diff options
| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:23:01 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:23:01 -0700 |
| commit | ded1ec801ec873fecee47aac93751b17dbb6c2f0 (patch) | |
| tree | 4d8acc3fb11d654fcf1ccbc4c554291f7afabd07 | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 4205.txt | 20992 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 4205.zip | bin | 0 -> 392771 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
5 files changed, 21008 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/4205.txt b/4205.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..865b4a6 --- /dev/null +++ b/4205.txt @@ -0,0 +1,20992 @@ +The Project Gutenberg Etext of Berlin and Sans-Souci, by L. Muhlbach +#12 in our series by L. Muhlbach + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before distributing this or any other +Project Gutenberg file. + +We encourage you to keep this file, exactly as it is, on your +own disk, thereby keeping an electronic path open for future +readers. Please do not remove this. + +This header should be the first thing seen when anyone starts to +view the etext. Do not change or edit it without written permission. +The words are carefully chosen to provide users with the +information they need to understand what they may and may not +do with the etext. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These Etexts Are Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + +Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get etexts, and +further information, is included below. We need your donations. + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) +organization with EIN [Employee Identification Number] 64-6221541 + + + +Title: Berlin and Sans-Souci + +Author: Louise Muhlbach + +Release Date: July, 2003 [Etext #4205] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on December 01, 2001] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +The Project Gutenberg Etext of Berlin and Sans-Souci, by L. Muhlbach +********This file should be named 4205.txt or 4205.zip******** + +This etext was produced by Charles Franks + and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + +Project Gutenberg Etexts are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep etexts in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +We are now trying to release all our etexts one year in advance +of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. +Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, +even years after the official publication date. + +Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til +midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. +The official release date of all Project Gutenberg Etexts is at +Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A +preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment +and editing by those who wish to do so. + +Most people start at our sites at: +https://gutenberg.org or +http://promo.net/pg + +These Web sites include award-winning information about Project +Gutenberg, including how to donate, how to help produce our new +etexts, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!). + + +Those of you who want to download any Etext before announcement +can get to them as follows, and just download by date. This is +also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the +indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an +announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter. + +http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or +ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03 + +Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90 + +Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, +as it appears in our Newsletters. + + +Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) + +We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The +time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours +to get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright +searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. Our +projected audience is one hundred million readers. If the value +per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 +million dollars per hour in 2001 as we release over 50 new Etext +files per month, or 500 more Etexts in 2000 for a total of 4000+ +If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total +should reach over 300 billion Etexts given away by year's end. + +The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext +Files by December 31, 2001. [10,000 x 100,000,000 = 1 Trillion] +This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, +which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users. + +At our revised rates of production, we will reach only one-third +of that goal by the end of 2001, or about 4,000 Etexts. We need +funding, as well as continued efforts by volunteers, to maintain +or increase our production and reach our goals. + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created +to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +As of November, 2001, contributions are being solicited from people +and organizations in: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, +Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, +Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New +Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, +Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, +Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, +and Wyoming. + +*In Progress + +We have filed in about 45 states now, but these are the only ones +that have responded. + +As the requirements for other states are met, additions to this list +will be made and fund raising will begin in the additional states. +Please feel free to ask to check the status of your state. + +In answer to various questions we have received on this: + +We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork to legally +request donations in all 50 states. If your state is not listed and +you would like to know if we have added it since the list you have, +just ask. + +While we cannot solicit donations from people in states where we are +not yet registered, we know of no prohibition against accepting +donations from donors in these states who approach us with an offer to +donate. + +International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about +how to make them tax-deductible, or even if they CAN be made +deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are +ways. + +All donations should be made to: + +Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +PMB 113 +1739 University Ave. +Oxford, MS 38655-4109 + +Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment +method other than by check or money order. + + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by +the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN +[Employee Identification Number] 64-622154. Donations are +tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fundraising +requirements for other states are met, additions to this list will be +made and fundraising will begin in the additional states. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +You can get up to date donation information at: + +https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html + + +*** + +If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, +you can always email directly to: + +Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com> + +Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message. + +We would prefer to send you information by email. + + +**The Legal Small Print** + + +(Three Pages) + +***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS**START*** +Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers. +They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with +your copy of this etext, even if you got it for free from +someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our +fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement +disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how +you may distribute copies of this etext if you want to. + +*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS ETEXT +By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm +etext, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept +this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive +a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this etext by +sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person +you got it from. If you received this etext on a physical +medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request. + +ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM ETEXTS +This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etexts, +is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart +through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). +Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright +on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and +distribute it in the United States without permission and +without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth +below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this etext +under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark. + +Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market +any commercial products without permission. + +To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable +efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain +works. Despite these efforts, the Project's etexts and any +medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other +things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other +intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged +disk or other etext medium, a computer virus, or computer +codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. + +LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES +But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, +[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may +receive this etext from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext) disclaims +all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including +legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR +UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, +INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE +OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE +POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. + +If you discover a Defect in this etext within 90 days of +receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) +you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that +time to the person you received it from. If you received it +on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and +such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement +copy. If you received it electronically, such person may +choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to +receive it electronically. + +THIS ETEXT IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS +TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT +LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A +PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or +the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the +above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you +may have other legal rights. + +INDEMNITY +You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, +and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated +with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm +texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including +legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the +following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this etext, +[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the etext, +or [3] any Defect. + +DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm" +You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by +disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this +"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, +or: + +[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this + requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the + etext or this "small print!" statement. You may however, + if you wish, distribute this etext in machine readable + binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, + including any form resulting from conversion by word + processing or hypertext software, but only so long as + *EITHER*: + + [*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and + does *not* contain characters other than those + intended by the author of the work, although tilde + (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may + be used to convey punctuation intended by the + author, and additional characters may be used to + indicate hypertext links; OR + + [*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at + no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent + form by the program that displays the etext (as is + the case, for instance, with most word processors); + OR + + [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at + no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the + etext in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC + or other equivalent proprietary form). + +[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this + "Small Print!" statement. + +[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the + gross profits you derive calculated using the method you + already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" + the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were + legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent + periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to + let us know your plans and to work out the details. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of +public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed +in machine readable form. + +The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, +public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses. +Money should be paid to the: +"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or +software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at: +hart@pobox.com + +[Portions of this header are copyright (C) 2001 by Michael S. Hart +and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.] +[Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales +of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or +software or any other related product without express permission.] + +*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.10/04/01*END* + + + + + + +This etext was produced by Charles Franks + and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + +BERLIN AND SANS-SOUCI + +OR, + +FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS FRIENDS + + +An Historical Romance + + +BY + +L. MUHLBACH + +AUTHOR OF JOSEPH II. AND HIS COURT, FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS +COURT, MERCHANT OF BERLIN, ETC. + + +TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY MRS. CHAPMAN COLEMAN AND HER DAUGHTERS + + + + + +CONTENTS. + + +BOOK I. + +CHAPTER + I. The Alchemist's Incantation + II. The Old Courtier + III. The Morning Hours of a King + IV. The Pardoned Courtier + V. How the Princess Ulrica became Queen of Sweden + VI. The Tempter + VII. The First Interview + VIII. Signora Barbarina + IX. The King and Barbarina + X. Eckhof + XI. A Life Question + XII. Superstition and Piety + + + BOOK II. + + I. The Two Sisters + II. The Tempter + III. The Wedding-Festival of the Princess Ulrica + IV. Behind the Curtain + V. A Shame-faced King + VI. The First Rendezvous + VII. On The Balcony + VIII. The First Cloud + IX. The Council of War + X. The Cloister of Camens + XI. The King and the Abbot + XII. The Unknown Abbot + XIII. The Levee of a Dancer + XIV. The Studio + XV. The Confession + XVI. The Traitor + XVII. The Silver-Ware + XVIII. The First Flash of Lightning + + + BOOK III. + + I. The Actors in Halle + II. The Student Lupinus + III. The Disturbance in the Theatre + IV. The Friends + V. The Order of the King + VI. The Battle of Sohr + VII. After the Battle + VIII. A Letter Pregnant with Fate + IX. The Return to Berlin + X. Job's Post + XI. The Undeceived + XII. Trenck's First Flight + XIII. The Flight + XIV. "I will" + XV. The Last Struggle for Power + XVI. The Disturbance in the Theatre + XVII. Sans-Souci + + BOOK IV. + + I. The Promise + II. Voltaire and his Royal Friend + III. The Confidence-Table + IV. The Confidential Dinner + V. Rome Sauvee + VI. A Woman's Heart + VII. Madame von Cocceji + VIII. Voltaire + IX. A Day in the Life of Voltaire + X. The Lovers + XI. Barbarina + XII. Intrigues + XIII. The Last Struggle + + + + + +BERLIN AND SANS-SOUCI + +OR, + +FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS FRIENDS. + + + + + +BOOK I. + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE ALCHEMIST'S INCANTATION. + + +It was a lovely May morning! The early rays of the sun had not +withered the blossoms, or paled the fresh green of the garden of +Charlottenburg, but quickened them into new life and beauty. The +birds sang merrily in the groves. The wind, with light whispers, +swept through the long avenues of laurel and orange trees, which +surrounded the superb greenhouses and conservatories, and scattered +far and wide throughout the garden clouds of intoxicating perfume. + +The garden was quiet and solitary, and the closed shutters of the +castle proved that not only the king, but the entire household, from +the dignified and important chamberlain to the frisky garden-boy, +still slept. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of hasty +steps. A young man, in simple citizen costume, ran up the great +avenue which led from the garden gate to the conservatory; then +cautiously looking about him, he drew near to a window of the lower +story in a wing of the castle. The window was closed and secured +with inside shutters; a small piece of white paper was seen between +the glass and the shutter. A passer-by might have supposed this was +accidental, but the young burgher knew that this little piece of +paper was a signal. His light stroke upon the window disturbed for a +moment the deathlike silence around, but produced no other effect; +he struck again, more loudly, and listened breathlessly. The +shutters were slowly and cautiously opened from within, and behind +the glass was seen the wan, sick face of Fredersdorf, the private +secretary and favorite of the king. When he saw the young man, his +features assumed a more animated expression, and a hopeful smile +played upon his lip; hastily opening the window, he gave the youth +his hand. "Good-morning, Joseph," said he; "I have not slept during +the whole night, I was so impatient to receive news from you. Has he +shown himself?" + +Joseph bowed his head sadly. "He has not yet shown himself," he +replied in a hollow voice; "all our efforts have been in vain; we +have again sacrificed time, money, and strength. He has not yet +appeared." + +"Alas!" cried Fredersdorf, "who could believe it so difficult to +move the devil to appear in person, when he makes his presence known +daily and hourly through the deeds of men? I must and will see him! +He MUST and SHALL make known this mystery. He shall teach me HOW and +of WHAT to make gold." + +"He will yield at last!" cried Joseph, solemnly. + +"What do you say? Will we succeed? Is not all hope lost?" + +"All is not lost: the astrologer heard this night, during his +incantations, the voice of the devil, and saw for one moment the +glare of his eye, though he could not see his person." + +"He saw the glare of his eye!" repeated Fredersdorf joyfully. "Oh, +we will yet compel him to show himself wholly. He must teach us to +make gold. And what said the voice of the devil to our astrologer?" + +"He said these words: 'Would you see my face and hear words of +golden wisdom from my lips? so offer me, when next the moon is full +and shimmers like liquid gold in the heavens, a black ram; and if +you shed his blood for me, and if not one white hair can be +discovered upon him, I will appear and be subject to you.'" + +"Another month of waiting, of patience, and of torture," murmured +Fredersdorf. "Four weeks to search for this black ram without a +single white hair; it will be difficult to find!" + +"Oh, the world is large; we will send our messengers in every +quarter; we will find it. Those who truly seek, find at last what +they covet. But we will require much gold, and we are suffering now, +unhappily, for the want of it." + +"We? whom do you mean by we?" asked Fredersdorf, with a contemptuous +shrug of the shoulders. + +"I, in my own person, above all others, need gold. You can well +understand, my brother, that a student as I am has no superfluous +gold, even to pay his tailor's bills, much less to buy black rams. +Captain Kleist, in whose house the assembly meets to-night, has +already offered up far more valuable things than a score of black +rams; he has sacrificed his health, his rest, and his domestic +peace. His beautiful wife finds it strange, indeed, that he should +seek the devil every night everywhere else than in her lovely +presence." + +"Yes, I understand that! The bewitching Madame Kleist must ever +remain the vain-glorious and coquettish Louise von Schwerin; +marriage has infused no water in her veins." + +"No! but it has poured a river of wine in the blood of her husband, +and in this turbid stream their love and happiness is drowned. +Kleist is but a corpse, whom we must soon bury from our sight. The +king has made separation and divorce easy; yes, easier than +marriage. Is it not so, my brother? Ah, you blush; you find that +your light-hearted brother has more observant eyes than you thought, +and sees that which you intended to conceal. Yes, yes! I have indeed +seen that you have been wounded by Cupid's arrow, and that your +heart bleeds while our noble king refuses his consent to your +marriage." + +"Ah, let me once discover this holy mystery--once learn how to make +gold, and I will have no favor to ask of any earthly monarch; I +shall acknowledge no other sovereign than my own will." + +"And to become the possessor of this secret, and your own master, +you require nothing but a black ram. Create for us, then, my +powerful and wealthy brother, a black ram, and the work is done!" + +"Alas! to think," cried Fredersdorf, "that I cannot absent myself; +that I must fold my hands and wait silently and quietly! What +slavery is this! but you, you are not in bondage as I am. The whole +world is before you; you can seek throughout the universe for this +blood-offering demanded by the devil." + +"Give us gold, brother, and we will seek; without gold, no black +ram; without the black ram, no devil!" + +Fredersdorf disappeared a moment and returned with a well-filled +purse, which he handed to his brother. "There, take the gold; send +your messengers in every quarter; go yourself and search. You must +either find or create him. I swear to you, if you do not succeed, I +will withdraw my protection from you; you will be only a poor +student, and must maintain yourself by your studies." + +"That would be a sad support, indeed," said the young man, smiling. +"I am more than willing to choose another path in life. I would, +indeed, prefer being an artist to being a philosopher." + +"An artist!" cried Fredersdorf, contemptuously; "have you discovered +in yourself an artist's vein?" + +"Yes; or rather, Eckhof has awakened my sleeping talent." + +"Eckhof--who is Eckhof?" + +"How? you ask who is Eckhof? You know not, then, this great, this +exalted artist, who arrived here some weeks since, and has entranced +every one who has a German heart in his bosom, by his glorious +acting? I saw him a few days since in Golsched's Cato. Ah! my +brother, on that evening it was clear to me that I also was born for +something greater than to sit in a lonely study, and seek in musty +books for useless scraps of knowledge. No! I will not make the world +still darker and mistier for myself with the dust of ancient books; +I will illuminate my world by the noblest of all arts--I will become +an actor!" + +"Fantastic fool!" said his brother. "A GERMAN ACTOR! that is to say, +a beggar and a vagabond! who wanders from city to city, and from +village to village, with his stage finery, who is laughed at +everywhere, even as the monkeys are laughed at when they make their +somersets over the camels' backs; it might answer to be a dancer, +or, at least, a French actor." + +"It is true that the German stage is a castaway--a Cinderella-- +thrust aside, and clothed with sackcloth and ashes, while the +spoiled and petted step-child is clothed in gold-embroidered robes. +Alas! alas! it is a bitter thing that the French actors are summoned +by the king to perform in the royal castle, while Schonemein, the +director of the German theatre, must rent the Council-house for a +large sum of money, and must pay a heavy tax for the permission to +give to the German public a German stage. Wait patiently, brother, +all this shall be changed, when the mystery of mysteries is +discovered, when we have found the black ram! I bless the accident +which gave me a knowledge of your secret, which forced you to +receive me as a member in order to secure my silence. I shall be +rich, powerful, and influential; I will build a superb theatre, and +fill the German heart with wonder and rapture." + +"Well, well, let us first understand the art of making gold, and we +will make the whole world our theatre, and all mankind shall play +before us! Hasten, therefore, brother, hasten! By the next full moon +we will be the almighty rulers of the earth and all that is +therein!" + +"Always provided that we have found the black ram." + +"We will find him! If necessary, we will give his weight in gold, +and gold can do all things. Honor, love, power, position, and fame, +can all be bought with gold! Let us, then, make haste to be rich. To +be rich is to be independent, free, and gloriously happy. Go, my +brother, go! and may you soon return crowned with success." + +"I have still a few weighty questions to ask. In the first place, +where shall I go?" + +"To seek the black ram--it makes no difference where." + +"Ah! it makes no difference! You do not seem to remember that the +vacation is over, that the professors of the University of Halle +have threatened to dismiss me if my attendance is so irregular. I +must, therefore, return to Halle to-day, or--" + +"Return to Halle to-day!" cried Fredersdorf, with horror. "That is +impossible! You cannot return to Halle, unless you have already +found what we need." + +"And that not being the case, I shall not return to Halle; I shall +be dismissed, and will cease to be a student. Do you consent, then, +that I shall become an actor, and take the great Eckhof for my only +professor?" + +"Yes, I consent, provided the command of the alchemist is complied +with." + +"And how if the alchemist, notwithstanding the blood of the black +ram, is unhappily not able to bring up the devil?" + +At this question, a feverish crimson spot took possession of the wan +cheek of Fredersdorf, which was instantly chased away by a more +intense pallor. "If that is the result, I will either go mad or +die," he murmured. + +"And then will you see the devil face to face!" cried his brother, +with a gay laugh. "But perhaps you might find a Eurydice to unlock +the under world for you. Well, we shall see. Till then, farewell, +brother, farewell." Nodding merrily to Fredersdorf, Joseph hurried +away. + +Fredersdorf watched his tall and graceful figure as it disappeared +among the trees with a sad smile. + +"He possesses something which is worth more than power or gold; he +is young, healthy, full of hope and confidence. The world belongs to +him, while I--" + +The sound of footsteps called his attention again to the allee. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE OLD COURTIER. + + +The figure of a man was seen approaching, but with steps less light +and active than young Joseph's. As the stranger drew nearer, +Fredersdorf's features expressed great surprise. When at last he +drew up at the window, the secretary burst into a hearty laugh. + +"Von Pollnitz! really and truly I do not deceive myself," cried +Fredersdorf, clapping his hands together, and again and again +uttering peals of laughter, in which Pollnitz heartily joined. + +Then suddenly assuming a grave and dignified manner, Fredersdorf +bowed lowly and reverentially. "Pardon, Baron Pollnitz, pardon," +said he in a tone of mock humility, "that I have dared to welcome +you in such an unseemly manner. I was indeed amazed to see you +again; you had taken an eternal leave of the court, we had shed +rivers of tears over your irreparable loss, and your unexpected +presence completely overpowered me." + +"Mock and jeer at me to your heart's content, dear Fredersdorf; I +will joyfully and lustily unite in your laughter and your sport, as +soon as I have recovered from the fearful jolting of the carriage +which brought me here. Be pleased to open the window a little more, +and place a chair on the outside, that I may climb in, like an +ardent, eager lover. I have not patience to go round to the castle +door." + +Fredersdorf silently obeyed orders, and in a few moments Von +Pollnitz was lying comfortably stretched out on a silk divan, in the +secretary's room. + +"Ask me no questions, Fredersdorf," said he, breathing loudly; +"leave me awhile to enjoy undisturbed the comfort of your sofa, and +do me the favor first to answer me a few questions, before I reply +to yours." + +"Demand, baron, and I will answer," said Fredersdorf, seating +himself on a chair near the sofa. + +"First of all, who is King of Prussia? You, or Jordan,--or General +Kothenberg,--or Chazot,--or--speak, man, who is King of Prussia?" + +"Frederick the Second, and he alone; and he so entirely, that even +his ministers are nothing more than his secretaries, to write at his +dictation; and his generals are only subordinate engineers to draw +the plans of battle which he has already fully determined upon; his +composers are only the copyists of his melodies and his musical +conceptions; the architects are carpenters to build according to the +plan which he has either drawn or chosen from amongst old Grecian +models: in short, all who serve him are literally servants in this +great state machine; they understand his will and obey it, nothing +more." + +"Hum! that is bad, very bad," said Pollnitz. "I have found, however, +that there are two sorts of men, and you have mentioned in your +catalogue but one species, who have fallen so completely under the +hand of Frederick. You have said nothing of his cook, of his valet- +de-chambre, and yet these are most important persons. You must know +that in the presence of these powers, a king ceases to be a king, +and indeed becomes an entirely commonplace mortal, who eats and +drinks and clothes himself, and who must either conceal or adorn his +bodily necessities and weaknesses like any other man." + +Fredersdorf shook his head sadly. "It seems to me that Frederick the +Second is beyond the pale of temptation; for even with his cook and +his valet he is still a king; his cook may prepare him the most +costly and luxurious viands, but unhappily they do not lead him into +temptation; a bad dish makes him angry, but the richest and choicest +food has no effect upon his humor; he is exactly the same before +dinner as after, fasting or feasting, and the favor he refuses +before the champagne, he never grants afterward." + +"The devil! that is worse still," murmured Pollnitz. "And the valet- +-with him also does the king remain king?" + +"Yes, so entirely, that he scarcely allows his valet to touch him. +He shaves, coifs, and dresses himself." + +"My God! who, then, has any influence over him? To whom can I turn +to obtain a favor for me?" + +"To his dogs, dear baron; they are now the only influential +dependants!" + +"Do you mean truly the four-footed dogs?--or--" + +"The four-footed, dearest baron! Frederick has more confidence in +them than in any two-legged animal. You know the king always trusted +much to the instincts of his dogs; he has now gone so far in this +confidence, as to believe that the hounds have an instinctive +aversion to all false, wicked, and evil-minded men. It is therefore +very important to every new-comer to be well received by the hounds, +as the king's reception is somewhat dependent upon theirs." + +"Is Biche yet with the king?" + +"Yes, still his greatest favorite." + +"I am rejoiced to hear that! I was always in favor with the Signora +Biche; it was her custom to smell my pocket, hoping to find +chocolate. I beseech you, therefore, dearest friend, to give me some +chocolate, with which I may touch and soften the heart of the noble +signora, and thus induce the king to look upon me favorably. + +"I will stick a half pound in each of your pockets, and if Biche +still growls at you, it will be a proof that she is far more noble +than men; in short, that she cannot be bribed. Have you finished +with your questions? I think it is now my time to begin." + +"Not so, my friend. My head is still entirely filled with questions, +and they are twining and twisting about like the fishing-worms in a +bag, by the help of which men hope to secure fish. Be pitiful and +allow me to fasten a few more of these questions to my fishing-rod, +and thus try to secure my future." + +"Well, then, go on--ask further!" + +"Does Frederick show no special interest in any prima donna of the +opera, the ballet, or the theatre?" + +"No, he cares for none of these things." + +"Is his heart, then, entirely turned to stone?" + +"Wholly and entirely." + +"And the queen-mother, has she no influence?" + +"My God! Baron Pollnitz, how long have you been away? You ask me as +many questions as if you had fallen directly from the moon, and knew +not even the outward appearance of the court." + +"Dear friend, I have been a whole year away, that is to say, an +eternity. The court is a very slippery place; and if a man does not +accustom himself hourly to walk over this glassy parquet, he will +surely fall. + +"Also there is nothing so uncertain as a court life; that which is +true to-day, is to-morrow considered incredible; that which was +beautiful yesterday is thrust aside to-day, as hateful to look upon: +that which we despise to-day is to-morrow sought after as a rare and +precious gem. + +"Oh, I have had my experiences. I remember, that while I was +residing at the court of Saxony, I composed a poem in honor of the +Countess Aurora of Konigsmark. This was by special command of the +king; the poem was to be set to music by Hasse, and sung by the +Italian singers on the birthday of Aurora. Well, the Countess Aurora +was cast aside before my poem was finished, and the Countess Kozel +had taken her place. I finished my poem, but Amelia, and not Aurora, +was my heroine. Hasse composed the music, and no one who attended +the concert, given in honor of the birthday of the Countess Kozel, +had an idea that this festal cantata had been originally ordered for +Aurora of Konigsmark! + +"Once, while I was in Russia, I had an audience from the Empress +Elizabeth. As I approached the castle, leaning on the arm of the +Captain Ischerbatow, I observed the guard, who stood before the +door, and presented arms. Well, eight weeks later, this common guard +was a general and a prince, and Isoherbatow was compelled to bow +before him! + +"I saw in Venice a picture of the day of judgment by Tintoretto. In +this picture both Paradise and Hell were portrayed. I saw in +Paradise a lovely woman glowing with youth, beauty, and grace. She +was reclining in a most enchanting attitude, upon a bed of roses, +and surrounded by angels. Below, on the other half of the picture-- +that is to say, in Hell--I saw the same woman; she had no couch of +roses, but was stretched upon a glowing gridiron; no smiling angels +surrounded her, but a hideous, grinning devil tore her flesh with +red-hot pincers. + +"Pope Adrian had commanded Tintoretto to paint this picture, to make +it a monument in honor of the lovely Cinnia, and to glorify her by +all the power of art. Cinnia was a very dear friend of Adrian. He +was not only a pope, but a man, and a man who took pleasure in all +beautiful things. Cinnia was enchanting, and it was Tintoretto's +first duty to paint her picture, and make her the principal object +in Paradise. But look you! the Last Judgment by Tintoretto was a +large painting, so large that to count even the heads upon it is +laborious. The heads in each corner are counted separately, and then +added together, It required some years, of course, to paint such a +picture; and by the time Tintoretto had completed Paradise and +commenced the lower regions, many sad changes had occurred. The fond +heart of the seducing Cinnia had withdrawn itself from the pope and +clung tenaciously to Prince Colonna. The Holy Father, as we have +said before, notwithstanding he was pope, had some human weaknesses; +he naturally hated the fair inconstant, and sought revenge. He +recommended Tintoretto to bring the erring one once more before the +public--this time, however, as a guilty and condemned shiner in +hell. + +"Dear Fredersdorf, I think always of this picture when I look at the +favorites of princes and kings, and I amuse myself with their pride +and arrogance. When I see them in their sunny paradise of power and +influence, I say to myself, 'All's well for the fleeting present, +I'll wait patiently; soon I shall see you roasting on the glowing +gridiron of royal displeasure, and the envious devils of this world +filled with rapture at your downfall, will tear your flesh to +pieces.' Friend Fredersdorf, that is my answer to your question as +to whether I have in one short year forgotten the quality of court +life." + +"And by Heaven, that is a profound answer, which shows at least that +Baron Pollnitz has undergone no change during the last year, but is +still the experienced man of the world and the wise cavalier!" + +"But why do you not give me my title, Fredersdorf? Why do you not +call me grand chamberlain?" + +"Because you are no longer in the service of the king, but have +received your dismissal." + +"Alas! God grant that the Signora Biche is favorable to me; then +will the king, as I hope, forget this dismissal. One question more. +You say that the queen-mother has no influence; how is it with the +wife of the king, Elizabeth Christine? Is she indeed the reigning +sovereign?" + +"When did you return to Berlin?" + +"Now, to-night; and when I left the carriage, I hastened here." + +"Well, that is some excuse for your question. If you have only just +arrived, you could not possibly know of the important event which +will take place at the court to-night. This evening the king will +present his brother, Augustus William, to the court as Prince of +Prussia, and his successor, I think that is a sufficient answer to +your question. As to Queen Elizabeth Christine, she lives at +Schonhausen, and might be called the widow of her husband. The king +never addresses one word to her, not even on grand festal days, when +etiquette compels him to take a seat by her at table." + +"Now, one last question, dear friend. How is it with yourself? Are +you influential? Does Frederick love you as warmly as he did a year +ago? Do you hope to reach the goal of your ambition and become all- +powerful?" + +"I have ceased to be ambitious," sighed Fredersdorf. "I no longer +thirst to be the king of a king. My only desire is to be independent +of courts and kings--in short, to be my own master. Perhaps I may +succeed in this; if not, be ruined, as many others have been. If I +cannot tear my chains apart, I will perish under them! As for my +influence over the king, it is sufficient to say, that for six +months I have loved a woman to distraction, who returns my passion +with ardor, and I cannot marry her because the king, notwithstanding +my prayers and agony, will not consent." + +"He is right," said Pollnitz, earnestly, as he stretched himself out +comfortably on the sofa; "he is a fool who thinks of yielding up his +manly freedom to any woman." + +"You say that, baron? you, who gave up king and court, and went to +Nurnberg, in order that you might marry!" + +"Aha! how adroitly you have played the knife out of my hands, and +have yourself become the questioner! Well. it is but just that you +also should have your curiosity satisfied. Demand of me now and I +will answer frankly." + +"You are not married, baron?" + +"Not in the least; and I have sworn that the goddess Fortuna alone +shall be my beloved. I will have no mortal wife." + +"The report, then, is untrue that you have again changed your +religion, and become Protestant?" + +"No, this time rumor has spoken the truth. The Nurnberger patrician +would accept no hand offered by a Catholic; so I took off the glove +of my Catholicism and drew on my Protestant one. My God! to a man of +the world, his outside faith is nothing more than an article of the +toilet. Do you not know that it is bon ton for princes when they +visit strange courts to wear the orders and uniforms of their +entertainers? So it is my rule of etiquette to adopt the religion +which the circumstances in which I find myself seem to make suitable +and profitable. My situation in Nurnberg demanded that I should +become a Protestant, and I became one." + +"And for all that the marriage did not take place?" + +"No, it was broken off through the obstinacy of my bride, who +refused to live in good fellowship and equality with me, and gave me +only the use of her income, and no right in her property. Can you +conceive of such folly? She imagined I would give myself in +marriage, and make a baroness of an indifferently pretty burgher +maiden; yes, a baroness of the realm, and expect no other +compensation for it than a wife to bore me! She wished to wed my +rank, and found it offensive that I should marry, not only her fair +self, but her millions! The contest over this point broke off the +contract, and I am glad of it. From my whole soul I regret and am +ashamed of having ever thought of marriage. The king, therefore, has +reason to be pleased with me." + +"You are thinking, then, seriously of remaining at court?" + +"Do you not find that natural, Fredersdorf? I have lived fifty years +at this court, and accustomed myself to its stupidity, its +nothingness, and its ceremony, as a man may accustom himself to a +hard tent-bed, and find it at last more luxurious than a couch of +eider-down. Besides, I have just lost a million in Nurnberg, and I +must find a compensation; the means at least to close my life +worthily as a cavalier. I must, therefore, again bow my free neck, +and enter service. You must aid me, and this day obtain for me an +audience of the king. I hope your influence will reach that far. The +rest must be my own affair." + +"We will see what can be done. I have joyful news for the king to- +day. Perhaps it will make him gay and complaisant, and he will grant +you an audience." + +"And this news which you have for him?" + +"The Barbarina has arrived!" + +"What! the celebrated dancer?" + +"The same. We have seized and forcibly carried her off from the +republic of Venice and from Lord McKenzie; and Baron Swartz has +brought her as prisoner to Berlin!" + +Pollnitz half raised himself from the sofa, and, seizing the arm of +the private secretary, he looked him joyfully in the face. "I have +conceived a plan," said he, "a heavenly plan! My friend, the sun of +power and splendor is rising for us, and your ambition, which has +been weary and ready to die, will now revive, and raise its head +proudly on high! That which I have long sought for is at last found. +The king is too young, too ardent, too much the genius and poet, to +be completely unimpassioned. Even Achilles was not impenetrable in +the heel, and Frederick has also his mortal part. Do you know, +Fredersdorf, who will discover the weak point, and send an arrow +there?" + +"No." + +"Well, I will tell you: the Signora Barbarina. Ah, you smile! you +shake your unbelieving head. You are no good psychologist. Do you +not know that we desire most earnestly that which seems difficult, +if not impossible to attain, and prize most highly that which we +have won with danger and difficulty? Judge, also, how precious a +treasure the Barbarina must be to Frederick. For her sake he has for +months carried on a diplomatic contest with Venice, and at last he +has literally torn her away from my Lord Stuart McKenzie." + +"That is true," said Fredersdorf, thoughtfully; "for ten days the +king has waited with a rare impatience for the arrival of this +beautiful dancer, and he commanded that, as soon as she reached +Berlin, it should be announced to him." + +"I tell you the king will adore the Signora Barbarina," said +Pollnitz, as he once more stretched himself upon the sofa pillows. +"I shall visit her to-day, and make the necessary arrangements. Now +I am content. I see land, a small island of glorious promise, which +will receive me, the poor shipwrecked mariner, and give me shelter +and protection. I will make myself the indispensable counsellor of +Barbarina; I will teach her how she can melt the stony heart of +Frederick, and make him her willing slave." + +"Dreams, dreams!" said Fredersdorf, shrugging his shoulders. + +"Dreams which I will make realities as soon as you obtain me an +audience with the king." + +"Well, we will see what can be done, and whether--but listen, the +king is awake, and has opened his window. He is playing upon the +flute, which is his morning custom. His morning music is always the +barometer of his mood, and I can generally judge what kind of royal +weather we will have, whether bright or stormy. Come with me to the +window and listen awhile." + +"Agreed," said Pollnitz, and he sprang with youthful elasticity from +the divan and joined Fredersdorf at the window. They listened almost +breathlessly to the sweet tones which seemed to whisper to them from +the upper windows; then mingling and melting with the perfume of the +orange-blossoms and the glorious and life-giving morning air, they +forced their sweet and subtle essence into the room with the cunning +and hardened old courtiers. + +Fredersdorf and Pollnitz listened as a sly bat listens to the merry +whistling of an innocent bird, and watches the propitious moment to +spring upon her prey. It was an adagio which the king played upon +his flute, and he was indeed a master in the art. Slightly +trembling, as if in eternal melancholy, sobbing and pleading, soon +bursting out in rapturous and joyful strains of harmony, again +sighing and weeping, these melting tones fell like costly pearls +upon the summer air. The birds in the odorous bushes, the wind which +rustled in the trees, the light waves of the river, which with soft +murmurs prattled upon the shore, all Nature seemed for the moment to +hold her breath and listen to this enchanting melody. Even +Fredersdorf felt the power and influence of this music as he had +done in earlier days. The old love for his king filled his heart, +and his eyes were misty with tears. + +As the music ceased, Fredersdorf exclaimed involuntarily: "He is, +after all, the noblest and greatest of men. It is useless to be +angry with him. I am forced against my will to worship him." + +"Now," said Pollnitz, whose face had not for one moment lost its +expression of cold attention and sly cunning, "how says the +barometer? May we promise ourselves a clear and sunny day?" + +"Yes, Frederick is in one of his soft and yielding moods. It is +probable he has been some hours awake and has written to some of his +friends--perhaps to Voltaire, or Algarotti; this makes him always +bright and clear." + +"You think I shall obtain my audience?" + +"I think you will." + +"Then, dear friend, I have only to say that I hope you will give me +the chocolate for that noble and soul-searching hound, the Signora +Biche." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE MORNING HOURS OF A KING. + + +King Frederick had finished the adagio, and stood leaning against +the window gazing into the garden; his eyes, usually so fierce and +commanding, were softened by melancholy, and a sad smile played upon +his lips. The touching air which he had played found its echo +within, and held his soul a prisoner to troubled thoughts. Suddenly +he seemed to rouse himself by a great effort to the realities of +life, and, hastily ringing the bell, he commanded Jordan, the +director of the poor and the almshouse, to be summoned to him. + +A few moments later, Jordan, who had been for some days a guest at +the castle of Charlottenburg, entered the king's room. Frederick +advanced to meet him, and extended both hands affectionately. "Good- +morning, Jordan," said he, gazing into the wan, thin face of his +friend, with the most earnest sympathy. "I hope you had a refreshing +night." + +"I have had a charming night, for I was dreaming of your majesty," +he replied, with a soft smile. + +Frederick sighed, released his hands, and stepped back a few paces. +"Your majesty?" repeated he. "Why do you lay so cold a hand upon +that heart which beats so warmly for you? To what purpose is this +etiquette? Are we not alone? and can we not accord to our souls a +sweet interchange of thought and feeling without ceremony? Do we not +understand and love each other? Forget, then, for awhile, dear +Jordan, all these worldly distinctions. You see I am still in my +morning-dress. I do not, like the poor kings upon the stage, wear my +crown and sceptre in bed, or with my night-dress." + +Jordan gazed lovingly and admiringly upon his great friend. "You +need no crown upon your brow to show to the world that you are a +king by the grace of God. The majesty of greatness is written upon +your face, my king." + +"That," said Frederick with light irony, "is because we princes and +kings are acknowledged to be the exact image of the Creator, the +everlasting Father. As for you, and all the rest of the race, you +dare not presume to compare yourselves with us. Probably you are +made in the image of the second and third persons of the Trinity, +while we carry upon our withered and wearisome faces the +quintessence of the Godhead." + +"Alas! alas, sire, if our pious priest heard you, what a stumbling- +block would he consider you!" + +The king smiled. "Do you know, Jordan," said he gravely, "I believe +God raised me up for this special mission, to be a rock of offence +to these proud and worldly priests, and to trample under foot their +fooleries and their arrogance? I look upon that as the most +important part of my mission upon earth, and I am convinced that I +am appointed to humble this proud church, the vain and arrogant work +of hypocritical priests, and to establish in its place the pure +worship of God." + +"Yes, yes," said Jordan, shrugging his shoulders; "if the mass of +men had the clear intellect of a Frederick! if their eyes were like +those of my royal eagle, to whom it is given to gaze steadfastly at +the sun without being dazzled. Alas! sire, the most of our race +resemble you so little! They are all like the solemn night-owls, who +draw a double curtain over their eyes, lest the light should blind +them. The church serves as this double eyelid for the night-owls +among men, or, rather, the churches, for the cunning and +covetousness of those priests has not been satisfied with one +church, but has established many." + +"Yes," said the king angrily; "they have sown dragons' teeth, from +which bloodthirsty warriors have sprung, who wander up and down, and +in mad ambition tear all mankind, and themselves included, to +pieces. Listen, Jordan, we have fallen upon a subject which, as you +know, has interested and occupied me much of late, and it is +precisely upon these points that I have sought your counsel to-day. +Be seated, then, and hear what I have to say to you. You know that +the pietists and priests charge me with being a heretic, because I +do not think as they think, and believe as they believe. Which of +them, think you, Jordan, has the true faith? What is truth, and what +is wisdom? Each sect believes itself--and itself alone--the +possessor of both. That is reason enough, it appears to me, for +doubting them all." + +"In the same land?" + +"Yes, in various places in the same city, we are taught entirely +different and opposing doctrines in the name of religion. On one +hand, we are threatened with everlasting fire in the company of the +devil and his angels, if we believe that the Almighty is bodily +present in the elements offered at the sacrament of the Lord's +supper. On the other hand, we are taught, with equal assurance, that +the same terrible punishment will be awarded us unless we believe +that God is literally, and not symbolically, present in the bread +and wine. The simple statement of the doctrines of the different +churches in the world would fill an endless number of folios. Each +religion condemns all others, as leading to perdition; they cannot +therefore all be true, for truth does not contradict itself. If any +one of these were the true faith, would not God have made it clear, +and without question, to our eyes? God, who is truth, cannot be dark +or doubtful! If these differences in religion related only to +outward forms and ceremonies, we would let them pass as agreeable +and innocent changes, even as we adopt contentedly the changes in +style and fashion of our clothing. The doctrines of faith, as taught +in England, cannot be made to harmonize with those fulminated at +Rome. He to whom it would be given to reconcile all opposing +doctrines, and to unite all hearts in one pure and simple faith +would indeed give peace to the world, and be a Messiah and a +Saviour." + +"Yes, he would accomplish what God himself, as it appears, has not +thought proper to do; his first great act must be to institute and +carry out a terrible massacre, in which every priest of every +existing religion must be pursued to the death." + +"And that is precisely my mission," said the king. "I will institute +a massacre, not bodily and bloodily, but soul-piercing and +purifying. I say to you, Jordan, God dwells not in the churches of +these imperious priests, who choose to call themselves the servants +of God. God was with Moses on Mount Sinai, and with Zoroaster in the +wilderness; he was by Dante's side as he wrote his 'Divina +Commedia,' and he piloted the ships of Columbus as he went out +bravely to seek a new world! God is everywhere, and that mankind +should reverence and believe in and worship him, is proved by their +bearing his image and their high calling." + +Jordan seized the hand of the king and pressed it enthusiastically +to his lips. "And the world says that you do not believe in God," he +exclaimed; "they class you with the unbelievers, and dare to preach +against you, and slander you from the pulpit." + +"Yes, as I do not adopt their dogmas, I am, to them, a heretic," +said the king laughing; "and when they preach against me, it proves +that they fear me, and look upon me as a powerful enemy. The enemy +of the priests I will be as long as I live, that is to say, of those +arrogant and imperious men who are wise in their own eyes, and +despise all who do not agree with them! I will destroy the +foundations of all these different churches, with their different +dogmas. I will utterly extinguish them by a universal church, in +which every man shall worship God after his own fashion. The worship +of God should be the only object of every church! All these +different doctrines, which they cast in each other's teeth, and for +love of which they close their doors against each other, shall be +given up. I will open all their churches, and the fresh, pure air of +God shall purify the musty buildings. I will build a temple, a great +illimitable temple, a second Pantheon, a church which shall unite +all churches within itself, in which it shall be granted to every +man to have his own altar, and adopt his own religious exercises. +All desire to worship God; every man shall do so according to his +conscience! Look you, Jordan, how pathetically they discourse of +brotherly love, and they tear each other to pieces! Let me only +build my Pantheon, and then will all men, in truth, become brothers. +The Jew and the so-called heathen, the Mohammedan and the Persian, +the Calvinist and the Catholic, the Lutheran and the Reformer--they +will all gather into my Pantheon, to worship God; all their forms +and dogmas will simultaneously fall to the ground. They will believe +simply in one God, and the churches of all these different sects +will soon stand empty and in ruins." [Footnote: Thiebault, in his +"Souvenirs de Vingt Ans," tells of Frederick's plan for a Pantheon.] + +While the king spoke, his countenance was illumined; a noble +enthusiasm fired his large clear eyes, and his cheeks glowed as if +from the awakening breath of some new internal light. + +Jordan's glance expressed unspeakable love, but at the same time he +looked so sad, so pained, that Frederick felt chilled and +restrained. + +"How, Jordan! you are not of my opinion?" said he, with surprise. +"Our souls, which have been always heretofore in union, are now +apart. You do not approve of my Pantheon?" + +"It is too exalted, sire, to be realized. Mankind require a form of +religion, in order not to lose all personal control." + +"No, you mistake. They require only God, only love for this exalted +and lofty Being, whom we call God. The only proof by which we can +know that we can sincerely love God, lies in a steadfast and strong +purpose to obey Him. According to this, we need no other religion +than our reason, the good gift of God. So soon as we know that He +has spoken, we should be silent and submissive. Our inward worship +of God should consist in this, that we acknowledge Him and confess +our sins; our outward worship in the performance of all our duties, +according to our reason, the exalted nature of God, and our entire +dependence upon Him." + +"It is to be regretted, sire, that this world is not sufficiently +enlightened to comprehend you. I am afraid that your majesty will +bring about exactly the opposite of that which you design. All these +religious sects which, as you say, are so entirely antagonistic, +would by this forced union feel themselves humiliated and trampled +upon; their hatred toward each other would be daily augmented; their +antipathies would find new food; and their religious zeal, which is +always exclusive, would burn with fiercer fury. Not only the +priests, but kings and princes, would look upon the carrying out of +your plan with horror. And shall not this daring step bring terror +into the cabinets of kings? A monarch, who has just drawn the eyes +of all politicians upon himself, now proposes to take charge of the +consciences of his subjects, and bow them to his will! Alas, how +would envy, with all her poisonous serpents, fasten upon the +triumphal car of a king who, by the great things he has already +achieved, had given assurance of yet greater results, and now stoops +to tyrannize over and oppress the weak and good, and cast them among +the ruins of their temples of worship to weep and lament in despair! +No, my king, this idea of a Pantheon, a universal house of worship, +can never be realized. It was a great and sublime thought, but not a +wise one; too great, too enlarged and liberal to be appreciated by +this pitiable world. Your majesty will forgive me for having spoken +the honest truth. I was forced to speak. Like my king, I love the +one only and true God, and God is truth." + +"You have done well, Jordan," said the king, after a long pause, +during which he raised his eyes thoughtfully toward heaven. "Yes, +you have done well, and I believe you are right in your objections +to my Pantheon. I offer up to you, therefore, my favorite idea. For +your dear sake, my Pantheon shall become a ruin. Let this be a proof +of the strong love I bear you, Jordan. I will not contend with the +priests in my church, but I will pursue them without faltering into +their own; and I say to you, this will be a long and stiff-necked +war, which will last while my life endures. I will not have my +people blinded and stupefied by priests. I will suffer no other king +in Prussia. I alone will be king. These proud priests may decide, in +silence and humility, to teach their churches and intercede for +them; but let them once attempt to play the role of small popes, and +to exalt themselves as the only possessors of the key to heaven, +then they shall find in me an adversary who will prove to them that +the key is false with which they shut up the Holiest of Holies, and +is but used by them as a means to rob the people of their worldly +goods. Light and truth shall be the device of my whole land. This +will I seek after, and by this will I govern Prussia. I will have no +blinded subjects, no superstitious, conscience-stricken, trembling, +priest-ridden slaves. My people shall learn to think; thought shall +be free as the wanton air in Prussia; no censor or police shall +limit her boundary. The thoughts of men should be like the life- +giving and beautifying sun, all-nourishing and all-enlightening; +calling into existence and fructifying, not only the rich, and rare, +and lovely, but also the noxious and poisonous plant and the +creeping worm. These have also the right of life: if left to +themselves, they soon die of their own insignificance or +nothingness--die under the contempt of all the good and great." + +"I fear," said Jordan, "that Frederick the Great is the only man +whose mind is so liberal and so unprejudiced. Believe me, my king, +there is no living sovereign in Europe who dares guarantee to his +subjects free thought and free speech." + +"I will try so to act as to leave nothing to fear from the largest +liberty of thought or speech," said the king, quietly. "Men may +think and say of me what they will--that troubles me not; I will +amuse myself with their slanders and accusations of heresy; as for +their applause--well, that is a cheap merchandise, which I must +share with every expert magician and every popular comedian. The +applause of my own conscience, and of my friends--thy applause, my +Jordan--is alone of value for me. Then," said he, earnestly, almost +solemnly, "above all things, I covet fame. My name shall not pass +away like a soft tone or a sweet melody. I will write it in golden +letters on the tablet of history; it shall glitter like a star in +the firmament; when centuries have passed away, my people shall +remember me, and shall say, 'Frederick the Second made Prussia +great, and enlarged her borders; he was a father who loved his +people more than he did himself, and cheerfully sacrificed his own +rest and comfort in their service, he was a teacher who spoke to +them by word of mouth, and gave liberty to their souls.' Oh, Jordan, +you must stand by me and help me to reach this great goal for which +I thirst. Remain with me, dear friend, remain ever by my side, and +with thy love, thy constancy, thy truth, and thy sincerity, help me +to establish what is good, and to punish the evil; to acknowledge +and promote what is noble and expose the unworthy to shame and +confusion. Oh, Jordan! God has perhaps called me to be a great king; +remain by me, and help me to be a good and simple-minded man." + +He threw himself with impetuosity on Jordan's breast, and clasped +him passionately in his arms. Jordan returned the king's embrace, +and silently raised his moist eyes to heaven. A prayer to "Our +Father" spoke in that eloquent eye, a heart-felt, glowing prayer for +this man now resting upon his bosom, and who for him was not the +all-powerful and commanding sovereign, but the noble, loving, and +beloved friend, this poet and philosopher, before whose mighty +genius his whole soul bowed in wonder and admiration; but suddenly, +in this moment of deep and pious emotion, a cold, an icy chill, +seemed to shiver and play like the breath of death over his +features, and the hot blood, like liquid metal, rushed madly through +his veins; he gave a light, short cough; with a quick, abrupt +movement, he released himself from the arms of the king. Withdrawing +a few steps, he turned away, and pressed his handkerchief to his +lips. + +"Jordan, you suffer, you are sick," said the king, anxiously. + +Jordan turned again to him; his face was calm, and even gay; his +eyes beamed with that strange, mysterious, and touching fire of +consumption which hides the shadow of death under the rosy lip and +glowing cheek; and, less cruel than all other maladies, leaves to +the soul its freshness, and to the heart its power to love and hope. + +"Not so, sire," said Jordan, "I do not suffer. How can I be +otherwise than well and happy in your presence?" As he said this he +tried to thrust his handkerchief in his pocket. + +The king looked earnestly at this handkerchief. "Jordan, why did you +press that handkerchief so hastily to your lips?" + +Jordan forced a smile. "Well," said he, "I was obliged, as your +majesty no doubt saw, to cough, and I wished to make this +disagreeable music as soft as possible." + +"That was not the reason," said Frederick; and, stepping hastily +forward, he seized the handkerchief. "Blood! it is drenched in +blood," said he, in a tone so full of anguish, that it was evident +he recognized and feared this fatal signal. + +"Well, yes, it is blood; your majesty sees I am blood-thirsty! +Unhappily, I do not shed the blood of your enemies, but my own, +which I would gladly give, drop by drop, if I could thereby save my +king one hour's suffering or care." + +"And yet you, Jordan, are now the cause of my bitterest grief. You +are ill, and you conceal it from me. You suffer, and force yourself +to seem gay, and hide your danger from me, in place of turning to my +physicians and demanding their counsel and aid." + +"Frederick the Wise once said to me, 'Physicians are but quacks and +charlatans, and a man gives himself up to a tedious suicide who +swallows their prescriptions.'" + +"No, it was not 'Frederick the Wise,' but 'Frederick the Fool,' who +uttered that folly. When the sun is shining, Frederick has no fear +of ghosts; but at the turn of midnight, he will breathe a silent +'Father in heaven,' to be protected from them. We have no use for +confidence in physicians when we are healthy; when we are ill we +need them, and then we begin to hold them in consideration. You are +ill, your breast suffers. I entreat you, Jordan, to call upon my +physician, and to follow his advice promptly and systematically. I +demand this as a proof of your friendship." + +"I will obey your majesty, immediately," said Jordan, who now found +himself completely overcome by the weakness which follows loss of +blood; trembling, and almost sinking, he leaned upon the table. +Frederick perceived this, and rolling forward his own arm-chair, +with loving and tender care, he placed Jordan within it. He called +his servant, and ordered him to roll the chair to Jordan's room, and +go instantly for the physician Ellertt. + +"It will be all in vain, and I shall lose him," murmured the king. +"Yes, I will lose him, as I have lost Suhm, and as I shall soon lose +my Caesarius, the good Kaiserling. Alas! why did God give me so warm +a heart for friendship, and then deprive me of my friends?" + +Folding his arms, he stepped to the window and gazed thoughtfully +and sadly into the garden below, but he saw not its bloom and +beauty; his eyes were turned inward, and he saw only the grave of +his friend. Suddenly rousing and conquering himself, he shook off +the weary spirit of melancholy, and sought comfort in his flute, the +faithful companion of all his sufferings and struggles. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE PARDONED COURTIER. + + +Frederick commenced again to play, but this time it was not an +adagio, but a joyous and triumphant allegro, with which he sought to +dispel the melancholy and quench the tears flowing in his troubled +heart. He walked backward and forward in his room, and from time to +time stood before the sofa upon which his graceful greyhound, Biche, +was quietly resting. Every minute the king passed her sofa, Biche +raised her beautiful head and greeted her royal friend with an +intelligent and friendly glance and a gentle wagging of her tail, +and this salutation was returned each time by Frederick before he +passed on. Finally, and still playing the flute, the king pressed +his foot upon a silver button in the floor of his room, and rang a +bell which hung in Fredersdorf's room, immediately under his own. + +A few minutes later the secretary entered, but stood quietly at the +door till the king had finished his allegro and laid aside his +flute. + +"Good-morning," said the king, and he looked up at his favorite with +so sharp and piercing a glance that Fredersdorf involuntarily +trembled, and cast his eyes to the ground. "You must have been long +wide awake, you answer the bell so quickly." + +"Yes, your majesty, I have been long awake. I am happy, for I have +good news to bring you." + +"Well, what is it?" said the king smiling. "Has my god-mother, the +Empress Maria Theresa, voluntarily surrendered to the Emperor +Charles VII.? Have France and England become reconciled? or--and +that seems to me the most probable--has my private secretary +mastered the mystery of gold-making, after which he has so long +striven, and for which he so willingly offers up the most costly and +solemn sacrifices?" The king laid so peculiar an expression upon the +word SACRIFICE that Fredersdorf wondered if he had not listened to +his conversation with Joseph, and learned the strange sacrifice +which they now proposed to offer up to the devil's shrine. + +"Well, tell your news quickly," said the king. "You see that I am +torturing myself with the most wild and incredible suppositions." + +"Sire, the Barbarina reached Berlin last night." + +"Truly," said the king, indifferently, "so we have at last ravished +her from Venice, and Lord Stuart McKenzie." + +"Not exactly so, your highness. Lord Stuart McKenzie arrived in +Berlin this morning." + +Frederick frowned. "This is also, as it appears, a case of true +love, and may end in a silly marriage. I am not pleased when men or +women in my service entertain serious thoughts of love or marriage; +it occupies their thoughts and interferes with the performance of +their duty." + +"Your majesty judges severely," murmured Fredersdorf, who knew full +well that this remark was intended for his special benefit. + +"Well, this is not only my opinion, but I act in consonance with it. +I allow myself no relaxation. Have I ever had a love-affair? +Perhaps, Fredersdorf, you believe my blood to be frozen like ice in +my veins; that I have a heart of stone; in short, that I ceased to +be a man when I became a king." + +"Not so; but I believe your majesty is too great and too exalted to +find any one worthy of your love." + +"Folly, folly, sheer folly, Fredersdorf! When a man loves, he does +not weigh himself in the scales and find out how many pounds of +worth he has; he only loves, and forgets all other earthly things. +Now, for myself, I dare not forget that I am a king, and that my +time and strength belong to my people. My heart is too tender, and +for this reason I fly from love. So should you also flee, you also +dare not forget that your life is consecrated to your king. The +Signora Barbarina shall not forget that she is in my service; +dancing, and not loving, must now occupy her thoughts and actions. I +will allow her flirtations and amours, but a true love I absolutely +forbid. How can she go through with her ballets, her pirouettes, and +entrechats gayly and gracefully if a passionate love sits enthroned +within her heart? I have promised the English ambassador, who is the +cousin of this Lord Stuart McKenzie, that I will separate these +lovers. At this moment the friendship of England is of much +importance to me, and I shall certainly keep my promise. Write +immediately to the director of police that I command him not only to +banish Lord McKenzie from Berlin, but to send him under guard to +Hamburg, and there place him upon an English ship bound for England. +In twelve hours he must leave Berlin. [Footnote: This order was +obeyed. Lord McKenzie, the tender lover of the beautiful Barbarina, +who had followed her from Venice to Berlin, was, immediately on his +arrival, banished from Prussia by the special command of the king, +and taken to Hamburg; from thence he addressed some passionate +letters to his beautiful beloved, which she, of course, never +received, and which are preserved in the royal archives at Berlin. +(See Schneider's "History of Operas.")] Is that your only news, +Fredersdorf?" + +"No, sire," said he, stealing a glance toward the door, which at +this moment was lightly opened. "I have another novelty to announce, +but I do not know whether it will be acceptable to your majesty. +Baron von Pollnitz--" + +"Has sent us the announcement of his marriage?" + +"No, sire, he is not married." + +At this moment, the Signora Biche began to bay light notes of +welcome, and raised herself up from her comfortable position on the +sofa. The king did not remark her, however; he was wholly occupied +with Fredersdorf. + +"How! do you say he is not married?" + +"No, he has not married," said a plaintive voice from behind the +door, "and he prays your majesty, of your great grace, to allow him +to dedicate his whole life to his royal master, forgetting all other +men and women." The king turned and saw his former master of +ceremonies kneeling before the door, and his clasped hands stretched +out imploringly before him. + +Frederick gave a hearty peal of laughter, while Biche, raising +herself with a joyful bark, sprang toward the kneeling penitent, and +capered playfully about him; she appeared indeed to be licking the +hand in which the sagacious baron held loosely a large piece of her +favorite chocolate. At first, the king laughed heartily; then, as he +remarked how tenderly Biche licked the hand of the baron, he shook +his head thoughtfully. "I have had a false confidence in the true +instinct of my little Biche; she seems, indeed, to welcome Pollnitz +joyfully; while a sharp bite in his calf is the only reception which +his wicked and faithless heart deserves." + +"Happily, sire, my heart is not lodged in my calves," said Pollnitz. +"The wise Biche knows that the heart of Pollnitz is always in the +same place, and that love to my king and master has alone brought me +back to Berlin." + +"Nonsense! A Pollnitz can feel no other love than that which he +cherishes for his own worthy person, and the purses of all others. +Let him explain now, quickly and without circumlocution, if he +really wishes my pardon, why, after going to Nurnberg to marry a bag +of gold, containing a few millions, he has now returned to Berlin." + +"Sire, without circumlocution, the bag of gold would not open for +me, and would not scatter its treasures according to my necessities +and desires." + +"Ah! I comprehend. The beautiful Nurnberger had heard of your rare +talent for scattering gold, and thought it wiser to lose a baron of +the realm than to lose her millions." + +"Yes, that's about it, sire." + +"I begin to have a great respect for the wisdom of this woman," said +Frederick, laughing. "I think she has a more reliable instinct than +my poor Biche, who, I see, still licks your hands." + +"Oh, Biche knows me better than any man," said Pollnitz, tenderly +patting the greyhound. "Biche knows that my heart is filled with but +one love--love to my king and master. She knows that I have returned +to lay myself as she does, in all humility and self-abandonment, at +the feet of my royal Frederick, to receive either kicks or favors, +as he may see fit to bestow them; to be equally grateful for the +bones he may throw to me in his pity, as for the costly viands he +may grant in the magnanimity of his great soul." + +"You are an absolute and unqualified fool," said the king, laughing, +"and if it was not against my conscience, and unworthy of human +nature, to engage a man as a perpetual buffoon, I would promote you +to the office of court fool. You might, at least, serve as an +example to my cavaliers, by teaching them what they ought to avoid." + +"I have merited this cruel contempt, this painful punishment from my +royal master," said Pollnitz. "I submit silently. I will not, for a +moment, seek to justify myself." + +"You do well in that. You can make no defence. You left my service +faithlessly and heartlessly, with the hope of marrying a fortune. +The marriage failed, and you come back with falsehood in your heart +and on your lips, chattering about your love for my royal house. You +are not ashamed to liken yourself to a hound, and to howl even as +they do, in order that I may take you back into favor. Do not +suppose, for one moment, that I am deceived by these professions--if +you could have done better for yourself elsewhere, you would not +have returned to Berlin; that not being the case, you creep back, +and vow that love alone has constrained you. Look you, Pollnitz, I +know you, I know you fully. You can never deceive me; and, most +assuredly, I would not receive you again into my service, if I did +not look upon you as an old inventory of my house, an inheritance +from my grandfather Frederick. I receive you, therefore, out of +consideration for the dead kings in whose service you were, and who +amused themselves with your follies; for their sakes I cannot allow +you to hunger. Think not that I will prepare you a bed of down, and +give you gold to waste in idleness. You must work for your living, +even as we all do. I grant you a pension, but you will perform your +old duty, as grand master of ceremonies. You understand such +nonsense better than I do. You were educated in a good school, and +studied etiquette from the foundation stone, under Prussia's first +king; and that you may not say we have overlooked your great worth, +I will lay yet another burden upon your shoulders, and make you +'master of the wardrobe.' It shall not be said of us, that nonsense +and folly are neglected at our court; even these shall have their +tribute. You shall therefore be called 'Master of the Robes,' but I +counsel you, yes, I warn you, never to interfere with my coats and +shirts. You shall have no opportunity to make a gold-embroidered +monkey of me. Etiquette requires that I must have a master of the +robes, but I warn you to interest yourself in all other things +rather than in my toilet." + +"All that your majesty condescends to say, is written in letters of +flame upon my heart." + +"I would rather suppose upon your knees; they must indeed burn from +this long penance. I have read you a lecture, a la facon of a +village schoolmaster. You can rise, the lecture is over." + +Pollnitz rose from his knees, and, straightening himself, advanced +before the king, and made one of those low, artistic bows, which he +understood to perfection. "When does your majesty wish that I should +enter upon my duties?" + +"To-day--at this moment. Count Tessin, a special ambassador from +Sweden, has just arrived. I wish to give him a courtly reception. +You will make the necessary arrangements. Enter at once upon the +discharge of your functions." + +"I suppose, sire, that my salary also commences so soon as I begin +the discharge of my duties?" + +"I said nothing about a salary. I promised you a pension; and, not +wishing to maintain you in absolute idleness, I lay upon you these +absurd and trifling duties." + +"Shall I not, then, receive two pensions, if I discharge the two +functions?" said Pollnitz, in a low voice. + +"You are an out-and-out scoundrel," said Frederick, "but I know all +your tricks. I shall not follow my father's example, who once asked +you how much it required to maintain worthily a cavalier of rank, +and you assured him that a hundred thousand thalers was not +sufficient. I grant you a pension of two thousand thalers, and I +tell you it must suffice to support you creditably. Woe to you, when +you commence again your former most contemptible and miserable life! +woe to you, when you again forget to distinguish between your own +money and the money of others! I assure you that I will never again +pay one of your debts. And in order that credulous men may not be so +silly as to lend you money, I will make my wishes known by a printed +order, and impose a tax of fifty thalers upon every man silly and +bold enough to lend you money. Are you content with this, and will +you enter my service upon these terms?" + +"Yes, on any conditions which your majesty shall please to lay upon +me. But when, in spite of this open declaration of your majesty, +crazy people will still insist upon lending me money, you will +admit, sire, in short, that it is not my debt, and I cannot be +called upon for payment." + +"I will take such precautions that no one will be foolish enough to +lend you money. I will have it publicly announced that he who lends +you money shall have no claim upon you, so that to lend you gold is +to give you gold, and truly in such a way as to spare you even the +trouble of thanks. I will have this trumpted through every street. +Are you still content?" + +"Oh, sire, you show me in this the greatest earthly kindness; you +make me completely irresponsible. Woe to the fools and lunatics who +are mad enough to lend me money! From this time onward, I shall +never know a weary or listless moment. I shall have always the +cheering and inspiring occupation of winning the hearts of trusting +and weak-minded dunces, and, by adroit sleight-of-hand, transferring +the gold from their pockets to my own." + +"You are incorrigible," said the king. "I doubt if all mankind are +made after the image of God. I think many of the race resemble the +devil, and I look upon you, Pollnitz, as a tolerably successful +portrait of his satanic majesty. I don't suppose you will be much +discomposed by this opinion. I imagine you look upon God and the +devil in very much the same light." + +"Oh, not so, your majesty; I am far too religious to fall into such +errors." + +"Yes, you are too religious; or, rather you have to many religions. +To which, for example, do you now profess to belong?" + +"Sire, I have become a Protestant." + +"From conviction?" + +"So long as I believed in the possibility of marrying several +millions--yes, from conviction. These millions would have made me +happy, and surely I might allow myself to become a Protestant in +order to be happy." + +"Once for all, how many times have you changed your religion?" said +the king, thoughtfully. + +"Oh, not very often, sire! I am forever zealously seeking after the +true faith, and so long as I do not find that religion which makes +me content with such things as I have, I am forced to change in +justice to myself. In my childhood I was baptized and brought up a +Lutheran, and I had nothing against it, and remained in that +communion till I went to Rome; there I saw the Holy Father, the +Pope, perform mass, and the solemn ceremony roused my devotional +feelings to such a height that I became a Catholic immediately. This +was, however, no change of religion. Up to this time I had not acted +for myself; so the Catholic may be justly called my first faith." + +"Yes, yes! that was about the time you stole your dying bride's +diamonds and fled from France." + +"Oh, your majesty, that is a wicked invention of my enemies, and +utterly unfounded. If I had really stolen and sold those magnificent +brilliants--worth half a million--from my dying love, it would have +been sufficient to assure me a luxurious life, and I should not have +found it imperative to become a Catholic." + +"Ah, you confess, then, that you did not become a Catholic from +conviction, but in order to obtain the favor of the cardinals and +the Pope?" + +"Nothing escapes the quick eye of your majesty, so I will not dare +to defend myself. I came back to Berlin then, a Catholic, and the +ever-blessed king received me graciously. He was a noble and a pious +man, and my soul was seized with a glowing desire to imitate him. I +saw, indeed, how little I had advanced on the path to glory by +becoming a Catholic! I made a bold resolve and entered the Reformed +Church." + +"And by this adroit move you obtained your object: you became the +favorite of my father the king. As he, unhappily, can show you no +further favor, it is no longer prudent to be a reformer, so you are +again a Lutheran--from conviction!" + +"Oh, all the world knows the great, exalted, and unprejudiced mind +of our young king," said Pollnitz. "It is to him a matter of supreme +indifference what religious sect a man belongs to, so he adopts that +faith which makes him a brave, reliable, and serviceable subject of +his king and his fatherland." + +Frederick cast a dark and contemptuous glance at him. "You are a +miserable mocker and despiser of all holy things; you belong to that +large class who, not from convictions of reason, but from worldly- +mindedness and licentiousness, do not believe in the Christian +religion. Such men can never be honest; they have, perhaps, from +their childhood been preached to, not to do evil from fear of hell- +fire; and so soon as they cease to believe in hell-fire, they give +themselves up to vice without remorse. You are one of these most +miserable wretches; and I say to you, that you will at last suffer +the torments of the damned. I know there is a hell-fire, but it can +only be found in a man's conscience! Now go and enter at once upon +your duties; in two hours I will receive Count Tessin in the palace +at Berlin." + +Pollnitz made the three customary bows and left the room. The king +gazed after him contemptuously. "He is a finished scoundrel!" Then +turning to Fredersdorf, who at that moment entered the room, he +said, "I believe Pollnitz would sell his mother if he was in want of +money. You have brought me back a charming fellow; I rejoice that +there are no more of the race; Pollnitz has at least the fame of +being alone in his style. Is there any one else who asks an +audience?" + +"Yes, sire, the antechamber is full, and every man declares that his +complaint can only be made personally to your majesty. It will +require much time to listen to all these men, and would be, besides, +a bad example. If your majesty receives fifty men to-day, a hundred +will demand audience to-morrow; they must therefore be put aside; I +have advised them all to make their wishes known in writing." + +"Well, I think every man knows that is the common mode of +proceeding; as these people have not adopted it, it is evident they +prefer speaking to me. There are many things which can be better +said than written. A king has no right to close his ear to his +subjects. A ruler should not resemble a framed and curtained picture +of a god, only on rare and solemn occasions to be stared and +wondered at; he must be to his people what the domestic altar and +the household god was to the Romans, to which they drew near at all +hours with consecrated hearts and pious memories. Here they made +known all their cares, their sorrows, and their joys; here they +found comfort and peace. I will never withdraw myself from my +subjects; no, I will be the household god of my people, and will +lend a willing ear to all their prayers and complaints. Turn no man +away, Fredersdorf; I will announce it publicly, that every man has +the right to appeal to me personally." + +"My king is great and good," said Fredersdorf, sadly; "every man but +myself can offer his petition to your majesty and hope for grace; +the king's ear is closed only to me; to my entreaties he will not +listen." + +"Fredersdorf, you complain that I will not give my consent to your +marriage. What would you? I love you too well to give you up; but +when you take a wife you will be forever lost to me. A man cannot +serve two masters, and I will not divide your heart with this +Mademoiselle Daum; you must give it to me entire! Do not call me +cruel, Fredersdorf; believe that I love you and cannot give you up." + +"Oh, sire, I shall only truly belong to you in love and gratitude, +when you permit me to be happy and wed the maiden I so fondly love." + +"I will have no married private secretary, nor will I have a married +secretary of state," said the king, with a dark frown. "Say not +another word, Fredersdorf; put these thoughts away from you! My God, +there are so many other things on which you could have set your +heart! why must it be ever on a woman?" + +"Because I love her passionately, your majesty." + +"Ah, bah! do you not love other things with which you can console +yourself? You are a scholar and an alchemist. Well, then, read +Horace; exercise yourself in the art of making gold, and forget this +Mademoiselle Daum, who, be it said, in confidence between us, has no +other fascination than that she is rich. As to her wealth, that can +have but little charm for YOU, who, without doubt, will soon have +control of all the treasures of the world. By God's help, or the +devil's, you will very soon, I suppose, discover the secret of +making gold." + +"He has, indeed, heard my conversation with Joseph," said +Fredersdorf to himself, and ashamed and confused, he cast his eyes +down before the laughing glance of the king. + +"Read your Horace diligently," said Frederick--"you know he is also +my favorite author; you shall learn one of his beautiful songs by +heart, and repeat it to me." + +The king walked up and down the room, and cast, from time to time, a +piercing glance at Fredersdorf. He then repeated from Horace these +two lines: + + "'Torment not your heart + With the rich offering of a bleeding lamb.'" + +"I see well," said Fredersdorf, completely confused, "I see well +that your majesty knows--" + +"That it is high time," said the king, interrupting him, "to go to +Berlin; you do well to remind me of it. Order my carriage--I will be +off at once." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +HOW THE PRINCESS ULRICA BECAME QUEEN OF SWEDEN. + + +Princess Ulrica, the eldest of the two unmarried sisters of the +king, paced her room with passionate steps. The king had just made +the queen-mother a visit, and had commanded that his two sisters +should be present at the interview. + +Frederick was gay and talkative. He told them that the Signora +Barbarina had arrived, and would appear that evening at the castle +theatre. He invited his mother and the two princesses to be present. +He requested them to make tasteful and becoming toilets, and to be +bright and amiable at the ball and supper after the theatre. The +king implored them both to be gay: the one, in order to show that +she was neither angry nor jealous; the other, that she was proud and +happy. + +The curiosity of the two young girls was much excited, and they +urged the king to explain his mysterious words. He informed them +that Count Tessin, the Swedish ambassador, would be present at the +ball; that he was sent to Berlin to select a wife for the prince +royal of Sweden, or, rather, to receive one; the choice, it +appeared, had been already made, as the count had asked the king if +he might make proposals for the hand of the Princess Amelia, or if +she were already promised in marriage. The king replied that Amelia +was bound by no contract, and that proposals from Sweden would be +graciously received. + +"Be, therefore, lovely and attractive," said the king, placing his +hand caressingly upon the rosy cheek of his little sister; "prove to +the count that the intellectual brow of my sweet sister is fitted to +wear a crown worthily." + +The queen-mother glanced toward the window into which the Princess +Ulrica had hastily withdrawn. + +"And will your majesty really consent that the youngest of my +daughters shall be first married?" + +The king followed the glance of his mother, and saw the frowning +brow and trembling lip of his sister. Frederick feared to increase +the mortification of Ulrica, and seemed, therefore, not to observe +her withdrawal. + +"I think," said he, "your majesty was not older than Amelia when you +married my father; and if the crown prince of Sweden wishes to marry +Amelia, I see no reason why we should refuse him. Happily, we are +not Jews, and our laws do not forbid the younger sister to marry +first. To refuse the prince the hand of Amelia, or to offer him the +hand of Ulrica, would indicate that we feared the latter might +remain unsought. I think my lovely and talented sister does not +deserve to be placed in such a mortifying position, and that her +hand will be eagerly sought by other royal wooers." + +"And, for myself, I am not at all anxious to marry," said Ulrica, +throwing her head back proudly, and casting a half-contemptuous, +half-pitiful look at Amelia. "I have no wish to marry. Truly, I have +not seen many happy examples of wedded life in our family. All my +sisters are unhappy, and I see no reason why I should tread the same +thorny path." + +The king smiled. "I see the little Ulrica shares my aversion to +wedded life, but we cannot expect, dearest, that all the world +should be equally wise. We will, therefore, allow our foolish sister +Amelia to wed, and run away from us. This marriage will cost her +anxiety and sorrow; she must not only place her little feet in the +land of reindeers, bears, and eternal snows, but she must also be +baptized and adopt a new religion. Let us thank God, then, that the +prince has had the caprice to pass you by and choose Amelia, who, I +can see, is resolved to be married. We will, therefore, leave the +foolish child to her fate." + +It was Frederick's intention, by these light jests, to comfort his +sister Ulrica, and give her time to collect herself. He did not +remark that his words had a most painful effect upon his younger +sister, and that she became deadly pale as he said she must change +her faith in order to become princess royal of Sweden. + +The proud queen-mother had also received this announcement angrily. +"I think, sire," said she, "that the daughter of William the Second, +and the sister of the King of Prussia, might be allowed to remain +true to the faith of her fathers." + +"Madame," said the king, bowing reverentially, "the question is not, +I am sorry to say, as to Amelia's father or brother; she will be the +mother of sons, who, according to the law of the land, must be +brought up in the religion of their father. You see, then, that if +this marriage takes place, one of the two contracting parties must +yield; and, it appears to me, that is the calling and the duty of +the woman." + +"Oh, yes," said the queen bitterly, "you have been educated in too +good a school, and are too thoroughly a Hohenzollern, not to believe +in the complete self-renunciation of women. At this court, women +have only to obey." + +"Nevertheless, the women do rule over us; and even when we appear to +command, we are submissive and obedient," said the king, as he +kissed his mother's hand and withdrew. + +The three ladies also retired to their own rooms immediately. Each +one was too much occupied with her own thoughts to bear the presence +of another. + +And now, being alone, the Princess Ulrica found it no longer +necessary to retain the smiles which she had so long and with such +mighty effort forced to play upon her lips; every pulse was beating +with glowing rage, and she gave free course to her scorn. + +Her younger sister, this little maiden of eighteen years, was to be +married, to wed a future king; while she, the eldest, now two-and- +twenty, remained unchosen! And it was not her own disinclination nor +the will of the king which led to this shameful result; no! the +Swedish ambassador came not to seek her hand, but that of her +sister! She, the elder, was scorned--set aside. The king might +truthfully say there was no law of the land which forbade the +marriage of the younger sister before the elder; but there was a law +of custom and of propriety, and this law was trampled upon. + +As Ulrica thought over these things, she rose from her seat with one +wild spring. On entering the room she had completely overcome, and, +with trembling knees, she had fallen upon the divan. She stood now, +however, like a tigress prepared for attack, and looking for the +enemy she was resolved to slay. The raging, stormy blood of the +Hohenzollerns was aroused. The energy and pride of her mother glowed +with feverish pulses in her bosom. She would have been happy to find +an enemy opposed to her, the waves of passion rushing through her +veins might have been assuaged; but she was alone, entirely alone, +and had no other enemy to overcome than herself. She must, then, +declare war against her own evil heart. With wild steps she rushed +to the glass, and scrutinizingly and fiercely examined her own +image. Her eye was cold, searching, and stern. Yes, she would prove +herself; she would know if it were any thing in her own outward +appearance which led the Swedish ambassador to choose her sister +rather than herself. + +"It is true, Amelia is more beautiful, in the common acceptation of +the word; her eyes are larger, her cheek rosier, her smile more +fresh and youthful, and her small but graceful figure is at the same +time childlike and voluptuous. She would make an enchanting +shepherdess, but is not fitted to be a queen. She has no majesty, no +presence. She has not by nature that imposing gravity, which is the +gift of Providence, and cannot be acquired, and without which the +queen is sometimes forgotten in the woman. Amelia can never attain +that eternal calm, that exalted composure, which checks all approach +to familiarity, and which, by an almost imperceptible pressure of +the hand and a light smile, bestows more happiness and a more +liberal reward than the most impassioned tenderness and the warmest +caresses of a commonplace woman. No, Amelia could never make a +complete queen, she can only be a beautiful woman; while I--I know +that I am less lovely, but I feel that I am born to rule. I have the +grace and figure of a queen--yes, I have the soul of a queen! I +would understand how to be imposing, and, at the same time, to +obtain the love of my people, not from any weak thirst for love, but +from a queenly ambition. But I am set aside, and Amelia will be a +queen; my fate will be that of my elder sisters, I shall wed a poor +margrave, or paltry duke, and may indeed thank God if I am not an +old maiden princess, with a small pension." + +She stamped wildly upon the floor, and paced the room with hasty +steps. Suddenly she grew calmer, her brow, which had been +overshadowed by dark clouds, cleared, and a faint smile played upon +those lips which a moment before had been compressed by passion. + +"After all," she said, "the formal demand for the hand of Amelia has +not yet been made; perhaps the ambassador has mistaken my name for +that of Amelia, and as he has made no direct proposition, I am +convinced he wishes to make some observations before deciding. Now, +if the result of this examination should prove to him that Amelia is +not fitted to be the wife of his prince, and if Amelia herself--I +thought I saw that she turned pale as the king spoke of abandoning +her faith; and when she left the room, despair and misery were +written upon that face which should have glowed with pride and +triumph. Ah, I see land!" said Ulrica, breathing freely and sinking +comfortably upon the divan, "I am no longer hopelessly shipwrecked; +I have found a plank, which may perhaps save me. Let me consider +calmly,"--and, as if Fate itself were playing into her hand, the +door opened and Amelia entered. + +One glance was sufficient to show Ulrica that she was not deceived, +and that this important event had brought no joy to poor Amelia. The +lovely eyes of the princess were red with weeping; and the soft +lips, so generally and gladly given to gay chat and merry laughter, +were now expressive of silent anguish. Ulrica saw all this, and laid +her plans accordingly. In place of receiving Amelia coldly and +repulsively, which but a few moments before she would have done, she +sprang to meet her with every sign of heart-felt love; the little +maiden threw herself weeping convulsively into her sister's arms, +and was pressed closely and tenderly to her bosom. + +"Tears!" said Ulrica lovingly, as she drew her sister to the sofa +and pressed her down upon the soft pillows; "you weep, and yet a +splendid future is this day secured to you!" + +Amelia sobbed yet more loudly and pressed her tear-stained face more +closely to the bosom of her sister. Ulrica looked down with a +mixture of curiosity and triumph; she could not understand these +tears; but she had a secret satisfaction in seeing the person she +most envied weeping so bitterly. + +"How is this? are you not happy to be a queen?" + +Amelia raised her face hastily and sobbed out: "No! I am not pleased +to be an apostate, to perjure myself! I am not content to deny my +faith in order to buy a miserable earthly crown! I have sworn to be +true to my God and my faith, and now I am commanded to lay it aside +like a perishable robe, and take another in exchange." + +"Ah, is it that?" said Ulrica, with a tone of contempt she could +scarcely control; "you fear this bold step by which your poor +innocent soul may be compromised." + +"I will remain true to the belief in which I have been educated, and +to which I have dedicated myself at the altar!" cried Amelia, +bursting again into tears. + +"It is easy to see that but a short time only has elapsed since you +took these vows upon you. You have all the fanaticism of a new +convert. How would our blessed father rejoice if he could see you +now!" + +"He would not force me to deny my religion; he would not, for the +sake of outward splendor, endanger my soul's salvation. Oh! it is +harsh and cruel of my brother to treat me as a piece of merchandise; +he asks not whether my heart or principles can conscientiously take +part in his ambitious plans." + +Ulrica cast a long and piercing glance upon her sister. She would +gladly have searched to the bottom of her soul; she wished to know +if this fierce opposition to the marriage was the result of love to +the faith of her fathers. + +"And you are not ambitious? you are not excited by the thought of +being a queen, of marrying a man who will fill a place in the +world's history?" + +The young girl raised her eyes in amazement, and her tears ceased to +flow. + +"What has a woman to do with the world's history?" she said; "think +you I care to be named as the wife of a king of Sweden? It is a sad, +unhappy fate to be a princess. We are sold to him who makes the +largest offer and the most favorable conditions. Well, let it be so; +it is the fate of all princesses; it is for this we are educated, +and must bow humbly to the yoke; but liberty of conscience should be +at least allowed us, freedom of thought, the poor consolation of +worshipping God in the manner we prefer, and of seeking help and +protection in the arms of that religion we believe in and love." + +"One can be faithful to God even when unfaithful to their first +faith," said Ulrica, who began already to make excuses to herself +for the change of religion she contemplated. + +"That is not in my power!" cried Amelia passionately. "I cling to +the religion of my house, and I should tremble before the wrath of +God if I gave it up." + +"After all, it is but a small and unimportant difference between the +Reformed and Lutheran Churches," said Ulrica, much excited, and +entirely forgetting that the question had as yet no relation to +herself. "One can be as pious a Christian in the Reformed Church as +in the Lutheran." + +"Not I; it is not in my power," said Amelia, with the wilfulness of +a spoiled child not accustomed to opposition. "I will not become a +Lutheran. A Pollnitz may change his faith, but not the daughter of +Frederick William. Did not the king with indignation and contempt +relate to us how Pollnitz had again changed his religion and become +a Protestant? Did we not laugh heartily, and in our hearts despise +the dishonorable man? I will not place myself in such a position." + +"Then, my sister, there will be stormy times and stern strife in our +household: the bitter scenes of earlier days will be renewed. Our +royal brother is not less resolute than our stern father. I fear +that his brothers and sisters are nothing more to him than useful +instruments in this great state machine, and they must bow +themselves unquestioningly to his commands." + +"Yes, I feel this; I see it clearly," said Amelia, trembling; "and +for this reason, dear sister, you must stand by me and help me. I +swear to you that I will not become a Lutheran." + +"Is that your unchangeable resolution?" + +"Yes, unchangeable." + +"Well, if that is so, I will give you my counsel." + +"Speak, speak quickly," said Amelia, breathlessly, and throwing her +arms around the slender waist of her sister, she laid her head +trustingly upon her shoulder. + +"Firstly, the Swedish ambassador has not made a formal demand for +your hand; that probably proves that he will first examine and +observe you closely, to see if you are suited to be the wife of the +prince royal. We have still, therefore, a short delay, which, if +wisely used, may conduct you to the desired goal. But, Amelia, prove +yourself once more; ask counsel again of your heart and conscience, +before you make a final resolve. I will not have you complain of me +in future, and say that my foolish and guilty counsel lost you the +throne of Sweden." + +"Oh, fear not, my beloved sister. I will not be queen of Sweden at +the cost of my immortal soul." + +"You will not, then, reproach me, Amelia?" + +"Never." + +"Listen, then. From this moment lay a mask upon your face; that is +to say, assume a proud, rude, overbearing tone to all around you-- +toward your friends, your servants, the court circle, yes, even +toward the members of your family. Particularly in the presence of +this Swedish ambassador, show yourself to be a capricious, nervous, +and haughty princess, who scarcely thinks it worth the trouble to +speak a word, or give a friendly glance, to a man in his position. +When you speak to him and he attempts to answer, cut short his +replies, and command him to be silent; if he strives to win your +favor by the most respectful civility, let an unmistakable +expression of contempt be written upon your face, and let that be +your only answer. Regulate your conduct for a few days by these +rules, and I am convinced you will attain your object." + +"Yes, yes! I understand, I understand!" said the young girl, +clapping her little white hands, and looking up joyously. "I shall, +by my pride and passion, freeze the words in the mouth of my lord +ambassador, so that the decisive word cannot find utterance. Oh! +this will be a precious comedy, my sweet sister, and I promise you +to carry out my role of heroine to perfection. Oh, I thank you! I +thank you! I am indeed happy to have found so wise a sister, so +brave a comrade in arms, while surrounded with such perils!" + +"She would not have it otherwise," said Ulrica, laconically, as she +found herself again alone. "If she is without ambition, so much the +worse for her--so much the better for me! And now, it is high time +to think of my toilet--that is the most important consideration. To- +day I must be not only amiable, but lovely. To-day I will appear an +innocent and unpretending maiden." + +With a mocking smile she entered her boudoir, and called her +attendants. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE TEMPTER. + + +Princess Ulrica was earnestly occupied with considerations of her +toilet. Amelia had returned to her room, musing and thoughtful. + +There were difficulties in the way of the new role she had resolved +to play, and by which she expected to deceive the world. She stood +for a moment before the door of her dressing-room, and listened to +the voices of her attendants, who were gayly laughing and talking. +It was her custom to join them, and take a ready part in their merry +sports and jests. She must now, however, deny herself, and put a +guard over her heart and lips. Accordingly, with a dark frown on her +brow and tightly-compressed lips, she entered the room in which her +maids were at that moment arranging her ball toilet for the evening. + +"It seems to me that your loud talking is most unseemly," said +Amelia, in a tone so haughty, so passionate, that the smiles of the +two young girls vanished in clouds. "I will be obliged to you if you +will complete your work noiselessly, and reserve your folly till you +have left my room! And what is that, Mademoiselle Felicien? for what +purpose have you prepared these flowers, which I see lying upon your +table?" + +"Your royal highness, these flowers are for your coiffure, and these +bouquets are intended to festoon your dress." + +"How dare you allow yourself to decide upon my toilet, +mademoiselle?" + +"I have not dared," said Felicien, tremblingly; "your royal highness +ordered moss roses for your hair, and bouquets of the same for your +bosom and your robe." + +"It appears to me," said Amelia, imperiously, "that to contradict +me, and at the same time assert that which is false, is, to say the +least, unbecoming your position. I am not inclined to appear in the +toilet of a gardener's daughter. To prove this, I will throw these +flowers, which you dare to assert I ordered, from the window; with +their strong odor they poison the air." + +With a cruel hand, she gathered up the lovely roses, and hastened to +the window. "Look, mademoiselle, these are the flowers which you +undertook to prepare for my hair," said Amelia, with well-assumed +scorn, as she threw the bouquet into the garden which surrounded the +castle of Monbijou; "look, mademoiselle." + +Suddenly the princess uttered a low cry, and looked, blushing +painfully, into the garden. In her haste, she had not remarked that +two gentlemen, at that moment, crossed the great court which led to +the principal door of the castle; and the flowers which she had so +scornfully rejected, had struck the younger and taller of the +gentlemen exactly in the face. He stood completely amazed, and +looked questioningly at the window from which this curious bomb had +fallen. His companion, however, laughed aloud, and made a profound +bow to the princess, who still stood, blushing and embarrassed, at +the window. + +"From this hour I believe in the legend of the Fairy of the Roses," +said the elder of the two gentlemen, who was indeed no other than +Baron Pollnitz. "Yes, princess, I believe fully, and I would not be +at all astonished if your highness should at this moment flutter +from the window in a chariot drawn by doves, and cast another shower +of blossoms in the face of my friend." + +The princess had found time to recover herself, and to remember the +haughty part she was determined to play. + +"I hope, baron," she said, sternly, "you will not allow yourself to +suppose it was my purpose to throw those roses either to your +companion or yourself? I wished only to get rid of them." + +She shut the window rudely and noisily, and commanded her attendants +to complete her toilet at once. She seated herself sternly before +the glass, and ordered her French maid to cover her head with jewels +and ribbons. + +The two gentlemen still stood in the garden, in earnest +conversation. + +"This is assuredly an auspicious omen, my friend," said Pollnitz to +the young officer, who was gazing musingly at the roses he held in +his hand. He had raised his eyes from the flowers to the window at +which the lovely form of the princess had, for a few moments, +appeared. + +"Alas!" said he, sighing, and gazing afar off; "she is so +wonderfully beautiful--so lovely; and she is a princess!" + +Pollnitz laughed heartily. "One might think that you regretted that +fact! Listen to me, my young friend; stand no longer here, in a +dream. Come, in place of entering the castle immediately, to pay our +respects to the queen-mother, we will take a walk through the +garden, that you may allay your raptures and recover your reason." + +He took the arm of the young man, and drew him into a shady, private +pathway. + +"Now, my dear friend, listen to me, and lay to heart all that I say +to you. Accident, or, if you prefer it, Fate brought us together. +After all, it seems indeed more than an accident. I had just +returned to Berlin, and was about to pay my respects to the queen- +mother, when I met you, who at the same time seek an audience, in +order to commend yourself to her royal protection. You bear a letter +of commendation from my old friend, Count Lottum. All this, of +course, excites my curiosity. I ask your name, and learn, to my +astonishment, that you are young Von Trenck, the son of the woman +who was my first love, and who made me most unhappy by not returning +my passion. I assure you, it produces a singular sensation to meet +so unexpectedly the son of a first love, whose father, alas! you +have not the happiness to be. I feel already that I am prepared to +love you as foolishly as I once loved your fair mother." + +"I will not, like my mother, reject your vows," said the young +officer, smiling, and extending his hand to Pollnitz. + +"I hoped as much," said Pollnitz; "you shall find a fond father in +me, and even to-day I will commence my parental duties. In the first +place, what brings you here?" + +"To make my fortune--to become a general, or field-marshal, if +possible," said the young man, laughing. + +"How old are you?" + +"I am nineteen." + +"You wear the uniform of an officer of the life-guard; the king has, +therefore, already promoted you?" + +"I was a cadet but eight days," said Trenck, proudly. "My step- +father, Count Lottum, came with me from Dantzic, and presented me to +the king. His majesty received me graciously, and remembered well +that I had received, at the examination at Konigsberg, the first +prize from his hand." + +"Go on, go on," said Pollnitz; "you see I am all ear, and I must +know your present position in order to be useful to you." + +"The king, as I have said, received me graciously, even kindly; he +made me a cadet in his cavalry corps, and three weeks after, I was +summoned before him; he had heard something of my wonderful memory, +and he wished to prove me." + +"Well, how did you stand the proof?" + +"I stood with the king at the window, and he called over to me +quickly the names of fifty soldiers who were standing in the court +below, pointing to each man as he called his name. I then repeated +to him every name in the same succession, but backward." + +"A wonderful memory, indeed," said Pollnitz, taking a pinch of +Spanish snuff; "a terrible memory, which would make me shudder if I +were your sweetheart!" + +"And why?" said the young officer. + +"Because you would hold ever in remembrance all her caprices and all +her oaths, and one day, when she no longer loved you, she would be +held to a strict account. Well, did the king subject you to further +proof?" + +"Yes; he gave me the material for two letters, which I dictated at +the same time to his secretaries, one in French and one in Latin. He +then commanded me to draw the plan of the Hare Meadow, and I did +so." + +"Was he pleased?" + +"He made me cornet of the guard," said Trenck, modestly avoiding a +more direct answer. + +"I see you are in high favor: in three weeks you are promoted from +cadet to lieutenant! quick advancement, which the king, no doubt, +signalized by some other act of grace?" + +"He sent me two horses from his stable, and when I came to thank +him, he gave me a purse containing two hundred 'Fredericks.'" + +Pollnitz gave a spring backward. "Thunder! you are indeed in favor! +the king gives you presents! Ah, my young friend, I would protect +you, but it seems you can patronize me. The king has never made me a +present. And what do you desire to-day of the queen-mother?" + +"As I am now a lieutenant, I belong to the court circle, and must +take part in the court festivals. So the king commanded me to pay my +respects to the queen-mother." + +"Ah, the king ordered that?" said Pollnitz; "truly, young man, the +king must destine you for great things--he overloads you with +favors. You will make a glittering career, provided you are wise +enough to escape the shoals and quicksands in your way. I can tell +you, there will be adroit and willing hands ready to cast you down; +those who are in favor at court have always bitter enemies." + +"Yes, I am aware that I have enemies," said Trenck; "more than once +I have already been charged with being a drunkard and a rioter; but +the king, happily, only laughed at the accusations." + +"He is really in high favor, and I would do well to secure his +friendship," thought Pollnitz; "the king will also be pleased with +me if I am kind to him." He held out his hand to the young officer, +and said, with fatherly tenderness: "From this time onward, when +your enemies shall please to attack you, they shall not find you +alone; they will find me a friend ever at your side. You are the son +of the only woman I ever loved--I will cherish you in my heart as my +first-born!" + +"And I receive you as my father with my whole heart," said Trenck; +"be my father, my friend, and my counsellor." + +"The court is a dangerous and slippery stage, upon which a young and +inexperienced man may lightly slip, unless held up by a strong arm. +Many will hate you because you are in favor, and the hate of many is +like the sting of hornets: one sting is not fatal, but a general +attack sometimes brings death. Make use, therefore, of your +sunshine, and fix yourself strongly in an immovable position." + +"The great question is, what shall be my first step to secure it?" + +"How! you ask that question, and you are nineteen years old, six +feet high, have a handsome face, a splendid figure, an old, renowned +name, and are graciously received at court! Ah! youngster, I have +seen many arrive at the highest honors and distinctions, who did not +possess half your glittering qualities. If you use the right means +at the right time, you cannot fail of success." + +"What do you consider the best means?" + +"The admiration and favor of women! You must gain the love of +powerful and influential women. Oh, you are terrified, and your brow +is clouded! perhaps, unhappily, you are already in love?" + +"No!" said Frederick von Trenck, violently. "I have never been in +love. I dare say more than that: I have never kissed the lips of a +woman." + +Pollnitz gazed at him with an expression of indescribable amazement. +"How!" said he; "you are nineteen, and assert that you have never +embraced a woman?" He gave a mocking and cynical laugh. + +"Ordinary women have always excited my disgust," said the young +officer, simply; "and until this day I have never seen a woman who +resembled my ideal." + +"So, then, the woman with whom you will now become enamored will +receive your first tender vows?" + +"Yes, even so." + +"And you wear the uniform of the life-guard--you are a lieutenant!" +cried Pollnitz with tragical pathos, and extending his arms toward +heaven. "But how?--what did you say?--that until to-day you had seen +no woman who approached your ideal?" + +"I said that." + +"And to-day--?" + +"Well, it seems to me, we have both seen an angel to-day!--an angel, +whom you have wronged, in giving her the common name of fairy." + +"Aha! the Princess Amelia," said Pollnitz. "You will love this young +maiden, my friend." + +"Then, indeed, shall I be most unhappy! She is a royal princess, and +my love must ever be unrequited." + +"Who told you that? who told you that this little Amelia was only a +princess? I tell you she is a young girl with a heart of fire. Try +to awake her--she only sleeps! A happy event has already greeted +you. The princess has fixed your enraptured gaze upon her lovely +form, by throwing or rather shooting roses at you. Perhaps the god +of Love has hidden his arrow in a rose. You thought Amelia had only +pelted your cheek with roses, but the arrow has entered your soul. +Try your luck, young man; gain the love of the king's favorite +sister, and you will be all-powerful." + +The young officer looked at him with confused and misty eyes. + +"You do not dare to suggest," murmured he, "that--" + +"I dare to say," cried Pollnitz, interrupting him, "that you are in +favor with the brother; why may you not also gain the sister's good +graces? I say further, that I will assist you, and I will ever be at +your side, as a loving friend and a sagacious counsellor." + +"Do you know, baron, that your wild words open a future to my view +before which my brain and heart are reeling? How shall I dare to +love a princess, and seek her love in return?" + +"As to the first point, I think you have already dared. As to the +second, I think your rare beauty and wondrous accomplishments might +justify such pretensions." + +"You know I never can become the husband of a princess." + +"You are right," said Pollnitz, laughing aloud; "you are as innocent +as a girl of sixteen! you have this moment fallen headlong in love, +and begin at once to think of the possibility of marriage, as if +love had no other refuge than marriage, and yet I think I have read +that the god of Love and the god of Hymen are rarely seen together, +though brothers; in point of fact, they despise and flee from each +other. But after all, young man, if your love is virtuous and +requires the priest's blessing, I think that is possible. Only a few +years since the widowed margravine, the aunt of the king, married +the Count Hoditz. What the king's aunt accomplished, might be +possible to the king's sister." + +"Silence, silence!" murmured Frederick von Trenck; "your wild words +cloud my understanding like the breath of opium; they make me mad, +drunk. You stand near me like the tempter, showing to my bewildered +eyes more than all the treasures of this world, and saying, 'All +these things will I give thee'; but alas! I am not the Messiah. I +have not the courage to cast down and trample under foot your +devilish temptations. My whole soul springs out to meet them, and +shouts for joy. Oh, sir, what have you done? You have aroused my +youth, my ambition, my passion; you have filled my veins with fire, +and I am drunk with the sweet but deadly poison you have poured into +my ears." + +"I have assured you that I will be your father. I will lead you, and +at the right moment I will point out the obstacles against which +your inexperienced feet might stumble," said Pollnitz. + +The stony-hearted and egotistical old courtier felt not the least +pity for this poor young man into whose ear, as Trenck had well +said, he was pouring this fatal poison. Frederick von Trenck, the +favorite of the king, was nothing more to him than a ladder by which +he hoped to mount. He took the arm of the young officer and +endeavored to soothe him with cool and moderate words, exhorting him +to be quiet and reasonable. They turned their steps toward the +castle, in order to pay their respects to the queen-mother. The hour +of audience was over, and the two gentlemen lounged arm in arm down +the street. + +"Let us go toward the palace," said Pollnitz. "I think we will +behold a rare spectacle, a crowd of old wigs who have disguised +themselves as savans. To-day, the first sitting of the Academy of +Arts and Sciences takes place, and the celebrated President +Maupertius will open the meeting in the name of the king. This is +exactly the time for the renowned worthies to leave the castle. Let +us go and witness this comical show." + +The two gentlemen found it impossible to carry out their plans. A +mighty crowd of men advanced upon them at this moment, and compelled +them to stand still. Every face in the vast assemblage was +expectant. Certainly some rare exhibition was to be seen in the +circle which the crowd had left open in their midst. There were +merry laughing and jesting and questioning amongst each other, as to +what all this could mean, and what proclamation that could be which +the drummer had just read in the palace garden. + +"It will be repeated here in a moment," said a voice from the crowd, +which increased every moment, and in whose fierce waves Pollnitz and +Trenck were forcibly swallowed up. Pressed, pushed onward by +powerful arms, resistance utterly in vain, the two companions found +themselves at the same moment in the open space just as the drummer +broke into the circle, and, playing his drumsticks with powerful and +zealous hands, he called the crowd to order. + +The drum overpowered the wild outcries and rude laughter of the vast +assemblage, and soon silenced them completely. Every man held his +breath to hear what the public crier, who had spoken so much to the +purpose by his drum, had now to declare by word of mouth. He drew +from his pocket a large document sealed with the state seal, and +took advantage of the general quiet to read the formal introductory +to all such proclamations: "We, Frederick, King of Prussia," etc., +etc. + +On coming to the throne, Frederick had abolished all that long and +absurd list of titles and dignities which had heretofore adorned the +royal declarations. Even that highest of all titles, "King by the +grace of God," had Frederick the Second set aside. He declared that, +in saying King of Prussia, all was said. His father had called +himself King of Prussia, by the grace of God; he, therefore, would +call himself simply the King of Prussia, and if he did not boast of +God's grace, it was because he would prove by deeds, not words, that +he possessed it. + +After this little digression we will return to our drummer, who now +began to read, or rather to cry out the command of the king. + +"We, Frederick, King of Prussia, order and command that no one of +our subjects shall, under any circumstances, lend gold to our master +of ceremonies, whom we have again taken into our service, or assist +him in any way to borrow money. Whoever, therefore, shall, in +despite of this proclamation, lend money to said Baron Pollnitz, +must bear the consequences; they shall make no demand for repayment, +and the case shall not be considered in court. Whosoever shall +disobey this command, shall pay a fine of fifty thalers, or suffer +fifteen days' imprisonment." + +A wild shout of laughter from the entire assembly was the reply to +this proclamation, in which the worldly-wise Pollnitz joined +heartily, while his young companion had not the courage to raise his +eyes from the ground. + +"The old courtier will burst with rage," said a gay voice from the +crowd. + +"He is a desperate borrower," cried another. + +"He has richly deserved this public shame and humiliation from the +king," said another. + +"And you call this a humiliation, a merited punishment!" cried +Pollnitz. "Why, my good friends, can you not see that this is an +honor which the king shows to his old and faithful servant? Do you +not know that by this proclamation he places Baron Pollnitz exactly +on the same footing with the princes of the blood, with the prince +royal?" + +"How is that? explain that to us," cried a hundred voices in a +breath. + +"Well, it is very simple. Has not the king recently renewed the law +which forbids, under pain of heavy punishment, the princes of the +blood to borrow money? Is not this law printed in our journals, and +made public in our collections of laws?" + +"Yes, yes! so it is," said many voices simultaneously. + +"Well, certainly, our exalted sovereign, who loves his royal +brothers so warmly, would not have cast shame upon their honor. +Certainly he would not have wished to humiliate them, and has not +done so. The king, as you must now plainly perceive, has acted +toward Baron Pollnitz precisely as he has done to his brothers." + +"And that is, without doubt, a great honor for him," cried many +voices. No one guessed the name of the speaker who was so +fortunately at hand to defend the honor of the master of ceremonies. +A general murmur of applause was heard, and even the public crier +stood still and listened to the eloquent unknown speaker, and forgot +for a while to hurry off to the next street-corner and proclaim the +royal mandate. + +"Besides, this law is 'sans consequence,' as we are accustomed to +say," said Pollnitz. "Who would not, in spite of the law, lend our +princes gold if they had need of it? And who has right to take +offence if the state refuses to pay the debts which the princes make +as private persons? The baron occupies precisely the same position. +The king, who has honored the newly returned baron with two highly +important trusts, master of ceremonies and master of the robes, will +frighten his rather lavish old friend from making debts. He chooses, +therefore, the same means by which he seeks to restrain his royal +brothers, and forbids all persons to lend gold to Pollnitz: as he +cannot well place this edict in the laws of the land, he is obliged +to make it known by the drummer. And now," said the speaker, who saw +plainly the favorable impression which his little oration had made-- +"and now, best of friends, I pray you to make way and allow me to +pass through the crowd; I must go at once to the palace to thank his +majesty for the special grace and distinction which he has showered +upon me to-day. I, myself, am Baron Pollnitz!" + +An outcry of amazement burst from the lips of hundreds, and all who +stood near Pollnitz stepped aside reverentially, in order to give +place to the distinguished gentleman who was treated by the king +exactly as if he were a prince of the blood. Pollnitz stepped with a +friendly smile through the narrow way thus opened for him, and +greeted, with his cool, impertinent manner those who respectfully +stood back. + +"I think I have given the king a Roland for his Oliver," he said to +himself. "I have broken the point from the arrow which was aimed at +me, and it glanced from my bosom without wounding me. Public opinion +will be on my side from this time, and that which was intended for +my shame has crowned me with honor. It was, nevertheless, a harsh +and cruel act, for which I will one day hold a reckoning with +Frederick. Ah, King Frederick! King Frederick! I shall not forget, +and I will have my revenge; my cards are also well arranged, and I +hold important trumps. I will wait yet a little while upon our +lovelorn shepherd, this innocent and tender Trenck, who is in a +dangerous way about the little princess." + +Pollnitz waited for Trenck, who had with difficulty forced his way +through the crowd and hastened after him. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +THE FIRST INTERVIEW. + + +The ball at the palace was opened. The two queens and the princesses +had just entered the great saloon, in order to receive the +respectful greetings of the ladies of the court; while the king, in +an adjoining room, was surrounded by the gentlemen. A glittering +circle of lovely women, adorned with diamonds and other rich gems, +stood on each side of the room, each one patiently awaiting the +moment when the queens should pass before her, and she might have +the honor of bowing almost to the earth under the glance of the +royal eye. + +According to etiquette, Queen Elizabeth Christine, who, +notwithstanding her modest and retired existence, was the reigning +sovereign, should have made the grand tour alone, and received the +first congratulations of the court; but this unhappy, shrinking +woman, had never found the courage to assume the rights or +privileges which belonged to her as wife of the king. She who was +denied the highest and holiest of all distinctions, the first place +in the heart of her husband, cared nothing for these pitiful and +outward advantages. Elizabeth had to-day, as usual, with a soft +smile, given precedence to the queen-mother, Sophia Dorothea, who +was ever thirsting to show that she held the first place at her +son's court, and who, delighted to surround herself with all the +accessories of pomp and power, was ever ready to use her +prerogative. With a proud and erect head, and an almost contemptuous +smile, she walked slowly around the circle of high-born dames, who +bowed humbly before this representative of royalty. Behind her came +the reigning queen, between the two princesses, who now and then +gave special and cordial greetings to their personal friends as they +passed, Elizabeth Christine saw this and sighed bitterly. She had no +personal friend to grace with a loving greeting. No man saw any +thing else in her than a sovereign by sufferance, a woman sans +consequence, a, powerless queen and unbeloved wife. She had never +had a friend into whose sympathetic and silent bosom she could pour +out her griefs. She was alone, so entirely alone and lonely, that +the heavy sighs and complaints dwelling in her heart were ever +reverberating in her cars because of the surrounding silence. And +now, as she made the grand tour with the two princesses, no one +seemed to see her; she was regarded as the statue of a queen, richly +dressed and decked with costly lace and jewels, but only a picture: +yet this picture had a soul and a heart of fire--it was a woman, a +wife, who loved and who endured. + +Suddenly she trembled; a light, like the glory of sunshine, flashed +in her eyes, and a soft rosy blush spread over her fair cheek. The +king had entered the room; yes, he was there in all his beauty, his +majesty, his power; Elizabeth felt that the world was bright, her +blood was rushing madly through her veins, her heart was beating as +stormily as that of an impassioned young girl. Oh, it might be that +the eye of the king--that glowing, wondrous eye--might even by +accident rest upon her; it might be that Frederick would be touched +by her patient endurance, her silent resignation, and give her one +friendly word. She had been four years a queen, for four years this +title had been a crown of thorns; during all this weary time her +husband had not vouchsafed to her poor heart, sick unto death, one +single sympathetic word, one affectionate glance; he sat by her side +at the table during the court festivals; he had from time to time, +at the balls and masquerades, opened the dance with her; never, +however, since that day on which he had printed the first kiss upon +her lips, never had he spoken to her; since that moment she was to +him the picture of a queen, the empty form of a woman. [Footnote: +The king never spoke to his wife, but his manner toward her was +considerate and respectful; no one dared to fail in the slightest +mark of courtly observance toward Elizabeth--this the king sternly +exacted. Only once did the king address her. During the seventh year +of their marriage, the queen, by an unhappy accident, had seriously +injured her foot: this was a short time before her birthday, which +event was always celebrated with great pomp and ceremony, the king +honoring the fete with his presence. On this occasion he came as +usual, but in place of the distant and silent bow with which he +usually greeted her, he drew near, gave her his hand, and said with +kindly sympathy, "I sincerely hope that your majesty has recovered +from your accident." A general surprise was pictured in the faces of +all present--but the poor queen was so overcome by this unexpected +happiness, she had no power to reply, she bowed silently. The king +frowned and turned from her. Since that day, the happiness of which +she had bought with an injured foot, the king had not spoken to +her.] But Queen Elizabeth would not despair. Hope was her motto. A +day might come when he would speak to her, when he would forget that +she had been forced upon him as his wife, a day when his heart might +be touched by her grief, her silent and tearless love. Every meeting +with Frederick was to this poor queen a time of hope, of joyful +expectation; this alone sustained her, this gave her strength +silently, even smilingly, to draw her royal robe over her bleeding +heart. + +And now the king drew near, surrounded by the princesses and the +queen-mother, to whom he gave his hand with an expression of +reverence and filial love. He then bowed silently and indifferently +to his wife, and gave a merry greeting to his two sisters. + +"Ladies," said he, in a full, rich voice, "allow me to present to +you and my court my brother, the Prince Augustus William; he is now +placed before you in a new and more distinguished light." He took +the hand of his brother and led him to the queen-mother. "I +introduce your son to you; he will be from this day onward, if it so +please you, also your grandson." + +"How is that, your majesty? I confess you have brought about many +seemingly impossible things; but I think it is beyond your power to +make Augustus at the same time both my son and my grandson." + +"Ah, mother, if I make him my son, will he not be of necessity, your +grandson? I appoint him my successor; in so doing, I declare him my +son. Embrace him, therefore, your majesty, and be the first to greet +him by his new title. Embrace the Prince of Prussia, my successor." + +"I obey," said the queen, "I obey," and she cast her arms +affectionately around her son. "I pray God that this title of +'Prince of Prussia,' which it has pleased your majesty to lend him, +may be long and honorably worn." + +The prince bowed low before his mother, who tenderly kissed his +brow, then whispered, "Oh, mother, pray rather that God may soon +release me from this burden." + +"How!" cried the queen threateningly, "you have then a strong desire +to be king? Has your vaulting ambition made you forget that to wish +to be king is, at the same time, to wish the death of your brother?" + +The prince smiled sadly. + +"Mother, I would lay aside this rank of Prince of Prussia, not +because I wish to mount the throne, but I would fain lie down in the +cold and quiet grave." + +"Are you always so sad, so hopeless, my son--even now, upon this day +of proud distinction for you? To-day you take your place as Prince +of Prussia." + +"Yes, your majesty, to-day I am crowned with honor," said he, +bitterly. "This is also the anniversary of my betrothal." + +Augustus turned and drew near to the king, who seized his hand and +led him to his wife and the young princesses, saying with a loud +voice, "Congratulate the Prince of Prussia, ladies." He then +beckoned to some of his generals, and drew back with them to the +window. As he passed the queen, his eye rested upon her for a moment +with an expression of sympathy and curiosity; he observed her with +the searching glance of a physician, who sinks the probe into the +bleeding wound, in order to know its depth and danger. + +The queen understood his purpose. That piercing glance was a +warning; it gave her courage, self-possession, and proud +resignation. Her husband had spoken to her with his eyes; that must +ever be a consolation, a painful but sweet joy. She controlled +herself so far as to give her hand to the prince with a cordial +smile. + +"You are most welcome in your double character," she said, in a +voice loud enough to be heard by the king and all around her. "Until +to-day, you have been my beloved brother; and from this time will +you be to me, as also to my husband, a dear son. By the decrees of +Providence a son has been denied me; I accept you, therefore, +joyfully, and receive you as my son and brother." + +A profound silence followed these words; here and there in the +crowd, slight and derisive smiles were seen, and a few whispered and +significant words were uttered. The queen had now received the last +and severest blow; in the fulness and maturity of her beauty she had +been placed before the court as unworthy or incapable of giving a +successor to the throne; but she still wished to save appearances: +she would, if possible, make the world believe that the decree of +Providence alone denied to her a mother's honors. She had the cruel +courage to conceal the truth by prevarication. + +The watchful eyes of the court had long since discovered the mystery +of this royal marriage: they had long known that the queen was not +the wife of Frederick; her words, therefore, produced contemptuous +surprise. + +Elizabeth cared for none of these things. She looked toward her +husband, whose eyes were fixed upon her; she would read in his +countenance if he were pleased with her words. A smile played upon +the lips of the king, and he bowed his head almost imperceptibly as +a greeting to his wife. + +A golden ray of sunlight seemed to play upon her face; content was +written in her eyes; twice to-day her glance had met her husband's, +and both times his eyes had spoken. Elizabeth was happier than she +had been for many days; she laughed and jested with the ladies, and +conversed gayly over the great event of the evening--the first +appearance of the Signora Barbarina. The princesses, also, conversed +unceremoniously with the ladies near them. A cloud darkened the +usually clear brow of the Princess Amelia, and she seemed to be in a +nervous and highly excited state. + +At this moment the master of ceremonies, Pollnitz, drew near, with +Count Tessin, the Swedish ambassador. The princess immediately +assumed so scornful an expression, that even Pollnitz scarcely found +courage to present Count Tessin. + +"Ah! you come from Sweden," said Amelia, immediately after the +presentation. "Sweden is a dark and gloomy country, and you have +indeed done well to save yourself, by taking refuge in our gay and +sunny clime." + +The count was evidently wounded. + +"Your royal highness calls this a refuge," said he; "you must, then, +think those to be pitied who dwell in my fatherland?" + +"I do not feel it necessary to confide my views on that subject to +Count Tessin," said Amelia, with a short, rude laugh. + +"Yes, sister, it is necessary," said Ulrica, with a magical smile, +"you must justify yourself to the count, for you have cast contempt +upon his country." + +"Ah! your highness is pleased to think better of my fatherland," +said Tessin, bowing low to Ulrica. "It is true, Sweden is rich in +beauty, and nowhere is nature more romantic or more lovely. The +Swedes love their country passionately, and, like the Swiss, they +die of homesickness when banished from her borders. They languish +and pine away if one is cruel enough to think lightly of their +birth-place." + +"Well, sir, I commit this cruelty," cried Amelia, "and yet I +scarcely think you will languish and pine away on that account." + +"Dear sister, I think you are out of temper to-day," said Ulrica, +softly. + +"And you are wise to remind me of it in this courtly style," said +Amelia; "have you taken the role of governess for my benefit to- +day?" + +Ulrica shrugged her shoulders and turned again to the count, who was +watching the young Amelia with a mixture of astonishment and anger. +She had been represented at the Swedish court as a model of +gentleness, amiability, and grace; he found her rude and +contradictory, fitful and childish. The Princess Ulrica soon led the +thoughts of the count in another direction, and managed to retain +him at her side by her piquant and intellectual conversation; she +brought every power of her mind into action; she was gracious in the +extreme; she overcame her proud nature, and assumed a winning +gentleness; in short, she flattered the ambassador with such +delicate refinement, that he swallowed the magical food offered to +his vanity, without suspecting that he was victimized. + +Neither the princess nor the count seemed any longer to remember +Amelia, who still stood near them with a lowering visage. Pollnitz +made use of this opportunity to draw near with his young protege, +Frederick von Trenck, and present him to the princess, who +immediately assumed a gay and laughing expression; she wished to +give the ambassador a new proof of her stormy and fitful nature: she +would humble him by proving that she was not harsh and rude to all +the world. She received the two gentlemen, therefore, with great +cordiality, and laughed heartily over the adventure of the morning; +she recounted to them, merrily and wittily, how and why she had +thrown the sweet roses away. Amelia was now so lovely and so +spirited to look upon, so radiant with youth, animation, and +innocence, that the eyes of the poor young officer were dazzled and +sought the floor; completely intoxicated and bewildered, he could +not join in the conversation, uttering here and there only a +trembling monosyllable. + +This did not escape the cunning eye of the master of ceremonies. "I +must withdraw," thought he; "I will grant them a first tete-a-tete. +I will observe them from a distance, and be able to decide if my +plan will succeed." Excusing himself upon the plea of duty, Pollnitz +withdrew; he glided into a window and concealed himself behind the +curtains, in order to watch the countenances of his two victims. +Pollnitz had rightly judged. The necessity of taking part in the +conversation with the princess restored to the young officer his +intellect and his courage, and, in the effort to overcome his +timidity, he became too earnest, too impassioned. + +But the princess did not remark this; she rejoiced in an opportunity +to show the Swedish ambassador how amiable and gracious she could be +to others, and thus make him more sensible of her rudeness to +himself; he should see and confess that she could be winning and +attractive when it suited her purpose. The count observed her +narrowly, even while conversing with Ulrica; he saw her ready smile, +her beaming eye, her perhaps rather demonstrative cordiality to the +young officer. "She is changeable and coquettish," he said to +himself, while still carrying on his conversation with the talented, +refined, and thoroughly maidenly Princess Ulrica. + +The great and, as we have said, somewhat too strongly marked +kindliness of Amelia, added fuel to the passion of Trenck; he became +more daring. + +"I have to implore your highness for a special grace," said he in a +suppressed voice. + +"Speak on," said she, feeling at that moment an inexplicable emotion +which made her heart beat high, and banished the blood from her +cheeks. + +"I have dared to preserve one of the roses which you threw into the +garden. It was a mad theft, I know it, but I was under the power of +enchantment; I could not resist, and would at that moment have paid +for the little blossom with my heart's blood. Oh, if your royal +highness could have seen, when I entered my room and closed the +door, with what rapture I regarded my treasure, how I knelt before +it and worshipped it, scarcely daring to touch it with my lips! it +recalled to me a lovely fairy tale of my childhood." + +"How could a simple rose recall a fairy tale?" said Amelia. + +"It is a legend of a poor shepherd-boy, who, lonely and neglected, +had fallen asleep under a tree near the highway. Before sleeping, he +had prayed to God to have pity upon him; to fill this great and +painful void in his heart, or to send His Minister, Death, to his +release. While sleeping he had a beautiful dream. He thought he saw +the heavens open, and an angel of enchanting grace and beauty +floated toward him. Her eyes glowed like two of the brightest stars. +'You shall be no longer lonely,' she whispered; 'my image shall +abide ever in your heart, and strengthen and stimulate you to all +things good and beautiful.' While saying this, she laid a wondrous +rose upon his eyes, and, floating off, soon disappeared in the +clouds. The poor shepherd-boy awoke, and was enraptured with what he +supposed had been a wild dream. But lo! there was the rose, and with +unspeakable joy he pressed it to his heart. He thanked God for this +sweet flower, which proved to him that the angel was no dream, but a +reality. The rose, the visible emblem of his good angel, was the joy +and comfort of his life, and he wore it ever in his heart.--I +thought of this fairy tale, princess, as I looked upon my rose, but +I felt immediately that I dared not call it mine without the consent +of your highness. Decide, therefore; dare I keep this rose?" + +Amelia did not reply. She had listened with a strange embarrassment +to this impassioned tale. The world--all, was forgotten; she was no +longer a princess, she was but a simple young girl, who listened for +the first time to words of burning passion, and whose heart trembled +with sweet alarm. + +"Princess, dare I guard this rose?" repeated Frederick, with a +trembling voice. + +She looked at him; their eyes met; the young maiden trembled, but +the man stood erect. He felt strong, proud, and a conqueror; his +glance was like the eagle's, when about to seize a lamb and bear it +to his eyrie. + +"He goes too far; truly, he goes too far," whispered Pollnitz, who +had seen all, and from their glances and movements had almost read +their thoughts and words. "I must bring this tete-a-tete to an end, +and I shall do so in a profitable manner." + +"Dare I keep this rose?" said Frederick von Trenck, a third time. + +Amelia turned her head aside and whispered, "Keep it." + +Trenck would have answered, but in that moment a hand was laid upon +his arm, and Pollnitz stood near him. + +"Prudence," whispered he, anxiously. "Do you not see that you are +observed? You will make of your insane and treasonable passion a +fairy tale for the whole court." + +Amelia uttered a slight cry, and looked anxiously at Pollnitz. She +had heard his whispered words, and the sly baron intended that she +should. + +"Will your royal highness dismiss this madman," whispered he, "and +allow me to awake his sleeping reason?" + +"Go, Herr von Trenck," said she lightly. + +Pollnitz took the arm of the young officer and led him off, saying +to himself, with a chuckle: "That was a good stroke, and I feel that +I shall succeed; I have betrayed his passion to her, and forced +myself into their confidence. I shall soon be employed as Love's +messenger, and that is ever with princesses a profitable service. +Ah, King Frederick, King Frederick, you have made it impossible for +me to borrow money! Well, I shall not find that necessary; my hands +shall be filled from the royal treasures. When the casket of the +princess is empty, the king must of course replenish it." And the +baron laughed too loudly for a master of ceremonies. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +SIGNORA BARBARINA. + + +The princess regarded their retreating figures with dreamy eyes. +Then, yielding to an unconquerable desire to be alone, to give +herself up to undisturbed thought, she was about to withdraw; but +the Princess Ulrica, who thought it necessary that the Swedish +ambassador should have another opportunity of observing the proud +and sullen temper of her sister, called her back. + +"Remain a moment longer, Amelia," said the princess. "You shall +decide between Count Tessin and myself. Will you accept my sister as +umpire, count?" + +"Without doubt," said the count. "I should be greatly honored if the +princess will be so gracious. Perhaps I may be more fortunate on +this occasion." + +"It appears to me," said Amelia, rudely interrupting him, "that +'fortunate' and 'unfortunate' are not terms which can be properly +used in any connection between a princess of Prussia and yourself." +Amelia then turned toward her sister and gave her a glance which +plainly said: Well, do I not play my role in masterly style? Have I +not hastened to follow your counsels? "Speak, sister; name the point +which Count Tessin dares to contest with you." + +"Oh, the count is a man and a scholar, and has full right to +differ," said Ulrica, graciously. "The question was a comparison of +Queen Elizabeth of England and Queen Christina of Sweden. I maintain +that Christina had a stronger and more powerful intellect; that she +knew better how to conquer her spirit, to master her womanly +weaknesses; that she was more thoroughly cultivated, and studied +philosophy and science, not as Elizabeth, for glitter and show, but +because she had an inward thirst for knowledge. The count asserts +that Elizabeth was better versed in statecraft, and a more amiable +woman. Now, Amelia, to which of these two queens do you give the +preference?" + +"Oh, without doubt, to Queen Christina of Sweden. This great woman +was wise enough not to regard the crown of Sweden as a rare and +precious gem; she chose a simple life of obscurity and poverty in +beautiful Italy, rather than a throne in cold and unfruitful Sweden. +This act alone establishes her superiority. Yes, sister, you are +right. Christina was the greater woman, even because she scorned to +be Queen of Sweden." + +So saying, Amelia bowed slightingly, and, turning aside, she +summoned Madame von Kleist, and commenced a merry chat with her. +Count Tessin regarded her with a dark and scornful glance, and +pressed his lips tightly together, as if to restrain his anger. + +"I beseech you, count," said Ulrica, in a low, soft voice, "not to +be offended at the thoughtless words of my dear little sister. It is +true, she is a little rude and resentful to-day; but you will see-- +to-morrow, perhaps, will be one of her glorious sunny days, and you +will find her irresistibly charming. Her moods are changeable, and +for that reason we call her our little 'April fee.'" + +"Ah, the princess is, then, as uncertain as April?" said the count, +with a frosty smile. + +"More uncertain than April," said Ulrica, sweetly. "But what would +you, sir? we all, brothers and sisters, are responsible for that. +You must know that she is our favorite, and is always indulged. I +counsel you not to find fault with our little sister, Count Tessin; +that would be to bring an accusation against us all. You have +suffered to-day from a shower of her April moods; to-morrow you may +rejoice in the sunshine of her favor." + +"I shall, however, be doubtful and anxious," said the ambassador, +coolly; "the April sun is sometimes accompanied by rain and storm, +and these sudden changes bring sickness and death." + +"Allow me to make one request," said Ulrica. "Let not the king guess +that you have suffered from these April changes." + +"Certainly not; and if your royal highness will graciously allow me +to bask in the sunshine of your presence, I shall soon recover from +the chilling effect of these April showers." + +"Well, I think we have played our parts admirably," said Ulrica to +herself, as she found time, during the course of the evening, to +meditate upon the events of the day. "Amelia will accomplish her +purpose, and will not be Queen of Sweden. She would have it so, and +I shall not reproach myself." + +Princess Ulrica leaned comfortably back in her arm-chair, and gave +her attention to a play of Voltaire, which was now being performed. +This representation took place in the small theatre in the royal +palace. There was no public theatre in Berlin, and the king justly +pronounced the large opera-house unsuited to declamation. Frederick +generally gave his undivided attention to the play, but this evening +he was restless and impatient, and he accorded less applause to this +piquant and witty drama of his favorite author than he was wont to +do. The king was impatient, because the king was waiting. He had so +far restrained all outward expression of his impatient curiosity; +the French play had not commenced one moment earlier than usual. +Frederick had, according to custom, gone behind the scenes, to say a +few friendly and encouraging words to the performers, to call their +attention to his favorite passages, and exhort them to be truly +eloquent in their recitations. And now the king waited; he felt +feverishly impatient to see and judge for himself this capricious +beauty, this world-renowned artiste, this Signora Barbarina, whose +rare loveliness and grace enchanted and bewildered all who looked +upon her. + +At length the curtain fell. In a few moments he would see the +Barbarina dance her celebrated solo. A breathless stillness reigned +throughout the assembly; every eye was fixed upon the curtain. The +bell sounded, the curtain flew up, and a lovely landscape met the +eye: in the background a village church, rose-bushes in rich bloom, +and shady trees on every side; the declining sun gilded the summit +of the mountain, against the base of which the little village +nestled. The distant sound of the evening bell was calling the +simple cottagers to "Ave Maria." It was an enchanting picture of +innocence and peace; in striking contrast to this courtly +assemblage, glittering with gems and starry orders--a startling +opposite to that sweet, pure idyl. And now this select circle seemed +agitated as by an electric shock. There, upon the stage, floated the +Signora Barbarina. + +The king raised himself involuntarily a little higher in his arm- +chair, in order to examine the signora more closely; he leaned back, +however, ashamed of his impatience, and a light cloud was on his +brow; he felt himself oppressed and overcome by this magical beauty. +He who had looked death in the face without emotion, who had seen +the deadly cannon-balls falling thickly around him without a +trembling of the eyelids, now felt a presentiment of danger, and +shrank from it. + +Barbarina was indeed lovely, irresistibly lovely, in her ravishing +costume of a shepherdess; her dress was of crimson satin, her black +velvet bodice was fastened over her voluptuous bosom by rich golden +cords, finished off by tassels glittering with diamonds. A wreath of +crimson roses adorned her hair, which fell in graceful ringlets +about her wondrous brow, and formed a rich frame around her pure, +oval face. The dark incarnate of her full, ripe lip contrasted +richly with the light, rosy blush of her fair, smooth cheek. +Barbarina's smile was a promise of love and bliss; and, when those +great fiery eyes looked at you earnestly, there was such an intense +glow, such a depth of power and passion in their rays, you could not +but feel that there was danger in her love as in her scorn. + +To-day, she would neither threaten nor inspire; she was only a +smiling, joyous, simple peasant-girl, who had returned wild with joy +to her native village, and whose rapture found expression in the gay +and graceful mazes of the dance. She floated here and there, like a +wood-nymph, smiling, happy, careless, wonderful to look upon in her +loveliness and beauty, but more wonderful still in her art. +Simplicity and grace marked every movement; there seemed no +difficulties in her path--to dance was her happiness. + +The dance was at an end. Barbarina, breathless, glowing, smiling, +bowed low. Then all was still; no hand was moved, no applause +greeted her. Her great burning eyes wandered threateningly and +questioningly over the saloon; then, raising her lovely head +proudly, she stepped back. + +The curtain fell, and now all eyes were fixed upon the king, in +whose face the courtiers expected to read the impression which the +signora had made upon him; but the countenance of the king told +nothing; he was quiet and thoughtful, his brow was stern, and his +lips compressed. The courtiers concluded that he was disappointed, +and began at once to find fault, and make disparaging remarks. +Frederick did not regard them. At this moment he was not a king, he +was only a man--a man who, in silent rapture, had gazed upon this +wondrous combination of grace and beauty. The king was a hero, but +he trembled before this woman, and a sort of terror laid hold upon +him. + +The curtain rose, and the second act of the drama began; no one +looked at the stage; after this living, breathing, impersonation of +a simple story, a spoken drama seemed oppressive. Every one rejoiced +when the second act was at an end. The curtain would soon rise for +Barbarina. + +But this did not occur; there was a long delay; there was eager +expectation; the curtain did not rise; the bell did not ring. At +last, Baron Swartz crossed the stage and drew near to the king. + +"Sire," said he, "the Signora Barbarina declares she will not dance +again; she is exhausted by grief and anxiety, and fatigued by her +journey." + +"Go and say to her that I command her to dance," said Frederick, who +felt himself once more a king, and rejoiced in his power over this +enchantress, who almost held him in her toils. + +Baron Swartz hastened behind the scenes, but soon returned, somewhat +cast down. + +"Sire, the signora affirms that she will not dance, and that the +king has no power to compel her. She dances to please herself." + +"Ah! that is a menace," said the king, threateningly; and without +further speech he stepped upon the stage, followed by Baron Swartz. +"Where is this person?" said the king. + +"She is in her own room, your majesty; shall I call her?" + +"No, I will go to her. Show me the way." + +The baron stepped forward, and Frederick endeavored to collect +himself and assume a cool and grave bearing. + +"Sire, this is the chamber of the Signora Barbarina." + +"Open the door." But before the baron had time to obey the command, +the impatient hand of the king had opened the door, and he had +entered the room. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE KING AND BARBARINA. + + +Barbarina was resting, half reclining, and wholly abstracted, upon a +small crimson divan; her rounded arms were crossed over her breast. +She fixed her blazing, glowing eyes upon the intruders, and seemed +petrified, in her stubborn immobility, her determined silence. She +had the glance of a panther who has prepared herself for death, or +to slay her enemy. + +The king stood a moment quiet and waiting, but Barbarina did not +move. Baron Swartz, alarmed by her contemptuous and disrespectful +bearing, drew near, in order to say that the king had vouchsafed to +visit her, but Frederick motioned him to withdraw; and, in order +that Barbarina might not understand him, he told him in German to +leave the room and await him in the corridor. + +"I do not wish the signora to know that I am the king," said he. As +the baron withdrew, Frederick said to him, "Leave the door open." + +Barbarina was motionless, only her large black eyes wandered +questioningly from one to the other; she sought to read the meaning +of their words, not one of which she understood; but her features +expressed no anxiety, no disquiet; she did not look like a culprit +or a rebel; she had rather the air of a stern queen, withholding her +royal favor. The king drew near her. Her eyes were fixed upon him +with inexpressible, earnest calm; and this cool indifference, so +rarely seen by a king, embarrassed Frederick, and at the same time +intoxicated him. + +"You are, then, determined not to dance again?" said the king. + +"Fully determined," said she, in a rich and sonorous voice. + +"Beware! beware!" said he; but he could not assume that threatening +tone which he wished. "The king may perhaps compel you." + +"Compel me! me, the Barbarina!" said she, with a mocking laugh, aim +disclosing two row? of pearly teeth. "And how can the king compel me +to dance?" + +"You must be convinced that he has some power over you, since he +brought you here against your will." + +"Yes, that is true," said she, raising herself up proudly; "he +brought me here by force; he has acted like a barbarian, a cold- +blooded tyrant!" + +"Signora," said Frederick, menacingly, "one does not speak so of +kings." + +"And why not?" she said, passionately. "What is your king to me? +What claim has he upon my love, upon my consideration, or even my +obedience? What has he done for me, that I should regard him +otherwise than as a tyrant? What is he to me? I am myself a queen; +yes, and believe me, a proud and an obstinate one! Who and what is +this king, whom I do not know, whom I have never seen, who has +forgotten that I am a woman, yes, forgotten that he is a man, though +he bears the empty title of a king? A true king is always and only a +gallant cavalier in his conduct to women. If he fails in this, he is +contemptible and despised." + +"How! you despise the king?" said Frederick, who really enjoyed this +unaccustomed scene. + +"Yes, I despise him! yes, I hate him!" cried the Barbarina, with a +wild and stormy outbreak of her southern nature. "I no longer pray +to God for my own happiness; that this cruel king has destroyed. I +pray to God for revenge; yes, for vengeance upon this man, who has +no heart, and who tramples the hearts of others under his feet. And +God will help me. I shall revenge myself on this man. I have sworn +it--I will keep my word! Go, sir, and tell this to your king; tell +him to beware of Barbarina. Greater, bolder, more magnanimous than +he, I warn him! Cunningly; slyly, unwarned, by night I was fallen +upon by spies, and dragged like a culprit to Berlin." + +The king had no wish to put an end to this piquant scene; he was +only accustomed to the voice of praise and of applause; it was a +novelty, and therefore agreeable to be so energetically railed at +and abused. + +"Do you not fear that the king will be angry when I repeat your +words?" + +"Fear! What more can your king do, that I should fear him? Yes, he +is a king; but am not I a queen? This paltry kingdom is but a small +portion of the world, which is mine, wholly mine; it belongs to me, +as it belongs to the eagle who spreads her proud wings and looks +down upon her vast domains; he has millions in his treasury, but +they are pressed from the pockets of his poor subjects; he requires +many agents to collect his gold, and his people give it grudgingly, +but my subjects bring their tribute joyfully and lay it at my feet +with loving words. Look you! look at these two little feet: they are +my assessors; they collect the taxes from my people, and all the +dwellers in Europe are mine. These are my agents, they bring me in +millions of gold; they are also my avengers, by their aid I shall +revenge myself on your barbaric king." + +She leaned back upon the pillows and breathed audibly, exhausted by +her wild passion. The king looked at her with wonder. She was to him +a rare and precious work of art, something to be studied and +worshipped. Her alluring beauty, her impetuous, uncontrolled +passions, her bold sincerity, were all attractions, and he felt +himself under the spell of her enchantments. Let her rail and swear +to be revenged on the barbarian. The king heard her not; a simple +gentleman stood before her; a man who felt that Barbarina was right, +and who confessed to himself that the king had forgotten, in her +rude seizure, that this Barbarina was a woman--forgotten that he, in +all his relations with women, should be only a cavalier. + +"Yes, yes," said Barbarina, and an expression of triumph was painted +on her lips--"yes, my little feet will be my avengers. The king will +never more see them dance--never more; they have cost him thousands +of gold; because of them he is at variance with the noble Republic +of Venice. Well, he has seen them for the last time. Ah! it is a +light thing to subdue a province, but impossible to conquer a woman +and an artiste who is resolved not to surrender." + +Frederick smiled at these proud words. + +"So you will not dance before the king, and yet you have danced for +him this evening?" + +"Yes," said she, raising her head proudly. "I have proved to him +that I am an artiste; only when he feels that, will it pain him +never again to see me exercise my art." + +"That is, indeed, refined reasoning," said the king. "You danced, +then, in order to make the king thirst anew for this intoxicating +draught, and then deny him? Truly, one must be an Italian to +conceive this plan." + +"I am an Italian, and woe to me that I am!" A storm of tears gushed +from her eyes, but in a moment, as if scorning her own weakness, she +drove them back into her heart. "Poor Italian," she said, in a soft, +low tone--"poor child of the South, what are you doing in this cold +North, amongst these frosty hearts whose icy smiles petrify art and +beauty? Ah! to think that even the Barbarina could not melt the ice- +rind from their pitiful souls; to think that she displayed before +them all the power and grace of her art, and they looked on with +motionless hands and silent lips! Ah! this humiliation would have +killed me in Italy, because I love my people, and they understand +and appreciate all that is rare and beautiful. My heart burns with +scorn and contempt for these torpid Berliners." + +"I understand you now," said the king; "you heard no bravos, you +were not applauded; therefore you are angry?" + +"I laugh at it!" said she, looking fiercely at the king. "Do you not +know, sir, that this applause, these bravos, are to the artiste as +the sound of a trumpet to the gallant war-horse, they invigorate and +inspire, and swell the heart with strength and courage? When the +artiste stands upon the stage, the saloon before him is his heaven, +and there his judges sit, to bestow eternal happiness or eternal +condemnation; to crown him with immortal fame, or cover him with +shame and confusion. Now, sir, that I have explained to you that the +stage saloon is our heaven, and the spectators are our judges, you +will understand that these bravos are to us as the music of the +spheres." + +"Yes, I comprehend," said the king, smiling; "but you must be +indulgent; in this theatre etiquette forbids applause. You have +danced to-day before an invited audience, who pay nothing, and +therefore have not the right to blame or praise; no one dare +applaud--no one but the king." + +"Ha! and this rude man did not applaud!" cried she, showing her +small teeth, and raising her hand threateningly toward heaven. + +"Perhaps he was motionless and drunk from rapture," said the king, +bowing gracefully; "when he sees you dance again, he will have more +control over himself, and will, perhaps, applaud you heartily." + +"Perhaps?" cried she. "I shall not expose myself to this 'perhaps.' +I will dance no more. My foot is sore, and your king cannot force me +to dance." + +"No, he cannot force you, but you will do it willingly; you will +dance for him again this evening, of your own free will." + +Barbarina answered by one burst of wild, demoniac laughter, +expressive of her scorn and her resentment. + +"You will dance again this evening," repeated Frederick, and his +keen eye gazed steadily into that of Barbarina, who, though weeping +bitterly, shook her lovely head, and gave him back bravely glance +for glance. "You will dance, Barbarina, because, if you do not, you +are lost. I do not mean by this that you are lost because the king +will punish you for your obstinacy. The king is no Bluebeard; he +neither murders women nor confines them in underground prisons; he +has no torture chambers ready for you; for the King of Prussia, whom +you hate so fiercely, has abolished the torture throughout his +kingdom--the torture, which still flourishes luxuriantly by the side +of oranges and myrtles in your beautiful Italy. No, signora, the +king will not punish you if you persist in your obstinacy; he will +only send you away, that is all." + +"And that is my only wish, all that I ask of Fate." + +"You do not know yourself. You, who are an artiste, who are a lovely +woman, who are ambitious, and look upon fame as worth striving for, +you would not lose your power, trample under foot your ambition, see +your rare beauty slighted, and your enchanting grace despised?" + +"I cannot see why all these terrible things will come to pass if I +refuse to dance again before your king?" + +"I will explain to you, signora--listen. The king (however +contemptuously you may think and speak of him) is still a man, upon +whom the eyes of all Europe are turned--that is to say," he added, +with a gay smile and a graceful bow, "when his bold eye is not +exactly fixed upon them, signora. The voice of this king has some +weight in your world, though, as yet, he has only stolen provinces +and women. It is well known that the king has so irresistible a +desire to see you and to admire you, that he forgot his knightly +gallantry, or set it aside, and, relying only upon his right, he +exacted the fulfilment of the contract signed by your own lovely +hand. That was, perhaps, not worthy of a cavalier, but it was not +unjust. You were forced to obey. You came to Berlin unwillingly, +that I confess; but you have this evening danced before the king of +your own free will. This, from your stand-point, was a great +mistake. You can no longer say, 'I will not dance before the king, +because I wish to revenge myself.' You have already danced, and no +matter with what refinement of reason you may explain this false +step, no one will believe you if the king raises his voice against +you; and he will do this, believe me. He will say: 'I brought this +Barbarina to Berlin. I wished to see if the world had gone mad or +become childish, or if Barbarina really deserved the enthusiasm and +adoration which followed her steps. Well, I have seen her dance, and +I find the world is mad in folly. I give them back their goddess-- +she does not suit me. She is a wooden image in my eyes. I wished to +capture Terpsichore herself, and lo, I found I had stolen her +chambermaid! I have seen your goddess dance once, and I am weary of +her pirouettes and minauderies. Lo, there, thou hast that is +thine.'" + +"Sir, sir!" cried Barbarina menacingly, and springing up with +flaming eyes and panting breath. + +"That is what the king will say," said Frederick quietly. "You know +that the voice of the king is full and strong; it will resound +throughout Europe. No one will believe that you refused to dance. It +will be said that you did not please the king; this will be proved +by the fact that he did not applaud, did not utter a single bravo. +In a word, it will be said you have made a fiasco." + +Barbarina sprang from her seat and laid her hand upon the arm of the +king with indescribable, inimitable grace and passion. + +"Lead me upon the stage--I will dance now. Ah, this king shall not +conquer me, shall not cast me down. No, no! I will compel him to +applaud; he shall confess that I am indeed an artiste. Tell the +director to prepare--I will come immediately upon the stage." + +Barbarina was right when she compared the artiste to a war-horse. At +this moment she did indeed resemble one: she seemed to hear the +sound of the trumpet calling to battle and to fame. Her cheeks +glowed, her nostrils dilated, a quick and violent breathing agitated +her breast, and a nervous and convulsive trembling for action was +seen in every movement. The king observed and comprehended her. He +understood her tremor and her haste; he appreciated this soul- +thirsting for fame, this fervor of ambition, excited by the +possibility of failure; her boldness enraptured him. The sincerity +and power with which she expressed her emotions, commanded his +respect; and while the king paid this tribute to her intellectual +qualities, the man at the same time confessed to himself that her +personal attractions merited the worship she received. She was +beautiful, endowed with the alluring, gentle, soft, luxurious, and +at the same time modest beauty of the Venus Anadyomene, the goddess +rising from the sea. + +"Come," said Frederick, "give me your hand. I will conduct you, and +I promise you that this time the king will applaud." + +Barbarina did not reply. In the fire of her impatience, she pressed +the king onward toward the door. Suddenly she paused, and giving him +an enchanting smile, she said, "I am, without doubt, much indebted +to you; you have warned me of a danger, and in fact guarded me from +an abyss. Truly I think this was not done for my sake, but because +your king had commanded that I should dance. Your reasons were well +grounded, and I thank you sincerely. I pray you, sir, give me your +name, that I may guard it in my memory as the only pleasant +association with Berlin." + +"From this day, signora, you will confess that you owe me a small +service. You have told ine it was a light task to win provinces, but +to capture and subdue a woman was impossible, I hope now I shall be +a hero in your eyes: I have not only conquered provinces, I have +captured a woman and subdued her." + +Barbarina was neither astonished nor alarmed at these words. She had +seen so many kings and princes at her feet to be blinded by the +glitter of royalty. She let go the arm of the king, and said calmly +and coolly: "Sire, I do not ask for pardon or grace. The possessor +of a crown must wear it, if he demands that it should be +acknowledged and respected, and the pomp and glare of royalty is, it +seems, easily veiled. Besides, I would not have acted otherwise, had +I known who it was that dared intrude upon me." + +"I am convinced of that," said Frederick, smiling. "You are a queen +who has but small consideration for the little King of Prussia, +because he requires so many agents to impress the gold from the +pockets of his unwilling subjects. You are right--my agents cost me +much money, and bring small tribute, while yours cost nothing and +yield a rich harvest. Come, signora, your assessors must enter upon +their duties." + +He nodded to Baron Swartz, who stood in the corridor, and said in +German, "The signora will dance; she must be received with respect +and treated with consideration." He gave a light greeting to +Barbarina and returned to the saloon, where he found the last act of +the drama just concluded. + +Every eye was fixed upon the king as he entered. He had left the +room in anger, and the courtiers almost trembled at the thought of +his fierce displeasure; but Frederick's brow was clear, and an +expression of peace and quiet was written on his features. He took +his place between the two queens, muttered a few words of +explanation to his mother, and bowed smilingly to his wife. Poor +queen! poor Elizabeth Christine! she had the sharp eye of a loving +and jealous woman, and she saw in the king's face what no one, not +even Frederick himself, knew. While every eye was turned upon the +stage; while all with breathless rapture gazed upon the marvellous +beauty and grace of Barbarina, the queen alone fixed a stolen and +trembling glance upon the countenance of her husband. She saw not +that Barbarina, inspired by ambition and passion, was more lovely, +more enchanting than before. Her eyes were fixed upon the face of +her husband, now luminous with admiration and delight; she saw his +soft smile, and the iron entered her soul. + +The dance was at an end. Barbarina came forward and bowed low; and +now something happened so unheard of, so contrary to court +etiquette, that the master of ceremonies was filled with surprise +and disapprobation. The king applauded, not as gracious kings +applaud generally, by laying his hands lightly together, but like a +wild enthusiast who wishes to confess to the world that he is +bewildered, enraptured. He then rose from his chair, and turning to +the princesses and generals behind him, he said, "Gentlemen, why do +you not applaud?" and as if these magical words had released the +hands from bondage and given life to the wild rapture of applause +which had before but trembled on the lip, the wide hall rang with +the plaudits and enthusiastic bravos of the spectators. Barbarina +bowed low and still lower, an expression of happy triumph playing +upon her glowing face. + +"I have never seen a more beautiful woman," said the king, as he +sank back, seemingly exhausted, in his chair. + +Queen Elizabeth pressed her lips together, to suppress a cry of +pain. She had heard the king's words; for her they had a deeper +meaning. "He will love her, I know it, I feel it!" she said to +herself as she returned after this eventful evening to Schonhausen. +"Oh, why has God laid upon me this new trial, this new humiliation? +Until now, no one thought the less of me because I was not loved by +the king. The world said, 'The king loves no woman, he has no heart +for love.' From this day I shall be despised and pitied. The king +has found a heart. He knows now that he has not outlived his youth; +he feels that he is young--that he is young in heart, young in love! +Oh, my God! and I too am young, and love; and I must shroud my heart +in resignation and gloom." + +While the queen was pouring out her complaints and prayers to God, +the Swedish ambassador was confiding his wrath to his king. He wrote +to his sovereign, and repeated to him the angry and abusive words of +the little Princess Amelia, who was known at the court as the little +April Fee. She was more changeable than April, and more stormy and +imperious than Frederick himself. He painted skilfully the gentle +and attractive bearing of the Princess Ulrica, and asked for +permission to demand the hand of this gracious and noble princess +for Adolph Frederick. After the ambassador had written his +dispatches, and sent them by a courier to the Swedish ship lying in +the sound, he said to himself, with a triumphant smile: "Ah, my +little Princess Amelia, this is a royal punishment for royal +impertinence. You were pleased to treat me with contempt, but you +did not know that I could avenge myself by depriving you of a +kingdom. Ah, if you had guessed my mission, how smilingly you would +have greeted the Count Tessin!" + +The gentlemen diplomatists are sometimes outwitted. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +ECKHOF. + + +The reader has learned, from the foregoing chapters, what a splendid +role the French theatre and ballet were now playing at the court of +Berlin. A superb house had been built for the Italian opera and the +ballet, a stage had been prepared in the king's palace for the +French comedies, and every representation was honored by the +presence of the king, the royal family, and the court circle. The +most celebrated singers of Italy, the most graceful Parisian dancers +were now to be heard and seen in Berlin. These things assumed such +vast importance, that the king himself appeared as a critic in the +daily journals, and his articles were published in the foreign +papers. While the king favored the strange actors with his presence +and his grace, the German theatre, like a despised step-child, was +given over to misery and contempt. Compelled to seek an asylum in +low dark saloons, its actors had to be thankful for even the +permission to exist, and to plead with Apollo and the Muses for aid +and applause. The king and the so-called good society despised them +altogether. But this step-child carried under her ashes and ragged +garments the golden robes of her future greatness; her cunning step- +sisters had cast her down into obscurity and want, but she was not +extinguished; she could not be robbed of her future! Only a few +propitious circumstances were necessary to enable her to shake the +dust from her head, and bring her kingly crown to light. + +The king had given Schonemein permission to bring his company to +Berlin; and by a happy chance, Schonemein had engaged the young and +talented actor Eckhof for the season. Eckhof was destined to give +renown to the German theatre; he was justly called the first and +greatest actor in Germany. Alas, how much of misery, how much of +humiliation, how many choking tears, how much suffering and care, +how much hunger and thirst were then comprised in that one word, a +"German actor!" None but a lost or despairing man, or an enthusiast, +would enroll himself as a German actor; only when he had nothing +more to lose, and was willing to burn his ships behind him, could he +enter upon that thorny path. Religion and art have always had their +martyrs, and truly the German actors were martyrs in the time of +Frederick the Great. Blessings upon those who did not despair, and +took up their cross patiently! + +The French comedy and the Italian opera flourished like the green +bay-tree. The German actors took refuge in the saloon of the +Council-house. The lighting up of the Royal Opera-house cost two +hundred and seventy-seven florins every night. The misty light of +sweltering oil lamps illuminated the poor saloon of the Council- +house. + +The audience of the German theatre was composed of burghers, +philosophers, poets, bankers, and clerks--the people of the middle +classes, who wore no white plumes in their hats; they were indeed +allowed to enter the opera-house, but through a side passage, and +their boxes were entirely separated from those of the court circle. +These people of the middle classes seemed obscure and unimportant, +but they were educated and intelligent; even then they were a power; +proud and independent, they could not be bribed by flattery, nor +blinded by glitter and pomp. They judged the king as they judged the +beggar, the philosopher as they did the artist, and they judged +boldly and well. + +This public voice had declared that Eckhof was a great tragedian, +who rivalled successfully the great French actor, Monsieur Dennis. +This public voice, though but the voice of the people, found +entrance everywhere, even in the saloons of the nobles and cabinets +of princes. Berlin resounded with the name of Eckhof, who dared to +rival the French actor, and with the name of Schonemein, who dared, +every time a drama of Corneille or Racine, of Moliere or Voltaire, +was given in the palace theatre, to represent the same in the +Council-house on the following evening. This was a good idea. Those +who had been so fortunate as to witness the performance at the +palace, wished to compare the glittering spectacle with the poor +caricature, as they were pleased to call it, in the Council-house. +Those whose obscure position prevented them from entering the French +theatre, wished at least to see the play which had enraptured the +king and court; they must be content with a copy, somewhat like the +hungry beggar who stands before the kitchen door, and refreshes +himself by smelling the roast beef he cannot hope to taste. But +there was still a third class who visited the German theatre, not in +derision, not from curiosity, not from a desire to imitate the +nobles in their amusements, but with the seemingly Utopian hope of +building up the German drama. Amongst these were the scholars, who +pronounced the dramas of Gottsched far superior to those of +Corneille and Racine; there were the German patriots, who would not +grant a smile to the best representation of "Le Malade Imaginaire," +but declared "The Hypochondriac," by Guistorp, the wittiest drama in +the world. In short, this large class of men ranged themselves in +bold opposition to the favoritism shown to Frenchmen by Frederick +the Great. These were the elements which composed the audience in +the Council-house. + +One afternoon, just before the opening of the theatre, two young men +were walking arm-in-arm in the castle court; with one of them we are +already acquainted, Joseph Fredersdorf, the merry student of Halle, +the brother of the private secretary--he who had been commissioned +to seek the black ram, for the propitiation of the devil. In +obedience to the command of the secretary, he, with ten other +members of this unholy alliance, had been searching in every quarter +for this sacrifice. Joseph Fredersdorf, indebted to fortune or his +own adroitness, was the first to return from his wanderings, and he +brought with him a black ram, on whose glossy coat the sharpest eye +could not detect one white hair. + +Fredersdorf, and Baron Kleist, the husband of the lovely Louise von +Schwerin, were truly happy, and paid willingly some hundred thalers +for this coveted object. Indeed, they considered this a very small +interest to pay for the large capital which they would soon realize. +They were the principal leaders in the secret conspiracy for gold- +making, and many other most distinguished nobles, generals, and +officers belonged to the society. Fredersdorf was resolved to fathom +this mystery; he wished to buy himself free from his service to the +king, and wed the woman he had long so passionately loved. Kleist +was riotous and a spendthrift; he felt that gold alone would enable +him to buy smiles and rapture from this worn-out and wearisome +world. Kleist and his beautiful wife required money in large +measure; she had been a faithful companion and aid--had stood by +honestly and assisted in the waste of her own property; and now they +were compelled to confine themselves to the small income of captain +of the king's guard. + +Joseph laughed, chatted, and jested with his young companion, who +walked by his side with modest and downcast eyes. Joseph sometimes +put his hand merrily under the dimpled chins of the rosy servant- +girls who passed them from time to time, or peeped rather +impertinently under the silk hoods of the burgher maidens; his +companion blushed and took no part in these bold pastimes. + +"Truly," said Joseph, "if I did not have in my pocket a letter from +my former room-mate at Halle, introducing you as a manly, brave boy, +and a future light in the world of science, I should suspect you +were a disguised maiden; you blush like a girl, and are as timid as +a lamb which has never left its mother's side." + +"I am a villager, a poor provincial," said the youth, in a somewhat +maidenly voice. "The manners of your great city embarrass me. I +admire but cannot imitate them. I have been always a recluse, a +dusty book-worm." + +"A learned monster!" cried Joseph, mockingly, "who knows and +understands every thing except the art of enjoying life. I +acknowledge that you are greatly my superior, but I can instruct you +in that science. You have been so strongly commended to me that I +will at once commence to unfold to you the real, satisfying duties +and pleasures of life." + +"I fear," said the youth. "your science is beyond my ability. I have +no organ for it. My father is a celebrated physician in Quedlinburg; +he would be greatly distressed if I should occupy myself with any +thing else than philosophy and the arts. I myself have so little +inclination and so little ability for the enjoyment of mirth and +pleasure, that I dare not exchange the world of books for the world +of men. I do not understand their speech, and their manners are +strange to me." + +"But, without doubt, you have come to Berlin to learn something of +these things?" + +"No, I have come to visit the medical college, and to speak with the +learned and renowned Euler." + +"Folly and nonsense!" said Fredersdorf, laughing; "keep your dry +pursuits for Halle, and give your time and attention to that which +you cannot find there, gayety and amusement. I promise to be your +counsellor and comrade. Let us begin our studies at once. Do you see +that little theatre-bill fastened to the wall? Eckhof appears as +Cato to-night." + +"Go to the theatre!" said Lupinus, shrinkingly. "How! I go to the +theatre?" + +"And why not, friend?" said Joseph. "Perhaps you belong to the +pietists, who look upon the stage as the mother of blasphemy and +sin, and who rail at our noble king because he will not close these +houses?" + +"No, I do not belong to the pietists," said the youth, with a sad +smile, "and I try to serve God, by understanding and admiring His +works: that is my religion." + +"Well, it seems to me that this faith does not forbid you to enter +the theatre. If it pleases you to study God's master-work, I promise +to show you this night on the stage the noblest exemplar. Eckhof +plays this evening." + +"Who, then, is Eckhof?" + +Joseph looked at the young man with surprise, and shrugged his +shoulders contemptuously. + +"You have, indeed, been greatly neglected, and it was high time you +should come to me. You do not know, then, that Eckhof is the first +tragedian who has dared to set aside the old and absurd dress and +manners of the stage, and introduce real, living, feeling men, of +like passions with ourselves, and who move and speak even as we do. +Now we must certainly enter the theatre; look there, at that great +crowd entering the dark and lowly entrance. Let us remove our hats +reverentially; we stand before the temple of art." So saying, he +drew the young man, who had no longer courage to resist, into the +house. "This is Eckhof's benefit. You see the great tragedian has +many admirers; it seems to me that half of Berlin has come to bring +him tribute this evening." + +Lupinus sat silent and confused in the parterre, near Joseph. There +was a row of seats slightly elevated and made of common plank, +called loges; one of these nearest the stage was adorned by a golden +eagle, from which some pitiful drapery was suspended; this was +called the king's loge, but, I am constrained to say, it had never +been visited by the king or any member of the royal family. The +royal loge was indeed empty, but the great body of the house was +fearfully crowded, and many an expression of pain was heard from +those who were closely pressed and almost trampled upon. + +"It is fortunate for you that Eckhof appears as Cato tonight: it is +his best role. Perhaps your learned soul may be somewhat reconciled +to such vanities when you see a drama of Gottsched, and a hero of +the old and classic time." + +"Yes, but will not your Eckhof make a vile caricature of the noble +Roman?" sighed Lupinus. + +"You are a pedant, and I trust the Muses will revenge themselves +upon you this night," said Joseph, angrily. "I prophesy that you +will become this evening a wild enthusiast for Eckhof: that is +always the punishment for those who come as despisers and doubters. +If you were a girl, I should know that you would be passionately in +love with Eckhof before you slept; you have taken the first step, by +hating him." + +Joseph said this thoughtlessly, and did not remark the deep +impression his words made upon the stranger. His face flushed, and +his head sank upon his breast. Joseph saw nothing of this. At this +moment the curtain rose and the piece began. + +A breathless silence reigned throughout the vast crowd; every eye +was fixed upon the stage; and now, with a stately step and a Roman +toga falling in artistic folds from his shoulders, Eckhof as Cato +stood before them. Every thing about him was antique; his noble and +proud bearing, his firm and measured step, his slow but easy +movements, even the form of his head and the expression of his +finely-cut features, were eminently classic. He was the complete and +perfect picture of an old Roman; nothing was forgotten. The sandals, +laced with red over the powerful and well-formed leg; the white +under-garment and leathern girdle, the blue toga, the cut of his +hair, every thing brought before you the noble Roman, the son of +Liberty, imposing in his majesty and power. + +Eckhof was the first who had the courage to clothe his characters in +the costume of the time they represented, to make them move and +speak simply as men. Eckhof did that for the German stage which some +years later Talma introduced on the French boards. Talma was only a +copyist of Eckhof, but this fact was not acknowledged, because at +that time the German stage had not won for itself the sympathy and +consideration of other nations. + +As I have said, silence reigned, and from time to time the rapture +of applause, which could not be altogether suppressed, was evidenced +by thundering bravos. Then again all was still; every eye and every +ear were open to the great actor, true to himself and true to +nature; who, glowing with enthusiasm, had cast his whole soul into +his part; who had forgotten the line separating imagination from +reality; who had, indeed, ceased to be Eckhof, and felt and thought +and spoke as Cato. At the close of an act, Eckhof was forced to come +forward and show himself by the wild the stormy applause and loud +cries of the audience. + +"Do you not find him beyond all praise?" said Fredersdorf. + +Lupinus gazed steadily at the stage; he had only soul, breath, +hearing, for Eckhof. His old world had passed away like a misty +dream--a new world surrounded him. The olden time, the olden time to +which he had consecrated years of study and of thought, to which he +had offered up his sleep and all the pleasures of youth, had now +become a reality for him. He who stood upon the stage was Cato; that +was the Roman forum; there were the proud temples, and the dwelling- +houses consecrated by their household gods. There was, then, outside +of the world of books and letters, another world of light and +gladness! What was it, which made his heart beat and tremble so +powerfully? why did his blood rush so madly through his veins? A +dark veil had fallen from his face; all around him were life, light, +gladness, and rapture. With trembling lips and silent tears he said +to himself: "I will live; I will be young; I will turn to Eckhof; he +shall counsel me, and I will follow his advice as I would a holy +gospel.--Did you not say that you knew Cato?" said he, suddenly +awaking from his dream and turning to his companion. + +"Cato?" said Fredersdorf. "Do you mean the drama, or that wearisome +old fellow himself? or Eckhof, who plays the part of Cato?" + +"So it is Eckhof," said Lupinus, to himself; "he is called Eckhof?" + +The play was at an end; the curtain fell for the last time, and now +the long-suppressed enthusiasm burst forth in wild and deafening +applause. The young stranger was silent, his eyes were full of +tears; and yet he was perhaps the happiest of them all, and these +rapturous tears were a loftier tribute to the great actor than the +loudest bravos. The people had passed a happy evening, and common +cares and sorrows had been forgotten; but Lupinus felt as if his +heart had risen from the dead: he was changed from old age to sunny +youth; he had suddenly discovered in himself something new, +something never suspected--a glowing, loving heart. + +"Well, now I am resolved, wholly resolved," said Joseph, as they +forced their way through the crowd. "I no longer hesitate; I give up +to you your dry learning and philosophy; you are welcome to your +dusty books and your imposing cues. I will be an actor." + +"Ha! an actor?" said Lupinus, awaking from his dream and trembling +violently. + +"Why are you shocked at my words? I suppose you despise me because +of this decision; but what do I care? I will be an artiste; I shall +not be disturbed by the turned-up noses and derisive shrugs of you +wise ones. I will be a scholar of Eckhof; so despise me, my learned +Lupinus--I give you permission." + +"I am not laughing," said Lupinus. "Each one must walk in that path +at the end of which he hopes to find his ideal." + +"Yes, truly, and so I will go to Eckhof," said Fredersdorf, waving +his hat triumphantly in the air. + +"Do you know where he dwells?" said the youth. + +"Certainly. We are standing now just before his door. See there in +the third story, those two lighted windows? That is Eckhof's home." + +"What is the name of this street?" + +"What is that to you? Has my prophecy really come true, and are you +in love with the great actor? Do not let go my arm; do not turn away +from me angrily. The Post Strasse is a long way off from where you +dwell; you will lose yourself. Let us go together. I will risk no +more unseemly jests with you. Come!" + +"He lives in the Post Strasse; he is called Eckhof," said Lupinus to +himself, as he took Joseph's arm and walked through the dark +streets. "I must see Eckhof; he shall decide my fate." + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +A LIFE QUESTION. + + +It was the morning after Eckhof's benefit. The usually quiet +dwelling of the actor resounded with the ringing of glasses and +merry songs after the toils and fatigues of the evening. He wished +to afford to himself and his comrades a little distraction; to give +to the hungry sons of the Muses and Graces a few hours of simple +enjoyment. Eckhof's purse was full and he wished to divide its +contents with his friends. + +"Drink and be merry," said he to his gay companions. "Let us forget +for a few hours that we are poor, despised German actors. We will +drink, and picture to ourselves that we belong to the cherished and +celebrated artistes of the French stage, on whom the Germans so +willingly shower gold, honor, and even love. Raise your glasses, and +drink with me to the success of German art!" + +"We will drink also to Eckhof," cried one of the youthful company, +raising his glass. "Yes, to the father of the now school of German +acting." + +"You are that, Eckhof, and you are also our benefactor," said +another. "We thank you, that for some months we have not suffered +from hunger and thirst; that the good people of Berlin take an +interest in the German stage, and treat us with some consideration. +Let us, then, drink to our preserver, to the great Eckhof!" + +Every glass was raised, and their shouts rang out merrily. Eckhof +alone was sad and troubled, and his great dreamy eyes gazed +thoughtfully in the distance. His friends observed this, and +questioned him as to the cause of his melancholy. + +"I am not melancholy, though a German actor has always good reason +to be so; but I have some new plans which I wish to disclose to you. +You greet me as your benefactor. Alas! how suffering, how pitiful +must your condition be, if such a man as I am can have been useful +to you! You are all artistes, and I say this to you from honest +conviction, and not from contemptible flattery. You are greater in +your art than I am, only you had not the courage to break through +the old and absurd customs of your predecessors. That I have done +this, that I have dared to leave the beaten paths, is the only +service I have rendered. I have tried to banish from the stage the +crazy fools who strutted from side to side, and waved their arms +from right to left; who tried to play the orator by uttering their +pathetic phrases in weird, solemn sounds from the throat, or +trumpeted them through the nose. I have placed living men upon the +boards, who by natural speech and action lend truth and reality to +the scenes they wish to portray. You, comrades, have assisted me +faithfully in this effort. We are in the right path, but we are far +from the goal. Let us go forward, then, bravely and hopefully. You +think yourselves happy now in Berlin; but I say to you that we dare +not remain in Berlin. This vegetation, this bare permission to live, +does not suffice, will not satisfy our honor. I think, with Caesar, +it is better to be the first in a village than the second or third +in a great city. We will leave Berlin; this cold, proud, imperious +Berlin, which cherishes the stranger, but has no kind, cheering word +for her own countrymen. Let us turn our backs upon these French +worshippers, and go as missionaries for the German drama throughout +our fatherland." + +A long pause followed this speech of Eckhof; every eye was +thoughtful, every face was troubled. + +"You do not answer? I have not, then, convinced you?" + +"Shall we leave Berlin now," said the hero and lover of the little +company, "even now, when they begin to show a little interest, a +little enthusiasm for us?" + +"Alas, friend! the enthusiasm of the Berliners for us is like a fire +of straw--it flashes and is extinguished; to-day, perhaps, they may +applaud us, to-morrow we will be forgotten, because a learned +sparrow or hound, a French dancer, or an Italian singer, occupies +their attention. There is neither endurance nor constancy in the +Berliners. Let us go hence." + +"It seems to me that we should make use of the good time while it +lasts," said another. "At present, our daily bread is secured for +ourselves and our families." + +"If you are not willing to endure suffering and want," said Eckhof, +sadly, "you will never be true artistes. Poverty and necessity will +be for a long time to come the only faithful companions of the +German actor; and he who has not courage to take them to his arms, +would do better to become an honest tailor or a shoemaker. If the +prosperity of your family is your first consideration, why have you +not contented yourselves with honest daily labor, with being +virtuous fathers of families? The pursuit of art does not accord +with these things; if you choose the one, you must, for a while at +least, be separated from the other." + +"That will we do," cried Fredersdorf, who had just entered the room; +"I, for my part, have already set you all a good example. I have +separated from my family, in order to become the husband of Art, +whose sighing and ardent lover I have long been; and now, if the +noble Eckhof does not reject me as a scholar, I am wholly yours." + +Eckhof seized his hand, and said, with a soft smile, "I receive you +joyfully; you have the true fire of inspiration. From my heart I say +you are welcome." + +"I thank you for the word--and now let us be off. The German actor +is in Germany no better than the Jew was to the Romans. Let us do as +the Jews: we have also found our Moses, who will lead us to the +promised land, where we shall find liberty, honor, and gold." + +"Yes," they cried, with one voice, "we will follow Eckhof, we will +obey our master, we will leave Berlin and seek a city where we shall +be truly honored." + +"I have found the city," said Eckhof; "we will go to Halle. The wise +men who have consecrated their lives to knowledge are best fitted to +appreciate and treasure the true artiste; we will unite with them, +and our efforts will transform Halle into an Athens, where knowledge +and art shall walk hand-in-hand in noble emulation." + +"Off, then, for Halle!" said Fredersdorf, waving his hat in the air, +but his voice was less firm, and his eye was troubled. "Will the +director, Schonemein, consent?" + +"Schonemein has resolved to go with us, provided we make no claim +for salaries, but will share with him both gains and losses." + +"If the undertaking fails in Halle, we must starve, then," said a +trembling voice. + +Eckhof said nothing; he crossed the room to his writing-table, and +took out a well-filled purse. "I do not say that we shall succeed in +Halle, that is, succeed as the merchants and Jews do; we go as +missionaries, resolved to bear hunger and thirst, if need be, for +the cause we love and believe in. Look, this purse contains what +remains of my profits from the last two months and from my benefit +last night. It is all I have; take it and divide it amongst you. It +will, at least, suffice to support you all for one month." + +"Will you accept this?" said Joseph, with glowing cheeks. + +"No, we will not accept it; what we do we will do freely, and no man +shall fetter us by his generosity or magnanimity, not even Eckhof." + +Eckhof was radiant with joy. "Hear, now--I have another proposition +to make. You have refused my offer for yourselves, but you dare not +refuse it for your children; take this money and divide it equally +amongst your wives and children. With this gold you shall buy +yourselves free for a while from your families." + +After a long and eloquent persuasion, Eckhof's offer was accepted, +and divided fairly. He looked on with a kindly smile. + +"I now stand exactly as I did when I resolved two years ago to be an +actor. Before that I was an honest clerk; from day to day I +vegetated, and thanked God, when, after eight hours' hard work, I +could enjoy a little fresh air and the evening sunshine, and declaim +to the fields and groves my favorite lines from the great authors. +It is probable I should still have been a poor clerk and a dreamer, +if my good genius had not stood by me and given me a powerful blow, +which awakened me from dreaming to active life. The justice of the +peace, whose clerk I was, commanded me to serve behind his carriage +as a footman; this aroused my anger and my self-respect, and I left +him, determined rather to die of hunger than to submit to such +humiliation. My good genius was again at hand, and gave me courage +to follow the promptings of my heart, and become an actor. He who +will be great has the strength to achieve greatness. Let us go +onward, then, with bold hearts." He gave his hand to his friends and +dismissed them, warning them to prepare for their journey. + +"You are determined to go to Halle?" said Frederedorf, who had +remained behind for the last greeting. + +"We will go to Halle; it is the seat of the Muses, and belongs, +therefore, to us." + +Joseph shook his head sadly. "I know Halle," said he. "You call it +the seat of the Muses. I know it only as the seat of pedantry. You +will soon know and confess this. There is nothing more narrow- +minded, jealous, arrogant, and conceited than a Halle professor. He +sees no merit in any thing but himself and a few old dusty Greeks +and Romans, and even these are only great because the professor of +Halle has shown them the honor to explain and descant upon them. +But, you are resolved--I would go with you to prison and to death; +in short, I will follow you to Halle." + +"And now I am at last alone," said Eckhof; "now I must study my new +role; now stand by me, ye gods, and inspire me with your strength; +give me the right tone, the right emphasis to personate this rare +and wonderful Hippolytus, with which I hope to win the stern +professors of Halle!" + +Walking backward and forward, he began to declaim the proud and +eloquent verses of Corneille; he was so thoroughly absorbed that he +did not hear the oft-repeated knock upon the door; he did not even +see that the door was softly opened, and the young Lupinus stood +blushing upon the threshold. He stood still and listened with +rapture to the pathetic words of the great actor; and as Eckhof +recited the glowing and innocent confession of love made by +Hippolytus, a burning blush suffused the cheek of the young student, +and his eyes were filled with tears. He overcame his emotion, and +advanced to Eckhof, who was now standing before the glass, studying +the attitude which would best accord with this passionate +declaration. + +"Sir," said he, with a low and trembling voice, "pardon me for +disturbing you. I was told that I should find Eckhof in this room, +and it is most important to me to see and consult with this great +man. I know this is his dwelling; be kind enough to tell me if he is +within." + +"This is his home, truly, but he is neither a great nor a wise man; +only and simply Eckhof the actor." + +"I did not ask your opinion of the distinguished man whom I honor, +but only where I can find him." + +"Tell me first what you want of Eckhof." + +"What I want of him, sir?" said the youth, thoughtfully; "I scarcely +know myself. There is a mystery in my soul which I cannot fathom. +Eckhof has age, wisdom, and experience--perhaps he can enlighten me. +I have faith in his eyes and in his silver beard, and I can say +freely to him what I dare not say to any other." + +Eckhof laughed merrily. "As to his white beard, you will find that +in his wardrobe; his wisdom you will find in the books of the +authors, to whose great thoughts he has only given voice; he is +neither old, wise, nor experienced. In short--I, myself, am Eckhof." + +"You are Eckhof!" said Lupinus, turning deadly pale, and, stepping +back a few paces, he stared with distended eyes at the actor, whose +noble and intellectual face, glowing with youthful fire, was turned +toward him. + +"I am Eckhof, and I hope you will forgive me for being a little +younger, a little browner, and somewhat less wise than the great +Cato, in which character you no doubt saw me last night. I dare hope +that my confession will not shake your confidence in me; with my +whole heart I beg you will tell me how I can be useful to you and +what mystery you wish to have explained." + +"No, no! I cannot explain," cried the youth; "forgive me for having +disturbed you. I have nothing more to say." Confused and ashamed, +Lupinus left the room. The actor gazed after him wonderingly, +convinced that he had been closeted with a madman. + +With trembling heart, scarcely knowing what he thought or did, the +student reached his room and closed the door, and throwing himself +upon his knees, he cried out in tones of anguish: "Oh, my God! I +have seen Eckhof: he is young, he is glorious in beauty, unhappy +that I am!" With his hands folded and still upon his knees, he gazed +dreamily in the distance; then springing up suddenly, his eyes +glowing with energy and passion, he cried: "I must go, I must go! I +will return to Halle, to my books and my quiet room; it is lonely, +but there I am at peace; there the world and the voice of Eckhof +cannot enter. I must forget this wild awakening of my youth; my +heart must sleep again and dream, and be buried at last under the +dust of books. Unhappy that I am, I feel that the past is gone +forever. I stand trembling on the borders of a new existence. I will +go at once--perhaps there is yet time; perhaps I may yet escape the +wretchedness which threatens me. Oh! in my books and studies I may +forget all. I may no longer hear this voice, which is forever +sounding in my enraptured ears, no longer see those fearful but +wondrous eyes." + +With feverish haste and trembling hands he made up his little +parcel. A few hours later the post-wagon rolled by Eckhof's +dwelling. A young man with pale, haggard face and tearful eyes gazed +up at his windows. + +"Farewell, Eckhof," murmured he; "I flee from you, but may God bless +you! I go to Halle; there I shall never see you, my heart shall +never thrill at the sound of your eloquent voice." + +Lupinus leaned sadly back in the carriage, comforting himself with +the conviction that he was safe; but fate was too strong for him, +and the danger from which he so bravely fled, followed him speedily. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +SUPERSTITION AND PIETY. + + +The goal was at last reached. The black ram for the propitiatory +offering was found, and was now awaiting in Berlin the hour of +sacrifice. + +With what eager impatience, with what throbbing pulses, did +Fredersdorf wait for the evening! At last this sublime mystery would +be explained, and rivers of gold would flow at his command. Happily, +the king was not in Berlin--he had gone to Charlottenburg. +Fredersdorf was free-lord of himself. + +"And after to-morrow, it will be ever the same," said he to himself +joyfully. "To-morrow the world will belong to me! I will not envy +the king his crown, the scholar his learning, or youth and beauty +their bloom. I shall be more powerful, more honored, more beloved +than them all. I shall possess an inexhaustible fountain of gold. +Gold is the lord and king of the world. The king and the +philosopher, youth, beauty, and grace, bow down before its shrine. +Oh, what a life of gladness and rapture will be mine! I shall be at +liberty. I shall wed the woman I adore. The sun is sinking; the moon +will soon ride triumphantly in the heavens, and then--" + +A light rustling on the tapestry door interrupted him; and he turned +anxiously toward this door, which led directly to the chamber of the +king, and through which he alone could enter. It was indeed +Frederick. He entered the room of his private secretary with a +bright, gay smile. + +"I have come unexpectedly," said the king. His clear, piercing +glance instantly remarked the cloud which lowered upon the brow of +Fredersdorf. "But what will you have? The King and Fate, as Deus ex +machina, appear without warning and confuse the calculations of +insignificant mortals." + +"I have made no calculations, sire," said Fredersdorf, confused; +"and the presence of my king can never disturb my peace." + +"So much the better," said Frederick, smiling. "Well, I have made my +calculations, and you, Fredersdorf, have an important part to play. +We have a great work on hand, and if you have set your heart upon +being at liberty this evening, I regret it; the hope is a vain one. +This evening you are the prisoner of your king." + +The king said this with so grave, so peculiar, and at the same time +so kindly an expression, that Fredersdorf was involuntarily touched +and softened, and he pressed his lips warmly upon the hand which +Frederick held out to him. + +"We must work diligently," said the king. "The time of idleness is +past, and also the time consecrated to the Muses. Soon I will lay my +flute in its case, and draw my sword from its scabbard. It appears +that my godmother, Maria Theresa, thinks it unseemly for a King of +Prussia to pass his days elsewhere than in a tented field, or to +hear other music than the sound of trumpet or the thunder of cannon +calling loudly to battle. Well, if Austria will have war, she shall +have it promptly. Never will Prussia yield to her imperious +conditions, and never will the house of Hohenzollern subject herself +to the house of Hapsburg. My godmother, the empress, can never +forget that the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg once, at the table, +held a wash-basin for the emperor. For this reason she always +regards us as cavaliere servente to the house of Hapsburg. Now, by +the help of England, Saxony, and Russia, she hopes to bring us under +the old yoke. But she shall not succeed. She has made an alliance +with England, Russia, and Saxony. I have united with France and +Bavaria, for the protection of Charles the Seventh. This, you see, +Fredersdorf, is war. Our life of fantasy and dreaming is over. I +have given you a little dish of politics," said the king, after a +pause. "I wish to show you that I have need of you, and that we have +much to do. We must arrange my private accounts, we have many +letters to write; and then we must select and prepare the rich +presents to be given to the Princess Ulrica on her marriage. +Fredersdorf, we cannot afford to be idle." + +"I shall be ready at all times to obey the commands of my king. I +will work the entire night; but I pray your majesty to grant me a +few hours this evening--I have most important business, which cannot +be postponed." + +"Ah! without doubt, you wish to finish the epistle of Horace, of +which we spoke a few days since. If I remember correctly, this +epistle relates to the useless offering of a lamb or black ram. +Well, I give up this translation for the present; we have no time +for it; and I cannot possibly give you leave of absence this +evening." + +"And yet I dare to repeat my request," said Fredersdorf, with +passionate excitement. "Sire, my business cannot be postponed, and I +beseech you to grant me a few hours." + +"If you will not yield to the earnest wish of your friend, you will +be forced to submit to the command of your king," said Frederick, +sternly. "I forbid you to leave your room this evening." + +"Have pity, sire, I entreat you! I wish but for two hours of +liberty. I tell you my business is most important; the happiness of +my life depends upon it." + +The king shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. "The happiness of +your life! How can this poor, short-sighted, vain race of mortals +decide any question relating to 'the happiness of life'? You seek it +to-day, perhaps, in riches; to-morrow in the arms of your beloved; +and the next day you turn away from and despise both the one and the +other. I cannot fulfil your wish; I have important work for you, and +will not grant you one moment's absence." + +"Sire, I must--" + +"Not another word! you remain here; I command you not to leave this +room!" + +"I will not obey this command," said Fredersdorf, completely beside +himself with rage and despair. "Will your majesty dismiss me from +your service, withdraw your favor, and banish me forever from your +presence? I must and will have some hours of liberty this evening." + +The king's eyes flashed lightning, and his features assumed so +threatening an expression, that Fredersdorf, though completely +blinded by passion, trembled. Without a word in reply, the king +stepped hastily to the door which led into the corridor. Two +soldiers stood before the door. + +"You will see that no one leaves this room," said Frederick--"you +will fire upon any one who opens the door." He turned and fixed his +eyes steadily upon the pale face of the secretary. "I said to you +that you were the prisoner of your king to-day. You would not +understand my jest. I will force you to see that I am in earnest. +The guards stand before this, door; the other door leads to my +apartment, and I will close it. You shall not work with me to-day; +you are not worthy of it. You are a bold rebel, deserving +punishment, and 'having eyes see not.'" + +Fredersdorf had not the courage to reply. The king stepped hastily +through the room and opened the tapestry door; as he stood upon the +threshold, he turned once again. "Fredersdorf, the time will come +when you will thank me for having been a stern king." He closed the +door, placed the key in his pocket, and returned to his room, where +Jordan awaited him. + +"And now, friend, the police may act promptly and rigorously; +Fredersdorf will not be there, and I shall not find it necessary to +punish him further. Alas! how difficult it is to turn a fool from +his folly! Fredersdorf would learn to make gold through the +sacrifice of a black ram; in order to do this, he joins himself to +my adversaries, to the hypocrites and pietists; he goes to the so- +called prayer-meetings of the godless, who call themselves, +forsooth, the children of God! Ah! Jordan, how selfish, how pitiful +is this small race of man! how little do they merit! I took +Fredersdorf from obscurity and poverty. I not only took him into my +service, I made him my confidant and my friend--I loved him +sincerely. And what is my reward? He is ungrateful, and he hates me +with a perfect hatred; he is now sitting in his room and cursing his +king, who has done nothing more than protect him from the withering +ridicule which his childish and mad pursuit was about to bring upon +him. Jordan, Jordan! kings are always repaid with ingratitude." + +"Yes, sire; and God, our heavenly Father, meets with the same +reward," said Jordan, with a painful smile. "God and the king are +the two powers most misunderstood. In their bright radiance they +stand too high above the sons of men: they demand of the king that +he shall be all-wise, almighty, even as God is; they require of God +that He shall judge and act as weak, short-sighted men do, not +'knowing the end from the beginning.'" + +The king did not reply; with his arms folded, he walked thoughtfully +through the room. + +"Poor Fredersdorf," said he, softly, "I have slain his hobby-horse, +and that is always an unpardonable offence to any man. I might, +perhaps, have closed my eyes to the mad follies of these so-called +pietists, if they had not drawn my poor secretary into the toils. +For his sake I will give them a lesson. I will force him to see that +they are hypocrites and charlatans. Happen what will, I have saved +Fredersdorf from ridicule; if he curses me for this, I can bear it +cheerfully." + +The king was right; Fredersdorf was insane with passion. He cursed +the king, not only in his heart, but with his trembling lips; he +called him a tyrant, a heartless egotist. He hated him, even as an +ignorant, unreasoning child hates the kind hand which corrects and +restrains. + +"They will discover this mystery; they will learn how to make gold, +and I shall not be there," murmured Fredersdorf, gnashing his teeth; +"who knows? perhaps they will not divulge to me this costly receipt! +They will lie to me and deceive me. Ah! the moon is rising; she +casts her pure, silver rays into this hated room, now become my +prison. Now, even now, they are assembling; now the holy incantation +begins, and I--I am not there! "He tore his hair, and beat his +breast, and cried aloud. + +Fredersdorf was right. As the moon rose, the conspirators, who had +been notified by Von Kleist, the husband of the beautiful Louise von +Schwerin, began to assemble. The great saloon in which the gay and +laughter-loving Louise had given her superb balls and soirees--in +which her dancing feet had trampled upon her fortune and her +happiness--was now changed into a solemn temple of worship, where +the pious believers assembled to pray to God and to adjure the +devil. The king had forbidden that the churches should be opened +except on Sunday and the regular fete days. Some over-pious and +fanatical preachers had dared to disobey this order. The assemblies +had been broken up by force of arms, the people driven to their +homes, and the churches closed. Both priests and people were +threatened with severe punishment if they should dare to open the +churches again during the week. [Footnote: Preuss's "Geschichte +Friedriotia des Grossen."] + +The pietists, forgetting the Bible rule, to "give unto Caesar that +which is Caesar's," refused obedience to the spirit of the command, +and assembled together in the different houses of the faithful. +Their worship consisted principally in stern resolves to remain +obedient to the only true doctrine. To the proud fanatic this is, of +course, the faith which he professes, and there is salvation in no +other. With zealous speech they railed at the king as a heretic or +unbeliever, and strengthened themselves in their disobedience to his +commands by declaring it was well-pleasing in the sight of God. + +The pietists, who had in vain endeavored to retain the power and +influence which they had enjoyed under Frederick William, whom they +now declared to have been the holiest and wisest of kings, had +become the bitterest enemies of Frederick the Great. The king called +their piety hypocrisy, laughed at their rage, replied to their +curses by witty words and biting sarcasm; and on one occasion, after +listening to an impertinent request, he replied laconically: "The +cursed priest don't know himself what he wants. Let him go to the +devil!" [Footnote: Busching's "Character of Frederick the Great."] + +This so-called prayer-meeting was to take place to-day in the ball- +room of the beautiful Louise, after the regular hour of worship. +Only the elect and consecrated would remain behind to take part in +the deeper mysteries, and be witness to the incantation by which the +astrologist Pfannenschmidt would constrain his majesty the devil to +appear. No woman was allowed to be present at this holy ordinance, +and each one of the consecrated had sworn a solemn oath not to +betray an act of the assembly. + +Von Kleist had taken the oath, and kept it faithfully. But there is +a wise Persian proverb which says: "If you would change an obedient +and submissive wife into a proud rebel, you have only to forbid +something! If you wish to keep a secret from the wife of your bosom, +slay yourself, or tear out your tongue; if you live, she will +discover your secret, even though hidden in the bottom of your +heart." Louise von Kleist had proved the truth of this proverb. She +had discovered the secret which her husband wished to conceal from +her. She had soon recovered from the fleeting love entertained at +first for the husband chosen for her by the king. She had returned +to the levity of her earlier days, and only waited for an +opportunity to revenge herself upon her husband. Louise hated him +because he had never been rich enough to gratify her extravagant +taste and caprices. He had even restrained her in the use of her own +means: they were always in want of money, and constantly railing +bitterly at each other. + +For all this misery Louise wished to revenge herself upon her +husband, as beautiful and coquettish women always wish to revenge +themselves. She was more than ready to believe the words of that +poet who says that "a woman's heart is always girlish and youthful +enough for a new love." She wished to take special vengeance upon +her husband for daring to keep a secret from her. So soon as she +discovered the object of these secret meetings, she informed the +king, and implored him to come to her assistance and rescue her +husband from those crooked paths which had cost her her wedded +happiness and her fortune. Frederick agreed at once to her +proposition, not so much for her sake as because he rejoiced in the +opportunity to free Fredersdorf from the mystic suppositions which +had clouded his intellect, and convince him of the cunning and +hypocrisy of the alchemist Pfannenschmidt. + +Every necessary preparation had been made by order of the king. The +pious assembly had scarcely met, when Louise called the four +policemen who were waiting in a neighboring house, and placed them +in a small closet adjoining the ball-room, where every thing which +took place could be both seen and heard. + +The conspirators had no suspicion. The meeting was larger than ever +before. There were people of all classes, from the day laborer to +the comfortable burgher, from the honorable officer under government +to the highest noble. They prayed earnestly and fervently, and sang +hymns to the honor and glory of God. Then one of the popular priests +stepped into the pulpit and thundered forth one of those arrogant, +narrow-minded, and violent discourses which the believers of those +days indulged in. He declared all those lost, condemned to eternal +torture, who did not believe as he believed; and all those elected +and sanctified who adhered to his holy faith, and who, despising the +command of the heretical king, met together for these forbidden +services. + +All this, however, was but the preparation for the great solemnity +prepared for the initiated, who were now waiting with loudly-beating +hearts and breathless expectation for the grand result. + +And now another orator, the astrologer, the enlightened prophet of +God, ascended the pulpit. With what pious words he warned his +hearers to repentance! how eloquently he exhorted them to contemn +the hollow and vain world, which God had only made lovely and +attractive in order to tempt men to sin and try their powers of +resistance! "Resist! resist!" he howled through his nose, "and +persuade men to turn to you, and be saved even as we are saved--to +become angels of God, even as we are God's holy angels." In order, +however, to reach their exalted goal, they must make greater +efforts, use larger means. Power and wealth were necessary to make +the world happy and convert it to the true faith. The world must +become wholly theirs; they must buy from the devil the gold which he +has hid in the bowels of the earth, and with it allure men, and save +their souls from perdition. "We, by the grace of God, have been +empowered to subdue the devil, and to force him to give up his +secret. To those who, like ourselves, are enlightened by the holy +spirit of knowledge, the mysteries of the lower world must be made +clear. It is also a noble and great work which we have before us; we +must make gold, and with it we must purchase and convert the whole +race to holiness!" + +When this pious rhapsody was concluded, he called the assembly to +earnest prayer. They fell upon their knees, and dared to pray to God +that He would give them strength to adjure the devil. + +It was not, however, exactly the plan of the astrologer to crown the +efforts of the elect with success, and bring the devil virtually +before them. As long as his majesty did not appear, the pious must +believe and hope in their priest; must give him their love, their +confidence, and their gold; must look upon him as their benefactor, +who was to crown their future with glory and riches, and bring the +world to their feet. In short, he knew it was impossible for him to +introduce a devil who could disclose the great secret. The prayers +and offerings of the past had failed, and their future sacrifices +must also be in vain. + +And now, in the midst of solemn hymns, the ram was led to the altar- +-this rare offering which had cost so much weary wandering and so +much precious gold. With pompous ceremony, and covered with a white +veil, the black ram was led to the sacrifice. The holy priest +Pfannenschmidt, clothed in gold-embroidered robes, stood with a +silver knife in his hand, and a silver bowl to receive the blood of +the victim. As he raised the knife, the faithful threw themselves +upon their knees and prayed aloud, prayed to God to be with them and +bless their efforts. + +The astrologer, glowing with piety and enthusiasm, was about to sink +the knife into the throat of the poor trembling beast, when suddenly +something unheard of, incredible, took place. A figure fearful to +look upon sprang fiercely from behind the altar, and seized the arm +of the priest. + +"Spare the offering, let the sacrifice go free!" he said, with a +thundering voice. "You have called me, and I am here! I am the +devil!" + +"The devil! it is truly the devil!" and, with timid glances, they +looked up at the giant figure, clothed in crimson, his face +completely shaded by a wide-brimmed hat, from which three crimson +feathers waved majestically: these, with his terrible club-foot, all +gave unmistakable evidence of the presence of Satan. They believed +truly in him, these pious children of God; they remained upon their +knees and stammered their prayers, scarcely knowing themselves if +they were addressed to God or to the devil. + +There in the little cabinet stood Louise von Kleist, trembling with +mirth, and with great effort suppressing an outburst of laughter. +She looked with wicked and mocking eyes upon her husband, who lay +shivering and deadly pale at the feet of the devil and the black +ram. He fixed his pleading glances upon the fiery monster who was to +him indeed the devil. Louise, however, fully understood this scene; +she it was who had induced young Fredersdorf to assume this part, +and had assisted him in his disguise. + +"This moment repays me, avenges me for all I have suffered by the +side of this silly and extravagant fool," said Louise to herself. +"Oh, I will mock him, I will martyr him with this devil's work. The +whole world shall know of it, and, from this time forth, I shall be +justified and pitied. No one will be surprised that I am not +constant to my husband, that I cannot love him." + +Whilst the pious-elect still rested upon their knees in trembling +adoration, the priest Pfannenschmidt had recovered from his surprise +and alarm. He, who did not believe in the devil, although he daily +addressed him, knew that the monster before him was an unseemly jest +or a malicious interruption. He must, therefore, tear off his mask +and expose him to the faithful. + +With passionate energy he stretched out both his arms toward him. +"Away with you, you son of Baal! Fly, fly, before I unmask you! You +are not what you appear. You are no true devil!" + +"How! you deny me, your lord and master?" cried the intruder, +raising his hand covered with a crimson glove, against the priest. +"You have long called for me. You have robbed these, my children, of +their gold in order to propitiate me, and now that I am come, you +will not confess me before men! Perhaps you fear that these pious +believers will no longer lavish their attentions and their gold upon +you, and suffer you to lead them by the nose. Go, go! you are not my +high priest. I listened to your entreaties, and I came, but only to +prove to my children that you are a deceiver, and to free them from +your yoke. Away, you blasphemer of God and of the devil! Neither God +nor the devil accepts your service; away with you!" Saying this, he +seized the astrologer with a powerful arm, and dragged him toward +the altar. + +But Pfannenschmidt was not the man to submit to such indignities. +With a wild cry of rage, he rushed upon his adversary; and now began +a scene which neither words nor colors could portray. The pious +worshippers raised themselves from their knees and stared for a +moment at this curious spectacle; and then, according as they +believed in the devil or the priest, sprang forward to take part in +the contest. + +In the midst of this wild tumult the policemen appeared, to arrest +those who were present, in the name of the king; to break up the +assembly, and put an end to the noise and tumult. + +Louise, meanwhile, laughing boisterously, observed this whole scene +from the cabinet; she saw the police seize the raging astrologer, +who uttered curses, loud and deep, against the unbelieving king, who +dared to treat the pious and prayerful as culprits, and to arrest +the servant and priest of the Lord. Louise saw these counts and +barons, these officers and secretaries, who had been the brave +adherents of the astrologer, slipping away with shame and confusion +of face. She saw her own husband mocked and ridiculed by the police, +who handed him an order from the king, written by the royal hand, +commanding him to consider himself as under arrest in his own house. +As Louise heard this order read, her laughter was hushed and her +brow was clouded. + +"Truly," said she, "that is a degree of consideration which looks +like malice in the king. To make my husband a prisoner in his own +house is to punish me fearfully, by condemning me steadily to his +hateful society. My God, how cruel, how wicked is the king! My +husband is a prisoner here! that is to banish my beautiful, my +beloved Salimberri from my presence. Oh, when shall we meet again, +my love, my adorer?" + + + + +BOOK II. + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE TWO SISTERS. + + +"I have triumphed! I have reached the goal!" said Princess Ulrica, +with a proud smile, as she laid her hymn-book aside, and removed +from her head her long white veil. "This important step is taken; +yet one more grand ceremony, and I will be the Princess Royal of +Sweden--after that, a queen! They have not succeeded in setting me +aside. Amelia will not be married before me, thus bringing upon me +the contempt and ridicule of the mocking world. All my plans have +succeeded. In place of shrouding my head in the funereal veil of an +abbess, to which my brother had condemned me, I shall soon wear the +festive myrtle-wreath, and ere long a crown will adorn my brow." + +Ulrica threw herself upon the divan, in order to indulge quietly in +these proud and happy dreams of the future, when the door was +hastily thrown open, and the Princess Amelia, with a pale and angry +face, entered the room. She cast one of those glances of flame, with +which she, in common with the king, was wont to crush her +adversaries, upon the splendid toilet of her sister, and a wild and +scornful laugh burst from her lips. + +"I have not, then, been deceived." she cried; "it is not a fairy +tale to which I have listened. You come from the chapel?" + +"I come from the chapel? yes," said Ulrica, meeting the angry glance +of her sister with a firm and steady look. Resolved to breast the +coming storm with proud composure, she folded her arms across her +bosom, as if she would protect herself from Amelia's flashing eyes. +"I come from the chapel--what further?" + +"What further?" cried Amelia, stamping fiercely on the floor. "Ah, +you will play the harmless and the innocent! What took you to the +chapel?" + +Ulrica looked up steadily and smilingly; then said, in a quiet and +indifferent tone: "I have taken the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, +according to the Lutheran form of worship." + +Amelia shuddered as if she felt the sting of a poisonous serpent. +"That signifies that you are an apostate; that signifies that you +have shamefully outwitted and betrayed me; that means--" + +"That signifies," said Ulrica, interrupting her, "that I am a less +pious Christian than you are; that you, my noble young sister, are a +more innocent and unselfish maiden than the Princess Ulrica." + +"Words, words! base, hypocritical words!" cried Amelia. "You first +inspired me with the thought which led to my childish and +contradictory behavior, and which for some days made me the jest of +the court. You are a false friend, a faithless sister! I stood in +your path, and you put me aside. I understand now your perfidious +counsels, your smooth, deceitful encouragement to my opposition +against the proposition of the Swedish ambassador. I, forsooth, must +be childish, coarse, and rude, in order that your gentle and girlish +grace, your amiable courtesy, might shine with added lustre. I was +your foil, which made the jewel of your beauty resplendent. Oh! it +is shameful to be so misused, so outwitted by my sister!" + +With streaming eyes, Amelia sank upon a chair, and hid her face with +her trembling little hands. + +"Foolish child!" said Ulrica, "you accuse me fiercely, but you know +that you came to me and implored me to find a means whereby you +would be relieved from this hateful marriage with the Prince Royal +of Sweden." + +"You should have reasoned with me, you should have encouraged me to +give up my foolish opposition. You should have reminded me that I +was a princess, and therefore condemned to have no heart." + +"You said nothing to me of your heart; you spoke only of your +religion. Had you told me that your heart rebelled against this +marriage with the Crown Prince of Sweden, then, upon my knees, with +all the strength of a sister's love, I would have implored you to +accept his hand, to shroud your heart in your robe of purple, and +take refuge on your throne from the danger which threatens a young +princess if she allows her heart to speak." + +Amelia let her hands fall from her face, and looked up at her +sister, whose great earnest eyes were fixed upon her with an +expression of triumph and derision. + +"I did not say that my heart had spoken," she cried, sobbing and +trembling; "I only said that we poor princesses were not allowed to +have hearts." + +"No heart for one; but a great large heart, great enough for all!" +cried Ulrica. "You accuse me, Amelia, but you forget that I did not +intrude upon your confidence. You came to me voluntarily, and +disclosed your abhorrence of this marriage; then only did I counsel +you, as I would wish to be advised under the same circumstances. In +a word, I counselled you to obey your conscience, your own +convictions of duty." + +"Your advice was wonderfully in unison with your own plans; your +deceitful words were dictated by selfishness," cried Amelia, +bitterly. + +"I would not have adopted the course which I advised you to pursue, +because my character and my feeling are wholly different from yours. +My conscience is less tender, less trembling than yours. To become a +Lutheran does not appear to me a crime, not even a fault, more +particularly as this change is not the result of fickleness or +inconstancy, but for an important political object." + +"And your object was to become Queen of Sweden?" + +"Why should I deny it? I accept this crown which you cast from you +with contempt. I am ambitious. You were too proud to offer up the +smallest part of your religious faith in order to mount the throne +of Sweden. I do not fear to be banished from heaven, because, in +order to become a queen, I changed the outward form of my religion; +my inward faith is unchanged: if you repent your conduct--if you +have modified your views--" + +"No, no!" said Amelia, hastily, "I do not repent. My grief and my +despair are not because of this pitiful crown, but because of my +faithless and deceitful sister who gave me evil counsel to promote +her own interests, and while she seemed to love, betrayed me. Go, +go! place a crown upon your proud head; you take up that which I +despise and trample upon. I do not repent. I have no regrets. But, +hark! in becoming a queen, you cease to be my sister. Never will I +forget that through falsehood and treachery you won this crown. Go! +be Queen of Sweden. Let the whole world bow the knee before you. I +despise you. You have shrouded your pitiful heart in your royal +robes. Farewell!" + +She sprang to the door with flashing eyes and throbbing breast, but +Ulrica followed and laid her hand upon her shoulder. + +"Let us not part in anger, my sister," said she, softly--"let us--" + +Amelia would not listen; with an angry movement she dashed the hand +from her shoulder and fled from the room. Alone in her boudoir, she +paced the room in stormy rage, wild passion throbbed in every pulse. +With the insane fury of the Hohenzollerns, she almost cursed her +sister, who had so bitterly deceived, so shamefully betrayed her. + +In outward appearance, as well as in character, the Princess Amelia +greatly resembled her royal brother: like him, she was by nature +trusting and confiding; but, once deceived, despair and doubt took +possession of her. A deadly mildew destroyed the love which she had +cherished, not only for her betrayer, but her confidence and trust +in all around her. Great and magnanimous herself, she now felt that +the rich fountain of her love and her innocent, girlish credulity +were choked within her heart. With trembling lips, she said aloud +and firmly: "I will never more have a friend. I do not believe in +friendship. Women are all false, all cunning, all selfish. My heart +is closed to them, and their deceitful smiles and plausible words +can never more betray me. Oh, my God, my God! must I then be always +solitary, always alone? must I--" + +Suddenly she paused, and a rich crimson blush overspread her face. +What was it which interrupted her sorrowful words? Why did she fix +her eyes upon the door so eagerly? Why did she listen so earnestly +to that voice calling her name from the corridor. + +"Pollnitz, it is Pollnitz!" she whispered to herself, and she +trembled fearfully. + +"I must speak with the Princess Amelia," cried the master of +ceremonies. + +"But that is impossible," replied another voice; "her royal highness +has closed the door, and will receive no one." + +"Her royal highness will open the door and allow me to enter as soon +as you announce me. I come upon a most important mission. The life- +happiness of more than one woman depends upon my errand." + +"My God!" said Amelia, turning deadly pale, "Pollnitz may betray me +if I refuse to open the door." So saying, she sprang forward and +drew back the bolt. + +"Look, now, Mademoiselle von Marwitz," cried Pollnitz, as he bowed +profoundly, "was I not right? Our dear princess was graciously +pleased to open the door so soon as she heard my voice. Remark that, +mademoiselle, and look upon me in future as a most important person, +who is not only accorded les grandes but les petites entrees." + +The Princess Amelia was but little inclined to enter into the jests +of the master of ceremonies. + +"I heard," said she, in a harsh tone, "that you demanded +importunately to see me, and you went so far as to declare that the +happiness of many men depended upon this interview." + +"Pardon me, your highness, I only said that the happiness of more +than one woman depended upon it; and you will graciously admit that +I have spoken the truth when you learn the occasion which brings me +here." + +"Well, let us hear," said Amelia, "and woe to you if it is not a +grave and important affair!" + +"Grave indeed: it concerns the toilets for a ball, and you must +confess that the happiness of more than one woman hangs upon this +question." + +"In truth, you are right, and if you came as milliner or dressmaker, +Mademoiselle von Marwitz did wrong not to announce you immediately." + +"Now, ladies, there is nothing less important on hand than a masked +ball. The king has commanded that, besides the masked ball which is +to take place in the opera-house, and to which the public are +invited, another shall be arranged here in the castle on the day +before the betrothal of the Princess Ulrica." + +"And when is that ceremony to take place?" said Amelia. + +"Has not your royal highness been informed? Ah, I forgot--the king +has kept this a secret, and to no one but the queen-mother has it +been officially announced. Yes, yes, the Princess Ulrica is to marry +this little Prince of Holstein, who will, however, be King of +Sweden. This solemn ceremony takes place in four days; so we have +but three days before the masquerade, and we must work night and day +to prepare the necessary costumes--his majesty wishes it to be a +superb fete. Quadrilles are arranged, the king has selected the +partners, and I am here at his command, to say to your royal +highness that you will take part in these quadrilles. You will dance +a quadrille, in the costume of Francis the First, with the +Margravine of Baireuth and the Duchess of Brunswick." + +"And who is to be my partner?" said Amelia, anxiously. + +"The Margrave von Schwedt." + +"Ah! my irresistible cousin. I see there the hand of my malicious +brother; he knows how dull and wearisome I consider the poor +margrave." + +The princess turned away displeased, and walked up and down the +room. + +"Did you not say that I, also, would take part in the quadrille?" +said Mademoiselle von Marwitz. + +"Certainly, mademoiselle; you will dance in Russian costume." + +"And who will be my partner?" + +Pollnitz laughed heartily. "One would think that the most important +question was not as to the ball toilet, but as to the partner; that +he, in short, was as much a life-question as the color and cut of +your robe, or the fashion of your coiffure. So you demand the name +of your partner? Ah, mademoiselle, you will be more than content. +The partner whom the king has selected for you is one of our +youngest, handsomest, most amiable and talented cavaliers; a youth +whom Alcibiades would not have been indignant at being compared +with, and whom Diana would have preferred, perhaps, to the dreaming +and beautiful Endymion, had she found him sleeping. And mark you, +you will not only dance with this pearl of creation, but in the next +few days you must see and speak with him frequently. It is necessary +that you should consult together over the choice and color of your +costumes, and about the dances. If your royal highness will allow +it, he must come daily to arrange these important points. Alas! why +am I not a young maiden? Why can I not enjoy the felicity of loving +this Adonis? Why can I not exchange this poor, burnt-out heart for +one that glows and palpitates?" + +"You are a fool, and know nothing about a maiden's heart! In your +ecstasy for this Ganymede, who is probably an old crippled monster, +you make rare confusion. You force the young girl to play the part +of the ardent lover, and give to your monster the character of a +cool, vain fop." + +"Monster? My God! she said monster!" cried Pollnitz, pathetically. +"Fall upon your knees, mademoiselle, and pray fervently to your good +fortune to forgive you; you have sinned greatly against it, I assure +you. You will confess this when I have told you the name of your +partner." + +"Name him, then, at last." + +"Not before Princess Amelia is gracious enough to promise me that +she will watch over and shield you; that she will never allow you a +single tete-a-tete with your dangerous partner." + +"Ah, you will make me the duenna of my maid of honor," said Amelia, +laughing. "I shall be the chaperon of my good Marwitz, and shield +her from the weakness of her own heart." + +"If your royal highness declines to give this promise, Mademoiselle +Marwitz shall have another partner. I cannot answer to my conscience +if she is left alone, unobserved and unprotected, with the most +beautiful of the beautiful." + +"Be merciful, princess, and say yes. For you see well that this +terrible Pollnitz will make me a martyr to curiosity. Consent, +gracious princess, and then I may perhaps hear the name of my +partner." + +"Well, then," said Amelia, smiling, "I consent to play Mentor to my +maid of honor." + +"Your royal highness promises then, solemnly, to be present at every +conference between Mademoiselle von Marwitz and her irresistible +partner?" + +"I promise; be quick! Marwitz will die of curiosity, if you do not +tell the name of this wonder." + +"Well, now, that I have, so far as it is in my power, guarded the +heart of this young girl from disaster, and placed it under the +protecting eye of our noble princess, I venture to name my paragon. +He is the young lieutenant-Baron von Trenck, the favorite of the +king and the court." + +Very different was the impression made by this name upon the two +ladies. The eager countenance of Mademoiselle von Marwitz expressed +cool displeasure; while the princess, blushing and confused, turned +aside to conceal the happy smile which played upon her full, rosy +lips. + +Pollnitz, who had seen all this, wished to give the princess time to +collect herself. He turned to Mademoiselle Marwitz and said: "I see, +to my amazement, that our lovely maid of honor is not so enraptured +as I had hoped. Mademoiselle, mademoiselle! you are a wonderful +actress, but you cannot deceive me. You wish to seem disappointed +and indifferent, in order to induce our gracious princess to +withdraw her promise to me, and to think it unnecessary to be +present at your interviews with Trenck. This acting is in vain. The +princess has given her word, and she will most surely keep it." + +"Certainly," said Amelia, smiling, "I have no alternative. Queens +and princesses, kings and princes, are bound by their promises, even +as common men, and their honor demands that they fulfil their +contracts. I will keep my word. But enough of jesting for the +present. Let us speak now of the solemn realities of life, namely, +of our toilets. Baron, give me your model engraving, and make known +your views. Call my chambermaid, mademoiselle, and my dressmakers; +we will hold a solemn conference." + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE TEMPTER. + + +As Mademoiselle von Marwitz left the room, Pollnitz took a sealed +note from his pocket and handed it hastily to the princess. She +concealed it in the pocket of her dress, and continued to gaze +indifferently upon a painting of Watteau, which hung upon the wall. + +"Not one word! Still! Not one word!" whispered Pollnitz. "You are +resolved to drive my young friend to despair. You will not grant him +one gracious word?" + +The princess turned away her blushing face, drew a note from her +bosom, and, without a glance or word in reply, she handed it to the +master of ceremonies, ashamed and confused, as a young girl always +is, when she enters upon her first love romance, or commits her +first imprudence. + +Pollnitz kissed her hand with a lover's rapture. "He will be the +most blessed of mortals," said he, "and yet this is so small a +favor! It lies in the power of your royal highness to grant him +heavenly felicity. You can fulfil one wish which his trembling lips +have never dared to speak; which only God and the eyes of one +faithful friend have seen written in his heart." + +"What is this wish?" said the princess, in so low and trembling a +whisper, that Pollnitz rather guessed than heard her words. + +"I believe that he would pay with his life for the happiness of +sitting one hour at your feet and gazing upon you." + +"Well, you have prepared for him this opportunity; you have so +adroitly arranged your plans, that I cannot avoid meeting him." + +"Ah, princess, how despondent would he be, if he could hear these +cold and cruel words! I must comfort him by this appearance of favor +if I cannot obtain for him a real happiness. Your royal highness is +very cold, very stern toward my poor friend. My God! he asks only of +your grace, that which the humblest of your brother's subjects dare +demand of him--an audience--that is all." + +Amelia fixed her burning eyes upon Pollnitz. "Apage, Satanas!" she +whispered, with a weary smile. + +"You do me too much honor," said Pollnitz. "Unhappily I am not the +devil, who is, without doubt, next to God, the most powerful ruler +of this earth. I am convinced that three-fourths of our race belong +to him. I am, alas! but a poor, weak mortal, and my words have not +the power to move the heart of your highness to pity." + +"My God! Pollnitz, why all this eloquence and intercession?" cried +Amelia. "Do I not allow him to write to me all that he thinks and +feels? Am I not traitress enough to read all his letters, and pardon +him for his love? What more can he dare hope for? Is it not enough +that he loves a princess, and tells her so? Not enough--" + +She ceased suddenly; her eyes, which shrank from meeting the bold, +reproachful, and ironical glance of the baron, had wandered +restlessly about the room and fell now upon the picture of Watteau; +upon the loving, happy pair, who were tenderly embracing under the +oaks in the centre of that enchanting landscape. This group, upon +which the eye of the princess accidentally rested, was an eloquent +and decisive answer to her question--an answer made to the eyes, if +not the ears of Amelia--and her heart trembled. + +Pollnitz had followed her glances, and understood her blushes and +her confusion. He stepped to the picture and pointed to the tender +lovers. + +"Gracious princess, demand of these blessed ones, if a man who loves +passionately has nothing more to implore of his mistress than the +permission to write her letters?" + +Amelia trembled. She fixed her eyes with an expression of absolute +terror upon Pollnitz, who with his fox smile and immovable composure +gazed steadily in her face. He had no pity for her girlish +confusion, for her modest and maidenly alarm. With gay, mocking, and +frivolous jests, he resolved to overcome her fears. He painted in +glowing colors the anguish and despair of her young lover; he +assured her that she could grant him a meeting in her rooms without +danger from curious eyes or ears. Did not the room of the princess +open upon this little dark corridor, in which no guard was ever +placed, and from which a small, neglected stairway led to the lower +stage of the castle? This stairway opened into an unoccupied room, +the low windows of which looked out upon the garden of Monbijou. +Nothing, then, was necessary but to withdraw the bar from these +windows during the day; they could then be noiselessly opened by +night, and the room of the princess safely reached. + +The princess was silent. By no look or smile, no contraction of the +brow or expression of displeasure, did she show her emotion, but she +listened to these vile and dangerous words; she let the poison of +the tempter enter her heart; she had neither the strength nor will +to reject his counsel, or banish him from her presence; she had only +the power to be silent, and to conceal from Pollnitz that her better +self was overcome. + +"I shall soon reach the goal," said Pollnitz, clapping his hands +merrily after leaving the princess. "Yes, yes! the heart of the +little Princess Amelia is subdued, and her love is like a ripe +fruit-ready to be plucked by the first eager hand. And this, my +proud and cruel King Frederick, will be my revenge. I will return +shame for shame. If the good people in the streets rejoice to hear +the humiliation and shame put upon the Baron von Pollnitz, cried +aloud at the corners, I think they will enjoy no less the scandal +about the little Princess Amelia. This will not, to be sure, be +trumpeted through the streets; but the voice of Slander is powerful, +and her lightest whispers are eagerly received." + +Pollnitz gave himself up for a while to these wicked and cruel +thoughts, and he looked like a demon rejoicing in the anguish of his +victims. He soon smoothed his brow, however, and assumed his +accustomed gay and unembarrassed manner. + +"But before I revenge myself, I must be paid," said he, with an +internal chuckle. "I shall be the chosen confidant in this +adventure, and my name is not Pollnitz if I do not realize a large +profit. Oh, King Frederick, King Frederick! I think the little +Amelia will pay but small attention to your command and your menace. +She will lend the poor Pollnitz gold; yes, gold, much gold! and I--I +will pay her by my silence." + +Giving himself up to these happy thoughts, the master of ceremonies +sought the young lieutenant, in order to hand him the letter of the +princess. + +"The fortress is ready to surrender," cried he; "advance and storm +it, and you will enter the open door of the heart as conqueror. I +have prepared the way for you to see the princess every day: make +use of your opportunities like a brave, handsome, young, and loving +cavalier. I predict you will soon be a general, or a prince, or +something great and envied." + +"A general, a prince, or a high traitor, who must lay his head upon +the block and expiate his guilt with his life," said Trench +thoughtfully. "Let it be so. In order to become this high traitor, I +must first be the happiest, the most enviable of men. I shall not +think that too dearly paid for by my heart's blood. Oh, Amelia, +Amelia! I love thee boundlessly; thou art my happiness, my +salvation, my hope; thou--" + +"Enough, enough!" said Pollnitz, laughing and placing his hands upon +his ears. "These are well-known, well-used, and much-abused phrases, +which have been repeated in all languages since the time of Adam, +and which after all are only lovely and fantastic lies. Act, my +young friend, but say nothing; you know that walls have ears. The +table upon which you write your letters, and the portfolio in which +you place the letters of the princess, to be guarded to all +eternity, both have prying eyes. Prudence, prudence! burn the +letters of the princess, and write your own with sympathetic ink or +in cipher, so that no man can read them, and none but God and the +devil may know your dangerous secret." + +Trenck did not hear one word of this; he was too happy, too +impassioned, too young, to listen to the words of warning and +caution of the old roue. He read again and again, and with ever- +increasing rapture, the letter of the princess; he pressed it to his +throbbing heart and glowing lips, and fixed his loving eyes upon +those characters which her hand had written and her heart had +dictated. + +Pollnitz looked at him with a subdued smile, and enjoyed his +raptures, even as the fox enjoys the graceful flappings of the +wings, the gentle movements of the dove, when he knows that she +cannot escape him, and grants her a few moments of happiness before +he springs upon and strangles her. "I wager that you know that +letter by heart," said he, as he slowly lighted a match in order to +kindle his cigar; "am I not right? do you not know it by heart?" + +"Every word is written in letters of flame upon my heart." + +With a sudden movement, the baron snatched the paper from the young +man and held it in the flames, + +"Stop! stop!" cried Frederick von Trenck, and he tried to tear the +letter from him. + +Pollnitz kept him off with one arm and waved the burning paper over +his head. + +"My God! what have you done?" cried the young man. + +"I have made a sacrifice to the god of silence," said he solemnly; +"I have burnt this paper lest it might be used to light the scaffold +upon which you may one day burn as a high traitor. Thank me, young +man. I have perhaps saved you from discovery and from death." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE WEDDING FESTIVAL OF THE PRINCESS ULRICA. + + +Truly this perfidious friend had, for one day, guarded the secret of +the young lovers from discovery; but, the poison, which Pollnitz in +his worldly cunning prepared for them, had entered into their +hearts. For some days they met under strong restraint; only by +stolen glances and sighs, by a momentary pressure of the hand, or a +few slightly murmured words, could they give expression to their +rapture and their passion. The presence of another held their hearts +and lips in bondage. + +Pollnitz knew full well that there was no surer means to induce a +young girl to grant her lover an interview than to force them to +meet before strange witnesses, to bring every word and look into +captivity, to condemn them to silence and seeming indifference. The +glowing heart bounds against these iron bands; it longs to cast off +the yoke of silence, and to breathe unfettered as the wanton air. +Princess Amelia had borne two days of this martyrdom, and her +courage failed. She was resolved to grant him a private interview as +soon as he dared ask for it. She wished to see this handsome face, +now clouded by melancholy, illuminated by the sunshine of happiness; +those sad eyes "should look up clear, and the sorrowful lips should +smile; she would make her lover happy!" She thought only of this; it +was her only wish. + +There were many sad hours of pain and anguish, sad hours in which +she saw her danger, and wished to escape. In her despair and agony +she was almost ready to cast herself at the feet of her mother, to +confess all, and seek this sure protection against her own girlish +weakness; but the voice of love in her heart held her back from this +step; she closed her eyes to the abyss which was before her and +pressed panting onward to the brink. If Amelia had had a friend, a +sister whom she could love and trust, she might have been saved; but +her rank made a true friend impossible; being a princess, she was +isolated. Her only friend and sister had alienated her heart, +through the intrigues by which she had won the crown of Sweden. + +Perhaps these costly and magnificent wedding festivities which would +have been prepared for her, had she not refused a husband worthy of +her birth, aroused her anger, and in her rage and her despair she +entered upon dangerous paths, and fell into the cruel snares of +Pollnitz. She said to herself: "Yes, all this honor and glory was my +own, but my weak heart and my perfidious sister wrenched them from +my grasp. Fate offered me a way of escape, but my sister cast me +into the abyss in which I now stand; upon her rests the +responsibility. Upon her head be my tears, my despair, my misery, +and my shame. Ulrica prevented me from being a queen; well, then, I +will be simply a young girl, who loves and who offers up all to her +beloved, her pride, her rank, and the unstained greatness of her +ancestors. For Ulrica be honor, pomp, and power; for me the mystery +of love, and a girl's silent happiness. Who can say which of us is +most to be envied?" + +These were indeed happy, sunny days, which were prepared for the +bride of Adolph Frederick of Holstein, the Crown Prince of Sweden. +Fete succeeded to fete. The whole land took part in the happiness of +the royal family. All the provinces and cities sent deputations to +congratulate the king, and bring rich gifts to the princess; she who +had been always cast into the shade by the more noble and +bewildering beauty of her younger sister, had now become the centre +of attraction in all these superb festivities which followed each +other in quick succession. It was in honor of the Princess Ulrica +that the king gave a masked ball in the opera-house, to which the +whole city was invited; for her, on the evening of her betrothal, +every street in Berlin was brilliantly illuminated with wax-lights, +not by command of the king, but as a free-will offering of the +people; for her the queen, at Schonhausen, gave a superb ball; for +her the Swedish ambassador arranged a fete, whose fabulous pomp and +extravagant luxury were supposed to indicate the splendor which +awaited her in her new home. Lastly, this ball at the royal palace, +to which not only the nobles, but many of the wealthy burghers were +invited, was intended as a special compliment to Ulrica. + +More than three thousand persons moved gayly through these royal +saloons, odorous with the perfume of flowers, glittering with wax- +lights, the glimmer of diamonds, and rich gold and silver +embroideries--nothing was to be seen but ravishing toilets and happy +faces. All the beauty, youth, rank, fame, and worth of Berlin were +assembled at the palace; and behind these lovely ladies and +glittering cavaliers, the wondering, gaping crowd, of common men, +moved slowly onward, dumb with amazement and delight. The king had +commanded that no well-dressed person should be denied entrance to +the castle. + +Those who had cards of invitation were the guests of the king, and +wandered freely through the saloons. Those who came without cards +had to content themselves behind the silken ropes stretched across +one side of the rooms; by means of this rope an almost invisible and +yet an insurmountable barrier was interposed between the people and +the court circle. + +It was difficult to preserve the rules and customs of courtly +etiquette in such a vast assembly, and more difficult still to see +that every man was received and served as the guest of a king, and +suitable to his own personal merit. Crowds of lackeys flew through +the rooms bearing silver plateaux filled with the richest viands, +the most costly fruits, and the rarest wines. Tables were loaded +with the luxuries of every clime and season, and the clang of +glasses and the sweet sound of happy laughter were heard in every +direction. The king expressed a proud confidence in his good people +of Berlin, and declined the services of the police. He commissioned +some officers of his life-guard to act as his substitute and play +the host, attending to the wants and pleasures of all. Supper was +prepared in the picture-gallery for the court circle. + +But what means this wild laughter which echoes suddenly through the +vast crowd and reaches the ear of the king, who looks up surprised +and questioning to his master of ceremonies, and orders him to +investigate the tumult? In a few moments Pollnitz returned, +accompanied by a young officer, whose tall and graceful figure, and +whose handsome face, glowing with youth, pride, and energy, +attracted the attention of the noblest ladies, and won a smile of +admiration from the queen-mother. + +"Sire," said Pollnitz, "a mask in the guise of a thief, and in the +zealous pursuit of his calling, has robbed one of the officers who +were commanded by your majesty to guard the public peace and +property. Look, your majesty, at our young lieutenant, Von Trenck: +in the midst of the crowd, his rich, gold-embroidered scarf has been +adroitly removed; in his zeal for your service, he forgot himself, +and the merry gnome,--whom Trenck should have kept in order, has +made our officer the target for his sleight of hand. This jest, +sire, caused the loud laughter which you heard." + +The eyes of the king rested with an expression of kindliness and +admiration upon the young man, and the Princess Amelia felt her +heart tremble with joy and hope. A rich crimson suffused her cheeks; +it made her almost happy to see that her lover was appreciated by +her exalted brother and king. + +"I have watched and wondered at him during the whole evening," said +the king, merrily; "his glance, like the eye of Providence, pierces +the most distant and most obscure corner, and sees all that occurs. +That he who sees all else has forgotten himself, proves that he is +not vain, and that he forgets his own interests in the discharge of +his public duties. I will remember this and reward him, not in the +gay saloon, but on the battle-field, where, I am sure, his scarf +will not be taken from him." + +Frederick gave his hand to the young officer, who pressed it warmly +to his lips; then turning to the queen-mother, he said: "Madame, I +know that this young man has been commended to you, allow me also to +bespeak your favor in his behalf; will your majesty have the grace +to instruct him in all the qualities which should adorn a noble +cavalier? I will make him a warrior, and then we shall possess a +nobleman beyond praise, if not beyond comparison." + +The king, rising from the table, left his seat and laid his hand +kindly upon Trenck's shoulder. "He is tall enough," said Frederick +laughing; "for that he may thank Providence; let him not be +satisfied with that, but strive to be great, and for that he may +thank himself." He nodded graciously to Trenck, gave his arm to the +queen-mother, and led her into the ball-room. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +BEHIND THE CURTAIN. + + +The crowd and heat of the dancing-saloon were intolerable. All +wished to see the quadrille in which the two princesses, the +loveliest women of the court, and the most gallant cavaliers were to +appear. The music also was a special object of interest, as it was +composed by the king. The first quadrille closed in the midst of +tumultuous applause, restrained by no courtly etiquette. The +partners for the second quadrille advanced to the gay and inspiring +sound of pipes and drums. + +The Princess Amelia had withdrawn from the crowd into a window +recess. She was breathless and exhausted from the dance and the +excitement of the last few days. She required a few moments of rest, +of refreshment, and meditation. She drew the heavy silk curtains +carefully together, and seated herself upon the little tabouret +which stood in the recess. This quiet retreat, this isolation from +the thoughtless crowd, brought peace to her soul. It was happiness +to close her weary eyes, and indulge in sweet dreams to the sound of +this glorious music; to feel herself shut off from the laughing, +heartless crowd. + +She leaned her lovely head upon the cushion, not to sleep but to +dream. She thought of her sister, who would soon place a crown upon +her head; who had sold herself for this crown to a man whom she had +never seen, and of whom she knew nothing, but that he was heir to a +throne. Amelia shuddered at the thought that Ulrica had sacrificed +her religion to this man, whom she knew not, and had promised at +God's altar to love and be faithful to him. In the purity and +innocence of her girlish heart she considered this a crime, a +sacrilege against love, truth, and faith. "I will never follow +Ulrica's example," she whispered to herself. "I will never sell +myself. I will obey the dictates of my heart and give myself to the +man I love." As she said this, a crimson glow overspread her cheeks, +and she opened her eyes wide, as if she hoped to see the man she +loved before her, and wished him to read in her steady glance the +sweet confirmation of the words she had so lightly whispered. + +"No, no! I will never marry without love. I love, and as there can +be but one true love in a true life, I shall never marry--then--" +She ceased and bowed her head upon her bosom, her trembling lips +refused to speak the hope and dream of her heart, to give words to +the wild, passionate thoughts which burned like lava in her breast, +and, like the wild rush of many waters, drowned her reason. She +thought that in the eloquence of her great love she might touch the +heart of the king, and in the magnanimity of his soul he might allow +her to be happy, to place a simple myrtle-wreath upon her brow. She +repeated the friendly and admiring words which the king had spoken +to her lover. She saw again those wondrous eyes resting with +interest and admiration upon the splendid form of the young baron. A +happy, playful smile was on her lip. "The king himself finds him +handsome and attractive; he cannot then wonder that his sister +shares his opinion. He will think it natural that I love him--that-- +" + +A wild storm of applause in the saloon interrupted the current of +her thoughts. She drew the curtains slightly apart, and gazed into +the room. The second quadrille was ended, and the dancers were now +sinking upon the tabourets, almost breathless from fatigue. + +The princess could not only see, but she could hear. Two ladies +stood just in front of the curtains behind which she was concealed, +engaged in earnest conversation; they spoke of Frederick von Trenck; +they were enraptured with his athletic form and glowing eyes. + +"He has the face of a Ganymede and the figure of a Hercules," said +one. "I think him as beautiful as the Apollo Belvedere," said the +other; "and then his expression is so pure and innocent. I envy the +woman who will be his first love." + +"You think, then, that he has never loved?" + +"I am sure of it. The passion and fire of his heart are yet +concealed under the veil of youth. He is unmoved by a woman's tender +smiles and her speaking and promising glances. He does not +understand their meaning." + +"Have you tried these powerful weapons?" + +"I have, and I confess wholly in vain; but I have not given up the +contest, and I shall renew the attack until--" + +The ladies now moved slowly away, and the princess heard no more, +but she knew their voices; they were Madame von Brandt and Louise +von Kleist, whom the king often called the "loveliest of the +lovely." Louise von Kleist, the irresistible coquette, who was +always surrounded by worshippers and adorers, confessed to her +friend that all her tender glances had been unavailing; that she had +in vain attempted to melt the ice-rind of his heart. + +"But she will renew her efforts," cried Amelia, and her heart +trembled with its first throb of jealousy. "Oh, I know Louise von +Kleist! She will pursue him with her tenderness, her glances of +love, and bold encouragement, until he admires, falls at her feet a +willing victim. But no, no, I cannot suffer that. She shall not rob +me of my only happiness--the golden dream of my young life. He +belongs to me, he is mine by the mighty power of passion, he is +bound to me by a thousand holy oaths. I am his first love. I am that +happy woman whom he adores, and who is envied by the beauteous +Louise von Schwerin. He is mine and he shall be mine, in spite of +the whole world. I love him, and I give myself to him." + +And now she once more looked through the curtains and shrank back in +sweet surprise. Right before her stood Trenck--the Apollo of Louise +von Kleist, the Hercules and the Ganymede of Madame von Brandt, the +beloved of the Princess Amelia--Trenck stood with folded arms +immovable, and gazed piercingly in the crowd of maskers. Perhaps he +sought for Amelia; perhaps he was sorrowful because she had +withdrawn herself. + +Suddenly he heard a soft, low voice whispering: "Do not move, do not +turn--remain standing as you are; but if you hear and understand me, +bow your head." + +Frederick von Trenck bowed his head. But the princess could not see +the rapturous expression which illuminated his face; she could not +know that his breath almost failed him; she could not hear the +stormy, tumultuous beating of his heart. + +"Do you know who speaks? if you recognize me, incline your head." + +The music sounded loud and clear, and the dancing feet, the gay +jest, and merry laughter of five hundred persona gave confidence and +security to the lovers, Frederick was not content with this silent +sign. He turned toward the recess and said in low tones: "I know the +voice of my angel, and I would fall upon my knees and worship her, +but it would bring danger and separation." + +"Still! say no more," whispered the voice; and Trenck knew by its +trembling tones, that the maiden was inspired by the same ardent +passion which glowed in every fibre of his being. That still small +voice sounded in his ears like the notes of an organ: "Say no more, +but listen. To-morrow the Princess Ulrica departs for Sweden, and +the king goes to Potsdam; you will accompany him. Have you a swift +horse that knows the way from Potsdam to Berlin, and can find it by +night?" + +"I have a swift horse, and for me and my horse there is no night." + +"Four nights from this you will find the window which you know open, +and the door which leads to the small stair, only closed. Come at +the hour of eleven, and you will receive a compensation for the +scarf you have lost this evening. Hush--no word; look not around, +move onward indifferently; turn not your head. Farewell! in four +days--at eleven--go!" + +"I had to prepare a coat of mail for him, in order that he might be +invulnerable," whispered Amelia tremblingly; exhausted and +remorseful, she sank back upon the tabouret. "The beautiful Kleist +shall not ravish my beloved from me. He loves me--me alone; and he +shall no longer complain of my cruelty. I dare not be cruel! I dare +not make him unhappy, for she might comfort him. He shall love +nothing but me, only me! If Louise von Kleist pursues him with her +arts, I will murder her--that is all!" + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A SHAME-FACED KING. + + +The king laid his flute aside, and walked restlessly and sullenly +about his room. His brow was clouded, and he had in vain sought +distraction in his faithful friend, the flute. Its soft, melodious +voice brought no relief; the cloud was in his heart, and made him +the slave of melancholy. Perhaps it was the pain of separation from +his sister which oppressed his spirit. + +The evening before, the princess had taken leave of the Berliners at +the opera-house, that is, she had shown herself to them for the last +time. While the prima donna was singing her most enchanting +melodies, the travelling carriage of Ulrica drove to the door. The +king wished to spare himself the agony of a formal parting, and had +ordered that she should enter her carriage at the close of the +opera, and depart, without saying farewell. + +The people knew this. They were utterly indifferent to the beautiful +opera of "Rodelinda," and fixed their eyes steadily upon the king's +loge. They thus took a silent and affectionate leave of their young +princess, who appeared before them for the last time, in all the +splendor of her youth and beauty, and the dignity of her proud and +royal bearing. An unwonted silence reigned throughout the house; all +eyes were turned to the box where the princess sat between the two +queens. Suddenly the door was thrown open, and the young Prince +Ferdinand rushed, with open arms, to his sister. + +"My dear, dear Ulrica!" he cried, weeping and sobbing painfully, +"must it then be so? Do I indeed see you for the last time?" With +childish eagerness he embraced his sister, and leaned his head upon +her bosom. The princess could no longer control herself; she mingled +her tears with those of her brother, and drawing him softly out of +view, she whispered weeping and trembling words of tenderness; she +implored him not to forget her, and promised to love him always. + +The queen-mother stood near. She had forgotten that she was a queen, +and remembered only that she was a mother about to lose her child +forever; the thought of royal dignity and courtly etiquette was for +some moments banished from her proud heart; she saw her children +heart-broken and weeping before her, and she wept with them. +[Footnote: Schneider's "History of the Opera and the Royal Opera- +House."] + +The people saw this. Never had the most gracious smile, the most +condescending word of her majesty, won their hearts so completely as +these tears of the mother. Every mother felt for this woman, who, +though a queen, suffered a mother's anguish; and every maiden wept +with this young girl, who, although entering upon a splendid future, +shed hot tears over the happy past and the beloved home. When the +men saw their wives and children weeping, and the prince not ashamed +of his tears, they also wept, from sympathy and love to the royal +house. In place of the gay jest and merry laughter wont to prevail +between the acts, scarcely suppressed sobs were the only sounds to +be heard. The glorious singer Salimberri was unapplauded. The +Barbarina danced, but the accustomed bravos were hushed. + +Was it the remembrance of this touching scene which moved the king +so profoundly? Did this eternal separation from his beloved sister +weigh upon his heart? The king himself knew not, or he would not +acknowledge to himself what emotion produced this wild unrest. After +laying his flute aside, he took up Livy, which lay always upon his +writing-table, and tried to read a chapter; but the letters danced +before his eyes, and his thoughts wandered far away from the old +Roman. He threw the book peevishly aside, and, folding his arms, +walked rapidly backward and forward. + +"Ah me! ah me! I wish this were the day of battle!" he murmured. +"To-day I should be surely victorious! I am in a fierce and +desperate mood. The wild roar of conflict would be welcome as a +sweet home song in a strange land, and the shedding of blood would +be medicinal, and relieve my oppressed brain. What is it which has +drawn this veil over my spirit? What mighty and mysterious power has +stretched her hand over me? With what bounds am I held a helpless +captive? I feel, but I cannot see them, and cannot tear them apart. +No, no! I will be lord of myself. I will be no silent dreamer. I +will live a true life. I will work, and be a faithful ruler, if I +cannot be a free and happy man." + +He rang the bell, and ordered the ministers to assemble for a +cabinet council. + +"I will work, and forget every thing else," he said, with a sad +smile, and he entered his cabinet with this proud resolve. + +This time the king deceived himself. The most earnest occupation did +not drive the cloud from his brow: in fact, it became more lowering. + +"I cannot endure this," he said, after walking backward and forward +thoughtfully. "I will put a stop to it. As I am not a Ulysses, I do +not see why I should bind my eyes, and stop my ears with wax, in +order not to see this bewildering siren, and hear her intoxicating +song. In this sorrowful and pitiful world, is it not a happiness to +meet with an enchantress, to bow down to the magic of her charms, +and for a small half hour to dream of bliss? All other men are mad: +why should I alone be reasonable? Come, then, spirit of love and +bliss, heavenly insanity, take possession of my struggling soul. Let +old age be wise and cool, I am young and warm. For a little while I +will play the fool, and forget my miserable dignity." + +Frederick called his servant, and sent for General Rothenberg, then +took his flute and began to play softly. When the general entered, +the king nodded to him, but quietly finished his adagio; then laid +the flute aside, and gave his hand to his friend. + +"You must be Pylades, my friend, and banish the despondency which +oppresses the heart and head of thy poor Orestes." + +"I will be all that your majesty allows or commands me to be," said +the general, laughing; "but I think the queen-mother would be little +pleased to hear your majesty compare yourself to Orestes." + +"Ah, you allude to Clytemnestra's faithless love-story, with which, +truly, my exalted and virtuous mother cannot be associated. Well, my +comparison is a little lame, but my despondency is real--deeply +seated as my friendship for you." + +"How! your majesty is melancholy? I understand this mood of my +king," said Rothenberg. "It only takes possession of you the day +before some great deed, and only then because the night before the +day of triumph seems too long. Your majesty confesses that you are +sad. I conclude, therefore, that we will soon have war, and soon +rejoice in the victories of our king." + +"Perhaps you are right," said the king, smiling. "I do not love war, +but it is sometimes a necessary evil; and if I cannot relieve my +godmother, Maria Theresa, of this mortal malady of pride and +superciliousness without a general blood-letting, I must even play +the physician and open a vein. The alliance with France is +concluded; Charles the Seventh goes to Frankfort for coronation; the +French ambassador accompanies him, and my army stands ready for +battle, ready to protect the emperor against Austria. We will soon +have war, friend, and I hope we will soon have a victory to +celebrate. In a few weeks we will advance. Oh, Rothenberg! when I +speak of battle, I feel that I am young, that my heart is not of +stone--it bounds and beats as if it would break down its prison +walls, and found a new home of glory and fame." + +"The heart of my king will be ever young; it is full of trust and +kindliness." + +Frederick shook his head thoughtfully. "Do not believe that, +Rothenberg; the hands that labor become hard and callous, and so is +it with the heart. Mine has labored and suffered; it will turn at +last to stone. Then I shall be condemned. The world will forget that +it is responsible; they will speak only of my hard heart, and say +nothing of the anguish and the deceptions which have turned me to +stone. But what of that? Let these foolish two-legged creatures, who +proudly proclaim that they are made in the image of God, say what +they please of me; they cannot deprive me of my fame and my +immortality. He who possesses that has received his reward, and dare +utter no complaint. Truly Erostratus and Schinderhannes are +celebrated, and Eulenspiegle is better known and beloved by the +people than Socrates." + +"This proves that Wisdom herself must take the trouble to make +herself popular," said Rothenberg. "True fame is only obtained by +popularity. Alexander the Great and Caesar were popular, and their +names were therefore in the mouths of the people. This was their +inheritance, handed down from generation to generation, from father +to son. So will it be with King Frederick the Second. He is not only +the king and the hero, but he is the man of the people. His fame +will not be written alone on the tablets of history by the Muses; +the people will write it on the pure, white, vacant leaves of their +Bibles; the children and grandchildren will read it; and, centuries +hence, the curious searchers into history will consider this as +fame, and exalt the name of Frederick the Great." + +"God grant it may be so!" said the king solemnly. "You know that I +am ambitious. I believe that this passion is the most enduring, and +that its burning thirst is never quenched. As crown prince, I was +ever humiliated by the thought that the love, consideration, and +respect shown to me was no tribute to my worth, but was offered to a +prince, the son of a powerful king. With what admiration, with what +enthusiasm did I look at Voltaire! he needed no high birth, no +title, to be considered, honored, and envied by the whole world. I, +however, must have rank, title, princely revenues, and a royal +genealogical tree, in order to fix the eyes of men upon me. Ah, how +often did I remind myself of the history of that great prince, who, +surrounded by his enemies, and about to surrender, saw his servants +and friends despairing and weeping around him! He smiled upon them, +and uttered these few but expressive words: 'I feel by your tears +that I am still a king.' I swore then to be like that noble man, to +owe my fame, not to my royal mantle, but to myself. I have fulfilled +but a small portion of my oath. I hope that my godmother, Maria +Theresa, and the Russian empress, will soon afford me more enlarged +opportunities. Our enemies are indeed our best friends; they enrage +and inspire us." + +"In so saying, sire, you condemn us all, we who are the most +faithful, submissive, and enthusiastic friends of your highness." + +"You are also useful to me," said the king. "You, for example, your +cheerful, loving face does me good whenever I look upon it. You keep +my heart young and fresh, and teach me to laugh, which pleasant art +I am constantly forgetting in the midst of these wearisome and +hypocritical men. I never laugh so merrily as when I am with you at +your table, where I have the high privilege of laying aside my +royalty, and being a simple, happy man like yourself. I rejoice in +the prospect of this evening, and I am impatient as a young maiden +before her first ball. This evening, if I remember correctly, I am +invited by General von Rothenberg to a petit souper." + +"Your majesty was kind enough to promise me that you would come." + +"Do you know, Rothenberg, I really believe that the expectation of +this fete has made the hours of the day so long and wearisome. Now, +tell me, who are we to have? who takes part in our gayety?" + +"Those who were selected by your majesty: Chazot and Algarotti, +Jordan and Bielfeld." + +"Did I select the company?" said the king, thoughtfully; "then I +wonder that--" He stopped, and, looking down, turned away silently. + +"What causes your majesty's wonder?" said the general. + +"I am surprised that I did not ask you to give us Rhine wine this +evening," said the king, with a sly smile. + +"Rhine wine! why, your majesty has often told me that it was a slow +poison, and produced death." + +"Yes, that is true, but what will you have? There are many things in +this incomprehensible world which are poisonous, and which, for that +reason, are the more alluring. This is peculiarly so with women. He +does well who avoids them; they bewilder our reason and make our +hearts sick, but we do not flee from them. We pursue them, and the +poison which they infuse in our veins is sweet; we quaff it +rapturously, though death is in the cup." + +"In this, however, your majesty is wiser than all other men: you +alone have the power to turn away from or withstand them." + +"Who knows? perhaps that is sheer cowardice," said the king; he +turned away confused, and beat with his fingers upon the window- +glass. "I called the Rhine wine poison, because of its strength. I +think now that it alone deserves to be called wine--it is the only +wine which has bloom." Frederick was again silent, and beat a march +upon the window. + +The general looked at him anxiously and thoughtfully; suddenly his +countenance cleared, and a half-suppressed smile played upon his +lips. + +"I will allow myself to add a conclusive word to those of my king, +that is, a moral to his fable. Your majesty says Rhine wine is the +only wine which deserves the name, because it alone has bloom. So I +will call that society only society which is graced and adorned by +women. Women are the bloom of society. Do you not agree with me, +sire?" + +"If I agree to that proposition, it amounts to a request that you +will invite women to our fete this evening--will it not?" said the +king, still thrumming on the window. + +"And with what rapture would I fulfil your wish, but I fear it would +be difficult to induce the ladies to come to the house of a young +bachelor as I am!" + +"Ah, bah! I have determined during the next winter to give these +little suppers very often. I will have a private table, and women +shall be present." + +"Yes, but your majesty is married." + +"They would come if I were a bachelor. The Countess Carnas, Frau von +Brandt, the Kleist, and the Morien, are too witty and too +intellectual to be restrained by narrow-minded prejudice." + +"Does your majesty wish that I should invite these ladies?" said the +general; "they will come, without doubt, if your majesty commands +it. Shall I invite them?" + +The king hesitated a moment to reply. "Perhaps they would not come +willingly," said he; "you are unmarried, and they might be afraid of +their husbands' anger." + +"I must, then, invite ladies who are not married," said Rothenberg, +whose face was now radiant with delight; "but I do not know one +unmarried lady of the higher circles who carries her freedom from +prejudice so far as to dare attend a bachelor's supper." + +"Must we always confine our invitations to the higher circles?" said +the king, beating his parade march still more violently upon the +window. + +Rothenberg watched him with the eye of a sportsman, who sees the +wild deer brought to bay. + +"If your majesty will condescend to set etiquette aside, I will make +a proposition." + +"Etiquette is nonsense and folly, and shall not do the honors by our +petits soupers; pleasure only presides." + +"Then I propose that we invite some of the ladies from the theatre-- +is your majesty content?" + +"Fully! but which of the ladies?" said the king. + +"That is your majesty's affair," said Rothenberg, smiling. "You have +selected the gentlemen, will it please you to name the ladies?" + +"Well, then," said the king, hesitating, "what say you to Cochois, +Astrea, and the little Petrea?" + +"Sire, they will be all most welcome; but I pray you to allow me to +add one name to your list, the name of a woman who is more lovely, +more gracious, more intellectual, more alluring, than all the prima +donnas of the world; who has the power to intoxicate all men, not +excepting emperors and kings, and make them her willing slaves. Dare +I name her, sire?" + +"Certainly." + +"The Signora Barbarina." + +The king turned his head hastily, and his burning eyes rested +questioningly upon the face of Rothenberg, who met his glance with a +merry look. + +Frederick was silent; and the general, making a profound bow, said +solemnly: "I pray your majesty to allow me to invite Mesdames +Cochois, Astrea, and Petrea, also the Signora Barbarina, to our +petit souper." + +"Four prima donnas at once!" said the king, laughing; "that would be +dangerous; we would, perhaps, have the interesting spectacle of +seeing them tear out each other's eyes. No, no! to enjoy the glories +of the sun, there must be no rival suns in the horizon; we will +invite but one enchantress, and as you are the host, you have the +undoubted right to select her. Let it be then the Signora +Barbarina." [Footnote: Rodenbeck: "Journal of Frederick the Great."] + +"Your majesty graciously permits me to invite the Signora +Barbarina?" said Rothenberg, looking the king steadily in the face; +a rich blush suffused the cheeks of Frederick. Suddenly he laughed +aloud, and laying his arm around the neck of his friend, he looked +in his radiant face with an expression of confidence and love. + +"You are a provoking scamp," said Frederick. "You understood me from +the beginning, and left me hanging, like Absalom, upon the tree. +That was cruel, Rothenberg." + +"Cruel, but well deserved, sire. Why would you not make known your +wishes clearly? Why leave me to guess them?" + +"Why? My God! it is sometimes so agreeable and convenient to have +your wishes guessed. The murder is out. You will invite the +beautiful Barbarina. You can also invite another gentleman, an +artist, in order that the lovely Italian may not feel so lonely +amongst us barbarians." + +"What artist, sire?" + +"The painter Pesne; go yourself to invite him. It might be well for +him to bring paper and pencil--he will assuredly have an +irresistible desire to make a sketch of this beautiful nymph." + +"Command him to do so, sire, and then to make a life-size picture +from the sketch." + +"Ah! so you wish a portrait of the Barbarina?" + +"Yes, sire; but not for myself." + +"For whom, then?" + +"To have the pleasure of presenting it to my king." + +"And why?" + +"Because I am vain enough to believe that, as my present, the +picture would have some value in your eyes," said Rothenberg, +mockingly. "What cares my king for a portrait of the Barbarina? +Nothing, sans doute. But when this picture is not only painted by +the great Pesne, but is also the gift of a dear, faithful friend, I +wager it will be highly appreciated by your majesty, and you will +perhaps be gracious enough to hang it in your room." + +"You! you!" said the king, pointing his finger threateningly at +Rothenberg, "I am afraid of you. I believe you listen to and +comprehend my most secret thoughts, and form your petition according +to my wishes. I will, like a good-natured, easy fool, grant this +request. Go and invite the Barbarina and the painter Pesne, and +commission him to paint a life-size picture of the fair one. +[Footnote: This splendid picture of Barbarina hung for a long time +in the king's cabinet, and is still to be seen in the Royal Palace +at Berlin.] Pesne must have several sketches, and I will choose from +amongst them." + +"I thank your majesty," cried the general; "and now have the +goodness to dismiss me--I must make my preparations." + +As Rothenberg stood upon the threshold, the king called him. "You +have guessed my thoughts, and now I will prove to you that I read +yours. You think I am in love." + +"In love? What! I dare to think that?" said the general; and folding +his hands he raised his eyes as if in prayer. "Shall I dare to have +such an unholy thought in connection with my anointed king?" + +The king laughed heartily. "As to my sanctity, I think the holy +Antonius will not proclaim me as his brother. But I am not exactly +in love." He stepped to the window, upon the sill of which a +Japanese rose stood in rich bloom; he plucked one of the lovely +flowers, and handing it to the general, he said: "Look, now! is it +not enchantingly beautiful? Think you, that because I am a king, I +have no heart, no thirst for beauty? Go! but remember that, though a +king, I have the eyes and the passions of other men. I, too, am +intoxicated by the perfume of flowers and the beauty of women." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS. + + +The night was dark and still; so dark in the garden of Monbijou, +that the keenest eye could not detect the forms of the two men who +slipped stealthily among the trees; so still, that the slightest +contact of their clothing with the motionless leaves, and the +slightest footstep in the sand could be heard. But, happily, there +was none to listen; unchallenged and unseen, the two muffled figures +entered the avenue, at the end of which stood the little palace, the +summer residence of the queen-mother. Here they rested for a moment, +and cast a searching glance at the building, which stood also dark +and silent before them. + +"No light in the windows of the queen-mother," whispered one; "all +asleep." + +"Yes, all asleep, we have nothing to fear; let us go onward." The +last speaker made a few hasty steps forward, but his companion +seized him hastily by the arm, and held him hack. + +"You forget, my young Hotspur, that we must wait for the signal. +Still! still! do not stamp so impatiently with your feet; you need +not shake yourself like a young lion. He who goes upon such +adventures must, above all things, be self-possessed, cautious, and +cool. Believe me, I have had a long range of experience, and in this +species of love adventure I think I might possibly rival the famous +King Charles the Second, of England." + +"But here there is no question of love adventure, Baron Pollnitz," +said his companion impatiently, almost fiercely. + +"Not of love adventure, Baron Trenck! well, may I dare to ask what +is the question?" + +"A true--an eternal love!" + +"Ah! a true, an eternal love," repeated Pollnitz, with a dry, +mocking laugh. "All honor to this true love, which, with all the +reasons for its justification, and all the pathos of its heavenly +source, glides stealthily to the royal palace, and hides itself +under the shadow of the silent night. My good young sentimentalist, +remember I am not a novice like yourself; I am an old fogy, and call +things by their right names. Every passion is a true and eternal +love, and every loved one is an angel of virtue, beauty, and purity, +until we weary of the adventure, and seek a new distraction." + +"You are a hopeless infidel," said Trenck, angrily; "truly he who +has changed his faith as often as you have, has no religion--not +even the religion of love. But look! a light is shown, and the +window is opened; that is the signal." + +"You are right, that is the signal. Let us go," whispered Pollnitz; +and he stepped hastily after the young officer. + +And now they stood before the window on the ground floor, where the +light had been seen for a moment. The window was half open. + +"We have arrived," said Trenck, breathing heavily; "now, dear +Pollnitz, farewell; it cannot certainly be your intention to go +farther. The princess commissioned you to accompany me to the +castle, but she did not intend you should enter with me. You must +understand this. You boast that you are rich in experience, and will +therefore readily comprehend that the presence of a third party is +abhorrent to lovers. I know that you are too amiable to make your +friends wretched. Farewell, Baron Pollnitz." + +Trenck was in the act of springing into the window, but the strong +arm of the master of ceremonies held him back. + +"Let me enter first," said he, "and give me a little assistance. +Your sophistical exposition of the words of our princess is entirely +thrown away. She said to me, 'At eleven o'clock I will expect you +and the Baron von Trenck in my room.' That is certainly explicit--as +it appears to me, and needs no explanation. Lend me your arm." + +With a heavy sigh, Trenck gave the required assistance, and then +sprang lightly into the room. + +"Give me your hand, and follow cautiously," said Pollnitz. "I know +every step of the way, and can guard you against all possible +accidents. I have tried this path often in former years, +particularly when Peter the Great and his wife, with twenty ladies +of her suite, occupied this wing of the castle." + +"Hush!" said Trenck; "we have reached the top--onward, silently. + +"Give me your hand, I will lead you." + +Carefully, silently, and on tip-toe, they passed through the dark +corridor, and reached the door, through which a light shimmered. +They tapped lightly upon the door, which was immediately opened. The +confidential chambermaid of the princess came forward to meet them, +and nodded to them silently to follow her; they passed through +several rooms; at last she paused, and said, earnestly: "This is the +boudoir of the princess; enter--you are expected." + +With a hasty movement, Trenck opened the door--this door which +separated him from his first love, his only hope of happiness. He +entered that dimly-lighted room, toward which his weary, longing +eyes had been often turned almost hopelessly. His heart beat +stormily, his breathing was irregular, he thought he might die of +rapture; he feared that in the wild agitation of the moment he might +utter a cry, indicative as much of suffering as of joy. + +There, upon the divan, sat the Princess Amelia. The hanging lamp +lighted her face, which was fair and colorless. She tried to rise +and advance to meet him, but she had no power; she extended both her +hands, and murmured a few unintelligible words. + +Frederick von Trenck's heart read her meaning; he rushed forward and +covered her hands with his kisses and his tears; he fell upon his +knees, and murmured words of rapture, of glowing thanks, of blessed +joy--words which filled the trembling heart of Amelia with delight. + +All this fell upon the cold but listening ears of the master of +ceremonies, and seemed to him as sounding brass and the tinkling +cymbal. He hid discreetly and modestly withdrawn to the back part of +the room; but he looked on like a worldling, with a mocking smile at +the rapture of the two lovers. He soon found, however, that the role +which he was condemned to play had its ridiculous and humiliating +aspect, and he resolved to bear it no longer. He came forward, and +with his usual cool impertinence he approached the princess, who +greeted him with a crimson blush and a silent bow. + +"Pardon me, your royal highness, if I dare to ask you to decide a +question which has arisen between my friend Trenck and myself. He +did not wish to allow me to accompany him farther than the castle +window. I declared that I was authorized by your royal highness to +enter with him this holiest of holies. Perhaps, however, I was in +error, and have carried my zeal in your service too far. I pray you, +therefore, to decide. Shall I go or stay?" + +The princess had by this time entirely recovered her composure. +"Remain," said she, with a ravishing smile, and giving her hand to +the baron. "You were our confidant from the beginning, and I desire +you to be wholly so. I wish you to be fully convinced that our love, +though compelled for a while to seek darkness and obscurity, need +not shun the eye of a friend. And who knows if we may not one day +need your testimony? I do not deceive myself. I know that this night +my good and evil genius are struggling over my future--that +misfortune and shame have already perhaps stretched their wings over +my head; but I will not yield to them without a struggle. It may be +that one day I shall require your aid. Remain, therefore." + +Pollnitz bowed silently. The princess fixed her glance upon her +lover, who, with a clouded brow and sad mien, stood near. She +understood him, and a smile played upon her full, red lip. + +"Remain, Von Pollnitz, but allow us to step for a moment upon the +balcony. It is a wondrous night. What we two have to say to each +other, only heaven, with its shining stars, dare hear; I believe +they only can understand our speech." + +"I thank you! oh, I thank you!" whispered Trenck, pressing the hand +of Amelia to his lips. + +"Your royal highness, then, graciously allowed me to come here," +said Pollnitz, with a complaining voice, "in order to give me up +entirely to my own thoughts, and force me to play the part of a +Trappist. I shall, if I understand rightly my privileges, like the +lion in the fairy tale, guard the door of that paradise in which my +young friend revels in his first sunny dream of bliss. Your royal +highness must confess that this is cruel work; but I am ready to +undertake it, and place myself, like the angel with the flaming +sword, before the door, ready to slay any serpent who dares +undertake to enter this elysium." + +The princess pointed to a table upon which game, fruit, and Spanish +wine had been placed. "You will find there distraction and perhaps +consolation, and I hope you will avail yourself of it. Farewell, +baron; we place ourselves under your protection; guard us well." She +opened the door and stepped with her lover upon the balcony. + +Pollnitz looked after them contemptuously. "Poor child! she is +afraid of herself; she requires a duenna, and that she should have +chosen exactly me for that purpose was a wonderful idea. Alas! my +case is indeed pitiful; I am selected to play the part of a duenna. +No one remembers that I have ears to hear and teeth to bite. I am +supposed to see, nothing more. But what shall I see, what can I see +in this dark night, which the god of love has so clouded over in +compassion to this innocent and tender pair of doves? This was a +rich, a truly romantic and girlish idea to grant her lover a +rendezvous, it is true, under God's free heaven, but upon a balcony +of three feet in length, with no seat to repose upon after the +powerful emotions of a burning declaration of love. Well, for my +part I find it more comfortable to rest upon this divan and enjoy my +evening meal, while these two dreamers commune with the night-birds +and the stars." + +He threw himself upon the seat, seized his knife and fork, and +indulged himself in the grouse and truffles which had been prepared +for him. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +ON THE BALCONY. + + +Without, upon the balcony, stood the two lovers. With their arms +clasped around each other, they gazed up at the dark heavens--too +deeply moved for utterance. They spoke to each other in the exalted +language of lovers (understood only by the angels), whose words are +blushes, sighs, glances, and tender pressures of the hand. + +In the beginning this was their only language. Both shrank from +interrupting this sweet communion of souls by earthly material +speech. Suddenly their glances fell from heaven earthward. They +sought another heaven, and other and dearer stars. Their eyes, +accustomed to the darkness, met; their blushes and their happy +smiles, though not seen, were understood and felt, and at the same +moment they softly called each other's names. + +This was their first language, soon succeeded by passionate and +glowing protestations on his part; by blushing, trembling +confessions on hers. They spoke and looked like all the millions of +lovers who have found themselves alone in this old world of ours. +The same old story, yet ever new. + +The conduct, hopes, and fears of these young lovers could not be +judged by common rules. Theirs was a love which could not hope for +happiness or continuance; for which there was no perfumed oasis, no +blooming myrtle-wreath to crown its dark and stormy path. They might +be sure that the farther they advanced, the more trackless and arid +would be the desert opening before them. Tears and robes of mourning +would constitute their festal adorning. + +"Why has Destiny placed you so high above me that I cannot hope to +reach you? can never climb the ladder which leads to heaven and to +happiness?" said Trenck, as he knelt before the princess. + +She played thoughtfully with his long dark hair, and a burning tear +rolled slowly over her cheek and fell upon his brow. That was her +only answer. + +Trenck shuddered. He dashed the tear from his face with trembling +horror. "Oh, Amelia! you weep; you have no word of consolation, of +encouragement, of hope for me?" + +"No word, my friend; I have no hope, no consolation. I know that a +dark and stormy future awaits us. I know that this cloudy night, +under whose shadow we for the first time join our hands will endure +forever; that for us the sun will never shine. I know that the +moment our glances first met, my protecting angel veiled her face +and, weeping, left me. I know that it would have been wiser and +better to give your heart, with its treasures, to a poor beggar-girl +on the street, than to consecrate it to the sister of a king--to the +poor Princess Amelia." + +"Stop, stop!" cried Trenck, still on his knees, and bowing his head +almost to the earth. "Your words pierce my heart like poisoned +daggers, and yet I feel that they are truth itself. Yes, I was +indeed a bold traitor, in that I dared to raise my eyes to you; I +was a blasphemer, in that I, the unconsecrated, forced myself into +the holy temple of your heart; upon its altar the vestal flame of +your pure and innocent thoughts burned clearly, until my hot and +stormy sighs brought unrest and wild disorder. But I repent. There +is yet time. You are bound to me by no vow, no solemn oath. Oh, +Amelia! lay this scarcely-opened flower of our first young love by +the withered violet-wreaths of your childhood, with which even now +you sometimes play and smile upon in quiet and peaceful hours; to +which you whisper: 'You were once beautiful and fragrant; you made +me happy--but that is past.' Oh, Amelia! yet is there time; give me +up; spurn me from you. Call your servants and point me out to them +as a madman, who has dared to glide into your room; whose passion +has made him blind and wild. Give me over to justice and to the +scaffold. Only save yourself from my love, which is so cowardly, so +egotistic, so hard-hearted; it has no strength in itself to choose +banishment or death. Oh, Amelia! cast me away from your presence; +trample me under your feet. I will die without one reproach, without +one complaint. I will think that my death was necessary to save you +from shame, from the torture of a long and dreary existence. All +this is still in your power. I have no claim upon you; you are not +mine; you have listened to my oaths, but you have not replied to +them; you are free. Spurn me, then, you are bound by no vow." + +Amelia raised her arm slowly and solemnly toward heaven. "I love +you! May God hear me and accept my oath! I love you, and I swear to +be yours; to be true and faithful; never to wed any other man!" + +"Oh, most unhappy woman! oh, greatly to be pitied!" cried Trenck. +Throwing his arms around her neck he laid his head upon her bosom. +"Amelia, Amelia! these are not tears of rapture, of bliss. I weep +from wretchedness, from anguish, for your dear sake. Ah, no! I will +not accept your oath. I have not heard your words--those heavenly +words which would have filled my heart with light and gladness, had +they not contained your fatal condemnation. Oh, my beloved! you +swear that you love me? That is, to sacrifice all the high +privileges of your rank; the power and splendor which would surround +a husband of equal birth--a throne, a royal crown. Beware! when I +once accept your love, then you are mine; then I will never release +you; not to the king--not even to God. You will be mine through all +time and all eternity; nothing shall tear you from my arms, not even +your own wish, your own prayers. Oh, Amelia! do you see that I am a +madman, insane from rapture and despair! Should you not flee from a +maniac? Perhaps his arm, imbued with giant strength, seeking to hold +you ever to his heart, might crush you. Fly, then; spurn me from +you; go to your room; go, and say to this mocking courtier, to whom +nothing is holy, not even our love, who is surprised, at nothing--go +and say to him: 'Trenck was a madman; I summoned him for pity; I +hoped by mildness and forbearance to heal him. I have succeeded; he +is gone. Go, now, and watch over your friend.' I will not contradict +your words; so soon as you cross the threshold of the door, I will +spring from the balcony. I will be careful; I will not stumble; I +will not dash my head against the stones; I will not be found dead +under your window; no trace of blood shall mark my desperate path. +My wounds are fatal, but they shall bleed inwardly; only upon the +battle-field will I lie down to die. Amid the roar of cannon I shall +not be heard; I dare call your name with the last sigh which bursts +from my icy lips; my last words of love will mingle with the +convulsive groans of the dying. Flee, then! flee from wretchedness +and despair. May God bless you and make you happy!" + +Trenck drew aside reverentially, that she might pass him; but she +moved not--her eyes were misty with tears, tears of love, of +heavenly peace. Amelia laid her soft hand upon his shoulder. Her +eyes, which were fixed upon his face, had a wondrous glow. Love and +high resolve were written there. "Two of the brightest stars in +yonder heavens did wander in our sphere." Trenck looked upon her, +and saw and felt that we are indeed made in the image of God. + +"I seek no safety in flight. I remain by your side; I love you, I +love you! This is no trembling, sighing, blushing, sentimental love +of a young maiden. I offer you the love of a bold, proud woman, who +looks shame and death in the face. In the fire of my anguish, my +love has become purified and hardened; in this flame it has +forgotten its girlish blushes, and is unbending and unconquerable. I +have baptized it with my tears; I have taken it to my heart, as a +mother takes her new-born child whose existence is her condemnation, +her dishonor, her shame; whom she loves boundlessly, and blesses +even while weeping over it! I also weep, and I feel that +condemnation and shame are my portion. I also bless my love; I think +myself happy and enviable. God has blessed me; He has sent one pure, +burning ray of His celestial existence into my heart, and taught me +how to love unchangeably, immortally." + +"Oh, Amelia, why cannot I die now?" cried Trenck, falling powerless +at her feet. + +She stooped and raised him up with a strong hand. + +"Rise," she said; "we must stand erect, side by side, firm and cool. +When you kneel before me, I fear that you see in me a princess, the +sister of a king. I am simply your beloved, the woman who adores +you. Look you, Trenck, I do not say 'the young girl;' in my interior +life I am no longer that. This fearful battle with myself has made +me old and cautious. A young girl is trembling and cowardly. I am +firm and brave; a young girl blushes when she confesses her love; I +do not confess, I declare and glory in my passion. A young girl +shudders when she thinks of dishonor and misery, of the power and +rage and menaces of her family; when with prophetic eye she sees a +herald clad in mourning announcing her dark fate. I shudder not. I +am no weak maiden; I am a woman who loves without limit, +unchangeably, eternally." + +She threw her arms around him, and a long and blessed pause ensued. +Lightly whispered the wind in the tops of the lofty poplars and oaks +of the garden; unnumbered stars came out in their soft splendor and +looked down upon this slumbering world. Many slept, forgetful alike +of their joys and their griefs; some, rejoicing in unhoped-for +happiness, looked up with grateful and loving hearts; others, with +convulsive wringings of the hands and wild cries of anguish, called +upon Heaven for aid. What know the stars of this? they flash and +glimmer alike upon the happy and the despairing. The earth and sky +have no tears, no sympathy for earthly passions. Amelia released +herself from the arms of her lover and fixed her eyes upon the +heavens. Suddenly a star fell, marking its downward and rapid flight +with a line of silver; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, it +was extinguished. + +"An evil omen!" cried she, pointing upward. With a mysterious +sympathy, Trenck had looked up at the same moment. + +"The heavens will not deceive us, Amelia; they warn us, but this +warning comes too late. You are mine, you have sworn that you love +me; I have accepted your vows. May God also have heard them, and may +He be gracious to us! Is it not written that Faith can remove +mountains? that she is more powerful than the mightiest kings of the +earth; stronger than death--that conquerors and heroes fall before +her? Let us, then, have faith in our love; let us be strong in hope, +in patience, in constancy." + +"My brother says we shall soon have war. Will you not win a wreath +of laurel upon the battle-field? who can know but the king may value +it as highly, may consider it as glorious, as a princely crown? All +my sisters are married to princes; perhaps my royal brother may +pardon me for loving a hero whose brow is bound by a laurel-wreath +alone." + +"Swear to me, Amelia, to wait--to be patient, to give me time to +reach this goal, which you paint in such heavenly colors." + +"I swear!" + +"You will never be the wife of another?" + +"I will never be the wife of another." + +"Be it prince or king; even if your brother commands it?" + +"Be it prince or king; even if my brother commands it, I will never +obey him." + +"God, my God! you have heard our vows." While speaking, he took +Amelia's head in his hands softly and bowed it down as if it were a +holy sacrifice which he offered up to Heaven. "You have heard her +oath: O God, punish her, crush her in your wrath, if she prove +false!" + +"I will be faithful to the end. May God punish me if I fail!" + +"And now, beloved, you are mine eternally. Let me press our +betrothal kiss upon your sweet lips; you are my bride, my wife. +Tremble not now, turn not away from my arms; you have no other +refuge, no other strong fortress than my heart, but it is a rock on +which you can safely build; its foundation is strong, it can hold +and sustain you. If the storm is too fierce, we can plunge together +into the wild, raging sea, and be buried in the deep. Oh, my bride, +let me kiss your lips; you are sanctified and holy in my eyes till +the glorious day in which life or death shall unite us." + +"No, you shall not kiss me; I embrace you, my beloved," and she +pressed her soft full lips, which no untruthful, immodest word had +ever desecrated, to his. It was a kiss holy, innocent, and pure as a +maiden's prayer. "And now, my beloved, farewell," said Amelia, after +a long pause, in which their lips had been silent, but their hearts +had spoken to each other and to God. "Go," she said; "night melts +into morn, the day breaks!" + +"My day declines, my night comes on apace," sighed Trenck. "When do +we meet again?" + +Amelia looked up, smilingly, to the heavens. "Ask the stars and the +calendar when the heavens are dark, and the moon hides her fair +face; then I expect you--the window will be open and the door +unbarred." + +"The moon has ever been thought to be the friend of lovers," said +Trenck, pressing the hand of the princess to his heart; "but I hate +her with a perfect hatred, she robs me of my happiness." + +"And now, let us return to Baron Pollnitz, who is, without doubt, +impatient." + +"Why must he always accompany me, Amelia? why will you not allow me +to come alone?" + +"Why? I scarcely know myself. It seems to me we are safer when +watched over by the eye of a friend; perhaps I am unduly anxious; a +warning voice whispers me that it is better so. Pollnitz has become +the confidant of our love, let us trust him fully; let him know +that, though traitors and meriting punishment in the sight of men, +we are not guilty in the sight of God, and have no cause to blush or +look down. Pollnitz must always accompany you." + +"Ah, Amelia!" sighed Trenck; "you have not forgotten that you are a +princess. Love has not wholly conquered you. You command. It is not +so with me. I submit, I obey, and I am silent. Be it as you will: +Pollnitz shall always accompany me--only promise me to come ever +upon the balcony." + +"I promise! and now, beloved, let us say farewell to God, to the +heavens, to the soft stars, and the dark night, which has spread her +mantle over us and allowed us to be happy." + +"Farewell, farewell, my happiness, my love, my pride, my hope, my +future! Oh, Amelia, why cannot I go this moment into battle, and +pluck high honors which will make me more worthy of you?" + +They embraced for the last time, and then stepped into the room. +Pollnitz still sat on the divan before the table. Only a poor +remnant of the feast remained; his tongue had been forced to silence +in this lonely room, but he had been agreeably occupied with the +game, fruits, jellies, and wine which were placed before him; he had +stretched himself comfortably upon the sofa, and was quietly +enjoying the blessed feeling of a healthy and undisturbed digestion. +At last he had fallen asleep, or seemed so; it was some moments +before Trenck succeeded in forcing him to open his eyes. + +"You are very cruel, young friend," said he, rising up; "you have +disturbed me in the midst of a wondrous and rapturous dream." + +"Might I inquire into this dream?" said the princess. + +"Ah, your royal highness, I dreamed of the only thing which would +ever surprise or enrapture me in this comical and good-for-nothing +world. I dreamed I had no creditors, and heaps of gold." + +"And your dream differs widely from the reality?" + +"Yes, my gracious princess, just the opposite is true. I have +unnumbered creditors, and no gold." + +"Poor Pollnitz! how do you propose to free yourself from this +painful embarrassment?" + +"Ah, your royal highness, I shall never attempt it! I am more than +content when I can find some soothing palliatives for this chronic +disease, and, at least, find as many louis d'ors in my pocket as I +have creditors to threaten me." + +"And is that now your happy state?" + +"No, princess, I have only twelve louis d'ors." + +"And how many creditors?" + +"Two-and-thirty." + +"So twenty louis d'ors are wanting to satisfy your longing?" + +"Yes, unhappily." + +The princess walked to her table and took from it a little roll of +gold, which she handed to the master of ceremonies. "Take it," said +she, smiling; "yesterday I received my pin-money for the month, and +I rejoice that I am in a condition to balance your creditors and +your louis d'ors at this time." + +Pollnitz took the gold without a blush, and kissed the hand of the +princess gallantly. "Ah! I have but one cause of repentance," sighed +he. + +"Well, what is that?" + +"That I did not greatly increase the number of my creditors. My God! +who could have guessed the magnanimous intentions of my royal +princess?" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +THE FIRST CLOUD. + + +Drunk with happiness, revelling in the recollection of this first +interview with his lovely and exalted mistress, Frederick von Trenck +rode slowly through the lonely highways toward Potsdam. It was not +necessary for him to pay any attention to the road, as his horse +knew every foot of the way. Trenck laid his bridle carelessly upon +the neck of the noble animal, and gave himself up entirely to +meditation. Suddenly night waned, the vapors melted, light appeared +in the east, and the first purple glow was succeeded by a clear, +soft blue. The larks sang out their joyous morning song in the +heavens, not yet disturbed by the noise and dust of the day. + +Trenck heard not the song of the lark, he saw not the rising sun, +which, with his golden rays, illuminated the landscape, and changed +the dew-drops in the cups of the flowers into shimmering diamonds +and rubies; he was dreaming, dreaming. The sweet and wondrous +happiness of the last few hours intoxicated his soul; he recalled +every word, every smile, every pressure of the hand of his beloved, +and a crimson blush suffused his cheek, a sweet tremor oppressed his +heart, as he remembered that she had been clasped in his arms; that +he had kissed the pure, soft, girlish lips, whose breath was fresher +and more odorous than the glorious morning air which fanned his +cheeks and played with his long dark hair. With a radiant smile and +proudly erected head, he recalled the promise of the princess. She +had given him reason to hope; she believed in the possibility of +their union. + +And why, indeed, might not this be possible? Had not his career in +the last few months been so brilliant as to excite the envy of his +comrades? was he not recognized as the special favorite of the king? +Scarcely six months had passed since he arrived in Berlin; a young, +poor, and unknown student, he was commended to the king by his +protector, the Count von Lottum, who earnestly petitioned his +majesty to receive him into his life-guard. The king, charmed by his +handsome and martial figure, by his cultivated intellect and +wonderful memory, had made him cornet in his cavalry guard, and a +few weeks later he was promoted to a lieutenancy. Though but +eighteen years of age, he had the distinguished honor to be chosen +by the king to exercise two regiments of Silesian cavalry, and +Frederick himself had expressed his content, not only in gracious +but affectionate words. [Footnote: "Memoires de Frederic Baron von +Trenck," traduits par Lui-meme su l'original allemande.] It is well +known that the smile of a prince is like the golden rays of the sun: +it lends light and glory to every object upon which it rests, and +attracts the curious gaze of men. + +The handsome young lieutenant, basking in the rays of royal favor, +was naturally an object of remark and the most distinguished +attentions to the circle of the court. More than once the king had +been seen to lay his arm confidingly upon the shoulder of Trenck, +and converse with him long and smilingly; more than once had the +proud and almost unapproachable queen-mother accorded the young +officer a gracious salutation; more than once had the princesses at +the fetes of the last winter selected him as their partner, and all +those young and lovely girls of the court declared that there was no +better dancer, no more attentive cavalier, no more agreeable +companion than Frederick von Trenck--than this youthful, witty, +merry officer, who surpassed all his comrades, not, only in his +height and the splendor of his form, but in talent and amiability. +It was therefore to be expected that this proud aristocracy would +seek to draw the favorite of the king and of the ladies into their +circle. + +Frederick von Trenck was of too sound and healthy a nature, he had +too much strength of character, to be made vain or supercilious by +these attentions. He soon, however, accustomed himself to them as +his right; and he was scarcely surprised when the king, after his +promotion, sent him two splendid horses from his own stable, and a +thousand thalers, [Footnote: Ibid.] at that time a considerable sum +of money. + +This general adulation inspired naturally bold wishes and ambitious +dreams, and led him to look upon the impossible and unheard of as +possible and attainable. Frederick von Trenck was not vain or +imperious, but he was proud and ambitious; he had a great object in +view, and all his powers were consecrated to that end; in his +hopeful, sunny hours, he did not doubt of success; he was ever +diligent, ever watchful, ever ready to embrace an opportunity; ever +expecting some giant work, which would, in its fruition, bring him +riches and honor, fame and greatness. He felt that he had strength +to win a world and lay it bound at his feet; and if the king had +commanded him to undertake the twelve labors of Hercules, he would +not have shrunk from the ordeal. Convinced that a glorious future +awaited him, he prepared himself for it. No hour found him idle. +When his comrades, wearied by the fatiguing service and the oft- +repeated exercises and preparations for war, retired to rest, Trenck +was earnestly engaged in some grave study, some scientific work, +seated at his writing-table surrounded with books, maps, and +drawings. + +The young lieutenant was preparing himself to be a general, or a +conquering hero, by his talents and his great deeds; to subdue the +world and its prejudices; to bridge over with laurels and trophies +the gulf which separated him from the princess. Was he not already +on the way? Did not the future beckon to him with glorious promise? +Must not he, who at eighteen years of age had attained that for +which many not less endowed had given their whole lives in vain--he, +the flattered cavalier, the scholar, and the officer of the king's +guard--be set apart, elected to some exalted fate? + +These were the thoughts which occupied the young man, and which made +him forgetful of all other things, even the danger with which the +slow movements of his horse and the ever-rising sun threatened him. + +It was the custom of the king to attend the early morning parade, +and the commander, Captain Jaschinsky, did not belong to Trenck's +friends; he envied him for his rapid promotion; it angered him that +Trenck had, at a bound, reached that position to which he had +wearily crept forward through long years of service. It would have +made him happy to see this young man, who advanced so proudly and +triumphantly upon the path of honor and distinction, cast down from +the giddy height of royal favor, and trampled in the lust of +forgetfulness. He watched his young lieutenant with the smiling +cunning of a base soul, resolved to punish harshly the smallest +neglect of duty. + +And now he had found his opportunity. A sergeant, who was a spy for +the captain, informed him that Trenck's corporal had told him his +master had ridden forth late in the night and had not yet returned. +The sergeant had watched the door of the house in which Trenck +resided, and was convinced that he was still absent. This +intelligence filled the heart of Captain Jaschinsky with joy; he +concealed it, however, under the mask of indifference; he declared +that he did not believe this story of Trenck's absence. The young +man knew full well that no officer was allowed to leave Potsdam, +even for an hour, without permission, particularly during the night. + +In order, as he said, to convince the sergeant of the untruth of +this statement, he sent him with some trifling commission to +Lieutenant von Trenck. The sergeant returned triumphantly; the baron +was not at home, and his servant was most anxious about him, The +captain shrugged his shoulders silently. The clock struck eight; he +seized his hat, and hastened to the parade. + +The whole line was formed; every officer stood by his regiment, +except the lieutenant of the second company. The captain saw this at +a glance, and a wicked smile for one moment played upon his face. He +rode with zealous haste to the front of his regiment and saluted the +king, who descended the steps of the castle, accompanied by his +generals and adjutants. + +At this moment, to the right wing of the regiment, there was a +slight disturbance, which did not escape the listening ear of the +captain. He turned his head, and saw that Trenck had joined his +company, and that his horse was panting and bathed in sweat. The +captain's brow was clouded; the young officer seemed to have escaped +the threatened danger. The king had seen nothing. Trenck was in his +place, and it would be useless to bring a charge against him. + +The king, however, had seen all; his keen eye had observed Trenck's +rapid approach, and his glowing, heated countenance; and as he rode +to the front, he drew in his horse directly before Trenck. + +"How comes it that your horse is fatigued and sweating? I must +suppose he is fresh from the stable, and his master just from his +bed. It appears, however, that he has been delayed there; I see that +he has just arrived upon the parade-ground." + +The officer murmured a few incomprehensible words. + +"Will you answer me?" said the king; "is your horse just from the +stable--are you directly from your bed?" + +Frederick von Trenck's head had been bowed humbly upon his breast, +he now raised it boldly up; he was resolved; his fierce eyes met +those of the king. "No, your majesty," said he, with a cool, +composed mien, "my horse is not from the stable--I am not from my +bed." + +There was a pause, an anxious, breathless pause. Every eye was fixed +observantly upon the king, whose severity in military discipline was +known and feared. + +"Do you know," said the king at last, "that I command my officers to +be punctual at parade?" + +"Yes, sire." + +"Do you know that it is positively forbidden to leave Potsdam +without permission?" + +"Yes, your majesty." + +"Well, then, since this was known to you, where have you been? You +confess that you do not come from your dwelling?" + +"Sire, I was on the chase, and loitered too long. I know I am guilty +of a great misdemeanor, and I expect my pardon only from the grace +of my king." + +The king smiled, and his glance was mild and kindly. "You expect +also, as it appears, under any circumstances, a pardon? Well, this +time you shall not be disappointed. I am well pleased that you have +been bold enough to speak the truth. I love truthful people; they +are always brave. This time you shall go unpunished, but beware of +the second offence. I warn you." + +Alas! what power had even a king's warning over the passionate love +of a youth of eighteen? Trenck soon forgot the danger from which he +had escaped; and even if remembered, it would not have restrained +him. + +It was again a cloudy, dark night, and he knew that the princess +expected him. As he stood again upon the balcony, guarded by the +watchful master of ceremonies; as he listened to the sweet music of +Amelia's voice and comprehended the holy and precious character of +her girlish and tender nature; as he sat at her feet, pouring out +the rich treasures of his love and happiness, and felt her trembling +small white hand upon his brow; as he dreamed with her of a blessed +and radiant future, in which not only God and the night but the king +and the whole world might know and recognize their love--how could +he remember that the king had ordered the parade at seven in the +morning, and that it was even now impossible for him to reach +Potsdam at that hour? + +The parade was over when he reached his quarters. A guard stood +before his door, and led him instantly before the king. Frederick +was alone in his cabinet. He silently dismissed his adjutant and the +guard, then walked for some time backward and forward through the +room, without seeming to observe Trenck, who stood with pale but +resolved countenance before the door. + +Trenck followed every movement of the king with a steady glance. "If +he cashiers me, I will shoot myself," he said in a low tone. "If he +puts me to the torture, in order to learn the secret of my love, I +can bear it and be silent." + +But there was another possibility upon which, in the desperation of +his soul, Trenck had not thought. What should he do if the king +approached him mildly and sorrowfully, and, with the gentle, +persuasive words of a kind friend, besought him to explain this +mystery? + +This was exactly the course adopted by the king. He stepped forward +to the poor, pale, almost breathless youth, and looked him steadily +in the eyes. His glance was not threatening and scornful, as Trenck +had expected, but sad and reproachful. + +"Why have you again secretly left Potsdam?" said the king. "Where do +you find the proud courage to disobey my commands? Captain +Jaschinsky has brought serious charges against you. He tells me that +you often leave Potsdam secretly. Do you know that, if punished +according to the law, you must be cashiered?" + +"Yes, I know, sire. I also know that I will not outlive this shame." + +A scornful glance shot from the king's eye. "Do you intend to make +me anxious? Is that a menace?" + +"Pardon, sire. It is not in my power to make you anxious, and I do +not dare to menace. Of what importance to your majesty is this atom, +this unknown and insignificant youth, who is only seen when +irradiated by the sunshine of your eye? I am nothing, and less than +nothing, to your majesty; you are every thing to me. I will not, I +cannot live if your highness withdraws your favor from me, and robs +me of the possibility of winning a name and position for myself. +That was my meaning, sire." + +"You are, then, ambitious, and thirst for fame?" + +"Your majesty, I would gladly sell one-half of my life to the devil +if he would insure me rank and glory for the other half, and after +death an immortality of fame. Oh, how gladly would I make this +contract!" + +"If such ambition fires your soul, how can you be so foolish, so +inconsiderate, as to bring degradation and shame upon yourself by +carelessness in duty? He who is not prompt and orderly in small +things, will neglect the most important duties. Where were you last +night?" + +"Sire, I was on the chase." + +The king looked at him with angry, piercing eyes. Trenck had not the +courage to bear this. He blushed and looked down. + +"You have told me an untruth," said the king. "Think again. Where +were you last night?" + +"Sire, I was on the chase." + +"You repeat that?" + +"Your majesty, I repeat that." + +"Will you solemnly declare that this is true?" + +Trenck was silent. + +"Will you declare that this is true?" repeated the king. + +The young officer looked up, and this time he had the courage to +meet the flaming eye of the king. "No, sire, I will not affirm it." + +"You confess, then, that you have told me an untruth?" + +"Yes, your majesty." + +"Do you know that that is a new and grave offence?" + +"Yes, your majesty, but I cannot act otherwise." + +"You will not, then, tell me the truth?" + +"I cannot." + +"Not if your obstinacy will lead to your being immediately +cashiered, and to your imprisonment in the fortress?" + +"Not then, your majesty. I cannot act differently." + +"Trenck, Trenck, be on your guard! Remember that you speak to your +lord and king, who has a right to demand the truth." + +"Your majesty may punish me, it is your right, and your duty, and I +must bear it," said Trenck, trembling and ghastly pale, but firm and +confident in himself. + +The king moved off for a few moments, then stood again before his +lieutenant. "You will report to your captain, and ask for your +discharge." + +Trenck replied not. Perhaps it was not in his power. Two great tears +ran slowly down his cheeks, and he did not restrain them. He wept +for his youth, his happiness, his honor, and his fame. + +"Go!" repeated the king. + +The young man bowed low. "I thank you for gracious punishment," he +said; then turned and opened the door. + +The eyes of the king had followed him with marked interest. +"Trenck!" cried he; and, as he turned and waited silently upon the +threshold for the new command, the king stepped forward hastily and +held out his hand. + +"I am content with you! You have gone astray, but the anguish of +soul you have just now endured is a sufficient punishment. I forgive +you." + +A wild cry of joy burst from the pale lips of the youth. He bowed +low over the king's hand, and pressed it with passionate earnestness +to his lips. + +"Your majesty gives me my life again! I thank you! oh, I thank you!" + +The king smiled. "And yet your life must have but little worth for +you, if you would sign it away so readily. Once more I have forgiven +you, but I warn you for the future. Be on your guard, monsieur, or +the lightning will fall and consume you." [Footnote: The king's own +words. See Trenck's "Memoires."] And now the king's eye was +threatening, and his voice terrible in anger. "You have guarded your +secret," he said; "you did not betray it, even when threatened with +punishment worse than death. Your honor, as a cavalier, demanded +that; and I am not surprised that you hold it sacred. But there is +yet another kind of honor, which you have this day tarnished--I mean +obedience to your king and general. I forgive you for this; and now +I must speak to you as a friend, and not as a king. You are +wandering in dangerous paths, young man. Turn now, while there is +yet time; turn before the abyss opens which will swallow you up! No +man can serve two masters, or strive successfully after two objects. +He who wills something, must will it wholly; must give his undivided +heart and strength to its attainment; must sacrifice every thing +else to the one great aim! You are striving for love and fame at the +same time, and you will forfeit both. Love makes a man soft and +yielding. He who leaves a mistress behind him cannot go bravely and +defiantly into battle, though women despise men who are not gallant +and laurel-crowned. Strive then, Trenck, first to become a hero; +then it will be time to play the lover. Pluck your laurels first, +and then gather the myrtle-wreath. If this counsel does not suit +you, then give up your ambition, and the path to fame which you have +chosen. Lay aside your sword; though I can promise you that soon, +and with honor, you may hope to use it. But lay it aside, and take +up the pen or the hammer; build yourself a nest; take a wife, and +thank God for the gift of a child every twelve months; and pray that +the sound of battle may be heard only in the distance, and the steps +of soldiers may not disturb your fields and gardens. That is also a +future, and there are those who are content with it; whose ears are +closed to the beat of drums and the sound of alarm-bells which now +resound throughout Europe. Choose, then, young man. Will you be a +soldier, and with God's help a hero? or will you go again 'upon the +chase?'" + +"I will be a soldier," cried Trenck, completely carried away. "I +will win fame, honor, and distinction upon the battle-field, and +above all I will gain the approbation and consideration of my king. +My name shall be known and honored by the world." + +"That is a mighty aim," said the king, smiling, "and it requires the +dedication of a life. You must offer up many things, and above all +other things 'the chase.' I do not know what you have sought, and I +do not wish to know. I counsel you though, as a friend, to give up +the pursuit. I have placed the two alternatives before you, and you +have made your choice--you will be a brave soldier. Now, then, from +this time onward, I will be inexorable against even your smallest +neglect of duty. In this way only can I make of you what you resolve +to be--a gallant and stainless officer. I will tell your captain to +watch you and report every fault; I will myself observe and +scrutinize your conduct, and woe to you if I find you again walking +in crooked paths! I will be stern and immovable. Now, monsieur, you +are warned, and cannot complain if a wild tempest bursts over your +head; the guilt and responsibility will be yours. Not another word! +Adieu!" + +Long after Trenck had left the room, the king stood thoughtfully +looking toward the door through which the tall, graceful figure of +the young officer had disappeared. + +"A heart of steel, a head of iron," said the king to himself. "He +will be very happy, or very wretched. For such natures there is no +middle way. Alas! I fear it had been better for him if I had +dismissed him, and--" Frederick did not complete his sentence; he +sighed deeply, and his brow was clouded. He stepped to his writing- +table and took up a large sealed envelope, opened and read it +carefully. A sad smile played upon his lips. "Poor Amelia!" said he- +-"poor sister! They have chosen you to be assistant Abbess of +Quedlinburg. A miserable alternative for the Swedish throne, which +was in your power! Well, I will sign this paper." He took the pen +and hastily wrote his name upon the diploma. "If she is resolved +never to marry, she will be one day Abbess of Quedlinburg--that is +something. Aurora of Konigsmark was content with that, but only +after she had reached the height of earthly grandeur." + +Frederick was completely unmanned by these painful thoughts. He +raised his eyes to heaven, and said in a low tone: "Poor human +heart! why has Fate made you so soft, when you must become stone in +order to support the disappointments and anguish of life?" He stood +bowed down for a long time, in deep thought; then suddenly rising +proudly erect, he exclaimed: "Away with such cares! I have no time +to play the considerate and amiable father to my family. My kingly +duty and service call me with trumpet tones." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE COUNCIL OF WAR. + + +Frederick stepped from the room into the adjoining saloon, where his +ministers and generals were assembled for a council of war. His +expression was calm and clear, and an imposing fire and earnestness +lighted up his eyes. He was again the king, and the conqueror, and +his voice rang out martially: + +"The days of comfort and repose are over; we have reasoned and +diplomatized too long; we must now move and strike. I am surfeited +with this contest of pen and ink. I am weary of Austrian cunning and +intrigue. In these weighty and important matters I will not act +alone upon my own convictions; I will listen to your opinions and +receive your counsel: I will not declare war until you say that an +honorable peace is no longer possible. I will unsheath the sword +only when the honor of my throne and of my people demands it, and +even then with a heavy heart; for I know what burdens and bitter +woes it will bring upon my poor land. Let us therefore carefully +read, weigh, and understand the paper which lies upon the table, and +fulfil the duties which it lays upon us." + +Frederick stepped to the table and seated himself. The generals, the +old Dessauer, Ziethen, Winterfeld, and the king's favorite, +Rothenberg, with the ministers and councillor of state, placed +themselves silently around the table. The eyes of all these +experienced men, accustomed to battle and to victory, were steadily +fixed upon the king. His youthful countenance alone was clear and +bright; not a shadow was seen upon his brow. + +There was a pause--a stillness like that which precedes a tempest. +Every one felt the importance of the moment. All these wise and +great men knew that the young man who stood in their midst, with +such proud and calm composure and assurance, held in his hands at +this moment the fate of Europe; that the scales would fall on that +side to which his sword was consecrated. The king raised his head, +and his eyes wandered searchingly from one to the other of the +earnest faces which surrounded him. + +"You know, messieurs," said Frederick, "that Maria Theresa, who +calls herself Empress of Germany and of Rome, still makes war +against our ally Charles the Seventh. Her general, Karl von +Lothringen, has triumphed over the Bavarian and French army at +Semnach: and Bavaria, left, by the flight of the emperor, without a +leader, has been compelled to submit to Maria Theresa, Queen of +Hungary. She has allied herself with England, Hanover, and Saxony. +And these allied powers have been victorious over the army of our +ally, King Louis of France, commanded by Marshal Noailles. These +successes have made our enemies imperious. They have demanded much; +they have resolved to obtain all. Apparently they are the most +powerful. Holland has offered money and ships; Sardinia and Saxony +have just signed the treaty made at Worms by England, Austria, and +Holland. So they have troops, gold, and powerful allies. We have +nothing but our honor, our swords, and our good cause. We are the +allies of a land poor in itself, and, what is still worse, governed +by a weak and faint-hearted emperor; and of France, whose king is +the plaything of courtiers and mistresses. Our adversaries know +their strength, and are acquainted with our weakness. Look, +messieurs, at this letter of George of England to our godmother, +Maria Theresa of Hungary; an accident placed it in our hands, or, if +you will, a Providence, which, without doubt, watches over the +prosperity of Prussia. Read it, messieurs." + +He handed General Rothenberg a paper, which he read with frowning +brow and scarcely suppressed scorn, and then passed it on to +Winterfeld. The king studied the face of every reader, and, the more +dark and stormy it appeared, the more gay and happy was the +expression of his countenance. + +He received the letter again with a friendly smile from the hands of +his minister, and pointing to it with his finger, he said: "Have you +well considered these lines where the king says, 'Madame, what is +good to take, is also good to return'? What think you of these +words, Prince von Anhalt?" + +"I think," said the silver-haired old warrior, "that we will prove +to the English king what Frederick of Prussia once holds cannot be +rescued from him." + +"You think, then, that our hands are strong enough to hold our +possessions?" + +"Yes, your majesty." + +"And you, gentlemen?" + +"We share the opinion of the prince." + +"You have expressed precisely my own views," cried Frederick, with +delight. "If this is your conclusion, messieurs. I rejoice to lay +before you another document. It was above all other things the +desire of my heart, as long as it was possible, to preserve the +peace of Germany. I have sacrificed my personal inclination and my +ambition to this aim. I have united the German princes for the +protection of Charles the Seventh. The Frankfort union should be a +lever to restore freedom to Germany, dignity to the emperor, and +peace to Europe. But no success has crowned this union; discord +prevails amongst them. A part of our allies have left us, under the +pretext that France will not pay the promised gold. Charles the +Seventh is flying from place to place, and our poor land is groaning +under the burdens of a crippling and exhausting war. We must put an +end to this. In such dire need and necessity it is better to die an +honorable death than to bear disgrace, to live like beggars by the +grace of our enemies. I have not the insolence and courage of +cowardice so to live. I will die or conquer! I will wash out these +scornful words of the King of England with blood. Silesia, my +Silesia, which I have conquered, and which is mine by right, I will +hold against all the efforts of the Hungarian queen. Look, now, at +this document; it is a treaty which I have closed with France +against Austria, and for the protection of the Emperor Charles. And +now, here is another paper. It is a manifesto which Maria Theresa +has scattered throughout all Silesia, in which she declares that she +no longer considers herself bound by the treaty of Breslau, but +claims Silesia and Glatz as her own. Consequently she commands the +Silesians to withdraw from the protection of Prussia, and give their +allegiance to their rightful inheritor." + +"That is an open breach of contract," said one of the generals. + +"That is contrary to all justice and the rights of the people," +cried another. + +"That is Austrian politics," said the king, smiling. "They hold to a +solemn contract, which was detrimental to them, only so long as +necessity compels it; so soon as an opportunity offers to their +advantage, they prove faithless. They do not care to be considered +honorable, they only desire to be feared, and above all, they will +bear no equals and no rivals in Germany. Maria Theresa feels herself +strong enough to take back this Silesia I won from her, and a peace +contract is not sacred in her eyes. Austria was and is naturally the +enemy of Prussia, and will never forgive us because our father, by +the power of his genius, made himself a king. Austria would gladly +see the King of Prussia buried in the little Elector of Brandenburg, +and make herself rich with our possessions. Will we suffer that, +messieurs!" + +"Never!" said the generals, and the fire of battle flashed in their +eyes. + +"The Queen of Hungary has commanded her troops to enter Glatz. Shall +we wait till this offence is repeated?" + +"If the Austrian troops have made us a visit, politeness requires +that we should return the call," said Ziethen, with a dry laugh. + +"If the Queen of Hungary has sent a manifesto to Silesia, we must, +above all other things, answer this manifesto," said the councillor +of state. + +"Maria Theresa is so bold and insolent because Bellona is a woman, +consequently her sister; but we will prove to her that Dame Bellona +will rather ally herself with gallant men than with sentimental +women," said General Rothenberg. + +"Now, messieurs, what say you? shall we have peace or war?" + +"War, war!" cried they all in one breath, and with one movement. + +The king raised himself from his chair, and his eagle eye was +dazzling. + +"The decisive word is spoken," said he, solemnly. "Let it be as you +say! We will have war! Prepare yourselves, then, generals, to return +the visit of Austria. Ziethen tells us that this is a courtly duty. +Our councillor will write the answer to Maria Theresa's manifesto. +The Austrians have visited us in Glatz, we will return their call in +Prague. Kothenberg thinks that Dame Bellona would incline to our +arms rather than to those of the queen, so we will seek to win her +by tender embraces. I think the goddess would favor our Prince of +Anhalt, they have often fought side by side. Up, then, prince, to +battle and to love's sweet courtesies with your old Mistress +Bellona! Up, my friends, one and all! the days of peace are over. We +will have war, and may God grant His blessing to our just cause!" + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +THE CLOISTER OF CAMENS. + + +It was a still, lovely morning. The sun gilded the lofty, giant +mountain and irradiated its snow-crowned top with shifting and many- +colored light; it appeared like a giant lily, luminous and odorous. +The air was so clear and pure, that even in the far distance this +range of mountains looked grand and sublime. The spectator was +deluded by the hope of reaching their green and smiling summits in a +few moments. In their majestic and sunny beauty they seemed to +beckon and to lure you on. Even those who had been for a long time +accustomed to this enchanting region would have been impressed to- +day with its exalted beauty. Grand old Nature is a woman, and has +her feminine peculiarities; she rejoices in her beaux jours, even as +other women. + +The landscape spread out at the feet of those two monks now walking +in silent contemplation on the platform before the Cloister of +Camens, had truly to-day her beau jour, and sparkled and glittered +in undisturbed repose. + +"How beautiful is the world!" said one, folding his hands piously, +and gazing up into the valley; "created by wisdom and love, adapted +to our necessities and enjoyments, to a life well-pleasing to God. +Look now, brother, at the imposing majesty of that mountain, and at +the lovely, smiling valley which lies at its feet. There, in the +little village of Camens, this busy world is in motion, and from the +city of Frankenstein I distinguish the sound of the bells calling to +early morning prayer." + +"That is, perhaps, the alarm-bell," said the second monk; "the wind +is against us; we could not hear the sound of the small bells. I +fear that is the alarm-bell." + +"Why should the Frankensteiners sound the alarm-bell, Brother +Tobias?" said his companion, with a soft, incredulous smile. + +"Why, Brother Anastasius, because the Austrians have possibly sent +their advance guard to Frankenstein. The Frankensteiners have sworn +allegiance to the King of Prussia, and probably desire to keep this +oath; they sound the alarm, therefore, to call the lusty burghers to +arms." + +"And do you truly believe that the Austrians are so near us, Brother +Tobias?" + +"I do not believe--I know it. Before three days General Count Wallis +will enter our cloister with his staff, and, in the name of Maria +Theresa, command us to take the oath." + +"You can never forget that we were once Austrians, Brother Tobias. +Your eyes sparkle when you think that the Austrians are coming, and +you forget that his excellency the Abbot Stusche is, with his whole +heart, devoted to the King of Prussia, and that he will never again +subject himself to Austrian rule." + +"He will be forced to it, Brother Anastasius. The star of the +Prussian king has declined; his war triumphs are at an end; God has +turned away His face from him, because he is not a true Christian; +he is, indeed, a heathen and an infidel." + +"Still, still, Brother Tobias! if the abbot heard you, he would +punish you with twenty pater-nosters, and you know very well that +praying is not the business of your choice." + +"It is true; I am fonder of war and politics. I can never forget +that in my youth I was a brave soldier, and have more than once shed +my blood for Austria. You will understand now why I am an Austrian. +I declare to you, I would cheerfully say thirty pater-nosters every +day, if we could be once more subject to Austria." + +"Well, happily, there is no hope of that." + +"Happily, there is great hope of it. You know nothing about it. You +read your holy prayers, you study your learned books, and take but +little interest in the outward world. I know all, hear all, take +part in all. I study politics and the world's history, as diligently +as you study the old Fathers." + +"Well, Brother Tobias, instruct me a little in your studies. You are +right; I care but little for these things, and I am heartily glad of +it. It grieves me to hear of the wrath and contentions of men. God +sent us into the world to live in peace and love with one another." + +"If that be so, why has God permitted us to discover gunpowder?" +said Brother Tobias, whistling merrily. "I say to you that by the +power of gunpowder and the naked sword Silesia will soon be in +possession of the faithful believer Maria Theresa. Is it not +manifest that God is with her? The devil in the beginning, with the +help of the Prussian king and his wild army, did seem more powerful +than God himself! Only think that the gates of Breslau were opened +by a box on the ear! that the year before, Prague was taken almost +without a blow! It seemed indeed like child's play. Frederick was in +possession of almost the whole of Bohemia, but like a besieged and +suffering garrison he was obliged to creep away. God sent an enemy +against him who is more powerful than all mortal foes, his army was +perishing with hunger. There is no difference between the bravest +soldier and the little maiden when they fall into the hands of this +adversary. Hunger drove the victorious King of Prussia out of +Bohemia; hunger made him abandon Silesia and seek refuge in Berlin. +[Footnote: Preuss's "History of Frederick the Great."] Oh, I assure +you, we will soon cease to be Prussians. While King Frederick is +refreshing and amusing himself in Berlin, the Austrians have entered +Glatz, and bring us greetings from our gracious queen, Maria +Theresa." + +"If the King of Prussia hears of these greetings, he will answer +them by cannon-balls." + +"Did I not tell you that Frederick of Prussia was idling away in +Berlin, and recovering from his disastrous campaign in Bohemia? The +Austrians will have taken possession of all Upper Silesia before the +king and his soldiers have satisfied their hunger, I tell you, in a +few days they will be with us." + +"God forbid!" said Brother Anastasius; "then will the torch of war +burn anew, and misfortune and misery will reign again throughout +Silesia." + +"Yes, that is true. I will tell you another piece of news, which I +heard yesterday in Frankenstein; it is said that the King of Prussia +has quietly left Berlin and gone himself into Silesia to look after +the Austrians. Would it not be charming if Frederick should make our +cloister a visit, just as General Count Wallis and his troops +entered Camens?" + +"And you would call that charming?" said Brother Anastasius, with a +reproachful look. + +"Yes, most assuredly; the king would be taken prisoner, and the war +would be at an end. You may rest assured the Austrians would not +give the king his liberty till he had yielded up Silesia for +ransom." + +"May God be gracious, and guard us from war and pestilence!" +murmured Brother Anastasius, folding his hands piously in prayer. + +The thrice-repeated stroke of the bell in the cloister interrupted +his devotions, and the full, round face of Brother Tobias glowed +with pleasing anticipations. + +"They ring for breakfast, Brother Anastasius," said he; "let us +hasten before Brother Baptist, who is ever the first at the table, +appropriates the best morsels and lays them on his plate. Come, +come, brother; after breakfast we will go into the garden and water +our flowers. We have a lovely day and ample time--it will be three +hours before mass." + +"Come, then, brother, and may your dangerous prophecies and +expectations not be fulfilled!" + +The two monks stepped into the cloister, and a deep and unbroken +silence reigned around, interrupted only by the sweet songs of the +birds and the light movements of their wings. The building was in +the noble style of the middle ages, and stood out in grand and +harmonious proportions against the deep blue of the horizon. + +It was, without doubt, to observe the beauty and grandeur of this +structure, that two travellers who had toiled slowly up the path +leading from the village of Camens, now paused and looked with +wondering glances at the cloister. + +"There must be a splendid view from the tower," said the oldest and +smaller of the travellers to his tall and slender companion, who was +gazing with rapture at the enchanting landscape. + +"It must indeed be a glorious prospect," he replied with a +respectful bow. + +"It affords a splendid opportunity to look far and wide over the +land, and to see if the Austrian troops are really on the march," +said the other, with a stern and somewhat hasty tone. "Let us enter +and ascend the tower." + +The youth bowed silently, and followed, at some little distance, the +hasty steps of his companion. They reached the platform, and stood +for a moment to recover breath. + +"We have reached the summit--if we were only safely down again." + +"We can certainly descend; the question is, under what +circumstances?" + +"You mean, whether free or as prisoners? Well, I see no danger; we +are completely disguised, and no one knows me here. The Abbot +Amandus is dead, and the new abbot is unknown to me. Let us make +haste; ring the bell." + +The youth was in the act of obeying, when suddenly a voice cried +out: "Don't sound the bell--I will come myself and open the door." + +A man had been standing at the upper story, by an open window, and +heard the conversation of the two travellers. He drew in his head +hastily and disappeared. + +"It seems I am not so unknown as I supposed," said the smaller of +the two gentlemen, with a quiet smile. + +"Who knows whether these monks are reliable and true?" whispered the +other. + +"You certainly would not doubt these exalted servants of God? I, for +my part, shall believe in their sincerity till they convince me of +the contrary. Ah! the door is opened." + +The small door was indeed open, and a monk came out, and hastily +drew near to the two travellers. + +"I am the Abbot Tobias Stusche; I am also a man wholly devoted to +the King of Prussia, though he does not know me." + +The abbot laid such a peculiar expression upon these last words, +that the strangers were forced to remark them. + +"Do you not know the King of Prussia?" said the elder, fixing his +eagle eye upon the kindly and friendly face of the abbot. + +"I know the king when he does not wish to be incognito," said the +abbot, with a smile. + +"If the king were here, would you counsel him to remain incognito?" + +"I would counsel that; some among my monks are Austrian in sympathy, +and I hear the Austrians are at hand." + +"My object is to look out from your tower after the Austrians. Let +us enter; show us the way." + +The abbot said nothing, but entered the cloister hastily, and cast a +searching glance in every direction. + +"They are all yet in the refectory, and the windows open upon the +gardens. But no--there is Brother Anastasius." + +It was truly Brother Anastasius, who stood at the window, and +regarded them with astonished and sympathetic glances. The abbot +nodded to him and laid his forefinger lightly upon his lips; he then +hastily crossed the threshold of the little door. + +The stranger laid his hand upon the shoulder of the abbot, and said +sternly, "Did you not give a sign to this monk?" + +"Yes, the sign of silence," answered the abbot; and turning back, he +looked calmly upon the strangers. + +"Let us go onward." And with a firm step they entered the cloister. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE KING AND THE ABBOT. + + +Silently they passed through the lofty halls and corridors, which +resounded with the steps of the strangers, and reached the rooms +appropriated to the abbot. As they entered and the door closed +behind them, shutting them off from the seeing and listening world, +the face of the abbot assumed an expression of the most profound +reverence and emotion. He crossed his hands over his breast, and +bowing profoundly, he said: "Will your majesty allow me from the +depths of my soul to welcome you? In the rooms of the Abbot Tobias +Stusche, King Frederick need not preserve his incognito. Blessed be +your entrance into my house, and may your departure also be +blessed!" + +The king smiled. "This blessed conclusion, I suppose, depends +entirely upon your excellency. I really cannot say what danger +threatens us. It certainly was not my intention to wander here; to +stretch out my reconnoissance to such a distance. But what would +you, sir abbot? I am not only a king and soldier, but I am a man, +with eye and heart open to the beauties of nature, and I worship God +in His works of creation. Your cloister enticed me with its beauty. +In place of mounting my horse and riding back from Frankenstein, I +was lured hither to admire your building and enjoy the splendid +prospect from your tower. Allow me to rest awhile; give me a glass +of wine, and then we will mount the tower." + +There was so much of calm, bold courage, so much of proud self- +consciousness in the bearing of the king, that the poor, anxious +abbot could not find courage to express his apprehensions. He turned +and looked imploringly at the companion of the king, who was no +other than the young officer of the life-guard, Frederick von +Trenck. The youth seemed to share fully the careless indifference of +his royal master; his face was smiling, and he did not seem to +understand the meaning looks of the abbot. + +"Will your majesty allow me, and me alone, to have the honor of +serving you?" said his excellency. "I am jealous of the great +happiness which Providence has accorded me, and I will not divide it +with another, not even with my monks." + +Frederick laughed heartily. "Confess, your excellency, that you dare +not trust your monks. You do not know that they are as good +Prussians as I have happily found you to be? Go, then, if it is +agreeable to you, and with your own pious hands bring me a glass of +wine, I need not say good wine--you cloistered men understand that." + +Frederick leaned back comfortably in his arm-chair and conversed +cheerfully, even merrily, with his young adjutant and the worthy +abbot, who hastened here and there, and drew from closets and +hiding-places wine, fruit, and other rich viands. The cloistered +stillness, the unbroken quiet which surrounded him, were pleasing to +the king; his features were illuminated with that soft and at the +same time imposing smile which played but seldom upon his lips, but +which, like the sun, when it appeared, filled all hearts with light +and gladness. Several hours passed--hours which the king did not +seem to observe, but the heart of the poor abbot was trembling with +apprehension. + +"And now," said the king, "I am rested, refreshed, and strengthened. +Will your excellency conduct me to the tower? then I will return to +Frankenstein." + +"There is happily a way to the tower for my use alone," said the +abbot, "where we are certain to be met by no one. I demand pardon, +sire, the way is dark and winding, and we must mount many small +steps." + +"Well, abbot, it resembles the way to eternal life; from the power +of darkness to light; from the path of sin and folly to that of +knowledge and true wisdom. I will seek after this knowledge from +your tower, worthy abbot. Have you my field-glass, Trenck?" + +The adjutant bowed, silently; they passed through the corridor and +mounted the steps, reaching at last the platform at the top of the +tower. + +A wondrous prospect burst upon their view; the horizon seemed +bounded by majestic mountains of porphyry--this third element or +place of deposit of the enchanting primeval earth, out of which +mighty but formless mass our living, breathing, and beautiful world +sprang into creation, and the stars sang together for joy. In the +midst of these mountains stood the "Giant," with his snow-crowned +point, like the great finger of God, reaching up into the heavens, +and contrasting strangely with the lofty but round green summits of +the range, now gilded by the morning sun, and sparkling in changing +rays of light. + +The king looked upon this picture with rapture; an expression of +prayer and praise was written upon his face. But with the proud +reserve which ever belongs to those who, by exalted rank or genius, +are isolated from other men, with the shrinking of a great soul, the +king would allow no one to witness his emotion. He wished to be +alone, alone with Nature and Nature's God; he dismissed the abbot +and his adjutant, and commanded them to wait in the rooms below for +him. And now, convinced that no one saw or heard him, the king gave +himself up wholly to the exalted and pious feelings which agitated +his soul. With glistening eyes he gazed upon the enchanting +landscape, which glowed and shimmered in the dazzling sunshine. + +"God, God!" said he, in low tones; "who can doubt that He is, and +that He is from everlasting to everlasting? Who, that looks upon the +beauty, the harmony, and order of creation, can doubt of His wisdom, +and that His goodness is over all His works? [Footnote: The king's +own words. "OEuvres posthumes," page 162.] O my God, I worship you +in your works of creation and providence, and I bow my head in +adoration at the footstool of your divine Majesty. Why cannot men be +content with this great, mysterious, exalted, and ever-enduring +church, with which God has surrounded them? Why can they not worship +in Nature's great cathedral? Why do they confine themselves to +churches of brick and mortar, the work of men's hands, and listen to +their hypocritical priests, rather than listen to and worship God in +His beautiful world? They cry out against me and call me an infidel, +but my heart is full of love and faith in my Creator, and I worship +Him, not in priestly words, but in the depths of my soul." + +And now Frederick cast a smiling greeting to the lovely phenomena +which lay at his feet. His thoughts had been with God, and his +glance upward; but now his eyes wandered over the perfumed and +blooming valley which lay in the depths between the mountains; he +numbered the little cities and villages, with their red roofs and +graceful church-spires; he admired the straw-thatched huts upon +whose highest points the stork had built her nest, and stood by it +in observant and majestic composure. + +"This is all mine; I won it with my spear and bow. It is mine, and I +will never yield it up. I will prove to Maria Theresa that what was +good to take was not good to restore. No, no! Silesia is mine; my +honor, my pride, and my fame demand it. I will never give it up. I +will defend it with rivers of blood, yes, with my own heart's +blood!" + +He took his glass and looked again over the luxurious valley; he +started and fixed his glass steadily upon one point. In the midst of +the smiling meadows through which the highway wound like a graceful +stream, he saw a curious, glittering, moving mass. At the first +glance it looked like a crowd of creeping ants; it soon, however, +assumed larger proportions, and, at last, approaching ever nearer, +the forms of men could be distinctly seen, and now he recognized a +column of marching soldiers. + +"Austrians," said the king, with calm composure. He turned his glass +in the other direction, where a road led into the valley; this path +was also filled with soldiers, who, by rapid marches, were +approaching the cloister. "Without doubt they know that I am here," +said the king; "they have learned this in the village, and have come +to take me prisoner. Eh bien, nous verrons." + +So saying, Frederick put his glass in his pocket, descended the +steps, and with cool indifference entered the room of the abbot. + +"Messieurs," said he, laughing merrily, as he looked at the good- +natured and unsuspicious faces of the worthy abbot and the young +officer, "we must decide upon some plan of defence, for the +Austrians draw near on every side of the cloister." + +"Oh, my prophetic soul!" murmured the abbot, folding his hands in +prayer. + +Trenck rushed to the window and looked searchingly abroad. At this +moment a loud knock was heard upon the door, and an anxious voice +called to the abbot. + +"All is lost, the Austrians are already here!" cried Tobias Stusche, +wringing his hands despairingly. + +"No!" said the king, "they cannot yet have reached the cloister, and +that is not the voice of a soldier who commands, but that of a monk +who prays, and is almost dead with terror; let us open the door." + +"O my God, your majesty! would you betray yourself?" cried Stusche, +and forgetting all etiquette, he rushed to the king, laid his hand +upon his arm and held him back. + +"No," said the king, "I will not betray myself, neither will I +conceal myself. I will meet my fate with my face to the foe." + +"Open, open, for God's sake!" cried the voice without. + +"He prays in God's name," said the king. "I will open the door." He +crossed the room and drew back the bolt. + +And now, the pale and anxious face of Brother Anastasius appeared. +He entered hastily, closed and fastened the door. + +"Pardon," said he, trembling and breathless--"pardon that I have +dared to enter. The danger is great; the Austrians surround the +cloister." + +"Are they already here?" said the king. + +"No; but they have sent a courier, who commands us immediately to +open all the doors and give entrance to the soldiers of Maria +Theresa." + +"Have they given a reason for this command?" + +"Yes; they say they know assuredly that the King of Prussia is +concealed here, and they come to search the cloister." + +"Have you not said to them, that we are not only the servants of +God, but the servants of the King of Prussia? Have you not said to +them that the doors of our cloister can only open to Prussian +troops?" + +"Yes, your excellency. I told the soldier all this, but he laughed, +and said the pandours of Colonel von Trenck knew how to obtain an +entrance." + +"Ah! it is Trenck, with his pandours," cried the king, casting a +searching glance at Frederick von Trenck, who stood opposite, with +pale and tightly-compressed lips; he met the eye of the king boldly, +however, and looked him steadily in the face. + +"Is Colonel Trenck your relation?" said the king, hastily. + +"Yes, your majesty; he is my father's brother's son," said the young +man, proudly. + +"Ah! I see you have a clear conscience," said the king, laying his +hand smilingly upon the youth's shoulder. "But, tell me, worthy +abbot, do you know any way to rescue us from this mouse-trap?" + +Tobias did not reply immediately; he stood thoughtfully with his +arms folded, then raised his head quickly, as if he had come to some +bold conclusion; energy and purpose were written in his face. "Will +your majesty make use of the means which I dare to offer you?" + +"Yes, if they are not unworthy. I owe it to my people not to lay +upon them the burden of my ransom." + +"Then I hope, with God's help, to serve your majesty." He turned to +the monk, and said, with a proud, commanding tone: "Brother +Anastasius, listen to my commands. Go immediately to Messner, order +him in my name to call all the brothers to high mass in the choir of +the church; threaten him with my wrath and the severest punishment, +if he dares to speak to one of the brethren. I will prove my monks, +and see if they recognize that obedience is the first duty in a +cloister." + +"While Messner assembles the priests, shall the bell sound for +mass?" + +"Hasten, Brother Anastasius; in ten minutes we must be all in the +church." + +"And you expect to save me by celebrating high mass?" said +Frederick, shrugging his shoulders. + +"Yes, sire, I expect it. Will your majesty graciously accompany me +to my dressing-room?" + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE UNKNOWN ABBOT + + +The bell continued to sound, and its silver tones echoed in the +lofty halls and corridors, through which the priests, in their +superb vestments and holy orders, passed onward to the church. +Surprise and wonder were written upon every face; curious questions +were burning upon every lip, restrained, however, by the strong +habit of obedience. The abbot had commanded that not one word should +be exchanged between the brethren. The abbot must be obeyed, though +the monks might die of curiosity. Silently they entered the church. +And now the bell ceased to toll, and the grand old organ filled the +church with a rich stream of harmony. Suddenly the notes were soft +and touching, and the strong, full voices of men rose high above +them. + +While the organ swelled, and the church resounded with songs of +prayer and praise, the Abbot Tobias Stusche entered the great door. +But this time he was not, as usual, alone. Another abbot, in the +richly-embroidered habiliments of a fete day, stood by his side. No +one had ever seen this abbot. He was wholly unknown. + +Every eye was turned upon him; every one was struck with the +commanding and noble countenance, with the imposing brow and +luminous eye, which cast searching and threatening glances in every +direction. All felt that something strange, unheard of, was passing +in their midst. They knew this stranger, glowing with youth, beauty, +and majesty, was no common priest, no humble brother. + +The command to strict silence had been given, and implicit obedience +is the first duty of the cloister. So they were silent, sang, and +prayed; while Tobias Stusche, with the strange abbot, swept slowly +and solemnly through the aisles up to the altar. They both fell upon +their knees and folded their hands in silent prayer. + +Again the organ swelled, and the voices of the choristers rose up in +adoration and praise; but every eye and every thought were fixed +upon the strange abbot kneeling before the high altar, and wrestling +with God in prayer. And now the organ was silent, and the low +prayers began. The monks murmured mechanically the accustomed words; +nothing was heard but sighs of penitence and trembling petitions, +which seemed to fade and die away amongst the lofty pillars of the +cathedral. + +Suddenly a loud noise was heard without, the sound of pistols and +threatening voices demanding admittance. No one regarded this. The +church doors were violently thrown open, and wild, rude forms, +sunbrowned and threatening faces appeared. For one moment noisy +tumult and outcry filled the church, but it was silenced by the holy +service, now celebrated by these kneeling, praying monks, who held +their beads in their hands, and gave no glance, in token of interest +or consciousness, toward the wild men who had so insolently +interrupted the worship of God. The soldiers bowed their heads +humbly upon their breasts, and prayed for pardon and grace. This +holy duty being fulfilled, they remembered their worldly calling, +and commenced to search the church for the King of Prussia, whom +they believed to be hidden there. The clang of spurs and heavy steps +resounded through the aisles, and completely drowned the prayers and +sighs of the monks, who, kneeling upon their stools, seemed to have +no eye or thought for any thing but the solemn service in which they +were engaged. + +The pandours, in their dark, artistic costumes, with the red mantle +fastened to their shoulders, swarmed through the church, and with +flashing eyes and scarcely suppressed curses searched in every niche +and behind every pillar for Frederick of Prussia. How often did +these wild forms pass by the two abbots, who were still kneeling, +immovable in rapturous meditation, before the high altar! How often +did their swords strike upon the floor behind them, and even fasten +in the vestment of the strange abbot, who, with closed eyes and head +bowed down upon his breast, had no knowledge of their presence! + +The prayers had continued much longer than usual, and yet the abbot +did not pronounce the benediction! And now he did indeed give a +sign, but not the one expected. He rose from his knees, but did not +leave the church; with his companion, he mounted the steps to the +altar, to draw near to the holy crucifix and bless the host. He +nodded to the choir, and again the organ and the choristers filled +the church with melody. + +This was something so extraordinary that the monks turned pale, and +questioned their consciences anxiously. Had they not committed some +great crime, for which their stern abbot was resolved to punish them +with everlasting prayer and penitence? The pandours knew nothing of +this double mass. They had now searched the whole church, and as the +king was not to be found, they rushed out in order to search the +cells, and, indeed, every corner of the cloister. The service still +continued; the unknown abbot stood before the high altar, while +Abbot Stusche took the host and held it up before the kneeling +monks. + +At this moment a wild cry of triumph was heard without; then curses +and loud laughter. The monks were bowed down before the host, and +did not seem to hear the tumult. They sang and prayed, and now the +outcry and noise of strife was hushed, and nothing was heard but the +faint and dying tones of the organ. The pandours had left the +cloister; they had found the adutant of the king and borne him off +as a rich spoil to their commander, Colonel von Trenck. + +The soldiers were gone, it was therefore not necessary to continue +the worship of God. Tobias Stusche repeated a pater-noster, gave his +hand to the unknown abbot, and they turned to leave the church. As +they slowly and majestically swept through the aisles, the monks +bowed their heads in reverence; the organ breathed its last grand +accord, and the glorious sun threw a beckoning love-greeting through +the lofty windows of painted glass. It was a striking and solemn +scene, and the unknown abbot seemed strangely impressed. He paused +at the door and turned once more, and his glance wandered slowly +over the church. + +One hour later the heavy state-coach of the Abbot of Clostenberg +rolled down from Camens. In the coach sat Tobias Stusche with the +unknown abbot. They took the road to Frankenstein. Not far from the +gate the carriage stopped, and to the amazement of the coachman, no +abbot, but a soldier clad in the well-known Prussian uniform, +descended. After leaving the coach, he turned again and bowed to the +worthy Abbot Stusche. + +"I will never forget this bold and noble act of your excellency," +said the king, giving his hand to the abbot. "You and your cloister +may at all times count upon my special favor. But for your aid, I +should this day have been betrayed into a most unworthy and shameful +imprisonment. The first rich abbey which is vacant I will give to +you, and then in all future time I will confirm the choice of abbot, +which the monks themselves shall make." [Footnote: In gratitude for +this service, the king gave the rich Abbey of Sentua to Stusche, and +kept up with him always the kindest intercourse. There are letters +still preserved written by the king himself to the abbot, filled +with expressions of heart-felt kindness and favor. Frederick sent +him from Meissen a beautiful set of porcelain, and splendid stuff +for pontifical robes, and rare champagne wine. While in Breslau, he +invited him twice to visit him. Soon after the close of the Seven +Years' War, Stusche died. The king sent a royal present to the +cloister with a request that on the birthday of the abbot a solemn +mass should be celebrated. Some years later, Frederick stopped at +Camens, and told the abbot to commission the first monk who died to +bear his loving greeting to the good Abbot Stusche in Paradise.