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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf 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..3dc7c37 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69281 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69281) diff --git a/old/69281-0.txt b/old/69281-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 22ca6c5..0000000 --- a/old/69281-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8674 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The secret spring, by Pierre Benoît - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The secret spring - -Author: Pierre Benoît - -Release Date: November 1, 2022 [eBook #69281] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by - Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET SPRING *** - - - THE - SECRET SPRING - - - - - BY - - PIERRE BENOIT - - - - - NEW YORK - - DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - - 1920 - - - - -CONTENTS -A FOREWORD -PROLOGUE -CHAPTER I -CHAPTER II -CHAPTER III -CHAPTER IV -CHAPTER V -CHAPTER VI -CHAPTER VII -CHAPTER VIII -EPILOGUE - - - - -A FOREWORD - - -Long have I hesitated to give back to Life the legacy left me by Death. -But at last, reflecting that Lieutenant Vignerte and She whom he loved -have vanished into the eternal shades, I have decided that there is no -longer any reason to keep silence about the tragic events staged in the -German court of Lautenburg-Detmold in the months immediately preceding -the Great War. - - P. B. - - - - -PROLOGUE - - -"Unpile Arms!" - -Of its own motion and by that force of habit which makes the word of -command superfluous, the dark mass of the company rose and formed fours -to the right. - -The darkness was falling, cold and cruel, slashed with long liquid -streaks. It had been raining all day. In the middle of the clearing a -grey-green sky looked up at us from shadowy pools. - -An order rang out: "Quick March!" The little body moved off. I was at -the head. At the edge of the wood was a country-house, some -eighteenth-century fantasy; two or three shells had been enough to -demolish the wings. The chandeliers of the big ground-floor room, -multiplied in its mirrors and sparkling through its tall windows, -enhanced the sinister blackness of the falling October night. - -Five or six shadowy forms in long cloaks stood out against this -background of light. - -"What Company?" - -"The 24th of the 218th Regiment, sir." - -"Are you taking over the Blanc-Sablon trenches?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Good. When you've got your men installed, go for your orders to -battalion headquarters. Your C.O. has them. Good luck!" - -"Thank you, sir." - -In the darkness, like a group of fantastic hunch-backs, the men stood -round, leaning on their sticks and arching their backs under the amazing -weight of their packs, crammed with miscellaneous paraphernalia. For the -trenches were a desert island. How could you tell what you might want -there? So the men took down everything they could carry. - -They maintained a grave, morose silence, the usual silence that marked -the occupation of a new sector. Besides, Blanc-Sablon had a bad -reputation. The enemy's trenches were some way off--three or four -hundred yards--it is true, but the nature of the ground was such that -the only cover consisted of a few wretched dug-outs which were always -collapsing and indeed, only kept in existence at all by great baulks of -timber. Further, the place was wooded and cut by ravines where you could -not see fifty yards ahead of you. And nothing in war is so nerve-racking -as the mystery of the invisible. - -A voice--"Any chance of lights?" - -"Lights" meant cards. Card-playing was permitted when the dug-outs were -deep enough and there was a good thick tarpaulin to cover the entrance. - -Another muttered: - ---"How long are we going for?" - -A question that remained unanswered. In October, 1914, the war had not -yet become an affair of administration, with a rota of reliefs, -leave.... You never knew how long you would stay in bad trenches which -you could not make up your mind to improve. It was not worth while. You -might have been there a month already, but you would be certain to be -moved off before the end of the week. - -I felt my way with my stick down the forest path, helped by three feet -of light from the puny lantern which a soldier hid under his cloak. It -is a trying experience to lead men by unfamiliar paths through a forest -at night. Behind you the men, and even the officers, follow like sheep, -their one concern being to avoid knocking their noses against the pack -of the man in front--their sole horizon--at some sudden stop. The others -could think of reliefs, their cards, their homes, anything.... But I was -preoccupied solely with the necessity of keeping my sightless column on -the right track. - -Nothing could be heard but the muffled tramping which wound along -indefinitely behind me. The trees made a dark dome above our heads. -Every now and then we looked up as we came to a clearing, but the sky -was as dark as the vault of foliage. - -"Where is Lieutenant Vignerte?" - -"At the head, sir." - -A hand was placed on my shoulder. It was Vignerte's. - -Since our Captain left us after Craonne to command a battalion of -another regiment, Raoul Vignerte, senior to me in the service, had been -in command of the company. He was a man of twenty-five, slight, with a -splendid dark head. Two months of war had done more than ten years of -peace could have done to draw us together. We did now know each other -before August, 1914, yet we had common memories of those bygone days. I -came from Béarn, he from Landes. I had taken German at the Sorbonne. -He, two years later, had taken history. Alternately jovial and absorbed, -he was always a wonderful company commander. Occasionally the men found -him a trifle distant, irresponsible, perhaps, but they liked his calm, -soldierly bearing, his never-failing interest in their welfare. Vignerte -did not sleep with the men, as I did. But they knew that if he kept his -dug-out to himself it was invariably the most dilapidated, straw-less, -and exposed he could find. - -As far as I was concerned, he left nothing undone to make me forget -that, though he was two years younger than myself, he was my superior -officer. On my side, glad though I was to have such a comrade to obey, I -was even more glad to escape all the responsibilities of a company -commander. Strength-returns, discussions with the sergeant-major and the -quartermaster, company accounts (though these are reduced to a minimum -in the field), would never have been much to my liking. Vignerte, who -had not slept one hour a night during the retreat, who had been the last -to leave Guise in flames and the first to enter Ville-aux-Bois in ruins, -this same Vignerte dealt with the horrible mass of detail with -methodical vigour. Every now and then when I saw this charming -intellectual wholly absorbed in such sordid duties, I would think: What -distraction is he seeking? From what black thoughts is he fleeing?... -Then, as if fearing detection, he would come to me with some joke and -that day the regiment would know no one more merry and careless. - -This evening he was in his dark mood. And why not, with the -responsibility of introducing two hundred and fifty men to a new sector? -Besides, he might have orders of which I did not yet know. - -"Where are we?" he asked. - -"Ten minutes more to battalion headquarters," I replied. And, lowering -my voice, I queried: "Any news?" - -"I believe one company of the battalion is to carry out some operation. -But it's not our turn. Besides, I'm going to remain at headquarters. You -can carry out the relief without me. I shall come down with the orders -a quarter of an hour afterwards." - -Blanc-Sablon was indeed a lugubrious spot. On one wall of a ravine rose -its shell-riven dwarf forest, with wooded horns and great caves of -shadow, while away in front a road, barricaded with tree-trunks, -stretched to the village, a few hundred yards off, occupied by the -enemy. - -The men, hitherto silent, could no longer restrain a hasty comment. - -"Good Lord! What a show! Here's a pretty place for you! We always strike -a hole like this!" - -"Silence!" - -In some respects taking over is not unlike the figure of a cotillon. The -Company-Commander, each section officer, corporal and man must -immediately seek out his opposite number, the company-commander, section -officer, corporal or man whose place he has to take. - -It was all over in five minutes, soundlessly, of course, or hostile -artillery would soon have had this human mass, half of it without cover -of any kind, under fire and reduced to pulp. - -Silence, comparatively easy to obtain from the incoming party, was -nothing like so easy to exact from the departing host. The pleasant -prospects of approaching sleep under cover and a few days' "rest" behind -the lines loosened their tongues. They could not resist a few words of -advice to their successors: - -"I'd advise you to keep clear of that loophole. There's a gent over -there who doesn't love me. I have had three pots at him today. If he -isn't dead he will be wanting his turn. And then ..." - ---"SILENCE!" - -Truly a vile sector--four, five small posts to be manned, twelve -sentries to be found, not to mention patrols. Not much chance of sleep -for my poor fellows here. - -"Good-bye." - -"Good-bye. Thanks for your help." - -It was the officer of the out-going company who was moving off. The -sound died away in the woods. - -It was high time. The moon was already up. - -Swathed in pale yellow mist, she swam mournfully through a sea of grey -flakes. She had turned her lamp on the desolate white countryside, the -shattered tree-stumps, and clayey wastes. The men vanished into their -shelters. The sentries kept their rifles down lest the bayonet should -catch the light. Behind us a number of small, flat mounds, with pathetic -wooden railings, loomed into view. - -These were the graves. - -The men had not noticed them. All the better. It was better they should -not see them until next morning--by daylight, when they would have got -used to the place and our little world would be feeling the -comparatively enlivening influence of the sun. - - * * * * * * - -My five small posts and twelve sentries were placed. The company was -established in its burrow. Those not on watch were already snoring. With -two trusty men--you can always find some of that breed, wakeful and -inquisitive--I started on my rounds. - -"Tell Lieutenant Vignerte I have gone to get into touch with the 23rd. -Ask him to wait for me in my dug-out. I shall be back in a quarter of an -hour." - -We crept along the hedges. At regular intervals lights soared from the -German trenches and fell back to earth in a pale blue halo. - -"Who goes there!" - -"Masséna." - -"Melun." - -"It is the officer of the 24th sent to get into touch with you. Anything -new on your side?" - -"No, sir, unless it's the scrap we've just had with a German patrol. It -was the shots you heard just now. We've killed one." - -A corpse was lying in the grass. I bent over it. On the shoulder strap -was the number "182." - -"What about his papers!" - -"The Captain has them." - -"Our small post is two hundred yards away, there, in the coppice.... Oh, -yes! At two o'clock a patrol will come round. Don't forget it!" - -"Very good, sir." - -"Good night." - -When I got back Vignerte was in my dug-out. He was smoking a cigarette. - -"Anything fresh?" I asked him. - -"Nothing," he replied, "at any rate for tonight. But of course the 22nd -may get a knock. In front of them is a horn of the wood where we have -reason to think that the Boche is working on a sap. The 22nd are to -inspect and, if possible, upset their game. One section goes over at 6 -A.M., the rest follow to support it. As soon as the explosions are heard -the 23rd are to fire at the trenches opposite to hold down their -occupants, but we ourselves are not to move unless things go wrong. In -any case the 23rd attack before us. So we can count on a quiet night. -Have you anything fresh?" - -"The company has taken over all right," I said. "They're so -uncomfortable, in fact, that I don't think we need worry about them. -Many of them can't help keeping awake. I have got into touch with our -neighbours; their is nothing to report in that quarter except that -they've had a scrap with a German patrol. They've knocked out one." - -"Really," said Vignerte. "Infantry or Jäger?" - -"Infantry. 182nd Regiment of Prussian Infantry." - -"I should like to know," said my friend, "where those folk opposite come -from." - -So saying he drew out his pocket Lavanzelle. "160th--Posen, -180th--Altona, 181st--Lippe, 182nd--Lautenburg ... Lautenburg ..." - -"Well?" - -He repeated, "Lautenburg." - -"Do you know Lautenburg?" I said, struck by the tone of his voice. - -"Yes," he replied gravely. "Are you sure of the number?" - -"Of course," I replied rather sharply. "But what does it -matter--Lautenburg or anywhere else!" - -"Yes," he murmured, "what does it matter!" - -I looked at him closely. It was quite easy, because, absorbed as he was, -he had no thought for me at all. - -"Vignerte," I said, "what's the trouble; you don't seem yourself--any -bad news?" - -But he had already recovered and shrugged his shoulders. - -"My dear chap! Bad news! From whom? I have no one in the world and you -know it." - -"That may be," I answered, "but you are upset tonight. I want you to -stay with me and you can fix up company headquarters where you like." - -"I admit I'm a bit overwrought," he broke in. "What's the time?" - -"Seven o'clock." - -"Let's play cards." - -The suggestion was so unexpected coming from him that the two men with -me looked up in amazement. No one in the company had ever seen -Lieutenant Vignerte touch a card. - -"Here, Damestoy," he said, "surely you or Henriquez have got some -cards." - -They nodded. - -As if they would be without! - -"What can you play?" - -"Écarté, sir." - -"All right; écarté." For a full hour Vignerte lost steadily. It was an -odd game. The two penniless soldiers were looking at each other in -amazement, unable to determine which was the more remarkable feature of -this adventure, the honour Lieutenant Vignerte had done them or the -sum--12 francs--they had won from him. - -I looked at him in growing perplexity. Suddenly he threw down the cards: -"A silly game. It's eight o'clock and I'm going out to see the first -relief." - -"I'm going with you." - -I shall never forget that night. The sky had gradually shed its fleece -of clouds, and the moon, almost at the full, shone in the cold blue -dome. Below, the line of sandbags and trenches made long white tracks. - -Starshells were now useless and none were seen. - -Dead silence reigned. Occasionally a sharp buzz marked the passage of a -stray bullet close by and soon after the crack of the rifle down in the -valley was heard. - -In low tones we exchanged the password with our sentries, some sprawling -full length in a shell-hole, others crouching behind bushes. The company -was strung out over a long front, five hundred yards at least, and our -round took us a good hour. - -When we got to the end of it Vignerte asked me: - -"Where is the last post of the 23rd?" - -We visited it. The four men were about to bury the German who had just -been killed as deeply as they could. - -Vignerte quickly stepped down among them and leaning over the grave -searched in the soil they were throwing back. The corpse appeared. - -"--182nd. That's it," he murmured. - -He shivered and turned to me: "Let's go back. I'm beginning to feel -cold." - - * * * * * * - -Damestoy and Henriquez were asleep in the dug-out where the three -runners had come for them. With the natural deference of the private -soldier they had arranged the best spots for us--two holes with plenty -of straw and a pile of dark blankets. - -The silence was broken only by the gentle breathing of these good -fellows and, occasionally, the squeak of a field-mouse hunting for the -ears still left in the straw. I could not see Vignerte, who was lying -beside me, but I was sure he was not asleep. The open door of the dug-out -showed a blue patch of sky with a silvery star hanging like a tear in -its depths. - -An hour, perhaps, passed thus. Vignerte had not moved. He ought to have -been asleep, this mysterious comrade whom the war had sent me. Why was -he so moved tonight? What memories had possessed a mind which appeared -to be fixed ruthlessly on the thousand details of war as if to avoid -straying aimlessly through forbidden worlds?... - -And suddenly I heard a deep sigh while a hand clasped mine. - -"Vignerte, what on earth's the trouble?" - -An even more convulsive clasp of his hand was all my reply. - -Then I burnt my boats. - -"Old man, dear old man. I think I've earned the right to call you that. -Let me share the trouble that's weighing on you. You are unhappy -tonight. Tell me your sorrow. If we were in Paris, or anywhere else, I -should not be guilty of this indiscretion. But a confidence which would -be absurd elsewhere becomes sacred here. Tomorrow, perhaps, we shall be -in action, Vignerte! Tomorrow, perhaps, four men will be digging our -graves where that German sleeps now. Won't you speak to me, Vignerte, -won't you tell me? ..." - -I felt the pressure of his hand relax. - -"It will be a long story, old fellow. And will you understand? I mean, -won't you think me a bit mad?" - -"I'm listening," I said firmly. - -"You shall hear then. For these memories almost choke me, and indeed -there are some which it would be selfish for me to take away alone. So -much the worse for you. You will get no sleep tonight! ..." - -This is the strange story which Lieutenant Vignerte told me that night -of October 30th, 1914, at the spot which those who have known it call -the "Crossroads of Death." - - - - -THE SECRET SPRING - - - - -I - - -YOU are a University man, he began. You must forgive me if the opening -of my story is not free from a suggestion of bitterness against the -University of which I was never a member. No doubt my feelings are -without justification, since to the fact that I was never admitted I owe -memories which, after all, I would not exchange for a chair at the -Sorbonne. - -I took the course marked out for those with some intelligence and no -money, and went in for scholarships. That means I undertook, somehow, to -get through examinations every year, to acquire a certain habit of mind -and with it, as climax, a teacher's diploma and a post in a provincial -school. - -At first I justified the hopes reposed in me by the Council-General of -my Department. My scholarship at the Mont-de-Marsan school was succeeded -by another in advanced rhetoric at the Henry IV. school. There it was -that in 1912 I tried to get into the _École Normale Supérieure_. -Thirty-five candidates were accepted. I came out thirty-seventh. By way -of consolation prize I was offered a scholarship at the _Faculté des -Lettres_ of Bordeaux University. - -I then did something which met with disapproval from the few friends who -took any interest in me. During my year as a boarder I had glimpsed -Paris as a convict sees green fields through the bars of his cell. I -remember myself as a penniless schoolboy walking in the Champs-Elysées -one Grand-Prix day in June. All the millionaires were returning home -from the races. Each of the cars that flashed down the avenue in a -brilliant stream cost ten times more than my poor self had cost since I -came into the world. A wonderful lemon and mauve light flooded the -scene. I was dazzled. This vision of extravagance inspired me with none -of the sentiments that turns the underdog into a rebel. - -If only I could have my share some day! "Balzac is an excellent -realist," my professor of rhetoric used to splutter out. And if that -narrow-minded but honest old fellow said so, it vouched for the truth of -those adventures of young provincial heroes who, rather than accept -insignificance in an obscure corner of their native land, have come to -the Great City, tamed her and made her the submissive hand-maid of their -desires. - -And now they were proposing to send me to the end of the earth. I had -been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Well, we should see! - -Accordingly I resigned my scholarship and decided to enrol myself at the -Sorbonne with a view to taking my _licence ès lettres_. A voice within -said: "Do not enter the University, but do not despise its degrees. They -are only useful when you have not been there. Outside they are excellent -blinds." - -In a year I had taken my licence, living on the lessons I managed to -give here and there, and imbibing from these tasks an ever-keener -longing for freedom. But in the end I felt myself beaten, and resigned -myself to the fate I had despised. I entered for a scholarship in -history, asking for Bordeaux. And I bade farewell to Paris. - -The Consultative Committee of Public Education, whose duty it is to -decide in these matters, usually met at the beginning of October. I -spent the intervening two months at a fishing village in the Landes, at -the house of an old curé (it sounds dull, but it's true), who opened -his poor house to me in memory of my parents, whom he had known. - -It was there, my friend, that I passed the most peaceful days of my -life. I was free to roam at will through the great woods of the -district, with no other appointments beyond meal-times. For the first -time my reading was confined to such things as did not figure in an -examination syllabus or the annual competition, and my mind could take -in undistracted the glorious miracle of the dying season. - -The curé's house was at one end of a small lake which communicated with -the sea through a narrow channel choked with aquatic plants. In the -morning the roar of the tide woke me in my open room. From my window I -would watch the irresistible advance of the great green ocean under a -pink and grey sky. Wild duck and curlew wheeled overhead with their -plaintive cries. What a temptation to stay there for ever! To watch the -calm passage of the seasons. To be free from social ties, official -routine, or any link with life. To spend all day and every day on the -long straight dunes, where the great waves roll up ceaselessly in the -wind and the jelly-fish thrown up high and dry on the silvery sand look -for all the world like amethyst pendants. - -Then one October morning came two letters, one from the Bordeaux Academy -which announced that the Consultative Committee "regretted they had been -unable to give favourable consideration to my application for a post." -The other was signed by Monsieur Thierry, Professor of Germanic Language -and Literature at the Sorbonne. This good man and conscientious scholar -had been my tutor for a year, and he it was who had corrected the thesis -I submitted in July for my licence--on "Clausewitz and France," of all -things. I had never had anything but praise for him. I knew he cherished -friendly feelings for me and possibly reproached himself somewhat. He -was on the Committee and his letter was an endeavour to justify the -decision. Personally he had done what he could, but some of the members -had expressed doubts as to my suitability for the teaching profession, -and on this point even he himself had to confess he spoke without much -conviction. But in any case, it was better thus. He could not imagine me -a provincial student. "Return at once," he ended up, "there is perhaps a -way out which will enable you to live in Paris." - -I bade farewell to my good old curé, promising him to return in the -January vacation, and next day I stepped out on the platform of the Gare -d'Orsay. - -It was already winter. You could easily count the statues in the -leafless Luxemburg. The fire was crackling in M. Thierry's little room -in the Rue Royer-Collard. - -"My dear boy," he began--and lonely as I was, I felt extremely grateful -for this preface--"you mustn't think hardly of the Committee. It is the -duty of my colleagues to keep a single eye on the interests of the -University, and you yourself won't deny that in your work you have often -displayed--how shall I put it?--a spirit of fancy, yes, a spirit of -fancy likely to alarm folk so ... serious-minded. I, of course, know -you, and it's another matter. I know that that spirit under good -guidance will become nothing more than a pleasant originality. But first -let me put a question. Do you really feel a call to the teaching -profession?" - -What reply was to be expected from a man with exactly one hundred and -seven francs and a few centimes in his pocket? I stoutly protested my -conviction. - -"Well," he went on, "I have the very thing for you. That post would have -given you one thousand two hundred francs at the most. I have -recommended you to an old friend of mine who is director at the Ternes, -a private institution. He is looking out for a history teacher. Six -hours a week for one hundred and seventy-five francs a month, and the -chance of some private tuition. For example, you may, if you wish, -continue your own studies at the Sorbonne at the same time. I know you -and will make myself responsible for you. It is now Tuesday. If you like -the prospect you can start on Friday." - -I felt the harsh, cold grip of usherdom upon my neck. Oh, those -Champs-Elysées! The furswathed women with their entrancing wake of -perfume behind them! But how could I fail to "like the prospect"? One -hundred and seven francs and a few centimes.... - -I overwhelmed him with my gratitude. - -He rubbed his hands. - -"I am seeing M. Berthomieu this evening. Come back at ten tomorrow and I -will give you place and time." - - * * * * * * - -Tuesday, October 21st, 1913.--Night was falling. In the Rue August-Comte -I ran into groups of schoolboys coming out of the Lycée Montaigne. Oh, -schoolboys, scholars and otherwise, stick to your mathematics, enter the -Arts et Métiers, keep to your counters, lest one day you, too, find -yourselves this comic puppet which skirts the Luxemburg and is lost in -the Rue d'Assas. - -Always that "spirit of fancy" of which my kind tutor disapproved! Well, -let's give the poor thing a farewell treat and take it to dine on the -right bank. - - -Vignerte paused at this point of his story. Then he resumed: - -"A bullet whistled past a short time back--there, just above our heads. -Did it occur to you that if you had happened to pop your head out at -that precise moment you'd have been laid out stiff! How far do you think -luck goes in life?" - -"The other day," I answered, "there was trouble in the 11th Squad. No -one wanted to go on water fatigue. Each of them said it wasn't his turn. -As the squabble grew fiercer I intervened. I sent the first man I came -across, the one who had been protesting loudest, as it happened. He went -off grumbling that it wasn't fair. He left his cap behind him. When he -came back he couldn't find it. It had been pulverized by a shell and his -twelve comrades with it." - -"We seem to agree," said Vignerte. - -He resumed his story. - - -What impulse was urging me on that evening, I, who confined myself to -the tawdry delights of the Latin Quarter and never crossed the bridges -at night? I remember I tried a one-man orgy at the "Grand V." Then I -thought I'd like to take my coffee on the terrace of the Weber. -Pretending I could refuse myself nothing, I passed before the lamps of -the Olympia with the fixed intention of granting myself the joys of the -promenade. Rather excited after my bottle of Barsac I walked very -straight, staring brazenly at the girls. - -It was cold. I went back to Weber's and at once the lights and the -throng restored my natural timidity. I sat down humbly in a corner with -that lack of ease characteristic of a man who is afraid that people will -notice he is not used to being there. - -Opposite me a group of young people were making a good deal of noise. -Enviously I studied their clothes and that air of easy assurance, the -sure sign of a happiness which, perhaps, I should never attain. Truly I -was not exactly made for the University, I whom learned expositions, -bibliographies and works of reference left sceptical, I whose heart -almost beat quicker at the sight of a well-cut waistcoat, a well-tied -tie and elegant socks visualized under well-creased trousers! - -They were a party of four, one a woman, pink and pretty, in her furs. -Painted a little, perhaps, though I've never minded that. She was seated -next to one of the handsome young men, and facing me. The other two had -their backs to me, but in the mirror I could see their faces, slightly -flushed by a good dinner, which was then approaching its end. - -That evening I realized the humiliation of those who go for their coffee -to a fashionable restaurant. Said I to myself: "You'd far better have -stayed at home, dined anywhere, gone to bed and slept, yes, slept. Sleep -is the poor man's haven. You oughtn't to have come here." - -And yet.... It was gradually beginning to dawn upon me that one of the -men with his back to me was studying me closely in the mirror, when he -got up and came over to me. - -"Vignerte!" - -"Ribeyre!" - -I had come across this Ribeyre during my advanced rhetoric course. He -had already obtained his _licence_, and was, like me, a candidate for -Normale, though he displayed that indifference to results which comes -from a private income and ambitions in other directions. - -"What are you up to?" - -"You can see for yourself," I said, somewhat stung. Then I added -quickly: - -"What about you? Anything new since Henri IV.?" - -"Don't mention that awful hole, old boy. Talk about instructing youth! I -should have made a mess of things if I'd listened to them...." - -He, too, added: - -"What about you?" - -"I couldn't help having to listen to them. I'm still listening to them," -I replied bitterly. "But what's your job now? You don't seem to be -having a bad time." - -"I've been extraordinarily lucky, my boy. I was appointed Private -Secretary to a Deputy, and six months later he became Minister for -Foreign Affairs. I followed him to the Foreign Office. There we are! But -come out of your corner and I'll introduce you to the friends of -Ministers." - -Ribeyre did indeed introduce me. - -"My friend Vignerte--a worker if there ever was one. Got his diploma and -Lord knows what else--_Agrégé_, perhaps? No--so much the better for -you. Who knows it better than we three, not to mention Clotilde." - -Clotilde nodded stiffly and gave me an ironical glance. - -I was on the rack. This panegyric was so suited to my poor, baggy -trousers! It was very charming of them all the same, though perhaps this -praise of my brains was more a compliment to their own tact and skill in -dealing with any situation. - -After a short time Ribeyre got up. - -"Good-bye till tomorrow, you people. My salaams, Clotilde. You must come -with me, Vignerte, and see me home." - -Outside he took my arm. - -"I'm going to the office. There are some letters of the old man's to -send off. Come with me." - -The Rue Royale was a blaze of light. Women swathed in long silk cloaks -stepped from cars at restaurant doors. The sight of this world of luxury -intoxicated me, urged me, drove me to try and extract some material -advantage from my chance meeting with Ribeyre. I felt he was only too -anxious to dazzle me with his new glory. Who knows, perhaps I should end -by getting something out of his desire to parade his power. What can't -be got from human vanity! - -What about my own vanity, when I ascended the steps of the Foreign -Office at his side? A tall lackey took us up in the lift--another -received us on the first floor. - -"Any telephone messages, Fabien?" - -"Yes, sir, one from the Minister of Commerce. He is dining with the -Minister tomorrow, and says they will meet at the Chamber. I took the -message down in writing." - -A minute later we were in a charming little grey and gold room. Ribeyre -tapped the desk. - -"Vergennes' table," he said casually. "Excuse me," he added, sitting -down. He began to open letters, marking them with a red pencil as he did -so. "Don't mind about talking. This isn't a very exacting job. Tell me -what you are doing. How far have you got with the University?" - -I told him the whole story from my leaving Henri IV. to my approaching -appointment at M. Berthomieu's. He looked up. - -"You've accepted it?" - -"What else could I do?" I answered sharply. "I can't starve." - -Starve! The word sounded oddly among all the Gobelins, Boule furniture -and Sèvres. - -Ribeyre rose. I had an intuition that I was saved. - -"You needn't go to Berthomieu's, old chap. You'll do for yourself at -that game. I know you, and I'm positive you're not made for the -University. What you want is _this_." - -With a sweep of his hand he indicated the pageant of power about us. - -What a psychologist Ribeyre was! - -"Listen," he said, perching himself on the arm of my chair. "Have you -any objection to leaving the country for a bit? I say for a bit, because -it is only in Paris that the game is really played and won. At present -you haven't a sou. This is the sort of place where a fellow like you -with enough to live on for a year and no material preoccupations could -have the future at his feet." - -"Well?" said I, breathless. - -He went on, relishing the pleasure of appearing such a great man. "All -right, then. You will do me a good turn in exchange for mine. I lunched -this morning with Marçais at the German Embassy. Do you know Marçais? -He is our Minister at Lautenburg. Have you heard of Lautenburg?" - -"It is one of the German States." - -"It is the Grand Duchy of Lautenburg-Detmold. Reigning Sovereign, His -Highness Frederick-Augustus," he said magisterially. "His Highness is -afflicted with an heir of about fifteen, for whom he is seeking a tutor. -You know that French is a _sine qua non_ in every Court. Have you got -your _licence_?" - -"Yes." - -"Good. Do you know German?" - -"Fairly well; enough for the Sorbonne." - -"Doesn't matter. They all talk French over there. Well, the Grand Duke -instructed Marçais, when he left for Paris, to find him a tutor. -Marçais is a charming fellow, a man of real distinction!... Charvet -makes him his exclusive ties. Afterwards he destroys the model. But this -is no reproach. He's not much good at getting out of a hole. Yesterday -he casually told me of his mission. He is going to the Ministry of -Education tomorrow, and as you can imagine, he will find tutors galore -there, especially in view of the salary the Grand Duke offers--ten -thousand marks a year." - -"Ten thousand marks!" I echoed in amazement. - -"We must fix the thing up at once. I'll write a note to Marçais." - -He read it out to me. I could only blush at the compliments he lavished -on me. - -"Marçais will get this tomorrow morning. He is a punctilious old -fellow, and if he's up at nine o'clock it will be to summon you. By the -way, what's your address?" - -"7, Rue Cugas." - -"Don't forget to give your Rue Cugas a call or you may miss his -appointment." - -"Give me the note," I said. "I'll post it myself." - -My eagerness obviously flattered him. A vain smile spread over his face. - -"Lucky dog! Instead of old Berthomieu's fare you're going to sample life -at a castle, or, rather, a palace. Lautenburg is a marvellous place, I'm -told. Marçais preferred remaining there to two years' promotion. The -Grand Duke is a pleasant fellow. The Grand Duchess hunts foxes better -than a man. Marçais told me he killed his best horse trying to keep up -with her. The only thing is, mind you make a place for yourself." - -I saw him glance at my poor clothes. - -"You need not be afraid of that," I broke in, with an assurance that -surprised him. He looked at me and smiled again. - -"I do believe I'm revealing you to yourself. Keep at it over there, old -chap. Come back to us with a few spare thousands. My chief is well -established here, but if he sinks I shall leave the ship first. We shall -come up smiling. If you really want to get something useful out of -people you must have passed the stage of depending on them. There's -nothing better than a Minister's cabinet, but you must be able to sit -tight and have something in reserve. Otherwise you may find yourself -reduced to selling local offices for two thousand francs. You won't find -it hard to save six thousand marks over there. You'll have no expenses, -so fit yourself out well. It is money invested at a hundred per cent. -You might copy Marçais in that. If he wasn't so well-dressed he'd have -been booted out long ago." - -So spake Etienne Ribeyre. Among other valuable tips, he had just proved -to me that in life it may often happen that a casual acquaintance can do -more for you than a friend. - -Oh, lovely October moon, gazing down on Paris! The Seine flowed in a -soft purple mist. I posted my note in the Rue de Bourgogne at the corner -by the Chamber of Deputies. Then I felt I must have a walk to be alone -with my thoughts. Ten thousand marks! Twelve thousand, five hundred -francs! Money does not mean happiness! Then what on earth does? What had -given me that confident step, that self-assurance, that lightness of -heart? - -The Rue de Varenne, the Rue Barbet-de-Jouy, the Boulevard Montparnasse, -in turn witnessed my triumphal march. I took no notice of my fellowmen, -for I was in my hour. I do not know how my gaze happened to fall, near -the Observatory, on a figure moving furtively under a lamp. It was a -slip of a girl, with a fleece of red-gold hair. My joy was too great -that evening for me to bear it alone. But, standing by her, not for a -moment did I think that her body was really her own. The slight form was -that of the women of the Champs-Elysées, of the beauties of Maxim's, -nay, of those maidens, incomparably fairer, who were doubtless even then -awaiting me in a far away German Court, on the banks of a Wagnerian -river, beguiling the weary hours with the sweetest strains of the -Intermezzo. - - * * * * * * - -Ten o'clock, and the appointment with M. Thierry which I had almost -forgotten. He was reading in a corner by the fire, and when I entered he -came forward with a beatific smile. - -"I have arranged everything with M. Berthomieu. You are to go to him." - -"My dear master," I replied, "I'm afraid I have given you all the -trouble for nothing." - -And I told him all that had happened the previous evening. In spite of -my wish to appear unmoved, I could not manage to conceal my pleasure. I -was disappointed that he did not seem to share it at once. He looked at -me with astonishment, even with disapproval, I thought. - -These university people are all the same, I reflected, no salvation -outside the University. I abandoned the pose I found so unnatural to -proclaim far and wide my pride in my new glories. - -"And, after all," I wound up, "I ask myself how many examinations I -should have to pass, how many years I should have to wait to reach the -position which is open to me at the start, ten thousand marks a year." - -"That's true," he murmured, musing. He looked into the fire for a -minute, then got up and went to the bookcase, from which he returned -with a large volume in one of those dull-coloured, gilded, but tasteless -bindings which characterize many English and German books. - -"Are you certain that the proposal has been made to you on behalf of the -Grand Duke of Lautenburg-Detmold?" he asked. - -"Yes," I replied, "on behalf of the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus." - -"That's the man. To be tutor to his only son, Duke Joachim." - -It was thus that I learnt the name of my future pupil. - -My old tutor thought a few seconds more, and then, raising his glasses -towards me: - -"May I ask if you are already bound by any formal contract?" - -"Not yet, strictly speaking, but my mind is made up, and I shall go -unless some one else is preferred to me." - -"In that case let us say no more," said M. Thierry, putting the book -back. - -I was intrigued and a little annoyed. - -"My dear master," I said, "will you be really frank with me? I know you -are too interested in my welfare to suggest my refusing such an -attractive offer unless you had very serious reasons for doing so. -Besides, I may confess that in coming to you this morning I hoped to -obtain some valuable information about the Court of Lautenburg-Detmold -for your unique knowledge of the men and affairs of modern Germany. I am -sure you are even more familiar with these details than I suspected. I -am to interview Count de Marçais, our Minister at Lautenburg, very -shortly, but it will not be easy for me to question him. Besides, a -diplomatist must doubtless observe a certain reticence, which you have -not the same reason to consider with me. To put it shortly, may I ask -you a question which sums up all this? If you had a son, Monsieur -Thierry, would you let him do what I propose to do? Would you let him go -to Lautenburg?" - -He looked straight at me, and replied firmly, "No." - -I confess that my astonishment began to give place to a slight feeling -of apprehension. I knew perfectly well that it was not childish pique at -my not accepting the post he had found for me, that influenced a man of -his profound judgment. - -"You must have very good reasons, sir," I said, my voice trembling a -little, "to give me so categorical an answer." - -"I certainly have," he replied. - -"Would you mind telling me what it was you looked up in that book?" - -"My dear boy, don't start thinking that that year book of Reigning -Houses contains any details of a kind to justify the apprehension I feel -at your going to Lautenburg. I have verified a name, confirmed certain -recollections--that's all. - -"It is true that I have certain private information about the House of -Lautenburg-Detmold of which Count de Marçais himself might know -nothing, even assuming that he were a more gifted diplomatist than he is -reported to be. Besides, he has not been very long at Lautenburg, and -never knew the late Grand Duke Rudolph." - -"Who was the Grand Duke Rudolph?" - -"Haven't you ever heard of him? He was the elder brother of the present -Grand Duke. He died a few years ago, two, if I remember rightly." - -"So it was his death which gave the succession to the Grand Duke -Frederick Augustus?" - -"Not directly. The constitution of Lautenburg-Detmold is peculiar. The -Salic Law does not apply, and the ducal crown, on the Grand Duke's -death, passed to his wife, the Grand Duchess Aurora Anna Eleanor." - -"So she has married her brother-in-law?" - -"Quite so, and thus it happens that in the absence of children of the -Grand Duke Rudolph, your future pupil, Duke Joachim, son of the Grand -Duke Frederick and some German countess, is now the heir presumptive to -the State of Lautenburg-Detmold. To alter the situation the marriage of -his father with the Grand Duchess Aurora would have to be honoured with -a bond, a thing which seems most improbable." - -"I seem to remember something about it now," I said. "Wasn't there a -German Grand Duke who died in Africa--the Congo--while engaged in -geographical research two or three years ago?" - -"Precisely," replied M. Thierry. "That was the Grand Duke Rudolph. He -was always an enthusiastic geographer. His travels could not, it is -true, be described as altogether unpolitical. When I remember that a few -months later we had Agadir and the loss of the Congo, I can't help -thinking that the Grand Duke of Lautenburg had been sent to accomplish -some mission on behalf of his august cousin, the Kaiser. It is true he -hadn't much time in which to effect his purpose as he died in the Congo -shortly after his arrival. It would be interesting...." - -"But what is there in all this, sir," I broke in, "that in any way -accounts for the solicitude you've just shown on my behalf?" - -He seemed put out. - -"My dear boy," he said, with an obvious effort. "A historian's plain -duty is to accept as fact only what he has been able to verify. From -that point of view I confess that my knowledge is confined to vague -rumours barely susceptible of proof. Certain reports, an allusion or -two, and last--but not least--certain details communicated to me some -time back by a friend whose name I must withhold--that's all. I should -perhaps add the proverb that there is no smoke without fire." - -"Couldn't you be a little more precise as to the purport of the -rumours?" - -"Will you promise you will keep this entirely to yourself?" he said. - -"I give you my word." - -"I am told that violent deaths are not unknown at the Court of -Lautenburg-Detmold." - -My curiosity reached fever-heat. - -"What does that mean?" I asked. - -"Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, nothing definite. Still, we -can't ignore the fact that two persons stood between Duke Frederick -Augustus and the crown." - -"But the Grand Duke Rudolph died of sunstroke in the Congo," I said. "It -was reported in the press." - -"Agreed. That was a natural death all right, but apparently the same -cannot be said of the death of Countess von Tepwitz--the present Duke's -first wife and the mother of Duke Joachim." - -"Do you mean that the Grand Duke was responsible for her death?" - -"The Grand Duke Frederick Augustus is a very extraordinary man," -continued M. Thierry, "able, well-educated, but a master of dissembling. -Is he playing for his own hand? Or for that of the King of Würtemberg, -his immediate suzerain? Or, indeed, for the Kaiser? I have studied this -question from the point of view of German high politics. It isn't a -simple one. Frederick Augustus is a man of ambition, and I don't think -he would stop at anything." - -"Anyhow," I said, "his calculations have had to take account of the -Grand Duchess Aurora. Her consent to marry him was an essential factor." - -M. Thierry smiled. - -"They might have been in collusion. I admit I don't know that side of -the question. In fact, I know nothing of the Grand Duchess except her -age," he said, taking up the blue and gold book again, "her Christian -names--Aurora--Anna--Eleanor; her Russian origin, and that she was a -Tumene princess. The Tumenes are the most powerful family in the -Government of Astrakhan. Has she acted in collusion with the present -Grand Duke? It is possible. You know as well as I that reasons of state -sometimes dictate marriages, but, as I said, I know nothing about her." - -"All this does not seem very enlightening, but in any case, I can't see -why a humble tutor should have to suffer for the intrigues of such high -personages." - -"That sounds plausible, but how can you ever say what may result from -these sordid affairs. You might find yourself drawn in without knowing -it Do you know, in fact, exactly what your duties are? I will tell you -what is really in my mind. Your salary is to be ten thousand marks, -isn't it? I can't help thinking that figure is unduly high. Your friend -Boubelet, with Normale and his _agrégation_ behind him had only eight -thousand from the King of Saxony." - -I saw clearly that the old professor had some very definite reason for -speaking in this way, but that fear of compromising himself prevented -him from saying more. I admit it would have made no difference in any -case. My curiosity was thoroughly aroused. The lust of adventure was -kindled within me, and there was no hesitation about the tone in which I -answered: - -"I am very much obliged, sir, for your kind warning but my mind is made -up. By minding my own business and sticking to my own job, I think I can -avoid any and every danger. You admit that it is by no means certain I -am running any risk. Will you grant me one more favour?" - -"Certainly." - -"If anything ever strikes me as suspicious, I will write to you about it -and ask your advice. Then will be the time ..." - -"Don't do any such thing, my young friend. You had better realize now -that over there you will inevitably be surrounded by spies. Never write -a letter you don't want the Grand Duke to read for you can be quite sure -that if he wants to, he won't ask your permission. Once at Lautenburg -you'll be absolutely isolated from the world. I know the palace. Its -magnificence does not prevent it being more of a fortress than a -château." - -"I shall always have Count de Marçais." - -M. Thierry smiled, a smile which recalled Ribeyre's words: "He's not -much good at getting out of a hole." - -"Well," he said, "I see your mind is absolutely made up. After all, my -apprehensions are possibly exaggerated. You are young and without -dependents. You have resolution and strength of mind. I don't know -whether I have any right to blame your thirst for adventure. From that -point of view I'm possibly too much the slave to my academic outlook. -Give me peace and a library. For instance," he concluded, "at Lautenburg -you will have one of the finest libraries in the world at your disposal. -The Grand Duke's collection is famous. It contains the manuscripts of -Erasmus and most of Luther's. So go, my boy. - -"One minute, though," he added. "Come back after you have seen Count -Marçais. I may be able to give you some practical hints on the best way -of performing your tutorial functions." - - -A note, with a dainty purple seal, was waiting for me at my lodgings. -Count Marçais wrote that he would be delighted to see me that day at -three o'clock. As I walked to the house of the French Minister at -Lautenburg in the Rue Alphonse de Neuville, I reviewed the details of my -conversation with M. Thierry. He knows a good deal more than he likes to -say, I thought. Was I really being a fool? Well, it remained to be seen. -After all, there is no greater folly than letting 12,000 a year go at -twenty-five for the pleasure of leading a dull, cul-de-sac existence. - -In the light of after events my opinion remains the same. - - * * * * * * - -Count Mathieu de Marçais had much the same appearance and presence as -those with which tradition endows Melarclus, notably the reserved, -knowing air of the diplomatist. With such a mask a man can afford the -luxury of an empty head. No one can ever find anything to challenge -there. - -A pleasant-looking woman in her forties, surrounded by elaborate -implements, was engaged in manicuring the nails of the Minister -Plenipotentiary when I was shown up. - -"I cannot apologize enough, sir," he said in his very best style, "for -the unceremonious manner in which I have to receive you. But time, dear -sir, you know what a precious gift time is in Paris. You can imagine how -I, who only spend a fortnight a year in this delightful city, have to -economize it." - -He poured out half a dozen commonplaces of the same species, looking at -himself in the mirror, and stealing sidelong glances at me. I guessed -intuitively that this preliminary survey, so important for a man of his -stamp, was not altogether unfavourable. But I also gathered that I -should not exactly shake his poor opinion of the way in which University -men dressed. - -When one of his hands had been finished, and was dangling in a bowl of -warm rosewater, he decided to get to the point. - -"Of course, dear sir, nothing was further from my thoughts than to ask -you here to put you through a kind of entrance examination, a task for -which I am totally unfitted. I know that you possess all the educational -qualifications required. As to the moral and intellectual -qualifications, your friend Ribeyre's recommendation guaranteed them -even before I was in a position to judge from my own observations." - -I bowed. He bowed. He seemed overwhelmed with his own eloquence. - -"You will, no doubt, wish to know the nature of your duties at -Lautenburg. They will not be exacting! Duke Joachim already has a -science tutor. Major von Kessel is responsible for his military -education. Your functions will be to teach him French and History. -General History, of course. Oh, yes! There is one thing on which the -Grand Duke particularly insisted...." - -"Now we're coming to it," I thought, remembering M. Thierry's -suspicions. - -"Do you read poetry well?" - -I was somewhat taken aback, though the question was disarmingly simple. - -"I really can't say. It's a little difficult...." - -"It's essential. The Grand Duke told me to insist upon it. The reason is -that the Grand Duchess is passionately fond of French poetry. Probably -you will be lent to her occasionally. It is a surprise that his Highness -has in store for his wife, who is always complaining that Lautenburg is -very lacking in this respect. 'My dear Count,' he said to me, 'I know -you are a man of culture and good taste, I leave it to you.' So you will -forgive me, dear sir, if I ask for proof in this matter. See," he added, -indicating a bookcase with his wet hand. "There are some excellent poets -there. Pick and read what you like." - -To tell the truth, the collection in the bookcase was very much out of -date. I was obliged to select a volume of Casimir Delavigne, and I did -my best with his splendid poem _Les Limbes_: - - - Ils volent, mais on n'entend pas - Battre leurs ailes. - - -"Excellent! Excellent!" quoth Count Marçais, the connoisseur. "Isn't -it, Madame Mazerat?" - -The manicurist made a sharp, clucking noise to demonstrate the pleasure -my performance had given her. I've seen many absurd scenes in my -life--but none more absurd than that. - -"All is well, then," said the Count. "I have no need to tell you that -you will be treated with the deference due to your position. The Grand -Duke is a man of the greatest charm. The Grand Duchess"--he raised his -eyebrows--"is a Russian, and _that_ means everything as regards beauty. -Prince Joachim is very tractable, but perhaps a trifle slow-witted. -After all, we don't look for French vivacity in Germans. Lastly, the -Court is full of charming men and lovely women. Do you ride?" - -I indicated that I did not. - -"You must learn. You will ride with Kessel, a marvellous horseman. Of -course you must come to lunch at the Legation. I have a weird little -sketch by Poiret, of which you must give me news. You will see it when I -get back in ten days' time. You leave before me as you are expected as -soon as possible. If you catch the 10 P.M. the day after tomorrow, you -will be in Lautenburg about nine on Sunday morning." - -"Very well," I said. - -"Very well. Remember me gratefully to the Grand Duke, and convey my -respectful homage to Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Oh, Heavens! What -am I forgetting!" - -He rose, and took a sealed envelope from his wallet. - -"The Grand Chamberlain, Herr von Soldau, asked me to give you this," he -said discreetly. "Travelling expenses. Good-bye and good luck. Excuse -me, Madame Mazerat. I am now _entirely_ at your service." - - * * * * * * - -I had never spent a penny on a cab in Paris, except when luggage made -one necessary going on or returning from holidays. As soon as I came -out, however, I took one straight to my lodgings, so great was my haste -to see what was inside that envelope I dared not open in the street. - -Indeed, I soon began to feel the benefits that accrue from the society -of the great. "The Herr Tutor," ran a document, with the heading of the -Ducal chancery, "will please find within the first quarter's salary and -a thousand marks for travelling expenses." Three thousand five hundred -marks accompanied this pleasant invitation. - -Four thousand francs and more! I, who had entered Paris only the day -before without knowing what I should have to live on in a week's time, -possessed four thousand francs and more! - -My call on M. Thierry was on my mind, and I decided to get it over at -once, telling him I should be leaving the next day. - -I found him in his room. - -"I can see by your face," he said, "that everything is going well with -you. I am glad of it, as perhaps I have alarmed you unnecessarily. When -do you start?" - -"Tomorrow," I said. - -"So this is your last visit, dear boy. What can I say to you? I am sure -you will carry out your pedagogic functions admirably. Don't forget the -great maxim of Pascal's father: 'Try to keep your pupil ever worthy of -his task.' That principle cannot be observed by the ordinary -schoolmaster who has to address himself to the average of a class. But -when you are dealing with a single pupil you can, and should, apply it." - -The splendid old man then gave me some suggestions as to the choice of -books in preparing my courses of study. He insisted on my taking his -_History of German Literature_, which I was to find extremely valuable -on many occasions at Lautenburg. - -"You've no need to thank me," he said, as I murmured words of gratitude. -"Probably it is I who will be in your debt. I told you that at -Lautenburg you will have a magnificent library at your disposal. The -librarian, Professor Cyrus Beck--whom I have met occasionally at various -conferences--is a jealous guardian, but he is also a man of learning. I -have no doubt that you will be allowed the use of the books and -manuscripts which do not bear directly on the great work--the history of -the theories of the transmutation of metals--on which he is engaged. You -may know, perhaps, that I am myself writing a book on manners and -customs at the Court of Hanover at the end of the seventeenth century. I -noticed at the Nationale in the catalogue of the Ducal library at -Lautenburg, that it contains material of the very highest importance. -When you left me this morning I went there to make a list of the -principal works I should like you to consult for me if you would be so -kind. I am sure that you would find the task very absorbing. Here is my -list. I attach particular importance to this work, _Stattmutter der -Köninglichen Häuser Hannover und Preussen_, by the Grand Duchess of -Ahlden, published at Leipzig in 1852. In Paris we have only an -incomplete reprint. I also recommend the works of Cramer and Palmblad as -well as the _Roman Octavia_ (_Die Römische Octavia_) of Duke Ulrich von -Wolfenbüttel. - -"Unfortunately," he continued, as I carefully folded his list, "I have -only been able to note the printed books. The manuscripts at Lautenburg -are not catalogued, but it is by examining them, dear boy, that you can -render me the greatest service. There is not the slightest doubt that -you will discover there the most precious material on German society of -the seventeenth century, that society superficially so refined to the -outward eye, but in reality more vicious and cruel than has ever been -imagined." - -He held out his hands. His emotion told me that there was something -still to come. - -"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this -morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I -take in you. I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going. I -beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you -will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions. Lautenburg -is a rich mine of material for those like ourselves whose mission it is -to write history. Let us write it and avoid the temptation to make it." - -There was nothing but sincerity in my promise to keep this parting -advice ever present in my mind. - -"Just one other thing. I know nothing of the Lautenburg household except -Prince Joachim, the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess and Count Marçais. At -one time there was a certain Baron von Boose there. If he is still there -don't see more of him than you can help. Be on your guard against him; -_always_ be on your guard against him." - -I was curious to know the reason of this final warning, but M. Thierry -was once more the historian, the discreet official. - -"No, no," he said, "these impressions are too personal. Above all, if -that man is no longer at Lautenburg, never ask anything about him. Wait -till his name is mentioned or some allusion is made to him. Come, dear -boy, it is time to go." - -We shook hands. I have never seen him since. - - * * * * * * - -The feeling of depression in which this visit left me quickly vanished -when I got to the money-changers, where I converted half my German notes -into French money. I spent the rest of the afternoon in visits to -tailors, boot makers and hosiers. For the first time in my life I knew -the exquisite, almost painful joy of spending money without reckoning. -As I was stock size I had no difficulty at "Old England" in finding a -suit, overcoat, and boots to fit. My shabby clothes were wrapped up and -sent to my lodgings. Then, as my confidence rose, I tried my luck at a -fashionable tailor's. On the strength of my new appointment, I ordered -dress clothes, a frock coat and another lounge suit I paid the eight -hundred francs required in advance in return for the promise that they -would be delivered during the evening of the next day. - -Seven o'clock. - -Oh! the wondrous beauty of the Boulevard des Capucines in October! Oh, -the joy of finding oneself well dressed and with money--lord of all, -absolutely lord of all! - -The pale blue lamps of the Olympia presented their barbaric curtain of -light. Cabs rolled by. Taxis tooted. The Madeleine, peering through the -evening mist, raised on high its huge, shadowy entablature. On, on. All -this would be behind me the day after tomorrow. I meant to enjoy my -ephemeral royalty. - -I experienced a curious sensation. I had money, but I could not make it -give me acquaintances on the spot I had money, but without a friend to -prove it, I might just as well have been without it. - -A sudden recollection brought a bright idea to my mind. I went into -Weber's. Ribeyre and his friends of the previous evening would be just -on the point of meeting. The thought of Clotilde possessed my mind. She -had been wearing a long black velvet cloak above which peeped her small -head with its coils of glossy fair hair. - -What a treat to appear before her in my new glory! - -Ribeyre had already arrived. - -"Hullo, old boy! All's well. I've just seen Marçais. He's delighted. -You seem to have the voice of the charmer all right. Good Lord, you -haven't wasted much time," he said, noticing my transformation. - -I thought I detected a touch of sarcasm in his tone. I thought of -Gautier's story of Baudelaire rubbing his new suit with sandpaper to -take off that offensive nap so dear to philistines and bourgeois. My -confidence was a little shaken. I almost expected to see my newly-won -joys dissolve on the spot. Then I thought, "What does it matter? I know -it's only ready-made, but I couldn't come here in my shabby boots and a -suit two years old. Just let them wait a day or two!" - -And the knowledge that I had been fitted out at one of the most -expensive tailor's restored my spirits entirely. - -Clotilde arrived. She had on white fox furs which seemed to me the last -word in luxury and good taste. When I had bought a poor flower-seller's -entire stock of violets for her, she condescended to notice my existence -and soon made me feel I was much more to her liking. - -"Clotilde," said Ribeyre, "if you love me you will exchange Surville for -my friend Vignerte this evening. He is in funds and he's leaving the day -after tomorrow, two things which women seldom fail to appreciate." - -A quarter of an hour earlier this extremely masculine joke would have -jarred on me very greatly, but the terrible white port was already at -work, and besides Clotilde wore an amused smile and did not say no. - -Surville arrived with the other man, one Mouton-Massé. They were both -in the Ministry of the Interior. - -"We can't stick in this hole," said lanky Surville. "Twice running is -too much. Charmed to see you, sir. You dine with us, of course?" - -"My friend Vignerte wants you to give him the pleasure of being your -host," said Ribeyre. "He is leaving the day after tomorrow for the Court -of Lautenburg and wants us to share his travelling expenses." - -Little Mouton-Massé indicated that my desire met with his approval. - -"Where shall we go?" - -For a good ten minutes these gentlemen discussed the point, tossing from -mouth to mouth names utterly unknown to me: "Viel," "Les Sergents," "La -Tour," and even stranger animal names, "Le Coucou," "L'Escargot," "L'Ane -Rouge." - -I was not listening. A third glass of port had wafted me to Paradise -itself. The warm restaurant atmosphere went to my head. I thought with -some disdain of my prospects of yesterday, with its poor man's -education, its fellowships, the Heads of the four Faculties and the -Vice-Rector in his room in the Rue des Écoles. These fashionable women -and young men of the world who flittered round me under the lights -reminded me of the cold passages of the Sorbonne and Henri Martin's -fresco of Anatole France, dressed as an explorer in a landscape dotted -with flowers, explaining to a dozen ill-dressed young graduates his -personal conception of human destiny. - -_There_ is the true conception of life, I thought, gazing admiringly at -Clotilde, who was pinning the mauve and green bouquet to her white fur. - -Ribeyre and his friends being at length of one mind we took a taxi which -put us down in the Place Gaillon at the door of some restaurant, the -name of which I have forgotten. Within, heavy hangings shut off the -dining-room from the prying eyes of passers-by. Surville knew the place -and led us to a small private room where five covers were soon laid. - -I sat next to Clotilde, or rather (a matter of more concern to me) the -woman who bore that name. I may as well say I have completely forgotten -what we had at this famous meal. Everything was unquestionably highly -spiced, for we drank like fishes. "You must give me _carte blanche_," -said Ribeyre, with a mocking glance first at Clotilde, then at Surville. -A diminutive black waiter took our orders in the grand manner. I'm not -certain but I think Ribeyre had met him before. "No champagne," he had -said. I know no more. We began with a little Pouilly, dry as frost, to -accompany the oysters. Then Mouton-Massé, who hailed from that region, -suggested some '92 Saint-Emilion, whereupon Clotilde insisted upon -Beaune, the wine of her own country. I did not lose this opportunity of -winning her favour and ventured to ask the waiter to bring the best. -Then Ribeyre improved the occasion by ordering Wolscheim in one of those -long-necked, narrow-mouthed bottles. I should add that the greatest -triumph was mine in winding up with the suggestion of a wine from the -sandy Landes. None of the others had ever tried this formidable juice of -grapes which on our barren dunes drink in the pale yellow rays of an -ocean sun--a drink which leaves your head clear and your body active but -plays the devil with your legs. - -Surville and Mouton-Massé kept me in small talk. Clotilde called me -Raoul and made me promise to send her postcards. Ribeyre, stronger in -the head, never stopped talking to the little black man except to -signal, "Don't you worry," with his eyes. - -I felt a god, with the extra joy of being aware of my rapid ascent. I -saw again the miserable boneshaker which had borne me two days before to -the God-forsaken station in the Landes. One small lamp in the darkness; -and wind, real wind, wind from the sea. Within me even blacker darkness. - -The Sauterne, liquid gold, sparkled in the glasses. The shades of the -lights were reflected in it like little crimson tulips. I saw Clotilde's -teeth shine on the glass from which she sipped, with little laughs that -made her white throat shake. Her hand on mine communicated to me the -tremors of that yielding, artless creature. Ribeyre was in the highest -spirits. Mouton-Massé was busy with _crêpes-au-Kirsch_; Surville was -drinking. - -There was a scene when the liqueurs came and Surville insisted on claret -glasses. - -Mouton-Massé vainly pointed out that liqueur glasses would do if the -bottles were left on the table. He wouldn't be satisfied, so they gave -him one. The staff had gone. The cigar smoke dimmed the light. The -flowers were dying on the table. Surville snored. Mouton-Massé had -pulled out a note-book and was attempting some absurd calculation in -which he got tied up and swore volubly. Ribeyre, who hadn't abandoned -his original notion, slipped his right arm under my left, his left under -Clotilde's right, and drew us together. Then he whispered in the ear of -the girl, who laughed gaily, her lips moist and a little shiver rippling -down her back. - - * * * * * * - -By the evening of Friday, October 24th, 1913, everything was ready for -my departure. - -My clothes were packed in a big, new trunk. A smaller one held my books. -I hadn't the heart to throw away any of the poor friendly things I had -accumulated in my lodgings, the relics of three years of joyless toil. I -had it all properly packed in the old box which had been my mother's, -not forgetting my uniform of an officer of the Reserve, already shabby -with two periods of training--poor officers are never slow to avail -themselves of these extra trainings. I took it to the station myself and -dispatched it addressed to the old curé with whom I stayed in my -vacations. - -At five o'clock I had finished a letter telling him of my new start in -life. I had settled up my affairs. I had rather more than 2,300 francs -left, allowing for ten louis I had been glad to lend Ribeyre. I decided -to send the same amount to my old curé for his crumbling church among -the dunes. - -When I had posted my letter in the Rue de Tournon, I made my way to -Luxemburg. I passed the white Medici Fountain, where I had so often -waited for the nymphs of my dreams. The sentry was sheltering out of -sight in his box. The great Royal garden had never been so deserted as -on this evening when autumn felt the first touch of winter. Beneath the -bare trees, under a darkening golden sky, the cold circle of queens on -their marble pedestals showed strangely white in the falling light. - -The clock of the Senate struck half-past five. The silence of death -reigned in the heart of Paris. The fountains had ceased to play and the -great octagonal basin spread its mirror, clearer--by some miracle--than -the sky itself. A man, the only man beside myself in the famous garden, -was standing at the edge in the curious attitude of a man sowing seeds. -He was throwing bread to the birds. There were some three dozen -sparrows, and fat grey pigeons, gawky, restless birds. He was an old man -in a seedy black coat with the remains of a fur collar. There was a bag -at his feet. I went up and the birds flew away. The old fellow cast me -a reproachful glance, threw his bag over his shoulder and shambled off. -When I left the garden myself it was quite dark. - -Four hours later I caught the Paris-Berlin express at the Gare de l'Est. - - - - -II - - -The clear, cold star which had been shining in the steel blue sky had -disappeared. - -Vignerte started. "What time is it?" - -I lit my electric torch. "Ten minutes to twelve," I said. - -I awakened the two runners. - -"Henriquez, go to the third section, tell the adjutant to see to the -relief of the second platoon and report to Lieutenant Vignerte. -Damestoy, go to the second section and tell the section officer to do -the same for the first platoon. He mustn't forget the two o'clock -patrol. It will be supplied by the eleventh squad, Corporal Toulet. Got -that? Come, look sharp!" - -The two men climbed out. For two seconds the patch of blue sky was -hidden. - -A weird, soundless night. A stray rifle shot at long intervals. The guns -silent. - -Vignerte resumed his story. - - -HAVE you ever read _Baron von Heidenstamm_? Meyer Forster has borrowed -something for it from Tolstoy--the whole chapter on the race for the -Emperor's Cup is taken from Anna Karenina--and a good deal, -unfortunately, from our Octave Feuillet. Still, you shouldn't miss the -description of Hanover, life in a German garrison town, and the royal -park in snow. The impressions you get are very much what I felt on my -arrival at Lautenburg at ten o'clock on the morning of Sunday, October -26th, 1913. - -For the previous eight hours I had been watching the gradual -displacement of the Walpurgis Harz, shrouded to the south in -copper-coloured clouds by a fertile but ugly, featureless plain. When -the train had crossed the Aller the country became more undulating. -Foaming in its basaltic bed appeared the winding river Melna which joins -the Aller some forty miles below Lautenburg. I was nearing my -destination. - -The sky was dull and grey. The town, clinging to the slopes of a hill in -a bend of the Melna, had a certain resemblance to Pau, or, rather, -Saint-Gaudens, thanks to its red-brick houses. Crowning all, in a -distant clump of trees, I saw an old tower. The Castle, I thought. - -Like a horse with its head for home the train put on steam. We ran along -and over a number of streams gliding between willow-lined banks. The -white patches where the water ran over boulders and the swaying of the -vegetation spoke of the gentle murmur we could not hear. You would call -it clean, peaceful country, not unlike the Ile-de-France; yes, a country -you could live and be happy in. - -Lautenburg station, on the other hand, was frankly monstrous, a smaller -but more extravagant copy of the famous station of Metz. But before I -had time to take in the details, I heard an obsequious murmur of: -"Professor Vignerte?" from a man in a peaked cap who took my ticket. - -Marçais had wired the time of my arrival. The man in the cap signalled -and two huge lackeys in black and gold livery suddenly appeared before -me. One of them took my luggage while the other assisted me to enter an -enormous limousine which started at once. In ten minutes we had passed -through Lautenburg and were entering at top speed what I took to be the -great courtyard of the Castle. At all events a sentry presented arms. - -"Will the Herr Professor kindly get out?" said the lackey, opening the -door while the chauffeur sounded his horn. - -A round, red-faced steward appeared on the steps and bowed three or four -times. - -"Has the Herr Professor had a pleasant journey? Will he be kind enough -to follow me and I will take him to his room." - -With all the fellowships rolled into one I shouldn't have been addressed -as "Professor" as many times in ten years in France as I was in -Lautenburg on the morning of my arrival alone. - -My luggage was in my room. I admit that it was not without a feeling of -approval that I saw a very enticing meal spread out on the table. - -"If the Herr Professor wants anything, he has only to ring. Ludwig, his -valet, is at hand, entirely at his service." - -As he was going out the stout functionary bowed even lower than before -and handed me an envelope studded with red seals. - -"Will the Herr Professor kindly accept the letter left for him by Major -von Kessel." - -Major von Kessel, the tutor of his Highness Duke Joachim, offered his -apologies for his inability to receive me on my arrival. Unfortunately -the whole Court of Lautenburg had gone hunting and he himself had to -accompany his pupil. He therefore suggested my spending the day in -making myself at home in the palace. He would have the honour to receive -me at a quarter to ten on the following morning, Monday, with a view to -presenting me to the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus. - -Wishing to test my new powers at once, I rang. Ludwig appeared. - -"Good Lord!" I thought, "if M. Thierry could only see you he'd feel -reassured." - -The fellow, thirty years old or so, had the most amazingly inexpressive -face I had ever beheld before I went to Germany. Subsequently I became -quite used to these good-natured, blue-eyed bran-bags. His head was that -of nine out of ten of our prisoners. - -I only managed to extract from Ludwig one piece of information, that I -should take my meals on the ground floor (my room was on the floor -above) in a room reserved for the civil and military establishment of -Duke Joachim, that is to say myself, Major von Kessel and Professor -Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University. In addition we could all have meals -served in our own rooms if we wished. - - -Vignerte had hitherto spoken in the same level tone, finding no -difficulty in recalling the smallest detail of a story with which he -visibly lived night and day. But at this point he paused. - - -I see, my friend, that my tale is not boring you, but I begin to be -conscious now of the difficulties of my task. Hitherto chronological -order has been enough, but at this point I must change it for a time or -I shall risk confusing you and obscuring the broad outline with a mass -of petty detail. Let me give you now a detailed description of -Lautenburg and its inhabitants. When I have done this we will return to -the course of events. They will group the picture. - - - - -1. THE PALACE - - -I should say palaces, rather than palace, as the residence of the Grand -Dukes of Lautenburg-Detmold is a combination of a Renaissance castle, -built on one side of a Gothic keep, and a Louis Quatorze palace -shamelessly copied from Versailles. Taken separately, each of these -components is not without architectural merit, but their combination -presented enormous difficulties to the architect of the Grand Duke -Ulrich, the present sovereign's grandfather, who was instructed to make -a symmetrical whole of these incompatible edifices. He solved his -problem by throwing out a wing on the left, erecting a flanking tower on -the right, and adding in the centre a kind of hall which is a cross -between the Gare d'Orsay and the Chapel at Versailles. I admit his task -was appalling, but why is it that these insoluble architectural puzzles -are always to be met with in Germany? - -Such as it is, this immense hall is used both as council chamber and -banqueting-hall, and I must say that, communicating with the gallery of -the palace and the Great Hall of the castle, it serves its double -purpose well enough. - -The palace meets the castle in the middle, so that the combined edifice -has the shape of a T. It crowns a hill which towers over the town, and -falls away sheer at the foot of the castle, but in a gentle slope behind -the palace. The Melna passes through the town and winds round the castle -in a gorge, a hundred feet deep or so, before glancing off to bound the -French garden, which stretches behind the palace. - -On the town side, leading up to the ducal residence, is a huge open -space, again recalling Versailles. It is also the parade ground, where -all reviews are held. A gilded railing starts from the left wing of the -palace, encloses a triangular court, and terminates at the right wing of -the castle, leaving the great central keep outside. - -From this keep, the sole relic of the old Gothic fortress of the -burgraves of Lautenburg, flies the standard in black and white, with a -golden leopard and the Lautenburg motto: _Summum decus, flectere_. This -tower has been spoilt, of course, like the rest of the castle, by an -overload of decorative ornament, in the Augsburg style. Thus the keep is -distinguished by battlements with a lining of zinc, while the peristyle, -the steps of which have a balustrade in excellent taste, is surmounted -by a Corinthian pediment. - -The side overlooking the Melna is less debased. The uninviting ravine -has been responsible for this, I expect, as the plaster artists no doubt -looked twice before embarking upon their course of "improvement." -Decorative detail has been replaced by ivy, and exceptionally huge -beeches, which overhang the river and sway their dark heads under the -high lancet windows. - -I need not describe the palace. It is a diminutive Versailles, with -twenty-five windows in the façade instead of eighty-nine, but none the -less an imitation good enough to make a majestic copy of majesty. - -The French park, albeit under a Hanoverian sky, made a direct appeal to -one's heart. Obviously the owners had lavished every care upon it. -German orderliness had done wonders. Everything was straight and smooth. -A faultless green lawn led to the Persephone fountain, a good example of -Ernout, himself a good pupil of Coysevox. You have only to know that -this garden was planned by La Quintinie, who sent his best workmen to -carry it out, to understand the secret of its spacious nobility. - -If the Grand Duke George William, a pensioner of the King of France, was -a great admirer of Louis XIV., his grandson Frederick was one of the -finest products of the age of enlightened despotism. He entertained -Voltaire on a visit, and met Rousseau at Grimm's house. He was -responsible for the English garden, surrounding the French park laid out -by his grandfather, which slopes in picturesque disorder down to the -Melna. The clear, rapid torrent is crossed by a wooden bridge, which -still keeps its name of "Pond de la Meilleraie," and is wide enough to -admit the passage of the cavalcades which start from the castle to hunt -in the Herrenwald, that magnificent forest whose leafy roof, as seen -from the terraces, stretches away to the horizon. - - - - -2. MY QUARTERS - - -Two large panelled chambers on the first floor, in the northern wing of -the castle, opposite the great court. The room in which I usually worked -looked out on the terrace. Through the open window I could see the dark -sea of foliage in a tawny sunlight. An overwhelming silence reigned. - -The other, less melancholy, had two windows looking out on the ravine -where the Melna plunged and roared, and beyond that the Königsplatz, -the barracks of the 182nd Regiment and the Cathedral, a garish eyesore. -A white trail of smoke floated on two shining bars--the Hanover express -which had brought me. - -I blessed the decision which had deposited me in this part of the -building. It possessed an enormous open grate, with curious ironwork, -and everything dated from the time when German taste was not yet -hopelessly debased. - -I was at the extreme end of the castle, immediately above the room known -as the "Armoury." This was a very curious place, though it had been -almost entirely stripped of its contents. The splendid suits of armour -of the great burgraves had been removed, notably that of Goetz von -Vertheidigen-Lautenburg, who was the right arm of Albert the Bear, that -of Miltiades Bussmann, who wounded Henry the Lion, and that of Cadwalla, -mentioned by Hugo, whose helm still bears the mark of the fearful blow -dealt him at Bouvines by the mighty Guillaume des Barres. - - - - -3. THEIR HIGHNESSES - - -The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus had his apartments on the first floor. -His bedroom, like that of Louis XIV., was in the centre of the main -building, and there was a study on the right, overlooking the park. - -Thither Kessel led me at ten o'clock in the morning of the day after my -arrival. - -The Grand Duke was working at a plain Louis Quinze bureau. He rose and -held out his hand. - -"Monsieur Vignerte, I have no need to tell you all the compliments Count -Marçais pays you in his letter. I know that you represent the personal -choice of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs. It would be absurd of -me to conceal from you that I am absolutely satisfied with such -references. My only wish is that you may find at Lautenburg something of -the welcome we hope to give you." - -The Grand Duke, only a year younger than his elder brother, the late -Grand Duke Rudolph, is fairly tall. Born in 1868, he is now forty-five. -Fair, rather bald and clean-shaven, he has blue eyes, which at first -seem to fasten on you and then wander away. Except on ceremonial -occasions I have never seen him in anything but the undress uniform of a -Divisional General, dark blue with the red collar and no decorations. - -He had fine hands, which he appeared to contemplate with some -satisfaction. - -"Major von Kessel," he continued, "has probably explained to you the -nature of your duties. I need hardly say that I wish you to have the -utmost liberty as to the way in which you perform them. My son is -entered for Kiel University, and I wish him to take his degree there. -You must therefore keep your eye on a syllabus. But beyond that, adopt -what methods you think good. Your special subjects are History and -Literature. I do not know your political views, Monsieur," he added, -smiling. "No doubt somewhat Liberal. But don't feel obliged to change -them. Liberalism is formidable only to democracies. Intelligent -sovereigns have always known how to use it for their own purposes." - -He rang a bell. - -"Inform Duke Joachim that I want him to come to my study." - -My pupil was a tall, very fair young man, rather sleepy-looking. I -realized that I should never have cause to check the speed of his wits. - -"Joachim," said the Grand Duke, in a less pleasant tone than that with -which he had favoured me, "this is Monsieur Vignerte, your new Professor -of Literature. I hope the progress you make under his charge will be -more rapid than when you were with Herr Ulricht. What marks did he get, -Kessel, in his last tactics examination?" - -"Eight out of twenty," replied Kessel. - -"It's not enough. You must get half marks next time. You can go." - -The young man went out with ill-concealed relief. - -"You see, monsieur," said the Grand Duke, turning to us, "you can always -count absolutely on my authority. Mark my son strictly, if anything -stiffly, and you will always have my approval." - -He motioned to us to withdraw. "By the way," he added, recalling me, -"did Marçais tell you you might occasionally be required to display -your gifts as a reader to the Archduchess? Oh," he added, "I ought -perhaps to give you a warning, though it may be excessive caution on my -part. It is quite possible that my wife won't call upon you at all. At -the moment she has returned to her old passion for horses. But, in any -case, it does no harm to be forewarned, and you may be quite sure," he -concluded, with a smile which he well knew how to make irresistible, -"that I shall see that no unreasonable demands are made upon your -leisure." - -"I shall be happy to put myself entirely at the Grand Duchess's disposal -whenever she so desires." - -"Thank you," he said, and turned to his work. - -In the corridor Kessel said: - -"If the Grand Duchess takes it into her head to see you, she will send a -message immediately through me. I shall communicate with your valet, so -don't fail to call at your rooms." - -Thus it was that from the day after my arrival at the castle to the day -of the fête of the Lautenburg Hussars, where I saw her for the first -time, I called at my rooms five or six times a day, more disappointed -than I cared to admit that the summons which would manifest the good -pleasure of the Grand Duchess Aurora-Anna-Eleanor towards me was not -forthcoming. - - - - -4. THE COURT - - -I doubt whether I should say "Court" in speaking of the entourage of the -Dukes of Lautenburg. The word is somewhat too heavy, but it fits in well -enough with the rigid etiquette which reigned at the castle. - -I have already spoken of Major Count Albert von Kessel, of the 11th -Prussian Artillery Regiment, stationed at Königsberg. He passed out top -of the _Kriegs Academie_ at Berlin, and is undoubtedly one of the best -officers in the German Army. He's an officer to his finger-tips, and -although devoted body and soul to his profession, displays only the -inevitable minimum of that impossible Prussian arrogance. He always -treated me with the most perfect courtesy, and I have nothing but praise -for the advice he gave me and the influence he had over Duke Joachim. - -Portly Colonel von Wendel, of Hanau Cuirassiers, combines the functions -of governor of the palace and head of the military household of the -Grand Duke. In the second capacity he has under his orders Captain -Müller, of the Würtemberg Chasseurs, and Lieutenants Bernhardt and von -Choisly, Uhlans and officers of the Grand Duke's staff. - -He is a good sort, who spends his time shouting when the Grand Duke -isn't there, and trembling like an aspen leaf when he is. I suspect -Kessel has a profound contempt for him. He, on the other hand, treats -Kessel, who is on the Great General Staff, with the greatest deference. -It would never enter his head that his double functions authorize him to -give orders to the taciturn artilleryman. - -His _bête-noire_, however, is little Lieutenant von Hagen, of the -Lautenburg Hussars, the Grand Duchess's orderly officer. Rows between -the Colonel and the Lieutenant are of frequent occurrence, but the -junior is backed by the Grand Duchess, who cannot do without him. The -Grand Duke won't hear a word against him. Wendel has to give way. In the -first few days I became conscious of the mutual hatred of these two men. -Without ever getting as far as confidences, the Governor of the castle -made two or three bitter remarks about the difficulties of his task. I -felt that with a little encouragement... - -But I'd promised to keep to my own job and never mix myself up in their -affairs. - -All the same, little Hagen irritated me beyond words, with his monocle, -his way of looking you up and down, and the self-satisfaction of the man -who feels secure against anything. He had been attached as orderly to -the Grand Duchess for two years, and I understand that at the time she -took him from the Lautenburg Hussars he was on the point of blowing his -brains out as a result of some gaming scandal. - -The rest, on the whole, are pleasant enough. They became a good deal -more agreeable when they learned I "was an officer of the Reserve." That -day Colonel von Wendel asked me to dinner. Frau von Wendel, a motherly, -red-haired woman of forty, called me "Monsieur le lieutenant." At -dessert she asked me in a tender voice if I had read the "Fiancée de -Messine." After all this was a better way of spending my time than at -the Sorbonne attending the lectures of M. Seignobos. I only mention his -name because it will do as well as any other. - - - - -5. THE LIBRARY AND THE LIBRARIAN - - -The former plays so considerable a part in my story, that I must devote -a little space to a description of it. As for the latter, Professor -Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University, it seems only just that I should say a -few words in praise of the man of whose death I have been the innocent -cause. - -The library had been fitted up in the dismantled chapel of the castle, a -chapel somewhat in the Jesuitical style having been built in the palace. - -The beautiful ogival chamber which cuts the great hall and the armoury -at right angles has thus been laid open. The door on the left leads to -the armoury, and the way into the library is by the door at the far end -of the great hall. - -Though three or four times larger, it bears a strong resemblance to the -library of the Château de Montesquieu at La Brède, except that, if I -remember rightly, the vaulting at La Brède is romanesque. Otherwise the -general plan is the same. In the centre there is a huge case containing -a remarkable collection of coins, among them a gold medallion of -Conradin, which is a masterpiece. Five or six lecterns have been -transformed into portable desks, the very thing for working. A splendid -system of electric light makes research an easy matter, for the room is, -indeed, so dark that it is impossible to read or write without -artificial light. - -Don't expect me to give you even the most summary description of the -riches amassed here since the time of Gutenberg. - -I don't believe it possible to write any kind of book on Germany without -having recourse to the library of Lautenburg. The visitors' book -contains the most famous signatures. Amongst others I noticed those of -Leibnitz, Humboldt, Otfried Müller, Curtius, Schleiermacher and Renan. -Even more precious are the treasures contained in the sacristy. There, -in old wooden chests, formerly reserved for vestments and chalices, are -housed the priceless manuscripts which comprise the public and private -archives of the Dukes of Lautenburg, or purchases made by several of -those dukes who were interested in such matters. They have to thank the -Grand Duke Rudolf, brother of the present Grand Duke, for several of the -most important items of the collection. The librarian, Herr Cyrus Beck, -who is engaged in classifying them, kept them jealously under lock and -key. - -This Professor Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University, was lent to the Grand -Duke Rudolf ten years ago by the Rector Etlicher, for the special -purpose of cataloguing his manuscripts. - -The present Grand Duke retained him in the same post in exchange for an -undertaking to give four hours a week to teach Duke Joachim the exact -sciences. - -The old man spent half his remaining time among the manuscripts in the -sacristy, the rest in his laboratory, surrounded by furnaces and -retorts. This laboratory is situated in the triangle formed by the -armoury, the chapel and the walls of the castle. Like my room, it looks -out on the ravine of the Melna, or rather on the trees which almost -entirely shut out the view. The first time I ever entered the -laboratory, accompanied by Kessel, who was to introduce me to our -colleague, I was received much as Gulliver was among the spiders' webs -of the magician of Laputa. A harsh voice screamed out an order to shut -the door, declaring that the draught was putting out the burners. Then -a furious little fellow emerged from amid pungent fumes. Dr. Cyrus Beck -had a bald pate, as polished as if it had been subjected to the most -powerful acids. A long yellowish overall, covered with chemical stains, -enveloped him from head to foot. Among all his paraphernalia he looked -exactly as if he had stepped out of Hoffmann's tales. - -He calmed down at the sight of Kessel, proffered his apologies, and told -us that he had just reached the psychological moment in his experiments -on the insulation of ... (something the name of which I have forgotten). -He had almost become pleasant when my companion told him that I myself -intended to do some research work in the manuscript section. He bowed as -Kessel told him that the Grand Duke hoped he would give me every -facility for this purpose, but I could see that he would not do more -than he could help. - -"We'll see," I reflected philosophically. "This old chap is full of -fads. Sooner or later I'll find out the one to play up to." - -I was in no hurry, having given myself a fortnight before starting on -what was then Professor Thierry's work, but eventually to be my own. - - - - -6. THE STATE OF LAUTENBUBG-DETMOLD - - -The Grand Duchy of Lautenburg-Detmold, one of the twenty-seven States of -the German Confederation, is about sixty miles long from north to south. -Its breadth varies between twelve and twenty-five miles. It has a -population of two hundred and eighty thousand. The Schwarzhugel, a last -buttress of the Harz, is the only orographical system which breaks the -monotony of the Hanoverian plain. - -As regards its river system, the Grand Duchy is bounded by the Weser, -and crossed by the Aller. The Melna is the most important river, judging -by the length of its course in Lautenburg territory. - -The Herrenwald, a forest of beech and fir, which starts to the north of -Lautenburg, covers a good third of its area. The rest consists of a -sandy tract, very difficult for agriculture, but particularly suited to -brick-making, the principal resource of the State. - -There are two towns: Sandau, exclusively industrial, in the northern -plain, with twenty thousand inhabitants; Lautenburg, the capital, forty -thousand inhabitants, seat of a bishopric and the central assizes. A -cavalry brigade formed of the 11th Dragoons and the 7th Hussars, a -regiment of infantry, the 182nd, a half-regiment of artillery, and a -detachment of the 3rd Engineers are stationed there. - -The constitution is monarchical, the Grand Dukes succeeding each other -in order of primogeniture, and women are not excluded. The Grand Duchess -Charlotte-Augusta reigned alone at the end of the eighteenth century, -and today the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus owes his title to his -marriage with the Grand Duchess Aurora. - -The Grand Duke of Lautenburg is the immediate vassal of the King of -Würtemberg, and mediate vassal of the German Emperor. - -The State of Lautenburg sends three deputies to the Reichstag. Two of -them are agrarians; the third, representing Sandau, is a Socialist. All -three sit of right in the Ducal Diet, which meets twice a year at the -Castle of Lautenburg. The President of the Municipal Council of -Lautenburg and two councillors elected by their colleagues are also -_ex-officio_ members of the Diet. The other members are elected, on a -narrow franchise, by the general population of the Grand Duchy. The -Grand Duke is President. A permanent committee of six members, somewhat -similar to our departmental commissions, dispatches current business -when the Diet is not in session. - - - - -7. SUMMARY OF LIFE AT LAUTENBURG - - -Four times a week I gave Duke Joachim his lessons, two of history, one -of philosophy and one of literature. For this purpose I went to his room -in the right wing of the palace. You will remember that his father -occupied the middle portion, while the left wing was reserved -exclusively for the Grand Duchess Aurora. The walls of Duke Joachim's -study are hung with the best German maps made by Kiepert himself. There -are two portraits, one of the Grand Duke, and the other of his first -wife, _née_ Countess von Tepwitz, a worthy Bavarian with a Luther's -cross, who died three years ago. Duke Joachim is her living image. - -You couldn't have a more tractable pupil than this young German duke. He -knows a good deal already, but unfortunately it's all in the same class. -I shouldn't be at all surprised if the State of Lautenburg-Detmold -lapses to the imperial crown on the death of the Grand Duke -Frederick-Augustus. - -Those who have always had all they want will probably bridle at the -suggestion that a life with every material comfort is enough for -happiness. