sLX 
 

 
 ,- 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Peter Soott 

 
 NAPOLEON.
 
 NAPOLEON IN GERMANY 
 
 NAPOLEON AND 
 THE QUEEN OF PRUSSIA 
 
 3ln historical Xocd 
 
 BY 
 
 L. MUHLBACH 
 
 AUTHOR OF MARIE ANTOINETTE, JOSEPH II. AND HIS COURT, BERLIN AND SANS-SOUO, 
 FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS FAMILY, ETC. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY 
 F. JORDAN 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 
 1907
 
 COPYRIGHT. 1867, 1893, 
 BY D. APPLETOX AND COMPANY
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 
 PAQK 
 
 I. 
 
 
 1 
 
 II. 
 
 The German Song, .... 
 
 . 11 
 
 III. 
 
 The Oath of Vengeance, . 
 
 19 
 
 IV. 
 
 In Berlin, ...... 
 
 . 32 
 
 V. 
 
 Quiet is the Citizen's First Duty, 
 
 39 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Faithful People of Stettin, . 
 
 . 45 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Queen's Flight, . 
 
 54 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Napoleon in Potsdam, 
 
 . 64 
 
 IX. 
 
 Sans-Souci 
 
 70 
 
 X. 
 
 Napoleon's Entry into Berlin, 
 
 . 82 
 
 XI. 
 
 Napoleon and Talleyrand, 
 
 93 
 
 XII. 
 
 
 . 103 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The Suppliant Princes, . 
 
 . 113 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Triumph and Defeat, .... 
 
 . 122 
 
 XV. 
 
 The Victoria of Brandenburg Gate, 
 
 . 132 
 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 
 XVI. 
 
 The Treaty of Charlottenburg, . 
 
 . 137 
 
 XVII. 
 
 The Secret Council of State, . 
 
 . 144 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Baron von Stein, 
 
 . 152 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The Queen at the Peasant's Cottage, 
 
 . 161 
 
 XX. 
 
 Count Ptickler 
 
 . 172 
 
 XXI. 
 
 The Patriot's Death, 
 
 . 181 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Peace Negotiations, .... 
 
 . 191 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 The Slanderous Articles, . 
 
 . 197 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 
 . 205 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Countess Mary Walewska, 
 
 . 21^ 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 
 22> 
 
 
 
 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 Tilsit. Napoleon and Alexander, . 
 
 . 235 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 
 . 246
 
 iv CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTKR PAGE 
 
 XXIX. Bad Tidings, 252 
 
 XXX. Queen Louisa and Napoleon, . . . . . 261 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 XXXI. Baron von Stein, . 274 
 
 XXXII. The Patriot, . . 280 
 
 XXXIII. Johannes von Muller, . . . . .289 
 
 XXXIV. The Call 300 
 
 XXXV. Financial Calamities, . . . > . . . ' 309 
 
 XXXVI. Prince William, . 318 
 
 XXXVII. The Genius of Prussia, 326 
 
 XXXVIII. A Family Dinner 335 
 
 BOOK V. 
 
 XXXIX. French Erfurt, 347 
 
 XL. The Conspirators 358 
 
 XLI. The Festivities of Erfurt and Weimar, . . 367 
 
 XLII. Napoleon and Goethe, 376 
 
 XLIII. The Chase and the Assassins, ... ^ 381 
 
 BOOK VI. 
 
 XLIV. The War with Austria, 390 
 
 XLV. Josephine's Farewell 396 
 
 XL VI. Ferdinand von Schill 408 
 
 XLVII. Schill takes the Field, 419 
 
 XLVIII. Schill's Death, 427 
 
 XLJX. The Parade at Schonbrunn 435 
 
 L. Napoleon at Schonbrunn, 440 
 
 LI. Frederick Staps 448 
 
 LJI. An Execution, . . . . ' . . . 456 
 
 BOOK VII. 
 
 LUI. Homeward Bound, 466 
 
 LTV. The Emperor Francis and Metternich, . . . 479 
 
 LV. The Archduchess Maria Louisa, . . . .478 
 
 LVI. The Queen's Birthday 487 
 
 LVII. Louisa's Death, . ... 499
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 FACINO 
 PAGE 
 
 .Portrait of Napoleon Frontispiece 
 
 The Oath of Revenge 29 
 
 The Queen in the Peasant's Cottage 164 
 
 Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia 268 
 
 The Emperor Francis and Metternich 477
 
 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 FEBDINAND VON SCHILL. 
 
 PROFOUND silence reigned in the valleys and gorges of 
 Jena and Auerstadt. The battles were over. The victorious 
 French had marched to Jena to repose for a few days, while 
 the defeated Prussians had fled to Weimar, or were wandering 
 across the fields and in the mountains, anxiously seeking for 
 inaccessible places where they might conceal their presence 
 from the pursuing enemy. 
 
 A panic had seized the whole army. All presence of mind 
 and sense of honor seemed to be lost. Every one thought 
 only of saving his life, and of escaping from the conquer- 
 ing arms of the invincible French. Here and there, it is 
 true, officers succeeded by supplications and remonstrances 
 in stopping the fugitives, and in forming them into small 
 detachments, with which the commanders attempted to join 
 the defeated and retreating main force. 
 
 But where was this main army ? Whither had the Prince 
 of Hohenlohe directed his vanquished troops ? Neither the 
 officers nor the soldiers knew. They marched along the high- 
 roads, not knowing whither to direct their steps. But as soon 
 as their restless eyes seemed to discern French soldiers at a 
 distance, the Prussians took to their heels, throwing their 
 muskets away to relieve their flight, and surrendering at dis- 
 cretion when there was no prospect of escape. In one in- 
 stance a troop of one hundred Prussians surrendered to four 
 French dragoons, who conducted their prisoners to headquar- 
 ters; and once a large detachment hailed in a loud voice a 
 few mounted grenadiers, who intended perhaps to escape
 
 2 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 from their superior force, and gave the latter to understand, 
 by signals and laying down their arms, that they only wished 
 to surrender and deliver themselves to the French. 
 
 The Prussians had reached Jena and Auerstadt confident 
 of victory, and now had left the battle-field to carry the terri- 
 ble tidings of their defeat, like a host of ominously croaking 
 ravens, throughout t4ermany. 
 
 The battle-field, on which a few hours previously Death 
 had walked in a triumphant procession, and felled thousands 
 and thousands of bleeding victims to the ground, was now 
 entirely deserted. Night had thrown its pall over the hor- 
 rors of this Calvary of Prussian glory: the howling storm 
 a! one sang a requiem to the unfortunate soldiers, who, with 
 open wounds and features distorted with pain, lay in endless 
 rows on the blood-stained ground. 
 
 At length the night of horror is over the storm dies away 
 the thick veil of darkness is rent asunder, and the sun of a 
 new day arises pale and sad ; pale and sad he illuminates the 
 battle-field, reeking with the blood of so many thousands. 
 
 What a spectacle! How many mutilated corpses lie pros- 
 trate on the ground with their dilated eyes staring at the sky 
 and among them, the happy, the enviable ! how many 
 living, groaning, bleeding men, writhing with pain, unable to 
 raise their mutilated bodies from the gory bed of torture and 
 death! 
 
 The sun discloses the terrible picture hidden by the pall of 
 night; it illuminates the faces of the stark dead, but awakens 
 the living and suffering, the wounded and bleeding, from 
 their benumbed slumber, and recalls them to consciousness 
 and the dreadful knowledge of their wretched existence. 
 
 With consciousness return groans and wails ; and the dread- 
 ful conviction of their wretched existence opens their lips, 
 and wrings from them shrieks of pain and despair. 
 
 How enviable and blissful sleep the dead whose wounds 
 bleed and ache no longer! How wretched and pitiable are 
 the living as they lie on the ground, tortured by the wounds 
 which the howling night wind has dried so that they bleed 
 no more! Those poor deserted ones in the valley and on the 
 hills the sun has awakened, and the air resounds with their 
 moans and cries and despairing groans, and heart-rending 
 entreaties for relief. But no relief comes to them ; no cheer- 
 ful voice replies to their wails. Hundreds, perhaps thou- 
 sands, had been placed in the ambulances, and, during the 
 sudden panic, the surgeons had left the battle-field with them.
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 3 
 
 But hundreds, nay thousands, remained behind, and with no 
 one to succor them ! 
 
 From among the crowds of wounded and dead lying on the 
 battle-field of Auerstadt, rose up now an officer, severely in- 
 jured in the head and arm. The sun, which had aroused 
 him from the apathetic exhaustion into which he had sunk 
 from loss of blood and hunger, now warmed his stiffened limbs, 
 and allayed somewhat the racking pain in his wounded right 
 arm, and the bleeding gash in his forehead. He tried to 
 extricate himself from under the carcass of his horse, that 
 pressed heavily on him, and felt delighted as he succeeded in 
 loosing his foot from the stirrup, and drawing it from under 
 the steed. Holding with his uninjured left arm to the saddle, 
 lie raised himself slowly. The effort caused the blood to 
 trickle in large drops from the wound in his forehead, which 
 he disregarded under the joyful feeling that he had risen 
 again from his death-bed, and that he was still living and 
 breathing. For a moment he leaned faint and exhausted 
 ygainst the horse as a couch; and feeling a burning thirst, a 
 devouring hunger, his dark, flaming eyes wandered around as 
 If seeking for a refreshing drink for his parched palate, or a 
 piece of bread to appease his hunger. 
 
 But his eye everywhere met only stiffened corpses, and the 
 misery and horror of a deserted battle-field. He knew that 
 no food could be found, as the soldiers had not, for two days, 
 either bread or liquor in their knapsacks. Hunger had been 
 the ally that had paved the way for the French emperor it 
 had debilitated the Prussians and broken their courage. 
 
 " I must leave the battle-field, " murmured the wounded 
 soldier; "I must save myself while I have sufficient strength; 
 otherwise I shall die of hunger. Oh, my God, give me strength 
 to escape from so horrible a death! Strengthen my feet for 
 this terrible walk!" 
 
 He cast a single fiery glance. toward heaven, one in which 
 his whole soul was expressed, and then set out on his walk. 
 He moved along slowly and with tottering steps amid the 
 rows of corpses, some of which were still quivering and moan- 
 ing, as death drew near, while others writhed and wailed with 
 their wounds. Unable to relieve their racking pains, and to 
 assist them in their boundless misery, it only remained for 
 him to sink down among them, or to avert his eyes, to close 
 his ears to their supplications, and escape with hurried stepa 
 from this atmosphere of blood and putrefaction, in order to 
 rescue his own life from the clutches of death.
 
 4 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 He hastened, therefore, but his tearful eyes greeted thp 
 poor sufferers whom he passed on his way, and his quivering 
 lips muttered a prayer for them. 
 
 At length the first and most horrible part of this dreadful 
 field was passed, and he escaped from the chaos of the dead 
 and wounded. That part, across which he was walking now, 
 was less saturated with gore, and the number of corpses scat- 
 tered over it was much smaller. Here and there was the 
 wreck of a cannon besmeared with blood and mire, and empty 
 knapsacks, fragments of broken wagons and muskets, in the 
 utmost disorder and confusion. 
 
 " Spoils for the marauders," whispered the wounded officer, 
 
 Eressing on. " It seems they have not been here yet. God 
 ave mercy on me, if they should come now and look on me, 
 too, as their spoil !" 
 
 He glanced around anxiously, and in doing so his eye be- 
 held an unsheathed, blood-stained sabre lying near his feet. 
 He made an effort to take it up regardless of the blood which, 
 in consequence of the effort, trickled again in larger drops 
 from his wounds. 
 
 " Well," he said, in a loud and menacing voice, " I shall de- 
 fend my life at least to the best of my ability; the hateful 
 enemies shall not capture me as long as I am alive. For- 
 ward, then; forward with God! He will not desert a faithful 
 soldier!" 
 
 And supporting himself on his sabre, as if it were a staff, 
 the officer walked on. Everywhere he met with the same 
 signs of war and destruction; everywhere he beheld corpses, 
 blood-stained cannon-balls, or muskets, which the fugitives 
 had thrown away. 
 
 "Oh, for a drop of water!" groaned the officer, while 
 slowly crossing the field; " my lips are parched!" 
 
 Tottering and reeling, with the aid of his sabre, and by his 
 firm, energetic will, and the resolution of his spirit, he suc- 
 ceeded once more in overcoming the weakness of his body. 
 
 He hastened on with quicker steps, and hope now lent 
 wings to his feet, for yonder, in the rear of the shrubbery, he 
 beheld a house; men were there, assistance also. 
 
 At length, after untold efforts, and a terrible struggle with 
 his pain and exhaustion, he reached the peasant's house. 
 Looking up with longing eyes to the windows, he shouted: 
 "Oh, give me a drink of water! Have mercy on a wounded 
 soldier!" 
 
 But no voice responded; no human face appeared behind
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 5 
 
 the small green windows. Every thing remained silent and 
 deserted. 
 
 With a deep sigh, and an air of bitter disappointment de- 
 picted on his features, he murmured : 
 
 " My feet cannot carry me any farther. Perhaps my voice 
 was too weak, and they did not hear me. I will advance 
 closer to the house." 
 
 Gathering his strength, with staggering steps he approached 
 and found the door only ajar; whereupon he opened it and 
 entered. 
 
 Within the house every thing was as silent as without; not a 
 human being was to be seen; not a voice replied to his shouts. 
 The inside of the dwelling presented a sorry spectacle. All 
 the doors were open; the clay floor was saturated here and 
 there with blood; the small, low rooms were almost empty; 
 only some naif-destroyed furniture, a few broken jars and 
 other utensils, were lying about. The inmates either had fled 
 from the enemy, or he had expelled them from their house. 
 
 " There is no help for me," sighed the officer, casting a de- 
 spairing glance on this scene of desolation. " Oh, why was it 
 not vouchsafed to me to die on the battle-field? Why did 
 not a compassionate cannon-ball have mercy on me, and give 
 me death on the field of honor? Then, at least, I should have 
 died as a brave soldier, and my name would have been honor- 
 ably mentioned; now I am doomed to be named only among 
 the missing! Oh, it is sad and bitter to die alone, unlamented 
 by my friends, and with no tear of compassion from the eyes 
 of my queen ! Oh, Louisa, Louisa, you will weep much for 
 your crown, for your country, and for your people, but you 
 will not have a tear for the poor lieutenant of your dragoons 
 who is dying here alone uttering a prayer for a blessing on 
 you! Farewell queen, may God grant you strength, and 
 
 His words died away; a deadly pallor overspread his fea- 
 tures, his head turned dizzy, and a ringing noise filled his 
 ears. 
 
 "Death! death!" he murmured faintly, and, with a sigh, 
 he fell senseless to the ground. 
 
 Every thing had become silent again in the humble house; 
 not a human sound interrupted the stillness reigning in the 
 desolate room. Only the hum of a few flies, rushing with 
 their heads against the window-panes, was heard. Once a 
 rustling noise was heard in a corner, and a mouse glided 
 across the floor, its piercing, glittering eyes looked searchingly 
 around, and the sight of the bloody, motionless form, lying
 
 6 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 prostrate on the floor, seemed to affright it, for it turned and 
 slipped away even faster than it had approached, and disap- 
 peared in the corner. 
 
 The sun rose higher, and shone down on the dimmed 
 windows of the house, reflecting their yellow outlines on the 
 floor, and illuminated the gold lace adorning the uniform of 
 the prostrate and motionless officer. 
 
 All at once the silence was broken by the approach of 
 hurried steps, and a loud voice was heard near at hand, 
 shouting: 
 
 " Is there anybody in the house? " 
 
 Then every thing was still again. The new-comer was evi- 
 dently waiting for a reply. After a pause, the steps drew 
 nearer now they were already in the hall; and now the tall, 
 slender form of a Prussian officer, .with a bandaged head and 
 arm, appeared on the threshold of the room. When he be- 
 held the immovable body on the floor, his pale face expressed 
 surprise and compassion. 
 
 "An officer of the queen's dragoons!" he ejaculated, and 
 in the next moment he was by his side. He knelt down, and 
 placed his hand inquiringly on the heart and forehead of the 
 prostrate officer. 
 
 " He is warm still/' he murmured, " and it seems to me his 
 heart is yet beating. Perhaps, perhaps he only fainted from 
 loss of blood, just as I did before my wounds had been dressed. 
 Let us see." 
 
 He hastily drew a flask from his bosom, and pouring same 
 of its contents into his hand, he washed with it the forehead 
 and temples of his poor comrade. 
 
 A slight shudder now pervaded his whole frame, and he 
 looked with a half-unconscious, dreamy glance into the face 
 of the stranger, who had bent over him with an air of heart- 
 felt sympathy. 
 
 " Where am I ?" he asked, in a low, tremulous voice. 
 
 " With a comrade," said the other, kindly. " With a com- 
 panion in misfortune who is wounded, and a fugitive like you. 
 I am an officer of the Hohenlohe regiment, and fought at 
 Jena. Since last night I have been wandering about, con- 
 stantly exposed to the danger of falling into the hands of 
 the enemy. My name is Piickler it is a good Prussian 
 name. You see, therefore, it is a friend who is assisting his 
 poor comrade, and you need not fear any thing. Now, tell m 
 what I can do for you ? " 
 
 "Water, water!" groaned the wounded officer, "water!"
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 7 
 
 "You had better take some of my wine here, " said the 
 >>ther; " it will quench your thirst, and invigorate you at the 
 same time." 
 
 He held the flask to the lips of his comrade, and made him 
 ip a little of his wine. 
 
 " Now it is enough, " he said, withdrawing the flask from 
 his lips. " Since you have quenched y^ur thirst, comrade, 
 would you not like to eat a piece of bread and some meat ? 
 Ah, you smile; you are surprised because I guess your wishes 
 and know your sufferings. You need not wonder at it, how- 
 ever, comrade, for I have undergone just the same torture as 
 you. Above all, you must eat something." 
 
 While speaking, he had produced from his knapsack a loaf 
 of bread and a piece of roast chicken, and cutting a few slices 
 from both, placed them tenderly in the mouth of the sufferer, 
 looking on with smiling joy while the other moved his jaws, 
 slowly at first, but soon more rapidly and eagerly. 
 
 "Now another draught of wine, comrade," he said, "and 
 then, I may dare to give you some more food. Hush! do not 
 say a word it is a sacred work you are doing now, a work by 
 which you are just about to save a human life. You must 
 not, therefore, interrupt it by any superfluous protestations 
 of gratitude. Moreover, your words are written in your eyes, 
 and you cannot tell me any thing better and more beautiful 
 than what I am reading therein. Drink! So! And here is 
 a piece of bread and a wing of the chicken. While you are 
 eating, I will look around in the yard and garden to find there 
 some water to wash your wounds." 
 
 Without waiting for a reply, he hastily left the officer alone 
 with the piece of bread, the wing of the chicken, and the 
 flask. When he returned, about fifteen minutes later, with a 
 jar filled with water, the bread and meat had disappeared ; 
 but instead of the pale, immovable, and cadaverous being, he 
 found seated on the floor a young man with flashing eyes, a 
 faint blush on his cheeks, and a gentle smile on his lips. 
 
 '' You have saved me, " he said, extending his hand toward 
 his returning comrade. " I should have died of hunger and 
 exhaustion, if you had not relieved me so mercifully." 
 
 " Comrade," said the officer, smiling, " you have just re- 
 peated the same words which I addressed two hours ago to 
 another comrade whom I met on the retreat; or, to speak 
 more correctly, who found me lying in the ditch. The lucky 
 :ellow had got a horse; he offered me a seat behind him. 
 I saw that the animal was too weak to carry both of us-
 
 8 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 hence I did not accept his offer, but I took the refreshments 
 which he gave to me, and with which he not only saved my 
 life, but yours too. You are, therefore, under no obliga- 
 tions to me, but to him alone." 
 
 "You are as kind as you are generous," said the other, 
 gently, involuntarily raising his hand toward his forehead. 
 
 "And I see that you are in pain," exclaimed the officer, 
 "and that the wound in your head is burning. Mine has 
 been dressed already, and my shattered arm bandaged for I 
 received both wounds yesterday in the early part of the 
 battle, and the surgeon attended to them while the bullets 
 were hissing around us." 
 
 " I was wounded only when every thing was lost, " sighed 
 the other. " A member of the accursed imperial guard 
 struck me down." 
 
 " I hope you gave him a receipt in full for your wounds ?" 
 asked the officer, while tenderly washing the wound with the 
 water he had brought along in the broken jar. 
 
 The other officer looked up to him with flashing eyes. 
 
 " I gave him a receipt which he has already shown to God 
 Himself," he said, " provided there is a God for these ac- 
 cursed French. My sword cleft his skull, but I fell together 
 with him. " 
 
 " Your wound here in the forehead is of no consequence," 
 said the officer; "the stroke only cut the skin. Let us put 
 this moistened handkerchief on it. " 
 
 "Oh, now I am better, "said the other; "now that the 
 wound burns less painfully, I feel that life is circulating 
 again through all my veins. " 
 
 "And what about your arm?" 
 
 " A lancer pierced it. I hope he was kind enough not to 
 touch the bone, so that the arm need not be amputated. 
 It is true, it pains severely; but, you see, I can move it a 
 little, which proves that it is not shattered. Now, comrade, 
 do me still another favor assist me in rising. " 
 
 '* Here, lean firmly en me. There ! I will lift you up now 
 you are on your legs again. Lean on me still, for you might 
 become dizzy." 
 
 " No, I shall not. I feel again well and strong enough to take 
 the burden of life on my shoulders. Thank God ! I am able 
 to stand again. For, however crushed and trampled under 
 foot we may be, we will submit to our fate manfully, and 
 Btand erect. The conqueror and tyrant shall not succeed in 
 bending our heads, although he has broken our hearts. Ah,
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 9 
 
 comrade, that was a terrible day when all Prussia sank in 
 ruins !" 
 
 " You were in the thickest of the fray? The regiment of 
 the queen's dragoons fought at Auerstadt, I believe ?" 
 
 " Yes, it fought at Auerstadt, or rather it did the same as 
 all the other regiments "-it deserted. Only a few squadrons 
 complied with the urgent exhortations of the king, who led us 
 against the squares of the enemy near Hassenhausen. His 
 own horse was shot; we officers stood our ground, but the 
 dragoons ran away.* Ah, I wept with rage, and if my tears 
 could have been transformed into bullets, they would not 
 have been directed against the enemy, but against our own 
 cowardly dragoons. The battle would have been won if our 
 soldiers had not disgracefully taken to their heels. All 
 shouts, orders, supplications, were in vain; the soldiers were 
 running, although no enemy pursued them; the panic had 
 rendered them perfectly crazy. " 
 
 "And do you really believe, comrade, that we owe the loss 
 of the battle exclusively to the cowardice of the soldiers ?" 
 asked the officer. "Did our generals do their duty? Ah, 
 you look gloomy, and do not reply. Then you agree with 
 me? Let us, however, speak of all these things afterward, 
 but first of ourselves. " 
 
 "Yes, first of ourselves!" exclaimed the other, starting 
 from his gloomy reflections. " Count Piickler, you were kind 
 enough to tell me your name, when you relieved an unknown 
 sufferer in so humane a manner, and thereby saved his life. 
 Now permit me to tell you my name, too, so that you may 
 know at least who will always revere your memory with af- 
 fection and gratitude. I am Second-Lieutenant Ferdinand 
 von Schill. You see, it is a very humble name; still I had 
 solemnly vowed that it should not be unknown in the battles 
 that were to be fought. " 
 
 "And I see it written on your brow, comrade, that you will 
 at some future time make up for what fate has now pre- 
 vented you from accomplishing, " said Count Piickler, kindly 
 offering his hand to Lieutenant von Schill. " Yet now let 
 us not think of the future, but of the present. We are dis- 
 abled, and will be helpless as soon as the wound-fever sets in; 
 and we may be sure that that will be to-night. We must, 
 therefore, find a place of refuge; for, if we remain here, with- 
 out assistance, and without food, we shall surely be lost. " 
 
 'You are right; we must leave this house, "said Schill; 
 
 * Historical.
 
 10 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " we must try to reach a city or village. Come, let us go. 
 You are armed, and I have got a sabre, too. Let us go, bat 
 previously let us swear that we will not surrender to the 
 French, but rather die, even should it be necessary to com- 
 mit suicide! You have a knife, and when you cut some 
 bread for me, I saw that it was very sharp. Will you give it 
 to me?" 
 
 " What for?" 
 
 " I want to stab myself, as soon as I see that I cannot 
 escape from the enemy!" 
 
 " And I ? What is to become of me?" 
 
 " Before killing myself, I will stab you with my sabre. 
 Will that content you?" 
 
 " It will. Be careful, however, to hit my heart ; do not 
 merely wound, but kill me. " 
 
 "Ah, I see that we understand each other, and that the 
 same heart is pulsating in our breast!" exclaimed Schill, joy- 
 fully. " Let us die, rather than be captured by the enemy 
 and depend on the mercy of the Corsican tyrant! Now, 
 comrade, let us go ! For you are right ; the wound-fever will 
 set in toward evening, and without assistance we shall be 
 lost. " 
 
 " Come, " said Piickler, "place your uninjured arm in mine. 
 It seems fate has destined us for each other, for it has ruined 
 your right arm and my left arm; thus we can walk at least 
 side by side, mutually supporting ourselves. I shall be your 
 right hand, and you will lend me your left arm when I have 
 to embrace anybody. But, it is true, no one will now care for 
 our embrace; every one will mock and deride us, and try to 
 read in the bloody handwriting on our foreheads : ' He is also 
 one of the vanquished Prussians !' " 
 
 " Comrade, did you not tell me a little while ago, that it 
 would be better for us to attend to our own affairs, before 
 talking about other matters?" 
 
 "It is true; let us go!" 
 
 And, leaning on each other, the two officers left the house.
 
 THE GERMAN SONG. 11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE GERMAN SONG. 
 
 IT was a sunny morning in autumn; the two wounded 
 officers were inhaling the bracing air in long draughts, and 
 their eyes were wandering over the transparent sky and the 
 picturesque landscape. 
 
 " And to think that my eyes would never more have seen 
 all this, if you had not had mercy on me I" said Schill, with 
 a grateful glance at his companion. 
 
 " Ah, my friend," sighed Piickler, mournfully, " we shall 
 not always behold the sky and this beautiful, silent scene, 
 but it may easily happen that we shall see much misery to- 
 day, and that you will curse your eyes for being compelled 
 to perceive it ! Still you are right it is better to live, even in 
 anguish and distress, than to die in anguish and distress; for 
 he who lives has still a future before him, and is able to strive 
 in it for revenge and compensation for the past. Let us de- 
 scry our immediate future from the hill yonder, and there de- 
 cide on the direction we shall take." 
 
 They walked toward the neighboring hill. Frequently they 
 h:id to stop on the way ; frequently they sank down exhausted ; 
 but their will and youthful energy overcame their weakness, 
 and finally they reached their destination : they stood on the 
 summit, and were able to survey the whole country for miles 
 around. 
 
 " Yonder, where that dreadful smoke is rising, is the 
 battle-field of Auerstadt ! " said Schill, after a long pause, 
 during which they had taken breath. 
 
 " Yes, and beyond those hills is Jena," said Piickler, sadly 
 " Those are two melancholy names for a Prussian ear, and, 
 like Ulysses, I should like to close mine so as not to hear that 
 siren voice of death any more; for, I tell you, whenever I hear 
 those two names, I am driven to despair, and would like to- 
 throw myself into that abyss !" 
 
 " My friend, it seems to me we are already in the abyss,, 
 and our first and most earnest endeavors should be directed 
 toward saving us from it, " said Schill, shrugging his shoul- 
 ders. " Our first step should be to get safely through the 
 enemy's lines, in order to escape from the dangers to which a 
 2
 
 12 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 collision with the French would expose us. Whither shall we 
 turn now? Have you formed already a definite plan, count:"' 
 
 " Being disabled from active service by my wounds, I shall 
 repair to my estates in Silesia, and remain there till I have 
 recovered. And you, comrade will you permit me to make 
 you an offer ? If you have not yet come to a different decision, 
 you ought to accompany me, and stay at my house till your 
 wounds are healed. I have splendid woods, and facilities for 
 angling on my estates; and if you like hunting and fishing, 
 I am sure a sojourn at my house will afford you plenty of 
 amusement. " 
 
 "But you forget that my right arm is wounded, count, " 
 said Schill, with a melancholy smile; "hence, I shall be but 
 a poor companion for you, and ought not to accept your 
 kind offer. I confess, moreover, that my mind is too restless, 
 and my heart too deeply grieved, to enjoy the peace and quiet 
 of country life. I must remain in the noise and turmoil of 
 the world, and see what will become of poor Prussia. I in- 
 tend going to Kolberg; the fortress is strong and impregna- 
 ble; it will be an insurmountable bulwark against the enemy, 
 and I have several intimate friends at the fortress. I will 
 stay with them till I am well again. " 
 
 " Our paths, then, will soon be different. You will go to 
 the north; I, to the east. But, for a few days, we shall still 
 remain together, for the wound-fever will compel us to ad- 
 vance very slowly. Let us look out now for a dinner, and for 
 a place where we may safely sleep to-night ." 
 
 "And, it seems to me, I see a prospect of obtaining both. 
 Yonder, " said Schill, pointing with his left hand to a small 
 point on the horizon. " Do you perceive that steeple? There 
 is a village, and consequently there are men; and, as it is sit- 
 uated northeast, it is in the right direction for both of us. " 
 
 " You are right; we will direct our steps thither/' exclaimed 
 Count Piickler. " May Fate be propitious to us, and keep 
 the French out of our path!" 
 
 They walked down the hill on the opposite side, and then 
 commenced crossing, arm in arm, the stnbble-field that lay 
 stretched out before them. All around them nothing what- 
 ever was stirring not a sound, not even the chirping of a 
 bird, or the humming of a beetle, interrupted the profound 
 silence; neither a house, nor any trace of human life, was to 
 be seen anywhere. 
 
 " It is as still here as the grave," whispered Count Piickler. 
 
 " Death probably has already stalked across this field on its
 
 THE GERMAN SONG. 13 
 
 to Jena and Auerstadt, " said Schill, " and for this reason 
 all "Nature seems to hold its breath lest it should return. " 
 
 '' But it will not return very soon, for I should think Death 
 itself must be exhausted by the terrible work it had to per- 
 form on the battle-field. Comrade, now that we know our 
 destination, and have arranged our affairs, we may converse 
 a little about the dreadful events which occurred yester- 
 day. You were at Auerstadt. Do you know that at Jena we 
 had no knowledge whatever of the battle that was going on 
 at Auerstadt, and were informed of it only in the evening, 
 after we had been completely routed? "\Ve did not hear the 
 reports of your guns!" 
 
 " So it was with us, too. At Auerstadt we did not know 
 that a battle was being fought at Jena; the roar of our own 
 artillery prevented us from hearing yours. Only when the 
 king had sent off several orderlies to order the Prince of 
 Hohenlohe and General Riichel to cover our retreat, we 
 learned, from the chasseur who returned first, that a battle 
 had been fought also at Jena, and that Hohenlohe and Eiichel 
 were unable to afford us any assistance. I cannot describe to 
 you the dismay produced by this intelligence. Every one 
 thought only of saving himself; there was no longer any 
 obedience, sense of honor, or bravery. The generals were too 
 confused to issue orders, and the soldiers too frightened to 
 listen to their officers. " 
 
 " And the king ?" 
 
 " The king was evidently determined to die. His face was 
 livid, his lips were quivering; wherever the bullets rained down 
 most murderously, thither he spurred his horse. He had two 
 horses killed, but remained uninjured. It seems Fate was 
 too unmerciful toward him: it had decreed that the King of 
 Prussia should not die, but learn in the stern school of suf- 
 fering and experience what Prussia needs. " 
 
 "And the Duke of Brunswick the commander-in-chief ?'* 
 
 "Ah, you do not yet know the terrible fate that befell him? 
 A bullet passed through his head; it entered on the right side, 
 and came out on the left. This happened in the early part 
 of the battle; the duke was brought back to Auerstadt in a 
 fainting condition ; his wound was dressed there, and then 
 he was carried by some soldiers to Blankenburg. " 
 
 " The duke is not yet dead, then, notwithstanding this ter- 
 rible wound ?" 
 
 " Xo, " said Schill, solemnly, "God would not let him die 
 without reaping the fruit of what he had sown. For his
 
 14 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 mental blindness God punished him with physical blindness. 
 The ball destroyed both his eyes. " 
 
 "Dreadful!" muttered Count Piickler. 
 
 " You pity him?" asked Schill, harshly. " You had better 
 pity the thousands who are lying on the bloody battle-fields 
 of Jena and Auerstadt, and accusing the duke of having 
 murdered them! You had better pity Prussia's misfortunes 
 and disgrace, which have been brought about by the duke! 
 For, I tell you, the indecision, vacillation, and timidity of the 
 duke were the sole causes of our terrible disaster. All of us 
 felt and knew it. None of the younger officers and generals 
 had any doubt about it; every one knew that those old gen- 
 tlemen, who had oTitlived their own glory, and still believed 
 that they lived in the days of Frederick the Great, were un- 
 equal to the occasion, to the present time, and to the present 
 war. Because we were aware of this, we made the utmost 
 efforts to bring about a change of commanders. We elected 
 a deputation of officers, and sent them to General Kalkreuth, 
 for the purpose of laying our complaints and prayers before 
 him, and of imploring him to induce the king to deprive the 
 duke of his command, and to intrust it to younger and more 
 resolute hands. The deputation consisted of none but skil- 
 ful, prominent, and highly-esteemed officers, who boldly de- 
 clared it to be their firm conviction that the king was in 
 danger of losing his crown and his states, if the Duke of 
 Brunswick should remain at the head of the army." * 
 
 "And what did General Kalkreuth reply to them?" 
 
 " The general asked, in a harsh tone, for a further explana- 
 tion of their words, and the officers gave it to him. They 
 censured the duke's idea of establishing a camp at Weimar, 
 and dwelt contemptuously on the reasons that might have 
 induced him to do so. They proved, by referring to the 
 whole proceedings of the duke, that he knew neither what 
 he was doing nor what he wanted to do; neither where he 
 was, nor whither he was going; and they added that, in con- 
 sequence of this deplorable state of affairs, the whole army 
 was filled with the most startling and discouraging rumors.f 
 But their prayers, their remonstrances, their angry denunci- 
 ations, and predictions, were unavailing. General Kalkreuth 
 could not make up his mind to represent the dangers of the 
 situation to the king, although he himself was just as well 
 satisfied of its critical character as all the younger officers of 
 
 * Vide Frederick von Gentz's writings, edited by G. Schlesier, vol. ii., p. 314. 
 t Ibid., vol. ii., p. 315.
 
 THE GERMAN SONG. 15 
 
 the army. And thus we were defeated, disastrously defeated 
 and routed, in spite of all warnings of our consciousness of 
 the danger, and of all predictions. This time, it was not the 
 inexperience and impetuosity of youth, but the antiquated 
 method and slowness of age, that brought about our rum." 
 
 " Yes, you are right, " sighed Count Piickler; " our old gen- 
 erals are the cause of our misfortunes." 
 
 " Do you know, for instance," asked Schill, indignantly, 
 " why we lost the important defile of Kosen? In consequence 
 of the night-sweat of General von Schmettau !" 
 
 " Ah, you can jest even now I" said Piickler, sadly. 
 
 "I do not jest, by any means; on the contrary, I am in 
 dead earnest! The Duke of Brunswick had ordered the gen- 
 eral, on the day before the battle, to start early next morning 
 with his division, and occupy the defile of Kosen. His ad- 
 jutant. Lieutenant von Pfuel, went repeatedly to his head- 
 quarters to remind him of the urgent necessity of setting out, 
 and to implore him to rise from his bed. ' But, sir,' replied 
 the old general, 'let me wait at least until my night-sweat is 
 gone; I understand it is a very chilly morning!'* The old 
 general did not rise until nine o'clock, and started at ten with 
 his division toward Kosen. When he reached the defile he 
 found that Marshal Davoust had caused it to be occupied by 
 a regiment of infantry scarcely an hour before. That night- 
 sweat of the old general has become the death-sweat of many 
 brave Prussians, and the gray hairs of the old chieftain will 
 now cause the hair of our youth to turn gray with shame and 
 grief." 
 
 " Oh, it is a terrible disgrace for us, and I hardly know how 
 we are to bear it in a manly and dignified manner, " said 
 Count Piickler, gloomily. " In these hours of melancholy only 
 we feel the full extent of our ardent love for our country: now 
 only we perceive the indissoluble ties that attach our hearts 
 to it ! I should like to pour out my blood in tears for this 
 crushed, disgraced, and yet so dearly-beloved country, and I 
 feel that if we do not rise speedily from our degradation, I 
 shall die of despair!" 
 
 " You will not die," said Schill, gravely, " for all of us who 
 love Prussia, and are devoted to her honor, must not think of 
 dying at the present time; all of us must assist Prussia in ris- 
 ing again from the dust, so that she may once more boldly meet 
 the tyrant, and take revenge for herself and for Germany! 
 For Prussia is Germany now, because she is the only power 
 
 * Vide Funster's " Modem History of Prussia, 1 ' vol. i., p. 757.
 
 16 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 in Germany that has resisted and braved the Corsican con- 
 queror. But God wanted first to arouse her from her arro- 
 gance and vanity, and make the weakness of her leading 
 men known to her, that she might rise after a noble regenera- 
 tion and with redoubled strength. Life springs from death, 
 and Prussia had to fall so low as to break her old decrepit 
 limbs that were still kept together by her glory from the 
 Seven Years' War; and then the young, vigorous soldier of 
 the new century will arise and draw the sword to deliver his 
 subjugated country, and avenge its desecrated honor!" 
 
 " Then you hope still for a change for the better ?" asked 
 Count Piickler, mournfully. 
 
 " I base my hopes on the propitious star of Prussia," ex- 
 claimed Schill, enthusiastically, " on the future, on the wrath 
 and grief which will awake now in all Prussian hearts, arousing 
 the sluggards, strengthening the vacillating, and urging the 
 timid. I base my hopes on the tears of Queen Louisa, which 
 will move Heaven to help us and awaken avengers on earth. 
 And, for ourselves, comrade, with our wounds, with our dis- 
 grace, we must be like the spirits of vengeance that sweep 
 across the heath in the howling storm of diversity, and 
 awaken the sleeper who would give way to dreams of peace 
 and inaction. Prussia must not make peace in her present 
 calamitous condition; she must fill the hearts and minds of 
 all with longings for war, till the whole nation arises in its 
 rage and expels the enemy from the country! My friend, we 
 have now witnessed the downfall of Prussia, but henceforth 
 we must exert ourselves in order to witness also her regen- 
 eration. We ourselves must be the " 
 
 "Hush!" said Piickler, hastily. "Just look there, and 
 then take your sabre." 
 
 They were now near a field-path leading to a small wood 
 which a slender youth had just left, and was hastily approach- 
 ing them. As yet, however, he was so far from them that they 
 were unable to distinguish his features or his dress, and to dis- 
 cern whether he was an armed soldier or a peaceable wanderer. 
 
 "It is, doubtless, a French soldier, and his comrades are 
 lying in ambush," murmured Piickler, placing his hand on 
 his sword. 
 
 " If he wants to attack us, he had better say his death- 
 prayers," said Schill, calmly. " There are two of us, and each 
 has one uninjured arm." 
 
 The youth had meanwhile drawn nearer, and they saw that 
 ne did not wear any uniform.
 
 THE GERMAN SONG. 17 
 
 " He is very young, " said Piickler, " and a civilian. He has 
 apparently not yet seen us. That bush yonder is concealing 
 us from his eyes. Let us stoop a little, and, as the path lies 
 beyond, he may pass by without noticing us. " 
 
 They knelt down behind the bush, but, while doing so, took 
 their swords, and prepared for an attack. Then they held 
 their breath and listened. 
 
 Profound silence reigned around, and nothing was to be 
 heard but the quick steps of the wanderer, who drew nearer 
 and nearer. Suddenly this silence was interrupted by a fresh 
 and youthful voice, singing the air of a popular song. 
 
 "Ah, he sings," murmured Schill. "He who can sing to- 
 day, must be very harmless, and it is not worth while to kill 
 him. " 
 
 "Hush! hush! let us listen to his song. He is now sing- 
 ing words to the melody. Just listen ! " 
 
 The voice resounded nearer and nearer to the two listeners, 
 and they could understand the words he was singing; 
 
 O Hermann ! for thy country's fall 
 
 No tears ! Where vanquished valor bled 
 
 The victor rules, and Slavery's pall 
 Upon these hills and vales is spread. 
 
 Shame burns within me, for the brave 
 
 Lie mouldering in the freeman's grave. 
 
 No voice ! where sturdy Luther spoke 
 
 Fearless for men who dared be free! 
 O would that Heaven's thunder woke 
 
 My people for their liberty ! 
 Must heroes fight and die in vain? 
 Ye cowards ! grasp your swords again ! 
 
 Revenge ! revenge ! a gory shroud 
 
 To tyrants, and the slaves that yield 1 
 Eternal honor calls aloud 
 
 For courage in the battle-field. 
 Who loves or fears a conquered land 
 That bows beneath the despot's hand 1 
 
 And whither flee ? Where Winkelried 
 
 And Tell and Ruyter bravely broke 
 Oppression's power their country freed 
 
 All all beneath the usurper's yoke 1 
 From Alpine fountains to the sea 
 The patriot dead alone are free. 
 
 My people ! in this sorrowing night, 
 
 The clanking of your chains may be 
 The sign of vengeance, and the fight 
 
 Of former times the world may see, 
 When Hermann in that storied day 
 As a wild torrent cleft his way. 
 
 No idle song, O youth ! thy boast. 
 
 In self -born virtue be as one 
 WTio is himself a mighty host 
 
 By whose sole arm is victory won. 
 No blazoned monument so grand 
 As death for the dear Fatherland.
 
 l NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 To die! how welcome to the brave ! 
 
 The tomb awakes no coward fear 
 Save to the wretched, trembling slave 
 
 Who for his country sheds no tear. 
 To crown me with a fadeless wreath 
 Be thine, O happy, sacred death ! 
 
 Come, shining sword ! avenge my dead ! 
 
 Alone canst thou remove this shame. 
 Proud ornament ! with slaughter red 
 
 Restore my native land its fame. 
 By night, by day, in sun or shade, 
 Be girt around me, trusty blade. 
 
 The trumpet on the morning gale 1 
 
 Arm ! forward to the bloody strife ! 
 From loftiest mountain to the vale 
 
 Asks dying Freedom for her life. 
 Our standard raise, to glory given, 
 And higher still our hearts to Heaven.* 
 
 * This is one of Arndfs soul-stirring, patriotic hymns, published in 1806. It i 
 difficult to render into readable English this species of German heroic verse so as to 
 preserve its rhythm. All the thought of the original is however expressed in the 
 translation. The only change of any importance is the transposition of the seventh 
 stanza. 
 
 Kerne Thrane, Hermann, f tir dein Volk t 
 
 Keine Thrane, und die Schande brennet, 
 
 Und der Feind gebietet, wo die Freien 
 
 Siegten und flelen ? 
 
 Keine Stimme laut, wo Luther sprach ? 
 Alle Donner, die der Himmel sendet, 
 Soil ten rufen : Volkerwache! feiges; 
 Greife zum Schwerte. 
 
 Rache ! Rache ! heissen, blufgen Tod 
 Sklavenfursten und dem Knecht der fliehet! 
 Mannerwort gef urchtet und gepriesen, 
 Maunliche Tugend 1 
 
 Ach wohin ? wo Winkelried erlag, 
 Wilhelm schlug. und Ruyter tapfer siegte ; 
 Auf den hochsten Alpen, in den tiefsten 
 Stimpfen ist Knechtschaft. 
 
 Auch du, Hermann's, auch du. ktihnes Volk ? 
 Auf ! Erwache ! SchUttle deine Ketten, 
 Dass die Schmach die Welt vernehme, bald auoh 
 Blutige Rache ! 
 
 Lieder helfen hier and Maler nicht. 
 Maler ? Tief im Herzen sei das Denkmal, 
 An dem Thurm der selbstgebornen Tugend 
 Hebe dich, JUngling ! 
 
 Und voran geworf en kiihn die Brust, 
 Und empor das Auge zu dem Himmel, 
 Hoch die Fahne 1 Hoch zum Himmel ! H6her 
 Flammende Herzen. 
 
 Tod, du sttsser, fur das Vaterland, 
 Stisser als der Brautgruss, als das Lallen 
 Auf dem Mutterschooss des ersten Kindes, 
 Sei mir willkommen 1 
 
 Was das Lied nicht 18set, IQst das Schwert, 
 Blinkend Heil, umgtirte meine Httften 1 
 Vor der Schande kannst du Tapfre retten, 
 Zierde der Tapfern !
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 19 
 
 Just when the youth had sung the last verse in a ringing 
 voice, he had reached the bush. And now there arose above 
 it two pale heads, wrapped in white, blood-stained handker- 
 chiefs, and sang in enthusiastic tone the last verse of the song 
 they had heard: 
 
 Was das Lied nicht loset, lost das Schwert! 
 Blinkend Heil, umgiirte meine HUften ! 
 Vor der Schande kannst du Tapfre retten, 
 Zierde der Tapfern 1 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 
 
 SPEECHLESS with surprise, the youth had listened to the 
 song, and fixed his large eyes steadfastly on the two officers, 
 whose uniforms and wounds revealed to him the melancholy 
 fate that had befallen them during the last few days. 
 
 When the two were silent, he approached them with an air 
 of profound respect. 
 
 " Bravo, officers of Auerstadt or Jena," he said, with a voice 
 trembling with emotion, "permit a poor young wanderer 
 to present his respects to you, and to thank you, in the name 
 of the German fatherland, for the wounds on your foreheads. 
 Such wounds are also an * ornament of the brave.' " * 
 
 " And such words are an ornament of a noble heart," ex- 
 claimed Schill, offering his hand to the youth. 
 
 He took it with a joyful gesture, and, quickly kneeling 
 down, imprinted a glowing kiss on the feverish hand of the 
 wounded officer. 
 
 " My God !" exclaimed Schill, surprised, " what are you 
 doing? How can a man kiss another's hand and kneel before 
 him? Rise!" 
 
 " I am no man," said the youth, deeply moved. "I am 
 but a poor boy, who has not yet done any thing for his coun- 
 try, and, perhaps, never will be able to do any thing for it, 
 but who leels the most profound respect for those who were 
 more fortunate than he. I, therefore, kiss your hand as 
 Catholics kiss the hands of their saints and martyrs. For 
 are you not at the present hour a martyr of German liberty? 
 Hence, sir, give me your hand, too. Let me press my poor 
 
 * An allusion to the last line of the original song.
 
 20 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 lips on it, also. It is the only way for me to manifest my 
 profound respect for you." 
 
 "No," said Count Piickler, felingly, "you shall not kiss 
 my hand, but my cheeks and my lips. Let me embrace you, 
 young man, let me embrace you for the boon you have con- 
 ferred on us by your words. Come, sir!" 
 
 The young man uttered a joyous cry, and, rising quickly, 
 threw himself with youthful impetuosity into the count's 
 arms. 
 
 " I will and must have my share in the embrace," exclaimed 
 Schill, smiling; "did not you before expressly request me, 
 comrade, to lend you my left arm for every embrace? Well, 
 then, here it is." 
 
 He quickly wound his left arm around the necks of the 
 others, and pressed them firmly to his heart. When they 
 withdrew their arms again, tears were glistening in the eyes 
 of the officers as well as in those of the youth. 
 
 " Grief and adversity cause men easily to fraternize," said 
 Schill, "and therefore we shall be brethren henceforward." 
 
 "You will be my brethren?" exclaimed the young man, 
 joyfully. " You will permit the poor boy to call two heroes 
 brethren?" 
 
 "Heroes!" said Piickler, sighing. "Then you do not 
 know, my friends, that we were disgracefully defeated and 
 trampled under foot in yesterday's battle?" 
 
 " I know that, but know also that the luck of battles is not 
 the true standard for the bravery of warriors. You at -least 
 did not run, and, like true heroes, you bear your wounds on 
 your foreheads; your mothers, therefore, will proudly bid you 
 welcome ; your betrothed or your wives will embrace you with 
 rapturous tears, and your friends will be proud of your valor." 
 
 "Does it not seem almost as though he had heard our 
 mournful and d ;spondent words, and wished to comfort us?" 
 asked Schill, turning to the count. " His blue eyes appar- 
 ently do not behold only our physical wounds, but also those 
 which cause our hearts to bleed, and he wishes to apply a 
 balm to them by his sweet, flattering words." 
 
 "He wishes to console the poor defeated, and reconcile 
 them to their fate," said Piickler, nodding kindly to the youth. 
 
 " You have a better and more generous opinion of me than 
 I deserve," he said, sadly bowing his head so as to shake its 
 exuberant mass of long, fair hair. " I simply told you what I 
 thought, and what every one who looks at both of you will and 
 must think."
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 21 
 
 "Would to God you spoke the truth, young man!" said 
 Count Pucklev, mournfully. " Believe me, however, but few 
 will think like yourself; a great many will rejoice at seeing 
 us defeated and humiliated." 
 
 " Instead of bewailing us, they will deride us," exclaimed 
 Schill; "instead of weeping with us, they will revile us!" 
 
 " Who will dare to do so?" exclaimed the youth, in an out- 
 burst of generous anger. " Do you forget, then, that you are 
 in Germany, and that you have shed your blood for your 
 country? Your German brethren will not deride you ; they 
 will not rejoice at your sufferings; they will hope with you 
 for a better and more fortunate day when you will get even 
 with that insolent and hateful enemy, for the battles of Jena 
 and Auerstadt." 
 
 "Pray to God, my young friend, that that day may speedily 
 dawn !" s^id Count Piickler, heaving a sigh. 
 
 "Pray!" ejaculated the young man, impetuously. "In 
 times like ours it is not sufficient to pray and to hope for di- 
 vine assistance; we ought rather to act and toil, and, instead 
 of folding our hands, arm them either with the sword or with 
 the dagger." 
 
 "With the dagger?" asked Schill. "The 'dagger is the 
 weapon of assassins." 
 
 " Was Mceros an assassin because he wanted to stab Diony- 
 eius the tyrant?" asked the youth. " Was he not rather a gen- 
 erous and high-minded man, whom our great Schiller deemed 
 worthy of becoming the hero of one of his finest poems? 
 When the fatherland is in danger, every weapon is sacred, 
 and every way lawful which a bold heart desires to pursue, 
 to deliver the country." 
 
 " Well, I see already that your heart will choose the right, 
 and not shrink back from dangers," said Puckler, kindly. 
 " But, in the first place, tell us which way you are now going 1 
 to take, that we may know whether we shall be allowed to 
 accompany you or not." 
 
 " I come from Erfurt, where my parents are living," saii 
 the young man; "last night I was at Weimar, and now I am 
 going to do what I have sworn a solemn oath to my father to 
 do. I am on my way to Leipsic." 
 
 " And may I inquire what you are going to do in Leipsic?" 
 
 The young man was silent, and a flaming blush mantled 
 for a moment his delicate, innocent face. " According to my 
 father's wishes, I shall become there a merchant's appren- 
 tice." he said, in a low and embarrassed voice.
 
 22 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " What ! Feeling so generous an enthusiasm for the father- 
 land and its soldiers, you want to become a merchant ?" asked 
 Sehill, in surprise. 
 
 The youth raised his blue eyes to him; they were filled 
 with tears. 
 
 "I am ordered to become a merchant," he said in a low 
 voice. " My father is a pious preacher, and hates and detests 
 warfare; he says it is sinful for men to raise their weapons 
 against their brethren, as though they were wild beasts, 
 against which you cannot defend yourself but by killing them. 
 My mother, in former days, became familiar with the horrors 
 of war; she fears, therefore, lest her only son should fall 
 prey to them, and wishes to protect him from such a fate. 
 With bitter tears, with folded hands, nay, almost on her 
 knees, she implored me to desist from my purpose of becoming 
 a soldier, and not to break her heart with grief and anguish. 
 My mother begged and wept, my father scolded and threat- 
 ened, and thus I was obliged to yield and be a dutiful son. 
 Three days ago my father administered the sacrament to me, 
 and I swore an oath to him at the altar to remain faithful to 
 the avocation he had selected for me, and never to become a 
 soldier!" 
 
 He paused, and the tears which had filled his eyes rolled 
 like pearls over his cheeks. 
 
 " Poor friend !" murmued Piickler. 
 
 " Poor brother !" said Sehill, indignantly. "To be doomed 
 to wield the yardstick in place of the sword! How can a 
 father be so cruel as to make his son take such a pledge at 
 the present time?" 
 
 " My father is not cruel," said the youth, gently; " his only 
 aim is my happiness, but he wishes to bring it about in his 
 own way, and not in mine. It behooves a son to yield and 
 obey. Accordingly, I shall not become a soldier, but God 
 knows whether it will be conducive to my happiness. Many 
 a one has already been driven to commit a crime by his de- 
 spair at having chosen an unsuitable avocation. But let us 
 speak no more of myself," he added, shaking his head indig- 
 nantly, as if he wanted to drive the tears from his eyes; " let 
 us speak no more of my petty, miserable grief, but of your 
 great sorrow, which all Germany shares with you. You 
 know now every thing concerning my affairs, and it only re- 
 mains for me to mention my name. It is Staps; ' Frederick 
 Staps' will be my firm one day, if I should live to see it. " 
 
 " Your name is Frederick, like that of Prussia's great king/'
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 23 
 
 said Schill, comfortingly, " and who knows whether you will 
 not one day become ti great soldier like him?" 
 
 " But I have told you already that I have sworn at the altar 
 never to become a soldier," said Frederick Staps, sighing. 
 " I shall never break the oath I have sworn to my father, 
 nor the one either which I have sworn to myself!" 
 
 " The oath that you will become a good and honest man, I 
 suppose ?" asked Puckler. 
 
 " It is unnecessary to take such an oath, because that is a 
 matter of course," said Frederick Staps, quickly. "I swore 
 another oath, but nobody but God must know it. When the 
 time has come, you shall be informed of it. Do not forget 
 my name, and when you hear from me one day, remember 
 this hour and the tears you saw me shed for being compelled 
 to choose an avocation that is repugnant to me." 
 
 " And in order to remember us, you must know who we 
 are," exclaimed Count Puckler, stating his name. 
 
 " And my name is Schill," said the lieutenant. " We fought 
 at Auerstadt and Jena, and are now wandering about, and 
 seeking for a place where we may spend the coming night." 
 
 " You will find it in the village in the rear of the wood," 
 said Frederick Staps. " Come, I will guide you back to the vil- 
 lage and to the country parson, to whom I have on my way 
 just presented my father's respects. He is a good and generous 
 man. You will be kindly received and nursed by him and 
 his wife; and if French soldiers should come to his house, 
 he would not betray, but conceal you." 
 
 "Oh, what delightful words you have just uttered!" ex- 
 claimed Schill, joyously. " Blessed be your lips which have an- 
 nounced to us that we shall be saved, for, let me tell you, we 
 should prefer death to French captivity !" 
 
 " I understand that," said Frederick Staps, quietly. "Come, 
 I will guide you thither." 
 
 " And we accept your offer, as friends ought to accept th^ 
 of a friend," said Count Puckler. " We do not say: ' We cause 
 you trouble and loss of time; let us therefore try to find our 
 way alone;' but we say: 'In these days of affliction we are all 
 brethren, and we must rely on each other's assistance.' 
 Come, therefore, brother, and be our guide." 
 
 They walked slowly toward the small wood from which 
 Staps had issued. 
 
 " You stated you had been in Weimar, and spent a night 
 there," asked Count Puckler. " How does the place look 
 what do people say, and who is there?"
 
 24 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "' It looks like a pandemonium," replied Staps. " Noth- 
 ing is to be heard but curses, shouts, threats, and screams; 
 nothing to be seen but faces pale with terror, and fleeing from 
 the pursuing soldiers. The streets are crowded with men, 
 wagons, and horses. The inhabitants want to leave the city; 
 they know not whither to escape, and are forced back at the 
 gates by French soldiers making their entry, or by vehicles 
 filled with wounded." , 
 
 " And how is it at the palace? The duchess has fled from 
 the wrath of the conqueror, I suppose?" 
 
 " No, the duchess has remained to beg Napoleon to have 
 mercy on her state and her husband. " 
 
 " But is Napoleon already in Weimar?" 
 
 "Yes; became over from Jena this morning. The duchess 
 received him at the foot of the palace staircase, and did not 
 avert her eyes from his angry and haughty glances, but looked 
 at him with the proud calmness of a noble German lady. 
 * You have not fled, then?' asked Napoleon, harshly. ' Then 
 you do not fear my anger at the senseless and hostile conduct 
 of your husband?' The duchess looked quietly at him. ' You 
 see, sire, I have remained because I have confided in your gen- 
 erosity, and wished to intercede for my husband and my 
 people.' Napoleon looked at her during a long pause, and 
 her quiet dignity seemed to impress him very favorably. 
 ' That was well done,' he said at last, ' and for your sa ke, and 
 because you have reposed confidence in me, I will forgive 
 your husband.' * I do not know what occurred afterward, for 
 I left the palace when Napoleon had retired to the rooms 
 reserved for his personal use. My cousin, who is lady's maid 
 of the duchess, told me what I have just related to you." 
 
 " And you did not hear any thing about o^ir king and his 
 consort?" 
 
 " Both are said to be on the way to Magdeburg, where they 
 will remain, if the pursuing enemy wiU permit them. Na- 
 poleon's hatred and wrath are not yet satiated, and his latest 
 bulletin is written in the same vulgar guard-room style as all 
 the recent manifestoes in which he dares to revile the noble 
 and beautiful queen." 
 
 " Then another bulletin has appeared?" 
 
 " It was just distributed among the troops when I left 
 Weimar. A soldier, whom I asked for his copy, gave it to 
 me. Do you wish to read it ?" 
 
 * Napoleon's own words. Vide "Memoires de Constant," vol. iv., and "History 
 f Napoleon," by * * * r, vol. ii . p. 1(K
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 25 
 
 " Read it to us," said Count Piickler. " Let us rest a little 
 in the shade of these trees, for I confess I feel greatly ex- 
 hausted, and my feet refuse to carry me any farther. And 
 how do you feel, comrade?" 
 
 " Do you believe, " asked Schill, in a faint voice, " do you 
 believe that I should not have given vent to my anger at the 
 impudence of that Corsican who dares to revile our noble 
 queen, if I had had sufficient strength to speak? Let us sit 
 down and rest. See, there is a splendid old oak. Let us take 
 breath under its shade." 
 
 They walked toward a large oak, which stood at the en- 
 trance of the wood, and the foot of which was overgrown 
 with fragrant green moss. Assisted by Staps, the two officers 
 seated themselvs, and the roots, covered with soft turf, served 
 as pillows to their wounded heads. 
 
 " Oh, how delightful to rest on German soil under a Ger- 
 man oak!" sighed Schill. "I should like to lie here all my 
 lifetime, looking up to the rustling leaves, and dreaming! 
 Amid the stillness surrounding us, it is almost impossible to 
 believe that we witnessed yesterday such wild strife and blood- 
 shed. Is all this reality, or have we had merely an evil, fever- 
 ish dream?" 
 
 " Touch your forehead ; try to raise your right arm, and 
 you will see that it is reality," said Piickler, laughing bitterly, 
 "and if you should have any doubt, let our young friend read 
 the latest bulletin issued by our triumphator. But will you 
 promise not to interrupt him, nor to be angry at what we are 
 going to hear?" 
 
 " 1 promise you to be perfectly calm, for my weakness com- 
 pels me to be so. Read, friend Staps. But, pray, let us have the 
 German translation, for it would be a violation of the peace- 
 ful silence of the forest, and of the sacredness of the German 
 oak, if we should use here the language of our enemies." 
 
 Frederick Staps sat down opposite the officers, on the 
 trunk of a fallen tree. Drawing a paper from his bosom, he 
 unfolded it, and read as follows : 
 
 " The battle of Jena has effaced the disgrace of Rossbach, 
 and decided a campaign in seven days. Since the ninth of 
 October we have proceeded from victory to victory, and the 
 battles of Jena and Auerstadt have crowned all. The Prus- 
 sian army is dispersed almost annihilated. The king is wan- 
 dering about without shelter, and the queen will now regret 
 with bitter tears that she instigated her husband to this 
 senseless and unjust war. Admirable was the conduct of our
 
 26 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 whole army, soul-stirring the enthusiasm of the brave soldiers 
 for their chieftain and emperor. When there was any mo- 
 mentary difficulty to overcome, the shout of ' Long live the 
 emperor!' resounded, animating all souls, and carrying away 
 all hearts. The emperor saw at the most critical moment of 
 the battle that the enemy's cavalry threatened the flanks of 
 the infantry. He galloped up to order new manoeuvres, and 
 the front to be transformed into a square. At every step he 
 was hailed by shouts of 'Long live the emperor!' The sol- 
 diers of the imperial guard were jealous of all the other corps 
 who participated in the battle, while they alone were inactive. 
 Several voices were already heard to shout, ' Forward !' The 
 emperor turned and asked, ' What is that? He must assuredly 
 be a beardless youth who wishes to anticipate me as to what 
 I ought to do. Let him wait until he has commanded in 
 twenty battles; then he may claim to be my adviser/ The 
 whole guard replied to this rebuke by the unanimous shout 
 of 'Long live the emperor!' and rushed toward the enemy, 
 when, at length, the order was given to charge. The results 
 of this battle are from thirty to forty thousand prisoners, 
 three hundred fieldpieces, and thirty standards. Among the 
 prisoners there are more than twenty generals. The losses 
 of the Prussian army are very heavy, amounting to more than 
 twenty thousand killed and wounded. Our losses are esti- 
 mated at about twelve hundred killed and three thousand 
 wounded. " * 
 
 Profound silence ensued when Staps had read the bulletin. 
 The two officers were still lying on the ground, and their 
 dilated eyes gazing at the roof of foliage above them. 
 
 " And we must quietly listen to that," said Schill, after a 
 long pause; "and our hearts do not break with grief and 
 rage! heaven does not grow dark, and earth does not open to 
 swallow up the degraded, in order to save them compassion- 
 ately from the sense of their humiliation ! These words will 
 be read by the whole of Europe, and all will know that this 
 insolent conqueror may dare with impunity to speak in insult- 
 ing terms of our queen, the purest and best of women !" 
 
 " He is the master of the world, and will issue many more 
 bulletins of this description, and speak in such terms of many 
 more princes and princesses," said Count Piickler. " He has 
 the power to do so. He needs only stretch out his hand, and 
 kingdoms fall to ruins nations are at his feet, and cry implor- 
 ingly : ' Let us be your slaves, and lay your hand on us as our 
 
 * Fifth bulletin of the Grand Army
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 21 
 
 lord and master!' It is useless to resist him. Let us, there- 
 fore, submit." 
 
 " No," exclaimed Schill, rising, " no, let us not submit. 
 When a whole nation arouses itself, and shakes its lion's 
 mane, there is no hand, even though it were an iron one, 
 that could hold and subdue it." 
 
 "But our nation will not rise again it has been crushed,'* 
 said Piickler, mournfully. " It is sleeping the sleep of death." 
 
 " No, it has not been crushed. No, it will not die !" ex- 
 claimed Schill, in an outburst of generous rage. " It is only 
 necessary to instill genuine vitality into its veins, and to 
 awaken it from its lethargy by soul-stirring exhortations, as 
 our young friend here encouraged and strengthened us an 
 hour ago by his noble song. Oh, sing again, friend Staps! 
 Purify the air which is still infected by the words of the 
 imperial bulletin purify it by another German song, and 
 let the native oak, which has listened to our disgrace, now 
 hear also manly words. Sing! and may your voice reach our 
 poor soldiers who are closing their eyes on the battle-field ; 
 and may it breathe the consolation into their ears, ' You die 
 for Germany, but Germany does not die she lives, and will 
 rise again !' " 
 
 " Yes, I will sing," said Frederick Staps, enthusiastically, 
 " but I wish that every note issuing from my breast would 
 transform itself into a sword, and strike around with the 
 storm's resistless fury !" 
 
 "In that case all of us, and yourself, too, would be the 
 first victims," said Piickler, with a melancholy smile. 
 
 "Of what consequence are our lives, if they are given up 
 for the fatherland?*' exclaimed Staps, fervently. " Oh, be- 
 lieve me, I could, like Mucius Scaevola, lay my hand on the 
 red-hot iron, and not wince, but sing jubilant hymns, if I 
 thought that my torture would be useful to my country. 
 Now, I can only sing, only pray, only weep. But who knows 
 whether I shall not become one day a modern Mucius Scaevola, 
 a modern Mceros, and deliver the world from its tyrant?" 
 
 And suddenly raising his voice, with a radiant face, he 
 began to sing : 
 
 Frisch auf ! Es ruf t das Vaterland 
 
 Die Manner in die Schlacht. 
 
 Frisch auf 1 Zu dampfen Trug und Schand 1 
 
 Heran mit Macht, mit Macht ! 
 
 Heran und braucht den M&nnerleib, 
 
 Wozu ihn Gott gebaut: 
 
 Zum Schirra der Jungfrau und dem Weib, 
 
 Dem Saugling und der Braut !
 
 28 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Denn ein Tyrann mit Liigenwort 
 Und Strick und Henkerschwert, 
 Uebt in dem Vaterlande Mord, 
 Und schandel Thron und Heerd, 
 
 Und will, so weit die Sonne scheint 
 
 Der einz'ge Konig sein ; 
 
 Ein Menschenfeind, ein Freiheitsfeind, 
 
 Spricht er ; die Welt ist mein : 
 
 Verhlit' es Gott und Hermann's Blut 1 
 Nie werde solches wahr I 
 Erwache, alter deutscher Muth, 
 Der Recht und Licht gebar ! 
 
 Erwache ! sender Rast und Run, 
 
 Schlag' Jeden der dir droht, 
 
 Und ruf ihni deutsche Losung zu : 
 
 " Sieg gelt' es, oder Tod 1 " * 
 
 " Victory or death !" shouted the two officers, raising their 
 hands and eyes toward heaven. 
 
 " When will the Germans sing and act in this manner?" 
 asked Count Piickler, sadly. 
 
 " When we have awakened them !" exclaimed Schill, joy- 
 fully. " For that is now our only task : to arouse the Ger- 
 mans, and to remind them of their duty and honor. Every 
 one ought to raise his voice for this purpose, and toil for it. 
 The time is past when the nation was separated from the 
 army, and when the civilian hated the soldier. All these sep- 
 arate interests we buried yesterday on the battle-fields of Jena 
 and Auerstadt. Heaven permitted our army to be defeated 
 for the purpose of teaching us that its heart was demoralized 
 and its vitality entirely gone. But Bonaparte, who believes 
 his successes to be due solely to his own energy and sagacity, 
 is, after all, nothing but the scourge that God uses to chastise 
 us. And, after chastising us sufficiently, the scourge will be 
 cast aside, and lie on the ground, trampled under foot and 
 despised, while we shall rise and become again a glorious nation. 
 But, in order to bring about this change, it is necessary to 
 arouse the Prussians, and fan the flames of their patriotism. 
 Every Prussian must feel and know that he is a soldier of the 
 grand army which we shall one day place in the field against 
 the so-called grand army of Napoleon, and, when the call of 
 ' Rally round the flag!' resounds, he must take up the sword, 
 and proudly feel that the holy vengeance of the fatherland is 
 placed in his hands/' 
 
 " But suppose there is no one to utter the cry of ' Rally 
 round the flag !' how are the people to appear and take up 
 arms?" 
 
 " We are there, and we shall exhort the people to arms !" 
 
 * "Victory or death ! " A very popular hymn of that period.
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 29 
 
 said Schill, energetically. " Henceforth, we must not wait 
 until the generals call us; we ourselves must be generals, and 
 organize armies every one after his own fashion according 
 to his influence. We must travel over the country, and enlist 
 recruits. As we have no standing army, we must form inde- 
 pendent corps, and, by means of raids, harass and molest the 
 enemy. The strongest lion succumbs when stung by many 
 bees. Every Prussian must turn conspirator, and prevail on 
 his neighbor to join the great conspiracy; secret leagues and 
 clubs must be instituted everywhere, and work and agitate 
 until we are united like one man, and, with the resistless 
 power of our holy wrath, expel the tyrant who enslaves us!" 
 
 "Yes, you are right; we must not give way to timid de- 
 spondency, but hope and dare every thing. Every one must 
 become a general, and enlist troops, to attack the enemy 
 whenever and wherever he can!" 
 
 " I shall also enlist my troops, and lead them against the 
 enemy," exclaimed Staps, with sparkling eyes. " But my 
 troops will not be made of flesh and blood. They will be 
 the songs I sing, and one day I shall march out with them, 
 and challenge the tyrant to mortal combat! Yes, you are 
 right in saying, ' Every one must fight after his own fashion, 
 and according to his power and influence;' let me fight, too, 
 after my fashion!" 
 
 " Go and fight, and may the blessings of all the brave follow 
 you!" said Schill, placing his hand on the head of the youth. 
 " Let us take here, under the German oak, a solemn oath that 
 we will devote our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honor, 
 to the fatherland!" 
 
 " Yes," exclaimed Puckler and Staps, " we will take that 
 oath!" 
 
 " Let as," said Schill, " then swear to strive for nothing but 
 to deliver Germany from the grasp of the tyrant." 
 
 " We swear," continued Schill, " to regard ourselves from, 
 this hour as soldiers of the grand army one day to battle for our 
 liberties to leave nothing undone in enlisting fresh troops 
 that our life shall be nothing but an inexorable and never- 
 flagging struggle against the usurper that we will rather die 
 than submit. We vow vengeance against him, and deliver- 
 ance to the fatherland !" 
 
 When all had repeated this oath, Schill said, solemnly, 
 " The German oak has heard our words, and they are regis- 
 tered on high ; now, my friends, let us go and enter into a 
 new life a new future. Let us take care of the body, in
 
 30 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 order to impart strength to the mind to carry out its schemes. 
 Come, let us go!" 
 
 They passed on, and soon reached the village, guided by 
 Staps to the parsonage. 
 
 The clergyman joyfully received the officers; his wife pre- 
 pared her best rooms for them, and pledged herself, like her 
 husband, to protect them at the risk of her life, if French 
 soldiers should arrive, and search the house for wounded 
 Prussians. 
 
 " Now you are safe, and I can go," said Frederick Staps, 
 when he was again alone with his friends, their host having 
 withdrawn to prepare every thing that was necessary for the 
 comfort of his guests. " I cannot stay here any longer, for 
 I have promised my father to proceed without delay to 
 Leipsic, and I must keep my pledge to him, as I shall keep it 
 to you. Farewell, friends ; may God protect you, and may 
 your deeds fill the world with your glory, so that the poor 
 merchant's apprentice in Leipsic may also hear of it I" 
 
 " The poor merchant's apprentice is also a soldier of our 
 grand army of the future," said Schill ; " we have enlisted 
 him, and he will go and fulfil his duty to his fatherland." 
 
 " Yes, you may depend on it he will do his duty," exclaimed 
 Staps, "and you will hear of him one day. Farewell, and, 
 please God! we shall meet again!" 
 
 " Yes, we shall meet again," said the two officers, cordially 
 shaking hands with the youth, and taking leave of him. 
 
 Staps left the room hastily. When he turned round once 
 more at the door, and greeted the friends with a nod, they 
 saw that his eyes were filled with tears. 
 
 The clergyman's wife now entered to serve up the dinner 
 she herself had prepared, and there was added a bottle of old 
 Hock from the wine-cellar. 
 
 " In the first place, however," said the clergyman to Schill, 
 **I must see and dress your arm, sir; I am quite experienced 
 in dressing wounds, having taken lessons in surgery in order 
 to assist our poor peasants in case of injuries, and render it 
 unnecessary for them to pay large doctors' bills. Let me, 
 therefore, be your surgeon, too." 
 
 Schill gratefully accepted his kind offer, and after his wife 
 had brought every thing necessary for dressing a wound, the 
 clergyman examined Schill's arm, and removed the coagulated 
 blood from it. 
 
 " It is a very deep flesh-wound." he said, " f ortunatelv the 
 bone is uninjured."
 
 THE OATH OF VENGEANCE. 31 
 
 " Then I shall soon be able to use my arm again?" asked 
 Schill, joyfully. 
 
 " Not for a few weeks yet, unless you wish to run the risk 
 of losing it entirely. Mortification might set in after the 
 wound has commenced ulcerating. Hence, you must be very 
 cautious, and live as quietly as possible. Your hands are now 
 already burning, and your fever will be very severe. Unfor- 
 tunately, I have brought up my wine in vain. Both of you, 
 gentlemen, will not be able to drink it to-day, nor to-morrow, 
 nor the day after to-morrow either. For the first three days 
 your fever, as I stated already, will be very serious." 
 
 This prediction was fulfilled. For three days the officers, 
 were unable to rise from their couch. They were delirious, 
 and unaware of the danger menacing them. A French regi- 
 ment had come to the village to spend the night, and. four of 
 its officers established their headquarters at the parsonage. 
 
 But as soon as the French troops had been descried in the 
 neighborhood of the village, the clergyman, assisted by his 
 wife and servants, had removed the wounded, and prepared a 
 safe refuge for them in the hay-loft of his barn, far from the 
 dwelling-house. He himself remained with them, and, while 
 his wife received the French officers, and informed them that 
 her husband was not at home, the good old man was sitting 
 in the hay-loft beside his guests, nursing them with the kind- 
 ness of a father and the skill of an experienced physician. 
 He had locked the door of his asylum, and a loaded gun and 
 unsheathed sword were within his reach, in order forcibly to 
 drive back the French, in case they should try to penetrate 
 into this hiding-place. 
 
 But the danger passed, and the fever abated. Four days 
 afterward the two Prussians were strong enough to continue 
 their journey. The clergyman himself drove them in his 
 carriage to the neighboring town, where they bought two 
 horses and departed not together, however, but by different 
 routes. Count Piickler took the road to Breslau; Ferdinand 
 von Schill turned toward Kolberg. 
 
 Before parting, they cordially shook hands once more. 
 
 " Let us remember the oath under the German oak," said 
 Schill. 
 
 " Yes," replied Piickler. " We shall not desert the father- 
 land, but serve it with our whole strength, and after that is 
 exhausted, we know how to die."
 
 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN BERLIN. 
 
 THE utmost uneasiness and suspense prevailed in Berlin. 
 Several rumors had already reached the capital. It was re- 
 ported that, on the 14th of October, a battle had taken place 
 between the Prussians and French forces. To-day was the 
 18th, and no news had been received ; nothing definite was 
 known about the result of the battle. But the people said, 
 if it had been favorable to the Prussians, the couriers, to 
 whom joy would have lent wings, would have reached the 
 capital long since; and this continued silence and incertitude 
 seemed to the inhabitants of Berlin more discouraging than 
 any positive intelligence, however disastrous it might be. 
 
 No one had the heart to work longer no one could be 
 prevailed upon to follow his usual avocation; all felt para- 
 lyzed by a secret terror; and hastened into the street, as 
 though they hoped some decisive news would fly through the 
 air and put an end to this dreadful suspense. 
 
 All Berlin seemed to have met in the streets on the morn- 
 ing of this 18th October, and the people hastened in vast 
 crowds toward the house of the governor of the capital; they 
 consisted to-day not only of the lower classes of society but 
 the noblest and best had united with them. Men of mind 
 and education, the representatives of art and science, were 
 to be seen among them. There was no distinction of rank or 
 position every one felt that he was united with his fellow- 
 citizens by the same care, anxiety, and affection; everyone 
 knew that all the thousands surrounding him entertained the 
 same wishes and apprehensions, and thus social distinctions 
 were unnoticed. The high-born and the rich, the poor and 
 the lowly, all felt only that they were Prussians that they 
 were Germans; all were animated by one desire; to learn 
 what had been the result of the battle, and whether the 
 Prussians, faithful to their ancient military glory, had de- 
 feated the enemy, or, like the other nations, succumbed to 
 Napoleon. 
 
 Thousands hastened, therefore, to the residence of the
 
 IN BERLIN. 33 
 
 governor of Berlin, Count von Schulenburg, and called vocif- 
 erously for him. When the count appeared on the balcony 
 and asked what the crowd wanted, hundreds of voices shouted 
 in thundering chorus : " We want to know whether the army 
 has fought a battle, and whether it was defeated !" 
 
 Count Schulenburg shrugged his shoulders, and amid the 
 silence that ensued his ringing voice was heard to say : "I 
 have not yet received any definite intelligence; but so soon 
 as I have it, I shall deem it incumbent upon me to commu- 
 nicate it to the citizens of Berlin." 
 
 The governor returned with tottering steps into his house. 
 For a moment the people remained silent, and seemed still to 
 listen to the words they had just heard; but suddenly a loud, 
 powerful voice shouted: "If the governor does not know 
 any thing', perhaps Professor Lange does. He has established 
 a newspaper for the special purpose of communicating to us 
 the latest news from the seat of war; let us go to his house 
 and ask him what the Telegraph says." * 
 
 " Yes, yes, let us go to his house and ask him what the 
 Telegraph says!" yelled the crowd. "Where does Professor 
 Lange live? Who can guide us to him?" 
 
 " I can do so," said the same voice that had spoken before. 
 " Professor Lange lives at 22 Leipsic Street." 
 
 "Come, come, let us go to Professor Lange! Let us hear 
 what the Telegraph says !" shouted the crowd, and hastened 
 across the Opera Place and Gensdarmes Market down Char- 
 lotte Street to the residence of the journalist. 
 
 " The Telegraph ! the Telegraph ! " yelled the people. " Wo 
 want to know what the Telegraph says ! Professor Lange, 
 give us the news from the seat of war !" 
 
 A window on the first floor was hastily opened, and the 
 pale, frightened face of a gentleman looked out. " What do 
 you want to see me for?" asked a tremulous and hollow voice. 
 " Why do you mention the Telegraph ? " 
 
 " We want news from the army ! We want to know whether 
 it is true that we have lost a battle! " 
 
 " God forbid !" said the gentleman at the window. " I have 
 not received any news whatever for the last three days; I 
 know only one thing, and that is, that Cabinet Counsellor 
 Lombard, who was at the headquarters of the army in Wei- 
 mar, returned last night to Berlin, and is now at his resi- 
 
 * The Telegraph was a journal founded by a certain Professor Lange, on the day 
 when the Prussian army left Berlin. In his prospectus he spoke in the most fulsome 
 terms of the " invincible army of Frederick the Great," and promised to publish al- 
 ways the latest news from the seat of war.
 
 34 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 dence. Counsellor Lombard, therefore, would be the man to 
 whom you ought to apply." 
 
 " Lombard ! Lombard I" shouted the crowd, accompanying 
 the name with bitter imprecations. When this name was 
 heard, all faces turned gloomy, and every voice assumed an 
 angry and threatening tone. 
 
 "Lombard is to blame for every thing!" grumbled a few 
 here and there, and " Lombard is to blame for every thing !" 
 was repeated louder and louder. The excitement was as 
 when a storm, sweeping over the sea, lashes its waves, until, 
 rising higher and higher, they foam with fury. 
 
 " Lombard sides with the French !" reiterated the surging 
 mass. " He has secretly informed the enemy of all the oper- 
 ations of our army, and if the Prussians are defeated, he 
 will be glad of it. We will go to Lombard, and he must tell 
 us all he knows. But woe to him if the news should be bad !" 
 
 And the multitude with savage yells hastened down the 
 street, back to the Linden, and toward the residence of Cabi- 
 net Counsellor Lombard. 
 
 All the window-blinds of his house were closed, as they had 
 been for the last two weeks, since this well-known favorite of 
 Minister von Haugwitz had repaired to the headquarters of 
 the army at Weimar. But Professor Lange had stated, per- 
 haps for the sole purpose of diverting the general attention 
 from himself, and of directing it toward the unpopular cabinet 
 counsellor, that Lombard had returned, and the people be- 
 lieved him. 
 
 " Lombard ! Lombard !" shouted hundreds of voices. Eyes 
 which had hitherto looked only sad and anxious became 
 threatening; many a fist was lifted up to the closed windows, 
 and many an imprecation uttered. 
 
 "If a disaster has taken place, it is Lombard's fault," cried 
 one of the crowd. 
 
 " If it is his fault, he shall and must atone for it," exclaimed 
 another. 
 
 " He has no heart for Prussia's honor," said a third. " He 
 is a German-Frenchman, and would not object if the whole of 
 Prussia should become a French province. If he knew how 
 to do it, he certainly would not shrink from it, even should 
 he bring captivity and distress upon the king and the queen!" 
 
 " He Las already done much mischief," shouted another. 
 " The Russian army which was to support ours ought to have 
 been here long ago, but he detained the dispatches in which 
 the king informed the czar that our army had advanced
 
 IN BERLIN. 35 
 
 against the French. It is his fault that the Russians have 
 not yet arrived." 
 
 " It is his fault that the Russians have not yet arrived !" 
 roared the wild chorus, and the furious men began to rush 
 toward the house. Many armed themselves with stones, 
 hurled them at the walls and broke the windows; others 
 commenced striking with vigorous fists at the closed door. 
 
 " Open the door ! open the door ! We want to see Lom- 
 bard! He shall account for what he has done!" exclaimed 
 the enraged men. " Woe to him if it be true that we have lost 
 a battle! Woe to him if " 
 
 "Silence! silence!" suddenly thundered a loud, imperious 
 voice. " See, there is a courier !" 
 
 "A courier! A courier!" and all rushed back from the 
 house into the street; every eye turned toward the horseman, 
 who approached at full gallop. 
 
 As if obeying a military command, the multitude made 
 way for him, but at every step they closed behind him, and, 
 pressing him on all sides, his progress was exceedingly 
 slow. 
 
 But the courier, with his gloomy mien and pale cheeks, 
 looked like a bearer of bad news, and when the people had 
 scanned his features, they murmured, "He brings bad news! 
 A disaster is written on his forehead!" 
 
 " Let me pass," he said in an imploring voice; " in the name 
 of the king, let me pass !" And as he spurred his horse, the 
 bystanders fell back in alarm. 
 
 "'In the name of the king!' the king, then, is still alive?*' 
 
 "Yes, the king is alive!" replied the courier, sadly. "I 
 have dispatches from him for the Governor of Berlin and 
 Cabinet Counsellor Lombard." 
 
 " And what do these dispatches contain?" asked a thousand 
 voices. 
 
 " I do not know, and even though I did, I am not at liberty 
 to tell you. The governor will communicate the news to the 
 inhabitants of Berlin." 
 
 "Tell ns the news!" demanded the people. 
 
 "I cannot do so; and, moreover, I do not know any thing 
 about it," replied the courier, who had now reached Lombard's 
 house, and whose horse was again so closely surrounded that 
 it was scarcely able to move its feet. 
 
 " Do not detain me, my friends, I beseech you let me dis- 
 mount here," said the courier. " I must deliver my dispatches 
 to Cabinet Counsellor Lombard."
 
 36 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Oh, let him deliver his dispatches. We can afterward 
 compel M. Lombard to communicate their contents." 
 
 "Yes; let him deliver his dispatches/' said all; " Lombard 
 shall presently tell us what they contain." 
 
 The crowd stood back on both sides of the door, and busy 
 hands were ready to assist the rider in dismounting. But 
 before he had been able to do so, a voice from the rear was 
 heard: "Ask him where the queen is at present!" 
 
 " Yes, yes, where is the queen? where is the queen?" 
 
 " The queen?" said he. " I passed her fifteen minutes ago 
 near the city and delivered dispatches to her, too. The 
 queen? Look there!" And he pointed to the Brandenburg 
 gate. 
 
 A carriage, drawn by six horses, was seen rapidly ap- 
 proaching. 
 
 "The queen! It is the queen!" joyfully shouted every one, 
 and the thousands who had been a moment before so anxious 
 to learn the news, and to call Lombard to account, rushed 
 toward the carriage. Meantime the courier, whose presence 
 seemed to be entirely forgotten, dismounted, and rapped 
 softly at the door. It was at once opened in a cautious man- 
 ner, and a voice whispered: " Take your horse into the house. 
 You can afterward ride through the garden, and out of the 
 back gate to the governor's residence." 
 
 The door was hastily thrown open, and closed as soon as the 
 courier had entered with his horse. No notice was taken of 
 this movement, for every one thought only of the queen, and 
 looked anxiously through the closed coach windows. 
 
 "The queen! It is the queen!" exclaimed the people, 
 greeting the beloved lady in the most rapturous manner. 
 All arms were raised in sign of respect, and every voice 
 uttered a welcome of " Long live the queen !" 
 
 The carriage window was lowered, and Louisa's beautiful 
 face appeared; but she looked pale and afflicted; her eyes, 
 generally so radiant, seemed dimmed and tearful ; yet she 
 tried to smile, and bowed repeatedly to her enthusiastic 
 friends, who rushed impetuously toward her, and, in their 
 exultation, forgetful of the rules of etiquette, seized the reins 
 and stopped the horses. 
 
 " We want to see our queen ! Long live our Queen Louisa !'* 
 cried thousands of voices. Those who stood nearest the 
 carriage, and beheld her countenance, fell on their knees in 
 the fervor of their love, and eyes that never before had wept 
 were filled with tears; for she seemed as an angel of sorrow
 
 IN BERLIN. 37 
 
 and suffering. She rose, and, leaning out of the coach door, 
 returned the affectionate greetings of her faithful subjects, 
 and, weeping, stretched out her arms as if to bless them. 
 
 " Long live the queen! Long live Louisa!" they cried, and 
 those who held the horses, in order to stop the carriage, 
 dropped the reins, rushed toward the coach door, threw up 
 their hats, and joined in the welcome cry. The coach- 
 man, profiting by this movement, drove onward. The peo- 
 ple, whose desire had been satisfied in having seen their 
 queen, no longer resisted, and permitted the carriage to roll 
 away. 
 
 Louisa closed her coach window, and, sinking back upon 
 the cushions, exclaimed in a heart-rending tone, "Alas ! it is 
 perhaps the last time that they thus salute me ! Soon, per- 
 haps, I shall be no longer Queen of Prussia!" She buried 
 her face in her hands, and sobbed aloud. 
 
 " Do not weep," whispered Madame von Berg, the queen's 
 intimate friend, who was sitting by her side, " do not weep. 
 It may be a dispensation of Providence that the crown shall 
 fall from your head for a moment, but He will replace it 
 more firmly, and one day you will again be happy." 
 
 " Oh, it is not for the sake of my own majesty, and for my 
 little worldly splendor, that I am lamenting at this moment/'' 
 said the queen, removing her hands from her face. " I should 
 gladly plunge into obscurity and death if my husband and 
 my children were exempted from humiliation, and if these 
 good people, who love me, and are attached to their king, 
 should not be compelled to recognize a foreigner as their 
 master, and bow to him !" 
 
 " Even though the people should be subjugated at present," 
 said Madame von Berg, solemnly, "they will rise one day and 
 avenge their disgrace!" 
 
 " Would you were a true prophetess !" exclaimed Louisa. 
 " I hope the people will remain faithful to us in adversity, 
 and never forget their love for their king! Yes, I will hope 
 for that day, and pray that it may come speedily. I will 
 weep no more; but remember that I am a mother, and shall 
 see my children again not to leave them, but to hasten with 
 them to my husband, who is waiting for me at Kiistrin. In 
 half an hour we must continue our journey." 
 
 Just then the carriage drove past the main guard-house. 
 The soldiers presented arms, and the drums beat. 
 
 A melancholy smile overspread the queen's features. " Do 
 you remember what Prince Louis Ferdinand said to his
 
 38 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 mother, on the eve of his departure to the army ?" she 
 asked in a low voice. 
 
 " No, your majesty, I do not remember, and it is possible 
 that I never heard of it." 
 