-- +(See Rodenbeck.)] + +"O my God!" exclaimed the abbot, "how rarely must your majesty have +met with honest and faithful men, if you reward so richly a simple +and most natural act of love!" + +"Faithful hearts are rare," said the king. "I have met this blue- +eyed daughter of Heaven but seldom upon my path, and it is perhaps +for this reason that her grandeur and her beauty are so enchanting +to me. Farewell, sir abbot, and greet the brother Anastasius for +me." + +"Will not your majesty allow me to accompany you to the city?" + +"No, it is better that I go on foot. In a quarter of an hour, I +shall be there; my carriage and my guard await me, and I wish no one +to be acquainted with the adventures of this day. It remains a +secret between us for the present." + +Frederick greeted him once more, and then stepped lightly onward +toward the city. The coach of the abbot returned slowly to the +cloister. + +The king had advanced but a short distance, when the sound of an +approaching horse met his car. He stood still and looked down the +highway. This time the Austrian uniform did not meet his eye; he +recognized in the distance the Prussian colors, and as the horse +approached nearer, he marked the uniform of a young officer of his +life-guard. Before Frederick found time for surprise, the rider had +reached him, checked his horse with a strong hand, sprang from the +saddle, bowed profoundly before the king, and reached him the reins. + +"Will not your majesty do me the favor to mount my horse?" said +Trenck, calm and unembarrassed, and without alluding by word or +smile to the adventure of the day. + +The king looked at him searchingly. "From whence come you?" said he +sternly. + +"From Glatz, where the pandours carried me as a prisoner, and +delivered me to Colonel Trenck." + +"You were then a prisoner, and were released without ransom?" + +"Colonel Trenck laughed merrily when his pandours delivered me to +him, and declared I was the King of Prussia." + +"Colonel Trenck knows you?" + +"Sire, I saw him often in my father's house." + +"Go on: he recognized you, then?" + +"He knew me, and said laughingly, he had sent to take Frederick, +King of Prussia, and not Frederick von Trenck, prisoner. I was free, +I might go where I wished, and as I could not go on foot, he +presented me with one of his best horses; and now I am here, will +not your majesty do me the honor to mount this horse?" + +"I mount no Austrian horse," said the king in a harsh tone. + +The young officer fixed his glance for one moment, with an +expression of regret upon the proud and noble animal, who with +dilating nostrils, flashing eyes, and impatient stamping of the +fore-feet, stood by his side, arching gracefully his finely-formed +and muscular throat. But this expression of regret soon vanished. He +let go the bridle and bowing to the king he said, "I am at your +majesty's command." + +The king glanced backward at the noble steed, who, slender and +graceful and swift as a gazelle, was in a moment so far distant as +to be no larger than a flying eagle. He then advanced toward +Frankenstein: both were silent; neither gave another thought to the +gallant horse, who, riderless and guided by instinct alone, was far +on the way to Glatz. Once before they reached the city, the king +turned and fixed his eyes upon the open, youthful, and handsome face +of Trenck. + +"I believe it would be better for you if this colonel of pandours +were not your relation," said the king thoughtfully; "there can no +good come to you from this source, but only evil." + +Frederick von Trenck turned pale. "Does your majesty command that I +shall change my name?" + +"No," said the king after a moment's reflection. "The name is a holy +inheritance which is handed down from our fathers, and it should not +be lightly cast away. But be careful, be careful in every +particular. Understand my words, and think upon my warning, Baron +von Trenck." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE LEVEE OF A DANCER. + + +In Behren Street, which was at that time one of the most recherche +and beautiful streets of Berlin, order and quiet generally reigned. +To-day, however, an extraordinary activity prevailed in this +aristocratic locality; splendid equipages and gallant riders, +followed by their attendants, dashed by; all seemed to have the same +object; all drew up before the large and elegant mansion which had +for some time been the centre of attraction to all the courtly +cavaliers of the Prussian capital. Some of the royal princes, the +young Duke of Wurtemberg, counts, ambassadors, and generals, were +to-day entreating an audience. + +Who dwelt in this house? What distinguished person was honored by +all these marks of consideration? Why was every face thoughtful and +earnest? Was this a funeral, and was this general gloom the +expression of the heart's despair at the thought of the loved and +lost? Perhaps the case was not quite so hopeless. It might be that a +prince or other eminent person was dangerously ill! "It must be a +man," as no woman was seen in this grand cavalcade. But how account +for those rare and perfumed flowers? Does a man visit his sick +friend with bouquets of roses and violets and orange-blossoms? with +rare and costly southern fruits in baskets of gold and silver? This +would indeed be a strange custom! + +But no! In this house dwelt neither prince nor statesman, only a +woman. How strange that only men were there to manifest their +sympathy! In this pitiful and dreary world a woman who has made a +name for herself by her own beauty and talent is never acknowledged +by other women. Those who owe their rank to their fathers and +husbands, are proud of this accidental favor of fate; they consider +themselves as the chosen accomplices and judges of morals and +virtue, and cast out from their circles all those who dare to +elevate themselves above mediocrity. In this house dwelt an artiste- +-the worshipped prima donna, the Signora Barbarina! + +Barbarina! ah! that was an adored and a hated name. The women spoke +of her with frowning brows and contemptuous laughter, the men with +flashing eyes and boundless enthusiasm; the one despised and +abhorred her, even as the other exalted and adored her. And truly +both had cause: the women hated her because she stole from them the +eyes and hearts of their lovers and husbands; the men worshipped her +as a blossom of beauty, a fairy wonder, a consecrated divinity. + +These two parties were as zealous as the advocates of the white and +red rose. The women fought under the banner of the faded, withered +white rose; the men gathered around the flag of her glowing sister, +the enchanting Barbarina. This was no equal contest, no doubtful +result. The red rose must conquer. At the head of her army stood the +greatest of warriors. The king was at the same time Barbarina's +general and subject. The white rose must yield, she had no leader. + +Possibly Elizabeth Christine desired to lead the army of martyrs; +possibly the same rage and scorn swelled in her heart which spoiled +the peace of other women. But her modest and trembling lips betrayed +nothing of the secret storms of her bosom; her soft and gentle smile +veiled her shrouded wishes and the hopes there buried in her heart. +One could scarcely believe that this timid, pious queen could +worship an earthly object, or yield herself one moment to the bare +passion of hate. Truly Elizabeth Christine hated no one, not even +Barbarina--this woman who had given the last blow to her tortured +heart, and added the passion of jealousy to her despised love. +Elizabeth Christine was indeed jealous, but not in the common way; +she felt no scorn, she uttered no reproach; silent tears and earnest +prayers for strength were her only speech. + +The king had given her no occasion to complain of his love for +Barbarina; she did not know that he had ever approached her, even +spoken to her; she knew, however, with what looks and smiles of +rapture he gazed upon her, and she would joyfully have given her +life for one such glance or smile. That, however, which was not +known to Elizabeth, was fully understood by the whole court. It was +known that more than once the Barbarina had supped with the king at +the house of General Rothenberg; it was known that the king, every +time the Barbarina danced, was behind the curtain, and that, he had +commanded the court painter, Pesne, to paint her portrait, life +size, for him. + +Was not this enough to exalt the signora in the eyes of every +courtier and every diplomatist to the first rank of beauty and +power? Would they not, indeed, have hastened to acknowledge her +claims, even had she not been the loveliest and most enchanting +creature? She was indeed a queen, a powerful enchantress. Men +struggled for one smile, one glance; they bowed down to all her +caprices and humors; worship, submission, and obedience were the +tribute brought by all. Her house was besieged with visits and +petitions as if it were the palace of a fairy queen. Barbarina had +her court circle, her levees, her retinue. [Footnote: Schneider, +"History of the Opera and Opera-Houses in Berlin."] All her subjects +rendered her a glad and voluntary service, and received no other +compensation than a gay smile or friendly word. + +All this splendor, consideration, and worship, of which she was the +shining centre, seemed to make no impression upon the heart of the +proud and self-reliant artiste; she was accustomed to it, and moved +on in silent majesty; her whole life had been a triumphant march. +Like a summer morning glittering in the dew and sunshine, she had +had her little griefs and tears, but they resembled the dew-drops in +the flower-cups, shining for a moment like costly diamonds, then +kissed away by the sun. Barbarina wept when the king separated her +from her lover, Lord Stuart, and forced her to fulfil her contract +and come to Berlin. She wept no more. Was it because she was too +proud? or had the sun of royal favor kissed away her tears? + +Barbarina's tears had ceased to flow, but she smiled rarely. She had +the grace and imposing beauty of the Roman, and never forgot that +she was a daughter of that proud nation who had ruled the world, +and, even though disenthroned, preserved her majesty and renown. +Barbarina was a glowing, passionate woman, and passion adorns itself +with flashing eyes, with a clear and touching pallor and crimson +lips, but never with the innocent smile and harmless jest. She was +never heard and rarely seen to laugh. Laughter was not in harmony +with her proud beauty, but smiles illuminated and glorified it. She +was imperial to look upon; but, filled with all sweet charity and +gentle grace, womanly and tender; with a full consciousness of her +power, she was humble and yielding. In the midst of her humility she +was proud, and sure of success and victory; one moment she was the +glowing, ardent, and yielding woman; the next the proud, genial, +imposing artiste. Such was Barbarina; an incomprehensible riddle, +unsearchable, unfathomable as the sea--ever changing, but great in +every aspect. + +Barbarina had appeared the evening before, but her dance had been +interrupted by a sudden indisposition exactly at the moment when the +king appeared in the opera-house. No one knew that the king had +returned from his mysterious journey to Silesia; every one believed +him to be absent, and the ballet had been arranged without any +reference to him. Frederick arrived unexpectedly, and changing his +travelling-dress hastened to the opera, no doubt to greet the two +queens and his sisters. Barbarina was seized with indisposition at +the moment of the king's entrance. She floated smilingly and airily +over the stage; her small feet seemed borne by the Loves and Graces. +Suddenly she faltered, the smile vanished from her lips, and the +slight blush from her cheek, and with a cry of pain she sank +insensible upon the floor. + +The curtain fell, and an intermission of a quarter of an hour was +announced. The king, who was conversing with the queen-mother, +appeared to take but little interest in this interruption, but Baron +Swartz approached and announced that Signora Barbarina was ill and +could not appear again during the evening. Frederick gave such an +angry exclamation, that the queen-mother looked up astonished and +questioning. Elizabeth Christine sighed and turned pale. She +comprehended the emotion of her husband; guided by the instinct of +jealousy, she read the king's alarm and disappointment, which he +tried in vain to hide under the mask of scorn. + +"It appears to me," said the king, "that the signora is again +indulging in one of her proud and sullen moods, and refuses to dance +because I have returned. I will not submit to this caprice; I will +myself command her to dance." + +He bowed to the two queens, stepped behind the curtain, and advanced +to the boudoir of the signora. The door was fastened within. The +king stood hesitating for a moment; he heard the sound of weeping +and sobbing--the signora was in bitter pain or sorrow. + +"She is truly ill," said he. + +"She has cramp," suggested Baron Swartz, who had followed the king. + +Frederick turned hastily. "Is that dangerous" he asked, in a tone +which betrayed his alarm and agitation. + +"Not dangerous, sire, but the physician who was with her has +declared that absolute quiet was necessary. Will your majesty +command that another dancer shall take her place?" + +"No," said Frederick; "the pas which belongs to Barbarina shall be +danced by no other. Salimberri and Astrea shall sing an aria and the +house be dismissed. Go to their majesties and say to them I pray +they will excuse me; I only came to greet them, and, being much +fatigued by my journey, I will now retire." + +Bowing to the baron, the king left the opera-house and entered the +palace. But in the silence of the night, when all others slept, the +soft tones of his flute melted on the air. + +Barbarina was ill. For this reason her house was besieged; for this +reason every face was clouded. Her adorers were there begging to see +her, and thus find comfort and encouragement; each one wished to +prove his sympathy by some marked attention. They hoped that these +glorious and costly fruits might win for them a smile of gratitude. + +The reception-room of Barbarina was like a royal conservatory, only +the life-giving and dazzling sun was hidden from view. Barbarina was +in her boudoir, and all these gallant cavaliers waited in vain for +her appearance. It was the hour of her levee, the hour when her door +was open to all who had enjoyed the honor of being presented to her. +The courtiers stood in groups and conversed in light whispers over +the on-dits of the day, and turning their eyes from time to time to +the portiere of purple velvet which separated them from the boudoir +of the signora; from that point must the sun rise to illuminate this +dusky room. + +But Barbarina came not. She lay upon a white silk divan, dressed in +the most ravishing negligee of white muslin, covered with rare and +costly lace. She was dreaming with open eyes, and arms crossed upon +her breast. Those flashing eyes were soft and misty; a melancholy +expression trembled upon her lips. Barbarina was alone. Why should +she not dream, and lay aside for a while her gracious smiles and +fiery glance? Of what were those unfathomable eyes dreaming? what +signified those sighs which burst from her full crimson lips? Did +she know herself, or did she wish to know? Did she comprehend the +weakness of her own proud heart, or had she veiled it from herself, +ashamed to read what was written there? + +At this moment the door opened, and a young girl entered--one of +those insignificant, gentle, yielding creatures, generally found +amongst the attendants of an artiste--a tete de souffrance, on whom +they exhaust their humor, their scorn, and their passion; the humble +companion, kept in the background when blessed with the society of +distinguished and wealthy adorers. The companion of Barbarina did +not suffer, however, from this hard fate. She was Barbarina's +sister, and had followed her from tender love to the cold north. The +signora loved her sister fondly; she was the companion of her joys +and sorrows; she had no secrets from her, and knew that an open ear +and judicious counsel were always to be found with her little sister +Marietta. + +Barabrina lay, still dreaming, upon the divan. Possibly she did not +know that Marietta stood by her side, and laid her hand upon her +shoulder. + +"Sorella," said she, "get up; many gentlemen are in the saloon, +waiting for you." + +"Let them wait. I will see no one to-day." + +"It is the hour when you are accustomed to receive, Sorella, and if +you do not come they will think you are still unwell." + +"Well, let them think so." + +"They will not only think so, Sorella; they will say so, and make +malicious comments." + +"What comments?" said Barbarina, raising herself up; "what comments, +Marietta?" + +"It was indeed unfortunate that your sickness came upon you just as +the king appeared," said Marietta. + +Barbarina's eyes flashed. "Do you think they will put those things +together?" said she. "They will say, perhaps, that Barbarina fainted +at the unexpected appearance of the king; that the joy of seeing him +overcame her; is that your meaning, Marietta?" + +"Yes, that is my meaning," said Marietta, in a low tone. + +Barbarina sprang from the divan, trembling and pallid. "They will +mock at and scorn me," she cried, raising her arms to heaven as if +to call down the lightning to her aid; "they will say I love this +cold king!" + +"They will say that, Sorella," replied Marietta. + +Barbarina seized her hand. "But you, sister! you will not say this; +you know that I have sworn to hate him with an everlasting hatred. +You know that I have put an evil spell upon him with my tears; that +I never can forgive him for the suffering and agony he prepared for +me. Think, think, Marietta, how much I have wept, how much I have +endured! My life was like a lustrous May morning, a fairy tale of +starry splendor; roses and pearls were in my path: he has obscured +my stars, and changed my pearls to tears. Woe to him! woe to him! I +have sworn to hate him eternally, and Barbarina keeps her oath." + +"Yes, you have sworn to hate him, sister, but the world is ignorant +of your oath and its cause; their eyes are blinded, and they +strangely mistake your hate for love. They see that your glance is +clearer, brighter, when the king is by, and they know not that it is +hate which flashes from your eyes; they hear that your voice lightly +trembles when you speak to him, they do not know that the hatred in +your heart deprives you of self-control; they see that you dance +with more enchanting grace in the king's presence, they do not +understand that these are instruments of revenge--that you wish to +crush him by the mighty power of genius, grace, and beauty." + +"Yes, yes! just so," said Barbarina, breathing painfully; "you alone +know me, you alone read my heart! I hate, I abhor this cold, cruel +king, and he richly deserves my hate! He may be wise and great, but +his heart is ice. It is true, he is handsome and exalted; genius is +marked on his noble brow; his smile is magical, and irradiates his +face; his eyes, those great, inexplicable eyes, are blue as the +heavens and unfathomable as the sea. When I look into them, I seem +to read the mysteries of the great deep, and the raptures of heaven. +His voice, when he pleads, is like consecrated music; when he +commands, it is the voice of God in thunder. He is great above all +other men; he is a hero, a man, and a king!" + +"And yet you hate him?" said Marietta, with a mocking smile. + +Barbarina trembled. Marietta's question checked her glowing +enthusiasm; it rang in her ears like the name-call in the +"Somnambulist," and roused her to consciousness. + +"Yes," said she, in a low tone, "I hate him, and I will ever hate +him! If I loved him, I should be the most wretched of women--I +should despise and curse myself. He has no heart; he cannot love; +and shame and dishonor rest upon the woman who loves and is not +beloved. Frederick loves nothing but his Prussia, his fame, and his +greatness. And the world says, that 'the Barbarina loves him.' You +see that is impossible, that can never be. I would rather die than +love this man without a heart." + +"The world is incredulous," said Marietta; "they cannot look into +your heart, and you must be silent as to your hatred. You dare not +say that you fainted yesterday from scorn and rage at the sudden +appearance of the king." + +"Think you they will believe that joy overcame me?" cried Barbarina, +in wild frenzy, "They shall not believe it; it shall not be!" She +sprang like an enraged lioness and grasped a little stiletto which +lay upon her toilet-table, and which she had brought as a relic from +her beautiful fatherland. "I will not be mocked at and despised," +cried she, proudly, dashing off her gold-embroidered white satin +slipper, and raising her foot. + +"Oh! Barbarina, what will you do?" cried Marietta, as she saw her +take up the stiletto. + +"This," said she, significantly, sticking the point of the stiletto +in the sole of her foot; the blood gushed out and covered her +stocking with blood. + +Marietta uttered a cry of terror, and rushed to her sister, but +Barbarina waved her away; the wound and the flow of blood had +brought relief to her wild nature; she was calm, and a ravishing +smile disclosed two rows of pearly teeth. + +"Be still, Marietta," said she, in a commanding tone, "the wound is +not deep, not dangerous, but deep enough to confirm my statement +when I declare that, while dancing last evening, I wounded my foot +upon a piece of glass from a broken lamp." + +"Ah! now I understand you, you proud sister," cried Marietta, +looking up gayly. "You would thus account for your swoon of +yesterday?" + +"Yes, and now give me my slipper, and allow me to take your arm; we +will go into the saloon." + +"With your bleeding foot, with this open wound?" + +"Yes, with my bleeding foot; however, we had better check the flow +of blood a little." + +The cavaliers who waited for the signora became ever sadder and more +thoughtful. Barbarina must be indeed ill, if she allowed her +admirers to wait so long, for she was above all the small coquetries +of women; they would not go, however, till they had news of her, +till they had seen her sister. + +At last their patience was rewarded; the portiere was drawn back, +and Barbarina appeared, leaning upon the arm of her sister. She was +pale and evidently suffering. She walked slowly through the saloon, +speaking here and there to the cavaliers, and conversing in the gay, +gracious, and piquant manner in which she excelled. Suddenly, in the +midst of one of these merry interchanges of thought, in which one +speaks of every thing or nothing, Barbarina uttered a cry of pain +and sank upon the sofa. + +"I believe, I fear that my foot is bleeding again," she cried. She +slightly raised her robe, and lifted up her foot, that small object +of wonder and rapture to all the lands of Europe. Truly her white +satin slipper was crimson, and blood was flowing freely from it. + +A cry of horror sounded from every lip. The gentlemen surrounded +Barbarina, who lay pale as death upon the sofa, while Marietta knelt +before her, and wrapped her foot in her handkerchief. This was a +striking scene. A saloon furnished with princely splendor, and +odorous with the rarest flowers; a group of cavaliers in their gold- +embroidered coats and uniforms, glittering with crosses and odors; +the signora lying upon the divan in a charming negligee, with her +bleeding foot resting upon the lap of her sister. + +"You are wounded, signora, you bleed!" cried the young Prince of +Wurtemberg, with such an expression of horror, you would have +thought he expected the instant death of the Barbarina. + +The lovely Italian looked up in seeming surprise. "Did not your +highness know that I was wounded? I thought you were a witness to my +accident yesterday?" + +"Certainly, I was at the opera-house, as were all these gentlemen; +but what has that to do with your bleeding foot?" + +"A curious question, indeed! You did not, then, understand the cause +of my swooning yesterday? I will explain. I felt a severe pain in +the sole of my foot, which passed like an electric shock through my +frame, and I became insensible. While unconscious, my blood, of +course, ceased to flow, and the physician did not discover the cause +of my sudden illness. This morning, in attempting to walk, I found +the wound." + +"My God, what a misfortune, what an irreparable blow!" cried the +cavaliers with one voice; "we can never again hope to see our +enchanting dancer." + +"Compose yourselves, gentlemen," cried Barbarina, smiling, "my +confinement will be of short duration, and will have no evil +consequences. I stepped upon a piece of glass which had fallen upon +the boards, and piercing the slipper entered my foot; the wound is +not deep; it is a slight cut, and I shall be restored in a few +days." + +"And now," said Barbarina, with a triumphant smile, as she was once +more alone with her sister, "no one will mock at me and make +malicious comments upon my fainting. In an hour the whole city will +hear this history, and I hope it may reach the ears of the king." + +"He will not believe it," said Marietta, shrugging her shoulders; +"he sent immediately for your physician and questioned him closely +as to your sudden indisposition in the theatre. I had just left your +boudoir to get you a glass of water, and when I returned I found the +king standing before your door and listening to your groans." + +A wondrous expression of light and peace shone in her great black +eyes. "The king was then behind the curtains, he stood before my +door, he wished to speak to me, and you tell me this now, only now, +when you might have known--" Barbarina paused, and turned away her +blushing face. + +"Well, I might have known that the king, whom you hate so bitterly, +had waited in vain at your door, had been turned away by the proud +dancer as a common man; this was, indeed, a triumph of revenge," +said Marietta, smiling. + +"I did not turn him away," said Barbarina, with embarrassment. + +"No! you drew your bolt on the inside, nothing more." + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE STUDIO. + + +Barbarina was right; the wound in her foot was not dangerous. She +was ordered to be quiet for some days, and give up dancing. The +physician to whom she showed her foot, and declared that she had +only just discovered the cause of her sudden swoon, examined the +wound with an incredulous smile, and asked to see the shoe, the sole +of which must also be necessarily cut, he said; in this way only +could he tell if the wound had been inflicted by a piece of glass or +nail, and know the size and sharpness of the instrument. Barbarina +blushed, and ordered Marietta to bring the shoe; she returned +immediately with a slipper, showing a sharp cut in the sole. The +physician examined it silently, and then declared that it was a +piece of glass which had caused the fainting of the signora; he +ordered cooling applications and perfect quiet, and promised +restoration in a few days. + +The king had commanded the physician to come to him immediately +after his visit to Barbarina. He was announced, and as he entered, +Frederick advanced to meet him. + +"Well," said he, "is the wound dangerous? will the signora be +obliged to give up the stage?" + +"Ah, surely your majesty cannot believe that the Barbarina has given +herself a wound which will destroy her fame and fortune!" + +"I do not understand you," said Frederick, impatiently; "do not +speak in riddles." + +"I repeat, your majesty, the signora would not intentionally have +wounded her foot seriously, and thereby destroyed her art." + +"Do you believe that she wounded herself voluntarily?" + +"I am convinced of it, sire. The signora declares that she stepped +upon a piece of glass. I desired to see the slipper; Marietta +brought me one, in the sole of which I discovered a cut, but it did +not correspond at all with the wound in the foot, and had been +evidently just made with a knife. Certainly Barbarina was not +wounded while she wore that shoe; moreover, I affirm that the wound +was not inflicted by a piece of glass or a nail, but by a stiletto; +the wound is three-sided; I am confident she wounded herself with a +stiletto I saw in her room." + +The king's face grew dark while the physician spoke; he pressed his +lips together: this was ever a sign that a storm was raging in his +breast which he wished to control. + +"Is that all you have to say?" + +"That is all, sire." + +"Good! You will visit the signora to-morrow, and bring me news of +her." + +The king was alone, and pacing his room nervously. It was in vain +that Biche, his favorite hound, raised herself up and drew near to +him. The wise little animal seemed, indeed, to understand the +sadness of her master, and looked up at him with sorrowful and +sympathetic eyes. Once Frederick murmured half aloud: "She has sworn +to hate me, and she keeps her oath." After long thought, he seemed +to be resolved, and drew near to the door; he opened it and stood a +moment on the threshold, then closed it again, and said: "No! I dare +not do that. I dare not do what any other man might do in my place; +not I--I am a king. Alas! men think it is a light matter to be a +king; that the crown brings no care, no weight to the brow and the +heart. Our hearts' blood is often the lime with which our crowns are +secured." He sighed deeply, then stood up and shook himself like a +lion, when, after a long repose, he rouses himself to new life and +action. "Oh! I am sentimental," he said, with a sad smile. "I doubt +if a king has a right to dream. Away, then, with sentiments and +sighs! Truly, what would Maria Theresa say if she knew that the King +of Prussia was a sentimentalist, and sighed and loved like a young +maiden? Would she not think she had Silesia again in her dress- +pocket?" + +While the king struggled with his passion, Barbarina had a far more +dangerous enemy to contend with. Sentimentality is veiled in +melancholy, in softened light and faded tints; but ennui has no eye, +nor mind, nor heart for any thing. It is a fearful enemy! Barbarina +was weary, oh, so weary! Was it perhaps impatience to appear again +upon the stage which made the hours so leaden, so long drawn out? +She lay the whole day stretched out upon her sofa, her eyes wide +open, silent, and sighing, not responding to Marietta's loving words +by a glance, or a movement of the eyelash. Marietta proposed to +assemble her friends, but she affirmed that society was more +wearisome than solitude. + +At the end of three days, Barbarina sprang from her sofa and tried +to walk. "It gives me no pain," said she, walking through the room. + +"Yes. I remember, Arias said the same as she handed the dagger to +her beloved," replied Marietta. + +"But I have no beloved," said Barbarina; "no one loves me, no one +understands this poor, glowing, agonized heart." As she said this, a +flood of tears gushed from her eyes, and her form trembled with a +storm of passion. + +"Ah, Sorella, how can you say that--you who are so much loved, so +highly prized?" + +Barbarina smiled contemptuously, and shook her head. "Do you call +that love? these empty words, this everlasting, unmeaning praise; +this rapture about my beauty, my grace, and my skill, is this +worship? Go, go, Marietta, you know it is not love, it is not +worship. They amuse themselves with a rare and foreign flower, which +is only beautiful because it has been dearly paid for; which is only +wondered at while it is rare and strange. You know, not one of these +men loves me for myself; they think only of my outward appearance. I +am never more solitary than when they surround me, never feel so +little beloved as when they swear that they love me boundlessly. O +my God! must I shroud my heart, must I bury it under the snows of +this cold north? O God, give me a heart for my heart, that can love +as Barbarina loves!" She covered her face with her hands, and her +tears flowed freely; she trembled and bowed from side to side, like +a lily in a storm. + +Marietta drew near, and laid her head upon her sister's shoulder; +she did not try to comfort her: she knew there were griefs to which +words of consolation were exasperation; she knew that passion must +exhaust itself before it could be soothed. She comprehended the +nobility and energy of Barbarina's nature; those bursts of tears +were like clouds in the tropics; the storm must break, and then the +sun would shine more gloriously. Marietta was right. In a short time +her sister withdrew her hands from her face; her tears were +quenched, and her eyes had their usual lustre. + +"I am mad," she cried, "worse than mad! I ask of the north our +southern blossoms. I demand that their ice shall become fire. Has +not a landscape of snow and ice its grandeur and beauty--yes, its +terrible beauty when inhabited by bears and wolves?" + +"But woe betide us, when we meet these monsters!" said Marietta, +entering readily into her sister's jest. + +"Why woe betide us? Every danger and every monster can be overcome, +if looked firmly in the face, but not too long, Marietta, not till +your own eye trembles. Now, sister, enough of this; the rain is +over, the sun shall shine. I am no longer ill, and will not be laid +aside like a broken play-thing. I will be sound and healthy; I will +flap my wings and float once more over the gay world." + +"Do you know, Sorella, that the higher you fly, the nearer you are +to heaven?" + +"I will soar, but think not, that like Icarus I will fasten my wings +with wax. No, I am wiser, I will fly with my feet; the sun has no +power over them: they are indeed two suns. They warm the coldest +heart; they set the icy blood in motion, they almost bring the dead +to life. You see, sister, I have adopted the style of speech of my +adorers; none of them being present, I will worship and exalt +myself." + +Barbarina said all this merrily, but Marietta felt this gayety was +not natural. + +"Do you know what I have determined upon?" said Barbarina, turning +away, so that her face might not be seen; "as I cannot dance either +to-day or to-morrow, I will find some other mode of employing my +time. I will go to Pesne and sit for my portrait." + +She had turned away, but Marietta saw that her throat was suffused +with a soft flush. + +"Will you drive to the palace?" said Marietta. + +"Not to the palace, but to Pesne." + +"Pesne's studio is now in the palace; the king appointed him rooms +there." + +"Well, then, I must sit to him in the palace." + +"This, however, will be disagreeable to you; you abhor the king, and +it will be painful to be under the same roof. You perhaps suppose +the king to be in Potsdam: he is now in Berlin." Barbarina turned +suddenly, and throwing her arms around Marietta's neck, she pressed +a kiss upon her lips, and whispered: "I know it, Marietta, but I +must go." + +The sisters went therefore to the new studio of the painter Pesne, +which was in the royal palace. The king took great pleasure in the +growth and development of works of art. While Pesne was engaged on +his great picture of Diana and her Nymphs, the king often visited +his studio and watched him at his work. He had closely examined the +sketch of the portrait of Barbarina, and, on his return from +Silesia, commanded Pesne to arrange a studio in the castle, as he +wished to be near him. + +Barbarina sprang like a gazelle up the steps; her foot was not +painful, or she was unconscious of it. She was impatient, and would +scarcely wait to be announced before entering the room. Pesne was +there, and welcomed the signora joyfully. Barbarina looked about in +vain for her portrait. + +"Has misfortune overtaken the portrait as well as the original?" she +said, smiling. + +"Not so, signora," said Pesne; "the portrait excites as great a +furor as the original--only, though, because it is a copy." + +"I do not understand you." + +"I mean, that his majesty is so enraptured with the copy, that since +yesterday it has been placed in his study, although I protested +against it, the picture not being finished. The king, however, +persisted; he said he wished to show the portrait to his friends, +and consult with them as to its defects." + +Never, in her most brilliant role, was Barbarina so beautiful as at +this moment: her countenance glowed with rapture; her happy smile +and glance would have made the homeliest face handsome. + +"Then I have come in vain," she said, breathing quickly; "you can +make no use of me to-day?" + +"No, no, signora! your face is a star seldom seen in my heaven, and +I must grasp the opportunity--have the kindness to wait; I will +hasten to the king and return with the picture." + +Without giving Barbarina time to answer, he left the room. Why did +her heart beat so quickly? Why were her cheeks suffused with +crimson? Why were her eyes fixed so nervously upon the door. Steps +were heard in the adjoining room. Barbarina pressed her hands upon +her heart: she was greatly agitated. The door opened, and Pesne +returned, alone and without the picture. + +"Signora," said he, "the king wishes that the sitting should take +place in his rooms; his majesty will be kind enough to make +suggestions and call my attention to some faults. I will get my +palette and brush, and, if agreeable to you, we will go at once." + +Barbarina gave no reply, and became deadly pale, as she walked +through the king's rooms; her steps were uncertain and faltering, +and she was forced to lean upon Pesne's arm; she declared that her +foot was painful, and he perhaps believed her. + +They reached at last the room in which the portrait was placed. +There were two doors to this room: the one through which they had +entered, and another which led to the study of the king. This door +was closed, and Barbarina found herself alone with the painter. + +"The king has yet some audiences to give; he commanded me to +commence my work. As soon as he is at liberty, he will join us." + +"Let us begin, then," said Barbarina, seating herself. "You must +allow me to-day to be seated. I think it can make no difference to +you, as you are at present occupied with my face and not with my +figure." + +Pesne declared, however, that this attitude gave an entirely +different expression and bearing to the countenance. Barbarina must, +therefore, in spite of the pain in her foot, endeavor to stand. She +appeared now to feel no pain; she smiled so happily, she spoke so +joyously, that Pesne, while gazing at her animated, enchanting, +lovely face, forgot that he was there to paint, and not to wonder. +Suddenly her smile vanished, and she interrupted herself in the +midst of a gay remark. She had heard the door behind her lightly +opened; she knew, by the stormy beating of her heart, that she was +no longer alone with the painter; she had not the courage or +strength to turn; she was silent, immovable, and stared straight at +Pesne, who painted on quietly. The king had motioned him not to +betray him. + +Pesne painted on, from time to time asked Barbarina the most +innocent and simple questions, which she answered confusedly. +Perhaps she was mistaken; possibly she was still alone with the +painter. But no, that was impossible, it seemed to her that a stream +of heavenly light irradiated the room; she did not see the king, but +she felt his glance; she felt that he was behind her, that he was +watching her, although no movement, no word of his betrayed him. + +"I will not move, I will not turn, but I cannot endure this, I shall +fall dead to the earth." + +But now she was forced to turn; the king called her name, and +greeted her with a few friendly words. She bowed and looked up +timidly. How cold, indifferent, and devoid of interest was his +glance, and he had not seen her for weeks, and she had been ill and +suffering! And now, she felt again that she hated him bitterly, and +that it was the power of this passion which overcame her when she +saw the king so unexpectedly. She felt, however, that every tone of +his voice was like heavenly music to her ear, that every word he +uttered moved her heart as the soft wind ruffles the sea. + +The king spoke of her portrait; he said he had made it his study and +sought for its faults and defects, as others sought for its +advantages and beauties. + +"I tremble, then, before the judgment of your majesty," said Pesne. + +"I must confess you have some cause to fear," said the king. "I have +not looked at the picture with the eye of a lover, but with that of +a critic; such eyes look sharply, and would see spots in the sun; no +criticism, however, can prevent the sun from shining and remaining +always a sun, and my fault-finding cannot prevent your portrait from +being a beautiful picture, surpassed only by the original." + +"Perhaps, sire, I am myself one of the spots in the sun, and it may +be that I grow dark." + +"You see, signora, how little I understand the art of flattery; even +my best intended compliments can be readily changed into their +opposites. Allow me, then, to speak the simple, unadorned truth. You +are more beautiful than your picture, and yet I wonder at the genius +of Pesne, which has enabled him to represent so much of your rare +loveliness, even as I wonder at the poet who has the power to +describe the calm beauty of a sunny spring morning." + +"That would be less difficult than to paint the signora's portrait," +said Pesne; "a spring morning is still, it does not escape from you, +it does not change position and expression every moment." + +Frederick smiled. "It would be truly difficult to hold the butterfly +and force it to be still without brushing the down from its +beautiful wings. But, paint now, Pesne, I will seat myself behind +your chair and look on." + +Pesne seized his palette and brush, and began to paint. Barbarina +assumed the light, gracious, and graceful attitude, which the artist +has preserved for us in her beautiful portrait. She was, indeed, +indescribably lovely; her rounded arms, her taper fingers, which +slightly raised the fleecy robe and exposed the fairy foot, the +small aristocratic head, slightly inclined to one side, the flashing +eyes, the sweet, attractive smile, were irresistible; every one +admired, and every glance betrayed admiration. + +The face of the king only betrayed nothing; he was cold, quiet, +indifferent. Barbarina felt the blood mount to her cheek, and then +retreat to her heart; she felt that it was impossible for her to +preserve her self-control; she could not bear this cruel comparison +of the portrait and the original, but she swore to herself that the +king should not have the triumph of seeing her once more sink +insensible at his feet; his proud, cold heart should not witness the +outbreak of her scorn and wounded vanity. But her body was less +strong than her spirit--her foot gave way, she tottered, and turned +deadly pale. + +The king sprang forward, and asked in a sympathetic and trembling +voice why she was so pale; he himself placed a chair for her, and +besought her to rest. She thanked him with a soft smile, and +declared she had better return home. Would the king allow her to +withdraw? A cloud passed over Frederick's face; a dark, stern glance +rested upon Barbarina. + +"No!" said he, almost harshly; "you must remain here, we have +business with each other. Swartz has brought me your contract to +sign; it requires some changes, and I should have sent for you if +accident had not brought you here." + +"Your majesty can command me," said Barbarina. + +"We have business and contracts to consider," said the king roughly, +"and we will speak of them alone. Go, Pesne, and say to Swartz I +await him." + +Frederick nodded to the painter, and, seizing Barbarina's hand, led +her into the adjoining room, his Tusculum, never before profaned by +a woman's foot; open only to the king's dearest, most trusted +friends. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +THE CONFESSION. + + +Barbarina entered this room with peculiar feelings; her heart +trembled, her pulses beat quickly. She, whose glance was usually so +proud, so victorious, looked up now timidly, almost fearfully, to +the king. He had never appeared to her so handsome, so imposing as +in this moment. Silently she took her place upon the divan to which +he led her. Frederick seated himself directly in front of her. + +"This is the second time," said the king, with a smile, a the second +time, signora, that I have had the honor to be alone with you. On +the first occasion you swore to me that you would hate the King of +Prussia with an everlasting hatred." + +"I said that to your majesty when I did not recognize you," said +Barbarina. + +"Had you known me, signora, you would surely not have spoken so +frankly. Unhappily, the world has silently resolved never to speak +the truth to kings. You avowed your resolution, therefore, at that +time, because you did not know you were speaking to the king. Oh, +signora, I have not forgotten your words. I know that you pray to +God every day; not for your own happiness, as all chance of that has +been destroyed by this cruel king; but for revenge on this man, who +has no heart, and treads the hearts of other men under his feet." + +"Your majesty is cruel," whispered Barbarina. + +"Cruel! why? I only repeat your words. Cruel, because I cannot +forget! The words of Barbarina cannot be forgotten. In that respect +at least I am like other men." + +"And in that respect should your majesty the least resemble them. +The little windspiel may revenge its injuries, but the eagle +forgives, and soars aloft so high in the heavens that the poor +offender is no longer seen and soon forgotten. Your majesty is like +the eagle, why can you not also forget?" + +"I cannot and I will not! I remind you of that hour, because I wish +to ask now for the same frankness of speech. I wish to hear the +truth once more from those proud lips. Barbarina, will you tell me +the truth?" + +"Yes, on condition that your majesty promises to forget the past." + +"I promise not to remind you of it." + +"I thank your majesty; I will speak the truth." + +"You swear it?" + +"I swear it." + +"Well, then, why did you wound your foot?" + +Barbarina trembled and was silent; she had not the courage to raise +her eyes from the floor. + +"The truth!" said the king, imperiously. + +"The truth," repeated Barbarina, resolved, and she raised her +flashing eyes to the king; "I will speak the truth. I wounded my +foot, because--" + +"Because," said the king, interrupting her fiercely, "because you +knew it was a happiness, a life's joy to the poor, lonely, wearied +king to see you dance; because you felt that your appearance was to +him as the first golden rays of the sun to one who has been buried +alive, and who bursts the bonds of the dark grave. You hate me so +unrelentingly, that even on the evening of my return from an +exhausting and dangerous journey, you cruelly resolved to disappoint +me. I hastened to the theatre to see you, Barbarina, you, you alone; +but your cruel and revengeful heart was without pity. You thought of +nothing but your pride, and rejoiced in the power to grieve a king, +at the sound of whose voice thousands tremble. Your smiles vanished, +your enchanting gayety was suppressed, and you seemed to become +insensible. With the art of a tragedian, you assumed a sudden +illness, resolved that the hated king should not see you dance. Ah! +Barbarina, that was a small, a pitiful role! leave such arts to the +chambermaids of the stage. You are refined in your wickedness; you +are inexorable in your hate. Not satisfied with this pretended +swoon, the next evening you wounded yourself; you were proud to +suffer, in order to revenge yourself upon me. You knew that a swoon +must pass away, but a wounded foot is a grave accident; its +consequences might be serious. The king had returned to Berlin, and +had only a few days to refresh himself, after the cares and +exhaustions of a dangerous journey; after his departure you would be +able to dance again. Ah! signora, you are a true daughter of Italy; +you understand how to hate, and your thirst for vengeance is +unquenchable! Well, I give you joy! I will fill your heart with +rapture. You have sworn to hate me; you pray to God to revenge you +upon the King of Prussia who has trampled your heart under his feet. +Now, then, Barbarina, triumph! you are revenged. The king has a +heart, and you have wounded it mortally!" + +Completely unmanned, the king sprang to his feet, and stepped to the +window, wishing to conceal his emotion from Barbarina. Suddenly he +felt his shoulder lightly touched, and turning, he saw Barbarina +before him, more proud, more beautiful, more queenly than he had +ever seen her; energy and high resolve spoke in her face and in her +flashing eyes. + +"Sire," she said, in a full, mellow voice, which slightly trembled +from strong emotion--"sire," she repeated, trying to veil her +agitation by outward calm, "I have sworn in this hour to speak the +truth; I will fulfil my vow. I will speak the truth, though you may +scorn and despise me. I will die of your contempt as one dies of a +quick and deadly poison; but it is better so to die than to live as +I am living. You shall know me better, sire. You have charged me +with falsehood and hypocrisy; thank God, I can cast off that +humiliating reproach! I will speak the truth, though it bows my head +with shame and casts me at your feet. If I could die there, I would +count myself most blessed. The truth, sire, the truth! listen to it. +It is true I hated you: you humbled my pride. You changed me, the +queen of grace and beauty, the queen of the world, into a poor, +hired dancer; with your rude soldiers and police you compelled me to +fulfil a contract against which my soul revolted. I cursed you. You +separated me violently, from the man I loved, who adored me, and +offered me a splendid and glorious future. It is true I prayed to +God for vengeance, but He would not hear my prayer; He punished me +for my mad folly, and turned the dagger I wildly aimed at you, +against my own breast. Sire, the hate to which I swore, to which I +clung as the ship-wrecked mariner clings to the plank which may save +him from destruction, failed me in the hour of need, and I sank, +sank down. A day came in which the prayer of rage and revenge upon +my lips was changed, in spite of myself, into blessings, and I +found, with consternation and horror, that there was indeed but one +step between wild hatred and passionate love, and this fatal step +lies over an abyss. I cannot tell you, sire, how much I have +suffered--how vainly I have struggled. I have hated, I have cursed +myself because I could no longer hate and curse you. The day you +left for Silesia, you said, 'I think ever of thee.' Oh! sire, you +know not what fatal poison you poured into my ears, with what +rapture and enchantment these words filled my heart. My life was a +dream; I stood under a golden canopy, drunk with joy and blessed +with heavenly peace. I saw these words, 'I think ever of thee,' not +only in my heart, but in every flower, on every leaf, and written by +the sun in the heavens, and in the stars. I dreamed of them as one +dreams of fairy palaces and heavenly melodies. In the songs of sweet +birds, in the plaudits and bravos with which the world greeted me, I +heard only these celestial words, 'I think ever of thee.' I lived +upon them during your absence, I wrote them with my glances upon +your empty chair in the theatre, I fixed my eyes upon it, and for +love of you I danced to it. One night I saw in this chair, not only +my golden starry words, I saw two stars from heaven; I was not +prepared--their glance was fatal. No, sire, that was no miserable +comedy, no actor's work. I sank unconscious, and from that hour I +know one does not die from rapture, but sinks insensible. I wept the +whole night, God knows whether from shame or bliss, I cannot tell. +The next day--yes--then I was false and deceitful. I stuck my +stiletto in my foot, to deceive the world; only God might know that +the Barbarina fainted at the sight of the king--fainted because she +felt that she no longer hated, but worshipped him." + +She rushed to the door, but Frederick sprang after her; he drew her +back, madly but silently; his eyes were radiant with joy. + +"Remain," said he; "I command you--I, not the king." He placed his +lips to her ear and whispered two words: her soft cheeks were +crimson. + +At this moment there was a knock upon the door, the portiere was +thrown back, and the wan, suffering face of Fredersdorf was seen. + +"Sire," said he, "your majesty commanded me to summon Baron Swartz; +he is here, and waits for your orders." + +"Let him enter," said the king; then smiling upon Barbarina, he +said, "He comes just in time; we must sign our contract, Swartz +shall act as our priest." + +He advanced to meet the intendant, and asked for the contract +between Barbarina and himself. He read it carefully, and said, +"There are only a few things to alter." He stepped to his desk and +added a few words to the contract. + +"Signora," said he, turning backward, "will you come here for a +moment?" + +Barbarina, embarrassed and blushing, drew near. In the back part of +the room stood Baron Swartz, watching the king and Barbarina with a +sly smile; near him stood Fredersdorf, whose pale and melancholy +face was brought out in strong relief by the dark velvet portiere. + +"Read this," said the king to Barbarina, pointing to the words he +had just written. "Have you read?" + +"Yes, sire." + +Frederick raised his head, and slightly turning, his glowing glance +rested upon Barbarina, who, ashamed and confused, cast her eyes to +the ground. + +"Will you sign this?" + +"I will, sire," said she, almost inaudibly. + +"You bind yourself to remain here for three years, and not to marry +during that time?" [Footnote: By this contract, Barbarina received +an income of seven thousand thalers and five months' liberty during +each year; but she was bound not to marry during this term of three +years.--SCHNEIDER.] + +"I do, sire." + +"Take the pen and sign our contract.--Come forward, Swartz, and +witness this document.--Fredersdorf, is your seal at hand?" + +The contract was ready. + +"You will say, 'This is a sad contract,'" said the king, turning to +Fredersdorf. + +"Yes, sad indeed. The king deals as cruelly with the Barbarina as he +has done with his poor secretary. This cold king does not believe in +marriage." + +"No, no! Fredersdorf, I will prove to you that you are mistaken. I +have been told that you are ill because I will not allow you to +marry. Now, then, Fredersdorf, I will not be hard-hearted. I have +to-day made an innocent sacrifice to my hatred of matrimony. The +signora has bound herself not to marry for three years. For her +sake, I will be gracious to you: go and marry the woman you love, +and when the priest has made you one, you shall take your wife to +Paris for the honeymoon, at my cost." + +Fredersdorf seized the hand of the king, kissed it, and covered it +with his tears. Barbarina gazed at the handsome, glowing face of +Frederick with admiration. She understood him fully; she felt that +he was happy, and wished all around him to partake of his joy. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +THE TRAITOR. + + +Baron von Pollnitz was ill at ease; for three days he had sought +relief diligently, but had no alleviation. He found himself in the +antediluvian condition of our great forefather Adam, while he +loitered away his time in Paradise. Like Adam, Pollnitz had no gold. +Our good baron found this by no means a happy state, and his heart +was full of discontent and apprehension; he felt that he was, +indeed, unblessed. What would become of him if the king should not +be merciful, should not take pity upon his necessities, which he had +to-day made known to him in a most touching and eloquent letter. Up +to this time he had been waiting in vain for an answer. What should +he do if the king should be hard-hearted and cruel? But no, that was +impossible; he must consider it a sacred duty to take care of the +old and faithful servant of his house, who had been the favored +companion of two of Prussia's kings. Pollnitz considered that he +belonged to the royal family; he was an adopted member; they could +not think slightingly of him, or set him aside. + +He had exhausted his means, he had borrowed from Jew and Christian; +he had, by his gay narratives and powers of persuasion, drawn large +sums of gold from the rich burghers; all his friends held his +dishonored drafts; even his own servant had allowed himself to be +made a fool of, and had loaned him the savings of many years; and +this sum scarcely sufficed to maintain the noble, dissipated, and +great-hearted cavalier a few weeks. + +Alas! what sacrifices had he not already made to this insane passion +for spending money; what humiliation had he not suffered--and all in +vain! In vain had he changed his religion three times; he had +condescended so far as to pay court to a merchant's daughter; he had +even wished to wed the daughter of a tailor, and she had rejected +him. + +"And yet," said he, as he thought over his past life, "every thing +might have gone well, but for this formidable stratagem of the king; +this harsh prohibition and penalty as to relieving my necessities +which has been trumpeted through the streets--that ruined me; that +gave me fearful trouble and torment. That was refined cruelty for +which I will one day revenge myself, unless Frederick makes amends. +Ha! there comes a royal messenger. He stops at my door. God be +thanked! The king answers my letter; that is to say, the king sends +me money." + +Pollnitz could scarcely restrain himself from rushing out to receive +the messenger; his dignity, perhaps, would not have sufficed to hold +him back, but the thought of the considerable douceur he would be +expected to pay moderated his impatience. At last his servant came +and handed him a letter. + +"I hope," said the baron, gravely, "I hope you rewarded the king's +messenger handsomely?" + +"No, sir, I gave him nothing." + +"Nothing!" cried he angrily. "And you dare to say this to my face! +you do not tremble lest I dismiss you instantly from my service? +you, and such as you are, cast shame upon our race! I, a baron of +the realm, and grand master of ceremonies, allow a royal messenger +who brings me a letter to go from my door unrewarded! Ass, if you +had no money, why did you not come to me? why did you not call upon +me for several ducats?" + +"If your grace will give me the money, I will run after the +messenger. I know where to find him; he has gone to General +Rothenberg's." + +"Leave the room, scoundrel, and spare me your folly!" + +Pollnitz raised his arm to strike, but the lackey fled and left him +alone with his golden dreams of the future. + +He hastily broke the seal and opened the letter. "Not from the king, +but from Fredersdorf," he murmured impatiently. As he read, his brow +grew darker, and his lips breathed words of cursing and scorn. + +"Refused!" said he passionately, as he read to the end, and cast the +letter angrily to the floor. "Refused! The king has no money for me! +The king needs all his gold for war, which is now about to be +declared; and, if I wish to convince myself that this is true, I +must go to-night, at eleven o'clock, to the middle door of the +castle, and there I will see that the king has no money. A curious +proposition, indeed! I would rather go to discover that he had +money, than that he had it not. If he had it, I would find a means +to supply myself. At all events, I will go. A curious rendezvous +indeed--a midnight assignation between a bankrupt baron and an empty +purse! A tragedy might grow out of it. But if Frederick has really +no money, I must seek elsewhere. I will make a last attempt--I will +go to Trenck." + +The trusty baron made his toilet and hastened to Trenck's +apartments. The young officer had lately taken a beautiful suite of +rooms. He had his reception-rooms adorned with costly furniture and +rare works of art. He had an antechamber, in which two richly- +liveried servants waited to receive his orders. He had a stable and +four splendid horses of the Arabian breed, and two orderlies to +attend to them! From what quarter did Trenck obtain the money for +all this livery? This was an open question with which the comrades +of the young lieutenant were exercised; it gave them much cause for +thought, and some of them were not satisfied with thinking; these +thoughts took form, some of their words reached the ears of Trenck, +and must have been considered by him very objectionable. He +challenged the speaker to fight with the sword, and disabled him +effectually from speaking afterward. [Footnote: Frederick von +Trenck's Memoires.] Trenck was at dinner, and, contrary to custom, +alone; he received Pollnitz most graciously, and the baron took a +seat willingly at the table. + +"I did not come to dine with you, but to complain of you," said +Pollnitz, cutting up the grouse with great adroitness and putting +the best part upon his plate. + +"You come to complain of me?" repeated Trenck, a little embarrassed. +"I have given you no cause for displeasure, dear friend." + +"Yes, you have given me good cause, even while I am your best +friend! Why have you withdrawn your confidence from me? Why do I no +longer accompany you on that most romantic midnight moonlight path +to virtue? Why am I no longer watchman and duenna when you and your +lady call upon the moon and stars to witness your love? Why am I set +aside?" + +"I can only say to all this that I go no more upon the balcony." + +"That is to say--" + +"That is to say that my stars are quenched and my sun has set in +clouds. I am, even as you are, set aside." + +Pollnitz gazed at Trenck with so sharp and cunning an eye that the +young man was confused and looked down. The baron laughed merrily. + +"Dear Trenck," said he, "a lie shows in your face like a spot on the +smooth skin of a rosy apple. You are too young to understand lying, +and I am too old to be deceived by it. Another point: will you make +me believe that this luxury which surrounds you is maintained with +your lieutenant's pay?" + +"You forget that my father has left me his property of Sherlock, and +that I have rented it for eight hundred thalers!" + +"I am too good an accountant not to know that this sum would +scarcely suffice for your horses and servants." + +"Well, perhaps you are right; for the rest I may thank my gracious +king. During the course of this year he has presented me with three +hundred Fredericks d'or; and now you know the source of my revenue +and will not think so meanly of me as to suppose that--" + +"That, your great love has any thing to do with earthly riches or +advancement. I do not believe that I brought in such a charge +against you, even as little do I believe that you have been given +up! Ah, dear friend, I alone have cause of complaint; I alone am set +aside, and why am I thus treated? Have I not been discreet, diligent +in your service, and ready at all times?" + +"Certainly. I can only repeat to you that all is at an end. Our +beautiful dream has faded like the morning cloud and the early dew." + +"You are in earnest?" + +"In solemn earnest." + +"Well, then, I will also speak earnestly. I will relate to you +something which you do not appear to know. A gardener boy who had +risen earlier than usual to protect some rare flowers in the garden +of Monbijou saw two figures upon the balcony, and heard their light +whispers. The boy made known his discovery to the principal +gardener, and he communicated the facts to the chamberlain of the +queen-mother. It was resolved to watch the balcony. The virtuous and +suspicious queen immediately concluded that Mademoiselle von Marwitz +had arranged a rendezvous upon the balcony, and she was sternly +resolved to dismiss the lady at once if any proof could be obtained +against her. Happily, the queen made known these facts to the +Princess Amelia, and I can readily conceive that the balcony remains +now unoccupied." + +"Yes, I understand that." + +"You can also understand that this event was regarded as a warning +of fate, and great caution and forethought were exercised. Not only +was the balcony given up, but the old friend and confidant who had +played the part of companion and carrier-pigeon was banished and +dismissed wholly from service." + +"You may go further still," said Frederick von Trenck. "You have not +stated the whole case. This fortunate providence was a convincing +proof of the danger of an engagement which might never hope to be +crowned with success, never exist except under the shadows of +silence and gloom, with bleeding hearts and tearful eyes; this dream +of love was given up at once, fearing that at no distant day both +honor and liberty might be lost in its pursuit. They separated! An +eternal farewell was faltered!" + +"That is to say, you would now deceive your confidant and former +aid, in order to place yourself more securely--and some day, +perhaps, when suspicion is aroused, you can call him as a witness to +prove that all intercourse was long ago given up; he must know it, +being the confidant from the beginning. This was a well-conceived +plot, but you only seem to forget that Pollnitz was not the man to +be deceived. He has had too much experience, and has studied the +hearts of men, and especially of women, too diligently. A woman who +is enjoying her first love and believes in its holy power, convinces +herself that it can achieve wonders and overcome all obstacles. She +does not sacrifice her love to other duties or to danger, not even +if she is a common woman, far less if she is a princess. Princess +Amelia has not given up her young and handsome lover; she clings to +him with a frenzied constancy, which I confess to you, if I had the +honor and glory of being her suitor, would fill me with apprehension +and regret. No, no, the princess is just now in a paroxysm of +youthful passion, and would rather die than resign her love, and she +is fantastic enough to believe in the possibility of a legitimate +marriage! Poor thing, she expects to mould the world to her wishes, +and arms herself, I suppose, with hair-pins! Princess Amelia was +forced to give up her interviews upon the balcony, but she sought +other means to gratify her passion. This was simple and easy to do. +The maid of honor was taken into her confidence. Marwitz swore to +guard the secret fearfully till death; a plan was then arranged with +her which was truly well conceived. Lieutenant von Trenck must be +spoken of as the suitor of Mademoiselle von Marwitz; he must act at +the court-balls and fetes as the tender, sighing, and eager lover of +the maid of honor; he must at last make a formal declaration, and +receive permission to visit her in her rooms. This is now his daily +habit, and the good city of Berlin and the short-sighted, silly +court are completely deceived, and look upon Frederick von Trenck as +the happy bridegroom of Marwitz, and no one guesses that when the +young officer is with the maid of honor, the Princess Amelia is also +present, and changes the role with Marwitz." + +"I see it is in vain," said Trenck, sighing; "you know all: but if +you have any real friendship for me, you will tell me who betrayed +us." + +Pollnitz laughed aloud, "You betrayed yourself, my friend; or, if +you prefer it, my worldly wisdom and cunning betrayed you. My young +and innocent friend, a man like Pollnitz is not easily deceived; his +eyes are sharp enough to pierce the veil of the most charming little +intrigue, and probe it to the bottom! I know the Princess Amelia; I +have known her too long, not to know that she would not so quickly, +and without a struggle, sacrifice her love; and further when I saw +at the last court-ball, with what a long and dreary face you stood +behind the chair of the poor Marwitz, and with what calm and smiling +content the princess watched the couple amoureuse, look you, Trenck, +then I knew and understood all." + +"Well, then, as you understand all, I make no further attempt to +deceive you. Yes, God be praised! the princess loves me still. It is +indeed the princess whom I meet in the apartment of the maid of +honor; to Marwitz are the letters directed which my servant carries +every morning to the palace, and from the Princess Amelia do I +receive my answers. Yes, God be thanked! Amelia loves me, and one +day she will be mine in the eyes of the whole world, even as she is +now mine in the eyes of God and the angels; one day--" + +"Stop, stop!" cried Pollnitz interrupting him; "that last sentence +must be explained before you rush on with your dithyrambics. You +have declared that the princess is yours in the sight of God: what +does that mean?" + +"That means," said Trenck, "that God, who looks into our hearts, +knows the eternity and boundlessness of our love; that means that, +under God's heaven, and calling upon His holy name, we have sworn +never to forget our love and our faith, and never to form any other +alliance." + +"So nothing more than that--no secret marriage? Are you never alone +with the princess?" + +"No, never! I have given her my word of honor never even to ask it, +and I will keep my oath. And, after all, the good Marwitz disturbs +us not; she gets as far from us as possible: she seems to see us +not, and we speak in such low tones, that she does not hear a word +we utter." + +"Ah! so the Marwitz does not disturb you?" cried Pollnitz, with a +cynical laugh. "O sancta simplicitas! and this is an officer of the +life-guard? The world is going to destruction; or it is becoming +innocent and pure as Paradise. It is time for me to die; I no longer +understand this pitiful world." + +"I do not understand you, and I will not understand you," said +Trenck gravely. "You laugh at me, and call me a silly boy, and I +allow it. I know we cannot understand each other in such matters; +you cannot conceive what strength, what self-denial, what energy I +exert to make myself worthy of the pure, modest, and exalted love +which Amelia has consecrated to me. You cannot comprehend how often +my good and evil genius struggle for the mastery, how often I pray +God to keep me from temptation. No, I have sworn that this love +shall wave pure and unblemished, like a glorious banner over my +whole life; come death rather than dishonor! And now, friend, +explain your meaning: why all these plots and counterplots? What is +your object?" + +"Nothing more than to warn you to prudence. I do not believe all the +world is deceived by your comedy with Marwitz. The king, who appears +to see nothing, sees all. He has his spies everywhere, and knows all +that happens in his family. Be careful, be ever on your guard." + +"I thank you for your warning," said Trenck, pressing the hand of +the master of ceremonies. "We must soon separate; you know that in a +few weeks we go to Silesia. The king is silently preparing for war." + +"I know it, and I pity you." + +"Pity me! Ah, you do not understand me. I long for my first battle +as a lover does for his first sweet kiss. The battle-field is for me +a consecrated garden, where my laurels and myrtles grow. I shall +pluck them and weave wreaths for my bride-wedding wreaths. Pollnitz, +on the other side, beyond the bloody battle-ground, lies my title of +prince, and Amelia's bridle-wreath." + +"Dreamer, fantastic, hopeless dreamer!" cried Pollnitz, laughing. +"Well, God grant that you do not embrace death on the battle-field, +or on the other side find a prison, to either of which you have a +better claim than to a prince's title. Make use, therefore, of your +time, and enjoy these charming interviews. Is one arranged for this +evening?" + +"No, but to-morrow. The reigning queen gives a ball to-morrow. +Immediately before the ball I am to meet the princess. Oh, my +friend, to-morrow evening at five think of me! I shall be the +happiest and most amiable of mortals. I shall be with my beloved!" + +"Alas! how strange is life, and how little do the fates of men +resemble! To-morrow, at the hour when you will be so unspeakably +happy, I shall be walking in a thorny, a cursed path; I shall be on +my way to the usurer." + +"To the usurer? That is indeed a sad alternative for a cavalier like +the Baron von Pollnitz." + +"But that is still better than imprisonment for debt, and I have +only the choice between these two, unless you, dearest friend, will +take pity upon me and lend me a hundred louis d'ors." + +Frederick Trenck said nothing. He stepped to his desk. The eyes of +the baron glittered with joy as he saw Trenck take out a pocket- +book, in which he knew by pleasant experience that the young officer +sometimes kept gold. His joy was of short duration. No gold was +seen. Trenck took out a small, modest, unsealed paper and handed it +to him. + +"Look at this draft," said he. "Had you come yesterday I could have +accommodated you joyfully. To-day it is impossible. I have this +morning lent my colonel two hundred ducats, and my purse is empty." + +"Well, you must soon fill it," said Pollnitz, with a coarse laugh. +"To-morrow at five you will enjoy your rendezvous, and you will not +only speak of God, and love, and the stars, but also a little of +earthly things--of pomp and gold, and--Farewell!" + +With a gay laugh Pollnitz took leave, but he no sooner found himself +alone upon the street than his face grew black arid his eye was full +of malice. + +"He has no gold for me, but I have his secret, and I will know how +to squeeze some gold out of that," murmured Pollnitz. "Truly I think +this secret of Trenck's is worth some thousand thalers, and the king +must find the means to pay for it. But stop! The hour of my +interesting rendezvous draws near. I am curious to know how I am to +be convinced at eleven o'clock, and in the middle of the street, +that the king has no gold. I will be punctual, but I have still time +to visit a few friends, and seek if possible to win a few louis +d'ors at faro." + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +THE SILVER-WARE. + + +It was a dark, still night. As the clock struck ten the night might +really be said to begin in Berlin. The streets were not lighted +except by accidental rays from the windows and the carriage-lamps, +and the glare of torches carried by the servants who accompanied +their masters to places of amusement. By eleven o'clock the streets +were deserted. Pollnitz was therefore sure to meet no one on his way +to the castle. He directed his steps to that door which opened upon +the River Spree, as Fredersdorf had advised him. + +Silence reigned in the palace. The sentinel stepped slowly backward +and forward in the courtyard, and in the distance was heard the +baying of two hounds, entertaining each other with their melancholy +music. The master of ceremonies began to be impatient; he thought +that, the impertinent private secretary had been indulging in some +practical joke or mystification at his expense; but as he drew near +to the Spree, he heard the light stroke of oars in the water. +Pollnitz hastened forward, and his eyes, accustomed to the darkness, +discovered a skiff drawn up near the Elector's Bridge. + +"This is the point! here we must wait," whispered a manly voice. + +"I think we will not have to wait long," said another. "I see lights +in the windows." + +The side of the castle next the Spree was now suddenly lighted; +first the upper story, then the lower, and a pale light was now seen +in the vestibule. + +"Truly, I have not been deceived; something is going on," said +Pollnitz, hastening forward. + +As he entered the court, a curious train was seen descending the +steps. In front were two servants with torches; they were followed +by twelve heyducks, their shoulders weighed down with dishes, cans, +cups, plates, whose silver surface, illumined by the golden glare of +the torches, seemed to dance and glimmer along the wall and steps +like "will o' the wisps." Two servants with towels brought up the +rear, and behind these the pale, sad face of Fredersdorf was seen. + +"You are punctual," said he to Pollnitz; "you wish to convince +yourself that the king has no gold?" + +"Certainly! though this conviction will deprive me of my last hope, +and one does not adopt such a course eagerly." + +"I think you will be fully convinced. Come, let us follow the +heyducks." + +He took the arm of the baron, and they soon reached the border of +the Spree. The large skiff, which had been lying so dark and still, +was now lighted by the torches of the servants, who ranged +themselves on each side; it was brilliantly lighted, and great +activity prevailed. The twelve heyducks, bending under their heavy +burden, entered the skiff, and piled up the silver-ware, then sprang +again ashore. + +"We are going to the treasure-room, will you follow us?" said +Fredersdorf. + +"Certainly; if not, you may perhaps expect to leave me here as +sentinel." + +"That is not at all necessary; there are some soldiers with loaded +muskets in the skiff. Come." + +Silently and hastily they all mounted the steps and reached at last +the large room where the royal silver had been kept; the door was +open, but guarded by sentinels, and Melchoir, who had had the silver +in charge, now walked before the door with a disturbed and sad +visage. + +"May I enter, Melchoir?" said Pollnitz to his old acquaintance, +greeting him with a friendly smile. + +"There is no necessity to ask," said Melchoir, sadly. "My kingdom is +at an end, as you see, when the silver is gone; there is no +necessity for a steward, and the old Melchoir will be set aside, +with all those who yet remain of the good old times of the ever- +blessed Frederick William!" + +Pollnitz entered the room with Fredersdorf, and his eye wandered +over the rich treasures spread out before him, and which the +heyducks were now packing in large sacks. + +"Oh, if these plates and dishes could speak and converse with me, +what curious things we would have to confide with each other!" said +Pollnitz, twirling one of the plates between his fingers. "How often +have I dined from your rich abundance! Under the first pomp-and- +splendor-loving Frederick, you furnished me with gala dinners; under +the parsimonious Frederick William, with solid family dinners! How +often have I seen my smiling face reflected in your polished +surface! how often has this silver fork conveyed the rarest morsels +to my lips! I declare to you, Fredersdorf, I think a dinner plate +fulfils a noble mission; within its narrow bound lie the bone and +sinew, as also the best enjoyments of life. But tell me, for God's +sake, how can you bear that these rascals should handle the king's +silver so roughly? Only look, now, at that heyduck, he has +completely doubled up one of those beautiful salad-bowls, in order +to force it into the mouth of the sack." + +"What signifies, dear baron? That said salad-bowl will never again +he used for salad, henceforth it is only silver." + +"You speak in riddles, and I do not understand you. Well, well, +those fellows have already filled their twelve sacks, and this room +is now as empty and forlorn as the heart of an old bachelor. Now +tell me what you are going to do with all these treasures?" + +"Can you not guess?" + +"I think the king, who now lives in Potsdam, needs his silver +service, and as he does not wish to make a new purchase, he sends to +Berlin for this. Am I right?" + +"You shall soon know. Let us follow the heyducks, the room is empty. +Adieu, Melchoir, your duties will be light hereafter; you need not +fear the robbers. Come, baron." + +They soon reached the skiff, and found that the twelve sacks had +been placed beside the huge pile of dishes, plates, etc. + +"Alas!" said Fredersdorf, gloomily, "all this might have been +avoided if I had already reached the goal I am aiming at; if I had +fathomed the great mystery which God has suspended over mankind, +upon whose sharp angles and edges thousands of learned and wise men +have dashed their brains and destroyed their life's happiness! My +God! I have accomplished so much, so little remains to be done! let +me only find a sufficiently hardened substance, and the work is +done. I shall have laid bare God's great mystery--I shall make +gold!" + +"Do you think ever of this, Fredersdorf?" + +"I think ever of this, and shall think only of this as long as I +live. This thought swallows up all other thoughts; it has destroyed +my love, my rest, my sleep, my earthly happiness! But wait, +Pollnitz, only wait; one day I shall lift the philosopher's stone, +and make gold. On that day you will love me dearly, Baron Pollnitz. +On that day I will not be obliged to prove to you, as I have just +done, that the king has no money." + +"I have seen no proof yet," said Pollnitz. + +"You shall have it now, baron," said Fredersdorf, springing into the +skiff. "Will you not go with us? Forward, forward at once!" + +"But--what is your destination?" + +"Come nearer, that I may whisper in your ear." + +Pollnitz bowed his head. + +"We are going to the mint," whispered Fredersdorf. "All this +beautiful silver will be melted. The king will give no more dinners, +he will give battle. The king changes his dishes and plates into +good thalers to feed his brave army. And now, are you not convinced +that the king has no money to pay your debts?" + +"I am convinced." + +"Then farewell. Take the rudder, boys, and go forward; enter the arm +of the Spree which flows by the mint, and there anchor. The mint is +our goal." + +"The mint is the goal," murmured Pollnitz, with a grim look, gazing +after the skiff, which moved slowly over the water, and which, +lighted by the torches, shone brilliantly in the midst of the +surrounding darkness. The golden light, playing upon the rich +liveries of the heyducks and the tower of silver in their midst, +formed a scene of wonder and enchantment. + +Pollnitz watched them until the torches seemed like little stars in +the distance. "There go all the pomp and glory of the world, the +joys of peace and luxurious rest. The silver will be melted, iron +and steel will take its place. Yes, the iron age begins. Alas! it +begins also for me--why cannot I go into the mint and be melted down +with these plates and dishes?" + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +THE FIRST FLASH OF LIGHTNING. + + +During this night Pollnitz slept but little; when, however, he rose +from his couch the next morning, his brow was clear and his +countenance gayer than it had been for a long time; he had made his +plans, and was convinced that he would succeed. + +"I will earn a hundred ducats," said he, smiling to himself, as in a +superb toilet he left his dwelling, "yes, a hundred ducats, and I +will revenge myself upon the king for that trumpeting and outcry. +This shall be a blessed and beautiful morning." + +He walked first to the apartment of Colonel Jaschinsky, and +announced himself as coming upon most important business. The +colonel hastened to meet him, ready to be of service, and full of +curiosity. + +"Lead me to a room where we are absolutely certain not to be +observed or listened to," said Pollnitz. + +They entered the colonel's cabinet. + +"Here, baron, we are secure." + +"Without circumlocution, then, count, you know the law which forbids +officers to make debts?" + +"I know it," said Jaschinsky, turning pale, "and I believe that +Baron Pollnitz is well content not to belong to the officers." + +"Perhaps you, sir count, may also cease to belong to them?" + +"What do you mean by that?" said Jaschinsky, anxiously. + +"I mean simply that Colonel Jaschinsky belongs to those officers who +are forbidden to make debts, but that he disregards the law." + +"You came here, as it appears, to threaten me?" + +"No, principally to warn you; you know that the king is particularly +severe against his body-guard. You are the colonel of this splendid +regiment, and should, without doubt, set the other officers a good +example. I doubt if the king would consider that you did your duty, +if he knew that you not only made debts, but borrowed money from the +officers of your own regiment." + +"Take care, Baron von Pollnitz!" said Jaschinsky, threateningly. + +Pollnitz said, smilingly: "It appears that you are menacing ME, that +is wholly unnecessary. Listen quietly to what I have to say. I have +come to arrange a little matter of business with you. Day before +yesterday you borrowed two hundred ducats from Baron Trenck. Give me +one hundred of them, and I give you my word of honor not to expose +you--deny me, and I give you my word of honor I will go instantly to +the king, and relate the whole history. You know, count, you would +be instantly cashiered." + +"I do not know that his majesty would grant a ready belief to the +statement of Baron Pollnitz, and you have no proof to confirm it." + +"I have proof. You gave your note for the money. I think that would +be convincing testimony." + +The count was pale and agitated. "If I give you a hundred ducats, +you promise on your word of honor not to expose me to the king?" + +"I give you my word of honor; more than that, I promise you to +defend you, if any one shall accuse you to the king." + +Jaschinsky did not reply; he stepped to his desk and took out two +rolls of ducats. "Baron," said he, "here is half of the money I +borrowed from Trenck; before I hand it to you I have one request to +make." + +"Well, speak." + +"How did you learn that I borrowed this money?" + +"I saw your note which you gave to Trenck." + +"Ah! he showed it to you," cried Jaschinsky, with such an expression +of hate, scorn, and revenge, that even Pollnitz was moved by it. + +He took the gold and let it slide slowly into his pocket. "I owe you +a hundred ducats; I cannot promise you to return them; but I can +promise you that Trenck will never produce your draft, and I will +show you how to revenge yourself upon the handsome officer." + +"If you assist me in that, I will present you with my best horse." + +"You shall be revenged," said Pollnitz, solemnly. "You can send the +horse to my stable; Frederick von Trenck will soon cease to be +dangerous to any one; he is a lost man!--And now to the king," said +Pollnitz, as he left the colonel's quarters. "Yes, to the king; I +must thank him for the confidence he showed me last night." + +The king was making his preparations for war with the most profound +secrecy; he worked only at night, and gave up his entire time +seemingly to pleasures and amusements. He was daily occupied with +concerts, balls, operas, and ballets; he had just returned from +seeing the rehearsal of a new opera, in which Barbarina danced; he +was gay and gracious. + +He received his master of ceremonies jestingly, and asked him if he +came to announce that he had become a Jew. "You have tried every +other religion at least twice; I know that you have had of late much +to do with the 'chosen people;' I suppose you are now full of +religious zeal, and wish to turn Israelite. It would, perhaps, be a +wise operation. The Jews have plenty of gold, and they would surely +aid with all their strength their new and distinguished brother. +Speak, then, make known your purpose." + +"I come to thank your majesty for the supper you graciously accorded +me last night." + +"A supper! what do you mean?" + +"Your majesty, through your private secretary, invited me to table, +with all your splendid silver-ware. Truly the meal was indigestible +and lies like a stone upon my stomach; but, I say with the good +soldiers, after the lash, 'I thank your majesty for gracious +punishment.'" + +"You are an intolerable fool; but mark me, no word of what you have +seen. I wished to prove to you that I had no money, and to be freed +from your everlasting complaints and petitions. I have therefore +allowed you to see that my silver has gone to the mint. It is to be +hoped that you will now compose yourself, and seek no more gold from +me. Do not ask gold of kings, but of Jews! Kings are poor, the +poorest people of the state, for they have no personal property." +[Footnote: The king's own words.] + +"Oh, that the whole world could hear the exalted and high-hearted +words of my king!" cried Pollnitz, with well-acted enthusiasm. +"Thrice blessed is that nation which has such a ruler!" + +The king looked at him searchingly. "You flatter me; you want +something, of course." + +"No, sire, I swear I come with the purest intentions." + +"Intentions? You have, then, intentions?" + +"Yes, sire, but now that I stand here face to face with you, I feel +that my courage fails, and I cannot speak what I intended." + +"Now truly," said the king, laughing, "the circumstances must indeed +be dangerous which deprive Baron Pollnitz of the power of speech." + +"Words, your majesty, are important things. Once a few words saved +me from death; it may be that a few words, spoken this day to your +majesty, may bring me into disfavor, and that would be worse than +death." + +"What were the words which saved you from death?" + +"These, sire: 'Va-t-en, noble guerrier!'" + +"This took place in France?" + +"In Paris, sire. I was dining in a small hotel in the village of +Etampes, near Paris. A very elegant cavalier sat next me and from +time to time, as if accidentally, addressed me in a refined and +winning way; he informed himself as to my intentions and +circumstances. I was an inexperienced youth, and the cavalier was +adroit in questioning. This was at the time of the Mississippi +speculation of the great financier Law. I had gained that day, in +the Rue Quinquempois, the sum of four hundred thousand francs. I had +this money with me, and after dinner I proposed to go to Versailles. +I was not without apprehension, the streets were unsafe, and +Cartouche with his whole band of robbers had for some time taken +possession of the environs of Paris, and made them the theatre of +his daring deeds." + +"So you received your new friend trustingly?" said the king, +laughing heartily. + +"Yes, sire, and we had just agreed as to the hour of our departure, +when a little maiden appeared under the window of our dining-room +and sang in a loud, clear voice, 'Va-t-en, noble guerrier!' The +strange cavalier rose and stepped to the window to give her a few +sous, then went out--and I saw him no more." + +"And you conclude from this that the words of the song saved your +life? you think that the man with whom you were eating was a +poisoner?" + +"I thought nothing, sire, and forgot the adventure. A year after, I +was standing in the street as Cartouche was being led to execution. +All Paris was abroad to see the famous brigand. I had a good place, +the procession passed immediately by me, and look you, I recognized +in the poor sinner now being led to execution, the elegant gentleman +of the cabaret at Etampes! He knew me also and stood still for a +moment. 'Sir,' said he, 'I dined with you a year ago. The words of +an old song gave me notice to leave the cabaret immediately. They +announced to me that the pursuers were on my heels; your star was in +the ascendant, stranger; had I accompanied you to Versailles, you +would have lost your gold and your life.' Your majesty will now +understand that these words, 'Va-t-en, noble guerrier,' saved my +life." + +"I confess it, and I am now most curious to hear the words which you +fear will bring my displeasure upon you." + +"Sire, I have been for more than forty years a faithful servant of +your exalted house. Will you not admit this?" + +"Faithful?" repeated Frederick; "you were faithful to us when it was +to your advantage: you deserted us when you thought it to your +interest to do so. I reproached you with this in former times, but +now that I know the world better, I forgive you. Go on, then, with +your pathetic appeal." + +"Your majesty has often commanded me to make known to you every +thing which the good people say of your royal family, and when any +one dared to whisper a slander against you or yours, to inform you +of it at once." + +"Does any one dare to do that?" said the king, with an expression of +anguish upon his noble face. + +"Yes, sire." + +The king breathed a heavy sigh, and walked hastily up and down; then +placing himself before the window, and turning his back on Pollnitz, +he said, "Go on." + +"Sire, it is lightly whispered that the young Lieutenant Trenck has +dared to love a lady who is so far above him in her bright radiance +and royal birth, that he should not dare to lift his eyes to her +face except in holy reverence." + +"I have been told that he was the lover of Mademoiselle von +Marwitz," said the king. + +"The world and the good Berliners believe that, but the initiated +know that this pretended love is only a veil thrown by the bold +youth over a highly traitorous passion." + +Pollnitz was silent; he waited for the king to speak, and watched +him with a malicious smile. Frederick still stood with his face to +the window, and saw nothing of this. + +"Shall I go on?" said Pollnitz at last. + +"I command you to do so," said the king. + +Pollnitz drew nearer. "Sire," said he, half aloud, "allow me to say +what no one knows but myself. Baron Trenck visits Mademoiselle von +Marwitz every day, but a third person is ever present at these +interviews." + +"And this third person is--" + +"The Princess Amelia!" + +The king turned hastily, and the glance which he fixed upon Pollnitz +was so flashing, so threatening, that even the bold and insolent +master of ceremonies trembled. "Are you convinced of the truth of +what you have stated?" said he harshly. + +"Sire," said he, "if you wish to convince yourself, it is only +necessary to go this evening between five and six o'clock, +unannounced, into the rooms of the Princess Amelia. You will then +see that I have spoken truth." + +Frederick did not reply; he stepped again to the window. and looked +silently into the street. Once more he turned to Pollnitz, and his +face was clear and smiling. + +"Pollnitz, you are an old fox; but you have laid your foundation +badly, and your whole plot is poorly conceived. Look you! I +understand this intrigue perfectly. You hate poor Trenck; I have +long seen that. You hate him because I honor and promote him, and +you courtiers always regard those as your enemies who stand higher +in favor than yourselves. Trenck deserves his good fortune, in spite +of his youth; he is a learned and accomplished officer, and a most +amiable and elegant gentleman. You cannot forgive him for this, and +therefore you accuse him. This time you shall not succeed. I tell +you I don't believe one word of this silly scandal. I will forget +what you have dared to say; but look to it, that you also forget. +Woe to you if you do not forget; woe to you if your lips ever again +utter this folly to me or to any other person! I hold you wholly +responsible. In your own mad, malicious brain is this fairy tale +conceived; it will be your fault if it goes farther, and is ever +spoken of. Conform yourself to this, sir, and retreat in time. I +repeat to you, I hold you responsible. Now go, without a word, and +send me my adjutant--it is high time for parade." + +"Flashed in the pan, completely flashed," said Pollnitz to himself, +as with a courtly bow and a smiling lip he took leave of the king. +"I had hoped at least for a small reward, if it was only to see that +I had made him angry. Alas! this man is invulnerable; all my files +wear away on him." + +Could he have seen what an expression of care and anguish +overshadowed the king's face when he was alone--could he have heard +the king's sighs and the broken words of sorrow and despair which he +uttered, the wicked heart of the master of ceremonies would have +been filled with gladness. But Frederick indulged himself in this +weakness but a short time; he drew his royal mantle over his aching +heart, he cast the veil of sadness from his eyes, and armed them +with the might of majesty. + +"This rendezvous shall not take place; this romantic adventure shall +come to an end. I will it!" said he, with an energy which only those +can feel whose will is law, and from whose words there is no appeal. + +Frederick took his hat and entered the vestibule, where his staff +awaited to accompany him to the parade. The king greeted them all +sternly, and, passing by them rapidly, he descended the steps. + +"The king is very ungracious," whispered the officers amongst each +other. "Woe to him upon whom his anger falls to-day!" + +A storm-cloud did indeed rest upon the brow of the king; his eye +looked fierce and dangerous. The regiment stood in line, the king +drew up in front; suddenly he paused, his face grew black--his eye +had found an object for destruction. + +"Lieutenant Trenck," said he, in a loud and threatening tone, "you +have this moment arrived, you are again too late. I demand of my +officers that they shall be punctual in my service. More than once I +have shown you consideration, and you seem to be incurable. I will +now try the power of severity. Colonel Jaschinsky, Lieutenant Trenck +is in arrest, till you hear further from me; take his sword from +him, and transport him to Potsdam." + +The king passed on; the cloud had discharged itself; his brow was +clear, and he conversed cordially with his generals. He did not give +one glance to the poor young officer, who, pale and speechless, +handed his sword to his malicious colonel, looked with anguish +inexpressible toward the castle of Monbijou, and followed the two +officers whose duty it was to conduct him to Potsdam. + +That afternoon Mademoiselle von Marwitz waited in vain for her +lover; that afternoon the Princess Amelia shed her first tears; and, +for the first time, entered the ballroom by the side of her royal +mother, with dejected mien and weary eyes. The glare of light, the +sound of music, the laugh and jest of the gay crowd, filled her +oppressed heart with indescribable woe. She longed to utter one mad +cry and rush away, far away from all this pomp and splendor; to take +refuge in her dark and lonely room; to weep, to pray, and thus +exhaust her sorrow and her fears. + +Perhaps the king read something of this fierce emotion in the face +of the princess. He drew near to her, and taking her hand kindly, he +led her away from her mother. "My sister," he said, in a low voice, +but in a tone which made the heart of the princess tremble, "my +sister, banish the cloud from your brow, and call the smiles to your +young, fresh lips. It ill becomes a princess to be seen at a fete +with a sad visage; melancholy, this evening, will be particularly +unseemly. Be on your guard; you must not decline a single dance; I +wish this as your brother, I command it as your king. Conform +yourself to this. Do you understand fully all that I have said to +you, and all that I have not said?" + +"I understand all, your majesty," whispered Amelia, with the +greatest difficulty keeping back the tears, which, "like a proud +river, peering o'er its bounds," filled her eyes to overflowing. + +Princess Amelia danced the whole evening, she appeared gay and +happy; but it did not escape the watchful eye of the Baron Pollnitz, +that her smile was forced and her gayety assumed; that her eye +wandered with an expression of terror toward the king, who was ever +observing her. Suddenly all was changed, and she became radiant with +the fire of youth and happiness. Mademoiselle von Marwitz, while the +princess stood near her in the Francaise, had whispered: "Compose +yourself, your royal highness, there is no danger. He has been +arrested for some small military offence, that is all!" Here were +indeed peace and comfort. Amelia had been tortured by the most +agonizing fears, and this news was like a messenger of peace and +love. A military offence--that was a small affair. A few days of +light confinement, and he would return; she would see him again; and +those blessed interviews, those glorious hours of rapture, would be +renewed. + +The princess had deceived herself. Several days elapsed, and Trenck +did not return, and she knew nothing more than that he was in +Potsdam, under arrest. Eight days had passed on leaden wings, and +still he came not. This severe punishment for a small offence began +to be resented by Trenck's comrades; they did not dare to murmur, +but their countenances were clouded. + +"Colonel Jaschinsky," said the king, on the ninth morning, "go to +Trenck and counsel him to ask for my forgiveness; say to him, that +you believe I will forgive him, if he asks for pardon. You shall not +say this officially, only as a friend. Remark well what he shall +answer, and report it to me strictly." + +The colonel returned in an hour, with a well-pleased smile. + +"Well, will he ask for forgiveness?" said the king. + +"No, your majesty; he asserts that for a small fault he has been +too harshly punished, and he will not bow so low as to plead against +an injustice." + +"Let him remain in arrest," said Frederick, dismissing Jaschinsky. + +The king was alone; he walked up and down with his arms folded, as +was his custom, when engaged in deep thought. "A head of iron, a +heart of fire!" murmured he; "both so young, so proud, so fond, and +all this I must destroy. I must pluck every leaf from this fair +blossom. Sad mission! Why must I cease to be a man, because I am a +king?" + +Eight days again went by--eight days of fetes, concerts, balls. The +princess dared not absent herself; she appeared nightly in costly +toilet, with glowing cheeks, and her lovely hair adorned with +flowers, but her cheeks were rouged, and her sad smile accorded but +little with her flowers. + +The king had carried on diligently but secretly his preparations for +war, under the shadow of these luxurious festivities. Now all was +ready; he could lay aside his mask and his embroidered dress, and +assume his uniform. The ballroom was closed, the music silenced, the +silver melted into thalers. The king left Berlin and joined his +generals at Potsdam. On the day of his arrival he commissioned his +adjutant, General von Borck, to release Trenck from arrest, and send +him to Berlin with a letter to the queen-mother; he was to have +leave of absence till the next day. + +"I will see, now, if they understood me," said Frederick to himself. +"I have given them a hard lesson; if they do not profit by it, they +are incurable, and force me to extremity." + +Alas! they had not understood this hard lesson; they were not wise, +not prudent; they would not see the sharp sword suspended over their +heads: their arms were madly thrown around each other, and they did +not grasp this only anchor of safety which the fond brother, and not +the stern king, had extended to them. They were lost! they must go +down to destruction! + +The next morning, during the parade, Trenck drew near the king. He +had just returned from Berlin; his cheeks were glowing from his +rapid ride, and in his eyes there was still a shimmer of that +happiness with which the presence of his beloved had inspired him. + +"Your majesty, I announce myself," said he, in a fresh and gay +voice. + +The king said nothing. He looked at the handsome, healthy, and +radiant youth with a glance of profound sympathy and regret. + +Frederick von Trenck saw nothing of this. "Does your majesty command +me to join my regiment at Berlin?" said he, in the most +unembarrassed manner. + +And now the king's eyes flashed with rage. "From whence come you?" +said he, sternly. + +"From Berlin, sire." + +"Where were you before you were sent to Berlin?" + +"In arrest, sire." + +"Go, then, to your old place--that is to say, in arrest!" + +Frederick von Trenck remained in arrest till every preparation was +completed. The army was ready to march. The king assembled his +officers, and announced to them that they were bound once more to +Silesia to bloody battle, and, with God's help, to glorious victory. +On that day Frederick von Trenck was released from arrest. The king +received him with a gracious smile, and commanded him to remain near +him. Trenck's comrades envied him because of the royal favor; +because of the friendly smiles and gracious words which, more than +once during the day, the king directed to him. No one understood how +Trenck could remain sad and silent under all these evidences of +royal favor; no one understood how this gallant young officer could +enter upon this campaign with bowed head and heavy brow; he should +have sat upon his horse proud and erect--not dreaming, not lost in +melancholy musing. + +No one but the king could comprehend this; his sympathetic soul was +touched by every emotion of his young officer, and he had pity for +every pang he inflicted. All this vast crowd of men had taken leave +of those they loved and cherished. Trenck alone had been denied this +solace. They had all received a love-greeting, a blessing, and a +last fond kiss--a last tear to encourage them in battle, perhaps in +death. Trenck had no kiss, no blessing, no farewell. He had said +farewell to fortune, to love and hope; and even now, though marching +to battle, perhaps to victory, he had no future. Tears were flowing +for him, and tears would be his only inheritance. + + + + +BOOK III. + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE ACTORS IN HALLE. + + +His excellency, Gotshilf Augustus Franke, president of the +university at Halle, bore unmistakable marks of anger and excitement +upon his usually calm countenance, as, seated at his study-table, he +glanced from time to time at a paper spread out before him. + +The entrance of two of his friends and colleagues seemed scarcely to +interrupt his disagreeable train of thought, as he bade them good +morning and thanked them for coming to him so promptly. + +"I have requested your presence, my friends," he continued, "to +inform you of the receipt of the answer to the petition which we +presented to the General Directory." + +"Ah, then," cried Professor Bierman, "our troubles are at an end!" + +"Not so," said Professor Franke, gloomily; "the wishes of the +servants of the Lord do not always meet with the approbation of +kings. King Frederick the Second has refused our petition which was +presented to him by the General Directory." + +"Refused it?" exclaimed the two professors. + +"Yes, refused it; he declares that he will not allow the actors to +be expelled from Halle, until it can be satisfactorily proved that +they have occasioned public disturbances in our midst." + +"This is unheard-of injustice," exclaimed Professor Bierman. + +"It is a new proof of the king's utter godliness," said Professor +Heinrich. "He has already gone so far as to declare that these +actors shall receive Christian burial." + +"Astounding!" cried the president. "This is a sacrilege, which will +assuredly meet a just punishment. But," he continued after a pause, +glancing anxiously around, "let us not forget that we are speaking +of our king." + +"He seems to forget that even kings are but the servants of the +Lord. His acts show a determination to destroy the church and its +supporters." + +"Your remark is, I fear, too true," answered Professor Franke; "but +the object of our meeting was not to discuss the king, but to +discover, if possible, some means of extricating ourselves from the +disagreeable position in which we have been placed by the unexpected +refusal of our petition. We were so confident of a different answer +to our just demand, and have expressed this confidence so publicly, +that, when the result is known, we shall be ridiculed by both +citizens and students." + +While the worthy professors were still deep in their discussion, +they were interrupted by the entrance of a servant, who announced +that there was a gentleman at the door, who called himself Eckhof, +and who desired to be admitted to President Franke. + +"Eckhof!" exclaimed all three, and the two friends looked +mistrustfully at Franke. + +"Eckhof! Do you receive Eckhof?" + +"Does this actor dare to cross your threshold?" + +"It appears so," cried Franke, angrily. "He has the boldness to +force himself into my presence.--Let him enter; we will then hear +how he justifies this intrusion." + +As Eckhof entered the room, the three professors remained seated, as +if awaiting the approach of a criminal. + +Apparently unmoved by this want of courtesy, Eckhof advanced to the +president, and, after making a respectful bow, offered him his hand. + +Franke, ignoring this movement, asked, without changing his +position, to what singular accident he might attribute the honor of +this visit. + +Eckhof appeared grieved and astonished at the reception, but +replied, "I came, your excellency, to ask a favor. My friends have +determined to give me a benefit to-night, and we have selected +Voltaire's wonderful tragedy, 'Britannicus,' for our performance. +The tickets are all sold, two hundred of them to the students. There +is, however, one thing wanting to make the evening all I would wish, +and that is the presence of your excellency and some of the +professors at the representation. Therefore I am here, and have +taken the liberty of bringing these tickets, which I beg you will +accept for the use of yourself and your brother professors," and, +bowing once more, he placed the tickets upon the table before which +he was standing. + +"Are you so lost, sir, to all sense of propriety," cried Franke, "as +to believe that I, the president of the university, a professor of +theology, and a doctor of philosophy, would enter your unholy, God- +forsaken theatre? No, sir, even in this degenerate age. we have not +fallen so low that the men of God are to be found in such places." + +"These are very hard and unchristian words, your excellency, +Professor and Doctor Franke, words which no Christian, no man of +learning, no gentleman should employ. But I, although a poor actor, +bearing no distinguished title, will only remember what is becoming +for a Christian, and will say, in the words of our Lord, 'Father, +forgive them, they know not what they do.'" + +"Those holy words become a blasphemy on your lips," said Professor +Heinrich, solemnly. + +"And still I repeat them. 'Father, forgive them, they know not what +they do.' Do you not know that in judging me, you condemn +yourselves? I came into your presence, hoping to reconcile the +difficulties and misunderstanding which I heard had been occasioned +by the theatre between the professors and the students; but you have +treated me with scorn and declined my assistance, and nothing +remains for me but to bid you farewell, most learned and worthy +men." + +He bowed ceremoniously, and passed out, without again glancing at +the indignant professors, and joined Joseph Fredersdorf, who awaited +him below. + +"Well, did they accept your invitation?" + +"No, my friend, all happened as you predicted; they refused it with +scorn and indignation." + +"Now you will agree with me that we can hope to do nothing in +Halle." + +"Yes, you were right, I fear, Joseph; but let us dismiss so painful +a subject. We will now go to our rehearsal, and we must perform our +tragedy with such care and in such a manner that the thunders of +applause which we receive will reach the ears of our enemies." + +The three professors were still in the room of the president, in +earnest consultation. + +"So this miserable Eckhof is to have what he calls a benefit to- +night?" said the president. + +"Two hundred students will be present," groaned Professor Heinrich. + +"And our lecture halls will be empty." + +"We must exert our energies and put a stop to these proceedings; it +is scandalous that our students have forsaken their studies to run +after these actors." + +"Truly something must be done, for not only our fame but our purses +are at stake." + +"This evil cannot continue; we must take prompt measures to root it +out," said the president. "The General Directory decided that the +actors should not be expelled from Halle, unless it could be proved +that they had been the occasion of some public difficulty. It is +therefore necessary that such a difficulty should arise. According +to Eckhof's account, there will be two hundred students at the +theatre to-night. There are still, however, nearly one hundred who +will not be present at his performance. Among these there must be +some brave, determined, devout young men, who, in the name of God, +of science, and of their teachers, would willingly enter the lists +against these actors, and create a disturbance. We must employ some +of these young men to visit the theatre to-night, and to groan and +hiss when the other students applaud. This will be all-sufficient to +raise a riot amongst these hot-blooded young men. After that, our +course is plain; we have but to send in our account of the affair to +the General Directory, and there will be no danger of a second +refusal to our petition." + +"An excellent idea!" + +"I am afraid, however, it will be difficult to find any students who +will put their lives in such jeopardy." + +"We must seek them among those to whose advantage it is to stand +well with the president." + +"There are some who receive a yearly stipend through me, and others +who live only for science, and never visit the theatre. I name, for +example, the industrious young student Lupinus. I shall speak to +him, and I am sure he will not refuse to assist us; he is small and +not very strong, it is true, but he stands well with the students, +and will carry others with him. I know five others upon whom I can +count, and that is enough for our purpose. I will give them these +tickets which Eckhof left here. He desired that we should make use +of them, and we will do so, but to serve our own purpose, and not +his." + +Having arrived at this happy conclusion, the three professors +separated. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE STUDENT LUPINUS. + + +Young Lupinus sat quiet and alone, as was usual with him, in his +room, before his writing-table, which was covered with books and +folios. He was thinner and paler than when we first met him in +Berlin. His deeply-sunken eyes were encircled with those dark rings +which are usually the outward sign of mental suffering. His +bloodless lips were firmly pressed together, and the small hand, +upon which his pale brow rested, was transparently thin and white. + +Lupinus was working, or appeared to be so. Before him lay one of +those venerable folios which excite the reverence of the learned. +The eyes of the young man rested, it is true, upon the open page, +but so long, and so uninterruptedly, that it was evident his +thoughts were elsewhere. + +The professors would, no doubt, have been rejoiced had they seen him +bent thus earnestly and attentively over this volume. If, however, +they had seen what really claimed his attention, they would have +been seized with horror. Upon his open book lay a playbill, the bill +for that evening, and upon this "thing of horror" rested the eyes of +the young student. + +"No, no," he said, after a long pause, "I will not go. I will not be +overcome by my heart, after the fierce struggle of these two long, +fearful months. I will not, I dare not see Eckhof again; I should be +lost--undone. Am I not lost even now? Do I not see ever before me +those great, burning eyes; do I ever cease to hear his soft, +melodious voice, which seems to sing a requiem over my dead +happiness? I have striven uselessly against my fate--my life is +blighted. I will strive no longer, but I will die honorably, as I +have lived. I only pray to God that in my last hour I may not curse +my father with my dying lips. He has sinned heavily against me; he +has sacrificed my life to his will. May God forgive him! Now," +continued Lupinus, "enough of complaints. My resolution is taken; I +will not go to the theatre, for I dare not see Eckhof again." + +He suddenly seized the playbill, and pressed the spot where Eckhof's +name stood again and again to his lips, then tore the paper into +many pieces, and threw them behind him. + +"So long as I live, I must struggle--I will battle bravely. My heart +shall die, my soul awake and comfort me." + +Again he bent his head over the great tome, but this time a light +knock at his door interrupted him, and the immediate entrance of +Professor Franke filled him with amazement. + +"My visit seems to astonish you," said the professor, in the most +friendly tone. "You think it singular that the president of the +university should seek out one of the students. Perhaps it would be +so in an ordinary case; but for you, Lupinus, who are the most +learned and honorable young man in our midst, we cannot do too much +to show our respect and esteem." + +"This is an honor which almost shames me," said Lupinus, blushing; +"an honor of which, I fear, I am unworthy." + +"I desire to give you a still greater proof of my esteem," continued +the professor. "I wish to make you my confidant, and inform you of +an intrigue which, insignificant as it appears, will be followed by +important results." + +With ready words, Franke proceeded to explain to Lupinus his own +views with regard to the actors; what he considered their wretched +influence over the students, and also the ill-advised decision of +the General Directory. He then informed Lupinus of his plan for +creating a disturbance in the theatre, and requested his assistance +in carrying it out. + +Lupinus listened with horror to this explanation and request, but he +controlled himself, and quietly received the ticket which the +president handed him. He listened silently to the further details, +and Franke understood his silence as a respectful assent. + +When the president had at length taken leave, and Lupinus was again +alone, he seized the ticket, threw it on the ground, and trampled it +under foot, thus visiting upon the inoffensive ticket the scorn he +had not dared exhibit to the president. + +"I--I am to be the instrument of this miserable plot!" he cried +passionately. "Because I lead a lonely, joyless life. I am selected +to execute this infamy. Ah, how little do they know me! how slight a +knowledge of the human heart have these learned professors! Eckhof +in danger, and I remain silent? Eckhof threatened, and I not warn +him? That were a treachery against myself, a crime against art and +my own poor heart. If I remain silent, I become an accomplice in +this vile conspiracy." At this thought, he took his hat, and hurried +from the room. + +When he reached the door of Eckhof's lodging, he hesitated. A +profound pallor succeeded a burning glow upon his countenance, and +he murmured to himself: "No, no; I have not the strength to see him +to-day. I should die if his eyes rested upon me. I will go to +Fredersdorf." + +Joseph Fredersdorf was at home, and received Lupinus with astonished +delight. + +"The holy one trusts himself in the den of the wicked," he said, +with a bright smile. "This is an unheard-of event, which doubtless +indicates something important." + +"You are laughing at me, but you are right. I am here for a purpose; +nothing unimportant would have induced me to come to you after the +ungrateful manner in which I declined your friendly advances. But I +am sure you will forgive the intrusion when you become aware of the +motive which has led me to you." + +With hurried words and frequent interruptions from Fredersdorf, +Lupinus informed his friend of the president's visit, and its +object. + +"This is a regular conspiracy," said Joseph, as Lupinus finished. +"If it succeed, the punishment of the actors will be the result." + +"It must not succeed--we must prevent that. The first thing to be +done is to gain over the other students to whom the president has +intrusted this plot. We must either do that or prevent them from +entering the theatre." + +"But if we can do neither?" + +"Then we must allow what we cannot prevent, but we must seek to +avert the evil consequences. We will address ourselves to the king, +and inform him who has occasioned this disturbance, and why it was +done." + +"The king is just, and happily it is not difficult to see him, +especially for me, as my brother is his private secretary. We must +be active, and the victory will be ours. And now, my dear friend, +for you must allow me to call you so from this day, let us go to my +master, Eckhof. He must thank you himself for this kind warning. +Come to Eckhof." + +"No!" said Lupinus, "it is a matter of no importance to Eckhof, who +has given the information. There is much to be done to-day. I will +seek to gain over the students; you must hasten to Eckhof." + +"And will you not accompany me?" + +"No, my friend, not to-day. Let us await the events of this evening. +Perhaps I shall ask you to present me to him to-morrow." + +"Ah, that would be a real triumph for me!" + +"Let us first take care that this plot fails, and the actors are not +driven from Halle." + +"When we have accomplished this, will you promise to walk arm-in-arm +with me three times through the market-place?" + +"Not only three times, but as often as you will." + +"Now I feel the strength of Samson, and the craft of Delilah. With +this reward before me, I will vanquish all enemies." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE DISTURBANCE IN THE THEATRE. + + +So dense was the crowd which filled the streets in the neighborhood +of the theatre on the evening of Eckhof's benefit, that it appeared +as if the entire population of the city of Halle must be unanimous +in wishing to do honor to this wonderful artiste. + +Eckhof owed this triumph to the students; he had been their darling +from the time of his first appearance among them, and now he had +become the favorite of the entire city, with the exception of the +professors. + +Had the theatre been three times its actual size, it could scarcely +have accommodated all who had made applications for tickets. The +parterre was given up almost entirely to the students, upon whose +countenances was plainly seen their deep interest in the evening's +entertainment. + +Here and there among them a few earnest faces and darkly flashing +eyes might be seen, but they seemed to arrest no eye but that of +Lupinus. He had passed every countenance in review, and had +instantly recognized by their expression those students who had +entered into the plot of the president. He had failed in his effort +to discover them before the opening of the theatre, and was, +therefore, unable to prevent their attendance. + +Professor Franke had informed these students that they might count +upon the assistance of Lupinus, and one of them had just whispered +to him: "There will be a fierce struggle, and I fear we shall be +worsted, as our number is so small. Did you bring your rapier?" + +Before Lupinus could answer, he was separated from his questioner by +a crowd of students pushing their way forward. It seemed as if these +new arrivals had not come to the theatre for mere amusement. They +glanced threateningly around them, as if seeking a concealed enemy. +In passing Lupinus they greeted him with a few low-spoken words, or +a warm pressure of the hand. + +These students were the special friends of Joseph Fredersdorf. To +them he had confided the danger which threatened the actors this +evening, and had demanded their aid in maintaining peace and quiet. +They scattered about amongst the crowd of students, and whispered to +their friends and acquaintances: "No disturbance this evening. We +must be quiet, whatever occurs." + +At length this fluttering, whispering crowd were silenced by the +ringing of the bell which announced the rising of the curtain. + +The piece began, and never had Eckhof displayed such fire, such +enthusiasm; the students had never exhibited such rapt and earnest +attention. Their excitement was shown by their flashing eyes and +glowing cheeks, and the low murmurs of delight which arose +occasionally from this dark mass. But at length a moment arrived +when it became impossible to suppress the expression of their +delight, and forgetting all resolve to the contrary, they called +aloud, amid thunders of applause, for their favorite Eckhof, who had +just left the stage. + +"A disturbance is now unavoidable," said Lupinus to himself, "but +Eckhof deserves that we should forget all such miserable +considerations. To die for him were to be indeed blessed." + +As Eckhof appeared upon the stage, in answer to the repeated calls +upon his name, Lupinus gazed upon him with a beaming countenance, +and joined the others in their cries of delight. + +The unalloyed triumph of Eckhof endured but for one moment, for +suddenly, high above the shouts of applause, arose a piercing, +derisive whistle, succeeded by hisses and groans. + +As if by magic, the aspect of the parterre was changed. Every +student looked wrathfully at his neighbor, as if determined to +discover and punish the rash offender who dared run counter to the +general approbation. A few students were endeavoring to calm the +rising storm; but renewed hisses and groans made this impossible, +and one voice was heard high above the others: "You hissed, sir; I +forbid it!" + +"And I forbid you to applaud," was the answer. "So long as you +applaud, I will hiss. Accommodate yourself to that." + +A universal cry of wrath arose as if from one voice. The struggle +was inevitable, as Lupinus had foreseen; the parterre of the theatre +was converted into a battle-ground, and a fierce combat began among +these young, hot-blooded students. The manager ordered the lights to +be extinguished, and the police to be called in, but for a long time +their efforts were ineffectual in subduing the contest. + +We will leave the theatre with Lupinus, who, as soon as he could +extricate himself from the battling crowd, hurried through the +streets, toward the lodging of Fredersdorf. + +He found a post-carriage before the door, and Fredersdorf, dressed +for a journey, was just leaving the house. As he was stepping into +the carriage, Lupinus placed his hand upon his shoulder, and said, +"Where are you going, Fredersdorf?" + +"To Berlin, to the king." + +"The king is not in Berlin; he is in Silesia, with the army." + +"I received letters from my brother to-day. The king has gone to +Berlin for a few days, and my brother is with him. I will have no +difficulty in obtaining an audience. I shall give the king a correct +version of this affair. He will perceive that this disturbance was +occasioned by the professors, and he will not allow us to be driven +from Halle. Farewell, my friend; in four days I return, and you +shall hear the result of my journey." + +"I intend to accompany you." + +"You intend to accompany me?" + +"Yes; perhaps you will need a witness; I must be with you. I thought +you would have counted on me." + +"How could I suppose that Lupinus, the learned student, who will +receive his diploma at the end of a few weeks, would tear himself +from the arms of his beloved Science, to go with a comedian before +the king, and bear witness for the hated and despised actors?" + +"Ah, Fredersdorf," said Lupinus; "if you consider Science my +beloved, I fear you will soon have occasion to call me a faithless +lover." + +"What can you mean? How! you also--" + +"Let us be off, my friend. We will discuss that in the carriage." + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE FRIENDS. + + +Four days after the unfortunate occurrences in the theatre, +Fredersdorf and his friend Lupinus returned from their secret +journey, the object of which was unknown even to Eckhof. No sooner +had they alighted from their travelling carriage, than they +proceeded arm-in-arm to Eckhof's lodging. They found him at home and +alone, and Fredersdorf saw from his pale countenance and lustreless +eyes that his sensitive, easily excited nature had been deeply +wounded by the late events. + +"I bring you a new pupil, my master," said Fredersdorf, drawing +Lupinus forward, who stood deeply blushing before Eckhof. + +Eckhof smiled sadly. "A pupil who desires that I should lead him +through all the classes and degrees of the school of suffering and +humiliation?" + +"A young student, Eckhof, who up to this time has been the pride and +delight of the university; who, however, now wishes to relinquish +this honor, and become one of your followers. In one word, this is +Lupinus, who desires to waive his right to the prospective dignity +of the title of doctor of medicine, and to become your pupil, and +eventually an actor." + +"You are kind and tender-hearted as ever, Joseph," said Eckhof, +gently. "You know that I bear a wound in my heart, and you seek to +heal it with the balm of your friendship, and this kind jest." + +"This is no jest, but a reality. Truly, you resemble a pair of +lovers, who have not the courage to believe in their own happiness. +Eckhof will not believe that the learned student Lupinus wishes to +become his follower and pupil, and Lupinus stands there like a young +girl who has received a declaration and does not dare say yes. +Speak, Lupinus, and tell this doubter that you have come +voluntarily; that I have not pressed you into the service as +Frederick William impressed soldiers. Truly, I had trouble enough in +divining from your broken words and repressed sighs, your blushes, +and your deep admiration for Eckhof, this secret which lay in your +bosom. But now that it has been discovered, take courage, my friend, +and raise the veil which conceals your desires." + +Lupinus remained speechless, only the heaving of his breast betrayed +his excitement. Eckhof had compassion on the evident embarrassment +of the young student, and approaching him laid his hand gently on +his shoulder. Lupinus trembled and grew pale under Eckhof's gentle, +sympathetic glance. + +"Do you wish really to become an actor?" questioned Eckhof. + +"Yes," he replied in a low voice, "I have long wished it, I have +struggled with this wish, and thought I had overcome it; but the +struggle has been in vain; in vain have I buried myself in books and +studies. I will keep up this internal strife no longer, but will +follow the inclinations of my heart, which lead me to you. In this +new life I shall be happy and contented; and this I can only hope to +be, in giving my life to poetry and art." + +"Ah, he speaks and thinks as I did," said Eckhof to him self; then +turning to Lupinus, he said: "You wish to be an actor; that means, +you desire a life of shame and humiliation. No one shall become an +actor if I can prevent it. Do you know, young man, that, to become +an actor, means to have the whole world, and perhaps even God, +arrayed against you?" + +"You are unjust, Eckhof," cried Fredersdorf--"unjust to yourself and +to the world. You scorn your own triumph, and those who prepared +that triumph for you." + +"You are right so far, my friend," replied Eckhof sadly. "But is it +not also true that we are persecuted and driven forth? Has it not +been proved that for an actor there is no law, no justice?" + +"Who knows," said Fredersdorf, smiling, "that we may not still +triumph over these miserable conspirators?" + +"Are you aware that the theatre has been closed, and our +representations forbidden until the decision of the General +Assembly, with regard to the late disturbance in the theatre, shall +be known?" + +"The General Assembly will order the theatre to be opened, and our +representations to recommence." + +Eckhof heard this with a cutting, derisive laugh. "Dear friend, such +an order would render justice to the scorned and oppressed on +earth!" + +"And they will receive justice; but it must be sought in the right +place." + +"Where is that place?" + +"Where the king is." + +"Ah! the king! That may be true in your case, because your brother +is his private secretary, but it is not true for me--not true for +the German actor." + +"Eckhof, you are again unjust. The king is too noble, too free from +prejudice, to be deceived by the dust with which these learned +professors have sought to blind him. The king knows that they +occasioned the late disturbance in the theatre." + +"Who has told you that?" + +"The king himself." + +"You have seen the king?" + +"I have. I hope you will allow now, that it is not a good thing for +me only that my brother is private secretary to the king. I have +seen his majesty, and I informed him of this wretched intrigue of +the professors. He might not have put entire faith in the accounts +of the actor, Joseph Fredersdorf, but I was accompanied by a +responsible witness, who confirmed my words." + +"Who was this witness?" + +"This is he," said Joseph, drawing Lupinus forward. + +"Ah!" said Eckhof, "and I was murmuring and complaining against +fate--I, whose friends have shown their love by deeds as well as by +words--friends who worked for me whilst I sat with folded hands +bewailing my bad fortune. Forgive me, Joseph; forgive me, my young +friend; come to my arms, my comrades, my brothers, and say that you +will forget my anger and injustice." + +He opened his arms, and Joseph threw himself upon his breast. + +"And you, my friend," said Eckhof, turning to Lupinus, who stood +pale and motionless before him. + +Joseph drew them together and exclaimed: "Was I not right? You are +like two lovers; Lupinus acts the part of the coy maiden to the +life. I do not believe, Eckhof, that you will ever have a wife who +will love you more entirely, more tenderly, than our young doctor +does." + +Lupinus, now folded in the arms of Eckhof, trembled and grew pale at +these words from Joseph. + +"Love me, love me, my dear young friend," said Eckhof, softly. +"Friendship is the purest, the holiest gift of God. It is the love +of the souls. Be faithful to me, Lupinus, as I shall be to you." + +"I will be faithful so long as I live, faithful beyond the grave," +whispered Lupinus. + +"You whispering, dreaming lovers, are forgetting me," said Joseph, +laughing. "You must not forget, Eckhof, that the future of our +friend is awaiting your decision. Shall he give up his studies as I +did, and become an actor? It is only proper to tell you that the +cases are not quite parallel, for I was a very lazy student, and he +is most industrious. I was considered a good-for-nothing, and +Lupinus is a miracle of knowledge and learning. Shall he abandon +this position and follow you?" + +"He must not, indeed," said Eckhof. + +"You will not receive me?" said Lupinus, sadly. + +"Not at present, dear friend; I wish to be reasonable and careful, +and perhaps a little egotistical. If you should leave the university +at present, you give the professors a new weapon against me, and it +would be said that I had employed arts to seduce you from the paths +of science. And, further, we do not know if you have a talent for +our profession; that must first be proved. Remain for the present +true to your studies; at the end of a year, during which time you +shall pass your novitiate, we will decide this question." + +"It shall be as you say," said Lupinus, earnestly. "I will first +gain my diploma, and then you shall decide my future, you and no +other." + +"So be it," said Joseph, "and now let us drink to your future +success, Lupinus, in a glass of champagne, and to the confusion of +the professors, who are awaiting with such proud confidence the +decision of the General Assembly." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +THE ORDER OF THE KING. + + +Joseph Fredersdorf was quite right in saying that the professors +awaited the decision of the General Assembly with proud confidence. +It did not occur to them that it might be unfavorable to their +wishes. A public disturbance had arisen between the students, +occasioned by a performance in the theatre; this was a sufficient +cause for the banishment of the actors. An account of the riot had +been already forwarded by the Senate of the University to the +General Assembly, and the worthy gentlemen who composed this body +did not doubt the fulfilment of their request, that the actors +should be removed from Halle. + +President Franke received with the utmost composure the official +dispatch, containing the decision of the General Assembly, and +called an immediate meeting of the Senate for its perusal. Whilst +awaiting the opening of the meeting, Professor Heinrich was +expressing to his friend, Professor Bierman, his impatience to know +the contents of this dispatch. + +"I am not at all impatient," replied Bierman. "I am convinced the +decision will be perfectly satisfactory to us; in fact, that it +commands the departure of these actors from our city." + +"Have you no doubts? Do you not fear that the king, in his hatred +for the theologians, and his admiration for these comedians, may +decide in their favor rather than in ours?" + +"Dear friend, such a doubt would be unworthy the dignity of our +position. The king, seeing that the matter has gone so far, must +decide in our favor. And here is our worthy president; look at his +proud and cheerful aspect, and judge whether the document he holds +in his hand can be unfavorable." + +"He does, indeed, seem contented," answered Professor Heinrich, as +he and his friend moved forward to meet the president. + +With great solemnity the senators proceeded to take their seats in +the arm-chairs which encircled a high table standing in the centre +of the room. + +After a moment's silence the president addressed them: "Worthy +friends and colleagues, I have to announce to you that the hour has +at length arrived which is to end all the doubts and cares that have +oppressed our hearts for many months. We have had a bitter struggle; +we have striven to preserve the honor of our university and the +well-being of the youth committed to our care. The men who work with +such noble motives must eventually triumph." + +"The decision is, then, in our favor?" asked Professor Heinrich, no +longer able to subdue his impatient curiosity. "Your excellency has +already read the dispatch of the General Assembly, and are +acquainted with its contents." + +"I have not read it, and I do not know its contents. But I rely upon +our worthy cause, and the king's sense of justice. These comedians +were the occasion of a public disturbance--it is, therefore, proper +that they should be punished. As justice is on our side, I cannot +doubt the result. I have not read this dispatch, for I considered it +more in accordance with the dignity of this body that the seal +should be broken in your presence, and I now beg that you, Professor +Bierman, as the secretary of the Senate, will read to us this +dispatch from the General Assembly." + +As Bierman broke the seal, all eyes were turned on him, and in this +moment of expectation the professors were aware that their hearts +beat louder and more rapidly. Suddenly Professor Bierman uttered a +cry, a cry of horror, which awakened an echo in every breast. + +"Proceed," commanded the president, with stony composure. + +"I cannot," murmured Bierman, as he sank back powerless in his +chair. + +"Then I will read it myself," cried Professor Heinrich, forgetting +all other considerations in his determination to satisfy his +curiosity. "I will read it," he repeated, as he took the paper from +the trembling hands of his friend. + +"Read," said the president, in a low voice. + +Professor Heinrich then proceeded to read aloud the following +dispatch sent by the General Assembly to the Senate of the +University at Halle. + +"We find it most unworthy that you, in your complaint against the +comedians now in Halle, should endeavor to cast on them the blame of +the late disturbance in the theatre. We are well aware of the cause +of this disturbance, and now declare that the actors shall not be +banished from Halle." + +A fearful pause followed this reading. The president perceived that +Heinrich was still looking at the paper he held. + +"Is that all? Have you finished the dispatch?" + +"No, your excellency; there is a note on the margin, in the writing +of the king." + +"Read it aloud." + +"Your excellency, the king has made use of some expressions that I +cannot bring my lips to utter." + +"The king is our master; we must hear what he has to say in all +humility." + +"You command me, then, to proceed?" + +"I command it." + +"'This pack of theologians have caused the whole difficulty. The +actors shall continue to play, and Mr. Franke, or whatever else the +scamp calls himself, shall make public reparation, by visiting the +theatre; and I must receive information from the actors themselves +that he has done so.'" + +A murmur of horror succeeded the reading of this order. Only +President Franke maintained his erect position, and continued +looking straight before him at Professor Heinrich, who had just +dropped the fatal paper. + +"Is that all?" asked the president. + +"It is, your excellency." + +He bowed gravely, and, rising from his chair, glanced slowly from +one face to another. The senators cast down their eyes before this +glance, not from fear or shame, but from terror at the fearful +expression of the president's countenance. + +"If that is all, it is time for me to go," he said solemnly, as he +pushed his chair back, and slowly and stiffly walked forward, like +an automaton which has been set in motion by machinery. + +"This has affected his brain. He will have a paralytic stroke," +murmured the senators to one another. + +The president did not hear them, nor did he seem to know what he +wished. He was now standing motionless a few steps from the table. + +The professors were terrified at this spectacle, and only Heinrich +had the courage to advance to his side and ask--"Where do you wish +to go, my dear friend?" + +"I wish to obey the command of the king--I am going to the theatre," +he replied, with a cry of despair, and then fell fainting into the +arms of his friend. + +Professor Bierman instantly summoned assistance, and the insensible +form of the president was borne from the room, and a messenger sent +for a physician. + +When the professors had become somewhat composed, Bierman announced +to them that he had a proposition to make which he hoped would meet +with their approval. + +"You doubtless agree with me, my friends, in saying that this cruel +sentence of the king must not be carried out. Our friend the +president would not suffer alone in its fulfilment--the honor of the +university would receive an irreparable wound. We must employ every +effort to alter this decision. It is, in my opinion, fortunate that +our worthy friend has sunk for the time beneath this blow. His +illness relieves him from the necessity of an immediate appearance +in the theatre; and, whether ill or not, he must remain in his bed +until the king can be induced to alter his sentence. We will prepare +a petition and send it immediately to the king." + +The proposal of Bierman met with entire approval; and the petition +was prepared, signed by all the professors, and sent to Berlin by +one of their number. The king, however, declined to receive him, and +his only answer was that in eight days the Senate would be made +acquainted with his final decision. + +The professors convinced themselves that there was comfort in this +answer. The king evidently did not intend to insist on the execution +of the first sentence, or he would simply have ordered its +fulfilment. + +The professors were hopeful, and no longer opposed the nightly +visits of the students to the theatre. A few of them determined to +visit the theatre themselves, and see this Eckhof who had caused +them so much sorrow and trouble. The students were delighted at this +concession, and considered the professors the most enlightened and +unprejudiced of the whole body. To show their apreciation of this, +they attended their lectures on the following day. + +This unexpected result made the other professors falter in their +determination. Their temporal good depended very much on the +attendance of the students upon their lectures. They found that they +must consent to listen to Eckhof and his companions, if they would +be heard themselves; and, at length, they determined to make peace +with the students and actors, and to visit the theatre. + +Peace was now proclaimed, and Eckhof, whose noble and tender heart +was filled with joy and gratitude, played "Britannicus" with such +power and feeling that he even won applause from the professors. + +President Franke was still confined to his room. The terror of a +forced visit to the theatre, which would be known as an expiation +for his fault, made his nights sleepless and his days most wretched. + +At length, however, the answer to the petition arrived, and, to his +great relief, he found himself condemned to pay a fine of twenty +thalers to the almshouse of Halle; and no further mention was made +of his visit to the theatre. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE BATTLE OF SOHR. + + +Deep silence reigned in the encampment which the Prussians had +established near the village of Sohr. The brave soldiers, wearied +with their long march, were sleeping quietly, although they knew +that the Austrian army, which far outnumbered their own, was +hastening toward them, and would attack them within a few hours. +This knowledge did not alarm them, they had not so soon forgotten +their signal victory over Karl von Lothringen, with his Austrians, +Bavarians, and Saxons, at Hohenfriedberg. They did not fear a defeat +at Sohr, although the grand duke was now the leader of forty +thousand men, and Frederick's army had been so diminished by the +forces he had sent to Saxony and Silesia, that it consisted of +scarcely twenty thousand men. The Prussian soldiers relied +confidently upon the good fortune and the strategic talent of their +king; they could sleep quietly, for Frederick watched beside them. + +The watch-fires had died out, the lights in the tents of the +officers were extinguished. Now and then might be heard the measured +tread of a sentinel, or the loud breathing of some soldier dreaming +perhaps of his distant home or forsaken bride. No other sounds broke +upon the night air. The Prussian army slept. Alas! how many of them +were now dreaming their last earthly dream; how many on the morrow +would lie with gaping wounds upon a bloody battle ground, with +staring glassy eyes turned upward, and no one near to wipe the +death-drops from their brows! They know not, they care not, they are +lost in sleep. There can be no pressing danger, for the king is in +their midst--the light has been extinguished in his tent also. He +sleeps with his army. + +It is midnight, the hour of wandering spirits. Is that a spirit +which has just left so noiselessly the tent of the king, and has so +quickly vanished in the tent of the adjutant, which adjoins that of +the king? No, not vanished, for it has already reappeared; but there +are now three of these shadowy beings quietly approaching the white +tents of the officers, disappearing for an instant into each tent, +then reappearing, and continuing their course. + +Where they have been may now be heard a low whispering and moving. +Soon another dark figure is visible; it moves cautiously forward +toward the soldiers' tents in which it disappears, and from these +may be heard the same low whispering, and like a murmuring brook +this babbling glides through the entire camp, always following the +first three shadows who have gone noiselessly and with the rapidity +of the wind through the camp. + +Why have these three shadows driven sleep from the encampment? why +have they ordered the horses to be prepared? No one has been told to +mount, no "Forward!" has been thundered through the camp; and but +for the dark figures which may now be seen on all sides, the silence +is so profound that one might almost think the camp still buried in +sleep. + +The Austrians. who can only view the camp from a distance, think, no +doubt, their enemy still sleeps. + +The silence of the camp is at last broken by a sound like the heavy +roll of thunder; and if the moon were now to break through the +clouds, it would gleam upon eight field pieces which are being +carefully drawn behind a little elevation in the ground, which lies +opposite the defile occupied by the Austrians. + +Once again all is silent, and the horizon begins to clear; a few +rosy clouds fly across the heavens, the veil of night is raised, the +stars pale as the morning arrays herself with hues of purple and +gold. + +It is morning. Let us look again at the camp of the Prussian +soldiers. Are they sleeping? No, no; all are awake; all prepared for +action, but all silent and motionless as if bound by a charm. + +And here is the enchanter who has awakened all these thousands to +life, and still binds them to silence. His countenance is bright and +clear, his glance seems to pierce the hill which divides him from +the enemy, and to divine the moment of their attack. There is the +ruler, whose will is law to all these thousands of men, whose word +is now to lead them to death, to a shameful defeat, or to a glorious +victory. There is the king. He knows that within a few moments the +Austrians will attack his army, but he does not tremble. + +The Austrians expect to surprise a sleeping foe; but the king, who +is the father of his people, has himself, with his two adjutants, +Trenck and Standnitz, awakened them from their slumbers; it was he +who directed the placing of cannon at the point upon which the +Austrian cavalry is certain to make their descent upon the sleeping +camp. + +The king was right. Do you not hear the heavy tramp of cavalry, the +thunder of those cannon? + +The Austrians are pressing through the narrow defile; this is the +thunder of their cannon, with which they thought to awaken the +Prussians. Now the king raises his sword; the sign is given. The +Austrian cavalry may advance, for the Prussians are now in motion; +now rushing forward, pressing toward the defile, before which their +enemy are quietly forming their line of battle, although scarcely +fearing a conflict, for are the Prussians not sleeping? They +expected a bloodless victory. + +But the Prussians are awake; it is they who attack the, surprised +Austrians. They have already driven the cavalry back into the narrow +defile. The thunders of their cannon are now heard, and they bear +the appalling news to the Austrians that the Prussians are not +sleeping. + +Karl von Lothringen, you should have known the Prussians better. Did +not they out-manoeuvre you two short months since? Did not Frederick +make a pretence of retreating, in order to draw you on out of your +favorable position, and then attack you, and win, in a few short +morning hours, a glorious victory? Karl von Lothringen, you should +have remembered Hohenfriedberg. You should not have imagined that +the Prussians slept while the Austrians stood before them in battle +array. The Prussians are indeed awake. Listen to their joyous +shouts, look at their flashing swords! + +Karl von Lothringen, where are your troops which were intended to +attack the enemy in the rear? Where is Trenck with his pandours? +where General Nadasti, with his well-disciplined regiments? If your +hope is in these, then despair, and thrust your sword in its sheath. + +The Prussians have deserted their camp; the enemy is before them; in +their pursuit they have left all behind them; they thought not of +earthly possessions, but of honor and victory. Every thing was left +in the camp. The king's entire camp-furniture, and even the army +treasure. + +Karl von Lothringen, hope nothing from Trenck and his pandours; +nothing from Nadasti and his regiments. They have obeyed your +commands; they have pressed into the enemy's camp; they are taking +prizes, plundering greedily. What care they for the battle which +thunders and roars before them? the cannon-balls do not reach them; +they can enrich themselves in the camp of the Prussians whilst these +are gaining a glorious victory. + +The battle is not yet decided. "If Trenck and Nadasti attack our +rear," said the king, "we are lost." + +At, this moment an adjutant announced to him that Trenck and Nadasti +were plundering the Prussian camp. + +The king's countenance beamed with delight. "Let them plunder." he +said, joyfully, "whilst they are so occupied they will not interfere +with our important work. Whilst they plunder, we will conquer." + +Yes, the battle is decided; while the Austrians plundered, the +Prussians conquered. Karl von Lothringen, overcome with grief and +shame, is retreating with his disorganized troops. + +The Prussians have gained the day, but it was a fearful victory, a +murderous battle between brothers, German against German, brother +against brother. + +The Duke Albrecht, of Brunswick, has fallen by the side of the king; +his brother Ludwig lies covered with wounds in the Austrian camp. + +Poor Queen Elizabeth Christine, your husband has conquered, but you +have both paid dearly for the victory. The king has lost his tent, +his camp-furniture, and eighty thousand ducats, and the baggage of +the entire army. You have lost one brother, and the other lies +covered with bloody wounds. The king has gained the battle. His is +the fame and honor. You, poor queen, you have only a new grief. +Yours are the tears and the pain. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +AFTER THE BATTLE. + + +The Prussians were resting from their labors, not in comfortable +tents or on soft cushions, but on the hard ground, with no +protection against sun and wind, and not too distant from the +battle-field to hear the heart-rending cries and groans of their +dying comrades. But even these cries and groans were to the +triumphant Prussians the sign of their glorious victory, and awoke +in those who had escaped unscathed through this terrible fire a +feeling of deep gratitude. + +After these fearful hours of excitement followed a general +lassitude, a positive physical necessity for rest. But, alas! there +was something which drove sleep from their eyelids, and increased +the weariness of their bodies. This was hunger. The pandours had +thoroughly plundered the Prussian camp; they had taken not only the +baggage of the poor soldiers, but all their provisions. + +The Prussians, who had obtained so glorious a triumph in the +morning, were now looking forward to a day of fasting, while the +Austrians, in spite of their defeat, were consoling themselves with +the provisions which they had taken from the Prussians. Happy was he +who had a piece of bread in his knapsack, or whose tent had been +overlooked or forgotten by the plunderers; but few had been so +fortunate, and these in the egotism of hunger refused to share their +precious treasure, even with their dearest friend. + +King Frederick was not among the fortunate. The victory was his, but +his laurel-wreath could not be transformed into bread. He had said +in vain to his generals and adjutants, "We will dine." There was +nothing to set before the king. + +When General Rothenberg brought this disagreeable news to the king, +he said, laughing gayly: "Let us imagine ourselves to be Catholics, +my friends, for the present, and it will be quite in order that we +should fast on the day of a glorious victory. I will be quite +contented with a piece of bread, and I suppose that can be found +somewhere for the King of Prussia." + +But General Rothenberg's order to the royal cook to satisfy the +simple demand of his master was in vain. The cook had nothing, +neither meat, fruit, nor bread. + +"I will not return empty-handed to the king," said Rothenberg, with +tears in his eyes. "I would sooner part with my last ducat to the +first soldier I meet who has a piece of bread." + +The general then passed, with inquisitive glances, through the group +of soldiers who were talking over the events of the last few hours. +At last he perceived a soldier who was not talking, but was ogling a +piece of bread which he seemed preparing to devour. With a hasty +spring the general was at his side, his hand upon the bread. + +"I will give you two ducats for this piece of bread, my friend." + +"Two ducats! what should I do with two ducats?" he asked, with a +scornful laugh. "I cannot eat your ducats, general, and my bread is +more precious to me than a handful of ducats." + +"If you will not give it for gold, then give it for love," cried the +general. "For love of your king who is hungry, and has nothing to +satisfy his craving." + +The countenance of the soldier, which had been so smiling, became +earnest, and he murmured thoughtfully to himself, "The king has no +bread!" + +"The king is hungry," repeated Rothenberg, almost imploringly. + +"The king is hungry," murmured the soldier, sadly, as he glanced at +the bread in his hand. Then, with quiet determination, he cut the +loaf in two pieces, and handing one to the general, he said, "I will +give you half of my bread, that is really all I can do for the king. +Take it, general, the matter is settled. I will give no more." + +"I desire no more," said Rothenberg, as he hurried off with the +bread to the newly-erected tent of the king. + +The soldier looked smilingly after him, but suddenly his countenance +became overcast, he was seized with a fearful idea--suppose the +general had deceived him, and the bread was not for the king? He +must know, he must convince himself that the statement was true. He +followed the general rapidly, and soon overtook him. Rothenberg +perceived him, and understood instantly why he had followed him. +Smilingly he entered the presence of the king. + +"My king, I am here, and bring what you demanded, a piece of bread." + +"Ah, that means renewed strength," said the king, as he received the +bread and commenced eating it with evident satisfaction. "How did +you procure this bread for me, my friend?" + +"Sire, I obtained it of a soldier, who refused to sell it, but who +gladly gave it to me when he heard it was for the king. Afterward he +conceived a doubt that I had deceived him, and that I had obtained +his treasure for my own gratification. He followed me, and I wager +he is standing without longing to know if the king is really eating +his bread." + +"I will gratify his desire," said Frederick, smiling, as he raised +the curtain of the tent, and stood in the opening. + +There stood the soldier, staring at the tent, but he trembled when +he perceived the king. Frederick nodded to him most kindly, and +proceeded to cut the bread which he held in his hand. + +"I thank you for your bread," he said; "my friend, you must ask some +favor of me. Think what you would wish." + +"Oh! I need not think," the soldier cried joyfully. "If I may wish +for something, it shall be the position of magistrate in my native +land in Prussia." + +"When peace is declared, your wish shall be gratified," said the +king to the delighted soldier, and then bowing graciously, Frederick +reentered the tent. + +"Now my friend, my Pylades, we will allow ourselves an hour of rest, +of recreation; I think we have earned it. Come and read aloud to +me." + +"What shall I read to your majesty?" asked Rothenberg, evidently +embarrassed. + +"You may read from Horace." + +"Your majesty does not know--" said Rothenberg, hesitatingly. + +"What do I not know?" + +"That the pandours have carried off your camp library." + +"What! my books too?" demanded the king, and a cloud darkened his +brow. "What can the pandours and Croats do with my poor books? Could +they not content themselves with my treasure and my silver-ware? +Must they take what is so worthless to them, and so precious to me?" + +Then, with bent brows, his hands crossed behind him, he paced back +and forth in the narrow tent. Suddenly arresting his steps, he +glanced around the tent, as if in search of something. "Biche is not +here," he said quietly; "bring Biche to me, my friend." + +But General Rothenberg did not move. + +"Well!" exclaimed the king. + +"Sire, they have taken Biche with them also." + +"Biche also, my faithful friend, my pet!" cried the king, with much +emotion, as he again began his walk. At length, approaching the +general, he placed both hands upon his shoulder and looked tenderly +into his eyes. "I have my friend," he said gently, "why should I be +troubled about my books or my dog? I will send to Berlin and have +the books replaced, and I will ransom Biche. They cannot refuse to +restore the faithful animal to me." + +There was an expression of such anxiety on the king's features, that +Rothenberg was much moved. + +"I do not doubt, sire," he said, "that your favorite will be +returned to you. Your majesty may well trust to that Providence +which has vouchsafed you so glorious a victory." + +The king replied, smiling: "I will tell you a secret, my friend. I +deserved to be overcome in this battle, for I had weakened my army +too much by detachments. Nothing but the skill of my generals and +the bravery of my troops saved me from a defeat. Something is also +due to the avarice of the pandours and Croats; a branch of our +laurel-wreath belongs justly to Nadasti and Trenck. It is most +fortunate that the courier who brought those last dispatches from +Berlin, did not arrive during the battle. He would certainly have +been captured by the pandours, and my dispatches lost. My friend, do +you not see how Providence marks out for me the path of duty? A king +dare not waste a moment in dreams or idle pleasures. I wished to +live an hour for myself, when I should have been reading these +dispatches. We will go to work; here is the key of the dispatch bag; +open it and take out the letters." + +The king then seated himself before the common deal table which +stood in the centre of the tent, and assorted the papers which +Rothenberg handed to him. + +"We will first read the letters from our friends," said the king, +placing the dispatches and papers on one side. "Here are letters +from D'Argens, and from Knobelsdorf, but none from Duhan, or Jordan, +or Kaiserling. What does that mean? I fear that all is not right. +Ah! here is a letter for you, my friend, in the handwriting of +Duhan. He writes to you, and not to me. Read, Rothenberg, and tell +me its contents." + +The king then opened one of his own letters, but it was evident that +it did not occupy his attention. He raised his eyes every few +seconds to look at the general, who had become very pale on first +opening his letter, and whose countenance now bore an expression of +pain. Frederick could no longer endure this silence. He arose +hastily, and approached Rothenberg. + +"My friend," he said, "Duhan has written something to you that he +would not write to me--something most painful. I see by your +countenance." + +"Your majesty is right; my letters contain most distressing +intelligence." + +"Ah!" murmured the king, as he turned from Rothenberg, "I fear I +have not the strength to support this coming trial." After a pause, +he continued: "Now, my friend, tell me, are my mother and sisters +well?" + +"Sire, the entire royal family are well." + +"Your intelligence, then, relates to my friends. Two of them are +ill--yes, two. How is Jordan? You do not answer--you weep. How is +Jordan?" + +"Sire, Jordan is dead." + +"Dead!" cried the king, as he sank powerless upon his chair, and +covered his face with his hands. "Dead! my best, my dearest friend +is dead?" + +"His death was as bright and peaceful as his life," said Rothenberg. +"His last word was a farewell to your majesty, his last act was to +write to his king. Here is the letter, sire." + +The king silently received the letter from Rothenberg. Two great +tears ran slowly down his checks, and, falling on the letter, +obliterated some words of the address. "Jordan's hand wrote these +words for the last time; this idle title 'his majesty'--and my tears +have washed it away. Jordan! Jordan I am no longer a king, but a +poor, weak man who mourns for his lost friend." + +He pressed the paper passionately to his lips; then placed it in his +bosom, and turned once more to Rothenberg. + +"Tell me the rest, my friend; I am resigned to all things now." + +"Did you not say, sire, that you had left two friends ill in +Berlin?" + +"Jordan and Kaiserling. You do not mean that Kaiserling also--oh, +no, no! that is impossible! Jordan is dead, and I knew that he must +die; but Kaiserling will recover--I feel, I know it." + +"Your majesty," said Rothenberg, "if I were a pious priest, I would +say Kaiserling has recovered, for his soul has returned to God." + +"Kaiserling dead also! Rothenberg, how could you find the courage to +tell me this? Two friends lost in a moment of time." The king said +nothing more. His head sank upon his breast, and he wept bitterly. +After a time he raised his head, and said, as if to himself: "My two +friends! They were my family--now I am orphaned. Sorrow will make a +desert of my heart, and men will call me cold and heartless. They +will not know that my heart is a graveyard, wherein my friends lie +buried." + +The tears ran slowly down his cheeks as he uttered this death-wail. +So deep was the grief depicted on the countenance of the king, that +Rothenberg could no longer restrain himself. He rushed to the king, +and, sinking on his knees beside him, seized his hands and covered +them with tears and kisses. + +"Oh, my king, my hero! cease to mourn, if you do not wish to see me +die of grief." + +The king smiled mournfully, as he replied: "If one could die of +grief, I would not have survived this hour." + +"What would the world think could they see this great conqueror +forgetting his triumphs and indulging such grief?" + +"Ah, my friend, you desire to console me with the remembrance of +this victory! I rejoice that I have preserved my land from a cruel +misfortune, and that my troops are crowned with glory. But my +personal vanity finds no food in this victory. The welfare and the +happiness of my people alone lie on my heart--I think not of my own +fleeting fame." + +"The fame of my king is not fleeting. It will live in future years," +cried the general. + +The king shrugged his shoulders almost contemptuously. "Only death +stamps fame upon kings' lives. For the present, I am content to +fulfil my duties to the best of my ability. To be a true king, a +monarch must be willing to resign all personal happiness. As for me, +Rothenberg, on this day, when I, as a king, am peculiarly fortunate, +my heart is wrung by the loss of two dear friends. The man must pay +for the happiness of the king. But," said the king, after a pause, +"this is the dealing of the Almighty; I must submit silently. Would +that my heart were silent! I will tell you something, my friend. I +fear that I was unjust to Machiavelli. He was right--only a man with +a heart of iron can be a king, for he alone could think entirely of +his people." + +"How suffering and full of grief must my king be to speak thus! You +have lost two dear friends, sire. I also mourn their loss, but am +suffering from a still deeper grief. I have lost the love of my +king. I have lost faith in the friendship of my Frederick," said +Rothenberg, sighing deeply. + +"My Rothenberg," said the king, with his deep, tender voice, "look +at me, and tell me what men call you, when they speak of you and +me?" + +"I hope they call me your majesty's most faithful servant." + +"No, they call you my favorite, and what they say is true. Vox +populi vox Dei. Come to my heart, my favorite." + +"Ah! my king, my prince, my friend," cried Rothenberg, +enthusiastically, as he threw himself into the arms of the king. + +They stood long thus, heart pressed to heart; and who that had seen +them, the king and the hero, the conquerors of the day, would have +imagined that their tears were not the tears of happiness and +triumph, but of suffering and love? + +"And now," said Frederick, after a pause, "let me again be king. I +must return to my duties." + +He seated himself at the table, and Rothenberg, after taking from +the dispatch-bag a number of documents bearing the state seal, +handed the king a daintily perfumed, rose-colored note. The king +would not receive it, although a light flush mounted to his brow and +his eyes beamed more brightly. + +"Lay that on one side," he said, "I cannot read it; the notes of the +Miserere are still sounding in my heart, and this operatic air would +but create a discord. We will proceed to read the dispatches." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +A LETTER PREGNANT WITH FATE. + + +The king was not the only person, in the encampment at Sohr, to whom +the courier brought letters from Berlin; the colonel of every +regiment had received a securely-locked post-bag containing the +letters for the officers and soldiers of his regiment, which it was +his duty to deliver. To avoid errors in the distribution, every +post-bag was accompanied by a list, sent from the war department, on +which each person to whom a letter was addressed must write a +receipt. + +Colonel von Jaschinsky was therefore compelled to deliver to +Lieutenant von Trenck both the letters which were addressed to him. +The colonel looked at one of these letters with a most malicious +expression; he was not at all curious concerning its contents, for +he was well acquainted with them, and knew that as soon as Trenck +received it, it would become a sword, whose deadly point would be +directed to the breast of the young man. + +He knew the letter, for he had seen it before, but he had not +delivered it; he had fraudulently withheld it from Trenck, in order +to send it to Berlin, to his friend Pollnitz, and to ask him if he +did not think it well suited to accomplish their purpose of making +Lieutenant von Trenck harmless, by bringing about his utter +destruction. Pollnitz had not answered up to this time, but to-day +Colonel von Jaschinsky had received a letter from him, in which he +said: "It is now time to allow the letter of the pandour to work. I +carried the letter to the post, and I imagine that I played the part +of a Job's messenger to his impertinent young officer, who allows +himself to believe that his colonel owes him two hundred ducats. If +you have ever really been his debtor, he will certainly be yours +from to-day, for to you he will owe free quarters in one of the +Prussian forts, and I hope for no short time. When you inform the +king of this letter from the pandour, you can also say that +Lieutenant von Trenck received a second letter from Berlin, and that +you believe it to be from a lady. Perhaps the king will demand this +letter, which I am positive Trenck will receive, for I mailed it +myself, and it is equally certain that he will not destroy it, for +lovers do not destroy the letters of the beloved." + +No, lovers never destroy the letters of the beloved. What would have +induced Frederick von Trenck to destroy this paper, on which HER +HAND had rested, her eyes had looked upon, her breath touched, and +on which her love, her vows, her longing, and her faith, were +depicted? No, he would not have exchanged it for all the treasures +of the world--this holy, this precious paper, which said to him that +the Princess Amelia had not forgotten him, that she was determined +to wait with patience, and love, and faith, until her hero returned, +covered with glory, with a laurel-wreath on his brow, which would be +brighter and more beautiful than the crown of a king. + +As Trenck read these lines he wept with shame and humiliation. Two +battles had been already won, and his name had remained dark and +unknown; two battles, and none of those heroic deeds which his +beloved expected from him with such certainty, had come in his path. +He had performed his duty as a brave soldier, but he had not +accomplished such an heroic act as that of Krauel, in the past year, +which had raised the common soldier to the title of Baron Krauel von +Ziskaberg, and had given to the unknown peasant a name whose fame +would extend over centuries. He had not astonished the whole world +with a daring, unheard-of undertaking, such as that of Ziethen, who +had passed with his hussars, unknown, through the Austrian camp. He +had been nothing but a brave soldier--he had done nothing more than +many thousands. He felt the strength and the courage to tear the +very stars from heaven, that he might bind them as a diadem upon the +brow of his beloved; to battle with the Titans, and plunge them into +the abyss; to bear upon his shoulders the whole world, as Atlas did; +he felt in himself the power, the daring, the will, and the ability +of a hero. But the opportunity failed him. + +The deeds which he longed to accomplish did not lie in his path. And +thus, in spite of two victorious battles in which he had fought; in +spite of the evident good-will of the king, he had remained what he +was, the unknown, undistinguished Lieutenant von Trenck. With a +trembling heart he demanded of himself that the Princess Amelia +would continue to love him if he returned to her as he had departed; +if her proud, pure heart could stand that severest of all tests, the +discovery that she had bestowed her love upon an ordinary, +undistinguished man. + +"No, no!" he cried, "I have not the courage to return thus to her. +If I cannot distinguish myself, I can die. In the next battle I will +conquer fame or death. And if I fall, she will weep for me. That +would be a far happier fate than living to be forgotten or despised +by her." + +He pressed Amelia's letter to his lips, then placed it in his bosom, +and opened the second letter. Whilst he read, an expression of +astonishment appeared on his features, and a smile, half gay, half +scornful, played upon his full, fresh lips. Soon, however, his +features grew earnest, and a dark shadow clouded his youthful brow. + +"If I had enemies they could destroy me with this letter," he said, +in a low voice. "It could, wild and silly as it is, be made to +represent me as a traitor. Perhaps it is a pitfall which has been +prepared for me. Is it possible that the authorities should have +allowed this letter, coming evidently from inimical Austria, to pass +unread through their hands? I will go immediately to my colonel, and +show him this letter," said Trenck. "He can then inform the king of +it if he think it necessary. Concealment might be more dangerous for +me than an open acknowledgment." + +And placing this second letter also in his bosom, Trenck proceeded +to the tent of Colonel von Jaschinsky, who welcomed him with unusual +warmth. + +"Colonel," said Trenck, "do you remember the singular letter which I +received six months since from my cousin, Baron von Trenck, colonel +of the pandours?" + +"Ah, you mean that letter in which he invites you to come to +Austria, and promised, should you do so, to make you his sole heir?" + +"Yes, that is the letter I mean. I informed you of it at the time +and asked your advice." + +"What advice did I give you?" + +"That I should reply kindly and gratefully to my cousin; that I +should not appear indifferent or ungrateful for a proposal by which +I might become a millionnaire. You advised me to decline going to +Austria, but only to decline so long as there was war between +Prussia and Austria." + +"Well, I think the advice was good, and that you may still follow +it." + +"You advised me also to write to my cousin to send me some of those +beautiful Hungarian horses, and promised to forward my letter +through Baron von Bossart, the Saxon ambassador; but on the +condition that when I received the Hungarian horses, I should +present one of them to you." + +"That was only a jest--a jest which binds you to nothing, and of +which you have no proofs." + +"I!" asked Trenck, astonished; "what proof do I need that I promised +you a Hungarian horse? What do I want with proofs?" + +Count Jaschinsky looked embarrassed before the open, trusting +expression of the young officer. His singular remark would have +betrayed him to a more suspicious, a more worldly-wise man, who +would have perceived from it the possibility of some danger, from +which Jaschinsky was seeking to extricate himself. + +"I did not mean," said the count, laughing, "that you needed a +proof; I only wished to say that I had no proof that you had +promised me a Hungarian horse, and that you need not feel obliged to +give me one." + +"Yes, colonel, your request and my promise occurred before +witnesses. Lieutenant von Stadnitz and Ensign von Wagnitz were +present; and if that had not been the case, I should consider my +word binding. But at present I have no Hungarian horses, only an +answer from my singular cousin, the contents of which I wish to +impart to you." + +"Ah, the colonel of the pandours has answered you?" asked +Jaschinsky, with well-dissembled astonishment. + +"Yes, he has answered me, and has written me the most singular +letter that one can imagine. Only listen to it." + +And Frederick von Trenck hastily pulled out the letter which he had +put in his bosom. Entirely occupied with this subject, and thinking +of nothing else, he opened the letter and read: + +"From yours, dated Berlin, February 12th, I ascertain that you +desire some Hungarian horses on which to meet my hussars and +pandours. I learned with much pleasure, in the last campaign, that +the Prussian Trenck was a brave soldier; as a proof of my +consideration, I returned to you at that time the horses which my +men had captured from you. If you desire to ride Hungarian horses, +you must take mine from me on the field, or come to your cousin, who +will receive you with open arms as his son and friend, and accord +you every wish of your heart." + +Had Trenck looked less attentively at his letter, while reading, he +would have perceived that Jaschinsky was paying but slight attention +(he was looking attentively on the floor); he quietly approached +Trenck, and placed his foot upon something which he evidently wished +to conceal. He then stood still, and as Trenck finished reading he +broke into a loud laugh, in which the young officer joined him. + +"Your cousin is a droll man," said the count, "and under the +conditions which he offers you, I will still accept your Hungarian +horse. Perhaps you will soon find an opportunity to give it to me, +for I believe we are about to attack Hungary, and you can yourself +procure the horses. But now, my young friend, excuse me; I must go +to the king to give my report. You know he will endure no neglect of +duty. After the war council I will see you again." + +Trenck took leave, a little surprised at the sudden dismissal. The +colonel did not accompany him, as usual. He remained standing in the +middle of the tent until he was alone; then stooping down, he drew +from under his foot the daintily folded letter that he had concealed +while Trenck was present. + +Count Jaschinsky had seen what had escaped Trenck. He saw that +Trenck, in taking out the letter from his cousin, had let fall +another paper, and while Trenck was, reading, he had managed to +conceal it with his foot. Now he hastily seized this paper, and +opened it. A most wicked expression of joy overspread his +countenance whilst he read, and then he said, triumphantly: "Now he +is lost. It is not necessary to tell the king that Trenck has +received a letter from a lady; I will take him the letter itself, +and that will condemn Trenck more surely than any conspiracy with +his cousin. Away to the king!" + +But, as he had already withdrawn the curtain of his tent, he +remained motionless, and appeared deep in thought. Then he allowed +the curtain to fall, and returned within. + +"I think I was on the point of committing a great folly. This letter +would of course accomplish the destruction of my hated creditor, but +I doubt exceedingly if I would escape unharmed if I handed this +ominous writing to the king. He would never forgive me for having +discovered this affair, which he, of course, wishes to conceal from +the whole world. The knowledge of such a secret would be most +dangerous, and I prefer to have nothing to do with it. How can I +manage to let this letter reach the king, without allowing him to +know that I am acquainted with the contents? Ah, I have it!" he +cried, after a long pause, "the means are sure, and not at all +dangerous for me." + +With rapid steps he left his tent, and proceeded to that of the king +from whom he prayed an audience. + +"Ah! I wager that you come to complain of some one," said the king, +as Jaschinsky entered. "There is a wicked light in your eye. Am I +not right? one of your officers has committed some folly." + +"I leave the decision entirely to your majesty," said Jaschinsky, +humbly. "Your majesty commanded me to watch carefully over my +officers, especially the Lieutenant von Trenck." + +"Your complaint is again of Trenck, then?" asked the king, +frowningly. "I will tell you before we begin, unless it is something +important I do not wish to hear it; gossip is disagreeable to me. I +am well pleased with Trenck; he is a brave and zealous officer, and +I think he does not neglect his duties. Consider, therefore, +colonel, unless it is a grave fault of which you have to complain, I +advise you to remain silent." + +"I hope your majesty will allow me to proceed." + +"Speak," said the king, as he turned his back on the colonel, and +appeared to occupy himself with the books on his table. + +"Lieutenant von Trenck received a letter by the post to-day which +points, in my opinion, to an utterly unlawful proceeding." + +The king turned hastily, and looked so angrily at the colonel that +he involuntarily withdrew a step. "It is fortunate that I did not +hand him that letter," thought Jaschinsky; "in his anger the king +would have destroyed me." + +"From whom is this letter?" demanded the king. + +"Sire, it is from Baron von Trenck, the colonel of the pandours." + +The king appeared relieved, as he replied, with a smile: "This +pandour is a cousin of our lieutenant." + +"But he is in the enemy's camp; and I do not think it proper for a +Prussian officer to request one in the Austrian service to send him +a present of horses, or for the Austrian to invite the Prussian to +join him." + +"Is this in the letter?" asked the king in a threatening tone; and +when Jaschinsky answered in the affirmative, he said: "Give me the +letter; I must convince myself with my own eyes that this is so." + +"I have not the letter, but if your majesty desire, I will demand it +from Lieutenant von Trenck." + +"And if he has burnt the letter?" + +"Then I am willing to take an oath that what I have related was in +the letter. I read it myself, for the lieutenant showed it to me." + +"Bring me the letter." + +Jaschinsky went, and the king remained alone and thoughtful in his +tent. "If he were a traitor, he would surely not have shown the +letter to Jaschinsky," said the king, softly; "no, his brow is as +clear, his glance as open as formerly. Trenck is no traitor--no +traitor to his country--I fear only a traitor to his own happiness. +Well, perhaps he has come to his reason, I have warned him +repeatedly, and perhaps he has at length understood me.--Where is +the letter?" he asked, as Colonel Jaschinsky reentered. + +"Sire, here it is. At least I think that is it. I did not take time +to glance at the paper, in my haste to return to your majesty." + +"Was he willing to give the letter?" + +"He said nothing, but drew it instantly from his bosom, and I +brought it to your majesty without glancing at it." + +The king looked searchingly into the countenance of the colonel. +Jaschinsky's repeated assurances that he had not looked at the +letter surprised the king, and led him to suspect some hidden +motive. He received the letter, and opened it slowly and carefully. +He again turned his piercing glance upon the countenance of +Jaschinsky; he now perceived the rose-colored letter, which lay in +the folds of that one from Colonel Trenck, and he immediately +understood the words of the count. This little letter was really the +kernel of the whole matter, and Jaschinsky preferred to know nothing +of it. + +"Wait outside until I call you. I wish to read this letter +carefully," said the king, with perfect composure; but when +Jaschinsky had disappeared, he hastily unfolded the paper, and, +throwing Trenck's letter on the table, he took the other, and +looking carefully at it, he said softly, "It is her writing--yes, it +is her writing, and all my trouble has been in vain. They WOULD not +understand me. They are lost." + +And sighing deeply, the king turned again to the letter. "Poor, +miserable children, why should I not make them happy? is it +impossible to forget prejudice for once, and to allow these two +beings to be happy in their own way? So strange a thing is the heart +of a woman, that she prefers an orange-wreath to a crown! Why should +I force this young girl to be a princess, when she only desires to +be a woman? Shall I allow them to fly away into some wilderness, and +there create a paradise? But how soon would the serpent creep into +this paradise! how soon would satiety, and ennui, and repentance +destroy their elysium! No, the daughters of the Hohenzollerns must +not stoop for happiness; I cannot change it. Fate condemns them, not +I. They are condemned, but the sword which is suspended above them +must fall only upon his head. His is the guilt, for he is the man. +His stake was immense, and he has lost all." + +The king then took the letter of Colonel Trenck, and read it +attentively. "This letter bears all-sufficient testimony against +him; it is the iron mask which I will raise before his crime, that +the world may not discover it. I would laugh at this letter were it +not for the other, which condemns him. This will answer as an excuse +for his punishment." + +The king arose from his seat, and placing the letter of the princess +in his bosom, and folding the other, he walked hastily to the +opening of the tent and called Jaschinsky. + +"Colonel," he said, and his countenance was troubled but determined, +"you are right. Lieutenant von Trenck is a great criminal, for this +letter contains undeniable proof of his traitorous connection with +the enemy. If I ordered him before a court-martial, he would be +condemned to death. As his crime may have grown out of carelessness +and thoughtlessness, I will be merciful, and try if a few years' +imprisonment will not work a cure. You can inform him of his +punishment, when you return his cousin's letter to him. You did not +open this letter when you brought it to me?" + +The eye of the king rested with a threatening expression upon the +colonel as he asked this question. + +"No, your majesty,--I did not open it," replied the colonel. + +"You did well," said the king, "for a wasp had crept within it, +which might have given you a deadly wound. Go now, and take this +letter to Trenck, and take his sword from him. He is under arrest, +and must be sent at once to the fortress at Glatz." + +"Must it be quietly done?" asked Jaschinsky, scarcely able to +conceal his delight. + +"No, on the contrary, I wish the whole army, the whole world to know +why I have punished Trenck. You can say to every one that Trenck is +a traitor, who has carried on an unlawful correspondence with his +cousin in Austria, and has conspired with the enemy. His arrest must +be public, and he must be sent to Glatz, guarded by fifty hussars. +Go now and attend to this business.--He is lost," said the king, +solemnly, when he was once more alone. "Trenck is condemned, and +Amelia must struggle with her grief. Poor Amelia!" + +The generals were waiting outside, among them the favorite of the +king, General Rothenberg. They had been summoned to a council by the +king, and were awaiting his orders to enter the tent. + +But the king did not call them, perhaps he had forgotten them. He +walked slowly up and down in his tent, apparently lost in thought. +Suddenly he stood motionless and listened. He heard the tramp of +many horses, and he knew what it meant. He approached the opening of +the tent, and drew back the curtain sufficiently to see without +being seen. + +The noise of the horses' hoofs came nearer and nearer. The first +hussars have passed the king's tent, and two more, and again two, +and again, and again; and there in their midst, a pale young man, +with a distracted countenance, with staring eyes, and colorless +lips, which appear never to have known how to laugh, a young +officer, without sword or epaulettes. Is this Trenck, the beautiful, +the young, the light-hearted Trenck, the beloved of a princess, the +darling of all the ladies, the envied favorite of the king? He has +passed the tent of the king; behind him are his servants with his +horses and his baggage; and then again hussars, who close the +procession, the burial-procession of Trenck's happiness and freedom. + +The king seemed deeply moved as he stepped back from the curtain. +"Now," he said solemnly, "I have committed my first act of +injustice; for I judged this man in my own conscience, without +bringing him before a court-martial. Should the world condemn me for +this, I can at least say that it is my only fault of the kind." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE RETURN TO BERLIN. + + +Peace was proclaimed. This poor land, bleeding from a thousand +wounds, might now rest, in order to gather strength for new +victories. The husband of Maria Theresa had been crowned as emperor, +and the conditions of peace had been signed at Dresden, by both +Austrians and Prussians. The king and his army returned victorious +to their native land. Berlin had assumed her most joyous appearance, +to welcome her king; even Nature had done her utmost to enliven the +scene. The freshly fallen snow, which covered the streets and roofs +of the houses, glittered in the December sunshine as if strewn with +diamonds. But none felt to-day that the air was cold or the wind +piercing; happiness created summer in their hearts, and they felt +not that it was winter. On every side the windows were open, and +beautiful women were awaiting the appearance of their adored +sovereign with as much curiosity and impatience as the common people +in the streets, who were longing to greet their hero-king. + +At length the happy hour came. At length the roar of cannon, the +ringing of bells, the shouts of the crowd, which filled every avenue +leading to the palace, announced that the king had returned to his +capital, which, in the last few days, he had saved by a happy +manoeuvre from being attacked by the Austrians and Saxons. The +people greeted their king with shouts; the ladies in the windows +waved their handkerchiefs, and threw fragrant flowers into the open +carriage in which Frederick and his brothers sat. + +As they passed before the gymnasium, the scholars commenced a solemn +song, which was at the same time a hymn, and a prayer for their +king, their hero, and their father. "Vivat, vivat Fredericus! Rex +vivat, Augustus, Magnus, Felix Pater Patriae!" sang the scholars. +But suddenly rising above the voices of the singers, and the shouts +of the people, a voice was heard, crying aloud, "Vivat Frederick the +Great!" + +The people who had listened silently to the Latin because they did +not understand it, joined as with one impulse in this cry, the shout +arose as from one throat, "Vivat Frederick the Great!" And this cry +spread like wildfire through all the streets, over all the public +squares; it resounded from every window, and even from the tops of +the houses. To-day Berlin had rebaptized her king. She gave him now +a new name, the name which he will bear through all ages, the name +of Frederick the Great. + +The king flushed deeply as he heard this cry. His heart, which had +been sad and gloomy, seemed warmed as by a ray of sunlight. Ambition +throbbed within his breast, and awakened him from his melancholy +thoughts. No, Frederick had now no time to think of the dead; no +time to mourn secretly over the loved, the faithful friends whom he +would no longer find in Berlin. The king must overcome the feelings +of the friend. His people are here to greet him, to welcome his +return, to bestow upon him an immortal name. The king has no right +to withdraw himself from their love; he must meet it with his whole +soul, his whole heart. + +Convincing himself that this was necessary, Frederick lifted his +head, a bright color mounted to his chocks, and his eyes flashed as +he bowed graciously to his people. Now he is truly Frederick the +Great, for he has conquered his own heart, and he has poured upon +the open wound of his private sorrows the balm of his people's love. + +Now the carriage of the king has reached the palace gate. Frederick +raises his hat once more, and bows smilingly to the people, whose +cries of "Vivat Frederick the Great" still fill the air. When for a +moment there is silence, a single, clear, commanding voice is heard, +"Long live Frederick the Great!" + +The king turns hastily; he has recognized the voice of his mother. +She is standing on the threshold of the palace, surrounded by the +princesses of the royal family. Her eyes are more brilliant than the +diamonds which glitter in her hair, and more precious than the +costly pearls upon her bosom are the drops which fall from her eyes, +tears of pride and happiness, shed in this moment of triumph. Again +she repeats the cry taught her by the people, "Long live Frederick +the Great!" + +The king knew the first tone of that dear voice, and, springing from +the carriage, hurried forward and threw himself into his mother's +extended arms, and laid his head upon her breast, as he had done +when a child, and wept hot tears, which no one saw, which his mother +alone felt upon her bosom. + +Near them stood Elizabeth Christine, the consort of the king, and in +the depths of her heart she repeated the cry of the people, and she +gazed prayerfully toward heaven, as she petitioned for the long and +happy life of her adored husband. But Frederick did not see her; he +gave his arm to his mother, and they entered the palace, followed by +his wife and his sisters and brothers. + +"Frederick the Great!" This cry still resounds through the streets, +and the windows of the palace tremble with the ringing of this proud +name. The sound enters the saloons before him; it opens wide the +doors of the White Saloon, and when the king enters, the pictures +and statues of the Hohenzollerns appear to become animate, the dead +eyes flash, the stiffened lips smile, and the motionless heads seem +to bow, for Frederick's new name has called his ancestors from their +graves--this name, which only one other Hohenzollern had borne +before him--this name, which is as rare a blossom on the +genealogical trees of the proudest royal families as the blossoms of +the aloe. The king greets his ancestors with a happy smile, for he +feels that he is no unworthy successor. He has forgotten his grief +and his pain; he has overcome them. In this hour he is only the king +and hero. + +But as the shadows of night approach, and Berlin is brilliant with +illuminations, Frederick lays aside his majesty, and becomes once +more the loving man, the friend. He is sitting by the death-bed of +his friend and preceptor, Duhan. The joyous shouts of the people are +still heard without, but the king heeds them not; he hears only the +heavy breathing of his friend, and speaks to him gentle words of +love and consolation. + +At length ho leaves his friend, and now a new light springs into his +eyes. He is no longer a king, no longer a mourning friend, he is +only a young man. He is going to spend an hour with his friend +General Rothenberg, and forget his royalty for a while. + +Rothenberg seems to have forgotten it also, for he does not come to +welcome his kingly guest. He does not receive him on the threshold. +No one receives him, but the hall and stairway are brilliantly +lighted; and, as he ascends, a door opens, and a woman appears, +beautiful as an angel, with eyes beaming like stars, with lips +glowing as crimson roses. Is it an angel or a woman? Her voice is as +the music of the spheres to the king, when she whispers her welcome +to him, and he, at last, thinks he beholds an angel when he sees +Barbarina. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +JOB'S POST. + + +Berlin shouted, huzzaed, sang, danced, declaimed, illuminated for +three entire days in honor of the conquered peace, and the return of +her great king. Every one but the young Princess Amelia seemed +contented, happy, joyous. She took no part in the glad triumph of +her family, and the loud hosarmas of the people found no echo in her +breast. With heavy heart and misty eyes she walked slowly backward +and forward in her boudoir. For three days she had borne this +terrible torture, this anguish of uncertainty. Her soul was moved +with fearful anticipations, but she was forced to appear gay. + +For three days, with trembling heart and lips, she had been +compelled to appear at the theatre, the masquerades, the balls, and +ceremonious dinners of the court. She felt that the stern eye of the +king was ever searchingly and angrily fixed upon her. Several times, +completely overcome and exhausted by her efforts to seem gay and +careless, she sought to withdraw unobserved to her room, but her +ever-watchful brother intercepted her, and led her back to her place +by her royal mother. He chatted and jested merrily, but his +expression was dark and threatening. Once she had not the power to +respond with smiles. She fixed her pleading, tearful eyes upon the +king. He bowed down to her, and said harshly: "I command you to +appear gay. A princess has not the right to weep when her people are +happy." + +To-day the court festivities closed. At last Amelia dared hope for +some hours of solitude and undisturbed thought. To-day she could +weep and allow her pale lips to express the wild grief of her heart. +In her loneliness she dared give utterance to the cry of anguish +rending her bosom. + +Where was he? where was Trenck? Why had he not returned? Why had she +no news, no love-token, no message from him? She had carefully +examined the list of killed and wounded. He had not fallen in +battle. He was not fatally wounded. He had not returned with the +army, or she would have seen him. Where was he, then? Was he ill, or +had he forgotten her, or did he blush to return without his laurels? +Had he been taken by the Austrians? Was her beloved suffering in a +loathsome prison, while she was laughing, jesting, and adorning +herself in costly array? While she thus thought and spoke, burning +tears blinded her eyes, and sighs and sobs choked her utterance. + +"If he is dead," said she, firmly, "then I will also die. If he is +in prison, I will set him at liberty. If he does not come because he +has not been promoted and fears I no longer love him, I will seek +him out, I will swear that I love him, that I desire only his love, +that I will fly with him to some lonely, quiet valley. I will lay +aside my rank, my royalty, forget my birth, abandon all joyously, +that I may belong to him, be his fond and dear-loved wife." + +And now a light sound was heard at the door, and she recognized the +voice of her maid asking admittance. + +"Ah!" said Amelia, "if the good Marwitz were here, I should not have +to endure this torture, but my brother has unconsciously robbed me +of this consolation. He has sent my friend and confidante home, and +forced upon me a strange and stupid woman whom I hate." + +And now a gentle voice plead more earnestly for admittance. + +"I must indeed open the door," said the princess, unwillingly +drawing back the bolt. "Enter, Mademoiselle von Haak," said Amelia, +turning her back in order to conceal her red and swollen eyes. + +Mademoiselle von Haak gave a soft, sad glance at the young princess, +and in a low voice asked for pardon for her unwelcome appearance. + +"Without doubt your reason for coming will justify you," said the +princess. "I pray you, therefore, to make it known quickly. I wish +to be alone." + +"Alas! your royal highness is harsh with me," whispered the young +girl. "I was forced upon you. I know it; you hate me because I have +taken the place of Mademoiselle von Marwitz. I assure you I was not +to blame in this. It was only after the written and peremptory +command of his majesty the king that my mother consented to my +appearance at court." + +"Have you come, mademoiselle, simply to tell me this?" + +"No, your royal highness; I come to say that I love you. Even since +I had the honor of knowing you, I have loved you. In the loneliness +which surrounds me here, my heart gives itself up wholly to you. Oh, +do not spurn me from you! Tell me why you are sad; let me bear a +part of your sorrow. Princess, I offer you the heart of a true +friend, of a sister--will you cast me off?" + +The young girl threw herself upon her knees before the princess, and +her cheeks were bathed in tears. Amelia raised and embraced her. + +"Oh!" said she, "I see that God has not utterly forsaken me. He +sends me aid and comfort in my necessity. Will you be, indeed, my +friend?" + +"Yes, a friend in whom you can trust fully, to whom you can speak +freely," said Mademoiselle von Haak. + +"Who knows but that may be more dangerous for you than for me?" +sighed Amelia. "There are fearful secrets, the mere knowledge of +which brings destruction." + +"But if I already know the secret of your royal highness?--if I +understand the reason of your grief during these last few days?" + +"Well, then, tell me what you know." + +The maiden bowed down low to the ear of her mistress. "Your eyes +seek in vain for him whom you love. You suffer, for you know not +where he is." + +"Yes, you are right," cried Amelia. "I suffer the anguish of +uncertainty. If I do not soon learn where he is, I shall die in +despair." + +"Shall I tell you, princess?" + +Amelia turned pale and trembled. "You will not say that he is in his +grave?" said she, breathlessly. + +"No, your highness, he lives and is well." + +"He lives, is well, and comes not?" + +"He cannot come--he is a prisoner." + +"A prisoner! God be thanked it is no worse! The king will obtain his +liberation. My brother cares for his young officers--he will not +leave him in the hands of the Austrians. Oh! I thank you--I thank +you. You are indeed a messenger of glad tidings. And now the king +will be pleased with me. I can be merry and laugh, and jest with +him." + +Mademoiselle von Haak bowed her head sadly, and sighed. "He is not +in an Austrian prison," she said, in low tones. + +"Not in an Austrian prison?" repeated Amelia, astonished, "where is +he, then? My God! why do you not speak? Where is Trenck? Who has +captured him? Speak! I die with impatience and anxiety." + +"In God's name, princess, listen to me calmly, and above all things, +speak softly. I am sure you are surrounded by spies. If we are +heard, we are lost!" + +"Do you wish me to die?" murmured the princess, sinking exhausted +upon the divan. "Where is Trenck?" + +"He is in the fortress of Glatz," whispered Von Haak. + +"Ah! in a Prussian fortress; sent there by the king? He has +committed some small fault in discipline, as once before, and as +this is the second offence, the king punishes him more severely. +That is all! I thank you; you have restored my peace of mind." + +"I fear, princess, that you are mistaken. It is said that Baron von +Trenck has been arrested for high treason." + +The princess became deadly pale, and almost fainted. She overcame +this weakness, however, quickly, and said smilingly: "He will then +soon be free, for all must know that he is innocent." + +"God grant that it may be proved!" said Mademoiselle von Haak. "This +is no time to shrink or be silent. You have a great, strong heart, +and you love him. You must know all! Listen, therefore, princess. I +also love; I also look to the future with hope! My love is calm, for +it is without danger; it has my mother's consent and blessing. Our +only hope is, that my lover may be promoted, and that the king will +give his consent to our marriage. We are both poor, and rely only +upon the favor of the king. He is now lieutenant, and is on duty in +the garrison of Glatz." + +"In Glatz! and you say that Trenck is a prisoner in Glatz?" + +"Yes, I received letters yesterday from Schnell. He belongs to the +officers who have guard over Trenck. He writes that he feels the +profoundest pity for this young man, and that he will joyfully aid +him in every way. He asks me if I know no one who has the courage to +plead with the king in behalf of this unhappy youth." + +"My God! my God! give me strength to hear all, and yet control +myself!" murmured Amelia. "Do you know the nature of his +punishment?" said she, quietly. + +"No one knows positively the duration of his punishment; but the +commandant of the fort told the officers that Trenck would be a +prisoner for many years." + +The princess uttered one wild cry, then pressed both hands upon her +lips and forced herself to silence. + +"What is the charge against him?" she said, after a long pause. + +"High treason. A treasonable correspondence has been discovered +between him and his cousin the pandour." + +The princess shrugged her shoulders contemptuously. "He will soon +justify himself, in view of this pitiful charge! His judges will +acknowledge his innocence, and set him at liberty. But why is he not +already free? Why has he been condemned? Who were his judges? Did +you not say to me that he was condemned?" + +"My lover wrote me that Baron Trenck had written to the king and +asked for a court-martial and trial." + +"This proves his innocence; he does not fear a trial! What was the +king's answer?" + +"He ordered the commandant to place Trenck in closer confinement, +and to forward no more letters from him. And now, princess, you must +act promptly; use all your power and influence, if you would save +him!" + +"I have no influence, I have no power!" cried Amelia, with streaming +eyes. "Oh! you do not know my brother; his heart is of stone. No one +can move him--neither his, mother, his sisters, nor his wife; his +purpose is unchangeable, and what he says is fixed. But I will show +him that I am his sister; that the hot blood of the Hohenzollerns +flows also in my veins. I will seek him boldly; I will avow that I +love Trenck; I will demand that he give Trenck liberty, or give me +death! I will demand--" + +The door was hastily opened, and a servant said, breathlessly, "The +king is coming!" + +"No, he is already here," said the king, who now stood upon the +threshold of the door. "He comes to beg his little sister to +accompany him to the court-yard and see the reindeer and the +Laplanders, sent to us by the crown princess of Sweden." + +The king advanced to his sister, and held out both his hands. But +Amelia did not appear to see this. She made a profound and +ceremonious bow, and murmured a few cold words of greeting. The king +frowned, and looked at her angrily. He saw that she had been +weeping, and his expression was harsh and stern. + +"Come, princess!" said he imperiously. + +But Amelia had now overcome her terror and her confusion. She was +resolved to act, and know the worst. + +"Will your majesty grant me an audience? I have something important, +most important to myself, to say. I would speak more to the heart of +my brother than to the ear of my king. I pray your majesty to allow +me to speak with you alone." + +The king's eyes were fixed upon her with a dark and threatening +expression, but she did not look down or tremble; she met his glance +firmly, even daringly, and Frederick hesitated. "She will speak the +whole truth to me," thought the king, "and I shall be forced to act +with severity against her. I cannot do this; I am not brave enough +to battle with a maiden's heart." + +"Sister," said he aloud, "if you have indeed something to say to +your brother, and not to the king, I counsel you not to speak now. I +have so much to do and hear as a king, I have no time to act another +part. Is what yon have to say to me truly important? Does it relate +to a rare jewel, or a costly robe?--to some debt, which your pin- +money does not suffice to meet?--in short, to any one of those great +matters which completely fill the heart of a young maiden? If so, I +advise you to confide in our mother. If she makes your wishes known +to me, you are sure to receive no denial. It is decidedly better for +a young girl to turn to her mother with her little wishes and +mysteries. If they are innocent, her mother will ever promote them; +if they are guilty, a mother's anger will be more restrained and +milder than a brother's ever can be." + +"You will not even listen to me, my brother?" said the princess, +sobbing violently. + +The king threw a quick glance backward toward the door opening into +the corridor, where the cavaliers and maids of honor were assembled, +and looking curiously into the room of the princess. + +"No! I will not listen to you," said he, in a low tone; "but you +shall listen to me! You shall not act a drama at my court; you shall +not give the world a cause for scandal; you shall not exhibit +yourself with red and swollen eyes; that might be misinterpreted. It +might be said that the sister of the king did not rejoice at the +return of her brother; that she was not patriot enough to feel happy +at Prussia's release from the burdens of war, not patriot enough to +despise and forget the enemies of her country! I command you to be +gay, to conceal your childish grief. A princess dare not weep, or, +if she does, it must be under the shadow of night, when God only is +with her. This is my counsel and reproof, and I beg you to lay it to +heart. I will not command you to accompany me, your eyes are red +with weeping. Remain, then, in your room, and that the time may not +pass heavily, I hand you this letter, which I have received for +you." + +He drew a sealed letter from his bosom, handed it to Amelia, and +left the room. + +"Let us go," said he, nodding to his courtiers; "the princess is +unwell, and cannot accompany us." + +Mademoiselle von Haak hastened again to the boudoir. "Has your royal +highness spoken to the king?" + +She shook her head silently, and with trembling hands tore open the +letter given her by the king. Breathlessly she fixed her eyes upon +the writing, uttered one wild shriek, and fell insensible upon the +floor. This was the last letter she had written to Trenck, and upon +the margin the king had written this one word, "Read." The king then +knew all; he had read the letter; he knew of her engagement to +Trenck, knew how she loved him, and he had no mercy. For this was he +condemned. He had given her this letter to prove to her that she had +nothing to hope; that Trenck was punished, not for high treason +against the state, but because he was the lover of the princess. + +Amelia understood all. With flashing eyes, with glowing cheeks, she +exclaimed: "I will set him at liberty; he suffers because he loves +me; for my sake he languishes in a lonely prison. I will free him if +it costs me my heart's blood, drop by drop! Now, King Frederick, you +shall see that I am indeed your sister; that I have a will even like +your own. My life belongs to my beloved; if I cannot share it with +him, I will offer it up to him--I swear this; may God condemn me if +I break my oath! Trenck shall be free! that is the mission of my +life. Now, friend, come to my help; all that I am and have I offer +up. I have gold, I have diamonds, I gave an estate given me by my +father. I will sell all to liberate him; we will, if necessary, +bribe the whole garrison. But now, before all other things, I must +write to him." + +"I promise he shall receive your letter," said Mademoiselle von +Haak; "I will send it to Lieutenant Schnell. I will enclose it to my +mother; no one here must know that I correspond with an officer at +the fortress of Glatz." + +"No one dare know that, till the day of Trenck's liberation," said +Amelia, with a radiant smile. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE UNDECEIVED. + + +Since the day Joseph Fredersdorf introduced Lupinus to Eckhof, an +affectionate intercourse had grown up between them. They were very +happy in each other, and Fredersdorf asserted that there was more of +love than friendship in their hearts, that Lupinus was not the +friend but the bride of Eckhof! In fact, Lupinus had but little of +the unembarrassed, frank, free manner of a young man. He was modest +and reserved, never sought Eckhof; but when the latter came to him, +his pale face colored with a soft red, and his great eyes flashed +with a wondrous glow. Eckhof could not but see how much his silent +young friend rejoiced in his presence. + +He came daily to Lupinus. It strengthened and consoled him in the +midst of his nervous, restless artist-life, to look upon the calm, +peaceful face of his friend; this alone, without a word spoken, +soothed his heart--agitated by storms and passions, and made him +mild and peaceable. The quiet room, the books and papers, the +weighty folios, the shining, polished medical instruments, these +stern realities, formed a strange and strong contrast to the +dazzling, shimmering, frivolous, false life of the stage; and all +this exercised a wondrous influence upon the artiste. Eckhof came +often, weighed down with care and exhaustion, or in feverish +excitement over some new role he was studying, not to speak of his +anxieties and perplexities, but to sit silently near Lupinus and +looked calmly upon him. + +"Be silent, my Lupinus," said Eckhof to him. "Let me lay my storm- +tossed, wild heart in the moonlight of thy glance; it will be warmed +and cooled at the same time. Let thy mild countenance beam upon me, +soften and heal my aching heart. Look you, when I lay my head thus +upon your shoulder, it seems to me I have escaped all trouble; that +only far away in the distance do I hear the noise and tumult of the +restless, busy world; and I hear the voice of my mother, even as I +heard it in my childish days, whispering of God, of paradise, and +the angels. Still, still, friend, let me dream thus upon your +shoulder." + +He closed his eyes in silence, and did not see the fond and tender +expression with which Lupinus looked down upon him. He did not feel +how violently the young heart beat, how quick the hot breath came. + +At other times it was a consolation to Eckhof to relate, in +passionate and eloquent words, all his sorrows and disappointments; +all the strifes and contests; all his scorn over the intrigues and +cabals which then, as now, were the necessary attendants of a stage- +life. Lupinus listened till this wild cataract of rage had ceased to +foam, and he might hope that his soft and loving words of +consolation could find an entrance into Eckhof's heart. + +Months went by, and Lupinus, faithful to the promise given to +Eckhof, was still the thoughtful, diligent student; he sat ever in +quiet meditation upon the bench of the auditory, and listened to the +learned dissertations of the professors, and studied the secrets of +science in his lonely room. + +But this time of trial was soon to be at an end. Eckhof agreed, that +after Lupinus had passed his examination, he should decide for +himself if he would abandon the glittering career of science for the +rough and stormy path of artist-life. In the next few days this +important event was to take place, and Lupinus would publicly and +solemnly receive his diploma. + +Lupinus thought but little of this. He knew that the events of that +day must exercise an important influence upon his future, upon the +happiness or unhappiness of his whole life. + +The day before the examination Lupinus was alone in his room. He +said to himself, "If the faculty give me my diploma, I will show +myself in my true form to Eckhof. I will step suddenly before him, +and in his surprise I will see if his friend Lupinus is more welcome +as--" + +He did not complete the sentence, but blushing crimson at his own +thoughts, he turned away and took refuge in his books; but the +excitement and agitation of his soul were stronger than his will; +the letters danced and glimmered before his eyes; his heart beat +joyfully and stormily; and his soul, borne aloft on bold wings, +could no longer be held down to the dusty and dreary writing-desk; +he sprang up, threw the book aside, and hastened to the adjoining +room. No other foot had ever crossed the threshold of this still, +small room; it was always closed against the most faithful of his +friends. + +Besides, this little bedroom concealed a mystery--a mystery which +would have excited the merriment of Fredersdorf and the wild +amazement of Eckhof. On the bed lay a vestment which seemed utterly +unsuited to the toilet of a young man; it was indeed a woman's +dress, a glistening white satin, such as young, fair brides wear on +their wedding-day. There, upon the table lay small white, satin +shoes, perfumed, embroidered pocket-handkerchiefs, ribbons, and +flowers. What did this signify? what meant this feminine boudoir, +next to the study of a young man? Was the beloved whom he wished to +adorn with this bridal attire concealed there? or, was this only a +costume in which he would play his first role as an actor? + +Lupinus gazed upon all these costly things with a glad and happy +heart, and as he raised the satin robe and danced smilingly to the +great mirror, nothing of the grave, earnest, dignified scholar was +to be seen in his mien; suddenly he paused, and stood breathlessly +listening. It seemed to him some one knocked lightly on the outer +door, then again louder. + +"That is Eckhof," whispered Lupinus. He left the mysterious little +room, hastily closed the door, and placed the key in his bosom, then +opened the outer door. + +Yes, it was Eckhof. He entered with a beaming face, with a gay and +happy smile. Lupinus had never seen him so joyous. He clasped his +young friend so ardently in his arms, that he could scarcely +breathe; he pressed so glowing a kiss upon his cheek, that Lupinus +trembled, and was overcome by his own emotion. + +"See, Lupinus, how much I love you!" said Eckhof. "I come first to +you, that you may sympathize with me in my great joy. Almost +oppressed by the sense of heavenly bliss, which seemed in starry +splendor to overshadow me, I thought, 'I must go to Lupinus; he +alone will understand me.' I am here to say to you, 'Rejoice with +me, for I am happy.' I ran like a madman through the streets. Oh! +friend, you have not seen my sorrow; I have concealed the anguish of +my soul. I loved you boundlessly, and I would not fill your young, +pure soul with sadness. But you dared look upon my rapture; you, my +most faithful, best-beloved friend, shall share my joy." + +"Tell me, then, at once, what makes you happy?" said Lupinus, with +trembling lips, and with the pallor of death from excitement and +apprehension. + +"And you ask, my innocent and modest child," said Eckhof, laughing. +"You do not yet know that love alone makes a man wretched or +infinitely happy. I was despairing because I did not know if I was +beloved, and this uncertainty made a madman of me." + +"And now?" said Lupinus. + +"And now I am supremely happy--she loves me; she has confessed it +this day. Oh! my friend, I almost tore this sweet, this heavenly +secret from her heart. I threatened her, I almost cursed her. I lay +at her feet, uttering wild words of rebuke and bitter reproach. I +was mad with passion; resolved to slay myself, if she did not then +and there disclose to me either her love or her contempt. I dared +all, to win all. She stood pallid and trembling before me, and, as I +railed at her, she extended her arms humbly and pleadingly toward +me. Oh! she was fair and beautiful as a pardoning angel, with these +glistening tears in her wondrous, dreamy eyes, fair and beautiful as +a houri of Paradise; when at last, carried away by her own heart, +she bowed down and confessed that she loved me; that she would be +mine--mine, in spite of her distinguished birth, in spite of all the +thousand obstacles which interposed. One wild day I exclaimed, 'Oh! +my God, my God! I am set apart to be an artiste; thou hast +consecrated me by misfortune.' To-day, I feel that only when I am +truly happy can I truly create. From this day alone will I truly be +an artiste. I have now received the heavenly consecration of +happiness." + +Eckhof looked down upon his young friend. When he gazed upon the +fair and ashy countenance, the glassy eyes staring without +expression in the distance, the blue lips convulsively pressed +together, he became suddenly silent. + +"Lupinus, you are ill! you suffer!" he said, opening his arms and +trying to clasp his friend once more to his breast. But the touch of +his hand made Lupinus tremble, and awakened him from his trance. One +wild shriek rang from his bosom, a stream of tears gushed from his +eyes, and he sank almost insensible to the floor. + +"My friend, my beloved friend!" cried Eckhof, "you suffer, and are +silent. What is it that overpowers you? What is this great grief? +Why do you weep? Let me share and alleviate your sorrow." + +"No, no!" cried Lupinus, rising, "I do not suffer; I have no pain, +no cause of sorrow. Do not touch me; your lightest touch wounds! Go, +go! leave me alone!"" + +"You love me not, then?" said Eckhof. "You suffer, and will not +confide in me? you weep bitterly, and command me to leave you?" + +"And he thinks that I do not love him," murmured Lupinus, with a +weary smile. "My God! whom, then, do I love?" + +"If your friendship for me were true and genuine, you would trust +me," said Eckhof. "I have made you share in my happiness, and I +demand the holy right of sharing your grief." + +Lupinus did not reply. Eckhof lifted him gently in his arms, and +laying him upon the sofa, took a seat near him. + +He laid his arms around him, placed his head upon his bosom, and in +a soft, melodious voice, whispered words of comfort, encouragement, +and love. The young man trembled convulsively, and wept without +restraint. + +Suddenly he raised himself; the agony was over; his lips slightly +trembled, but he pressed them together; his eyes were full of tears, +but he shook his head proudly, and dashed them from him. + +"It is past, all past! my dream has dispersed. I am awake once +more!" + +"And now, Lupinus, you will tell me all?" + +"No, not now, but to-morrow. To-morrow you shall know all. +Therefore, go, my friend, and leave me alone. Go to her you love, +gaze in her eyes, and see in them a starry heaven; then think of me, +whose star is quenched, who is bowed down under a heavy load of +affliction. Go! go! if you love me, go at once!" + +"I love you, therefore I obey you, but my heart is heavy for you, +and my own happiness is clouded. But I go; to-morrow you will tell +me all?" + +"To-morrow." + +"But when, when do we meet again?" + +"To-morrow, at ten, we will see each other. At that time I am to +receive my diploma. I pray you, bring Fredersdorf with you." + +"So be it; to-morrow, at ten, in the university. Till then, +farewell." + +"Farewell." + +They clasped hands, looked deep into each other's eyes, and took a +silent leave. Lupinus stood in the middle of the room and gazed +after Eckhof till he had reached the threshold, then rushed forward, +threw himself upon his neck, clasped him in his arms, and murmured, +in a voice choked with tears: "Farewell, farewell! Think of me, +Eckhof! think that no woman has ever loved you as I have loved you! +God bless you! God bless you, my beloved!" + +One last glowing kiss, one last earnest look, and he pushed him +forward and closed the door; then with a wild cry sank upon the +floor. + +How long he lay there, how long he wept, prayed, and despaired, he +knew not himself. The hours of anguish drag slowly and drearily; the +moments given to weeping seem to stretch out to eternity. Suddenly +he heard heavy steps upon the stairs; he recognized them, and knew +what they signified. The door opened, and two men entered: the first +with a proud, imposing form, with gray hair, and stern, strongly- +marked features; the other, a young man, pale and delicate, with a +mild and soft countenance. + +The old man looked at Lupinus with a frowning brow and angry glance; +the other greeted him with a sweet smile, and his clear blue eye +rested upon him with an expression of undying love. + +"My father!" said Lupinus, hastening forward to throw himself into +his arms; but he waved him back, and his look was darker, sterner. + +"We have received your letter, and therefore are we here to-day. We +hope and believe it was written in fever or in madness. If we are +mistaken in this, you shall repeat to us what was written in that +letter, which I tore and trampled under my feet. Speak, then! we +came to listen." + +"Not so," said the young man, "recover yourself first; consider your +words; reflect that they will decide the question of your own +happiness, of your father's, and of mine. Be firm and sure in your +determination. Let no thought of others, no secondary consideration +influence you. Think only of your own happiness, and endeavor to +build it upon a sure foundation." + +Lupinus shook his head sadly. "I have no happiness, I expect none." + +"What was written in that letter?" said the old Lupinus sternly. + +"That I had been faithful to my oath, and betrayed the secret I +promised you to guard, to no one; that to-morrow I would receive my +diploma; that you had promised, when I had accomplished this I +should be free to choose my own future, and to confess my secret." + +"Was that all the letter contained?" + +"No--that I had resolved to choose a new career, resolved to leave +the old paths, to break away from the past, and begin a new life at +Eckhof's side." "My child at the side of a comedian!" cried the old +doctor contemptuously. "Yes, I remember that was written, but I +believed it not, and therefore have I come. Was your letter true? +Did you write the truth to Ervelman?" + +Lupinus cast his eyes down, and gave his hand to his father. "No," +said he, "it was not true; it was a fantasy of fever. It is past, +and I have recovered. To-morrow, after I receive my diploma, I will +accompany you home, and you, friend, will go with us." + +The next day the students rushed in crowds to the university to +listen to the discourse of the learned and worthy Herr Lupinus. Not +only the students and the professors, but many other persons, were +assembled in the hall to honor the young man, of whom the professors +said that he was not only a model of scholarship, but of modesty and +virtue. Even actors were seen to grace the holy halls of science on +this occasion, and the students laughed with delight and cried +"Bravo!" as they recognized near Fredersdorf the noble and sharp +profile of Eckhof. They had often rushed madly to thee theatre; why +should he not sometimes honor the university? + +But Eckhof was indifferent to the joyful greeting of the students; +he gazed steadily toward the door, through which his young friend +must enter the hall; and now, as the hour struck, he stooped over +Fredersdorf and seized his hand. + +"Friend," said he, "a wondrous anxiety oppresses me. It seems to me +I am in the presence of a sphinx, who is in the act of solving a +great mystery! I am a coward, and would take refuge in flight, but +curiosity binds me to my seat." + +"You promised poor Lupinus to be here," said Fredersdorf, earnestly. +"It is, perhaps, the last friendly service you can ever show him-- +Ah! there he is." + +A cry of surprise burst from the lips of all. There, in the open +door, stood, not the student Lupinus, but a young maiden, in a white +satin robe-a young maiden with the pale, thoughtful, gentle face of +Lupinus. A man stood on each side of her, and she leaned upon the +arm of one of them, as if for support, as they walked slowly through +the room. Her large eyes wandered questioningly and anxiously over +the audience; and now, her glance met Eckhof's, and a deadly pallor +covered her face. She tried to smile, and bowed her head in +greeting. + +"This is the secret from which I wished to fly," murmured Eckhof. "I +guessed it yesterday." + +"I knew it long since," said Fredersdorf, sadly; "it was my most +beautiful and cherished dream that your hearts should find and love +each other. Have I not often told you that Lupinus was not your +friend, but your bride; that no woman would ever love you as he did? +You would not understand me. Your heart was of stone, and her +happiness has been crushed by it." + +"Poor, unhappy girl!" sighed Eckhof, and tears ran slowly down his +cheeks. "I have acted the part of a barbarian toward you! Yesterday +with smiling lips I pressed a dagger in her heart; she did not +curse, but blessed me!" + +"Listen! she speaks!" + +It was the maiden's father who spoke. In simple phrase he asked +forgiveness of the Faculty, for having dared to send them a +daughter, in place of a son. But it had been his cherished wish to +prove that only the arrogance and prejudice of men had banished +women from the universities. Heaven had denied him a son. He had +soon discovered that his daughter was rarely endowed; he determined +to educate her as a son, and thus repair the loss fate had prepared +for him. His daughter entered readily into his plans, and solemnly +swore to guard her secret until she had completed her studies. She +had fulfilled this promise, and now stood here to ask the Faculty if +they would grant a woman a diploma. + +The professors spoke awhile with each other, and then announced to +the audience that Lupinus had been the most industrious and +promising of all their students; the pride and favorite of all the +professors. The announcement that she was a woman would make no +change in her merit or their intentions; that the maiden LUPINA +would be received by them with as much joy and satisfaction as the +youth LUPINUS would have been. The disputation might now begin. + +A murmur of applause was heard from the benches, and now the clear, +soft, but slightly trembling voice of the young girl commenced to +read. How strangely did the heavy, pompous Latin words contrast with +the slight, fairy form of the youthful girl! She stood adorned like +a bride, in satin array; not like a bride of earth, inspired by +love, but a bride of heaven, in the act of laying down before God's +altar all her earthly hopes and passions! She felt thus. She +dedicated herself to a joyless and unselfish existence at the altar +of science; she would not lead an idle, useless, musing, cloister- +life. With a holy oath she swore to serve her race; to soothe the +pain of those who suffered; to stand by the sick-beds of women and +children; to give that love to suffering, weeping humanity which she +had once consecrated to one alone, and which had come home, like a +bleeding dove, with broken wings, powerless and hopeless! + +The disputation was at an end. The deacon declared the maiden, +Dorothea Christine Lupinus, a doctor. The students uttered wild +applause, and the professors drew near the old Lupinus, to +congratulate him, and to renew the acquaintance of former days. + +The fair young Bride of Arts thought not of this. She looked toward +Eckhof; their glances were rooted in each other firmly but +tearlessly. She waved to him with her hand, and obedient to her wish +he advanced to the door, then turned once more; their eyes met, and +she had the courage to look softly upon the friend of her youth, +Ervelman, who had accompanied her father, and say: + +"I will fulfil my father's vow--I will be a faithful wife. Look, +you, Ervelman, the star has gone out which blinded my eyes, and now +I see again clearly." She pointed, with a trembling hand, to Eckhof, +who was disappearing. + +"Friend," said Eckhof, to Fredersdorf, "if the gods truly demand a +great sacrifice as a propitiation, I think I have offered one this +day. I have cast my Polycrates' ring into the sea, and a part of my +heart's blood was cleaving to it. May fate be reconciled, and grant +me the happiness this pale and lovely maiden has consecrated with +her tears. Farewell, Christine, farewell! Our paths in life are +widely separated. Who knows, perhaps we will meet again in heaven? +You belong to the saints, and I am a poor comedian, who makes a +false show throughout a wild, tumultuous life, with some pompous +shreds and tatters of art and beauty, to whom, perhaps, the angels +in heaven will deny a place, even as the priests on earth deny him a +grave." [Footnote: Eckhof lived to awake respect and love for the +national theatre throughout all Germany. He had his own theatre in +Gotha, where he was born, and where he died in 1778. He performed +the double service of exalting the German stage, and obtaining for +the actors consideration and respect.] + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT. + + +"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to +her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak. "To-day, after five months of +torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty. +And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, +whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might +be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our +work will succeed, will it not?" + +"Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed." + +"Let us reconsider the whole plan, if only to enliven the tedious +hours with pleasant thought. When the commandant of the prison, +Major von Doo, pays the customary Sunday-morning visit to Trenck's +cell, and while he is carefully examining every nook to assure +himself that the captive nobleman has not been endeavoring to make a +pathway to liberty, Trenck will suddenly overpower him, deprive him +of his sword, and rush past him out of the cell. At the door he will +be met by the soldier Nicolai, who is in our confidence, and will +not seem to notice his escape. Once over the palisades, he will find +a horse, which we have placed in readiness. Concealed by the +military cloak thrown over him, and armed with the pistols with +which his saddle-holsters have been furnished, he will fly on the +wings of the wind toward Bohemia. Near the border, at the village of +Lonnschutz, a second horse will await him. He will mount and hurry +on until the boundary and liberty are obtained. All seems so safe, +Ernestine, so easy of execution, that I can scarcely believe in the +possibility of a failure." + +"It will not fail," said Ernestine von Haak. "Our scheme is good, +and will be ably assisted--it must succeed." + +"Provided he find the places where the horses stand concealed." + +"These he cannot fail to find. They are accurately designated in a +little note which my lover, when he has charge of the prison-yard, +will contrive to convey to him. Schnell's known fidelity vouches for +the horses being in readiness. As your royal highness was not +willing that we should enlist accomplices among the soldiers, the +only question that need give us uneasiness is this: Will Trenck be +able to overcome unaided all obstacles within the fortifications?" + +"No," said Amelia, proudly; "Trenck shall be liberated, but I will +not corrupt my brother's soldiers. To do the first, is my right and +my duty, for I love Trenck. Should I do the second, I would be +guilty of high treason to my king, and this even love could not +excuse. Only to himself and to me shall Trenck owe his freedom. Our +only allies shall be my means and his own strength. He has the +courage of a hero and the strength of a giant. He will force his way +through his enemies like Briareus; they will fall before him like +grain before the reaper. If he cannot kill them all with his sword, +he will annihilate them with the lightning of his glances, for a +heavenly power dwells in his eyes. Moreover, your lover writes that +he is beloved by the officers of the garrison, that all the soldiers +sympathize with him. It is well that it is not necessary to bribe +them with miserable dross; Trenck has already bribed them with his +youth and manly beauty, his misfortunes and his amiability. He will +find no opposition; no one will dispute his passage to liberty." + +"God grant that it may be as your highness predicts!" said +Ernestine, with a sigh. + +"Four days of uncertainty are still before us--would that they had +passed!" exclaimed Princess Amelia. "I have no doubts of his safety, +but I fear I shall not survive these four days of anxiety. +Impatience will destroy me. I had the courage to endure misery, but +I feel already that the expectation of happiness tortures me. God +grant, at least, that his freedom is secured!" + +"Never speak of dying with the rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes your +highness has to-day," said Mademoiselle von Haak, with a smile. +"Your increasing pallor, caused no doubt by your grief, has given me +much pain. I am no longer uneasy, however, for you have recovered +health and strength, now that you are again hopeful. As for the four +days of expectancy, we will kill them with merry laughter, gayety, +and dancing. Does not the queen give a ball to-day? is there not a +masquerade at the opera to-morrow? For the last five months your +highness has taken part in these festivities because you were +compelled; you will now do so of your own accord. You will no longer +dance because the king commands, but because you are young, happy, +and full of hope for the future. On the first and second day you +will dance and fatigue yourself so much, that you will have the +happiness of sleeping a great deal on the third. The fourth day will +dawn upon your weary eyes, and whisper in your ear that Trenck is +free, and that it is you who have given him his freedom." + +"Yes, let us be gay, let us laugh, dance, and be merry," exclaimed +Princess Amelia. "My brother shall be satisfied with me; he need no +longer regard me in so gloomy and threatening a manner; I will laugh +and jest, I will adorn myself, and surpass all the ladies with the +magnificence of my attire and my sparkling eyes. Come, Ernestine, +come. We will arrange my toilet for this evening. It shall be +magnificent. I will wear flowers in my hair and flowers on my +breast, but no pearls. Pearls signify tears, and I will weep no +more." + +Joyously she danced through the room, drawing her friend to the +boudoir; joyously she passed the three following days of +expectation; joyously she closed her eyes on the evening of the +third day, to see, in her dreams, her lover kneeling at her feet, +thanking her for his liberty, and vowing eternal fidelity and +gratitude. + +Amelia greeted the fourth day with a happy smile, never doubting but +that it would bring her glad tidings. But hours passed away, and +still Mademoiselle von Haak did not appear. Amelia had said to her: +"I do not wish to see you to-morrow until you can bring me good +news. This will, however, be in your power at an early hour, and you +shall flutter into my chamber with these tidings, like the dove with +the olive-branch." + +Mademoiselle von Haak has still not yet arrived. But now the door +opens--she is there, but her face is pale, her eyes tearful; and +this pale lady in black, whose noble and beautiful features recall +to Amelia such charming and delightful remembrances--who is she? +What brings her here? Why does she hurry forward to the princess +with streaming eyes? Why does she kneel, raise her hands +imploringly, and whisper, "Mercy, Princess Amelia, mercy!" + +Amelia rises from her seat, pale and trembling, gazes with widely +extended eyes at the kneeling figure, and, almost speechless with +terror, asks in low tones, "Who are you, madame? What do you desire +of me?" + +The pale woman at her feet cries in heart-rending accents, "I am the +mother of the unfortunate Frederick von Trenck, and I come to +implore mercy at the hands of your royal highness. My son attempted +to escape, but God did not favor his undertaking. He was overtaken +by misfortune, after having overcome almost all obstacles, when +nothing but the palisades separated him from liberty and safety; he +was attacked by his pursuers, disarmed, and carried back to prison, +wounded and bleeding." [Footnote: Trenck's Biography, i., 80.] + +Amelia uttered a cry of horror, and fell back on her seat pale and +breathless, almost senseless. Mademoiselle von Haak took her gently +in her arms, and, amid her tears, whispered words of consolation, of +sympathy, and of hope. But Amelia scarcely heeded her; she looked +down vacantly upon the pallid, weeping woman who still knelt at her +feet. + +"Have mercy, princess, have mercy! You alone can assist me; +therefore have I come to you; therefore have I entreated +Mademoiselle von Haak with tears until she could no longer refuse to +conduct me to your presence. Regardless, at last, of etiquette and +ceremony, she permitted me to fall at your feet, and to cry to you +for help. You are an angel of goodness and mercy; pity an +unfortunate mother, who wishes to save her son!" + +"And you believe that I can do this?" said Amelia, breathlessly. + +"You alone, royal highness, have the power to save my son's life!" + +"Tell me by what means, countess, and I will save him, if it costs +my heart's blood." + +"Conduct me to the king. That is all that I require of you. He has +not yet been informed of my son's unfortunate attempt. I must be the +first to bring him this intelligence. I will confess that it was I +who assisted my son in this attempt, who bribed the non-commissioned +officer, Nicolai, with flattery and tears, with gold and promises; +that it was I who placed the horses and loaded pistols in readiness +beyond the outer palisade; that I sent my son the thousand ducats +which were found on his person; that I wrote him the letter +containing vows of eternal love and fidelity. The king will pardon a +mother who, in endeavoring to liberate her son, left no means of +success untried." + +"You are a noble, a generous woman!" exclaimed the princess, with +enthusiasm. "You are worthy to be Trenck's mother! You say that I +must save him, and you have come to save me! But I will not accept +this sacrifice; I will not be cowardly and timidly silent, when you +have the courage to speak. Let the king know all; let him know that +Trenck was not the son, but the lover of her who endeavored to give +him his freedom, and that--" + +"If you would save him, be silent! The king can be merciful when it +was the mother who attempted to liberate the son; he will be +inexorable if another has made this mad attempt; and, above all, if +he cannot punish the transgressor, my son's punishment will be +doubled." + +"Listen to her words, princess, adopt her counsel," whispered the +weeping Ernestine. "Preserve yourself for the unfortunate Trenck; +protect his friends by your silence, and we may still hope to form a +better and happier plan of escape." + +"Be it so," said the princess with a sigh. "I will bring him this +additional sacrifice. I will be silent. God knows that I would +willingly lay down my life for him. I would find this easier than to +veil my love in cowardly silence. Come, I will conduct you to the +king." + +"But I have not yet told your royal highness that the king is in his +library, and has ordered that no one should be admitted to his +presence." + +"I will be admitted. I will conduct you through the private corridor +and the king's apartments, and not by the way of the grand +antechamber. Come." + +She seized the countess's hand and led her away. + +The king was alone in his library, sitting at a table covered with +books and papers, busily engaged in writing. From time to time he +paused, and thoughtfully regarded what he had written. "I have +commenced a new work, which it is to be hoped will be as great a +success in the field of science as several that I have achieved with +the sword on another field. I know my wish and my aim; I have +undertaken a truly noble task. I will write the history of my times, +not in the form of memoirs, nor as a commentary, but as a free, +independent, and impartial history. I will describe the decline of +Europe, and will endeavor to portray the follies and weaknesses of +her rulers. [Footnote: The king's own words. "OEuvres posthumes: +Correspondance avec Voltaire."] My respected colleagues, the kings +and princes, have provided me with rich materials for a ludicrous +picture. To do this work justice, the pencil of a Hollenbreughel and +the pen of a Thucydides were desirable. Ah! glory is so piquant a +dish, that the more we indulge, the more we thirst after its +enjoyment. Why am I not satisfied with being called a good general? +why do I long for the honor of being crowned in the capitol? Well, +it certainly will not be his holiness the pope who crowns me or +elevates me to the rank of a saint--truly, I am not envious of such +titles. I shall be contented if posterity shall call me a good +prince, a brave soldier, and a good lawgiver, and forgives me for +having sometimes mounted the Pegasus instead of the war horse." + +With a merry smile, the king now resumed his writing. The door which +communicated with his apartments was opened softly, and Princess +Amelia, her countenance pale and sorrowful, looked searchingly into +the room. Seeing that the king was still writing, she knocked +gently. The king turned hastily and angrily. + +"Did I not say that I desired to be alone?" said he, indignantly. +Perceiving his sister, he now arose, an expression of anxiety +pervading his countenance. "Ah, my sister! your sad face proclaims +you the bearer of bad news," said he; "and very important it must +have been to bring you unannounced to my presence." + +"My brother, misfortune has always the privilege of coming +unannounced to the presence of princes, to implore pity and mercy at +their hands. I claim this holy privilege for the unfortunate lady +who has prayed for my intercession in her behalf. Sire, will you +graciously accord her an audience?" + +"Who is she?" asked the king, discontentedly, + +"Sire, it is the Countess Lostange," said Amelia, in a scarcely +audible voice. + +"The mother of the rebellious Lieutenant von Trenck!" exclaimed the +king, in an almost threatening tone, his eyes flashing angrily. + +"Yes, it is the mother of the unfortunate Von Trenck who implores +mercy of your majesty!" exclaimed the countess, falling on her knees +at the threshold of the door. + +The king recoiled a step, and his eye grew darker. "Really, you +obtain your audiences in a daring manner--you conquer them, and make +the princess your herald." + +"Sire, I was refused admission. In the anguish of my heart, I turned +to the princess, who was generous enough to incur the displeasure of +her royal brother for my sake." + +"And was that which you had to say really so urgent?" + +"Sire, for five months has my son been languishing in prison, and +you ask if there is an urgent necessity for his mother's appeal. My +son has incurred your majesty's displeasure; why, I know not. He is +a prisoner, and stands accused of I know not what. Be merciful--let +me know his crime, that I may endeavor to atone for it." + +"Madame, a mother is not responsible for her son; a woman cannot +atone for a man's crimes. Leave your son to his destiny; it may be a +brighter one at some future day, if he is wise and prudent, and +heeds the warning which is now knocking at his benighted heart." At +these words, the king's glance rested for a moment on the +countenance of the princess, as if this warning had also been +intended for her. + +"It is, then, your majesty's intention to cheer a mother's heart +with hope? My son will not be long a captive. You will pardon him +for this crime of which I have no knowledge, and which you do not +feel inclined to mention." + +"Shall I make it known to you, madame?" said the king, with +severity. "He carried on an imprudent and treasonable +correspondence, and if tried by court-martial, would be found guilty +of high treason. But, in consideration of his youth, and several +extenuating circumstances with which I alone am acquainted, I will +be lenient with him. Be satisfied with this assurance: in a year +your son will be free; and when solitude has brought him to +reflection, and the consciousness of his crime, when he is more +humble and wiser, I will again be a gracious king to him. [Footnote: +Trenck's Memoirs, i., 82.] Write this to your son, madame, and +receive my best wishes for yourself." + +"Oh, sire, you do not yet know all. I have another confession to +make, and--" + +A light knock at the door communicating with the antechamber +interrupted her, and a voice from the outside exclaimed: "Sire, a +courier with important dispatches from Silesia." + +"Retire to the adjoining apartment, and wait there," said the king, +turning to his sister. + +Both ladies left the room. + +"Dispatches from Silesia," whispered the countess. "The king will +now learn all, I fear." + +"Well, if he does," said the princess, almost defiantly, "we are +here to save him, and we will save him." + +A short time elapsed; then the door was violently thrown open, and +the king appeared on the threshold, his eyes flashing with anger. + +"Madame," said he, pointing to the papers which he held in his hand, +"from these papers I have undoubtedly learned what it was your +intention to have communicated to me. Your son has attempted to +escape from prison like a cowardly criminal, a malefactor weighed +down with guilt. In this attempt he has killed and wounded soldiers, +disarmed the governor of the fortress, and, in his insolent frenzy, +has endeavored to scale the palisades in broad daylight. Madame, +nothing but the consciousness of his own guilt could have induced +him to attempt so daring a flight, and he must have had criminal +accomplices who advised him to this step--accomplices who bribed the +sentinel on duty before his door; who secretly conveyed money to +him, and held horses in readiness for his flight. Woe to them if I +should ever discover the criminals who treasonably induced my +soldiers and officers to break their oath of fidelity!" + +"I, your majesty, I was this criminal," said the countess. "A mother +may well dare to achieve the freedom of her son at any price. It is +her privilege to defend him with any weapon. I bribed the soldiers, +placed the horses in readiness, and conveyed money to my son. It was +Trenck's mother who endeavored to liberate him." + +"And you have only brought him to greater, to more hopeless misery! +For now, madame, there can be no mercy. The fugitive, the deserter, +has forfeited the favor of his king. Shame, misery, and perpetual +captivity will henceforth be his portion. This is my determination. +Hope for no mercy. The articles of war condemn the deserter to +death. I will give him his life, but freedom I cannot give him, for +I now know that he would abuse it. Farewell." + +"Mercy! mercy for my son!" sobbed the countess. "He is so young! he +has a long life before him." + +"A life of remorse and repentance," said the king with severity. "I +will accord him no other. Go!" + +He was on the point of reentering the library. A hand was laid on +his shoulder; he turned and saw the pale countenance of his sister. + +"My brother," said the princess, in a firm voice, "permit me to +speak with you alone for a moment. Proceed, I will follow you." + +Her bearing was proud, almost dictatorial. Her sternly tranquil +manner, her clear and earnest brow, showed plainly that she had +formed an heroic determination. She was no longer the young girl, +timidly praying for her lover; she was the fearless woman, +determined to defend him, or die for him. The king read this in her +countenance, it was plainly indicated in her royal bearing; and with +the reverence and consideration which great spirits ever accord to +misfortune, he did homage to this woman toward whom he was so +strongly drawn by sympathy and pity. + +"Come, my sister, come," said he, offering his hand. + +Amelia did not take his hand; by his side she walked into the +library, and softly locked the door behind her. One moment she +rested against the wall, as if to gather strength. The king hastily +crossed the room, and looked out at the window. Hearing the rustle +of her dress behind him, he turned and advanced toward the princess. +She regarded him fixedly with cold and tearless eyes. + +"Is it sufficient if I promise never to see him again?" said she. + +"The promise is superfluous, for I will make a future meeting +impossible." + +She inclined her head slightly, as if this answer had been expected. + +"Is it enough if I swear never to write to him again, nevermore to +give him a token of my love?" + +"I would not believe this oath. If I set him at liberty he would +compromise you and your family, by boasting of a love which yielded +to circumstances and necessity only, and not to reason and +indifference. I will make you no reproaches at present, for I think +your conscience is doing that for me. But this much I will say: I +will not set him at liberty until he no longer believes in your +love." + +"Will you liberate him if I rob him of this belief? If I hurl the +broken bond of my promised faith in his face? If I tell him that +fear and cowardice have extinguished my love, and that I bid him +farewell forever?" + +"Write him this, and I promise you that he shall be free in a few +months; but, understand me well, free to go where he will, but +banished from my kingdom." + +"Shall I write at once?" said she with an expression of utter +indifference, and with icy tranquillity. + +"Write; you will find all that is necessary on my escritoire." + +She walked composedly to the table and seated herself. When she +commenced writing, a deathly pallor came over her face; her breath +came and went hurriedly and painfully. The king stood near, +regarding her with an expression of deep solicitude. + +"Have you finished?" said he, as she pushed the paper aside on which +she had been writing. + +"No," said she calmly, "it was only a tear that had fallen on the +paper. I must begin again." And with perfect composure she took +another sheet of paper, and began writing anew. + +The king turned away with a sigh. He felt that if he longer regarded +this pale, resigned face, he would lose sight of reason and duty, +and restore to her her lover. He again advanced to the window, and +looked thoughtfully out at the sky. "Is it possible? can it be?" he +asked himself. "May I forget my duties as head of my family, and +only remember that she is my sister, and that she is suffering and +weeping? Must we then all pay for this empty grandeur, this frippery +of earthly magnificence, with our heart's blood and our best hopes? +And if I now deprive her of her dreams of happiness, what +compensation can I offer? With what can I replace her hopes, her +love, the happiness of her youth? At the best, with a little earthly +splendor, with the purple and the crown, and eventually, perhaps, +with my love. Yes, I will love her truly and cordially; she shall +forgive the brother for the king's harshness; she shall--" + +"I have finished," said the sad voice of his sister. + +The king turned from the window; Amelia stood at the escritoire, +holding the paper on which she had been writing in one hand, and +sustaining herself by the table with the other. + +"Read what you have written," said the king, approaching her. + +The princess bowed her head and read: + +"I pity you, but your misfortune is irremediable; and I cannot and +will not attempt to alleviate it, for fear of compromising myself. +This is, therefore, my last letter--I can risk nothing more for you. +Do not attempt to write to me, for I should return your letter +unopened. Our separation must be forever, but I will always remain +your friend; and if I can ever serve you hereafter, I will do so +gladly. Farewell, unhappy friend, you deserve a better fate." +[Footnote: Trenck's Memoirs, i., 86.] + +"That is all?" said the king, as his sister ceased reading. + +"That is all, sire." + +"And you imagine that he will no longer believe in your love, when +he receives this letter?" said the king, with a sad smile. + +"I am sure he will not, for I tell him in this letter that I will +risk nothing more for him; that I will not even attempt to alleviate +his misery. Only when one is cowardly enough to sacrifice love to +selfish fears, could one do this. I shall have purchased his liberty +with his contempt." + +"What would you have written if you had been permitted to follow the +promptings of your heart?" + +A rosy hue flitted over her countenance, and love beamed in her +eyes. "I would have written, 'Believe in me, trust in me! For +henceforth the one aim of my life will be to liberate you. Let me +die when I have attained this aim, but die in the consciousness of +having saved you, and of having been true to my love.'" + +"You would have written that?" + +"I would have written that," said she, proudly and joyfully. "And +the truth of that letter he would not have doubted." + +"Oh, woman's heart! inexhaustible source of love and devotion!" +murmured the king, turning away to conceal his emotion from his +sister. + +"Is this letter sufficient?" demanded the princess. "Shall Trenck be +free?" + +"I have promised it, and will keep my word. Fold the letter and +direct it. It shall be forwarded at once." + +"And when will he be free?" + +"I cannot set him at liberty immediately. It would be setting my +officers a bad example. But in three months he shall be free." + +"In three months, then. Here is the letter, sire." + +The king took the letter and placed it in his bosom. + +"And now, my sister, come to my heart," said he, holding out his +arms. "The king was angry with you, the brother will weep with you. +Come, Amelia, come to your brother's heart." + +Amelia did not throw herself in his arms; she stood still, and +seemed not to have heard, not to have understood his words. + +"I pray that your majesty will allow me to retire," said she. "I +think we have finished--we have to other business to transact." + +"Oh! my sister," said Frederick, mournfully, "think of what you are +doing; do not harden your heart against me. Believe me, I suffer +with you; and if the only question were the sacrifice of my personal +wishes, I would gladly yield. But I must consider my ancestors, the +history of my house, and the prejudices of the world. Amelia, I +cannot, I dare not do otherwise. Forgive me, my sister. And now, +once more, let us hold firmly to each other in love and trust. Let +me fold you to my heart." + +He advanced and extended his hand, but his sister slowly recoiled. + +"Allow me to remind your majesty that a poor unhappy woman is +awaiting a word of consolation in the next room, and that this woman +is Trenck's mother. She, at least, will be happy when I inform her +that her son will soon be free. Permit me, therefore, sire, to take +my leave, and bear her this good news." + +She bowed formally and profoundly, and walked slowly across the +room. The king no longer endeavored to hold her back. He followed +her with a mournful, questioning glance, still hoping that she would +turn and seek a reconciliation. She reached the door, now she +turned. The king stepped forward rapidly, hut Princess Amelia bowed +ceremoniously and disappeared. + +"Lost! I have lost her," sighed the king. "Oh, my God! must I then +part from all that I love? Was it not enough to lose my friends by +death? will cruel fate also rob me of a loved and living sister? Ah! +I am a poor, a wretched man, and yet they call me a king." + +Frederick slowly seated himself, and covered his face with his +hands. He remained in this position for a long time, his sighs being +the only interruption to the silence which reigned in the apartment. + +"Work! I will work," said he proudly. "This is at least a +consolation, and teaches forgetfulness." + +He walked hurriedly to his escritoire, seated himself, and regarded +the manuscripts and papers which lay before him. He took up one of +the manuscripts and began to read, but with an impatient gesture he +soon laid it aside. + +"The letters swim before my eyes in inextricable confusion. My God, +how hard it is to do one's duty!" + +He rested his head on his hand, and was lost in thought for a long +time. Gradually his expression brightened, and a wondrous light +beamed in his eyes. + +"Yes," said he, with a smile, "yes, so it shall be. I have just lost +a much-loved sister. Well, it is customary to erect a monument in +memory of those we love. Poor, lost sister, I will erect a monument +to your memory. The king has been compelled to make his sister +unhappy, and for this he will endeavor to make his people happy. And +if there is no law to which a princess can appeal against the king, +there shall at least be laws for all my subjects, which protect +them, and are in strict accordance with reason, with justice, and +the godly principle of equality. Yes, I will give my people a new +code of laws. [Footnote: Rodenbeck, Diary, p. 137.] This, Amelia, +shall be the monument which I will erect to you in my heart. In this +very hour I will write to Cocceji, and request him to sketch the +outlines of this new code of laws." + +The king seized his pen and commenced writing. "The judges," said +he, hastily penning his words, "the judges must administer equal and +impartial justice to all without respect to rank or wealth, as they +expect to answer for the same before the righteous judgment-seat of +God, and in order that the sighs of the widows and orphans, and of +all that are oppressed, may not be visited upon themselves and their +children. No rescripts, although issued from this cabinet, shall be +deemed worthy of the slightest consideration, if they contain aught +manifestly incompatible with equity, or if the strict course of +justice is thereby hindered or interrupted; but the judges shall +proceed according to the dictates of duty and conscience." + +The king continued writing, his countenance becoming more and more +radiant with pleasure, while his pen flew over the paper. He was so +completely occupied with his thoughts that he did not hear the door +open behind him, and did not perceive the merry and intelligent face +of his favorite, General Rothenberg, looking in. + +The king wrote on. Rothenberg stooped and placed something which he +held in his arms on the floor. He looked over toward the king, and +then at the graceful little greyhound which stood quietly before +him. This was no other than the favorite dog of the king, which had +been lost and a captive. [Footnote: The greyhound had fallen into +the hands of the Austrians at the battle of Sohr, and had been +presented by General Nadasti to his wife as a trophy. When this lady +learned that Biche had been a pet of the king, she at first refused +to give it up: and only after several demands, and with much +difficulty, could she be induced to return it. Rodenbeck, Diary, p. +126.] + +The little Biche stood still for a moment, looking around +intelligently, and then ran lightly across the apartment, sprang +upon the table and laid its forepaw on the king's neck. + +"Biche, my faithful little friend, is it you?" said Frederick, +throwing his pen aside and taking the little animal in his arms. +Biche began to bark with delight, nestle closely to her master, and +look lovingly at him with her bright little eyes. And the king--he +inclined his face on the head of his faithful little friend, and +tears ran slowly down his cheeks. [Footnote: Muchler, "Frederick the +Great," p. 350. Rodenbeck, Diary, p. 137.] + +"You have not forgotten me, my little Biche? Ah, if men were true, +and loved me as you do, my faithful little dog, I should be a rich, +a happy king!" + +General Rothenberg still stood at the half-opened door. "Sire, said +he, "is it only Biche who has the grandes and petites entrees, or +have I also?" + +"Ah, it was then you who brought Biche?" said Frederick, beckoning +to the general to approach. + +"Yes, sire, it was I, but I almost regret having done so, for I +perceive that Biche is a dangerous rival, and I am jealous of her." + +"You are my best gentleman-friend, and Biche is my best lady- +friend," said the king, laughing. "I shall never forget that Biche +on one occasion might have discovered me to the Austrians, and did +not betray me, as thousands of men would have done in her place. Had +she barked at the time when I had concealed myself under the bridge, +while the regiment of pandours was passing over, I should have been +lost. But she conquered herself. From love to me she renounced her +instincts, and was silent. She nestled close to my side, regarding +me with her discreet little eyes, and licking my hand lovingly. Ah, +my friend, dogs are better and truer than mankind, and the so-called +images of God could learn a great deal from them!" + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE FLIGHT. + + +Two months had passed since Trenck's last attempted escape; two +months of anguish, of despair. But he was not depressed, not +hopeless; he had one great aim before his eyes--to be free, to +escape from this prison. The commandant had just assured him he +would never leave it alive. + +This frightful picture of a life-long imprisonment did not terrify +him, did not agitate a nerve or relax a muscle. He felt his blood +bounding in fiery streams through his veins. With a merry laugh and +sparkling eye he declared that no man could be imprisoned during his +whole life who felt himself strong enough to achieve his freedom. + +"I have strength and endurance like Atlas. I can bear the world on +my shoulders, and shall I never be able to burst these doors and +gates, to surmount these miserable fortress walls which separate me +from liberty, the world of action, the golden sunshine? No, no, +before the close of this year I shall be free. Yes, free! free to +fly to her and give her back this letter, and ask her if she did +truly write it? if these cold words came from her heart? No, some +one has dared to imitate her writing, and thus deprive me of the +only ray of sunshine which enters my dark prison. I must be free in +order to know this. I will believe in nothing which I do not see +written in her beautiful face; only when her lips speak these +fearful words, will I believe them. I must be free, and until then I +must forget all other things, even this terrible letter. My +thoughts, my eyes, my heart, my soul, must have but one aim--my +liberty!" + +Alas! the year drew near its close, and the goal was not reached; +indeed, the difficulties were greatly increased. The commandant, Von +Fouquet, had just received stern orders from Berlin; the watch had +been doubled, and the officers in the citadel had been peremptorily +forbidden to enter the cell of the prisoner, or in any way to show +him kindness or attention. + +The officers loved the young and cheerful prisoner; by his fresh and +hopeful spirit, his gay laugh and merry jest, he had broken up the +everlasting monotony of their garrison-life; by his powerful +intellect and rich fancy he had, in some degree, dissipated their +weariness and stupidity. They felt pity for his youth, his beauty, +his geniality, his energetic self-confidence; his bold courage +imposed upon them, and they were watching curiously and anxiously to +see the finale of this contest between the poor, powerless, +imprisoned youth, and the haughty, stern commander, who had sworn to +Trenck that he should not succeed in making even an attempt to +escape, to which Trenck had laughingly replied: + +"I will not only make an attempt to escape, I will fly in defiance +of all guards, and all fortress walls, and all commandants. I inhale +already the breath of liberty which is wafted through my prison. Do +you not see how the Goddess of Liberty, with her enchanting smile, +stands at the head of my wretched bed, sings her sweet evening songs +to the poor prisoner, and wakes him in the early morning with the +sound of trumpets? Oh, sir commandant, Liberty loves me, and soon +will she take me like a bride in her fair arms, and bear me off to +freedom!" + +The commandant had doubled the guard, and forbidden the officers, +under heavy penalty, to have any intercourse with Trenck. Formerly, +the officers who had kept watch over Trenck, had been allowed to +enter, to remain and eat with him; now the door was closed against +them, the major kept the key, and Trenck's food was handed him +through the window. [Footnote: Trenck's Memoirs.] But this window +was large, and the officer on guard could put his head in and chat +awhile with the prisoner. The major had the principal key, but the +officer had a night-key, and, by this means, entered often in the +evenings and passed a few hours with the prisoner, listening with +astonishment to his plans of escape, and his dreams of a happy +future. + +But they did not all come to speak of indifferent things, and to be +cheered and brightened by his gay humor. There were some who truly +loved him, and wished to give him counsel and aid. One came because +he had promised his beloved mistress, his bride, to liberate Trenck, +cost what it would. This was Lieutenant Schnell, the bridegroom of +Amelia's maid of honor. One day, thanks to the night-key, he entered +Trenck's cell. + +"I will stand by you, and assist you to escape. More than that, I +will fly with you. The commandant, Fouquet, hates me--he says I know +too much for an officer; that I do not confine myself to my military +duties, but love books, and art, and science. He has often railed at +me, and I have twice demanded my dismissal, which he refused, and +threatened me with arrest if I should again demand it. Like +yourself, I am not free, and, like you, I wish to fly from bondage. +And now let us consult together, and arrange our plan of escape." + +"Yes," said Trenck, with a glowing countenance, and embracing his +new-found friend, "we will be unconquerable. Like Briareus, we will +have a hundred arms and a hundred heads. When two young and powerful +men unite their wills, nothing can restrain them--nothing withstand +them. Let us make our arrangements." + +The plan of escape was marked out, and was, indeed, ripe for action. +On the last day of the year, Lieutenant Schnell was to be Trenck's +night-guard, and then they would escape. The dark shadows of night +would assist them. Horses were already engaged. There was gold to +bribe the guard, and there were loaded pistols for those who could +not be tempted. These had been already smuggled into Trenck's cell, +and concealed in the ashes of the fireplace. + +And now it was Christmas eve. This was a grand festal day even for +all the officers of the citadel. With the exception of the night- +watch, they were all invited to dine with the commandant. A day of +joy and rejoicing to all but the poor prisoner, who sat solitary in +his cell, and recalled, with a sad heart, the happy days of his +childhood. "The holy evening" had been to him a golden book of +promise, and a munificent cornucopia of happiness and peace. + +The door of his cell was hastily opened, and Schnell rushed in. + +"Comrade, we are betrayed!" said he breathlessly. "Our plan of +flight has been discovered. The adjutant of the commander has just +secretly informed me that when the guard is changed I am to be +arrested. You see, then, we are lost, unless we adopt some rash and +energetic resolution." + +"We will fly before the hour of your arrest," said Trenck, gayly. + +"If you think that possible, so be it!" said Schnell. He drew a +sword from under his mantle, and handed it to Trenck. "Swear to me +upon this sword, that come what may, you will never allow me to fall +alive into the hands of my enemies." + +"I swear it, so truly as God will help me! And now, Schnell, take +the same oath." + +"I swear it! And now friend, one last grasp of the hand, and then +forward. May God be with us! Hide your sword under your coat. Let us +assume an indifferent and careless expression--come!" + +Arm in arm, the two young men left the prison door. They appeared +calm and cheerful; each one kept a hand in his bosom, and this hand +held a loaded pistol. + +The guard saluted the officer of the night-watch, who passed by him +in full uniform. In passing, he said: "I am conducting the prisoner +to the officers' room. Remain here--I will return quickly." + +Slowly, quietly, they passed down the whole length of the corridor; +they reached the officer's room, and opened the door. The guard +walked with measured step slowly before the open door of Trenck's +cell, suspecting nothing. The door closed behind the fugitives--the +first step toward liberty was taken. + +"And now, quickly onward to the side door. When we have passed the +sentry-box, we will be at the outer works. We must spring over the +palisades, and woe to the obstacle that lies in our path!