+"You deserve your reward, and you shall have it. You can stay with me
+and play with it here. Take care and not make too much noise, as I wish
+to write."
+
+The king now seated himself, to draw up the instructions for Herr
+Behnisch. While he was thus occupied, the little prince tossed his
+shuttlecock, springing lightly after it on tiptoe to catch it; sometimes
+he missed it, and then he cast an imploring look at the king, as it fell
+upon the furniture; but he observed it not. He was absorbed in writing
+the instructions for the education of the future king, Frederick William
+III. The physical education of the prince was his first care. He dwelt
+upon the necessity of the frequent practice of dancing, fencing, and
+riding, to give suppleness, grace, and a good carriage--through severe
+training, to make him capable of enduring all hardships. The different
+branches of study next occupied the king. "It is not sufficient," he
+wrote, "that the prince should learn the dates of history, to repeat
+them like a parrot; but he must understand how to compare the events of
+ancient times with the modern, and discover the causes which produced
+revolutions, and show that, generally, in the world, virtue is rewarded
+and vice punished. Later, he can learn a short course of logic, free
+from all pedantry; then study the orations of Cicero and Demosthenes,
+and read the tragedies of Racine. When older, he should have some
+knowledge of the opinions of philosophers, and the different religious
+sects, without inspiring him with dislike for any one sect. Make it
+clear to him that we all worship God--only in different ways. It is
+not necessary that he should have too much respect for the priests who
+instruct him."
+
+The shuttlecock fell, at this instant, upon the paper upon which the
+king was writing. Frederick was too much occupied to look up, but he
+threw it upon the floor, continuing to write:
+
+"The great object will be to awaken a love of learning in the prince,
+to prevent any approach to pedantry, and not to make the course of
+instruction too severe at the commencement. We now come to the chief
+division of education, that which concerns the morals. Neither you nor
+all the power in the world would be sufficient to alter the character of
+a child. Education can do nothing further than moderate the violence of
+the passions. Treat my nephew as the son of a citizen, who has to make
+his own fortune. Say to him that, when he commits follies, and learns
+nothing, the whole world will despise him. Let him assume no mannerisms,
+but bring him up simply. The--"
+
+It was the second time the shuttlecock fell upon the paper. The king
+looked up censuringly at the prince, who stood speechless with fright
+and anxiety. The king again threw it upon the floor, and wrote on:
+
+"The prince must be polite toward every one; and if he is rude, he must
+immediately make an apology. Teach him that all men are equal--that high
+birth is a myth when not accompanied with merit. Let the prince speak
+with every one, that he may gain confidence. It is of no consequence if
+he talks nonsense; every one knows that he is a child. Take care in his
+education, above all things, that he is self-reliant, and not led by
+others; his follies, as well as his good qualities, should belong to
+himself. It is of very great importance to inspire him with a love for
+military life; and for this reason say to him, and let him hear others
+say it, that every man who is not a soldier is a miserable fellow,
+whether noble or not. He must see the soldiers exercise as often as
+possible; and it would be well to send for five or six cadets, and have
+them drill before him. Every thing depends upon cultivating a taste for
+these things. Inspire him with a love of our country, above all things.
+Let no one speak to him who is not truly patriotic."
+
+Again the shuttlecock fell upon the paper. The little prince uttered
+a cry of horror, staring at the plaything. This time the king did not
+receive the interruption so calmly. He looked at the speechless boy as
+if very angry; then took it and put it in his pocket. Casting another
+angry glance at the prince, he continued:
+
+"The officers who dine with the prince shall tease and annoy him, that
+he may become confident."
+
+"Your majesty," said the prince, timidly and imploringly, "I beg pardon
+a thousand times for being so awkward. I am sorry, and I will be more
+careful in the future."
+
+The king paid no attention to him, but continued to write: "When you
+understand him better, try to learn his chief passion to uproot it,
+but to moderate it." [Footnote: This entire instruction is an exact
+translation of the original, which Frederick drew up in French, and
+which is included in his "Complete Works."]
+
+"My dear lord and king," began the prince again, "I beg you will have
+the goodness to give me my shuttlecock."
+
+The king was silent, and with apparent indifference commenced reading
+over what he had written.
+
+Prince Frederick William waited a long time, but, on receiving no
+answer, and understanding that his pleading was in vain, his face grew
+red with anger, and his eyes flashed. With an irritated, determined
+manner, he stepped close up to the king, his hands resting upon his
+hips. "Your majesty," cried he, with a menacing tone, "will you give me
+my ball or not?"
+
+The king now looked up at the prince, who regarded him in an insolent,
+questioning manner. A smile, mild as the evening sunset, spread over
+the king's face; he laid his hand lovingly upon the curly head of the
+prince, saying: "They will never take away Silesia from you. Here is
+your shuttlecock." He drew it from his pocket, and gave it to the little
+prince, who seized his hand and pressed it to his lips.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. THE DRIVE TO BERLIN.
+
+
+Wilhelmine Enke passed the remainder of the day, after her meeting with
+the king, in anguish and tears. She recalled all that he had said to
+her, every word of which pierced her to the heart. Her little daughter
+of seven years tried in vain to win a smile from her mamma with her
+gentle caresses. In vain she begged her to sing to her and smile as
+she was wont to do. The mother, usually so kind and affectionate, would
+today free herself from her child, and sent her away with quivering lip,
+and tears in her eyes, to listen to her nurse's stories.
+
+Once alone, Wilhelmine paced her room with rapid strides and folded
+arms, giving vent to her repressed anguish. She reviewed her life, with
+all its changing scenes. It was a sad, searching retrospection, but
+in it she found consolation and excuse for herself. She thought of her
+childhood; she saw the gloomy dwelling where she had lived with her
+parents, brothers, and sisters. She recalled the need and the want of
+those years--the sickly, complaining, but busy mother; the foolish,
+wicked father, who never ceased his constant exercise of the bugle,
+except to take repeated draughts of brandy, or scold the children. Then
+she saw in this joyless dwelling, in which she crouched with her little
+sisters, a young girl enter, and greet them smilingly. She wore a robe
+glittering with gold, with transparent wings upon her shoulders. This
+young girl was Wilhelmine's older sister, Sophie, who had just returned
+from the Italian opera, where she was employed. She still had on her
+fairy costume in which she had danced in the opera of "Armida," and had
+come, with a joyous face, to take leave of her parents, and tell them
+that a rich Russian count loved her, and wanted to marry her; that in
+the intervening time he had taken a beautiful apartment for her, where
+she would remove that very evening. She must bid them farewell, for her
+future husband was waiting for her in the carriage at the door.
+
+Sophie laughed at her grumbling father, shook hands with her weeping
+mother, and bent to kiss the children. Wilhelmine, in unspeakable
+anguish, sprang after her, holding her fast, with both hands clinching
+the crackling wings. She implored her sister to take her with her, while
+the tears ran in streams down her cheeks. "You know that I love you,"
+she cried, "and my only pleasure is to see you every day. Take me
+with you, and I will serve and obey you, and be your waiting-maid."
+Wilhelmine held the wings firmly with a convulsive grasp, and continued
+to weep and implore, until Sophie at last laughingly yielded.
+
+"Well, come, if you will be my waiting-maid; no one combs hair as well
+as you, and your simple style of arranging it suits me better than any
+other. Come, come, it shall be arranged, you shall be my waiting-maid."
+
+The pictures of memory changed, and Wilhelmine saw herself in the midst
+of splendor, as the poor little maid, unnoticed by her brilliant sister,
+the beloved of the Russian Count Matuschko. Joy and pleasure reigned in
+the beautifully gilded apartment where Sophie lived. She was the queen
+of the feasts and the balls. Many rich and fine gentlemen came there,
+and the beautiful Sophie, the dancer, the affianced of Count Matuschko,
+received their homage. No one observed the sad little waiting-maid, in
+her dark stuff dress, with her face bound up in black silk, as if she
+had the toothache. She wore the cast-off morning dresses of her sister,
+and, at her command, bound her face with the black silk, so that the
+admirers of her sister should not see, by a fugitive glance, or chance
+meeting, the budding beauty of the little maid.
+
+Wilhelmine dared not enter the saloon when visitors were there; only
+when Sophie was alone, or her artistic hand was needed to arrange her
+sister's beautiful hair, was she permitted to stay with the future
+countess. Every rough touch was resented with harsh words, blows, and
+ill-treatment. The smiling fairy of the drawing-room, was the harsh,
+grim mistress for her sister, whose every mistake was punished with
+unrelenting severity. In fact, she was made a very slave; and now,
+after long years, the remembrance of it even cast a gloomy shadow over
+Wilhelmine's face, and her eyes flashed fire.
+
+Another picture now rose up before her soul, which caused her face to
+brighten, as a beautiful beaming image presented itself, the image of
+her first and only love! She lived over again the day when it rose up
+like a sun before her wondering, admiring gaze, and yet it was a stormy
+day for her. Sophie was very angry with her, because in crimping her
+hair she had burnt her cheek, which turned the fairy into a fury. She
+threw the weak child upon the floor, and beat and stamped upon her.
+
+Suddenly a loud, angry voice commanded her to cease, and a strong, manly
+arm raised the trembling, weeping girl, and with threatening tone bade
+Sophie be quiet. Prince Frederick William of Prussia took compassion on
+the poor child. The sister had not remarked him in her paroxysm of
+rage; had never heard him enter. He had been a witness to Wilhelmine's
+ill-treatment. He now defended her, blaming her sister for her cruelty
+to her, and declared his intention to be her future protector. How
+handsome he looked; how noble in his anger; how his eyes flashed as he
+gazed upon her, who knelt at his feet, and kissed them, looking up to
+him as her rescuer!
+
+"Wilhelmine, come with me; I do not wish you to remain here," said he;
+"your sister will never forgive you that I have taken your part. Come,
+I will take you to your parents, and provide for you. You shall be as
+beautiful and accomplished a lady as your sister, but, Heaven grant, a
+more generous and noble-hearted one! Come!"
+
+These words, spoken with a gentle, winning voice, had never died away
+in her heart. Twelve years had passed since then, and they still rang
+in her ear, in the tumult of the world as well as in the quiet of her
+lonely room. They had comforted her when the shame of her existence
+oppressed her; rejoiced her when, with the delight of youth and
+happiness, she had given herself up to pleasure. She had followed him
+quietly, devotedly, as a little dog follows his master. He had kept his
+word; he had had her instructed during three years, and then sent her to
+Paris, in order to give her the last polish, the tournure of the world,
+however much it had cost him to separate from her, or might embarrass
+him, with his scanty means, to afford the increase of expense. A year
+elapsed and Wilhelmine returned a pleasing lady, familiar with the tone
+of the great world, and at home in its manners and customs.
+
+The prince had kept his word--that which he had promised her as he took
+her from her sister's house, to make her a fine, accomplished lady. And
+when he repeated to her now "Come," could she refuse him--him to whom
+she owed every thing, whom she loved as her benefactor, her teacher, her
+friend, and lover? She followed him, and concealed herself for him in
+the modest little dwelling at Potsdam. For him she lived in solitude,
+anxiously avoiding to show herself publicly, that the king should never
+know of her existence, and in his just anger sever the unlawful tie
+which bound her to the Prince of Prussia. [Footnote: "Memoirs of the
+Countess Lichtenau," p. 80.] Wilhelmine recalled the past seven years
+of her life, her two children, whom she had borne to the prince, and
+the joy that filled his heart as he became a father, although his lawful
+wife had also borne him children. She looked around her small, quiet
+dwelling, arranged in a modest manner, not as the favorite of the Prince
+of Prussia, but as an unpretending citizen's wife; she thought how oft
+with privations, with want even, she had had to combat; how oft the
+ornaments which the prince had sent her in the rare days of abundance
+had been taken to the pawnbrokers to provide the necessary wants of
+herself and children. Her eyes flashed with pride and joy at the thought
+which she dared to breathe to herself, that not for gold or riches,
+power or position, had she sold her love, her honor, and her good name.
+
+"It was from pure affinity, from gratitude and affection, that I
+followed the husband of my heart, although he was a prince," she said.
+
+Still the shame of her existence weighed upon her. The king had
+commanded her to hide her head so securely that no one might know her
+shame, or the levity of the prince.
+
+"Go! and let me never see you again!"
+
+Did not this mean that the king would remove her so far that there
+would not be a possible chance to appear again before him? Was there not
+hidden in these words a menace, a warning? Would not the king revenge
+on her the sad experiences of his youth? Perhaps he would punish her
+for what Doris Ritter had suffered! Doris Ritter! She, too, had loved a
+crown prince--she, too, had dared to raise her eyes to the future King
+of Prussia, for which she was cruelly punished, though chaste and pure,
+and hurled down to the abyss of shame for the crime of loving an heir to
+the throne. Beaten, insulted, and whipped through the streets, and then
+sent to the house of correction at Spandau! Oh, poor, unhappy Doris
+Ritter! Will the king atone to you--will he revenge the friend of his
+youth on the mistress of his successor? The old King Frederick, weary
+of life, thinks differently from the young crown prince. He can be as
+severe as his father, cruel and inexorable as he.
+
+"Doris Ritter! Thy fate haunts me. On the morrow I also may be whipped
+through the streets, scorned, reviled by the rabble, and then sent to
+Spandau as a criminal. Did not the king threaten me with the house of
+correction, with the spinning-wheel, which he would have ready for me?"
+
+At the thought of it a terrible anguish, a nameless despair, seized
+her. She felt that the spinning-wheel hung over her like the sword of
+Damocles, ready at the least occasion to fall upon her, and bind her to
+it. She felt that she could not endure such suspense and torture; she
+must escape; she must rescue herself from the king's anger.
+
+"But whither, whither! I must fly from here, from his immediate
+proximity, where a motion of his finger is sufficient to seize me, to
+cause me to disappear before the prince could have any knowledge of it,
+before he could know of the danger which threatened me. I must away from
+Potsdam!"
+
+The prince had arranged a little apartment in Berlin for the winter
+months, which she exchanged for Potsdam in the spring. This seemed to
+offer her more security for the moment, for she could fly at the least
+sign of danger, could even hide herself from the prince, if it were
+necessary to save him and herself. Away to Berlin, then! That was the
+only thought she was able to seize upon. Away with her children, before
+misfortune could reach them!
+
+She sprang to the door, tore it open, rushing to the nurse, upon
+whose knees the baby slept, near whom her little daughter knelt. With
+trembling hands she took her boy and pressed him to her heart. "Louisa,
+we must leave here immediately; it is urgent necessity!" said she, with
+quivering lip. "Do not say a word about it to any one, but hasten; order
+quickly a wagon, bargain for the places, and say we must set off at
+once. The wagon must not be driven to the door, but we will meet it at
+the Berlin Gate. We will go on foot there, and get in. Quick, Louisa,
+not a word--it must be!"
+
+The servant did not dare to oppose her mistress, or contradict the
+orders, but hastened to obey them.
+
+"It is all the old king's fault," said Louisa to herself, as she hurried
+through the street. "Yes, the king has ordered mistress to Berlin. He
+looked so furious, the old bear! His eyes flashed so terribly, one might
+well fear him, and I thanked Heaven when mamselle sent me home from the
+park. It is coming to a bad end at last; I should have done better not
+to have taken the place at all. Oh, if we were only away from here; if I
+only could find a wagon to take us!"
+
+Thanks to the nurse's fears and endeavors, the wagon was soon found, and
+scarcely an hour had passed before Wilhelmine Enke, her two children and
+nurse, were hidden under a plain linen-covered wagon, and on their way
+to Berlin.
+
+The street was unusually animated, as the division of troops which the
+king had reviewed in Berlin, were marching out of the city to report
+themselves on the Bavarian frontier. Their first night's quarters were
+to be in Potsdam, and the last great parade was to take place there on
+the following morning, before the king commenced his journey. The driver
+had often to halt at the side of the street to let the troops pass,
+which with a full band of music, came marching on. At the head of one
+of the regiments, mounted upon a fiery steed, was a general in brilliant
+uniform, his breast covered with orders, which glittered in the sun. He
+was tall and rather corpulent, but appeared to advantage. His carriage
+was proud and imposing, his face was almost too youthful for a general,
+and his body too corpulent for the expressive and delicate features. As
+he passed by the poor, unpretending carriage, where Wilhelmine sat with
+her children, she heard distinctly his beautiful, sonorous voice, and
+merry laugh. "Oh Heaven, it is he!--it is he!" she murmured, drawing
+herself farther back into the wagon with her children. Just then, out of
+an opening in the linen cover, Louisa peeped, whispering, "Mamselle, it
+is the Prince of Prussia!"
+
+"Be quiet--for mercy's sake be quiet, Louisa, that we may not be
+remarked!" said Wilhelmine, gently. "Take the child that he may not
+scream, for if the prince should hear him he will turn back. He knows
+the voice of his little son!"
+
+"Yes, he knows the voice of his little son!" muttered the nurse, as
+she laid the child to her breast. "The little son must stop here on
+the street, in a miserable wagon, while his noble father rides past, so
+splendid and glittering with gold, not knowing that his little boy is so
+near him. Oh, a real trouble and a real heart-sorrow is this!"
+
+"Indeed it is," said Wilhelmine, in her heart, "a real trouble and a
+real heart-sorrow. How all these men would present arms, and salute my
+children, if they had been born to a throne instead of obscurity! How
+they would bow and bend, if I were called Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, and
+the lawful wife of the prince! Did they not also bend and bow before
+the first wife, Elizabeth von Braunschweig, [Footnote: The first wife
+of Prince Frederick William of Prussia was the Princess Elizabeth von
+Braunschweig, the niece of Frederick the Great. The crown prince was
+scarcely twenty-one years of age when betrothed to her. After four years
+they were separated, on account of the improper conduct of the princess,
+who was banished to Stettin. There she lived until her death in 1840,
+after seventy-one years of imprisonment. Never during these seventy-one
+years had the Princess 'Lisbeth', as she was called, dared to leave
+Stettin. There she was obliged to amuse herself. Her concerts and
+evening entertainments were celebrated. The second wife of the crown
+prince of Prussia was Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, the mother of Frederick
+William III. She died in 1805.] although every one knew of her shameful
+conduct--knew of her intrigues with lackeys and common soldiers? Do
+they not now bow before her, although she is banished to Stettin for her
+infamous conduct, and lives there a prisoner? A fine imprisonment that!
+The whole town is her prison, and when she appears in public every one
+stands upon the street to salute the crown princess of Prussia. But
+when they see me they pass carelessly by, or they look at me with a
+contemptuous laugh, and fancy themselves miracles of virtue, and free
+from sin. My only crime is that my father was not a prince, and that I
+am of low birth. Am I to blame for that--to blame that the man whom I
+love, and who loves me, cannot marry me and make me his lawful wife?"
+
+"Ho! gee, ho!" cried the driver to his horses. "Get up!" The troops had
+passed, the highway was now free, and uninterrupted rolled the heavy,
+creaking wagon into Berlin. Within all was quiet. The two children and
+nurse were asleep. The driver was half asleep, his head hung shaking
+about; only now and then he started to give his horses a crack, which
+the thin, wheezing animals did not heed in the least. Wilhelmine alone
+slept not; in her soul there was no quiet, no peace. She grumbled
+at fate, and at mankind. An unspeakable anxiety seized her for the
+immediate future, and fear of the king's anger. As the sun was setting
+they reached Berlin, and were entering the town, when the guard, in
+royal livery, sprang through the gate, calling, in a loud voice, to the
+wagon, "Halt--halt! Turn out of the way!" Then was heard the call of
+the sentinel, and the roll of the drums. An equipage, drawn by six black
+steeds, drove past. A pale, young wife, splendidly attired, leaned back
+in the carriage, and the little flag-bearer, Prince Frederick William,
+was by her side; on the seat opposite sat the second son, Prince Louis,
+and the lord steward. In this beautiful equipage drove the Princess of
+Prussia; at her side, in a miserable linen-covered wagon, crouching far
+in the corner, sat Wilhelmine Enke, the rival of the princess; near her,
+her two children, whose existence condemned her, and stamped her
+life with dishonor. Like a dream the brilliant apparition rushed past
+Wilhelmine, and it haunted her through the long streets, to the humble
+home where she sought a temporary refuge. And when finally alone, in
+her own room, where no one could spy into her face, nor understand her
+words, there broke forth from her soul a long-repressed wrong. She stood
+erect; a proud, insolent smile played around her mouth. "I am his wife,
+too; I alone am his beloved wife," said she, with a loud, triumphant
+voice, "and my children are his only truly-beloved children, for they
+are those of his love. How proudly she drove past me! How beautiful is
+her pale face, and how interesting her sad smile! She in sunlight, and
+I in shade! She knows that I am her rival, but she is not mine. No, the
+Princess of Prussia cannot rival Wilhelmine Enke. I have no fear of her.
+But the king I have to fear," cried she suddenly, shrinking with terror.
+In the meeting with the princess she had forgotten him, her anguish,
+her anxiety for the future. All were forgotten for the moment--to be
+recalled with renewed terror.
+
+"Thank Heaven," she said, "I have escaped. For the moment I am safe!
+What will the prince do, when he finds that we have fled from Potsdam?
+Will he divine where we have gone? Will he come to seek me? If he still
+loves me--if I am really the happy rival of his wife and every other
+court lady--yes, then he will come. Then he will know where to find his
+Wilhelmine. But if it is true, what malicious people have repeated to
+me, with feigned sympathy, that the prince loves another--that he has
+withdrawn his love from me, is indifferent and cold--then he will not
+seek me; then I shall remain here alone!--alone, with my children, this
+long, fearful night! What, then, if I am alone? No, oh, no! I will
+not believe that I am forsaken. These are wicked thoughts which haunt
+me--only the agitation of this dreadful day, which imagination has
+overwrought. Rise up and be strong! Go to thy children," said she, "and
+read in their eyes that he can never leave thee!"
+
+Forcing herself to composure, she sought her children; found Louisa
+humming and singing her little boy to sleep, and her daughter nodding,
+on a low stool at her feet.
+
+"Come, my child, I will put you to sleep," said the mother, lifting her
+in her arms. "Your mother will make your bed softly. When you sleep and
+speak with the angels, intercede for us all."
+
+With tender care she undressed her and bore her gently in her arms to
+her bed, and, kneeling before it, breathed a prayer over her sleeping
+child; then bent over the cradle of her son, blessing and kissing him.
+"Sleep my boy, sleep. I know not that I shall ever see thy beautiful
+eyes open again--whether I shall ever again press thee to my heart. Who
+can tell if they may not come this very night to remove me to prison--to
+punish me for you, my children, my beloved children!--Be calm, be calm!
+I shall remain here until morning, at least," added she.
+
+She turned to the nurse, who, with anxious face and folded hands, stood
+at the farthest corner of the room. "Go, now, Louisa--go, and take
+something to eat. You must be hungry and tired. Buy at the next store
+what you need; but do not stop to talk with any one or repeat my name.
+Then return quickly, and take care of the children. Do not trouble
+yourself about me--I need nothing more."
+
+"But you must eat something, mamselle; you must have some supper!"
+
+Wilhelmine shook her head, refusing, and returned quickly to her own
+room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V. THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
+
+
+Long after nightfall the nurse heard her mistress rapidly pacing her
+room, and talking aloud to herself. Soon, however, Sleep spread her
+soothing wings over Louisa, and she heard no more the rapid steps
+and loud talking of her mistress, nor the rolling of a carriage which
+stopped before the door, and the quick, vigorous steps of a man mounting
+the stairs. But Wilhelmine heard them. Breathless she stood, listening
+to the approaching footsteps, for she felt that they had to decide her
+future--the weal and woe of her children! Was it he, her beloved, the
+father of her children? or was it the king's bailiff who had followed
+her, and came to seize her?
+
+Nearer they came; the bell was hastily, violently rung. Wilhelmine
+uttered a cry of delight. She recognized the voice, the commanding
+manner, and rushed through the anteroom to open the door. The prince
+encircled her in his arms, pressed her to his beating heart, and,
+lifting her up, bore her into the room.
+
+"Why did you leave Potsdam, Wilhelmine? Tell me quickly, why did you
+do it?" asked the prince, tenderly kissing her, as he sat her upon the
+divan at his side. Overcome with her tears, she could not answer. "What
+mean these tears? Has any one dared to wound your feelings or injure
+you?"
+
+"Yes, Frederick, and he who injures me hazards nothing--for it is the
+king! I met him in the park at Potsdam this morning. He has crushed
+me with his scorn and anger. He has threatened me with a fearful
+punishment--no less than the house of correction at Spandau! He has
+told me that the spinning-wheel is in readiness for me if I excite his
+further contempt."
+
+A cry of fury escaped the prince. Springing up, he paced the room with
+rapid strides. Wilhelmine remained upon the divan, but her tears did not
+prevent her following the prince with a searching glance--to read his
+face, pale with rage. "I must bear it," he cried, beating his forehead.
+"I cannot protect those that I love!"
+
+A ray of joy lighted up Wilhelmine's face as she listened, but
+it disappeared with the tears which flowed afresh. "I am a poor,
+unfortunate child," she sobbed, "whom every one despises, and fears not
+to injure, who has no one to counsel or protect her, and who is lost if
+God does not have compassion upon her."
+
+The prince rushed to her, seizing both hands. "Wilhelmine, do not drive
+me mad with sorrow," he cried, trembling with excitement and anger. "Is
+it my fault that I cannot protect you against him? Have I not defended
+you from all the rest of the world? Have I ever allowed any one to treat
+you with contempt?"
+
+"I have never given occasion for it, dearest. I have studiously avoided
+all men, to escape their contempt and scorn. Shame is hard to bear,
+fearfully hard. I felt it today, as his beautiful eyes flashed upon me
+with contempt, as his haughty language crushed me to the earth. This
+is the yoke, Frederick William, that I and my children must bear to our
+graves!"
+
+"No, Wilhelmine, not as long as we live--only while he lives! Wait, only
+wait; let me rise from want and slavery; let the day come which makes
+me free--which exalts me: my first act will be to lift the yoke from you
+and our children, and woe to those--a thousand times woe to those who
+would hold it fast! Only be patient, Wilhelmine, submit, and bear with
+me the hard and distressing present. Tell me, my child, my loved one,
+why did you leave Potsdam so suddenly?"
+
+"I was afraid, Frederick. A kind of madness seized me at the thought
+of the king's bailiffs carrying me off to Spandau; a nameless anxiety
+confused my mind, and I only realized that I must escape--that I must
+conceal myself. I felt in greater security here than at Potsdam for the
+night."
+
+"And you fled without leaving me any sign or message to tell me
+whither you had gone! Oh, Wilhelmine, what if I had not divined your
+hiding-place, and had awaited at Potsdam in painful anxiety?"
+
+"Then I should have fled from here at daybreak, leaving my children,
+and in some quiet, obscure retreat have concealed myself from every
+eye--even your own."
+
+"Would you have hidden yourself from me?" cried the prince, encircling
+her in his arms, and pressing her to his heart.
+
+"Yes, Frederick, when your heart did not prompt you where to find me,
+then it would have been a proof that you were indifferent to me. When
+I cannot lean upon your love, then there is no longer any protection or
+abiding-place for me in the world, and the grave will be my refuge."
+
+"But you see my heart revealed you to me, and I am here," said the
+prince, smiling.
+
+"Yes, Heaven be praised, you have come to me," she cried, exultingly,
+throwing her arms about his neck, and kissing him passionately. "You are
+here; I no longer dread the old king's anger, and his fearful words fall
+as spent arrows at my feet. You are here, king of my heart; now I have
+only one thing to dread."
+
+"What is that, Wilhelmine?"
+
+She bent close to his ear, and whispered: "I fear that you are untrue
+to me; that there is some ground for truth in those anonymous letters,
+which declare that you would discard me and my children also, for you
+love another--not one other, but many."
+
+"Jealousy, again jealous!" the prince sighed.
+
+"Oh, no," said she, tenderly, "I only repeat what is daily written me."
+
+"Why do you read it?" cried the prince, vehemently. "Why do you quaff
+the poison which wicked, base men offer you? Why do you not throw such
+letters into the fire, as I do when they slander you to me?"
+
+"Because you know, Frederick," she answered, proudly and earnestly--"you
+must know that that which they write against me is slander and
+falsehood. My life lies open before you; every year, every day, is like
+an unsullied page, upon which but one name stands inscribed--Frederick
+William--not Prince Frederick William. What does it benefit me that you
+are a prince? If you were not a prince, I should not be despised, my
+children would not be nameless, without fortune, and without justice.
+No, were you not a prince, I should not have felt ashamed and
+grief-stricken, with downcast eyes, before the lady who drove past in
+her splendid carriage, while I was humbly seated in a miserable wagon.
+No, were not my beloved a prince, he could have made me his wife, could
+have given me his name, and I should to-day be at his side with my
+children. Then, what benefit is it to me that you are a prince? I love
+you not that you are one, but notwithstanding it. And if I love you in
+spite of all this, you must know that my affection is ever-enduring and
+ever-faithful--that I can never forget you, never abandon you."
+
+"And do you believe, Wilhelmine, that I could ever abandon or forsake
+you? Is it not the same with me?"
+
+She shook her head, sadly answering: "No, Frederick, it is unfortunately
+not the same. You have loved me, and perhaps you love me still, but with
+that gentle warmth which does not hinder glowing flames to kindle near
+it, and with their passionate fire overpower the slight warmth."
+
+"It may be so for the moment, I grant it," the prince answered,
+thoughtfully; "but the quick, blazing fire soon consumes itself, leaving
+only a heap of ashes; then one turns to the gentle warmth with inward
+comfort, and rejoices in its quiet happiness."
+
+"You confess loving another?" said Wilhelmine, sorrowfully.
+
+"No, I do not grant that," the prince cried; "but you are a sensible,
+clever woman, and you know my heart is easily excited. It is only the
+meteoric light of the ignis fatuus, soon extinguished. Let it dance and
+flicker, but remember that the only warmth which cheers and brightens my
+heart is your love and friendship. You are my first and only love, and
+you will be my last--that I swear to you, and upon it you can rely.
+Every thing is uncertain and wavering in life. They have ruined me,
+lacerated my heart, and there is nothing more in the world which I
+honor. Only sycophants and hypocrites surround me, who speculate upon
+my future greatness; or spies, who would make their fortune today, and
+therefore spy and hang about me, in order to be paid by the reigning
+king, and who slander me in order to be favorites of his. No one at
+court loves me, not even my wife. How should she? She is well aware that
+I married her only at the command of my royal uncle, and she accepted me
+almost with detestation, for they had related to her the unhappiness of
+my first marriage, and the happiness of my first love! She has learned
+the story of my first wife, Elizabeth von Braunschweig, and that of my
+only love, Wilhelmine Enke! She obeyed, like myself, the stern command
+of another, and we were married, as all princes and princesses are,
+and we have had children, as they do. We lead the life of a political
+marriage, but the heart is unwed. We bow before necessity and duty,
+and, believe me, those are the only household gods in the families of
+princes. Happy the man who, besides these stern divinities, possesses
+a little secret temple, in which he can erect an altar to true love and
+friendship, and where he can enjoy a hidden happiness. This I owe to
+you, Wilhelmine; you are the only one in whom I have confidence, for
+you have proved to me that you love me without self-interest and without
+ambition. You have said it, and it is true, you love me, notwithstanding
+I am a prince. I confess to you, there are many lovely women of the
+court who are your rivals, and who would try to separate us in order
+to attract me to themselves. They are beautiful and seductive, and I am
+young and passionate; and if these lovely women have no respect for my
+dignity as a married man, how then should I have it, who married
+for duty, not for love? But there is one whom I respect for
+disinterestedness and fidelity! Do you not know who alone is
+disinterested and faithful?--who has never seen in me the prince, the
+future king--only the beloved one, the man--one who has never wavered,
+never counted the cost?--that you are, Wilhelmine Enke, therefore we are
+inseparable, and you have not to fear that I can ever forsake you, even
+if I am sometimes entangled in the magic nets of other beautiful
+women. The chains which bind us together cannot be torn asunder, for
+a wonderful secret power has consecrated them with the magic of true
+love--of heart-felt friendship."
+
+"Still they are chains, dearest," sighed Wilhelmine. "You have named
+them thus! The chains will at last oppress you, and you will forget the
+magic power which binds you, and will be free. No holy bond, no oath,
+no marriage tie--nothing but your love binds you to me. I rejoice in it,
+and so long as you do not forsake me, I am conscious that it is your own
+free choice and not force which retains you."
+
+"I will give you an outward sign of our bond of union," cried the
+prince. "I will do it today, as a twofold danger hangs over us--the king
+menaces you, and war menaces me."
+
+"Is it then true, do you go with the king to the field?" groaned
+Wilhelmine.
+
+"Do you wish me to remain?" cried the prince, his eyes flashing. "Shall
+I here seek pleasure, with effeminate good nature, while the king, in
+spite of his age, exposes himself to all the fatigue of a campaign
+and the danger of battle? This war of the Bavarian succession is
+unfortunate, and no one knows whether the German empire will derive any
+important advantage from our sustaining by force of arms a little duchy.
+It is a question whether it would not be better to abolish the little
+principalities, in order to strengthen the greater German powers. The
+king will support Bavaria, because he envies Austria its possession,
+and, as he has decided upon war, it becomes his crown prince to yield
+to his decision without murmuring. Therefore, Wilhelmine, I will today
+witness to you the oath of fidelity. If God calls me to Him, if I fall
+in battle, this oath will be your legacy. I have nothing else to leave
+you, thanks to the parsimony of my noble uncle. I am a very poor crown
+prince, with many debts and little money, and not in a condition to
+reward your love and fidelity otherwise than with promises and hopes,
+and letters of credit for the future. Such a bill of exchange I will
+write for you--a legacy for my dear Wilhelmine. Give me pen and paper."
+
+Wilhelmine hastened to her writing table and brought him paper with
+writing materials. "There, my Frederick," said she, "there is every
+thing necessary--only the ink, I fear, may be dried."
+
+The prince shook his head, smiling. "Such a lover's oath as I will
+transcribe for you can be written with no common ink. See, here is my
+ink!"
+
+The prince had suddenly made a slight incision in his arm, and, as the
+blood gushed out, he dipped his pen in it, and wrote; then handed it
+to Wilhelmine, saying: "Read it here, in the presence of God and
+ourselves."
+
+Wilhelmine pressed it to her lips, and read, with a solemn voice: "'By
+my word of honor as a prince, I will never forsake you, and only death
+shall separate you from me.--Prince Frederick William of Prussia.'"
+[Footnote: "Memoires of the Countess Lichtenau." p. 120.]
+
+"By my word of honor as a prince, I will never forsake you, and only
+death shall separate me from you," repeated the prince, as he bent over
+Wilhelmine, lifting her in his arms and placing her upon his knee. "Take
+the paper and guard it carefully," said he. "When I die, and you have
+closed my eyes, as I trust you will, give this paper to my son and
+successor, for it is my legacy to you, and I hope my son will honor it
+and recognize in you the wife of my heart, and care for you."
+
+"Oh! speak not of dying, Frederick," cried Wilhelmine, embracing him
+tenderly; "may they condemn me, and imprison me as a criminal, when you
+are no more! What matters it to me what befalls me, when I no longer
+possess you, my beloved one, my master? Not on that account will I
+preserve the precious paper, but for the love which it has given me,
+and of which it will one day be a proof to my children. This paper is my
+justification and my excuse, my certificate and my declaration of honor.
+I thank you for it, for it is the most beautiful present that I have
+ever received."
+
+"But will you make me no return, Wilhelmine? Will you not swear to me,
+as I have sworn to you?"
+
+She took the knife from the table without answering, and pointing it to
+her left arm--
+
+"Oh, not there!" cried the prince, as he sought to stay her hand. "Do
+not injure your beautiful arm, it would be a sacrilege."
+
+Wilhelmine freed herself from him, as he sought to hold her fast, and
+in the mutual struggle the knife sank deep into her left hand, the blood
+gushing out. [Footnote: The scar of this wound remained her whole life,
+as Wilhelmine relates in her memoirs.--See "Memoires of the Countess
+Lichtenau."]
+
+"Oh, what have you done?" cried the prince, terrified; "You are
+wounded!"
+
+He seized her hand and drew the knife from the wound, screaming with
+terror as a clear stream of blood flowed over his own. "A physician!
+Send quickly for a physician," cried he. "Where are my servants?"
+
+Wilhelmine closed his lips at this instant with a kiss, and forced
+herself to smile in spite of the pain which the wound caused her.
+"Dearest, it is nothing," she cried. "I have only prepared a great
+inkstand--let me write!"
+
+She dipped her pen in the blood, which continued to flow, and wrote
+quickly a few lines, handing them to the prince.
+
+"Read aloud what you have written. I will hear from your own mouth your
+oath. You shall write it upon my heart with your lips."
+
+Wilhelmine read: "By my love, by the heads of my two children, I swear
+that I will never forsake you--that I will be faithful to you unto
+death, and will never separate myself from you; that my friendship and
+love will endure beyond the grave; that I will ever be contented and
+happy so long as I may call myself your Wilhelmine Enke."
+
+"I accept your oath, dearest," said the prince, pressing her to his
+heart. "This paper is one of my choicest jewels, and I will never
+separate myself from it. We have now sealed our love and fidelity with
+our blood, and I hope that you will never doubt me again. Remember this
+hour!"
+
+"I will," she earnestly promised, "and I swear to you never to torment
+and torture you again with my jealousy. I shall always know, and shall
+hold fast to it, that you will return to me."
+
+A violent knocking on the house door interrupted the stillness of the
+night. A voice in loud, commanding tones called to the night-watch.
+
+"Here I am!" answered the porter. "Who calls me? And what is the
+matter?"
+
+"Open the door," commanded the voice again.
+
+"It is our house," whispered Wilhelmine, who had softly opened the
+window. "It is so dark, I can only see a black shadow before the door."
+
+"Do you belong to the house?" asked the night-watch. "I dare let no one
+in who does not belong there."
+
+"Lift up your lantern, and look at my livery. It is at the king's
+order!"
+
+Wilhelmine withdrew from the window, and hastened to the prince, who had
+retired to the back part of the room.
+
+"It is Kretzschmar, the king's footman and spy," she whispered. "Hide
+yourself, that he does not discover you. Go there to the children."
+
+"No, Wilhelmine, I will remain here. I--"
+
+Wilhelmine pressed her hand upon his mouth, and forced him into the
+side-room, bolting the door.
+
+"Now," said she, "I will meet my fate with courage; whatever may come,
+it shall find me firm and composed. My children are safe, for their
+father is with them."
+
+She took the light, and hastened into the anteroom, which was resounding
+with the loud ringing.
+
+"Who is there?" she cried. "Who rings so late at night?"
+
+"In the name of the king, open!"
+
+Wilhelmine shoved back the bolt, opening the door.
+
+"Come in," she said, "and tell me who you are."
+
+"I think you recognize me," said Kretzschmar, with an impudent smile.
+"You have often seen me at Potsdam in company with the king. I saw you
+this morning as the king did you the honor to speak with you, and I
+believe did not compliment you."
+
+"Did his majesty send you here to say this to me?"
+
+"No, not exactly that," answered he, smiling; "but, as you asked me, I
+was obliged to answer. I have come here with all speed as courier
+from Potsdam. I hope you will at least give me a good trinkgeld. I was
+commanded to deliver into your own hands this paper, for which I must
+have a receipt." He drew from his breast pocket a large sealed document,
+which he handed to Wilhelmine. "Here is the receipt all ready, with the
+pencil; you have only to sign your name, and the business is finished."
+He stretched himself with an air of the greatest ease upon the cane
+chair, near the door.
+
+Wilhelmine colored with anger at the free conduct of the royal footman,
+and hastened to sign the receipt to rid herself of the messenger, and to
+read the letter.
+
+"What will you give me for trinkgeld, Mamselle Enke?" asked the footman,
+as she gave him the receipt.
+
+"Your own rudeness and insult," answered Wilhelmine proudly, as she
+turned, without saluting him, to the sitting-room.
+
+Kretzschmar laughed aloud. "She will play the great and proud lady,"
+said he. "She will get over that when in prison. The letter is without
+doubt an order of arrest, for when the king flashes and thunders as he
+did this morning, he usually strikes. I hope it will agree with you." He
+slowly left the anteroom, and descended the stairs to mount his horse,
+which he had bound to a tree.
+
+Wilhelmine hastened in the mean time to the prince. "Here is the letter
+addressed to me," said she, handing him the sealed envelope. "I beg you
+to open it; courage fails me, everything trembles and swims before my
+eyes. Read it aloud--I will receive my sentence from your lips."
+
+The prince exclaimed, breaking the seal: "It is the handwriting of the
+secret cabinet secretary, Menken, and the message comes immediately from
+the king's cabinet. Now, Wilhelmine, do not tremble; lean your head upon
+me, and let us read."
+
+"'In the name of his majesty, Wilhelmine Enke is commanded, under
+penalty of severe punishment, not to leave her room or her dwelling,
+until the king shall permit her, and send some one to take her and all
+that belongs to her to her place of destination. She shall receive
+this order with patience and humility, and consider her apartment as a
+prison, which she shall not leave under severe penalty, nor allow any
+one to enter it. Whoever may be with her at the time of receiving the
+order, who do not belong there, shall speedily absent themselves, and if
+the same ride or drive to Potsdam, they shall immediately take a message
+to his royal highness the Prince of Prussia, and announce to him that
+his majesty expects him at Sans-Souci at ten o'clock tomorrow morning.
+The Minister von Herzberg will be in waiting to confer with the prince.
+The above is communicated to Wilhelmine Enke for her strict observance,
+and she will act accordingly.'"
+
+A long silence followed the reading of this letter. Both looked down,
+thoughtfully recalling the contents.
+
+"A prisoner," murmured Wilhelmine, "a prisoner in my own house."
+
+"And for me the peremptory command to leave immediately for Potsdam, in
+order to be at Sans-Souci early in the morning. What can the king mean?"
+
+"He will announce to you my imprisonment, my exile," sighed Wilhelmine.
+
+The crown prince shook his head. "No," said he, "I do not believe it. If
+the king would send you to prison, he would not make such preparation;
+he would not commence with the house arrest, as if you were an officer,
+who had been guilty of some slight insubordination, but he would act
+with decision, as is his wont. He would at once have sent you to Spandau
+or some other prison, and left it to me to have taken further steps.
+No--the more I think it over, the more evident it is to me that the king
+is not really angry; he will only torment us a little, as it pleases his
+teasing spirit. The chief thing now is to obey, and give him no
+further occasion for anger. You must be very careful not to leave your
+apartment, or to allow any one to enter it. I shall start without delay
+for Potsdam. There are spies posted as well for you as myself; our steps
+are watched, and an exact account of them given. I must away quickly."
+
+"Must you leave me a prisoner? Oh, how hard and cruel life is!"
+
+"Yes, it is, indeed, Wilhelmine. But I must also humbly submit and obey.
+Is not life hard for me, and yet I am crown prince, the heir to the
+throne! I shall be reprimanded and scolded like a footman. I must obey
+as a slave, and am not permitted to act according to my will. I am only
+a mere peg in the great machine which he directs, and the--"
+
+"Hush! for mercy's sake be quiet! What if some one should hear you? You
+know not if the spies may not be at the door."
+
+"True," said the prince, bitterly. "I do not know! The nurse even, who
+suckles our child, may be a paid spy. The owner of this house may be
+in the king's service, and creep to the door to listen. Therefore it
+is necessary, above all things, that we act according to the king's
+commands. Farewell, Wilhelmine, I must set off at once. Kretzschmar is
+no doubt at the corner of the street to see whether I, as an obedient
+servant of his master, leave here. If I do it, he will take the news to
+Sans-Souci, and perhaps the king will be contented. Farewell, I go at
+once to the palace, to start from there for Potsdam."
+
+"Farewell, my beloved one! May God in heaven and the king upon earth be
+merciful to us! I will force myself to composure and humility. What I
+suffer is for you! This shall be my consolation. If we never meet again,
+Frederick William, I know you will not forget how much I have loved
+you!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. THE PARADE.
+
+
+Since early morning a gay, warlike life had reigned at Potsdam and
+the neighborhood of Sans-Souci. From every side splendid regiments
+approached, with proud and stately bearing, in glittering uniforms, to
+take in perfect order the places assigned to them. With flying banners,
+drums beating, and shrill blasts of trumpets, they came marching on
+to the great parade--the last, for the king was about to leave for the
+field. Thousands of spectators poured forth, notwithstanding the early
+hour, from Potsdam; and from Berlin even they came in crowds, to take
+a last look of the soldiers--of their king, who was still the hero at
+sixty-nine--the "Alto Fritz," whom they adored--though they felt the
+rigor of his government. It was a magnificent spectacle, indeed--this
+immense square, filled with regiments, their helmets, swords, and gold
+embroideries glittering in the May sun. Officers, mounted on richly
+caparisoned steeds, drew up in the centre, or galloped along the front
+of the lines, censuring with a thundering invective any deviation or
+irregularity. In the rear of the troops stood the equipages of the
+distinguished spectators on the one side, while on the other the people
+in compact masses swayed to and fro, gayly passing judgment upon the
+different regiments and their generals. The people--that means all
+those who were not rich enough to have a carriage, or sufficiently
+distinguished to claim a place upon the tribune reserved for noble
+ladies and gentlemen--here they stood, the educated and uneducated,
+shoemaker and tailor, savant and artist--a motley mixture! Two gentlemen
+of the high citizen class apparently were among the crowd. They were
+dressed in the favorite style, which, since the "Sorrows of Werther" had
+appeared, was the fashion--tight-fitting boots, reaching to the knee,
+with yellow tops; white breeches, over which fell the long-bodied green
+vest; a gray frock with long pointed tails and large metal buttons,
+well-powdered cue, tied with little ribbons, surmounted with a low,
+wide-brimmed hat. Only one of the gentlemen wore the gray frock,
+according to the faultless Werther costume, a young man of scarcely
+thirty years, of fine figure, and proud bearing; a face expressive
+and sympathetic, reminding one of the glorious portraits of men which
+antiquity has bequeathed to us. It seemed like the head of a god
+descended to earth, noble in every feature, full of grace and beauty;
+the slightly Roman nose well marked yet delicate; the broad, thoughtful
+brow; the cheeks flushed with the hue of youth and power; the
+well-defined chin and red lips, expressive of goodness, benevolence,
+roguery, and haughtiness; large, expressive eyes, flashing with the
+fire which the gods had enkindled. His companion was perhaps eight years
+younger, less well-proportioned, still of graceful appearance, in his
+youthful freshness, with frank, cheerful mien, clever, good-natured,
+sparkling eyes, and red, pouting lips, which never liked to cease
+chatting.
+
+"See, Wolff! I beg," said the young man, "see that old waddling duck,
+Mollendorf. I know the old fellow, he is from Gotha; he imagines himself
+of the greatest importance, and thinks Prussia begets fame and honor
+from his grace. He trumpets forth his own glories at a dinner, and
+abuses his king. He makes Frederick the Great an insignificant little
+being, that he may look over him."
+
+"Unimportant men always do that," answered the other. "They would make
+great men small, and think by placing themselves on high pedestals they
+become great. The clown striding through the crowd on his stilts may
+even look over an emperor. But fortunately there comes a time when
+the dear clown must come down from his stilts, and then it is clear
+to others, if not to himself, what little, earth-born snips the men of
+yesterday are."
+
+"Only look, Wolff, there is just such a moment coming to that stiltsman
+Mollendorf. How the great man stoops, and how small he looks on his gray
+horse, for a greater springs past! Look at him well, Wolff--we shall
+dine with him, and he does not like to be stared at in the face."
+
+"Is that, then, Prince Henry passing?" asked Wolff, with animation;
+"That little general, who just galloped into the circle with his suite,
+is that the king's brother?"
+
+"Yes, that is just his misfortune that he is the king's brother,"
+answered a deep, sonorous voice behind them.
+
+Turning, they beheld a young, elegantly dressed man, in the light gray
+frock and gold-bordered, three-cornered hat, and a Spanish cane, with an
+ivory handle.
+
+"What did you remark, sir?" asked Herr Wolff; his great, brown eyes
+flashing over the pale, intellectual face of the other, so that he was
+quite confused, yet, as if enchanted, could not turn away. "What did you
+remark, sir?" asked again Herr Wolff.
+
+"I believe," stammered the other, "that I said it was the misfortune
+of the prince that he was the brother only, as he was worthy of being
+mentioned for himself; but I beg, sir, be a little indulgent, and do not
+pry into my very soul with your godlike eyes. It will craze me, and
+I shall run through the streets of Berlin, crying that the
+Apollo-Belvedere has arrived at Potsdam, and invite all the poets and
+authors to come and worship him."
+
+"I believe you are right," cried the youngest of the two gentlemen,
+laughing. "I believe myself it is the Apollo-Belvedere."
+
+"Be still, my dear sir, hush, and preserve our incognito," interrupted
+his companion.
+
+"But I cannot help it, Wolff. Am I to blame that this clever fellow sees
+through your mask, and discovers the divine spark which hides itself
+under a gray Werther costume?"
+
+"I pray, sir, grant my request, and respect our incognito," begged the
+other, gently but firmly.
+
+"Well, well, you shall have your way," laughed the other,
+good-naturedly, and turning to the pale young man, who still kept his
+eyes fixed on Herr Wolff in a sort of ecstacy, he said: "Let the authors
+and poets stay in Berlin; we will persuade the disguised Apollo to meet
+them there, and read them a lecture, for among the Berlin poets and
+critics there are wicked heretics, who, if the Deity Himself wrote
+tragedies and verses, would find some fault to object to."
+
+"Pray tell me, sir, do you think Prince Henry a great man?"
+
+"Did not the king call him so in his 'History of the Seven Years' War?'"
+said the stranger. "Did he not publicly, in the presence of all his
+generals, say, 'that Prince Henry was the only general who had not made
+a mistake during the whole war?'"
+
+"Do you believe the king will say that of the prince just riding in
+with his suite, after the present war?" asked the young man, with
+earnestness.
+
+"You mean the Prince of Prussia," answered the other, shaking his head.
+"There are men who call this prince the 'hope of Prussia,' and regard
+him as a new Aurora in the clouded sky."
+
+"And you, sir, do you regard him so?" cried Herr Wolff.
+
+"Do you mean that the Prince of Prussia will usher in a brighter day for
+Germany?"
+
+"No," answered the other. "I believe that day expires with Frederick the
+Great, and that a long night of darkness will succeed."
+
+"Why do you think so?"
+
+"Because it is the course of nature that darkness succeeds light. Look
+at the prince, gentlemen--the divine light of genius is not stamped
+upon his brow, as formerly, and care will be taken that it is soon
+extinguished altogether."
+
+"Who will take care?"
+
+"Those who are the enemies of light, civilization, and freedom."
+
+"Who are they?" asked Herr Wolff.
+
+The other smiled, and answered: "Sir, so far as I, in all humility,
+call myself a scholar, I also owe to the god Apollo obedience, and must
+answer him, though it may endanger me. I answer, then, the enemies of
+light and civilization are the disguised Jesuits."
+
+"Oh, it is easy to perceive that you do not belong to them, or you would
+not thus characterize them, and--"
+
+A mighty flourish of drums, and shrill blasts of horns and trumpets,
+drowned the youth's words, and made all further conversation impossible.
+The king, followed by a brilliant suite, had just arrived at the parade.
+The regiments greeted their sovereign with loud blasts of trumpets, and
+the people shouted their farewell. Frederick lifted lightly his hat,
+and rode along the ranks of the well-ordered troops. He listened to the
+shouts with calm, composed manner; the Jupiter-flashes from his great
+eyes seemed to be spent forever. Mounted upon Caesar, his favorite
+horse, he looked today more bent, his back more bowed with the burden
+of years; and it was plainly visible that the hand which held the staff
+crosswise over the horse's neck, holding at the same time the bridle,
+trembled from very weakness.
+
+"That is Frederick," said Herr Wolff to himself. "That is the hero
+before whom Europe has trembled; the daring prince who caused the sun to
+rise upon his country, and awaken the spirits to cheerful life. Oh, how
+lamentable; how much to be regretted, that a hero, too, can grow feeble
+and old! Oh, cruel fate, that the noblest spirits embodied in this
+fragile humanity, and--"
+
+Suddenly he ceased, and looked at the king amazed and with admiration.
+The old man had become the hero again. The bowed form was erect, the
+face beamed with energy and conscious power, the eyes flashed with bold
+daring, strong and sonorous was the voice. The king had turned to
+his generals, who were drawn up around him in a large circle, saying:
+"Gentlemen, I come to take leave of you. We shall meet again upon the
+battle-field, where laurels bloom for the brave. I hope that we may all
+return, crowned with fresh laurels. Tell my soldiers that I count upon
+them--that I know they will prove the glory of the Prussian troops
+anew, and that on the day of battle they will see me at their
+head.--Farewell!"
+
+"Long live the king!" cried the generals and staff officers, in one
+voice. The people and the soldiers joined the shout, the ladies waved
+their handkerchiefs. Herr Wolff and his companions tore off their hats
+with enthusiasm, and swung them high in the air.
+
+The great eyes of the king, who passed at this moment, rested upon Herr
+Wolff. "My heart quaked as if I were the pillar of Memnon, and had been
+touched by the sun's rays," sighed he, as he followed the king with his
+fiery glance.
+
+"The ceremony is now finished," said the young man near him, "and we
+must leave, in order to be punctual to dinner at Prince Henry's."
+
+"I wish the king had remained an hour longer," sighed Herr Wolff again.
+"As I looked at him, it seemed as if I were listening to a song from
+Homer, and all my faculties were in unison in delight and enthusiasm.
+Happy those who dare approach him, and remain near him!"
+
+"Then, according to your opinion, his servants must be very fortunate,"
+said the stranger, "and yet they say that he is not very kind to them."
+
+"Because the servant is a little man," cried Herr Wolff, "and every one
+looks little to his belittling eyes."
+
+"Yes, there are many others no more elevated than servants in the king's
+surroundings," said the other. The youth reminded him that they must
+leave.
+
+"Only wait a moment, friend," begged Herr Wolff, as he turned to the
+stranger, saying, "I would like to continue our conversation of today.
+You live in Berlin. I will find you out if you will give me your name."
+
+"I pray you to visit me; my name is Moritz. I live in Kloster Strasse,
+near the gray convent."
+
+"Your name is Moritz?", asked Herr Wolff, earnestly. "Then you are the
+author of the 'Journey to England?'"
+
+"Yes, the same, and my highest encomium is, that the work is not unknown
+to you, or the name of the author."
+
+"All Germany knows it, and do you think I could possibly remain a
+stranger to it?"
+
+"But your name, sir," said the stranger, with anxious curiosity. "Will
+you not give me your name?"
+
+"I will tell you when we are in your own room," said Herr Wolff,
+smiling.
+
+"The air is yet enchanted and intoxicated with the breath of the Great
+Frederick; it should not be desecrated with another name.--Farewell, we
+will meet in Berlin."
+
+Not far from these gentlemen stood two others, wrapped in long military
+cloaks, both of striking and foreign appearance; the one, of slight
+delicate figure, of dark complexion, noble and handsome face, must be
+an Italian, as his very black hair and eyes betrayed; the other, tall,
+broad-shouldered, of Herculean stature, belonged to North Germany, as
+the blond hair, light blue eyes, and features indicated. A pleasing
+smile played around his thick, curled lips, and only when he glanced at
+his companion did it die away, and change to one of respectful devotion.
+At this instant the king passed. The Italian pressed the arm of his
+companion.
+
+"The arch fiend himself," he murmured softly, "the demon of unbelief,
+to whom nothing is sacred, and nothing intimidates. The contemptuously
+smiling spirit of negation, which is called enlightenment, and is
+but darkness, to whom belief is superstition, and enlightening only
+deception. Woe to him!"
+
+"Woe to him!" repeated the other.
+
+The king was followed by his brilliant and select staff in motley
+confusion. First, Prince Henry, and then the Prince of Prussia. As the
+latter passed the two gentlemen, the Italian pressed the arm of his
+companion still harder. "Look at him attentively, my son," said he,
+"that is our future and our hope in this country."
+
+The Hercules turned hastily, with a look of astonishment, to the
+Italian. "The Prince of Prussia?" asked he, with amazement.
+
+The Italian nodded. "Do you doubt it?" he added, reproachfully. "Would
+you doubt your lord and master, because he reveals to you what you
+cannot seize with your clouded spirit?"
+
+"No, no, master, I am only surprised that you hope for good from this
+lost-in-sin successor to the throne."
+
+"Yes, you are poor, human children," sighed the Italian, compassionately
+smiling; "prompt to judge, mistaking light for darkness, and darkness
+for light. I have already remarked that to the celebrated and austere
+Minister Sully, as he complained to me of the levity and immorality of
+the French king, Henry IV. I told him that austere morals and moral laws
+suffered exceptions, and that those through whom the welfare of humanity
+should be furthered, had to transfer their heavenly bliss of love to the
+earthly sphere. Sully would contest the question with me, but I defeated
+him, while I repeated to him what the beautiful and unhappy Queen of
+Scotland, Mary Stuart, once said to me."
+
+"Mary Stuart!" cried the other, vehemently.
+
+"Yes, Mary Stuart," answered the Italian, earnestly. "Come, my son, let
+us go. We have seen what we wished to see, and that is sufficient. Give
+me thy arm, and let us depart."
+
+They departed arm in arm, withdrawing from the crowd, and taking the
+broad walk which crossed to the park.
+
+"You were about to relate to me the answer which Mary Stuart gave to
+you, sir," said the Hercules, timidly.
+
+"True; I will now relate it to you," he answered, with sadness. "It was
+in Edinburgh I had surprised Mary (as I was admitted without ceremony),
+in her boudoir, as the handsome Rizzio sat at her feet, and sang
+love-songs to her. She was resting upon a gold-embroidered divan,
+and her figure appeared to great advantage in the heavenly blue,
+silver-embroidered gauze robe, which covered her beautiful limbs like
+a cloud. In her hair sparkled two diamonds, like two stars fallen from
+heaven, and more glowing still were her eyes, which tenderly rested upon
+Rizzio. Leaning upon her elbow, she inclined toward Rizzio, who, lute in
+hand, was looking up to her with a countenance expressive of the deepest
+love. It was a glorious picture, this young and charming couple, in
+their bliss of love; and never, in the course of this century, have I
+forgotten this exquisite picture--never have its bright tints faded from
+my memory. How often have I begged my friend, Antonio Vandyck, to make
+this picture eternal, with his immortal pencil. He promised to do it,
+but at the moment he was occupied with the portraits of Charles I. and
+his family--the grandson of Queen Mary. Later, as I was not with him,
+unfortunately, to save him, death seized him before he had fulfilled his
+promise. But her image is stamped upon my heart, and I see her now, as I
+saw her then, the beautiful queen, with the handsome singer at her feet.
+I had entered unawares, and stood a few moments at the door before they
+remarked me. As I approached, Rizzio suddenly ceased in the midst of a
+tender passage, and sprang to his feet. Mary signed to him, blushing,
+to withdraw. He glided noiselessly out, his lute under his arm, and I
+remained alone with the queen. I dared to chide her, gently, for her
+love affair with the handsome singer, and, above all, to exhort her to
+fidelity to her husband. Whereupon Mary answered me, with her accustomed
+smiling manner, 'There is but one fidelity which one must recognize, and
+that is to the god of gods--Love! Where he is not, I will not be. The
+god Hymen is a tedious, pedantic fellow, who burns to ashes all the
+fresh young love of the heart, and all the enthusiasm of the soul, with
+his intolerable tallow torch, for Love stands not at his side. I am
+faithful to the god Amor, therefore I can never be faithful to the god
+Hymen, as it would be unfaithful to Love!' That was the response of the
+beautiful Queen Mary. I could not contest the question, so I only looked
+at her and smiled. Suddenly, I felt a dagger, as it were, thrust at my
+heart, my spiritual eyes were opened, the lovely woman on the divan was
+fearfully changed. Instead of the gauze robe, sparkling with silver, a
+black cloth dress covered her emaciated limbs; instead of brilliants,
+sparkling in her hair, a mourning veil covered her whitened locks. The
+beauty and roundness of her neck had disappeared, and I saw around it a
+broad dark-red stripe. Her head moved, and fell at my feet dissevered.
+I saw it all, as distinctly as if it really happened, and seized with
+unspeakable pity I prostrated myself at her feet (who was unknowing
+of my vision), and besought her with all the anxiety and tenderness
+of friendship to leave Scotland, to fly from England, as there the
+death-tribunal awaited her. But Mary Stuart only laughed at my warning,
+and called me a melancholy fool, whom jealousy made prophetic. The more
+I begged and implored, the more wanton and gay the poor woman became.
+Then, as I saw all persuasion was vain, that no one could save her from
+her dreadful fate, I took a solemn oath that I would be at her side at
+the hour of her peril, and accompany her to the scaffold. Mary laughed
+aloud, and, with that mocking gayety so peculiarly her own, she accepted
+the oath, and reached me her white hand, sparkling with diamonds, to
+seal the vow with a kiss. I faithfully kept it. I had but just arrived
+in Rome when I received the account of her imprisonment. I presented
+myself immediately to the pope, the great Sixtus V., who then occupied
+the chair of St. Peter. Fortunately, he was my friend, and I had
+formerly been useful to him, in assisting him to carry out his great
+and liberal ideas for the welfare of humanity. As a return, I prayed the
+Holy Father to give me a consecrated hostie for the unhappy Queen Mary
+Stuart, and the permission to carry it to her in her prison. The Holy
+Father was incredulous of my sad presentiments, as Mary Stuart herself
+had been, but he granted me the request. I quitted Rome, and travelled
+with relays day and night. Reaching Boulogne, a Dover packet-boat had
+just raised anchor; I succeeded in boarding her, and arrived in London
+the next evening. The day following, the execution of the queen took
+place at Fotheringay. I was with her in her last hours, and from my hand
+she received the consecrated water of Pope Sixtus V. I had kept my oath.
+I accompanied her to the scaffold, and her head rolled at my feet, as I
+had seen it in my vision at Edinburgh. It was the 18th of April, 1587,
+and it seems to me as but yesterday. To the intuitive, seeing
+spirit, time and space disappear; eternity and immortality are to it
+omnipresent."
+
+Given up to his souvenirs and visions, the Italian appeared not to know
+where he wandered, and turned unintentionally to the retired, lonely
+places in the park. His companion heeded not the way either, occupied
+with the strange account of the Italian. A dreadful feeling of awe and
+horror took possession of his soul, and, with devoted respect, he hung
+upon the words which fell from the lips of his companion.
+
+"It was in the year 1587," said he, as the Italian ceased; "almost two
+hundred years since, and you were present?"
+
+The Italian replied: "I was present. I have witnessed so many dreadful
+scenes, and been present at so many executions, that this sad spectacle
+was not an unusual one to me, and would not have remained fixed in my
+memory had I not loved, devotedly and fervently, the beautiful Queen
+Mary Stuart. For those who live in eternity, all horrors have ceased;
+time rushes past in centuries, which seem to them but a day."
+
+"Teach me so to live, master; I thirst for knowledge," cried his
+companion, fervently.
+
+"I know it, my son; I penetrate thy soul, and I know that thou
+thirstest. Therefore I am here to quench thy thirst, and feed thy hungry
+heart." He remained standing upon the grass-plot, which he had reached
+by lonely paths, and which was encircled by trees and bushes. Not a
+sound interrupted the peaceful morning stillness of the place, except
+the distant music of the departing regiments dying away on the air. "I
+will teach thee to live in eternity!" resumed the Italian, solemnly.
+"My predecessor the apostle, George Schrepfer, has initiated thee in
+temporal life, and the knowledge of the present. By the pistol-shot,
+which disclosed to him the invisible world, and removed him from our
+earthly eyes, has he to thee, his most faithful and believing disciple,
+given the great doctrine of the decay of all things earthly, and
+prepared thee for the doctrine of the imperishableness of the celestial.
+The original of humanity sends me, to make known to thee this holy
+doctrine. When I met thee in Dresden, at the side of the Countess
+Dorothea von Medem, thee, whom I had never seen, I recognized by the
+blue flame which trembled above thy head, and which was nothing else
+than the soul of thy teacher, Schrepfer, wrestling in anguish, which has
+remained with thee, and hopes for delivery from thee. I greeted thee,
+therefore, not as a stranger but as a friend. No one called thy name,
+and yet it was known to me. I took thee by the hand, greeting thee. Hans
+Rudolph von Bischofswerder, be welcome. The blue flame which glows
+upon thy brow, guides me to thee, and the pistol-shot under the oaks
+centuries old, at Rosenthal, near Leipsic, was the summons which my
+spirit received among the pyramids of Egypt, and which recalled me
+to Europe, to my own, and thou art one of them."[Footnote: George
+Schrepfer, the founder of the Secret Free Mason Lodge (at the same
+time proprietor of a restaurant and a conjuror), invited his intimate
+disciples and believers in the year 1774, to whom Bischofswerder
+belonged, to meet him at Rosenthal, near Leipsic. He assembled them
+around him, beneath some old oaks, to take leave of them, as now he
+would render himself in the invisible realm, whence, as a spirit, he
+would distribute to some of his disciples gold, to others wisdom. He
+then commanded them to conceal their faces and pray. The praying ones
+suddenly heard a loud report, and, as they looked up Schrepfer fell
+dead. He had shot himself with a pistol.]
+
+"And as thou spakest, oh master, I recognized thee, and I called--' Thou
+art here, who hast been announced to me. Thou art the master, and my
+master Schrepfer was the prophet, who preceded thee and prophesied thee.
+Thou art the great Kophta--thou art Count Alexander Cagliostro!' As
+I uttered the name, the lights were extinguished, deep darkness and
+profound stillness reigned. The two countesses Dorothea von Medem and
+her sister, Eliza von der Necke, clung trembling to me, neither of them
+daring to break the silence even with a sigh. Suddenly the darkness
+disappeared, and, with trembling flashes of light, there stood written
+on the wall: 'Memento Domini Oagliostro et omnis mansuetudinis ejus.'
+We sank upon our knees, and implored thee to aid us. By degrees the
+strange, secret characters disappeared, and darkness and silence
+reigned. The stillness disquieted me at last, and I called for lights.
+As the servant entered, the two countesses lay fainting upon the floor,
+and thou hadst disappeared."
+
+"Only to appear to thee at another time," said Cagliostro, "to receive
+thee with solemn ceremonies into the magic circle--to initiate thee in
+the secret wisdom of spirits, and prepare thee for the invisible lodge.
+Recall what I said to thee, three days since, in Dresden. Do you still
+remember it?"
+
+"I recall it. Thou saidst: 'The secret service calls me to Mittau, with
+the Countess Medem, to raise hidden treasure, of which the spirit has
+given me knowledge, and decipher important magical characters on the
+walls of a cloister. Before I leave, I will lead thee upon the way which
+thou hast to follow in order to find the light, and let it illuminate
+the soul which is worthy. Follow me, and I will lead thee to the path of
+glory, power, and immortality.' These were thy words, master."
+
+"I have now led thee hither," Cagliostro said to him, gently; "thy
+soul doubts and trembles, for thou art blind seeing eyes, and deaf with
+hearing ears."
+
+"My soul doubts not, oh master--it comprehends not. I have followed
+thee, devotedly and believingly. Thou knowest it, master, for thou
+readest the souls of thy children, and seest their hidden thoughts.
+Thou hast said to me in Dresden, 'Renounce your service to the Duke of
+Courland.' I did it, and from equerry and lord chamberlain to the duke,
+became a simple, private gentleman. I have renounced my titles and
+dignities for thee, in happy trust in thee. My future lies in thy hands,
+and, anxious to learn the mysteries of immortality, as a grateful,
+trustful scholar, I would receive happiness and unhappiness at thy
+hand."
+
+"Thou shalt receive not only happiness," said Cagliostro, solemnly, "but
+thou art one of the elect. The blue flame glows upon thy brow, it will
+illuminate thy soul, and lead thee to the path of glory, power, and
+might. To-day thou art a simple, private gentleman, as thou sayst, but
+to-morrow thou wilt become a distinguished lord, before whom hundreds
+will bow. Fame awaits thee--which thou hast longed for--as power awaits
+thee. Whom have I named to thee as our future and our hope in this
+land?"
+
+"Prince Frederick William of Prussia," answered Herr von Bischofswerder,
+humbly.
+
+"As I spake this name, thou trembledst, and calledst him 'one lost in
+sin.' Knowest thou, my son, from sin comes penitence, and from penitence
+elevation and purification. Thou art called and chosen to convert
+sinners, and lead back the earth-born child to heaven. Engrave these
+words upon thy memory, fill thy soul with them, as with glowing flames,
+repeat them in solitude the entire day, then heavenly spirits will
+arise and whisper the revelations of the future. Then, when thou art
+consecrated, I will introduce thee into the sacred halls of sublime
+wisdom. Thou shalt be received as a scholar in the temple hall, and it
+depends upon thee whether thou advancest to the altar which reaches to
+the invisible world of miracles."
+
+"Oh, master," cried Bisehofswerder, with a countenance beaming with joy,
+and sinking upon his knees, "wilt thou favor me, and introduce me to the
+temple hall? Shall I be received in the sacred world of spirits?"
+
+"Thou shalt, Hans Rudolph von Bischofswerder. The grand master of our
+order will bestow upon thee this happiness, and to-night shall the star
+of the future rise over thee. Hold thyself in readiness. At midnight,
+present thyself at the first portal of the royal palace in Berlin. A
+man will meet thee, and thou shalt ask, 'Who is our hope?' If he answers
+thee, 'The Prince of Prussia,' then he is the messenger which I shall
+have sent thee--follow him. Bow thy head in humility, shut thine eyes
+to all earthly things, turn thy thoughts inward, and lift them up to
+the great departed, which hovers over thy head, and speak with the blue
+flame which glows upon thy brow!"
+
+Bischofswerder bowed still lower, covered his face with his hands, as
+if inwardly praying, and knelt. Cagliostro bent over him, laid his hand
+upon his head, breathing three times upon his blond hair.
+
+"I have breathed upon thee with the breath of my spirit," said he. "Thy
+spirit receives power. Receive it in holy awe, in devotion, and remain
+immovable."
+
+Bischofswerder continued motionless, with bowed head and concealed face.
+Cagliostro raised himself, his black eyes fixed upon his disciple,
+and noiselessly disappeared. Herr von Bischofswerder still remained
+kneeling. After some time he raised his head, shyly looking about, and,
+as he found himself alone, he rose. "He has soared away," he murmured,
+softly. "I shall see him again, and he will consecrate me--the
+consecration of immortals!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. THE MIRACULOUS ELIXIR.
+
+
+The king withdrew from the parade slowly, followed by his generals, in
+the direction of Sans-Souci. The streets of Potsdam were lined with the
+people, shouting their farewell to the king, who received them with a
+smiling face. Arriving at the grand entrance, he turned to his suite,
+saying, "Gentlemen, we shall meet again in Bohemia; I must now take
+leave of you, and forego the pleasure of receiving you again to-day. A
+king about to leave for the field has necessary arrangements to make
+for the future. I have much to occupy me, as I set out early to-morrow
+morning. You, also, have duties to attend to. Farewell, gentlemen."
+
+He raised his worn-out three-cornered hat, saluted his generals with a
+slight inclination of the head, and turned into the broad avenue which
+led to the park of Sans-Souci. No one followed him but two mounted
+footmen, who rode at a respectful distance, attentively regarding the
+king, of whom only the bowed back and hat were visible. Half way down
+the avenue his staff was raised above his hat, the sign the footmen
+awaited to dismount with the greyhounds, which rode before them upon the
+saddle. At the shrill barking of the animals, Frederick reined in his
+horse, and turned to look for them. They bounded forward, one upon
+each side of the king, who regarded them right and left, saying: "Well,
+Alkmene, well Diana, let us see who will be the lady of honor to-day."
+
+Both dogs sprang with loud barking to the horse, as if understanding the
+words of their master. Alkmene, stronger, or more adroit, with one bound
+leaped to the saddle; while poor Diana landed upon the crouper, and,
+as if ashamed, with hanging head and tail, withdrew behind the horse.
+"Alkmene has won!" said Kretzschmar to his companion. "Yes, Alkmene is
+the court-lady to-day, and Diana the companion," he nodded. "She will be
+cross, and I do not blame her."
+
+"Nor I," said Kretzschmar; "there is a great difference between the
+court-lady and the companion. The lady remains with the king all day;
+he plays with her, takes her to walk, gives her bonbons, and the choice
+morsels of chicken, and only when she has eaten sufficient, can the
+companion enter to eat the remainder." [Footnote: This was the daily
+order of rank with the favorite dogs, for whose service two dog-lackeys,
+as they were called, were always in waiting. They took them to walk]
+
+"One could almost envy the king's greyhounds!" sighed the second
+footman. "We get dogs' wages, and they the chicken and good treatment.
+It is a pity!"
+
+"The worst of it is, the king forbids us to marry!" said Kretzschmar
+sadly. "All the others would leave him, but I pay no attention to old
+Fritz's snarling and scolding, for he pays for it afterward; first, it
+rains abusive words, then dollars, and if the stupid ass hits me over
+the head, he gives me at least a ducat for it. Why should not one endure
+scoldings when is well paid for it? I remain the fine handsome fellow
+that I am, if the old bear does call me an ass! His majesty might well
+be satisfied if he had my fine figure and good carriage."
+
+"Yes, indeed, we are very different fellows from old Fritz!" said the
+second lackey, with a satisfied air. "A princess once thought me a
+handsome fellow! It is eleven years since, as I entered the guards on
+account of my delicate figure. I was guard of honor in the anteroom of
+the former crown princess of Prussia. It was my first experience. I
+did not know the ways of the lords and ladies. Suddenly, a charming and
+beautifully-dressed lady came into the anteroom, two other young ladies
+following her, joking and laughing, quite at their pleasure. All at
+once the elegantly-attired lady fixed her large black eyes upon me, so
+earnestly, that I grew quite red, and looked down. 'See that handsome
+boy,' she cried. 'I will bet that it is a girl dressed up!' She ran up
+to me, and began to stroke my cheek with her soft hand, and laughed. 'I
+am right. He has not the trace of a beard; it is a girl!' And before I
+knew it she kissed me, then again, and a third time even. I stood still
+as if enchanted, and, as I thought another kiss was coming, whack went
+a stout box on my ear. 'There is a punishment for you,' said she, 'that
+you may know enough to return a kiss when a handsome lady gives you when
+the king did not wish them with him; in summer, in an open wagon, the
+dogs upon the back-seat, and the footmen upon the forward seat, and
+whenever they reproved them, to bring them to order, they addressed them
+in the polite manner of one, and not stand like a libber,' and with that
+she boxed me again. The other two ladies laughed, which made me angry,
+and my ears were very warm. 'If that happens again,' said I, 'by
+thunder, she will find I do not wait to be punished!' I laid down the
+arms, and at once sprang after the lady, when--the folding-doors were
+thrown open, and two gentlemen, in splendid gold-embroidered dresses,
+entered. As they saw the little lady, they stood astonished, and made
+the three prescribed bows. I smelt the rat, and put on my sword quickly,
+and stood stiff as a puppet. The gentlemen said, that they must beg an
+interview with her royal highness, to deliver the king's commands. The
+princess went into an adjoining room. One of the court-ladies stopped
+before me a moment, and said: 'If you ever dare to tell of this, you
+shall be put in the fortress. Remember it, and keep silent.' I did so,
+and kept it a secret until to-day."
+
+"Did the princess ever punish you again?" asked Kretzchmar, with a bold,
+spying look.
+
+"No, never," answered the lackey Schultz. "The princess was ordered to
+Stettin the next day, where she still lives as a prisoner for her gay
+pranks. I remembered her punishment, and when a lady has kissed me, I
+have bravely returned it."
+
+The footmen had followed the king up the slowly ascending horse-path
+to the terrace, and now they sprang quickly forward. Kretzschmar swung
+himself from his saddle, threw Schultz the reins, and, as the king
+drew up at the side-door of the palace of Sans-Souci, he stood ready
+to assist him to dismount. The king had given strict orders that no
+one should notice his going or coming, and to-day, as usual, he entered
+without pomp or ceremony into his private room, followed by Kretzschmar
+alone. He sank back into his armchair, the blue damask covering of which
+was torn and bitten by the dogs, so that the horse-hair stood out from
+the holes.
+
+"Now relate to me, Kretzschmar, how your expedition succeeded. Did you
+go to Berlin to see Mademoiselle Enke last night?"
+
+"Yes, your majesty, I was there, and have brought you the writing."
+
+"Was she alone?" asked the king, bending over to caress Alkmene, who lay
+at his feet.
+
+"Well," answered Kretzschmar, grinning, "I do not know whether she was
+alone or not. I only know that, as I waited a little on the corner
+of the street, I saw a gentleman go out, wrapped in a cloak, a tall,
+broad-shouldered gentleman, whom I--"
+
+"Whom you naturally did not recognize," said the king, interrupting him;
+"it was a dark night, and no moon, so that you could not see."
+
+"At your service, your majesty, I could see no one; I would only add
+that the unknown may have been at Mademoiselle Enke's."
+
+"And he may not have been," cried the king, harshly. "What else did you
+learn?"
+
+"Nothing at all worth speaking about. Only one thing I must say, the
+lackey Schultz is a prattling fool, and speaks very disrespectfully."
+
+"Did he talk with you?"
+
+"Yes, your majesty, with me."
+
+"Then he knows well that it would be welcome. What did he say?"
+
+"He related to me a love-affair with the crown princess of Prussia
+eleven years since. He plumes himself upon the crown princess having
+stroked his beard."
+
+"Be quiet!" commanded the king, harshly. "If Schultz was drunk, and
+talked in a crazy manner, how dare you repeat it to me? Let this happen
+again, and I will dismiss you my service. Remember it, you ass!"
+
+"Pardon me, your majesty, I thought I must relate all that I hear of
+importance."
+
+"That was not important, and not worth the trouble of talking about.
+If Schultz is such a drunken fellow I did not know it, and he is to be
+pitied. You can go now; I give you a day to make your farewells to your
+friends, and to console them with the hope of meeting you again. Put
+every thing in order that concerns you. If you have debts, pay them."
+
+"I have no money to pay them, your majesty," sighed Kretzschmar.
+
+The king stepped to the iron coffer, of which no one possessed the
+key but himself, and looking within said: "You cannot have much money
+to-day, as the drawer which contains the money for the gossips and spies
+is quite empty, and you have had a good share of it. Five guldens remain
+for you."
+
+"Alas! your majesty, it is too little; twenty-five guldens would not pay
+my debts."
+
+The king closed the drawer, saying: "Judas only received twenty
+shillings for betraying his Master. Twenty-five is quite enough for
+Kretzschmar for betraying his comrade."
+
+Kretzschmar slunk away. The king fixed his great eyes upon him until the
+door closed. "Man is a miserable race; for gold he would sell his own
+brother--would sell his own soul, if there could be found a purchaser,"
+he murmured. "Why do you growl, Alkmene, why trouble yourself,
+mademoiselle? I was not speaking of your honorable race; only of the
+pitiful race of men. Be quiet, my little dog, be quiet; I love you, and
+you are my dear little dog," he said, pressing her caressingly to his
+breast.
+
+The footman Schultz appeared to announce the equerry Von Schwerin.
+
+"Bid him enter," nodded the king.
+
+Von Schwerin entered, with a smiling face. "Have you accomplished what I
+confided to you?"
+
+With a profound bow Von Schwerin drew a roll of paper from his
+breast-pocket, and handed it to the king, saying, "I am so fortunate as
+to have accomplished your commands."
+
+"Will Count Schmettau give up the villa at once?"
+
+"Yes, your majesty, the new occupant could take possession to-day,
+with all the furniture and house arrangements, for seven thousand five
+hundred dollars. Here is the bill of sale, only the purchaser's name is
+wanting. I have obeyed your majesty's commands, and acted as if I were
+the purchaser."