 " The princess believed a defeat of our army to be utterly 
 impossible/' said the queen. " She thought Prussia was so 
 strong a bulwark that the proud assault of the French empire 
 would be in vain. * You are mistaken/ exclaimed Prince Louis 
 Ferdinand; 'you think nothing will change, and the drums 
 will always be beaten when you ride out at the gate ? On the 
 contrary, I tell you, mamma, one day you will ride out of the 
 gate, and no drums will be beaten !' The same will happen 
 to us, my dear we will often ride out of the gate, and no 
 drums will be beaten. But here is our house, and I must 
 hide my tears. I will show a smiling face to my children." 
 
 The queen's carriage stopped for the first time at the door- 
 steps of the palace without meeting there the ladies and gen- 
 tlemen of the court, the high dignitaries and functionaries 
 who had formerly never failed to wait on her. She had come 
 without being expected, but on this day of anxiety and terror 
 the announcement of her arrival would have made no differ- 
 ence; for every one thought only of himself, and was occupied 
 with his own safety. Only a few faithful servants, therefore, 
 received her, and bade her welcome with tearful eyes. 
 
 " Where are my children?" exclaimed the queen, anxiously. 
 " Why are they not here to receive their mother ?" 
 
 " Your majesty," said the palace-steward, in a low voice, 
 " a courier, sent hither by the king, arrived last night, unfor- 
 tunately having failed to meet with your majesty on the road. 
 The royal princes and princesses set out two hours ago to 
 Stettin, and thence to Grandenz. Such were his majesty's 
 orders." 
 
 The queen suppressed the cry of pain which rose to her 
 lips, but a deadly pallor overspread her cheeks. " In half an 
 hour I shall set out," she said faintly. " Pack up only the 
 most indispensable articles for me; in half an hour I must 
 be ready to enter my carriage. I shall, perhaps, overtake my 
 children in Stettin." And she retired to her room, struggling 
 to conceal the emotions that so violently agitated her.
 
 QUIET IS THE CITIZEN'S FIRST DUTY. 39 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 QUIET IS THE CITIZEN'S FIRST DUTY. 
 
 THE people in the meantime, gathering in still greater 
 numbers in the broad street under the Linden, returned to 
 the house of Lombard, and saw, to their great disappoint- 
 ment, that the courier was no longer there. 
 
 " Now, we want to know the news contained in the dis- 
 patches, and Counsellor Lombard must tell us," shouted one 
 of the men standing in front of the house; he then com- 
 menced hammering the door with his powerful fists. Others 
 joined him, and to the measure of this threatening music the 
 crowd yelled, "The dispatches! the dispatches! Lombard 
 must come out! He must tell us what the dispatches con- 
 tain! We want to know whether our army has been de- 
 feated, or has won the battle I" 
 
 When no voice replied, nor door nor window opened, the 
 mob, whose anger grew more menacing, seized once more 
 their former weapons, the stones, and hurled them at the 
 house. "He shall not escape from us! We will stay here 
 until he makes his appearance, and replies to our questions!'* 
 they cried. " If he do not come to us, we will go to him and 
 compel him to hear us!" 
 
 " Fortunately, you will not find him at home," whispered 
 Lombard, who was listening at the door. "Every thing is in 
 good order," he added in a low voice. " The dear enraged 
 people will have to hammer a good while before breaking 
 these bolts. By that time I shall be far from here, on the 
 road to Stettin." 
 
 The cabinet counsellor glided away with a sarcastic smile 
 to the back gate. There stood his wife, weeping piteously 
 and wringing her hands. 
 
 M. Lombard, who had hitherto only smiled, now laughed 
 outright. " Truly," he said, " it is really worth while to make 
 a scene in consequence of this demonstration of the people! 
 My dear, I should think our family ought to know how to 
 manage them! Your father has shaved those stupid fiends
 
 40 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 enough, and my father pulled the wool over their eyes,* and, 
 as good children of our parents, we ought to do so too." 
 
 " Oh, Lombard, just listen," wailed his wife, " they are 
 knocking at the door with heavy clubs; we must perish if 
 they succeed in forcing it open and entering the house. They 
 will assassinate you, for you have heard their imprecations 
 against you." 
 
 " Ma chere," said Lombard, composedly, " this is not the 
 first time that I discover that the people despise and persecute 
 me. I knew it long ago. These blockheads will never for- 
 give me for being a Frenchman, and for having, consequently, 
 a predilection for France and her heroic emperor. And not 
 only they, but the so-called educated and high-born classes 
 also, hate me intensely. Throughout all Europe I have been 
 branded as a traitor in the pay of Napoleon. Conspiracies 
 were got up everywhere to bring about my removal. All the 
 princes of the royal house nay, the queen herself, united 
 against me.f But you see, my dear, that they did not suc- 
 ceed after all in undermining my position- and the howling 
 rabble outside will have no better success. Indeed, the fellows 
 seem to be in earnest. Their blows shake the whole house!" 
 
 " They will succeed in breaking in," said his wife, anxiously; 
 "and then they will assassinate all of us." 
 
 " They will do no such thing, for they do not come for 
 spoils, but only for news," said Lombard. "And then, my 
 love, they know just as well as I the German maxim : ' The 
 people of Nuremberg do not hang anybody unless they .have 
 got him !' but they will not get me, for there comes my faith- 
 ful Jean across the yard. Well, Jean, is every thing ready ?" 
 he said to the approaching footman. 
 
 "Yes," he replied. "The carriage with four excellent 
 horses is waiting for you, sir. I ordered it, however, not to 
 stop at the garden gate, but a little farther down, in front of 
 another house." 
 
 " That was well done, my sagacious Jean. But I hope you 
 did not forget either to place several bottles of Tokay wine 
 and some roast fowl in the carriage for me ? The ill-man- 
 nered rabble outside will not permit me to-day to lunch at 
 home. Hence I must make up my mind to do so on the 
 road." 
 
 * Lombard's father was a hair-dresser, and his wife's father a barber. Lombard 
 liked to jest about his descent, particularly at the dinner-table of some prince or 
 minister. He always alluded to his father in the following terms : " Feu monpere 
 depoudreu&e memoire!" 
 
 t Lombard's own words. Vide Gentz's Diary in his "Miscellanies," edited by Q. 
 Schlesier, vol. iv.
 
 QUIET IS THE CITIZEN'S FIRST DUTY. 41 
 
 " I have not forgotten the wine nor the roast pheasant, 
 your excellency/' 
 
 " You have packed up a pheasant ! " exclaimed Lombard. 
 " If the noisy gentlemen outside there knew that, they would 
 be sure to assert that the Emperor Napoleon had sent it to 
 me as a bribe. Now, Jean, come, we will set out. The street 
 is quiet, I suppose ?" 
 
 " Perfectly so. All those who have legs have gathered in 
 front of the house." 
 
 " And all those who have fists are hammering at the door," 
 wailed Mde. Lombard. " Make haste, Lombard make haste 
 lest it be too late!" 
 
 "You are right. I must go/' said Lombard, quietly. 
 " Now listen to what I am going to tell you. So soon as you 
 hear my carriage roll away, be kind enough to repair to the 
 balcony of the first floor and address the people. Their 
 surprise at seeing you will cause them to be silent for a 
 moment." 
 
 " But, good Heaven ! what am I to say to them ?" asked 
 Mde. Lombard, in dismay. 
 
 " You are to say to them, ' My husband, Cabinet-Counsellor 
 Lombard, is not at home. He has gone to the governor of 
 Berlin, Count von Schuleuburg-Kehnert, and the bearer of 
 dispatches has accompanied him.' Your words will have the 
 same effect as though a pistol were discharged among a num- 
 oer of sparrows all of them will fly away. You see, my 
 dear, there is a very impressive and dramatic scene in store 
 for you, and my father, de poudreuse memoire, and your father, 
 the barber, would rejoice in their graves if they could see you 
 haranguing the people from the balcony. Farewell, my 
 dear, and manage the affair as skilfully as possible." 
 
 He embraced her hurriedly, and was about to leave the 
 garden, leaning on his servant's arm, and as fast as his gouty 
 feet would permit it; but his wife suddenly held him back. 
 
 " I cannot go to the parlor," she said in terror, convulsively 
 clinging to Lombard. " Eemember, that they are continually 
 hurling stones at our house. Suppose a stone should be 
 thrown into the window and strike my head?" 
 
 "My dear," said Lombard, laughing, "I do not believe any 
 stone passing through the window would be immediately 
 dangerous, for you have a hard head, as I have found out 
 often enough. Farewell, and do as I have told you, unless 
 you want the rabble to penetrate into your room. Farewell!" 
 
 He disengaged himself rather roughly, and hastened, as
 
 42 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 fast as his aching and stiffened feet would permit, to the 
 street contiguous to the garden. 
 
 His wife waited until the departure of the carriage an- 
 nounced to her that her husband had gone. At the same 
 time the voices outside shouted with redoubled fury, " Lom- 
 bard ! We want to see Lombard !" And their blows thun- 
 dered louder than ever at the door. 
 
 Mde. Lombard sighed; and, commending her body and 
 soul to God, she proceeded to comply with her husband's in- 
 structions, and went to the balcony. 
 
 Lombard had prophesied correctly; profound silence en- 
 sued when the wife of the cabinet counsellor appeared; 
 hence, every one was able to understand her words, and no 
 sooner had she uttered them, than the crowd dispersed, as 
 her husband had told her. 
 
 "To the governor! Let us go to the governor!" they 
 cried, as they moved up the Linden; but they were attracted 
 by a carriage, drawn by six fiery horses at full gallop. It 
 was the queen, who was about to leave the capital. She 
 looked even paler and sadder than before, and greeted her 
 friends on both sides with a heart-rending, melancholy smile. 
 But they had not time to greet even the queen, or to be sur- 
 prised at her speedy departure, as they rushed toward the 
 house of the governor, Count Schulenburg. 
 
 At his residence, also, the windows were covered up, and 
 the gate of the court-yard closed. But a large white hand- 
 hill, containing a few lines in gigantic letters, was posted on 
 the side wall. Thousands of piercing eyes were fixed on the 
 paper, and an imperious demand was made to the fortunate 
 man who stood close to the handbill : " Read ! Read aloud \" 
 
 " I will read it I" answered a loud, powerful voice. " Be 
 quiet, so as to be able to hear me !" 
 
 Profound silence reigned immediately, and every one heard 
 distinctly the words, which ran as follows : 
 
 " The king has lost a battle. Quiet is the citizen's first 
 duty. I request all the inhabitants of Berlin to maintain 
 good order. The king and his brothers are alive." 
 
 The vast multitude burst into a wail of despair; and when 
 silence ensued, every one seemed paralyzed and stared mourn- 
 fully at his neighbor. Suddenly the side-gate of the count's 
 court-yard opened, and a carriage, followed by a large bag- 
 gage-wagon, made its appearance. 
 
 At first, the people timidly stepped back, and looked on 
 <ronderingly. But no sooner had they recognized in it the
 
 QUTET IS THE CITIZEN'S FIRST DUTY. 43 
 
 governor of Berlin, Count von Schulenburg-Kehnert no 
 sooner had they discovered that his carriage contained a large 
 number of trunks and boxes, and that the wagon was also 
 filled with baggage, and had satisfied themselves that the 
 governor intended to leave the capital at this hour of terror, 
 than attempts were made to prevent him from setting out. 
 The people stopped the horses, and cried, in tones of exas- 
 peration, that it did not behoove the governor to leave the 
 city while it was in danger, and the inhabitants without ad- 
 vice and protection. 
 
 Count Schuleuburg rose in his carriage. Stretching out. 
 his arms in an imperious manner, he demanded silence. 
 When the clamor had ceased, he said, in a conciliatory tone: 
 " My friends! duty calls me hence, for the orders of the king 
 must be obeyed. But you shall not say that I have left the 
 city of Berlin without adequate protection, and that I did 
 not devote my particular attention to its welfare. I have 
 appointed my son-in-law, the Prince von Hatzfeld, civil gov- 
 ernor, and he will zealously provide for the security and in- 
 terests of the people of the capital. Forward, coachman !" 
 
 The coachman was about to comply with his master's orders r 
 but some of the crowd still dared to resist, and refused to let 
 the horses proceed. 
 
 "The governor must stay here!" they shouted; "it is in- 
 cumbent on him not to desert the inhabitants of Berlin, but 
 to assist them in the hour of danger!" 
 
 " In the hour of danger ?" asked the count, with a wonder- 
 ing air. " Why, I leave my whole family here my children 
 and grandchildren ! Would I do so if the enemy threatened 
 the city ?" 
 
 No one could combat this argument, and reply to the gov- 
 ernor's question. The men, therefore, dropped the reins and 
 fell back, when the coachman whipped the horses into a- 
 gallop. 
 
 They gazed after the escaping count, and looked sadly at 
 each other, asking anxiously : " What shall we do now ? 
 What shall we do when the French come ?" 
 
 " We will meet them sword in hand and drive them back !" 
 exclaimed a young man, with a noble face. 
 
 " Yes, we will do so," said another. " There are no soldiers 
 here; hence we ourselves must look out for our own defence. 
 We will form volunteer companies, occupy the gates, and 
 patrol the streets." 
 
 " Our army being defeated, a new one has, of course, to be 
 4
 
 44 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 organized," said another. "We must do this; we must hand 
 in our names, and enlist. Let every one who thinks and 
 feels like myself, follow me to the new governor. We will 
 apply to him for permission to organize ourselves for the de- 
 fence of the city. Come I" Many hastened with ardent im- 
 petuosity from all parts of the crowd to join him. Others, 
 seized with admiration and respect, opened a passage, through 
 which the quickly-gathered company of more than three 
 hundred young men marched to the residence of the Prince 
 von Hatzfeld. 
 
 But he did not admit the deputation of these brave men. 
 He sent word to them, by his adjutant, that they would re- 
 ceive his definite reply at a later hour. At present he wished 
 them to go home, and avoid, above all, any riotous proceed- 
 ings in the streets. 
 
 The reply Avhich the Prince von Hatzfeld had promised to 
 the deputation soon appeared on handbills posted at all the 
 street corners. It was as follows : " It would be improper 
 to conceal from the inhabitants of Berlin that French troops 
 may shortly occupy the capital. This unexpected event 
 cannot fail to produce a most painful impression among all 
 classes. Only the most implicit confidence in those who take 
 upon themselves the arduous task of alleviating the inevitable 
 consequences of snch an event, as well as of maintaining or- 
 der, which has become more desirable than ever, will be able 
 to avert the terrible fate which the slightest resistance, or any 
 disorderly conduct, would bring upon the city. The course 
 recently pursued by the inhabitants of Vienna, under similar 
 distressing circumstances, must have taught those of Berlin 
 that the conqueror only respects quiet and manly resigna- 
 tion after such a defeat. Hence I forbid all gatherings and 
 clamor in the streets, as well as any public manifestation of 
 sympathy in relation to the rumors from the seat of war. 
 For quiet submission is our first duty; we should only think 
 of what is going on within our own walls; it is the highest 
 interest to which we ought to devote our whole attention."
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 45 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 
 
 THE hope of the queen had not been fulfilled. Her chil- 
 dren had left Stettin an hour before she reached the city. 
 
 " I shall immediately continue my journey," said she, reso- 
 lutely. 
 
 " Your majesty, I beseech you to remain here/' said Madame 
 von Berg. "You have scarcely had any sleep for the last 
 three nights; last night you did not leave the carriage at all, 
 and hardly took any food. Oh, think of the king, of your 
 children, and economize your strength! Take some rest." 
 
 "Rest!" repeated the queen, with a melancholy smile. 
 " There will be, perhaps, no more rest for me on earth ! My 
 heart is filled with grief how, then, can I sleep ? But you 
 have reminded me of my husband, of my children, and you 
 are right; I must live for them. Therefore, I will stop here 
 for an hour and take some refreshment, in order not to give 
 way under the heavy burden weighing down my mind. 
 Come, we will alight and go into the house." 
 
 Madame von Berg made a sign to the footman to open the 
 coach door, and followed Louisa into the royal villa, to the 
 rooms usually occupied by their majesties during their visits 
 to Stettin. " When I was last in this room," whispered the 
 queen, " the king and the crown prince were with me. There 
 was nothing but joy in my heart. I was a happy wife, a 
 happy mother, and a happy queen! And, to-day, what am 
 I ?" She heaved a profound sigh, and, sinking down on the 
 sofa, pressed her face upon the cushions. " Into what an 
 abyss I have been hurled from my heaven!" she murmured 
 in a low voice. " Once a happy sovereign now a poor, flee- 
 ing woman, who can excite only pity. Oh, mother, mother, 
 God be praised that you do not behold my distress!" She 
 clasped her hands, and her trembling lips whispered prayers 
 to heaven. Her large blue eyes were raised with an expres- 
 sion of fervent supplication, and tears rolled like pearls over 
 her cheeks. She sat a long while pondering over her misfor- 
 tunes, and shuddering at the prospects of the future.
 
 46 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 Finally, Madame von Berg ventured to approach and arous* 
 her from her meditation. 
 
 " Your majesty/' she said, in an imploring voice, " you 
 promised to take rest, for the sake of the king and of your 
 ohildren. Remember the burden of care weighing down the 
 heart of his majesty. Remember that his grief would be 
 more intense if he should see your eyes reddened with weep- 
 ing, and find you prostrated in your distress." 
 
 " He shall not see it," said Lousia. " In his presence I will 
 conceal my tears, and seem hopeful and courageous. Let 
 me, therefore, now at least, pour out my overwhelming sor- 
 row, for tears are the only consolation of the afflicted. When 
 I am with my husband once more, I shall try to smile, and 
 only weep in secret. Are you now satisfied, my faithful 
 friend ?" 
 
 " Your majesty had graciously promised me to take some 
 refreshment, but the footman has long since announced that 
 dinner is ready." 
 
 " Come, Caroline, we will eat," said the queen, rising has- 
 tily, and laying her hand on her friend's shoulder. 
 
 She kept her word, and did eat a little, trying to become 
 more cheerful by conversing with Madame von Berg about 
 her children and her approaching reunion with her hus- 
 band. 
 
 " Believe me, Caroline," she then said gravely, " it is not 
 vanity and longing for worldly splendor that causes me to 
 bewail our present trouble. For my part, I would gladly lead 
 a, private life, and be contented in retirement and obscurity, 
 if I could only see my husband and my children happy at 
 my side. But the king is not allowed to be as other men 
 are merely a husband and father; he must think of his 
 people, of his state, and of his royal duties. He is not at 
 liberty to lay down his crown any more than we to destroy 
 voluntarily the life we have received from God. ' With it or 
 on it/ said the heroic mothers of Sparta to their sons, when 
 delivering to them the shield with which they went into battle. 
 And thus the king's ancestors, who have bequeathed the crown 
 to him, ca)l from their graves: ' With it, or buried under it!' 
 It is the inneritance of his fathers, which he must leave to 
 his children; he must fight for it, and either triumph or per- 
 ish with it. That is the reason why I weep, and see nothing 
 but years of disaster and bloodshed in store for me. Prussia 
 must not make peace with Napoleon; she must not, in hypo- 
 critical friendship, give her hand to him who is her mortal
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 47 
 
 enemy. She must remain faithful to the alliance which her 
 king has sworn on the coffin of Frederick the Great to main- 
 tain; and France will resent this constancy as though it were 
 a crime. But, in spite of her anger, we must not recede; we 
 must advance on our path if we do not wish to lose also our 
 honor, and if history is not to mention the name of Frederick 
 William III. in terms of reproach. Germany hopes that 
 Prussia will save her the whole of Europe expects us to da 
 our duty to the fatherland, and this duty is to wage war 
 against the tyrant who wants to subjugate Germany, and 
 transform her into a French province to resist him as long 
 as we have an inch of territory or a drop of blood in our 
 veins! See, my friends, such are the thoughts that move my 
 heart so profoundly, and cause me to weep. I clearly foresee 
 the great misfortunes that will crush us in case we should 
 proceed on the path which we have entered, but I am not 
 allowed to wish that Prussia should turn back, for we may be 
 permitted to be unfortunate, but never to act dishonorably. 
 And I know these to be the king's views, too he but hark, 
 what is that ?'' she interrupted herself. " Did it not sound 
 as if a noisy crowd were approaching ? The tumult draws 
 nearer and nearer! If they are French soldiers, I am lost!" 
 She rushed to the window, and looked anxiously down on the 
 street. A vast multitude approached, yelling with rage, and 
 threatening with their hands a pale, trembling man walking 
 between two others who had seized him, and whose eyes 
 closely watched every motion he made. That man was Cab- 
 inet-Counsellor Lombard, who, on his escape from Berlin, had 
 safely reached Stettin. 
 
 Just as he was about entering his carriage, in order to leave 
 the latter city, a few of the bystanders recognized and de- 
 tained him. Those who were in the streets soon gathered 
 around and curiously looked on during his altercation with 
 the men who had stopped him. 
 
 Suddenly one of them turned to the crowd and exclaimed 
 in a loud voice : " Do not permit this fellow to depart. It 
 is Lombard, the Frenchman, the traitor; he has assuredly 
 come to Stettin in order to prevent the queen from continu- 
 ing her journey, or to inform the enemy whither she is going. 
 Let us arrest him, that he may not betray her!" 
 
 " Yes, yes, arrest him ; do not release him until long after 
 the queen's departure," cried the people. Threatening men 
 surrounded the traitor on all sides, and anxiously scanned 
 his pale, cowardly face.
 
 48 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Let me go, kind friends, let me go!" begged Lombard, 
 and now all his arrogance and haughtiness had disappeared. 
 " You do me the greatest injustice; I am a faithful servant 
 of the king, and have come to Stettin in order to wait on 
 her majesty, and to offer my services to her." 
 
 "He lies! he lies !" said those who had recognized him. 
 "Let us go with him to the royal villa; the queen is there. 
 If she wants to see him, she will order him to be admitted; 
 if not, he shall witness her departure." 
 
 " Yes, he shall witness her departure," exclaimed the rest 
 approvingly; "let us go to the royal villa !" 
 
 Dragged, pushed, and carried along, Lombard arrived, 
 followed by thousands, at the royal residence, which was 
 situated at the lower end of Broad Street, near the parade- 
 grounds. 
 
 The carriage and horses stood in front of the house, and 
 every thing was ready for the queen's departure. But Louisa 
 was still at the window, and looked from behind the curtains 
 down on the vast mass which filled the \vhole street. Sud- 
 denly she uttered a low cry; and hastily placing her hand on 
 her friend's shoulder, she pointed to the street. " Look/' 
 she whispered, trembling, "look ! there is the evil demon 
 who has done so much to bring about the present calamities 
 of our country; it is Lombard, my most dangerous, nay, I 
 must say, my only enemy ! He hates me, because he know: 
 that I distrusted him, and asked the king for his dismission- 
 He has dealt treacherously with Prussia I know and feel it, 
 and felt convinced of it long before this time. The presence 
 of this man proves that some new calamity is menacing me, 
 for he is plotting my ruin. I wonder what brought him 
 here?" 
 
 " Let me go ! " cried Lombard just then, in a loud and 
 ringing voice. " Let me go ! I will and must see the queen: ' 
 
 "See me?" said Lousia, in terror. "No, I will not see 
 him; I have nothing to do with him." 
 
 In her excitement, and anxious to see what would occur, 
 she came forth from behind the curtain, and appeared in full 
 view at the window. The people greeted her with loud 
 cheers, and then turned their eyes again toward Lombard. 
 He had also seen her, and now raised his hands in a suppliant 
 manner, saying: "Oh, I beseech your majesty, call me up to 
 your room ! I have come to offer my services and to com- 
 municate important news. Grant me an audience !" 
 
 But she did not stir; she had apparently not heard his
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 49 
 
 words, and her eyes, usually so gentle, now looked gloomy 
 and angry. 
 
 " The queen does not call him !" exclaimed hundreds of 
 voices on the street. " She does not want to have any thing 
 to do with him ! He is a traitor." 
 
 " What have I done, then, kind friends, that you should 
 call me a traitor ?" asked Lombard. " State the crimes you 
 charge me with, so that I may justify myself I" 
 
 " We will state them to you I" said the men who had de- 
 tained him and who were wealthy and highly-esteemed mer- 
 chants of Stettin. 
 
 " Y es, yes, Mr. Grunert, and Mr. Puf ahl, state his crimes 
 to him, and prove to him that he is a traitor !" 
 
 " We will; be quiet and listen!" replied Mr. Grunert. 
 
 " The people are going to sit in solemn judgment over 
 him," whispered the queen ; " they will ferret out his crimes 
 and punish him for them ! " 
 
 Breathless silence reigned now. A chair was brought from 
 one of the adjoining houses, and Lombard compelled to 
 mount on it, so that every one might be able to see him. It 
 was a strange sight, that of his tottering, feeble form, with a 
 pale and terror-stricken face, rising above the crowd, whose 
 eyes were all turned toward him, and who cast glances like 
 daggers at him. 
 
 " He is a traitor, and I will prove it to him," repeated Mr. 
 Grunert, closely approaching Lombard. " In 1803, when the 
 king sent him to Brussels to negotiate with Bonaparte, about 
 an honorable peace between Prussia and France, he allowed 
 himself to be bribed. He exercised an influence humiliating 
 and disadvantageous to us; but Bonaparte bribed him by 
 paying him the sum of six thousand Napoleons d'or. Deny 
 it if you can !" 
 
 " I deny it," replied Lombard. " It is true, I suffered my- 
 self to be duped by that monster for a moment. When I saw 
 Bonaparte in 1803 in Brussels, he managed to inspire me 
 with confidence in his magnanimity and greatness of char- 
 acter. But the deception did not last long, and soon I per- 
 ceived that this incarnate fiend would not stop in his career 
 until he had destroyed all existing thrones and states.* But 
 I deny ever having received money from him I deny ever 
 having accepted any presents from him. And the best 
 proof of it is that I have not any property whatever, but I 
 am as poor as a church mouse. My wife has scarcely a 
 
 'Lombard's own words. Vide Gentz's "Miscellanies," vol. ii., p 194.
 
 50 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 decent parlor for the reception of her friends; and as for 
 myself, a plain arm-chair and a tobacco-pipe were always the 
 goal of my wishes." 
 
 " You are poor, because you squander at the gaming-table 
 and in secret orgies what you obtain by your intrigues/' said 
 Grunert, sternly. " Your poverty does not absolve you, for 
 it is the direct consequence of your dissipated life. You are 
 a traitor. It was owing to your machinations in the interest 
 of Napoleon that our army, last year, when it ought to have 
 taken the field with the Austrian arid Russian forces against 
 France, was placed so late on the war-footing, and imally 
 returned to its garrisons without having drawn the sword. 
 You are to blame for the disgraceful treaty of Vienna, for 
 Count Haugwitz is merely a tool in your hands. You rule 
 over him. You laughed and rejoiced when the treaty of 
 Vienna had been concluded, for you are a descendant of the 
 French colony of Berlin, and you have no heart for the honor 
 of Germany and Prussia." 
 
 " He is a traitor ! " cried the people; " do not let him go ! 
 Detain him ! He shall not betray the queen ! " 
 
 The crowd approached Lombard in the most menacing man- 
 ner, and were about to drag him from his chair, but Grunert 
 and Pufahl warded them off, and protected him with their 
 broad and vigorous bodies. 
 
 " You do not yet know all he has done/' exclaimed Mr. 
 Pufahl, in a powerful voice. " I will tell you about the last 
 and most infamous instance of his treachery. It is his fault 
 that we lost the battle of Jena his fault alone." 
 
 " What am I to hear ?" whispered Louisa. 
 
 Perfectly beside herself, she approached closer to the 
 window, and listened in breathless suspense to every word 
 that was uttered. 
 
 " Well, let me tell you what Lombard has done," added 
 Mr. Pufahl. "In the middle of last month our king sent 
 Lieutenant-Colonel von Krusemark with an autograph letter 
 to St. Petersburg, in which he informed the czar that he in- 
 tended to declare war against France, and requested the 
 latter to send him the assistance that had been agreed upon 
 between them. Lieutenant-Colonel von Krusemark was ac- 
 companied by a single footman only, whom he had taken into 
 his service for this special purpose, and who had been warmly 
 recommended to him. During the whole journey the colonel 
 kept the dispatches on his bare breast. It was only when he 
 had arrived at St. Petersburg that he laid them for a little
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 51 
 
 while upon the table, in order to change his dress, and deliver 
 them immediately to the czar. The servant was engaged in 
 arranging his clothes. M. von Krusemark went for a minute 
 into an adjoining room, and when he returned, the footman 
 had disappeared with the dispatches. All the efforts made 
 by Krusemark and the police to recover the important papers 
 were fruitless. They found neither them nor the servant. 
 Krusemark, therefore, had to send a courier to Berlin, and 
 ask for new instructions. This caused a delay of several 
 weeks, in consequence of which the Russian army was unable 
 to be here in time to join our troops and assist them in at- 
 tacking the French. We would not have lost the battle of 
 Jena, if the king's dispatches had been delivered to the Em- 
 peror of Russia at an earlier moment, and if his army had set 
 out in time for the seat of war. We would not have lost the 
 battle, if the dispatches had not been stolen. Now listen to 
 what I am going to tell you : That footman had been recom- 
 mended by Lombard to Lieutenant- Colonel von Krusemark, 
 and was a near relative of the former ! " 
 
 " He is a traitor !" cried the people, " it is his fault that 
 we lost the battle of Jena ! But he shall atone for it ! 
 Woe to the traitor !" 
 
 " Oh, your majesty !" exclaimed Madame von Berg, in terror, 
 " just see ! the furious men are dragging him from his chair. 
 They will assassinate him. Have mercy on him and save his 
 life I" 
 
 " Yes," said the queen, stepping back from the window, 
 " yes, I will protect him, but I will also protect myself." 
 
 And hurrying across the apartment, she opened the door 
 of the anteroom, where the major of the garrison of Stettin 
 and a few staff-officers were assembled. 
 
 " Major," said she, in a commanding voice, "hasten down- 
 stairs, and arrest Cabinet-Counsellor Lombard. Take him to 
 the guard-house, Avhere you will detain him until the king 
 sends you further orders. I will report in person to his 
 majesty what I commanded you to do." 
 
 It was high time to interfere, in order to save Lombard's 
 life. The enraged people had already thrown him down, 
 and, regardless of the supplications of the two merchants, 
 commenced belaboring him unmercifully, when the major 
 appeared with a few soldiers and police officers. 
 
 " Order ! order !" he called in a loud voice. " Order, in the 
 name of the queen !" 
 
 The noise immediately died away; and those who had
 
 52 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 already seized Lombard turned around and stepped respect- 
 fully aside to let the major pass. 
 
 " In the name of the queen," he repeated, placing his hand 
 on Lombard's shoulder, and assisting him to rise, "I arrest 
 you, Cabinet-Counsellor Lombard ! You will accompany 
 me to the guard-house/' 
 
 But Lombard, unable to stand, had sunk down on the 
 chair, half dead with terror. 
 
 " You see, sir, I am unable to accompany you/' he groaned, 
 faintly, " I cannot walk." 
 
 " My soldiers will carry you, then," said the major ; mak- 
 ing a sign to them, he added, " Take the prisoner in your 
 arms, and carry him to the guard-house." 
 
 Amid the loud applause of the crowd the order was im- 
 mediately obeyed. The soldiers seized Lombard, and started 
 off with him. A large number followed, laughing and de- 
 riding him, and congratulating each other that their queen 
 would now be able to continue her journey uninterruptedly, 
 as the traitor had been arrested. 
 
 After reaching the guard-house, M. Lombard was locked 
 up in one of the common cells, but the major dared not 
 condemn the influential and powerful friend of Minister 
 von Haugwitz to lie on the hard bench of the criminals, and 
 to eat the ordinary prisoner's fare. He, therefore, sent to 
 the first hotel in Stettin, and requested the landlord to 
 furnish Lombard with bedding and food, and to send both 
 immediately. But the soldiers returned without having 
 obtained either one or the other. 
 
 " Well, will the landlord send the articles ?" asked the major. 
 
 "No, sir," was the reply; "the landlord declined doing 
 so. He said, he would not furnish a traitor with any thing, 
 no matter what price he offered him." 
 
 The major tried in vain to look angry. The reply pleased 
 him just as much as the chastisement inflicted on Lombard 
 by the people had pleased him previously. 
 
 " Then go to another landlord," he said, " and make the 
 same request of him. If he should also decline complying 
 with it, go to a third. In short, go and find a landlord who 
 is willing to send bedding and food to Cabinet-Counsellor 
 Lombard." 
 
 The people, who had gathered in front of the guard-house, 
 heard the words of the soldiers as well as the renewed order 
 of the major, and accompanied them to find a landlord will- 
 ing to furnish bedding and food for the traitor.
 
 THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF STETTIN. 53 
 
 An hour elapsed before they returned, still accompanied 
 by the crowd, whose numbers had vastly increased. The 
 major was in Lombard's cell, and had left orders for the 
 soldiers to report to him there. He anticipated, perhaps, the 
 answer they would bring back to him, and wished the prisoner 
 to hear it. 
 
 He who had hitherto sat at tables laden with delicacies and 
 slept only on silken beds the epicurean and sensual spend- 
 thrift lay on the hard wooden bench, groaning with pain 
 and terror, when the soldiers entered his cell. The major 
 stood at the window, and drummed on the panes. 
 
 " Well," he said, " do you at length come, and bring bedding 
 and food for M. Lombard ? But why did you tarry so long, 
 you lazy fellows? Did you not know that until your return 
 he would have to lie on the bench here like a common felon ? " 
 
 " We could not return at an earlier time, sir," replied they. 
 " We have gone from hotel to hotel; we have informed all 
 the landlords in Stettin of your orders, and requested them 
 to furnish Cabinet-Counsellor Lombard with bedding and 
 food. But all of them made the same reply all of them 
 answered : ' Tell the major that I shall not comply with his 
 orders. I will not furnish a traitor with any thing!'" 
 
 " Oh !" groaned Lombard; " then they want me to die with 
 my sick, bruised body on the hard boards here!" 
 
 " No !" exclaimed the major, " I will obtain another couch 
 for you. I will immediately go to the governor and procure 
 an order from him that will compel the hotel-keepers to fur- 
 nish you with the necessary articles." 
 
 Half an hour afterward he returned to Lombard, who had 
 meanwhile vainly tried to sleep. 
 
 " Now, sir," said the major, " your wishes will soon be ful- 
 filled. The governor has ordered the proprietor of the hotel 
 Zurii Krcnprinzen, under pain of severe punishment, to fur- 
 nish you with all necessaries, and I have sent some of my 
 men to him with this written order. They will doubtless 
 speedily return." 
 
 A few minutes later, in fact, the door opened, and the sol- 
 diers carried a bed into the cell; two others followed with 
 smoking dishes. 
 
 " Well," said the major, " then the landlord of the hotel 
 that I sent you to has no longer refused to give you the re- 
 quired articles? The governor's order had a good effect." 
 
 " Yes, sir, it had a good effect. But the proprietor of the 
 hotel Zum Kronprinzen sends word to you, that inasmuch as
 
 54 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the governor had issued so stringent an order, nothing re- 
 mained for him but to obey; but as soon as he should be 
 compelled no longer to furnish M. Lombard with any thing, 
 he would smash the dishes and plates from which the cabinet 
 counsellor had eaten, and burn the bedding on which he had 
 slept." 
 
 M. Lombard had apparently not heard these mortifying 
 words. Assisted by his footman, who had been sent for, he 
 hastily rose, and sat down at the table to dinner. 
 
 In the evening the major repaired with a few officers to 
 the hotel, and inquired for the landord. 
 
 He came in, somewhat confused, and convinced that the 
 major would censure him for his conduct. The latter, how- 
 ever, went to meet him, and, with a kindly smile, offered him 
 his hand. " Sir/' he said, " these gentlemen and I have taken 
 it upon ourselves to express to you, in the name of all our 
 comrades, our delight at the brave and manly reply you made 
 to-day, when compelled to furnish Lombard, the traitor, with 
 food and bedding. The officers of the garrison have resolved 
 to board with you, for we deem it an honor to be the guests 
 of so patriotic a man." 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 
 
 LOUISA waited till Lombard had been carried away amid 
 the jeers of the people; then, accompanied by her friend, she 
 hastened down-stairs in order to continue her journey. Many 
 persons were still assembled in the street, who, instead of fol- 
 lowing Lombard, had preferred to see the queen once more. 
 They received her with enthusiastic cheers, and heartily 
 wished her a safe journey. 
 
 " Give our best wishes to our king, and tell him that we will 
 be faithful to him as long as we live !" exclaimed a voice from 
 the crowd. 
 
 "We thank the queen for ordering the traitor to be ar- 
 rested!" exclaimed another. "Now we need not have any 
 fears for her, and know that she is able to continue her jour- 
 ney without incurring any danger whatever." 
 
 Louisa greeted her subjects smilingly, and lowered the 
 windows of the carriage for the purpose of returning their 
 salutations, and of being seen by them.
 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 55 
 
 " Yes," she said, when the carriage rolled through the gate 
 into the high-road, " yes, I hope the prophecy of these good 
 men will be fulfilled, and that 1 shall safely reach my destina- 
 tion. Now that Lombard. has been arrested, I am satisfied of 
 it, for he had followed me in order to inform the enemy of 
 my whereabouts; I feel convinced of it. But the judgment 
 of Heaven has overtaken him, and he has received his pun- 
 ishment. Oh, how dreadful it must be to stand before the 
 people with so bad a conscience, so pale and cowardly a face, 
 and to be accused by them! We are able to bear up under 
 the greatest afflictions when our soul is free from guilt! 
 And therefore I will meet the future courageously and pa- 
 tiently, hoping that God will have mercy on us. Hence- 
 forth there will be but one duty for me, and that is, to be a 
 faithful mother, and a comforter to my husband in his mis- 
 fortunes. Oh, Caroline, my heart, which was lately, as it were, 
 frozen and dead, is reawakening now it is living and throb- 
 bing with joy, for I shall see my husband and my children ! 
 If all should forsake us, love will remain with us, and he 
 whose heart is full of love will not be forsaken by the Lord." 
 
 She leaned back and closed her eyes. Profound peace was 
 depicted on her handsome face; her brow was calm and 
 cloudless, and a sweet smile played on her lips. Grief had 
 not yet marked this noble and youthful countenance with its 
 mournful yet eloquent traces, and its handwriting was not 
 yet to be read on her expansive forehead. 
 
 " Oh," whispered her friend to herself, contemplating the 
 beautiful slumbering queen, " oh, that grief might pass away 
 from her like a dark cloud that no thunderbolt burst forth 
 from it and strike that beloved head ! But I am afraid the 
 lightning will at last blight all the blossoms of her heart. 
 O God, give her strength, nerve her in her sufferings, as Thou 
 hast blessed her in her happiness! She is sleeping; let her 
 slumber be peaceful and refreshing, so that it may invigorate 
 her mind !" Madame von Berg leaned cautiously, in order 
 not to disturb the queen, into the other corner of the carriage, 
 which rapidly drove along the high-road. 
 
 The journey was continued uninterruptedly from station 
 to station ; in every town and village the people, as soon they 
 had recognized her, hastened to procure fresh horses for her, 
 and crowds gathered everywhere to cheer her on her way. 
 She had already passed through Frankfort, and stopped in 
 the village of Rettwein in front of the superintendent's house. 
 The footman entered and asked in her name for another set
 
 56 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 of horses. The superintendent looked at him uneasily and 
 gloomily. " I will get them directly," he said ; " I will go 
 myself to the stable and harness them, in order not to detain 
 the queen unnecessarily." He left the house hastily, and the 
 iootman returned to the carriage. 
 
 Louisa had risen and contemplated with a melancholy air 
 the deserted landscape. For the first time since the begin- 
 ning of her journey she was not welcomed on her arrival. 
 Nobody seemed to know or care that it was the queen who 
 was seated in the carriage. Only a few tow-headed peasants' 
 children, in ragged, dirty dresses, rushed toward the superin- 
 tendent's house and stared at her, without saluting or thank- 
 ing her for her kindly nods. 
 
 " We shall frequently ride out of the gate, but no drums 
 will be beaten," murmured she, with a faint smile, and sank 
 back on the cushions. 
 
 Time passed, and no horses made their appearance. The 
 queen glanced uneasily at her watch. " We have been here 
 nearly an hour," she said; "this long delay renders me un- 
 easy." 
 
 She rose once more and looked again out of the coach win- 
 dow. The same silence prevailed. The children were still 
 in front of the house, with their fingers in their mouths star- 
 ing at the carriage. At a distance the dull lowing of the cows 
 in their stables and the barking of dogs were to be heard. 
 No human being, except the few children, was to be seen; 
 even the superintendent did not make his appearance,although 
 he knew that the queen was waiting at his door. Just then, 
 however, a laborer, in a long blouse, with heavy wooden shoes, 
 came out of the house and remained at the door, staring with 
 his small blue eyes at the royal carriage. 
 
 "I do not know why," murmured Louisa, uneasily, "but 
 this silence frightens me; it fills my heart with a feeling of 
 anxiety which I cannot well explain. It seems to me as 
 though every thing around me were breathing treachery and 
 mischief, and some great danger were menacing me. Let us 
 set out we must leave this place. Why do not the horses 
 come ?" 
 
 " Will your majesty permit me to call the footman, and ask 
 him to hurry up the postilion ?" said Madame von Berg, 
 leaning out of the window. 
 
 " Tell them to make haste," she said to the approaching 
 footman. " Her majesty wishes to continue her journey im- 
 mediately."
 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 57 
 
 "The horses are not yet here/' exclaimed he anxiously; 
 "the superintendent promised he would fetch and harness 
 them himself, and he does not return." 
 
 Some one set up a loud, scornful laugh, which reached the 
 queen's ears. She bent forward and looked uneasily at the 
 laborer who was standing at the door with folded arms. The 
 footman turned, and asked him, indignantly, why he laughed. 
 The man looked at him with twinkling eyes. "Well," he 
 said, " I laugh because you are looking for horses, and have 
 been waiting here for an hour already. But they will not 
 come, for the superintendent has driven two of them through 
 the back gate into the field, and then mounted the third, and 
 rode off!" 
 
 The queen uttered a low cry, and placed her hand convul- 
 sively on her heart; she felt there a piercing pain, depriving 
 her of breath, and turning her cheeks pale. 
 
 " Then the stable is empty ?" said Madame von Berg. 
 
 "Yes, and there is not a hack even in the whole village; 
 the peasants have taken them all to Kustrin, lest the French 
 should take them." 
 
 " Are the French, then, so near ?" 
 
 " The superintendent said this morning he had seen them 
 at Biirwalde, two miles from our village." 
 
 " Let us start let us set out without a minute's delay," 
 said Louisa, anxiously grasping her friend's arm. " The 
 superintendent is a traitor, and has left the village in order 
 to inform our enemies that I am here. Oh, Caroline, we 
 must escape, and if I cannot do otherwise, I shall pursue my 
 journey on foot !" 
 
 " No, your majesty, there must and will be some expedient," 
 replied Caroline, resolutely. " Permit me to alight for a mo- 
 ment, and speak to the postilion who drove us hither." 
 
 " I shall alight with you," exclaimed the queen, rising and 
 trying to open the coach door. 
 
 Madame von Berg wished to keep her back. " What," she 
 exclaimed in dismay. " I am sure your majesty will not' 
 
 " Speak personally to the postilion ? Yes, I will. He is a 
 human being, like all of us, and at this hour happier and 
 more enviable than we are. Perhaps he will have mercy on 
 his sovereign !" 
 
 She hastily left the carriage, and ordered the footman to 
 conduct her to the postilion, who, during the last hour, had 
 fed and watered his horses, and was just about to ride back 
 with them to his station. He hastened to obey the order,
 
 58 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 and approached the queen, who stood trembling near the 
 carriage by the side of Madame yon Berg. 
 
 " Speak to him first," said Louisa to her friend. 
 
 "You have heard that we cannot get any other horses," 
 said Madame von Berg. " Her majesty wants you, therefore, 
 to drive us to the next station." 
 
 "That is impossible, madame," said the postilion; "my 
 horses are exhausted, and I myself am so weary that I am 
 almost unable to stand, for I have been on horseback for 
 three days. We had to take fugitives to Kiistrin all the 
 time." 
 
 " If you drive us thither rapidly and without delay, you 
 shall be liberally rewarded; you may depend on it," replied 
 Madame von Berg. 
 
 " All the rewards of the world would not do me any good, 
 inasmuch as neither I nor my horses are able to continue the 
 journey to Kiistrin," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. 
 " I would gladly comply with your request, but I cannot." 
 
 "You cannot?" asked the queen, in her sonorous voice, 
 " have you any children ?" 
 
 " Yes, madame, I have children. Two boys and a girl." 
 
 " Well, suppose you should hear that your children were in 
 Kiistrin, that some great danger was menacing them, and 
 that they were anxiously crying for their father. What would 
 you do then ?" 
 
 " I would gallop with lightning speed, not caring if the 
 trip killed my horses, could I only reach my children !" 
 
 "Well," said the, queen, with a gentle smile, "although 
 you are a father, and love your children so ardently, yet you 
 are cruel enough to refuse your assistance to a mother who 
 wishes to hasten to hers ? I beseech you take me to them, for 
 they are looking with anxiety for me." As she uttered these 
 words her eyes filled with tears, and her lips trembled. 
 
 The man was silent, and gazed with an air of surprise at 
 Louisa's beautiful face. " Madame," he said, after a pause, 
 "pray enter the carriage again. I will take you to Kiistrin 
 you shall be with your children in an hour. But I tell you, 
 madame," he added, turning to Madame von Berg, " I do not 
 go for the sake of the reward you have promised me, and I 
 will not take any money. I go because it would be infamous 
 not to reunite a mother and her children. Now, make haste." 
 He turned round without waiting for a reply, and began to 
 prepare for the journey. 
 
 The queen gazed after him with beaming glances, and then
 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 59 
 
 raised her eyes to heaven. "I thank Thee, my God," she 
 murmured. "Give me strength that I may still believe in 
 the human heart, and that such a discovery as I have made 
 to-day as to the treachery of one man may not harden my 
 heart! Come, Caroline, let us enter; in an hour we shall 
 be with my children; oh, in an hour, I shall see the king!" 
 An expression of delight overspread her face like sunshine, 
 and she hastened to the carriage with light, elastic steps. 
 
 The postilion whipped the horses. The village was soon left 
 behind, and they proceeded rapidly toward their destination. 
 
 "How fast the kind-hearted man drives!" said Louisa. 
 " He does not do so for the sake of the queen, but because 
 he thinks of his children, and commiserates a mother's heart. 
 Oh, I confess, my heart was painfully moved by the discovery 
 of the superintendent's treachery, but the all-merciful God 
 sends me this excellent man. I shall ever remember him, 
 and, please God, I will reward him for his kindness, by taking 
 care of his children." 
 
 " But I trust your majesty will also remember the traitor, 
 and cause him to be punished," said Madame von Berg, in- 
 dignantly. " He has committed a great crime against his 
 queen and against his fatherland, and ought to be called to 
 account." 
 
 " If he has deserved it, let God punish him," said Louisa, 
 gently. " I shall try to forget him, and I beg you not to say 
 any thing about it to the king. I am afraid, my dear, we 
 should have much, very much to do, if we were to punish all 
 those who betray us. The superintendent was the first faith- 
 less subject we met, but he will not be the last. Let us for- 
 get him. But what is that ? Why does the postilion drive 
 so fast ? It seems as if the carriage had wings. What does 
 it mean ?" 
 
 In fact, they dashed along the road like an arrow, and, as 
 though this were not sufficient, the anxious voice of the foot- 
 man was heard shouting, "Forward, postilion ! Forward, as 
 fast as possible !" 
 
 "There is something wrong, and I must know what it is!" 
 exclaimed the queen. She rose from her seat, and opened 
 the front window. "Tell me honestly and directly," she 
 said to the footman, " why does the postilion drive so rapidly? " 
 
 " If your majesty commands me to do so, I must tell the 
 truth," replied he. " We are pursued by French chasseurs. 
 They are galloping behind us on the high-road. I can al- 
 ready distinguish their uniforms." 
 5
 
 60 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 " And shall we be able to escape them ?" asked Louisa, 
 with the semblance of perfect calmness. 
 
 " We hope so, your majesty. If the horses can run fifteen 
 minutes longer, we are safe, for then we shall be in Kiistrm." 
 
 "Tell the postilion that I shall provide for the education 
 of his children, if we reach Kustrin in fifteen minutes/' re- 
 plied the queen. 
 
 She then sank back for a minute like a bruised reed. A 
 heart-rending scream escaped her, and she raised her hand in 
 despair. Presently she again became composed and looked 
 back from the window, so as to be able to see the approaching 
 danger. 
 
 Like lightning they proceeded along the high-road, but the 
 chasseurs gained upon them, and the distance rapidly de- 
 creased. The queen's piercing eyes could already distinguish 
 the faces of her enemies. She heard the loud shouts and oaths 
 with which they sought to increase their speed. She leaned 
 back, and a fearful pallor overspread her cheeks, but she was 
 still calm. 
 
 " Listen to what I tell you, Caroline," she said, in a grave, 
 solemn voice, " I cannot survive the disgrace of being taken 
 prisoner by the French. I will not adorn, as a modern Cleo- 
 patra, the triumphal entry of the modern Augustus. To live 
 and to die honorably is my motto. I prefer death to ignomini- 
 ous captivity. Tell it to my husband and my children. And 
 now to the will of God I commit myself. The moment that 
 a French soldier extends his hand toward me, this friend will 
 deliver me !" 
 
 She drew a small dagger from her bosom, and grasped it 
 firmly and resolutely. 
 
 " What are you going to do?" exclaimed Caroline, in terror. 
 
 " Hush V replied the queen, " my resolution is irrevocable. 
 Sooner death than the disgrace of ridicule ! Let us see what 
 is going on." 
 
 She leaned once more out of the carriage, which was still 
 dashing along with the utmost rapidity. The chasseurs were 
 fast approaching. The panting and snorting of the foaming 
 horses were already heard the flashing, triumphant eyes of 
 the soldiers distinctly seen. Every second brought them 
 nearer and nearer. Louisa withdrew her head. Her right 
 hand firmly grasped the dagger. In breathless exhaustion, 
 and as pale as though dying, she awaited her fate. 
 
 Suddenly they rolled with great noise over a paved street 
 they stopped and Louisa thought it was an angel's voice,.
 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 61 
 
 when she heard the words, "There is Kiistrin! We are 
 saved I" 
 
 She started up, and looked once more out of the window. 
 Yes, she was saved. The chasseurs were galloping off again, 
 and close at hand was the first gate of the fortress of Kiistrin. 
 She had constantly looked back toward the pursuing enemy, 
 not toward her destination, and now that she was saved, it 
 seemed to her a miracle, for which she thanked God from the 
 bottom of her heart. 
 
 They passed through the gate, but could only drive at a 
 slow pace. An immense chaos of vehicles loaded with bed- 
 ding, furniture, trunks, cases, boxes, and bags, obstructed the 
 passage. Shrieks, lamentations, and oaths, resounded in the 
 wildest confusion. All the inhabitants of the suburbs and 
 neighboring villages had fled hither with their movables, to 
 seek protection behind the walls of the fortress. 
 
 The queen had again concealed the dagger in her bosom, and 
 looked up to heaven with eyes full of fervent gratitude. 
 
 "I am saved!" she whispered; "I shall see again my hus- 
 band and my children. Life is mine again !" 
 
 The passage became wider. They were able to advance 
 more rapidly, and soon reached the market-place. A general 
 in uniform was just crossing it. When he was passing near 
 her, the queen joyfully exclaimed : 
 
 " Kockeritz ! Where is the king?" 
 
 "Oh, Heaven be praised that your majesty has arrived ! The 
 king is here. He is standing among the generals in front of 
 the house yonder." 
 
 They stopped. The coach door opened, and the pale, mel- 
 ancholy face of the king looked in. Louisa stretched out 
 her arms toward him. "Frederick! my dear, dear husband !" 
 she exclaimed, and, encircling his neck with her arms, im- 
 printed a kiss on his lips. He did not utter a word, but drew 
 hei' with an impetuous motion into his arms and carried her 
 into the house, regardless of the rules of etiquette, through the 
 crowd of generals, who bowed and stepped aside. She clung 
 tenderly to him and supported her head with a blissful smile 
 on his shoulder. He now placed the beloved burden slowly 
 and cautiously into an easy-chair; then crossed the room and 
 opened the door leading into an adjoining chamber. 
 
 "Come, come, your mother is here!" said he, abruptly, and 
 two boys ran immediately into the room, with a loud, joyous 
 exclamation. 
 
 " My sons, my beloved sons !" cried Louisa, stretching out
 
 62 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 her hands toward them. They rushed to her, clasping her in 
 their arms and kissing her. The queen pressed them to her 
 heart, shedding tears, half of grief, and half of happiness at 
 being reunited with her family. Not a word was spoken; 
 only sighs and sobs, and expressions of tenderness, interrupted 
 the silence. The king stood at the window, looking at his 
 wife and sons, and something like a tear dimmed his eyes. 
 "I would gladly die if they could only be happy again," he 
 murmured to himself; " but we are only in the beginning of 
 our misfortunes, and worse things are in store for us I" 
 
 He was right; worse things were in store for them. Day 
 after day brought tidings of fresh disasters. The first was, 
 that Erfurt had capitulated on the day after the battle of 
 Jena that the French occupied it, and that a garrison of 
 four thousand men had surrendered at discretion. Then 
 came the news that the French, who had not met with the 
 slightest resistance, and were driving every thing before them, 
 had crossed the Elbe, and were moving on Potsdam and Ber- 
 lin. The royal couple learned at the same time that Count 
 Schulenburg had left Berlin with the troops without permis- 
 sion, and solely on his own responsibility, and that he had 
 forgotten in his hurry to remote the immense quantity of arms 
 from the arsenal. Another day dawned and brought even 
 more disastrous tidings. The French were reported as ap- 
 proaching the fortress of Kiistrin by forced marches! 
 
 A panic seized the garrison. Most of the officers and pri- 
 vates, and the whole suite of the king, declared loudly, 
 " Peace only can save us ! Further resistance is vain, and 
 will increase our calamities. Submission to the conqueror 
 may save what remains." Minister von Haugwitz used this 
 language, and so did Generals von Kockeritzand von Zastrow, 
 and so thought the commander of Kiistrin, though he did 
 not utter his sentiments. 
 
 The king listened to all these supplications and suggestions 
 with grave and gloomy composure. He did not say a word, 
 but looked sometimes with an inquiring glance at the pale 
 face of the queen. She understood him, and whispered with 
 a smile: " Courage, my husband, courage I" And he nodded 
 to her, and said in a low voice : " I will have courage to the 
 bitter end! We cannot remain here, for the report that the 
 French are approaching has been confirmed. Let us go to 
 Graudenz!" 
 
 Louisa laid her hand on the king's shoulder, and looked 
 tenderly into his eyes. " Whither you go, I go," she said,
 
 THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT. 63 
 
 " even though we should be compelled to escape beyond the 
 sea or into the ice-fields of Siberia; we will remain together, 
 and so long as I am with you, adversity cannot break my 
 heart." 
 
 Frederick kissed her and then went to make the necessary 
 arrangements for their departure, to give his final orders to 
 the commander of Kiistrin, M. von Ingelsheim : " Defend 
 the fortress to the last extremity, and capitulate under no 
 circumstances whatever." 
 
 The queen seemed calm and composed so long as her hus- 
 band was at her side. But when he bad withdrawn, she burst 
 into tears; sinking down on a chair, she buried her face in 
 her hands and sobbed aloud. 
 
 " You are weeping!" whispered a soft, sweet voice. "Oh, 
 dear mother, do not weep," said another, and two heads 
 leaned on her shoulders the heads of her oldest sons. She 
 took her hands from her face, and shook the tears from her 
 eyes. She kissed her sons, and, placing both of them be- 
 fore her, gazed at them a long time with an air of melancholy 
 tenderness. 
 
 " Yes," she said, and while she spoke her voice became 
 firmer, and her face radiant "yes, I am weeping; nor am 
 I ashamed of my tears. I am weeping for the downfall of 
 my house the loss of that glory with which your ancestors 
 and their generals crowned the Hohenzollern dynasty, and 
 the splendor of which extended over the whole of Prussia 
 nay, over all Germany. That glory has, I say, departed for- 
 ever. Fate has destroyed in a day a structure in the erection 
 of which great men had been engaged for two centuries. 
 There is no longer a Prussian state, a Prussian army, and 
 Prussian honor! Ah! my sons, you are old enough to com- 
 prehend and appreciate the events now befalling us ; at a fu- 
 ture time, when your mother will be no more among the liv- 
 ing, remember this unhappy hour. Shed tears for me, as I 
 do for the ruin of our country! But listen," she added, and 
 her eyes beamed with enthusiasm, "do not content yourselves 
 with shedding tears! Act, develop your strength. Prussia's 
 genius, perhaps, will favor you. Then deliver yoar nation 
 from the disgrace and humiliation in which it is at present 
 grovelling! Try to recover the now eclipsed fame of your 
 ancestors, as your great-grandfather, the great elector, once 
 avenged, at Fehrbellin, the defeats of his father against the 
 Swedes. Let not the degeneracy of the age carry you away, my 
 sons; become men and heroes. Should you lack this ambition,
 
 64 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 you would be unworthy of the name of princes and grand- 
 sons of Frederick the Great. But if, in spite of all efforts, 
 you should fail in restoring the former grandeur of the state, 
 then seek death as Prince Louis Ferdinand sought it !" 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NAPOLEON IN POTSDAM. 
 
 THE unheard-of and never-expected event had taken place ; 
 the son of the Corsican lawyer, the general of the Revolution, 
 had defeated the Prussian army, compelled the royal family 
 to flee to the eastern provinces, and now made his triumphal 
 entry into their capital ! On the afternoon of the 24th of Oc- 
 tober he arrived in Potsdam; the royal palace had to open its 
 doors to him; the royal servants had to receive him as rever- 
 entially as though he had been their sovereign ! 
 
 Napoleon was now master of Prussia as well as of all Ger- 
 many. But his classic face remained as cold and calm in 
 these days of proud triumph as it had been in the days of ad- 
 versity. His successes seemed to surprise him as little as his 
 early misfortunes had discouraged him. When ascending the 
 broad carpeted staircase, he turned to Duroc, his grand mar- 
 shal and beckoned him to his side. "Just notice, grand mar- 
 shal," he said, in so loud a voice that it resounded through 
 the palace, "just notice the strange coincidence. If I re- 
 member rightly, it is just a year to-day since the fine-looking 
 Emperor Alexander of Russia arrived here in Potsdam, and 
 paid a visit to the queen. Please ask the steward who re- 
 ceived us at the foot of the stairs, whether it is not so." 
 
 Duroc went away, and soon returned with the answer that 
 his majesty had not been mistaken; it was just a year to-day 
 since the Emperor of Russia arrived in Potsdam. 
 
 A faint smile overspread Napoleon's face. " I will occupy 
 the same rooms which Alexander then occupied/' he said, 
 passing on. 
 
 Duroc hastened back, to give the necessary orders. Napo- 
 leon walked down the corridor with ringing, soldier-like foot- 
 steps, followed by his marshals, and entered the large por- 
 trait-gallery of the Prussian monarchs, who looked down on 
 him with grave eyes. 
 
 The emperor paused in the middle of the hall and glanced
 
 NAPOLEON IN POTSDAM. 65 
 
 over the portraits with a gloomy air. " All those men had a 
 high opinion of themselves," he said, in a sullen tone; "they 
 were proud of their high birth and of their royal crown, and 
 yet death has trampled them all in the dust. I will now take 
 upon myself the task of death : I will annihilate this Prussia 
 which dared to take up arms against me, and who knows 
 whether this gallery of Prussian kings will not close with 
 Frederick William III. ? Nothing on earth is lasting, and 
 sovereigns now-a-days fall from their thrones as over-ripe 
 apples from trees. The crown of Prussia fell to the ground 
 on the battle-fields of Jena and Auerstadt!" 
 
 The portraits of the Prussian rulers looked down silently on 
 the triumphant conqueror, and neither his scornful voice, nor 
 the haughty glances with which he contemplated them, dis- 
 turbed their tranquillity. Not a voice answered these arro- 
 gant and insulting words; the marshals stood silent and 
 respectful, and still seemed to listen to the voice of the oracle 
 which had just announced to the portraits of the royal ances- 
 tors of the present king the downfall of their house. But 
 Napoleon's brow, which had momentarily beamed with proud 
 thoughts, was again clouded. Joining his hands on his back, 
 he crossed the hall to the large central window, from which 
 there was a fine and extensive view of the lawn, with its old 
 trees and splendid statues, and beyond, of the Havel and its 
 hilly banks. He gazed gloomily at this landscape, then 
 turned and looked again at the pictures, but only for a mo- 
 ment, as though he would threaten them once more, and 
 make them feel again the angry glance of him who had come 
 to dethrone their descendant and appropriate his crown. 
 Then he fixed his eyes on the portrait of a handsome woman 
 whose large blue eyes seemed to gaze at him, and her crimson 
 lips to greet him with a winning smile. Quite involuntarily, 
 and as if attracted by the beauty of this likeness, he approached 
 and contemplated it long and admiringly. 
 
 " Truly," he said, " that is a charming creature. That lady 
 must have been wondrously lovely, and at the same time sur 
 passingly graceful and high-spirited." 
 
 "Sire," said Duroc, who had followed him and overheard 
 his words, "sire, she is still wondrously lovely, and, as your 
 majesty says, surpassingly graceful and high-spirited. It is 
 the portrait of Queen Louisa of Prussia." 
 
 A dark expression mantled Napoleon's face, and, bending 
 an angry glance on Duroc, he said, " It is well known that 
 you were always foolishly in love with the Queen of Prussia,
 
 66 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 and, according to your statement, one might believe there 
 was no woman in the whole world so beautiful as she is." He 
 turned his back on the painting and stepped to the next one : 
 "And this, then, doubtless, is Frederick William III.?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, it is the portrait of the reigning king." 
 
 "Of the reigning king?" repeated the emperor, with a 
 scornful smile. " It is a very good-natured face," he added, 
 looking at the full-sized portrait; " and as I behold his gentle, 
 timid air, I comprehend that he allows himself to be directed 
 by advisers, and follows the will of others rather than his own. 
 But this little King of Prussia is taller than I thought!" 
 
 " Sire, he is about as tall as the Grand-duke of Berg," said 
 Duroc. 
 
 "As Murat?" asked Napoleon. "It never seemed tome 
 that he was as tall as that. Is not Murat of my own height?" 
 
 "No, sire, he is higher than you!" 
 
 "You mean he is taller than I," said Napoleon, shrugging 
 his shoulders. "Height of stature is of no consequence. 
 Frederick II. was much smaller than his grand-nephew, and 
 yet he was the greatest of Prussia's kings. We will afterward 
 pay him a visit at Sans-souci. Until then, adieu, gentlemen. 
 Come, Duroc, conduct me to the rooms of the Emperor 
 Alexander!" 
 
 He greeted the marshals with a quick nod, and then fol- 
 lowed Duroc into the long suite of halls and brilliant rooms 
 which, only a year ago, had been newly decorated and fur- 
 nished with royal magnificence for the reception of the czar. 
 
 "These kings and princes 'by the grace of God' live here 
 very pleasantly," muttered Napoleon in an undertone; "they 
 know better how to build and furnish their residences than to 
 preserve them to their children. Well, I am a good architect, 
 and have come to reconstruct the royal palace of Prussia. Do 
 you think, Duroc, those ingrates will thank me for it?" 
 
 "They will see that the lion must have his share," said 
 Duroc, " and they will, doubtless, be thankful if any thing is 
 left to them. Sire, here we are in the czar's bedroom ! The 
 steward told me every thing was arranged in it precisely the 
 same as in the days when the Kussian emperor was here. 
 Nobody has slept in this bed since." 
 
 "I must sleep in it," said Napoleon, quickly, "and I be- 
 lieve I shall sleep in the royal Prussian palace, and in the 
 bed of the Russian emperor, as comfortably as I did in the 
 Tuileries and in the bed of Louis XVI."
 
 NAPOLEON IN POTSDAM. 6? 
 
 He threw his small three-cornered hat with a contemptuous 
 gesture on the bed, which was surmounted by a velvet canopy, 
 embroidered with gold, and then, his arms crossed behind 
 him, commenced slowly pacing the room. Duroc dared not 
 disturb him, and turned toward the paintings and engravings 
 hanging on the walls. The emperor walked a long while 
 gravely and musingly ; his brow grew more clouded, and he 
 pressed his lips more firmly together. Suddenly he paused 
 before Duroc, and, being alone, spoke to him no longer in 
 the tone of a master, but with the unreservedness of a friend. 
 
 "Legitimacy is a terrible power, Duroc," said he, hastily; 
 " it is what I cannot vanquish with all my cannon. Sover- 
 eigns and princes know it full well, and that is the reason of 
 their obstinacy. They oppose their ancestors to my victorious 
 eagles, and when, by virtue of my right as conqueror, I enter 
 their palaces and take possession of them, I find there the 
 proud company of their forefathers, who seem to look scorn- 
 fully down on me, and tell me, 'You are after all but an in- 
 truder and usurper, while we are and shall remain here the 
 rightful owners. ' I am sick and tired of playing this part of 
 usurper. I shall overthrow all dynasties, expel all legitimate 
 sovereigns and there shall be no other throne than mine. I 
 shall be at least the first legitimate monarch of the new 
 era!" 
 
 " And expelled princes will sit in some nook of your im- 
 mense empire," said Duroc, laughing, "and sing to the people 
 the same song of legitimacy ; and it will be listened to as one 
 of the fairy stories of childhood, in which they believe no 
 more." 
 
 "But they shall believe in my legitimacy!" exclaimed Na- 
 poleon, quickly. " I will be the first of the Napoleonic sover- 
 eigns." His brow was clouded again. "But it is true," he 
 murmured, " in order to found a dynasty, I need a son. I 
 must have legitimate children. It will be no fault of mine if 
 circumstances compel me to divorce Josephine ; for I will not, 
 like Alexander of Macedon, conquer exclusively for the benefit 
 of my generals. I need an heir to my empire." 
 
 " Sire, you have one in the son of the empress, noble King 
 Eugene." 
 
 "No," exclaimed the emperor, gloomily, "the son of the 
 Viscount de Beauharnais cannot be heir to my throne. My 
 blocd does not flow in his veins. Oh, why did the young 
 Napoleon die ! I had destined him to succeed me, because he
 
 68 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 was of my blood, and a scion of my family.* Poor Josephine! 
 if her tears and prayers could have saved the child's life, I 
 should never have thought of taking another wife." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Duroc, in dismay, "your majesty 
 thinks of repudiating the empress!" 
 
 "My heart never will repudiate her," replied Napoleon, 
 drawing a sigh. " I shall always love her, for she deserves it. 
 She is generous and high-minded, good and graceful. I never 
 loved another woman as I love her and never shall. Judge, 
 therefore, what a cruel blow it will be to my heart, should I 
 be compelled to separate from her." 
 
 "If you should, sire," said Duroc, in a voice quivering 
 with emotion, "if you repudiate the empress, you would 
 thereby sign your own death-warrant, and Josephine would 
 not survive it." 
 
 "She will have to survive it like myself," exclaimed the 
 emperor, impetuously. " I shall suffer no less nay, I shall 
 suffer more than she, for she never loved me as I love her. 
 Her tears will fall for the lost splendor of the throne not for 
 her husband. But I shall bewail the beloved wife." 
 
 "No, sire," said Duroc, almost indignantly, "you are un- 
 just. The empress loves you you alone. She accepted the 
 crown reluctantly and with tearful eyes, and will not weep 
 when she loses it. She will mourn for her husband only, 
 whom she adores, and not for the crown which adorns but also 
 oppresses her brow." 
 
 "Ah, what a warm advocate the empress has!" exclaimed 
 Napoleon, smiling. " Do you really believe that she loves me 
 so disinterestedly?" 
 
 " Sire, I am convinced of it, and so is your majesty. The 
 empress loves in you her dear Bonaparte, and not the em- 
 peror. She loves you more ardently than any other woman 
 could do. Sire, permit an old, well-tried friend and servant 
 to warn you. Do not banish Josephine from your heart, for 
 she is your guardian angel. " 
 
 Napoleon did not reply immediately, but looked melancholy 
 and abstracted. 
 
 "It is true," he said, after a long pause, "Josephine 
 brought success; until I married her every thing around me 
 was forbidding and dark. She appeared like a sun by my 
 side, and we rose together." 
 
 * The oldest son of the King of Holland, Napoleon's brother, and of Hortense, 
 Josephine's daughter, had been declared Napoleon's successor and adopted son. He 
 died of croup, in 1805, in his seventh year.
 
 NAPOLEON IN POTSDAM. 69 
 
 " Sire, all will darken again, if you suffer your sun to set." 
 "Ah, bah! these are nothing but fantastic dreams!" ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, after a brief silence. " I am the architect 
 of my fortune I alone. Josephine did not assist me in 
 erecting my edifice; she only adorned it with her smiling 
 grace. I shall do what fate and my people have a right to 
 expect of me, but I do not say that it must be done immedi- 
 ately. I have time enough to wait ; for as yet I do not stand 
 on the pinnacle to which I am aspiring. My plans are not 
 yet accomplished. I hope that I shall not die at so early an 
 age as my father. I need ten years more to carry out my 
 purposes. A sovereign ought not to set too narrow limits to 
 his wishes; but mine they are boundless. Like the con- 
 queror of Darius, I must rule the world, and I hope that my 
 desire will one day be fulfilled. Nay, I feel convinced that I 
 and my family will occupy all the thrones of Europe. Then 
 it will be time for me to have a wife who will give an heir to 
 my empire, and a son to my heart. Until then, my friend, 
 keep the matter secret; do not mention what I have told you. 
 The portraits of the old kings, with their surly faces, have 
 impressed me very disagreeably, and it is in defiance of them 
 that I say, 1 will one day have a wife a daughter of the 
 Caesars who will think it an honor to bear a son to the mod- 
 ern Caesar! When the time comes, however, I shall remind 
 you of this hour, and then request you, in the name of the 
 confidence which I have reposed in you, to prepare my poor, 
 beloved Josephine for the blow that is menacing her and my- 
 self, and which I then shall ward off no longer. But a truce 
 to these matters! Let us go to Sans-souci. Come!" 
 " Sire, before your majesty has dined?" 
 "Ah, you are hungry, then? You would like to dine?" 
 " Sire, I believe all the gentlemen entertain the same desire. 
 None of us have tasted food for eight hours." 
 
 "Eight hours, and you are already hungry again? Truly, 
 this German air exerts a bad effect upon my brave marshals. 
 Like the Germans, you want to eat all the time. Well, let it 
 so be ; as we are in Germany, I will comply with your wishes. 
 Let us dine, therefore, and afterward go to the country- 
 palace of Frederick II. Be kind enough to issue your orders, 
 grand-marshal. Let the horses be ready ; we shall set out as 
 soon as we have dined. Tell Roustan to come to me!" 
 
 Napoleon was now again the sovereign, and it was in this 
 capacity that he dismissed Duroc, who left the room with a
 
 70 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 respectful bow. Roustan, who had already heard the orde> In 
 the anteroom, glided past him to assist Constant in the em- 
 peror's toilet. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SANS-SOUCI. 
 
 DUROC hastened once more through the rooms and halls to 
 the corridor, where the palace-steward came to meet him. 
 
 " Dinner is ready, grand marshal," he said. 
 
 "And have you set another table in the adjoining room?" 
 
 " Your orders have been punctually obeyed." 
 
 " Be good enough, then, to conduct me to th'e large dining- 
 hall." 
 
 The steward bowed in silence, and led the way. All the 
 marshals and generals were already assembled when, Duroc 
 entered. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, smiling, " his majesty is now occu- 
 pied with his toilet, and Roustan has assured me that it would 
 last half an hour. We have half an hour, therefore, to take 
 our dinner." Followed by the others, he went into the next 
 room. A table had been set there, and appetizing odors in- 
 vited them to sit down to it. 
 
 "Now, steward, have every thing served up as quick as 
 possible. We have but twenty minutes left." During that 
 time there reigned profound silence, only now and then in- 
 terrupted by a word or a brief remark. The marshals con- 
 tented themselves in making the viands disappear, and empty- 
 ing the bottles. Duroc, who had frequently cast anxious 
 glances at the large clock, now rose hastily. "Gentlemen," 
 he said, " our time is up, and we must be ready for the em- 
 peror's dinner. I will go to his majesty, and conduct him to 
 the dining-hall. I hope all of you have eaten well, so as not 
 to need much of the official repast to which we are going. 
 The emperor has graciously ordered us all to dine with him. 
 Be so kind as to repair to the hall." 
 
 When Napoleon entered, a few minutes later, preceded by 
 Duroc, he found all the marshals assembled. The dinner 
 commenced, and he, it seemed, was no less hungry than his 
 generals, for not only did he eat his soup with the utmost 
 rapidity, but when he saw ore of his favorite dishes placed
 
 SANS-SOUCI. 71 
 
 near him, he smiled and nodded kindly to the grand marshal, 
 who was standing at his right, and presented him a glass of 
 wine. 
 
 " See how attentive these dear Germans are !" he said. " If 
 I am not mistaken, this is my favorite dish, fricassee a la 
 Marengo." 
 
 " Yes, sire, I sent the bill of fare hither last night by the ' 
 courier who announced your majesty's arrival, and I am glad 
 to see that it has been punctually attended to." 
 
 " So these German cooks know already how to prepare a 
 fricassee a la Marengo? Who has taught them this?" 
 
 " Your majesty; your majesty is now the cook and butler 
 for all Germany everybody has become familiar with your 
 favorite dishes." 
 
 The emperor smiled. Placing a piece of bread on his fork, 
 he dipped it into the dish, and repeated this several times; 
 and when the grand marshal placed before him a silver plate, 
 tilled with a portion of the same, he commenced to eat rapidly. 
 Aware of his habit, his attendants had taken care that the 
 pieces of meat were sufficiently small, and the whole dish not 
 too hot. He began to eat the meat with a fork, and the 
 sauce with a spoon, but he seemed to regard both as too in- 
 convenient ; for he laid them aside, and, after the fashion of 
 the Turks, used his delicate white hands, adorned with dia- 
 mond-rings.* Scarcely twelve minutes had elapsed when he 
 rose. The grand marshal immediately presented to him a 
 golden basin and a napkin to wash his hands. 
 
 Napoleon's guests had done well in dining beforehand ; for, 
 as the servants did not attend to them so quickly as to their 
 master, and as they, moreover, were not able to eat so fast as 
 he, they would assuredly have risen hungry from the table, f 
 
 * Constant, for many years Napoleon's devoted valet de chambre, gives in his 
 reminiscences a detailed account of the emperor's habits, and writes as follows about 
 his mode of dining : "The great rapidity with -which the emperor was accustomed 
 to eat was frequently very injurious to his health. One of the immediate effects of 
 this habit was, that he did not eat very cleanly. He liked to ase his fingers instead 
 of a fork, and, indeed, instead of a spoon. Clreat care was taken always to place a 
 favorite dish before him. He partook of it in the manner above described, dipping 
 his bread into the sauce, which did not prevent the other guests from eating or the 
 same dish, or at least such as wished to do so, and there were few who did not. I 
 have even seen some who pretended to regard this favorite dish as a way of doing 
 homage to the emperor. Napoleon's favorite dish was a sort of chicken-fricassee, 
 called, in honor of the conqueror of Italy, 'fricassee d to Marengo.''" Constant, 
 MSmoires, vol. ii., p. 56. 
 
 tThe guests invited to the imperial table always dined beforehand. The em- 
 peror, in the haste with which he ate, did not notice that the others had no time to 
 dp so. Once, when he departed from the table, and Eugene, his stepson, rose imme- 
 diately after him, Napoleon turned to him. and said : " But you have had no time 
 to eat?'' "Pardon me." replied the prince, " I dined beforehand." "M6moirea d* 
 Constant," vol. ii., p. 55.
 
 72 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "To horse, gentlemen!" exclaimed Napoleon. "Let us 
 ride over to Sans-souci, and do homage to the manes of the 
 king who was a philosopher and a great general at the sams 
 time." 
 
 The streets of Potsdam were deserted as the emperor and 
 his brilliant suite rode through them. All the windows were 
 closed; the citizens were nowhere to be seen; only a crowd of 
 idle boys followed the imperial cavalcade. The soldiers of the 
 grand French army alone greeted the emperor with joyous 
 cheers outside of the city, where they were encamped. Pots- 
 dam thought, perhaps, of its king, who had immortalized it, 
 and was sad and ashamed that those whom Frederick the 
 Great had routed in so glorious a manner at Eossbach now 
 made their triumphal entry into his capital. 
 
 Napoleon's brow was gloomy; this silence of the population 
 was disagreeable and oppressive. It seemed to him to be a 
 sign of the hostile spirit of the Prussians; and as he was rid- 
 ing slowly, his head slightly bent forward, along the avenue 
 toward Sans-souci, he muttered: "This is a malicious and 
 infamous trick ! The haughty nobility will still oppose me, 
 but I will crush them. They must not succeed, however, in 
 making me angry, but I shall chastise those who have induced 
 the citizens to remain at home, and not to greet me." And, 
 thoughtfully, he rode on toward the country-seat of Frederick 
 the Great. 
 
 No one was at the palace to welcome him but the castellan, 
 a venerable man, who, with a few aged servants in faded 
 liveries, received the all-powerful conqueror at the open fold- 
 ing-doors of the hall leading to the terrace. Napoleon looked 
 at him with a rapid, piercing glance. " You lived in the 
 period of Frederick II. ?" he asked hastily. 
 
 " Yes, sire, we were fortunate enough to serve the great 
 king," said the castellan, in faultless, fluent French. " Hence, 
 the honorable task has been intrusted to us to watch over his 
 sacred resting-place, and to protect it from injury." 
 
 " The name of the great king is a sufficient protection for 
 this house," said Napoleon. " My soldiers have a profound 
 respect for true greatness; they will not dare to desecrate this 
 sanctuary. Be my guide, my friend. Let me see the sitting- 
 room of your king!" 
 
 " Of the present king, sire?" asked the castellan. 
 
 Napoleon smiled. " I think there is but one king in Sans- 
 souci," he said, "and that is Frederick II. Conduct me to
 
 SANS SOUCI. 73 
 
 his sitting-room!" and rapidly crossing the semicircular mar- 
 ble hall, he walked toward the side-door which the castellan 
 opened. 
 
 " Sire," he said, solemnly, " this is the king's sitting-room ; 
 it is still furnished precisely as when he lived in it. It has 
 undergone no change whatever." 
 
 Napoleon entered; his marshals followed him. None of 
 them uttered a word ; every one seemed involuntarily to tread 
 lightly, as if he feared to disturb the silence reigning in this 
 room, sacred by its great reminiscences. The emperor walked 
 rapidly into the middle of the room ; there he paused with 
 folded arms, and his large dark eyes glided slowly from object 
 to object. The marshals moved softly around, and, on con- 
 templating the old-fashioned furniture, their ragged silken 
 covers, the plain desk with the inkstand placed near the win- 
 dow, the large easy-chair, shrouded in a ragged purple blanket, 
 smiled disdainfully and whispered to each other that this was 
 a room entirely unfit for a king, and that one might purchase 
 better and more tasteful furniture of any second-hand dealer 
 in Paris. Napoleon, perhaps, had overheard their words, or 
 at least noticed their whisperings, for he bent an angry glance 
 on them. "Gentlemen," he said, "this is a place which de- 
 serves our profound respect. Here lived one who was a greater 
 general than Turenne, and from whose campaigns we all 
 might derive instruction. Alexander the Great himself would 
 have admired Frederick's battle of Leuthen." 
 
 The aged castellan, who was standing at the door, raised 
 his head, and with a kind glance seemed to thank Napoleon 
 for the tribute he had paid to the manes of the heroic dead. 
 
 The emperor's eyes were now fixed on the large clock placed 
 on a gilded pedestal. It was a masterpiece of the period of 
 Louis XV., and adorned in the most brilliant roccoco style. 
 The large dial, with the figures of colored enamel, rested in a 
 frame and case of splendidly-wrought gold, and this was sur- 
 mounted by a portrait of the Emperor Titus, with the inscrip- 
 tion, " Diem perdidi. " 
 
 " Is that the clock which the king caused to be purchased 
 from the heirs of the Marquise de Pompadour?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, it is. It has always stood in this room, since 
 he purchased it. Frederick the Great prized it very highly, 
 and consulted it exclusively until his death. And it seemed 
 to know that he liked it, for when he closed his eyes, the 
 clock stopped and never went again."
 
 74 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, quickly, "since the death oi 
 Frederick the government of Prussia, it seems, really did not 
 know the time any more. And what about that ragged old 
 easy-chair? Did the king use it, too?" 
 
 "Sire," said the castellan, solemnly, laying stress on every 
 word he uttered " sire, the great king died in that chair ; his 
 head rested on the pillow now lying on the seat, and he was 
 covered with that blanket." 
 
 The emperor rapidly approached ; the marshals followed his 
 example and walked toward it on tiptoe. He stood before it ; 
 his arms folded, his lips compressed, contemplating it. Be- 
 hind him stood the marshals, whose indifferent countenances 
 and curious glances contrasted strangely with the pale face of 
 their master. Not far from them, near the door, stood the 
 white-haired castellan ; his hands clasped, and his head bowed 
 mournfully on his breast. 
 
 Suddenly the room was filled with light; the sun, which 
 had hitherto been hidden by clouds, burst forth and shone 
 brilliantly ; golden beams fell upon the easy-chair of Fred- 
 erick the Great, and surrounded it, as it were, with a halo. 
 
 "This, then, is the death-bed of the great king," said Na- 
 poleon, musingly. " The gods did not permit him to fall on 
 the battle-field. Disease and age vanquished the hero of the 
 Seven Years' War, and he died not amid the triumphs of his 
 soldiers, but solitary and alone! May Providence, in His 
 mercy, preserve us from such a fate!" And turning quickly 
 to the castellan, he asked, " Were you present when the king 
 died?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, I was; for I was his valet de chambre." 
 
 " Tell me the last words he uttered. " 
 
 "Sire, he spoke repeatedly, but so inaudibly and rapidly 
 that we did not apprehend him. The last words which we 
 were able to understand were: 'Give me back my soldiers of 
 the Seven Years' War! I am tired of ruling over slaves!' ' 
 
 " Strange, strange," murmured Napoleon ; " he was tired of 
 ruling over slaves ! as though it were possible to rule over free 
 men ! Ah, I should like to have known this king, who was 
 such an autocrat, and yet despised slaves! who wielded the 
 sword as skilfully as the pen ! to whom the booming of the 
 cannon sounded as melodious as the notes of his flute who 
 made verses with Voltaire, and won battles with Schwerin and 
 Ziethen! He was able to do every thing, and we have not 
 *een his equal!"
 
 SANS-SOUCI. 75 
 
 "Oh, sire," murmured the marshals, "your majesty for- 
 gets" 
 
 "Silence, gentlemen!" he exclaimed, in an angry voice, 
 pointing with his outstretched arm to the easy-chair, " do not 
 natter me in this room. I wish I had known Frederick the 
 Great, for I believe we should have understood each other." 
 
 " Sire," said the castellan, " it is true, his majesty did not 
 know you; nevertheless, he dreamed of you." 
 
 Napoleon hastily turned toward him and asked: " What? 
 He dreamed of me? Tell me all about it. Approach!" 
 
 The castellan, obeying the sign made to him, advanced a 
 few steps slowly and hesitatingly. 
 
 " Sire," he said, " it was a few years after the Seven Years' 
 War. I had just entered the king's service, and was on duty 
 during that night; that is to say, I slept in the anteroom, 
 and had received strict orders to awaken the king at a fixed 
 hour in the morning, and to enter his bedroom during the 
 night as soon as he called me, or if I should hear any noise. 
 Suddenly I heard the cry, 'Fire, fire!' I rushed immediately 
 into the bedroom, but no fire was to be seen. My master lay 
 on his couch, groaning, breathing heavily, and evidently 
 under the influence of bad dreams. I, therefore, took the 
 liberty to awaken him. 'Ah, 'said he, heaving a deep sigh, 'I 
 am glad you awakened me; I had a weird, terrible dream, and 
 I will relate it to you. I dreamed I was standing on the ter- 
 race of Sans-souci, and around me I beheld my state and all 
 my palaces close together, and behind them I thought I could 
 descry the whole world, with all its cities and countries ; it 
 was spread out before my eyes like a painting of wondrous 
 beauty, and I was rapturously gazing at it. All at once the 
 sky grew dark; black clouds passed over it; profound dark- 
 ness covered the beautiful world, and dreadful shrieks and 
 groans resounded through the air. B-t from the midst of the 
 black clouds a bright, dazzling star burst like a rocket, and 
 set fire to every thing, until all countries were in ruins, and 
 all cities burned down. And as I saw that, I cried in my 
 anguish, " Fire! fire!" Fortunately, you came and awakened 
 me.' That, sire," said the castellan, drawing a deep breath, 
 "that was the dream. The king went on to say: 'The 
 dream, I am sure, is a portentous one, and some remarkable 
 event will doubtless happen in the course of this night. 
 Write down every thing I told you, and remember the date 
 and year!' I did as his majesty ordered me; I wrote down 
 6
 
 76 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the date, the year, and even the hour in which the dream 
 occurred." 
 
 " Was the dream really a portentous one? Did any remark- 
 able event occur in that night?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, a very remarkable event occurred in that night, 
 but his majesty did not hear of it; he died too early." 
 
 " When did he have that dream?" asked Napoleon, fixing his 
 eyes on the old man, who composedly bore the searching gaze. 
 
 A pause ensued. The castellan replied : " Sire, Frederick 
 the Great had that dream on the 15th of August, 1769." 
 
 " On my birthday!" ejaculated Napoleon. 
 
 " On the 15th of August, 1769," repeated the old man, " at 
 three o'clock in the morning." 
 
 " The hour of my birth," muttered the emperor to himself. 
 After a short pause he turned again toward the castellan, and 
 a strange, sarcastic smile played on his lips. 
 
 " The star fell from the sky, and set fire to all the palaces 
 and countries?" he asked. 
 
 The castellan nodded. 
 
 " And you believed that the dream referred to me, and that 
 I am the fallen star?" 
 
 " Sire, I only related what the king had dreamed, and in 
 what night and in what hour he had the remarkable dream. 
 His majesty spoke frequently about it, and all his friends 
 heard of it. But nobody was able to interpret it. He died 
 without obtaining the solution." 
 
 "But you have solved it," said Napoleon, sneeringly. "I 
 am the fallen star, and you think I have come to fulfil that 
 dream?" 
 
 " Sire, I" 
 
 " I shall burn down your palaces and scourge your country," 
 added he, harshly. " Why did you irritate me? I did not 
 commence the war; since you desired it, I gave it to you. 
 But tell your friends and the good citizens of Potsdam that 
 the dream of their king will not be entirely fulfilled. It may 
 be that I shall be compelled to destroy royal palaces, but the 
 house of the citizen and the cabin of the peasant will not feel 
 my wrath, nor will I lay waste your fields. Tell the good 
 denizens of this city tell them not to be afraid of me ; for 
 never shall I assail their rights and privileges, nor interfere 
 with their interests. And now, gentlemen, let us proceed !" 
 He quickly crossed the room, and entered the adjoining 
 apartment.
 
 SANS-SOUCI. 77 
 
 " Sire, this is the reception-room of Frederick the Great," 
 said the castellan, who had followed. " On that table lies the 
 full suit in which his majesty gave his last audience his 
 uniform, his order of the Black Eagle, his hat and sword." 
 