--advance! +forward!" + +They reached the wall, they greeted fair Freedom with golden smiles, +but turning a corner, they stood suddenly before the major and his +adjutant! + +A cry of horror burst from Schnell's lips. With one bold leap, he +sprang upon the breastworks, and jumped below. With a wild shout of +joy Trenck followed him. His soul bounded with rapture and gladness. +He has mounted the wall, and what he finds below will be liberty in +death, or liberty in life. + +He lives! He stretches himself after his wondrous leap, and he is +not injured--he recovers strength and presence of mind quickly. + +But where is his friend? where is Schnell? There--there; he lies +upon the ground, with a dislocated ankle, impossible to stand-- +impossible to move. + +"Remember your oath, friend--kill me! I can go no farther. Here is +my sword--thrust it into my bosom, and fly for your life!" + +Trenck laughed gayly, took him in his arms as lovingly and tenderly +as a mother. "Swing yourself on my back, friend, and clasp your arms +about my neck, and hold fast. We will run a race with the reindeer." + +"Trenck! Trenck! kill me Leave me here, and hasten on. Escape is +impossible with such a burden." + +"You are as light as a feather, and I will die with you rather than +leave you." + +Onward! onward! the sun sets and a heavy fog rises suddenly from out +of the earth. + +"Trenck, Trenck, do you not hear the alarm--guns thundering from the +citadel? Our pursuers are after us." + +"I hear the cannon," said Trenck, hastening on. "We have a half +hour's start." + +"A half hour will not suffice. No one has ever escaped from Glatz +who did not have two hours' advance of pursuit. Leave me, Trenck, +and save yourself." + +"I will not leave you. I would rather die with you. Let us rest a +moment, and gather breath." + +Gently, carefully, he laid his friend upon the ground. Schnell +suppressed his cries of pain, and Trenck restrained his panting +breath--they rested and listened. The white, soft mist settled more +thickly around them. The citadel and the town was entirely hidden +from view. + +"God is with us," said Trenck. "He covers us with an impenetrable +veil, and conceals us from our enemies." + +"God is against us--our flight was too soon discovered. Already the +whole border is alarmed. Listen to the signals in every village. The +three shots from the citadel have announced that a prisoner has +escaped. The commanding officers are now flying from point to point, +to see if the peasants are doing duty, and if every post is strictly +guarded. The cordon is alarmed; the whole Bohemian boundary has been +signalled. It is too late--we cannot reach the border." + +"We will not go then, friend, in the direction our enemies expect +us," said Trenck, merrily. "They saw us running toward the Bohemian +boundary, and they will follow in that direction through night and +fog. We will fly where they are not seeking us--we will cross the +Reise. Do you see there a line of silver shimmering through the fog, +and advancing to meet us? Spring upon my back, Schnell. We must +cross the Reise!" + +"I cannot, Trenck, I suffer agony with my foot. It is impossible for +me to swim." + +"I can swim for both." + +He knelt down, took his friend upon his back, and ran with him to +the river. And now they stood upon the shore. Solemnly, drearily, +the waves dashed over their feet, sweeping onward large blocks of +ice which obstructed the current. + +"Is the river deep, comrade?" + +"In the middle of the stream, deep enough to cover a giant like +yourself." + +"Onward, then! When I can no longer walk, I can swim. Hold fast, +Schnell!" + +Onward, in the dark, ice-cold water, bravely onward, with his friend +upon his back! Higher and higher rose the waves! Now they reached +his shoulder! + +"Hold fast to my hair, Schnell, we must swim!" + +With herculean strength he swam through the dark, wild waters, and +dashed the ice-blocks which rushed against him from his path. + +Now they have reached the other shore. Not yet safe--but safe from +immediate danger. The blessed night conceals their course, and their +pursuers seek them on the other shore. + +Suddenly the fog is dispersed; a rough bleak wind freezes the +moisture in the atmosphere, and the moon rose in cloudless majesty +in the heavens. It was a cold, clear December night, and the wet +clothes of the fugitives were frozen stiff, like a harness, upon +them. Trenck felt neither cold nor stiff; he carried his friend upon +his shoulders, and that kept him warm; he walked so rapidly, his +limbs could not stiffen. + +Onward, ever onward to the mountains! They reached the first hill, +under whose protecting shadows they sank down to rest, and take +counsel together. + +"Trenck, I suffer great agony; I implore you to leave me here and +save yourself. In a few hours you can pass the border. Leave me, +then, and save yourself!" + +"I will never desert a friend in necessity. Come, I am refreshed." + +He took up his comrade and pressed on. The moon had concealed +herself behind the clouds; the cold, cutting winds howled through +the mountains. Stooping, Trenck waded on through the snow. He was +scarcely able now to hold himself erect. Hope inspired him with +strength and courage--they had wandered far, they must soon reach +the border. + +Day broke! the pale rays of the December sun melted the mountain +vapors into morning. The two comrades were encamped upon the snow, +exhausted with their long march, hopefully peering here and there +after the Bohemian boundary. + +"Great God! what is that? Are not those the towers of Glatz? and +that dark spectre which raises itself so threateningly against the +horizon, is not that the citadel?" + +And so it was. The poor fugitives have wandered round and round the +whole night through, and they are now, alas! exactly where they +started. + +"We are lost," murmured Schnell; "there is no hope!" "No, we are not +lost!" shouted Trenck; "we have young, healthy limbs, and weapons. +They shall never take us alive." + +"But we cannot escape them. Our appearance will instantly betray us; +I am in full uniform, and you in your red coat of the body-guard, +both of us without hats. Any man would know we were deserters." + +"Woe to him who calls us so! we will slay him, and walk over his +dead body. And now for some desperate resolve. We cannot go +backward, we must advance, and pass right through the midst of our +enemies in order to reach the border. You know the way, and the +whole region round about. Come. Schnell, let us hold a council of +war." + +"We must pass through that village in front of us. How shall we +attempt to do so unchallenged?" + +Half an hour later a singular couple drew near to the last house of +the village. One was a severely wounded, bleeding officer of the +king's body-guard; his face was covered with blood, a bloody +handkerchief was bound about his brow, and his hands tied behind his +back. Following him, limped an officer in full parade dress, but +bareheaded. With rude, coarse words he drove the poor prisoner +before him, and cried for help. Immediately two peasants rushed from +the house. + +"Run to the village," said the officer, "and tell the judge to have +a carriage got ready immediately, that I may take this deserter to +the fortress. I succeeded in capturing him, but he shot my horse, +and I fear I broke a bone in falling; you see, though, how I have +cut him to pieces. I think he is mortally wounded. Bring a carriage +instantly, that I may take him, while yet alive, to the citadel." + +One of the men started at once, the other nodded to them to enter +his hut. + +Stumbling and stammering out words of pain, the wounded man followed +him; cursing and railing, the officer limped behind him. On entering +the room, the wounded man sank upon the floor, groaning aloud. A +young girl advanced hastily, and took his wounded head in her arms; +while an old woman, who stood upon the hearth, brought a vessel of +warm milk to comfort him. + +The old peasant stood at the window, and looked, with a peculiar +smile, at the officer, who seated himself upon a bench near the +fire, and drank the milk greedily which the old woman handed him. +Suddenly the old man advanced in front of the officer and laid his +hand on his shoulder. + +"Your disguise is not necessary, Lieutenant Schnell, I know you; my +son served in your company. There was an officer from the citadel +here last night, and informed us of the two deserters. You are one, +Lieutenant Schnell, and that is the other. That is Baron Trenck." + +And now, the wounded man, as if cured by magic, sprang to his feet. +The sound of his name had given him health and strength, and healed +the wound in his forehead. He threw the handkerchief off, and rushed +out, while Schnell with prayers and threats held back the old man, +and entreated him to show them the nearest way to the border. + +Trenck hastened to the stable--two horses were in the stalls. The +young girl, who had held his head so tenderly, came up behind him. + +"What are you doing, sir?" she said anxiously, as Trenck released +the horses. "You will not surely take my father's horses?--if you +do, I will cry aloud for help." + +"If you dare to cry aloud, I will murder you," said Trenck, with +flaming eyes, "and then I will kill myself! I have sworn that I will +not be taken alive into the fortress. Have pity, beautiful child-- +your eyes are soft and kindly, and betray a tender heart. Help me-- +think how beautiful, how glorious is the world and life and liberty +to the young! My enemies will deprive me of all this, and chain me +in a cell, like a wild beast. Oh, help me to escape!" + +"How can I help you?" said Mariandel, greatly touched. + +"Give me saddles and bridles for these horses, in order that I may +flee. I swear to you, by God and by my beloved, that they shall be +returned to you!" + +"You have then a sweetheart, sir?" + +"I have--and she weeps day and night for me." + +"I will give you the saddles in remembrance of my own beloved, who +is far away from me. Come, saddle your horse quickly--I will saddle +the other." + +"Now, farewell, Mariandel--one kiss at parting--farewell, +compassionate child! Schnell, Schnell, quick, quick to horse, to +horse!" + +Schnell rushed out of the hut, the peasant after him. He saw with +horror that his horses were saddled; that Schnell, in spite of his +foot, had mounted one, and Trenck was seated upon the other. + +"My God! will you steal my horses? Help! help!" + +Mariandel laid her hand upon her father's lips, and suppressed his +cries for help. "Father, he has a bride, and she weeps for him!-- +think upon Joseph, and let them go." + +The fugitives dashed away. Their long hair fluttered in the wind, +their cheeks glowed with excitement and expectation. Already the +village lay far behind them. Onward, over the plains, over the +meadows, over the stubble-fields! + +"Schnell. Schnell, I see houses--I see towns. Schnell, there lies a +city!" + +"That is Wunschelburg, and we must ride directly through it, for +this is the nearest way to Bohemia." + +"There is a garrison there, but we must ride through them. Aha! this +is royal sport! We will dash right through the circle of our +enemies. They will be so amazed at our insolence, that they will +allow us to escape. Hei! here are the gates--the bells are ringing +for church. Onward, onward, my gallant steed, you must fly as if you +had wings!" + +Huzza! how the flint strikes fire! how the horses' hoofs resound on +the pavement! how the gayly-dressed church-goers, who were advancing +so worthily up the street, fly screaming to every side! how the lazy +hussars thinking no harm, stand at the house doors, and fix their +eyes with horror upon these two bold riders, who dash past them like +a storm-wind! + +And now they have reached the outer gate--the city lies behind them. +Forward, forward, in mad haste! The horses bow, their knees give +way, but the bold riders rein them up with powerful arms, and they +spring onward. + +Onward, still onward! "But what is that? who is this advancing +directly in front of us? Schnell, do you not know him? That is +Captain Zerbtz!" + +Yes, that is Captain Zerbtz, who has been sent with his hussars to +arrest the fugitives; but he is alone, and his men are not in sight. +He rode on just in front of them. When near enough to be heard, he +said, "Brothers, hasten! Go to the left, pass that solitary house. +That is the boundary-line. [Footnote: Trenck's Memoirs.] My hussars +have gone to the right." + +He turned his horse quickly, and dashed away. The fugitives flew to +the left, passed the lonely house, passed the white stone which +marked the border, and now just a little farther on. + +"Oh, comrade, let our horses breathe! Let us rest and thank God, for +we are saved--we have passed the border!" + +"We are free, free!" cried Trenck, with so loud a shout of joy that +the mountains echoed with the happy sound, and reechoed back, "Free, +free!" + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +I WILL. + + +Swiftly, noiselessly, and unheeded the days of prosperity and peace +passed away. King Frederick has been happy; he does not even +remember that more than two years of calm content and enjoyment have +been granted him--two years in which he dared lay aside his sword, +and rest quietly upon his laurels. This happy season had been rich +in blessings; bringing its laughing tribute of perfumed roses and +blooming myrtles. Two years of such happiness seems almost +miraculous in the life of a king. + +Our happy days are ever uneventful. True love is silent and +retiring; it does not speak its rapture to the profane world, but +hides itself in the shadows of holy solitude and starry night. Let +us not, then, lift the veil with which King Frederick had concealed +his love. These two years of bloom and fragrance shall pass by +unquestioned. + +When the sun is most lustrous, we turn away our eyes, lest they be +blinded by his rays; but when clouds and darkness are around about +us, we look up curiously and questioningly. King Frederick's sun is +no longer clear and dazzling, dark clouds are passing over it; a +shadow from these clouds has fallen upon the young and handsome face +of the king, quenched the flashing glance of his eye, and checked +the rapid beating of his heart. + +What was it which made King Frederick so restless and unhappy? He +did not know himself, or, rather, he would not know. An Alp seemed +resting upon his heart, repressing every joyful emotion, and making +exertion impossible. He sought distraction in work, and in the early +morning he called his ministers to council, but his thoughts were +far away; he listened without hearing, and the most important +statements seemed to him trivial. He mistrusted himself, and +dismissed his ministers. It was Frederick's custom to read every +letter and petition himself, and write his answer upon the margin. +This being done, he turned to his ordinary studies and occupations, +and commenced writing in his "Histoire de Man Temps." Soon, however, +he found himself gazing upon the paper, lost in wandering thoughts +and wild, fantastic dreams. He threw his pen aside, and tried to +lose himself in the beautiful creations of his favorite poet, all +things in nature and fiction seemed alike vain. + +Frederick threw his book aside in despair. "What is the matter with +me?" he exclaimed angrily. "I am not myself; some wicked fairy has +cast a spell about me, and bound my soul in magic fetters. I cannot +work, I cannot think; content and quiet peace are banished from my +breast! What does this signify? and why--" He did not complete his +sentence, but gazed with breathless attention to the door. He had +heard one tone of a voice without which made his heart tremble and +his eyes glow with their wonted fire. + +"Announce to his majesty that I am here, and plead importunately for +an audience," said a soft, sweet voice. + +"The king has commanded that no one shall be admitted." + +"Announce me, nevertheless," said the petitioner imperiously. + +"That is impossible!" + +Frederick had heard enough. He stepped to the door and threw it +open. "Signora, I am ready to receive you; have the goodness to +enter." He stepped abruptly forward, and, giving his hand to +Barbarina, led her into his cabinet. + +Barbarina greeted him with a sweet smile, and gave a glance of +triumph to the guard, who had dared to refuse her entrance. + +The king conducted her silently to his boudoir, and nodded to her to +seat herself upon the divan. But Barbarina remained standing, and +fixed her great burning eyes upon his face. + +"I see a cloud upon your brow, sire," said she, in a fond and +flattering tone. "What poor insect has dared to vex my royal lion? +Was it an insect? Was it--" + +"No, no," said Frederick, interrupting her, "an angel or a devil has +tortured me, and banished joy and peace from my heart. Now tell me, +Barbarina, what are you? Are you a demon, come to martyr me, or an +angel of light, who will transform my wild dreams of love and bliss +into reality? There are hours of rapture in which I believe the +latter, in which your glance of light and glory wafts my soul on +golden, wings into the heaven of heavens, and I say to myself, 'I am +not only a king, but a god, for I have an angel by my side to +minister to me.' But then, alas! come weary times in which you seem +to me an evil demon, and I see in your flashing eyes that eternal +hatred which you swore to cherish in the first hour of our meeting." + +"Alas! does your majesty still remember that?" said Barbarina, in a +tone of tender reproof. + +"You have taken care that I shall not forget it. You once told me +that from hatred to love was but a small step. If you have truly +advanced so far, how can I be assured but you will one day step +backward?" + +"How can you be assured?" said she, pointing a rosy finger with +indescribable grace at the king. "Ah. sire! your divine beauty, your +eyes, which have borrowed lightning from Jove and glory from the +sun--your brow, where majesty and wisdom sit enthroned, and that +youthful and enchanting smile which illuminates the whole--all these +make assurance doubly sure! I will not allude to your throne, and +its pomp and power! What is it to me that you are a king? For me you +are a man, a hero, a god. Had I met you as a shepherd in the fields, +I should have said, 'There is a god in disguise!' The fable is +verified, and 'Apollo is before me!' Apollo, I adore, I worship you! +let one ray from your heavenly eyes fall upon my face!" She knelt +before him, folding her hands, extended them pleadingly toward the +king, and looked upon him with a ravishing smile. + +The king raised her, and pressed her--in his arms, then took her +small head in his hands, and turning it backward, gazed searchingly +in her face. + +"Oh! Barbarina," said he, sadly, "to-day you are an angel, why were +you a demon yesterday? Why did you martyr and torture me with your +childish moods and passionate temper? Why is your heart, which can +be so soft and warm, sometimes cold as an iceberg and wholly +pitiless? Child! child! do you not know I have been wounded by many +griefs, and that every rough word and every angry glance is like a +poisoned dagger to my soul? I had looked forward with such delight +to our meeting yesterday at Rothenberg's! I expected so much +happiness, and I had earned it by a diligent and weary day's work. +Alas! you spoiled all by your frowning brow and sullen silence. It +was your fault that T returned home sad and heartless. I could not +sleep, but passed the night in trying to find out the cause of your +melancholy. This morning I could not work, and have robbed my +kingdom and my people of the hours which properly belong to them; +weak and powerless, I have been swayed wholly by gloom and +discontent. What was it, Barbarina, which veiled your clear brow +with frowns, and made your sweet voice so harsh and stern?" + +"What was it?" said Barbarina, sadly; and resting on the arm of the +king, she leaned her head back and looked up at him with half-closed +eyes. "It was ambition which tortured me. But I did wrong to conceal +any thing from you. I should, without sullen or angry looks, have +made known the cause of my despair. I should have felt that I had +only to breathe my request, and that the noble and magnanimous heart +of my king would understand me. I should have known that the man who +had won laurels in the broad fields of science and on the bloody +battle-field, would appreciate this thirst for renown; this glowing, +burning hate toward those who cross our paths and wish to share our +fame!" + +"Jealous? you are jealous, then, of some other artiste," said the +king, releasing Barbarina from his arms. + +"Yes, sire, I am jealous!--jealous of your smiles, of your applause; +of the public voice, of the bravos, which like a golden shower have +fallen upon me alone, and which I must now divide with another!" + +"Of whom, then, are you jealous?" said the king. + +She threw her head back proudly, a crimson blush blazed upon her +cheeks, and her eyes sparkled angrily. + +"Why has this Marianna Cochois been engaged? Why has Baron von +Swartz put this contempt upon me?" said she fiercely. "To engage +another artiste is to say to the world, that Barbarina no longer +pleases, that she no longer has the power to enrapture the public, +that her triumphs are over, and her day is past! Oh! this thought +has made me wild! Is not Barbarina the first dancer of the world? +Can it be that another prima donna, and not the Barbarina, is +engaged for the principal role in a new and splendid ballet? Does +Barbarina live, and has she not murdered the one who dared to do +this, to bring this humiliation upon her?" + +Tears gushed from her eyes, and sobbing loudly, she hid her face in +her hands. The king gazed sadly upon her, and a weary smile played +upon his lip. + +"You are all alike--all," said he, bitterly, "and the great artiste +is even as narrow-minded and pitiful as the unknown and humble; you +are all weak, vain, envious, and swayed by small passions; and to +think that you, Barbarina, are not an exception; that the Barbarina +weeps because Marianna Cochois is to play the principal role in the +new ballet, 'Toste Galanti.'" + +"She shall not, she dare not," cried Barbarina; "I will not suffer +this humiliation; I will not be disgraced, dishonored in Berlin; I +will not sit unnoticed in a loge, and listen to the bravos and +plaudits awarded to another artiste which belong to me alone! Oh, +sire, do not allow this shame to be put upon me! Command that this +part, which is mine, which belongs to me by right of the world-wide +fame which I have achieved, be given to me! I implore your majesty +to take this role from the Cochois, and restore it to me." + +"That is impossible, Barbarina. The Cochois, like every other +artiste, must have her debut. Baron Swartz has given her the +principal part in 'Toste Galanti,' and I cannot blame him." + +"Oh! your majesty, I beseech you to listen. Is it not true--will you +not bear witness to the fact that Barbarina has never put your +liberality and magnanimity to the test; that she has never shown +herself to be egotistical or mercenary? I ask nothing from my king +but his heart, the happiness to sit at his feet, and in the sunshine +of his eyes to bathe my being in light and gladness. Sire, you have +often complained that I desired and would accept nothing from you; +that diamonds and pearls had no attraction for me. You know that not +the slightest shadow of selfishness has fallen upon my love! Now, +then, I have a request to-day: I ask something from my king which is +more precious in my eyes than all the diamonds of the world. Give me +this role; that is, allow me to remain in the undisturbed possession +of my fame." She bowed her knee once more before the king, but this +time he did not raise her in his arms. + +"Barbarina," said he, sadly and thoughtfully, "put away from you +this unworthy and pitiful envy. Cast it off as you do the tinsel +robes and rouge of the stage with which you conceal your beauty. Be +yourself again. The noble, proud, and great-hearted woman who shines +without the aid of garish ornament, who is ever the queen of grace +and beauty, and needs not the borrowed and false purple and ermine +of the stage. Grant graciously to the Cochois this small glory, you +who are everywhere and always a queen in your own right!" + +Barbarina sprang from her knees with flashing eyes. "Sire," said +she, "you refuse my request--my first request--you will not order +that this part shall be given to me?" + +"I cannot; it would be unjust." + +"And so I must suffer this deadly shame; must see another play the +part which belongs to me; another made glad by the proud triumphs +which are mine and should remain mine. I will not suffer this! I +swear it! So true as my name is Barbarina I will have no rival near +me! I will not be condemned to this daily renewed struggle after the +first rank as an artiste. I will not bear the possibility of a +comparison between myself and any other woman. I am and I will +remain the first; yes, I will!" + +She raised herself up defiantly, and her burning glance fell upon +the face of the king, but he met it firmly, and if the bearing of +Barbarina was proud and commanding, that of King Frederick was more +imposing. + +"How!" said he, in a tone so harsh and threatening that Barbarina, +in spite of her scorn and passion, felt her heart tremble with fear. +"How! Is there another in Prussia who dares say, 'I will?' Is it +possible that a voice is raised in contradiction to the expressed +will of the king?" + +Barbarina turned pale and trembled. The countenance of Frederick +expressed what she had never seen before. It was harsh and cold, and +a cutting irony spoke in his glance and a contemptuous smile played +upon his lip. + +"Mercy, mercy!" cried she, pleadingly; "have pity with my passion. +Forget this inconsiderate word which scorn and despair drew from me. +Oh! sire, do not look upon me so coldly, unless you wish that I +should sink down and die at your feet; crush me not in your anger, +but pardon and forget." + +With her lovely face bathed in tears and her arms stretched out +imploringly; she drew near the king, but he stood up erect and +stepped backward. + +"Signora Barbarina, I have nothing to forgive, but I cannot grant +your request. The Cochois keeps her role, and if you have any +complaint to make, apply to your chief, Baron Swartz; and now, +signora, farewell; the audience is ended." + +He bowed his head lightly and turned away; but Barbarina uttered one +wild cry, sprang after him, and with mad frenzy she clung to his +arm. + +"Sire, sire! do not go," she said, breathlessly; "do not forsake me +in your rage. My God, do you not see that I suffer; that I shall be +a maniac if you desert me!" and, gliding to his feet, she clasped +his knees with her beautiful arms, and looked up at him imploringly. +"Oh, my king and my lord, let me be as a slave at your feet; do not +spurn me from you!" + +King Frederick did not reply; he leaned forward and looked down upon +the lovely and enchanting woman lying at his feet, and never, +perhaps, had her charms appeared so intoxicating as at this moment, +but his face was sad, and his eyes, usually so clear and bright, +were veiled in tears. There was a pause. Barbarina still clung to +his knees, and looked up beseechingly, and the king regarded her +with an expression of unspeakable melancholy; his great soul seemed +to speak in the glance which fixed upon her. It was eloquent with +love, rapture, and grief. Now their eyes met and seemed immovably +fixed. In the midst of the profound silence nothing was heard but +Barbarina's sighs. She knew full well the significance of this +moment. She felt that fate, with its menacing and unholy shadow, was +hovering over her. Suddenly the king roused himself, and the voice +which broke the solemn silence sounded strange and harsh to +Barbarina. + +"Farewell, Signora Barbarina," said the king. + +Barbarina's arms sank down powerless, and a sob burst from her lips. +The king did not regard it; he did not look back. With a firm hand +he opened the door which led into his chamber; entered and closed +it. He sank upon a chair, and gave one long and weary sigh. A +profound despair was written on his countenance, and had Barbarina +seen him, she would have appreciated the anguish of his heart. + +She lay bathed in tears before his door, and cried aloud: "He has +forsaken me! Oh, my God, he has forsaken me!" This fearful and +terrible thought maddened her; she sprang up and shook the door +fiercely, and with a loud and piteous voice she prayed for entrance. +She knew not herself what words of love, of anguish, of despair, and +insulted pride burst from her pallid lips. One moment she threatened +fiercely, then pleaded touchingly for pardon; sometimes her voice +seemed full of tears--then cold and commanding. The king stood with +folded arms, leaning against the other side of the door. He heard +these paroxysms of grief and rage, and every word fell upon his +heart as the song of the siren upon the ear of Ulysses. But +Frederick was mighty and powerful; he needed no ropes or wax to hold +him back. He had the strength to control his will, and the voice of +wisdom, the warning voice of duty, spoke louder than the siren's +song. + +"No," said he, "I will not, I dare not allow myself to be again +seduced. All this must come to an end! I have long known this, but I +had no strength to resist temptation. Have I not solemnly sworn to +have but one aim in life--to place the good of my people far above +my own personal happiness? If the man and the king strive within me +for mastery, the king must triumph above all other things. I must +consider the holy duties which my crown lays upon me; my time, my +thoughts, my strength, belong to my people, my land. I have already +robbed them, for I have withdrawn myself. I have suffered an +enchantress to step between me and my duty--another will than mine +finds utterance, influences, and indeed controls my thoughts and +actions. Alas! a king should be old and be born with the heart of a +graybeard--he dare never have a heart of youth and fire if he would +serve his people faithfully and honestly! With a heart of flesh I +might have been a happier, a more amiable man, but a weak, unworthy +king. I should have been intoxicated by a woman's love, and her +light wish would have been more powerful than my will. Never, never +shall that be! I will have the courage to trample my own heart under +foot, and the sorrows of the man shall bo soothed and healed by the +pomp and glory of the king." + +In the next room Barbarina leaned over against the door, exhausted +by her prayers and tears. "Listen to me, my king," said she, softly. +"In one hour you have broken my will and humbled my pride forever! +From this time onward Barbarina has no will but yours. Command me, +then, wholly. Say to me that I am never to dance again, and I swear +to you that my foot shall never more step upon the stage; command +that all my roles shall be given to the Cochois, I will myself hand +them to her and pray her to accept them. You see, my king, that I am +no longer proud--no longer ambitious. Have mercy upon me then, sire; +open this fearful door; let me look upon your face; let me lie at +your feet. Oh, my king, be merciful, be gracious; cast me not away +from you!" + +The king leaned, agitated and trembling, against the door. Once he +raised his arm and laid his hand upon the bolt. Barbarina uttered a +joyful cry, for she had heard this movement. But the king withdrew +his hand again. All was still; from time to time the king heard a +low sigh, a suppressed sob, then silence followed. + +Barbarina pleaded no more. She knew and felt it was in vain. Scorn +and wounded pride dried the tears which love and despair had caused +to flow. She wept no more--her eyes were flaming--she cast wild, +angry glances toward the door before which she had lain so long in +humble entreaty. Threateningly she raised her arms toward heaven, +and her lips murmured unintelligible words of cursing or oaths of +vengeance. + +"Farewell, King Frederick," she said, at last, in mellow, joyous +tones--"farewell! Barbarina leaves you." + +She felt that, in uttering these words, the tears had again rushed +to her eyes. She shook her head wildly, and closed her eyelids, and +pressed her hands firmly upon them, thus forcing back the bitter +tears to their source. Then with one wild spring, like an enraged +lioness, she sprang to the other door, opened it and rushed out. + +Frederick waited some time, then entered the room, which seemed to +him to resound with the sighs and prayers of Barbarina. It brought +back the memory of joys that were past, and it appeared to him even +as the death-chamber of his hopes and happiness. He stepped hastily +through the room and bolted the door through which Barbarina had +gone out. He wished to be alone. No one should share his solitude-- +no one should breathe this air, still perfumed by the sighs of +Barbarina. King Frederick looked slowly and sadly around him, then +hastened to the door before which Barbarina had knelt. An +embroidered handkerchief lay upon the floor. The king raised it; it +was wet with tears, and warm and fragrant from contact with her +soft, fine hand. He pressed it to his lips and to his burning eyes; +then murmured, lightly, "Farewell! a last, long farewell to +happiness!" + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +THE LAST STRUGGLE FOR POWER. + + +Restless and anxious the two cavaliers of the king paced the +anteroom, turning their eyes constantly toward the door which led +into the king's study, and which had not been opened since yesterday +morning. For twenty-four hours the king had not left his room. In +vain had General Rothenberg and Duke Algarotti prayed for +admittance. + +The king had not even replied to them; he had, however, called +Fredersdorf, and commanded him sternly to admit no one, and not to +return himself unless summoned. The king would take no refreshment, +would undress himself, required no assistance, and must not be +disturbed in the important work which now occupied him. + +This strict seclusion and unaccustomed silence made the king's +friends and servants very anxious. With oppressed hearts they stood +before the door and listened to every sound from the room. During +many hours they heard the regular step of the king as he walked +backward and forward; sometimes he uttered a hasty word, then sighed +wearily, and nothing more. + +Night came upon them. Pale with alarm, Rothenberg asked Algarotti if +it was not their duty to force the door and ascertain the condition +of his majesty. + +"Beware how you take that rash step!" said Fredersdorf, shaking his +head. "The king's commands were imperative; he will be alone and +undisturbed." + +"Have you no suspicion of the cause of his majesty's distress?" +asked Algarotti. + +"For some days past the king has been grave and out of humor," +replied Fredersdorf. "I am inclined to the opinion that his majesty +has been angered and wounded by some dear friend." + +General Rothenberg bent over and whispered to Algarotti: "Barbarina +has wounded him; for some time past she has been sullen and +imperious. These haughty and powerful natures have been carrying on +an invisible war with each other; they both contend for +sovereignty." + +"If this is so, I predict confidently that the beautiful Barbarina +will be conquered," said Algarotti. "Mankind will always be +conquered by Frederick the king, and must submit to him. So soon as +Frederick the Great recognizes the fact that the man in him is +subjected by the enchanting Barbarina, like Alexander the Great, he +will cut the gordian knot, and release himself from even the soft +bondage of love." + +"I fear that he is strongly bound, and that the gordian knot of love +can withstand even the king's sword. Frederick, ordinarily so +unapproachable, so inexorable in his authority and self-control, +endures with a rare patience the proud, commanding bearing of +Barbarina. Even yesterday evening when the king did me the honor to +sup with me in the society of the Barbarina, in spite of her +peevishness and ever-changing mood, he was the most gallant and +attentive of cavaliers." + +"And you think the king has not seen the signora since that time?" + +"I do not know; let us ask the guard." + +The gentlemen ascertained from the guard that Barbarina had left the +king's room in the morning, deadly pale, and with her eyes inflamed +by weeping. + +"You see that I was right," said Algarotti; "this love-affair has +reached a crisis." + +"In which I fear the king will come to grief," said Rothenberg. +"Believe me, his majesty loves Barbarina most tenderly." + +"Not the king! the man loves Barbarina. But listen! did you not hear +a noise?" + +"Yes, the low tone of a flute," said Fredersdorf. "Let us approach +the door." + +Lightly and cautiously they stepped to the door, behind which the +king had carried on this fierce battle with himself, a battle in +which he had shed his heart's best blood. Again they heard the sound +of the flute: it trembled on the air like the last sigh of love and +happiness; sometimes it seemed like the stormy utterance of a strong +soul in extremest anguish, then melted softly away in sighs and +tears. Never in the king's gayest and brightest days had he played +with such masterly skill as now in this hour of anguish. The pain, +the love, the doubt, the longing which swelled his heart, found +utterance in this mournful adagio. Greatly moved, the three friends +listened breathlessly to this wondrous development of genius. The +king completed the music with a note of profound suffering. + +Algarotti bowed to Rothenberg. "Friend," said he, "that was the last +song of the dying swan." + +"God grant that it was the last song of love, not the death-song of +the king's heart! When a man tears love forcibly from his heart, I +am sure he tears away also a piece of the heart in which it was +rooted." + +"Can we not think of something to console him? Let us go in the +morning to Barbarina; perhaps we may learn from her what has +happened." + +"Think you we can do nothing more to-day to withdraw the king from +his painful solitude?" + +"I think the king is a warrior and a hero, and will be able to +conquer himself." + +While the king, in solitude, strengthened only by his genius, +struggled with his love, Barbarina, with all the passion of her +stormy nature, endured inexpressible torture. She was not alone--her +sister was with her, mingled her tears with hers, and whispered +sweet words of hope. + +"The king will return to you; your beauty holds him captive with +invisible but magic bonds. Your grace and fascinations will live in +his memory, will smile upon him, and lure him back humble and +conquered to your feet." + +Barbarina shook her head sadly. "I have lost him. The eagle has +burst the weak bonds with which I had bound his wings; now he is +free, he will again unfold them, and rise up conquering and to +conquer in the blue vaults of heaven. In the rapturous enjoyment of +liberty he will forget how happy he was in captivity. No, no; I have +lost him forever!" + +She clasped her hands over her face, and wept bitterly. Then, as if +roused to extremity by some agonizing thought, she sprang from her +seat; her eyes were flashing, her cheeks crimson. + +"Oh, to think that he abandoned me; that I was true to him; that a +man lives who deserted Barbarina! That is a shame, a humiliation, of +which I will die--yes, surely die!" + +"But this man was, at least, a king," said her sister, in hesitating +tones. + +Barbarina shook her head fiercely, and her rich black hair fell +about her face in wild disorder. + +"What is it to me that he is a king? His sceptre is not so powerful +as that of Barbarina. My realm extends over the universe, wherever +men have eyes to see and hearts to feel emotion. That this man is a +king does not lessen my shame, or make my degradation less bitter. +Barbarina is deserted, forsaken, spurned, and yet lives. She is not +crushed and ground to death by this dishonor. But, as I live, I will +take vengeance, vengeance for this monstrous wrong--this murder of +my heart!" + +So, in the midst of wild prayers, and tears, and oaths of vengeance, +the day declined; long after, Barbarina yielded to the tender +entreaties of Marietta, and stretched herself upon her couch. She +buried her head in the pillows, and during the weary hours of the +night she wept bitterly. + +With pale cheeks and weary eyes she rose on the following morning. +She was still profoundly sad, but no longer hopeless. Her vanity, +her rare beauty, in whose magic power she still believed, whispered +golden words of comfort, of encouragement; she was now convinced +that the king could not give her up. "He spurned me yesterday, to- +day he will implore me to forgive him." She was not surprised when +her servant announced Duke Algarotti and General Rothenberg. + +"Look you," said she, turning to her sister, "you see my heart +judged rightly. The king sends his two most confidential friends to +conduct me to him. Oh, my God, grant that this poor heart, which has +borne such agony, may not now break from excess of happiness! I +shall see him again, and his beautiful, loving eyes will melt out of +my heart even the remembrance of the terrible glance with which he +looked upon me yesterday. Farewell, sister; farewell--I go to the +king." + +"But not so; not in this negligee; not with this hair in wild +disorder," said Marietta, holding her back. + +"Yes, even as I am," said Barbarina. "For his sake I have torn my +hair; for his sake my eyes are red; my sad, pale face speaks +eloquently of my despair, and will awaken his repentance." + +Proudly, triumphantly she entered the saloon, and returned the +profound salutation of the two gentlemen with a slight bow. + +"You bring me a message from his majesty?" said she, hastily. + +"The king commissioned us to inquire after your health, signora," +said Algarotti. + +Barbarina smiled significantly. "He sent you to watch me closely," +thought she; "he would ascertain if I am ready to pardon, ready to +return to him. I will meet them frankly, honestly, and make their +duty light.--Say to his majesty that I have passed the night in +sighs and tears, that my heart is full of repentance. I grieve for +my conduct." + +The gentlemen exchanged a meaning glance; they already knew what +they came to learn. Barbarina had had a contest with the king, and +he had separated from her in scorn. Therefore was the proud +Barbarina so humble, so repentant. + +Barbarina looked at them expectantly; she was convinced they would +now ask, in the name of the king, to be allowed to conduct her to +the castle. But they said nothing to that effect. + +"Repentance must be a very poisonous worm," said General Rothenberg, +looking steadily upon the face of Barbarina; "it has changed the +blooming rose of yesterday into a fair, white blossom." + +"That is perhaps fortunate," said Algarotti. "It is well known that +the white rose has fewer thorns than the red, and from this time +onward, signora, there will be less danger of mortal wounds when +approaching you." + +Barbarina trembled, and her eyes flashed angrily. "Do you mean to +intimate that my strength and power are broken, and that I can never +recover my realm? Do you mean that the Barbarina, whom the king so +shamefully deserted, so cruelly humiliated, is a frail butterfly? +That the purple hue of beauty has been brushed from my wings? that I +can no longer charm and ravish the beholder because a rough hand has +touched me?" + +"I mean to say, signora, that it will be a happiness to the king, if +the sad experience of the last few days should make you milder and +gentler of mood," said Algarotti. + +Rothenberg and himself had gone to Barbarina to find out, if +possible, the whole truth. They wished to deceive her--to lead her +to believe that the king had fully confided in them. + +"The king was suffering severely yesterday from the wounds which the +sharp thorns of the red rose had inflicted," said Rothenberg. + +"And did he not cruelly revenge himself?" cried Barbarina. "He left +me for long hours kneeling at his door, wringing my hands, and +pleading for pity and pardon, and he showed no mercy. But that is +past, forgotten, forgiven. My wounds have bled and they have healed, +and now health and happiness will return to my poor martyred heart. +Say to my king that I am humble. I pray for happiness, not as my +right, but as a royal gift which, kneeling and with uplifted hands, +I will receive, oh, how gratefully! But no, no, you shall not tell +this to the king--I will confess all myself to his majesty. Come, +come, the king awaits us--let us hasten to him!" + +"We were only commanded to inquire after the health of the signora," +said Algarotti, coolly. + +"And as you have assured us that you have passed the night in tears +and repentance, this confession may perhaps ameliorate his majesty's +sufferings," said Rothenberg. + +Barbarina looked amazed from one to the other. Suddenly her cheeks +became crimson, and her eyes flashed with passion. "You did not come +to conduct me to the king?" said she, breathlessly. + +"No, signora, the king did not give us this commission." + +"Ah! he demands, then, that I shall come voluntarily? Well, then, I +will go uncalled. Lead me to his majesty!" + +"That is a request which I regret I cannot fulfil. The king has +sternly commanded us to admit no one." + +"No one?" + +"No one, without exception, signora," said Algarotti, bowing +profoundly. + +Barbarina pressed her lips together to restrain a cry of anguish. +She pressed her hands upon the table to sustain her sinking form. +"You have only come to say that the king will not receive me; that +to-day, as yesterday, his doors are closed against me. Well, then, +gentlemen, you have fulfilled your duty. Go and say to his majesty I +shall respect his wishes--go, sirs!" + +Barbarina remained proudly erect, and replied to their greeting with +a derisive smile. With her hands pressed nervously on the table, she +looked after the two cavaliers as they left her saloon, with wide- +extended, tearless eyes. But when the door closed upon them, when +sure she could not be heard by them, she uttered so wild, so +piercing a cry of anguish, that Marietta rushed into the room. +Barbarina had sunk, as if struck by lightning, to the floor. + +"I am dishonored, betrayed, spurned," cried she, madly. "O God! let +me not outlive this shame--send death to my relief!" + +Soon, however, her cries of despair were changed to words of scorn +and bitterness. She no longer wished to die--she wished to revenge +herself. She rose from her knees, and paced the room hastily, +raging, flashing, filled with a burning thirst for vengeance, +resolved to cast a veil over her shame, and hide it, at least, from +the eyes of the world. + +"Marietta, O Marietta!" cried she, breathlessly, "help me to find +the means quickly, by one blow to satisfy my vengeance!--a means +which will prove to the king that I am not, as be supposes, dying +from grief and despair; that I am still the Barbarina--the adored, +triumphant, all-conquering artiste--a means which will convince the +whole world that I am not deserted, scorned, but that I myself am +the inconstant one. Oh, where shall I find the means to rise +triumphantly from this humiliation? where--" + +"Silence, silence, sister! some one is coming. Let no one witness +your agitation." + +The servant entered and announced that Baron von Swartz, director of +the theatre, wished to know if the signora would appear in the +ballet of the evening. + +"Say to him that I will dance with pleasure," said Barbarina. + +When once more alone, Marietta entreated her to be quiet, and not +increase her agitation by appearing in public. + +Barbarina interrupted her impatiently. "Do you not see that already +the rumor of my disgrace has reached the theatre? Do you not see the +malice of this question of Baron Swartz? They think the Barbarina is +so completely broken, crushed by the displeasure of the king, that +she can no longer dance. They have deceived themselves--I will dance +tonight. Perhaps I shall go mad; but I will first refute the +slander, and bring to naught the report of my disgrace with the +king." + +And now the servant entered and announced Monsieur Cocceji. + +"You cannot possibly receive him," whispered Marietta. "Say that you +are studying your role, for the evening; say that you are occupied +with your toilet. Say what you will, only decline to receive him." + +Barbarina looked thoughtful for a moment. "No," said she, musingly, +"I will not dismiss him. Conduct Cocceji to my boudoir, and say he +may expect me." + +The moment the servant left them, Barbarina seized her sister's +hand. "I have prayed to God for means to revenge myself, and He has +heard my prayer. You know Cocceji loves me, and has long wooed me in +vain. Well, then, today he shall not plead in vain; to-day I will +promise him my love, but I will make my own conditions. Come, +Marietta!" + +Glowing and lovely from excitement, Barbarina entered the boudoir +where the young Councillor Cocceji, son of the minister, awaited +her. With an enchanting smile, she advanced to meet him, and fixing +her great burning eyes upon him, she said softly, "Are you not yet +cured of your love for me?" + +The young man stepped back a moment pale and wounded, but Barbarina +stood before him in her wondrous beauty; a significant, enchanting +smile was on her lip, and in her eyes lay something so sweetly +encouraging, so bewildering, that he was reassured, he felt that it +was not her intention to mock at his passion. + +"This love is a fatal malady of which I shall never be healed," he +said warmly; "a malady which resists all remedies." + +"What if I return your love?" said she in soft, sweet tones. + +Cocceji's countenance beamed with ecstasy; he was completely +overcome by this unlooked-for happiness. + +"Barbarina, if I dream, if I am a somnambulist, do not awaken me! +If, in midsummer madness only, I have heard these blissful words, do +not undeceive me! Let me dream on, give my mad fancy full play; or +slay me if you will, but do not say that I mistake your meaning!" + +"I shall not say that," she whispered, almost tenderly. "For a long +year you have sworn that you loved me." + +"And you have had the cruelty to jest always at my passion." + +"From this day I believe in your love, but you must give me a proof +of it. Will you do that?" + +"I will, Barbarina!" + +"Well, then, I demand no giant task, no herculean labor; there is no +rival whom you must murder! I demand only that you shall make your +love for me known to the whole world. Give eclat to this passion! I +demand that with head erect, and clear untroubled eye, you shall +give the world a proof of this love! I will not that this love you +declare to me so passionately shall be hidden under a veil of +mystery and silence. I demand that you have the courage to let the +sun in the heavens and the eyes of men look down into your heart and +read your secret, and that no quiver of the eyelids, no feeling of +confusion shall shadow your countenance. I will that to-morrow all +Berlin shall know and believe that the young Councillor Cocceji, the +son of the minister, the favorite of the king, loves the Barbarina +ardently, and that she returns his passion. Berlin must know that +this is no cold, northern, German, phlegmatic LIKING, which chills +the blood in the veins and freezes the heart, but a full, ardent, +glowing passion, animating every fibre of our being--an Italian +love, a love of sunshine, and of storm, and of tempest." + +Barbarina was wholly irresistible; her bearing was proud, her eyes +sparkled, her face beamed with energy and enthusiasm. A less +passionate nature than that of Cocceji would have been kindled by +her ardor, would have been carried away by her energy. + +The fiery young Cocceji threw himself at her feet. "Command me! my +name, my life, my hand, are yours; only love me, Barbarina, and I +will be proud to declare how much I love you; to say to the whole +world this is my bride, and I am honored and happy that she has +deigned to accept my hand!" + +"Of this another time," said Barbarina, smiling; "first prove to the +world that you love me. This evening in the theatre give some public +evidence, give the Berliners something to talk about: then--then--" +said she, softly, "the rest will come in time." + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +THE DISTURBANCE IN THE THEATRE. + + +Duke Algarotti and General Rothenberg returned to the castle much +comforted by their interview with Barbarina. + +"The Barbarina repents, and is ready to take the first step toward +reconciliation," said Rothenberg; "I see the end; I will go at once +and order my cook to prepare a splendid supper for the evening." + +"Do not be hasty," said Algarotti, shaking his head; "you may give +your cook unnecessary trouble, and the rich feast might be cold +before the arrival of the king." + +"Do you believe that?" + +"I believe that for a summer cloud or an April shower the king would +not withdraw himself to solitude and silence. It is no passing mood, +but a life question which agitates him." + +"The door has not been opened to-day; Fredersdorf has repeatedly +begged for admittance." + +The two friends stood sad and irresolute in the anteroom, alarmed at +the seclusion and silence of the king. Suddenly the door leading +into the corridor was hastily opened, and a man of commanding and +elegant appearance stood upon the threshold; you saw at a glance +that he was a cavalier and a courtier, while his glowing cheek, his +clear, bright eyes, and jovial smile betrayed the man of pleasure +and the epicure. This remarkable man, in whom every one who looked +upon him felt confidence; whose face, in spite of the thousand +wrinkles which fifty years of an active, useful life had laid upon +it, still retained an innocent, amiable, and childlike expression-- +this man was the Marquis d'Argens, the true, unchangeable, never- +faltering friend of the king. He had consecrated to him his heart, +his soul, his whole being; so great was his reverence for his royal +master, that the letters received from him were always read +standing. The marquis had just returned from Paris; he entered the +anteroom of the king with a gay and happy smile, impatient and eager +to see his beloved master. Without looking around, he hastened to +the door which led into the cabinet of the king. Rothenberg and +Algarotti drew near to him, and greeted him joyously, then told him +of the strange seclusion of the king. The countenance of the marquis +was troubled, and his eyes filled with tears. + +"We must not allow this," he said decidedly; "I will kneel before +the door, and pray and plead till the noble heart of the king is +reached, and he will have pity with our anxiety. Go, Fredersdorf, +and announce me to his majesty." + +"Sire," said Fredersdorf, knocking on the door, "sire, the Marquis +d'Argens is here and begs for admittance." + +No answer was given. + +"Oh, sire," said the marquis, "be merciful; have consideration for +my eagerness to see you after so long an absence; I have travelled +day and night in order to enjoy that happiness a few hours sooner. I +wish to warm and solace myself in the sunshine of your glance; be +gracious, and allow me to enter." + +A breathless silence followed this earnest entreaty. At last the +door was shaken, a bolt was drawn back, and the king appeared on the +threshold. He was pale, but of that clear and transparent pallor +which has nothing in common with the sallow hue of physical +weakness; there was no trace of nervous excitement. Smiling, and +with calm dignity, he approached his friends. + +"Welcome, marquis, most welcome! may joy and happiness crown your +return! No doubt you have much to relate to us of your wild and +impudent countrymen, and I see that Rothenberg and Algarotti are +burning with curiosity to hear an account of your love adventures +and rendezvous with your new-baked and glowing duchesses and +princesses." + +"Ah, your majesty, he approached me with the proud mien of a +conqueror," said Rothenberg, gladly entering into the jesting humor +of the king. "We are more than ready to believe in the triumphs of +the marquis at the court of Louis the Fifteenth." + +"The marquis has done wisely if he has left his heart in Paris," +said Algarotti. "Your majesty knows that he suffers greatly with +heart disease, and every girl whom he does not exactly know to be a +rogue, he believes to be an angel of innocence." + +"You know," said Rothenberg, "that shortly before his journey, his +house-keeper stole his service of silver. The marquis promised to +give her the worth of the silver if she would discover the thief and +restore it. She brought it back immediately, and the marquis not +only paid her the promised sum, but gave her a handsome reward for +her adroitness in discovering the robber. As D'Argens triumphantly +related this affair to me, I dared to make the remark that the +housekeeper was herself the rogue, the good marquis was as much +exasperated with me as if I had dared to charge HIM with theft! +'Have more reverence for women,' said he to me, gravely; 'to +complain of, or accuse a woman, is a crime against God and Nature. +Women are virtuous and noble when not misled, and I cannot see who +could have tempted my good house-keeper; she is, therefore, +innocent.'" + +All laughed heartily, but D'Argens, who cast his eyes to the ground, +looking somewhat ashamed. But the king advanced, and laying both +hands upon the shoulders of the marquis, he looked into the kindly, +genial face with an expression of indescribable love and confidence. + +"He has the heart of a child, the intellect of a sage, and the +imagination of a poet, by the grace of God," said the king. "If all +men were like him, this earth would be no vale of tears, but a +glorious paradise! It is a real happiness to me to have you here, my +dear D'Argens. You shall take the place of the Holy Father, and +bless and consecrate a small spot of earth for me. With your pure +lips you shall pray to the house gods for their blessing and +protection on my hearth, and beseech them to pour a little joy and +mirth into the cup of wormwood and gall which this poor life presses +to our lips. My palace of Weinberg, near Potsdam, is finished. I +will drive you there today--you alone, marquis! As for the others, +they are light-minded, audacious, suspicious children of men, and +they shall not so soon poison the air in my little paradise with +their levities. You alone, D'Argens, are worthy. You are pure as +those who lived before the fall. You have never tasted of the +ominous and death-giving apple. You will go with me, then, to +Weinberg, and when you have consecrated it, you shall relate to me +the chronique scandaleuse of the French court. Now, however, I must +work!--Fredersdorf, are my ministers here?" + +"Sire, they have been an hour in the bureau." + +"Who is in the anteroom?" + +"Baron Swartz, with the repertoire of the week." + +"Ah! Swartz," said the king, thoughtfully, "let him enter." + +Fredersdorf hastened to summon the director, and the king +recommenced his careless conversation with his friends. As the baron +entered, the king stepped forward to meet him, and took a paper from +his hand. He read it with seeming indifference, but his lips were +compressed and his brow clouded. + +"Who will dance the solo this evening in Re Pastore?" he said, at +last. + +"Signora Barbarina, your majesty." + +"Ah! the Signora Barbarina," said the king, carelessly, "I thought I +heard that she was indisposed?" + +Frederick's eyes were fixed searchingly upon his friends. He perhaps +suspected the truth, and thought it natural that, in the disquiet of +their hearts, they had sought an explanation of Barbarina. + +"Sire," said Rothenberg, "Signora Barbarina has entirely recovered. +Algarotti and myself made her a visit this morning, and she +commissioned us, if your majesty should be gracious enough to ask +for her, to say that she was well and happy." + +The king made no reply. He walked thoughtfully backward and forward, +then stood before D'Argens, and said, in a kindly tone: "You are so +great an enthusiast for the stage that it would he cruel to take you +to Weinberg this evening. We will go to the theatre and see +Barbarina dance, and to-morrow you shall consecrate my house; and +now, adieu, gentlemen I must work! You will be my guests at dinner, +and will accompany me to the theatre." + +The king entered his study. "She defies me," said he lightly to +himself. "She will prove to me that she is indifferent. Well, so be +it; I will also show that I have recovered!" + +The theatre was at last opened. A brilliant assembly filled the +first range of boxes, and the parquet. The second tier and the +parterre were occupied by the burghers, merchants, and their wives +and daughters, who were waiting with joyful impatience for the +commencement of the performance. The brilliant court circle, +however, was absorbed by other interests. A murmur had spread abroad +that "the Barbarina had fallen into disgrace and lost forever the +favor of the king." The wild despair of the beautiful dancer was +spoken of, and there were some who declared that she had made an +attempt to take her life. Others asserted that she had sworn never +again to appear on the Berlin stage, and that she would assuredly +feign illness in order not to dance. All were looking anxiously for +the rising of the curtain, and toward the side door through which +the king and his suite were accustomed to enter. + +At last the door opened; the drums and trumpets sounded merrily; the +king entered, and walked with calm composure to his chair. The bell +rang, the curtain rolled up, and the ballet began. + +There was at first a dance of shepherds, and shepherdesses, then an +interruption by fauns and satyrs, who intermingled in groups with +the first dancers and ranged themselves on the side of the stage, +waiting for the appearance of the shepherd queen. There was a +breathless pause--every eye but the king's was fixed upon the stage. + +And now there was an outburst of admiration and enthusiasm. Yes, +there she was; rosy, glowing, perfumed, tender, enchanting, and +intoxicating, she floated onward in her robe of silver. Her magical +smile disclosed her small, pearly teeth and laughing dimples; her +great, mysterious black eyes understood the art of flattery and of +menace; in both they were irresistible. Noiselessly she floated +onward to the front of the stage. Now, with indescribable grace, she +bowed her body backward, and standing on tiptoe she raised her +rounded arms high over her head, and looked upward, with a sweet +smile, to a wreath of roses which she held. + +"Wondrous, most wondrous!" cried suddenly a full, clear voice. It +was the young state councillor, Von Cocceji, who sat in the +proscenium box near the stage, and gazed with beaming eyes on +Barbarina. + +Barbarina turned toward him, and smiled sweetly. The king frowned, +and played rather fiercely with his snuff-box. + +"Wondrous!" repeated Cocceji, and threw a threatening, scornful +glance upon a thin, wan young man who sat near him, and who dared, +in a small, weak voice to repeat the "wondrous" of the young +athlete. "I pray you, sir, to refrain from the expression of your +applause, or, if that is impossible, choose your own words, and not +mine to convey your approbation," said the six-footed giant, +Cocceji, to his pallid neighbor. + +The latter looked with a sort of horror at the broad-shouldered, +muscular figure before him, and scarcely daring to breathe loudly, +he looked with wide-open, staring eyes at Barbarina, who was now +floating with enchanting grace upon the stage. The audience had +entirely forgotten the vague rumors of the day--thought no more of +the king. Their attention was wholly given to Barbarina and Cocceji, +whose eyes were ever fixed threateningly upon his shrinking +neighbor. Suddenly, just as Barbarina had completed one of her most +difficult tours and knelt before the lamps to receive the bravos of +the spectators, something flew from the loge of Cocceji, and fell +exactly at Barbarina's feet. + +This offering was no wreath or bouquet of flowers, no costly gem, +but a man, a poor, panting, terrified man, who did not yet +comprehend how he came to make this rapid journey through the air, +nor why Cocceji with his giant hand had seized him and dashed him +upon the stage. + +Confused and terrified, the poor bruised youth lay for some moments +motionless at the feet of Barbarina; then gathering himself up and +bowing profoundly to the king, who regarded him in fierce silence, +he said aloud: "Sire, I pray for pardon; I am not to blame; Cocceji +forbade me, in a proud, commanding tone, to look upon the Signora +Barbarina. As I did not choose to obey this arbitrary order, he +seized me without warning, and dashed me at the feet of the +signora." [Footnote: Machler's "History of Frederick the Great."] +The public, recovering from their astonishment, began to whisper, +laugh merrily, and gaze ironically at the young man, who stood +humble and wan near Barbarina; while Cocceji, turning his bold, +daring face to the audience, seemed to threaten every man who looked +upon him questioningly. The orchestra was silent. Barbarina stood +radiant in grace and beauty, and smiled bewitchingly upon Cocceji. + +"Go on," said suddenly the clear, commanding voice of the king, as +he nodded to the poor youth, who disappeared behind the curtain. "Go +on," said the king again. The music commenced, and Barbarina, +raising her garland of roses, swam like an elf over the boards. The +audience thought not of her grace and beauty. They were wholly +occupied with this curious adventure; they had forgotten her +disgrace. They thought only of Cocceji's passionate love, and +declared he was jealous as a Turk. So Barbarina had gained her +purpose. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +SANS-SOUCI. + + +Early the next morning a plain, simple equipage stood at the gate of +the new park in Potsdam. The king and the Marquis D'Argens entered +the carriage alone. Frederick refused all other attendance; even his +servants were forbidden to accompany him. + +When the carriage stopped he opened the door himself, and springing +lightly out, offered his arm to his older and less agile friend. The +marquis blushed like a young girl, and wished to decline this +offered service of the king. + +Frederick, however, insisted upon giving his assistance, and said, +smiling: "Forget, D'Argens, for this day, that I am a king; grant me +the pleasure of passing the time with you without ceremony, as +friend with friend. Come, marquis, enter my paradise, and I pray you +to encourage a solemn and prayerful mood." + +"Do you know, sire, I have a feeling of oppression and exaltation +combined, such as the Grecians may have felt when they entered the +Delphian valley?" said D'Argens, as arm in arm with the king they +sauntered through the little shady side allee which the king had +expressly chosen in order to surprise the marquis with the +unexpected view of the beautiful height upon which the castle was +erected. + +"Well, I believe that many oracles will go out from this height to +the world," said Frederick; "but they shall be less obscure, shall +bear no double meaning; shall not be partly false, shall contain +great shining truths. I also, dear D'Argens, feel inspired. I seem +to see floating before me through the trees a majestic, gigantic +form of air, with uplifted arm beckoning me to follow her. That is +the spirit of the world's history, marquis; she carries her golden +book on her arm; in her right hand, with which she beckons me, she +holds the diamond point with which she will engrave my name and this +consecrated spot upon her tables. Therefore, my holy father and +priest. I have brought you here to baptize my Weinberg. Come, +friend, that form of air beckons once more; she awaits the baptism +with impatience." + +And now they passed from the little allee and entered the great +avenue; an expression of admiration burst from the lips of the +marquis; with flashing eyes he gazed around upon the magnificent and +enchanting scene. Here, just before them, was the grand basin of +marble, surrounded with groups of marble statues; farther off the +lofty terraces, adorned with enormous orange-trees, rustling their +glossy leaves and pearly blossoms in the morning breeze, greeting +their king with their intoxicating fragrance. Upon the top of these +superb terraces, between groups of marble forms and laughing +cascades, stood the little castle of Weinberg, beautiful in its +simplicity; upon its central cupola stood a golden crown, which +sparkled and glittered in the sunshine. + +The king pointed to the crown. "Look," said he, "how it flashes in +the sun, and throws its shadow upon all beneath it: so is it, or may +it be, with my whole life! May my crown and my reign be glorious!" + +The marquis pressed his hand tenderly. "They will be great and +glorious through all time," said he. "Your grand-children and your +great-grandchildren will speak of the lustre which played upon that +crown, and when they speak of Prussia's greatness they will say: +'When Frederick the Second lived, the earth was glad with light and +sunshine.'" + +Arm in arm, and silently, they mounted the marble steps of the +terrace. Deep, holy silence surrounded them, the cascades prattled +softly. The tops of the tall trees which bordered the terrace bowed +and whispered lowly with the winds; here and there was heard the +melodious note of a bird. No noise of the mad world, no discord +interrupted this holy peace of nature. They seemed to have left the +world behind them, and with solemn awe to enter upon a new +existence. + +Now they had reached the height; they turned and looked back upon +the beautiful panorama which lay at their feet. The luxurious +freshness, the artistic forms, the blue and graceful river winding +through the wooded heights and green valleys, formed an enchanting +spectacle. + +"Is not this heavenly?" said Frederick, and his face glowed with +enjoyment. "Can we not rest here in peace, away from all the sorrows +and sufferings of this world?" + +"This is, indeed, a paradise," cried the marquis. He spread out his +arms in ecstasy as if he would clasp the whole lovely picture to his +breast; then, turning his eyes to heaven, he exclaimed, "O God! +grant that my king may be happy in this consecrated spot!" + +"HAPPY?" repeated Frederick, with a slight shrug. "Say CONTENT, +marquis. I believe that is the highest point any man attains upon +this earth. And now let us enter the house." + +He took the arm of the marquis, and then stepped over the golden +sand to the large glass door which led to the round saloon. As +Frederick opened the door he fixed his great blue eyes steadily upon +D'Argens. + +"Pray! marquis, pray! we stand upon the threshold of a new +existence, which now opens her mysterious portals to us." + +"Sire, my every thought is a prayer for you at this moment." + +They entered the oblong saloon. + +"This is the room which separates me from my friends," said the +king. "This side of the house I will dwell; that side is for the use +of my friends, above all others, dear marquis, for you. In this +saloon we will meet together, and here will be my symposium. Now I +will show you my own room, then the others." + +In the reception-room, which was adorned with taste and splendor, +Frederick remained but a few moments; he scarcely allowed his +artistic friend a fleeting glance at the superb pictures which hung +upon the walls, and for the selection of which he had sent the +merchant, Gotzkowsky, several times to Italy; he gave him no time to +look upon the statues and vases of the Poniatowsken Gallery, for +which four hundred thousand thalers had been paid, but hurried him +along. + +"You must first see my work-room," said Frederick; "afterward we +will examine the rest." + +He opened the door and conducted the marquis into the round library +which had no other adorning than that of books; they stood arrayed +in lofty cases around this temple of intellect, of art, and science, +and even the door through which they had entered, and which the king +had lightly pressed back, had now entirely disappeared behind the +books, with which it was cunningly covered on the inside. + +"You see," said Frederick, "he who enters into this magic circle is +confined for life. He cannot get out, and I will have it so. With +this day begins a new existence for me, D'Argens. When I crossed the +threshold, the past fell from me like an over-ripe fruit." + +Frederick's face was sad, his eye clouded; with a light sigh he laid +his hand upon the shoulder of the marquis and looked at him long and +silently. + +"I wish to tell you a secret," said he at last. "I believe my heart +died yesterday, and I confess to you the death-struggle was hard. +Now it is past, but the place where my heart once beat is sore, and +bleeds yet from a thousand wounds. They will heal at last, and then +I shall be a hard and hardened man. We will speak no more of it." + +"No, sire, we shall not say that you will ever be hardened," cried +D'Argens, deeply moved. "You dare not slander your heart and say +that it is dead. It beats, and will ever beat for your friends, for +the whole world, for all that is great, and glorious, and exalted." + +"Only no longer for love," said the king; "that is a withered rose +which I have cast from me. The roses of love are not in harmony with +thrones or crowns; they grow too high and climb over, or their soft +rosy leaves are crushed. I owe it to my people to keep myself free +from all chains and make my reign glorious. I will never give them +occasion to say that I have been an idle and self-indulgent savant. +I dedicate to Prussia my strength and my life. But here, friend, +here in my cloister, which, like the Convent of the Carmelites, +shall never be desecrated by a woman's foot; here we will, from time +to time, forget all the pomps and glories of the world, and all its +vanities. Here, upon my Weinberg, I will not be a king, but a friend +and a philosopher." + +"And a poet," said D'Argens, in loving tones. "I will now recall a +couplet to the poet-king, which he once repeated to me, when I was +melancholy-almost hopeless: + + "'Nous avons deux moments a vivre; + Qu'il en soit un pour le plaisir.'" + +"Can you believe that we have not already exhausted this moment?" +said Frederick, with a sad smile. Then, after a short pause, his +face lightened and his eye glowed with its wonted fire; a gay +resolve was written in his countenance. "Well, let us try, marquis, +if you are right; let us seek to extend this moment as long as +possible, and when death comes--" + + "Finissons sans trouble, et mourons sans regrets, + En laissant l'univers, comble de nos bienfaits. + Ainsi l'astre du jour au bout de sa carriere, + Repand sur l'horizon une douce lumiere, + Et les derniers rayons qu'il darde dans lea airs, + Sont ses derniers soupirs qu'il donne a l'univers." + +The marquis listened with rapture to this improvised poem of the +king. When it was concluded, the fiery Provencal called out, in an +ecstasy of enthusiasm: "You are not a mere mortal, sire; you are a +king--a hero--yes, a demi-god!" + +"I will show you something to disprove your flattering words," said +Frederick, smiling. "Look out, dear D'Argens; what do you see, +there, directly opposite to the window?" + +"Does your majesty mean that beautiful statue in marble?" + +"Yes, marquis. What do you suppose that to be?" + +"That, sire? It is a reclining statue of Flora." + +"No, D'Argens; THAT is my grave!" + +"Your grave, sire?" said the marquis, shuddering; "and you have had +it placed exactly before the window of your favorite study?" + +"Exactly there; that I may keep death always in REMEMBRANCE! Come, +marquis, we will draw nearer." + +They left the house, and advanced to the Rondel, where the superb +statue of Flora was reclining. + +"There, under this marble form, is the vault in which I shall lie +down to sleep," said Frederick. "I began my building at Weinberg +with this vault. But it is a profound secret; guard it well, also, +dear friend! The living have a holy horror of death; it is not well +to speak of graves or death lightly!" + +D'Argen's eyes were filled with tears. "Oh, sire! may this marble +lie immovable, and the grave beneath it be a mystery for many long +years!" + +The king shook his head lightly, and a heavenly peace was written on +his features. "Why do you wish that?" said he. Then pointing to the +grave, he said: "When I lie there--Je serais sans souci!" [Footnote: +Nicolai, "Anecdotes of King Frederick."] + +"Sans souci!" repeated D'Argens, in low tones, deeply moved, and +staring at the vault. + +The king took his hand smilingly. "Let us seek, even while we live, +to be sans souci, and as evidence that I will strive for this, this +house shall be called 'Sans-Souci!'" + + + + +BOOK IV. + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE PROMISE. + + +It was a lovely summer day. The whole earth seemed to look up with a +smile of faith, love, and happiness into the clear, blue heavens, +whose mysterious depths give promise of a brighter and better +future. Sunshine and clouds were mirrored in the rapid river and +murmuring brook; the stately trees and odorous flowers bowed with +the gentle west wind, and gave a love-greeting to the glorious vault +above. + +Upon the terrace of Sans-Souci stood the king, and looked admiringly +upon the lovely panorama spread out at his feet. Nature and art +combined to make this spot a paradise. The king was alone at the +palace of Sans-Souci; for a few happy hours he had laid aside the +burden and pomp of royalty. He was now the scholar, the philosopher, +the sage, and the friend; in one word, he was what he loved to call +himself, the genial abbot of Sans-Souci. + +At the foot of the romantic hill upon which his palace was built +Frederick laid aside the vain pomp and glory of the world, and with +them all its petty cares and griefs. With every step upon the +terrace his countenance lightened and his breath came more freely. +He had left the valley of tears and ascended the holy mountain. +Repose and purity were around him, and he felt nearer the God of +creation. + +Sans-Souci, now glittering in the sunshine, seemed to greet and +cheer him. These two laconic but expressive words, sans souci, +smoothed the lines which the crown and its duties had laid upon his +brow, and made his heart, which was so cold and weary, beat with the +hopes and strength of youth. + +He was himself again, the warrior, the sage, the loving ruler, the +just king, the philanthropist, the faithful, fond friend; the gay, +witty, sarcastic companion, who felt himself most at home, most +happy, in the society of scholars, artists, and writers. + +Genius was for Frederick an all-sufficient diploma, and those who +possessed it were joyfully received at his court. If, from time to +time, he granted a coat-of-arms or a duke's diadem to those nobles, +"by the Grace of God," it was not so much to do them honor as to +exalt his courtiers by placing among them the great and intellectual +spirits of his time. He had made Algarotti and Chazot dukes, and +Bielfield a baron; he had sent to Voltaire the keys of the wardrobe, +in order that the chosen friend of the philosopher of Sans-Souci +might without a shock to etiquette be also the companion of the King +of Prussia in his more princely castles, and belong to the circle of +prince, and princess, and noble. + +When Frederick entered Sans-Souci he laid aside all prejudices and +all considerations of rank. He wished to forget that he was king, +and desired his friends also to forget it, and to show him only that +consideration which is due to the man of genius and of letters. Some +of his friends had abused this privilege, and Frederick had been +forced to humiliate them. There were others who never forgot at +Sans-Souci the respect and reverence due to the royal house. Amongst +these was his ever-devoted, ever-uniform friend, the Marquis +d'Argens. He loved him, not because he was king, hut because he +believed him to be the greatest, best, most exalted of men. In the +midst of his brilliant court circle and all his earthly pomp, +D'Argens did not forget that Frederick was a man of letters, and his +dear friend; even so, while enjoying the hospitalities of Sans- +Souci, he remembered always that the genial scholar and gentleman +was a great and powerful king. + +Frederick had the greatest confidence in D'Argens, and granted him +more privileges than any other of his friends. Frederick invited +many friends to visit him during the day, but the marquis was the +only guest whose bedchamber was arranged for him at Sans-Souci. + +Four years have elapsed since D'Argens consecrated Weinberg--since +the day in which we closed our last chapter. We take advantage of +the liberty allowed to authors, and pass over these four years and +recommence our story in 1750, the year which historians are +accustomed to consider the most glorious and happy in the life of +Frederick the Second. We all know, alas! that earthly happiness +resembles the purple rose, which, even while rejoicing the heart +with her beauty and fragrance, wounds us with her thorns. We know +that the sunshine makes the flowers bloom in the gardens, on the +breezy mountains, and also on the graves; when we pluck and wear +these roses, who can decide if we are influenced by joy in the +present or sad remembrances of the past? + +Frederick the Great appeared to be gay and happy, but these four +years had not passed away without leaving a mark upon his brow and a +shadow on his heart; his youthful smile had vanished, and the +expression of his lip was stern and resolved. He was now thirty- +eight years of age, and was still a handsome man, but the sunshine +of life had left him; his eyes could flash and threaten like Jove's, +but the soft and loving glance was quenched. Like Polycrates, King +Frederick, in order to propitiate fate, had sacrificed his idol. He +had thus lost his rarest jewel, had become poor in love. Perhaps his +crown rested more firmly upon his head, but his heart had received +an almost mortal wound; it had healed, but he was hardened! + +Frederick thought not of the past four years, and their griefs and +losses, as he stood now upon the terrace of Sans-Souci, illuminated +by the evening sun, and gazed with ravished eyes upon the panorama +spread out before him. + +"Beautiful, wondrous beautiful!" he said to himself. "I think +Voltaire will find that the sun is even as warm and cheering at +Sans-Souci as at Cirey, and that we can be gay and happy without the +presence of the divine Emilie, who enters one moment with her +children, and the next with her learned and abstruse books. +[Footnote: Voltaire lived for ten years in Cirey with his friend the +Marquise Emilie de Chatelet Samont, a very learned lady, to whom he +was much devoted. He had refused all Frederick's invitations because +he was unwilling to be separated from this lady. After twenty years +of marriage, in the year 1749, the countess gave birth to her first +child; two hours after the birth of her son, she seated herself at +her writing-table to write an essay on the Newtonian system; in +consequence of this she sickened and died in two days. After her +death, Voltaire accepted Frederick's invitation to Sans-Souci.] Ah! +I wish he were here; so long as I do not see him, I doubt if he will +come." + +At this moment the king saw the shadow of a manly figure thrown upon +the terrace, which the evening sun lengthened into a giant's +stature. He turned and greeted the Marquis d'Argens, who had just +entered, with a gracious smile. + +"You are indeed kind, marquis," said Frederick; "you have returned +from Berlin so quickly, I think Love must have lent you a pair of +wings." + +"Certainly, Love lent me his wings; the little god knew that your +majesty was the object of my greatest admiration, and that I wished +to fly to your feet and shake out from my horn of plenty the +novelties and news of the day." + +"There is something new, then?" said the king. "I have done well in +sending you as an ambassador to the Goddess of Rumor; she has +graciously sent you back full-handed: let us see, now, in what your +budget consists." + +"The first, and I am sorry to say the most welcome to your majesty, +is this--Voltaire has arrived in Berlin, and will be here to-morrow +morning." + +The king's countenance was radiant with delight, but he was +considerate, and did not express his rapture. + +"Dear marquis, you say that Voltaire has arrived. Do you indeed +regret it?" + +D'Argens was silent and thoughtful for a moment; he raised his head, +and his eyes were obscured by tears. + +"Yes," said he, "I am sorry! We greet the close of a lovely day, no +matter how glorious the declining sun may be, with something of fear +and regret; who can tell but that clouds and darkness may be round +about the morning? To-morrow a new day dawns and a new sun rises in +Sans-Souci. Sire, I grieve that this happy day is ended." + +"Jealous!" said the king, folding his arms and walking backward and +forward upon the terrace. Suddenly he stood before D'Argens and laid +his hands upon his shoulders. "You are right," said he; "a new day +dawns, a new sun rises upon Sans-Souci, but I fear the sun's bright +face will be clouded and the day will end in storm. Voltaire is the +last ideal of my youth; God grant that I may not have to cast it +aside with my other vain illusions! God grant that the man Voltaire +may not cast down the genius Voltaire from the altar which, with +willing hands, I have erected for him in my heart of hearts. I fear +the cynic and the miser. I have a presentiment of evil! My altar +will fall to pieces, and its ruins will crush my own heart. Say what +you will, D'Argens, I have still a heart, though the world has +gnawed at and undermined it fearfully." + +"Yes, sire, a great, noble, warm heart," cried D'Argens, deeply +moved, "full of love and poetry, of magnanimity and mercy!" + +"You must not betray these weaknesses to Voltaire," said the king, +laughing; "he would mock at me, and I should suffer from his +poisonous satire, as I have done more than once. Voltaire is +miserly; that displeases me. Covetousness is a rust which will +obscure and at last destroy the finest metal! The miser loves +nothing but himself. I fear that Voltaire comes to me simply for the +salary I have promised him, and the four thousand thalers I have +sent him for his journey!" + +"In this, sire, you do both yourself and Voltaire injustice. +Voltaire is genial enough to look, not upon your crown, but upon the +clear brow which it shades. He admires and seeks you, not because +you are a king, but because you are a great spirit, a hero, an +author, a scholar, and a philosopher, and, best of all, a good and +noble man." + +"What a simple-minded child yon are, marquis!" said Frederick, with +a sad smile; "you believe even yet in the unselfish attachments of +men. Truly, you have a right to this rare faith; you, at least, are +capable of such an affection. I am vain enough to believe that you +are unselfishly devoted to me." + +"God be thanked for this word!" said D'Argens, with a glowing +countenance. "And now let Voltaire and the seven wise men, and +Father Abraham himself come; your Isaac fears none of them; my king +has faith in me!" + +"Yes," said Frederick, "I believe in you; an evil and bitter thing +will it be, if the day shall ever come when I shall doubt you; from +that time onward I will trust no man. I tell you, D'Argens, your +kindly face and your love are necessary to me; I will use them as a +shield to protect myself against the darts and wiles of the false +world. You must never leave me; I need your calm, kind eye, your +happy smile, your childish simplicity, and your wise experience; I +need a Pylades, I well believe that something of Orestes is hidden +in my nature. And now, my Pylades, swear to me, swear to me that you +will never leave me; that from this hour you will have no other +fatherland than Prussia, no other home than Potsdam and Sans-Souci." + +"Ah, your majesty asks too much. I cannot adjure my fatherland, I +cannot relinquish my Provence. I am the Switzer, with his song of +home; when he hears it in his own land, his heart bounds with joy; +when he hears it in a strange land, his eyes fill with sorrowful +tears. So it is with the 'beau soleil de ma Provence,' the +remembrance of it warms my heart; I think that if I were a weak old +man, the sight of my beautiful sunny home would make me young and +strong. Your majesty will not ask me to abandon my land forever?" + +"You love the sun of Provence, then, more than you do me," said +Frederick, with a slight frown. + +"Your majesty cannot justly say that, when I have turned my back +upon it, and shouted for joy when the sun of the north has cast its +rays upon me. Sire, let me pass my life under the glorious northern +sun, but grant that I may die in my own land." + +"You are incomprehensible, D'Argens; how can you know when you are +about to die, and when it will be time to return to your beautiful +Provence?" + +"It has been prophesied that I shall live to be very old, and I +believe in prophecy." + +"What do you call old, marquis? Zacharias was eighty years of ago +when his youthful wife of seventy gave birth to her first child." + +"God guard me from such an over-ripe youth and such a youthful wife, +sire! I shall be content if my heart remains young till my +seventieth year, and has strength to love my king and rejoice in his +fame; then, sire, I shall be aged and cold, and then it will be time +for the sun of Provence to shine upon me and iny grave. When I am +seventy years of age, your majesty must allow your faithful servant +to remember that France is his home, and to seek his grave even +where his cradle stood." + +"Seventy, marquis! and how old are you now?" + +"Sire, I am still young--forty-six years of age. You see I have only +sought a plea to remain half an eternity at the feet of your +majesty." + +"You are forty-six, and you are willing to remain twenty-four years +at my side. I will then be sixty-six; that is to say, I will be hard +of heart and cold of purpose. I will despise mankind, and have no +illusions. Marquis, I believe when that time comes, I can give you +up. Let it be so!--you remain with me till you are seventy. Give +your word of honor to this, marquis." + +"Rather will your majesty be gracious enough to promise not to +dismiss me before that time?" + +"I promise you, and I must have your oath in return." + +"Sire, I swear! On that day in which I enter my seventieth year, I +will send you my certificate of baptism, which you will also look +upon as my funeral notice. You will say sadly, 'The Marquis d'Argens +is dead,' and I--I will go to ma belle Provence, and seek my grave." +[Footnote: Thiebault, vol. i., p. 360.] + +"But before this time you will become very religious, a devotee, +will you not?" + +"Yes, sire; that is, I shall devoutly acknowledge all your goodness +to me. I shall be the most religious worshipper of all that your +majesty has done for the good of mankind, for the advancement of +true knowledge, and the glory of your great name." + +"So far, so good; but there is in this world another kind of +religion, in the exercise of which you have as yet shown but little +zeal. Will you at last assume this mask, and contradict the +principles which you have striven to maintain during your whole +life? Will you, at the approach of death, go through with those +ceremonies and observances which religion commands?" + +The marquis did not reply immediately. His eye turned to the +beautiful prospect lying at his feet, upon which the last purple +rays of the evening sun were now lingering. + +"This is God, sire!" said he, enthusiastically; "this is truly God! +Why are men not content to worship Him in nature, to find Him where +He most assuredly is? Why do they seek Him in houses made with +hands, and--" + +"And in wafers made of meal and water?" said Frederick, interrupting +him; "and now tell me, marquis, will you also one day seek Him +thus?" + +"Yes, sire," said D'Argens, after a short pause, "I will do thus +from friendship to my brothers, and interest for my family." + +"That is to say, you will be unfaithful to the interests of +philosophy and truth?" + +"It will appear so, sire; but no man of intellect and thought will +be duped by this seeming inconsistency. If the part which I play +seem unworthy, I may be excused in view of my motive--at all events, +I do not think it wrong. The folly of mankind has left me but one +alternative--to be a hypocrite, or to prepare bitter grief for my +relations, who love me tenderly. 'Out of love,' then, for my family, +I will die a hypocrite. [Footnote: The marquis returned to Provence, +in his seventieth year, and died there. The journals hastened to +make known that he died a Christian, recanting his atheistical +philosophy. The king wrote to the widow of the marquis for +intelligence on this subject. She replied that her husband had +received the last sacraments, but only after he was in the arms of +death, and could neither see nor hear, and she herself had left the +room. The marquise added: "Ah, sire, what a land is this! I have +been assured that the greatest service I could render to my husband +would be to burn all his writings, to give all his pictures to the +flames; that the more we burn on earth of that which is sinful or +leads to sin, the less we shall burn in hell!"--Oeuvres Posthumes, +vol. xii., p. 316.] But, sire, why should we speak of death? why +disquiet the laughing spirits of the Greeks and Romans, who now +inhabit this their newest temple by discoursing of graves and +skeletons?" + +"You are right, marquis--away with the ghastly spectre! This present +life belongs to us, and a happy life it shall be. We will sit at the +feet of Voltaire, and learn how to banish the sorrows of life by wit +and mocking laughter. With the imagination and enthusiasm of poets, +we will conceive this world to be a paradise. And now tell me what +other news you have brought back with you from Berlin." + +"Well, sire, Voltaire is not the only star who has risen in Berlin. +There are other comets which from time to time lighten the heavens, +and then disappear for a season to reappear and bring strife and war +upon the earth." + +Frederick looked searchingly upon the marquis. "You speak in +riddles--what comet has returned?" + +"Sire, I know not what to call it. She herself claims a name, her +right to which is disputed by the whole world, though she swears by +it." + +"She? it is, then, a woman of whom you speak?" + +"Yes, sire; a woman whom for years we worshipped as a goddess, or at +least as an enchanting fairy--Barbarina has returned to Berlin." + +"Returned?" said the king, indifferently; but he walked away +thoughtfully to the end of the terrace, and gazed upon the lovely +landscape which, in its quiet beauty, brought peace to his heart, +and gave him the power of self-control. + +The marquis stood apart, and looked with kindly interest upon his +noble face, now lighted by the glad golden rays of the sinking sun. +Among the trees arose one of those fierce, sighing winds, which +often accompany the declining sun, and seem the last struggling +groans of the dying day. This melancholy sound broke the peaceful +stillness around the castle, and drowned the babbling of the brooks +and cascades. As the wild wind rustled madly through the trees, it +tore from their green boughs the first faded, yellow leaves which +had lain concealed, like the first white hairs on the temples of a +beautiful woman, and drove them here and there in wanton sport. One +o these withered leaves fell at the feet of the king. He took it up +and gazed at it. Pensively he drew near the marquis. + +"Look you, friend," said he, holding up the fallen leaf toward the +marquis; "look you, this is to me the Barbarina--a faded remembrance +of the happy past, and nothing more. Homer was right when he likened +the hearts of men to the yellow leaves tossed and driven by the +winds. Even such a leaf is Barbarina; I raise it and lay it in my +herbarium with other mementoes, and rejoice that the dust and ashes +of life have fallen upon it, and taken from it form and color. And +now that you know this, D'Argens, tell me frankly why the signora +has returned. Does she come alone, or with her husband, Lord Stuart +McKenzie?" + +"She has returned with her sister, and Lord Stuart is not her +husband. It is said that when Barbarina arrived in England, she +found him just married to a rich Scotch lady." + +The king laughed heartily. "And yet men expect us to listen gravely +when they rave of the eternity of their love," said he. "This little +sentimental lord called heaven and earth to witness the might of his +love for Barbarina. Was he not almost a madman when I seized his +jewel, and tore her away from Venice? Did he not declare that he +would consider me answerable for his life and reason, if I did not +release my prima donna? He wished her to enter, with an artistic +pirouette, his lofty castle, and place herself, as Lady Stuart +McKenzie, amongst his ever-worthy, ever-virtuous, ever-renowned +ancestors. And now, Barbarina can stand as godmother by his first +born." + +"Or he perform that holy office for Barbarina. It is said that she +is also married." + +"To whom?" + +"To the state councillor, Cocceji." + +"Folly! how can that be? She has been in England, and he has not +left Berlin. But her return will bring us vexation and strife, and I +see already the whole dead race of the Coccejis raising up their +skeleton arms from their graves to threaten the bold dancer, who +dares to call herself their daughter. I prophesy that young Cocceji +will become even as cool and as reasonable as Lord Stuart McKenzie +has become. Give a man time to let the fire burn out--all depends +upon that. This favor his family may well demand of me, and I must +grant it. But now let us enter the house, marquis, the sun has +disappeared, and I am chilled. I know not whether the news you +bring, or the evening air, has affected me. Let us walk backward and +forward once or twice, and then we will go to the library, and you +will assist me in the last verse of a poem I am composing to greet +Voltaire. Do not frown, marquis, let me sing his welcome; who knows +but I may also rejoice in his departure? My heart is glad at his +coming, and yet I fear it. We must not scrutinize the sun too +closely, or we will find spots upon his glorious face. Perhaps +Voltaire and myself resemble each other too much to live in peace +and harmony together. I think wo are only drawn permanently to our +opposites. Believe me, D'Argens, I shall not be able to live twenty- +four years happily with Voltaire, as I shall surely do with you. +Twenty-four years! do not forget that you are mine for twenty-four +years." + +"Sire, as long as I live I am yours. You have not bought me with +gold, but by the power of a noble soul. So long as I live, my heart +belongs to you, even when, at seventy, I fly to seek my grave in +belle Provence. But, my king, I have yet another favor to ask of +you." + +"Speak, marquis, but do not be so cruel as to ask that which I +cannot grant." + +"If it shall please Providence to call me away before I have +attained my seventieth year, if I die in Berlin, will your majesty +grant me the grace not to be buried in one of those dark, damp, +dreary churchyards, where skull lies close by skull, and at the +resurrection every one will be in danger of seizing upon the bones +which do not belong to him, and appearing as a thief at the last +judgment? I pray you, let me remain even in death an individual, and +not be utterly lost in the great crowd. If I die here, grant that I +may be buried where, when living, I have been most happy. Allow me, +after a long and active day, to pass the night of immortality in the +garden of Sans-Souci." + +"It shall be so," said the king, much moved. "There, under the +statue of Flora, is my grave--where shall be yours? Choose for +yourself." + +"If I dare choose, sire, let it be there under that beautiful vase +of ebony." + +Frederick gave a smiling assent, and taking the arm of the marquis, +he said, "Come, we will go to the vase, and I will lay my hand upon +it and consecrate it to you." + +Silently they passed the statue of Flora, which Frederick greeted +gayly, and the marquis with profound reverence then mounted two +small steps and stood upon the green circle. The king paused and +looked down thoughtfully upon a gravestone which his feet almost +touched. + +"Be pious and prayerful on this spot," said he; "we stand by the +grave of my most faithful friend, who is enjoying before us the +happiness of everlasting sleep. Here lies Biche! Hat off, marquis! +She loved me, and was faithful unto death. Who knows if I, under my +statue of Flora, and you, under your vase, will merit the praise +which I, with my whole soul, award to my Biche! She was good and +faithful to the end." [Footnote: Nicolai, "Anecdoten."--Heft, p. +202.] + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +VOLTAIRE AND HIS ROYAL FRIEND. + + +The king had withdrawn to his library earlier than usual; he had +attended a cabinet council, worked for an hour with his minister of +state, and, after fulfilling these public duties, withdrawn gladly +to his books, hoping to consume the time which crept along with +leaden feet. + +The king expected Voltaire; he knew he had arrived at Potsdam, where +he would rest and refresh himself for a few hours, and then proceed +at once to Sans-Souci. + +Frederick regarded this first meeting with Voltaire, after long +years of separation, with more of anxiety than of joyful impatience. +Voltaire's arrival and residence at Sans-Souci had been the warm +desire of Frederick's heart for many years, and yet, as the time for +its fulfilment drew near, the king almost trembled. What did this +mean? How was it that this friendship, which for sixteen years had +been so publicly avowed, and so zealously confirmed by private oaths +and protestations, seemed now wavering and uncertain? + +About now to reach the goal so ardently striven for, the king felt +that he was not pleased. A cold blast seemed to sweep over him, and +fill him with sad presentiments. + +Frederick was filled with wonder and admiration for the genius of +the great French writer, but he knew that, as a man, Voltaire was +unworthy of his friendship. He justly feared that the realities of +life and daily intercourse would fall like a cold dew upon this rare +blossom of friendship between a king and a poet; this tender plant +which, during so many years of separation, they had nourished and +kept warm by glowing assurances and fiery declarations, must now be +removed from the hot-house of imagination, where it had been excited +to false growth by the eloquence of letters, and transplanted into a +world of truth and soberness. + +This friendship had no real foundation; it floated like a variegated +phantom in the air, a fata morgana, whose glittering temple halls +and pillars would soon melt away like the early cloud and the +morning dew. In these "cloud-capped towers and gorgeous palaces," +the two great freethinkers and genial philosophers of their century +intended to cultivate and enjoy their friendship. In these temples +of air they wished to embrace each other, but the two-edged sword of +mistrust and suspicion already flashed between them, and both felt +inclined to draw back. + +Both doubted the sincerity of this friendship, and the less they +believed in it the more eloquently they declaimed as to its ardor +and eternity. Each one thought to himself, "I will enjoy and profit +by the fruit of this friendship, I will yield up the blossoms only." +The blossoms, alas! were artificial, without odor and already +fading, though at the first glance they looked fresh and promising. + +Once, in the youthful ardor of his enthusiasm for genius, Frederick +had forgotten himself so far as to kiss the hand of Voltaire. +[Footnote: Thiebault.] The proud and ambitious poet had boasted +loudly of this act of devotion; for this Frederick had never +forgiven him; he should have guarded it as a holy and dangerous +secret in the innermost shrine of his heart. Voltaire was angry with +the king because he had lately addressed some verses to the young +poet D'Arnaud, in which he was represented as the rising and +Voltaire as the setting sun. [Footnote: Oeuvres posthumes.] And yet +they believed they loved each other, and were about to put their +love to the severe test of uninterrupted intercourse. + +The king awaited Voltaire with impatience, and now he heard the +rolling of carriage-wheels, then the opening of doors, then the +sound of voices. In the first impulse of joy he sprang from his seat +and advanced eagerly to meet Voltaire, but reaching the threshold of +the door ho stood still and considered. "No," said he, "I will not +go to meet him--he would mock at me, perhaps boast of it." He turned +back to Iris chair, and took up the book he had been reading. And +now some one tapped gently upon the door, a servant appeared and +announced "Monsieur Voltaire," and now a figure stood upon the door- +sill. + +This man, with a small, contracted chest, with a back bowed down by +old age or infirmities; this man, with the wonderous countenance, of +which no one could decide if it was the face of a satyr or a demi- +god; whose eyes flashed with heavenly inspiration at one moment, and +in the next glowed with demoniac fire; whose lips were distorted by +the most frightful grimaces or relaxed into the most enchanting +smiles--this man is Voltaire. + +As Frederick's glance met those burning eyes, he forgot all else, +his royalty, his dignity, even Voltaire's baseness and vanity; he +was to him the spirit of the age, the genius of the world, and he +hastened to meet him, opened his arms wide, and pressed him tenderly +to his heart. "Welcome, welcome, my lord and master," said the king; +"I receive you, as becomes a pupil, in my school-room, surrounded by +my books, whose mysterious lessons of wisdom, you, my teacher, will +make clear." + +"On the contrary, sire," said Voltaire, with a soft voice and a most +enchanting smile--"on the contrary, you receive me with all the pomp +of royalty seated upon a throne, which is not yours by inheritance, +but which you have conquered; upon the throne of knowledge and +learning, crowned with the laurels which the gods consecrate to +heroes and poets. Alas! my eyes are dazzled by the lustre which +surrounds me. I bow in humility before this lordly head adorned by +two royal crowns and reigning over two mighty kingdoms. Receive me, +sire, as an ambassador from the realm of poets, whose crown you wear +with so much grace and dignity." + +Frederick smiled kindly. "Let me be only a burgher and your comrade +in arms in the republic of letters," said he. "I hold republics +generally as impossibilities, but I believe in a republic of +letters, and I have a right republican heart, striving after +liberty, equality, and brotherly love. Remember this, friend, and +let us forget at Sans-Souci that your comrade is sometimes the first +servant of a kingdom. And now, tell me how you have borne the +fatigues of the journey, and if you have been received at every +station with the marked attention I had commanded." + +"Yes, sire, everywhere in Prussia I have felt myself almost +oppressed, humbled, by your greatness. How great, how mighty, how +powerful, must your majesty be, when I am so distinguished, so +honored, simply because I enjoy your favor! This honor and this +pleasure alone have given me strength for my journey. My friends in +Paris thought it absurd and ridiculous for me, in my miserable +condition, to attempt so fatiguing a journey. But, sire, I was not +willing to die before I had once more sat at the feet of this great +and yet simple man, this exalted yet genial philosopher. I wished to +revive and quicken my sick heart at this fountain of wit and wisdom. +I come, therefore, not as Voltaire, but as the tragic Scarron of +your century, and throughout my whole journey I have called myself +the 'Invalid of the King of Prussia.'" [Footnote: Oeuvres Completes +de Voltaire. Oeuvres Posthumes.] + +Frederick laughed heartily. "The Marshal of Saxony and yourself are +in the same condition with your maladies; in the extremity of +illness you have more energy and power than all other men in the +most robust health. Voltaire, if you had not come now I should have +considered you a bad penny: in place of the true metal of friendship +I should have suspected you of palming off plated lead upon me. It +is well for you that you are here. You are like the white elephant +for whom the Shah of Persia and the Great Mogul are continually at +war. The one who is so fortunate as to possess the white elephant +makes it always the occasion of an added title. I will follow their +example, and from this time my title shall run thus: 'Frederick, by +the grace of God, King of Prussia, Prince-Elector of Brandenburg, +Possessor of Voltaire, etc. etc.'" + +"Your majesty may say, 'of inalienable Voltaire.' I am wiser than +the white elephant; no war shall be necessary to conquer or to hold +me. I declare myself your majesty's most willing subject joyfully. +Let me then be your white elephant, sire, and if the Great Mogul +covets and demands me, I pray you to conceal me." + +While Voltaire was speaking, he cast a sly glance upon the +countenance of the king, his smile disappeared, and his face lost +its kindly expression. + +Frederick did not, or would not see it. "Not so," said he, gayly; "I +will not conceal you, but boldly declare that you are mine." + +"I am, nevertheless, the subject of the King of France," said +Voltaire, shrugging his shoulders. "When I resolved to leave Paris, +they did not deprive me of my title of 'Historian of the King of +France,' they only took from me my pension. They knew I must travel +by post, and that a title was less weighty for the horses than a +pension of six thousand livres; so they lightened me of that, and I +come unpensioned to your majesty." + +This little comedy was too clear to escape the king, but he seemed +not to understand it. A shadow fell upon his brow, and the +expression of his face was troubled. He wished to worship Voltaire +as a noble, exalted genius, and he was pained to find him a pitiful, +calculating, common man. + +"You have, then, fallen under the displeasure of my brother Louis, +of France?" said he. + +"On the contrary, I am assured that I stand in the highest favor. I +am, indeed, honored with a most agreeable and nattering commission; +and if your majesty allows, I will immediately discharge it." + +"Do so," said Frederick, smiling. "Lay aside every weight, that your +wings may waft you into the heaven of heavens while at Sans-Souci. +You have been relieved of your pension, cast all your ballast into +the scale also." + +"Sire, the Marquise de Pompadour directed me to present your majesty +with her most obedient and submissive greetings, and to assure you +of her reverence and heart-felt devotion." + +Frederick quietly drew his tabatiere from his vest-pocket, and +slowly taking a pinch of snuff, he fixed his burning eyes upon +Voltaire's smiling and expectant face; then said, with the most +complete indifference, "The Marquise de Pompadour. Who is she? I do +not know her!" + +Voltaire looked at the king astonished and questioning. + +Frederick did not remark this, but went on quietly: "Have you no +other greetings for me? Have none of the great spirits, in which +Paris is so rich, remembered me?" + +"I shall be careful not to mention any other greetings. All the so- +called great spirits appear so small in the presence of your exalted +majesty, I fear you will not acknowledge them." + +"Not so," said Frederick; "I gladly recognize all that is really +great and worthy of renown. Voltaire will never find a more +enthusiastic admirer than I am." + +"Ah, sire, these words are a balsam which I will lay upon my breast, +lacerated by the wild outcries of my critics." + +"So the critics have been giving you trouble?" said Frederick. + +"Yes, sire," said Voltaire, with the passionate scorn so peculiar to +him; "they have bored their insatiable and poisonous teeth into my +flesh. They are so miserable and so pitiful, that I seem to myself +miserable and pitiful as their victim, and in all humility I will +ask your majesty, if such hounds are allowed to howl unpunished, +would it not be better for Voltaire to creep into some den, and +acknowledge the wild beasts of the forests as his brothers--perhaps +they might regard his verses as melodious barkings and howlings?" + +"Still the same boisterous hot-head, the Orlando Furioso," cried the +king, laughing heartily. "Is your skin so tender still that the +needles of the little critics disturb you, and to gratify their +malice will you become a mule? If you are driven to abandon the +Muses, friend, who will have the hardihood to stand by them? No, no! +do not follow in the footsteps of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and +Jacob; do not 'visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto +the third and fourth generation;' do not make the public of our day, +and of the next century, suffer for the crimes of a few pitiful +critics. The persecutions and slanders of the envious are the +tribute great merit must always pay to the world at large. Let them +rail on, but do not believe that the nations and the future will be +duped by them. Utterly disregarding the criticisms of the so-called +masters of art, we of this century admire and wonder at the chefs- +d'oeuvre of Greece and Rome. The mad cry of Aeschines docs not +obscure the fame of Demosthenes; and in spite of Lucian, Caesar is, +and will ever remain, the greatest man the world has ever produced. +I guarantee that after your death you will be canonized, worshipped. +I humbly entreat you not to hasten the time, but be content to have +the apotheosis in your pocket, and to be honored by all those who +are too exalted to be envious or prejudiced. I, Frederick, stand +foremost in the ranks." [Footnote: The king's own words.--Oeuvres +Posthumes.] + +"Why cannot the whole world be present to hear the words of a king +whom I am proud, from this day onward, to call MY king?" cried +Voltaire, passionately. "Sire, I love you ardently! I believe the +gods made us for each other. I have long loved you tenderly! I have +been angry with you, but I have forgiven you all, and I love you to +madness! There was never a weaker, frailer body than mine, but my +soul is strong! I dare to say I love you as much as I admire you! +[Footnote: Voltaire's own words.] Verily, I hold this to be as great +a conquest as the five other victories your majesty has achieved, +and for which the world worships you. From this day I will be like +your faithful hound; I will lie at your feet, even though you should +spurn me, and declare that you will not be my master and lord. I +will still return. Your threshold shall be my home, and I will be +content with the crumbs which fall from your table. My fortune and +my happiness shall consist in loving you!" + +"I will not put your love to so hard a proof," said the king, +smiling. "I dare hope to provide you with a more durable dwelling. I +promise you shall not be like Lazarus, feeding upon crumbs. You +shall be the rich man dispensing them." + +Here was a sort of promise and assurance which banished in some +degree the nervous anxiety and distrust of Voltaire, and his +countenance once more beamed with joy. He suppressed his +satisfaction, however, instantly. He did not wish to betray to the +observant eye of Frederick his selfish and miserly nature, and +assumed at once a melancholy look. + +"Sire," said he, "I do not resemble Lazarus; and if your majesty +does not possess the miraculous power of the young rabbi, Jesus +Christus, I fear you will soon have to bury me. But I am as true a +believer as any Jew. I trust fully to the magic power of your hand. +Was not your marvellous touch sufficient to place beautiful Silesia, +a gem of the first water, in the crown of Prussia?