+
+"Schmettau is not such a stupid fellow as to believe that, for he knows
+that you cannot keep your money. You say the contract is ready, only the
+signature of the purchaser is wanting and the money?"
+
+"Pardon me, your majesty, the name of the present possessor has not been
+inserted. I did not presume to write it without the unmistakable command
+of your majesty."
+
+"Do you know the name?" asked the king.
+
+"I do not, but the generosity of my most gracious king and master allows
+me to divine it, and my heart is filled to bursting with thankfulness
+and joy. My whole life will not be long enough to prove to you my
+gratitude."
+
+"What for?" asked the king, staring at Von Schwerin, quite surprised;
+"you cannot suppose that I have purchased the villa for you?"
+
+Herr von Schwerin smilingly nodded. "I think so, your majesty."
+
+Frederick laughed aloud. "Schwerin, you are an uncommonly cunning
+fellow. You see the grass grow before the seed is sown. This time you
+deceived yourself--the grass has not grown. What good would it do
+you? You do not need grass, but thistles, and they do not grow at
+Charlottenburg. Take the contract to my minister Von Herzberg, whom you
+will find in the audience-room, and then walk a little upon the terrace
+to enjoy the fresh air. I promised you the privilege. First go to Von
+Herzberg, and say to him to send the Prince of Prussia to me immediately
+upon his arrival. Why do you wear so mournful a face all of a sudden?
+Can it be possible that my chief equerry has so lowered himself as to go
+among the mechanics, and build chateaux en Espagne? You know such houses
+are not suitable for our northern climate, and fall down. Now, do what I
+told you, and then go upon the terrace."
+
+The equerry glided away with sorrowful mien to Von Herzberg, and
+communicated the king's commands to him.
+
+"You have made a good purchase," said the minister, in a friendly
+manner. "His majesty will be very much pleased with the extraordinary
+zeal and the great dexterity with which you have arranged the matter.
+Count Schmettau has just been here, and he could not sufficiently
+commend your zeal and prudence, and the sympathy and interest which you
+showed in the smallest matters, as if the purchase were for yourself.
+The count wishes to reserve two oil paintings in the saloon, which are
+an heirloom from his father. We cannot but let the count retain them."
+
+"Arrange it as you will," answered the equerry, fretfully; "I have
+nothing more to do with the affair--it lies in your hands."
+
+"But where are you going in such haste?" said Herzberg, as the equerry
+bowed hastily, and strode through the room toward the door.
+
+"His majesty commanded me to go upon the terrace," he replied, morosely.
+
+Herr von Herzberg looked after him surprised. "Something must have
+occurred, otherwise he is very tractable. Ah! there comes the prince. I
+will go to meet him, and communicate to him the king's command--I will
+await your royal highness here until you have spoken with the king, if
+you will have the grace to seek me."
+
+"I will return by all means, if you will have the kindness to wait for
+me," replied the prince, smiling, and hastened to the interview with his
+royal uncle.
+
+Frederick was seated in his arm-chair, upon his lap Alkmene, when the
+crown prince entered. "Bon jour, mon neveu! pardon me," said he, with a
+friendly nod, "that I remain seated, and do not rise to greet the future
+King of Prussia."
+
+"Sire, Heaven grant that many years pass before I succeed to the title
+which my great and unapproachable predecessor has borne with so much
+wisdom and fame, that one can well doubt the being able to emulate
+his example, and must content himself to live under the shadow of his
+intelligence and fame!"
+
+Frederick slowly shook his head. "The people will not be satisfied, nor
+the coffers filled by fame. No one can live upon the great deeds of his
+ancestors; he must be self-sustaining, not seek for the laurels in the
+past, but upon the naked field of the future, which lies before him. Sow
+the seeds of future laurels; fame troubles me but little, and I advise
+you, my nephew, not to rely upon it. One must begin anew each day, and
+make fresh efforts for vigorous deeds."
+
+The crown prince bowed, and seated himself upon the tabouret, which the
+king, with a slight wave of the hand, signified to him.
+
+"I will endeavor, sire, to follow the elevated sentiments of your
+majesty, that I may not dishonor my great teacher."
+
+"You express yourself too modestly, my nephew, and I know that you think
+otherwise; that your fiery spirit will never be contented to dishonor
+yourself or your ancestors. Fate is favorable to you, and offers the
+opportunity to confirm, what I judge you to be--a brave soldier, a
+skilful captain--in a word, a true Hohenzollern! I would make you
+a commander of a division of my army, and I shall follow every
+movement--every operation, with lively interest."
+
+A ray of joy beamed upon the face of the prince; Frederick saw it with
+satisfaction, and his heart warmed toward his nephew. "He has at least
+courage," he said to himself; "he is no sybarite to quail before the
+rough life of war."
+
+"Will your majesty so greatly favor me as to accord me an independent
+position in the campaign?"
+
+"I offer you what belongs to you as a general and heir to the throne. On
+me it devolves to direct the plans and operations, and on you to
+detail them and direct the execution. I shall rejoice to see that you
+understand the profession of war practically as well as theoretically.
+Therefore, this war is so far welcome, that it will give my crown prince
+an opportunity to win his first laurels, and adorn the brow which, until
+now, has been crowned with myrtle."
+
+"Your majesty, I--"
+
+"Be silent--I do not reproach you, my nephew; I understand human
+nature, and the seductive arts of women. It is time that you seek other
+ornament--myrtle becomes a youthful brow, and the helmet adorns the man
+crowned with laurels."
+
+"I have long desired it, and I am deeply grateful to your majesty for
+the opportunity to win it. This campaign is good fortune to me."
+
+"War is never a good fortune," sighed the king--"for the people it is
+great misfortune. I would willingly have avoided it for their sake.
+But the arrogance and the passion for territorial aggrandizement of
+the young Emperor of Germany forces me to it. I dare not, and will not
+suffer Austria to enrich herself through foreign inheritance, ignoring
+the legitimate title of a German prince. Bavaria must remain an
+independent, free German principality, under a sovereign prince. It
+is inevitably necessary for the balance of power. I cannot yield,
+therefore, as a German prince, that Austria increase her power in an
+illegitimate manner, but I will cast my good sword in the scales, that
+the balance is heavier on the side upon which depends the existence
+of Germany, that she may not be tossed in the air by Austria's weight.
+These are my views and reasons for the war upon which I now enter with
+reluctance. When the greatness and equilibrium of Germany are at stake,
+no German prince should dare hesitate. Austria has already cost Germany
+much blood, and will cause her to shed still more. Believe it, my
+nephew, and guard yourself against Austria's ambition for territorial
+aggrandizement. You see, I am like all old people, always teaching
+youth, while we have much to learn ourselves. We are all pupils, and our
+deeds are ever imperfect."
+
+"Your majesty cannot believe that of himself. The sage of Sans-Souci is
+the type, the master, and teacher of all Europe."
+
+"My son," replied the king, "the great men of antiquity recognized it as
+the acme of wisdom, that they must be mindful that 'in the midst of life
+we are in death.' At the gay festivities and the luxurious feasts
+they were interrupted in the merry song and voluptuous dance, with the
+warning: 'Remember, O man, that thou must die!' Let us profit by their
+wisdom! I have startled you from the banquet of life, and I doubt not
+that many singers and dancers will be enraged that I should put an end
+to the feasts of roses and the merry dance in such an abominable manner.
+It would be an evil omen in our warlike undertaking, if the rosy lips of
+the beauties should breathe curses to follow us; therefore, we must
+try to conciliate them, and leave a good souvenir in their hearts. You
+smile, my prince, and you think it vain trouble for an old fellow; that
+I cannot win the favor of the ladies under any pretension; so you must
+undertake for me the reconciliation and the hush-money."
+
+"I am prepared for any thing which your majesty imposes upon me; only
+I would defend myself against the interpretation which you give my
+smile--and--"
+
+"Which was very near the truth," interrupted the king. "I have called
+you from the banquet of life, and I have interrupted the dancers,
+crowned with roses in the midst of their dance, which they would finish
+before you. I pray you, then, indemnify the enraged beauties, and let us
+go forth with a quiet conscience, that we in no respect are indebted to
+any one."
+
+"Oh, sire, it will be impossible for me to go to the field with a quiet
+conscience upon this point."
+
+"Permit me to extend to you the means to do so," replied the king,
+graciously smiling. "Take this little box; it contains a wonderful
+elixir, proof against all the infirmities and weaknesses of humanity,
+of one of the greatest philosophers of human nature. By the right use
+of it, tears of sorrow are changed to tears of joy, and a Megerea into a
+smiling angel, as by enchantment. Before going to the war, I pray you
+to prove the miraculous elixir upon one of the angry beauties. For, I
+repeat, we must put our house in order, and leave no debts behind us.
+The debts of gratitude must not be forgotten. Let us say 'Gesegnete
+Mahlzeit' when we have been well feasted."
+
+The king handed the prince a little box, of beautiful workmanship, and
+smiled as he rather vehemently thanked him, and at the same time tried
+to open it.
+
+"I remark with pleasure that you have a tolerably innocent heart, as
+you betray curiosity about the wonderful elixir. I supposed men, to say
+nothing of beautiful women, had long since instructed you that it was
+the only balsam for all the evils of life. My minister Herzberg will
+give you the key of the little box, and advise you as to the right use
+of the elixir. Farewell, with the hope of soon seeing you again, my
+nephew. I start for Silesia to-morrow, as I must travel slower than you
+young people. You will follow me in a few days. Again farewell!"
+
+Extending his meagre white hand to the prince, he withdrew it quickly,
+as the latter was about to press it to his lips, and motioned to the
+door kindly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE GOLDEN RAIN.
+
+
+Prince Frederick William betook himself, with painful curiosity, to the
+audience-room, where the Minister von Herzberg awaited him.
+
+"Your excellency," said he, "his majesty refers me to you, for the true
+explanation of the miraculous elixir contained in this little box, and
+about which I am naturally very curious, and beg of you the key to open
+it."
+
+"Will your royal highness," said the minister, smiling, "have the
+grace to grant me a few moments' conversation, which may serve as an
+explanation, for his majesty has not in reality given me a key?"
+
+"I pray you, my dear excellency, to explain it," cried the prince,
+impatiently.
+
+"Pardon me if I probe the tenderest feelings of your heart, my prince.
+The command of the king imposes this duty upon me. He has known for a
+long time of your connection with a certain person, to whom you are more
+devoted than to your wife."
+
+"Say, rather, his majesty has twice forced me to marry two unloved
+and unknown princesses, when he knew that I already loved this certain
+person. Twice I have married, because the command of his king is law to
+the crown prince of Prussia. For my love and my sympathy there is no law
+but that of my own heart, and this alone have I followed."
+
+"His majesty does not reproach you. The philosopher of Sans-Souci
+understands human nature, and he feels indulgent toward your weakness.
+He is quite satisfied that you have chosen this person, as friend and
+favorite, to console yourself for an unhappy marriage. Her low birth is
+a guaranty that she will never mingle in politics, an act which would
+be visited with his majesty's highest displeasure. While his majesty
+permits you to continue this intimacy, and recognizes the existence of
+this woman, he wishes her to be provided for as becomes the mistress of
+a crown prince, and not as the grisette of a gentleman. She should have
+her own house, and the livery of her lord."
+
+"As if it were my fault that this has not already been arranged!" cried
+the prince. "Am I not daily and hourly tormented with poverty, and
+scarcely know how to turn, between necessary expenses and urgent
+creditors? You know well yourself, your excellency, how stingy and
+parsimonious the king is to the crown prince. He scarcely affords me the
+means to support my family in a decent, to say nothing of a princely,
+manner. How dependent we all are, myself, my wife, and my children upon
+the king, whose economy increases, while our wants and expenses also
+increase every year! It is sufficiently sad that I cannot reward those
+who have proved to me during ten years their fidelity and love, but I
+must suffer them to live in dependence and want."
+
+"His majesty understands that, and thinks that as your royal highness
+is to go to the field, and will be exposed, as a brave commander, to the
+uncertain fate of battle, that you should assure the future of all those
+who are dear to you, and arrange a certain competency for them. A good
+opportunity now offers to you. Count Schmettau will sell his villa at
+Charlottenburg, and it would be agreeable to his majesty that you should
+purchase it, and assign it to those dearest to you. In order to give you
+as little trouble as possible, his majesty has had the matter already
+arranged, through his equerry, Count Schmettau, and the purchase can
+be made this very hour. Here is the bill of sale; only the name of the
+present possessor is wanting, the signature of the purchaser, and the
+payment of seven thousand five hundred thalers."
+
+"The names can be quickly written; but, your excellency," cried the
+prince, "where will the money come from?"
+
+"I have just given your royal highness the key to the little box: have
+the goodness to press hard upon the rosette."
+
+The prince touched the spring, the cover flew back--it contained only
+a strip of paper! Upon it was written, in the king's own handwriting,
+"Bill of exchange upon my treasurer. Pay to the order of the Prince of
+Prussia twenty thousand thalers." [Footnote: "Memoirs of the Countess
+Lichtenau," vol.1] The prince's face lighted up with joy. "Oh! the
+king has indeed given me a miraculous elixir, that compensates for all
+misfortunes, heals all infirmities, and is a balsam for all possible
+griefs. I will bring it into use immediately, and sign the bill of
+sale." He signed the paper, and filled with haste the deficiency in
+the contract. "It is done!" he cried, joyfully, "the proprietress,
+Wilhelmine Enke; purchaser, Frederick William of Prussia. Nothing
+remains to be done but to draw upon the king's treasury, and pay Count
+Schmettau."
+
+"Your royal highness is spared even that trouble. Here are twenty rolls,
+and each roll contains one hundred double Fredericks d'or, and, when
+your highness commands it, I will reserve seven rolls and pay Count
+Schmettau; then there remain thirteen for yourself. Here is the
+contract, which you will give in person to the possessor."
+
+"First, I must go to the king," said the prince; "my heart urges me
+to express my gratitude to him, and my deep sense of his goodness and
+tenderness. I feel ashamed without being humbled, like a repentant son,
+who has doubted the generosity and goodness of his father, because he
+has sometimes severely reprimanded his faults. I must go at once to the
+king."
+
+"He will not receive your royal highness," answered Herzberg, smiling.
+"You know our sovereign, who so fully deserves our admiration and love.
+His favor and goodness beam upon us all, and he desires neither thanks
+nor acknowledgment. He performs his noble, glorious deeds in a harsh
+manner, that he may relieve the recipients of his bounty from the burden
+of gratitude; and often when he is the most morose and harsh, is he at
+heart the most gracious and affectionate. You and yours have experienced
+it to-day. He appeared to be angry, and enveloped himself in the toga
+of a severe judge of morals; but, under this toga, there beat the kind,
+noble heart of a friend and father, who punishes with rigorous words,
+and forgives with generous, benevolent deeds."
+
+"For this I must thank him--he must listen to me!" cried the prince.
+
+"He will be angry if your royal highness forces him to receive thanks
+when he would avoid them. He has expressly commanded me to entreat you
+never to allude to the affair, and never to speak of it to others, as it
+would not be agreeable to his majesty to have the family affairs known
+to the world. You would best please his majesty by following exactly his
+wishes, and when you meet him never allude to it. As I have said, this
+is the express wish and command of the king."
+
+"Which I must naturally follow," sighed the prince, "although I
+acknowledge that it is unpleasant to me to receive so much kindness from
+him without at least returning my most heart-felt thanks. Say to the
+king, that I am deeply, sensibly moved with his tender sympathy and
+generosity. And now I will hasten to Wilhelmine Enke; but, it occurs to
+me that it may not be possible; the king has made her a prisoner in her
+own house."
+
+"Do not trouble yourself about that. If it is your royal highness's
+pleasure, drive at once to Charlottenburg. You will find the new
+possessor there and she will relate to you her interview with the mayor
+of Berlin."
+
+"Oh! I shall drive at once to the villa. I am curious to learn what Von
+Kircheisen has told her."
+
+"I imagined that you would be, and ordered your carriage here, as you
+could not well ride upon horseback with the heavy rolls of gold; and
+if it is your pleasure, I will order the footman to place the box, into
+which I have put them, in the carriage."
+
+"No, no; I beg you to let me carry them," cried the prince, seizing the
+box with both hands. "It is truly heavy, but an agreeable burden, and if
+it lames my arm I shall bethink myself of the miraculous elixir, which
+will give me courage and strength. Farewell, your excellency; I shall
+hurry on to Charlottenburg!"
+
+The prince hastened to his carriage, and ordered the coachman to drive
+at full speed to the villa. Thanks to this order, he reached it in about
+an hour. No one was there to receive him upon his arrival. The hall was
+empty, and the rooms were closed. The prince passed on to the opposite
+end, where there was a door open, and stood upon a balcony, with steps
+descending into the garden, which, with its flower-beds, grass-plots,
+shrubbery, and the tall trees, formed a lovely background. The birds
+were singing, the trees rustled, and variegated butterflies fluttered
+over the odorous flowers. Upon the turf, forming a beautiful group, was
+Wilhelmine playing with her daughter, and the nurse with the little boy
+upon her lap, who laughingly stretched out his arms toward his mother.
+
+"Wilhelmine--Wilhelmine!" cried the prince.
+
+With a cry of joy she answered, and flew toward the house. "You have
+come at last, my beloved lord," she cried, almost breathless, mounting
+the steps. "I beg you to tell me what all this means? I am dying of
+curiosity!"
+
+"I also," said the prince, smiling. "Have the goodness to lead me to one
+of the rooms, that I may set down this box."
+
+"What does that hobgoblin contain, that it prevents your embracing me?"
+
+"Do not ask, but hasten to assist me to relieve myself of the burden."
+They entered the house, and Wilhelmine opened the wide folding-doors,
+which led into a very tastefully-furnished room. Frederick William set
+the box upon the marble table, and sank upon a divan with Wilhelmine in
+his arms. "First of all, tell me what Von Kircheisen said to you?"
+
+"He commanded me, in the name of the king, to give up my dwelling at
+Berlin and at Potsdam, and to avoid showing myself in public at both
+places, that those who had the right to the love and fidelity of the
+Prince of Prussia should not be annoyed at the sight of me; that I
+should live retired, and leave the appointed residence as little as
+possible, for then the king would be inclined to ignore my existence,
+and take no further notice of me. But, if I attempted to play a role,
+his majesty would take good care that it should be forever played out."
+
+"Those were harsh, cruel words," sighed Frederick William.
+
+"Harsh, cruel words," repeated Wilhelmine, sorrowfully. "They pierced my
+soul, and I shrieked at last from agony. Herr von Kircheisen was quite
+frightened, and begged me to excuse him, that he must thus speak to me,
+but the king had commanded him to repeat his very words. The carriage
+was at the door, he said, ready to convey me to my future dwelling, for
+I must immediately leave Berlin, and the king be informed of my setting
+out. The coachman received the order, and here I am, without knowing
+what I am to do, or whether I shall remain here."
+
+"Yes, Wilhelmine, you are to remain here; at last we have a home, and
+a resting-place for our love and our children. This house is yours--you
+are mistress here, and you must welcome me as your guest."
+
+"This house is mine!" she cried, joyfully. "Did you give it to me? How
+generous, and how extravagant you are! Protect me with the gift of your
+love, as if you were Jupiter and I Danae!"
+
+"A beautiful picture, and, that it may be a reality, I will play the
+role of Jupiter and open the box."
+
+He took a roll of gold, and let it fall upon Wilhelmine's head, her
+beautiful shoulders, and her arms, like a shower of gold. She shrieked
+and laughed, and sought to gather up the pieces which rolled ringing
+around her upon the floor. The prince seized another roll, and another
+still, till she was flooded with the glistening pieces. Then another and
+another, until Wilhelmine, laughing, screamed for grace, and sprang up,
+the gold rolling around her like teasing goblins.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. GERMAN LITERATURE AND THE KING.
+
+
+The Minister Herzberg had, in the mean time, an interview with the king,
+informing him of the concluded purchase of the Schmettau villa, and of
+the emotion and gratitude of the crown prince at his royal munificence.
+
+"That affair is arranged, then," said Frederick. "If Fate wills that the
+prince should not return from this campaign, then this certain person
+and the two poor worms are provided for, who are destined to wander
+through the world nameless and fatherless."
+
+"Let us hope that fate will not deal so harshly with the prince, or
+bring such sorrow upon your majesty."
+
+"My dear sir, Fate is a hard-hearted creature, the tears of mankind are
+of no more importance to her than the raindrops falling from the roof.
+She strides with gigantic power over men, crushing them all in dust--the
+great as well as the little--the king as well as the beggar. For my
+part I yield to Fate without a murmur. Politicians and warriors are mere
+puppets in the hands of Providence. We act without knowing why, for we
+are unknowingly the tools of an invisible hand. Often the result of our
+actions is the reverse of our hopes! Let all things take their course,
+as it best pleases God, and let us not think to master Fate. [Footnote:
+The king's words.--"Posthumous Works," vol. x., p. 256.] That is my
+creed, Herzberg, and if I do not return from this infamous campaign, you
+will know that I have yielded to Fate without murmuring. You understand
+my wishes in all things; the current affairs of government should go
+on regularly. If any thing extraordinary occurs, let me be informed at
+once. Is there any news, Herzberg?"
+
+"Nothing worth recounting, sire, except that the young Duke of Weimar is
+in town."
+
+"I know it; he has announced himself. I cannot speak with him. I have
+asked my brother Henry to arrange the conditions under which he will
+allow us to enlist men for my army in his duchy. I hope he will be
+reasonable, and not prevent it. That is no news that the Duke of Weimar
+has arrived!"
+
+"Not only the duke has arrived, but he has brought his dear friend with
+him whom the people in Saxe-Weimar say makes the good and bad weather."
+
+"Who is the weather-maker?"
+
+"Your majesty, this weather-maker is the author of 'The Sorrows of Young
+Werther,' Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who for four years has aroused
+the hearts and excited the imaginations of all Germany. If I am not
+deceived, a great future opens for this poet, and he will be a star of
+the first magnitude in the sky of German literature. I believe it would
+be well worth the trouble for your majesty to see him."
+
+"Do not trouble me with your German literature, and your stars of
+the first magnitude! We must acknowledge our poverty with humility;
+belles-lettres have never achieved success upon our soil. Moreover, this
+star of the first magnitude--this Herr Goethe--I remember him well; I
+wish to know nothing of him. He has quite turned the heads of all the
+love-sick fools with his 'Sorrows of Young Werther.' You cannot count
+that a merit. The youth of Germany were sufficiently enamoured, without
+the love-whining romances of Herr Goethe to pour oil on the fire."
+
+"Pardon me, sire, that I should presume to differ from you; but this
+book which your majesty condemns has not only produced a furor in
+Germany, but throughout Europe--throughout the world even. That which
+public opinion sustains in such a marked manner cannot be wholly
+unworthy. 'Vox populi, vox dei,' is a true maxim in all ages."
+
+"It is not true!" cried the king. "The old Roman maxim is not applicable
+to our effeminate, degraded people. Nowadays, whoever flatters the
+people and glorifies their weaknesses, is a good fellow, and he is
+extolled to the skies. Public opinion calls him a genius and a Messiah.
+Away with your nonsense! The 'Werther' of Herr Goethe has wrought no
+good; it has made the healthy sick, and has not restored invalids to
+health. Since its appearance a mad love-fever has seized all the young
+people, and silly sentimentalities and flirtations have become the
+fashion. These modern Werthers behave as if love were a tarantula, with
+the bite of which they must become mad, to be considered model young
+men. They groan and sigh, take moonlight walks, but they have no courage
+in their souls, and will never make good soldiers. This is the fault of
+Herr Werther, and his abominable lamentations. It is a miserable work,
+and not worth the trouble of talking about, for no earnest man will read
+it!"
+
+"Pardon me, sire; your majesty has graciously permitted me to enter
+the lists as knight and champion of German literature, and sometimes
+to defend the German Muse, who stands unnoticed and unknown under the
+shadow of your throne; while the French lady, with her brilliant attire
+and painted cheeks, is always welcomed. I beg your majesty to believe
+that, although this romance may have done some harm, it has, on the
+other hand, done infinite service. A great and immortal merit cannot be
+denied to it."
+
+"What merit?" demanded the king, slowly taking a pinch of snuff; "I am
+very curious to know what merit that crazy, love-sick book has."
+
+"Sire, it has the great merit to have enriched the German literature
+with a work whose masterly language alone raises it above every thing
+heretofore produced by a German author. It has emancipated our country's
+literature from its clumsy, awkward childhood, and presented it as an
+ardent, inspired youth, ready for combat, upon the lips of whom the gods
+have placed the right word to express every feeling and every thought--a
+youth who is capable of probing the depths of the human heart."
+
+"I wish all this might have remained in the depths," cried Frederick,
+annoyed. "You have defended the German Muse before; but you remember
+that I am incorrigible. You cannot persuade me that bungling is
+master-work. It is not the poverty of the mind, but the fault of the
+language, which is not capable of expressing with brevity and precision.
+For how could any one translate Tacitus into German without adding
+a mass of words and phrases? In French it is not necessary; one can
+express himself with brevity, and to the point."
+
+"Sire, I shall permit myself to prove to you that the brevity of Tacitus
+can be imitated in the German language. I will translate a part of
+Tacitus, to give your majesty a proof."
+
+"I will take you at your word! And I will answer you in a treatise upon
+German literature, its short-comings, and the means for its improvement.
+[Footnote: This treatise appeared during the Bavarian war of succession,
+in the winter of 1779] Until then, a truce. I insist upon it--good
+German authors are entirely wanting to us Germans. They may appear a
+long time after I have joined Voltaire and Algarotti in the Elysian
+Fields." [Footnote: The king's words.--See "Posthumous Works," vol. II.,
+p. 293.]
+
+"They are already here," cried Herzberg, zealously. "We have, for
+example, Lessing, who has written two dramas, of which every nation
+might be proud--'Minna von Barnhelm, and Emilia Calotti.'"
+
+"I know nothing of them," said the king, with indifference. "I have
+never heard of your Lessing."
+
+"Your majesty, this wonderful comedy, 'Minna von Barnhelm,' was written
+for your majesty's glorification."
+
+"The more the reason why I should not read it! A German comedy! That
+must be fine stuff for the German theatre, the most miserable of all.
+In Germany, Melpomene has untutored admirers, some walking on stilts,
+others crawling in the mire, from the altars of the goddess. The Germans
+will ever be repulsed, as they are rebels to her laws, and understand
+not the art to move and interest the heart."
+
+"But, sire, you have never deigned to become acquainted with 'Minna von
+Barnhelm' nor 'Emilia Calotti.'"
+
+"Well, well, Herzberg, do not be so furious; you are a lover of German
+literature, and some allowance must be made for those who are in love.
+You will not persuade me to read your things which you call German
+comedies and tragedies. I will take good care; my teeth are not strong
+enough to grind such hard bits. Now do not be angry, Herzberg. The
+first leisure hours that I have in this campaign I shall employ on my
+treatise."
+
+"And the first leisure hours that I have," growled the minister, "I
+shall employ to translate a portion of Tacitus into our beautiful German
+language, to send to your majesty."
+
+"You are incorrigible," said Frederick, smiling. "We shall see, and
+until then let us keep the peace, Herzberg. When one is about to go
+to war, it is well to be at peace with one's conscience and with his
+friends; so let us be good friends."
+
+"Your majesty, your graciousness and kindness make me truly ashamed,"
+said the minister, feelingly. "I beg pardon a thousand times, if I have
+allowed myself to be carried away with unbecoming violence in my zeal
+for our poor neglected German literature."
+
+"I approve of your zeal, and it pleases me that you are a faithful
+knight, sans peur et sans reproche. I do not ascribe its poverty to the
+German nation, who have as much spirit and genius as any nation, the
+mental development of which has been retarded by outward circumstances,
+which prevented her rising to an equality with her neighbors. We
+shall one day have classical writers, and every one will read them
+to cultivate himself. Our neighbors will learn German, and it will
+be spoken with pleasure at courts; and it can well happen that our
+language, when perfectly formed, will spread throughout Europe. We
+shall have our German classics also." [Footnote: The king's words--see
+"Posthumous Works," vol. III.]
+
+The king smiled, well pleased, as he observed by stolen glances the
+noble, intelligent face of Herzberg brighten, and the gloomy clouds
+dispersed which had overshadowed it.
+
+"Now, is it not true that you are again contented?" said the king,
+graciously.
+
+"I am delighted with the prophecy for the German language, your majesty;
+and may I add something?"
+
+"It will weigh on your heart if you do not tell it," said the king.
+
+"I prophesy that this Goethe will one day belong to the classic authors,
+and therefore I would beg once more of your majesty to grant him a
+gracious look, and invite him to your presence. If you find no pleasure
+in 'The Sorrows of Werther,' Goethe has created other beautiful works.
+He is the author of the tragedy of 'Stella.'"
+
+"That sentimental, immoral piece, which we forbid the representation of
+in Berlin, because it portrays a fellow who made love to two women at
+once, playing the double role of lover to his wife and his paramour,
+while he had a grown-up daughter! It is an immoral piece, which excites
+the tear-glands, and ends as 'Werther,' by the hero blowing his brains
+out. It is directed against all morals, and against marriage; therefore
+it was forbidden." [Footnote: The tragedy of "Stella" was represented in
+Berlin with great applause, and denounced by the king as immoral, in
+the year 1776, and the further representation forbidden.--See Plumke,
+"History of the Berlin Theatres."]
+
+"But, sire, Herr Goethe has not only written 'Stella,' but 'Clavigo'
+also, which--"
+
+"Which he has copied exactly from the 'Memoires de Beaumarchais,'"
+interrupted the king. "That is not a German, but a French production."
+
+"Allow me to cite a genuine German production, which Johann Wolfgang
+Goethe has written. I mean the drama 'Gotz von Berlichingen.'"
+
+"Stop!--it is sufficient. I do not wish to hear any thing more," cried
+the king, indignant, and rising. "It is bad enough that such pieces
+should appear upon the German stage as this 'Gotz von Berlichingen.'
+They are nothing less than abominable imitations of the bad English
+pieces of Shakespeare! The pit applauds them, and demands with
+enthusiasm these very disgusting platitudes. [Footnote: The king's own
+words.--See "Posthumous Works," vol. iii.] Do not be angry again, you
+must have patience with the old boy! I shall rejoice heartily if this
+Herr Goethe becomes a classic writer one day, as you say. I shall not
+live to witness it. I only see the embryo where you see the full-grown
+author. We will talk further about it when we meet in the Elysian
+Fields; then we will see, when you present this Herr Johann Wolfgang
+Goethe, as a German classic writer, to Homer, Horace, Virgil, and
+Corneille, if they do not turn their backs upon him. Now adieu,
+Herzberg! So soon as circumstances permit, I shall send for you to go to
+Silesia, and then you can give me your German translation of Tacitus."
+
+The king nodded in a friendly manner to his minister, and slowly walked
+back and forth, while he took leave and withdrew. After a few moments he
+rang, and the summons was immediately answered by the footman Schultz.
+
+The king fixed upon him one of those searching glances of his fiery
+eyes which confounded and confused the footman. He remained standing and
+embarrassed, with downcast look.
+
+"What are you standing there for?" asked the king. "Did I not ring for
+you, and do you not know what you have to do?" Frederick continued to
+regard him, with flashing eyes, which increased the lackey's confusion.
+
+He forgot entirely that the summons was for his majesty's lunch, and all
+that he had to do was to open the door to the adjoining room, where it
+stood already prepared.
+
+Frederick waited a moment, but the footman still stood irresolute, when
+his majesty indicated to him to approach.
+
+He approached, staggering under the puzzling glance of his master.
+
+"Oh! I see what it is," said Frederick, shrugging his shoulders; "you
+are drunk again, as you often are, and--"
+
+"Your majesty," cried Schultz, amazed, "I drunk!"
+
+"Silence!--will you be bold enough to reason with me? I say that you are
+drunk, and I want no drunken footmen. They must be well-behaved, sober
+fellows, who keep their ears open and their mouths shut--who are
+neither drunkards nor gossips, and do not take for truth what they have
+experienced in their drunken fits. I do not want such fellows as you are
+at all; you are only fit food for cannon, and for that you shall serve.
+Go to General Alvensleben, and present yourself to enter the guards. You
+are lucky to go to the field at once; to-morrow you will set off. Say
+to the general that I sent you, and that you are to enter as a common
+soldier."
+
+"But, your majesty, I do not know what I have done," cried Schultz,
+whiningly. "I really am not drunk. I--"
+
+"Silence!" thundered the king. "Do as I command you! Go to General
+Alvensleben, and present yourself to enter the guards at once. Away with
+you! I do not need drunken, gossiping footmen in my service. Away with
+you!"
+
+The footman slunk slowly away, his head hanging down, with difficulty
+restraining the tears which stood in large drops in his eyes.
+
+The king followed him with his glance, which softened and grew gentler
+from sympathy. "I pity him, the poor fellow! but I must teach him a
+lesson. I want no gossips around me. He need only wear the uniform two
+weeks or so, that will bring him to reason. Then I will pardon him,
+and receive him into my service again. He is a good-natured fellow, and
+would not betray any one as Kretzschmar betrayed him."
+
+The king stepped to the window to look at the gentleman who was eagerly
+engaged in conversation with the castellan of Sans-Souci. At this
+instant the footman entered with a sealed note for the king. "From his
+royal highness Prince Henry," said he.
+
+"Who brought it?"
+
+"The gentleman who speaks with the castellan upon the terrace. I wait
+your majesty's commands."
+
+"Wait, then." The note ran thus: "Your majesty, my dearly-beloved
+brother: The bearer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, one of the literati, and
+a poet, and at this time secretary of legation to the duchy of
+Saxe-Weimar, is a great favorite of the duke's, our nephew. I met him
+returning from the parade in company with the duke, who expressed to me
+the strong desire his secretary had to visit the celebrated house of
+the great philosopher of Sans-Souci, and see the room once occupied by
+Voltaire. I could not well refuse, and therefore address these few lines
+to your majesty before returning to Berlin with the duke, who will dine
+with me, accompanied by his secretary. I am your majesty's most humble
+servant and brother, HENRY."
+
+"Tell the castellan that I grant him permission to show the house and
+park to the stranger; he shall take care not to come in my way, so that
+I shall be obliged to meet him. Tell this aside, that you may not be
+overheard. Hasten, for they have already been waiting some time."
+
+The king walked again to the window, and, hidden by the curtain, peeped
+out. "So, this is Herr Goethe, is it? What assurance! There he stands,
+sketching the house. What wonderful eyes the man has! With what a proud,
+confident manner he looks around! What a brow! Truly he is a handsome
+fellow, and Herzberg may be right after all. That brow betokens
+thought, and from those eyes there flashes a divine light. But he looks
+overbearing and proud. Now, I am doubly pleased that I refused Herzberg
+to have any thing to do with him. Such presumptive geniuses must be
+rather kept back; then they feel their power, and strive to bring
+themselves forward. Yes! I believe that man has a future. He looks like
+the youthful god Apollo, who may have condescended to descend to earth!
+He shall not entrap me with his beautiful head. If he is the man who
+makes good and bad weather in Weimar, he shall learn that rain and
+sunshine at Sans-Souci do not depend upon him; that the sun and clouds
+here do not care whether Herr Goethe is in the world or not. For
+sunshine and storm we depend upon the Great Weather-Maker, to whom we
+must all bow; evil and good days in Prussia shall emanate from me,
+so long as I live. Sometimes I succeed in causing a little sunshine,"
+continued the king. "I believe the Prince of Prussia has to-day felt the
+happy influence of the sun's rays; and while it is dull and lonely at
+Sans-Souei, may it be brighter and more cheerful at Charlottenburg!
+Eh bien! old boy," said the king, stopping, "you are playing the
+sentimental, and eulogizing your loneliness. Well, well, do not
+complain.--Oh, come to me, spirits of my friends, and hold converse with
+me! Voltaire, D'Argens, and my beloved Lord-Marshal Keith! Come to me,
+departed souls, with the memories of happier days, and hover with thy
+cheering, sunny influence over the wrinkled brow of old Fritz!"
+
+While the lonely king implored the spirits of his friends, to brighten
+with their presence the quiet, gloomy apartment at Sans-Souci, the sun
+shone in full splendor at Charlottenburg--the sunshine beaming from the
+munificence of Frederick. Wilhelmine Enke had passed the whole day in
+admiring the beautiful and tasteful arrangement of the villa. Every
+piece of furniture, every ornament, she examined attentively--all filled
+her with delight. The prince, who accompanied her from room to room,
+listened to her outbursts of pleasure, rejoicing.
+
+"I wish that I could often prepare such happiness for you, dearest, for
+my heart is twice gladdened to see your beaming face."
+
+"Reflected from your own. You are my good genius upon earth. You have
+caused the poor, neglected child to become the rich and happy woman. To
+you I owe this home, this foot of earth, which I can call my own. Here
+blossom the flowers for me--here I am mistress, and those who enter must
+come as my guests, and honor me. All this I owe to you."
+
+"Not to me," said the prince, smiling; "I only gave to you what was
+given to me! To the king belong your thanks. Harsh in words, but gentle
+in deeds, he has given you this refuge, freeing you from the slavery of
+poverty, from the sorrow of being homeless. But tell it not, Wilhelmine.
+The king would be angry if it were known that he not only tolerated but
+showed great generosity to you. It is a secret that I ought not even
+to disclose to you. I could not receive your thanks, for I have not
+deserved them. From the king comes your good fortune, not from me. The
+day will come when I can requite you, when the poor crown prince becomes
+the rich king. On that day the golden rain shall again shower upon
+you, never to cease, and, vying with the shower of gold, the brightest
+sunbeams play continually around you. As king, I will reward your
+fidelity and love, which you have proved to the poor crown prince, with
+splendor, power, and riches. Until then rejoice with the little that his
+grace has accorded you, and await the much that love will one day bring
+you. Farewell, Wilhelmine, the evening sets in, and I must forth to
+Potsdam. The king would never pardon me if I did not pass the last
+evening with my wife in the circle of my family. Farewell!"
+
+He embraced her tenderly, and Wilhelmine accompanied the prince to the
+carriage, and returned to survey anew the beautiful rooms which were now
+her own possession. An unspeakable, unknown feeling was roused in her,
+and voices, which she had never heard, spoke to her from the depths
+of her heart. "You are no longer a despised, homeless creature," they
+whispered. "You have a home, a foot of earth to call your own. Make
+yourself a name, that you may be of consequence in the world. You are
+clever and beautiful, and with your prudence and beauty you can win
+a glorious future! Remember the Marquise de Pompadour, neglected and
+scorned as you, until a king loved her, and she became the wife of a
+king, and all France bowed down to her. Even the Empress Maria Theresa
+honored her with her notice, and called her cousin. I am also the
+favorite of a future king, and I will also become the queen of my king!"
+
+Wilhelmine had remained standing in the midst of the great drawing-room,
+which she was passing through, listening to these seductive voices, to
+these strange pictures of the future. In her imagination she saw herself
+in this room surrounded with splendor and magnificence, and sparkling
+with gems. She saw around her elegantly-attired ladies and gentlemen,
+in brilliant uniforms, glittering with orders; saw every-where smiling
+faces, and respectful manners. She saw all eyes turned to her, and heard
+only flattering words, which resounded for her from every lip--for her,
+once so despised and scorned! "It shall be, yes, it shall be," cried
+she aloud. "I will be the queen of my king! I will become the Prussian
+Marquise de Pompadour; that I swear by the heads of my children, by--"
+
+"Rather swear by thy own beautiful head, Wilhelmine," said a voice
+behind her. Startled, she turned, and beheld the tall figure of a man,
+wrapped in a long cloak, who stood in the open door.
+
+"Who are you?" she cried, amazed. "How dare you enter here?"
+
+The figure closed the door, without answering, and, slowly approaching
+Wilhelmine, fixed his black eyes upon her with a searching gaze.
+She tried to summon help, but the words died on her lips; her cheeks
+blanched with terror, and, as if rooted to the floor, she stood with
+outstretched arms imploring the approaching form. The figure smiled,
+but there was something commanding in its manner, and in the fiery eyes,
+which rested upon her. When quite near her, it raised its right hand
+with an impatient movement. Immediately her arms fell at her side, her
+cheeks glowed, and a bright smile lighted up her face. Then it lifted
+the three-cornered, gold-bordered hat which shaded its face, nodding to
+her.
+
+"Do you recognize me, Wilhelmine?" he asked, in a sweet, melodious
+voice.
+
+"Yes," she answered, her eyes still fixed upon him. "You are Cagliostro,
+the great ruler and magician."
+
+"Where did we meet?"
+
+"I remember; it was in Paris, at the house of the governor of the
+Bastile, M. Delaunay. You caused me to read in a glass the future--a
+bright, glorious future. I was surrounded with splendor and
+magnificence. I saw myself glittering with gems; a king knelt at my
+feet. I was encircled by richly-attired courtiers, who bowed before me,
+and honored me, whispering: 'We salute you, O beautiful countess; be
+gracious to us, exalted princess!' It sounded like heavenly music, and I
+shouted with delight."
+
+"Was that all?" said Cagliostro, solemnly, "that the crystal showed
+you."
+
+Shuddering, she murmured: "The splendor, glory, and power vanished,
+and all was changed to a fearful picture. I saw myself in a plain, dark
+dress, in a deserted, lonely room, with iron-barred windows, and a small
+iron door closed in the dreary white walls--it was a prison! And I heard
+whispered around me: 'Woe to you, fallen and dethroned one! You have
+wasted away the days of your splendor, submit in patience to the days
+of your shame and humiliation.' I could not endure to behold it, and
+screamed with terror, fainting."
+
+"You demanded to see the future, and I showed it to you," said
+Cagliostro, earnestly. "Though I let the light shine into your soul,
+still it was dark within; you pursued the way of unbelief, and desired
+not to walk in the way of knowledge. I sent messengers twice to you to
+lead you in the right path, and you sent them laughing away. Recall what
+I told you in Paris. I will it!"
+
+"I remember, master; you said that in the most important days of my life
+you would come to me, and extend to me a helping hand: if I seized
+it, the first picture would be fulfilled; if I refused it, the prison
+awaited me!"
+
+"I have kept my word: to-day is an eventful day in your life; you have
+risen from want and degradation--you have mounted the first rounds of
+the ladder of your greatness and power. You are the mistress of this
+house." "How did you know it?" asked Wilhelmine, astonished. With a
+pitying smile he answered: "I know every thing that I will, and I
+see many things that I would willingly close my eyes upon. I see your
+future, and my soul pities you, unhappy one; you are lost if you do not
+seize the hand extended to you. You see not the abyss which opens before
+you, and you will fall bleeding and with broken limbs."
+
+"Mercy, mercy!" she groaned--"stretch out your hand and protect me."
+Wilhelmine sank as if crushed to the earth. Cagliostro bent over her,
+and stroked her cold, pale face, breathing upon her the hot breath of
+his lips. "I will pity you--I will protect you. Rise, my daughter!" He
+assisted her to rise, and imprinted a passionate kiss upon her hand.
+"From this hour I count you as one of mine," he said; "you shall be
+received into the holy band of spirits! You shall be consecrated, and
+enter the Inner Temple. Are you prepared?" "I am, master," she humbly
+replied.
+
+"To-morrow the Temple brothers will open the temple of bliss to you. You
+shall hear, see, and be silent." "I will see, hear, and be silent," she
+murmured.
+
+"When evening sets in, send away your servants," commanded Cagliostro.
+"Let the doors stand open; they shall be guarded, that no one may enter
+but the summoned. Art thou prepared?"
+
+"I am, master!"
+
+"Withdraw now to your room, Wilhelmine, and elevate your thoughts in
+devotion and contrition, and await the future. Kneel, my daughter,
+kneel!" She sank upon her knees. "Bless me, master, bless me!" "I bless
+you!"
+
+She felt a hot, burning sensation upon her forehead, and suddenly a
+bright light shone in the obscure room. Wilhelmine screamed, and covered
+her eyes. When she ventured to look up, only soft moonlight
+penetrated from the high window into the apartment, and she was alone.
+"To-morrow--to-morrow, at midnight!" she murmured, shuddering, and
+casting a timid look around.
+
+
+
+
+BOOK II. ROSICRUCIANS AND POWERFUL GENIUSES
+
+
+CHAPTER X. GOETHE IN BERLIN.
+
+
+"I wish I only knew whether it were a man, or whether the god Apollo
+has really appeared to me in human form," sighed Conrector Moritz, as he
+paced his room--a strange, gloomy apartment, quite in keeping with the
+singular occupant--gray walls, with Greek apothegms inscribed upon them
+in large letters--dirty windows, pasted over with strips of paper;
+high, open book-shelves, containing several hundred books, some neatly
+arranged, others thrown together in confusion. In the midst of a chaos
+of books and papers stood a colossal bust of the Apollo-Belvedere upon
+a table near the window, the whiteness and beauty of which were in
+singular contrast, to the dust and disorder which surrounded it.
+
+At the back of the room was an open wardrobe, filled with gay-colored
+garments. A beautiful carpet of brilliant colors covered the middle of
+the dirty floor, and upon this paced to and fro the strange occupant
+of this strange room, Philip Charles Moritz, conrector of the college
+attached to the Gray Monastery. There was no trace of the bearing and
+demeanor which distinguished him at the parade at Potsdam yesterday--no
+trace of the young elegant, dressed in the latest fashion. To-day he
+wore a white garment, of no particular style, tied at the neck with a
+red ribbon (full sleeves, buttoned at the wrist with lace-cuffs); and,
+falling from the shoulders in scanty folds to just below the knees, it
+displayed his bare legs, and his feet shod with red sandals.
+
+His hair was unpowdered, and not tied in a cue, according to the
+fashion, but hung in its natural brown color, flowing quite loosely,
+merely confined by a red ribbon wound in among his curls, and hanging
+down in short bows at each temple like the frontlet of the old Romans.
+Thus, in this singular costume, belonging half to old Adam, and half
+to the old Romans, Philip Moritz walked back and forth upon the carpet,
+ruminating upon the beaming beauty of the stranger whose acquaintance
+he had so recently made, and whom he could not banish from his thoughts.
+"What wicked demon induced me to go to Potsdam yesterday?" said he to
+himself. "I who hate mankind, and believe that they are all of vulgar,
+ordinary material, yield to the longing for society, and am driven again
+into the world."
+
+A loud knocking at the door interrupted this soliloquy, and the door
+opened at the commanding "Come in!"
+
+"It is he, it is Apollo," cried Moritz, joyfully. "Come in, sir, come
+in--I have awaited you with the most ardent desire."
+
+Moritz rushed to the young gentleman, who had just closed the door,
+and whose beautiful, proud face lighted up with a smile at the singular
+apparition before him. "Pardon me, I disturb you, sir; you were about to
+make your toilet. Permit me to return after you have dressed."
+
+"You are mistaken," cried Moritz, eagerly. "You find me in my usual
+home-dress--I like my ease and freedom, and I am of opinion that mankind
+will never be happy and contented until they return to their natural
+state, wearing no more clothing, but glorying in the beauty which
+bountiful Nature has bestowed upon her most loved and chosen subjects."
+
+"Sir," cried the other, laughing, "then benevolent Nature should
+adapt her climate accordingly, and relieve her dear creatures from the
+inclination to take cold."
+
+"You may be right," said Moritz, earnestly, "but we will not quarrel
+about it. Will you not keep your promise to reveal to me your name?"
+
+"Tell me your own once more. Tell me if this youth, whom I see before
+me in this ideal dress, is the same modest young man whom I met at
+the parade yesterday, and who presented himself as Philip Moritz?
+Then please to inform me whether you are the Philip Moritz who wrote a
+spirited and cordial letter to Johann Wolfgang Goethe some years since
+about the tragedy of 'Stella,' the representation of which had been
+forbidden at that time?"
+
+"Yes, I am the same Philip Moritz, who wrote to the poet Goethe to prove
+to him, with the most heart-felt sympathy, that we are not all such
+stupid fellows in Berlin as Nicolai, who pronounced the tragedy 'Stella'
+immoral; that it is only, as Goethe himself called it, 'a play for
+lovers.'"
+
+"And will you not be kind enough to tell me what response the poet made
+to your amiable letter?"
+
+"Proud and amiable at the same time, most gracefully he answered me, but
+not with words. He sent me his tragedy 'Stella' bound in rose-colored
+satin. [Footnote: "Goethe in Berlin,"--Sketches from his life at the
+anniversary of his one hundredth birthday.] See there! it is before the
+bust of Apollo on my writing-table, where it has lain for three years!"
+
+"What did he write to you at the same time?"
+
+"Nothing--why should he? Was not the book sufficient answer?"
+
+"Did he write nothing? Permit me to say to you that Goethe behaved like
+a brute and an ass to you!"
+
+"Sir," cried Moritz, angrily, "I forbid you to speak of my favorite in
+so unbecoming a manner in my room!"
+
+"Sir," cried the other, "you dare not forbid me. I insist upon it that
+that man is sometimes a brute and an ass! I can penitently acknowledge
+it to you, dear Moritz, for I am Johann Wolfgang Goethe himself!"
+
+"You, you are Goethe!" shouted Moritz, as he seized him with both hands,
+drawing him toward the window, and gazing at him with the greatest
+enthusiasm and delight. "Yes, yes," he shouted, "you are either Apollo
+or Goethe! The gods are not so stupid as to return to this miserable
+world, so you must be Goethe. No other man would dare to sport such a
+godlike face as you do, you favorite of the gods!"
+
+He then loosed his hold upon the smiling poet, and sprang to the
+writing-table. "Listen, Apollo," he cried, with wild joy. "Goethe is
+here, thy dear son is here! Hurrah! long live Goethe!"
+
+He took the rose-colored little book, and shouting tossed it to the
+ceiling, and sprang about like a mad bacchant, and finally threw himself
+upon the carpet, rolling over and over like a frolicksome, good-natured
+child upon its nurse's lap.
+
+Goethe laughed aloud. "What are you doing, dear Moritz? What does this
+mean?" he asked.
+
+Moritz stopped a moment, looking up to Goethe with a face beaming with
+joy. "I cannot better express my happiness. Language is too feeble--too
+poor!"
+
+"If that is the case, then I will join you," said Goethe, throwing
+himself upon the carpet, rolling and tumbling about. [Footnote: This
+scene which I relate, and which Teichman also mentions in his "Leaves
+of Memory of Goethe in Berlin," has been often related to me by Ludwig
+Tieck exactly in this manner. Teichman believes it was the poet Burman.
+But I remember distinctly that Ludwig Tieck told me that it was the
+eccentric savant, Philip Moritz, with whom Goethe made the acquaintance
+in this original manner.--The Authoress.]
+
+All at once Moritz jumped up without saying a word, rushed to the
+wardrobe, dressed himself in modest attire in a few moments, and
+presented himself to Goethe, who rose from the carpet quite astounded
+at the sudden metamorphosis. Then he seized his three-cornered hat to go
+out, when Goethe held him fast.
+
+"You are not going into the street, sir! You forget that your hair is
+flying about as if unloosed by a divine madness."
+
+"Sir, people are quite accustomed to see me in a strange costume, and
+the most of them think me crazy."
+
+"You are aware that insane people believe that they only are sane, and
+that reasonable people are insane. You will grant me that it is much
+more like a crazy person to strew his hair with flour, and tie it up
+in that ridiculous cue, than to wear it as God made it, uncombed and
+unparted, as I do my beautiful hair, and for which they call me crazy!
+But, for Heaven's sake, where are you going?" asked Goethe, struggling
+to retain him.
+
+"I am going to trumpet through every street in Berlin that the author of
+'Werther,' of 'Clavigo,' of 'Gotz von Berlichingen,' of 'Stella,' of the
+most beautiful poems, is in my humble apartment. I will call in all the
+little poets and savants of Berlin; I will drag Mammler, Nicolai, Engel,
+Spaulding, Gedicke, Plumicke, Karschin, and Burman here. They shall
+all come to see Wolfgang Goethe, and adore him. The insignificant poets
+shall pay homage to thee, the true poet, the favorite of Apollo."
+
+"My dear Moritz, if you leave me for that, I will run away, and you will
+trouble yourself in vain."
+
+"Impossible; you will be my prisoner until I return. I shall lock you
+in, and you cannot escape by the window, as I fortunately live on the
+third story."
+
+"But I shall not wait to be looked in," answered Goethe, slightly
+annoyed. "I came to see you, and if you run away I shall go also, and
+I advise you not to try to prevent me." His voice resounded through the
+apartment, growing louder as he spoke, his cheeks flushed, and his high,
+commanding brow contracted.
+
+"Jupiter Tonans!" cried Moritz, regarding him, "you are truly Jupiter
+Tonans in person, and I bow before you and obey your command. I shall
+remain to worship you, and gaze at you."
+
+"And it may be possible to speak in a reasonable manner to me," said
+Goethe, coaxingly. "Away with sentimentality and odors of incense! We
+are no sybarites, to feed on sweet-meats and cakes; but we are men who
+have a noble aim in view, attained only by a thorny path. Our eyes must
+remain fixed upon the goal, and nothing must divert them from it."
+
+"What is the aim that we should strive for?" asked Moritz, his whole
+being suddenly changing, and his manner expressing the greatest
+depression and sadness.
+
+Goethe smiled. "How can you ask, as if you did not know it yourself.
+Self-knowledge should be our first aim! The ancient philosophers were
+wise to have inscribed over the entrances to their temples, 'Know
+thyself,' in order to remind all approaching, to examine themselves
+before they entered the halls of the gods. Is not the human heart
+equally a temple? only the demons and the gods strive together therein,
+unfortunately. To drive the former out, and give place to the latter,
+should be our aim; and when once purified, and room is given for good
+deeds and great achievements, we shall not rest satisfied simply to
+conquer, but rise with gladness to build altars upon those places which
+we have freed from the demons; for that, we must steadily keep in view
+truth and reality, and not hide them with a black veil, or array them
+in party-colored rags. Our ideas must be clear about the consequences of
+things, that we may not be like those foolish men who drink wine
+every evening and complain of headache every morning, resorting to
+preventives."
+
+Did Goethe know the struggles and dissensions which rent the heart of
+the young man to whom he spoke? Had his searching eyes read the secrets
+which were hidden in that darkened soul? He regarded him as he spoke
+with so much commiseration that Moritz's heart softened under the genial
+influence of sympathy and kindness. A convulsive trembling seized him,
+his cheeks were burning red, and his features expressed the struggle
+within. Suddenly he burst into tears. "I am very, very wretched," he
+sighed, with a voice suffocated by weeping, and sank upon a chair,
+sobbing aloud, and covering his face with his hands.
+
+Goethe approached him, and laid his hand gently upon his shoulder. "Why
+are you so miserable? Is there any human being who can help you?" he
+kindly inquired.
+
+"Yes," sobbed Moritz; "there are those who could, but they will not, and
+I am lost. I stand upon the brink of a precipice, with Insanity staring
+at me, grinning and showing her teeth. I know it, but cannot retreat. I
+wear the mask of madness to conceal my careworn face. Your divine eyes
+could not be deceived. You have not mistaken the caricature for the true
+face. You have penetrated beneath the gay tatters, and have seen the
+misery which sought to hide itself there."
+
+"I saw it, and I bewailed it, as a friend pities a friend whom he would
+willingly aid if he only knew how to do it."
+
+"No one can help me," sighed Moritz, shaking his head mournfully. "I am
+lost, irremediably lost!"
+
+"No one is lost who will save himself. He who is wrecked by a storm and
+tossed upon the raging sea, ought to be upon the watch for a plank by
+which he can save himself. He must keep his eyes open, and not let his
+arms hang idly; for if he allows himself to be swallowed up he becomes
+a self-murderer, who, like Erostratus, destroyed the holy temple, and
+gained eternal fame through eternal shame."
+
+"What are you saying?" cried Moritz, "you, the author of 'Werther,' of
+that immortal work which has drunk the tears of the whole world, and has
+become the Holy Testament for unhappy souls!"
+
+"Rather say for lovers," replied Goethe, "and add also those troubled
+spirits who think themselves poetical when they whine and howl; who cry
+over misfortune if Fate denies them the toy which their vanity, their
+ambition, or their amorousness, had chosen. Do not burden me with what
+I am not guilty of; do not say that wine is a poison, because it is
+not good for the sick. It is intended for well people; it animates and
+inspires them to fresh vigor. Now please to consider yourself well, and
+not ill."
+
+"I am ill, indeed I am ill," sighed Moritz. "Oh! continue to regard me
+with those eyes, which shine like stars into my benighted soul. I feel
+like one who has long wandered through the desert, his feet burnt with
+the sand, his hair scorched with the sun, and, exhausted with hunger and
+thirst, feels death approaching. Suddenly he discovers a green
+oasis, and a being with outstretched arms calling to him with a soft,
+angel-like voice: 'Come, save thyself in my arms; feel that thou art not
+alone in the desert, for I am with thee, and will sustain thee!'"
+
+"And I say it to you from the bottom of my heart," said Goethe,
+affectionately. "Yes, here is one, who is only too happy to aid you, who
+can sympathize with every sorrow, because he has himself felt it in his
+own breast, who may even say of himself, like Ovid: 'Nothing human is
+strange to me.' If I can aid you, say so, and I will willingly do it."
+
+"No, you cannot," murmured Moritz.
+
+"At least confide your grief to me; that is an alleviation."
+
+"Oh, how kind and generous you are!" Moritz said, pressing the hand of
+his new-made friend to his bosom. "How much good it does me to listen to
+you, and look at your beautiful face! I believed myself steeled against
+every thing that could happen to mortals; that the fool which I would
+be had killed within me the higher man. I was almost proud to have
+succeeded in deceiving men; that they mistook my grotesque mask for my
+real face; that they point the finger at me, and laugh, saying to each
+other: 'That is a fool, an original, whom Nature herself has chosen as
+a kind of court fool to society.' No one has understood the cry of
+distress of my soul. Those who laughed at the comical fellow by day,
+little dreamed of the anguish and misery in which he sighed away the
+night."
+
+"You not only wrong yourself, but you wrong mankind," said Goethe,
+kindly. "In the world, and in literature, you bear an honored name;
+every one of education is familiar with your excellent work on 'Prosody
+of the German Language'--has read also your spirited Journey to England.
+You have no right to ask that one should separate the kernel from
+the shell in hastily passing by. If you surround yourself with a wall
+bedaubed with caricatures, you cannot expect that people will look
+behind what seems an entrance to a puppet-show, to find holy temples,
+blooming gardens, or a church-yard filled with graves."
+
+"That is just what I resemble," said Moritz, with a melancholy air.
+"From the depths of my soul it seems so. Nothing but buried hopes,
+murdered ideals, and wishes trodden under foot. From childhood I have
+exerted myself against circumstances; I have striven my whole life--a
+pledge of my being against unpropitious Fate. Although the son of a
+poor tradesman, Nature had given me a thirst for knowledge, a love for
+science and art. On account of it I passed for a stupid idler in the
+family, who would not contribute to his own support. Occupation with
+books was accounted idleness and laziness by my father. I was driven to
+work with blows and ill-treatment; and, that I might the sooner equal
+my father as a good shoemaker, I was bound to the stool near his own.
+During the long, fearful days I was forced to sit and draw the pitched,
+offensive thread through the leather, and when my arms were lame, and
+sank weary at my side, then I was invigorated to renewed exertion with
+blows. Finally, with the courage of despair, I fled from this life of
+torture. Unacquainted with the world, and inexperienced, I hoped for the
+sympathy of men, but in vain. No one would relieve or assist me! Days
+and weeks long I have wandered around in the forest adjoining our little
+village, and lived like the animals, upon roots and herbs. Yet I was
+happy! I had taken with me in my flight two books which I had received
+as prizes, in the happy days that my father permitted me to go to the
+Latin school. The decision of the teacher that I was created for a
+scholar, so terrified my father, that he took me from the school, to
+turn the embryo savant, who would be good for nothing, into a shoemaker,
+who might earn his bread. My two darling books remained to me. In the
+forest solitude I read Ovid and Virgil until I had memorized them, and
+recited them aloud, in pathetic tones, for my own amusement. To-day I
+recall those weeks in the forest stillness as the happiest, purest, and
+most beautiful of my life."
+
+"And they undoubtedly are," said Goethe, kindly. "The return to Nature
+is the return to one's self. Who will be an able, vigorous man and
+remain so, must, above all things, live in and with Nature."
+
+"But oh! this happy life did not long continue," sighed Moritz. "My
+father discovered my retreat, and came with sheriffs and bailiffs to
+seize me like a criminal--like a wild animal. With my hands bound, I was
+brought back in broad day, amid the jeers of street boys. Permit me to
+pass in silence the degradation, the torture which followed. I became a
+burden to myself, and longed for death. The ill-treatment of my father
+finally revived my courage to run away the second time. I went to a
+large town near by, and decided to earn my living rather than return
+to my father. To fulfil the prophecy of my teacher was my ambition. The
+privations that I endured, the life I led, I will not recount to you.
+I performed the most menial service, and worked months like a beast of
+burden. For want of a shelter, I slept in deserted yards and tumble-down
+houses. Upon a piece of bread and a drink of water I lived, saving,
+with miserly greediness, the money which I earned as messenger or
+day-laborer. At the end of a year, I had earned sufficient to buy an old
+suit of clothes at a second-hand clothing-store, and present myself to
+the director of the Gymnasium, imploring him to receive me as pupil.
+Bitterly weeping, I opened my heart to him, and disclosed the torture
+of my sad life as a child, and begged him to give me the opportunity
+to educate myself. He repulsed me with scorn, and threatened to give me
+over to the police, as a runaway, as a vagabond, and beggar. 'I am no
+beggar!' I cried, vehemently, 'I will be under obligation to no one. I
+have money to pay for two years in advance, and during this time I shall
+be able to earn sufficient to pay for the succeeding two years.' This
+softened the anger of the crabbed director; he was friendly and kind,
+and promised me his assistance."
+
+"Poor boy!" sighed Goethe. "So young, and yet forced to learn that there
+is a power to which not only kings and princes, but mind must bow; to
+which science and art have submitted, as to their Maecenas! This power
+opened the doors of the Gymnasium to you."
+
+"It was even thus. The director took pity upon me, and permitted me to
+enter upon my studies at once; he did more, he assured my future. Oh, he
+was a humane and kind man! When he learned that I possessed nothing but
+the little sum to which the drops of blood of a year's toil still clung,
+then--"
+
+"He returned it to you," interrupted Goethe, kindly.
+
+"No, he offered me board, lodging, and clothing, during my course at the
+Gymnasium."
+
+"That was well," cried Goethe. "Tell me the name of this honorable man,
+that I may meet him and extend to him my hand."
+
+A troubled smile spread over Philip's face. "Permit me for the time
+being to conceal the name," he replied. "I received the generous
+proposal gratefully, and asked, deeply moved, if there were no services
+which I could return for so much kindness and generosity. It proved that
+there were, and the director made them known to me. He was unmarried,
+hence the necessity of men's service. I should be society for him--be a
+companion, in fact; I should do what every grateful son would do for
+his father--help him dress, keep his room in order, and prepare his
+breakfast."
+
+"That meant that you should be his servant!" cried Goethe, indignant.
+
+"Only in the morning," replied Moritz, smiling. "Evenings and nights
+I should have the honor to be his amanuensis; I should look over the
+studies of the scholars, and correct their exercises; and when I had
+made sufficient progress, it should be my duty to give two hours to
+different classes, and I should read aloud or play cards with the
+director on leisure evenings. Besides, I was obliged to promise never
+to leave the house without his permission; never to speak to, or hold
+intercourse with, any one outside the hours of instruction. All these
+conditions were written down, and signed by both parties, as if a
+business contract."
+
+"A transaction by which a human soul was bargained for!" thundered
+Goethe. "Reveal to me, now, the name of this trader of souls, that I may
+expose him to public shame!"
+
+"He died a year since," replied Moritz, softened. "God summoned him
+to judgment. When the physician announced to him that the cancer was
+incurable, when he felt death approaching, he sent for me, and begged
+my forgiveness, with tears and deep contrition. I forgave him, so let
+me cease to recall the life I passed with him. By the sweat of my brow I
+was compelled to serve him; for seven long years I was his slave. I sold
+myself for the sake of knowledge, I was consoled by progress. I was the
+servant, companion, jester, and slave of my tyrant, but I was also the
+disciple, the priest of learning. In my own room my chains fell off. In
+the lonely night-watches I communed with the great, the immortal spirits
+of Horace, Virgil, and even the proud Caesar, and the divine Homer.
+Those solitary but happy hours of the night are never to be forgotten,
+never to be portrayed; they refreshed me for the trials of the day, and
+enabled me to endure them! At the close of seven years I was prepared to
+enter the university, and the bargain between my master and myself was
+also at an end. Freed from my tyrant, I bent my steps toward Frankfort
+University, to feel my liberty enchained anew. For seven years I had
+been the slave of the director; now I became the slave of poverty,
+forced to labor to live! Oh, I cannot recall those scenes! Suffice it to
+say, that during one year I had no fixed abode, never tasted warm
+food. But it is passed--I have conquered! After years of struggle, of
+exertion, of silent misery, only relieved by my stolen hours of blissful
+study, I gained my reward. I was free! My examination passed, I was
+honored with the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts.
+After many intervening events, I was appointed conrector of the college
+attached to the Gray Monastery, which position now supports me."
+
+"God be praised, I breathe freely!" answered Goethe, with one of those
+sunny smiles which, in a moment of joyful excitement, lighted up his
+face. "I feel like one shipwrecked, who has, at last, reached a safe
+harbor. I rejoice in your rescue as if it were my own. Now you are
+safe. You have reached the port, and in the quiet happiness of your
+own library you will win new laurels. Why, then, still dispirited and
+unhappy? The past, with its sorrows and humiliations, is forgotten, the
+present is satisfactory, and the future is full of hope for you."
+
+"Full of misery is the present," cried Philip, angrily, "and filled with
+despair I glance at the future. You do not see it with your divine
+eyes, you do not perceive it, poet with the sympathetic soul. You, too,
+thought that Philip Moritz had only a head for the sciences, and forgot
+that he had a heart to love. I tell you that he has a warm, affectionate
+heart, torn with grief and all the tortures of jealousy; that
+disappointed happiness maddens him. I was not created to be happy, and
+my whole being longs for happiness. Oh! I would willingly give my life
+for one day by the side of the one I love."
+
+"Do not trifle," said Goethe, angrily. "He who has striven and struggled
+as you have, dare not offer, for any woman, however beautiful and
+seductive, to yield his life, which has been destined to a higher aim
+than mere success in love. Perhaps you think that God has infused a
+ray of His intelligence into the mind of man, created him immortal,
+and breathed upon him with His world-creating breath only, to make him
+happy, and find that happiness in love! No! my friend, God has given to
+man like faculties with Himself, and inspired him, that he might be a
+worthy representative of Him upon the earth; that he should prove, in
+his life, that he is not only the blossom, but the fruit also, of
+God's creation. Love is to man the perfume of his existence. She may
+intoxicate him for a while, may inspire him to poetical effusions,
+to great deeds, even; but he should hesitate to let her become his
+mistress, to let her be the tyrant of his existence. If she would
+enchain him, he must tear himself away, even if he tear out his own
+heart. Man possesses that which is more ennobling than mere feeling; he
+has intellect--soul."
+
+"Ah!" cried Moritz, "it is easy to see that you have never loved madly,
+despairingly. You have never seen the woman whom you adore, and who
+perhaps reciprocates your passion, forced to marry another."
+
+A shadow flitted over Goethe's brow, and the flashing brilliancy of his
+eyes was changed to gloomy sadness. Gently, but quickly, he laid his
+hand upon Moritz's shoulder, saying: "In this hour, when two souls are
+revealed to each other, will I acknowledge to you that which I have
+never spoken of. I, too, love a woman, who loves me, and yet can never
+be mine, for she is married to another. I love this sweet woman as I
+have never loved a mortal being. For years my existence has belonged to
+her, she has been the centre of all my thoughts. It would seem to me
+as if the earth were without a sun, heaven without a God, if she should
+vanish from life. I even bless the torture which her prudery, her
+alternate coldness and friendliness cause me, as it comes from her, from
+the highest bliss of feeling. This passion has swept through my soul, as
+if uniting in itself all my youthful loves, till, like a torrent, ever
+renewing itself, ever moving onward, it has become the highway of my
+future. Upon this stream floats the bark laden with all my happiness,
+fame, and poetry. The palaces which my fancy creates rise upon its
+shore. Every zephyr, however slight, makes me tremble. Every cloud which
+overshadows the brow of my beloved, sweeps like a tempest over my own.
+I live upon her smile. A kind word falling from her lips makes me
+happy for days; and when she turns away from me with coldness and
+indifference, I feel like one driven about as Orestes by the Furies."
+
+"You really are in love!" cried Moritz. "I will take back what I have
+said. You, the chosen of the gods, know all the human heart can suffer,
+even unhappy love."
+
+Almost angry, and with hesitation, Goethe answered him: "I do not call
+this passion of mine an unhappy one, for in the very perception of it
+lies happiness. We are only wretched when we lose self-control. To this
+point Love shall never lead me. She yields me the highest delight, but
+she shall never bring me to self-destruction. Grief for her may, like
+a destructive whirlwind, crush every blossom of my heart; but she shall
+never destroy me. The man, the poet, must stand higher than the lover;
+for where the latter is about to yield to despair, the former will rise,
+and, with the defiance of Prometheus, challenge the gods to recognize
+the godlike similitude, that man can rise superior to sorrow, never
+despairing, never cursing Fate if all the rosy dreams of youth are not
+realities, but with upturned gaze stride over the waste places of life,
+consoling himself with the thought that only magnanimous souls can
+suffer and conquer magnanimously. Vanquished grief brings us nearer to
+the immortal, and gradually bears us from this vale of sorrow up to
+the brighter heights, nearer to God--the earth with her petty confusion
+lying like a worthless tool at our feet!"
+
+"It is heavenly to be able to say that, and divine to perceive it,"
+cried Moritz, bursting into tears. "The miseries of life chain me to
+the dust, and do not permit me to mount to the heights which a hero like
+Goethe reaches victorious. It is indeed sublime to conquer one's self,
+and be willing to resign the happiness which flees us. But see how weak
+I am--I cannot do it! I can never give up the one I love. It seems as if
+I could move heaven and earth to conquer at last, and that I must die if
+I do not succeed--die like Werther."
+
+Goethe's eyes flashed with anger, and with heightened color he
+exclaimed: "You all repeat the same litany--do not make me answerable
+for all your weaknesses, and blame poor Werther for the creations of
+your own imagination. I, who am the author of Werther, am free from this
+abominable sentimentality. Why cannot others be, who only read what I
+have conceived? But pardon my violence," he continued, with a milder
+voice and gentler manner. "Never did an author create a work which
+brought him at the same time so great fame and bitter reproach as this
+work has brought to me. 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' have indeed been
+transformed into the sorrows of young Goethe, and I even fear that old
+Goethe will have to suffer for it. I have spoken to you as a friend to
+a friend: cherish my words, take them to heart, and arise from the dust;
+shake off the self-strewn ashes from your head. Enter again as a
+brave champion the combat of life--summon to your aid cunning, power,
+prudence, and audacity, to conquer your love. Whether you succeed
+or not, then you aim at the greatest of battles--that of mind over
+matter--then remember my farewell words. From the power which binds all
+men he frees himself who conquers himself.--Farewell! If ever you need
+the encouragement of a friend, if ever a sympathizing soul is necessary
+to you, come to Weimar; sympathy and appreciation shall never fail you
+there."
+
+"Oh! I will surely go," answered Moritz, deeply moved, and pressing
+heartily Goethe's offered hand.
+
+"One thing more I have to say to you: Live much with Nature; accustom
+yourself to regard the sparrow, the flower, or the stone, as worthy of
+your attention as the wonderful phoenix or the monuments of the ancients
+with their illegible inscriptions. To walk with Nature is balsam for
+a weary soul; gently touched by her soft hands, the recovery is most
+rapid. I have experienced it, and do experience it daily. Now, once
+more, farewell; in the true sense of the word fare-thee-well! I wish
+that I could help you in other ways than by mere kind words. It pains me
+indeed that I can render you no other aid or hope. You alone can do what
+none other can do for you.--Farewell!"
+
+He turned, and motioning to Moritz not to follow him, almost flew down
+the stairs into the street. Drawing a long breath, he stood leaning
+against the door, gazing at the crowd--at the busy passers-by--some
+merrily chatting with their companions, others with earnest mien and in
+busy haste. No one seemed to care for him, no one looked at him. If
+by chance they glanced at him, Johann Wolfgang Goethe was of no more
+consequence to them than any other honest citizen in a neighboring
+doorway.
+
+Without perhaps acknowledging it to himself, Goethe was a little vexed
+that no one observed him; that the weather-maker from Weimar, who was
+accustomed to be greeted there, and everywhere, indeed, with smiles and
+bows, should here in Berlin be only an ordinary mortal--a stranger among
+strangers. "I would not live here," said he, as he walked slowly down
+the street. "What are men in great cities but grains of sand, now blown
+together and then asunder? There is no individuality, one is only a
+unit in the mass! But it is well occasionally to look into such a
+kaleidoscope, and admire the play of colors, which I have done, and
+with a glad heart I will now fly home to all my friends--to you, beloved
+one--to you, Charlotte!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. THE INNER AND THE MIDDLE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Wilhelmine Enke had passed the day in great anxiety and excitement, and
+not even the distraction of her new possession had been able to calm the
+beating of her heart or allay her fears. Prince Frederick William had
+arrived early in the morning, to bid her farewell, as he was to march
+in the course of the day with his regiments from Potsdam. With the
+tenderest assurances of love he took leave of Wilhelmine, and with tears
+kissed his two children, pressing them to his heart. As he was about
+to enter his carriage he returned to the house to embrace his weeping
+mistress, and reassure her of his fidelity, and make her promise him
+again and again that she would remain true to him, and never love
+another.
+
+It was not alone the farewell to her beloved prince which caused
+Wilhelmine such anxiety and made her so restless. Like a dark cloud the
+remembrance of Cagliostro's mysterious appearance arose in her mind,
+overshadowing her every hour more and more, filling her soul with
+terror. In vain did she seek refuge near her children, trying to cheer
+and forget herself in their innocent amusement--one moment running about
+the garden with them, then returning to the house to reexamine it. Her
+thoughts would revert to Cagliostro, and the solemnities which were to
+take place at her house that night. The thought terrified her that at
+nightfall she was obliged to send away all her servants, and not even be
+permitted to lock herself in the lonely, deserted house. For the great
+magician had commanded her to let the doors of her house stand open; he
+would place sentinels at every entrance, and none but the elect would be
+allowed to enter. Wilhelmine had not the courage to resist this command.
+As evening approached, she sent the cook, with other servants, to her
+apartment at Berlin, ordering them to pack her furniture and other
+effects, and send them by a hired wagon to Charlottenburg the following
+morning. An hour previous to this she had sent the nurse and two
+children to Potsdam with a similar commission, ordering them to
+return early the next day. Alone she now awaited with feverish anxiety
+Cagliostro's appearance. Again and again she wandered through the
+silent, deserted rooms frightened at the sound of her own footsteps, and
+peering into each room as if an assassin or robber were lurking there.
+She had many enemies--many there were who cursed her, and, alas! none
+loved her--she was friendless, save the prince, who was far away. The
+tears which the princess had shed on her account weighed like a heavy
+burden upon her heart, burning into her very soul in this hour of
+lonely, sad retrospection. She tried in vain to excuse herself, in the
+fact that she had loved the prince before his marriage; that she had
+sacrificed herself to him through affection, and that she was not
+entitled to become his wife, as she was not born under the canopy of a
+throne.
+
+From the depths of her conscience there again rose the tearful, sad face
+of the princess, accusing her as an adulteress--as a sinner before God
+and man! Terrified, she cried: "I have truly loved him, and I do still
+love him; this is my excuse and my justification. She is not to be
+pitied who can walk openly by the side of her husband, enjoying the
+respect and sympathy of all to whom homage is paid, and who, one
+day, will be queen! I am the only one, I alone! I stand in the shade,
+despised and scorned, avoided and shunned by every one. Those who
+recognize me, do so with a mocking smile, and when I pass by they
+contemptuously shrug their shoulders and say to one another, 'That
+was Enke, the mistress of the Prince of Prussia!' All this shall be
+changed," she cried aloud; "I will not always be despised and degraded!
+I will be revenged on my crushed and scorned youth! I will have rank and
+name, honor and position, that I will--yes, that I will, indeed!"
+
+Wilhelmine wandered on through the silent rooms, all brilliantly
+illuminated, a precaution she had taken before dismissing her servants.
+The bright light was a consolation to her, and, at least, she could not
+be attacked by surprise, but see her enemy, and escape. "I was a fool,"
+she murmured, "to grant Cagliostro this reception to-night. I know
+that he is a charlatan! There are no prophets or wizards! Yet, well I
+remember, though a stranger to me, in Paris, how truthfully he brought
+before me my past life; with what marvellous exactness he revealed to me
+secrets known only to my Maker and myself. Cagliostro must be a wizard,
+then, or a prophet; he has wonderful power over me also, and reads
+my most secret thoughts. He will assist me to rise from my shame
+and degradation to an honored position. I shall become a rich and
+influential woman! I will confide in him, never doubting him--for he is
+my master and savior! Away with fear! He has said that the house should
+be guarded, and it will be! Onward then, Wilhelmine, without fear!"
+
+She hastened to the large drawing-room, in order to see the effect of
+the numerous wax-lights in the superb chandeliers of rock crystal.
+The great folding-doors resisted all her efforts to open them. "Who
+is there?" cried a loud, threatening voice. Trembling and with beating
+heart Wilhelmine leaned against the door, giddy with fear, when a
+second demand, "Who is there? The watchword! No one can pass without the
+countersign!" roused her, and she stole back on tiptoe to her room. "He
+has kept his word, the doors are guarded!" she whispered. "I will go
+and await him in my sitting-room." She stepped quickly forward, when
+suddenly she thought she heard footsteps stealing behind her; turning,
+she beheld two men wrapped in black cloaks, with black masks, stealthily
+creeping after her. Wilhelmine shrieked with terror, tore open the
+door, rushed across the next room into her own boudoir. As she entered a
+glance revealed to her that the two masks approached nearer and nearer.
+She bolted the door quickly, sinking to the floor with fright and
+exhaustion. "What are they going to do? Will they force open the door
+and murder me? How foolish, how fearfully foolish to have sent away all
+my servants. Now I understand it: Cagliostro is not only an impostor--a
+charlatan, but he is a thief and an assassin. I have been caught in the
+trap set for me, like a credulous fool! He and his associates will rob
+me and plunder my beautiful villa, but just given to me, and, when they
+have secured all, murder me to escape betrayal." With deep contrition,
+weeping and trembling, Wilhelmine accused herself of her credulity and
+folly. For the first time in her life she was dismayed and cowardly, for
+it was the first time that she had had to tremble for her possessions.
+It was something so new, so unaccustomed to her to possess any thing,
+that it made her anxious, and she feared, as in the fairy tale, that
+it would dissolve into nothing. By degrees her presence of mind and
+equanimity were restored. The stillness was unbroken--and no one forced
+the door, to murder the mistress of this costly possession. Gathering
+courage, she rose softly and stole to the window. The moon shone
+brightly and clearly. The house stood sideways to the street, and
+separated from it, first by thick shrubbery, and then a trellised lawn.
+Whoever would enter, directly turned into a path leading from the street
+into the shrubbery. Just upon this walk, Wilhelmine perceived masked men
+approaching, one by one, as in a procession--slowly, silently moving on,
+until they neared the gate of the trellised square, where two tall, dark
+forms were stationed to demand the countersign, which being given, they
+passed over the lawn into the house.