 Napoleon hastened to the table, and seized the sword. 
 " Ah, the sword of Frederick II.," he exclaimed, with sparkling 
 eyes. "He often wielded it with a victorious hand, and that 
 hat covered a head adorned with the laurel- wreath of the poet 
 and the great general ! These are trophies that I prefer to 
 all the treasures of Prussia. What a capital present for the 
 Invalides, especially for those who formed part of the army of 
 Hanover! They will be delighted, no doubt, when they see 
 in our possession the sword of him who beat them at Ross- 
 bach! And as my dear brother, Frederick William III., has 
 conferred the order of the Black Eagle on me, I suppose he 
 will permit me to take this decoration as a souvenir of the 
 greatest king of the house of Hohenzollern. W T hat about the 
 bell that is placed beside the hat?" 
 
 " Sire," said the castellan, mournfully and hesitatingly, " it 
 is the bell which the king used during his whole reign to call 
 the gentlemen waiting in the anteroom, and the footmen at 
 night." 
 
 " That bell shall stand henceforward in my cabinet and on 
 my desk," said Napoleon. "Grand marshal, order all these 
 things to be packed up and to be sent immediately to Paris, 
 and add to them also the clock in the other room the clock 
 that was so faithful to the great king as to stop at his death, 
 and to refuse to mark the time for any one else. I will wind 
 it up, and the clock of Frederick the Great must strike again 
 for me. Conduct us to the other rooms, castellan." 
 
 The old man cast a long and melancholy look on the 
 precious relics that were about to be taken from him, and 
 took leave of them with a profound sigh. He then conducted 
 the party to the other rooms. He showed them the library, 
 where Frederick, during the last years of his life, had spent 
 every hour when not occupied with government affairs, long- 
 ing for no other society than that of his books. He then took 
 them to the rooms in which Voltaire had lived, and showed 
 the emperor a paper on which the king had written verses 
 that Voltaire had corrected and revised. Napoleon contem- 
 plated every thing with the greatest attention, and then 
 caused himself to be conducted to the fine long hall, in which 
 Frederick, accompanied by his dog, used to take his daily
 
 78 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 walk when the weather was too bad for him to do so in the 
 open air. The walls of this hall were adorned with many 
 paintings and engravings all, however, did not apparently 
 belong to the period of Frederick ; for there were among them 
 paintings and engravings representing his last hours, and his 
 lonely nocturnal funeral. Others again depicted the scene of 
 young Frederick William II. standing by the corpse of his 
 great uncle, and swearing with tearful eyes, his hand placed 
 on the head of Frederick, that he would be a just and good 
 ruler to his people. 
 
 " And what does this picture represent?" asked Napoleon, 
 pointing to an engraving by the side of the above-mentioned 
 painting. 
 
 "Sire," said the castellan, in confusion, "it is a copper- 
 plate, representing the king's tomb. It does not properly 
 belong here, but has been placed here temporarily. The 
 artist sent it hither with the request to place it somewhere in 
 Sans-souci, and I hung it up in this place until my master 
 disposes of it in some other way." 
 
 "But what about this one?" asked the emperor, whose 
 piercing eyes were fixed on another engraving. " There is 
 the tomb of Frederick ; two men, in full uniform, are stand- 
 ing by its side ; a beautiful lady is with them, and all three 
 are raising their hands in an odd manner. Ah, ah, now I 
 comprehend: that is last year's scene, when the Emperor 
 Alexander took leave of the king and queen at the grave of 
 Frederick the Great, and swore eternal friendship to them as 
 well as eternal enmity to France? That is what this engrav- 
 ing represents, I suppose?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, it is," said the castellan, timidly. 
 
 Napoleon, with a flashing glance, called his marshals to his 
 side. " Behold there, gentlemen, one of those theatrical 
 scenes with which people here in Prussia were declaiming 
 against me, while I was silent, but arming against them," 
 said he with a sneer. " If the King of Prussia does not fulfil 
 the other oaths he has taken more faithfully than this one, I 
 pity his people ; but he has incurred the retribution of the 
 gods, who insist on it that men shall fulfil their promises or 
 they will be crushed. We have seen enough of the place 
 where Frederick the Great passed his life; let us pay a last 
 visit to him in his tomb. Where is it?" 
 
 "In Potsdam, sire, in the church close to the palace." 
 
 "Very well. Come, gentlemen. And you, castellan, ao
 
 SAXS-SOUCI 79 
 
 net forget that the dream has not been altogether fUfillel. 
 The 'fallen star' is only a devouring fire to the kings who bid 
 him defiance, but not to the people who obediently submit. >r 
 He nodded, stepped from the hall into the anteroom, and 
 then into the vestibule, where the horses were ready for him 
 and his suite. 
 
 The old man gazed mournfully after the brilliant cavalcade. 
 u Ho looks like a marble statue," he muttered, " and I believe- 
 that he has no heart in his breast. Every thing in him is- 
 made of stone. If he had a heart, he would not dare to come 
 hither and appropriate with a rapacious hand the sacred relics, 
 of our great king. I must really go and see whether his com- 
 mands to that effect will be carried out or not." And he left 
 the hall with youthful alacrity, hastening through the apart- 
 ments back to the reception-room. 
 
 Yes, the commands had been obeyed! The hat and sword,, 
 the order of the Black Eagle, and the bell, had disappeared. 
 The old castellan uttered a groan, and proceeded to the sit- 
 ting-room. His anxious eyes glanced at the spot where the 
 clock had stood. That was also gone. But he heard men 
 talking and laughing in the anteroom, and when he hastened 
 hither, he saw some of the emperor's servants, who, in com- 
 pliance with the orders of the grand marshal, were engaged 
 in packing up the relics in a basket, and jesting at what they 
 called the strange and insignificant spoils which the emperor 
 had obtained here. The white-haired servants of Frederick 
 the Great were standing close by, and witnessing with tearful 
 eyes the removal of treasures so sacred on account of the 
 reminiscences connected with them. The men were just en- 
 gaged in placing the clock on the other articles in a basket. 
 The castellan approached hurriedly and placing his hand on 
 the dial, said in a low voice, "Farewell! The eyes of Fred- 
 erick the Great have often gazed at you. His eyes were also 
 stars, but not fallen stars, and they did not scorch and burn, 
 but rendered the people happy. Farewell, failnful clock, 
 that stopped with grief in the last hour of my king! When 
 his last hour comes, announce it loudly and joyously, and com- 
 mence going again, for the worst time will be over then, and 
 the fallen star will cease burning. Farewell, and strike that 
 hour as soon as possible !" * 
 
 * The clock remained in Napoleon's possession and accompanied him to St. 
 Helena. It stood on the mantelpiece in his small parlor, and is mentioned in his 
 will. He bequeathed it to his son, the Duke de Reichstadt, in the following: words : 
 "The clock which always awakened ine in the morninjr; it belonged to Frederick
 
 80 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Looking even more gloomy than on leaving the city, the 
 emperor rode with his suite again through the deserted, silent 
 streets of Potsdam. The brilliant cavalcade moved as slowly 
 and solemnly as a funeral procession toward the church, the 
 lower vault of which contained the coffin with the remains of 
 Frederick. The sexton and his assistants, bearing the large 
 bunch of keys and a blazing torch, conducted the emperor 
 through the dark and silent corridors, and opened the heavy, 
 clanking iron doors leading into the vault. Napoleon en- 
 tered. For a moment he stood still on the threshold and 
 gazed in surprise at its plain, gloomy vault, the walls of which 
 were not adorned with trophies, nor with any decorations 
 whatever, and at that humble wooden coffin, which stood so 
 bare and solitary in the middle of the sombre room. Behind 
 him were his marshals, who looked at the strange scene with 
 an air of curiosity and astonishment. 
 
 " Ah," said Napoleon, gently turning his head toward them, 
 and pointing with his right hand to the coffin, " a man must 
 have distinguished himself by many great deeds, and obtained 
 immortal glory, to need thus no earthly pomp and splendor!" 
 
 He approached closely to the coffin ; folding his arms on his 
 breast, his lips firmly compressed, he gazed long and stead- 
 fastly at it. The blaze of the torch shed a bright light on 
 his face, and as his pale head alone was distinctly visible in 
 the darkness, the beholders might have believed one of the 
 marble statues of the Caesars on the terrace of Sans-souci, had 
 descended from its pedestal in order to pay a visit to the dead 
 king. 
 
 After a long pause Napoleon's eye resumed its wonted brill- 
 iancy. He pointed with a strange smile at the dust covering 
 the lid of the coffin. " Dust without and dust within ! that 
 within was a great king and a hero; yet that without is more 
 lasting than the oaths which the Emperor Alexander swore 
 here a year ago, with Frederick William and the beautiful 
 Louisa. Even the kiss which Alexander imprinted at that 
 time on the coffin of Frederick is no longer visible; dust has 
 
 II., and I appropriated it in Potsdam." The bell he also bequeathed to his son. 
 Many conflicting s^tements have been made concerning the sword Napoleon took. 
 It was certainly not the sword which Frederick had worn to the last. The latter had 
 a leathern scabbard which, in several defective places, had been repaired with seal- 
 ing-wax because Frederick found this to be less expensive than to have it repaired 
 by a harness-maker. The king had taken this sword along, when, in September, 
 1806, he repaired with the queen to the headquarters of the army ; it accompanied 
 him during his flight, and was safely brought back by him. It was afterward at the 
 " Knn.ttkammer" !n Berlin. The sword which Napoleon sent to Paris had been 
 presented to Frederick by Peter III. of Russia, who. it is well known, was an ardent 
 admirer of the great king. Bliicher, in 1814, brought it back from Paris.
 
 SANS-SOUCL 81 
 
 covered it, and equalized every thing." Thus speaking, he 
 drew lines with his hand; without knowing it, perhaps, his 
 finger traced a large N in the dust of the royal coffin. He 
 then hastily left the dark vault to return to the palace.* 
 . The emperor paced the room a long while, his hands 
 clasped on his back ; he then rang the bell impetuously, and 
 sent for the chief of his cabinet, M. de Menneval. 
 
 " Be seated," said he, as soon as that functionary made his 
 appearance ; " take my pen, I will dictate to you my eigh- 
 teenth bulletin." f 
 
 M. de Menneval sat down at the desk. Napoleon walked 
 slowly up and down, and dictated in a loud, stern voice as 
 follows : " The emperor arrived in Potsdam on the 25th of 
 October, and took up his residence at the royal palace. He 
 visited on the first day Sans-souci and the environs of Pots- 
 dam, spending some time in the rooms of Frederick II., 
 where every thing is still in the same condition as at the time 
 of his death. In the arsenal at Berlin, five hundred cannon, 
 several hundred thousand pounds of powder, and several 
 thousand muskets, were found in excellent condition. It has 
 been noticed as a singular coincidence that the emperor ar- 
 rived in Potsdam on the same day and at the same hour, and 
 occupied the same rooms, as the Emperor of Russia during 
 the latter's visit a visit last year which has had such fatal 
 coasequences for Prussia. Since that moment the queen has 
 forgotten to take care of her domestic affairs, and of the most 
 important duties of the toilet, in order to occupy herself with 
 politics, gain power over the king, and spread everywhere the 
 evil influence which possesses her. The result of that famous 
 oath which was taken on the 4th of November, 1805, is the 
 battle of Austerlitz, and the speedy evacuation of Germany by 
 the Russian army in the manner prescribed by France. 
 Forty-eight hours afterward that oath at the coffin of Fred- 
 erick the Great was made the subject of a copper-plate, which 
 is to be found in all the shops, and even causes the peasants to 
 laugh. On it is represented the handsome Emperor of Rus- 
 sia; by his side the queen, and opposite him the king, who 
 lifts up his hand over the coffin; the queen, wrapped in a 
 shawl, like lady Hamilton, as seen on the London copper- 
 
 * One of Horace Vernet's most beautiful paintings represents this visit of Napo 
 leon paid to the grave of Frederick the Great. 
 
 t Napoleon wrote or dictated all his bulletins without consulting any one in re- 
 grard to them. After being dictated, the bulletins were, however, submitted to 
 Talleyrand, who took good care to make no alteration.
 
 82 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 plates, places her hand on her heart, and seems to look at the 
 Emperor of Russia. It is incomprehensible how the Berlin 
 police could permit the circulation of so base a satire. At all 
 events, the shade of Frederick cannot have contemplated this 
 scandalous scene but with indignation and disgust. His mind, 
 his genius, his wishes, belong to the French nation, which he 
 esteemed so highly, and of which he said that, if he were its 
 king, no cannon should be discharged in Europe without his 
 permission. On his return from Sans-souci the emperor 
 visited also the tomb of Frederick the Great. The remains 
 of this great man are reposing in a wooden coffin, covered 
 with one of copper, and in a vault devoid of drapery, trophies, 
 or any thing that might remind the beholder of his heroic 
 deeds. The emperor has presented the Hotel des Invalids* at 
 Paris with the sword of Frederick, with his insignia of the 
 order of the Black Eagle, as well as with the stands of colors 
 used by the king's lifeguards in the Seven Years' War. The 
 veterans will receive with reverent awe every thing that be- 
 longed to one of the greatest generals known in history." * 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 
 
 THE city of Berlin had not exhibited for many years so fes- 
 tive and lively a spectacle as on the morning of the 27th of 
 October. An immense crowd was moving across the Palace 
 Place, Broad Street, and the Linden, toward the Brandenburg 
 Gate, and forming in line on both sides of the street. Thou- 
 sands of boys and youths climbed the linden-trees, that stand 
 in two rows in the middle of this thoroughfare, causing the 
 trees to move to and fro under their heavy burden, and gazed 
 with eyes full of curiosity from their lofty position on the 
 bustle reigning beneath. Through the crowd hundreds of 
 busy figures were gliding, standing still here and there, and 
 addressing the people in low and impressive tones ; now and 
 then, however, they did not content themselves with mere 
 words, but to some handed pieces of money, and whispered, 
 " Drink the emperor's health, in order that your throats may 
 be prepared, when he makes his entry, to shout in stentorian 
 tones, ' Vive VEmpereur! ' 
 
 * Ooujon, " Collection des Bulletins de Napoleon," vol. xvii., Bulletin xviii.
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 83 
 
 These liberal aherents of Napoleon were agents of the 
 French police, already fully organized in Berlin the hire- 
 lings of General Clarke, who was now governor of the capital, 
 and treated the subjugated inhabitants with all the haughti- 
 ness and scorn of a triumphant conqueror. 
 
 Many tears were shed in the city during these days many 
 imprecations uttered, but only secretly and in a low voice, for 
 the people could not venture to provoke the anger of the vic- 
 tor, but had to bear whatever burdens he imposed on them. 
 The odds were too heavy ; the army was defeated ; the king 
 with his court had fled; the higher functionaries had either 
 concealed themselves or loudly declared their willingness to 
 take the oath of allegiance to the Emperor of the French, and 
 to serve him as their master. 
 
 What remained, therefore, for the poor inhabitants of Ber- 
 lin but to submit? All had deserted them ; even the governor 
 had escaped, and his lieutenant, the Prince von Hatzfeld, 
 seemed to have no other task than to admonish them to be 
 quiet and obedient, and to implore them to undertake, utter, 
 and even think nothing that might be distasteful to the new 
 French government; but to bow willingly and cheerfully to 
 every thing that the conqueror might demand. 
 
 The citizens, therefore, had bowed to their fate; they had 
 submitted silently, and now hastened to the Linden and the 
 Brandenburg Gate to witness the entry of the emperor. 
 Not only the citizens and the people generally desired to 
 witness this entry the higher classes, and even the ladies, 
 were anxious to do so. Every one felt that a great histor- 
 ical event Was to transpire, and eagerly desired to behold the 
 celebrated man who was hated and admired at the same time; 
 who was cursed as an enemy, and yet glorified on account of 
 his heroic deeds. The streets and trees were filled with 
 spectators; and the windows of the splendid buildings, from 
 the ground-floor up to the attic, were crowded, and even the 
 roofs had been opened here and there for the purpose of ob- 
 taining more room. 
 
 The Linden exhibited a most imposing and brilliant spec- 
 tacle ; still it seemed as though the crowd were to celebrate a 
 funeral pageant, and as though they had come as mourners 
 for such an occasion. Nowhere joyous faces were to be seen 
 nowhere were heard outbursts of mirth, or those gay, amusing 
 remarks with which the populace of Berlin seldom fail to 
 season a festival. The faces of the people were grave and
 
 84 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 gloomy; and the ladies, standing at the open windows, were 
 not festively adorned, but wore black dresses, and black veils 
 fell from their heads. 
 
 Suddenly the bells on all the steeples commenced ringing, 
 and the booming of artillery announced to the spectators, who 
 had patiently awaited this moment from eleven o'clock in the 
 morning till four in the afternoon, that the emperor was ap- 
 proaching the Brandenburg Gate from Charlottenburg. The 
 thousands assembled maintained a breathless silence ; even the 
 trees did not move, for the restless boys who had climbed them 
 seemed petrified with astonishment at the extraordinary spec- 
 tacle. The men, who were now entering the gate, were not 
 such soldiers as the people of Berlin had hitherto been accus- 
 tomed to see. They were not fine-looking, neat young men 
 in handsome uniforms, with bright leather belts, stiff cravats, 
 and well-powdered pigtails, but soldiers of strange and truly 
 marvellous appearance. Their complexion was dark-brown, 
 and their eyes flashing as dagger-points. Instead of wigs and 
 pigtails, they wore gaudily-colored turbans ; instead of close- 
 fitting uniforms, wide red trousers and dark jackets, richly 
 embroidered with gold ; curved sabres were hanging at their 
 sides, and their small, vigorous, and agile forms harmonized 
 perfectly with their splendid Arabian steeds, on which these 
 sons of the desert, the emperor's Mamelukes, were mounted. 
 
 Behind them came another corps. It consisted of tall, 
 broad-shouldered men, looking as formidable as Cyclops, with 
 bearded, bronzed faces; their heads covered with high bear- 
 skin caps; their breasts veiled by large leather aprons, reach- 
 ing down to their knees; on their shoulders enormous 
 hatchets, flashing in the sun like burnished silver. And 
 behind these sappers came the famous grenadiers of the guard, 
 infantry as well as cavalry ; next, the riflemen of Vincennes, 
 in their green uniforms; and, finally, the bands playing 
 merry airs. The drum-major hurled his enormous cane with 
 its large silver head into the air, and the soul-stirring notes 
 of the " Marseillaise" resounded through the spacious street. 
 Hitherto nobody in Berlin had been permitted to play or sing 
 this forbidden melody, with which France had formerly ac- 
 companied her bloodiest orgies; only secretly and softly had 
 the people hummed it into each other's ears; the most strin- 
 gent orders, issued by the police, had banished it from the 
 concert-halls as well as from the streets. The emperor, per- 
 haps, was aware of this, and it was probably for this reason
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 85 
 
 that he had ordered it to be played ; or, perhaps, the son of 
 the revolution, on making his entry into the capital of a 
 "king by the grace of God," wished to remind the people, by 
 this hymn of the terrorists, that it was unnecessary to be born 
 under a royal canopy in order to wear a crown and to be the 
 anointed of the Lord. 
 
 But no one listened to this proscribed and fearful melody. 
 All the thousands in the streets, on the trees, at the windows, 
 and on the roofs, were paralyzed with amazement, and looked 
 wonderingly at the new order of things. They who had 
 hitherto seen and known only proud officers, mounted on 
 horseback, staring at every citizen with supercilious glances, 
 and chastising their men for every trifle they who had always 
 received the impression that army officers were exalted person- 
 ages, to whom they had to bow, who never ought to walk on 
 foot, or carry any burden whatever now saw before them the 
 officers of the imperial guard differing but slightly from the 
 privates, and not only on foot, like them, but carrying heavy 
 knj^sacks on their backs; and, what caused still greater as- 
 tonishment, here and there kindly chatting with their men 
 during the march. 
 
 But suddenly there arose a tremendous commotion between 
 the pillars of the Brandenburg Gate, and the host of marshals 
 and generals, resembling a star-spangled avalanche, entered 
 the city. Nothing was to be seen but golden epaulettes, 
 orders glittering with diamonds, embroidered uniforms, and 
 long white ostrich-plumes. Not on them, however, were the 
 eyes of the crowd fixed ; they gazed only at that grave, pale 
 man, who rode by himself at the head of the dazzling suite. 
 He wore no orders, no golden epaulettes, no ostrich-plumes. 
 Plain and unpretending was his green uniform with its white 
 facings; unadorned was his small three-cornered hat. He sat 
 carelessly and proudly on his magnificent charger, which, 
 prancing and rearing, seemed to greet the crowd. The rider's 
 features were as immovable as if made of stone; his eyes 
 occasionally, however, bent a piercing glance on the multi- 
 tude, and then gazed again into vacancy the living emperor 
 was transformed once more into one of the marble triumpha- 
 tors of ancient Roman history. He acknowledged, in a cold 
 and indifferent manner only, the constantly-repeated shouts 
 of " Vive VEmpereur ! " with which the boys in the trees, 
 the hired men in the streets, and the agents of the police, 
 saluted him at every step. To him these cries seemed to be
 
 86 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the usual and indispensable musical accompaniment to the 
 step of his horse ; he did not take notice of it when he heard 
 it in his progress; he missed it only when it did not rend 
 the air. 
 
 The emperor rode on, moody, quiet, and cold; but scrutiniz- 
 ing and vivid were the glances which the marshals and the rest 
 of his suite cast in all directions. They seemed to be anxious 
 to observe the inhabitants, and to greet the lovely women who 
 were adorning the windows of the houses like garlands of 
 flowers. But those beautiful women did not return their salu- 
 tations, and the victorious generals saw what they had rarely 
 seen that the ladies did not accept their homage that they 
 looked down on them with grave, mournful mien nay, that 
 most of those charming faces were bathed in tears, not such 
 as well from joy, but from grief and anger. 
 
 Napoleon had taken as little notice of the jubilant cheers 
 of the crowd as of the tears of the ladies. He rode on, ab- 
 sorbed in his reflections, toward the royal palace. The bells 
 of the cathedral in the lower vaults of which the remains of 
 the royal family were reposing; in the upper halls of which 
 the solemn wedding ceremonies of the kings and princes and 
 princesses of Prussia had always been celebrated greeted 
 with joyous notes the triumphant enemy, and the doors of the 
 palace opened to him. In the brilliant halls in which 
 formerly the submissive vassals and functionaries of the king 
 had done homage to their sovereign, were now assembled the 
 same persons, as well as the officers and cavaliers of the court, 
 to receive the French emperor as their sovereign and master. 
 There were in those halls seven ministers of the king, the 
 members of the municipality of Berlin, with the two burgo- 
 masters ; the high dignitaries of the clergy of both confessions, 
 and the officers of the different tribunals ; the members of the 
 royal household, headed by the king's master of ceremonies, 
 Count von Neale. And all these gentlemen had come to pre- 
 sent their respects to the man who had routed their army, 
 driven their king and queen from the capital, and trans- 
 formed their city into a French prefecture. 
 
 The broad folding-doors opened, and the grand marshal 
 walked through the halls, crying in a ringing voice, " His 
 majesty the emperor!" A profound and solemn silence en- 
 sued. The eyes of all were turned toward the door by which 
 the emperor was to enter. He appeared on the threshold, as 
 impassive as ever. But the silence continued; the shouts
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 87 
 
 of " Vive VEmpereur ! " which had greeted Napoleon in the 
 rtreets, had not penetrated within the white hall, where the 
 statues of the Hohenzollerns were standing. But this silent 
 greeting, which might seem too much to the ancestors of the 
 king, did not satisfy the little soul of the proud conqueror. 
 The grand marshal approached to introduce the master of 
 ceremonies, Count von Neale, and to inquire whether the lat- 
 ter would be allowed to present the several dignitaries to his 
 majesty. 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, "you are the Count von Neale, 
 whose daughter is so enthusiastic and warlike an Amazon.* 
 The women of Berlin, headed by your queen, were bent upon 
 having war; behold the result! You ought to keep your 
 family in bounds, sir; you ought not to permit your children 
 to indulge in such senseless military tirades. Assuredly, I do 
 not want war not that I am distrustful of my own strength, 
 but because the blood of my subjects is too precious to me, 
 and because it is my first duty to shed it only for their honor 
 and security. The population of Berlin is only a victim of 
 the war, while the instigators of the hostilities between France 
 and Prussia have escaped. But I will humiliate and impover- 
 ish the court-aristocracy, who dared to oppose me, and make 
 them beg their bread in foreign lands." 
 
 The Count von Neale, pale and trembling, stammered a 
 few unintelligible words and intended to withdraw, withered 
 md crushed by the emperor's anger. But the searching eyes 
 of Napoleon were firmly and steadfastly fixed on him, and, as 
 if guessing his innermost thoughts, he said, in a cold, dis- 
 dainful voice, " Remain and do your duty!" The Count von 
 Neale, therefore, was obliged to stay; he had to introduce to 
 the emperor the officials and dignitaries, after the chancellor 
 had previously presented to him the seven ministers of Prussia. 
 
 The persons ordered to appear at this audience had formed 
 -n line on both sides of the white hall, and the emperor 
 walked slowly across the wide apartment, while the Count von 
 Neale, who was immediately behind him, announced in a loud 
 7oice the names and positions of those standing in the first 
 
 . 
 
 "Sire," he said, pointing to two gentlemen, adorned with 
 costly golden chains, standing in front of the line, " sire, the 
 
 *The French police had captured, a few days previous to the commencement of 
 the war. a letter, written by the young Countess von Neale, containing the following 
 passage : "Napoleon does not want war ; he must be compelled to wage it." Napo- 
 leon had read this letter.
 
 88 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 two burgomasters and the members of the municipality of 
 Berlin. " 
 
 "I know these gentlemen," said Napoleon, and his face 
 assumed a milder air. " Both of you belonged to the deputa- 
 tion that wished to present to me at Potsdam the keys of Ber- 
 lin. You assured me at that time that the rumors which had 
 been circulated with regard to this city were entirely un- 
 founded ; that the citizens and the mass of the people had 
 been opposed to the war, and that there was not one sensible 
 man who had not clearly foreseen the dangers threatening the 
 country. I have now seen at my entry that you were right ; 
 the good people of this city are not to blame for this war, and 
 only a handful of old women and young officers brought about 
 this mischief. The visit of the Emperor Alexander is the 
 cause of the events which have proved so disastrous to Prus- 
 sia; and next, the change which that visit produced in the 
 feelings of the queen, who, from a timid and modest lady, 
 was quickly transformed into a restless and warlike Amazon. 
 She suddenly insisted on having a regiment of her own, and 
 on being present at the meetings of the council of state ; she 
 directed the affairs of the government so skilfully as to bring 
 it in a few days to the verge of ruin. I shall assuredly know 
 how to distinguish those who instigated the war from those 
 who tried to avoid it. I shall chastise the former and reward 
 the latter. Had your king not been so weak had he not 
 allowed himself to be led by a faction which, oblivious of the 
 true welfare of the state and of the sovereign, did their best 
 to exasperate him against me, he would not be where he is. 
 But my enemies endeavored to intimidate him, and managed 
 to frighten him by all sorts of demonstrations. You, gentle- 
 men of the municipality, ought to have taken steps to inform 
 the king correctly of the opposition of the citizens of Berlin 
 to a war with France. You will take care now to preserve 
 good order in the capital." 
 
 "Sire," ventured the first burgomaster, in a timid and 
 humble voice, " your majesty has seen to-day, from the enthu- 
 siasm of the citizens, what spirit is animating them." 
 
 The emperor bent a rapid, inquiring glance on him, and 
 seemed not to have heard his words. " As a matter of course," 
 said Napoleon, in a loud and angry voice, " no more windows 
 must be broken by the mob! You have to see to it that such 
 brutalities do not occur again. My brother the King of 
 Prussia ceased to be king on the day when he did not cause
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 89 
 
 Prince Louis Ferdinand to be hung for instigating the mob 
 to break the windows of his ministers." 
 
 Napoleon walked on without giving time to the burgo- 
 master for a reply or justification; and when the Count von 
 Neale presented to him the members of the tribunals, his 
 brow was serene, and his face assumed the gentle, winning air 
 which always exercised so irresistible an influence on those on 
 whom the sunshine of his imperial kindness shed its rays. 
 
 The emperor conversed with these gentlemen about the 
 peculiarities of the administration of justice in Prussia, and 
 listened to their replies and explanations with polite attention. 
 
 " Your administration of justice seems to contain many ex- 
 cellent features," said he, musingly. "Your laws have a 
 splendid foundation of equality, and cannot be arbitrarily 
 perverted and abused to shield wrong and injustice. I am 
 astonished that, with this code of Frederick II. in your hand, 
 you were not able to render harmless and silence forever all 
 those seditious and revolutionary spirits that recently infested 
 Berlin, and now have made Prussia so unhappy. But, instead 
 of suppressing this agitation in time, you looked on idly, while 
 miserable scribblers and journalists, influenced by women, 
 constantly added fuel to the fire. I have been told of a con- 
 temptible journal in this city which is said to have preached 
 war against France with a rabid fanaticism. You ought to 
 have silenced the madman who edited it. Why did not you 
 do so?" 
 
 " Sire, the laws of our country do not permit us to suppress 
 the free expression of opinion, and the discussion of public 
 affairs. So long as the periodicals, newspapers, and other 
 publications, do not attack the existing laws, or incite the 
 people to riots, high-treason, or sedition, we are not allowed 
 to interfere with them. Every citizen has the right to utter 
 his opinion publicly and frankly, provided he does so in a 
 decent and lawful manner." 
 
 "That is to say, you have a free press," exclaimed Na- 
 poleon, " and grant to every outsider the right of speaking of 
 things, about which he does not know any thing. With a 
 free press no monarchy can be maintained, especially in times 
 of danger and convulsions. You see whither your so-called 
 free discussion of public affairs has carried you ! Your jour- 
 nalists preached war, and nothing but war; they irritated the 
 people, and made the king believe that they were the organr 
 of public opinion, while, in fact, they were but the echoes oi
 
 90 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the officers of the guard, and of the foolish women who were 
 bent on having war. Your queen has used the newspapers as 
 a weapon to exasperate and excite her husband. Like Marie 
 Antoinette of France, and Marie Caroline of Naples, Louisa 
 of Prussia has become the evil genius of her country. Ths 
 Turks are perfectly right in keeping their women imprisoned. 
 It is the best that can be done." He nodded to the gentle- 
 men, and, passing on, allowed the Count von Neale to present 
 to him the dignitaries of the Church. 
 
 " The members of the clergy, I believe, ought to be content 
 with me," said Napoleon, with a smile, which embellished hie 
 features as with a sunshine of grace and sweetness. " It was 
 I who restored the Church in France ; hence, I need not tell 
 you how important and indispensable I believe religion and 
 the Church to be for the welfare of nations. Great tasks and 
 great duties are intrusted to the hands of the clergy. En- 
 deavor to fulfil them faithfully, gentlemen. Above all, avoid 
 meddling with politics. Pay exclusive attention to your own 
 affairs, and do as the gospel commands you: 'Bender unto 
 Caesar the things which are Caesar's. ' ' 
 
 He turned toward Mr. Erman, counsellor of the supreme 
 consistorial court, and dean of the French congregation, and 
 cast a piercing glance on the venerable, white-haired clergy- 
 man. 
 
 "You, above all, sir, should not forget those words," said 
 Napoleon, in a loud voice. " For you are a Frenchman, and 
 it is your duty, therefore, wherever you may be, to educate 
 faithful and devoted subjects to your country. You might 
 have done a great deal of good in this city by your command- 
 ing talents and eloquence. You ought to have opened the 
 eyes of the population as to their true interests and the misery 
 that necessarily would be entailed on them by a war against 
 France. You failed to do so; you were silent while the 
 fanatical war-faction was clamoring ; and while the reckless 
 pranks of the officers of the guard were intimidating good 
 and sagacious patriots. I know very well that you are not to 
 be blamed for those excesses, but you ought to have tried to 
 prevent them. I know the faction whose fanaticism against 
 France has done so much mischief. I know that the queen 
 was at the head of it. As Marie Antoinette once gained over 
 to her side the lifeguards at that celebrated banquet, Louisa 
 did the same with the officers of the Prussian guard. She is, 
 therefore, responsible for the savage war-cries and the crazy
 
 NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO BERLIN. 91 
 
 arrogance of the officers. This woman, who has become as 
 fatal to her people as was Helen to the Trojans this woman 
 is the only cause of the disasters of Prussia!" 
 
 His voice rolled like thunder through the hall; his eyes 
 flashed fire, and all the beholders, seized with dismay, turned 
 pale and cast down their eyes. Only old Counsellor Erman's 
 face betrayed no fear or anxiety. He looked at the emperor 
 with a grave and almost angry air, and his voice interrupted 
 the ominous stillness which had followed Napoleon's words. 
 
 "Sire," he said, loud enough to be heard by every one, 
 " your majesty says that the queen is the only cause of the 
 disasters of Prussia that she brought about the war, and ex- 
 cited and instigated the evil passions of the reckless ! Sire, 
 that is not true ! The queen is as generous as she is virtuous !" 
 
 The assembly felt as if thrilled by an electric shock all 
 fixed their eyes timidly and anxiously on Napoleon every one 
 held his breath to hear his reply, and felt already in advance 
 the most profound compassion for the unhappy old man who 
 would be crushed with the victor's wrath. But the emperor 
 was silent. Only for a moment his eyes flashed and his 
 glances seemed to pierce through the old man. Napoleon 
 said nothing. He seemed not to have heard Erman's words, 
 but turned with perfect composure toward the Catholic clergy, 
 to converse with them about the interests of their Church. 
 He appeared, however, wearied; passed in a more hurried 
 manner to the rest who were introduced to him, and evidently 
 hastened to finish the audience. He then greeted the assem- 
 bly with a nod and left the hall, followed by the grand 
 marshal and his two chamberlains. 
 
 For an instant all remained immovable. Every one felt as 
 if a brilliant meteor had flitted past him, and as if his vision 
 were too much dazzled to be able to see any thing else. Then, 
 nowever, all turned their eyes once more to Erman, who stood 
 at his place, calm and smiling, and looked almost compassion- 
 ately at those who had hitherto called themselves his friends, 
 but were not courageous enough now to approach him, and 
 avoided meeting his glances. He then quietly turned, and, 
 followed by the other clergymen, walked toward the door. 
 But those who had stood before him had also commenced 
 leaving the hall, and in consequence the passage was crowded. 
 Erman suddenly saw himself in the midst of the throng, that 
 slowly moved onward, but it was apparently no mere accident 
 that the crowd was densest around him. Some hastily seized 
 7
 
 92 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 his hand; others whispered to him: "Flee! conceal your- 
 self!" Others again gazed at him with eyes full of tenderness 
 and emotion, and murmured : " We thank you in the name 
 of all the faithful!" But constantly the low words of " Flee! 
 conceal yourself!" were repeated. But the venerable man 
 looked with a calm, proud smile at those who surrounded him, 
 and said in a loud and firm voice, " I will not flee ! I will 
 not conceal myself !" 
 
 Just at the moment when Erman, followed by his timid 
 friends and secret admirers, was about to cross the threshold, 
 a loud voice was heard to exclaim, " Counsellor Erman!" 
 
 " Here I am," he replied, turning around, as well as all the 
 rest. 
 
 A low murmur of horror pervaded the assembly ; their faces 
 turned pale, and their brows were clouded. The moment so 
 much feared had apparently come Erman could not escape, 
 or conceal himself; for he who had called out his name was 
 none other than Duroc, the emperor's grand marshal, who had 
 evidently been sent by his master. Those who hitherto had 
 been so anxious to leave the hall, and thronged so eagerly 
 round the courageous old man, now stood still, and the grand 
 marshal walked through the opened ranks directly toward 
 him. Every one seemed to hold his breath to listen, and even 
 to stop the pulsations of his heart, to hear the order for Er- 
 man 's arrest. 
 
 The grand marshal now stood before Erman, who had seen 
 him coming, and advanced a step to meet him. Duroc 
 bowed, and said in a loud voice, " His majesty the emperor 
 has ordered me to invite Counsellor Erman, of the supreme 
 consistorial court, to dine with him to-morrow at noon. His 
 majesty desires me to tell you that he is anxious to make the 
 acquaintance of a man who is so faithful and courageous a 
 servant of the royal family, and endowed with sufficient mag- 
 nanimity and boldness to defend the absent and accused. His 
 majesty has instructed me to assure you that, far from dis- 
 approving your conduct, he highly esteems and admires it, 
 for the emperor knows how to appreciate every thing that is 
 high-minded and noble."
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 93 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 
 
 NAPOLEON was rapidly pacing his cabinet. His face was 
 pale and gloomy ; his lips firmly compressed, as they always 
 were when he was angry, and his eyes flashed with rage. He 
 held two papers in his hand: one of them was in writing, the 
 other contained printed matter; and, whenever his eyes 
 glanced at them, he clinched his small hand, adorned with 
 diamonds, and crumpled the papers. 
 
 The emperor's anger, which fillei with trembling and dis- 
 may every one who had to approach him in such moments, 
 had no effect, however, on the man who stood in the middle 
 of the room supporting one of his hands on the table covered 
 with maps and papers, and with the other playing with the 
 iace frill protruding from his velvet waistcoat. His small, 
 twinkling eyes followed calmly and coldly every motion Na- 
 poleon made. Whenever his anger seemed to increase, a 
 scarcely perceptible, contemptuous smile played on the lips of 
 this man, and a flash of hatred, and, withal, of scorn burst 
 from his eyes. But this never lasted longer than a moment; 
 his pale and sickly face immediately resumed its impenetrable 
 aspect, and the smile of a polite courtier reappeared on his 
 lips. This was Talleyrand, first minister of the emperor 
 Talleyrand, who had originally served the Church as a priest, 
 then the republic as a minister who had deserted and be- 
 trayed both to become minister of the empire, and to combat 
 and deny all the principles he had formerly advocated and de- 
 clared to be necessary for the welfare of France. 
 
 " Talleyrand," exclaimed Napoleon, in an angry voice, 
 standing still in front of the minister, " I will set a rigorous 
 example. I will trample upon this haughty Prussian aristoc- 
 racy that still dares to brave me I will let it feel the conse- 
 quences of continued opposition to me! What audacity it 
 was for this Prince von Hatzfeld, while I was approaching 
 with my army, and already master of Prussia, to continue 
 sending information to his fleeing king and to the ministers, 
 and to play the spy ! Ah, I am going to prove to him that 
 his rank will not protect him from being punished according 
 to his deserts, and that I have traitors and spies tried and
 
 94 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 sentenced by a court-martial, whether they be of the common 
 people or the high-born. Both of us have seen times when 
 the heads of the nobility were knocked off like poppies from 
 the stalks; and we will remind this aristocracy, which relies 
 so confidently on its ancient privileges, of the fact that such 
 times may come for Prussia too, unless those high-born gen- 
 tlemen desist from their arrogant conduct, and submit to me 
 humbly and obediently. Cause the Prince von Hatzfeld to 
 be arrested immediately: order a court-martial to meet within 
 twenty-four hours, to try the traitor and spy. This letter 
 will be proof sufficient; nothing further is necessary to pass 
 sentence of death upon him." 
 
 "And will your majesty really carry out the sentence?" 
 asked Talleyrand, in his soft, insinuating voice, and with his 
 polite smile. 
 
 Napoleon flashed one of his fiery glances at him. " Why 
 do you put that question to me?" he said, harshly. 
 
 " Sire, because I believe excessive rigor might not accom- 
 plish the desired purpose. Instead of humiliating and pros- 
 trating the aristocracy, it might bring about the reverse, and 
 incite them to sedition and insurrection. Sometimes leniency 
 does more good than severity, and, at all events, in applying 
 either, the character of the nations to be subdued ought to be 
 consulted. The Italians are easily restrained by severe meas- 
 ures, for they are, on the whole, cowardly and enervated ; and, 
 when the straw-fire of their first impetuosity has gone out, they 
 feel enthusiastic admiration for him who has placed his foot 
 on their neck, and is crushing them. But the Germans are a 
 more tenacious and phlegmatic nation. They resemble the 
 white bulls I have seen in Italy, who fulfil with proud com- 
 posure their daily task. When the driver urges them but a 
 little with the iron point of the stick, they work more actively 
 and obediently; but when he wounds too deeply, their phlegm 
 disappears, and they rush in fury against him who has irri- 
 tated them too much." 
 
 " And you believe that the German white bull is already 
 irritated?" asked Napoleon, morosely. 
 
 " Yes, sire! It is time to appease him, if he is not to grow 
 savage and furious. The execution of Palm has stirred up a 
 good deal of ill feeling, and it would be prudent to counter- 
 act it as much as possible. Your majesty may menace and 
 frighten the supercilious and arrogant aristocracy of Prussia; 
 but when they are trembling and terrified, then exercise clem-
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 95 
 
 ency and forbearance, which is the best way of subduing the 
 refractory." 
 
 The emperor made no reply, but crossed the room re- 
 peatedly. He then stood still once more closely in front of 
 Talleyrand, and looked him full in the face. 
 
 " I hold to my decision," he said coldly. " I must have the 
 Prince von Hatzfeld immediately arrested, and the court- 
 martial must meet within twenty-four hours foi the purpose 
 of trying him as a traitor and spy." He stepped to his desk, 
 and hastily wrote a few words on a piece of paper. He him- 
 self, having folded, sealed, and directed it, rang the bell. 
 " Take this," he said to the officer who had entered the room. 
 " Send immediately an orderly with this letter to Governor 
 Clarke. He must have it in five minutes." 
 
 When the officer had withdrawn, Napoleon turned once 
 more toward Talleyrand. " Let no one dare talk to me about 
 mercy," he said, "for I shall grant it to no one neither to 
 you, nor to the prince's wife, of whose beauty Duroc once in- 
 formed me. If the Germans resemble the Italian bulls, I will 
 break off their horns, and extract their teeth then they will 
 be powerless. Not a word, therefore, about mercy, either for 
 the aristocracy, or for the journalists. These miserable scrib- 
 blers must be made to tremble, and lay their pens aside. 
 What language that miserable writer has dared to use against 
 me in this paper what sarcasms and sneers he has taken the 
 liberty of uttering against me ! And the King of Prussia did 
 not have him arrested! this weak-headed government per- 
 mitted the libeller quietly to pursue his infamous course!" 
 
 " Sire, the editor of this paper, called TJie Telegraph, I am 
 told was one of the intimate friends and followers of Prince 
 Louis Ferdinand." 
 
 "And, consequently, also one of the friends of the queen!" 
 added Napoleon, quickly. "That woman has disdained no 
 expedient to wage war against me ; she hates me intensely, 
 and with more energy than her feeble husband. I will pay 
 her for this hatred, and she shall feel what it is to provoke 
 my anger. Yes, I will humiliate her. She may now, per- 
 haps, repent with tears what she has done. She is already a 
 fugitive. I will drive her into the remotest corner of her 
 country, and compel this proud queen to bow before me in the 
 dust, and beg me on her knees for mercy! But I will not 
 have mercy upon her ; I will be inexorable ! My anger shall 
 crush her and her house, as it has crushed whosoever dared
 
 96 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 oppose me. Woe unto those who have been her willing tools; 
 they shall atone for having served her hatred against me! 
 Is any thing known about the fellow who edited this paper, 
 and wrote these wretched articles?" 
 
 " Sire, the editor is a certain Professor Lange, one of the 
 most zealous royalists, and especially an ardent admirer of the 
 queen." 
 
 " Then he has fled with her, I suppose, and she will in- 
 stigate him on the way to pen new slanders, which, by virtue 
 of the licentiousness of the press, he will utter against me?" 
 
 " No, sire, he has not fled, but kept himself concealed here ; 
 our police, however, ferreted out his whereabouts and arrested 
 him. It remains for your majesty to decree what is to be 
 done with him." 
 
 " He shall be a warning example to the German scribblers, 
 and remind them of the penalty incurred by those who stir up 
 resistance against me by their insults and sneers. I will 
 silence these libellers once for all, and destroy their con- 
 temptible free press by the executioner's axe. The punish- 
 ment inflicted upon Palm seemed not sufficient let M. Lange, 
 then, be another warning to them. Let him die as Palm 
 died!" 
 
 " Your majesty, then, will give to the sentimental Germans 
 another martyr, to whom they will pray, and whose death will 
 increase their enthusiasm? Sire, martyrs are like fools. 
 ' One fool makes many others, ' and thus we might say also, 
 4 One martyr makes many others. ' Suppose you have this M. 
 Lange shot to-day, because he is a faithful adherent of the 
 queen, and has written in accordance with her views to- 
 morrow pamphleteers will spring up like mushrooms there 
 will be more libels against your majesty, written by those 
 having a vain desire of dying for their beautiful queen, and 
 in the hope that she would shed tears for them, as she did for 
 M. Lange." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, scornfully, "you are strangely 
 inclined to mercy and reconciliation to-day. It seems a sickly 
 fever of leniency has seized you. Then you think I ought to 
 pardon this miserable pamphleteer instead of punishing 
 him?" 
 
 " Sire, I believe this fellow will be much more severely pun- 
 ished if we do not make him a martyr, but only use him as a 
 tool as long as it suits us. As this Professor Lange is so well 
 versed in writing pamphlets, and sending libellous articles
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 97 
 
 into the world, let him continue his trade; only let him be 
 ordered to point his weapons against the queen, instead of 
 your majesty, and to revile her as zealously as he reviled you." 
 
 " And do you believe he will stoop so low as to eat his own 
 words, and to convict himself of lying? I was told he had 
 hitherto glorified Louisa of Prussia, and abused me, with an 
 almost frantic enthusiasm." 
 
 "Sire, let us threaten him with death let us offer him 
 money. He will succumb to fear and avarice. I know these 
 journalists. They are cowardly, and always in pecuniary 
 trouble. Lange will turn his poisoned arrows against the 
 queen, and the admirer will become her accuser." 
 
 Napoleon, frowning, looked musingly at the floor. " What 
 a miserable race these men are!" he muttered. "One must 
 devour them in order not be devoured by them. Well, then," 
 he added, in a loud voice, " you may try it. Let us turn the 
 weapons which the fanatical queen has sharpened against us, 
 against herself. But the accusations must be grave and well- 
 founded. The eyes of this foolish nation must be opened. 
 We must show to it that this woman, whom it worships as a 
 chaste Lucretia, as a beautiful saint, is nothing but a very 
 pretty lady with a well-developed form, endowed with little 
 mind, but much coquetry, and who, so far from being a saint, 
 has a very human heart, and has had many an adventure. If 
 M. Lange is willing to write in this strain, I will pardon 
 him. * Tragedy must be sometimes transformed into a farce, 
 that the stupid people may laugh at what they were originally 
 inclined to weep for. Ah, that Queen of Prussia was bent 
 upon waging war against me! She shall have it. We will 
 wage war against each other; let it be a mortal combat. Did 
 the Prussian ambassador accept our terms?" 
 
 " Sire, he was undecided yesterday ; but he will not be to- 
 day." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Sire, a courier has just arrived, and I came to commu- 
 nicate to your majesty the news. He is from Stettin, and in- 
 formed me that that fortress has capitulated. Our hussars 
 took possession of it." 
 
 * Talleyrand's prediction was fulfilled. Threats of capital punishment, and 
 promises of ample rewards, transformed the editor of the Telegraph into as enthusi- 
 astic an admirer of Napoleon as he had formerly been of Queen Louisa ; and, after 
 having hitherto written nothing but fulsome eulogies, he now did not shrink from 
 publishing the most shameless libels ngainst her. The immediate consequence was. 
 that the Telegraph lost in a single day most of its subscribers. But Lange continued 
 publishing slanderous articles against Louisa, for the French government paid him 
 fori:
 
 98 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 The emperor smiled. "Well," he said, "when hussars 
 take fortresses, new military tactics will have to be invented, 
 and the walls of fortresses might just as well be razed. But 
 you are right. The fall of Stettin is a most important event, 
 and the government will have to make up its mind to accept 
 our terms. We ought not, however, to accelerate the peace 
 negotiations too much. The terms which we have offered to 
 Prussia are tolerably favorable ; if more couriers of this de- 
 scription should arrive, we ought to render the terms more 
 onerous, and the peace more humiliating. Try to delay the 
 definite settlement with the Prussian ambassador ; it is not 
 necessary for us to sign the treaty so soon. Let us await 
 further news." 
 
 Just then the door opened, and the valet de chanibre ap- 
 peared, announcing a courier just arrived, who desired to 
 deliver to his majesty dispatches from the Grand-duke of 
 Berg. Napoleon made a sign to him. The door opened, and 
 the courier, in his dusty and bespattered travelling-costume, 
 entered the room. 
 
 "Where is the grand-duke?" asked the emperor, quickly. 
 
 "Sire, in Prenzlau." 
 
 " Ah, in Prenzlau !" exclaimed Napoleon. " The gates have 
 opened to him, then ! Give me your dispatches, and then go 
 and take rest. I see you stand in need of it!" 
 
 " Sire, I have been ten hours on horseback, and have just 
 dismounted." 
 
 " Breakfast shall be served you. Apply for it to the valet 
 de chambre in the anteroom. Go!" 
 
 The courier had not yet closed the door of the cabinet after 
 him, when Napoleon opened the dispatches, and rapidly 
 glanced over their contents. With a proud, triumphant 
 smile he turned toward Talleyrand. " I was right in saying 
 that we ought to delay the definite conclusion of peace," he 
 said ; " we shall now be able to impose more onerous con- 
 ditions on Prussia, and she will have to submit to them. 
 The Grand-duke of Berg has sent me excellent news. The 
 corps of the Prince von Hohenlohe has capitulated near 
 Prenzlau. The Prussian army exists no more. Ten thou- 
 sand men, with three hundred and twenty-five officers, about 
 two thousand horses, and fifty-four field-pieces, have been 
 captured by our forces. Ten thousand men ! Now, if ever I 
 should live to see the disgrace of such a surrender of any of 
 my own corps, I would make peace with the enemy for the
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 99 
 
 sole purpose of recovering my captured troops, and of having 
 the miserable officers shot who entered into such a capitula- 
 tion. Ten thousand men, and three hundred officers! 
 Truly, my brother the King of Prussia is unlucky, and I am 
 sure the beautiful queen will bitterly repent of her hatred 
 against me." 
 
 " Sire," said Talleyrand, with a malicious smile, " it is said 
 there is but one step from hatred to love. Who knows 
 whether the gods, in order to punish the queen for her au- 
 dacity, will not cause her to take this step? Who knows 
 whether her intense hatred is not even now but the mask 
 which conceals her love and admiration for your majesty? 
 Beware of approaching this beautiful Helen, lest your own 
 hatred should run the risk of being transformed into love." 
 
 "Ah," said Napoleon, angrily, "were my heart capable of 
 such a change, I should tear it with my own hands from my 
 breast in order to smother its desires. Though she were the 
 most beautiful woman in the world, and offered her love to 
 me, I should turn away from her, and hurl my contempt and 
 hatred into her face. She has offended me too grievously, for 
 it is she who has destroyed all my plans, and instigated her 
 husband to assume a hostile attitude. France and Prussia 
 are destined to be friends, and a war against Prussia is for 
 France equivalent to chaining her right hand. If Prussia 
 had remained my faithful ally last year, if she had not joined 
 the third coalition, our united armies at that time would have 
 seen not only Germany at our feet, but all Europe. Yet the 
 queen would not have it thus; childish and passionate, like 
 all women, she did not consult her reason, but only her feel- 
 ings ; and, as her haughty heart could not bear the idea of 
 accepting the friendship and alliance of an emperor who had 
 not been born under a royal canopy, she preferred exasperat- 
 ing her husband against me, and plunging Prussia into mis- 
 ery, distress, and disgrace. For this capitulation of Prenzlau 
 is a disgrace, and if I am glad of it as an enemy, because it is 
 advantageous to me, it causes me to blush as a soldier, because 
 it disgraces the whole military profession. Ah, there is jus- 
 tice in Heaven, and a Providence is directing our affairs on 
 earth." 
 
 "Ah, your majesty believes in such things?" asked Talley- 
 rand, with a sneer. " You believe there is a God who makes 
 it His business to direct the world and mankind, and to dab- 
 ble in the trade of princes and diplomatists?"
 
 100 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "As I have not been ordained a priest like you, and never 
 have served the Church, I may be allowed to believe in God," 
 said Napoleon, smiling. "Yes, I believe in Providence, and 
 I believe it was a dispensation of Providence that those 
 arrogant officers of the guard, who thought it was only nec- 
 essary to show themselves in order to drive away the French, 
 and who went so far in their madness as to whet their 
 swords on the doorsteps of the house of our ambassadors, 
 should now be duly humiliated and chastised. For the guards 
 of Potsdam and Berlin are among the captured of the corps 
 of the Prince von Hohenlohe, and they will soon arrive in 
 Berlin. A royal prince also, the brother of Prince Louis 
 Ferdinand, is among the prisoners." 
 
 " Your majesty is right," said Talleyrand, " we are able now 
 to impose more rigorous terms on Prussia. If your majesty 
 permit, I will immediately enter into negotiations concerning 
 this point with M. de Lucchesini. He is at present awaiting 
 me." 
 
 " Inform him of the latest news ; that will render him sub 
 missive. You know my intentions, and know, too, what I 
 expect Russia to do. The king offered Baireuth to me in- 
 stead of the contribution of one hundred million francs which 
 I had asked for. Such a substitution is out of the question 
 now. Besides, we shall add the following conditions : Prus- 
 sia, in case Russia declares war against Turkey, will ally her- 
 self with France, and march her whole army against the 
 emperor of Russia." 
 
 " Ah, sire, you are bent, then, on breaking the heart of the 
 beautiful Louisa?" asked Talleyrand, laughing cynically. 
 
 " It is my reply to the oath she and her husband took with 
 Alexander at the grave of Frederick II. Go, and inform 
 Lucchesini of the latest news and of my conditions." 
 
 " Your majesty promised to be so gracious as to receive this 
 forenoon the ambassadors of the petty German princes, who 
 have been begging for an audience since yesterday morn- 
 ing." 
 
 " It will not by any means hurt these petty dignitaries to 
 practise a little the virtue of patience," said Napoleon, 
 narshly. " I shall admit them to-morrow, in order to get rid 
 at length of their complaints. Do you still remember that 
 I instructed you several months since to draw up the necessary 
 reports for the formation of a new state in Northern Ger- 
 many, between the Rhine and the Elbe?"
 
 NAPOLEON AND TALLEYRAND. 101 
 
 " Sire, I carried out your order at that time, and delivered 
 to you the report concerning this state." 
 
 " Yes, it is in my hands, and it is time for us to carry out 
 my views in regard to it. You drew it up with the pen, and 
 I executed and illustrated it with the sword. Both of us, 
 therefore, have done our duty. To-morrow I will inform the 
 ambassadors of these petty princes of our views as to this new 
 state, in order that they may evacuate their own. Go to Luc- 
 chesini. I will take a ride, and pay a visit to my gardens in 
 Charlottenburg. " 
 
 Talleyrand bowed, and left the cabinet. In the large hall 
 contiguous to it, he saw Grand-marshal Duroc, who was stand- 
 ing at the farthest window. Talleyrand hastened to him as 
 fast as his limping leg would permit, and drew the grand 
 marshal, who had come to meet him, back into the window. 
 " M. Grand marshal," he said, in a low voice, " I am about to 
 turn traitor and to disclose to you a secret of the emperor. 
 My life is in your hands; if you should inform his majesty 
 of what I am about to do, I must perish. Will you do so?" 
 
 Duroc smiled. "Your excellency," he said, "I am a good 
 patriot, and as I know how indispensable your life is to the 
 welfare and happiness of France, I shall take care not to 
 undertake any thing against you ; I should, on the contrary, 
 always deem it incumbent upon me to protect the life of your 
 excellency, and to attend to your welfare whenever an occasion 
 offered. You may, therefore, safely communicate your secret 
 to me. I would die sooner than betray you." 
 
 "I" thank you," said Talleyrand, bowing. "Listen, then; 
 the emperor has issued orders to arrest the Prince von Hatz- 
 feld, and to have him tried by a court-martial." 
 
 "Impossible!" ejaculated Duroc, turning pale. "The 
 a ilnce von Hatzfeld has always been a zealous and warm ad- 
 herent of France, and it was precisely on account of this that 
 he was in high disfavor with the court party. The inhabi- 
 tants of Berlin also reproach him with having prevented 
 them from defending themselves, and with having intention- 
 ally failed to remove the arms from the arsenal. What, then, 
 may he have done that he should be tried by a French court- 
 martial?" 
 
 An imperceptible smile passed Over Talleyrand's astute fea- 
 tures. "He has written a letter to the king," he said, 
 " which, if need be, may be construed as the letter of a traitor 
 and spy, especially since an opportunity is desired to set an
 
 102 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 example, and to intimidate the haughty aristocracy, because 
 they avoid coming hither and doing homage to the conqueror. " 
 
 " If that be the intention," sighed Duroc, " the Prince von 
 Hatzfeld is lost. The emperor will be inexorable." 
 
 "Is it necessary, then, to have some one put to death in 
 Drder to frighten the others?" asked Talleyrand. " But you 
 are right. The emperor will have no mercy. The court- 
 martial will assemble to-morrow." 
 
 " To-morrow!" said Duroc, sadly. " Oh, into what distress 
 it will plunge the family ! The young princess loves her hus- 
 band passionately ; she expects to become a mother in a few 
 months, and is to lose the father of her child before it sees 
 the light!" 
 
 Again a smile overspread Talleyrand's face. He inclined 
 closer to the grand marshal and placed his small, emaciated 
 hand on Duroc's vigorous arm. "My friend," he said, in a 
 low voice, "you must try to save the prince!" 
 
 "I?" asked Duroc, wonderingly. 
 
 Talleyrand nodded. " Yes, you ! You have long known 
 the family; you have, on your various missions to Berlin, 
 been repeatedly at Hatzf eld's house, and, as a matter of course, 
 the young princess in her distress and despair will apply to 
 you for advice and assistance. You must procure her an in- 
 terview with the emperor, and she will thus obtain an oppor- 
 tunity to implore his majesty on her knees to have mercy on 
 her husband. The whole aristocracy, then, in her person 
 will humbly kneel before the emperor, and they will all be 
 pardoned in the person of the prince. My dear sir, you must 
 at all events procure the princess an interview with Napoleon." 
 
 " But did you not tell me that the emperor was determined 
 not to pardon the prince, and that the court-marital will as- 
 semble to-morrow?" 
 
 " I did. I might have added that the emperor, when I 
 begged him to have mercy on Hatzfeld, angrily rejected my 
 application, and told me he would not permit any one to 
 renew it. He was very emphatic about it. Even Duroc, he 
 said, should not dare to conduct the princess to him, and 
 thus enable her to implore his mercy. " 
 
 "Well?" exclaimed Duroc. 
 
 " Well," said Talleyrand, composedly. " I believed I might 
 conclude precisely from this peremptory order, that he wished 
 to indicate to me that he was inclined to pardon the offender 
 in this manner."
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. 103 
 
 " What 1 " said Duroc, smiling, " the emperor orders us not 
 to admit the Princess von Hatzfeld; he says he will not par- 
 don the prince, and you conclude from all this that he will 
 #rant her an audience and the pardon of her husband?" 
 
 " Certainly, :/ said Talleyrand. "What is language given 
 us for, unless to veil our thoughts? Whenever I have to deal 
 with sagacious and prominent men, I presume that their 
 thoughts are just the reverse of what their words express. 
 Only simpletons, and men of no position, say what they mean. 
 Try it, by all means. Procure the princess an interview with 
 the emperor, and leave the rest to her eloquence and beauty." 
 
 " But I cannot go to her and offer her my intercession. It 
 would look as though the emperor had sent me ; and if he 
 then should pardon the prince, it would be generally believed 
 to be a mere coup de theatre." 
 
 " You are right. We must avoid by all means letting the 
 affair assume such a character," said Talleyrand, smiling. 
 " If the princess really loves her husband, and if she really in- 
 tends to save him, she will naturally first think of you; for 
 you are acquainted with her and her family, and are known 
 to be the emperor's intimate and influential friend. It will 
 be but natural for her to invoke your intercession." 
 
 " If she does so, I will try, to the best of my power, to be 
 useful to her, for I have spent many pleasant hours at the 
 prince's house, and it would be agreeable to me to do her a 
 favor. But I am afraid you are mistaken. The emperor 
 never takes back his word, and if he has said that he will have 
 no mercy, and not admit the princess, that will be the end 
 of it, and all endeavors of mine will be in vain." 
 
 " Try it at least," said Talleyrand. " Perhaps you may ac- 
 complish your purpose. But you have no time to lose, for, 
 as I have told you already, the court-martial is to assemble to- 
 morrow. What is to be done, must be done, therefore, in the 
 course of to-day." 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. 
 
 GRAND-MARSHAL DUROC was pacing his room in great 
 agitation. Evening was drawing nigh, and still he had not 
 received any intelligence from the Princess von Hatzfeld.
 
 104 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Yet her husband had been arrested in the course of the fore- 
 noon and taken to the palace, in one of the rooms of which 
 he was locked up and kept under strict surveillance. The 
 news of his arrest had spread rapidly through Berlin, and 
 cast a gloom over the whole city. Everywhere in the streets 
 groups of pale and grave men were to be seen, who whispered 
 to each other this latest dreadful event, and vented their 
 anger in secret imprecations. 
 
 All were convinced that the Prince von Hatzf eld must die ; 
 every one felt it to be a new humiliation inflicted upon him- 
 self personally, that one of the most respected and distin- 
 guished men in Prussia was to be charged with felony, and 
 tried as a common spy. No one doubted that the court- 
 martial would pass sentence of death upon him; and that 
 Napoleon would show no mercy, nor feel any compassion, 
 could be read in his stern and melancholy air when, followed 
 by his suite, he rode through the streets to Charlottenburg. 
 
 All the reproaches heretofore uttered against the Prince 
 von Hatzf eld were forgotten ; the people forgave his weak- 
 ness, his cowardice, his predilection for France. At this 
 hour, when he was menaced by the universal enemy and op- 
 pressor they only remembered that he was a German, and that 
 the anger of the conqueror ought to make him a martyr of 
 the German cause. They whispered to each other that Na- 
 poleon had selected the prince merely for the purpose of 
 intimidating the opposition by an example of severity, and of 
 frightening the royalists. "He is lost!" they said, mourn- 
 fully. " The emperor will not pardon him, for he intends to 
 punish in the prince's person ourselves, who love the king 
 and would like to send him information concerning the enemy 
 and his armies." 
 
 "The Prince von Hatzfeld is lost!" said Duroc, also, as he 
 was uneasily and sadly pacing his room. "Yes! This time 
 Talleyrand, in spite of all his sagacity, has been mistaken. 
 The emperor does not intend to pardon the prince, for he 
 has selected Davoust, Rapp, and Clarke as members of the 
 court-martial, and they have no mercy on those whom their 
 master has accused. The princess does not think of coming 
 to me and of invoking my intercession. And even if she did, 
 I should not be able to assist her. All my supplications 
 would be in vain. The emperor has resolved on the prince's 
 death from policy, not in anger; hence nothing can save 
 him."
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. 105 
 
 Just then the door opened, and the footman hastily 
 entered. "Grand marshal," he said, " there is a veiled lady 
 outside, who insists on seeing you. I have vainly requested 
 her to give me her name; she will only mention it to your ex- 
 cellency, and " 
 
 Duroc did not longer listen to him. He himself hastened 
 into the anteroom, and, offering his arm to the lady, con- 
 ducted her into his cabinet. 
 
 " Go down-stairs, Jean," he hurriedly said to his footman 
 " go down-stairs, hasten into the Palace Place, and when you 
 see the emperor approaching in the distance, return and in- 
 form me of it." 
 
 Jean slipped out of the door, and Duroc locked it after 
 him. "Well, madame," he then said, "speak! We are 
 alone." 
 
 The lady hastily removed the veil from her face, and 
 showed her beautiful, pale features bathed in tears. 
 
 "The Princess von Hatzfeld!" exclaimed Duroc, success- 
 fully feigning an air of great surprise. 
 
 "Yes, it is I," she said, breathlessly and with quivering 
 lips. " I come to beseech you to assist me ! You must do so 
 you must not desert me ! My husband has been arrested ! He 
 is charged with having secretly informed the king of the 
 operations of the French army. He is accused of being a spy. 
 Oh, merciful Heaven! he will die, for the emperor is bent on 
 having him executed; he desires to crush and ruin us all! 
 Do you understand it is my husband? he whom others 
 charged with being a traitor to his country, because, in his 
 generous exertions to avoid bloodshed, he always admonished 
 the inhabitants to be patient and submissive he is charged 
 now with having betrayed the emperor, and is to be executed 
 as a spy! They have dragged him from my side and taken 
 him away. I fainted with grief and despair. Oh, I hoped 
 I wished it were death that prostrated me ! But God would 
 not let me die ; He preserved my life, that I might try to save 
 my husband. The physician advised me to remain, and en- 
 deavor to take rest. Duroc, how can I take rest while the 
 life of my beloved husband is in danger? I rose from my 
 couch, for the thought flashed through my mind, 'Duroc will 
 assist me in saving him!' And now I am here, and beseech 
 you, have mercy on a wife's despair! Duroc, help me, so 
 that I may save the prince ! You have a kind and generous 
 heart, and the emperor loves you ! Implore him to have
 
 106 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 mercy on my husband ! By all that is dear to you, I beseech 
 you, beg for him!" And quite beside herself, pale and in 
 tears, the young princess was about to kneel down before 
 Duroc, but he quickly raised her up, and, bowing deeply, 
 kissed her cold, trembling hands. 
 
 " I thank you, princess, for having thought of and believed 
 in me," he said. "But I am afraid that your faith will be 
 in vain." 
 
 "Pray for my husband," she said, sobbing. "You see, 1 
 shall die if I lose him. Have pity on my youth, and on my 
 unborn child ! Implore the emperor to have mercy on the 
 prince!" 
 
 "You believe the emperor would listen to me?" asked 
 Duroc, sadly. " Then you do not know him ; you do not 
 know what he is when he is angry. I have been in more than 
 twenty battles; bullets have hissed all around me; death was 
 at my side, and I did not tremble, but I tremble when the 
 emperor is angry. When I behold his marble face his flash- 
 ing eyes when his voice resounds like the roll of thunder, I 
 comprehend how women faint and flee. I myself feel then 
 what I never felt in the battle-field I feel fear!" 
 
 "Then you will not assist me!" exclaimed the princess, 
 wringing her hands. "You will not do any thing for him? 
 And yet he is innocent. My noble husband never committed 
 the crime with which he is charged. He is no spy no 
 traitor and yet he is to die ! I have no friend, and the only 
 man who I had hoped would aid me desert* me, because he is 
 afraid of his master's frown!" 
 
 "No," said Duroc, "I do not desert you, I only tell you 
 what the emperor is in his wrath ; I only tell you that the 
 tempestuous ocean is pleasant, and the thunder mild, com- 
 pared with him in such a mood. However, I would gladly 
 expose myself to it if I could be useful to you and to your 
 husband. But it is a vain hope. The emperor would not 
 listen to me ; he would interrupt me, and order me to be 
 silent. My intercession would irritate him even more, and, 
 instead of delaying the terrible catastrophe, I should be likely 
 to accelerate it." 
 
 "Well," exclaimed the princess, wringing her hands, "if 
 you yourself dare not speak and beg for him, let me. I am 
 not afraid of the emperor's anger, and when a woman clasps 
 his knees and implores his mercy, he will at least listen, and 
 his heart may be softened. I beseech you to grant me this
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. 107 
 
 favor conduct me to the emperor ! Let me implore him to 
 pardon my husband!" 
 
 " You are right, it is perhaps the only way to save his life. 
 Napoleon has a generous heart; your tears, perhaps, will 
 touch him, for he cannot bear the sight of a weeping woman, 
 and genuine grief always moves his heart. But just because 
 he is conscious of his weakness, he will avoid seeing you, and 
 give stringent orders not to admit any one. You must, at 
 present forget your rank. You must not insist that the foot- 
 men announce you, and open the folding-doors, but you must 
 make up your mind to appear, without any regard to eti- 
 quette, before the emperor, and oblige him to grant you an 
 audience." 
 
 " Do you not see that I am nothing but a poor, unhappy 
 woman, begging for mercy?" said the princess, with a melan- 
 choly smile. " Would I have come to you if I thought still 
 of the rules of etiquette? Give me an opportunity to see the 
 emperor, and, though it were in the open street, and thou- 
 sands standing by, I should kneel down before him, and, like 
 a beggar-woman, ask for the alms of his mercy for my hus- 
 band's life is in his hands!" 
 
 " Well, if such be your feelings, princess, I hope to be able 
 to procure you access to him. We must act as generals do in 
 the field, and try to outwit the enemy we must deprive the 
 emperor of the possibility of avoiding an audience. After 
 his return from Charlottenburg and when once in his rooms, 
 all will be in vain; he will admit no one, and close his ears 
 against all supplications of mine. Hence you must meet him 
 at the moment when he enters the palace. You must ' 
 
 A rapid knock at the door interrupted him, and Duroc 
 hastened to open it. " Is it you, Jean?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes, M. Grand marshal, it is I," said the footman, "I 
 come to inform your excellency that the emperor is just rid- 
 ing up the Linden with his suite. He will be here in a few 
 minutes." 
 
 "All right. Go now, Jean." 
 
 "Let us go, too," said the princess, quickly approaching 
 the door. "Give me your arm, M. Grand marshal; I am 
 trembling so, I might sink down before appearing in the 
 presence of the emperor!" 
 
 "Come, princess," said Duroc, compassionately, "lean 
 firmly on me. Heaven will give you strength, for you have a 
 Doble and fearless heart. Come! I will conduct you to the 
 8
 
 108 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 foot of the staircase, which the emperor will have to ascend 
 in order to reach his rooms. You may accost him there. 
 God and love will impart strength to your words!" 
 
 With rapid steps they crossed the suite of rooms and stepped 
 into the so-called Swiss hall, where the orderlies and soldiers 
 of the guard on duty that day were assembled. The bearded 
 warriors looked surprised at the grand marshal whose face 
 was graver than they had ever seen it in battle and at this 
 lady, hanging on his arm, as beautiful and pale as a lily. 
 Duroc, who generally had a smile and a pleasant word for the 
 soldiers of the guard, the faithful companions of so many 
 battles, took no notice of them. He hastened with the prin- 
 cess through the hall into the corridor, and down the broad 
 winding stairs opening immediately into the second court- 
 yard of the palace. He then conducted her across through 
 the inside portal to the splendidly-carpeted principal staircase 
 in the rear of the vestibule. 
 
 "Await the emperor here," said Duroc, drawing a deep 
 breath. " He will go up this staircase, and he cannot, there- 
 fore, avoid meeting you. But he has a sharp eye, and if he 
 should see you from afar, he might, divining your intention, 
 turn around and go the other way. Ascend as far as the first 
 landing. The emperor cannot see you there before he mounts 
 the first steps, and then he will not turn back." 
 
 The princess hastily ascended the steps, which she had so 
 often done with a joyous heart, and in a brilliant toilet, when 
 repairing to the festivals of the royal court. Duroc followed 
 her, and told the sentinel posted at the staircase and present- 
 ing arms to the grand marshal, that the lady had received 
 orders to wait there for the emperor, who 
 
 Just then the drums rolled, and the guard in the court- 
 yard was called out. 
 
 "The emperor!" whispered the princess, sinking down on 
 her knees, clasping her hands and praying silently. 
 
 "The emperor!" said Duroc, hastening down-stairs into the 
 second court-yard. 
 
 Napoleon rode in at that moment, and Duroc, glancing un- 
 easily at him, saw that his mien was even gloomier than pre- 
 vious to his ride ; he saw that flashes of anger darted from his 
 eyes, ready to wither the first being that should come near 
 them. On riding up the Linden to-day, he had again missed 
 the wonted music of " Vive FEmpereur! " and noticed that 
 the people, standing here and there in groups in the street,
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. 109 
 
 when he passed them, had frowned instead of greeting him 
 with the usual cheers. This want of respect, this visible de- 
 fiance had darkened his countenance and embittered his soul. 
 Just as he alighted from his horse, and threw the bridle to 
 Roustan, the Mameluke, the grand marshal, pale, panting, 
 and in visible emotion, stepped up to him. Napoleon noticed 
 it, and his angry glance intimidated Duroc. 
 
 " You want to inform me that Berlin is seditious?" he 
 asked, in a stern, hard voice. "I am not astonished at it. 
 This city seems to be inclined to such movements. But I am 
 about to set it a terrible example ; I will show Berlin in what 
 manner I punish rebels, and will cure its seditious tendency." 
 Striking his boots with his riding-whip, as was his habit 
 when out of humor, he crossed the court-yard in the direction 
 of the staircase. 
 
 "No, sire," said Duroc. "Berlin is not seditious. I only 
 intended to implore your majesty's noble and generous heart 
 to grant me a favor." 
 
 The emperor looked at him with some surprise, and, ad- 
 vancing rapidly, he set foot on the first step of the staircase, 
 his eyes directed to the grand marshal. "Well, what is it?" 
 he asked, ascending the second step, and turning to Duroc, 
 who was walking behind him. 
 
 " Sire, have mercy on the unhappy Princess von Hatzfeld ! 
 I beseech your majesty to grant her an audience." 
 
 "No, no," exclaimed the emperor, "do not say a word 
 about that! I do not wish to see her, I But what is this?" 
 he interrupted himself, for he had now reached the first land- 
 ing, and beheld the princess. She had knelt down, and, 
 stretching out her clasped hands, fixed her large azure eyes 
 on him with a most heart-rending, suppliant air. 
 
 Napoleon's brow grew darker than before, and with an 
 angry air he asked, " What does this mean, M. Grand mar- 
 shal? Who is this lady?" 
 
 "Sire, it is the Princess von Hatzfeld," replied Duroc, in 
 a low voice. " She implored me to procure her an interview 
 with your majesty. Sire, pardon me for having conducted 
 her hither, that she herself might beg your majesty for this 
 audience. I counted on your generous heart, which will for- 
 give the wife who comes to implore your mercy for her hus- 
 band." 
 
 " Have you not been told that I have expressly forbidden 
 this affair to be mentioned to me?" exclaimed the emperor,
 
 110 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 in a threatening voice. " The court-martial alone has to judge 
 the prince and I will and must not influence its verdict." 
 
 "Oh, sire," exclaimed the princess who was still on her 
 knees, "have mercy on me! have mercy on my unhappy 
 husband!" Tears choked her voice, and ran in torrents over 
 her pale face. 
 
 Napoleon seemed to be moved by this piteous spectacle; 
 his eye became milder, and his frown disappeared. " Ma- 
 dame," he said, bending over her, "rise. A lady in your cir- 
 cumstances ought to kneel before God only. In consideration 
 of your condition, I grant you an interview. Grand marshal, 
 follow me, with the princess." He quickly ascended the stair- 
 case, and, without looking round, walked across the halls and 
 rooms to his cabinet. Breathless, scarcely touching the floor 
 with her feet, and strengthened by her profound emotion, the 
 princess walked behind him by the side of Duroc. 
 
 "The emperor now enters his cabinet," whispered Duroc. 
 "You have reached your destination." 
 
 "My God, have mercy on me!" sighed the princess, and 
 raised her eyes imploringly to heaven. She was now in the 
 cabinet, and Duroc withdrew to the door. Napoleon stood in 
 the middle of the room; the brightly-burning fire shed a 
 light over his whole figure, and rendered prominent his stern 
 features. 
 
 " Sire," exclaimed the princess, falling on her knees, "I 
 beseech you have mercy on my husband! Mercy, sire, 
 mercy!" 
 
 "Mercy!" ejaculated Napoleon, harshly. "Do you know 
 the crime of which your husband stands accused?" 
 
 " Sire, I know only that he worships your majesty ; I there- 
 fore do not believe in his guilt," exclaimed the princess. 
 
 "He has acted the part of a miserable spy," added Na- 
 poleon, raising his voice. "After he had already sworn to me 
 the oath of obedience and fealty, he mailed a letter to the 
 King of Prussia, in which he reported to him the number, 
 the spirit, and movements of the French troops. That is the 
 act of a traitor and a spy, and as such he will be found guilty 
 by the court-martial to-morrow." 
 
 " Sire, it is impossible ! My husband cannot have done 
 any thing of the kind. Oh, believe me, your majesty, he is 
 innocent ! He has been slandered in order to bring about his 
 ruin ; but he is innocent assuredly he is innocent ! He never 
 wrote such a letter; he cannot have written it!"
 
 THE PRINCESS VON HATZFELD. Ill 
 
 The emperor quickly walked to his desk, and took from it 
 a paper, which he handed to her. "Here is the letter," he 
 said. " Do you know your husband's handwriting?" 
 
 The princess fixed her eyes, dimmed by tears, on the paper 
 she held in her trembling hands. She then uttered a cry, so 
 piercing and heartrending, that Duroc, who was standing at 
 the door, felt the tears starting into his eyes. Napoleon him- 
 self could not help shuddering. 
 
 "It is his handwriting!" muttered the princess, dropping 
 the paper upon the floor. Her quivering lips had now no 
 longer the strength and courage to repeat her prayer her 
 head fell on her breast, and she uttered only low groans and 
 sobbed. 
 
 The emperor seemed to be touched by her wordless yet elo- 
 quent grief. His manner, which had hitherto been stern, 
 became gentle and kind, and he looked down with an expres- 
 sion of compassion on that kneeling, despairing form. He 
 stooped, picked up the letter, and placed it in the hands of 
 the princess. "Madame, "he said, " here is the letter. Do 
 with it what you please. For this letter is the only thing 
 proving his guilt." 
 
 The princess looked up to him with a joyous, surprised 
 glance. The emperor smiled, and pointed silently to the fire- 
 place. She rose hastily from her knees, rushed toward the 
 fire, and threw the paper into it. 
 
 "It is burning! It is burning!" she joyfully shouted. 
 "My husband is saved! My husband is free!" and uttering 
 a scream, she tottered back, and fell in a swoon at the em- 
 peror's feet. 
 
 Duroc rushed to her aid, and, raising her in his arms, was 
 about to carry her out of the room ; but the emperor himself 
 rolled an easy-chair toward her, and assisted Duroc in placing 
 her on it. 
 
 "Now, call Eoustan," said Napoleon, "he will help you to 
 remove the fainting lady. But quick, lest she awake and 
 thank me ! Conduct her to her husband, who is here at the 
 palace. Let her personally announce to him that he is free, 
 and tell him that he is indebted for his release solely to her 
 intercession. Make haste!" 
 
 Eoustan entered as soon as Duroc called him, and both of 
 them carried the princess on the easy-chair out of the room. 
 The emperor gazed musingly after them, and a sarcastic smile 
 played on his lips. "Well, "he said to himself, "I believe
 
 112 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 this scene will be an excellent match to the oath at the grave 
 of Frederick the Great. It will form a glorious subject for 
 an engraving one that will be more honorable to me than 
 was the oath to the beautiful queen. Artists will be delighted 
 to publish such an engraving, and the good city of Berlin will 
 say that I am a great man, and know how to forgive injuries." 
 
 Just then Talleyrand, who had the right to enter the em- 
 peror's cabinet at any time, without being announced, 
 appeared on the threshold. 
 
 "Ah, Talleyrand," exclaimed Napoleon, "if you had come 
 a little earlier, you would have witnessed a very touching 
 scene. The Princess von Hatzfeld was here." 
 
 " I know it, sire. I have just met the poor fainting lady 
 in the anteroom, and Duroc described to me in a few words 
 what had taken place. How lucky it was that there was a fire 
 in the room!" 
 
 The emperor bent a piercing glance upon Talleyrand, but 
 the minister's face was perfectly calm and impenetrable. No"; 
 the slightest approach to a sneer was visible in it. 
 
 " This proof of generosity will win the hearts of all to your 
 majesty," added Talleyrand. " People will forget Palm ; they 
 will only think of Hatzfeld, and praise you as a modern 
 Caesar. When the letters his enemies had written to Pompey 
 were shown to Caesar, he refused to read them, and threw 
 them into the fire (there is always a fire burning in the right 
 place and at the right moment), saying, 'Although I am sure 
 to master my anger, yet it is safer to destroy its cause.' 
 Your majesty has followed Caesar's example, and, if you have 
 no objection, sire, I shall induce Professor Lange to give 
 an enthusiastic and eloquent account of this sublime scene 
 to the inhabitants of Berlin." 
 
 " Then you have already gained him over to our side?" 
 asked Napoleon. " The ardent champion of the queen has 
 been converted?" 
 
 " He has, sire, thanks to his fear of death, and to the five 
 thousand francs which I offered him, and which had the same 
 effect upon him as a basilisk's eye on the bird. These Ger- 
 man journalists, it seems, are even more needy than ours, for 
 they can be had for less." 
 
 "Five thousand francs," said Napoleon, musingly, " and 
 for that sum he sells his honor, his fealty, and his conscience ! 
 Ah, what miserable creatures men are, after all, and how 
 right are those who despise them!"
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 113 
 
 " Sire, will you permit me to enter and make my report?" 
 asked Duroc, looking in at the door. 
 
 "Come in, grand j marshal. And now tell me, how is the 
 poor princess? Has she recovered from her swoon?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, she was still unconscious when we carried her 
 into her husband's room. He uttered a loud cry, rushed to 
 her, and clasped her in his arms. She was awakened by his 
 kisses and his anxious and tender ejaculations. A torrent of 
 tears burst forth, and, encircling his neck with her arms, she 
 exclaimed, 'You are saved! You are mine again! the em- 
 peror has had mercy on me!' ' 
 
 " Poor woman ! She was really in despair, but behaved 
 very nobly and with a great deal of tact, and I am pleased 
 with her." 
 
 Talleyrand scarcely smiled, as he muttered to himself: 
 " Yes, the emperor is right in being pleased with her, for the 
 poor little lady really took the sentimental farce for a tragedy, 
 and neither she nor Duroc looked behind the scenes." * 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 
 
 THE hour when Napoleon was to give audience had come, 
 and the ministers of the petty German princes, who had 
 hitherto vainly implored Talleyrand to procure them admission 
 to the emperor, were at length to accomplish their purpose, 
 and to receive from the mouth of the conqueror himself the 
 decision of their fate. He was in his cabinet pacing with 
 rapid steps, while Talleyrand was standing at the desk, at;d 
 with a pencil entering a few notes in his memorandum- bock. 
 
 * This occurrence is strictly historical, but it is commented u^on by the French 
 and German historians in a widely different sense. The French historians, without 
 
 a'Abrantes, in ner "Memoires, ' vol. xi., p. 240 ; as well as constant, in nis "Me- 
 mpires," vol. iii., p. 380. But the German historians treat it as a well-calculated in- 
 trigue, in order to intimidate the nobility by an act of severity, and to conciliate 
 them by the subsequent generosity displayed by the emperor. Vide " Memoires 
 d'un Hommed'fitat." vol. ix.. p. 316 ; Schlosser's "History of the Nineteenth Cen- 
 tury," vol. vi., p. 232 ; Haeusser's "History of Germany," vol iii., p. 42. The view 
 taken by the German historians is supported by the letter of the Prince von Hatz- 
 feld. which formed the sole basis of the charges preferred against him, and which 
 the French take care not to lay before their readers. The incriminated passage was 
 as follows : "Officially I know nothing of the French army, but that I saw yesterday 
 a requisition upon the municipality of Potsdam, signed by D'Aultanne. The French 
 say their army is eighty thousand strong. Others state the number at only fifty 
 thousand. The horses of the cavalry are said to be greatly exhausted."
 
 114 NAPOLFON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "No," said the emperor, sullenly, "I shall have no mercy 
 on these petty German princes, and their miserable whining 
 shall not shake my resolution. Frederick II., who uttered 
 the most cutting sarcasms against these petty sovereigns, 
 would have done much better if he had destroyed these grubs 
 in the tree of royalty if he had made a new crown from their 
 small coronets. As he failed to do so, I shall not imitate the 
 example set by him, and my brother Jerome shall wear the 
 crown which shall make him a German king." 
 
 " Your majesty, then, will adopt the plan of a new king- 
 dom in Northern Germany, which I had the honor to draw 
 up?" 
 
 "Yes, but I shall somewhat extend the boundaries, which 
 are too narrow as proposed by you. How much of Hesse, for 
 instance, did you incorporate with the new kingdom?" 
 
 " Sire, the entire northern part of Hesse, so that the cities 
 of Marburg and Hersfeld would form the southern boundary 
 of the new kingdom, and that Cassel would be a good capital 
 for the new king." 
 
 " And you would leave Hanau and Fulda to that perfidious 
 elector?" saked Napoleon. "No, no, you are too generous. 
 The Elector of Hesse and his whole family deserve to be an- 
 nihilated, and I am not willing to have mercy on him or on 
 the other petty tyrants. Brunswick, Nassau, Cassel, are all 
 friends of England ; they never will be faithful allies of ours ; 
 it is best, therefore, to depose them." 
 
 "The elector has already sent hither two ambassadors, 
 whom he has authorized to give us the most fervent assurances 
 of unwavering fealty," said Talleyrand, smiling. 
 
 "I know the promises of these legitimate princes!" ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, shrugging his shoulders. " I know what 
 they are worth. So long as they are in prosperous circum- 
 stances, their heart is full of haughtiness and malice. There 
 are, in their eyes, no rights of man only rights of princes; 
 no subjects only slaves. But no sooner are calamities ap- 
 proaching than they grow discouraged, and in their cowardice 
 they degrade themselves before their people so far as to flatter 
 them in the most fulsome and abject manner, making prom- 
 ises to them which they are neither able nor willing to fulfil. 
 I have been told that these loquacious Germans, in their im- 
 potent wrath, have called me the 'Scourge of God!' Well, 
 then, they shall be right. To these petty princes who are 
 playing the part of great sovereigns, and perverting the role
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 115 
 
 of royalty and of the throne into a miserable farce to these 
 caricatures of sovereignty I will be a 'scourge of God!' I 
 will scourge them to death! Who are now waiting in the 
 anteroom?" 
 
 " Sire, there are the two ambassadors of the Elector of 
 Hesse, M. de Malsburg and M. de Lepel; Chancellor von 
 Miiller, ambassador of the Duchess of "Weimar; M. de 
 Miinchhausen, ambassador of the Duke of Brunswick ; and, 
 finally, a deputation of Poles, who have come to do homage 
 to your majesty." 
 
 "I shall bid the Polish ambassadors welcome," exclaimed 
 Napoleon, emphatically, " and make to these gentlemen many 
 promises representing the most brilliant prospects. An in- 
 surrection in Poland just now would be highly conducive to 
 the success of my plans. I will try to bring it about by all 
 the means at my disposal, and accomplish my purpose. 
 Hence, I will even go in person to Warsaw to fan the en- 
 thusiasm of the Poles." 
 
 "Sire," said Talleyrand, "that will be throwing down the 
 gauntlet to the Austrian government, and if it intends to pre- 
 serve its Polish provinces, it will have to take it up." 
 
 "We must take care that Austria does not regard as a 
 gauntlet the bone that I mean to throw to the Poles," said 
 Napoleon. " You will instruct my ambassador at Vienna to 
 dispel carefully all such suppositions and apprehensions, by 
 repairing to the Emperor of Austria and assuring him that I 
 do not intend to fulfil the promises which I am making to 
 the Poles; that, on the contrary, in case a rising should take 
 place in Poland, I will take care not to let it reach Galicia, 
 but to confine it to the Polish provinces of Russia and Prussia, 
 provided the Emperor Francis maintain his present neu- 
 trality. Send instructions to-day to this effect to my ministe. 
 in Vienna. And now I will receive the ambassadors." 
 
 " Whom will your majesty admit first?" 
 