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly happy. I had nothing but my -professional duties to worry about. Two or three books, unknown over -here, practically performed them for me. - -I was very happy, I repeat. Lunch with the Grand Duke was still a treat -in store, but I had already dined three times with Colonel von Wendel. -His wife took a great fancy to me. I lent her several books I had really -intended for the Grand Duchess. She was a kindly soul, and, besides, it -was just as well to be on good terms with the Colonel. - -I generally lunched with Cyrus Beck, Kessel, and the staff. Little Hagen -came every now and then. When he did, the others chuckled maliciously, -and said that the Grand Duchess must have let him out for the day. In -the evening every one vanished. Most of them had friends in the town. I -usually stayed behind with the professor, and sometimes, not always, the -taciturn Kessel. Cyrus Beck then monopolized the conversation with a -recital of his woes. His pupil made no progress. Besides, tutoring -wasn't his job! The Grand Duke Rudolph, now, _did_ know how to treat a -professor. He was a scholar! - -I was given to understand that as a geographer he had scarcely a rival. - -Kessel, finishing his liqueur, broke in calmly: - -"A geographer who didn't understand the handling of a field gun." - -Cyrus retorted in scorn: - -"Then you prefer the present Grand Duke?" - -"I never knew His Highness the Grand Duke Rudolph," replied Kessel, -unruffled. "I only know that the first duty of a Grand Duke is to _be_ a -Grand Duke, which means perfect familiarity with artillery, heavy and -light, so that geographers can work in peace and safety." - -The odd thing is that the professor poured out his complaints to Kessel, -of whom he stood in visible awe, rather than to me, a Frenchman. I tell -you the loyalty of these folk is beyond belief. We in France are never -happy except when at loggerheads. But _their_ habit of mind, backed by -the Imperial Police, who are admirably organized, makes them sheep, -compared to which Panurge's flock was imaginative and refractory. - -In the daytime my principal amusement was strolling in Lautenburg. The -splendid German uniforms delighted me, though I had moments of dismay -over that prodigious display of discipline. Twice a week the band of the -182nd played in the Königsplatz, opposite the theatre. I liked the -charming _gaucherie_ of the group of girls I passed. They recalled and -exemplified the truth of the old cavalry General von Dewitz's remarks to -his aide-de-camp: - -"These girls are thoroughbreds, my boy, a real treat to watch! None of -your faked demi-women, but mothers, real mothers. I'd answer for whole -generations of them. Just look at that buxom wench down there! There's -red cheeks for you, and what a stride! A yard if it's an inch! What a -treat for an old soldier like me. I like looking at 'em!"[1] - -I, too, liked "looking at 'em." The spectacle never failed to please, -and that utter docility, that abject acceptance of their destiny, -recalled the words of the French officers who passed through here into -captivity after the disaster at Sedan: - -"_Priez une Allemande à s'asseoir. Elle se couchera._" - -Night falls, a haze of purple and gold. Lights and noise herald the hour -of café and tavern. A flower-seller passes. I am to dine tonight at the -Colonel's. I must take Frau von Wendel a bunch of _Vergiss-mein-nicht_!... - - -[Footnote 1: W. Meyer-Forster: _Baron von Heidenstamm_. Part I. 1.] - - - - -III - - -ONE morning in December I was snugly ensconced by my big log fire, -preparing a lesson for the afternoon. There was a dry, cold snap in the -air, and the pale winter sun was dissolving, the night's mist in opal -drops on my windows. - -There was a knock at the door. - -"Come in." - -Outside stood Otto, an ex-non-commissioned officer and head-butler, in -fact, the connecting link between the palace officials and the horde of -valets, workmen and supers whom he had under his orders. His white -shirt-front and round red face stood out sharply against the dark -background of the corridor. Behind him loomed two men bearing some -strange bundles. - -"Excuse me, Herr Professor. I hope I am not disturbing you?" - -"No, Otto. What is it?" - -He came in, followed by the two men, who had their arms full of bunches -of flags. - -"Tomorrow is the fête-day of the 7th Lautenburg Hussars, Herr -Professor. The town takes a holiday. We decorate the whole palace, and I -have come to arrange your three windows." - -I looked out. The Königsplatz was, indeed, dotted with tiny figures -bustling about with the multifarious paraphernalia of public rejoicings, -tall poles, bunches of flags and streamers. - -"Go ahead, by all means." - -Very deliberately they set to work. Three huge shields, with the German -imperial standard between the white and red flag of Würtemberg and the -Lautenburg-Detmold banner (a golden leopard on a black and white ground) -were duly erected. The whole was then linked to the other windows by -festoons of enormous green garlands like laurel wreaths at -prize-givings. - -Standing there supervising, Otto described to me the next day's -ceremony. - -"It is always a very big affair, Herr Professor. Tonight the palace will -be lit up, and there will be a torchlight procession on the arrival of -His Majesty the King of Würtemberg and His Excellency General von -Eichhorn, who is representing His Majesty the Kaiser." - -"Is the Kaiser represented at every regimental fête?" - -"Not _all_, Herr Professor, but the 7th Hussars is not a regiment like -others. Its flag is decorated. Prince Eitel is a captain in it, and most -important of all, its colonel is Her Highness our Grand Duchess, the -Emperor's cousin. So you will realize ..." - -"I realize, Otto, that it is going to be a very fine affair, and you -must have plenty to do." - -"You are right, Herr Professor. We have finished now. Come on, you two. -We are very grateful for your kindness, Herr Professor." - -I appreciated the turn of events which was to enable me to witness one -of these magnificent German ceremonies, even more when, about eleven -o'clock, a note came up from Major von Kessel. The Prince's tutor -informed me that his pupil was to accompany the Grand Duke at the -preliminary review of the garrison in the afternoon. He therefore -requested me to be good enough to postpone my lesson for a couple of -days. - - -At lunch, Doctor Cyrus Beck, more hoffmannesque than ever, came down -late in a state of great excitement. I wanted to get some further -information out of him. - -"Here's a disgraceful thing," he burst out, enraged. "Have you read this -libelous stuff, sir?" - -He held out _La Peau de Chagrin_. - -"Libelous stuff?" I said in amazement. - -"Yes, silly, libelous nonsense. It takes a frivolous Frenchman to treat -certain subjects with such levity. It is science itself that is -ridiculed here, sir. Just consider. You spend your life in the study of -two or three questions, break retorts, bum your face over crucibles, run -innumerable risks of being blown up and your laboratory with you--and -all that for a tomfool novelist to come along, and, in a few -contemptuous words, which he takes for eternal verities, tell you your -business and make you a public laughing-stock." - -"I don't know what particular passage of _La Peau de Chagrin_ is -responsible for your recriminations," I said, "and I'm afraid, in any -case, I'm not competent to defend Balzac on this point. You should know, -however, that, generally speaking, he was extremely accurate. The -historical parts of his work are an important authority. I once heard a -good commercial lawyer say that his descriptions of César Birotteau's -bankruptcy and the sale of the Roguin property are masterpieces from the -legal point of view. Besides ..." - -"Sir," he broke in with rising anger, "neither Law nor History has ever -claimed to be an exact science. A superficial intelligence like your -Balzac's can easily excel in them. But science, sir ..." - -"My dear Herr Beck," I said, a little nettled, "if _La Peau de Chagrin_ -can produce such an effect upon you, I wonder what you'll say when -you've read _La Recherche de l'Absolu_? It refers to a certain Balthazar -Claës, who, like you studies high matters and with the same wealth of -experience as yourself. It is possible that you might discover many -valuable suggestions there." - -He was not quite certain whether to take me seriously or not; but -prudently wrote the title of the book on his cuff. Then his lips went to -his spoon, which, in the German fashion, never left the surface of his -soup. - -"Are you going to the review tomorrow?" I asked. - -I expected a formal negative, and my surprise was great when he told me -he would not fail to attend the ceremony. - -"We have seats reserved in the Royal Stand," he said unctuously, "next -to the Corps Diplomatique." - -I was very much tickled at the child-like delight of this barrack-room -savant at having an official place at a military ceremony. "What a world -of difference from our anti-militarist intellectuals," I thought, -without knowing for certain which of the two attitudes was the better. - - -The entire palace was in a state of extreme confusion. Officers in -full-dress uniform swarmed like ants. I met Kessel up to the eyes in it. - -"The King arrives at nine o'clock," he said. "You should go to the -station. It will interest you. Meanwhile, if you like, you can watch the -review which the Grand Duke is holding at three o'clock on the -parade-ground." - -I thanked him, but not wishing to take the gilt off the next day's -spectacle, and, if the truth must be told, feeling rather small and -absurd among all these folk in brilliant uniforms, I hid myself in the -library. There I began to jot down a few notes bearing on the young -Duke's next lesson on the history of Alexandrine Philosophy. - -When I came out darkness had fallen, and I decided to go for a stroll in -the town. It was already illuminated. When I reached the middle of the -parade-ground I looked back, and the whole castle appeared before me in -a blaze of light. My childish pleasure in the coloured lights and fairy -lamps prevented me from noticing that the exhibition did not err on the -side of good taste. But in Germany there is always too much of -everything except that. - -In the centre there was an enormous imperial eagle, ten yards high, -carried out in yellow lights. On the left the Würtemberg lion in red, -and on the right the Lautenburg lion in green. The difficulty of -distinguishing these animals with electric lamps had been a very serious -problem for the artist in charge, but in the end a fair measure of -success had been achieved. - -A confused murmur of admiration rose from the shadowy groups about me. -At the far end of the parade-ground the Royal Stand was all ready for -the next day's review. The Hanover Strasse, the finest street in -Lautenburg, was thronged with people, who were walking up and down on -the pavements, as if impelled by some mechanical device. At a given -moment the barracks poured out a stream of uniforms. The red tunics of -the Lautenburg Hussars blended with the blue of the Detmold Dragoons and -the dark jackets of the infantrymen. Students who had come specially -from Hanover, flaunted their various caps and duelling scars with an -arrogance which vanished quickly whenever they passed an officer. Thanks -to the approach of Christmas, the brilliantly-lighted shop-fronts were -crammed with a mass of weird and fantastic wares, the childishness of -which was enough to make you weep. The provision stores were crammed -with geese absurdly decorated with the colours of the twenty-seven -German States. A goose adorned with the Rudolstadt blue was cheek by -jowl with a goose in Würtemberg red. The pork butchers exhibited -pyramids of sausages made in the shape of the most famous public -buildings in the Empire--the Reichstag, the Central Station at Berlin, -Cologne Cathedral, etc. But the masterpiece was a triumphal arch of -lard, with bas-reliefs in red jelly and an entablature of _foie gras_. - -Girls strolled along in parties of three or four, arm in arm, modestly -lowering their eyes under the insolent stares of the officers. - -I dined at the Lohengrin tavern, the largest and most ornate in -Lautenburg. You remember the roundabouts of our childhood. The part -reserved for the band and the old blear-eyed, tinsel-covered nag bears a -very striking resemblance to a fashionable German tavern. They are the -only places, I think, where people can smoke without inconvenience. The -clouds of tobacco smoke which rise to the ceiling suggest nothing so -much as a rabelaisian Walhalla. It was striking eight when yells of -"_Hoch_! _hoch_!" in the street brought the diners _en masse_ to the -door. Amid a forest of sabres a squadron of dragoons was on its way to -the station to act as guard of honour to the King of Würtemberg and -General von Eichhorn. - -There was such a mob around the station that I gave up any idea of -trying to get in. It was from a corner of the Roon Strasse that I -managed to get a glimpse, through the hedge of dragoons, of the car in -which the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and the King of Würtemberg were -sitting opposite my pupil and General von Eichhorn. - -I was absolutely deafened by the noise. From one café I had to flee in -terror of immediate asphyxiation. Students standing on the table -declaimed, sang and bawled out their slogans while tossing off the -contents of colossal pewter mugs. Under blinding electric standards in -the streets women, dressed in the fashion of 1900, with hats slanting -skywards and hopelessly drunk, mingled the eternal pan-German "_Hoch_!" -with suggestive invitations. - -As I turned the corner of the Königsplatz, on my way back to the -castle, I passed by the officers' mess. For one second the bright window -revealed to me the pandemonium within. Through the thick curtain of -smoke I caught a glimpse of some thirty men, and, stretched on the table -among the flowers and pools of wine, two naked women. - - * * * * * * - -At eight o'clock Pastor Silbermann, at the _Tempel_ in the Siegstrasse, -and Monsignor Kreppel in the Cathedral, celebrated the offices of the -respective cults, to which the soldiers of the Catholic and Reformed -confessions were conducted in detachments. Then at ten o'clock came the -review. - -The weather favoured the 7th Lautenburg Hussars. The sun shone bright -and cold. From the square you could see the black leaves, gripped by the -gentle westerly breeze, fall slowly from the castle trees into the -Melna. I have said before that from my room I could not see the -parade-ground where the review was to be held. But rising at daybreak I -was in time to watch the 182nd Prussian Infantry Regiment, of which two -companies had been told off for general police duties, crossing the -Königsplatz en route to its post. The immense throng filled my heart -with the joy of those who know that their seats are reserved. - -At seven o'clock I was ready, although I had quite decided not to turn -out until much later, certainly not before the stands were half full. I -picked up some book and tried to read it, not stopping to analyse the -reasons for my growing excitement. - -At nine o'clock the noise below became so marked and insistent that I -thought I could go down without looking absurd. How small and -insignificant I felt crossing the great square, the emptiness of which -was emphasized by the enormous crowd gathered round it, only kept within -bounds by a cordon of infantry with fixed bayonets. The stands were -three-quarters full when I arrived, and I should have had considerable -difficulty in finding my place if I hadn't seen a hat frantically waved -to attract my attention. It was Count de Marçais. - -"You're next to me," said the obliging diplomat. "All the better. We can -chat while we're waiting." - -Glad of an opportunity of impressing me, he told me the names of the -distinguished individuals around us: Count Bela, the Austro-Hungarian -Minister, almost swallowed up in furs and an astrakhan cap with a silver -aigrette; M. Nekludoff, the Russian Minister, in a very unassuming -frock-coat; Monsignor Kreppel, with his heavy gold cross on a purple -sash, and Rector Etlicher, of Kiel Academy. - -Suddenly I pressed his arm. A most attractive young woman had just taken -her place in the first row of the stand immediately in front of us. She -might have been twenty or twenty-five. Dark, extremely smooth-skinned -and languid in her movements, she was wearing a long blue coat and skirt -edged with skunk. One of her arms hanging loosely by her side, ended in -one of those huge muffs so fashionable at that time. A toque of skunk -framed the heavy black coils of her hair. - -She noticed Marçais and greeted him with a languid bow. - -"Who is she?" I murmured. - -"What," he said ecstatically. "You mean to say you don't know the Maid -of Honour, the Grand Duchess's inseparable confidante, Fräulein -Melusine von Graffenfried? What on earth have you been doing with your -time since you came?" - -"What a beauty she is!" I said. - -"She's a beauty all right! You're not the first to make _that_ -discovery. But you'd better realize, my boy," he added, with a curious -sly glance, "that there's nothing doing. Besides, you'll forget her -existence when the Grand Duchess arrives. Meanwhile she'll do, won't -she ..." - -Translating words into deeds he touched our beautiful neighbour gently -on the shoulder. - -"Fräulein von Graffenfried, there are some things in the castle we -don't value as we should. Here is one of its residents, who has -not yet been presented to you and now solicits that honour. My -fellow-countryman, Monsieur Raoul Vignerte, tutor to His Highness Duke -Joachim." - -The charming young woman turned round and gave me an angelic glance, -which, for some reason or other, reduced me to extreme confusion. - -"Thank you, dear Count, for giving me an opportunity of knowing Monsieur -Vignerte otherwise than by reputation. Monsieur, let me hope we shall -meet again without having to wait for so special an occasion. But I'm -told you work so hard." - -It was not the first time I was to learn how much more tactful -distinguished imbeciles are than people of reputed intelligence. Count -de Marçais gave me further proof of this when he answered for me: - -"No offence meant, dear friend, but perhaps it is easier to gain -admittance to the castle library than to your affections!" - -Melusine's eyelids quivered imperceptibly. - -"No offence taken, I assure you," she rejoined, smiling. "Monsieur -Vignerte is a true scholar, and will tell you that the very best -libraries are those to which admission is most difficult. Isn't that so, -Herr Beck?" She added, turning to the old savant, who had just arrived -and was lost in astonishment at the troops concentrated at the two ends -of the parade-ground. - -I admired the surpassing skill with which she turned a conversation -verging on delicate ground. - -"You are unquestionably right, Fräulein," my old colleague hastened to -reply, with the utter ingenuousness of the man of learning. "Monsieur -Vignerte knows only too well that the whole library, manuscripts -included, is at his disposal." - -"Hush!" said Fräulein von Graffenfried, turning round. "Here's the -King." - -A group of horsemen had just appeared opposite us, on the other side of -the square, in the courtyard of the castle. There was immediately a -volley of sharp commands. Cavalry and infantry stiffened to attention. -With a noise like sheets of metal tearing, bayonets were fixed to the -muzzles of rifles. Three thousand swords flashed out, three thousand -tongues of lightning. - -Trumpets and fifes began a slow march, a kind of summons to arms, very -sharp and strident, but quite in keeping with the keen December morning. -When it stopped, there burst out one wild universal cheer, solid, -raucous and prolonged, like the roll of a wave which never breaks. - -The little group of horsemen advanced at the trot in the huge empty -square. The King of Würtemberg, in field-marshal's uniform, was in -front on a black horse. On his right was the Grand Duke -Frederick-Augustus, in general's uniform, very plain. On his left -General von Eichhorn displayed all the glories of the Great General -Staff. Close by was young Duke Joachim, looking very well in the blue -tunic of a lieutenant in the Detmold Dragoons. - -Behind them came a display of the finest uniforms in the German Army: a -colossal officer of the White Cuirassiers; an officer of the Guard -Artillery in black and gold with crimson facings; grey Hussars, a green -Uhlan. - -"Where's the Grand Duchess?" I murmured to Marçais. - -"What! You call yourself an officer of the Reserve! Where do you expect -to find the colonel at a review? At the head of his regiment, of course. -Look, there's Colonel von Mudra of the 182nd. The review begins with his -regiment. He's the man just in front of the Staff. He will drop back -into line when his unit has been inspected." - -At a gallop the Royal group passed between the companies of the -regiment, which smartly opened out for the manœuvre. The white and -black standards were lowered at their passage. Then came a sharp order -and the ranks closed up. It was the turn of the Detmold Dragoons. - -Colonel von Becker, slim and straight, a fine figure in his blue tunic, -white gauntlets and black-spiked helmet with its silver eagle, rode up -to the King, whom he saluted with a broad sweep of his sabre, presenting -to him his superb regiment, a host of giants on motionless giant steeds. -This solid mass gave me such an impression of overwhelming force that I -involuntarily pressed Marçais' hand. - -"H'm!" he murmured. "Our Cuirassiers and Spahis will have their work cut -out if it ever comes." - -An order, passed down by the commanding officers, captains and -lieutenants, and the earth trembled beneath the hoofs of the 11th -Detmold Dragoons moving off by the right, behind the 182nd Infantry, to -take its place for the march past. - -It was Marçais' turn to press my arm. - -"Look!" he said. - -In front of us, in the first row, Fräulein Melusine von Graffenfried -was leaning over the rail with a smile on her lips. Two riders were -advancing towards the King. One was little Hagen, rather pale and -plainly full of himself. He was riding eight or ten paces behind the -Colonel of the Lautenburg Hussars. - -To tell the truth, I could not clearly distinguish the features of the -Grand Duchess Aurora. I could only see the outline of her slight form. - -She was walking a little horse gorgeously caparisoned. Above her riding -skirt was the tunic of the Lautenburg Hussars, red with orange facings. -Her black kolbach reared its long gold cockade above her head. - -She also presented arms to the King of Würtemberg, who, urging his -horse forward, bowed over her hand and kissed it. A tremendous cheer -went up from the crowd: - -"_Hoch_ for the Grand Duchess! _Hoch_ for the King! _Hoch_ for the -Kaiser!" - -Marçais touched Melusine gently on the arm. - -"The Grand Duchess is a very placid Amazon today," he said. - -"Do you think so?" replied the girl, shrugging her shoulders but not -turning round. "She had two bottles of 'Extra Dry' put in Taras-Bulba's -oats this morning. That explains everything." - -"Taras-Bulba! Is that her horse?" I asked. - -"Yes, a fearful little brute, hairy as a mat, you can see. She brought -him from the marshes of the Volga. He's ugly, vicious and obstinate. -She's absolutely the only person who can ride him. He tries to bite the -groom's face off, but she can do what she likes with him." - -"Sh!" said Melusine. "Look!" - -The Hussars were advancing at full trot to take their places behind the -Dragoons, who were drawn up behind the infantry. - -With their backs to the stand and ourselves, the King of Würtemberg and -General von Eichhorn faced the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and Duke -Joachim, who, at the other end of the parade-ground, presented the -troops marching past. I have no bias in favour of the Prussian -goose-step, but I assure you that though we may mock at it in France, it -is remarkably appropriate to German military atmosphere. - -The 182nd marched past in line of columns of companies. You could have -heard a pin drop. The six field artillery batteries followed at a -gallop, the copper bobs on their black helmets sparkling in the sun. -Then, by squads and keeping faultless alignment, the Detmold Dragoons -advanced, followed at a distance of two hundred yards or so by the -Lautenburg Hussars. - -The Grand Duchess was between the two regiments. Little Hagen, stiller -than ever, looked in the seventh heaven. A feeling of mute hatred of the -man rose within me. - -The march past was over. Whilst the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and -Duke Joachim came over to join the King of Würtemberg and General von -Eichhorn in front of the stand, the two calvary regiments massed for the -final charge at the place the princes had just left. - -"Look!" said Marçais to me. "You are going to see the Cossack style." - -On the right was the blue mass, on the left the red, smaller. Twenty -paces in front of them two riders, almost side by side. Colonel von -Becker's great bay snorted. Taras-Bulba, quivering with suppressed -excitement, did not move. - -Leaning forward, Melusine looked on, her gaze at once roving and rapt. - -Two sabres flashed and immediately, with a deafening roar, the great -wave broke. - -And now one horse was ahead--Taras-Bulba. How long would it last? -Possibly ten seconds, and then the wave, three thousand horses and three -thousand riders, stopped dead before the stands amid a rattle of oaths -and the jingling of stirrups. The earth seemed to open. - -I shall never forget the sight. On the right Becker, leaning back in his -saddle, his horse rearing, saluted the sovereigns with his sword. On the -left was Taras-Bulba pawing the air. - -Five or six yards away from me the Grand Duchess sat her prancing horse. -No pink glow on her pale face spoke of that breathless rush. Her huge -black kolbach entirely hid her hair. Her green eyes shone gloriously. A -Murat among Amazons, she held her sword raised above her head. - -She smiled to us. - -At that same moment a cry of admiring wonder broke from three throats. -Melusine von Graffenfried, Marçais and I had the glory of leading a -frantic burst of cheering. - -Then Taras-Bulba fell back on his fore feet. With one hand Aurora von -Lautenburg patted his shaggy mane, while she extended the other to King -Albert, who kissed it again. - - * * * * * * - -An invitation card, handed to me by Ludwig when I returned to my rooms, -intimated that my presence was requested at the dinner to take place at -eight o'clock in the Great Gallery, in honour of His Majesty the King of -Würtemberg and His Excellency General von Eichhorn. Third table; place -23. - -I spent the afternoon in my room, playing with some manuscript or other, -turning over pages, but not reading. At seven o'clock I went out into -the park. Two hours earlier I had heard the last strains of the hunting -horns, distant at first, die out in the ravine of the Melna. It was -there that the hunt, led by the King and the Grand Duchess, had -concluded. - -The palace was a blaze of light, and through its lofty windows I could -see the great tables groaning beneath their load of flowers and glass. - -Most of the high officials and all the Lautenburg officers had been -invited, and three hundred covers were laid at twelve tables. - -I went in between a major of the Dragoons and the wife of a Court -Councillor, and neither of them said a single word to me during the -meal. The band of the 182nd played in the Council Chamber in the -intervals between the courses. - -I could not see the Grand Duchess, the King, or the Dukes, as the top -table was completely hidden from me by a forest of flowers. - -In the hubbub of toasts and champagne I slipped out, and went through -the Council Chamber to the Great Hall, hoping to get a good view of the -entrance of the royalties. A charming voice drew me from the well of my -reflections: - -"Well, Monsieur Vignerte, why so solitary?" - -I was alone in the great room with Fräulein von Graffenfried. - -"What about yourself, Fräulein?" - -"I? Oh, that's a different matter. The Grand Duchess has asked me to -have a look round before the others come in. The waiters are so stupid. -She is most anxious that the flowers should be well arranged." - -I looked around at the tasteful floral display about us. Purple iris -alternated with yellow roses, larger and finer than anything I have ever -seen, before or since. - -"These flowers are from her own home," Melusine explained; "iris from -the Volga and roses from Daghestan. She has a waggon-load sent every -month, as she thinks the flowers here very poor. They are beautiful, -aren't they?" she added, with her face buried in a large bunch. - -"Not more so than she!" I murmured, not knowing what I said. - -Melusine gave me a smiling glance. She was dressed in a gown of ivory -satin under a tunic of tulle embroidered with iridescent pearls. No -jewels, save for a necklace of pink pearls round her smooth throat. - -Her whole personality, elegant, languid and perfumed, spoke in that -smile. - -"Yes, she is," was all she said. - -Then with sudden irony: - -"So it was her flowers that suggested herself? I shall tell her." - -"I beg of you, Fräulein ..." - -"No, no! I want you to know her. You must come and see us. We get bored, -you know, seeing no one but little Hagen. He isn't always amusing." - -"He is in love with her, I suppose," I said, drawing close up to her. - -Melusine laughed. - -"He's quite tiresome enough for that." - -"And she?" - -"Monsieur Vignerte," said Melusine, smiling again. "You go from one -extreme to the other, the depths of modesty to the heights of -indiscretion. Don't you realize that, to say the least, your questions -are not very flattering to me?" - -She leaned forward, almost touching me. Her black hair brushed my cheek. - -"I think you found me much better-looking this morning before seeing -her, didn't you?" she whispered. - -She took my arm with an imperious gesture. - -"Well, you can look at her now." - -With a clatter of swords and spurs the procession entered the Great Hall -just as a thousand lights were turned on at once. - - * * * * * * - -German Court functions have all the incomparable splendour that the -magnificent imperial uniforms give them. I was almost blinded by the -amazing display of blue, red and black tunics, bedecked with fur and -sparkling with gold. - -The hedge of Lautenburg Hussars presented swords. - -The Grand Duchess Aurora came first on the arm of the King of -Würtemberg. - -A draped gown of dark green velvet, amazingly _décolleté_, left one -shoulder absolutely bare. Behind her trailed her long train, with a -wonderful design in silver embroidery. - -On her right hand she had a single diamond set in platinum, on the left -an emerald set in a circle of brilliants. - -I had not seen her hair in the morning, but now I beheld that cloud of -tawny gold, fashioned in great coils round her head, beneath a gold-lace -cap surmounted by a strange barbaric tiara of emeralds. - -For one second her eyes met mine. I had an intuition that what she read -there did not displease her. I was probably the only human being in that -etiquette-ridden concourse who dared gaze thus frankly at that woman. - -Do you remember Gustave Moreau's _Fée aux Griffons_? You will recall -the fantastic creature in a vivid blue landscape--that colour is less -intense than the green of Aurora of Lautenburg's eyes. The picture will -give you a dim idea of the Grand Duchess. - -There was the same ethereal atmosphere, the same haunting mystery of -outline. Melusine, exquisite, even unnerving as she was, seemed almost -commonplace beside that Titania. - -What Moreau's picture does not explain is the blending of ingenuousness -and resolution which is the whole charm of this princess. She has -something of the northern Creole, at once listless and impulsive, and -again something of snow in sunshine, sparkling and hard on the surface, -soft in substance. - -Her waist, perhaps a little too slender, is rather high. You _knew_ how -delicately lovely her waist would have been if she had cared to lace it -in, for the velvet gown moulded the form in a way that is only possible -when there is direct contact with the flesh beneath. The thought that -that form could emerge from its sheath like a cold, pure lily sent the -blood surging to one's brain. - -Among all those faces, on which wine had already begun to leave its -purple traces, that pale statue, half unrobed, was miraculously white -and pure. Her lips were rouged, her eyes darkened, and, to tell the -truth, her nails were unnaturally pink. But you felt she made light of -these adventitious aids on which others rely for beauty. You could -imagine her smiling at resorting to them. She only uses them to show -that she can just as well dispense with them. - -The smile which hovered on her pale face was set, artificial. A slave to -etiquette, she wore the appropriate official mien. Any one who watched -her closely could the better observe an occasional emotion, dead at -birth, which for a brief moment disturbed the grave, self-imposed mask. -I knew that such an emotion must focus as many impulses as the colours -in a prism. I felt that if I ever came to know Her Highness better, I -should perhaps succeed in analysing them; but in the meantime that -glimpse revealed two elements with unfailing certainty--irony and ennui. - -Was this gentle, listless creature, indeed, the Amazon of the morning? I -preferred her then. The bare, white shoulder hurt me, and I wanted a -heavy ermine cloak to throw over it. There were a dozen around her. Oh! -I knew that she was their sovereign, and that their glances, in her -presence, were little more than mechanical. But if they had not thought -themselves observed what reserve would they have shown? - -And who, in Heaven's name, is that little red Hussar, lurking down there -behind the flowers and casting covetous glances at that fair -shoulder?... Hence, clown! Go back to your tame, fat German women, with -their bulging arms and diabolo figures. She is not of your race. She is -not for you, lout! I hate you, yet I envy you. I envy your scarlet -tunic, your yellow facings, your gold tinsel, your lieutenant's rank in -the 7th Hussars, which, when all else fails, is a bond between you and -your soul-stirring Colonel. I could then approach her and proffer, as -you do now, my compliments on the display of the morning. - -With her face almost buried in the bouquet of irises she held to her -nostrils, she thanked, in a low voice, the officers who congratulated -her. - -"Oh, no! You exaggerate. Taras-Bulba deserves all the praise. I'm always -amazed at the way you keep up with him on your chargers. Compared with -him the animals here are like brewers' horses." - -Was I wrong, or could she really if she had wished have spoken German -with less of a foreign accent? - -Behind a screen of plants on the left the band of the 182nd struck up a -waltz. The ball began. - -"We are keeping out the dancers, gentlemen. Go and find your partners. -They will be getting angry with me. Please take me to my place, Count," -she said, taking General von Eichhorn's arm. - -These Germans, male and female, waltzed with that grave, concentrated -resolution that characterizes them. Spurs clinked merrily, and the -beautiful imperial colours mingled under the lights into one fascinating -kaleidoscope. - -"Monsieur Vignerte, you are not dancing!" - -"It is only because I'm such a poor performer, Fräulein. Besides, a -black coat cuts a poor figure among all these uniforms." - -"That's no reason," replied Melusine. "Why, there's good Frau von Wendel -who will go very well with your clothes. You must ask her." - -"If I _must_ dance, I should prefer it to be with you." - -"I'm afraid I haven't time. My business is to wander round and look -after the wallflowers and more bashful dancers. Let me take your arm. -You can accompany me." - -A pretty woman on my arm gave me the confidence I lacked. - -"Fräulein von Graffenfried! Monsieur Vignerte!" The voice of Marçais. - -The last word in elegance, he was sitting near the Grand Duchess. Great -Heavens! He beckoned to me to go up. - -"Can't we ever get hold of you?" he said, laughing. "Here, monsieur." - -He presented me to the Grand Duchess. - -"It was partly for your sake, Madame, that I brought Monsieur Vignerte -here. But you seem in no hurry to use the gifts we offer." - -She replied casually: - -"I? My wish is nothing better than to know Monsieur Vignerte. I am told -he is charming. You must forgive me, monsieur, if I say 'I am told.' I -have hitherto had no chance of judging for myself. You work very hard, I -understand." - -The same words as Melusine had used. Oh, the shame of it! Was I _always_ -to wear the pedant's gown? Was I always to be the man who "worked very -hard," I, whose nights were passed in dreams of a voluptuousness that -none suspected? - -I was going to reply. I think I was going to tell that haughty creature -the plain truth. But she rose. - -"Excuse me! I must dance--at any rate, once! Herr von Hagen," she -called. - -The little red Hussar was there. He came forward, humble but radiant. I -knew a day would come when I should box his ears! - -A space had been cleared on the floor. The Grand Duchess Aurora's dance -seemed to be a maëlstrom from which the dancers turned aside lest they -be drawn in. They waltzed at first the slow German waltz in three time. -Then the measure quickened, changing to two beats in the bar. It was no -longer even the boston, but a wild, harmonious whirling. - -A murmur of admiration went up. The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus looked -on with a smile which was almost a smile of triumph. - -It was not Hagen, elegant and accomplished though he was, who set the -pace, but the tall green and white form. Round and round she went, -listless as ever. Hagen let himself be carried along. An ecstatic flush -suffused his fair, boyish face. He was as clay in the hands of his -Sovereign. Red, green, red, green, then a blur. The complementary -colours appeared. They turned, turned, turned... - -In France we should have clapped. - -She went back to her place a drooping lily. As she adjusted her right -shoulder-strap, she let fall the lovely bouquet of purple iris which she -had been carrying. I rushed forward and picked it up. - -"Thank you, monsieur," she said casually. Then, this time voluntarily, -she dropped them again. - -Good Lord! they were already faded. - - * * * * * * - -I went back to my room, opened the window, and, gazing out at the cold -stars, drank the dregs of humiliation. I understood. She felt a hopeless -antipathy to me. What was it? What had I done? I didn't know. - -The outcast's motto came back to me: "To work!" - -I could still hear the distant strains of the band. Limousines crossed -the Königsplatz with their glaring headlights. Their occupants were -happier than I, for they had seen her since I had. - -To work! - - - - -IV - - -WELL, Raoul Vignerte! What are you after now? What's this new craze of -yours? Why! only a few weeks ago you didn't know in the morning where -your dinner was coming from. Your acme of happiness was to be certain of -the next day's meals. Here you are certain not only of tomorrow's, but -next month's, and even for years to come. You have only to devote -yourself to your work--work, the only thing that brings no regret. And -with all this you are unhappy, not merely unhappy, but actually -miserable. You are more miserable than on the day when you arrived at -the Gare d'Orsay, turning out your pockets to see if you could find a -proper tip for the porter without changing your one gold piece, which, -once broken into, would vanish all too quickly. What is the cause of -your suffering? Your cursed imagination. Isn't it because you know that -henceforth all the beauties of Paris, all the treasures of France, could -not satiate the longings within you? She! a beauty, a Grand Duchess! -Poor fool! You called yourself an anti-romanticist and used to make fun -of the Romantic Drama. Yet here you are, when it suits your purpose, -repeating all unconsciously the adventure of Ruy Blas, lackey to -Monseigneur the Marquis de Finlas. Is this what your gods, Le Play and -Auguste Comte, have brought you to? You are a funny creature! Why, the -queen of your dreams is even further from you than from that little red -Hussar with his elegant indolence, rank, and a coat-of-arms to back -him.... - -I got to work and gradually found that the dust of the library chased -away my envy, hatred and regret. I accustomed myself to the idea that I -should never set foot in the left wing of the palace. I liked to think -that she dawdled out life there with her Melusine, and that I was never -made for such a place. I deliberately intended to take away from my -visit to Lautenburg everything I thought could help or amuse me. In two -years' time I should have saved five or six thousand francs and -collected material for three or four books. I would return to Paris, and -with my methodical industry and the memory of what I had missed, would -make her mine. After all, Paris was better than this scornful, barbaric -beauty! - -Professor Thierry had drawn up an excellent plan of campaign, and the -further I explored the library, the more I appreciated his wisdom. The -history of the German dynasties contemporary with Louis XIV. sheds a -wonderful light on his reign, throwing its natural attraction into -greater relief. The single preoccupation of German princelings towards -the close of the seventeenth century was to imitate the King of France, -the usual method being to secure the services of artists, or pupils of -artists, who had worked for him. But while every French seigneur made a -point of having a particular artist to work exclusively for him, it is -amusing to see how the Germans usually clubbed together to share the -expense of commissioning some particular painter, sculptor, or gardener. -It reminds one of the way in which poor Parisian families club together -to buy a sack of vegetables or a whole lamb at the _Halles_. - -I discovered among the archives most of the estimates of the French -painters and sculptors who worked not merely for the Dukes of Lautenburg -and Detmold, but also for the Dukes of Lüneburg-Celle and the Electors -of Hanover. Ernout executed most of the statuary groups in the gardens. -Gourvil, a pupil at La Quintinie, laid them out. Lesigne, a pupil of -Lebrun, was commissioned to do the frescoes. A Catalan, Giroud, was in -charge of the iron and locksmith's work. Zeyer, a painter in lacquer and -instructor to Princess Sophie-Dorothea, has left some charming work on -the doors of the Herrenhausen Palace at Hanover and of the Palace of -Lautenburg. - -Their accounts were hotly disputed by the stewards of these Sovereigns, -and in many cases the princes themselves did not hesitate to suggest -reductions in their own hands. I examined with great interest a long -bill of Giroud's, exhibited by that artist before a Hanover tribunal in -1690, to justify his charges for the installation of a number of secret -springs at the Herrenhausen. Duke Ernest-Augustus, the future Elector, -failed to establish his case for reduction. At that date, at any rate, -Hanover had judges who judged. - -I had decided in principle to confine my researches to the influence of -France on the Courts of Germany in the seventeenth century. I had at my -disposal a mass of documents, more than enough for Professor Thierry's -purpose and comprising material for a book of my own. It is to that -Zeyer, lacquer artist and instructor to Princess Sophie-Dorothea, that I -owe the extension of my original plan. I found among his accounts a -transcript of his evidence before the Commission of Enquiry which tried -the unhappy Hanoverian sovereign. He is thus responsible for the events -which were to follow. - - -Vignerte stopped, thought a moment and then put -an unexpected question. - -"Do you know the dramatic story of Count Philip Christopher of -Königsmark?" - -For answer I repeated the following lines: - - - _The Count of Königsmark once loved a queen, - Became the queen's own lover, so folk say, - In her own room, censed with fresh-burnt verbene - When nights were young as when they died to-day._ - - _What idle thoughts she poured into thy mind - Who could declare, what idle tales she told - As beaded bluebells all the while she twined - With hearts' ease in her locks of russet gold._ - - -"The author of those lines," said Vignerte, "had read Blaze de Bury's -book. It is the only useful work in French on the tragedy. Do you -remember it?" - -"I'm afraid I've forgotten most of it," I confessed. - -"I shall have to give you the story in some detail. It will not explain -my own adventure. It makes it even more extraordinary." - - -You will certainly remember what was the general situation in the State -of Hanover in 1680. Its sovereign was Ernest-Augustus, a profligate -versed in all the arts of statesmanship, who had been successively -Bishop of Osnabrück, and Duke and Elector of Hanover. His brother, -George-William, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Ernest-Augustus had a -son, George: George-William a daughter, Sophie-Dorothea. - -The ambitions of Ernest-Augustus had a double goal. His primary aim was -to recover his brother's estates for his family. There was only one -method--to marry George to Sophie-Dorothea. The marriage took place in -1682 when the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg was only sixteen. - -The other ambition of Ernest-Augustus soared higher. It was the crown of -England. Fortune favoured him. One after another the twelve children of -Queen Anne were gathered by death. Ernest-Augustus was not to see the -fulfilment of his work--he died in 1698--but his son George reaped its -fruits. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714 he mounted the throne of -Great Britain as George I. He mounted it alone. Eighteen years before he -had separated from his wife as the result of an infamous intrigue, and -when her husband assumed the crown of England the wretched -Sophie-Dorothea was dragging out her weary days in the Castle of Ahlden, -more prison than palace. - -You must forgive me for this dry summary of facts. It is essential I -should be clear. - -The story of Sophie-Dorothea's divorce is the story of the assassination -of Count Philip-Christopher von Königsmark. - -A member of one of the highest and most ancient Swedish families, friend -of the Prince-Elector of Saxony, as dark and handsome as Sophie-Dorothea -was fair and lovely, Count Philip and the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg -had known each other at Celle in their childhood when they were -affianced in the ingenuous manner of the times. Their ways had parted, -however, and Philip had led the adventurous life of a gallant Swedish -free-lance at the Courts of James II. and Louis XIV., at Dresden and -Venice. - -Was Sophie-Dorothea's marriage a spur to his old love or a blow to his -vanity? Whatever the reason, the fact remains that one fine morning -Hanover witnessed the arrival of Count Philip von Königsmark. - -The Court of the Elector was a den of debauch, a garbage-heap on which -Sophie-Dorothea, fair lily, was slowly fading. Betrayed by a husband -whom she had ever despised, compelled to tolerate, as gracefully as she -could, the virago Countess von Platen, the abject favourite of -Ernest-Augustus, she spent her weary life in solitude, preoccupied -solely with the education of her two children--a son who was destined -for the throne of England, and a daughter who was one day to be Queen of -Prussia. - -Then Königsmark arrived at Hanover and the drama opened. - -Count Philip had come to take his revenge by winning back the heart of -Sophie-Dorothea. But before he had even set eyes on her Countess von -Platen had her eye on _him_. He deemed it wise not to flout the -all-powerful favourite, but he was obliged to go to great lengths in -order to soothe the susceptibilities of that woman--a Messalina and Lady -Macbeth in one. He went, in fact, to the furthest limit. Once -compromised, she would be in his power--but it was he who found himself -in her clutches. - -Then began the idyll of Philip von Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea. The -gloomy Herrenhausen Palace witnessed their ephemeral loves. -Sophie-Dorothea's first notion was that the gallant Count had come to -Hanover only to see for himself the misery and desertion of her who had -been compelled by her father's wishes to marry another. His practically -open liaison with Countess von Platen added fresh torture to her lot. -But one morning, going with her lady-in-waiting to the little wood in -the Herrenhausen park where she sat out every day, she spied the Count -just moving off. A note was left on the seat, with these lines, in the -style of Benserade: - - - In other days a fickle swain was I; - Upon the green from lass to lass - At any hour I'd lightly pass; - Only a change, this pleased my eye - But since I've seen my fairest Sylvia's face, - From her my love no more can range, - I'll make one last supreme exchange. - From her I'll never change my place. - - -Was Sophie-Dorothea Königsmark's mistress? I still doubt it, even after -reading their correspondence in the archives of La Gardie. But I must -freely confess that it must have been quite impossible to doubt it in so -corrupt a Court as Hanover, where it was common knowledge that Duke -George's wife received the handsome Swedish adventurer every evening in -her apartments. - -The vindictive Countess von Platen was the last to know that she was the -laughing-stock of the whole palace, but that day the doom of both Count -and Duchess was sealed. - -On the evening of Saturday, July 1st, 1694, Königsmark, returning to -his room, found on his table a note with a few words scribbled in -pencil: - - -Princess Sophie-Dorothea will expect Count Königsmark this evening, -after ten. - - -This note, a forgery imitating Sophie-Dorothea's handwriting, was the -work of Countess von Platen. Königsmark, unsuspecting and brave as a -lion, kept the appointment. He left the Princess at two in the morning. - -Next morning Sophie-Dorothea saw from her balcony two men furtively -wandering in the park as if they had lost something. They were Count -Philip's servants searching for their master. He was never to be seen -again, by them or any one else. - -There you have the tragedy, my friend. There remains the _dénouement_, -the divorce of Sophie-Dorothea. That unhappy young woman of twenty-eight -lived in a world of enemies. She wished to leave her husband, who was a -nightmare to her, but was prevented by the wishes of her father, who had -forced a marriage on her for political reasons. A love-sick girl could -not be allowed to upset the pretty scheme which had the throne of -England as its possible goal. The unhappy creature refused to lend -herself to it. She was dangerous for other reasons. The Swedish Count -had relations. And so she was duly divorced after a trial in which she -suffered every outrage and humiliation. Her children were taken out of -her care, and ultimately the wife of the King of England, once more -plain Duchess, died a prisoner in her Castle at Ahlden in 1726. Then -only did the parental fury relent. The vaults of the castle in which she -was born were opened to her corpse. There, in the obscurest corner of -the crypt of the keep of Celle, is a humble coffin, bearing no -inscription. It contains the mortal remains of Sophie-Dorothea, wife of -the Elector George-Lonis of Hanover, King of England under the name of -George I. - -I have outlined, as briefly as I could, the story of Philip von -Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea. I need hardly say that many points in -the tragedy have never yet been cleared up. The assassination of the -Count is undoubtedly the most obscure incident in the whole affair. -Witnesses agree that it was Countess von Platen who set the trap in -which he perished. Ten hired assassins pierced him with their swords and -the horrible Countess herself dealt him the final blow. But what was -done with the corpse? This is where the mystery begins. - -Opinions are divided. Was the Count, as some say, buried in a grave in -the park? Or, according to another version which I have reasons to -believe the true one, was his corpse covered with quick-lime and thrown -under the stone floor of the room known as the "Knights' Hall"? Or was -it simply cast into the latrines which communicated with the Lüne -flowing at the foot of the castle, as the author of the "Secret -History"[2] would have us believe? Was his the corpse, as Horace Walpole -asserts, which was discovered twenty years later under the floor of a -retiring-room in the Herrenhausen? I only put these problems to explain -to you, though to me it still remains inexplicable, my feverish -resolution to solve them. You may well imagine that the mystery was more -vivid and intriguing to me than to any other man, partly because of the -situation at the palace, with its many points of resemblance to that in -which the tragedy took place, and partly because of the priceless -material at my disposal in the ducal library. - -The most valuable authority till then available was the correspondence -of Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea, to be found in the archives of the -La Gardie Library at Loeberod in Sweden. This correspondence was -discovered by Professor Palmblad, who published extracts from it at -Upsala in 1851. When Professor Thierry in taking leave of me had -referred me to Palmblad's work, he hoped that at Lautenburg I should be -able to discover a portion of the correspondence, which wandered all -over Germany before finding a definite home at Loeberod. I was, however, -unable to find anything, though I had compensation for my disappointment -in another and most fruitful discovery. - -You remember I spoke of Sophie-Dorothea's daughter a short time ago. She -married the Crown Prince of Prussia, the future "Drill-Sergeant King," -Frederick I. "A harsh and tyrannical husband," as Blaze de Bury writes, -"his first act, on mounting the throne, was to forbid his wife formally -to hold any sort of communication with the prisoner of Ahlden. It was -only when Sophie-Dorothea had inherited from her mother a revenue of -twenty thousand crowns, a very considerable sum in those days, that the -royal miser began to soften towards her, though his sudden concern was -purely mercenary, being based solely on his wife's possible interest in -the inheritance, an interest which the celebrated jurisconsult, -Thomasius, had laboured to establish."[3] - -The Queen of Prussia was the meekest of women, but, urged on secretly by -her confessor, she had never ceased to reproach herself for not having -boldly taken her captive mother's part, convinced as she was of her -innocence. She began to take advantage of her forbidding husband's -better moments to collect the material on which to base proceedings to -clear her character. Unfortunately Sophie-Dorothea died in 1726. This -did not deter her royal daughter from pursuing her labour of love. -Thanks to her resolution and the learned assistance of the jurisconsult -Thomasius already mentioned, an enormous dossier, comprising some twelve -hundred documents, was prepared. It established beyond doubt -Sophie-Dorothea's innocence and Countess von Platen's ignominy. This -monument of filial devotion was never to serve any practical purpose. An -anonymous note at the top of the file records that on the -representations of George II., King of England, communicated to his -brother-in-law, Frederick I. of Prussia through the British Minister, -the rehabilitation suit was never begun. The English King observed to -his sister, not without truth, that every piece of evidence disproving -their mother's guilt only established their father's. - -The submissive Prussian Queen yielded to the force of this political -argument. The file, a monument of futile industry, after various -wanderings recorded in the note I have mentioned, ended by falling in -1783 into the hands of the Grand Duchess Charlotte-Augusta of -Lautenburg, niece of the reigning sovereign. It was this very file that -I had the good fortune to discover among the uncatalogued manuscripts in -the ducal library at the end of January, 1914. From the original notes -of the cross-examination of Fräulein von Knesebeck, Sophie-Dorothea's -confidante, to the record of Countess von Platen's confession,[4] had -before me everything required to reconstruct the story of the mysterious -Herrenhausen drama. In the casual manner of historians in dealing with -uncatalogued manuscripts I carried off to the privacy of my room the six -packets containing the whole melancholy story. - -What a pageant of love and chivalry, crime and passion, grandeur, life -and death, was unrolled for me in its musty pages and clerkly script in -divers tongues! At night, when the castle was asleep, I pulled my table -up to my glowing log fire and worked in a kind of burning frenzy. Here I -touched history, live history, not the poor second or third hand -imitation which was doled out to us, according to syllabus, from the -Sorbonne Library. I will admit, I must admit, that the fumes of romance -mingled with the soulless passion for knowledge that seized my very -being. The Court of Hanover danced before my eyes, fantastic and -brutal--Ernest-Augustus, the Silenus of politics; George-Louis, the -narrow-minded profligate; Countess von Platen, the fearsome Messalina, -beautiful and winning notwithstanding; Königsmark, the swarthy -adventurer in his blood-stained doublet of pink and gold; pure-souled -Sophie-Dorothea, fair and slender in her wedding gown of silver brocade. - -Silver, did I say? _There_ spoke the historian, the maker of books. But -oh! how much fairer, how much nearer, I imagined her in another gown, a -gown fresh in my mind! A gown of green velvet! - -Winter was almost over, already yielding to the spring. I had opened my -window to help my fire to draw, and through it the air wafted in with -the magic touch of living breath. Through the darkness I felt the -presence of the black trees, their bare branches quivering with the -promise of life. - -Several times, my friend, my dear friend--when death hovers overhead why -should I not confess those follies which are the price and glory of life -for men like ourselves?--under the spell of that old story of a gallant, -murdered lover and a fair dead Queen, and impelled by an instinct the -sureness of which Fate was in due course to reveal, I pushed open the -door of my room with a beating heart. The corridor was dark. The old -staircase creaked beneath my steps. Often in the great hall I had seen -the lantern of the sleeping watchman. What on earth should I have said, -had I been challenged? - -The open postern exposed a great steel blue vault in the middle of which -mysterious Cassiopeia seemed to shiver. I went out, crossing the -moon-bathed lawns, hiding in the shadows of the yews. A light shone in -the centre wing of the palace. The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus must be -a late worker! All was dark in the left wing, but when I reached the end -of the building and pressed myself against the wall I knew that here, -too, there were some who kept late hours. - -Spring was not yet with us, but one felt that the song of the -nightingale would soon be heard. Bright and spearlike, a ray of light -spanned the gravel path, emanating from another window dark with heavy -hangings and curtains. - -The nightingale was not yet singing in the French park, embedded in the -heart of that Germany whither Fate had led me. But behind that window a -poignant long-drawn wail, interrupted at intervals by maddening silences -that made my nerves quiver with apprehension, came slowly and softly -from the silent palace straight to my heart. For Fräulein von -Graffenfried was playing Schumann's most plaintive berceuses to her -mistress on her violin. - - -[Footnote 2: _Secret History of the Duchess of Hanover_, published in -London in 1732, without the author's name but attributed to Baron von -Bielefeld, _chargé d'affaires_ of the Court of Prussia at Hanover. For -this and later references I have amplified Vignerte's particulars with -the aid of Blaze de Bury's articles, which appeared first in the _Revue -des Deux Mondes_ and were collected into one volume, the "_Episode de -l'Histoire du Hanovre, Les Königsmark_," in 1855.] - -[Footnote 3: Blaze de Bury: "_Episode de l'Histoire du Hanovre_." Notes -and evidence, p. 378.] - -[Footnote 4: A duplicate in manuscript of this confession, entitled -"_Funeral Oration of Countess C. E. von Platen_," may be seen in the -archives of Vienna.] - - - - -V - - -_PETERMANN'S MITTHEILUNGEN_ is the most exhaustive. And also it must be -confessed the best, geographical work in the world. Our _Annales de -Géographie_ is only a feeble reflection of it. The Russians have an -excellent geographer, Woïkow. We have Vidal de la Blache, whose preface -to Lavisse's _Histoire de France_ is a masterpiece. But these are only -fragments and do not cover the whole ground. The astonishing feature of -_Petermann's Mittheilungen_ is its universality. My tutors at the -Sorbonne--I won't mention names as it would hardly be kind to them at -the present moment--have told me hundreds of times that no serious -geographical work could be attempted without the assistance of this -powerful machine. - -I will not exaggerate either the scope or value of the lessons I gave my -pupil by having you imagine that I never prepared _one_ without -consulting the _Mittheilungen_. But I can assure you that whenever it -was necessary to emphasize some particular point I never failed to -fortify myself by reference to the great work. - -Accordingly I had recourse to it when occasion arose to instruct Duke -Joachim on a question which was indeed a topic of the hour--the question -of the Cameroons and the recent German acquisitions in the Congo. It was -just two years since the Cambon-Kiderlen-Wächter conversations had -resulted in an agreement which gave Germany the famous "Duck's bill" and -Togoland. It, therefore, seemed to me a natural proceeding to dwell at -some length on the region which had been the cause of the Kaiser's -famous bang on the diplomatic table. - -I shall never forget that day--Monday, March 2nd--nearly eight months -ago now. - -I first ran through the Table of Contents of the _Mittheilungen_ in -order to look up the references and authorship of the six articles on -the Cameroons and the Congo. The second I came across was the work of -Professor Heidschütz, of Berlin University, describing the means of -access (natural and artificial) to this territory. - -I carried the appropriate volume to the library table and began to make -some notes. As I was opening the book at the page of the article I -wanted, a piece of paper fell out. It was a sheet, folded in four and -already yellow with age, and the writing on it was large, thick and -free. It was German in Latin characters. No signature. Even without that -writing to help me I had immediately guessed what was its subject and -who had written it. - -It contained the complete plan of a journey in one of the remotest parts -of the Congo, along the famous, or, rather, notorious, river Sangha. The -routes were carefully drawn up, with the assistance of the information -given in Professor Heidschütz's article, which, as I expected, was the -very last word on these regions. All practicable tracks, fords, and -resources available to the explorer of the country--from the moment he -left Libreville to the time of his return there--were noted. Each halt -was marked: Ouesso, two days--French post, water, porters: Manna, one -day--porters: Gléglé, on the N'Sagha, canoes, etc. - -A fierce joy possessed me. Fate had delivered up to me the Grand Duke -Rudolph's own plan, in his own hand, for his scientific journey in the -very region where he was to meet with his death. Mine was not, I -realized, the triumph of the historian at the discovery of a document -throwing interesting light on German designs in the Congo, a document in -itself proof positive, in view of the rank and personality of the -explorer, that the Agadir _coup_ was premeditated. What cared I for -dryasdust History at that moment? In a flash I realized that pique had -been the motive for all my labours since that famous occasion when the -Grand Duchess had insulted me before the whole world! - -If you would know the nature of the emotions that convulsed me as I -scrutinized the precious document I must tell you how my imagination had -been at work since that date. I had tried in vain to hate the Grand -Duchess. I could not do so. The effort only had the effect of sharpening -my desire to approach her, claim her notice, convince her that my end in -life was to devote myself to her service. - -Devote myself! Good God, what on earth could have led me to think that -this dazzling, distant goddess might need my humble devotion?... - -It was here, my friend, that my imagination led me on. To tell the truth -it certainly had something to build upon. You don't suppose that during -my long, lonely nights I had forgotten the confidences of a man of -Professor Thierry's standing? Quite the reverse. What wealth of meaning -had I not read into them? In a vague way I felt myself in an atmosphere -of mystery. I felt, just as I feel you now at my side in the dark, that -some tragedy was at the bottom of the presentiments of evil that flooded -my mind from time to time. My work and the nights devoted to the tragic -story of Königsmark had only aggravated my apprehension. All moonshine, -you will say; the diseased imaginings of a brain excited by work in -solitude, and, perhaps, a stronger emotion. You might have some reason -for thinking so if events had not abundantly justified my excitement. - -Whatever the cause, my friend, even before I discovered the Grand Duke's -plan I had pieced together a story which satisfied my notions. I -imagined the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus, correct and kind as he -always was towards me, as the executioner of his wife, that adorable -Grand Duchess. You see beauty made me fundamentally unjust. It made me -attribute imaginary wickedness to the man who, obviously, had many -virtues and was, in any case, the author of my present prosperity, while -I raised a monument in my mind to the woman who had once held me up to -public scorn and subsequently seemed to ignore my existence whenever I -had been thrown in her way. In my lucid moments I would reflect that -there was little of the martyr about the cold, haughty creature who -spent her nights listening to her Melusine's violin and her days on -horseback, hunting with her miserable red Hussar! That Hagen.... Wasn't -it plain as a pikestaff that it was the Grand Duke who deserved pity and -affection!... I should never have had his patience! - -Useless sedatives. Vain strivings to forget. A moment later, back among -my fantastic imaginings I pictured Aurora of Lautenburg turning to her -fiery mount, hunting, music--anything to assuage her grief at the loss -of her first husband, that handsome, gallant husband who had loved her, -whom she still loved, no doubt.... And the jealousy born of these -reveries made me cherish them all the more. - -Many conversations had failed to convince me of heir lack of substance. -It was useless for Frau von Wendel, with her sullen hatred of the Grand -Duchess, to sigh out tales of poor, dear Grand Duke Rudolph, who had -been so unhappy. I ruthlessly cleared everything from my path that -seemed to threaten the integrity of my fantastic fabrications. - -You can call me a lunatic. But assuming I was one, you can imagine the -frenzy with which I put back the volume of the _Mittheilungen_, thrust -my precious sheet into my case and went up to my room. - -Open, Sesame! I had now in my possession the mysterious key which would -open the way to the Grand Duchess's presence, and enable me to compel -her regard. "When she sees these lines," I thought, "in the handwriting -of a beloved husband, she will know that he who brings them to light and -gives them to her does not deserve the unworthy indifference she shows -him. Perhaps she will ask my pardon. Then I shall have compelling words -to stay the flow of regrets on those fair lips. She will only wonder the -more at her own past behaviour." - -Twice I attempted to write a letter to accompany the document, and twice -I threw it into the fire. The first did not seem respectful enough. The -second was too full of the importance of my discovery. Eventually I hit -upon the simplest possible form of words: - - -MADAM, - -By pure chance I have discovered a document which cannot fail to concern -your Highness. Permit me to enclose it with this note, in witness of -your humble servant's respectful devotion. - - -I had thought of entrusting my missive, with a couple of words of -explanation, to Fräulein von Graffenfried, who had never ceased to show -me a marked regard which was very flattering. But I was doomed to -disappointment, as Melusine had just gone out into Lautenburg, so I had -to be content with an old half-witted Russian waiting-woman. The ancient -dame took it, not without suspicion, and went off mumbling something -unintelligible. - -I went back to my room at once and there my excitement oozed away. In -fact, I was soon practically taking myself to task for my action. What -purpose would it serve? Why was I mixing myself up in the affair? I -think I almost wished the old Russian even sillier than she seemed so -that she might lose my letter. - -A step sounded in the corridor and there was a knock at the door. Ludwig -entered. - -"Excuse me, Herr Professor. The Herr Professor has been sent for." - -Stepping aside he ushered in a lackey. I thought I should collapse when -I saw the blue and gold livery of the Grand Duchess. - -"Will the Herr Professor kindly come with me?" said the man. - -Stunned by the almost immediate effect of my action, I followed him, -even forgetting my hat. We cut across the park. Where was he taking me? -We reached and descended the slopes of the English garden. Soon we were -among the willows by the Melna, flushed with the ruddy glow of dying -day. - -A shot rang out from a clump of chestnut trees, and I thought I heard a -rustle in the branches as if a bird were falling. - -"Will the Herr Professor please step this way?" - -I was now in a kind of arbour. The Grand Duchess was standing with her -gun still smoking in her hand. - -"Excuse me, monsieur. I am having a little thrush shooting," was all she -said. - -And she nodded to her lackey to leave us. - - * * * * * * - -I was alone with the queen of my dreams. I had known that this moment -would come, but never imagined that it would find us in this leafy -tunnel, which I had passed many a time in my walks, without suspecting -its existence. - -For a few seconds she gazed at me in silence. My embarrassment was -absolutely indescribable. It was only later, much later, that I learned -how well it had served my cause. So nervous a visitor could hardly be an -enemy. - -At length she spoke, and her voice was soft, so soft that I did not -recognize it. - -"I am grateful, Monsieur Vignerte, for your communication. You were -right in thinking that any relic of the late Grand Duke Rudolph could -not be a matter of indifference to me. Will you tell me," she added, -"how this paper came into your possession?" - -I told her the whole story of my discovery. There must have been a -wealth of emotion and candour in my words, for I felt she was touched. - -"Monsieur," she said, and her words were gentleness itself, "if, as I -hope, we are to know each other better, you will, I feel sure, cease to -bear me any ill-will for what may have seemed unmannerly in my behaviour -towards you. No, don't protest. That behaviour was deliberate, monsieur. -Indifference in a woman is always feigned. You must believe that, to -understand me, certain factors are required which are far from being in -your possession." - -Where was the pretty speech I had promised myself in reply to these -words, long foreseen? - -"Are you always working, Monsieur Vignerte?" asked Aurora, with a smile -tinged with delicate irony. - -"Madam!" I murmured, overcome. - -"Oh! I have no intention of taking you from your exalted pupil, but I -cannot help remembering that when the Grand Duke brought you here, it -was with a kindly idea of lending you to me occasionally. I have only -myself to blame for not taking advantage of his forethought before." - -My doubts as to whether she was serious or not nailed me, dumb, to the -spot. - -"Do you play bridge?" she asked. - -"Yes--a little," I stammered, blessing Kessel and old Colonel von -Wendel, to whom I owed this latest accomplishment. - -"We--that is, Fräulein von Graffenfried, Lieutenant von Hagen and -I--play bridge every evening. You shall make a fourth. You will do us a -much greater service than you imagine," she added, smiling. "I need -hardly add that you must come when you like." - -"I understand, too," she continued, "that you have some most interesting -French books. I do a certain amount of reading, and should be very glad -to become acquainted with them, providing I'm not robbing that good Frau -von Wendel." - -I blushed atrociously. - -"Very well, then," she said, noticing nothing. "You will come when you -like, Monsieur Vignerte; but if you will let me give you further proof -of my gratitude by making a request, may I say that I shall be happy to -see you in my boudoir this evening, about half-past nine." - -I bowed and was about to withdraw when she beckoned me back. - -"Monsieur," she said in low, grave tones, "of course, it is understood -that everything touching this is strictly between ourselves." - -She indicated my letter, which she had just drawn from one pocket of her -black, full-skirted jacket. - -I bowed again. - -"This evening, then, Monsieur Vignerte, and if you would do me a last -kindness, please go out as quietly as you possibly can, so as not to -scare away the thrushes." - -I returned to the palace by a circuitous route, along the Melna. A -kingfisher skimmed backwards and forwards over the darkening water. It -was of the same colour as the emerald I had just noticed on the white -finger of Aurora of Lautenburg-Detmold. - - * * * * * * - -The Grand Duchess's bridge-table was set in a curious little Louis -Quinze salon on the first floor. Two Bouchers, a Largillière and an -excellent Watteau were its best features. Flowers, masses of flowers, -everywhere. - -Remembering that Hagen would be there, I had made a special point of not -arriving first. Indeed, it was a quarter to ten when I knocked at the -door of Aurora of Lautenburg. - -It was Melusine who opened it. - -"I'm very pleased to see you!" the charming creature murmured as she -took my hand. The Grand Duchess gave me a smile of welcome and beckoned -me to the table, at which she was already sitting with Hagen. I had an -impression that the red Hussar was in a thoroughly bad temper, and this -pleased me so much, that I lavished the most delicate attentions upon -him all the evening. - -Aurora of Lautenburg was wearing a kind of black silk tunic, very -_décolleté_, with masses of gold braid and edged with chinchilla at -the neck and sleeves. A net of gold filigree confined her cloud of tawny -hair. - -She played with careless assurance, nearly always winning, and never -missing a lead, and Melusine, too, played well. I made appalling -mistakes, but as luck would have it, calmly trumped my partner's tricks -and ended by winning. The thought that Hagen would several times have -thrown his cards in my face if it had not been for the Grand Duchess's -presence made me almost delirious with joy. - -The first rubber came to an end as the clock struck eleven. The Grand -Duchess rose. - -"Cards will ruin you, little man!" she said familiarly to Hagen. "I -haven't forgotten that you have General Hildenstein's inspection -tomorrow, and must be down by six in the morning. You needn't hesitate -to leave Melusine and myself alone," she added, "as Monsieur Vignerte -has kindly consented to keep us company. So you'd better go to bed." - -With maternal solicitude she offered him his sword. He took it with a -fiendish glance at me, which I pretended not to see. - -Melusine von Graffenfried smiled her eternal sphinx smile. - -"Let us go to my room," said Aurora. "Monsieur Vignerte, don't forget -the books you have brought me." - - * * * * * * - -In accordance with the principles set forth in Edgar Allan Poe's -"Psychology of Furnishing," the Grand Duchess's room was elliptical. A -large mauve globe, set in the ceiling, shed a misty, shadowless light. - -On the walls were prints of Burne-Jones, Constable and Gustave Moreau. - -The room was full of the three things I love most--flowers, rugs and -precious stones. Flowers invaded every corner, and it was quite five -minutes before I got used to their overpowering scent. Then the soothing -fragrance possessed me, and I was almost able to distinguish between -them. Roses and lilies, of course, predominated, though merely as a -glorious framework in which the riches of the Tcherna and the Caucasus -were exhibited in bewildering profusion. Against the walls were massed -the mullein of Mongolia, with their great spikes of flowers nearly a -yard long. The musky pink centaury swarmed on every table. Purple -passion-flowers, the spring marvel of Aral's desolate shores, tuberoses -from Erivan, crimson scabious, monster carnations of every hue, linaria -and love-lies-bleeding, balsam and nigella, primroses of Kasbeck, huge -red moonflowers from the defiles of Daried, the everlasting-flower of -Colchis, once the refuge of the mythical green bird--all these flowers, -known or unknown among us, turned that cool room into the haunt of -eternal spring. - -The sweet-smelling irises, of a deep violet hue approaching black, -almost held me spellbound. The Grand Duchess noticed this and smiled. - -"Those are what I love best. They are brothers to those I used to gather -in my childhood by the banks of the Volga." - -She sat down on the great, low bed, with its two polar-bear skins for a -cover, and took off the net which confined her hair. Her tawny mane fell -out over the white rugs. At her feet Melusine, stretched on a -tiger-skin, with her arm on the great beast's head, toyed with a kind of -guzla from which she drew wavering, plaintive sounds. - -The Grand Duchess took off her jewels, one by one, and put them on -little side-tables about the bed. On a chest, with a top of green onyx -and painted like a Persian cabinet, I noticed the barbaric tiara she had -worn at the fête of the 7th Hussars. By it was another, even heavier -one, in sapphires. - -The floor was strewn with rugs on which little red and green roses from -Armenia swarmed like scarabs and ladybirds. A long necklace of amber and -turquoise, strung chaplet-wise, hung from the head of the bed, and above -it was a dark little niche where a burning lamp showed up a blue and -gold ikon. - -Two large silver bowls, gloriously chased, stood near the Grand Duchess. -One was full of petals, the other of uncut jewels. In this she plunged -her hand, and as fine sand slips through the fingers, she let fall a -smooth bright rain of pearls and corundum, chalcedonies and beryls, -sardonyx and peridots. - -O Margravine of Lautenburg, as you reclined there before me, you were -once more the Tartar princess, the fay of the East, the peri of the -Volga's mystic waters. - - * * * * * * - -She asked me to tell her the circumstances which had brought me to -Lautenburg, She had heard some of the details from Marçais, but from -the smile with which she told me this I had no difficulty in guessing -her opinion of that diplomatist's perspicacity. - -It was plain that she wanted to know my story, and I met her wishes with -straightforward simplicity. Towards the end, as I felt her interested -and friendly, I could not help giving her a moving picture of the -distress our first meeting had caused me, I who had no sooner set eyes -on her than my sole idea in life had been to gain her regard. - -Melusine von Graffenfried nodded approval, closing her eyes as she blew -rings from her cigarette to the ceiling. - -"Please let us forget all that, Monsieur Vignerte," said the Grand -Duchess. "Give me your hand." Then, turning to Melusine, she spoke in -Russian, not knowing that I had a smattering of her native tongue. - -"It's no good relying on him for my admission to the _Kirchhaus_." - -Fräulein von Graffenfried replied with a shake of the head, which might -be interpreted as "Didn't I say so?" - -"Melusine," said the Grand Duchess, "light the samovar." - -While the girl arranged the teacups round the heavy, humming tower of -burnished copper, Aurora rose from the bed and opened a small -secretaire. She beckoned me to her. - -"Do you know that writing?" she asked, holding out a letter. - -I examined the paper. I had never seen the writing in question. - -"It is the hand of the late Grand Duke Rudolph," she said simply. - -My surprise grew to amazement. She could not restrain a smile. - -"But, excuse me, madame. I don't understand. Then whose is the document -I sent you, to which I owe ..." - -"Don't get excited; keep calm, Monsieur Vignerte. The paper to which you -owe my regard--nay, my friendship--was not written by my husband, the -late Grand Duke. But it is not without its value for me. It may even -have a greater value." - -As she spoke she unfolded the document "I see there a name," she said. -"Sangha. Do you know where it is?" - -"Yes," I answered. "I found out this morning. It is a miserable village -in the Cameroons--the last German post, ten leagues from Fort Flatters, -the first French post." - -"That's the place," she added, "and you don't seem to know that it was -in that very village that the Grand Duke Rudolph died of sunstroke on -the 10th of May, 1911. He is buried there. Now you will realize my -feelings on seeing in the list of projected stages of his journey the -name of the place where he was to stay for ever." - -"But whose is this list, then? Who drew it up?" - -"A friend," replied the Grand Duchess, "the Grand Duke's faithful -companion. The same man who saved his life twice in the Congo. The same -who stayed with him to the end, and rendered him the last services, -though he was unable to save him from the fell malady." - -"What was his name?" I asked. - -"Baron Ulrich von Boose." - -"Boose!" I cried. "So it was Boose!" - -The Grand Duchess turned rather pale and drew herself up to her full -height. Melusine, at her feet, had stopped playing the guitar, which was -lying on the floor. - -"What do you mean, monsieur?" said Aurora of Lautenburg. "Please explain -yourself." - -I had already recovered myself somewhat, and was vaguely conscious of my -stupidity. I wanted to turn the conversation, but the Grand Duchess was -not to be put off. - -"Do you know Baron von Boose?" - -"Excuse me, madame," I stammered. "I don't really know whether I ought, -whether I can ..." - -"What oughtn't you to say? What can't you say?" - -I cursed my clumsy and premature exclamation, which looked like -compromising in one second two months of patient approach. Thoroughly -alarmed, and grasping at a straw, my eyes fastened on Melusine. - -The Grand Duchess seemed to doubt the meaning of that look. - -"Monsieur," she said, "Fräulein von Graffenfried is my friend, and you -must know that I have no secrets from those I have once called by that -name. You can speak freely before her. Indeed, I ask you to." - -There was only one way out of the impasse. Stammering in the approved -manner of those with nothing definite to say, I told her as well as I -could about my conversation with Professor Thierry in the course of -which I had first heard the name of Baron von Boose. - -Aurora of Lautenburg's forehead showed a wrinkle. - -"I understand," she murmured at length, "or, rather, I think I -understand, in spite of the intentional reservations in your story." - -She reflected a moment, then recovered her wonted calm and said: - -"This proves, monsieur, how much one should distrust hasty conclusions. -I do not know where your Professor Thierry went for the story with which -he has stuffed your head. If, as you say, he is a conscientious -historian, I think he would have acted less precipitately if he had been -in possession of this--and this." - -She handed me the letter I had just seen and with it another. - -"These," she explained, "are two of the last letters written to me from -the Congo by the Grand Duke Rudolph. In the first he tells me how he was -saved by Ulrich von Boose from a buffalo which had killed his horse; in -the second, how this same Boose rescued him from five or six natives who -would have given him a bad time." - -She looked at me with a smile while I read the passages she indicated. - -I bowed, feeling somewhat sheepish. - -Melusine had just filled the cups and we drank some very strong tea, in -which pieces of citron-peel floated. Then I kissed the Grand Duchess's -hand and clasped Melusine's. - -"Au revoir till tomorrow, _ami_," said Aurora. - -I went back through the park to my room, not without noticing, as I went -out, a shadow which had more than a suggestion of Lieutenant von Hagen -about it. - - -A shot, then another, rang out through the clear, empty night. We -listened. Nothing followed. - -Vignerte shrugged his shoulders. - -"Some sentry with the creeps." - -"Lend me your torch," he said. - -He turned on the light and held out two pieces of paper. - -"What are they?" I asked. - -"The first," he replied, "is a letter addressed to Aurora of Lautenburg -by the Grand Duke Rudolph. This other is the document drawn up by Boose, -which, as I have told you, secured my restoration to the Grand Duchess's -favour. It is as well," he added, "that you should not think you are -dreaming as you listen to my story. Try a little contact with reality." - -I scanned the two documents eagerly, one covered with Boose's strong, -vigorous writing, the other adorned with those long feminine characters -which indicate a temperament more prone to reflection than action. I was -deeply moved by this letter of the German Grand Duke, who now rested -beyond the seas in the hot clay of the Congo, between the glowing -boundaries of the tropics. Mere contact with it conjured up a -startlingly clear vision of her to whom it was written. Aurora of -Lautenburg stood before us. I felt as if I had known her for ages. - -Vignerte turned off the light and the rectangle of night sky reappeared. -I handed back the papers. He continued. - - -Brunetière, speaking of the _Lettres de Dupuis et de Colonet_, says -that they show less actual wit than a striving after wit. And that is -more or less true of all Musset's work. Reverse that saying, and you -have the best possible description of the Grand Duchess's conversation. -That proud woman was always aptness itself. She was an exceptional -being, and consequently what she said had always a quality of its own. -Her judgments were severe, perhaps, but never pretentious or bookish. - -She avoided the commonplace as the cat avoids water. - -I had no idea how much she knew or what she liked, so the three books I -took her that evening were _Le Voyage du Condotière_, _Les -Eblouissements_, _Les Evocations_. - -Next morning she gave me them back. - -"I've read them all," she said, "but your selection was not a bad one. I -see you like poetry." - -Several books lay on a sofa. She picked one up and handed it to me. - -"It is the _Caucasian Review_, which is published at Tiflis, and there -is more beauty in these rude pages and simple tales of travel in -unforgettable lands than in most of your modern poets. This is the rare -spring to which the poets of tomorrow will come to drink." - -She continued: - -"Shakespeare has been dead three centuries, and the haunts of Macbeth -are now treeless and a waste of factories. In Spain Don Quixote has been -succeeded by a horde of commercial travellers from here. In Italy -Carducci is a kind of half-witted Hugo. Like Switzerland, your romantic -countries are now the hunting-grounds of tourists. There are turnstiles -at the bottom of all your peaks. - -"Suarès, whose book you lent me, felt all this, and surpasses himself -when speaking of our Dostoevsky. He ought to come, if only for a short -time, to our gorges of Dariel. I am quite sure he would prefer them to -those of the Ebro and Douro, of which you see pictures in every station. - -"There is no doubt that Madame de Noailles is your greatest poet. But -why insist on calling her Greek! She is no more Greek than the Ariadne -of the Indian Dionysus or the Circassian Medea. All that is best in her -she owes to Armenia and Persia, our countries. Greek indeed! How silly -they are! Haven't you ever seen her? I once lunched with her at Evian. I -can tell you I took a great fancy to her. She's lovely and malicious, -but honestly she is not Greek at all. At home we have a species of bird -that you call jackdaw. It is very wild, flies high and has a vicious -peck. Its plumage is blue and black, and it is strong, though slight. -Your Madame de Noailles is a Tartar jackdaw, not a fat, lazy Greek -dove." - -"What about this?" I said, holding up Renée Vivian's volume of verse. - -She kissed the book. "My words are too clumsy for her," she replied. "I -adore her." - -I was almost drank with joy to hear the woman whom I admired to the -point of idolatry speak of things dearest to my heart in a setting which -satisfied my exotic tastes. I told her so in a few simple words--as one -always should. - -I think she was touched, for she laid her hand on my shoulder and -murmured, I have forgotten in what language: - -"Thou art kind and I love thee well, my comrade." - -Turning to Melusine, she repeated the Russian phrase of the previous -evening: - -"No, indeed, it's no good my relying on for my admission to the -_Kirchhaus_." - -Then, resuming her old sprightly tone: - -"I believe I called you 'thou' just now, _ami_. You mustn't mind that. I -mix all my dialects occasionally, and in my country we use 'thou' to -practically every one, from our cattle up to the Czar himself." - -A long silence followed, broken only at rhythmic intervals by the weird -strains Melusine drew from her guzla. - -Incense was burning in a bowl. - -I began to turn over, without reading, the pages of a book which lay -open on a small table beside me. - -"Do you like that?" Aurora asked. - -"That" was the _Reisebilder_. - -I told her I was a great lover of Heine. - -"Now what I value most in a poet," she said, "is a certain quality of -soul. That is why I love Shelley and Lamartine, and dislike this Heine. -Oh, I know what you'll say, the Nordsee and the rest. No one knows my -debt to him better than I; but he's like Deutz, who sold your Duchesse -de Berry, and I always feel I want to offer him the tribute of my -admiration with a pair of tongs." - -She took the book from me and looked through it. - -I had no idea what time it was. Suddenly a whiff of air, with that sharp -nip in it that heralds the dawn, was wafted in through the open window -behind the curtains. The smoke of the incense trembled like a tottering -pillar. - -Buried in the _Reisebilder_, the Grand Duchess had forgotten my -presence. Melusine put a finger on her smiling lips and took me out -without her mistress noticing that we had gone. - -It was very cold outside. To the east the blue sky was undergoing a -magic change, slowly turning to violet, then green, then orange. I sat -down on a seat by the door beneath the Grand Duchess's window, indulging -in a kind of mournful ecstasy. For it was the very spot whither I had -come so many evenings solely in order to be near her. - -Then, languid and monotonous, but pure as the icy waters of a mountain -stream, came the sound of a voice. The Grand Duchess was singing to the -accompaniment of Melusine's guzla. She was the very incarnation of -harmony, and her voice was, indeed, the voice of my dreams. - -She was singing Ilse's romance, the best of the _Reisebilder_. And -because we had just been speaking of it together I seemed to be still -with her in her room: - - - ILSA - - The Princess Ilsa am I named, my home dark Ilsen's rock; - Oh come within my castle gate; there we shall happy be. - - My sunlit waves shall bring a balm to soothe thine aching - brow, - Thy deep-set griefs thou shalt forget, poor youth all sick with - care. - - I'll kiss thee and I'll hold thee fast, as once I held and kissed - The Emperor Henry, my heart's love; ah me! He is no more. - - The dead are dead; they only live who are alive today; - I still am fair and full of grace; my heart still smiles and - throbs. - - My heart still smiles and throbs.... Come see within my - crystal halls - My maids and knights together dance, my squires right glad - at play. - - There's rustling of their silken trains, the clink of golden - spurs, - My merry dwarfs their cymbals clash, their lutes and trumpets - sound, - - But thee my foam-white arms shall clasp, as once they clasped - the King, - When with my hands I stopped his ears against the clarion's - call. - - * * * * * * - -I was in the middle of an ancient history lesson with my pupil when the -Grand Duke came in. He beckoned to us to sit down and told me not to -stop. - -I had been speaking to Duke Joachim of Alexander's successors, from the -fighting of the Epigones in the streets of Babylon to the victory of -Cyropedeon, which established the dynasties of the Lagides and -Seleucides after the downfall of Lysimachus. I had been trying to bring -before the eyes of my young German prince the grand and tragic figures -of Eumenes, chief of the Argyraspides, Polysperschon, Antipates, -Antigone Gonates, and Demetrius Poliorcetes. He listened attentively, -taking notes with a docility which I should have preferred less -abject.... - -The Grand Duke had sat down, and was also listening. Hypnotized by his -grave, intellectual face, it was really to Frederick-Augustus, not the -dull-witted Joachim, that my words were addressed. He was my audience as -I closed with an attempt to show how the crumbling empires of the -Epigones were to facilitate the victory of centralizing Rome. - -As at this point I began to show signs of embarrassment, -Frederick-Augustus broke in, with a smile: - -"Don't let my presence embarrass you if you want to establish a parallel -between Rome and Prussia." - -It was obviously difficult for me to emphasize, in front of him, the -dependence of the princes of the German Confederation on the King of -Prussia. I did so, however, and he approved. - -"God grant that this dependence," he said, "like the dependence of the -powers allied to Rome, may mean the greatness of Germany and the peace -of the world." - -I ended by giving my pupil a list of the books bearing on my lesson, and -mentioned that indispensable work, Droysen's "History of Hellenism." - -"But excuse me, monsieur," said the Grand Duke, "is there no French work -which can be used instead of Droysen?" - -Even at the Sorbonne I had never felt so ashamed to say that there was -not. - -Eleven o'clock struck. - -"Joachim," said the Grand Duke, "you can go. Please stay, Monsieur -Vignerte." - -We were alone. - -"Monsieur," he said in his fine but grave, indeed rather melancholy -voice, "you have hitherto had reason to think me sparing of compliments -which you must have considered your due. I have always had the bad habit -of waiting a long time before expressing opinions. The right moment has -now arrived, monsieur. Yesterday, unknown to you, your pupil was -examined by a Professor of Kiel University with little predilection for -French methods. This professor has had to confess himself astonished at -the results you have obtained." - -He added, in a tone in which I detected a certain trace of bitterness: - -"I know that the harvester deserves all the more praise when he has -obtained his harvest from poor soil. Allow me to address my thanks to -you today, and express the wish that the hospitality of Lautenburg may -be sufficiently attractive to keep you here until you have completed a -task so well begun." - -"Your Highness's kindness overwhelms me, sir," I replied, deeply moved. - -"No," he broke in emphatically, "it is I who am your debtor. I have just -heard, Monsieur Vignerte, that you devote part of the little leisure -that the education of my son leaves you to a task which is perhaps even -more dear to me. This must, of course, be entirely between ourselves. I -know the difficulties you must have met with before winning the -confidence which I believe the Grand Duchess now extends to you. At -first I did not know you well enough to speak more openly of my desire -that you should be at her disposal, and try to interest her and save her -from the fits of depression and that kind of spiritual disorder which -are so fatal to her physical health. You understood, and have succeeded -better than I could have hoped. You will thus realize that I am indeed -in your debt." - -There was so much sorrowful dignity in his voice that I was utterly -overcome. - -"Sir," I murmured, "I promise you ..." - -He held out his hand. - -"I don't need promises, monsieur. I know you now, and am certain that -you will do everything you can to help the Grand Duchess. There is no -better way of justifying my confidence in you. The task will not be -always easy, I fear. A woman, especially when she has been stricken by -the death of a man she loves, does not preserve that balance of mind of -which we men are so proud. Do your best, monsieur." There was silence -for a moment; then he continued: "I should add another form of thanks if -it were not that any further mark of esteem is superfluous after the one -I have given you in speaking as I have done. You must, however, allow me -to offer you some recompense for the additional demands I am making upon -you. I have just given orders that your salary is to be raised to -fifteen thousand marks." - -He met my protests with an exclamation. - -"Nonsense!" he said, with his most charming smile. "Don't you play -bridge every night at five pfennigs a point?" - - * * * * * * - -I was rather late for lunch, and found Professor Cyrus Beck in the thick -of a dispute with Kessel. The latter obviously enjoyed teasing the old -savant, who had a poor sense of humour and was purple with indignation. - -My mind was far too full to pay any attention to what they were saying. -I had a vague idea that the professor was explaining that chemistry in -the next war would play a more important part than any other arm, and -that he, Cyrus Beck, was on the high road to a discovery which would -enable an ordinary laboratory and a few retorts to annihilate a whole -army corps. - -He was furious at Kessel's gibes. - -He ended by appealing to me as witness against the Major, asking me to -quote the passage in which Renan expresses a wish that the destiny of -mankind should be entrusted to a committee of savants armed with a -supply of explosives sufficiently strong to blow the earth to -smithereens if its inhabitants tried to disobey them. - -I admit I had not been listening very carefully. "Certainly," I said. -"Allow me, Herr Beck, to ask you something in return." - -"By all means." - -"Can you tell me what the _Kirchhaus_ is?" - -The old man rose. To my intense amazement he glared savagely at me and -went out, slamming the door, before I had time to recover from my -surprise. I looked at Kessel, but he, usually a model of self-possession -and good manners, was literally shaking with laughter. - -"What on earth's the matter?" I asked. - -"You've fairly put your foot in it," he managed to get out at last. -"Poor old chap; did you notice how furious he was? And to think that he -had hoped you'd back him up!" - -"But what's upset him?" I asked, and my astonishment was so genuine that -it was Kessel's turn to be surprised. - -"You mean to say you didn't do it on purpose?" - -"What?" - -"Didn't you ask him what the _Kirchhaus_ was on purpose?" - -"I asked him because I didn't know and wanted to," I said, rather -nettled. - -He looked at me and began to laugh even more hilariously than before. - -"Well, if that isn't the best thing I've ever heard! Don't you know what -the Lautenburg _Kirchhaus_ is, my friend?" - -"Well?" - -"Well, good God, it's the asylum!" - - * * * * * * - -The Grand Duchess loved sport in season and out of season. Every now and -then she would condescend to hunt foxes or deer by way of entertaining -the officers of the 7th Hussars. But her private and peculiar delight -was sport in solitude, preferably on a wet and windy day without grooms, -attendants or beaters. All she required was a dog and the off-chance. -Many an evening have I seen her in her little room making up her own -cartridges. The pretty little cylinders, blue, violet, green, yellow, or -red, white and blue, were spread out before her on a table, into which -the ramrod was screwed. Carefully packing the copper loaders, she gave -to each its dose of powder, wad, charge of shot and little piece of -white cardboard. When she had rammed all this home, she wrote the number -of the charge on each. Hagen was always present on those occasions, and -as it was part of his duties, it would have been very difficult to get -rid of him. Melusine von Graffenfried, indolent and a poor walker, -preferred to stay behind, lying on rugs and smoking her eternal -cigarettes. Count Marçais, on the other hand, always came with us. -These excursions gave him a chance of showing off his sensational -sporting clothes, on which Aurora never failed to compliment him. I must -admit he was excellent company, with his high spirits and charming -manner. We used to ride out of the castle about two o'clock in the -afternoon. The first stage was the _Herrenwald_. Squirrels swarmed in -the trees. Pheasants rose heavily from the ground as we passed. At the -bottom of some wooded ravine we could hear the fussy but invisible -flight of a woodcock. - -Marçais would have preferred to stay there. He liked woodland sport, -pheasant shooting in the open with some one beside him to load his gun -and point out the game: "A cock on the left, Herr Count," "A hen on your -right!" - -But this kind of thing was not to the liking of the Grand Duchess -Aurora, who detested everything official on such occasions and in any -case showed a marked preference for water-fowl. - -Soon the stunted trees grew rarer, great wastes of marsh appeared, under -a sheen of grey and pale green. The sun above was already a glowing -ball, low down on the horizon. - -Two servants were waiting for us at a little rustic hut. They took our -horses. Marçais had his dog, Dick, a big Auvergne pointer, hard of -mouth and apt to range rather far, though it came to heel well. The -Grand Duchess's ugly black and red spaniel seemed a kind of dog brother -to Taras-Bulba. - -In sheer joy Aurora dropped the reins and sprang from her horse. I can -still see her opening her "Hammerless" and slipping in the two mauve -cartridges. I can still hear the sharp click of the brass rim against -the steel of the barrel.... - -At fifteen, armed with an old fowling-piece, I had already tasted the -extraordinary delights of shooting over marsh. When, later, I was in the -army, firing at disappearing targets had seemed to me mere child's play -compared to the fine right and left at diverging snipe I managed to pull -off more than once in those early days. - -To the north of Dax there is an immense marsh bounded by the wretched -hamlets of Herm and Gourbera. You reach it through a gorge known as "La -Cible" because the Emperor's gamekeepers used to shoot there in bygone -days. - -Here was the same misty waste. How well I remember the soft squish of -the wet ground, as if the earth itself were dissolving, and the tall -yellow grasses, which are sharp as a knife and cut your hands if you're -foolish enough to touch them. - -I knew all the birds and beasts, all the varied life of those stretches -of mud, treacherous beds of green moss, reed-fringed ponds--the whole -great expanse that looks so flat and monotonous. - -Like the fair sportswoman of the Volga marshes, I knew all the birds -that haunt these wan regions: the black, or water-rail, which hops about -in leafless trees; the red-rail, or corn-crake, which runs at lightning -speed through the high grass, throws the best dogs off the scent, -reduces the sportsman to breathlessness and makes you think you are -after a hare, until it suddenly decides to take wing, from which moment -it becomes an easy prey, poor, silly thing. - -There were many species of duck, which sweep dizzily overhead in their -curious oblique and rigid flight; shovellers, pochards, sheldrake, with -their pretty red heads; shrill-voiced teal, which fly in couples and -have a trefoil of three black feathers on their ruddy breasts. - -There were lapwings, black and white, like magpies, which rise up -swiftly with their croaking cry and then swoop wildly to earth to dodge -your shot. - -There were plovers, handsomest of birds, in their golden spring raiment. - -And, last and best, there was snipe, queen of the marshes, and the -finest and hardest of shots; the jack snipe, smaller than a lark, which -has blue and green stripes; the common snipe, which is about the size of -a quail, and amazingly timid, and the great snipe, rarest of all, which -is as big as a partridge. - -With their plaintive, hoarse cry they fly in disconcerting zig-zags at -an incredible speed. You aim to the right and when the wind has blown -away the smoke you see the little grey bird vanishing in the dim -distance on the left. - -In the midst of these Hanoverian marshes, so like our marshes of the -Landes, Aurora of Lautenburg was even more beautiful than in all her -finery at the palace. Wearing a feather toque and huge but shapely -top-boots, she jumped as lightly as a bird over the sodden turf. The -yellow mist of that water-laden atmosphere seemed to cast a pale mauve -halo about her. Marçais shot calmly and well. Little Hagen was fussy -and always fired too soon. I was a much better shot than either of these -two, but what a poor figure I cut beside the Grand Duchess! - -Leaving us the rail and duck, she devoted her attention exclusively to -the snipe. Gradually night came down on the watery waste. The sky turned -to burnished copper in a last conflagration. The great pools were sheets -of green which grew darker and darker. A thin tongue of flame began to -leap from the barrel of our guns every time we fired, a tongue which -became redder as the darkness grew more intense. - -It was the Grand Duchess's hour. Her diabolical spaniel was everywhere -at once. We could hear the snipe start up before her and her repeated -cries of "Heel!" Neither Marçais, Hagen nor I could see them at all. -But Aurora saw them all right; each of her shots brought down a little -grey bird. - -We would wait for a second. Then out of the darkness came the sound of -rustling grass. The spaniel, dripping, black and shining, with his eyes -full of phosphorus, suddenly appeared, bearing the dead snipe to his -mistress. - -It was now quite dark. In the low sky an invisible procession of cranes -passed over our heads, with remote, raucous cries. The Grand Duchess -took the bird from her dog. We went up. I saw her run her fingers over -the poor little body, still warm. No wound could be seen, nothing to -reveal the presence of that tiny ball of lead, or the imperceptible -black hole whence that little life had fled. - -Then, with that inconsequence which is the hallmark of the sportsman, -Aurora raised the inert little head to her lips and kissed it. - - - - -VI - - -IT was on Saturday evening, May 16th, 1914, that the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg did me the honour of telling me the story of her life. Let me -repeat that story to you, not only because certain of its incidents are -absolutely indispensable to a proper understanding of the drama which is -fast approaching its climax, but above all because it gives me an -exquisite pleasure to open this jewel-case and handle the beautiful, -barbaric stones it contains, gems which will always light me through my -blackest hour. - -Hagen had had to go to a dinner, given by the 7th Hussars, and was not -there. It gave me no small pleasure to see that she was always more open -with me in his absence, however casually she treated that moody and -stubborn adorer. - -Reclining on the white bearskin thrown over her _chaise-longue_, she was -dressed that evening in a very loose, light tunic of yellow Turkish -silk, embroidered in mauve and silver. - -Every now and then she passed her fingers through a bowl of huge roses -standing on a low table close by, and we could hear the petals falling -softly on the blue carpet. - -Melusine, her hair shaken loose, was sitting on the carpet, resting her -drooping head on the bare feet of her mistress, which she clasped in her -arms from time to time. - -From the chair where I was sitting I could see the voluptuous curves of -the girl's smooth throat in the opening of her Valenciennes fichu. The -window was open behind the drawn curtains, and the night breeze, wafting -them apart from time to time, mingled the balmy scents of the -_Herrenwald_ with the heady odours of amber, roses and cigarettes. - -With her utter indifference to effect or style, Aurora spoke, mixing up -three languages and interchanging the French "you," the German third -person, and the Russian "thou." - - -"I expect you know," she began, "that I did not exactly go up in the -world when I married. Once a princess, I am now no more than -grand-duchess, and though I am allied to the Hohenzollerns my husband's -family is not nearly as old as my own. - -"I am a Tumene princess. I know, of course, that your western histories -say practically nothing about us. But if you went to Samarkand or -Kara-Koroum, or indeed no further than Tiflis, you would find in our -ancient Mongolian chronicles things that would amaze you as to the -antiquity of our origin, and you would realize that your Broglies and -Cumberlands are mere parvenus compared with us. - -"One Tumene prince was beheaded for his hostility to Yaroslav the Great, -and I will go back no further, least I weary you with jaw-breaking -names. Another, much later, gave Ivan the Terrible so much trouble that -that sovereign preferred to treat with him and sent him magnificent -presents, notably an enormous clock with the signs of the zodiac in -sapphires. This was not enough, however, to prevent that Tumene's son -from assisting the Khan of the Crimea with forty thousand horsemen when -he started out to besiege Moscow, in 1571, if I remember rightly. - -"You must not think that we were no better than savages because at first -we fought against the Czars. Boris Godounov was glad enough of our help -against the Tartars, Circassians and Cheremisses. I admit we always -preferred fighting against European enemies. It was Alexis Tumene, -son-in-law of Peter the Great, who led the great charge at Pultawa. As a -reward the Czar ordained that his reforming edicts should not run in -Tumene territories. We have at home a portrait in the style of your -Mignard representing Alexis in a feathered cap, a golden lambskin, -embroidered like a chasuble, and wearing his moustaches long, a fashion -which the Czar had forbidden every one else. - -"The first Tumene to shave was my great-grand-father, Vladimir. He it -was who was nearly shot by the orders of Barclay de Tolly. I don't -remember the reason. He was in command of the Astrakhan Cossack Corps -who bivouacked in the Champs-Elysées and apparently played the devil -there. My great-grandfather did a good deal of looting, but converted -his booty into cash which he soon lost at the Palais-Royal. You see he -banked on red, and black came up fourteen times running. - -"Vladimir's father was at first on excellent terms with Catherine II. -When she had had enough of him she made him marry a lady from Anhalt. -This was the first time my family had contracted an alliance in this -country. I hope I shall close the list. I don't say that to hurt your -feelings, Melusine, but really that particular German was stupid and -miserly. For instance, of the seven children she gave her husband not -one was in her own image. They were all little Cossacks. - -"My grandmother came from Erivan. I am told I'm like her, but she was -better-looking than I. She was madly in love with my grandfather, and -abjured her faith in order to marry him. But before this she adored -shooting, which is a long way the finest faith on earth. - -"Papa, who will come into my story again, is the second, member of the -family to marry a German, and once more a Hohenzollem. But you must hear -how it happened. Like his grandfather Vladimir, he was an inveterate -gambler. He took an oath to win back everything his grandfather had lost -in France. Indeed, he would have utterly ruined himself there, if you -ever could ruin yourself with lands as big as six of your departments, -Cossacks too numerous to count and flocks and herds which doubled every -year. - -"He always spent ten months of the year in Paris--he was a member of the -Jockey Club--Aix, Nice and every other place to which men of his type -resort. It was at Aix that he met my mother. The year was 1882. One -evening he was at the Villa des Fleurs with King George of Greece and -the Grand Duke Vassily. They had been drinking a good deal and should -not have been alone. Then Papa began to pour out scandal about women, -swearing that they were all alike and that he, a Tumene prince and -obliged to marry to perpetuate his name, had decided to marry any one -Fate threw in his way. - -"'All right,' said the Grand Duke, 'marry the first woman who comes in -here.' - -"'Certainly, provided, of course, that she's not married already,' added -my father, who was religious. - -"'I bet you won't.' - -"'How much?' - -"'A hundred thousand roubles.' - -"'Done.' - -"I believe King George of Greece had never had such an amusing time -before. Poor man, I was genuinely grieved when he was assassinated six -months ago. Just imagine, you two, what a scene it must have been, with -those three men waiting for the door to open on her who was to be a -Tumene princess, for they knew my father's obstinacy, and that he would -marry Queen Pomaré or Madame Dieulafoy rather than lose his bet. - -"The first-comer was my mother, the Duchess Eleanor of Hesse-Darmstadt, -then aged sixteen, and behind her was her English governess. I still -shiver at the thought that, if the Englishwoman had preceded her, Papa -would certainly have married her and I should have been much less -pretty. - -"As it happened Mamma was beauty itself, a blonde Melusine. Perhaps not -quite as lovely as you, dear Melusine. I never knew her well, as I was -only five when she died. She never managed to make herself at home in -our Tartary. I remember how she would shiver in the early autumn -evenings at the cry of the curlew in the Volga marshes. Papa was -terribly unfaithful to her. She could only weep, and I'm afraid that's -just the thing that annoys men most. - -"I still cannot understand how any one could fail to be happy in our -palace. Please don't think it was a barbarian lair. In 1850 we were -visited by a Frenchwoman, and you can read the book she wrote, 'Voyages -dans les Steppes de la Caspienne.' It was published in Paris. Her name -was Madame Hommaire de Hell, and her husband was an engineer employed on -some geodetical mission. You can verify all this in your books. She was -received by my grandfather and has given a very full description of the -palace. - -"This palace is built on an island in the Volga. My ancestors selected -the site on account of marauders. The marauders are no more, but the -place is as picturesque as ever. - -"My earliest memory is the noise of the hooter of the paddle-steamer -which plied between us and Astrakhan three times a week. It was an -agreeable sound because it meant visitors--the governor, the French -Minister, a pleasant individual like Marçais, who brought me dolls and, -later on, books. Like a true aristocrat, Papa was never happier than -when entertaining company. - -"The window of my room looked over the river. I used to watch the wild -duck, just like so many little mechanical toys, floating solemnly down -the brown waters--especially when my governess, Mlle. Jauffre, droned -out the rules about participles: when the complement precedes, it -agrees; when it follows.... I would get up quietly, take my long -fowling-piece and some 'Number four' and let fly, bang! bang! among the -ducks. The servants went out in boats to bring them in. Papa never -minded as long as I had killed at least half a dozen. Having told you -this, you mustn't be surprised if I make slips in my grammar. - -"For the piano I had an Italian professor. He was a republican. He was -always trying to explain to us, with a meaning smile, that he was a -natural son of Garibaldi. I can only remember his Christian name, -Teobaldo. One day, when I was fifteen, he was behind me turning over the -pages of some music I was reading, and kissed the back of my neck. I -must confess I had encouraged him a little, just to see what he'd do. I -burst out laughing. He took that for a responsive thrill and kissed me -again. I laughed as if I should never stop. Suddenly Papa came in. I -thought I was in for trouble, but the room was dark. He picked up his -ramrod, which he had left on the table, and went out. For small game -Papa always made his own cartridges, to get a proper spread. - -"Next day I was walking with Mlle. Jauffre in a very thick fir copse at -the western horn of the island. We almost ran into a long, flabby form, -hanging from a cedar. It was poor Teobaldo. Mlle. Jauffre screamed and -fled. I turned him round by the feet to have a good look. Then I fled -also, as fast as I could. His black, swollen tongue was hanging out over -his tie. His eyes were dead white and fat flies were already as busy on -him as on a rotten apple. Perhaps the most horrible thing was that he -had the same expression as when he was kissing me. Since then I have -always loathed men. - -"It was about this time that I became melancholy through reading the -'Demon' of Lermontoff, who is a much greater poet than your Vigny, or -even Byron. I was very pale and there were scarlet flushes on my cheeks. -A doctor came from Astrakhan. Between ourselves I managed to bribe him, -and he ordered me to take the waters of Piatigorsk. That was exactly -what I wanted, for you no doubt remember that it was at Piatigorsk that -Lermontoff was killed in a duel. - -"The 'waters' of Piatigorsk are a series of waterfalls where the stream -leaps over walls of black granite and glittering mica. That sounds very -impressive, but at the end of a week I was so thoroughly bored that my -cure was complete. - -"I don't believe I should ever have lasted out the fortnight Papa had -decreed if I hadn't made the discovery of an extremely picturesque old -Frenchman who gained his living at Piatigorsk by acting as guide to -foreigners on their expeditions in the mountains. He was a political -criminal. I rather think he had been a friend of Vaillant. Anyhow, he -had been exiled from France in Carnot's time, and, like every one else, -had taken refuge in Russia. - -"He was a learned old fellow, but he had some peculiar ideas. I took a -particular liking to him, mainly because Mlle. Jauffre used to throw up -her hands and wail: 'What _would_ His Highness say!' every time he spoke -to me of folk I'd never heard of before: Saint-Simon, Enfantin, Bazard, -Karl Marx, Lassalle and the Iron Law. Heaven knows what else! - -"I had never read any Tolstoy. The old man lent me 'Resurrection.' I -never knew such a world existed. I had Tolstoy's social creed expounded -to me, to tease Mlle. Jauffre. The old man was jubilant. 'Oh, -mademoiselle! If only you _would_, what a chance!' - -"The result was that when we left Piatigorsk I took old Barbessoul (for -that was his name) back with me. Papa was certainly somewhat astonished -to see the patriarch in our train, but, as I looked so well, said -nothing. To tell the truth, he was used to my caprices. - -"He did more. Quite close to the island in the Volga on which the palace -stood was another small island, perhaps a square half-verst in area. -Papa gave it to me, and with it fifty moujiks, men, women and children. -There, under the old man's direction, I set up a socialist community, -half Saint-Simon, half Tolstoy: no private property, division of the -instruments of labour according to needs and capacities, etc., etc. - -"At first all went well. I spent four hours a day in my socialist -paradise. Old Barbessoul was triumphant. His part in the organization -was something between priest and foreman. Papa thought I was mad. - -"You won't be surprised to hear I had soon had enough of it, if only -because things began to go wrong. Feeling safe under my protection, the -members of the community used to go out in boats at night to rob the -hen-roosts of the riverside farmers. Papa had very kindly consented to -relieve them of taxation and compulsory labour. It was perfectly -alarming the amount of kwass they drank. Old Barbessoul was the only one -who couldn't perceive how strongly they smelt of drink, even the women. -Why, after two months, one of them found himself the possessor of all -the agricultural implements. All the others had pawned them to get -kwass. Then, as they could not work, they loafed about all day and spent -the night robbing the neighbouring peasants. One night there was a -regular battle. Two moujiks were killed. Papa was wild with rage, called -me a silly fool, and wanted to hang old Barbessoul. On my entreaties he -refrained, but the community was broken up. - -"That was my last experiment with Socialism. It is certain that if it -had not been for Papa's Cossacks all those folk would have cut each -other's throats. - - * * * * * * - -"One day in February, 1909, when I was just on twenty, I was shooting -duck from a boat in a branch of the Volga when I saw on the bank Papa's -favourite Cossack signalling wildly with his cap on the end of his -sabre. - -"He was shouting as well, though I couldn't hear him. I gathered that -something must have happened at home, but I wanted to appear indifferent -in spite of my burning curiosity to know what all the fuss was about. I -only put in to the bank an hour later, when the poor man was almost dead -with waving his arms and shouting so much. He told me the Prince wanted -me in his study. I took as long as I could getting there, anticipating a -good lecture. - -"I got nothing of the kind. Papa seemed radiant about something. He -kissed me, then, showing me a large envelope with red seals on his -bureau, he told me what it was about. - -"It was a letter to Papa from the Czar. It informed him that in May the -Emperor William was to visit St. Petersburg and that there would be -great celebrations, ending up with a review at Tsarskoïe-Selo; that he -therefore wished the Astrakhan and Aral Cossacks to be represented, and -begged the Tumene Prince to bring a brigade with him. 'The Czarina,' he -added, 'will be glad to make her little niece's acquaintance on this -occasion.' I had forgotten to tell you that I was her niece, owing to -Papa's marriage with a Grand-Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt. - -"I can assure you that I had never found the days long in our Volga -palace, yet, as I listened to my father, I must confess to a feeling of -joyous excitement, and from that moment I had only one idea--to astonish -the Czar, the Czarina, the German Emperor and, indeed, the whole world. -I spent days on end looking into my glass, and admit that I was not -altogether displeased with what I saw there. - -"Hitherto I had had my clothes made at Astrakhan by Menjuzan Sœurs, -excellent French dressmakers who visited Paris once a year for their -models and did good business with fashionable Circassian society. Papa -gave me unlimited credit and two days later I left with Mlle. Jauffre. -But I must tell you I had a scheme of my own. - -"I came back from Astrakhan and told him I could find nothing at all. I -wept all over him and vowed I would never appear at Court dressed like -a savage. You can imagine that I had no intention of missing such a -splendid opportunity of seeing Paris. Papa took a good deal of -persuading, but I soon realized he wouldn't be sorry to see his old -friends there again. - -"We left early in March. My one fear when we arrived in Paris, of which -my head was full, was to betray any sort of astonishment, and that is no -doubt why my manner was somewhat affected. - -"Papa lost no time in finding out that he had a whole mass of visits and -engagements. He only put in an appearance at the 'Ritz' for meals and -not always for them. - -"He wanted me to go to Redfern, but I chose Doucet, out of perversity. I -have never seen anything more absurd than Mlle. Jauffre, in her -pince-nez and black satin gown, smothered in jet, standing among the -lovely girls who bowed to me and walked up and down to help me to -choose. - -"I was asked: 'What does your Highness require?' - -"'Everything,' I replied coldly. - -"In a twinkling I had ordered six evening gowns, twelve tailor-mades, -two riding-habits, and everything else on the same scale. - -"Nothing was _décolleté_ enough for my taste. Mlle. Jauffre was green -in the face. The head saleswoman took it upon herself to tell me it was -rather risqué for a young lady. I told her to get on with the fitting. -Besides, Papa appeared on one occasion and approved my choice. He gave -me a proud look that made me altogether happy, for I knew what a good -judge he was. - -"That evening he must have had a twinge of conscience at leaving me so -much to myself, for he told me we were to dine together and instructed -Mlle. Jauffre to bring me to Laurent's in the Avenue Gabriel at eight -o'clock to the minute. I need hardly say that at eight o'clock no one -was there. I sat down on a form and waited. To while away the time I -drew out the little inlaid dagger I carried in my belt and cut my -initials on the bench. I expect they're still there. - -"At ten minutes past eight, seeing an old gentleman hovering round us -and feeling the need of a little dissipation, I told Mlle. Jauffre to go -out to the tobacco kiosk in the Avenue Matignon and buy me a box of -_Mercédès_. She demurred at first, but ultimately went. The old man -then came up to me. He had check trousers and a grey felt hat. He began -a very entertaining conversation and mentioned a little flat in the Rue -d'Offémont and a lift hung with tapestry curtains. I turned my head to -hide my uncontrollable laughter and was all the more astonished to hear -a resounding smack. When I turned round I saw Papa. The old gentleman -beat a dignified retreat, murmuring something about having a little -joke. In the moonlight I noticed that his grey hat had been badly -battered. - -"Mlle. Jauffre came back with the _Mercédès_. Papa told her frigidly -to return to the 'Ritz' for dinner, and go to bed. - -"Laurent's is a place where you dine outside at little lamp-lit tables -under the beautiful trees. The place was crowded. Papa was far more at -home there than in our Volga palace. He introduced me to lots of -celebrities: Bunau-Varilla, Charles Derennes, Monsieur de Bonnefon, -Princess Lucien Murat, Maurice Rostand. I took a great fancy to Rostand, -with his choir-boy's face and manner. We still write to each other, and -he's coming to see me at Lautenburg. - -"At eleven o'clock Papa took me back to the 'Ritz' and told me he had to -call at the Embassy in the Rue de Grenelle. You don't suppose I felt -like going to bed! Mlle. Jauffre was snoring like a Nüremberg top, and -I thought I should never wake her. You should have seen her look of -amazement when I told her that she must get up as Papa had arranged to -meet us at midnight. - -"We took a taxi in the Rue de la Paix. _Grelot_ I told the driver. I had -heard the name at Laurent's. - -"_Le Grelot_ is in the Place Blanche. I don't suppose, dear friend, that -a serious student like you has ever been there. When we went in I was a -little jealous of the chorus of approval that greeted Mlle. Jauffre's -spangled gown. A little roué, hopelessly drunk, called out that it was -Madame Fallières. Then the whole assembly rose as one man and sang the -chorus of a well-known song: - - - 'La tante Julie, - La tante Octavie, - La tante Sophie, - Le cousin Léon, - L'oncle Théodule, - L'oncle Thrasybule, - Les cousins Tibulle, - Et Timoleon.' - - -"I laughed as if I should never stop, and my high spirits infected -everybody--they had looked bored to extinction when we first entered. - -"We drank champagne--unlimited champagne. Then we danced. I just showed -those Frenchmen what a Russian princess could do. The only man who could -waltz properly with me was a member of the Hungarian band. We received a -tremendous ovation. - -"A negro in the orchestra invited Mlle. Jauffre to dance. You may find -it hard to believe, but she accepted. After all that champagne she was a -different woman. Two dancing girls came and sat by me. One of them, -Zita, a dark girl, wore a dress of blue and silver; the other, 'The -Shrimp,' was all in pink and called me 'Princess,' not knowing that I -was one. They ate my food and drank my champagne. I was in the seventh -heaven and murmured, rather excitedly: 'Paris is lovely, lovely!' - -"I suddenly noticed that many of these poor girls had darns in the heels -of their silk stockings just above their patent shoes, so I called out -and threw a handful of louis into the air. They scrambled for them and -found them all with the exception of five or six, on which some of the -most elegant of the gentlemen had neatly put their feet. - -"I think I should have stayed there all night if I had not suddenly -heard loud shouts in the next room. - -"'Lili, Lili, here's Lili! Vive Lili!' - -"I looked up and saw Papa coming in. It was he whom they called 'Lili,' -obviously derived from his Christian name, Vassily. - -"He, too, was in the highest spirits. On each arm was a girl, handsome -enough to make me feel thoroughly jealous. - -"He was far too busy to see me. I lost no time in making preparations to -go, but it proved a terrible business getting Mlle. Jauffre away. She -was exceedingly loth to leave her negro. In the taxi she sang at the top -of her voice: - - - 'Caroline, Caroline, - Put on your shiny black shoes.' - - -"Then, without warning, she leaned out of the window and began to weep -vigorously, complaining that I had not shown her sufficient respect. - -"Papa had a bill from Doucet for thirty-eight thousand six hundred -francs. He did not demur, and I gathered that his daughter's -requirements had as a matter of fact been less formidable than those of -other ladies--a thought which disgusted me not a little. - - * * * * * * - -"When we got back to Russia, we found another letter from the Czar, -telling Papa that the Kaiser's arrival at St. Petersburg was fixed for -May 15th, so that we ought to make our arrangements at once. - -"I could give you no idea of the gorgeous way in which he fitted out his -brigade. The Astrakhan Cossacks wear the Armenian high black cap, -something like a sugar-loaf, red coats edged with fur, and yellow -bandoliers. The Aral Cossacks have sky-blue coats, white bandoliers, and -wear the round Kalmuck busby, two feet in diameter, from which they -derive their nickname of 'Bigheads.' They carry the curved sabre, on -which the Aral Cossacks, who are Mohammedans, engrave verses of the -Khoran, a whip with lead balls, and a long lance. - -"Papa had all the woollen facings replaced by others of gold and silver. -He reviewed his squadrons one day towards the end of April when the -early crocus was peeping shyly forth. There was only a pale yellow sun, -but it was quite enough to make those superb warriors look so -magnificent that we could easily imagine what they would be like in the -brilliant May sunshine at Tzarskoïe-Selo. - -"There was nearly a catastrophe the day they left for Petersburg. You -must remember that these simple folk, who fear neither man nor -whirlwind, spirits of marsh nor spirits of flood, stand in mortal terror -of railways. Their horses share that emotion. Half of them had been -bundled in when they suddenly caught sight of the squat little engine, -puffing and blowing, in the middle of the steppe. Not one of them would -have moved if the priest had not turned up and blessed this strange -animal. - -"We got them off at last in twelve trains, which took twelve days to -cross Great Russia. We ourselves were travelling by the express, so we -only had to leave the palace a week later. The Czar had a special -Pullman car put at our disposal. We invited the two colonels and the six -majors to join us. The priest was with Mlle. Jauffre and Kunin, Papa's -favourite Cossack. I had put them in charge of my wardrobe. - -"Petersburg is a splendid city, with barracks, churches and fine -gardens. You can see that the man who laid it out had a definite scheme -in mind. We were housed royally at the Winter Palace and had a private -audience of the Czar the night we arrived. 'Hello! so this is the little -niece,' he said, and I could see he thought me pretty. The Czarina -kissed me and called the Grand Duchesses, my cousins, in order to -introduce us. I gave Olga and Tatiana each a necklace of Caucasian -rubies, which seemed to have a diamond tear inside, and for the little -girls there were necklaces of pink pearls. Papa had brought the -Czarevitch an aigrette buckle, made out of one huge diamond, for his -kolbach, and a little Cossack sword with the hilt set in sapphires and -brilliants. - -"Two days later all the bells of the capital announced the arrival of -the Kaiser. The Czar, the Czarevitch and the Grand Dukes went to -Kronstadt to meet him. - -"Since then I have seen so many royal entries into various cities that -the memory of this particular occasion has gradually faded entirely from -my mind. But that doesn't matter. It was a magnificent spectacle. - -"I witnessed the arrival at the palace from my balcony. The White -Cuirassiers, with the Grand Dukes, rode up to the gates. The honours -were rendered by the Preobrajensky guards. All this time Papa's Cossacks -were installed in two barracks and forbidden to leave them. This annoyed -me at first until I learned, as I soon did, that it was because they -were the finest in all the Russias and the Czar was reserving them -jealously for the grand finale. - -"Under the soft, fleecy sky of Bothnia the breastplates and sabres -sparkled with blue and gold. - -"The Kaiser was with the Czar, the Czarevitch and the Crown Prince in -the first carriage. He was wearing the uniform of a colonel of the -Russian Cuirassiers, with the golden eagle on his silver helmet. He -saluted frequently and wore a happy smile. Frederick William was wearing -the uniform of the Black Hussars. - -"The Empress and the Czarina came next, with a host of German princes -and generals. - -"The introductions seemed as if they would never come to an end. I had -my little success. 'So this is the little niece,' said the Kaiser, -taking my hand and leading me to the Empress. The motherly old hen -kissed me from beneath her lace and ostrich plumes, and told me how much -she loved my poor Mamma. I was still the 'little niece' to them all. -Meanwhile Frederick William and Adalbert did stare, I can tell you! -Adalbert is a fine young man, but he looks pig-headed and sly. I prefer -the Crown Prince, who looks full of mischief. I can tell you Germany -won't be dull when he succeeds his father. - -"I spent the whole afternoon getting ready for the banquet in the -evening. I was so afraid I shouldn't make an impression that I got quite -irritable and would have quarrelled with Mlle. Jauffre for two pins. It -was almost as if I had a presentiment of all the evils that were to come -upon me as a result of that cursed evening. - -"You can have no idea what a gorgeous affair a fête at the Peterhof is. -The Kaiser had donned another uniform, even more striking than the -first. But you should have seen his face when he saw Papa's! - -"His uniform was not to be compared to that of the Tumene Prince. The -Empress's diamonds looked like the tawdry gewgaws of a suburban housewife -by the side of the brilliants on the chain which secured his scarlet -cloak at the left shoulder. - -"When I went in I saw the Czar repress his astonishment. For one moment -I thought I must be too _décolleté_. Then this fear vanished as I -realized the impression I was making. You must remember I had secured -Doucet's admitted _chef d'œuvre_, a gown of sapphire velvet, made very -simply, but closely moulded to the form, and my jewellery consisted of -nothing but sapphires. Child as I was, I was already anticipating my -next day's success. 'But what will they say,' I said to myself, 'when -they see my Number 2, the red gown with nothing but rubies!' - -"We danced. I was amused to see the Germans, accustomed to their slow -waltz, miss the beat of our rapid Russian waltz and put in a couple of -hops--or stand like herons--to catch up again. - -"I danced with the Crown Prince. He complimented me on my dress and said -that the German Emperor was not an absolute monarch, as he'd never been -able to make his Court ladies do with less than six colours in their -gowns. I wanted to irritate him, so I replied that it was not -surprising, and that mine came from Paris. But he said I was right and -there was no place like Paris. With those priceless grimaces which are -quite his own he told me a whole heap of _risqué_ stories about Paris, -and as he took me back to my place I heard the old hen murmur in his -ear: 'Now, Fritz, behave!' - -"At the same moment she beckoned to me to go and sit beside her. - -"That morning I had noticed among the officers of the Kaiser's entourage -a tall Hussar in a scarlet uniform with yellow facings. He had sandy -hair and fine eyes, his blue, insistent eyes of a short-sighted man. He -had had his eyeglass fixed on me the whole time, but of course I was -careful to pretend I noticed nothing. I should have been astounded then -if any one had told me that one day I should be wearing that scarlet -uniform myself. - -"'Aurora,' the Empress said, 'this is my cousin Rudolph, Grand Duke of -Lautenburg-Detmold. He wants a dance with you.' - -"The red Hussar danced atrociously, though he made the most superhuman -efforts. He thought he ought to apologize, but I gave him no reply and -not even a word of thanks when the dance ended. He resumed his place -behind the Empress and wiped his eyeglass from time to time, looking -miserable enough to melt a stone. - -"The next day I was delighted to hear that there was to be some -fox-hunting two days later. How thankful I was to have brought -Taras-Bulba, my wicked little Barbary horse, with me! I went to see him -at the barracks where our Cossacks were. He had behaved so outrageously -that he had been shut up by himself in a stable--the door of which he'd -nearly smashed to pieces on his way in. - -"When he saw me he whinnied rapturously and soon bolted the sugar I had -brought him. - -"'You've just got to show what you can do,' I said, running my hand -through his long, thick mane. 'We'll leave them all behind, won't we?' - -"He nodded amiably to show he'd understood, and I went out to try on my -riding-habit. - -"When I reached my room I found Papa there, looking calm but radiant. I -always loathe surprises. They are sure to be unpleasant. - -"I saw that Papa didn't know how to begin, and that in itself made me -suspicious. - -"'You must hurry,' I said. 'I have to dress.' - -"'My daughter,' he said, 'I have something important to say to you.' - -"'That is no reason why you shouldn't hurry up.' - -"'My daughter, how would you like to be a Queen?' - -"'Queen of what?' - -"'Würtemberg.' - -"We may have been brought up among savages, but I know my _Gotha_. So I -asked Papa if he wanted me to marry the King of Würtemberg, who was -then sixty-two. - -"'It is not His Majesty the King of Würtemberg who has done me the -honour to ask your hand. It is His Highness the Grand Duke of -Lautenburg-Detmold.' - -"Papa is a prince himself, and to hear him mouthing 'Majesties' and -'Highnesses' drove me crazy. - -"'What!' I cried. 'The boiled lobster? Never!' - -"'Let's be serious,' said my father. - -"'_Never_,' I repeated, stamping my foot. 'Besides, I don't see the -connection between this short-sighted red-beard and the crown of -Würtemberg.' - -"'It's this,' said my father magisterially. 'King Albert of Würtemberg -has no children. He is sixty-two, as you correctly observed, and a -martyr to diabetes. The Grand Duke of Lautenburg is his heir.' - -"'I don't care,' I replied. 'I'd rather marry Kunin, and, besides, I -don't want to marry at all.' - -"Papa began to lose his temper. He came out with the whole story. -Rudolph of Lautenburg was madly in love with me. He had spoken to the -Empress, his godmother, who had spoken to the Kaiser, who had spoken to -the Czar, who had just spoken to _him_. Hints of this kind, flattering -though they are, are virtually orders, and... - -"'You consented, without waiting to ask me?' I broke in. - -"'Not exactly,' he replied in some confusion, 'but, after all, what -could I do but thank him and consent ...' - -"'Consent to what!' - -"'Consent to--oh, something which commits you to nothing. I agreed that -the Grand Duke should be your companion at the meet the day after -tomorrow.' - -"'If that's all,' I said, 'you can rely on me to make this German sorry -he ever came to Russia for an heiress.' - -"'Promise me to be nice,' begged my father in alarm. 'You make me regret -I have given you so much liberty. Remember it's a question of a royal -crown. Neither more nor less.' - -"A crown! To see his daughter a queen! That was all the old Kalmuck -thought about. - -"That evening as I was entering the car to go to the gala performance I -was made to realize that Papa had committed me much further than he had -dared admit. - -"'Here's our little fiancée,' said the Kaiser, taking my hand. - -"The Empress, more the brood hen than ever, kissed me on the forehead. -It appears that this is a family mania. - -"And so it went on up to the Czar, who remarked to the Kaiser, with one -of his sad smiles: - -"'So you're not satisfied with flooding me with your subjects, but must -needs come to take away mine!' - -"I put on my frankest smile, but cast many a sidelong glance at my red -Hussar, who didn't know what to do. I said to myself: - -"'You wait a bit, my fine fellow! You'll be paid out for this the day -after tomorrow!' - - * * * * * * - -"The day came. My only fear was that the country we hunted would be too -flat, too easy. I was quickly reassured. It is true that there were a -good many paths in the woods, quite suitable for ladies, but there were -also patches of thick scrub, several streams, and here and there some -tricky ditches. - -"Before we started I gave Taras-Bulba half a pound of sugar soaked in -whisky, and he was very lively though full of dignity. - -"I won't pretend that there was not a chorus of exclamation when he -appeared. The Crown Prince asked me why I didn't have him clipped. - -"'Don't listen to them, old friend,' I murmured in my little steed's -ear. He understood and knowingly tossed his head. - -"The Grand Duke Rudolph rode up beside me. I made myself so agreeable -that the poor man evidently felt encouraged and said in a low voice: - -"'Then you don't regret having me for your companion, mademoiselle?' - -"'How could you think so, sir?' I answered. 'This Court half suffocates -me. We never have a moment to ourselves. There's room to breathe out -here. We can talk.' - -"'So you love Nature!' he murmured, radiant. 'How happy I am!' - -"I was happy, too. I was certain that he wouldn't leave me for a second. - -"The first fox was started. Nothing remarkable happened except, perhaps, -when Taras-Bulba, fired by the sound of the horn, performed a polka and -came down with his forelegs on the back of Adalbert's mare, almost -unseating her rider. After that they all kept away from my little horse -as if he'd been the plague. - -"The Grand Duke of Lautenburg was riding one of those horses so beloved -of the Germans, a great dark bay with hocks as big as a ham, and a back -like a billiard-table. Moreover, it didn't take me long to notice that -the ugly brute had a hard mouth and galloped with his head between his -legs. - -"My poor friend, I thought, you'll have some fun soon when you come to -the ditches. - -"A second and a third fox were killed easily enough. Suddenly a fourth -started up between me and the Grand Duke. I caught sight of him, a long, -lean animal with hardly any tail. I knew at once he was what I was -after. - -"'Ours!' I cried to Rudolph. - -"He spurred his great brute into a gallop. - -"The fox was a hundred yards ahead. Good little beast! He made straight -for the thickest cover. - -"Every now and then the Grand Duke turned round: - -"'I'm not going too fast, am I? Can you keep up?' he asked, panting. - -"'Go on! Go on!' I replied. - -"And Taras-Bulba snorted as if to echo: - -"'Go on! Go on!' - -"Soon we were in the depths of the woods. Then I just touched my little -nag's neck and gave him his head. In a moment the Grand Duke was left -behind. - -"I caught a glimpse of him, all red and breathless.... He was now a -quarter of a verst behind me. - -"I told Taras-Bulba to slow down and he did so. - -"'You did give me a fright,' said the poor man as he came up. 'I thought -your horse had bolted.' - -"'Look out!' I cried. - -"There was a stream at our feet. He got over it by the skin of his -teeth. The fox, with three hounds at his heels, was running ahead in a -flat meadow that sloped away from us. - -"Then came more woods. I held my head down and thus escaped the -scratches of the branches which were pushed aside for a moment by -Taras-Bulba's head, only to close up immediately behind him. But my poor -companion's face was already covered with blood. A twig carried away his -eyeglass. I felt he was done. His big horse was blowing like a -steam-engine. - -"'Keep going,' I cried, 'the fox is tiring!' and I gave Taras-Bulba a -touch of the spur. - -"The little animal doesn't like liberties. He gave a tremendous bound. -His rival followed painfully behind amidst a terrible noise of broken -branches. - -"'You're beginning to tire,' I said to myself. 'You'll come down next -time.' - -"'Next time' appeared in the form of a ditch fifteen feet wide and as -many deep, with a half-concealed and extremely tricky edge. For a second -even I asked myself whether Taras-Bulba, with the pace he had just been -keeping, would manage to get over. But lo and behold! He picked himself -up, the gallant little beast, and flew over like a swallow. - -"Then I turned round, knowing full well what would happen. - -"It _did_ happen. Horse and rider came down in one terrific crash. The -beast missed the edge with its hind legs and unceremoniously hurled its -master to the ground. - -"I jumped down and went up to the Grand Duke, feeling vaguely that I had -gone a bit too far. - -"'You haven't hurt yourself, I hope?' - -"'I don't think so,' he murmured faintly. 'I was so frightened to see -you go over this vile ditch.' - -"Poor man! I wanted to beg his pardon. - -"'Can I help you up?' I said, in some embarrassment. - -"'I should be glad if you would.' - -"But I tried in vain to get him on to his feet. It was then that I -noticed how pale he was. - -"'You've broken your right leg,' I cried. - -"'Oh, I don't think so,' he said, in his gentle, disarming way. 'Nothing -worse than a sprain.' - -"'I tell you you've broken your leg; I know what I'm saying.' - -"I pulled out my hunting-knife and slit up his boot. The leg appeared, -all swollen. - -"'We're in a nice fix,' I thought, 'at least six versts from the field.' - -"Rudolph was silent, but looked at me out of his fine, gentle eyes. -You'd have thought he was happy. - -"'Thank you,' he just murmured. - -"'What for?' I burst out. 'I have broken your leg and you thank me! You -might at least wait until I've got you out of this mess.' - -"He looked very contrite and ventured: - -"'You'd better go back and send up some help.' - -"'What!' I exclaimed in scorn. 'Go back without the fox, and, when I'm -asked where the Grand Duke Rudolph is, tell them that I left him at the -bottom of a ditch with his leg in little pieces! No, thank you, sir!' - -"'As you please,' he replied faintly. 'But I don't know what you can -do.' - -"'You shall see.' - -"His big horse was standing by, browsing placidly under Taras-Bulba's -wicked little eye. - -"'Come here, you brute!' - -"When I got hold of him I realized I should never have the strength to -get the Grand Duke into the saddle. - -"'What's the good of horses like haystacks?' I cried in exasperation. - -"The injured man looked at me, still wearing that perpetual air of -apology which at last got on my nerves. - -"'Taras-Bulba!' I called. - -"The little beast came, though with a bad grace. He suspected what was -going to happen. - -"Rudolph of Lautenburg could not restrain a movement of apprehension. - -"'You're not going to put me on that animal, are you?' he muttered. 'I'd -rather stay here.' - -"'Never,' I said, stamping. 'Taras-Bulba is as quiet as a lamb. Now just -do what I tell you.' - -"That German was a tremendous weight, but I managed to get him up and -tie him firmly in the saddle with the reins. - -"Then I mounted his great beast. - -"You can imagine how I cursed myself for my folly as we went back. The -man I wanted to hate had won my sympathy--and I'd done it myself! It -only wanted Taras-Bulba's look of amazement to complete my discomfiture: - -"'What on earth have I done?' he seemed to say, 'for you to give me a -German to carry, while you desert me for that ugly, hairless, brown -brute with hoofs the size of frying-pans?' - - * * * * * * - -"You mustn't break a man's leg if you don't want to marry him. I need -hardly tell you the sequel. Creatures like myself are bound by their -actions only, and my wildness had committed me to something which the -will of all the Kaisers in the world could not have brought about. - -"There was a most sensational scene when I returned on the bay, followed -by Taras-Bulba with his Grand Duke tied on to him. The hunt was stopped. -They all came crowding round us. I had to tell the whole story and made -a point of being as brief as possible, as one does with things of which -one isn't too proud. But the injured man filled in the details. His -fever made him eloquent and transformed me into a heroine. I had to put -up with the congratulations of the whole Court. - -"The Kaiser, who magnifies and distorts everything, cried out: - -"'What a splendid girl she is--to save her fiancé's life the very first -day!' - -"The Empress kissed me. It's a family mania. My father was radiant. - -"'My compliments to Your Majesty,' he whispered in my ear. - -"I was angry, though amused, and vented my rage on Taras-Bulba, who had -more whip as we went back to the palace than he's ever had since. - -"I have one good quality. I like to know exactly where I stand. I -realized that, largely by my own fault, I had put myself in a position -from which there was no escape without one of those scandals which any -princess, worthy of the name, hates more than the certainty of her own -unhappiness. So I decided to acquaint my 'fiancé,' as the Court already -styled him, with my conditions that very evening. - -"I asked him to receive me, and he complied at once, after sending out -the attendant who was arranging the cage over his leg. - -"When we were alone, this is more or less what I said: - -"'My action in coming here will possibly astonish you, sir. But I am, -and always shall be, in the habit of doing what I think advisable -without undue concern for mere decorum. Now I think it is of the highest -importance than you should know _this_: - -"'I came to Petersburg to be with my father, to witness some splendid -celebrations and enjoy myself generally--not to find a husband. As -regards husbands, you will do me the honour to believe that I have -refused as many as there are provinces in Russia. The last was a Persian -prince, who possesses a mountain in which emeralds are as plentiful as -truffles in Périgord--and even larger. - -"'Well, I came here, and I don't know what has come over everybody, but, -apparently, I must be married. I don't put it that way to offend you. -After all, sir, we hadn't set eyes on each other until three days ago. - -"'However that may be, I'm practically bound to marry you. The -circumstances are too strong for mere individuals like you and me. In -our history there are four emperors and empresses, several crowns, and, -no doubt, enormous fortunes. I am sure that Papa would fall ill if I -didn't become a queen, now that he's seen there's a chance. But, above -all, I have broken your leg.' - -"He made an impatient movement: 'Don't speak of that.' - -"'I _must_ speak of it. I tell you frankly that it is this accident, for -which I am responsible, that has constrained me to accept something -which I would not allow even to be mentioned only yesterday. It is this -mishap which enables me to think that my marriage will not be absolutely -a political affair--a thought which is very pleasing to a girl like me.' - -"'I'd rather have the other leg broken, and both arms, too,' he said in -his gentle, melancholy way, 'than hear you use that terrible expression, -"political affair."' - -"'I'm sure you would,' I replied, unmoved. 'I agree to be your wife. But -you will not misunderstand me if I make one or two trifling -stipulations.' - -"'Tell me, tell me,' he said with some emphasis. 'You know that -everything you may ask is granted beforehand.' - -"'Oh! Oh!' I laughed. 'You may find in a minute that you've been just a -little hasty. Well, dear friend' (I laid some stress on that word), -'from my childhood I have always enjoyed the most perfect liberty, and I -don't intend to be deprived of it when I marry. It must be clearly -understood that nothing is to be changed, nothing, you understand.' - -"'How could you think it of me!' - -"'Don't let us have any misunderstanding as to the meaning of words,' I -said. 'Please realize that it is not a child, nor yet a woman, who is -speaking, and understand that my stipulation, the expression of an -unshakable resolve, is that our union is to be a relation of friendship, -excluding everything else.' - -"I don't know if I should ever have dared to continue my shocking little -speech if his masculine stupidity had not shown me how. - -"'You're in love with some one else!' he said in a hoarse voice. - -"'You forget yourself, and please don't be foolish,' I replied gently. -'I will condescend to tell you that I love no one, unless, perhaps--for -the word "love" is a jack-of all-trades--my native land, hunting, -flowers, to be left alone and two or three other things, which really -should not arouse a jealousy only to be regretted in a man of -intelligence. Are you satisfied?' - -"He smiled wanly. - -"'This,' I went on, 'is our little private compact. The chanceries will -no doubt attend to the public formalities--and everything else. I attach -no importance to them. Nor do you, I hope. I need not say that you will -always find in me a consort worthy of yourself, equal to any situation -that may arise, and capable, if God so wills it, of bearing worthily -that famous crown of Würtemberg. Here's my hand on it.' - -"He took it and kissed it fervently. A great joy had banished the -trouble in his eyes. I had never expected him to accept his fate so -quietly. Then I suddenly grasped his reasoning: 'I shall be so good, so -tender and thoughtful to her that she must be won over in the end, -though I cannot now tell how far off that end may be.' - -"There was so much unaffected pathos in the poor man's delusions that I -couldn't help being rather touched. We parted the best friends in the -world. - -"As I went back to my room I heard a terrible uproar in the Great Court. -It was Taras-Bulba, who had got bored with his stall, kicked open the -stable-door, knocked down an ostler and two sentries, and was neighing -fiercely to me from below. It was a much more difficult matter to get -him quiet than to deal with the Grand Duke Rudolph. - - * * * * * * - -"After I became the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg-Detmold in the autumn of -1909, my first concern was to set about the improvements required to -make this place reasonably comfortable. The gardens had been allowed to -run riot, and as for the palace, it was crammed with horrors that even a -negro chief would not have tolerated. - -"I soon revolutionized all that. Melusine, who came in the summer of -1910, would tell you that I spent my time then very much as I do now, -except that when I felt particularly low-spirited I used to escape to -Russia to relieve my feelings. - -"The person who did change was the Grand Duke Rudolph. Not that he ever -ceased to treat me with the most unwearying attention, poor man! But -after a year, when he had quite realized that his innocent little scheme -was not working, and never would work, and that I should never be -anything more to him than I had said, he became melancholy and spent -most of his time indoors, Henceforth he was known at Lautenburg as -'Rudolph the Silent.' - -"Worse than that, he was out of favour with the Kaiser. William II. -likes to think himself a kind of Louis XIV. He does not like German -princes who don't haunt Berlin and accuses them of separatism. Now -Rudolph has ceased to go to Court altogether. - -"He disliked seeing anybody, even at Lautenburg. The 7th Hussars had to -get on as best they could without their colonel. He spent half his day, -and nights in the library, studying works on mineralogy, his favourite -science. It was, in fact, occupying his whole time when Baron von Boose -came upon the scene. - -"Melusine knew this Boose, the mention of whose name made you start. -There never was a worse bridge-player--was there, Melusine? He only knew -ordinary bridge. I had asked the Grand Duke to lend him to us to make a -fourth, but he was so stupid and disagreeable that I was soon only too -glad to send him back to his beloved books. - -"He was very learned. That much at least must be said for him. For at -thirty-two, though only a lieutenant in the Engineers, he was professor -of topography at the _Kriegs Academie_. His book the 'Geotectonics of -the Hanoverian Plain,' is a standard European work. At Berlin one day he -assaulted a major who had asserted that there were rocks of quaternary -origin in the Harz. Rudolph admired his work and went before the -court-martial to give evidence on his behalf. Thanks largely to his -intervention, Boose got off with sixty days' solitary confinement in a -fortress. When his time was up my husband secured his appointment to the -3rd Battalion of Engineers at Lautenburg. - -"In the spring of 1911 I went to Russia, to spend Easter with Papa. It -was while I was there that I received a letter, which I ought to have -shown you, from the Grand Duke. He told me that the Kaiser had summoned -him to Berlin, and asked him whether he was prepared to use his -scientific knowledge in the service of the Empire. Exploration had just -proved the existence of immense mineral wealth in the Cameroons. It was -necessary to confirm this discovery, and also ascertain as discreetly as -possible the mineral resources of the neighbouring territories, so that -the question of Germany's interest in annexing them might be considered. -I'm sorry to say, my friend, that the territories in question form that -part of the Congo which France ceded to Germany by the treaty of 1912. - -"So Rudolph was going off to Africa with Boose. With a sorry pretence of -indifference he made his excuses for leaving Europe without waiting for -my return, pleading the urgency of the imperial orders. He added that if -he allowed himself to take such a course, it was only because he was -certain that his absence would make no difference to the normal course -of my existence. In that my poor friend was woefully wrong. - -"Letters from him reached me from Paris, Bordeaux, and Saint-Louis in -Senegal. From the Congo itself came the two or three which I have shown -you. Then came an interval, rather a long interval, and one day my -brother-in-law, Frederick-Augustus, arrived at Lautenburg, bringing the -sad news that the Grand Duke had had sunstroke, and died at Sangha, -almost at the end of his journey. My name had been the last on his lips. - -"Melusine will tell you how I mourned for Rudolph, and not indeed as I -should mourn for Taras-Bulba, were he to die tomorrow, for I have never -done that horse a wrong. But though I was always frank and loyal to -Rudolph, I could not get rid of the feeling that in some way I was to -blame for his death. - -"As a funeral was impossible, a magnificent service was held in memory -of him who rests under the sun-baked clay of Africa. The Emperor and -Empress and all the German princes were present. The red Hussars of -Lautenburg, with crêpe on their swords, rendered the last honours, and -their uniforms during the service made me think sadly of the poor red -Hussar of the Peterhof who danced so badly but was so kind. - -"Every sentence of my story, my friend, has been a mark of my confidence -in you. You shall now have clear proof in every word that follows. - -"You know my little orderly officer, Hagen, and have no particular -liking for him. I can't say whether devotion or love is his ruling -passion. Devotion enables one to repose absolute trust in another, but -love makes one alive to another's interests in a way that is impossible -for oneself. - -"Six months after Rudolph died neither I nor Melusine had the slightest -suspicion of what was to follow. I was occupied exclusively with my -duties as sovereign and surprised myself with my punctiliousness in -carrying them out. I presided at the Diet and council meetings. I signed -decrees, summoned the tribunals, appointed officials--to the -satisfaction of all concerned, I think. The town of Lautenburg was never -more prosperous than under my rule. - -"Hagen, on the other hand, was uneasy. I watched him grow more morose -every day. After some time, hating the company of a face as long as a -fiddle, I called him up and told him to explain himself or go on leave. -He fell at my feet. - -"'How could I be anything else,' he sobbed, 'when you are going to be -another's?' - -"He was very much surprised when I told him I didn't know what he meant. - -"'How can that be,' he muttered, 'for at Berlin, and even here, -they talk of nothing but your approaching marriage to Duke -Frederick-Augustus?' - -"It was too much this time! The woman I pride myself on being can be -married once, by surprise. But twice! - -"When Hagen, who was in the habit of going to Berlin several times a -month, had told me the story, I realized that something serious was -afoot. I had a clearer understanding of affairs next morning, when I -received a letter from my father. It was all too plain that he had been -carefully coached, taken on his weak side--his desire to see his -daughter a queen. - -"I hate worrying you with dynastic details, but I must prepare you for -what follows. I'll make them as short as possible. Why had I become -Grand Duchess of Lautenburg? In order that I might realize Papa's -ambition and become Queen of Würtemberg on the death of King Albert. -The Lautenburg succession is not subject to the Salic Law, so that I -still remained Grand Duchess on Rudolph's death. On the other hand, the -succession to the throne of Würtemberg is governed by that law. So we -have this situation: only a Grand Duke of Lautenburg can mount the -throne of Würtemberg. Therefore, before I could be Queen of Würtemberg -I must first marry Duke Frederick-Augustus and thereby make him the -Grand Duke of Lautenburg-Detmold. - -"The sole object of Papa's letter was to reconcile me to that marriage. - -"I'm afraid that in my reply, which was exceedingly prompt, I rather -forgot the respect a daughter owes her father, whatever he does. - -"But you can realize how exasperated I was. Was I to be forced to marry -every German prince in turn? What a prospect for one who had never -wanted to marry at all! - -"About a week passed, and then I received a letter from the Empress. -I've no doubt she called me her 'dear child,' and overwhelmed me with -friendly flattery, but there was no mistake about the firm invitation to -go to Berlin with which that letter concluded.... - -"You can imagine that if I submitted it was less from a sense of -obedience than from the desire to fathom any plot that was being hatched -at Court for my benefit. - -"I took Melusine and Hagen with me. The Empress received me with -considerable confusion as I had anticipated, and her explanation was -characteristic. Need I say what it was? - - - "'Tis not love that must rule a princess and her fate, - To obey is the glory and end of her state. - - -"Love! Obey! What was the good of my protesting that her reasoning was -false; that I had never loved any one, and that in any case I hadn't -married to obey the first time. Poor Rudolph wasn't there to produce our -little compact which absolved me from those very obligations. And, -anyhow, what was the good of arguing with a worthy dame who was merely -repeating her lesson? - -"I listened, my lips pressed together, and said nothing. She got -thoroughly muddled, and when she had finished I asked: - -"'May I ask your Majesty what date has been fixed for my marriage with -the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus?' - -"She protested that the Kaiser had never had any idea of precipitating -matters, and that no date had been settled. - -"'Only the principle!' I said. - -"She didn't answer. - -"I went back to my room, calm and collected. - -"'I leave tonight for Astrakhan,' I said to Melusine and Hagen, who were -anxiously awaiting my return. 'Have my things packed. Those who love me -can follow me.' - -"Hagen gave me my letters, which had been sent on from Lautenburg. There -were five or six, and one had a Russian stamp. I recognized Papa's -writing. - -"What excellent use they had made of the fact that I had been -unsuspecting! I found out later that the letter I had written to him a -fortnight earlier had been forestalled by a special envoy from the -Kaiser. It hadn't taken much diplomacy to win over my father. The famous -crown of Würtemberg had once more played its part. Gently but firmly he -told me his wishes. 'Marry Frederick-Augustus, or ...' - -"I didn't read on but tore up the letter into little pieces. Then and -there I wrote out a telegram--some thirty words of passionate pleading -and threats--to the Tumene Prince. - -"You remember, Melusine, how we suspected postal censorship at Berlin, -and how you took the train and sent off the telegram from Köpenick. - -"When you had gone my feelings overcame me, and I burst into -tears--tears of rage and hatred. I can still see myself in that awful -Berlin room. Hagen was sobbing at my feet. He had taken my hands, and -even my arms--this is absolutely true--and was covering them with tears -and kisses. 'I will go with you, I shall follow you, where and when you -will,' he murmured. When all's said and done I am proud to think that it -only wanted a word from me to make a Prussian officer throw up his -profession and abjure his native land. - -"But the touch of that moustache on my arm quickly brought me back to a -sense of reality. I remembered Louisa of Saxony and all the low lackeys -who have made money out of their notoriety as the lovers of queens. I -pushed the innocent Hagen away and recovered my self-possession. - -"I didn't go out at all during the two days while I was waiting for the -reply to my telegram. Then it came, the little blue slip. You were -looking hard at me, Melusine, so I smiled as I opened it. It contained -these simple words: - - -"'I will never see my daughter until she has done her duty.' - - -"What a heart of flint the old Kalmuck had! - -"I read it and fell to the floor like a stone. - - * * * * * * - -"I'm afraid I most stop to explain matters at this point, _ami_, or you -may find the rest incomprehensible. No doubt you are asking yourself: -'How it could ever have come about that a will like Aurora's could have -yielded? What could this invisible and powerful Frederick-Augustus have -done to get the Empress, Rudolph's godmother, and the Kaiser on his -side?' - -"I expect you read your foreign news carefully enough in 1909 to know -that about that time the Eulenburg affair and a Moltke-Harden case were -causing a considerable stir in German Court circles. Personally, the way -these folk took their pleasures was a matter of indifference to me. What -strikes me as monstrous is the fact that these scandals had a -considerable effect on my fortunes. - -"Frederick-Augustus seldom stayed at Lautenburg in his brother's -lifetime. I only saw him three or four times, the first occasion being -my wedding, and the second, six months later, the funeral of his wife, a -worthy but stupid woman with wrists like a scullery-maid's. His Serene -Highness your pupil is hardly more intelligent than she. - -"The rest of his time was spent in Berlin. The man you have -seen so reserved and formal led a very gay life there. Never -believe those who tell you that profligacy is harmful _ami_. The -rise of Frederick-Augustus is proof to the contrary. - -"The one thing in which the present Grand Duke is past-master is the art -of compromising others without compromising himself. He made ample use -of it at Berlin in 1909. Intimate with the Bülows, and a bosom friend -of Eitel and Joachim, he alone could tell you the scenes in which he -figured at that time. But he will never tell you, _ami_, just as he has -never told me, as neither you nor I will ever be able to pay the price -of his confidences. Why, it was his silence alone that gained him the -grand-ducal crown, and may one day bring him the throne of Würtemberg. -When the Empress, with quivering voice, was preaching the virtue of -submission to my destiny, the honest dame was only defending the honour -of two of her sons. - -"The brain fever that followed the receipt of my father's telegram -lasted a month, during which I hung between life and death, while -Melusine and Hagen, with a devotion I shall never forget, took turns in -nursing me night and day. - -"At length I was convalescent. My hair had been cut off. I was thin but -still pretty. One day, while I was studying in my mirror the pathetic -figure I looked with the little fair curls clustering on my head, Hagen, -who was on orderly duty, came in and announced Duke Frederick-Augustus. - -"I was still really too ill to receive him, but I was longing for the -encounter. I must confess, to my shame, that I didn't come out on top -that day. - -"He came in and bowed ceremoniously. His blue eyes, in his pale, smooth -face, were bright and dim by turns. - -"'My dear sister, what a pleasure to find you up at last, and looking so -well.' - -"His perfect ease of manner froze me. He went on: - -"'There is no point in not telling you at once the pleasant object of my -visit. Tomorrow it will be nine months since the death of my regretted -brother, the Grand Duke Rudolph. As the legal period of your widowhood -then expires their Majesties the Emperor and Empress would be glad if -you could see your way to fix a convenient date for the celebration of -our marriage. They have expressed their intention of being present.' - -"'Tell their Majesties, my dear brother,' I replied, 'that I will fix -any date that suits their pleasure, and kindly add that I hope it will -be the last time I shall give them this trouble.' - -"He bowed gravely. - -"'That is also my heart-felt desire, dear sister,' he said. - -"And he went out. - -"We were married one day in March, 1912, a dull, threatening day. The -Emperor and Empress, true to their promise, were present at the -religious ceremony and left for Berlin in the evening. About five -o'clock, first at the Rathaus and then at the castle, the State -authorities and magistrates took the oath of fealty to the new Grand -Duke. At eight the superior officers and higher dignitaries of the Grand -Duchy, some thirty guests, were present at a dinner, informal on account -of our recent mourning, in the banqueting-hall on the ground floor. - -"The second course had hardly begun when the sound of tapping, now loud, -now soft, was heard coming from the first floor, immediately above our -heads. - -"At first no notice was taken. But the noise continued, tap, tap, tap, -with exasperating regularity. - -"The Grand Duke, frowning slightly, beckoned to the lackey standing -behind him. - -"'What's that noise?' he asked in a low tone. 'Go and stop it.' - -"The man had not returned in a quarter of an hour, but the noise did not -cease. - -"'Here, Kessel,' cried the Grand Duke, half annoyed, half amused, 'try -and find out what's going on above our heads. Excuse me, gentlemen,' he -said, turning to our guests. - -"Kessel went. Five minutes later he came back, very red. The noise had -stopped. - -"'Well!' said the Grand Duke, what was it?' - -"Kessel was still silent. - -"'Look here, Major,' Frederick went on, beginning to lose patience. 'You -can't have discovered a plot up there, I presume. I must ask you to -reassure my guests. What was the matter?' - -"'Builders, your Highness,' murmured Kessel. - -"'Builders! at this hour! Today of all days! That's too much of a good -thing. What on earth are they doing? Come, Herr von Kessel, tell me, -please!' - -"'They are walling up the yellow corridor,' the officer managed to get -out. - -"There was a frigid silence. The yellow corridor was that which -connected the apartments of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg. - -"Frederick-Augustus is a man of resource, _ami_. I realized it that -evening and genuinely admired him when, tapping his forehead -significantly, as much as to say, 'Of course! I'd forgotten,' he turned -to a steward and said: - -"'Just see that those good fellows are well looked after. They'll have -to work all night.' - -"I didn't mind. You see I was pleased with myself, for I felt there was -something of admiration in the sly look he gave me, a look that seemed -to say: - -"'And now, you and I must have it out.'" - -Aurora had stopped. For a few minutes silence reigned. Then Melusine -went to the window and swiftly drew back the curtains. We saw it was -already light. - -I looked at the Grand Duchess, lost in reverie, elbow on knee and chin -in hand. Her beautiful features and clear skin betrayed not the -slightest sign of her night-long vigil. - -The chilly dawn found Aurora even more beautiful than the glowing dusk -had left her. - - - - -VII - - -OCCASIONALLY, perhaps once or twice a week, the Grand Duchess preferred -to be alone, and on these evenings I used to resign myself to work. - -My study of the Königsmark had been virtually abandoned. I no longer -found much pleasure in disturbing that ancient dust now that fate had -summoned me to witness another drama, the actors in which lived and -moved around me, and spoke to me every day. - -There had been a great storm on a certain July evening which Aurora's -pleasure doomed me to spend alone. Through the window, open to the -lowering night sky, I heard the trees dripping. I was working in an -extremely half-hearted manner, my mind straying from the tragedy of the -_Herrenhausen_ to the lands whither the Tumene princess's story had -wafted me. Indeed, it was a piece of pure luck that thrust before my -eyes the supremely important document of which I must now speak. - -I told you some time back, with details which must have seemed tedious, -of the dossier compiled by the Queen of Prussia with a view to the -rehabilitation of her mother Sophie-Dorothea. That evening, after -analysing two or three documents of secondary importance, I came to -another, marked S.2--No. 87. - -It consisted of two large pages covered with writing in German -characters, crowded closely together. My listlessness vanished after the -first few lines. My mind sprang to attention, for I realized that I had -at last got hold of something decisive. - -This document contained the confession of a certain Bauer, who had died -a game-keeper in the service of the Grand Duke of Rudolstadt, and who, -twenty years earlier, had been employed at the _Herrenhausen_. In his -last moments this man, a Catholic, had asked a priest to confess him. -The latter, who had heard of the Queen of Prussia's investigation, made -his absolution subject to a formal statement of the events in which -Bauer had taken part. It was that very confession, bearing the -signatures of the dying man, the confessor and two witnesses, that I was -engaged in examining. - -You will understand that, with that proof of authenticity before me, it -chained my attention. - -Bauer had been one of the ten men who assisted Countess von Platen to -assassinate Count Königsmark on the tragic night of July 1st, 1694. - -His confession related how Countess von Platen prepared punch for her -men while they were waiting for the Count to come out of the Princess's -apartments. - -He denies being among those who actually attacked him with their swords -and daggers, but admits that he held him down while Countess von Platen, -with her foot on his head, tried to extort a confession from him that he -had been Sophie-Dorothea's lover. - -I was familiar with most of these details. They can also be found in -Blaze de Bury's book. But the statements following definitely settled -the famous controversy as to what happened to the Count's corpse. - - -When Count Königsmark was quite dead, said Bauer, Countess von Platen -ordered us to carry him to the great fireplace at the back of which is a -bronze plaque six feet wide. Countess von Platen touched a spring. The -plaque divided in two, revealing a little chamber. I just caught a -glimpse, for I was very much perturbed in mind, of a whitish heap which -looked like lime. We laid the corpse down there. Countess von Platen -then sent us away, after telling us to wash off the blood which had -stained the clothes of some of the men. She remained in the Baron's Hall -with her attendant, a certain Festmann.... - - -You see now that I had my reasons when I told you, casually, that -Königsmark's corpse is concealed behind the fire-back in the Knight's -Hall of the _Herrenhausen_. Moreover, Bauer's document had, in my eyes, -a further importance beyond settling the spot once and for all. To me it -was also a proof of the complicity either of Ernest-Augustus or his son. -Remember that Countess von Platen had worked a secret spring, and also -bear in mind that German princes in the seventeenth and eighteenth -centuries were exceedingly jealous of their secret lock-systems. If that -secret was communicated to Madame von Platen it was only for some vital -purpose. - -Before starting work I had made some coffee and had three cups, one -after the other. This coffee began to have its effect, by which I mean -that, excited by my first discovery, my mind was absolutely clear at -that moment. Please note this detail as it has its importance. - -To discover something is nothing. To establish the truth of your -discovery is everything. Now how was I to go to Hanover, obtain -permission to visit the _Herrenhausen_ and be alone in the Knight's Hall -for the necessary time. You can imagine I had no intention of putting -some palace curator on the track I had just found. - -It was then that an idea occurred to me which I will disclose to you as -a proof of the value of coffee in deductive reasoning. You will remember -that when I was studying the question of the employment of French -artists by German princes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries I -discovered that the locksmith's work had been given by the Elector -Ernest-Augustus of Hanover to a Catalan named Giroud who had also worked -for the Grand Duke of Lautenburg. This Giroud had even had difficulties -with Ernest-Augustus over his accounts. At that time I had only cast a -cursory glance at the file dealing with the case. It was necessary for -me to examine it more carefully. Perhaps I should be able to find -something about the system of secret springs installed by Giroud at the -_Herrenhausen_. I decided to clear the matter up then and there. - -It was just after midnight I put an electric torch in my pocket and -quietly left my room. At that moment I thought I heard a faint noise in -the deserted corridor. - -"Come," I thought, "I can't let myself be scared like this by old -papers!" - -When I got to the library I was disagreeably surprised to find the -lights on. Professor Cyrus Beck was hard at work covering a black board -with his formulæ and only stopping to consult five or six treatises -open in front of him. - -There was, of course, nothing unusual about my appearance there. I had -often gone down late at night to the library to clear up some point in -my next day's lesson. All the same he looked at me with that suspicious -air of the savant who always thinks you're going to rob him of -something. - -Two or three pleasant words quickly reassured him. He condescended to -confide to me that he was at a decisive moment in his experiments and -that the next day, without doubt, perhaps that very night.... Through -the open door came the noise of his furnaces, roaring like chimneys on -fire. - -I thought it unwise to tell him that I, too, had reached the same stage -as himself in another affair. Besides, almost at once he put away his -books, folded up his notes, rubbed out his formulæ, wished me good-night -and went. - -I was eager for his departure as I had already found what I wanted. - -With a sureness of method which astonished me I had put my hand straight -off on the vital document, a bill of Giroud's, dated 1682, and addressed -to Ernest-Augustus. - -It was a long bill, but I found the following item at once: - - -For the chimney-place of the Baron's Hall, six springs, in -my name, at one hundred and fifty livres the spring.--Total -900 livres. - - -I did not need to have a very profound knowledge of secret springs and -locks to know what it meant. The system is still used in safes, Fichet's -and others. It meant that on the fire-back of the chimney-place in the -Baron's Hall of the _Herrenhausen_ there were six lettered locks. You -made the spring act by taking for each lock in turn one of the six -letters forming the name of the inventor, Giroud. - -When you remember that this Giroud was the master-locksmith of the Grand -Duke of Lautenburg you won't have much difficulty in realizing that my -first thought was to use the fire-back in the armoury of the castle of -Lautenburg as a test of the accuracy of my reasoning with regard to the -fireplace of the Baron's Hall in the Castle of Hanover. So you may -imagine how impatiently I watched Cyrus Beck's departure. - -When at last he had gone I waited a quarter of an hour. Then I turned -out the lights, opened the right-hand door of the library and banged it -to as if I had gone back to my room. Then, taking great care not to fall -over anything and picking my way among the desks and show-cases I -returned and cautiously opened the door on the left hand side which led -into the armoury. - -Great pools of moonlight, shaped like the tall lancet windows, flecked -the dark floor. I went straight to the chimney-place. I started at -touching the heavy iron fire-back. It was only when my fingers found a -kind of knob high up on the left that I switched on my electric torch. - -I had no difficulty in dealing with the knob. It pivoted on a hinge, -revealing a kind of dial. The whole thing was not unlike one of our -gas-metres. - -I started back in dismay. I was expecting letters, but this dial had -numbers. It was divided into twenty-five sections. - -Turning off the lamp I sat down on a heavy oak stool close by. - -I didn't have to think long. 25! What a fool I was! - -I pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper, turned on the lamp again -and, kneeling at the stool, I had soon written out the twenty-five -letters of the alphabet and underneath a row of figures to correspond. -Then I wrote Giroud's name and obtained the following combination: 7, 9, -18, 15, 21, 4. - -791815214. It will be a long time before I forget that number. - -I examined the whole face of the metal rectangle with my lamp. A -terrible disappointment was in store for me. Instead of the six knobs -that I had _expected_ I could only find two. - -When a single factor throws out the kind of calculations I had just made -it can only mean that one's theory is radically false. I might have -known. That would have been much too simple.... - -Solely to prove myself wrong, I tried the first knob and turning the -pointer on the dial I set it on the figure 7--g. - -I crossed to the other side and repeated the operation on the other -knob, putting the pointer on the figure 9--i. - -All at once I could hear my heart beat. A black vertical line appeared -in the centre of the plaque. That line got wider and wider. The two -panels thus formed slid back to each side, leaving a gap some two feet -six inches wide. - -I was on the right track. The mystery of the _Herrenhausen_ was to be -solved at last! - -I had recovered control of myself, perfect control. I remember saying: -"What a delightful way of studying history! I wonder what Monsieur -Seignobos would think of it?" - -I passed through the opening, taking with me the stool which had been my -table. On the inside the fire-back had two handles, one on each side. -Very gently, but quite easily, I drew the panels together again, not -absolutely touching, however, for fear of releasing some fatal spring. - -Do you remember the 24th August, my friend, in the village of Beaumont, -in Belgium, when you and I went down into a cellar where the inhabitants -said five Uhlans were hiding? You called me a rash fool and came behind, -but I couldn't help smiling at the thought that those five fugitives -were nothing compared with the darkness in which I was wrapped that -night. - -When I had pulled the two panels to behind me I found myself in a little -chamber, six feet wide, and six feet high. On each side of me were blank -walls, but at the back was another bronze plaque with, as I expected, -two more knobs to right and left. - -I put the hand of the first dial on the figure 18. The pointer of the -second had just reached 15 when the noise of tearing wood, absolutely -terrifying in that dead silence, froze me from head to foot. The lower -half of the immense plaque, opening horizontally about three feet from -the ground, had swung forward and smashed to matchwood the heavy stool -I had placed against it as I came in. - -If I hadn't jumped back so smartly my feet would infallibly have been -crushed. - -"Excellent!" I murmured. "So their secrets are man-traps, too!" - -I bent down and got into the second chamber, which was of exactly the -same dimensions as the first. You can imagine that this time I took all -precautions, standing carefully to the left as I put the pointer of the -fifth dial on 21 and to the right as I turned that of the sixth to 4. I -might have saved myself the trouble. The plaque parted in two -vertically, like the first one, and the panels rolled aside on invisible -hinges. - -Then I passed into the third and last chamber. - -It was of the same height, but twice as long and wide. The small arc of -my electric torch gave a good light, but covered but a small area. - -At first I could only see what looked like white splashes on the floor. - -But suddenly, my friend, my very marrow froze within me. I was -frightened, horribly frightened, for in the corner to my left a curious -little white heap had just come into view. Drawn by some over-mastering -instinct I approached it, and even as I approached I wanted to bolt, and -between my chattering teeth I muttered: "It's a hallucination. I'm -dreaming. I _know_ I'm dreaming. I'm not at Hanover. This is Lautenburg. -The palace. There's Doctor Cyrus Beck just round the corner working. -There's the night-watchman. There's Ludwig, my servant. There's Major -von Kessel, honest, kind Kessel ..." - -The heap of quicklime was now at my feet. I fell, rather than knelt, -before it. - -Fantastic fragments were sticking out of it, shapeless, gruesome white -fragments. Dithering as I was, how did I ever have the courage to pick -one up, run my fingers over it, examine it.... - -Yet that is exactly what I did. I had that bone, a right tibia, in my -hands, feeling it, examining it. - -And then I uttered a loud cry, for in the middle of that bone my finger -came into contact with the mark of an old fracture. - - * * * * * * - -How I managed to give Duke Joachim his history lesson next morning is a -thing I've never ceased to wonder at. I kept my eyes off the mirror, -terrified lest I should see a ghastly face reflected in it. - -At eleven o'clock I was in the Archduchess's small boudoir. - -The old Russian waiting-woman went off to tell Melusine, who came at -once. I could see from the half-humorous surprise in her manner that my -call, at that hour, was considered extremely strange. - -"You want to see the Grand Duchess, my friend! You are very bold. -Well, as it's you... I'm sure you wouldn't have come without some -very good ..." - -As she spoke she drew aside the curtains. The sun shone full on my face. -She started at my appearance, and with difficulty suppressed an -exclamation. - -"I'll go and fetch her," she said simply. - -I seemed to have been walking in my sleep, pushed on by the force of the -night's events. Left to myself my decision seemed utterly crazy. Why, in -a minute's time I should certainly be taken for the madman I had brought -myself to believe I was. How would Aurora take the story of my -extraordinary adventure? "Save her from the fits of depression and that -kind of spiritual disorder which are so fatal to her physical health." -The words came back to me. It was the request made to me by the Grand -Duke Frederick-Augustus. _This_ was an odd way of carrying out his -wishes. I wanted to bolt. - -But the Grand Duchess was already there. She was in such high spirits -that morning that I thought I should never have the strength of mind to -break my news to her. - -"Well, my friend," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this -visit? Have you changed your time-table? Have you decided to give me -your mornings in future?" - -My tell-tale face produced the same effect on her as on Melusine. - -She took my arm and made me sit down on a sofa beside her. - -"You nearly fell as you sat down," she said gravely. "Melusine, bring me -the blue casket." - -It was a diminutive box in blue enamel. What heathen stimulant could it -contain? As soon as I had inhaled it at Aurora's bidding, I started as -if I'd had an electric shock. - -"There!" she said, "you're better already." And added: - -"Begin as soon as you feel you can. We're listening." - -I told her everything you already know, from my first researches into -the Königsmark drama to the final climax, my visit to the secret -chamber in the armoury and my sinister discovery. - -From beginning to end she listened, calm and self-possessed, only -occasionally exchanging with Melusine a glance which revealed -astonishment rather than emotion. - -When I had finished she did not speak for a moment, and then said -quietly: - -"You have told us an extraordinary exciting story, but you mustn't be -surprised to hear that it does not arouse any other emotion in me. -There's one thing I admit, which comes as rather a shock: the fact that -at Lautenburg you have found a skeleton in the very same place where -there must be one in the palace of Hanover. But what does it prove, -granting that natural death is out of the question, but that the old -Dukes of Lautenburg had no greater respect for human life than their -Hanoverian neighbours? I have always thought so, and it's no great -surprise." - -"But it isn't the presence of the skeleton which has been such a shock, -madame," I answered. - -"What is it, then?" she said, in that slightly scornful tone she -immediately assumed when she thought you were trying to mystify her. - -"It is," I said simply, but picking my words carefully, "that I had in -my hands the right tibia of the corpse which was concealed there, and -that in the middle of that tibia, on its outer surface, was the join of -an old fracture." - -Aurora was standing now. She was pressing her hands to her temples. She -had turned deadly pale. Her staring eyes grew bigger and bigger. - -"You're mad! You're mad!" she screamed. "Melusine, tell him he's mad!" - -Fräulein von Graffenfried rushed to the Grand Duchess, who had fallen -back, rigid, on the sofa. Her eyelids were half closed. I read -inexpressible terror in the look she gave me. - -"Mad! Mad!" she screamed again. "He's at Sangha. I have his letters. -Sangha!" - -"At Sangha! At Sangha!" the heartrending voice rang out again. - -"I've only done what I thought was my duty," I murmured to Melusine, -helping her to get her mistress to inhale the little blue casket. - -The kind creature gave me a look charged with meaning, as much as to -say: "I know it, you've no need to apologize." - -"Don't be alarmed," she said in an undertone. "Her brain fever has left -her extremely sensitive. And you must admit there's good reason on this -occasion. Look, she's coming round." - -Aurora was opening her startled eyes. She saw us two bending over her -and memory came back. There must have been an expression of terrible -concern in our faces, for she smiled and held out a hand which I covered -with kisses. - -"Forgive me, children, for giving you such a fright. Good Melusine, -always at her post when she's wanted! And you, dear friend, my thanks." - -"You are not angry with me?" I pleaded. - -She smiled and shook her head, giving me for answer the Russian saying: - -"_Do the rooks hate the sun for showing up the sportsman's gun?