+
+"I will take courage; he has told me the truth, the house is well
+guarded," murmured Wilhelmine. "None but the summoned can enter; I
+belong to the number, and when it is time Cagliostro will come and
+fetch me. Until then, let me await quietly the result," said she, as
+she stretched herself comfortably upon the sofa, laughing at her former
+cowardice and terror. "No one can enter this room unless I open the
+door, and fortunately there is but one exit. The wizard himself could
+not gain admittance unless the walls should open or the bolt drive hack
+for him. Hark! it strikes eleven, one tedious hour longer to wait. I
+must try to rest a little." She laid her head upon the cushion, closing
+her eyes. The calm and the quiet were refreshing after the excitement
+of the day. Gradually her thoughts became confused--dim pictures floated
+past her mental vision, her breathing became shorter, and she slept. The
+stillness was unbroken, save the clock striking the quarters of every
+hour. Scarcely had the last quarter to midnight sounded, when the window
+was softly opened, and a dark form descended into the room. He listened
+a moment, looking at the sleeping one, who moved not; then extinguished
+the light, creeping toward the door. Wilhelmine slept on. Suddenly it
+seemed to her as if sunbeams blinded her, and she started up from a
+profound sleep. It was indeed no dream. A white form stood before her of
+dazzling brilliancy, as if formed of sun-rays.
+
+"Rise and follow me!" cried a commanding voice. "The Great Kophta
+commands you. Mask yourself, and, as your life is dear to you, do
+not raise it for one instant!" Wilhelmine took the mask, upon which
+flickered a little blue flame, and held it close to her face. "Pray
+in spirit, then follow me." Wilhelmine followed without opposition the
+bright form which moved before her through the dark rooms. She felt as
+if under the influence of a charm; her heart beat violently, her
+feet trembled, but still she felt no more wavering or fear; a joyous
+confidence filled her whole being. With her eyes bent upon the moving
+form of light, she went onward in the obscurity, and entered the great
+drawing-room, where profound darkness and silence reigned. A slight
+murmur, as of those in prayer, fell on her car, and it seemed as if
+numberless black shadows were moving about. "Kneel and pray," whispered
+a voice near her. Her conductor had disappeared, and the gloom of night
+surrounded her. Wilhelmine knelt as she was bidden, but she could not
+pray; breathless expectation and eager curiosity banished all devotion
+and composure. Occasionally was heard, amid the silence and darkness,
+a deep sigh, a suppressed groan, or a shriek, which died away in
+the murmuring of prayer. Suddenly a strange music broke the
+stillness--sharp, piercing tones, resonant as bells, and increasing in
+power, sometimes as rich and full as the peals of an organ, then gentle
+and soft as the murmuring wind, or a sorrow-laden sigh. Then, human
+voices joined the music, swelling it to a wonderful and harmonious
+choir--to an inspired song of aspiration, Of fervent expectation, and
+imploring the coming of him who would bring glory and peace, filling the
+hearts of believers with godliness. The chorus of the Invisibles had not
+ceased, when a strange blue light began to glimmer at the farther end
+of the room; then it shot like a flash through the dark space. As their
+dazzled eyes were again raised, they saw in a kind of halo, in the midst
+of golden clouds, a tall, dazzling figure, in a long, flowing robe,
+sparkling with silver. The lovely bust, the beautiful arms and
+shoulders, were covered with a transparent golden tissue, over which
+fell the long, curly hair to the waist. A glittering band, sparkling
+like stars, was wound through the hair, which surrounded a feminine face
+of surpassing beauty. Perpetual youth glowed upon her full, rosy cheeks;
+bright intelligence beamed from the clear, lofty brow; peace, joy, and
+happiness, were revealed in the smile of the red lips; love and passion
+flashed from the large, brilliant eyes. The choir of the Invisibles now
+sang in jubilant tones: "The eternal Virgin, the everlasting, holy, and
+pure being, greets the erring, blesses those that seek, causing them to
+find, and partake with joy."
+
+The heavenly woman raised her lovely arms, extending them as if for a
+tender embrace. A captivating smile lighted up her features; a fiery
+glance from her beautiful eyes seemed to greet every one, separately,
+to announce to them joy and hope. While they regarded her entranced with
+delight, the golden cloud grew denser, and covered the virgin with her
+luminous veil. It then gradually disappeared, with the golden splendor.
+The chorus of the Invisibles ceased, and the music died away in gentle
+murmurs. Upon the spot where the beaming apparition was visible, there
+now stood a tall priest, in a long, flowing black robe; a pale-blue
+light surrounded him, and rendered the dark outline distinctly visible
+by the clear background. Snow-white hair and a black mask made him
+unrecognizable to every one.
+
+Extending his arms, as if blessing them, the masked one cried: "My
+beloved, the unknown fathers of our Holy Order of Rosicrucians send me
+to you, and command me to salute you with the greeting of life. I am
+to announce to you that the time of revelation approaches, and that the
+sublime mysteries of earth and Nature will soon be revealed to you. As
+the rose is unfolded in her glowing red, which has so long slept in her
+lap of green leaves, you represent the green leaves, and Nature is the
+rose. She will disclose herself to you with all her secrets. In her
+calyx you will find the elixir of life and the secret of gold, if you
+walk in the path of duty; if you exercise unconditional obedience to the
+Invisible Fathers; if you submit yourselves in blind confidence to their
+wisdom; if you swear to abstain from every self-inquiry, and to distrust
+your own understanding." [Footnote: So run the very words in the laws of
+the Rosicrucians.--See "New General German Library," vol. lvi., p. 10.]
+
+"We swear it!" cried solemn voices on all sides.
+
+"Swear, blindly, silent obedience to all that the Invisible Fathers
+shall announce to you through their directors, or shall order you under
+the holy sign of the Rosicrucians by word or writing."
+
+"We swear it!" again resounded in solemn chorus.
+
+"Shame, disgrace, perdition, and destruction, be your curse," thundered
+the priest, "if you deviate in thought even from your oath; if you seek
+to ponder and reflect; if you measure by your own limited reason the
+dispositions and operations of the sublime fathers, to whom Nature has
+revealed herself, and to whom all the secrets of heaven and earth
+are disclosed. Eternal destruction, and all the tortures of hell and
+purgatory, be the portion of the doubting! Damned and proscribed be
+the traitor to the holy order! Listen, ye spirits of the deep, and ye
+spirits of darkness, withdraw from here in terror, ere the anger of
+the Invisible Fathers fall upon you like destroying lightning! Open, ye
+doors, that the wicked may flee, and only the good remain!"
+
+With a wave of the hand the great folding-doors now opened, and a flood
+of light from the adjoining apartment revealed the drawingroom to be
+filled with the dark forms of men enveloped in black cloaks, hoods drawn
+over the heads, and black masks covering the faces--all kneeling close
+together and exactly resembling one another. No one moved, the doors
+closed again, darkness reigning. The priest was no longer visible,
+though continuing to speak: "Only the good and obedient are now
+assembled here, and to them I announce that life is to us, and death
+awaits beyond the door to seize the traitor who would disclose the holy
+secrets of the order. Be faithful, my brothers, and never forget that
+there is no place on the earth where the traitor is secure from the
+avenging sword of the Invisible Fathers. None but the good and obedient
+being here assembled, I now announce to you that the time of revelation
+approaches, and that it will come when you are all zealously endeavoring
+to extend the holy order, and augment the number of brothers. For the
+extension of the order is nothing less than universal happiness. It
+emanates alone from the Invisible Fathers, who link heaven to earth and
+who will open again the lost way to Paradise. The supreme chiefs of our
+holy order are the rulers of all Nature, reposing in God the
+Father. [Footnote: The wording of the laws of the Order of the
+Rosicrucians.--See "New General German Library," vol. M., p. 10. ] They
+are the favorites of God, whom the Trinity thinks worthy of his highest
+confidence and revelation. If you will take part in the revelations of
+God, and witness the disclosing of the hidden treasures of Nature, swear
+that you will be obedient to the holy order, and that you will strive to
+gain new members.
+
+"We swear it," resounded in an inspired chorus through the room. "We
+swear unconditional obedience to the Invisible Fathers. We swear to
+strive with all our means for the extension of the holy order.
+
+"Unbelief, free-thinking, and self-knowledge are of the devil, who
+steals abroad, to turn men from God. The pride of reason seeks to
+misguide men, and lead them away from God and the secrets of Nature. The
+devil has chosen his disciples, who teach sinful knowledge and arrogant
+free-thinking, and who are united in Berlin in the Order of the
+Illuminati. The Invisible Fathers command you to fight this shameful
+order in word, deed, and writing. If any of you are acquainted with
+one of the members, you shall regard him as your most deadly enemy, and
+shall hate and pursue him as you hate sin and as you pursue crime. You
+shall flee his intercourse as you would that of the devil, otherwise you
+will be damned, and the Invisible Fathers never will forgive you, and
+the secrets of Nature will be withheld from you. Swear therefore hate,
+persecution, and eternal enmity, to the Order of the Illuminati. This I
+command you in the name of the Invisible Fathers."
+
+"We swear it! We swear hate, persecution, and eternal enmity, to the
+Order of the Illuminati!"
+
+"Every one who belongs to the order is damned and cursed; and if it were
+your brother or your father, so shall you curse and damn him!"
+
+"We swear it!"
+
+"Then I bring you the blessing of the Invisible rulers and fathers, who
+announce to you, through me, that every lost one which you gain for the
+Order of the Rosicrucians, and consequently lead back to God and Nature,
+is a step toward entering the holy sanctuary of revelation, where the
+elixir of life and the tincture of gold awaits you. Every cursed member
+of the Illuminati becomes one of the blessed when you lead him from the
+path of vice in penitence and contrition, and gain him to the Order of
+the Rosicrucians; and he who can prove that he has gained twelve new
+members for our holy order mounts a round higher in the ladder of
+knowledge, and rises to a new degree. At the sixth grade he passes from
+the Inner to the Middle Temple, where all the secrets of the universe
+and of Nature are disclosed. Be mindful of this, and recruit. Until
+we meet again, let the watchword be, 'Curses and persecution for the
+devil's offspring, the Illuminati!'"
+
+"Curses and persecution for the devil's offspring, the Illuminati, we
+swear!"
+
+"Now depart! Pay your tribute at the door, which you owe, and receive in
+return the new sign of the order, which will serve to make the brothers
+known to each other. Only the directors and the members of the sixth
+grade shall knock again at this door after paying tribute, and,
+receiving the new word of life, the guard will let them enter. Depart! I
+dismiss you in the name of the Holy Father and the Trinity!"
+
+"Take this cloak, and cover yourself, that no one can recognize you,"
+whispered a person near Wilhelmine, and threw a soft covering over her.
+"Will you now depart, or seek further in the way of knowledge?"
+
+"I will seek further," answered Wilhelmine, firmly.
+
+"You wish to enter the sixth grade, and learn the secrets of Nature?"
+
+"I do!"
+
+"Then I will give you the watchword of the order. But woe unto you if
+you reveal it! Swear that you will never betray it!"
+
+"I swear it!"
+
+"Then, listen!"
+
+Wilhelmine felt a hot breath upon her cheek, and a voice whispered in
+her ear the significant words: "Now depart; pay your tribute, you cannot
+tarry here. Go, and return with the chosen!"
+
+A hand seized her arm and conducted her to the door. Almost blinded by
+the bright light, she entered the adjoining apartment, where it seemed
+as if she saw through a veil muffled figures go forward to the centre,
+and deposit money in a marble basin which stood upon a kind of altar;
+naphtha burned in silver basins upon each end of it, and a muffled
+figure stood near.
+
+Wilhelmine advanced to the altar, and with quick decision drew a diamond
+ring from her finger, and begged permission to deposit it instead of
+money.
+
+The muffled figure bowed, and handed to her the new watchword--a picture
+of a Madonna, with the sign of the Rosicrucians underneath. Then she
+returned, and awaited at the door, with a little gathering, which
+must consequently belong to the sixth grade. Gradually the others had
+withdrawn; the naphtha-flames upon the altar were extinguished, and
+the wax-lights of the centre lustres had grown dim, and gradually
+extinguished themselves. Soon the doors were opened, and a bright light,
+as of the sun's rays, filled the hall. Three blasts of trumpets sounded,
+and a choir of immortal voices sang, "Enter, ye blessed ones! Enter, ye
+elect!"
+
+They entered, whispering the sign to the guards, who stood with drawn
+swords, and passed on to the throne upon which stood a couch, surrounded
+with blooming flowers and covered with a cloud of silvery gauze. They
+soon discovered a secret something was hidden under the cloud, though
+they knew not whether it were child, woman, or man. They knelt upon the
+lower step of the throne, with folded hands and bowed heads, praying in
+a low voice. A solemn stillness reigned, the prayers died away on the
+lips, and the hearts scarcely beat for anxiety and expectation. Suddenly
+a voice, which seemed to come from the silver cloud, so distant and
+lofty, and rolling like majestic thunder, cried, "He comes, the chosen
+one! The Great Kophta comes!"
+
+The folding-doors flew open, and the Great Kophta entered.
+Wilhelmine recognized in the majestic figure, enveloped in a flowing,
+silver-embroidered satin robe, with a band of brilliants around his
+brow, the handsome face of Cagliostro, beaming as if in an ecstasy. He
+saluted the brothers with a gentle voice, and bade them approach and
+touch his hand. As Wilhelmine did so, a thrill ran through her whole
+being, and she sank overpowered at his feet. He bowed and breathed
+upon her. "You are chosen, ye heavenly brothers," he said, in a sweet,
+melodious voice; "the secrets of heaven and earth are disclosed to you.
+I receive you in the Holy Order of the Favorites of God, which I founded
+with Enoch and Elias when we dwelt in the promised land. From them I
+received the Word of Life, and they sent me to the ancient sages of
+Egypt, who revealed to me in the pyramids the secret sciences which
+subject the earth and all her treasures to our command. He who devotes
+himself to me with fidelity will receive eternal life and the secret of
+immortality."
+
+"We believe in thee, blessed one of God," murmured the kneeling ones;
+"we know that we receive life and salvation from thee. Bend to us, and
+give us of the breath of immortality!"
+
+He bowed and breathed upon them, and they broke forth in words of
+thankfulness and delight.
+
+Only Wilhelmine kept silent; she only failed to feel the magical
+influence, and he bowed again to her, fixing his great fiery eyes
+upon her. "Thou art called, thou art chosen," he said. "Mount to the
+tabernacle, and lift the veil."
+
+She did as commanded, and beheld the figure of a wonderful woman
+stretched upon the couch as in deep sleep, clothed in transparent robes.
+"Lay your hand upon her brow, and direct in your thoughts a question to
+the prophetess of the order, and she will answer you!" Upon the lofty,
+white brow of the sleeping one, she laid her hand; immediately a smile
+flitted over her beautiful face, and she nodded. "Yes," said she, "you
+must believe. You dare not doubt. He is the elect, the holy Magus!"
+Wilhelmine trembled, for the answer was suited to the question. "Demand
+a second question of the prophetess," commanded Cagliostro. Again she
+laid her hand upon the brow of the sleeping one, and again she smiled
+and nodded with her beautiful head. "Fear not," she replied; "he will
+always love you, and will never reject you, only you must not lead him
+astray from the right course--but guide him to the temple of faith and
+knowledge. When you cease to do it, you are lost. Shame upon earth and
+damnation will be your portion." The answer was exact--for Wilhelmine
+had prayed to know if the prince would always love and never reject her.
+"Still a third question," cried Cagliostro. In silence Wilhelmine asked,
+and the prophetess answered aloud: "You will be countess, you will
+become a princess, you will possess millions, you will have the whole
+world at your feet, if you call to your aid the Invisible Fathers,
+and implore the power and miraculous blessing of the Great Kophta."
+Wilhelmine, deeply moved, sank overpowered upon her knees, and cried
+aloud: "I call upon the Invisible Fathers for aid and assistance;
+I implore the power and miraculous blessing of the Great Kophta."
+Suddenly, amid the rolling of thunder and intense darkness, Wilhelmine
+felt herself lifted up--borne away, as loud prayers were uttered around
+her. Then she felt herself lowered again and with the freedom of motion.
+"Fly! fly from the revenge of the immortals, if you still doubt, still
+mistrust!" cried a fearful voice above her. "Behold how the immortals
+revenge themselves." Immediately a light began to dawn before her, a
+form rose from the darkness like her own. She beheld herself kneeling,
+imploring, her face deluged with tears, and before her a tall, erect,
+muffled figure, with a glittering sword in his uplifted arm, which
+sank gradually lower and lower until it pierced her bosom and the blood
+gushed forth. Wilhelmine shrieked and fainted. She witnessed no more
+miracles, beard no more prophecies and revelations which the magi made
+to the elect. She beheld not the appearance of the blessed spirits,
+which at the importunity of the brothers flitted through the apartment.
+She heard not Cagliostro take leave of Baron von Bischofswerder, when
+all had withdrawn, saying, "I have now exalted you to be chief director
+of the holy order. You will at once receive orders from the Invisible
+Fathers, announced to you in writing, and you will follow them
+faithfully."
+
+"I will follow them faithfully," humbly answered Bischofswerder.
+
+"You will be rewarded by the knowledge of life and of money; you shall
+discover the philosopher's stone, and the secret of gold shall be
+revealed to you, when you perform what the Invisible Fathers demand."
+
+"I will do every thing," cried Bischofswerder, fervently; "only make
+known to me their commands."
+
+"They desire, at the present, that you seek to be the confidant of the
+Prince of Prussia. Gain his affection, then govern him, making yourself
+indispensable to him. Surround him with servants and confidants that you
+can rely upon. Inspire him with devotion to the holy order. Become, now,
+the friend of the prince, that you may, one day, rule the king. You are
+the chief of the order in Prussia; the more members you gain the more
+secrets will be revealed to you. The holy fathers send me afar, but I
+shall return: if you have been active and faithful, I will make known to
+you a great secret and bring you the elixir of life."
+
+"When will you return, master?" asked Bisehofswerder, enthusiastically.
+
+Cagliostro smiled. "Before the crown prince of Prussia becomes king. Ask
+no further. Be faithful!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE JESUIT GENERAL
+
+
+No one remained in the drawing-room but Cagliostro and the beautiful
+woman who still lay quietly on the couch, upon the throne. Cagliostro
+approached her, and, raising the veil, regarded her a moment, with an
+expression of the most passionate tenderness: "We are alone, Lorenza,"
+said he. She opened her great eyes, and looked around the dimly-lighted
+room; then, fixing them upon Cagliostro, who stood before her in his
+brilliant costume of magician, she burst into a merry laugh, so loud and
+so irresistible, that Cagliostro was seized involuntarily, and joined
+her.
+
+"Oh! was it not heavenly, was it not a glorious comedy, and did I not
+play divinely, Joseph? Was I not bewitching as the goddess of Nature?"
+
+"You looked truly like a goddess, Lorenza, and there is nothing more
+beautiful than you, in heaven or upon earth. But come, my enchantress,
+it is time to break up, as we are to set off early to-morrow morning."
+
+"Have we now much money? Was the tribute richly paid?"
+
+"Yes, we have a hundred louis d'ors and a diamond ring from the mistress
+of this house."
+
+"Give it to me," cried Lorenza.
+
+"Not the ring, Lorenza, but the diamond, so soon as I have a false stone
+set in the ring--which I must keep as a ring in the chain which will
+bind this woman to our cause."
+
+"Was I not astonishingly like her? Was it not almost unmistakable?"
+
+"Yes, wonderfully deceptive. I shuddered myself as I saw the dagger
+pointed at your bosom."
+
+"And the blood, how it gushed forth, Joseph!" Lorenza burst into a
+merry laugh again, and Cagliostro joined her, but suddenly stopped,
+and, listening, turned toward the door, which he had closed after
+Bischofswerder departed. It seemed as if he heard a noise--a peculiar
+knocking. Four times it was repeated, and Cagliostro waved his hand
+to Lorenza not to speak. Again were heard the four peculiar rhythmical
+sounds. "Be quiet, for Heaven's sake be quiet, Lorenza! Let me cover you
+with the veil; it is a messenger from the Invisibles." Cagliostro flew
+to the door, unbolted it, and stood humbly near the entrance. A masked
+figure, enveloped in a cloak, opened it, and entered, rebolting it.
+
+Slowly turning toward Cagliostro, he harshly demanded, "Whose servant
+are you?"
+
+"The servant of the Invisible Rulers and Fathers," he humbly answered.
+
+"Who are the Invisible Fathers?"
+
+"The four ambassadors of the great general of the exiles."
+
+"Call him by that name which he bore before a heretic pope in Rome, a
+weak empress, a free-thinking emperor in Germany, a lost-in-sin French
+emperor, and a heretic Spanish minister, condemned him to banishment and
+destruction."
+
+"General of the Jesuits," he answered respectfully, bowing lower.
+
+"Do you know the sign by which he may be recognized?"
+
+"Yes, by a ring with the likeness of the founder of the order, the holy
+Ignatius Loyola."
+
+"Then look, and recognize me," cried the mask, extending his hand to
+Cagliostro.
+
+"The General," he murmured, frightened, gazing at the ring upon the
+small, white hand of the other. "The holy founder of the order himself!"
+He seized his hand and pressed it to his lips, sinking upon his knees.
+The mask remained standing before the magician, as lowly as he might bow
+himself, who was still arrayed in his brilliant costume with the band
+upon his brow sparkling like diamonds.
+
+With a cold, reserved manner he answered, "I am he, and am come here to
+give you my commands by word of mouth."
+
+"Command me; I am thy humble servant, and but a weak tool in thy hands."
+
+"It is my will that you should become a powerful tool in my hands. Rise,
+for I will speak to the man who must stand erect in the storm. Rise!"
+The proud commander was now an humble, obedient servant. He rose slowly,
+standing with bowed head.
+
+"When and where did we last meet?" demanded the mask.
+
+"In 1773, at Rome."
+
+"In the year of curse and blasphemy," said the mask, in a harsh voice.
+"The year in which the infamous Pope Clement XVI. condemned the holy
+order, and hurled his famous bull, Dominus redemptor noster. The holy
+order, condemned and disbanded by his infamous mouth, were changed
+into holy martyrs, without country, without possessions or rights, as
+persecuted fugitives, wandering around the world, to the wicked a scorn,
+to the pious a lamentable example of virtue and constancy. Exiled and
+persecuted, you fled to a house of one of our order, and there we for
+the first time met. The daughter of this man was your beloved. Tell me
+why did you conceal yourself after flying from Palermo? I will see if
+the elevated one ungratefully forgets the days of his degradation."
+
+"They accused me in Palermo of falsifying documents by which rightful
+owners were deprived of their lawful possessions. They threw me
+into subterranean dungeons, and I was near dying, when the Invisible
+Protectors rescued me."
+
+"Was the accusation well founded? Had you committed the crime you were
+accused of?"
+
+"Yes," answered Cagliostro, in a low voice, "I was guilty."
+
+"For whom, by whose authority?"
+
+"For the pious fathers, who commanded me, and whose pretensions to
+the possessions of the Duc Costa Rica were clearly proved by those
+documents."
+
+"You then learned the power and the gratitude of our order. From
+underground prisons they freed you, and procured a way of escape to
+Rome, to find a safe asylum in the house of a believer. But just at
+that time condemnation burst upon us, and from a powerful order we were
+changed into a persecuted one. The forger Joseph Balsamo sought the
+brazier Feliciano, who gave him money, letters of recommendation, and
+instructed him how to serve the order, and procure an agreeable life for
+himself. Is it not so?"
+
+"It is so," answered Cagliostro, softly. "It was the order of the
+General which united you in marriage to your beloved Lorenza Feliciana,
+who initiated you in the secret sciences and the secrets of Nature, that
+you might employ them for the well-being of humanity."
+
+"It is so, master."
+
+"You implored also, as you were about to separate, to see the face of
+your benefactor, to engrave it upon your heart. Would you now be able to
+recognize it?"
+
+"I could in an instant, among thousands."
+
+The General slowly raised the mask; a pale, emaciated face was visible,
+with great black eyes in sunken sockets, thin bloodless lips, and a
+high, bony brow. "Do you recognize me?"
+
+"No!" sadly answered Cagliostro, "it is not the same face."
+
+"You see, my son, man changes, but knowledge not. I am another, and yet
+the same, for the outward human form is only the vessel of the eternal
+band into which everlasting truth and the holy doctrines are poured.
+If the vessel breaks, it is replaced by another, and an inexhaustible
+spring. Thought and holy knowledge flow into the renewed vessel. I am a
+new vessel, but the same spirit which formerly spoke to you. I know your
+past life, and for what purpose you are in the world. As the General
+then spoke to you, so speak I now. The unholy have put the holy under
+a ban--they have persecuted and condemned us. The Holy Order of the
+Fathers of Jesus is lifeless before the world, but not before God.
+Jesuits do not die, for they bear eternal life in them, and there will
+a day come when they will burst forth from darkness into light. Go, my
+son, and help prepare the day, help smooth the way, that we may walk
+therein. Have you obeyed?"
+
+"I have consecrated my whole life to it, your eminence. I have wandered
+around the world, and everywhere striven to disseminate the doctrine of
+the Invisible Fathers, and win disciples and adherents to the order. The
+Brothers of the Egyptian Masons, the Brothers of the Rosicrucians, are
+the disciples which I have won, and you know well there are many mighty
+and illustrious men among them."
+
+"I know it, and I am satisfied you are an active and useful tool. This I
+came to tell you, that I might stimulate and advise you. Great deeds you
+shall perform, great achievements the holy Ignatius Loyola announces by
+my mouth. The world lies in sin, and the devil strides victorious over
+it, since the holy order has been proscribed and persecuted by the
+wicked. The devil is arrogant progress and boasting reason. They who
+listen to him think themselves wise when they are fools, and speak of
+their enlightenment while they still wander in the dark. To combat this
+reason, to oppose this intelligence, is the task of our order, which
+will never die. For God Sent it forth to the world to fight the devil
+of progress, who is the ruler of darkness. I have observed you, I have
+followed you, and I am satisfied. But I await still greater things from
+you."
+
+"What shall it be? Speak, O master; command, and I obey!"
+
+"You shall strive throughout Europe for the restitution of the holy
+order. You shall subject to it all minds; make the rich, the powerful,
+the eminent and great, serviceable to it. Into the Orders of the
+Rosicrucians and Egyptian Masons you shall gather all the stray and
+isolated sheep into a flock, to await with longing the coming of the
+shepherd, and prepare a place for him. To the holy Church you shall
+consecrate the band of brothers, the only blessed Church, which is the
+lofty abode of the father of our order. To us belongs the world; you
+shall assist to reconquer it. Unbelievers shall be fought with every
+weapon. Every deception, slander, persecution, and murder, are holy if
+used for the benefit of the holy order. You shall shrink from nothing
+which is useful and beneficial for the sublime goal. The murder of a
+prince is no sin, but a just punishment, when it is necessary to remove
+a mighty enemy. If you create revolutions, cause nations to tear each
+other to pieces in grim civil war, these revolutions will be sanctified,
+the civil wars blessed, if they serve to strengthen the power of our
+order, and gain victory at last against the opponents. Only through our
+order can happiness reenter the world, and mankind be rescued. If the
+Holy Fathers do not sit in the council of princes, if they are not the
+conscience of the powerful, and steer the machine of state, the world
+goes to destruction, and mankind is lost. You shall help, my son, to
+turn aside the evil, and prepare happiness for earth. You have already
+done much, but much more is required. Go and work miracles; belief in
+them sanctifies the mind. Our fathers will sustain you everywhere, for
+you well know they are always present, though it is imagined they are
+not. The infamous Ganganelli has stripped them of their uniform, but
+not annihilated them, as we are, and ever shall be. I have sent out nine
+thousand brothers in Europe for the benefit of the order, and you will
+recognize them by the watchword. They will serve you as you will serve
+them. If danger menaces you, our brothers will know it, and rescue you.
+You will be unassailable, so long as you work for the order, and win
+disciples for it. Prussia is our important station as you rightly
+judged, and I extol you for your foresight. You prepare the future, for
+here it will be! When the royal mocker of religion dies, then comes a
+new kingdom, and the Rosicrucians will rise to power. Vices as well as
+virtues must serve us; therefore Dischofswerder and Wilhelmine Enke are
+useful means for holy purposes. That you have recognized it I praise
+you. Continue, my son, as you have begun, and you shall become powerful
+upon the earth. Not a hair of your head shall be touched so long as you
+are faithful to the Invisible Fathers. But so soon as you turn traitor
+to the holy cause you are lost, and our anger will crush you!"
+
+"Never will I turn traitor," cried Cagliostro, holding up his hands as
+if taking an oath.
+
+"I hope not. Our enemies shall be your enemies, and our friends your
+friends. If one of the brothers orders you in my name, 'Kill this man or
+that woman,' so kill them! Swear it!"
+
+Shuddering, Cagliostro repeated, "I swear it!"
+
+"As soon as one of the brothers orders you, in my name, 'Rescue this man
+or that woman,' so do every thing; even risk and sacrifice your life to
+rescue him."
+
+"I swear it."
+
+"You stand in the holy temple of the order, but also under its avenging
+sword. Be mindful of it in all your acts. The world is open to you, and
+our influence will be with you everywhere. You shall win the hearts of
+the great and the mighty to us, and place the Order of the Rosicrucians
+on the steps of the throne. The Great Kophta shall lead believers to
+us."
+
+"The Great Kophta will perform all that you command, as he is only
+the humble servant of his general," said Cagliostro, kissing the hand
+extended to him.
+
+"Do not kiss the hand, it is only that of an inferior mortal: kiss the
+ring, for it is the imperishable sign of our immortal saint."
+
+"I kiss the ring of the immortal Ignatius Loyola, and swear eternal
+fidelity, constant obedience, and firm love, until death."
+
+"Rise! for the time has come for us to separate. I have provided for
+the journeys the necessary means. Here are letters of recommendation to
+Warsaw and Mittau, others to Paris and London; but, the most important
+of all, letters of credit upon well-known bankers to the value of five
+hundred thousand dollars--all valid, though delivered years hence."
+
+"A half million!" cried Cagliostro, almost terrified.
+
+"Does a half million astonish you?" repeated the General, and his gray,
+fleshless face was distorted into a smile. "The Great Kophta must travel
+and live like a prince, that he may dazzle the eyes of the brothers, and
+subjugate the minds of the powerful. We give you the money, but remember
+you are always under the watchful eye of the order, and there is no spot
+on earth where you can hide yourself from our vengeance with the trust
+confided in you. You shall spend it to buy souls and win thrones, for
+hearts and consciences are sold; money will buy every thing. Take your
+letters of credit; you shall live as a great lord, and the Great Kophta
+shall be equal with princes."
+
+He handed Cagliostro five sealed letters, saying: "They are made out for
+five years; only one for each year, as the number indicates. Number one
+is for this year, and number five is only valid at the expiration of
+five years. The order is mindful of your security, and thus five years
+of your life are freed from earthly care. You shall work in spirit,
+and you shall enchant the world, that it may be saved through the only
+saving Church, and the Holy Order."
+
+He bowed a farewell, making the sign of the cross upon Cagliostro, and
+bent his steps to the throne, raising the veil which enveloped Lorenza.
+She looked up to him with glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes, smiling. By
+this she would express her thanks for the princely gift to her husband,
+and swear to the General her delight, her fidelity, and love. He
+regarded her as coldly and calmly as a physician a patient.
+
+"Yes, holy father, I have heard all," she said, with a sweet, flute-like
+voice. "My heart is filled with gratitude and emotion."
+
+"Prove it by assisting your husband to attain the goal for which we send
+him forth. I have already said that vice must serve virtue, Lorenza.
+Beauty is a power, and if it serves holy purposes, so is it sanctified.
+Employ your beauty to win adherents to the order, and extend the power
+of the Rosicrucians in every land, and among all nations."
+
+"I swear that this shall be my holiest endeavor," cried Lorenza, rising.
+
+The General pressed her back upon the pillow, saying: "Remain, for there
+is no one here for you to enchant. I bring you pardon for your sins, and
+an indulgence for every sin which you will commit, if you swear to serve
+faithfully the holy Church and the pious fathers of Jesus."
+
+"I swear," solemnly cried Lorenza.
+
+"Here is the letter of indulgence from Pius VI. himself, made out in
+your name for you. Take it, and perform your duty." He laid down the
+parchment provided with the papal seal upon her shoulder, and drawing
+the veil over her made the sign of the cross, saying, "I bless you, and
+give you absolution for your sins."
+
+"Bless me also, lord and master," cried Cagliostro, kneeling upon the
+lowest step to the throne.
+
+"I bless you in the name of Loyola. Remain upon your knees, and follow
+me not." He extended his hands over him, and blessed him, then slowly
+withdrew.
+
+The first beams of the morning sun shone through the great window-panes,
+lighting up with its golden rays Cagliostro's kneeling form. He remained
+with his head bowed until the General had passed out. "He is gone;
+Heaven be praised, he is gone!"
+
+"Yes, he is gone," repeated Lorenza, springing from the couch. "Is it
+true, has he given you half a million?"
+
+Cagliostro held up with triumphant air the letters. "See, these
+addresses are upon the first banking-houses in Rome, Paris, London, and
+Berlin!"
+
+"Do you believe that they are genuine?"
+
+"I am convinced of it."
+
+"Then we have attained our aim; we are rich and powerful."
+
+"No," answered Cagliostro, mournfully, "we are poorer than ever. This
+money makes us slaves, makes us dependent tools. Did you not hear him
+say, 'You are admitted into the Temple, but the avenging sword of the
+order everywhere hangs over you.'"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. A PENSIONED GENERAL.
+
+
+"Wife," cried the General von Werrig, limping around the room, leaning
+upon his crutch, "here is the answer from our most gracious lord and
+king. The courier arrived to-day from the war department, and sent it to
+me by an express."
+
+"What is the king's answer?" asked the general's wife, a pale, gaunt
+woman, with a pock-marked face, harsh, severe features, dull gray eyes,
+which never beamed with emotion, and thin, bloodless lips, upon which
+a smile never played. "What is the king's answer?" she repeated, in
+a rough voice, as her husband, puffing and blowing from the effort of
+walking, sank down upon a chair, and dried his fat, ruby face with a red
+cotton pocket-handkerchief.
+
+"I have not read it," panted the old man. "I thought I would leave the
+honor to you, as you, my very learned wife, wrote the letter to his
+majesty."
+
+His wife was not in the least astonished at this thoughtful conduct of
+her husband. She impetuously seized the sealed document, and, retiring
+to the window-niche, slowly unfolded it, whilst the old general fixed
+his little gray eyes upon her emotionless face. His own was bloated and
+red, expressing the greatest anxiety and expectation. Perfect stillness
+reigned for some minutes, only the regular strokes of the pendulum
+were heard from the clock on the wall; and, as the hands pointed to the
+expiration of the hour, a cuckoo sprang out of the tree painted over the
+dial, and eleven times her hoarse, croaking voice was heard.
+
+"It gets every day more out of tune," growled the general, as he
+looked up to the old, yellow dial, and ran his eye over the cords which
+supported the weights. Then glancing around the room, he saw everywhere
+age, decay, and indigence. There was an old divan, with a patched, faded
+covering of silk, and a grandfather's arm-chair near it, the cushion of
+which the general knew, by the long years of experience, to be hard as a
+stone. A round table stood near the divan, covered with a shabby woollen
+cover, to hide the much-thumbed, dull polish. A few cane-chairs against
+the wall, an old black-oak wardrobe near the door, and the sewing-table
+of Madame von Werrig in the window-niche, completed the furniture of
+the room. At the window hung faded woollen curtains, and on the green
+painted walls some pictures and portraits, conspicuous among them a
+beautiful portrait of the king, painted on copper, which represented
+Frederick in his youthful beauty. It was a morose, sullen-looking room,
+arranged most certainly by its feminine occupant, and harmonized exactly
+with her fretful face and angular figure, void of charms. At last the
+general broke the silence with submissive voice: "I pray you, Clotilda,
+tell me what the king wrote."
+
+She folded the paper, joy beaming in her eyes. "Granted! every thing
+granted!"
+
+The general jumped up to embrace his wife with youthful activity, in
+spite of the gout. "You are a capital wife," he cried, at the same time
+giving her a loud, smacking kiss upon her cold, gray cheek. "It was the
+brightest, cleverest act of my life marrying you, Clotilda."
+
+"I might well say the reverse, Emerentius," she replied, complainingly.
+"It surely was not sensible for me, a young lady from such a genteel
+family, and so spoiled, to marry an officer whom the king ennobled upon
+the battle-field, and who possessed nothing but his captain's pay--a
+fickle man, and a gambler, too."
+
+"Yes, Clotilda, love usurped reason," soothingly replied the general;
+"love is your excuse."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried Madame von Werrig. "Love is never an excuse; it is
+folly."
+
+"Well, let us suppose, then, that you did not marry for love, only from
+pure reason, because you found that it was quite time to espouse some
+one; and that, in spite of your many ancestors and genteel family, no
+other chance was offered you, unfortunately no one but this captain,
+whom the king ennobled upon the battle-field of Leuthen on account of
+his bravery, and who was a very handsome, agreeable officer, expecting
+still further promotion. And you were not deceived. I was major, when
+the Hubertsburger treaty put an end to a gay war-life. You will remember
+I was advanced during peace; his majesty did not forget that I cut a
+way for him through the enemy, and he made me lieutenant-colonel and
+colonel, when I was obliged to resign on account of this infamous gout,
+and then I received the title of general."
+
+"Without 'excellency,'" replied his wife, dryly. "I have not even
+this pleasure to be called 'excellency.' It would have been a slight
+compensation for my sad, miserable existence, and vexed many of
+the female friends of my youth if they had been obliged to call me
+'excellency.' But my marriage brought me only cares, not even a title."
+
+"Do not forget a lovely daughter, Clotilda. Our Marie is beautiful,
+wise, and good, and through her you will yet have tranquil happiness.
+For you say the king has granted all we wish."
+
+"Every thing!" repeated the wife, with emphasis. "We have at last
+finished with want and care, and can count upon an independent, quiet
+old age, for God has been gracious, and forced you, from the gout, to
+give up gambling, and we are freed from the misery which has so often
+threatened us from your unhappy passion."
+
+"At the beginning, I played from passion; afterward, I only played to
+win back what I had lost."
+
+"And in that manner played away all we possessed, and played upon your
+word of honor, so that for years the half of our pension went to pay
+your gambling-debts. Heaven be thanked, the king did not know it, or we
+would have experienced still worse!"
+
+"I pray you, beloved Clotilda, do not fret yourself needlessly about the
+past; it is all over, and, as you say, I am unfortunately a prisoner in
+the house from the gout, which shields me from the temptation."
+
+"I did not say unfortunately; I said 'Heaven be praised, the gout had
+put an end to your fickle life.'"
+
+"Then, thank Heaven, my dear; we will not quarrel about it. It is past,
+and, as the king has granted all, we shall have a pleasant life now."
+
+"We will soon receive from our son-in-law a yearly pension, which will
+be paid to me, and I shall spend it."
+
+The general sighed. "In that case I fear that I shall not get much of
+it."
+
+"At any rate, more than I have ever received from your pension."
+
+"There is but one thing wanting," replied the general, evasively,
+"Marie's consent."
+
+Madame von Werrig gave a short, gruff laugh, which did not in the least
+brighten her sullen face. "We will not ask her consent, but command it."
+
+The general remarked, timidly, shrugging his shoulders, "Marie had a
+very decided character, and--"
+
+"What do you hesitate to speak out for? What--and--"
+
+"I think she still loves the Conrector Moritz."
+
+A second laugh, somewhat menacing, sounded like a challenge. "The
+schoolmaster!" she cried, contemptuously.
+
+"Let her dare to tell me again she loves the schoolmaster; she the
+daughter of a general, and a native-born countess of the empire!"
+
+"My dear, it was your fault--the only fault you ever committed, perhaps.
+How could you let such a young, handsome, and agreeable man come to the
+house as teacher to our daughter?"
+
+"How could I suppose my daughter was so degenerated as to love a common
+schoolmaster, and wish to marry him?"
+
+"It is truly unheard of, and it would make any one angry, my dear wife,
+for she insists upon loving him."
+
+"She will not insist, she will do what she is commanded to do--my word
+for it! But why talk about it? It is better to decide the matter at
+once."
+
+So Frau von Werrig rose with a determined manner, and rang the small
+brass bell which was upon the sofa-table. But a few seconds elapsed
+before a little, crooked servant appeared at the side-door, with her
+dirty apron put aside by tucking the corner in her belt. "Go to my
+daughter, and tell her to come down immediately!"
+
+The servant, instead of hastening to obey the order, remained standing
+upon the threshold. "I dare not go," said she, in a hoarse, croaking
+voice. "Fraulein told me not to disturb her to-day, for she has still
+two bouquets of flowers to arrange, and two lessons to give, and she is
+so busy that she is not at home to visitors. She torments herself from
+morning till night."
+
+"I order you to tell Fraulein to come down at once; we have something
+important to tell her. No contradiction! go, Trude!"
+
+The servant understood the cold, commanding tone of the mother, and
+dared not disobey.
+
+"It is nothing good that they have to tell her," grumbled Trude, as she
+hurried up the stairs which led from the first story into the little,
+low room in the attic, under the sloping roof. Here and there a few
+tiles could be lifted, which lighted the garret sufficiently to show the
+door at the end. "May I come in, my dear Fraulein? it is Trude."
+
+"The door is open," cried a sweet voice, and Trude entered. It is a
+most charming little room, just that of a young girl. The bed has a
+snow-white covering, and white curtains, suspended from a hook in the
+wall around it. The same curtains at the low gable-windows, whose
+depth, so to speak, made a light anteroom to the real gloomy one in the
+background. In this little anteroom the young girl had placed all that
+was necessary for her pleasure and use. There were the most beautiful,
+sweet-scented flowers upon the window-stool; in a pretty metal cage was
+a light-colored canary. There were also pretty engravings, and upon the
+table stood a vase filled with superb artificial flowers, and before
+it sat the possessor of this room, the daughter of General and Frau von
+Werrig, surrounded with her work-tools, paper, and colored materials--a
+young girl, scarcely twenty, of a proud, dignified appearance, but
+simply and gracefully dressed. According to the fashion of the day, her
+hair was slightly powdered, and raised high above her broad, clear
+brow with a blue rosette, and ends at the side. The nobly-formed
+and beautiful face was slightly flushed, and around the month was an
+expression of courageous energy. As old Trude entered, the young girl
+raised her eyes from the rose-bud which she was just finishing, and
+looked at her. What beautiful black eyes they were as they sparkled
+underneath the delicately-arched, black eyebrows!
+
+"Now, old one," said she, kindly, "what do you wish? Did you forget that
+I wanted to work undisturbed to-day?"
+
+"Didn't forget it, my Fraulein, but--"
+
+"But you have forgotten that up here, in my attic-room, I am not your
+Fraulein, but your Marie, whom you have taken care of and watched over
+when a child, and whose best and truest friend you have been. Come, give
+me your hand, and tell me what you have to say."
+
+Old Trude shuffled hurriedly along in her leather slippers. Her old,
+homely face looked almost attractive, with its expression of glowing
+tenderness, as she regarded the beautiful, smiling face before her,
+and laid her hard brown hand in the little white one extended to her.
+"Marie," she said, softly and anxiously, "you must go down at once to
+your mother and father. They have something very important to tell you."
+
+"Something very important!" repeated Marie, laying aside her work. "Do
+you know what it is?"
+
+"Nothing good, I fear," sighed the old woman. "A soldier has been here
+from the war department and brought a letter for the general, and he
+told me that it was sent from the king's cabinet at Breslau."
+
+"Oh, Heaven! what does it mean?" cried Marie, frightened, and springing
+up. "Something is going to happen, I know. I have noticed certain
+expressions which escaped my father; the proud, threatening manner of my
+mother; but above all the bold importunity of that man, whom I despise
+as one detests vice, stupidity, and ennui. They will not believe that I
+hate him, that I rather--"
+
+"Marie, are you not coming?" called the mother, with a commanding voice.
+
+"I must obey," she said, drawing a long breath, and hastening to the
+door, followed by Trude, who pulled her back and held her fast upon the
+very first step. "You have forbidden me to speak of him, but I must."
+
+Marie stood as if rooted to the spot, her face flushed, and in
+breathless expectation looking back to old Trude.
+
+"Speak, Trude," she softly murmured.
+
+"Marie, I saw him to-day, an hour ago!"
+
+"Where, Trude, where did you see him?"
+
+"Over on the corner of Frederick Street, by the baker's. He stood
+waiting for me, as he knows I always go there. He had been there two
+hours, and feared that I was not coming."
+
+"What did he say? Quick! what did he say?"
+
+"He said that he was coming to see you to-day at twelve o'clock; that he
+would rather die than live in this way."
+
+"To-day? and you have just told me of it!"
+
+"I did not mean to say any thing at all about it; I thought it would be
+better, and then you would not have to dissemble. But now, if any harm
+comes to you, you know he is coming, and will stand by you!"
+
+"He will stand by me--yes, he will--"
+
+"Marie!" cried her mother, and her dry, gaunt figure appeared at the
+foot of the stairs. Marie flew down to the sitting-room of her parents,
+following her mother, who took her place in the niche at the open window
+without speaking to her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. THE KING'S LETTER.
+
+
+"Marie," said the general's wife, after seating herself upon the hard
+cushion of the divan, near which sat the general in his arm-chair,
+busily stroking his painful right leg--"Marie, take a chair, and sit
+near us."
+
+Marie noiselessly brought a cane-chair, and seated herself by the table,
+opposite her parents.
+
+"We have just received a communication from the king's cabinet,"
+said the mother, solemnly. "It is necessary that you should know the
+contents, and I will read it aloud to you. I expressly forbid you,
+however, to interrupt me while I am reading, in your impetuous
+manner, with your remarks, which are always of the most obstinate and
+disagreeable kind. You understand, do you, Marie?"
+
+"Perfectly, mother; I will listen without interrupting you, according to
+your command."
+
+"This communication is naturally addressed to your father, as I wrote to
+the king in his name."
+
+"I did not know that you had written to his majesty at all, dear
+mother."
+
+The mother cast a furious glance at the gentle, decided face of her
+daughter. "You already forget my command and your promise to listen
+without interrupting me. I did, indeed, write to his majesty, but it is
+not necessary to tell you what I, or rather your father, solicited,
+as you will hear it in the answer from our most gracious king. It runs
+thus: 'My faithful subject: I have received your petition, and I was
+glad to learn by this occasion that you are well, and that you now lead
+a steady, reasonable life. Formerly you gave good cause of complaint;
+for it is well known to me that you led a dissolute life, and your
+family suffered want and misfortune from your abominable chance-games.
+You know that I have twice paid your debts; that at the second time I
+gave you my royal word of assurance that I would never pay a
+groschen for you again. If you gave yourself up to the vice, and made
+gambling-debts, I would send you to the fortress at Spandau, and deprive
+you of your pension. Nevertheless you played again, and commenced your
+vicious life anew. Notwithstanding which, I did not send you to prison
+as I threatened, and as you deserved, because I remembered that you
+had been a brave soldier, and did me a good service at the battle of
+Leuthen. For this reason I now also grant your request, that, as you
+have no son, your name and coat-of-arms may descend to your son-in-law.
+The name of Werrig-Leuthen is well worthy to be preserved, and be an
+example to succeeding generations. I give my permission for Ludwig
+Ebenstreit, banker, to marry your daughter and only child, and--'"
+
+Marie uttered a cry of horror, and sprang from her seat. "Mother!--"
+
+"Be still! I commanded you not to interrupt me, but listen, with
+becoming respect, to the end, to the words' of his majesty." And, with
+a louder voice, occasionally casting a severe, commanding glance at her
+daughter, she read on: "'And call himself in future Ludwig Werrig von
+Leuthen. I wish that he should honor the new name, and prove himself a
+true nobleman. Ludwig Ebenstreit must give up, or sell, without delay,
+his banking business, as I cannot permit a nobleman to continue the
+business of citizen, and remain a merchant. A nobleman must either be a
+soldier or a landed proprietor; and if your future son-in-law will not
+be either, he can live upon his income, which must indeed be ample. But
+I command him to spend it in the country, not go to foreign countries to
+spend what he has gained in the country. If he should do it, it will
+not be well with him, and he shall be brought back by force. You may
+communicate this to him, and he can judge for himself. I will have the
+letters of nobility made out for him, for which he shall pay the sum of
+one hundred louis d'ors to the 'Invalids' at Berlin. It depends upon him
+whether as a true nobleman he will not give my poor 'Invalids' a greater
+sum. The marriage shall not take place until the letters of nobility
+have been published in the Berlin journals, for I do not wish the
+daughter of a general, and a countess, to marry beneath her. You can
+prepare every thing for the wedding, and let them be married as soon as
+publication has been made. I will give the bride a thousand thalers for
+a dowry, that she may not go to her rich husband penniless; the money
+will be paid to your daughter from the government treasury at her
+receipt. As ever I remain your well-disposed king, FREDERICK.'
+
+"And here on the margin," continued the general's wife, looking over to
+her husband with malicious pleasure, "the king has written a few lines
+in his own hand: 'I have given orders that the money shall be paid to
+your daughter in person, with her receipt for the same, for I know you,
+and know that you do not play, not because you have not the money, but
+the gout. If you had the cash and not the gout, you would play your
+daughter's dowry to the devil, and that I do not wish, for a noble
+maiden should not marry a rich husband as poor as a church mouse.
+FREDERICK.'"
+
+A profound stillness prevailed when the reading was finished. The
+general busied himself, as usual, rubbing his gouty leg with the palm
+of his hand. Marie sat with her hands pressed upon her bosom, as if she
+would force back the sighs and sobs which would break forth. Her great,
+black eyes were turned to her mother with an expression of painful
+terror, and she searched with a deathly anxiety for a trace of sympathy
+and mercy upon her cold, immovable face.
+
+Her mother slowly folded the letter, and laid it upon the table. "You
+know all now, Marie--that, as it becomes parents, we have disposed
+of your future and your hand. You will submit to their wishes without
+murmuring or opposition, as it becomes an obedient, well-brought-up
+daughter, and receive the husband we have chosen for you. He will
+come today to hear your consent, and you from this day forth are the
+betrothed of the future Herr von Werrig. Of course from this very hour
+you will cease the highly improper and ungenteel business which you have
+pursued. You must not make any more flowers, or give any more lessons.
+The time of such degradation and humiliation is past, and my daughter
+can no longer be a school-mistress. You have only to write the receipt
+to-day, and I will go with you to the treasury to get the money."
+
+"I will not write the receipt," said Marie, gently but firmly. Her
+mother, in the act of rising, sank back upon the divan; and the general,
+apparently quite occupied with his leg, stopped rubbing, and raised his
+red, bloated face to his daughter in astonishment. "Did I understand
+rightly your words, that you would not write the receipt?"
+
+"Yes, mother, I said so; I cannot and will not write it," replied Marie,
+gently.
+
+"And why cannot you, and will you not write it?" said her mother,
+scornfully.
+
+"Because I have no right to the money, and cannot take it, mother, as I
+will never be the wife of the man you intend me to marry."
+
+The general sprang with a savage curse from his arm-chair, and would
+have rushed to his daughter, but his wife pushed him back into his seat,
+and approached Marie, who rose, regarding her mother with a firm, sad
+expression. "Why can you not be the wife of the man we have chosen for
+you? Answer me, WHY you cannot?"
+
+"You know, mother," she replied, and gradually her voice assumed a more
+decided tone, her cheeks reddened, and an inspired expression beamed
+from her eyes, and pervaded her whole being--"you know, mother, that
+I can never be the wife of Herr Ebenstreit, for I do not love him. I
+despise and abominate him, because he is a man without honor; he knows
+that I do not love him, and yet he insists upon marrying me. If it were
+not so, if I did not despise and abominate him, I would not receive his
+suit and marry him."
+
+"Why not?" cried the general, shaking his fist at his daughter.
+
+"Why not?" cried the mother, with a cold, icy glance, void of pity or
+anger.
+
+Marie encountered these looks with beaming eyes. "Because I am betrothed
+to another," and the words came like a cry of joy from her
+heart--"because I am engaged to my beloved Moritz!"
+
+"Shameless, obstinate creature, have we not forbidden it?" cried her
+father.
+
+"Stop!" interrupted his wife, with a commanding wave of her hand, which
+silenced the obedient husband immediately. "It belongs to me to question
+her, for I am her mother, and my daughter owes me submission and
+obedience above all things.--Answer me, Marie, did you not know that we
+had forbidden you to speak to this man, or have any communication with
+him? Did you not know that I, your mother, had menaced you with a
+curse if you married this man, or even spoke to the miserable, pitiable
+creature?"
+
+"Mother," cried Marie, vehemently, "he is not a poor, miserable
+creature. You may hate him, but you dare not outrage the noble, the
+good, and just man!"
+
+"He is a good-for-nothing fellow," cried her father; "he has tried to
+win a minor behind the parents' back. He is a shameful, good-for-nothing
+seducer."
+
+"He is dishonorable," cried the general's wife--"a dishonorable man, who
+has misused our confidence. We confided to him our daughter to teach,
+and paid him for it. He improved the opportunity to make a declaration
+of love, and stole the time from us to infatuate the heart of our
+daughter with flattery, and from his pupil win a bride."
+
+"Oh, unworthy, shameful slander!" cried Marie, her eyes flashing with
+anger. "You well know that it is a vile scandal, that Moritz was no
+paid teacher. If he had been--if he had felt obliged to yield to the sad
+necessity of being paid for his valuable time, because he was poor, and
+forced to live by his intellect, he was a free man, and had the right
+to love whom he chose. He loves me, and I have accepted his love as the
+most precious, most beautiful, and most glorious gift of my life. Ah!
+do not look so angry with me, father; I cannot say otherwise. I cannot
+crush or deny the inmost life of my life.--Oh, mother, forgive me that
+I cannot change it! You know that otherwise I have been a most obedient
+daughter to you in all things, although you have never taught me the
+happiness of possessing a loving mother; though neither of you could
+ever forgive your only child for not being a son, who could inherit your
+name, and win a brilliant position, yet I have always loved you tenderly
+and truly, and never complained that the unwelcome daughter received
+neither love nor tenderness, only indifference and coldness from her
+parents."
+
+"Beautiful, very beautiful!" replied the mother, contemptuously.
+"Now you wish to blame us that you are a heartless and thankless
+daughter.--We have not understood her heart, and it is our fault that
+her love has flown somewhere else.
+
+"This is the language of romance. I have, indeed, read it in the
+romances of Herr Moritz, and my daughter has only repeated what she
+learned as a docile pupil from her schoolmaster. Very fine, to pay Herr
+Moritz to form our daughter into the heroine of a romance! She ought to
+have learned the languages, but has learned only the language of
+romances."
+
+"You are very severe and very cruel, mother," said Marie, sadly. "I
+would not complain, only excuse myself, and implore pity and indulgence,
+and defend myself from the reproach of having been a cold, unloving
+daughter. Oh! God knows how I have longed for your love; that I would
+willingly prove that I would joyfully do every thing to embellish your
+life and make you happy. It gave me such pleasure to earn something
+for you with my dear flowers and lessons, and afford you a little
+gratification!"
+
+"Ah! now, she will reproach us with having toiled for us and sacrificed
+herself. Husband, thank yourself for the victim who worked for you, who
+gave her youth for us that she might strew our life with roses."
+
+"I have had enough of this talking and whining," cried the general,
+furiously beating the table with his fist. "My daughter shall not be a
+heroine of romance, but an obedient child, who submits to the will of
+her parents. You shall marry the man that we have chosen for you; the
+king has given his consent, and it shall take place. I command you! That
+is sufficient! I will hear no more about it; the thing is done with.
+Herr Ebenstreit is coming this afternoon to make you a proposal of
+marriage with our consent, and you must, accept him. I command you to do
+it!"
+
+"I cannot obey you! Oh, do not force me to rebel against God's holy
+laws! Have pity upon me! I have obeyed you until now, and yielded to
+your wishes, although I thought it would break my heart sometimes. You
+have forbidden Moritz the house, and turned him out of doors like a
+servant, with scorn and contempt, and he has silently borne it on my
+account. You have forbidden me to write or receive letters from him,
+or ever to meet him. My mother would curse me if I disobeyed her, and
+I submitted. I have given up every thing, sacrificed every wish, and
+renounced my love. But you cannot expect more from me, or dare ask it.
+I can forego happiness, but you cannot ask me to consent to be buried
+alive!"
+
+"And what if we should wish it?" asked her mother. "If we should demand
+our daughter to give up a romantic, foolish love, to become the wife of
+a young man who loves her, and who loves us, and who is rich enough to
+assure us a comfortable old age, free from care?"
+
+"Marie," cried the general, in a begging and almost imploring tone,
+"Marie, prove to us now that you are really a good and grateful
+child--we have had so much care and want in our life, so many sorrowful
+days! It lies in your hands to make our declining days joyous and
+bright, and free us from want. We have often grumbled against God, that
+He did not give us a son; now make us to rejoice that He has given us
+a daughter, who will bring us a son and inherit our name through her
+children, and who will give us what we have never known--prosperity and
+riches. I beg you, my dear, good child, grant your parents the few last
+years of their life freedom from care!"
+
+"And I, Marie," said her mother, in a softened and tender tone, which
+Marie had never heard from her--"I beg you also, be a good daughter,
+pity your mother! I have always led a joyless, unhappy life. I lived
+unmarried, a native-born countess, with proud relations, who made me
+feel bitterly my dependence; when married my existence was only trouble,
+privations, care, and sorrow. I beg you, Marie, teach me to know
+happiness, for which I have so longed in vain; give me independence and
+prosperity, which I have always desired, and never known. I pray, Marie,
+make us happy in bringing us a rich, genteel, and good son-in-law, Herr
+Ebenstreit."
+
+Marie, who met the scorn and threats of her mother with firmness and a
+proud demeanor, trembled as she heard these severe and merciless lips,
+always so cold and harsh, now begging and imploring. At first she was
+quite frightened, and then terrified, and covered her face with her
+hands, her head sinking upon her breast as her mother spoke.
+
+"Speak, my daughter," cried the general, as his wife was silent. "Speak,
+my dear Marie. Say the word, and we shall be all happy, and there will
+be no happier family found in Berlin, or the world even. Say that you
+will marry Ebenstreit, and we will love and bless you so long as we
+live. Do say yes, dear Marie!"
+
+Her hands fell from her face, and stretching them out toward her
+parents, she looked at them in despair.
+
+There was a fearful pause. "I cannot, it is impossible!" she shrieked.
+"I cannot marry this man, for I do not love him. I love another, whom I
+can never forget, whom I shall love forever. I love--"
+
+"Herr Conrector Moritz!" announced Trude, hastily bursting open the
+door, and looking in with a triumphant smile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+HATE AND LOVE
+
+
+"Herr Conrector Moritz wishes to pay his respects," called out Trude
+again.
+
+"We do not wish to receive him," cried Frau von Werrig.
+
+"He dare not presume to enter!" shrieked the general.
+
+Marie cried, "Moritz! Oh! my beloved Moritz," rushing with outstretched
+arms toward her lover, who just appeared at the door. "God has sent you
+to sustain me in this fearful hour."
+
+Old Trude peeped through the half-closed door, well satisfied to see her
+dear young lady folded in Moritz's arms, and her head leaning upon his
+shoulder. "Yes," she murmured, closing softly the door, "Marie is right,
+God himself sent her lover in this hour, and I would not let her wicked,
+hard-hearted parents send him away."
+
+Quick as thought she turned the key, fastening the door, and betook
+herself to the farthest room, carefully closing every door between them.
+"Now we will see for once whether they will show him the door, and pitch
+him out. No, they will be obliged to listen to him. Old Trude wishes it,
+for it will make her dear Marie happy. It is all the same to me if the
+old German tries to scratch my eyes out for it; I will take good care to
+keep out of his way. I must go and listen once."
+
+She put her ear to the keyhole, and then her eye, to see how the
+quarrellers looked.
+
+At first the general and his wife were quite alarmed, and almost
+speechless as they witnessed the joyful meeting of the lovers. The
+father sprang up suddenly, with clinched fist, but instead of bitter
+invectives only a fearful shriek of pain was heard, as he sank groaning
+and whimpering into his armchair. The gout had again seized its victim.
+Anger had excited the general's blood, and had also brought on the pain
+in his leg again. His wife took no notice of his cries and groans, for
+it was quite as agreeable to her to be the only speaker, and have her
+moaning husband a kind of assenting chorus. "Leave each other!" she
+commanded, as she approached the lovers, flourishing her long shrivelled
+arms about. "Leave each other, and leave my house!"
+
+Laying her hand on Marie's arm, which was thrown around her lover's
+neck, she endeavored to tear her away, and draw her daughter toward
+herself. But Marie clung only the more firmly, and Moritz pressed her
+more fervently to his heart. They heeded not and heard not the outburst
+of anger which the mother gave way to. They read in each other's eyes
+the bliss, the joy of meeting again, and the assurance of constant,
+imperishable love.
+
+"You are pale and thin, my beloved!"
+
+"Sorrow for you is consuming me, Marie, but, thank Heaven, you are
+unchanged, and beautiful as ever!"
+
+"Hope and love have consoled and strengthened me, Philip."
+
+"Enough! I forbid you to speak another word to each other," and with the
+power which rage lends, the mother tore Marie away. "Herr Moritz,
+will you tell me by what right you force yourself into our house, and
+surprise us like a street-thief in our peaceful dwelling? But no! you
+need not tell me, I will not listen to you. Those who permit themselves
+to enter our room unasked and unwelcomed--I will have nothing to say to
+them. Leave! there is the door! Out with you, off the threshold!"
+
+With calm demeanor, Moritz now approached Fran von Werrig, demanding
+her pardon, saying: "You see, madame, that I am not so unwelcome here,
+therefore you will be obliged to let me remain."
+
+"Yes, that she will," sneered Trude, outside the door. "It will be
+difficult for her to send him off so long as I am unwilling."
+
+"No, I will not permit it. We have nothing to do with each other. Out of
+my sight!--Away!"
+
+"Away!" cried the general. "Oh, the gout, the maddening pains! I cannot
+throw the bold fellow out of the house! I must lie here, and writhe like
+a worm! I cannot be master of my house. Oh, oh! what pain!"
+
+"Stay, Philip," whispered Marie, as she again leaned toward Moritz.
+"They wish to sell me and force me to a hated marriage. Do not yield!
+save me!"
+
+"You are mine, Marie; you have sworn to me eternal constancy, and no one
+can compel you to marry if you do not wish to."
+
+"We are her parents; we can, and we will compel her," triumphantly cried
+Frau von Werrig. "The king has given his consent, and if it is necessary
+we will drag her to the altar by force!"
+
+"Do it, mother, and I will say no before all the world."
+
+"We will take care that no one hears you but the priest, and he will not
+listen, as he knows that the king has commanded you to say yes!"
+
+"But God will hear her, Frau von Werrig, and He will take vengeance on
+the cruel, heartless mother."
+
+"I will await this vengeance," she sneered. "It does not concern you,
+and you need not trouble yourself about it. Leave the house!"
+
+"I came here to speak with you, and I will not go away until you have
+listened to me."
+
+"Then I will leave, for I will not hear you, and I command you to follow
+me, Marie!"
+
+She seized Marie with irresistible force, and drew her toward the side
+door, which was fast. Then hurried toward the entrance, dragging her
+daughter after her, but shook it in vain; that door was fastened also.
+
+"Oh! I could kiss myself," murmured Trude, as she patted her old,
+wrinkled cheeks. "I was as cunning and wise as Solomon. There, shriek
+for Trude, order her to open it. Trude is not there, and she has no ears
+for you!"
+
+"This is a plot--a shameful plot!" cried Frau von Werrig, stamping her
+feet. "That good-for-nothing creature, Trude, is in it. She has locked
+the doors, and the schoolmaster paid her for it."
+
+Trude shook her fist at her mistress behind the door. "Wait! that
+good-for-nothing creature will punish you! You shall have something to
+be angry about with me every day."
+
+"I swear to you that I do not know who locked the doors," replied
+Moritz, calmly. "But whoever did it, I thank them from the depths of my
+soul, for it forces you to listen to me, and may love give my words the
+power to soften your heart. General and Frau von Werrig, I conjure you
+to have compassion upon us. Is it possible that you are deaf to the cry
+of grief of your own child?"
+
+Suddenly assuming a contemptuous calm, Frau von Werrig sank back upon
+the divan with great dignity. "As I am obliged to listen to you, through
+a shameful deception, let it be so. Try to make ears in my heart, which
+you say is deaf. Let me listen to your wonderful eloquence!"
+
+"Oh, Philip!" said Marie, clasping his arms, "you see it will all be in
+vain."
+
+"Let me hope to succeed in awakening a spark of loving mercy, as Moses
+caused the fountain to gush from the rock.--A year since you turned me
+insultingly from your door, Frau von Werrig, and you forbade me with
+scorn and contempt to ever cross your threshold. In the rebellious pride
+of my heart I swore never to do it again, never to speak to those who
+had so injured me. The holy, pure love which binds me to this dear girl
+has released me from my oath. We have tried to live separated from each
+other a long year, an inconsolable, unhappy year! We hoped to renounce
+each other, although we could not forget. Marie, as an obedient
+daughter, obeyed your commands, and returned the ring, which I gave her
+in a moment of affection and holy trust. I released her from the oath of
+constancy, and made her free! But it is in vain! During this year I have
+striven with sorrow as a man, helpless in a desert, who writhes in the
+folds of the poisonous serpent. I should have gone mad if a consoling
+word from a great and noble mind had not roused me from my desolation,
+and if love had not shed a ray of light into my benighted soul. I
+listened no longer to sickening pride and humbled sense of honor. Love
+commanded me to come here, and I came to ask you, Marie, in the presence
+of your parents, if you will be my wife; if you will accept my poor,
+insignificant name, and be contented by my side to lead a quiet, modest
+existence. I can only earn sufficient to assure us a peaceful life. I
+have no splendor, no treasures to offer you, but only my love, my heart,
+my life, my whole thought and being. Will you accept it, Marie?"
+
+"I do accept it, Moritz, as the greatest happiness of my life. I desire
+only your love, and I can return only my love to you! Here is my hand,
+Philip, it belongs to you alone! Let us kneel in humility before my
+parents, and implore their blessing.--Oh, my father and mother, have
+pity upon us! See this dear man, to whom my whole heart belongs.
+I desire only to live and toil with him. There are no riches, no
+treasures, to compare with his love!"
+
+"General and Frau von Werrig, grant me the wife of my heart!" cried
+Philip Moritz, deeply moved. "It is true, I am not worthy of her, I have
+no name, no position, to offer her, but I swear to strive to gain it for
+her. I will win by my talents and knowledge a distinguished name, and
+perhaps one day you will concede to my fame that I am a noble man,
+though not a nobleman. Will you separate two hearts which belong to
+each other? Take me for your son-in-law, and I swear to be devoted and
+faithful, to love and honor you for your daughter's sake. I can say
+no more--words cannot express all that I feel. Love causes me to kneel
+before you, love makes me humble as a child. I implore you to give me
+your daughter in marriage."
+
+"I also implore you," cried Marie, sinking down beside Moritz, "give to
+me this man, whom I love and honor, for my husband."
+
+It was a beautiful and impressive scene--these two young beings pleading
+for happiness; their eyes flashing with the inspiration of feeling,
+conscious that they were one in affection, and ready to combat the whole
+world for each other. But Frau von Werrig was immovable, and the general
+was too much occupied with his gouty, throbbing leg even to cast a look
+upon the beautiful group of youth, love, manly determination, and tender
+resignation.
+
+Outside the door, Trude knelt imploringly, with folded hands, while the
+tears ran down her old cheeks in big drops. "O God, I well know that
+they have no pity; have mercy Thou, and cause my dear Marie to be happy!
+Suffer not that that hard-hearted woman should sell her, and marry
+her to that bad man my Marie despises. I well know that I am a poor
+creature, and not worthy that Thou shouldst listen to me, O Lord! But
+I love that young girl as if she were my own child, and I would give
+my heart's blood for her. Oh, my God! I implore Thee to let my Marie
+be happy!" Then she continued, as she rose from her knees. "Now, I have
+spoken, and I commit every thing to God, and He will do what is best.
+She has been obliged to listen to him, and if it cannot be otherwise, he
+must go."
+
+Carefully old Trude unlocked both doors, and then stopped to listen.
+
+Trude was right, there was no mercy in Frau von Werrig's heart. "Have
+you finished? Have you any thing more to say?" she asked, in her most
+unsympathizing manner.
+
+"Nothing more with our lips, but our hearts still implore you."
+
+"I do not understand this language, sir, and you have not succeeded in
+giving me hearing, or ears to hear with. In this useless strife I will
+say a last word, which I hope will be for life. You shall never be the
+husband of my daughter! You can never be united."
+
+Marie and Moritz sprang from their knees, laying their hands in each
+other's, and looked what words could not have better expressed--"We are
+inseparable, nothing can disunite us but death!"
+
+"I desire you not to interrupt me," commanded Frau von Werrig; "I have
+listened to you, and now you shall listen to me. I promise you to speak
+with more brevity than you have. I will not trouble you with useless
+phrases and tedious lamentations. I will speak to the point. Marie is
+the daughter of General Werrig von Leuthen, whose name would become
+extinct if the grace and favor of the king had not prevented it, by
+permitting the husband whom we have chosen for our daughter to take our
+name, and therewith become our son. You may think, in your arrogance of
+commoner, and the pride you take in having won the love of the daughter
+of General von Leuthen, that you could be this husband and son-in-law.
+But two things fail you: first, the necessary fortune; and, secondly,
+the king's consent, and that of her father. If you were rich, it might
+be possible that we should be touched by the tender amorousness of our
+daughter, and conquer our aversion to you for her sake. You are of low
+birth, and take a subordinate position in society. It would be extremely
+laughable for the schoolmaster Moritz to change suddenly into a Herr von
+Werrig Leuthen. Our son-in-law must be a rich man, in order to be able
+to give his new title consideration; and, fortunately, the wooer of
+my daughter's hand possesses this qualification, and therefore we have
+given our consent. The king has approved our choice, and permits the
+rich banker Ludwig Ebenstreit to become our son-in-law, and take our
+name. The king has in this communication, which lies upon the table, and
+which Marie has heard read, given his assurance to ennoble Ebenstreit
+upon two conditions: first, that the banker should give up his business,
+and live upon his income; and, secondly, that the marriage should not
+take place until the papers of nobility are made out and published, so
+that the daughter of General von Werrig should not make a misalliance.
+You know all now, and you will at last understand that there is but one
+thing for you to do--conquer your foolish presumption, and beg to be
+excused for your unheard-of boldness in forcing yourself into our
+house, and then withdraw quickly. If my ear does not deceive me, your
+accomplice has opened the doors. I think I heard rightly, if my heart
+has no ears, my head possesses better. We have finished. I would again
+enjoin upon you the duty of begging for pardon, and then I close this
+unrefreshing scene with the same words with which it opened--there is
+the door--go out!"
+
+"Yes, there is the door--go out of it! I want to be quiet--go! My
+daughter is the betrothed of the rich banker Herr Ebenstreit; she will
+be his wife as soon as the papers are made out and published.--Go!"
+cried the general.
+
+The young couple still stood there, hand in hand, looking at the
+general, until now their eyes met, beaming with tenderest affection for
+each other. "Is it true, Marie? Speak, my beloved, is it true, will you
+be the wife of this rich man whom your parents have chosen for you?"
+
+"No, Philip," she calmly and firmly replied. "No, I will not, for I do
+not love him, I love only you; and here, in the presence of God and
+my parents, I swear to you that I will be constant to death! They can
+prevent my becoming your wife, but they cannot force me to wed another.
+I swear, then, that if I cannot be yours, I will never marry!"
+
+"I receive your oath, and God has heard it also!" said Moritz, solemnly.
+
+"I have also heard it, and I tell you," said Frau von Werrig, "that this
+romantic heroine will become a perjurer, for I will find means to make
+her break her silly oath."
+
+"We will, perhaps, find means to delay the marriage," said Moritz
+proudly, "or, much more, prevent the marriage ceremony."
+
+"I am very curious to know the means," said Frau von Werrig. "From this
+hour Marie is the betrothed of Herr Ebenstreit, and the wedding will
+take place so soon--"
+
+"So soon as the title of nobility is published. That is it, is the
+clause to be filled; and therefore I tell you, beloved, wait and hope!
+This woman is without pity and without mercy; but God is in heaven, and
+Frederick the Great on the earth. Wait and hope. Be firm in hope,
+and constant in love. Do not lose courage, and let them force you to
+compliance by threats and anger. I have only you to confide in and to
+love in the world, and you are my hope, my goal, and the happiness of my
+life. If you forsake me, I lose my good angel, and am a lost, miserable
+man, whom it would be better to hurl into the deepest abyss than let him
+suffer the torments of hated existence. The knowledge of your love gives
+me strength and courage; it will inspire me to fight like a hero, to
+win the dear, beloved wife, to whom I would yield my life in order to
+receive it anew from her purified and sanctified. The knowledge that I
+had lost you, would ruin me."
+
+Laying both hands upon his shoulder, Marie looked at him with eyes
+beaming with affection, renewing her vow that she would never love or
+marry another. "We will be courageous in hope, and brave in constancy.
+Listen to me, my beloved; listen, my mother--I betrothed myself to this
+dear man! You can prevent my becoming his wife now, but in four years I
+am of age, and then I shall be my own mistress. Then, my dear Philip, I
+will be your wife. Let us wait and hope!"
+
+"Yes, Marie, we will wait and hope.--Farewell! Do not forget that there
+is a great God in heaven, and a great king upon earth.--Farewell!"
+
+He pressed the hand clasped in his own passionately to his tips,
+and felt from the pressure of her delicate fingers a renewed vow of
+constancy. Buoyed with this hope in the sad hour of parting, they were
+happy and joyful. Marie accompanied him to the door--still hand in hand.
+
+"Presume not to go a step farther," commanded her mother, and Marie,
+obedient to her wishes, remained near the door, bowed to Moritz, and
+never ceased to regard him, with love beaming in her eyes, until the
+door closed. Outside stood old Trude, to tell him that she would be
+at the baker's at seven o'clock every morning, and wait for his
+commissions, "and may be I shall have something to bring you," she said.
+"So do come!"
+
+"I will, my good Trude; you are the only person who is friendly to us.
+Watch over my angel, console her with your affection, and when they are
+too hard upon her, come to me."
+
+"I surely will, but listen--they are already quarrelling with my good
+angel. I will go in, to serve as a lightning-rod for dear Marie. I often
+do it, and it pleases me when the lightning strikes, and dashes my hard
+old head to the ground, but does not hurt me at all--Farewell, Herr
+Moritz, the lightning-rod must go in."
+
+Trude entered suddenly and noiselessly the sitting-room, and interrupted
+the angry reproaches which Frau von Werrig hurled against Marie in a
+furious stream of words. The countess's rage turned against Trude, who
+stared as if to challenge her. "What do you want? How dare you enter
+uncalled?"
+
+"I thought you were calling deaf old Trude, or why did you scream so?"
+replied Trude, tartly.
+
+"Perhaps it was the general. Ah! there lies the poor, dear old man,
+groaning and crying, and nobody has any pity for him."
+
+"Ah! Trude, it is good luck that you are here," whined the general. "No
+one troubles himself about me. Quick, bring warm covering for my leg,
+the pain is fearful!"
+
+"Poor, dear father, I will take care of you, I will nurse you," said
+Marie, hastening to him. Her mother pushed her back violently. "Not a
+step farther; you have no right to go near him, you are his murderess.
+On your head will fall the guilt, if these dreadful scenes should cause
+his death."
+
+"No, no, the general will not die quite yet," said Trude busying herself
+about his arm-chair. "But, Fraulein, you have got something else to do
+than stay here. They have already sent for the flowers twice, and the
+French lady is waiting up-stairs to parlez-vous."
+
+Marie looked her friendly thanks, and quietly and quickly left the room.
+
+"Now, bold woman, I have a last word to say to you. Who locked the door
+when that creature came?" "I, madame," answered Trude, who was just
+bringing a great cushion from the back-room to cover the general's feet.
+
+"You acknowledge that you locked the door intentionally?"
+
+"Now, my dear, good Frau von Werrig, one does not lock a door by
+mistake. I did not want Herr Moritz to run away with fright, before you
+had given him your mind, and set his head straight. He would certainly
+have escaped, and only heard the half of your beautiful talk, for he had
+no idea what a miserable fellow he is. So I locked both doors, and he
+was obliged to listen to you, and has gone away contrite and repentant.
+There, there, my poor, dear general, is your foot high enough? Shall I
+not bring the foot-warmer?"
+
+"You shall not bring any thing, nor do any thing more. You are a
+hypocrite, who connives with Moritz. Leave my house this very hour! You
+are dismissed my service. Go pack up your things and be off!" cried Frau
+von Werrig.
+
+"Oh, do not go, Trude, for mercy's sake, for then I have no one to help
+me," cried the general.
+
+"I cannot do otherwise, she has given me my dismissal." Trude approached
+Frau von Werrig respectfully, saying, "So I must pack up and go away at
+once?"
+
+"Immediately, you deceitful creature!"
+
+"Immediately! but Frau von Werrig will be so good as to give me my
+wages."
+
+"Yes," she answered in a slower and more subdued voice. "That shall be
+done presently."
+
+"It will not be so very difficult to reckon them, I have been here
+twenty years; just as many years as Marie is old, for I came as child's
+nurse, and have helped her learn to talk and walk, and played mother
+to the dear child a bit. Then I obtained my wages, for they were good
+times; but the pension-time came, and we had no cook or servant but me.
+'The rats run away if the ship springs a leak,' but the old mole Trude
+stayed. Mankind is in the world to work, I said, and why should not I be
+the cook and waiting-maid too, that my little Marie should not want any
+thing? So I became maid-of-all-work and have stayed here ever since.
+Then, you told me you would double my wages, and give me twenty thalers
+a year, and four thalers at Christmas. Is it not so, Frau von Werrig?"
+
+"I believe that was the agreement."
+
+"I am quite certain about it," cried the general, who began to
+understand the drift of Trude. "Yes, Trude was to have twenty thalers
+a year, and we are owing her many years' wages. You know, wife, I have
+always kept an account-book for the debts, and only a few days ago--Oh!
+oh! the pain! Trude, help me cover up the foot warmer!--we reckoned it
+up a few days ago, and we owe Trude one hundred and thirty thalers."
+
+"One hundred and thirty thalers," repeated Trude, clapping her hands,
+astonished. "Is it true? oh, that is splendid. I shall be rich, and get
+a husband yet. I pray you give it to me, Frau von Werrig, right away."
+
+"Not so quickly," said she, proudly. "We will reckon together how much
+you have saved--because--"
+
+"Oh!" interrupted Trude, "how good you are to make me keep so much; you
+are my savings bank, where I can deposit my money."
+
+"Because," she continued, with emphasis, without noticing the
+interruption, "our future son-in-law will pay your wages, the rich
+banker, Herr Ebenstreit. Yes, the wealthy lover of our daughter. At the
+moment I have not so much cash in the house."
+
+"Your grace will allow me to stay until Herr Ebenstreit is married, and,
+in your name, pays me my wages?"
+
+"Yes, Trude, I will allow you to stay," she replied, very graciously.
+"You will be cunning, Trude, if you try to persuade Marie to accept the
+rich suitor, for when she does I will give you two hundred thalers."
+
+"I will do all I can to get it. Can I remain here until Marie is
+married?"
+
+"Yes, you have my permission for that."
+
+"I thank you, Frau von Werrig. Now, general, I will bring you some warm
+coverings right away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. CHARLES AUGUSTUS AND GOETHE.