 "Introduce in the first place the gentlemen from Hesse," 
 said Napoleon, entering the small reception-room contiguous 
 to his cabinet. Talleyrand crossed this room and entered the 
 adjoining audience-hall, in which the plenipotentiaries had 
 already waited for an hour. He beckoned the two ambassa- 
 dors of Hesse to approach, and introduced them, by virtue of 
 his position as minister of foreign affairs, into the reception- 
 room, where the emperor was Avaiting for them. 
 
 " Sire," he said, "the ambassadors of the Elector of Hesse."
 
 116 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Napoleon returned only a careless nod to their deep obei- 
 sances, and went to meet them." 
 
 " I admire the Elector of Hesse, because he dares to remind 
 me of himself," said the emperor, sternly. "He has been 
 intriguing against me too long to suppose that I would deal 
 leniently with him. I formerly made friendly offers to him, 
 and requested him to join the Confederation of the Rhine. 
 Then it was time for him to prove his friendship and attach- 
 ment to me, and to stand by me as a faithful ally. But at 
 that time he still hoped that I would succumb in the struggle 
 with Prussia; the tirades of the officers of the Prussian guard 
 resounded in his ears like the music of a" triumph already 
 obtained over me, and drowned the voice of France. But he 
 would not side openly with Prussia either ; he would remain 
 neutral until he could distinctly see which side would be vic- 
 torious. Equivocal in his words and actions, he thought only 
 of the safety of his person and his riches, and not of his coun- 
 try, his people, and his honor! Let him now receive the 
 punishment due to his duplicity. I shall take possession of 
 his states and appropriate his crown. The Elector of Hesse 
 has ceased to reign." 
 
 " Sire," said M. de Lepel, in a timid, suppliant voice, " the 
 elector dares to appeal to the generosity of your majesty. 
 Marshal Mortier, with his forces, occupies Cassel and the Hes- 
 sian states, and declares them to be French possessions. The 
 elector and his crown-prince only escaped imprisonment by 
 flight." 
 
 " They have been but too lucky to be allowed to escape," 
 exclaimed Napoleon, angrily. " It is really time to make a 
 rigorous example for once, and to prove to the sovereigns, 
 who regard war as a game of hazard, that it may become 
 very serious, and that they may lose their crown and life 
 by it. That would induce them to weigh well the conse- 
 quences of war in their councils of state before taking up 
 arms." 
 
 " Sire, the elector, our master, repents of what he has done, 
 and acknowledges that he was wrong," said M. de Malsburg, 
 humbly. " His highness is ready to bow to every thing, and 
 to submit to any conditions your majesty may be pleased to 
 impose on him." 
 
 "What does that mean?" asked Napoleon. "What does 
 your elector mean by conditions? I do not remember 
 having imposed any conditions 051 him, for those which I
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 117 
 
 offered six mouths ago were annulled by the events that have 
 since taken place." 
 
 " But the elector hopes that your majesty, nevertheless, will 
 remember them, and show favor instead of deserved punish- 
 ment. Your majesty, by so sublime an act of generosity, 
 would forever attach our master and his whole house to the 
 French empire. You would have no more faithful and de- 
 voted servant in Germany than the Elector of Hesse." 
 
 "Sire," said Talleyrand, approaching suddenly, "I am free 
 to intercede for the Elector of Hesse, who is so humbly im- 
 ploring your majesty to have mercy on him!" 
 
 " Sire, have mercy on our unfortunate master, who is wan- 
 dering about in foreign lands, solitary and deserted!" ex- 
 claimed M. de Malsburg, in a tremulous voice. 
 
 "Have mercy on our state, and on our people, who are 
 devoted to their legitimate sovereign," said M. de Lepel. 
 "Sire, our soldiers have been disarmed and disbanded; our 
 treasury seized, and a French governor-general is carrying on 
 the administration of our country in the name of your maj- 
 esty; and still the sovereign and the people hope that Na- 
 poleon will have mercy on them Napoleon, who is called the 
 Great, not only because he knows how to conquer states, but 
 to be generous. Sire, the sword of the conqueror builds only 
 visible thrones that may perish; but the magnanimity of the 
 conqueror builds in the hearts of men thrones that are im- 
 perishable." 
 
 " Ah, I should not like to count too much on the throne 
 erected in the heart of the Elector of Hesse," said Napoleon, 
 shrugging his shoulders. 
 
 " Sire, will not your majesty listen at least to the promises 
 which these gentlemen are authorized to make in the name of 
 the elector?" asked Talleyrand. 
 
 " Well, what are they?" asked Napoleon. " What else have 
 you to say to me in the name of your sovereign?" 
 
 " Sire, the elector is ready to submit at discretion to your 
 majesty," said M. de Lepel. "Above all, he will hasten to 
 join the Confederation of the Rhine. Besides, he is ready to 
 pay a contribution to surrender the fortresses in his states 
 to the French, and to incorporate twelve thousand men with 
 the French army. He only implores your majesty, in con- 
 sideration of all these sacrifices, to leave him his sovereignty, 
 -ind the possession of his titles, honors, and hereditary states. " 
 
 "No," ejaculated the emperor. "No; he has forfeited his
 
 118 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 sovereignty; he is unworthy of being a prince. There is no 
 dynae'Jy in Germany which has been a more persistent enemy 
 to France than that of Hesse-Cassel. Your master disdained 
 to grasp the hand which I offered to him ; the sword has de- 
 cided now between him and me. Fate urges me to inflict 
 upon him the punishment he has deserved by his misdeeds. 
 Do not tell me the Hessian people sympathize with the fate of 
 the elector, and that they are fondly attached to their legiti- 
 mate sovereign. It is not true! The people of Hesse are 
 3ursing the elector, and they are right in doing so. He sold 
 the blood of his subjects to England for many years, so that 
 she might wage war against us in both hemispheres. To this 
 trade in human beings he is indebted for the riches which he 
 has amassed, and with which he has now fled from his coun- 
 try. Can you deny this, gentlemen? Can you deny, further, 
 that the elector bitterly reproached one of his generals, who 
 commanded the troops sold to England in America, with hav- 
 ing held back his men, and with not having led them merci- 
 lessly enough into the fire? Do not the Hessians know that 
 the elector upbraided him in this manner only because he 
 received twenty-five ducats for every soldier who was killed in 
 battle? Well, why do you not speak? Tell me that this is 
 untrue tell me that thousands of mothers are not weeping 
 for their sons who have fallen in America, and whose graves 
 they will never behold that able-bodied men were not com- 
 pelled by thousands to leave their country as sold slaves, and 
 that the imprecations of those leaving did not unite with the 
 curses of those remaining, in order one day to become at the 
 throne of God a terrible accusation against him who ruined 
 his states and his people, and enriched himself with the blood 
 and tears of his subjects. Why do you not speak? Dare to 
 say again the Hessian people love their sovereign, and long 
 for his return ? Speak !" 
 
 His voice rolled like thunder ; his eyes darted fiery glances 
 at the two gentlemen, who were standing before him, pale 
 and dismayed, and who dared not look in the face of the em- 
 peror. Even Talleyrand, by an involuntary instinct of fear, 
 had withdrawn several steps to the door, and his face, usually 
 BO calm and imperturbable, was betraying some apprehensions 
 lest this terrible storm might be discharged on him, too, and 
 some of its bolts hurled at his head. 
 
 The two envoys endeavored to utter a few words, but they 
 spoke in so low a voice that no one understood them. They
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 119 
 
 felt that the eyes of Napoleon were still fixed on them, render- 
 ing them confused and incapable of making any reply. 
 
 A smile, as a sunbeam, flashed through the clouds on the 
 emperor's face, and his glance became milder. " I see at least 
 that you are unable to deny the truth," he said. " Go home, 
 gentlemen ! Tell your master his career is finished, and that 
 he has ceased to reign. Tell the people of Hesse, however, 
 that they shall be happy and prosperous henceforward. De- 
 livered from those cruel and infamous compulsory services 
 which the elector was in the habit of imposing upon his sub- 
 jects, the people will now be able to devote their exclusive 
 attention to the culture of their fields ; their taxes shall be 
 diminished, and they shall be ruled in accordance with gener- 
 ous and liberal principles. Tell the people of Hesse what I 
 have said to you ! Go !" 
 
 He waved his hand imperiously toward the door and turned 
 his back to them. With drooping heads, pale and trembling, 
 MM. de Lepel and de Malsburg left the room. Napoleon 
 stepped to the window, and was vigorously drumming a 
 march on the rattling panes. 
 
 "Sire, "said the feeble voice of Talleyrand behind him, 
 "sire, the ambassador of the Duke of Brunswick." 
 
 " The Duke of Brunswick?" asked Napoleon, quickly turn- 
 ing to the gentleman who was standing by the side of Talley- 
 rand, and who bowed deeply as soon as the emperor fixed his 
 eyes upon him. "The Duke of Brunswick?" repeated Na- 
 poleon. I do not know any Duke of Brunswick. It may 
 be that I shall remember him after a while. Let the dear 
 duke wait until then. I have to attend to more important 
 matters than to quarrel about antiquated and lost titles. 
 Who else desires an audience?" 
 
 " Sire, the ambassador of the Duchess of Weimar," said 
 Talleyrand. 
 
 "Introduce him," commanded Napoleon, "and in the mean 
 time, sir, explain to me," he said to M. de Miinchhausen 
 "explain to me who is the Duke of Brunswick." 
 
 " Sire, he is a mortally wounded, a blind old man, who im- 
 plores your majesty to permit him to die quietly in his capi- 
 tal, and sleep in the tomb of his ancestors," said the ambas- 
 sador, deeply affected. " But in order to die calmly, he 
 implores your majesty to give him the assurance that you will 
 not deprive his son of the inheritance of his ancestors, and 
 that you "will not avenge upon the son the misfortunes of the
 
 120 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 father. Sire, the dying Duke of Brunswick sends me to 
 recommend his family and his state to your majesty." 
 
 "The ambassador of the Duchess of Weimar," said Talley- 
 rand, entering with M. de Miiller. 
 
 The emperor greeted with a rapid nod the envoy of Wei- 
 mar, and then turned once more to that of the unhappy Duke 
 of Brunswick. 
 
 " I know of no Duke of Brunswick," said Napoleon, sternly. 
 '* His name and titles have been buried on the battle-field of 
 Auerstadt. What would he who sent you have to say if I 
 were to inflict on the city of Brunswick that subversion with 
 which, fifteen years ago, he threatened the capital of the great 
 nation which I command? * The Duke of Brunswick has dis- 
 avowed the insensate manifesto of 1792; one would have 
 thought that with age reason had begun to get the better of 
 his passions, and yet he has again lent the authority of his 
 name to the follies of hot-headed youth, which have brought 
 ruin upon Prussia. To him it belonged to put women, court- 
 iers, and young officers, into their proper places, and to mfke 
 all feel the authority of his age, of his understanding, and 
 position. But he had not the strength to do so, and the 
 Prussian monarchy is demolished, and the states of Brunswick 
 q,re in my power. Tell him that I shall show him that con- 
 sideration which is due to an unfortunate general, justly cele- 
 brated, struck by that fate which may reach us all; but that 
 I cannot recognize a sovereign prince in a general of the 
 Prussian army. After his conduct toward France he cannot 
 expect me to exercise toward him a ridiculous and undeserved 
 generosity." 
 
 The ambassador of Brunswick withdrew, sighing, and with 
 tearful eyes, f The emperor looked gloomily at him till he 
 had disappeared. 
 
 * When the Duke of Brunswick, at the head of the army of the King of Prussia, 
 took the field against the French, he said, in a manifesto to his troops, "We will 
 conquer and burn the rapacious city of Paris." 
 
 T As soon as M. de Mttnchhausen returned to Brunswick and communicated to 
 the unfortunate duke the utter failure of his mission and Napoleon's threatening re- 
 ply, the mortally wounded old man left his capital and state, in order not to run the 
 additional risk of being taken prisoner by the French. On leaving his palace, carried 
 on a litter by his faithful servants, he was heard to wail in a low voice, " Quelle 
 honte ! quette honte ! " and the tears burst from the sockets of his ruined eyes. The 
 Duke of Brunswick had gone by way of Celle, Hamburg, and A.ltona, to Ottensen, a 
 village on Danish soil. But since the day on which he had been compelled to leave 
 the palace of his ancestors and his state as a fugitive, he would take no food ; he 
 would not support the burden of life any more death by starvation was to deliver 
 him from his sufferings. It was in vain that his servants and his faithful physician 
 implored him to desist from this fatal purpose ; he remained immovable. Only once 
 the supplications of his physician succeeded in persuading him to eat an oyster. 
 Formerly oysters had been a favorite dish of the duke, and they excited his appetite 
 ven now. But scarcely had he tasted it when he repented of his weakness, and his
 
 THE SUPPLIANT PRINCES. 121 
 
 " And now, ^Talleyrand, I will go to greet the envoys of 
 Poland," he said, taking his hat, and advancing a few steps. 
 But at that moment his eyes, as if accidentally, seemed to be- 
 hold M. de Miiller, who was standing by the side of Talley- 
 rand. "Ah, I forgot the ambassador of the Duchess of 
 Weimar. Well, perhaps it would have been fortunate for you 
 if I had forgotten you. For when remembering you, I must 
 remember the arrogance and obstinacy of that little duke who 
 dared to oppose me and endeavored to frustrate my will.'" 
 
 "Sire," said M. de Miiller, " the duke believed that his 
 honor, his duty, and his rank required him not to act con- 
 trary to military fealty. He was connected with Prussia by 
 virtue of military treaties of long years' standing; hence, he 
 believed it incumbent on him to adhere to them even when 
 the King of Prussia, to the profound personal regret of the 
 duke, entered into open hostilities against France." 
 
 "Ah, bah! treaties!" ejaculated Napoleon. "I tell you, 
 your duke had not his senses about him when he dared to 
 oppose me. This is a good time for any prince to lose his 
 states in a moment. You have just seen how I have acted in 
 the case of the Duke of Brunswick. I shall have no mercy on 
 those who oppose me and dare to bid me defiance ! I will 
 drive these wolves back into the swamps of Italy, whence 
 they came!" Throwing his hat with an angry gesture on the 
 floor, the emperor added in a loud voice, " Like this hat, I 
 will crush them, so that no one in Germany will ever think 
 of them. I feel really tempted to treat your prince in the 
 same manner!" 
 
 " Sire, your majesty, however, condescended to lend a 
 favorable ear to the prayers of the Duchess of Weimar," said 
 the ambassador, in a timid voice. 
 
 " It is true," said Napoleon, "the duchess is a noble lady; 
 " if I pardon her husband, it is only for her sake, and because 
 she is a sister of a princess closely related to me. But you 
 ought not to rely too much on my forbearance and generosity. 
 If the duke persists any longer in his resistance if it be true 
 that he has not yet left the Prussian service I take back the 
 promise I gave the duchess, and your duke shall learn what it 
 is to oppose me!" 
 
 fixed purpose to die of hunger returned as intensely as ever. He spit out the oyster 
 and cried, "Man, what are you doing S> You give me my eyes to eat ! " Hencefor- 
 ward it was impossible to shake his determination. He died after long, excruciating 
 sufferings, on the 10th of November, 1806, at Ottensen. His remains were brought 
 back to Brunswick on the 10th of November. 1810. by his son and successor, Duke 
 Frederick William, so famous as commander of the Corps of Vengeance.
 
 122 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Sire," said M. de Miiller, "the duchess sent me hither in 
 order to inform your majesty that her husband has left the 
 Prussian service, and will return to Weimar to occupy himself 
 only with the welfare of his own state. She ventures now to 
 remind your majesty of your promise to forgive the duke and 
 leave him in possession of his inheritance." 
 
 "Well, if that be so, I shall fulfil my promise," said Na- 
 poleon, in a milder voice. " I shall not deprive your master 
 of his sovereignty ; but, as a matter of course, he will have to 
 submit to some sacrifices. I shall communicate my wishes 
 concerning this point to my minister, M. de Talleyrand, and 
 he will inform you of them. Do not fail to give the duke 
 distinctly to understand that he is indebted for his state and 
 political existence solely to the respect I feel for his wife and 
 her sister, the Margravine of Baden." The conqueror nodded 
 to the envoy and walked toward the door leading into the 
 audience-hall. Talleyrand quickly picked up the emperor's 
 hat from the floor, and carrying it to him, said, " Sire, you 
 have lost your hat." 
 
 Napoleon smiled. "Well," he said, "now-a-days, when so 
 many lose their heads and their crowns, a man may be par- 
 doned for once losing his hat. Come, accompany me to tho 
 good, enthusiastic Poles!" 
 
 CHAPTEK XIV. 
 
 TRIUMPH A X D DEFEAT. 
 
 SCARCELY had the emperor crossed the threshold of the 
 audience hall, when it resounded with cheers and the con- 
 stantly-repeated shout of " Vive rEmpereur! " He thanked 
 the envoys of Poland for these greetings, and quickly ap- 
 proached them. They presented a magnificent spectacle in 
 their national costume, adorned as it was with gorgeous em- 
 broidery and diamonds. " Introduce these gentlemen to me, 
 Talleyrand," he said; "I will cherish in my memory the 
 names of those whom henceforth I shall regard as friends!" 
 
 When Talleyrand presented them in succession, Napoleon 
 listened to each of their high-sounding old aristocratic names 
 with a kindly nod and a gracious air, which delighted the 
 hearts of the Poles.
 
 TRIUMPH AND DEFEAT. 123 
 
 "Sire, "said the Count of Dombrowsky, a silvery-haired 
 man of seventy years "sire, in bending our knees before 
 your majesty, we represent all Poland, which is exclaiming, 
 'God save Napoleon the Great! the liberator of nations!' ' 
 
 "God save Napoleon the Great! the lioerator of nations!" 
 echoed the others, kneeling down and extending their arms 
 toward the emperor. 
 
 "Liberator of nations!" repeated Napoleon, smiling. "No 
 one can liberate nations unless they do so themselves." 
 
 " But, in order to liberate themselves, the nations stand in 
 need of a noble and high-minded chieftain!" exclaimed the 
 old count. " Sire, the Polish nation trusts in you ; it is on 
 its knees, praying your majesty that you may become the 
 liberator whom it has so long looked for. The great Napoleon 
 has arisen upon France like a sun he has come, seen, and 
 vanquished the universe! invincible Caesar! In seeing 
 you, all my wishes and those of my countrymen are fulfilled! 
 Already we consider our country as saved, for in your person 
 we worship the wisest and most equitable of legislators. You 
 will redeem us! You will not permit Poland to be dismem- 
 bered. Oh, sire, Poland puts her trust in the redeemer of 
 nations! Poland puts her trust in Napoleon the Great, who 
 will raise her from her degradation!" 
 
 " Poland' puts her trust in you," repeated the Poles; and, 
 in the enthusiasm of their patriotism, forgetful of etiquette, 
 they crowded around Napoleon, and, again kneeling, kissed 
 his hands and the hem of his garment. 
 
 Napoleon smilingly allowed them to do so, but his eyes as- 
 sumed a graver expression. " Eise now, gentlemen," he said, 
 " I have received through you the homage of poor, weeping 
 Polonia, but now let me receive also in you the br"ave sons of 
 this unhappy land, and speak to the men of Poland. Rise.'" 
 
 The Poles rose, and looked with beaming eyes and in 
 breathless suspense at the emperor, whose face exhibited the 
 austere regularity of a statue of ancient Rome. 
 
 " It would afford me the liveliest pleasure to see the royal 
 throne of Poland restored," he said, "for it would also secure 
 the independence of the adjoining states, which are now 
 threatened by the unmeasured ambition of Russia. But words 
 and idle wishes are not sufficient. When the priests, the 
 nobility, and the citizens, make common cause when they 
 are determined to conquer or die then they will triumph, 
 and may count on my protection. " 
 9
 
 124 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Sire, the nobility, priests, and citizens, are already united 
 and resolved," exclaimed Count Dombrowsky. " We are only 
 waiting for our liberator to proclaim our independence." 
 
 Napoleon assumed a very serious air. " I cannot proclaim 
 your independence before you are determined, sword in hand, 
 to defend your rights as a nation." 
 
 "Sire, we are so determined!" unanimously shouted the 
 Poles. 
 
 The emperor received this interruption with a gracious 
 smile and added : " You have been upbraided with losing 
 sight of your genuine interest, and of the welfare of your 
 country, during your long-continued domestic dissensions. 
 Taught by your misfortunes, be harmonious, and prove to the 
 world that the whole Polish nation is animated by one 
 spirit." 
 
 " Sire, we will prove it to the world," exclaimed the Poles, 
 lifting up their hands, as if taking a solemn oath. 
 
 The emperor turned his stern eyes slowly and piercingly 
 from one to another. He apparently wished to greet them 
 all, and to read the innermost recesses of their hearts. Then 
 he said, in a loud voice, " The restoration of Poland requires 
 blood blood, and again, blood!" 
 
 " Sire, we are joyously ready to shed ours for the sacred 
 cause of the fatherland," exclaimed Count Kaczinsky. "We 
 wish to know only, or at least hope, that it will not be in 
 vain. Sire, Poland is extending her arms toward you ; she is 
 beckoning you with a passionate love ; she is longingly calling 
 to you, 'Great Caesar, come to my aid, that the sun may once 
 more beam upon me that you may disperse the long night of 
 my torture, and that a happy day may again dawn for me!' 
 Oh, sire, will you listen to the supplications of Poland? will 
 you come to her and break her chains?" 
 
 "No, "said Napoleon, "I will not go to weeping Poland, 
 shaking her chains, and only wailing and complaining instead 
 of acting, but I will go to the men and heroes of Poland, who 
 have thrown off their fetters, and shed their blood for their 
 country ! Go home and tell this to your countrymen, and ask 
 them when I shall come!" 
 
 " Sire, they will say as we say now, 'God save Caesar! We 
 clash our swords, and dance the sacred war-dance, that he 
 may come and let us see his face!' ' 
 
 " As soon as it is time," said Napoleon, significantly. " Go, 
 my friends, and tell your countrymen so. The time for weep-
 
 TRIUMPH AND DEFEAT. 125 
 
 ing is past that for action has come. Improve it, and be 
 wise. Return home as fast as you can, for I should like to be 
 with you before the present year has expired. Farewell!" 
 
 He greeted them in so winning a manner that, charmed 
 with his affability, they again enthusiastically shouted, " Long 
 live Napoleon the Great, the liberator of nations!" Amid the 
 cheers of the sanguine Poles, Napoleon returned to the small 
 reception-room, accompanied by Talleyrand, whom he had 
 beckoned to follow. 
 
 "Well, "asked he when they were alone, "what do you 
 think of it? Will the Poles rise?" 
 
 " I am convinced of it, sire ! Your words were like the 
 steel striking the flint, and kindling the tinder of their 
 national ardor. It will burn, sire burn so brightly that 
 Russia, Austria, and Prussia, may be badly injured in their 
 Polish provinces." 
 
 " Certainly not Austria," said Napoleon, quickly; " for the 
 rest, we shall know how to extinguish the fire as soon as it 
 burns too extensively. Forward your dispatch to our ambas- 
 sador in Vienna to-day. He is to assure the Emperor of Aus- 
 tria in the most emphatic manner that I do not intend 
 permitting the Polish insurrection to spread too far, and that 
 his Galician provinces, at all events, shall not be endangered. 
 Well, Duroc, what do you bring?" continued he, when the 
 door opened, and the grand marshal entered with a letter in 
 his hand. 
 
 " Sir.e, I bring two messages at the same time. In the first 
 place, a new envoy of the King of Prussia has just arrived ; 
 he is the bearer of this letter which the king, who is now at 
 Graudenz, has addressed to your majesty." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, "he is at Graudenz, which is 
 still closer to the boundary of his states. But I will drive 
 him to the last town on the frontier. The queen must learn 
 what it is to provoke a war!" He took the letter, which 
 Duroc handed to him, and opened it hastily. 
 
 "Sire," said Duroc, "the bearer of that letter, Major von 
 Rauch, asks the favor of an audience, in order to lay before 
 your majesty the wishes and requests of his king, who has 
 orally communicated them to him." 
 
 Napoleon turned to Talleyrand. "Receive him first," he 
 said ; " then report to me, and we shall see whether I can 
 grant him an interview. But, wait a moment! Let us first 
 see what is in the king's letter." He broke the seal and un-
 
 126 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 folded the paper. When about to read it, he raised his eyes 
 toward Duroc. 
 
 " Sire, Prince Augustus of Prussia has just arrived as a 
 prisoner of war, escorted by a detachment of our soldiers. 
 The Grand-duke of Berg sends him to your majesty as : 
 trophy of your victory. Colonel de Gerard accompanies 
 him." 
 
 "Did the prince behave as a brave soldier?" asked Na- 
 poleon. 
 
 " Sir, Colonel de Gerard states that even oar own men ad- 
 mire his heroism. The prince had separated himself with a 
 battalion of grenadiers from the corps of the Prince von 
 Hohenlohe, and was marching along the Uker. Our dragoons 
 were pursuing him, but he repulsed them repeatedly, and 
 would have succeeded in escaping, with his soldiers, if the 
 impassable character of the ground had not detained him. 
 He got into a marshy country, intersected by many small 
 canals, which greatly impeded him. The horses sank into 
 the mud, and their riders had to alight and lead them. The 
 prince also was compelled to wade through on foot. He was 
 leading his charger by the bridle, and just as he felt firm 
 ground under him, and was about mounting, the horse broke 
 from him and plunged into the Uker to save its own life. 
 Our dragoons succeeded then in overtaki ng and capturing the 
 prince ; and the Prussians, seeing that their leader was taken, 
 also surrendered. The grand-duke reports this affair at 
 length to your majesty, because he knows that you honor 
 bravery in an enemy, and because this living trophy would no 
 doubt assume a higher value in your eyes." 
 
 " Where is the prince?" asked Napoleon, quickly. 
 
 " Sire, he is in the anteroom, and awaits whatever dis- 
 position your majesty may make of him. Sire, he humbly 
 requests your majesty to permit him to repair to his parents, 
 to recover from his wounds." 
 
 " I will see him. Admit him at once." 
 
 " Sire, would not your majesty graciously permit him to 
 arrange his toilet a little?" asked Duroc. " The prince is not 
 dressed sufficiently well to appear before your majesty." 
 
 "No matter," said Napoleon. "Bring him in immedi- 
 ately." He waved his hand tc Duroc, and then looked 
 again at the letter which he still held in his hand. 
 
 Talleyrand, who was standing near him, fixed his subtle 
 eyes on the emperor's face. He saw that it brightened up
 
 TRIUMPH AND DEFEAT. 127 
 
 with proud satisfaction, and that graually a cold, disdainful 
 smile played on his lips. 
 
 " I shall be able to impose very rigorous conditions upon 
 the new Prussian envoys," said Talleyrand to himself; "the 
 king seems to submit very humbly, for the pride of a trium- 
 phator is beaming on the emperor's forehead." 
 
 Just then Napoleon threw the letter impetuously on the 
 table. "Read it, Talleyrand," he said, carelessly. "It is 
 always instructive to see how small these men are in adversity, 
 and how overbearing in prosperity. And such men desire to 
 be sovereign princes, and wear a crown!" 
 
 Talleyrand was extending his hand toward the letter when 
 the door opened, and the grand marshal entered. 
 
 " Sire," he exclaimed, " Prince Augustus of Prussia." 
 
 " Let him come in," said Napoleon, sitting down slowly and 
 carelessly in the easy-chair, covered with purple velvet, which 
 was standing in the middle of the room. He beckoned Talley- 
 rand to come to him. 
 
 At this moment there appeared on the threshold the tall, 
 slender form of Prince Augustus of Prussia. Duroc was 
 right ; the prince was not in very courtly trim to appear be- 
 fore the emperor. His uniform was torn and bespattered ; he 
 had but one boot, and that covered with mire ; the other had 
 stuck in the marshy ground near Schonermark, and he had 
 replaced it by a heavy wooden shoe, such as those worn by 
 German peasants; his right arm was in a linen bandage, 
 flecked with blood, and an oblique wound, covered with a 
 broad black plaster, was on his forehead. Such was the mis- 
 erable condition in which the nephew of Frederick the Great 
 appeared in the brilliant halls of the royal palace of Prussia 
 before the conqueror of his country and of his house, who re- 
 ceived him, seated, and scarcely nodded in return to the stiff 
 military salutation of the prince. Napoleon looked sternly at 
 the prisoner, and his lips betrayed the anger seething in his 
 breast. The prince, however, apparently did not notice this, 
 nor feel uneasy and irritated at the singular situation in 
 which he found himself; his eyes met those of the emperor 
 calmly and fearlessly ; he did not bow his head, but carried it 
 erect; not a trace of fear or sorrow was to be seen in his 
 youthful countenance ; a faint smile indeed was playing on 
 his red, full lips when he glanced over the room, and again at 
 Napoleon, behind whom Talleyrand and Duroc were standing 
 in a most respectful attitude.
 
 128 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " You are a brother of Prince Louis Ferdinand, who was 
 killed at Saalfeld?" asked the conqueror, in a harsh voice. 
 
 "Yes, sire, I am a son of Prince Ferdinand of Prussia," 
 was the grave reply. 
 
 "A nephew of Frederick II.," exclaimed Napoleon. "A 
 nephew of the heroic king who loved France so well, that his 
 heart and opinions were those of a Frenchman." 
 
 "Sire," said the prince, calmly, "history teaches, however, 
 that the great king was not always the friend of that coun- 
 try, and that his love for it did not prevent him from waging 
 war against it. His enmity against France gained him no 
 less glory than his friendships for its poets and savants. 
 
 "Ah, you refer to Kossbach," said Napoleon, shrugging his 
 shoulders. " We have expunged that name with the names of 
 Jena and Auerstadt, and the monument that once stood on 
 the battle-field of Kossbach is now on the way to Paris a 
 trophy of our victorious army." * 
 
 The prince bent his head a little. "It is true," he said, 
 " the goddess of victory is very fickle. The future therefore 
 consoles those who have succumbed in the present." 
 
 The emperor cast an angry glance on the prince, who met 
 it with a bold, unflinching air. 
 
 " I see you are, both by birth and sentiment, a brother of 
 Prince Louis Ferdinand," said Napoleon. " Like him, you 
 belonged to the hot-headed young men who would have war 
 at any price. Hard blows were required to moderate your 
 war-fever. I hope you are cured of it now. Your brother 
 has expiated his mad arrogance on the battle-field of Saalfeld. 
 It is your fate to return as a prisoner of war in the most 
 pitiful plight to the capital of Prussia, which you left a few 
 weeks since with such foolish hopes of victory. You ought 
 to have listened in time to reason, and not to the siren voice 
 of the queen, who, in a manner so disastrous to Prussia, in- 
 veigled all the young men to plunge into the Charybdis of 
 war, and " 
 
 * On the day after the battle of Jena, the emperor said to General Savary, while 
 riding across the battle-field of Rossbach, between Halle and Merseburg : "Gallop 
 to the left in this direction ; about half a mile from here you will find the column 
 erected by the Prussians in memory of that battle." Savary advanced in the 
 direction indicated, and found the small column in the middle of a corn-field. Wav- 
 ing his handkerchief, General Savary made a sign that he had succeeded in discover- 
 ing the monument, and Napoleon galloped with his suite across the plain to con- 
 template it. The storms of naif a century had beaten upon it, and it was difficult to 
 decipher the numerous inscriptions with which it was covered. The division of Gen- 
 eral Suchet iust passing the spot, the emperor ordered them to have the monument 
 removed and sent to Paris. The pieces were put into a caisson, and the orders er 
 ecuted. " Memoirs adu Due de Rovigo," vol. ii., p. 293.
 
 TRIUMPH AND DEFEAT. 129 
 
 "Sire," said the prince, interrupting him in an almost 
 threatening voice " sire, no reflections on the queen, if you 
 please ! Having conquered us, you are at liberty to humiliate 
 and abuse the vanquished, if your majesty derive pleasure 
 from such a triumph, but the noble and unhappy queen 
 should not be dragged into a quarrel of men. We do not 
 claim the excuse of having been inveigled by her, and her 
 exalted virtue does not deserve that charge." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, scornfully, "like all young 
 men, you seem to belong to the enthusiastic admirers of the 
 queen." 
 
 " Sire, that proves that the young men of Prussia are still 
 imbued with respect for virtue. It is true we all adore the 
 queen as our tutelary saint ; she is the radiant pattern of our 
 mothers, our wives, and daughters ; she is the ideal of all 
 and those who have once been so happy as to have seen and 
 spoken with her, bow to her in love and admiration." 
 
 " Had all of you bowed less to her, Prussia would not now 
 lie humiliated in the dust," said the emperor, harshly. 
 " Prussia and France are destined by Nature to be friends, 
 and I, who never have sought war, but always regarded it 
 only as a deplorable necessity, was greatly inclined to offer my 
 hand to Prussia in peace and friendship. But your queen 
 and your officers of the guard were bent on having war, and 
 believed they would win laurels by waging it. Now you have 
 it with all its terrors. What has it brought upon you ? You 
 have lost a brother by it, and you yourself had to lay down 
 your arms at Prenzlau." 
 
 " Sire," said the prince, in generous pride, " I request your 
 majesty not to confound me with those who concluded the 
 capitulation of Prenzlau. I did not capitulate; I was taken 
 prisoner, sword in hand, but I did not surrender it volun- 
 tarily." 
 
 "Young man," said Napoleon, in grave, cold calmness, 
 " beware of being plunged into deeper distress by your haughty 
 spirit. The Prussian princes are not now in a position to 
 utter high-sounding words. Your king is fully aware of this. 
 Listen attentively to what I tell you : he has begged me for 
 peace in the most submissive manner ; he is imploring me to 
 grant him my friendship, and calls himself happy because I 
 am dwelling in his palaces." 
 
 " Sire, that is impossible," exclaimed the prince, carried 
 away by his impulsive temper.
 
 130 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Napoleon shrugged his shoulders, and then turned his head 
 a little aside toward his minister. " M. Talleyrand, please read 
 to us the letter," he said; " I merely glanced over it. Owing 
 to the portentous events of the last days, you are, prince, 
 without direct news from the king. You may, then, derive 
 from this letter some information concerning his situation 
 and sentiments. Bead, M. Minister! And you, prince, take 
 a seat." 
 
 He pointed to one of the chairs standing near the door. 
 Prince Augustus, however, did not accept this gracious in- 
 vitation. He bowed, and said, smiling, " Your majesty will 
 permit me to stand, for my costume is hardly in harmony 
 with gilt chairs, and I believe it behooves a poor vagabond 
 like myself to stand humbly at the door. Moreover, Prussian 
 etiquette requires us to stand in listening to the words of our 
 sovereign." 
 
 "Read, Talleyrand," said the emperor, and leaning back 
 carelessly, he tried to discover in the prince's face the impres- 
 sion which the king's letter would make upon him. Talley- 
 rand read as follows : 
 
 " Monsieur mon Frere: When I begged your imperial 
 majesty to grant me peace, I consulted my reason, but I have 
 now consulted my heart. In spite of the terrible sacrifices 
 which you have imposed on me, sire, I desire most anxiously 
 that the treaty, which has already been secured by the ap- 
 proval of the main points, will entitle me soon to resume my 
 amicable relations with your imperial majesty, which the war 
 interrupted for a moment. It is an agreeable duty for me, 
 monsieur monfrere, to manifest, by a proof of confidence, my 
 sincere desire to cultivate your friendship; and I believe I do 
 this by stopping the further advance of the Eussian troops, 
 without waiting for the definitive conclusion of peace. 
 
 " I was anxious that your majesty should be received and 
 treated at my palaces in a manner agreeable to you . I have 
 zealously taken such steps as were necessary for that purpose, 
 and, according to my power, in the situation in which I am 
 now, I hope my endeavors have been successful. In return, 
 your majesty will permit me to recommend my capital and 
 the province of Brandenburg to your generosity. This prov- 
 ince, so little favored by Nature, is, as it were, a creation of 
 my immortal ancestor. I hope, sire, you will regard it as a 
 monument he erected to himself; and the numerous points in 
 which your majesty resembles that great man, I trust, will be
 
 TRIUMPH AND DEFEAT. 131 
 
 an additional inducement for you to order his work to be 
 treated in a magnanimous manner. 
 
 " Besides, 1 should like to request your majesty kindly to 
 exempt the district of Halberstadt and the duchy of Magde- 
 burg from the cruel losses you are imposing on me. Such an 
 order I should regard as a precious guaranty of your personal 
 feelings toward me, and you may depend upon it, sire, I 
 should zealously strive to reciprocate these feelings in the 
 most cordial manner. I pray God to take you in his Holy 
 keeping, and remain, monsieur monfrere, 
 
 " Your majesty's obedient servant, 
 
 " FREDERICK WILLIAM." 
 
 While the letter was being read, Napoleon did not avert his 
 eyes for a single moment from the countenance of the prince. 
 He saw that he blushed with indignation at first, and that 
 gradually a profound grief overshadowed his noble features. 
 
 "Well, was I not right?" asked Napoleon, when Talleyrand 
 had concluded. " Does not your king submit to all my con- 
 ditions? Does he not bid me welcome to his palaces?" 
 
 "Sire," said the prince, mournfully, "it does not behoove 
 me to censure the words of my king. When he has spoken, 
 I must be silent. I only dare to observe that your majesty 
 may see from this letter that the queen does not meddle with 
 government affairs. Had she done so, your majesty, no 
 doubt, would not have received this letter of Count Haug- 
 witz." 
 
 "Of Count Haugwitz?" asked Napoleon. "Of the king, 
 you mean?" 
 
 " Sire, the king lent to this letter only his name and hand- 
 writing; Count Haugwitz furnished the words and the spirit 
 it breathes." 
 
 " Then you believe that the queen does not share the views 
 of her husband?" asked the emperor, hastily. "You believe 
 she would still insist on the further continuation of the war if 
 her opinion were consulted?" 
 
 " Sire, I only take the liberty to state that she would not 
 have written such a letter." 
 
 " I know it very well !" exclaimed Napoleon. " Your queen 
 hates me; she would die rather than beg my friendship; she 
 would bury herself under the ruins of her throne rather than 
 put an end to this war and call me her brother. But I will 
 bend that haughty soul I will crush her heart, and make her 
 repent of what she is doing. 1 will but," he suddenly inter-
 
 132 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ,'nipted himself, "what is the matter with you! You turn 
 'pale! You are tottering, prince!" 
 
 The emperor arose and advanced a few steps ; but the prince 
 motioned him back. "It is nothing," he said faintly, "only 
 a momentary weakness that is all. I have not taken rest for 
 several days and nights, and loss of blood has exhausted my 
 strength. Besides why should I shrink from confessing it 
 I am hungry, sire ; I have eaten nothing for the last twenty- 
 four hours." 
 
 "Poor young man," said Napoleon, compassionately, as he 
 approached the prince, " I deplore your misfortunes. Person- 
 ally you have not deserved them, for I know you have fought 
 bravely, and are worthy of a better fate than that of a prisoner 
 of war; but will you give me your word of honor that you will 
 not attempt to escape or participate again in this war against 
 me?" 
 
 " Sire," said the prince, pointing at his wounded right 
 arm, " sire, I believe I must give you my word of honor. I 
 am your prisoner, and shall not attempt to escape." 
 
 " Then go to your parents. I permit you to remain at the 
 house of Prince Ferdinand until you have recovered from your 
 wounds. I will not deprive your mother any longer of the 
 pleasure of embracing her brave son. Go, then, to her!" 
 The prince bowed and was about to withdraw. 
 
 "Well, prince, have you not a word of thanks for me?" 
 asked Napoleon, kindly. 
 
 The prince smiled mournfully. "Sire, "he said, bowing 
 deeply, " sire, I thank you for treating me so leniently." 
 
 CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 THE VICTORIA OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE. 
 
 WITHOUT waiting for further permission to withdraw, the 
 prince hastily opened the door and went out. For a moment 
 he sat down in the anteroom, for his feet were trembling so as 
 to be scarcely able to support him, and such a pallor over- 
 spread his cheeks that Colonel Gerard, who had been waiting, 
 hastened to him in dismay, and asked whether he would per- 
 mit him to call a physician. Prince Augustus smilingly 
 shook his head. " The physician of whom I stand in need is 
 in my mother's kitchen," he said, "and your emperor has
 
 THE VICTORIA OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE. 133 
 
 permitted me to seek him." Just then the grand marshal 
 entered the room, and, making a sign to Gerard, whispered a 
 few words into his ear. 
 
 " Your royal highness is delivered from the burden of my 
 company," said the colonel to the prince when Duroc had 
 withdrawn. " Permit me, however, to conduct you to the 
 carriage that is to convey you to the palace of Prince Ferdi- 
 nand." 
 
 In the court-yard below, an imperial carriage was waiting, 
 and Colonel Gerard himself hastened to open the door to assist 
 the prince in entering. But the latter waved his hand dep- 
 recatingly, and stepped back. " I am unworthy of entering 
 the imperial carriage," he said. "See, even the coachman, 
 in his livery, looks elegant compared with me ; and all Berlin 
 would laugh, if it should see me ride in the emperor's mag- 
 nificent coach. Let me, therefore, walk off quite humbly and 
 modestly and enter the first conveyance I meet. Farewell, 
 colonel, and accept my thanks for the great attention and 
 kindness you have manifested toward me." 
 
 The prince kindly shook hands with him and then hastily 
 walked across the court-yard of the palace toward the place in 
 front of it the so-called Lustgarten. He crossed this place 
 and the wide bridge, built across an arm of the Spree, with- 
 out meeting with any vehicle. But the fresh air, and the 
 sense that he was free, agreed with him so well that he felt 
 strong enough to proceed on foot to his father's palace. 
 
 " No one recognizes me in this miserable costume," he said, 
 smiling " no notice will be taken of me, and I will be able 
 to reach my home without being detained." And he walked 
 vigorously across the Opera Place toward the Linden. This 
 neighborhood, generally so lively and frequented, was strangely 
 deserted no promenaders none of the contented and happy 
 faces, formerly to be met with on the Opera Place and under 
 the Linden, were to be seen to-day. Only a few old women 
 were mournfully creeping along here and there; and, when 
 the prince passed the guard-house, he saw French soldiers 
 standing in the front, who looked arrogantly and scornfully 
 at the Prussian officer, and did not think of saluting him. 
 
 "Ah, my brother," muttered Prince Augustus to himself, 
 " your prophecy has been quickly fulfilled ! The drums are 
 no longer beaten when we ride out of the gate and pass the 
 guard-house. Well, I do not care. I would gladly do with- 
 out such honors, if Prussia herself only were honored if "
 
 L34 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 A noise, proceeding from the lower end of the Linden, in- 
 terrupted his soliloquy. He advanced more rapidly to see 
 what was going on. The shouts drew nearer and nearer, and 
 a dark, surging crowd was hastening from the entrance of the 
 Linden through the Brandenburg Gate. Soon the prince was 
 able to discern more distinctly the character of the multitude 
 approaching. They were French soldiers, marching up the 
 street, and on the sidewalk, as well as in the middle of the 
 Linden ; the people and the citizens belonging to the national 
 guard accompanying them the latter in the brilliant uniform 
 which they had put on with the consent of the French author- 
 ities, who, now that there were no Prussian troops in Berlin, 
 had permitted them to mount guard together with the 
 French. But the people and the national guard did not ac- 
 company the French soldiers quietly; on the contrary, the 
 bewildered prince distinctly heard the sneers, the derisive 
 laughter, and jeers of the crowd ; even the boys in the tree- 
 tops were casting down their abusive epithets. When the 
 procession drew nearer, and the people surrounded the prince, 
 h.e discovered the meaning of these outbursts of scorn and 
 derision. 
 
 A strange and mournful procession was moving along in 
 the midst of the splendidly uniformed French soldiers. It 
 consisted of the captured officers of the Prussian guard, who 
 had been obliged to walk from Prenzlau to Berlin, and whom 
 the French grenadiers had received outside of the city limits 
 and escorted by the walls to the Brandenburg Gate, so that, 
 in accordance with the emperor's orders, they might make 
 their entry through that way. Two months before, they had 
 marched out of the same gate in full uniform, proud and ar- 
 rogant, looking down superciliously on the civilians, whose 
 humble greetings they scarcely condescended to return. Two 
 months before, General von Eiichel had been able to exclaim : 
 " A Prussian officer never goes on foot." The Prussian guard 
 had really believed that it would be scarcely worth while to 
 draw their swords against the French that it would be suf- 
 ficient merely to march against them. But now the disastrous 
 days of Jena had taught the officers how to walk now they 
 did not look down scornfully from their horses on poor civil- 
 ians, and faith in their own irresistibility had utterly dis- 
 appeared. They marched with bowed heads, profoundly 
 humiliated, and compelled to suppress the grief overflowing 
 their hearts. Their uniforms were hanging in rags on
 
 THE VICTORIA OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE. 135 
 
 emaciated forms, and the colors of the cloth and the gold-lace 
 facings were hidden beneath the mud that covered them. 
 Their boots were torn, and robbed of the silver spurs; and, as 
 in the case of Prince Augustus of Hohenzollern, many wore 
 wooden shoes. But in spite of this miserable and heart-rend- 
 ing spectacle, the populace had no pity, but accompanied the 
 melancholy procession with derisive laughter and insulting 
 shouts ! 
 
 "Just look at those officers," exclaimed a member of the 
 national guard, approaching the soldiers " look at those 
 high-born counts! Do you remember how proud they used 
 to be? How they despised us at the balls, in the saloons, and 
 everywhere else? How we had always to stand aside in the 
 most submissive manner, in order not to be run down by 
 them? They will not do so again for some time to come." 
 
 "No," cried the crowd, "they won't hurt anybody now! 
 Their pomp and circumstance have vanished !" 
 
 "Just look at Baron von Klitzing!" exclaimed another. 
 " See how the wet rim of his hat is hanging down on his face, 
 as though he were a modest girl wishing to veil herself. 
 Formerly, he used to look so bold and saucy ; seeming to be- 
 lieve the whole world belonged to him, and that he needed 
 only to stretch out his hand in order to capture ten French 
 soldiers with each finger." 
 
 " Yes, yes, they were tremendous heroes on marching out," 
 shouted another ; " every one of the noble counts and barons 
 had already his laurel in his pocket, and was taking the field 
 as though it were a ballroom, in order to put his wreath on his 
 head. Now they have come back, and the laurels they have 
 won are not even good enough to boil carps with." A roar of 
 laughter followed this hit, and all eyes turned again in rid- 
 icule toward the poor officers, who were marching along, 
 mournfully and silently, with downcast yet noble bearing. 
 
 Filled with anger and shame, Prince Augustus pressed 
 through the crowd. He could not bear this disgraceful scene ; 
 he had to avert his head in order not to see the unfortunate 
 Prussian officers; he hurried away, that he might hear no 
 more the cruel taunts of the populace. The ranks became 
 less dense, and this terrible procession passed by the street 
 was once more unobstructed. The prince rushed onward 
 regardless of the direction he was taking, crushed as he was 
 by the disgrace and wretchedness brought upon Prussia. He 
 was again suddenly in front of a large gathering. He looked
 
 136 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 about him wonderingly and in dismay. Without knowing it, 
 he had gone down to the large square in front of the Branden- 
 burg Gate, where was a dense crowd. 
 
 But the thousands here did not utter sneers or praises 
 they were sad and silent; there was no malicious sparkle in 
 their eyes as they rushed in one direction to the Brandenburg 
 Gate. 
 
 The prince beheld an inclined scaffold erected near the 
 lofty Grecian pillars of the gate, and reaching up to the cast- 
 iron goddess of victory, standing in her triumphal car, and 
 holding the reins of her horses. He saw the ropes, pulleys, 
 and chains, attached to her form, and it seemed to him as if 
 they were around his own breast, and choking his voice. He 
 had to make an effort to utter a word, and, turning to a man 
 standing By, he asked in a low voice, " What is going on here? 
 What are they doing up there?" 
 
 The man looked at him long and mournfully. " The 
 French are removing the 'Victoria' from the gate," he said, 
 with suppressed anger. "They believe the state no longer 
 suitable to Berlin, and the emperor is sending it to Paris, 
 whither he has already forwarded the sword and clock of 
 Frederick the Great." 
 
 The prince uttered a groan of despair. At that moment a 
 loud French command was heard by the gate, and as if the 
 " Victoria" were conscious, and obedient to the orders of the 
 emperor, a tremor seemed to seize the goddess. She rose as 
 the horses began to descend, and her figure bent forward as if 
 greeting Berlin for the last time. A loud noise resounded 
 above the heads of the crowd the "Victoria" had glided 
 safely to the ground. The prince uttered a cry, and, as if 
 paralyzed, closed his eyes. When he opened them again the 
 beautiful pillars of the Brandenburg Gate had been deprived 
 of their ornament, and the "Victoria," with her triumphal 
 horses, stood deposed from her lofty throne. 
 
 Prince Augustus raised his tearful eyes to heaven and whis- 
 pered, " Oh, my brother, I envy you your death, for it was 
 not permitted you to behold the humiliation and sorrow of 
 Prussia!"
 
 BOOK II. 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE TREATY OF CHARLOTTENBURG. 
 
 QUEEN LOUISA was pacing her room in great excitement. 
 At times she stood still at the window, and looked anxiously 
 into the street as if expecting the arrival of some one. But 
 that street the main one in Osterode, in which city the royal 
 couple had spent the last few days remained silent and de- 
 serted. Large snow-flakes were falling from the cheerless, 
 lead -colored sky, and the November storm was now sweeping 
 them into little mounds, and again dispersing them in clouds 
 of white dust. The queen beheld nothing but this winter 
 scene; she sighed and returned to her room to pace it as 
 rapidly as before. 
 
 But she was constantly drawn to the window, gazing into 
 the street and listening breathlessly to any noise that reached 
 her ears. "If he should not come," she muttered anxiously, 
 " or if too late, all would be lost, and the cowards and bab- 
 blers would be able once more to persuade my husband to 
 yield to their clamor for peace. Heaven have mercy on our 
 unhappy country and on ourselves!" 
 
 Suddenly she started up, and leaned closer to the window 
 in order to see better. Yes, she had not been mistaken. In 
 the lower part of the street a carriage was to be seen. The 
 storm prevented her from hearing the noise of the wheels, but 
 she saw it it drew nearer and nearer, and finally stopped in 
 front of the house. The queen stepped back, and, drawing 
 a deep breath, she raised her eyes to heaven. " I thank Thee, 
 my God! Thou hast had mercy on my anguish," she whis- 
 pered with a gentle smile. She then walked slowly and 
 faintly across the room toward the divan and sank down on 
 it. "Ah, "she muttered, "this eternal anxiety, this un- 
 relieved suspense and excitement are consuming my strength 
 nay, my life. My feet are trembling ; my heart stands en-
 
 138 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 tirely still at times, and then beats again as violently as if it 
 would burst from my breast. But, no matter! I am quite 
 willing to die if I only live to see the deliverance of my coun- 
 try and the preservation of my house." She dropped her head 
 on the cushions and gazed with dilated eyes at the sky. But, 
 on hearing a low rap at the door, she slowly rose and called 
 out in her full, sonorous voice, "Come in!" The door 
 opened, and Madame von Berg entered. 
 
 " Well, Caroline, he has arrived, I suppose?" asked the 
 queen. 
 
 " No, your majesty," said Madame von Berg, smiling, " they 
 have arrived. The two ministers, Baron von Stein and Count 
 von Hardenberg request your majesty to grant them an 
 audience." 
 
 "Hardenberg!" exclaimed Louisa joyfully, and her pale 
 face brightened. " Oh, let them come in immediately!" 
 
 The queen quickly left the divan and walked toward the 
 door. But Madame von Berg hastened to reach it before her 
 and opened it. "Come in, gentlemen," she said; "her 
 najesty is waiting for you !" 
 
 "Yes, I am waiting for you," exclaimed Louisa, meeting 
 them, and with a sweet smile extending both her hands. 
 
 The ministers bowed and kissed her hand. Madame von 
 Berg had in the mean time locked the door leading into the 
 small anteroom, and withdrew softly by the opposite door. 
 
 " Then you received the message the king sent you?" asked 
 the queen, turning toward Baron von Stein. "And you did 
 not hesitate a moment to come here? And you, count," 
 added she, turning toward Hardenberg, " you did the same as 
 this faithful friend? Having heard that the decisive moment 
 had come, you did not hesitate to offer your services to your 
 king? Oh, I thank you, gentlemen; I thank you in the 
 name of my husband, of my children, and of our country! 
 In these days of danger and distress, when all are wavering 
 and fearful, it does my heart good to meet with unswerving 
 fealty and devotion. Ah, so many have proved faithless and 
 deserted us!" 
 
 " But so many also have remained faithful, your majesty," 
 said Hardenberg, "so many have proved true and loyal!" 
 
 The queen gazed at him long and mournfully. "Few," 
 she said, "alas, very few! You say so only in your magna- 
 nimity, because you do not care to make your loyalty appear 
 as something extraordinary. But, look around in Prussia
 
 THE TREATY OF CHARLOTTENBURG. 139 
 
 look at our fortresses! Everywhere treachery and cowardice 
 everywhere perfidy! I will not speak to you of Stettin, of 
 Kiistrin, of Spandau, of Anclam, and Erfurt! You know 
 already that we have lost them. But have you learned the 
 dreadful tidings we received yesterday? Do you know that 
 Magdeburg has surrendered?" 
 
 "Magdeburg!" ejaculated Stein and Hardenberg, at the 
 same time. 
 
 Louisa nodded sadly, and her eyes filled with tears. " It 
 was our last bulwark," she said, " and it is gone, too! I have 
 wept much since yesterday. Now I will be calm, and force 
 my grief back into my heart. But as Mary, Queen of Eng- 
 land, said at the capture of Calais, 'If my heart were opened, 
 you would find on it the name of Magdeburg in bloody 
 letters!'"* 
 
 " It is true," said Hardenberg, gloomily, " it is a great dis- 
 aster. A fortress so well supplied with every thing, and a 
 garrison of more than ten thousand men!" 
 
 " If your majesty will permit me, I ask, how did this intel- 
 ligence impress the king?" said Baron von Stein. 
 
 " He bore it with resignation, and that calm courage which 
 never leaves him in these days of affliction," said Louisa, 
 quickly. " But his so-called friends and advisers, Messrs, von. 
 Haugwitz, Kockeritz, Voss, and Kalkreuth, received the 
 heart-rending news with secret satisfaction. I read it in their 
 faces, notwithstanding the sadness they assumed. They re- 
 gard the fall of Magdeburg as an ally of their intentions and 
 schemes. They desire peace with France peace at any price 
 and hope that the king will now approve their views. 
 Hence, Minister von Stein, Madame von Berg had to give a 
 letter to the courier yesterday, in which I urged you to com- 
 ply with the king's orders, and to come here immediately. 
 Hence, Count von Hardenberg, I am glad that you have come 
 too. Oh, I know very well what it must have cost your noble 
 heart to come without being expressly requested ; but you did 
 so for the sake of the crushed and prostrate fatherland I 
 know it very well and not for Prussia, not for us, but for 
 Germany, on whose neck the tyrant has placed his foot, and 
 which he will strangle unless the good and the brave unite 
 their whole strength and hurl him off." 
 
 "I came here," said Hardenberg, " because I remembered 
 that hour when your majesty permitted me to give an oath of 
 
 Louisa's own words. Vide "Queen Louisa, 1 ' p. 316. 
 10
 
 140 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 unwavering fealty and devotion that hour when you con- 
 descended to accept my hand for our league against France, 
 and when you vowed to exert yourself to the best of your 
 ability to maintain the policy Prussia had entered into, and 
 not to suffer her king ever to accept the perfidious friendship 
 of France!" 
 
 "I have never forgotten that hour," said the queen, 
 gravely. " He who joined us in taking that pledge at the 
 solemn moment you refer to, Prince Louis Ferdinand, has 
 sealed his vow with his death : he is sleeping on the field of 
 honor. But I feel convinced that he is looking down on us 
 from heaven ; and, if it be given to the spirits of the blessed 
 to influence the affairs of mortals, he will instil his ardor into 
 our breast, and assist us in reaching the true goal. But what 
 is that goal? and what the true way? My short-sighted eye 
 is not able to discern it. When I behold the tremendous suc- 
 cesses of the conqueror, I am perplexed, and ask myself 
 whether it be not evident that God will make him master of 
 the world, and whether, consequently, it be not in vain to 
 struggle against him? Oh, my soul is at times engaged in 
 terrible conflict with itself, and gloomy doubts frighten it. 
 But I feel now that we are on the eve of the crisis, and that 
 the present day will decide our whole future. Grand-Marshal 
 Duroc will reach this city to-day ; Colonel von Eauch, who 
 preceded him, has already arrived. He delivered to the king 
 the treaty of peace, which M. de Zastrow and Lucchesini con- 
 cluded with Talleyrand at Charlottenburg. Napoleon has al- 
 ready signed it. Only the king's signature is wanting, and, 
 as soon as he affixes it, we are the friends and vassals of the 
 emperor of France, and must either lay the sword aside, or, if 
 he should command us to do so, draw it against Kussia, our 
 present ally. A stroke of the pen will determine the future 
 of Prussia and the fate of my children. Now, help me and 
 all of us! now, advise me as to what ought to be done! Tell 
 me your honest opinion as freely and sincerely as though you 
 were standing before God! Count von Hardenberg, pray, 
 speak first ! Do you believe it to be necessary for the welfare 
 of Prussia, of rny children, and, above all, of my husband, 
 that the king should approve the treaty?" 
 
 " Your majesty is aware that I never advised the king to 
 form an alliance with France," said Hardenberg, "and that 
 my most sacred conviction will ever prevent me from doing 
 so. But, in order to pass an opinion on the treaty of Chariot-
 
 THE TREATY OF CHARLOTTENBURG. 141 
 
 tenburg, I ought to know its provisions, and your majesty is 
 aware that the king has not permitted me of late to take part 
 in the negotiations. I do not know what the treaty con- 
 tained. " 
 
 "Nor I either," said Baron von Stein, when the queen 
 turned toward him with an inquiring glance. " But I know 
 those who concluded it; I know that M. de Lucchesini and 
 M. de Zastrow believe no sacrifice, no humiliation too great, 
 if they can thereby succeed in making peace with France. I 
 know that Talleyrand is wily enough to profit by their weak- 
 ness, their cowardice, and lack of true honor; and I know, 
 finally, that if Napoleon signs a treaty of peace with Prussia 
 now, it cannot but be advantageous to him, and humiliating 
 to Prussia." 
 
 "I will tell you what the treaty contains," said a grave 
 voice behind them. 
 
 "The king!" exclaimed Louisa, rising quickly and hasten- 
 ing to him. 
 
 He greeted her cordially, and gave her his hand. " I 
 wished to see you in your cabinet," he said, smiling, "and 
 thus overheard the last words of the secret council which is 
 held here." 
 
 Louisa blushed slightly; the king noticed it, and shook his 
 head a little. "It is quite agreeable to me," he said, turning 
 toward the two ministers, " that the queen informs herself of the 
 state of our affairs and of politics generally, consulting men 
 in whose loyalty and devotion she reposes confidence. We 
 must know our fate accurately and thoroughly, in order to 
 look it courageously in the face, and decide on such measures 
 as are most conducive to our welfare. Moreover, the queen 
 has hitherto bravely shared all our dangers and hardships; it 
 is, therefore, but just that she should take part in our con- 
 sultations." 
 
 "Oh, my king and husband," exclaimed Louisa pressing 
 his hand against her bosom, " I thank you for your kindness 
 and generosity. I thank you for not sending me back into 
 the narrow sphere of woman ; for permitting me to look be- 
 yond the threshold of my apartments, and to have a heart for 
 the calamities of our country." 
 
 The king nodded kindly to her, and then turned to the two 
 ministers, who had respectfully withdrawn toward the door. 
 "I invited you to come here, M. Minister von Stein," he 
 said, " that you might participate in a meeting of the cabinet,
 
 142 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 at which our course in regard to the treaty of Charlottenburg 
 is to be decided. I am glad that you have come. And," 
 added he, addressing Hardenberg, " I am glad also that you 
 are here. I like men who, conscious of their worth, are not 
 irritated at being seemingly neglected. I know how to appre- 
 ciate the fact that you are standing by us in these times of 
 adversity, and not looking out only for your own quiet and 
 comfort. I am fully aware that you are not pursuing this 
 course from selfish motives, and that you are rich enough to 
 live without any public position richer, perhaps, than your 
 king! Well, the queen requested you to give her your 
 opinion about the treaty of Charlottenburg, and I came in 
 and interrupted you." 
 
 " Your majesty heard that these gentlemen assured me they 
 were ignorant of the contents of the treaty," said the queen, 
 fixing her beaming eyes on the calm, grave face of her hus- 
 band; "your majesty, on entering the room, were kind 
 enough to say you would communicate the contents to us." 
 
 "I will do so, to keep the gentlemen posted," said the 
 king " not, however, as king, but as a friend, whom you, 
 Louisa, will authorize to take part in the deliberations of 
 this secret council of state. Hence, let us proceed without 
 any regard to etiquette. I did not want to preside over, but 
 merely to attend your consultation, and to tell you what you 
 are ignorant of. Eesume your seats, therefore." 
 
 "And you, dear husband!" asked the queen, sitting down 
 again on the divan, " will you be so kind as to take a seat by 
 my side?" 
 
 The king nodded, and sat down by her side, while the 
 ministers took seats opposite. " Listen, then, to the terms of 
 peace," said the king. "The Emperor Napoleon demands 
 the whole territory situated on the right bank of the Vistula, 
 from the point where the river enters the Prussian states, to 
 its mouth. Besides, he demands the surrender of the for- 
 tresses of Kolberg, Hameln, Ni en burg, Glogau, and Breslau ; 
 the cession of the whole of Silesia, on the right bank of the 
 Oder, with the greater part of the section of this province 
 lying on the left bank of that river. He, moreover, de- 
 mands the city and fortress of Graudenz ; he requires all the 
 Prussian forces to withdraw to Konigsberg and its environs, 
 and that the Eussian troops shall evacuate our states immedi- 
 ately. After all these conditions have been complied with in 
 the most scrupulous manner, either side is to be at liberty to
 
 THE TREATS OF CHARLOTTENBURG. 
 
 resume hostilities ten days after giving due notice there- 
 of." * 
 
 The queen, no longer able to suppress her agitation, uttered 
 a cry, and turned toward her husband with glowing cheeks 
 and flashing eyes. " And what does he offer us in return for 
 all these humiliations?" she asked. "How is he going to re- 
 ward us for selling to him our provinces, our fortresses, and 
 our honor?" 
 
 "In return," said the king, slowly, laying stress on every 
 word " in return, he holds out to us the prospect of march- 
 ing soon as his ally against Bussia, and of supporting the 
 Ottoman Porte. A second note, which Talleyrand drew up 
 in the name of his master, and communicated to our envoy, 
 was added. This note stated that, inasmuch as France,, 
 owing to constantly renewed wars, as well as her allies, Spain 
 and Holland, had lost their most flourishing colonies in Asia, 
 and in the West Indies, and were compelled, for the fourth 
 time, to fight in their own defence, justice and reason au- 
 thorized the emperor to seek compensations on this side of 
 the seas for the losses he and his allies had suffered, and to- 
 look for these compensations in those countries which, by 
 virtue of his victories, he had the power to dispose of in such 
 a manner as he deemed best. The greatest evil which Prussia 
 had brought about by the last war, for which she alone was- 
 responsible, was the fact that the Ottoman Porte had been, 
 deprived thereby of its independence; for, owing to the in- 
 sulting and threatening demands of the Emperor of Eussia, 
 two princes, who had been justly banished from the posses- 
 sions of the Sultan, had been placed at the head of the govern- 
 ment of the Danubian principalities, so that Moldavia and 
 AVallachia were at present nothing else than Eussian prov- 
 inces. 'Accordingly,' concludes Talleyrand's note, 'so long 
 as the Sultan should not have recovered the legitimate 
 sovereignty over these provinces, the emperor would not con- 
 sent to give up any countries which the fortune of war had 
 placed in his hands, or which he might conquer hereafter."'f- 
 
 "That is to say," exclaimed the queen, passionately, "that 
 Napoleon declares war against Eussia, and, if we make peace 
 with him, we must take up arms against that empire." 
 
 "That will be inevitable," said the king, composedly. 
 " Besides this note, Talleyrand communicated some important 
 
 * Vide " Prussia in the Years 1S06 and 1807 "a Diary, by H. v. Schladen, p. 57. 
 t " Memoires d'un Homtned'fitat." vol. ix., p. 341.
 
 144 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 information to our ambassadors. He told them that Na- 
 poleon, before setting out from Berlin, would issue a decree, 
 absolutely prohibiting all commerce with England, and order- 
 ing, further, that all letters coming from or going to that 
 country, addressed to an Englishman, or written in English, 
 were to be stopped at the post-office ; that all goods, the pro- 
 duce of English manufactures, or of English colonies, were to 
 be confiscated, not only on the coast, but in the interior, in 
 the houses of the merchants by whom they should be retained ; 
 that every vessel, having only touched at the English colonies, 
 or at any of the ports of the three kingdoms, should be for- 
 bidden to enter French ports, or ports under subjection to 
 France, and that every Englishman whatsoever, seized in 
 France, or in the countries under subjection to her arms, 
 should be declared a prisoner of war.* Now," added he, 
 in a subdued tone, "I have finished my communication. 
 You know the treaty of peace, and every thing be- 
 longing to it. You will be able to form a definite opin- 
 ion with regard to it; you can, accordingly, fulfil the 
 queen's wish, and tell her whether you would advise me to 
 sign it. Speak ! and remember that here, in this room, I am 
 not the king, but only the queen's friend, happening to be 
 present at your consultation. It, therefore, behooves me to 
 be silent, and to listen." 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE SECRET COUNCIL OF STATE. 
 
 THE king leaned back, and, supporting his head on his 
 arms, shaded his face with his hands, as if it were a screen 
 that was to conceal the expression of his features. The queen 
 turned with a sweet smile toward the two gentlemen. " My 
 husband having permitted it," she said, "pray, speak. Let 
 me hear your views. And as I deem the opinions of both of 
 you equally important, I do not know whom to request to 
 commence. Let the oldest speak first." 
 
 "Then, your majesty, I must speak," said Hardenberg, 
 bowing low, " I know that I am seven years older than Baron 
 von Stein. He surpasses me in wisdom as I do him in years." 
 
 *Tbiera, "Consulat et Empire," vol. vii., p. 380.
 
 THE SECRET COUNCIL OF STATE. 145 
 
 "Well, speak," said Louisa. "What do you think of this 
 treaty?" 
 
 " I think it is a new proof of the reckless pride of Bona- 
 parte," said Hardenberg. " In order to appreciate it correctly 
 it is necessary for us to look back into the past, and to remem- 
 ber how this war arose, which the emperor asserts to have been 
 provoked by Prussia. But the king, our most gracious mas- 
 ter, never desired war; on the contrary, he withstood, for a 
 long while, the wishes of his ministers, his court, his people, 
 and his army. He would have avoided the war, if Napoleon 
 had alloAved him to form a Confederation of the North, con- 
 servative in its tendencies, but not hostile to the Confederation 
 of the Rhine. Deceived, menaced, insulted, the king con- 
 tinued negotiating to the last moment, and did not cease 
 hoping that Prance would acknowledge that she was wrong, 
 and yield to the remonstrances and wishes of Prussia. The 
 king was arming, it is true, but only for the purpose of sup- 
 porting his just and strictly pacific demands by such a military 
 demonstration. Compelled by Napoleon, he had to obey the 
 dictates of honor at last and draw his sword. The fortunes 
 of Avar decided against him ; he was defeated. He commenced 
 negotiating again ; for the sake of the welfare of his people 
 he submitted to the most rigorous terms which the conqueror 
 imposed on him; but Napoleon, instead of appreciating this, 
 became only the more arrogant and insatiable in his demands. 
 The king's willingness to accept those terms was of no avail ; 
 the conditions which had been imposed on him were repudi- 
 ated and nullified. Every new triumph, every new capit- 
 ulation of a fortress, caused the emperor to render his 
 demands more rigorous ; and he dares now to offer a treaty, 
 which would reduce the kingdom of Prussia to a single prov- 
 ince which could not but render the king's position even 
 more precarious, and would be the depth of humiliation, 
 without offering the least prospect of a speedy and lasting re- 
 covery from our past disasters. If Prussia should accept this 
 utterly illusory compact, she would thereby deliver herself 
 completely into the hands of an insatiable enemy, whose am- 
 bitious schemes are well known, and deprive herself of the 
 only support still remaining. She would betray Russia and 
 not save herself by this treachery, but only accelerate her own 
 utter ruin. No one can dare to advise the king to sign such 
 a paper, and, least of all, myself, after constantly opposing 
 an alliance with France, even at a time when it would seem-
 
 146 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ingly have been advantageous to Prussia. Your majesty 
 ordered me to express my opinion, and I have done so to the 
 oest of my conviction." 
 
 The queen thanked him by a slight bow, and then turned 
 toward Baron von Stein. "And you?" she asked, "will you 
 communicate to me your views about this treaty which our 
 envoys have already signed at Charlottenburg?" 
 
 "Your majesty," said Baron von Stein, quickly, "I lack 
 the wise composure and smiling calmness of Count von 
 Hardenberg. It was not given me to weigh the interests and 
 the conduct of friends and foes with prudent tranquillity r.nd 
 magnanimous impartiality. I am no polished courtier, bu" 
 only a blunt, upright German, and as such your majesty must- 
 allow me to speak to you. Well, my honest German heart 
 revolts at what M. Napoleon is pleased to call a treaty of 
 peace, and what, it seems to me, would be but a pact with 
 degradation, dishonor, and disgrace. If I had been in the 
 place of Messrs, de Zastrow and Lucchesini, I would have 
 allowed my right hand to be cut off rather than to be prevailed 
 upon to sign any thing so ignominious; I would have died, 
 rather than surrender at discretion in so humiliating a man- 
 ner. I know full well that these gentlemen have done .0 
 only in order to save the political existence of the king and 
 his state. But how little do they know the intentions and 
 schemes of our powerful adversary, whom only the most de- 
 termined and obstinate resistance can induce to be moderate 
 in his exactions, and who, so soon as he has nothing to fear 
 shrinks from nothing! As soon as the king, according to 
 these stipulations, has surrendered to him his fortresses and 
 Silesian possessions, Napoleon will give notice that he resumes 
 hostilities within ten days, and the king having not sufficient 
 power to offer him any resistance, the loss of his last and only 
 possessions would be the natural consequence. Napoleon 
 would even manage matters in such a way as to leave it to 
 other hands to carry out this last spoliation. It is well known 
 what prospects he held out in Berlin to the deputation of the 
 Poles, and by what words and promises he instigated them 
 to rise. He now demands the removal of our troops from 
 Graudenz and its environs, that is to say from Prussian 
 Poland. He wishes to promote the insurrection in Poland, 
 and to assist the Poles as efficiently as possible, so that we 
 should lose these provinces during the cessation of hostilities. 
 His majesty, moreover, is unable to enter into an engagement
 
 THE SECRET COUNCIL OF STATE. 147 
 
 concerning the withdrawal of the Russian troops, and the last 
 fortresses, therefore, would be sacrificed in vain. But it is 
 just as little in the power of the king to induce the Emperor 
 of Russia to waive his just claims against the Porte, or to de- 
 prive the Hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia of the pro- 
 tection pledged to them. The Russian emperor has already 
 inarched his troops into Moldavia. The struggle with the 
 Porte has begun, and his honor will not permit him to recede 
 irom the stand he has taken. Up to this hour he has re- 
 mained unwaveringly faithful, in words as well as in actions, 
 to his Prussian ally. A large Russian army is already ap- 
 proaching our frontier, and it is said the Czar himself is 
 accompanying it in order to join the Prussian forces and then 
 attack Napoleon. By signing the treaty of Charlottenburg, 
 however, the King of Prussia would not only have to reject 
 the assistance offered him, but be compelled to turn his sword 
 against him who, in his generous friendship, is coming to 
 help him fight for the preservation of his states. 
 
 " This so-called treaty of peace would raise up two new 
 enemies against Prussia, and without changing her old foe, 
 France, into a firm and reliable friend. The first of these is 
 Russia, which Prussia would have deserted in the most per- 
 fidious manner; the second is Great Britain, which would 
 wage war against the ally of France as well as against France 
 herself. Napoleon, by that decree against English goods, 
 property, and subjects, throws down a new gauntlet to Great 
 Britain, for it is the beginning of a blockade of the entire 
 continent ; and William Pitt, the great and heroic minister 
 of King George, will assuredly accept the challenge. It will 
 kindle anew the whole fire of his hatred and vengeance, and 
 he will urge the full power of England against France. Now, 
 Talleyrand has declared loudly that Napoleon would allow 
 Prussia to maintain her existence as an independent state, 
 only if England and Russia should make peace with him on 
 acceptable terms. Neither, however, will do this, and Prus- 
 sia, consequently, would be irretrievably lost by accepting 
 these conditions ; for she would then have three enemies and 
 not a single ally. Not only honor, but also prudence com- 
 mands as to reject the treaty. Not to obey the dictates of 
 those two powers would be to hurl Prussia into an abyss of 
 wretchedness, where she would not hear the sympathetic 
 lamentations of a single ally, but the scornful laughter of the 
 world. I hope that the kin ^ may preserve Prussia from such
 
 148 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 consequences, and graciously permit us to maintain, amid our 
 disasters and sorrows, a clear conscience and erect head, as it 
 behooves men more willing to die than give up honor and 
 liberty! 
 
 " Your majesty must pardon me if I have spoken too freely 
 and unreservedly. But you commanded me to express my 
 honest opinion. I have done so, and pray you to forgive me 
 if my words have not been sufficiently delicate and well 
 chosen." 
 
 "I have nothing to pardon, only to thank you," said the 
 queen, " as well as Count von Hardenberg. Both of you have 
 permitted me to look into the innermost recesses of your 
 hearts. You have spoken according to your honest con- 
 viction: I thank you!" And turning her radiant eyes 
 toward the king, Louisa added in a tone of profound emotion, 
 "Your majesty, we have lost Magdeburg! But are not such 
 men as these worth more than a fortress? Fortresses may fall, 
 but so long as we shall have such men by our side, Prussia 
 will not be lost!" 
 
 The king, who had been sitting all the while in the same 
 attitude, his head supported on his arm, and his face hidden 
 behind his hand, slowly dropped it and looked long and in- 
 quiringly at the queen. " It is your turn now to express your 
 opinion," he said, calmly. "I believe you owe it to your 
 advisers to tell them what you think of it. You thank those 
 who speak to you honestly and truthfully, by answering them 
 in the same manner. I, therefore, request the queen now to 
 speak in her turn, and to tell us what she thinks of this 
 treaty. " 
 
 " I think, my king and husband, that I would rather be 
 killed by the first cannon-ball discharged against France than 
 sanction this ignominious treaty," exclaimed the queen, with, 
 glowing cheeks, and with passionate impetuosity. " I think 
 that, in case you sign it, I should never dare to set foot again 
 in the palace of Charlottenburg, because it would seem to me 
 as though I were not allowed to raise my eyes either to man 
 or to God, for the human heart turns away from the perfidious 
 and dishonored, and God Himself has no mercy on them. I 
 should think the walls of this house would fall upon us to 
 hide our shame I should shrink shudderingly from every 
 table, because that treaty might have been signed on it which 
 is to render us recreant to duty, and to steal our unsullied 
 honor. No! let us be humiliated, and succumb with a clear
 
 THE SECRET COUNCIL OF STATE. 149 
 
 conscience, rather than accept the friendship and alliance of 
 the Corsican, at the expense of principle!" 
 
 "Ah!" muttered the king, bowing his head, "if words 
 could be transformed into swords, you would win battles for 
 me to-day. Unfortunately, however, soldiers are necessary 
 for that purpose, and I have no army. Your words may be 
 the dragons' teeth from which armed warriors may spring, 
 but they might turn against ourselves and annihilate us!" 
 He paused and looked down musingly. The queen dared not 
 disturb his reflections, and gazed at him in silence and with 
 an air of tender sympathy. The two ministers looked no less 
 grave, and waited until he would interrupt the silence and 
 address them. 
 
 The king raised his head and looked at the clock. " Four 
 o'clock," he said, rising more hastily than usual. "I have 
 ordered the ministers and generals to assemble at the rooms of 
 Minister von Haugwitz, and told them that I should be pres- 
 ent. I like to be punctual. Let us go then, gentlemen; it is 
 time for us to be at the conference." 
 
 The two ministers rose to take leave of the queen. Louisa 
 gave each of them her hand, which they kissed, and she dis- 
 missed them with a grateful glance. The king kindly waved 
 his hand, and, after they had left the room, turned to the 
 queen. "Farewell, dear Louisa," he said, offering his hand 
 to her ; " official duties are calling me, and so long as I am 
 king I must not neglect them. I came to you in order to 
 dispel my cares a little by chatting with you, and instead of 
 doing so I had to be present at a meeting of a secret council 
 of state. The unfortunate have no time for recreation, and 
 that may be useful and salutary, after all. Farewell, then; I 
 must go to Haugwitz's rooms." 
 
 He was about to leave, but the queen grasped his hand, and 
 gazed with an imploring glance searchiugly at his calm and 
 impenetrable countenance. "Oh, my husband," she said, in 
 a voice tremulous with emotion; "you are going to leave me 
 thus? You do not utter a word of consolation and assurance?" 
 
 The king kissed her on the forehead, and pointed to the 
 clock. " It is high time for me to go to the conference," he 
 said, and gently disengaging his hand hastened away. 
 
 Louisa gazed after him until he had disappeared ; she then 
 raised her hands and eyes to heaven. " my God," she whis- 
 pered, " direct his resolutions, and cause him to choose what 
 is right! Oh, give me strength to bear my misfortunes
 
 150 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 patiently, and not to despair and murmur, even though the 
 king should decide on another course than the one my heart 
 longs for, iind my reason believes to be right." On casting 
 down her eyes, she happened to see the open piano, and 
 hastening to it her white hands commenced playing a soul- 
 moving melody. She then sang, with tearful eyes and fer- 
 vent voice : " Wer nur den lieben Gott Idsst walten, und hoffet 
 auf ihn alle Zeit " 
 
 Scarcely an hour had elapsed the queen was still singing 
 at the piano when the door behind her softly opened, and the 
 king again entered. The carpet and the full notes of the 
 piano prevented her hearing his footsteps. The king walked 
 rapidly to his wife, and laid his hand on her shoulder. She 
 started, and looked up to her husband with an inquiring, 
 anxious glance, and rose slowly from her chair. 
 
 "Louisa," said the king, solemnly, "I have just returned 
 from the conference of the ministers at Haugwitz's rooms. 
 Besides Prince Henry and myself, ten ministers, generals, and 
 cabinet councillors were present. Seven advocated the rat- 
 ification of the treaty of Charlottenburg ; four were opposed 
 to it. The majority, therefore, were in favor of it." 
 
 The queen turned pale, and the painful quivering of her 
 lips betrayed her inward emotion. " There were eleven pres- 
 ent besides you," said she, breathlessly. " Seven voted for 
 ratifying the treaty ; four were opposed to it ! But what did 
 the king say, who had to decide every thing? Did my be- 
 loved husband side with the majority?" 
 
 " The king," said Frederick William, slowly, " decided in 
 favor of the minority. " 
 
 Louisa uttered a cry, and, seizing his hand, bent over and 
 imprinted a warm kiss on it. " Oh, my dear husband, you 
 did not accept the ignominious Charlottenburg bargain?" 
 she asked, joyfully. "You did not yield to the majority? 
 My God! I thank Thee, for Thou hast fulfilled the most 
 fervent wishes of my soul! Oh, my dear husband, if there 
 were in my heart still a spot which love for you had not con- 
 secrated, it would be now! My whole heart is filled with 
 pride, delight, and esteem for you. We shall not make peace, 
 then, with the tyrant, or accept the hypocritical friendship of 
 our mortal foe we shall remain faithful to ourselves, to our 
 honor, and to our ally." 
 
 "Yes, we shall reject that treaty," said the king. "We 
 shall try to carry on the war. But let us not yield to illu-
 
 THE SECRET COUNCIL OF STATE. 151 
 
 sions; let us not endeavor to deceive ourselves by indulging in 
 sanguine hopes! In again drawing the sword, we have to 
 struggle for our existence, and we may possibly fail. " 
 
 " Better to be buried under the ruins of the throne than to 
 sit on it with the stigma of perfidy and dishonor!" exclaimed 
 the queen. " Even the crown would not cover such a stain!" 
 
 " We may lose our state and our crown, and be compelled 
 to flee as nameless beggars across the Russian frontier. Are 
 you prepared for it?" 
 
 Louisa passionately encircled her husband's neck with her 
 arms, and looked him in the face with an air of unutterable 
 tenderness. " I am prepared for every thing, provided I may 
 stay with you," she said, affectionately. "Let the worst be- 
 fall us, it will find me calm and courageous, for I shall share 
 it with you. Where you go I go. And though we should 
 have to flee from our invincible enemy into the remotest wilds 
 of Russia, my heart would be glad, for honor would accom- 
 pany us, and love would be our comfort!" 
 
 The king laid his hand on her head, as if blessing her, and 
 clasped her in his arms. " You are a noble and heroic 
 woman," he said, " and I thank God from the bottom of my 
 heart for having given me such a wife. Pray for me, Louisa; 
 pray for all of us ! I will now go to receive the envoy of Na- 
 poleon, M. Duroc, and tell him that I must reject the treaty 
 of Charlottenburg. " He pressed a kiss on the queen's brow, 
 and then crossed the room arm-in-arm with her. When 
 about to go, he stood still and tenderly looked at her. " Ah, 
 Louisa," he said, " I forgot to tell you something. After in- 
 forming the conference that I should not ratify the treaty, but 
 continue the war, I commissioned Haugwitz to draw up a 
 manifesto by which I would announce to my people the step I 
 had resolved upon. Count von Haugwitz, however, said he 
 was unable to draw up such a manifesto, and offered his resig- 
 nation, owing to his enfeebled health, and the disease of the 
 eyes from which he is suffering." 
 
 The queen smiled, and an emotion of joy illuminated her 
 countenance. " You have accepted his resignation?" she 
 asked, breathlessly. 
 
 " I have accepted it. He will set out to-day for his estates. 
 I must at once appoint his successor ; for, in times such as 
 these, I cannot do without a minister of foreign affairs. Can 
 you recommend any one to me whom you would deem especially 
 qualified for the position, find in whom you have confidence?"
 
 152 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA, 
 
 The queen looked in surprise at her husband, and cast down 
 her eyes, as if she feared he would read in them thoughts 
 conflicting with her words. " It does not behoove me to ad- 
 vise my sagacious and prudent husband," she said. "His 
 wisdom will always be able to find the right man for the right 
 place, and to appoint a minister competent to promote the 
 interests of Prussia and her noble king." 
 
 " Then you do not know of any one whom you would rec- 
 ommend to me?" asked he. 
 
 Louisa looked down, and silently shook her head. 
 
 The king smiled. "Well," he said, "in that case I myself 
 must make the selection, and I have already done so. Baron 
 von Stein is the man whom I will appoint minister of foreign 
 affairs." He did not give his wife time to reply, but left the 
 room quickly, and closed the door. 
 
 The queen gazed after him, her eyes radiant with joy. 
 "Oh, "she said, "what a great and noble heart! He who 
 conquers himself is a hero indeed. The king has overcome 
 his own reluctance, and, contrary to his inclination, selected 
 the man whom his head appreciates, but whom his heart does 
 not love." 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 BAKON YON STEIN. 
 
 ON the same day, after the king had given an audience to 
 Grand-Marshal Duroc, and informed him that he rejected the 
 treaty of Charlottenburg, he instructed Kockeritz and Beyme 
 to offer the department of foreign affairs to Baron von Stein. 
 But the baron had declined, declaring he was unable to fill so 
 difficult a position that he lacked the necessary knowledge 
 of affairs and forms and the requisite skill in applying them 
 so as to discharge the duties of so high an office in an efficient 
 manner. The king, however, did not accept this refusal. 
 He caused new offers to be made to him requesting him to 
 take charge of the department at least temporarily, and 
 promising him a large salary, besides eight thousand dollars 
 annually for household expenses. But Baron von Stein did 
 not allow himself to be tempted by the brilliancy of the 
 position, or the large compensation. He adhered to his de- 
 termination, and declined a second time, proposing to the
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 153 
 
 king to appoint in his place, as minister of foreign affairs, 
 Count von Hardenberg, that experienced and skilful states- 
 man. 
 
 The king shook his head indignantly, and bit his lips, as 
 he was accustomed to do whenever he was angry. " Tell 
 Baron von Stein to come to me," he said to General von 
 Kockeritz. " I will speak to him myself." 
 
 General von Kockeritz hastened away, and an hour after- 
 ward Baron von Stein entered the king's cabinet. Frederick 
 William was slowly pacing his room, with his hands joined 
 behind him. He apparently did not notice the baron's ar- 
 rival, and passed him repeatedly without greeting or even 
 looking at him. The minister, who at first had stood respect- 
 fully near the door, waiting to be accosted by the king, tired 
 of this long silence, turned to the paintings hanging on the 
 wall, and, while contemplating them, passing from one to an- 
 other, happened to push against a chair, which made a loud 
 noise. 
 
 The king was aroused from his meditation. He stood still 
 before Baron von Stein, and looked with a stern air into his 
 manly face. " I offered you twice the department of foreign 
 affairs," he said, in his dry, abrupt manner. "Why did you 
 not accept it?" 
 
 " Your majesty, because I did not feel capable of filling it," 
 replied Stein, calmly, " and because there are worthier men 
 who are better qualified for it." 
 
 The king shook his head. "Subterfuges!" he said. 
 " Firm and bold men, such as you, do not undervalue their 
 own importance, but appreciate it correctly. In days so grave 
 as these, it is necessary for every one to be sincere. I want to 
 be informed why you reject my offer. I have a right to in- 
 sist on knowing your reasons. I am king still, and I believe 
 my functionaries owe me an explanation when refusing to 
 undertake a task which I ask them to perform. Speak, and 
 tell me your reasons. I command you to do so." 
 
 "Your majesty," said Stein, with cold, proud equanimity, 
 "suppose, in order to comply with your command, I should 
 allege some pretext or other in lieu of my real reasons, and, 
 like Count von Haugwitz, base my refusal on my pretended 
 ill-health? How would your majesty be able to know whether 
 I was sincere or not? Even kings are not capable of looking 
 into the hearts of men, and no orders can reveal secrets if we 
 desire to conceal them. But I do not wish to hide my
 
 154 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 thoughts from your majesty. In compliance with your re- 
 quest, I will lay my reasons freely and sincerely before you. 
 But, before doing so, I must ask your majesty to grant me 
 two things." 
 
 " Well, what are they?" inquried the king, quickly. 
 
 " In the first place, I beg leave to be seated, for I have been 
 ill, and am still weak." 
 
 The king sat down on the divan and pointed to an easy- 
 chair standing near. " Take a seat, and tell me your second 
 request." 
 
 " I must beg your majesty graciously to pardon my frank- 
 ness, in case my words should not meet with your approval or 
 should appear too bold and rash." 
 
 " I wish to know the truth, and must, therefore, have the 
 courage to hear it," said the king. "Why did you decline?" 
 
 " Your majesty, my first reason, though you refused to be- 
 lieve it, is and remains, that I regard Count von Hardenberg 
 as much better qualified than myself to take charge of the 
 department of foreign affairs, because he enjoys the confidence 
 of those courts with which your majesty intends keeping up 
 friendly relations. Count von Hardenberg, moreover, has the 
 confidence of your people, who, wherever they are permitted 
 to do so, are loudly expressing themselves in his favor, and 
 would consider this salutary appointment a consolation and 
 hope for the future. It seems unbecoming in me to accept 
 an office that should be intrusted to a minister distinguished 
 for his faithful services in this department, and, under the 
 present circumstances perhaps, highly influential already by 
 his very name." 
 