_" - -She added: - -"Melusine, go and tell them that he'll stay to lunch." - -To be present at Aurora's table was a signal honour. Melusine alone had -been thought worthy of it hitherto. It was not long before I learnt to -my cost how great the honour was. Meanwhile I only saw in it further -proof of the importance of my revelation. - -One would have expected the meal to suffer from the effects of recent -events. It did not suffer in the least, and though Aurora's spirits -seemed a little forced, she was gay throughout. She talked about other -things the whole time. I admired her self-possession all the more, -because my secret was enough to have destroyed it altogether. In that -hour, big with the burden of coming events, I knew the joy of realizing -how indispensable I had become to the haughty princess, who had seemed -to ignore my very existence only five short months before. - -When the coffee came Melusine rose. - -"Where are you going?" the Grand Duchess inquired. - -"To say that you won't be going calling this afternoon," she replied. - -"Shan't I?" said Aurora, smiling. "I'm not so overcome as all that. Just -go and say that the car is to be ready at four instead of five." - -"Four?" - -"Yes. I want a few hours' rest before coming to fetch you at midnight," -she said, turning to me. - -Melusine and I stared at her. - -"Does that surprise you?" she continued. "Do you call what you have just -told me important or not? Now this is what _I_ think. One person can -suffer from a delusion. It's highly improbable that two will. At -midnight, my friend, I shall knock at your door. Then you will have an -opportunity of proving your knowledge of secret springs. You understand, -now? Now, Melusine, go and order the car for four o'clock. I've twice -postponed my call on the good Burgomaster's wife, and I mustn't break my -word a third time." - -There was so much authority in this order that Melusine went, casting a -long, imploring glance in my direction. - -"Poor little girl," said the Grand Duchess. "That look gives me into -your care. Midnight, you understand, without fail." - -"Madame," I said firmly, "I'll do anything your Highness wishes. I -understand your resolution. Indeed, I can only approve it. May I just -make two remarks? First, that it would be much better for me to come and -fetch you rather than that you should run the risk of meeting some one -in the corridors of the castle. In the second place, you should know -that the watch make their rounds at midnight. They may be a little early -tonight, and it is most advisable to avoid any chance of being disturbed -in so delicate an enterprise as ours." - -"Very well," she said. "What then?" - -"With your permission I'll be here at half-past ten. An hour will give -us plenty of time. Fräulein von Graffenfried can stay in your -apartments and receive any callers." - -She smiled: - -"If by that you mean Hagen, jealous young man, you may as well know that -he's due at his mess tonight, for one of those drinking-bouts for which -any good German would gladly sacrifice the Loreley." - -"Hagen or another," I said, with a shade of irritation in my voice. "We -must provide for all emergencies." - -"You're right, dear friend," she said gravely. "Then I'll expect you at -half-past ten." - - * * * * * * - -When I went back to my room after dinner I really thought the time to go -and fetch the Grand Duchess would never come. - -At length ten o'clock struck, then quarter past. I went out quietly and -peeped through the library door. Good. There was no light. If Cyrus Beck -had unfortunately taken it into his head to work there that night we -should have had to begin all over again. - -Half-past struck, but it took me barely two minutes to cut across the -garden. I wasn't late. - -Very quietly I opened the door leading into the park. A puff of fresh -air braced me up. - -As I was closing it again I started. A hand had just been placed on my -shoulder. At that moment I heard a voice: - -"Professor Vignerte, I'm delighted to meet you!" - -It was Lieutenant von Hagen. - -The night was pitch-black, and we could not see each other. But I -thought I detected that the hand he had put on my shoulder was a little -unsteady. In an instant I recovered all my self-control. - -"I thought you were at your mess," I said. - -"I'm supposed to be," he replied. "But we all change our minds -sometimes. What about yourself? No doubt you intended to spend the -evening working in your room. Yet here you are." - -"It's so stifling tonight," I said, "that I came into the garden for a -breath of air." - -"In that case I don't suppose you'll mind having my company for your -walk." - -This time I detected so much impertinent irony in his tone, that I saw -it was a case of putting all my cards on the table. - -"I'm very much flattered by your attentions, Herr Lieutenant, but I -won't pretend that I wouldn't rather be alone." - -He giggled. "_Quite_ alone?" he demanded. - -A quarter to eleven had just struck. The sound made me furious. Was this -imbecile to wreck all our plans? - -"What do you mean?" I asked angrily. - -I realized his idea was to make me lose my self-control. - -"Herr Professor," he said, "in Germany we hold one thing very sacred. -Our word of honour. I like to think that it's the same in France. I -won't trouble you any further if, here and now, you will give me your -word of honour that you have no appointment this evening with the Grand -Duchess Aurora." - -I started. How much did this man know of what had happened? Once more I -restrained myself. - -"Herr von Hagen, one of your novelists, Beyerlein, has written a very -bad book, 'The Retreat.' You and I are about to repeat the most absurd -scene in that book, with the difference that it does not concern the -daughter of a quartermaster-sergeant, but your sovereign, the Grand -Duchess of Lautenburg-Detmold. I'm surprised...." - -"I know," he said in a hoarse voice. "And that's just why I intend ..." - -"What do you intend? Tell me. Let's have it out!" - -"To kill you, Herr Professor." - -"And why, if you please?" - -"Because you love her and because ..." - -The red Hussar choked down a sob. His hand, on my arm, trembled -violently. - -"Because?" - -"Because she loves you." - -I almost pitied him at that moment. But the Grand Duchess was waiting -for me in her room. - -"I'm at your service, sir," I said. "Tomorrow, or any day you like." - -"Tomorrow," he replied bitterly. "Do you think I'm going to give you a -chance of seeing her? She's waiting for you, I know. You haven't given -me your answer. I must have it now, sir. At once." - -This was too much. I wrenched my arm away and thrust him aside with -great violence. He crashed into the wall. - -He drew his sword. - -I felt quite equal to snatching it from his hand and turning it against -him then and there. But I ran the risk of being wounded, and, besides, -there would be a commotion, a scene. That must at all costs be avoided. - -"Herr von Hagen," I said in low tones, "listen to me. I know you -wouldn't be talking like this or trying to pick a quarrel, if you didn't -love the Grand. Duchess yourself." - -"Sir," he replied, furious, "I forbid you ..." - -"Just listen to me," I said, and there was a ring of impatient authority -in my voice which impressed him. "You love her, I repeat. I'm going now -to appeal as much to your love as to your loyalty as a soldier. The -Grand Duchess Aurora, that glorious woman, is in terrible danger -tonight. You must understand that. Every minute, every second, that you -make me lose increases that danger. On that I can give you my word of -honour here and now." - -I saw that I had hit home. - -"What do you mean, sir?" he murmured in alarm. "Danger?" - -"Yes, Herr von Hagen. Go back to your rooms at once. Don't go to bed. -Perhaps Aurora of Lautenburg will need your help tonight." - -He hesitated, then resigned himself to his lot. - -"Very well, sir. I accept. I'll go back. But remember that if you've -deceived me ..." - -"You need have no fear of that," I replied. "You must understand that -the little meeting you suggested just now must be postponed till -tomorrow morning if you like. I'm just as anxious for it as yourself." - -"Until tomorrow, then," he said, smiling. "What time?" - -"Six o'clock. At the Meilleraie bridge. It's a secluded spot and the -Melna is handy." - -"What about weapons?" - -"You can choose," I said. "I leave it entirely to you." - -"By ourselves, of course," we said in the same breath. - -He stood to attention, gave me a military salute, and vanished in the -darkness. - -"At last!" I murmured, with a sigh of relief. Eleven o'clock was -striking as I entered the Grand Duchess's apartments. - - * * * * * * - -She was alone in her boudoir, standing, rather pale. - -As I entered, my expression must have told her that something unusual -had happened, for she asked no questions as to why I was late. - -"Anything serious?" she asked simply. - -"Nothing, madame. But we must be quick. We've only just time." - -As we reached the door leading to the staircase the door of Melusine's -room opened and Fräulein von Graffenfried appeared. - -"What!" she said. "So soon?" - -"Yes," said Aurora. "I forgot to tell you we decided to make it an hour -earlier. Don't be alarmed, dear. Stay here and don't let any one in. We -shall be back before midnight." - -She kissed her on the forehead. - -Torn with apprehension, and her beautiful eyes full of tears, Melusine -von Graffenfried had seized my hands. - -"Swear to me no harm shall come to her," she begged. "I commit her to -your care." - -"Come, come," said Aurora. "We've no time to lose. Turn out the light on -the staircase." - -We went down into the darkness. - -When we got to the landing, I felt the pressure of the Grand Duchess's -hand on my arm. She wasn't trembling, I can assure you. - -"Are you armed?" she said. - -"No." - -"Child!" she murmured, and even as she spoke I could feel her hand -slipping something into the pocket of my jacket. - -"It's a Browning, a good one. Don't hesitate to use it if the occasion -arises, against any one. I'll set you the example myself." - -We were now at the bottom of the staircase. She was leading, and it was -she who opened the door. - -"Well?" I said. - -She had stopped, blocking the doorway. A dull cry escaped her. - -"Didn't I tell you so! Oh, didn't I tell you so! He's a strong man, a -very strong man!" - -"What is it?" I asked in terror. - -To our right a huge red glare lit up the night sky. Half the castle was -on fire. - -Against that background of flame the yews of the park stood out like -black cones. The water in the Persephone fountain gleamed black and red. - -"But who could have told him that we should come tonight?" said the -Grand Duchess. "Only three of us knew: I, you and ... _she_." - -For a few seconds we gazed at the tragic scene. Then noises began to be -heard in the palace, startled from its first sleep. - -"Come," said Aurora, "let's go and see." - -As we approached we ran into Hagen. He was flying down the steps of the -right wing like a maniac. - -"You! You!" he almost screamed with joy on recognizing the Grand -Duchess. "I was terrified! I _am_ so thankful." - -He kissed her hands frantically. - -"Forgive me, forgive me!" he stammered, turning to me. - -"Stay here with her," I said, and, running off, I made for the -banqueting-hall at top speed. - -"Where's he going?" cried Aurora. "Stop him!" - -But I was already too far. Crossing the banqueting-hall, I got into the -right wing of the castle. It was the left which was on fire, with the -library, and, of course, the armoury. - -What was I thinking of? I had no very clear idea myself. Some force, -with which argument was useless, was urging me on. Some time later I -tried to reason out my action. In my room was my money, papers, a few -letters from my mother--my whole life, so to speak. Yet I'm certain that -not for one moment did I think that I was running such risks for things -like these. - -Dense clouds of smoke shot with sparks were pouring out of the -first-floor corridor, at the end of which was the door of my room. - -I met Kessel coming down. I heard him shout: - -"Where are you going? The stairs are in flames. The corridor's burning!" - -But I'd already left him far behind. I took off my jacket and wrapped it -round my head. I don't know how I managed to get to the door of my room. -I only remember that when I touched the handle I burnt my fingers. - -Try as I might, I couldn't get the door open. The key turned in the lock -as usual, but the door resisted. - -It was then that I noticed a stout iron bolt, screwed into the door at -one end and clamped to the wall at the other. - -"So that's it!" I said, "and my window looks on to the ravine of the -Melna!" - -I didn't even start I understood. I knew what I wanted. - -"So you thought, sire, that I should be still in my room! Didn't you, -now?" - -To come and go was but the work of a minute. When I was at the bottom of -the staircase a fearful crash was heard. The upper half of the whole -corridor had just collapsed. - -When, wild-eyed and scorched, I got back to the Grand Duchess, several -groups had already collected in the park. A tall man was standing with -her and Hagen. It was the Grand Duke. - -"Monsieur Vignerte," he cried rapturously, when he saw me. "Oh, what a -weight you've taken off my mind! Have you come from far?" - -"Yes, indeed, sir, very far!" I replied, and nearly fell. - -"Hold him!" cried Aurora to Hagen. - -The little red Hussar obeyed. - -"Look out!" the Grand Duke broke in suddenly. "That's exactly what I -feared." - -Catching hold of his wife, he had suddenly jumped back a dozen yards or -so. We all followed suit, stupefied. - -An enormous flame, purple and gold, shot up into the glowing sky, -followed by an appalling explosion. We saw the walls of the castle part -asunder, totter and then collapse with a crash. A shower of fragments of -every kind, wood and plaster, tiles and sparks fell on and around us. -Beside us Captain Müller, who had gone forward, was hit by something. We -saw him fall to the ground, with his head bleeding. - -Professor Cyrus Beck's laboratory had just blown up. - -The firemen turned up almost immediately and set to work to localize the -fire. In the Great Court behind we could hear the measured, muffled -sound of the garrison troops coming up at the double. - -By one o'clock the fire had been got under. At half-past they were -bringing out the first corpses. - -About two the first streaks of gold appeared in the sky and a serene -dawn shone forth. - -Just then a stretcher, borne by four soldiers, came past us. We -recognized the body of the professor, terribly mangled. - -The Grand Duke bent over it and took a long look. Then, throwing back -the cloth over the horrid vision, he murmured: - -"This was bound to happen sooner or later, with an old fool like that." - -Such was the funeral oration of Herr Professor Cyrus Beck, of Kiel -University. - - * * * * * * - -The Grand Duchess, Melusine and I went back to the left wing of the -palace. It was about six o'clock. The day already promised to be very -hot, for the summer sun rose red over the awful scene of desolation. - -Melusine had joined us when the fire first began. She had spent the time -helping the Grand Duchess to attend to the injured firemen and soldiers, -who had been taken to the banqueting-hall. - -Aurora hadn't a word to say as she walked, and, busied with the burden -of our own reflections, we respected her silence. - -Suddenly she raised her head and smilingly showed me something in the -blue sky, already turning white with heat. - -A bird, coming from the east, was flying above our heads. It had a -curious, jerky flight, now rising, now falling, the flight of birds with -short wings, like the quail and partridge. - -It disappeared to our left in the depths of the English garden by the -Melna. - -A second, then a third flew by and passed out of sight at the same spot. -Then a score or more followed. - -"The first missel-thrushes," said Aurora. "They are going to the sorbs -of the Melna." - -We had now reached her apartments. "Poor Melusine," she said in a -curious tone; "you're absolutely done up. You must go and rest. I'm -going to my bower to try and get a little recreation with those birds." - -"I want to come, too," said Melusine. - -"No, no!" replied the Grand Duchess. "Raoul Vignerte will come with me. -I've something to say to him. You _must_ go and rest. I order it. Just -bring me down my gun and some cartridges. Lend yours to Vignerte. He's -left his own behind, under the ruins of the castle." - -The girl still insisted on going with us. - -"Go!" said Aurora sternly. - -Melusine left us. She seemed almost dead with fatigue and the strain. - -To avoid disturbing the thrushes we took a winding path to the bower, -where I had had my first interview with the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg. -Every now and then we saw a thrush rise above the clumps of sorbs, take -a good look round and then drop down, satisfied. - -When we were in the leafy tunnel I thought we should have to make some -kind of loophole, for the foliage was amazingly thick, and shut us in -with its green, almost opaque wall. - -The Grand Duchess didn't seem to mind. She had not spoken a word as we -walked. Her face wore an expression of firm resolution. I hadn't broken -the silence either. What could I have said? I'm sure our thoughts were -the same at that tragic moment. What was the good of exchanging them? - -Suddenly the set expression of her features relaxed a little. She began -to talk in low tones. I was astounded by her extraordinary conversation, -and the not less extraordinary notion of going there at such a moment to -shoot the birds, whose habits she was describing. - -Her loaded gun lay across her knees, and she had a curious smile, which -made me think that the events of the night must have turned her brain. -This is what she said: - -"Missel-thrushes. You know them well. They're like ordinary thrushes, -only larger. They're on you very much quicker. Very difficult to shoot, -though they don't look it. Treacherous creatures. You know they're near, -as we do now. But you can't see them. You guess where they are and when -to fire. I'm used to them myself. So when I say 'Fire,' and show you the -direction, you must fire. Don't worry about a target. You'll go and look -and there'll be a thrush on the ground." - -She lowered her voice until it became a mere whisper, then, stretching -out her arm, she pointed to something, an imperceptible rustling in the -thick foliage. - -"Fire!" she ordered, "fire, now, fire!" - -"But I can't see anything," I said, disconcerted. - -"Fool," she murmured. "I will then." - -She raised her gun to her shoulder and fired. - -A bang, then a terrible heartrending scream. - -I trembled like the leaves which were still quivering under the shower -of lead. - -Leaning on her smoking gun, the Grand Duchess said to me with a wan -smile, "Go and see...." - -Obediently I staggered up and passed the green wall. Behind it, in a -pool of blood fast soaking into the ground, Melusine von Graffenfried -was writhing in her death agony, her face literally blown to bits by the -charge which she had received almost at point-blank range. - -"What a ghastly accident!" I cried in a horror-stricken voice. - -The Grand Duchess had come out of her bower. - -One of Melusine's eyes was blown out, but the other was fixed on Aurora -with a mad look of terror and torture. - -Aurora gazed at her coldly, and murmured the words of Hamlet after he -had killed Polonius: - -"_I took thee for thy better!_" - -With a horrible gasp Melusine expired. - -For one moment the Grand Duchess stood motionless. The rigid lines in -her face almost terrified me. Not a tremor shook her at the -contemplation of the dead girl's glassy eye. - -"Let's go back," she said at length, "we must let them know about this -fresh calamity." - -From my trembling fingers she took the light, engraved gun which had -been Melusine's, and laid it down beside the corpse. - -She signed to me to stay behind, and went off quickly. - -Left alone with the corpse, at first I couldn't bring myself to look at -it. - -My God! where was now that lovely smooth skin, that perfect oval face, -those melting eyes. Loathsome, bloody pulp of flesh, earth and hair. - -Disgusting green insects were already buzzing round the horrid mass. I -cut a leafy hazel branch and kept brushing them off, much as the old -muffin men at home brush the flies off their trays with paper fans. - -The Grand Duchess was soon back. Madame von Wendel, two or three -waiting-women and Melusine's maid came with her, weeping copiously. With -her usual self-possession she gave the necessary orders. Melusine's body -was placed on a stretcher and carried to the palace. - -Just as we reached it we saw the Grand Duke coming to meet the sad -procession. He was on his way to visit the casualties of the night, when -he was informed of the new blow that had fallen upon the Court of -Lautenburg. - -He rushed up visibly moved. - -"Oh, madame," he said, pressing Aurora's hand, "what a dreadful -misfortune." - -"Fate brings these catastrophes, sir," replied the Grand Duchess, with -wonderful self-possession. - -"However did it happen?" - -"How should I know, sir?" replied Aurora. "Truth to tell I know no more -about it than you yourself know of the origin of tonight's fire." - -The blow went home, but the Grand Duke did not lower his head. - -"You are right, what does it matter how it happened since the dreadful -results are only too self-evident? Let me associate myself with you in -mourning the terrible loss you have suffered in Fräulein von -Graffenfried's death." - -"Terrible it is, sir," replied Aurora, "and that is why I hasten to -express my gratitude to you, since I have you to thank for the fact that -it is not utterly irreparable. Perhaps you had some forebodings of what -was to come when you decided to give me a second confidante in the -person of Monsieur Vignerte?" - -Frederick-Augustus bit his lips. But his reply was terrible. - -"I know, Madame, that you value M. Vignerte's services highly, and I am -delighted. And if Fräulein von Graffenfried's dreadful end moves me so -much, in its effect on yourself, it is because I know that there are -some things for which a woman is irreplaceable." - -Such an exchange of envenomed condolences seemed to me almost -terrifying. Kessel, Colonel von Wendel, and the others who were standing -round, had no idea of the full meaning of the tragedy. I was at once -proud and dismayed to share such confidences. Memories of Professor -Thierry shot through my mind. I had promised him never to mix myself up -in the private affairs of the Lautenburg sovereigns!... - -I did not know which to admire more, the portentous courtesy of the -Grand Duke, or the icy dignity of the Grand Duchess. I thought for a -moment that she would flinch and lose her self-possession under the -infamous insinuation he had just made. She did nothing of the kind, and -her reply was better than the attack that had provoked it: - -"Irreplaceable you have rightly said, sir. And so it is with no idea of -his taking Melusine's place that I ask you to leave Monsieur Vignerte -entirely at my disposal. On the contrary, I rely on his devotion to help -me to preserve as vivid a recollection as possible of our dear dead -friend and the events of this tragic night." - -She added: - -"Owing to the fire M. Vignerte is actually without a roof. Will you -kindly allow him to be my guest from this day forth?" - -The Grand Duke bowed. - -"It shall be done, madame, according to your wishes. May his society -accord you a slight measure of that relief so necessary to your mental -health after the heavy blows the will of the Most High has seen fit to -inflict upon us." - -Thereupon he left us. - - -In the Grand Duchess's boudoir, converted into a mortuary chapel, the -coffin was smothered under a mass of Circassian roses and iris, between -bowls from which the smoke of incense arose. - -Aurora had wished to be alone with me to watch by the bier of her dead -friend. Callers who diffidently asked for admittance received short -shrift, I can assure you. - -Dressed in a black Armenian tunic, she recited the beautiful prayers of -her faith in low tones. - -I had not closed my eyes for two days, and about midnight I sank into a -chair worn out, and on the verge of collapse. - -When I opened my eyes again the Grand Duchess was standing by me. In the -light of the tall candles soft flickering shadows passed over her face. -She put her hand on my forehead and murmured with a sweet, sad smile: - -"You are tired out. Go to bed, dear friend, poor friend, whom I once -doubted." - -Oh, human frailty! Sleep swept me off that night, a night I could have -spent entirely alone with her amidst the suggestive scent of funeral -wreaths in the very presence of death, from which anything can be -expected. I slept in Melusine von Graffenfried's room. The old, -half-witted waiting-woman came grumbling to change the sheets. - - * * * * * * - -It was on Tuesday, the 28th, that Melusine's obsequies were celebrated. -The Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess and Duke Joachim walked behind the -hearse, its white pall hidden under the fragrant glories of Daghestan. - -I was lost in the crowd of officers, palace officials and leaders of -Lautenburg society. The Grand Duchess had ordered a squad of the 7th -Hussars to render the honours. By the Grand Duke's orders the great bell -of the cathedral beat time to the procession with its heavy measured -toll. A tall old man, with the ascetic face of a Moltke, in an ancient, -shiny black frock coat, came first, with a haughty and sullen lieutenant -in the blue uniform of the Brunswick Hussars. They were Richard and -Albrecht von Graffenfried, the dead girl's father and brother. - -When the coffin entered the Temple of the Siegstrasse my very marrow -seemed to freeze. It made me shiver to think that Melusine, whose -voluptuous form seemed to cry aloud for the luxurious pomp of the -Catholic ritual, should have belonged to the reformed faith. - -I had never been in a Protestant temple before. They are awful places. -Your very tears seem afraid to rise, lest they should freeze on your -eyelids. - -Pastor Silbermann delivered a sermon, his thin form, in its uncouth -gown, reminiscent of the master of some masonic lodge emerging from a -kind of revolving pulpit. For some reason I could not fathom he had -selected from the Scriptures the incident of Jephthah's daughter. -Nothing could have been less appropriate to the frail departed than this -reference to the sacrifice of that dismal, austere Jewess. - -For a whole half-hour the pastor expounded, with the indefatigable -enthusiasm of a mathematics' master the three conditions for the -equality of triangles. - -When he came to the celebrated phrase, "_Strike this bosom which for -thee is unveiled_," my eyes sought the Grand Duchess. I saw she was -weeping. - -We went from the Temple to the station in cars. The coffin, with its -fast-fading flowers, was put in a special carriage. - -When I returned to the palace I met Lieutenant von Hagen in the Great -Gallery, as deserted at five o'clock in the afternoon as if it had been -midnight. He was pale and appeared as if he had been waiting for me. - -"Monsieur," he said, in a low voice, "yesterday morning I waited for you -two hours at the La Meilleraie bridge." - -"I had entirely forgotten our little meeting," I said. "I admit it -frankly." - -"After this," he muttered quietly, "may I hope there'll be no more of -your troublesome lapses of memory?" And so saying he tapped my cheek -with the glove in his right hand. - -I had some difficulty in keeping myself from retaliating with a good -sound cuff. His elaborate pretence of self-possession saved me. - -"Sir," I said, "I shall be at your disposal at six o'clock tomorrow." - -"Let us arrange everything now, if you please. No seconds, no witnesses, -of course. As you are the challenged party, what weapon will you -choose?" - -If I had been less excited than I was this question would have been a -very awkward one. As it happened, I didn't hesitate. - -"This," I replied, drawing the Grand Duchess's revolver from my pocket. - -I could see it was a shock, but he concealed it. - -"It's not exactly usual, is it?" he said. "But, after all, what does it -matter? All right. Seven shots at discretion, immediately after the -signal. What about the distance?" - -"Ten paces," I replied, utterly indifferent to what I was saying. - -A sickly smile wreathed his mouth. - -"A duel to the death then, monsieur. It shall be as you wish." - -He turned and left me. - -I found the Grand Duchess in her room. I had not been there since the -tragedy. She beckoned to me to sit down, but did not speak. Gradually -darkness descended upon us. The lamp which burned before the ikon began -to glow. Melusine's guzla was still lying on the carpet. Our thoughts -were the same. They dwelt on that other glorious instrument of delight, -already a prey to the mysterious transformations of death, which also -would never vibrate again. - - * * * * * * - -When did Aurora sleep? Melusine alone could have known. We heard the -birds awakening at the first coming of dawn. The shrill piping of -finches and sparrows succeeded the plaintive note of the nightingale. I -wonder whether I should hear the birds wake on the morrow. - -I realized that the time had come. It was contrary to etiquette, but I -said to Aurora: - -"Forgive me for leaving you. I'm very tired." There was a tinge of -reproach in the look she gave me. I felt she was thinking that Melusine -was _never_ tired. - -"If she only knew!" I said to myself. And for an instant I was almost -tempted to tell her everything. - -I went back to my room and left it a few moments later, taking care to -go out through the Great Court, for fear lest she might see me from her -window. - -It was not yet five o'clock when I reached the La Meilleraie bridge. -That hour's respite seemed to me an eternity of bliss. Never had earth -seemed so fair and life so dear as in those moments which I thought -might very well be my last. - -I knew that Hagen was one of the finest swordsmen in the garrison. He -was also a crack pistol shot, while I--well, my education had been -confined to firing off two, perhaps three, dozen cartridges with a -revolver during my training periods as an officer of the reserve. - -Leaning on the parapet I watched the Melna dashing over the boulders far -below me. Little silvery trout darted up out of the foaming water, and -reminded me of my trout-fishing days, ten years before, in the Ossau -stream, between Laruns and Pont de Béon. - -Where was this river going? To join the Aller, which meets the Weser, -which flows into the North Sea, which joins the Channel, which is an arm -of the Atlantic, which receives the waters of the Adour, into which the -river of Pan, swollen by the Ossau stream, runs close by the blue hamlet -of Peyrehorade. Little German trout, little French trout. Foolish, -childish thoughts which carry the mind of a man facing death back -through the course of his life, and bridge the gulf between distant -epochs. - -"I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Herr Professor. But it's not yet -quite six o'clock." - -Hagen! I hadn't seen him come. I'd almost forgotten him, in fact. - -We both bowed. - -"I've brought with me," he explained, "everything required for a meeting -without seconds." - -He produced a fountain-pen and some paper. - -"Revolvers being the weapon selected," he said, "I've brought mine. We -can draw lots if you like, but I think it's hardly necessary. The model -is the same. Now will you be good enough to sign this?" - -He had taken the precaution of drawing up a statement, in my name and -his, wherein the two adversaries testified in advance that everything -had been quite fair and regular. - -"In case there's an accident, this will save the survivor a good deal of -trouble," he thought fit to explain. - -Officialism could hardly go further. All the same I was curious to know -how the signal was to be given. I couldn't help asking him. - -He smiled, a smile full of self-satisfaction. - -"I've seen to that all right," he replied. - -With these words he opened a parcel containing an alarm-clock. - -"I've set the alarm for ten minutes past six," he said. "You can test -it, if you like. When it goes off we will fire, changing places if we -like. It's all put down in the statement." - -I couldn't say whether tragedy or absurdity was the more conspicuous -feature of the proceedings. - -Hagen paced out the distance. - -"Eight, nine, ten. Herr Professor, you're a little taller than I. Will -you pace it out too, and if you like, we'll take the mean." - -"It doesn't matter," I said. "This is all right for me." - -He bowed and drew his revolver from his pocket. - -"Seven minutes past," he said. "We'd better take our places." - -I toed the line he had drawn at the start. We were now face to face. - -The clock was placed on the parapet of the bridge, where we could both -see its face. Its sharp ticking sounded above the distant roar of the -river. - -I looked at my opponent. His eyes, bashfully cast down like those of a -girl, were fixed on my feet. - -Nine minutes past six. - -_He_ is listening for the sound, while I am looking at the hand, I -thought. Suppose the alarm went off too soon! - -Suddenly I saw Hagen raise his head. His elegant self-possession had -left him, and a look of unutterable terror was stamped on his features. - -I turned round, regardless of the fact that this movement might have -cost me my life. At that very moment the alarm went off, a loud buzz -that went on and on. - -The Grand Duchess Aurora was behind me. Then I understood why the -officer hadn't fired. - -Aurora was now standing between us. - -"Will one of you gentlemen kindly explain the meaning of this curious -scene?" she said coldly. - -There was no answer. - -The document drawn up by Hagen was under the clock. She picked it up. - -"I understand," she said, when she had read it. "Revolvers! Monsieur -Vignerte, you make very bad use of things you're trusted with. -Lieutenant von Hagen, my compliments to you. Your ingenuity is amazing." - -Her voice was ironical, but now became very hard: - -"Gentlemen, if this is your method of proving that devotion with which -you have never ceased to assail my ears, I may tell you that I have a -very poor opinion of it. You're a foreigner, Monsieur Vignerte, and -cannot be expected, perhaps, to know our duelling regulations. But they -are well known to you, lieutenant." - -Hagen hung his head. - -"In particular, you know that an officer of the 7th Hussars may not -fight without first obtaining his colonel's permission. Only a year ago -Lieutenant Techner was given thirty days' close confinement in a -fortress for breaking this rule. Have you forgotten?" - -Hagen didn't answer. - -"Go back and put on your uniform, Herr von Hagen. Then go to the -orderly-room and place yourself at the disposal of Major von Hougwitz -until you receive official notification of the fifteen days' confinement -to which I reduce your punishment in view of your services. You can go, -sir. Don't forget your clock." - -Lieutenant von Hagen saluted his colonel, faced about and disappeared. - - - - -VIII - - -A dark form appeared at the entrance of our dug-out, through which the -chilly morning air was now stealing. - -"It's five o'clock, sir." - -It was the soldier of the party whom I had told off to wake us without -fail. - -"We've half an hour before the attack," said Vignerte. "Let's go out. -I'll finish my story outside. I'm very near the end." - -The stars had all vanished. One alone still twinkled low down in the -Eastern sky, waiting for daybreak to blot it out. - -We sat down on a ledge projecting from the side of a ravine. It -commanded an excellent view of the line held by our Company, and we -couldn't have had a better position to follow the course of the coming -raid. - -Close by us a soldier's lowly grave, a shadowy rectangle of dead -branches. On the little wooden cross I could read these words, already -almost obliterated by rain: - - -"Mohammed Beggi ben Smaël, Private, 2nd Tirailleurs. He died for -France, September 23rd, 1914. Pray for him." - - -I have seldom seen anything more moving than that little cross pleading -for a Christian prayer for the humble Mussulman soldier. - -Vignerte, looking straight in front of him, was waiting for the moment -when the growing light would reveal the lie of the land. But that hour -was not yet come. Only the dark line of the heights occupied by the -enemy could be distinguished on the horizon. - - -OVER there is Hurtebise and Craonne, he said, and beyond it Laon, Saint -Richaumont and Goise. Farther still is La Capelle and the forest of -Nouvion, where we charged the White Cuirassiers. How often do my -thoughts fly over them to the sandy plains of Hanover and Lautenburg -where I have left Aurora? What is she doing in her room among her rugs -and her jewels? What have they done to her, my God! - -When we returned to the palace after the scene on the La Meilleraie -bridge she said not a word to me. We had our breakfast together, then -she began to arrange large purple iris and white nigella in vases. - -About ten o'clock she summoned one of her waiting women. - -"Is Mademoiselle Marthe there?" she asked. Receiving an affirmative -reply the said: - -"Show her in." - -Mlle. Marthe came every year about this time to show the Grand Duchess -the last word in novelties from Paris. A delicate suggestion of the -Boulevard de la Madeleine seemed to enter with this good-looking, dainty -girl. - -"Have you had a pleasant journey, child?" asked Aurora. - -"I arrived last evening, madame," replied the girl. "Please excuse me -for intruding on your Highness so soon, but I have to go back this -evening." - -"What have you got for me this year?" - -Mlle. Marthe opened her boxes and revealed dainty jewellery, tulle fans, -vanity bags in velvet and moiré, diminutive stamp boxes, powder boxes, -patch-boxes--those Parisian fallals which make all others look cheap. - -"Leave me these," said Aurora. "Tell Duvelleroy it will be all right. In -November I shall want a Watteau fan, or at any rate a Lancret. It must -be ready when I arrive in Paris." - -"Your Highness shall have it," replied the girl confidently. - -"Good. You had better take the five o'clock express this evening. You -will stay to lunch with me and tell me what the Rue de la Paix will be -doing this winter." - -During the meal I admired the unaffected ease with which the little -Parisian girl replied to the Grand Duchess's questions. It made me proud -of my pretty fellow-countrywoman to see Aurora, who had so little love -for the women of Lautenburg, treat her as an equal. But how much greater -was my admiration for the self-possession of this princess, who, after -three days and nights such as would have broken a strong man, was able -to carry on light conversation about the thousand and one little trifles -of Paris fashions. - -"You still recommend Cartier?" - -"Yes, madame, they are still the best for hats." - -"Laurence has left the Rue des Pyramids; she has a big establishment in -the Rue Auber. I shall probably give her a call." - -"I should suggest Your Highness going there. Laurence specializes in the -export business. Most of her trade is with foreign houses." - -It was a pleasure to hear all this small talk, a refreshing, idle -interlude in tragic events; it almost helped me to forget. - -About three o'clock the Grand Duchess handed Marthe an envelope. - -"This is for your journey, my dear. I don't want you to miss your train. -A car will take you back to your hotel, then on to the station. I am -quite satisfied. Don't forget my fan. Good-bye. I shall be calling on -you in November." - -When the little ray of sunshine had vanished the Grand Duchess remained -a moment in thought, fingering the trifles that lay scattered about the -room. Then she said: - -"Monsieur Vignerte, I have an important piece of news for you." - -My reply was a look of hungry questioning. - -"I have the honour to inform you," she continued, "that I have just -received a letter--a letter from Baron von Boose." - -I showed my astonishment. - -"Do you imagine," she said, "that dear little Marthe has come from Paris -solely to bring me Duvelleroy's baubles, charming though they are?" - - * * * * * * - -Friday evening. Eight o'clock. We had just finished dinner. A footman -entered with the evening post--a dozen letters--which he handed to the -Grand Duchess. - -"Will you excuse me?" she said. - -She looked at the seals of all the envelopes, then she opened one. - -"That's it," she said when she'd read it. - -She handed me the letter. It was a request for a subscription from some -philanthropical society in Hambourg. It informed the Grand Duchess that -there was to be a bazaar the following Monday for the benefit of working -class crèches. - -"We will go," said Aurora quietly. "This is the signal I arranged with -Boose." - -I had known everything for two days. She had told me that when I gave -her the document I had found in _Petermann's Mittheilungen_ she had -written to Baron von Boose in the Congo. I have never known what kind of -force she had brought to bear upon the man, but the fact remains that -the letter Marthe had brought told the Grand Duchess that he had just -left Africa. He was now at Hambourg. It could hardly be doubted that he -had important revelations to make. - -"I've made it worth his while," she murmured with her wan smile. - -"We will go tomorrow," she said. - -She looked at me, reflected a moment and then said: - -"'Tis a little late in the day perhaps, my friend, but I begin to have -scruples. I'm abusing your devotion. Do you realize that you have -embarked upon a dangerous undertaking?" - -"And you?" I said. - -"Oh, it's different with me. I am fighting for my liberty, which is more -to me than life. Besides, whatever happens, I am the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg, and, more than that, a Tumene Princess. Behind me there is -the Czar and all the Russias. They would think twice in my case; but -you, dear friend! Think of Cyrus Beck. Think of Melusine. Why, for what -would you sacrifice yourself?" - -There was such intensity of reproach in the look I gave her that proud -and haughty sovereign though she was, she hung her head. - -"Forgive me," she murmured. - -Then she added: - -"Very well, we're agreed. We will start tomorrow. Ring. I must give the -necessary orders." - -I pressed an electric bell. We heard steps. There was a knock at the -door. - -"Come in," said Aurora. - -The door opened. - -"Oh!" was all the Grand Duchess said. - -Lieutenant von Hagen had just appeared in the doorway. He was rather -pale and stood stiffly at attention, his right hand to his Kolbach, the -burnished chin-strap of which encircled his clenched jaw. - -"Lieutenant von Hagen!" said Aurora when she had recovered from her -surprise. "Since when have officers under arrest acquired the habit of -leaving the citadel?" - -Hagen stood like a rock and said nothing. - -"Will you be kind enough to explain?... Your sentence has not been -remitted, so far as I know." - -"It has, Your Highness!" murmured Hagen. - -"It _has_!" cried the Grand Duchess. "Herr von Hagen, are you mad?" - -"No, Your Highness," replied the little officer, in a low, insistent -voice. "My detention ceased this evening." - -"Ceased!" exclaimed Aurora, beside herself. "Do you realize, Lieutenant, -how far this jesting may carry you? Do you know that one thing, and one -thing only, can remit a sentence of detention ordered by me?" - -"I know it, Your Highness," said Hagen. - -"And that one thing is ..." - -"--WAR." The officer completed her sentence. It may strike you as highly -improbable, but the fact is that in the midst of the series of tragedies -which had just taken place at the Court of Lautenburg the great events -of the last week of July had passed almost unnoticed. We knew all about -the note to Serbia, of course, but since the night in the armoury -nothing had existed for us but the events I have described to you, not -even the Austrian Ultimatum, or the German "Kriegzustand." Nothing, -absolutely nothing. And now that one little word--War. - -I looked at Hagen in stupefaction. He had exchanged his red cloak for -the grey-green field tunic. - -Checking her surprise and trying to look as unconcerned as possible, -Aurora asked: - -"War! Herr von Hagen? And against whom?" - -"Russia, probably tonight, Your Highness," said the little officer. -"France, tomorrow, almost certainly. The Grand Duke arrived from Berlin -an hour ago, bringing with him the mobilization order for the Army -Corps." - -Aurora went to the window and threw it wide open. It was stiflingly hot. - -"I suppose, Lieutenant, that the Grand Duke commissioned you to convey -this important piece of news to me.... In that case I don't see why you -needed the escort of the four hussars I see down there at the door." - -Hagen blushed violently, then turned pale. "Your Highness!" he murmured. - -"What?" she said, with cold dignity. - -"I have another duty to perform. Will you excuse me ..." - -"Come, come, Lieutenant, don't be so nervous. If you are not even -capable of telling me your mission you'll never have the strength of -mind to carry it out. Tell me I'm a prisoner in my own palace. That is -so, isn't it?" - -"Oh, Your Highness!" cried Hagen. "How could you think such a thing.... -_I_, to accept such a ..." - -"Then what is the trouble?" - -The officer did not reply, but looked in my direction. - -"Madam," I said, stepping forward, "please do not torture yourself thus. -Really, Herr von Hagen, it's so easy to say that you have been sent to -arrest me." - -There was a pause. - -"Is that true, sir?" said the Grand Duchess. Hagen hung his head. - -"Can you explain the reason for this arrest?" - -"Madam," said Hagen, recovering himself a little, "I am a soldier and -can only carry out my orders without questioning them. But it is not -difficult to understand. Monsieur Vignerte is French, and moreover, an -officer. France is mobilizing against us. We are told that French -aviators have already bombed ..." - -"You are a soldier, sir, and obey the orders you receive," the Grand -Duchess interrupted. "That is as it should be, but are you quite sure -that you didn't suggest this particular order yourself?" - -Hagen didn't answer, but the look of hatred he gave me was eloquent -enough. - -The Grand Duchess turned to me sharply and said: - -"Go and get dressed!" - -She herself put on a long dark cloak. Then she went to her bureau. I saw -her rummage in it and bring out several objects which she slipped into -the roomy packets of the cloak. - -"Herr von Hagen," she said, coming back, "are you to take Monsieur -Vignette to the citadel? At what time?" - -"He must be there at ten o'clock, Your Highness." - -With a smile of infinite scorn she put her hand on his shoulder. - -"And so you actually thought," she said, "that I would let you lock him -up?" - -There was overwhelming majesty in her look, her pose, her words. I saw -the officer hang his head. He trembled in every limb. - -"Ludwig von Hagen," she continued, "a certain day, four years ago, I -learned that an officer of the 7th Hussars had cheated at cards. It -meant death and dishonour to him. The next day that officer's debts were -paid, the affair was hushed up and he himself, selected by me for my -orderly officer, astonished the whole garrison by his strange and rapid -change of fortune. Remarks were passed to which I paid no attention. You -know yourself that the sole motive of my action was my wish to rescue -from infamy a brave young man, who bore a great name and in whom I -believed. - -"He, on the other hand," she said, pointing to me, "not only owes me -nothing, but indeed suffered at first from my indifference, nay, scorn, -the result of unworthy suspicions. He never showed any resentment. -Quietly, secretly he has been working for me. Perhaps he himself does -not know the full meaning of what he has done. But he certainly knew he -was risking his life. And now the man who owes me everything has come to -arrest the man to whom I owe everything!" - -Tears ran down the face of the little hussar. - -"What do you wish me to do?" he murmured in a tremulous, hoarse voice. - -"I want you to pay the debt you owe me," replied Aurora. "The time has -come and you cannot complain, for you have brought it on yourself." - -"Give your orders," he said. "I will obey." - -"Go downstairs and begin by sending your men away. Find some pretext -which won't be awkward for you later on. - -"Now go to the garage," she said, when he came back. "There are still -some chauffeurs about. Make them get out the big grey with a full supply -of petrol. Don't light the lamps. Bring it down below yourself. It is -now twenty minutes to nine. Be there at ten to." - -Aurora laid a map out on the table and studied it. "It's obviously -shorter by Aix-la-Chapelle and Belgium," she murmured, "but I know the -Wiesbaden-Thionville route better." - -"Are you ready?" she said. - -"What are you going to do?" I asked. - -"Take you back to France, of course." - -She added: - -"I have put some money and a revolver in the pocket of your coat. You -can get anywhere with those." - -Aurora was just beauty itself then, my friend. If you'd only seen her at -that moment you'd understand why I can't control my voice at this point. - -There was a dull roar under the window. The _Benz_ was there. - -"Come," said Aurora. - -At that moment Hagen came in. His air of sullen annoyance had deserted -him now, I can tell you. He fell at the Grand Duchess's feet. - -"You are going! You are going with him, for ever!" he murmured with a -sob in his voice. - -She looked at him more kindly. - -"If that is your idea, Herr von Hagen, it is all the more praiseworthy -of you to have obeyed. You may know, however, that I'm not going. I'm -bound to this place which I loathe by the task that still lies before -me. But for the moment my duty is to save him who has given up -everything for me." - -"Oh, thank you! thank you!" said the young man. - -"You had better wait a bit before thanking me," she said. "I presume, -Herr von Hagen, that you have your identity card and mobilization orders -on you?" - -He rose, quivering with horror. - -"My mobilization orders?" he repeated, deadly pale. - -"Yes," she said calmly. "Oblige me by handing them over to Monsieur -Vignerte. We might be stopped between here and the frontier. Of course -I know that in all probability I shall only have to mention my name to -get through. But we might come across some stupid sentry. We must not -lose any time. Lieutenant von Hagen will be able to get anywhere. Come. -Quick!" - -The officer was white as death. A terrible conflict was raging within -him. - -"You are now taking my honour from me, Madam!" he blurted out at length. - -"I should only be taking back what I gave you myself, Herr von Hagen," -said Aurora, pitilessly. "But you mustn't exaggerate. It will be your -own fault if you are compromised. I ask but two things of you. First -that you wait until ten o'clock to give the alarm that we have gone. -Secondly, that you arrange matters so that they shall think we have -taken the Aix-la-Chapelle route. If the Grand Duke is shameless enough -to telegraph or telephone it must not be in our direction. Come. -Good-bye. I shall be back by this time tomorrow." - -She held out a hand which he bathed with his tears. - -"I may count on you, friend, mayn't I?" - -Choking with emotion, he nodded. - -I myself was utterly overcome and went forward to offer my hand to the -man who was risking everything for me at that moment. But he started -back and replied with a look of unutterable hatred. - -"Monsieur, I pray God that we may meet again elsewhere--and soon." - -Aurora shrugged her shoulders, and I heard her murmur something about -the stupidity of men. But she was already on the stairs. I followed her, -but not before I had had one last look at her room with its rugs, its -jewels, and its glorious, fading flowers. - -"Get in," she said in a low voice. - -I climbed into the great car and we started off. - -As we sped over the La Meilleraie bridge the clocks of Lautenburg and in -the old tower of the castle were just striking nine. - - * * * * * * - -The road, an endless white ribbon, sparkled softly in the light of the -moon. It slipped beneath our wheels as the car whirled along at a giddy -pace. And every time we turned a corner I learned how amazingly sure -were the hands of the woman who was driving me. - -The whole thing had happened so quickly that when I was once more in a -condition to take things in we had already done quite sixty miles. Then -Aurora's expression, "I shall be back by this time tomorrow," came to -mind, and I realized in a flash that in a few short hours I should be -separated from the Grand Duchess. - -I did not rebel. The prodigious speed at which we were going lulled me -into a kind of helpless torpor which soon developed a curious bliss of -its own. Dark clumps of trees and funny little switchback bridges over -silvery rivers fled behind us. We passed a cart laden high with hay: a -few inches more to the left would have meant death. Death. I uttered -that word and glanced at Aurora's set face. Her gauntleted fingers -looked like thin, white bars on the steering wheel. - -Suddenly my thoughts turned to the war. Was it really a fact? How should -I find my country? I confess to my shame that such was the intoxication -of speed, so great its power of tearing me from myself that I could not -concentrate my mind on that dreadful thought. At that hour I was wholly -indifferent to what the future might have in store for me. - -A shaded electric lamp showed up every detail of the map, but Aurora -hardly looked at it once. She knew the way by heart I remember her -telling me that she had passed that way many a time when going to take -the waters. - -She knew exactly at what point to make a detour round the towns whose -red halo emerged from the darkness to right and left, grew before our -eyes, was overtaken and disappeared in the night. Three or four times -she muttered: Cassel, Giessen, Wetzlar! - -Cassel, Giessen, Wetzlar! What did I care? - -The light from the lamp lit up a clock near the speedometer. But I could -not see the time. Thought had deserted me.... - -Without slowing down we went through a hilly town with houses hidden -among dark clumps of trees. - -"Wiesbaden," murmured Aurora. "My villa," she remarked as we passed one -of these houses. "It's not yet one o'clock. We have come very well." - -She turned to the right where the road forked. Far away on the left the -lights of a big city glowed in the night sky. - -"That's Mainz," she said, "and here's the Rhine." - -At top speed we crossed the sacred river by a suspension bridge. A dull -roar came up from below. Here and there, where the darkness was less -intense, we could see its green waters. - -At the far end of the bridge we thought we heard an order. A hoarse, -"Who goes there!" Then, unmistakably, the sharp sound of a shot. - -"They fired at us," said Aurora. "We must be getting near the frontier. -We must be a little more careful now." - -I looked at the compass. We were going due west. The speedometer -registered 70. For the first time I had a real shock. - -Aurora saw it and smiled. - -"We were going 90 between Wetzlar and Wiesbaden," was all she said. - -Soon another red glow appeared in the west. - -"Thionville," said Aurora. "It must be crammed with troops." - -To my great surprise I observed that she made no attempt to avoid this -town, as she had avoided the others. Our lamps were now lit and we were -making straight for the fortress, whose walls mounted higher and higher -into the sky. - -The car slowed down. We passed houses, suburbs. Then came an imperious, -"Who goes there!" We stopped. - -A dozen soldiers surrounded us. All of them were wearing the grey-green -uniform and covered helmet. - -"Your papers," said the rough voice of a non-commissioned officer. - -"I will show them to your officer," replied Aurora. "Please go and fetch -him." - -He arrived in due course. He was a kind of blonde giant, very angry at -being disturbed in his sleep. When he saw we were civilians, politeness -vanished from his questions. - -"Lieutenant," said the Grand Duchess dryly, "I must first ask you to -stop your men from breaking up my car with their rifle butts. Then -perhaps you will be good enough to look at this." - -So saying she flashed the lamp upon the Lautenburg arms painted on the -door. - -The officer started. - -"Have I the honour of addressing Her Highness the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg?" he said, stiffening to attention. - -"You have, lieutenant," replied Aurora. - -"I must ask Your Highness to excuse me," the man said in dismay. "Back -there!" he bawled to his men, thrusting back the foremost. "How can I -serve Your Highness?" - -"Very easily," said the Grand Duchess. "I presume General von Offenburg -is still commanding at Thionville? I suspect His Excellency is not -asleep on a night like this. Be so good as to take me to him. Lend me -one of your men to come with us and show us the way." - -The officer at once did what was required. He bowed very low, expressing -his regret that his duties did not permit him to conduct us himself. - -The General in command of the fortress was not at headquarters, but in -the end we found him at the station with his staff. He was watching the -detraining of the troops at the platforms, which were literally black -with them. In the great square an enormous mass of guns projected their -antediluvian silhouettes on the night. I received an impression of sheer -numbers and brute force which made me shudder. - -When an orderly officer had informed General von Offenburg of the Grand -Duchess's presence he came forward at once. He was a fine figure of a -man, in his long grey cloak with the scarlet collar. He bowed to Aurora -and reminded her that he had once had the honour of dancing with her in -Berlin. But with all his efforts he could barely conceal his -astonishment at our presence at that hour and in such a guise. - -"Don't be too much surprised, General," said Aurora, with a smile. "As -soon as I heard of the great events in prospect in this quarter I felt I -could not remain at Lautenburg. I wanted to see and admire our men at -the frontier, and here I am, with my orderly officer Lieutenant von -Hagen, of the 7th Hussars," she said, presenting me. - -I saluted as stiffly and punctiliously as I possibly could. - -"Then why, Your Highness," exclaimed von Offenburg, "have you come this -way? There is nothing very interesting here. The 16th Corps is a rock -which nothing can move. Why did you not go round by Aachen?" - -"Yes," she said. "That was suggested. Round by Aix-la-Chapelle ...?" - -"Hadn't you heard that the whole army is being concentrated there?" the -General whispered. - -"That's true," said Aurora. "But the Belgian frontier doesn't interest -me. I should never have forgiven myself if I had not seen the French -frontier at the very outbreak of war." - -"I greet you as the intrepid colonel of the brave 7th Hussars," said von -Orenburg, kissing her hand. "Can I assist you in any way?" - -"Most certainly you can," said Aurora. "Do you realize your sentries -arrested me off-hand just now? I ought really to ask you for an escort, -but I'm afraid my _Benz_ would be hard put to it to keep up with your -dragoons. May they take me as far as the outposts, and please give me -some kind of permit to save me from any more little accidents when I -come back. We must hurry on. It will soon be dawn, and I want to see the -first rays of sunlight on the frontier-posts." - -The General had a permit brought. "There," he said, initialling it with -a flourish. "You've just got time. Villerupt, in France, is a mile and a -quarter from the frontier, and barely thirteen from here. You will be -there in less than half an hour. But don't expect to see any French -soldiers. Their Government has ordered them to withdraw two leagues from -the frontier, to avoid any accident likely to precipitate war," he -concluded with a coarse laugh. - -Escorted by a half-troop of dragoons we made an impressive exit from -Thionville. When we had covered rather more than a mile on the -Audun-le-Roman road the Grand Duchess whispered in my ear: - -"They are very kind, but I'm afraid we would find them a nuisance in the -long run." - -And she let the car out to its top speed. Behind us, in the first faint -light of day, the dragoons were soon strung out, and, a moment later, -out of sight on the dark road. - -The chilly breeze of dawn fanned my temples. My emotions now began to -overwhelm me. Indeed, at that moment I had not even a thought for her -for whom I would have sacrificed everything, the woman I was about to -leave for ever. I gazed before me at the little hills, which now began -to emerge, one by one, out of the yielding darkness. The amazing -originality of the manner of my return was forgotten, and I was -possessed by another sentiment, far stronger and more poignant. - -I was wholly under its influence when the car stopped so suddenly as -almost to throw me on to the wind-screen. Without a word the Grand -Duchess pointed to a frontier post ten paces away on the right of the -road. - -The spectacle of that six-foot post, one side white and black, the other -blue, white and red, was extraordinarily moving. - -I looked at the Grand Duchess and a great joy filled me as I saw the -emotion in her set face. - -It was not yet quite light. The car was now going very slowly. It was as -if Aurora wanted me to notice the little night flowers which trembled in -the wind on the sides of the banks. - -Suddenly I caught hold of my companion's arm. The car stopped. Less than -two hundred yards away, at the top of a hill above the road, a -motionless horseman had just appeared, a dark silhouette against the -sky. - -It was a French dragoon. We could see the buff cover of his helmet and -the red and white pennon on his lance. Then two more appeared, then ten, -then twenty, and they came forward at a canter to meet us. - -"It is your turn to do the talking this time," said Aurora, with a -smile. - -An officer came first. He was a tall young man, dark and rather pale. -His chin-strap drew a shining line across his black moustache. He -saluted us with his sabre and asked to see our permits. - -"I must confess, monsieur," replied the Grand Duchess, "that I do not -possess anything of the kind, for I don't suppose you will be satisfied -with this which was given me by the German general in command at -Thionville," she said, showing von Offenburg's permit. - -The young officer assumed an expression denoting that the occasion was -hardly suitable for trifling. - -"Monsieur," continued Aurora, when she had satisfied herself at a glance -that for the moment I was completely unable to say a word, "there are -some things it would take too long to explain from a car to a horse in -the middle of the road. These are the facts. I am the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg-Detmold. Monsieur Vignerte, my companion, is a French -officer, a lieutenant like yourself. I don't know whether in France you -have already taken the precaution of arresting Germans. But in Germany -we have been arresting Frenchmen since yesterday. This gentleman was -about to be arrested; I have brought him to you. That is all." - -And, moved apparently by the look of amazement which had spread over the -dragoon's face, she added: - -"I should, perhaps, say, monsieur, that I am Russian by birth, so you -need no longer doubt either myself or my immediate purpose." - -The officer had dismounted. He bowed respectfully to Aurora, who had, -like myself, just stepped out of the car. - -"Lieutenant de Coigny, 11th Dragoons, of Longwy," he said. - -I introduced myself. We shook hands. - -"You have come a long way, comrade. What shall we do with you?" - -"You have a spare horse to lend him?" said the Grand Duchess. "Now, if I -may offer a little advice, take him at once to your civil or military -authorities. He has come straight from Germany, and knows much that may -be valuable to this country, where the flowers are lovely, but which is -never sufficiently on its guard, I think." - -As she spoke she was looking at some wild roses hanging over the edge of -the bank. Lieutenant de Coigny plundered the thickest tufts and -collected a pink bunch which he handed to the Grand Duchess. - -"Thank you, monsieur," she said, with a charming smile to the young man, -who was under the spell of her wondrous beauty. "Would you be good -enough to make your horses stand aside? The road is narrow, and I must -turn my car." - -Then I utterly broke down. - -Gone were my indifference of the night, my sudden emotion on entering -France once more. They were things of the past. One thought alone -obsessed me: in a quarter of an hour I should have lost her for ever. - -Lieutenant de Coigny had made his men stand back. I heard the Grand -Duchess say to him in her soft, tender voice: - -"Excuse him, monsieur, he has just suffered greater shocks than the war -will ever bring him." - -And now I felt her hand on my brow. - -"Courage, _ami_," she said, in low but firm tones. "You are going back -to your own home, your own fair land, a land I love. It will need you, -for the coming struggle will be terrible, much more terrible than you -can imagine. But you will know many glorious emotions, horses galloping -in the August sun; heaven-sent transports in which reason forsakes one, -everything, indeed, which could make a woman like myself regret I am not -a man. - -"It will be terrible, very terrible. But over there, beyond the -frontiers, other horsemen are springing into the saddle, horsemen called -'Big Heads', with astrakhan caps, curving sabres and leaden whips, who -charge with their terrible cry of 'Huâ! huâ! huâ!' so that the -stoutest hearts fail and the strongest arms fling away their weapons the -better to flee the Cossacks of Tumene. - -"Remember you have no cause for grief. And if you would have proof, -think of the fate in store for her who is returning to Lautenburg -without you." - -"Alas!" I murmured through my tears. "Stay with us. Don't go back. Think -of what may happen to you there!" - -I heard her voice and it was almost a hiss. - -"Child, child, I thought that after knowing me so well you would have -learned a little of what hate can mean. Boose has come back. Have you -really forgotten the fireplace in the armoury, the letters from the -Congo, the whole treacherous mystery? Do you really think that just at -the moment when I am about to unravel the secret of the crime I shall -let the criminal go?" - -My tears fell uncontrolled. Then suddenly a sensation of extreme relief -exalted my despair, as for one second I felt the touch of her lips upon -my forehead.... - -I started up with a terrible cry. Like one possessed I began to run -after her down the road till I stumbled and fell full length in the -ditch. - -When I picked myself up, breathless and desperate, the car was nothing -but a tiny grey speck in the east. - - * * * * * * - -Thanks to the horse which one of Lieutenant de Coigny's dragoons had -given up to me I reached Audun-le-Roman about seven o'clock. There a car -was immediately requisitioned, and I was taken to Nancy. - -I had expected that mobilization would already have been ordered in -France. But nothing had been done, and my mind became obsessed by the -memory of the tremendous preparations I had witnessed that night, -preparations which removed any lingering doubt. - -We went straight to the Prefecture, and I was taken before the Prefect. -I told him as fully as possible everything I had seen and heard. He -listened to me with the closest attention, taking notes. When I left him -he was already telephoning to Paris the information I had given him. - -I wandered about in the streets of Nancy, as my train was not leaving -until twelve midday. - -Too harassed and excited to rest, I went into a café in the Place -Stanislas. When I put my hand in my pocket to pay I drew out the -note-case which Aurora had put there. I had never felt so well off as at -that moment when money, once the most coveted of possessions, seemed to -have lost all value for me. - -I walked in a main street and stopped, all unconsciously, at a shop. I -went in and bought the clothes you see me in now. I was so stupefied -that I didn't even notice that for field service the blue tunic had -taken the place of the old black tunic with red collar. - -At midday the train started for Paris. For the first time I saw all -those places that the retreat has engraved on our minds: Dormans, with -its bridge that we crossed on September 2nd in the added gloom of the -anniversary of Sedan; the lovely Jaulgonne road down which we chased the -enemy; Château-Thierry on the Marne, with its ruined castle perched up -on high, where we slept in a bed for the first time. - -It was twenty minutes past five when the train drew up in -Château-Thierry station. There I learned the news of the general -mobilization. The wall of fire and steel which separated me from my -beloved sovereign of Lautenburg had at last been raised. - -The atmosphere was heavy and thunderous when I got out at the Gare de -l'Est, but the great city of Paris was calm. Oh, Paris, once I had -feared so much for you when this terrible moment should come; your -excitability, your fits of passion, your very ardour, which might be -treason's opportunity. And now the hour had come and not even -assassination had shaken your quiet resolution, the assassination of the -man who had boasted that he could start or stop revolution at his will. - -My mobilization orders had disappeared in the fire at the castle of -Lautenburg, but that didn't worry me much. I knew them by heart and -decided to leave next morning to rejoin the 18th Infantry at Pau. - -I put on my uniform in a hotel bedroom and then, walking through the Rue -Lafayette, I made for the centre of the city. - -People were much more excited than noisy. There were a good many -soldiers about, already officers like myself, but all of them had on -their arms mothers or wives who looked into their eyes with an -indescribable expression of pride and tenderness. But I was lonely and -alone on that tragic evening, even more lonely in that city than on the -night when I had left it. - -I hadn't as yet any notion whither I was wending my way. But I began to -have some inkling when I had reached the Rue Royale with its brilliantly -lit terraces swarming with people. As I passed Weber's I thought of -Clotilde. "It's August. She hasn't got her white fox now. She must be -wearing a light silk blouse...." Then memories of the girl filled me with -loathing. - -A pall of shadow was beginning to settle on the trees of the -Champs-Elysées under the darkening sky. I turned to the right and chose -the little alleys which remind you of a watering-place with their trees -and casinos. Cars stopped with a jerk before well-lit restaurants. -Commissionaires opened their doors. - -I had reached the Avenue Gabriel, a dark tunnel of foliage. I walked up -it slowly. A feeling of unutterable anguish invaded my whole being. Soon -I saw lights in a restaurant window. On the door of that restaurant I -read the word "Laurent." - -I sat down opposite that door, on the bench I knew I should find there. -My fingers groped over the rough surface of the back, striking here and -there the round, flat heads of the big nails. - -At last they stopped. They had found what they wanted. I leaned down and -had no difficulty, though it was now quite dark, in deciphering the -three marks, those three letters "A. A. E." which the little Tumene -princess had once carved there. - - - - -EPILOGUE - - -"My story is told," said Vignerte. - -He lapsed into silence and I respected his feelings. Then, little by -little, we both felt our thoughts wandering from the tragedy he had just -conjured up and concentrate on that other drama that was about to be -unfolded before our eyes. - -It was a quarter to six. It was not yet light, though we felt that day -was at hand. The four runners, one for each section, had silently come -up behind. - -Six o'clock!... The hour fixed for the attack. A minute passed, a minute -that seemed an eternity. Then the distant sound of a whistle reached our -ears. The 22nd were leaving their trenches. - -There was about three hundred yards between their trenches and the horn -of the wood which our comrades were to clear. To cross a space of three -hundred yards, mainly on your stomach, requires a good quarter of an -hour. - -The night was cold, but light clouds, already turning to burnished gold -in the grey eastern sky, promised a fine day. You can't imagine what a -tragic moment those minutes of breathless expectation are. And yet none -of those who have come back from the dreadful experience ever regret -having known it. - -Suddenly a sharp shot rang out at the bottom of the valley. Then two, -three.... A German post had given the alarm, but too late, judging by -the time that had elapsed. Our men must have been on them. - -Then to our right volleys crashed out, like a sheet of metal being -ripped in two. It was the 23rd Company, whose orders were to maintain a -steady fire on the Germans opposite with a view to holding them down and -preventing them from helping their comrades in distress. - -Now the whole hostile line replied with nervous bursts which augured -well for us. Their shooting was bad and their bullets flew high above -our heads. Now and then a snapped twig fell beside us, like a leaf -fluttering to earth. Any one who has done any fighting in wooded country -knows what I mean. - -The din had lasted about five minutes when, on our right, an enormous -flame shot up into the sky, illuminating all the heights opposite, and -then dying out in a shower of debris. At the same moment there was the -deafening roar of a terrific explosion. - -"That's what we wanted," I murmured to Vignerte. "There was a mine -there, and they've fired it." - -On our own bit of front the firing had begun again with redoubled -vigour. Then there was a sudden silence. A rocket went up from our -lines. - -That rocket told our artillery that the 22nd had just got safely back to -its trenches and that its turn had now arrived. The barrage opened -immediately. - -We could now hear the invisible monsters coming from behind, describing -their deadly curves above our heads. That roar gets louder and louder -and yet seems so slow, so terribly slow, that you can never explain how -it is you cannot see one of these birds that make such a tremendous -noise. - -And then comes the end of the journey in the enemy's trenches, the blue -and red flame, the earth and debris flying heavenwards in a sulphur -column, the ear-splitting crash of the explosion. - -Vignerte and I watched the effects of the bombardment through our -glasses. - -All at once I heard some one calling me. - -It was the runner between us and battalion headquarters. He came up, out -of breath with running. - -"Sir! Sir!" - -"What is it?" - -"The Commandant wants you at once at his headquarters." - -"I'm off," I said to Vignerte. "What news have you at your end?" I asked -the man. "Do you know if the raid of the 22nd succeeded?" - -"Splendidly, sir. They only lost two men. They have blown up a mine, -destroyed the trench and brought back nearly forty prisoners. Very good -work, sir. But please come quickly. The Commandant is in a hurry." - -I started at a run. There was a very decent communication trench leading -to battalion headquarters, situated some few hundred yards back. There -was only one place, a kind of open slope, which offered no cover. I -crossed it without quickening my pace, for at that moment the German -lines were silent under our bombardment, and I ran no risk. - -The Commandant was standing at the door of his dug-out. - -"Oh, there you are. I'm sorry to have made you run. But it is all owing -to the success of the 22nd." - -"What can I do, sir?" - -"Look here. You're an expert in German, while I have hardly touched the -beastly language since I left Saint-Cyr. We have here a prisoner of -rank. I've had a shot at questioning him, but can't get a word out of -him. Yet he could give us some mighty useful information. He's a major -in the Engineers, and it was he who was organizing the sap we've just -played Old Harry with. Coste got him, and he'll certainly get his -captaincy for it." - -"A senior officer who can't speak French! That's an extraordinary -thing!" I said. "You know many of them pretend not to speak it." - -"I do know, otherwise I shouldn't have sent for you. He won't be able to -pretend he doesn't understand the excellent German in which you'll -address him. There is the fellow." - -I went into my Commanding Officer's dug-out, where I found the German -major, guarded by the two men of the 22nd who had brought him across -from the German lines. They were so proud of their achievement that they -couldn't help giving me the following piece of information: - -"He shot poor Labourdette with his revolver. But with Lieutenant Coste's -help we got him at last." - -He was a man about forty, with cold blue eyes and hard but intelligent -features. He hardly replied to the salute I gave him as I entered. - -I put several questions to him, but without success. - -"Monsieur," he said at length, in the very best French, "as I told you, -what is the good of these questions? I shall only tell you things that -don't matter, such as my name, which does not interest you. As for -military information, I am an officer. So are you. If you were in my -place, you'd say nothing, wouldn't you? Let me do the same." - -He lapsed into his obstinate, scornful silence. - -"We sha'n't get anything out of him," I said to my chief. "Hadn't he -anything on him, any papers, when he was taken?" - -"Nothing at all," replied the Commandant helplessly. - -"Didn't you find _anything_?" I said to the men. - -"Nothing but this, sir," one of them replied, taking a crumpled piece of -paper from his pocket. - -"Let me see it," I said. - -The fragment he handed me was written in pencil and half illegible. It -was the draft of a letter. I had an electric shock the minute I began to -read. - -The prisoner watched me with a sly look. - -I stepped up to him, beside myself. - -"I know your name, _now_, sir!" I said. - -"That is very remarkable," he replied insolently, "for the paper you -have in your possession is not signed, and you are not a wizard." - -"You wretch!" I burst out. "Your name is Ulrich von Boose, and you are -the murderer of the Grand Duke Rudolph of Lautenburg-Detmold." - -His face turned deadly pale. His hands contracted convulsively. But he -had enough presence of mind to say to my chief in a quivering voice: - -"I protest against this treatment, sir! Please be good enough to stop -your lieutenant from insulting an enemy prisoner. It's infamous!" - -"Oh, don't you bother me!" shouted my chief. "But really, lieutenant, -what's all this about? What's in that paper?" - -I had the greatest difficulty in controlling my feelings. - -"Excuse me sir," I murmured. "I don't feel able to explain myself.... -But would you be kind enough to send for Lieutenant Vignerte at once! He -knows all about this man, and can tell you everything." - -"All right," grumbled my chief. "What a business!" - -He gave the order. - -At the sound of Vignerte's name the German had turned even paler. There -was rage and hatred in the look he gave me. If the two soldiers had not -held him tight he would certainly have flung himself upon me and tried -to snatch away the paper I was about to re-read with rather more -composure. - - -Once more, for the last time, I tell you this: I have seen too much of -your methods with others not to know what your intentions are as regards -myself. I agreed to go to the war. But the war is dragging on. Every day -I run the risk of never returning at all. No doubt that is exactly what -you want: after the Grand Duke, after the Grand Duchess, my turn, I -suppose! And then there'll be nothing to trouble your sleep.... I am not -such a fool as that. If, within fifteen days, I am not withdrawn from -the front and appointed to a staff post, with the rank to which I think -my services have entitled me, I can promise you _this_--a _detailed_ -description of the whole affair will be _published_ by friends of mine, -in a large number of neutral or enemy papers, addressed to all those -whose enlightenment you have most reason to fear. And I can assure you -that it will be all the more credible because the documents will contain -a specimen of a handwriting which you know well. - - -The last sentence was in a totally different handwriting from that of -the rest of the letter. The latter was fine and spidery, the other big -and bold. I had been able to examine them both earlier in the night. One -was the handwriting of the letters written from the Cameroons by the -Grand Duke Rudolph, the other that of the sketch-map I had found in the -"Mittheilungen." - -Everything was clear now, horribly clear. "Vignerte's going to know at -last!" I thought, in a transport of joy. - -Then suddenly an icy sweat broke out from my temples. What price was he -going to pay for that knowledge! Fool that I was, I had forgotten that -she, too.... - -"He mustn't! He mustn't!..." I muttered. - -Too late. - -"There's Vignerte," said my chief, gazing out from the door of his -dug-out. - -It was all over. The fatal step had been taken. - -Day dawned, suffusing the earth with pink and blue tints. A thrush sang -on a shattered tree. - -I soon saw Vignerte in the ravine below. He was coming up slowly. I -could see his tall, elegant form and, little by little, distinguish his -dark, clean-cut features. - -"O God!" I cried. - -"Come, sir," said my chief, "have you gone mad?" - -And now Vignerte was only a hundred yards away. I saw him stride out as -he got to that open slope which still separated him from the Commanding -Officer's dug-out. - -Then, from the clear depths of infinite distance a horrible sound came -out of nothing, and swelled to a great shriek. In the pallid sky an -invisible mass was approaching with the noise of a train entering a -station. The shriek grew louder and louder and we realized that the -hellish journey was to end on us. - -We saw the men skip into their holes like so many frogs. - -Surprised in the very middle of the bare slope, Vignerte had stopped. -Should he go on, or go back? We felt his fatal hesitation. - -The shriek was now a roar of thunder. - -"Vignerte!" I screamed frantically. "Lie down! For God's sake, lie -down!" - -I saw him for one second more. He had not moved. Drawn to his full -height, and facing the approaching storm with a gentle smile of -acquiescence and ecstasy, he was gazing in rapt attention towards the -dawn. - -Then came the crash. - -A shower of stones and steel fragments fell on the roof of the dug-out -into which my chief had hastily pulled me at the last moment. When the -dreadful rain had ceased, we looked out, our eyes starting from our -heads with horror. - -At the edge of the slope an enormous black crater now yawned with some -pathetic red and blue fragments on the far side. - - -Thus died Lieutenant Vignerte on October 31st, 1914, for love of the -Grand Duchess Aurora of Lautenburg-Detmold. - - - - -THE END - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET SPRING *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The secret spring</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Pierre Benoît</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 1, 2022 [eBook #69281]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET SPRING ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/secret_cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<h1>THE<br /> -SECRET SPRING</h1> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3>BY</h3> - -<h2>PIERRE BENOIT</h2> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>NEW YORK</h4> - -<h4>DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY</h4> - -<h5>1920</h5> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p class="nind"> -<a href="#FOREWORD">A FOREWORD</a><br /> -<a href="#PROLOGUE">PROLOGUE</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#I">I</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#II">II</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#III">III</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#IV">IV</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#V">V</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#VI">VI</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#VII">VII</a><br /> -CHAPTER <a href="#VIII">VIII</a><br /> -<a href="#EPILOGUE">EPILOGUE</a></p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="FOREWORD">A FOREWORD</a></h4> - -<p> -Long have I hesitated to give back to Life the legacy left me by Death. -But at last, reflecting that Lieutenant Vignerte and She whom he loved -have vanished into the eternal shades, I have decided that there is no -longer any reason to keep silence about the tragic events staged in the -German court of Lautenburg-Detmold in the months immediately preceding -the Great War. -</p> -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">P. B.</p> - - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="PROLOGUE">PROLOGUE</a></h4> - -<p> -"Unpile Arms!" -</p> - -<p> -Of its own motion and by that force of habit which makes the word of -command superfluous, the dark mass of the company rose and formed fours -to the right. -</p> - -<p> -The darkness was falling, cold and cruel, slashed with long liquid -streaks. It had been raining all day. In the middle of the clearing a -grey-green sky looked up at us from shadowy pools. -</p> - -<p> -An order rang out: "Quick March!" The little body moved off. I was at -the head. At the edge of the wood was a country-house, some -eighteenth-century fantasy; two or three shells had been enough to -demolish the wings. The chandeliers of the big ground-floor room, -multiplied in its mirrors and sparkling through its tall windows, -enhanced the sinister blackness of the falling October night. -</p> - -<p> -Five or six shadowy forms in long cloaks stood out against this -background of light. -</p> - -<p> -"What Company?" -</p> - -<p> -"The 24th of the 218th Regiment, sir." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you taking over the Blanc-Sablon trenches?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, sir." -</p> - -<p> -"Good. When you've got your men installed, go for your orders to -battalion headquarters. Your C.O. has them. Good luck!" -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you, sir." -</p> - -<p> -In the darkness, like a group of fantastic hunch-backs, the men stood -round, leaning on their sticks and arching their backs under the amazing -weight of their packs, crammed with miscellaneous paraphernalia. For the -trenches were a desert island. How could you tell what you might want -there? So the men took down everything they could carry. -</p> - -<p> -They maintained a grave, morose silence, the usual silence that marked -the occupation of a new sector. Besides, Blanc-Sablon had a bad -reputation. The enemy's trenches were some way off—three or four -hundred yards—it is true, but the nature of the ground was such that -the only cover consisted of a few wretched dug-outs which were always -collapsing and indeed, only kept in existence at all by great baulks of -timber. Further, the place was wooded and cut by ravines where you could -not see fifty yards ahead of you. And nothing in war is so nerve-racking -as the mystery of the invisible. -</p> - -<p> -A voice—"Any chance of lights?" -</p> - -<p> -"Lights" meant cards. Card-playing was permitted when the dug-outs were -deep enough and there was a good thick tarpaulin to cover the entrance. -</p> - -<p> -Another muttered: -</p> - -<p> -—"How long are we going for?" -</p> - -<p> -A question that remained unanswered. In October, 1914, the war had not -yet become an affair of administration, with a rota of reliefs, -leave.... You never knew how long you would stay in bad trenches which -you could not make up your mind to improve. It was not worth while. You -might have been there a month already, but you would be certain to be -moved off before the end of the week. -</p> - -<p> -I felt my way with my stick down the forest path, helped by three feet -of light from the puny lantern which a soldier hid under his cloak. It -is a trying experience to lead men by unfamiliar paths through a forest -at night. Behind you the men, and even the officers, follow like sheep, -their one concern being to avoid knocking their noses against the pack -of the man in front—their sole horizon—at some sudden stop. -The others could think of reliefs, their cards, their homes, -anything.... But I was preoccupied solely with the necessity of keeping -my sightless column on the right track. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing could be heard but the muffled tramping which wound along -indefinitely behind me. The trees made a dark dome above our heads. -Every now and then we looked up as we came to a clearing, but the sky -was as dark as the vault of foliage. -</p> - -<p> -"Where is Lieutenant Vignerte?" -</p> - -<p> -"At the head, sir." -</p> - -<p> -A hand was placed on my shoulder. It was Vignerte's. -</p> - -<p> -Since our Captain left us after Craonne to command a battalion of -another regiment, Raoul Vignerte, senior to me in the service, had been -in command of the company. He was a man of twenty-five, slight, with a -splendid dark head. Two months of war had done more than ten years of -peace could have done to draw us together. We did now know each other -before August, 1914, yet we had common memories of those bygone days. I -came from Béarn, he from Landes. I had taken German at the Sorbonne. -He, two years later, had taken history. Alternately jovial and absorbed, -he was always a wonderful company commander. Occasionally the men found -him a trifle distant, irresponsible, perhaps, but they liked his calm, -soldierly bearing, his never-failing interest in their welfare. Vignerte -did not sleep with the men, as I did. But they knew that if he kept his -dug-out to himself it was invariably the most dilapidated, straw-less, -and exposed he could find. -</p> - -<p> -As far as I was concerned, he left nothing undone to make me forget -that, though he was two years younger than myself, he was my superior -officer. On my side, glad though I was to have such a comrade to obey, I -was even more glad to escape all the responsibilities of a company -commander. Strength-returns, discussions with the sergeant-major and the -quartermaster, company accounts (though these are reduced to a minimum -in the field), would never have been much to my liking. Vignerte, who -had not slept one hour a night during the retreat, who had been the last -to leave Guise in flames and the first to enter Ville-aux-Bois in ruins, -this same Vignerte dealt with the horrible mass of detail with -methodical vigour. Every now and then when I saw this charming -intellectual wholly absorbed in such sordid duties, I would think: What -distraction is he seeking? From what black thoughts is he fleeing?... -Then, as if fearing detection, he would come to me with some joke and -that day the regiment would know no one more merry and careless. -</p> - -<p> -This evening he was in his dark mood. And why not, with the -responsibility of introducing two hundred and fifty men to a new sector? -Besides, he might have orders of which I did not yet know. -</p> - -<p> -"Where are we?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Ten minutes more to battalion headquarters," I replied. And, lowering -my voice, I queried: "Any news?" -</p> - -<p> -"I believe one company of the battalion is to carry out some operation. -But it's not our turn. Besides, I'm going to remain at headquarters. You -can carry out the relief without me. I shall come down with the orders -a quarter of an hour afterwards." -</p> - -<p> -Blanc-Sablon was indeed a lugubrious spot. On one wall of a ravine rose -its shell-riven dwarf forest, with wooded horns and great caves of -shadow, while away in front a road, barricaded with tree-trunks, -stretched to the village, a few hundred yards off, occupied by the -enemy. -</p> - -<p> -The men, hitherto silent, could no longer restrain a hasty comment. -</p> - -<p> -"Good Lord! What a show! Here's a pretty place for you! We always strike -a hole like this!" -</p> - -<p> -"Silence!" -</p> - -<p> -In some respects taking over is not unlike the figure of a cotillon. The -Company-Commander, each section officer, corporal and man must -immediately seek out his opposite number, the company-commander, section -officer, corporal or man whose place he has to take. -</p> - -<p> -It was all over in five minutes, soundlessly, of course, or hostile -artillery would soon have had this human mass, half of it without cover -of any kind, under fire and reduced to pulp. -</p> - -<p> -Silence, comparatively easy to obtain from the incoming party, was -nothing like so easy to exact from the departing host. The pleasant -prospects of approaching sleep under cover and a few days' "rest" behind -the lines loosened their tongues. They could not resist a few words of -advice to their successors: -</p> - -<p> -"I'd advise you to keep clear of that loophole. There's a gent over -there who doesn't love me. I have had three pots at him today. If he -isn't dead he will be wanting his turn. And then ..." -</p> - -<p> -—"SILENCE!" -</p> - -<p> -Truly a vile sector—four, five small posts to be manned, twelve -sentries to be found, not to mention patrols. Not much chance of sleep -for my poor fellows here. -</p> - -<p> -"Good-bye." -</p> - -<p> -"Good-bye. Thanks for your help." -</p> - -<p> -It was the officer of the out-going company who was moving off. The -sound died away in the woods. -</p> - -<p> -It was high time. The moon was already up. -</p> - -<p> -Swathed in pale yellow mist, she swam mournfully through a sea of grey -flakes. She had turned her lamp on the desolate white countryside, the -shattered tree-stumps, and clayey wastes. The men vanished into their -shelters. The sentries kept their rifles down lest the bayonet should -catch the light. Behind us a number of small, flat mounds, with pathetic -wooden railings, loomed into view. -</p> - -<p> -These were the graves. -</p> - -<p> -The men had not noticed them. All the better. It was better they should -not see them until next morning—by daylight, when they would have got -used to the place and our little world would be feeling the -comparatively enlivening influence of the sun. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -My five small posts and twelve sentries were placed. The company was -established in its burrow. Those not on watch were already snoring. With -two trusty men—you can always find some of that breed, wakeful and -inquisitive—I started on my rounds. -</p> - -<p> -"Tell Lieutenant Vignerte I have gone to get into touch with the 23rd. -Ask him to wait for me in my dug-out. I shall be back in a quarter of an -hour." -</p> - -<p> -We crept along the hedges. At regular intervals lights soared from the -German trenches and fell back to earth in a pale blue halo. -</p> - -<p> -"Who goes there!" -</p> - -<p> -"Masséna." -</p> - -<p> -"Melun." -</p> - -<p> -"It is the officer of the 24th sent to get into touch with you. Anything -new on your side?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, sir, unless it's the scrap we've just had with a German patrol. It -was the shots you heard just now. We've killed one." -</p> - -<p> -A corpse was lying in the grass. I bent over it. On the shoulder strap -was the number "182." -</p> - -<p> -"What about his papers!" -</p> - -<p> -"The Captain has them." -</p> - -<p> -"Our small post is two hundred yards away, there, in the coppice.... Oh, -yes! At two o'clock a patrol will come round. Don't forget it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Very good, sir." -</p> - -<p> -"Good night." -</p> - -<p> -When I got back Vignerte was in my dug-out. He was smoking a cigarette. -</p> - -<p> -"Anything fresh?" I asked him. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing," he replied, "at any rate for tonight. But of course the 22nd -may get a knock. In front of them is a horn of the wood where we have -reason to think that the Boche is working on a sap. The 22nd are to -inspect and, if possible, upset their game. One section goes over at 6 -A.M., the rest follow to support it. As soon as the explosions are heard -the 23rd are to fire at the trenches opposite to hold down their -occupants, but we ourselves are not to move unless things go wrong. In -any case the 23rd attack before us. So we can count on a quiet night. -Have you anything fresh?" -</p> - -<p> -"The company has taken over all right," I said. "They're so -uncomfortable, in fact, that I don't think we need worry about them. -Many of them can't help keeping awake. I have got into touch with our -neighbours; their is nothing to report in that quarter except that -they've had a scrap with a German patrol. They've knocked out one." -</p> - -<p> -"Really," said Vignerte. "Infantry or Jäger?" -</p> - -<p> -"Infantry. 182nd Regiment of Prussian Infantry." -</p> - -<p> -"I should like to know," said my friend, "where those folk opposite come -from." -</p> - -<p> -So saying he drew out his pocket Lavanzelle. "160th—Posen, -180th—Altona, 181st—Lippe, 182nd—Lautenburg ... -Lautenburg ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Well?" -</p> - -<p> -He repeated, "Lautenburg." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know Lautenburg?" I said, struck by the tone of his voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," he replied gravely. "Are you sure of the number?" -</p> - -<p> -"Of course," I replied rather sharply. "But what does it -matter—Lautenburg or anywhere else!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," he murmured, "what does it matter!" -</p> - -<p> -I looked at him closely. It was quite easy, because, absorbed as he was, -he had no thought for me at all. -</p> - -<p> -"Vignerte," I said, "what's the trouble; you don't seem yourself—any -bad news?" -</p> - -<p> -But he had already recovered and shrugged his shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear chap! Bad news! From whom? I have no one in the world and you -know it." -</p> - -<p> -"That may be," I answered, "but you are upset tonight. I want you to -stay with me and you can fix up company headquarters where you like." -</p> - -<p> -"I admit I'm a bit overwrought," he broke in. "What's the time?" -</p> - -<p> -"Seven o'clock." -</p> - -<p> -"Let's play cards." -</p> - -<p> -The suggestion was so unexpected coming from him that the two men with -me looked up in amazement. No one in the company had ever seen -Lieutenant Vignerte touch a card. -</p> - -<p> -"Here, Damestoy," he said, "surely you or Henriquez have got some -cards." -</p> - -<p> -They nodded. -</p> - -<p> -As if they would be without! -</p> - -<p> -"What can you play?" -</p> - -<p> -"Écarté, sir." -</p> - -<p> -"All right; écarté." For a full hour Vignerte lost steadily. It was an -odd game. The two penniless soldiers were looking at each other in -amazement, unable to determine which was the more remarkable feature of -this adventure, the honour Lieutenant Vignerte had done them or the -sum—12 francs—they had won from him. -</p> - -<p> -I looked at him in growing perplexity. Suddenly he threw down the cards: -"A silly game. It's eight o'clock and I'm going out to see the first -relief." -</p> - -<p> -"I'm going with you." -</p> - -<p> -I shall never forget that night. The sky had gradually shed its fleece -of clouds, and the moon, almost at the full, shone in the cold blue -dome. Below, the line of sandbags and trenches made long white tracks. -</p> - -<p> -Starshells were now useless and none were seen. -</p> - -<p> -Dead silence reigned. Occasionally a sharp buzz marked the passage of a -stray bullet close by and soon after the crack of the rifle down in the -valley was heard. -</p> - -<p> -In low tones we exchanged the password with our sentries, some sprawling -full length in a shell-hole, others crouching behind bushes. The company -was strung out over a long front, five hundred yards at least, and our -round took us a good hour. -</p> - -<p> -When we got to the end of it Vignerte asked me: -</p> - -<p> -"Where is the last post of the 23rd?" -</p> - -<p> -We visited it. The four men were about to bury the German who had just -been killed as deeply as they could. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte quickly stepped down among them and leaning over the grave -searched in the soil they were throwing back. The corpse appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"—182nd. That's it," he murmured. -</p> - -<p> -He shivered and turned to me: "Let's go back. I'm beginning to feel -cold." -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Damestoy and Henriquez were asleep in the dug-out where the three -runners had come for them. With the natural deference of the private -soldier they had arranged the best spots for us—two holes with plenty -of straw and a pile of dark blankets. -</p> - -<p> -The silence was broken only by the gentle breathing of these good -fellows and, occasionally, the squeak of a field-mouse hunting for the -ears still left in the straw. I could not see Vignerte, who was lying -beside me, but I was sure he was not asleep. The open door of the dug-out -showed a blue patch of sky with a silvery star hanging like a tear in -its depths. -</p> - -<p> -An hour, perhaps, passed thus. Vignerte had not moved. He ought to have -been asleep, this mysterious comrade whom the war had sent me. Why was -he so moved tonight? What memories had possessed a mind which appeared -to be fixed ruthlessly on the thousand details of war as if to avoid -straying aimlessly through forbidden worlds?... -</p> - -<p> -And suddenly I heard a deep sigh while a hand clasped mine. -</p> - -<p> -"Vignerte, what on earth's the trouble?" -</p> - -<p> -An even more convulsive clasp of his hand was all my reply. -</p> - -<p> -Then I burnt my boats. -</p> - -<p> -"Old man, dear old man. I think I've earned the right to call you that. -Let me share the trouble that's weighing on you. You are unhappy -tonight. Tell me your sorrow. If we were in Paris, or anywhere else, I -should not be guilty of this indiscretion. But a confidence which would -be absurd elsewhere becomes sacred here. Tomorrow, perhaps, we shall be -in action, Vignerte! Tomorrow, perhaps, four men will be digging our -graves where that German sleeps now. Won't you speak to me, Vignerte, -won't you tell me? ..." -</p> - -<p> -I felt the pressure of his hand relax. -</p> - -<p> -"It will be a long story, old fellow. And will you understand? I mean, -won't you think me a bit mad?" -</p> - -<p> -"I'm listening," I said firmly. -</p> - -<p> -"You shall hear then. For these memories almost choke me, and indeed -there are some which it would be selfish for me to take away alone. So -much the worse for you. You will get no sleep tonight! ..." -</p> - -<p> -This is the strange story which Lieutenant Vignerte told me that night -of October 30th, 1914, at the spot which those who have known it call -the "Crossroads of Death." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>THE SECRET SPRING</h4> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="I">I</a></h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">Y</span>OU are a University man, he began. You -must forgive me if the opening of my story is not free from a suggestion -of bitterness against the University of which I was never a member. No -doubt my feelings are without justification, since to the fact that I -was never admitted I owe memories which, after all, I would not exchange -for a chair at the Sorbonne. -</p> - -<p> -I took the course marked out for those with some intelligence and no -money, and went in for scholarships. That means I undertook, somehow, to -get through examinations every year, to acquire a certain habit of mind -and with it, as climax, a teacher's diploma and a post in a provincial -school. -</p> - -<p> -At first I justified the hopes reposed in me by the Council-General of -my Department. My scholarship at the Mont-de-Marsan school was succeeded -by another in advanced rhetoric at the Henry IV. school. There it was -that in 1912 I tried to get into the <i>École Normale Supérieure</i>. -Thirty-five candidates were accepted. I came out thirty-seventh. By way -of consolation prize I was offered a scholarship at the <i>Faculté des -Lettres</i> of Bordeaux University. -</p> - -<p> -I then did something which met with disapproval from the few friends who -took any interest in me. During my year as a boarder I had glimpsed -Paris as a convict sees green fields through the bars of his cell. I -remember myself as a penniless schoolboy walking in the Champs-Elysées -one Grand-Prix day in June. All the millionaires were returning home -from the races. Each of the cars that flashed down the avenue in a -brilliant stream cost ten times more than my poor self had cost since I -came into the world. A wonderful lemon and mauve light flooded the -scene. I was dazzled. This vision of extravagance inspired me with none -of the sentiments that turns the underdog into a rebel. -</p> - -<p> -If only I could have my share some day! "Balzac is an excellent -realist," my professor of rhetoric used to splutter out. And if that -narrow-minded but honest old fellow said so, it vouched for the truth of -those adventures of young provincial heroes who, rather than accept -insignificance in an obscure corner of their native land, have come to -the Great City, tamed her and made her the submissive hand-maid of their -desires. -</p> - -<p> -And now they were proposing to send me to the end of the earth. I had -been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Well, we should see! -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly I resigned my scholarship and decided to enrol myself at the -Sorbonne with a view to taking my <i>licence ès lettres</i>. A voice within -said: "Do not enter the University, but do not despise its degrees. They -are only useful when you have not been there. Outside they are excellent -blinds." -</p> - -<p> -In a year I had taken my licence, living on the lessons I managed to -give here and there, and imbibing from these tasks an ever-keener -longing for freedom. But in the end I felt myself beaten, and resigned -myself to the fate I had despised. I entered for a scholarship in -history, asking for Bordeaux. And I bade farewell to Paris. -</p> - -<p> -The Consultative Committee of Public Education, whose duty it is to -decide in these matters, usually met at the beginning of October. I -spent the intervening two months at a fishing village in the Landes, at -the house of an old curé (it sounds dull, but it's true), who opened -his poor house to me in memory of my parents, whom he had known. -</p> - -<p> -It was there, my friend, that I passed the most peaceful days of my -life. I was free to roam at will through the great woods of the -district, with no other appointments beyond meal-times. For the first -time my reading was confined to such things as did not figure in an -examination syllabus or the annual competition, and my mind could take -in undistracted the glorious miracle of the dying season. -</p> - -<p> -The curé's house was at one end of a small lake which communicated with -the sea through a narrow channel choked with aquatic plants. In the -morning the roar of the tide woke me in my open room. From my window I -would watch the irresistible advance of the great green ocean under a -pink and grey sky. Wild duck and curlew wheeled overhead with their -plaintive cries. What a temptation to stay there for ever! To watch the -calm passage of the seasons. To be free from social ties, official -routine, or any link with life. To spend all day and every day on the -long straight dunes, where the great waves roll up ceaselessly in the -wind and the jelly-fish thrown up high and dry on the silvery sand look -for all the world like amethyst pendants. -</p> - -<p> -Then one October morning came two letters, one from the Bordeaux Academy -which announced that the Consultative Committee "regretted they had been -unable to give favourable consideration to my application for a post." -The other was signed by Monsieur Thierry, Professor of Germanic Language -and Literature at the Sorbonne. This good man and conscientious scholar -had been my tutor for a year, and he it was who had corrected the thesis -I submitted in July for my licence—on "Clausewitz and France," of all -things. I had never had anything but praise for him. I knew he cherished -friendly feelings for me and possibly reproached himself somewhat. He -was on the Committee and his letter was an endeavour to justify the -decision. Personally he had done what he could, but some of the members -had expressed doubts as to my suitability for the teaching profession, -and on this point even he himself had to confess he spoke without much -conviction. But in any case, it was better thus. He could not imagine me -a provincial student. "Return at once," he ended up, "there is perhaps a -way out which will enable you to live in Paris." -</p> - -<p> -I bade farewell to my good old curé, promising him to return in the -January vacation, and next day I stepped out on the platform of the Gare -d'Orsay. -</p> - -<p> -It was already winter. You could easily count the statues in the -leafless Luxemburg. The fire was crackling in M. Thierry's little room -in the Rue Royer-Collard. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear boy," he began—and lonely as I was, I felt extremely -grateful for this preface—"you mustn't think hardly of the -Committee. It is the duty of my colleagues to keep a single eye on the -interests of the University, and you yourself won't deny that in your -work you have often displayed—how shall I put it?—a spirit -of fancy, yes, a spirit of fancy likely to alarm folk so ... -serious-minded. I, of course, know you, and it's another matter. I know -that that spirit under good guidance will become nothing more than a -pleasant originality. But first let me put a question. Do you really -feel a call to the teaching profession?" -</p> - -<p> -What reply was to be expected from a man with exactly one hundred and -seven francs and a few centimes in his pocket? I stoutly protested my -conviction. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he went on, "I have the very thing for you. That post would have -given you one thousand two hundred francs at the most. I have -recommended you to an old friend of mine who is director at the Ternes, -a private institution. He is looking out for a history teacher. Six -hours a week for one hundred and seventy-five francs a month, and the -chance of some private tuition. For example, you may, if you wish, -continue your own studies at the Sorbonne at the same time. I know you -and will make myself responsible for you. It is now Tuesday. If you like -the prospect you can start on Friday." -</p> - -<p> -I felt the harsh, cold grip of usherdom upon my neck. Oh, those -Champs-Elysées! The furswathed women with their entrancing wake of -perfume behind them! But how could I fail to "like the prospect"? One -hundred and seven francs and a few centimes.... -</p> - -<p> -I overwhelmed him with my gratitude. -</p> - -<p> -He rubbed his hands. -</p> - -<p> -"I am seeing M. Berthomieu this evening. Come back at ten tomorrow and I -will give you place and time." -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Tuesday, October 21st, 1913.—Night was falling. In the Rue -August-Comte I ran into groups of schoolboys coming out of the Lycée -Montaigne. Oh, schoolboys, scholars and otherwise, stick to your -mathematics, enter the Arts et Métiers, keep to your counters, lest one -day you, too, find yourselves this comic puppet which skirts the -Luxemburg and is lost in the Rue d'Assas. -</p> - -<p> -Always that "spirit of fancy" of which my kind tutor disapproved! Well, -let's give the poor thing a farewell treat and take it to dine on the -right bank. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -Vignerte paused at this point of his story. Then he resumed: -</p> - -<p> -"A bullet whistled past a short time back—there, just above our -heads. Did it occur to you that if you had happened to pop your head out at -that precise moment you'd have been laid out stiff! How far do you think -luck goes in life?" -</p> - -<p> -"The other day," I answered, "there was trouble in the 11th Squad. No -one wanted to go on water fatigue. Each of them said it wasn't his turn. -As the squabble grew fiercer I intervened. I sent the first man I came -across, the one who had been protesting loudest, as it happened. He went -off grumbling that it wasn't fair. He left his cap behind him. When he -came back he couldn't find it. It had been pulverized by a shell and his -twelve comrades with it." -</p> - -<p> -"We seem to agree," said Vignerte. -</p> - -<p> -He resumed his story. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -What impulse was urging me on that evening, I, who confined myself to -the tawdry delights of the Latin Quarter and never crossed the bridges -at night? I remember I tried a one-man orgy at the "Grand V." Then I -thought I'd like to take my coffee on the terrace of the Weber. -Pretending I could refuse myself nothing, I passed before the lamps of -the Olympia with the fixed intention of granting myself the joys of the -promenade. Rather excited after my bottle of Barsac I walked very -straight, staring brazenly at the girls. -</p> - -<p> -It was cold. I went back to Weber's and at once the lights and the -throng restored my natural timidity. I sat down humbly in a corner with -that lack of ease characteristic of a man who is afraid that people will -notice he is not used to being there. -</p> - -<p> -Opposite me a group of young people were making a good deal of noise. -Enviously I studied their clothes and that air of easy assurance, the -sure sign of a happiness which, perhaps, I should never attain. Truly I -was not exactly made for the University, I whom learned expositions, -bibliographies and works of reference left sceptical, I whose heart -almost beat quicker at the sight of a well-cut waistcoat, a well-tied -tie and elegant socks visualized under well-creased trousers! -</p> - -<p> -They were a party of four, one a woman, pink and pretty, in her furs. -Painted a little, perhaps, though I've never minded that. She was seated -next to one of the handsome young men, and facing me. The other two had -their backs to me, but in the mirror I could see their faces, slightly -flushed by a good dinner, which was then approaching its end. -</p> - -<p> -That evening I realized the humiliation of those who go for their coffee -to a fashionable restaurant. Said I to myself: "You'd far better have -stayed at home, dined anywhere, gone to bed and slept, yes, slept. Sleep -is the poor man's haven. You oughtn't to have come here." -</p> - -<p> -And yet.... It was gradually beginning to dawn upon me that one of the -men with his back to me was studying me closely in the mirror, when he -got up and came over to me. -</p> - -<p> -"Vignerte!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ribeyre!" -</p> - -<p> -I had come across this Ribeyre during my advanced rhetoric course. He -had already obtained his <i>licence</i>, and was, like me, a candidate for -Normale, though he displayed that indifference to results which comes -from a private income and ambitions in other directions. -</p> - -<p> -"What are you up to?" -</p> - -<p> -"You can see for yourself," I said, somewhat stung. Then I added -quickly: -</p> - -<p> -"What about you? Anything new since Henri IV.?" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't mention that awful hole, old boy. Talk about instructing youth! I -should have made a mess of things if I'd listened to them...." -</p> - -<p> -He, too, added: -</p> - -<p> -"What about you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I couldn't help having to listen to them. I'm still listening to them," -I replied bitterly. "But what's your job now? You don't seem to be -having a bad time." -</p> - -<p> -"I've been extraordinarily lucky, my boy. I was appointed Private -Secretary to a Deputy, and six months later he became Minister for -Foreign Affairs. I followed him to the Foreign Office. There we are! But -come out of your corner and I'll introduce you to the friends of -Ministers." -</p> - -<p> -Ribeyre did indeed introduce me. -</p> - -<p> -"My friend Vignerte—a worker if there ever was one. Got his -diploma and Lord knows what else—<i>Agrégé</i>, perhaps? -No—so much the better for you. Who knows it better than we three, -not to mention Clotilde." -</p> - -<p> -Clotilde nodded stiffly and gave me an ironical glance. -</p> - -<p> -I was on the rack. This panegyric was so suited to my poor, baggy -trousers! It was very charming of them all the same, though perhaps this -praise of my brains was more a compliment to their own tact and skill in -dealing with any situation. -</p> - -<p> -After a short time Ribeyre got up. -</p> - -<p> -"Good-bye till tomorrow, you people. My salaams, Clotilde. You must come -with me, Vignerte, and see me home." -</p> - -<p> -Outside he took my arm. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm going to the office. There are some letters of the old man's to -send off. Come with me." -</p> - -<p> -The Rue Royale was a blaze of light. Women swathed in long silk cloaks -stepped from cars at restaurant doors. The sight of this world of luxury -intoxicated me, urged me, drove me to try and extract some material -advantage from my chance meeting with Ribeyre. I felt he was only too -anxious to dazzle me with his new glory. Who knows, perhaps I should end -by getting something out of his desire to parade his power. What can't -be got from human vanity! -</p> - -<p> -What about my own vanity, when I ascended the steps of the Foreign -Office at his side? A tall lackey took us up in the lift—another -received us on the first floor. -</p> - -<p> -"Any telephone messages, Fabien?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, sir, one from the Minister of Commerce. He is dining with the -Minister tomorrow, and says they will meet at the Chamber. I took the -message down in writing." -</p> - -<p> -A minute later we were in a charming little grey and gold room. Ribeyre -tapped the desk. -</p> - -<p> -"Vergennes' table," he said casually. "Excuse me," he added, sitting -down. He began to open letters, marking them with a red pencil as he did -so. "Don't mind about talking. This isn't a very exacting job. Tell me -what you are doing. How far have you got with the University?" -</p> - -<p> -I told him the whole story from my leaving Henri IV. to my approaching -appointment at M. Berthomieu's. He looked up. -</p> - -<p> -"You've accepted it?" -</p> - -<p> -"What else could I do?" I answered sharply. "I can't starve." -</p> - -<p> -Starve! The word sounded oddly among all the Gobelins, Boule furniture -and Sèvres. -</p> - -<p> -Ribeyre rose. I had an intuition that I was saved. -</p> - -<p> -"You needn't go to Berthomieu's, old chap. You'll do for yourself at -that game. I know you, and I'm positive you're not made for the -University. What you want is <i>this</i>." -</p> - -<p> -With a sweep of his hand he indicated the pageant of power about us. -</p> - -<p> -What a psychologist Ribeyre was! -</p> - -<p> -"Listen," he said, perching himself on the arm of my chair. "Have you -any objection to leaving the country for a bit? I say for a bit, because -it is only in Paris that the game is really played and won. At present -you haven't a sou. This is the sort of place where a fellow like you -with enough to live on for a year and no material preoccupations could -have the future at his feet." -</p> - -<p> -"Well?" said I, breathless. -</p> - -<p> -He went on, relishing the pleasure of appearing such a great man. "All -right, then. You will do me a good turn in exchange for mine. I lunched -this morning with Marçais at the German Embassy. Do you know Marçais? -He is our Minister at Lautenburg. Have you heard of Lautenburg?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is one of the German States." -</p> - -<p> -"It is the Grand Duchy of Lautenburg-Detmold. Reigning Sovereign, His -Highness Frederick-Augustus," he said magisterially. "His Highness is -afflicted with an heir of about fifteen, for whom he is seeking a tutor. -You know that French is a <i>sine qua non</i> in every Court. Have you got -your <i>licence</i>?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Good. Do you know German?" -</p> - -<p> -"Fairly well; enough for the Sorbonne." -</p> - -<p> -"Doesn't matter. They all talk French over there. Well, the Grand Duke -instructed Marçais, when he left for Paris, to find him a tutor. -Marçais is a charming fellow, a man of real distinction!... Charvet -makes him his exclusive ties. Afterwards he destroys the model. But this -is no reproach. He's not much good at getting out of a hole. Yesterday -he casually told me of his mission. He is going to the Ministry of -Education tomorrow, and as you can imagine, he will find tutors galore -there, especially in view of the salary the Grand Duke offers—ten -thousand marks a year." -</p> - -<p> -"Ten thousand marks!" I echoed in amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"We must fix the thing up at once. I'll write a note to Marçais." -</p> - -<p> -He read it out to me. I could only blush at the compliments he lavished -on me. -</p> - -<p> -"Marçais will get this tomorrow morning. He is a punctilious old -fellow, and if he's up at nine o'clock it will be to summon you. By the -way, what's your address?" -</p> - -<p> -"7, Rue Cugas." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't forget to give your Rue Cugas a call or you may miss his -appointment." -</p> - -<p> -"Give me the note," I said. "I'll post it myself." -</p> - -<p> -My eagerness obviously flattered him. A vain smile spread over his face. -</p> - -<p> -"Lucky dog! Instead of old Berthomieu's fare you're going to sample life -at a castle, or, rather, a palace. Lautenburg is a marvellous place, I'm -told. Marçais preferred remaining there to two years' promotion. The -Grand Duke is a pleasant fellow. The Grand Duchess hunts foxes better -than a man. Marçais told me he killed his best horse trying to keep up -with her. The only thing is, mind you make a place for yourself." -</p> - -<p> -I saw him glance at my poor clothes. -</p> - -<p> -"You need not be afraid of that," I broke in, with an assurance that -surprised him. He looked at me and smiled again. -</p> - -<p> -"I do believe I'm revealing you to yourself. Keep at it over there, old -chap. Come back to us with a few spare thousands. My chief is well -established here, but if he sinks I shall leave the ship first. We shall -come up smiling. If you really want to get something useful out of -people you must have passed the stage of depending on them. There's -nothing better than a Minister's cabinet, but you must be able to sit -tight and have something in reserve. Otherwise you may find yourself -reduced to selling local offices for two thousand francs. You won't find -it hard to save six thousand marks over there. You'll have no expenses, -so fit yourself out well. It is money invested at a hundred per cent. -You might copy Marçais in that. If he wasn't so well-dressed he'd have -been booted out long ago." -</p> - -<p> -So spake Etienne Ribeyre. Among other valuable tips, he had just proved -to me that in life it may often happen that a casual acquaintance can do -more for you than a friend. -</p> - -<p> -Oh, lovely October moon, gazing down on Paris! The Seine flowed in a -soft purple mist. I posted my note in the Rue de Bourgogne at the corner -by the Chamber of Deputies. Then I felt I must have a walk to be alone -with my thoughts. Ten thousand marks! Twelve thousand, five hundred -francs! Money does not mean happiness! Then what on earth does? What had -given me that confident step, that self-assurance, that lightness of -heart? -</p> - -<p> -The Rue de Varenne, the Rue Barbet-de-Jouy, the Boulevard Montparnasse, -in turn witnessed my triumphal march. I took no notice of my fellowmen, -for I was in my hour. I do not know how my gaze happened to fall, near -the Observatory, on a figure moving furtively under a lamp. It was a -slip of a girl, with a fleece of red-gold hair. My joy was too great -that evening for me to bear it alone. But, standing by her, not for a -moment did I think that her body was really her own. The slight form was -that of the women of the Champs-Elysées, of the beauties of Maxim's, -nay, of those maidens, incomparably fairer, who were doubtless even then -awaiting me in a far away German Court, on the banks of a Wagnerian -river, beguiling the weary hours with the sweetest strains of the -Intermezzo. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Ten o'clock, and the appointment with M. Thierry which I had almost -forgotten. He was reading in a corner by the fire, and when I entered he -came forward with a beatific smile. -</p> - -<p> -"I have arranged everything with M. Berthomieu. You are to go to him." -</p> - -<p> -"My dear master," I replied, "I'm afraid I have given you all the -trouble for nothing." -</p> - -<p> -And I told him all that had happened the previous evening. In spite of -my wish to appear unmoved, I could not manage to conceal my pleasure. I -was disappointed that he did not seem to share it at once. He looked at -me with astonishment, even with disapproval, I thought. -</p> - -<p> -These university people are all the same, I reflected, no salvation -outside the University. I abandoned the pose I found so unnatural to -proclaim far and wide my pride in my new glories. -</p> - -<p> -"And, after all," I wound up, "I ask myself how many examinations I -should have to pass, how many years I should have to wait to reach the -position which is open to me at the start, ten thousand marks a year." -</p> - -<p> -"That's true," he murmured, musing. He looked into the fire for a -minute, then got up and went to the bookcase, from which he returned -with a large volume in one of those dull-coloured, gilded, but tasteless -bindings which characterize many English and German books. -</p> - -<p> -"Are you certain that the proposal has been made to you on behalf of the -Grand Duke of Lautenburg-Detmold?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," I replied, "on behalf of the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus." -</p> - -<p> -"That's the man. To be tutor to his only son, Duke Joachim." -</p> - -<p> -It was thus that I learnt the name of my future pupil. -</p> - -<p> -My old tutor thought a few seconds more, and then, raising his glasses -towards me: -</p> - -<p> -"May I ask if you are already bound by any formal contract?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet, strictly speaking, but my mind is made up, and I shall go -unless some one else is preferred to me." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case let us say no more," said M. Thierry, putting the book -back. -</p> - -<p> -I was intrigued and a little annoyed. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear master," I said, "will you be really frank with me? I know you -are too interested in my welfare to suggest my refusing such an -attractive offer unless you had very serious reasons for doing so. -Besides, I may confess that in coming to you this morning I hoped to -obtain some valuable information about the Court of Lautenburg-Detmold -for your unique knowledge of the men and affairs of modern Germany. I am -sure you are even more familiar with these details than I suspected. I -am to interview Count de Marçais, our Minister at Lautenburg, very -shortly, but it will not be easy for me to question him. Besides, a -diplomatist must doubtless observe a certain reticence, which you have -not the same reason to consider with me. To put it shortly, may I ask -you a question which sums up all this? If you had a son, Monsieur -Thierry, would you let him do what I propose to do? Would you let him go -to Lautenburg?" -</p> - -<p> -He looked straight at me, and replied firmly, "No." -</p> - -<p> -I confess that my astonishment began to give place to a slight feeling -of apprehension. I knew perfectly well that it was not childish pique at -my not accepting the post he had found for me, that influenced a man of -his profound judgment. -</p> - -<p> -"You must have very good reasons, sir," I said, my voice trembling a -little, "to give me so categorical an answer." -</p> - -<p> -"I certainly have," he replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Would you mind telling me what it was you looked up in that book?" -</p> - -<p> -"My dear boy, don't start thinking that that year book of Reigning -Houses contains any details of a kind to justify the apprehension I feel -at your going to Lautenburg. I have verified a name, confirmed certain -recollections—that's all. -</p> - -<p> -"It is true that I have certain private information about the House of -Lautenburg-Detmold of which Count de Marçais himself might know -nothing, even assuming that he were a more gifted diplomatist than he is -reported to be. Besides, he has not been very long at Lautenburg, and -never knew the late Grand Duke Rudolph." -</p> - -<p> -"Who was the Grand Duke Rudolph?" -</p> - -<p> -"Haven't you ever heard of him? He was the elder brother of the present -Grand Duke. He died a few years ago, two, if I remember rightly." -</p> - -<p> -"So it was his death which gave the succession to the Grand Duke -Frederick Augustus?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not directly. The constitution of Lautenburg-Detmold is peculiar. The -Salic Law does not apply, and the ducal crown, on the Grand Duke's -death, passed to his wife, the Grand Duchess Aurora Anna Eleanor." -</p> - -<p> -"So she has married her brother-in-law?" -</p> - -<p> -"Quite so, and thus it happens that in the absence of children of the -Grand Duke Rudolph, your future pupil, Duke Joachim, son of the Grand -Duke Frederick and some German countess, is now the heir presumptive to -the State of Lautenburg-Detmold. To alter the situation the marriage of -his father with the Grand Duchess Aurora would have to be honoured with -a bond, a thing which seems most improbable." -</p> - -<p> -"I seem to remember something about it now," I said. "Wasn't there a -German Grand Duke who died in Africa—the Congo—while engaged in -geographical research two or three years ago?" -</p> - -<p> -"Precisely," replied M. Thierry. "That was the Grand Duke Rudolph. He -was always an enthusiastic geographer. His travels could not, it is -true, be described as altogether unpolitical. When I remember that a few -months later we had Agadir and the loss of the Congo, I can't help -thinking that the Grand Duke of Lautenburg had been sent to accomplish -some mission on behalf of his august cousin, the Kaiser. It is true he -hadn't much time in which to effect his purpose as he died in the Congo -shortly after his arrival. It would be interesting...." -</p> - -<p> -"But what is there in all this, sir," I broke in, "that in any way -accounts for the solicitude you've just shown on my behalf?" -</p> - -<p> -He seemed put out. -</p> - -<p> -"My dear boy," he said, with an obvious effort. "A historian's plain -duty is to accept as fact only what he has been able to verify. From -that point of view I confess that my knowledge is confined to vague -rumours barely susceptible of proof. Certain reports, an allusion or -two, and last—but not least—certain details communicated to -me some time back by a friend whose name I must withhold—that's -all. I should perhaps add the proverb that there is no smoke without -fire." -</p> - -<p> -"Couldn't you be a little more precise as to the purport of the -rumours?" -</p> - -<p> -"Will you promise you will keep this entirely to yourself?" he said. -</p> - -<p> -"I give you my word." -</p> - -<p> -"I am told that violent deaths are not unknown at the Court of -Lautenburg-Detmold." -</p> - -<p> -My curiosity reached fever-heat. -</p> - -<p> -"What does that mean?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, nothing definite. Still, we -can't ignore the fact that two persons stood between Duke Frederick -Augustus and the crown." -</p> - -<p> -"But the Grand Duke Rudolph died of sunstroke in the Congo," I said. "It -was reported in the press." -</p> - -<p> -"Agreed. That was a natural death all right, but apparently the same -cannot be said of the death of Countess von Tepwitz—the present -Duke's first wife and the mother of Duke Joachim." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean that the Grand Duke was responsible for her death?" -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Duke Frederick Augustus is a very extraordinary man," -continued M. Thierry, "able, well-educated, but a master of dissembling. -Is he playing for his own hand? Or for that of the King of Würtemberg, -his immediate suzerain? Or, indeed, for the Kaiser? I have studied this -question from the point of view of German high politics. It isn't a -simple one. Frederick Augustus is a man of ambition, and I don't think -he would stop at anything." -</p> - -<p> -"Anyhow," I said, "his calculations have had to take account of the -Grand Duchess Aurora. Her consent to marry him was an essential factor." -</p> - -<p> -M. Thierry smiled. -</p> - -<p> -"They might have been in collusion. I admit I don't know that side of -the question. In fact, I know nothing of the Grand Duchess except her -age," he said, taking up the blue and gold book again, "her Christian -names—Aurora—Anna—Eleanor; her Russian origin, and -that she was a Tumene princess. The Tumenes are the most powerful family -in the Government of Astrakhan. Has she acted in collusion with the -present Grand Duke? It is possible. You know as well as I that reasons -of state sometimes dictate marriages, but, as I said, I know nothing -about her." -</p> - -<p> -"All this does not seem very enlightening, but in any case, I can't see -why a humble tutor should have to suffer for the intrigues of such high -personages." -</p> - -<p> -"That sounds plausible, but how can you ever say what may result from -these sordid affairs. You might find yourself drawn in without knowing -it Do you know, in fact, exactly what your duties are? I will tell you -what is really in my mind. Your salary is to be ten thousand marks, -isn't it? I can't help thinking that figure is unduly high. Your friend -Boubelet, with Normale and his <i>agrégation</i> behind him had only eight -thousand from the King of Saxony." -</p> - -<p> -I saw clearly that the old professor had some very definite reason for -speaking in this way, but that fear of compromising himself prevented -him from saying more. I admit it would have made no difference in any -case. My curiosity was thoroughly aroused. The lust of adventure was -kindled within me, and there was no hesitation about the tone in which I -answered: -</p> - -<p> -"I am very much obliged, sir, for your kind warning but my mind is made -up. By minding my own business and sticking to my own job, I think I can -avoid any and every danger. You admit that it is by no means certain I -am running any risk. Will you grant me one more favour?" -</p> - -<p> -"Certainly." -</p> - -<p> -"If anything ever strikes me as suspicious, I will write to you about it -and ask your advice. Then will be the time ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't do any such thing, my young friend. You had better realize now -that over there you will inevitably be surrounded by spies. Never write -a letter you don't want the Grand Duke to read for you can be quite sure -that if he wants to, he won't ask your permission. Once at Lautenburg -you'll be absolutely isolated from the world. I know the palace. Its -magnificence does not prevent it being more of a fortress than a -château." -</p> - -<p> -"I shall always have Count de Marçais." -</p> - -<p> -M. Thierry smiled, a smile which recalled Ribeyre's words: "He's not -much good at getting out of a hole." -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he said, "I see your mind is absolutely made up. After all, my -apprehensions are possibly exaggerated. You are young and without -dependents. You have resolution and strength of mind. I don't know -whether I have any right to blame your thirst for adventure. From that -point of view I'm possibly too much the slave to my academic outlook. -Give me peace and a library. For instance," he concluded, "at Lautenburg -you will have one of the finest libraries in the world at your disposal. -The Grand Duke's collection is famous. It contains the manuscripts of -Erasmus and most of Luther's. So go, my boy. -</p> - -<p> -"One minute, though," he added. "Come back after you have seen Count -Marçais. I may be able to give you some practical hints on the best way -of performing your tutorial functions." -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -A note, with a dainty purple seal, was waiting for me at my lodgings. -Count Marçais wrote that he would be delighted to see me that day at -three o'clock. As I walked to the house of the French Minister at -Lautenburg in the Rue Alphonse de Neuville, I reviewed the details of my -conversation with M. Thierry. He knows a good deal more than he likes to -say, I thought. Was I really being a fool? Well, it remained to be seen. -After all, there is no greater folly than letting 12,000 a year go at -twenty-five for the pleasure of leading a dull, cul-de-sac existence. -</p> - -<p> -In the light of after events my opinion remains the same. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Count Mathieu de Marçais had much the same appearance and presence as -those with which tradition endows Melarclus, notably the reserved, -knowing air of the diplomatist. With such a mask a man can afford the -luxury of an empty head. No one can ever find anything to challenge -there. -</p> - -<p> -A pleasant-looking woman in her forties, surrounded by elaborate -implements, was engaged in manicuring the nails of the Minister -Plenipotentiary when I was shown up. -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot apologize enough, sir," he said in his very best style, "for -the unceremonious manner in which I have to receive you. But time, dear -sir, you know what a precious gift time is in Paris. You can imagine how -I, who only spend a fortnight a year in this delightful city, have to -economize it." -</p> - -<p> -He poured out half a dozen commonplaces of the same species, looking at -himself in the mirror, and stealing sidelong glances at me. I guessed -intuitively that this preliminary survey, so important for a man of his -stamp, was not altogether unfavourable. But I also gathered that I -should not exactly shake his poor opinion of the way in which University -men dressed. -</p> - -<p> -When one of his hands had been finished, and was dangling in a bowl of -warm rosewater, he decided to get to the point. -</p> - -<p> -"Of course, dear sir, nothing was further from my thoughts than to ask -you here to put you through a kind of entrance examination, a task for -which I am totally unfitted. I know that you possess all the educational -qualifications required. As to the moral and intellectual -qualifications, your friend Ribeyre's recommendation guaranteed them -even before I was in a position to judge from my own observations." -</p> - -<p> -I bowed. He bowed. He seemed overwhelmed with his own eloquence. -</p> - -<p> -"You will, no doubt, wish to know the nature of your duties at -Lautenburg. They will not be exacting! Duke Joachim already has a -science tutor. Major von Kessel is responsible for his military -education. Your functions will be to teach him French and History. -General History, of course. Oh, yes! There is one thing on which the -Grand Duke particularly insisted...." -</p> - -<p> -"Now we're coming to it," I thought, remembering M. Thierry's -suspicions. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you read poetry well?" -</p> - -<p> -I was somewhat taken aback, though the question was disarmingly simple. -</p> - -<p> -"I really can't say. It's a little difficult...." -</p> - -<p> -"It's essential. The Grand Duke told me to insist upon it. The reason is -that the Grand Duchess is passionately fond of French poetry. Probably -you will be lent to her occasionally. It is a surprise that his Highness -has in store for his wife, who is always complaining that Lautenburg is -very lacking in this respect. 'My dear Count,' he said to me, 'I know -you are a man of culture and good taste, I leave it to you.' So you will -forgive me, dear sir, if I ask for proof in this matter. See," he added, -indicating a bookcase with his wet hand. "There are some excellent poets -there. Pick and read what you like." -</p> - -<p> -To tell the truth, the collection in the bookcase was very much out of -date. I was obliged to select a volume of Casimir Delavigne, and I did -my best with his splendid poem <i>Les Limbes</i>: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">Ils volent, mais on n'entend pas</span><br /> -<span class="i8">Battre leurs ailes.</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"Excellent! Excellent!" quoth Count Marçais, the connoisseur. "Isn't -it, Madame Mazerat?" -</p> - -<p> -The manicurist made a sharp, clucking noise to demonstrate the pleasure -my performance had given her. I've seen many absurd scenes in my -life—but none more absurd than that. -</p> - -<p> -"All is well, then," said the Count. "I have no need to tell you that -you will be treated with the deference due to your position. The Grand -Duke is a man of the greatest charm. The Grand Duchess"—he raised -his eyebrows—"is a Russian, and <i>that</i> means everything as -regards beauty. Prince Joachim is very tractable, but perhaps a trifle -slow-witted. After all, we don't look for French vivacity in Germans. -Lastly, the Court is full of charming men and lovely women. Do you -ride?" -</p> - -<p> -I indicated that I did not. -</p> - -<p> -"You must learn. You will ride with Kessel, a marvellous horseman. Of -course you must come to lunch at the Legation. I have a weird little -sketch by Poiret, of which you must give me news. You will see it when I -get back in ten days' time. You leave before me as you are expected as -soon as possible. If you catch the 10 P.M. the day after tomorrow, you -will be in Lautenburg about nine on Sunday morning." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," I said. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well. Remember me gratefully to the Grand Duke, and convey my -respectful homage to Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Oh, Heavens! What -am I forgetting!" -</p> - -<p> -He rose, and took a sealed envelope from his wallet. -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Chamberlain, Herr von Soldau, asked me to give you this," he -said discreetly. "Travelling expenses. Good-bye and good luck. Excuse -me, Madame Mazerat. I am now <i>entirely</i> at your service." -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -I had never spent a penny on a cab in Paris, except when luggage made -one necessary going on or returning from holidays. As soon as I came -out, however, I took one straight to my lodgings, so great was my haste -to see what was inside that envelope I dared not open in the street. -</p> - -<p> -Indeed, I soon began to feel the benefits that accrue from the society -of the great. "The Herr Tutor," ran a document, with the heading of the -Ducal chancery, "will please find within the first quarter's salary and -a thousand marks for travelling expenses." Three thousand five hundred -marks accompanied this pleasant invitation. -</p> - -<p> -Four thousand francs and more! I, who had entered Paris only the day -before without knowing what I should have to live on in a week's time, -possessed four thousand francs and more! -</p> - -<p> -My call on M. Thierry was on my mind, and I decided to get it over at -once, telling him I should be leaving the next day. -</p> - -<p> -I found him in his room. -</p> - -<p> -"I can see by your face," he said, "that everything is going well with -you. I am glad of it, as perhaps I have alarmed you unnecessarily. When -do you start?" -</p> - -<p> -"Tomorrow," I said. -</p> - -<p> -"So this is your last visit, dear boy. What can I say to you? I am sure -you will carry out your pedagogic functions admirably. Don't forget the -great maxim of Pascal's father: 'Try to keep your pupil ever worthy of -his task.' That principle cannot be observed by the ordinary -schoolmaster who has to address himself to the average of a class. But -when you are dealing with a single pupil you can, and should, apply it." -</p> - -<p> -The splendid old man then gave me some suggestions as to the choice of -books in preparing my courses of study. He insisted on my taking his -<i>History of German Literature</i>, which I was to find extremely valuable -on many occasions at Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -"You've no need to thank me," he said, as I murmured words of gratitude. -"Probably it is I who will be in your debt. I told you that at -Lautenburg you will have a magnificent library at your disposal. The -librarian, Professor Cyrus Beck—whom I have met occasionally at -various conferences—is a jealous guardian, but he is also a man of -learning. I have no doubt that you will be allowed the use of the books -and manuscripts which do not bear directly on the great work—the -history of the theories of the transmutation of metals—on which he -is engaged. You may know, perhaps, that I am myself writing a book on -manners and customs at the Court of Hanover at the end of the -seventeenth century. I noticed at the Nationale in the catalogue of the -Ducal library at Lautenburg, that it contains material of the very -highest importance. When you left me this morning I went there to make a -list of the principal works I should like you to consult for me if you -would be so kind. I am sure that you would find the task very absorbing. -Here is my list. I attach particular importance to this work, -<i>Stattmutter der Köninglichen Häuser Hannover und Preussen</i>, by -the Grand Duchess of Ahlden, published at Leipzig in 1852. In Paris we -have only an incomplete reprint. I also recommend the works of Cramer -and Palmblad as well as the <i>Roman Octavia</i> (<i>Die Römische -Octavia</i>) of Duke Ulrich von Wolfenbüttel. -</p> - -<p> -"Unfortunately," he continued, as I carefully folded his list, "I have -only been able to note the printed books. The manuscripts at Lautenburg -are not catalogued, but it is by examining them, dear boy, that you can -render me the greatest service. There is not the slightest doubt that -you will discover there the most precious material on German society of -the seventeenth century, that society superficially so refined to the -outward eye, but in reality more vicious and cruel than has ever been -imagined." -</p> - -<p> -He held out his hands. His emotion told me that there was something -still to come. -</p> - -<p> -"I would not for anything hark back to our conversation of this -morning," he murmured at length; "but you know, my boy, the interest I -take in you. I am more conscious of it than ever now you are going. I -beg of you never to yield to the desire, even to the invitations you -will doubtless get, to be drawn from your academic functions. Lautenburg -is a rich mine of material for those like ourselves whose mission it is -to write history. Let us write it and avoid the temptation to make it." -</p> - -<p> -There was nothing but sincerity in my promise to keep this parting -advice ever present in my mind. -</p> - -<p> -"Just one other thing. I know nothing of the Lautenburg household except -Prince Joachim, the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess and Count Marçais. At -one time there was a certain Baron von Boose there. If he is still there -don't see more of him than you can help. Be on your guard against him; -<i>always</i> be on your guard against him." -</p> - -<p> -I was curious to know the reason of this final warning, but M. Thierry -was once more the historian, the discreet official. -</p> - -<p> -"No, no," he said, "these impressions are too personal. Above all, if -that man is no longer at Lautenburg, never ask anything about him. Wait -till his name is mentioned or some allusion is made to him. Come, dear -boy, it is time to go." -</p> - -<p> -We shook hands. I have never seen him since. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -The feeling of depression in which this visit left me quickly vanished -when I got to the money-changers, where I converted half my German notes -into French money. I spent the rest of the afternoon in visits to -tailors, boot makers and hosiers. For the first time in my life I knew -the exquisite, almost painful joy of spending money without reckoning. -As I was stock size I had no difficulty at "Old England" in finding a -suit, overcoat, and boots to fit. My shabby clothes were wrapped up and -sent to my lodgings. Then, as my confidence rose, I tried my luck at a -fashionable tailor's. On the strength of my new appointment, I ordered -dress clothes, a frock coat and another lounge suit I paid the eight -hundred francs required in advance in return for the promise that they -would be delivered during the evening of the next day. -</p> - -<p> -Seven o'clock. -</p> - -<p> -Oh! the wondrous beauty of the Boulevard des Capucines in October! Oh, -the joy of finding oneself well dressed and with money—lord of all, -absolutely lord of all! -</p> - -<p> -The pale blue lamps of the Olympia presented their barbaric curtain of -light. Cabs rolled by. Taxis tooted. The Madeleine, peering through the -evening mist, raised on high its huge, shadowy entablature. On, on. All -this would be behind me the day after tomorrow. I meant to enjoy my -ephemeral royalty. -</p> - -<p> -I experienced a curious sensation. I had money, but I could not make it -give me acquaintances on the spot I had money, but without a friend to -prove it, I might just as well have been without it. -</p> - -<p> -A sudden recollection brought a bright idea to my mind. I went into -Weber's. Ribeyre and his friends of the previous evening would be just -on the point of meeting. The thought of Clotilde possessed my mind. She -had been wearing a long black velvet cloak above which peeped her small -head with its coils of glossy fair hair. -</p> - -<p> -What a treat to appear before her in my new glory! -</p> - -<p> -Ribeyre had already arrived. -</p> - -<p> -"Hullo, old boy! All's well. I've just seen Marçais. He's delighted. -You seem to have the voice of the charmer all right. Good Lord, you -haven't wasted much time," he said, noticing my transformation. -</p> - -<p> -I thought I detected a touch of sarcasm in his tone. I thought of -Gautier's story of Baudelaire rubbing his new suit with sandpaper to -take off that offensive nap so dear to philistines and bourgeois. My -confidence was a little shaken. I almost expected to see my newly-won -joys dissolve on the spot. Then I thought, "What does it matter? I know -it's only ready-made, but I couldn't come here in my shabby boots and a -suit two years old. Just let them wait a day or two!" -</p> - -<p> -And the knowledge that I had been fitted out at one of the most -expensive tailor's restored my spirits entirely. -</p> - -<p> -Clotilde arrived. She had on white fox furs which seemed to me the last -word in luxury and good taste. When I had bought a poor flower-seller's -entire stock of violets for her, she condescended to notice my existence -and soon made me feel I was much more to her liking. -</p> - -<p> -"Clotilde," said Ribeyre, "if you love me you will exchange Surville for -my friend Vignerte this evening. He is in funds and he's leaving the day -after tomorrow, two things which women seldom fail to appreciate." -</p> - -<p> -A quarter of an hour earlier this extremely masculine joke would have -jarred on me very greatly, but the terrible white port was already at -work, and besides Clotilde wore an amused smile and did not say no. -</p> - -<p> -Surville arrived with the other man, one Mouton-Massé. They were both -in the Ministry of the Interior. -</p> - -<p> -"We can't stick in this hole," said lanky Surville. "Twice running is -too much. Charmed to see you, sir. You dine with us, of course?" -</p> - -<p> -"My friend Vignerte wants you to give him the pleasure of being your -host," said Ribeyre. "He is leaving the day after tomorrow for the Court -of Lautenburg and wants us to share his travelling expenses." -</p> - -<p> -Little Mouton-Massé indicated that my desire met with his approval. -</p> - -<p> -"Where shall we go?" -</p> - -<p> -For a good ten minutes these gentlemen discussed the point, tossing from -mouth to mouth names utterly unknown to me: "Viel," "Les Sergents," "La -Tour," and even stranger animal names, "Le Coucou," "L'Escargot," "L'Ane -Rouge." -</p> - -<p> -I was not listening. A third glass of port had wafted me to Paradise -itself. The warm restaurant atmosphere went to my head. I thought with -some disdain of my prospects of yesterday, with its poor man's -education, its fellowships, the Heads of the four Faculties and the -Vice-Rector in his room in the Rue des Écoles. These fashionable women -and young men of the world who flittered round me under the lights -reminded me of the cold passages of the Sorbonne and Henri Martin's -fresco of Anatole France, dressed as an explorer in a landscape dotted -with flowers, explaining to a dozen ill-dressed young graduates his -personal conception of human destiny. -</p> - -<p> -<i>There</i> is the true conception of life, I thought, gazing admiringly -at Clotilde, who was pinning the mauve and green bouquet to her white fur. -</p> - -<p> -Ribeyre and his friends being at length of one mind we took a taxi which -put us down in the Place Gaillon at the door of some restaurant, the -name of which I have forgotten. Within, heavy hangings shut off the -dining-room from the prying eyes of passers-by. Surville knew the place -and led us to a small private room where five covers were soon laid. -</p> - -<p> -I sat next to Clotilde, or rather (a matter of more concern to me) the -woman who bore that name. I may as well say I have completely forgotten -what we had at this famous meal. Everything was unquestionably highly -spiced, for we drank like fishes. "You must give me <i>carte blanche</i>," -said Ribeyre, with a mocking glance first at Clotilde, then at Surville. -A diminutive black waiter took our orders in the grand manner. I'm not -certain but I think Ribeyre had met him before. "No champagne," he had -said. I know no more. We began with a little Pouilly, dry as frost, to -accompany the oysters. Then Mouton-Massé, who hailed from that region, -suggested some '92 Saint-Emilion, whereupon Clotilde insisted upon -Beaune, the wine of her own country. I did not lose this opportunity of -winning her favour and ventured to ask the waiter to bring the best. -Then Ribeyre improved the occasion by ordering Wolscheim in one of those -long-necked, narrow-mouthed bottles. I should add that the greatest -triumph was mine in winding up with the suggestion of a wine from the -sandy Landes. None of the others had ever tried this formidable juice of -grapes which on our barren dunes drink in the pale yellow rays of an -ocean sun—a drink which leaves your head clear and your body active -but plays the devil with your legs. -</p> - -<p> -Surville and Mouton-Massé kept me in small talk. Clotilde called me -Raoul and made me promise to send her postcards. Ribeyre, stronger in -the head, never stopped talking to the little black man except to -signal, "Don't you worry," with his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -I felt a god, with the extra joy of being aware of my rapid ascent. I -saw again the miserable boneshaker which had borne me two days before to -the God-forsaken station in the Landes. One small lamp in the darkness; -and wind, real wind, wind from the sea. Within me even blacker darkness. -</p> - -<p> -The Sauterne, liquid gold, sparkled in the glasses. The shades of the -lights were reflected in it like little crimson tulips. I saw Clotilde's -teeth shine on the glass from which she sipped, with little laughs that -made her white throat shake. Her hand on mine communicated to me the -tremors of that yielding, artless creature. Ribeyre was in the highest -spirits. Mouton-Massé was busy with <i>crêpes-au-Kirsch</i>; Surville was -drinking. -</p> - -<p> -There was a scene when the liqueurs came and Surville insisted on claret -glasses. -</p> - -<p> -Mouton-Massé vainly pointed out that liqueur glasses would do if the -bottles were left on the table. He wouldn't be satisfied, so they gave -him one. The staff had gone. The cigar smoke dimmed the light. The -flowers were dying on the table. Surville snored. Mouton-Massé had -pulled out a note-book and was attempting some absurd calculation in -which he got tied up and swore volubly. Ribeyre, who hadn't abandoned -his original notion, slipped his right arm under my left, his left under -Clotilde's right, and drew us together. Then he whispered in the ear of -the girl, who laughed gaily, her lips moist and a little shiver rippling -down her back. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -By the evening of Friday, October 24th, 1913, everything was ready for -my departure. -</p> - -<p> -My clothes were packed in a big, new trunk. A smaller one held my books. -I hadn't the heart to throw away any of the poor friendly things I had -accumulated in my lodgings, the relics of three years of joyless toil. I -had it all properly packed in the old box which had been my mother's, -not forgetting my uniform of an officer of the Reserve, already shabby -with two periods of training—poor officers are never slow to avail -themselves of these extra trainings. I took it to the station myself and -dispatched it addressed to the old curé with whom I stayed in my -vacations. -</p> - -<p> -At five o'clock I had finished a letter telling him of my new start in -life. I had settled up my affairs. I had rather more than 2,300 francs -left, allowing for ten louis I had been glad to lend Ribeyre. I decided -to send the same amount to my old curé for his crumbling church among -the dunes. -</p> - -<p> -When I had posted my letter in the Rue de Tournon, I made my way to -Luxemburg. I passed the white Medici Fountain, where I had so often -waited for the nymphs of my dreams. The sentry was sheltering out of -sight in his box. The great Royal garden had never been so deserted as -on this evening when autumn felt the first touch of winter. Beneath the -bare trees, under a darkening golden sky, the cold circle of queens on -their marble pedestals showed strangely white in the falling light. -</p> - -<p> -The clock of the Senate struck half-past five. The silence of death -reigned in the heart of Paris. The fountains had ceased to play and the -great octagonal basin spread its mirror, clearer—by some -miracle—than the sky itself. A man, the only man beside myself in -the famous garden, was standing at the edge in the curious attitude of a -man sowing seeds. He was throwing bread to the birds. There were some -three dozen sparrows, and fat grey pigeons, gawky, restless birds. He -was an old man in a seedy black coat with the remains of a fur collar. -There was a bag at his feet. I went up and the birds flew away. The old -fellow cast me a reproachful glance, threw his bag over his shoulder and -shambled off. When I left the garden myself it was quite dark. -</p> - -<p> -Four hours later I caught the Paris-Berlin express at the Gare de l'Est. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="II">II</a></h4> - -<p> -The clear, cold star which had been shining in the steel blue sky had -disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte started. "What time is it?" -</p> - -<p> -I lit my electric torch. "Ten minutes to twelve," I said. -</p> - -<p> -I awakened the two runners. -</p> - -<p> -"Henriquez, go to the third section, tell the adjutant to see to the -relief of the second platoon and report to Lieutenant Vignerte. -Damestoy, go to the second section and tell the section officer to do -the same for the first platoon. He mustn't forget the two o'clock -patrol. It will be supplied by the eleventh squad, Corporal Toulet. Got -that? Come, look sharp!" -</p> - -<p> -The two men climbed out. For two seconds the patch of blue sky was -hidden. -</p> - -<p> -A weird, soundless night. A stray rifle shot at long intervals. The guns -silent. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte resumed his story. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -<span class="dropcap">H</span>AVE you ever read <i>Baron von -Heidenstamm</i>? Meyer Forster has borrowed something for it from -Tolstoy—the whole chapter on the race for the Emperor's Cup is -taken from Anna Karenina—and a good deal, unfortunately, from our -Octave Feuillet. Still, you shouldn't miss the description of Hanover, -life in a German garrison town, and the royal park in snow. The -impressions you get are very much what I felt on my arrival at -Lautenburg at ten o'clock on the morning of Sunday, October 26th, 1913. -</p> - -<p> -For the previous eight hours I had been watching the gradual -displacement of the Walpurgis Harz, shrouded to the south in -copper-coloured clouds by a fertile but ugly, featureless plain. When -the train had crossed the Aller the country became more undulating. -Foaming in its basaltic bed appeared the winding river Melna which joins -the Aller some forty miles below Lautenburg. I was nearing my -destination. -</p> - -<p> -The sky was dull and grey. The town, clinging to the slopes of a hill in -a bend of the Melna, had a certain resemblance to Pau, or, rather, -Saint-Gaudens, thanks to its red-brick houses. Crowning all, in a -distant clump of trees, I saw an old tower. The Castle, I thought. -</p> - -<p> -Like a horse with its head for home the train put on steam. We ran along -and over a number of streams gliding between willow-lined banks. The -white patches where the water ran over boulders and the swaying of the -vegetation spoke of the gentle murmur we could not hear. You would call -it clean, peaceful country, not unlike the Ile-de-France; yes, a country -you could live and be happy in. -</p> - -<p> -Lautenburg station, on the other hand, was frankly monstrous, a smaller -but more extravagant copy of the famous station of Metz. But before I -had time to take in the details, I heard an obsequious murmur of: -"Professor Vignerte?" from a man in a peaked cap who took my ticket. -</p> - -<p> -Marçais had wired the time of my arrival. The man in the cap signalled -and two huge lackeys in black and gold livery suddenly appeared before -me. One of them took my luggage while the other assisted me to enter an -enormous limousine which started at once. In ten minutes we had passed -through Lautenburg and were entering at top speed what I took to be the -great courtyard of the Castle. At all events a sentry presented arms. -</p> - -<p> -"Will the Herr Professor kindly get out?" said the lackey, opening the -door while the chauffeur sounded his horn. -</p> - -<p> -A round, red-faced steward appeared on the steps and bowed three or four -times. -</p> - -<p> -"Has the Herr Professor had a pleasant journey? Will he be kind enough -to follow me and I will take him to his room." -</p> - -<p> -With all the fellowships rolled into one I shouldn't have been addressed -as "Professor" as many times in ten years in France as I was in -Lautenburg on the morning of my arrival alone. -</p> - -<p> -My luggage was in my room. I admit that it was not without a feeling of -approval that I saw a very enticing meal spread out on the table. -</p> - -<p> -"If the Herr Professor wants anything, he has only to ring. Ludwig, his -valet, is at hand, entirely at his service." -</p> - -<p> -As he was going out the stout functionary bowed even lower than before -and handed me an envelope studded with red seals. -</p> - -<p> -"Will the Herr Professor kindly accept the letter left for him by Major -von Kessel." -</p> - -<p> -Major von Kessel, the tutor of his Highness Duke Joachim, offered his -apologies for his inability to receive me on my arrival. Unfortunately -the whole Court of Lautenburg had gone hunting and he himself had to -accompany his pupil. He therefore suggested my spending the day in -making myself at home in the palace. He would have the honour to receive -me at a quarter to ten on the following morning, Monday, with a view to -presenting me to the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus. -</p> - -<p> -Wishing to test my new powers at once, I rang. Ludwig appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Good Lord!" I thought, "if M. Thierry could only see you he'd feel -reassured." -</p> - -<p> -The fellow, thirty years old or so, had the most amazingly inexpressive -face I had ever beheld before I went to Germany. Subsequently I became -quite used to these good-natured, blue-eyed bran-bags. His head was that -of nine out of ten of our prisoners. -</p> - -<p> -I only managed to extract from Ludwig one piece of information, that I -should take my meals on the ground floor (my room was on the floor -above) in a room reserved for the civil and military establishment of -Duke Joachim, that is to say myself, Major von Kessel and Professor -Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University. In addition we could all have meals -served in our own rooms if we wished. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -Vignerte had hitherto spoken in the same level tone, finding no -difficulty in recalling the smallest detail of a story with which he -visibly lived night and day. But at this point he paused. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -I see, my friend, that my tale is not boring you, but I begin to be -conscious now of the difficulties of my task. Hitherto chronological -order has been enough, but at this point I must change it for a time or -I shall risk confusing you and obscuring the broad outline with a mass -of petty detail. Let me give you now a detailed description of -Lautenburg and its inhabitants. When I have done this we will return to -the course of events. They will group the picture. -</p> - -<h4>1. THE PALACE</h4> - -<p> -I should say palaces, rather than palace, as the residence of the Grand -Dukes of Lautenburg-Detmold is a combination of a Renaissance castle, -built on one side of a Gothic keep, and a Louis Quatorze palace -shamelessly copied from Versailles. Taken separately, each of these -components is not without architectural merit, but their combination -presented enormous difficulties to the architect of the Grand Duke -Ulrich, the present sovereign's grandfather, who was instructed to make -a symmetrical whole of these incompatible edifices. He solved his -problem by throwing out a wing on the left, erecting a flanking tower on -the right, and adding in the centre a kind of hall which is a cross -between the Gare d'Orsay and the Chapel at Versailles. I admit his task -was appalling, but why is it that these insoluble architectural puzzles -are always to be met with in Germany? -</p> - -<p> -Such as it is, this immense hall is used both as council chamber and -banqueting-hall, and I must say that, communicating with the gallery of -the palace and the Great Hall of the castle, it serves its double -purpose well enough. -</p> - -<p> -The palace meets the castle in the middle, so that the combined edifice -has the shape of a T. It crowns a hill which towers over the town, and -falls away sheer at the foot of the castle, but in a gentle slope behind -the palace. The Melna passes through the town and winds round the castle -in a gorge, a hundred feet deep or so, before glancing off to bound the -French garden, which stretches behind the palace. -</p> - -<p> -On the town side, leading up to the ducal residence, is a huge open -space, again recalling Versailles. It is also the parade ground, where -all reviews are held. A gilded railing starts from the left wing of the -palace, encloses a triangular court, and terminates at the right wing of -the castle, leaving the great central keep outside. -</p> - -<p> -From this keep, the sole relic of the old Gothic fortress of the -burgraves of Lautenburg, flies the standard in black and white, with a -golden leopard and the Lautenburg motto: <i>Summum decus, flectere</i>. -This tower has been spoilt, of course, like the rest of the castle, by an -overload of decorative ornament, in the Augsburg style. Thus the keep is -distinguished by battlements with a lining of zinc, while the peristyle, -the steps of which have a balustrade in excellent taste, is surmounted -by a Corinthian pediment. -</p> - -<p> -The side overlooking the Melna is less debased. The uninviting ravine -has been responsible for this, I expect, as the plaster artists no doubt -looked twice before embarking upon their course of "improvement." -Decorative detail has been replaced by ivy, and exceptionally huge -beeches, which overhang the river and sway their dark heads under the -high lancet windows. -</p> - -<p> -I need not describe the palace. It is a diminutive Versailles, with -twenty-five windows in the façade instead of eighty-nine, but none the -less an imitation good enough to make a majestic copy of majesty. -</p> - -<p> -The French park, albeit under a Hanoverian sky, made a direct appeal to -one's heart. Obviously the owners had lavished every care upon it. -German orderliness had done wonders. Everything was straight and smooth. -A faultless green lawn led to the Persephone fountain, a good example of -Ernout, himself a good pupil of Coysevox. You have only to know that -this garden was planned by La Quintinie, who sent his best workmen to -carry it out, to understand the secret of its spacious nobility. -</p> - -<p> -If the Grand Duke George William, a pensioner of the King of France, was -a great admirer of Louis XIV., his grandson Frederick was one of the -finest products of the age of enlightened despotism. He entertained -Voltaire on a visit, and met Rousseau at Grimm's house. He was -responsible for the English garden, surrounding the French park laid out -by his grandfather, which slopes in picturesque disorder down to the -Melna. The clear, rapid torrent is crossed by a wooden bridge, which -still keeps its name of "Pond de la Meilleraie," and is wide enough to -admit the passage of the cavalcades which start from the castle to hunt -in the Herrenwald, that magnificent forest whose leafy roof, as seen -from the terraces, stretches away to the horizon. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>2. MY QUARTERS</h4> - -<p> -Two large panelled chambers on the first floor, in the northern wing of -the castle, opposite the great court. The room in which I usually worked -looked out on the terrace. Through the open window I could see the dark -sea of foliage in a tawny sunlight. An overwhelming silence reigned. -</p> - -<p> -The other, less melancholy, had two windows looking out on the ravine -where the Melna plunged and roared, and beyond that the Königsplatz, -the barracks of the 182nd Regiment and the Cathedral, a garish eyesore. -A white trail of smoke floated on two shining bars—the Hanover -express which had brought me. -</p> - -<p> -I blessed the decision which had deposited me in this part of the -building. It possessed an enormous open grate, with curious ironwork, -and everything dated from the time when German taste was not yet -hopelessly debased. -</p> - -<p> -I was at the extreme end of the castle, immediately above the room known -as the "Armoury." This was a very curious place, though it had been -almost entirely stripped of its contents. The splendid suits of armour -of the great burgraves had been removed, notably that of Goetz von -Vertheidigen-Lautenburg, who was the right arm of Albert the Bear, that -of Miltiades Bussmann, who wounded Henry the Lion, and that of Cadwalla, -mentioned by Hugo, whose helm still bears the mark of the fearful blow -dealt him at Bouvines by the mighty Guillaume des Barres. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>3. THEIR HIGHNESSES</h4> - -<p> -The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus had his apartments on the first floor. -His bedroom, like that of Louis XIV., was in the centre of the main -building, and there was a study on the right, overlooking the park. -</p> - -<p> -Thither Kessel led me at ten o'clock in the morning of the day after my -arrival. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke was working at a plain Louis Quinze bureau. He rose and -held out his hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Vignerte, I have no need to tell you all the compliments Count -Marçais pays you in his letter. I know that you represent the personal -choice of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs. It would be absurd of -me to conceal from you that I am absolutely satisfied with such -references. My only wish is that you may find at Lautenburg something of -the welcome we hope to give you." -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke, only a year younger than his elder brother, the late -Grand Duke Rudolph, is fairly tall. Born in 1868, he is now forty-five. -Fair, rather bald and clean-shaven, he has blue eyes, which at first -seem to fasten on you and then wander away. Except on ceremonial -occasions I have never seen him in anything but the undress uniform of a -Divisional General, dark blue with the red collar and no decorations. -</p> - -<p> -He had fine hands, which he appeared to contemplate with some -satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -"Major von Kessel," he continued, "has probably explained to you the -nature of your duties. I need hardly say that I wish you to have the -utmost liberty as to the way in which you perform them. My son is -entered for Kiel University, and I wish him to take his degree there. -You must therefore keep your eye on a syllabus. But beyond that, adopt -what methods you think good. Your special subjects are History and -Literature. I do not know your political views, Monsieur," he added, -smiling. "No doubt somewhat Liberal. But don't feel obliged to change -them. Liberalism is formidable only to democracies. Intelligent -sovereigns have always known how to use it for their own purposes." -</p> - -<p> -He rang a bell. -</p> - -<p> -"Inform Duke Joachim that I want him to come to my study." -</p> - -<p> -My pupil was a tall, very fair young man, rather sleepy-looking. I -realized that I should never have cause to check the speed of his wits. -</p> - -<p> -"Joachim," said the Grand Duke, in a less pleasant tone than that with -which he had favoured me, "this is Monsieur Vignerte, your new Professor -of Literature. I hope the progress you make under his charge will be -more rapid than when you were with Herr Ulricht. What marks did he get, -Kessel, in his last tactics examination?" -</p> - -<p> -"Eight out of twenty," replied Kessel. -</p> - -<p> -"It's not enough. You must get half marks next time. You can go." -</p> - -<p> -The young man went out with ill-concealed relief. -</p> - -<p> -"You see, monsieur," said the Grand Duke, turning to us, "you can always -count absolutely on my authority. Mark my son strictly, if anything -stiffly, and you will always have my approval." -</p> - -<p> -He motioned to us to withdraw. "By the way," he added, recalling me, -"did Marçais tell you you might occasionally be required to display -your gifts as a reader to the Archduchess? Oh," he added, "I ought -perhaps to give you a warning, though it may be excessive caution on my -part. It is quite possible that my wife won't call upon you at all. At -the moment she has returned to her old passion for horses. But, in any -case, it does no harm to be forewarned, and you may be quite sure," he -concluded, with a smile which he well knew how to make irresistible, -"that I shall see that no unreasonable demands are made upon your -leisure." -</p> - -<p> -"I shall be happy to put myself entirely at the Grand Duchess's disposal -whenever she so desires." -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you," he said, and turned to his work. -</p> - -<p> -In the corridor Kessel said: -</p> - -<p> -"If the Grand Duchess takes it into her head to see you, she will send a -message immediately through me. I shall communicate with your valet, so -don't fail to call at your rooms." -</p> - -<p> -Thus it was that from the day after my arrival at the castle to the day -of the fête of the Lautenburg Hussars, where I saw her for the first -time, I called at my rooms five or six times a day, more disappointed -than I cared to admit that the summons which would manifest the good -pleasure of the Grand Duchess Aurora-Anna-Eleanor towards me was not -forthcoming. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>4. THE COURT</h4> - -<p> -I doubt whether I should say "Court" in speaking of the entourage of the -Dukes of Lautenburg. The word is somewhat too heavy, but it fits in well -enough with the rigid etiquette which reigned at the castle. -</p> - -<p> -I have already spoken of Major Count Albert von Kessel, of the 11th -Prussian Artillery Regiment, stationed at Königsberg. He passed out top -of the <i>Kriegs Academie</i> at Berlin, and is undoubtedly one of the best -officers in the German Army. He's an officer to his finger-tips, and -although devoted body and soul to his profession, displays only the -inevitable minimum of that impossible Prussian arrogance. He always -treated me with the most perfect courtesy, and I have nothing but praise -for the advice he gave me and the influence he had over Duke Joachim. -</p> - -<p> -Portly Colonel von Wendel, of Hanau Cuirassiers, combines the functions -of governor of the palace and head of the military household of the -Grand Duke. In the second capacity he has under his orders Captain -Müller, of the Würtemberg Chasseurs, and Lieutenants Bernhardt and von -Choisly, Uhlans and officers of the Grand Duke's staff. -</p> - -<p> -He is a good sort, who spends his time shouting when the Grand Duke -isn't there, and trembling like an aspen leaf when he is. I suspect -Kessel has a profound contempt for him. He, on the other hand, treats -Kessel, who is on the Great General Staff, with the greatest deference. -It would never enter his head that his double functions authorize him to -give orders to the taciturn artilleryman. -</p> - -<p> -His <i>bête-noire</i>, however, is little Lieutenant von Hagen, of the -Lautenburg Hussars, the Grand Duchess's orderly officer. Rows between -the Colonel and the Lieutenant are of frequent occurrence, but the -junior is backed by the Grand Duchess, who cannot do without him. The -Grand Duke won't hear a word against him. Wendel has to give way. In the -first few days I became conscious of the mutual hatred of these two men. -Without ever getting as far as confidences, the Governor of the castle -made two or three bitter remarks about the difficulties of his task. I -felt that with a little encouragement... -</p> - -<p> -But I'd promised to keep to my own job and never mix myself up in their -affairs. -</p> - -<p> -All the same, little Hagen irritated me beyond words, with his monocle, -his way of looking you up and down, and the self-satisfaction of the man -who feels secure against anything. He had been attached as orderly to -the Grand Duchess for two years, and I understand that at the time she -took him from the Lautenburg Hussars he was on the point of blowing his -brains out as a result of some gaming scandal. -</p> - -<p> -The rest, on the whole, are pleasant enough. They became a good deal -more agreeable when they learned I "was an officer of the Reserve." That -day Colonel von Wendel asked me to dinner. Frau von Wendel, a motherly, -red-haired woman of forty, called me "Monsieur le lieutenant." At -dessert she asked me in a tender voice if I had read the "Fiancée de -Messine." After all this was a better way of spending my time than at -the Sorbonne attending the lectures of M. Seignobos. I only mention his -name because it will do as well as any other. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>5. THE LIBRARY AND THE LIBRARIAN</h4> - -<p> -The former plays so considerable a part in my story, that I must devote -a little space to a description of it. As for the latter, Professor -Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University, it seems only just that I should say a -few words in praise of the man of whose death I have been the innocent -cause. -</p> - -<p> -The library had been fitted up in the dismantled chapel of the castle, a -chapel somewhat in the Jesuitical style having been built in the palace. -</p> - -<p> -The beautiful ogival chamber which cuts the great hall and the armoury -at right angles has thus been laid open. The door on the left leads to -the armoury, and the way into the library is by the door at the far end -of the great hall. -</p> - -<p> -Though three or four times larger, it bears a strong resemblance to the -library of the Château de Montesquieu at La Brède, except that, if I -remember rightly, the vaulting at La Brède is romanesque. Otherwise the -general plan is the same. In the centre there is a huge case containing -a remarkable collection of coins, among them a gold medallion of -Conradin, which is a masterpiece. Five or six lecterns have been -transformed into portable desks, the very thing for working. A splendid -system of electric light makes research an easy matter, for the room is, -indeed, so dark that it is impossible to read or write without -artificial light. -</p> - -<p> -Don't expect me to give you even the most summary description of the -riches amassed here since the time of Gutenberg. -</p> - -<p> -I don't believe it possible to write any kind of book on Germany without -having recourse to the library of Lautenburg. The visitors' book -contains the most famous signatures. Amongst others I noticed those of -Leibnitz, Humboldt, Otfried Müller, Curtius, Schleiermacher and Renan. -Even more precious are the treasures contained in the sacristy. There, -in old wooden chests, formerly reserved for vestments and chalices, are -housed the priceless manuscripts which comprise the public and private -archives of the Dukes of Lautenburg, or purchases made by several of -those dukes who were interested in such matters. They have to thank the -Grand Duke Rudolf, brother of the present Grand Duke, for several of the -most important items of the collection. The librarian, Herr Cyrus Beck, -who is engaged in classifying them, kept them jealously under lock and -key. -</p> - -<p> -This Professor Cyrus Beck, of Kiel University, was lent to the Grand -Duke Rudolf ten years ago by the Rector Etlicher, for the special -purpose of cataloguing his manuscripts. -</p> - -<p> -The present Grand Duke retained him in the same post in exchange for an -undertaking to give four hours a week to teach Duke Joachim the exact -sciences. -</p> - -<p> -The old man spent half his remaining time among the manuscripts in the -sacristy, the rest in his laboratory, surrounded by furnaces and -retorts. This laboratory is situated in the triangle formed by the -armoury, the chapel and the walls of the castle. Like my room, it looks -out on the ravine of the Melna, or rather on the trees which almost -entirely shut out the view. The first time I ever entered the -laboratory, accompanied by Kessel, who was to introduce me to our -colleague, I was received much as Gulliver was among the spiders' webs -of the magician of Laputa. A harsh voice screamed out an order to shut -the door, declaring that the draught was putting out the burners. Then -a furious little fellow emerged from amid pungent fumes. Dr. Cyrus Beck -had a bald pate, as polished as if it had been subjected to the most -powerful acids. A long yellowish overall, covered with chemical stains, -enveloped him from head to foot. Among all his paraphernalia he looked -exactly as if he had stepped out of Hoffmann's tales. -</p> - -<p> -He calmed down at the sight of Kessel, proffered his apologies, and told -us that he had just reached the psychological moment in his experiments -on the insulation of ... (something the name of which I have forgotten). -He had almost become pleasant when my companion told him that I myself -intended to do some research work in the manuscript section. He bowed as -Kessel told him that the Grand Duke hoped he would give me every -facility for this purpose, but I could see that he would not do more -than he could help. -</p> - -<p> -"We'll see," I reflected philosophically. "This old chap is full of -fads. Sooner or later I'll find out the one to play up to." -</p> - -<p> -I was in no hurry, having given myself a fortnight before starting on -what was then Professor Thierry's work, but eventually to be my own. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>6. THE STATE OF LAUTENBUBG-DETMOLD</h4> - -<p> -The Grand Duchy of Lautenburg-Detmold, one of the twenty-seven States of -the German Confederation, is about sixty miles long from north to south. -Its breadth varies between twelve and twenty-five miles. It has a -population of two hundred and eighty thousand. The Schwarzhugel, a last -buttress of the Harz, is the only orographical system which breaks the -monotony of the Hanoverian plain. -</p> - -<p> -As regards its river system, the Grand Duchy is bounded by the Weser, -and crossed by the Aller. The Melna is the most important river, judging -by the length of its course in Lautenburg territory. -</p> - -<p> -The Herrenwald, a forest of beech and fir, which starts to the north of -Lautenburg, covers a good third of its area. The rest consists of a -sandy tract, very difficult for agriculture, but particularly suited to -brick-making, the principal resource of the State. -</p> - -<p> -There are two towns: Sandau, exclusively industrial, in the northern -plain, with twenty thousand inhabitants; Lautenburg, the capital, forty -thousand inhabitants, seat of a bishopric and the central assizes. A -cavalry brigade formed of the 11th Dragoons and the 7th Hussars, a -regiment of infantry, the 182nd, a half-regiment of artillery, and a -detachment of the 3rd Engineers are stationed there. -</p> - -<p> -The constitution is monarchical, the Grand Dukes succeeding each other -in order of primogeniture, and women are not excluded. The Grand Duchess -Charlotte-Augusta reigned alone at the end of the eighteenth century, -and today the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus owes his title to his -marriage with the Grand Duchess Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke of Lautenburg is the immediate vassal of the King of -Würtemberg, and mediate vassal of the German Emperor. -</p> - -<p> -The State of Lautenburg sends three deputies to the Reichstag. Two of -them are agrarians; the third, representing Sandau, is a Socialist. All -three sit of right in the Ducal Diet, which meets twice a year at the -Castle of Lautenburg. The President of the Municipal Council of -Lautenburg and two councillors elected by their colleagues are also -<i>ex-officio</i> members of the Diet. The other members are elected, on a -narrow franchise, by the general population of the Grand Duchy. The -Grand Duke is President. A permanent committee of six members, somewhat -similar to our departmental commissions, dispatches current business -when the Diet is not in session. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>7. SUMMARY OF LIFE AT LAUTENBURG</h4> - -<p> -Four times a week I gave Duke Joachim his lessons, two of history, one -of philosophy and one of literature. For this purpose I went to his room -in the right wing of the palace. You will remember that his father -occupied the middle portion, while the left wing was reserved -exclusively for the Grand Duchess Aurora. The walls of Duke Joachim's -study are hung with the best German maps made by Kiepert himself. There -are two portraits, one of the Grand Duke, and the other of his first -wife, <i>née</i> Countess von Tepwitz, a worthy Bavarian with a Luther's -cross, who died three years ago. Duke Joachim is her living image. -</p> - -<p> -You couldn't have a more tractable pupil than this young German duke. He -knows a good deal already, but unfortunately it's all in the same class. -I shouldn't be at all surprised if the State of Lautenburg-Detmold -lapses to the imperial crown on the death of the Grand Duke -Frederick-Augustus. -</p> - -<p> -Those who have always had all they want will probably bridle at the -suggestion that a life with every material comfort is enough for -happiness. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly happy. I had nothing but my -professional duties to worry about. Two or three books, unknown over -here, practically performed them for me. -</p> - -<p> -I was very happy, I repeat. Lunch with the Grand Duke was still a treat -in store, but I had already dined three times with Colonel von Wendel. -His wife took a great fancy to me. I lent her several books I had really -intended for the Grand Duchess. She was a kindly soul, and, besides, it -was just as well to be on good terms with the Colonel. -</p> - -<p> -I generally lunched with Cyrus Beck, Kessel, and the staff. Little Hagen -came every now and then. When he did, the others chuckled maliciously, -and said that the Grand Duchess must have let him out for the day. In -the evening every one vanished. Most of them had friends in the town. I -usually stayed behind with the professor, and sometimes, not always, the -taciturn Kessel. Cyrus Beck then monopolized the conversation with a -recital of his woes. His pupil made no progress. Besides, tutoring -wasn't his job! The Grand Duke Rudolph, now, <i>did</i> know how to treat a -professor. He was a scholar! -</p> - -<p> -I was given to understand that as a geographer he had scarcely a rival. -</p> - -<p> -Kessel, finishing his liqueur, broke in calmly: -</p> - -<p> -"A geographer who didn't understand the handling of a field gun." -</p> - -<p> -Cyrus retorted in scorn: -</p> - -<p> -"Then you prefer the present Grand Duke?" -</p> - -<p> -"I never knew His Highness the Grand Duke Rudolph," replied Kessel, -unruffled. "I only know that the first duty of a Grand Duke is to -<i>be</i> a Grand Duke, which means perfect familiarity with artillery, -heavy and light, so that geographers can work in peace and safety." -</p> - -<p> -The odd thing is that the professor poured out his complaints to Kessel, -of whom he stood in visible awe, rather than to me, a Frenchman. I tell -you the loyalty of these folk is beyond belief. We in France are never -happy except when at loggerheads. But <i>their</i> habit of mind, backed by -the Imperial Police, who are admirably organized, makes them sheep, -compared to which Panurge's flock was imaginative and refractory. -</p> - -<p> -In the daytime my principal amusement was strolling in Lautenburg. The -splendid German uniforms delighted me, though I had moments of dismay -over that prodigious display of discipline. Twice a week the band of the -182nd played in the Königsplatz, opposite the theatre. I liked the -charming <i>gaucherie</i> of the group of girls I passed. They recalled and -exemplified the truth of the old cavalry General von Dewitz's remarks to -his aide-de-camp: -</p> - -<p> -"These girls are thoroughbreds, my boy, a real treat to watch! None of -your faked demi-women, but mothers, real mothers. I'd answer for whole -generations of them. Just look at that buxom wench down there! There's -red cheeks for you, and what a stride! A yard if it's an inch! What a -treat for an old soldier like me. I like looking at 'em!"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> -</p> - -<p> -I, too, liked "looking at 'em." The spectacle never failed to please, -and that utter docility, that abject acceptance of their destiny, -recalled the words of the French officers who passed through here into -captivity after the disaster at Sedan: -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Priez une Allemande à s'asseoir. Elle se couchera.</i>" -</p> - -<p> -Night falls, a haze of purple and gold. Lights and noise herald -the hour of café and tavern. A flower-seller passes. I am to dine -tonight at the Colonel's. I must take Frau von Wendel a bunch of -<i>Vergiss-mein-nicht</i>!... -</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>W. Meyer-Forster: <i>Baron von Heidenstamm</i>. Part I. 1.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="III">III</a></h4> - - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>NE morning in December I was snugly -ensconced by my big log fire, preparing a lesson for the afternoon. -There was a dry, cold snap in the air, and the pale winter sun was -dissolving, the night's mist in opal drops on my windows. -</p> - -<p> -There was a knock at the door. -</p> - -<p> -"Come in." -</p> - -<p> -Outside stood Otto, an ex-non-commissioned officer and head-butler, in -fact, the connecting link between the palace officials and the horde of -valets, workmen and supers whom he had under his orders. His white -shirt-front and round red face stood out sharply against the dark -background of the corridor. Behind him loomed two men bearing some -strange bundles. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, Herr Professor. I hope I am not disturbing you?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Otto. What is it?" -</p> - -<p> -He came in, followed by the two men, who had their arms full of bunches -of flags. -</p> - -<p> -"Tomorrow is the fête-day of the 7th Lautenburg Hussars, Herr -Professor. The town takes a holiday. We decorate the whole palace, and I -have come to arrange your three windows." -</p> - -<p> -I looked out. The Königsplatz was, indeed, dotted with tiny figures -bustling about with the multifarious paraphernalia of public rejoicings, -tall poles, bunches of flags and streamers. -</p> - -<p> -"Go ahead, by all means." -</p> - -<p> -Very deliberately they set to work. Three huge shields, with the German -imperial standard between the white and red flag of Würtemberg and the -Lautenburg-Detmold banner (a golden leopard on a black and white ground) -were duly erected. The whole was then linked to the other windows by -festoons of enormous green garlands like laurel wreaths at -prize-givings. -</p> - -<p> -Standing there supervising, Otto described to me the next day's -ceremony. -</p> - -<p> -"It is always a very big affair, Herr Professor. Tonight the palace will -be lit up, and there will be a torchlight procession on the arrival of -His Majesty the King of Würtemberg and His Excellency General von -Eichhorn, who is representing His Majesty the Kaiser." -</p> - -<p> -"Is the Kaiser represented at every regimental fête?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not <i>all</i>, Herr Professor, but the 7th Hussars is not a regiment like -others. Its flag is decorated. Prince Eitel is a captain in it, and most -important of all, its colonel is Her Highness our Grand Duchess, the -Emperor's cousin. So you will realize ..." -</p> - -<p> -"I realize, Otto, that it is going to be a very fine affair, and you -must have plenty to do." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, Herr Professor. We have finished now. Come on, you two. -We are very grateful for your kindness, Herr Professor." -</p> - -<p> -I appreciated the turn of events which was to enable me to witness one -of these magnificent German ceremonies, even more when, about eleven -o'clock, a note came up from Major von Kessel. The Prince's tutor -informed me that his pupil was to accompany the Grand Duke at the -preliminary review of the garrison in the afternoon. He therefore -requested me to be good enough to postpone my lesson for a couple of -days. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -At lunch, Doctor Cyrus Beck, more hoffmannesque than ever, came down -late in a state of great excitement. I wanted to get some further -information out of him. -</p> - -<p> -"Here's a disgraceful thing," he burst out, enraged. "Have you read this -libelous stuff, sir?" -</p> - -<p> -He held out <i>La Peau de Chagrin</i>. -</p> - -<p> -"Libelous stuff?" I said in amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, silly, libelous nonsense. It takes a frivolous Frenchman to treat -certain subjects with such levity. It is science itself that is -ridiculed here, sir. Just consider. You spend your life in the study of -two or three questions, break retorts, bum your face over crucibles, run -innumerable risks of being blown up and your laboratory with you—and -all that for a tomfool novelist to come along, and, in a few -contemptuous words, which he takes for eternal verities, tell you your -business and make you a public laughing-stock." -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know what particular passage of <i>La Peau de Chagrin</i> is -responsible for your recriminations," I said, "and I'm afraid, in any -case, I'm not competent to defend Balzac on this point. You should know, -however, that, generally speaking, he was extremely accurate. The -historical parts of his work are an important authority. I once heard a -good commercial lawyer say that his descriptions of César Birotteau's -bankruptcy and the sale of the Roguin property are masterpieces from the -legal point of view. Besides ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Sir," he broke in with rising anger, "neither Law nor History has ever -claimed to be an exact science. A superficial intelligence like your -Balzac's can easily excel in them. But science, sir ..." -</p> - -<p> -"My dear Herr Beck," I said, a little nettled, "if <i>La Peau de -Chagrin</i> can produce such an effect upon you, I wonder what you'll -say when you've read <i>La Recherche de l'Absolu</i>? It refers to a -certain Balthazar Claës, who, like you studies high matters and with -the same wealth of experience as yourself. It is possible that you might -discover many valuable suggestions there." -</p> - -<p> -He was not quite certain whether to take me seriously or not; but -prudently wrote the title of the book on his cuff. Then his lips went to -his spoon, which, in the German fashion, never left the surface of his -soup. -</p> - -<p> -"Are you going to the review tomorrow?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -I expected a formal negative, and my surprise was great when he told me -he would not fail to attend the ceremony. -</p> - -<p> -"We have seats reserved in the Royal Stand," he said unctuously, "next -to the Corps Diplomatique." -</p> - -<p> -I was very much tickled at the child-like delight of this barrack-room -savant at having an official place at a military ceremony. "What a world -of difference from our anti-militarist intellectuals," I thought, -without knowing for certain which of the two attitudes was the better. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -The entire palace was in a state of extreme confusion. Officers in -full-dress uniform swarmed like ants. I met Kessel up to the eyes in it. -</p> - -<p> -"The King arrives at nine o'clock," he said. "You should go to the -station. It will interest you. Meanwhile, if you like, you can watch the -review which the Grand Duke is holding at three o'clock on the -parade-ground." -</p> - -<p> -I thanked him, but not wishing to take the gilt off the next day's -spectacle, and, if the truth must be told, feeling rather small and -absurd among all these folk in brilliant uniforms, I hid myself in the -library. There I began to jot down a few notes bearing on the young -Duke's next lesson on the history of Alexandrine Philosophy. -</p> - -<p> -When I came out darkness had fallen, and I decided to go for a stroll in -the town. It was already illuminated. When I reached the middle of the -parade-ground I looked back, and the whole castle appeared before me in -a blaze of light. My childish pleasure in the coloured lights and fairy -lamps prevented me from noticing that the exhibition did not err on the -side of good taste. But in Germany there is always too much of -everything except that. -</p> - -<p> -In the centre there was an enormous imperial eagle, ten yards high, -carried out in yellow lights. On the left the Würtemberg lion in red, -and on the right the Lautenburg lion in green. The difficulty of -distinguishing these animals with electric lamps had been a very serious -problem for the artist in charge, but in the end a fair measure of -success had been achieved. -</p> - -<p> -A confused murmur of admiration rose from the shadowy groups about me. -At the far end of the parade-ground the Royal Stand was all ready for -the next day's review. The Hanover Strasse, the finest street in -Lautenburg, was thronged with people, who were walking up and down on -the pavements, as if impelled by some mechanical device. At a given -moment the barracks poured out a stream of uniforms. The red tunics of -the Lautenburg Hussars blended with the blue of the Detmold Dragoons and -the dark jackets of the infantrymen. Students who had come specially -from Hanover, flaunted their various caps and duelling scars with an -arrogance which vanished quickly whenever they passed an officer. Thanks -to the approach of Christmas, the brilliantly-lighted shop-fronts were -crammed with a mass of weird and fantastic wares, the childishness of -which was enough to make you weep. The provision stores were crammed -with geese absurdly decorated with the colours of the twenty-seven -German States. A goose adorned with the Rudolstadt blue was cheek by -jowl with a goose in Würtemberg red. The pork butchers exhibited -pyramids of sausages made in the shape of the most famous public -buildings in the Empire—the Reichstag, the Central Station at Berlin, -Cologne Cathedral, etc. But the masterpiece was a triumphal arch of -lard, with bas-reliefs in red jelly and an entablature of <i>foie gras</i>. -</p> - -<p> -Girls strolled along in parties of three or four, arm in arm, modestly -lowering their eyes under the insolent stares of the officers. -</p> - -<p> -I dined at the Lohengrin tavern, the largest and most ornate in -Lautenburg. You remember the roundabouts of our childhood. The part -reserved for the band and the old blear-eyed, tinsel-covered nag bears a -very striking resemblance to a fashionable German tavern. They are the -only places, I think, where people can smoke without inconvenience. The -clouds of tobacco smoke which rise to the ceiling suggest nothing so -much as a rabelaisian Walhalla. It was striking eight when yells of -"<i>Hoch</i>! <i>hoch</i>!" in the street brought the diners <i>en -masse</i> to the door. Amid a forest of sabres a squadron of dragoons -was on its way to the station to act as guard of honour to the King of -Würtemberg and General von Eichhorn. -</p> - -<p> -There was such a mob around the station that I gave up any idea of -trying to get in. It was from a corner of the Roon Strasse that I -managed to get a glimpse, through the hedge of dragoons, of the car in -which the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and the King of Würtemberg were -sitting opposite my pupil and General von Eichhorn. -</p> - -<p> -I was absolutely deafened by the noise. From one café I had to flee in -terror of immediate asphyxiation. Students standing on the table -declaimed, sang and bawled out their slogans while tossing off the -contents of colossal pewter mugs. Under blinding electric standards in -the streets women, dressed in the fashion of 1900, with hats slanting -skywards and hopelessly drunk, mingled the eternal pan-German -"<i>Hoch</i>!" with suggestive invitations. -</p> - -<p> -As I turned the corner of the Königsplatz, on my way back to the -castle, I passed by the officers' mess. For one second the bright window -revealed to me the pandemonium within. Through the thick curtain of -smoke I caught a glimpse of some thirty men, and, stretched on the table -among the flowers and pools of wine, two naked women. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -At eight o'clock Pastor Silbermann, at the <i>Tempel</i> in the -Siegstrasse, and Monsignor Kreppel in the Cathedral, celebrated the -offices of the respective cults, to which the soldiers of the Catholic -and Reformed confessions were conducted in detachments. Then at ten -o'clock came the review. -</p> - -<p> -The weather favoured the 7th Lautenburg Hussars. The sun shone bright -and cold. From the square you could see the black leaves, gripped by the -gentle westerly breeze, fall slowly from the castle trees into the -Melna. I have said before that from my room I could not see the -parade-ground where the review was to be held. But rising at daybreak I -was in time to watch the 182nd Prussian Infantry Regiment, of which two -companies had been told off for general police duties, crossing the -Königsplatz en route to its post. The immense throng filled my heart -with the joy of those who know that their seats are reserved. -</p> - -<p> -At seven o'clock I was ready, although I had quite decided not to turn -out until much later, certainly not before the stands were half full. I -picked up some book and tried to read it, not stopping to analyse the -reasons for my growing excitement. -</p> - -<p> -At nine o'clock the noise below became so marked and insistent that I -thought I could go down without looking absurd. How small and -insignificant I felt crossing the great square, the emptiness of which -was emphasized by the enormous crowd gathered round it, only kept within -bounds by a cordon of infantry with fixed bayonets. The stands were -three-quarters full when I arrived, and I should have had considerable -difficulty in finding my place if I hadn't seen a hat frantically waved -to attract my attention. It was Count de Marçais. -</p> - -<p> -"You're next to me," said the obliging diplomat. "All the better. We can -chat while we're waiting." -</p> - -<p> -Glad of an opportunity of impressing me, he told me the names of the -distinguished individuals around us: Count Bela, the Austro-Hungarian -Minister, almost swallowed up in furs and an astrakhan cap with a silver -aigrette; M. Nekludoff, the Russian Minister, in a very unassuming -frock-coat; Monsignor Kreppel, with his heavy gold cross on a purple -sash, and Rector Etlicher, of Kiel Academy. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly I pressed his arm. A most attractive young woman had just taken -her place in the first row of the stand immediately in front of us. She -might have been twenty or twenty-five. Dark, extremely smooth-skinned -and languid in her movements, she was wearing a long blue coat and skirt -edged with skunk. One of her arms hanging loosely by her side, ended in -one of those huge muffs so fashionable at that time. A toque of skunk -framed the heavy black coils of her hair. -</p> - -<p> -She noticed Marçais and greeted him with a languid bow. -</p> - -<p> -"Who is she?" I murmured. -</p> - -<p> -"What," he said ecstatically. "You mean to say you don't know the Maid -of Honour, the Grand Duchess's inseparable confidante, Fräulein -Melusine von Graffenfried? What on earth have you been doing with your -time since you came?" -</p> - -<p> -"What a beauty she is!" I said. -</p> - -<p> -"She's a beauty all right! You're not the first to make <i>that</i> -discovery. But you'd better realize, my boy," he added, with a curious -sly glance, "that there's nothing doing. Besides, you'll forget her -existence when the Grand Duchess arrives. Meanwhile she'll do, won't -she ..." -</p> - -<p> -Translating words into deeds he touched our beautiful neighbour gently -on the shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -"Fräulein von Graffenfried, there are some things in the castle we -don't value as we should. Here is one of its residents, who has -not yet been presented to you and now solicits that honour. My -fellow-countryman, Monsieur Raoul Vignerte, tutor to His Highness Duke -Joachim." -</p> - -<p> -The charming young woman turned round and gave me an angelic glance, -which, for some reason or other, reduced me to extreme confusion. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you, dear Count, for giving me an opportunity of knowing Monsieur -Vignerte otherwise than by reputation. Monsieur, let me hope we shall -meet again without having to wait for so special an occasion. But I'm -told you work so hard." -</p> - -<p> -It was not the first time I was to learn how much more tactful -distinguished imbeciles are than people of reputed intelligence. Count -de Marçais gave me further proof of this when he answered for me: -</p> - -<p> -"No offence meant, dear friend, but perhaps it is easier to gain -admittance to the castle library than to your affections!" -</p> - -<p> -Melusine's eyelids quivered imperceptibly. -</p> - -<p> -"No offence taken, I assure you," she rejoined, smiling. "Monsieur -Vignerte is a true scholar, and will tell you that the very best -libraries are those to which admission is most difficult. Isn't that so, -Herr Beck?" She added, turning to the old savant, who had just arrived -and was lost in astonishment at the troops concentrated at the two ends -of the parade-ground. -</p> - -<p> -I admired the surpassing skill with which she turned a conversation -verging on delicate ground. -</p> - -<p> -"You are unquestionably right, Fräulein," my old colleague hastened to -reply, with the utter ingenuousness of the man of learning. "Monsieur -Vignerte knows only too well that the whole library, manuscripts -included, is at his disposal." -</p> - -<p> -"Hush!" said Fräulein von Graffenfried, turning round. "Here's the -King." -</p> - -<p> -A group of horsemen had just appeared opposite us, on the other side of -the square, in the courtyard of the castle. There was immediately a -volley of sharp commands. Cavalry and infantry stiffened to attention. -With a noise like sheets of metal tearing, bayonets were fixed to the -muzzles of rifles. Three thousand swords flashed out, three thousand -tongues of lightning. -</p> - -<p> -Trumpets and fifes began a slow march, a kind of summons to arms, very -sharp and strident, but quite in keeping with the keen December morning. -When it stopped, there burst out one wild universal cheer, solid, -raucous and prolonged, like the roll of a wave which never breaks. -</p> - -<p> -The little group of horsemen advanced at the trot in the huge empty -square. The King of Würtemberg, in field-marshal's uniform, was in -front on a black horse. On his right was the Grand Duke -Frederick-Augustus, in general's uniform, very plain. On his left -General von Eichhorn displayed all the glories of the Great General -Staff. Close by was young Duke Joachim, looking very well in the blue -tunic of a lieutenant in the Detmold Dragoons. -</p> - -<p> -Behind them came a display of the finest uniforms in the German Army: a -colossal officer of the White Cuirassiers; an officer of the Guard -Artillery in black and gold with crimson facings; grey Hussars, a green -Uhlan. -</p> - -<p> -"Where's the Grand Duchess?" I murmured to Marçais. -</p> - -<p> -"What! You call yourself an officer of the Reserve! Where do you expect -to find the colonel at a review? At the head of his regiment, of course. -Look, there's Colonel von Mudra of the 182nd. The review begins with his -regiment. He's the man just in front of the Staff. He will drop back -into line when his unit has been inspected." -</p> - -<p> -At a gallop the Royal group passed between the companies of the -regiment, which smartly opened out for the manœuvre. The white and -black standards were lowered at their passage. Then came a sharp order -and the ranks closed up. It was the turn of the Detmold Dragoons. -</p> - -<p> -Colonel von Becker, slim and straight, a fine figure in his blue tunic, -white gauntlets and black-spiked helmet with its silver eagle, rode up -to the King, whom he saluted with a broad sweep of his sabre, presenting -to him his superb regiment, a host of giants on motionless giant steeds. -This solid mass gave me such an impression of overwhelming force that I -involuntarily pressed Marçais' hand. -</p> - -<p> -"H'm!" he murmured. "Our Cuirassiers and Spahis will have their work cut -out if it ever comes." -</p> - -<p> -An order, passed down by the commanding officers, captains and -lieutenants, and the earth trembled beneath the hoofs of the 11th -Detmold Dragoons moving off by the right, behind the 182nd Infantry, to -take its place for the march past. -</p> - -<p> -It was Marçais' turn to press my arm. -</p> - -<p> -"Look!" he said. -</p> - -<p> -In front of us, in the first row, Fräulein Melusine von Graffenfried -was leaning over the rail with a smile on her lips. Two riders were -advancing towards the King. One was little Hagen, rather pale and -plainly full of himself. He was riding eight or ten paces behind the -Colonel of the Lautenburg Hussars. -</p> - -<p> -To tell the truth, I could not clearly distinguish the features of the -Grand Duchess Aurora. I could only see the outline of her slight form. -</p> - -<p> -She was walking a little horse gorgeously caparisoned. Above her riding -skirt was the tunic of the Lautenburg Hussars, red with orange facings. -Her black kolbach reared its long gold cockade above her head. -</p> - -<p> -She also presented arms to the King of Würtemberg, who, urging his -horse forward, bowed over her hand and kissed it. A tremendous cheer -went up from the crowd: -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Hoch</i> for the Grand Duchess! <i>Hoch</i> for the King! <i>Hoch</i> -for the Kaiser!" -</p> - -<p> -Marçais touched Melusine gently on the arm. -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Duchess is a very placid Amazon today," he said. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think so?" replied the girl, shrugging her shoulders but not -turning round. "She had two bottles of 'Extra Dry' put in Taras-Bulba's -oats this morning. That explains everything." -</p> - -<p> -"Taras-Bulba! Is that her horse?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, a fearful little brute, hairy as a mat, you can see. She brought -him from the marshes of the Volga. He's ugly, vicious and obstinate. -She's absolutely the only person who can ride him. He tries to bite the -groom's face off, but she can do what she likes with him." -</p> - -<p> -"Sh!" said Melusine. "Look!" -</p> - -<p> -The Hussars were advancing at full trot to take their places behind the -Dragoons, who were drawn up behind the infantry. -</p> - -<p> -With their backs to the stand and ourselves, the King of Würtemberg and -General von Eichhorn faced the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and Duke -Joachim, who, at the other end of the parade-ground, presented the -troops marching past. I have no bias in favour of the Prussian -goose-step, but I assure you that though we may mock at it in France, it -is remarkably appropriate to German military atmosphere. -</p> - -<p> -The 182nd marched past in line of columns of companies. You could have -heard a pin drop. The six field artillery batteries followed at a -gallop, the copper bobs on their black helmets sparkling in the sun. -Then, by squads and keeping faultless alignment, the Detmold Dragoons -advanced, followed at a distance of two hundred yards or so by the -Lautenburg Hussars. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess was between the two regiments. Little Hagen, stiller -than ever, looked in the seventh heaven. A feeling of mute hatred of the -man rose within me. -</p> - -<p> -The march past was over. Whilst the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus and -Duke Joachim came over to join the King of Würtemberg and General von -Eichhorn in front of the stand, the two calvary regiments massed for the -final charge at the place the princes had just left. -</p> - -<p> -"Look!" said Marçais to me. "You are going to see the Cossack style." -</p> - -<p> -On the right was the blue mass, on the left the red, smaller. Twenty -paces in front of them two riders, almost side by side. Colonel von -Becker's great bay snorted. Taras-Bulba, quivering with suppressed -excitement, did not move. -</p> - -<p> -Leaning forward, Melusine looked on, her gaze at once roving and rapt. -</p> - -<p> -Two sabres flashed and immediately, with a deafening roar, the great -wave broke. -</p> - -<p> -And now one horse was ahead—Taras-Bulba. How long would it last? -Possibly ten seconds, and then the wave, three thousand horses and three -thousand riders, stopped dead before the stands amid a rattle of oaths -and the jingling of stirrups. The earth seemed to open. -</p> - -<p> -I shall never forget the sight. On the right Becker, leaning back in his -saddle, his horse rearing, saluted the sovereigns with his sword. On the -left was Taras-Bulba pawing the air. -</p> - -<p> -Five or six yards away from me the Grand Duchess sat her prancing horse. -No pink glow on her pale face spoke of that breathless rush. Her huge -black kolbach entirely hid her hair. Her green eyes shone gloriously. A -Murat among Amazons, she held her sword raised above her head. -</p> - -<p> -She smiled to us. -</p> - -<p> -At that same moment a cry of admiring wonder broke from three throats. -Melusine von Graffenfried, Marçais and I had the glory of leading a -frantic burst of cheering. -</p> - -<p> -Then Taras-Bulba fell back on his fore feet. With one hand Aurora von -Lautenburg patted his shaggy mane, while she extended the other to King -Albert, who kissed it again. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -An invitation card, handed to me by Ludwig when I returned to my rooms, -intimated that my presence was requested at the dinner to take place at -eight o'clock in the Great Gallery, in honour of His Majesty the King of -Würtemberg and His Excellency General von Eichhorn. Third table; place -23. -</p> - -<p> -I spent the afternoon in my room, playing with some manuscript or other, -turning over pages, but not reading. At seven o'clock I went out into -the park. Two hours earlier I had heard the last strains of the hunting -horns, distant at first, die out in the ravine of the Melna. It was -there that the hunt, led by the King and the Grand Duchess, had -concluded. -</p> - -<p> -The palace was a blaze of light, and through its lofty windows I could -see the great tables groaning beneath their load of flowers and glass. -</p> - -<p> -Most of the high officials and all the Lautenburg officers had been -invited, and three hundred covers were laid at twelve tables. -</p> - -<p> -I went in between a major of the Dragoons and the wife of a Court -Councillor, and neither of them said a single word to me during the -meal. The band of the 182nd played in the Council Chamber in the -intervals between the courses. -</p> - -<p> -I could not see the Grand Duchess, the King, or the Dukes, as the top -table was completely hidden from me by a forest of flowers. -</p> - -<p> -In the hubbub of toasts and champagne I slipped out, and went through -the Council Chamber to the Great Hall, hoping to get a good view of the -entrance of the royalties. A charming voice drew me from the well of my -reflections: -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monsieur Vignerte, why so solitary?" -</p> - -<p> -I was alone in the great room with Fräulein von Graffenfried. -</p> - -<p> -"What about yourself, Fräulein?" -</p> - -<p> -"I? Oh, that's a different matter. The Grand Duchess has asked me to -have a look round before the others come in. The waiters are so stupid. -She is most anxious that the flowers should be well arranged." -</p> - -<p> -I looked around at the tasteful floral display about us. Purple iris -alternated with yellow roses, larger and finer than anything I have ever -seen, before or since. -</p> - -<p> -"These flowers are from her own home," Melusine explained; "iris from -the Volga and roses from Daghestan. She has a waggon-load sent every -month, as she thinks the flowers here very poor. They are beautiful, -aren't they?" she added, with her face buried in a large bunch. -</p> - -<p> -"Not more so than she!" I murmured, not knowing what I said. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine gave me a smiling glance. She was dressed in a gown of ivory -satin under a tunic of tulle embroidered with iridescent pearls. No -jewels, save for a necklace of pink pearls round her smooth throat. -</p> - -<p> -Her whole personality, elegant, languid and perfumed, spoke in that -smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, she is," was all she said. -</p> - -<p> -Then with sudden irony: -</p> - -<p> -"So it was her flowers that suggested herself? I shall tell her." -</p> - -<p> -"I beg of you, Fräulein ..." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! I want you to know her. You must come and see us. We get bored, -you know, seeing no one but little Hagen. He isn't always amusing." -</p> - -<p> -"He is in love with her, I suppose," I said, drawing close up to her. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine laughed. -</p> - -<p> -"He's quite tiresome enough for that." -</p> - -<p> -"And she?" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Vignerte," said Melusine, smiling again. "You go from one -extreme to the other, the depths of modesty to the heights of -indiscretion. Don't you realize that, to say the least, your questions -are not very flattering to me?" -</p> - -<p> -She leaned forward, almost touching me. Her black hair brushed my cheek. -</p> - -<p> -"I think you found me much better-looking this morning before seeing -her, didn't you?" she whispered. -</p> - -<p> -She took my arm with an imperious gesture. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, you can look at her now." -</p> - -<p> -With a clatter of swords and spurs the procession entered the Great Hall -just as a thousand lights were turned on at once. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -German Court functions have all the incomparable splendour that the -magnificent imperial uniforms give them. I was almost blinded by the -amazing display of blue, red and black tunics, bedecked with fur and -sparkling with gold. -</p> - -<p> -The hedge of Lautenburg Hussars presented swords. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess Aurora came first on the arm of the King of -Würtemberg. -</p> - -<p> -A draped gown of dark green velvet, amazingly <i>décolleté</i>, left one -shoulder absolutely bare. Behind her trailed her long train, with a -wonderful design in silver embroidery. -</p> - -<p> -On her right hand she had a single diamond set in platinum, on the left -an emerald set in a circle of brilliants. -</p> - -<p> -I had not seen her hair in the morning, but now I beheld that cloud of -tawny gold, fashioned in great coils round her head, beneath a gold-lace -cap surmounted by a strange barbaric tiara of emeralds. -</p> - -<p> -For one second her eyes met mine. I had an intuition that what she read -there did not displease her. I was probably the only human being in that -etiquette-ridden concourse who dared gaze thus frankly at that woman. -</p> - -<p> -Do you remember Gustave Moreau's <i>Fée aux Griffons</i>? You will recall -the fantastic creature in a vivid blue landscape—that colour is less -intense than the green of Aurora of Lautenburg's eyes. The picture will -give you a dim idea of the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -There was the same ethereal atmosphere, the same haunting mystery of -outline. Melusine, exquisite, even unnerving as she was, seemed almost -commonplace beside that Titania. -</p> - -<p> -What Moreau's picture does not explain is the blending of ingenuousness -and resolution which is the whole charm of this princess. She has -something of the northern Creole, at once listless and impulsive, and -again something of snow in sunshine, sparkling and hard on the surface, -soft in substance. -</p> - -<p> -Her waist, perhaps a little too slender, is rather high. You <i>knew</i> -how delicately lovely her waist would have been if she had cared to lace it -in, for the velvet gown moulded the form in a way that is only possible -when there is direct contact with the flesh beneath. The thought that -that form could emerge from its sheath like a cold, pure lily sent the -blood surging to one's brain. -</p> - -<p> -Among all those faces, on which wine had already begun to leave its -purple traces, that pale statue, half unrobed, was miraculously white -and pure. Her lips were rouged, her eyes darkened, and, to tell the -truth, her nails were unnaturally pink. But you felt she made light of -these adventitious aids on which others rely for beauty. You could -imagine her smiling at resorting to them. She only uses them to show -that she can just as well dispense with them. -</p> - -<p> -The smile which hovered on her pale face was set, artificial. A slave to -etiquette, she wore the appropriate official mien. Any one who watched -her closely could the better observe an occasional emotion, dead at -birth, which for a brief moment disturbed the grave, self-imposed mask. -I knew that such an emotion must focus as many impulses as the colours -in a prism. I felt that if I ever came to know Her Highness better, I -should perhaps succeed in analysing them; but in the meantime that -glimpse revealed two elements with unfailing certainty—irony and -ennui. -</p> - -<p> -Was this gentle, listless creature, indeed, the Amazon of the morning? I -preferred her then. The bare, white shoulder hurt me, and I wanted a -heavy ermine cloak to throw over it. There were a dozen around her. Oh! -I knew that she was their sovereign, and that their glances, in her -presence, were little more than mechanical. But if they had not thought -themselves observed what reserve would they have shown? -</p> - -<p> -And who, in Heaven's name, is that little red Hussar, lurking down there -behind the flowers and casting covetous glances at that fair -shoulder?... Hence, clown! Go back to your tame, fat German women, with -their bulging arms and diabolo figures. She is not of your race. She is -not for you, lout! I hate you, yet I envy you. I envy your scarlet -tunic, your yellow facings, your gold tinsel, your lieutenant's rank in -the 7th Hussars, which, when all else fails, is a bond between you and -your soul-stirring Colonel. I could then approach her and proffer, as -you do now, my compliments on the display of the morning. -</p> - -<p> -With her face almost buried in the bouquet of irises she held to her -nostrils, she thanked, in a low voice, the officers who congratulated -her. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no! You exaggerate. Taras-Bulba deserves all the praise. I'm always -amazed at the way you keep up with him on your chargers. Compared with -him the animals here are like brewers' horses." -</p> - -<p> -Was I wrong, or could she really if she had wished have spoken German -with less of a foreign accent? -</p> - -<p> -Behind a screen of plants on the left the band of the 182nd struck up a -waltz. The ball began. -</p> - -<p> -"We are keeping out the dancers, gentlemen. Go and find your partners. -They will be getting angry with me. Please take me to my place, Count," -she said, taking General von Eichhorn's arm. -</p> - -<p> -These Germans, male and female, waltzed with that grave, concentrated -resolution that characterizes them. Spurs clinked merrily, and the -beautiful imperial colours mingled under the lights into one fascinating -kaleidoscope. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Vignerte, you are not dancing!" -</p> - -<p> -"It is only because I'm such a poor performer, Fräulein. Besides, a -black coat cuts a poor figure among all these uniforms." -</p> - -<p> -"That's no reason," replied Melusine. "Why, there's good Frau von Wendel -who will go very well with your clothes. You must ask her." -</p> - -<p> -"If I <i>must</i> dance, I should prefer it to be with you." -</p> - -<p> -"I'm afraid I haven't time. My business is to wander round and look -after the wallflowers and more bashful dancers. Let me take your arm. -You can accompany me." -</p> - -<p> -A pretty woman on my arm gave me the confidence I lacked. -</p> - -<p> -"Fräulein von Graffenfried! Monsieur Vignerte!" The voice of Marçais. -</p> - -<p> -The last word in elegance, he was sitting near the Grand Duchess. Great -Heavens! He beckoned to me to go up. -</p> - -<p> -"Can't we ever get hold of you?" he said, laughing. "Here, monsieur." -</p> - -<p> -He presented me to the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -"It was partly for your sake, Madame, that I brought Monsieur Vignerte -here. But you seem in no hurry to use the gifts we offer." -</p> - -<p> -She replied casually: -</p> - -<p> -"I? My wish is nothing better than to know Monsieur Vignerte. I am told -he is charming. You must forgive me, monsieur, if I say 'I am told.' I -have hitherto had no chance of judging for myself. You work very hard, I -understand." -</p> - -<p> -The same words as Melusine had used. Oh, the shame of it! Was I -<i>always</i> to wear the pedant's gown? Was I always to be the man who -"worked very hard," I, whose nights were passed in dreams of a -voluptuousness that none suspected? -</p> - -<p> -I was going to reply. I think I was going to tell that haughty creature -the plain truth. But she rose. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me! I must dance—at any rate, once! Herr von Hagen," she -called. -</p> - -<p> -The little red Hussar was there. He came forward, humble but radiant. I -knew a day would come when I should box his ears! -</p> - -<p> -A space had been cleared on the floor. The Grand Duchess Aurora's dance -seemed to be a maëlstrom from which the dancers turned aside lest they -be drawn in. They waltzed at first the slow German waltz in three time. -Then the measure quickened, changing to two beats in the bar. It was no -longer even the boston, but a wild, harmonious whirling. -</p> - -<p> -A murmur of admiration went up. The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus looked -on with a smile which was almost a smile of triumph. -</p> - -<p> -It was not Hagen, elegant and accomplished though he was, who set the -pace, but the tall green and white form. Round and round she went, -listless as ever. Hagen let himself be carried along. An ecstatic flush -suffused his fair, boyish face. He was as clay in the hands of his -Sovereign. Red, green, red, green, then a blur. The complementary -colours appeared. They turned, turned, turned... -</p> - -<p> -In France we should have clapped. -</p> - -<p> -She went back to her place a drooping lily. As she adjusted her right -shoulder-strap, she let fall the lovely bouquet of purple iris which she -had been carrying. I rushed forward and picked it up. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you, monsieur," she said casually. Then, this time voluntarily, -she dropped them again. -</p> - -<p> -Good Lord! they were already faded. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -I went back to my room, opened the window, and, gazing out at the cold -stars, drank the dregs of humiliation. I understood. She felt a hopeless -antipathy to me. What was it? What had I done? I didn't know. -</p> - -<p> -The outcast's motto came back to me: "To work!" -</p> - -<p> -I could still hear the distant strains of the band. Limousines crossed -the Königsplatz with their glaring headlights. Their occupants were -happier than I, for they had seen her since I had. -</p> - -<p> -To work! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="IV">IV</a></h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">W</span>ELL, Raoul Vignerte! What are you after -now? What's this new craze of yours? Why! only a few weeks ago you -didn't know in the morning where your dinner was coming from. Your acme -of happiness was to be certain of the next day's meals. Here you are -certain not only of tomorrow's, but next month's, and even for years to -come. You have only to devote yourself to your work—work, the only -thing that brings no regret. And with all this you are unhappy, not -merely unhappy, but actually miserable. You are more miserable than on -the day when you arrived at the Gare d'Orsay, turning out your pockets -to see if you could find a proper tip for the porter without changing -your one gold piece, which, once broken into, would vanish all too -quickly. What is the cause of your suffering? Your cursed imagination. -Isn't it because you know that henceforth all the beauties of Paris, all -the treasures of France, could not satiate the longings within you? She! -a beauty, a Grand Duchess! Poor fool! You called yourself an -anti-romanticist and used to make fun of the Romantic Drama. Yet here -you are, when it suits your purpose, repeating all unconsciously the -adventure of Ruy Blas, lackey to Monseigneur the Marquis de Finlas. Is -this what your gods, Le Play and Auguste Comte, have brought you to? You -are a funny creature! Why, the queen of your dreams is even further from -you than from that little red Hussar with his elegant indolence, rank, -and a coat-of-arms to back him.... -</p> - -<p> -I got to work and gradually found that the dust of the library chased -away my envy, hatred and regret. I accustomed myself to the idea that I -should never set foot in the left wing of the palace. I liked to think -that she dawdled out life there with her Melusine, and that I was never -made for such a place. I deliberately intended to take away from my -visit to Lautenburg everything I thought could help or amuse me. In two -years' time I should have saved five or six thousand francs and -collected material for three or four books. I would return to Paris, and -with my methodical industry and the memory of what I had missed, would -make her mine. After all, Paris was better than this scornful, barbaric -beauty! -</p> - -<p> -Professor Thierry had drawn up an excellent plan of campaign, and the -further I explored the library, the more I appreciated his wisdom. The -history of the German dynasties contemporary with Louis XIV. sheds a -wonderful light on his reign, throwing its natural attraction into -greater relief. The single preoccupation of German princelings towards -the close of the seventeenth century was to imitate the King of France, -the usual method being to secure the services of artists, or pupils of -artists, who had worked for him. But while every French seigneur made a -point of having a particular artist to work exclusively for him, it is -amusing to see how the Germans usually clubbed together to share the -expense of commissioning some particular painter, sculptor, or gardener. -It reminds one of the way in which poor Parisian families club together -to buy a sack of vegetables or a whole lamb at the <i>Halles</i>. -</p> - -<p> -I discovered among the archives most of the estimates of the French -painters and sculptors who worked not merely for the Dukes of Lautenburg -and Detmold, but also for the Dukes of Lüneburg-Celle and the Electors -of Hanover. Ernout executed most of the statuary groups in the gardens. -Gourvil, a pupil at La Quintinie, laid them out. Lesigne, a pupil of -Lebrun, was commissioned to do the frescoes. A Catalan, Giroud, was in -charge of the iron and locksmith's work. Zeyer, a painter in lacquer and -instructor to Princess Sophie-Dorothea, has left some charming work on -the doors of the Herrenhausen Palace at Hanover and of the Palace of -Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -Their accounts were hotly disputed by the stewards of these Sovereigns, -and in many cases the princes themselves did not hesitate to suggest -reductions in their own hands. I examined with great interest a long -bill of Giroud's, exhibited by that artist before a Hanover tribunal in -1690, to justify his charges for the installation of a number of secret -springs at the Herrenhausen. Duke Ernest-Augustus, the future Elector, -failed to establish his case for reduction. At that date, at any rate, -Hanover had judges who judged. -</p> - -<p> -I had decided in principle to confine my researches to the influence of -France on the Courts of Germany in the seventeenth century. I had at my -disposal a mass of documents, more than enough for Professor Thierry's -purpose and comprising material for a book of my own. It is to that -Zeyer, lacquer artist and instructor to Princess Sophie-Dorothea, that I -owe the extension of my original plan. I found among his accounts a -transcript of his evidence before the Commission of Enquiry which tried -the unhappy Hanoverian sovereign. He is thus responsible for the events -which were to follow. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -Vignerte stopped, thought a moment and then put -an unexpected question. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know the dramatic story of Count Philip Christopher of -Königsmark?" -</p> - -<p> -For answer I repeated the following lines: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>The Count of Königsmark once loved a queen,</i></span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>Became the queen's own lover, so folk say,</i></span><br /> -<span class="i2"><i>In her own room, censed with fresh-burnt verbene</i></span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>When nights were young as when they died to-day.</i></span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>What idle thoughts she poured into thy mind</i></span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>Who could declare, what idle tales she told</i></span><br /> -<span class="i2"><i>As beaded bluebells all the while she twined</i></span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>With hearts' ease in her locks of russet gold.</i></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"The author of those lines," said Vignerte, "had read Blaze de Bury's -book. It is the only useful work in French on the tragedy. Do you -remember it?" -</p> - -<p> -"I'm afraid I've forgotten most of it," I confessed. -</p> - -<p> -"I shall have to give you the story in some detail. It will not explain -my own adventure. It makes it even more extraordinary." -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -You will certainly remember what was the general situation in the State -of Hanover in 1680. Its sovereign was Ernest-Augustus, a profligate -versed in all the arts of statesmanship, who had been successively -Bishop of Osnabrück, and Duke and Elector of Hanover. His brother, -George-William, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Ernest-Augustus had a -son, George: George-William a daughter, Sophie-Dorothea. -</p> - -<p> -The ambitions of Ernest-Augustus had a double goal. His primary aim was -to recover his brother's estates for his family. There was only one -method—to marry George to Sophie-Dorothea. The marriage took place in -1682 when the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg was only sixteen. -</p> - -<p> -The other ambition of Ernest-Augustus soared higher. It was the crown of -England. Fortune favoured him. One after another the twelve children of -Queen Anne were gathered by death. Ernest-Augustus was not to see the -fulfilment of his work—he died in 1698—but his son George -reaped its fruits. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714 he mounted the -throne of Great Britain as George I. He mounted it alone. Eighteen years -before he had separated from his wife as the result of an infamous -intrigue, and when her husband assumed the crown of England the wretched -Sophie-Dorothea was dragging out her weary days in the Castle of Ahlden, -more prison than palace. -</p> - -<p> -You must forgive me for this dry summary of facts. It is essential I -should be clear. -</p> - -<p> -The story of Sophie-Dorothea's divorce is the story of the assassination -of Count Philip-Christopher von Königsmark. -</p> - -<p> -A member of one of the highest and most ancient Swedish families, friend -of the Prince-Elector of Saxony, as dark and handsome as Sophie-Dorothea -was fair and lovely, Count Philip and the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg -had known each other at Celle in their childhood when they were -affianced in the ingenuous manner of the times. Their ways had parted, -however, and Philip had led the adventurous life of a gallant Swedish -free-lance at the Courts of James II. and Louis XIV., at Dresden and -Venice. -</p> - -<p> -Was Sophie-Dorothea's marriage a spur to his old love or a blow to his -vanity? Whatever the reason, the fact remains that one fine morning -Hanover witnessed the arrival of Count Philip von Königsmark. -</p> - -<p> -The Court of the Elector was a den of debauch, a garbage-heap on which -Sophie-Dorothea, fair lily, was slowly fading. Betrayed by a husband -whom she had ever despised, compelled to tolerate, as gracefully as she -could, the virago Countess von Platen, the abject favourite of -Ernest-Augustus, she spent her weary life in solitude, preoccupied -solely with the education of her two children—a son who was destined -for the throne of England, and a daughter who was one day to be Queen of -Prussia. -</p> - -<p> -Then Königsmark arrived at Hanover and the drama opened. -</p> - -<p> -Count Philip had come to take his revenge by winning back the heart of -Sophie-Dorothea. But before he had even set eyes on her Countess von -Platen had her eye on <i>him</i>. He deemed it wise not to flout the -all-powerful favourite, but he was obliged to go to great lengths in -order to soothe the susceptibilities of that woman—a Messalina and -Lady Macbeth in one. He went, in fact, to the furthest limit. Once -compromised, she would be in his power—but it was he who found -himself in her clutches. -</p> - -<p> -Then began the idyll of Philip von Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea. The -gloomy Herrenhausen Palace witnessed their ephemeral loves. -Sophie-Dorothea's first notion was that the gallant Count had come to -Hanover only to see for himself the misery and desertion of her who had -been compelled by her father's wishes to marry another. His practically -open liaison with Countess von Platen added fresh torture to her lot. -But one morning, going with her lady-in-waiting to the little wood in -the Herrenhausen park where she sat out every day, she spied the Count -just moving off. A note was left on the seat, with these lines, in the -style of Benserade: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">In other days a fickle swain was I;</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Upon the green from lass to lass</span><br /> -<span class="i4">At any hour I'd lightly pass;</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Only a change, this pleased my eye</span><br /> -<span class="i2">But since I've seen my fairest Sylvia's face,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">From her my love no more can range,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">I'll make one last supreme exchange.</span><br /> -<span class="i2">From her I'll never change my place.</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -Was Sophie-Dorothea Königsmark's mistress? I still doubt it, even after -reading their correspondence in the archives of La Gardie. But I must -freely confess that it must have been quite impossible to doubt it in so -corrupt a Court as Hanover, where it was common knowledge that Duke -George's wife received the handsome Swedish adventurer every evening in -her apartments. -</p> - -<p> -The vindictive Countess von Platen was the last to know that she was the -laughing-stock of the whole palace, but that day the doom of both Count -and Duchess was sealed. -</p> - -<p> -On the evening of Saturday, July 1st, 1694, Königsmark, returning to -his room, found on his table a note with a few words scribbled in -pencil: -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -Princess Sophie-Dorothea will expect Count Königsmark this evening, -after ten. -</p> - -<p> -This note, a forgery imitating Sophie-Dorothea's handwriting, was the -work of Countess von Platen. Königsmark, unsuspecting and brave as a -lion, kept the appointment. He left the Princess at two in the morning. -</p> - -<p> -Next morning Sophie-Dorothea saw from her balcony two men furtively -wandering in the park as if they had lost something. They were Count -Philip's servants searching for their master. He was never to be seen -again, by them or any one else. -</p> - -<p> -There you have the tragedy, my friend. There remains the <i>dénouement</i>, -the divorce of Sophie-Dorothea. That unhappy young woman of twenty-eight -lived in a world of enemies. She wished to leave her husband, who was a -nightmare to her, but was prevented by the wishes of her father, who had -forced a marriage on her for political reasons. A love-sick girl could -not be allowed to upset the pretty scheme which had the throne of -England as its possible goal. The unhappy creature refused to lend -herself to it. She was dangerous for other reasons. The Swedish Count -had relations. And so she was duly divorced after a trial in which she -suffered every outrage and humiliation. Her children were taken out of -her care, and ultimately the wife of the King of England, once more -plain Duchess, died a prisoner in her Castle at Ahlden in 1726. Then -only did the parental fury relent. The vaults of the castle in which she -was born were opened to her corpse. There, in the obscurest corner of -the crypt of the keep of Celle, is a humble coffin, bearing no -inscription. It contains the mortal remains of Sophie-Dorothea, wife of -the Elector George-Lonis of Hanover, King of England under the name of -George I. -</p> - -<p> -I have outlined, as briefly as I could, the story of Philip von -Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea. I need hardly say that many points in -the tragedy have never yet been cleared up. The assassination of the -Count is undoubtedly the most obscure incident in the whole affair. -Witnesses agree that it was Countess von Platen who set the trap in -which he perished. Ten hired assassins pierced him with their swords and -the horrible Countess herself dealt him the final blow. But what was -done with the corpse? This is where the mystery begins. -</p> - -<p> -Opinions are divided. Was the Count, as some say, buried in a grave in -the park? Or, according to another version which I have reasons to -believe the true one, was his corpse covered with quick-lime and thrown -under the stone floor of the room known as the "Knights' Hall"? Or was -it simply cast into the latrines which communicated with the Lüne -flowing at the foot of the castle, as the author of the "Secret -History"<a name="FNanchor_2_1" id="FNanchor_2_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_1" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> would have us believe? Was his the corpse, as Horace Walpole -asserts, which was discovered twenty years later under the floor of a -retiring-room in the Herrenhausen? I only put these problems to explain -to you, though to me it still remains inexplicable, my feverish -resolution to solve them. You may well imagine that the mystery was more -vivid and intriguing to me than to any other man, partly because of the -situation at the palace, with its many points of resemblance to that in -which the tragedy took place, and partly because of the priceless -material at my disposal in the ducal library. -</p> - -<p> -The most valuable authority till then available was the correspondence -of Königsmark and Sophie-Dorothea, to be found in the archives of the -La Gardie Library at Loeberod in Sweden. This correspondence was -discovered by Professor Palmblad, who published extracts from it at -Upsala in 1851. When Professor Thierry in taking leave of me had -referred me to Palmblad's work, he hoped that at Lautenburg I should be -able to discover a portion of the correspondence, which wandered all -over Germany before finding a definite home at Loeberod. I was, however, -unable to find anything, though I had compensation for my disappointment -in another and most fruitful discovery. -</p> - -<p> -You remember I spoke of Sophie-Dorothea's daughter a short time ago. She -married the Crown Prince of Prussia, the future "Drill-Sergeant King," -Frederick I. "A harsh and tyrannical husband," as Blaze de Bury writes, -"his first act, on mounting the throne, was to forbid his wife formally -to hold any sort of communication with the prisoner of Ahlden. It was -only when Sophie-Dorothea had inherited from her mother a revenue of -twenty thousand crowns, a very considerable sum in those days, that the -royal miser began to soften towards her, though his sudden concern was -purely mercenary, being based solely on his wife's possible interest in -the inheritance, an interest which the celebrated jurisconsult, -Thomasius, had laboured to establish."<a name="FNanchor_3_1" id="FNanchor_3_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_1" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> -</p> - -<p> -The Queen of Prussia was the meekest of women, but, urged on secretly by -her confessor, she had never ceased to reproach herself for not having -boldly taken her captive mother's part, convinced as she was of her -innocence. She began to take advantage of her forbidding husband's -better moments to collect the material on which to base proceedings to -clear her character. Unfortunately Sophie-Dorothea died in 1726. This -did not deter her royal daughter from pursuing her labour of love. -Thanks to her resolution and the learned assistance of the jurisconsult -Thomasius already mentioned, an enormous dossier, comprising some twelve -hundred documents, was prepared. It established beyond doubt -Sophie-Dorothea's innocence and Countess von Platen's ignominy. This -monument of filial devotion was never to serve any practical purpose. An -anonymous note at the top of the file records that on the -representations of George II., King of England, communicated to his -brother-in-law, Frederick I. of Prussia through the British Minister, -the rehabilitation suit was never begun. The English King observed to -his sister, not without truth, that every piece of evidence disproving -their mother's guilt only established their father's. -</p> - -<p> -The submissive Prussian Queen yielded to the force of this political -argument. The file, a monument of futile industry, after various -wanderings recorded in the note I have mentioned, ended by falling in -1783 into the hands of the Grand Duchess Charlotte-Augusta of -Lautenburg, niece of the reigning sovereign. It was this very file that -I had the good fortune to discover among the uncatalogued manuscripts in -the ducal library at the end of January, 1914. From the original notes -of the cross-examination of Fräulein von Knesebeck, Sophie-Dorothea's -confidante, to the record of Countess von Platen's confession,<a name="FNanchor_4_1" id="FNanchor_4_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_1" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> had -before me everything required to reconstruct the story of the mysterious -Herrenhausen drama. In the casual manner of historians in dealing with -uncatalogued manuscripts I carried off to the privacy of my room the six -packets containing the whole melancholy story. -</p> - -<p> -What a pageant of love and chivalry, crime and passion, grandeur, life -and death, was unrolled for me in its musty pages and clerkly script in -divers tongues! At night, when the castle was asleep, I pulled my table -up to my glowing log fire and worked in a kind of burning frenzy. Here I -touched history, live history, not the poor second or third hand -imitation which was doled out to us, according to syllabus, from the -Sorbonne Library. I will admit, I must admit, that the fumes of romance -mingled with the soulless passion for knowledge that seized my very -being. The Court of Hanover danced before my eyes, fantastic and -brutal—Ernest-Augustus, the Silenus of politics; George-Louis, the -narrow-minded profligate; Countess von Platen, the fearsome Messalina, -beautiful and winning notwithstanding; Königsmark, the swarthy -adventurer in his blood-stained doublet of pink and gold; pure-souled -Sophie-Dorothea, fair and slender in her wedding gown of silver brocade. -</p> - -<p> -Silver, did I say? <i>There</i> spoke the historian, the maker of books. -But oh! how much fairer, how much nearer, I imagined her in another gown, a -gown fresh in my mind! A gown of green velvet! -</p> - -<p> -Winter was almost over, already yielding to the spring. I had opened my -window to help my fire to draw, and through it the air wafted in with -the magic touch of living breath. Through the darkness I felt the -presence of the black trees, their bare branches quivering with the -promise of life. -</p> - -<p> -Several times, my friend, my dear friend—when death hovers -overhead why should I not confess those follies which are the price and -glory of life for men like ourselves?—under the spell of that old -story of a gallant, murdered lover and a fair dead Queen, and impelled -by an instinct the sureness of which Fate was in due course to reveal, I -pushed open the door of my room with a beating heart. The corridor was -dark. The old staircase creaked beneath my steps. Often in the great -hall I had seen the lantern of the sleeping watchman. What on earth -should I have said, had I been challenged? -</p> - -<p> -The open postern exposed a great steel blue vault in the middle of which -mysterious Cassiopeia seemed to shiver. I went out, crossing the -moon-bathed lawns, hiding in the shadows of the yews. A light shone in -the centre wing of the palace. The Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus must be -a late worker! All was dark in the left wing, but when I reached the end -of the building and pressed myself against the wall I knew that here, -too, there were some who kept late hours. -</p> - -<p> -Spring was not yet with us, but one felt that the song of the -nightingale would soon be heard. Bright and spearlike, a ray of light -spanned the gravel path, emanating from another window dark with heavy -hangings and curtains. -</p> - -<p> -The nightingale was not yet singing in the French park, embedded in the -heart of that Germany whither Fate had led me. But behind that window a -poignant long-drawn wail, interrupted at intervals by maddening silences -that made my nerves quiver with apprehension, came slowly and softly -from the silent palace straight to my heart. For Fräulein von -Graffenfried was playing Schumann's most plaintive berceuses to her -mistress on her violin. -</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_2_1" id="Footnote_2_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_1"><span class="label">[2]</span></a><i>Secret History of the Duchess of Hanover</i>, published in -London in 1732, without the author's name but attributed to Baron von -Bielefeld, <i>chargé d'affaires</i> of the Court of Prussia at Hanover. For -this and later references I have amplified Vignerte's particulars with -the aid of Blaze de Bury's articles, which appeared first in the <i>Revue -des Deux Mondes</i> and were collected into one volume, the "<i>Episode de -l'Histoire du Hanovre, Les Königsmark</i>," in 1855.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_3_1" id="Footnote_3_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_1"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>Blaze de Bury: "<i>Episode de l'Histoire du Hanovre</i>." Notes -and evidence, p. 378.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_4_1" id="Footnote_4_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_1"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>A duplicate in manuscript of this confession, entitled -"<i>Funeral Oration of Countess C. E. von Platen</i>," may be seen in the -archives of Vienna.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="V">V</a></h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap"><i>P</i></span><i>ETERMANN'S MITTHEILUNGEN</i> is -the most exhaustive. And also it must be confessed the best, -geographical work in the world. Our <i>Annales de Géographie</i> is -only a feeble reflection of it. The Russians have an excellent -geographer, Woïkow. We have Vidal de la Blache, whose preface to -Lavisse's <i>Histoire de France</i> is a masterpiece. But these are only -fragments and do not cover the whole ground. The astonishing feature of -<i>Petermann's Mittheilungen</i> is its universality. My tutors at the -Sorbonne—I won't mention names as it would hardly be kind to them -at the present moment—have told me hundreds of times that no -serious geographical work could be attempted without the assistance of -this powerful machine. -</p> - -<p> -I will not exaggerate either the scope or value of the lessons I gave my -pupil by having you imagine that I never prepared <i>one</i> without -consulting the <i>Mittheilungen</i>. But I can assure you that whenever it -was necessary to emphasize some particular point I never failed to -fortify myself by reference to the great work. -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly I had recourse to it when occasion arose to instruct Duke -Joachim on a question which was indeed a topic of the hour—the -question of the Cameroons and the recent German acquisitions in the -Congo. It was just two years since the Cambon-Kiderlen-Wächter -conversations had resulted in an agreement which gave Germany the famous -"Duck's bill" and Togoland. It, therefore, seemed to me a natural -proceeding to dwell at some length on the region which had been the -cause of the Kaiser's famous bang on the diplomatic table. -</p> - -<p> -I shall never forget that day—Monday, March 2nd—nearly eight -months ago now. -</p> - -<p> -I first ran through the Table of Contents of the <i>Mittheilungen</i> in -order to look up the references and authorship of the six articles on -the Cameroons and the Congo. The second I came across was the work of -Professor Heidschütz, of Berlin University, describing the means of -access (natural and artificial) to this territory. -</p> - -<p> -I carried the appropriate volume to the library table and began to make -some notes. As I was opening the book at the page of the article I -wanted, a piece of paper fell out. It was a sheet, folded in four and -already yellow with age, and the writing on it was large, thick and -free. It was German in Latin characters. No signature. Even without that -writing to help me I had immediately guessed what was its subject and -who had written it. -</p> - -<p> -It contained the complete plan of a journey in one of the remotest parts -of the Congo, along the famous, or, rather, notorious, river Sangha. The -routes were carefully drawn up, with the assistance of the information -given in Professor Heidschütz's article, which, as I expected, was the -very last word on these regions. All practicable tracks, fords, and -resources available to the explorer of the country—from the moment he -left Libreville to the time of his return there—were noted. Each halt -was marked: Ouesso, two days—French post, water, porters: Manna, one -day—porters: Gléglé, on the N'Sagha, canoes, etc. -</p> - -<p> -A fierce joy possessed me. Fate had delivered up to me the Grand Duke -Rudolph's own plan, in his own hand, for his scientific journey in the -very region where he was to meet with his death. Mine was not, I -realized, the triumph of the historian at the discovery of a document -throwing interesting light on German designs in the Congo, a document in -itself proof positive, in view of the rank and personality of the -explorer, that the Agadir <i>coup</i> was premeditated. What cared I for -dryasdust History at that moment? In a flash I realized that pique had -been the motive for all my labours since that famous occasion when the -Grand Duchess had insulted me before the whole world! -</p> - -<p> -If you would know the nature of the emotions that convulsed me as I -scrutinized the precious document I must tell you how my imagination had -been at work since that date. I had tried in vain to hate the Grand -Duchess. I could not do so. The effort only had the effect of sharpening -my desire to approach her, claim her notice, convince her that my end in -life was to devote myself to her service. -</p> - -<p> -Devote myself! Good God, what on earth could have led me to think that -this dazzling, distant goddess might need my humble devotion?... -</p> - -<p> -It was here, my friend, that my imagination led me on. To tell the truth -it certainly had something to build upon. You don't suppose that during -my long, lonely nights I had forgotten the confidences of a man of -Professor Thierry's standing? Quite the reverse. What wealth of meaning -had I not read into them? In a vague way I felt myself in an atmosphere -of mystery. I felt, just as I feel you now at my side in the dark, that -some tragedy was at the bottom of the presentiments of evil that flooded -my mind from time to time. My work and the nights devoted to the tragic -story of Königsmark had only aggravated my apprehension. All moonshine, -you will say; the diseased imaginings of a brain excited by work in -solitude, and, perhaps, a stronger emotion. You might have some reason -for thinking so if events had not abundantly justified my excitement. -</p> - -<p> -Whatever the cause, my friend, even before I discovered the Grand Duke's -plan I had pieced together a story which satisfied my notions. I -imagined the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus, correct and kind as he -always was towards me, as the executioner of his wife, that adorable -Grand Duchess. You see beauty made me fundamentally unjust. It made me -attribute imaginary wickedness to the man who, obviously, had many -virtues and was, in any case, the author of my present prosperity, while -I raised a monument in my mind to the woman who had once held me up to -public scorn and subsequently seemed to ignore my existence whenever I -had been thrown in her way. In my lucid moments I would reflect that -there was little of the martyr about the cold, haughty creature who -spent her nights listening to her Melusine's violin and her days on -horseback, hunting with her miserable red Hussar! That Hagen.... Wasn't -it plain as a pikestaff that it was the Grand Duke who deserved pity and -affection!... I should never have had his patience! -</p> - -<p> -Useless sedatives. Vain strivings to forget. A moment later, back among -my fantastic imaginings I pictured Aurora of Lautenburg turning to her -fiery mount, hunting, music—anything to assuage her grief at the loss -of her first husband, that handsome, gallant husband who had loved her, -whom she still loved, no doubt.... And the jealousy born of these -reveries made me cherish them all the more. -</p> - -<p> -Many conversations had failed to convince me of heir lack of substance. -It was useless for Frau von Wendel, with her sullen hatred of the Grand -Duchess, to sigh out tales of poor, dear Grand Duke Rudolph, who had -been so unhappy. I ruthlessly cleared everything from my path that -seemed to threaten the integrity of my fantastic fabrications. -</p> - -<p> -You can call me a lunatic. But assuming I was one, you can imagine the -frenzy with which I put back the volume of the <i>Mittheilungen</i>, thrust -my precious sheet into my case and went up to my room. -</p> - -<p> -Open, Sesame! I had now in my possession the mysterious key which would -open the way to the Grand Duchess's presence, and enable me to compel -her regard. "When she sees these lines," I thought, "in the handwriting -of a beloved husband, she will know that he who brings them to light and -gives them to her does not deserve the unworthy indifference she shows -him. Perhaps she will ask my pardon. Then I shall have compelling words -to stay the flow of regrets on those fair lips. She will only wonder the -more at her own past behaviour." -</p> - -<p> -Twice I attempted to write a letter to accompany the document, and twice -I threw it into the fire. The first did not seem respectful enough. The -second was too full of the importance of my discovery. Eventually I hit -upon the simplest possible form of words: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> -<p> -MADAM, -</p> - -<p> -By pure chance I have discovered a document which cannot fail to concern -your Highness. Permit me to enclose it with this note, in witness of -your humble servant's respectful devotion. -</p> -</div> - -<p> -I had thought of entrusting my missive, with a couple of words of -explanation, to Fräulein von Graffenfried, who had never ceased to show -me a marked regard which was very flattering. But I was doomed to -disappointment, as Melusine had just gone out into Lautenburg, so I had -to be content with an old half-witted Russian waiting-woman. The ancient -dame took it, not without suspicion, and went off mumbling something -unintelligible. -</p> - -<p> -I went back to my room at once and there my excitement oozed away. In -fact, I was soon practically taking myself to task for my action. What -purpose would it serve? Why was I mixing myself up in the affair? I -think I almost wished the old Russian even sillier than she seemed so -that she might lose my letter. -</p> - -<p> -A step sounded in the corridor and there was a knock at the door. Ludwig -entered. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, Herr Professor. The Herr Professor has been sent for." -</p> - -<p> -Stepping aside he ushered in a lackey. I thought I should collapse when -I saw the blue and gold livery of the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -"Will the Herr Professor kindly come with me?" said the man. -</p> - -<p> -Stunned by the almost immediate effect of my action, I followed him, -even forgetting my hat. We cut across the park. Where was he taking me? -We reached and descended the slopes of the English garden. Soon we were -among the willows by the Melna, flushed with the ruddy glow of dying -day. -</p> - -<p> -A shot rang out from a clump of chestnut trees, and I thought I heard a -rustle in the branches as if a bird were falling. -</p> - -<p> -"Will the Herr Professor please step this way?" -</p> - -<p> -I was now in a kind of arbour. The Grand Duchess was standing with her -gun still smoking in her hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, monsieur. I am having a little thrush shooting," was all she -said. -</p> - -<p> -And she nodded to her lackey to leave us. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -I was alone with the queen of my dreams. I had known that this moment -would come, but never imagined that it would find us in this leafy -tunnel, which I had passed many a time in my walks, without suspecting -its existence. -</p> - -<p> -For a few seconds she gazed at me in silence. My embarrassment was -absolutely indescribable. It was only later, much later, that I learned -how well it had served my cause. So nervous a visitor could hardly be an -enemy. -</p> - -<p> -At length she spoke, and her voice was soft, so soft that I did not -recognize it. -</p> - -<p> -"I am grateful, Monsieur Vignerte, for your communication. You were -right in thinking that any relic of the late Grand Duke Rudolph could -not be a matter of indifference to me. Will you tell me," she added, -"how this paper came into your possession?" -</p> - -<p> -I told her the whole story of my discovery. There must have been a -wealth of emotion and candour in my words, for I felt she was touched. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," she said, and her words were gentleness itself, "if, as I -hope, we are to know each other better, you will, I feel sure, cease to -bear me any ill-will for what may have seemed unmannerly in my behaviour -towards you. No, don't protest. That behaviour was deliberate, monsieur. -Indifference in a woman is always feigned. You must believe that, to -understand me, certain factors are required which are far from being in -your possession." -</p> - -<p> -Where was the pretty speech I had promised myself in reply to these -words, long foreseen? -</p> - -<p> -"Are you always working, Monsieur Vignerte?" asked Aurora, with a smile -tinged with delicate irony. -</p> - -<p> -"Madam!" I murmured, overcome. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! I have no intention of taking you from your exalted pupil, but I -cannot help remembering that when the Grand Duke brought you here, it -was with a kindly idea of lending you to me occasionally. I have only -myself to blame for not taking advantage of his forethought before." -</p> - -<p> -My doubts as to whether she was serious or not nailed me, dumb, to the -spot. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you play bridge?" she asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—a little," I stammered, blessing Kessel and old Colonel von -Wendel, to whom I owed this latest accomplishment. -</p> - -<p> -"We—that is, Fräulein von Graffenfried, Lieutenant von Hagen and -I—play bridge every evening. You shall make a fourth. You will do us -a much greater service than you imagine," she added, smiling. "I need -hardly add that you must come when you like." -</p> - -<p> -"I understand, too," she continued, "that you have some most interesting -French books. I do a certain amount of reading, and should be very glad -to become acquainted with them, providing I'm not robbing that good Frau -von Wendel." -</p> - -<p> -I blushed atrociously. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then," she said, noticing nothing. "You will come when you -like, Monsieur Vignerte; but if you will let me give you further proof -of my gratitude by making a request, may I say that I shall be happy to -see you in my boudoir this evening, about half-past nine." -</p> - -<p> -I bowed and was about to withdraw when she beckoned me back. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," she said in low, grave tones, "of course, it is understood -that everything touching this is strictly between ourselves." -</p> - -<p> -She indicated my letter, which she had just drawn from one pocket of her -black, full-skirted jacket. -</p> - -<p> -I bowed again. -</p> - -<p> -"This evening, then, Monsieur Vignerte, and if you would do me a last -kindness, please go out as quietly as you possibly can, so as not to -scare away the thrushes." -</p> - -<p> -I returned to the palace by a circuitous route, along the Melna. A -kingfisher skimmed backwards and forwards over the darkening water. It -was of the same colour as the emerald I had just noticed on the white -finger of Aurora of Lautenburg-Detmold. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess's bridge-table was set in a curious little Louis -Quinze salon on the first floor. Two Bouchers, a Largillière and an -excellent Watteau were its best features. Flowers, masses of flowers, -everywhere. -</p> - -<p> -Remembering that Hagen would be there, I had made a special point of not -arriving first. Indeed, it was a quarter to ten when I knocked at the -door of Aurora of Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -It was Melusine who opened it. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm very pleased to see you!" the charming creature murmured as she -took my hand. The Grand Duchess gave me a smile of welcome and beckoned -me to the table, at which she was already sitting with Hagen. I had an -impression that the red Hussar was in a thoroughly bad temper, and this -pleased me so much, that I lavished the most delicate attentions upon -him all the evening. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora of Lautenburg was wearing a kind of black silk tunic, very -<i>décolleté</i>, with masses of gold braid and edged with chinchilla at -the neck and sleeves. A net of gold filigree confined her cloud of tawny -hair. -</p> - -<p> -She played with careless assurance, nearly always winning, and never -missing a lead, and Melusine, too, played well. I made appalling -mistakes, but as luck would have it, calmly trumped my partner's tricks -and ended by winning. The thought that Hagen would several times have -thrown his cards in my face if it had not been for the Grand Duchess's -presence made me almost delirious with joy. -</p> - -<p> -The first rubber came to an end as the clock struck eleven. The Grand -Duchess rose. -</p> - -<p> -"Cards will ruin you, little man!" she said familiarly to Hagen. "I -haven't forgotten that you have General Hildenstein's inspection -tomorrow, and must be down by six in the morning. You needn't hesitate -to leave Melusine and myself alone," she added, "as Monsieur Vignerte -has kindly consented to keep us company. So you'd better go to bed." -</p> - -<p> -With maternal solicitude she offered him his sword. He took it with a -fiendish glance at me, which I pretended not to see. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine von Graffenfried smiled her eternal sphinx smile. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us go to my room," said Aurora. "Monsieur Vignerte, don't forget -the books you have brought me." -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -In accordance with the principles set forth in Edgar Allan Poe's -"Psychology of Furnishing," the Grand Duchess's room was elliptical. A -large mauve globe, set in the ceiling, shed a misty, shadowless light. -</p> - -<p> -On the walls were prints of Burne-Jones, Constable and Gustave Moreau. -</p> - -<p> -The room was full of the three things I love most—flowers, rugs and -precious stones. Flowers invaded every corner, and it was quite five -minutes before I got used to their overpowering scent. Then the soothing -fragrance possessed me, and I was almost able to distinguish between -them. Roses and lilies, of course, predominated, though merely as a -glorious framework in which the riches of the Tcherna and the Caucasus -were exhibited in bewildering profusion. Against the walls were massed -the mullein of Mongolia, with their great spikes of flowers nearly a -yard long. The musky pink centaury swarmed on every table. Purple -passion-flowers, the spring marvel of Aral's desolate shores, tuberoses -from Erivan, crimson scabious, monster carnations of every hue, linaria -and love-lies-bleeding, balsam and nigella, primroses of Kasbeck, huge -red moonflowers from the defiles of Daried, the everlasting-flower of -Colchis, once the refuge of the mythical green bird—all these -flowers, known or unknown among us, turned that cool room into the haunt of -eternal spring. -</p> - -<p> -The sweet-smelling irises, of a deep violet hue approaching black, -almost held me spellbound. The Grand Duchess noticed this and smiled. -</p> - -<p> -"Those are what I love best. They are brothers to those I used to gather -in my childhood by the banks of the Volga." -</p> - -<p> -She sat down on the great, low bed, with its two polar-bear skins for a -cover, and took off the net which confined her hair. Her tawny mane fell -out over the white rugs. At her feet Melusine, stretched on a -tiger-skin, with her arm on the great beast's head, toyed with a kind of -guzla from which she drew wavering, plaintive sounds. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess took off her jewels, one by one, and put them on -little side-tables about the bed. On a chest, with a top of green onyx -and painted like a Persian cabinet, I noticed the barbaric tiara she had -worn at the fête of the 7th Hussars. By it was another, even heavier -one, in sapphires. -</p> - -<p> -The floor was strewn with rugs on which little red and green roses from -Armenia swarmed like scarabs and ladybirds. A long necklace of amber and -turquoise, strung chaplet-wise, hung from the head of the bed, and above -it was a dark little niche where a burning lamp showed up a blue and -gold ikon. -</p> - -<p> -Two large silver bowls, gloriously chased, stood near the Grand Duchess. -One was full of petals, the other of uncut jewels. In this she plunged -her hand, and as fine sand slips through the fingers, she let fall a -smooth bright rain of pearls and corundum, chalcedonies and beryls, -sardonyx and peridots. -</p> - -<p> -O Margravine of Lautenburg, as you reclined there before me, you were -once more the Tartar princess, the fay of the East, the peri of the -Volga's mystic waters. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -She asked me to tell her the circumstances which had brought me to -Lautenburg, She had heard some of the details from Marçais, but from -the smile with which she told me this I had no difficulty in guessing -her opinion of that diplomatist's perspicacity. -</p> - -<p> -It was plain that she wanted to know my story, and I met her wishes with -straightforward simplicity. Towards the end, as I felt her interested -and friendly, I could not help giving her a moving picture of the -distress our first meeting had caused me, I who had no sooner set eyes -on her than my sole idea in life had been to gain her regard. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine von Graffenfried nodded approval, closing her eyes as she blew -rings from her cigarette to the ceiling. -</p> - -<p> -"Please let us forget all that, Monsieur Vignerte," said the Grand -Duchess. "Give me your hand." Then, turning to Melusine, she spoke in -Russian, not knowing that I had a smattering of her native tongue. -</p> - -<p> -"It's no good relying on him for my admission to the <i>Kirchhaus</i>." -</p> - -<p> -Fräulein von Graffenfried replied with a shake of the head, which might -be interpreted as "Didn't I say so?" -</p> - -<p> -"Melusine," said the Grand Duchess, "light the samovar." -</p> - -<p> -While the girl arranged the teacups round the heavy, humming tower of -burnished copper, Aurora rose from the bed and opened a small -secretaire. She beckoned me to her. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know that writing?" she asked, holding out a letter. -</p> - -<p> -I examined the paper. I had never seen the writing in question. -</p> - -<p> -"It is the hand of the late Grand Duke Rudolph," she said simply. -</p> - -<p> -My surprise grew to amazement. She could not restrain a smile. -</p> - -<p> -"But, excuse me, madame. I don't understand. Then whose is the document -I sent you, to which I owe ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't get excited; keep calm, Monsieur Vignerte. The paper to which you -owe my regard—nay, my friendship—was not written by my -husband, the late Grand Duke. But it is not without its value for me. It -may even have a greater value." -</p> - -<p> -As she spoke she unfolded the document "I see there a name," she said. -"Sangha. Do you know where it is?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," I answered. "I found out this morning. It is a miserable village -in the Cameroons—the last German post, ten leagues from Fort -Flatters, the first French post." -</p> - -<p> -"That's the place," she added, "and you don't seem to know that it was -in that very village that the Grand Duke Rudolph died of sunstroke on -the 10th of May, 1911. He is buried there. Now you will realize my -feelings on seeing in the list of projected stages of his journey the -name of the place where he was to stay for ever." -</p> - -<p> -"But whose is this list, then? Who drew it up?" -</p> - -<p> -"A friend," replied the Grand Duchess, "the Grand Duke's faithful -companion. The same man who saved his life twice in the Congo. The same -who stayed with him to the end, and rendered him the last services, -though he was unable to save him from the fell malady." -</p> - -<p> -"What was his name?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Baron Ulrich von Boose." -</p> - -<p> -"Boose!" I cried. "So it was Boose!" -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess turned rather pale and drew herself up to her full -height. Melusine, at her feet, had stopped playing the guitar, which was -lying on the floor. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean, monsieur?" said Aurora of Lautenburg. "Please explain -yourself." -</p> - -<p> -I had already recovered myself somewhat, and was vaguely conscious of my -stupidity. I wanted to turn the conversation, but the Grand Duchess was -not to be put off. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know Baron von Boose?" -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, madame," I stammered. "I don't really know whether I ought, -whether I can ..." -</p> - -<p> -"What oughtn't you to say? What can't you say?" -</p> - -<p> -I cursed my clumsy and premature exclamation, which looked like -compromising in one second two months of patient approach. Thoroughly -alarmed, and grasping at a straw, my eyes fastened on Melusine. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess seemed to doubt the meaning of that look. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," she said, "Fräulein von Graffenfried is my friend, and you -must know that I have no secrets from those I have once called by that -name. You can speak freely before her. Indeed, I ask you to." -</p> - -<p> -There was only one way out of the impasse. Stammering in the approved -manner of those with nothing definite to say, I told her as well as I -could about my conversation with Professor Thierry in the course of -which I had first heard the name of Baron von Boose. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora of Lautenburg's forehead showed a wrinkle. -</p> - -<p> -"I understand," she murmured at length, "or, rather, I think I -understand, in spite of the intentional reservations in your story." -</p> - -<p> -She reflected a moment, then recovered her wonted calm and said: -</p> - -<p> -"This proves, monsieur, how much one should distrust hasty conclusions. -I do not know where your Professor Thierry went for the story with which -he has stuffed your head. If, as you say, he is a conscientious -historian, I think he would have acted less precipitately if he had been -in possession of this—and this." -</p> - -<p> -She handed me the letter I had just seen and with it another. -</p> - -<p> -"These," she explained, "are two of the last letters written to me from -the Congo by the Grand Duke Rudolph. In the first he tells me how he was -saved by Ulrich von Boose from a buffalo which had killed his horse; in -the second, how this same Boose rescued him from five or six natives who -would have given him a bad time." -</p> - -<p> -She looked at me with a smile while I read the passages she indicated. -</p> - -<p> -I bowed, feeling somewhat sheepish. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine had just filled the cups and we drank some very strong tea, in -which pieces of citron-peel floated. Then I kissed the Grand Duchess's -hand and clasped Melusine's. -</p> - -<p> -"Au revoir till tomorrow, <i>ami</i>," said Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -I went back through the park to my room, not without noticing, as I went -out, a shadow which had more than a suggestion of Lieutenant von Hagen -about it. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -A shot, then another, rang out through the clear, empty night. We -listened. Nothing followed. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte shrugged his shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -"Some sentry with the creeps." -</p> - -<p> -"Lend me your torch," he said. -</p> - -<p> -He turned on the light and held out two pieces of paper. -</p> - -<p> -"What are they?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"The first," he replied, "is a letter addressed to Aurora of Lautenburg -by the Grand Duke Rudolph. This other is the document drawn up by Boose, -which, as I have told you, secured my restoration to the Grand Duchess's -favour. It is as well," he added, "that you should not think you are -dreaming as you listen to my story. Try a little contact with reality." -</p> - -<p> -I scanned the two documents eagerly, one covered with Boose's strong, -vigorous writing, the other adorned with those long feminine characters -which indicate a temperament more prone to reflection than action. I was -deeply moved by this letter of the German Grand Duke, who now rested -beyond the seas in the hot clay of the Congo, between the glowing -boundaries of the tropics. Mere contact with it conjured up a -startlingly clear vision of her to whom it was written. Aurora of -Lautenburg stood before us. I felt as if I had known her for ages. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte turned off the light and the rectangle of night sky reappeared. -I handed back the papers. He continued. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -Brunetière, speaking of the <i>Lettres de Dupuis et de Colonet</i>, says -that they show less actual wit than a striving after wit. And that is -more or less true of all Musset's work. Reverse that saying, and you -have the best possible description of the Grand Duchess's conversation. -That proud woman was always aptness itself. She was an exceptional -being, and consequently what she said had always a quality of its own. -Her judgments were severe, perhaps, but never pretentious or bookish. -</p> - -<p> -She avoided the commonplace as the cat avoids water. -</p> - -<p> -I had no idea how much she knew or what she liked, so the three books I -took her that evening were <i>Le Voyage du Condotière</i>, <i>Les -Eblouissements</i>, <i>Les Evocations</i>. -</p> - -<p> -Next morning she gave me them back. -</p> - -<p> -"I've read them all," she said, "but your selection was not a bad one. I -see you like poetry." -</p> - -<p> -Several books lay on a sofa. She picked one up and handed it to me. -</p> - -<p> -"It is the <i>Caucasian Review</i>, which is published at Tiflis, and there -is more beauty in these rude pages and simple tales of travel in -unforgettable lands than in most of your modern poets. This is the rare -spring to which the poets of tomorrow will come to drink." -</p> - -<p> -She continued: -</p> - -<p> -"Shakespeare has been dead three centuries, and the haunts of Macbeth -are now treeless and a waste of factories. In Spain Don Quixote has been -succeeded by a horde of commercial travellers from here. In Italy -Carducci is a kind of half-witted Hugo. Like Switzerland, your romantic -countries are now the hunting-grounds of tourists. There are turnstiles -at the bottom of all your peaks. -</p> - -<p> -"Suarès, whose book you lent me, felt all this, and surpasses himself -when speaking of our Dostoevsky. He ought to come, if only for a short -time, to our gorges of Dariel. I am quite sure he would prefer them to -those of the Ebro and Douro, of which you see pictures in every station. -</p> - -<p> -"There is no doubt that Madame de Noailles is your greatest poet. But -why insist on calling her Greek! She is no more Greek than the Ariadne -of the Indian Dionysus or the Circassian Medea. All that is best in her -she owes to Armenia and Persia, our countries. Greek indeed! How silly -they are! Haven't you ever seen her? I once lunched with her at Evian. I -can tell you I took a great fancy to her. She's lovely and malicious, -but honestly she is not Greek at all. At home we have a species of bird -that you call jackdaw. It is very wild, flies high and has a vicious -peck. Its plumage is blue and black, and it is strong, though slight. -Your Madame de Noailles is a Tartar jackdaw, not a fat, lazy Greek -dove." -</p> - -<p> -"What about this?" I said, holding up Renée Vivian's volume of verse. -</p> - -<p> -She kissed the book. "My words are too clumsy for her," she replied. "I -adore her." -</p> - -<p> -I was almost drank with joy to hear the woman whom I admired to the -point of idolatry speak of things dearest to my heart in a setting which -satisfied my exotic tastes. I told her so in a few simple words—as -one always should. -</p> - -<p> -I think she was touched, for she laid her hand on my shoulder and -murmured, I have forgotten in what language: -</p> - -<p> -"Thou art kind and I love thee well, my comrade." -</p> - -<p> -Turning to Melusine, she repeated the Russian phrase of the previous -evening: -</p> - -<p> -"No, indeed, it's no good my relying on for my admission to the -<i>Kirchhaus</i>." -</p> - -<p> -Then, resuming her old sprightly tone: -</p> - -<p> -"I believe I called you 'thou' just now, <i>ami</i>. You mustn't mind that. -I mix all my dialects occasionally, and in my country we use 'thou' to -practically every one, from our cattle up to the Czar himself." -</p> - -<p> -A long silence followed, broken only at rhythmic intervals by the weird -strains Melusine drew from her guzla. -</p> - -<p> -Incense was burning in a bowl. -</p> - -<p> -I began to turn over, without reading, the pages of a book which lay -open on a small table beside me. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you like that?" Aurora asked. -</p> - -<p> -"That" was the <i>Reisebilder</i>. -</p> - -<p> -I told her I was a great lover of Heine. -</p> - -<p> -"Now what I value most in a poet," she said, "is a certain quality of -soul. That is why I love Shelley and Lamartine, and dislike this Heine. -Oh, I know what you'll say, the Nordsee and the rest. No one knows my -debt to him better than I; but he's like Deutz, who sold your Duchesse -de Berry, and I always feel I want to offer him the tribute of my -admiration with a pair of tongs." -</p> - -<p> -She took the book from me and looked through it. -</p> - -<p> -I had no idea what time it was. Suddenly a whiff of air, with that sharp -nip in it that heralds the dawn, was wafted in through the open window -behind the curtains. The smoke of the incense trembled like a tottering -pillar. -</p> - -<p> -Buried in the <i>Reisebilder</i>, the Grand Duchess had forgotten my -presence. Melusine put a finger on her smiling lips and took me out -without her mistress noticing that we had gone. -</p> - -<p> -It was very cold outside. To the east the blue sky was undergoing a -magic change, slowly turning to violet, then green, then orange. I sat -down on a seat by the door beneath the Grand Duchess's window, indulging -in a kind of mournful ecstasy. For it was the very spot whither I had -come so many evenings solely in order to be near her. -</p> - -<p> -Then, languid and monotonous, but pure as the icy waters of a mountain -stream, came the sound of a voice. The Grand Duchess was singing to the -accompaniment of Melusine's guzla. She was the very incarnation of -harmony, and her voice was, indeed, the voice of my dreams. -</p> - -<p> -She was singing Ilse's romance, the best of the <i>Reisebilder</i>. And -because we had just been speaking of it together I seemed to be still -with her in her room: -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i20">ILSA</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The Princess Ilsa am I named, my home dark Ilsen's rock;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Oh come within my castle gate; there we shall happy be.</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">My sunlit waves shall bring a balm to soothe thine aching</span><br /> -<span class="i4">brow,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Thy deep-set griefs thou shalt forget, poor youth all sick with</span><br /> -<span class="i4">care.</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">I'll kiss thee and I'll hold thee fast, as once I held and kissed</span><br /> -<span class="i0">The Emperor Henry, my heart's love; ah me! He is no more.</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The dead are dead; they only live who are alive today;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">I still am fair and full of grace; my heart still smiles and</span><br /> -<span class="i4">throbs.</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">My heart still smiles and throbs.... Come see within my</span><br /> -<span class="i4">crystal halls</span><br /> -<span class="i0">My maids and knights together dance, my squires right glad</span><br /> -<span class="i4">at play.</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">There's rustling of their silken trains, the clink of golden</span><br /> -<span class="i4">spurs,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">My merry dwarfs their cymbals clash, their lutes and trumpets</span><br /> -<span class="i4">sound,</span><br /> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But thee my foam-white arms shall clasp, as once they clasped</span><br /> -<span class="i4">the King,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">When with my hands I stopped his ears against the clarion's</span><br /> -<span class="i4">call.</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -I was in the middle of an ancient history lesson with my pupil when the -Grand Duke came in. He beckoned to us to sit down and told me not to -stop. -</p> - -<p> -I had been speaking to Duke Joachim of Alexander's successors, from the -fighting of the Epigones in the streets of Babylon to the victory of -Cyropedeon, which established the dynasties of the Lagides and -Seleucides after the downfall of Lysimachus. I had been trying to bring -before the eyes of my young German prince the grand and tragic figures -of Eumenes, chief of the Argyraspides, Polysperschon, Antipates, -Antigone Gonates, and Demetrius Poliorcetes. He listened attentively, -taking notes with a docility which I should have preferred less -abject.... -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke had sat down, and was also listening. Hypnotized by his -grave, intellectual face, it was really to Frederick-Augustus, not the -dull-witted Joachim, that my words were addressed. He was my audience as -I closed with an attempt to show how the crumbling empires of the -Epigones were to facilitate the victory of centralizing Rome. -</p> - -<p> -As at this point I began to show signs of embarrassment, -Frederick-Augustus broke in, with a smile: -</p> - -<p> -"Don't let my presence embarrass you if you want to establish a parallel -between Rome and Prussia." -</p> - -<p> -It was obviously difficult for me to emphasize, in front of him, the -dependence of the princes of the German Confederation on the King of -Prussia. I did so, however, and he approved. -</p> - -<p> -"God grant that this dependence," he said, "like the dependence of the -powers allied to Rome, may mean the greatness of Germany and the peace -of the world." -</p> - -<p> -I ended by giving my pupil a list of the books bearing on my lesson, and -mentioned that indispensable work, Droysen's "History of Hellenism." -</p> - -<p> -"But excuse me, monsieur," said the Grand Duke, "is there no French work -which can be used instead of Droysen?" -</p> - -<p> -Even at the Sorbonne I had never felt so ashamed to say that there was -not. -</p> - -<p> -Eleven o'clock struck. -</p> - -<p> -"Joachim," said the Grand Duke, "you can go. Please stay, Monsieur -Vignerte." -</p> - -<p> -We were alone. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," he said in his fine but grave, indeed rather melancholy -voice, "you have hitherto had reason to think me sparing of compliments -which you must have considered your due. I have always had the bad habit -of waiting a long time before expressing opinions. The right moment has -now arrived, monsieur. Yesterday, unknown to you, your pupil was -examined by a Professor of Kiel University with little predilection for -French methods. This professor has had to confess himself astonished at -the results you have obtained." -</p> - -<p> -He added, in a tone in which I detected a certain trace of bitterness: -</p> - -<p> -"I know that the harvester deserves all the more praise when he has -obtained his harvest from poor soil. Allow me to address my thanks to -you today, and express the wish that the hospitality of Lautenburg may -be sufficiently attractive to keep you here until you have completed a -task so well begun." -</p> - -<p> -"Your Highness's kindness overwhelms me, sir," I replied, deeply moved. -</p> - -<p> -"No," he broke in emphatically, "it is I who am your debtor. I have just -heard, Monsieur Vignerte, that you devote part of the little leisure -that the education of my son leaves you to a task which is perhaps even -more dear to me. This must, of course, be entirely between ourselves. I -know the difficulties you must have met with before winning the -confidence which I believe the Grand Duchess now extends to you. At -first I did not know you well enough to speak more openly of my desire -that you should be at her disposal, and try to interest her and save her -from the fits of depression and that kind of spiritual disorder which -are so fatal to her physical health. You understood, and have succeeded -better than I could have hoped. You will thus realize that I am indeed -in your debt." -</p> - -<p> -There was so much sorrowful dignity in his voice that I was utterly -overcome. -</p> - -<p> -"Sir," I murmured, "I promise you ..." -</p> - -<p> -He held out his hand. -</p> - -<p> -"I don't need promises, monsieur. I know you now, and am certain that -you will do everything you can to help the Grand Duchess. There is no -better way of justifying my confidence in you. The task will not be -always easy, I fear. A woman, especially when she has been stricken by -the death of a man she loves, does not preserve that balance of mind of -which we men are so proud. Do your best, monsieur." There was silence -for a moment; then he continued: "I should add another form of thanks if -it were not that any further mark of esteem is superfluous after the one -I have given you in speaking as I have done. You must, however, allow me -to offer you some recompense for the additional demands I am making upon -you. I have just given orders that your salary is to be raised to -fifteen thousand marks." -</p> - -<p> -He met my protests with an exclamation. -</p> - -<p> -"Nonsense!" he said, with his most charming smile. "Don't you play -bridge every night at five pfennigs a point?" -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -I was rather late for lunch, and found Professor Cyrus Beck in the thick -of a dispute with Kessel. The latter obviously enjoyed teasing the old -savant, who had a poor sense of humour and was purple with indignation. -</p> - -<p> -My mind was far too full to pay any attention to what they were saying. -I had a vague idea that the professor was explaining that chemistry in -the next war would play a more important part than any other arm, and -that he, Cyrus Beck, was on the high road to a discovery which would -enable an ordinary laboratory and a few retorts to annihilate a whole -army corps. -</p> - -<p> -He was furious at Kessel's gibes. -</p> - -<p> -He ended by appealing to me as witness against the Major, asking me to -quote the passage in which Renan expresses a wish that the destiny of -mankind should be entrusted to a committee of savants armed with a -supply of explosives sufficiently strong to blow the earth to -smithereens if its inhabitants tried to disobey them. -</p> - -<p> -I admit I had not been listening very carefully. "Certainly," I said. -"Allow me, Herr Beck, to ask you something in return." -</p> - -<p> -"By all means." -</p> - -<p> -"Can you tell me what the <i>Kirchhaus</i> is?" -</p> - -<p> -The old man rose. To my intense amazement he glared savagely at me and -went out, slamming the door, before I had time to recover from my -surprise. I looked at Kessel, but he, usually a model of self-possession -and good manners, was literally shaking with laughter. -</p> - -<p> -"What on earth's the matter?