+
+
+"Now tell me, Wolf," asked Duke Charles Augustus, stretching himself
+comfortably on the sofa, puffing clouds of smoke from his pipe--"are you
+not weary of dawdling about in this infamously superb pile of stones,
+called Berlin? Shall we any longer elegantly scrape to the right and to
+the left, with abominable sweet speeches and mere flattering
+phraseology, in this monster of dust and stone, of sand and sun, parades
+and gaiters? Have you not enough of blustering generals, of affected
+women? and of running about the streets like one possessed to see here a
+miserable church, or there a magnificent palace? Are you not weary of
+crawling about as one of the many, while at home you stride about as the
+only one of the many? And weary also of seeing your friend and pupil
+Carl August put off with fair promises and hollow speeches like an
+insignificant, miserable mortal, without being able to answer with
+thundering invectives. Ah! breath fails me. I feel as if I could load a
+pistol with myself, and with a loud report shoot over to dear Weimar.
+Wolf, do talk, I beg you, I am tired out; answer me."
+
+"I reply, I shoot, my dear Carl," cried Goethe, laughing. "I was out
+of breath myself from that long speech. Was it original with my dear
+prince, or did he memorize it from Klinger's great 'Sturm-und-Drang'
+tragedy? It reminded me of it."
+
+"Do you mean to accuse me of plagiarism, wicked fellow? I grant that you
+are right, my cunning Wolf, it was a lapsus. I did think of Klinger, and
+I sympathized with his youthful hero Wild, who declared that, among the
+sweetest pleasures, he would like to be stretched over a drum, or exist
+in a pistol-barrel, the hand ready to blow him into the air."
+
+Goethe shoved aside the breakfast-table, straightened his delicate form,
+with his noble head proudly erect, and one foot in advance, extended his
+right arm, giving one loud hurrah! "Now, for once, a tumult and noise,
+that thought may turn about like a weathercock. This savage noise has
+already wrought its own benefit. I begin to feel a little better. Rage
+and expand, mad heart, quicken yourself in hurly-burly-burly-burly!"
+[Footnote: From Klinger's tragedy "Sturm und Drang."]
+
+"Bravo! bravo!" laughed the duke. "Is that Klinger, or who is it that
+refreshes himself in hurly-burly?"
+
+"It is I who am every thing," replied Goethe, striding and swaggering up
+and down. "I was an assistant, in order to be something--lived upon the
+Alps, tended the goats, lay under the vault of heaven day and night,
+refreshed by the cool pastures, and burned with the inward fire. No
+peace, no rest anywhere. See, I swell with power and health! I cannot
+waste myself away. I would take part in the campaign here; then can my
+soul expand, and if they do me the service to shoot me down, well and
+good!" [Footnote: From Klinger's tragedy "Sturm und Drang."]
+
+"Bravo! Wild, bravo!" cried the duke. "Hei! that thundered and rolled,
+and struck fire! It does me good to hear such vigorous words from an
+able rare genius in the midst of this miserable, starched elegance. The
+powerful Germans are healthy fellows. Something of the Promethean fire
+blazes forth in them. They were forced to come, those jolly, uproarious
+boys, after the affected cue period; they were the full, luxurious
+plants, and my Wolfgang, the favorite of my heart, my poet and teacher,
+is the divine blossom of this plant. Let them prevail, these 'Sturmer
+und Dranger,' for they are the fathers and brothers of my Wolfgang.
+Do me the sole pleasure not to refine yourself too much, but let this
+divine fire burst forth in volcanic flames, and leave the thundering
+crater uncovered. Sometimes when I see you so simpering, so modest and
+ceremonious, I ask myself, with anxiety, if it is the same Wolfgang
+Goethe, who used to drink 'Smollis' with me at merry bacchanals out of
+death-skulls?--the same with whom I used to practise whip-cracking upon
+the market-place hours long, to the terror of the good citizens?--the
+same who used to dance so nimbly the two-steps, and was inexhaustible
+in mad pranks. Now tell me, Herr Wolfgang, are you yourself, or are you
+another?"
+
+"I am myself, and not myself," answered Goethe, smiling. "There still
+remains a good portion of folly in me, and it must sometimes thunder
+and flash, but I hope the atmosphere of my soul will become clearer,
+and over the crater a more lovely garden will spread out, in which
+beautiful, fragrant flowers will bloom, useful and profitable for my
+friends and myself. Sometimes I long for this as for the promised land;
+then again it foams and thunders in me like fermenting must, which,
+defying all covers and hoops, would froth up to heaven in an immense
+source of mad excitement!"
+
+"Let it froth and foam, and spring the covers, and burst the old casks,"
+cried the duke; "I delight in it, and every infernal noise you make, the
+prouder I am to recognize that from this foaming must will clear itself
+a marvellous wine, a delicious beverage for gods and men, with which the
+world will yet refresh itself, when we are long gone to the kingdom of
+shades--to the something or nothing. You know, Wolf, I love you, and I
+am proud that I have you! It is true that I possess only a little
+duchy, but it is large enough to lead an agreeable and comfortable
+existence--large enough for a little earthly duke, and the great king of
+intellects, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Let us return to our dear home,
+for I acknowledge to you I sigh for Weimar. I long for the dear little
+place, where every one knows me and greets me, and even for my dogs and
+horses."
+
+"And I," said Goethe, "I really mourn for my Tusculum, which I owe to
+the generous, kind duke; for the balcony of my little cottage, where,
+canopied by the blue, starry vault of heaven, I dream away the lonely
+May nights."
+
+"Is there nothing else you sigh for but the summer-house at Weimar?"
+
+"No!" cried Goethe, and an indescribable expression of rapture and
+delight was manifest in his whole manner.
+
+"No, why should I deny it, how could I? It would be treason to the
+Highest and most Glorious. No, I long for my muse, my mistress, my--"
+
+"Beloved!" interrupted the duke. "I pray you not to be so prudish,
+so reserved. Have the courage to snap your fingers at this infamously
+deceitful moral code, and proud and distinguished as you are, elevate
+yourself above what these miserable earthworms call morality. For the
+eagle there is a different law than for the pigeon. If the eagle soars
+aloft through the ether to his eyry, bearing a lamb in his powerful
+claws, has he not a right to it--the right of superiority and power by
+God's grace? Has he not as much right to the lamb as the pigeon to the
+pea which she finds in the dust? If the pigeon by chance sees the eagle
+with his lamb, she cries, 'Zeter! mordio!' with the pea in her own bill,
+as if she were in a position to judge the eagle."
+
+"A beautiful picture," cried Goethe, joyfully--"a picture that would
+inspire me to indite a poem."
+
+"Write one, and call it for a souvenir 'The Eagle and the Dove.' Make it
+a reality, my eagle youth, bear off the white lamb to your eyry, and let
+the world, with its affected morality, say what it likes. How can
+you bear to see the one you love at the side of another man? Tell me,
+confess to me, is not the beautiful Charlotte von Stein your beloved?"
+
+"Not in the sense you mean, duke, not in the vulgar sense of the word. I
+love her, I adore her, with a pure and holy sentiment. I would not that
+Charlotte should have cause to blush before her children on my account.
+She would be desecrated to me if I, in my inmost soul, could imagine the
+blush of shame upon her cheek, or that her eye could brighten at other
+than great, beautiful, and noble acts. I adore her, and to me she is the
+ideal of the purest and sweetest womanhood. I rejoice that she is as she
+is, like clear mountain crystal--transparent and so brightly pure, that
+one could mirror himself therein. She stands above all other women,
+and to her belong all my thoughts, and would, even if I were wedded to
+another. To me she is the most beautiful of the beautiful, the purest of
+the pure, the most graceful of the graceful, and all my thoughts are in
+perfect harmony with hers. Now, duke, if it is agreeable to you, knowing
+my feelings, to call Charlotte von Stein my beloved, she is so in the
+most elevated sense of the word."
+
+"Ah! you poets, you poets," sighed the duke, smiling.
+
+"A streak of madness in you all, though I will grant that it is divine."
+
+"Say rather that Whit-Sunday comes to us every day, and the divine
+Spirit descends daily upon us poets, and causes us to speak in unknown
+tongues."
+
+"I will say that you are the god Apollo descended from heaven, and with
+gods one may not dare to dispute. They act differently in their sphere
+than we mortals upon earth. I will be contented if our ways cross from
+time to time, and we can once in a while walk on together a good piece
+the way of life in friendship and harmony. If it would please my Wolf,
+I propose to turn toward beloved Weimar, the dear place, half village,
+half city. For my part I am finished here, my business with General von
+Mollendorf is accomplished. As I told you previously, I have had made
+known to the king my refusal to allow recruiting in my duchy. I could
+not consent for the present. In short, I have spoken as my secretary
+Wolfgang Goethe has recorded.[Footnote: This memorial upon recruiting is
+found. "Correspondence of the Grand Duke Carl August and Goethe," part,
+i., p. 4.] General Mollendorf has waived his demand for the present--and
+to-day we have had the concluding conference, and if it is agreeable to
+my secretary, we might set off this afternoon and pass a day at Dessau,
+and then on to Weimar."
+
+"Oh, gladly will I do it; it seems as if a star from heaven had twinkled
+to me to follow it, for at Weimar is centred all my happiness! I prefer
+a lowly cabin there to all the splendor and palaces of a city."
+
+"Then you agree with me, that this magnificently vile Berlin does not
+enchain you in her magic net?"
+
+"No, she holds me not, though it has been pleasant to take a peep into
+it (like a child into a curiosity-box). I have seen 'Old Fritz.' His
+character, his gold, and his silver, his marbles, his apes and parrots,
+and even his town curtains please me. It is pleasant to be at the seat
+of war at the very moment that it threatens to break forth. It has
+gratified me to witness the splendor of the royal city, the life, order,
+and abundance, that would be nothing if thousands of men were not ready
+to be sacrificed; the medley of men, carriages, horses, artillery, and
+all the arrangements. All are mere pins in the great clock-work, only
+puppets whose motion is received from the great cylinder, Fredericus
+Rex, who indicates to each one the melody they must play, according to
+one of the thousand pins in the rotary beam."[Footnote: Goethe's own
+words.--See Goethe's "Correspondence with Frau von Stein," part i., p.
+168. Riemer, "Communications about Goethe," part ii., p. 60.]
+
+"You are right to compare the great man to the chief cylinder in the
+machine of state," nodded the duke "He rules and sets all in motion,
+and cares not whether the rabble are suited or not. It has enraged me
+sometimes to hear the fellows curse him, and yet I acted as if I heard
+them not. Let us return to Weimar--mankind seems better there, Wolf."
+
+"At any rate, more regardful of us than they are here, duke. The greater
+the world the uglier the farce; no obscenities and fooleries of the
+buffoon are more disgusting than the characters of the great, mediocre
+and insignificant, all mingled together. I prayed this morning for
+courage to hold out to the end, and to hasten the consummation. I am
+grateful for the benefit of the journey--but I pray the gods not to
+conduct themselves toward us as their image-man, for I should swear
+to them eternal hatred."[Footnote: Goethe's own words.--See Goethe's
+"Correspondence with Frau von Stein," part i., p. 169.]
+
+"Then you are ready to depart, Wolf?"
+
+"Almost, dear Carl, or, if you will it, quite ready. A few visits I
+would make, that the people shall not be too severe upon me and cry out
+against my pride and arrogance."
+
+"Because they themselves are proud and supercilious, they are bold
+enough to suppose Wolfgang Goethe is like them. I hope you will not
+visit the very learned Herr Nicolai, the insipid prosaist, the puffed-up
+rationalist, who believes that his knowledge permits him to penetrate
+every thing, and who is a veritable ass."
+
+"No, I am not going to Nicolai, Rammler, or Engel, or, as they should be
+named, the wise authors of Berlin. I shall visit the artist Chodowiecki,
+good Karschin, occasional poetess, and the philosopher Mendelssohn.
+Then, if it pleases you, we will set out this afternoon, shaking the
+sand of Berlin from our feet."
+
+"I shall prepare whilst you make your visits. Will you take my carriage?
+You know there is one from the royal stables always at my service, which
+stands at the door."
+
+"Beware! they would shriek if I should drive to their doors in a royal
+carriage. They would accuse me of throwing aside the poet, and being
+only secretary of legation. I will go on foot; it amuses me to push my
+way through the crowd, and listen to the Berlin jargon."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. GOETHE'S VISITS.
+
+
+Taking leave of his ducal friend, Goethe betook himself the street, to
+commence his visits. Going first to Chodowiecki, the renowned delineator
+and engraver, whose fame had already spread throughout Germany. When
+Goethe entered, the artist was busy in his atelier, working upon the
+figures of the characters in the "Mimic," the latest work of Professor
+Engel. "Master," said he, smilingly, extending him his hand, "I have
+come to thank you for many beautiful, happy hours which I owe to you.
+You paint with the chisel and poetize with the brush. An artist by God's
+grace."
+
+"If the poet Goethe says that, there must be something in it," replied
+Chodowiecki, with a radiant face. "I have to thank you for the most
+beautiful and best hours of my life, and I am proud and delighted to
+have been able in the least to return the pleasure. The only blissful
+tears among many bitter ones that I have wept, were shed over the
+'Sorrows of Werther.' 'Gotz von Berlichingen' so inspired me that he
+appeared to me in my dreams, and left me no peace until I rose in the
+night to draw Gotz, as he sat talking with brother Martin on the bench
+in the forest. Wait, I will show you the drawing; you must see it."
+
+Goethe examined it attentively, and expressed his pleasure at the
+correctness and dramatical conception of the design, and did not remark,
+or perhaps would not, that the artist was busily occupied with crayon
+and paper. "How wonderfully you have reproduced my 'German Knight,'"
+cried Goethe, after a long observation of it. "The middle ages entire,
+proud and full of strength, are mirrored in this figure, and if I had
+not written 'Gotz von Berlichingen,' I would have been inspired to it,
+perhaps, from this drawing. Oh! you artists are to be envied. We need
+many thousand words to express what a few lines represent, and a stroke
+suffices to change a smiling face into a weeping one. How feeble is
+language, and how mighty the pencil! I wish I had the talent to be a
+painter!"
+
+"And I," cried Chodowiecki, "would throw all my pencils, brushes, and
+chisels to the devil, or sell him my soul, if I could cope with the
+genius and intellect of the poet, Wolfgang Goethe. What a man! What a
+profile the gods have given him! There! look--have you ever seen a man
+with such a face?" He handed Goethe the drawing, which proved to be a
+speaking profile-portrait of himself, dashed off with a few strokes full
+of genius.
+
+Goethe looked at it with the air of a critic. "It is true," said he,
+perfectly serious, "there are not many such profiles, but I am not of
+your opinion that the gods fashioned it. Those sharp features look as
+if the joiner had cut them out of oak, and they lead me to infer a
+very disagreeable character. I naturally do not know who the picture
+represents, but I must tell you, master, that this man could never
+please me, although I could swear it is a speaking likeness. This sharp,
+bowed nose has something impudent, self-sufficient in it. The brow is
+indeed high, which betokens thought, but the retreating lines prove
+that the thoughts only commence, and then lose themselves in a maze. The
+mouth, with its pouting lips, has an insupportable expression of stupid
+good-nature and sentimentality; and the well-defined, protruding chin
+might belong to the robber-captain Cartouche. The great wide-open eyes,
+with their affected passionate glances, prove what a puffed-up dandy the
+man must be, who perhaps imagines all the women in love with his face.
+No, no, I am still of the opinion that the original could never please
+me, and if the physiognomist Lavater should see it, he would say: 'That
+is the portrait of a puffed-up, quaint, powerful genius, who imagines
+himself something important, and who is nothing! The likeness of a
+bombastic fellow, with an empty head behind the pretentious brow, and
+meaningless phrases on the thick lips.'"
+
+"If Lavater says so, he is a fool and an ass," cried Chodowiecki,
+furiously, "and he can hide himself in the remotest corner of the
+earth. Lichtenberg of Gottingen is quite right when he says that this
+empty-headed Lavater has made himself ridiculous throughout Germany with
+his wonderful physiognomy of dogs' tails and his profiles of unknown
+pigtails. If Lavater is really so narrow-minded as not to be able to
+distinguish a crow from an eagle, it is his own affair; but he shall
+never presume to look at this portrait, and you, too, are not worthy,
+you scorner, that I should get angry with you. The likeness is so
+beautiful that Jupiter himself would be satisfied to have it imputed to
+him. It is so like, that you need not pretend you do not know that it
+represents Wolfgang Goethe. As you insult it, and regard it with scorn
+and contempt, I will destroy it."
+
+"For mercy's sake do not tear it," cried Goethe, springing toward
+Chodowiecki, and holding him fast with a firm grasp. "My dear good man,
+do not tear it; it would be like splitting my own head."
+
+"Ah, ah!" shouted Chodowiecki, "you acknowledge the likeness?"
+
+"I do acknowledge it, with joy."
+
+"And will you admit that it is the head of a noble, talented poet, a
+favorite of the Muses? Say yes, or I will tear it, and you will have
+terrible pains in your head your life long!"
+
+"Yes, yes! all that you wish. I am capable of saying the most flattering
+things of myself to save this beautiful design. Give it to me, you
+curious fellow!"
+
+"No," said Chodowiecki, earnestly, "I will not give it to you. Such a
+portrait is not made to be put in a dusty portfolio, or framed for the
+boudoir of your lady-love. All Germany, all the world should enjoy it,
+and centuries later the German women will still see Wolfgang Goethe as
+he looked in his twenty-ninth year, and hang an engraving on the wall in
+their parlor, and sighing and palpitating acknowledge--'There never was
+but one such godlike youth, and there never will be another. I wish that
+I had known him; I wish he had loved me!' So will they speak centuries
+later, for I will perpetuate this drawing in a steel engraving of my
+most beautiful artistic work." [Footnote: This engraving from the
+artist Chodowiecki still exists, and the author of this work possesses
+a beautiful copy, which Ottille von Goethe sent her. It is a bust in
+profile, the most beautiful of his youth.]
+
+"You are a splendid fellow, and I must embrace you, and rejoice to be
+immortalized by you, for this portrait pleases me exceedingly. I might
+well be proud that this head with the rare profile is a counterpart of
+my own. Now we are good friends. Before I say farewell, let me see the
+work at which I just disturbed you upon entering."
+
+Goethe was about to raise the cloth, when Chodowiecki waved him back.
+"Do not look at it," said he, quickly; "I dislike to appear as a
+mechanic before you, as I wish that you should honor only the artist. We
+poor toilers are badly off, as the old proverb is ever proving true with
+us, 'Art goes for bread.' We must be mechanics the chief part of our
+lives, in order to have a few hours free, in which we are allowed to
+be artists. I have to illustrate the most miserable works with my
+engravings, to buy the time to pursue works of art."
+
+"That is the interest, friend, which you pay the world for the
+great capital which the gods confided to you. Believe me, the artist
+Chodowiecki would have but a morsel to eat if the mechanic Chodowiecki
+did not serve him a tempting meal, paying the bill. Do not be vexed
+about it; man must have a trade to support him, as art is never
+remunerated. [Footnote: Goethe's words--See G. H. Lewes's "Goethe's Life
+and Writings," vol. 1., p. 459.] I hope the mechanic will be well paid,
+that the artist may create beautiful and rare works for us. This is my
+farewell visit to-day, friend. If you will hear a welcome from me very
+soon, come to Weimar, and see how one honors the artists there, and how
+well appreciated Chodowiecki is."
+
+Goethe embraced and kissed the artist, who regarded him, his face
+radiant with joy, and would not be prevented from accompanying him
+to the house door, as if he were a prince or a king. "Now to Madame
+Karschin," said Goethe to himself, as he hastened through the streets
+in that direction. "The good woman has welcomed me with so many pretty
+verses that I must make my acknowledgments, in spite of my decision to
+keep the Berlin authors at a distance."
+
+From Wilhelm Street, where Chodowiecki lived, to the tilt-yard, was not
+far, and Goethe soon reached the old, antiquated house where the poetess
+lived. After many questionings and inquiries at the lower stories
+and more splendid apartments of the house, he found the abode of the
+poetess, and climbed up the steep stairs to the slanting attic-room. The
+dim light of a small window permitted Goethe to read upon a gray piece
+of paper, pasted upon the door, 'Anna Louisa Karsch, German poetess.'
+He knocked modestly at the door at first, then louder, and as the voices
+within never ceased for a moment their animated conversation, he opened
+it, and entered the obscure room.
+
+"I will do it, sir," said the little woman sitting in the window-niche
+near a table to a young man standing near her. "I will do it, though I
+must tell you album writing is very common. But you must promise me to
+return here, and let me see what Herr Rammler writes, and tell me what
+he says about me. These are my conditions."
+
+"Frau Karschin, I promise you, upon the word of honor of a German youth,
+who can never lower himself to break his word."
+
+"Very well! then I will write."
+
+There was perfect silence. The youth watched the little, dry hand which
+guided the pen, with a devotional mien, and Goethe with eager curiosity,
+who, unobserved, stood like a suppliant at the door of the obscure
+little room, the shabby furniture of which betrayed the narrow
+circumstances of the German poetess. It harmonized with the occupant,
+a little, bony, meagre figure, wearing a tight-fitting blue-flowered
+chintz dress. Upon the gray hair, which, parted in the middle, encircled
+the low forehead, was a cap, which had lost its whiteness and was,
+therefore, more in harmony with the ruff about her yellow, thin neck.
+Her sharp, angular features were redeemed by large, dark eyes, flashing
+with marvellous brilliancy from under the thick, gray eyebrows, and
+with quick, penetrating glances she sometimes turned them to the ceiling
+thoughtfully as she wrote. "There, sir, is my poem," said she, laying
+down the pen. "Listen:
+
+     'Govern your will;
+     If it hinders duty,
+     It fetters virtue;
+     Then envy beguiles
+     Into fault-finding.'"
+
+"Oh, how beautiful, cried the young man, enraptured. "I thank you a
+thousand times for those glorious words, and they shall henceforth be
+the guiding star of my existence."
+
+"Go to Professor Rammler, and: then return and show me what he writes,
+for I am convinced--. Oh, Heavens! there is a stranger," she cried, as
+she discovered Goethe, who had remained standing by the door.
+
+"Yes, a stranger," said Goethe, smiling, and approaching, as the happy
+possessor of the album withdrew--"a stranger would not leave Berlin
+without visiting the German poetess."
+
+"And without verses in your album; is it not so? I have become the
+fashion, and if I could only live by immortalizing myself in your
+albums, I should be free from care. Now I have divined it--you wish an
+autograph?"
+
+"No! only a good word, and a friendly shake of the hand, for I possess
+a poem and a letter which the good Frau Karschin sent me at Weimar some
+six months since, written by herself."
+
+"Is it Goethe?" she cried, clasping her hands in astonishment. "The poet
+Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the renowned author of the work which--"
+
+"Cost you many tears," broke in Goethe, laughing. "I beg you spare me
+these phrases, which follow me upon my journey as the Furies Orestes.
+I know that 'Werther' has become the favorite of the reading public; he
+has opened all the tear-ducts and made all lovers of moonlight as
+soft as a swaddling-cloth. I could punish myself for having written
+'Werther.'"
+
+Frau Karschin laughed aloud. "That is glorious! You please me! You are
+a famous poet and a genius, for only geniuses can revise and ridicule
+themselves. Welcome, Germany's greatest poet, welcome to the attic of
+the poetess! There is the good word which you would have, and here is
+the hand. Did you think it worth while to visit poor Karschin? I am
+rejoiced at it, for I see that they accused you unjustly of arrogance
+and pride!"
+
+"Do they accuse me of it?" asked Goethe, smiling. "Can the Berlin poets
+and authors never forgive me that I live at a court, and am honored with
+the favor of a prince?"
+
+"They would willingly forgive you if they had the power to push you one
+side, and take your place. They are angry with you, because they envy
+you and are not accustomed to be esteemed. Our prince and ruler, as
+great a hero and king as he otherwise is, cares little for German
+poetry, and for all he would care, the Berlin authors might starve,
+one and all; he would trouble himself no more about them than the flies
+dancing in the sunlight."
+
+"The great king is still the same, then? He will never know anything of
+German literature?"
+
+"No! he declares that it is the language of barbarians and
+bear-catchers; scolds about us, and despises us, and yet knows as little
+of us as the man in the moon. He adores his Voltaire. Old Fritz knows
+the French poet by heart, but Lessing he knows nothing of. He abuses
+'Goetz von Berlichingen,' and 'Werther's Sorrows.'"
+
+"Oh! I know it all--I know the king's adjutant-general, von Siedlitz. I
+often dine with him, and read aloud my poems to him, when he relates
+to me what the king says to enrage me. You must know when I am angry
+I speak in verse. I accustomed myself to it during my unhappy marriage
+with the tailor Karsch. When he scolded, I answered in verse, and tried
+to turn my thoughts to other things, and to make the most difficult
+rhymes. As he was always scolding and quarrelling, I always spoke in
+rhyme."
+
+"And in this way you led a very poetical marriage?" smiled Goethe.
+
+"Yes, indeed, poetical," she said, and her large brilliant eyes were
+dimmed. "If it is true that tears are the baptism of poets, then I
+was baptized daily for twelve years, and ought to be an extraordinary
+poetess."
+
+"That you are, indeed," said Goethe, "who would dispute it? You have
+given evidence of great poetical talent, and I read your heroic poem
+upon the Great Frederick with real delight."
+
+"Do you know what he did?" she asked, bitterly. "I turned to him,
+begging for assistance; for who should a poet turn to, but his God and
+his king? Moreover, he had promised it to me personally."
+
+"You have spoken with him, then, yourself?" asked Goethe.
+
+"Yes, eight years ago; General von Siedlitz procured me an audience. The
+king was very gracious, and among other things, asked me about my life;
+and as I explained to him my poverty and want, he most kindly promised
+to help me." [Footnote: This interview which Frau Karschin had with the
+king is found in "Anecdotes and Traits of Character of Frederick the
+Great." vol. ii., p. 72.]
+
+"And did he not fulfil his promise?"
+
+"No, had it been given to the least of the French writers he would have
+kept it, but to a German poet it was not worth while. What is a native
+poet to the great German king? A phantom that he knows not, and believes
+not. As great as he is, the king showed himself very small to me. I sang
+him as a poetess and he bestowed a pittance upon me as one would to a
+beggar in tatters by the wayside."
+
+"Is it really true, upon your supplication--"
+
+"Sent me two thalers! Yes, that is indeed true, and I see by your smile
+that you know it, and know also that I returned it to him. I had rather
+die with hunger than take a beggar's penny. But let me relate to you
+what happened two weeks since. I had borne patiently the affair of
+the two thalers, and forgotten it. I am more comfortable now; the
+booksellers pay me for my songs and poems very well, and a number of
+patrons and friends, at whose head is the Prince of Prussia, give me a
+small pension, from which I can at least live--though poorly. One of my
+patrons sent me a strip of land on the Spree not far from the Hercules
+Bridge, where I would gladly build me a little house, at last to have a
+sure abiding-place where I could retire--that would be a refuge against
+all the troubles and sorrows of life. As I thought it over, the old
+confidence and imperishable love for the great king rose again within
+me, and as I esteemed him I always hoped for the fulfilment of his
+promise. I applied to him again, and begged him to do for me what he
+had granted to so many cobblers and tailors, as the king gives
+building-money to help those who will build. All the houses of the
+Gensdarmen-markt are built by royal aid, and sometimes the king designs
+the facades, as he did for the butcher Kuhn's great house; and sent
+him a design to ornament the frieze of ninety-nine, sheeps' heads, only
+ninety-nine, for he said the butcher himself was the one hundredth. The
+butcher remonstrated, but he was obliged to keep them, if he would have
+the building-money."
+
+"Really," cried Goethe, laughing, "the king is an ingenious and
+extraordinary man in every thing, and no one is like him."
+
+"No one is like him, and no one would have treated me as he did. I
+addressed to him a poem, begging him with true inspiration and emotion
+to let a German poetess find favor in his sight--and that he would be
+for me a Maecenas, if I were not a Horace. My heart bled with sorrow,
+that I must so beg and pray, and my tears wet the paper upon which I
+indited my begging, rhyming petition. How much money do you think the
+great king sent me for my house? Think of the smallest sum."
+
+"If it was small, yet for building-money he would send you at least two
+hundred thalers."
+
+The poetess burst into a scornful laugh. "He sent me three thalers! The
+great Frederick sent me three thalers to build a house!"
+
+"What did you do? Did you take them?"
+
+"Yes," she answered, proudly, "and I will leave them as a legacy to my
+daughter, as an historical souvenir for succeeding generations, who will
+relate the benevolence of the German king for the German poetess. I sent
+the king a receipt--I will read it to you.
+
+"'His majesty commanded, Instead of building-money, To send me three
+thalers. The order was exactly, Promptly fulfilled. I am indebted for
+thanks, But for three thalers can No joiner in Berlin My coffin make.
+Otherwise to-morrow I would order Such a house without horror Where
+worms feast, And, feasting, quarrel Over the lean, care-worn Old woman's
+remains That the king let sigh away.'" [Footnote: See "Life and Poems of
+Louisa Karschin," edited by her daughter.]
+
+"Why do you not laugh?" said Frau Karschin, raising her flashing eyes to
+Goethe, who sat looking down earnestly and quietly before her.
+
+"I cannot," he gently answered. "Your poem makes me sad; it recalls the
+keen sorrow of a poet's existence, the oft-repeated struggle between
+Ideality and Reality. The blessed of the gods must humble themselves;
+though they may raise their heads to heaven, their feet must still rest
+upon earth; and to find their way upon it, and walk humbly therein, they
+must again lower their inspired heads."
+
+"Oh, that makes me feel better," cried Karschin, with tears in her eyes;
+"that is balsam for my wounds. You are a great poet, Goethe, I feel it
+to be so. You are a great man, for your heart is good and filled with
+pity. How unjustly they call you cold and proud! Only be a little more
+yielding, and call upon the Berlin poets and writers. You can imagine
+that the news of your arrival ran like wild-fire through the town.
+Nicolai, Rammler, Engel, Mendelssohn, and all the other distinguished
+gentlemen have stayed at home like badgers in their kennels, watching
+for you, so as not to miss your visit. At last they became desperate,
+and scolded furiously over your arrogance and pride in thinking yourself
+better than they. Why have you not called upon them?"
+
+There was a loud knocking at the door, and the young man with his album
+entered, almost breathless. "Here I am," said he, "I came directly from
+Professor Rammler here, as I promised you."
+
+"You saw him, then? Has he written something for you?"
+
+"Yes, I saw him, and he granted my request."
+
+"And abused me, did he not, with his nose turned up? You must know,
+Goethe, that Professor Rammler despises my poems, because I am not so
+learned in Greek and Roman mythology as he is. Now tell me, my young
+friend, what did he say about me?"
+
+"I promised you, upon my word of honor, to tell you every thing, but I
+hope you will release me from the promise." sighed the young man.
+
+"No, that I will not. Much more, upon the strength of your word of
+honor, I desire it. You promised, word for word, to relate it to me."
+
+"If it must be, then, let it be. I went at once to Professor Rammler's.
+He asked me immediately if I had not been here."
+
+"Just as I asked you," laughed Karschin.
+
+"I affirmed it, saying that you showed me his house. Upon which he
+asked, 'Did she say any thing against me? She is accustomed to do it
+before strangers, like all old women.' He then turned over my album, and
+as he saw the lines you wrote he reddened, and striking the book--'I see
+it, she knew she had said something about me. She tells every stranger
+that I think she is censorious. What she has written is aimed at me.'
+Upon that he wrote some lines opposite yours, shut the book, and handed
+it to me. I have not even had the time to read them."
+
+"Read them now, quickly."
+
+"'He who slanders and listens to slander, let him be punished. She may
+be hung by the tongue, and he by the ears.'" [Footnote: This scene took
+place literally, and may be found in "Celebrated German Authors," vol.
+II., p. 340.]
+
+"That is shameful--that is mean!" said Frau Karschin, while Goethe
+re-read the cutting epigram. "That is just like Rammler; his tongue is
+like a two-edged sword for every one but himself, and he fans his
+own glories, and does not know that he is a fool. Frederick the Great
+himself called him so. One of his generals called his attention to
+him, upon which Frederick turned his horse, riding directly up to him,
+asking, 'Is this the distinguished Rammler?' 'Yes, your majesty, I am
+he,' the little professor proudly bowed. 'You are a fool!' called out
+Frederick, very loud, and rode away, as all around the 'Great Rammler'
+laughed and sneered. There are many such stories. Shall I tell you how
+Lessing teased him?"
+
+"No, dear woman, tell me nothing more. I perceive your Berlin writers
+and poets are a malicious, contentious set of people. I may well fear
+you, and shall be glad to escape unharmed. Think kindly of me, and have
+pity upon me; if the others are too severe, raise your dear hand and
+hold back the scourge that it may not fall upon poor Wolfgang Goethe.
+Adieu, dear Frau Karschin."
+
+Goethe bowed, and hastened down into the street. "With the authors and
+poets of Berlin I wish nothing more to do, but with the philosophers
+I may be more fortunate, and with them find the wisdom and forbearance
+which fail the poets."
+
+Goethe bent his steps to Spandauer Street, in which the merchant
+and philosopher Moses Mendelssohn lived; hastened up the stairs, and
+knocked, which was answered by an old servant, to whom Goethe announced
+himself. The servant disappeared, and the poet stood in the little,
+narrow corridor, smilingly looking to the study-door, and waiting for
+the "gates of wisdom" to open and let the worldling enter the temple of
+philosophy.
+
+The crooked little man, the great philosopher, Moses, son of
+Mendelssohn, stood behind the door, turning over in his mind whether
+he would receive Goethe or not. "Why should I? The proud secretary of
+legation has already been in Berlin eight days, and wishes to prove to
+me that he cares little for Berlin philosophers. My noble friend,
+the great Lessing, cannot abide 'Gotz von Berlichingen;' and Nicolai,
+Rammler, and Engel are the bitter opponents, the very antipodes of the
+rare genius and secretary of legation from Weimar. If he wishes to see
+me, why did he come so late, so--"
+
+"Herr Goethe is waiting--shall he enter?" asked the servant.
+
+The philosopher raised his head. "No," cried he, loudly. "No! tell him
+you were mistaken. I am not at home."
+
+The old servant looked quite frightened at his master--the first time he
+had heard an untruth from him. "What shall I say, sir?"
+
+"Say no," cried Moses, very excited and ill-humored. "Say that I am not
+at home--that I am out."
+
+With a determined, defiant manner the philosopher seated himself to work
+upon his new book, "Jerusalem," saying to himself, "I am right to send
+him away; he waited too long, is too late." [Footnote: From Ludwig Tieck
+I learned this anecdote, and he assured me that Moses Mendelssohn
+told it to him.--See "Goethe in Berlin, Leaves of Memory," p. 6.--The
+Authoress.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. FAREWELL TO BERLIN.
+
+
+"What is the matter, my dear Wolf?" cried the duke, as Goethe returned
+from his visits. "What mean those shadows upon your brow? Have the
+cursed beaux-esprits in Berlin annoyed and tortured you?"
+
+"No, duke, I--" and suddenly stopping, he burst into a loud ringing
+laugh, and sprang about the room, bounding up and down, shouting,
+"Hurrah! hurrah! Long live the philosophers, vivat the philosophers!"
+
+"They shall live--live--live,'' shouted the duke!
+
+"Vivat the philosophers! hurrah! To the May-sports upon the Blockberg
+they ride upon a little ass with golden horns--with Pharisaical mien,
+praying with their eyes, 'I thank Thee, O Lord, that I am a philosopher,
+that I am not as the world's children, vain, proud, and arrogant.' Hey,
+good Carl Augustus, today a great revelation has been made known to me
+by a philosopher. Wisdom flowed from his mouth. All the spiders in their
+gray, self-woven nets, whispered and sang in his corridor, 'We weave at
+the fountain of life, we spin the web of time.' The little mice crept
+out from the corners, whispering, Hallelujah! Here lives the great
+philosopher Moses, who has devoured wisdom, and is unknowing of earthly
+vanities. Oh! the mice and the spiders waltz together upon the threshold
+of the great philosopher. Hey, ha! a waltz we will dance!"
+
+Goethe caught the duke with both arms around the waist, and tore around
+in a giddy whirl, both laughing, both shrieking. Wolfshund, the duke's
+dog, asleep in the corner, sprang up howling and barking at their wild
+bounds and goat-like springs, and joined the dancers. As Goethe felt
+the ribbon which confined his cue give way, he shook wildly his curly,
+powdered hair and it fell in mad confusion. Both he and the duke now
+sank exhausted to the floor, panting and laughing.
+
+"Heaven be praised, Wolf," said the duke, "the must has once more
+fermented, and sprung a few of the hoops of dignity?"
+
+"Yes," answered Goethe, who suddenly assumed a grave, serious mien, "the
+must has fermented, and I trust a fine wine will clear itself from it."
+
+"Can you not set off, Wolf?" asked the duke, springing up. "Have you had
+sufficient of the Berliners?"
+
+"I have done with them," replied Goethe, "not only with the Berliners,
+but it may be with all the rest of humanity. I feel, my duke, that the
+bloom of confidence, candor, and self-sacrificing love fades daily;
+only for you, and the friend whom I love, is there still attraction and
+flagrancy. Oh! you dear ones, be charitable, and do not consent that
+they fade for you. Let the goodness which I read in your eyes, my
+dear Carl, and the sunny rays of friendship strengthen the poor
+little blossom, that it does not entirely fade and wither away!" With
+passionate earnestness he threw his arms around the duke, pressing him
+to his bosom.
+
+"Oh! Wolf, my dear Wolf, you have a child's heart and a poet's soul. Are
+you faint-hearted and dispirited? Do you not know that you are the sun
+which brings forth the flowers for us, and shines for us all? Let no
+clouds overshadow you, Wolf! Let your fresh, youthful vigor, and divine
+brilliancy, penetrate them. In the thick, sandy atmosphere of Berlin I
+confess the sun itself loses its force and brightness! Come! let us be
+off. Our steeds stamp with impatience." The duke drew his friend from
+the room and joyfully they sprang down the stairs to the carriage, the
+great dog following, howling and barking after them. "Forward, then,
+forward! Blow, postilion, blow! A gay little air! Let it peal through
+the streets, a farewell song! Blow, postilion, blow! and I will moisten
+your throat at the gates with the thin, white stuff, which you have the
+boldness to call beer." The postilion laughed for joy, and the German
+song resounded in quivering tones--"Three riders rode out of the gate."
+He blew so long and loudly, that the dog set up a mournful howl, and
+amid the peals of the postilion, and the distressed cry of Wolfshund,
+they drove through the long, hot streets of Berlin, through the Leipsic
+Gate, and the suburbs with their small, low houses. The wagon-wheels
+sank to the spokes in the loose, yellow sand of the hill they soon
+mounted, and, arriving at the top of which, the postilion stopped to let
+his horses take breath, and turned to remind his aristocratic passengers
+that this was their last view of the city.
+
+"And will be seen no more," repeated the duke. "Come, let us take a
+farewell look at Berlin, Wolf!" and away they sprang without waiting for
+the footman to descend, and waded through the sand to a rising in the
+fallow fields. There they stood, arm in arm, and viewed the town with
+its towers and chimneys, houses, barracks, and palaces stretched at
+their feet. A thick, gray, cloud of vapor and smoke hovered over it,
+and veiled the horizon in dust and fog. "Farewell, Berlin, you city of
+arrogance and conceit!" cried the duke, joyfully. "I shake your dust
+from my feet, and strew the sand of your fields over every souvenir of
+you in memory," and suiting the action to his words, he tossed a handful
+of it in the air.
+
+"Farewell, Muses and Graces of sand and dust!" cried Goethe, as his
+fiery eye flashed far out over the fog-enveloped roofs. "Farewell,
+Berlin, void of nature and without verdure! the abode of poetic art, but
+not of poesy. You Babylon of wisdom and philosophy, I have seen you
+with your painted cheeks and coquettish smile, your voluptuous form and
+seductive charms. You shall never ensnare me with your deceitful beauty,
+and suck the marrow from my bones, or the consciousness of pure humanity
+from my soul. Beautiful may you be to enslaved intellects, but to the
+free, they turn their backs to you and thrice strew ashes on your head.
+Farewell, Berlin, may I never see you again!" [Goethe, in fact, never
+visited Berlin again, though he was often invited there, particularly
+when the new theatre was opened, with a poetic prologue written by
+himself. They inaugurated the festivity with Goethe's "Iphigenia," the
+first representation, and Prince Radzwill urgently invited the poet,
+through Count Bruhl, to visit Berlin at this time, and reside in his
+palace. But Goethe refused; he was seventy-two years old (1826), and
+excused himself on account of his age.] Goethe stooped and threw a
+handful of sand in the air.
+
+The postilion, tired of standing in the burning sun, blew loudly the air
+of the soldier's song: "Now, adieu, Louisa, wipe your face, every ball
+does not hit." Mournfully the melody sounded in the stillness, like
+accusing spirits who wept the insult of the prince and the poet.
+
+"Now, on to our dear Weimar, Wolf!" The carriage rolled down the sandy
+hill, and Berlin disappeared to the travellers, lost in dreamy thought.
+Slowly they advanced, in spite of relays and fresh horses at every
+station. Night spread out her starry mantle over the world, and the
+sleepers who rested from the burdens and cares of the day. Goethe alone
+was wakeful and vigilant. With his beautiful eyes, as brilliant as
+fallen stars, uplifted to heaven, to God, his manly bosom heaving with
+noble thoughts and glorious aspirations, he reviewed the past, and
+recalled with joy that he had accomplished much and well. He peered into
+the future, and promised himself to do more and better. "Yes, I will,"
+whispered he softly, pointing to the stars; "so high as possible
+shall the pyramid of my being rise. To that I will constantly bend my
+thoughts, never forgetting it, for I dare not tarry; with the years
+already on my head, fate may arrest my steps, and the tower of Babylon
+remain unfinished. At least they must acknowledge the edifice was boldly
+designed, and if I live, God willing, it shall rise."
+
+
+
+
+BOOK III. STORM AND PRESSURE
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE KING AND THE AUSTRIAN DIPLOMAT.
+
+
+Frederick commenced the campaign against the house of Hapsburg with all
+the energy and bold courage of former days. The diplomats had once
+more been permitted to seek the arts of negotiation, and, these
+having failed, the king advanced rapidly, and entered Bohemia with his
+advance-guard. The imperial army, informed of the approach of the enemy,
+retired hurriedly to their intrenchments at Koeniggratz, beyond the
+Elbe, without a decisive battle. In the skirmishes at the outposts the
+Prussians had been victorious. On the opposite shore of the Elbe, at
+Welsdorf, the king took up his headquarters. Why did he not pursue his
+bold run of victory? Why did he not surprise the imperial army, which he
+knew was scattered, and not in a position to resist the strength of the
+Prussian forces? Moreover, the second column of the Prussian army, under
+the command of Prince Henry, had also entered Bohemia, and fortified a
+camp near Rimburg, having united with the Saxon allies, which caused the
+imperialists under Field-Marshal Loudon to seek protection beyond the
+Iser, near Muenchengratz and Yung-bunzlau. Why did the king then stop
+in the midst of his victorious career? He had advanced to the field
+with his fresh, youthful fire, a shining example to all. He was always
+mounted, shunning no danger, but taking part in the hardships and
+fatigue incident to the changing life of war; even showing himself
+personally active at the discovery of foraging-parties. Why did he
+suddenly hesitate and lie inactive in camp? Why did he not summon his
+generals and staff-officers to his quarters, instead of his Minister von
+Herzberg? Every one asked himself the question, and every one answered
+it differently.--Some said, "Because the Empress of Russia had raised
+objections to this war of German brothers;" others, that "the King of
+the French had offered to settle the quarrel as intermediator." A third
+said, the "empress-queen, Maria Theresa, was terrified at the rapid
+advance of the Prussians, and had immediately commenced negotiations for
+peace."
+
+While the wise politicians of Germany and all Europe read and pondered,
+Frederick tarried quietly in his peasant-house, in which he had taken up
+his quarters, and which had been arranged very comfortably with
+carpets, camp-stools, and curtains. He sat in his cabinet upon the
+high, leather-covered arm-chair, which had been brought for him from the
+neighboring parsonage. Alkmene lay upon his knee, and Diana at his feet.
+His countenance was pale, and betrayed fatigue, but his eye beamed with
+undimmed brilliancy, and around his mouth played an ironical smile.
+"Well, so matters stand; therefore, I have summoned you to Welsdorf,"
+said Frederick to his minister, Von Herzberg. "The empress-queen is,
+above all things, a most tender mother. She is fearfully anxious, now
+that the dear young Emperor Joseph has left for the army, and will be
+exposed to the dangers of war. My good friends in Vienna inform me that
+my entrance into Bohemia created a sensation at the brilliant capital,
+and had so much alarmed the empress-queen, that she was seriously
+thinking of negotiating for peace. As I learned this from a reliable
+source, I halted and encamped, that the empress should know where to
+find me, and sent to summon you immediately. I had not been here three
+days, when the empress's ambassador, Baron von Thugut, appeared to make
+offers, and consult about an armistice of two weeks. I made known my
+conditions, and promised the empress, through her negotiator, that I
+would so calculate my movements that her majesty would have nothing
+to fear for her blood and her cherished emperor. [Footnote: The king's
+words.--See "Prussia, Frederick the Great," vol. iv., p. 102.] Voila,
+mon cher ministre, you know all now. If the Austrian diplomat comes a
+second time, you can negotiate with him."
+
+"Is your majesty also inclined to peace?" asked Herzberg.
+
+The king shrugged his shoulders. "When it can be arranged with honor,
+yes," said he. "I will acknowledge, Herzberg, to you, the campaign is
+hard for me. The old fellow of sixty-eight feels the burden of life, and
+would gladly rest quietly, and enjoy the last few years as philosopher
+and writer instead of soldier."
+
+"Your majesty has yet many years to live, God willing," cried Herzberg.
+"It would be a great misfortune to Prussia if she could not yet owe to
+her great king a long and happy reign."
+
+"Hem!" replied the king, "there are in Prussia very many who think
+otherwise, and wish me to the devil. But I have no intention of seeking
+monsieur so soon, for there are sufficient devilish deeds to endure in
+this earthly vale of sorrow to prepare for one a very decent purgatory,
+and give him hereafter well-founded hopes of heaven. Therefore I count
+upon remaining here below a while, and to knead with you this leaven of
+life that may yield to my subjects an eatable bread. You must help me,
+Herzberg, when I am the baker, to provide the flour for my people; you
+must be the associate to knead the bread. In order that the flour should
+not fail, and the bread give out, it may be necessary, if possible, to
+make peace."
+
+"Will your majesty be so gracious as to inform me what steps I may take,
+and upon what conditions?"
+
+"Take this paper," said the king, extending a written document
+to Herzberg. "I have therein expressed my wishes, and you can act
+accordingly. I am prepared for peace upon any terms which can be made
+with honor, and which do not frustrate the aim I have in view. You well
+know that this is the security of Germany against Austria's ambitious
+love of territorial aggrandizement! I cannot and I will not suffer that
+the house of Habsburg should strive for unjust possession in Germany,
+and appropriate Bavaria to herself while a lawful heir exists. I well
+know that I play the role of Don Quixote, and am about to fight for the
+rights of Germany as the Chevalier de la Mancha fought for his Dulcinea
+del Toboso. Mais, que voulez-vous, it is necessary for my fame and
+repose that I enter the arena once more against Austria to prove to her
+that I exist. I take this step on account of the prestige I have gained
+in the German empire, and which I should lose if I had not faced Austria
+in this Bavarian contest. And besides, it is agreeable to me to accustom
+my successor to the thunder of cannon, and witness his bearing on the
+field of battle."
+
+"He will certainly do honor to the heroic race of Hohenzollern,"
+answered Herzberg, bowing.
+
+A sudden flash from the king's fiery eyes met the calm pale face
+of Herzberg. "Mere words and flattery, which prove that you are not
+satisfied, Herzberg! Nay, nay, do not deny it; you do not like that I
+should tarry and treat, and set the pen in motion instead of the sword.
+You are a man of deeds, and if you had had your way, I should have
+already won a decisive battle, and be on the road to Vienna to besiege
+the empress in her citadel, and dictate an humiliating peace to her."
+
+"Your majesty, I can assure you--"
+
+"Well, well, do not quarrel!" interrupted the king; "do you suppose I
+cannot read your honest and obstinate face? Do you suppose I did not
+mean what I said? Acknowledge that I am right! confess it, I command
+you!"
+
+"If your majesty commands it, then I will acknowledge it. Yes, I did
+wish that your majesty had not empowered Baron von Thugut to return
+for further negotiations. It would have been well if your majesty had
+marched victorious to Vienna, to let the proud Hapsburgers see for once
+that Frederick of Prussia does not stand behind them, but at their side;
+that he has created a new order of things; that the old, mouldy, rotten
+statutes of the imperial sovereignty have fallen in the dust before
+Frederick the Great; that Germany must be newly mapped out, in order to
+give room near the old man Austria for young Prussia. Yes, your majesty,
+I could have wished that you had even been less generous, less noble
+toward the supercilious, insolent enemy, and have accepted no conditions
+but those of 'equality for Prussia with Austria in the German empire!'"
+
+"My dear sir, I am truly astonished at the vigor with which you express
+yourself; I am very glad to find you so enthusiastic," said Frederick,
+nodding to his minister; "but listen--I will confide to you that which
+I do not wish you to repeat: I am no longer, to my regret, what you so
+flatteringly call me, 'Frederick the Great,' but only 'Old Fritz.' Do
+you understand me? the latter is a deplorable, worn-out soldier, who no
+longer feels power or vigor. The lines of Boileau often recur to me on
+mounting my horse:
+
+     'Unfortunate one, leave thy steed growing old in peace,
+     For fear, that, panting and suddenly out of breath,
+     In falling, he may not leave his master upon the arena!'
+
+It is the misery of life that man will grow old, and that the body, when
+worn and weary, will even subdue the spirit, and force her to fold her
+wings and suffer. I did not realize that it had gone so far with me,
+and I imagined that the winged soul could raise the old, decayed body.
+Therefore I risked, in spite of my lazy old age, to undertake this war,
+for I recognized it as a holy duty to enter into it, for the honor and
+justice of our country, and prove to the Emperor of Germany that he
+could not manage and rule at his will in the German empire. I long not
+for the honor of new laurels, but I should be satisfied, as father of my
+subjects, to gain a civil crown.
+
+"There you have my creed. I have as sincerely confessed to you as my
+respectable cousin, the empress-queen, to her confessor; only I did not
+fall upon my knees to you, and you do not as the said confessor, betray
+me to the Holy Father at Rome."
+
+"Your majesty well knows that every word which you have the grace to
+confide to me, is engraved upon my inmost soul, and that no power upon
+earth could force me to reveal it."
+
+"I know that you are a true and zealous servant of your king and
+country," said Frederick. "Once more I say to you, other than an
+honorable peace I will not make; and if empress-queen does not accept
+the abandonment of Bavaria as the basis of peace, then I must conquer my
+aversion to war, and the sword must arrange what the pen has failed to
+do. And now, passons ladessus! Until Thugut arrives, let us speak of
+other things. I have been tolerably industrious, and have improved the
+leisure of camp-life as much as possible. I have written a panegyric
+upon Voltaire, and when it is revised and corrected you shall arrange an
+anniversary in memoriam, at the Berlin Academy, and read my eulogy."
+
+"All Germany and all Europe will be surprised at the magnanimity of
+the royal mind which could occupy itself in the camp with the muse, and
+erect an imperishable monument to the man who witnessed such ingratitude
+and baseness to his benefactor and protector."
+
+"Vous allez trop vite, mon cher; vraiment, trop vite," cried Frederick,
+ardently. "It is true Voltaire was a miserable fellow, but he was a
+great poet. He returned meanness and ingratitude to me for the many
+kindnesses I showed to him, for I treated him more like a friend than a
+king. Voltaire was my benefactor, in so far that I owed to him the most
+agreeable and elevating hours of my youth, In memory of these hours I
+have written this eulogy. It is not worthy of particular mention, and
+the Academie Francaise will doubtless severely criticise my knowledge of
+their language. But it is impossible to write well, one moment in camp
+and another on the march. If it is unworthy of him whom it was intended
+to celebrate, I have at least availed myself of the freedom of the pen,
+and will cause to be publicly read in Berlin what one dares not whisper
+in Paris." [Footnote: The king's own words.--"Posthumous Works," vol.
+xv., p. 109. This eulogy upon Voltaire, which the king wrote in camp,
+Herzberg read, in the November following, before the Academy.]
+
+"I shall be most happy to be the instrument to make known this generous
+expression of your majesty's good-will," remarked Herzberg, bowing.
+
+Frederick smiled, adding: "But with the other work which I have
+commenced, you are not quite satisfied. You are such an enthusiastic
+German, that you presume to assert that the intolerable German jargon is
+a beautiful and expressive language!"
+
+"And I abide by this decision, your majesty," zealously cried Herzberg.
+"The German language is euphonious, and prolific in ideas, and it
+is well capable of rivalling in brevity and clearness those of the
+ancients."
+
+"That you have already asserted, and I have contested it, and again I
+contest it to-day. Do not trouble me with your German language. It
+will only deserve notice when great poets, distinguished orators, and
+admirable historians, have given it their attention and corrected it,
+freeing it from such disgusting and effeminate phrases as now disfigure
+it, and cause one to use a mass of words to express a few ideas. At
+present it is only an accumulation of different dialects, which every
+division of the German empire thinks to speak the best, and of which
+twenty thousand can scarcely understand what the other twenty thousand
+are saying!" [Footnote: The king's own words.--See "Posthumous Works,"
+vol. xv.]
+
+"Sire," cried Herzberg, with vehemence, "should a German king thus
+speak of his native tongue, at the same time that he takes the field
+to vindicate the honor of Germany, and submits to all the miseries and
+hardships of war? Your majesty cannot be in earnest, to despise our
+beautiful language."
+
+"I do not despise it; I only say that it must be reformed, and shorn of
+its excrescences. Until then we must use the French, which is to-day the
+language of the world, and in which one can render all the master-works
+of the Greeks and the Latins, with the same versatility, delicacy, and
+subtlety, as the original. You pretend that one can well read Tacitus
+in a German translation, but I do not think the language capable of
+rendering the Latin authors with the same brevity as the French."
+
+"Sire, to my joy, I can give you proof to the contrary. A Berlin savant,
+Conrector Moritz, at my request, has translated a few chapters of
+the fourteenth book of the 'Annals of Tacitus,' word for word,
+most faithfully into German. He has written it in two columns, the
+translation at the side of the original. I have taken the liberty to
+bring this work with me and you will see how exactly, and with what
+brevity, Latin authors can be rendered into German, and that there are
+young learned men who have seized the spirit of our language and know
+how to use it with grace and skill."
+
+"Indeed, give it to me," cried the king, zealously. "I am truly curious
+to admire the German linguist's work who has so boldly undertaken to
+translate Tacitus."
+
+"Sire," said Herzberg, raising his eyes knowingly, with a mild,
+imploring expression to the king's face--"sire, I join a request with
+this translation."
+
+"What is it? I am very curious about a petition from you, it is so
+seldom that you proffer one."
+
+"Your majesty, my request concerns the translator of this very chapter
+of Tacitus. He is Conrector Moritz, attached to the Gray Cloister in
+Berlin--an unusually gifted young man, who has undoubtedly a brilliant
+future before him. He has already written many eminent works. The
+Director Gedicke recommended him to me as a most distinguished,
+scholarly person, and I have learned to know and appreciate the young
+man by this means."
+
+"I see it," nodded the king. "You speak of him with great enthusiasm,
+and as what you so warmly recommend is generally able and well
+qualified, I begin to be interested in this Herr Moritz. When I return
+to Berlin--and Heaven grant that it may be soon!--I will at once empower
+you to present this luminary. Are you satisfied?"
+
+"Sire, dare I ask still more? I would beg your majesty to grant this
+young man an audience at once."
+
+"How, at once! Is this phoenix here, who so interests my Minister
+Herzberg? Where is he from, and what does he wish?"
+
+"He is from Berlin; I met him making the journey on foot. He sat upon a
+stone, by the wayside, eating a piece of bread, with a glowing face, and
+so absorbed talking to himself in Latin that he heard not the creaking
+of my carriage through the sand. I recognized him immediately, and
+called him by name. He turned, perfectly unembarrassed and not at all
+ashamed to have been discovered in such an humble and poor position."
+
+"That is to say, he is a good comedian," said the king. "He knew that
+you would drive past there, and placed himself expressly to call your
+attention to him."
+
+"I beg pardon, sire; Conrector Moritz could not have known that I
+would take this journey. You will recollect that the courier arrived at
+midnight with your majesty's commands, and two hours later I was on the
+road, and have since travelled day and night. As I met the young man
+only five miles from this place, he must have set out many days before I
+thought of leaving Berlin."
+
+"It is true," said the king, "it was a false suspicion. You invited him
+into your carriage, did you not?"
+
+"I did very naturally, sire, as he told me he was going to beg an
+audience of your majesty. At first he refused decidedly, as he wished to
+travel on foot, like the pilgrims to the pope at Rome."
+
+"An original, a truly original genius," cried the king.
+
+"He is so indeed, and is so called by all his friends."
+
+"Has he any friends?" asked the king, with an incredulous smile.
+
+"Yes, sire, many warm and sympathizing friends, who are much attached to
+him, and, on account of his distinguished and brilliant qualities, are
+willing to indulge his peculiarities."
+
+"Herzberg, you are charmed, and speak of this man as a young girl in
+love!"
+
+"Sire, if I were a young girl, I should certainly fall in love with this
+Moritz, for he is handsome."
+
+"Diable! I begin to fear this subject. You say he is handsome, learned,
+wise, and good, although he belongs to the airy, puffed-up Berliners.
+Did you let Herr Moritz wander on in his pilgrimage?"
+
+"No, sire, I persuaded him at last to accept a seat in my carriage, by
+explaining to him that your majesty might soon leave Welsdorf, and he
+would run the risk of not arriving in season. Upon no condition would
+he get inside, but climbed up behind, for, said he, with a firm,
+decided manner, 'I go to the king as a beggar, not as a distinguished
+gentleman.'"
+
+"Indeed it is an original," the king murmured to himself. "Do you know
+what the man wants?" he asked aloud.
+
+"No, your majesty; he said that his business concerned the happiness of
+two human beings, and that he could only open his heart to his God and
+his king."
+
+"Where is your protege?"
+
+"He stands outside, and it is my humble request that your majesty will
+grant him an audience, and permit me to call him."
+
+"It is granted, and--"
+
+Just at that moment the door opened, and the footman announced that the
+private secretary of his highness Prince von Galitzin had arrived, and
+most respectfully begged an audience.
+
+"It is he--it is the baron," said the king. "Tell your protege he must
+wait, and come again. Bid the Prince von Galitzin enter."
+
+As the Minister von Herzberg withdrew, the Baron von Thugut appeared,
+the extraordinary and secret ambassador of the Empress Maria Theresa.
+
+"Well, Herr Baron, you are already returned," said the king, as he
+scarcely nodded to the profoundly respectful bows of the ambassador. "I
+infer, therefore, that your instructions are not from the empress, but
+from the co-regent, the Emperor Joseph, who has betaken himself to the
+Austrian camp."
+
+"Sire," answered Thugut, laconically, "I have driven day and night, and
+have received my instructions directly from the empress."
+
+The king slowly shook his head, and an imperceptible smile played around
+his lips.
+
+"Does the young emperor approve of these instructions?"
+
+"Sire, his majesty, the emperor, is only the co-regent," answered
+Thugut, hastily. "It is not therefore necessary, that my sovereign
+should make her decisions dependent upon her son's concordance."
+
+"The empress will negotiate for peace," said the king to himself, "but
+the emperor desires to win laurels in the war, and will try to cut off
+the negotiations of his mother by a coup de main. One must be on his
+guard!"
+
+Just then the door opened and Herzberg returned.
+
+"You perceive I expected you, Baron von Thugut," said the king, "and I
+ordered here my minister of state, Herr von Herzberg. This is the Baron
+von Thugut, my dear minister, the ambassador of the empress-queen, who
+carries in his pocket peace or war, as it may be."
+
+"Sire, I must protest against being so important a personage, as peace
+and war alone depend upon your majesty. It alone depends upon the lofty
+King of Prussia whether he will give peace and tranquillity to Germany,
+or suffer the guilt of permitting the bloody scourge of civil war again
+to tear in pieces the unhappy German nation."
+
+"That sounds very sentimental," cried the king, smiling. "The Baron von
+Thugut will appeal to my heart, when we have only to do with the head.
+Austria wishes to be the head of Germany, and as such would devour one
+German state after another, as a very palatable morsel. But if you will
+be the head, Monsieur le Baron, you cannot represent the stomach also,
+for, as I have been told, it only exists in those soft animals of the
+sea whose head is in their stomach, and which think and digest at the
+same time. Austria does not belong to this class, but has rather a very
+hard and impenetrable shell. We cannot let her devour as stomach what as
+the head she has chosen as booty. That the electorate of Bavaria is not
+to be devoured, is the necessary and fundamental preliminary upon which
+the temple of peace may be erected. If you, or rather the empress-queen,
+agree to it, the negotiations can be concluded by you two gentlemen.
+But if you think to erect a temple of peace upon any other basis,
+your propositions will be in vain. I have not taken the field to make
+conquests, but to protect the rights of a German prince, and not suffer
+others to appropriate a German state. I know, as you have said, that war
+is a bloody scourge for the nation; but, sir, we will not look at it in
+a sentimental light, and talk of civil war, when Austria herself compels
+us to take the field. Or, perhaps, you imagine to prove to my good
+Pomeranians, Markers, and my other German states, that the Croatians,
+Pandurians, Hungarians, Wallachians, Italians, and Polanders, are our
+German brothers, which imperial Austria opposes to us. I think this
+brotherhood may be traced to our common ancestor, Adam, and in this
+sense all wars are indeed civil wars. In any case war is a scourge for
+man, and I am convinced that the empress-queen would just as willingly
+spare her Croatians, Pandurians, Wallachians, and Galicians, as I all my
+German subjects collectively."
+
+"Also your majesty's Polish subjects, as may be expected," added Baron
+von Thugut.
+
+"My Polish subjects are the minimum portion, and are about in proportion
+to the German population as in imperial Austria the German is to the
+foreign. But enough of this; if I do not recognize this as a civil
+war, it is indeed a great misfortune. I would do every thing to avoid
+it--every thing compatible with the honor and glory of my house, as well
+as that of Germany in general. Therefore let us know the Views of the
+empress-queen!"
+
+"Sire," answered Von Thugut, as he slowly untied and unfolded the
+documents, "I beg permission to read aloud to your majesty the acts
+relative to these points."
+
+"No, baron," answered the king quickly, "the more minute details give to
+my minister; I wish only the contents in brief."
+
+"At your majesty's command. The empress-queen declares herself ready
+to renounce the concluded treaty of inheritance to the succession of
+Bavaria at the death of Elector Charles Theodore; also to give up the
+district seized, if Prussia will promise to resign the succession of
+the Margraves of Anspach and Baireuth, and let them remain independent
+principalities, governed by self-dependent sovereigns."
+
+"That means, that Austria, who will unjustly aggrandize herself by
+Bavaria, will deprive Prussia of a lawful inheritance!" cried the king,
+his eyes flashing anger. "I will not heed the after-cause, but I wish
+to satisfactorily understand the first part of the proposition, that
+Austria will cede her pretensions to Bavaria."
+
+"Sire, upon conditions only which are sufficient for the honor, the
+wishes, and necessities of my lofty mistress."
+
+"You hear, my dear Herzberg," said the king, smiling, and turning to his
+minister, "c'est tout comme chez nous. It will now be your task to find
+out these conditions, which too closely affect the honor of one or the
+other. For this purpose you will find the adjacent Cloister Braunau more
+convenient than my poor cabin. At the conferences of diplomats much time
+is consumed, while we military people have little time to spare. I shall
+move on with my army."
+
+"How, then! will your majesty break up here?" cried Thugut, with evident
+surprise.
+
+The king smiled. "Yes, I shall advance, as my remaining might be
+construed equal to a retreat. The arts of diplomacy may drag on until
+the imperialists have assembled all their foreign subjects to the
+so-called civil war. Then hasten the negotiations, Baron von Thugut,
+for every day of diplomatic peace is one day more of foraging war, and I
+know not that you count the Bohemians in the German brotherhood, to whom
+the calamity of war is ruinous. You have now to deal with the Baron
+von Thugut, my dear Herzberg, and I hope the baron will accept some
+diplomatic campaigns with you in Cloister Braunau."
+
+"Sire, I accept, and if your majesty will dismiss me, I will go at once
+to the cloister," answered Baron von Thugut, whose manner had become
+graver and more serious since the king's announcement of the intended
+advance.
+
+"You are at liberty to withdraw. The good and hospitable monks have
+already been apprised of your arrival by an express courier, and have
+doubtless a good supper and a soft bed awaiting you."
+
+"Had your majesty the grace to be convinced of my return?" asked Thugut.
+
+"I was convinced of the tender heart of the empress-queen, and that she
+would graciously try once more, in her Christian mercy, to convert such
+an old barbarian and heretic as I am. Go now to the cloister, and when I
+pass by in the morning, with my army, I will not fail to have them play
+a pious air for the edification of the diplomats--such as, 'My soul,
+like the young deer, cries unto Thee,' or, 'Oh, master, I am thy old
+dog,' or some such heavenly song to excite the diplomats to pious
+thoughts, and therewith I commend you to God's care, Baron von Thugut."
+
+The king charged Herr von Herzberg to play the role of
+grand-chamberlain, and accompany the ambassador to his carriage,
+smiling, and slightly nodding a farewell.
+
+The baron was on the point of leaving, when the king called to him.
+
+"Had your majesty the grace to call me?" asked Thugut, hastily turning.
+
+"Yes!" answered Frederick, smiling, and pointing to the string which
+had served to bind the baron's papers. "You have forgotten something,
+my lord, and I do not like to enrich myself with others' property."
+[Footnote: Historical. The king's words.--See Hormayr.]
+
+Baron von Thugut took this last well-aimed stab of his royal opponent
+somewhat embarrassed, and hastened to pick up the string, and withdraw.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. THE KING AND THE LOVER.
+
+
+The king smiled, glancing at the retreating figure of the baron, and
+approached the window to peep through the little green glass panes to
+see him as he passed by.
+
+"A sly fox," said he, smiling, "but I will prove to him that we
+understand fox-hunting, and are not deceived by cunning feints."
+
+"Will your majesty really break up to-day?" asked Von Herzberg, upon
+returning.
+
+"Yes, my dear minister. That is to say, I do not wish to, but I must, in
+order to give the negotiations for peace a war-like character. The enemy
+asks for delay to finish their preparations for war--not peace. The
+negotiations for the latter emanate from the empress, but the conditions
+concerning Anspach come from the emperor. It is the Eris-apple, which
+he casts upon the table, by which his imperial mother and I would
+gladly smoke the pipe of peace. It is incumbent upon you, Herzberg, to
+negotiate for peace, while I pick up the apple and balance it a little
+upon the point of my sword. I shall leave early to-morrow, but I would
+speak with you before I set out. You must be weary with the journey, so
+rest awhile now, then dine with me, and afterward go to the conference."
+
+"Sire, will you not receive my protege, Conrector Moritz?"
+
+"Did you not say that he begged for a secret audience?"
+
+"Yes, sire, he has for this purpose travelled the long distance from
+Berlin, and I assure your majesty, upon my word of honor, that I have
+not the least suspicion what his petition may be."
+
+"Eh bien, say to your protege that I grant him the sought-for interview
+on your account, Herzberg. You are such a curious fellow--you are always
+petitioning for others instead of yourself, and the benefits which you
+ought to receive go to them. Let Moritz enter, and then try to sleep a
+little, that you may be wide awake to confer with Baron von Thugut."
+
+Minister von Herzberg withdrew, and immediately the pale, earnest face
+of Conrector Philip Moritz appeared in the royal presence.
+
+The king regarded him with a prolonged and searching glance, the noble,
+resolute face of whom was pallid with deep grief, but from whose eyes
+there beamed courageous energy. "Are you the translator of the chapters
+from Tacitus, which my Minister Herzberg handed me?" asked the king,
+after a pause.
+
+"Yes, sire," gently answered Moritz.
+
+"I am told that it is ably done," continued his majesty, still
+attentively observing him. "You will acknowledge that it is exceedingly
+difficult to render the concise style of Tacitus into the prolix,
+long-winded German?"
+
+"Pardon me, sire," replied Moritz, whose youthful impetuosity could
+with difficulty be diverted from the real object of his pilgrimage.
+"Our language is by no means long-winded, and there is no difficulty in
+translating Latin authors into German, which equals any living tongue
+in beauty and sonorousness, and surpasses them all in depth of thought,
+power, and poesy."
+
+"Diable!" cried the king, smiling; "you speak like an incarnate German
+philologist, who confounds the sound of words with profound thought. You
+will acknowledge that until now our language has not been much known."
+
+"Sire," answered Moritz, "Martin Luther, in his translation of the Bible
+three hundred years since, employed hundreds of beautiful, expressive
+formations."
+
+"He is not only a learned man," said the king to himself, "but he seems
+an honorable one; and now, as I have proved his scholarly attainments,
+I must indulge his impatience." The king's penetrating glance softened,
+and his features changed their severe expression. "The Minister von
+Herzberg informed me that he found you by the roadside, and that you
+would journey hither on foot."
+
+"It is true, sire."
+
+"Why did you travel in that manner?"
+
+"Sire, I desired, as the poor, heavily-laden pilgrims of the middle
+ages, to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Father at Rome, who was the
+king of kings. Every step in advance seemed to them to lighten their
+burden and enhance their happiness. Your majesty is in our day what the
+pope was held to be in the middle ages, therefore I have wandered as
+a pilgrim to my king, who has the power to bind and to loose, and from
+whom I must not only implore personal happiness, but that also of a good
+and amiable young girl."
+
+"Ah! it concerns a love-affair. As I now look at you, I can understand
+that. You are young and passionate, and the maidens have eyes. How can I
+help you in such an adventure?"
+
+"Sire, by not granting a title to a certain person, or if it must be
+granted, annul the conditions attendant upon it."
+
+"I do not understand you," answered the king, harshly. "Speak not in
+riddles. What do you mean?"
+
+"General Werrig von Leuthen has addressed himself to you, sire, praying
+for the consent of your majesty to the marriage of his daughter with
+the banker Ebenstreit. Your majesty has consented, and added that Herr
+Ebenstreit shall take the name of his future father-in-law, and the
+marriage shall take place as soon as the title of nobility has been made
+out."
+
+The king nodded. "For which the new-made nobleman has to pay a hundred
+louis d'ors to the Invalids at Berlin. But what is that to you? And what
+connection has Herr Ebenstreit's title to do with Conrector Moritz?"
+
+Moritz's face brightened, and, deeply moved, he answered: "Sire, I love
+the daughter of General von Leuthen, and she returns my love. By not
+ennobling Ebenstreit, it lies in your power, most gracious majesty, to
+make two persons the most blessed of God's creatures, who desire nothing
+more than to wander hand in hand through life, loving and trusting each
+other."
+
+"Is that all?" asked the king, with a searching glance.
+
+Moritz quailed beneath it, and cast down his eyes. "No!" he replied.
+"As I now stand in the presence of your majesty, I am sensible of the
+boldness of my undertaking, and words fail me to express what is burning
+in my soul. Oh! sire, I only know that we love each other, and that this
+love is the first sunbeam which has fallen upon my gloomy and thorny
+path of life, and awakened in my lonely heart all the bloom of feeling.
+You smile, and your great spirit may well mock the poor human being
+who thinks of personal happiness, when for an idea merely thousands are
+killed upon the field of battle. My life, sire, has been a great combat,
+in which I have striven with all the demons escaped from Pandora's box.
+I have grown up amid privations and need. I have lived and suffered,
+until God recompensed my joyless, toiling, hungered existence by this
+reciprocated love, which is a beautiful ornament to my life, and is life
+itself, and to renounce it would be to renounce life. I am young, sire,
+and I long for the unknown paradise of earthly happiness, which I have
+never entered until now, and which I can only attain led by the hand of
+my beloved. I yearn just once, as other privileged men, to bask in the
+sunshine of happiness a long, beautiful summer day, and then at the
+golden sunset to sink upon my knees and cry, 'I thank Thee, O God, that
+in Thy goodness I have recognized Thy sublimity, and that Thou hast
+revealed thy glory to me.' All this appears of little importance to your
+majesty, for the heart of a king is not like that of other men, and the
+personal happiness of individuals appears a matter of little account to
+him who thinks and works for the good of an entire nation. But the
+fly, sire, which is sunning itself upon the plumes of the helmet of a
+victorious king, has its right to happiness, for God created it with the
+same care and love that He created the noblest of His creatures--man!
+and it would be cruel to kill it without necessity. Sire, I do not extol
+myself. I know that in your eyes I am no more than the fly upon your
+helmet, but I only implore you to grant me my life, for God has given it
+to me."
+
+"You mean by this that I shall forbid General von Leuthen to marry
+his daughter to the rich man who seeks her, and to which marriage,
+understand me well, I have already given my consent."
+
+"Sire, I only know that this union drives not only me to despair, but
+one of the noblest and best of God's creatures. Fraulein von Leuthen
+does not love the bridegroom forced upon her; she detests him, and
+she has good reason to, for the banker Ebenstreit is a cold-hearted,
+purse-proud man, enfeebled by a voluptuous, vicious life, and seeks
+nothing nobler and more elevated in the young girl to whom he has
+offered his hand, than the title and noble name which she can procure
+for him. Your majesty, I implore not for myself, but for the daughter
+of a man who once had the good fortune to save your life in battle! Have
+pity upon her, and do not sacrifice her to an inconsolably hopeless life
+by the side of an unloved and detested husband!"
+
+The king slowly shook his head. "You forget that the general to whom I
+am indebted for this favor has begged my consent to this marriage, and
+that I have granted it."
+
+"Sire, I conjure you to recall it! Upon my knees I implore you not to
+grant it! Do not make two people unhappy, who only beg of your majesty
+the permission to love and live with each other!" Moritz threw himself
+at the king's feet, praying with clasped hands, his face flushed with
+deep emotion, and his eyes dimmed with tears.
+
+"Rise!" commanded Frederick, "rise, do not kneel to me as to a God. I
+am a feeble mortal, subject to the same ills which threaten you and the
+whole human race. Rise, and answer me one question--are you rich?"
+
+"No," answered Moritz, proudly raising his head; "no, I am poor."
+
+"Do you know that Fraulein von Leuthen is poor? Her father is worse off
+than Job, for he is in debt."
+
+"If General von Leuthen's daughter were rich, or even moderately well
+off, I never would have presumed to address your majesty on the subject,
+for fear that you might misconstrue my intentions, and suppose that my
+love was inspired by self-interest. Fortunately, Marie possesses nothing
+but her noble, beautiful self. She leads a joyless existence under
+the severe discipline of her cold-hearted parents; and therefore I can
+truthfully say, that with me she will lose nothing, but gain what she
+has never known--a tranquil, happy life, protected by my love."
+
+"How much salary do you receive as teacher?"
+
+"Majesty, as conrector of the college attached to the Gray Monastery,
+three hundred and fifty dollars."
+
+"Do you expect to live upon that yourself, and support a family
+besides?"
+
+"Sire, I shall earn money in other ways, as I have already done. I shall
+write books. The publishers tell me that I am a favorite author, and
+they pay me well."
+
+"If on the morrow you should fall ill, your income would vanish, and
+your family and you would starve together. No! no! you are an idealist,
+you dream how life should be, and not as it is in truth! I have listened
+to you, thinking that you would present some forcible argument upon
+which to found your pretensions, but I hear only the ravings of a lover,
+who believes the world turns upon the axis of his happiness. Let me tell
+you that love is an ephemera, which merrily sports in the sunlight a few
+short hours, and dies at sunset. Should a king forfeit his word for such
+a short-lived bliss? Should he reward a man to whom he is indebted
+by depriving him of a rich son-in-law, who is agreeable to him, and
+substituting a poor one, from whom he can never hope to receive a
+comfortable maintenance? You young people are all alike. You think only
+of yourselves, and it is a matter of little consequence to you if the
+aged pine away and die, provided you build up happiness on their graves!
+I ask you, who have talked so much about your own wishes, and those of
+your beloved, where is it written that man must be happy, that there
+is a necessity to make him so? Do you suppose that I have ever been
+happy--who have a long, active life in retrospection? Mankind have taken
+good care that I should not sip this nectar of the gods, and have taught
+me early to renounce it. Life is not consumed in pleasure, but in toil,
+and I believe its only happiness consists in the fact that at last, when
+weary and worn, we will sink into the grave--to an eternal rest! Every
+human being must work according to his abilities, and in the position
+which Fate has assigned to him. To maintain this position, his honor is
+at stake--the best and most sacred gift confided to man. You will
+not desert it--not despair in life because your dream of bliss is not
+realized."
+
+"Sire," answered Moritz, with a cry of anguish, "it is no dream, but a
+reality!"
+
+"Happiness is only ideal," said the king, slowly shaking his head. "What
+we sigh for to-day, we curse on the morrow as a misfortune. Let this
+serve as a lesson to you. Toil on--you are a scholar; woo Science for
+your bride. Her charms will never fade. In youth as in old age she will
+attract you by her beauty and constancy--that which you cannot hope for
+from women."
+
+"Sire," asked Moritz, in deep dejection, "will you not grant the
+petition of my heart? Will you condemn this poor, innocent young girl
+who prays your majesty through me, to a long, joyless existence, to a
+daily-renewing sorrow?"
+
+The king shrugged his shoulders. "I have already said that happiness is
+imaginary; I might have added unhappiness also. General von Leuthen's
+daughter will accustom herself to the misfortune of being a rich man's
+wife, and finally will drive with a smiling face in her four-in-hand
+gilded carriage!"
+
+"Sire, I swear to you that you mistake this dear, noble-hearted young
+girl, you--"
+
+"Enough!" interrupted the king. "I have given my consent to General von
+Leuthen, and I cannot recall it. Moreover, the marriage of the daughter
+of my general with you would be a misalliance--ridiculous. In the
+republic of intellect and science, you may have a very high position,
+but in my earthly kingdom you hold too modest a one to presume to raise
+your eyes to a noble young lady. I regret that I can offer you no other
+consolation than to listen to reason, and be resigned. As we cannot
+bring down the moon to earth, we must content ourselves with a lamp to
+light up our small earthly abode. If this ever should fail you, then
+come to me and I will assist you. I cannot, to be sure, give you the
+moon, for that belongs as little to me as the bride of the rich Herr
+Ebenstreit von Leuthen. One cannot give away that which one does not
+possess. Farewell! return to Berlin, and resign yourself bravely to your
+fate. Accustom yourself to the thought that in fourteen days Fraulein
+von Leuthen will become the wife of your wealthy rival. The wedding
+ceremony awaits only the papers of nobility, for which my order has
+already been forwarded to Berlin. I moreover propose to you not to
+return to the college at once, but travel for two weeks. I will be
+responsible for your absence, and provide you with the necessary means.
+Now tell me whether you accept my proposal?"
+
+"Thanks to your majesty, I cannot," answered Moritz, with calm dignity.
+"There is but one balm which my king could grant me. Money is not a
+plaster to soothe and heal a wounded heart. Sire, I beg you to dismiss
+me, for I will return at once to Berlin."
+
+"I hope that you have not the foolish idea to return on foot," said the
+king. "My courier will leave in an hour, and there are two places in the
+coupe, accept one of them."
+
+"Sire," said Moritz, gloomily, "I--" suddenly the words died on his
+lips, and his eyes beamed with an unnatural fire, which paled under the
+observing glance of the king. "I thank you," said Moritz, gasping, "I
+will accept it."
+
+The king nodded. "Au revoir, in Berlin! When I return after the campaign
+I will send for you. You will then have learned to forget your so-called
+misfortune, and smile at your pilgrimage!"