 " Go on, go on," said the king, impatiently. " Say no 
 more about Hardenberg. Tell me your other reasons." 
 
 " Sire, my second reason is that, even though I accept the 
 position, I should be unable to accomplish in it what I should 
 deem necessary for the welfare of the state. Your majesty, 
 so long as there is no free and direct intercourse between you 
 and your ministers so long as there is a cabinet government 
 in existence, separating the king from his ministers, and ex- 
 ercising an injurious influence on the relations of the latter 
 toward the subordinate officers in their departments, your 
 ministers cannot hope to promote the welfare of the state, and 
 to introduce and carry out such measures as they deem indis- 
 pensable for the best interests of the people. Your majesty's 
 ministers have long since recognized and felt the disastrous
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 155 
 
 influence of this government which is watching with the ut- 
 most jealousy at the door of your cabinet, and keeping every 
 minister from it and from direct intercourse with you. They 
 were silent so long as Prussia appeared to be in prosperous 
 circumstances, and the inward germs of her degeneracy and 
 decay could be concealed by a semblance of justice. But now 
 every illusion of this character has been rudely dissipated, and 
 it is time to beseech your majesty to abolish a system during 
 the existence of which the calamitous condition of our state 
 has constantly and hopelessly increased. Fearful events have 
 followed in quick succession, and the Prussian states have been 
 plunged into disasters from which they can be restored only 
 by the united strength of the whole people. But although 
 the ministers are fully conscious of this state of affairs, and 
 though they hold in their hands the remedies that might 
 save the kingdom, they never would be sure that they 
 can profit by them, for they see between them and the 
 king a power without any well-defined functions, and 
 without responsibility, meddling with every thing and direct- 
 ing nothing this power can foil the plans of the ministers at 
 any time, reverse their measures, and counteract their advice. " 
 
 "I know very well," said the king, angrily, "that, like 
 Hardenberg, you are constantly on bad terms with Kockeritz, 
 Beyme, and Lombard, the members of my cabinet." 
 
 "Sire, I do not attack persons, but privileges," said Stein, 
 gravely. " If your majesty dismiss those gentlemen and select 
 others, there would be no change for the better. If you do 
 not permit the ministers to consult you directly concerning 
 the affairs of their departments if you do not reestablish the 
 council of state, and abolish the irresponsible cabinet, the 
 position of your minister of foreign affairs would remain as it 
 is now an empty shadow. But if your majesty should gather 
 your ministers around you as a regular council of state, and 
 direct their loyal plans and counsels with that fatherly love 
 for your subjects which you have manifested at all times, such 
 a step would strengthen the confidence of your allies, restore 
 the courage of the oppressed nation, inspire the conquered 
 provinces with the determination of shrinking from no dan- 
 ger in order to deliver themselves from the yoke of the op- 
 pressor, and counteract, in the countries remaining as yet 
 intact, that discouragement which cannot but prevent the 
 people from making any heroic efforts in self-defence. Such, 
 sire," added Stein, drawing a deep breath, "are my honest 
 11
 
 156 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 opinions and convictions. I lay them before your majesty 
 with the sincerity and earnestness which the threatening state 
 of affairs renders it incumbent on me to manifest. My de- 
 termination to share the fate of the monarchy, and of your 
 majesty's house, whatever may be in store for them, is well 
 known. But if you are unwilling to give up a system that I 
 am satisfied has already brought so many calamities upon the 
 country, and will continue to do so if the cabinet is to re- 
 main, and if the council of state, without which I believe 
 Prussia cannot be saved, is not organized I most humbly beg 
 your majesty to accept my refusal." 
 
 "You want to threaten me!" exclaimed the king. "You 
 think, perhaps, you are alone able to save Prussia?" 
 
 "No, your majesty," said Stein, looking the king in the 
 face; " no, I only believe that the present cabinet government 
 is destined to ruin her." 
 
 The king looked down for a while musingly. " Well, what 
 is your idea about the new council of state which you pro- 
 pose?" he asked after a pause. "Who is to belong to it? 
 What is to be its object?" 
 
 " Its object is to be the intermediate voice between the people 
 and the king ; to lay before him the laws and ordinances, in 
 order to obtain his approval and signature ; to publish such 
 of them as he has sanctioned, and to be responsible to him for 
 the administration of the country. But for all these reasons 
 it would be indispensable that the ministers should be ad- 
 mitted to the king at any time, and be consulted as to any 
 resolutions which he would take and in reference to any 
 changes he would decide upon in the general policy of the 
 government. The ministers of foreign affairs, of war, and of 
 finance, would form the nucleus of this council, and be as much 
 as possible near the king's person. If your majesty should 
 travel, one of them at least would have to accompany you." 
 
 "That is to say, you would depose me," said the king, a 
 deep blush mantling his cheeks. " The ministers are to gov- 
 ern alone, and I am to have only the right of being a sort of 
 writing-machine to sign their decrees." 
 
 " No, your majesty, the king is to have the deciding voice 
 in regard to every thing; but he must graciously refrain from 
 deciding any thing without having listened to the opinions of 
 his ministers." 
 
 " And if I approve your proposition if I assemble in my 
 cabinet every day a council of state, consisting of the minis-
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 157 
 
 ters," said the king, with seeming calmness, "would you then 
 be inclined to accept the position I have offered you, and be- 
 come minister of foreign affairs?" 
 
 "Sire," said Stein, firmly, "it would not be enough for 
 your majesty to appoint new ministers, and hold daily con- 
 sultations with them, but you would have also to dismiss, 
 formally and forever, the gentlemen who have hitherto monop- 
 olized your confidence. Unless Count von Haugwitz and 
 Lombard be dismissed from the civil service unless Beyme, 
 who is suspected by and disagreeable to the Russian court, 
 and hated by a very large majority of our people, be deprived 
 of his present office, the ministers cannot rely on any certain 
 efficiency in their positions, and even the council of state 
 would offer them no guaranty whatever against the continued 
 secret cabinet consisting of Messrs, von Haugwitz, Lombard, 
 and Beyme." 
 
 "Enough," exclaimed the king, rising hastily, and pacing 
 the room. " I have listened to you to the end, because I 
 wished to see how far your audacity would go, and to gain a 
 clear insight into your whole character. I was already prej- 
 udiced against you. It is true, I knew you were a thought- 
 ful, talented, and bold man, but, at the same time, I believed 
 you to be somewhat eccentric ; in short, I regarded you as a 
 man who, because he always thinks only his own opinion to 
 be correct, is unable to fill a position in which he would con- 
 stantly come in conflict with others, and soon be irritated and 
 discouraged by the clash of opinions prevailing there. I 
 overcame these prejudices, because I have always striven to 
 select the servants of the state, not according to the prompt- 
 ings of personal whims, but of sensible reasons. I was advised 
 to appoint you minister of foreign affairs; and (please take 
 notice of what I am about to tell you now) those who advised 
 me to do so those who advocated your appointment most 
 strenuously, were precisely the ones whom you are now at- 
 tacking, and are bent upon overthrowing. I yielded! I 
 offered you the department of foreign affairs. You declined 
 the position on the pretext of not being familiar enough with 
 the details of the department. Your refusal was greatly em- 
 barrassing to me, for I still believed that your services ought 
 to be preserved to the state and to myself. I overlooked your 
 ungracious refusal, and sent for you to speak freely and openly 
 with you. I have conversed with you, and now know you 
 better!"
 
 158 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 The king, walking up and down, uttered these words with 
 increasing excitement, and in a voice growing louder and 
 louder, without looking once at Stein, who had risen from 
 his seat, and, drawing himself up to his full height, listened 
 to this angry outburst. The king stood still before him, and, 
 fixing his piercing eyes on the calm, cold face of the baron, 
 added, "I have found out, to my regret, that my original 
 opinion of your character was not erroneous; that my prej- 
 udices against you were just, and that you ought to be con- 
 sidered an obstinate, refractory, and disobedient servant of the 
 state, who, boastfully relying on his genius and talents, so far 
 from aiming at the welfare of his country, is actuated solely 
 by his whims, his passions, and personal hatred. Such men 
 are precisely those whose conduct is most injurious to the 
 interests of the monarchy." 
 
 "Your majesty," exclaimed Stein, impetuously," your maj- 
 esty, I " 
 
 "Silence," ejaculated the king, in an imperious voice, 
 " silence while I am speaking ! I really feel sorry that you 
 have compelled me to speak to you so plainly and unreserv- 
 edly ; but as you are always boasting of being a truthful man, I 
 have told you my opinion in unvarnished language, and will add 
 that, if you should be unwilling to change your disrespectful 
 conduct, the state cannot count very confidently of profiting 
 further by your services." 
 
 " Your majesty, I cannot change my conduct," exclaimed 
 Stein, pale with hidden anger, which he could no longer re- 
 press. "As you believe me to be an 'obstinate, refractory, 
 and disobedient servant of the state, who, boastfully relying 
 on his genius and talents, so far from aiming at the welfare 
 of his country, is actuated solely by his whims, his passions, 
 and personal hatred ' ' 
 
 "Ah, interrupted the king, laughing scornfully, "you 
 have an excellent memory, for I believe you are repeating my 
 own words!" 
 
 " Sire, this will show you that my conduct is not always dis- 
 respectful, but that I set so high a value on your royal words 
 that they are immediately engraved upon my memory," said 
 Baron von Stein, smiling. " But, inasmuch as I am also of 
 your majesty's opinion that such officials as you have de- 
 scribed me to be are most injurious to the interests of the 
 monarchy, I must request your majesty to accept my decli- 
 nation, and I hope it will be granted immediately."
 
 BARON YON STEIN. 159 
 
 " You have pronounced your own sentence, and I do not 
 know how to add any thing to it!" replied the king. 
 
 Baron von Stein bowed. "I thank your majesty most 
 humbly," he said. " Now I must beg that my dismissal from 
 the service be communicated to me in the usual form. I have 
 the honor to take leave of your majesty." 
 
 Without waiting for the king's reply, the baron bowed a 
 second time, and left the room with measured steps. He 
 crossed the anteroom rapidly, and then entered the apartment 
 contiguous to the hall. A royal valet de chambre hastened to 
 meet him. " Your excellency," he said, " the queen begs you 
 to be so kind as to go immediately to her. She instructed 
 me to wait here till your return from the king, and ordered 
 me to announce you directly to her majesty." 
 
 "Announce me, then," said Baron von Stein, following the 
 footman with a mournful air. 
 
 The queen was in her cabinet, and rose from her divan 
 when Baron von Stein entered. She offered her hand to the 
 minister with a smile. "I begged you to come to me," she 
 said, " because I intended to be the first to wish you nay, 
 ourselves joy of your new position. The king has informed 
 me that he would intrust the office of Count von Haugwitz to 
 you, and I tell you truly that this is as a beam of light for me 
 in the gloom of our present circumstances. I know that you 
 are a true and faithful patriot ; that you have the welfare of 
 Prussia, of Germany, and of our dynasty at heart, and that 
 you have the will and the ability to help us all this is the 
 reason why I wish ourselves joy of " 
 
 "Pardon me, your majesty, .for daring to interrupt you," 
 said Baron von Stein, in a low, melancholy voice; "but I 
 cannot accept your congratulations. I was not appointed 
 minister of foreign affairs, but the king has just granted my 
 request to be dismissed from the service." 
 
 The queen started, and turned pale. " You did not accept 
 the position which the king offered to you?" she asked. 
 "Oh, then I was mistaken in you, too! There is, alas! no 
 more fidelity or constancy on earth !" She pressed her hand 
 against her aching forehead, and tottered back a few steps, to 
 sink exhausted on the divan. 
 
 Baron von Stein approached, and his face seemed to be 
 radiant with energy and determination. " No, queen," he 
 said, loudly and firmly " no ; you were not mistaken in me, 
 and if your majesty hitherto believed me to be a faithful and
 
 160 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 reliable man, I am sure you only did me justice. Fealty does 
 not change, however, and he who has once been found reliable 
 will be so forever. No ; let me repeat once more, your majesty 
 was not mistaken in me, although I rejected the position 
 offered to me. I fearlessly and truthfully stated to his majesty 
 the conditions on which alone I could accept it. The king 
 was unwilling to submit to these conditions ; he was angry at 
 them and reproached me in such a manner as to leave me no 
 choice but to present him my humble declination, which he 
 granted immediately. I did not refuse his offer because the 
 situation of the country frightened me, but because, above 
 all, I had to remain faithful to myself, and obey the prompt- 
 ings of my conviction. My love, my fealty, my soul, belong 
 to Prussia and the royal dynasty. I retire into obscurity, and 
 shall wait for the voice of Prussia and of my king. When he 
 calls me when he can profit by services such as I am able 
 conscientiously to perform when he permits me to be faith- 
 ful to myself and to my principles, that all my energy and 
 faculties may be devoted to the welfare of my country, I shall 
 gladly be ready to obey his call and enter upon those services. 
 I would come to him, though from the most remote regions, 
 and even should death menace me at every step. A true man 
 does not shrink from danger or death, but from hypocrisy and 
 falsehood, whether it concerns himself or others; he will not 
 stoop to the tricks of diplomacy and dally with that which 
 ought to be either forcibly removed from his path or carefully 
 avoided, but with which he never ought to enter into com- 
 promise or alliance." 
 
 "Now I understand you," said the queen, gently and 
 mournfully. "You did not wish to enter into an alliance 
 with the secret friends of the French in our suite. The king 
 was unwilling to sacrifice Haugwitz, Beyme, and Lombard to 
 you, and hence you withdraw from the service. You did 
 right, and it makes my heart ache to be compelled to admit 
 it. So long as those three men are here, there will be a policy 
 of continued vacillation and hesitancy, and what you would 
 do one day those three men would annul the next. Oh ! the 
 king is so generous, so faithful and modest ! He believes in 
 the disinterestedness of Minister von Haugwitz, in his honesty 
 and sagacity; for this reason, he will not altogether give him 
 up, and he listens still to his advice, although Haugwitz is no 
 longer at the head of the foreign department. Because the 
 king himself is taciturn, and thinks and feels more in his
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 161 
 
 head and heart than is uttered by his lips, Beyme's eloquence 
 and quick perception fill him with respect; and because he is 
 so very modest, and always believes others to be more sagacious 
 than himself, he esteems Lombard's abilities highly, and 
 wishes to preserve his services to the state. You know what 
 I think of Lombard, and that at Stettin I was carried away 
 by my anger at his conduct, more than was compatible with 
 prudence. I caused the man to be arrested, whom I knew to 
 be ready at that moment to betray me and the whole of Prus- 
 sia, and whom I suspected of being in the pay of the French 
 emperor. But you know also that my act was repudiated, and 
 that immediate steps were taken to annul it. A special 
 courier was sent to Stettin to procure the release of Lombard, 
 and to convey him under a safe-escort to Kiistrin ; the mes- 
 senger even took an autograph letter from the king to him, 
 in which his majesty regretted the occurrence as arising from 
 mere mistake. I do not tell you this in order to complain of 
 it, but to show you how deep-rooted is the influence of those 
 men, and how time is required to destroy it. But the time 
 will come believe me, it will when Prussia will extend her 
 hand toward you, and need your strong arm and firm will. 
 Promise me that you will wait, and not give up to despair 
 that you will not enter the service of another monarch, so 
 that, when Prussia calls you, you may be at liberty to respond. " 
 
 " I promise it to your majesty," said Stein, solemnly. " I 
 will wait; blessed be the hour when Prussia needs me, and 
 when I shall be able to serve her again!" 
 
 "Yes, blessed be that hour!" exclaimed the queen, and, 
 raising her eyes piously to heaven, she whispered, "God 
 grant that it may come soon, for then a change in our cir- 
 cumstances will have taken place, and we shall have passed 
 from present incertitude to firm determination. Oh, how 
 much distress how many disappointments and mortifications 
 until that change shall come ! May we have strength to 
 bear, and courage to overcome them !" 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 
 
 IT was a stormy night. The wind was howling through 
 the pines, and driving the snow in dense clouds from the 
 highway leading through the forest. There was no sound
 
 162 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 save that of the winter's gale, and the trees groaning beneath 
 its power. A solitary light, twinkling as a star through the 
 dark woods, was shedding its beams on this desolate scene. 
 It proceeded from a small house near the main road, where 
 the forest-keeper had peacefully lived with his wife for more 
 than twenty years. On the hearth in the cottage a merry fire 
 was burning, and Katharine, the forest-keeper's wife, was in- 
 dustriously occupied with it, while the young servant-girl, 
 seated on a low cane chair near the hearth, her hands clasped 
 on her lap, had fallen asleep. 
 
 "Martha," exclaimed the old woman, in an angry voice 
 " Martha, are you asleep again?" 
 
 The girl opened her eyes la/ily and yawned. " Why should 
 I not sleep?" she asked. " It is time to do so, and every 
 Christian has long since gone to bed. Let me also go to my 
 bedchamber and sleep!" 
 
 " No, you must stay here," said Katharine, quickly; " I do> 
 not want to be alone in such a night. The wind is roaring 
 in the chimney so fearfully that we might almost fancy Old 
 Nick or the French were coming down to carry us away, or, 
 at any rate, our last piece of bread and meat!" 
 
 "Meat!" ejaculated the servant-girl, laughing scornfully. 
 " Old Nick, or even the French, would be unable to find any 
 meat in your house. Would that I could only get the wages 
 you owe me for the last six months, I should leave forthwith 
 this miserable place, where one has so little to eat, and where 
 it is so dreadfully tiresome!" 
 
 "You have not suffered hunger as yet, Martha," said the 
 old woman, deprecatingly. " It is true, we have no meat 
 left; the last ham we had has been consumed, and our last 
 chickens had to be taken to town to be sold there " 
 
 "And your husband has taken away your only cow," cried 
 Ivlartha, half angrily, half sadly ; " he is going to sell the good 
 animal that always gave us such excellent milk and butter. I 
 tell you it is a shame that he should do so, and I shall never 
 go back to the stable where my dear cow's lowing will no 
 more greet me !" 
 
 " You will, nevertheless, have to go back, Martha, for the 
 two goats are still there ; you must give them fodder, so that 
 they may give us milk. They are all we have left ! Do you 
 think it did not grieve me to part with our fine cow which I 
 had raised myself? I wept for her all last night, and would 
 have given away my hand rather than sell her. But no one
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 1G3 
 
 would have paid any thing for my old hand. We had to have 
 money to pay your wages, so as not to be obliged to listen 
 longer to your continued importunities. That was the 
 reason why my good old man took the cow to town. It cut 
 him to the quick to hear you dunning us all the time for a 
 few dollars." 
 
 The servant-girl cast down her eyes and blushed. " I did 
 not mean any harm, Mde. Katharine," she said, in confusion. 
 " It was mere talk ; I always hoped master would take a lesson 
 from me and dun the count in the same manner for his own 
 wages. But the great lords are living sumptuously, and do 
 not care whether their servants are starving to death or not!" 
 
 "Our count, Martha, does not live sumptuously," said 
 Katharine, heaving a sigh. " The French destroyed his pal- 
 ace, and but hush! Did you not hear something outside? 
 I thought I heard some one call." 
 
 The two women were silent and listened ; but nothing was 
 to be heard. The storm was howling, and rattling the win- 
 dows. At times an iron hand seemed to pass across the panes 
 it was the snow which the wind lashed against the house as 
 if intending to awaken the inmates from their slumbers. 
 
 "A terrible night!" murmured Katharine, shuddering. 
 41 1 hope that my dear old man won't return in such a storm, 
 but stop with one of his friends at the neighboring village. 
 Heaven preserve any human being out in such a night as this 
 on the highway, and from " 
 
 A loud knock at the window-panes interrupted her, and a 
 voice outside shouted imperiously, "Open the door!" 
 
 The two women uttered a shrill scream, and Martha clung 
 anxiously and with both her hands to Katharine's arm. 
 
 "I beseech you, Mde. Katharine," she whispered with 
 quivering lips, " don't open. It is assuredly Old Nick or the 
 French that want to come in!" 
 
 "Fiddlesticks! The devil does not wait for the door to 
 open, but comes down the flue," said Katharine; "and as to 
 the French, the Parlez-vous, why, they cannot speak German. 
 Just listen how they are commanding and begging outside. 
 'Open the door!' Well, yes, yes! I am coming. No one 
 shall say that old Katharine suffered people to freeze to death 
 in the forest while she had fire on her hearth." Disengaging 
 herself from Martha's grasp, she hastened to the door, and 
 opening it quickly, said, " Whoever you may be, you are wel- 
 come!"
 
 164 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 The storm rushed in with a terrible noise, driving the snow 
 into the house, and blowing up the fire on the hearth into a 
 Btill brighter blaze. 
 
 There appeared on the threshold a tall lady, wrapped in a 
 dark velvet cloak, trimmed with fur; her head covered with 
 a silken cape, to which a white lace veil was fastened. Be- 
 hind her were another richly-dressed lady, and two men in 
 blue coats, splendidly embroidered with silver. 
 
 " You permit us, then, my dear woman, to enter your house 
 and stop here overnight?" asked the veiled lady, in a gentle, 
 sonorous voice. 
 
 Old Katharine stood staring at her. She felt as frightened 
 as if a sorceress had entered her house. " First let me see 
 your face," she said, growing bold notwithstanding her in- 
 ward terror; "I must see who you are." 
 
 An indignant murmur arose among the attendants of the 
 lady, but she ordered them to be quiet with a wave of her 
 hand. She then turned once more to Katharine. " "Well, my 
 good woman, look at me," she said, drawing back her veil. 
 
 A pale, wondrously beautiful face was visible, and eyes 
 more lustrous than the old woman had ever seen before, looked 
 at her gently and kindly. 
 
 "Do you know me now?" asked the lady, with a smile full 
 of touching melancholy. 
 
 "No," said Katharine, " I do not know you, but you are a& 
 beautiful as the angels that sometimes appear to me in my 
 dreams, or as the fairies of whom my mother used to tell me 
 when I was a little child. Come in, you as well as the others. 
 There is room at the hearth for all who are cold." 
 
 The strange lady smiled and advanced into the cottage; 
 before doing so, however, she turned around. " M. von 
 Schladen," she said, in French, "pray, give orders to all not 
 to betray my incognito. I am here the Countess von Hohen- 
 zieritz ; please inform the servants of it. " 
 
 The gentleman, who had just appeared on the threshold, 
 bowed and stepped back. She and her companion approached 
 the fire ; the two servants, in their gorgeous liveries, stood in 
 silence at the open door. The lady took off her fur gloves 
 with a hasty motion, and held her small white hands toward 
 the fire. A ring with large diamonds was sparkling on her 
 forefinger. Old Katharine had never before seen any thing 
 like it she stood staring at the lady, and dreaming again of 
 the fairy-stories of her childhood, while Martha sat on her
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 165 
 
 cane chair as if petrified, and afraid lest the slightest noise 
 should dispel the enchanting apparition. 
 
 " Oh, how pleasant this is!" said the lady, drawing a deep 
 breath ; " my hands were quite chilled. Countess Truchsess, 
 come here and follow my example!" 
 
 The young lady, who was standing near in a silent and re- 
 spectful attitude, approached the fire, and eagerly stretched 
 her small hands toward it. 
 
 "How comfortable, is it not?" asked the lady who had 
 styled herself Countess von Hohenzieritz. " Oh, after suffer- 
 ing from the cold a whole day, we learn to appreciate the boon 
 of the fire which otherwise we fear as a dangerous element." 
 And thoughtfully looking into the warm glow, she muttered 
 to herself, " We are now wandering about in the cold, and are 
 chilled; will no hospitable fire warm our hearts again?" She 
 bent forward without uttering a complaint, or heaving a sigh. 
 
 Katharine could not avert her eyes ; she gazed at the lady's 
 sparkling jewels, and then looked at her face. Suddenly she 
 noticed two diamond drops roll slowly over her transparent 
 cheeks ; but they were no diamonds like those flashing on her 
 hands they were tears. She shook them off with an impet- 
 uous motion, and turned to old Katharine, who, clasping her 
 hands, asked herself wonderingly whether angels could weep. 
 
 " My good woman," said the countess, " will you permit us 
 to stay here until daybreak? We have lost our way in the 
 snow-storm. We thought to reach Konigsberg before night- 
 fall, but, I suppose, the city is yet quite distant?" 
 
 "Ten hours, at least," said Katharine, timidly. "You 
 have lost your way, indeed probably at the cross-roads, two 
 miles from here. Instead of following the main one, you took 
 the side-road. Well, such things may happen to the most 
 skilful driver, in a snow-storm, when he cannot see his hand 
 before him." 
 
 " I believe that such things may happen, and do not blame 
 any one for what has occurred," said the countess, gently. 
 " Tell me now, have you room and beds for all of us?" 
 
 " The two ladies may sleep in my bed, provided they occupy 
 it together. But I have no others," said Katharine. 
 
 " I need no befl," exclaimed the younger lady, quickly; " I 
 shall content myself with sitting at the fireside." 
 
 "And I," said M. von Schladen, who had just entered, "I 
 beg leave to be allowed to pass the night in the travelling- 
 coach."
 
 166 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "You will catch cold in the carriage, sir," said Katharine, 
 "and there is danger, moreover, that, falling asleep, you 
 might never wake again. But in the hay-loft it is warm and 
 soft; you and the other gentleman may sleep there, if you 
 please." 
 
 The Countess Hohenzieritz smiled. "Well, "she said, "a 
 high-chamberlain in a hay-loft! That is a melancholy ad- 
 venture, I should think?" 
 
 "No, gracious countess, it sounds quite ludicrous," said the 
 high-chamberlain, "and if only your if only the gracious- 
 countess had a good bed, I should have no reason whatever for 
 being melancholy. There are thousands nowadays sleeping 
 on the hard ground, without a bunch of hay for a pillow!" 
 
 "Our dead of Jena and Auerstadt, for instance," said the 
 countess, sighing. " But they are well : the dead sleep 
 gently ! At times I feel like envying them, for their rest is 
 more peaceful than that of the living. Let us not murmur, 
 but rejoice at having found shelter for the night! We shall 
 remain, then, in this room, and the high-chamberlain will 
 sleep in the hay-loft. But where shall we place our servants, 
 and what is to become of our horses?" 
 
 "How many horses have you?" asked Katharine. 
 
 " Six horses and an outrider," said M. von Schladen. 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Katharine, in dismay. "Six horses! 
 How extravagant in times so wretched as these, when the king- 
 himself would be glad to have two horses to his carriage, 
 and " 
 
 "Silence!" interrupted the high-chamberlain in great ex- 
 citement. 
 
 " You are right, my dear woman" said the countess, smil- 
 ing. " The king will certainly be glad to have two horses 
 left, especially if they always draw him in the right way. 
 But it was no wanton arrogance on our part to take so many 
 horses; we did so only on account of the bad roads, and in. 
 order to travel as rapidly as possible." 
 
 " Well, the horses can stand in the cow-stable and the wood- 
 shed," said Katharine. " Go, Martha, light the lanterns, and 
 show -the coachman to the stable, and the gentleman to the 
 hay-loft. I will make the bed for the ladies." And, draw- 
 ing back the blue-striped linen curtains covering the large old 
 family-bed, she muttered to herself: "It is very lucky that 
 my old man has not come home ; otherwise I should really be 
 at a loss where to place my high-born guests."
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 16? 
 
 Half an hour afterward tranquillity again reigned in the 
 cottage. The horses, the servants, and the high-chamberlain, 
 had been conducted to their quarters in the cow-stable, wood- 
 shed, and hay-loft. Katharine and Martha had withdrawn 
 to the servant-girl's small chamber, and on the lower floor, 
 which served, at the same time, as a kitchen, hall, and sitting- 
 room, a couch had been prepared for the two ladies. But the 
 young Countess von Truchsess could not be prevailed upon to 
 occupy one-half. She placed the cane chair against the high 
 bedstead, and, sitting on it as on a tabouret at the foot of a 
 throne, she supported her head on the cushions of the bed, 
 over which the crimson satin blanket, lined with fur, that the 
 ladies had wrapped around their feet in the carriage, had been 
 spread. The Countess von Hohenzieritz was reposing on 
 this, her noble form still wrapped in the fur robe, falling 
 down to her feet in ample folds ; her head was leaning back 
 on the cushions, and the crimson of the blanket contrasted 
 strikingly with her white cheeks and light-brown hair. She 
 had clasped her small, slender hands on her lap; her large 
 eyes looked upward in devotion, and her lips uttered fervent 
 words, which no one heard and understood but He to whom 
 they were addressed. 
 
 The fire on the hearth, to which large logs of wood had 
 been added, continued blazing merrily ; at times, when the 
 wind came down the chimney violently, the flames rose high, 
 and the beautiful figure in the miserable room was illuminated 
 by the red light as by a halo. Her countenance was as pale 
 and peaceful as that of the blessed dead, and yet an ardent 
 vitality was beaming in her unclosed eyes. On the wretched 
 bed in the peasant's cottage she was dreaming of her former 
 happiness of the magnificent days which she had seen, and 
 which, she believed, would never return. But she did not 
 bewail her departed glory, and her menaced welfare caused 
 her no regret. 
 
 " Preserve to me, merciful God! the love of my husband," 
 she whispered ; " let my children grow great in name and in 
 soul. Oh, if I could purchase happiness for them by sacri- 
 ficing my life, I would gladly let my heart's blood ebb away 
 drop by drop if by my death I could restore to my husband 
 his former power, how cheerfully I would die ! my God, 
 save and protect Prussia: but if such should not be Thy will, 
 teach us how to fall and die with her in an honorable manner! 
 Preserve us from disgrace and despondency ; teach us how to
 
 168 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 bear great disasters with dignified resignation, and grant that 
 we may never be so faint-hearted as to sink beneath petty 
 calamities!" 
 
 She paused, and looked upward with radiant eyes; just 
 then the storm outside was howling with awful violence, and 
 made the cottage tremble. " Such a storm without, and 
 peace within! Let it always be so, my God," she whispered, 
 gently pressing her hand against her breast. "0 peace, 
 sweet peace, when will it descend to us from heaven!" Grad- 
 ually the words died away on her lips; her eyelids drooped. 
 Heaven sent to her the brother of peace sleep that it might 
 comfort her weary eyes and invigorate her after the troubles 
 and exertions of the previous day. The storm continued all 
 night long, but the beautiful sleeper heard it only as a lullaby 
 hushing her to sweet repose. 
 
 At daybreak there was a stir in the cottage. Katharine 
 came to rekindle the extinct fire, and the two ladies rose, 
 chilled and shuddering, to prepare for their journey. The 
 travelling-coach, drawn by the six horses, rolled up to the 
 door, and High-chamberlain von Schladen rapped timidly and 
 begged leave to enter. The countess bade him come in, and 
 replied with a sweet smile to his inquiries as to her night's 
 rest. " I have slept," she said, " and feel sufficiently invigo- 
 rated now to continue the journey." 
 
 "In four hours we shall be in Konigsberg," said M. von 
 Schladen. " It is a clear morning; the storm is over, and the 
 sun will soon burst forth from behind the clouds." 
 
 "'The sun will soon burst forth from behind the clouds,' " 
 repeated the countess, musingly. "Those are cheering 
 words ; could they but be fulfilled for all of us ! Let us has- 
 ten to reach Konigsberg ; for there at least will be one sun- 
 beam for me I shall see my children again, and my husband 
 also will join us on returning from the Kussian camp." 
 
 M. von Schladen advanced a few steps, and said in a low 
 and hurried voice: " The king is already in Konigsberg. I 
 have seen a peasant, the owner of this cottage, who has come 
 from Konigsberg. He walked all night, and left the city just 
 at the moment when the king with his suite returned." 
 
 "And did the man bring other news?" asked the lady, 
 hastily. 
 
 " A rumor was in circulation in Konigsberg that the French 
 were advancing from Posen, and, the Kussian columns being
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 169 
 
 also on the move, it was generally believed that a battle would 
 soon take place." 
 
 The lady walked rapidly to the door. " Let us set out as 
 soon as possible," she said; suddenly, however, she turned pale 
 and leaned against the wall to prevent herself from falling. 
 
 "Oh," she murmured faintly, "what weak, pitiful beings 
 we are, after all! The soul is strong enough to bear the 
 heaviest burden, but the body is so weak that a twelve hours' 
 fast is sufficient to overpower it!" 
 
 Just then Katharine entered the room ; on seeing the lady 
 looking so faint, she hastened to her, and asked sympathiz- 
 ingly for the cause of her pallor and exhaustion. 
 
 "I will tell you, my dear woman," whispered the lady, with 
 a sad smile, " I am hungry!" 
 
 "Oh," sighed M. von Schladen, "and we have no refresh- 
 ments with us!" 
 
 " But I have some for the beautiful lady," said Katharine, 
 proudly. " I was right in thinking that high-born people 
 must eat sometimes, and are not refreshed merely by their 
 magnificent dresses and the splendor surrounding them, but 
 are obliged to put something into their mouths, like us com- 
 mon people. Look, there is Martha with the breakfast!" 
 And, in truth, Martha was just entering the door, holding in 
 her hand a pitcher filled with fresh, smoking milk. 
 
 Katharine took an earthen cup from the shelf near the 
 hearth, and filled it to the brim. "Now drink," she said, 
 handing the cup to the countess; "it will strengthen you; it 
 is splendid goat's milk, so fine and warm that city folks never 
 get any thing like it; no fire warmed this milk, but God, who 
 gave life and warmth to my dear goat. Drink, then, in His 
 name!" 
 
 " No refreshment has ever been presented to me in so cor- 
 dial a manner," said the countess, nodding kindly to the old 
 peasant- worn an. " I shall carefully remember your heart-felt 
 words, and drink the milk in the name of the good Lord, but 
 only provided you, Countess Truchsess, and you, too, M. von 
 Schladen, can likewise have a cup of this splendid milk." 
 
 "We shall have some," said the Countess von Truchsess; 
 
 " please your , the gracious countess will please drink her 
 
 milk." The countess placed the cup on the window-sill with- 
 out having touched it with her lips. " You see I am wait- 
 ing," she said " make haste!" She herself then hastened to
 
 170 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the cupboard near the hearth, and took from it two small 
 earthen jars, which she handed to Katharine to till with milk. 
 
 " And have you not something to eat with the milk, my 
 dear woman?" asked M. von Schladen, in a low voice. 
 
 " I have but a loaf of stale brown bread," said Katharine, 
 " but I am afraid it will be too hard for the fine teeth of the 
 countess." 
 
 " Give it to me at ail events," said the countess, "my teeth 
 will be able to manage it." 
 
 Old Katharine took a large loaf of bread from the cupboard, 
 cut off a thick slice, and presented it on the bright pewter 
 plate, the principal ornament of her house. The countess 
 broke off a piece, and, leaning against the window, com- 
 menced eating her frugal breakfast. 
 
 The Countess von Truchsess and the high-chamberlain had 
 retired to the hearth to partake of the strange and unwonted 
 food. Katharine and Martha stood at the door, staring ad- 
 miringly at the lady who was leaning against the window, and 
 just lifting the stale brown bread to her mouth. She did not 
 notice that the two were looking at her; she was gazing 
 thoughtfully at the large bedstead in which she had passed 
 the night in tears and prayers. Her glance then turned to 
 the piece of bread which she held in her hand, and from which 
 she had vainly tried to eat. The bread and the bed reminded 
 her of an hour long past, when she was a happy queen an 
 hour when her mental eye descried the future, and the words 
 of a beautiful and melancholy song aroused in her anxious 
 forebodings, and seemed to her a prophecy of her own destiny. 
 As she thought of those golden days, her eyes filled with tears, 
 which rolled over her cheeks and trickled down on the bread 
 in her hand. " Oh," she murmured, "now I shall be able to 
 eat it; I am softening it with my tears!" And to conceal 
 them she averted her head, and looked out at the forest, 
 whose lofty pines were adorned with snow-wreaths. Her tears 
 gradually ceased she drew the large diamond ring from her 
 finger, and, using the pointed stone as a pen, wrote rapidly 
 on the window-pane. 
 
 Old Katharine and Martha stared at her in dismay ; the 
 characters appearing on the glass filled them with astonish- 
 ment and superstitious awe, and they thought the handsome 
 lady who knew how to write with a precious stone might after 
 all be a fairy, who, persecuted by some evil sorcerer, had fled
 
 THE QUEEN AT THE PEASANT'S COTTAGE. 171 
 
 thither into the dark forest, and was writing some exorcising 
 words on the window-pane, lest her enemy should pursue and 
 have power over her. 
 
 The lady replaced the ring on her finger, and turned to> 
 the young countess and the high-chamberlain. " Now, I am 
 ready," she said, "let us set out." She walked to the door, 
 and shaking hands with old Katharine, thanked her for the 
 hospitable reception she had met with in her cottage, and 
 then stepped out of the low door for the carriage, at which 
 the high-chamberlain was awaiting her. 
 
 " I beg leave, gracious countess, to take upon myself the 
 functions of our outrider. The road is broken and full of 
 holes, and as I have a keen eye, I shall see them in time, and 
 call the attention of the coachman to them." 
 
 The countess thanked him with a kind glance. " I accept 
 your offer," she said "may a time come when I shall be able 
 to thank my faithful friends for the attachment and devotion 
 they manifest toward me during affliction, and which are 
 engraven in diamond letters on my heart ! But let us thank 
 the good woman who received us so hospitably last night. I 
 request you to give this to her in my name." She handed 
 her purse filled with gold-pieces to the high-chamberlain, and 
 entered the carriage. M. von Schladen stood still until the 
 carriage rolled away. Before mounting he hastened into the 
 house. 
 
 Old Katharine and Martha stood in the room, and were 
 looking in silent astonishment at the neat characters on the 
 pane, the meaning of which they were unable to decipher. 
 "Oh, sir," exclaimed Katharine, when the high-chamberlain 
 entered the room, " tell us the meaning of this what did the 
 lady write here?" 
 
 M. von Schladen stepped to the window. When he had 
 read the lines, his eyes filled with tears, and profound emotion 
 was depicted in his features. " Enviable inmates of this 
 humble cottage," he said, "from this hour it has become a 
 precious monument, and, when better times arrive, the Ger- 
 mans will make a pilgrimage to this spot to gaze with devout 
 eyes at this historical relic of the days of adversity. Preserve 
 the window carefully, for I tell you it is worth more than gold 
 and diamonds." 
 
 " Is it really, then, an exorcism which the beautiful fairy 
 has written there?" asked Katharine, anxiously. 
 
 12
 
 172 
 
 "Yes, those are magic words," replied M. von Schladen, 
 " and they read as follows : 
 
 ' Who never ate bis bread with tears 
 
 Who never in the sorrowing hours 
 Of night lay sunk in gloomy fears 
 He knows ye not, O heavenly powers I ' " * 
 
 " Ah, she ate her bread with tears to-day. I saw it," mur- 
 mured Katharine. " But who is she, and what is her name? 
 Tell us, so that we may pray for her, sir." 
 
 "Her name is Louisa," said M. von Schladen, in a trem- 
 ulous voice. " At present she is a poor, afflicted woman, who 
 is fleeing from town to town from her enemy, and eating her 
 bread with tears, and weeping at night. But she is still the 
 Queen of Prussia, and will remain so if there be justice in 
 heaven!" 
 
 "The Queen of Prussia!" cried Katharine, holding up her 
 hands in dismay. " She was here and wrote that?" 
 
 " Yes, she wrote that, and sends this to you as a reward for 
 your trouble," said M. von Schladen, emptying the contents 
 of the purse on the table. The purse itself he placed in his 
 bosom. Without waiting for the thanks of the surprised 
 woman, he departed, vaulted into the saddle, and followed 
 the queen at a full gallop. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 COUNT BUCKLER. 
 
 PERFIDY and treachery everywhere! Magdeburg, Kustrin, 
 the most important fortresses of Prussia, had fallen. Not 
 only the hand of the triumphant conqueror had brought 
 about their downfall, but the timidity and cowardice prevail- 
 ing among the Prussians themselves. Magdeburg, although 
 abundantly supplied with ammunition, and garrisoned by 
 more than ten thousand men, had surrendered. Kustrin, 
 Hameln, and a large majority of the other fortresses, had 
 voluntarily capitujated, almost without a show of resistance, 
 on receiving the first summons to surrender; the first cities of 
 
 * " Wer nie sein Brot mit Thranen ass, 
 
 Wer nie die kummervollen Nachte 
 Auf seineru Bette weinend sass, 
 Der kennt euch nicht, Ihr hirnmlischen Machte." 
 
 GOTH*.
 
 COUNT PUCKLER. 173 
 
 Prussia were now French ; the French were lawgivers every- 
 where, and the humiliated Prussians had to bow to the scorn- 
 ful arrogance of the victors. 
 
 Still, there were at this time of sorrow and disgrace shining 
 examples of courage, of bold energy, and unwavering fidelity 
 there were fortresses that had not voluntarily opened their 
 gates to the enemy, and that, regardless of hunger and priva- 
 tion, were struggling bravely for honor and victory. As yet 
 Colberg had not fallen; this fortress was courageously de- 
 fended by Scharnhorst, the skilful and experienced colonel, 
 by bold Ferdinand von Schill, and that noble citizen, Nettel- 
 beck, who by word and deed fired the hearts of the soldiers 
 and citizens to persist in their patient resistance and in the 
 determined defence of the place. 
 
 Graudenz had not surrendered to the besieging forces. The 
 commander of this fortress, M. de Courbieres, had not yielded 
 either to the threats or the flatteries of the enemy. " If it be 
 true, as you assure me, that there is no longer a King of Prus- 
 sia, I am King of Graudenz, and shall not surrender," he 
 replied to the bearer of the French flag of truce, who sum- 
 moned him in the name of the Duke de Rovigo to capitulate. 
 
 Silesia also had remained faithful, notwithstanding the ac- 
 tion of Minister Count Hoym, who, in a public manifesto, had 
 called upon the Silesians to meet the foe in the most amicable 
 manner in case of an invasion, and to satisfy as much as pos- 
 sible all the demands of the hostile troops. The Silesians, 
 more courageous and resolute than their minister, were un- 
 willing to bend their neck voluntarily under the French yoke ; 
 they preferred to struggle for their honor and independence. 
 It is true, the fortress of Glogau had fallen, but Breslau and 
 Schweidnitz were still holding out. Twice had Breslau re- 
 pulsed Jerome Bonaparte with his besieging troops twice 
 had the determination of the courageous in the place tri- 
 umphed over the anxiety of the timid and of the secret friends 
 of the French. At the head of these bold defenders of Bres- 
 lau was a man whose glorious example in the hour of danger 
 had inspired all infused courage into the timid, and brought 
 comfort to the suffering. This man was Count Frederick von 
 Piickler. He did not take time to recover from the wounds 
 he had received in Jena. Faithful to his oath, he devoted his 
 services to his country, that stood so much in need of its sons. 
 After a short repose on his estate at Gimmel, he repaired to 
 the headquarters of King Frederick William at Ortelsburg.
 
 174 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 It is true, he could not bring him a regiment, or any material 
 help; still he was able to assist him with his ideas, and to 
 show him the means of obtaining efficacious help. 
 
 Count Frederick von Piickler believed the king might de- 
 rive assistance from the military resources of Silesia. He 
 described to him, in ardent and eloquent words, the extensive 
 means of defence retained by this rich province ; he assured 
 him its inhabitants were faithful and devoted, and ready to 
 hed their blood for their king. He told his majesty, freely 
 and honestly, that the old civil and military bureaucracy alone 
 was to blame that Silesia had not long an organized effective 
 system of resistance that this government had paralyzed the 
 patriotic zeal of the citizens, instead of stimulating it 
 nay, that, by means of its insensate and ridiculous decrees, 
 it had impeded in every way the development of the military 
 resources of the province. He had not come, however, merely 
 to find fault and to accuse, but, in spite of his sickness and 
 his wounds, performed the long journey to the king's head- 
 quarters in order to indicate to his sovereign the remedies by 
 which the mischief might be counteracted, and the country 
 preserved from utter subjugation. He communicated a plan 
 by which new forces might be raised, and be enabled to take 
 the field in a few days. All the old soldiers were to be re- 
 called into the service ; the forest-keepers and their assistants 
 were to be armed, and from these elements the landwehr was 
 to be organized, and intrusted with the special task of de- 
 fending the fortresses. 
 
 The king listened to the ardent and enthusiastic words of 
 she count with growing interest, and finally Piickler's joyful 
 3onfidence and hopeful courage filled him also with hope and 
 consolation. 
 
 " You believe then that we could really obtain, by these 
 new levies, brave troops for the defence of the fortress?" 
 isked he. 
 
 "I am convinced of it," replied Count Piickler. "Ardent 
 love for their fatherland and their king is glowing in the 
 hearts of the Silesians, and they will be ready when called 
 upon to defend the fortresses. Hitherto, however, nobody 
 has thought of appealing to the able-bodied men. Count 
 Hoym has retired to the most remote part of Silesia, and is 
 now wandering about from city to city. The military gov- 
 ernor of Silesia, General Lindener, visited all the fortresses 
 and told their commanders that every- thing was lost that it
 
 COUNT PUCKLF.R. 175 
 
 only remained for them to protect themselves against a coup 
 de main, so as to obtain good terms on their surrender." 
 
 The king started up, and an angry blush mantled his face 
 for a moment. " If he said that, he is an infamous scoun- 
 drel, who ought to lose his head !" he exclaimed, vehemently. 
 
 Count Piickler smiled mournfully. " Alas !" he said, " your 
 majesty would have to sign many death-warrants if you punish 
 in these days of terror all who are wavering because their faith 
 and hopes are gone. Possibly, only an admonishing, soul- 
 stirring word may be required to invigorate the timid, and to 
 encourage the doubtful. Sire, utter such a word! Send me 
 back with it to Silesia! Order the governor to accept the 
 propositions which I had the honor to lay before your maj- 
 esty, and which I have taken the liberty to write down in 
 this paper, and instruct him, in accordance with them, to 
 garrison the fortresses with fresh defenders. Oh, your maj- 
 esty, all Silesia is yearning for her king; she is longingly 
 stretching out her hands toward you ; permit her to fight for 
 you!" 
 
 " You imagine, then, that Schweidnitz, and, above all, 
 Breslau, in that case, would be able to hold out?" asked the 
 king. 
 
 " I do not imagine it, I am convinced of it!" exclaimed the 
 count. "I pledge my life that it is so; I say that Breslau, 
 permitted to defend itself, would be impregnable; I am so- 
 well satisfied of it that I swear to your majesty that I will die 
 as a traitor if I should be mistaken. Sire, send me to Breslau 
 permit me to participate in the organization of the new levies, 
 and to arouse the zeal and energy of the authorities, and I 
 swear to your majesty the Silesian fortresses shall be saved!" 
 
 "Well, then, I take you at your word," said the king, nod- 
 ding kindly to the count. "I will send you to Breslau. 
 AVait; I will immediately draw up the necessary orders." 
 The king went to his desk and hastily wrote a few lines, 
 Count Piickler stood near him, and smilingly said to him- 
 self, "I will defend Breslau as Schill is defending Colberg! 
 Both of us, therefore, will fulfil the oath we have taken!" 
 
 "Read!" said the king, handing him the paper "read it 
 aloud!" Count Piickler read: 
 
 " The enclosed proposition of Count Puckler to ree'nf orce the 
 garrisons of the Silesian fortresses deserves the most serious and 
 speedy consideration. Hence, I order you to carry it out with- 
 out delay, and to save no expense in doing so. The fortresses
 
 176 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 must be defended at any price, and to the last man, and I shall 
 cause such commanders to be beheaded as fail to do their duty. 
 
 "FREDERICK WILLIAM." 
 
 "Are you satisfied?" asked the king, when the count had 
 finished. 
 
 "I thank your majesty in the name of Silesia," said the 
 count, solemnly. " Breslau will not fall into the hands of 
 the enemy. I pledge you my head that it will not. I now 
 request your majesty to let me withdraw." 
 
 "When do you intend to set out?" 
 
 " This very hour." 
 
 " But you told me you had arrived only an hour ago. You 
 ought to take rest till to-morrow." 
 
 " Your majesty, every day of delay exposes your Silesia to 
 greater dangers. Permit me, therefore, to set out at once." 
 
 " Well, do so, and may God be with you!" 
 
 The king gazed after the count with a long, musing glance. 
 "Oh," he sighed, mournfully, "if he had been commander 
 of Magdeburg, it would be mine still !" 
 
 Count Piickler hastened back to Silesia with the king's 
 written order. He visited all the fortresses and saw all the 
 commanders. The king, to give more weight to the count's 
 mission, had instructed the provisional authorities and the 
 chief executive officers of the districts, in a special rescript, 
 to gather the old soldiers at the headquarters of the recruiting 
 stations ; he had ordered all the commanders to confer person- 
 ally with Count Piickler as to the best steps to be taken for 
 the defence of the fortresses, by the addition of the new sol- 
 diers and riflemen to the regular garrisons. 
 
 Count Piickler, therefore, had accomplished his purpose; 
 he was able to assist his country and to avenge himself for the 
 disastrous day of Jena. A proud courage animated his heart ; 
 his eye was radiant with joy and confidence ; his face was 
 beaming with heroic energy. All who saw him were filled 
 with his own courage ; all who heard him were carried away 
 by his enthusiasm, and gladly swore to die rather than prove 
 recreant to the sacred cause of the country. Every one in 
 Breslau knew Count Piickler, and confided in him. Always 
 active, joyous, and indefatigable, he was to be found wherever 
 there was danger; he encouraged the soldiers by standing at 
 their side on the outworks, by toiling with them, and expos- 
 ing himself to the balls which the enemy was hurling into the 
 city. He maintained the enthusiasm of the citizens by patri-
 
 COUNT PUCKLER. 177 
 
 otic speeches, so that they did not despair, but bore their 
 sufferings patiently, and provided compassionately for the men 
 standing on the ramparts in the storm and cold, in the face 
 of an uninterrupted artillery-fire. A generous rivalry sprang 
 up among the citizens and soldiers: the former contributed 
 all they had to provide the troops with food and comforts of 
 every description ; and the latter vowed in their gratitude to 
 fight as long as there was a drop of blood in their veins, and 
 not suffer the inhabitants, in return for the privations they 
 had undergone, and for the sacrifices they had made, to be 
 surrendered to the tender mercies of the enemy. But this 
 enthusiasm at last cooled. Every one would have borne days 
 of privation and suffering courageously and joyously enough, 
 but long weeks of anxiety and distress deadened the devotion 
 of the besieged. 
 
 "Every thing is going on satisfactorily," said Count Piick- 
 ler, on coming to the governor of the fortress, General Thile, 
 on the morning of the 30th of December. " We shall hold 
 out till the Prince von Pless, who has lately been appointed 
 by the king governor -general of Silesia, arrives with his troops 
 to succor us and to raise the siege of Breslau." 
 
 The governor shrugged his shoulders. " There will be no 
 succor for us, and every thing will turn out wrong," he said. 
 
 " But the soldiers are faithful, and the citizens do not waver 
 as yet." 
 
 The governor looked almost compassionately at the count. 
 " You see none but the faithful, and hear none but the un- 
 daunted," he said. "I will show you the reverse of your 
 bright medal!" He took a paper from his desk and beckoned 
 the count to approach. " Just look at this; it is the morning 
 report. Do you want to know how many soldiers deserted 
 last night? Over a hundred, and in order to put a stop to 
 further desertions, the countersign had to be changed three 
 times." 
 
 "The deserters are the perfidious, treacherous Poles!" ex- 
 claimed Piickler, angrily. 
 
 " Yes, the Poles were the first to desert, and, unfortunately, 
 more than half the garrison consists of Poles. They are the 
 old soldiers who were organized in accordance with your 
 proposition, my dear count. They are yearning for home, 
 and long to obtain, in place of the scanty rations they receive 
 here, the fleshpots which the Emperor Napoleon has promised 
 to happy Poland."
 
 178 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " But they need not starve here ; they are provided with 
 sufficient food," exclaimed Puckler. "Only yesterday I saw 
 a subscription-paper circulating among the citizens for the 
 purpose of raising money to furnish the men on duty on the 
 ramparts with meat, whiskey, and hot beer." 
 
 " How many had signed it?" 
 
 "More than a hundred, general." 
 
 "Well, I will show you another subscription-paper," said 
 the governor, taking it from his desk. " A deputation of the 
 citizens were here last night and presented this to me. It 
 contains a request to give them, amidst so many sufferings, 
 the hope of speedy succor, lest they be driven to despair. 
 Over two hundred signed this paper. I could not hold out 
 any hopes, and had to dismiss them without any consolation 
 whatever." 
 
 " But succor will come," exclaimed Puckler. 
 
 "It will not come," said the governor, shrugging his 
 shoulders. 
 
 At that moment the door opened, and an orderly entered. 
 " Lieutenant Schorlemmer, in command of the forces at the 
 Schweidnitz Gate, sent me here," he said. " He instructed me 
 to inform the governor that the firing of field and siege artil- 
 lery was to be heard, and the village of Diirgoy was burning!" 
 
 " The enemy is manoeuvring, and, no doubt, set the village 
 unintentionally on fire. Tell Lieutenant Schorlemmer that 
 is my reply. " 
 
 No sooner had the orderly withdrawn than the officer in 
 command of the engineers entered the room. " Your excel- 
 lency," he exclaimed, hastily, "I have just come from the 
 Ohlau Gate. The enemy is hurrying with his field-pieces and 
 many troops from the trenches toward the Schweidnitz road,, 
 and the firing that began an hour ago is gradually approach- 
 ing the fortress. " 
 
 " The succoring troops are drawing near," exclaimed Count 
 Puckler, joyfully. " The Prince von Pless at the head of his 
 regiments has attacked the enemy!" 
 
 The governor cast an angry glance on the rash speaker. 
 " It is true you know all these things a great deal better than 
 old, experienced soldiers " he said ; " you will permit me, 
 however, to be guided by my own opinion. Now, I think 
 that the enemy is only manoeuvring for the purpose of decoy- 
 ing the garrison from the city. We shall not be so foolish, 
 however, as to be caught in such a manner. But I will go
 
 COUNT PUCKLER. 179 
 
 and satisfy myself about this matter. Come, Mr. Chief-Engi- 
 neer, and accompany me to the Ohlau Gate. And you, Count 
 Piickler, go to General Lindener to ascertain his opinion. 
 He has good eyes and ears, and if he view the matter in the 
 same light as I do, I shall be convinced that we are right." 
 
 Count Piickler hastened away, and while the governor, with 
 the chief-engineer, was walking very leisurely to the Ohlau 
 Gate, Piickler rushed into the house of General Lindener, de- 
 termined to make the utmost efforts to induce the governor to 
 order a sally of the garrison. But General Lindener had 
 already left his palace and gone to the Taschen bastion for 
 the purpose of making his observations. Count Piickler fol- 
 lowed him ; he could make but slow headway, for the streets 
 were densely crowded ; every one was inquiring why the enemy 
 Lad suddenly ceased shelling the city. 
 
 Count Piickler rushed forward toward the Taschen bastion, 
 and the constantly increasing multitude followed him. Gen- 
 eral Lindener stood amidst the superior officers on the rampart 
 tf the Taschenberg. He was scanning the horizon with 
 scrutinizing glances. The officers now looked at him in great 
 suspense, and now at the open field extending in front of 
 them. Count Piickler approached, while the people, who 
 had almost forcibly obtained admission, advanced to the brink 
 and surveyed the enemy's position. The crowd, however, 
 did not consist of vagabond idlers, but of respectable citizens 
 merchants and mechanics who wished for the consolation 
 the governor had refused them the hope of succor ! Grad- 
 ually their care-worn faces lighted up. They saw distinctly 
 that the enemy had left the trenches. Here and there they 
 descried straggling French soldiers running in the direction 
 of the fight in front of the fortress. They heard the boom- 
 ing of artillery and the rattling of musketry, and they beheld 
 the shells exchanged between the opposing troops, exploding 
 in the air. Keen eyes discovered Prussian cavalry in the 
 neighborhood of the Jewish burial-ground, near the Schweid- 
 nitz suburb, and at this sight tremendous cheers burst from 
 the citizens. 
 
 " Succor has come!" they shouted. " The Prince von Pless 
 is coming to deliver us!" 
 
 All now looked to the general, expecting he would utter 
 the decisive word, and order the garrison to make a sortie. 
 But this order was not given. 
 
 General Liudener turned with the utmost composure to
 
 180 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 his officers. " I have no doubt," he said, "that the enemy is 
 merely manoeuvring for the purpose of drawing us out of the 
 fortress. It is an ambush in which we should not allow our- 
 selves to be caught." 
 
 "Your excellency," exclaimed Puckler, in dismay, "it is 
 impossible that you can be in earnest. That is no manoeuvre' 
 it is a combat. The long-hoped-for succor has come at last, 
 and we must profit by it!" 
 
 "Ah," said the general, shrugging his shoulders, "you 
 think because his majesty permitted you to participate in 
 organizing the defence of the city, and to confer with the 
 commander in regard to it, you ought to advise everywhere 
 and to decide every thing!" 
 
 "No; I only think that the time for action has come," ex- 
 claimed Puckler. " Opinions and suppositions are out of the 
 question here, for we can distinctly see what is going on in 
 the front of Breslau. I beg the other officers to state whether 
 they do not share my opinion whether it is not a regular 
 cannonade that we hear, and a real fight between hostile 
 troops that we behold?" 
 
 "Yes," said one of the officers, loudly and emphatically 
 " yes, I am of the same opinion as Count Puckler ; there is a 
 combat going on ; the Prince von Pless is approaching in order 
 to raise the siege." 
 
 "That is my opinion too!" exclaimed each of the officers, 
 in succession; "the succoring troops have come; the enemy 
 has left the trenches in order to attack them." 
 
 "And as such is the case," exclaimed Count Puckler, joy- 
 fully, " we must make a sortie ; prudence not only justifies, 
 but commands it." 
 
 "Yes, we must do so!" exclaimed the officers. The cit- 
 izens standing at some distance from them heard their words, 
 and shouted joyously : " A sortie, a sortie ! Succor has come ! 
 Breslau is saved!" 
 
 General Lindener glanced angrily at the officers. " Who 
 dares advise the commanding general without being asked?" 
 he said, sharply. "None of you must meddle with these 
 matters; they concern myself alone, and I am possessed of 
 sufficient judgment not to need any one's advice, but to make 
 my own decisions!" With a last angry glance at Count Puck- 
 ler, he left the bastion to return to his palace. Governor 
 Thile was awaiting him there, and the two ascended to the 
 roof of the building to survey the environs.
 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 181 
 
 The fog, which had covered the whole landscape until now, 
 had risen a little, and even the dim eyes of the general and 
 of the governor could not deny the truth any more. A com- 
 bat was really going on. The smoke rising from the ground, 
 and the flashes of powder from field -pieces, were distinctly to 
 be seen. It was a fact: succor was at hand: a Prussian corps 
 was approaching the city. The two generals left the roof, 
 arm-in-arm, in silence, absorbed in their reflections, and de- 
 scended to the ground-floor, where a luncheon had been served 
 up for them. An hour later, they assembled the garrison, iu 
 order to make an attack, " in case the enemy should be 
 defeated!" 
 
 But it seemed as if the enemy had not been defeated. The 
 firing in front gradually died away; the sally did not take 
 place, and in the evening the French recommenced throwing 
 red-hot shot into the city. 
 
 "We have been betrayed," murmured the citizens, as they 
 despondingly returned to their homes. 
 
 " The general did not want to make a sortie he had no 
 intention to save Breslau," groaned Count Piickler, when he 
 was alone in his room. "All is lost, all is in vain! The 
 wish of the timid sacrifices our honor and our lives ! Oh, my 
 unhappy country, my beloved Prussia, thou wilt irretrievably 
 perish, for thy own sons are betraying thee ! Thy indepen- 
 dence and ancient glory are gone ; conquered and chained, thou 
 wilt prostrate thyself at the feet of the victor, and with scorn 
 he will Dlace his foot upon thy neck, and trample thy crown 
 in the dust ! I shall not live to see that disgrace ! I will fulfil 
 my oath, and, not being able to save my country, I must die 
 with it ! But not yet ! I will wait patiently, for there is a 
 faint glimmer of hope left. The Prince von Pless may make 
 another attempt to raise the siege, and the citizens and sol- 
 diers may compel General Lindener to order an attack, and 
 not to surrender. That is my last hope." 
 
 CHAPTEE XXI. 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 
 
 GREAT excitement reigned in the streets of Breslau on the 
 following day. The people were standing in dense groups, 
 and each of them was addressed by speakers, who recapit-
 
 182 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ulated the sufferings that had already been undergone, and 
 the agony in store for them if the city should persist in its 
 resistance. 
 
 " Who will dare to resist the Emperor Napoleon and his 
 army?" exclaimed one. "We were audacious enough to do 
 so, and what has become of us! Our houses have been de- 
 molished our money is gone our sons, brothers, and fathers, 
 have been crippled or killed ! When Napoleon once stretches 
 out his hand toward a country, and says, 'I will have it!' it 
 is useless to resist him, for he always accomplishes what he 
 intends. God or the devil has given him the power to do so !" 
 
 " Why torment ourselves by further efforts?" cried another, 
 " We shall have to submit. Heaven itself is against us. See 
 the ice-crust on the Oder. This cold weather is a fresh ally 
 of the French! So soon as the Oder and the ditches are 
 firmly frozen over, they will cross, and take the city by as- 
 sault. Of course, we shall be required again to risk our lives 
 in breaking the ice amid bullets and shells. The only ques- 
 tion is, whether you will do so." 
 
 " No ! no !" shouted the crowd. " We have suffered enough ! 
 We will neither break the ice in the Oder, nor extinguish 
 the numerous fires. Too many of our countrymen have 
 fallen already ; it is time for us to think of saving the lives 
 that remain!" 
 
 "No!" cried a powerful voice "no! it is time for you to 
 think of saving your honor!" 
 
 "Count Puckler!" murmured the people, looking at the 
 tall, imperious man, who had mounted the curb-stone at the 
 corner of the market-place, and cast angry glances on the 
 crowd. 
 
 "Will you listen to me?" asked the count, almost implor- 
 ingly- 
 
 "Yes, yes," exclaimed a hundred voices, "we will listen to 
 you !" And all approached and encircled him. 
 
 "Now speak, count," said one of the men, standing closest 
 to him. " We know that you are a good patriot, and a noble 
 friend of the people. Tell us what we ought to do. Tell us 
 whether you think that there is hope for us!" 
 
 "There is," replied Count Puckler. "There is hope of 
 succor." 
 
 "Ah, succor will not come," cried the people, scornfully, 
 "and though it should, the generals would act again as if 
 they could not see any thing, keep the gates shut, and fail to
 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 183 
 
 make a sortie. Speak of other hopes that you think are still 
 left to us, count!" 
 
 " Well, there is the hope that the weather will relax that 
 the Oder and the ditches will not freeze, and that the enemy, 
 consequently, will be unable to cross them. By bombard- 
 ment alone Breslau cannot be taken. Our fortifications will 
 resist the enemy's artillery a long while; and, if you do not 
 waver, but struggle on bravely, you may preserve to your king 
 his most beloved province and one of his best fortresses. 
 Think of the honor it would reflect on you if the whole world 
 should say: 'The citizens of Breslau preserved to their king 
 the great capital of Silesia ! During the days of danger and 
 distress they hastened fearlessly to the ramparts, not only to 
 carry food and refreshments to the defenders, but to trans- 
 form themselves into soldiers, to man the guns, and hurl balls 
 at the enemy!' ' 
 
 "Yes, yes, we will do so! That will be glorious!" shouted 
 the men, and their eyes flashed, and they lifted up their arms 
 as if they were grasping their swords. " Yes, we will march 
 out to the ramparts we will become brave soldiers, and fight 
 for our city and for our king!" 
 
 " And you will lose your limbs," cried a sneering voice from 
 the crowd ; " you will be crippled die of hunger ruin your- 
 selves and your children ; and it will be in vain, after all ! 
 You will be unable to save Breslau, for the odds are too great, 
 and we ourselves have already been weakened too much." 
 
 "Alas, he is right!" lamented the people, and those who 
 were about to rush to the walls stood still, and their courage 
 seemed to disappear. 
 
 "No!" exclaimed Count Piickler, ardently "no, he is not 
 right ! It is not true ; but even if it were true that we are 
 too weak to hold out, would it not be much more honorable 
 to be buried under the ruins of the city, than to live in dis- 
 grace and bow to a new master? Think of the shame of 
 Magdeburg; remember that a cry of indignation was uttered 
 by the whole of Prussia at the treachery and cowardice of 
 that city ! Citizens of Breslau, do you want to be talked of 
 in the same manner? Do you desire to act so pusillani- 
 mously that your children one day will have to blush for their 
 fathers? Do you want to behave so ignominiously, that your 
 wives and sweethearts will deride you and call you cowards?" 
 
 "No, no!" shouted the people. "We will fight fight for 
 our honor and cur king."
 
 184 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Clear the way!" cried loud and imperious voices at that 
 moment, and a procession of over a hundred citizens marched 
 up Ohlau Street; it was headed by an old man with flowing 
 silvery hair, who held a large folded paper in his hands. 
 
 The crowd, that hitherto only had had eyes and ears for 
 Count Piickler, now bent inquiring glances on the new- 
 comers, and looked searchingly and wonderingly at the old 
 man, whom every one knew to be one of the most venerable 
 and respectable citizens of Breslau. 
 
 "Where are you going, Mr. Ehrhardt?" asked many at the 
 same time. " What is the object of your procession? What 
 is the paper you hold in your h.ands?" 
 
 Mr. Ehrhardt held it up. "This paper," he said, "is a 
 petition drawn up by the citizens who are following me. In 
 it we depict the sufferings and privations we have undergone, 
 and pray that a speedy end may be put to them. Matters 
 cannot go on in this way any more ; the distress is too great ; 
 we have borne all we can we must think of ourselves for the 
 sake of our wives and children. We have done enough to 
 save our honor; self-preservation is also a duty. We have 
 stated all this in our petition, and are about to take it to the 
 city hall, in order to deposit it there by permission of the au- 
 thorities, so that every one may sign it. This afternoon it will 
 be presented to the governor. Hasten, then, to add your sig- 
 natures, for the more the better. When the governor sees 
 that the citizens are united, he will have to comply with our 
 demands and enter into a capitulation. The enemy sent a 
 flag of truce this morning; the bearer, I have been told, im- 
 poses very rigorous terms on the commander of the fortress. 
 He threatens also that the city, if it do not surrender to-day, 
 will be bombarded with red-hot shot long enough to set fire to 
 all the buildings. Come, my friends, let us go. All good 
 and sensible citizens will sign this petition." 
 
 The procession moved on. Profound silence ensued. 
 Count Piickler was still standing on the curb-stone and look- 
 ing in breathless suspense at the people that, a moment ago, 
 had surrounded him. He saw now that many left him and 
 joined those marching to the city hall. 
 
 " Citizens of Breslau !" he cried, in great anguish, pale with 
 grief and horror "citizens of Breslau, think of your honor; 
 think of the many tears which the eyes of your noble queen 
 have already shed for Magdeburg; remember that your king 
 relies on you and on your love, and that his gratitude toward
 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 185 
 
 you will be boundless if you remain faithful now faithful 
 unto death! Think of the great king who fought seven long 
 years for you, a,nd whose glory still reflects a golden lustre on 
 the whole of Silesia. Do not join the timid and cowardly. 
 Stand by me. Let us go together to the cit}^ hall let us de- 
 mand the petition that we may tear it to atoms; then go to 
 the governor and tell him that he must not capitulate, but 
 resist till " 
 
 "Till we die of hunger?" cried a harsh voice, and a tall, 
 broad-shouldered man elbowed himself through the crowd and 
 walked up to the count. "Count Puckler," he said, men- 
 acingly, " if you continue talking about resistance, and other 
 nonsense of that kind, you are a miserable demagogue, and 
 the assassin of those who believe your high-sounding words. 
 Listen to me, citizens of Breslau. I am secretary of the com- 
 mission of provisions, and do you know whither I have been 
 ordered to go? To the municipal authorities! I am taking 
 to them a list of what is still on hand. There are in Breslau 
 at the present time only twenty thousand pounds of meat, and 
 the bakers and brewers have no fuel left. If we do not open 
 our gates to the French, death by starvation will await us 
 after to-morrow. Therefore, let all those who do not wish to 
 die of hunger hasten to the city hall and sign the petition 
 that will be deposited there." 
 
 At this moment a strange, hissing noise resounded through 
 the air; a glowing ball rushed along and penetrated the roof 
 of a house, from which flames immediately burst forth. A 
 second and a third followed and set fire to several houses on 
 the market-place. 
 
 " The bombardment is recommencing!" howled the multi- 
 tude. " They are firing red-hot shot again. Come, come to 
 the city hall! Let us sign the petition." They hastened off 
 like game pursued by a hunter; fear lent wings to their feet, 
 and anxiety rendered the weak strong, and enabled the lame 
 to walk. 
 
 Count Puckler was left alone. For a moment he leaned 
 pale and exhausted against the wall of the house; large drops 
 of perspiration covered his brow; his cheeks were livid, his 
 lips were quivering, and he gazed at the city hall, the steps of 
 which the crowd were ascending at that moment. " They are 
 going to sign my death-warrant," he muttered, in alow voice. 
 He descended from the curb-stone, and, drawing himself to 
 his full height, walked slowly down the street. The bullets
 
 186 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 were whistling around him and dropping at his side. He 
 quietly walked on. He reached the house in which he was 
 sojourning, 'and ascended the stairs slowly and with dilated 
 eyes, like a somnambulist. He reached the first landing, 
 and had turned already to the second staircase. All at once 
 invisible influences seemed to stop his progress; his face com- 
 menced quivering, his eyes sparkled, and turned with an ex- 
 pression of unutterable grief to the door which he was about 
 to pass. " I must see her once more," he muttered ; " possibly 
 she may follow me." He pulled the bell vehemently, and a 
 footman opened the door. " Is my betrothed at home?" 
 
 " Yes, count ; the young countess is in her room ; her par- 
 ents are in the parlor. Shall I announce you?" 
 
 " No, I will go to her without being announced." Passing 
 the footman and hastening down the corridor, he rapped at 
 the last door. Without waiting, he opened it and entered. 
 
 A joyful cry was heard a young lady as lovely as a rose ran 
 toward him with open arms. " Have you come at last, dear- 
 est? Have you really been restored to me? Oh, how I have 
 been longing for you all the morning how my heart trembled 
 for you! With what an agony of fear every ball passing over 
 our house filled me, for any one of them might have struck 
 you ! But now I have you back. I shall detain you here, 
 and not let you go any more. You shall be like a caged bird. 
 Would that my heart were the cage in which I could keep 
 you!" She laid her head, smiling and blushing, on his breast 
 while uttering these words; in the ardor of her own joy she 
 had not noticed how pale, listless, and sad he was. When 
 she raised her bright eyes to him, her smile vanished. " What 
 ails you, my beloved ?" she asked, anxiously. " What is the 
 calamity that I see written on your face?" 
 
 He took her head between his hands and looked long and 
 mournfully at her. "Camilla, "he said, in a low, husky 
 voice " Camilla, will you die with me?" 
 
 "Die!" she asked aghast, disengaging her head from his 
 hands. " Why should we die, Frederick?" 
 
 "Because I do not wish to live without honor," he ex- 
 claimed, with sudden vehemence. " Because our misfortunes 
 are so terrible that we must escape from them into the grave. 
 All is lost ! Breslau will fall, and we shall be obliged to pros- 
 trate ourselves at the conqueror's feet ! But I will not, cannot 
 survive the disgrace of Prussia. 'Victory or death!' was the 
 motto which I once exchanged with Schill. I swore to him
 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 187 
 
 to live and die with my country ; I swore to the king, if Bres- 
 lau fell, that I would die the death of a traitor. Breslau 
 falls; therefore I die!" 
 
 ''No, no," exclaimed Camilla, clinging firmly to him, "you 
 shall not die you must not die ! You are mine ; you belong 
 to me, and I love you! Hitherto you have lived for your 
 honor as a man now live for your heart and its love ! Lis- 
 ten to me, Frederick ! How often have you implored me to 
 accelerate the day of our wedding, and I always refused! 
 Well, I beseech you to-day, give me your hand! Let us go 
 together to my parents, and ask them to send for a priest, 
 and let our marriage take place to-day. And then, dearest, 
 when the gates of Breslau open to the enemy, we can find a 
 refuge at your splendid estate. The horrible turmoil of war 
 and the clashing of arms will not follow us thither. There, 
 amidst the charms of peaceful nature, let us commence a new 
 life; with hearts fondly united, we shall belong only to our- 
 selves, and, forgetful of the outside world, devote ourselves to 
 our friends to art and literature. Oh, my beloved, is it not 
 a blissful future that is inviting you and promising you un- 
 disturbed happiness?" She laid her arms, from which the 
 white lace sleeves had fallen back, on his shoulders, and held 
 her glowing face so close to his own that her breath fanned 
 his cheek ; her ruby lips almost touched his own, and her dark 
 eyes were fixed on him with an expression of unutterable 
 tenderness. 
 
 The count pushed her back almost rudely. " The happi- 
 ness you are depicting to me is only given to the innocent, to 
 the pure, and to those who have no desires," he said, gloomily ; 
 " it is the happiness of gentle doves, not of men. And I am 
 a man ! As a man of honor I have lived, and as such I will 
 die. My life harmonizes no more with yours. Will you go 
 with me, Camilla, into the land of eternal honor and liberty? 
 Does not this world of treachery and cowardice fill you with 
 disgust as it does myself? Does not your soul shrink with 
 dismay at the infamy we behold everywhere at the present 
 time? Oh, I know your heart is noble and pure, and despises 
 the baseness which is now the master of the world. Let us, 
 therefore, escape from it. Come, dearest, come ! I have two 
 pistols at my rooms. They are loaded, and will not fail us. 
 A pressure of my finger and we are free! Say one word, 
 and I will bring them say, my Camilla, that you will die 
 with me!" 
 13
 
 188 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " I say that I will live with you!" she cried, in terror. 
 
 "Then you will not die with me?" he asked, harshly. 
 
 "No, Frederick, why should I die? I am so young, and 
 love life ; it has given me nothing but joy it has given you 
 to me you, whom I love, for whom I will live, whom I will 
 render happy ! What do I care for the misfortunes of Prussia 
 what do I care whether Breslau surrenders to the enemy or 
 not, while I am free to follow you free to devote myself en- 
 tirely to my love!" 
 
 "A woman's heart! a woman's love!" said Piickler, with 
 a contemptuous shrug of his shoulders. " I wish I resembled 
 you ; we then might be like cooing doves in the myrtle-tree. 
 But my heart is rather that of an eagle longing for the sun ; 
 and as he has set on earth, I shall fly after him. Farewell, 
 Camilla, farewell! Forget me not, and be happy!" He im- 
 printed a hasty, glowing kiss on her lips, and then turned 
 toward the door. 
 
 Camilla rushed after him, and, clinging to him with both 
 her hands, exclaimed : " Frederick, what are you going to do?" 
 
 " I go to the land of liberty, and will do what honor com- 
 mands," he said, disengaging himself from her grasp, and 
 rushing from the room. 
 
 "Frederick! Frederick!" she cried, in the utmost terror, 
 running to the door ; she could not open it, for he had locked 
 it outside. "I must follow and save him," she exclaimed, 
 and gliding across the room, she opened a small secret door in 
 the opposite wall; scarcely touching the floor, she passed 
 through the parlor, without taking any notice of her parents, 
 who were sitting on the divan, and asked her in surprise for 
 the cause of her hurry and agitation. She did not see that 
 they were following her; nor did she hear them call her. 
 Onward, onward she went through the room to the corridor, 
 into the hall, and up the staircase. She rushed to the upper 
 floor, and rang the bell violently, when the footman of Count 
 Piickler opened the door, and stared surprised at the young 
 countess. She passed him impetuously, and ran down the 
 corridor leading into the sitting-room of her betrothed. But 
 it was locked. Uttering a cry of despair, she sank breathless 
 on her knees, and laid her burning forehead against the door. 
 
 The old count, with his wife, followed by Count Piickler's 
 footman, now approached. "My child, my child!" mur- 
 mured the old countess, bending over her daughter, " what 
 has happenod? Why are you so pale? Why do you weep?"
 
 THE PATRIOT'S DEATH. 189 
 
 Camilla looked up to her with streaming eyes. " Mother," 
 she exclaimed, in a heart-rending voice, " mother, he will kill 
 himself!" 
 
 "Who?" asked her father, aghast. 
 
 " My betrothed," she gasped faintly. " With a more gener- 
 ous and scrupulous regard for his honor than we are manifest- 
 ing for ours, he will not survive the disgrace of his country. 
 As Breslau is doomed, he will die ! As I did not care to die 
 with him, he angrily repulsed me, and went up to his room to 
 die alone. Oh, mother, father, have mercy on my anguish ! 
 Help me to save him!" 
 
 "Is the count really here?" said Camilla's father to the 
 footman. " Is he in this room?" 
 
 " Yes, gracious count, my master came home a few minutes 
 ago. Without saying a word, he went to his room, and locked 
 himself up." 
 
 The old count stepped to the door, and, grasping the knob, 
 shook it violently. " Count Piickler, open the door," he cried 
 aloud. " Your father-in-law and the mother of your be- 
 trothed are standing at your door, and ask to be admitted!" 
 
 "Frederick! Frederick!" begged Camilla, "I am on my 
 knees in front of your door-sill, and implore you to have 
 mercy to have compassion on me! Oh, do not close your 
 heart against me oh, let me come in, my dear friend!" She 
 paused and listened, hoping to hear a word or a movement 
 inside. But every thing remained silent. 
 
 " If you refuse to listen to our supplications, we shall enter 
 by force," exclaimed the count. 
 
 "My son," wailed the old countess, "if you will not listen 
 to us, at least have mercy on my daughter, for she will die of 
 grief if you desert her." 
 
 " My Frederick, I love you so tenderly do not repel me!" 
 wailed Camilla. 
 
 All was silent. "I must use force," said the count, con- 
 cealing his anguish under the guise of anger. " Hasten to a 
 locksmith," he added, turning to the footman; "he is to come 
 here at once, and bring his tools with him. Notify also the 
 officers at the neighboring police-station." The footman 
 withdrew. 
 
 " My beloved," cried Camilla, wringing her hands, and her 
 face bathed in a flood of tears, " my Frederick, I love you bet- 
 ter than my life! Your wish shall bo complied with. Open 
 your door, and admit me. If I ctiunot live I will die with
 
 190 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 you ! Oh, do not remain silent give me a sign that you are 
 still living tell me at least that you forgive me that '' 
 
 She paused, for a song suddenly resounded in the room ; it 
 was not a song of sorrow, but of wrath and manly courage. 
 The words were as follows : 
 
 " Tod du sttsser, fur das Valerian d ! 
 Stisser als der Brautgruss, als das Lallen 
 Auf dem Mutterschooss des ersten Kindes, 
 Sei mir willkommen t 
 
 Was das Lied nicht loset, lost das Schwert, 
 Blinkend Heil, umgiirte meine Huften, 
 Von der Schande kannst du Tapfre retten, 
 Zierde der Tapfern ! " * 
 
 The voice died away. Camilla was on her knees, with 
 clasped hands; her parents stood behind her in devout silence. 
 Suddenly noisy footsteps drew near. At the entrance of the 
 corridor appeared the footman with the locksmith, who came 
 with his tools to open the door. The old count made a sign 
 to him to stand aloof. He had heard a movement in the room, 
 and he hoped Camilla's lover would voluntarily admit them. 
 
 A pause ensued then a terrible report was heard in the 
 room. Camilla uttered a loud shriek, and sank senseless to 
 the floor. 
 
 An hour later, the locksmith succeeded in opening the 
 door, which had been strongly bolted inside. Count Piickler 
 sat in the easy-chair in front of his desk, immovable, with his 
 face calm and uninjured, the pistol still in his hand. He had 
 aimed well. The bullet had pierced his heart. On the desk 
 in front of him lay a sheet of paper, containing the following 
 words : 
 
 u Last greeting to Ferdinand von Schill, who took an oath 
 with me that we would live and die as faithful sons of our 
 country! Our country is sinking ignominiously into the 
 dust; I will not, cannot survive the disgrace, and, therefore, 
 I die. Farewell, you who took that oath with me farewell 
 Schill and Staps! I hope you will be happier than myself! I 
 am the first of us three who dies because he despairs of his 
 country. Will you survive me long? May God give you 
 strength to do so ! Farewell until we meet again ! 
 
 "FREDERICK VON PUCKLER." 
 
 On the following day the governor of Breslau commenced 
 negotiations with the enemy, and on the 7th of January, 
 1807, Breslau opened its gates to the French troops, and the 
 Prussian garrison laid down its arms. 
 
 * See p. 18.
 
 PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 191 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 
 
 GENERAL VON ZASTROW, who had temporarily taken charge 
 of the Prussian department of foreign affairs, was pacing his 
 room. His whole appearance was indicative of care and anx- 
 iety. Whenever he passed the door leading into the ante- 
 room, he stood still and listened, and then, heaving a sigh 
 and muttering angry words, continued his walk. But at 
 length it seemed as if his expectations were to be fulfilled ; he 
 heard approaching steps. The door opened, and the footman 
 announced General von Kockeritz. 
 
 General von Zastrow quickly went to meet his visitor, and 
 offered him both his hands. " I thank your excellency from 
 the bottom of my heart for having yielded to my urgent sup- 
 plications," he said, passionately, "and at the same time I 
 beg your pardon for having been so bold as to request you to 
 call upon me. But as you reside in the same house as their 
 majesties, and as the king comes to see you frequently and 
 unexpectedly, I believe we can converse here more freely and 
 without fear of being disturbed." 
 
 "You are right, my dear general," said Kockeritz; " it is 
 better for us to hold our little conferences at your house. My 
 room, moreover, has walls so thin that every word spoken 
 there can be heard outside. Alas, it is on the whole a miser- 
 able barrack in which the royal couple and myself are obliged 
 to stay here in Memel ! Low, dark rooms no elegance, no 
 accommodations, no comfort. Every thing is as narrow, 
 gloomy, and smoky as possible and then this fearfully cold 
 weather! Yesterday, during the heavy storm, an inch of 
 snow lay on the window-sill in the queen's room, and, I assure 
 you, it did not melt! Nevertheless, her majesty is perfectly 
 calm and composed ; she never complains, never utters any 
 dissatisfaction, but always tries to prove to the king that she 
 likes Memel very well, and that it is as beautiful a capital as 
 Berlin." 
 
 "Ah, my respected friend," said General von Zastrow, 
 mournfully, " this composure of the queen is very injurious 
 to us. If she were more melancholy if she bewailed 
 her misfortunes more bitterly if she manifested a more 
 poignant sorrow, we should not be doomed to sit here on the
 
 192 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 extreme frontier of Prussia, but might hope to make our 
 triumphal entry into Berlin, perhaps, in two weeks." 
 
 "Into Berlin?" asked General von Kockeritz, greatly sur- 
 prised. " Why, you are talking of a miracle which I am un- 
 able to comprehend." 
 
 " Oh, your excellency will understand it soon enough, " re- 
 plied General von Zastrow, smiling, " if you will only be so 
 kind as to listen to me a little." 
 
 " I assure you, my friend, I am most anxious to hear your 
 explanations; I am burning with the desire to know how we 
 are to bring it about to leave this accursed, cold Memel. and 
 return to Berlin within so short a time." 
 
 " Well, what is the cause of our sojourn here?" asked Gen- 
 eral von Zastrow. " What has driven us hither? What hag 
 deprived the king, our august master, of his states, of his 
 happiness nay, almost of his crown? What is the cause that 
 our beautiful and amiable queen has to undergo all sorts of 
 privations and inconveniences, and is compelled to reside, in- 
 stead of in her palace at Berlin, in a miserable, leaky house in 
 Memel, where she is closer to the Bashkirs than to civilized 
 people? The war is the cause of all this!" 
 
 " Yes, if my advice had been followed, these calamities 
 would never have befallen us," replied General von Kockeritz, 
 sighing; " we would have remained on terms ol friendship and 
 peace with the great man whom Heaven has sent to subjugate 
 the world, and resistance against whom is almost equivalent 
 to blasphemy. He frequently and magnanimously offered us 
 his friendship, but at that time more attention was paid 
 to the vain boastings of the lieutenants of the guard ; and 
 the rhodomontades of Prince Louis Ferdinand unfortunately 
 found an echo in the heart of the queen. The advice of older 
 and more prudent officers was disregarded, and the king, in 
 spite of himself, was dragged into this war, which we have 
 had to expiate by the defeats of Jena and Auerstadt, and by 
 the loss of so many fortresses and provinces. And who knows 
 what may be in store for us yet? Who knows what mischief 
 may yet threaten the crown and life of Frederick William !" 
 
 "Well," said General von Zastrow, with a sarcastic smile, 
 " it looks as though the fortune of war were now turning in 
 favor of the Russians. Think of the great victories which 
 the Russian General Benningsen has already won. Did not 
 twenty-four trumpeting postilions proclaim to us at Konigs- 
 berg, on new-year's-day, the Russian victory of Pultusk?"
 
 PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 193 
 
 " Yes, but those twenty-four postilions and that emphatic 
 announcement were the most brilliant parts of the victory," 
 said General von Kockeritz, shrugging his shoulders. " Ben- 
 ningsen was not defeated by Napoleon at Pultusk, but honor- 
 ably maintained his position on the battle-field that is what 
 the whole amounted to." 
 
 " Yes, but we are celebrating again a great and brilliant 
 triumph. On the 7th and 8th of February the Eussian Gen- 
 eral Benningsen and our General Lestocq claim to have 
 obtained another advantage over Napoleon and his marshals. 
 I suppose you are aware that Benningsen himself has arrived 
 here in order to communicate the news of the victory of Eylau 
 to the royal couple?" 
 
 "Yes, I know," said Kockeritz. "But I know also what 
 this new success really amounts to. The Russians are very 
 liberal in issuing victorious bulletins, and if they have not 
 been massacred in a battle to a man, the last ten survivors 
 shout invariably, 'Victory! We have won the battle!' That 
 of Eylau is even more problematic than that of Pultusk. 
 Pray tell me, who held the battle-field of Eylau?" 
 
 "Napoleon with his French, of course." 
 
 " And who retreated from Eylau toward Konigsberg?" 
 
 "General Benningsen with his Russians." 
 
 " And these Russians, nevertheless, are audacious enough to 
 claim a victory!" exclaimed General von Kockeritz. " These 
 fellows regard it such when Napoleon, instead of pressing them 
 on their retreat, remains where he is, and gives them time to 
 escape." 
 
 " They are in ecstasies, because they infer from this delay 
 of Napoleon, and from his unwonted inactivity, that he also 
 stands in need of repose and recreation," said General von 
 Zastrow. " The severe winter, bad quarters, hunger, and 
 thirst, have greatly exhausted the strength of the grand army, 
 and the lion would like to rest a little. For this reason and 
 now I come to the point concerning which I requested your 
 excellency to call on me for this reason, the great Napoleon 
 desires to make peace. The conqueror of Jena himself offers 
 it to the vanquished King of Prussia." 
 
 "What? Do you really think that to be true?" asked 
 General von Kockeritz. 
 
 " I do not only think, but know it to be true," said Zastrow. 
 " General Bertrand arrived here an hour ago, and called on 
 me with the request to present him to the king, that he might
 
 194 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 deliver him an autograph letter from the Emperor Napoleon. 
 I told the general that I should return his visit in half an 
 hour, and then conduct him to his majesty. I wished to 
 profit by this half hour, my dear friend, to confer with you 
 about this matter." 
 
 "And did General Bertrand inform you that Napoleon 
 would offer peace to our king?" 
 
 " Yes, your excellency. He communicated to me the con- 
 tents of the imperial letter. The lion of Jena magnanimously 
 offers once more to make peace." 
 