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"You've fairly put your foot in it," he managed to get out at last. -"Poor old chap; did you notice how furious he was? And to think that he -had hoped you'd back him up!" -</p> - -<p> -"But what's upset him?" I asked, and my astonishment was so genuine that -it was Kessel's turn to be surprised. -</p> - -<p> -"You mean to say you didn't do it on purpose?" -</p> - -<p> -"What?" -</p> - -<p> -"Didn't you ask him what the <i>Kirchhaus</i> was on purpose?" -</p> - -<p> -"I asked him because I didn't know and wanted to," I said, rather -nettled. -</p> - -<p> -He looked at me and began to laugh even more hilariously than before. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, if that isn't the best thing I've ever heard! Don't you know what -the Lautenburg <i>Kirchhaus</i> is, my friend?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, good God, it's the asylum!" -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess loved sport in season and out of season. Every now and -then she would condescend to hunt foxes or deer by way of entertaining -the officers of the 7th Hussars. But her private and peculiar delight -was sport in solitude, preferably on a wet and windy day without grooms, -attendants or beaters. All she required was a dog and the off-chance. -Many an evening have I seen her in her little room making up her own -cartridges. The pretty little cylinders, blue, violet, green, yellow, or -red, white and blue, were spread out before her on a table, into which -the ramrod was screwed. Carefully packing the copper loaders, she gave -to each its dose of powder, wad, charge of shot and little piece of -white cardboard. When she had rammed all this home, she wrote the number -of the charge on each. Hagen was always present on those occasions, and -as it was part of his duties, it would have been very difficult to get -rid of him. Melusine von Graffenfried, indolent and a poor walker, -preferred to stay behind, lying on rugs and smoking her eternal -cigarettes. Count Marçais, on the other hand, always came with us. -These excursions gave him a chance of showing off his sensational -sporting clothes, on which Aurora never failed to compliment him. I must -admit he was excellent company, with his high spirits and charming -manner. We used to ride out of the castle about two o'clock in the -afternoon. The first stage was the <i>Herrenwald</i>. Squirrels swarmed in -the trees. Pheasants rose heavily from the ground as we passed. At the -bottom of some wooded ravine we could hear the fussy but invisible -flight of a woodcock. -</p> - -<p> -Marçais would have preferred to stay there. He liked woodland sport, -pheasant shooting in the open with some one beside him to load his gun -and point out the game: "A cock on the left, Herr Count," "A hen on your -right!" -</p> - -<p> -But this kind of thing was not to the liking of the Grand Duchess -Aurora, who detested everything official on such occasions and in any -case showed a marked preference for water-fowl. -</p> - -<p> -Soon the stunted trees grew rarer, great wastes of marsh appeared, under -a sheen of grey and pale green. The sun above was already a glowing -ball, low down on the horizon. -</p> - -<p> -Two servants were waiting for us at a little rustic hut. They took our -horses. Marçais had his dog, Dick, a big Auvergne pointer, hard of -mouth and apt to range rather far, though it came to heel well. The -Grand Duchess's ugly black and red spaniel seemed a kind of dog brother -to Taras-Bulba. -</p> - -<p> -In sheer joy Aurora dropped the reins and sprang from her horse. I can -still see her opening her "Hammerless" and slipping in the two mauve -cartridges. I can still hear the sharp click of the brass rim against -the steel of the barrel.... -</p> - -<p> -At fifteen, armed with an old fowling-piece, I had already tasted the -extraordinary delights of shooting over marsh. When, later, I was in the -army, firing at disappearing targets had seemed to me mere child's play -compared to the fine right and left at diverging snipe I managed to pull -off more than once in those early days. -</p> - -<p> -To the north of Dax there is an immense marsh bounded by the wretched -hamlets of Herm and Gourbera. You reach it through a gorge known as "La -Cible" because the Emperor's gamekeepers used to shoot there in bygone -days. -</p> - -<p> -Here was the same misty waste. How well I remember the soft squish of -the wet ground, as if the earth itself were dissolving, and the tall -yellow grasses, which are sharp as a knife and cut your hands if you're -foolish enough to touch them. -</p> - -<p> -I knew all the birds and beasts, all the varied life of those stretches -of mud, treacherous beds of green moss, reed-fringed ponds—the whole -great expanse that looks so flat and monotonous. -</p> - -<p> -Like the fair sportswoman of the Volga marshes, I knew all the birds -that haunt these wan regions: the black, or water-rail, which hops about -in leafless trees; the red-rail, or corn-crake, which runs at lightning -speed through the high grass, throws the best dogs off the scent, -reduces the sportsman to breathlessness and makes you think you are -after a hare, until it suddenly decides to take wing, from which moment -it becomes an easy prey, poor, silly thing. -</p> - -<p> -There were many species of duck, which sweep dizzily overhead in their -curious oblique and rigid flight; shovellers, pochards, sheldrake, with -their pretty red heads; shrill-voiced teal, which fly in couples and -have a trefoil of three black feathers on their ruddy breasts. -</p> - -<p> -There were lapwings, black and white, like magpies, which rise up -swiftly with their croaking cry and then swoop wildly to earth to dodge -your shot. -</p> - -<p> -There were plovers, handsomest of birds, in their golden spring raiment. -</p> - -<p> -And, last and best, there was snipe, queen of the marshes, and the -finest and hardest of shots; the jack snipe, smaller than a lark, which -has blue and green stripes; the common snipe, which is about the size of -a quail, and amazingly timid, and the great snipe, rarest of all, which -is as big as a partridge. -</p> - -<p> -With their plaintive, hoarse cry they fly in disconcerting zig-zags at -an incredible speed. You aim to the right and when the wind has blown -away the smoke you see the little grey bird vanishing in the dim -distance on the left. -</p> - -<p> -In the midst of these Hanoverian marshes, so like our marshes of the -Landes, Aurora of Lautenburg was even more beautiful than in all her -finery at the palace. Wearing a feather toque and huge but shapely -top-boots, she jumped as lightly as a bird over the sodden turf. The -yellow mist of that water-laden atmosphere seemed to cast a pale mauve -halo about her. Marçais shot calmly and well. Little Hagen was fussy -and always fired too soon. I was a much better shot than either of these -two, but what a poor figure I cut beside the Grand Duchess! -</p> - -<p> -Leaving us the rail and duck, she devoted her attention exclusively to -the snipe. Gradually night came down on the watery waste. The sky turned -to burnished copper in a last conflagration. The great pools were sheets -of green which grew darker and darker. A thin tongue of flame began to -leap from the barrel of our guns every time we fired, a tongue which -became redder as the darkness grew more intense. -</p> - -<p> -It was the Grand Duchess's hour. Her diabolical spaniel was everywhere -at once. We could hear the snipe start up before her and her repeated -cries of "Heel!" Neither Marçais, Hagen nor I could see them at all. -But Aurora saw them all right; each of her shots brought down a little -grey bird. -</p> - -<p> -We would wait for a second. Then out of the darkness came the sound of -rustling grass. The spaniel, dripping, black and shining, with his eyes -full of phosphorus, suddenly appeared, bearing the dead snipe to his -mistress. -</p> - -<p> -It was now quite dark. In the low sky an invisible procession of cranes -passed over our heads, with remote, raucous cries. The Grand Duchess -took the bird from her dog. We went up. I saw her run her fingers over -the poor little body, still warm. No wound could be seen, nothing to -reveal the presence of that tiny ball of lead, or the imperceptible -black hole whence that little life had fled. -</p> - -<p> -Then, with that inconsequence which is the hallmark of the sportsman, -Aurora raised the inert little head to her lips and kissed it. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="VI">VI</a></h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">I</span>T was on Saturday evening, May 16th, 1914, -that the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg did me the honour of telling me the -story of her life. Let me repeat that story to you, not only because -certain of its incidents are absolutely indispensable to a proper -understanding of the drama which is fast approaching its climax, but -above all because it gives me an exquisite pleasure to open this -jewel-case and handle the beautiful, barbaric stones it contains, gems -which will always light me through my blackest hour. -</p> - -<p> -Hagen had had to go to a dinner, given by the 7th Hussars, and was not -there. It gave me no small pleasure to see that she was always more open -with me in his absence, however casually she treated that moody and -stubborn adorer. -</p> - -<p> -Reclining on the white bearskin thrown over her <i>chaise-longue</i>, she -was dressed that evening in a very loose, light tunic of yellow Turkish -silk, embroidered in mauve and silver. -</p> - -<p> -Every now and then she passed her fingers through a bowl of huge roses -standing on a low table close by, and we could hear the petals falling -softly on the blue carpet. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine, her hair shaken loose, was sitting on the carpet, resting her -drooping head on the bare feet of her mistress, which she clasped in her -arms from time to time. -</p> - -<p> -From the chair where I was sitting I could see the voluptuous curves of -the girl's smooth throat in the opening of her Valenciennes fichu. The -window was open behind the drawn curtains, and the night breeze, wafting -them apart from time to time, mingled the balmy scents of the -<i>Herrenwald</i> with the heady odours of amber, roses and cigarettes. -</p> - -<p> -With her utter indifference to effect or style, Aurora spoke, mixing up -three languages and interchanging the French "you," the German third -person, and the Russian "thou." -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -"I expect you know," she began, "that I did not exactly go up in the -world when I married. Once a princess, I am now no more than -grand-duchess, and though I am allied to the Hohenzollerns my husband's -family is not nearly as old as my own. -</p> - -<p> -"I am a Tumene princess. I know, of course, that your western histories -say practically nothing about us. But if you went to Samarkand or -Kara-Koroum, or indeed no further than Tiflis, you would find in our -ancient Mongolian chronicles things that would amaze you as to the -antiquity of our origin, and you would realize that your Broglies and -Cumberlands are mere parvenus compared with us. -</p> - -<p> -"One Tumene prince was beheaded for his hostility to Yaroslav the Great, -and I will go back no further, least I weary you with jaw-breaking -names. Another, much later, gave Ivan the Terrible so much trouble that -that sovereign preferred to treat with him and sent him magnificent -presents, notably an enormous clock with the signs of the zodiac in -sapphires. This was not enough, however, to prevent that Tumene's son -from assisting the Khan of the Crimea with forty thousand horsemen when -he started out to besiege Moscow, in 1571, if I remember rightly. -</p> - -<p> -"You must not think that we were no better than savages because at first -we fought against the Czars. Boris Godounov was glad enough of our help -against the Tartars, Circassians and Cheremisses. I admit we always -preferred fighting against European enemies. It was Alexis Tumene, -son-in-law of Peter the Great, who led the great charge at Pultawa. As a -reward the Czar ordained that his reforming edicts should not run in -Tumene territories. We have at home a portrait in the style of your -Mignard representing Alexis in a feathered cap, a golden lambskin, -embroidered like a chasuble, and wearing his moustaches long, a fashion -which the Czar had forbidden every one else. -</p> - -<p> -"The first Tumene to shave was my great-grand-father, Vladimir. He it -was who was nearly shot by the orders of Barclay de Tolly. I don't -remember the reason. He was in command of the Astrakhan Cossack Corps -who bivouacked in the Champs-Elysées and apparently played the devil -there. My great-grandfather did a good deal of looting, but converted -his booty into cash which he soon lost at the Palais-Royal. You see he -banked on red, and black came up fourteen times running. -</p> - -<p> -"Vladimir's father was at first on excellent terms with Catherine II. -When she had had enough of him she made him marry a lady from Anhalt. -This was the first time my family had contracted an alliance in this -country. I hope I shall close the list. I don't say that to hurt your -feelings, Melusine, but really that particular German was stupid and -miserly. For instance, of the seven children she gave her husband not -one was in her own image. They were all little Cossacks. -</p> - -<p> -"My grandmother came from Erivan. I am told I'm like her, but she was -better-looking than I. She was madly in love with my grandfather, and -abjured her faith in order to marry him. But before this she adored -shooting, which is a long way the finest faith on earth. -</p> - -<p> -"Papa, who will come into my story again, is the second, member of the -family to marry a German, and once more a Hohenzollem. But you must hear -how it happened. Like his grandfather Vladimir, he was an inveterate -gambler. He took an oath to win back everything his grandfather had lost -in France. Indeed, he would have utterly ruined himself there, if you -ever could ruin yourself with lands as big as six of your departments, -Cossacks too numerous to count and flocks and herds which doubled every -year. -</p> - -<p> -"He always spent ten months of the year in Paris—he was a member -of the Jockey Club—Aix, Nice and every other place to which men of -his type resort. It was at Aix that he met my mother. The year was 1882. -One evening he was at the Villa des Fleurs with King George of Greece -and the Grand Duke Vassily. They had been drinking a good deal and -should not have been alone. Then Papa began to pour out scandal about -women, swearing that they were all alike and that he, a Tumene prince -and obliged to marry to perpetuate his name, had decided to marry any -one Fate threw in his way. -</p> - -<p> -"'All right,' said the Grand Duke, 'marry the first woman who comes in -here.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Certainly, provided, of course, that she's not married already,' added -my father, who was religious. -</p> - -<p> -"'I bet you won't.' -</p> - -<p> -"'How much?' -</p> - -<p> -"'A hundred thousand roubles.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Done.' -</p> - -<p> -"I believe King George of Greece had never had such an amusing time -before. Poor man, I was genuinely grieved when he was assassinated six -months ago. Just imagine, you two, what a scene it must have been, with -those three men waiting for the door to open on her who was to be a -Tumene princess, for they knew my father's obstinacy, and that he would -marry Queen Pomaré or Madame Dieulafoy rather than lose his bet. -</p> - -<p> -"The first-comer was my mother, the Duchess Eleanor of Hesse-Darmstadt, -then aged sixteen, and behind her was her English governess. I still -shiver at the thought that, if the Englishwoman had preceded her, Papa -would certainly have married her and I should have been much less -pretty. -</p> - -<p> -"As it happened Mamma was beauty itself, a blonde Melusine. Perhaps not -quite as lovely as you, dear Melusine. I never knew her well, as I was -only five when she died. She never managed to make herself at home in -our Tartary. I remember how she would shiver in the early autumn -evenings at the cry of the curlew in the Volga marshes. Papa was -terribly unfaithful to her. She could only weep, and I'm afraid that's -just the thing that annoys men most. -</p> - -<p> -"I still cannot understand how any one could fail to be happy in our -palace. Please don't think it was a barbarian lair. In 1850 we were -visited by a Frenchwoman, and you can read the book she wrote, 'Voyages -dans les Steppes de la Caspienne.' It was published in Paris. Her name -was Madame Hommaire de Hell, and her husband was an engineer employed on -some geodetical mission. You can verify all this in your books. She was -received by my grandfather and has given a very full description of the -palace. -</p> - -<p> -"This palace is built on an island in the Volga. My ancestors selected -the site on account of marauders. The marauders are no more, but the -place is as picturesque as ever. -</p> - -<p> -"My earliest memory is the noise of the hooter of the paddle-steamer -which plied between us and Astrakhan three times a week. It was an -agreeable sound because it meant visitors—the governor, the French -Minister, a pleasant individual like Marçais, who brought me dolls and, -later on, books. Like a true aristocrat, Papa was never happier than -when entertaining company. -</p> - -<p> -"The window of my room looked over the river. I used to watch the wild -duck, just like so many little mechanical toys, floating solemnly down -the brown waters—especially when my governess, Mlle. Jauffre, droned -out the rules about participles: when the complement precedes, it -agrees; when it follows.... I would get up quietly, take my long -fowling-piece and some 'Number four' and let fly, bang! bang! among the -ducks. The servants went out in boats to bring them in. Papa never -minded as long as I had killed at least half a dozen. Having told you -this, you mustn't be surprised if I make slips in my grammar. -</p> - -<p> -"For the piano I had an Italian professor. He was a republican. He was -always trying to explain to us, with a meaning smile, that he was a -natural son of Garibaldi. I can only remember his Christian name, -Teobaldo. One day, when I was fifteen, he was behind me turning over the -pages of some music I was reading, and kissed the back of my neck. I -must confess I had encouraged him a little, just to see what he'd do. I -burst out laughing. He took that for a responsive thrill and kissed me -again. I laughed as if I should never stop. Suddenly Papa came in. I -thought I was in for trouble, but the room was dark. He picked up his -ramrod, which he had left on the table, and went out. For small game -Papa always made his own cartridges, to get a proper spread. -</p> - -<p> -"Next day I was walking with Mlle. Jauffre in a very thick fir copse at -the western horn of the island. We almost ran into a long, flabby form, -hanging from a cedar. It was poor Teobaldo. Mlle. Jauffre screamed and -fled. I turned him round by the feet to have a good look. Then I fled -also, as fast as I could. His black, swollen tongue was hanging out over -his tie. His eyes were dead white and fat flies were already as busy on -him as on a rotten apple. Perhaps the most horrible thing was that he -had the same expression as when he was kissing me. Since then I have -always loathed men. -</p> - -<p> -"It was about this time that I became melancholy through reading the -'Demon' of Lermontoff, who is a much greater poet than your Vigny, or -even Byron. I was very pale and there were scarlet flushes on my cheeks. -A doctor came from Astrakhan. Between ourselves I managed to bribe him, -and he ordered me to take the waters of Piatigorsk. That was exactly -what I wanted, for you no doubt remember that it was at Piatigorsk that -Lermontoff was killed in a duel. -</p> - -<p> -"The 'waters' of Piatigorsk are a series of waterfalls where the stream -leaps over walls of black granite and glittering mica. That sounds very -impressive, but at the end of a week I was so thoroughly bored that my -cure was complete. -</p> - -<p> -"I don't believe I should ever have lasted out the fortnight Papa had -decreed if I hadn't made the discovery of an extremely picturesque old -Frenchman who gained his living at Piatigorsk by acting as guide to -foreigners on their expeditions in the mountains. He was a political -criminal. I rather think he had been a friend of Vaillant. Anyhow, he -had been exiled from France in Carnot's time, and, like every one else, -had taken refuge in Russia. -</p> - -<p> -"He was a learned old fellow, but he had some peculiar ideas. I took a -particular liking to him, mainly because Mlle. Jauffre used to throw up -her hands and wail: 'What <i>would</i> His Highness say!' every time he -spoke to me of folk I'd never heard of before: Saint-Simon, Enfantin, -Bazard, Karl Marx, Lassalle and the Iron Law. Heaven knows what else! -</p> - -<p> -"I had never read any Tolstoy. The old man lent me 'Resurrection.' I -never knew such a world existed. I had Tolstoy's social creed expounded -to me, to tease Mlle. Jauffre. The old man was jubilant. 'Oh, -mademoiselle! If only you <i>would</i>, what a chance!' -</p> - -<p> -"The result was that when we left Piatigorsk I took old Barbessoul (for -that was his name) back with me. Papa was certainly somewhat astonished -to see the patriarch in our train, but, as I looked so well, said -nothing. To tell the truth, he was used to my caprices. -</p> - -<p> -"He did more. Quite close to the island in the Volga on which the palace -stood was another small island, perhaps a square half-verst in area. -Papa gave it to me, and with it fifty moujiks, men, women and children. -There, under the old man's direction, I set up a socialist community, -half Saint-Simon, half Tolstoy: no private property, division of the -instruments of labour according to needs and capacities, etc., etc. -</p> - -<p> -"At first all went well. I spent four hours a day in my socialist -paradise. Old Barbessoul was triumphant. His part in the organization -was something between priest and foreman. Papa thought I was mad. -</p> - -<p> -"You won't be surprised to hear I had soon had enough of it, if only -because things began to go wrong. Feeling safe under my protection, the -members of the community used to go out in boats at night to rob the -hen-roosts of the riverside farmers. Papa had very kindly consented to -relieve them of taxation and compulsory labour. It was perfectly -alarming the amount of kwass they drank. Old Barbessoul was the only one -who couldn't perceive how strongly they smelt of drink, even the women. -Why, after two months, one of them found himself the possessor of all -the agricultural implements. All the others had pawned them to get -kwass. Then, as they could not work, they loafed about all day and spent -the night robbing the neighbouring peasants. One night there was a -regular battle. Two moujiks were killed. Papa was wild with rage, called -me a silly fool, and wanted to hang old Barbessoul. On my entreaties he -refrained, but the community was broken up. -</p> - -<p> -"That was my last experiment with Socialism. It is certain that if it -had not been for Papa's Cossacks all those folk would have cut each -other's throats. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"One day in February, 1909, when I was just on twenty, I was shooting -duck from a boat in a branch of the Volga when I saw on the bank Papa's -favourite Cossack signalling wildly with his cap on the end of his -sabre. -</p> - -<p> -"He was shouting as well, though I couldn't hear him. I gathered that -something must have happened at home, but I wanted to appear indifferent -in spite of my burning curiosity to know what all the fuss was about. I -only put in to the bank an hour later, when the poor man was almost dead -with waving his arms and shouting so much. He told me the Prince wanted -me in his study. I took as long as I could getting there, anticipating a -good lecture. -</p> - -<p> -"I got nothing of the kind. Papa seemed radiant about something. He -kissed me, then, showing me a large envelope with red seals on his -bureau, he told me what it was about. -</p> - -<p> -"It was a letter to Papa from the Czar. It informed him that in May the -Emperor William was to visit St. Petersburg and that there would be -great celebrations, ending up with a review at Tsarskoïe-Selo; that he -therefore wished the Astrakhan and Aral Cossacks to be represented, and -begged the Tumene Prince to bring a brigade with him. 'The Czarina,' he -added, 'will be glad to make her little niece's acquaintance on this -occasion.' I had forgotten to tell you that I was her niece, owing to -Papa's marriage with a Grand-Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt. -</p> - -<p> -"I can assure you that I had never found the days long in our Volga -palace, yet, as I listened to my father, I must confess to a feeling of -joyous excitement, and from that moment I had only one idea—to -astonish the Czar, the Czarina, the German Emperor and, indeed, the -whole world. I spent days on end looking into my glass, and admit that I -was not altogether displeased with what I saw there. -</p> - -<p> -"Hitherto I had had my clothes made at Astrakhan by Menjuzan Sœurs, -excellent French dressmakers who visited Paris once a year for their -models and did good business with fashionable Circassian society. Papa -gave me unlimited credit and two days later I left with Mlle. Jauffre. -But I must tell you I had a scheme of my own. -</p> - -<p> -"I came back from Astrakhan and told him I could find nothing at all. I -wept all over him and vowed I would never appear at Court dressed like -a savage. You can imagine that I had no intention of missing such a -splendid opportunity of seeing Paris. Papa took a good deal of -persuading, but I soon realized he wouldn't be sorry to see his old -friends there again. -</p> - -<p> -"We left early in March. My one fear when we arrived in Paris, of which -my head was full, was to betray any sort of astonishment, and that is no -doubt why my manner was somewhat affected. -</p> - -<p> -"Papa lost no time in finding out that he had a whole mass of visits and -engagements. He only put in an appearance at the 'Ritz' for meals and -not always for them. -</p> - -<p> -"He wanted me to go to Redfern, but I chose Doucet, out of perversity. I -have never seen anything more absurd than Mlle. Jauffre, in her -pince-nez and black satin gown, smothered in jet, standing among the -lovely girls who bowed to me and walked up and down to help me to -choose. -</p> - -<p> -"I was asked: 'What does your Highness require?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Everything,' I replied coldly. -</p> - -<p> -"In a twinkling I had ordered six evening gowns, twelve tailor-mades, -two riding-habits, and everything else on the same scale. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing was <i>décolleté</i> enough for my taste. Mlle. Jauffre was green -in the face. The head saleswoman took it upon herself to tell me it was -rather risqué for a young lady. I told her to get on with the fitting. -Besides, Papa appeared on one occasion and approved my choice. He gave -me a proud look that made me altogether happy, for I knew what a good -judge he was. -</p> - -<p> -"That evening he must have had a twinge of conscience at leaving me so -much to myself, for he told me we were to dine together and instructed -Mlle. Jauffre to bring me to Laurent's in the Avenue Gabriel at eight -o'clock to the minute. I need hardly say that at eight o'clock no one -was there. I sat down on a form and waited. To while away the time I -drew out the little inlaid dagger I carried in my belt and cut my -initials on the bench. I expect they're still there. -</p> - -<p> -"At ten minutes past eight, seeing an old gentleman hovering round us -and feeling the need of a little dissipation, I told Mlle. Jauffre to go -out to the tobacco kiosk in the Avenue Matignon and buy me a box of -<i>Mercédès</i>. She demurred at first, but ultimately went. The old man -then came up to me. He had check trousers and a grey felt hat. He began -a very entertaining conversation and mentioned a little flat in the Rue -d'Offémont and a lift hung with tapestry curtains. I turned my head to -hide my uncontrollable laughter and was all the more astonished to hear -a resounding smack. When I turned round I saw Papa. The old gentleman -beat a dignified retreat, murmuring something about having a little -joke. In the moonlight I noticed that his grey hat had been badly -battered. -</p> - -<p> -"Mlle. Jauffre came back with the <i>Mercédès</i>. Papa told her frigidly -to return to the 'Ritz' for dinner, and go to bed. -</p> - -<p> -"Laurent's is a place where you dine outside at little lamp-lit tables -under the beautiful trees. The place was crowded. Papa was far more at -home there than in our Volga palace. He introduced me to lots of -celebrities: Bunau-Varilla, Charles Derennes, Monsieur de Bonnefon, -Princess Lucien Murat, Maurice Rostand. I took a great fancy to Rostand, -with his choir-boy's face and manner. We still write to each other, and -he's coming to see me at Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -"At eleven o'clock Papa took me back to the 'Ritz' and told me he had to -call at the Embassy in the Rue de Grenelle. You don't suppose I felt -like going to bed! Mlle. Jauffre was snoring like a Nüremberg top, and -I thought I should never wake her. You should have seen her look of -amazement when I told her that she must get up as Papa had arranged to -meet us at midnight. -</p> - -<p> -"We took a taxi in the Rue de la Paix. <i>Grelot</i> I told the driver. I -had heard the name at Laurent's. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Le Grelot</i> is in the Place Blanche. I don't suppose, dear friend, -that a serious student like you has ever been there. When we went in I was -a little jealous of the chorus of approval that greeted Mlle. Jauffre's -spangled gown. A little roué, hopelessly drunk, called out that it was -Madame Fallières. Then the whole assembly rose as one man and sang the -chorus of a well-known song: -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">'La tante Julie,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">La tante Octavie,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">La tante Sophie,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Le cousin Léon,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">L'oncle Théodule,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">L'oncle Thrasybule,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Les cousins Tibulle,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Et Timoleon.'</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p> -"I laughed as if I should never stop, and my high spirits infected -everybody—they had looked bored to extinction when we first entered. -</p> - -<p> -"We drank champagne—unlimited champagne. Then we danced. I just -showed those Frenchmen what a Russian princess could do. The only man -who could waltz properly with me was a member of the Hungarian band. We -received a tremendous ovation. -</p> - -<p> -"A negro in the orchestra invited Mlle. Jauffre to dance. You may find -it hard to believe, but she accepted. After all that champagne she was a -different woman. Two dancing girls came and sat by me. One of them, -Zita, a dark girl, wore a dress of blue and silver; the other, 'The -Shrimp,' was all in pink and called me 'Princess,' not knowing that I -was one. They ate my food and drank my champagne. I was in the seventh -heaven and murmured, rather excitedly: 'Paris is lovely, lovely!' -</p> - -<p> -"I suddenly noticed that many of these poor girls had darns in the heels -of their silk stockings just above their patent shoes, so I called out -and threw a handful of louis into the air. They scrambled for them and -found them all with the exception of five or six, on which some of the -most elegant of the gentlemen had neatly put their feet. -</p> - -<p> -"I think I should have stayed there all night if I had not suddenly -heard loud shouts in the next room. -</p> - -<p> -"'Lili, Lili, here's Lili! Vive Lili!' -</p> - -<p> -"I looked up and saw Papa coming in. It was he whom they called 'Lili,' -obviously derived from his Christian name, Vassily. -</p> - -<p> -"He, too, was in the highest spirits. On each arm was a girl, handsome -enough to make me feel thoroughly jealous. -</p> - -<p> -"He was far too busy to see me. I lost no time in making preparations to -go, but it proved a terrible business getting Mlle. Jauffre away. She -was exceedingly loth to leave her negro. In the taxi she sang at the top -of her voice: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">'Caroline, Caroline,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Put on your shiny black shoes.'</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"Then, without warning, she leaned out of the window and began to weep -vigorously, complaining that I had not shown her sufficient respect. -</p> - -<p> -"Papa had a bill from Doucet for thirty-eight thousand six hundred -francs. He did not demur, and I gathered that his daughter's -requirements had as a matter of fact been less formidable than those of -other ladies—a thought which disgusted me not a little. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"When we got back to Russia, we found another letter from the Czar, -telling Papa that the Kaiser's arrival at St. Petersburg was fixed for -May 15th, so that we ought to make our arrangements at once. -</p> - -<p> -"I could give you no idea of the gorgeous way in which he fitted out his -brigade. The Astrakhan Cossacks wear the Armenian high black cap, -something like a sugar-loaf, red coats edged with fur, and yellow -bandoliers. The Aral Cossacks have sky-blue coats, white bandoliers, and -wear the round Kalmuck busby, two feet in diameter, from which they -derive their nickname of 'Bigheads.' They carry the curved sabre, on -which the Aral Cossacks, who are Mohammedans, engrave verses of the -Khoran, a whip with lead balls, and a long lance. -</p> - -<p> -"Papa had all the woollen facings replaced by others of gold and silver. -He reviewed his squadrons one day towards the end of April when the -early crocus was peeping shyly forth. There was only a pale yellow sun, -but it was quite enough to make those superb warriors look so -magnificent that we could easily imagine what they would be like in the -brilliant May sunshine at Tzarskoïe-Selo. -</p> - -<p> -"There was nearly a catastrophe the day they left for Petersburg. You -must remember that these simple folk, who fear neither man nor -whirlwind, spirits of marsh nor spirits of flood, stand in mortal terror -of railways. Their horses share that emotion. Half of them had been -bundled in when they suddenly caught sight of the squat little engine, -puffing and blowing, in the middle of the steppe. Not one of them would -have moved if the priest had not turned up and blessed this strange -animal. -</p> - -<p> -"We got them off at last in twelve trains, which took twelve days to -cross Great Russia. We ourselves were travelling by the express, so we -only had to leave the palace a week later. The Czar had a special -Pullman car put at our disposal. We invited the two colonels and the six -majors to join us. The priest was with Mlle. Jauffre and Kunin, Papa's -favourite Cossack. I had put them in charge of my wardrobe. -</p> - -<p> -"Petersburg is a splendid city, with barracks, churches and fine -gardens. You can see that the man who laid it out had a definite scheme -in mind. We were housed royally at the Winter Palace and had a private -audience of the Czar the night we arrived. 'Hello! so this is the little -niece,' he said, and I could see he thought me pretty. The Czarina -kissed me and called the Grand Duchesses, my cousins, in order to -introduce us. I gave Olga and Tatiana each a necklace of Caucasian -rubies, which seemed to have a diamond tear inside, and for the little -girls there were necklaces of pink pearls. Papa had brought the -Czarevitch an aigrette buckle, made out of one huge diamond, for his -kolbach, and a little Cossack sword with the hilt set in sapphires and -brilliants. -</p> - -<p> -"Two days later all the bells of the capital announced the arrival of -the Kaiser. The Czar, the Czarevitch and the Grand Dukes went to -Kronstadt to meet him. -</p> - -<p> -"Since then I have seen so many royal entries into various cities that -the memory of this particular occasion has gradually faded entirely from -my mind. But that doesn't matter. It was a magnificent spectacle. -</p> - -<p> -"I witnessed the arrival at the palace from my balcony. The White -Cuirassiers, with the Grand Dukes, rode up to the gates. The honours -were rendered by the Preobrajensky guards. All this time Papa's Cossacks -were installed in two barracks and forbidden to leave them. This annoyed -me at first until I learned, as I soon did, that it was because they -were the finest in all the Russias and the Czar was reserving them -jealously for the grand finale. -</p> - -<p> -"Under the soft, fleecy sky of Bothnia the breastplates and sabres -sparkled with blue and gold. -</p> - -<p> -"The Kaiser was with the Czar, the Czarevitch and the Crown Prince in -the first carriage. He was wearing the uniform of a colonel of the -Russian Cuirassiers, with the golden eagle on his silver helmet. He -saluted frequently and wore a happy smile. Frederick William was wearing -the uniform of the Black Hussars. -</p> - -<p> -"The Empress and the Czarina came next, with a host of German princes -and generals. -</p> - -<p> -"The introductions seemed as if they would never come to an end. I had -my little success. 'So this is the little niece,' said the Kaiser, -taking my hand and leading me to the Empress. The motherly old hen -kissed me from beneath her lace and ostrich plumes, and told me how much -she loved my poor Mamma. I was still the 'little niece' to them all. -Meanwhile Frederick William and Adalbert did stare, I can tell you! -Adalbert is a fine young man, but he looks pig-headed and sly. I prefer -the Crown Prince, who looks full of mischief. I can tell you Germany -won't be dull when he succeeds his father. -</p> - -<p> -"I spent the whole afternoon getting ready for the banquet in the -evening. I was so afraid I shouldn't make an impression that I got quite -irritable and would have quarrelled with Mlle. Jauffre for two pins. It -was almost as if I had a presentiment of all the evils that were to come -upon me as a result of that cursed evening. -</p> - -<p> -"You can have no idea what a gorgeous affair a fête at the Peterhof is. -The Kaiser had donned another uniform, even more striking than the -first. But you should have seen his face when he saw Papa's! -</p> - -<p> -"His uniform was not to be compared to that of the Tumene Prince. The -Empress's diamonds looked like the tawdry gewgaws of a suburban housewife -by the side of the brilliants on the chain which secured his scarlet -cloak at the left shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -"When I went in I saw the Czar repress his astonishment. For one moment -I thought I must be too <i>décolleté</i>. Then this fear vanished as I -realized the impression I was making. You must remember I had secured -Doucet's admitted <i>chef d'œuvre</i>, a gown of sapphire velvet, made very -simply, but closely moulded to the form, and my jewellery consisted of -nothing but sapphires. Child as I was, I was already anticipating my -next day's success. 'But what will they say,' I said to myself, 'when -they see my Number 2, the red gown with nothing but rubies!' -</p> - -<p> -"We danced. I was amused to see the Germans, accustomed to their slow -waltz, miss the beat of our rapid Russian waltz and put in a couple of -hops—or stand like herons—to catch up again. -</p> - -<p> -"I danced with the Crown Prince. He complimented me on my dress and said -that the German Emperor was not an absolute monarch, as he'd never been -able to make his Court ladies do with less than six colours in their -gowns. I wanted to irritate him, so I replied that it was not -surprising, and that mine came from Paris. But he said I was right and -there was no place like Paris. With those priceless grimaces which are -quite his own he told me a whole heap of <i>risqué</i> stories about Paris, -and as he took me back to my place I heard the old hen murmur in his -ear: 'Now, Fritz, behave!' -</p> - -<p> -"At the same moment she beckoned to me to go and sit beside her. -</p> - -<p> -"That morning I had noticed among the officers of the Kaiser's entourage -a tall Hussar in a scarlet uniform with yellow facings. He had sandy -hair and fine eyes, his blue, insistent eyes of a short-sighted man. He -had had his eyeglass fixed on me the whole time, but of course I was -careful to pretend I noticed nothing. I should have been astounded then -if any one had told me that one day I should be wearing that scarlet -uniform myself. -</p> - -<p> -"'Aurora,' the Empress said, 'this is my cousin Rudolph, Grand Duke of -Lautenburg-Detmold. He wants a dance with you.' -</p> - -<p> -"The red Hussar danced atrociously, though he made the most superhuman -efforts. He thought he ought to apologize, but I gave him no reply and -not even a word of thanks when the dance ended. He resumed his place -behind the Empress and wiped his eyeglass from time to time, looking -miserable enough to melt a stone. -</p> - -<p> -"The next day I was delighted to hear that there was to be some -fox-hunting two days later. How thankful I was to have brought -Taras-Bulba, my wicked little Barbary horse, with me! I went to see him -at the barracks where our Cossacks were. He had behaved so outrageously -that he had been shut up by himself in a stable—the door of which -he'd nearly smashed to pieces on his way in. -</p> - -<p> -"When he saw me he whinnied rapturously and soon bolted the sugar I had -brought him. -</p> - -<p> -"'You've just got to show what you can do,' I said, running my hand -through his long, thick mane. 'We'll leave them all behind, won't we?' -</p> - -<p> -"He nodded amiably to show he'd understood, and I went out to try on my -riding-habit. -</p> - -<p> -"When I reached my room I found Papa there, looking calm but radiant. I -always loathe surprises. They are sure to be unpleasant. -</p> - -<p> -"I saw that Papa didn't know how to begin, and that in itself made me -suspicious. -</p> - -<p> -"'You must hurry,' I said. 'I have to dress.' -</p> - -<p> -"'My daughter,' he said, 'I have something important to say to you.' -</p> - -<p> -"'That is no reason why you shouldn't hurry up.' -</p> - -<p> -"'My daughter, how would you like to be a Queen?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Queen of what?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Würtemberg.' -</p> - -<p> -"We may have been brought up among savages, but I know my <i>Gotha</i>. So -I asked Papa if he wanted me to marry the King of Würtemberg, who was -then sixty-two. -</p> - -<p> -"'It is not His Majesty the King of Würtemberg who has done me the -honour to ask your hand. It is His Highness the Grand Duke of -Lautenburg-Detmold.' -</p> - -<p> -"Papa is a prince himself, and to hear him mouthing 'Majesties' and -'Highnesses' drove me crazy. -</p> - -<p> -"'What!' I cried. 'The boiled lobster? Never!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Let's be serious,' said my father. -</p> - -<p> -"'<i>Never</i>,' I repeated, stamping my foot. 'Besides, I don't see the -connection between this short-sighted red-beard and the crown of -Würtemberg.' -</p> - -<p> -"'It's this,' said my father magisterially. 'King Albert of Würtemberg -has no children. He is sixty-two, as you correctly observed, and a -martyr to diabetes. The Grand Duke of Lautenburg is his heir.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I don't care,' I replied. 'I'd rather marry Kunin, and, besides, I -don't want to marry at all.' -</p> - -<p> -"Papa began to lose his temper. He came out with the whole story. -Rudolph of Lautenburg was madly in love with me. He had spoken to the -Empress, his godmother, who had spoken to the Kaiser, who had spoken to -the Czar, who had just spoken to <i>him</i>. Hints of this kind, flattering -though they are, are virtually orders, and... -</p> - -<p> -"'You consented, without waiting to ask me?' I broke in. -</p> - -<p> -"'Not exactly,' he replied in some confusion, 'but, after all, what -could I do but thank him and consent ...' -</p> - -<p> -"'Consent to what!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Consent to—oh, something which commits you to nothing. I agreed -that the Grand Duke should be your companion at the meet the day after -tomorrow.' -</p> - -<p> -"'If that's all,' I said, 'you can rely on me to make this German sorry -he ever came to Russia for an heiress.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Promise me to be nice,' begged my father in alarm. 'You make me regret -I have given you so much liberty. Remember it's a question of a royal -crown. Neither more nor less.' -</p> - -<p> -"A crown! To see his daughter a queen! That was all the old Kalmuck -thought about. -</p> - -<p> -"That evening as I was entering the car to go to the gala performance I -was made to realize that Papa had committed me much further than he had -dared admit. -</p> - -<p> -"'Here's our little fiancée,' said the Kaiser, taking my hand. -</p> - -<p> -"The Empress, more the brood hen than ever, kissed me on the forehead. -It appears that this is a family mania. -</p> - -<p> -"And so it went on up to the Czar, who remarked to the Kaiser, with one -of his sad smiles: -</p> - -<p> -"'So you're not satisfied with flooding me with your subjects, but must -needs come to take away mine!' -</p> - -<p> -"I put on my frankest smile, but cast many a sidelong glance at my red -Hussar, who didn't know what to do. I said to myself: -</p> - -<p> -"'You wait a bit, my fine fellow! You'll be paid out for this the day -after tomorrow!' -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"The day came. My only fear was that the country we hunted would be too -flat, too easy. I was quickly reassured. It is true that there were a -good many paths in the woods, quite suitable for ladies, but there were -also patches of thick scrub, several streams, and here and there some -tricky ditches. -</p> - -<p> -"Before we started I gave Taras-Bulba half a pound of sugar soaked in -whisky, and he was very lively though full of dignity. -</p> - -<p> -"I won't pretend that there was not a chorus of exclamation when he -appeared. The Crown Prince asked me why I didn't have him clipped. -</p> - -<p> -"'Don't listen to them, old friend,' I murmured in my little steed's -ear. He understood and knowingly tossed his head. -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Duke Rudolph rode up beside me. I made myself so agreeable -that the poor man evidently felt encouraged and said in a low voice: -</p> - -<p> -"'Then you don't regret having me for your companion, mademoiselle?' -</p> - -<p> -"'How could you think so, sir?' I answered. 'This Court half suffocates -me. We never have a moment to ourselves. There's room to breathe out -here. We can talk.' -</p> - -<p> -"'So you love Nature!' he murmured, radiant. 'How happy I am!' -</p> - -<p> -"I was happy, too. I was certain that he wouldn't leave me for a second. -</p> - -<p> -"The first fox was started. Nothing remarkable happened except, perhaps, -when Taras-Bulba, fired by the sound of the horn, performed a polka and -came down with his forelegs on the back of Adalbert's mare, almost -unseating her rider. After that they all kept away from my little horse -as if he'd been the plague. -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Duke of Lautenburg was riding one of those horses so beloved -of the Germans, a great dark bay with hocks as big as a ham, and a back -like a billiard-table. Moreover, it didn't take me long to notice that -the ugly brute had a hard mouth and galloped with his head between his -legs. -</p> - -<p> -"My poor friend, I thought, you'll have some fun soon when you come to -the ditches. -</p> - -<p> -"A second and a third fox were killed easily enough. Suddenly a fourth -started up between me and the Grand Duke. I caught sight of him, a long, -lean animal with hardly any tail. I knew at once he was what I was -after. -</p> - -<p> -"'Ours!' I cried to Rudolph. -</p> - -<p> -"He spurred his great brute into a gallop. -</p> - -<p> -"The fox was a hundred yards ahead. Good little beast! He made straight -for the thickest cover. -</p> - -<p> -"Every now and then the Grand Duke turned round: -</p> - -<p> -"'I'm not going too fast, am I? Can you keep up?' he asked, panting. -</p> - -<p> -"'Go on! Go on!' I replied. -</p> - -<p> -"And Taras-Bulba snorted as if to echo: -</p> - -<p> -"'Go on! Go on!' -</p> - -<p> -"Soon we were in the depths of the woods. Then I just touched my little -nag's neck and gave him his head. In a moment the Grand Duke was left -behind. -</p> - -<p> -"I caught a glimpse of him, all red and breathless.... He was now a -quarter of a verst behind me. -</p> - -<p> -"I told Taras-Bulba to slow down and he did so. -</p> - -<p> -"'You did give me a fright,' said the poor man as he came up. 'I thought -your horse had bolted.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Look out!' I cried. -</p> - -<p> -"There was a stream at our feet. He got over it by the skin of his -teeth. The fox, with three hounds at his heels, was running ahead in a -flat meadow that sloped away from us. -</p> - -<p> -"Then came more woods. I held my head down and thus escaped the -scratches of the branches which were pushed aside for a moment by -Taras-Bulba's head, only to close up immediately behind him. But my poor -companion's face was already covered with blood. A twig carried away his -eyeglass. I felt he was done. His big horse was blowing like a -steam-engine. -</p> - -<p> -"'Keep going,' I cried, 'the fox is tiring!' and I gave Taras-Bulba a -touch of the spur. -</p> - -<p> -"The little animal doesn't like liberties. He gave a tremendous bound. -His rival followed painfully behind amidst a terrible noise of broken -branches. -</p> - -<p> -"'You're beginning to tire,' I said to myself. 'You'll come down next -time.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Next time' appeared in the form of a ditch fifteen feet wide and as -many deep, with a half-concealed and extremely tricky edge. For a second -even I asked myself whether Taras-Bulba, with the pace he had just been -keeping, would manage to get over. But lo and behold! He picked himself -up, the gallant little beast, and flew over like a swallow. -</p> - -<p> -"Then I turned round, knowing full well what would happen. -</p> - -<p> -"It <i>did</i> happen. Horse and rider came down in one terrific crash. The -beast missed the edge with its hind legs and unceremoniously hurled its -master to the ground. -</p> - -<p> -"I jumped down and went up to the Grand Duke, feeling vaguely that I had -gone a bit too far. -</p> - -<p> -"'You haven't hurt yourself, I hope?' -</p> - -<p> -"'I don't think so,' he murmured faintly. 'I was so frightened to see -you go over this vile ditch.' -</p> - -<p> -"Poor man! I wanted to beg his pardon. -</p> - -<p> -"'Can I help you up?' I said, in some embarrassment. -</p> - -<p> -"'I should be glad if you would.' -</p> - -<p> -"But I tried in vain to get him on to his feet. It was then that I -noticed how pale he was. -</p> - -<p> -"'You've broken your right leg,' I cried. -</p> - -<p> -"'Oh, I don't think so,' he said, in his gentle, disarming way. 'Nothing -worse than a sprain.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I tell you you've broken your leg; I know what I'm saying.' -</p> - -<p> -"I pulled out my hunting-knife and slit up his boot. The leg appeared, -all swollen. -</p> - -<p> -"'We're in a nice fix,' I thought, 'at least six versts from the field.' -</p> - -<p> -"Rudolph was silent, but looked at me out of his fine, gentle eyes. -You'd have thought he was happy. -</p> - -<p> -"'Thank you,' he just murmured. -</p> - -<p> -"'What for?' I burst out. 'I have broken your leg and you thank me! You -might at least wait until I've got you out of this mess.' -</p> - -<p> -"He looked very contrite and ventured: -</p> - -<p> -"'You'd better go back and send up some help.' -</p> - -<p> -"'What!' I exclaimed in scorn. 'Go back without the fox, and, when I'm -asked where the Grand Duke Rudolph is, tell them that I left him at the -bottom of a ditch with his leg in little pieces! No, thank you, sir!' -</p> - -<p> -"'As you please,' he replied faintly. 'But I don't know what you can -do.' -</p> - -<p> -"'You shall see.' -</p> - -<p> -"His big horse was standing by, browsing placidly under Taras-Bulba's -wicked little eye. -</p> - -<p> -"'Come here, you brute!' -</p> - -<p> -"When I got hold of him I realized I should never have the strength to -get the Grand Duke into the saddle. -</p> - -<p> -"'What's the good of horses like haystacks?' I cried in exasperation. -</p> - -<p> -"The injured man looked at me, still wearing that perpetual air of -apology which at last got on my nerves. -</p> - -<p> -"'Taras-Bulba!' I called. -</p> - -<p> -"The little beast came, though with a bad grace. He suspected what was -going to happen. -</p> - -<p> -"Rudolph of Lautenburg could not restrain a movement of apprehension. -</p> - -<p> -"'You're not going to put me on that animal, are you?' he muttered. 'I'd -rather stay here.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Never,' I said, stamping. 'Taras-Bulba is as quiet as a lamb. Now just -do what I tell you.' -</p> - -<p> -"That German was a tremendous weight, but I managed to get him up and -tie him firmly in the saddle with the reins. -</p> - -<p> -"Then I mounted his great beast. -</p> - -<p> -"You can imagine how I cursed myself for my folly as we went back. The -man I wanted to hate had won my sympathy—and I'd done it myself! It -only wanted Taras-Bulba's look of amazement to complete my discomfiture: -</p> - -<p> -"'What on earth have I done?' he seemed to say, 'for you to give me a -German to carry, while you desert me for that ugly, hairless, brown -brute with hoofs the size of frying-pans?' -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"You mustn't break a man's leg if you don't want to marry him. I need -hardly tell you the sequel. Creatures like myself are bound by their -actions only, and my wildness had committed me to something which the -will of all the Kaisers in the world could not have brought about. -</p> - -<p> -"There was a most sensational scene when I returned on the bay, followed -by Taras-Bulba with his Grand Duke tied on to him. The hunt was stopped. -They all came crowding round us. I had to tell the whole story and made -a point of being as brief as possible, as one does with things of which -one isn't too proud. But the injured man filled in the details. His -fever made him eloquent and transformed me into a heroine. I had to put -up with the congratulations of the whole Court. -</p> - -<p> -"The Kaiser, who magnifies and distorts everything, cried out: -</p> - -<p> -"'What a splendid girl she is—to save her fiancé's life the very -first day!' -</p> - -<p> -"The Empress kissed me. It's a family mania. My father was radiant. -</p> - -<p> -"'My compliments to Your Majesty,' he whispered in my ear. -</p> - -<p> -"I was angry, though amused, and vented my rage on Taras-Bulba, who had -more whip as we went back to the palace than he's ever had since. -</p> - -<p> -"I have one good quality. I like to know exactly where I stand. I -realized that, largely by my own fault, I had put myself in a position -from which there was no escape without one of those scandals which any -princess, worthy of the name, hates more than the certainty of her own -unhappiness. So I decided to acquaint my 'fiancé,' as the Court already -styled him, with my conditions that very evening. -</p> - -<p> -"I asked him to receive me, and he complied at once, after sending out -the attendant who was arranging the cage over his leg. -</p> - -<p> -"When we were alone, this is more or less what I said: -</p> - -<p> -"'My action in coming here will possibly astonish you, sir. But I am, -and always shall be, in the habit of doing what I think advisable -without undue concern for mere decorum. Now I think it is of the highest -importance than you should know <i>this</i>: -</p> - -<p> -"'I came to Petersburg to be with my father, to witness some splendid -celebrations and enjoy myself generally—not to find a husband. As -regards husbands, you will do me the honour to believe that I have -refused as many as there are provinces in Russia. The last was a Persian -prince, who possesses a mountain in which emeralds are as plentiful as -truffles in Périgord—and even larger. -</p> - -<p> -"'Well, I came here, and I don't know what has come over everybody, but, -apparently, I must be married. I don't put it that way to offend you. -After all, sir, we hadn't set eyes on each other until three days ago. -</p> - -<p> -"'However that may be, I'm practically bound to marry you. The -circumstances are too strong for mere individuals like you and me. In -our history there are four emperors and empresses, several crowns, and, -no doubt, enormous fortunes. I am sure that Papa would fall ill if I -didn't become a queen, now that he's seen there's a chance. But, above -all, I have broken your leg.' -</p> - -<p> -"He made an impatient movement: 'Don't speak of that.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I <i>must</i> speak of it. I tell you frankly that it is this accident, -for which I am responsible, that has constrained me to accept something -which I would not allow even to be mentioned only yesterday. It is this -mishap which enables me to think that my marriage will not be absolutely -a political affair—a thought which is very pleasing to a girl like -me.' -</p> - -<p> -"'I'd rather have the other leg broken, and both arms, too,' he said in -his gentle, melancholy way, 'than hear you use that terrible expression, -"political affair."' -</p> - -<p> -"'I'm sure you would,' I replied, unmoved. 'I agree to be your wife. But -you will not misunderstand me if I make one or two trifling -stipulations.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Tell me, tell me,' he said with some emphasis. 'You know that -everything you may ask is granted beforehand.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Oh! Oh!' I laughed. 'You may find in a minute that you've been just a -little hasty. Well, dear friend' (I laid some stress on that word), -'from my childhood I have always enjoyed the most perfect liberty, and I -don't intend to be deprived of it when I marry. It must be clearly -understood that nothing is to be changed, nothing, you understand.' -</p> - -<p> -"'How could you think it of me!' -</p> - -<p> -"'Don't let us have any misunderstanding as to the meaning of words,' I -said. 'Please realize that it is not a child, nor yet a woman, who is -speaking, and understand that my stipulation, the expression of an -unshakable resolve, is that our union is to be a relation of friendship, -excluding everything else.' -</p> - -<p> -"I don't know if I should ever have dared to continue my shocking little -speech if his masculine stupidity had not shown me how. -</p> - -<p> -"'You're in love with some one else!' he said in a hoarse voice. -</p> - -<p> -"'You forget yourself, and please don't be foolish,' I replied gently. -'I will condescend to tell you that I love no one, unless, -perhaps—for the word "love" is a jack-of all-trades—my -native land, hunting, flowers, to be left alone and two or three other -things, which really should not arouse a jealousy only to be regretted -in a man of intelligence. Are you satisfied?' -</p> - -<p> -"He smiled wanly. -</p> - -<p> -"'This,' I went on, 'is our little private compact. The chanceries will no -doubt attend to the public formalities—and everything else. I attach -no importance to them. Nor do you, I hope. I need not say that you will -always find in me a consort worthy of yourself, equal to any situation -that may arise, and capable, if God so wills it, of bearing worthily -that famous crown of Würtemberg. Here's my hand on it.' -</p> - -<p> -"He took it and kissed it fervently. A great joy had banished the -trouble in his eyes. I had never expected him to accept his fate so -quietly. Then I suddenly grasped his reasoning: 'I shall be so good, so -tender and thoughtful to her that she must be won over in the end, -though I cannot now tell how far off that end may be.' -</p> - -<p> -"There was so much unaffected pathos in the poor man's delusions that I -couldn't help being rather touched. We parted the best friends in the -world. -</p> - -<p> -"As I went back to my room I heard a terrible uproar in the Great Court. -It was Taras-Bulba, who had got bored with his stall, kicked open the -stable-door, knocked down an ostler and two sentries, and was neighing -fiercely to me from below. It was a much more difficult matter to get -him quiet than to deal with the Grand Duke Rudolph. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"After I became the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg-Detmold in the autumn of -1909, my first concern was to set about the improvements required to -make this place reasonably comfortable. The gardens had been allowed to -run riot, and as for the palace, it was crammed with horrors that even a -negro chief would not have tolerated. -</p> - -<p> -"I soon revolutionized all that. Melusine, who came in the summer of -1910, would tell you that I spent my time then very much as I do now, -except that when I felt particularly low-spirited I used to escape to -Russia to relieve my feelings. -</p> - -<p> -"The person who did change was the Grand Duke Rudolph. Not that he ever -ceased to treat me with the most unwearying attention, poor man! But -after a year, when he had quite realized that his innocent little scheme -was not working, and never would work, and that I should never be -anything more to him than I had said, he became melancholy and spent -most of his time indoors, Henceforth he was known at Lautenburg as -'Rudolph the Silent.' -</p> - -<p> -"Worse than that, he was out of favour with the Kaiser. William II. -likes to think himself a kind of Louis XIV. He does not like German -princes who don't haunt Berlin and accuses them of separatism. Now -Rudolph has ceased to go to Court altogether. -</p> - -<p> -"He disliked seeing anybody, even at Lautenburg. The 7th Hussars had to -get on as best they could without their colonel. He spent half his day, -and nights in the library, studying works on mineralogy, his favourite -science. It was, in fact, occupying his whole time when Baron von Boose -came upon the scene. -</p> - -<p> -"Melusine knew this Boose, the mention of whose name made you start. There -never was a worse bridge-player—was there, Melusine? He only knew -ordinary bridge. I had asked the Grand Duke to lend him to us to make a -fourth, but he was so stupid and disagreeable that I was soon only too -glad to send him back to his beloved books. -</p> - -<p> -"He was very learned. That much at least must be said for him. For at -thirty-two, though only a lieutenant in the Engineers, he was professor -of topography at the <i>Kriegs Academie</i>. His book the 'Geotectonics of -the Hanoverian Plain,' is a standard European work. At Berlin one day he -assaulted a major who had asserted that there were rocks of quaternary -origin in the Harz. Rudolph admired his work and went before the -court-martial to give evidence on his behalf. Thanks largely to his -intervention, Boose got off with sixty days' solitary confinement in a -fortress. When his time was up my husband secured his appointment to the -3rd Battalion of Engineers at Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -"In the spring of 1911 I went to Russia, to spend Easter with Papa. It -was while I was there that I received a letter, which I ought to have -shown you, from the Grand Duke. He told me that the Kaiser had summoned -him to Berlin, and asked him whether he was prepared to use his -scientific knowledge in the service of the Empire. Exploration had just -proved the existence of immense mineral wealth in the Cameroons. It was -necessary to confirm this discovery, and also ascertain as discreetly as -possible the mineral resources of the neighbouring territories, so that -the question of Germany's interest in annexing them might be considered. -I'm sorry to say, my friend, that the territories in question form that -part of the Congo which France ceded to Germany by the treaty of 1912. -</p> - -<p> -"So Rudolph was going off to Africa with Boose. With a sorry pretence of -indifference he made his excuses for leaving Europe without waiting for -my return, pleading the urgency of the imperial orders. He added that if -he allowed himself to take such a course, it was only because he was -certain that his absence would make no difference to the normal course -of my existence. In that my poor friend was woefully wrong. -</p> - -<p> -"Letters from him reached me from Paris, Bordeaux, and Saint-Louis in -Senegal. From the Congo itself came the two or three which I have shown -you. Then came an interval, rather a long interval, and one day my -brother-in-law, Frederick-Augustus, arrived at Lautenburg, bringing the -sad news that the Grand Duke had had sunstroke, and died at Sangha, -almost at the end of his journey. My name had been the last on his lips. -</p> - -<p> -"Melusine will tell you how I mourned for Rudolph, and not indeed as I -should mourn for Taras-Bulba, were he to die tomorrow, for I have never -done that horse a wrong. But though I was always frank and loyal to -Rudolph, I could not get rid of the feeling that in some way I was to -blame for his death. -</p> - -<p> -"As a funeral was impossible, a magnificent service was held in memory -of him who rests under the sun-baked clay of Africa. The Emperor and -Empress and all the German princes were present. The red Hussars of -Lautenburg, with crêpe on their swords, rendered the last honours, and -their uniforms during the service made me think sadly of the poor red -Hussar of the Peterhof who danced so badly but was so kind. -</p> - -<p> -"Every sentence of my story, my friend, has been a mark of my confidence -in you. You shall now have clear proof in every word that follows. -</p> - -<p> -"You know my little orderly officer, Hagen, and have no particular -liking for him. I can't say whether devotion or love is his ruling -passion. Devotion enables one to repose absolute trust in another, but -love makes one alive to another's interests in a way that is impossible -for oneself. -</p> - -<p> -"Six months after Rudolph died neither I nor Melusine had the slightest -suspicion of what was to follow. I was occupied exclusively with my -duties as sovereign and surprised myself with my punctiliousness in -carrying them out. I presided at the Diet and council meetings. I signed -decrees, summoned the tribunals, appointed officials—to the -satisfaction of all concerned, I think. The town of Lautenburg was never -more prosperous than under my rule. -</p> - -<p> -"Hagen, on the other hand, was uneasy. I watched him grow more morose -every day. After some time, hating the company of a face as long as a -fiddle, I called him up and told him to explain himself or go on leave. -He fell at my feet. -</p> - -<p> -"'How could I be anything else,' he sobbed, 'when you are going to be -another's?' -</p> - -<p> -"He was very much surprised when I told him I didn't know what he meant. -</p> - -<p> -"'How can that be,' he muttered, 'for at Berlin, and even here, -they talk of nothing but your approaching marriage to Duke -Frederick-Augustus?' -</p> - -<p> -"It was too much this time! The woman I pride myself on being can be -married once, by surprise. But twice! -</p> - -<p> -"When Hagen, who was in the habit of going to Berlin several times a -month, had told me the story, I realized that something serious was -afoot. I had a clearer understanding of affairs next morning, when I -received a letter from my father. It was all too plain that he had been -carefully coached, taken on his weak side—his desire to see his -daughter a queen. -</p> - -<p> -"I hate worrying you with dynastic details, but I must prepare you for -what follows. I'll make them as short as possible. Why had I become -Grand Duchess of Lautenburg? In order that I might realize Papa's -ambition and become Queen of Würtemberg on the death of King Albert. -The Lautenburg succession is not subject to the Salic Law, so that I -still remained Grand Duchess on Rudolph's death. On the other hand, the -succession to the throne of Würtemberg is governed by that law. So we -have this situation: only a Grand Duke of Lautenburg can mount the -throne of Würtemberg. Therefore, before I could be Queen of Würtemberg -I must first marry Duke Frederick-Augustus and thereby make him the -Grand Duke of Lautenburg-Detmold. -</p> - -<p> -"The sole object of Papa's letter was to reconcile me to that marriage. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm afraid that in my reply, which was exceedingly prompt, I rather -forgot the respect a daughter owes her father, whatever he does. -</p> - -<p> -"But you can realize how exasperated I was. Was I to be forced to marry -every German prince in turn? What a prospect for one who had never -wanted to marry at all! -</p> - -<p> -"About a week passed, and then I received a letter from the Empress. -I've no doubt she called me her 'dear child,' and overwhelmed me with -friendly flattery, but there was no mistake about the firm invitation to -go to Berlin with which that letter concluded.... -</p> - -<p> -"You can imagine that if I submitted it was less from a sense of -obedience than from the desire to fathom any plot that was being hatched -at Court for my benefit. -</p> - -<p> -"I took Melusine and Hagen with me. The Empress received me with -considerable confusion as I had anticipated, and her explanation was -characteristic. Need I say what it was? -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"'Tis not love that must rule a princess and her fate,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">To obey is the glory and end of her state.</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"Love! Obey! What was the good of my protesting that her reasoning was -false; that I had never loved any one, and that in any case I hadn't -married to obey the first time. Poor Rudolph wasn't there to produce our -little compact which absolved me from those very obligations. And, -anyhow, what was the good of arguing with a worthy dame who was merely -repeating her lesson? -</p> - -<p> -"I listened, my lips pressed together, and said nothing. She got -thoroughly muddled, and when she had finished I asked: -</p> - -<p> -"'May I ask your Majesty what date has been fixed for my marriage with -the Grand Duke Frederick-Augustus?' -</p> - -<p> -"She protested that the Kaiser had never had any idea of precipitating -matters, and that no date had been settled. -</p> - -<p> -"'Only the principle!' I said. -</p> - -<p> -"She didn't answer. -</p> - -<p> -"I went back to my room, calm and collected. -</p> - -<p> -"'I leave tonight for Astrakhan,' I said to Melusine and Hagen, who were -anxiously awaiting my return. 'Have my things packed. Those who love me -can follow me.' -</p> - -<p> -"Hagen gave me my letters, which had been sent on from Lautenburg. There -were five or six, and one had a Russian stamp. I recognized Papa's -writing. -</p> - -<p> -"What excellent use they had made of the fact that I had been -unsuspecting! I found out later that the letter I had written to him a -fortnight earlier had been forestalled by a special envoy from the -Kaiser. It hadn't taken much diplomacy to win over my father. The famous -crown of Würtemberg had once more played its part. Gently but firmly he -told me his wishes. 'Marry Frederick-Augustus, or ...' -</p> - -<p> -"I didn't read on but tore up the letter into little pieces. Then and -there I wrote out a telegram—some thirty words of passionate pleading -and threats—to the Tumene Prince. -</p> - -<p> -"You remember, Melusine, how we suspected postal censorship at Berlin, -and how you took the train and sent off the telegram from Köpenick. -</p> - -<p> -"When you had gone my feelings overcame me, and I burst into -tears—tears of rage and hatred. I can still see myself in that -awful Berlin room. Hagen was sobbing at my feet. He had taken my hands, -and even my arms—this is absolutely true—and was covering -them with tears and kisses. 'I will go with you, I shall follow you, -where and when you will,' he murmured. When all's said and done I am -proud to think that it only wanted a word from me to make a Prussian -officer throw up his profession and abjure his native land. -</p> - -<p> -"But the touch of that moustache on my arm quickly brought me back to a -sense of reality. I remembered Louisa of Saxony and all the low lackeys -who have made money out of their notoriety as the lovers of queens. I -pushed the innocent Hagen away and recovered my self-possession. -</p> - -<p> -"I didn't go out at all during the two days while I was waiting for the -reply to my telegram. Then it came, the little blue slip. You were -looking hard at me, Melusine, so I smiled as I opened it. It contained -these simple words: -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -"'I will never see my daughter until she has done her duty.' -</p> - -<p> -"What a heart of flint the old Kalmuck had! -</p> - -<p> -"I read it and fell to the floor like a stone. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -"I'm afraid I most stop to explain matters at this point, <i>ami</i>, or -you may find the rest incomprehensible. No doubt you are asking yourself: -'How it could ever have come about that a will like Aurora's could have -yielded? What could this invisible and powerful Frederick-Augustus have -done to get the Empress, Rudolph's godmother, and the Kaiser on his -side?' -</p> - -<p> -"I expect you read your foreign news carefully enough in 1909 to know -that about that time the Eulenburg affair and a Moltke-Harden case were -causing a considerable stir in German Court circles. Personally, the way -these folk took their pleasures was a matter of indifference to me. What -strikes me as monstrous is the fact that these scandals had a -considerable effect on my fortunes. -</p> - -<p> -"Frederick-Augustus seldom stayed at Lautenburg in his brother's -lifetime. I only saw him three or four times, the first occasion being -my wedding, and the second, six months later, the funeral of his wife, a -worthy but stupid woman with wrists like a scullery-maid's. His Serene -Highness your pupil is hardly more intelligent than she. -</p> - -<p> -"The rest of his time was spent in Berlin. The man you have -seen so reserved and formal led a very gay life there. Never -believe those who tell you that profligacy is harmful <i>ami</i>. The -rise of Frederick-Augustus is proof to the contrary. -</p> - -<p> -"The one thing in which the present Grand Duke is past-master is the art -of compromising others without compromising himself. He made ample use -of it at Berlin in 1909. Intimate with the Bülows, and a bosom friend -of Eitel and Joachim, he alone could tell you the scenes in which he -figured at that time. But he will never tell you, <i>ami</i>, just as he -has never told me, as neither you nor I will ever be able to pay the price -of his confidences. Why, it was his silence alone that gained him the -grand-ducal crown, and may one day bring him the throne of Würtemberg. -When the Empress, with quivering voice, was preaching the virtue of -submission to my destiny, the honest dame was only defending the honour -of two of her sons. -</p> - -<p> -"The brain fever that followed the receipt of my father's telegram -lasted a month, during which I hung between life and death, while -Melusine and Hagen, with a devotion I shall never forget, took turns in -nursing me night and day. -</p> - -<p> -"At length I was convalescent. My hair had been cut off. I was thin but -still pretty. One day, while I was studying in my mirror the pathetic -figure I looked with the little fair curls clustering on my head, Hagen, -who was on orderly duty, came in and announced Duke Frederick-Augustus. -</p> - -<p> -"I was still really too ill to receive him, but I was longing for the -encounter. I must confess, to my shame, that I didn't come out on top -that day. -</p> - -<p> -"He came in and bowed ceremoniously. His blue eyes, in his pale, smooth -face, were bright and dim by turns. -</p> - -<p> -"'My dear sister, what a pleasure to find you up at last, and looking so -well.' -</p> - -<p> -"His perfect ease of manner froze me. He went on: -</p> - -<p> -"'There is no point in not telling you at once the pleasant object of my -visit. Tomorrow it will be nine months since the death of my regretted -brother, the Grand Duke Rudolph. As the legal period of your widowhood -then expires their Majesties the Emperor and Empress would be glad if -you could see your way to fix a convenient date for the celebration of -our marriage. They have expressed their intention of being present.' -</p> - -<p> -"'Tell their Majesties, my dear brother,' I replied, 'that I will fix -any date that suits their pleasure, and kindly add that I hope it will -be the last time I shall give them this trouble.' -</p> - -<p> -"He bowed gravely. -</p> - -<p> -"'That is also my heart-felt desire, dear sister,' he said. -</p> - -<p> -"And he went out. -</p> - -<p> -"We were married one day in March, 1912, a dull, threatening day. The -Emperor and Empress, true to their promise, were present at the -religious ceremony and left for Berlin in the evening. About five -o'clock, first at the Rathaus and then at the castle, the State -authorities and magistrates took the oath of fealty to the new Grand -Duke. At eight the superior officers and higher dignitaries of the Grand -Duchy, some thirty guests, were present at a dinner, informal on account -of our recent mourning, in the banqueting-hall on the ground floor. -</p> - -<p> -"The second course had hardly begun when the sound of tapping, now loud, -now soft, was heard coming from the first floor, immediately above our -heads. -</p> - -<p> -"At first no notice was taken. But the noise continued, tap, tap, tap, -with exasperating regularity. -</p> - -<p> -"The Grand Duke, frowning slightly, beckoned to the lackey standing -behind him. -</p> - -<p> -"'What's that noise?' he asked in a low tone. 'Go and stop it.' -</p> - -<p> -"The man had not returned in a quarter of an hour, but the noise did not -cease. -</p> - -<p> -"'Here, Kessel,' cried the Grand Duke, half annoyed, half amused, 'try -and find out what's going on above our heads. Excuse me, gentlemen,' he -said, turning to our guests. -</p> - -<p> -"Kessel went. Five minutes later he came back, very red. The noise had -stopped. -</p> - -<p> -"'Well!' said the Grand Duke, what was it?' -</p> - -<p> -"Kessel was still silent. -</p> - -<p> -"'Look here, Major,' Frederick went on, beginning to lose patience. 'You -can't have discovered a plot up there, I presume. I must ask you to -reassure my guests. What was the matter?' -</p> - -<p> -"'Builders, your Highness,' murmured Kessel. -</p> - -<p> -"'Builders! at this hour! Today of all days! That's too much of a good -thing. What on earth are they doing? Come, Herr von Kessel, tell me, -please!' -</p> - -<p> -"'They are walling up the yellow corridor,' the officer managed to get -out. -</p> - -<p> -"There was a frigid silence. The yellow corridor was that which -connected the apartments of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -"Frederick-Augustus is a man of resource, <i>ami</i>. I realized it that -evening and genuinely admired him when, tapping his forehead -significantly, as much as to say, 'Of course! I'd forgotten,' he turned -to a steward and said: -</p> - -<p> -"'Just see that those good fellows are well looked after. They'll have -to work all night.' -</p> - -<p> -"I didn't mind. You see I was pleased with myself, for I felt there was -something of admiration in the sly look he gave me, a look that seemed -to say: -</p> - -<p> -"'And now, you and I must have it out.'" -</p> - -<p> -Aurora had stopped. For a few minutes silence reigned. Then Melusine -went to the window and swiftly drew back the curtains. We saw it was -already light. -</p> - -<p> -I looked at the Grand Duchess, lost in reverie, elbow on knee and chin -in hand. Her beautiful features and clear skin betrayed not the -slightest sign of her night-long vigil. -</p> - -<p> -The chilly dawn found Aurora even more beautiful than the glowing dusk -had left her. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="VII">VII</a></h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>CCASIONALLY, perhaps once or twice a week, -the Grand Duchess preferred to be alone, and on these evenings I used to -resign myself to work. -</p> - -<p> -My study of the Königsmark had been virtually abandoned. I no longer -found much pleasure in disturbing that ancient dust now that fate had -summoned me to witness another drama, the actors in which lived and -moved around me, and spoke to me every day. -</p> - -<p> -There had been a great storm on a certain July evening which Aurora's -pleasure doomed me to spend alone. Through the window, open to the -lowering night sky, I heard the trees dripping. I was working in an -extremely half-hearted manner, my mind straying from the tragedy of the -<i>Herrenhausen</i> to the lands whither the Tumene princess's story had -wafted me. Indeed, it was a piece of pure luck that thrust before my -eyes the supremely important document of which I must now speak. -</p> - -<p> -I told you some time back, with details which must have seemed tedious, -of the dossier compiled by the Queen of Prussia with a view to the -rehabilitation of her mother Sophie-Dorothea. That evening, after -analysing two or three documents of secondary importance, I came to -another, marked S.2—No. 87. -</p> - -<p> -It consisted of two large pages covered with writing in German -characters, crowded closely together. My listlessness vanished after the -first few lines. My mind sprang to attention, for I realized that I had -at last got hold of something decisive. -</p> - -<p> -This document contained the confession of a certain Bauer, who had died -a game-keeper in the service of the Grand Duke of Rudolstadt, and who, -twenty years earlier, had been employed at the <i>Herrenhausen</i>. In his -last moments this man, a Catholic, had asked a priest to confess him. -The latter, who had heard of the Queen of Prussia's investigation, made -his absolution subject to a formal statement of the events in which -Bauer had taken part. It was that very confession, bearing the -signatures of the dying man, the confessor and two witnesses, that I was -engaged in examining. -</p> - -<p> -You will understand that, with that proof of authenticity before me, it -chained my attention. -</p> - -<p> -Bauer had been one of the ten men who assisted Countess von Platen to -assassinate Count Königsmark on the tragic night of July 1st, 1694. -</p> - -<p> -His confession related how Countess von Platen prepared punch for her -men while they were waiting for the Count to come out of the Princess's -apartments. -</p> - -<p> -He denies being among those who actually attacked him with their swords -and daggers, but admits that he held him down while Countess von Platen, -with her foot on his head, tried to extort a confession from him that he -had been Sophie-Dorothea's lover. -</p> - -<p> -I was familiar with most of these details. They can also be found in -Blaze de Bury's book. But the statements following definitely settled -the famous controversy as to what happened to the Count's corpse. -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -When Count Königsmark was quite dead, said Bauer, Countess von Platen -ordered us to carry him to the great fireplace at the back of which is a -bronze plaque six feet wide. Countess von Platen touched a spring. The -plaque divided in two, revealing a little chamber. I just caught a -glimpse, for I was very much perturbed in mind, of a whitish heap which -looked like lime. We laid the corpse down there. Countess von Platen -then sent us away, after telling us to wash off the blood which had -stained the clothes of some of the men. She remained in the Baron's Hall -with her attendant, a certain Festmann.... -</p> - -<p> -You see now that I had my reasons when I told you, casually, that -Königsmark's corpse is concealed behind the fire-back in the Knight's Hall -of the <i>Herrenhausen</i>. Moreover, Bauer's document had, in my eyes, -a further importance beyond settling the spot once and for all. To me it -was also a proof of the complicity either of Ernest-Augustus or his son. -Remember that Countess von Platen had worked a secret spring, and also -bear in mind that German princes in the seventeenth and eighteenth -centuries were exceedingly jealous of their secret lock-systems. If that -secret was communicated to Madame von Platen it was only for some vital -purpose. -</p> - -<p> -Before starting work I had made some coffee and had three cups, one -after the other. This coffee began to have its effect, by which I mean -that, excited by my first discovery, my mind was absolutely clear at -that moment. Please note this detail as it has its importance. -</p> - -<p> -To discover something is nothing. To establish the truth of your -discovery is everything. Now how was I to go to Hanover, obtain permission -to visit the <i>Herrenhausen</i> and be alone in the Knight's Hall -for the necessary time. You can imagine I had no intention of putting -some palace curator on the track I had just found. -</p> - -<p> -It was then that an idea occurred to me which I will disclose to you as -a proof of the value of coffee in deductive reasoning. You will remember -that when I was studying the question of the employment of French -artists by German princes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries I -discovered that the locksmith's work had been given by the Elector -Ernest-Augustus of Hanover to a Catalan named Giroud who had also worked -for the Grand Duke of Lautenburg. This Giroud had even had difficulties -with Ernest-Augustus over his accounts. At that time I had only cast a -cursory glance at the file dealing with the case. It was necessary for -me to examine it more carefully. Perhaps I should be able to find -something about the system of secret springs installed by Giroud at the -<i>Herrenhausen</i>. I decided to clear the matter up then and there. -</p> - -<p> -It was just after midnight I put an electric torch in my pocket and -quietly left my room. At that moment I thought I heard a faint noise in -the deserted corridor. -</p> - -<p> -"Come," I thought, "I can't let myself be scared like this by old -papers!" -</p> - -<p> -When I got to the library I was disagreeably surprised to find the -lights on. Professor Cyrus Beck was hard at work covering a black board -with his formulæ and only stopping to consult five or six treatises -open in front of him. -</p> - -<p> -There was, of course, nothing unusual about my appearance there. I had -often gone down late at night to the library to clear up some point in -my next day's lesson. All the same he looked at me with that suspicious -air of the savant who always thinks you're going to rob him of -something. -</p> - -<p> -Two or three pleasant words quickly reassured him. He condescended to -confide to me that he was at a decisive moment in his experiments and -that the next day, without doubt, perhaps that very night.... Through -the open door came the noise of his furnaces, roaring like chimneys on -fire. -</p> - -<p> -I thought it unwise to tell him that I, too, had reached the same stage -as himself in another affair. Besides, almost at once he put away his -books, folded up his notes, rubbed out his formulæ, wished me good-night -and went. -</p> - -<p> -I was eager for his departure as I had already found what I wanted. -</p> - -<p> -With a sureness of method which astonished me I had put my hand straight -off on the vital document, a bill of Giroud's, dated 1682, and addressed -to Ernest-Augustus. -</p> - -<p> -It was a long bill, but I found the following item at once: -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -For the chimney-place of the Baron's Hall, six springs, in -my name, at one hundred and fifty livres the spring.—Total -900 livres. -</p> - -<p> -I did not need to have a very profound knowledge of secret springs and -locks to know what it meant. The system is still used in safes, Fichet's -and others. It meant that on the fire-back of the chimney-place in the -Baron's Hall of the <i>Herrenhausen</i> there were six lettered locks. You -made the spring act by taking for each lock in turn one of the six -letters forming the name of the inventor, Giroud. -</p> - -<p> -When you remember that this Giroud was the master-locksmith of the Grand -Duke of Lautenburg you won't have much difficulty in realizing that my -first thought was to use the fire-back in the armoury of the castle of -Lautenburg as a test of the accuracy of my reasoning with regard to the -fireplace of the Baron's Hall in the Castle of Hanover. So you may -imagine how impatiently I watched Cyrus Beck's departure. -</p> - -<p> -When at last he had gone I waited a quarter of an hour. Then I turned -out the lights, opened the right-hand door of the library and banged it -to as if I had gone back to my room. Then, taking great care not to fall -over anything and picking my way among the desks and show-cases I -returned and cautiously opened the door on the left hand side which led -into the armoury. -</p> - -<p> -Great pools of moonlight, shaped like the tall lancet windows, flecked -the dark floor. I went straight to the chimney-place. I started at -touching the heavy iron fire-back. It was only when my fingers found a -kind of knob high up on the left that I switched on my electric torch. -</p> - -<p> -I had no difficulty in dealing with the knob. It pivoted on a hinge, -revealing a kind of dial. The whole thing was not unlike one of our -gas-metres. -</p> - -<p> -I started back in dismay. I was expecting letters, but this dial had -numbers. It was divided into twenty-five sections. -</p> - -<p> -Turning off the lamp I sat down on a heavy oak stool close by. -</p> - -<p> -I didn't have to think long. 25! What a fool I was! -</p> - -<p> -I pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper, turned on the lamp again -and, kneeling at the stool, I had soon written out the twenty-five -letters of the alphabet and underneath a row of figures to correspond. -Then I wrote Giroud's name and obtained the following combination: 7, 9, -18, 15, 21, 4. -</p> - -<p> -791815214. It will be a long time before I forget that number. -</p> - -<p> -I examined the whole face of the metal rectangle with my lamp. A -terrible disappointment was in store for me. Instead of the six knobs -that I had <i>expected</i> I could only find two. -</p> - -<p> -When a single factor throws out the kind of calculations I had just made -it can only mean that one's theory is radically false. I might have -known. That would have been much too simple.... -</p> - -<p> -Solely to prove myself wrong, I tried the first knob and turning the -pointer on the dial I set it on the figure 7—g. -</p> - -<p> -I crossed to the other side and repeated the operation on the other -knob, putting the pointer on the figure 9—i. -</p> - -<p> -All at once I could hear my heart beat. A black vertical line appeared -in the centre of the plaque. That line got wider and wider. The two -panels thus formed slid back to each side, leaving a gap some two feet -six inches wide. -</p> - -<p> -I was on the right track. The mystery of the <i>Herrenhausen</i> was to be -solved at last! -</p> - -<p> -I had recovered control of myself, perfect control. I remember saying: -"What a delightful way of studying history! I wonder what Monsieur -Seignobos would think of it?" -</p> - -<p> -I passed through the opening, taking with me the stool which had been my -table. On the inside the fire-back had two handles, one on each side. -Very gently, but quite easily, I drew the panels together again, not -absolutely touching, however, for fear of releasing some fatal spring. -</p> - -<p> -Do you remember the 24th August, my friend, in the village of Beaumont, -in Belgium, when you and I went down into a cellar where the inhabitants -said five Uhlans were hiding? You called me a rash fool and came behind, -but I couldn't help smiling at the thought that those five fugitives -were nothing compared with the darkness in which I was wrapped that -night. -</p> - -<p> -When I had pulled the two panels to behind me I found myself in a little -chamber, six feet wide, and six feet high. On each side of me were blank -walls, but at the back was another bronze plaque with, as I expected, -two more knobs to right and left. -</p> - -<p> -I put the hand of the first dial on the figure 18. The pointer of the -second had just reached 15 when the noise of tearing wood, absolutely -terrifying in that dead silence, froze me from head to foot. The lower -half of the immense plaque, opening horizontally about three feet from -the ground, had swung forward and smashed to matchwood the heavy stool -I had placed against it as I came in. -</p> - -<p> -If I hadn't jumped back so smartly my feet would infallibly have been -crushed. -</p> - -<p> -"Excellent!" I murmured. "So their secrets are man-traps, too!" -</p> - -<p> -I bent down and got into the second chamber, which was of exactly the -same dimensions as the first. You can imagine that this time I took all -precautions, standing carefully to the left as I put the pointer of the -fifth dial on 21 and to the right as I turned that of the sixth to 4. I -might have saved myself the trouble. The plaque parted in two -vertically, like the first one, and the panels rolled aside on invisible -hinges. -</p> - -<p> -Then I passed into the third and last chamber. -</p> - -<p> -It was of the same height, but twice as long and wide. The small arc of -my electric torch gave a good light, but covered but a small area. -</p> - -<p> -At first I could only see what looked like white splashes on the floor. -</p> - -<p> -But suddenly, my friend, my very marrow froze within me. I was -frightened, horribly frightened, for in the corner to my left a curious -little white heap had just come into view. Drawn by some over-mastering -instinct I approached it, and even as I approached I wanted to bolt, and -between my chattering teeth I muttered: "It's a hallucination. I'm -dreaming. I <i>know</i> I'm dreaming. I'm not at Hanover. This is -Lautenburg. The palace. There's Doctor Cyrus Beck just round the corner -working. There's the night-watchman. There's Ludwig, my servant. There's -Major von Kessel, honest, kind Kessel ..." -</p> - -<p> -The heap of quicklime was now at my feet. I fell, rather than knelt, -before it. -</p> - -<p> -Fantastic fragments were sticking out of it, shapeless, gruesome white -fragments. Dithering as I was, how did I ever have the courage to pick -one up, run my fingers over it, examine it.... -</p> - -<p> -Yet that is exactly what I did. I had that bone, a right tibia, in my -hands, feeling it, examining it. -</p> - -<p> -And then I uttered a loud cry, for in the middle of that bone my finger -came into contact with the mark of an old fracture. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -How I managed to give Duke Joachim his history lesson next morning is a -thing I've never ceased to wonder at. I kept my eyes off the mirror, -terrified lest I should see a ghastly face reflected in it. -</p> - -<p> -At eleven o'clock I was in the Archduchess's small boudoir. -</p> - -<p> -The old Russian waiting-woman went off to tell Melusine, who came at -once. I could see from the half-humorous surprise in her manner that my -call, at that hour, was considered extremely strange. -</p> - -<p> -"You want to see the Grand Duchess, my friend! You are very bold. -Well, as it's you... I'm sure you wouldn't have come without some -very good ..." -</p> - -<p> -As she spoke she drew aside the curtains. The sun shone full on my face. -She started at my appearance, and with difficulty suppressed an -exclamation. -</p> - -<p> -"I'll go and fetch her," she said simply. -</p> - -<p> -I seemed to have been walking in my sleep, pushed on by the force of the -night's events. Left to myself my decision seemed utterly crazy. Why, in -a minute's time I should certainly be taken for the madman I had brought -myself to believe I was. How would Aurora take the story of my -extraordinary adventure? "Save her from the fits of depression and that -kind of spiritual disorder which are so fatal to her physical health." -The words came back to me. It was the request made to me by the Grand -Duke Frederick-Augustus. <i>This</i> was an odd way of carrying out his -wishes. I wanted to bolt. -</p> - -<p> -But the Grand Duchess was already there. She was in such high spirits -that morning that I thought I should never have the strength of mind to -break my news to her. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my friend," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this -visit? Have you changed your time-table? Have you decided to give me -your mornings in future?" -</p> - -<p> -My tell-tale face produced the same effect on her as on Melusine. -</p> - -<p> -She took my arm and made me sit down on a sofa beside her. -</p> - -<p> -"You nearly fell as you sat down," she said gravely. "Melusine, bring me -the blue casket." -</p> - -<p> -It was a diminutive box in blue enamel. What heathen stimulant could it -contain? As soon as I had inhaled it at Aurora's bidding, I started as -if I'd had an electric shock. -</p> - -<p> -"There!" she said, "you're better already." And added: -</p> - -<p> -"Begin as soon as you feel you can. We're listening." -</p> - -<p> -I told her everything you already know, from my first researches into -the Königsmark drama to the final climax, my visit to the secret -chamber in the armoury and my sinister discovery. -</p> - -<p> -From beginning to end she listened, calm and self-possessed, only -occasionally exchanging with Melusine a glance which revealed -astonishment rather than emotion. -</p> - -<p> -When I had finished she did not speak for a moment, and then said -quietly: -</p> - -<p> -"You have told us an extraordinary exciting story, but you mustn't be -surprised to hear that it does not arouse any other emotion in me. -There's one thing I admit, which comes as rather a shock: the fact that -at Lautenburg you have found a skeleton in the very same place where -there must be one in the palace of Hanover. But what does it prove, -granting that natural death is out of the question, but that the old -Dukes of Lautenburg had no greater respect for human life than their -Hanoverian neighbours? I have always thought so, and it's no great -surprise." -</p> - -<p> -"But it isn't the presence of the skeleton which has been such a shock, -madame," I answered. -</p> - -<p> -"What is it, then?" she said, in that slightly scornful tone she -immediately assumed when she thought you were trying to mystify her. -</p> - -<p> -"It is," I said simply, but picking my words carefully, "that I had in -my hands the right tibia of the corpse which was concealed there, and -that in the middle of that tibia, on its outer surface, was the join of -an old fracture." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora was standing now. She was pressing her hands to her temples. She -had turned deadly pale. Her staring eyes grew bigger and bigger. -</p> - -<p> -"You're mad! You're mad!" she screamed. "Melusine, tell him he's mad!" -</p> - -<p> -Fräulein von Graffenfried rushed to the Grand Duchess, who had fallen -back, rigid, on the sofa. Her eyelids were half closed. I read -inexpressible terror in the look she gave me. -</p> - -<p> -"Mad! Mad!" she screamed again. "He's at Sangha. I have his letters. -Sangha!" -</p> - -<p> -"At Sangha! At Sangha!" the heartrending voice rang out again. -</p> - -<p> -"I've only done what I thought was my duty," I murmured to Melusine, -helping her to get her mistress to inhale the little blue casket. -</p> - -<p> -The kind creature gave me a look charged with meaning, as much as to -say: "I know it, you've no need to apologize." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't be alarmed," she said in an undertone. "Her brain fever has left -her extremely sensitive. And you must admit there's good reason on this -occasion. Look, she's coming round." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora was opening her startled eyes. She saw us two bending over her -and memory came back. There must have been an expression of terrible -concern in our faces, for she smiled and held out a hand which I covered -with kisses. -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me, children, for giving you such a fright. Good Melusine, -always at her post when she's wanted! And you, dear friend, my thanks." -</p> - -<p> -"You are not angry with me?" I pleaded. -</p> - -<p> -She smiled and shook her head, giving me for answer the Russian saying: -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Do the rooks hate the sun for showing up the sportsman's gun?</i>" -</p> - -<p> -She added: -</p> - -<p> -"Melusine, go and tell them that he'll stay to lunch." -</p> - -<p> -To be present at Aurora's table was a signal honour. Melusine alone had -been thought worthy of it hitherto. It was not long before I learnt to -my cost how great the honour was. Meanwhile I only saw in it further -proof of the importance of my revelation. -</p> - -<p> -One would have expected the meal to suffer from the effects of recent -events. It did not suffer in the least, and though Aurora's spirits -seemed a little forced, she was gay throughout. She talked about other -things the whole time. I admired her self-possession all the more, -because my secret was enough to have destroyed it altogether. In that -hour, big with the burden of coming events, I knew the joy of realizing -how indispensable I had become to the haughty princess, who had seemed -to ignore my very existence only five short months before. -</p> - -<p> -When the coffee came Melusine rose. -</p> - -<p> -"Where are you going?" the Grand Duchess inquired. -</p> - -<p> -"To say that you won't be going calling this afternoon," she replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Shan't I?" said Aurora, smiling. "I'm not so overcome as all that. Just -go and say that the car is to be ready at four instead of five." -</p> - -<p> -"Four?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes. I want a few hours' rest before coming to fetch you at midnight," -she said, turning to me. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine and I stared at her. -</p> - -<p> -"Does that surprise you?" she continued. "Do you call what you have just -told me important or not? Now this is what <i>I</i> think. One person can -suffer from a delusion. It's highly improbable that two will. At -midnight, my friend, I shall knock at your door. Then you will have an -opportunity of proving your knowledge of secret springs. You understand, -now? Now, Melusine, go and order the car for four o'clock. I've twice -postponed my call on the good Burgomaster's wife, and I mustn't break my -word a third time." -</p> - -<p> -There was so much authority in this order that Melusine went, casting a -long, imploring glance in my direction. -</p> - -<p> -"Poor little girl," said the Grand Duchess. "That look gives me into -your care. Midnight, you understand, without fail." -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," I said firmly, "I'll do anything your Highness wishes. I -understand your resolution. Indeed, I can only approve it. May I just -make two remarks? First, that it would be much better for me to come and -fetch you rather than that you should run the risk of meeting some one -in the corridors of the castle. In the second place, you should know -that the watch make their rounds at midnight. They may be a little early -tonight, and it is most advisable to avoid any chance of being disturbed -in so delicate an enterprise as ours." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," she said. "What then?" -</p> - -<p> -"With your permission I'll be here at half-past ten. An hour will give -us plenty of time. Fräulein von Graffenfried can stay in your -apartments and receive any callers." -</p> - -<p> -She smiled: -</p> - -<p> -"If by that you mean Hagen, jealous young man, you may as well know that -he's due at his mess tonight, for one of those drinking-bouts for which -any good German would gladly sacrifice the Loreley." -</p> - -<p> -"Hagen or another," I said, with a shade of irritation in my voice. "We -must provide for all emergencies." -</p> - -<p> -"You're right, dear friend," she said gravely. "Then I'll expect you at -half-past ten." -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -When I went back to my room after dinner I really thought the time to go -and fetch the Grand Duchess would never come. -</p> - -<p> -At length ten o'clock struck, then quarter past. I went out quietly and -peeped through the library door. Good. There was no light. If Cyrus Beck -had unfortunately taken it into his head to work there that night we -should have had to begin all over again. -</p> - -<p> -Half-past struck, but it took me barely two minutes to cut across the -garden. I wasn't late. -</p> - -<p> -Very quietly I opened the door leading into the park. A puff of fresh -air braced me up. -</p> - -<p> -As I was closing it again I started. A hand had just been placed on my -shoulder. At that moment I heard a voice: -</p> - -<p> -"Professor Vignerte, I'm delighted to meet you!" -</p> - -<p> -It was Lieutenant von Hagen. -</p> - -<p> -The night was pitch-black, and we could not see each other. But I -thought I detected that the hand he had put on my shoulder was a little -unsteady. In an instant I recovered all my self-control. -</p> - -<p> -"I thought you were at your mess," I said. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm supposed to be," he replied. "But we all change our minds -sometimes. What about yourself? No doubt you intended to spend the -evening working in your room. Yet here you are." -</p> - -<p> -"It's so stifling tonight," I said, "that I came into the garden for a -breath of air." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case I don't suppose you'll mind having my company for your -walk." -</p> - -<p> -This time I detected so much impertinent irony in his tone, that I saw -it was a case of putting all my cards on the table. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm very much flattered by your attentions, Herr Lieutenant, but I -won't pretend that I wouldn't rather be alone." -</p> - -<p> -He giggled. "<i>Quite</i> alone?" he demanded. -</p> - -<p> -A quarter to eleven had just struck. The sound made me furious. Was this -imbecile to wreck all our plans? -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean?" I asked angrily. -</p> - -<p> -I realized his idea was to make me lose my self-control. -</p> - -<p> -"Herr Professor," he said, "in Germany we hold one thing very sacred. -Our word of honour. I like to think that it's the same in France. I -won't trouble you any further if, here and now, you will give me your -word of honour that you have no appointment this evening with the Grand -Duchess Aurora." -</p> - -<p> -I started. How much did this man know of what had happened? Once more I -restrained myself. -</p> - -<p> -"Herr von Hagen, one of your novelists, Beyerlein, has written a very -bad book, 'The Retreat.' You and I are about to repeat the most absurd -scene in that book, with the difference that it does not concern the -daughter of a quartermaster-sergeant, but your sovereign, the Grand -Duchess of Lautenburg-Detmold. I'm surprised...." -</p> - -<p> -"I know," he said in a hoarse voice. "And that's just why I intend ..." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you intend? Tell me. Let's have it out!" -</p> - -<p> -"To kill you, Herr Professor." -</p> - -<p> -"And why, if you please?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because you love her and because ..." -</p> - -<p> -The red Hussar choked down a sob. His hand, on my arm, trembled -violently. -</p> - -<p> -"Because?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because she loves you." -</p> - -<p> -I almost pitied him at that moment. But the Grand Duchess was waiting -for me in her room. -</p> - -<p> -"I'm at your service, sir," I said. "Tomorrow, or any day you like." -</p> - -<p> -"Tomorrow," he replied bitterly. "Do you think I'm going to give you a -chance of seeing her? She's waiting for you, I know. You haven't given -me your answer. I must have it now, sir. At once." -</p> - -<p> -This was too much. I wrenched my arm away and thrust him aside with -great violence. He crashed into the wall. -</p> - -<p> -He drew his sword. -</p> - -<p> -I felt quite equal to snatching it from his hand and turning it against -him then and there. But I ran the risk of being wounded, and, besides, -there would be a commotion, a scene. That must at all costs be avoided. -</p> - -<p> -"Herr von Hagen," I said in low tones, "listen to me. I know you -wouldn't be talking like this or trying to pick a quarrel, if you didn't -love the Grand. Duchess yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"Sir," he replied, furious, "I forbid you ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Just listen to me," I said, and there was a ring of impatient authority -in my voice which impressed him. "You love her, I repeat. I'm going now -to appeal as much to your love as to your loyalty as a soldier. The -Grand Duchess Aurora, that glorious woman, is in terrible danger -tonight. You must understand that. Every minute, every second, that you -make me lose increases that danger. On that I can give you my word of -honour here and now." -</p> - -<p> -I saw that I had hit home. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean, sir?" he murmured in alarm. "Danger?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Herr von Hagen. Go back to your rooms at once. Don't go to bed. -Perhaps Aurora of Lautenburg will need your help tonight." -</p> - -<p> -He hesitated, then resigned himself to his lot. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, sir. I accept. I'll go back. But remember that if you've -deceived me ..." -</p> - -<p> -"You need have no fear of that," I replied. "You must understand that -the little meeting you suggested just now must be postponed till -tomorrow morning if you like. I'm just as anxious for it as yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"Until tomorrow, then," he said, smiling. "What time?" -</p> - -<p> -"Six o'clock. At the Meilleraie bridge. It's a secluded spot and the -Melna is handy." -</p> - -<p> -"What about weapons?" -</p> - -<p> -"You can choose," I said. "I leave it entirely to you." -</p> - -<p> -"By ourselves, of course," we said in the same breath. -</p> - -<p> -He stood to attention, gave me a military salute, and vanished in the -darkness. -</p> - -<p> -"At last!" I murmured, with a sigh of relief. Eleven o'clock was -striking as I entered the Grand Duchess's apartments. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -She was alone in her boudoir, standing, rather pale. -</p> - -<p> -As I entered, my expression must have told her that something unusual -had happened, for she asked no questions as to why I was late. -</p> - -<p> -"Anything serious?" she asked simply. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, madame. But we must be quick. We've only just time." -</p> - -<p> -As we reached the door leading to the staircase the door of Melusine's -room opened and Fräulein von Graffenfried appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"What!" she said. "So soon?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Aurora. "I forgot to tell you we decided to make it an hour -earlier. Don't be alarmed, dear. Stay here and don't let any one in. We -shall be back before midnight." -</p> - -<p> -She kissed her on the forehead. -</p> - -<p> -Torn with apprehension, and her beautiful eyes full of tears, Melusine -von Graffenfried had seized my hands. -</p> - -<p> -"Swear to me no harm shall come to her," she begged. "I commit her to -your care." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come," said Aurora. "We've no time to lose. Turn out the light on -the staircase." -</p> - -<p> -We went down into the darkness. -</p> - -<p> -When we got to the landing, I felt the pressure of the Grand Duchess's -hand on my arm. She wasn't trembling, I can assure you. -</p> - -<p> -"Are you armed?" she said. -</p> - -<p> -"No." -</p> - -<p> -"Child!" she murmured, and even as she spoke I could feel her hand -slipping something into the pocket of my jacket. -</p> - -<p> -"It's a Browning, a good one. Don't hesitate to use it if the occasion -arises, against any one. I'll set you the example myself." -</p> - -<p> -We were now at the bottom of the staircase. She was leading, and it was -she who opened the door. -</p> - -<p> -"Well?" I said. -</p> - -<p> -She had stopped, blocking the doorway. A dull cry escaped her. -</p> - -<p> -"Didn't I tell you so! Oh, didn't I tell you so! He's a strong man, a -very strong man!" -</p> - -<p> -"What is it?" I asked in terror. -</p> - -<p> -To our right a huge red glare lit up the night sky. Half the castle was -on fire. -</p> - -<p> -Against that background of flame the yews of the park stood out like -black cones. The water in the Persephone fountain gleamed black and red. -</p> - -<p> -"But who could have told him that we should come tonight?" said the -Grand Duchess. "Only three of us knew: I, you and ... <i>she</i>." -</p> - -<p> -For a few seconds we gazed at the tragic scene. Then noises began to be -heard in the palace, startled from its first sleep. -</p> - -<p> -"Come," said Aurora, "let's go and see." -</p> - -<p> -As we approached we ran into Hagen. He was flying down the steps of the -right wing like a maniac. -</p> - -<p> -"You! You!" he almost screamed with joy on recognizing the Grand -Duchess. "I was terrified! I <i>am</i> so thankful." -</p> - -<p> -He kissed her hands frantically. -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me, forgive me!" he stammered, turning to me. -</p> - -<p> -"Stay here with her," I said, and, running off, I made for the -banqueting-hall at top speed. -</p> - -<p> -"Where's he going?" cried Aurora. "Stop him!" -</p> - -<p> -But I was already too far. Crossing the banqueting-hall, I got into the -right wing of the castle. It was the left which was on fire, with the -library, and, of course, the armoury. -</p> - -<p> -What was I thinking of? I had no very clear idea myself. Some force, -with which argument was useless, was urging me on. Some time later I -tried to reason out my action. In my room was my money, papers, a few -letters from my mother—my whole life, so to speak. Yet I'm certain -that not for one moment did I think that I was running such risks for -things like these. -</p> - -<p> -Dense clouds of smoke shot with sparks were pouring out of the -first-floor corridor, at the end of which was the door of my room. -</p> - -<p> -I met Kessel coming down. I heard him shout: -</p> - -<p> -"Where are you going? The stairs are in flames. The corridor's burning!" -</p> - -<p> -But I'd already left him far behind. I took off my jacket and wrapped it -round my head. I don't know how I managed to get to the door of my room. -I only remember that when I touched the handle I burnt my fingers. -</p> - -<p> -Try as I might, I couldn't get the door open. The key turned in the lock -as usual, but the door resisted. -</p> - -<p> -It was then that I noticed a stout iron bolt, screwed into the door at -one end and clamped to the wall at the other. -</p> - -<p> -"So that's it!" I said, "and my window looks on to the ravine of the -Melna!" -</p> - -<p> -I didn't even start I understood. I knew what I wanted. -</p> - -<p> -"So you thought, sire, that I should be still in my room! Didn't you, -now?" -</p> - -<p> -To come and go was but the work of a minute. When I was at the bottom of -the staircase a fearful crash was heard. The upper half of the whole -corridor had just collapsed. -</p> - -<p> -When, wild-eyed and scorched, I got back to the Grand Duchess, several -groups had already collected in the park. A tall man was standing with -her and Hagen. It was the Grand Duke. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Vignerte," he cried rapturously, when he saw me. "Oh, what a -weight you've taken off my mind! Have you come from far?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed, sir, very far!" I replied, and nearly fell. -</p> - -<p> -"Hold him!" cried Aurora to Hagen. -</p> - -<p> -The little red Hussar obeyed. -</p> - -<p> -"Look out!" the Grand Duke broke in suddenly. "That's exactly what I -feared." -</p> - -<p> -Catching hold of his wife, he had suddenly jumped back a dozen yards or -so. We all followed suit, stupefied. -</p> - -<p> -An enormous flame, purple and gold, shot up into the glowing sky, -followed by an appalling explosion. We saw the walls of the castle part -asunder, totter and then collapse with a crash. A shower of fragments of -every kind, wood and plaster, tiles and sparks fell on and around us. -Beside us Captain Müller, who had gone forward, was hit by something. We -saw him fall to the ground, with his head bleeding. -</p> - -<p> -Professor Cyrus Beck's laboratory had just blown up. -</p> - -<p> -The firemen turned up almost immediately and set to work to localize the -fire. In the Great Court behind we could hear the measured, muffled -sound of the garrison troops coming up at the double. -</p> - -<p> -By one o'clock the fire had been got under. At half-past they were -bringing out the first corpses. -</p> - -<p> -About two the first streaks of gold appeared in the sky and a serene -dawn shone forth. -</p> - -<p> -Just then a stretcher, borne by four soldiers, came past us. We -recognized the body of the professor, terribly mangled. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke bent over it and took a long look. Then, throwing back -the cloth over the horrid vision, he murmured: -</p> - -<p> -"This was bound to happen sooner or later, with an old fool like that." -</p> - -<p> -Such was the funeral oration of Herr Professor Cyrus Beck, of Kiel -University. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess, Melusine and I went back to the left wing of the -palace. It was about six o'clock. The day already promised to be very -hot, for the summer sun rose red over the awful scene of desolation. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine had joined us when the fire first began. She had spent the time -helping the Grand Duchess to attend to the injured firemen and soldiers, -who had been taken to the banqueting-hall. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora hadn't a word to say as she walked, and, busied with the burden -of our own reflections, we respected her silence. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly she raised her head and smilingly showed me something in the -blue sky, already turning white with heat. -</p> - -<p> -A bird, coming from the east, was flying above our heads. It had a -curious, jerky flight, now rising, now falling, the flight of birds with -short wings, like the quail and partridge. -</p> - -<p> -It disappeared to our left in the depths of the English garden by the -Melna. -</p> - -<p> -A second, then a third flew by and passed out of sight at the same spot. -Then a score or more followed. -</p> - -<p> -"The first missel-thrushes," said Aurora. "They are going to the sorbs -of the Melna." -</p> - -<p> -We had now reached her apartments. "Poor Melusine," she said in a -curious tone; "you're absolutely done up. You must go and rest. I'm -going to my bower to try and get a little recreation with those birds." -</p> - -<p> -"I want to come, too," said Melusine. -</p> - -<p> -"No, no!" replied the Grand Duchess. "Raoul Vignerte will come with me. -I've something to say to him. You <i>must</i> go and rest. I order it. Just -bring me down my gun and some cartridges. Lend yours to Vignerte. He's -left his own behind, under the ruins of the castle." -</p> - -<p> -The girl still insisted on going with us. -</p> - -<p> -"Go!" said Aurora sternly. -</p> - -<p> -Melusine left us. She seemed almost dead with fatigue and the strain. -</p> - -<p> -To avoid disturbing the thrushes we took a winding path to the bower, -where I had had my first interview with the Grand Duchess of Lautenburg. -Every now and then we saw a thrush rise above the clumps of sorbs, take -a good look round and then drop down, satisfied. -</p> - -<p> -When we were in the leafy tunnel I thought we should have to make some -kind of loophole, for the foliage was amazingly thick, and shut us in -with its green, almost opaque wall. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess didn't seem to mind. She had not spoken a word as we -walked. Her face wore an expression of firm resolution. I hadn't broken -the silence either. What could I have said? I'm sure our thoughts were -the same at that tragic moment. What was the good of exchanging them? -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly the set expression of her features relaxed a little. She began -to talk in low tones. I was astounded by her extraordinary conversation, -and the not less extraordinary notion of going there at such a moment to -shoot the birds, whose habits she was describing. -</p> - -<p> -Her loaded gun lay across her knees, and she had a curious smile, which -made me think that the events of the night must have turned her brain. -This is what she said: -</p> - -<p> -"Missel-thrushes. You know them well. They're like ordinary thrushes, -only larger. They're on you very much quicker. Very difficult to shoot, -though they don't look it. Treacherous creatures. You know they're near, -as we do now. But you can't see them. You guess where they are and when -to fire. I'm used to them myself. So when I say 'Fire,' and show you the -direction, you must fire. Don't worry about a target. You'll go and look -and there'll be a thrush on the ground." -</p> - -<p> -She lowered her voice until it became a mere whisper, then, stretching -out her arm, she pointed to something, an imperceptible rustling in the -thick foliage. -</p> - -<p> -"Fire!" she ordered, "fire, now, fire!" -</p> - -<p> -"But I can't see anything," I said, disconcerted. -</p> - -<p> -"Fool," she murmured. "I will then." -</p> - -<p> -She raised her gun to her shoulder and fired. -</p> - -<p> -A bang, then a terrible heartrending scream. -</p> - -<p> -I trembled like the leaves which were still quivering under the shower -of lead. -</p> - -<p> -Leaning on her smoking gun, the Grand Duchess said to me with a wan -smile, "Go and see...." -</p> - -<p> -Obediently I staggered up and passed the green wall. Behind it, in a -pool of blood fast soaking into the ground, Melusine von Graffenfried -was writhing in her death agony, her face literally blown to bits by the -charge which she had received almost at point-blank range. -</p> - -<p> -"What a ghastly accident!" I cried in a horror-stricken voice. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess had come out of her bower. -</p> - -<p> -One of Melusine's eyes was blown out, but the other was fixed on Aurora -with a mad look of terror and torture. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora gazed at her coldly, and murmured the words of Hamlet after he -had killed Polonius: -</p> - -<p> -"<i>I took thee for thy better!</i>" -</p> - -<p> -With a horrible gasp Melusine expired. -</p> - -<p> -For one moment the Grand Duchess stood motionless. The rigid lines in -her face almost terrified me. Not a tremor shook her at the -contemplation of the dead girl's glassy eye. -</p> - -<p> -"Let's go back," she said at length, "we must let them know about this -fresh calamity." -</p> - -<p> -From my trembling fingers she took the light, engraved gun which had -been Melusine's, and laid it down beside the corpse. -</p> - -<p> -She signed to me to stay behind, and went off quickly. -</p> - -<p> -Left alone with the corpse, at first I couldn't bring myself to look at -it. -</p> - -<p> -My God! where was now that lovely smooth skin, that perfect oval face, -those melting eyes. Loathsome, bloody pulp of flesh, earth and hair. -</p> - -<p> -Disgusting green insects were already buzzing round the horrid mass. I -cut a leafy hazel branch and kept brushing them off, much as the old -muffin men at home brush the flies off their trays with paper fans. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess was soon back. Madame von Wendel, two or three -waiting-women and Melusine's maid came with her, weeping copiously. With -her usual self-possession she gave the necessary orders. Melusine's body -was placed on a stretcher and carried to the palace. -</p> - -<p> -Just as we reached it we saw the Grand Duke coming to meet the sad -procession. He was on his way to visit the casualties of the night, when -he was informed of the new blow that had fallen upon the Court of -Lautenburg. -</p> - -<p> -He rushed up visibly moved. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, madame," he said, pressing Aurora's hand, "what a dreadful -misfortune." -</p> - -<p> -"Fate brings these catastrophes, sir," replied the Grand Duchess, with -wonderful self-possession. -</p> - -<p> -"However did it happen?" -</p> - -<p> -"How should I know, sir?" replied Aurora. "Truth to tell I know no more -about it than you yourself know of the origin of tonight's fire." -</p> - -<p> -The blow went home, but the Grand Duke did not lower his head. -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, what does it matter how it happened since the dreadful -results are only too self-evident? Let me associate myself with you in -mourning the terrible loss you have suffered in Fräulein von -Graffenfried's death." -</p> - -<p> -"Terrible it is, sir," replied Aurora, "and that is why I hasten to -express my gratitude to you, since I have you to thank for the fact that -it is not utterly irreparable. Perhaps you had some forebodings of what -was to come when you decided to give me a second confidante in the -person of Monsieur Vignerte?" -</p> - -<p> -Frederick-Augustus bit his lips. But his reply was terrible. -</p> - -<p> -"I know, Madame, that you value M. Vignerte's services highly, and I am -delighted. And if Fräulein von Graffenfried's dreadful end moves me so -much, in its effect on yourself, it is because I know that there are -some things for which a woman is irreplaceable." -</p> - -<p> -Such an exchange of envenomed condolences seemed to me almost -terrifying. Kessel, Colonel von Wendel, and the others who were standing -round, had no idea of the full meaning of the tragedy. I was at once -proud and dismayed to share such confidences. Memories of Professor -Thierry shot through my mind. I had promised him never to mix myself up -in the private affairs of the Lautenburg sovereigns!... -</p> - -<p> -I did not know which to admire more, the portentous courtesy of the -Grand Duke, or the icy dignity of the Grand Duchess. I thought for a -moment that she would flinch and lose her self-possession under the -infamous insinuation he had just made. She did nothing of the kind, and -her reply was better than the attack that had provoked it: -</p> - -<p> -"Irreplaceable you have rightly said, sir. And so it is with no idea of -his taking Melusine's place that I ask you to leave Monsieur Vignerte -entirely at my disposal. On the contrary, I rely on his devotion to help -me to preserve as vivid a recollection as possible of our dear dead -friend and the events of this tragic night." -</p> - -<p> -She added: -</p> - -<p> -"Owing to the fire M. Vignerte is actually without a roof. Will you -kindly allow him to be my guest from this day forth?" -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duke bowed. -</p> - -<p> -"It shall be done, madame, according to your wishes. May his society -accord you a slight measure of that relief so necessary to your mental -health after the heavy blows the will of the Most High has seen fit to -inflict upon us." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon he left us. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -In the Grand Duchess's boudoir, converted into a mortuary chapel, the -coffin was smothered under a mass of Circassian roses and iris, between -bowls from which the smoke of incense arose. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora had wished to be alone with me to watch by the bier of her dead -friend. Callers who diffidently asked for admittance received short -shrift, I can assure you. -</p> - -<p> -Dressed in a black Armenian tunic, she recited the beautiful prayers of -her faith in low tones. -</p> - -<p> -I had not closed my eyes for two days, and about midnight I sank into a -chair worn out, and on the verge of collapse. -</p> - -<p> -When I opened my eyes again the Grand Duchess was standing by me. In the -light of the tall candles soft flickering shadows passed over her face. -She put her hand on my forehead and murmured with a sweet, sad smile: -</p> - -<p> -"You are tired out. Go to bed, dear friend, poor friend, whom I once -doubted." -</p> - -<p> -Oh, human frailty! Sleep swept me off that night, a night I could have -spent entirely alone with her amidst the suggestive scent of funeral -wreaths in the very presence of death, from which anything can be -expected. I slept in Melusine von Graffenfried's room. The old, -half-witted waiting-woman came grumbling to change the sheets. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -It was on Tuesday, the 28th, that Melusine's obsequies were celebrated. -The Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess and Duke Joachim walked behind the -hearse, its white pall hidden under the fragrant glories of Daghestan. -</p> - -<p> -I was lost in the crowd of officers, palace officials and leaders of -Lautenburg society. The Grand Duchess had ordered a squad of the 7th -Hussars to render the honours. By the Grand Duke's orders the great bell -of the cathedral beat time to the procession with its heavy measured -toll. A tall old man, with the ascetic face of a Moltke, in an ancient, -shiny black frock coat, came first, with a haughty and sullen lieutenant -in the blue uniform of the Brunswick Hussars. They were Richard and -Albrecht von Graffenfried, the dead girl's father and brother. -</p> - -<p> -When the coffin entered the Temple of the Siegstrasse my very marrow -seemed to freeze. It made me shiver to think that Melusine, whose -voluptuous form seemed to cry aloud for the luxurious pomp of the -Catholic ritual, should have belonged to the reformed faith. -</p> - -<p> -I had never been in a Protestant temple before. They are awful places. -Your very tears seem afraid to rise, lest they should freeze on your -eyelids. -</p> - -<p> -Pastor Silbermann delivered a sermon, his thin form, in its uncouth -gown, reminiscent of the master of some masonic lodge emerging from a -kind of revolving pulpit. For some reason I could not fathom he had -selected from the Scriptures the incident of Jephthah's daughter. -Nothing could have been less appropriate to the frail departed than this -reference to the sacrifice of that dismal, austere Jewess. -</p> - -<p> -For a whole half-hour the pastor expounded, with the indefatigable -enthusiasm of a mathematics' master the three conditions for the -equality of triangles. -</p> - -<p> -When he came to the celebrated phrase, "<i>Strike this bosom which for -thee is unveiled</i>," my eyes sought the Grand Duchess. I saw she was -weeping. -</p> - -<p> -We went from the Temple to the station in cars. The coffin, with its -fast-fading flowers, was put in a special carriage. -</p> - -<p> -When I returned to the palace I met Lieutenant von Hagen in the Great -Gallery, as deserted at five o'clock in the afternoon as if it had been -midnight. He was pale and appeared as if he had been waiting for me. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," he said, in a low voice, "yesterday morning I waited for you -two hours at the La Meilleraie bridge." -</p> - -<p> -"I had entirely forgotten our little meeting," I said. "I admit it -frankly." -</p> - -<p> -"After this," he muttered quietly, "may I hope there'll be no more of -your troublesome lapses of memory?" And so saying he tapped my cheek -with the glove in his right hand. -</p> - -<p> -I had some difficulty in keeping myself from retaliating with a good -sound cuff. His elaborate pretence of self-possession saved me. -</p> - -<p> -"Sir," I said, "I shall be at your disposal at six o'clock tomorrow." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us arrange everything now, if you please. No seconds, no witnesses, -of course. As you are the challenged party, what weapon will you -choose?" -</p> - -<p> -If I had been less excited than I was this question would have been a -very awkward one. As it happened, I didn't hesitate. -</p> - -<p> -"This," I replied, drawing the Grand Duchess's revolver from my pocket. -</p> - -<p> -I could see it was a shock, but he concealed it. -</p> - -<p> -"It's not exactly usual, is it?" he said. "But, after all, what does it -matter? All right. Seven shots at discretion, immediately after the -signal. What about the distance?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ten paces," I replied, utterly indifferent to what I was saying. -</p> - -<p> -A sickly smile wreathed his mouth. -</p> - -<p> -"A duel to the death then, monsieur. It shall be as you wish." -</p> - -<p> -He turned and left me. -</p> - -<p> -I found the Grand Duchess in her room. I had not been there since the -tragedy. She beckoned to me to sit down, but did not speak. Gradually -darkness descended upon us. The lamp which burned before the ikon began -to glow. Melusine's guzla was still lying on the carpet. Our thoughts -were the same. They dwelt on that other glorious instrument of delight, -already a prey to the mysterious transformations of death, which also -would never vibrate again. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -When did Aurora sleep? Melusine alone could have known. We heard the -birds awakening at the first coming of dawn. The shrill piping of -finches and sparrows succeeded the plaintive note of the nightingale. I -wonder whether I should hear the birds wake on the morrow. -</p> - -<p> -I realized that the time had come. It was contrary to etiquette, but I -said to Aurora: -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me for leaving you. I'm very tired." There was a tinge of -reproach in the look she gave me. I felt she was thinking that Melusine -was <i>never</i> tired. -</p> - -<p> -"If she only knew!" I said to myself. And for an instant I was almost -tempted to tell her everything. -</p> - -<p> -I went back to my room and left it a few moments later, taking care to -go out through the Great Court, for fear lest she might see me from her -window. -</p> - -<p> -It was not yet five o'clock when I reached the La Meilleraie bridge. -That hour's respite seemed to me an eternity of bliss. Never had earth -seemed so fair and life so dear as in those moments which I thought -might very well be my last. -</p> - -<p> -I knew that Hagen was one of the finest swordsmen in the garrison. He -was also a crack pistol shot, while I—well, my education had been -confined to firing off two, perhaps three, dozen cartridges with a -revolver during my training periods as an officer of the reserve. -</p> - -<p> -Leaning on the parapet I watched the Melna dashing over the boulders far -below me. Little silvery trout darted up out of the foaming water, and -reminded me of my trout-fishing days, ten years before, in the Ossau -stream, between Laruns and Pont de Béon. -</p> - -<p> -Where was this river going? To join the Aller, which meets the Weser, -which flows into the North Sea, which joins the Channel, which is an arm -of the Atlantic, which receives the waters of the Adour, into which the -river of Pan, swollen by the Ossau stream, runs close by the blue hamlet -of Peyrehorade. Little German trout, little French trout. Foolish, -childish thoughts which carry the mind of a man facing death back -through the course of his life, and bridge the gulf between distant -epochs. -</p> - -<p> -"I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Herr Professor. But it's not yet -quite six o'clock." -</p> - -<p> -Hagen! I hadn't seen him come. I'd almost forgotten him, in fact. -</p> - -<p> -We both bowed. -</p> - -<p> -"I've brought with me," he explained, "everything required for a meeting -without seconds." -</p> - -<p> -He produced a fountain-pen and some paper. -</p> - -<p> -"Revolvers being the weapon selected," he said, "I've brought mine. We -can draw lots if you like, but I think it's hardly necessary. The model -is the same. Now will you be good enough to sign this?" -</p> - -<p> -He had taken the precaution of drawing up a statement, in my name and -his, wherein the two adversaries testified in advance that everything -had been quite fair and regular. -</p> - -<p> -"In case there's an accident, this will save the survivor a good deal of -trouble," he thought fit to explain. -</p> - -<p> -Officialism could hardly go further. All the same I was curious to know -how the signal was to be given. I couldn't help asking him. -</p> - -<p> -He smiled, a smile full of self-satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -"I've seen to that all right," he replied. -</p> - -<p> -With these words he opened a parcel containing an alarm-clock. -</p> - -<p> -"I've set the alarm for ten minutes past six," he said. "You can test -it, if you like. When it goes off we will fire, changing places if we -like. It's all put down in the statement." -</p> - -<p> -I couldn't say whether tragedy or absurdity was the more conspicuous -feature of the proceedings. -</p> - -<p> -Hagen paced out the distance. -</p> - -<p> -"Eight, nine, ten. Herr Professor, you're a little taller than I. Will -you pace it out too, and if you like, we'll take the mean." -</p> - -<p> -"It doesn't matter," I said. "This is all right for me." -</p> - -<p> -He bowed and drew his revolver from his pocket. -</p> - -<p> -"Seven minutes past," he said. "We'd better take our places." -</p> - -<p> -I toed the line he had drawn at the start. We were now face to face. -</p> - -<p> -The clock was placed on the parapet of the bridge, where we could both -see its face. Its sharp ticking sounded above the distant roar of the -river. -</p> - -<p> -I looked at my opponent. His eyes, bashfully cast down like those of a -girl, were fixed on my feet. -</p> - -<p> -Nine minutes past six. -</p> - -<p> -<i>He</i> is listening for the sound, while I am looking at the hand, I -thought. Suppose the alarm went off too soon! -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly I saw Hagen raise his head. His elegant self-possession had -left him, and a look of unutterable terror was stamped on his features. -</p> - -<p> -I turned round, regardless of the fact that this movement might have -cost me my life. At that very moment the alarm went off, a loud buzz -that went on and on. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess Aurora was behind me. Then I understood why the -officer hadn't fired. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora was now standing between us. -</p> - -<p> -"Will one of you gentlemen kindly explain the meaning of this curious -scene?" she said coldly. -</p> - -<p> -There was no answer. -</p> - -<p> -The document drawn up by Hagen was under the clock. She picked it up. -</p> - -<p> -"I understand," she said, when she had read it. "Revolvers! Monsieur -Vignerte, you make very bad use of things you're trusted with. -Lieutenant von Hagen, my compliments to you. Your ingenuity is amazing." -</p> - -<p> -Her voice was ironical, but now became very hard: -</p> - -<p> -"Gentlemen, if this is your method of proving that devotion with which -you have never ceased to assail my ears, I may tell you that I have a -very poor opinion of it. You're a foreigner, Monsieur Vignerte, and -cannot be expected, perhaps, to know our duelling regulations. But they -are well known to you, lieutenant." -</p> - -<p> -Hagen hung his head. -</p> - -<p> -"In particular, you know that an officer of the 7th Hussars may not -fight without first obtaining his colonel's permission. Only a year ago -Lieutenant Techner was given thirty days' close confinement in a -fortress for breaking this rule. Have you forgotten?" -</p> - -<p> -Hagen didn't answer. -</p> - -<p> -"Go back and put on your uniform, Herr von Hagen. Then go to the -orderly-room and place yourself at the disposal of Major von Hougwitz -until you receive official notification of the fifteen days' confinement -to which I reduce your punishment in view of your services. You can go, -sir. Don't forget your clock." -</p> - -<p> -Lieutenant von Hagen saluted his colonel, faced about and disappeared. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="VIII">VIII</a></h4> - -<p> -A dark form appeared at the entrance of our dug-out, through which the -chilly morning air was now stealing. -</p> - -<p> -"It's five o'clock, sir." -</p> - -<p> -It was the soldier of the party whom I had told off to wake us without -fail. -</p> - -<p> -"We've half an hour before the attack," said Vignerte. "Let's go out. -I'll finish my story outside. I'm very near the end." -</p> - -<p> -The stars had all vanished. One alone still twinkled low down in the -Eastern sky, waiting for daybreak to blot it out. -</p> - -<p> -We sat down on a ledge projecting from the side of a ravine. It -commanded an excellent view of the line held by our Company, and we -couldn't have had a better position to follow the course of the coming -raid. -</p> - -<p> -Close by us a soldier's lowly grave, a shadowy rectangle of dead -branches. On the little wooden cross I could read these words, already -almost obliterated by rain: -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -"Mohammed Beggi ben Smaël, Private, 2nd Tirailleurs. He died for -France, September 23rd, 1914. Pray for him." -</p> - -<p> -I have seldom seen anything more moving than that little cross pleading -for a Christian prayer for the humble Mussulman soldier. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte, looking straight in front of him, was waiting for the moment -when the growing light would reveal the lie of the land. But that hour -was not yet come. Only the dark line of the heights occupied by the -enemy could be distinguished on the horizon. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>VER there is Hurtebise and Craonne, he -said, and beyond it Laon, Saint Richaumont and Goise. Farther still is -La Capelle and the forest of Nouvion, where we charged the White -Cuirassiers. How often do my thoughts fly over them to the sandy plains -of Hanover and Lautenburg where I have left Aurora? What is she doing in -her room among her rugs and her jewels? What have they done to her, my -God! -</p> - -<p> -When we returned to the palace after the scene on the La Meilleraie -bridge she said not a word to me. We had our breakfast together, then -she began to arrange large purple iris and white nigella in vases. -</p> - -<p> -About ten o'clock she summoned one of her waiting women. -</p> - -<p> -"Is Mademoiselle Marthe there?" she asked. Receiving an affirmative -reply the said: -</p> - -<p> -"Show her in." -</p> - -<p> -Mlle. Marthe came every year about this time to show the Grand Duchess -the last word in novelties from Paris. A delicate suggestion of the -Boulevard de la Madeleine seemed to enter with this good-looking, dainty -girl. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you had a pleasant journey, child?" asked Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -"I arrived last evening, madame," replied the girl. "Please excuse me -for intruding on your Highness so soon, but I have to go back this -evening." -</p> - -<p> -"What have you got for me this year?" -</p> - -<p> -Mlle. Marthe opened her boxes and revealed dainty jewellery, tulle fans, -vanity bags in velvet and moiré, diminutive stamp boxes, powder boxes, -patch-boxes—those Parisian fallals which make all others look cheap. -</p> - -<p> -"Leave me these," said Aurora. "Tell Duvelleroy it will be all right. In -November I shall want a Watteau fan, or at any rate a Lancret. It must -be ready when I arrive in Paris." -</p> - -<p> -"Your Highness shall have it," replied the girl confidently. -</p> - -<p> -"Good. You had better take the five o'clock express this evening. You -will stay to lunch with me and tell me what the Rue de la Paix will be -doing this winter." -</p> - -<p> -During the meal I admired the unaffected ease with which the little -Parisian girl replied to the Grand Duchess's questions. It made me proud -of my pretty fellow-countrywoman to see Aurora, who had so little love -for the women of Lautenburg, treat her as an equal. But how much greater -was my admiration for the self-possession of this princess, who, after -three days and nights such as would have broken a strong man, was able -to carry on light conversation about the thousand and one little trifles -of Paris fashions. -</p> - -<p> -"You still recommend Cartier?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, madame, they are still the best for hats." -</p> - -<p> -"Laurence has left the Rue des Pyramids; she has a big establishment in -the Rue Auber. I shall probably give her a call." -</p> - -<p> -"I should suggest Your Highness going there. Laurence specializes in the -export business. Most of her trade is with foreign houses." -</p> - -<p> -It was a pleasure to hear all this small talk, a refreshing, idle -interlude in tragic events; it almost helped me to forget. -</p> - -<p> -About three o'clock the Grand Duchess handed Marthe an envelope. -</p> - -<p> -"This is for your journey, my dear. I don't want you to miss your train. -A car will take you back to your hotel, then on to the station. I am -quite satisfied. Don't forget my fan. Good-bye. I shall be calling on -you in November." -</p> - -<p> -When the little ray of sunshine had vanished the Grand Duchess remained -a moment in thought, fingering the trifles that lay scattered about the -room. Then she said: -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Vignerte, I have an important piece of news for you." -</p> - -<p> -My reply was a look of hungry questioning. -</p> - -<p> -"I have the honour to inform you," she continued, "that I have just -received a letter—a letter from Baron von Boose." -</p> - -<p> -I showed my astonishment. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you imagine," she said, "that dear little Marthe has come from Paris -solely to bring me Duvelleroy's baubles, charming though they are?" -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Friday evening. Eight o'clock. We had just finished dinner. A footman -entered with the evening post—a dozen letters—which he handed -to the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -"Will you excuse me?" she said. -</p> - -<p> -She looked at the seals of all the envelopes, then she opened one. -</p> - -<p> -"That's it," she said when she'd read it. -</p> - -<p> -She handed me the letter. It was a request for a subscription from some -philanthropical society in Hambourg. It informed the Grand Duchess that -there was to be a bazaar the following Monday for the benefit of working -class crèches. -</p> - -<p> -"We will go," said Aurora quietly. "This is the signal I arranged with -Boose." -</p> - -<p> -I had known everything for two days. She had told me that when I gave -her the document I had found in <i>Petermann's Mittheilungen</i> she had -written to Baron von Boose in the Congo. I have never known what kind of -force she had brought to bear upon the man, but the fact remains that -the letter Marthe had brought told the Grand Duchess that he had just -left Africa. He was now at Hambourg. It could hardly be doubted that he -had important revelations to make. -</p> - -<p> -"I've made it worth his while," she murmured with her wan smile. -</p> - -<p> -"We will go tomorrow," she said. -</p> - -<p> -She looked at me, reflected a moment and then said: -</p> - -<p> -"'Tis a little late in the day perhaps, my friend, but I begin to have -scruples. I'm abusing your devotion. Do you realize that you have -embarked upon a dangerous undertaking?" -</p> - -<p> -"And you?" I said. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, it's different with me. I am fighting for my liberty, which is more -to me than life. Besides, whatever happens, I am the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg, and, more than that, a Tumene Princess. Behind me there is -the Czar and all the Russias. They would think twice in my case; but -you, dear friend! Think of Cyrus Beck. Think of Melusine. Why, for what -would you sacrifice yourself?" -</p> - -<p> -There was such intensity of reproach in the look I gave her that proud -and haughty sovereign though she was, she hung her head. -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me," she murmured. -</p> - -<p> -Then she added: -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, we're agreed. We will start tomorrow. Ring. I must give the -necessary orders." -</p> - -<p> -I pressed an electric bell. We heard steps. There was a knock at the -door. -</p> - -<p> -"Come in," said Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -The door opened. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" was all the Grand Duchess said. -</p> - -<p> -Lieutenant von Hagen had just appeared in the doorway. He was rather -pale and stood stiffly at attention, his right hand to his Kolbach, the -burnished chin-strap of which encircled his clenched jaw. -</p> - -<p> -"Lieutenant von Hagen!" said Aurora when she had recovered from her -surprise. "Since when have officers under arrest acquired the habit of -leaving the citadel?" -</p> - -<p> -Hagen stood like a rock and said nothing. -</p> - -<p> -"Will you be kind enough to explain?... Your sentence has not been -remitted, so far as I know." -</p> - -<p> -"It has, Your Highness!" murmured Hagen. -</p> - -<p> -"It <i>has</i>!" cried the Grand Duchess. "Herr von Hagen, are you mad?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Your Highness," replied the little officer, in a low, insistent -voice. "My detention ceased this evening." -</p> - -<p> -"Ceased!" exclaimed Aurora, beside herself. "Do you realize, Lieutenant, -how far this jesting may carry you? Do you know that one thing, and one -thing only, can remit a sentence of detention ordered by me?" -</p> - -<p> -"I know it, Your Highness," said Hagen. -</p> - -<p> -"And that one thing is ..." -</p> - -<p> -"—WAR." The officer completed her sentence. It may strike you as -highly improbable, but the fact is that in the midst of the series of -tragedies which had just taken place at the Court of Lautenburg the -great events of the last week of July had passed almost unnoticed. We -knew all about the note to Serbia, of course, but since the night in the -armoury nothing had existed for us but the events I have described to -you, not even the Austrian Ultimatum, or the German "Kriegzustand." -Nothing, absolutely nothing. And now that one little word—War. -</p> - -<p> -I looked at Hagen in stupefaction. He had exchanged his red cloak for -the grey-green field tunic. -</p> - -<p> -Checking her surprise and trying to look as unconcerned as possible, -Aurora asked: -</p> - -<p> -"War! Herr von Hagen? And against whom?" -</p> - -<p> -"Russia, probably tonight, Your Highness," said the little officer. -"France, tomorrow, almost certainly. The Grand Duke arrived from Berlin -an hour ago, bringing with him the mobilization order for the Army -Corps." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora went to the window and threw it wide open. It was stiflingly hot. -</p> - -<p> -"I suppose, Lieutenant, that the Grand Duke commissioned you to convey -this important piece of news to me.... In that case I don't see why you -needed the escort of the four hussars I see down there at the door." -</p> - -<p> -Hagen blushed violently, then turned pale. "Your Highness!" he murmured. -</p> - -<p> -"What?" she said, with cold dignity. -</p> - -<p> -"I have another duty to perform. Will you excuse me ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come, Lieutenant, don't be so nervous. If you are not even -capable of telling me your mission you'll never have the strength of -mind to carry it out. Tell me I'm a prisoner in my own palace. That is -so, isn't it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Your Highness!" cried Hagen. "How could you think such a thing.... -<i>I</i>, to accept such a ..." -</p> - -<p> -"Then what is the trouble?" -</p> - -<p> -The officer did not reply, but looked in my direction. -</p> - -<p> -"Madam," I said, stepping forward, "please do not torture yourself thus. -Really, Herr von Hagen, it's so easy to say that you have been sent to -arrest me." -</p> - -<p> -There was a pause. -</p> - -<p> -"Is that true, sir?" said the Grand Duchess. Hagen hung his head. -</p> - -<p> -"Can you explain the reason for this arrest?" -</p> - -<p> -"Madam," said Hagen, recovering himself a little, "I am a soldier and -can only carry out my orders without questioning them. But it is not -difficult to understand. Monsieur Vignerte is French, and moreover, an -officer. France is mobilizing against us. We are told that French -aviators have already bombed ..." -</p> - -<p> -"You are a soldier, sir, and obey the orders you receive," the Grand -Duchess interrupted. "That is as it should be, but are you quite sure -that you didn't suggest this particular order yourself?" -</p> - -<p> -Hagen didn't answer, but the look of hatred he gave me was eloquent -enough. -</p> - -<p> -The Grand Duchess turned to me sharply and said: -</p> - -<p> -"Go and get dressed!" -</p> - -<p> -She herself put on a long dark cloak. Then she went to her bureau. I saw -her rummage in it and bring out several objects which she slipped into -the roomy packets of the cloak. -</p> - -<p> -"Herr von Hagen," she said, coming back, "are you to take Monsieur -Vignette to the citadel? At what time?" -</p> - -<p> -"He must be there at ten o'clock, Your Highness." -</p> - -<p> -With a smile of infinite scorn she put her hand on his shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -"And so you actually thought," she said, "that I would let you lock him -up?" -</p> - -<p> -There was overwhelming majesty in her look, her pose, her words. I saw -the officer hang his head. He trembled in every limb. -</p> - -<p> -"Ludwig von Hagen," she continued, "a certain day, four years ago, I -learned that an officer of the 7th Hussars had cheated at cards. It -meant death and dishonour to him. The next day that officer's debts were -paid, the affair was hushed up and he himself, selected by me for my -orderly officer, astonished the whole garrison by his strange and rapid -change of fortune. Remarks were passed to which I paid no attention. You -know yourself that the sole motive of my action was my wish to rescue -from infamy a brave young man, who bore a great name and in whom I -believed. -</p> - -<p> -"He, on the other hand," she said, pointing to me, "not only owes me -nothing, but indeed suffered at first from my indifference, nay, scorn, -the result of unworthy suspicions. He never showed any resentment. -Quietly, secretly he has been working for me. Perhaps he himself does -not know the full meaning of what he has done. But he certainly knew he -was risking his life. And now the man who owes me everything has come to -arrest the man to whom I owe everything!" -</p> - -<p> -Tears ran down the face of the little hussar. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you wish me to do?" he murmured in a tremulous, hoarse voice. -</p> - -<p> -"I want you to pay the debt you owe me," replied Aurora. "The time has -come and you cannot complain, for you have brought it on yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"Give your orders," he said. "I will obey." -</p> - -<p> -"Go downstairs and begin by sending your men away. Find some pretext -which won't be awkward for you later on. -</p> - -<p> -"Now go to the garage," she said, when he came back. "There are still -some chauffeurs about. Make them get out the big grey with a full supply -of petrol. Don't light the lamps. Bring it down below yourself. It is -now twenty minutes to nine. Be there at ten to." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora laid a map out on the table and studied it. "It's obviously -shorter by Aix-la-Chapelle and Belgium," she murmured, "but I know the -Wiesbaden-Thionville route better." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you ready?" she said. -</p> - -<p> -"What are you going to do?" I asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Take you back to France, of course." -</p> - -<p> -She added: -</p> - -<p> -"I have put some money and a revolver in the pocket of your coat. You -can get anywhere with those." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora was just beauty itself then, my friend. If you'd only seen her at -that moment you'd understand why I can't control my voice at this point. -</p> - -<p> -There was a dull roar under the window. The <i>Benz</i> was there. -</p> - -<p> -"Come," said Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment Hagen came in. His air of sullen annoyance had deserted -him now, I can tell you. He fell at the Grand Duchess's feet. -</p> - -<p> -"You are going! You are going with him, for ever!" he murmured with a -sob in his voice. -</p> - -<p> -She looked at him more kindly. -</p> - -<p> -"If that is your idea, Herr von Hagen, it is all the more praiseworthy -of you to have obeyed. You may know, however, that I'm not going. I'm -bound to this place which I loathe by the task that still lies before -me. But for the moment my duty is to save him who has given up -everything for me." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, thank you! thank you!" said the young man. -</p> - -<p> -"You had better wait a bit before thanking me," she said. "I presume, -Herr von Hagen, that you have your identity card and mobilization orders -on you?" -</p> - -<p> -He rose, quivering with horror. -</p> - -<p> -"My mobilization orders?" he repeated, deadly pale. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," she said calmly. "Oblige me by handing them over to Monsieur -Vignerte. We might be stopped between here and the frontier. Of course -I know that in all probability I shall only have to mention my name to -get through. But we might come across some stupid sentry. We must not -lose any time. Lieutenant von Hagen will be able to get anywhere. Come. -Quick!" -</p> - -<p> -The officer was white as death. A terrible conflict was raging within -him. -</p> - -<p> -"You are now taking my honour from me, Madam!" he blurted out at length. -</p> - -<p> -"I should only be taking back what I gave you myself, Herr von Hagen," -said Aurora, pitilessly. "But you mustn't exaggerate. It will be your -own fault if you are compromised. I ask but two things of you. First -that you wait until ten o'clock to give the alarm that we have gone. -Secondly, that you arrange matters so that they shall think we have -taken the Aix-la-Chapelle route. If the Grand Duke is shameless enough -to telegraph or telephone it must not be in our direction. Come. -Good-bye. I shall be back by this time tomorrow." -</p> - -<p> -She held out a hand which he bathed with his tears. -</p> - -<p> -"I may count on you, friend, mayn't I?" -</p> - -<p> -Choking with emotion, he nodded. -</p> - -<p> -I myself was utterly overcome and went forward to offer my hand to the -man who was risking everything for me at that moment. But he started -back and replied with a look of unutterable hatred. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur, I pray God that we may meet again elsewhere—and soon." -</p> - -<p> -Aurora shrugged her shoulders, and I heard her murmur something about -the stupidity of men. But she was already on the stairs. I followed her, -but not before I had had one last look at her room with its rugs, its -jewels, and its glorious, fading flowers. -</p> - -<p> -"Get in," she said in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -I climbed into the great car and we started off. -</p> - -<p> -As we sped over the La Meilleraie bridge the clocks of Lautenburg and in -the old tower of the castle were just striking nine. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -The road, an endless white ribbon, sparkled softly in the light of the -moon. It slipped beneath our wheels as the car whirled along at a giddy -pace. And every time we turned a corner I learned how amazingly sure -were the hands of the woman who was driving me. -</p> - -<p> -The whole thing had happened so quickly that when I was once more in a -condition to take things in we had already done quite sixty miles. Then -Aurora's expression, "I shall be back by this time tomorrow," came to -mind, and I realized in a flash that in a few short hours I should be -separated from the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -I did not rebel. The prodigious speed at which we were going lulled me -into a kind of helpless torpor which soon developed a curious bliss of -its own. Dark clumps of trees and funny little switchback bridges over -silvery rivers fled behind us. We passed a cart laden high with hay: a -few inches more to the left would have meant death. Death. I uttered -that word and glanced at Aurora's set face. Her gauntleted fingers -looked like thin, white bars on the steering wheel. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly my thoughts turned to the war. Was it really a fact? How should -I find my country? I confess to my shame that such was the intoxication -of speed, so great its power of tearing me from myself that I could not -concentrate my mind on that dreadful thought. At that hour I was wholly -indifferent to what the future might have in store for me. -</p> - -<p> -A shaded electric lamp showed up every detail of the map, but Aurora -hardly looked at it once. She knew the way by heart I remember her -telling me that she had passed that way many a time when going to take -the waters. -</p> - -<p> -She knew exactly at what point to make a detour round the towns whose -red halo emerged from the darkness to right and left, grew before our -eyes, was overtaken and disappeared in the night. Three or four times -she muttered: Cassel, Giessen, Wetzlar! -</p> - -<p> -Cassel, Giessen, Wetzlar! What did I care? -</p> - -<p> -The light from the lamp lit up a clock near the speedometer. But I could -not see the time. Thought had deserted me.... -</p> - -<p> -Without slowing down we went through a hilly town with houses hidden -among dark clumps of trees. -</p> - -<p> -"Wiesbaden," murmured Aurora. "My villa," she remarked as we passed one -of these houses. "It's not yet one o'clock. We have come very well." -</p> - -<p> -She turned to the right where the road forked. Far away on the left the -lights of a big city glowed in the night sky. -</p> - -<p> -"That's Mainz," she said, "and here's the Rhine." -</p> - -<p> -At top speed we crossed the sacred river by a suspension bridge. A dull -roar came up from below. Here and there, where the darkness was less -intense, we could see its green waters. -</p> - -<p> -At the far end of the bridge we thought we heard an order. A hoarse, -"Who goes there!" Then, unmistakably, the sharp sound of a shot. -</p> - -<p> -"They fired at us," said Aurora. "We must be getting near the frontier. -We must be a little more careful now." -</p> - -<p> -I looked at the compass. We were going due west. The speedometer -registered 70. For the first time I had a real shock. -</p> - -<p> -Aurora saw it and smiled. -</p> - -<p> -"We were going 90 between Wetzlar and Wiesbaden," was all she said. -</p> - -<p> -Soon another red glow appeared in the west. -</p> - -<p> -"Thionville," said Aurora. "It must be crammed with troops." -</p> - -<p> -To my great surprise I observed that she made no attempt to avoid this -town, as she had avoided the others. Our lamps were now lit and we were -making straight for the fortress, whose walls mounted higher and higher -into the sky. -</p> - -<p> -The car slowed down. We passed houses, suburbs. Then came an imperious, -"Who goes there!" We stopped. -</p> - -<p> -A dozen soldiers surrounded us. All of them were wearing the grey-green -uniform and covered helmet. -</p> - -<p> -"Your papers," said the rough voice of a non-commissioned officer. -</p> - -<p> -"I will show them to your officer," replied Aurora. "Please go and fetch -him." -</p> - -<p> -He arrived in due course. He was a kind of blonde giant, very angry at -being disturbed in his sleep. When he saw we were civilians, politeness -vanished from his questions. -</p> - -<p> -"Lieutenant," said the Grand Duchess dryly, "I must first ask you to -stop your men from breaking up my car with their rifle butts. Then -perhaps you will be good enough to look at this." -</p> - -<p> -So saying she flashed the lamp upon the Lautenburg arms painted on the -door. -</p> - -<p> -The officer started. -</p> - -<p> -"Have I the honour of addressing Her Highness the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg?" he said, stiffening to attention. -</p> - -<p> -"You have, lieutenant," replied Aurora. -</p> - -<p> -"I must ask Your Highness to excuse me," the man said in dismay. "Back -there!" he bawled to his men, thrusting back the foremost. "How can I -serve Your Highness?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very easily," said the Grand Duchess. "I presume General von Offenburg -is still commanding at Thionville? I suspect His Excellency is not -asleep on a night like this. Be so good as to take me to him. Lend me -one of your men to come with us and show us the way." -</p> - -<p> -The officer at once did what was required. He bowed very low, expressing -his regret that his duties did not permit him to conduct us himself. -</p> - -<p> -The General in command of the fortress was not at headquarters, but in -the end we found him at the station with his staff. He was watching the -detraining of the troops at the platforms, which were literally black -with them. In the great square an enormous mass of guns projected their -antediluvian silhouettes on the night. I received an impression of sheer -numbers and brute force which made me shudder. -</p> - -<p> -When an orderly officer had informed General von Offenburg of the Grand -Duchess's presence he came forward at once. He was a fine figure of a -man, in his long grey cloak with the scarlet collar. He bowed to Aurora -and reminded her that he had once had the honour of dancing with her in -Berlin. But with all his efforts he could barely conceal his -astonishment at our presence at that hour and in such a guise. -</p> - -<p> -"Don't be too much surprised, General," said Aurora, with a smile. "As -soon as I heard of the great events in prospect in this quarter I felt I -could not remain at Lautenburg. I wanted to see and admire our men at -the frontier, and here I am, with my orderly officer Lieutenant von -Hagen, of the 7th Hussars," she said, presenting me. -</p> - -<p> -I saluted as stiffly and punctiliously as I possibly could. -</p> - -<p> -"Then why, Your Highness," exclaimed von Offenburg, "have you come this -way? There is nothing very interesting here. The 16th Corps is a rock -which nothing can move. Why did you not go round by Aachen?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," she said. "That was suggested. Round by Aix-la-Chapelle ...?" -</p> - -<p> -"Hadn't you heard that the whole army is being concentrated there?" the -General whispered. -</p> - -<p> -"That's true," said Aurora. "But the Belgian frontier doesn't interest -me. I should never have forgiven myself if I had not seen the French -frontier at the very outbreak of war." -</p> - -<p> -"I greet you as the intrepid colonel of the brave 7th Hussars," said von -Orenburg, kissing her hand. "Can I assist you in any way?" -</p> - -<p> -"Most certainly you can," said Aurora. "Do you realize your sentries -arrested me off-hand just now? I ought really to ask you for an escort, -but I'm afraid my <i>Benz</i> would be hard put to it to keep up with your -dragoons. May they take me as far as the outposts, and please give me -some kind of permit to save me from any more little accidents when I -come back. We must hurry on. It will soon be dawn, and I want to see the -first rays of sunlight on the frontier-posts." -</p> - -<p> -The General had a permit brought. "There," he said, initialling it with -a flourish. "You've just got time. Villerupt, in France, is a mile and a -quarter from the frontier, and barely thirteen from here. You will be -there in less than half an hour. But don't expect to see any French -soldiers. Their Government has ordered them to withdraw two leagues from -the frontier, to avoid any accident likely to precipitate war," he -concluded with a coarse laugh. -</p> - -<p> -Escorted by a half-troop of dragoons we made an impressive exit from -Thionville. When we had covered rather more than a mile on the -Audun-le-Roman road the Grand Duchess whispered in my ear: -</p> - -<p> -"They are very kind, but I'm afraid we would find them a nuisance in the -long run." -</p> - -<p> -And she let the car out to its top speed. Behind us, in the first faint -light of day, the dragoons were soon strung out, and, a moment later, -out of sight on the dark road. -</p> - -<p> -The chilly breeze of dawn fanned my temples. My emotions now began to -overwhelm me. Indeed, at that moment I had not even a thought for her -for whom I would have sacrificed everything, the woman I was about to -leave for ever. I gazed before me at the little hills, which now began -to emerge, one by one, out of the yielding darkness. The amazing -originality of the manner of my return was forgotten, and I was -possessed by another sentiment, far stronger and more poignant. -</p> - -<p> -I was wholly under its influence when the car stopped so suddenly as -almost to throw me on to the wind-screen. Without a word the Grand -Duchess pointed to a frontier post ten paces away on the right of the -road. -</p> - -<p> -The spectacle of that six-foot post, one side white and black, the other -blue, white and red, was extraordinarily moving. -</p> - -<p> -I looked at the Grand Duchess and a great joy filled me as I saw the -emotion in her set face. -</p> - -<p> -It was not yet quite light. The car was now going very slowly. It was as -if Aurora wanted me to notice the little night flowers which trembled in -the wind on the sides of the banks. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly I caught hold of my companion's arm. The car stopped. Less than -two hundred yards away, at the top of a hill above the road, a -motionless horseman had just appeared, a dark silhouette against the -sky. -</p> - -<p> -It was a French dragoon. We could see the buff cover of his helmet and -the red and white pennon on his lance. Then two more appeared, then ten, -then twenty, and they came forward at a canter to meet us. -</p> - -<p> -"It is your turn to do the talking this time," said Aurora, with a -smile. -</p> - -<p> -An officer came first. He was a tall young man, dark and rather pale. -His chin-strap drew a shining line across his black moustache. He -saluted us with his sabre and asked to see our permits. -</p> - -<p> -"I must confess, monsieur," replied the Grand Duchess, "that I do not -possess anything of the kind, for I don't suppose you will be satisfied -with this which was given me by the German general in command at -Thionville," she said, showing von Offenburg's permit. -</p> - -<p> -The young officer assumed an expression denoting that the occasion was -hardly suitable for trifling. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," continued Aurora, when she had satisfied herself at a glance -that for the moment I was completely unable to say a word, "there are -some things it would take too long to explain from a car to a horse in -the middle of the road. These are the facts. I am the Grand Duchess of -Lautenburg-Detmold. Monsieur Vignerte, my companion, is a French -officer, a lieutenant like yourself. I don't know whether in France you -have already taken the precaution of arresting Germans. But in Germany -we have been arresting Frenchmen since yesterday. This gentleman was -about to be arrested; I have brought him to you. That is all." -</p> - -<p> -And, moved apparently by the look of amazement which had spread over the -dragoon's face, she added: -</p> - -<p> -"I should, perhaps, say, monsieur, that I am Russian by birth, so you -need no longer doubt either myself or my immediate purpose." -</p> - -<p> -The officer had dismounted. He bowed respectfully to Aurora, who had, -like myself, just stepped out of the car. -</p> - -<p> -"Lieutenant de Coigny, 11th Dragoons, of Longwy," he said. -</p> - -<p> -I introduced myself. We shook hands. -</p> - -<p> -"You have come a long way, comrade. What shall we do with you?" -</p> - -<p> -"You have a spare horse to lend him?" said the Grand Duchess. "Now, if I -may offer a little advice, take him at once to your civil or military -authorities. He has come straight from Germany, and knows much that may -be valuable to this country, where the flowers are lovely, but which is -never sufficiently on its guard, I think." -</p> - -<p> -As she spoke she was looking at some wild roses hanging over the edge of -the bank. Lieutenant de Coigny plundered the thickest tufts and -collected a pink bunch which he handed to the Grand Duchess. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you, monsieur," she said, with a charming smile to the young man, -who was under the spell of her wondrous beauty. "Would you be good -enough to make your horses stand aside? The road is narrow, and I must -turn my car." -</p> - -<p> -Then I utterly broke down. -</p> - -<p> -Gone were my indifference of the night, my sudden emotion on entering -France once more. They were things of the past. One thought alone -obsessed me: in a quarter of an hour I should have lost her for ever. -</p> - -<p> -Lieutenant de Coigny had made his men stand back. I heard the Grand -Duchess say to him in her soft, tender voice: -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse him, monsieur, he has just suffered greater shocks than the war -will ever bring him." -</p> - -<p> -And now I felt her hand on my brow. -</p> - -<p> -"Courage, <i>ami</i>," she said, in low but firm tones. "You are going back -to your own home, your own fair land, a land I love. It will need you, -for the coming struggle will be terrible, much more terrible than you -can imagine. But you will know many glorious emotions, horses galloping -in the August sun; heaven-sent transports in which reason forsakes one, -everything, indeed, which could make a woman like myself regret I am not -a man. -</p> - -<p> -"It will be terrible, very terrible. But over there, beyond the -frontiers, other horsemen are springing into the saddle, horsemen called -'Big Heads', with astrakhan caps, curving sabres and leaden whips, who -charge with their terrible cry of 'Huâ! huâ! huâ!' so that the -stoutest hearts fail and the strongest arms fling away their weapons the -better to flee the Cossacks of Tumene. -</p> - -<p> -"Remember you have no cause for grief. And if you would have proof, -think of the fate in store for her who is returning to Lautenburg -without you." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" I murmured through my tears. "Stay with us. Don't go back. Think -of what may happen to you there!" -</p> - -<p> -I heard her voice and it was almost a hiss. -</p> - -<p> -"Child, child, I thought that after knowing me so well you would have -learned a little of what hate can mean. Boose has come back. Have you -really forgotten the fireplace in the armoury, the letters from the -Congo, the whole treacherous mystery? Do you really think that just at -the moment when I am about to unravel the secret of the crime I shall -let the criminal go?" -</p> - -<p> -My tears fell uncontrolled. Then suddenly a sensation of extreme relief -exalted my despair, as for one second I felt the touch of her lips upon -my forehead.... -</p> - -<p> -I started up with a terrible cry. Like one possessed I began to run -after her down the road till I stumbled and fell full length in the -ditch. -</p> - -<p> -When I picked myself up, breathless and desperate, the car was nothing -but a tiny grey speck in the east. -</p> - -<div class="tb">* * * * * *</div> - -<p> -Thanks to the horse which one of Lieutenant de Coigny's dragoons had -given up to me I reached Audun-le-Roman about seven o'clock. There a car -was immediately requisitioned, and I was taken to Nancy. -</p> - -<p> -I had expected that mobilization would already have been ordered in -France. But nothing had been done, and my mind became obsessed by the -memory of the tremendous preparations I had witnessed that night, -preparations which removed any lingering doubt. -</p> - -<p> -We went straight to the Prefecture, and I was taken before the Prefect. -I told him as fully as possible everything I had seen and heard. He -listened to me with the closest attention, taking notes. When I left him -he was already telephoning to Paris the information I had given him. -</p> - -<p> -I wandered about in the streets of Nancy, as my train was not leaving -until twelve midday. -</p> - -<p> -Too harassed and excited to rest, I went into a café in the Place -Stanislas. When I put my hand in my pocket to pay I drew out the -note-case which Aurora had put there. I had never felt so well off as at -that moment when money, once the most coveted of possessions, seemed to -have lost all value for me. -</p> - -<p> -I walked in a main street and stopped, all unconsciously, at a shop. I -went in and bought the clothes you see me in now. I was so stupefied -that I didn't even notice that for field service the blue tunic had -taken the place of the old black tunic with red collar. -</p> - -<p> -At midday the train started for Paris. For the first time I saw all -those places that the retreat has engraved on our minds: Dormans, with -its bridge that we crossed on September 2nd in the added gloom of the -anniversary of Sedan; the lovely Jaulgonne road down which we chased the -enemy; Château-Thierry on the Marne, with its ruined castle perched up -on high, where we slept in a bed for the first time. -</p> - -<p> -It was twenty minutes past five when the train drew up in -Château-Thierry station. There I learned the news of the general -mobilization. The wall of fire and steel which separated me from my -beloved sovereign of Lautenburg had at last been raised. -</p> - -<p> -The atmosphere was heavy and thunderous when I got out at the Gare de -l'Est, but the great city of Paris was calm. Oh, Paris, once I had -feared so much for you when this terrible moment should come; your -excitability, your fits of passion, your very ardour, which might be -treason's opportunity. And now the hour had come and not even -assassination had shaken your quiet resolution, the assassination of the -man who had boasted that he could start or stop revolution at his will. -</p> - -<p> -My mobilization orders had disappeared in the fire at the castle of -Lautenburg, but that didn't worry me much. I knew them by heart and -decided to leave next morning to rejoin the 18th Infantry at Pau. -</p> - -<p> -I put on my uniform in a hotel bedroom and then, walking through the Rue -Lafayette, I made for the centre of the city. -</p> - -<p> -People were much more excited than noisy. There were a good many -soldiers about, already officers like myself, but all of them had on -their arms mothers or wives who looked into their eyes with an -indescribable expression of pride and tenderness. But I was lonely and -alone on that tragic evening, even more lonely in that city than on the -night when I had left it. -</p> - -<p> -I hadn't as yet any notion whither I was wending my way. But I began to -have some inkling when I had reached the Rue Royale with its brilliantly -lit terraces swarming with people. As I passed Weber's I thought of -Clotilde. "It's August. She hasn't got her white fox now. She must be -wearing a light silk blouse...." Then memories of the girl filled me with -loathing. -</p> - -<p> -A pall of shadow was beginning to settle on the trees of the -Champs-Elysées under the darkening sky. I turned to the right and chose -the little alleys which remind you of a watering-place with their trees -and casinos. Cars stopped with a jerk before well-lit restaurants. -Commissionaires opened their doors. -</p> - -<p> -I had reached the Avenue Gabriel, a dark tunnel of foliage. I walked up -it slowly. A feeling of unutterable anguish invaded my whole being. Soon -I saw lights in a restaurant window. On the door of that restaurant I -read the word "Laurent." -</p> - -<p> -I sat down opposite that door, on the bench I knew I should find there. -My fingers groped over the rough surface of the back, striking here and -there the round, flat heads of the big nails. -</p> - -<p> -At last they stopped. They had found what they wanted. I leaned down and -had no difficulty, though it was now quite dark, in deciphering the -three marks, those three letters "A. A. E." which the little Tumene -princess had once carved there. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="EPILOGUE">EPILOGUE</a></h4> - -<p> -"My story is told," said Vignerte. -</p> - -<p> -He lapsed into silence and I respected his feelings. Then, little by -little, we both felt our thoughts wandering from the tragedy he had just -conjured up and concentrate on that other drama that was about to be -unfolded before our eyes. -</p> - -<p> -It was a quarter to six. It was not yet light, though we felt that day -was at hand. The four runners, one for each section, had silently come -up behind. -</p> - -<p> -Six o'clock!... The hour fixed for the attack. A minute passed, a minute -that seemed an eternity. Then the distant sound of a whistle reached our -ears. The 22nd were leaving their trenches. -</p> - -<p> -There was about three hundred yards between their trenches and the horn -of the wood which our comrades were to clear. To cross a space of three -hundred yards, mainly on your stomach, requires a good quarter of an -hour. -</p> - -<p> -The night was cold, but light clouds, already turning to burnished gold -in the grey eastern sky, promised a fine day. You can't imagine what a -tragic moment those minutes of breathless expectation are. And yet none -of those who have come back from the dreadful experience ever regret -having known it. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly a sharp shot rang out at the bottom of the valley. Then two, -three.... A German post had given the alarm, but too late, judging by -the time that had elapsed. Our men must have been on them. -</p> - -<p> -Then to our right volleys crashed out, like a sheet of metal being -ripped in two. It was the 23rd Company, whose orders were to maintain a -steady fire on the Germans opposite with a view to holding them down and -preventing them from helping their comrades in distress. -</p> - -<p> -Now the whole hostile line replied with nervous bursts which augured -well for us. Their shooting was bad and their bullets flew high above -our heads. Now and then a snapped twig fell beside us, like a leaf -fluttering to earth. Any one who has done any fighting in wooded country -knows what I mean. -</p> - -<p> -The din had lasted about five minutes when, on our right, an enormous -flame shot up into the sky, illuminating all the heights opposite, and -then dying out in a shower of debris. At the same moment there was the -deafening roar of a terrific explosion. -</p> - -<p> -"That's what we wanted," I murmured to Vignerte. "There was a mine -there, and they've fired it." -</p> - -<p> -On our own bit of front the firing had begun again with redoubled -vigour. Then there was a sudden silence. A rocket went up from our -lines. -</p> - -<p> -That rocket told our artillery that the 22nd had just got safely back to -its trenches and that its turn had now arrived. The barrage opened -immediately. -</p> - -<p> -We could now hear the invisible monsters coming from behind, describing -their deadly curves above our heads. That roar gets louder and louder -and yet seems so slow, so terribly slow, that you can never explain how -it is you cannot see one of these birds that make such a tremendous -noise. -</p> - -<p> -And then comes the end of the journey in the enemy's trenches, the blue -and red flame, the earth and debris flying heavenwards in a sulphur -column, the ear-splitting crash of the explosion. -</p> - -<p> -Vignerte and I watched the effects of the bombardment through our -glasses. -</p> - -<p> -All at once I heard some one calling me. -</p> - -<p> -It was the runner between us and battalion headquarters. He came up, out -of breath with running. -</p> - -<p> -"Sir! Sir!" -</p> - -<p> -"What is it?" -</p> - -<p> -"The Commandant wants you at once at his headquarters." -</p> - -<p> -"I'm off," I said to Vignerte. "What news have you at your end?" I asked -the man. "Do you know if the raid of the 22nd succeeded?" -</p> - -<p> -"Splendidly, sir. They only lost two men. They have blown up a mine, -destroyed the trench and brought back nearly forty prisoners. Very good -work, sir. But please come quickly. The Commandant is in a hurry." -</p> - -<p> -I started at a run. There was a very decent communication trench leading -to battalion headquarters, situated some few hundred yards back. There -was only one place, a kind of open slope, which offered no cover. I -crossed it without quickening my pace, for at that moment the German -lines were silent under our bombardment, and I ran no risk. -</p> - -<p> -The Commandant was standing at the door of his dug-out. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, there you are. I'm sorry to have made you run. But it is all owing -to the success of the 22nd." -</p> - -<p> -"What can I do, sir?" -</p> - -<p> -"Look here. You're an expert in German, while I have hardly touched the -beastly language since I left Saint-Cyr. We have here a prisoner of -rank. I've had a shot at questioning him, but can't get a word out of -him. Yet he could give us some mighty useful information. He's a major -in the Engineers, and it was he who was organizing the sap we've just -played Old Harry with. Coste got him, and he'll certainly get his -captaincy for it." -</p> - -<p> -"A senior officer who can't speak French! That's an extraordinary -thing!" I said. "You know many of them pretend not to speak it." -</p> - -<p> -"I do know, otherwise I shouldn't have sent for you. He won't be able to -pretend he doesn't understand the excellent German in which you'll -address him. There is the fellow." -</p> - -<p> -I went into my Commanding Officer's dug-out, where I found the German -major, guarded by the two men of the 22nd who had brought him across -from the German lines. They were so proud of their achievement that they -couldn't help giving me the following piece of information: -</p> - -<p> -"He shot poor Labourdette with his revolver. But with Lieutenant Coste's -help we got him at last." -</p> - -<p> -He was a man about forty, with cold blue eyes and hard but intelligent -features. He hardly replied to the salute I gave him as I entered. -</p> - -<p> -I put several questions to him, but without success. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," he said at length, in the very best French, "as I told you, -what is the good of these questions? I shall only tell you things that -don't matter, such as my name, which does not interest you. As for -military information, I am an officer. So are you. If you were in my -place, you'd say nothing, wouldn't you? Let me do the same." -</p> - -<p> -He lapsed into his obstinate, scornful silence. -</p> - -<p> -"We sha'n't get anything out of him," I said to my chief. "Hadn't he -anything on him, any papers, when he was taken?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing at all," replied the Commandant helplessly. -</p> - -<p> -"Didn't you find <i>anything</i>?" I said to the men. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing but this, sir," one of them replied, taking a crumpled piece of -paper from his pocket. -</p> - -<p> -"Let me see it," I said. -</p> - -<p> -The fragment he handed me was written in pencil and half illegible. It -was the draft of a letter. I had an electric shock the minute I began to -read. -</p> - -<p> -The prisoner watched me with a sly look. -</p> - -<p> -I stepped up to him, beside myself. -</p> - -<p> -"I know your name, <i>now</i>, sir!" I said. -</p> - -<p> -"That is very remarkable," he replied insolently, "for the paper you -have in your possession is not signed, and you are not a wizard." -</p> - -<p> -"You wretch!" I burst out. "Your name is Ulrich von Boose, and you are -the murderer of the Grand Duke Rudolph of Lautenburg-Detmold." -</p> - -<p> -His face turned deadly pale. His hands contracted convulsively. But he -had enough presence of mind to say to my chief in a quivering voice: -</p> - -<p> -"I protest against this treatment, sir! Please be good enough to stop -your lieutenant from insulting an enemy prisoner. It's infamous!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, don't you bother me!" shouted my chief. "But really, lieutenant, -what's all this about? What's in that paper?" -</p> - -<p> -I had the greatest difficulty in controlling my feelings. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me sir," I murmured. "I don't feel able to explain myself.... -But would you be kind enough to send for Lieutenant Vignerte at once! He -knows all about this man, and can tell you everything." -</p> - -<p> -"All right," grumbled my chief. "What a business!" -</p> - -<p> -He gave the order. -</p> - -<p> -At the sound of Vignerte's name the German had turned even paler. There -was rage and hatred in the look he gave me. If the two soldiers had not -held him tight he would certainly have flung himself upon me and tried -to snatch away the paper I was about to re-read with rather more -composure. -</p> - -<p class="letter"> -Once more, for the last time, I tell you this: I have seen too much of -your methods with others not to know what your intentions are as regards -myself. I agreed to go to the war. But the war is dragging on. Every day -I run the risk of never returning at all. No doubt that is exactly what -you want: after the Grand Duke, after the Grand Duchess, my turn, I -suppose! And then there'll be nothing to trouble your sleep.... I am not -such a fool as that. If, within fifteen days, I am not withdrawn from -the front and appointed to a staff post, with the rank to which I think -my services have entitled me, I can promise you <i>this</i>—a -<i>detailed</i> description of the whole affair will be <i>published</i> -by friends of mine, in a large number of neutral or enemy papers, -addressed to all those whose enlightenment you have most reason to fear. -And I can assure you that it will be all the more credible because the -documents will contain a specimen of a handwriting which you know well. -</p> - -<p> -The last sentence was in a totally different handwriting from that of -the rest of the letter. The latter was fine and spidery, the other big -and bold. I had been able to examine them both earlier in the night. One -was the handwriting of the letters written from the Cameroons by the -Grand Duke Rudolph, the other that of the sketch-map I had found in the -"Mittheilungen." -</p> - -<p> -Everything was clear now, horribly clear. "Vignerte's going to know at -last!" I thought, in a transport of joy. -</p> - -<p> -Then suddenly an icy sweat broke out from my temples. What price was he -going to pay for that knowledge! Fool that I was, I had forgotten that -she, too.... -</p> - -<p> -"He mustn't! He mustn't!..." I muttered. -</p> - -<p> -Too late. -</p> - -<p> -"There's Vignerte," said my chief, gazing out from the door of his -dug-out. -</p> - -<p> -It was all over. The fatal step had been taken. -</p> - -<p> -Day dawned, suffusing the earth with pink and blue tints. A thrush sang -on a shattered tree. -</p> - -<p> -I soon saw Vignerte in the ravine below. He was coming up slowly. I -could see his tall, elegant form and, little by little, distinguish his -dark, clean-cut features. -</p> - -<p> -"O God!" I cried. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, sir," said my chief, "have you gone mad?" -</p> - -<p> -And now Vignerte was only a hundred yards away. I saw him stride out as -he got to that open slope which still separated him from the Commanding -Officer's dug-out. -</p> - -<p> -Then, from the clear depths of infinite distance a horrible sound came -out of nothing, and swelled to a great shriek. In the pallid sky an -invisible mass was approaching with the noise of a train entering a -station. The shriek grew louder and louder and we realized that the -hellish journey was to end on us. -</p> - -<p> -We saw the men skip into their holes like so many frogs. -</p> - -<p> -Surprised in the very middle of the bare slope, Vignerte had stopped. -Should he go on, or go back? We felt his fatal hesitation. -</p> - -<p> -The shriek was now a roar of thunder. -</p> - -<p> -"Vignerte!" I screamed frantically. "Lie down! For God's sake, lie -down!" -</p> - -<p> -I saw him for one second more. He had not moved. Drawn to his full -height, and facing the approaching storm with a gentle smile of -acquiescence and ecstasy, he was gazing in rapt attention towards the -dawn. -</p> - -<p> -Then came the crash. -</p> - -<p> -A shower of stones and steel fragments fell on the roof of the dug-out -into which my chief had hastily pulled me at the last moment. When the -dreadful rain had ceased, we looked out, our eyes starting from our -heads with horror. -</p> - -<p> -At the edge of the slope an enormous black crater now yawned with some -pathetic red and blue fragments on the far side. -</p> - -<p class="p2"> -Thus died Lieutenant Vignerte on October 31st, 1914, for love of the -Grand Duchess Aurora of Lautenburg-Detmold. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>THE END</h4> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET SPRING ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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