+
+"I cannot think so, sire."
+
+"I am convinced of it. Farewell."
+
+Moritz answered the royal salutation with a mute bow, and withdrew with
+drooping head and sorrowful heart. The king continued to regard him with
+an expression of deep sadness. "Ah!" he sighed, "how enviable are those
+who can still believe in love's illusion, and who have not awakened from
+their dream of bliss by sad experience or age! How long since I have
+banished these dreams--how long I--"
+
+The king ceased, his head sank back upon his chair, his large, fiery
+eyes, peering into the distance, as if he would re-people it with
+the memories of youth, with the delusions from which he had so long
+awakened. Those lovely, charming forms flitted before him one by one
+which had then captivated him: the beautiful Frau von Wrechem, his
+first love, and to whom he had vowed eternal constancy; another sweet,
+innocent face that suffered shame and degradation for him--"oh! Doris,
+Doris, dream of my youth, fly past!"--and now the face with the large
+eyes and energetic features, which turned so tenderly to him, that
+of his sister Frederika, who from affection to the crown prince had
+sacrificed herself to an unloved husband in order to reconcile the son
+with the father, and preserve for him the inheritance to the throne;
+still another calm and gentle face, with the expression of sorrowful
+resignation in the deep-blue eyes, that of his wife, who had so
+passionately loved him, and had faded away at his side unloved! All
+past--past. A new face arose, the pretty Leontine von Morien, the
+tourbillon of the princely court at Rheinsberg, who pined away in sighs.
+Now passed the sweetest and loveliest of all. The king's eyes, which
+stared into empty space, now beamed with glad recognition. The heart
+which had grown old and sobered beat with feverish rapidity, and the
+compressed lips whispered, sighing, "Barbarina!" She stood before him in
+her bewitching beauty, with the charming smile upon her ruby lips, and
+passionate love beaming from her flashing eyes. "Oh, Barbarina!" The
+king rose, a cold chill crept over him. He looked around so strangely
+in the desolate, darkened room, as if he could still see this form which
+greeted him with the sad smile and tearful glance. No one was there. He
+was quite alone. Only the feeble echo of far-distant days repeated the
+device of his youth--of his life: "Soffri e taci! Resignation alone has
+remained true to me. But no--there is still another friend, my flute.
+Come, you faithful companion of my life! You have witnessed my sorrows,
+and from you I have nothing to conceal!" He tenderly regarded it, for it
+was long since he had taken it from its case. The sorrows and cares of
+life, the suffering from the gout which raged in his teeth, and sad,
+sobering old age, had caused him to lay it aside, but with the habit of
+affection he carried it everywhere. Frederick felt himself grow young
+again with the souvenirs of former days, and essayed to recall the echo
+of tenderer feelings upon his flute. The music of his heart was hushed,
+the melodious tones of former days would not return. The king laid
+it aside with an impatient movement. "Nothing is lasting in life," he
+murmured. A flourish of trumpets, a peal of drums announced that the
+regiment was passing which would parade before the king. What are they
+playing, which rouses the lonely king with bright memories and shouts of
+victory? It is the march which his majesty composed after the brilliant
+victory of Hohenfriedberg. The king raised his eyes gratefully to
+heaven, repeating aloud: "There is something lasting in life. Love
+ceases and music dies away, but the good we have accomplished remains.
+The most glorious of earthly rewards is granted to those who have
+achieved great deeds--the mortal becomes immortal--the gods ceding
+to him that which is more elevating than love or happiness--fame. Ye
+trumpets of Hohenfriedberg, ye will still quiver when I am gone, and
+relate to succeeding generations about 'Old Fritz.' Such tales are well
+worthy to live and suffer for! I am coming, ye trumpets of fame." With
+youthful activity and beaming face the king went out to receive his
+generals, who saluted him with silent reverence, and his soldiers, who
+greeted their beloved commander and king with an exultant shout.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. IN WEIMAR.
+
+
+"There lies dear Weimar, encircled in its wreath of green. Do you not
+see it, Wolf? I will refresh my heart with its view; so halt, postilion,
+halt," cried the duke. "It is more beautiful to me than stately, proud
+Berlin. Though a poor, gray nest, I could press it to my heart, with all
+its untidy little houses, and tedious old pedants. Let us walk down the
+hill, Wolf."
+
+"Most willingly," cried Goethe, stretching forth his arms to the little
+town, nestled in the peaceful valley, "be welcome, you lovely paradise,
+with your angels and serpents; we press on toward you with all our heart
+and soul, as to the seven-sealed book, filled with mysteries, and we
+would draw glorious revelations from your hidden contents."
+
+"And grant, ye gods, that the inspired one may at last break the seal
+which a cruel friend has placed upon her lips, that he may not drink the
+kiss of love glowing beneath," said the duke, smiling. "Do you not see
+the gray roof yonder, with its background of tall trees, that--"
+
+"The house where dwells my beloved, my dearest friend, my sister, and
+the mistress of my heart," interrupted Goethe. "She is all this, for she
+is my all in all. The fountains of bliss and love which here and there I
+have drawn from, refreshing my heart and occupying my mind, flow toward
+her, united in one broad, silvery stream, with heaven and earth mirrored
+therein, and revealing wonderful secrets in its rushing waves."
+
+"Ah, Wolf!" cried the duke, "you are a happy, enviable creature, free
+and unfettered, sending your love where it pleases you. My dear Wolf, I
+advise you never to marry, for--"
+
+Goethe hastily closed the duke's mouth with his hand. "Hush! not a
+word against the noble Duchess Louisa, my master and friend. She is an
+example of refined, womanly dignity; and you, Charles, are to be envied
+the love of so estimable a wife and sweet mother for your children."
+
+"Indeed I am," cried the duke, enthusiastically. "I could not have found
+a more high-minded, lovely wife, or a more excellent, virtuous mother
+for my descendants. But you know, Wolf, that your Charles has still
+another heart, very susceptible and tender, which seeks for an affinity
+to call its own, and vent itself in the pleasures of youth, in glorious
+flirtations, melancholy signs, and blissful longings. You cannot expect
+me at twenty-two to play the grandfather, and have no eyes or heart
+for other captivating women, though I love my young wife most
+affectionately, and bless Fate that I am bound with silken cords to
+Hymen's cart--though I am forever bound, and you, Wolf, are happily
+free!"
+
+"Because grim Fate refuses to unite me to my beloved. Oh, Charlotte, if
+you were free, how blessed would I be, enchained by you! Not to 'Hymen's
+cart,' as the fortunate mocker says, but to the chariot of Venus, drawn
+by doves, enthroned upon which you would bear me to heaven!"
+
+"Do not blaspheme, Wolf," cried the duke; "rather kneel and thank the
+gods that you are not fettered and your wings clipped. They wish to
+preserve to you love's delusion, because you are a favorite, and deny
+you the object adored. Beware of the institution which the French
+actress, Sophie Arnould, has so wittily called the 'consecration
+of adultery.' You will agree with me that we have many such little
+sacraments in our dear Weimar, and I must laugh when I reflect for what
+purpose those amiable beauties have married, as not one of them love
+their husbands, but they all possess a friend besides."
+
+"The human heart is a strange thing," said Goethe, as they descended the
+hill, arm in arm, "and above all a woman's heart! It is a sacred
+riddle, which God has given Himself to solve, and that only a God could
+unravel!"
+
+At this instant a flash of lightning, followed by heavy-rolling thunder,
+was heard.
+
+"Hear, Wolf--only hear!" laughed Charles--"God in heaven responds, and
+confirms your statement."
+
+"Or punishes me for my bold speech," cried Goethe, as the hailstones
+rattled around him hitting his face with their sharp points. "Heaven is
+whipping me with rods."
+
+"And our carriage has descended with a quick trot into the valley,"
+said the duke. "I will call it." He sprang into the middle of the road,
+making a speaking-trumpet of his hands, and shouted in a full, powerful
+voice, "Oho, postilion! here, postilion!"
+
+The continued rolling of the thunder, the whistling wind, and rattling
+hail, made all attempts inaudible. The two gentlemen sought shelter
+under the thick crowns of the oak-trees by the wayside, which formed an
+impenetrable roof to the flood of rain.
+
+"I know nothing more sublime than a thunder-storm," said Goethe, looking
+up as if inspired; "when the thunder rolls in such awful majesty and
+wrath, it seems as if I heard Prometheus in angry dispute with the gods.
+In the dark clouds I see the Titan, enveloped in mist, overspreading the
+heavens, and raising his giant-arm to hurl his mighty wrath." At this
+instant a flash of lightning, followed by a deafening peal reverberated
+in one prolonged echo through the hills.
+
+"Do you not hear him, Charles?" cried Goethe, delighted--"hear all the
+voices of earth united in the grumbling thunder of his wrath? See, there
+he stands, yonder in heaven--his form dark as midnight. I hear it--he
+calls--Overshadow the heavens, O Jupiter, With thy vaporous clouds!
+Cut off the oak and mountain-tops As a boy plucks the thistle. Leave me
+earth and my cabin Which thou hast not built, And my hearth-side,
+The glow of which thou enviest me! I know naught so miserable As you
+gods--you--"
+
+Again the mighty peal silenced Goethe, who looked to heaven with
+defiance flashing from his eyes and his clinched hand upraised, as if he
+were Prometheus himself menacing the gods.
+
+"Proceed, Wolf," cried the duke, as the echo died away. "How can you,
+yourself a god, be so excited with the anger of like beings? Proceed!"
+
+The uplifted arm of the poet sank at his side, and the fiery glance was
+softened. "No human word is capable of expressing what Prometheus just
+spoke in thunder," said Goethe, musingly, "and I humbly feel how weak
+and insignificant we are, and how great we think ourselves, while our
+voice is like the humming beetle in comparison to this voice from the
+clouds."
+
+"Be not desponding, Wolf, your own will ring throughout Europe; every
+ear will listen and every heart will comprehend, and centuries later it
+will delight with its freshness and beauty. The storm passes and dies
+away, but the poet lives in his heavenly melodies through all time. You
+must finish 'Prometheus' for me, Wolf. I cannot permit you to leave it
+as a fragment. I will have it in black and white, to refresh myself
+in its beauty bright. A spark of your divine talent is infused into my
+soul, and I begin to rhyme. Ah, Wolf, all that is elevated within me I
+owe to you, and I bless Fate for according you to me."
+
+"And I also, dear Charles," said Goethe, feelingly. "For, fostered and
+protected by your noble mind and nature, my inmost thoughts develop and
+blossom. We give and receive daily from each other, and so mingle the
+roots of our being that, God willing, we will become two beautiful
+trees, like the oak which now arches over us. But see, the rain is fast
+ceasing, and the sun looks out by the clinched hand of Prometheus. We
+can now travel on to the loved spot."
+
+"Oh, Wolf, are you in love? None but a lover could say the rain has
+ceased, when it pours down so that we should be drenched before we could
+arrive at Weimar. But hark! I hear a carriage in the distance; we may be
+favored with a shelter."
+
+The duke stepped out from under the trees, and looked along the highway
+with his sharp hunter's eye. "A vehicle approaches, but no chance for
+us, as it appears to be a farm-wagon, crowded with men and women."
+
+"Indeed it does," said Goethe, joining him; "a very merry company they
+are too, singing gayly. Now, grant the rain rain has ceased--"
+
+"Charlotte von Stein is at Weimar," interrupted the duke. "Give me your
+arm, and we will walk on."
+
+They advanced briskly arm in arm. A stranger meeting them would have
+supposed that they were brothers, so much alike were they in form,
+manners, and dress, for the duke as well as Goethe wore the Werther
+costume.
+
+As they descended, the carriage came nearer and nearer. The duke's keen
+eye had not been deceived. It was a farm-wagon, filled with a frolicsome
+party, sitting on bags of straw for cushions. They were chatting and
+laughing absorbed in fun, and did not observe the two foot-passengers,
+who turned aside from them. A sudden cry of surprise hushed the
+conversation; a form rose, half man and half woman, enveloped in a man's
+coat of green baize, crowned with a neat little hat of a woman. "Oh, it
+is Charles!" cried the form, and at the same instant the duke sprang to
+the wagon. "Is it possible, my dear mother?"
+
+"The Duchess Amelia!" cried Goethe, astonished.
+
+"Yes," laughed the duchess, greeting them with an affectionate look.
+"The proverb proves itself--'Like mother, like son.' On the highway
+mother and son have met. You should have done the honors in a stately
+equipage."
+
+"May I be permitted to ask where you come from?" asked the duke. "And
+the dress, of what order do you wear?"
+
+"We walked to Ziefurt, and intended to walk back. Thusnelda is so
+delicate and weak, that she complained of her fairy feet paining her,"
+answered the duchess, laughing.
+
+"Ah, duchess, must I always be the butt?" cried the lady behind the
+duchess, crouching between the straw-sacks. "Must I permit you to follow
+in my footsteps, while I--"
+
+"Hush, Goechhausen--hush, sweet Philomel," interrupted the duke, "or the
+Delphic riddle of this costume will be apparent."
+
+"It is easily explained," said the duchess. "No other conveyance was
+to be had, and my good Wieland gave me his green overcoat to protect me
+from the pouring rain." [Footnote: True anecdote.--See Lewes' "Goethe's
+Life and Writings," vol. 1., p. 406.]
+
+"And from to-day forth it will be a precious palladium," cried the
+little man with a mild, happy face on the straw by the duchess.
+
+"And there is Knebel too," shouted the duke to the gentleman who just
+then pulled the wet hood of his cloak over his powdered hair.
+
+"Our treasurer Bertuch, Count Werther, and Baron von Einsiedel also."
+
+"Does not your highness ask after our bewitching countess?" asked
+Goechhausen, in her fine, sharp voice. "The countess is quite ill--is
+she not, Count Werther?"
+
+"I believe so, they say so," answered the count, rather absent-minded.
+"I have not seen her for some days."
+
+"What is the matter?" asked the duke, as Goethe was engaged in a lively
+conversation with the duchess. "Is the dear countess dangerously ill?"
+
+"Oh, no," answered Goechhausen, "not very ill, only in love with genius,
+a malady which has attacked us all more or less since that mad fellow
+Wolfgang Goethe has raged in Weimar, and made it a place of torment to
+honorable people. Oh, Goethe--oh, Wolf! with what lamb-like innocence we
+wandered in comfortable sheep's clothing until you came and fleeced us,
+and infected us with your 'Sturm und Dranger' malady, and made us fall
+in love with your works!"
+
+"Goechhausen, hold your malicious tongue, and do not hide your own joy
+beneath jest and mockery," cried the duchess. "Acknowledge that you
+are rejoiced to see your favorite, and that you will hasten to write to
+Madam Aja, 'Our dear duke has returned, and my angel, my idol, Wolfgang,
+also.' I assure you, Goethe, Thusnelda loves you, and was exceedingly
+melancholy during your absence. If asked the cause of her sadness, she
+wept like--"
+
+"Like a crocodile," said the duke. "Oh, I know those tears of Fraulein
+Goechhausen; I could relate stories of her crocodile nature. Mother, how
+can you have such a monster in your society? Why not make the cornes,
+that the little devils may fly away?"
+
+"Very good," cried the little, crooked lady. "I see your highness has
+not changed by this journey. Where have you been, dear duke? Oh, I
+remember; you flew over the Rhine, and have flown home again quite
+unchanged."
+
+All laughed, the duke louder than any one. "Goechhausen, you are a
+glorious creature, and the Arminius is to be envied who appropriates
+this Thusnelda. Oh, I see the charming youth before me, who has the
+courage to make this German wife his own!"
+
+"I will scratch his eyes out?" cried Goechhausen, "and then the Countess
+Werther can play Antigone, and lead him around as Oedipus. Why shut your
+eyes, Einsiedel? I do not scratch quite yet."
+
+"I was not thinking of that," said the baron, astonished.
+
+"You never think that every one knows; but did you not do it so soon
+as you understood the Countess Werther should lead blind Oedipus as
+Antigone?"
+
+Before the count could answer, the court lady turned again to the duke.
+"What did your highness bring me? I hope you have not forgotten that you
+promised me a handsome present."
+
+"No, I have not forgotten it; I have brought my Thusnelda a
+souvenir--such a gift!"
+
+"What is it, your highness?"
+
+"A surprise which, if Thusnelda is clever, she must think about all
+night.--But, Goethe, is it not time to leave the ladies?"
+
+"Wait, I command you both," said the Duchess Amelia, extending her hand
+to her son, who pressed it to his lips most affectionately. "I
+have given out invitations for a soiree, for this evening. My
+daughter-in-law, the Duchess Louisa, has accepted, duke, and Frau von
+Stein also, Goethe. I hope to see you at Belvedere, gentlemen. The poet
+Gleim is in town, and will read his late 'Muse Almanach.' May I not
+expect both of you?"
+
+They joyfully consented, gazing after the merry society as it drove
+away. "This is a good bite for the poisonous tongues of the honorable,"
+cried the duke. "My mother in a farm-wagon, with Wieland's green
+overcoat on, and the reigning duke, with his Goethe, entering his
+capital on foot like a journeyman mechanic, after a long journey!"
+
+"I wish we were there, my dearest friend," sighed Goethe.
+
+"Oh, love makes you impatient! Come on, then. But listen, we must play
+Gochhausen a trick; I have promised her a surprise. Will you help me,
+Wolf?"
+
+"With pleasure, duke."
+
+"I have thought of something very droll, and your servant Philip must
+help us; he is a clever fellow, and can keep his own counsel."
+
+"He is silent as the grave, duke."
+
+"That is necessary for such a gentleman as the women all run after. Let
+us skip down the mountain, and then forward where our hearts incline us.
+This afternoon I will go for you and bring you to Belvedere, and then
+we can talk over the surprise." They ran down the declivity into the
+suburb, to the terror of the good people, who looked after them,
+saying that the young duke had returned with his mad protege. The "mad
+favorite" seemed more crazy than ever to-day, for after a brief farewell
+to the duke, he bounded through the streets across the English park, to
+the loved house, the roof of which he had so longingly greeted from the
+hillside. The door stood open, as is customary in small towns, and the
+servant in the vestibule came to meet him, and respectfully announced
+that her master had gone to his estate at Hochberg, but that Frau von
+Stein was most probably in the pavilion, in the garden, as she had
+gone thither with her guitar. "Is she alone?" asked Goethe. The
+servant answered in the affirmative, and through the court hastened the
+lover--not through the principal entrance, as he would surprise her, and
+read in her sweet face whether she thought of him. Softly he opened the
+little garden gate, and approached the pavilion by a side-alley. Do his
+feet touch the ground, or float over it? He knew not; he heard music,
+accompanied by a sweet, melodious voice. It was Charlotte's. Goethe's
+face beamed with delight and happiness. He gazed at her unseen, not
+alone with his eyes, but heart and soul went forth to her. She sat
+sideways to the door; upon a table lay her notes, and the guitar rested
+upon her arm. She sang, in a rich, sweet voice, Reinhardt's beautiful
+melody:
+
+"I'd rather fight my way through sorrows Than bear so many joys in
+life; All this affinity of heart to heart, How strangely it causes us to
+suffer!"
+
+She ceased, as if overpowered with her own thoughts, the guitar sank
+upon her lap, and her fingers glided over the chords, so that the tones
+died away imperceptibly. Her deep-blue eyes gazed pensively in the
+distance, and the sweet lips repeated softly, "How strangely it causes
+us to suffer!" Near the garden entrance, through which the odor of sweet
+flowers and the song of birds was wafted with every gentle zephyr, stood
+Goethe, looking at the woman whom he had so passionately loved for three
+years, so absorbingly, that to her were consecrated all his thoughts.
+
+He could contain himself no longer; he rushed forward and threw himself
+at her feet. "Oh, Charlotte, I love you, only you, and once more I am by
+your side!"
+
+A shriek! was it a cry of surprise or delight? Who let the guitar fall
+to the floor, he or she? Who embraced the other in affectionate haste,
+he or she? Who pressed the lips so lovingly to the other lips, he or
+she? And who said, "I love you? What bliss to again repose in your
+affection, I would fain die now. In this moment a whole life has been
+consecrated, for love has revealed to us our other self."
+
+She sat upon the tabouret, and Goethe still knelt before her,
+clasping her feet and pressing them to his bosom. His eyes beamed with
+inexpressible delight as he regarded the face, usually so calm and
+indifferent--today glowing as sunrise.
+
+"Oh, tell me, Charlotte, have you thought of me? But rather speak to me
+with your eyes, and may they be more than the cruel lips which refuse to
+confess. Oh, shade not those loved orbs, which are my stars shining upon
+me, whithersoever I wander. They are my light, my spring-time, and my
+love. They will never cease to beam upon me, as light and love never
+grow old. Let me read eternal youth in those eyes, and the secrets which
+rest as pearls in the depths of your heart. Only tell me, is the pearl
+of love to be found there, and is it mine?"
+
+"It would be a misfortune if it were there," she whispered, with a sweet
+smile. "Pearls are the result of a malady, and my heart would be ill if
+the pearl of love were found there. No, no, rise, Wolf, dear Wolf,
+we have given away at the first moment of meeting; let us now be
+reasonable, and speak in a dignified manner with each other, as it
+becomes a married woman and her friend."
+
+"Friend?" repeated Goethe, impetuously; "forever must I listen to this
+hated, hypocritical word, which, like a priest's robe, shall cover the
+sacred glow in my heart? I have told you, Charlotte, that I am not
+your friend, and I never shall be. There is not the least spark of this
+still, calm fire of the earthly moderation in me, by which one could
+cook his potatoes, or his daily vegetables, but by which one could never
+prepare food for the gods, or that which could refresh a poet's heart or
+quicken his soul. No, in me burns the fire which Prometheus stole from
+the gods, originating in heaven and glowing upon earth. This heavenly
+and earthly love unites in one flame. Again, I say, Charlotte, banish
+this hypocritical word 'friendship!' It is only love which I feel for
+you, let this sentiment enter at every avenue of your heart, and do not
+feign ignorance of it, sweet hypocrite. Surprise has torn away the mask!
+The passionate kiss, which still burns upon my lips, was not given by a
+friend or sister; but overcome by joy, the truth has been acknowledged!"
+
+"Do you wish that the kiss of meeting should be that of parting also?"
+said Charlotte, sadly, as she raised her blue eyes with a languishing
+look to the handsome, ardent face of the man who stood before her.
+"Do you wish to separate forever? I must recall to you our last
+conversation: 'Only when you are resolved to moderate this impetuous
+manner, and curb this overflow of feeling, which reason and custom
+imposes upon us, shall I be able to receive you and enjoy your
+society.'"
+
+"Yes, with these unmeaning phrases you banished me. Cruel and
+hard-hearted were you to the last. Oh, Charlotte! you know what I
+suffered at our last walk, with your reasoning remonstrances and
+cold-hearted reproaches; they pierced my heart like poisoned arrows. If
+the duke and duchess had not been walking before us, I should have wept
+myself weary. My whole being cried within me: 'Oh! cruel and inexorable
+woman, to beg of me, who so unutterably loves her, to call her friend
+and sister!' I repeated the words daily during my absence, and sought
+to clothe your beloved image with meaning. They disfigured you, and the
+angel whom I adore was no longer recognizable. I cannot call you friend
+or sister."
+
+"Then I can be nothing to you, dear Wolfgang," sighed Charlotte. "In
+this hour of meeting we will part, and to avoid a chance encounter even,
+I will go to my husband at Kochberg, and remain there the whole summer."
+
+Goethe seized her, holding her fast in his strong arms, staring her
+in the face with a fierce, angry look. "Are you in earnest? Would you
+really do it?"
+
+"Goethe, I beg you to loosen your hold; you hurt my arms."
+
+"Do you not also hurt me? With your cold indifference do you not pierce
+my heart with red-hot daggers, and then smile and rejoice at my torture,
+which is a proof to you of my unbounded love? While you only play with
+me, and attach me to your triumphal car, to display to the world that
+you have succeeded in taming the lion, and have changed him into a
+good-natured domestic animal. Go! you do not deserve that I should love
+you, cold-hearted, cruel woman!"
+
+He threw her arms from him, with tears in his eyes. Charlotte von Stein
+regarded him with anger and indifference.
+
+"Farewell, secretary of legation. It seems to please you to insult and
+offend a poor woman, who has no other protection than her honor and
+virtue. Farewell! I will not expose myself to such offences; therefore I
+will retire."
+
+She turned slowly toward the door, but Goethe bounded forward like a
+tiger, interrupted her path, falling upon his knees, imploring pity and
+begging for pardon. "Oh, Charlotte, I will be gentle as a child, I will
+be reserved, I know that I am a sinner! It is warring against one's own
+heart to seek comfort in offending what is dearest to it in a moment
+of ill-humor. But I have again become a child, with all my thoughts,
+scarcely recognizable for the moment, quite lost to myself, as I consent
+to the conditions of others with this fire raging within me. Oh, beloved
+Charlotte, forgive me! I submit to all that you wish." [Footnote:
+Goethe's words.--See "Letters to Charlotte von Stein," roll., p. 358.]
+
+"Will you be satisfied to love me as your friend and sister?"
+
+"I will be," he sighed. "Only in the future you must endeavor to
+persuade yourself into such a sisterly way that you will be indulgent to
+my rudeness, otherwise I shall have to avoid you when I need you most.
+Oh, Charlotte, it seems terrible to me that I should mar through anguish
+the best hours of my life, the blissful moments of meeting with you, for
+whom I would pluck every hair from my head if it would make you happy.
+And yet to be so blind, so hardened! Have pity upon me. Again I promise
+you that I will be reasonable. Do not banish me from your presence.
+Extend to me your hand, and promise me that you will be my friend and
+sister!" [Footnote: Goethe's words.--See "Letters to Charlotte von
+Stein," roll., p. 358.]
+
+"Then here is my hand," said she, with a charming smile.
+
+"I will be your friend and sister, and--"
+
+"What now, my Charlotte? do finish--what is it?"
+
+She laid her hand gently upon his shoulder, and her words fell on his
+ear like soft music. "When my dear friend and much-beloved brother has
+conducted himself very prudently for two or three happy weeks, I will
+send him a ringlet of my hair, which he has so long begged for, and a
+kiss with it."
+
+Goethe spoke not, but pressed her blushing face to his bosom, and
+laid his hand gently upon her head. A smile of delight--of perfect
+happiness--played around his lips.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. THE READING.
+
+
+This happy smile still beamed upon Goethe's face as he walked with
+the duke late in the evening toward Belvedere to soiree of the Duchess
+Amelia, who was inspired with a love for the fine arts, and particularly
+literature. The two gentlemen had busily occupied themselves in
+preparing them for the lady of honor, Fraulein von Gochhausen, and,
+although aided by Goethe's servant, Philip, and workmen, it was late
+when they arrived.
+
+As they entered, the ladies and gentlemen were seated in a large circle
+around the centre-table. At one end sat the Duchesses Amelia and Louisa,
+the mother and wife of Charles Augustus and near the former her friend
+and favorite the poet Wieland, once the tutor of her son the duke. Near
+the poet sat an elderly gentleman of cheerful, good-natured mien, who,
+with the exception of Wieland, was the only one who did not present
+himself, like the duke and Goethe, in Werther costume. He wore a white,
+silver-embroidered coat, with a dark-blue satin vest, and breeches of
+the same, shoes with buckles, and bosom and wrist ruffles of lace.
+
+This gentleman, with the bright, sparkling eyes, and pleasant face, was
+the poet Gleim, who looked very comfortable and stately in the circle
+of powdered perukes. His admiration for Frederick the Great had inspired
+him to write some beautiful military songs, and his love of poetry
+and literature made him an enthusiastic admirer of all those devoted
+themselves to literary pursuits. Besides, he was rich and liberal, and
+it was very natural that the poets, and authors exerted themselves with
+marked assiduity to please Father Gleim. They were gratified to have
+him print their works for a small remuneration in an annual which he
+entitled the "Almanach of the Muses." He was just reading aloud at the
+duchess's soiree from the late edition of the almanach, and the society
+listened with earnest and kind attention, occasionally interrupted with
+an enthusiastic "Bravo!" or "Excellent!" from the duchess, followed by
+a murmur of assent around the table, which caused the poet's face to
+brighten with joy and satisfaction, and him to read on with increased
+energy.
+
+The entrance of the duke and Goethe was unobserved, as it was understood
+that the former wished no notice to be taken of his going or coming, and
+the duchess had also waved her hand, not to interrupt Father Gleim. The
+poet has just finished the new poem of melodious rhythm of imprisoned
+Shubart. As he paused to wipe the perspiration from his brow and sip
+a little raspberry water, a tall, slender young man, in the Werther
+costume, approached, bowing, and regarding the poet so kindly, that the
+glance of his fine black eyes fell like a sunbeam on the heart of the
+old man. "You appear somewhat fatigued, my good sir," said the unknown,
+in a sweet, sonorous voice. "Will you not permit me to relieve you, and
+read in your stead from this glorious book of yours?"
+
+"Do so, my dear Gleim," said the Duchess Amelia, smiling, "you seem
+really exhausted; let the young man continue the agreeable and welcome
+entertainment."
+
+Father Gleim was very well pleased; he handed the book to the young
+stranger with a graceful bow, as the latter seated himself opposite to
+him, and next to Fraulein Gochhausen.
+
+He commenced in a clear, distinct voice. The verses flowed from his lips
+gracefully, and in a cultivated style. The company listened with devoted
+attention, and Father Gleim, the protector of all the young poets,
+sat delighted, nodding consent, with a pleasant smile. It must all be
+charming--it had come into existence under his fostering care. What
+beautiful verses to listen to! "Die Zephyre lauschen, Die Balche
+rauschen, Die Sonus Verbreitet ihr Licht mit Wonne!"
+
+And how charmingly the young man read them! Suddenly Father Gleim
+startled, and the smile died upon his lips. What was it? What was the
+young man reading? Verse which were not in the collection, and which
+were more remarkable than he had ever heard from his young poets. "Those
+are not in the Annual," cried Gleim, quite forgetting decorum,--"that--"
+
+One glance from the fine black eyes of the young man so confounded
+Father Gleim, that he ceased in the midst of a sentence, and, staring
+in breathless astonishment, listened. Glorious thoughts were expressed
+therein, and the poets of the Muse Almanach might have thanked God if
+the like had occurred to them. Love was not the burden of the song;
+neither hearts, griefs, nor bliss, but satire, lashing right and left
+with graceful dexterity, and dealing a harmless thrust to every one. All
+were forced to laugh; the happy faces animated and inspired every thing.
+The brilliant satirical verses rushed like rockets from the lips of the
+reader--a real illumination of wit and humor, of good-natured jokes and
+biting sarcasm, and it delighted the old man that every one had received
+hits and thrusts but himself; he had been spared until now! Every one
+regarded him, smiling and amused, as the reader exalted the merits of
+the Maecenas, and praised him highly for the interest he took in the
+poet's heart, soul, and purse, and shouted victory when one excelled.
+But suddenly the good father also changed, and, instead of the patron
+on the right throne, there was a turkey-cock on the round nest, which
+zealously sought to hatch out the many eggs that he had to take care of
+for others besides his own; he sat brooding untiringly, and shed many
+a tear of joy over the fine number of eggs, yet it happened that a
+poetical viper had put but under him one of chalk, which he cared for
+with the others.
+
+Herr Gleim could no longer contain himself, and, striking the table, he
+cried, "That is either Goethe or the devil!" The entire company burst
+into uncontrollable laughter, and the old man shouted the second time,
+though inwardly angry, "It is either Goethe or the devil!"
+
+"Both, dear Father Gleim," said Wieland, who was drying his tears from
+laughter, "it is Goethe, and he has the devil in him to-day. He is like
+a wild colt, which kicks out behind and before, and it would be well not
+to approach him too near." [Footnote: Wieland's own words.--See Lewes'
+"Life of Goethe," vol. i., p. 432.]
+
+Goethe alone retained his composure, and continued reading in a louder
+voice, which hushed all conversation. He lashed with bitter sarcasm "him
+who assumed to be a god--a wise man--and who counted for nothing better
+than a pretentious, saucy fellow, who made himself the scorn of
+the poets by his sweet, Werther-like sighs, and other worthless
+lamentations, heeding neither God nor the devil!"
+
+And so he stormed and thundered, ridiculed and slandered his own flesh
+and blood, until Goechhausen, red with anger, rose and snatched the book
+from his hand, and closed his lips with her hand, crying: "If you do
+not cease, Goethe, I will write to your beloved mother, Frau Aja, that
+a satirist, a calumniator has had the impudence to defame and slur her
+beloved son in a most sinful and shameful manner! I will write to her,
+indeed, if you do not stop!"
+
+Goethe rose, and bowing offered his hand to Father Gleim in such a
+friendly, affectionate manner, that the old man, quite delighted,
+thanked him heartily for the pleasure and surprise which he had afforded
+him.
+
+The duke, however, seated himself by the little lady of honor.
+"Thusnelda, you are an incomparable creature, and quite calculated to
+be the ancestress of all the Germans. I declare myself your cavalier for
+the evening, and will devote myself to you as your most humble servant,
+and will not quit your side for a moment."
+
+"Very beautiful it will be, my dear duke, a most charming idyl; in true
+Watteau style, I will be the sweet shepherdess, and lead your highness
+by a little ribbon. But where is my present--my surprise?"
+
+"You must not be impatient, Thusnelda, but wait what time will produce.
+You will have it; if not to-day, to-morrow. Every day brings its own
+care and sorrow."
+
+"Ah, duke, instead of giving me my surprise, you beat me with doggerels.
+That comes from having a Goethe for companion and friend. Crazy tricks,
+like chicken-pox, are contagious, and the latter you have caught,
+duke. It is a new kind of genius distemper. Very fortunately, our dear
+Countess Werther has another malady, or she might be infected. Perhaps
+she has it already, Count Werther--how is it?'
+
+"I do not know, Fraulein," replied the count, startled from reverie. "I
+really do not know! My wife is quite ill, for that reason has gone to
+our estate to recover her peace and quiet. It is unfortunately quite
+impossible for me to visit her there; but my dear, faithful friend,
+Baron von Einsiedel, will drive over to-morrow at my request, my
+commission--"
+
+"To set the fox to keep the geese," interrupted Thusnelda in her lively
+manner.
+
+"No, not that, Fraulein," said Count Werther, quite confused, as the
+duke burst into a merry laugh, calling Thusnelda a witty Kobold, and as
+her faithful Celadon offered her his arm to conduct her to his mother,
+the Duchess Amelia.
+
+The company were all in a very happy frame of mind. Goethe's charming
+impromptu had kindled wit and humor upon every lip. He himself was the
+happiest of all, for Charlotte was by his side, gazing upon him with her
+large, thoughtful eyes, and permitting him to be her cavalier for the
+evening.
+
+The duke also devoted himself to Fraulein von Goechhausen, who was this
+evening unsurpassably witty and caustic, delighting him, and making the
+Duchess Amelia laugh, and the Duchess Louisa sometimes to slightly shrug
+her shoulders and shake her head with disapproval.
+
+In the midst of a most interesting conversation with Frau von Stein,
+Goethe was informed that some one awaited him in the anteroom. He went
+out quickly, and upon returning he whispered to the duke, who nodded,
+and answered him in a low tone, and then Goethe betook himself to the
+Duchess Amelia.
+
+"What is it?" the latter asked. "Have important dispatches arrived?"
+
+"No; I come to your highness as courier from your son. The duke begs
+that you will lock the door of your anteroom when you retire, and that
+you will upon no condition open it, no matter how much Thusnelda may beg
+and implore."
+
+"Will you not injure my poor Goechhausen, you wanton fellow?"
+
+"No! it is not very dangerous, duchess. It is only a harmless surprise,
+which the duke promised Fraulein von Goechhausen."
+
+"Very well, then, it can take place; I promise to be quite deaf to all
+Thusnelda's knocking and thumping, and I shall be glad to be informed
+to-morrow what the trick is. I prefer not to inquire to-day, as I might
+feel obliged to veto it if it were too severe. But look, the Duchess
+Louisa will break up; does she know any thing about the affair?"
+
+"No, your highness, you know very well that the young duchess--"
+
+"Is much more sensible than the old one, and shakes her head
+disapprovingly when she hears of your ingenuous tricks. Perhaps it would
+be well if I were equally sensible, but there is no help for it. I like
+bright, happy people, and I think when youth vents itself, old age is
+more sedate and reasonable."
+
+"You are quite right, duchess. Mankind resembles new wine. If the must
+does not ferment and foam well, no good wine will come of it. But
+look at our Charles, with the saucy jest upon his lip, and the fire of
+inspiration in those bright brown eyes. One day a fine, strong wine will
+clear itself from this glorious fermenting must."
+
+"I hope so, Goethe, and if the gods grant it, the great merit will
+belong to you, who have proved yourself a good vintager, and we will
+rejoice together in your glorious success."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII. WITCHCRAFT
+
+
+An hour later the palace Belvedere was silent and deserted; the guests
+had taken their departure. The duchess had her suite and commanded them
+to retire. Fraulein von Gochhausen alone remained with her mistress,
+chatting by the bedside, and recapitulating in her amusing style all
+important and unimportant events of the soiree, The duchess smiled at
+the mischievous remarks with which she ornamented her relation, and at
+her keen, individualizing of persons.
+
+"Fraulein Gochhausen, you are the most wicked and the merriest
+mocking-bird God ever created," cried the duchess, "Have done with your
+scandals, go up to your room, piously say your evening prayers, and
+stretch yourself upon your maiden bed."
+
+"Soon, duchess; only one thing more have I to call your attention to.
+There is a gossip afloat about the Werthers. I perceive it in the air,
+as the dove scents the vulture."
+
+"You alarm me, Gochhausen; what good is it? You do not mean that the
+lovely Countess Werther--"
+
+"Is not only very weary of her husband, but looks about for a
+substitute--a friend, as the ingenious ladies now call him. That is
+what I mean, and I know the so-called friend which the sweet sentimental
+countess has chosen."
+
+"It is the Baron von Einsiedel, is it not?" asked the duchess. "That is
+to say, his younger brother, the gay lieutenant, not our good friend par
+excellence.
+
+"Yes, I mean the brother, and I have warned and taunted the count this
+week past, but it is impossible to awake him from his stupidity and
+thoughtlessness."
+
+"Again you are giving loose reins to your naughty tongue, Thusnelda.
+Count Werther is a thoroughly scholarly person, whom I often envy his
+knowledge of the languages. He has studied Sanscrit and the cuneated
+letters, among other ancient tongues."
+
+"It may be that he understands the dead languages, but the living ones
+not in the least. The language of the eyes and inspiration he is blind
+to, with seeing eyes! My dear duchess, if you are not watchful, and
+prevent the affair with timely interference, a scandal will grow out
+of it, and you know well that it would be a welcome opportunity for our
+Weimar Philistines (as the Jena students call commonplace gossips) to
+cry 'Murder,' and howl about the immoral example of geniuses, which
+Wolfgang Goethe has introduced at court."
+
+"You are right," said the duchess, musingly; "your apt tongue and keen
+eye are ever carefully watching, like a good shepherd-dog, that none of
+the sheep go astray and are lost. And you do not mind attacking this or
+that one in the leg with your sharp teeth!"
+
+"Let those scream who are unjustly bitten, your highness! Believe me,
+the countess will not cry out; she will much more likely take care
+not to receive a well-merited rebuke. I beg your grace to prevent the
+gossip! Not on account of this silly, sentimental young woman, or her
+pedantic husband, but that our young duke and Goethe may not be exposed
+to scandal, as well as your highness."
+
+"You are right--we must take care to prevent it. Has not the countess
+been absent at her estate four days?"
+
+"Yes, your highness, it is just this that troubles me. She went away as
+sound as a fish, and has suddenly fallen very ill. No physician has been
+called, but, to-morrow, the count will commission his dear friend
+the baron to drive to his country-seat, and bring him tidings of his
+better-half."
+
+"We must circumvent this. In the morning we will arrange a
+pleasure-drive, of the whole court, to the country-seat of Count
+Werther. It shall be a surprise. Let Fourier give out the invitations
+early to-morrow, for a country party, destination unknown. The
+distribution of the couples in the carriages shall be decided by lot.
+Take care that Lieutenant Einsiedel is your cavalier, so that when we
+arrive at the little Werther, he will already be appropriated, and then
+we will induce her to return with us and spend some time at Belvedere.
+Now, good-night, Thusnelda; I am very tired and need repose. Sleep
+already weighs upon my eyelids, and will close them as soon as you are
+gone. Good-night, my child--sleep well!"
+
+The little deformed court lady kissed the extended hand, the
+candlestick, with only a stump of a taper in it, and withdrew from
+the princely sleeping-room, courtesying, and wishing her mistress
+good-night, with pleasant dreams.
+
+The anteroom was dark and deserted. The lights were all extinguished,
+and Fraulein Goechhausen was, in truth, the only person who had not long
+since retired in the ducal palace. She was accustomed to be the last,
+accustomed to traverse the long, lonely corridors, and mount two flights
+of stairs to her bedroom upon the third story. The gay duchess, being
+very fond of society, had had the second story arranged guest-chambers
+and drawing-rooms.
+
+Why should the little court lady be afraid to-night? She had not thought
+of it, but stepped forward briskly to mount the stairs. It was surely
+very disagreeable for the wind to extinguish her lamp at that instant,
+just at the turning of stairs, and she could not account for it, as none
+of the windows were open, and there was no trace of a draft. However,
+it was an undeniable fact, the light was out and she was in total
+darkness--not even a star was to be seen in the clouded sky. It was,
+indeed, true that Thusnelda was so accustomed to the way that it
+mattered little whether she had a light or not. Now she had reached the
+corridor and she could not fail to find the door, as there was but
+one, that of her own room. She stretched out her hand to open it, but,
+strange to say, she missed the knob! Then she was sure that it was
+farther on; she felt along the wall, but still it eluded her grasp. It
+was unheard of--no handle and not a door even to be found! The wall was
+bare and smooth, and papered the entire length. A slight shudder crept
+over the courageous little woman's heart, and she could not explain to
+herself what it all meant. She called her maid, but no answer--not
+a sound interrupted the stillness! "I will go down to the duchess,"
+murmured Thusnelda; "perhaps she is awake, and then I can re-light my
+taper!"
+
+The door was fastened; the duchess had locked the ante-room to-night for
+the first time.
+
+Thusnelda tapped lightly, and begged an entrance humbly and imploringly.
+No answer, every thing was quiet. She recalled that the duchess had told
+her that she was very weary, and would sleep as soon as she was alone,
+which she undoubtedly had done.
+
+Thusnelda did not presume to awake her by knocking louder. She would
+be patient, and mount again to her room. Surely she must have made a
+mistake, and turned to the left of the corridor, where there was no
+door, instead of the right, as she ought to have done. It must be that
+it was her fault. She groped along the dark flights of stairs to the
+upper gallery, carefully seeking the right this time, but in vain. Again
+she felt only the smooth wall. Terrified, she knew not whether she was
+awake or dreaming, or whether she might not be in an enchanted castle,
+or walking in her sleep in a strange house. Just here she ought to find
+her room and the maid awaiting her, but it was lonely, deserted, and
+strange--no door, no maid. Thusnelda, with trembling hands smoothed her
+face, pulled first her nose, and then her hair, to identify herself.
+"Is it I?" she said. "Am I, indeed, myself? Am I awake? I know that I am
+lady of honor to the Duchess Amelia, and that upon the upper story is my
+room. Do not be foolish, and imagine that witchcraft comes to pass; the
+door is there, and it can be found." Thusnelda renewed her search with
+out-spread arms and wide-spread fingers, feeling first this side of the
+wall and then the other.
+
+By daylight the deformed little lady of honor must have been a very
+droll figure, in full toilet, dancing along the wall as if suspended
+by her outstretched hands. Oh, it was quite vain to seek any longer. It
+must be enchantment, and the door had disappeared. An indefinable dream
+crept over Thusnelda, and she was cast down. For the first time a jest
+failed her trembling lips, and she wept with anguish. Yes, she, the
+keen, mordant, jesting little woman, prayed and implored her Maker
+to unloose her from the enchantment, and permit her to find the
+long-sought-for entrance. But praying was in vain, the door was not to
+be found, it was witch craft, and she must submit to it. The rustling
+and moving her arms frightened her now, and when she walked the darkness
+prevented her seeing if any one followed her; so she crouched upon
+the floor, yielding to the unavoidable necessity passing the night
+there--the night of enchantment and witchery.[Footnote: See Lewes' "Life
+and Writings of Goethe," vol. 1., p. 408.]
+
+Not alone for Fraulein Goechhausen was this beautiful May-night of
+sad experience with witches. There were other places at Weimar. In the
+neighborhood of the ducal park, in the midst of green-meadows, stood a
+simple little cottage. Near it flowed the Ilm, spanned by three bridges,
+all closed by gates, so that no one could reach the cottage without the
+occupant's consent. It was as secure as a fortress or an island of the
+sea, and distinctly visible even in the night, its white walls rising
+against the dark perspective of the park. This is the poet's Eldorado,
+his paradise, presented to Wolfgang Goethe by his friend the Duke
+Charles Augustus. It was late as the possessor wound his way toward his
+Tusculum, as he familiarly called it, and, more attracted by the aspect
+of the heavens than by sleep, sought the balcony, to gaze at the dark
+mass of clouds chasing each other like armies in retreat and pursuit;
+one moment veiling the moon, at another revealing her full disk, and
+soon again covering the earth with dark shadows, until the lightning
+flashed down in snaky windings, making the darkness momentarily visible
+with her lurid glare. It was a glorious spectacle for the intuitive,
+sympathetic soul of the poet, and he yielded to its influence with
+delight. He heard the voice of God in the rolling of the thunder, and
+sought to comprehend the unutterable, and understand it in this poetical
+sense. Voices spake to him in the rushing of the storm, the sighing of
+the trees, and the rustling of the foliage. The storm passed quickly, a
+profound quiet and solemnity spread out over the nightly world, and it
+lay as if in repose, smiling in blissful dreams. The air was filled
+with perfumes, wafted to the balcony upon which dreamed the poet with
+unclosed eyelids and waking thoughts. The clouds were all dispersed;
+full and clear was suspended the moon in the deep, blue vault, where
+twinkled thousands of stars, whispering of unknown worlds, and the
+mysteries of Nature, and the greatness of Him who created them all.
+
+"Oh, beloved, golden moon, how calmly you look down upon me, sublime and
+lovely at the same time! When I gaze at you, moving so quietly, floating
+in infinity, and contemplating reflect thyself in finiteness, I think of
+you, oh Charlotte, who stands above me like the moon so bright and mild,
+and I envelop myself in your rays, and my spirit becomes heavenly in
+your light.
+
+     Mir ist es, denk ich nur an Dich,
+     Als in den Mond zu seh'n,
+     Ein suesser Friede weht um mich,
+     Weiss nicht, wie mir gescheh'n!
+
+"Yes, like sweet peace, and quiet, sacred moonlight, my thoughts shall
+be of you, Charlotte; not like the glowing rays of the sun, or the cold
+light of the stars. Bright and beaming like the moon you are to me,
+spreading around me your soft light. Oh, beautiful golden moon, mirrored
+in the water, you lie as in a silvery bath, and would entice me to seek
+you in the murmuring depths. Hark! how the ruffled waves of the Ilm
+with repeated gentle caresses kiss the shore, rush from thence in golden
+links down the river! Sweet of the Ilm, I come, I come!"
+
+Goethe hastened from the balcony, threw aside his apparel, plunged into
+the silvery flood, shouting with joy.
+
+What heavenly pleasure to float there, rocked by the murmuring waves,
+gazing at the silvery stars and the golden moon, a lovely May night,
+listening to the voices of Nature! Add to that the perfume-laden breeze
+rising from the rain-refreshed meadows. How glorious to plunge into the
+cool stream, splashing and dashing the water, and then to shoot like
+a fish through the drops falling like golden rain! Suddenly, while
+swimming, Goethe raised his head to listen. He thought he heard
+footsteps on the poet's forbidden bridge. The moon distinctly revealed a
+peasant from Oberweimar, who would be early to the weekly market, and so
+serve himself to the shortest route while no one could see him.
+
+"Such presumption deserves punishment, my good peasant, and if there is
+no one else to do it the ghosts must."
+
+Listen, what a savage yell from under the bridge, and then another more
+unearthly!
+
+The peasant, frightened, stopped suddenly, and looked down into the
+river. "Oh, what can it be?"
+
+A glistening white arm is raised menacingly toward the bridge. A white
+figure, with a black head and long black hair, is seen plunging
+and splashing, while fearful yells are heard from the deep. Then it
+disappeared, to return, and menace, and yell, and plunge again.
+
+The peasant shrieked with terror, and was answered with a cruel laugh.
+The white figure sank and rose from the river screeching and yelling,
+and the peasant shrieked also with terror.
+
+"A ghost! a ghost! oh, have mercy upon us! Amen! amen!"
+
+Fright lent him wings, and he fled, followed by the savage yells of the
+white figure, and never stopped until he reached Oberweimar, where
+he related to the astonished and terrified neighbors that there was
+a river-ghost just by the bridge which led to the cottage of the
+mad secretary of legation, Goethe, and which howled in the
+moonlight.[Footnote: This tradition of the ghost of the Ilm has been
+preserved in Weimar, since Goethe's nocturnal bath, until our time.--See
+Lewes, vol. i., p. 451.]
+
+With the peasant also disappeared the ghost of the Ilm.
+
+Like a happy child of Nature, refreshed, Goethe went to his room and
+then again sought the balcony, to throw himself upon the carpet and
+gaze at the blue starry vault, and enjoy the glories of heaven with
+thoughtful devotion, and think of Charlotte--only of her, not once of
+the poor Thusnelda von Goechhausen, who passed the night upon the
+stairs of the Palace Belvedere, and who, at last weary with fright and
+exhaustion, fell asleep, and was awakened by the Duchess Amelia in
+the morning, laughingly demanding why she preferred the landing of the
+stairs for a place of repose.
+
+"Because I am bewitched, duchess, and my sleeping-room has disappeared
+from earth--because some cursed demon or wizard has enchanted me, this
+wicked--"
+
+"Beware what you say!" interrupted the duchess; "it is most probably the
+duke that you are inveighing against, and calling a demon and wizard."
+
+At this Thusnelda sprang up as if struck by an electric shock--"The
+surprise, this is what the duke promised me."
+
+"Very likely," laughed the duchess. "The courier just arrived with a
+letter from my son to you, and I came to bring it myself, and found you,
+to my surprise, sleeping here. Read it, and tell me what he says!"
+
+"Oh, listen, your highness!" cried Thusnelda, after having hastily
+perused the contents of the ducal missive.
+
+"'I hope I have succeeded to surprise you! Demons and wizards have
+closed your doors, And weeping you slept on the stairway alone. All
+witchcraft has now disappeared. Go seek The surprise that from Berlin I
+brought you, Which I now offer for an atonement.'"
+
+"An insolent fellow, indeed, is my son," said the duchess, "but you see,
+Thusnelda, he says, pater peccavi, and I am convinced that you will find
+something very pretty and acceptable in your room."
+
+"I will not take it--indeed I will not," pouted the lady of honor. "He
+so fearfully tormented me last night. I assure your highness I was half
+dead with terror and--"
+
+"And yet you will forgive him, Thusnelda, for the duke is your declared
+favorite; you dare not reproach him were he never so insolent, for you
+are just as much so, and not a hair's-breadth better. Come, go up and
+see what it is."
+
+She went, and found four masons, who had been at work since daybreak to
+remove the wall and replace the door. Thusnelda was obliged to laugh in
+spite of the unhappy night she had passed, as she climbed over rubbish
+and ruins into her room, and met her maid dissolved in tears, who
+related to her that "the duke had had her walled in, for fear she would
+tell the trick to her mistress."
+
+"And so you were really hermetically sealed?" said the duchess.
+
+"Yes, your highness," whimpered the maid, "I thought I never should
+see daylight again. I wept and prayed all night. The only thing that
+consoled me was the duke's command, which Philip brought to me, to give
+this little box to Fraulein so soon as the wall should be taken away in
+the morning."
+
+"Give it to me, Lieschen," cried Thusnelda, impatiently, her face
+beaming with satisfaction, however, when she opened the box. "Now,
+duchess, that is what I call a surprise, and the duke shall be, as he
+ever has been, my favorite. If he does sometimes play rude tricks, he
+makes it all right again, in a very generous and princely manner. See
+what a beautiful watch his highness has brought me, ornamented with
+diamonds!"
+
+"Yes, it is very pretty; give it to me that I may return it to the duke,
+and not mortify him too much, as you will not wear it."
+
+"I will accept it, duchess," cried Thusnelda, laughing--"and all is
+forgiven and forgotten."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV. THE PURSE-PROUD MAN.
+
+
+"Trude, is there no news from him yet? Have you never seen him since?
+Did he not tell you about it?"
+
+"No, my dearest Marie," sighed old Trude. "There is no word, no message
+from him. I have been twenty times to the baker's in eight days, and
+waited at the corner of the street, where we agreed to meet, but no
+Moritz was there, and I have not been able to hear any thing about him."
+
+"Something must have happened to him," sighed Marie. "He is very ill,
+perhaps dying, and--"
+
+"No, no, my child, he is not ill, I will tell you all about it, if you
+will not worry. I have been to Herr Moritz's lodgings to-day. I could
+not wait any longer, and--"
+
+"Did you see him, and speak with him, Trude?"
+
+"No Marie, he was not there; and the people in the house told me that he
+had been gone for a week."
+
+"Gone!" repeated Marie, thoughtfully. "What does it mean? What could
+persuade him to abandon me in this hour of need? Tell me, Trude, what do
+you think? Console me if you can. You really know nothing further than
+that he is gone?"
+
+"A little bit more, but not much, my heart's child. When the people told
+me that he had disappeared eight days ago, it seemed as if one of the
+Alps had fallen on my heart, and my limbs trembled so I could go no
+farther, and I was obliged to sit down upon the stairs and cry bitterly,
+picturing all sorts of dreadful things to myself."
+
+"Dreadful things?" asked Marie. "Oh, Trude, you do not believe that my
+good, brave Moritz could do any thing sinful and cowardly, like wicked
+men? You do not think that my beloved--oh, no, no--I know that he is
+more noble; he will bear the burden of life as I will, so long as it
+pleases God."
+
+The old woman hung down her head, and humbly folded her hands. "Forgive
+me, my child, that I have such weak and sinful thoughts. I will
+apologize for them in my heart to you and your beloved so long as I
+live. After I had cried enough, I determined to go to the Gray Cloister,
+and beg the director to see me!"
+
+"Did you see him to speak with him, dear good Trude?"
+
+"Yes, dear child. I told him I was an aged aunt of Herr Moritz, who had
+come to Berlin to visit him; and finding that he was absent, I would
+like to know where he had gone, and, how long he would remain away."
+
+"Oh, Trude, how clever you are, and how kindly you think of every
+thing!" cried Marie, embracing her old nurse, and kissing affectionately
+her sunburnt, wrinkled cheek. "What did he say?"
+
+"He told me that Herr Moritz had begged permission to be absent fourteen
+days to take an urgent, unavoidable journey; that ten days had already
+expired, and he would soon return."
+
+"Then he will be here in four days, and perhaps will bring hope and aid!
+He has gone to seek it; I know and I feel it, though I cannot divine
+where the assistance will come from. Oh, Trude, if I could only gain a
+favorable delay until Moritz returns!"
+
+"Every thing is arranged," murmured Trude. "The marriage license is
+already made out, and Parson Dietrich has promised to be ready at any
+hour. Herr Ebenstreit has sent the money, doubling the amount required
+to the 'Invalids' Hospital' at Berlin, so that when the papers of
+nobility arrive, there--"
+
+"Hush!" interrupted Marie, "do not speak of it. It is fearful to think
+of, and it crazes me to hear it. I will resort to every extreme. Since
+my father and mother are deaf to my entreaties, I will try to move him
+to pity. I have never been able to see him alone; my mother is watchful
+that an explanation should be impossible between us. I will implore this
+man to have pity upon me, and confide in him to whom they would sell
+me."
+
+Trude shook her head mournfully. "I fear it will be in vain, dear child.
+This man has no heart. I have proved him, and I know it.--Hark the bell
+rings! Who can it be?"
+
+Both stepped out of the little garret-room to peep over the banister.
+Since Marie had been betrothed to the rich banker Ebenstreit, the
+general had received from his kind wife a servant in pompous livery for
+his own service. This servant had already opened the door, and Marie
+heard him announce in a loud voice, "Herr Ebenstreit!"
+
+"He!" Marie started back with horror. "He, so early in the morning! this
+is no accident, Trude. What does it mean? Hush! the servant is coming!"
+
+"I will go down," whispered Trude; "perhaps I can hear something."
+
+Trude hurried away as her young lady glided back into her room, and
+never glanced at the servant who sprang past her upon the stairs.
+
+"He is a hypocrite and a spy; he has been hired to watch and observe my
+child, and he will betray her if he discovers any thing."
+
+The servant announced, with respectful, humble mien, that Herr
+Ebenstreit had arrived, and Frau von Werrig desired her daughter to
+descend to the parlor.
+
+"Very well--say that I will come directly."
+
+The servant remained rubbing his hands in an undecided, embarrassed
+manner.
+
+"Why do you not go down?" asked Marie. "Have you any thing further to
+tell me?"
+
+"I would say," said he, spying about the room, as if he were afraid some
+one were listening, "that if a poor, simple man like myself could be
+useful to you, and you could confide in me your commissions, I should be
+too happy to prove to you that Carl Leberecht is an honest fellow, and
+has a heart, and it hurts his feelings to see the miss suffer so much."
+
+"I thank you," said Marie, gently. "I am glad to feel that you have
+sympathy for me."
+
+"If I can be of the least service to you, have the goodness to call me,
+and give me your commissions."
+
+"Indeed I will, although I do not believe it practicable."
+
+"I hope miss will not betray me to Frau von Werrig or old Trude."
+
+"No, I promise you that, and here is my hand upon it."
+
+The servant kissed the extended hand respectfully. "I will enter into
+the service of my young lady at once, and tell her she must prepare
+for the worst: Herr Ebenstreit just said, 'The diploma of nobility has
+arrived.'"
+
+Marie turned deadly pale, and for an instant it seemed as if she would
+sink down from fright, but she recovered herself and conquered her
+weakness.
+
+"Thank you, it is very well that I should know that; I will go down
+directly," said she.
+
+With calm, proud bearing Marie entered the sitting-room of her parents,
+and returned the salutations of her betrothed, who hastened toward her
+with tender assiduity.
+
+"My dear Marie," cried her mother, "I have the honor to present to you
+Herr Ebenstreit von Leuthen. The certificate of nobility arrived this
+morning."
+
+"I congratulate you, mother--you have at last found the long-desired
+heir to your name."
+
+"Congratulate me above all, my beautiful betrothed," said Herr
+Ebenstreit, in a hoarse, scarcely intelligible voice. "This title crowns
+all my wishes, as it makes me your husband. I came to beg, dear Marie,
+that our marriage should take place to-morrow, as there is nothing now
+to prevent."
+
+"Sir," she proudly interrupted him, "have I ever permitted this familiar
+appellation?"
+
+"I have allowed it," blurted out the general, packed in cushions in his
+roiling chair. "Proceed, my dear son."
+
+The latter bowed with a grateful smile, and continued: "I would beg,
+my dear Marie, to choose whether our wedding-journey shall be in the
+direction of Italy, Spain, France, or wherever else it may please her."
+
+"Is it thus arranged?" asked Marie. "Is the marriage to take place early
+to-morrow, and then the happy pair take a journey?"
+
+"Yes," answered her mother, hastily, "it is so decided upon, and it
+will be carried out. You may naturally, my dear daughter, have some
+preference; so make it known--I am sure your betrothed will joyfully
+accord it."
+
+"I will avail myself of this permission," she quietly answered. "I wish
+to have a private conversation with this gentleman immediately, and
+without witnesses."
+
+"Oh, how unfortunate I am!" sighed Herr Ebenstreit. "My dear Marie asks
+just that which I unfortunately cannot grant her."
+
+"What should prevent your fulfilling my wish?" asked Marie.
+
+"My promise," he whined. "On the very day of my betrothal, I was obliged
+to promise my dear mother-in-law never to speak with you alone or
+correspond with my sweet lady-love."
+
+"These are the rules of decency and of etiquette, which I hope my
+daughter will respect," said Frau von Werrig, in a severe tone. "No
+virtuous young girl would presume to receive her betrothed alone or
+exchange love-letters with him before marriage!"
+
+"After the wedding there will be opportunities enough for such follies,"
+grumbled the general.
+
+"You may be sure that I shall use them, dear father," laughed
+Ebenstreit. "I would beg my respected mother to release me a half-hour
+from my oath to-day, that I may indulge the first expressed wish that my
+future wife favors me with."
+
+"It is impossible, my son. I never deviate from my principles. You will
+not speak with my daughter before marriage, except in the presence of
+her parents."
+
+"Mother, do you insist upon it?" cried Marie, terrified. "Will you not
+indulge this slight wish?"
+
+"'This slight wish!'" sneered her mother. "As if I did not know why you
+ask this private conversation. You wish to persuade our son-in-law to
+what you in vain have tried to implore your parents to do. A modest
+maiden has nothing to say to her future husband, which her parents, and
+above all her mother, could not hear. So tell your betrothed what you
+desire."
+
+"Well, mother, you must then take the consequences.--Herr Ebenstreit,
+they will force me to become your wife, they will sell me as merchandise
+to you, and you have accepted the bargain in good faith, believing that
+I agree to sacrifice my freedom and human rights for riches. They have
+deceived you, sir! I am not ready to give myself up to the highest
+bidder. I am a woman, with a heart to love and hate, who esteems
+affection superior to wealth. I cannot marry you, and I beg you not to
+teach me to hate you."
+
+A savage curse broke forth from the general, who, forgetting his gout,
+rose furious, shaking his clinched fist at his daughter.
+
+His wife was immediately by his side, and pushed him into his arm-chair,
+commanding him, in her harsh, cold to remain quiet and take care of his
+health, and listen to what his son-in-law had to say to his unfeeling
+and unnatural daughter. "He alone has to decide.--Speak, my dear son,"
+said she, turning to the young man, who, with a malicious smile, had
+listened to the baroness, fixing his dull-blue eyes upon the young girl,
+who never seemed so desirable to him, as she now stood before him with
+glowing cheeks.
+
+"Again I say, speak, my dear son, and tell my daughter the truth; do you
+hear, the truth?"
+
+"If you will permit me, my dearest mother, I will," answered Ebenstreit,
+with submissive kindness, again regarding the daughter. "You have made
+me a sad confession, Marie," said he, sighing, "but I will acknowledge
+that I am not surprised, for your mother told me when I asked for your
+hand, that she feared I should never gain your consent, for you did not
+love me, although she herself, and the general, would grant theirs."
+
+"Was that all that I told you?" asked the mother, coldly.
+
+"No, not all," continued Ebenstreit, slightly inclining; "you added, 'My
+daughter loves a beggar, a poor school-master, and she entertains the
+romantic idea of marrying him.'"
+
+"And what did you reply?" asked Marie, almost breathless.
+
+"My dear Marie, I laughed, repeating my proposal of marriage to your
+mother, saying, that I was ready to take up the combat with the poor
+pedagogue, and that you seemed all the more interesting and amiable for
+this romantic love. Life is so tedious and wretched, that one is glad
+to have some change and distraction. I assure you, I have not been so
+entertained for long years, as in the last fourteen days in this
+silent war with you. It amuses me infinitely to see you so stubborn and
+prudish, and increases my love for you. How could it be otherwise? The
+rich banker, Ebenstreit, has never seen a woman who was not ready to
+accept his hand, and why should he not love the first one who resists
+it? You have excited my self-love and vanity. You have made the marriage
+a matter of ambition, and you will comprehend that my answer is:
+'Fraulein von Leuthen must and shall be my wife, no matter what it costs
+me. She defies my riches and despises money, so I will force her to
+respect my wealth and recognize its power. Besides, she is a cruel,
+egotistical daughter; who has no pity for her poor parents, and is
+capable of seeing them perish for her foolish attachment. I will
+make her a good child, and force her to make her parents, and thereby
+herself, happy.' All this I said to myself, and I have acted and shall
+act accordingly. I have only to add that the ceremony will take place
+to-morrow, at eleven. We will leave immediately after. Have the goodness
+therefore to choose in which direction, that I may at once make the
+necessary arrangements."
+
+"Lost--lost without hope!" cried Marie, in anguish, covering her face
+with her hands.
+
+"Rather say rescued from misfortune," answered Ebenstreit, quietly.
+"Believe me, there is but one sorrow that may not be borne, may not be
+conquered, and that is poverty, which is a corroding, consuming malady,
+annihilating body, and soul, swifter and surer than the most subtle
+poison. It stifles all noble feelings, all poetical thoughts and great
+deeds, and, believe me, love even cannot resist its terrible power. One
+day you will understand this. I will be patient and indulgent, and await
+it with hope."
+
+"Oh, what a noble and high-minded man!" cried the mother, with
+emphasis.--"Marie should kneel and thank her Maker for such a
+magnanimous savior and lover, who will shield her from all evil and
+misfortune."
+
+Sobbing and sighing, the daughter had stood with her face concealed;
+now she regarded the cold-hearted, smiling woman, with flashing eyes and
+keen contempt.
+
+"Thank him!" she cried; "no, I accuse, I curse him. He is an atheist,
+and denies love. He is not capable of a noble thought or action,
+scorning and defaming all that is beautiful and elevated, worshipping
+only mammon. I will never marry him. You may force me to the altar, and
+there I will denounce him."
+
+"She will kill me," cried the general; "she will murder her aged
+parents, leaving them to starve and perish, and--"
+
+"Silence!" commanded his wife. "Leave off your complaints, she is not
+worth the tears or remonstrances of her parents. She would try to be
+our murderess, but she shall not.--My son, inform her of your decision.
+Answer her."
+
+"The response to your romantic language is simple and natural, my dear
+Marie. I have already entered into your feelings, and am prepared for
+this idea of refusing your lover at the altar, which is found in novels,
+and I supposed that it might occur to you. Money compasses all things
+and according to our wishes. My fortune procures for me a dispensation
+from public authorities to be married here in the house of our dear
+parents. The law demands four witnesses, who will be represented by your
+parents, my servant Philip, and the sacristan whom the clergyman will
+bring."
+
+"And they will hear me abjure you."
+
+"It is very possible, dearest, but the witnesses will not listen to
+you. Money makes the deaf to hear, and the hearing ones deaf. Old parson
+Dietrich knows the story of your love, and believes, with us, that it is
+a malady that you must be cured of. Therefore, in pity to you, he will
+not listen, and the others are paid to keep silent."
+
+"Is there no hope, O Heaven?" cried Marie, imploringly. "O God, Thou
+hast permitted it--hast Thou no pity in my need, and sendest me no aid?"
+Rushing to her father, and kneeling at his feet, she continued: "Have
+mercy upon your poor child! You are an old man, and may live but a few
+years; do not burden your conscience with the fearful reproaches of your
+only child, whom you will condemn to an inconsolably long and unhappy
+life."
+
+"Have you no pity yourself? Do you not know that I, your father, am so
+poor, that I have not even the necessary care? You wish your parents to
+sacrifice themselves for you, and suffer want! No, the daughter should
+sacrifice herself for her parents."
+
+"A beautiful sacrifice, a fine sorrow!" sneered her mother. "She will
+be a rich woman, and have the most splendid house and furniture and most
+costly equipage in Berlin!"
+
+"And a husband who adores her," cried Ebenstreit, "and who will feel it
+his duty to make her and her parents happy. Resolve bravely to bury the
+past, and look the immutable future joyfully in the face. Eleven will be
+the happy hour; fear not that the altar will not be worthy the charming
+bride of such a rich family. Money will procure every thing, and I will
+send a florist who will change this room into a blooming temple, fit to
+receive the goddess of love. In your room you will find the gift of my
+affection, a simple wedding-dress, which I trust you will approve of.
+Oh, do not shake your head, do not say that you will never wear it; you
+must believe that all resistance is in vain. You will become my wife, I
+and my money will it."
+
+"And I," cried Marie, standing before him pale and defiant, regarding
+him with unspeakable contempt, "I and my love will it not. May God judge
+between us! May He forgive those who have brought this misfortune upon
+me! I can only say, 'Woe to them!'"
+
+"Woe to you!" cried her mother. "Woe to the seducer who has persuaded
+our child to sin and crime, and--"
+
+"Hush mother! I will not permit you to slander him whom I love, and ever
+shall, so long--"
+
+"Until you forget him, and love me, Marie," said Ebenstreit. Approaching
+her, he seized her hand, and pressed a kiss upon it.
+
+She drew it away with disgust, and turned slowly to the door, tossing
+back her head proudly. "Where are you going?" demanded her mother.
+
+With her hand upon the knob, she replied, turning her pale, wan face
+to her mother, "To my own room, which I suppose is permitted to me, as
+there is nothing more to be said."
+
+Her mother would reply, and retain her, but her son-in-law held her
+gently back. "Let her go," said he; "she needs rest for composure and to
+accustom herself to the thought that her fate is unavoidable."
+
+"But what if she should resort to desperate means in her mad infatuation
+and foolish passion? Some one must watch her continually, for she may
+try to elope."
+
+"You are right, dearest mother, some one must be with her, in whom she
+will confide. Would it not be possible to win old Trude?"
+
+"No, nothing would gain her; she is a silly fool, who thinks only Marie
+is of consequence."
+
+Ebenstreit shrugged his shoulders. "That means that she would sell
+herself at a high price. I beg that you will send for her."
+
+"You will see," said she, calling the old woman, who entered from the
+opposite door.
+
+Trude looked about, scowling and grumbling. "Leberecht told me my
+mistress called me."
+
+"Why do you then look so furious, and what are you seeking on the
+table?" asked Frau von Werrig.
+
+"My money," cried Trude, vehemently. "I thought that you called me to
+pay me, and that my wages were all counted out on the table. But I see
+there is nothing there, and I fear I shall get none, and be poor as a
+church-mouse all my life long. Your honor promised me positively
+that, as soon as the wedding was decided upon, you would pay me every
+farthing, with interest, and I depended upon it."
+
+"You shall have all, and much more than the general's wife promised you,
+if you will be a true and faithful servant to us," said Ebenstreit.
+
+"That I always have been, and ever shall be," snarled Trude. "No person
+can say aught against me. Now, I want my money."
+
+"And obstinate enough you have been too," said her mistress. "Can you
+deny that you have not always taken my daughter's part?"
+
+"I do not deny it. I have nursed her from childhood, and I love her as
+my own child, and would do any thing to make her happy!"
+
+"Do you believe, Trude," cried the general, "that Marie could be
+happy with that poor, starving wretch of a school-master? Has she not
+experienced in her own home the misfortune and shame of poverty?"
+
+"I know it well," sighed the old one, sadly, "and it has converted me to
+believe that it would be a great misfortune for Marie to marry the poor
+school-master."
+
+"Well, will you then faithfully help us to prevent it?" quickly asked
+Ebenstreit.
+
+"How can I do it?" she sighed, shrugging her shoulder.
+
+"You can persuade my daughter to be reasonable, and yield to that which
+she cannot prevent. You are the only one who can make any impression
+upon Marie, as she confides in you. Watch her, that in a moment of
+passionate desperation she does not commit some rash act. You can tell
+us, further, what she says, and warn us of any crazy plan she might form
+to carry out her own will."
+
+"That is to say, I must betray my Marie?" cried Trude, angrily.
+
+"No, not betray, but rescue her. Will you do it?" asked Ebenstreit.
+
+"I wish to be paid my wages, my two hundred thalers, that I have
+honestly earned, and I will have them."
+
+Ebenstreit took a piece of paper from his pocket. Writing a few lines
+with a pencil, he laid it upon the table. "If you will take this to
+my cashier after the ceremony to-morrow, he will pay you four hundred
+thalers."
+
+"Four hundred thalers in cash," cried Trude, joyfully clapping her
+hands. "Shall all that beautiful money be mine, and--No, I do not
+believe you," she cried, her face reassuming its gloomy, suspicious
+look. "You promise it to me to-day, that I may assist you, and persuade
+Marie to the marriage, but to-morrow, when old Trude is of no more use,
+you will send me away penniless. Oh, I know how it is. I have lived
+long enough to understand the tricks of rich people. I will see the cash
+first--only for that will I sell myself."
+
+"The old woman pleases me," said Ebenstreit. "She is practical, and
+she is right.--If I promise you the money in an hour, will you persuade
+Marie to cease her foolish resistance, and be my wife? Will you watch
+over her, and tell us if any thing unusual occurs?"
+
+"Four hundred thalers is a pretty sum," repeated Trude, in a low voice
+to herself. "I might buy myself a place in the hospital, and have enough
+left to get me a new bed and neat furniture and--"
+
+Here her voice was lost in unintelligible mumbling, and, much excited,
+she appeared to count eagerly. With her bony forefinger she numbered
+over the fingers of her left hand, as if each were a fortune that she
+must verify and examine.
+
+The mother and the banker regarded each other with mocking looks; the
+general looked at the money, grumbling: "If I had had four hundred
+thalers the last time I played, I could have won back my money in
+playing again."
+
+"Old woman," said Ebenstreit, "have you not finished with your
+reckoning?"
+
+"Yes," she said, with an exultant laugh, "I have done! Four hundred
+thalers are not sufficient. I must have five, and if you will give them
+to me in cash in an hour, then I will do every thing that you wish, and
+persuade Marie to the marriage. I will watch her day and night, and tell
+you every thing that she says and does. But I must have five hundred in
+cash!"
+
+Ebenstreit turned his dull-blue eyes to Frau von Werrig with a
+triumphant smile. "Did you not tell me the old woman could not be
+bought? I knew that I was right. You did not offer her money enough; she
+will sell herself dear as possible."
+
+"Yes, as dear as she can," laughed Trude--"five hundred is my price."
+
+"You shall have it in cash in an hour," said Ebenstreit, in a friendly
+manner.
+
+"So much money," whined the general; "it would have saved me if I had
+had it that last time."
+
+"My son-in-law, I must confess you are exceedingly generous," remarked
+the mother.
+
+"No sum would be too great to assure me my bride. Go now, Trude, you
+shall have the money in time.--Will you allow me, father, to send your
+servant to my office for it?"
+
+"Send Leberecht here, Trude!"
+
+The old woman hurried out of the room, but the door once closed, her
+manner changed. One might have supposed a sudden cramp had seized her,
+from her distorted face, and twitching and panting, and beating the air
+with her clinched fists, and her quivering lips uttering broken words.
+
+Approaching footsteps warned her to assume her general manner and
+expression, and cease her manipulations. "The ladies and gentlemen wish
+you in the parlor," mumbled Trude to the servant descending the stairs.
+"But where have you been, and what have you to do up there?"
+
+"I was looking for you, lovely one--nothing more!"
+
+"Well, now you have found me, tell me what you want? I know you were
+sneaking about, listening, because you thought I was with Marie. I
+understand you better than you think I do. I have found many a viper,
+and I am familiar with their aspect. Go! they are waiting for you, and
+let me find you again spying about, and I will throw a pail of water on
+you!"
+
+With this friendly assurance Trude dismissed Leberecht, and hastened
+with youthful activity to the little garret-room, when Marie fell upon
+her neck, weeping bitterly.
+
+"Calm yourself--do not weep so--it breaks my heart, my dear child."
+
+"And mine cannot break. I must endure all this anguish and survive this
+shame. Help me, my good mother, stand by me! It is impossible for me to
+marry that dreadful man. I have sworn constancy to my beloved Moritz,
+and I must be firm, or die!"
+
+"Die? then you will kill me!" murmured the old one, "for, if you go,
+I must go also. But we will not give up yet, as we are both living; we
+will not despair for life. I am going once more to Moritz's lodgings; it
+may be he has returned, and will rescue you."
+
+"Oh, do, good Trude; tell him that I have courage and determination to
+risk and bear every thing--that I will await him; that nothing would be
+too difficult or dangerous to serve to unite me to him! Tell him that I
+prefer a life of poverty and want by his side, to abundance and riches
+in a splendid palace with that detested creature--but no, say nothing
+about it, he knows it well! If he has returned, tell him all that has
+happened, and that I am resolved to brave the utmost, to save myself!"
+
+"I will go, dear child, but I have first my work to do, and enough of
+it too--but listen to what they have made me become." Hastily, in a
+low voice, she related to Marie the story of her corruption, excited as
+before, her limbs shaking and her fists clinched. "They say we old women
+resemble cats, but from to-day forth I know that is a shameful lie! If I
+had possessed their nature and claws, I should have sprung at the throat
+of this rascal, and torn out his windpipe; but, instead of that, I
+stood as if delighted with his degrading proposal! Oh, fie! the
+good-for-nothing kidnapper would tempt a poor creature! Let us wait,
+they will get their reward. He shall pay me the five hundred thalers,
+and then this trader of hearts shall recognize that, however much
+ill-earned money he may throw away, love and constancy are hot to be
+bought. We will teach him a lesson," and with this, the old servant
+ceased, gasping for breath.
+
+"Go now, Trude, and learn if he has returned; upon him depends my
+happiness, and life even--he is my last hope!"
+
+"I am going, but first I would get the wages of my sin, and play the
+hypocrite, and tell a few untruths; then I will go to Moritz's lodgings,
+and the baker also. Do not despair; I have a joyful presentiment that
+God will have pity upon us and send us aid." Trude kissed and embraced
+her child, and scarcely waited an hour, when she was demanded in the
+parlor to receive her money.
+
+Herr Ebenstreit was heartily delighted with her zealous impatience, and
+handed her ten rolls of gold, reminding her of the conditions.
+
+"I have already consoled her a little, and she begins to change. I hope
+every thing will turn for good. Just leave her alone with me."
+
+"But first, I must go and see my aged brother, who will take care of my
+money," replied Trude. "He is a safe man and will not spend it."
+
+"Trude," cried the general, "what an old fool! to seek at distance what
+is so near you. I will take your money, and give you interest. Do you
+hear? I will take care of it!"
+
+"Thank you, general, I'd rather give it to my brother, on account of the
+relationship." She slipped out of the room, hid the money in her bed,
+and hurriedly left the house.
+
+Scarcely an hour passed ere Trude returned as fleetly as she went. She
+cast only a look into the kitchen, and hastened up to Marie's room. Her
+success was evident in her happy, smiling face, and coming home she had
+repeated to herself, "How happy Marie will be!" almost the entire way.
+
+She had but closed the door, when the mean little Leberecht glided from
+behind the chimney, and crept to listen at the door.
+
+Within was a lively conversation, and twice a shout of joy was heard and
+Marie, exultant, cried, "Oh, Trude! dear Trude! all goes well, I fear
+nothing now. God has sent me the savior which I implored!"
+
+Leberecht stood, bent over, applying his ear to the keyhole, listening
+to every word.
+
+Oh, Trude! if you could only have seen the traitor, glued to the door,
+with open eyes and mouth! Could you have seen the eavesdropper rubbing
+his hands together, grinning, and listening in breathless suspense!
+
+Why cannot you surprise him, Trude, and fulfil your threat to deluge him
+and chase him away from your child's door? They forgot the necessity of
+prudence, and the possibility of being overheard. At last it occurred
+to the old servant, and she tore open the door, but no one was there--it
+was deserted and still.
+
+"God be thanked, no one has listened," whispered Trude. "I will go down
+and tell them that I hope, if we can stay alone all day, you will be
+calmer and more reasonable."
+
+"Do it, Trude; I do not dare to see any one for fear my face will betray
+me, and my mother has very sharp eyes. Return soon."
+
+She opened the door, and saw not the eavesdropper and spy, who had but
+just time to conceal himself, and stand maliciously grinning at the
+retreating figure of the faithful servant.