 " We must strain every nerve to induce the king to accept 
 these overtures," exclaimed Kockeritz, quickly. 
 
 " Your excellency is the only man sufficiently powerful to 
 induce the king to come to such a decision," said Zastrow. 
 " You must be so kind as to prove to him that to continue the 
 war with France is to bring about the ruin of Prussia. If he 
 does not accept the offer of Napoleon, he is ruined, for the 
 emperor would not forgive such obstinate hostility ; and, if 
 Prussia will not live with him on terms of friendship, he will 
 annihilate her in order to be done with her." 
 
 " I shall not threaten the king by laying too much stress on 
 the strength of his enemy," said Kockeritz, "for that would 
 wound the pride of his majesty, and provoke his sense of 
 honor to renewed resistance. But I shall call his attention to 
 the weakness and fickleness of Eussia, informing him that our 
 friends, the Kussians, are behaving in the most shameful 
 manner in those parts of Prussia which they are occupying, 
 and committing so many outrages that the inhabitants are 
 praying on their knees to God to grant victory to the French, 
 so that they might deliver them from the Kussians. I shall 
 tell him that the distress and the extortions the Prussian 
 farmers have to suffer at the hands of our allies are perfectly 
 incredible ; that the peasants in the villages have been stripped 
 of every thing, to such an extent that they beg the Cossacks, 
 who have robbed them of their provisions, for their daily 
 bread ; that many of them are dying of hunger, and that un- 
 buried corpses have been found in the houses of several vil- 
 lages now occupied by our troops. And, above all, I shall 
 beseech his majesty to repose no confidence in the Eussian 
 friendship ! Whatever the czar may say about his fidelity, he 
 has not the power of carrying his point, and all his resolutions 
 will be frustrated by the resistance of his generals and of his 
 brother. The Grand-Duke Constantine and the larger and
 
 PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 195 
 
 more powerful part of the Kussian nobility are anxious for 
 peace; and Constantine, whose views are shared by Benning- 
 sen, will leave no intrigues, no cabals untried in order to gain 
 the czar over to his opinion, and plunge him into difficulties 
 from which he will finally be able to extricate himself only by 
 making peace a peace concluded at the expense of Prussia. 
 Eussia and France will be reconciled over the corpse of Prus- 
 sia! Even now it is distinctly to be seen what we have to 
 expect from the czar's assistance. Our allies are doing noth- 
 ing really to help us, but whatever steps they are taking are 
 exclusively for their own safety. It is true, they advanced at 
 first, but only in order to prevent the French from approach- 
 ing their frontier. Since that time, however, in spite of the 
 battle of Pultusk, the Kussians have steadily retreated, 
 although the enemy did not compel them to do so. They 
 accomplished thus their own purpose, that is, to devastate a 
 province of Prussia, and protect themselves by this desert 
 from a French invasion." 
 
 "It is true," said General von Zastrow, "our friends are 
 ruining us by a mere semblance of aid. If they really were 
 honest and faithful allies, would they not strain every nerve 
 to preserve Dantzic to us? General Benningsen did promise 
 to succor the fortress and raise the siege, if Dantzic held on t 
 only two months longer. But what is he doing to redeem his 
 promise? Absolutely nothing! We reproached him with his 
 inrctivity, and he excused it by asserting that the army would 
 first have to be reenforced. He admits that the fall of that 
 seaport would be a great disaster, but refuses to do any thing 
 decisive for its safety. Therefore, if we do not give up the 
 equivocal friendship of the Russians if we do not now make 
 peace with France, Dantzic will be lost, and Colberg and 
 Graudenz will likewise fall, in spite of the efforts of their 
 heroic defenders, Schill and Colomb. Oh, I beg you induce 
 the king to accept the peace if the terms offered to him be not 
 utterly inadmissible. These Russians will never deliver us. 
 Suppose even another general than Benningsen, and better 
 disposed than he, should advance after his so-called victories 
 in the same manner as Benningsen is retreating now, he would 
 restore to us no state, only a desert. The king ought to be- 
 lieve us that they are utterly unwilling to render us assistance, 
 and that they only intend devastating our country in order to 
 protect themselves. Whatever the noble and generous Em- 
 peror Alexander may order, it is certain that nothing will be
 
 196 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 done. Even though we should protest and clamor against it 
 in the most heart-rending manner, we should be unable to 
 bring about a change." 
 
 " But should we succeed in convincing the king," said Gen- 
 eral von Kockeritz, " how are we to persuade the queen? Her 
 heart, otherwise so gentle and generous, is filled with hatred 
 against Napoleon, and she believes in the friendship of the 
 Russian emperor." 
 
 " Will you take it upon yourself, your excellency, to per- 
 suade the king to make peace with France?" 
 
 "I believe I shall be able to do it," said General von 
 Kockeritz, after a brief reflection. 
 
 " Well, for my part, I undertake to persuade the queen to 
 acquiesce, at least in silence, and not advocate so warmly the 
 alliance with Kussia." 
 
 " I should like to know by what charm you intend to ac- 
 complish such a miracle." 
 
 " By a very simple one, your excellency. I shall cause my 
 niece, the Countess von Truchsess, who is not merely lady of 
 honor, but also reader to the queen, to read to her majesty 
 the last numbers of the Berlin Telegraph, which I have just 
 received. This seems like a riddle, but it is not. That jour- 
 nal contains charges against the queen, which, it appears to 
 me, render it impossible for her to declare so loudly and pub- 
 licly in favor of a continued alliance with the Russian em- 
 peror. Her majesty, therefore, must be informed of the 
 contents of those articles; she must know in what sense pub- 
 lic opinion or, if you prefer, the wicked world is interpret- 
 ing her enthusiasm for the Russian alliance. She must learn 
 it this very hour, that, at this momentous crisis, she may not 
 try to stem the tide of events. We must tie her hands in 
 order to prevent her from destroying the work we are taking 
 so much pains to accomplish. While your excellency goes to 
 the king in order to take his heart by storm with your con- 
 vincing eloquence, and I am afterward conducting General 
 Bertrand to his majesty (to whom he will present the pacific 
 overtures and the autograph letter from Napoleon), my niece, 
 the Countess von Truchsess, will read to the queen the articles 
 published in the Telegraph, and if the king should really hes- 
 itate, and desire to hear the opinion of his wife, she, in her 
 just indignation, will assuredly not advocate his cause for 
 whose sake she has to bear the slanders of the public press." 
 
 " Heaven grant that you may be a true prophet, general !"
 
 THE SLANDEROUS ARTICLES. 197 
 
 said Kockeritz, heaving a sigh. " The queen, however, is so 
 magnanimous that she might even overlook her personal 
 wrongs, and the slanders heaped on her, if she thought the 
 welfare of the country was at stake. I believe she esteems the 
 honor of Prussia even higher than her own, and in case she 
 should believe the former to be endangered, would be willing 
 to sacrifice herself." 
 
 " I believe your excellency is mistaken, so far as that is 
 concerned," said General von Zastrow, smiling. " The wife 
 of Frederick William, aside from being a high-minded queen, 
 is a woman who has the utmost regard for her reputation and 
 virtue, and who, for the sake of her husband and children, 
 would not suffer a breath of suspicion upon her honor. Well, 
 we shall see whether you are right or not. It is high time 
 for us to go to work. As you have promised me your assist- 
 ance, I am quite hopeful, and believe we shall succeed in 
 restoring peace to poor tormented Prussia. Go, then, your 
 excellency, to perform your part; I will go to the Countess 
 von Truchsess, to bring her the newspapers, and then it will 
 be high time to conduct General Bertrand to the king. 
 Well, Heaven bless us all, and cause Prussia to make peace at 
 last with the Corsican lion!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE SLANDEROUS ARTICLES. 
 
 QUEEN LOUISA was in her cabinet, engaged in reading the 
 letters and journals brought by the courier, who had just ar- 
 rived from Berlin. She glanced hastily over the papers, and 
 then turned to the letters that lay unopened before her. On 
 the other side of the small table, standing in front of the 
 divan, sat the young Countess von Truchsess, who was occu- 
 pied in arranging the journals. The queen meantime was 
 reading her letters ; during the perusal her features lighted 
 up more and more, and a delicate blush mantled her pale 
 cheeks. 
 
 Louisa had but just recovered from a severe and dangerous 
 illness, which had attacked her soon after her arrival at 
 Konigsberg. The suffering which her courageous soul was 
 enduring with so much constancy and heroism had under- 
 mined her body ; weaker than her mind, it had succumbed to
 
 198 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the burden of her grief. A nervous fever had confined her to 
 her bed for weeks; it had afforded her at least some con- 
 solation by rendering her unconscious of misfortune, and 
 causing her, in her delirious moments, to live again through 
 the joyful days of the past. While she was dreaming and be- 
 lieving herself happy in the splendors of a former life, real 
 and fearful disasters had befallen her cause. She had not 
 learned that the French were approaching nearer to Konigs- 
 berg, and that the unfortunate royal family were no longer 
 safe there. She had not been conscious in her fever that she 
 had been lifted from her couch into the travelling-coach, to 
 be conveyed to Memel that her carriage had been trans- 
 formed into a sick-bed, and that she had lain on the cushions 
 with burning cheeks, singing sweet lullabies, and rejoicing in 
 her fancied happiness. 
 
 But at length her fever subsided, and consciousness re- 
 turned. All the mournful news which during her illness had 
 been concealed from her, overwhelmed her as soon as she re- 
 covered, and for this reason her health had improved but very 
 slowly. At this hour, as we have said, the blush had re- 
 turned to her cheeks, and her eyes were beaming again with 
 the fire of former days. The letters gave a glimmer of hope 
 to her soul. They told her of the brave defenders of the for- 
 tresses that had not surrendered, and of heroic Ferdinand von 
 Schill, who, with his soldiers, was doing so much injury to 
 the enemy, and who had succeeded in capturing one of the 
 commanding generals of the besieging army, Marshal Victor. 
 They told her of Graudenz, the commander of which had 
 sworn to be buried under the ruins of that fortress rather than 
 open its gates to the enemy ; they told her also of Dantzic, 
 which was still courageously holding out and hoping for the 
 succor the Eussians had promised. And these letters con- 
 tained still other hopeful news: that Berlin, which, according 
 to former statements, was said to have already submitted to 
 Napoleon, was bowing very reluctantly to the behests of the 
 autocrat, and still waiting for the hour of deliverance. 
 
 " Oh, I knew well enough," said the queen, laying aside the 
 last of her letters, " I knew well enough that the inhabitants 
 of Berlin are affectionately devoted to us. I never doubted 
 their constancy, and how should I? Those whom you meet 
 with a heart full of love are compelled, as it were, to return 
 your love. The king and I always loved Berlin, and always 
 counted on its fealty. I am glad, therefore, to hear that our
 
 THE SLANDEROUS ARTICLES. 199 
 
 hopes will be fulfilled one day! It is still a dark, stormy 
 night, but daylight will come the rising sun will dispel the 
 storm and scatter the darkness. You shake your head, 
 Countess Truchsess? You do not believe in my prophecies?" 
 
 " I do not believe in the fidelity of the inhabitants of Ber- 
 lin, your majesty," sighed the countess, " they are a frivolous, 
 fickle people, who revile those to-day whom they admired but 
 yesterday." 
 
 "Oh!" exclaimed the queen, sinking back upon the sofa, 
 " the throbbing of my heart tells me that you have to com- 
 municate bad news! What is it?" 
 
 "No, most gracious queen, command me rather to be 
 silent," said the lady of honor, imploringly. " Your majesty 
 looks so pale that 1 am afraid any excitement would injure 
 your weak nerves. You need repose and ought not to be 
 irritated; besides, what does your majesty care for the 
 slanders of the populace? Such arrows recoil from the 
 pure." 
 
 "Ah," said the queen, with a faint smile, "you are dealing 
 with me as did Eobert the hunter with the count in Schiller's 
 *Walk to the Forge.' You are stimulating my curiosity by 
 mysterious words you are talking about slanders, and yet you 
 do not tell me what they are." 
 
 " Only with the difference, your majesty, that Robert the 
 hunter told falsehoods, which he himself had invented, while 
 I alluded only to those of others, and despise them from the 
 bottom of my heart." 
 
 "Then you mean to say that I have been slandered," ex- 
 claimed the queen, in a low. voice. " Tell me, countess, what 
 did your friends write to you? What stories have been dis- 
 seminated? I desire to know!" 
 
 " Gracious queen, my friends did not write any thing on 
 the subject. I saw only what, unfortunately, thousands have 
 already seen." 
 
 "What did you see?" said the queen, angrily. "What do 
 you refer to? Do not speak any longer in riddles, if you 
 please." 
 
 " Your majesty, I have glanced at the pamphlets and jour- 
 nals lying there, and request you not to insist to-day on my 
 reading to you the articles contained in them." 
 
 "Ah, that is it!" exclaimed Louisa, laying both her hands 
 on the periodicals which the countess seemingly wished to 
 withhold from her. " These contain the slanders. I must
 
 200 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 know what they are. Read them to me, countess." And the 
 queen folded her arms with a resolute air. 
 
 " Have mercy on me, your majesty ! I am really afraid 
 my lips cannot easily recite those vile lines, and your majesty, 
 besides, will be angry with me for complying." 
 
 "No, no," exclaimed the queen, impatiently, "I am not 
 angry with you. You only did your duty in calling my 
 attention to these things, and having taken upon yourself the 
 task of being my reader, perform it now ! What pamphlets 
 are those sent to us?" 
 
 "Your majesty," said the countess, in an embarrassed tone 
 of voice, " there is, first, a pamphlet enitled 'A True Account 
 of the Interview of the Emperor Alexander with the King of 
 Prussia at the Grave of Frederick the Great. ' ' 
 
 "Read it," replied the queen, dryly, "it is always good to 
 listen to the true account of events in which we have taken 
 part." And without uttering a word without even a frown, 
 she listened to the comments on the scene at the grave of 
 Frederick. They were malicious and scornful, representing 
 it as a farce. 
 
 " Well," said the queen, when the countess had finished, " if 
 that is the worst, I feel at ease again. We must submit to 
 abuse, and I sincerely pardon all those who expose me to the 
 derision of the world by depicting me as a martial Joan of 
 Arc. It has not been permitted me to live quietly in the 
 shade of domestic happiness. A queen stands alone on a 
 summit; she is seen and watched by every one, and it is, 
 therefore, but natural that she should be hated and abused 
 more relentlessly than other women, particularly if she be 
 unhappy. For sovereigns are never pardoned, although they 
 are subject to human failings, and their misfortunes are 
 always regarded as their own faults. Let the malicious, 
 therefore, deride us as much as they please; the good will 
 only love and respect us the more. Proceed, countess! What 
 else did we receive?" 
 
 " Nothing, your majesty, but a few numbers of the Tele- 
 graph." 
 
 "Ah, read them," exclaimed the queen. "I know that 
 journal will not slander me. Its editor, Professor Lange, is a 
 patriot, and, for this reason, I had promised to lend him the 
 portrait of the king which I am wearing in a locket, that he 
 might give his readers a good likeness of their beloved mon- 
 arch. The disastrous events of the war, and my departure
 
 THE SLANDEROUS ARTICLES. 201 
 
 from Berlin, prevented me from fulfilling my promise. But 
 there will be better times for us, perhaps, and I shall then be 
 able to reward all those who remain faithful to us." 
 
 " And I hope your majesty will also be able to punish those 
 who prove treacherous," exclaimed the countess, vehemently. 
 
 The queen shook her head. "No, "she said, " those who 
 wrong me I will pardon, and those who are faithless I will 
 leave to their own conscience. Now, countess, read to me the 
 articles of the Telegraph." 
 
 "Does your majesty command me?" 
 
 "I do!" 
 
 The countess took one of the sheets and read in a tremulous 
 voice: "'A reliable account of the reasons why the queen 
 compelled her husband, in spite of his reluctance, to conclude 
 an alliance with the Emperor of Russia, and why she herself 
 entered into a love-affair with Alexander of Eussia ' ' 
 
 Louisa started, and a deathly pallor covered her face like a 
 veil. 
 
 " Oh, my queen!" exclaimed the countess, imploringly, " do 
 not insist on my reading any further. I have not courage to 
 do so." 
 
 " If I have courage enough to listen, you must have courage 
 enough to read," said the queen, almost harshly. "Read I 
 command you." 
 
 And the countess, in a low and tremulous voice, read the 
 disgraceful charge preferred by that journal, which accused 
 the queen of loving the Emperor Alexander in the most 
 passionate manner. "Queen Louisa," said the editor, "was 
 in favor of the alliance with Russia, because her heart had 
 concluded an alliance with the handsome emperor, and she 
 met with her 'fine-looking' friend for the last time in 
 the presence of her husband at the grave of Frederick 
 the Great. The alliance of their hearts was sealed there by a 
 glowing kiss, which Alexander imprinted on the lips of 
 Louisa." 
 
 The queen uttered a cry, and sprang up like an angry 
 lioness. "That is not true that cannot be in the paper!" 
 she cried, almost beside herself. 
 
 The lady of honor silently handed her the paper. Louisa 
 seized it, but she trembled so violently that she was hardly 
 able to decipher the characters. She at last read the slander- 
 ous article herself. Heart-rending groans escaped her, and a 
 strange twitching and quivering distorted her features. " It
 
 202 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 is indeed true, I have been wickedly reviled!" she exclaimed, 
 throwing the paper aside. " My enemies will rob me of the 
 only thing remaining my honor my good name. They de- 
 sire to expose me to the scorn of the world. Oh, this disgrace 
 is more shocking than all my other sufferings. It will kill 
 me!" She covered her face with her hands and wept 
 piteously. The tears trickled between her fingers, and fell on 
 her black dress as if adorning it with diamonds. 
 
 The Countess von Truchsess was touched by the queen's 
 grief. She softly gathered up the other papers, and was about 
 to leave the room, but the noise of her footsteps aroused 
 Louisa from the stupor of her despair. She quickly dropped 
 her hands from her face and dried her tears. "Stay here," 
 she said ; " read the remainder. I want to hear it all." And 
 as the lady of honor remonstrated against this order as she 
 implored the queen to spare herself, and to close her ears 
 against such slanders, Louisa said, gravely and imperiously: 
 "" I want to know it all ! Unknown terrors are even worse 
 than those which we do know. Read!" 
 
 The countess, therefore, was obliged to read. The remain- 
 ing numbers of the journal repeated the same charge. They 
 stated, though in different words, that the queen alone was in 
 favor of the alliance with Russia; that the king would be 
 quite willing to make peace with France, but that his wife 
 would never permit it, because she was passionately enamoured 
 of the emperor of Russia, and maintained a tender liaison 
 with him. The queen listened as immovable and cold as a 
 statue ; her whole vitality seemed suspended ; she then pressed 
 her right hand firmly against her heart ; with her left she 
 clung convulsively to the back of the sofa, on which she was 
 sitting, as though she wished to prevent herself from falling. 
 Her eyes stared wildly, as if strange and fearful visions passed 
 before them. Thus she sat, long after the countess had 
 paused, an image of grief and horror. The lady of honor 
 dared not interrupt her ; but clasping her hands, and weeping 
 softly, she gazed at the queen, who, in her grief -stricken 
 beauty, seemed to her a martyr. Nothing was heard but the 
 monotonous ticking of the clock, and, at times, a low whis- 
 tling of the canary-bird, in its gilt cage at the window. 
 
 But suddenly Louisa seemed to awake from her stupor ; a 
 tremor pervaded her whole frame ; the flash of life and con- 
 sciousness returned to her eyes. "That is his work," she 
 muttered; "this attack comes from him from my mortal
 
 THE SLANDEROUS ARTICLES. 203 
 
 enemy. It is Napoleon who has aimed this poisoned arrow at 
 my heart, because he knew that nothing could hurt me and 
 my husband more fatally than this dreadful calumny." And 
 uttering a loud cry of despair, and wringing her hands, she 
 exclaimed : " Oh, my God, what did I do, to deserve so terri- 
 ble a disgrace! What did my husband do that he should be 
 thus exposed to the relentless malice of his foe? Was not the 
 measure of our wretchedness full? Could not that cruel man, 
 who calls himself Emperor of the French, content himself 
 with hurling us into the dust, and with robbing my husband 
 of his states? Is the honor of his wife also to be sac- 
 rificed?" 
 
 A flood of tears burst from her eyes, and lifting up her arms 
 to heaven, she cried: "My God, why didst Thou desert me! 
 Have mercy on me, and send death to me, that I may conceal my 
 reviled head in the grave ! I am accused of an ignominious, 
 sinful love, although I love no one on earth but my husband 
 and my children ! And a German pen was bought to write 
 that slander German eyes did not shrink from reading it, 
 and German men and women permitted it to be repeated in 
 this journal time and again ! They did not feel that they 
 were disgraced and reviled in my person that all Germany 
 was calumniated ! For, in my grief as well as in my love, I 
 am the representative of Germany, and to insult me is to in- 
 sult all German wives and mothers. Woe to you, Napoleon, 
 for stooping to such an outrage! I pardon your attempts to 
 rob me of my crown, but so long as I breathe, I will not for- 
 give your attacks upon my honor!" 
 
 She rose slowly and proudly, and lifted her arms and eyes 
 as if to utter a solemn imprecation. "Woe to you, Na- 
 poleon!" she cried, in a loud, ringing voice, "woe to you that 
 you did not respect the innocence of the wife, and had no 
 mercy on the honor of a mother ! The tears which I am shed- 
 ding at this hour will one day fall like burning coals on your 
 heart, and for this torment I am now enduring I shall call you to 
 account above ! You think you are master of the earth, and, 
 like fate itself, can dispose of empires; but you will be 
 crushed at last you will one day feel that you are only a 
 weak creature only dust, like all of us. You will yet sink 
 down in your affliction, and cry for mercy. Let me live to 
 see that day, my God: then my tears will be avenged!" 
 
 She paused, her eyes still directed toward heaven, her whole 
 appearance breathing a sublime enthusiasm. She looked like 
 14
 
 204 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 H prophetess with her beaming face and uplifted arms. But 
 after a while her arms dropped, her eyes turned to earth 
 again, and the inspired prophetess was once more transformed 
 into the unhappy woman, who feared she would die beneath 
 the burden of her grief. She burst again into tears, and re- 
 peated again and again that terrible accusation, although 
 every word of it struck her heart like a dagger. Gradually, 
 however, the reviled woman, conscious of her innocence, be- 
 came the proud and pure queen! With quiet dignity she 
 stretched out her hand toward the countess, who rushed to 
 her, pressed her lips on the royal hand, and sobbing asked to 
 be forgiven. 
 
 "I have nothing to forgive," said Louisa, with a faint 
 smile. " I know your intentions were good. Oh, believe me, 
 during hours of great affliction the soul sees and comprehends 
 many things that were hitherto concealed from it. Thus I 
 understood in the outburst of my despair why all this had 
 occurred, and why I had to undergo all these sufferings. Na- 
 poleon's poisoned arrow might have fallen powerless at my 
 feet, if your uncle had not instructed you to pick it up and 
 make me feel it. Hush ! Do not utter a word of apology '. 
 Your uncle, General von Zastrow, is a patriot in his way, and 
 intended to teach me by your intervention how to become a 
 good patriot in his sense that is to say, to hate Russia, and 
 to turn away from this alliance, for the sake of which I have 
 been insulted. It was policy that induced the Emperor Na- 
 poleon to invent these calumnies, and it was policy again that 
 induced your uncle to have you communicate them to me. 
 This is a consolation ; for, as it is, I am suffering only for the 
 sake of my people, and you made me a martyr of the German 
 cause. But I will bear all without complaining, however 
 painful it may be; I do not wish it to cease if the welfare and 
 happiness of Prussia should be delayed thereby but a single 
 hour. I shall not ask the king to break off the alliance with 
 Russia. Queen Louisa yesterday believed an alliance with 
 Russia to be necessary and advantageous to the welfare and 
 honor of Prussia; she will not change her mind to-day be- 
 cause Louisa, the woman, is charged with a dishonorable love 
 for the Emperor of Russia. The woman may die of this cal- 
 umny, but dying she will still be a queen, and say, 'I die for 
 my country, and for my people ! May my death be advan- 
 tageous to Prussia!' Go to your uncle, countess, and tell him 
 so ! And now give me the numbers of the journal, and the
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 205 
 
 pamphlet too; I will take them to the king. My fate, as well 
 as that of Prussia, is in his hands. He alone can absolve me 
 from the charge preferred against me. Give me the papers!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 THE king sat at his desk, assiduously engaged in writing, 
 when the door opened, and the queen entered. Her whole 
 bearing breathed an unwonted, solemn earnestness; her head 
 was proudly erect, her cheeks pale, and a melancholy smile 
 was playing on her lips. In her left hand she held a roll of 
 papers. The king rose hastily to meet his wife with a kindly 
 greeting. Louisa gave him her right hand, and laid her head 
 for a moment on his shoulder. Looking into her husband's 
 face with a sweet, touching expression, " Do you love me, 
 Frederick?" she asked in so low and gentle a voice that he 
 scarcely heard it. Frederick William smiled, and, instead of 
 replying to her, imprinted a kiss on her fair brow. 
 
 " Do you believe in me?" said Louisa. " Oh, my lord and 
 king, I implore you by every thing that is sacred by the 
 memory of our children tell me, sincerely and frankly, as if 
 standing before God, do you believe in me? Do you believe 
 in my love in my virtue?" 
 
 "Louisa," exclaimed the king, indignantly and almost 
 aghast, " this question is too grave to be a jest, and too ludi- 
 crous to be grave." 
 
 " And yet I am in earnest," exclaimed the queen, in an out- 
 burst of excitement, which she was no longer able to restrain. 
 " Look at these papers, Frederick. They contain a terrible 
 charge against your wife the mother of your children the 
 queen of our people. They accuse the wife of a disgraceful 
 liaison, and the queen of the most infamous selfishness. 
 Frederick, they charge me with loving the Emperor Alexan- 
 der, and with having induced you, for the purpose of grat- 
 ifying this passion, to enter into the alliance with Russia. 
 Now, you know the disgrace weighing me down, of which 
 all Germany is aware by this time, and in which the malicious 
 and evil-disposed will surely believe, even though the virtu- 
 ous and compassionate may refuse to credit it Read these
 
 206 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 papers, my husband ; read them in my presence, and if your 
 features express but a shadow of doubt if you fix your eyes 
 but for a moment on me with an uncertain expression let 
 me die, and hide my head in the grave!" 
 
 She offered the papers to the king, but Frederick William 
 only glanced at them, and then laying them on the table, took 
 from one of its drawers other papers. " See, Louisa," he said 
 in his blunt, dry manner, " these are the same numbers of the 
 Telegraph; I have already had them for a week, and read 
 every word of them." 
 
 The queen unfolded them. " It is true," she said, shudder- 
 ing; " they are the same papers; I read there again the terri- 
 ble words, 'Queen Louisa insists on continuing the alliance 
 with Eussia, only because her heart has formed an alliance 
 with the fine-looking Emperor Alexander, and because she 
 is passionately enamoured of him.' Oh, my husband, these 
 words have engraved themselves as a stigma on my forehead, 
 and should your eyes behold it also, let me expunge it by 
 sacrificing my life. Tell me the truth, Frederick ! Have I 
 deserved it have I ever sinned by a word nay, by a look ? 
 I have often thought and said, that there is a vestige of truth 
 at the bottom of every rumor that it may be greatly exagger- 
 ated, but cannot be entirely false. Is there any foundation 
 whatever for this slander? Consider well, my husband, and 
 if you should find that I have sinned by a gesture, by a smile, 
 banish me from your presence. Tell me that I am unworthy 
 of being called your wife ; tear the bonds of friendship that 
 unite you with the Emperor Alexander, and oppose him as an 
 enemy, menacing and demanding satisfaction. There must 
 be no stain on your honor, and if you believe the statements 
 of these papers, show to the world that you will punish the 
 faithless wife and spurn the treacherous friend!" 
 
 The king put his hands on the glowing cheeks of his wife, 
 and, raising her head, gazed at her with a long and tender 
 look. " Your friends had no mercy on you, then?" he asked. 
 " They had to inform you pitilessly of what I wished so 
 anxiously to conceal from you? I would willingly have cut 
 off my right hand if I could have expunged with the blood 
 trickling from the wound those lies from the public mind. 
 But the world has now as little mercy on us as fate. Afflic- 
 tion has hitherto surrounded your beauty with the glory of a 
 martyr ; but mean men have been instigated to make you a 
 penitent sinner a Magdalen of the martyr."
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 207 
 
 " My beloved Frederick," cried the queen, "you evade my 
 question ; you do not reply to me ! Tell me the truth. Do= 
 you believe in me? Or do you deem me guilty?" 
 
 At this moment a low rap at the door interrupted them. 
 The king listened, and then turned smilingly to his wife. 
 " It is Minister von Zastrow, who comes with General Ber- 
 trand," he said. " I have granted an audience to the French- 
 man at this hour, to receive the letter and the peace offers of 
 Napoleon. He is proposing to me an alliance with France, 
 and he, as well as his adherents here, I suppose, count on my 
 having read those papers, knowing in what sense malicious, 
 men are interpreting our alliance with Russia. The reply that. 
 I shall make to Napoleon's envoy will be also a reply to your 
 question; hence you shall hear it, Louisa. Enter my cabi- 
 net ; the portiere will conceal you from the eyes of my visitors, 
 while you will hear every thing that is said. " He took the 
 queen's arm and conducted her quickly into the adjoining 
 room ; hastily rolled an easy-chair toward the door, and re- 
 quested her by a wave of his hand to sit down on it. He then 
 lowered the thick velvet portiere, and, taking leave of his wife 
 with a smile, returned to his room. 
 
 Louisa gazed after him. "Oh," she whispered, "how 
 could I deceive and betray him? him whom I love as the 
 cause of all my happiness, and who has rendered my life sacred 
 and glorious! Oh, my husband and my children! my con- 
 science is clear, and accuses me of no guilt ! Will you believe 
 it, Frederick? Will those infamous slanders not leave a ves- 
 tige of mistrust in your mind ? But hush, hush ! the envoy 
 is there already ! I will listen to what the king replies to him. " 
 She bent her head closer, and her large blue eyes with their 
 searching glances seemed to pierce the heavy velvet, so that she 
 might not only hear but see what was going on in the room. 
 
 In obedience to a sign made by the king, the door of the 
 anteroom had opened, and General Bertrand, accompanied by- 
 General von Zastrow, entered. The king, standing in the 
 middle of the room, returned the deep, respectful obeisances 
 of the two gentlemen by a careless nod, and fixed his quiet 
 eyes searchingly on the French general. 
 
 "Sire," said General von Zastrow, in a loud and solemn 
 voice, " General Bertrand, adjutant of his majesty the Em- 
 peror Napoleon, in accordance with the gracious leave of your 
 majesty, has appeared here in order to deliver to you an au- 
 tograph letter from his imperial master. "
 
 208 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " I am glad to see General Bertrand, and to make his ac- 
 quaintance," said Frederick William, composedly; "I like 
 the brave ; and not merely the French army, but all men, 
 know you to be a brave officer." 
 
 General Bertrand blushed. " Ah, sire," he said, " if I have 
 not deserved this praise hitherto, your royal and kindly words 
 will stimulate me in the future to strive with unflagging 
 zeal to become worthy of it. I deem myself happy because 
 my august master the emperor selected me to be the bearer 
 of his letter and of his proposition, for he thereby enables me 
 to do homage to the noblest and best of kings to the exalted 
 sovereign who bears prosperity and adversity with equal dig- 
 nity. Your majesty will permit me to deliver the letter of 
 my emperor into your hands. " He approached the king, and, 
 presenting to him the large letter to which the imperial seal 
 had been affixed, reverentially bent his knee. 
 
 "Oh, no," said Frederick William, quickly, "a brave sol- 
 dier must not humble himself in this manner; rise, general!" 
 
 General Bertrand rose, holding the imperial letter still in 
 his hands, for the king had not yet taken it. Looking at 
 him inquiringly, " Sire," he said, " may I request your majesty 
 to receive the letter of my emperor?" 
 
 "Ah, I forgot," exclaimed the king. "You are the bearer 
 of a letter the Emperor Napoleon has addressed to me. Let 
 me confess my want of skill: I am unable to read your 
 emperor's handwriting very rapidly, and it is disagreeable 
 slowly to decipher such a letter. Moreover, what the emperor 
 has to say to me will, doubtless, sound better when uttered by 
 your lips, than in the black words on the paper. I, therefore, 
 request you to read it to me." 
 
 "Sire," exclaimed General Bertrand, "I shall not dare to 
 break the seal of a letter addressed to your majesty, and not 
 to me." 
 
 "Oh, you may do so," said the king, "I permit you to 
 break the seal. What the Emperor Napoleon and I have to 
 write to each other need not be sealed. Everybody may know 
 it. And, I suppose his letters will be only a sort of contin- 
 uation of the bulletins he issued in Potsdam and Berlin. 
 Such bulletins and letters belong to the world and history, 
 which will judge them." 
 
 "Oh," whispered the queen, who had heard every word, 
 " oh, why cannot I see him in his proud calmness and dignity, 
 and thank him for his noble words!" She seized the portiere
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 209 
 
 with her slender fingers and pushed it aside n, little, so as to 
 be able to see what was going on in the otner room. The 
 king, perhaps, had noticed the slight rustling, for ho glanced 
 quickly at the curtain ; it opened immediately, the ttoble and 
 beautiful face of the queen appeared ; she nodded with radiant 
 eyes a smiling greeting to her husband, and kissed her hand 
 to him ; her head then disappeared from the aperture, and the 
 folds of dark velvet closed again. General Bertrand and 
 General von Zastrow had seen nothing. Both stood with 
 their backs toward the door, and respect prevented them from 
 looking around toward the slight noise that reached their ears 
 for a moment. 
 
 A smile illuminated the king's face. " Well," he asked, 
 almost jestingly, turning to General Bertrand, " you have not 
 broken the seal yet? Do so, for you ought to understand that 
 I am anxious to hear the contents of this letter." 
 
 "Sire, inasmuch as you command me, I obey," said Ber- 
 trand. With a quick pressure of his hand he broke the seal 
 and opened the letter. 
 
 "Now let me hear it," said the king, gliding slowly 
 and carelessly into the easy-chair standing at the side of the 
 desk. "There are two chairs; take seats, gentlemen!" 
 
 " Your majesty will permit me to stand. My master the 
 emperor is not accustomed to have his letters read in another 
 position." 
 
 " Yes, he may require his subjects to pay to him the defer- 
 ence of standing when one of his letters is being read," said 
 the king. " You may stand, therefore, if you please. Gen- 
 eral von Zastrow, sit down." The king said this in so stern 
 and imperious a tone that General von Zastrow felt resistance 
 impossible, and that he would have to obey the king's order. 
 He took a chair in silence, inwardly aghast at this disrespectful 
 breach of etiquette. 
 
 " Read," said the king, dryly. General Bertrand unfolded 
 the letter and read as follows : 
 
 " Your majesty will receive this letter at the hands of my 
 Adjutant-General Bertrand, who enjoys my friendship. I, 
 therefore, request you to repose entire confidence in every 
 thing that he says, and I flatter myself that his mission will 
 be agreeable to you. 
 
 " Bertrand will communicate to your majesty my views 
 about the present state of your affairs. I desire to set bounds 
 to the misfortunes of your family, and to organize, as soon as
 
 210 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 possible, the Prussian monarchy, whose mediating power is 
 necessary for the tranquillity of Europe. 
 
 " Bertrand will also communicate to you the easiest and 
 quickest way in which this can be brought about, and I hope 
 your majesty will let me know that you have taken the step 
 which will accomplish this purpose in the best manner, and 
 which, at the same time, will agree with the welfare of your 
 subjects; that is to say, that you accept the peace which I am 
 offering to you. At all events, I beg your majesty to feel 
 convinced that I am sincerely disposed to resume our former 
 relations, and that I also wish to come to an understanding 
 with Russia and England, provided these powers should be 
 animated with the same desire. I should detest myself if I 
 were to be the cause of so much bloodshed. But how can I 
 help it? The conclusion of peace is therefore in the hands 
 of your majesty, and it would be the happiest day of my life 
 if you accept my present propositions. 
 
 "NAPOLEON." 
 
 " You have to make oral explanations to this letter of your 
 emperor?" asked the king, when Bertrand paused. 
 
 " Yes, sire, my master the emperor intrusted me with 
 further communications to you," said Bertrand. "But, in 
 the first place, I beg leave of your majesty to deliver the im- 
 perial letter into your hands." He approached the king and 
 presented tha paper to him with a respectful bow. 
 
 The king did not take it, but pointed to his desk. " Lay 
 it there," he said, carelessly. " The purpose of this letter is 
 accomplished; I know its contents, and that is all I care 
 about. And now, general, communicate to me as briefly as 
 possible the verbal commissions with which the emperor has 
 intrusted you." 
 
 " Sire, his majesty the emperor authorized me to repeat to 
 you that it was his liveliest wish to resume his former amicable 
 relations with Prussia, and that he would shrink from no sac- 
 rifice to effect it. The emperor longs for nothing more 
 ardently than to restore your states to your majesty, and to 
 conduct you back to your capital." 
 
 "As his vassal?" asked the king, smiling sarcastically. 
 
 "No, sire, as a free and independent king." 
 
 " Not as Napoleon's ally, then?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, as the emperor's ally, but as free and independent 
 as he is himself. It is true, the emperor hopes and wishes 
 that Prussia will be friendly toward France ; he relies on your
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 211 
 
 majesty's assistance in his struggle with Russia, which, in 
 that case, will soon bow to the united will of France and 
 Prussia, and be compelled to accept a treaty of peace. In 
 return, the emperor will surrender to the just wishes of your 
 majesty seditious Poland, which, as the emperor has become 
 satisfied, is unable to bear an independent existence. The 
 rebellious provinces of Prussian Poland shall speedily be 
 compelled to yield unconditional obedience to the Prussian 
 sceptre, and your country shall occupy once more the position 
 due to her in the council of European nations. It will be 
 unnecessary for her to make for this purpose any sacrifices to 
 the friends and allies of France ; all her fortresses and prov- 
 inces shall be fully restored, and so soon as the treaty of peace 
 will have been definitively concluded, the French troops will 
 evacuate the Prussian territory." 
 
 While General Bertrand was speaking, the face of Minister 
 von Zastrow had brightened, and was now really radiant with 
 joy. Animated by the cheering words of the Frenchman, he 
 rose from his seat, and looked at the king with clasped hands 
 and imploring eyes. But the countenance of Frederick Will- 
 iam remained impenetrable and cold; not the slightest ex- 
 pression of joy or gratification was to be read in it. 
 
 "Are you done, general?" asked the king, after a pause. 
 
 " Yes, sire. I am waiting for your majesty's reply." 
 
 "This reply will be brief and decisive," exclaimed Fred- 
 erick William, loudly, rising slowly and with truly royal dig- 
 nity. " I will not accept this alliance and this peace!" 
 
 "Your majesty," said General von Zastrow, in dismay, for- 
 getful of the requirements of etiquette, " your majesty, that 
 is impossible! You cannot be in earnest; I beseech you first 
 to hear the opinion of your ministers, and to consult a cabi- 
 net council." 
 
 "Silence!" said the king, indignantly; "the only voices 
 that I ought to consult with regard to this question are not 
 those of my ministers, but those of my conscience and honor. 
 It behooves the king alone to decide upon war or peace. I 
 repeat, therefore, I will not accept this peace nor enter into 
 the alliance offered under such circumstances. I might con- 
 tent myself with this declaration, but I shall tell you the 
 reasons of my refusal that you may repeat them to your em- 
 peror. I cannot accept, for it would be a defeat and disgrace 
 more humiliating than the loss of a battle. What, sir! I 
 am to receive by the grace and Ion plaisir of your emperor
 
 212 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 the gift of a position to which I am entitled by my births 
 The Emperor Napoleon condescends to restore my states after 
 forcibly expelling me from them ! If I were to accept this 
 offer, I should thereby condemn myself; and this war, into 
 which I entered so reluctantly, because I foresaw its disastrous 
 consequences, would be nothing but a reckless adventure, 
 abandoned by myself because unsuccessful. If I allowed Na- 
 poleon to reinstate me in my rights, what would I be but his 
 vassal? Not a king by the grace of God, but a king by the 
 grace of Napoleon not the ruler of a free and independent 
 German state, but the governor of a French province the 
 despised oppressor of an enslaved people, robbed of their honor, 
 independence, and nationality. Now, I commenced this war 
 for the sake of my own honor and that of my people. I com- 
 menced it to set bounds to French cupidity and thirst for 
 conquest; to preserve to Germany her German and to Prussia 
 her Prussian character, and to drive back the Confederation 
 of the Khine beyond the frontier of the Rhine. The fortune 
 of war has not sustained me in these efforts, and victory 
 perched upon the eagles of France. But the Prussian eagle 
 is not yet dead ; he may still hope to rise again, and, endowed 
 with renewed vigor, reconquer what belongs to him. What 
 was taken by the sword can be reconquered only by the sword. 
 My honor, as well as that of my army and people, was wounded 
 on the battle-fields of Jena and Auerstadt; it cannot be healed 
 by the balm of Napoleon's grace; it can only be redeemed by 
 blood!" 
 
 " Sire, I beseech you, do not allow yourself to be carried 
 away by the ardor of your heroism," exclaimed General Ber- 
 trand, feelingly. " Remember that after the rejection of this 
 peace the Emperor Napoleon will be a relentless enemy of 
 yours, and leave nothing undone in order to annihilate Prus- 
 sia. Your majesty ought also to take into consideration that 
 you lack an army that your forces have been dispersed, and 
 that your fortresses have surrendered." 
 
 "Colberg and Graudenz are still holding out," exclaimed 
 the king, "and so is Dantzic." 
 
 " Sire, if you reject this peace, the first step of the emperor 
 will be to take Dantzic by assault," said General Bertrand. 
 
 " Your majesty, have mercy on Dantzic," exclaimed General 
 von Zastrow, imploringly ; " have mercy on your blockaded 
 fortresses on your poor distressed subjects ! So soon as your 
 majesty accepts this peace, the Emperor Napoleon intends
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 213 
 
 withdrawing all the French troops from Prussian territory. 
 Oh, pray take into consideration how dreadfully your people 
 have suffered by the heavy contributions, and the enormous 
 supplies to the troops! Eemember that they are overwhelmed 
 with wretchedness, and are kneeling and crying to God and 
 to their king to restore peace." 
 
 " my God," murmured the queen, " inspire him with the 
 true decision, and grant that he may perceive and choose what 
 is right!" She knelt down behind the curtain as if to hear 
 better the king's words, that to her were the words of God. 
 The king did not seem to notice his minister's supplication ; 
 his eyes glanced at him coldly and disdainfully, and were then 
 fixed gravely on the face of the French general. 
 
 " I am not quite done with my reply to your propositions," 
 he said. " I have told you the reasons why I cannot accept 
 peace. It only remains to explain why, though the terms 
 were honorable, I could and would not be allowed to enter 
 into this alliance. By virtue of it I should be obliged to es- 
 pouse the cause of France against her enemies, and to wage 
 war against Eussia, my ally. I am to violate the only sure 
 compact remaining to me in order to become a mere cipher in 
 the hands of Napoleon! I am to betray him who has been 
 faithful to me ! The Emperor of Kussia is my personal friend. 
 At the grave of Frederick the Great I swore with him to 
 maintain the alliance of both our hearts and our states, and 
 no other voice induced me to take this step but my inclina- 
 tion, my policy, and my reason. The Emperor of Russia. 
 true to our mutual oath, renewed his protestations of friend 
 ship in the hour of danger, and his army is ready to uphold 
 our common cause. If, now that France is offering peace to 
 me at the expense of Russia, I were to accept it, I should 
 commit a perfidious act, and, as a Prussian soldier, as a friend 
 of the Emperor Alexander, I must decidedly reject any idea of 
 such a desertion. A German keeps his word, and does not 
 trifle with treaties he has sworn to. German fealty has not 
 yet become an empty sound, and France will be obliged to 
 admit that she is struggling with an adversary who does not 
 sell his honor for provinces or for money. Now you know all 
 I had to communicate. Tell Napoleon that intrigues and 
 slanders cannot separate me from my alliance with the Em- 
 peror of Russia any more than adulation and advantageous 
 offers. My resolution will remain as firm as a rock. And 
 now, good-by, general!"
 
 214 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 He waved his hand to Bertrand, and received with proud 
 calmness the respectful bows with which the French general 
 withdrew. 
 
 No sooner had the door closed than the queen appeared. 
 Her eyes filled with tears, and stretching out her arms toward 
 her husband, seemed a picture of beauty, grace, and love. 
 The king hastened to her and pressed her firmly against his 
 heart. "Are you satisfied with my answer, Louisa?" he 
 asked. " Do you know now what I think of those wretched 
 calumnies?" 
 
 The queen bent and kissed his hand. "I thank you, my 
 beloved husband," she whispered tenderly. "Wise and kind 
 as you always are, you knew how to comfort rny heart, and by 
 your heroic words to fill my soul with enthusiasm and delight. 
 My husband and king, you have restored my honor. I care 
 no longer for the abuse of the world, but shall always think of 
 this sacred hour, for my king believes in me, and my husband 
 still loves his Louisa; he knows that the mother of his chil- 
 dren is innocent, and may freely raise her eyes to heaven." 
 
 "I know more than that," said the king, laying his hand 
 on his wife's head, as if blessing her; "I know that in these 
 times of adversity you are the only hope left me ; I know that 
 I derive courage and consolation from you, and that in my 
 misfortunes I still deem myself fortunate, because you are by 
 my side the angel of my life!" 
 
 "Ah, Frederick," exclaimed the queen, bursting into tears, 
 " Frederick, how rich and happy you make me ! Am I not 
 an enviable wife, possessed as I am of such a husband!" In 
 passionate tenderness, she threw her arms about him, and in 
 loving embrace rested long on his breast. 
 
 Some one rapped repeatedly and discreetly at the door. 
 Louisa, blushing, raised her head and dropped her arms. 
 The king ordered the person to walk in. It was General von 
 Zastrow who entered, pale and gloomy. Frederick William 
 smilingly beckoned him to approach. 
 
 "You are dissatisfied with me, Zastrow?" he said, in a 
 pleasant tone ; " you believe it would be better to make peace?" 
 
 " Your majesty, I am afraid you have rejected an advan- 
 tageous alliance, and will, perhaps, be compelled soon to ac- 
 cept by far more rigorous terms." 
 
 " You do not know, then, that large Russian forces are ad- 
 vancing, and that the Emperor Alexander himself probably 
 leads his troops against the enemy?"
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 215 
 
 " Pardon me, sire, but I do not believe in the friendship of 
 Russia. Your majesty uttered words so generous to-day, that 
 my eyes filled with tears of admiration, and I felt proud as a 
 man and subject, although my heart as a general and minister 
 was overwhelmed with sorrow. May Russia deserve your 
 fidelity ! may she not disappoint your hopes, and commit as, 
 you said, a perfidious act, by entering into an alliance with 
 France at the expense of Prussia! But may your majesty, 
 above all, get an army courageous and strong enough to brave 
 all your enemies, and restore the greatness of Prussia!" 
 
 " You do not believe, then, in this army?" asked the king, 
 gloomily. 
 
 " Your majesty, in order to organize an army, money a 
 great deal of money is indispensable." 
 
 "And you mean to say we have none?" 
 
 " Your majesty, not only your privy purse is entirely ex- 
 hausted, but there is also no money in the state and district 
 treasuries. Gold and silver seem to have wholly disappeared ; 
 stocks and commercial paper are depreciating every day, and 
 the bankruptcy of the state will be inevitable!" 
 
 "Ah!" exclaimed the king, indignantly, "do not utter 
 such a word ! Never shall I permit such distress to be in- 
 flicted upon my poor subjects!" 
 
 He commenced rrpidly pacing the room; suddenly, how- 
 ever, he stood still in front of the queen, who had softly with- 
 drawn into a window-niche, where she had watched every 
 movement of the king. " Louisa, will your repasts be as 
 agreeable to you on porcelain plates as on gold and silver?" 
 
 The queen smiled. " The little Princess of Mecklenburg 
 was accustomed to take her meals off porcelain," she said, 
 " and I honestly confess that the Queen of Prussia at times 
 envied her her plain white plates." 
 
 The king, turning again to his minister, said: "We are 
 not yet so poor as you seem to believe ; our large golden 
 dinner-set, the heirloom of our ancestors, was safely removed 
 from Berlin, and is now here at Memel. It embraces pieces 
 of the highest value, for which millions have been paid. 
 May my ancestors pardon my giving away what they collected ! 
 I am not doing so in a reckless and extravagant manner, but 
 with profound sorrow and with a mournful heart. But it 
 cannot be helped! General von Zastrow, I shall issue the 
 necessary orders to have my large golden dinner-set either sold 
 or pawned. We shall receive at least a million dollars for it."
 
 216 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "And the privy purse of your majesty stands greatly in 
 need of this million," said General von Zastrow, drawing a 
 sigh. 
 
 The king shrugged his shoulders. " Not a dollar of it shall 
 be paid into my privy purse," he said. " The money shall be 
 distributed among the public treasuries, that the lack of 
 funds may be temporarily relieved, and that my poor suffering 
 subjects need not fear that the state become bankrupt." 
 
 " But if your majesty should carry out this generous resolu- 
 tion," exclaimed the general, "you may soon be in danger 
 yourself of privations." 
 
 The king cast a long, inquiring glance on his wife. Louisa 
 smiled and nodded kindly to him. " If questions of economy 
 and family matters are to be considered," she said, "a woman 
 may be permitted to say a word in the council of men, and to 
 give her opinion as a housewife. I think we are tolerating a 
 great many superfluous and very expensive things in our pri- 
 vate household, and, if my husband does not object, I should 
 like to ask for a few changes." 
 
 "I shall never dare to contradict you," said Frederick, 
 kindly. " Let me, therefore, know the changes you wish to 
 make." 
 
 " In the first place, I think that we have too many servants, 
 considering our present circumstances, and the small house in 
 which we are living. As we do not give dinners, the people 
 attached to the kitchen may be greatly diminished ; most of 
 the cooks, as well as the legion of footmen, may be discharged. 
 It is necessary, too, to reduce the number of carriages, and to 
 sell most of the horses standing uselessly in the stable. A 
 plain vehicle, drawn by two good horses, is sufficient for my 
 children, and whenever I want a ride, I believe my husband 
 will lend me his yellow travelling-coach." 
 
 " Provided you allow me a seat at your side," said the king, 
 smiling. " Are there any other suggestions you deem neces- 
 sary?'' 
 
 " I wish the servants surrounding us to appear in a plain 
 dress, and the expensive liveries, covered with gold and silver 
 lace, to disappear. A plain black cloth coat, trimmed with 
 white, is sufficient. It is not, however, to signify that we are 
 in mourning, but only to represent the Prussian colors, and 
 on looking at them I shall always feel proud and happy, while 
 now, on beholding the liveries covered with gold and silver, I 
 cannot suppress my shame, for I think of the distress of our
 
 THE JUSTIFICATION. 217 
 
 subjects, and of the misery of our country. Let us begin, 
 therefore, a plain, unpretending existence, my husband ; let 
 us set an example of simplicity to our people, and show them 
 that one may be contented, though deprived of the splendors 
 of wealth and position." 
 
 The king took her hand and pressed it against his lips. " I 
 consent to all your wishes, Louisa," he said; "I will issue to- 
 day the necessary orders to the steward. You see, general, 
 our privy purse will not lack money, for we shall realize a 
 handsome sum by the sale of our horses, carriages, and the 
 gold and silver lace of the liveries. Moreover, the war will 
 not last forever, and we may, perhaps, look soon for a final 
 decision." 
 
 "Your majesty, war, then, is absolutely unavoidable?" 
 
 "You still ask this question? Yes, the war will be con- 
 tinued. I will hear nothing further about peace." 
 
 "In that case," said General von Zastrow, trembling, "I 
 must humbly request your majesty to accept my resignation ; 
 the continuation of the war, and the rejection of the peace 
 offered to Prussia, are so contrary to my conviction, that my 
 conscience does not permit me to assist in carrying out your 
 plans." 
 
 " The first duty of every faithful servant is to comply with 
 his master's orders," said the king, sternly. "I cannot ac- 
 cept your resignation, for I know that you are an honest ser- 
 vant, and that only your momentary anger has misled you. 
 I give you, therefore, time to collect your thoughts and regain 
 your temper. Work and activity are the best remedies for 
 that purpose, and possibly there may soon be a favorable turn 
 in our affairs, proving to you that you were wrong, and caus- 
 ing you to change your mind. Until further orders, there- 
 fore, ytm will remain my minister of war, but I shall give you 
 an assistant. I shall appoint Hardenberg minister without 
 portfolio, and give him a seat and vote in the new ministerial 
 council which I am about to organize." 
 
 General von Zastrow started, and his face became paler. 
 "Your majesty," he faltered in a low voice, "I " 
 
 " The matter is settled," said the king, calmly. " I do not 
 wish to hear further objection, general. We shall hold a 
 meeting of the ministerial council to-morrow, and Harden- 
 berg must be present. Good-by!" 
 
 General von Zastrow dared not contradict; he bowed in 
 silence to the royal couple and tottered to the door.
 
 218 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 When he had retired, the queen, turning to her husband, 
 exclaimed, " You touched his sorest spot. He hates Harden- 
 berg, and it will greatly torment him to have him at his side." 
 
 "He deserved some punishment," said the king, gravely. 
 " For it was certainly owing to him that you were informed 
 of those infamous slanders. Who laid the papers before you?" 
 
 "The Countess von Truchsess, my reader."' 
 
 "Zastrow's niece! My supposition was right. It was a 
 deep-laid intrigue, designed to drive us into the meshes of the 
 peace party, and induce us to give up the Eussian alliance." 
 
 "Do not be angry with them," said the queen, "their in- 
 tentions were good." 
 
 "I know the good intentions of those so-called friends," 
 exclaimed the king, vehemently. " They drive a dagger 
 slowly into our breast, and when they see the wound bleeding, 
 they excuse themselves with the pretext that their intentions 
 were good ! But he who has really honest intentions tries to 
 spare his friend every pain. My 'intentions' were also good 
 when I concluded to place Hardenberg in company with Zas- 
 trow. I do not like change; but if Zastrow, in the course of 
 a few weeks, should not accustom himself to the presence of 
 Hardenberg, he must withdraw, and Hardenberg remain."* 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 
 
 NEWS of the highest importance reached Castle Finken- 
 stein, where Napoleon had been residing since the battle of 
 Eylau. Dantzic had fallen. It had been compelled to sur- 
 render, with its immense materiel and supplies. In vain had 
 been the heroic defence of the garrison, the energy of General 
 Kalkreuth, commander of the fortress, the ardor and courage 
 of the soldiers, the unflagging self-abnegation of the citizens ; 
 in vain, the bloodshed, the mutilated limbs, the destruction 
 
 * The united efforts of the peace party, headed by General Zastrow and Cabinet- 
 counsellor Beyme, did not succeed this time in keeping Hardenberg out of the cabinet. 
 The king reposed confidence in him. and when, a few weeks later, the Emperor Alex- 
 ander paid a visit to the royal couple at Memel, he distinguished Hardenberg, and 
 ignored General von Zastrow so completely, that the latter was deeply offended. 
 His mortification was still augmented oy the fact that Hardenberg was selected to 
 accompany the king to the camp of the united Prussian and Russian troops. Gen- 
 eral von Zastrow then sent in his resignation, for the second time, and it was ac- 
 cepted. Hardenberg became minister of foreign affairs in his place.
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 219 
 
 of property! Lefebvre, the French general, had drawn the 
 circle of his besieging forces closer around the devoted city, 
 and fresh troops poured into his ranks, while every day the 
 garrison was becoming weaker. Only the most vigorous suc- 
 cor could have saved Dantzic. General Kalkreuth had long 
 hoped for it. England, now the ally of Kussia and Prussia, 
 had promised aid, and equipped a sloop-of-war of twenty-two 
 guns, to force the blockade, convey ammunition into the city, 
 and destroy the pontoon-bridge of the French ; but the sloop 
 stranded, and had to surrender. The Eussians, too, had 
 promised assistance to the city. Seven thousand embarked at 
 Pillau, and landed at Weichselmunde ; but there they were 
 attacked by Oudinot, who captured nearly one-half, and dis- 
 persed the rest. 
 
 The last hopes of Dantzic were gone ; there was no relief. 
 Lefebvre ordered a bombardment, and then sent a flag of truce 
 to General Kalkreuth, informing him that he would take the 
 city by assault if the fortress did not surrender. General 
 Kalkreuth gazed mournfully at the stranded British sloop-of- 
 war, and, pointing it out to his officers, who surrounded him 
 in gloomy silence, said, "That is the tombstone of Dantzic!" 
 He then sent for the bearer of the flag of truce, and the 
 negotiations commenced. In the mean time, shells and red- 
 hot shot were poured into the city, killing alike the soldiers 
 on the ramparts and the citizens in their dwellings. Lamen- 
 tations and shrieks, the roar of artillery, the uninterrupted 
 peals of the tocsin, calling out the inhabitants, mingled with 
 the crash of the falling houses, and the wails of the wounded 
 and dying. 
 
 General Kalkreuth pitied the city ; he was unwilling to 
 add the horrors of an assault to the agony it had already 
 undergone. He signed the capitulation, but claimed for the 
 garrison liberty to march out without being made prisoners of 
 war, and the surrender of their arms. Lefebvre granted these 
 conditions, but insisted that the Prussian troops should not 
 engage to serve against France before the expiration of a year. 
 General Kalkreuth accepted this clause, and the gates of 
 Dantzic opened to the French conqueror on the 24th of May, 
 1807. 
 
 The Emperor Napoleon received the news of this great 
 
 victory at Castle Finkenstein, not far from Tilsit. His face 
 
 brightened, and he immediately sent a courier to Marshal 
 
 Lefebvre, to invite him to pay him a visit at the castle. But 
 
 15
 
 220 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the joy of the emperor soon disappeared. His generals, in- 
 timate friends, and servants, endeavored to cheer him. They 
 tried all the arts of eloquence and flattery to dispel his sad- 
 ness. Talleyrand attempted to amuse him by reciting, with 
 charming medisance and pointed humor, passages from the 
 rich stores of his memoirs, and by relating, with Attic wit, 
 the story of his first love, which had bequeathed to him a 
 lame foot as a remembrancer. Lannes, with the blunt humor 
 of a true soldier, told stories of his campaigns. Duroc smil- 
 ingly reminded the emperor of many an adventure they had 
 had in Paris, when, in plain gray coats, and hats drawn over 
 their eyes, they had wandered through the streets of the cap- 
 ital, to ascertain the disposition of the people, and received 
 many a rebuke on daring to abuse Napoleon. It is true, the 
 emperor was amused on hearing such anecdotes, but his 
 momentary laughter revealed more vividly his dark and 
 stormy temper. 
 
 To-day the generals resorted to another method also of 
 amusing him. They proposed cards. He agreed, and they 
 commenced a game of vingt-et-un. Formerly, the emperor, 
 on playing, had always been in excellent spirits, and did not 
 disdain even to cheat a little, frequently concealing a card or 
 two. But now he played gravely and honestly, and the con- 
 sequence was that he lost. Throwing the cards indignantly 
 aside, and greeting the marshals with a silent nod, he crossed 
 the room with hasty steps, and retired to his cabinet. 
 
 "He has not yet forgotten the affair of Eylau," grumbled 
 Marshal Lannes. " It is true, we boasted of our victory there, 
 and ordered a Te Deum to be sung, but he knows very well 
 how things stood, and feels badly because the Emperor of 
 Russia also had a Te Deum sung." 
 
 " I do not believe, "Marshal, that that is the cause of the 
 emperor's grief," said Talleyrand, shrugging his shoulders. 
 " Napoleon is not in the habit of mourning for past events, 
 but a failure incites him to renewed exertions, and inspires 
 his genius to perform fresh and daring exploits. Although 
 the lion for once may have seen his prey slip from his grasp, 
 it does not render him dispirited. He only shakes his mane, 
 and crouches for a new bound." 
 
 " Then you believe, M. Minister, that the emperor is plan- 
 ning another battle?" joyfully asked Lannes. 
 
 " I am convinced of it, but do not believe that to be the 
 reason of his ill-humor. The furrows on his brow express his
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 221 
 
 sorrow for the death of young Napoleon his little nephew 
 the grandson of the empress!" 
 
 "Ah, bah!" exclaimed Lannes, " it would really be worth 
 while for a great chieftain to mourn for a child eight years of 
 age!" 
 
 " He does not mourn for the child, but for the successor," 
 said Talleyrand. " You know, the son of his brother Louis 
 and his stepdaughter Hortense was to be his heir the future 
 Emperor of France. You see how difficult it is to say in ad- 
 vance who is to be the heir of a throne. Some accident a 
 brick falling from a roof, an attack of the measles, a con- 
 temptible cough may bring about the ruin of dynasties and 
 the rise of new ones. The hopes of Josephine have been 
 buried with young Napoleon Louis. Poor empress! her 
 downfall is inevitable, for the emperor must think henceforth 
 of an heir of a legitimate union. Alas! how many tears will 
 that cost poor Josephine's heart!" 
 
 " I am sure, Prince de Bene\ento, when you deplore the 
 fate of the empress, you suggest great sufferings for her. But 
 we know the subtle diplomacy of the minister who says that 
 language was given for the sole purpose of concealing our 
 thoughts. Hence, prince, I am in the habit of believing ex- 
 actly the reverse of what you say. You are sure to overthrow 
 Josephine and have already selected her successor. Tell us 
 who is she? Upon whom do you intend to confer the honor 
 of giving an heir to the emperor?" 
 
 " Let us rather put this question to our taciturn friend 
 Duroc," said Talleyrand, softly laying his hand on the shoul- 
 der of the grand marshal, who was standing in front of them 
 with folded arms. " Please take notice that the grand mar- 
 shal has not added a single word to our conversation that he 
 has listened calmly to our suppositions about the emperor's 
 melancholy, and has not assisted us in ferreting out the truth. 
 It is evident, therefore, that he is aware of it, and that it 
 does not affect him painfully. Pray tell us, grand marshal, 
 who is right the Duke de Montebello or myself?" 
 
 v " Perhaps, prince, both of you are mistaken," said Duroc, 
 " and perhaps, again, both of you are right. Who is able to 
 fathom the thoughts and secrets but I believe the emperor 
 is calling me!" And he approached the door of the imperial 
 cabinet and listened. 
 
 "Duroc!" cried the emperor, "Duroc!" 
 
 The grand marshal took leave of the two gentlemen with a
 
 222 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 careless bow and hastened away. Napoleon sat on an easy- 
 chair at the open window, supporting his head on his hand, 
 and gazing out on the landscape. He seemed to have entirely 
 forgotten that he had called the grand marshal, and did not 
 even notice the latter after he had entered. An air of pro- 
 found sadness was depicted in his features. 
 
 "Your majesty called me," said Duroc, approaching. 
 
 Napoleon started and turned his head slowly toward the 
 grand marshal. "It is true,'"' he said, "I called you, Duroc. 
 I was ungracious, and left you without saying a kind word to 
 you. I am sorry. You may repeat my words to the other 
 two princes." He gave his small white hand to Duroc, who 
 pressed it against his breast with an expression of tenderness. 
 " I thank your majesty for this fresh proof of your magna- 
 nimity," he said, "and shall communicate it to the other two 
 princes." 
 
 He was about to withdraw, but the emperor detained him. 
 " Tell me, first, Duroc, whether they were very angry with 
 me? Did old Lannes grumble? Did Talleyrand comment 
 in his usual manner?" 
 
 "Oh, sire!" exclaimed Duroc, reproachfully, "all three of. 
 us were filled only with grief; we were considering what 
 might be the cause of your majesty's melancholy." 
 
 " Well, and what did you guess? and what Lannes?" 
 
 " He believed your majesty was striving to crown the battle 
 of Eylau with a brilliant victory, and that you were planning 
 a new battle." 
 
 "He is right," exclaimed Napoleon, energetically. "We 
 are not yet at the end of our struggle, and the brave men who 
 were buried under the snow of Eylau must be avenged. I 
 shall soon bid the sun of Austerlitz and Jena shine on the 
 plains of Prussia, and dazzle the eyes of the Emperor of Rus- 
 sia. I will bring him to his knees and make him cry ''Pater 
 peccavi ! ' I will show him what it is to menace me ; and 
 when I unfurl my banner on the Kremlin of Moscow, Alex- 
 ander shall bear the train of my purple cloak. The world be- 
 longs to me! Woe unto him who stands in my way I will 
 crush him as the elephant crushes the worm! Lannes is 
 right ; I am planning a new battle. But it is not this that 
 makes me sad. What did Talleyrand say Talleyrand, Prince 
 de Benevento, with the keen nose and the impenetrable 
 smile?" 
 
 "Talleyrand said it was not the planning of future battles,
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 223 
 
 but that you were mourning for the little son of the King of 
 Holland." 
 
 "Ah, indeed, Talleyrand is not altogether mistaken," ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, heaving a sigh ; "my heart is mourning 
 for young Napoleon. He was my darling, and I had accus- 
 tomed myself to regard him as my heir. He was blood of my 
 blood, and there was something shining in his eyes that 
 seemed to me to be a beam of my own mind. I loved the boy. 
 And now what did Talleyrand say besides, Duroc?" asked 
 Napoleon, interrupting himself. " You are silent. Be frank ; 
 I want to kuow it all!" 
 
 "Sire," said Duroc, timidly, "the Prince de Benevento 
 lamented the fate of the empress, for he believes the death of 
 little Prince Napoleon Louis to be a mournful nay, a fatal 
 event for her, inasmuch as your majesty would now be under 
 the necessity of having a successor to the noble and adored 
 Empress Josephine, and an heir-apparent to your empire." 
 
 "And he was impudent enough to lament her fate!" ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, " he who has striven for years to overthrow 
 her he who always united with my family to prove to me the 
 right of disowning her. Ah, poor dear Josephine! I ought 
 never to have thought of listening to their insinuations; I was 
 hitherto her most faithful defender, for I love her, and know 
 that she is a sincere friend." 
 
 "An empress, sire," said Duroc, "who would be an orna- 
 ment to any throne, and whose grace, amiability, and kind- 
 heartedness, have won as many subjects for your majesty as 
 your battles. Sire, all France loves and worships the Em- 
 press Josephine; all France would weep with her if her 
 enemies succeed in removing her from her throne, and from 
 the side of her adored husband, and the tears and impreca- 
 tions of a whole people would be the festive welcome with 
 which France would receive a new empress!" 
 
 "You paint in very glaring colors," exclaimed Napoleon, 
 gloomily, "but, then, I know you to be one of Josephine's 
 admirers. She is really a good wife, and I never had room 
 for complaint. But for one consideration, I should never 
 think of separating from her. Fate is against her, and I am 
 afraid it will compel me ah, let us not dare to pry into the 
 future. Let us rather attend to the present. You have told 
 me the suppositions of Lannes and Talleyrand, but not your 
 own. What did you say?" He looked at Duroc with his 
 eagle eyes, and repeated, " What did you say?"
 
 224 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA, 
 
 "Sire," replied Duroc, "I said nothing." 
 
 " You said nothing, because you know what ails me," said 
 Napoleon, vehemently, "because you can fathom the pain, 
 the anger, and grief of my heart!" 
 
 He rose from his easy-chair, and paced the room, with his 
 arms behind him. " Duroc," he said, after a long pause, and 
 in a husky, tremulous voice, " is it not a disgrace that this 
 should happen? The world is bowing to me, and recognizing 
 me as its master, and a woman dares resist me a fair, deli- 
 cate little creature that I could crush, as it were, in my 
 hands that an angry breath from my mouth could destroy as 
 a lily in the blast of the desert. Duroc, she dares resist me, 
 and opposes a cold, stubborn silence to my request nay, to 
 my fervent supplications!" 
 
 "Sire, she is married," said Duroc, timidly, "she is mar- 
 ried, and " 
 
 " She is married to a husband whom she does not cannot 
 love," exclaimed Napoleon, impetuously. "He is a white- 
 haired old man a man of sixty years, to whom her parents 
 have sold her!" 
 
 " But her husband is said to love his beautiful wife passion- 
 ately." 
 
 "Let him dare molest her with his love," exclaimed Na- 
 poleon, menacingly ; " let him touch only with the tip of his 
 finger this flower that I myself would have ! She has not de- 
 served the sorry fate of withering at the side of a decrepit old 
 man; she serves to bloom at the heart of an emperor! Oh, 
 how beautiful she is ! When I saw her, for the first time, at 
 the ball in Warsaw, I fell in love with her, and felt that I 
 must possess her. Her light-colored hair was shining about 
 her noble head like a halo ; heaven seemed to be reflected in 
 her azure eyes, and the tinge of melancholy shading her face 
 rendered her still more charming and seductive. She was an 
 innocent victim of the selfishness of others ; I perceived it at 
 a glance, and have loved her ever since. I took a secret oath 
 to rescue her from her misery, and, by my love, to restore 
 happiness to her! And yet she disdains me, Duroc!" 
 
 " No, sire, she does not disdain the exalted lover whom she 
 worships; she is not, however, a flirt, but a virtuous wife. 
 She will not prove faithless to her husband ; she will not break 
 the vows she took upon herself at the altar. She is engaged 
 in a terrible struggle between duty and love, for your majesty 
 knows very well that Madame de Walewska loves you!"
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 225 
 
 "No, no, she does not love me," exclaimed Napoleon, 
 vehemently. " If she really loved me, she would listen to no 
 other voice than mine! I supplicated her with the whole 
 strength of my affection with all the anger of a spurned ad- 
 mirer, with all the humility of a doting lover, but neither my 
 anger nor my supplications were able to move her. And yet 
 she asserts that she loves me ; she dares to say that she shares 
 my passion! Oh, she is a cold-hearted, cruel coquette; it 
 gladdens her to behold my sufferings, and to play with my 
 heart!" 
 
 "Sire, you are unjust," exclaimed Duroc. "Madame de 
 Walewska is an angel of virtue and purity ; she would joyfully 
 sacrifice her life to save your majesty a sigh!" 
 
 " But she is unwilling to sacrifice to me this chimera of 
 virtue," exclaimed Napoleon, "although she has already dis- 
 regarded it by loving me. She is not courageous enough to 
 give up the semblance after having already parted with the 
 substance. Like all women she is timid, and incapable of a 
 great resolution! How many letters have I not written to her 
 since I last saw her! After the battle of Eylau like a miser- 
 able adventurer a knight-errant I went in disguise to the 
 village where she had at length promised to meet me at her 
 brother's house. What a wretched rendezvous it was! Noth- 
 ing but a farewell scene ! She desires to go into a convent, 
 and give her heart to God, because she is not allowed to 
 give it to me. I am no Abelard, however, and do not want 
 her to become a Heloi'se! If she goes into a convent, I 
 shall have its walls torn down, and the order she has joined 
 abolished." 
 
 " But she will not go into a convent, sire ; love will at last 
 triumph over her virtue, and she will finally declare herself 
 vanquished. She promised your majesty to defer the execu- 
 tion of her purpose for a year, but, I am sure, she will not be 
 strong enough to close her heart so long against the passionate 
 entreaties of a lover whom she adores. The letters which your 
 majesty writes to her, and which she does not refuse to ac- 
 cept, are like hot shells thrown into the fortress of her heart. 
 They do a great deal of mischief." 
 
 " Forsooth, it is a consolation that she does not refuse my 
 notes. I have sent them almost every day during two 
 months; every week I send a courier who meets her when, 
 escaping from the Argus-eyes of her husband, she goes to the 
 cathedral. But I receive only laconic replies. This woman
 
 226 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 is either incapable of genuine love, or she is a demon who de- 
 lights in torturing me." 
 
 " Sire, does it please your majesty to partake of this fruit?" 
 said a gentle voice behind him. 
 
 The emperor started. Absorbed in his passion filled with 
 the idea now agitating his soul, he had not heard the door of 
 the cabinet softly open, and was unaware that one of the im- 
 perial pages, holding a golden fruit-plate, had entered. 
 Duroc also had not noticed that he was present while the em- 
 peror was still speaking, and that he must have overheard the 
 last words of his majesty. The page leaned, pale and ex- 
 hausted, against the wall near the door, and the golden plate 
 was trembling in his hands. 
 
 Napoleon cast a glowing glance on him, and rushing toward 
 him, snatched the plate and threw it on the floor. As the 
 peaches rolled across the room, he seized the page's arms, and 
 drew him toward the window. "Who are you?" he asked, 
 scarcely able to master his emotion. " Who are you ? Speak, 
 that I may hear your voice!" 
 
 The page looked in his face, aglow with anger, and his 
 large blue eyes filled with tears. "I am a demon who delights 
 in torturing you," he said in a low voice. 
 
 Napoleon did not utter a word. He tore the velvet cap 
 from the page's head, and when his long silken hair fell on 
 his shoulders in heavy masses, a smile of unutterable bliss 
 overspread the emperor's face. He seized the fair ringlets 
 with his hands and kissed them ; he laid them on his own 
 head, and they covered his face like a golden veil. He then 
 shook them off with a merry laugh, and encircled the page so 
 violently in his arms, that he uttered a cry. "Mary, Mary," 
 he exclaimed passionately, " you are in my arms at last you 
 are here! Duroc, just look at this wonderful page. Come 
 here, and look at the angel I slandered just now!" 
 
 But Duroc did not appear. He preferred to move quietly 
 out of the room and to lock the door after him. Napoleon, 
 therefore, was alone with his mistress, and thanked Duroc in 
 his heart for this discretion. He clasped the weeping and 
 blushing lady in his arms, and tried with gentle force to re- 
 move her hands, in which she had buried her face. " Mary," 
 he asked, in a tone of suppliant tenderness, " Mary, you weep, 
 and yet you say you love me?" 
 
 " Yes, I do love you," she exclaimed, sinking on her knees. 
 " 1 love you intensely! Ah, have mercy on me! Do not con-
 
 COUNTESS MARY WALEWSKA. 227 
 
 demn me oecause I come hither in spite of mj conscience and 
 my honor ! Napoleon, I have no longer any thing on earth 
 but you ! I have no longer a country, a family, a name ! I 
 gave up every thing for you my life, my honor, my happi- 
 ness, are yours! Remember it, and do not despise me!" 
 
 He raised her from her knees and pressed a kiss on her 
 quivering lips "Mary," he said, "this kiss shall have the 
 same effect upon you as of old the gift of knighthood had on 
 the warrior it will impart to you a higher and more sacred 
 life, and confer the highest honor on you ! Henceforth you 
 are mine, and shall be as immortal as myself; and when pos- 
 terity mentions the name of the Emperor Napoleon, it shall 
 at the same time remember his beautiful mistress, and repeat 
 the name of Mary "Walewska together with that of Josephine!" 
 
 "Oh," murmured Mary, "you mention the noble and 
 generous Empress Josephine, whom I worship, and against 
 whom I am committing a crime! May fate enable me to 
 atone for my guilt one day by sacrificing my life for you, and 
 proving to you and to the world that I loved you truly and 
 faithfully." 
 
 " No, you shall live live for me," said Napoleon, ardently; 
 " do not complain any more, Mary ; dry your beautiful eyes. 
 Come, sit down with me and tell me how it happened that 
 you conquered your heart, and why I see you in this dis- 
 guise?" He drew her to the divan and wound his arm around 
 her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder, and gazed up 
 to him with dreamy eyes. 
 
 " How it happened?" she asked. " I cannot find words to 
 tell you. I reenacted the part of Penelope. Every night I 
 tried to fasten a coat of mail around my heart to protect it 
 as with a net-work of virtue and duty. But your letters were 
 the wooers that destroyed in the day the resolutions of the 
 night. Your complaints rent my heart; your reproaches tor- 
 tured my soul. I felt at last that I was irretrievably lost 
 that I loved you boundlessly, and that I was anxious to prove 
 it to you. But my husband watched me with lynx-eyed vigi- 
 lance ; he was constantly at my side, now threatening, in the 
 fury of his jealousy, to assassinate me should I leave him, and 
 now imploring me Avith tearful eyes to spare his honor and 
 pity his love. I felt that I would have either to die, or re- 
 nounce my married life, and enter upon a new existence an 
 existence of true happiness if you love me, but of suffering 
 and self-reproach if you despise me!"
 
 228 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "I love you," said Napoleon, with a proud and confident 
 air. "Proceed." 
 
 " I have finished," she said. "My trusty lady's maid pre- 
 pared every thing for my escape, and four days ago, when my 
 husband believed me at church, I and my maid entered a 
 travelling-coach and continued our journey day and night 
 until we arrived at Castle Finkenstein. " 
 
 "And this disguise?" asked Napoleon, pointing at the cos- 
 tume she was wearing. 
 
 Mary blushed and smiled. " I had it made by a tailor at 
 Warsaw, who prepared the suits the imperial pages wore at 
 that ball. I had not sufficient courage to enter this castle as 
 a lady, only men living in it at the present time. I desired 
 to enter your room without recognition or insult. I left my 
 carriage at the neighboring village, and walked hither on 
 foot. At the castle-gate, I inquired for Constant, your valet 
 de chambre, and requested the servants to call him. I con- 
 fided my secret to him, and he conducted me to this room. 
 And thus, my beloved friend, I am here; I am lying at your 
 feet, and imploring you to kill me if you do not love me, for 
 I cannot live without your love!" She glided from the divan 
 to the floor, and looked up to the emperor with clasped hands 
 and imploring eyes. 
 
 Napoleon bent over her and drew her smilingly into his 
 arms. "You shall live," he said, "for I love you and pledge 
 you my imperial word that I will never desert you!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE DANTZIC CHOCOLATE. 
 
 ON the following day the emperor's face did not retain a 
 trace of the gloom which had filled his marshals with so much 
 uneasiness. His features were radiant with happiness, and a 
 strange fire was burning in his dark-blue eyes. He ordered 
 his guard to be drawn up in line in the castle-yard, and to the 
 delight of the soldiers it was announced that Napoleon himself 
 would command at the parade. Loud cheers and the con- 
 stantly-repeated shout of " Vive rempereur!" received him 
 when, surrounded by his marshals, and with a smiling face, 
 he walked down the broad steps of the palace. 
 
 "These soldiers are foolish children," said he, turning to
 
 THE DANTZIC CHOCOLATE. 229 
 
 Marshal Lannes. " Why are they cheering incessantly, as if 
 they had not seen me for a year? Have I not been among 
 them every day?" 
 
 "No, sire," said the marshal, who had regained his former 
 good-humor and merry face, "no, sire; those brave boys 
 really have not deen your majesty for a long while, and they 
 are perfectly right to manifest their joy. The great Na- 
 poleon, whose face was our sun in so many battles and in so 
 many countries, and whose smile, when we were hungry and 
 thirsty, often satisfied our hunger and quenched our thirst, 
 really was not here. In his place we have had during the 
 last few weeks a grave and taciturn emperor, whom every one 
 feared." 
 
 Napoleon laughed. " Were you also afraid, my old com- 
 rade?" he asked. 
 
 " I cannot say that I was," said Lannes, gayly, "but, never- 
 theless, I feel to-day as though a heavy burden had been re- 
 moved from my heart. I can breathe more freely, inasmuch 
 as I have back my excellent Napoleon in place of that morose 
 emperor. The sun has risen once more for all of us!" 
 
 "Was I really as you pretend?" asked Napoleon, who was 
 always delighted at the unceremonious words of his old com- 
 rade, and who permitted to Lannes that bluntness which he 
 would not have tolerated in another. 
 
 The marshal bent closer to the emperor's ear. " Sire, your 
 majesty will permit me to tell you that you were shockingly 
 morose and surly. We were beginning to feel anxious and 
 weary. But it is all over now, and when I look at you to-day 
 my heart is as glad as that of a lover who sees his sweetheart 
 after a long separation. I should like to know what miracle 
 has happened since yesterday, and what magician has arrived 
 to dispel your discontent. I should be exceedingly grateful 
 to your majesty if you would show him to me!" 
 
 "What an inquisitive fellow!" said the emperor, turning 
 his eyes involuntarily to the window of the castle. He nodded 
 almost imperceptibly, and laid his hand on his heart for a 
 moment. The marshal's eyes had followed the glances of his 
 master, and he beheld a strange object at one of the windows 
 of the emperor's rooms. The curtain was cautiously drawn 
 aside, and the beautiful head of a young lady was seen be- 
 hind it. 
 
 " Mori de ma vie!" ejaculated Lannes, loudly and impet- 
 uously.
 
 230 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Well, what is the matter?" asked Napoleon, turning 
 hastily to him. 
 
 Lannes was still staring up at the window ; but the charm- 
 ing person had already disappeared, and the curtains were 
 closed again. 
 
 "Sire," faltered Lannes, in confusion, "sire, I believe I 
 myself am bewitched; I beheld an apparition just now." 
 
 "Did your good wife appear to you?" asked Napoleon, 
 laughing. 
 
 "Would she were such a fair-haired angel!" exclaimed 
 Lannes, heaving a sigh. "But in that case, sire, I should 
 very earnestly oppose her appearance at the windows of the 
 imperial rooms " 
 
 "Hush, you old babbler!" said Napoleon, laughing; "is it 
 necessary, then, to confess every thing one has dreamed?" 
 And, as he liked to do when in good -humor, he pulled the 
 marshal's ear so violently that Lannes made a very wry face. 
 
 The emperor turned with a grave bearing to his soldiers, 
 and the parade commenced. After it was over, he repaired to 
 the castle, to work with his adjutant-general in his cabinet. 
 Before doing so, however, he said to Marshal Lannes: "I 
 wish you to dine with me to-day, and to-night I will play a 
 game of vingt-et-un with you, Talleyrand, and Duroc ; I must 
 get even with you for yesterday. Do not forget, marshal 
 we shall dine together to-day!" 
 
 " Sire," said Lannes, joyfully, " were you to place a dish of 
 the boiled ears of the Russians before me, I would eat them 
 with great relish if you look at me as kindly as you are doing 
 now!" 
 
 Napoleon laughed and ascended the palace staircase. An 
 hour later a dusty carriage rolled into the yard of Castle 
 Finkenstein. It was Marshal Lefebvre, who, agreeably to the 
 emperor's invitation, had arrived. The marshal felt some- 
 what embarrassed and anxious. This order of Napoleon to 
 set out immediately on receipt of the dispatch, and repair to 
 his headquarters at Finkenstein, had filled the conqueror of 
 Dantzic with some apprehension, lest the emperor had sum- 
 moned him to rebuke him for having granted such honorable 
 terms to the Prussian garrison, and for permitting them to 
 march out with their arms, instead of making them prisoners 
 of war. The marshal therefore entered the anteroom with a 
 face somewhat pale, and requested the officer in waiting to 
 announce him.
 
 THE DANTZIC CHOCOLATE. 231 
 
 "His majesty is at work in his cabinet," said the officer. 
 " On such occasions no one is permitted to disturb him, unless 
 he be a bearer of important dispatches." 
 
 " The emperor ordered me to report to him immediately on 
 my arrival. Go, therefore, and announce me. " The officer 
 obeyed hesitatingly. 
 
 Napoleon was seated at a desk covered with maps and papers. 
 Pointing at a map spread out on the table, he was just turning 
 eagerly to his adjutant-general, Marshal Berthier. "Here 
 this is the point whither we have to drive the Eussians ; and 
 there, on the banks of the Alle, they shall fearfully atone for 
 the battle of Eylau. Well," he said, turning to the officer 
 who had just entered, "what do you want?" 
 
 " Sire, Marshal Lefebvre asks your majesty to grant him an 
 audience. He says your majesty summoned him here from 
 Dantzic. " 
 
 "He is right," said Napoleon, "and I am glad that the 
 duke does not keep me in waiting. Tell the Duke of Dantzic 
 that he is to dine with me." 
 
 "Sire." said the officer, "it is not a Duke of Dantzic, but 
 Marshal Lefebvre, who applies for an audience." 
 
 The emperor darted one of his withering glances at him. 
 ''It seems, sir, "he said gravely, "that you deem me inca- 
 pable of creating a duke. Go," he added, "and inform the 
 duke of my invitation. In fifteen minutes we shall dine." 
 
 The officer returned to the anteroom. "Well?" asked 
 Lefebvre, quickly. "Does the emperor await me? May I 
 enter?" 
 
 " Duke, his majesty invites you to dine with him, and re- 
 quests you to wait only fifteen minutes." 
 
 Lefebvre, in his confusion, had not heard the title by which 
 he was addressed. His mind was absorbed in the single 
 thought whether or not the emperor was angry with him. 
 He wished these fifteen minutes to pass quickly, and yet his 
 heart trembled at what might be in store for him. Precisely 
 at the time appointed Grand Marshal Duroc entered to con- 
 duct Marshal Lefebvro to the dining-room. Lefebvre followed 
 in silence. The heart of the brave soldier beat more violently 
 than it had ever done in the battle-field. 
 
 The emperor had already taken his seat when Duroc and 
 Lefebvre entered. Near him, behind their chairs, stood 
 Marshal Lanues, the Prince de Benevento, and Marshal 
 Berthier. Napoleon greeted Lefebvre with a friendly wave
 
 232 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 of his hand. "Welcome, duke," he exclaimed, " sit down 
 here at my side!" 
 
 Lefebvre advanced and took the seat his majesty desig- 
 nated. The others sat down also. Dinner commenced : Na- 
 poleon ate his soup in silence, as he always did. Fixing his 
 eyes with a smiling expression on a large pie, in the shape of 
 a fortress, that was standing before him, "Do you recognize 
 this, Duke of Dantzic?" he asked. 
 
 Lefebvre heard the ducal title this time, and looked be- 
 wildered at the emperor, whose anger he still feared. " Did 
 your majesty speak to me?" he asked, bashfully. 
 
 " To be sure ; did I not address you with the title of Duke 
 of Dantzic?" replied Napoleon, laughing. "Well, tell me, 
 now, do you know the fortress which this pie is intended to 
 represent?" 
 
 " I believe," said the new duke, "the fortress of Dantzic." 
 
 " See, gentlemen, how familiar the duke is with his dear 
 Dantzic," exclaimed Napoleon. "It is true, he ought to 
 know it, for he had to take extraordinary pains to reduce it. 
 Now let us eat little Dantzic as Lefebvre ate big Dantzic a 
 few days ago." 
 
 / O 
 
 The steward took the pie and presented it to the emperor. 
 "Oh, no," said Napoleon, with a pleasant smile; "Duke of 
 Dantzic, it behooves you to carve it, for it is your con- 
 quest." 
 
 Lefebvre's face beamed with joy, and he thanked the em- 
 peror with a grateful look. " Sire," he said, almost solemnly, 
 plunging his knife into the pie, " I should like to be com- 
 missioned soon by your majesty to take another fortress. I 
 should then remember this hour, and take it by assault or 
 die!" 
 
 "Ah, you will not die so soon," exclaimed Napoleon; "let 
 us take this fortress by assault. The Duke of Dantzic having 
 opened the first breach, we will boldly follow. " Turning to 
 Lefebvre: " Do you like to eat chocolate, duke?" he asked. 
 
 Lefebvre looked at him, amazed at the strange question. 
 " I do not know," he faltered, " I believe I like it." 
 
 " Well, then, I will give you a pound of Dantzic chocolate," 
 said the emperor, smiling, " for as you took that city it is but 
 equitable that you should receive a little souvenir of it. Rou- 
 stan, bring me the small package lying on my desk." 
 
 Roustan, who at dinner always stood behind the emperor's 
 chair, soon returned with a small oblong package. Napoleon
 
 THE DANTZIC CHOCOLATE. 233 
 
 took it, and, handing it to Lefebvre, said, " Take this, duke 
 small gifts keep up friendly feelings." 
 