--to awaken +spirits, sleeping almost the sleep of death, and to call into life +on these barbarous northern steppes the blossoms of education and +refinement? I believe in the miracles of the Solomon of the North, +and I am willing to give my testimony to the whole world." + +"Nevertheless, if the French cock crows, you will betray me three +times," said the king. "I know you, Voltaire, and I know when you +are enraged, nothing is sacred. I fear that here, as elsewhere, you +will find provocations. But now, before all other things, what have +you brought me? What gift has your muse produced for the poor +philosopher of Sans-Souci? I will not believe that you come with +empty hands, and that the Homer of France has broken his lyre." + +"No, sire, I am not empty-handed! I have brought you a present. I +believe it to be the best and most beautiful production of my muse. +For twenty years I have swelled with indignation at the tragedy +which my good friend, Master Crebillon, made of the most exalted +subject of antiquity. With the adroit hands of a tailor he stitched +up a monkey-jacket out of the purple toga, and adorned it with the +miserable tawdry trifles of a pitiful lore and pompous Gothic verse! +Crebillon has written a French Catiline. I, sire, have written a +Roman Catiline! You shall see, sire, and you shall admire! In one of +my most wretched, sleepless nights, the devil overcame me, and said: +'Revenge Cicero and France! Crebillon has disgraced both. Wash out +this stain from France.' This was a good devil; and even you, sire, +could not have driven me to work more eagerly than he did. Day and +night he chained me to my writing-desk! I feared I should die of +excitement, but the devil held on to me, and the spirits of the +great Romans stood by my table and tore off the absurd and +ridiculous masks which Crebillon had laid upon them. They showed me +their true, exalted, glowing faces, and commanded me to portray +them, 'that the world at last might feel their majestic beauty, and +be no longer deceived by the caricatures of Crebillon!' I was +obliged to obey, sire! I worked unceasingly, and in eight days I had +finished! Catiline was born, and I was as much exhausted as ever a +woman was at the birth of her first-born!" [Footnote: This whole +speech is from Voltaire.] + +"You do not mean that in eight days you completed the tragedy?" said +the king. "You mean only that you have arranged the plot, and will +finish the work here." + +"No, sire, I bring you the tragedy complete, and I wrote it in eight +days. Ah, sire, this is a tragedy you will enjoy! You will see no +lovelorn Tullia, no infirm and toothless Cicero; you will see a +fearful picture of Rome, a picture at which I myself shuddered. But, +sire, when you read it, you must swear to me to read it in the same +spirit in which it is written. I have left to my collegian Crebillon +all his dramatic plunder; his Catiline is a pure fiction. I have +written mine, remembering my province as an historian. Rome is my +heroine; she is the mistress for whom I would interest all Europe. I +have no other intrigue than Rome's danger; no other material than +the mad craft of Catiline, the vehemence and heroic virtue of +Cicero, the jealousy of the Roman Senate, the development of the +character of Caesar; no other women than that unfortunate who was +seduced by Catiline because of her gentleness and amiability. I know +not, sire, if you will shudder at the fourth act, but I, the writer, +trembled and shuddered. My tragedy is not formed upon any model, it +is new in nova fert animus. Truly I know the world will rail at me +for this, and the small souls gnash their teeth and howl, but my +work is written with a great soul, and kindred spirits will +comprehend me. The envious and the pitiful I will at last trample +under my feet. Jupiter strove with the Titans and overcame them. I +am no Jupiter, neither are my adversaries Titans." + +While these words, in an irrepressible and powerful stream of +eloquence, burst from his lips, Voltaire became another man. His +countenance was imposing in its beauty, his eyes glowed with the +fire of inspiration, an enchanting smile played upon his lips, and +his bowed and contracted form was proudly erect and commanding. The +king gazed upon him with admiration. At length, Voltaire, panting +for breath, was silent. Frederick laid his two hands upon his +shoulders, and looked into the glowing face with an indescribable +expression of love and tenderness. + +"Now," said he, "I have again and at last found my Voltaire, my +proud, inspired king of poets, my Homer, crowned with immortality! +The might of genius has torn away the mantle of the courtier, and in +place of pitiful, pliant, humble words, I hear again the melodious, +flashing, eloquent speech of my royal poet! Welcome, Voltaire, +welcome to Sans-Souci, whose poor philosopher is but king of men, +while the spirits are subject unto you! Ah, my all-powerful king and +master, be gracious! You possess a wondrous realm, give me at least +a small province in your kingdom." + +"Sire, you mock at me," cried Voltaire. "I have written Caesar and +Cicero for the theatre. You, however, exhibit on the stage of the +world the two greatest men of the greatest century, combined in your +own person. I have come to gaze upon this wonder; it is a far +loftier drama than mine, and will be surely more nobly represented. +[Footnote: Voltaire's own words.] Your majesty represents what you +truly are, but where shall I find actors to fill the role of Caesar, +Cicero, and Catiline; how shall I change the pitiful souls of the +coulisse into great men; make noble Romans out of these small +pasteboard heroes of the mode? I could find no actors for my tragedy +in Paris, and it shall never be unworthily represented!" + +"We will bring it upon the stage here," said Frederick. "Yes, truly, +this new and great work shall announce, like a flaming comet, +Voltaire's arrival in Berlin. At the same moment in which the +Berlinese see that you are at last amongst them, shall they +acknowledge that you are worthy to be honored and worshipped. In +four weeks, Voltaire, shall your new tragedy be given in my palace." + +"Has your majesty, then, a French company, and such a one as may +dare to represent my Catiline?" + +"For the love of Voltaire will all my courtiers, and even my sister, +become actors; and though a Cicero failed you in Paris, in Berlin we +will surely find you one. Have we not Voltaire who can take that +role. If no reliable director could be found in Paris, I give you +permission to select from my court circle those you consider most +talented and most capable as actors, and you can study their parts +with them--I myself alone excepted. Ten years ago I wished to have +your 'Death of Caesar' given at Rheinsberg, and I had selected a +role; just then the Emperor of Germany died, and fate called me out +upon the great theatre of the world, where I have since then tried +to play my part worthily, and I must consecrate to this all my +strength and ability. I can play no other part! The two roles might +make a rare confusion, and strange results might follow should the +King of Prussia of this morning be changed to the Cicero of the +evening, utter a fulminating speech against tyrants, and call upon +the noble Romans to defend their rights; while this same King of +Prussia is a small tyrant, and his subjects are more like pitiful +slaves than heroic Romans. I must, therefore, confine myself to the +narrow boundaries of a spectator, and applaud you as heartily in +your character of Cicero as I applaud you in that of the great +Voltaire." + +"And is this indeed your intention, sire? My poor tragedy lies in my +writing-desk, seemingly dead; will you awaken it to life and light?" + +"It shall be given in two months, and you shall conduct it." + +Voltaire's countenance darkened; his gay smile disappeared, and +lines of selfishness and covetousness clouded the brow of the great +poet. + +"In two months, sire!" said he, shaking his head. "I fear I shall +not be here. I have only come to sun myself for a few happy days in +your presence." + +"And then?" said Frederick, interrupting him. + +"Then I must fulfil one of the darling dreams of my whole life. I +must go to Italy, to the holy city of Rome, and kneel upon the +graves of Cicero and Caesar. I must see St. Peter's, the Venus de +Medici, and the pope." + +"You will never go to Rome," said Frederick. "The Holy Father will +not have the happiness of converting the blasphemous Saul into the +pious and believing Paul. You will remain in Berlin; if you do not +yield willingly, I must compel you to yield. I will make you my +subject; I will bind you with orders and titles; I will compel you +to accept a salary from me; and then, should they seek to ravish you +from me, I will have a right to withhold you from all the potentates +of the world." + +Voltaire's face was again radiant. "Ah! sire, no power or chains +will be necessary to bind me here; your majesty's command alone +would suffice." + +"And your duty! My gentleman of the bedchamber dare not withdraw +himself for a single day without my permission. I make you gentleman +of the bedchamber. I lay the ribbon of my order, 'pour le merite,' +around your neck, and that I may always have a rope around you, and +make you completely my prisoner, I give you an apartment in my +palace at Potsdam; and that you may not feel yourself a hermit, you +will have every day six covers laid for your friends; and to mock +you with the appearance of liberty, you shall have your own equipage +and servants, who will obey you in all things with one exception--if +you order your valet to pack up your effects, and your coachman to +take the road to Paris, they will disobey." + +Voltaire heard the words of the king with breathless attention. +Sullen suspicion and discontent were written on his face. This did +not, escape the king; he understood the cause, but he said nothing. +Voltaire exhausted himself in words of joy and gratitude, but they +had not the ring of truth, and the joy which his lips expressed +found no echo in his face. + +"I have but one other thing to add," said Frederick, at last. "Can +your greatness pardon a poor earthworm, if he dare speak in your +presence of so common and villanous a thing as money?" + +Voltaire's eyes sparkled; the subject of conversation did not seem +disagreeable to him. + +"You have relinquished a pension of six thousand livres in France, +It is but just that you receive full compensation. Your great spirit +is certainly above all earthly considerations, but our fleshy +existence has its rights. So long as you are with me, you shall not +be troubled by even a shadow of privation. You will therefore +receive a salary of five thousand thalers from me. Your lodging and +your table cost you nothing, and I think you can be very +comfortable." + +Voltaire's heart bounded for joy, but he forced himself to seem calm +and indifferent. + +"Your majesty has forgotten an important matter," said he. "You have +named lodging and food, but you say nothing of light and fire. I am +an old man, and cannot produce them myself." + +"Truly said--I find it quite in order that the great free-thinker +and poet of this century is troubled for the light which should +illuminate him. You shall have twelve pounds of wax-lights every +month; I think this will be sufficient for your purposes. As for the +other little necessities of life, have the goodness to apply to the +castellan of the castle. On the first day of every month he will +supply them regularly. The contract is made; you will remain with +me?" + +"I remain, sire!--not for the title, or the pension, or the order--I +remain with you, because I love you. My heart offers up to you the +dream of my life, my journey to Italy. Oh, I wish I could make +greater, more dangerous sacrifices! I wish I could find a means to +prove my love, my adoration, my worship!" + +The king laid his hand softly on Voltaire's shoulder, and looked +earnestly in his eyes. + +"Be as good a man as you are a great poet. That is the most +beautiful offering you can bring me." + +"Ah! I see," said Voltaire, enraged; "some one has slandered me. +Your majesty has opened your cars to my enemies, and already their +hellish poison has reached your heart. As they cannot destroy +Voltaire the poet, they seize upon Voltaire the man, and slander his +character because they cannot obscure his fame. I will advance to +meet them with an open visor and without a shield. From their place +of ambush, with their poisoned arrows, let them slay me. It is +better to die than to be suspected and contemned by my great and +worshipped king." + +"See, now, what curious creatures you poets are!" said Frederick; +"always in wild tumult and agitation; either storming heaven or +hell; contending with demons, or revelling with angels! You have no +daily quiet, patience, and perseverance. If you see a man who tells +you he is planting potatoes, you do not believe him--you convince +yourself he is sowing dragons' teeth to raise an army to contend +against you. If you meet one of your fellows with a particularly +quiet aspect, you are sure you can read curses against you upon his +lip. When one begs you to be good, you look upon it as an +accusation. No, no, my poet! no one has poured the poison of slander +into my ears--no one has accused you to me. I am, moreover, +accustomed to form my own conclusions, and the opinions of others +have but little weight with me." + +"But your majesty is pleased to lend your ears to my enemies," said +Voltaire, sullenly; "exactly those who attack me most virulently +receive the highest honors at the hands of your majesty. You are as +cruel with me as a beautiful and ravishing coquette. So soon as by a +love-glance you have made me the happiest of men, you turn away with +cold contempt, and smile alluringly upon my rivals. I have yet two +dagger-strokes in my heart, which cause me death-agony. If your +majesty would make me truly happy, you must cure the wounds with +your own hands." + +"I will, if it is possible," said the king, gravely. "Let us hear of +what you complain." + +"Sire, your majesty has made Freron your correspondent in Paris-- +Freron, my most bitter enemy, my irreconcilable adversary. But it is +not because he is my foe that I entreat you to dismiss him; you will +not think so pitifully of me as to suppose that this is the reason I +entreat you to dismiss him from your service. My personal dislike +will not make me blind to the worth of Freron as a writer. No, sire, +Freron is not worthy of your favor; he is an openly dishonored +scoundrel, who has committed more than one common fraud. You may +imagine what an excitement it produced in Paris when it was known +that you had honored this scamp with a position which should be +filled by a man of wisdom and integrity. Freron is only my enemy +because, in spite of all entreaties, I have closed my house upon +him. I took this step for reasons which should have closed the doors +of every respectable house against him. [Footnote: Voltaire's own +words.] Sire, I implore you, do not let the world believe for a +single day longer that Freron is your correspondent. Dismiss him at +once from your service." + +The king did not reply for a few moments; he walked backward and +forward several times, then stood quietly before Voltaire. The +expression of his eye was stern. + +"I sacrifice Freron to you," said he, "because I will deny you +nothing on this, the day of your arrival; but I repeat to you what I +said before, 'be not only a great poet, be also a good man.'" + +Voltaire shook his head, sadly. "Sire," said he, "in your eyes I am +not a great poet, only un soleil couchant. Remember Arnaud, my +pupil, whom I sent to you!" + +"Aha!" cried the king, laughing, "you have, then, read my little +poem to Arnaud?" + +"Sire, I have read it, and that was the second dagger-stroke which I +received on this journey, to which my loving heart forced my weak +and shrinking body; I felt that I must see you once more before I +died. Yes, I have read this terrible poem, and the lines have burned +into my heart these cruel words:" + + 'Deja sans etre temeraire, + Prenant votre vol jusqu'aux cieux, + Vous pouvez egaler Voltaire, + Et pres de Virgile et d'Homere. + Jouir de vos succes heureux, + Deja l'Apollon de la France, + S'achemine a sa decadence, + Venez briller a votre tour, + Elevez vous s'il brille encore; + Ainsi le couchant d'un beau jour, + Promet une plus belle aurore.' + [Footnote: Supplement des Oeuvres Posthumes.] + +"Yes," said the king, as Voltaire ceased declaiming, and stood in +rather a tragic attitude before him--"yes, I confess that a +sensitive nature like yours might find a thorn in these innocent +rhymes. My only intention was to give to the little Arnaud a few +roses which he might weave into a wreath of fame. It seems I +fulfilled my purpose poorly; it was high time that Voltaire should +come to teach me to make better verses. See, I confess my injustice, +and I allow you to punish me by writing a poem against me, which +shall be published as extensively as my little verse to Arnaud." + +"Does your majesty promise me this little revenge in earnest?" + +"I promise it; give me your poem as soon as it is ready; it shall be +published in 'Formey's Journal.'" + +"Sire, it is ready: hear it now. [Footnote: Oeuvres Completes de +Voltaire.] + + "'Quel diable de Marc Antoine! + Et quelle malice est le votre, + Vous egratinez d'une main + Lorsque vous caressez de l'autre.'" + +"Ah," said Frederick, "what a beautiful quatrain Monsieur Arouet has +made." + +"Arouet!" said Voltaire, astonished, + +"Well, now, you would not surely wish me to believe that this little +stinging, pitiful rhyme, was written by the great Voltaire. No, no! +this is the work of the young Arouet, and we will have it published +with his signature." + +Voltaire fixed his great eyes for a moment angrily upon the handsome +face of the king, then bowed his head and looked down thoughtfully. +There was a pause, and his face assumed a noble expression--he was +again the great poet. + +"Sire," said he, softly, "I will not have this poem published. You +are right, Voltaire does not acknowledge it. This poor verse was +written by Arouet, or the 'old Adam,' who often strikes the poet +Voltaire slyly in the back. But you, sire, who have already won five +battles, and who find a few morning hours sufficient to govern a +great kingdom with wisdom, consideration, and love; you, by one +kindly glance of your eye, will be able to banish the old Adam, and +call heavenly hymns of love and praise from the lips of Voltaire." + +"I shall be content with hymns of love. I will spare you all +eulogy," cried Frederick, giving his hand warmly to Voltaire. + +At the close of the first day at Sans-Souci, the new gentleman of +the bedchamber returned to Potsdam, adorned with the order "Pour le +merite," and a written assurance from the king of a pension of five +thousand thalers in his pocket. + +Two richly-liveried servants received him at the gate of the palace; +one of them held a silver candelabrum, in which five wax-lights were +burning. Voltaire leaned, exhausted and groaning, upon the arm of +the other, who almost carried him into his apartment. Voltaire +ordered the servant to place the lights on the table, and to wait in +the anteroom for further orders. + +Scarcely had the servant left the room when Voltaire, who had thrown +himself, as if perfectly exhausted, in the arm-chair, sprang up +actively and hastened to the table upon which the candelabrum stood; +raising himself on tiptoe, he blew out three of the lights. + +"Two are enough," said he, with a grimace. "I am to receive twelve +pounds of wax-lights a month. I will be very economical, and out of +the proceeds of this self-denial I can realize a little pin-money +for my niece, Denis." He took the candelabrum and entered his study. + +It was curious to look upon this lonely, wrinkled, decrepit old man, +in the richly-furnished but half-obscure room; the dull light +illuminated his malicious but smiling face; here and there as he +advanced it flashed upon the gilding, or was reflected in a mirror, +while behind him the gloom of night seemed to have thrown an +impenetrable veil. + +Voltaire seated himself at his desk and wrote to his niece, Madame +Denis: "I have bound myself with all legal form to the King of +Prussia. My marriage with him is determined upon. Will it be happy? +I do not know. I could no longer postpone the decisive yes. After +coquetting for so many years, a wedding was the necessary +consequence. How my heart beat at the altar! How could I have +supposed, seven months ago, when we arranged our little house in +Paris, that I should be to-day three hundred leagues from home in +another man's house, and this other a ruler!" [Footnote: Oeuvres +Completes, 301.] + +At the same moment wrote Frederick, King of Prussia, to Algarotti: +"Voltaire is here; he has of late, as you know, been guilty of an +act unworthy of him. He deserves to be branded upon Parnassus. It is +a shame that so base a soul should be united to so exalted a genius. +Of all this, however, I shall take no notice; he is necessary to me +in my study of the French language. One can learn beautiful things +from an evil-doer. I must learn his French. I have nothing to do +with his morals. He unites in himself the strangest opposites. The +world worships his genius and despises his character." [Footnote: +Oeuvres de Frederic le Grand.] + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE CONFIDENCE-TABLE. + + +"And now, friends, let us be joyful, and forget all the cares and +sorrows of the world," cried the king, with a ringing laugh; "raise +your glasses and strike them merrily. Long life to mirth, to jest, +to joy!" + +The glasses were raised, and as they met they rang out cheerily; +they were pressed to the lips and emptied at a draught; the guests +then seated themselves silently at the table. Frederick glanced at +the circle of his friends who sat with him at the round table; his +eyes dwelt searchingly upon every laughing face, then turned to the +garden of Sans-Souci, which sent its perfumed breath, its song of +birds, its evening breeze, through the open doors and windows, while +the moon, rising in cloudless majesty, shone down upon them and +rivalled with her silver rays the myriads of wax-lights which +glittered in the crystal chandeliers. + +"This is a glorious evening," said the king, "and we will enjoy it +gloriously." + +He ordered the servants to close the doors, place the dessert and +champagne upon the table, and leave the room. Noiselessly and +silently this command was fulfilled. Frederick then greeted each one +of his guests with a kindly nod. + +"Welcome, thrice welcome are you all!" said he. "I have longed to +have you all together, and now, at last, you are here. There sits +Voltaire, whose divine Emile was delivered first of a book, then of +a child, and then released from life before he was free to come to +Berlin. There is Algarotti, the swan of Italy, who spreads his wings +and would gladly fly to the land of oranges and myrtles. There is La +Mettrie, who only remains here because he is convinced that my Cape +wine is pure, and my pates de foie gras truly from Strasbourg. There +is D'Argens, who sought safety in Prussia because in every other +land in Europe there are sweethearts waiting and sighing for him, to +whom he has sworn a thousand oaths of constancy. There is Bastiani, +who only remains with us while the Silesian dames, who have frankly +confessed their sins to him and been absolved, find time and +opportunity to commit other peccadilloes, which they will do +zealously, in order to confess them once more to the handsome Abbe +Bastiani. And lastly, there is my Lord Marshal, the noblest and best +of all, whose presence we owe to the firmness of his political +principles and the misfortunes of the house of Stuart." + +"And there is the Solomon of the North," cried Voltaire--"there is +Frederick, the youngest of us all, and the wisest--the philosopher +of Sans-Souci. There sits Apollo, son of the gods, who has descended +from Olympus to be our king." + +"Let us not speak of kings," said Frederick. "When the sun goes down +there is no king at Sans-Souci; he leaves the house and retires into +another castle, God only knows where. We are all equal and wholly +sans gene. At this table, there are no distinctions; we are seven +friends, who laugh and chat freely with each other; or, if you +prefer it, seven wise men." + +"This is then the Confidence-Table," said Voltaire, "of which +D'Argens has so often spoken to me, and which has seemed to me like +the Round-Table of King Arthur. Long live the Confidence-Table!" + +"It shall live," cried the king, "and we will each one honor this, +our first sitting, by showing our confidence in each other. Every +one shall relate something piquant and strange of his past life, +some lively anecdote, or some sweet little mystery which we dare +trust to our friends, but not to our wives. The oldest begins +first." + +"I am afraid I am that," said Voltaire, "but your majesty must +confess that my heart has neither white hair nor wrinkles. Old age +is a terrible old woman who slides quietly, grinning and +threatening, behind every man, and watches the moment when she dares +lay upon him the mask of weary years through which he has lived and +suffered. She has, alas! fastened her wrinkled mask upon my face, +but my heart is young and green, and if the women were not so short- +sighted as to look only upon my outward visage, if they would +condescend to look within, they would no longer call me the old +Voltaire, but would love and adore me, even as they did in my +youth." + +"Listen well, friends, he will no doubt tell us of some duchess who +placed him upon an altar and bowed down and worshipped him." + +"No, sire, I will tell you of an injury, the bitterest I ever +experienced, and which I can never forget." + +"As if he had ever forgotten an injury, unless he had revenged it +threefold!" cried D'Argens. + +"And chopped up his enemy for pastry and eaten him," said La +Mettrie. + +"Truly, if I should eat all my enemies, I should suffer from an +everlasting indigestion, and, in my despair, I might fly to La +Mettrie for help. It is well known that when you suffer from +incurable diseases, you seek, at last, counsel of the quack." + +"You forget that La Mettrie is a regular physician," said the king, +with seeming earnestness. + +"On the contrary, he remembered it well," said La Mettrie, smiling. +"The best physician is the greatest quack, or the most active grave- +digger, if you prefer it." + +"Silence!" said the king. "Voltaire has the floor; he will tell us +of the greatest offence he ever received. Give attention." + +"Alas! my heart is sad, sire; of all other pain, the pain of looking +back into the past is the most bitter. I see myself again a young +man, the Arouet to whom Ninon de l'Enclos gave her library and a +pension, and who was confined for twenty years to the Bastile +because he loved God and the king too little, and the charming +Marquise de Villiers and some other ladies of the court too much. +Besides these exalted ladies, there was a beautiful young maiden +whom I loved--perhaps because she had one quality which I had never +remarked in the possession of my more noble mistresses--she was +innocent! Ah, friends, you should have seen Phillis, and you would +have confessed that no rose-bud was lovelier, no lily purer, than +she. Phillis was the daughter of a gypsy and a mouse-catcher, and +danced on the tight-rope in the city-gardens." + +"Ah, it appears to me the goddess of innocence dances always upon +the tight-rope in this world," said the king. "I should not be +surprised to hear that even your little Phillis had a fall." + +"Sire, she fell, but in my arms; and we swore eternal love and +constancy. You all know from experience the quality and fate of such +oaths; they are the kindling-wood upon which the fire of love is +sustained; but, alas, kindling and fire soon burnt out! Who is +responsible? Our fire burned long; but, think you my Phillis, whom I +had removed from the tight-rope, and exalted to a dancer upon the +stage, was so innocent and naive, as to believe that our love must +at last be crowned with marriage! I, however, was a republican, and +feared all crowns. I declared that Ninon de l'Enclos had made me +swear never to marry, lest my grandchildren should fall in love with +me, as hers had done with her." + +"Precaution is praiseworthy," said La Mettrie. "The devil's +grandmother had also a husband, and her grandsons might have fallen +in love with her." + +"Phillis did not take me for the devil's grandfather, but for the +devil himself. She cried, and shrieked, and cast my oaths of +constancy in my teeth. I did not die of remorse, nor she of love, +and to prove her constancy, she married a rich Duke de Ventadour." + +"And you, no doubt, gave away the bride, and swore you had never +known a purer woman!" + +"No, sire, I was at that time again in the Bastile, and left it only +as an exile from France. When at last I was allowed to return to +Paris, I sought out my Duchess de Ventadour, my Phillis of former +times. I found her a distinguished lady; she had forgotten the +follies of her youth; had forgotten her father, the rope-dancer; her +mother, the mouse-catcher. She had no remembrance of the young +Arouet, to whom she had sworn to say only 'tu' and 'toi.' Now she +was grave and dignified, and 'Vous, monsieur,' was on her fair lip. +Thanks to the heraldry office, she had become the daughter of a +distinguished Spaniard, blessed with at least seven ancestors. +Phillis gave good dinners, had good wine, and the world overlooked +her somewhat obscure lineage. She was the acknowledged and respected +Duchess Ventadour. She was still beautiful, but quite deaf; +consequently her voice was loud and coarse, when she believed +herself to be whispering. She invited me to read some selections +from my new work in her saloon, and I was weak enough to accept the +invitation. I had just completed my 'Brutus,' and burned with +ambition to receive the applause of the Parisiennes. I commenced to +read aloud my tragedy of 'Brutus' in the saloon of the duchess, +surrounded by a circle of distinguished nobles, eminent in knowledge +and art. I was listened to in breathless attention. In the deep +silence which surrounded me, in the glowing eyes of my audience, in +the murmurs of applause which greeted me, I saw that I was still +Voltaire, and that the hangman's hands, which had burned my 'Lettres +Philosophiques,' had not destroyed my fame or extinguished my +genius. While I read, a servant entered upon tiptoe, to rekindle the +fire. The Duchess Ventadour sat near the chimney. She whispered, or +thought she whispered, to her servant. I read a little louder to +drown her words. I was in the midst of one of the grandest scenes of +my tragedy. My own heart trembled with emotion. Here and there I saw +eyes, which were not wont to weep, filled with tears, and heard +sighs from trembling lips, accustomed only to laughter and smiles. +And now I came to the soliloquy of Brutus. He was resolving whether +he would sacrifice his son's life to his fatherland. There was a +solemn pause, and now, in the midst of the profound silence, the +Duchess Ventadour in a shrill voice, which she believed to be +inaudible, said to her servant: 'Do not fail to serve mustard with +the pig's head!'" + +A peal of laughter interrupted Voltaire, in which he reluctantly +joined, being completely carried away by the general mirth. + +"That was indeed very piquant, and I think you must have been +greatly encouraged." + +"Did you eat of the pig's head, or were your teeth on edge?" + +"No, they were sharp enough to bite, and I bit! In my first rage I +closed my book, and cried out: 'Madame--! Well! as you have a pig's +head, you do not require that Brutus should offer up the head of his +son!' I was on the point of leaving the room, but the poor duchess, +who was just beginning to comprehend her unfortunate interruption, +hastened after me, and entreated me so earnestly to remain and read +further, that I consented. I remained and read, but not from +'Brutus.' My rage made me, for the moment, an improvisator. Seated +near to the duchess, surrounded by the proud and hypocritical +nobles, who acknowledged Phillis only because she had a fine house +and gave good dinners, I improvised a poem which recalled to the +grand duchess and her satellites the early days of the fair Phillis, +and brought the laugh on my side. My poem was called 'Le tu et le +vous.' Now, gentlemen, this is the story of my 'Brutus' and the +pig's head," + +"I acknowledge that it is a good story. It will be difficult for +you, D'Argens, to relate so good a one," said the king. + +"I dare not make the attempt, sire. Voltaire was ever the child of +good fortune, and his life and adventures have been extraordinary, +while I was near sharing the common fate of younger sons. I was +destined for the priesthood." + +"That's a droll idea, indeed!" said Frederick. "D'Argens, who +believes in nothing, intended for a priest! How did you escape this +danger?" + +"Through the example of my dear brother, who was of a passionate +piety, and became in the school of the Jesuits so complete a fanatic +and bigot that he thundered out his fierce tirades against all +earthly joys and pastimes, no matter how innocent they were. To +resemble the holy Xavier and the sanctified and childlike Alois +Gonzago, was his highest ideal. In the extremity of his piety and +prudery he slipped into the art-gallery of our eldest brother and +destroyed Titian's most splendid paintings and the glorious statues +of the olden time. He gloried in this act, and called it a holy +offering to virtue. He could not understand that it was vandalism. +Our family had serious fears for the intellect of this poor young +saint, maddened by the fanaticism of the Jesuits. They sought +counsel of the oldest and wisest of our house, the Bishop of Bannes. +After thinking awhile, the bishop said: 'I will soon cure the young +man of this folly; I will make him a priest.'" + +"Truly, your uncle, the bishop, was a wise man; he drove out folly +with folly. He knew well that no one had less reverence for the +churches than those who have built them, and are their priests." + +"That was the opinion of my very worthy uncle. He said, with a sly +laugh: 'When he has heard a few confessions, he will understand the +ways of the world better!' The bishop was right. My brother was +consecrated. In a short time he became very tolerant and +considerate, as a man and as a father confessor." + +"But you have not told us, marquis, how the fanaticism of your +brother liberated you from the tonsure?" said the king. + +"My father found I would commence my priestly life with as much +intolerance as my brother had done. He therefore proposed to me to +consecrate myself to the world, and, instead of praying in the +church, to fight for the cross. The thought pleased me, and I became +a Knight of Malta." + +"Your first deed of arms was, without doubt, to seat yourself and +write your 'Lettres Juives,'" said the king; "those inspiring +letters in which the knight of the cross mocks at Christianity and +casts his glove as a challenge to revealed religion." + +"No, sire, I began my knightly course by entering the land of +heathen and idolaters, to see if a man could be truly happy and +contented in a land where there was neither Messiah nor crucifix--I +went to Turkey." + +"But you carried your talisman with you?" said the Abbe Bastiani-- +"you wore the cross upon your mantle?" + +"A remark worthy of our pious abbe," said Frederick; "no one knows +better the protecting power of the cross than the priest who founded +it. Tell us, marquis, did your talisman protect you? Did you become +an apostate to the true faith?" + +"Sire, I wished first to see their temples and their mode of +worship, before I decided whether I would be an unbelieving believer +or a believing unbeliever." + +"I think," said Voltaire, "you have never been a believer, or made a +convert; you have made nothing but debts." + +"That is, perhaps, because I am not a great writer, and do not +understand usury and speculation," said D'Argens, quietly. "Besides, +no courtesan made me her heir, and no mistress obtained me a +pension!" + +"Look now," said the king, "our good marquis is learning from you, +Voltaire; he is learning to scratch and bite." + +"Yes," said Voltaire; "there are creatures whom all men imitate, +even in their vile passions and habits; perhaps they take them for +virtues." + +The face of the marquis was suffused; he rose angrily, and was about +to answer, but the king laid his hand upon his arm. "Do not reply to +him; you know that our great poet changes himself sometimes into a +wicked tiger, and does not understand the courtly language of men. +Do not regard him, but go on with your story." + +The king--drew back his hand suddenly, and, seemingly by accident, +touched the silver salt-cellar; it fell and scattered the salt upon +the table. The marquis uttered a light cry, and turned pale. + +"Alas!" cried the king, with well-affected horror, "what a +misfortune! Quick, quick, my friends! let us use an antidote against +the wiles of the demons, which our good marquis maintains springs +always from an overturned salt-cellar. Quick, quick! take each of +you a pinch of salt, and throw it upon the burners of the +chandeliers; listen how it crackles and splutters! These are the +evil spirits in hell-fire, are they not, marquis? Now let each one +take another pinch, and throw it, laughing merrily, over the left +shoulder. You, Voltaire, take the largest portion, and cast it from +you; I think you have always too much salt, and your most beautiful +poems are thereby made unpalatable." + +"Ah, sire, you speak of the salt of my wit. No one remembers that +the tears which have bathed my face have fallen upon my lips, and +become crystallized into biting sarcasms. Only the wretched and +sorely tried are sharp of wit and bitter of speech." + +"Not so," said La Mettrie; "these things are the consequence of bad +digestion. This machine is not acted upon by what you poets call +spirit, and I call brain; it reacts upon itself. When a man is +melancholy, it comes from his stomach. To be gay and cheery, to have +your spirits clear and fresh, you have nothing more to do than to +eat heartily and have a good digestion. Moliere could not have +written such glorious comedies if he had fed upon sour krout and old +peas, instead of the woodcock, grouse, and truffles which fell to +him from King Louis's table. Man is only a machine, nothing more." + +"La Mettrie, I will give you to-morrow nothing but grouse and +truffles to eat: woe to you, then, if the day after you do not write +me just such a comedy as Moliere's! But we entirely forget that the +marquis owes us the conclusion of his story; we left him a Knight of +Malta, and we cannot abandon him in this position; that would be to +condemn him to piety and virtue. Go on, dear marquis, we have thrown +the salt and banished the demons--go on, then, with your history." + +"Well," said the marquis, "to relate it is less dangerous than to +live through it. I must confess, however, that the perils of life +have also their charms. I wished, as I had the honor to say to you, +to witness a religious service in the great mosque at +Constantinople, and by my prayers, supported by a handful of gold +pieces, I succeeded in convincing the Turk, who had the care of the +key to the superb Sophia, that it was not an unpardonable sin to +allow an unbelieving Christian to witness the holy worship of an +unbelieving Mussulman. Indeed, he risked nothing but the bastinado; +while I, if discovered, would be given over to the hangman, and +could only escape my fate by becoming a Mussulman." + +"What an earnest and profitable Christian Holy Mother Church would +thus have lost in the author of Les Lettres Juives!" said Frederick, +laughing. + +"But what an exquisite harem the city of Constantinople would have +won!" cried Voltaire. + +"What a happiness for you, my Lord Marshal, that your beautiful +Mohammedan was not then born; the marquis would without doubt have +bought her from you!" + +"If Zuleima will allow herself to be bought, there will be nothing +to pay," said Lord Marshal, with a soft smile. + +"You are right, my lord," said the marquis, with a meaning side +glance at Voltaire, "you are right; nothing is more despicable than +the friendship which can be purchased." + +"You succeeded, however, in bribing the good Mussulman," said +Algarotti, "and enjoyed the unheard-of happiness of witnessing their +worship." + +"Yes, the night before a grand fete, my Turk led me to the mosque, +and hid me behind a great picture which was placed before one of the +doors of the tribune. This was seemingly a safe hiding-place. The +tribune was not used, and years had passed since the door had been +opened. It lay, too, upon the southern side of the mosque, and you +know that the worshippers of Mohammed must ever turn their faces +toward Mecca, that is, to the morning sun; I was sure, therefore, +that none of these pious unbelievers would ever look toward me. From +my concealment I could with entire comfort observe all that passed; +but I made my Turk most unhappy in the eagerness of my curiosity. I +sometimes stepped from behind my picture, and leaned a little over +the railing. My poor Mussulman entreated me with such a piteous +mien, and pointed to the soles of his feet with such anguish, that I +was forced to take pity on him and withdraw into my concealment. But +at last, in spite of the solemnities, and my own ardent piety, the +animal was roused within and overcame me. I was hungry! and as I had +expected this result, I had placed a good bottle of wine and some +ham and fresh bread in my pocket. I now took them out, spread my +treasures upon the floor, and began to breakfast. The Turk looked at +me with horror, and he would not have been surprised if the roof of +the holy mosque had fallen upon the Christian hound who dared to +desecrate it by drinking wine and eating ham within its precincts, +both of which were strictly forbidden by the prophet. But the roof +did not fall, not even when I forced my Mussulman to eat ham and +drink wine with me, by threatening to show myself openly if he +refused. He commenced his unholy meal with dark frowns and +threatening glances, ever looking up, as if he feared the sword of +the prophet would cleave him asunder. Soon, however, he familiarized +himself with his sin, and forgot the holy ceremonies which were +being solemnized. When the service was over, and all others had left +the mosque, he prayed me to wait yet a little longer, and as the +best of friends, we finished the rest of my bacon and drank the last +drop of my wine to the health of the prophet, laughing merrily over +the dangers we had escaped. As at last we were about to separate, my +good Turk was sad and thoughtful, and he confessed to me that he had +the most glowing desire to become a Christian. The bacon and wine +had refreshed him marvellously, and he was enthusiastic for a +religion which offered such glorious food, not only for the soul, +but for the body. I was too good a Christian not to encourage his +holy desires. I took him into my service, and when we had left +Turkey, and found ourselves on Christian soil, my Mussulman +gratified the thirst of his soul, and became a son of Holy Mother +Church, and felt no remorse of conscience in eating ham and drinking +wine. So my visit to the holy mosque was rich in blessed +consequences; it saved a soul, and my wine and my ham plucked a man +from the hell-fire of unbelief. That is, I believe, the only time I +ever succeeded in making a proselyte." + +"The salvation of that soul will free you from condemnation and +insure your own eternal happiness. When you come to die, marquis, +you dare say, 'I have not lived in vain, I have won a soul to +heaven.'" + +"Provided," said Voltaire, "that the bacon with which you converted +the Turk was not part of one of the beasts into which the devils +were cast, as is written in the Holy Scriptures. If this was so, +then the newly-baked Christian has certainly eaten of everlasting +damnation." + +"Let us hope that this is not so," said Frederick; "and now, my Lord +Marshal, it is your turn to give us a piquant anecdote; or, if you +prefer it, an heroic deed from your life, so rich in virtue, +magnanimity, truth, and constancy. Ah, messieurs, let us now be +thoughtful, cast down our eyes, and exalt our hearts. A virtuous man +is about to speak: truly virtue is a holy goddess loved by few, to +whom few altars are erected, and who has few priests in her service. +My Lord Marshal is consecrated to her altar; you may well believe +this when I assure you of it--I, who have been so often deceived, +and often tempted to believe no longer in the existence of virtue. +My noble Keith has forced me to be credulous. This faith comforts +me, and I thank him." + +With a glance of inexpressible love he gave his hand to his friend, +who pressed it to his breast. The faces of all present were grave, +almost stern. The words of the king were a reproach, and they felt +wounded. Frederick thought not of them; he looked alone upon the +noble, handsome face of Lord Marshal, not remembering that the love +and consideration manifested for him might excite the envy and +jealousy of his other friends. + +"Now, my lord, will you commence your history, or are we too impure +and sinful to listen to any of the holy mysteries of your pure +life?" + +"Ah, sire, there are no mysteries in my simple life; it lies like an +open book before the eyes of my king, and, indeed, to all the +world." + +"In that pure book I am sure that all can learn wisdom and +experience," said Frederick. "It is a book of rarest value, in which +every nobleman can learn how to be faithful to his king in dire +misfortune and to the gates of death. Ah, my lord, there are few men +like yourself, who can count it as imperishable fame to have been +condemned to the scaffold. The Pretender must, indeed, be a most +noble prince, as you were willing to give your life for him." + +"He was my rightful king and lord, and I owed him allegiance. That I +was condemned for him, and pardoned, and banished from England, I +cannot now consider a misfortune, as I have thereby enjoyed the +great happiness of being near your majesty. But you must not think +too highly of my constancy to 'the Pretender;' it was not pure +loyalty, and if I carelessly and rashly cast my life upon a wild +chance, it was because the world had but little value for me. In the +despair and anguish of my heart I should have called Death a welcome +friend. Had I been happier I should have been less brave." + +"And will you tell us, my lord, why you were unhappy?" + +"Sire, mine is a simple little history, such as is daily acted out +in this weary world. We are all, however, proud to think that none +have suffered as we have done. There are many living hearts covered +as with a gravestone, under which every earthly happiness is +shrouded, but the world is ignorant, and goes laughing by. My heart +has bled in secret, and my happiness is a remembrance; my life once +promised to be bright and clear as the golden morning sun. The +future beckoned to me with a thousand glorious promises and greeted +me with winning, magic smiles. I saw a young, lovely, innocent, +modest maiden, like a spring rose, with heaven's dew still hanging +untouched upon its soft leaves. I saw and loved; it seemed to me God +had sent me in her His most wondrous revelation. I loved, I +worshipped her. She was the daughter of a distinguished French +noble. I went to Paris, a young and modest man, highly commended to +many influential and powerful families of the court. We met daily; +at first with wonder and surprise; then, with deep emotion, we heard +each other's voices without daring to speak together; and then, at +last, I no longer dared to utter a word in her presence, because my +voice trembled and I could not control it. One day, as we sat +silently next each other in a large assembly, I murmured in low, +broken tones: 'If I dared to love you, would you forgive me?' She +did not look up, but she said, 'I should be happy.' We then sank +again into our accustomed silence, only looking from time to time +into each other's happy eyes. This lasted six weeks, six weeks of +silent but inexpressible happiness. At last I overcame my timidity +and made known the sweet mystery of my love. I demanded the hand of +my Victoire from her father; he gave a cheerful consent, and led me +to my beloved. I pressed her to my heart, drunk with excess of joy. +At this moment her grandmother entered with a stern face and +scornful glance. She asked if I was a Protestant. This fearful +question waked me from my dream of bliss. In the rapture of the last +few months I had thought of nothing but my love. Love had become my +religion, and I needed no other influence to lead me to worship God. +But this, alas, was not sufficient! I declared myself a Protestant. +Victoire uttered a cry of anguish, and sank insensible into her +father's arms. Two days afterward I left France. Victoire would not +see me, and refused my hand. I returned to England, broken-hearted, +desperate, almost insane. In this delirium of grief I joined 'the +Pretender,' and undertook for him and his cause the wildest and most +dangerous adventures, which ended, at last, in my being captured and +condemned to the block. This, your majesty, was the only love of my +life. You see I had, indeed, but little to relate." + +Frederick said nothing, and no one dared to break the silence. Even +Voltaire repressed the malicious jest which played upon his lip, and +was forced to content himself with a mocking smile. + +"What were the words that your father spoke when he sent you forth +as a man into the world? I think you once repeated them to me," said +Frederick. + + "Quand vos yeux, en naissant, s'ouvraient a la lumiere, + Chacun vous souriait, mon fils, et vous pleuriez. + Vivez si bien, qu'un jour, a votre derniere heure, + Chacun verse des pleurs, et qu'on vous voie sourire." + + +"You have fulfilled your father's wish," said the king. "You have so +lived, that you can smile when all others are weeping for you, and +no man who has loved can forget you. I am sure your Victoire will +never forget you. Have you not seen her since that first parting?" + +"Yes, sire, I have seen her once again, as I came to Prussia, after +being banished forever from England. Ah, sire, that was a happy +meeting after twenty years of separation. The pain and grief of love +were over, but the love remained. We confessed this to each other. +In the beginning there was suffering and sorrow, then a sweet, soft +remembrance of our love, for we had never ceased to think upon each +other. It seems that to love faithfully and eternally it is only +necessary to love truly and honorably, and then to separate. Custom +and daily meeting cannot then brush the bloom from love's light +wings; its source is in heaven, and it returns to the skies and +shines forever and inextinguishable a star over our heads. When I +looked again. upon Victoire she had been a long time married, and to +the world she had, perhaps, ceased to be beautiful. To me she will +be ever lovely; and as she looked upon me it seemed to me that the +clouds and shadows had been lifted from my life, and my sun was +shining clear. But, sire, all this has no interest for you. How +tenderly I loved Victoire you will know, when I tell you that the +only poem my unpoetical brain has ever produced was written for +her." + +"Let us hear it, my lord," said the king. + +"If your majesty commands it, and Voltaire will forgive it," said +Lord Marshal. + +"I forgive it, my lord," cried Voltaire. "Since I listened to you I +live in a land of wonders and soft enchantments, whose existence I +have never even guessed, and upon whose blooming, perfumed beauty I +scarcely dare open my unholy eyes. The fairy tales of my dreamy +youth seem now to be true, and I hear a language which we, poor sons +of France, living under the regency of the Duke of Orleans, have no +knowledge of. I entreat you, my lord, let us hear your poem." + +Lord Marshal bowed, and, leaning back in his chair, in a full rich +voice, he recited the following verses: + + "'Un trait lance par caprice + M'atteignit dans mon printemps; + J'en porte la cicatrice + Encore, sous mes cheveux blancs. + Craignez les maux qu'amour cause, + Et plaignez un insense + Qui n'a point cueilli la rose, + Et qui l'epine a blesse.' + [Footnote: Memoires de la Marquise de Crequi.] + +"And now," said Lord Marshal rapidly, wishing to interrupt all +praise and all remark as to his poem; "I have yet a confession to +make, and if you have not laughed over my verses, you will surely +laugh at what I now state. Out of love for my lost mistress, I +became a Catholic. I thought that the faith, to which my Victoire +offered up her love, must be the true religion in which all love was +grounded. I wished to be hers in spirit, in life, and in death. In +spirit, in truth, I am a Catholic; and now, gentlemen, you may +laugh." + +"Sublime!" whispered Voltaire. + +"No one will smile," said the king, sternly. "Joy and peace to him +who is a believer, and can lay his heart upon the cross, and feel +strengthened and supported by it. He will not wander in strange and +forbidden paths, as we poor, short-sighted mortals often do. Will +you tell us the name of your beloved mistress, or is that a secret?" + +"Sire, our love was pure and innocent; we dare avow it to the whole +world. My beloved's name was Victoire de Froulay; she is now +Marquise de Crequi." + +"Ah, the Marquise de Crequi!" said Voltaire, with animation: "one of +the wittiest and most celebrated women of Paris." + +"She is still living?" said the king, thoughtfully. "would you like +to meet her again, my lord?" + +"Yes, your majesty, for one hour, to say to her that I am a +Catholic, and that we shall meet in heaven!" + +"I will send you as ambassador to Paris, my lord, and you shall bear +the marquise my greetings." [Footnote: Lord Marshal went to Paris, +as an ambassador from Prussia, in 1751.] + +"Your majesty will thus be acting an epigram for George of England," +said Voltaire, laughing. "Two of his noblest rebels will be +cementing the friendship of France and Prussia. Lord Tyrconnel, the +Irishman, is ambassador from France to Prussia, and my Lord Marshal +Keith is to be ambassador from Prussia to France. All, my lord! how +will the noble marquise rejoice when her faithful knight shall +introduce to her his most beautiful possession--the young and lovely +Mohammedan Zuleima! How happy will Zuleima be when you point out to +her the woman who loved you so fondly! She will then know, my lord, +that you also once had a heart, and have been beloved by a woman." + +"I will present my little Zuleima to the marquise," said Lord +Marshal; "and, when I tell her that she was a bequest of my dear +brother, who, at the storming of Oschakow, where he commanded as +field-marshal, rescued her from the flames, she will find it just +and kind that I gave the poor orphan a home and a father. I wish +first, however, to give Zuleima a husband, if your majesty will +allow it. The Tartar Ivan, my chamberlain, loves Zuleima, and she +shall be his wife if your majesty consents." + +"By all means," said Frederick; "but I fear it will be difficult to +have this marriage solemnized in Berlin. Your Tartar, I believe, has +the honor to be heathen." + +"Sire, he is, in faith, a Persian." + +"A fire-worshipper, then," said Frederick. "Well, I propose that +Voltaire shall bless this marriage; where fire is worshipped as a +god, Voltaire, the man of fire and flame, may well be priest." + +"Ah, sire, I believe we are all Persians; surely we all worship the +light, and turn aside from darkness. You are to us the god Ormuzd, +from whom all light proceeds; and every priest is for us as Ahriman, +the god of darkness. Be gracious to me, then, your majesty, and do +not call upon me to play the role of priest even in jest. But why +does this happy son of the heathen require a priest? Is not the +sungod Ormuzd himself present? With your majesty's permission, we +will place the loving pair upon the upper terrace of Sans-Souci, +where they will be baptized in holy fire by the clear rays of the +mid-day sun. Then the divine Marianna, Cochois, and Denys will +perform some mystical dance, and so the marriage will be solemnized +according to Persian rites and ceremonies." + +"And then, I dare hope your majesty will give a splendid wedding- +feast, where costly wines and rich and rare viands will not fail +us," said La Mettrie. + +"Look, now, how his eyes sparkle with anticipated delights!" cried +the king. "La Mettrie would consent to wed every woman in the world +if he could thereby spend his whole life in one continuous wedding- +feast; but listen, sir, before you eat again, you have a story to +relate. Discharge this duty at once, and give us a piquant anecdote +from your gay life." + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE CONFIDENTIAL DINNER. + + +"Your majesty desires a piquant anecdote out of my own life," said +La Mettrie. "Is there any thing on earth more piquant than a +truffle-pie? Can any thing deserve more ardent praise, and fonder, +sweeter remembrance, than this beautiful revelation of man's genius? +Yes, sire, a successful truffle-pie is a sort of revealed religion, +and I am its devout, consecrated priest! One day I relinquished, for +the love of it, a considerable fortune, a handsome house, and a very +pretty bride, and I confess that even now a truffle-pie has more +irresistible charms for me than any bride, even though richly +endowed." + +"And was there ever a father mad enough to give his daughter to the +'homme machine?'" said the king + +"Sire, I had just then written my 'Penelope.' Monsieur van Swiet, of +Leyden, a poor invalid, who had been for weeks confined to his bed +by a cold, read it, and laughed so heartily over the mockery and +derision at the gentlemen doctors, that he fell into a profuse +perspiration--a result which neither the art of the physicians nor +the prayers of the priests had been able to accomplish. The +stiffness in his limbs was healed; in fact, he was restored to +health! His first excursion was to see me, and he implored me to +suggest a mode by which he could manifest his gratitude. 'Send me +every day a truffle-pie and a bottle of Hungarian wine,' I replied. +Swiet was greatly amused. 'I have something better than a truffle- +pie,' said he. 'I have a daughter who will inherit all my fortune. +You are not rich in ducats, but largely endowed with wit. I wish +that my grandchildren, who will be immensely wealthy, may have a +father who will endow them richly with intellect. Wed my daughter, +and present me with a grandson exactly like yourself.' I accepted +this proposition, and promised the good Van Swiet to become his son- +in-law in eight days; to dwell with him in his house, and to cheer +and enliven him daily for a few hours after dinner, with merry, +witty conversation, that his liver might be kept in motion, and his +digestion improved." + +"Just think of this tender Hollander, this disinterested father, who +selects a husband for his daughter in order to improve his +digestion!" + +"Did you not see your bride before the wedding? Perhaps she was a +changeling, whom the father wished to get rid of in some respectable +manner, and therefore gave her to you." + +"I saw my bride, sire, and indeed Esther was a lovely girl, who had +but one fault--she did not love me. She had the naivete to tell me +so, and indeed to confess that she ardently loved another, a poor +clerk of her father's, who, when their love was discovered, a short +time before, had been turned out of the house. They loved each other +none the less glowingly for all this. I shrugged my shoulders, and +recalled the wish of her father, and my promise to him. But when the +little Esther implored me to refuse her hand, and plead with her +father for her beloved, I laughed and jested no longer, but began to +look at the thing gravely. I did go to her father, and informed him +of all that had passed. He listened to me quietly, and then asked +me, with a fearful grimace, if I preferred prison fare to truffle- +pie, every day, at my own table. You can imagine that I did not +hesitate in my choice. + +"'Well, then,' said my good Swiet, 'if you do not wed my daughter, I +will withdraw my protecting hand from you, and your enemies will +find a means to cast you into prison. A new book, "L'Homme Machine," +has just appeared, and every man swears it is your production, +though your name is not affixed to the title-page. The whole city, +not only the priests, but the worldlings, are enraged over this +book. They declare it is a monster of unbelief and materialism. If, +in spite of all this, I accept you as my son-in-law, it is because I +wish to show the world that I despise it, and am not in the +slightest degree influenced by its prejudices and opinions, but am a +bold, independent, freethinker. Decide, then! Will you marry my +daughter and eat truffle-pie daily, or will you be cast into +prison?' + +"'I will marry your daughter! I swear that in eight days she shall +be my wife!' + +"Herr van Swiet embraced me warmly, and commenced his preparations +for the wedding immediately. Esther, however, my bride, never spoke +to me; never seemed to see me. Her eyes were swollen, and she was +half-blind from weeping. Once we met alone in the saloon. She +hastened to leave it; but, as she passed by me, she raised her arms +to heaven, then extended them threateningly toward me. 'You are a +cruel and bad man. You will sacrifice a human soul to your greed and +your irresistible and inordinate desires! If God is just, you will +die of a truffle-pie! I say not that you will yield up your spirit, +for you have none! You will, you must die like a beast--from beastly +gluttony!'" + +"The maiden possessed the wisdom of a sibyl," said the king, "and I +fear she has prophesied correctly as to your sad future. HATE has +sometimes the gift of prophecy, and sees the future clearly, while +Love is blind. It appears to me your Esther did not suffer from the +passion of love." + +"No, sire, she hated me. But her lover, the young Mieritz, did not +share this dislike. He seemed warmly attached to me; was my +inseparable companion; embraced me with tears, and forgave me for +robbing him of his beloved, declaring that I was more worthy of her +than himself. He went so far in his manifestations of friendship as +to invite me to breakfast on the morning of my wedding-day, at which +time he wished to present me with something sumptuous he had brought +from Amsterdam. I accepted the invitation, and as the wedding- +ceremony was to take place at twelve o'clock, in the cathedral, we +were compelled to breakfast at eleven. I was content. I thought I +could better support the wearisome ceremony if sustained by the fond +remembrance of the luxurious meal I had just enjoyed. Our breakfast +began punctually at eleven, and I assure your majesty it was a rare +and costly feast. My young friend Mieritz declared, however, that +the dish which crowned the feast was yet to come. At last he stepped +to the kitchen himself to bring this jewel of his breakfast. With a +mysterious smile he quickly returned, bringing upon a silver dish a +smoking pie. A delicious fragrance immediately pervaded the whole +room--a fragrance which then recalled the hour most rich in blessing +of my whole life. Beside myself--filled with prophetic expectation-- +I rushed forward and raised the top crust of the pie. Yes, it was +there!--it met my ravished gaze!--the pie which I had only eaten +once, at the table of the Duke de Grammont! Alas! I lost the good +duke at the battle of Fontenoy, and the great mystery of this pasty +went down with him into the hero's grave. And now that it was +exhumed, it surrounded me with its costly aroma; it smiled upon me +with glistening lips and voluptuous eyes. I snatched the dish from +the hands of my friend, and placed it before me on the table. At +this moment the clock struck twelve. + +"'Miserable wretch!' I cried, 'you bring me this pie, and this is +the hour of my marriage!' + +"'Well,' said Mieritz, with the cool phlegm of a Hollander, 'let us +go first to the wedding, and then this pasty can be warmed up.' + +"'Warmed up!' roared I; 'warm up this pie, whose delicious odor has +already brought my nose into its magic circle! Can you believe I +would outlive such a vandalism, that I would consent to such +sacrilege? To warm a pie!--it is to rob the blossom of its +fragrance, the butterfly of the purple and azure of its wings, +beauty of its innocence, the golden day of its glory. No, I will +never be guilty of such deadly crime! This pie THIRSTS to be eaten! +I will, therefore, eat it!' + +"I ate it, sire, and it overpowered me with heavenly rapture. I was +like the opium-eater, wrapped in elysium, carried into the heaven of +heavens. All the wonders of creation were combined in this heavenly +food, which I thrust into my mouth devoutly, and trembling with +gladness. It was not necessary for Mieritz to tell me that this pie +was made of Indian birds'-nests, and truffles from Perigord. I knew +it--I felt it! This wonder of India had unveiled my enraptured eyes! +A new world was opened before me! I ate, and I was blessed! + +"What was it to me that messenger after messenger came to summon me, +to inform me that the priest stood before the altar; that my young +bride and her father and a crowd of relations awaited me with +impatience? I cried back to them: 'Go! be off with you! Let them +wait till the judgment-day! I will not rise from this seat till this +dish is empty!' I ate on, and while eating my intellect was clearer, +sharper, more profound than ever before! I rejoiced over this +conviction. Was it not a conclusive proof that my theory was +correct, that this 'homme machine' received its intellectual fluid, +its power of thought through itself, and not through this fabulous, +bodiless something which metaphysicians call soul? Was not this a +proof that, to possess a noble soul, it was only necessary to give +to the body noble nourishment? And where lies this boasted soul? +where else but in the stomach? The stomach is the soul; I allow it +is the brain that thinks, but the brain dares only think as his +exalted majesty the stomach allows; and if his royal highness feels +unwell, farewell to thought." [Footnote: La Mettrie's own words.] + +The whole company burst out in loud and hearty laughter. + +"Am I not right to call you a fou fieffe?" said the king. "There is +an old proverb, which says of a coward, that his heart lies in his +stomach; never before have I heard the soul banished there. But your +hymns of praise over the stomach and the pie have made you forget to +finish your story; let us hear the conclusion! Did the marriage take +place?" + +"Sire, I had not quite finished my breakfast when the door was +violently opened, and a servant rushed in and announced that the +good Van Swiet had had a stroke of apoplexy in the cathedral. The +foolish man declared that rage and indignation over my conduct had +produced this fearful result; I am, myself, however, convinced that +it was the consequence of a good rich breakfast and a bottle of +Madeira wine; this disturbed the circulation of the blood, and he +was chilled by standing upon the cold stone floor of the church. Be +that as it may, poor Swiet was carried unconscious from the church +to his dwelling, and in a few hours he was dead! Esther, his +daughter and heir, was unfilial enough to leave the wish of her +father unfulfilled. She would not acknowledge our contract to be +binding, declared herself the bride of the little Mieritz, and +married him in a few months. I had, indeed, a legal claim upon her, +but Swiet was right when he assured me that so soon as he withdrew +his protection from me, the whole pack of fanatical priests and +weak-minded scholars would fall upon and tear me to pieces, unless I +saved myself by flight. So I obeyed your majesty's summons, took my +pilgrim-staff, and wandered on, like Ahasuerus." + +"What! without taking vengeance on the crafty Mieritz, who, it is +evident, had carried out successfuly a well-considered strategy with +his pie?" said the king. "You must know that was all arranged: he +caught you with his pie, as men catch mice with cheese." + +"Even if I knew that to be so, your majesty, I should not quarrel +with him on that account. I should have only said to my pie, as +Holofernes said to Judith: 'Thy sin was a great enjoyment, I forgive +you for slaying me!' For such a pie I would again sacrifice another +bride and another fortune!" + +"And is there no possible means to obtain it?" said the king. "Can +you not obtain the receipt for this wonderful dish, which possesses +the magic power to liberate young women from intolerable men, and +change a miser into a spendthrift who thrusts his whole fortune down +his throat?" + +"There is a prospect, sire, of securing it, but you cannot be the +first to profit by it. Lord Tyrconnel, who knows my history, opened +a diplomatic correspondence with Holland, some weeks ago, on this +subject, and the success of an important loan which France wishes to +effect with the house of Mieritz and Swiet, through the mediation of +Lord Tyrconnel, hangs upon the obtaining of this receipt. If Mieritz +refuses it, France will not make the loan. In that case the war, +which now seems probable with England, will not take place." + +"And yet it is said that great events can only arise from great +causes," cried the king. "The peace of the world now hangs upon the +receipt of a truffle-pie, which La Mettrie wishes to obtain." + +"What is the peace of the world in comparison with the peace of our +souls?" cried Voltaire. "La Mettrie may say what he will, and the +worthy Abbe Bastiani may be wholly silent, but I believe I have a +soul, which does not lie in my stomach, and this soul of mine will +never be satisfied till your majesty keeps your promise, and relates +one of those intellectual, piquant histories, glowing with wisdom +and poesy, which so often flows from the lips of our Solomon!" + +"It is true it is now my turn to speak," said Frederick, smiling. "I +will be brief. Not only the lights, but also the eyes of Algarotti, +are burning dimly; and look how the good marquis is, in thought, +making love-winks toward his night-cap, which lies waiting for him +upon his bed! But be comforted, gentlemen, my story is short. Like +La Mettrie, I will relate a miracle, in which, however the eyes were +profited, the stomach had no interest. This miracle took place in +Breslau, in the year 1747. + +"Cardinal Zinzendorf was just dead, and the Duke Schafgotch, who +some years before I had appointed his coadjutor, was to be his +successor. But the Silesians were not content. They declared that +Duke Schafgotch was too fond of the joys and pleasures of the world +to be a good priest; that he thought too much of the beautiful women +of this world to be able to offer to the holy Madonna, the mother of +God, the sanctified, ardent, but pure and modest love of a true son +of the church. The pious Silesians refused to believe that the duke +was sufficiently holy to be their bishop. The sage fathers of the +city of Breslau assured me that nothing less than a miracle could +secure for him the love and consideration of the Silesiaus. I had +myself gone to Silesia to see if the statement of the authorities +was well-founded, and if the people were really so discontented with +the new bishop. I found their statement fully confirmed. Only a +great miracle could incline the pious hearts of the Silesians to the +duke. + +"And now remark, messieurs, how Providence is always with the pious +and the just--this desired miracle took place! On a lovely morning a +rumor was spread abroad, in the city of Breslau, that in the chapel +of the Holy Mother of God a miracle might be seen. All Breslau--the +loveliest ladies of the haute volee, and the poorest beggars of the +street--rushed to the church to look upon this miracle. Yes, it was +undeniable! The hair of the Madonna, which stood in enticing but +wooden beauty upon the altar, whose clothing was furnished by the +first modistes, and whose hair by the first perruquier--this hair, +wonderful to relate, had grown! It was natural that she should +exercise supernatural power. The blind, the lame, the crippled were +cured by her touch. I myself--for you may well think that I hastened +to see the miracle--saw a lame man throw away his crutch and dance a +minuet in honor of the Madonna. There was a blind man who approached +with a broad band bound over his eyes. He was led forward to this +wonderful hair. Scarcely had the lovely locks touched his face, than +he tore the band from his eyes, and shouted with ecstasy--his sight +was restored! Thousands, who were upon their knees praying in wrapt +devotion, shouted in concert with him, and here and there inspired +voices called out: 'The holy Madonna is content with her new servant +the bishop! if she were not, she would not perform these miracles.' +These voices fell like a match in this magazine of excitement. Men +wept and embraced each other, and thanked God for the new bishop, +whom yesterday they had refused. + +"In the meantime, however, there were still some suspicious, +distrustful souls who would not admit that the growth of the +Madonna's hair was a testimony in favor of the bishop. But these +stiff-necked unbelievers, these heartless skeptics, were at last +convinced. Two days later this lovely hair had grown perceptibly; +and still two days later, it hung in luxurious length and fulness +over her shoulders. No one could longer doubt that the Holy Virgin +was pleased with her priest. It had often happened that hair had +turned gray, or been torn out by the roots in rage and scorn. No +one, however, can maintain that the hair grows unless we are in a +happy and contented mood. The Madonna, therefore, was pleased. The +wondrous growth of her hair enraptured the faithful, and all mankind +declared that this holy image cut from a pear-tree, was the Virgin +Mary, who with open eyes watched over Breslau, and whose hair grew +in honor of the new Bishop Schafgotch--he was now almost adored. +Thousands of the believers surrounded his palace and besought his +blessing. It was a beautiful picture of a shepherd and his flock. +The Madonna no longer found it necessary to make her hair grow; one +miracle had sufficed, and with the full growth of her hair the +archbishop had also grown into importance." + +"But your majesty has not yet named the holy saint at whose +intercession this miracle was performed," said the Marquis D'Argens. +"Graciously disclose the name, that we may pray for pardon and +blessing." + +"This holy saint was my friseur" said the king, laughing. "I made +him swear that he would never betray my secret. Every third day, in +the twilight, he stole secretly to the church, and placed a new wig +upon the Madonna, and withdrew the old one. [Footnote: Authentic +addition to the "History of Frederick the Second."] You see, +messieurs, that not only happiness but piety may hang on a hair, and +those holy saints to whom the faithful pray were, without doubt, +adroit perruquiers who understand their cue." + +"And who use it as a scourge upon the backs of the pious penitents," +said Voltaire. "Ah, sire! your story is as wise as it is piquant--it +is another proof that you are a warrior. You have won a spiritual +battle with your miraculous wig, a battle against Holy Mother +Church." + +"By which, happily, no soldiers and only a few wigs were left +behind. But see how grave and mute our very worthy abbe appears--I +believe he is envious of the miracle I performed! And now it is your +turn, Bastiani: give us your story--a history of some of the lovely +Magdalens you have encountered." + +"Ah, sire! will not your majesty excuse me?" said the abbe, bowing +low. "My life has been the still, quiet, lonely, unostentatious life +of a priest, and only the ever-blessed King Frederick William +introduced storm and tempest into its even course. That was, without +doubt, God's will; otherwise this robust and giant form which He +gave me would have been in vain. My height and strength so +enraptured the emissaries of the king, that in the middle of the +service before the altar, as I was reading mass, they tore me away +without regarding the prayers and outcries of my flock. I was +violently borne off, and immediately enrolled as a soldier." +[Footnote: Thiebault.] + +"A wonderful idea!" cried Voltaire, "to carry off a priest in his +vestments and make a soldier of him; but say, now, abbe, could you +not, at least, have taken your housekeeper with you? I dare say she +was young and pretty." + +"I do not know," said Bastiani; "I am, as you know, very short- +sighted, and I never looked upon her face; but it was a great +misfortune for a priest to be torn from the Tyrolese mountains and +changed into a soldier. But now, I look upon this as my greatest +good fortune; by this means were the eyes of my exalted king fixed +upon me; he was gracious, and honored me with his condescending +friendship." + +"You forget there is no king here, and that here no man must be +flattered," said Frederick, frowning. + +"Sire, I know there is no king present, and that proves I am no +flatterer. I speak of my love and admiration to my king, but not to +his face. I praise and exalt him behind his back; that shows that I +love him dearly, not for honor or favor, but out of a pure heart +fervently." + +"What happiness for your pure and unselfish heart, that your place +of canonary of Breslau brings in three thousand thalers! otherwise +your love, which does not understand flattery, might leave you in +the lurch; you might be hungry." + +"He that eats of the bread of the Lord shall never hunger," said +Bastiani, in a low and solemn voice;" he that will serve two masters +will be faithful to neither, and may fear to be hungry." + +"Oh, oh! look at our pious abbe, who throws off his sheep's skin and +turns the rough side out," cried Voltaire, "It is written, 'The +sheep shall be turned into wolves,' and you, dear abbe, in your +piety fulfil this prophecy." + +"Your witty illusions are meant for me because I am the historian of +the King of France, and gentleman of the bed-chamber to the King of +Prussia. Compose yourself. As historian to the King of France, I +have no pension, and his majesty of Prussia will tell you that I am +the most useless of servants that the sun of royal favor ever shone +upon. Yes, truly, I am a poor, modest, trifling, good-for-nothing +creature; and if his majesty did not allow me, from time to time, to +read his verses and rejoice in their beauty, and here and there to +add a comma, I should be as useless a being as that Catholic priest +stationed at Dresden, at the court of King Augustus, who has nothing +to do--no man or woman to confess--there, as here, every man being a +Lutheran. Algarotti told me he asked him once how he occupied +himself. The worthy abbe answered: 'Io sono il cattolica di sua +maesta.' So I will call myself, 'Il pedagogue di sua, maesta.' +[Footnote: "Oeuvres Completes de Voltaire," p. 376.] Like yourself, +I serve but one master." + +"Alas! I fear my cattolica will not linger long by me," said the +king. "A man of his talent and worth cannot content himself with +being canon of Breslau. No, Bastiani, you will, without doubt, rise +higher. You will become a prelate, an eminence; yes, you will, +perhaps, wear the tiara. But what shall I be when you have mounted +this glittering pinnacle--when you have become pope? I wager you +will deny me your apostolic blessing; that you will not even allow +me to kneel and kiss your slipper. If any man should dare to name me +to you, you would no longer remember this unselfish love, which, +without doubt, you feel passionately for me at this moment. Ah! I +see you now rising from St. Peter's chair with apostolic sublimity, +and exclaiming with praiseworthy indignation: 'How! this heretic, +this unclean, this savage from hell! I curse him, I condemn him. Let +no man dare even to name him.'" + +"Grace, grace, sire!" cried the abbe, holding his hands humbly, and +looking up at the king. + +The other gentlemen laughed heartily. The king was inexorable. The +specious holiness and hypocrisy which the abbe had brought upon the +stage incensed him, and he was resolved to punish it. + +"Now, if you were pope, and I am convinced you will be, I should, +without doubt, go to Rome. It is very important for me to ascertain, +while I have you here, what sort of a reception you would accord me? +So, let us hear. When I appear before your holiness, what will you +say to me?" + +The abbe, who had been sitting with downcast eyes, and murmuring +from time to time in pleading tones: "Ah, sire! ah, sire!" now +looked up, and a flashing glance fell upon the handsome face of the +king, now glowing with mirth. + +"Well?" repeated the king, "what would you say to me?" + +"Sire," said Bastiani, bowing reverently, "I would say, 'Almighty +eagle, cover me with your wings, and protect me from your own +beak.'" [Footnote: Bastiani's own words.--See Thiebault, p. 43.] + +"That is an answer worthy of your intellect," said the king, +smiling, "and in consideration of it I will excuse you from relating +some little history of your life.--Now, Duke Algarotti, your time +has come. You are the last, and no doubt you will conclude the +evening worthily." + +"Sire, my case is similar to Bastiani's. There has been no mystery +in my life; only that which seemed miraculous for a priest was +entirely natural and simple in my case. I have travelled a great +deal, have seen the world, known men; and all my experience and the +feelings and convictions of my heart have at last laid me at the +feet of your majesty. I am like the faithful, who, having been +healed by a miracle, hang a copy of the deceased member upon the +miraculous image which cured them. My heart was sick of the world +and of men; your majesty healed it, and I lay it thankfully and +humbly at your feet. This is my whole history, and truly it is a +wonderful one. I have found a manly king and a kingly man." +[Footnote: Algarotti's own words.] + +"Truly, such a king is the wonder of the world," said Voltaire. "A +king, who being a king, is still a man, and being a man is still a +noble king. I believe the history of the world gives few such +examples. If we search the records of all people, we will find that +all their kings have committed many crimes and follies, and but few +great, magnanimous deeds. No, no! let us never hope to civilize +kings. In vain have men sought to soften them by the help of art; in +vain taught them to love it and to cultivate it. They are always +lions, who seemed to be tamed when perpetually nattered. They +remain, in truth, always wild, bloodthirsty, and fantastic. In the +moment when you least expect it, the instinct awakens, and we fall a +sacrifice to their claws or their teeth." [Footnote: Thiebault.] + +The king, who, up to this time, had listened, with a smiling face, +to the passionate and bitter speech of Voltaire, now rose from his +seat, and pointing his finger threateningly at him, said, good- +humoredly: "Still, still, monsieur! Beware! I believe the king +comes! Lower your voice, Voltaire, that he may not hear you. If he +heard you, he might consider it his duty to be even worse than +yourself. [Footnote: The king's own words.] Besides, it is late. Let +us not await the coming of the king, but withdraw very quietly. +Good-night, messieurs." + +With a gracious but proud nod of his head, he greeted the company +and withdrew. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +ROME SAUVEE. + + +The whole court was in a state of wild excitement, A rare spectacle +was preparing for them--something unheard of in the annals of the +Berliners. Voltaire's new drama of "Catiline," to which he had now +given the name of "Rome Saved," was to be given in the royal palace, +in a private theatre gotten up for the occasion, and the actors and +actresses were to be no common artistes, but selected from the +highest court circles. Princess Amelia had the role of Aurelia, +Prince Henry of Julius Caesar, and Voltaire of Cicero. + +The last rehearsal was to take place that morning. Voltaire had +shown himself in his former unbridled license, his biting irony, his +cutting sarcasm. Not an actor or actress escaped his censure or his +scorn. The poor poet D'Arnaud had been the special subject of his +mocking wit. D'Arnaud had once been Voltaire's favorite scholar, and +he had commended him highly to the king. He had the misfortune to +please Frederick, who had addressed to him a flattering poem. For +this reason Voltaire hated him, and sought continually to deprive +him of Frederick's favor and get him banished from court. + +This morning, for the first time, there was open strife between +them, and the part which D'Arnaud had to play in "Rome Sauvee" gave +occasion for the difficulty. D'Arnaud, it is true, had but two words +to say, but his enunciation did not please Voltaire. He declared +that D'Arnaud uttered them intentionally and maliciously with +coldness and indifference. + +D'Arnaud shrugged his shoulders and said a speech of two words did +not admit of power or action. He asked what declamation could +possibly do for two insignificant words, but make them ridiculous. + +This roused Voltaire's rage to the highest pitch. "And this +utterance of two words is then beyond your ability? It appears you +cannot speak two words with proper emphasis!" [Footnote: In a letter +to Madarae Denis, Voltaire wrote: "Tout le monde me reproche que le +roi a fait dos vers pour d'Arnaud, des vers qui ne sont pas ce qu'il +a fait de micux; mais songez qu'a quatre cent lieues de Paris il est +bien difficile de savoir si un homme qu'on lui recommende a du +merite ou non; de plus c'est toujours des vers, et bien ou mal +appliques ils prouvent que le vainqueur de l'Autriche aime les +belles-lettres que j'aime de tout mon coeur. D'ailleurs D'Arnaud est +un bon diable, qui par-oi par-la ne laisoe pas de rencontrer de bons +tirades. Il a du gout, il se forme, et s'il aime qu'il se deforme, +il n'y a pas grand mal. En un mot, la petite meprise du Roi de +Prusse n'empeche pas qu'il ne soit le plus singulier de tous les +homines."--Voyez "Oeuvres Completes."] + +And now, with fiery eloquence, he began to show that upon these +words hung the merit of the drama; that this speech was the most +important of all! With jeers and sarcasm he drove poor D'Arnaud to +the wall, who, breathless, raging, choking, could find no words nor +strength to reply. He was dumb, cast down, humiliated. + +The merry laughter of the king, who greatly enjoyed the scene, and +the general amusement, increased the pain of his defeat, and made +the triumph of Voltaire more complete. + +At last, however, the parts were well learned, and even Voltaire was +content with his company. This evening the entire court was to +witness the performance of the drama, which Voltaire called his +master-work. + +Princess Amelia had the role of Aurelia. She had withdrawn to her +rooms, and had asked permission of the queen-mother to absent +herself from dinner. Her part was difficult, and she needed +preparation and rest. + +But the princess was not occupied with her role, or with the +arrangement of her toilet. She lay stretched upon the divan, and +gazed with tearful eyes upon the letter which she held in her +trembling hands. Mademoiselle von Haak was kneeling near her, and +looking up with tender sympathy upon the princess. + +"What torture, what martyrdom I suffer!" said Amelia. "I must laugh +while my heart is filled with despair; I must take part in the pomps +and fetes of this riotous court, while thick darkness is round about +me. No gleam of light, no star of hope, do I see. Oh, Ernestine, do +not ask me to be calm and silent! Grant me at least the relief of +giving expression to my sorrow." + +"Dear princess, why do you nourish your grief? Why will you tear +open the wounds of your heart once more?" + +"Those wounds have never healed," cried Amelia, passionately. "No! +they have been always bleeding--always painful. Do you think so +pitifully of me, Ernestine, as to believe that a few years have been +sufficient to teach me to forget?" + +"Am I not also called upon to learn to forget?" cried Ernestine, +bitterly. "Is not my life's happiness destroyed? Am I not eternally +separated from my beloved? Alas! princess, you are much happier than +I! You know where, at least in thought, you can find your unhappy +friend. Not the faintest sound in the distance gives answer to my +wild questionings. My thoughts are wandering listlessly, wearily. +They know not where to seek my lover--whether he lies in the dark +fortress, or in the prison-house of the grave." + +"It is true," said Amelia, thoughtfully; "our fates are indeed +pitiable! Oh, Ernestine, what have I not suffered in the last five +years, during which I have not seen Trenck?--five years of self- +restraint, of silence, of desolation! How often have I believed that +I could not support my secret griefs--that death must come to my +relief! How often, with rouged cheeks and laughing lips, conversing +gayly with the glittering court circle whose centre my cruel brother +forced me to be, have my troubled thoughts wandered far, far away to +my darling; from whom the winds brought me no message, the stars no +greeting; and yet I knew that he lived, and loved me still! If +Trenck were dead, he would appear to me in spirit. Had he forgotten +me, I should know it; the knowledge would pierce my heart, and I +should die that instant. I know that he has written to me, and that +all his dear letters have fallen into the hands of the base spies +with which my brother has surrounded me. But I am not mad! I will be +calm; a day may come in which Trenck may require my help. I will not +slay myself; some day I may be necessary to him I love. I have long +lived, as the condemned in hell, who, in the midst of burning +torture, open both eyes and ears waiting for the moment when the +blessed Saviour will come for their release. God has at last been +merciful; He has blinded the eyes of my persecutors, and this letter +came safely to my hands. Oh, Ernestine, look! look! a letter from +Trenck! He loves me--he has not forgotten me--he calls for me! Oh, +my God! my God! why has fate bound me so inexorably? Why was I born +to a throne, whose splendor has not lighted my path, but cast me in +the shadow of death? Why am I not poor and obscure? Then I might +hasten to my beloved when he calls me. I might stand by his side in +his misfortunes, and share his sorrows and his tears." + +"Dear princess, you can alleviate his fate. Look at me! I am poor, +obscure, and dependent, and yet I cannot hasten to my beloved; he is +in distress, and yet he does not call upon me for relief. He knows +that I cannot help him. You, princess, thanks to your rank, have +power and influence. Trenck calls you, and you are here to aid and +comfort." + +"God grant that I may. Trenck implores me to turn to my brother, and +ask him to interest the Prussian embassy in Vienna in his favor; +thereby hoping to put an end to the process by which he is about to +be deprived of his only inheritance--the estate left him by his +cousin, the captain of the pandours. Alas! can I speak with my +brother of Trenck? He knows not that for five years his name has +never passed my lips; he knows not that I have never been alone with +my brother the king for one moment since that eventful day in which +I promised to give him up forever. We have both avoided an +interview; he, because he shrank from my prayers and tears, and I, +because a crust of ice had formed over my love for him, and I would +not allow it to melt beneath his smiles and kindly words. I loved +Trenck with my whole heart, I was resolved to be faithful to him, +and I was resentful toward my brother. Now, Ernestine, I must +overcome myself, I must speak with the king; Trenck needs my +services, and I will have courage to plead for him." + +"What will your highness ask? think well, princess, before you act. +Who knows but that the king has entirely forgotten Trenck? Perhaps +it were best so. You should not point out to the angry lion the +insect which has awakened him, he will crush it in his passion. +Trenck is in want; send him gold--gold to bribe the men of law. It +is well-known that the counsellors-at-law are dull-eyed enough to +mistake sometimes the glitter of gold for the glitter of the sun of +justice. Send him gold, much gold, and he will tame the tigers who +lie round about the courts of justice, and he will win his suit." + +Princess Amelia shrugged her shoulders contemptuously. "He calls +upon me for help; and I send him nothing but empty gold; he asks for +my assistance, and I play the coward and hold my peace. No, no! I +will act, and I will act to-day! You know that only after the most +urgent entreaty of the king, I consented to appear in this drama. +While my brother pleaded with me, he said, with his most winning +smile, 'Grant me this favor, my sister, and be assured that the +first petition you make of me, I will accord cheerfully.' Now, then, +I will remind him of this promise; I will plead for Trenck, and he +dare not refuse. Oh, Ernestine! I know not surely, but it appears to +me that for some little time past the king loves me more tenderly +than heretofore; his eye rests upon me with pleasure, and often it +seems to me his soft glance is imploring my love in return. You may +call me childish, foolish; but I think, sometimes, that my silent +submission has touched his heart, and he is at last disposed to be +merciful, and allow me to be happy--happy, in allowing me to flee +from the vain glory of a court; in forgetting that I am a princess, +and remembering only that I am a woman, to whom God has given a +heart capable of love." Amelia did not see the melancholy gaze with +which her friend regarded her; she was full of ardor and enthusiasm, +and with sparkling eyes and throbbing breast she sprang from the +divan and cried out, "Yes, it is so; my brother will make me happy!" + +"Alas, princess, do not dare to rely upon so false a hope! Never +will the king consent that you shall be happy beneath your royal +rank!" + +"Tell me now, Ernestine," said Amelia, with a smile, "is not the +reigning Margravine of Baireuth as high in rank as I am?" + +"Yes, your highness," said Ernestine, with surprise, "for the +reigning Margravine of Baireuth is your exalted sister." + +"I do not speak of her, but of the widow of the former margrave. She +has also reigned. Well, she has just married the young Duke Hobitz. +The king told me this yesterday, with a merry laugh. The little +Duchess of Hobitz is his aunt, and I am his sister!" + +"If the king had had power to control his aunt, as he has to control +his sister, he would not have allowed this marriage." + +Amelia heard, but she did not believe. With hasty steps and +sparkling eyes she walked backward and forward in her room; then, +after a long pause, she drew near her friend, and laying her hands +upon her shoulders, she said: "You are a good soul and a faithful +friend; you have ever had a patient and willing ear for all my +complaints. Only think now how charming it will be when I come to +tell you of my great happiness. And now, Ernestine, come, you must +go over my part with me once more, and then arrange my toilet. I +will be lovely this evening, in order to please the king. I will +play like an artiste in order to touch his cold heart. If I act my +part with such truth and burning eloquence that he is forced to weep +over the sorrows of the wretched and loving woman whom I represent, +will not his heart be softened, will he not take pity upon my +blasted life? The tragic part I play will lend me words of fire to +depict my own agony. Come, then, Ernestine, come! I must act well my +tragedy--I must win the heart of my king!" + +The princess kept her word; she played with power and genius. Words +of passion and of pain flowed like a stream of lava from her lips; +her oaths of faith and eternal constancy, her wild entreaties, her +resignation, her despair, were not the high-flown, pompous phrases +of the tragedian, but truth in its omnipotence. It was living +passion, it was breathing agony; and, with fast-flowing tears, with +the pallor of death, she told her tale of love; and in that vast +saloon, glittering with jewels, filled with the high-born, the +brave, the beautiful, nothing was heard but long-drawn sighs and +choking sobs. + +Queen Elizabeth Christine forgot all etiquette in the remembrance of +her own sad fate so powerfully recalled. She covered her face with +her hands, and bitter tears fell over her slender fingers. The +queen-mother, surprised at her own emotion, whispered lightly that +it was very warm, and while fanning herself she sought to dry her +secret tears unnoticed. + +Even the king was moved; his eyes were misty, and indescribable +melancholy played upon his lips. Voltaire was wild with rapture; he +hung upon every movement, every glance of Amelia. Words of glowing +praise, thanks, admiration flowed from his lips. He met the princess +behind the scenes, and forgetting all else he cried out, with +enthusiasm: "You are worthy to be an actress, and to play in +Voltaire's tragedies!" + +The princess smiled and passed on silently--what cared she for +Voltaire's praise? She knew that she had gained her object, and that +the king's heart was softened. This knowledge made her bright and +brave; and when at the close of the drama the king came forward, +embraced her with warmth, and thanked her in fond arid tender words +for the rich enjoyment of the evening, due not only to the great +poet Voltaire, but also to the genius of his sister, she reminded +him smilingly that she had a favor to ask. + +"I pray you, my sister," said Frederick, gayly, "ask something right +royal from me this evening--I am in the mood to grant all your +wishes." + +Amelia looked at him pleadingly. "Sire," said she, "appoint an hour +to-morrow morning in which I may come to you and make known my +request. Remember, your majesty has promised to grant it in +advance." + +The king's face was slightly clouded. "This is, indeed, a happy +coincidence," said he. "It was my intention to ask an interview with +you to-morrow, and now you come forward voluntarily to meet my +wishes. At ten in the morning I shall be with you, and I also have +something to ask." + +"I will then await you at ten o'clock, and make known my request." + +"And when I have granted it, my sister, it will be your part to +fulfil my wishes also." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +A WOMAN'S HEART. + + +The Princess Amelia lay the whole of the following night, with wide- +open eyes and loudly-heating heart, pale and breathless upon her +couch. No soft slumber soothed her feverish-glowing brow; no sweet +dream of hope dissipated the frightful pictures drawn by her +tortured fantasy. + +"What is it?" said she, again and again--"what is it that the king +will ask of me? what new mysterious horror rises up threateningly +before me, and casts a shadow upon my future?" + +She brought every word, every act of the previous day in review +before her mind. Suddenly she recalled the sad and sympathetic +glance of her maid of honor; the light insinuations, the half- +uttered words which seemed to convey a hidden meaning. + +"Ernestine knows something that she will not tell me," cried Amelia. +At this thought her brow was covered with cold perspiration, and her +limbs shivered as if with ague. She reached out her hand to ring for +Fraulein von Haak; then suddenly withdrew it, ashamed of her own +impatience. "Why should I wish to know that which I cannot change? I +know that a misfortune threatens me. I will meet it with a clear +brow and a bold heart." + +Amelia lay motionless till the morning. When she rose from her bed, +her features wore an expression of inexorable resolve. Her eyes +flashed as boldly, as daringly as her royal brother Frederick's when +upon the battle-field. She dressed herself carefully and +tastefully, advanced to meet her ladies with a gracious greeting, +and chattered calmly and cheerfully with them on indifferent +subjects. At last she was left alone with Fraulein von Haak. She +stepped in front of her, and looked in her eyes long and +searchingly. + +"I read it in your face, Ernestine, but I entreat you do not make it +known in words unless my knowledge of the facts would diminish my +danger." + +Ernestine shook her head sadly. "No," said she, "your royal highness +has no power over the misfortune that threatens you. You are a +princess, and must be obedient to the will of the king." + +"Good!" said Amelia, "we will see if my brother has power to subdue +my will. Now, Ernestine, leave me; I am expecting the king." + +Scarcely had her maid withdrawn, when the door of the anteroom was +opened, and the king was announced. The princess advanced to meet +him smilingly, but, as the king embraced her and pressed a kiss upon +her brow, she shuddered and looked up at him searchingly. She read +nothing in his face but the most heart-felt kindliness and love. + +"If he makes me miserable, it is at least not his intention to do +so," thought she.--"Now, my brother, we are alone," said the +princess, taking a place near the king upon the divan. "And now +allow me to make known my request at once--remember you have +promised to grant it." + +The king looked with a piercing glance at the sweet face now +trembling with excitement and impatience. "Amelia," said he, "have +you no tender word of greeting, of warm home-love to say to me? Do +you not know that five years have passed since we have seen each +other alone, and enjoyed that loving and confidential intercourse +which becomes brothers and sisters?" + +"I know," said Amelia sadly, "these five years are written on my +countenance, and if they have not left wrinkles on my brow, they +have pierced my heart with many sorrows, and left their shadows +there! Look at me, my brother--am I the same sister Amelia?" + +"No," said the king, "no! You are pallid--your cheeks are hollow. +But it is strange--I see this now for the first time. You have been +an image of youth, beauty, and grace up to this hour. The fatigue of +yesterday has exhausted you--that is all." + +"No, my brother, you find me pallid and hollow-eyed today, because +you see me without rouge. I have to-day for the first time laid +aside the mask of rosy youth, and the smiling indifference of manner +with which I conceal my face and my heart from the world. You shall +see me to-day as I really am; you shall know what I have suffered. +Perhaps then you will be more willing to fulfil my request? Listen, +my brother, I--" + +The king laid his hand softly upon her shoulder. "Stop, Amelia; +since I look upon you, I fear you will ask me something not in my +power to grant." + +"You have given me your promise, sire." + +"I will not withdraw it; but I ask you to hear my prayer before you +speak. Perhaps it may exert an influence--may modify your request. I +allow myself, therefore, in consideration of your own interest, +solely to beg that I may speak first." + +"You are king, sire, and have only to command," said Amelia, coldly. + +The king fixed a clear and piercing glance for one moment upon his +sister, then stood up, and, assuming an earnest and thoughtful mien, +he said: "I stand now before you, princess, not as a king, but as +the ambassador of a king. Princess Amelia, through me the King of +Denmark asks your hand; he wishes to wed you, and I have given my +consent. Your approval alone is wanting, and I think you will not +refuse it." + +The princess listened with silent and intrepid composure; not a +muscle of her face trembled; her features did not lose for one +moment their expression of quiet resolve. + +"Have you finished, sire?" said she, indifferently. + +"I have finished, and I await your reply." + +"Before I answer, allow me to make known my own request. Perhaps +what I may say may modify your wishes. You will, at least, know if +it is proper for me to accept the hand of the King of Denmark. Does +your majesty allow me to speak?" + +"Speak," said the king, seating himself near her. + +After a short pause, Amelia said, in an earnest, solemn voice: +"Sire, I pray for pardon for the Baron Frederick von Trenck." +Yielding to an involuntary agitation, she glided from the divan upon +her knees, and raising her clasped hands entreatingly toward her +brother, she repeated: "Sire, I pray for pardon for Baron Frederick +von Trenck!" + +The king sprang up, dashed back the hands of his sister violently, +and rushed hastily backward and forward in the room. + +Amelia, ashamed of her own humility, rose quickly from her knees, +and, as if to convince herself of her own daring and resolution, she +stepped immediately in front of the king, and said, in a loud, firm +voice for the third time: "Sire, I pray for pardon for Baron +Frederick von Trenck. He is wretched because he is banished from his +home; he is in despair because he receives no justice from the +courts of law, it being well known that he has no protector to +demand his rights. He is poor and almost hopeless because the courts +have refused him the inheritance of his cousin, the captain of the +pandours whose enemies have accused him since his death, only while +they lusted for his millions. His vast estate has been confiscated, +under the pretence that it was unlawfully acquired. But these +accusations have not been established; and yet, now that he is dead, +they refuse to give up this fortune to the rightful heir, Frederick +von Trenck. Sire, I pray that you will regard the interests of your +subject. Be graciously pleased to grant him the favor of your +intercession. Help him, by one powerful word, to obtain possession +of his rights. Ah, sire, you see well how modest, how faint-hearted +I have become. I ask no longer for happiness! I beg for gold, and I +think, sire, we owe him this pitiful reparation for a life's +happiness trodden under foot." + +Frederick by a mighty effort succeeded in overcoming his rage. He +was outwardly as calm as his sister; but both concealed under this +cool, indifferent exterior a strong energy, an unfaltering purpose. +They were quiet because they were inflexible. + +"And this is the favor you demand of me?" said the king. + +"The favor you have promised to grant," said Amelia. + +"And if I do this, will you fulfil my wish? Will you become the wife +of the King of Denmark? Ah, you are silent. Now, then, listen. +Consent to become Queen of Denmark, and on the day in which you pass +the boundary of Prussia and enter your own realm as queen, on that +day I will recall Trenck to Berlin, and all shall be forgotten. +Trenck shall again enter my guard, and my ambassador at Vienna shall +appear for him in court. Decide, now, Amelia--will you be Queen of +Denmark?" + +"Ah, sire, you offer me a cruel alternative. You wish me to purchase +a favor which you had already freely and unconditionally granted." + +"You forget, my sister, that I entreat where I have the right to +command. It will be easy to obey when through your obedience you can +make another happy. Once more, then, will you accept my +proposition?" + +Amelia did not answer immediately. She fixed her eyes steadily upon +the king's face; their glances met firmly, quietly. Each read in the +eyes of the other inexorable resolve. + +"Sire, I cannot accept your proposition; I cannot become the wife of +the King of Denmark." + +The king shrank back, and a dark cloud settled upon his brow. He +pressed his hand nervously upon the arm-chair near which he stood, +and forced himself to appear calm. "And why can you not become the +wife of the King of Denmark?" + +"Because I have sworn solemnly, calling upon God to witness, that I +will never become the wife of any other man than him whom I love-- +because I consider myself bound to God and to my conscience to +fulfil this oath. As I cannot be the wife of Trenck, I will remain +unmarried." + +And now the king was crimson with rage, and his eyes flashed +fiercely. "The wife of Trenck!" cried he; "the wife of a traitor! +Ah, you think still of him, and in spite of your vow--in spite of +your solemn oath--you still entertain the hope of this unworthy +alliance!" + +"Sire, remember on what conditions my oath was given. You promised +me Trenck should be free, and I swore to give him up--never even to +write to him. Fate did not accept my oath. Trenck fled before you +had time to fulfil your word, and I was thus released from my vow; +and yet I have never written to him--have heard nothing from him. No +one knows better than yourself that I have not heard from him." + +"So five years have gone by without his writing to you, and yet you +have the hardihood to-day to call his name!" + +"I have the courage, sire, because I know well Trenck has never +ceased to love me. That I have received no letters from him does not +prove that he has not written; it only proves that I am surrounded +by watchful spies, who do not allow his letters to reach me." + +"Ah," said the king, with a contemptuous shrug of the shoulders, +"you are of the opinion that I have suppressed these letters?" + +"Yes, I am of that opinion." + +"You deceive yourself, then, Amelia. I have not surrounded you with +spies; I have intercepted no letters. You look at me incredulously. +I declare to you that I speak the truth. Now you can comprehend, my +sister, that your heart has deceived you--you have squandered your +love upon a wretched object who has forgotten you." + +"Sire!" cried Amelia, with flaming eyes, "no abuse of the man I +love!" + +"You love him still!" said the king, white with passion, and no +longer able to control his rage--"you love him still! You have wept +and bewailed him, while he has shamefully betrayed and mocked at +you. Yes, look on me, if you will, with those scornful, rebellious +glances--it is as I say! You must and shall know all! I have spared +you until now; I trusted in your own noble heart! I thought that, +driven by a storm of passion, it had, like a proud river, for one +moment overstepped its bounds; then quietly, calmly resumed that +course which nature and fate had marked out for it. I see now that I +have been deceived in you, as you have been deceived in Trenck! I +tell you he has betrayed you! He, formerly a Prussian officer, at +the luxurious and debauched court of Petersburg, has not only +betrayed you, but his king. At the table of his mistress, the wife +of Bestuchef, he has shown your picture and boasted that you gave it +to him. The Duke of Goltz, my ambassador at the Russian court, +informed me of this; and look you, I did not slay him! I did not +demand of the Empress Anne that the Prussian deserter should be +delivered up. I remembered that you had once loved him, and that I +had promised you to be lenient. But I have had him closely watched. +I know all his deeds; I am acquainted with all his intrigues and +artifices. I know he has had a love-affair with the young Countess +Narischkin--that he continued his attentions long after her marriage +with General Bondurow. Can you believe, my sister, that he +remembered the modest, innocent oaths of love and constancy he had +exchanged with you while enjoying himself in the presence of this +handsome and voluptuous young woman? Do you believe that he recalled +them when he arranged a plan of flight with his beloved, and sought +a safe asylum beyond the borders of Russia? Do you believe that he +thought of you when he received from this ill-regulated woman her +diamonds and all the gold she possessed, in order to smooth the way +to their escape?" + +"Mercy, mercy!" stammered Amelia, pale and trembling, and sinking +upon a seat. "Cease, my brother; do you not see that your words are +killing me? Have pity upon me!" + +"No! no mercy!" said the king; "you must and you shall know all, in +order that you may be cured of this unholy malady, this shameful +love. You shall know that Trenck not only sells the secrets of +politics, but the secrets of love. Every thing is merchandise with +him, even his own heart. He not only loved the beautiful Bondurow +but he loved her diamonds. This young woman died of the small-pox, a +few days before the plan of flight could be fully arranged. Trenck, +however, became her heir; he refused to give back the brilliants and +the eight thousand rubles which she had placed in his hands." + +"Oh my God, my God! grant that I die!" cried the Princess Amelia. + +"But the death of his beloved," said the king (without regarding the +wild exclamations of the princess)--"this death was so greatly to +his advantage, that he soon consoled himself with the love of the +attractive Bestuchef--this proud and intriguing woman who now, +through the weakness of her husband, rules over Russia, and +threatens by her plots and intrigues to complicate the history and +peace of Europe. She is neither young nor beautiful; she is forty +years of age, and you cannot believe that Trenck at four-and-twenty +burns with love for her. But she adores him; she loves him with that +mad, bacchantic ardor which the Roman empress Julia felt for the +gladiators, whose magnificent proportions she admired at the circus. +She loved him and confessed it; and his heart, unsubdued by the +ancient charms, yielded to the magic power of her jewels and her +gold. He became the adorer of Bestuchef; he worked diligently in the +cabinet of the chancellor, and appeared to be the best of Russian +patriots, and seemed ready to kiss the knout with the same devotion +with which he kissed the slipper of the chancellor's wife. At this +time I resolved to try his patriotism, and commissioned my +ambassador to see if his patriotic ardor could not be cooled by +gold. Well, my sister, for two thousand ducats, Trenck copied the +design of the fortress of Cronstadt, which the chancellor had just +received from his engineer." + +"That is impossible!" said Amelia, whose tears had now ceased to +flow, and who listened to her brother with distended but quiet eyes. + +"Impossible!" said Frederick. "Oh my sister, gold has a magic power +to which nothing is impossible! I wished to unmask the traitor +Trenck, and expose him in his true colors to the chancellor. I +ordered Goltz to hand him the copy of the fortress, drawn by Trenck +and signed with his name, and to tell him how he obtained it. The +chancellor was beside himself with rage, and swore to take a right +Russian revenge upon the traitor--he declared he should die under +the knout." + +Amelia uttered a wild cry, and clasped her hands over her convulsed +face. + +The king laughed, bitterly. "Compose yourself--we triumphed too +early; we had forgotten the woman! In his rage the chancellor +disclosed every thing to her, and uttered the most furious curses +and resolves against Trenck. She found means to warn him, and, when +the police came in the night to arrest him, he was not at home--he +had taken refuge in the house of his friend the English ambassador, +Lord Hyndforth." [Footnote: Trenck's Memoirs.] + +"Ah! he was saved, then?" whispered Amelia. + +The king looked at her in amazement. "Yes, he was saved. The next +day, Madame Bestuchef found means to convince her credulous husband +that Trenck was the victim of an intrigue, and entirely innocent of +the charge brought against him. Trenck remained, therefore, the +friend of the house, and Madame Bestuchef had the audacity to +publicly insult my ambassador. Trenck now announced himself as a +raging adversary of Prussia. He inflamed the heart of his powerful +mistress with hate, and they swore the destruction of Prussia. Both +were zealously engaged in changing the chancellor, my private and +confidential friend, into an enemy; and Trenck, the Russian patriot, +entered the service of the house of Austria, to intrigue against me +and my realm. [Footnote: Trenck himself writes on this subject: "I +would at that time have changed my fatherland into a howling +wilderness, if the opportunity had offered. I do not deny that from +this moment I did everything that was possible, in Russia, to +promote the views of the imperial ambassador, Duke Vernis, who knew +how to nourish the fire already kindled, and to make use of my +services."] Bestuchef, however, withstood these intrigues, and in +his distrust he watched over and threatened his faithless wife and +faithless friend. Trenck would have been lost, without doubt, if a +lucky accident had not again rescued him. His cousin the pandour +died in Vienna, and, as Trenck believed that he had left him a +fortune of some millions, he tore his tender ties asunder, and +hastened to Vienna to receive this rich inheritance, which, to his +astonishment, he found to consist not in millions, but in law +processes. This, Amelia, is the history of Trenck during these five +years in which you have received no news from him. Can you still say +that he has never forgotten you? that you are bound to be faithful +to him? You see I do not speak to you as a king, but as a friend, +and that I look at all these unhappy circumstances from your +standpoint. Treat me, then, as a friend, and answer me sincerely. Do +you still feel bound by your oath? Do you not know that he is a +faithless traitor, and that he has forgotten you?" + +The princess had listened to the king with a bowed head and downcast +eyes. Now she looked up; the fire of inspiration beamed in her eye, +a melancholy smile played upon her lips. + +"Sire," said she, "I took my vow without conditions, and I will keep +it faithfully till my death. Suppose, even, that a part of what you +have said is true, Trenck is young; you cannot expect that his +ardent and passionate heart should be buried under the ashes of the +vase of tears in which our love, in its beauty and bloom, crumbled +to dust. But his heart, however unstable it may appear, turns ever +back faithfully to that fountain, and he seeks to purify and +sanctify the wild and stormy present by the remembrance of the +beautiful and innocent past. You say that Trenck forgot me in his +prosperity: well, then, sire, in his misfortune he has remembered +me. In his misfortune he has forgotten the faithless, cold, and +treacherous letter which I wrote to him, and which he received in +the prison of Glatz. In his wretchedness, he has written to me, and +called upon me for aid. It shall not, be said that I did not hear +his voice--that I was not joyfully ready to serve him!" + +"And he has dared to write to you!" said the king, with trembling +lips and scornful eye. "Who was bold enough to hand you this +letter?" + +"Oh, sire, you will not surely demand that I shall betray my +friends! Moreover, if I named the messenger who brought me this +letter, it would answer no purpose; you would arrest and punish him, +and to-morrow I should find another to serve me as well. Unhappy +love finds pity, protection, and friends everywhere. Sire, I repeat +my request--pardon for Baron Trenck!" + +"And I," cried the king, in a loud, stern voice, "I ask if you +accept my proposition--if you will become the wife of the King of +Denmark--and, mark well, princess, this is the answer to your +prayer." + +"Sire, may God take pity on me! Punish me with your utmost scorn--I +cannot break my oath! You can force me to leave my vows unfulfilled- +-not to become the wife of the man I love--but you cannot force me +to perjure myself. I should indeed be foresworn if I stepped before +the altar with another man, and promised a love and faith which my +heart knows not, and can never know." + +The king uttered a shrill cry of rage; maledictions hung upon his +lips, but he held them back, and forcing himself to appear composed, +he folded his arms, and walked hastily backward and forward through +the room. + +The princess gazed at him in breathless silence, and with loudly- +beating heart she prayed to God for mercy and help; she felt that +this hour would decide the fate of her whole life. Suddenly the king +stood before her. His countenance was now perfectly composed. + +"Princess Amelia," said he, "I give you four weeks' respite. +Consider well what I have said to you. Take counsel with your +conscience, your understanding, and your honor. In four weeks I will +come again to you, and ask if you are resolved to fulfil my request, +and become the wife of the King of Denmark. Until that time, I will +know how to restrain the Danish ambassador. If you dare still to +oppose my will, I will yet fulfil my promise, and grant you the +favor you ask of me. I will make proposals to Trenck to return to +Prussia, and the inducements I offer shall be so splendid that he +will not resist them. Let me once have him here, and it shall be my +affair to hold fast to him." + +He bowed to the princess and left the room. Amelia watched him +silently, breathlessly, till he disappeared, then heaved a deep sigh +and called loudly for her maid. + +"Ernestine! Ernestine!" said she, with trembling lips, "find me a +faithful messenger whom I can send immediately to Vienna. I must +warn Trenck! Danger threatens him! No matter what my brother's +ambassador may offer him, with what glittering promises he may +allure him, Trenck dare not listen to them, dare not accept them! He +must never return to Prussia--he is lost if he does so!" + +Frederick returned slowly and silently to his apartment. As he +thought over the agitating scene he had just passed through, he +murmured lightly, "Oh, woman's heart! thou art like the restless, +raging sea, and pearls and monsters lie in thy depths!" + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +MADAME VON COCCEJI. + + +The Marquis d'Argens was right. Barbarina and her sister had left +England and returned to Berlin. They occupied the same expensive and +beautiful hotel in Behren Street; but it was no longer surrounded by +costly equipages, and besieged by gallant cavaliers. The elite of +the court no longer came to wonder and to worship. + +Barbarina's house was lonely and deserted, and she herself was +changed. She was no longer the graceful, enchanting prima donna, the +floating sylph; she was a calm, proud woman, almost imposing in her +grave, pale beauty; her melancholy smile touched the heart, while it +contrasted strangely with her flashing eye. + +Barbarina was in the same saloon where we last saw her, surrounded +with dukes and princes--worshippers at her shrine! To-day she was +alone; no one was by her side but her faithful sister Marietta. She +lay stretched upon the divan, with her arms folded across her bosom; +her head was thrown back upon the white, gold-embroidered cushion, +and her long, black curls fell in rich profusion around her; with +wide-open eyes she stared upon the ceiling, completely lost in sad +and painful thoughts. At a small table by her side sat her sister +Marietta, busily occupied in opening and reading the letters with +which the table was covered. + +And now she uttered a cry of joy, and a happy smile played upon her +face. "A letter from Milan, from the impressario, Bintelli," said +she. + +Barbarina remained immovable, and still stared at the ceiling. + +"Binatelli offers you a magnificent engagement; he declares that all +Italy languishes with impatience to see you. that every city +implores your presence, and he is ambitious to be the first to +allure you back to your fatherland." + +"Did you write to him that I desired an engagement?" said Barbarina. + +"No, sister," said Marietta, slightly blushing; "I wrote to him as +to an old and valued friend; I described the restless, weary, +nomadic life we were leading, and told him you had left the London +stage forever." + +"And does it follow that I will therefore appear in Milan? Write at +once that I am grateful for his offer, but neither in Milan nor any +other Italian city will I appear upon the stage." + +"Ah, Barbarina, will we never again return to our beautiful Italy?" +said Marietta, tearfully. + +"Did I say that, sister? I said only, I would not appear in public." + +"But, Barbarina, he entreats so earnestly, and he offers you an +enormous salary!" + +"I am rich enough, Marietta." + +"No! no one is rich enough! Money is power, and the more millions +one has to spend, the more is one beloved." + +"What care I for the love of men? I despise them all--all!" cried +Barbarina, passionately. + +"What! all?" said Marietta, with a meaning smile; "all--even +Cocceji?" + +Babarina raised herself hastily, and leaning upon her elbow, she +gazed with surprise upon her sister. "You think, then, that I love +Cocceji?" + +"Did you not tell me so yourself?" + +"Ah! I said so myself, did I?" said Barbarina, contemptuously, and +sinking back into her former quiet position. + +"Yes, sister, do you not remember," said Marietta, eagerly; "can you +not recall how sad you were when we left Berlin a year ago? You +sobbed and wept, and looked ever backward from the carriage, then +lightly whispered, 'My happiness, my life, my love remain in +Berlin!' I asked you in what your happiness, your love, your life +consisted. Your answer was, 'Do you not know, then, that I love +Cocceji?' In truth, good sister I did not believe you! I thought you +left Berlin because the mother of Cocceji implored you to do so. I +know you to be magnanimous enough to sacrifice yourself to the +prayers and happiness of another, and for this reason alone you went +to London, where Lord Stuart McKenzie awaited us." + +"Poor lord!" said Barbarina, thoughtfully. "I sinned greatly against +him! He loved me fondly; he waited for me with constancy; he was so +truly happy when I came at last, as he hoped, to fulfil my promise, +and become his wife! God knows I meant to be true, and I swore to +myself to make him a faithful wife; but my will was weaker than my +heart. I could not marry him, and on my wedding-day I fled from +London. Poor Lord Stuart!" + +"And on that day, when, bathed in tears, you told me to prepare to +leave London with you secretly; on that day you said to me, 'I +cannot, no, I cannot wed a man I do not love. The air chokes me, +Marietta; I must return to Berlin; he is there whom I love, whom I +will love eternally!' I said again, 'Whom do you love, my sister?' +and you replied, 'I love Cocceji!' And now you are amazed that I +believe you! In it possible that I can doubt your word? Is it +possible that Barbarina tells an untruth to her fond and faithful +sister? that she shrouds her heart, and will not allow Marietta to +read what is written there?" + +"If I did that," said Barbarina, uneasily, "it was because I shrank +from reading my own heart. Be pitiful, Marietta, do not lift the +veil; allow my poor heart to heal its wounds in peace and quiet." + +"It cannot heal, sister, if we remain here," said Marietta, +trembling with suppressed tears. "Let us fly far, far away; accept +the offer of Binatelli; it is the call of God. Come, come, +Barbarina, we will return to our own Italy, to beautiful Rome. +Remain no longer in this cold north, by these icy hearts!" + +"I cannot, I cannot!" cried Barbarina, with anguish. "I have no +fatherland--no home. I am no longer a Roman, no longer an Italian. I +am a wretched, homeless wanderer. Why will not my heart bleed and +die? Why am I condemned to live, and be conscious of this torture?" + +"Stop, stop, my sister!" cried Marietta, wildly; "not another word! +You are right; we will not lift this fearful veil. Cover up your +heart in darkness--it will heal!" + +"It will heal!" repeated Barbarina, pressing Marietta to her bosom +and weeping bitterly. + +The entrance of a servant aroused them both; Barbarina turned away +to hide her weeping eyes. The servant announced a lady, who desired +anxiously to speak with the signora. + +"Say to her that Barbarina is unwell, and can receive no one." + +In a few moments the servant returned with a card, which he handed +to Marietta. "The lady declared she knew the signora would receive +her when she saw the card." + +"Madame Cocceji," said Marietta. + +Barbarina rose up hastily. + +"Will you receive her?" asked Marietta. + +"I will receive her." + +And now a great change passed over Barbarina: all melancholy; all +languor had disappeared; her eyes sparkled, her cheeks glowed with +an engaging smile, as she advanced to greet the proud lady who stood +upon the threshold. + +"Ah, generous lady, how good you are!" said Barbarina, in a slightly +mocking tone. "I have but just returned to Berlin, and you gladden +my heart again by your visit, and grant me the distinction and +privilege of receiving in my house one of the most eminent and +virtuous ladies of Berlin." + +Madame Cocceji threw a contemptuous glance upon the beautiful young +woman who dared to look in her face with such smiling composure. + +"I have not come, madame, to visit you, but to speak to you!" + +"I do not see the distinction; we visit those with whom we wish to +speak." + +"We visit those with whom we wish to speak, and who are trying to +evade an interview! I have sent to you twice, signora, and commanded +you to come to me, but you have not obeyed!" + +"I am accustomed to receive those who wish to see me at my own +house," said Barbarina, quietly. "Indeed, madame, I understand your +language perhaps but poorly. Is it according to the forms of +etiquette to say, 'I have commanded you to come to me?' In my own +fair land we give a finer turn to our speech, and we beg for the +honor of a visit." As Barbarina said this, she bowed with laughing +grace to the proud woman, who gazed at her with suppressed rage. + +"This is the second time I have been forced to seek an interview +with you." + +"The first time, madame, you came with a petition, and I was so +happy as to be able to grant your request. May I be equally +fortunate to-day! Without doubt you come again as a petitioner," +said Barbarina, with the cunning manner of a cat, who purrs while +she scratches. + +The proud Cocceji was wounded; she frowned sternly, but suppressed +her anger. Barbarina was right--she came with a request. + +"I called upon you a year ago," said she, "and implored you to cure +my son of that wild love which had fallen upon him like the fever of +madness--which made him forget his duty, his rank, his parents. I +besought you to leave Berlin, and withdraw from his sight that +magical beauty which had seduced him." + +"And I declared myself ready to grant your petition," interrupted +Barbarina. "Yes, I conformed myself to your wishes, and left Berlin, +not, however, I confess, to do you a service, but because I did not +love your son; and there is nothing more dull and wearisome than to +listen to protestations of love that you cannot return. But look +you, gracious lady, that is a misfortune that pursues me at every +step. I left Berlin to escape this evil, and fled to London, to find +there the same old story of a love I could not return. I fled then +from London, to escape the danger of becoming the wife of Lord +Stuart McKenzie." + +"Why did you return to Berlin?" said Madame Cocceji, in an imperious +tone. + +Barbarina looked up surprised. "Madame," said she, "for that step I +am accountable to no one." + +"Yes, you are accountable to me!" cried Madame Cocceji, enraged to +the utmost by Barbarina's proud composure. "You are accountable to +me--me, the mother of Cocceji! You have seduced him by your charms, +and driven him to madness. He defies his parents and the anger of +his king, and yields himself up to this shameful passion, which +covers his family with disgrace." + +Barbarina uttered a cry of rage, and advanced a few steps. "Madame," +said she, laying her hand upon the arm of Madame Cocceji, "you have +called this love shameful. You have said that an alliance with me +would disgrace your family. Take back your words, I pray you!" + +"I retract nothing. I said but the truth," cried Madame Cocceji, +freeing herself from Barbarina. + +"Take back your words, madame, for your own sake!" said Barbarina, +threateningly. + +"I cannot, and will not!" she replied, imperiously, "and if your +pride and arrogance has not completely blinded you, in your heart +you will confess that I am right. The dancer Barbarina can never be +the daughter of the Coccejis. That would be a mockery of all +honorable customs, would cast contempt upon the graves of our +ancestors, and bring shame upon our nobility. And yet my unhappy son +dares think of this dishonor. In his insane folly, he rushed madly +from my presence, uttering words of rage and bitter reproach, +because I tried to show him that this marriage was impossible." + +"Ah, I love him for this!" cried Barbarina, with a genial smile. + +Without regarding her, Madame Cocceji went on: "Even against his +father, he has dared to oppose himself. He defies the anger of his +king. Oh, signora, in the anguish of my soul I turn to you; have +pity with me and with my most unhappy son! He is lost; he will go +down to the grave dishonored, if you do not come to my help! If, +indeed, you love him, your love will teach you to make the offering +of self-sacrifice, and I will bless you, and forgive you all the +anguish you have caused me. If you love him not, you will not be so +cruel as to bury the happiness and honor of a whole family because +of your lofty ambition and your relentless will. Hear my prayer-- +leave this city, and go so far away that my son can never follow, +never reach you!" + +"Then I must go into my grave," said Barbarina; "there is no other +refuge to which, if he truly loves, he cannot follow me. I, dear +madame, cannot, like yourself, move unknown and unregarded through +the world. My fame is the herald which announces my presence in +every land, and every city offers me, with bended knee, the keys of +her gates and the keys of her heart. I cannot hide myself. Nothing +is known of the proud and noble family of Cocceji outside of +Prussia; but the wide, wide world knows of the Barbarina, and the +laurel-wreaths with which I have been crowned in every land have +never been desecrated by an unworthy act or an impure thought. There +is nothing in my life of which I repent, nothing for which I blush +or am ashamed! And yet you have dared to reproach me--you have had +the audacity to seek to humiliate me in my own house." + +"You forget with whom you have the honor to speak." + +"You, madame, were the first to forget yourself; I follow your +example. I suppose Madame Cocceji knows and does ever that which is +great and right. I said you had vilified me in my own house, and yet +you ask of me an act of magnanimity! Why should I relinquish your +son's love?" + +"Why? Because there remains even yet, perhaps, a spark of honorable +feeling in your bosom. Because you know that my family will never +receive you, but will curse and abhor you, if you dare to entice my +son into a marriage. Because you know that the Prussian nobles, the +king himself, are on my side. The king, signora, no longer favors +you; the king has promised us his assistance. The king will use +every means of grace and power to prevent a marriage, which he +himself has written to me will cover my son with dishonor!" +[Footnote: Schneider, "History of the Opera in Berlin."] + +"That is false!" cried Barbarina. + +"It is true! and it is true that the king, in order to protect the +house of Cocceji from this shame, has given my husband authority to +arrest my son and cast him into prison, provided my prayers and +tears and menaces should be of no avail! If we fail, we will make +use of this authority, and give him over to General Hake. [Footnote: +Ibid.] Think well what you do--do not drive us to this extremity. I +say there is a point at which even a mother's love will fail, and +the head of our house will act with all the sternness which the law +and the king permit. Go, then, Signora Barbarina--bow your proud +head--leave Berlin. Return to your own land. I repeat to you, do not +drive us to extremity!" + +Barbarina listened to this with cool and mocking composure. Not a +muscle of her face moved--she was indeed striking in her majesty and +her beauty. Her imposing bearing, her pallid but clear complexion, +her crimson, tightly-compressed lips, her great, fiery eyes, which +spoke the scorn and contempt her proud lips disdained to utter, made +a picture never to be forgotten. + +"Madame," said she, slowly, emphasizing every word, "you have, +indeed, driven ME to extremity. It was not my intention to marry +your son. But your conduct has now made that a point of honor. Now, +madame, I will graciously yield to the passionate entreaties of your +son, and I will wed him." + +"That is to say, you will force my husband to make use of the power +the king has given him?" + +Barbarina shrugged her shoulders contemptuously. "Arrest your son, +and cast him into prison, you will thereby add a new celebrity to +your name, and quench the last spark of piety and obedience in his +heart. Love has wings, and will follow him everywhere, and will waft +him to the altar, where he will wed Barbarina. Neither your curse, +nor your arrest, nor the will of the king, will now protect him. +Before six months are over, will Barbarina the dancer be the wife of +Cocceji." + +"Never, never shall that be!" cried Madame Cocceji, trembling with +rage. + +"That will be!" said Barbarina, smiling sadly, and bending low. "And +now, madame, I think you have attained the object of your visit, and +we have nothing more to say to each other. It only remains for me to +commend myself to your grace and courtesy, and to thank you for the +honor of your visit. Allow me to call my servant, to conduct you to +your carriage." + +She rang and commanded the servant to open the folding doors, and +carry the large muff of the countess to the carriage. Madame Cocceji +was pale with rage. She wished to remain incognito, and now her name +had been called before the servant. All Berlin would know before +night that she had visited Barbarina! + +"Give me my muff," she said impatiently to the servant; "it is not +necessary you should carry it. I came on foot." + +"On foot?" said Barbarina, laughing merrily. "Truly, you wished to +remain incognito, and you would not leave your equipage with its +coat of arms, standing before my door! I thank you once more for the +honor of your visit, and commend myself to you with the glad wish +that we may meet again." + +"Never more!" said Madame Cocceji, casting a withering look upon the +gay dancer, and hastening from the room. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +VOLTAIRE. + + +Voltaire was now a continuous guest of King Frederick. The latter +had written a letter to Louis the Fifteenth, and begged him to +relinquish his subject and historian, and this request was supposed +to be acceded to. Besides this, the king, who was ever thoughtful of +the happiness and comfort of his friends, had proposed to Madame +Denis, Voltaire's beloved niece, to follow her uncle to Berlin, +dwell in the royal castle at Potsdam, and accept from him an annuity +of four thousand francs. + +Voltaire himself besought her to come. He wrote to her that, as she +had lived contentedly with her husband in Landau, she could surely +be happy in Berlin and Potsdam. Berlin was certainly a much more +beautiful city than Landau, and at Potsdam they could lead an +agreeable and unceremonious life. "In Potsdam there are no +tumultuous feasts. My soul rests, dreams, and works. I am content to +find myself with a king who has neither a court nor a ministry. +Truly, Potsdam is infested by many whiskered grenadiers, but, thank +Heaven, I see little of them. I work peacefully in my room, while +the drums beat without. I have withdrawn from the dinners of the +king; there were too many princes and generals there. I could not +accustom myself to be always vis-a-vis with a king and en ceremonie. +But I sup with him--the suppers are shorter, gayer, and healthier. I +would die with indigestion in three months if I dined every day in +public with a king." [Footnote: OEuvres Completes, p. 360] + +Madame Denis, however, seemed to doubt the happy life of Berlin and +Potsdam. She wrote, declining the proposition, and expressing her +fears that Voltaire would himself soon repent that he had left +beautiful, glittering Paris, the capital of luxury and good taste, +and taken refuge in a barbaric land, to be the slave of a king, +while, in Paris, he had been the king of poetry. + +Voltaire had the audacity to bring this letter to the king--perhaps +to wound him, perhaps to draw from him further promises and +assurances. + +Frederick read the letter; his brow did not become clouded, and the +friendly smile did not vanish from his lips. When he had read it to +the end, he returned it, and his eyes met the distrustful, lowering +glance of Voltaire with an expression of such goodness and candor +that the latter cast his eyes ashamed to the ground. + +"If I were Madame Denis," said Frederick, "I would think as she +does; but, being myself, I view these things differently. I would be +in despair if I had occasioned the unhappiness of a friend; and it +will not be possible for me to allow trouble or sorrow to fall upon +a man whom I esteem, whom I love, and who has sacrificed for me his +fatherland and all that men hold most dear. If I could believe that +your residence here could be to your disadvantage, I would be the +first to counsel you to give it up. I know I would think more of +your happiness than I would of the joy of having you with me. We are +philosophers. What is more natural, more simple, than that two +philosophers, who seem made for each other--who have the same +studies, the same tastes, the same mode of thinking--should grant +themselves the satisfaction of living together? I honor you as my +teacher of eloquence and poetry; I love you as a virtuous and +sympathetic friend. What sort of bondage, what misfortunes, what +changes have you to fear in a realm where you are as highly honored +as in your fatherland--where you have a powerful friend who advances +to meet you with a thankful heart? I am not so prejudiced and +foolish as to consider Berlin as handsome as Paris. If good taste +has found a home in the world, I confess it is in Paris. But you, +Voltaire, will you not inaugurate good taste wherever you are? We +have organs sufficiently developed to applaud you; and, as to love, +we will not allow any other land superiority in that respect. I +yielded to the friendship which bound you to the Marquise du +Chatelet, but I was, next to her, your oldest friend. How, when you +have sought an asylum in my house, can it ever be THOUGHT it will +become your prison? How, being your friend, can I ever become your +tyrant? I do not understand this. I am convinced that, as long as I +live, you will be happy here. You will be honored as the father of +literature, and you will ever find in me that assistance and +sympathy which a man of your worth has a right to demand of all who +honor and appreciate him." [Footnote: The king's own words.--Oeuvres +Posthumes.] + +"Alas! your majesty says that you honor me, but you no longer say +that you love me," cried Voltaire, who had listened to this eloquent +and heart-felt speech of the king with eager impatience and lowering +frowns. "Yes, yes, I feel it; I know it too well! Your majesty has +already limited me to your consideration, your regard; but your +love, your friendship, these are costly treasures from which I have +been disinherited. But I know these hypocritical legacy-hunters, who +have robbed me of that most beautiful portion of my inheritance. I +know these poor, beggarly cousins, these D'Argens, these Algarottis, +these La Mettries, this vainglorious peacock Maupertius. I--" + +"Voltaire," said the king, interrupting him, "you forget that you +speak of my friends, and I do not allow any one to speak evil of +them. I will never be partial, never unjust! My heart is capable of +valuing and treasuring all my friends, but my friends must aim to +deserve it; and if I give them my heart, I expect one in return." + +"Friendship is a bill of exchange, by which you give just so much as +you are entitled to demand in return." + +"Give me, then, your whole heart, Voltaire, and I will restore mine +to you! But I fear you have no longer a heart; Nature gave you but a +small dose of this fleeting essence called love. She had much to do +with your brain, and worked at that so long that no time remained to +make the heart perfect; just as she was about to pour a few drops of +this wonderful love-essence into your heart, the cock crew three +times for your birth, and betrayed you into the world. You have long +since used up the poor pair of drops which fell into your heart. +Your brain was armed for centuries, with power to work, to be +useful, to rejoice the souls of others. but I fear your heart was +exhausted in your youthful years." + +"Ah, I wish your majesty were right!" cried Voltaire; "I should not +then feel the anguish which now martyrs me, the torture of being +misunderstood by the most amiable, the most intellectual, the most +exalted of monarchs. Oh, sire, sire! I have a heart, and it bleeds +because you doubt of its existence!" + +"I would believe you if you were a little less pathetic," said the +king. "You not only assert, but you declaim. There is too little of +nature and truth in your tone; you remind me a little of the stilted +French tragedies, in which design and premeditation obscure all true +passion; in which love is only a phrase, that no one believes in, +dressed up with the tawdry gilding of sentiment and pathos." + +"Your majesty will crush me with your scorn and mockery!" cried +Voltaire, whose eyes now flamed with anger. "You wish to make me +feel how powerless, how pitiful I am. Where shall I find the +strength to strive with you? I have won no battles. I have no +hundred thousand men to oppose to you and no courts-martial to +condemn those who sin against me!" + +"It is true you have not a hundred thousand soldiers," said the +king, "but you have four-and-twenty, and with these four-and-twenty +soldiers you have conquered the whole realm of spirits; with this +little army you have brought the whole of educated Europe to your +feet. You are, therefore, a much more powerful king than I am. I +have, it is true, a hundred thousand men, but I dare not say that +they will not run when it comes to the first battle. You, Voltaire, +have your four-and-twenty soldiers of the alphabet, and so well have +you exercised them, that you must win every battle, even if all the +kings of the earth were allied against you. Let us make peace, then, +my 'invincible!' do not turn this terrible army of the four-and- +twenty, with their deadly weapons, against me, but graciously allow +me to seize upon the hem of your purple robe, to sun myself in your +dazzling rays, to be your humble scholar, and from you and your army +of heroes to learn the secret art of winning battles with invisible +troops!" + +"Your majesty makes me feel more and more how poor I am; even my +four-and-twenty, of whom you speak, have gone over to you, and you +understand, as well as I do, how to exercise them." + +"No, no!" said Frederick, changing suddenly his jesting tone for one +of grave earnestness. "No, I will learn of you. I am not satisfied +to be a poor-souled dilettante in poetry, though assured I can. +never be a Virgil or a Voltaire. I know that the study of poetry +demands the life, the undivided heart and mind. I am but a poor +galley-slave, chained to the ship of state; or, if you will, a +pilot, who does not dare to leave the rudder, or even to sleep, lest +the fate of the unhappy Palinurus might overtake him. The Muses +demand solitude and rest for the soul, and that I can never +consecrate to them. Often, when I have written three verses, I am +interrupted, my muse is chilled, and my spirit cannot rise again +into the heights of inspiration. I know there are privileged souls, +who can make verses everywhere--in the tumult of court life, in the +loneliness of Cirey, in the prisons of the Bastile, and in the +stage-coach. My poor soul does not enjoy this freedom. It resembles +an anana, which bears fruit only in the green-house, but fades and +withers in the fresh air." [Footnote: The king's own words.--Oeuvres +Posthumes.] + +"Ah! this is the first time I have caught the Solomon of the North +in an untruth," cried Voltaire, eagerly. "Your soul is not like the +anana, but like the wondrous southern tree which generously bears at +the same time fruits and flowers; which inspires and sweetly +intoxicates us with its fragrance, and at the same time strengthens +and refreshes us by its celestial fruits. You, sire, are not the +pupil of Apollo, you are Apollo himself!" + +The king smiled, and, raising his arms to heaven, he exclaimed, with +the mock pathos of a French tragedian: + + "O Dieu! qui douez les poetes + De tant de sublime faveure; + Ah, rendez vos graces parfaites, + Et qu'ils soient un peu moins menteurs." + +"In trying to punish me for what you are pleased to call my +falsehood, your majesty proves that I have spoken the truth," cried +Voltaire, eagerly. "You wish to show me that the fruit of your muse +ripens slowly, and you improvise a charming quatrain that Moliere +himself would be proud to have composed." + + "Rendez vos graces parfaites, + Et qu'ils Boient un peu moins menteurs!" + +repeated Frederick, nodding merrily to Voltaire. "Look you, friend, +I am perhaps that mortal who incommodes the gods least with prayers +and petitions. My first prayer to-day was for you; show, therefore, +a little gratitude, and prove to me that the gods hear the earnest +prayers of the faithful. Be less of a flatterer, and speak the +simple truth. I desire now to look over with you my compositions of +the last few days. I wish you, however, always to remember that when +you write, you do so to add to the fame of your nation and to the +honor of your fatherland. For myself, I scribble for my amusement; +and I could easily be pardoned, if I were wise enough to burn my +work as soon as it was finished. [Footnote: The king's own words.-- +Oeuvres Posthumes.] When a man approaches his fortieth year and +makes bad verses as I do, one might say, with Moliere's +'Misanthrope'-- + + "'Si j'en faissis d'aussi mechants, + Je me garderais bien de les montrer aux gens.'" + +"Your majesty considers yourself already too old to make verses, and +you are scarcely thirty-eight: am I not then a fool, worthy of +condemnation, for daring to do homage to the Muses and striving to +make verses--I, the gray-haired old man who already counts fifty- +six?" + +"You have the privilege of the gods! you will never grow old; and +the Muses and Graces, though women, must ever remain faithful to +you--you understand how to lay new chains upon them." + +"No, no, sire! I am too old," sighed Voltaire; "an old poet, an old +lover, an old singer, and an old horse are alike useless things-- +good for nothing. [Footnote: Voltaire's own words.--Oeuvres +Posthumes, p. 364.] Well, your majesty can make me a little younger +by reading me some of your verses." + +Frederick stepped to his writing-desk, and, seating himself, nodded +to Voltaire to be seated also. + +"You must know," said the king, handing Voltaire a sheet of paper +covered with verses--"you must know that I have come with six twin +brothers, who desire in the name of Apollo to be baptized in the +waters of Hippocrene, and the 'Henriade' is entreated to be +godfather." + +Voltaire took the paper and read the verses aloud. The king listened +attentively, and nodded approvingly over Voltaire's glowing and +passionate declamation. + +"This is grand! this is sublime!" cried Voltaire. "Your majesty is a +French writer, who lives by accident in Germany. You have our +language wholly in your power." + +Frederick raised his finger threateningly. "Friend, friend, shall I +weary the gods again with my prayer?" + +"Your majesty, then, wishes to hear the whole truth?" + +"The whole truth!" + +"Then you must allow me, sire, to read the verses once more. I read +them the first time as an amateur, now I will read them as a +critic." + +As Voltaire now repeated the verses, he laid a sharp accent upon +every word and every imperfect rhyme; scanned every line with stern +precision. Sometimes when he came to a false Alexandrine, he gave +himself the appearance of being absolutely unable to force his lips +to utter such barbarisms; and then his eyes glowed with malicious +fire, and a contemptuous smile played about his mouth. + +The king's brow clouded. "I understand," said he, "the poem is +utterly unworthy--good for nothing. Let us destroy it." + +"Not so, sire--the poem is excellent, and it requires but a few +day's study to make it perfect. On the Venus di Medici no finger +must be too long, no nail badly formed; and what are such statues, +with which we deck our gardens, to the monuments of the library? We +must, therefore, make your work perfect. There is infinite grace and +intellect in this little poem. Where have you found such treasures, +sire? How can your sandy soil yield such blossoms? How can such +charming grace and profound learning be combined? [Footnote: +Voltaire's own words.--Oeuvres Posthumes, p. 329.] But even the +Graces must stand upon a sure footing, and here, sire, are a few +feet which are too long. Truly, that is sometimes unimportant, but +the work of a distinguished genius should be PERFECT. You work too +rashly, sire--it is sometimes more easy to win a battle than to make +a good poem. Your majesty loves the truth so well, that by speaking +the truth in all sincerity I shall best prove to you my most +profound reverence. All that you do must be perfectly done; you are +fully endowed with the ability necessary. No one must say 'Caesar +est supra grammaticum.' Caesar wrote as he fought, and was in both +victorious. Frederick the Great plays the flute like Blavet, why +should he not also write like the greatest of poets? [Footnote: +Ibid., p. 823.] But your majesty must not disdain to give to the +beautiful sentiment, the great thought, a lovely and attractive +form." + +"Yes, you are right!" said Frederick; "I fail in that, but you must +not think that it is from carelessness. Those of my verses which you +have least criticised are exactly those which have cost me the least +effort. When the sentiment and the rhyme come in competition, I make +bad verses, and am not happy in my corrections. You cannot +comprehend the difficulties I have to overcome in making a few +tolerable verses. A happy combination by nature, an irrepressible +and fruitful intellect, made you a great poet without any effort of +your own. I feel and acknowledge the inferiority of my talent. I +swim about in the ocean of poetry with my life-preserver under my +arm. I do not write as well as I think. My ideas are stronger than +my expressions; and in this embarrassment, I am often content if my +verses are as little indifferent as possible, and do not expect them +to be good." [Footnote: The king's own words, p. 346.] + +"It is entirely in your majesty's power to make them perfect. With +you, sire, it is as with the gods--'I will!' and it is done. If your +majesty will condescend to adorn the Graces and sylphs, the sages +and scholars, who stumble about in this sublime poem with somewhat +rugged feet, with artistic limbs, they will flutter about like +graceful genii, and step with majesty like the three kings of the +East. Now let us try--we will write this poem again." + +He made a long mark with a pen over the manuscript of the king, took +a new sheet of paper, and commenced to write the first lines. He +criticised every word with bitter humor, with flashing wit, with +mocking irony. Inexorable in his censure, indifferent in his praise, +his tongue seemed to be armed with arrows, every one of which was +intended to strike and wound. + +The face of Frederick remained calm and clear. He did not feel that +he was a mighty king and ruler, injured by the fault-finding of a +common man. He was the pupil, with his accomplished teacher; and as +he really wished to learn, he was indifferent as to the mode by +which his stern master would instruct him. + +After this they read together a chapter from the king's "Higtoire de +Mon Temps." A second edition was about to appear, and Voltaire had +undertaken to correct it. He brought his copy with him, in order to +give Frederick an account of his corrections. + +"This book will be a masterwork, if your majesty will only take the +pains to correct it properly? But has a king the time and patience?- +-a king who governs his whole kingdom alone? Yes, it is this thought +which confounds me! I cannot recover from my astonishment; it is +this which makes me so stern in my judgment of your writings. I +consider it a holy duty." + +"And I am glad you are harsh and independent," said the king. "I +learn more from ten stern and critical words, than from a lengthy +speech full of praise and acknowledgment! But tell me, now, what +means this red mark, with which you have covered one whole side of +my manuscript?" + +"Sire, this red mark asks for consideration for your grandfather, +King Frederick the First; you have been harsh and cruel with him!" + +"I dared not be otherwise, unless I would earn for myself the charge +of partiality," said the king. "It shall not be said that I closed +my eyes to his foolishness and absurdity because he was my +grandfather. Frederick the First was a vain and pompous fool; this +is the truth!" + +"And yet I entreat your grace for him, sire. I love this king +because of his royal pomp, and the beautiful monument which he left +behind him." + +"Well, that was vanity, that posterity might speak of him. From +vanity he protected the arts; from vanity and foolish pride he +placed the crown upon his head. His wife, the great Sophia +Charlotte, was right when she said of him on her death-bed: 'The +king will not have time to mourn for me; the interest he will take +in solemnizing my funeral with pomp and regal splendor will +dissipate his grief; and if nothing is wanting, nothing fails in the +august and beautiful ceremony, he will be entirely comforted.' +[Footnote: Thiebault.] He was only great in little things, and +therefore when Sophia Charlotte received from her friend Leibnitz +his memoir 'On the Power of Small Things,' she said, smiling: +'Leibnitz will teach me to know small things; has he forgotten that +I am the wife of Frederick the First, or does he think that I do not +know my husband?'" [Footnote: Ibid.] + +"Well, I pray for grace for the husband on his wife's account. +Sophia Charlotte was an exalted and genial woman; you should forgive +her husband all other things, because he was wise enough to make her +his wife and your grand-mother! And if your majesty reproaches him +for the vanity of making himself king, that is a vanity from which +his descendants have obtained some right solid advantages." + +"The title appears to me not in the least disagreeable! The title is +beautiful, when given by a free people, or earned by a prince. +Frederick the First had done nothing to stamp him a king, and that +condemns him." + +"So let it be," said Voltaire, shrugging his shoulders, "he is your +grandfather, not mine. Do with him as you think best, sire; I have +nothing more to say, and will content myself with softening a few +phrases." [Footnote: This conversation of the king and Voltaire is +historic. Voltaire tells it in a letter to Madame Denis.] + +When he saw that Frederick's brow clouded at these words, he said, +with a sly laugh: "Look you, how the office of a teacher, which your +majesty forced upon me, makes me insolent and haughty! I, who would +do well to correct my own works, undertake to improve the writings +of a king. I remind myself of the Abbot von Milliers, who has +written a book called 'Reflections on the Faults of Others.' On one +occasion he went to hear a sermon of a Capuchin. The monk addressed +his audience, in a nasal voice, in the following manner: 'My dear +brothers in the Lord, I had intended to-day to discourse upon hell, +but at the door of the church I have read a bill posted up, +"Reflections on the Faults of Others." "Ha! my friend," thought I, +"why have you not rather made reflections over your own faults?" I +will therefore speak to you of the pride and arrogance of men!'" + +"Well, make such reflections always when occupied with the History +of Louis the Fifteenth," said the king, laughing; "only, I beseech +you, when you are with me, not to be converted by the pious +Capuchin, but make your reflections on the faults of others only." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +A DAY IN THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE. + + +Voltaire enjoyed the rare privilege of speaking the truth to the +king, and he made a cruel and bitter use of his opportunities in +this respect. He was jealous and envious of the king's fame and +greatness, and sought to revenge him-self by continual fault-finding +and criticism. He sought to mortify the great Frederick, who was +admired and wondered at by all the world; to make him feel and +confess that he could never equal the renowned writer Voltaire. + +Frederick felt and acknowledged this frankly and without shame, but +with that smiling composure and great self-consciousness which is +ever ready to do justice to others, and demands at the same time a +just recognition of its own claims. Voltaire might exalt himself to +the clouds, he could not depreciate the king. He often made him +angry, however, and this gratified the malice of the great French +author. + +The other friends of Frederick looked upon this conduct of Voltaire +with regret; and the Marquis d'Argens, who was of a fine and gentle +nature, soon saw the daily discontent of the king, and the wicked +joy of Voltaire. + +"My friend," said he, "the king wrote a poem yesterday, which he +read aloud to me this morning. He declares that there is one bad +rhyme in his poem, and that it tortures him. I tried in vain to +reassure him. I know that the rhyme is incorrect, but you will +provoke him beyond measure if you tell him so. He has tried in vain +to correct it, without impairing the sense of the passage. I have, +therefore, withheld all criticism, and read to him some verses from +La Fontaine, where the same fault is to be found. I have wished to +convince him that the poem is worthy of praise, although not exactly +conformed to rule. I beg of you, Voltaire, to follow my example." + +"And why should I do that?" said Voltaire, in his most snarling +tone. + +"Because, with your severe and continual criticisms you will disgust +the king, and turn him aside from his favorite pursuit. I think it +important to poetry and the fine arts that the great and powerful +sovereign of Prussia should love and cherish them; should exalt +those who cultivate them, and, indeed, rank himself amongst them. +What difference does it make, Voltaire, if a bad rhyme is to be +found in the poetry of the philosopher of Sans-Souci?" [Footnote: +Thiebault, vol. v., p. 337.] + +"The king wishes to learn of me how to make good poetry, and my love +to him is not of that treasonable, womanly, and cowardly sort which +shrinks from blaming him because it fears to wound his self-love. +The king has read his poem to you, and it is your province to wonder +at and praise your friend. He will read it to me as 'Pedagogo de sua +Maesta.' I will be true and just, where you have dared to flatter +him." + +Never was Voltaire more severe in his criticism, more cutting in his +satire, than to-day. His eyes sparkled with malicious joy, and a +wicked smile played still upon his lip as he left the king and +returned to his own apartment. + +"Ah," said he, seating himself at his writing-table, with a loud +laugh, "I shall write well to-day, for I have had a lesson. +Frederick does not know how far he is my benefactor. In correcting +him, I correct myself; and in directing his studies, I gain strength +and judgment for my own works. [Footnote: Voltaire's own words.-- +Oeuvres, p. 363.] I will now write a chapter in my History of Louis +XIV. My style will be good. The chapter which I have read this +morning, in Frederick's 'Histoire de Mon Temps' has taught me what +faults to avoid. Yes, I will write of Louis XIV. Truly I owe him +some compensation. King Frederick has had the naivete to compare his +great grandfather, the so-called great Prince-Elector, to the great +Louis. I was amiable enough to pardon him for this little compliment +to his ancestors, and not to strike it from his 'Histoire.' And, +indeed, why should I have done that? The world will not be so +foolish as to charge this amusing weakness to me! After all, the +king writes but for himself, and a few false, flattering friends; he +can, therefore, say what he will. I, however, I write for France-- +for the world! But I fear, alas, that fools will condemn me, because +I have sought to write as a wise man." [Footnote: CEuvres, p. 341.] + +Voltaire commenced to write, but, he was soon interrupted by his +servant, Tripot, who announced that the Jew Hirsch, for whom +Voltaire had sent, was at the door. Voltaire rose hastily, and +called him to enter. + +"I have business with you, my friend," said he to the Jew. "Close +the door, Tripot, and see that we are not disturbed." + +Voltaire hastened with youthful agility through the saloon, and +beckoned to the Jew to follow him into his bedroom. + +"First of all, friend, we will make a small mercantile operation." +So saying, he opened the door of a large commode. "See, here are +twelve pounds of the purest wax-lights. I am a poor man, with weak +eyes. I have no use for these lights; I can never hope to profit by +them. Here, also, are several pounds of sugar and coffee, the +savings of the last two months. You will buy all this of me; we will +agree upon a fixed price, and the last day of every month you will +come for the same purpose. Name your price, sir." + +Hirsch named his price; but it seemed that the great poet understood +how to bargain better than the Jew. He knew exactly the worth of the +sugar and the coffee, he spoke so eloquently of the beauty and +purity of the thick white wax-lights, that the Hebrew increased his +offer, + +"And now to more important business," said Voltaire. "You are going +to Dresden--you will there execute a commission for me. I wish to +invest eighteen thousand thalers in Saxon bonds. They can now be +purchased at thirty-five, and will be redeemed at a hundred." + +"But your excellency knows that the king has forbidden his subjects +to buy these bonds. He demanded and obtained for his subjects a +pledge that they should be paid at par for the bonds they now hold, +while the subjects of the King of Saxony receive only their present +value. The king promised, however, that the Prussians should make no +further investments in these bonds. You see, then, that it is +impossible for me to fulfil this commission." + +"I see that you are a fool!" cried Voltaire, angrily. "If you were +not a fool, you would know that Voltaire, the chamberlain of the +king, would not undertake a business transaction which would stain +his reputation or cast a shadow on his name. When Voltaire makes +this investment, you can understand that he is authorized to do so." + +"That being the case," said Hirsch, humbly, "I am entirely +satisfied, and will gladly serve your excellency." + +"If you fill this commission handsomely and promptly, you may feel +assured of a reward. Are you ambitious? Would you not like a title?" + +"Certainly I am ambitious. I should be truly happy if I could obtain +the title of 'royal court agent.'" + +"Well, buy these bonds for me in Dresden cheap, and you shall have +this coveted title," said the noble author of the "Henriade," and +other world-renowned works. + +"I will buy them at thirty-five thalers." + +"And you will invest eighteen thousand thalers at this rate. Our +contract is made; now we will count the gold. I have not the ready +money--I will give you drafts--come into my study.--There are three +drafts," said he, "one on Paris, one on your father, and one on the +Jew Ephraim. Get them cashed, good Hirsch, and bring me my Saxon +bonds." + +"In eight days, your excellency, I will return with them, and you +will have a clear profit of eleven thousand thalers." + +Voltaire's eyes sparkled with joy. "Eleven thousand thalers!" said +he; "for a poor poet, who lives by his wits and his pen, that is a +considerable sum." + +"You will realize that sum," said Hirsch, with the solemn +earnestness of a Jew when he has made a good trade. + +Hirsch was about to withdraw, but Voltaire hastened after him, and +seizing his arm, he cried out threateningly: "You are not going +without giving me your note? You do not think that I am such a fool +as to give you eighteen thousand thalers, and have nothing to prove +it?" + +"You excellency has my word of honor," said the Jew, earnestly. + +Voltaire laughed aloud. "Your word! the honorable word of a man for +eighteen thousand thalers! My dear friend, we do not live in +paradise, but in a so-called Christian city--your worthy forefathers +obtained for us this privilege. Do you believe that I will trust one +of their descendants? Who will go my security that you will not, +nail my innocence and my confiding heart upon the cross, and slay +them if I should be unsuspicious enough to trust my money with you +in this simple way?" + +"I will give you ample security," said Hirsch, taking a morocco case +from his pocket. "I did not know why your excellency sent for me. I +thought perhaps you wished to buy diamonds, and brought some along +with me. Look, sir! here are diamonds worth twenty-two thousand +thalers! I will leave them with you--I, the poor Jew, do not fear +that the great poet Voltaire will deceive and betray me." + +"These diamonds are beautiful," said Voltaire--"very beautiful, and +perhaps if my speculation succeeds, I may buy some from you. Until +then, I will take care of them." + +Voltaire was about to lock them up, but he paused suddenly, and +fixed his eyes upon the calm countenance of the Jew. + +"How do I know that these are real diamonds?" he cried; and as +Hirsch, exasperated by this base suspicion, frowned and turned pale, +he exclaimed fiercely: "The diamonds are false! I know it by your +terror. Oh, oh, you thought that a poet was a good, credulous +creature who could be easily deceived. Ah! you thought I had heard +nothing of those famous lapidaries in St. Germain, who cut diamonds +from glass, and cook up in their laboratories the rarest jewels! +Yes, yes, I know all these arts, and all the brewing of St. Germain +will not suffice to deceive me." + +"These diamonds are pure!" cried Hirsch. + +"We will have them tested by a Christian jeweller," said Voltaire.-- +"Tripot! Tripot! run quickly to the jeweller Reclam--beg him to come +to me for a few moments." + +Tripot soon returned with Reclam. The diamonds were pronounced pure +and of the first water; and the jeweller declared they were fully +worth twenty-two thousand thalers. Voltaire was now fully satisfied, +and, when once more alone, he looked long and rapturously upon these +glittering stones. + +"What woman can boast of such dazzling fire in her eyes?" said he, +laughing; "what woman can say that their color is worth twenty-two +thousand thalers? It is true they glisten and shimmer in all lights +and shades--that is their weakness and their folly. With you, +beautiful gems! these changing hues are a virtue. Oh, to think that +with this handful of flashing stones I could buy a bag of ducats! +How dull and stupid are mankind--how wise is God! Sinking those +diamonds in the bowels of the earth was a good speculation. They are +truffles to tempt the snouts of men; and they root after them as +zealously as the swine in Perigord root after the true truffles. +Gold! gold! that is the magic word with which the world is ruled. I +will have gold--I will rule the world. I will not give place to +dukes or princes. I will have my seigneuries and my castles; my +servants in rich livery, and my obedient subjects. I will be a grand +seigneur. Kings and princes shall visit me in my castle, and wait in +my antechamber, as I have been compelled to wait in theirs. I will +be rich that I may be every man's master, even master of the fools. +I will enslave the wise by my intellect--I will reduce the foolish +to bondage with gold. I must be rich! rich! rich! therefore am I +here; therefore do I correct the poor rhymes of the king; therefore +do I live now as a modest poet, and add copper to copper, and save +my pension of five thousand thalers, and sell my wax-lights and my +coffee to the Jew. Let the world call me a miser. When I become +rich, I will be a spendthrift: and men who are now envious and angry +at my fame shall burst with rage at my fortune. Ah, ah, it is not +worth the cost to be a celebrated writer! There are too many +humiliations connected with this doubtful social position. It gives +no rank--it is a pitiful thing in the eyes of those who have actual +standing, and is only envied by those who are unnoticed and unknown. +For my own part, I am so exhausted by the discomforts of my +position, I would gladly cast it from me, and make for myself what +the canaille call a good thing--an enormous fortune. I will scrape +together all the gold that is possible. I will give for gold all the +honor and freedom and fame which come to me. I am a rich gainer in +all these things by my residence with King Frederick. He has this +virtue: he is unprejudiced, and cares nothing even for his own royal +rank. I will therefore remain in this haven, whither the storms, +which have so long driven me from shore to shore, have now safely +moored me. My happiness will last just as long as God pleases." +[Footnote: Voltaire's own words.--Oeuvres, p. 110.] + +He laughed heartily, and took his cash-book, in which he entered +receipts and expenditures. It was Voltaire's greatest pleasure to +add up his accounts from time to time, and gloat over the growth of +his fortune; to compare, day by day, his receipts and expenses, and +to find that a handsome sum was almost daily placed to his credit. +The smallest necessary expenditure angered him. With a dark frown he +said to himself: "It is unjust and mean to require of me to buy +provender for my horse, and to have my carriage repaired; if the +king furnishes me with an equipage, he should not allow it to be any +expense to me. The major-domo is an old miser, who cheats me every +month out of some pounds of sugar and coffee, and the wax-lights are +becoming thinner and poorer. I will complain to King Frederick of +all this; he must see that order prevails in his palace." + +Voltaire closed his account-book, and murmured: "When I have an +income of a hundred and fifty thousand francs, I will cease to +economize. God be praised, I have almost reached the goal! But," +said he, impatiently, "in order to effect this, I must remain here a +few years, and add my pension to my income. Nothing must prevent +this--I must overcome every obstacle. What! who can hinder me? my +so-called friends, who naturally are my most bitter enemies? Ha, ha! +what a romantic idea of this genial king to assemble six friends +around him at Sans-Souci, the most of them being authors--that is to +say, natural enemies! I believe if two authors, two women, or two +pietists, were placed alone upon a desert isle, they would forget +their dependence upon each other, and commence intriguing at once. +This, alas! is humanity, and being so, one must withdraw from the +poor affair advantageously and cunningly. [Footnote: Voltaire, +Oeuvres, p. 375.] No one can live peacefully in this world; least of +all, in the neighborhood of a king. It is with kings as with +coquettes, their glances kindle jealousy--and Frederick is a great +coquette. I must, therefore, drive my rivals from the field, and +enjoy in peace the favor of the king. Now which of my rivals are +dangerous to me? All! all! I must banish them all! I will sow such +discontent and rage and malice and strife amongst them, that they +will fly in hot haste, and thank God if I do not bite off their +noses before they escape. I will turn this, their laughing paradise, +into a hell, and I will be the devil to chase them with glowing +pitchforks. Yes, even to Siberia will I drive this long-legged +peacock, Maupertius--him, first of all; then D'Argens, then +Algarotti, then this over-wise and good Lord Marshal, and all others +like him! When Voltaire's sun is in the ascendant, not even stars +shall glitter; It shall not be! I will prove to them that Voltaire's +fiery rays have burned them to ashes!" [Footnote: Voltaire, OEuvres, +p. 378.] + +He laughed aloud, and seated himself to write a poem. He was invited +that evening to a soiree by the queen-mother, where he wished to +shine as an improvisator. Above all other things, he wished to win +the heart of the Princess Amelia. Since she had played the part of +Aurelia, in "Rome Sauvee," he had felt a passion for the princess, +who had betrayed to the life the ardor and the pains of love, and +whose great flaming eyes seemed, from their mysterious depths, to +rouse the soul of the poet. Voltaire had promised the Princess +Amelia to improvise upon any subject she should select, and he +relied upon his cunning to incline her choice in such a direction as +to make the poem he was now writing appropriate and seem impromptu. + +While thus occupied, his servant entered and announced a number of +distinguished gentlemen, who were in the parlor, and wished to make +the great author a morning visit. "Let them all wait!" said +Voltaire, angrily; declaring that this disturbance had cost him a +piquant rhyme. + +"But, gracious sir," stammered the servant, "some of the most +distinguished men of the court and the oldest generals, are there!" + +"What do I care for their epaulets or their excellencies? Let them +wait, or go to the devil--if they prefer it." + +Well, the eminent gentlemen waited; indeed, they waited patiently, +until the great Voltaire, the favorite of the king, the universal +French author, in his pride and arrogance was graciously pleased to +show himself amongst the Dutch barbarians, and allow some rays of +his intellect to fall upon and inspire them! + +The saloon was indeed crowded with princes, generals, and nobles. +Voltaire had just returned to Berlin from Potsdam, and all hastened +to pay their respects and commend themselves to his grace and favor. +[Footnote: Forney writes thus in his "Memoirs": "During the winter +months which Voltaire spent in the palace of Berlin, he was the +favorite of the court. Princes, ambassadors, ministers, generals, +nobles of the highest rank went to his morning receptions, and were +often received by him with contemptuous scorn. A great prince was +pleased to play chess with him, and allowed him every time to win +the stake of two louis d'or. It was declared, however, that +sometimes the gold disappeared before the end of the game, and could +not be found."--"Souvenirs d'un Citoyen."] + +Voltaire was very gracious this morning. As he was to play the part +of improvisator that night, he thought it politic to make favor with +all those who would be present. He hoped that all the world would +thunder out their enraptured applause, and that Maupertius, +D'Argens, Algarotti, La Mettrie, and all other friends of the king, +would be filled with envy and rage. He smiled, therefore, +benignantly, and had kind and flattering words for all. His bon-mots +and piquant witticisms seemed inexhaustible. + +Suddenly his servant drew near, and said it was necessary to speak +to him on a matter of great importance. Voltaire turned with a +winning smile to his guests, and, praying them to wait for his +return, entered his private room. + +"Well, Tripot, what have you to say that is important?" + +"Gracious sir, the court is in mourning." + +Voltaire looked at him enraged. "Fool! what is that to me?" + +"It is of the utmost importance to you, sir, if you are going this +evening to the soiree of the queen-mother." + +"Will you run me mad, Tripot? What has the court mourning to do with +the queen's soiree?" + +"Gracious sir, the explanation is very simple. When the court is in +mourning, no one can appear there in embroidered clothes; you must +wear a plain black coat." + +"I have no plain black coat," said Voltaire, with a frowning brow. + +"It is necessary, then, for you to order one, and I have sent +Monsieur Pilleneure to come and take your measure." + +"Are you insane, Tripot?" cried Voltaire. "Do you regard me as so +vile a spendthrift, so brainless a fool, as to order a new coat for +the sake of one evening's amusement--a coat which will cost an +immense sum of money, and must then hang in the wardrobe to be +destroyed by moths? In eight days this mourning will be over, and I +would be several hundred francs poorer, and possess a black coat I +could never wear! I will not go this evening to the soiree of the +queen-mother; this is decided. I will announce myself sick. Go and +countermand the tailor." + +He turned to leave the room, but paused suddenly. "I cannot decline +this invitation," murmured he. "It is widely known that I have +promised to improvise. The world is looking on eagerly. If I do not +go, or if I announce myself sick, they will say I shrink from this +ordeal. My enemies will triumph!--Tripot, I am obliged to go to the +soiree of the queen." + +"Then the tailor must come to take your measure?" + +"Fool!" cried Voltaire, stamping furiously. "I have told you I have +no gold for such follies. Gather up your small amount of +understanding, and think of some other expedient." + +"Well, your excellency. I know a mode of escape from this +embarrassment, but I scarcely dare propose it." + +"Speak out--any means are good which attain their object." + +"Below, in the court, dwells the merchant Fromery. His servant is my +very good friend. I have learned from him that his master has just +purchased a beautiful black coat. I think he has about the figure of +your excellency." + +"Ah, I understand," said Voltaire, whose countenance became clearer, +"You will borrow for me, from your friend, the coat of his master?" + +"Yes, if your excellency is not offended at my proposal?" + +"On the contrary, I find the idea capital. Go, Tripot, and borrow +the coat of Fromery." + +Voltaire returned once more to his distinguished guests, and +enraptured them again by his witty slanders and brilliant +conversation. As the last visitor departed, he rang for his servant. + +"Well, Tripot, have you the coat?" + +"I have, your excellency." + +Voltaire rubbed his hands with delight. "It seems this is a happy +day for me--I make the most advantageous business arrangements." + +"But it will be necessary for your grace to try on this coat. I fear +it is too large; since I saw Fromery, he has grown fat." + +"The ass!" cried Voltaire. "How does he dare to fatten, when all the +people of intellect and celebrity, like myself, grow thinner every +day?" So saying, he put on the coat of the merchant Fromery. "Yes, +truly, it is far too large for me. Oh, oh! to think that the coat of +a pitiful Dutch tradesman is too large for the great French poet! +Well, that is because these Dutch barbarians think of nothing but +gormandizing. They puff up their gross bodies with common food, and +they daily become fatter; but the spirit suffers. Miserable slaves +of their appetites, they are of no use themselves, and their coats +are also useless!" + +"Does your excellency believe that it is impossible to wear the +coat?" + +"Do I believe it is impossible? Look at me! Do I not look like a +hungry heir in the testamentary coat of his rich cousin the brewer? +Would it not be thought that I was a scarecrow, to drive the birds +from the cornfields?" + +At this moment Monsieur Pilleneure was announced. + +"Good Heaven! I forgot to countermand the tailor!" cried Tripot. + +"That is fortunate!" said Voltaire, calming himself. "God sends this +tailor here to put an end to my vexations. This coat is good and +handsome, only a little too large--the tailor will alter it +immediately." + +"That will be splendid!" said Tripot. "He will take in the seams, +and to-morrow enlarge it again." + +"Not so!" cried Voltaire. "The coat could not possibly look well; he +must cut away the seams." + +"But then," said Tripot, hesitatingly, "Fromery could never wear his +coat again." + +"Fromery will learn that Voltaire has done him the honor to borrow +his coat, and I think that will be a sufficient compensation. Tell +the tailor to enter." + +Thanks to the adroitness of Pilleneure, Voltaire appeared at the +soiree of the queen-mother in a handsome, well-fitting black coat. +No one guessed that the mourning dress of the celebrated French +writer belonged to the merchant Fromery, and that the glittering +diamond agraffes in his bosom, and the costly rings on his fingers, +were the property of the Jew Hirsch. Voltaire's eyes were more +sparkling than diamonds, and the glances which he fixed upon the +Princess Amelia more glowing; her pale and earnest beauty inspired +him to finer wit and richer hymns of praise. + +No one dared to say that this passionate adoration offered to the +princess was unbecoming and offensive to etiquette. Voltaire was the +man of his age, and therefore justified in offering his worship even +to a princess. He was also the favorite of the king, who allowed him +privileges granted to no other man. There was one present, however, +who found these words of passion and of rapture too bold, and that +one was King Frederick. He had entered noiselessly and unannounced, +as was his custom, and he saw, with a derisive smile, how every one +surrounded Voltaire, and all were zealous in expressing their +rapture over his improvised poem, and entreating him to repeat it. + +"How can I repeat what I no longer know?" said he. "An angel floated +by me in the air, and, by a glance alone, she whispered words which +my enraptured lips uttered as in a wild hallucination." + +"The centuries to come are to be pitied if they are to be deprived +of this enchanting poem," said the Princess Amelia. She had remarked +the entrance of the king, knew that his eye was fixed upon her, and +wished to please him by flattering his beloved favorite. + +"If your royal highness thinks thus, I will now write out a poem +which I had designed only to recite," said Voltaire, seating himself +at the card-table; and, taking a card and pencil, he wrote with a +swift hand and handed the card, bowing profoundly. + +The king, who was a silent spectator of this scene, looked at the +Princess Amelia, and saw that she blushed as she read, and her brow +was clouded. + +"Allow me, also, to read the poem of the great Voltaire, my sister," +said the king, drawing near. + +The princess handed him the card, and while Frederick read, all +stood around him in respectful silence. + +"This poem is sublime," said the king, smiling. He saw that the +princess was no longer grave, and that Voltaire breathed freely, as +if relieved from a great apprehension. "This little poem is so +enchanting, that you must allow me to copy it, my sister. Go on with +your conversation, messieurs, it does not disturb me." + +A request from the lips of a king is a command; all exerted +themselves therefore to keep up a gay and animated conversation, and +to seem thoughtless and unoccupied. Frederick seated himself at the +table, and read once more the poem of Voltaire, which was as +follows: + + "Souvent un pen de verite + Se mele au plus grossier mensonge. + Cette nuit dans l'erreur d'un songe, + Au rang des rois j'etais monte, + Je vous aimais alors, et j'osais vous le dire, + Les dieux a mon reveil ne m'ont pas tout ote, + Je n'ai perdu que mon empire." + +"Insolent!" cried the king, and his scornful glance wandered away to +Voltaire, who was seated near the queen engaged in lively +conversation. "We will damp his ardor," said he, smiling; and, +taking a card, he commenced writing hastily. + +Truly at this moment the stem master Voltaire might have been +content with his royal pupil; the rhymes were good and flowed +freely. When Frederick had finished his poem, he put Voltaire's card +in his bosom and drew near to the princess. + +"The poem is piquant," said he; "read it yourself, and then ask +Voltaire to read it aloud." + +Amelia looked strangely at the king, but as she read, a soft smile +lighted up her lovely, melancholy face. Bowing to her brother, she +said in low tones, "I thank your highness." + +"Now give the card to Voltaire, and ask him to read it," said the +king. + +Voltaire took the card, but as he read he did not smile as the +princess had done--he turned pale and pressed his lips tightly +together. + +"Read it," said the king. + +"I beg your pardon," said Voltaire, who had immediately recovered +his self-possession; "this little poem, so hastily composed, was not +worthy of the exalted princess to whom I dared address it. Your +majesty will be graciously pleased to remember that it was born in a +moment, and the next instant lost its value. As I now read it, I +find it dull and trivial. You will not be so cruel as to force me to +read aloud to your majesty that which I condemn utterly." + +"Oh, le coquin!" murmured Frederick, while Voltaire, with a profound +bow, placed the card in his pocket. + +When the soiree was over, and Voltaire returned to his rooms, the +gay and genial expression which he had so carefully maintained +during the evening disappeared; and his lips, which had smiled so +kindly, muttered words of cursing and bitterness. He ordered Tripot +to arrange his writing-table and leave the room. Being now alone, he +drew the card from his bosom, and, as if to convince himself that +what he saw was truth and no cruel dream, he read aloud, but with a +trembling voice: + + "On remarque, pour l'ordinaire, + Qu'un songe eat analoque a notre caractere, + On heros peut rever, qu'il a passe le Rhin, + Un chien qu'il aboie a la lune; + Un joueur, qu'il a fait fortune, + Un voleur, qu'il a fait butin. + Mais que Voltaire, a l'aide d'un mensonge, + Ose se croire roi lui que n'est qu'un faquin, + Ma fois! c'est abuser du souge." + +"So I am already a scoundrel?" said Voltaire, grinning. "My enemies +triumph, and he who a short time since was called the wise man of +the age, the Virgil of France, is nothing but a scoundrel! This +time, I confess, I merited my humiliation, and the consciousness of +this increases my rage. I am a good-humored, credulous fool. Why was +I so silly as to credit the solemn protestations of the king that I +should never feel his superior rank; that he would never show +himself the master? If I dare to claim an equality with him for an +instant, he swings his rod of correction, and I am bowed in the +dust! Voltaire is not the man to bow patiently. The day shall come +in which I will revenge with rich interest the degradation of this +evening. But enough of anger and excitement. I will sleep; perhaps +in happy dreams I shall wander from the chilly borders of the Spree +to my own beautiful Paris." + +He called Tripot, and commanded him to announce to Fredersdorf that +he was ill, and could not accompany the king to Potsdam in the +morning. + +He then retired, and the gods, perhaps, heard his prayer, and +allowed him in dreams to look upon Paris, where the Marquis de +Pompadour reigned supreme, and the pious priests preached against +the Atheist Voltaire, to whom the great-hearted King of Prussia had +given an asylum. Perhaps he saw in his dreams the seigneurie of his +glittering future, and his beautiful house at Ferney, where he built +a temple, with the proud inscription, "Voltaire Deo erexit!" + +At all events, his dreams must have been pleasant and refreshing. He +laughed in his sleep; and his countenance, which was so often +clouded by base and wicked passions, was bright and clear; it was +the face of a poet, who, with closed eyes, looked up into the heaven +of heavens. + +The morning came, and Voltaire still slept--even the rolling of the +carriages aroused him but for a moment; he wrapped himself up in his +warm bed. the soft eider down of his pillow closed over his head and +made him invisible. Tripot came lightly upon tiptoe and removed the +black coat of the merchant Fromery. Voltaire heard nothing; he slept +on. And now the door was noisily opened, and a young woman, with +fresh, rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes, entered the room; she was +dressed as a chambermaid, a little white coquettish cap covered her +hair, and a white apron with a little bodice was laced over her +striped woollen robe. Upon her white, naked arm she carried linen +which she threw carelessly upon the floor, and drew with rash steps +near the bed. Voltaire still slept, and was still invisible. + +The young chambermaid, believing that he had gone with the king to +Potsdam, had come to arrange the room; with a quick movement she +seized the bed with her sinewy hands and threw it off. A wild cry +was heard! a white skeleton figure rose from the bed, now lying in +the middle of the chamber, and danced about the floor with doubled +fists and wild curses. The girl uttered a shriek of terror and +rushed from the room; and if the form and the nightcap had not been +purely white, she would have sworn she had seen the devil in person, +and that she had cast him out from the bed of the great French poet. +[Footnote: Thiebault, v., 281.] + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +THE LOVERS. + + +The day of grace was at an end. The four weeks which the king had +granted to his sister, in order that she might take counsel with +herself, were passed, and the heart of the princess was unmoved-- +only her face was changed. Amelia hid her pallor with rouge, and the +convulsive trembling of her lips with forced smiles; but it was +evident that her cheeks became daily more hollow, and her eyes more +inflamed. Even the king remarked this, and sent his physician to +examine her eyes. The princess received this messenger of the king +with a bitter, icy smile. + +"The king is very good; but I am not ill--I do not suffer." + +"But, your royal highness, your eyes suffer. They are weak and +inflamed: allow me to examine them." + +"Yes, as my brother has commanded it; but I warn you, you cannot +heal them." + +Meckel, the physician, examined her eyes with the closest attention, +then shook his head thoughtfully. + +"Princess," said he at last, in low, respectful tones, "if you grant +your eyes no rest; if, instead of sleeping quietly, you pass the +night pacing your room; if you continue to exhaust your eyes by +constant weeping, the most fatal consequences may result." + +"Do you mean I will become blind?" said Amelia, quietly. + +"I mean your eyes are suffering; that, however, is no acute disease; +but your whole nervous system is in a dangerous condition, and all +this must be rectified before your eyes can be healed." + +"Prescribe something, then, as his majesty has commanded it," said +Amelia, coldly. + +"I will give your royal highness a remedy; but it is of so strong +and dangerous a nature, that it must be used only with the utmost +caution. It is a liquid; it must be heated, and you must allow the +steam to pass into your eyes. Your highness must be very, very +careful. The substances in this mixture are so strong, so corrosive, +that if you approach too near the steam, it will not only endanger +your eyes, but your face and your voice. You must keep your mouth +firmly closed, and your eyes at least ten inches above the vessel +from which the steam is rising. Will your highness remember all +this, and act as I have directed?" + +"I will remember it," said Amelia, replying only to the first part +of his question. + +Meckel did not remark this. He wrote his prescription and withdrew, +once more reminding Amelia of the caution necessary. + +As has been said, this was the last day of grace. The princess +seemed calm and resigned. Even to her confidential maid she uttered +no complaints. The steaming mixture was prepared, and, while Amelia +held herself some distance above it, as the physician had commanded, +she said laughingly to Ernestine: "I must strive to make my eyes +bright, that my brother may be pleased, or at least that he may not +be excited against me." + +The prescription seemed to work wonders. The eyes of the princess +were clear and bright, and upon her cheeks burned that dark, glowing +carnation, which an energetic will and a strong and bold resolve +sometimes call into life. + +"Now, Ernestine, come! make me a careful and tasteful toilet. It +seems to me that this is my wedding-day; that I am about to +consecrate myself forever to a beloved friend." + +"Oh, princess, let it be thus!" cried Fraulein von Haak. +imploringly. "Constrain your noble heart to follow the wishes of the +king, and wed the King of Denmark." + +Amelia looked at her, amazed and angry. "You know that Trenck has +received my warning, and has replied to me. He will listen to no +suggestions; under no pretext, will he be influenced to cross the +borders of Prussia, not even if full pardon and royal grace are +offered him. I need not, therefore, be anxious on his account." + +"That being the case, your royal highness should now think a little +of your own happiness. You should seek to be reconciled to your +fate--to yield to that which is unalterable. The king, the royal +family, yes, the whole land will rejoice if this marriage with the +King of Denmark takes place. Oh, princess, be wise! do willingly, +peacefully, What you will otherwise be forced to do! Consent to be +Queen of Denmark." + +"You have never loved, Ernestine, and you do not know that it is a +crime to break a holy oath sworn unto God. But let us be silent. I +know what is before me--I am prepared!" + +With calm indifference, Amelia completed her toilet; then stepped to +the large Psyche, which stood in her boudoir, and examined herself +with a searching eye. + +"I think there is nothing in my appearance to enrage the king. I +have laid rouge heavily upon my cheeks, and, thanks to Meckel's +prescription, my eyes are as brilliant as if they had shed no tears. +If I meet my brother with this friendly, happy smile, he will not +remark that my cheeks are sunken. He will be content with me, and +perhaps listen to my prayers." + +Ernestine regarded her with a sad and troubled glance. "You look +pale, princess, in spite of your rouge, and your laugh lacerates the +heart. There is a tone, a ring in it, like a broken harp-string." + +"Still," said Amelia, "still, Ernestine! my hour has come! I go to +the king. Look, the hand of the clock points to twelve, and I ask an +audience of the king at this hour. Farewell, Ernestine! Ernestine, +pray for me." + +She wrapped herself in her mantle, and stepped slowly and proudly +through the corridors to the wing of the castle occupied by the +king. Frederick received her in his library. He advanced to the door +to meet her, and with a kindly smile extended both his hands. + +"Welcome, Amelia, a thousand times welcome! Your coming proves to me +that your heart has found the strength which I expected; that my +sweet sister has recovered herself, her maidenly pride, fully. + +"The proud daughter of the Hohenzollerns is here to say to the king- +-'The King of Denmark demands my hand. I will bestow it upon him. My +father's daughter dare not wed beneath her. She must look onward and +upward. There is no myrtle-wreath for me, but a crown is glittering, +and I accept it. God has made both heart and brain strong enough to +bear its weight. I shall be no happy shepherdess, but I shall be a +great and good queen; I will make others happy.'" + +"You have come, Amelia, to say this to the king; but you have also +come to say to your brother--'I am ready to fulfil your wishes. I +know that no selfish views, no ambitious plans influence you. I know +that you think only of my prosperity and my happiness; that you +would save me from misfortune, humiliation, and shame; that you +would guard me from the mistakes and weaknesses of my own heart, I +accede to your wish, my brother--I will be queen of Denmark?' Now, +Amelia," said Frederick, with an agitated voice, "have I not rightly +divined? Have you not sought me for this purpose?" + +"No, my brother, no, no!" cried Amelia, with wild, gushing tears. +"No; I have come to implore your pity, your mercy." Completely +beside herself, mad with passion and pain, she fell upon her knees +and raised her arms entreatingly to the king. "Mercy, my brother, +mercy! Oh, spare my poor, martyred heart! Leave me at least the +liberty to complain and to be wretched! Do not condemn me to marry +Denmark!" + +Frederick stepped backward, and his brow darkened; but he controlled +his impatience, and drew near his sister with a kindly smile, and +gently raising her from her knees, he led her to the divan. + +"Come, Amelia, it does not become you to kneel to a man--to God only +should a princess kneel. Let us be seated, and speak to each other +as brother and sister should speak who love and wish to understand +each other." + +"I am ready for all else, I will accommodate myself to all else-- +only be merciful! Do not compel me to wed Denmark!" + +"Ah, see, my sister, although you are struggling against me, how +justly you comprehend your position!" said the king, mildly. "You +speak of wedding Denmark. Your exalted and great destiny sleeps in +these words. A princess when she marries does not wed a man, but a +whole people; she does not only make a man but a nation happy. There +are the weeping, whose tears she will dry; the poor, whose hunger +she will assuage; the unhappy, to whom she will bring consolation; +the sick and dying, with whom she will pray. There is a whole people +advancing to meet her with shouts of gladness, stretching out their +hands, and asking for love. God has blessed the hearts of queens +with the power to love their subjects, because they are women. Oh, +my sister, this is a great, a noble destiny which Providence offers +you--to be the beneficent, mediating, smiling angel, standing ever +by the side of a king--a bond of love between a king and his +subjects! Truly one might well offer up their poor, pitiful wishes, +their own personal happiness, for such a noble destiny." + +"I have no more happiness to offer up," sighed Amelia. "I have no +happiness; I do not ask so much. I plead for the poor right of +living for my great sorrow--of being faithful to myself." + +"He only is faithful to himself who lives to discharge his duties," +said the king. "He only is true to himself who governs himself, and +if he cannot be happy, at least endeavors to make others so, and +this vocation of making others happy is the noblest calling for a +woman; by this shall she overcome her selfishness and find comfort, +strength, and peace. And who, my sister, can say that he is happy? +Our life consists in unfulfilled wishes, vain hopes destroyed, +ideals, and lost illusions. Look at me, Amelia. Have I ever been +happy? Do you believe that there is a day of my life I would live +over? Have I not, from my earliest youth, been acquainted with +grief, self-denial, and pain? Are not all the blossoms of my life +broken? Am I not, have I not ever been, the slave of my rank?--a +man, 'cabined, cribbed, confined,' though I appear to be a great +king? Oh, I will not relate what I have suffered--how my heart has +been lacerated and trampled upon! I will only say to you, that, +notwithstanding this, I have never wished to be other than I am, +that I have been always thankful for my fate; glad to be born to a +throne, and not in a miserable hut. Believe me, Amelia, a sublime +misfortune is better, more glorious, than a petty happiness. To have +the brow wounded, because the crown presses too heavily upon the +temples, is more desirable than to breathe out your sorrows in the +midst of poverty and vulgarity, then sink into a dark and unknown +grave. God, who has, perhaps, denied us the blessing of love, gives +fame as a compensation. If we are not happy, we are powerful!" + +"Ah, my brother, these are the views of a man and a king," said +Amelia. "I am a poor, weak woman. For me there is no fame, no +power!" + +"Isabella of Spain and Elizabeth of England were also women, and +their fame has extended through centuries." + +"They, however, were independent queens. I can be nothing more than +the wife of a king. Oh, my brother, let me remain only the sister of +a king! Let there be no change in my fate--let all remain as it is! +This is my only hope--my only prayer! My heart is dead, and every +wish is buried--let it suffice, my brother! Do not ask the +impossible!" + +The king sprang from his seat, and his eyes glowed with scorn. "It +is, then, all in vain!" said he, fiercely. "You will listen neither +to reason nor entreaty!" + +"Oh, sire, have mercy--I cannot wed the King of Denmark!" + +"You cannot!" cried the king: "what does that mean?" + +"That means that I have sworn never to become the wife of another +than of him whom I love; that means that I have sworn to die +unmarried, unless I go to the altar with my beloved!" + +"This wild, mad wish can never be fulfilled!" said the king, +threateningly. "You will marry--I, the king, command it!" + +"Command me not, my brother!" cried Amelia, proudly, "command me +not! You stand now upon the extremest boundary of your power; it +will be easy now to teach you that a king is powerless against a +firm, bold will!" + +"Ah! you threaten me!" + +"No, I pray to you--I pray wildly to your hard heart for pity! I +clasp your knees--I pray to you, as the wretched, the hopeless pray +to God--have mercy upon my torment, pity my unspeakable anguish! I +am a poor, weak woman--oh, have mercy! My heart bleeds from a +thousand wounds--comfort, heal it! I am alone, and oh, how lonely!-- +be with me, my brother, and protect and shield me! Oh, my brother! +my brother! it is my life, my youth, my future which cries out to +you! Mercy! grace! Drive me not to extremity! Be merciful, as God is +merciful! Force me not into rebellion against God, against Nature, +against myself! Make me not an unnatural daughter, an unthankful +sister, a disobedient subject! My God! My God! Oh, let your heart be +touched! I cannot wed the King of Denmark--say not that I shall!" + +"And if I still say it? If, by the power of my authority, as your +brother and your king, I command you to obey?" + +"I may perhaps die, but your command will have no other result," +said she, rising slowly, and meeting the enraged glance of the king +with a proud and calm aspect. "You have not listened to my prayers; +well, then, I pray no more. But I swear to you, and God in heaven +hears my oath, I will never marry! Now, my king, try how far your +power reaches; what you may do and dare; how far you may prevail +with a woman who struggles against the tyranny of her destiny. You +can lead an army into desperate battle; you can conquer provinces, +and make thrones totter to their base, but you cannot force a woman +to do what she is resolved against! You cannot break my will! I +repeat my oath--I swear I will never marry!" + +A cry of rage burst from the lips of the king; with a hasty movement +he advanced and seized the arm of the princess; then, however, as if +ashamed of his impetuosity, he released her and stepped backward. + +"Madame," said he, "you will wed the King of Denmark. This is my +unchangeable purpose, my inexorable command! The time of mourning +for his dead wife is passed; and he has, through a special +ambassador, renewed his suit for your hand. I will receive the +ambassador to-morrow morning in solemn audience. I will say to him +that I am ready to bestow the hand of my sister upon the King of +Denmark. To-morrow you will be the bride and in four weeks you will +be the wife of the King of Denmark!" + +"And if I repeat to you, that I will never be his wife?" + +"Madame, when the king commands, no one in his realm dare say 'I +will not!' Farewell--to-morrow morning, then!" He bowed, left the +room, and closed the door behind him. + +Amelia sighed heavily, then slowly and quietly, even as she had +come, she walked through the corridors, and as she passed by her +maids she greeted them with a soft smile. Ernestine wished to follow +her to her boudoir, but she nodded to her to remain outside; she +entered and closed the door. She was alone; a wild shriek burst from +her lips; with a despairing movement she raised her arms to heaven, +then sank powerless, motionless to the floor. + +How long she lay there; what martyrdom, what tortures her heart +endured in those hours of solitude, who can know? It was twilight +when Princess Amelia opened the door and bade her friend, Fraulein +von Haak, enter. + +"Oh, princess, dearly-beloved princess," she said, weeping bitterly, +pressing Amelia's hand to her lips, "God be thanked that I see you +again!" + +"Poor child!" said Amelia, gently, "poor child! You thought I would +destroy myself! is it not so, Ernestine? No, no, I must live! A dark +and sad foreboding tells me that a day will come when Trenck will +need me; when my life, my strength, my assistance will be necessary +to him. I will be strong! I will live, and await that day!" + +With calm indifference she now began to speak of trifling things, +and listened kindly to all Ernestine related. There was, however, a +certain solemnity in her movements, in her smile, in every word she +uttered; her eyes turned from time to time with an indescribable +expression to heaven, and anxious, alarmed sighs fell trembling from +her lips. + +At last the long and dreary hours of the evening were over. It was +night. Amelia could dismiss her maids and be once more alone. They +brought the spirit-lamp, upon which stood the vessel containing the +steaming mixture for her eyes; she directed them to place it near, +and go quietly to sleep. She would undress herself and read a while +before she went to bed. She embraced Fraulein von Haak, and charged +her to sleep peacefully. + +"You have promised," whispered Ernestine, lightly, "you will live!" + +"I will live, for Trenck will one day need me. Goodnight!" + +She kissed Ernestine upon the brow and smiled upon her till the door +closed--then pressed the bolt forward hastily, and rushed forward to +the large mirror, which reflected her image clearly and distinctly. +With a curious expression she contemplated her still lovely, +youthful, and charming image, and her lips lightly whispered, +"Farewell, thou whom Trenck loved! Farewell, farewell!" she greeted +her image with a weary smile, then stepped firmly to the table, +where the mixture hissed and bubbled, and the dangerous steam +ascended. + +The next morning loud shrieks and groans were heard in the bedroom +of the princess. Amelia's maids had come to arrange her toilet, and +found her stretched upon her couch, with disfigured face, with +bloody eyes, which, swollen and rigid, appeared almost torn from +their sockets! They ran for the physician, for the queen, for the +king; all was confusion, excitement, anguish. + +Ernestine knelt weeping by the bed of the princess, and implored her +to say what frightful accident had so disfigured her. Princess +Amelia was incapable of reply! Her lips were convulsively pressed +together; she could only stammer out a few inarticulate sounds. + +At last Heckel arrived, and when he saw the inflamed, swollen face, +the eyeballs starting from their sockets, and then the vessel +containing the powerful mixture upon the table, he was filled with +horror. + +"Ah, the unhappy!" murmured he; "she did not regard my warning. She +drew too near the noxious vapor, and it has entered not only her +eyes but her windpipe; she will suffer much, and never be wholly +restored!" + +Amelia understood these words, which were addressed to Fraulein von +Haak, and a horrible wild laugh burst from her bloody, skinless +lips. + +"Will she recover?" asked Fraulein von Haak. + +"She will recover, but her eyes will be always deformed and her +voice is destroyed. I will hasten to the apothecary's and prepare +soothing ointments." + +He withdrew, and now another door opened, and the king entered. With +hasty steps, and greatly excited, he drew near the bed of the +princess. As he looked upon her deformed countenance, her bleeding, +rigid eyes, he uttered a cry of horror, and bowed down over his +sister. + +She gazed up at him steadily; tried to open her lips; tried to +speak, but only a dull, hollow sound was heard. Now she slightly +raised herself up with a powerful effort of strength, and moved her +hand slowly over the white wall near her bed. + +"She wishes to write," said the king; "perhaps she will tell the +cause of her sufferings. Give her something quickly! there--a coal +from the chimney!" + +Fraulein von Haak brought the coal, and Amelia wrote, with trembling +hand, in great, irregular letters, these words upon the wall: + +"Now I will not wed the King of Denmark!--now I shall never marry!" +then fell back on her pillow with a hollow laugh, which deformed her +swollen and convulsed features in a frightful manner. + +The king sank on a chair near the bed, and, clasping his hands over +his face, he abandoned himself to despair. He saw, he comprehended +all! He knew that she had intentionally disfigured herself; that she +had offered up her beauty to her love! For this reason she had so +piteously pleaded with him!--for this reason had she clamored for +pity!--pity for her youth, her future, her life's happiness! Love +and faith she had offered up! Greater, braver than Juliet, she had +not given herself up to death, but to deformity! She had destroyed +her body, in order to treasure love and constancy in her heart for +her beloved! All this the king knew, and a profound and boundless +sorrow for this young woman, so strong in her love, came over him. +He bowed his head and wept bitterly. [Footnote: La partie de +l'histoire de la Princesse Amelie qui a ete la moins connue. et sur +laquelle le public a flotte entre des opinions plus diverses et +moins admissibles, c'est la cause de sea infirmites. Heureusement +constituee sans etre grande, elle n'aurait pas du savoir a les +craindre, meme dans un age tres-avance; et elle en a ete atteinte +bien avant lage, qui pout les faire craindre. Encore, ne les a-t- +elle pas eucs partiellement, elle en a ete spoutanement accablee. Il +n'est pas douteux qu'elle ne les ait cherchees. J'en donnerai pour +preuve un fait qui est certain. A une epoque ou elle avait les yeux +inflammes en tenant ce liquide aux moins a sept ou huit pouces de +distance; et lui recommenda bien de ne pas l'approeher davantage; +et, cependant des qu'elle eut cette composition, elle s'empressa de +s'en frotter les yeux, ce qui produisit un si funeste effet, qu'elle +courut le plus grand danger de devenir aveugle; et que depuis elle a +toujours do les yeux a moitic sortis de leurs orbites, et aussi +hideux qu'ils avaient ete beaux jusque la. Frederic, a qui on n'osa +pas dire combien la princesse avait de part a cette accident, n'a +jamais eu depuis qu'une aversion tres-marquee et un vrai mepris pour +M. Meckel, que la princesse fut obligee de quitter, et qui n'en +etait pas moins un des meilleurs medecina de Berlin, et un des plus +celebres anatomistes de l'Europe. + +Une autre infirmite plus ctonnante, encore, o'est que cette +princesse perdit presque totalementc la voix; aussi de sa fautc a ce +qui l'on a pretendu il lui etait difficile de parlor, et tres- +penible aux autres de l'entendre. Sa voix n'etait plus qu'un son +vague, sourd et sepulcral, semblable a celui que forme une personne +qui fait effort pour dire comme a voix basse qu'elle etrangle. + +Je ne parlerai pas de sa tete chaneelante et se soutenant a peine de +ses jambes, pour lesquelles son corps appauvri etait un poids si +lourd de ses bras; et de ses mains plus d'a moitie paralyse; mais +quels puissants motifs out pu amener cette belle et aimable +princesse a se faire elle-meme un sort si triste? Quelle philosophie +a pu lui donner assez de force pour le supporter, et ne pas s'en +plaindre? quelle energie tous cea faits ne prouvent-ils pas?-- +Thiebault, ii., 287-289.] + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +BARBARINA. + + +The visit which the proud wife of the High-Chancellor Cocceji had +made to the still prouder dancer, had brought the trembling and +irresolute heart of Barbarina to a conclusion. This heart, which had +not been influenced by her own wishes or the eloquent prayers of her +young lover, was wounded by the insane pride of Madame Cocceji, and +forced to a final resolve. The visit was unfortunate, and its +results exactly the opposite of her hopes. + +She had come to prove to Barbarina that she should not even dare to +think of becoming the wife of her son. By her wild passion and +abusive words she had so exasperated her, that she determined to do +that for revenge which she had firmly refused to love. In flashing +scorn she had sworn this to the proud wife of the high chancellor; +and her honor and her pride demanded the fulfilment of her oath. + +And now a fierce contest commenced between them--carried on by both +parties with bitterness and energy. The high chancellor threatened +his son with his curse. He solemnly declared he would disinherit +him. Cocceji only loved the Barbarina the more glowingly; and, as +his mother spoke to him of the dancer, and uttered passionate and +abusive words, he replied respectfully but decisively that he would +not listen to such accusations against the woman who was to be his +wife, and must forbid them positively. Madame Cocceji was beside +herself with rage; by her prayers and persuasions, she induced her +husband to take refuge in the last and most violent resource that +remained--in the power of arrest which the king had granted him. He +resolved to confine his son in the castle of Mt. Landsberg, and thus +break the magical bands of Ariadne. + +One day, the Councillor Cocceji did not appear in the halls of +justice, and no one knew what had become of him. The servants stated +that a carriage stopped at his dwelling in the middle of the night; +that General Haak with two soldiers entered Cocceji's room, and +remained with him some time. They had then all entered the general's +carriage, and driven away. + +Cocceji had, however, found a secret opportunity to slip a piece of +paper into the servant's hand, and to whisper, "Quick, to the +signora!" + +The faithful servant obeyed this order. The paper contained only +these words: "I am arrested; make all necessary preparations; expect +me daily. As soon as I am free, our marriage will take place." + +Barbarina made her preparations. She undertook frequently little +journeys, and sometimes remained away from Berlin several days. She +bought a costly and beautiful house, to prove to the wife of the +chancellor that she had no thought of leaving Berlin and returning +to Italy. + +Some months went by. The king, who had yielded to the prayers of the +Coccejis, and allowed them to arrest their son, would not consent to +his longer confinement. He had no trial; had committed no offence +against the laws or the king; was guilty of no other crime than +wishing to marry the woman he loved. + +So the young councillor was released from the castle of Landsberg. +He returned to Berlin; and his first visit was not to his parents, +but to Barbarina, who received him in her new house in Behren +Street. + +A few hours later, a carriage stood before the door, which +Barbarina, accompanied by her sister and Cocceji, entered, and drove +rapidly away. No one knew where they went. Even the spies of the +Coccejis, who continually watched the house of the dancer, could +learn nothing from the servants who were left behind. A few days +after, they brought the intelligence that Barbarina had returned; +and the councillor dwelt with her in her new house; and the servants +were commanded to call the signora Madame Cocceji. as she was his +well-beloved and trusted wife. + +The wife of the high chancellor laughed contemptuously at this +narrative, and declared it to be only a coup de theatre. Suddenly an +equipage drove to the door. Somewhat curious, Madame Cocceji stepped +to the window; she saw that the coachman and footmen were dressed in +liveries glittering with gold, and that the panels of the carriage +were ornamented with the Cocceji coat-of-arms. + +The Signora Barbarina was to be seen at the window. Horrified, the +wife of the chancellor stepped back; a servant entered with a card, +which he handed her respectfully. + +"I am not at home; I receive no visits!" cried she, after looking at +the card. The servant retired, and the carriage rolled away. + +"Yes, it is true. She has triumphed!" groaned the countess, still +gazing at the card, which had these words: "Monsieur de Cocceji and +Madame de Cocceji, nee Barbarina."--"But she shall not succeed; the +Barbarina shall never be called my daughter; this marriage shall be +set aside, the ceremony was not lawful, it is contrary to the laws +of the land. Barbarina is a bourgeoise, and cannot wed a noble +without the express consent of the king. I will throw myself at the +feet of his majesty and implore him to annul this marriage!" + +Frederick was much exasperated, and inclined to yield to the +entreaties of his high chancellor. A short time before, he had +commanded the Catholic clergy not to perform any marriage ceremony +without special permission and legitimation; and his anger was +aroused at their daring to disobey him, and in secrecy and silence +to marry Barbarina and Cocceji. + +He commanded his cabinet minister Uhden to ascertain by what right +the dancer Barbarina dared to call herself Madame Cocceji, and, if +she could establish her claim, he wished to be informed what priest +had dared to bless the holy banns. He was resolved to punish him +severely. + +The minister Uhden was a warm personal friend of the high +chancellor, and more than willing, therefore, to carry out sternly +the king's commands. The next day he ordered Barbarina to appear +before him, stating that he had the king's permission to pronounce +judgment upon her. + +When Barbarina read this order, she was lost in painful silence, and +a profound melancholy was written upon her pale face. + +"What will you do, sister?" said Marietta. + +"I will go to the king!" replied Barbarina. rousing herself. + +"But the king is at Potsdam." + +"Well, then, I will go to Potsdam. Order my carriage; I must go in a +quarter of an hour." + +"What shall I say to your husband when he returns home?" + +Barbarina looked at her steadily. "Tell him that Madame Cocceji has +gone to Potsdam, to announce her marriage to the king, and ask him +to acknowledge it." + +"Barbarina," whispered her sister, "hear me! Your husband is +troubled and sorrowful; he has confided in me. He says he fears you +did not marry him from love, but for revenge, and that you love him +not." + +"I am resolved to love him! I will learn how," said she, sadly. "I +have a strong will, and my heart shall obey me!" + +She smiled, but her lovely face was overcast with grief, and +Marietta's eyes were filled with tears. + +Frederick was alone in his study in the castle of Potsdam; he was +busily engaged in writing. The door was lightly opened, and the +Marquis d'Argens looked in. When he saw that the king had heard +nothing, he beckoned to a lady who stood behind him to draw near. +She entered the room silently and noiselessly; the marquis bowed to +her, and, smiling kindly, he stepped back and closed the door. + +The lady, who up to this time had closely concealed her features, +now threw back her veil, and exposed the pale but lovely countenance +and flashing eyes of Barbarina. She gazed at the king with a mingled +expression of happiness and pain. + +The king still heard nothing. Suddenly he was aroused by a low sigh; +it seemed to him that a soft, sweet, long-silent voice whispered his +name. He rose hastily and turned; Barbarina was kneeling at the +door; it was that door before which, five years ago, she had kneeled +bathed in tears and wild with despair. She was now, as then, upon +her knees, weeping bitterly, and raising her hands importunately to +the king, pleading for grace and pity. + +Frederick was at first pallid from surprise, and a frown was on his +brow; but, as he looked upon her, and saw once more those great, +dark, unfathomable eyes, a painful but sweet emotion overcame him; +the cloud was lifted up, his countenance was illuminated and his +eyes were soft and misty. + +With a kindly smile he drew near to Barbarina. "Rise," said he, and +the tones of his voice made her heart beat wildly, and brought fresh +tears to her eyes. "You come strangely and unexpectedly, Barbarina, +but you come with a beautiful retinue, with a crowd of sweet, fond +remembrances--and I--of whom men say, 'He has no religion'--have at +least the religion of memory. I cannot be angry with you, Barbarina; +rise, and tell me why you are here." + +He bowed, and took her by the hands and raised her; and now, as she +stood near him, lovely as ever, her great eyes glowing with warmth +and passion, intoxicating the senses with her odorous beauty, the +king felt anguish in his heart which he had no words to express. + +They stood silently, side by side, their eyes fixed upon each other, +Frederick holding Barbarina's hand in his; they seemed to be +whispering mysterious fairy tales to each other's hearts. + +"I see you, surrounded by smiling, sacred genii," at last, said +Frederick. "These are the genii of the rosy hours which have been. +Ah, Barbarina, thus attended, your face seems to me as the face of +an angel. Why were you not an angel, Barbarina? Why were you only a +woman--a passionate woman, who, not satisfied with loving and being +loved, wished also to govern; who was not content to be worshipped +by the man, but wished to subject the king, whom you thus forced to +forget his humanity, to trample upon and torture his own heart in +order to remain king? Oh, Barbarina, why were you this proud, +exacting woman, rather than the angel which you now truly are?" + +She raised her hands, as if imploring him to be silent. "I +understand all that now, I have thought of it, night and day; I know +and I confess that you acted right, sire. And now I am no longer an +imperious woman, but a humiliated one! In my helplessness, with my +pride subdued, I come to you! I come to you, sire, as one goes to +God, weary and heavy laden. I come to you, as a poor sinner goes +into God's holy temple, to confess his sins; to have his burden +lightened; to pray for help that he may subdue his own heart! Oh, +sire, this is a sacred, consecrated hour for me, and what I now say +to you, only God and yourself may hear!" + +"Speak, Barbarina, and may God hear and answer!" + +"Sire, I come for help!" + +"Ah, for help!" exclaimed the king, and a mocking expression played +upon his lips. "I had forgotten. You wish to be called Madame +Cocceji?" + +"I am called thus, sire," said she, softly; "but they are about to +declare my marriage illegal, and by the power of the law to set it +aside." + +"And for this reason you come to me?" said the king. "You fear for +your beautiful title?" + +"Ah, sire, you do not, think so pitifully of me as to suppose I care +for a title?" + +"You married the Councillor Cocceji, then, from love?" said the +king. + +Barbarina looked at the king steadily. "No, sire, I did not marry +him for love." + +"Why, then, did you marry him?" + +"To save myself, sire--to save myself, and because I could not learn +to forget. Your majesty has just said that you have the religion of +memory. Sire, I am the anguish-stricken, tortured, fanatical +priestess of the same faith. I have lain daily before her altar, I +have scourged my heart with remembrances, and blinded my eyes with +weeping. At last a day came in which I roused myself. I resolved to +abandon my altar, to flee from the past, and teach my heart to +forget. I went to England, accepted Lord Stuart's proposals, and +resolved to be his wife. It was in vain, wholly in vain. Whatsoever +my trembling lips might say, my heart lay ever bleeding before the +altar of my memory. The past followed me over the wide seas, she +beckoned and greeted me with mysterious sighs and pleadings; she +called out to me, with two great, wondrous eyes, clear and blue as +the heavens, unfathomable as the sea! These eyes, sire, called me +back, and I could not resist them. I felt that I would rather die by +them than relinquish them forever. So, on my wedding-day, I fled +from England, and returned to Berlin. The old magic came over me; +also, alas! the old grief. I felt that I must do something to save +myself, if I would not go mad. I resolved to bind my wayward heart +in chains, to make my love a prisoner to duty, and silence the +outcries of my soul! But I still wavered. Then came Madame Cocceji. +By her insolent bearing she roused my pride, until it overshadowed +even my despair, and I heard no other voice. So, sire, I married +Cocceji! I have taken refuge in this marriage, as in a safe haven, +where I shall rest peacefully and fear no storm. + +"But, my king, struggle as I may to begin a new life, the religion +of memory will not relinquish her priestess; she extends her +mystical hands over me, and my poor heart shouts back to her against +my will. Sire, save me! I have fled to this marriage as one flies to +a cloister-cell, to escape the sweet love of this world. Oh, sire, +do not allow them to drive me from this refuge; leave me in peace to +God and my duty! Alas! my soul has repented, she lies wearied and +ill at your feet. Help her, heal her, I implore you!" + +She was silent. She extended her bands toward the king. He looked at +her sadly, kindly took her hands in his, and pressed his lips upon +them. + +"Barbarina," said he, in a rich, mellow voice--"Barbarina, I thank +you. God and the king have heard you. You say that you are the +priestess of the religion of remembrance; well, then, I am her +priest, and I confess to you that I, also, have passed many nights +in anguish before her altar. Life demands heavy sacrifices, and more +from kings than from other men. Once in my life I made so rich an +offering to my, royalty that it seemed life could have no more of +bitterness in store. The thoughtless and fools consider life a +pleasure. But I, Barbarina, I say, that life is a duty. Let us +fulfil our duties." + +"Yes, we will go and fulfil them," said she, with flashing eyes. +"Sire, I will go to fulfil mine; but I am weak, and have yet one +more favor to ask. There is no cup of Lethe from which men drink +forgetfulness, and yet I must forget. I must cast a veil over the +past. Help me, sire--I must leave Berlin! Banish my husband to +another city. It will be an open grave for me; but I will struggle +to plant that grave with flowers, whose beauty and perfume shall +rejoice and make glad the heart of my husband!" + +"I grant your request," said the king, sadly. + +"I thank you, sire; and now, farewell!" + +"Farewell, Barbarina!" + +He took again her hands in his, and looked long into her fair, +enchanting face, now glowing with enthusiasm. Neither spoke one +word; they took leave of each other with soft glances and melancholy +sighs. + +"Farewell, sire!" said Barbarina, after a long pause, withdrawing +her hands from the king's and stepping toward the door. The king +followed her. + +"Give me your hand," said he, "I will go with you!" + +Frederick led her into the adjoining room, in which there were two +doors. One led to a small stairway, which opened upon a side-door of +the castle; the other to the great saloon, in which the cavaliers +and followers of the king were wont to assemble. + +Barbarina had entered by the small stairway, and now turned her +steps in that direction. "No, not that way," said Frederick. "My +staff await me in the saloon. It is the hour for parade. I will show +you my court." + +Barbarina thanked him, and followed silently to the other door. The +generals, in their glittering uniforms, and the cavaliers, with +their embroidered vests and brilliant orders, bowed profoundly, and +no one dared to manifest the surprise he felt as the king and +Barbarina entered. + +Frederick led Barbarina into the middle of the saloon, and letting +go her hand, he said aloud: "Madame, I have the honor to commend +myself to you. Your wish shall be fulfilled. Your husband shall be +President of Glogau! it shall be arranged to-day." The king cast a +proud and searching glance around the circle of his cavaliers, until +they rested upon the master of ceremonies. "Baron Pollnitz, conduct +Madame Presidentess Coceeji to her carriage." + +Pollnitz stumbled forward and placed himself with a profound +salutation at Barbarina's side. + +Frederick bowed once more to Barbarina; she took the arm of Baron +Pollnitz. Silence reigned in the saloon as Barbarina withdrew. + +The king gazed after her till she had entirely disappeared; then, +breathing heavily, he turned to his generals and said: "Messieurs, +it is time for parade." + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +INTRIGUES. + + +Voltaire was faithful to his purpose: he made use of his residence +in Prussia and the favor of the king to increase his fortune, and to +injure and degrade, as far as possible, all those for whom the king +manifested the slightest partiality. He not only added to his riches +by the most abject niggardliness in his mode of life, thereby adding +his pension to his capital, but by speculation in Saxon bonds, for +which, in the beginning, he employed the aid of the Jew Hirsch. We +have seen that he sent him to Dresden to purchase eighteen thousand +thalers' worth of bonds, and gave him three drafts for that purpose. + +One of these was drawn upon the banker Ephraim. He thus learned of +Voltaire's speculation, and, as a cunning trafficker, he resolved to +turn this knowledge to his own advantage. He went to Voltaire, and +proposed to give him twenty thousand thalers' worth of Saxon bonds, +and demand no payment for them till Voltaire should receive their +full value from Dresden. The only profit he desired was Voltaire's +good word and influence for him with the king. + +This was a most profitable investment, and the great French writer +could not resist it. He took the bonds; promised his protection and +favor, and immediately sent to Paris to protest the draft he had +given the Jew Hirsch. + +Poor Hirsch had already bought the bonds in Dresden, and he was now +placed in the most extreme embarrassment, not only by the protested +draft, but by Voltaire's refusing to receive the bonds and to pay +for them. + +Voltaire tried to appease him; promised to repair his loss, and yet +further to indemnify him. He declared he would purchase some of the +diamonds left in his care by Hirsch, and he really did this; he +bought three thousand thalers' worth of diamonds and returned the +rest to Hirsch. A few days after he sent to him for a diamond cross +and a few rings which he proposed to buy. Hirsch sent them, and not +hearing from either the diamonds or the money, he went to Voltaire +to get either the one or the other. + +Voltaire received him furiously; declared that the diamonds which he +had purchased were false, and in order to reimburse himself he had +retained the others and would never return them! In wild rage he +continued to raise his doubled fist to heaven in condemnation, or +held it under the nose of the poor terrified Jew; and to crown all, +he tore from his finger another diamond ring, and pushed him from +the door. + +And now the Jew indeed was to be pitied. He demanded of the courts +the restoration of his diamonds, and payment for the Saxon bonds. + +A wearisome and vexatious process was the result. Voltaire's plots +and intrigues involved the case more and more, and he brought the +judges themselves almost to despair. Voltaire declared that the Jew +had sold him false diamonds. The Jew asserted that the false +diamonds exhibited by Voltaire were not those Voltaire had purchased +of him, and which the jeweller Reclam had valued. No one was present +at this trade, so there were no witnesses. The judges were, +therefore, obliged to confine themselves to administering the oath +to Voltaire, as he would not consent to any compromise. But he +resisted the taking of the oath also. + +"What!" said he, "I must swear upon the Bible; upon this book +written in such wretched Latin! If it were Homer or Virgil, I would +have nothing against it." + +When the judge assured him, that if he refused the oath, they would +administer it to the Jew, he exclaimed: "What! you will allow the +oath of this miserable creature, who crucified the Saviour, to +decide this question?" + +He took the oath at last, and as the Jew Ephraim swore at the same +time that Voltaire had shown him the diamonds, and he had at once +declared them to be false, the Jew Hirsch lost his case, and +Voltaire triumphed. He wrote the following letter to Algarotti: + +"If one had listened to my envious enemies, they would have heard +that I was about to lose a great process, and that I had defrauded +an honest Jewish banker. The king, who naturally takes the part of +the Old Testament, would have looked upon me with disfavor. I should +have been lost, and Freron would have derisively declared that I +sickened and died of rage. Instead of this, I still live; and during +my last illness the king manifested such warm and affectionate +interest in me, that I should be the most ungrateful of men if I do +not remain a few months longer with him! I am the only animal of my +race whom he has ever lodged in his castle in Berlin; and when he +left for Potsdam, and I could not follow him, his equipage, cooks, +etc., remained for my use. He had my furniture and other effects +removed to a beautiful country-seat near Sans-Souci, which was, for +the time being, mine. Besides this, a lodging was reserved for me at +Potsdam, where I slept a part of every week. In short, if I were not +three hundred leagues away from you, whom I love so tenderly, and if +I were in good health, I would be the happiest of men! I ask pardon, +therefore, of my enemies; these men of small wit; these sly foxes, +who cry out because I have a pension of twenty thousand francs, and +they have nothing! I wear a golden cross on my breast, while they +have not even a handkerchief in their pockets. I wear a great blue +cross, set round with diamonds, around my neck; for this they would +strangle me. These miserable creatures ought to know that I would +cheerfully give up the cross, the key, the pension; these things +would cost me no regret, but I am bound and attached to this great +man, who in all things strives to promote my welfare." [Footnote: +Voltaire, Oeuvres, p. 442.] + +But this paradise of bliss, so extravagantly praised by Voltaire, +was not entirely without clouds, and some fierce storms had been +necessary to clear the atmosphere. + +The king was very angry with Voltaire, and wrote the following +letter to him from Potsdam: + +"I knew how to maintain peace in my house till your arrival; and I +must confess to you, that if you continue to intrigue and cabal, you +will be no longer welcome. I prefer kind and gentle people, who are +not passionate and tragic in their daily life. In case you should +resolve to live as a philosopher, I will rejoice to see you! But if +you give full sway to your passion and are hot-brained with +everybody, you will do better to remain in Berlin. Your arrival in +Potsdam will give me no pleasure." [Footnote: Oeuvres Posthumes, p. +338.] + +Only after Voltaire had solemnly sworn to preserve the peace, was he +allowed to return to Potsdam. Keeping the peace was not, however, in +harmony with Voltaire's character; plotting was a necessity with +him; he could not resist it. + +After he had succeeded in setting Arnaud aside and compelling him to +leave Berlin, he turned his rage and sarcasm against the other +friends of the king. One of them was removed by death. This was La +Mettrie; he partook immoderately of a truffle-pie at the house of +the French ambassador, Lord Tyrconnel, and died in consequence of a +blood-letting, which he ordered himself, in opposition to the +opinion of his physician. He laughingly said, "I will accustom my +indigestion to blood-letting." He died at the first experiment. His +death was in harmony with his life and his principles. He dismissed +the priest rudely who came to him uncalled, and entreated him to be +reconciled to God. Convulsed by his last agonies, he called out, "O +my God! O Jesus Maria!" + +"He repents!" cried the delighted priest; "he calls upon God and His +blessed Son." + +"No, no, no, father!" stammered La Mettrie, with dying lips; "that +was only a form of speech." [Footnote: Nicolai, p. 20.] + +Voltaire's envy and jealousy were now turned against the Marquis +d'Argens, who was indeed the dearest friend of the king. At first he +tried to prejudice the king against him; he betrayed to him that the +marquis had privately married the actress Barbe Cochois. + +The king was at the moment very angry, but the prayers of Algarotti, +and the regret of the poor marquis, reconciled him at last; he not +only forgave, but he allowed the marquise to dwell at Sans-Souci +with her husband. + +When Voltaire found that he could not deprive the marquis of the +king's favor, he resolved to occasion him some trouble, and to wound +his vanity and sensibility. He knew that the marquis was an ardent +admirer of the French writer Jean Baptiste Rousseau. One day +Voltaire entered the room of the marquis, and said, in a sad, +sympathetic tone, that he felt it his duty to undeceive him as to +Jean Baptiste Rousseau, to prove to him that his love and respect +for the great writer were returned with the blackest ingratitude. He +had just received from his correspondent at Paris an epigram which +Rousseau had made upon the marquis. It was true the epigram was only +handed about in manuscript, and Rousseau swore every one who read it +not to betray him; he was showing it, however, and it was thought it +would be published. He, Voltaire, had commissioned his correspondent +to do every thing in his power to prevent the publication of this +epigram; or, if this took place, to use every means to excite the +public, as well as the friends of the marquis, against Rousseau, +because of his shameful treachery. + +At all events, this epigram, which Voltaire now read aloud. to the +marquis, and which described him as the Wandering Jew, was as +malicious as it was mischievous and slanderous. The good marquis was +deeply wounded, and swore to take a great revenge on Rousseau. +Voltaire triumphed. + +But, after a few days, he suspected that the whole was an artifice +of Voltaire. In accordance with his open, noble character, he wrote +immediately to Rousseau, made his complaint, and asked if he had +written the epigram. + +Rousseau swore that he was not the author, but he was persuaded that +Voltaire had written it; he had sent some copies to Paris, and his +friends were seeking to spread it abroad. [Footnote: Thiebault.] + +The marquis was on his guard, and did not communicate this news to +Voltaire. He resolved to escape from these assaults and intrigues +quietly; with his young wife he made a journey to Paris, and did not +return till Voltaire had left Berlin forever. + +The most powerful and therefore the most abhorred of the enemies +against whom Voltaire now turned in his rage, was the president of +the Berlin Academy, Maupertius. Voltaire could never forgive him for +daring to shine in his presence; for being the president of an +academy of which he, Voltaire, was only a simple member. Above all +this, the king loved him, and praised his extraordinary talent and +scholarship. Voltaire only watched for an opportunity to clutch this +dangerous enemy, and the occasion soon presented itself. + +Maupertius had just published his "Lettres Philosophiques," in which +it must be confessed there were passages which justified Voltaire's +assertion that Maupertius was at one time insane, and was confined +for some years in a madhouse at Montpellier. Maupertius proposed in +these letters that a Latin city should be built, and this majestic +and beautiful tongue brought to life again. He proposed, also, that +a hole should be dug to the centre of the earth, in order to +discover its condition and quality; also that the brain of +Pythagoras should be searched for and opened, in order to ascertain +the nature of the soul. + +These ridiculous and fabulous propositions Voltaire replied to under +the name of Dr. Akakia; he asserted that he was only anxious to heal +the unhappy Maupertius. This publication was written in Voltaire's +sharpest wit and his most biting, glittering irony, and was +calculated to make Maupertius absurd in the eyes of the whole world. + +The king, to whom Voltaire had shown his manuscript, felt this; and +although he had listened to the "Akakia" with the most lively +pleasure, and often interrupted the reading by loud laughter and +applause, he asked Voltaire to destroy the manuscript. He was not +willing that the man who stood at the head of his academy, and whom +he had once called "the light of science," should be held up to the +laughter and mockery of the world. + +"I ask this sacrifice from you as a proof of your friendship for me, +and your self-control," said the king, earnestly. "I am tired of +this everlasting disputing and wrangling; I will have peace in my +house; I do not know how long we will have peace in the world. It +seems to me that on the horizon of politics heavy clouds are +beginning to tower up; let us therefore take care that our literary +horizon is clear and peaceable." + +"Ah, sire!" cried Voltaire, "when you look at me with your great, +luminous eyes, I feel capable of plucking my heart from my breast +and casting it into the fire for you. How gladly, then, will I offer +up these stinging lines to a wish of my Solomon!" + +"Will you indeed sacrifice 'Akakia?'" said the king, joyfully. + +"Look here! this is my manuscript, you know my hand-writing, you see +that the ink is scarcely dry, the work just completed. Well, then, +see now, sire, what I make of the 'Akakia.'" He took the manuscript +and cast it into the fire before which they were both sitting. + +"What are you doing?" cried the king, hastily; and, without +regarding the flames, ho stretched out his hand to seize the +manuscript. + +Voltaire laughed heartily, seized the tongs, and pushed it farther +into the flames. "Sire, sire, I am the devil, and I will not allow +my victim to be torn from me. My 'Akakia' was only worthy of the +lower regions; you condemned it, and therefore it must suffer. I, +the devil, command it to burn." + +"But I, the angel of mercy, will redeem the poor 'Akakia,'" cried +the king, trying to obtain possession of the tongs. "Truly this +'Akakia' is too lusty and witty a boy to be laid, like the Emperor +Guatimozin, upon the gridiron. It was enough to deny him a public +exhibition--it was not necessary to destroy him." + +"Sire, I am a poor, weak man! If I kept the living 'Akakia' by my +side, it would be a poisonous weapon, which I would hurl one day +surely at the head of Maupertius. It is therefore better it should +live only in my remembrance, and be only an imaginary dagger, with +which I will sometimes tickle the haughty lord-president." + +"And you have really no copy?" said the king, whose distrust was +awakened by Voltaire's too ready compliance. "Was this the only +manuscript of the 'Akakia?'" + +"Sire, if you do not believe my word, send your servants and let +them search my room. Here are my keys; they shall bring you every +scrap of written paper; your majesty will then be convinced. I +entreat you to do this, as you will not believe my simple word." + +The king fixed his eyes steadfastly upon Voltaire. "I believe you. +It would be unworthy of you to deceive me, and unworthy of me to +mistrust you. I believe you; but I will make assurance doubly sure. +The 'Akakia' is no longer upon paper, but it is in your head, and I +fear your head more than I do all the paper in the world. Promise +me, Voltaire, that as long as you live with me you will engage in no +written strifes or controversies--that you will not employ your +bitter irony against the government, or against the authors." + +"I promise that cheerfully!" + +"Will you do so in writing?" + +Voltaire stepped to the table and took the pen. "Will your majesty +dictate?" + +The king dictated, and Voltaire wrote with a rapid but firm hand: "I +promise your majesty that so long as you allow me to lodge in your +castle, I will write against no one, neither against the French +government nor any of the foreign ambassadors, nor the celebrated +authors. I will constantly manifest a proper respect and regard to +them. I will make no improper use of the letters of the king. I will +in all things bear myself as becomes an historian and a scholar, who +has the honor to be gentleman in waiting to the King of Prussia, and +to associate with distinguished persons." [Footnote: Preus, +"Friedrich der Grosse."] + +"Will you sign this?" said the king. + +"I will not only sign it," said Voltaire, "but I will add something +to its force. Listen, your majesty.--I will strictly obey all your +majesty's commands, and to do so gives me no trouble. I entreat your +majesty to believe that I never have written any thing against any +government--least of all against that under which I was born, and +which I only left because I wished to close my life at the feet of +your majesty. I am historian of France. In the discharge of this +duty, I have written the history of Louis the Fourteenth, and the +campaigns of Louis the Fifteenth. My voice and my pen were ever +consecrated to my fatherland, as they are now subject to your +command. I entreat you to look into my literary contest with +Maupertius, and to believe that I give it up cheerfully to please +you, sire; and because I will in all things submit to your will. I +will also be obedient to your majesty in this. I will enter into no +literary contest, and I beg you, sire, to believe that, in the hour +of death, I will feel the same reverence and attachment for you +which filled my heart the day I first appeared at your court. +VOLTAIRE." + +The king took the paper, and read it over, then fixed his eyes +steadily upon Voltaire's lowering face. "It is well! I thank you," +said Frederick, nodding a friendly dismissal to Voltaire. He left +the room, and the king looked after him long and thoughtfully. + +"I do not trust him; he was too ready to burn the manuscript. And +yet, he gave me his word of honor." + +Voltaire returned to his room, and, now alone and unobserved, a +malicious, demoniac exultation was written on his face. "I judged +rightly," said he, with a grimace; "the king wished to sacrifice me +to Maupertius. I think this was a master-stroke. I have truly burned +the original manuscript, but a copy of it was sent to Leyden eight +days since. While the king thinks I am such a good-humored fool as +to yield the contest to the proud beggar Maupertius, my 'Akakia' +will be published in Leyden. Soon it will resound through the world, +and show how genius binds puffed-up folly, which calls itself +geniality, to the pillory." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE LAST STRUGGLE. + + +It was Christmas eve! The streets were white with snow; crowds of +people were rushing through the castle square, seeking for +Christmas-trees, and little presents for their children. There were, +however, fewer purchasers than usual. The small traders stood idle +at the doors of the booths, and looked discontentedly at the swarms +of laughing men, who passed by them, and rushed onward to the Gens +d'Armen Market. + +A rare spectacle, exhibited for the first time during the reign of +Frederick, was to be seen at the market to-day. A funeral pyre was +erected, and the executioner stood near in his red livery. What!-- +shall the holy evening be solemnized by an execution? Was it for +this that thousands of curious men were rushing onward to the +scaffold? that groups of elegant ladies and cavaliers were crowded +to the open windows? + +Yes, there was to be an execution--a bloodless one, which would +occasion no bodily suffering to the delinquent. The eyes of this +great mass of people were not directed to the scaffold, but to the +window of a large house on Tauben Street. + +At this open window stood a pale old man, with hollow cheeks and +bent, infirm form; but you saw by the proud bearing of his head, and +his ironical, contemptuous smile, that his spirit was unconquered. +His whole face glowed with flaming scorn; and his great, fiery eyes +flashed amongst the crowd, greeting here and there an acquaintance. + +This man was Voltaire--Voltaire, who had come to witness the +execution of his "Akakia," which had been published in Leyden, and +scattered abroad throughout Berlin. Voltaire had broken his written +and verbal promise, his word of honor; and the king, exasperated to +the utmost by this dishonorable conduct, had determined to punish +him openly. And now, amidst the breathless silence of the crowd, a +functionary of the king read the sentence--that sentence which +condemned the "Akakia," that malicious and slanderous publication +holding up the noble, virtuous, and renowned scholar Maupertius to +the general mockery of Paris. + +Voltaire stood calm and smiling at the open window. He saw the +executioner throw great piles of his "Akakia" into the fire. He saw +the mad flames whirling up into the heavens, and his countenance was +clear, and his eyes did not lose their lustre. Higher and higher +flashed the flames! broader and blacker the pillars of smoke! but +Voltaire smiled peacefully. Conversation and laughter were silenced +--the crowd looked on breathlessly. + +Suddenly a loud and derisive laugh was heard, and a powerful voice +cried out: "Look at the spirit of Maupertius, which is dissolving +into smoke! Oh, the thick, black smoke! How much wood consumed in +vain! The 'Akakia' is immortal--you burn him here, but he still +lives, and the whole world will know and appreciate him. That which +is born for immortality can never be burned." [Footnote: Thiebault, +p. 265.] + +So said Voltaire, as he dashed the window down, and stepped back in +the room. + +"Farewell, Herr von Francheville," said he, quietly. "I thank you +for having allowed me to be present at my execution. You see I have +borne it well; all do not die who are burnt. Farewell, I must go to +the castle. I have important business there." + +With youthful agility he entered his carriage. The people, who +recognized him, shouted after him joyfully. He passed through the +crowd with an air of triumph, and they greeted him with kindly +interest. + +The smile disappeared from his face when he entered his room at the +castle, and the scorn and tumult of his heart were plainly written +on his countenance. He seized his portfolio, and drew from it the +pension patent signed by the king; tore from his neck the blue +ribbon, with the great badge surrounded with brilliants, and cut the +little key from his court dress, which his valet had laid out ready +for his toilet. Of these things he made a little packet, which he +sealed up, and wrote upon it these lines: + + "Je les requs avec tendresse, + Je vous les rends avec douleur; + C'est ainsi qu'un amant, dans sou extreme fureur, + Rend le portrait de sa maitresse." + +He called his servant, and commanded him to take this packet to the +king. + +Voltaire did not hesitate a moment. He felt not the least regret for +the great pension which he was relinquishing. He felt that there was +no other course open to him; that his honor and his pride demanded +it. At this moment, his expression was noble. He was the proud, +independent, free man. The might of genius reigned supreme, and +subdued the calculating and the pitiful for a brief space. This +exalted moment soon passed away, and the cunning, miserly, +calculating old man again asserted his rights. Voltaire remembered +that he had not only given up orders and titles, but gold, and +measureless anguish and raging pain took possession of him. He +hastened to his writing-desk, and with a trembling hand he wrote a +pleading letter to the king, in which he begged for pardon and +grace--for pity in his unhappy circumstances and his great sorrow. + +The king was merciful. He took pity on the old friendship which lay +in ruins at his feet. He felt for it that sort of reverence which a +man entertains for the grave of a lost friend. He returned the +"bagatelles" with a few friendly lines to Voltaire, and invited him +to accompany him to Potsdam. Voltaire accepted the invitation, and +the journals announced that the celebrated French writer had again +received his orders, titles, and pension, and gone to Potsdam with +the king. + +But this seeming peace was of short duration. Friendship was dead, +and anger and bitterness had taken the place of consideration and +love. Voltaire felt the impossibility of remaining longer. Impelled +by the cold glance, the ironical and contemptuous laughter of the +king, he begged at last for his dismissal, which the king did not +refuse him. + +One day, when Frederick was upon the parade-ground, surrounded by +his generals, he was told that Voltaire asked permission to be +allowed to take leave. + +The king turned quietly towards him. "Ah, Monsieur Voltaire, you are +resolved, then, to leave us?" + +"Sire, indispensable business and my state of health compel me to do +so," said Voltaire. + +The king bowed slightly. "Monsieur, I wish you a happy journey." +[Footnote: Thiebault, p. 271.] Then turning to the old Field-Marshal +Ziethen, he recommenced his conversation with him. Voltaire made a +profound bow, and entered the post-chaise which was waiting for him. + +So they parted, and their friendship was in ashes; and no after- +protestations could bring it to life. The great king and the great +poet parted, never to meet again. + +THE END + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg Etext of Berlin and Sans-Souci, by L. Muhlbach + diff --git a/4205.zip b/4205.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..aa53209 --- /dev/null +++ b/4205.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c3065f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #4205 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4205) |