+
+He slipped lightly from his hiding-place down to his sleeping-room, in
+a niche under the stairs. For a long time he reflected, upon his
+bedside--his watery blue eyes staring at nothing. "This must be well
+considered," he mumbled. "There is, at last, a capital to be won. Which
+shall I do first, to grasp a good deal? Shall I wait, or go at once to
+Herr Ebenstreit? Very naturally they would both deny it, and say that I
+had made up the whole story to gain money. I had better let the affair
+go on: they can take a short drive, and when they are about an hour
+absent, I will sell my secret at a higher price. Now I will pretend to
+be quite harmless, and after supper let the bomb burst!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV. THE ELOPEMENT.
+
+
+Evening had set in. The card-table had been arranged, and Leberecht had
+rolled his master to it, taking his place behind his chair. The hour
+of whist the general impatiently awaited the entire day, and it was
+regularly observed. Even in the contract with his adopted son it had
+been expressly mentioned as a duty, that he should not only secure to
+them yearly income, but also devote an hour to cards every evening.
+
+Herr Ebenstreit regarded it as a tax, which he must observe until
+married. The general was much his superior at cards, and, moreover,
+played the dummy, and the stake being high, it was quite an income for
+the future father-in-law, and regarded by him as the one bright spot in
+his daily life.
+
+The cards had been dealt, and Leberecht had assorted the general's, and
+placed them in his gouty hand, when Trude entered, exultingly.
+
+"What has happened? What makes you interrupt us?" cried the general.
+"Did you not remember that I have told you always not to disturb us at
+this hour."
+
+"Yes, general, but I thought good news was never amiss."
+
+"What have you pleasant to tell us?" harshly demanded Frau von Werrig.
+
+"My young lady's compliments," cried Trude, triumphantly; "she begins
+to see that she must yield to her fate, and that it will do no good to
+resist any longer. She will be ready for the ceremony at eleven o'clock
+to-morrow morning."
+
+The general uttered a cry of joy, and struck the table so violently,
+with his hand, that the cards were thrown together.
+
+His wife bowed dignifiedly, and the happy bridegroom gave old Trude some
+gold-pieces upon the favorable news.
+
+"Has she, then, been converted by your persuasion?" he asked.
+
+"Through my persuasion and her own good sense. She understands that,
+if she cannot marry her dear Moritz, Herr Ebenstreit is the most fit
+husband, because he loves her, and is so generous to her old parents.
+One thing she would like an answer to--can I accompany her to her new
+home?"
+
+"Yes, old woman, it will be very agreeable to have so sensible a
+person," said Ebenstreit. "Tell Marie that it gives me pleasure to
+fulfil her wish."
+
+"In that case I would repeat that Fraulein begs for indulgence and
+forbearance until to-morrow, and would like to remain alone to compose
+herself."
+
+"I do not wish, in the least, to see her," said her mother; "she can do
+what she likes until then."
+
+"I will tell Marie, and she will rejoice," cried Trude.
+
+"Tell her, from her father, that it is very agreeable to him not to see
+her pale, wretched-looking face again till morning.--Now, my son,
+pay attention, and you, Trude, do not presume to interrupt us again.
+Leberecht, play out my ace of hearts."
+
+The latter, with his eyes cast down, and with a perfectly indifferent
+manner, played the card indicated, and Trude left the room quietly and
+unobserved.
+
+"Every thing is arranged, my child," said Trude, as she re-entered
+Marie's room. "They are playing cards, which always lasts two hours,
+then Herr Ebenstreit goes away, and the family will go to bed. You have
+eighteen hours, before you will be discovered. Hark! it strikes seven,
+and it is already quite dark. When the post-horn sounds, then it is
+time."
+
+"Oh, Trude! my dear mother, my heart almost ceases to beat, with
+anxiety, and I quake with fear," sighed Marie. "I am conscious that I
+have commenced a fearful undertaking!"
+
+"They have driven you to it--it is not your fault," said Trude,
+consolingly. "Every human being is free to work out his own good or bad
+fortune, and, as our dear Old Fritz says, 'to be happy in the future
+world in his own way.' They have sold you for money, and you only prove
+to them that you are no slave."
+
+"And I prove also that I am a disobedient daughter," added Marie,
+trembling. "At this hour, it weighs like a heavy burden upon my heart,
+and the words of Holy Writ burn into my very soul--'Honor thy father and
+thy mother, that it may be well with thee.'"
+
+"You have honored them all your life," said Trude, solemnly; "I can
+witness it before God and man. You have worked for them without thanks
+or love, receiving only contempt. It is also written, 'Thou shalt leave
+father and mother, and cleave unto thy husband.' You still follow the
+commands of God, and may it bring you happiness and blessing. My
+prayers and thoughts go with you, my child! a mother could not love her
+offspring more tenderly than I do you."
+
+"No mother could more tenderly and faithfully care for her than you
+have for me, Trude," cried Marie, pressing her lovingly to her breast.
+"Through you alone is my rescue possible, for you give us the money to
+undertake the long journey."
+
+"Not I," she laughed; "it is Herr Ebenstreit, and that makes it the
+more amusing; the wicked always set the traps into which they fall
+themselves." Suddenly the loud, quivering tones of the post-horn were
+heard, "Es ritten drei Reiter zum Thore hinaus."
+
+"He has come!" cried Marie, and her face beamed with delight. "He calls
+me! I am coming!--Farewell, dear, peaceful room, where I have so toiled,
+wept, and suffered! I shall never see thee again! My beloved calls me,
+and I go to follow him even unto death! Pardon me, O God! Thou seest
+that I cannot do otherwise! They would force me to perjury, and I dare
+not break my oath! I cannot forsake him whom I love!--When they curse
+me, Trude, kneel, and implor God to bless me, who is the Father of love!
+My conscience does not reproach me. I have worked for them when they
+needed it; now their adopted son, to whom they have sold their name,
+allows them a yearly rent, and I can work for myself."
+
+"Hark! there is the post-horn again, you must go," murmured Trude,
+struggling to force back her tears.
+
+"Bless me, mother," implored Marie, kneeling.
+
+"God's blessing go with you," she said, laying her hands upon her head,
+"and may it render of no avail the curses of men, but permit you to walk
+in love and happiness!"
+
+"Amen, amen!" sighed Marie, "now farewell, dear mother, farewell!"
+
+Marie rose, and kissing Trude again, flitted down the stairs, and out of
+the house, Trude following, holding her breath and listening in fearful
+excitement.
+
+Again resounded the post-horn.
+
+"They are gone," murmured Trude, bowing her head and praying long and
+fervently.
+
+The general was particularly fortunate this evening, which caused him to
+be unusually cheerful and satisfied. After every rubber he gathered up
+the thalers, until he had amassed a most satisfactory pile. As the clock
+struck ten, Frau von Werrig declared that they must finish and go to
+bed.
+
+The general yielded, with a sigh, to her decision, for he knew, by
+long years of experience, that it would be in vain to defy her will.
+He shoved his winnings into a leather bag, which he always carried
+with him, and gave Leberecht the order to roll away his chair, when
+the servant, with a solemn bow, stepped closely to him, and begged the
+general to listen to him a moment.
+
+"Well, what have you to say?" he asked.
+
+"I have only one request--that you will permit me to prove that I am a
+faithful servant, who looks out for the good of his employers. You
+have given Trude five hundred thalers that she might watch over your
+daughter. I can show you how well she deserved it, and how differently
+your humble servant would have done.--Have the goodness, Frau von
+Werrig, to call Trude to bid Fraulein come down, for you have something
+important to communicate to her."
+
+His mistress proudly regarded him and seemed to try to read his meaning
+in his smiling, humble face. "And if my daughter comes, what have you to
+say?"
+
+"If she comes, then I am a miserable fool and scoundrel, but I beg you
+to call Trude."
+
+It was a long time before the old woman appeared, confused and sleepy,
+asking--"what they wanted at such a late hour?"
+
+"Go and tell my daughter that I wish to see her at once."
+
+Trude trembled, but composed herself, saying, "There is time enough
+to-morrow. Fraulein has been asleep a long time."
+
+"She lies," sneered Leberecht, taking the precaution to protect himself
+behind the general's arm-chair. "She knows that she is not in bed."
+
+"Oh, you sneak, you rascal," cried Trude, shaking her fist at him, "how
+dare you say that I tell a lie? How can such a miserable creature as
+you impute to others what you do yourself every time that you open your
+mouth?"
+
+"Frau von Werrig, she is only quarrelling, in order to gain time--every
+moment is precious. I beg you to go up-stairs, and see for yourself, if
+your daughter is there."
+
+"Fraulein has locked the door so as not to be disturbed."
+
+"Ah," said Leberecht, "Trude has locked it, and has the key in her
+pocket."
+
+"Give up the key," shrieked the general, who in vain tried to rise, "or
+I will call the police, and send you to prison."
+
+"Do it, but I will not give it to you."
+
+"Do you not see she has it?" cried Leberecht.
+
+"Oh, you wretch, I will pay you--I will scratch your eyes out, you
+miserable creature!"
+
+"Trude, be quiet," commanded Ebenstreit; "the general orders to give up
+the key--do it!"
+
+"Yes, do it at once," shrieked Frau von Werrig, "or I will dismiss you
+from my service."
+
+"That you will not have to do, as I shall go myself. I will not give up
+the key."
+
+"The door is old, and with a good push one could open it," said
+Leberecht.
+
+"Come, my son, let us see," said the mother.
+
+They hastened up to the room, while the general scolded, furiously that
+he must sit still. Leberecht and Trude cast furious, menacing glances at
+each other.
+
+Suddenly a loud crash was heard.
+
+"They have broken open the door!" cried the general.
+
+"I said that it was old and frail--what do you say now, beautiful
+Trude?"
+
+The old woman wiped with her hand the drops of perspiration from her
+forehead, caused by her anguish. "You are a bad fellow, and God will
+punish you for your treason, that you have tormented a noble, unhappy
+girl. I saw that you were an eavesdropper, and you know all."
+
+"She is gone!" shrieked the mother, rushing into the room.
+
+"The room is empty," cried Ebenstreit. "Marie is not there. Tell us,
+Leberecht, what you know about it."
+
+"I will, if we can agree about the pay--the old woman bothers me, and
+beg the young gentleman to go into the next room with me."
+
+"O Almighty God, have compassion upon my poor little Marie," murmured
+Trude, kneeling, and covering her face.
+
+Ebenstreit in the mean time withdrew to the other room, followed by the
+servant.
+
+"Speak!" commanded his master, "and tell me what you have to say."
+
+Leberecht shrugged his shoulders. "We are two men who have urgent
+business with each other. I am not at present a servant and you the
+master. I am a man who has an important secret to sell, and you are the
+man who would buy it."
+
+"What strange, unheard-of language is this?" said Ebenstreit,
+astonished.
+
+"The language of a man who cannot only deprive the rich banker
+Ebenstreit of a lovely wife, but of his title also. You said yourself,
+sir, this morning, that it was only valid if you succeeded in marrying
+the daughter of General von Leuthen. No none knows where you can find
+your bride but me."
+
+"And Trude," said Ebenstreit, quickly.
+
+"You know she will not betray Fraulein, and you have not even tried to
+make her."
+
+"You are mistaken; Trude is as easily bought as any one."
+
+"You say that because she has taken five hundred thalers from you. She
+has not helped you, and it is useless to ask for your money, as she has
+not got it."
+
+"How so? Has she given it away?"
+
+"You provided the money for your bride to run away and marry elsewhere,
+as Trude gave it to them."
+
+Ebenstreit stamped his foot with rage, striding backward and forward in
+furious excitement, while Leberecht watched him, sardonically smiling.
+"Let us come to an end with this business," said Ebenstreit, stopping
+before his servant. "You know where Fraulein can be found, and you wish
+to sell the secret--tell me your price."
+
+"Three thousand thalers, and a clerkship in your bank, which you intend
+to continue under another name."
+
+"You are beside yourself. I am not so foolish as to grant such senseless
+demands."
+
+"Every hour that you wait I demand a thousand thalers more, and if you
+stop to reflect long your betrothed and your title both are lost."
+
+"You are a miserable scamp!" cried Ebenstreit, enraged; "I will
+inform the police. There are means enough to force you to give the
+information."
+
+"I do not believe it. Trude will not tell you, and I should like to know
+what can force me if I will not. The king has done away with torture,
+and I have informed you how to make me speak. Three thousand thalers and
+a clerkship in your office. Take care! it is almost eleven o'clock--at
+midnight I shall demand four thousand."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. UNDER THE STARRY HEAVENS.
+
+
+It was a beautiful, clear, moonlight night. The world reposed in
+silence. Mankind with their cares and sorrows, their joys and hopes, had
+gone to rest. Over town and village, over highway and forest had flitted
+the sweet, consoling angel--Sleep. The sad were soothed, the heavy-laden
+were lightened of their burdens, to the despairing were brought golden
+dreams, to the weary rest. Sighing and sorrowful, he turned from those
+with a sad face whose conscience banished repose, and, ah! their number
+was legion. To the wakeful and blissful he smilingly glanced, breathing
+a prayer and a blessing; but these were few and far between--for
+happiness is a rare guest, and tarries with mortals but fitfully. As
+he glided past the joyful couple who, with watchful love and grateful
+hearts, sat in the carriage rolling over the silent, deserted highway,
+two tears fell from his eyes, and his starry wings were wider outspread
+to rush more quickly past.
+
+"Look, my dear Marie, two stars just fell from heaven. They are a
+greeting to you, loved one, and they would say they guide us on our
+way."
+
+"Oh, Philip, it is a sign of ill-luck! Falling stars betoken
+misfortune!"
+
+She clung closer to his side, and laid her head upon his shoulder.
+He pressed her more lovingly to his heart. "Do not fear, dear Marie;
+separation only could cause us unhappiness--we have long borne it, and
+now it is forever past. You have given yourself to me for my own, and I
+am yours, heart and soul; we speed on through the night to the morning
+of the bright, sunny future, never more to be parted."
+
+"Never!" she fervently murmured. "Oh, may God hear our prayer. Never,
+never to part! Yet, while the word falls from my lips, a shudder creeps
+through my soul."
+
+"Wherefore this despair, dearest? Reflect, no one will be apprised of
+our flight till early morning, and then they will not know whither we
+have fled. Meanwhile we rush on to Hamburg, where a packet-ship sails
+every Wednesday for England; arriving there, we will first go to
+Suffolk, to my old friend the vicar of Tunningham. I was his guest many
+weeks last year, and he often related to me the privilege which had
+been conferred on the parish church for a long time to perform valid
+marriages for those to whose union there were obstacles interposed
+elsewhere. He will bless the union of our love, and will accord me the
+lawful right to call you my own before God and man. We will not return
+at once to Germany. I have many connections and literary friends in
+London, who will assist me to worthy occupation. Besides, I closed an
+agreement some weeks since with the publisher Nicolai in Berlin for a
+new work. I will write it in London; it will be none the less favored
+coming from a distance."
+
+"My flowers and paintings will also be as well received in as in
+Berlin," added Marie, smilingly.
+
+"No, Marie, you shall not work. I shall have the precious care of
+providing for you, which will be my pride and happiness. Oh, my beloved,
+what a crowning bliss to possess a sweet, dear wife, who is only rich
+in imperishable treasures, and poor in external riches! What delight
+to toil for her, and feel that there lives in my intellect the power to
+grant her every wish, and to compensate her in the slightest degree the
+boundless wealth of her affection! To a loving mind there is no prouder,
+happier feeling than to be the only source of support to the wife of his
+love--to know that she looks to him for the fulfilment of her slightest
+wish in life. I thank my Maker that you are poor, Marie, and that I am
+permitted to toil for you. How else could I reward you for all you have
+sacrificed for me?"
+
+"You cannot suppose, dear Philip, that the riches of my obtrusive lover
+would have been any attraction to me. Money could never compensate for
+the loss of your love. You are my life, and from you alone can I receive
+happiness or unhappiness. At your side I am rich and joyous, though we
+may outwardly need; without you I should be poor with superfluity. I
+am proud that we in spirit have freed ourselves from those fictitious
+externals with which the foolish burden themselves. Oh, my beloved
+Philip, my whole soul is exultant that we are never more to part--no,
+not even in eternity, for I believe that love is an undying sentiment,
+and the soul can never be darkened by death which is beaming with
+affection."
+
+"You are right, Marie, love is the immortality of the soul; through it
+man is regenerated and soars to the regions of eternal light. When I
+recall how desolate and gloomy was my life, how joyless the days dragged
+on before I loved you, I almost menaced Heaven that it created me to
+wander alone through this desert. The brightest sun's rays now gild
+my future, and it seems as if we were alone in paradise, and that the
+creation entire glorified my happiness, and all the voices of Nature
+shouted a greeting to you, dearest. Oh, Marie, if I lived a thousand
+years, my heart would retain its youthful love and adoration for you,
+who have saved me from myself, have freed my soul from the constraining
+fetters of a sad, joyless existence. Repose your head upon my heart, and
+may it rest there many happy years, and receive in this hour my oath to
+love, esteem, and honor you as my most precious treasure! You shall be
+wife, child, sister, and friend. My soul shall be frank and open to
+you; for you I will strive and toil, and will cherish and foster the
+happiness received from you as my most treasured gift. Give me your
+hand, Marie."
+
+She laid it within his own strong, manly hand, gently pressing it.
+
+The large full moon, high above them, lighted up these noble faces,
+making the eyes, which were bent upon each other, more radiant. Swiftly
+the carriage rolled on, the night-breeze fanning their cheeks and waving
+back their raven curls.
+
+Moritz raised their clasped hands, and gazed at the starry heaven.
+
+"We lift them up unto Thee, O God. Thou hast heard my oath, O Eternal
+Spirit, who dwellest among the stars; receive it, and bless the woman I
+love!"
+
+"Receive also my oath, O my Maker. Regard the man to whom I have sworn
+eternal fidelity, bless him, and bless me. Let us live in love and die
+in constancy."
+
+Moritz responded, "Amen, my beloved, amen!"
+
+They embraced each other fervently. Onward rolled the carriage through
+the tranquil, blissful night. Oh why cannot these steeds borrow wings
+from the night-wind? Why cannot the soaring spirit bear aloft its
+earthly tenement? With divine joy and heavenly confidence you gaze at
+the stars. You smilingly interchange thoughts of the blissful future,
+whilst dire misfortune approaches, and will soon seize you in its
+poisonous grasp! Do you not hear it? Does not the echo of swift-prancing
+steeds ring in your ears? Do you not hear the shrieking and calling
+after you?
+
+They listen only to the voice of tenderness speaking in their hearts,
+and would that the solemn quiet of this dialogue might not be broken by
+a loud word from their lips.
+
+The post-horn sounded! They halted at a lonely house near the highway.
+It is the station. Change horses! There is not a light to be seen.
+Three times the postilion blew a pealing blast ere they could awake the
+inmates. The window was at last opened, and a sleepy, complaining voice
+questioned the number of horses and the distance of the next post.
+
+Slowly they were brought forward, and still more slowly were they
+attached to the carriage, and all arranged. What matters it? The night
+is lovely, and like a dream it seems to remain under the starry heavens,
+spread out like a canopy above them.
+
+Does not your heart tell you that sorrow strides on like the storm? Do
+you not hear the voices still shrieking after you?
+
+The postilion mounted his horse, and again the trumpet pealed forth
+its merry air, and was answered with a shout of triumph from the swift
+pursuers.
+
+Marie raised her head from Philip's shoulder. "What was it? Did you not
+hear it?"
+
+"What, my beloved, what should I hear? Do the stars salute you? Do the
+angels greet their sister upon earth?"
+
+"Hark! there it is again! Do you not hear it? Listen! does it not seem
+as if one called 'Halt! halt!'"
+
+"Yes, truly, I hear it now also! What can happen, love? Why trouble
+ourselves about the outer world and the existence of other beings?"
+
+"I know not, but I am so anxious, my heart almost ceases to beat, with
+terror!"
+
+"Halt! halt!" the wind carries forward the shriek, and above their heads
+it sounds like the screeching of ravens.
+
+"Strange! For whom are they calling?" Moritz looked back along the
+highway. White and clear it lay in the moonlight, but, far in the
+distance was a black mass, taking form and shape at every moment!
+
+Horsemen! horsemen! in full speed they come!
+
+"Postilion! drive on! quick! Let the horses gallop! There is a forest
+near--drive us to that, that we may hide ourselves in the thicket!
+Onward, postilion! we are not thieves or murderers. A hundred thalers
+are yours, if you save us!"
+
+The postilion beat his horses! In full chase they followed--more and
+more distinctly were heard the curses and yells.
+
+"Oh, God in heaven, have mercy upon us in our need!"
+
+"Faster, postilion!--in mercy, faster!"
+
+"Halt! halt!--in the name of the king, halt!"
+
+This startled the postilion, and he turned to listen, and again a
+furious voice yelled, "In the name of the king, halt!"
+
+The postilion drew up. "Forgive me, sir, but I must respect the name of
+the king."
+
+Forward galloped the horsemen.
+
+"Philip," whispered Marie, "why do we live--why do we not die?"
+
+He folded her in his arms, and passionately kissed her, perhaps for the
+last time. "Marie, be mindful of our oath--constant unto death!"
+
+"Constant unto death!" she repeated.
+
+"Be firm and defy all the storms of life!"
+
+Marie repeated it, with heightened courage.
+
+The horsemen surrounded the carriage, the riders upon panting steeds!
+Two officers in uniform sprang to the side, laying their hands upon
+Moritz's shoulder. "Conrector Philip Moritz, we arrest you in the
+name of the king! You are accused of eloping with a minor, and we are
+commanded to transport you to Spandau until further orders!" Upon the
+other side two other horsemen halted. The foremost was Herr Ebenstreit,
+who laid his hand upon Marie, and saw not or cared not that she
+shudderingly shrank away.
+
+"My dear Marie, I come as the ambassador of your parents, and am fully
+empowered to lead your back to your father's house."
+
+She answered not, but sat immovable and benumbed with terror, the tears
+rolling down her cheeks.
+
+"You arrest me in the name of the king," cried Moritz; "I bow to the law.
+I beg only to speak to that man," pointing to Ebenstreit, with contempt.
+"Sir, dismount, I have important business with you!"
+
+"We have nothing to say to each other," answered Ebenstreit, calmly.
+
+"But I!" cried Moritz, springing forward, furious as a lion, "I have
+something to say to you, you rascal, and I will treat you accordingly!"
+
+He savagely tore the whip from the postilion's hand, and struck
+Ebenstreit in the face. "Now," cried he, triumphantly, "I have forced
+you to give me satisfaction!"
+
+The police swung themselves from their saddles, and Leberecht quickly
+dismounted. They clinched Moritz by the feet and hands. It was a
+desperate struggle, and Marie gazed at them with folded hands, praying
+without words. They seized him and held him fast with manacles. A
+shriek, and Marie sank fainting. Moritz's head sank upon his breast,
+almost in the agony of death.
+
+"Take him to the next station, my friends," commanded Ebenstreit, "the
+carriage is already ordered to remove him to Spandau." He dismounted,
+and now took the place by Marie, who still lay in a dead faint.
+"Postilion, mount and turn your carriage, I retain you until the next
+station. If you drive quickly, there is a louis d'or for you."
+
+"I will drive as if the devil were after me, sir!" shouted the
+postilion, and turned to gallop off, when Ebenstreit ordered him to
+halt, and Leberecht to get up on the box. Then turning to the officers,
+"Gentlemen," said he, proudly, "you are witnesses to the ill-treatment
+and insults of this woman-stealer. You will certify that the blood
+flowed down my face."
+
+"I will myself make it known before all men," cried Moritz, with a
+contemptuous laugh. "I have insulted you and branded you."
+
+"We will give our evidence," respectfully replied the officers. "As soon
+as we have delivered our prisoner at Spandau, we will announce ourselves
+to you."
+
+"Then you will receive from me the promised reward of a hundred thalers.
+If you hush up the entire adventure, so that it is not noised about,
+after three months, still another hundred."
+
+"We will be silent, Herr Ebenstreit."
+
+"I believe you; a hundred thalers is a pretty sum. Forward, Leberecht,
+make the postilion push on, that we may arrive in Berlin before
+daybreak, and no one know of this abominable affair."
+
+The postilion laughed with delight, at the thought of the louis d'or.
+Upon the box sat Leberecht, a smile of malicious triumph upon his
+face. "This has been a lucky night," said he; "we have all done a good
+business, but I am the most fortunate, with my three thousand thalers
+and a fine place. I wish he had waited an hour later, and then I should
+have had another thousand!"
+
+Ebenstreit sat with triumphant smile also, by his betrothed. "Money is
+the king of the world--with it one can accomplish all things," said he
+to himself; "if I had been a poor fellow, the general would not have
+chosen me, nor the king have given me a title, nor could I have won back
+my beautiful bride. Money gives position, and I hope will give me the
+power to revenge myself for the pain in my face." He turned menacingly
+toward Moritz, who saw it not.
+
+With bowed head, speechless, as if numb with the horror of his
+misfortune, he rode with fettered hands between the two officers,
+incapable of fleeing, as they had even bound a cord around his arms,
+each end held fast by one of the riders.
+
+The stars and the moon shone down upon him as brightly beautiful as
+an hour previous. Oh, Marie, you were right, falling stars betoken
+misfortune! Your star has fallen!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII. THE SACRIFICE.
+
+
+Since that painful night, four weeks had passed, four long ones to poor
+old Trude. To her beloved child they had fled in happy unconsciousness.
+In the delirium of fever, her thoughts wandered to her lover, always
+dwelling upon her hopes and happiness. In the intervals of reason she
+asked for him with fearful excitement and anxiety, then again her mind
+was clouded, and the cry of anguish was changed into a smile.
+
+Then came the days of convalescence and the return to consciousness, and
+with it the mourning over crushed hopes. Slowly had Trude, the faithful
+nurse, who watched by her bedside day and night, answered her excited
+questions, and to her little by little the circumstances of the
+elopement--how Leberecht had played the eavesdropper and sold Marie's
+secret for gold; how he had previously arranged to pursue them,
+informing the police, ordering the horses, and sending forward a courier
+to provide fresh relays at every station.
+
+Trude depicted the anger of her father and the threats of her mother to
+send her to prison. But before she could execute her purpose, Ebenstreit
+had brought home the unconscious child, and she herself had lifted her
+from the carriage and borne her, with the aid of her mistress, to her
+own little attic room.
+
+Marie listened to these relations with a gloomy calmness and a defiant
+sorrow. Illness had wrought a peculiar change in her mind, and hardened
+the gentle, tender feelings of the young girl. Grief had steeled her
+soul, benumbed her heart, and she had risen from her couch as one born
+anew to grief and torture. Her present situation and lost happiness had
+changed the young, loving, tenderly-sensitive maiden to the
+courageous, energetic, and defiant woman, who recognized a future of
+self-renunciation, combat, and resignation.
+
+Trude observed these changes with disquietude and care. She wished Marie
+would only once complain, or burst into tears. After the first storm of
+despair had passed, the tears refused to flow, and her eyes were bright
+and undimmed. Only once had profound emotion been awakened, as Trude
+asked her if she had forgotten her unhappy lover, and cared no more to
+learn his fate. It had the desired effect.
+
+A deathly paleness overspread her delicate, transparent cheek. "I know
+how he is," she said, turning away her face, "I realize his sufferings
+by my own. We are miserable, lost--and no hope but in death. Ere this
+comes, there is a desert to traverse in heat, and dust, and storm, and
+frost, alone, without consolation or support. Hush, Trude! do not seek
+to revive miserable hopes. I know my fate, and I will endure it. Tell me
+what you know about him? Where is he? Have they accused him? Speak! do
+not fear to tell me every thing!" But fearing herself, she threw her
+handkerchief quickly over her face, and sat with it covered whilst Trude
+spoke.
+
+"I know but little of poor, dear Moritz. He has never returned to
+his lodgings. A day or two after that night, two officers sealed his
+effects, and took away his clothes. His hostess has not the least
+suspicion of the mysterious disappearance of her otherwise quiet,
+regular lodger. The secret of the elopement has been carefully guarded,
+as no one of the neighbors know it, and there is no gossip about you and
+Moritz. Those who think he is travelling are not surprised at his having
+left without taking leave, as they say he was accustomed to do so. But,"
+continued Trude, in a lower tone, "Herr Gedicke looked very sad and
+grave, as I asked for the Conrector Moritz. 'He has disappeared,' he
+sighed, 'and I know not if we shall ever see him again.' 'Oh, Jemima!' I
+screamed, 'you do not think that he has committed a self-injury!' 'No,'
+said the director, 'not he himself, he is too honorable a man. Others
+have ill-treated him and made him unhappy for life.' It was in vain to
+ask further; he knew not or he would not say any thing. I believe your
+family know where poor Moritz is, for your mother speaks of him as one
+in the penitentiary, and quite triumphantly she told me yesterday that
+the king, in his new book of laws, had expressly condemned the person
+who elopes with a minor to be sent to the house of correction for ten
+years, and then she laughed so cruelly, that I trembled to hear her."
+
+As Trude related this, she searchingly glanced at Marie to observe the
+effect of her words, hoping to see her weep or complain and that, at
+last, grief would melt the icy crust around her heart.
+
+But Marie sat motionless and without uttering a sound--not a sigh or a
+moan escaped her. After a long silence, when her grief was too deep for
+tears, she drew the handkerchief from her face, the pallor and rigidity
+of which startled Trude.
+
+She sprang forward, folding her in her arms. "Marie, child of my heart,
+do weep, do complain! I know that he loved you dearly, and deserves that
+you should mourn for him. Have you no more confidence, though, in your
+old Trude? Is she no longer worthy to share your grief?"
+
+Marie laid her languid head upon the bosom of her faithful nurse; a
+long-drawn, piercing cry of anguish was her response, she trembled
+violently, and the tears ran down her cheeks.
+
+Trude raised her eyes to heaven, murmuring, "I thank thee, O Lord! Her
+heart is not dead! It lives, for it suffers!"
+
+"It suffers," groaned Marie, "the anguish of death."
+
+This passionate outburst of feeling was of but short duration. Her tears
+were dried, and her quivering face assumed its usually calm expression.
+
+"Trude," said she, gently, continuing to repose upon her bosom, "I am
+so wretched that words cannot express it or tears soothe it. If I should
+give myself up to sorrow and mourning I should die, and that cannot be,
+for I must live to wait for him--to rescue him. How I know not yet;
+my thoughts and resolutions are so confused that they flicker like the
+ignes fatui. I will force my mind to be calm, and these wandering lights
+shall unite in one glowing flame to destroy the walls and obstructions
+which confine him. He is a prisoner; I feel it in my heart, and I must
+live to free him. This is my task, and I will accomplish it; therefore
+I would be composed, and strong in myself. Wonder not that I weep or
+complain no more, and do not refer to my misfortune. I should die if
+I did not suppress this anguish, and I would become strong and active.
+Seek not to enfeeble me, but aid me to harden myself; refrain from
+complaint, that I may be silent. I think only of him, and I ask nothing
+further than to yield my life to free him. Let us never speak of it
+again, for I feel that all the firmness which I had gained has been
+swept from me in this giving way, and that I must begin anew."
+
+From this hour she commenced to build, and rose upon her grief as on a
+column which projects toward heaven; leaned upon it, and received, as
+Brisaeus from the earth, the power of life and action. She had already
+so conquered herself as to be able to leave her own quiet room, and
+descend to that of her parents. There she would sit calmly for hours,
+listening attentively to the conversation, hoping to catch some word
+that might give her a clew.
+
+They avoided every exciting topic, and were milder and more thoughtful
+for her. Even her mother made no reproaches, and never alluded to
+the past, because she feared to delay her recovery, and remove the
+longed-for goal in hindering the marriage with Ebenstreit. The latter
+carefully avoided troubling her by his presence; when he heard Marie's
+step in the anteroom, who descended at a certain hour every day, he
+withdrew by the other entrance.
+
+"Who goes out every time I come in?" asked Marie, one day as she
+appeared in the sitting-room.
+
+The general coughed with embarrassment, and glanced anxiously at
+his wife, whose eyes rested upon her daughter with a cold, searching
+expression. Their eyes met, and were riveted upon each other. A cold,
+cruel smile played around the thin, bloodless lips of the mother as she
+recognized the defiance and firmness in her child, and felt that she had
+recovered.
+
+"It is your betrothed," she answered, "our dear Ebenstreit--a good,
+generous, and self-sacrificing son, for whom we thank God every day, who
+wishes to spare you the annoyance of seeing him."
+
+"He need not inconvenience himself on my account. Nothing excites or
+wounds my feelings now. It would be a pity for your heartless, thankless
+daughter to deprive you of the society of your dear son. Let him remain;
+it is not necessary for us to notice one another."
+
+Her parents regarded each other astonished, and, as she ceased, they
+still listened to the dying tones of her voice, which sounded so
+strangely to them. "She is much changed," mumbled the general to
+himself. "She does not seem the same person, she is so haughty and
+majestic. She might well inspire fear."
+
+The following day, as Marie entered the room, Ebenstreit was there.
+He approached her, extending both hands smiling, and greeting her with
+tender words, rejoicing at her recovery.
+
+She took no notice of his friendly demonstrations, but coldly and
+harshly regarded his smiling face, and particularly the broad, blood-red
+scar which ran from forehead to chin. Then suddenly her face lighted up,
+and an expression of savage triumph shot from her eyes. "How disfigured
+you look," she cried exultingly. "Where did you get that scar?"
+
+"You know well, Marie," he murmured, gloomily.
+
+"Yes," she cried, triumphantly. "I know it. He branded you, and you will
+wear this mark before God and man as long as you live."
+
+"You are very cruel to remind me of it, Marie," he softly whispered.
+
+She laughed aloud so wild and savagely, that even her mother was
+startled. "Cruel--I cruel!" she cried. "Ah, sir, it becomes you indeed
+to accuse me of it!"
+
+Trude entered at this instant, pale and excited.
+
+"What is the matter?"
+
+"There is some one here who wishes to speak with you, Marie; he has
+something very important to tell you."
+
+"How dare you announce any one without my permission?" cried Frau von
+Werrig.
+
+"Silence, mother!--if I may be allowed, let us hear who it is.--Speak,
+dear Trude, who is it?"
+
+"It is the Director Gedicke from the Gray Cloister," said Trude, with
+quivering voice.
+
+Marie was startled--a glowing red overspread her cheeks, and she was
+obliged to lean against a chair for support.
+
+"I forbid you to receive him," said her mother.
+
+She suddenly ceased, and stared at the door, which opened at that
+moment, the tall, dignified form of a venerable old man appearing.
+
+"Pardon me, sir," said he, with a cold, reserved manner, "if I enter
+before I receive permission. The command of the king, to which I believe
+we all yield without resistance, empowers me to do so."
+
+"How, sir, you come by the king's order?" asked the general, who rose
+with difficulty. "Has his majesty given you a message for General von
+Leuthen?"
+
+"No, general, I come with a communication from his majesty to Fraulein
+von Leuthen, the betrothed of Herr Ebenstreit, and the order runs to
+deliver the same personally and without witnesses."
+
+"Professor," cried the mother, shrugging her shoulders, "you mistake
+us for very innocent people, if you suppose we believe this silly
+invention, and that you can gain a secret conversation by a ruse with
+our daughter. You are the director of the gymnasium, and naturally the
+friend of Conrector Moritz. In his name you will speak, and bring a
+secret message. Very sly, indeed, very sly, but it will not succeed."
+
+For response, the director drew two large folded documents from his
+pocket, approaching the general. "Do you recognize this seal?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," solemnly answered the general; "it is the royal seal from the
+king's private cabinet."
+
+"Read the address upon this, and the unopened letter."
+
+"Truly, the latter is directed to my daughter, and the other to
+Professor Gedicke."
+
+Herr Gedicke opened the letter, asking the general if he could recognize
+the king's handwriting.
+
+"Yes," he answered, "I know it well."
+
+"Have the goodness to read the lines upon the margin," mid the
+professor, unfolding the letter, so that he could only read those
+referred to.
+
+The general read: "Professor Gedicke shall go himself to Fraulein von
+Leuthen, and bring her to reason, reading the document to her without
+witnesses. I wish this affair to come to an end. Teach Mamselle mores!
+mores! mores! FREDERICK."
+
+"You have heard the royal command, ladies and gentlemen; will you
+respect it?" said the professor, turning around with an air of proud
+satisfaction.
+
+"My dear son-in-law," said the general, solemnly, "it is a royal
+command; give me your arm, as you know I am feeble; and you, my wife,
+take my other arm, and we will go into the next room. Hush! not a
+word--we have only to obey, and not reason."
+
+He seized his wife's hand hastily and firmly, that she should not slip
+away, and winked to Ebenstreit, upon whose support he crossed the room,
+drawing his wife with him, and pushing open the door of the next with
+his foot.
+
+Marie had stood during the whole transaction pale and rigid in the
+centre of the room, looking haughty and defiant as long as her parents
+and Herr Ebenstreit were present. Now, as the door closed, life
+and action were visible in this marble form; she rushed to the old
+gentleman, scarce respiring, and looking up at his dignified, sad face,
+asked: "Is he living? Tell me only this, or is he ill?"
+
+"Yes, he lives, he does not suffer from bodily ills, but the sickness of
+the soul."
+
+"And do not I also?" asked she, with quivering voice. "Oh! I know what
+he suffers, as we are wretched from the same cause. But tell me, have
+you seen him?"
+
+"Yes, Fraulein, I have."
+
+"Where is he? Where did you see him?"
+
+"In prison!"
+
+Marie grew paler, and retreated, shuddering. The director continued: "In
+a dark, damp prison at Spandau. The poor fellow has been there for two
+months without air, light, or occupation, and his only society is his
+own revengeful thoughts and angry love-complaints."
+
+Marie gave one hollow moan, covering her corpse-like face with her
+hands.
+
+"In this abode of torture, in this dwelling of the damned, he must
+remain ten long years, if death does not release him?"
+
+"What did you say?" she groaned. "Ten long years? Have they condemned
+him?"
+
+"Yes, he was guilty of a great crime--eloping with a minor--who, with
+the king's consent, and that of her parents, was betrothed to another.
+Read the sentence of the court, which was forwarded to me as the head
+of the college where Moritz was employed. See, here is the king's
+signature, which affirms the sentence, rendering it legal, and here upon
+the margin are the lines your father read."
+
+Trembling, Marie perused the contents. "Ten years in the house of
+correction!" she murmured. "On my account condemned to a living death!
+No, no, it is impossible! It cannot be! Ten years of the best part of
+life! He condemned as a criminal! I will go to the king. I will throw
+myself at his feet, imploring for mercy. I am the guilty one--I alone!
+They should judge me, and send me to the penitentiary! I will go to the
+king! He must and will hear me!"
+
+"He will not," sighed the director. "Listen to me, poor child! As I
+heard the sentence, I felt it my duty to summon all my powers to rescue
+Moritz, for I love him as a son, and had set my hopes upon him."
+
+"I thank you for this kind word," said Marie, seizing the hand of the
+old man, and pressing it to her lips.
+
+"I went immediately to Minister von Herzberg, and, upon his advice,
+as he explained to me the king might lighten his punishment, I betook
+myself to Frederick's winter-quarters at Breslau."
+
+"You noble, generous man, I shall love you for it as long as I live. Did
+you speak with the king?"
+
+"Yes, and every thing that my heart or mind could inspire, to excuse and
+justify my unhappy friend, I have said--but all in vain. The king was
+much embittered, because he had had the grace to grant him an audience,
+and explain the impossibility of the fulfilment of his petition. I did
+not cease begging and imploring, until I softened the generous heart of
+the king."
+
+"Has he pardoned Moritz?" Marie asked, with brightening hopes.
+
+"Under certain conditions he will allow that he should escape secretly
+from prison. They are formally written, and if Moritz consents and binds
+himself by oath, he will not only be freed, but provided with means to
+go to England, and receive immediately an appointment as translator to
+the Prussian embassy at London."
+
+"What are the conditions, sir?"
+
+"They are, first, that Moritz shall by oath renounce every wish and
+thought of uniting himself with Fraulein von Leuthen; secondly, that
+before he leaves the prison, he shall write to the young lady, in which
+he shall solemnly release her, and enjoin it upon her as a duty to
+accept the hand of the man to whom her parents have betrothed her. These
+were the conditions, and the king commanded me to go to Spandau, and
+with sensible representations, to confer with Moritz, and persuade him
+to accept them, and assure himself of freedom, and an honorable future,
+free from care."
+
+"You saw Moritz?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Did you communicate the conditions?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And he?"
+
+"He refused, with rage and indignation!"
+
+"He refused?" cried Marie, joyfully. "Oh, my dear Philip, I thank you.
+You love me truly and faithfully. Your glorious example shall inspire me
+to be as firm as you."
+
+"Unhappy child, you know not what you are saying!" cried the director,
+sadly. "If you really love him, you could not follow his example. Read
+what the king has written."
+
+She took, in breathless silence, the document, and broke the seal,
+unfolding the paper, but her hand shook it so violently, that she could
+not distinguish the words.
+
+She returned it to the director. "Read it, I cannot," she said, and
+sank kneeling, looking up to the old man with unspeakable anguish, and
+listening to every word that fell from his lips. It ran thus:
+
+"His majesty announces to Mademoiselle Marie von Leuthen that he is
+exceedingly indignant at her improper and undutiful conduct, which does
+not at all become a maiden loving of honor, and particularly a noble
+one. His majesty ennobled her father for a brave deed, and he is angry
+that the daughter should bring shame upon the title, in giving way,
+not only to a passion which is beneath her, but is so little mindful of
+morality as to flee from the paternal house, at night, in an improper
+manner, with a man whose wife, according to the command of the king
+and the will of her father, she could never be. If his majesty did not
+respect the former service of her father, and the new title, he would
+send the daughter to the house of correction, and punish her according
+to the law. But he will leave her to the reproaches of conscience, and
+let the weight of the law fall upon her partner in guilt, Philip Moritz.
+He is rightly sentenced to ten years in the house of correction, and he
+will not be released one year or one day from the same, as he is guilty
+of a great crime, and his sentence is just."
+
+"Just!" shrieked Marie, in anguish--"ten years just?"
+
+The director continued to read: "His majesty will propose a last
+opportunity to the obstinate and inconsiderate young lady to reinstate
+her own honor, and release at the same time Conrector Moritz. His
+majesty has personal knowledge of the latter, and respects his scholarly
+attainments and capability and would bring an end to this affair for the
+general good. If mademoiselle, as becomes an honorable young woman,
+and an obedient daughter, follows the wishes of her father, and without
+delay marries Herr Ebenstreit, and leads a respectable life with him,
+the same hour of the ceremony Conrector Moritz shall be released, and a
+fit position be created for him. This is the final decision of the king.
+If the daughter does not submit in perfect obedience, she will burden
+her conscience with a great crime, and thank herself for Moritz's
+unfortunate fate. His majesty will be immediately informed of her
+decision. If she listens to reason, to morality, and affection, she will
+submit to the proposition which Director Gedicke is commissioned to make
+known to her, and announce to her parents in his presence that she will
+obediently follow their commands, Conrector Moritz will be at once set
+at liberty; otherwise he will be sent to Brandenburg to the house of
+correction. This is the unalterable will of the king. Signed, in the
+name of the king, FREDERICK."
+
+"Now decide, my child," continued the director, after a solemn pause. "I
+know nothing to add to this royal writing. If it has not itself spoken
+to your heart, your reason and your honor, words are useless."
+
+"O God, it is cruel--it is terrible!" cried Marie. "Shall I break my
+oath of constancy, becoming faithless, and suffer him to curse me, for
+he will never pardon me, but despise me!"
+
+She sprang up like a tigress, with her eyes flashing. "Oh," cried she,
+"he may even believe that I have been enticed by riches, by a brilliant
+future! No--no! I cannot consent! May God have mercy on me if the king
+will not! I will not break my oath! No one but Moritz shall ever be my
+husband!"
+
+"Unhappy girl," cried the old man, sadly, "I will give you one last
+inducement. I know not whether you have any knowledge of Moritz's
+past life, so tried and painful, which has made him easily excited and
+eccentric. A danger menaces him worse than imprisonment or death. His
+unaccustomed life, and the solitude of his dark, damp prison, is
+causing a fearful excitement in him. He is habituated to intellectual
+occupation. When he is obliged to put on the prisoner's jacket in the
+house of correction and spin wool, it will not kill him--it will make
+him mad!"
+
+A piercing cry was Marie's answer. "That is not true--it is impossible.
+He crazy!--you only say that to compel me to do what you will. His
+bright mind could not be obscured through the severest proofs."
+
+"You do not believe me? You think that an old man, with gray hair, and
+one foot in the grave, and who loves Moritz, could tell you a shameful
+untruth! I swear to you by the heads of my children, by all that is
+holy, that Moritz already suffers from an excitement of the brain; and
+if he does not soon have liberty and mental occupation, it is almost
+certain that he will become insane."
+
+Almost convulsed with anguish, Marie seized the old man's hand with
+fierce passion. "He shall not be crazed," she shrieked. "He shall not
+suffer--he shall not be imprisoned and buried in the house of correction
+on my account. I will rescue him--I and my love! I am prepared to do
+what the king commands! I will--marry the man--which--my parents have
+chosen. But--tell me, will he then be free?"
+
+"To-day even--in three hours, my poor child!"
+
+"Free! And I shall have saved him! Tell me what I have to do. What is
+the king's will?"
+
+"First sign this document," said the director, as he drew a second
+paper. "It runs thus: 'I, Marie von Leuthen, that of my own free will
+and consent I will renounce every other engagement, and will marry Herr
+Ebenstreit von Leuthen, and be a faithful wife to him. I witness with my
+signature the same.'"
+
+"Give it to me quickly," she gasped. "I will sign it! He must be free!
+He shall not go mad!"
+
+She rapidly signed the paper. "Here is my sentence of death! But he will
+live! Take it!"
+
+"My child," cried the old man, deeply agitated, "God will be mindful of
+this sacrifice, and in the hour of death it will beam brightly upon you.
+You have by this act rescued a noble and excellent being, and when he
+wins fame from science and art he will owe to you alone the gratitude."
+
+"He shall not thank me!" she whispered. "He shall live and--if he can be
+happy!--this is all that I ask for! What is there further to be done?"
+
+"To announce to your parents in my presence that you will marry Herr
+Ebenstreit, and let the ceremony take place as soon as possible."
+
+"You swear that he shall then be released? You are an old man--reflect
+well; you swear to me that as soon as the marriage takes place, Philip
+Moritz will be free this very day and that he will be reinstated in an
+honorable, active occupation?"
+
+"I swear it to you upon my word of honor, by my hope of reward from
+above."
+
+"I believe you. Call my parents. But first--you are a father, and love
+your children well. I have never had a father who loved me, or ever laid
+his hand upon my head to bless me. You say that you love Moritz as a
+son! Oh, love me for a moment as your daughter, and bless me!"
+
+The old man folded her in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks.
+"God bless you, my daughter, as I bless you!"
+
+"I dare not tarry," she shuddered. "Let my parents enter."
+
+Slowly the venerable man traversed the room. Marie pressed her hands
+to her heart, looking to heaven. As the door opened, and the general
+entered, leaning upon Ebenstreit's arm, followed by his wife, Marie
+approached them with a haughty, determined manner, who regarded her with
+astonishment.
+
+"Father," she said, slowly and calmly, "I am ready to follow your
+wishes. Send for the clergyman: I consent to marry this man to-day, upon
+one condition."
+
+"Make it known, my dear Marie. Name your condition. I will joyfully
+fulfil it," said Ebenstreit.
+
+"I demand that we leave to-day for the East, to go to
+Egypt--Palestine--and remain away from this place for years. Are you
+agreed to it?"
+
+"To all that which my dear Marie wishes."
+
+"You can now weave the bridal-wreath in my hair, mother. I consent to
+the marriage."
+
+Three hours later the preparations were completed. Every thing had
+awaited this for three months.
+
+In the sitting-room, the decorators had quickly built a marriage-altar,
+and ornamented the walls with garlands of flowers, with festoons of
+gauze and silk, with flags and standards. The mother wore the costly
+silk which her rich son-in-law had honored her with for the occasion,
+and also adorned herself with the gold ornaments which were equally his
+gift. The father wore his gold-embroidered uniform, and imagined himself
+a stately figure, as the gout left him the use of his limbs this day.
+
+The invited witnesses began to assemble. Just then Ebenstreit von
+Leuthen drove up in the handsome travelling-carriage, which was a
+wedding-gift to his wife, and excited the admiration of the numerous
+street public.
+
+Old Trude, in her simple dark Sunday dress, had awaited the appearance
+of the bridegroom, and went to announce his arrival to the bride.
+
+Marie was in her little garret-room, so unlike in its present appearance
+to its former simplicity and comfort--as unlike as the occupant to the
+rosy, smiling young girl, who, yonder by the little brown table in the
+window-niche, taught her pupils, or with busy, skilful hands made the
+loveliest flowers, the income of which she gave to her parents, joyfully
+and although she never received thanks or recognition for the same. Now
+the same little table was covered with morocco cases, whose half-open
+covers revealed brilliant ornaments, laces, and sweet perfumes; superb
+silk dresses, cloaks, and shawls, ornamented with lace, lay about upon
+the bed and chairs.
+
+Herr Ebenstreit von Leuthen had truly given his bride a princely dowry,
+and her mother had spread the things around room.
+
+Since Marie gave her consent to the marriage, she had followed out their
+wishes without opposition. She wore a white satin dress, covered with
+gold lace, her arms, neck, and ears, adorned with diamonds. The coiffeur
+had powdered and arranged her hair, without her ever casting a glance
+into the Psyche-mirror which her betrothed had had the gallantry to send
+to her room. She let him arrange the costly bridal veil; but when he
+would place the crown of myrtle, she waved him back.
+
+"Your work is finished," she said; "my mother will place that, I thank
+you."
+
+As Trude entered, Marie was standing in the centre of the room,
+regarding it with sinister, angry looks.
+
+"There you are, Trude," she said, "I am glad to see you a moment alone,
+for I have something to tell you. I have spoken with my future husband,
+demanding that you live with me as long as I live. Immediately after the
+ceremony you will go to my future home and remain there as house-keeper
+during my absence."
+
+Sadly the old woman shook her head. "No, that is too important a place
+for me. I will not lead a lazy life, and play the fine woman. I was made
+to work with my hands."
+
+"Do what you will in the house," answered Marie. "Only promise me that
+you will not leave me, and when I return that I shall find you there. If
+you leave me, I will never come back. Promise me!"
+
+"Then I will promise you, my poor child," sighed Trude.
+
+Marie laughed scornfully. "You call me poor--do you not see I am rich? I
+carry a fortune about my neck. Go, do not bewail me--I am rich!"
+
+"Marie, do not laugh so, it makes me feel badly," whispered the old
+woman. "I came to tell you the bridegroom and the clergyman are there."
+
+"The time has arrived for the marriage of the rich and happy bride. Go,
+Trude, beg my mother to come up and adorn me with the myrtle-wreath."
+
+"Dear Marie, can I not do it?" asked Trude, with quivering voice.
+
+"No, not you; touch not the fatal wreath! You have no part in that! Call
+my mother--it is time!"
+
+Trude turned sadly toward the door, Marie glancing after her, and
+calling her back with gentle tone.
+
+"Trude, my dear, faithful mother, kiss me once more." She threw her
+arms around Marie's neck and imprinted a loving kiss upon her forehead,
+weeping. "Now go, Trude--we must not give way; you know me; you well
+understand my feelings, and see into my heart."
+
+The old woman went out, drying her eyes. Marie uttered her last
+farewell. "With you the past goes forth, with you my youth and hope!
+When the door again opens, my future enters a strange, fearful life. Woe
+to those who have prepared it for me--woe to those who have so cruelly
+treated me! They will yet see what they have done. The good angel is
+extinct within me. Wicked demons will now assume their over me. I will
+have no pity--I will revenge myself; that I swear to Moritz!"
+
+Her mother rustled in, clothed in her splendid wedding-garments. "Did
+you send for me, dear Marie?" she whispered.
+
+"Yes, mother--I beg you to put on my myrtle-wreath."
+
+"How! have you no endearment for me?" she asked, smilingly. "Why do you
+say 'you' instead of 'thou?'"
+
+"It is better so, mother," she coldly answered. "Will you adorn me with
+the bridal-wreath?"
+
+"Willingly, my dear child; it is very beautiful and becoming."
+
+"Do you realize, mother, what you are doing? You place the wreath to
+consecrate me to an inconsolably unhappy life with the man that I hate
+and despise!"
+
+"My dear child, I know that you think so to-day; but you will soon
+change, and find that wealth is a supportable misfortune."
+
+"Mother, one day you will recall these words. Crown me for the hated
+bridal. The sacrifice is prepared!"
+
+
+
+
+BOOK IV. THE VISIBLES AND THE INVISIBLES.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII. OLD FRITZ.
+
+
+The war terminated, the hostile armies returned to their different
+German countries. Frederick the Great had gained his point, forcing
+Austria to renounce the possession of Bavaria. The Prince of
+Zweibruecken had been solemnly recognized by him as the rightful heir
+to the electorate, and the lawful ruler and possessor of Bavaria. The
+Emperor Joseph had submitted with profound regret and bitter animosity
+to the will of his mother, the reigning empress, and consented to the
+peace negotiations of Baron von Thugut. Having signed the document of
+the same, in his quality of co-regent, he angrily threw aside the pen,
+casting a furious glance at the hard, impenetrable face of Thugut,
+saying: "Tell her majesty that I have accomplished my last act as
+co-regent, and I now abdicate. From henceforth I will still lie her
+obedient son, but no submissive joint ruler, to only follow devotedly
+her imperial will. Therefore I resign, and never will trouble myself in
+future about the acts of the government." The emperor kept his word. He
+retired, piqued, into solitude, wounded in the depths of his soul, and
+afterward travelled, leaving the government entirely to the empress and
+her pious confessors.
+
+Bavaria was rescued! It owed its existence to the watchfulness,
+sagacity, and disinterested aid of Prussia's great king. The Elector
+Maximilian vowed in his delight that he, as well as his successors and
+heirs, would never forget that Bavaria must ascribe its continuance
+to Prussia alone, and therefore the gratitude of the princes of this
+electorate could not and never would be extinguished toward the royal
+house of Prussia. Frederick received these overflowing acknowledgments
+with the calmness of a philosopher and the smile of a skeptic. He
+understood mankind sufficiently to know what to expect from their oaths;
+to know that in the course of time there is nothing more oppressive and
+intolerable than gratitude, that it soon becomes a burden which they
+would gladly throw off their bent shoulders at any price, and become
+the enemy of him to whom they had sworn eternal thankfulness. Frederick
+regarded these oaths of Bavaria not as a security for the future, but as
+a payment on account of the past.
+
+"I did not go forth to render the Bavarian princes indebted to me," said
+he, to his only confidante, Count Herzberg, as he brought to him, at
+Sans-Souci, the renewed expression of thanks of the prince elector. "I
+would only protect Germany against Austria's grasp, and preserve the
+equilibrium of the German empire. Believe me, the house of Hapsburg is
+a dangerous enemy for the little German principalities, and if my
+successor does not bear it in mind, and guard himself against their
+flatteries and cat's-paws, Austria will fleece him as the cat the mouse
+who is enticed by the odor of the bacon. Prussia shall be neither a
+mouse in the German empire, nor serve as a roast for Austria. But she
+shall be a well-trained shepherd's dog for the dear, patient herd, and
+take care that none go astray and are lost."
+
+"Your majesty has drawn an unfortunate character for the future of our
+country," sighed Herzberg, thoughtfully, "and I must grant that it
+is sketched with severe but correct outlines so it follows that poor
+Germany has many combats and hardships in store."
+
+"What do you mean?" asked the king. "What characteristic did I name?"
+
+"Your majesty pointed out Austria as the cat watching for prey in
+Germany. Prussia, on the contrary, as the shepherd's dog, which should
+watch the native herd, and occasionally bite those who wander from the
+flock. The comparison is apt, and clearly exposes the natural hostility
+of the two nations. Nature has placed the cat and the dog in eternal
+enmity, and there is no compromise to be thought of, to say nothing of
+friendship. There may, now and then, be a truce; the cat may draw in
+her claws, and the dog may cease to howl and growl, but the combat will
+renew itself, and never end, but in the death of one party, and the
+victorious triumph of the other."
+
+"You are right," said the king, nodding slightly. "From this natural
+hostility will proceed many combats and storms for our land, and much
+blood will be shed on its account. Let us look to the future, and try to
+ward off the coming evil, in erecting high barriers against the cat-like
+springs of the enemy. I will think out a security for Germany. But
+first, mon cher ami, we have to care for our own country and people.
+The war has greatly injured my poor subjects. Industry is prostrated
+and prosperity disturbed. We must seek new sources of acquisition, and
+sustain those which are exhausted. For this, we must think of fresh
+taxes, and other sources of income."
+
+"Sire," said Herzberg, shrugging his shoulders, "the taxes are already
+so heavy that it will be difficult to increase them."
+
+"You are greatly mistaken," cried the king, with increased animation. "I
+will impose a tax upon those things which are now exempt, and establish
+a capable administration for the purpose. Bread, flour, meat, and beer,
+the sustenance of the poor, shall remain as they are, for I will not
+that they shall pay more. But tobacco, coffee, and tea, are superfluous
+things, which the prosperous and rich consume. Whoever will smoke, and
+drink tea or coffee, can and shall pay for being a gourmand!"
+
+"I beg pardon, but it is just these taxes which will create the greatest
+discontent," answered Herzberg. "Your majesty will remember that the
+duty on coffee was complained of and criticised by every one, and
+the poor people grumbled more than all. In spite of the resistance of
+government, coffee has become, more and more, a means of nourishment and
+refreshment for the lower class."
+
+"I will teach them to renounce it," cried the king, striking the table
+violently with his staff "I will not suffer so much money to go out of
+the country for this abominable beverage! My people shall re-learn to
+drink their beer, instead of this infamous stuff, as I had to do when
+a young man. What was good enough for the crown prince of Prussia, will
+to-day suffice for his subjects. I tell you, Herzberg, I will teach them
+to drink their beer, or pay dearly for this bad, foreign stuff. Then we
+will see which will conquer, Prussian beer or foreign coffee."
+
+"It is possible that the former will be victorious on account of
+their poverty and the high duties; but in any case the people will be
+discontented, and grumble against your majesty."
+
+"Do you suppose that I care for that?" asked the king, with a quick,
+fiery glance at the calm, earnest face of his confidant. "Do you think
+that I care for the applause of the people, or trouble myself about
+their complaints? I regard their shouting or their grumbling about as
+much as the humming or buzzing of a fly upon the wall. If it dares to
+light upon my nose, I brush it off; and if I can, I catch it. Beyond
+that, it is its nature to hum and buzz. Herzberg, you understand that if
+a ruler should listen to the praises or discontent of his subjects, he
+would soon be a lost man, and would not know his own mind. The people
+are changeable as the weather; to-morrow they crush under their feet
+what to-day they bore aloft, and praise one day what they stone the
+next. Do not talk to me about the people! I know this childish, foolish
+mass, and he is lost who counts upon their favor. It is all the same
+to me whether they like or hate me. I shall always do my duty to my
+subjects according to the best of my knowledge and ability, as it
+becomes an honorable and faithful officer. As the chief and most
+responsible servant of my kingdom, I should be mindful to increase
+her income and diminish her expenses--to lay taxes upon the rich, and
+lighten them for the poor. This is my task, and I will fulfil it so long
+as I live!"
+
+"Oh," cried Herzberg, with enthusiasm, "would that the entire nation
+might hear these words, and engrave them upon their hearts!"
+
+"Why that, mon cher?" asked Frederick, shrugging his shoulders. "I do
+not ask to be deified; my subjects are perfectly welcome to discuss
+my acts, so long as they pay me punctually, and order and quiet are
+respected and preserved."
+
+"All that is done," said Herzberg, joyfully. "The machine of state is so
+well arranged, that she has fulfilled her duty during the war, and will
+soon reestablish prosperity."
+
+"Particularly," cried the king, "if we rightly understand the art of
+agriculture. In the end every thing depends upon him who best cultivates
+his field. This is the highest art, for without it there would be no
+merchants, courtiers, kings, poets, or philosophers. The productions
+of the earth are the truest riches. He who improves his ground, brings
+waste land under the plough, drains the swamps, makes the most glorious
+conquests over barbarism."
+
+"And those are also conquerors, sire," said Herzberg, smiling, "who
+drain the mental swamps, and improve the waste mental ground. Such are
+those who increase the schools and instruct the people. I have caused
+the school authorities to report to me, according to your majesty's
+command. A happy progress has been noticed everywhere. Cultivation
+and education are advancing; and since our teachers have adopted the
+principles of Rousseau, a more humane spirit is perceptible throughout
+our schools."
+
+"What principle do we owe to Jean Jacques?" asked the king.
+
+"Sire, the principle that man is good by nature!"
+
+"Ah, mon cher, who says that knows but little of the abominable race to
+which we belong!" [Footnote: The king's words.--See "Prussia." vol. iv.,
+p. 221.]
+
+"Do you not believe in this doctrine?" asked Herzberg.
+
+The king raised his large blue eyes musingly to the busts placed upon
+the bookcases, and around the walls. They lingered long upon those of
+Homer, Plato, and D'Alembert; then turned to that of Voltaire, with its
+satyr-like face. "No, I do not believe it," he sadly responded. "Mankind
+is an ignoble race; still one must love them, for among the wicked are
+always some worthy ones, whose light beams so brightly clear, that they
+change night into day. During my life I have learned to know many base,
+miserable creatures, but I have become reconciled to them, as I have
+also found some who were virtuous and excellent--some who were noble
+and beautiful, as the grains of wheat among the chaff. You belong to the
+latter, my Herzberg; and as in heaven many unjust will be forgiven
+for one just person, so will I upon earth forgive on your account the
+Trencks, Schaffgotschs, Goernes, Voltaires, Wallraves, Glasows, Dahsens,
+and all the traitors, poisoners, and perfidious ones, as they may be
+called. Remain by my side and sustain me, to prevent many a wicked thing
+and bring to pass much that is good. I shall always be grateful to you
+in my heart for it; that you can depend upon even if my weather-beaten
+face looks ill-humored, and my voice is peevish. Remember that I am a
+fretful old man, who is daily wasting away, approaching that bourne from
+which no traveller has ever returned."
+
+"God grant that your majesty may be far removed from this bourne!"
+said Herzberg, with emotion. "And He may grant it on account of your
+subjects, who are so much in need of your care and government."
+
+"There is no one upon earth who could not be replaced," said the king,
+shaking his head. "When I am gone, they will shout to my successor. I
+trust my subjects will exchange a good ruler for their fretful old king.
+I have been very well satisfied with him during the campaign, and he has
+shown ability in the diplomatic mission to St. Petersburg. He has proved
+himself a soldier and a diplomat, and I hope he will become a great
+king. Herzberg, why do you not answer me, but cast down your eyes? What
+does your silence mean?"
+
+"Nothing at all--truly nothing! The crown prince has a noble, generous
+heart, a good understanding; only--"
+
+"Why hesitate, Herzberg? Go on--what is your 'only?'"
+
+"I would only say that the crown prince must beware and not be governed
+by others."
+
+"Oh, you mean that he will be ruled by mistresses and favorites?"
+
+"I do fear it, your majesty! You well know that the crown princes are
+generally the antipodes of those ascendant to the throne. If the ruler
+has only an enlightened mind, and is free from prejudices, so--"
+
+"Is his crown prince an obscurer," added quickly the king, "having the
+more prejudices, and is capable of being ruled by mystics and exorcists.
+Is not that your meaning?"
+
+Count Herzberg nodded. The king continued with animation: "Some one has
+told me of a new friend who returned from the war with the prince, and
+who belongs to the Rosicrucians and exhorters, and hopes to find many
+adherents here for such deceptions. Is it true?"
+
+"Yes, sire. It is Colonel Bischofswerder, a Rosicrucian and necromancer
+and of course of very pleasant address. He has indeed already gained
+much power over the impressible mind of Frederick William, and his
+importance is greatly on the increase."
+
+"What does the crown prince's mistress say to it? Is she not jealous?"
+
+"Of which one does your majesty speak?"
+
+The king started, and his eyes flashed. "What!" he cried with vehemence,
+"is there a question of several? Has the crown prince others besides
+Wilhelmine Enke, whom I have tolerated?"
+
+"Sire, unfortunately, the prince has not a very faithful heart.
+Besides, it is Bischofswerder's plan, as I suppose, to separate him from
+Wilhelmine, who will not subordinate herself to him, and who even dares
+to mock the necromancers and visionaries, and oppose them to the crown
+prince."
+
+"Does Enke do that?" asked the king.
+
+"Yes, sire," answered Herzberg, as the king rose and slowly paced the
+room. "And one must acknowledge that in that she does well and nobly.
+Otherwise one cannot reproach her. She leads a quiet, retired life,
+very seldom leaving her beautiful villa at Charlottenburg, but devotes
+herself to the education of her children. She is surrounded with
+highly-educated men, savants, poets, and artists, who indeed all belong
+to the enlightened, the so-called Illuminati, and which are a thorn in
+the eye to Colonel Bischofswerder. Your majesty will perceive that I
+have some good informants in this circle, and the latest news they bring
+me is that the bad influence is upon the increase. The Rosicrucians
+reproach the prince for his immoral connection with Wilhelmine Enke, as
+they would replace her by one who gives herself up to them."
+
+"That shall not take place," cried the king. "No, we will not suffer
+that; and particularly when we are forced to recognize such abominable
+connections, we should endeavor to choose the most desirable. I cannot
+permit that this person, who has at least heart and understanding,
+should be pushed aside by Bischofswerder. My nephew shall retain her,
+and she shall drive away the Rosicrucians with all their deviltries.
+Herzberg, go and tell the crown prince, from me, that I order--"
+
+His majesty suddenly stopped, and looked at Herzberg with surprise, who
+was smiling.
+
+"Why do you laugh, Herzberg?"
+
+"I was not laughing, sire. If my lip quivered against my will, it was
+because I stupidly and foolishly dared to finish the broken sentence."
+
+"Well, how did you manage to conclude it?"
+
+"Sire, your majesty said, 'Tell the crown prince that I order him'--and
+there you ceased. I added 'order him to love Wilhelmine Enke, and be
+faithful to her.' I beg pardon for my mistake. I should have known that
+your majesty could never command the execution of that which is not to
+be forced; that my great king recognizes, as well as I, that love is not
+compulsory, or fidelity either. Pardon me for my impertinence, and tell
+me the order which I shall take to the crown prince from my beloved king
+and master."
+
+The king stepped close up to the minister, and gazed with a half-sad,
+half-tender expression in the noble and gentle face of Herzberg, and
+in the sensible brown eyes, which sank not beneath the fiery glance of
+Frederick. Then, slowly raising his hand from the staff, he menaced him
+with his long, bony forefinger.
+
+"Herzberg, you are a rogue, and will teach me morals. Indeed, you are
+right--love is not compulsory, but one can sometimes aid it. Say nothing
+to the prince. The interior of his house must, indeed, be left to
+himself, but we will keep our eyes open and be watchful. Do so also,
+Herzberg, and if you discover any thing, tell me; and if Wilhelmine Enke
+needs assistance against the infamous Rosicrucians, and with her aid
+this mystic rabble can be suppressed, inform me, and I am ready to send
+her succor. Ah! Herzberg, is it not a melancholy fact that one must
+fight his way through so much wickedness to obtain so little that is
+good? My whole life has passed in toil and trouble; I have grown old
+before my time, and would rest from my labors, and harvest in the last
+few years, what I have sown in a lifetime. Is it not sad that I hope for
+no fruit, and that the seed that I have scattered will be trodden under
+foot by my successor? I must gaze at the future without joy, without
+consolation!"
+
+The king turned to the window, perhaps to hide the tears which stood
+in his eyes. Herzberg did not presume to interrupt the sad silence,
+but gazed with an expression of the deepest sympathy at the little bent
+form, in the threadbare coat. Grief filled his heart at the thought
+that this head was not only bowed down by the weight of years and
+well-deserved laurels, but also from its many cares and griefs, and
+hopeless peering into the future.
+
+The king turned again, and his eyes were bright and un-dimmed. "We must
+never lose courage," said he, "and we must have a reserve corps in life
+as well as upon the field of battle. For the world resembles the latter,
+and the former is a continual war, in which we must not be discouraged
+nor cast down, if there is not hope in our souls. I will cling to As you
+have said, and I have also found it true, that crown prince is a good
+and brave man, and possesses a keen understanding, we may succeed in
+bringing him from the erroneous ways in which his youth, levity, and the
+counsels of wicked friends have led him. We will try with kindness and
+friendliness, as I believe these have more effect upon him. Let us not
+even scorn to aid Wilhelmine in so far as is compatible with honor. If a
+mistress is necessary to the happiness of the prince, this one seems the
+most worthy of all to encourage. Beyond the clouds the stars are still
+shining, and it appears to me as if I see in perspective in the heaven
+of Prussia's future, a star which promises a bright light with years. Do
+you not think with me, the little Prince Frederick William is a rising
+star?"
+
+"Yes, your majesty," answered Herzberg, joyfully, "He is a splendid
+little boy, of simple and innocent heart, and bright, vigorous mind,
+modest and unpretending."
+
+"You see," cried the king, evidently cheered, "there is one star and
+we will watch over it, that it is not obscured. I must see the prince
+oftener. He shall visit me every month and his governors and teachers
+shall report to me every quarter. We will watch over his education, and
+train him to be a good king for the future, and guard ourselves against
+being pusillanimous, foolish, and fretful, and not be discouraged
+in life. I have entered my last lustrum, or five years. Hush! do not
+dispute it, but believe me! My physique is worn out, and the mental
+grows dull, and although I live and move about, I am half in the grave.
+There are two coffins in this room, which contain the greater part of my
+past. Look around, do you not see them?"
+
+"No," said Herzberg, as he glanced at the different articles of
+furniture, "I see none."
+
+"Look upon the table by the window--what do you there see?"
+
+"Your majesty, there is an instrument-case and a sword-sheath."
+
+"They are the ones I refer to. In the case lies my flute, that is to
+say, my youth, love, poesy, and art, are encoffined there. In the sheath
+is my sword, which is my manhood, energy, laurels, and fame. I will
+never play the flute or draw the sword again. All that is past!"
+
+"But there still remains for the great king a noble work to perfect,"
+cried Herzberg. "Youth has flown, and the war-songs are hushed. The poet
+and hero will change to the lawgiver. Sire, you have made Prussia great
+and powerful externally; there remains a greater work, to make her the
+same within. You have added new provinces, give them now a new code of
+laws. You will no longer unsheath the sword of the hero; then raise that
+of justice high above your subjects!"
+
+"I will," cried the king, with beaming eyes. "You have rightly seized
+and comprehended what alone seems to me worthy of will and execution.
+There shall be but one law for the high and the low, the poor and the
+rich. The distinguished Chancellor Carmer shall immediately go to work
+upon it, and you shall aid him. The necessity of such a reform we have
+lately felt in the Arnold process, where the judge decided in favor of
+the rich, and wronged the poor man. How could the judge sustain Count
+Schmettau against the miller Arnold, who had been deprived of the water
+for his mill, when it was so evident that it was unjust?"
+
+"I beg pardon, majesty, but I believe the judge obeyed the very letter
+of the law, and--"
+
+"Then this law must be annulled," interrupted the king. "This is why
+I revoked the judge's sentence, and sent the obstinate fellows to the
+fortress, sustaining the miller in his right deposing the arrogant
+Chancellor Furst. I had long resolved upon it, for I knew that he was a
+haughty fellow, who let the poor crowd his anteroom, and listened to
+the flattery of the high-born rabble who courted him. I only waited an
+occasion to bow his haughty head. This offered, and I availed myself of
+it, voila tout. It is to be hoped that it will be good example for all
+courts of justice. They will remember that the least peasant and
+beggar is a human being as much as the king, and that justice should be
+accorded to if they do not, they will have to deal with me. If a college
+of justice practises injustice, it is more dangerous than a band of
+robbers; for one can protect himself from the latter but the former
+are rascals wearing the mantle of justice, to exercise their own
+evil passions, from whom no man can protect himself, and they are the
+greatest scoundrels in the world and deserve a double punishment. I
+therefore deposed the unjust judge, and sent him to the fortress at
+Spandau, that all might take warning by his fate." [Footnote: The king's
+own words.--Seo "Prussia, Frederick the Great," vol. iv.]
+
+"This Arnold trial belongs to history," said Herzberg. "The lawyers will
+refer to it after the lapse of centuries, and the poor and the oppressed
+will recall and bless the thoughtfulness of the great king, who would
+open just as wide a gate for them to enter the heaven of justice as to
+the rich and noble. This new code of laws will beam above the crown
+of gold and of laurels, with the splendor of the civil crown, whose
+brilliants are the tears of gratitude of your people."
+
+"May it be so," said Frederick, with earnestness. "Now tell me, do you
+know what day of the month it is?"
+
+"Sire, it is the 30th of May.'"
+
+"Yes, you will remember it is the anniversary of Voltaire's death, and
+after I have quarrelled for two years with the priests and so-called
+holy fathers at Rome, I have gained my point, and the honor shall be
+shown him here in Berlin which the priests and friars have refused to
+the immortal poet in his own country. To-day, exactly at the hour
+which Voltaire died, the mass for the dead will be read in the Catholic
+church, to free his immortal soul from purgatory. I have, indeed, no
+idea of an immortal soul. If there are any, and if it has to endure the
+threefold heat of which Father Tobias, of Silesia, related to me, I do
+not believe that the priests, for a few thalers, can loose the unhappy
+spirit from the bake-oven. But as they refuse burial to the spirit of
+Voltaire, in order to insult him after death, so must I avail myself of
+this occasion to offer a last homage to the great poet, which will take
+place at four o'clock. Go to the mass, Herzberg, and tell me to-morrow
+how it went off--whether the priests make right pious faces and burn
+much incense. Adieu. Au revoir, demain."
+
+As the king dismissed, with a friendly wave of the hand, his
+confidential minister, he passed into his cabinet, remaining an
+hour with his counsellors. At dinner appeared some of the generals,
+weather-worn and bent, with wrinkled faces and dull eyes. Souvenirs of
+the glorious years of fame and victory. The king nodded kindly to them,
+but during the entire meal, he only let some indifferent questions fall
+from his lips, which were devotedly and tediously answered by some one
+of the old generals. As their dry, peevish voices resounded through
+the high, vaulted room, it seemed to reawaken in Frederick's heart the
+souvenirs of memory and become the echo of vanished days. He gazed up
+at the little Cupids, in the varied play of bright colors, looking down
+from the clouds, and the goddesses trumpeting through their long tubes
+the fame of the immortal, the same as formerly, when they smiled from
+the clouds upon the beaming face of the young king, dining in the
+distinguished circle of his friends Voltaire, D'Argens, Algarotti, La
+Melbrie, and Keith.
+
+The Cupids were fresh as ever, and the goddesses had not removed the
+trumpets from their lips. But where were the of the merry round-table?
+Returned to dust. The jests and poesy have died away--all have sunken to
+decay and darkness. The king silently raised his glass of Tokay, gazing
+up to the clouds and Cupids, draining it slowly in sacrifice for the
+dead. Then with a vehement, contemptuous movement, he threw the
+glass over his shoulder, shivering it into a thousand pieces. The old
+generals, after dessert, had gently sunk into their afternoon nap, and
+now started, frightened, looking wildly around, as if they expected
+the enemy were approaching. Alkmene crept from under the king's chair
+muffing with her long, delicate nose, the glistening pieces of glass,
+and the footman bent himself to carefully pick them up.
+
+The king rose silently, saluting the old generals, pointing with his
+staff to the large folding-doors which led to the garden.
+
+The footmen hastened forward to open them, and stand in stiff, military
+order upon each side. Frederick walked slowly out, mounting the two
+steps which led to the upper terrace, signing to the attendants to close
+the doors.
+
+He was alone. Only Windspiel was there to spring about joyfully,
+barking, and turning to meet him, who wandered on the border of the
+terrace, where he had formerly walked with his friends. Now he stopped
+to gaze up the broad, deserted steps which led from terrace to terrace,
+as if he could re-people them with the well-known forms, and could see
+them approach and greet him with the look of endless love and constancy.
+Then he raised his eyes to heaven, as if to seek there those he in vain
+sought upon earth.
+
+"Do you not see me, my friends?" he asked, in a gentle but sad voice.
+"Do you not look down wonderingly where you saw a cheerful, smiling
+king, upon the now bent, shrunken old man, cold and phlegmatic, who
+seldom speaks, and then causes every one to yawn? Oh, where have you
+fled, beautiful spring-time of life--wherein once we used to enliven our
+conversations with the wit of the Athenians, and the jest fluttered
+upon our lips as we glided through life in the bold enjoyment of
+youth? Banished is the dance, and I creep about, leaning upon my staff,
+enfeebled in body, and with saddened heart! Oh, awful change, unhappy
+old age! What does it aid me that I am a king? I have won many a battle,
+but now I am vanquished by age and death and am alone!" [Footnote: The
+king's words.--See "Posthumous Works," vol. x., p. 100.]
+
+A slight breeze rustled through the trees, fanning, caressingly, the
+cheeks of the king. The perfume of sweet flowers rose from the terrace,
+and below rushed the cascade. The marble groups around the fountain
+glistened in the golden rays of the sun, and in the dark foliage
+fluttered and sang the merry birds of summer.
+
+Suddenly the wind wafted from the church at Potsdam the clear tones of a
+bell, announcing to the king the hour of four, the death of Voltaire.
+
+The king walked along to the rose-arbor, to the temple of friendship,
+where the bust of his sister Frederika was placed. He seated himself
+near the entrance, listening to the ringing voice of the bell, and
+recalling that the death-mass had now commenced in Berlin.
+
+The service sacred to memory! The prayer for the immortal soul! As the
+lonely king sat there, calm and bowed down, a solemn prayer and holy
+mass rose from his own soul. He bowed lower his head, and, without
+realizing it himself, traced letters in the sand at his feet, with no
+witness but the blue heavens above him, and Windspiel who curiously eyed
+the lines. Thinking of the prayer for Voltaire's undying soul, the king
+had written the word of profoundest mystery and revelation, of hope and
+prophecy--"Immortality."
+
+The wind gently rustled in the trees, wafting the perfume of flowers.
+Sweet stillness reigned around, and lowly sang the birds as if not
+to waken the king, who slept by the marble form of his beloved
+sister--Windspiel upon his knees, and in the sand at his feet the word
+traced by his own hand, "Immortality."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX. CAGLIOSTRO'S RETURN.
+
+
+Wilhelmine Enke was still living at her villa at Charlottenburg. She
+was, as formerly, the "unmarried" daughter of the hautboy-player, the
+favorite and friend of the crown prince; the same as two years previous,
+when he presented her before the Bavarian campaign, with this house
+and There was no change in her outward circumstances; her life passed
+regularly and calmly. The once fresh and beautiful cheek had lost
+somewhat of its youthful, roseate hue, and the smile of the ruby lips
+was less haughty, and the warmth of those brilliant eyes was subdued.
+This was the only perceptible difference wrought by the little vexations
+and troubles incident to her position. She had found some bitter
+drops in the golden goblet which the prince in his love pressed to her
+lips--drops which were uncongenial to lips accustomed to the sweets of
+life.
+
+To-day she had awaited him at dinner, and had just received a very
+friendly but laconic letter, excusing himself until the following
+morning. This was an unpalatable drop. Wilhlemine paced back and forth
+the solitary, gloomy path, at the foot of the garden, re-reading this
+letter, and examining every word to search out its hidden meaning.
+
+"They have brought this about," she murmured, tearing the letter into
+little pieces, which lighted upon the shrubbery like butterflies. "Yes,
+it is their work. They have sought by all possible means to draw him
+into their power, and away from me. And they will succeed, as there
+are two of them, and the princess sustains them; and I am alone,
+unsupported. I am entirely alone--alone!"