 Lefebvre took the package, and, warmly thanking the em- 
 peror, put it into his pocket. A few minutes afterward Na- 
 poleon rose from the table. 
 
 "Sire," said Marshal Lannes, approaching him, "your 
 majesty, perhaps, does not know all my failings. You are 
 not aware that I am very inquisitive, and withal very fond of 
 sweet things. Now I am anxious to know whether Dantzic 
 chocolate is as good as Paris chocolate I should like to taste 
 it. AVill not your majesty be so kind as to order the Duke 
 (if Dantzic to open his package of chocolate and let us 
 u.ste it?" 
 
 Napoleon laughed. "Why, I cannot order him to give 
 away what I have just given him," he said. "But a glance at 
 the outside may show you whether it is good or not. If he 
 will open it and let you see it, I have no objection." 
 
 The duke took the package from his pocket ; he himself 
 was desirous to discover what it contained ; Lannes, Duroc, 
 Talleyrand, and Berthier, surrounded him. The emperor 
 stood at some distance, and looked smilingly at the group. 
 Lefebvre broke the string and unfolded the wrapper. It con- 
 tained nothing but a number of small- printed papers; but 
 these were valuable, be ing bank -notes to the amount of a hun- 
 dred thousand dollars. Lefebvre, overjoyed, looked at the 
 emperor. Duroc and Talleyrand smiled also, but Lannes ex- 
 claimed in a loud voice, "Forsooth, I should also like to have 
 a pound of this Dantzic chocolate ! * Sire, is there not some- 
 where another Prussian fortress manufacturing such an 
 excellent article? Send me thither, and, I pledge you my 
 word, I shall get my chocolate!" 
 
 Napoleon shrugged his shoulders. "No, "he said, "there 
 are really no Prussian fortresses that we can take; all are in 
 our hands; only Colberg and Graudenz are holding out, and 
 who knows how soon they will surrender? You will have no 
 chance to obtain your chocolate in Prussia, Lannes, but I 
 will give you and all my marshals an opportunity, I hope, on 
 the battle-field." 
 
 " Ah," they exclaimed in joyful chorus, " then there will be 
 a battle soon?" 
 
 " Yes." said Napoleon, gravely. " Let the fall of Dantzic 
 
 * This scene is strictly historical. The army knew in what manner the emperor 
 l.iid rewarded Marshal Lefebvre, and it became a cant-phrase for soldiers who 
 wished to borrow money of their comrades: " Have you any Dantzic chocolate? "
 
 234 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 be only a signal of fresh victories for us! The time of in- 
 action is past. Let us invite the Emperor of Russia to a war- 
 dance on the territory of his ally the King of Prussia. Pos- 
 sibly, the beautiful queen may take part in it, for she is said 
 to be a fine dancer, and to have delighted the young officers 
 of the guard at the balls given in the palace of Berlin. She 
 is, moreover, a heroine, who, when her king had an army, 
 witnessed the parade of the troops in the costume of an Ama- 
 zon. I am, indeed, inquisitive, like Marshal Lannes not, 
 however, as to the quality of the chocolate, but as to this 
 queen, who is said to be the most beautiful and amiable 
 woman of all Germany. I am desirous to find out whether 
 the rumor is true, and to see her face to face. But in order 
 to do so a battle a victory is necessary. Afterward I shall 
 invite her to meet me. and I suppose she will bow to the con- 
 queror of her country, notwithstanding her pride, and accept 
 the invitation. Ah, she shall accustom herself to recognize 
 me, whom she calls a usurper, as emperor, and peer of other 
 sovereigns. Gentlemen, I count on your active co-operation. 
 You, marshals, and my brave army, are to be the postilions 
 d'amour, to conquer for me an interview with the beautiful 
 queen ! You are to wake up the Russians from their winter 
 sleep, and bring them our morning greeting with cannon! 
 All the preparations are completed. The Confederation of 
 the Rhine, Italy, Spain, and France, have furnished us with 
 troops, and we have now two hundred thousand enthusiastic 
 and invincible soldiers, while Russia and Prussia together are 
 scarcely possessed of half as many. They are, moreover, ex- 
 hausted and demoralized. Let us renew the struggle; and 
 when I say struggle, it means victory I "
 
 BOOK III 
 CHAPTEK XXVII. 
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON" AND ALEXANDER. 
 
 A CRY of dismay resounded in the camp of the Prussians 
 and Eussians of exultation in that of the French. Another 
 battle had been fought, and Napoleon had won a brilliant 
 victory. On the 14th of June, 1807, a decisive action had 
 taken place between the French and the united army the 
 battle of Friedland had gained Napoleon a new laurel-wreath, 
 and brought an overwhelming defeat upon unhappy Prussia. 
 The Eussians, enraged at the loss of the battle, furiously de- 
 nounced Prussia, for the sake of which Eussia had been 
 involved in this war ; they asked the Emperor Alexander to 
 put an end to the disastrous and self-sacrificing war by mak- 
 ing peace with France. 
 
 The same measure was urged by the adherents of the French 
 party in the camp and in the suite of King Frederick Will- 
 iam. They asserted that only unconditional submission, 
 however humiliating it might be, could save what was still to 
 be saved ; that the king ought to throw himself at the feet of 
 the victor of Friedland and implore him to restore his crown. 
 Such was the advice of the discouraged and despairing of 
 those who always had regarded the war against France as a 
 fatal mistake, and who now, amidst the general consternation, 
 were overjoyed that their predictions had been fulfilled. 
 
 "Peace! peace with France!" was the cry resounding in 
 the ears of the Emperor Alexander and of King Frederick 
 William. Alexander promised that he would comply with 
 the request. Frederick William listened to it in sullen 
 silence. The queen, who had remained at Memel, and was 
 no longer with her husband, veiled her head and wept. 
 
 But Napoleon triumphantly thanked his army for this new 
 and decisive victory. 
 
 " Soldiers," he said, " we are victorious. On the 5th of 
 16
 
 236 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 June we were attacked in our cantonments by the Russian 
 army. The enemy had mistaken our inactivity. He per- 
 ceived too late that our repose was that of the lion : he re- 
 pents of having disturbed it. In the battles of Guttstadt and 
 Heilsberg, and in that ever-memorable one of Friedland, in 
 a campaign of ten days, we have taken one hundred and 
 twenty pieces of cannon, and seven colors. The killed, 
 wounded, or made prisoners, are sixty thousand Eussians. 
 We have taken all the magazines, hospitals, ambulances, the 
 fortress of Konigsberg, the three hundred vessels which were 
 in that port, laden with military stores, and one hundred and 
 sixty thousand muskets, which England had sent to arm our 
 enemies. 
 
 " From the Vistula to the Niemen we have come with the 
 flight of the eagle. You celebrated at Austerlitz the anni- 
 versary of the coronation; this year, you celebrate that of the 
 battle of Marengo, which put an end to the war of the second 
 coalition. 
 
 " Frenchmen, you have been worthy of yourselves and of 
 me. You will return to France crowned with laurels, and, 
 after obtaining a glorious peace, which carries with it the 
 guaranty of its duration, it is high time for our country to 
 repose, protected from the malignant influence of England. 
 My bounties shall prove to you my gratitude, and the extent 
 of the love I feel for you." 
 
 Napoleon thus promised peace to his army, while thanking 
 it for the new victory. And he had a right to do so, for 
 peace and its conditions were now in his grasp. Alexander 
 and Frederick William felt this, and hence they were under 
 the necessity of making advances to the conqueror; they were 
 obliged to sacrifice their pride and to conciliate their power- 
 ful enemy. Frederick William was still hesitating. The 
 tears of his wife, the prayers and remonstrances of Hardenberg 
 restrained him ; he was unwilling to listen to the urgent ap- 
 peals of Generals von Kockeritz and Zastrow, and of Field- 
 Marshal von Kalkreuth, who, now that Dantzic had fallen, 
 believed unconditional submission to be the only means of 
 safety. 
 
 Alexander determined first on taking a decisive step. On 
 the 24th of June he sent Prince Labanoff to the victor of 
 Friedland, and expressed his desire for an interview with 
 him. Napoleon complied with this request, and sent Grand- 
 Marshal Duroc to the Emperor Alexander to inform him that
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER. 237 
 
 he would meet him on the following day, the 25th of June, 
 at noon. But the two emperors did not wish to see each 
 other on a soil red with the blood of their soldiers, nor were 
 the peace negotiations to be held on a territory hostile to the 
 Emperor of the French. A river, whose waves buried in 
 their depths the reminiscences of the past, was to be the neu- 
 tral place of their meeting. 
 
 It was a clear midsummer-day ; the earth was clad in the 
 freshest verdure ; not a cloud floated in the sky ; not a breath 
 of wind stirred the air, or ruffled the limpid waters of the 
 Niemen. The river was silent, as though it was conscious of 
 its importance, and felt that a great historical event was to 
 take place on its tranquil surface. A large raft was moored by 
 General Lariboissiere, of the artillery, equidistant from and 
 within sight of both banks. A pavilion was constructed with 
 all the rich stuffs to be procured in the little town of Tilsit, 
 for the reception of the two monarchs. This gorgeous pavil- 
 ion seemed a palace descended from some fairy realm, and 
 thousands of spectators gazed at it in surprise. 
 
 The two armies were ranged along the Niemen, their arms 
 and uniforms flashing in the sun. On one bank were the life- 
 guards of Alexander, with their bearded faces and savage feat- 
 ures; on the other, the guards of Napoleon, with their 
 scarred faces, telling the story of many a victory. In the rear 
 of the soldiers were thousands more, who had hastened to the 
 banks of the Niemen to witness the interview of the two em- 
 perors. Shouts, laughter, and songs, resounded on both sides ; 
 the air was filled with a humming sound as from two immense 
 swarms of bees. At times, greetings were sent across the 
 river in a language mutually unintelligible. Suddenly, all 
 this noise died away; the guards on both sides presented 
 arms; the drums were beaten, and the bands played the 
 national hymns of Eussia and France. Amidst these jubilant 
 notes the two emperors with their brilliant suites approached. 
 
 That small, vigorous man, whose delicate hand is holding 
 firmly the bridle of his spirited white charger he with the 
 pale face and expansive forehead, crowned with light-brown 
 hair; with impenetrable features, a cold, compressed mouth, 
 and large, gloomy eyes that man is Napoleon, Emperor of 
 the French. Duroc, Berthier, Bessieres, and Caulaincourt, 
 form his suite, and follow him at a full gallop to the bank of 
 the river. 
 
 That slender young man on the richly caparisoned black
 
 238 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 horse that tall figure with smiling and handsome face, full 
 of vigor, health, and vivacity with soft, restless features; 
 blue eyes radiant with enthusiasm, and crimson lips is 
 Alexander, Emperor of Eussia. The Grand-duke Constan- 
 tino, Generals Benningsen and Ouwaroff, Prince Labanoff, 
 and Count Lieven, accompany him. 
 
 The two emperors dismount at the same time, and embark 
 with their suites in the gondolas that are to convey them to 
 the pavilion. The oarsmen keep time with their oars and the 
 boats approach each other, reaching simultaneously the two 
 staircases leading from the platform to the water. The two 
 monarchs disembark at the same moment. Alexander and 
 Napoleon stand face to face. For a moment they look at 
 each other with inquiring glances, and then embrace in the 
 most cordial manner. 
 
 This testimony of a frank reconciliation excited vehement 
 applause among the spectators who lined the river ; the French 
 as well as the Eussians stretched out their arms toward their 
 newly-won friends on the other bank. "Peace!" shouted 
 thousands. " Hail, ye friends and brethren ! our enmity is 
 over; our emperors have affectionately embraced each other, 
 and like them their subjects will meet in love and peace ! No 
 more shedding of blood! Peace! peace!" The music joined 
 with the exultant cries of the two nations, and the emperors 
 stepped, keeping time with the bands, through the doors 
 leading into the pavilion. They were alone. Only the eye 
 of God could behold them. For a few moments they stood 
 face to face, silent, and undecided which of them was to 
 speak first, while the echoes of the music penetrated the 
 heavily-curtained walls of the pavilion. Each of them seemed 
 to be anxious to read the thoughts of the other in his face } and 
 to look into the depths of his soul. 
 
 Napoleon's sonorous voice was the first to break the silence. 
 " Why are we at war?" he asked with an inimitable smile, 
 offering his hand to Alexander. 
 
 "It is true," exclaimed Alexander, as if awaking from a 
 dream ; " why are we at war? If your grudge is against Eng- 
 land, and against her alone if your majesty hates me only 
 because I am the friend of that country, I can sever the 
 alliance, and we shall easily agree, for I have as much reason 
 to complain of her as you have, and shall readily support you 
 in every thing your majesty may decide upon undertaking 
 against her."
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER. 239 
 
 "In that case," said Napoleon, quickly, "every thing can 
 be arranged, and peace is a matter of certainty. England 
 alone stood between us perfidious, egotistic England, that is 
 always interested only for herself, and is ready at any time to 
 sacrifice her faithful and generous allies!" 
 
 " I have allowed England to deceive me a long while," ex- 
 claimed Alexander, vehemently ; " for I once regarded that 
 nation of traders as a nation of men, heroes, and profound 
 diplomatists. But I was terribly undeceived. Those selfish 
 shop-keepers amused me with fair but false promises; they 
 care neither for my welfare nor for that of Europe, but only 
 for their commerce. The egotism of Great Britain is equalled 
 only by her narrow-minded avarice. I asked the British cab- 
 inet to guarantee a Russian loan, and they were impudent 
 enough to refuse me, although they knew very well that I 
 wished to negotiate it for the sole purpose of equipping an 
 army, with which I intended to take the field more in the in- 
 terest of England and Prussia, than in that of Eussia. Faith- 
 ful to my word, and to the treaties I had' concluded, I never- 
 theless equipped my army and marched it into the field in 
 order to join them. But where were my allies? Prussia 
 could not add to my forces a single army, but a few corps, 
 utterly demoralized by their misfortunes, and the assistance 
 promised by England came so late that it failed in saving 
 Dantzic. The English had taken their own time in appear- 
 ing before that fortress ; they had other matters to attend to 
 in the Baltic ; they had to make money by hunting up the 
 merchant-vessels of other nations, and, in their brutality and 
 avarice, they did not shrink from laying their rapacious 
 hands even upon Eussian ships ! But while the English were 
 taking unarmed vessels, and calculating their profits, and the 
 Prussians were bewailing their misfortunes and dressing their 
 wounds, I alone had to wage war and ingloriously to shed the 
 blood of my poor soldiers for a cause that was hardly the cause 
 of Eussia. Ah, sire, I shall never forgive England for desert- 
 ing me in the hour of danger, and for basely deceiving me by 
 false promises!" 
 
 While Alexander was speaking, Napoleon had steadfastly 
 fixed his eyes on him ; he had looked through the restless, 
 quivering face of the youthful emperor, into the recesses of 
 his heart; and while Alexander, wholly absorbed in his 
 wrongs, and alternately blushing and turning pale with in- 
 dignation and grief, was uttering his reproaches, Napoleon
 
 240 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 said to himself, " Two sentiments of the speaker are predom- 
 inant, and ought, therefore, to be flattered: spleen against 
 allies, burdensome like Prussia, or selfish like England; and 
 a very sensitive and deeply mortified pride. I must profit by 
 them." 
 
 As soon as Alexander paused, Napoleon said in a mournful 
 voice : " Your allies have taken advantage of your magna- 
 nimity, sire ! They knew very well that the heir of Peter the 
 Great was also the heir of his fiery spirit, and that it was only 
 necessary to talk of a field of battle, and let him hear a war- 
 like flourish, to make him draw the sword. Ah, sire, why 
 was I not so fortunate as to be at your side? Why did we 
 not take the field together ! What heroic deeds would you 
 have already performed ! What laurels would not now adorn 
 a head designed by Providence to wear them ! It was your 
 majesty's misfortune that you were united with allies who 
 duped you for their own purposes they were a king without 
 a country and without soldiers, and a nation composed of 
 greedy traders and stock-brokers, calculating whether glory 
 would be profitable to them in pounds, shillings, and pence ; 
 and whether stocks would not fall if they fulfilled their en- 
 gagements. Your majesty alone displayed nobleness, energy, 
 and courage, in this triumvirate; but your friends were un- 
 worthy of your honorable conduct. Your majesty's mistake 
 is to be solely attributed to generous sentiments carried to 
 excess, and to misconceptions to which ministers, incompetent 
 and bribed, have given rise. You were wrong to persist in 
 patronizing ungrateful and jealous neighbors like the Ger- 
 mans ; or in serving the interests of mere traders, like the 
 English. God and history have intrusted a much more ex- 
 alted task to you, and for this puprose such large and warlike 
 forces have been given you. I and my marshals, I can assure 
 you, are filled with admiration at the bravery of your soldiers, 
 every one of whom fought like a hero." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Alexander, "this praise uttered by you, 
 sire, is a balm for my wounds!" 
 
 Napoleon laid his hand softly on the shoulder of the young 
 emperor, and looked him full in the face. "Sire," he said, 
 " if we were to unite these two armies, which fought so 
 valiantly against one another at Austerlitz, at Eylau, at 
 Friedland, but who behaved like giants fighting blindfold if 
 we were to take the field hand in hand at their head, we 
 might divide the world between us, for its own peace and
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER. 241 
 
 welfare. By waging war with France, Eussia is spending her 
 strength without any possible compensation ; whereas, if the 
 two unite in subjecting the East and the West, on land and 
 sea, she would gain as much glory, and certainly more profit. 
 Yes, sire, you would attain the glory which you have hitherto 
 been vainly seeking with those who led you into a path in 
 which you have met with nothing but defeats and disappoint- 
 ments. Heaven intended, perhaps, that you should pass 
 through a school of suffering to make you see your false 
 friends in their true character, and then cause you to turn to 
 new friendships with the whole strength of your heroic soul. 
 Sire, I offer you my hand, and, if you will accept it, I will 
 lead you into a career as brilliant as the star-spangled firma- 
 ment, and as fragrant as the laurels of the south. You shall 
 see at least half the world at your feet. Sire, will you follow 
 me?" 
 
 He fixed his fascinating glance on Alexander, and an un- 
 earthly radiance seemed to beam from his countenance. 
 Alexander, dazzled by his aspect carried away by the vigor 
 of his language, and flattered also by hearing Napoleon give 
 utterance to reflections on his allies which so well agreed with 
 his own secret thoughts, extended his hands toward Napoleon. 
 
 "Here I am," he exclaimed, "lead me! Show me the 
 career I am to pursue!" 
 
 Napoleon hastily seized the proffered hands, and, shaking 
 them cordially, said with an energy which caused Alexander's 
 heart to flutter, "Come, the world is ours!" He conducted 
 Alexander quickly and silently to the round-table in the mid- 
 dle of the pavilion, on which several rolls of paper were lying. 
 Unfolding the largest, and spreading it on the table, he said, 
 " Sire, look here. This is a map of the world. There is 
 Asia, which is placed at the side of Russia, like a pillow on 
 which to rest your head ; there is Persia, with her treasures; 
 the vast Chinese empire, with its industry and commerce; 
 there is Hindostan, with her immense wealth, and a popula- 
 tion sighing for deliverance from the British yoke. Here 
 below you behold Africa, with her dreary deserts, and the 
 three Barbary states, which lately again plundered French 
 vessels, and upon which I have sworn to inflict summary pun- 
 ishment. I shall not now speak of America and Australia. 
 That is a world which has first to pass through the children's 
 disease of republicanism; after it has recovered from it, both 
 of us will be ready to inoculate it with monarchical prin-
 
 242 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ciples. But here is Europe ! Your majesty, look at this 
 motley chaos of colors and states, of big and little thrones, 
 lying between France and Eussia. We are their bulwarks on 
 the east and west; why should we not rule over them? We 
 are able to do so by joining hands over the heads of all these 
 states. If Eussia desires to be the sincere ally of France, 
 nothing will be more easy ; we shall change the face of this 
 part of Europe; we shall break the chains separating these 
 states and nations from each other in the east as well as in 
 the west. There will be but one shepherd and one flock, and 
 the Emperor of the Occident and the Emperor of the Orient 
 will give laws to the world!" 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Alexander, enthusiastically, "the will of 
 my ancestor, Peter the Great, revives in the mouth of Na- 
 poleon the Great!" 
 
 Napoleon smiled. "And what Catharine the Great 
 planned," he said, "will be accomplished by Alexander the 
 Great the consolidation of the empire of the East ! Sire, a 
 courier brought me important news this morning. My ally 
 and friend, Sultan Selim, has been hurled from his throne by 
 the daggers of conspirators. His overthrow has just set me at 
 liberty in regard to my alliance with the Porte." 
 
 "I also heard this intelligence to-day," said Alexander, 
 smiling; " the sultan's throne is vacant; Turkey awaits a new 
 sovereign." 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed Napoleon, " but it is not necessary that 
 this sovereign should be a Mussulman. The crescent on St. 
 Sophia's accuses the Christian powers of cowardice and per- 
 fidy, and it is time to reestablish the cross on it. I did think 
 that one might make something of those Turks, restore to 
 them some energy, teach them to make use of their national 
 courage; but it was an illusion. It is time to put an end to 
 an empire which can no longer hold together, and to prevent 
 its spoils from contributing to increase the power of England. 
 I ask but a small part of Turkey for myself; she is too remote 
 from France, she does not belong to the empire of the Occi- 
 dent. But I remember that Catharine the Great had placed 
 her on the map of the new world she was constructing, and I 
 read in the eyes of your majesty that you have not forgotten 
 that map !" 
 
 " Sire, you not only read in my eyes, but you look also into 
 my heart!" exclaimed Alexander; "like a magician, you lay 
 your hands on the secrets of my thoughts, that never found
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER. 243 
 
 words ; you teach them to assume a definite shape, and impart 
 the faculty of speech to them." 
 
 " I show you the way of glory, which your allies had taken 
 pains to conceal," said Napoleon, smiling, " Your majesty 
 anxiously desires to see it, and those perfidious men tried to 
 mislead you. The portal opens to you now, sire, and I 
 already behold the noble Alexander entering it." 
 
 "Oh," murmured Alexander, placing his hands on his 
 head, " my brain turns dizzy; it seems to me as though it were 
 on fire." 
 
 "Sire," exclaimed Napoleon, in a powerful voice, "we are 
 destined to give everlasting peace to the world, and woe to 
 those who try to hinder us ! England would like to do so as 
 to myself, and Turkey desires as much in regard to you. 
 Sire, let us unite, therefore, against these two enemies, and 
 give efficiency to our alliance. We must enlarge our terri- 
 tory. I see in the north an obstacle to your progress ; Sweden 
 is watching your majesty with a jealous eye, and will regard 
 an alliance with me as a declaration of war. Well, then, wage 
 war against Sweden!" 
 
 "Sire," said Alexander, in dismay, and confused by those 
 novel ideas passing so brilliantly before him, " the King of 
 Sweden is my brother-in-law and ally!" 
 
 "For that reason, let him follow the changes of your 
 policy," replied Napoleon, " or let him take the consequences. 
 Sweden may be an ally for the moment, but she is your geo- 
 graphical enemy. St. Petersburg is too near the frontiers of 
 Finland. The fair Russians of St. Petersburg must not again 
 hear from their palaces the cannon of the Swedes. Proclaim 
 war against the Swedish king, and take Finland as a compen- 
 sation. And as you must be strong in the south as well as in 
 the north, take also at once some portion of the provinces 
 of the Danube. However, as it is probable that the Turks 
 will not give up any thing, let us wage war against them. I 
 will assist you, and afterward the partition will take place. 
 Look here," added Napoleon, quickly, drawing with his finger 
 a line across the map, " this is the inheritance that Turkey 
 will leave us. You take Bessarabia, Moldavia, Wallachia, 
 and Bulgaria, as far as the Balkan. I should naturally wish 
 for the maritime provinces, such as Albania, Thessaly, Morea, 
 and Candia. It is true Austria would object to such an ar- 
 rangement, but we should offer her indemnities in Bosnia and 
 Servia, to be made the appanage of one of her archdukes. I
 
 244 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 have thus laid before you a rapid sketch of our new world, sire ; 
 the question now is whether you like it what you think of it." 
 
 "Your majesty," exclaimed Alexander, enthusiastically, "I 
 feel like a man who has looked at the sun, and whose eyes are 
 dazzled. But I shall become accustomed to this brilliant 
 light, and then be able to look more reasonably at the wonder- 
 ful picture which your majesty has unrolled. But, then, I 
 shall need your explanations and assistance, and I therefore 
 request you not to let to-day's interview be the last, but rather 
 the commencement of many happy hours!" 
 
 "We have to settle many things yet," said Napoleon, 
 gravely ; " it is, therefore, my heart-felt desire that we see 
 each other as often as possible ; hence, I should like to ask a 
 favor of your majesty." 
 
 "Ah, sire, then you will overwhelm me with kindness," 
 exclaimed Alexander; "will you permit me, your vanquished 
 foe, to confer a favor upon you?" 
 
 " I should like to request your majesty to leave the miser- 
 able hamlet where you are now living, and establish yourself 
 in the little town of Tilsit. It is true I am residing there, 
 and I am said to be your enemy; but we may neutralize the 
 town, that your majesty may be there also, and that I may be 
 so happy as to see you every day." 
 
 " Sire, I shall transfer my quarters to Tilsit in the course 
 of the day," replied Alexander, joyfully. 
 
 " But I have made only half my request. It is not enough 
 for you to reside at Tilsit ; you must also live there. I have 
 been informed that your household is not with you. I, there- 
 fore, ask your majesty to let me be your host, and to permit 
 me to receive you as a guest at my table." 
 
 "I accept your hospitality," said Alexander, smiling. "I 
 hope it will be the beginning of a true and lasting friendship. 
 But," he added, in un embarrassed manner, "I have to ask ;i 
 favor of you. Sire, when I accept your generous hospitality, 
 it must extend to the unfortunate King of Prussia. He is my 
 ally; in an hour of rashness and sentimental enthusiasm, per- 
 haps, I swore faithful and lasting friendship to him." 
 
 " At the tomb of Frederick the Great, in presence of the- 
 beautiful queen," said Napoleon, shrugging his shoulders. 
 " It was the dream of a generous heart, sire." 
 
 " But I must realize at least a part of this dream, sire. 
 The King of Prussia is with me at my headquarters; he is 
 waiting for the decision of his fate."
 
 TILSIT. NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER. 245 
 
 *'He has brought it upon himself; let him bear it now," 
 exclaimed Napoleon, sternly. " I do not expect, hope, or ask 
 any thing of him. He is able neither to help nor to injure 
 me. The waves of his destiny are rolling over him; they 
 will engulf him, and I do not mean to save him." 
 
 "But I do," exclaimed Alexander; "I must, for my honor 
 is at stake. I cannot allow the king to be utterly ruined 
 without dishonoring myself. Before passing from one system 
 of politics to another, it is incumbent upon me to secure my 
 ally and to protect his crown." 
 
 " His estates belong to me ; as to his crown, I will leave it 
 to him," said Napoleon, carelessly. "Let him reside at 
 Meinel and review there his fifteen thousand soldiers. But I 
 comprehend why you in your generosity intercede for him, 
 and refuse to abandon him. Tell me, therefore, your maj- 
 . esty, what I am to do for the King of Prussia." 
 
 " Above all, sire, I request you to receive him, and to let 
 him lay his wishes and demands before you." 
 
 "Well, then," said Napoleon, "I request your majesty to 
 appear with the King of Prussia here in this pavilion to- 
 morrow. Let him participate in our interview. Although he 
 lias so long been an implacable enemy of mine, I shall willingly 
 yield him as much as possible, but I do so only for your 
 majesty's sake; it is a sacrifice I make to your honor and 
 magnanimity. Be kind enough to remember this. Sire, I 
 might dissolve Prussia, and cause her to disappear forever. I 
 shall permit her to remain a state, because your majesty de- 
 sires me. But it is true I cannot grant her the old frontiers; 
 she will have to sacrifice much in order to retain some- 
 thing." 
 
 "She will be content with this something," exclaimed 
 Alexander. " Your majesty will confer with the king himself 
 as to the extent of his future states." 
 
 " You wish me to do so. The King of Prussia, therefore, 
 may have a part in our negotiations," said Napoleon. " That 
 is to say, in the official negotiations, but not in our confiden- 
 tial interviews. You and I," he added, " can understand each 
 other better if we treat directly than by employing our min- 
 isters, who frequently deceive or misunderstand us; and we 
 shall advance business more in an hour than our negotiators in 
 days. Between you and me there must be no third person, if 
 we are to accomplish our purpose." 
 
 "No one shall be between us," said Alexander, delighted at
 
 246 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 so skilful a flattery. The two sovereigns then walked hand in 
 hand to the doors of the pavilion. 
 
 "To-morrow, then," said Napoleon, with a gentle nod. 
 
 " To-morrow, I and the King of Prussia will be here," said 
 Alexander, with a smile. 
 
 Both emerged from the pavilion. The guards and the 
 people received them again with shouts in which the bands 
 joined. Alexander turned to the Grand-duke Constantino, 
 his brother, and seizing his hand to introduce him to Na- 
 poleon, he exclaimed enthusiastically, " What a man ! what a 
 genius! Ah, my brother, had I but known him sooner, how 
 many blunders he might have spared me ! What great things 
 we might have accomplished together!" 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVIII. 
 
 QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 WHILE Frederick William repaired with Alexander to the 
 headquarters of the army, the queen and her faithful attend- 
 ants remained at Memel. There she received the news of the 
 battle of Friedland, and bewailed the misfortunes and disgrace 
 of Prussia. The king was not with her, to comfort her; he 
 was still ab the mill of Puktupohnen, where, after the dis- 
 astrous battle, he and the Emperor Alexander had retired. 
 Alexander had left for Tilsit. The king had refused to ac- 
 company him, preferring to remain at his humble lodgings, 
 far from the proud conqueror. While Alexander was the 
 perpetual companion of Napoleon, a daily guest at his table, 
 without returning this hospitality, indulging with him in 
 fantastic dreams about the future political system of the 
 world, Frederick William pursued his lonely path gravely and 
 silently, only looking for means to relieve as much as possible 
 the sufferings his subjects were undergoing, and, by remon- 
 strances and arguments, trying to protect his monarchy from 
 utter destruction. 
 
 Never did Frederick William stoop to flatter his enemy 
 never did he bow to him in hypocritical submission. He 
 could not help treating him as the conqueror of his states, but 
 he refused to degrade himself by base servility. His first in- 
 terview with Napoleon was short, and not very pleasant. 
 Frederick William tried to prove to his adversary that it was
 
 QUEEN LOUISA. 247 
 
 he who had brought about the war by invading the territory 
 of Anspach, and thereby compelling Prussia to declare war. 
 Napoleon listened to this charge, shrugged his shoulders, and 
 merely replied that the cabinet of Berlin, often warned to be- 
 ware of the intrigues of England, had committed the fault of 
 not listening to his friendly counsel, and that to this cause 
 alone were to be ascribed the disasters of Prussia. Since 
 then, Frederick William, like Alexander, was a daily guest at 
 Napoleon's table, but he sat there in silence, sad, and ab- 
 sorbed in his reflections, taking but little part in the conver- 
 sation, and, when he did so, assuming a cold, formal manner, 
 while Alexander and Napoleon chatted unreservedly and 
 pleasantly. 
 
 The king had also been constantly at the side of the two 
 emperors in their long rides, and at the reviews, but always as 
 an ominous shadow in the light of their new friendship 
 always as the mournful and warning spirit of memories which 
 Alexander would have forgotten, because now they were a re- 
 proach and an accusation against him. And Frederick Will- 
 iam took no pains to palliate this reproach, or to disguise his 
 sadness with a veil of politeness. Abrupt in his whole bear- 
 ing, he did not condescend for a moment to play the part of 
 courtier. Accompanying the emperors, the king was by no 
 means ready to comply with their whims; if they wished to 
 ride at a full gallop, he moved only at a quick trot, and polite- 
 ness compelled them to remain with him. When they re- 
 turned from their excursions, Napoleon and Alexander vaulted 
 quickly from their horses, and walked hand-in-hand toward 
 the door, but Frederick William alighted slowly, and thus 
 obliged Napoleon, whose guest he was, to wait for him. The 
 king frequently made his crowned companions stand, regard- 
 less of the rain ; and it happened more than once that the 
 emperors, while waiting for him, were thoroughly drenched. 
 When he was conferring with Napoleon as to the future fron- 
 tiers of his states, Frederick William did not assume a 
 suppliant tone, but spoke with the bearing of an incensed and 
 insulted sovereign, whom his adversary was robbing of his 
 rights, and who scarcely succeeded in restraining his indig- 
 nation. 
 
 And the king had sufficient reasons to be sad and irritable. 
 He saw that the storm which had so long cast its bolts upon 
 Prussia, would utterly destroy her. Napoleon was about to 
 revenge himself for the unpleasant hours she had latterly
 
 248 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 caused him. He was willing, indeed, as he had pledged him- 
 self to Alexander, to leave Frederick William his crown, but 
 he did not intend to restore him his states. He needed 
 Prussia for the new kingdom of Westphalia, and for rewarding 
 his friends and allies. The king was to retain nothing but a 
 small part of the province of Prussia, and Konigsberg was to- 
 be his capital. 
 
 Frederick William, stricken by this new and terrible humil- 
 iation menacing him, looked anxiously around for assistance. 
 He felt lonely, deserted, and betrayed; he felt as though there 
 was no comfort, no hope for him. His soul turned with un- 
 utterable yearning toward the queen; she was the pillar 
 against which he desired to lean, that he might not sink to 
 the ground; she was his energy, his strength, his deter- 
 mination, and when she was at his side, he felt strong enough 
 to brave any calamity. His love longed for her, and political 
 considerations soon required her presence. 
 
 "Beseech the queen to come hither," said Alexander to 
 him ; " she alone is able now to do something for Prussia. 
 Her beauty, her eloquence, her amiability, and her under- 
 standing, will be more likely to obtain concessions from 
 Napoleon than any thing else. It will touch his magnanimity 
 that the noble queen, whom he has so often reviled, con- 
 descends to come to him to implore his mercy. This high- 
 minded resolution will make a deep impression upon his 
 generosity, and he will grant twenty times more than I am 
 able to obtain by my daily and most urgent solicitations." 
 
 The king still hesitated. Owing to his sense of honor and 
 his conscientiousness, he shrank from doing what his heart 
 so intensely desired; and, before making up his mind, he 
 wished to hear the views of his friends, General von Kockeritz 
 and Field-Marshal Kalkreuth, who were carrying on the peace 
 negotiations with Talleyrand. Both of them shared the 
 opinion of the Emperor Alexander ; both of them exclaimed : 
 " The queen is our last hope ! She alone is able to make an 
 impression upon the inexorable conqueror, and Napoleon pos- 
 sibly may not refuse her what he declined granting to your 
 majesty and to us. It is necessary for the welfare of Prussia 
 that her majesty should come hither. " 
 
 The king delayed no longer. He wrote to the queen, and 
 requested her to come to his headquarters at Puktupohnen. 
 He told her it was her sacred duty to make a last effort for 
 the preservation of Prussia that every thing would be lost if
 
 QUEEN LOUISA. 249 
 
 she failed to move Napoleon by her supplications and remon-i 
 strances. A courier hastened immediately with the letter tc 
 Memel. When Louisa read it, a pallor overspread her feat- 
 ures. Uttering a cry of excruciating anguish, she dropped 
 the paper into her lap, and buried her face in her hands. 
 
 Madame von Berg, who had heard the loud sobs of the 
 queen in the adjoining room, hastened to console or weep with 
 her. Louisa did not hear her come ; she was still absorbed in 
 grief; only incoherent lamentations fell from her lips, and 
 her tears fell on the letter lying in her lap. Madame von 
 Berg knelt, and implored her with the eloquence of devoted- 
 ness and affection to let her share her queen's grief to tell 
 her what new calamity had occurred. 
 
 Louisa looked with sorrowful eyes at the friend kneeling 
 before her. " You ask me what calamity has befallen me ! 
 Head and know!" she said, handing the letter to her lady of 
 honor, and, at the same time, raising her from her knees. 
 
 While Madame von Berg was reading, the queen rose ; and 
 with her head thrown back, and her eyes turned upward, she 
 commenced slowly pacing the room. " Well?" she asked, 
 when Madame von Berg, with a deep sigh, had laid the letter 
 on the table. "Did you read it? And do you comprehend 
 my grief now?" 
 
 "I do, your majesty," she said, mournfully. 
 
 " Caroline," exclaimed the queen, in an outburst of despair, 
 " I am to bow to this man, who has insulted me so infamously ! 
 I am to step like a beggar before him who has slandered my 
 honor before the whole world, who has crushed my heart, and 
 wounded my soul in such a manner that it can never, never 
 recover! I tell you, he will be the cause of my death! On 
 the day when I read those calumnies which he contrived to 
 have printed about me on that day I felt a pang in my heart 
 as if a dagger had been plunged into it! Ah, would I could 
 die this hour, before sinking into this new humiliation ! Ah, 
 my soul is willing to bow to the great, the beautiful, the 
 sublime but not to him not to that proud man who is 
 trampling mankind in the dust; who has rendered King 
 Frederick William so wretched, robbing him of his states and 
 of his majesty, slandering his queen, and ppressing his peo- 
 ple. Caroline, think of it! I am to meet politely him who 
 has robbed my children of their inheritance, and caused me 
 so many sleepless nights, so many tears, so many pangs! 
 With a smile I am to conceal my anguish; and, under a mag-
 
 250 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 nificent costume, my wounded heart ! As it behooves every 
 lady, though no queen, I am not to wait for him to come to 
 me, but I am to go to him! I am to force my visit on him 
 I am to court his favor! Ah, it is too much too cruel!" 
 
 Eaising her arms impetuously to heaven, she exclaimed in 
 the energy of her grief, " Wilt Thou have no mercy upon me, 
 my God? Ah, let me die! Let me die, to escape this new 
 disgrace menacing me ! I am a poor, tormented woman ! I 
 ask nothing of Thee but death ! Wilt Thou refuse me this 
 only wish?" She sank on her knees, her arms and eyes still 
 raised toward heaven, as if she expected that her prayer would 
 be granted. She slowly dropped her arms, and hung her 
 head with a groan. Madame von Berg, in tears and with 
 folded hands, was praying in a low voice. 
 
 A long pause ensued. The queen rose from her knees; her 
 face was calm and her tears had gone ! but around her eyes a 
 quiver was still seen, and at times a sigh escaped her breast. 
 "It is over now," she said in a low voice, "the struggle is 
 over! Pardon my impassioned grief, Caroline; my poor 
 heart sometimes refuses to submit to the bridle of affliction. 
 But I must be docile and patient, and learn to obey without 
 a murmur." 
 
 There was something so touching in the tone and manner 
 in which the queen uttered these words, in the glance wiii* 
 which she gave her hand to her friend, that Madame von 
 Berg was unable to conceal her tears. She took Louisa's 
 hand and pressed it to her lips. 
 
 "Do not weep, Caroline," said the queen. "I have paid 
 my tribute to human nature; I have wept, but now I will be 
 strong and do my duty. Stand by me, and console me by 
 your calmness and fortitude. I must set out in an hour; let 
 us reflect, therefore, what preparations ought to be made." 
 
 " Then you will really go, your majesty?" asked Madame 
 von Berg, sadly. 
 
 " Majesty!" e aculated the queen, almost indignantly. "Is 
 this reverence intended to deride me? Where is my majesty?" 
 
 " In your sovereign eyes, Louisa," said Madame von Berg 
 " in your great and noble heart, which masters its grief and 
 submits to duty. It beams gloriously around your head, 
 which, though it may bow to your adversary, will never be 
 humbled by him. But, consider, are you not about to im- 
 pose upon yourself, in your generous devotedness, a sacrifice 
 which is greater, it may be, than the reward? Napoleon ia
 
 QUEEN LOUISA. 251 
 
 not a magnanimous man; he lacks true chivalry, and he 
 would delight, perhaps, to scorn the august lady who humbles 
 herself so painfully, and who thereby affords him a triumph. 
 There is a voice in my heart, warning me against this plan ; 
 it is repugnant to my womanly feelings that my noble queen 
 is suddenly to descend into the petty affairs of politics. I am 
 afraid your beauty, your understanding, your grace, are to 
 be abused to fascinate your enemy, and to wrest from him by 
 persuasion what is the sacred right and property of your king 
 and of your children, and what I believe cannot be wrested 
 from the conqueror through intercession, but by the king and 
 his ally, the Emperor Alexander, by means of negotiations, or, 
 if they should fail, by force and conquest." 
 
 "Hush, hush, Caroline," exclaimed the queen anxiously. 
 " Do not repeat to me my own thoughts ; do not give expres- 
 sion to my doubts and fears! I think and feel like you. But 
 I must go nevertheless; I must do what my king and husband 
 asks me to do. He wrote me that it is my sacred duty to 
 control my feelings, and come to him that every thing is lost 
 if I do not succeed in influencing Napoleon by my remon- 
 strances. It shall not be said that I neglected my duty, and 
 refused to yield, when the welfare of my children and of my 
 husband was at stake. It is a trial imposed upon me now, 
 and I am accustomed to make sacrifices. God may reward 
 my children for the sufferings I am now undergoing, the tears 
 of their mother may remove adversity from them when I am 
 no more. Oh, my children and my husband, if you are only 
 happy, I shall never regret having suffered and wept! And 
 who knows," she added, "whether God may not have mercy 
 upon me, and whether, by the humiliation I am about to 
 make, I may not really promote the welfare of my king, my 
 children, and my beloved people? Oh, Caroline, I feel a joy- 
 ful foreboding that it will be so ! It will touch the proud 
 conqueror to see a lady, a wife, a mother, who was once a 
 queen, and is now but a sad, afflicted woman, appear before 
 him and humbly ask him to have mercy on her children and 
 her country. Even though he should feel no generosity, he 
 will feign it, and, in his ambition to be admired by the world, 
 he will grant me what he would have refused under other cir- 
 cumstances. The hearts of men rest in the hands of God. 
 He will move this man's heart!" 
 
 Scarcely touching the floor with her feet, Louisa glided 
 across the room to the piano. She slowly touched the keys, 
 17
 
 252 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 and with upturned glances she indicated her thoughts, sing- 
 ing in a joyful voice the hymn commencing with the words : 
 
 In all thy ways in grief, in fear, 
 
 O troubled heart ! rely 
 On that all-faithful, ceaseless care 
 
 Of Him who rules the sky.* 
 
 CHAPTEK XXIX. 
 
 BAD TIDINGS. 
 
 FREDERICK WILLIAM and Louisa sat hand in hand in the 
 small, wretched room of the mill at Puktupohnen. They 
 were not a royal couple, but a pair of lovers, thanking God 
 that they were again united, and could read in each other V 
 eyes the love and constancy that animated them. The king, 
 generally taciturn and laconic, found words at this hour ; his 
 happiness made him eloquent, and he unbosomed himself un- 
 reservedly, telling of his apprehensions and forebodings. 
 " But now," he said, pressing Louisa's hand to his lips, " now 
 you are here, and affairs will assume a more hopeful aspect. 
 Your eyes will strengthen and your voice will encourage me. 
 Alas! I stand greatly in need of your presence, for my sou' 
 is well-nigh crushed. I have no longer sufficient strength to 
 withstand my misfortunes and humiliations they oppress my 
 life day and night, leaving me no rest. At times, when I sat 
 at the dinner-table between the two emperors, and gazed at 
 the sombre features of Napoleon, in contrast with the good- 
 natured face of Alexander, and listened to their jests, I felt as 
 though I ought to interrupt them by an expression of anger, 
 and say to them, 'It is a shame for you to laugh when mis- 
 fortune is in your company, and seated by your side. ' But I 
 suppressed my feelings. Oh, Louisa, I was all alone in my 
 agony. Now you are here, I am no longer alone!" He threw 
 his arms around the queen's neck, and pressed her against his 
 heart, as though afraid she might also be wrested from him. 
 " Oh, beloved Louisa," he whispered, "you are my consolation 
 and my hope; do not desert me do not give me up now 
 that the whole world seems to desert me!" 
 
 * Beflehl Du Deine Wege 
 
 Und was Dein Herze Kriinkt , 
 Der allertreu'sten Pflege 
 Dess, der den Himmel lenkt. 
 ***** 
 
 PAUL GERHARD.
 
 BAD TIDINGS. 253 
 
 The queen encircled his neck in her arms and kissed him. 
 " I shall always stay with you," she said, smiling in her tears; 
 " so long as my heart throbs it belongs to you, my king, mj 
 beloved husband!" They remained locked in an embrace. 
 Their thoughts were prayers, and their prayers love. 
 
 A carriage rapidly driving up to the door, and rattling the 
 windows, roused them. " It is Alexander, who comes to pay 
 you a visit," said the king, rising. " I will meet him." 
 
 But before he had reached the door, it opened, and the 
 Emperor Alexander appeared. " Ah, I succeeded in surpris- 
 ing both of you," he said, with a good-humored smile. Bow- 
 ing respectfully to the queen, he added: "I trust youi 
 majesty will forgive my entering without announcement, but 
 I longed to see my noble friend Frederick William. God and 
 His saints be praised that the sun has at length risen on us, 
 and that your majesty has arrived!" 
 
 "Yes, sire, I have arrived," said Louisa, mournfully; 
 " however, I do not bring the sun with me. Night surrounds 
 us, and it seems to me I cannot see a single star in the dark- 
 ness." 
 
 Alexander became grave ; he gazed long and searchingly at 
 the pale face of the queen, and a sigh escaped his breast. 
 "Sire, "he said, turning to the king, "can we really make 
 peace with the man who, in the course of a few weeks, changed 
 into the lily the red rose that once adorned the face of the 
 noblest and most beautiful lady? Can we really forgive him 
 for wringing tears from our august queen?" 
 
 "Fate does not ask us whether we can," said the king, 
 gloomily. " It tells us only that we must. In my heart I 
 shall never make peace with the man who, although a great 
 captain, is no great man ; else he would be less cruel. But 
 God has given him the power, and we must all bow to 
 him." 
 
 " But it is not necessary to humble ourselves before him," 
 exclaimed the queen. " Amid our misfortunes we must keep 
 ourselves erect; and if we perish, we ought to do so with un- 
 sullied honor." 
 
 " But why perish?" said Alexander. " We are shipwrecked, 
 it is true, and we are now drifting on the waves, but we must 
 save ourselves. Every one must try, to the best of his ability, 
 to do so; he must grasp at the first thing that falls into his 
 hands at a plank, at a straw. Some fortunate rope may at 
 last save us, and draw us to the shore. We shall then build
 
 254 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA, 
 
 a new ship, and man her with fresh hands. Do you agree 
 with me, my dear fellow-sufferers?" 
 
 " Sire," said Louisa, in a low and mournful voice, "you are 
 magnanimous. You call yourself our fellow -sufferer. And 
 yet the tempest shipwrecked us alone." 
 
 "By no means," exclaimed Alexander; "I have also suf- 
 fered; all my hopes, wishes, and ambition went down. But 
 I did not wish to be drowned, and I stretched out my arms for 
 something to support me. Do you know what I found to sus- 
 tain me? The Emperor Napoleon! Oh, he is a strong 
 support." 
 
 " I have heard, sire, your majesty has of late become an 
 ardent admirer of Napoleon," said the queen, in a tremulous 
 voice. 
 
 " Yes, " exclaimed Alexander, enthusiastically, " Napoleon 
 is a genius, a demi-god ; the great Alexander of antiquity has 
 risen from the dead. He realizes the myths of the ancient 
 heroes. I repeat it to him every day, and, thank God, he be- 
 lieves me!" 
 
 The queen cast a surprised and inquiring glance on him. 
 A singular smile played on his lips. "Yes," he repeated, 
 " Napoleon believes me ! He is convinced of the sincerity of 
 my admiration, and he is right. I love him as my master 
 as my teacher as the great ideal that I will endeavor to 
 imitate!" 
 
 "Oh, sire," sighed the queen, reproachfully, "you give me 
 pain!" 
 
 "You hate him, then?" asked Alexander, quickly. 
 
 "No," replied Louisa, gently, "I do not hate him, but I 
 cannot love and adore him. Only the good can make the 
 world happy, and Napoleon has no good intentions toward 
 the nacions. In his unmeasured ambition he thinks of him- 
 self and his individual interests only. "We may admire, but 
 cannot love him." 
 
 " We must, we can love him!" exclaimed Alexander. " He 
 is an instrument in the hand of Providence, that seems to 
 have armed him to rule the world. I love Napoleon," he 
 added, in a whispering tone, " and I am sure he believes in 
 and returns my love. He overwhelms me with attentions and 
 favors; we have long conversations everyday; we take our 
 meals together, and make many excursions. A shower sur- 
 prised us yesterday and gave us a thorough wetting. How 
 amiably the great Napoleon behaved toward me ! how kindly
 
 BAD TIDINGS. 255 
 
 he took care of me ! He would not even iet me go to my 
 quarters to change my dress, but conducted me himself to his 
 room and lent me his linen and clothing. As a souvenir, he 
 presented me with a superb dressing-case of gold which I 
 chanced to admire. I shall always preserve this gift as a 
 token of his friendship." 
 
 He paused a moment, and cast a quick glance at the royal 
 couple. Frederick William had turned toward the window, 
 and seemed to look intently at the sky. Louisa had cast 
 down her eyes, and her features expressed a profound melan- 
 choly. The same strange smile played on the emperor's face, 
 but neither the king nor the queen noticed it. He kissed 
 Louisa's hand and asked: "Will your majesty graciously 
 permit me to show you that beautiful dressing-case?" 
 
 The queen withdrew her hand almost indignantly. "I 
 thank your majesty," she said, "I am not very anxious to see 
 the gifts of Napoleon." 
 
 Alexander approached nearer to her. " That is right," he 
 whispered hastily, " be angry with me regard me as a faith- 
 less man a renegade, you will yet be undeceived!" 
 
 "Sire," said the queen, "sire " 
 
 " Hush !" whispered Alexander, receding from her and ap- 
 proaching the king. " Your majesty knows how much I have 
 at heart your friendship as well as your welfare what pains 
 I take to soften the heart of the conqueror, and to inspire 
 him with more lenient sentiments toward Prussia. I improve 
 every opportunity ; I try to profit by my private interviews to 
 obtain better terms for you; as, for instance, I succeeded 
 yesterday in persuading him to leave you the fortress of 
 Graudenz." 
 
 " I thank your majesty," said Frederick William, gravely. 
 " But, as far as I know, Napoleon did not conquer and occupy 
 that fortress at all ; it held out bravely and faithfully to the 
 day of the armistice ; it remained mine, and I do not see by 
 what right he claims it." 
 
 "Oh, your majesty," exclaimed Alexander, carelessly, "the 
 victor claims the right of taking every thing he pleases. You 
 must remember that, now and hereafter yes, hereafter," re- 
 peated Alexander, laying stress on the word. " I was glad, 
 therefore, that I succeeded in preserving Graudenz to you. 
 Unfortunately, however, I did not succeed in recovering the 
 frontiers. Our august queen must use her eloquence, and I 
 have no doubt that the noblest of women will succeed in
 
 256 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 bringing about what we and our ministers failed to accom- 
 plish. But in order that your majesty may become fully 
 aware of the important interests that are at stake, of the dan- 
 gers menacing Prussia, and how urgently she needs the assist- 
 ance of her queen, I have brought the ultimatum' of 
 Napoleon. He dictated it to-day, to Talleyrand in my pres- 
 ence, and I requested him to give me a copy. Will you 
 permit me, sire, to communicate it to you?" 
 
 " It is always better to know our fate, and look it full in 
 the face," said the king, slowly. " I request your majesty, 
 therefore, to read it." 
 
 " And will you also permit me?" asked Alexander, turning 
 to the queen. 
 
 Louisa gently nodded. " The king is right," she said, "we 
 should know the worst. Let us sit down, if your majesty 
 please." 
 
 She took a seat on the sofa ; the emperor and her husband 
 occupied the easy-chairs on the other side of the table. 
 
 " I implore your majesties, however, to listen without in- 
 terrupting me," said Alexander, drawing a paper from his 
 bosom. Glancing over it, he added : " Napoleon demands, 
 above all, that Prussia shall cede to him the whole territory 
 on the right of the Niemen, the city of Memel, and the dis- 
 trict extending as far as Tilsit, for he asserts that this is the 
 natural frontier of Eussia. He requires your majesty, further, 
 to cede your whole territory on the left of the Elbe to France, 
 for he regards the Elbe as also the natural frontier of the 
 Prussian kingdom. He stipulates expressly that the district 
 of Hildesheim shall not be included in the territory of your 
 majesty on the right of the Elbe, for he desires this district 
 to form part of the new kindgom of Westphalia, which he has 
 resolved to organize. But to compensate you for this loss, he 
 will prevail upon Saxony to cede to you a territory on the 
 right of the Elbe, equivalent to the district of Memel. Na- 
 poleon demands the Polish provinces of Prussia for the new 
 kingdom of Poland to be organized; but your majesty is to 
 keep Pomerelia and the districts of Kulm, Elbing, and 
 Marianwerder. The district of the Netze, as well as the canal 
 of Bromberg and Thorn, will be taken from Prussia ; Dant- 
 zic, with its surroundings, is to be constituted a free I be- 
 lieve, a free German city, under the joint protection of Saxony 
 and Prussia. Eussia is to cede the island of Corfu to France. 
 This is Napoleon's 'ultimatum,' " ^aid Alexander, laying the
 
 BAD TIDINGS. 25? 
 
 paper on the table. " These, queen, are the conditions which 
 your majesty ought to endeavor to render less rigorous, and if 
 possible, to cancel altogether. What do you think of them, 
 your majesty?" 
 
 " I think that if we cannot avert our fate, we must submit 
 to it," replied Frederick William in a hollow voice, " but that 
 recourse ought to be had to every means to render it less 
 offensive. For if I am compelled to sign these propositions, 
 I sign the ruin of Prussia." 
 
 The queen had listened to the words of the emperor, with 
 breathless attention, and fixed her eyes inquiringly on her 
 husband. On hearing his mournful reply, she sank back ex- 
 hausted, and tears flowed down her cheeks. 
 
 " Your majesty sees how necessary it was that you should 
 come hither," said Alexander to the queen. " You have a 
 great task to perform here. You alone are able to save 
 Prussia!" 
 
 Louisa shook her head. "Sire, "she said, "he who was 
 arrogant enough to draw up such an 'ultimatum,' is also cruel 
 enough to withstand all solicitation. I have come because 
 my king commanded me ; faithful to the duty intrusted to 
 me, I shall try to mitigate our fate, but I do not hope to be 
 successful." 
 
 " In these times, nothing can be promised with any degree 
 of certainty; we can only hope for the best," said Alexander. 
 " We must not relax in our efforts to bring about a change in 
 these terms. But I have not yet communicated to you all 
 the demands of the Emperor Napoleon." 
 
 "Indeed!" exclaimed the king, with a bitter laugh. 
 " Then there is something still left for Napoleon to take from 
 me?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, he demands that your majesty dismiss your 
 minister, Von Hardenberg." 
 
 "Hardenberg!" exclaimed the queen, sadly "the king's 
 most faithful and devoted servant! Oh, your majesty knows 
 him the generous zeal that animates him, and the noble 
 purposes that he pursues." 
 
 " I know him and have tried to lessen Napoleon's hostility," 
 said Alexander, shrugging his shoulders. " But my efforts 
 were unsuccessful. He insists on Hardenberg's removal, and 
 I cannot but advise your majesty, urgently, to comply. I 
 cannot conceal from you that the Emperor Napoleon has de- 
 clared to me to-day, that he would make no peace, but wage
 
 258 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 war with Prussia for forty years rather than consent that 
 Hardenberg, his implacable adversary, should remain your 
 minister for a single day." 
 
 "That is too much," exclaimed the queen, indignantly. 
 " Let Napoleon dismember Prussia, since he has the power, 
 but he must not compel us to select or dismiss our servants 
 according to his fion plaisir." 
 
 "He must not! but he can do so," said the king gloomily, 
 " and as Napoleon does every thing he can, of course he 
 compels me to undergo a fresh humiliation. I must restore 
 peace to my poor, bleeding country; I cannot continue the 
 war. If, therefore, he insists on Hardenberg's removal as a 
 first condition of the peace, I must comply. " 
 
 " But it is impossible to inform such a faithful and devoted 
 servant of the state so abruptly of his ignominious removal 
 from office," exclaimed the queen, mournfully. 
 
 "No," said Alexander, "that is unnecessary. Minister 
 von Hardenberg will send in his resignation. I have had a 
 long conference with him, and, in consequence of it, he has 
 repaired hither to request your majesty to grant him an au- 
 dience. May I call him?" 
 
 " If your majesty desires me I will receive him in your 
 presence and in that of the queen," said Frederick William, 
 walking to the door; he opened it, and cried : " Minister von 
 Hardenberg!" 
 
 A few minutes afterward Hardenberg entered the room. 
 The serene expression of his fine, manly features had not dis- 
 appeared; calm, and kindly as usual, he approached their 
 majesties, and bowed to them respectfully, yet with the pride 
 of a man conscious of his own dignity. He took the liberty,, 
 therefore, to violate etiquette, and to speak without being 
 spoken to. " Sire," he said, turning to the Emperor Alex- 
 ander, " I thank you for being so kind as to procure me au 
 audience with his majesty, and as I may hope that you have 
 communicated to my king and master the reason why I ap- 
 plied for it, I shall have but little to say. Time is precious, 
 and, therefore, I shall be brief." 
 
 He approached the king, and, bowing deeply to him, 
 added : " Your majesty knows that I have devoted my life to 
 the service of Prussia. I have served her to the best of my 
 ability and energy so long as the confidence of your majesty 
 permitted me. But circumstances require me now to prove 
 my devotedness in a different way. I can serve her now
 
 BAD TIDINGS. 259 
 
 i, 
 
 by retiring from the civil service, and by laying the portfolio 
 that your majesty intrusted to me, at your feet. I, therefore, 
 request you to be so gracious as to accept my resignation." 
 
 The king made no immediate reply. The queen looked at 
 him, and an expression of anxious suspense and tender solici- 
 tude was to be seen in her features. The Emperor Alexander 
 stood with folded arms at the side of the king, and glanced 
 with a smile now at the minister, now at the royal couple. 
 
 "Sire," repeated Hardenberg, since the king was still 
 silent, " I request your majesty to be so gracious as to accept 
 my resignation." 
 
 Frederick William started. "You know very well," he 
 said, hastily, and almost in a harsh voice, "that it gives me 
 pain to do so. I have to submit to necessity. I have no 
 power to resist the most arrogant demands no army to 
 continue the war. Hence, I must eccept the only terms on 
 which I am able to obtain peace, and must also accept the 
 resignation you tender. You are free, Minister von Harden- 
 berg; I am not allowed to attach you to my cause. Accept 
 my thanks for your valuable services, and, believe me, I regret 
 that I shall have to do without them." He took the minis- 
 ter's hand and added : " I wish you joy of being no longer 
 in office; it will not now be necessary for you to sign the 
 peace which Napoleon offers to us." 
 
 "Sire, "said Hardenberg, proudly, "I should never have 
 signed that treaty. It is not a treaty of peace, but of servi- 
 tude. But I forget that I have now no right to meddle with 
 the policy of Prussia. I thank your majesty, and beg leave 
 to depart." 
 
 "I have to permit you," said the king; "you are more 
 fortunate than I am; you are a free man." 
 
 "Sire, I have, after all, but that freedom which every 
 honorable man ought to preserve even in misfortune," said 
 Hardenberg, gently " the freedom of not bowing to wrong 
 and injustice, and of perishing rather than enduring disgrace. 
 I intend to depart in the course of an hour." 
 
 "Farewell," said Frederick William, hastily; "and when I 
 say farewell, I mean that we shall meet again. I hope there 
 will be better times. If I call you, then, will you come, 
 Hardenberg?" 
 
 " I shall never close my ear against the call of your majesty 
 and of Prussia," said Hardenben?, bowing to the king and the 
 queen. He then turned to the Emperor Alexander. " Sire/'
 
 260 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 he said, " on taking leave of you, and being, perhaps, for the 
 last time, so fortunate as to see your majesty, it is a comfort 
 to me to remember the day when I beheld you first in the 
 spring of the present year. It was at Kydullen, where your 
 majesty showed to the King of Prussia your lifeguards that 
 accompanied you from St. Petersburg to participate in the 
 war against France. When tKe soldiers marched past you 
 embraced King Frederick William, and exclaimed with tearful 
 eyes : 'Neither of us shall fall alone ; either both, or neither ! ' 
 These words are still resounding in my ears, and in these dis- 
 astrous days, when Prussia's honor and existence are at stake, 
 they are my only consolation. Your majesty has not fallen, 
 and hence, you will not allow Prussia to fall. You will re- 
 member your oath, the fidelity which Prussia has manifested 
 toward you, and never so stain your glory as to desert her now 
 and suffer her to fall alone ! This is my hope, and, comforted 
 by it, I leave you." 
 
 "Ah," said Alexander, sighing, "how unfortunate I ami 
 You spoke at my right ear, and you know that there I am 
 deaf. Hence, I did not hear much of what you said. But I 
 believe you wished to take leave of me ; I, therefore, bid you 
 a heart-felt farewell, and wish you a happy journey." He 
 offered his hand to Hardenberg, but the deep bow the minis- 
 ter made just then, prevented him, perhaps, from seeing the 
 extended hand of the emperor; he did not grasp it, but with- 
 drew in silence, walking backward to the door. 
 
 When he was about to go out, the queen rose from the sofa. 
 "Hardenberg," she exclaimed, vehemently, "and you forget 
 to bid me farewell?" 
 
 "Your majesty," said the minister, respectfully, "I await 
 your permission to do so." 
 
 The queen hastened to him. Tears glistened in her eyes, 
 and she said in a voice tremulous with emotion : " You know 
 what I suffer in these times of humiliation, for you know my 
 sentiments, which can never change never prove faithless to 
 the objects which we pursued together. A time of adversity 
 compels us to bow our heads ; but let us lift our hearts to 
 God, and pray for better times. He will instil courage and 
 patience into the souls of noble and true patriots, and teach 
 them not to despair. Hardenberg, I believe in you, and so 
 does Prussia. Work for the cause in private life, as you are 
 unable to do so in public prepare for the new era. This is 
 my farewell this the expression of my gratitude for your
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 261 
 
 fidelity. May God protect you, that you may be able again to 
 be useful to our country ! Whenever I pray for Prussia, I 
 shall remember you! Farewell!" She offered him her hand, 
 and as he bent to kiss it, he could not refrain from tears. He 
 averted his head as if to conceal his emotion, and left the room. 
 Louisa looked at the king, who stood musing with folded 
 arms. "Oh, my husband!" she exclaimed mournfully, "Na- 
 poleon robs you not only of your states, but of your most faith- 
 ful friends and advisers. God save Prussia!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON". 
 
 THE queen had finished her toilet. For the first time dur- 
 ing many months, she had adorned herself, and appeared 
 again in regal pomp. A white satin dress, embroidered with 
 gold, surrounded her tall and beautiful form, and fell behind 
 her in a flowing train. A broad necklace of pearls and 
 diamonds set off her superb neck ; bracelets of the same kind 
 encircled her arms, that might have served as a model for 
 Phidias. A diadem of costly gems was glittering on her ex- 
 pansive forehead. It was a truly royal toilet, and in former 
 days the queen herself would have rejoiced in it ; but to-day 
 no gladness was in her face her cheeks were pallid, her lips 
 quivering, and her eyes gloomy. 
 
 She contemplated her figure in the mirror with a mournful, 
 listless air, and, turning to Madame von Berg, who had ac- 
 companied her to Puktupohnen, and who was to be her com- 
 panion on her trip to Tilsit, she said: "Caroline, when I 
 look at myself, I cannot help shuddering, and my heart feels 
 cold. I am adorned as the ancient Germans used to dress 
 their victims, when they were about to throw them into the 
 flames to pacify the wrath of their gods. I shall suffer the 
 same fate. I shall die of the fire burning in my heart, yet I 
 shall not be able to propitiate the idol that the world is 
 worshipping. It will be all in vain ! With a soul so crushed 
 as mine, I am incapable of accomplishing any thing. But 
 complaints are useless, I must finish what I have begun; I 
 must but hush ! is not that the sound of wheels approaching 
 this house?" 
 
 "Yes," said Madame von Berg, hastening to the window;
 
 262 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " it is a carriage a brilliant court-carriage, drawn by eight 
 horses, and escorted by French dragoons." 
 
 Louisa pressed her hands against her heart, and a low cry 
 burst from her lips. "Oh," she whispered, "the dagger is 
 again piercing my heart. Oh, how it aches!" 
 
 Owing to the noise with which the imperial coach had 
 driven up Madame von Berg did not hear the last words of 
 the queen. " Oh," she exclaimed joyfully, " the Emperor Na- 
 poleon really seems to be favorably disposed toward us. He 
 takes pains at least to receive your majesty with the respect 
 due to a queen. The carriage is magnificent, and the eight 
 horses wear a harness of gold and purple. The French 
 dragoons have on their gala-uniforms and are marching into 
 line to present arms when your majesty appears. I begin to 
 hope that I was mistaken in Napoleon ; he will not humble 
 her whom he receives with the splendor lavished on the most 
 powerful crowned heads." 
 
 Louisa shook her head. " He has learned a lesson from the 
 ancient Caesars," she said. "When Zenobia adorned the tri- 
 umphal procession of Aurelian, she was clad in robes of pur- 
 ple and gold ; she stood on a gilded car, surrounded by ser- 
 vants, as it was due to a queen. But manacles were about her 
 arms ; she was, after all, but a prisoner, and the contrast of 
 the chain with the royal pomp rendered only more striking 
 the imperial triumph and her own humiliation. But, no 
 matter ! We must go through with it. Come, Caroline, give 
 me my cloak." She wrapped herself in a small cloak of violet 
 velvet, and casting a last imploring glance toward heaven, she 
 left the room to drive to Tilsit. 
 
 At the hotel, where the king was staying, he received his 
 consort and conducted her up-stairs to the room prepared for 
 her. They said little ; the immense importance of this hour 
 made them taciturn; they spoke to each other only by 
 glances, by pressing each other's hands, and by a few whis- 
 pered words indicative of their profound anxiety and sus- 
 pense. Scarcely fifteen minutes had elapsed when one of 
 Napoleon's aides appeared, to inform her that the emperor 
 was already on his way to see her. The king kissed his wife's 
 hand. " Farewell, Louisa," he said, " and may God give you 
 strength to meet your adversary!" 
 
 Louisa retained him. "You will not stay with me?" she 
 asked, breathlessly. "You will leave me at this painful 
 moment?"
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 263 
 
 "Etiquette requires me to do so," said the king. "You 
 know very well that I care nothing for these empty forms ; 
 but it seems that Napoleon, to whom they are still new, 
 deems them necessary for upholding the majesty of the new- 
 fangled empire. The emperor pays a visit to the queen 
 alone ; hence, you must receive him alone. Only your lady 
 of honor is allowed to remain in the adjoining room, the door 
 of which will be left open. Napoleon's companion Talley- 
 rand, I believe will also remain there. Farewell, Louisa; I 
 shall come only when the emperor expressly asks for me. Do 
 you hear the horses in front of the house? Napoleon is 
 coming! I go." He nodded pleasantly, and left the room. 
 
 "Oh, my children!" muttered the queen; "I am doing 
 this for you for your sake I will speak and humble my heart !" 
 
 She heard the sound of footsteps on the staircase, and 
 Madame von Berg appeared in the adjoining room to an- 
 nounce that his majesty the Emperor Napoleon was approach- 
 ing. Louisa nodded, and, quickly crossing the anteroom, 
 she went out into the corridor. Napoleon was just ascending 
 the stairs. His face was illuminated with a triumphant ex- 
 pression, and a sinister fire was burning in his eyes, which he 
 fixed on the queen with a strange mixture of curiosity and 
 sympathy. Louisa looked at him calmly ; a touching smile 
 played on her lips; her beautiful face beamed with energy 
 and courage, and an air of pious solemnity was visible in her 
 whole appearance. Napoleon felt involuntarily moved in the 
 presence of a lady so queen-like and yet so gentle, and bowed 
 more respectfully to her than he had ever done to any other 
 woman. 
 
 " Sire," said Louisa, conducting him into the room, " I am 
 sorry that your majesty had to ascend so miserable a staircase." 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed Napoleon, " if the way leading to you was 
 inconvenient, madame, the reward is so desirable that one 
 would shrink from no trouble to obtain it." 
 
 " It seems there is nothing too inconvenient for your maj- 
 esty," said the queen, gently. "Neither the sands of Egypt 
 nor the snows of our north impede the career of the hero. 
 And yet I should think our cold climate an obstacle difficult 
 to overcome. Did your majesty not have this opinion some- 
 times last winter?" 
 
 "It is true," said Napoleon. " Your Prussia is somewhat 
 cold. She is too close to Russia, and allows herself to be 
 fanned too much by its icy breezes!"
 
 264 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Louisa feigned not to understand this allusion to the policy 
 of Prussia, and, turning to the emperor, she requested him 
 to take a seat on the sofa. Napoleon offered her his hand and 
 conducted her to it. "Let us sit down," he said, with a 
 tinge of irony. Turning to her, he added : " You have 
 hated me so long that you ought to give me now a slight token 
 of the change in your sentiments, and permit me to sit at 
 your side." Bending over, he looked her full in the face and 
 seemed to wait for her to renew the conversation. 
 
 The queen felt her heart tremble that the critical moment 
 had come, and she concentrated her courage and determination 
 that that moment might not pass unimproved. She raised 
 her eyes slowly, and, with an affecting expression, she said 
 in a low, tremulous voice, " Will your majesty permit me to 
 tell you why I have come hither?" 
 
 Napoleon nodded, and continued looking steadily at her. 
 
 "I have come," added the queen, "to beg your majesty to 
 grant Prussia a more favorable peace. Sire, I use the word 
 'beg!' I will not speak of our rights, of our claims, but only 
 of our misfortunes ; I will only appeal to the generosity of 
 your majesty, imploring you to lessen our calamities, and have 
 mercy on our people!" 
 
 " The misfortunes we suffer are generally the consequences 
 of our own faults," exclaimed Napoleon, harshly; " hence, we 
 must endure what we bring upon ourselves. How could you 
 dare to wage war against me?" 
 
 The queen raised her head, and her eyes flashed. " Sire," 
 she said, quickly and proudly, " the glory of the great Fred- 
 erick induced us to mistake our strength, if we were mis- 
 taken." 
 
 " You were mistaken, at least in your hopes that you could 
 vanquish me," exclaimed Napoleon, sternly. But, as if struck 
 by a sudden recollection, and meaning to apologize for his 
 rudeness, he bowed, and added in a pleasant tone : " I refer 
 to Prussia and not to you, queen. Your majesty is sure to 
 vanquish every one. I was told that you were beautiful, and 
 I find that you are the most charming lady in the world !" 
 
 " I am neither so vain as to believe that, nor so ambitious 
 as to wish it," said the queen. " I have come hither as con- 
 sort of the king, as mother of my children, and as represen- 
 tative of my people!" 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Napoleon, politely, "Prussia may well be 
 proud of so noble a representative."
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 265 
 
 "Sire, Prussia cannot be proud," replied the queen, sigh- 
 ing. " She weeps over her sons fallen on the fields of battle 
 that brought laurels to you ; to us nothing but defeat. She 
 has lost her prosperity ; her fields are devastated ; her supplies 
 consumed. She is looking despondingly toward the future, 
 and all that remains to her is hope. Sire, let not this hope 
 be in vain ! Pardon us for not having feared your all-power- 
 ful genius and your victorious heroism! It was a terrible 
 misfortune for us to have mistaken our strength ; but we have 
 been humbled for it. Let it be enough! You have made us 
 feel the conqueror's hand ; let us now feel and acknowledge 
 your magnanimity ! Your majesty cannot intend to trample 
 in the dust those whom fortune has already so humbled. You 
 will not take revenge for our errors you will not deride and 
 revile our majesty for majesty, sire, is still enthroned on our 
 heads. It is the sacred inheritance which we must bequeath 
 to our children." 
 
 " Ah, your majesty will comprehend that I cannot feel 
 much respect for such sacred inheritance," said Napoleon, 
 sneeringly. 
 
 " But your majesty will respect our misfortunes," exclaimed 
 Louisa. " Sire, adversity is a majesty, too, and consecrates 
 its innocent children." 
 
 " Prussia has to blame none but herself for her calamities!" 
 said Napoleon, vehemently. 
 
 " Does your majesty say so because we defended our coun- 
 try when we were attacked?" asked the queen, proudly. " Do 
 you say so because, faithful to the treaties which we had 
 sworn to observe, we refused to desert our ally for the sake of 
 our own profit, but courageously drew the sword to protect his 
 and our frontiers? Heaven decreed that we should not be 
 victorious in this struggle, and our defeats became a new 
 laurel-wreath for your brow. But now you will deem your 
 triumphs sufficient, and will not think of taking advantage of 
 our distress. I am told that your majesty has asked of the 
 king, as the price of peace, the largest and best part of his 
 states that you intend taking from him his fortresses, cities, 
 and provinces, leaving to him a crown without territory, a 
 title without meaning that you wish to distribute his sub- 
 jects and provinces, and form of them new nations. But your 
 majesty knows well that we cannot with impunity rob a peo- 
 ple of their inalienable and noblest rights of their nationality 
 give them arbitrary frontiers, and transform them into new
 
 266 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 states. Nationality is a sentiment inherent in the human 
 heart, and our Prussians have proud hearts. They love their 
 king, their country " 
 
 "And above all their august queen," interrupted Napoleon, 
 who wished to put an end to this appeal, and direct the con- 
 versation into less impetuous channels. " Oh, I know that all 
 Prussia idolizes her beautiful queen, and henceforth I shall 
 not wonder at it. Happy those who are permitted to bear 
 your chains!" 
 
 She cast on him a glance so contemptuous that Napoleon 
 shrank, and lowered his eyes. " Sire," she said, "no one who 
 bears chains is happy, and your majesty who once said to 
 the Italians, 'You need not fear me, for I have come to break 
 your chains and to deliver you from degrading servitude!' 
 will not now reduce a state to servitude. For to wrest it from 
 its legitimate sovereign, and to compel it to submit to another 
 prince is chaining it to distribute a people like merchandise, 
 is reducing them to slavery. Sire, I dare beg your majesty to 
 leave us our nationality and our honor! I dare beg you in 
 the name of my children to leave them their inheritance and 
 their rights." 
 
 " Their rights?" asked Napoleon. " Only he has them who 
 knows how to maintain them. What do you call the rights 
 of your children?" 
 
 " Sire, I refer to their birth, their name, and history. By 
 their birth, God conferred on them the right to rule over 
 Prussia. And the Prussian monarchy is rooted in the hearts 
 of the people. Oh, your majesty, do not overthrow it! 
 Honor in us the crown adorning your own victorious head! 
 Sovereigns ought to respect each other, that their people may 
 never lose the respect due to them ; sovereigns ought to sup- 
 port and strengthen each other, to enable them to meet their 
 enemies now carried away by the insane ideas of a so-called 
 new era ideas that brought the heads of Louis XVI. and 
 Marie Antoinette to the scaffold. Sire, princes are not always 
 safe, and harmony among them is indispensable; but it is not 
 strengthening one's own power to weaken that of others it 
 is not adding lustre to one's own crown to tarnish another's. 
 O sire, in the name of all monarchies nay, in the name of 
 your own, now shedding so radiant a light over the whole 
 world, I pray for our crown, our people, and our frontiers!" 
 
 "The Prussians," said Napoleon, rising, "could not have 
 found a more beautiful and eloquent advocate than your maj-
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 267 
 
 esty!" He paced the room several times, his hands folded 
 behind him. The queen had also risen, but she stood still, 
 and looked in breathless suspense at Napoleon, whose cold face 
 seemed to warm a little with humane emotion. He ap- 
 proached, and fixed his eyes in admiration on her sad but 
 noble countenance. " Your majesty," he said, " I believe you 
 have told me many things which no one hitherto has ventured 
 to tell me many things which might have provoked my 
 anger some bitter words, and prophetic threats have fallen 
 from your lips. This proves that you at least respect my 
 character, and that you believe I will not abuse the position 
 to which the fortune of war has elevated me. I will not dis- 
 appoint you, madame. I will do all I can to mitigate your 
 misfortunes, and to let Prussia remain as powerful as is com- 
 patible with my policy and with my obligations to my old and 
 new friends. I regret that she refused to enter into an 
 alliance with me, and that I vainly offered my friendship to 
 her more than once. It is no fault of mine that your majesty 
 has to bear the consequences of this refusal, but I will try to 
 ameliorate them as much as I can. I cannot restore your old 
 frontiers; I cannot deliver your country entirely from the 
 burdens and calamities of war, and preserve it from the tribute 
 which the conqueror must impose upon the vanquished, in 
 order to receive some compensation for the blood that was 
 shed. I will always remember that the Queen of Prussia is 
 not only the most fascinating, but also the most high- 
 minded, courageous, and generous lady in the world, and that 
 one cannot do homage enough to her magnanimity and intel- 
 ligence. I promise your majesty that I am quite willing to 
 comply with all your wishes as far as I can. Inform me, 
 therefore, of them ; it will be best for you to be quite frank 
 with me. We shall try to become good friends, and, as a 
 token of this friendship, I take the liberty to offer you this 
 flower, which bears so striking a resemblance to you." He 
 took a full-blown moss-rose from the porcelain vase standing 
 on the table, and presented it to her. " Will you accept this 
 pledge of friendship at my hands?" 
 
 The queen hesitated. It was repugnant to her noble and 
 proud heart to receive so sentimental a gift from him to whom 
 her heart never could grant true friendship. She slowly 
 raised her eyes and looked almost timidly into his smiling 
 face. " Sire," she said in a low voice, " add to this pledge of 
 your friendship still another, that I may accept the rose." 
 18
 
 268 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 The smile faded from Napoleon's face, and anger darkened 
 his forehead. " Remember, madame," he said harshly, " that 
 it is I who command, and that you have but the choice to 
 decline or to accept. Will you accept this rose?" 
 
 "Sire, "said the queen, with quivering lips and tearful 
 eyes, " give it to me with another pledge of your friendship. 
 Give me Magdeburg for my children." 
 
 Napoleon threw the rose on the table. "All, madame,' 
 he said, vehemently, "Magdeburg is no toy for children!" 
 He turned around and paced the room repeatedly, while 
 Louisa hung her head, and looked resigned as a martyr ready 
 to suffer death. Napoleon glanced at her as he passed, and 
 the spectacle exhibited by this aggrieved, and yet so dignified 
 and gentle a queen, touched him. for it reminded him of 
 Josephine. He stood still in front of her. "Forgive my im- 
 pulsiveness," he said; "I cannot give you Magdeburg, but 
 you may rest assured that I will do all I can to lessen your 
 calamities, and to fulfil your request. The Emperor Alexan- 
 der is aware of my wishes ; he knows that I am desirous to 
 serve the King of Prussia. I should like to repeat this to 
 your husband himself if he were here." 
 
 "He is here," said the queen, hastily; "and with your 
 majesty's permission he will be with us immediately." 
 
 Napoleon bowed in silence. A sign made by Louisa 
 brought the lady of honor. " Be so kind as to request the 
 king to come to us," said the queen, quickly. 
 
 "And while we are awaiting the king," said Napoleon, call- 
 ing Talleyrand from the anteroom, " your majesty will permit 
 me to introduce my companion. Madame, I have the honor 
 to present my minister of foreign affairs, M. de Talleyrand, 
 Prince de Benevento." 
 
 " And I deem myself happy to make the acquaintance of the 
 greatest statesman of the age," said the queen, while Talley- 
 rand's short figure bowed deeply. " Oh, your majesty is in- 
 deed to be envied. You have not only gained great glory, 
 but are also blessed with high-minded and sagacious advisers 
 and executors of your will. If the king my husband had 
 always been equally fortunate, a great many things would not 
 have happened." 
 
 " Well, we have induced him to displace at least one bad 
 adviser," exclaimed Napoleon. "That man Hardenberg was 
 the evil genius of the king; he is chiefly to blame for the mis-
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 269 
 
 fortunes that have befallen Prussia, and it was necessary to 
 remove him." 
 
 ''But he was an experienced statesman," said the queen, 
 whose magnanimous character found it difficult to listen to 
 any charge against Hardenberg without saying something in 
 his defence ; " he is a very skilful politician, and it will not be 
 easy for the king to fill the place of Minister von Hardenberg." 
 
 "Ah!" said Napoleon, carelessly; " ministers are always to 
 be found. Let him appoint Baron von Stein ; he seems to be 
 a man of understanding." 
 
 An expression of joyful surprise overspread the queen's face. 
 The king entered. Napoleon met him and offered him his 
 hand. " I wished to give your majesty a proof of my kind 
 disposition in the presence of your noble and beautiful consort, 
 and, if you have no objection, to assure you of my friend- 
 ship," he said. " I have complied as far as possible with all 
 your wishes. The Emperor Alexander, in whom you have an 
 ardent and eloquent friend, will confirm it to you. I also 
 communicated to him my last propositions, and trust that your 
 majesty will acquiesce in them." 
 
 "Sire," said the king, coldly, "the Emperor Alexander 
 laid this ultimatum before me, but it would be very painful 
 to me if I should be obliged to accept it. It would deprive 
 me of the old hereditary provinces which form the largest 
 portion of my states." 
 
 "I will point out a way to get compensation for these 
 losses," exclaimed Napoleon. "Apply to the Emperor Alex- 
 ander; let him sacrifice to you his relatives, the Princes of 
 Mecklenburg and Oldenburg. He can also give up to you 
 the King of Sweden, from whom you may take Stralsund and 
 that portion of Pomerania of which he makes such bad use. 
 Let him consent that you should have these acquisitions, not 
 indeed equal to the territories taken from you, but better 
 situated, and, for my part, I shall make no objection." 
 
 " Your majesty proposes to me a system of spoliation, to 
 which I can never agree," said the king, proudly. "I com- 
 plain of the menaced loss of my provinces, not only because it 
 would lessen the extent of my territories, but because they are 
 the hereditary states of my house, and are associated with my 
 ancestors by indissoluble ties of love and fealty." 
 
 "You see that these ties are not indissoluble after all," ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, " for we shall break them, and you will be 
 consoled for the loss by obtaining compensation."
 
 270 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Possibly others may be more readily consoled for snch 
 losses," said the king: "those who are only anxious for the 
 possession of states, and who do not know what it is to part 
 with hereditary provinces in which the most precious reminis- 
 cences of our youth have their root, and which we can no 
 more forget than our cradle." 
 
 "Cradle!" exclaimed Napoleon, laughing scornfully. 
 " When the child has become a man, he has no time to think 
 of his cradle." 
 
 "Yes, he has," said the king, with an angry expression. 
 " We cannot repudiate our childhood, and a man who has a 
 heart must remember the associations of his youth." 
 
 Napoleon, making no reply, looked grave, while Frederick 
 William fixed his eyes on him with a sullen and defiant ex- 
 pression. The queen felt that it was time for her to prevent 
 a more violent outburst of indignation on the part of her hus- 
 band. " The real cradle is the tender heart of a mother," she 
 said gently, " and all Europe knows that your majesty does 
 not forget it ; all are aware of the reverential love of the great 
 conqueror for Madame Letitia, whom France hails as noble 
 Madame Mere." 
 
 Napoleon raised his eyes toward her, and his forbidding 
 expression disappeared. "It is true," he said, "your sons, 
 madame, ought to be envied such a mother. They will owe 
 you many thanks, for it is you, madame, who have saved 
 Prussia by your eloquence and noble bearing. I repeat to 
 you once more that I shall do what I can to fulfil your wishes. 
 We shall confer further about it. At present, I have the 
 honor to take leave of your majesty." 
 
 He offered his hand to the queen. "Sire," she said, pro- 
 foundly affected, " I hope that, after making the acquaintance 
 of the hero of the century, you will permit me to remember 
 in you the generous conqueror as well as the man of genius." 
 Napoleon silently kissed her hand, and, bowing to the king, 
 left the room. 
 
 " Oh !" exclaimed the queen, when she was alone with her 
 husband, " perhaps it was not in vain that I came hither; God 
 may have imparted strength to my words, and they may have 
 moved the heart of this all-powerful man, so that he will ac- 
 knowledge our just demands, and shrink from becoming the 
 robber of our property." 
 
 In the mean time Napoleon returned to his quarters, ac- 
 companied by Talleyrand. But when the minister, on their
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEOK 271 
 
 arrival at the palace, was about to withdraw, the emperor de- 
 tained him. " Follow me into my cabinet," he said, advanc- 
 ing quickly. Talleyrand limped after him, and a smile, half 
 scornful, half malicious, played on his thin lips. 
 
 " The hero who wants to rule over the world," said Talley- 
 rand to himself, " is now seized with a very human passion, 
 and I am sure we shall have a highly sentimental scene." He 
 entered the room softly, and lurkingly watched every move- 
 ment of Napoleon. The emperor threw his small hat on one 
 chair, his gloves and sword on another, and then paced the 
 room repeatedly. Suddenly he stood still in front of Talley- 
 rand and looked him full in the face. 
 
 "'Were you able to overhear my conversation with the 
 queen ?" he asked. 
 
 "I was, sire!" said Talleyrand, laconically, "I was able to- 
 overhear every word." 
 
 "You know, then, for what purpose she came hither," ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, and commenced again pacing the apart- 
 ment. 
 
 " Talleyrand," he said, after a pause, " I have wronged this 
 lady. She is an angel of goodness and purity, she is a true 
 woman and a true queen. It was a crime for me to persecute 
 her. Yes, I confess that I was wrong in offending her. On 
 merely hearing the sound of her voice I felt vanquished, and 
 was as confused and embarrassed as the most timid of men. 
 My hand trembled when I offered her the rose. I have slan- 
 dered her, but I will make compensation!" He resumed his 
 walk rapidly ; a delicate blush mantled his cheeks, and all his 
 features indicated profound emotion. Talleyrand, looking as 
 cold and calm as usual, still stood at the door, and seemed to 
 watch the emperor with the scrutinizing eye of a physician 
 observing the crisis of a disease. 
 
 " Yes," added Napoleon, " I ought certainly to compensate 
 her for what I have done. She shall weep no more on my ac- 
 count; she shall no more hate and detest me as a heartless 
 conqueror. I will show her that I can be magnanimous, and 
 compel her to admit that she was mistaken in me. I will 
 raise Prussia from the dust. I will render her more powerful 
 than ever, and enlarge her _rontiers instead of narrowing 
 them. And then, when her enchanting eyes are filled with 
 gladness, I will offer my hand to her husband and say to him : 
 'Yon were wrong; you were insincere toward me, and I pun- 
 ished you for it. Now let us forget your defeats and my vie-
 
 272 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 tories; instead of weakening your power, I will increase it 
 that you may become my ally, and remain so forever !' Talley- 
 rand, destroy the conditions I dictated to you ; send for Count 
 Goltz; confer with him again, and grant his demands!" 
 