+
+"If you are alone, then, it is surely your own fault," said an earnest,
+solemn voice, and at the same instant a tall form approached from the
+shrubbery which bordered the side of the garden.
+
+"Cagliostro!" shrieked Wilhelmine, shrinking terrified away. "Oh, mercy
+upon me, it is Cagliostro!"
+
+"Why are you so frightened, my daughter?" he asked, gently. "Why do you
+withdraw from me, and cast down your eyes?"
+
+"I thought you were in Courland," she stammered, confused.
+
+"And whilst you thought me afar, you forgot your sacred oath and
+holy duty," he replied, in a harsh, severe tone. "Oh my daughter, the
+Invisibles weep and lament bitterly over you."
+
+"I am curious to see these tears," said Wilhelmine, who had now
+recovered her self-composure. "Do you think, Herr Magus, any of them
+could be found in the eyes of Colonel Bischofswerder and his intimate
+friend Woellner? Do you pretend that they also weep over me?"
+
+"They do not belong to the Invisibles, but the Visibles. But their souls
+are true and faithful, and would have to mourn over the unhappy one who
+could forget her vows."
+
+"Then allow me to say that I abjure these tears, and laugh at the idea
+that these hypocrites and necromancers weep over me."
+
+"My daughter, what words are these, and how strangely altered you are!
+I have come from the far north, and but just alighted from the
+travelling-carriage. I came at once to see you, and hoped to be greeted
+joyfully with a kiss of love, and what do I hear instead? Harsh words
+filled with scorn and mockery, and disobedience against the Invisible
+Fathers, to whom you have sworn fidelity and submission!"
+
+"You have forced me to it!" she cried, impetuously. "In my own house you
+came upon me and compelled me to take part in your mystic assembly."
+
+"If one loves humanity, he must insist upon its accepting happiness,"
+said Cagliostro, solemnly. "We recognized in you one of the elect, one
+of the great souls which are worthy to see the light, and sun themselves
+in the rays of knowledge. Therefore we accepted you among the spirits of
+the alliance, and--"
+
+"And made great promises, of which not one has been fulfilled. Where
+is the title of countess, the influence, position, honor, and dignity,
+which you prophesied to me?"
+
+"Where are the deeds you promised to perform, the witnesses of your
+fidelity and devotion?" he thunderingly demanded. "You have dared to
+rebel against the holy alliance! Your short-sighted spirit presumes
+to mock those eyes which perceive that you are straying away!
+Beware--Wilhemine, beware! I came to-day to warn you, when I return it
+will be to punish you. Turn, oh turn while there is yet time! Submit
+your will to the Fathers, as you have sworn to do! The promised reward
+will not fail, and Wilhelmine Enke will become a countess, a princess,
+and the most distinguished and powerful will bow before her. The Fathers
+demand of you repentance, and renunciation of the worst enemies of the
+Rosicrucians. Members, and even chiefs and pioneers of the Illuminati
+and Freemasons are welcomed at your house."
+
+"Why should they not be?" asked she, smiling. "They are happy, cheerful
+spirits, void of mysteries, and do not torture people with mysticisms.
+They have but one aim, a great and glorious one, to free the mind from
+superstition and hypocrisy. They encounter with open countenance the
+false devotees who would force men into spiritual servitude, that they
+may become the slaves of their will. You call them 'Illuminati,' while
+they have undertaken to illuminate the minds with the beams of knowledge
+which the Rosicrucians obscure in a mystical fog."
+
+"Unhappy one, do you dare to say that to me?" cried Cagliostro,
+menacingly.
+
+"Yes," she responded, keeping her large, brown eyes firmly fixed upon
+Cagliostro's angry face. "That I dare to repeat to you, and I would also
+remark that we are not in the mystical assembly of the Rosicrucians,
+and your familiar 'Du' is out of place. I belong to the Illuminati, and
+mingle with the freethinkers. They have not, indeed, promised me titles,
+honors, or dignities, but they have amused me, have driven ennui from
+the house, and instead of mysticisms, brought me poesy, and instead of
+the invisible holy church, the Greek temple. It is possible my life
+may not be a godly one, but it is as happy as the gods, and that is
+something in this tedious world."
+
+"I regard you with astonishment," said Cagliostro, "for I recognize in
+your countenance that the devil has won you over to his power, and in
+you he speaks with the bold insolence of the sinful. Subdue, unhappy
+child, your rash speech, that the Fathers may not hear of it, and crush
+you in their wrath."
+
+"I do not fear their thunderbolts, permit me to tell you. We are in
+Prussia; the great king watches over all his subjects; neither the
+Romish Church nor the Rosicrucians can obscure the light of knowledge.
+He will not suffer a ghost, sneaking in the dark, to exercise power
+here, and he will not refuse the protection to me which is accorded to
+the least of his subjects. I do not fear you, and I will tell you the
+truth entire, I believe you to be a hypocrite and a charlatan, who--"
+
+"Miserable one!" interrupted Cagliostro, as he furiously rushed to her,
+seizing her by the arm--"cease, unhappy one, or your life is forfeited
+to the invisible avengers!"
+
+Wilhelmine shook her head, and encountered his flaming eyes with a proud
+glance. "I repeat your own words--cease, or your life will be forfeited!
+Perhaps you think I do not know what happened to you in Mittau, where
+you were recognized as a charlatan, who fooled the poor creatures into
+the belief of his miraculous acts, which consisted in lightening their
+purses to the benefit of his own. You were obliged to flee from Mitlau
+in the night, to save yourself, your treasures, and wonderful man-traps,
+and the beautiful Lorenza Feliciana. Beware! The Empress of Russia had
+a certain Joseph Balsamo pursued, who had practised great deception, and
+people pretend that he resembles Count Cagliostro. The Empress Catherine
+is a good friend and ally of the King of Prussia, and if the happy idea
+should occur to me to propose seeking the necromancer here, the Great
+Kophta might come a miserable end."
+
+"On the contrary, it would only be a welcome occasion for the Great
+Kophta to reveal himself, and hurl his despicable, malicious enemy
+into the dust at his feet," replied Cagliostro, calmly. "Try it, you
+faithless, fallen daughter of the Invisibles--try to unloose the pack
+of my enemies, to recognize that all their yelling and barking does not
+trouble the noble stag to whom God has given the whole world for His
+forestward that He should rule therein. I have listened to you unto the
+end, and I regard your invectives and accusations as not worthy of a
+reply or justification, and I laugh at your menaces. But I warn you,
+Wilhelmine Enke, defy not the Invisibles, and offend not the Holy
+Fathers, by your continued resistance. Turn, misguided child of
+sin--turn while there is yet time! In their name I offer you a last
+chance, their forbearance is without bounds, and their mercy long
+enduring."
+
+"I neither desire your forbearance nor mercy," cried she, proudly. "I
+will have no companionship with my enemies, and the Rosicrucians are
+such, for Bischofswerder and Woellner both hate me, and would put me
+aside. There is no reconciliation where only hostility is possible."
+
+"The heavenly listen not to the voices of the earthly, and prove
+themselves, the most noble when the least deserved. They will protect
+and watch over you, even against your will, and never will they be deaf
+to your cry for aid in the hour of Here is a token of their grace toward
+you. Take this ring--do you recognize it?"
+
+Wilhelmine regarded it attentively. "This is the ring which I gave at
+the tribute-altar instead of gold, which you desired."
+
+"The Invisibles sent it to you to-day as the precious pledge of their
+favor. You shall keep it, and wear it as a token of their heavenly
+forbearance, and when you turn back from the erroneous ways into which
+the Illuminati have led you, send it to the circle of Berlin directors,
+either Bischofswerder or Wollner, and they will come to your rescue.
+Farewell! I forgive you all your wicked words, which fall like spent
+arrows from the helmet of my righteousness."
+
+Cagliostro turned proudly away, and disappeared in the bushes.
+
+Wilhelmine placed the ring upon her finger, turning it to watch the
+play of colors. "I do not know why," said she, "but it has not the same
+brilliancy as formerly. I will take it to the jeweller Wagner, and ask
+him if it is the same stone. Perhaps the Great Kophta has tried some of
+his miracles upon it. I will at once send the servant to Minister von
+Herzberg, and inform him that Cagliostro is here. He has promised me
+protection in the name of the king, and I feel that I shall now have
+need of it."
+
+She hurried to the house, and devoted herself to the writing of the
+said letter--a task she was but little accustomed to. She had learned to
+speak French very prettily, and to express herself skilfully and wittily
+in German, and under her royal master, the crown prince Frederick
+William, gained much valuable scientific knowledge. But to write
+fluently was quite another thing, and it was a long time before the
+epistle was finished. However, happily accomplished, she commanded the
+servant to take it to Berlin.
+
+He bowed with silent submission; but once having quitted the house, a
+cunning smile was visible upon his face, and he availed himself of a
+stage-coach which was going in the same direction. "I can afford this
+expense," said he, arranging himself comfortably. "When I have money in
+my pocket why should I walk the long distance? I was very clever to tell
+Bischofswerder that the Minister von Herzberg had secretly visited my
+mistress, and it was equally clever of him to give me a louis d'or, and
+promise me the same every time that I should bring him important news.
+Indeed, I think to-day he may well thank me, and I believe, if I often
+inform him, he will advance me a degree, and at last I shall be admitted
+to the circle of the elect, while I now belong to the outside circle,
+who know nothing and hope every thing."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX. THE TRIUMVIRATE.
+
+
+While Wilhelmine's servant gave himself up to his hopes, slowly down
+the broad avenue, an elegant four-in-hand carriage rolled past him, and
+stopped at the house where lived Colonel Bischofswerder, long before he
+had reached the Brandenburg Gate. A gentleman sprang out, hastening
+past the footman into the house, where a servant evidently awaited
+his arrival, and preceded him with devout mien, throwing open the wide
+folding-doors and announcing, in a solemn voice--"His excellency, Count
+Cagliostro." He then respectfully withdrew, bowing profoundly as the
+count passed, and closed quickly and noiselessly the doors behind him.
+
+The two gentlemen within hastened to meet the count, who nodded
+smilingly, and extended to them with a gracious condescension his white
+hand sparkling with diamonds. "My dear brothers," said he, "you have
+unfortunately announced me the truth--Wilhelmine Enke is faithless--is
+an apostate."
+
+"A courtesan, ensnared by the devil of unchastity," murmured the elder
+of the two--a man of long, lank figure, pale, pock-marked face, the
+broad high forehead shaded with but little hair, the watery blue eyes
+turned upward, as if in pious ecstasy, and the large, bony hands either
+folded as if in prayer, or as if in quiet contemplation, twirling his
+thumbs around each other. "I have always said so," said he, with a
+long-drawn sigh; "she is a temptress, whom Satan, in bodily repetition
+of himself, has placed by the prince's side, and his salvation cannot be
+counted upon until this person is removed."
+
+"And you, my beloved brother, think otherwise--do you not?" asked
+Cagliostro, gently.
+
+"Yes," answered Bischofswerder, "you know well, sublime master and
+ruler, how much I esteem and love the worthy and honorable Wollner,
+and how much weight his opinion has with me. In all my reports to the
+Invisible Fathers I have always particularly mentioned him, and it was
+upon my wish and proposal that they appointed him director of one of the
+three Berlin circles. He is occupied near me in the confederacy, and
+is also in the service of the crown prince, for it was by my especial,
+earnest recommendation that his highness called him to Berlin from the
+exchequer of Prince Henry at Rheinsberg, that he might give him lectures
+in politics and other branches of administration, I do not say it to
+boast, although I have always regarded it as an honor to have opened the
+way to a distinguished man, to have his great talents properly valued.
+I only say it to prove my high appreciation of dear brother Wollner, and
+to defend myself, master, in your eyes, that I differ in opinion from
+him, and do not advise a violent removal of this person, to whom the
+prince is more attached than he himself knows of."
+
+"It is not necessary to excuse yourself to me, my son," said Cagliostro,
+pompously. "The eyes which the Invisibles have lighted up with a beam of
+revelation, see into the depths of things, and reveal the most hidden.
+I have glanced into your hearts, and I will tell you that which I have
+therein read. You, Hans Rudolph von Bischofswerder, belong to the world;
+its joys and sorrows agitate you. You have a longing for science and the
+knowledge of the Invisibles, and you would also enjoy the Visibles, and
+take part in the pleasures of life. What you would allow yourself, that
+you would also grant to your royal master, whose friend and leader you
+are, and who, one day, will be the future king and ruler of the visible
+world, and a faithful son and servant of the Invisibles. Is it not
+thus?"
+
+"It is so," answered Bischofswerder, who, with wondering astonishment,
+drank in every word that fell from Cagliostro's lips as a revelation.
+"You have read the inmost thoughts of my heart, and what I scarcely
+suspected myself, you are knowing of, lord and master."
+
+"Toil and strive, my son, and you shall rise to the highest grade, in
+which presentiment and recognition, thinking and knowing, are one."
+
+He extended to Bischofswerder his hand, who fervently pressed it to his
+lips; then turned to Wollner, who, with upturned gaze and folded hands,
+might have been praying, for his thumbs were not turning around, but
+rested, quietly crossed.
+
+"You, my son and brother," continued Cagliostro, with his lofty, haughty
+reserve, "your thoughts are diverted from earth, and the joys of this
+world have no charm for you!" "I have laid the oath of virtue and
+chastity upon the altar of the Invisibles," replied Wollner, with
+a severe tone of voice. "I have given myself to a pious life of
+abstinence, and sworn to employ every means to lead those that I can
+attain to upon the narrow path which leads to the paradise of science,
+of knowledge, and heavenly joys. How could I forget my oath, which is to
+win the prince, who is to become a light and shield in the holy order,
+from the broad course of vice, to the pathway of the blest? How can I
+bear to see him lost in sin who is elected to virtue, and who longs for
+the light of knowledge?"
+
+"But, in order to bear the light in its brightness, he must have passed
+through the darkness and gloom of sin," said Cagliostro. "After the days
+of error follow those of knowledge. This is what causes the mildness
+of our brother Theophilus, whom the earthly world calls Bischofswerder,
+whilst you, brother Chrysophorus, demand from the prince the severest
+virtue, which is the first great vow of the brothers advancing in the
+holy order of the Rosicrucians. You are both wrong and both right. It is
+well to be lenient as brother Theophilus, but that must have its limit,
+and the night wanderer who stands upon the brink of a precipice must
+be awakened, but not with violent words, or calling loudly his name,
+because a sudden awakening would only hasten his fall. Slowly and
+carefully must he be roused; as one would by degrees accustom the
+invalid eyes to the mid-day, so must the light of virtue and knowledge
+dawn upon the eyes, ill from vice, with prudent foresight. Hear my
+proposal. Summon the three circles of the brothers of the highest degree
+to a sitting to-night. You have told me that the prince desires to
+belong to the seeing ones, and be in communion with the spiritual world.
+This night his wish shall be fulfilled, to see the spirits, and a new
+future shall rise before him. My time is limited; let us arrange every
+thing, for the voices of the Invisibles already call me home."
+
+At this instant a modest knocking was heard at the door, which was
+repeated at different intervals.
+
+"It is my servant," said Bischofswerder, "and he has undoubtedly an
+important communication for me."
+
+He opened the door, speaking with the person outside in a low tone, and
+returned with a sealed note.
+
+Cagliostro, apparently, was lest in deep thought and indifferent to the
+conversation without, directing quietly and calmly, in the mean time,
+a few questions to Wollner, and, as it seemed, listening only to his
+answers. Yet as Bischofswerder approached him, saying, "it is, indeed,
+important news; I have proof in hand that--" he interrupted him with a
+commanding motion, and finished the broken sentence: "--that Wilhelmine
+Enke is a powerful adversary, having connection with the court, as this
+letter from her is directed to Minister Herzberg. Is it not this that
+you would say, Theophilus?"
+
+Astonished, he replied in the affirmative, begging his master to read
+it.
+
+"It is unnecessary," replied Cagliostro, waving back the letter; "to the
+seeing eyes every thing is revealed. This person announces to Minister
+von Herzberg that the deceiver and necromancer, Cagliostro, in his
+flight from Mittau, has visited her to menace her. She begs protection
+for herself and an arrest for me; that I am known as Count Julien, at
+the hotel King of Portugal, at Berlin, and that haste is necessary."
+
+Both gentlemen glanced astonished and enraptured, first at the sealed
+epistle and then at the great Magus.
+
+"Open the letter and convince yourselves of the contents!" commanded
+Cagliostro.
+
+"It is unnecessary," cried Bischofswerder, with enthusiasm. "We
+recognize in you truth and knowledge; you have revealed to us the
+contents."
+
+"Nay, there is a lingering doubt in the mind of brother Chrysophorus!"
+said Cagliostro, regarding Woellner fixedly, who stood with downcast
+eyes before him.
+
+"My ruler and master," stammered Woellner, in confusion, "I dare not
+doubt, only--"
+
+"You would only be convinced, open then the letter," interrupted
+Cagliostro, sarcastically.
+
+With a sharp knife, Bischofswerder cut the end of the envelope, and
+handed the letter to him.
+
+"Give it to Chrysophorus," commanded the count. "He shall read it, and
+may the incredulous become a believer!"
+
+Woellner perused the epistle with a slightly tremulous voice, stopping
+now and then, at an illegible word, which his master quickly supplied
+to him, finishing the sentence as correctly as if he held the writing in
+his hand.
+
+The contents were exactly as Cagliostro had given them, and the
+farther Wollner read, the more his voice quivered and Bischofswerder's
+enthusiasm increased.
+
+As the reading was finished, the former sank, with uplifted hands,
+before his master, as if imploring mercy from a mighty, crushing power.
+
+"I have been unbelieving as Tobias, doubting as Paul; have mercy on
+me, O master! for in this hour the divine light of belief and knowledge
+banishes doubt from my sinful heart. I acknowledge thy supernatural
+power and heavenly wisdom! My whole being bows in humility before you
+and your sublimity, and henceforth I will only be your humble scholar
+and servant, the tool of your will. Forgive me, all-knowing one, if
+my heart doubted. Breathe upon me the breath of knowledge, and lay
+thy august right hand upon my head, and penetrate me with thy heavenly
+power."
+
+"Have mercy upon me also," cried Bischofswerder, as he kneeled beside
+Woellner, and, like him, raised his hands imploringly to Cagliostro.
+"Breathe upon me the breath of thy grace, and regard me, the repentant
+and unworthy, with thy heavenly glance!"
+
+Cagliostro looked to heaven, and from his lips there fell disconnected
+words of exhortation; suddenly he drew forth his hands, which he had
+pushed into his gown and crossed upon his breast, stretching them out
+with wide-spread fingers.
+
+"Come to me, ye spirits!" he cried, in a loud, thundering voice. "Ye
+spirits of fire and air, come to me! Ye shall flame and burn upon the
+heads of these two persons and announce to them that the Invisibles are
+with us. Come to me, ye spirits of fire!"
+
+He clinched his fingers, extending them again, and upon the points
+there danced and flickered a blue light. A heavenly smile shone upon the
+beautiful face of the Magus, his hands slowly sank upon the heads of
+the kneeling ones, the flames gliding upon their heads, resting there a
+moment, and then dying away.
+
+"The Invisibles have proclaimed themselves to you through the sign of
+fire," cried Cagliostro. "The sacred flame has glowed upon your heads,
+and I now press upon your brow the solemn kiss of consecration and
+knowledge!"
+
+He bowed down to the kneeling ones. It seemed as if a cloud of perfume
+had passed over their glowing faces, or as if an odorous lily had been
+pressed upon their foreheads, and their hearts quivered with delight.
+He passed his hand lightly over their faces, and a feeling of rapture
+spread through their whole being. Then as he commanded them to rise,
+they obeyed, without realizing that they had limbs or body, but regarded
+the miracle-worker, entranced with his smile.
+
+Cagliostro, with hasty decision and earnest, commanding air, made a few
+opposite strokes in the air, and immediately the faces of the magnetized
+looked as if they had awakened from a dream of splendor and delight to
+insipid, flat reality.
+
+"I have permitted you to behold, for an instant, the mysteries and
+miracles which are serviceable to the knowing ones," said Cagliostro,
+with calm earnestness. "Your souls were in communion with the
+Invisibles, and from the source of knowledge a spark of illumination
+fell upon your heads. Guard it as a heavenly secret that no one should
+know of, and now let us continue our conversation."
+
+"Permit me once more to lay my head at your feet, and receive power from
+the touch thereof," implored Bischofswerder.
+
+"Let me embrace your knees, and entreat pardon and grace," begged
+Woellner, as he sank down to clasp them, and the former threw himself at
+the feet of his master, passionately kissing them.
+
+Smilingly he received their homage, and assisted them to rise.
+
+"Now let us speak in a human, reasonable manner, my friends. Brother
+Theophilus, you, first of all, return the letter to the envelope and
+seal it."
+
+Bischofswerder obeyed; taking from the table a little bottle and a small
+brush, he carefully applied an adhesive substance to the edges, pressing
+them firmly together.
+
+"Master, no one could discover that it had been opened. Command what
+shall be done with it."
+
+"Give it to your servant, that he may return it to him who brought it,
+and the latter can now deliver it at its address."
+
+"To the Minister Herzberg!" they both cried, amazed. "It is impossible;
+he is a sworn enemy of the holy order and your own heavenly person. He
+could take the most violent measures, and cause your excellency to be
+arrested."
+
+"I believe it," smiled Cagliostro. "The great Frederick would announce
+triumphantly that he had had the great Semiramis of the North taken,
+which the Russian police had failed to accomplish. It would be a welcome
+triumph for unbelievers and fools, and they would trumpet it joyfully
+through the world! It must not be; although my spirit in its power and
+might would soon release my body, yet I will not grant this momentary
+triumph to my enemies. My time is limited; I must forth to Egypt, where
+the Brothers of the Millennium will assemble in the course of a week in
+the pyramids, to announce to me their will for the coming century. I
+am the Spirit of God, which the Invisibles have willed to enter a human
+form, therefore it must be regarded as sacred and protected."
+
+"Allow me to guard, with my life, your sublime person!" cried
+Bischofswerder.
+
+"And I also implore you to grant me the happiness to watch over the
+security of your heavenly self, and defend it to the last drop of my
+blood!" cried Woellner; "only tell us what we have to do."
+
+"Above all things obey my command concerning the letter," replied the
+count, smiling.
+
+Bischofswerder submissively went out with the epistle, returning in a
+few moments. "It is as you have ordered: in a quarter of an hour it will
+be in the hands of Minister Herzberg."
+
+"No," replied the count, fixing his eyes upon empty space, "it will
+not be there, for Herzberg is not at home. I now see him driving in a
+carriage with four black steeds to the country. At this instant he
+is crossing a bridge, now he enters a town, turning down one of the
+streets, where the noise of the wheels is lost. Again I hear him,
+leaving by the gate, ascending a broad avenue."
+
+"It is the route to Sans-Souci," murmured Bischofswerder, in a low voice,
+but the count must have understood him, as he repeated aloud:
+
+"Yes, that is the route to Sans-Souci, and the lonely, fretful old king
+will keep his minister the entire day, and will not receive the missive
+from his secret female accomplice until his return in the evening, and
+then he will dispatch his bailiffs in all haste to the hotel to arrest
+Count St. Julien, and forward an order to every gate to forbid his
+departure. It will be too late, however--he will have already departed."
+
+"Departed!" cried the two gentlemen, frightened. "Will you, then,
+forsake us?"
+
+"Hush, my brothers, be quiet!" answered Cagliostro. "I shall have
+departed for the profane, but I will remain here for the consecrated
+until to-morrow morning. It oft happens that the lofty even must come
+down, and the brilliant obscure themselves. To-day I must descend from
+my spiritual height, and humble myself in the dust of lowliness. When
+the unholy and unconsecrated essay to behold that which they should not
+with their earthly eyes; they must be blinded with earthly dust, and for
+those which are not worthy of miracles, we must sometimes condescend to
+jugglers' tricks. By the latter I will mislead my enemies to-day. How
+many gates are there to the city of Berlin?"
+
+"There are nine, master."
+
+"Send immediately messengers around in your circles to order eight
+travelling-carriages and sixteen large black trunks. Further, send
+me eight confidential discreet men of my height and size, with eight
+perukes, exactly the cut of mine. Command four post-horses, with two
+postilions for eight different addresses. This is all that is necessary
+for the moment."
+
+"All shall be faithfully and quickly accomplished," said Bischofswerder,
+humbly. "We will divide the execution of your orders, and there only
+remains to appoint the time and place when and where to direct the
+postilions."
+
+"All this will follow; forget not, in trifling, earthly things, the
+great heavenly circumstances. Summon the consecrated of the highest
+degree of your circle to go to-night to the palace of Prince Frederick
+William at Potsdam, and under the very eyes of the old freethinking king
+we will open to the crown prince the doors of the spiritual world, and
+consecrate him to the highest degree. But first the Invisibles shall
+speak with him, and announce the heavenly region of the unapproachable.
+Finish the preparations, my brothers--fulfil exactly and punctually my
+orders, and then come to the hotel to receive my last commands."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI. FUTURE PLANS.
+
+
+Cagliostro quitted the two confidants, entered his carriage awaiting
+him before the door, and drove to the hotel. The host and chief waiter
+received him with extreme deference, both accompanying him up the
+stairs--the latter throwing wide open the large doors of his room. The
+count turned, and, in addressing some indifferent question to the host,
+opened his gold-embroidered blue satin vest.
+
+The host turned pale, and shrank back, as if seized with a sudden
+fright. Cagliostro passed on, motioning him to follow, which he humbly
+obeyed, sinking upon his knees as the door closed.
+
+"Have you recognized the sign which I wear upon my breast?"
+
+"Yes, master," he stammered, bowing down with the greatest reverence.
+
+"Then you belong to the elect of the Inner Temple, for the sign of
+knowledge is only made known to them."
+
+"I do, indeed, understand its mysteries, master, and I know that one
+of the Invisibles, in infinite condescension, appears in a visible form
+before me. Immeasurable as the happiness, is my obedience! Command me,
+master; my life and riches belong to the holy alliance!"
+
+"Rise and receive my orders," replied Cagliostro, with great dignity. In
+a brief, dictatorial manner he communicated the necessary arrangements;
+then dismissed him with a haughty nod, and entered the adjoining room of
+his wife, Lorenza Feliciana.
+
+She had thrown herself upon the divan, in charming neglige. Her head was
+encircled with black ringlets, which she wore unpowdered, despite the
+fashion. Her eyes were closed, and her beautiful shoulders were but half
+concealed by a black lace veil.
+
+She slept so quietly and soundly that the count did not awaken her upon
+entering. He approached her lightly upon the soft carpet, and stood
+regarding her attentively. A pleasant smile spread over his face,
+softening its expression, and his eyes beamed with passionate
+tenderness.
+
+"She is indeed beautiful," he murmured, softly. "No one could withstand
+the charm of this wonderful woman. Ah, would that I could crush these
+wicked spirits within me, silence all these seductive, sinful voices,
+and fly to some secluded valley of our dear fatherland, and there,
+reposing on her love, let life glide calmly on and smile at the past
+without regret, as a fading dream! Would that I could forget, and become
+again pure and innocent, blest in my affection, simple in my tastes, and
+without wants! But no, it is too late! I cannot retreat, the demons
+will not be driven out; to them my soul belongs, and I must fulfil my
+destiny!--Awake, Lorenza, awake!" Her beautiful form shook with fright;
+she started, opened her eyes, demanding, "What is the matter? Who is
+here?"
+
+"It is I, Lorenza," he said, sadly; "I was obliged to awaken you, to
+tell you something important."
+
+"Are the pursuers here? Have they discovered us? Are they coming to take
+us to prison?"
+
+"No, no; be quiet, Lorenza, no one has discovered us!"
+
+"Quiet!" she repeated, with a scornful laugh. "We have travelled day and
+night the last ten days, hiding ourselves in miserable holes and dens,
+under assumed names, believing our pursuers were at our hacks; and now
+that we are showing ourselves publicly, you ask me to be quiet! I have
+slept for the first time since that fearful night in Mittau, and it is
+very cruel and thoughtless of you to wake me, if the bailiffs are not
+here, and danger does not menace us."
+
+"For the moment we are safe, but I have something important to tell
+you."
+
+"Important?" she cried, shrugging her shoulders. "What is of consequence
+to me, since that night? Oh, when I think of it, I could shriek with
+rage, I could annihilate myself in despair!"
+
+"It was indeed a dreadful experience, and my heart quakes when I think
+of it," said Cagliostro, gloomily. "The secret assembly consisted of
+the highest and most influential of the Courland nobility. Suspecting
+no wrong, not even that there could be traitors among the believers who
+would falsify my spirit apparatus, I gave myself up to conjuring the
+departed."
+
+"And I upon my fairy throne," added Lorenza, "couched in the innocent
+costume of the celestial, only veiled with a silvery cloud, heard a
+sudden shriek. The room was quite dark; I saw, upon opening my eyes,
+that no spirits enlivened it."
+
+"Every thing failed--that is to say, my assistants let it fail," said
+the count, "and the assembly began to murmur. Suddenly, instead of the
+departed princes and heroes, what fearful forms arose!"
+
+"Apes, cats, and other animals," cried Lorenza, with a loud laugh. "Oh,
+what an irresistible sight! In spite of my anger I had to laugh, and
+laugh I did upon the fairy throne, like--"
+
+"Like a foolish child who neither knows nor understands danger,"
+interrupted the count. "Your laughing soon ceased in the fearful tumult
+and uproar. They shrieked for light, the ladies fled, and the men
+menaced me with loud curses, calling me a charlatan, and threatening my
+life!"
+
+"Mine also," cried Lorenza; "oh, what insults and ill-treatment I was
+forced to listen to! They rushed upon me, shrieking for the brilliants
+and money which they had brought me as an offering. How they scolded and
+called me a deceiver! I was only very beautiful and coquettish, and that
+was no deception! I charmed them with my coyness, and they brought
+me the most costly presents, because I was a virtuous woman. Now they
+reproached me, demanding a return of them all, which they had forced
+upon me of their own free will. I was obliged to bear it silently in my
+costume of innocence, and as goddess I could not defend myself and speak
+with human beings--who pushed up to the throne. It was a very ridiculous
+position; happily I did not quite lose my senses, but let the apparatus
+play, and disappeared into my dressing-room below, which fortunately
+closed above me. I dressed, and rushed to your room to rescue my
+treasures."
+
+"Even in this extreme danger you only thought of your riches, not of
+me," said Cagliostro, with a bitter smile.
+
+"Have you not taught me yourself that money was the only thing worth
+striving to possess? Have you not revealed to in wisdom that riches
+alone make us happy, and procure for us honor, power, love, and
+constancy? Ah! Joseph, have you not made me the miserable, heartless
+creature that I am? Can you reproach me that your teaching has borne
+such good fruit? I am happy to be the priestess of wealth, and grateful
+for what you have made known to me."
+
+"It is true," sighed Cagliostro, "I have taught you the truth of things;
+I have disclosed to you the world's motive power. Riches are indeed the
+god upon earth, toward whom all are pressing, rushing on. We must all
+follow and serve him as slaves, or be crushed under the wheels of his
+triumphal car. Men talk and reason about the storm and pressure which
+is spreading through the world, and finally will reduce every thing to
+storm the eternal and undying bliss of wealth, and press on for gold."
+
+"To think that we have lost every thing!" cried Lorenza, springing up
+and stamping with her silken-shod foot; "every thing is lost that I have
+been years gaining, by hypocrisy, deception, and coquetry. They have
+robbed me! The shameful barbarians have seized all our effects. The
+police surrounded the house, guarding every entrance, and we were
+obliged to escape by the roof into the house of one of the brothers,
+leaving all our treasures behind."
+
+"You exaggerate, Lorenza, and represent it worse than it is. Look
+around; you are surrounded with luxury and comfort. Our great
+undertakings in Courland and St. Petersburg have failed, it is true, and
+the Russian empress has ordered me to be driven away and pursued. But
+the Invisible Fathers have not forsaken me, as they know that I am a
+useful tool in their hands. They have carefully provided me with money,
+passports, and instructions. We have lost thousands, but we will regain
+them, for the future is ours. I am protected by the order, and called
+to a new and important mission in Paris, to strive for the sacred aim of
+the Church."
+
+"And have they no mission for me?" asked Lorenza. "Is there nothing
+further for me to do in that city than to be a beautiful woman, and play
+tricks for my dear husband?"
+
+"Great events await you in Paris, which we will aid you to prepare. The
+Invisible Fathers send you before me to the Cardinal de Rohan. You are
+going to Paris in the service of the revolution of minds. The carriage
+is ordered, and you are to set off this very hour."
+
+"And when are you going, Joseph?" Lorenza asked, with a touch of
+melancholy.
+
+"I shall officially depart in an hour, but in reality at the same
+time that the Baroness von Balmore leaves the hotel in her
+travelling-carriage. Near the waiting-maid will a servant sit upon the
+box. I shall be he."
+
+"Officially you depart in an hour; what does that mean?" Cagliostro
+smiled. "It is a long story and a comical one. Come, seat yourself by
+me upon the sofa; repose your head upon me, and listen to what I will
+relate to you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII. MIRACLES AND SPIRITS.
+
+
+Late in the afternoon of the same day a travelling-carriage drove up
+before the hotel "King of Portugal," in the Burgstrasse, with two
+large black trunks strapped upon it behind the footman's box, and the
+postilion, sitting by the coachman, playing the beautiful and popular
+air, "Es ritten drei Reuter cum Thore hinaus!"
+
+Count St. Julien descended the stairs, followed by the host, and nodded
+in a lofty manner to the two waiters and hostler awaiting him at the
+entrance, who returned it by a profound bow, at the same time not
+failing to see the white hand extended with the trinkgeld.
+
+The host himself closed the carriage door, and the count departed amid
+the merry peals of the postilion, the former gazing after him with the
+satisfaction of one who has made a good bargain. The servants watched
+it, too, until it had disappeared around the corner of the next street.
+
+At this instant the quivering tones of a post-horn were heard, and an
+open caleche appeared and stopped before the hotel with two large black
+travelling-trunks upon it, and the postilion upon the box blowing the
+popular air, "Es ritten drei Reuter zum Thore hinaus!"
+
+The host observed the empty carriage with a smile, but the servants
+asked themselves astonished what it meant, and as they turned and saw
+Count St. Julien descending the stairs, they were startled. He offered
+them the usual trinkgeld, entered the carriage, and rolled away with a
+commanding nod.
+
+The host seemed speechless with astonishment, and stood as if rooted
+to the spot. The servants stared after the carriage until it turned
+the corner; when just then a post-horn was heard playing the agreeable
+melody of "Drei Reuter," and a travelling-carriage with two large black
+trunks drove up to the door.
+
+The servants turned pale, looking shyly toward the stairs. Slowly and
+with great dignity Count St. Julien descended, greeting them with a
+gentlemanly nod as he passed, and, extending his white hand with a
+trinkgeld, mounted his carriage, and drove away.
+
+The host stood as if stunned, outside the door, looking right and left
+with unspeakable terror. The servants tremblingly fixed their eyes
+upon the stairs, no longer possessing the power to move, but heard the
+post-horn, and the carriage which drove up to the door the third time.
+Slowly and proudly Count St. Julien advanced. It was the same cold,
+grave face, with the thick black beard, and the powdered peruke, the
+curls of which overshadowed the brow and cheeks. He wore exactly the
+same dark-brown cloak over the black velvet dress. The white hand, with
+broad lace wrist-ruffles, reached them also a trinkgeld.
+
+This time the fellows had scarcely self-possession sufficient to take
+the present, for every thing swam before their eyes, and their hearts
+one moment almost ceased to beat, and then palpitated with the feverish
+rapidity of terror.
+
+"I would run away," murmured the chief waiter, as Count St. Julien for
+the fourth time drove away, "if my feet were not riveted to the floor."
+
+"If I could move mine I would have gone long ago," groaned the second
+waiter, the clear drops standing upon his forehead. "It is witchcraft!
+Oh, Heaven! they are coming again, playing the 'Drei Reuter.'"
+
+The count descended the stairs for the fifth time, whispered to
+the hostler, who was quite engrossed counting his money, handed the
+trinkgeld to the pale fellows by the door, and mounted his carriage,
+driving away amid the merry peals of the post-horn.
+
+"Julius," murmured the steward, softly, "give my hair a good pulling,
+that I may awake from this horrible dream."
+
+"I cannot," he whimpered, "my hands and feet are lame. I cannot move."
+
+"I will," said the hostler, courageously stretching forth his hand, and
+pulling it so vigorously that the steward was fully convinced of the
+reality of things.
+
+Again the post-horn sounded the "Drei Reuter;" again the carriage
+stopped before the door, and the count descended, giving to every one a
+gift like the "Maedchen aus der Fremde," and for the sixth time rolled
+away.
+
+"We are bewitched; it is a ghost from the infernal regions!" groaned the
+steward.
+
+"I cannot abide it any longer--I shall die!" said the second waiter.
+
+"I do not mind it," said the hostler, as he jingled the money; "if they
+are ghosts from hell, the eight groschen do not come from there, for
+they are quite cool. See how--Ah, there comes the count again!"
+
+For the seventh time he passed down the stairway, by the servants, who
+wore no longer standing but kneeling, which the count received as a
+proof of their profound respect, and slipped the money into their hands.
+
+"Praise God, all good spirits!" murmured the head waiter; but neither
+the count nor the money seemed to be moved by the pious exhortation,
+for he quietly entered his carriage, and the eight groschen lay in the
+servant's hand, at which the hostler remarked that he would stand there
+all night if the count would only continually pass by with groschen.
+It pleased the count to descend the stairs yet twice more, divide the
+trinkgeld, and mount his carriage. As he drove away the ninth time, it
+appeared as if the Drei Reuter were determined to drive out of the gate
+and forsake the hotel "King of Portugal." The host waited awhile, and
+talked with the neighbors, who, roused by the continual blast of the
+post-horn, were curious to know how it happened that so many guests were
+departing by extra posts. Whereupon the host, in a hollow, sepulchral
+voice, his eyes glaring, and shrugging his shoulders, declared that
+there had been but one gentleman at the hotel, but nine times he had
+seen him drive away, and the devil must have a hand in the matter!
+
+Shaking his head, he returned to the hotel, and found the servants
+busily counting their money, occasionally casting covetous looks toward
+the stairs, as if they hoped the count would again descend.
+
+Exactly as Cagliostro had foretold, Minister Herzberg did not return
+from Sans-Souci until late in the evening, and then found Wilhelmine's
+letter in his cabinet.
+
+Immediately the police were instructed to arrest Count St. Julien at the
+hotel "King of Portugal."
+
+An hour later the chief of the police came to say that the count had
+already been gone two hours. He repeated the account of the host,
+corroborated by the servants, of nine different counts having driven
+away from the hotel.
+
+Herzberg smiled. "We have to deal with a very clever scoundrel," said
+he, "and it is no other than the so-called Count Cagliostro, who was
+lately exposed as a bold trickster in Mittau and St. Petersburg, and
+about whose arrest the Empress Catharine is very much exercised. It
+would be very agreeable to the king to show this little attention to her
+imperial highness, and trap the adroit pickpocket."
+
+"We might succeed in catching him in his flight," remarked the chief.
+"For the last six months the king has given orders that every passport
+should be examined at the gates, and the route of the travellers noted
+down, which is all registered and sent to the king. It would be very
+easy to discover by which gate he departed, and his route, and then have
+him pursued."
+
+"That is well thought of, director; hasten to put it into execution,
+and inform us of the result." He returned in an hour to the minister's
+cabinet, shaking his head gravely. "Your excellency, it is very strange,
+but he is a wizard. This man has driven out of the nine gates at the
+same hour and minute."
+
+Herzberg laughed. "This is one of his tricks, and by it I recognize the
+great necromancer."
+
+"Your excellency, this is no trickery, but witchery. It is impossible
+for any one man to drive out of the nine gates at the same hour, in the
+same carriage, with two large black trunks and a postilion blowing the
+same melody, and provided with a correct passport, which he shows and is
+recognized as Count St. Julien, who is going to Paris by Hamburg. Here
+are the nine registers from the different gates, all the same, if I am
+not bewitched and do not read straight."
+
+"This trick does honor to the count," said Herzberg, smiling. "To-morrow
+you shall accompany me to Sans-Souci and read aloud the registers to the
+king. Do you think it will be impossible to pursue the count now?"
+
+"I should be very happy to follow your excellency's judgment in this
+matter, and arrest the rascal in any way that you could point out," said
+the director.
+
+"I am convinced that he is in the city; and driving put of the nine
+gates at the same time was the best manner to escape being discovered,"
+said Herzberg. "He is concealed in some one of the houses of the
+brothers, and we shall be obliged to let him escape this time."
+
+In order the more securely to carry out the initiation of Prince
+Frederick William, in company with Bischofswerder and Woellner,
+Cagliostro had arranged his pretended departure. For a long time the
+prince had expressed an extreme desire to be received into the mysteries
+of the miraculous and holy order, of which he had heard his friends
+speak with so much reverence. But he had been put off from time to
+time with regrets and shrugs of the shoulders, and expressions of the
+impossibility of granting the request.
+
+"The spirits do not always appear even to the consecrated," said
+Bischofswerder. "They make themselves known after many fervent prayers
+and implorings, and when we have withdrawn from every one who could
+entice us to doubt or disbelief. I fear that it would be impossible to
+conjure the spirits of the departed, so long as your highness honors a
+certain lady with your particular favor, who ridicules the sublime order
+and mingles with its enemies. How can they appear to those who have just
+been in the company of a friend of the Illuminati and unbelievers?"
+
+"The spirit-world only reveals itself to the virtuous and pure," said
+Woellner, in a harsh, dry voice. "Its inhabitants cannot approach those
+who are not chaste and innocent, for sin and vice surround them with a
+thick fog, which keeps them at a distance from the clear atmosphere
+of the sublime. If you would call up the spirits, you must remove this
+woman who entices you from the path of virtue, and renders the sphere
+impure around you."
+
+Despite the warnings and the great wish the prince had to be received
+into the spirit-world, and become a member of the highest grade of
+the Rosicrucians, he could not resolve to forsake her who had been his
+friend for ten years, and who had borne shame and degradation on his
+account, refusing eligible and rich men rather than leave him and become
+a legitimate wife. Wilhelmine was the beloved of his youth, the mother
+of his two dear children, and she alone knew how to drive away the ennui
+which pursued the prince, with her amiable, subtle wit. Nay, he could
+not be so ungrateful, so heartless, as to reject her who had so tenderly
+loved him when young and beautiful, now that the first bloom of youth
+and beauty had faded!
+
+Bischofswerder and Woellner recognized this difficulty, and applied
+themselves the more energetically for its removal. They supposed that
+the unexpected arrival of Cagliostro would very naturally appear to the
+prince as a special messenger, sent, without doubt, from the fathers,
+to accomplish his conversion. They announced to the prince that the
+Invisibles had taken pity upon his desire for knowledge, and had
+consented to permit him to gaze into the regions of the blest, although
+he wandered in the path of vice, and that he must hold himself in
+readiness to accompany the messenger whenever he should be sent to call
+him.
+
+For this reason the crown prince had written to Wilhelmine that she
+should not expect him until the following morning, and he did not quit
+his room the entire day, with excited expectation awaiting the summons.
+As evening set in the prince was cast down, and quite of the opinion
+that the Invisibles did not deem him worthy to enter their pure
+presence, and thought that Wilhelmine must be the hinderance. Whilst he
+was reflecting whether to sacrifice his beloved to the salvation of his
+soul, the secret door gently opened, and two men, masked and wrapped in
+black cloaks, entered and placed themselves near the door. The prince
+did not remark their entrance, and was quite frightened as he chanced to
+turn, and saw these two immovable figures.
+
+With quivering voice he demanded their mission.
+
+In the same tone, as if one were an echo of the other, they answered,
+"We desire nothing, but you demand knowledge of the spirit-world, and
+would have its mysteries revealed to you, which the Invisibles will now
+grant you. Follow us, therefore!" They reopened the secret door; one of
+the masked preceded the prince, and the other followed him.
+
+The prince shuddered at the thought that he might be rushing into some
+unknown danger, and intrusting himself to those who would misuse his
+confidence. He demanded to see their faces, declaring himself prepared
+to follow, when acquainted with his guides.
+
+"It would then be better to remain," replied one of the masked. "He
+who lacks confidence is not worthy of it, and he who trusts only the
+Visibles, the Invisibles flee."
+
+The prince recognized the voice of Bischofswerder, and smiled, but
+he knew not that it was permitted him to hear it to inspire him with
+courage.
+
+"Well, so let it be; the fathers shall see that I am a believer," cried
+the prince.
+
+Immediately one of the brothers put his own cloak, three-cornered hat,
+and mask upon his highness, still remaining cloaked and masked himself,
+much to the astonishment of the passive prince. "Come, now, the
+Invisibles await you," said one of the masked. The prince stepped
+courageously into the little corridor which led to the secret stairway,
+one brother preceding him, causing a soft light to illumine their path,
+the other following him.
+
+In silence they reached the side-door of the palace, where a close
+carriage awaited them.
+
+"Where are you taking me?" asked Frederick William, as he entered,
+followed by the two brothers.
+
+"To the Invisibles," answered a strange voice.
+
+Again the prince essayed to begin a conversation, his only response
+being, "Purify your heart and pray." Silently they galloped over paved
+and unpaved streets, the prince heartily repenting having been drawn
+into this adventure. He thought of his charming and beloved Wilhelmine,
+and half determined to give the command to drive to Charlottenburg. The
+fact of Bischofswerder being with him, and fearful of appearing weak
+and wanting in courage in the eyes of his friend and favorite, prevented
+him.
+
+After several hours' drive, they stopped at the marble palace of
+Potsdam, near the one which the prince was accustomed to occupy. His
+highness looked cautiously around, and breathed more freely, as he felt
+that he was now surely among friends.
+
+The white palace stood silent and deserted in the darkness, this palace
+at Potsdam being only used for the guests of the king. The carriage
+stopped at the side-door, where there was no sentinel, and they
+alighted, entering the palace, winding along the corridors in the same
+order as before, guided by the glimmering light of the one preceding.
+Solemn music, strange ringing sounds, fell upon the ear as they
+advanced. Sometimes they were sharp and cutting as glass, then
+threatening and penetrating as the wind, shrieking and moaning, causing
+one to be very nervous if not terrified.
+
+The farther they proceeded the louder grew the sounds, and at intervals
+groans, moans and wailings were heard, as of those waiting and imploring
+for mercy.
+
+One of the brothers now opened a door, and then placing themselves
+upon each side, the unknown voice announced to the prince that they had
+arrived at the long-sought-for goal.
+
+"What have we come here for?" asked the prince.
+
+"To behold that which you have many times petitioned to be permitted to
+see," replied Bischofswerder, gently encouraging and inspiring Frederick
+William. "The Invisibles have at last yielded to your wishes, and the
+spirits which you summon will appear. If your courage fails you, and you
+dread the presence of the departed, command to be reconducted to your
+palace, and we will obey; but renounce forever the sublime happiness
+of beholding the Invisibles and of holding communion with the
+spirit-world!"
+
+"I fear not, but wish to be in the company of the spirits," answered the
+prince, proudly.
+
+"Kneel," they commanded, permitting him to enter, "and thrice summon
+in a loud voice the names of three departed, who will answer your
+questions. Beware of approaching them, for their glance is death and
+their breath destruction! Therefore remain kneeling, as it becomes a
+mortal in the presence of an immortal. Hope and pray, brother!"
+
+As the door closed upon the prince, and he found himself in such
+impenetrable darkness, he sank upon his knees, for he dared not advance,
+and retreat was impossible, in spite of heart-quakings.
+
+The shrill, penetrating music ceased, and a voice from a distance
+called: "Summon thrice those that thou desirest to see."
+
+"Marcus Aurelius, Leibnitz, and the distinguished elector," called the
+prince in a loud voice.
+
+"Who summoned me?" was responded in hollow, sepulchral tones, and
+directly over the crown prince a blue, vaporous light was visible--at
+first only a cloud, then by degrees increasing and condensing itself
+into a human shape, until it took the form of a Roman warrior of the
+olden time; no other than Marcus Aurelius, in helmet and coat-of-mail,
+with a pale, earth-colored face and glaring eyes.
+
+"Who summoned me?" repeated the figure. The prince's lips refused to
+respond, and shuddering he gazed upon the corpse-like face, so exact in
+feature to the old Roman emperor.
+
+"You answer me not!" thundered the voice, "but I will tell you who you
+are--one lost in sin and an apostate!--the crown prince of Prussia,
+a future king, who will be called to govern a people, and knows not
+self-government! Turn from the path of vice while it is yet time; rise
+from the dust, that the ashes of retribution do not bury you in a living
+tomb, like the sinful Pompeians. No monument marks the place of
+the sinful; he sinks into the night of oblivion, or he is cursed by
+succeeding generations. Therefore turn from the errors of sin. Rise to
+virtue, that the blessed may approach you. I shudder in your presence.
+Woe to you! woe! woe!"
+
+The cloud-portrait vanished, and darkness reigned for a moment. The
+prince cried in anguish: "I will hear no more; this air oppresses
+me--open the door--I renounce communion with the spirits; I will go
+out!"
+
+The light reappeared in the dark room and another form hovered over the
+prince--of grave, obscure face, with a great peruke, staring at him. He
+recognized the distinguished philosopher Leibnitz, whom he had desired
+to see, but who now filled him with unspeakable terror. Like the
+former spirit, he also, when unanswered, reproached the erring prince,
+conjuring him to return to virtue.
+
+As the menacing ghost disappeared, the prince felt for the door, and
+shook it with the power which terror lends, crying, "Open, open!"
+It opened not, and the third summoned, the great elector, Frederick
+William, appeared, with high, up-lifted arm, glittering eyes, advancing
+with angry mien, shaking his lion's mane against the erring son of his
+house, whom he menaced with curses and revenge, if he did not renounce
+the courtesan who had seduced him to vice and unchastity.
+
+"I will become better," groaned the prince. "I will perform the wish of
+the spirits. Only have mercy on me--free me. Help! help! Open the door,
+Bischofswerder, I will do better. Open the door!"
+
+This time it really opened, and a long train of dark, masked forms
+entered the dusky room surrounding the prince, wringing their hands,
+imploring him to turn from sin, and forsake the unholy woman.
+
+They whimpered, they implored, sinking upon their knees, beating their
+clinched hands, and weeping: "Turn, beloved elect! Renounce Wilhelmine
+Enke; renounce vice! Repulse the seductress, and turn your countenance
+to Virtue which you have seen in all her beauty!"
+
+"I will perform that which you demand," wept the prince, as the deathly
+terror and nervous excitement made him yielding.
+
+"Swear!" cried the chorus of masks.
+
+"I swear that Wilhelmine Enke shall no longer be my mistress. I swear by
+all that is holy that I will renounce her! I--"
+
+Voice failed him; there was a ringing and buzzing in his ears; every
+thing swam before his eyes, and he sank fainting. The prince awoke after
+long unconsciousness, and found himself upon his bed in the new palace
+at Potsdam, Bischofswerder at his side, watching him with the tenderest
+sympathy. He bent over him and pressed his hand to his lips with a
+cry of delight. "Heaven be praised; my dear prince, you have awaked to
+commence a new life! You now belong to the virtuous and honorable, whom
+the Invisible Fathers bless!"
+
+"Is it true, Bischofswerder," said the prince, languidly, "that I have
+sworn to renounce Wilhelmine Enke, and never to love her more?"
+
+"You have sworn it by all that is holy, and all in heaven and on earth
+have heard your oath, and there is joy thereat."
+
+The prince turned his head, that Bischofswerder might not see the tears
+streaming down his cheeks.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII. THE RETURN HOME.
+
+
+The beautiful house which Herr Ebenstreit von Leuthen possessed upon the
+finest street in Berlin, "Unter den Linden," had been newly arranged and
+splendidly ornamented since his marriage and elevation to a title, and
+now awaited his arrival. For many weeks mechanics and artists had
+been busily employed; and the good housekeeper, old Trude, saw with
+bewildering astonishment the daily increasing splendor of gilded
+furniture, costly mirrors and chandeliers, soft carpets, tapestries, and
+gold-embroidered curtains, exquisite paintings and statuary, which
+the possessor had forwarded from Italy, and many other objects of art
+standing upon gilt and marble tables.
+
+Every thing was completed. The bustle of the busy workmen had ceased,
+and Trude slowly wandered through the solitary rooms, examining every
+article. Her face bespoke dissatisfaction, and a smile of contempt was
+visible there.
+
+"Miserable trash, for which they have sold my poor child!" murmured the
+old woman. "For these worthless, glittering toys have they ruined the
+happiness of the dear innocent heart, and on them the guilt will fall if
+her soul is lost! I remark how she is changed in her letters since her
+shameful, mercenary marriage. She writes of nothing but the arrangement
+of her house, and speaks as if the beauty and costliness of things were
+only to be thought of, and there is not even a confidential, heart-felt
+word for her old Trude. It would seem as if she had forgotten all former
+objects of interest. Oh, what trouble and sorrows the rich have! That
+good-for-nothing money hardens their hearts and makes them evil and
+selfish."
+
+The loud ringing of a bell sounded through the solitary drawing-rooms.
+
+"That is, undoubtedly, the general's wife," said Trude, shaking her
+head. "She rings as if she would announce the king, with her nose turned
+up so high, or as if she were the money-sacks of her son-in-law!"
+
+Trude was right; her shrill voice was heard ordering the steward, who
+had but just arrived. "It is abominable, it is unheard of!" she cried,
+as with a heavy push she burst open the door; "this man presumes to
+contradict me, and--ah, there you are, Trude!"
+
+"Here I am," she answered; "were you looking for me?"
+
+"Yes, and I would ask you if my orders are not the same as if given by
+Herr Ebenstreit von Leuthen or his wife, or have you instructed the new
+steward otherwise, which, it is laughable to say, you have engaged?"
+
+"No, I have not instructed him thus. Dear Marie has not ordered it in
+her letter."
+
+"Dear Marie," repeated Frau von Werrig. "How can you permit yourself to
+speak so intimately of the rich Baroness von Ebenstreit?"
+
+"Very true, it is not right," sighed Trude; "I beg pardon."
+
+"I came here to see if every thing was in readiness, and ordered the
+steward to ornament the doors and corridors with garlands of flowers; he
+has had the boldness to tell me he dares not do it!"
+
+"He is right, Frau von Leuthen. Baroness Ebenstreit von Leuthen (have I
+got the title right?) wrote and expressly forbade any festivity to greet
+her arrival. Here is the letter--I carry it around with me; I will read
+it to you: 'I expressly forbid any manifestation whatever to be made at
+our return, whether of garlands or flowers, as they are only hypocrisy
+and falsehood. I wish no one there to receive me--remember, Trude, no
+one! Inform my family that, as soon as I have recovered from the fatigue
+of the journey, I will make them the visit of duty with the baron.'"
+
+"What cold, heartless words are these! One could hardly believe that a
+daughter was writing of her parents."
+
+"On her wedding-day she perhaps forgot that she had any," said Trude,
+shrugging her shoulders, "and she should not be at once reminded of that
+trying occasion on her return. I expect her every moment, as the courier
+has already arrived an hour ago, and it would be better--"
+
+"You cannot be so impudent as to tell me to leave? Indeed, I will not be
+prevented from waiting to receive my only child that I have not seen for
+three years. One can well believe that a mother would be impatient to
+embrace her dear daughter! I have no other happiness but my beloved
+child, and I long, unspeakably, to press her to my heart and tell her my
+sorrow."
+
+"Sorrow! is it possible that Frau von Werrig has any griefs? I supposed
+there was nothing in the world troubled her."
+
+"And yet I am very much tormented. I can well tell you, Trude, as you
+are familiar with our circumstances," sighed the countess. "You know the
+general is tolerably well; the journeys to Wiesbaden and Teplitz have
+cured him of the gout unfortunately, so that he can go about."
+
+"Are you sorry for that, Frau von Werrig?"
+
+"Certainly I am, Trude, as he has returned to his former habits,
+frequenting the society of drinking-houses and gamblers. Imagine the
+general played yesterday, lost all his ready money, and that was not
+enough, but signed away the year's pension from Herr von Ebenstreit,
+during which time we have nothing but the miserable army annuity to live
+upon."
+
+"Then your income will be less to live upon than formerly, for dear
+Marie earned something with her flowers and lessons which she gave to
+you, although she was never thanked for it. She was then my dear
+good Marie, so industrious and patient, and worked untiringly for her
+parents! Then she forgot them not, and toiled early and late, and, oh,
+it breaks my heart to think of it, and I must cry in your presence!"
+
+She raised the corner of her dark-blue apron and dried her eyes, holding
+it there as she continued to weep.
+
+"What an ugly apron!" cried the countess, "and how meanly you are
+dressed altogether! Is that the way you intend to go looking as the
+housekeeper of a rich and genteel family? Go, Trude, quickly, and put
+something better on, that you may receive your master and mistress in a
+suitable dress."
+
+"I shall remain as I am, for I am very properly dressed. It may not
+be suitable for a housekeeper, but it becomes old Trude, and it is my
+Sunday frock, which I always wore when I was maid-of-all-work to you.
+You may not remember it, but dear Marie (I should say Baroness von
+Ebenstreit) will, perhaps, and it may recall her little room in the
+garret, and then--"
+
+"And then she will at last think, Trude, how we took care of her, and
+how thankful she ought to be to her parents that they married her to a
+rich man. If Marie sees it at last--"
+
+"You forget with whom you speak, Frau von Werrig," Trude interrupted
+her, scornfully, "and that it does not become you to speak of Marie to
+old Trude, but you should remember her title."
+
+"Well, then, when Baroness von Ebenstreit enters this costly house, she
+must understand that her mother was mindful of her best interests, and
+that she owes all this to her; and you, Trude, must remind her of it,
+and tell her about my dreadful trial with her father, and that it is my
+daughter's duty to release me from it, and beg her husband not to deduct
+the gambling-debt from the pension, but pay it this once. For it would
+be a dreadful injustice to make me suffer for the general's rage for
+play, and show but little gratitude for the riches which I brought her.
+You will tell my daughter all this, Trude, and--"
+
+"I will not tell her any thing at all, Frau von Werrig," interrupted.
+Trude, warmly. "May my good genius keep me from that, and burdening
+my conscience with such falsehoods.--Hark! A carriage is coming, and a
+post-horn sounded. They have arrived!"
+
+Old Trude hurried out just as they drove up to the door. The steward and
+two servants in livery rushed down the steps to assist them to alight,
+and Trude also to greet her favorite, who was now so pale, grave, and
+chilling in her appearance.
+
+The large eyes of the lady rested with cold indifference upon the old
+woman, whose eyes were turned to her with the tenderest expression. "I
+thank you," she said, coldly. "Husband! I beg you to give me your arm."
+Proudly she passed the statuary, and over the soft carpets without
+comment, or even a word for old Trude.
+
+The steward and housekeeper followed the silent couple.
+
+"Shall I take you to your room first?" asked Ebenstreit, "or will you do
+me the pleasure to look at the newly-arranged drawing-rooms?"
+
+"Certainly," she replied, with indifference. "We will first look at the
+drawing-rooms, as we shall probably receive much company this winter,
+and they are of the first importance. You know that I dislike solitude."
+
+"Indeed, I recall that we are very seldom alone!" sighed her husband.
+
+"It would be fearful if we were," replied his wife, with marked
+indifference.
+
+The steward just now opened the little door of the ante-room, sparkling
+with chandeliers and mirrors. "Ah! this is really beautiful, and well
+chosen," cried Ebenstreit, looking about with an air of great pride and
+satisfaction. "Tell me, Marie, is it not worthy of you?"
+
+Glancing coldly around, she replied: "It does not please at all. The
+furniture is very costly, and reminds one of the parvenu. Every thing
+recalls the riches of the newly-titled banker."
+
+Her husband's brow contracted, but he did not trust himself to contest
+his dissatisfaction with his cold, proud wife, but sought another vent
+for it.
+
+"You are very unkind, Marie. Have the goodness to tell me how you, with
+these severe ideas, can suffer that Trude for a moment should appear
+before us in this poor-looking dress which, indeed, does not recall any
+wealth!"
+
+Frau von Ebenstreit's eyes glanced quickly over the old who, she
+said, was the only object which did not bespeak the gaudiness of
+newly-acquired wealth, but she appeared as the respectable servant of an
+old and noble family in fitting dress. "Remain as you are, Trude, and do
+not let yourself be misled by our follies! I--but what is that I see?"
+she cried as the steward opened the next door at the silent nod of her
+husband.
+
+"Oh, my beloved children, there you are at last; after three years'
+absence I have the happiness to embrace you, my only daughter," cried
+Frau von Werrig, as she approached them with outstretched arms and an
+affectionate smile, essaying to throw her arms around Marie's neck, who
+waved her back.
+
+"My child, my child," whimpered the mother, "is it possible that my
+daughter can receive me thus after so long a separation?"
+
+Turning to Trude, Marie asked her, with a reproving look and tone,
+if she had received her letter, or if she had forgotten her express
+commands that no one but the servants should be in the house to receive
+them.
+
+"I did not forget it, my lady, and I have read the orders to Frau von
+Werrig, but she--"
+
+"Knew that this wish had no reference to her, as she is her mother--Tell
+me, my beloved son, is it not very natural and fitting that I should be
+here to receive you?'
+
+"I find it a matter of course," answered Von Ebenstreit, to whom it
+appeared a relief to find an ally in the mother against his proud and
+beautiful wife. "I rejoice to see our dear mother here, and I beg Marie
+will join me."
+
+Marie cast an angry glance toward her husband, which so confused
+and perplexed him, that he looked down. Then advancing toward the
+drawing-room, with her usual cold demeanor, without further comment upon
+the ostentatious furniture, she commanded her husband to follow, who
+obeyed, giving his arm to his mother-in-law.
+
+"Oh, this is glorious!" he cried, smiling. "What splendor, what luxury!
+Tell me, my dear mother, is not this beautiful reception-room very
+aristocratically and appropriately fitted up?"
+
+"I should think a princess or a queen might be satisfied with it," she
+cried, with enthusiasm. "Even in royal palaces there is nothing of the
+kind to compare to this gold-embroidered tapestry."
+
+"Baron," said Marie, commandingly, "have the kindness to dismiss the
+steward. I wish to speak with you and Frau von Werrig."
+
+The steward slipped out without waiting to be sent, and Trude stood
+near the door, turning to the young baroness, as if to ask if she might
+remain.
+
+"Did you not hear, Trude?" cried the mother, impatiently. "Tell her to
+go!"
+
+"Remain, Trude," said Marie, quietly. "You are familiar with the past. I
+have nothing to deny to you; shut the door and stay here.--And now,"
+she continued, as her voice lost its gentleness, when she addressed
+her mother, "if it is agreeable to you, I should like to have an
+understanding with you!"
+
+"But, my child," sighed the mother, "how strangely altered you are! You
+address me, your mother, as Frau von Werrig, and you speak to Ebenstreit
+in a very formal manner, who has been your dear, faithful husband for
+three years. Oh, my darling son, what does this ceremonious manner
+mean?"
+
+"The very first hour, after our marriage, that we were alone my dear
+Marie severely reproved me for having addressed her in an intimate,
+affectionate manner, like the common class, as she called it, and I have
+never done so since."
+
+"You must be convinced that I am right," said Marie, calmly, "and that
+it does not become two beings, who neither love nor esteem each other,
+and who live in the most ceremonious manner, to address one another with
+endearing epithets. At any rate we are not accountable to any one, and
+Frau von Leuthen must know the relations we bear to each other in the
+so-called marriage, as it is her arrangement for the most part."
+
+"And I pride myself upon it," she cried, with animation. "I have brought
+about this marriage, which is good fortune to us, and I hope my daughter
+will prove her gratitude, and my son will show me the affection he has
+so often sworn to me."
+
+"I do not know what my husband may have sworn to you, but permit me to
+say, I do not understand whom you, Frau von Werrig, address as daughter
+here; if you accidentally refer to me, you are in error; I have never
+possessed a mother to love me, although formerly, during long years I
+endeavored with tender assiduity to win a parent's heart. That is
+long past, however. The very day that I married Herr von Ebenstreit I
+renounced all family ties, and resolved to be self-reliant. My husband
+will witness that he has never known me to yield, and that I have always
+been firm and resolute in my decision."
+
+"No one would doubt it," replied Ebenstreit, timidly. "We had a very
+strange marriage, which scarce deserves the name. We resemble more two
+companions who have joined in business, the one side reluctantly, and
+the other joyfully. I long for a happy married life, which has been
+quite impossible thus far."
+
+"And will be to the end, which you will yet learn; and Fran von Werrig
+should understand it, as she brought about the union, and should not be
+in doubt as to the conclusion."
+
+"I acknowledge that I am almost speechless and quite paralyzed with that
+which I see and hear. I should doubt that this cold, proud woman before
+me were my daughter, if it were not for the name she bears, and her
+features."
+
+"That which you and my husband have caused me to become. He knew that
+I neither loved nor esteemed him, and that a union with him seemed so
+unendurable that I would have sought refuge in death, if I had not vowed
+to support life to attain the aim which I imposed upon myself. That is
+all past; it is the future which we must arrange. I am glad that you are
+here, Frau von Werrig, that we may understand each other once for all;
+but you came against my wishes."
+
+"You must excuse it, dear Marie. It was the longing of mother's heart
+which led me hither; the love--"
+
+A cold, contemptuous glance of the large eyes caused the mother to
+cease, and quail before her daughter.
+
+After a short pause Marie continued: "I wish to exercise alone and
+unhindered the executive rights of a lady in her own house. Do you
+acknowledge the justice of this, my husband?"
+
+"Perfectly and unconditionally, dear Marie. You know that I have no
+other will but yours, which is my highest happiness to submit myself
+to in all things, always hoping to gain your love and win your heart;
+that--"
+
+"That this woman has changed to stone," said Marie, coldly, pointing to
+her mother. "As you then recognize me as the mistress of this house, I
+shall avail myself of my just right, and no one can prevent me, for I
+stand alone, absolved from all family ties. By my birth and your riches,
+I shall occupy the position of a woman of the world, and as such I shall
+live."
+
+"I am delighted to hear it, Marie," cried her husband. "For this reason
+I have had the drawing-rooms furnished in the most costly manner, and
+I shall be proud to receive the aristocratic society who will come to
+render homage to my wife, as they have done everywhere in Paris, London,
+Rome, Madrid, and St. Petersburg. We have frequented the highest circle
+in all these cities, and they have crowded our drawing-rooms, charmed
+with the beauty, distinguished manners, tone of the world, of your
+daughter."
+
+"I beg of you to make but one subject the sole object of conversation,"
+said Marie, harshly. "I have said that I will avail myself of the
+privilege, as mistress of this house, of receiving no one whom I do
+not wish to see, and no one can enter without consent. Is it clearly
+understood, husband?"
+
+"Yes," he answered, somewhat agitated; "it is the right of every
+housekeeper--I understand you."
+
+"It is also clear to me," cried Frau von Werrig, with difficulty
+suppressing her wrath. "But I will await the decisive word, and see
+whether it is possible for a daughter to have the insolent presumption
+to drive he mother from her house!"
+
+"I have already informed you that I have no mother, and that no one has
+the right to call me daughter. If you await my decision, you shall now
+hear it; you are not included among those that I wish to receive in my
+house!"
+
+"Ah, dear Marie, you are cruel!" cried her husband, quite frightened.
+
+"She is a degenerate, good-for-nothing creature!" cried the mother.
+
+"If I am so, who has caused it but you, both of you? Who broke my heart,
+and crushed it under foot until it ceased to feel, and turned to stone?
+Bear the consequences of your cruelty and heartlessness! I cannot change
+it, and I repeat, Frau von Werrig has not the right to enter this house,
+or to remain here any longer!"
+
+Scalding tears fell from the mother's eyes as she shrieked, "She drives
+me from her house!"
+
+"I am only treating you as you behaved to one of the noblest and best
+of men," replied Marie, voice and look betraying her deep feeling. "You
+thrust from your door, with scorn and contempt, a man worthy of your
+esteem and recognition, although you knew that my heart was breaking.
+I am only following your example and exercising my just rights, and am
+less guilty than you are, as neither of us has need of the respect or
+esteem of the other."
+
+"Can you suffer this, my son? Do you allow any one in your presence
+to treat me so shamefully? After all, it is your house; do speak and
+exercise your right as master here: tell your wife that I am her mother,
+and you, my adopted son, who bears my name, and that I have the just
+right to come here as often as it pleases me."
+
+"Speak your mind to Frau von Werrig," said Marie, as Ebenstreit remained
+silent. "Decide which shall remain, as one or the other of us must
+leave; you are perfectly free to choose."
+
+"Then, naturally, there is no choice left me," replied Ebenstreit,
+despondingly. "I declare myself for my wife, of course, who is the
+noblest and proudest beauty in Berlin, and will make my house the centre
+of attraction to the aristocracy, nobility, and wealth. This is my
+greatest pride, and to secure this I wooed my beautiful bride, and have
+submitted to all the sorrow and humiliation which have been my portion.
+If I must choose between the mother and daughter, I naturally prefer the
+latter."
+
+"He abandons me also!" cried the mother. "You are an ungrateful,
+wretched man! You forget that you owe every thing to me, and that
+without me you were a miserable mercenary, whose stupidity and
+tediousness were the ridicule of every one, and you had never gained the
+entrance to a genteel house. What have you now become? A high-born man,
+whose house every one will crowd, and who could even appear at court, as
+he bears our noble and distinguished name. To whom do you owe all this,
+but to me alone?"
+
+"God in heaven, Thou hearest it!" cried Marie, solemnly, with uplifted
+arms. "She acknowledges that she alone has brought this misfortune upon
+me, and in this hour I stand justified."
+
+"Pardon, Frau von Werrig," said Ebenstreit, haughtily; "you are going
+too far. After my fortune, I thank you for my position. I am certainly
+of insignificant birth, but I am ambitious and rich. I said to myself,
+'Money can bring about all that I wish,' and you see it has accomplished
+it. My wealth procured me a title, a splendid house, a beautiful wife,
+and a position in society. I acknowledge that you aided me in the
+carrying out of my plans, but you would not have done it, if I had not
+been in a position to pay you. You receive a very considerable annuity
+from me, therefore you cannot accuse me of ingratitude, but must confess
+that you have driven a very good bargain. You must forgive me if I beg
+of you to end this painful scene."
+
+"That means that I must leave," said Frau von Werrig, mildly,
+remembering the gambling debt and the annuity. "Very well, I will go,
+and promise you never to return, upon two conditions."
+
+"Have the goodness to communicate them," said Ebenstreit.
+
+"The first is, pay the gambling-debt of my husband, who has played
+away the entire sum you allow us yearly, and do not deduct it from our
+income. The second is, increase your allowance five hundred thalers,
+without letting the general know it, and pay it to me."
+
+"It is impossible," cried Ebenstreit, terrified. "You mistake me for a
+Croesus, whose wealth is inexhaustible. If this expenditure and demand
+increase, my colossal fortune will be entirely wasted, and--"
+
+"You exaggerate," interrupted Marie, with a peculiar brilliancy in her
+eyes. "Such wealth as yours is never-ending, and the banking business,
+which you are still engaged in under another name, is an inexhaustible
+source of wealth. I beg you to accept these conditions, that we may at
+last be at peace."
+
+"Very well," said Ebenstreit, to whom the words of Marie sounded as the
+sweetest music. "I will then accord your wishes, and you shall have the
+five hundred thalers for yourself."
+
+"For me alone?"
+
+"Yes, for yourself alone, Frau von Werrig."
+
+"Who vouches for the fulfilment of your promise?"
+
+"My word, Frau von Werrig."
+
+"I have no confidence but in a written promise."
+
+"Then I will have it made out, and bring you the document to-morrow
+morning."
+
+"Then our business is finished, and I can go.--Farewell, baroness;
+this is my last word to you. I cursed you from the moment you came into
+being. If you had been a son, the rich estate in trust of my family
+would have passed to you, of which I was the natural heir. As it was,
+it went to a distant relative, and we received nothing. Therefore your
+parents could not rejoice at your birth, and we only pardoned you
+when you married a rich man, who could free us from want, and now
+the separation is no grief to us. You have always been a disagreeable
+burden, and I am only quit of a discomfort, and renounce forever the
+sight of you.--Give me your arm, my son, and accompany me at least
+to the threshold of your house, that you may be able to say to this
+cold-hearted viper, that she is forever rid of the sight of her mother,
+who will never think of her but with chilling contempt." She seized
+Ebenstreit by the arm, who had not the courage to resist her, and drew
+him along with her, casting a look of supreme disgust at old Trude, who
+stood pale and sad near the door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV. BEHIND THE MASK.
+
+
+As the door closed, and Marie found herself alone with her old friend
+and nurse, a peculiar change was visible in her sad face; something of
+its former sunny radiance brightened its usually sorrowful expression,
+and she turned to greet Trude with the smile of earlier, happier days,
+though it was tinged with sadness and grief. Impulsively she threw her
+arms around her faithful nurse, kissing her, and, with quivering lip,
+whispering: "A greeting and a blessing for you, dear mother! Take me to
+your kind, disinterested heart, and let me there find repose from all
+this torture and love the poor lost one, who--"
+
+She drew suddenly back, her face assuming its usually cold, look as she
+heard her husband enter.
+
+"She is gone, dear Marie. I hope that you are gratified with my
+decision, and perceive therein a proof of my excessive love and esteem
+for you," said Ebenstreit, drawing a long breath.
+
+"I did not desire this polite evidence of it," she coldly responded. "We
+have solemnized our entrance into this house in a fitting manner, and
+the important matter remaining for us is to make known our arrival to
+the society of Berlin. The horses purchased in Alexandria, and the new
+carriage from London, have already arrived--have they not?"
+
+"My book-keeper so informed me a fortnight since, when we were in Paris,
+and complained of the enormous sum which he had to disburse."
+
+"You must forbid him such a liberty once for all," said she, and the
+strange blending of joy and scorn was visible in her face. "It is
+inadmissible for a subordinate to presume to complain to his master, or
+advise him. He has only to listen and obey. This all your inferiors must
+understand, and know that they will be dismissed who murmur or advise!"
+
+"I will instruct them accordingly," he sighed, "though I must confess
+my head-man well understands financial operations, and during the many
+years that he has been with me has won the right to be consulted and
+advised with."
+
+"Then prove your gratitude as it becomes a true cavalier and a
+nobleman," dictated Marie. "Settle his salary as an annuity upon him,
+and replace him."
+
+"But he receives very great wages, and is still very active, though
+advanced."
+
+"The more the reason to pension him, that he may repose his remaining
+years and enjoy the fruit of his labors. But do as you like. I have only
+told you how a noble cavalier would act; if you choose to bargain and
+haggle, it is your own affair."
+
+"Heaven keep me from acting otherwise than as a nobleman!" cried
+Ebenstreit.
+
+Marie nodded assent, desiring that the carriage might be ordered, with
+the Arab horses. "We will make our visits at once, as I will, for the
+first time, open our large house for a soiree to-morrow evening," she
+added.
+
+"Ah, that is charming!" said Ebenstreit, delighted. "I shall at last
+have the opportunity of seeing the aristocratic Berlin society, and
+enter upon the rank of my new title."
+
+"Yes," she replied, with an expression of irrepressible scorn, "you will
+have this enjoyment. Send me the steward, I wish to give him a list of
+the invited guests. You can add to it at your pleasure."
+
+"I have no one to invite," cried her husband.
+
+"No matter! Make the necessary preparations. I will go to my room to
+make my toilet."
+
+"Will you not allow me to accompany you? You are not yet familiar with
+the house."
+
+"Trude will show it to me, and you can at the same time give the
+orders."
+
+Nodding proudly to Ebenstreit, she told Trude to precede her, following
+the old woman through the suite of brilliant rooms.
+
+"Here is my lady's dressing-room," said Trude, entering one ornamented
+with mirrors, laces, and gauzes.
+
+The French waiting-maid was busy within, unpacking the large trunks
+filled with silk and satin dresses which had been purchased by the
+dozens in Paris.
+
+"Lay out an elegant visiting toilet; I will return directly, after Trude
+has shown me the house," They entered the adjoining chamber, Marie's
+sleeping-room and found the German maid arranging the lace and silk
+coverings for her mistress to repose herself after the long journey.
+Marie betrayed no inclination for repose, but questioned Trude as to
+whither the other door led to.
+
+"Into the little corridor, baroness."
+
+"Did I not order that there should be but one entrance to my
+sleeping-room, and that from the dressing-room?"
+
+"Your commands have been strictly obeyed," replied Trude. "The only door
+from the corridor leads to my two rooms, and there is but one entrance
+to them upon the other side, which can be securely fastened."
+
+Into the simple, quiet room, at the baroness's request, Trude opened the
+door, saying, "Here we can be alone."
+
+Marie pointed silently to the second door, and the old woman nodded:
+"That is it," said she. "I have done every thing as you directed. After
+you left, they sent me the furniture of your little garret-room, which I
+have arranged exactly as it stood there."
+
+As Marie opened the door and found herself in the small room, so like
+the one where she had made flowers, given lessons, consoled by her only
+friend, Trude, her pride and reserve vanished. Sinking upon her knees,
+as if crushed, she gave way to her long-pent-up grief in one cry of
+anguish, clinging to Trude, and weeping bitterly.
+
+"Here I am, my faithful nurse, returned to you more wretched and
+miserable than when I left: then, I felt that I could scorn the world,
+and now I despise myself. Oh, Trude, they have caused my wretchedness,
+they have made me selfish and unkind. I was contented until now, and
+rejoiced in my misery, and triumphantly thought of the time when I was
+wont to bewail my broken heart and lost soul. Once more with you, and
+surrounded with the souvenirs of my girlhood, I feel a horror of myself,
+and could sink in shame and contrition. I have become as bad as they
+are. Can you forgive the hard-hearted daughter who banished her own
+mother from her house? I felt that I could not endure her presence, and
+feared that an inveterate rancor and hate would overpower me, and that I
+should curse her."
+
+"She deserves it, my poor child," whispered Trude, the tears streaming
+down her cheeks. "She has just told you that she never loved you, and in
+this painful scene she thought only of bargaining and making money. God
+has heard her and forgiven you as I do, and I beg and implore Him to
+punish those who have made you so wretched, and that He will have no
+mercy upon them, as they have shown none to you. It breaks my heart to
+see you so changed, and I can hardly believe this cold, haughty lady is
+my Marie. In your tears I recognize you, and I bless God that you can
+weep; your grief proves to me that you are yet the child of my heart."
+
+"Oh Trude, you know not how I have longed to see you; it was my only
+consolation in these painful years. When I doubted every human being,
+then I thought of you, and was comforted and sustained."
+
+"And was there no one else to think of, my child?"
+
+"Yes," she gently murmured, "I thought of him. Tell me all you know
+about him, and hide nothing from me in this hour."
+
+"I thought you would ask me, and I went to Director Gedicke yesterday,
+to inform myself."
+
+"What did you hear? Tell me the most important. Does he live? Is he
+restored to health?"
+
+"He lives, but, for one year, he was so wretched that he could
+not teach; now he is better. Herr Gedicke went himself to Spandau,
+immediately after the wedding, and brought him back with him, relating
+as forbearingly and carefully as possible the circumstances of your
+marriage, and of your sacrificing yourself for him alone."
+
+"How did he receive it? What did he say?"
+
+"Nothing. His eyes were fixed, and his lips uttered not a sound. This
+lasted for weeks, and suddenly he became excited, enraged, and they were
+obliged to bind him to keep him from injuring himself."
+
+"Tell me no more," cried Marie, shuddering. "I thought myself stronger,
+nay, heartless, and yet it seems as if a hand of iron were tearing,
+rending my soul!"
+
+"That is well," said Trude, gently; "you must awaken from this hardened
+indifference; giving way to your grief in tears will soften your heart,
+and it will again be penetrated with the love of God and mankind. I will
+tell you every thing; you ought to know how poor, dear Moritz suffered.
+After he vented his rage he became melancholy, and withdrew to Halle in
+solitude, living in a hay-loft. His favorite books and an old piano
+were his only companions; no one presumed to intrude him, and they even
+conveyed his food secretly to him, shoving it through a door. He talked
+aloud to himself for hours long, and at night sang so touchingly,
+accompanying himself upon the piano, that those who listened wept."
+
+Marie wept also--scalding tears trickled through her fingers as she lay
+upon the floor.
+
+Trude continued: "Moritz lived in this way one year; his friends knew
+how he was suffering, and they proved in their deeds how much they loved
+and esteemed him. The teachers at the Gymnasium divided his hours of
+instruction among them, that he should not forfeit his place and lose
+his salary. Even the king showed great sympathy for him, sending to
+inquire for him. Herr Gedicke visited him frequently at Halle; and once
+when about to mount the ladder to the hay-loft he met Moritz descending,
+carefully dressed, in a reasonable, gentle mood, and then he returned
+with him to Berlin. There was great rejoicing in the college over his
+return, and they feted him, witnessing so much love for him that it was
+really touching. He has been promoted to professor, and at the express
+command of the king he teaches the young Prince Frederick William in
+Latin and Greek. Oh, he is so much esteemed and--"
+
+"And is married I hope," murmured Marie. "Is he not happily married,
+Trude?"
+
+"No. Herr Gedicke says he could marry a wealthy girl, for he is a great
+favorite, and is invited into the most distinguished society. He repels
+every one, and has become a woman-hater."
+
+"He hates them--does that mean that he hates me?"
+
+"Yes, he thoroughly scorns and despises you; so much so that Herr
+Gedicke says you should know of it, and keep out of his way. He has
+sworn to publicly show his contempt for you, and therefore his friends
+wish you to be apprised of it, and not encounter him in society."
+
+"It is well, I thank you," said Marie, rising; "I will act accordingly.
+Kiss me once more, my dear mother, and let me repose my weary head upon
+your bosom. Ah, Trude, what a sorrow life is!"
+
+"You will yet learn to love it again, Marie."
+
+"If I thought that I could sink so low, I would kill myself this very
+hour. I know myself better, and only for revenge do I live. Hush! say
+nothing more. Look at me! I am cursed, and there in those gaudy rooms in
+my purgatory; here is my paradise, and here the wicked demon may dare
+to change into the sad, wretched wife, who mourns the happy days already
+flown, and weeps the inconsolable future. Oft will I come here in the
+night when those sleep who think me so proud and happy, and you alone
+shall behold me as I am. Now I must back to purgatory.--Farewell!"
+
+A half hour later a splendid carriage drove from the house of Herr
+Ebenstreit von Leuthen. The people upon the street stood in wondering
+admiration of the beautiful Arab horses with the costly silver-mounted
+harness, and sought to catch a glimpse of the occupants of the carriage,
+an insignificant, meagre, blond-haired man, who appeared like a servant
+beside the lovely pale wife, though proud and indifferent, who kept her
+eyes fixed steadily before her.
+
+The chasseur, with his waving plumes, sat upon the box beside the
+rich-liveried coachman.
+
+As the married couple returned from their drive, having left their cards
+at the most distinguished houses in Berlin, the baroness handed the list
+of guests to be invited to the baron to examine. He glanced hastily over
+it, assuring her that every thing should be directed as she desired,
+deferring all to her superior knowledge. Suddenly he seemed confused,
+even frightened. "What is the matter? What were you about to remark?"
+asked Marie, indifferently.
+
+"I was in error. I have, without doubt, read it wrong. I beg pardon for
+a foolish blunder, but will you tell me this name?"
+
+Marie bent forward to look at the paper which her husband handed her,
+and, pointing with her finger, read "Professor Philip Moritz."
+
+"Do you intend to invite him?" asked Ebenstreit, quite alarmed.
+
+"Why should I not? He belongs to the circle of friends and
+acquaintances, and it is natural that I should include him. Moreover,
+there is not a little gossip, and it is necessary to silence it. If you
+are not of my opinion, strike out the name."
+
+"Not at all, dearest. On the contrary, you are perfectly right, and I
+admire you for it."
+
+"Then give the list to the butler, for it is quite time that the
+invitations were given out."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV. THE CURSE.
+
+
+The evening of the soiree had arrived. In quick succession drove the
+carriages up the broad entrance to the mansion of Herr Ebenstreit, The
+curious street public pressed in compact masses near the gate to peep
+in, or at least catch a fugitive glance of the ladies alighting from
+their carriages, who were received by the butler at the foot of the
+carpeted steps. A host of gold-bespangled footmen lined the entrance
+upon each side, which was ornamented with the most exquisite hot-house
+plants, filling the air with perfume.
+
+Two tall, stately footmen, with broad gold shoulder-bands and large
+gilt batons, stood at the door of the anteroom, which was brilliantly
+illuminated with chandeliers and side-lights, reflected in the numerous
+mirrors. The anteroom led into the reception-room by wide folding-doors,
+where the names were given to the usher, who announced them in a
+stentorian voice in the drawing-room. There stood the Baron von
+Ebenstreit to receive the guests, all smiles, and with bustling
+assiduity accompany them to the adjoining drawing-room to present them
+to the baroness.
+
+Among the select company were conspicuous the most distinguished
+names of the aristocracy. Generals and staff-officers, countesses and
+baronesses were crowded together, with the ladies of the financial
+world, near ministers and counsellors in this gorgeous saloon, which was
+the delight and admiration of the envious, and excited the tongues of
+the slanderous. Those acquainted gathered in the window-niches and
+cosy corners, maliciously criticising the motley crowd, and eminently
+consoled with the sure prospect of the ruin of the late banker,
+surrounding himself with such unbecoming splendor and luxury, the bad
+taste of his arrogant, overdressed, and extravagant wife.
+
+"Have you noticed her parure of diamonds?" whispered the Countess Moltke
+to Fran von Morien. "If they are real, then she wears an estate upon her
+shoulders."
+
+"The family estate of Von Leuthen," laughingly replied Frau von Morien.
+"You know, I suppose, that the father of General von Leuthen was a
+brick-burner, and he may have succeeded in changing a few bricks into
+diamonds."
+
+"You are wicked, sweet one," replied the countess, smiling. "One must
+acknowledge that her toilet is charming. I have never seen its equal.
+The gold lace over the rose-colored satin is superb."
+
+"Yes, and the mingling of straw feathers, diamonds, flowers, lace, and
+birds is truly ridiculous in her head-dress."
+
+"It must have been copied exactly from the one which the Queen Marie
+Antoinette wore at the ball at Versailles a fortnight since. The
+baroness was present at this court ball with her greyhound of a husband,
+and created quite a sensation with her costly recherchee toilet, as the
+French ambassador told us yesterday."
+
+"Certainly not by her manner," said Frau von Morien. "She is
+insupportably arrogant and self-sufficient. What do you think of this
+pretentious manner of announcing our names as if we were at an auction
+where they sold titles?"
+
+"It is a very good French custom," remarked the countess. "But it
+does not become a lady of doubtful nobility and uncertain position, to
+introduce foreign customs here. She should leave this to others, and
+modestly accept those already in use by us."
+
+"One remarks the puffed-up parvenue," whispered Frau von Morien. "Every
+thing smells of the varnish upon the newly-painted coat-of-arms."
+
+"Hush, my friend! I there comes the baroness leaning upon the arm of the
+French ambassador. She is indeed imposing in appearance, and one could
+mistake her for a queen."
+
+"Could any one ever suppose that this queen once made flowers to sell?
+Come, countess, I have just thought of a charming scene to revenge
+myself upon this arrogant personage."
+
+Giving her arm to the countess, she approached her hostess leaning upon
+the arm of the Marquis de Treves, the French ambassador, as they were
+standing beneath the immense chandelier of rock crystal, which sparkled
+above them like a crown of stars, causing her diamonds to look as if in
+one blaze of different hues.
+
+"Oh, permit us to sun ourselves in your rays, ma toute belle," said the
+Countess Moltke. "One could well fancy themselves in a fairy palace, so
+enchanting is everything here."
+
+"And the baroness's appearance confirms this impression," remarked the
+gallant Frenchman. "Fancy could not well paint a more lovely fairy in
+one's happiest dreams."
+
+"Yes, truly I wander around as if in an enchanted scene. I feel as if
+I must seize myself by the head and be well shaken, to convince myself
+that I am really awake and not dreaming a chapter from Aladdin. I made
+the effort, but felt the wreath of roses in my hair, and--"
+
+"And that convinced you of your wakefulness," said the baroness, a
+little haughtily. Turning to the ambassador, she added: "Do you observe,
+monsieur le marquis, what a delicate attention this lady shows me in
+wearing a wreath of flowers which I manufactured?"
+
+"Comment! The baroness is truly a fairy! She causes flowers to grow at
+her pleasure, and vies with Nature. It seems impossible. I can scarcely
+believe it."
+
+"And yet it is true," said Frau von Morien. "The baroness, indeed,
+fabricated these roses three years since, when she had the kindness to
+work for me. You will acknowledge that I have kept them well?"
+
+"It was no kindness of mine, but a necessity," said the baroness, "and I
+must confess that I would not have undertaken so troublesome a piece of
+work from pure goodness or pleasure. You will remember that I was very
+poor before my marriage, and as Frau von Morien was one of my customers,
+it is very natural that she possesses my flowers. She gave me many
+orders, and paid me a very small price, for she is very practical and
+prudent, and understands bargaining and cheapening, and when one is
+poor they are obliged to yield to the shameless parsimony of the rich.
+I thank you, my dear benefactress, for the honor you have shown me
+in wearing my flowers, for it has been a pleasant occasion to explain
+ourselves and recognize each other. Have the kindness to recall other
+remembrances of the past."
+
+"I do not remember possessing any other souvenirs," replied the
+countess, confused.
+
+"Have you forgotten that I gave French lessons to your niece, the present
+Frau von Hohenthal? She came to me three times weekly, because the
+lessons were a few groschen cheaper at the house."
+
+At this instant the usher announced in a loud voice, "Professor Philip
+Moritz."
+
+A gentleman of slight proportions, in an elegant fashionable dress,
+appeared and remained standing in the doorway, his large black eyes
+wandering searchingly through the drawing-room. Herr von Ebenstreit
+approached, extending him his hand, uttering a few unintelligible words,
+which his guest appeared not to notice, but, slightly inclining, asked
+if he would present him to the lady of the house.
+
+"Have the kindness to follow me," said Ebenstreit, leading Moritz
+through the circle of jesting, slandering ladies and gentlemen, to
+the centre of the room, where Marie was still standing with the French
+ambassador and the two ladies.
+
+"My dear," said her husband, "I have brought you an old acquaintance,
+Professor Moritz."
+
+As Ebenstreit would retreat, Moritz commanded him to remain, placing his
+white-gloved hand upon his arm, and holding him fast. "I would ask you
+one question before I speak with the baroness."
+
+Moritz spoke so loud, and in such a strange, harsh, and repulsive
+manner, that every one turned astonished, asking himself what it meant.
+Conversation was hushed, and the curious pressed toward the peculiar
+group in the centre to the baroness, who regarded her husband perfectly
+composed, and the pale man, with the flashing eyes, the glance of which
+pierced her like daggers.
+
+A breathless silence reigned, broken only by Ebenstreit's trembling
+voice. "What is it, professor? How can I serve you?"
+
+"Tell me who you are?" replied Moritz, with a gruff laugh.
+
+"I am the Baron Ebenstreit von Leuthen!"
+
+"And the scar which you bear upon your face, is it not the mark of a
+whip, with which I lashed a certain Herr Ebenstreit three years since,
+who prevented my eloping with my betrothed? I challenged him to fight a
+duel, but the coward refused me satisfaction, and then I struck him in
+the face, causing the blood to flow. Answer me--are you this gentleman?"
+
+Not a sound interrupted the fearfully long pause which followed. Every
+one turned astonished to Ebenstreit, who, pale as death, was powerless
+to utter a word, but stood staring at his opponent.
+
+"Why do you not answer me?" cried Moritz, stamping his foot. "Are you
+the coward? Was this red scar caused by the whip-lash?"
+
+Another long pause ensued, and a distinctly audible voice was heard,
+saying, "Yes, it is he!"
+
+"Who replied to me?" asked Moritz, turning his angry glance away from
+Ebenstreit.
+
+"I," said Marie. "I reply for my husband!"
+
+"You? Are you the wife of this man?" thundered Moritz.
+
+"I am," Marie answered.
+
+"Is this invitation directed to me from you?" he continued, drawing a
+paper from his pocket. "Did you permit yourself to invite me to your
+house?"
+
+"Yes, I did," she calmly answered.
+
+"And by what right, madame? This is the question I wish answered, and I
+came here for that purpose."
+
+"I invited you because I desired to see you."
+
+"Shameless one!" cried Moritz, furious.
+
+"Sir," cried the ambassador, placing himself before Moritz, defying his
+anger, "you forget that you are speaking to a lady. As her husband is
+silent, I declare myself her knight, and I will not suffer her to be
+injured by word or look.
+
+"How can you hinder me?" cried Moritz, with scorn. "What will you do
+if I dash this paper at her feet, and forbid her to ever write my name
+again?" Making a ball of it, he suited the action to the word, casting a
+defiant look at the marquis.
+
+"I shall order the footmen to thrust you out of the house. Here,
+servants, remove this man; he is an escaped lunatic, undoubtedly."
+
+Two footmen pressed forward through the circle which crowded around
+Moritz.
+
+"Whoever touches me, death to him!" thundered Moritz, laying his hand
+upon a small sword at his side.
+
+"Let no one dare lay a hand on this gentleman," cried Marie, with a
+commanding wave of her hand to the lackeys. "I beseech you, marquis, and
+you, honored guests, to quietly await the conclusion of this scene, and
+to permit Herr Moritz to finish speaking."
+
+"Do you mean to defy me, madame?" muttered Moritz, gnashing his teeth.
+"You perhaps count upon my magnanimity to keep silent, and not disclose
+the secrets of the past to this aristocratic assembly. I stand here as
+its accusing spirit, and condemn you as a shameless perjurer.--I will
+ask you who are here rendering homage to this woman, if you know who she
+is, and of what she has been guilty? As a young girl she was as sweet
+and innocent as an angel, and seemed more like a divine revelation.
+To think of her, inspired and elevated one's thoughts, and heaven was
+mirrored in her eyes. She was poor, and yet so infinitely rich, that if
+a king had laid all his treasures at her feet, as the gift of his love,
+he would receive more than he gave, for in her heart reposed the wealth
+of the whole human race. Oh! I could weep tears of blood in reflecting
+upon what she was, and what she has become. Smile and mock, ladies and
+gentlemen; my brain is crazed, and I weep for my lost angel."
+
+Moritz dashed his hands to his face, and stood swaying backward and
+forward, sobbing.
+
+Sighs and regrets were heard in the room. The ladies pressed their
+handkerchiefs to their eyes; others regarded with lively sympathy the
+handsome young man, who deeply interested them, and gazed reproachfully
+at the young baroness, expecting her to be crushed with these reproaches
+and tears, but who, on the contrary, stood with proud composure, her
+face beaming with joy, gazing at Moritz.
+
+"It is past--my last tear is shed, and my last wail has been uttered,"
+cried Philip, uncovering his face. "My angel has changed into a
+despicable woman. I loved her as the wretched, disconsolate being adores
+the one who reveals paradise to him; and she fooled me into the belief
+that she loved me. We exchanged vows of eternal constancy and affection,
+and promised each other to bear joyfully every ill in life, and never
+separate until death. I should have doubted myself, rather than she who
+stood above me, like a divine revelation. I wished to win her by toil
+and industry, by my intellect, and the fame by which I could render my
+name illustrious. It was, indeed, nothing in the eyes of her grasping
+parents; they repulsed me with scorn and pride, but Marie encouraged
+me to perfect confidence in her affection. Whilst I wandered on foot to
+Silesia, like a poor pilgrim toward happiness, to humble myself before
+the king, to beg and combat for my angel, there came temptation, sin,
+and vulgarity, in the form of this pale, cowed-down man, who stands
+beside my betrothed gasping with rage. The temptation of riches changed
+my angel into a demon, a miserable woman bartered for gold! She betrayed
+her love, yielding it up for filthy lucre, crushing her nobler nature
+in the dust, and driving over it, as did Tullia the dead body of her
+father. She sold herself for riches, before which you all kneel, as if
+worshipping the golden calf! After selling her soul to a man whom she
+despised, even if he were not rich, she has had the boldness to summon
+me, the down-trodden and half-crazed victim, to her gilded palace, as if
+I were a slave to be attached to her triumphal car. I am a free man, and
+have come here only to hurl contempt in her face, to brand her before
+you all as a perjurer and a traitress, whom I never will pardon, but
+will curse with my latest breath! Now I have relieved my heart of its
+burden, I command this woman to deny what I have said, if she can."
+
+With a dictatorial wave of the hand, he pointed excitedly Marie. A
+deathlike stillness reigned. Even the lights seemed to grow dim, and
+every one was oppressed as if by excessive sultriness.
+
+Again Moritz commanded Marie to acknowledge the truth of his accusations
+before the honored assembly.
+
+She encountered his angry glance with calmness, and a smile was
+perceptible upon her lip. "Yes, said she, I acknowledge that I am a
+perjurer and a traitor. I have sold myself for riches, and yielded my
+peace of soul and my love for mammon. I might justify myself, but I
+refrain from it, and will only say that you have told the truth! One day
+you will cease to curse me, and, perhaps a tear of pity will glisten in
+the eye now flashing with scorn and anger. The poor wife who lies in the
+dust implores for the last blessing of your love!"
+
+"Marie!" he cried, with heart-rending anguish, "oh, Marie!" and rushed
+toward her, kneeling before her, and clinging to her, pressing a kiss
+upon her hand and weeping aloud. Only for a moment did he give way, and
+then sprang up wildly, rushing through the crowd, out of the room.
+
+A fearful silence ensued. No one had the courage to break it. Every one
+hoped that Marie, through a simulated fainting, would end the painful
+scene, and give the guests an opportunity to withdraw. No such
+thoughtfulness for her friends occurred to her.
+
+She turned to the Marquis de Treves, who stood pale and deeply agitated
+behind her, and burst into a loud laugh.
+
+"How pale you are! Have you taken this comedy for truth? Did you think
+this theatrical performance was a reality? You have forgotten what I
+told you a month since in Paris, that I had a native talent for acting.
+You would contest the matter with me, and I bet you that I could
+introduce an impromptu scene in my house, with such artistic skill, that
+you would be quite deceived."
+
+"Indeed I do recall it; how could I have forgotten it?" replied the
+marquis, with the ready tact of the diplomat.
+
+"Have I won?" asked Marie, smiling.
+
+"You have played your role, baroness, like an artiste of consummate
+talent, and to-morrow I shall have the honor to cancel the debt in your
+favor."
+
+"Now, then, give me your arm, marquis, and conduct me to the
+dancing-room, and you, worthy guests, follow us," said. Marie, leading
+the way.
+
+The merry music even was not sufficient to dissipate the awkward
+oppression, and by midnight the guests had taken leave, and Marie stood
+under the chandelier, pale and rigid, opposite her husband. He had
+summoned courage to bewail the terrible scene, weeping and mourning over
+her cruelty and his shame. Marie, with chilling indifference, regarded
+him without one visible trace of pity.
+
+"You realized what you were doing when you imposed the scorn of this
+marriage upon me," she said. "I have never deceived you with vain hopes!
+You have sown dragons' teeth, and warriors have sprung up to revenge me
+upon you. Serve yourself of your riches to fight the combatants. See if
+you can bargain for a quiet conscience as easily as you purchased me!
+My soul is free though, and it hovers over you as the spirit of
+revenge.--Beware!"
+
+She slowly turned and quitted the room. Her diamonds sparkled and blazed
+in the myriads of lights. The large mirrors reflected the image of a
+haughty woman, who swept proudly past like a goddess of revenge!
+
+Ebenstreit stood gazing after her. He had a horror of the lonely still
+room, so gorgeous and brilliantly illuminated--a shudder crept over him,
+and he sank, weeping bitterly.
+
+In the little room, the buried happiness of the past, Marie knelt, with
+outstretched arms, imploring heaven for mercy. "I thank Thee, Heavenly
+Father, that I have been permitted to see him again! My sacrifice was
+not in vain--he lives! He is free, and his mind is clear and bright. I
+thank Thee that he still loves me. His anger is but love!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI. THE KING AND THE ROSICRUCIANS.
+
+
+The joy which Bischofswerder said, reigned in heaven and upon earth over
+the return of the crown prince to the path of virtue, in having forsaken
+Wilhelmine Enke, was of but short duration.
+
+The Invisibles and the pious Rosicrucians soon learned that sagacious
+and cunning woman defied the spirits and abjured the oaths.
+
+Since the night of his communion with the departed, Frederick William
+had never visited Charlottenburg--never seen the house which contained
+all that he held most dear; he had returned Wilhelmine's letters
+unopened, and had even had the courage to refuse himself to the
+children, who came to see him.
+
+If he had been left to consult his own heart, he would not probably have
+had sufficient resolution to have done this; Bischofswerder and Woellner
+never left him for a moment, as they said the Invisible Fathers had
+commanded them to tarry with the much-loved brother in these first days
+of trial and temptation, and to elevate and gladden him with edifying
+conversations and scientific investigations.
+
+The prayers and exhortations were the duty of Woellner, who, besides
+this, continued his daily discourses upon the administration of
+government, preparing the prince for the important command of the royal
+regiments, which they hoped favorable destiny would soon grant him.
+
+The scientific researches were the part of Bischofswerder, and he
+entered upon his duties with the zeal and pleasure of an inquiring mind,
+itself hopeful and believing.
+
+In the cabinet arranged in the new palace at Potsdam, the prince and his
+dear Bischofswerder worked daily, many hours, to discover the great
+hope of the alchemist--the philosopher's stone. Not finding it,
+unfortunately, they brewed all sorts of miraculous drinks, which were
+welcome to the prince as the elixir of eternal youth and constant love.
+In the evenings they communed with the spirits of the distinguished
+departed, which, moved at the earnest prayers of Woellner, and the
+fervent exhortation of the crown prince, always had the goodness to
+appear, and witness their satisfaction for their much-loved son, as they
+called him, for continuing brave and faithful, and not falling into the
+unholy snares of the seductress.
+
+The crown prince, however, experienced not the least self-contentment.
+Each day renewed the yearning for the beloved of his youth and for his
+children, for which those of his wife were no compensation--neither the
+silent, awkward Prince Frederick William, nor his crying little brother.
+In his dreams he saw Wilhelmine dissolved in tears, calling upon him in
+most tender accents, and when he awoke, it was to an inconsolable grief.
+He wept with heart-felt sorrow; his oath alone kept him from hastening
+to her; it bound him, and fettered his earnest wish to see her, making
+him sad and melancholy.
+
+The spirits had no pity nor mercy upon him. His two confidants
+encouraged his virtue and piety from morning till night, exalting his
+excited fancy with their marvellous relations and apparitions.
+
+One day as they were on the point of commencing the morning prayers to
+the Invisibles, a royal footman appeared, with the command to betake
+themselves to Sans-Souci, where the king awaited them.
+
+A royal carriage was in attendance to convey them. There was no
+alternative but obedience.
+
+"Perhaps Fate destines us to become martyrs to the holy cause," said
+Woellner, devoutly folding his hands.
+
+"We may never enjoy the happiness of seeing our dear brothers of the
+confederacy again," sighed Bischofswerder. "Our spirits will always be
+with you, my prince, and the Invisible Fathers will protect you in all
+your ways."
+
+The crown prince, deeply moved, separated from his friends with tears
+in his eyes; but as the carriage rolled away he felt relieved as of an
+oppressive burden, and breathed more freely.
+
+At the same time a footman entered, bearing upon a golden salver a
+letter for the prince. Unobserved and free to act, he read it, and as he
+sat musingly thinking over its contents, so tender and affectionate,
+he re-read it, and rising, made a bold resolve, his face beaming with
+happiness, to order his carriage, which he did, and in a few moments
+more drove at full speed away from the palace.
+
+Bischofswerder and Woellner, in the mean time, arrived at Sans-Souci.
+The footman awaiting them conducted them at once through the
+picture-gallery, into the little corridor leading to the king's cabinet,
+and there left them to announce them to his majesty. Both gentlemen
+heard their names called in a loud voice, and the response of the king:
+"Let them wait in the little corridor until I permit them to enter."
+
+The footman returned and with subdued voice made known the royal
+command, and departed, carefully closing the door.
+
+There was no seat in the narrow, little corridor, and the air was close
+and oppressive.
+
+They could hear voices in mingled conversation; sometimes it seemed as
+if the king were communicating commands; again, as if he dictated in a
+suppressed voice. The Rosicrucians knew very well it was the hour of the
+cabinet council, and they waited patiently and steadfastly, but as their
+watches revealed the fact that three hours had passed, and every noise
+was hushed, they concluded they were forgotten, and resolved to remind
+the lackey of their presence.
+
+"Indeed, this standing is quite insupportable," whispered Woellner.
+
+They both slipped to the entrance and tried the bronze knob, but
+although it turned, the door opened not, and was evidently fastened upon
+the outside. They looked alarmed at each other, asking what it could
+mean. "Can it be intentional? Are we imprisoned here? We must be
+resigned, although it is a severe experience." At last, patience
+exhausted, they resolved to bear it no longer, and tapped gently at the
+door of the king. The loud bark of a dog was their only response, and
+again all was still.
+
+"Evidently there is no one there," sighed Bischofswerder. "It is the
+hour of dining of the king."
+
+"I wish it were ours also," whined Woellner. "I confess I yearn for
+bodily nourishment, and my legs sink under me."
+
+"I am fearfully hungry," groaned Bischofswerder; "besides, the air is
+suffocating. I am resolved to go to extremes, and make a noise."
+
+He rushed like a caged boar from one door to the other, shrieking for
+the lackey to open the door; but as before, a loud bark was the only
+response.
+
+"The Lord has forsaken us," whimpered Woellner. "The sublime Fathers
+have turned their faces away from us. We will pray for mercy and beg for
+a release!" and he sank upon his knees.
+
+"What will that avail us here, where neither prayers nor devotion are
+heeded? Only energy and determination will aid us at Sans-Souci. Come,
+let us thump and bang until they set us free!" cried Bischofswerder,
+peevishly.
+
+Their hands were lame, and their voices hoarse with their exertions;
+and no longer able to stand, they sank down upon the floor hungry and
+exhausted, almost weeping with rage and despair.
+
+At last, after long hours of misery, they heard a noise in the adjoining
+room. The king had again entered his cabinet. The door opened, and the
+lackey motioned to the two gentlemen to enter. They rose with difficulty
+and staggered into the room, the door being closed behind them.
+
+His majesty was seated in his arm-chair, with his three-cornered hat on,
+leaning his chin upon his hands, crossed upon his staff. He fixed his
+great blue eyes, with a searching glance, upon the two Rosicrucians;
+then turned to his minister, Herzberg, who was seated at the table
+covered with documents.
+
+"These are, then, the two great props of the Rosicrucians?" asked
+Frederick--"the two charlatans whom they have told me make hell hot
+for the crown prince, continually lighting it up with their prayers and
+litanies."
+
+"Your majesty," answered Herzberg, smiling, "these gentlemen are Colonel
+Bischofswerder and the councillor of the exchequer, Woellner, whom your
+majesty has commanded to appear before you."
+
+"You are the two gentlemen who work miracles, and have the effrontery
+to summon the spirit of our ancestor, the great elector, and the Emperor
+Marcus Aurelius?"
+
+"Sire," stammered Bischofswerder, "we have tried to summon spirits."
+
+"And I too," cried the king, "only they will not come; therefore I
+wished to see the enchanters, and would like to purchase the secret."
+
+"Pardon me, most gracious sire," said Woellner, humbly, "you must first
+be received in the holy order of the Rosicrucians."
+
+"Thanks," cried the king, "I am not ready for the like follies, and
+whilst I live the Invisibles must take heed not to become too visible,
+or they will be taken care of. I will not permit Prussia to retrograde.
+It has cost too much trouble to enlighten the people, bring them to
+reason, and banish hypocrisy. Say to the Rosicrucians that they shall
+leave the crown prince in peace, or I will chase them to the devil, who
+will receive them with open arms! It could do no harm to appeal to the
+prince's conscience to lead an honorable life, and direct his thoughts
+more to study than to love, but you shall not make a hypocrite of him
+and misuse his natural good-nature. If the Rosicrucians try to force
+the prince and rule him, I will show them that I am master, and will
+no longer suffer their absurdities, but will break up the whole nest
+of them! I have been much, annoyed at the deep despondency of the crown
+prince. You shall not represent to him that baseness and virtue are the
+same, and that he is the latter when he betrays those to whom he has
+sworn fidelity and affection. An honorable man must, above all, he
+cognizant of benefits, and not forsake those who have sacrificed
+their honor and love to him, and have proved their fidelity. Have you
+understood me, gentlemen?"
+
+"It will be my holy duty to follow strictly your majesty's commands,"
+said Bischofswerder.
+
+"And I also will strive to promote the will of my king," asserted
+Woellner.
+
+"It will be necessary to do so, or you two gentlemen may find yourselves
+at Spandau. I would say to you once for all, I will not suffer any
+sects; every one can worship God in his own way. No one shall have the
+arrogant presumption to declare himself one of the elect. We are
+all sinners. The Rosicrucians are not better than the Illuminati or
+Freemasons, and none are more worthy than the tailor and cobbler who
+does his duty. Adieu!"
+
+The king nodded quickly and pointed to the door out of which the two
+brothers were about to disappear, when he called them back.
+
+"If the prince is not at the palace on your return, I advise you not to
+pursue him, but reflect that the Invisibles may have summoned him to
+a communion of spirits; I believe, too, that I kept you waiting; but
+without doubt you were comforted by the Fathers, who bore you away upon
+their wings, and gave you food and drink! Those who are protected by
+the spirits, and can summon them at pleasure, can never want. If you are
+hungry, call up the departed Lucullus, that he may provide for you to
+eat; and if you have no earthly seat, summon Semiramis that she may send
+you her hanging gardens for the quiet repose of the elect! I am rejoiced
+that you have enjoyed such celestial refreshments in the corridor.
+Adieu!"
+
+The king gazed sadly after them. Approaching Herzberg, he said: "I felt,
+as I looked at the two rogues, that it was a pity to grow old. Did you
+think that I would let them off so easily?"
+
+"Sire, I really do not understand you," replied Herzberg, shrugging his
+shoulders. "I know not, in your most active youthful days, how you could
+have done otherwise."
+
+"I will tell you that, if I were not an old man, void of decision and
+energy, I would have had these fellows taken to Spandau for life!" said
+the king, striking the table with his staff.
+
+"Your majesty does yourself injustice," said Herzberg, smiling. "You
+were ever a just monarch in your most ardent youth, and never set aside
+the law. These men were not guilty of any positive crime."
+
+"They are daily and hourly guilty of enticing away from me the crown
+prince, and making the future ruler of my country an obscurer, a
+necromancer, and at the same time a libertine! I was obliged to overlook
+his youthful preference for Wilhelmine Enke, and wink at this amour,
+for I know that crown prince is human, and his affections are to be
+consulted. If he cannot love the wife which diplomacy chooses for him,
+then he must be permitted the chosen one of his heart to console him
+for the forced marriage. At the same time this person was passable, and
+without the usual fault of such creatures, a desire to rule and mingle
+in politics. She seems to be unambitious and unpretentious. These
+Rosicrucians would banish her by increasing the number of favorites,
+that they may rule him, and make the future King of Prussia a complete
+tool in their hands. They excite his mind, which is not too well
+balanced, and rob him by their witchcraft of the intellect that he has.
+They promise him to find the philosopher's stone, and make a fool of
+him. Am I not right?"
+
+"I must acknowledge that you are," sighed Herzberg.
+
+"And admit also that it would be just to send these in, famous fellows
+as criminals to Spandau."
+
+"Sire, unfortunately, there are crimes and offences which the law does
+not reach, and which cannot be judged."
+
+"When I was young," said the king, "I tore up and stamped upon every
+weed that I found in my garden. Shall I now let these two grow and
+infect the air, because the law gives me no right to crush them?
+Formerly I would have torn them leaf from leaf, but now I am old
+and useless, my hand is weak, and lacks the strength to uproot them,
+therefore I suffer them to stand, and all the other abominable things
+which these rogues bring to pass. A cloud is rising, from which a storm
+will one day burst over Prussia; but I cannot dissipate it, for
+the little strength and breath that remains I have need of for the
+government; and, moreover, I have no superfluous time for the future,
+but must live and work only for the present."
+
+"But the blessing of your exertions will be felt in the future. The
+deeds of a great man are not extinguished with his death, but shine like
+a star, disseminating light beyond his grave!"
+
+"This light is just what the Rosicrucians will take care to extinguish
+like a tallow candle with too long a wick, and it is good fortune that
+the astronomers have awarded me a little glorification in the heavens,
+and accorded me a star, for the Rosicrucians would not let it shine here
+below. I must console myself with this, and recall that when it is dark
+and lowering here, I have a star above in the sky!"
+
+"This star is Frederick's honor," cried Herzberg. "It will beam upon
+future generations, and become the guiding light of the sons and nephews
+of your house, and they will learn to be as sagacious and wise as the
+Great Frederick."
+
+"There you have made a great error, Herzberg," replied the king,
+quickly. "Future generations are newer taught by the past--grandchildren
+think themselves wiser than their grandparents. The greatest of heroes
+is forgotten, and his deeds buried in the dust of ages. You have given
+me a glorious title of honor, and I know how little I deserve it."
+
+"A title which will be confirmed in centuries to come, for every history
+will speak of Frederick the Second as Frederick Great."
+
+"In history it may be, but the people will speak of me as 'Old
+Fritz'--that will be on the lips of those who love me, and expression of
+endearment; on the lips of those who hate me, one of disaffection. I am,
+indeed, 'Old Fritz,' which the Bischofswerders and Woellners also call
+me, and try to make the crown prince believe that I have outlived my
+period, and do not understand or esteem the modern time. In their eyes
+I am a dismantled ship of state, which the storms of life have rendered
+unseaworthy. They would refit the vessel, and give it a new flag,
+sending Old Fritz, the helmsman, to the devil! The day of my death they
+will hoist this flag, with 'Modern Time' inscribed upon it in large
+letters. I shall then be united in Elysium with Voltaire, Jordan, Suhm,
+and all my other friends, as we were wont to be at Sans-Souci, and look
+down with a pitying smile upon the Modern Time and Old Folly!--Vale!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII. THE ESPOUSALS.
+
+
+Both Bischofswerder and Woellner hastened to avail themselves of the
+commanding "adieu," and quit the royal presence. Without, the carriage
+was ready to reconvey them to the new palace. They were so exhausted
+that neither of them uttered a word, the last injunctions of the king
+ringing in their ears.
+
+Silently they alighted upon arriving, but as the footman came out to
+meet them they asked, simultaneously, if his royal highness had dined.
+
+"His highness is not here, having departed immediately after the two
+gentlemen, and is not yet returned," he answered.
+
+"You may serve us something to eat as quickly as possible in the
+little dining-room. Let it be ready in a quarter of an hour," commanded
+Bischofswerder.
+
+"Now that we are alone, what do you think of this affair?" asked
+Woellner.
+
+"I cannot vouchsafe a reply until I have eaten a pheasant's wing, and
+drunken my champagne," replied Bischofswerder.
+
+He kept his word, preserving a solemn silence until a good half of the
+bird had disappeared, and many glasses of iced champagne.
+
+Then Bischofswerder leaned back in his comfortable armchair with
+infinite ease, whilst his friend occupied himself with the most pious
+zeal with the pheasant, rejoicing at this revelation of the Invisibles.
+Bischofswerder let him enjoy it, and ordered the footman to serve the
+dessert and withdraw.
+
+"Now I am prepared to reply to you, my dear friend, that we are alone. I
+believe the king would have sent us to Spandau at once if we had opposed
+his free-thinking opinions."
+
+"I am convinced of it," sighed Woellner, eyeing the remains of the bird
+with a melancholy glance. "We shall have much to endure for the holy
+cause which we serve."
+
+"That is to say, we will have much to suffer if we, in fanatical
+indiscretion, do not submit to circumstances," said Bischofswerder.
+
+"You cannot traduce the sublime Fathers!" cried Woellner;--"for the
+body's security, we cannot endanger the salvation of our souls, and,
+like Peter, deny our master."
+
+"No, my much-loved and noble friend. But we must be wise as serpents,
+and our duty to the holy order is to preserve its useful tools that they
+may not be lost. You will agree with me in this?"
+
+"Indeed, I do admit it," replied Wollner, pathetically.
+
+"Further, you will acknowledge that we are very useful, and I might say
+indispensable tools of the Sublime Order of the Rosicrucians and the
+Invisible Fathers of the Order of Jesus? It is our task to secure an
+abiding-place to the proscribed and, cursed, to plough and sow the
+field, which will yield good fruit for humanity entire, and particularly
+our order, when the crown prince ascends the throne. We will here erect
+a kingdom of the future, and it is all-important to lay so secure a
+corner-stone in the heart of his highness that nothing can shake or
+dislodge it. Who could perfect this work if we were not here? Who would
+dare to undertake the difficult task if we should fail? Who would
+carry on a secret and continued warfare with this artful and powerful
+seductress if we were conquered?"
+
+"No one would do it," sighed Woellner, "no one would sacrifice
+themselves like Samson for this Delilah."
+
+"We will together be the Samson," replied Bischofswerder, drawing
+a glass of sparkling champagne. "We will be the Samson which the
+Philistines drove out, but this woman shall not practise the arts of
+Delilah upon us in putting our eyes out or cutting off our hair. Against
+two Samsons the most artful and beautiful Delilah is not wary enough;
+and if we cannot conquer her, we must resort to other means."
+
+"What may they be, dear brother?"
+
+"We must compromise the matter."
+
+Woellner sprang up, and a flush of anger or from champagne overspread
+his face "Compromise with the sinful creature!" he cried, impetuously.
+"Make peace with the seductress, who leads the prince from the path of
+virtue!"
+
+"Yes, we must be on friendly terms with this woman, who could greatly
+injure us as an enemy, and aid us infinitely as a friend. This is my
+intention, and I am the more convinced that we must accept this middle
+course, as she is protected by the king."
+
+"Because he knows from his spies that she mingles with the Illuminati
+and the Freemasons, and that she is our opponent," said Woellner.
+
+"The more the reason, my noble zealot, to win her friendship, who will
+have validity and power until the crown prince reigns, and this old
+godless freethinker of a king is in his gravel Then Prussia will
+commence a new era, and we shall be lords, and guide the machine of
+state. For such lofty aims one ought to be ready to compromise with his
+Satanic majesty even. Then why not with this little she-devil, whose
+power is fading every year with her youth and beauty?"
+
+"It is quite true, we should be mindful of the device of our Invisible
+Fathers. The end sanctifies the means," sighed Woellner.
+
+"I believe it to be indispensable, and you will grant that I am right.
+Do you not see that the prince has availed himself of our absence to go
+there, and has not yet returned?"
+
+"What!" shrieked Woellner, clasping his hands--"you do not mean that--"
+
+"That Rinaldo has returned to the enchanted garden of Armida."
+
+"Oh, let us hasten to release him at once, and revue his soul from
+perdition!" cried Woellner, springing up.
+
+"On the contrary, let us await him here without a word of reproach upon
+his return. This will touch his tender heart which we must work upon,
+if we would get him into our power, for to us he must belong. Fill
+our glasses with the sparkling wine, and drink to the contract with
+Wilhelmine Enke."
+
+Just as merrily they quaffed the champagne in the little cosy
+dining-room at Charlottenburg, where the prince and Wilhelmine were
+rejoicing over a reconciliation, no one being present but the two
+children. Their joyous laugh and innocent jests delighted the father,
+and the beaming eyes, sweet smile, and witty conversation of his
+favorite, filled his heart with pleasure.
+
+Not a word of reproach escaped her, but exultant and joyous she hastened
+with outstretched arms to meet him, kissing away all his attempts to
+implore pardon, and thanking him that he had returned to her.
+
+At first the prince gave himself up to the joy of the reunion with his
+beloved Wilhelmine sad children; but now, as the first outburst had
+passed, the quiet, happy dinner being finished, and they had returned
+to the sitting-room, a tinge of melancholy earnestness overshadowed his
+amiable face.
+
+Wilhelmine threw her arms gently around his neck as she sat beside him
+upon the divan, and looked up to him with a tender questioning glance.
+"Your thoughts are veiled, dearest; will you not confide to me that
+which lies concealed there?"
+
+"Ah, Wilhelmine, it is a mourning veil, and hides the sorrow of
+renunciation."
+
+"I do not understand you, Frederick," she smilingly replied. "Who could
+compel you to an abnegation which would cause you grief?"
+
+"Listen to me, Wilhelmine, and understand that I am suffering from
+circumstances--an oath taken in the pressure of the moment. Try to
+comprehend me, my dear child."
+
+Drawing her closer to him, he faithfully related to her the night of the
+communion of the spirits, and his consequent oath.
+
+"Is that all, my dear?" she replied, smiling, as he finished.
+
+"What do you mean?" he asked, astonished.
+
+"Nothing more than I would know if you have only sworn to renounce
+Wilhelmine Enke!"
+
+"What could I have done more prejudicial to you?" he cried, not a little
+irritated.
+
+"Surely you could not injure or grieve me more, and therefore I am not
+a little surprised that the pious Fathers could so carelessly word their
+oaths. You have sworn to renounce your affection to and separate from
+Wilhelmine Enke; so it follows that the Invisibles only demand that you
+give up my name, not myself, and that is easily changed, and my dear
+prince will not become a perjurer."
+
+"I do not quite understand you; but I perceive by the arch expression
+of your face that you have conceived a lucky escape for your unhappy
+Frederick William. Explain to me, dearest, your meaning."
+
+"I must change my name by marrying some one!" she whispered.
+
+"Marry! and I give you to another? I will never consent to that," he
+cried, alarmed.
+
+"Not to a husband, only a name," said she. "These Rosicrucians are such
+extraordinarily virtuous and pure beings, loving you so infinitely and
+disinterestedly, that it grieves them that my love for you does not shun
+the light, and throw over itself the mantle of hypocritical virtue!
+We will yield to the zealous purity of the Rosicrucians," continued
+Wilhelmine, her eyes sparkling, "and wrap this Wilhelmine Enke in a
+mantle of virtue by giving her a husband; and then, when she walks out
+with her children the passers-by will not have to blush with shame,
+and cry, 'There goes the miss with her children!' I have conceived and
+planned during this long and painful separation, and I am resolved to
+submit humbly to the pious Fathers, who are so zealously watchful for
+the salvation of your soul and my good fame."
+
+"That is to say, you are determined to snap your fingers at them!
+Your plan is a good one, but you will find no one to aid you in a sham
+marriage!"
+
+"I have already found one," whispered Wilhelmine, smiling. "Your valet
+de chambre Rietz is willing to stand with me in a sham marriage."
+
+"My body-servant!"
+
+"Yes, Frederick William! You will confess that I am not ambitious, and
+only consent to it to secure our happiness from the persecution of
+these virtuous men. Here is the contract," said she, drawing from her
+dress-pocket a paper, which she unfolded. "He promises to give me his
+name, and regard me as a stranger always, for the sum of four hundred
+thalers annually, with the promise of promotion to confidential
+servant when the noble crown prince shall ascend the throne. [Footnote:
+Historical.--See F. Forster, "Latest Prussian History," vol. 1., p. 74]
+Will you sign it?"
+
+"I will do any thing that will grant me your affection, in spite of my
+unhappy oath. Give me the paper. I will sign it. When is the wedding?"
+
+"The moment that you, my dear lord and master, have inscribed your
+name," said Wilhelmine, handing him the pen, and pointing to the paper.
+
+The prince wrote the desired signature, quickly throwing the pen across
+the room, shouting, "Long live Wilhelmine Rietz, who has rescued me from
+perjury and sin! Come to my arms, outstretched to press to my heart the
+most beautiful, most intelligent, and most diplomatic of women!"
+
+Two days later it was related in Berlin that Wilhelmine Enke had married
+the princely valet de chambre Rietz, the crown prince being present at
+the ceremony, which took place at a small village near Potsdam.
+
+Under the head of marriages, the Berlin newspapers announced "Wilhelmine
+Enke to Carl Rietz."
+
+"Ah, my Rosicrucians," cried Wilhelmine, laughingly, as she read this
+notice, a mischievous triumph sparkling in her eyes; "ah, my heroes in
+virtue, for once you are outwitted, and I am victorious! I would like
+to witness their surprise. How they will laugh and swear over it! The
+favorite of a prince married to a valet de chambre! Wait until the
+prince becomes a king, then Wilhelmine Rietz will develop into a
+beautiful butterfly, and the wife of the valet de chambre will become
+a countess--nay, a princess. The Great Kophta has promised it, and
+he shall keep his word. I wear his ring, which sparkles and glistens,
+although the jeweller declares the diamond has been exchanged for a
+false stone. No matter, if it only shines like the real one. Every thing
+earthly is deception, falsehood, and glitter. Every one is storming and
+pressing on in savage eagerness toward fortune, honor, and fame! I will
+have my part in it. The storm and pressure of the world rage in my own
+heart. The fire of ambition is lighted in my soul, and the insatiable
+thirst for fortune consumes me. Blaze and burn until the day that
+Frederick William ascends the throne; then the low-born daughter of
+the trumpeter will become the high-born countess. The false stone will
+change to the sparkling diamond and Cagliostro shall then serve me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII. REVENGE FULFILLED.
+
+
+Since the soiree at the house of the rich banker, Ebenstreit, an
+entire winter had passed in pleasures and fetes. The position of Baron
+Ebenstreit von Leuthen had been recognized in aristocratic society,
+thanks to his dinners, soirees, balls, fetes, and particularly to
+his lovely, spirited, and proud wife. Herr Ebenstreit von Leuthen had
+reached the acme of his ambition; his house was the resort of the most
+distinguished society; the extravagance and superb arrangements of
+his dinners and fetes were the theme of every tongue. This excessive
+admiration flattered the vain, ambitious parvenu extremely, and it was
+the happiest day of his life when Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of
+Frederick the Great, did him the unspeakable honor to dine with him.
+This gratifying day he owed to his wife, and, as he said, it ought to be
+kept as the greatest triumph of money over prejudice and etiquette--the
+day upon which a royal prince recognized the rich and newly-created
+noble as his equal. Ebenstreit's entrance into the highest circle of
+aristocracy was due to the management and tone of the world of his wife,
+who understood the elegancies of life, passing as an example and ideal
+of an elegant woman, of which her husband was very proud. He lauded his
+original and crafty idea of devoting his money to such a satisfactory
+purchase as a sensible and ladylike wife, although the union was not a
+happy one, and, in the proper acceptation of the word, no marriage at
+all.
+
+Whilst all were entertained at the fetes, and envied the splendor and
+wealth of Baron von Ebenstreit, there were many sinister remarks as to
+the possibility of sustaining this expenditure upon such a grand scale.
+It was whispered about that the banking-house, conducted under another
+name, had lost in extensive speculations, and that the baron lived upon
+his principal instead of his interest. The business community declared
+that the firm entered into the most daring and senseless undertakings,
+and that it must go to ruin. The old book-keeper, Splittgerber, who had
+for many years conducted the business, had been pensioned by the baron,
+and commenced for himself. His successor had once ventured to warn the
+nobleman, and represent to him the danger which threatened him, for
+which he was immediately dismissed, and the fact communicated to the
+entire house, at a special assemblage of the clerks for the purpose,
+with the warning of a like fate for every subordinate who should presume
+to criticise the acts of the principals, or proffer advice to them.
+Since this no one had ventured to repeat the offence, but every member
+of the house occupied himself in drawing a profit from the general and
+daily increasing confusion, and save something from the wreck which
+would inevitably ensue. The baron, with pretentious unconcern, dazzled
+by his unusual honors, permitted his business affairs to take their
+course with smiling unconcern, and when unsuccessful, to hide the
+mistakes of the banker under the pomp of the baron.
+
+Marie, indulging in the style of a great lady, appeared not to notice
+or trouble herself at all about these things. She entertained most
+luxuriantly, and spent enormous sums upon her toilet, changed the costly
+livery of her numerous retinue of servants every month, as well as the
+furniture of the drawing-rooms; and presented with generous liberality
+her superfluous ornaments, dresses, and furniture to her dear high-born
+friends, who greedily accepted them, and were overflowing in their
+tender protestations and gratitude, whilst they in secret revolted at
+the presumption of the arrogant woman, who permitted herself to send
+them her cast-off things.
+
+They rejoiced to receive them, however, and reappeared in her splendid
+drawing-rooms, enduring the pride and neglect of the baroness, and
+calling her their dear friend, whom they in secret envied and hated.
+
+Did Marie know this, or did she let herself be deceived by these
+friendly protestations? Occasionally, when her friends embraced and
+kissed her, a languid smile flitted over her haughty face; and once as
+she wandered through the suite of rooms, awaiting her guests, she caught
+the reflection of a beautiful woman in the costly Venetian mirrors,
+sparkling with diamonds and wearing a silver-embroidered dress with a
+train. She gazed at this woman with an expression of ineffable scorn,
+and whispered to her: "Suffer yet awhile, you shall soon be released.
+This miserable trash will disappear. Only be firm--I hear already the
+cracking of the house which will soon fall a wreck at your feet!"
+
+Others heard it also. As preparations were being made for a grand
+dinner, with which the Baron and Baroness von Ebenstreit would close the
+season, the former head bookkeeper of the baron appeared at the palace,
+demanding, with anxious mien, to see the principal.
+
+Just at the moment the baron and his wife were in the large
+reception-room, which the decorator was splendidly arranging, under the
+direction of the baroness, with flowers, festoons, columns, and statues.
+Ebenstreit was watching admiringly the tasteful and costly display
+as the footman announced the former book-keeper and present banker,
+Splittgerber.
+
+"He must come at another time," cried Ebenstreit, impatiently, "I am
+busy now; I--"
+
+"Excuse me, baron," replied an earnest, gentle voice behind him, "that
+I have followed the lackey and entered unbidden. I come on urgent
+business, and I must indeed speak with you instantly!"
+
+"Be brief then, at least," cried Ebenstreit, peevishly. "You see that my
+wife is here, and we are very busy arranging for a grand dinner to-day."
+
+Herr Splittgerber, instead of replying, cast a peculiarly sad, searching
+glance through the beautifully-adorned room, and at the two lackeys, who
+stood on each side of the wide folding-doors.
+
+"Permit that these servants withdraw, and order them to close the
+doors," said the book-keeper, almost commandingly. Ebenstreit, overruled
+by the solemn earnestness, obeyed against his will.
+
+"Would you like me to leave also, sir?" said Marie, with a calm, haughty
+manner. "You have only to ask it and the baron will, undoubtedly, accord
+your request."
+
+"On the contrary, I beg you to remain," quietly replied Splittgerber,
+"for what I have to say concerns you and your husband equally."
+
+"Now, then, I beg you to say it quickly," cried Ebenstreit, impatiently;
+"I repeat, that we are very busy with preparing for to-day's festival."
+
+"You will not give any fete to-day," said Splittgerber, solemnly.
+
+Ebenstreit, cringing and frightened, gazed at the old man who looked
+sadly at him.
+
+The baroness laughed aloud, sneeringly. "My dear sir, your tone and
+manner remind me of the wicked spirit at the horrible moment in the
+story when he comes to demand the bartered soul, and the enchanted
+castle falls a wreck!"
+
+"Your comparison is an apt one, baroness," sighed the old man.--"I came
+to you, baron, because I loved your father. I have served your house
+thirty years, and amassed the little I had to commence business with in
+your service. Moreover, when you so suddenly dismissed me, you not
+only gave me my salary as a pension, but you funded the annuity with
+a considerable sum, which makes me, through your house, independent in
+means."
+
+"You may thank my wife for that. She demanded, when I dismissed you,
+that I should compensate you with the liberality of a true nobleman."
+
+"Oh, would that you had not done it, baroness!" cried
+Splittgerber--"would that you had permitted the old faithful pioneer in
+the business to remain by your husband! He might have warded off this
+misfortune and saved you by his experience and advice."
+
+"For this very reason I demanded your removal. You permitted yourself to
+proffer advice which I felt did not become you," replied Marie, with a
+strange smile of triumph.
+
+"And, I repeat, would that you had not done it!" sighed the old man.
+"I came to warn you, to conjure you, to save yourselves--to flee while
+there is yet time."
+
+"Oh, mercy! what has happened?" cried Ebenstreit, terrified.
+
+"The banking-house of Ebenstreit, founded under the name of Ludwig,
+associated with Ehlert of Amsterdam, four months since, to buy and load
+ships for the Calcutta market. Herr Ebenstreit gathered together the
+last wrecks of his fortune remaining from his ruinous speculations, to
+win enormously in this investment. Besides, he indorsed the notes of the
+Amsterdam house for the sum of eighty thousand dollars, which has been
+drawn, so that their notes are protested there. Herr Ebenstreit will
+have to pay this sum!"
+
+"What else?" asked Ebenstreit, almost breathless.
+
+"The house of Ehlert, in Amsterdam, has failed; the principal has fled
+with the coffers; the notes for eighty thousand dollars were protested,
+and you, baron, must pay this sum to-day, or declare yourself a
+bankrupt, and go to prison for debt."
+
+Instantaneously a suppressed cry and a laugh were heard. Ebenstreit
+sank upon a seat, concealing his pallid face with his hands, while Marie
+stood at his side, her face beaming with joy.
+
+"I am lost, I do not possess the eighth part of that sum! I cannot pay
+it. I must submit, for there are no further means to prevent it."
+
+"No," replied Marie, with haughty tranquillity, "you have no further
+means to prevent it. The rich banker Ebenstreit will leave this house,
+no longer his own, to enter the debtor's prison poor as a beggar--nay,
+worse, a defrauder!"
+
+"Oh, how cruel you are!" groaned Ebenstreit.
+
+"Did you say, baroness, that this house is no longer his?" asked
+Splittgerber, alarmed.
+
+"No," she triumphantly cried. "It belongs to me, and all that is in
+it--the pictures, statues, silver, diamonds, and pearls. Oh, I am still
+a rich woman!"
+
+"And do you mean to retain this wealth if your husband becomes bankrupt?
+Do you not possess a common interest?" asked Splittgerber.
+
+"No, thank Heaven, the community of interest was given up a year since,"
+cried Ebenstreit, joyfully. "Baroness von Ebenstreit is the lawful
+possessor of this house and furniture. I was not so indiscreet as you
+supposed. I have at least secured this to my wife, and she will be a
+rich woman even if I fail, and will not let me starve. I shall divide
+about ten per cent with my creditors, but my wife will be rich enough
+for us both."
+
+"This gives me to understand that you intend to make a fraudulent
+bankruptcy. You have settled every thing upon your wife to save yourself
+from the unhappy consequences of your failure. You will still be a rich
+man if your wife should sell her house, works of art, diamonds, gold and
+silver service, and equipages."
+
+"Yes, indeed, a very rich man," said Marie. "In the last few weeks
+I have had my property estimated, and it would at least bring three
+hundred thousand dollars."
+
+"If the baron only possessed this, he could pay his creditors, and have
+a small amount over, sufficient to live upon economically and genteelly.
+But you would rather enjoy splendor, and are not particular about living
+honorably. You will undoubtedly sell your property, and go to Paris,
+to revel in luxury and pleasure, while your defrauded creditors may,
+through you come to poverty and want.--Baron, I now see that your wife
+did well to bring about my removal. I should have, above all things,
+given you the unwelcome advice to sustain your honor unblemished, and
+dispose of your costly surroundings for the benefit of your creditors,
+that when you die it may be with a clear conscience. You prefer a life
+of luxury and ease, rocking your conscience to sleep until God will
+rouse it to a fearful awaking. But do as you like. I came here to offer
+you assistance, thinking that you would dispose of this property, and
+after paying your creditors have sufficient to live upon. Then I could
+be permitted to prove my fidelity to you. I now see that I was a
+fool. Yet in parting I will still beg of you to avoid the unfavorable
+impression of this dinner. The bill of exchange will be presented at
+four o'clock, and the bearer will not be satisfied with the excuse of
+your non-payment on account of dinner-company. You will be obliged
+to settle at once or be arrested. I have learned this from your chief
+creditor, and I begged him to have forbearance for you. I shall now
+justify him in showing you none, as you do not deserve it!--Farewell!"
+
+The old book-keeper turned with a slight nod, and strode away through
+the drawing-room.
+
+"Have you nothing to say to him? Will you let him go thus?" asked Marie,
+impetuously.
+
+"Nothing at all. What should I say?" he replied, shrugging his
+shoulders.
+
+"Then I will speak with him." Marie called loudly after Splittgerber,
+saying, "I have a word to speak to you."
+
+The book-keeper remained standing near the door, and turning with
+downcast face, demanded of Marie what she wished.
+
+"I have something to tell you," she replied, with her usual tranquil,
+proud demeanor, approaching Splittgerber, who regarded her with severity
+and contempt, which she met with a gentle, friendly expression, a sweet
+smile hovering on her lips.
+
+Marie came close up to the old man, who awaited her with haughty
+defiance, and never advanced one step to meet her--a lady splendidly
+bedecked with diamonds and gold-embroidered satin. She whispered a few
+words in his ear. He started, and, astonished, looked into her face, as
+if questioning what he heard. She nodded, smiling, and bent again to say
+a few words.
+
+Suddenly Splittgerber seemed metamorphosed. His gloomy face brightened
+a little, and his insolent glance was changed to one of deep emotion,
+Bowing profoundly as he held the baroness's proffered hand to take
+leave, he pressed it most respectfully to his lips.
+
+"You will return in an hour?" Marie asked.
+
+"Yes; I shall seek the gentlemen, and bring them with me," he graciously
+replied.
+
+"Thanks; I will then await you."
+
+Splittgerber departed, and Marie returned to Ebenstreit who, amazed,
+muttered some unintelligible words, having listened to her mysterious
+conversation with the old book-keeper.
+
+"Now to you, sir!" said she, her whole tone and manner changing to harsh
+command; "the hour for settling our accounts has arrived--the hour that
+I have awaited, purchasing it by four years of torture, self-contempt,
+and despair. This comedy is at an end. I will buy of you my freedom. Do
+you hear me? I will cast off these galley-chains. I will be free!"
+
+"Oh, Marie!" he cried, retreating in terror, "with what fearful
+detestation you regard me!"
+
+"Do you wonder at it? Have I ever concealed this hate from you, or
+ever given you hope to believe that a reconciliation would be possible
+between us?"
+
+"No, truly you have not, but now you will forgive me, for you know how I
+love you, and have provided for your future. You will remain rich, and I
+shall be poor."
+
+Marie regarded him with unspeakable contempt. "You are more despicable
+than I thought you were. You do not deserve forbearance or pity, for you
+are a dishonorable bankrupt, who cares not how much others may suffer,
+provided his future is secured. I will not, however, suffer the name
+which I have borne against my will, to be defamed and become a mark for
+scorn. I will compel you to remain an honest man, and be just to
+your creditors. I propose to pay the bills of exchange, which will be
+presented to you to-day, provided you will consent to my conditions."
+
+"Oh, Marie, you are an angel!" he cried, rushing toward her and kneeling
+at her feet, "I will do all that you wish, and consent to every thing
+you propose."
+
+"Will you swear it?" she coldly replied.
+
+"I swear that I accept your conditions."
+
+"Bring the writing-materials from the window-niche, and seat yourself by
+this table."
+
+Ebenstreit brought them, and seated himself by the Florentine mosaic
+table, near which Marie was standing.
+
+She drew from her pocket a paper, which she unfolded and placed before
+him to sign. "Sign this with your full name, and add, 'With my own free
+will and consent,'" she commandingly ordered him.
+
+"But you will first make known to me the contents?"
+
+"You have sworn to sign it," she said, "and unless you accept my
+conditions, you are welcome to be incarcerated for life in the debtor's
+prison. You have only to choose. If you decide in the negative, I will
+exert myself that your creditors do not free you. I should trust in the
+justice of God having sent you there, and that man in miserable pity
+should not act against His will in freeing you. Now decide; will you
+sign the paper, or go to prison as a dishonorable bankrupt?"
+
+He hastily seized the pen and wrote his name, handing the paper to
+Marie, sighing.
+
+"You have forgotten to add the clause, 'With my own free will and
+consent,'" she replied, hastily glancing at it, letting the paper drop
+like a wilted leaf, and her eyes flashing with scorn.
+
+Ebenstreit saw it, and as he again handed her the paper, he exclaimed,
+"I read in your eyes the intense hate you bear me."
+
+"Yes," she replied, composedly, "not only hate, but scorn. Hush! no
+response. You knew it long before I was forced to stand at the altar
+with you. I warned you not to unite yourself to me, and you had the
+impious audacity to defy me with your riches. The seed of hate which you
+then sowed, you may to-day reap the fruits of. You shall recognize now
+that money is miserable trash, and that when deprived of it you will
+never win sympathy from your so-called friends, but they will turn from
+you with contempt, when you crave their pity or aid."
+
+"I think that you exaggerate, dearest," said Ebenstreit, fawningly. "You
+have many devoted friends among the ladies, and I can well say that I
+have found, among the distinguished gentlemen who visit our house, many
+noble, excellent ones who have met me with a warmth of friendship--"
+
+"Because they would borrow money of the rich man," interrupted Marie.
+
+"Of course my coffers have always been accessible to my dear friends,
+and I prized the honor of proving my friendship by my deeds."
+
+"You will realize to-day how they prove their gratitude to you for it.
+Go, receive the good friends whom you have invited. It is time that they
+were here, and I perceive the carriages are approaching."
+
+Marie motioned to the door, with a dictatorial wave of her hand, and
+Ebenstreit betook himself to the reception-room. Just as he crossed the
+threshold, the usher announced "Herr Gedicke! Ebenstreit greeted him
+hastily in passing, and the old man went on to meet the baroness, who
+was hastening toward him.
+
+"You have most graciously invited me to your house to-day, and you will
+excuse me that my earnest wish to see you has brought me earlier than
+any other guest."
+
+"I begged you to come a quarter of an hour sooner, for I would gladly
+speak with you alone a few moments."
+
+"I thought so, and hastened up here."
+
+"Did not my old Trude go to see you some days since?" asked Marie,
+timidly.
+
+"She did, and you can well understand that I was much affected and
+surprised at her visit. I thought that you had forgotten me, baroness,
+and that every souvenir of the past had fled from your memory. I now
+see that your noble, faithful heart can never forget, and therefore has
+never ceased to suffer, which I ought to regret, for your sake, but for
+my own it pleased me to receive your kind greeting."
+
+Marie pressed her hand to her eyes and sighed audibly. "Pray do not
+speak so gently to me--it enervates me, and I would force myself to
+endure to-day. Only tell me, did Trude communicate to you my wishes, and
+will it be possible for you to fulfil them?"
+
+"Your brave, good friend brought me a thousand dollars, praying me to
+convey this to Herr Moritz in order to defray the expenses of a journey
+to Italy."
+
+"Have you accomplished it, and in such a manner that he does not suspect
+the source from whence it came? He would not receive it if he had the
+least suspicion of it. I have seen him secretly several times as he
+passed to and fro from the Gymnasium, and he appeared to me to grow
+paler and more languid every day."
+
+"It is true that since you have come back he has changed. The old
+melancholy seems to have returned."
+
+"He needs distraction; he must go away and forget me. It has always been
+his earnest wish to travel in Italy. You must tell him that you have
+succeeded in getting the money for him."
+
+"I bethought myself of Moritz's publisher, represented to him how
+necessary it was for the health of Professor Moritz to travel, begged
+of him to order a work upon Italy, and particularly the works of art of
+Rome, and propose to Moritz the acceptance of the money for that object,
+as he was quite too proud to receive it as a present."
+
+"That was an excellent idea," cried Marie. "Has it been accomplished?"
+
+"Yes, as Herr Maurer made the proposal, and Moritz replied, sighing,
+that he had not the means for such a journey, the publisher immediately
+offered him half of the remuneration in advance; consequently he starts
+to-morrow for Italy, unknowing of the thousand dollars being your
+gift." [Footnote: This work, which was published after his return, still
+excites the highest interest, and is entitled "Travels of a German in
+Italy during 1786 and 1787.--Letters of Philip Carl Moritz," 8 vols.,
+Berlin, published by Frederick Maurer.]
+
+"How much I thank you!" she joyfully cried. "Moritz is saved; he
+will now recover, and forget all his grief in studying the objects of
+interest in the Eternal City."
+
+"Do you really believe that?" asked Herr Gedicke. "Were you not also in
+Italy?"
+
+"I was indeed there two years, but it was very different with me. It is
+difficult to forget you are a slave, when listening all the while to the
+clanking of your chains."
+
+"My poor child, I read with sorrow the history of the past years in
+your grief-stricken face. It is the first time we have met since your
+marriage."
+
+"See what these years have made of me!--a miserable wife, whom the world
+esteems, but who recoils from herself. My heart has changed to stone,
+and I feel metamorphosed. The sight of you recalls that fearful hour,
+melting my heart and causing the tears to flow. At that time you blessed
+me, my friend and father. Oh, grant me your blessing again in this hour
+of sorrow! I implore you for it, before an important decision! I long
+for the sympathy of a noble soul!"
+
+"I know not, my child, with what grief this hour may be laden for you;
+but I lay my hand again upon your head, imploring God in His divine
+mercy to sustain you!"
+
+"Countess von Moltke and Frau von Morien!" announced the usher. In
+brilliant toilets the ladies rustled in, hastening toward the baroness,
+who had now regained her wonted composure, and received them in her
+usual stately manner.
+
+"How perfectly charming you look to-night!" cried Countess Moltke. "To
+me you are ever the impersonation of the goddess of wealth and beauty
+strewing everywhere with lavish generosity your gifts, and turning every
+thing to gold with your touch."
+
+"But whose heart has remained tender and gentle," added Frau von
+Morien.--"You are indeed a goddess, always enhancing the pleasures of
+others. To-day I wear the beautiful bracelet which you sent me because I
+admired it."
+
+"And I, ma toute belle," cried the countess, "have adorned myself with
+this superb gold brocade which you so kindly had sent from Paris for
+me."
+
+"You have forgotten, countess, that you begged of me to give the order
+for you."
+
+"Ah, that is true! Then I am your debtor."
+
+"If you are not too proud to receive it as a present?"
+
+"Oh, most certainly not; on the contrary, I thank you, my dear.--Tell
+me, my dear Morien, is not this woman an angel?"
+
+At this instant the French ambassador, Marquis Treves, appeared among
+the numerous guests, whom the baroness stepped quickly forward to
+welcome, withdrawing with him into the window-niche.
+
+"Welcome, marquis," she said, quickly, in a low voice, "Have you brought
+me the promised papers?"
+
+Drawing a sealed packet from his coat-pocket, he handed it to the
+baroness with a low bow, saying: "I would draw your attention to the
+fact once more, dear madam, that I have abided by the price named by
+yourself, in making this sale, although I am still of the opinion that
+it is below its value."
+
+"The sum is sufficient for my wants, and I rated its value according as
+it is taxed."
+
+"There are a hundred thousand dollars in bills of exchange, payable at
+the French embassy at any moment," said the marquis.
+
+"I thank you, sir, for this proof of friendly attention; and as it
+may be the last time we meet, I would assure you that I shall always
+remember your many and thoughtful kindnesses."
+
+"You speak, baroness, as if you would forsake the circle of which you
+are the brightest ornament."
+
+"No, the friends will forsake me," she replied, with a peculiar smile.
+"Ere an hour shall pass not one of all these numerous guests will remain
+here.--Ah, there comes the decision! See there, marquis!"
+
+The usher announced "Banker Splittgerber." The old man entered followed
+by two men of not very presentable appearance, and whose toilet was
+but little in keeping with the brilliantly-decorated room and the
+aristocratic guests.
+
+Never heeding the sneers nor contemptuous smiles, the faithful
+book-keeper wound his way, through the crowd of elegantly dressed ladies
+and gentlemen, accompanied by the two men, up to Ebenstreit, who, with
+instinctive politeness, had placed himself near Marie.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Splittgerber, in a loud voice, "this is Baron
+Ebenstreit von Leuthen, principal of the banking-house Ludwig."
+
+The two gentlemen approached, one of them saying, "They sent us here
+from your office."
+
+"This is not the place for business," replied Ebenstreit. "Follow me!"
+
+"No, gentlemen, remain here," cried Marie. "Our guests present are such
+intimate, devoted friends that we have nothing to conceal from them;
+but on the contrary, I am convinced they will only be too happy of the
+occasion to prove their friendship, of which they have so often assured
+us.--These gentlemen demand the payment of a bill of exchange for eighty
+thousand dollars. Take my portfolio, Ebenstreit; there is a pencil in
+it. Go around and make a collection; undoubtedly the entire sum will be
+soon noted down."
+
+Ebenstreit approached the Baron von Frankenstein, saying: "Pardon me
+if I recall to your memory the sum of one thousand louis d'ors, due for
+four black horses three months since."
+
+"My dear sir," cried the baron, "this is a strange manner to collect
+one's debts. We were invited to a feast, and a pistol is pointed at us,
+demanding our debts to be cancelled!"
+
+"How strange! How ridiculous!" heard one here and there among the
+guests, as they, with one accord, pressed toward the door to make their
+exit, which they found fastened.
+
+"Remain," cried Marie, with stately dignity. "I wish you honored guests
+to be witness of this scene in the hour of justification, as you were
+also present at the one when one of the noblest and best of men cursed
+me.--Banker Splittgerber, take these bills of exchange for one hundred
+thousand dollars. Pay these gentlemen, and devote the remainder to the
+other debts as far as it will go."
+
+As the three men withdrew by a side-drier, Marie exclaimed: "I will now
+explain to you that Baron von Leuthen is ruined--poor as a beggar when
+he will not work."
+
+"Marie," cried Ebenstreit, terrified, rushing toward her, and seizing
+her by the arm. "Marie--"
+
+She threw off his hand from her in anger. "Do not touch me, sir, and do
+not presume either to address me with any endearments. You have yourself
+said that our marriage was not a veritable one, but was like the union
+of associates in business, and now I would inform you it is dissolved:
+the one is a bankrupt; the other a woman whom you cursed, and who
+reclaims of you four years of shame and degradation. You wonder at my
+speaking thus, but you do not know this man, my friends."
+
+As she spoke, a door opened at the farther end of the room, and Trude
+entered in her simple dress, followed by Philip Moritz. Unobserved
+the two glided behind the charming grotto which had been arranged with
+flowers and wreaths in one of the niches. Every eye was turned upon the
+pale, stately beauty, erect in the centre of the room.
+
+"Stay here, for no one can see us," whispered Trude. "I could not bear
+to have you leave Berlin without hearing the justification of my dear
+Marie, and may God pardon me for letting you come here unbeknown to her!
+Listen, and pray to Him to forgive you the great injustice that you have
+done her. Be quiet, that no one may see you, and Marie be angry with her
+old Trude."
+
+"Yes," continued Marie, with chilling contempt, "you should know this
+man before whom you have all bowed, pressed the hand, and called your
+friend, because he was rich, and, thanks to his wealth alone, became a
+titled man--a baron, buying the hand of a poor but noble maiden, whom he
+knew despised him, and passionately loved another, having sworn eternal
+constancy to him. I am that young girl. I begged, nay implored him,
+not to pursue me, but he was void of pity, mocked my tears, and said
+he could buy my love, and my heart would at last be touched by the
+influence of his wealth. I should have preferred to die, but Fate
+ordered that the one I loved, by my fault, should by imprisonment atone
+our brief dream of bliss. I could only save him by accepting this man;
+these were the conditions. I became his wife before the world, and took
+my oath in his presence to revenge myself, and after four years I
+shall accomplish it. I have spent his money, and of the rich man made a
+beggar. God be praised, I can now revenge myself in freeing myself!"
+
+"Free yourself? It is not true! You are my wife still," replied
+Ebenstreit, alarmed.
+
+A radiant smile flitted over Marie's face as she defied Ebenstreit
+with the law of the Great Frederick, who had decided that every unhappy
+couple without offspring could separate by their own free will and
+consent, having signed a paper to that effect.
+
+"Is that the paper which you have made me sign?" cried Ebenstreit,
+alarmed.
+
+"Yes, drawn up by my notary, and both of our names are signed to it."
+
+"It is a fraud!" cried Ebenstreit. "I will protest against it."
+
+"Do it, and you will find it a vain effort. I promised to pay your debt
+if you would put your name to the document then placed before you, which
+you did. Ask the Marquis Treves how I paid your debts: he will answer
+you that he has given me the money."
+
+"I had the honor to pay to the baroness one hundred thousand dollars, as
+she rightly informs you."
+
+"Yes," continued Marie, "the marquis is the present possessor of this
+house and all that it contains--furniture, statues, and pictures; also
+the equipages and silver. To my mother I sent my diamonds, costly laces,
+and dresses, to indemnify her for the annuity which Herr von Ebenstreit
+settled upon her as purchase-money which he cannot pay, now that he is
+ruined."
+
+"Marquis," cried Ebenstreit, pale with anger, "have you really bought
+this house and its contents?"
+
+"I have done so, and the one hundred thousand dollars the baroness has
+paid over to Herr Splittgerber."
+
+"Oh! I am ruined," groaned Ebenstreit--"I am lost!" and, covering his
+face with his hands, he rushed from the room.
+
+Marie gazed at him with a sad expression, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen,
+you now know to whom this house belongs. You can no longer say that I am
+the daughter whom the late General von Leuthen sold to a rich man. I am
+free!"
+
+At this moment a side-door opened, and Frau von Leuthen was heard saying
+to old Trude: "Let me in! it is in vain to hold me back. I will have
+an explanation from my daughter, and learn what all this means." As
+she pushed herself into the room, she exclaimed: "Ah, it is a fete day!
+There is the baroness in all her glory and splendor. She is not crazed,
+as I feared this morning, when she sent me all her ornaments and fine
+dresses and laces, with a note, sealed with black, inscribed upon it,
+'Will Of the Baroness Ebenstreit von Leuthen.' I opened it, and read: 'I
+give to my mother my precious ornaments, laces, and dresses, to secure
+to her the pension which she has lost.--Marie. 'I came here to learn if
+my daughter were dead, and what the conclusion of this lost pension may
+be, and I find--"
+
+"You find the confirmation of all that I wrote to you," replied Marie,
+coldly. "Baron Ebenstreit von Leuthen is ruined. I have secured to you,
+in the sum which my jewels and laces will bring you, the annuity, so
+that you have not lost the money promised you for your daughter, and the
+marriage you have arranged has at least borne good fruit to you."
+
+"You are a cruel, ungrateful child," cried the mother. "I have long
+known it, and rejected you from my heart, and from all shame I will
+yet protect the name you bear. I have just seen a sign in the
+Friedrich-strasse, 'Flower manufactory of Marie von Leuthen.' What does
+this mean? Terrified, I stared speechless at these fearful words, and at
+the busy workmen preparing the house."
+
+"I will explain it to you," cried Marie, with radiant mien. "I have
+again become the flower-maker, and beg your favor, Countess von Moltke,
+Frau von Morien, and all the other ladies. I am free, and no longer the
+wife of a hated husband--no longer the distinguished and wealthy woman.
+All delusion and mockery have vanished. The costly dress and jewels that
+I now wear I will cast of from me as the last souvenir of the past."
+
+Unclasping the diamond necklace and bracelets, she handed them to her
+mother, saying: "Take them, and also this dress, the last finery I
+possess." She unloosed the band, and the long white satin train fell
+at her feet. Emerging from it as from a silvery cloud, she stood before
+them in a simple white dress, as she was clothed in her girlhood. "Take
+them all," she joyfully cried. "Take them, mother, it is all past. I
+am now myself again. Farewell, witnesses of this scene! I now quit your
+circle; and you, my mother, I forgive you; may the thoughts of your
+unhappy child never trouble you, waking or sleeping; may you forget that
+your daughter lives, and is wretched. Revenge has not softened my grief,
+or removed your curse from my head!"
+
+"I will lift it off your brow, Marie!" cried Moritz, suddenly appearing
+from the window-niche, with beaming face and outstretched arms,
+approaching Marie, whom surprised and alarmed, retreated. "Oh, noble,
+courageous woman, forgive me that I have been an unbidden witness to
+this scene, though by this means I now clearly recognize your strength
+of mind, and elevation of soul, and the wrong that I have committed in
+doubting and cursing you during these four years of gloom and despair. I
+bow before you, Marie, and implore you, upon my knees, to forgive me
+all the cruel, harsh words that I have uttered--that I have dared as
+a wretched fool to doubt you in this long night of despair. The day is
+dawning again upon us; a new sun will yet cheer us with its rays. Do not
+turn from me, but look at me, and grant me forgiveness.--My dear friend
+and father, speak for me, for you know what I have suffered. Beg of her
+to forgive me."
+
+"Marie," said the venerable old man, approaching her, gently putting
+his arm around her, "God has willed that you, my poor, long-tried child,
+should pass through a season of extreme sorrow. You are now released,
+and all that belonged to you has vanished!"
+
+As he spoke, he signed to the guests to withdraw. Many had already
+escaped the painful scene by the side-door. Marie was now alone in the
+magnificent apartment, with Herr Gedicke and Moritz. She still stood,
+with concealed face, in the centre of the room.
+
+"Oh, Marie," implored Moritz, "hide not your dear face from me! Read in
+mine the deep grief of the past and the bliss of the future. I thank
+God that this unnatural union is severed, and that you are free. Be
+courageous to the end!" Moritz impetuously drew her hand away, revealing
+her tearful countenance, as her head sank upon his shoulder. "Can
+you not forgive me, Marie?" he cried, with deep emotion. "We have both
+wandered through a waste of grief, and now approach life radiant with
+happiness. Oh, speak to me, Marie; can you not love me and forgive me?"
+
+She gazed into his eyes, and in their depths read that which gradually
+softened her hardened features, and caused a smile to play upon her lip.
+"I love you dearly, devotedly; let this be our parting word. Go forth
+into the world, Moritz; my affection will follow you whithersoever you
+wander, and my soul will be true to you through all eternity, though we
+are forever separated. The poor wife, with her dismal retrospections,
+must not cast a shadow upon your future. Go, my beloved--Italy awaits
+you, and art will console you!"
+
+"Follow me, dear Marie; only by your side am I happy. You are free and
+independent," cried Moritz.
+
+"Oh, father," cried Marie, leaning upon the venerable old man, "explain
+to him that I am still the wife of that hated man!"
+
+"She is right, Philip; do not urge her further. She must first be
+legally separated, and this weary heart must have time to recover its
+wonted calm. Go to Italy, and confide your future and happiness to my
+care. Marie has lost a mother, but she shall find a father in me. I will
+watch over her until your return."
+
+Just then the door opened, and Trude entered. "Every thing is ready; all
+the things which used to stand in the little garret-room are packed and
+sent to the manufactory. Shall we go, too, dear child?"
+
+"Yes," she cried, embracing the faithful old woman. "Farewell,
+Philip--Italy calls you!"
+
+"I will go, but when I return will you not be my wife?"
+
+Marie gazed at Moritz, radiant with happiness, saying: "The answer is
+engraven upon my heart. Return, and then I will joyfully respond to your
+love before God and man!"
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Old Fritz and the New Era, by Louise Muhlbach
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA ***
+
+***** This file should be named 3460.txt or 3460.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/6/3460/
+
+Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.