 " Sire," exclaimed Talleyrand, apparently in dismay, "sire, 
 shall posterity say that you failed to profit by your most 
 splendid conquest, owing to the impression a beautiful woman 
 made upon you?" The emperor started, and Talleyrand 
 added : " Sire, has the blood of your soldiers who fell at Jena, 
 at Eylau, and at Friedland, been shed in vain, and is it to be 
 washed away by the tears of a lady who now appears to be as 
 inoffensive as a lamb, but who is to blame for this whole war? 
 Your majesty ought not to forget that the Queen of Prussia 
 instigated her husband to begin it that, at the royal palace 
 of Berlin, you took a solemn oath to punish her, and to take 
 revenge for her warlike spirit, and for the oath over the tomb 
 of Frederick the Great! Ah, the queen, with Frederick 
 "William and the Emperor Alexander, would exult at your 
 tender-heartedness; the world would wonder at the weakness 
 of the great captain who allowed himself to be duped by the 
 sighs and seeming humility of the vanquished, and " 
 
 "Enough!" interrupted Napoleon, in a powerful voice 
 " enough, I say!" He walked several times up and down, and 
 then stood still again in front of Talleyrand. " Send immedi- 
 atley for Count Goltz," he said imperiously, "and inform him 
 of our ultimatum! Tell him in plain words that all I said to 
 the queen were but polite phrases, binding me in no manner, 
 and that I am as firmly determined as ever to fix the Elbe as 
 the future frontier of Prussia that there was no question of 
 further negotiations that I had already agreed with the Em- 
 peror Alexander as to the various stipulations, and that the 
 king owed his lenient treatment solely to the chivalrous at- 
 tachment of this monarch, inasmuch as, without his interfer- 
 ence, my brother Jerome would have become King of Prussia, 
 while the present dynasty would have been dethroned. You 
 know my resolutions now; proceed in accordance with them, 
 and hasten the conclusion of the whole affair, that I may be 
 annoyed no more. I demand that the treaty be signed to- 
 morrow. " 
 
 Prussia's fate was therefore decided. The great sacrifice 
 which the queen had made, and with so much reluctance, had 
 been in vain. On the 9th of June, 1807, the treaty of Tilsit 
 was signed by the representatives of France and Prussia.
 
 QUEEN LOUISA AND NAPOLEON. 273 
 
 By virtue of it King Frederick William lost one-half of his 
 territories, consisting of all his possessions beyond the Elbe : 
 Old Prussia, Magdeburg, Hildesheim, Westphalia, Friesland, 
 Erfurt, Eichsfeld, and Baireuth. The Polish provinces were 
 taken from him, as well as a portion of West Prussia, the dis- 
 trict of Kulm, including the city of Thorn, half of the district 
 of the Netze, and Dantzic, which was transformed into a free 
 city. Besides, the king acknowledged the Confederation of 
 the Rhine, the Kings of Holland and Westphalia, Napoleon's 
 brothers, and engaged to close his ports against England. 
 And, as was expressly stated in the document, these terms 
 were obtained only " in consideration of the Emperor of Russia, 
 and owing to Napoleon's sincere desire to attach both nations 
 to each other by indissoluble bonds of confidence and friend- 
 ship." 
 
 Russia, which had signed the treaty on the preceding day, 
 gained a large portion of Eastern Prussia, the frontier district 
 of Bialystock, and thus enriched herself with the spoils taken 
 from her own ally. 
 
 Thus Frederick William concluded peace, losing his most 
 important territories, and having his ten millions of subjects 
 reduced to five millions. The genius of Prussia, Queen 
 Louisa, veiled her head and wept !
 
 BOOK IT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 
 
 PROFOUND sadness reigned for several weeks at the house 
 of Baron Charles von Stein. Tears were in the eyes of his 
 children, and whenever their mother came from her hus- 
 band's room and joined them for a moment, they seemed in 
 her only to seek comfort and hope. But the anxious face of the 
 baroness became more sorrowful, and the family physician, 
 who visited the house several times a day, was more taciturn 
 and grave. Baron von Stein was ill, and his disease was one 
 of those which baffle the skill of the physician, because their 
 seat is to be sought less in the body than in the mind. Prus- 
 sia's misfortunes had prostrated Stein. Sick at heart, and 
 utterly broken down, at the commencement of 1807, after the 
 violent scene with King Frederick William, he left Konigs- 
 berg, and travelled slowly toward Nassau. There he met his 
 family, and ever since lived in retirement. Never in his grief 
 had he uttered a complaint, or manifested any loss of temper, 
 but his face had become paler, his gait slower, and indicative 
 of increasing weakness and exhaustion. He yielded at last to 
 the tears of his wife, and the repeated remonstrances of his 
 physician, to submit to medical treatment. 
 
 But medicine did not restore him; his strength decreased, 
 and the fever wrecking his body grew more violent. The 
 disease had recently, however, assumed a definite character; 
 the news of the disaster of Friedland, and of the humiliating 
 treaty of Tilsit, had violently shaken his constitution, and the 
 physician was now able to discern the true character of the 
 malady and give it a name. It was the tertian fever which 
 alternately reddened and paled the baron's cheeks, at times 
 paralyzing his clear, powerful mind, or moving his lips to 
 utter unmeaning words, the signs of his delirium. 
 
 Baron von Stein had just undergone another attack of his
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 275 
 
 dangerous disease. All night long his devoted wife had 
 watched at his bedside, and listened despondingly to his 
 groans, his fantastic expressions, his laughter and lamenta- 
 tions. In the morning the sufferer had grown calmer; con- 
 sciousness had returned, and his eyes sparkled again with 
 intelligence. The fever had left him, but he was utterly 
 prostrated. The physician had just paid him a visit, and ex- 
 amined his condition in silence. "Dear doctor," whispered 
 the baroness, as he was departing, " you find my husband very 
 ill, I suppose? Oh, I read it in your face; I perceive from 
 your emotion that you have not much hope of his recovery!" 
 And the tears she knew how to conceal in the sick-room fell 
 without restraint. 
 
 "He is very ill," said the physician, thoughtfully, "but I 
 do not believe his case to be entirely hopeless; for an unfore- 
 seen circumstance may come to our assistance and give his 
 mind some energy, when it will favorably influence the body. 
 If the body alone were suffering, science would suggest ways 
 and means to cure a disease which, in itself, is easily over- 
 come. The tertain fever belongs neither to the dangerous 
 acute diseases nor to any graver class. But, in this case, it is 
 only the external eruption of a disease seated in the patient's 
 mind." 
 
 " Whence, then, is recovery to come in these calamitous and 
 depressing times?" said the baroness, mournfully. " His 
 grief at the misfortunes of Prussia is gnawing at his heart, 
 and all the mortifications and misrepresentations he has suf- 
 fered at the hands of the very men whom he served with so 
 much fidelity have pierced his soul like poisoned daggers. 
 Oh, I shall never pardon the king that he could so bitterly 
 mortify and humble my noble husband, who is enthusiastically 
 devoted to Prussia that he could mistake his character so 
 grievously, and prefer such cruel charges against him. He 
 called him the best, the most intelligent and reliable of all 
 his servants a seditious man; he charged him with being 
 self-willed, stubborn, and proud, and said he was mischievous 
 und disobedient to the state. Oh, believe me, that accusation 
 is what troubles Stein! The King of Prussia has humbled 
 his pride so deeply and unjustly, that a reconciliation between 
 them is out of the question. Stein lives, thinks, and grieves 
 only for his country, and yet the insulting vehemence and 
 unfeeling words of the king have rendered it impossible for 
 him ever to reenter the Prussian service. He sees that his
 
 276 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 country is sinking every day, and that she is ruined not only 
 by foreign enemies, but by domestic foes preying at the vitals 
 of her administration. He would like to help her he feels 
 that he has stored up the means to do so in his experience 
 and yet he cannot. I ask you, therefore, my friend, where is 
 the balm for his wounded soul?" 
 
 "I do not know," said the physician, "but we must get it. 
 Germany has not now so many high-minded and courageous 
 men that she could spare one, and the best of them all. The 
 genius of Germany will assuredly find a remedy to save her 
 noble champion, Baron von Stein." 
 
 " Ah, you believe still in the genius of Germany?" asked 
 the baroness, mournfully. " You see all the horrors, the 
 shame, the degradation that Germany, and especially Prussia, 
 have to suffer! The calamities of our country, then, my 
 friend, have transformed you into a believer, and made of the 
 rationalist a mystic, believing in miracles? You know I was 
 hitherto pious, and a faithful believer, but now I begin to 
 doubt. Now I ask myself anxiously whether there really is a 
 God in heaven, who directs and ordains every thing, and yet 
 permits us to be thus trampled in the dust." 
 
 "Our duty is, perhaps, to strengthen ourselves by misfor- 
 tunes," said the physician. " Germany was sleeping so pro- 
 foundly that she could only be aroused by calamity, and 
 become fully alive to her degrading position. But, believe 
 me, she is opening her eyes, and seeking for those who can 
 help her. She cannot forget Baron von Stein ; but must feel 
 that she stands in need of him." 
 
 "May you be a true prophet!" said the baroness, sighing, 
 " and that your words but hark ! ' she interrupted herself, 
 " some one is violently ringing the door-bell ! He must be a 
 stranger, for none of the citizens would announce a visit in so 
 noisy a manner. The inhabitants manifest sympathy for us; 
 many come every morning to inquire about my husband. 
 Without solicitation our neighbors have spread a layer of straw 
 in front of the house, and along the street, that no noise may 
 disturb the beloved sufferer, and " 
 
 Just then the door opened, and a footman stated that a 
 stranger desired to see the baroness concerning a matter of 
 great importance 
 
 "Me?" she asked, wonderingly. 
 
 " He asked first for Baron von Stein," replied the footman, 
 " and when I told him that my master was very ill, he seemed
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 277 
 
 alarmed. But he bade me announce his visit to the baroness, 
 and tell her that he had made a long journey, and was the 
 bearer of important news." 
 
 "Admit him, baroness," said the physician; "he brings, 
 perhaps, news that may be good for our patient. As for me, 
 permit me to withdraw." 
 
 "No, my dear doctor, you must stay," she said. "You 
 are an intimate friend of my husband and of my family, and 
 this person cannot have any thing to say to me that you may 
 not hear. Besides, your advice and assistance may be neces- 
 sary ; and if the news should be important for my husband, 
 you ought not to be absent." 
 
 "Well, if you wish me to stay, I will," said the physician; 
 " who knows whether my hopes may not be presently realized?" 
 
 "Admit the stranger," said the baroness; and he entered a 
 few minutes afterward. 
 
 " High-Chamberlain von Schladen!" she exclaimed, meet- 
 ing him. 
 
 "You recognize me, then, madame?" asked M. von Schla- 
 den. " The memories of past times have not altogether van- 
 ished in this house, and one may hope " At this moment 
 his eyes met the physician, and he paused. 
 
 " Doctor von Waldau," said the baroness, " a faithful friend 
 of my husband, and at present his indefatigable physician. 
 He is one of us, and you may speak freely in his presence, 
 Mr. Chamberlain." 
 
 " Permit me, then, to apply to you directly, and to ask you 
 whether Baron von Stein is so ill that I cannot see him about 
 grave and important business?" 
 
 " The baron is very ill," said the physician, " but there is no 
 immediate danger; and, as the fever has left him to-day, he 
 will be able to converse about serious matters that is to say, 
 if they are not of a very sad and disheartening character." 
 
 "Grief for Prussia's misfortunes is my husband's disease," 
 said the baroness ; " consider well, therefore, if what you in- 
 tend telling him will aggravate it, or bring him relief. If a 
 change for the better has taken place if you bring him the 
 news that that disgraceful treaty of Tilsit has been repudi- 
 ated, and that the war will continue, it will be a salutary 
 medicine, and, in spite of the warlike character of your news, 
 you will appear as an angel of peace at his bedside. But if 
 you come only to confirm the disastrous tidings that have 
 prostrated him, it may cause his death."
 
 278 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " I do not bring any warlike tidings," said M. von Schladen, 
 sadly; "I do not bring intelligence that the treaty of Tilsit 
 has been repudiated! Hence, I cannot, as you say, appear as 
 an angel of peace. Nevertheless, I do not come croaking of 
 our disasters. I come in the name of, and commissioned by 
 Prussia, to remind Baron von Stein of the words he uttered to 
 the queen when he took leave of her. You, sir, being his 
 physician, are alone able to decide whether I may see him, and 
 lay my communication before him. For this reason I must 
 tell you more explicitly why I have come. You permit me 
 to do so, I suppose, baroness?" 
 
 "Oh, speak! my heart is yearning for your words!" ex- 
 claimed the baroness. 
 
 " I come to see Baron von Stein, not merely because I long 
 to speak to the man for whom I entertain so much love and 
 respect," said M. von Schladen, "but I come in the name of 
 the king and queen. I bring him letters from Minister von 
 Hardenberg, from the Princess Louisa von Radziwill, and from 
 General Bliicher, and verbal communications from the queen. 
 I have travelled without taking a moment's rest in order to 
 deliver my letters as soon as possible, and to inform the baron 
 of the wishes of their majesties. And now that I have arrived 
 at my destination, I find the man sick in bed who is the only 
 hope of Prussia. You will, perhaps, even shut his door 
 against me, and all the greetings of love, the solicitations 
 and supplications which I bring, will not reach him ! It would 
 be a heavy misfortune for Prussia and for the deeply-afflicted 
 king, who is looking hopefully toward Baron von Stein!" 
 
 "He is looking hopefully toward my husband," exclaimed 
 the baroness, reproachfully, " and yet it was he who insulted 
 the baron in so grievous a manner!" 
 
 " But the king repents of it, and desires to indemnify him 
 for it," said M. von Schladen. " I come to request Baron von 
 Stein to return to Prussia, and to become once more the king's 
 minister and adviser." 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed the physician, joyfully, " you see now that I 
 am a true prophet. The genius of Germany has found a 
 remedy to cure our noble sufferer." 
 
 "You permit me, then, to speak to him?" asked M. von 
 Schladen. 
 
 " I request you to do so," replied the physician. " I demand 
 that you go to him immediately, and speak to him freely and 
 unreservedly. His mind is in need of a vigorous shock to
 
 BARON VON STEIN. 279 
 
 become again conscious of its own strength ; when it has re- 
 gained this consciousness, the body will rise from its pros- 
 tration." 
 
 "Doctor, I am somewhat afraid," said the baroness, anx- 
 iously. " He was of late so nervous and irritable, you know, 
 that the most trifling occurrence caused him to tremble and 
 covered his brow with perspiration. I am afraid these stir- 
 ring communications may make too powerful an impression 
 upon him." 
 
 " Never mind," exclaimed the physician ; " let them make a 
 powerful impression upon him let them even cause him to 
 faint I do not fear the consequences in the least; on the 
 contrary, I desire them, for the shock of his nervous system 
 will be salutary, and bring about a crisis that will lead to his 
 recovery." 
 
 " But, doctor, excuse me, you know he had a raging fever 
 all night, and is exhausted. What good will it do to com- 
 municate the news to him? He cannot obey the king's call, 
 and, at best, weeks must pass before recovering sufficiently to 
 attend to state matters." 
 
 " Ah, Baron von Stein accomplishes in days what others 
 perform only in weeks," exclaimed the physician, smiling. 
 " He is one of those men whose mind has complete control of 
 his body. In his case, if you cure the one you cure the other. " 
 
 "But I doubt whether my husband will accept these offers 
 of the king," said the baroness, hesitatingly; "he has been 
 insulted too grossly." 
 
 "But he is a patriot in the best sense of the word," said 
 M. von Schladen ; " he will forget personal insult when the 
 welfare of the people is at stake." 
 
 "And even though he should not accept," said the phy- 
 sician, " he receives at least a gratifying satisfaction in the 
 king's offer, and that will assuredly be a balm for his wounds. 
 I shall now go to him once more. If he is entirely free from 
 fever, I will let you come in, and you may tell him every 
 thing." 
 
 "But you will not go away," said the baroness; "you will 
 stay here, so as to be at hand in case any thing should 
 happen." 
 
 " I shall remain in this room, "said the physician, "and you 
 may call me if necessary. Now let me see first how our patient 
 is, and whether I may announce M. von Schladen's visit." He 
 hastened back into the sick-room without waiting for a reply;
 
 280 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the baroness sank down on a chair, and, folding her trembling 
 hands, prayed fervently. High-Chamberlain von Schladen 
 looked at the door by which the physician had disappeared, 
 and his face expressed suspense and impatience. 
 
 At length the door opened again, and the physician ap- 
 peared on the threshold. " High-Chamberlain von Schladen," 
 he said aloud, " some in; Baron von Stein awaits you." 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 THE PATRIOT. 
 
 HIGH- CHAMBERLAIN VON SCHLADEN entered the sick-room 
 an tiptoe, preceded by the Baroness von Stein, who, hasten- 
 ing to her husband, looked at him anxiously. In fact, the 
 baron looked very ill. His cheeks were hollow and deadly 
 pale; his eyes lay deep in their sockets, and were flashing 
 with that peculiar light emanating from the fever ; his thin 
 lips were parched, and he constantly tried to moisten them 
 with his tongue, while his breathing was very painful. 
 
 M. von Schladen looked in profound emotion at the patient, 
 and a feeling of melancholy was apparent. He was obliged 
 to acknowledge that the baroness was right, and that this 
 wasted form was not able to rise to obey the king's call ; he 
 believed that he had come in vain, and would be compelled 
 to leave without having accomplished any thing, and this con- 
 viction was accompanied with a sigh. The sick man heard 
 it, and a faint smile passed over his features. " You find me 
 very ill then, M. von Schladen?" he asked in a tremulous 
 voice. " I suppose I am but the shadow of the healthy, vigor- 
 ous man who took leave of you at Konigsberg a few months 
 since? You see, I am still unable to give up my sympathies 
 for Prussia; indeed, I am like her in every respect. Prussia 
 is also but a shadow of what she was a short time ago ; she is 
 undergoing her death-struggle, and will succumb unless a 
 strong arm soon lift her up." 
 
 " But this strong arm will come," said M. von Schladen. 
 
 " You believe so?" asked Stein. " Would you were right! 
 But all I hear is disheartening. "We live in a period of 
 degradation and servitude, when we can do nothing better 
 than seek a refuge in the grave, the only place where we may 
 find liberty. You see that I am already on the brink. But
 
 THE PATRIOT. 281 
 
 I will not now speak of myself, but of you. What brought 
 you hither? To what lucky accident am I indebted for your 
 visit? My physician has told me you had casually stopped in 
 this town, and being informed of my illness had desired to see 
 me. What is your destination?" 
 
 " I am returning to Memel, to the King and Queen of 
 Prussia," said M. von Schladen. 
 
 "Ah, you are a faithful servant, and I envy you," said 
 Baron von Stein, " for your services are gratefully accepted ; 
 you are not treated with contumely, and your zeal is not re- 
 garded as malice and self-will. You may assist your country 
 with your head, your arm, and your heart. You are not 
 doomed to step aside, and idly dream away your days instead 
 of seeking relief in useful activity. Oh, I repeat again, I 
 envy you!" While he was speaking, his pale cheeks had as- 
 sumed some color, and his voice, which, at first, had been 
 faint, grew louder. But now, exhausted by the effort, and by 
 his profound emotion, he sank back on the pillow and closed 
 his eyes. 
 
 His wife bent over him, and wiped off the perspiration 
 which covered his brow in large drops. In the open door 
 leading into the adjoining room, appeared the kind face of 
 the physician, who looked scrutinizingly at the patient. He 
 then nodded in a satisfied manner, and whispered to the high- 
 chamberlain: "Goon! go on! Tell him every thing. He 
 can bear it. " 
 
 Baron von Stein opened his eyes again and glanced at M. 
 von Schladen. " You did not yet tell me whence you came, 
 my dear friend?" he said. " Was your journey a mere pleas- 
 ure-trip, or were graver purposes connected with it?" 
 
 " It was no pleasure-trip, for what German cares nowadays 
 for such things?" said M. von Schladen. " My purpose, in 
 undertaking this journey, was not only a grave, but a sacred 
 one. I undertook it for the welfare of our country, and I 
 come to solicit your advice. I know you loved Prussia once; 
 you will not, although you are no longer in her service, with- 
 hold your sympathy from her , when you can be useful, you 
 will joyfully render her aid, will you not?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed I will," exclaimed Baron von Stein; "my 
 thoughts were with you all the time; my grief arises from 
 your affliction and the misfortunes of Prussia; every new blow 
 inflicted upon her fell on me, and her ruin prostrated me. 
 Tell me, in what way can I aid you?"
 
 282 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Your excellency, by assisting me in finding the man 
 whom I am seeking ; on whom the eyes of all good Prussians 
 are fixed, and who is alone able to save the country, to rees- 
 tablish its prosperity at home, and to obtain for it respect 
 and authority abroad. The man whom the queen calls her 
 friend, and of whom she expects help to whom the king 
 offers his hand, and whom he begs (understand me well, begs) 
 to sustain him with his strong arm and his powerful mind, 
 and, for the sake of Prussia, not to remember the wrongs he 
 suffered in by-gone days your excellency, I am seeking this 
 high-minded man, who forgets insults, and yet does not close 
 his ears against the cry of his country ; whom adversity does 
 not deter, and whom the burden to be laid on his shoulders 
 does not cause to tremble ; who forgets his own interests in 
 order to have the satisfaction of saving a state to which, from 
 his youth, he has devoted his strength the man in whom all 
 patriots confide, whom Hardenberg, when Napoleon's despotic 
 will compelled him to resign his office, pointed out to the king 
 as the only one by whom Prussia might still be redeemed. 
 Your excellency, can you tell me where I may find this man?" 
 
 While M. von Schladen was speaking, Stein slowly raised 
 his head to listen. His countenance had undergone a mar- 
 vellous change ; his features had regained their wonted ex- 
 pression, and his eyes beamed with energy. 
 
 "Your excellency," asked Schladen again, "can you tell me 
 where I may find this man for whom all Prussia is calling?" 
 
 "You have not yet told me his name," whispered Baron 
 von Stein. " To find him it is necessary to know his name." 
 
 " His name is on this letter which the Princess von Kadzi- 
 will requested me to deliver to him," said Schladen, taking 
 one from his memorandum-book, and handing it to the 
 patient. 
 
 Baron von Stein quickly took it, and, on looking at the 
 superscription, he muttered, " My name ! my name is on the 
 letter!" 
 
 " And it is your name that is now on all Prussian lips that 
 the queen is calling from afar that the king " 
 
 " Ah," interrupted Baron von Stein, " the king has insulted 
 me too deeply ; I should almost dishonor myself if I forget it !" 
 
 " You will shed the most radiant honor on your name by 
 forgiving it," exclaimed M. de Schladen. "The king has 
 commissioned me to tell you that he hopes in you alone. He 
 will intrust to you the department of the interior and of
 
 THE PATRIOT. 283 
 
 finance; he assures you of his most implicit confidence; he 
 promises never to allude again to what has passed between 
 him and you. Here, your excellency, is a communication 
 from Minister von Hardenberg, which will confirm all I have 
 said." 
 
 He laid another letter on the table. Baron von Stein took 
 it and looked at the address with a faint smile. " It is Har- 
 denberg's handwriting," he said; " he is a genuine courtier,, 
 and takes it always for granted that the king's will is a sacred- 
 law for every one. He calls me already 'Prussian Minister of 
 Finance.' And the queen?" he then asked, raising his eyes, 
 to M. von Schladen. "What does she say? Does she be- 
 lieve, too, that I can forget, forgive, and return?" 
 
 " The queen believes it, because she wishes it, your excel- 
 lency. 'Stein is my last consolation,' she said to me when I 
 took leave of her. 'Being a man of magnanimity and the 
 keenest sagacity, he may be able to discover ways and means 
 of saving the country that are as yet concealed from us. Tell 
 him that, when he comes, the sun will rise again for me; tell 
 him to remember the sacred vow I received from him to stand 
 faithfully by us, and to come when Prussia stands in need of 
 him, and calls him to her assistance. Tell him that his queen 
 prays Heaven to restore to her country the man who is a de- 
 fence against wrong and injustice, and one of the noblest sons 
 of Germany. ' " 
 
 Baron von Stein cast down his eyes; his lips were trem- 
 bling; and tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. 
 
 " Your excellency," said M. von Schladen, urgently, "will 
 you not read the letters? That from the Princess Louisa von 
 Radziwill will give you a more graphic description of the pres- 
 ent situation of the court than I am able to do ; the one from 
 Minister von Hardenberg will tell you what to do, and how 
 important and necessary it is that you should come as speedily 
 as possible. In Hardenberg's letter you will also find a brief 
 note from General Blucher, who joins in these solicitations. 
 I have been permitted to read these letters, that, if they were 
 lost on the way, I should, nevertheless, be able to commu- 
 nicate their contents to you. Will you not read them?" 
 
 "Yes," said Baron von Stein, breathing more freely, "I 
 will read them. They are the first doves that, after the long 
 deluge of affliction, come to me with an olive-branch of peace. 
 I will see what the letters contain." He hastily opened that 
 from the Princess Louisa and commenced reading it. But 
 19
 
 284 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the paper soon dropped from his hand ; a death-like palloi 
 overspread his cheeks, and, almost fainting, he fell back on 
 the pillow. "Alas," he murmured mournfully, "I forget 
 that I am a poor, sick man ! I cannot read ; the letters swim 
 before my eyes!" But this faintness lasted only a moment; 
 Stein then raised his head again, and turned his eyes with a 
 tender expression toward his wife, who was sitting at his bed- 
 side, and watching all his movements with anxious suspense, 
 "Dear Wilhelmina," he said, "you have been my secretary 
 during the last few weeks, and have rendered evil tidings less 
 disagreeable to me ; will you not read these cheering letters to 
 me?" 
 
 The baroness bent over him, and, in place of a reply, kissed 
 his forehead. She then read as follows: 
 
 " Your friend Hardenberg and the newspapers will have 
 informed you of the melancholy end of all our hopes. Cow- 
 ardice and weakness, perhaps more than the luck of our 
 enemies, have subjugated us, and Hardenberg's resignation, 
 which he tendered voluntarily, in order to be useful to us 
 even by this sacrifice, and to preserve the king from the 
 humiliation of dismissing him, causes us to feel our yoke 
 painfully. I promised to write to you about the king. He 
 deserves our sympathy at this moment; his courage and firm- 
 ness have not been shaken by our last disasters ; he was ready 
 to make any sacrifice, because he thought it better to fall nobly 
 than to live dishonorably. He clung with sincere attachment 
 to your friend Hardenberg, and just at this moment when all 
 are deserting him, when he has neither power nor will, he 
 loses this well-tried friend, who, actuated by his love of the 
 country, and affection for his master, left him with a grief 
 that deeply moved my heart. At this moment the eyes of us 
 all are turning toward you, my dear Stein. From you we 
 hope for consolation, and for forgetfulness of the wrongs 
 which have removed you from us, and which you will be too 
 generous to remember at a time when he who insulted you 
 only deserves your sympathy and assistance. Can you with- 
 stand our solicitations? Can you see this country deserted, 
 and refuse to it the cooperation of those talents that alone are 
 able to raise us from our prostration? Hardenberg sees no 
 other hope for his master than in you, and if you are not re- 
 stored to us if you do not yield to the wishes of those yearn- 
 ing for you, what is to become of our future? 
 
 " I admit that to call upon you to share our fortune is to
 
 THE PATRIOT. 285 
 
 deem you capable of the greatest disinterestedness ; for noth- 
 ing has ever been done by you to deserve the conduct formerly 
 manifested toward you ; but your soul is too generous to re- 
 member those insults, and I know you too well not to be sure 
 that you will unhesitatingly come to the assistance of this un- 
 fortunate prince, who for five months possesses just claims to 
 sympathy. Even at this juncture he maintains his dignity; 
 he has gained friends and zealous adherents, and appears to 
 me never more estimable than since these disasters, in which 
 I have seen him assert a courage and resignation of which I 
 should never have deemed him capable. It grieved me to see 
 Hardenberg depart; he himself is very sad, and I am sure that 
 only the hope of restoring you to the service of his master sus- 
 tains him. Do not refuse to comply with our request, my 
 dear Stein, and be not as cruel as that destiny which is taking 
 from us all the distinguished characters that were able to rec- 
 oncile us with life and mankind. I look for your reply with 
 impatience; may it be favorable to us! It needs no assurance 
 of mine to make you believe in the affectionate and constant 
 attachment which I have always felt for you. 
 
 "LOUISA." 
 
 Stein listened to the letter with eyes half closed. A faint 
 blush had gradually suffused his cheeks, and a smile was play- 
 ing on his lips. " And what do you think of this letter, 
 Wilhelmina?" he then asked. " What does your heart reply 
 to this call?" 
 
 " I am fearful for you, my beloved friend," said the baron- 
 ess, mournfully. " My heart shrinks from this career into 
 which you will reenter, and in which you will be exposed 
 again to ingratitude, and the persecutions of your enemies." 
 
 " Not to ingratitude," said M. von Schladen. " All Prussia 
 will be grateful to you, and the king will be the first to thank 
 and reward you with his friendship for having complied with 
 his invitation. Your excellency, will you not read the letter 
 from Minister von Hardenberg? It will tell you in the most 
 convincing manner how firmly you may rely on the king and 
 on his gratitude, and how necessary it is that you should re- 
 pair to him as soon as possible." 
 
 "No, no, I will not hear any more," exclaimed Stein, in a 
 loud voice. " It shall not be said that the flattering words of 
 a friend induced me to do what is my duty. Call the doctor; 
 I must see the doctor!" 
 
 "The doctor is here," said Dr. von \Valdau, entering the
 
 286 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 room. " When patients are able to shout in such stentorian 
 tones, they must indeed stand in need of assistance." 
 
 "Doctor," exclaimed Stein, " come here; feel my pulse, 
 look me full in the face, and tell me, upon your honor, when 
 I shall be able to set out." 
 
 The physician took the proffered hand and laid his finger 
 on the pulse. A pause ensued ; all looked in breathless sus- 
 pense on his face. The doctor smilingly nodded. " It has 
 turned out as I predicted," he exclaimed. "The 'genius of 
 Germany' has come to our assistance, and saved her bravest 
 and noblest champion. The pulse is regular and strong, as it 
 has not been for weeks. The crisis for which I hoped so long 
 has taken place. Baron von Stein, in two weeks you will be 
 well enough to set out." 
 
 "In two weeks!" exclaimed the baron, in a contemptuous 
 tone of voice. " You did not hear, then, that Prussia stands 
 in need of me ; that the king calls me, and that Hardenberg 
 tells me it is of the highest importance I should immediately 
 enter upon the duties of my office? No, I shall not depart in 
 two weeks, nor in two days, but immediately!" He raised 
 himself in his bed, and imperiously stretching out his arms, 
 he exclaimed, "My clothes! I will rise! I have no more 
 time to be sick! Give me my clothes!" 
 
 "But my beloved friend," exclaimed the baroness, in dis- 
 may, " this is impossible ; just consider that the fever has ex- 
 hausted your strength, that " 
 
 "Hush, do not contradict him," whispered the physician. 
 " The contradiction would irritate him, and might easily 
 bring about a fresh attack of fever." 
 
 "My clothes! my clothes!" exclaimed Baron von Stein, 
 louder and more imperiously than before and he cast angry 
 glances on his wife. 
 
 The physician himself hastened to the clothes-press, and, 
 taking the silken dressing-gown from it, carried it to the 
 patient. "Here is your dressing-gown," he said; "let me be 
 your valet de chambre." Baron von Stein thanked him with 
 a smile, and lifted up his arms that the garment might be 
 wrapped around him. 
 
 "And here are your slippers, " said the baroness; "let me 
 put them on your feet." 
 
 " And permit me to support you when you rise," said M. von 
 Schladen, approaching the bed. " Oh, lean on me only for 
 a moment,- afterward the whole of Prussia will lean on you."
 
 THE PATRIOT. 287 
 
 Baron von Stein made no reply. He put on the dressing- 
 gown and the slippers, and then raised himself, assisted by 
 M. von Schladen. But his face was pallid, and large drops 
 of perspiration gathered on his forehead. He left his couch, 
 and stood free and erect. " I am well again!" he exclaimed. 
 "Prussia calls me! I am not allowed to be ill; I " His 
 voice died away in a faint groan ; his head bent down, and his 
 form sank to the floor. M. von Schladen and the baroness 
 caught him in their arms, and placed him again on his bed. 
 
 "Doctor," exclaimed the baroness, in a menacing tone, " if 
 he die, you are his murderer; you have killed him!" 
 
 "No, "said the physician, quietly, "I have saved him. 
 This swoon is the last struggle of death with triumphant life. 
 When Baron von Stein awakes he will be no longer seriously 
 ill, but convalescent. When he is conscious again, the crisis 
 is over. See, he begins to stir ! Ah, his brave mind will not 
 suffer his body to rest, and will assuredly awaken it." 
 
 The baron very soon opened his eyes, and looked with a per- 
 fectly calm and conscious expression, first at his wife, then at the 
 physician and the king's messenger. " M. von Schladen," he 
 said, " will you read to me Hardenberg's letter? Wilhelmina, 
 lay your arm around me and support my head a little. Wal- 
 dau is right; I will not be able to set out to-day. I am still 
 very weak." 
 
 "But you will be able to set out in ten days," exclaimed 
 the physician. " You see I yield to you. I ask no longer for 
 two weeks, but only for ten days." 
 
 Baron von Stein gave him his hand with a grateful glance. 
 " And now, High-Chamberlain von Schladen, I request you 
 to read once more Hardenberg's communication." M. von 
 Schladen looked inquiringly at the physician, who nodded his 
 consent. 
 
 "Read, read," said the baron, entreatingly, supporting his 
 head against his wife's shoulder. M. von Schladen opened 
 the letter, and laid General Bliicher's note, enclosed in it, on 
 the table and commenced reading. 
 
 The letter urgently requested Baron von Stein to accept the 
 two departments of finance and of the interior, which the king 
 wished to intrust to him because the welfare of Prussia re- 
 quired it. Besides, Hardenberg asked Stein to repair im- 
 mediately to the king, because it was of the highest impor- 
 tance that the ears of Frederick William should not be besieged 
 again by hostile insinuations. Tic gave him cautious hints as
 
 288 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 to the manner in which he would have to win the confidence 
 of Frederick William, and assured him that he would retain 
 it, provided he never pretended to rule over the king. He 
 called upon him in the name of Prussia and Germany not to 
 decline the difficult task, but to fulfil the hopes which patriots 
 were reposing in him. He advised him to impose such con- 
 ditions as he might deem prudent before accepting the offer, 
 and to address a letter to his majesty in regard to them. 
 
 A pause ensued. Stein had listened to the words of his 
 friends in silence. All looked at him anxiously. His face 
 was calm, and when he slowly opened his eyes, they indicated 
 entire composure. 
 
 " High-chamberlain von Schladen," asked Stein, "you have 
 made the long journey from Memel to this place for no other 
 purpose than to deliver to me these letters and the order of 
 the king?" 
 
 " It was the only object of my journey," said M. von Schla- 
 den. " I travelled by way of Copenhagen and Hamburg, in 
 order to avoid French spies." 
 
 "And when do you intend setting out again?" asked the 
 baron. 
 
 " Your excellency, as soon as I have obtained a reply." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Stein, with a gentle smile; "you want to 
 prevent me, then, from writing immediately, that I may re- 
 tain you for some time as a welcome guest?" 
 
 " No, your excellency, let me entreat 3 T ou to give me at once 
 your reply to the solicitations with which the king and the 
 queen all Prussia nay, all Germany turn to you, and im- 
 plore you to lend to the fatherland your strong arm." 
 
 " Alas, my hand is so feeble that it can scarcely hold a pen !" 
 said Baron von Stein, sighing. " Wilhelmina, you are always 
 my kind and obliging friend will you now also lend me your 
 hand, and be my secretary?" 
 
 The baroness cast a mournful and loving look on him. " I 
 read in your eyes," she said, sadly, "that you have made up 
 your mind, and that, even though I implore you to desist for 
 my sake and that of our children, it would be in vain. We 
 shall lose you again ; your house and my heart will be lonely, 
 and only my thoughts will travel with you ! But it hardly 
 becomes me to dissuade you from your purpose. In these 
 days of general distress it does not behoove German patriots to 
 confine themselves to the happiness of their own firesides, and 
 to shut their ears against the cries of the fatherland. Your
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER. 289 
 
 heart, I know, belongs to me. Your mind and your abilities 
 belong to the world. Go, then, my beloved husband, aud do 
 your duty; I will fulfil mine." She kissed the baron's fore- 
 head, and then stepped to the table at the window. " Your 
 secretary is ready, " she said, taking the pen; "tell me what to 
 write." 
 
 Baron von Stein raised himself, and dictated in a firm voice 
 as follows : 
 
 " To THE KING'S MAJESTY: Your gracious orders and the 
 offer of the department of the interior, have been commu- 
 nicated to me by a letter from Minister von Hardenberg, de 
 dato Memel, July 10, which I received on the 9th of August. 
 I accept the office unconditionally, and leave it to your royal 
 majesty to arrange with what persons, or in what relations to 
 my colleagues, I am to discharge my duties. At this moment 
 of my country's distress it would be wrong to consult my own 
 personal grievances, particularly as your majesty manifests so 
 exalted a constancy in adversity. 
 
 " I should have set out immediately, but a violent tertian 
 fever is confining me to my bed ; as soon as my health is bet- 
 ter, which I trust will be the case in ten days or two weeks, I 
 shall hasten to your majesty. Your obedient servant, 
 
 "STEIN." 
 
 Baron von Stein kept his word. Two weeks afterward, 
 although still suffering and feeble, he entered his travelling- 
 coach to repair to Memel, and to hold again in his powerful 
 hands the reins of the Prussian government. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIII. 
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER. 
 
 THE French authorities had informed the municipality of 
 Berlin that peace had been concluded at Tilsit, between the 
 Emperor of the French and the King of Prussia. They 
 ordered that the inhabitants of Berlin, in view of this impor- 
 tant event, should manifest their gratification in a public 
 manner. German singers were to perform a Te Deum at the 
 cathedral in honor of this treaty, and at night the people 
 were to show, by a general illumination, that they rejoiced at 
 the restoration of peace. The rulers of the city had issued 
 orders to this effect, and the citizens were obliged to obey,
 
 290 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 although deeply affected by the humiliating terms of the 
 treaty, which the Berlin Telegraph had communicated in a, 
 jubilant editorial. The capital of Prussia had to celebrate the 
 disgrace of the country by a festive illumination. But the 
 public officials could not compel the people to give their hearts, 
 to such outward rejoicings, or even to manifest their approval 
 by their presence. At the cathedral, the organist with his. 
 choristers sang the ordered Te Deum to the accompaniment of 
 kettle-drums, but the church was empty. Only the French 
 officers and a few hired renegades witnessed the solemnity. 
 
 At night, all Berlin was in a blaze of colored flame, but the 
 streets were deserted. No glad populace were thronging 
 them no cheering or merry laughter was to be heard; only 
 here and there, troops of French soldiers were loitering and 
 singing loudly; or a crowd of idlers, such as are to be found 
 wherever their curiosity can be gratified, and who, devoid of 
 honor and character, are the same in all cities. The better 
 classes remained at home, and disdained to cast even a fugitive 
 glance on the dazzling scene. Nowhere had more lights been 
 kindled than were ordered by the French authorities. At one 
 house, however, on Behren Street, a more brilliant illumi- 
 nation was to be seen ; variegated lamps were there artistically 
 grouped around two busts that stood in strange harmony, side 
 by side, and excited the astonishment of all passers-by. 
 They were the busts of Frederick the Great and Napoleon, on 
 whose foreheads beamed the same radiant light. At this 
 house lived Johannes von Miiller, the historian of Switzerland, 
 who had caused this exhibition to be made, and who surveyed 
 his work with smiling face. " It is all right," he said to him- 
 self, " it is a beautiful spectacle those splendid heads; and it 
 does my heart good that I have succeeded in this annoyance to 
 my opponents. They shall see that I am not afraid of their at- 
 tacks, and that I am quietly pursuing my career, in spite of 
 their slanders. They call me a renegade, because I did not 
 escape with the rest; they call me a friend of the French, be- 
 cause I delivered a French address at the Academy on the 
 birthday of Frederick the Great, and their vulgar minds were 
 displeased because in that speech I dared to compare Napoleon 
 with Frederick. It is also distasteful to them that I have 
 renounced the title of secret councillor of war, and call my- 
 self, briefly and simply, Johannes Miiller. As if a title were 
 not a superfluous addition to Johannes Miiller, whom Germany 
 loved before he had a title, and whom she will love when he
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER. 291 
 
 has one no longer. Yes, my enemies envy my glory, they call 
 me a friend of the French simply because I do not abuse 
 them in their absence, and in their presence keep quiet and 
 assume a stupid indifference. I keep my hands free; I write 
 openly; I am no hidden reviler of the French, but a public 
 worshipper of all that is sublime. For this reason I have 
 placed here, side by side, the busts of the two greatest men to 
 whom the last century has given birth. And now, great 
 heroes! shine upon me in the radiance which a man whom the 
 people have honored with the name of the German Tacitus, 
 has kindled for you ! Shed your lustre on the city, and tell 
 the Germans that Johannes von Miiller does homage to genius, 
 regardless of nationality or birth ! Watch over the study of 
 the historian, and while he works guard him from the spirits 
 of evil!" He waved his hands to the busts, and was about to 
 sit down to his books and papers, when his old servant entered 
 to inform him that a gentleman wished to see the councillor 
 of war immediately. 
 
 "Michael Fuchs," exclaimed Miiller, "how often have I 
 told you not to address me by that absurd title, which, I hope, 
 I shall soon cast off as the ripe chestnut its capsule. Coun- 
 cillor of War! For my part, I never counselled any one to 
 commence this senseless war, and now that there is peace, I 
 scarcely regard myself as a Prussian functionary ; and yet you 
 continue repeating that ridiculous title!" 
 
 "Well, well," said the old servant, smiling, "when we re- 
 ceived that title four years ago, we were overjoyed and felt 
 very proud. It is true, times have changed, and I believe 
 that Clarke, the French general, with whom we dined again 
 to-day, does not like the title much. We may, therefore, cast 
 it aside. But, sir, while we are quarrelling here, the gentle- 
 man outside is waiting to be admitted." 
 
 "You are right, Michael Fuchs," said Johannes von Miil- 
 ler, in a gentle tone, as if he desired to pacify him ; " let the 
 stranger come in." 
 
 Old Michael nodded pleasantly to his master. Opening the 
 door and stepping out, he said aloud: "Come in, sir! I 
 have announced you, and M. von Miiller awaits you." 
 
 "He is a very good, faithful old fellow!" murmured Jo- 
 hannes von Miiller, meeting the visitor who was entering the 
 room. 
 
 "Oh, M. von Nostitz," exclaimed Miiller, joyously,. "you 
 here in Berlin! I thought you were on your estates."
 
 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " I was not on my estates, but at Memel with our king, " 
 said M. von Nostitz, gravely. " Honored with some commis- 
 sions by his majesty, I have arrived here, and as one of them 
 concerns you, Mr. Councillor, I have hastened to call upon 
 you." 
 
 " The king, then, has received my letter at last and grants 
 my resignation?" asked M tiller, quickly. 
 
 "The king has received your letter," replied M. von 
 Nostitz. 
 
 " And my resignation? You come to notify me that it has 
 been accepted?" exclaimed Miiller, impatiently. 
 
 " Then you are really in earnest about your request?" asked 
 M. von Nostitz, almost sternly. " I must tell you that none 
 of us would believe it, and that I have come to entreat you in 
 the name of the king and the queen in the name of all your 
 friends, who, faithful to their duty, followed the royal couple, 
 to change your mind and remain with us. The queen, es- 
 pecially, refuses to believe that Johannes von Miiller, the 
 great historian, who, but a few months ago, spoke and wrote 
 for Prussia with so ardent an enthusiasm, now intends to leave 
 us voluntarily and to escape in faithless egotism from the 
 calamities that have overwhelmed us all. I am to beg you in 
 the name of the queen to remain with us. Her majesty can- 
 not and will not believe that you are in earnest about this 
 resolution to resign your office and leave the country. She 
 has commissioned me to beg you not to treat the state at this 
 critical juncture in so ignominious a manner as to despair of 
 it, and assures you that your salary will always be punctually 
 paid. She admonishes you through me to think of your 
 numerous friends here, of the favorable disposition of the 
 Prussian government toward you, of the agreeable life you are 
 leading in Berlin, and, finally, of the work on Frederick the 
 Great, which you have just commenced, and to remain in the 
 Prussian, service." 
 
 " The kindness and solicitude manifested by her majesty 
 cannot but profoundly touch my heart," exclaimed Miiller, in 
 a tremulous voice, "and I wish from the bottom of my heart, 
 which is truly loyal and devoted to the royal house of Prussia, 
 that I were allowed to comply with these gracious words. Her 
 majesty and all my friends know the high opinion and san- 
 guine hopes which I entertain with regard to Prussia, and 
 that I feel convinced Providence has intrusted to this state 
 the championship of truth, liberty, and justice in Germany.
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER. 293 
 
 The queen is right also in saying that I 'am leading quite an 
 agreeable life here ; and that Berlin, if it should become a 
 great centre of education for the north, would be a highly 
 interesting place. It is very true, too, that I have warm 
 friends here; that I am living at a fine villa; that I have 
 no indispensable duties to perform every day, and that my 
 salary has hitherto been promptly paid. But I confess I 
 feel attracted toward my dear friends in Southern 
 Germany and Switzerland. I am longing for peace and 
 quiet, to finish my history of the land of Tell, but here 
 I do not see any prospect of it. I am afraid, on the 
 contrary, that the ferment and commotion of affairs will last 
 a good while yet. I have been assured that important reforms 
 and reductions in the financial administration of the country 
 are in contemplation, and that men of high rank, who have 
 served the state for half a century, and are by no means 
 wealthy, will suffer ; how, then, could I hope that these re- 
 forms would leave me untouched, when I have been but three 
 years in the Prussian service?" 
 
 " That is to say, you are afraid of losing your salary, not- 
 withstanding the queen's assurances?" asked M. von Nostitz. 
 
 " That is to say, I am unfortunately not rich enough to be 
 contented with less; I have nothing but my salary, and have 
 to pay my debts with it. When Prussia lost two-thirds of her 
 revenues, I offered to give up my position here, which yields 
 me an income of three thousand dollars. I believe that was 
 honorable, and will cast no reproach on my character and 
 sentiments." 
 
 " That is to say, sir, you tendered your resignation because 
 the King of Wiirtemberg offered you a professorship at the 
 University of Tubingen." 
 
 " But I should never have accepted it had I not deemed it 
 incumbent upon me not to receive any money at the hands of 
 Prussia at a time when her exchequer is hardly able to pay the 
 salary of a superfluous savant. Take into consideration that, 
 when I accept this offer, which would first necessitate my re- 
 moval from the Prussian service, I cannot assuredly be charged 
 with having done so from motives of avarice. Other reasons 
 impel me to leave a pleasant position in the finest city of Ger- 
 many, and move to a small university town, where I shall 
 have only half the salary I am receiving here. I shall live in 
 a remote corner of the world, but be enabled to lead a calm, 
 undisturbed life, and finish the works I have commenced."
 
 294 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " All my remonstrances, the wishes of the queen, the ex- 
 hortations of your friends, are in vain, then?" asked M. von 
 Nostitz. 
 
 " I requested his majesty the King of Prussia in an auto- 
 graph letter to accept my resignation," said Miiller, evasively; 
 " I want, above all, a categorical reply whether I must remain 
 or go." 
 
 "You may go, sir," exclaimed Nostitz, almost contempt- 
 uously. Taking a paper from his memorandum-book, he 
 added, "here, sir, is your dismission. I was ordered to de- 
 liver it into your hands only when my solicitations and the 
 representations made in the name of the queen should make no 
 impression upon you. You are free ; the king dismisses you 
 from the service ; Prussia has nothing further to do with you. 
 Seek your fortune elsewhere; your glory you will leave here. 
 Farewell!" Saluting him haughtily, and without giving him 
 time to reply, M. von Nostitz turned and left the room. 
 
 Johannes von Miiller gazed after him with a long, mournful 
 look. " Another man who will charge me before my friends 
 and before the world with treachery, perfidy, and meanness!" 
 he said, shrugging his shoulders. " Oh, stupidity and empty 
 words! They want to accuse me of treachery because it suits 
 them best, and because they refuse to comprehend that a poor 
 savant ought at least to be protected from want in order to be 
 able to live for science. A reduction of salaries and pensions 
 is impending; I owe it to myself and to the works I have 
 commenced, to provide against this misfortune, and to seek a 
 place where I can labor without being disturbed, and, thank 
 God ! I have found it. Now I may go to Tubingen, for I am 
 free!" He took the paper from the table, and hastily break- 
 ing the seal read the contents. "Yes," he repeated, "I am 
 free! I can go. All hail Tubingen! so near the Alps, so 
 near the grand old forest! In thy tranquillity I will return 
 to my early enthusiasm as to the bride of my youth! My 
 history of Switzerland will at last be completed and bequeathed 
 to posterity! Already methinks I breathe the pure air of the 
 mountains; and sunny Italy, while I cannot return to her, in- 
 vites me to thee, quiet Tubingen!" 
 
 Johannes von Miiller did not perceive that, while he was 
 speaking to himself, the door behind him had softly opened, 
 and a gentleman, wrapped in a cloak, his face shaded by a 
 broad-brimmed hat, had entered the room and overheard the 
 last words. The savant, staring at the muscular form of this
 
 JOHANNES VON MtfLLER. 295 
 
 stranger, drew back in surprise. "What does this mean?" 
 he muttered. " Where is Michael Fuchs?" 
 
 " Michael Fuchs is outside, and considers it very natural 
 that an old friend should desire to surprise his master rather 
 than be solemnly announced," said the stranger, approaching 
 and taking off his hat. 
 
 "Frederick von Gentz!" exclaimed Miiller, in a joyful 
 voice, yet not altogether free from fear. "My friend, you 
 dare to come hither, and yet you must know that the emperor 
 of the French is highly exasperated at you ; that he believes 
 you to be the author of all sorts of seditious pamphlets, and 
 that it would be very agreeable to him to have you arrested 
 and confined." 
 
 "Yes, it is true," said Gentz, in his careless, merry way, 
 " Napoleon Bonaparte does me the honor of being afraid of 
 me and my pen, and would like to render me harmless, as he 
 did poor Palm. Once I was in imminent danger of falling 
 into the hands of his police, and I escaped in disguise, but 
 only after a great deal of trouble." 
 
 "And yet you dare to come to the seat of the French 
 administration in Germany?" exclaimed Miiller. "Oh, my 
 friend, your danger nearly deprives me of the delight I feel in 
 seeing you again, and I have to mingle my loving salutations 
 with warnings and presentiments!" 
 
 " You are right ; I was rather bold in entering the cobweb 
 of the French spiders," said Gentz. " Still, it is not so dan- 
 gerous as you believe, and you may be perfectly at ease so far 
 as I am concerned. I am here with a charming lady friend, 
 the Princess Bagration. I figured on her passport as her pri- 
 vate secretary, and have a regular Russian one of my own, 
 purporting to be issued to M. de Gentzowitch. Besides, no 
 one suspects me here; we have just arrived, and will leave 
 Berlin to-morrow before daybreak to return to Dresden. We 
 are now at peace Avith France, and the authorities here will 
 hardly dare to lay hands on a subject of the Emperor of 
 Russia, the friend and admirer of the Emperor of the French. 
 You see, therefore, you need not be afraid about me, and I 
 may safely chat with you for an hour here in your study." 
 
 "Then, my dear friend, let me welcome you," exclaimed 
 Miiller; "let us enjoy this hour, and renew the pledge of 
 friendship." Miiller welcomed Gentz with great cordiality, 
 but the latter did not share the ardor of his friend. 
 
 " You have remained faithful to our reminiscences?" Gentz
 
 296 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 asked, as Miiller led him to the sofa, and sat by his side. 
 " You have not forgotten the past, and your heart still re- 
 tains its old friendship?" While uttering- these words, he 
 fixed his dark eyes on the face of Johannes von Miiller, who 
 seemed not to be able to bear his steadfast gaze, and became 
 embarrassed. 
 
 " Oh, my friend !" he exclaimed, " how can you ask whether 
 I remember other days? My heart frequently feels exalted at 
 the idea of friendship, which so few can appreciate at its true 
 value. What attachment was that of Jonathan, himself a 
 victorious warrior, for Jesse's noble son ! How great Jonathan 
 was, who knew that the throne of Israel would pass from his 
 house to David! I was always affected by David's excla- 
 mation at Jonathan's death. I thought of it just now. And 
 Scipio had a disinterested friendship for Laelius, although he 
 was aware that envious men desired to rob him of the glory of 
 having conquered Carthage, and ascribed every thing te the 
 skilful plans of Laelius. Just as if, when I narrate the heroic 
 deeds of our ancestors, some one should say, 'The best pas- 
 sages were written by his friend!' What Scipio felt was once 
 illustrated, at a private dinner, by Ferdinand of Brunswick, 
 the hero of Crefeld and Minden. He also had a friend, and to 
 him were attributed the successes of the prince. Ferdinand 
 himself smilingly said to me, 'Between real friends it is a 
 matter of indifference to whom the credit is given.' Oh, the 
 spirits of David, Jonathan, and Scipio, must have rejoiced at 
 these words as heartily as I did. So, my dear Gentz, you ask 
 me whether I have forgotten our friendship?" 
 
 " Words, words !" exclaimed Gentz, indignantly. " Instead 
 of deeds, you have nothing but words. I will speak to you 
 plainly, and with the sincerity of a true German. That is 
 what I have come for." 
 
 " Like a true German?" repeated Miiller. " Are there still 
 any true Germans? Are they not by this time extinct, leav- 
 ing behind only slaves and renegades? This is not the age 
 for true Germans, and if any really exist, they ought to hide 
 themselves and be silent." 
 
 " And you can say that you who once called so enthusi- 
 astically for deeds?" exclaimed Gentz, indignantly. "Listen 
 to me, Johannes von Miiller! I tell you once more, it is for 
 your sake that I have come. I wanted to appear before you 
 either as your guilty conscience or as your friend, as your 
 judge or as your ally. I refused to believe in all that was
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER. 
 
 told rae about you. I would trust only my own ears, my own 
 eyes. Johannes von Miiller, I have come to ask you: Do 
 you still remember the oath we took in so solemn a manner at 
 Frankfort?" 
 
 "I do," said Johannes von Miiller, timidly. "Carried 
 away by the enthusiasm of our hopes, we covenanted for the 
 welfare of Germany, and especially for her deliverance from 
 foreign tyranny." 
 
 "We swore to unite in active love for Germany, and in 
 active hatred against France," exclaimed Gentz, solemnly. 
 " I have fulfilled my oath ; I have toiled incessantly for the 
 deliverance of Germany. The persecutions I have suffered at 
 the hands of the French, and Napoleon's wrath, speak for 
 me ! I have well improved my time. But what have you 
 done? Where are the friends enlisted for our covenant? 
 Where are the allies gathered around you to assist against 
 France? The time for action is coming, and we must be 
 ready to fight the battle and expel the tyrant. Johannes von 
 Miiller, where are the troops you have enlisted the men you 
 have gained over to our cause?" 
 
 " I have enlisted no troops prepared no battles, and con- 
 centrated no corps," said Miiller, sighing. "On the battle- 
 field of Jena lie buried not only our soldiers, but our hopes. 
 The disaster is boundless; name, rights, existence all gone! 
 A new order of things is at hand. The great period of many 
 monarchies, since the downfall of the Roman empire, is 
 closed. No other path to prosperity and glory remains to us 
 than that of the arts of peace; we cannot succeed by war." 
 
 " It is true, then," exclaimed Gentz, mournfully, "that you 
 are a traitor and a renegade, and have not been slandered ! 
 You have not only lost your faith, but the consciousness of 
 your perfidy! Oh, I refused to believe it; I thought it was 
 impossible. I did have confidence in you. It was well known 
 to me that you bad long since lost your courage and inclina- 
 tion to struggle for our cause. I was also aware that, even 
 before the commencement of the war between Prussia and 
 France, your irresolution and timidity had increased. I was 
 not greatly surprised, therefore, that you remained at Berlin 
 when all faithful men left the capital, or, as some assert, you 
 returned hither agreeably to an invitation from the French. 
 After this, I was no longer astonished at seeing you repudiate 
 your principles, your glory, your friends, the cause of Ger- 
 many, every thing great and good that you had advocated for
 
 298 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 years, and truckle in the most cowardly manner to the con- 
 queror, carry on disgraceful secret negotiations with him, and 
 issue equivocal declarations and confessions; but that you 
 should betray all that ought to be dear to you that you 
 should publicly renounce your principles of such treachery I 
 never deemed you capable!" 
 
 "And where did I commit any such treachery?" asked 
 Miiller, reproachfully ; " where did I secretly or publicly re- 
 nounce all that had hitherto been dear to me? Tell me, 
 accuse me ! I will justify myself ! This will show you how 
 ardently I love you, for I will accept you as a judge of my 
 actions, and allow you to acquit me or to find me guilty." 
 
 " Be it so!" exclaimed Gentz. " I do not stand before you 
 as an individual ; but as the voice of Germany of posterity, 
 that will judge and condemn you if you are unable to justify 
 yourself. Listen to the charges, and reply to them ! Why 
 did you remain in Berlin when the court fled ; when all those 
 who were loyal to the king and his cause left the capital, be- 
 cause they refused to bow their heads to the French yoke?" 
 
 " I remained because I did not see any reason for fleeing. 
 I am no prominent politician ; politics, on the contrary, are 
 only a matter of secondary importance to me. My principal 
 sphere is science, and every thing connected with it. Now I 
 was better able to serve it here than elsewhere. I had my 
 books here, and a large number was on the way to me ; ac- 
 cordingly, I had to wait for them ; besides I had commenced 
 studying the royal archives of Berlin to obtain material for 
 my history of Frederick II. These are the reasons why I re- 
 mained, and I confess to you that I had no cause to repent 
 of it. No one injured me, or asked any thing dishonorable of 
 me; no one insisted on my doing any thing incompatible 
 with my duty and loyalty ; on the contrary, all treated me 
 politely. They seemed to regard me as one of the ancients, 
 living only in and for posterity. Never before was the dignity 
 of historical science honored in a more delicate manner than 
 by the treatment I received at the hands of the French. 
 Thus, amid the crash of falling thrones, I have quietly con- 
 tinued at my history of Switzerland, written articles for sev- 
 eral reviews, and made extracts from many of the ancient 
 classics, from the whole Muratorian thesaurus, and from 
 other printed and manuscript volumes. This, my friend, is 
 a brief sketch of the quiet and retired life I have led since 
 the disastrous day of Jena."
 
 JOHANNES VON MtJLLER. 299 
 
 " You iorgot to mention several essential points in your 
 sketch," said Gentz, sternly. "You did not allude to your 
 friendly intercourse with Napoleon's praetorians; you forgot 
 even to refer to the remarkable visit you paid to the Emperor 
 of the French. How could you, who so recently in public 
 addresses had called upon every one to rise against the usurper 
 how could you dare to enter the lion's lair without fearing 
 lest he strike you dead by a single blow? Napoleon Bona- 
 parte might invite me twenty times in the most flattering 
 manner, I should still take care to refuse, for I feel convinced 
 that I should never return. The bullets that struck Palm's 
 breast would be remoulded for me. How did it come that 
 you did not feel any such apprehensions? How could you 
 hope that the French would forgive your former Prussian 
 patriotism, unless you had made concessions to them unless 
 you had proved recreant to the cause to which you had 
 hitherto adhered?" 
 
 " I made no concessions. They were unnecessary ; no one- 
 asked me to make them," said Johannes von Miiller, gently. 
 " I remained in Berlin, because I was unable to flee with my 
 whole library, and because I was no more bribed by France 
 than by England, or any other power." 
 
 "Ah, I understand you; you will now turn the table, and 
 accuse me instead of justifying yourself. It is a very com- 
 mon thing nowadays to tell marvellous stories about the 
 large sums with which England has bribed me to speak and 
 write against the usurper, who tramples upon our freedom 
 and nationality. You can scarcely open a newspaper without, 
 finding in it, side by side with eulogies of the great German 
 historian, and of the gratifying manner in which 'Napoleon, 
 the hero, whose eagle-eye discerns every thing, knew how to- 
 appreciate his merits,' systematic attacks against me, and 
 allusions to the rumor that I had been bribed by England." 
 
 " I did not intend accusing you," said Miiller. " I am only 
 justifying myself; first, as to my remaining here, and, 
 secondly, as to the visit I paid to the Emperor Napoleon. He 
 sent for me, and, rest assured, I did nothing whatever to 
 bring about this invitation. Ought I to have refused? He 
 did not say a word about the king, the queen, myself, my 
 wishes or plans. Dear friend, will you permit me to relate to 
 you the particulars of my interview with Napoleon? Will 
 you listen to me quietly, so as to judge for yourself whether 
 that visit, which has been censured so severely, was really so 
 20
 
 300 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 great a crime, so terrible a perfidy against Germany, as my 
 enemies have seen fit to pretend?" 
 
 " Speak ! I told you already that I come to accuse you in 
 the name of Germany and of posterity, and to listen to your 
 justification." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE CALL. 
 
 JOHANNES VON MULLER shook his head, and as he spoke 
 his voice grew louder and his face kindled with enthusiasm. 
 " M. Alexander von Humboldt had made me acquainted with 
 the French minister of state, M. Maret, who frequently in- 
 vited me, with Humboldt and some other savants, to dine with 
 him, and seemed to like my conversation. One morning he 
 called to inform me that the Emperor Napoleon desired to re- 
 ceive me at seven o'clock in the evening. At the hour 
 appointed I rode to Maret, and was introduced to Napoleon, 
 who was seated by himself on a sofa; several persons, un- 
 known to me, stood in a remote corner of the room. The 
 emperor commenced by referring to the history of Switzer- 
 land, and told me I ought to finish it, because the more re- 
 cent period of the history of that country was by no means 
 devoid of interest. From Swiss history we passed to the his- 
 tory and constitution of ancient Greece, to the theory of 
 constitutions, to the striking difference of those of the Asiatic 
 nations, and the causes of this difference, to be found in the 
 climate and in polygamy, to the widely different characters of 
 the Arabs (whom the emperor extolled very highly), and the 
 Tartars, which led us to the invasions always threatening civ- 
 ilization from that side, and the necessity of raising a bulwark 
 against them. We then spoke of the real value of European 
 culture, and stated that there never had been greater freedom, 
 security of property, humanity, and better times in general, 
 than since the fifteenth century ; further, that there was a 
 mysterious concatenation in all terrestrial events, that ever^ 
 thing was directed by the inscrutable dispensations of an 
 invisible hand, and that the emperor himself had become 
 great by the very actions of his enemies. We referred to the 
 great confederation of nations, an idea that had already been 
 entertained by Henry IV. ; to the sources and necessity of
 
 THE CALL. 301 
 
 religion; we said that man was, perhaps, not able to bear the 
 whole dazzling truth, and required to be kept in bounds; but 
 that, nevertheless, it was possible to bring about a happy 
 order of things if the numerous wars ceased that had been 
 produced by constitutions too intricate, such as that of Ger- 
 many, and by the intolerable burdens imposed on nations by 
 large standing armies. A great many other things were said, 
 and, in fact, almost all countries and nations were alluded to. 
 The emperor spoke at first in his ordinary tone, but in a lower 
 voice as the conversation became more interesting, so that I 
 had to bend down, and no one else could have understood 
 what he said. I myself shall never repeat several statements 
 he made on this occasion. I contradicted him repeatedly, 
 and he entered into a discussion with me. 
 
 "If I am to speak impartially, I must say that Napoleon's 
 knowledge, the correctness of his observations, his under- 
 standing, the grandeur of his views, filled me with admi- 
 ration, while the amiable manner in which he spoke to me 
 could not but enlist my affection. A few marshals and the 
 Prince de Benevento in the mean time entered the room, but 
 he did not interrupt himself. After I had conversed with 
 him about an hour and a half, he ordered the concert to com- 
 mence, and I do not know whether it was a mere accident or 
 whether he did so to oblige me, but he asked the musicians to 
 play Swiss airs, and among them the Ranz des Vaclies. He 
 then bowed to me kindly, and left the room. I must confess 
 I was fascinated. Since my conference with Frederick II., 
 twenty-four years ago, I never had a more interesting inter- 
 view, at least none with a prince ; if my memory does not 
 deceive me, the emperor's conversation was even more solid 
 and comprehensive than that of Frederick, who did not con- 
 ceal his admiration for the views of Voltaire. For the rest, 
 Napoleon's tone is firm and vigorous, but there is as winning 
 an expression about his mouth as there was about that of 
 Frederick. It was one of the most remarkable days of my 
 life. Napoleon conquered me, too, by his genius and un- 
 affected kindness. This, my friend," said Miiller, "is a 
 faithful account of what occurred during my visit to him, and 
 how I was charmed by his genius." 
 
 " Woe to you that he succeeded!" exclaimed Gentz "that 
 he confused your understanding and infatuated your judg- 
 ment. Are you, then, really in earnest about this admiration 
 and fulsome praise of a man whom you abhorred formerly to
 
 302 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 whom at Frankfort you vowed everlasting hatred whom, in 
 your wrath, you called the scourge that was torturing us, 
 that we might be aroused from our stupor? Do you now 
 seriously praise him as the great genius to whom we ought to 
 do homage and bow as humble worshippers?" 
 
 " Yes, I say that Providence has intrusted to him the most 
 sublime mission," exclaimed Miiller. "I feel convinced that 
 God has given him the empire of the world. Never before 
 has this been more apparent than in the late war, in which he 
 obtained victories with which only those of Arbela and Zama 
 can be compared. Inasmuch as the old and rusty order of 
 things was doomed to disappear, it was fortunate that these 
 victories were vouchsafed to Napoleon and to a nation that is 
 distinguished for its culture, and appreciates the toils of 
 learned men far more readily than other nations. Just as lit- 
 tle as Cicero, Livy, and Horace, concealed from the great 
 Caesar, or from Augustus, that they had formerly been op- 
 posed to him, have I concealed that I had belonged to a differ- 
 ent party, or rather entertained different views, which, the 
 issues being decided, I willingly give up, ready, if not to coop- 
 erate in, at least to become the impartial historian of the 
 reorganization of the world. Now, it is an inexpressibly 
 edifying occupation to raise our eyes from the ruins of Europe 
 to the whole connection of history to seek for the causes of 
 events, and boldly to remove a little the veil that covers the 
 probable future. These ideas seem to me so grand and grat- 
 ifying that they fill my soul, absorbing all my reflections. 
 Thus I try to prepare as well as I can for what is to come. 
 History teaches me that, when the time for a great change 
 arrives, resistance against it is utterly useless. True wisdom 
 consists in a correct perception of the signs of the times, and 
 true virtue is not transformed into vice when this or that 
 phase passes away. The ruler of the world will certainly 
 never overlook him who demonstrates his manhood, and 
 whose skill and courage entitle him to human respect." 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed Gentz, laughing scornfully, "you are in- 
 deed a true man ! When the country was overwhelmed with 
 calamities when your friends, whom your clarion-notes once 
 led to the charge when the royal couple that had over- 
 whelmed you with manifestations of kindness and esteem, and 
 all the loyal and faithful fled, you acted like a true man ! 
 You only thought of yourself and your personal interests, and 
 forgot what you once swore to me, and in reference to which
 
 THE CALL. 303 
 
 I stand before you at this hour. Johannes von Miiller, I re- 
 nounce you f ore verm ore ! Germany will accept no further 
 services at your hands, even though you should desire to 
 espouse her cause again, for no one reposes confidence in 
 the faithless. Posterity will honor Johannes von Miiller, 
 the historian; but they will despise Johannes von Miiller, the 
 man. I know you now thoroughly. Your whole character is a 
 strange error nature committed in uniting intellect of extraor- 
 dinary strength with one of the feeblest souls. The many 
 sublime thoughts, the ingenious and often profound com- 
 binations which for many years have characterized your pen, 
 were apparently intended only for others; you yourself derive 
 no benefit from them. You are, and will ever be, the play- 
 thing of every accidental and momentary impression. Always 
 ready to acknowledge and embrace whatever came near you, 
 yon were never able to feel either enduring hatred or attach- 
 ment. Your life is a mere capitulation. If the Evil One 
 himself should appear on earth in visible form, I could show 
 him the way by which he could league with you within 
 twenty-four hours. The true source of your inconsistency is 
 the fact that, separated from all good and true men, and sur- 
 rounded by knaves and fools, you see and hear nothing but 
 what is ignoble and false. If you could have made up your 
 mind to leave Berlin, you would probably have been saved. 
 Your real guilt consists in your staying here; the remainder 
 of your faults were only consequences of it. Whether this 
 judgment is more lenient or rigorous, more mortifying or 
 honorable, than that which you may expect at the hands of 
 the public, I will not decide. As for myself, it is con- 
 clusive." 
 
 " But it is not for me," exclaimed Miiller, with grave dig- 
 nity. "I forgive you the insults you have thrown into my 
 face; and, instead of turning away from you in silence, and 
 in the consciousness of right, I will address you a last word of 
 justification; for you know full well that I have loved you, 
 and my heart renounces reluctantly its dream of friendship. 
 You have preferred serious charges against me; you have 
 threatened me with the judgment of posterity; but posterity 
 will have better ideas of justice than you, whose eyes are 
 blinded by partisan feelings and political hatred. It is true, 
 I have said on every page of my works that men ought not to 
 shrink from sacrificing their lives for their country, for truth, 
 and justice ; but I am unconscious of having done any thing
 
 304 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 to the contrary, nor hare I ever been exposed to such an 
 alternative. Never have I changed my principles. What I 
 desired when I entered into the covenant with you at Frank- 
 fort, was to bring about a firm alliance between Austria and 
 Prussia, and thereby to transform Germany into a strong 
 power, interposing the two great empires. For that purpose 
 I have striven, acted, spoken, and written. My utterances 
 were not listened to, and the year 1805 destroyed all my 
 hopes. The times changed, but my principles did not, based 
 as they are on the great truth of all possible liberty, dignity, 
 and happiness for the nations, according to their different cir- 
 cumstances and peculiarities. Never, however, did I permit 
 personal considerations to influence me; I wrote for Prussia 
 in the good cause of the princes' league, and against Prussia 
 in the bad one of the separate peace. It is true, I was not 
 quiet with regard to the blunders committed : I did not en- 
 courage the mad expectations of the war-party, and was 
 opposed to misleading the public by false rumors and inflam- 
 matory appeals. I desired the truth, and proclaimed it; but 
 the so-called German patriots think I ought to have kept 
 silence. When the Jews were warned with tearful eyes to 
 submit to the conqueror, into whose hands Providence had de- 
 livered Asia for a eertain time, they deemed it patriotic to 
 persecute the prophet, but Jerusalem was burned. Why did 
 he not keep silence? Because God commanded him to speak. 
 That is the servility, the faithlessness, and treachery with 
 which I am now reproached. Hypocrites! Every crime has 
 its motive. Did I intend to increase my glory? Certainly 
 not. It was self-interest, then? Yes! to give up the beau- 
 tiful city of Berlin, the title of councillor of war, and a salary 
 of three thousand dollars, doubtless to go to Paris and receive 
 a large pension from the French government! No! but to 
 accept a professorship of two thousand florins in the little 
 town of Tubingen, and to have the honor to work hard to pay 
 my debts! That is the brilliant position which is asserted to 
 have induced me to sacrifice my nation, my liberty, and my 
 honor. I am tired of sacrificing myself, of toiling incessantly, 
 and of being exposed to danger, in an ungrateful age and for 
 a degenerate nation, cowardly in deed, slanderous in word, 
 and senseless in hope. A supreme intelligence is ruling over 
 us ; one era is past ; another is approaching, and of what char- 
 acter it will be, depends on our own reformation! It wag 
 Providence that sent Napoleon as the instrument of the tran-
 
 THE CALL. 305 
 
 sition. I acquiesce in the dispensation of God, who, during 
 the latter centuries, has so ordered events as to prevent man- 
 kind from receding from the degree of civilization they had 
 attained. The people must take heart, concentrate their 
 moral and mental strength, and devote themselves to the 
 culture of the peaceful and the good. That is my last con- 
 fession. If you understand me, and it satisfies you, give me 
 your hand, and we are reconciled ; if you wish to continue to 
 misrepresent me and condemn my course, farewell! for, in 
 that case, our paths diverge forever." 
 
 "Let us, then, pursue different paths!" exclaimed Gentz, 
 contemptuously, taking his hat and preparing to leave. " I 
 go, but not without painful emotion. Let your heart, in 
 memory of the past, tell you whether I have judged correctly. 
 I feel what it is to lose you ! As a friend of patriotism, I pass 
 an inexorable sentence on you; as a man, as your former 
 friend, I feel nothing but compassion to hate you is beyond 
 my power. If God fulfil our wishes, and crown my efforts 
 and those of my companions, then there will be but one 
 punishment for you, and it will be terrible. Law and order 
 will return, the robber and the usurper be humbled, and Ger- 
 many, flourishing under the rule of wise sovereigns, will again 
 be free ; but you will have to stand aloof, and never be per- 
 mitted to join in the sacred hymns of our patriots! Fare- 
 well!" He turned and hastily left the room. 
 
 Johannes von Miiller gazed after him mournfully. " I have 
 lost another friend! Ah, I wish I could escape into the grave 
 from all this turmoil these painful misunderstandings and 
 broken friendships." Standing silent, he placed his hand 
 over his tearful eyes. "No," he said; "I will not despair! 
 The hand of Providence is everywhere ; it will support and 
 protect me. I have lost a friend ; very well, I will return to 
 my immortal friends to the ancients ! They never cease to 
 instruct and strengthen me by their exalted sentiments." He 
 stepped to his desk, and, sitting down, seized one of the large 
 open volumes. "Come and console me, Juvenal," he ex- 
 claimed, enthusiastically. "You are to me rather a new 
 friend, whom I have learned but lately to understand thor- 
 oughly. Juvenal ! let the fire burning in your works warm 
 my heart, and invigorate me by your words, which are among 
 the priceless treasures of mankind!" He bent over the book 
 and commenced reading. His face, which, at first, had been 
 melancholy, soon assumed a serene and almost good-humored
 
 306 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 expression, and, forgetful of the present, he became entirely 
 absorbed in reading the Roman author. 
 
 All was silent in his room. The busts of Napoleon and 
 Frederick looked down on the illuminated but deserted street > 
 as if they were guarding the great historian from any evil 
 thoughts or cowardly despondency that perchance might dis- 
 turb his thoughts. Suddenly a horseman galloped up, and a. 
 carriage approached the house. Two gentlemen alighted and 
 entered. Johannes von Miiller saw and heard nothing. He 
 read and copied such passages from old Juvenal as pleased 
 him best. 
 
 Some one rapped violently at the door, and a deep voice 
 called out in French, " May I enter?" 
 
 "General Clarke!" exclaimed Johannes von Miiller, almost 
 in dismay, starting up and rushing toward the door ; but, be- 
 fore he reached it, the French governor of Berlin, General 
 Clarke, appeared, followed by a young orderly, whose dusty 
 uniform told that he had just left the highway and the saddle. 
 
 "M. Johannes von Miiller," exclaimed Clarke, cordially 
 nodding, and offering his hand to the savant. " See what I 
 bring you !" 
 
 "Well," asked Miiller, in surprise, "what does your excel- 
 lency bring?" 
 
 " I bring you a courier whom the minister of state, M. 
 Maret, by order of the emperor has sent you, and who has 
 been hunting for you all over Germany. At Frankfort he 
 was informed you were already at Tubingen, and on arriving 
 there he learned that you had not yet left Berlin, although 
 you had been expected for six months." 
 
 " I could not go," said Miiller; " I had not yet received my 
 dismissal; it arrived only to-day." 
 
 "It is well it came to-day," exclaimed Clarke; " it has ar- 
 rived just in time. My friend," he added, turning to the 
 courier, "this is M. von Miiller; deliver the letter into his 
 hands." 
 
 The courier produced a large letter to which an official seal 
 was attached. "When can you let me have the reply?" he 
 asked. " I have been instructed to return to Paris without 
 delay." 
 
 "The reply?" said Miiller. "But I do not yet know the 
 question?" 
 
 "My learned friend," exclaimed Clarke, laughing, " this 
 game of questions and answers with Napoleon resembles a
 
 THE CALL. 307 
 
 thimderstorm ; almost as soon as the flash is seen, the thunder 
 is heard. There must be no hesitation no delay. It is the 
 emperor that asks. Permit the courier, in the mean time, to 
 retire into the anteroom. On crossing it, I noticed a sofa. 
 You will permit him to take a little rest until your reply is 
 ready. I have also commissioned your servant to fetch a glass 
 of wine and some food. You must take into consideration 
 that the poor fellow has been on horseback, day and night, 
 and has but just left the saddle." 
 
 "Go, sir," exclaimed Miiller, in an impressive voice, "take 
 a little rest and some food. I am sorry that I have caused 
 you so much trouble." 
 
 "And now, sir," said Clarke, when the courier had left the 
 room, "read the letter from Minister Maret." 
 
 Johannes von Miiller broke the seal and opened the paper 
 with a trembling hand. While he was reading, a blush suf- 
 fused his face, and an exclamation of joyful surprise burst 
 from his lips. "This letter contains extraordinary news! I 
 am. to go to Paris ! I am to receive an important office that 
 I have never solicited!" 
 
 " Yes, sir, you are to go to Paris, and, as speedily as pos- 
 sible," said Clarke, smiling. "I also received a letter from 
 the minister by this courier, and his excellency requests me 
 to have you set out without delay. It is the emperor's order, 
 sir, and must be complied with. His majesty himself has 
 appointed you to the exalted position which you are to fill at 
 the court of his brother, the King of Westphalia. Jerome's 
 kingdom sprang from the soil of Germany in a night; hence 
 it is right that you should be his minister of public instruc- 
 tion. That is the office to be intrusted to you, sir. The 
 emperor has so ordered it. He promised his brother a min- 
 ister of the German nation." 
 
 " I, a poor book-worm, who have had more intercourse 
 with the dead than the living I am to become a minister! 
 That will not do. I lack the necessary ability and experi- 
 ence." 
 
 "Nonsense, sir!" exclaimed Clarke; "when the emperor 
 bestows an office on a man, he gives him the understanding 
 required for it. Hesitation is injurious, because it only post- 
 pones your departure. Please notice that you have not been 
 asked whether you wish to accept or not, but that the emperor 
 orders your presence, and that quickly. I shall lend you my 
 own travelling-coach, and send my secretary with you. You
 
 308 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 will travel by way of Mentz and Strasburg, and in five days 
 you must be at Fontainebleau, where the emperor is awaiting 
 you to give you further instructions. "Well, when do you in- 
 tend to set out?" 
 
 " When shall I set out? I feel as one dreaming, or as if all 
 this were the play of my imagination." 
 
 " You will have to admit, however, that it is at least brill- 
 iant. It is worth while, I should think, to make a journey 
 to Paris to receive the appointment of cabinet-minister. I 
 ask you again, When will you set out? Kem ember, it is the 
 emperor that calls you." 
 
 "Oh, then he has not forgotten me, the great man!" ex- 
 claimed Muller. " After so many victories, he still remem- 
 bers that interview in which I learned to admire him. I must 
 not be ungrateful for so gratifying a remembrance. Only 
 sublime and salutary ideas spring from the head of Jove; 
 hence, I submit in every respect to his will, and shall go to- 
 him to receive his orders and comply with his wishes." 
 
 "Well said!" exclaimed Clarke. "You will set out to- 
 morrow morning. I shall prepare every thing that is neces- 
 sary. But, remember, the courier is waiting for your reply. 
 Quick, my friend! write an answer to the minister. But 
 few words are required. Just say to him: 'Your excellency,. 
 I come!' That will be sufficient." 
 
 Johannes von Muller, almost intoxicated with delight,, 
 hastened to his desk, and wrote a few lines. " I have written 
 what you told me," he said, smiling, and handing the pa- 
 per to the general. " I have written : ' Your excellency, I 
 come!"' 
 
 " Now fold it up and direct it," said Clarke. 
 
 Muller did so, and gave the sealed letter to Clarke : " Well, 
 general, here is the letter I deliver it into your hands, and 
 with it my future." 
 
 "Mr. Minister, permit me to congratulate you," said 
 Clarke, smiling, and, going to the door, he gave the letter to 
 the courier. 
 
 "Minister!" said Johannes von Muller, with a joyful air, 
 "I am to be a minister!" But suddenly his face became 
 gloomy. "Alas!" he murmured, " now my country will call 
 me a traitor indeed, and Gentz will seem to be right in de- 
 nouncing me as an apostate, and accusing me of having ten- 
 dered my resignation to obtain a more lucrative office. Well, 
 no matter," he exclaimed, after a pause, "let them denounce
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 
 
 and slander me! My conscience acquits me, and I maybe 
 permitted, after all, to be useful to Germany in my new 
 position. May God in His mercy guide me!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 
 
 " HEAVEN be praised that you are again restored to us!" 
 exclaimed the queen, smiling gratefully, and offering her 
 hand to Minister von Stein. " Oh, believe me, such a sun- 
 beam is welcome to us in these dreary days of Memel." 
 
 "It is true," said Stein, sighing. "Your majesty has 
 passed disastrous days, and I am glad that I am able again to 
 assist my adored queen in her troubles." 
 
 She shook her head mournfully. " I do not believe in the 
 possibility of any alleviation or change. We have suffered 
 great misfortunes, and greater may befall us. Since the days 
 of Jena and Auerstadt our sorrows have increased. We are 
 constantly experiencing some new humiliation; even the 
 treaty of Tilsit is not the climax of our calamities. They 
 come as an avalanche, and sometimes I wish to be buried be- 
 neath them." 
 
 " Then the last ray of hope for Prussia would disappear," 
 said Stein. " If your majesty desert us, we are irretrievably 
 lost, for your life, your courage, and your spirit, are the sup- 
 port of your husband. Without Louisa, Prussia and her king 
 would perish." 
 
 " Oh, it is true he loves me," cheerfully exclaimed the 
 queen. " The king treats me more affectionately than ever. 
 And that is great happiness after a wedded life of fourteen 
 years! I will be grateful to him as long as I live, and to 
 Prussia for loving me. But, alas ! I have no other thanks for 
 them than my devotion and my prayers!" 
 
 "You have still your courage and a strong hope in the 
 future of your country. You must animate the desponding 
 and strengthen the weak. Let that be your majesty's great 
 and holy duty." 
 
 "You are right, I must not despair," responded the queen, 
 "and I thank you for having admonished me. Oh, it is 
 sometimes very difficult to bear such disasters, and I feel that 
 my health is giving way more and more. And tell me where
 
 310 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 am I to look for consolation? The storm is upon us, ami 
 where shall we find a refuge? How shall we escape the 
 thunderbolt?" 
 
 "In our hopes for a more glorious future," said Stein > 
 energetically. 
 
 "Future!" exclaimed Louisa. " There is no future with- 
 out independence, and where is that to be found to-day? All 
 are slaves and bow in the most abject humility to a master 
 who, in his turn, is but the slave of his own boundless am- 
 bition and arrogance, and, alas! there is no man living who 
 would dare to set bounds to them ! Do you know how dis- 
 dainfully our envoy, M. von Knobelsdorf, was treated? He 
 was utterly unable to prefer his remonstrances and prayers 
 that Prussia might be protected from further extortion, and 
 that the French armies might be withdrawn. Napoleon re- 
 ceived him but once, and then, as it were, accidentally. The 
 Prince of Baden and Cambaceres were in the room, and our 
 ambassador was no more noticed than a crumb of bread. The 
 emperor's attendants treated him in the same manner, and 
 Minister Champagny remarked to Knobelsdorf that they 
 would see how Prussia behaved. He hoped we would comply 
 as much as possible with the emperor's wishes, for such a 
 course would alone be likely to give us relief, and that we 
 ought to blame no one but ourselves. Are you aware of this, 
 and are you still hopeful and speak of a happy future?" 
 
 "Yes, I am aware of all this, and it is precisely for this 
 reason I speak as I do," said Stein. " We must work to dispel 
 the dangers to which your majesty referred ; we must erect 
 lightning-rods to attract the dangerous fire. If your majesty 
 had a less vigorous soul, I should conceal from you the calam- 
 ities still threatening Prussia, notwithstanding the treaty of 
 Tilsit ; but Queen Louisa is the genius of Prussia, and I apply 
 to her for assistance!" 
 
 " Oh !" exclaimed the queen, anxiously, " bad tidings again, 
 I suppose?" 
 
 " Yes," said Stein, sadly " bad tidings! We have received 
 the last pi-opositions or rather decrees of Napoleon. He im- 
 poses on Prussia contributions amounting to one hundred and 
 fifty millions, one-third to be paid immediately in cash ; bills 
 will be accepted for fifty millions, and estates are to be ceded 
 to France for the last fifty millions. The five fortresses of 
 Graudenz, Kolberg, Stettin, Kiistrin, and Glogau are de- 
 manded as security for the payment. Forty thousand French
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 311 
 
 soldiers are to garrison the fortresses, ten thousand of whom 
 will be cavalry, uniformed, armed, and fed by Prussia, which 
 is to furnish twelve millions for this purpose. The estates of 
 the king in the districts of Magdeburg and Brandenburg, 
 between the Elbe and the Oder, and in Pomerania, are to be 
 ceded and disposed of in what manner the emperor may deem 
 prudent. As the forty thousand men will be unable to find 
 sufficient room in the five fortresses, certain districts of Prus- 
 sia will have to be assigned them." 
 
 "And what remains then to the king?" exclaimed Louisa, 
 with flaming eyes. " What remains to us?" 
 
 " This must not be," said Stein. " "We must leave nothing 
 undone we must strain every nerve to prevent it. The dis- 
 asters of Prussia compel us to shrink from nothing to avert 
 this last and terrible blow, or the country will be hopelessly 
 ruined. Oh, I cannot describe to you the distress, the mis- 
 ery, the disgrace I witnessed in the cities through which I 
 passed on my journey. Your majesty knows that I was at 
 Berlin ; I saw that Daru and Clarke behaved in the most reck- 
 less and scornful manner, refusing with sneers to listen to any 
 remonstrances. They seemed to be bent on oppressing and 
 impoverishing the country, and drinking the last drop of its 
 heart's blood ! I beheld everywhere the same heart-rending 
 spectacle that I witnessed at the capital. Every city and 
 fortress has its systematic tormentor in some governor or 
 commander, distinguished for arrogance and cruelty. The 
 distress is unutterable, and yet the people hope for speedy 
 deliverance. The eyes of all are turning with tears, it is true, 
 but with love and hope, to Memel, the heart of the Prussian 
 monarchy. All the hopes of your subjects are centred in the 
 king and the queen ; to you they look for alleviation." 
 
 "Alas!" exclaimed the queen, bursting into tears, "is 
 there, then, any way by which we can help them? Oh, name 
 it! What can the king what can I do to procure relief for 
 Prussia?" 
 
 " The greatest burden at this moment is the presence of the 
 French troops, and the oppressive conduct of the public 
 officials, who are openly disregarding all the laws and institu- 
 tions of the country, and trampling under foot the most 
 solemn rights. We must make every possible effort to rid 
 Prussia of these men. To accomplish this, we must, in the 
 first place, try to find means to pay the first third of the con- 
 tribution; and next, to induce Napoleon to grant us better
 
 312 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 terms for the payment of the remainder. We must endeavor 
 to induce him to consent to a gradual liquidation (which 
 would be more in accordance with our ability), and without 
 insisting on retaining the fortresses as security, and oppressing 
 us with an army of forty thousand men. In this way our ex- 
 hausted treasury would not be required to pay the additional 
 twelve millions for equipping the French soldiers, and the 
 country would be preserved from the tyranny of a hostile 
 occupation." 
 
 " But you may depend on it, there is no way to soften that 
 heart of Napoleon," said the queen, sighing. "He is cer- 
 tainly a victorious warrior, but he is not great in the highest 
 sense he is not good, for he knows neither compassion nor 
 love. He has marked out his path in lines of blood, and he 
 pursues it over the slain of the battle-field and the ruins of 
 once prosperous and happy nations. Napoleon has no pity, 
 and our complaints would but gratify his pride." 
 
 " And yet we must try to dispose him to comply with our 
 wishes," said Stein. "The king has resolved upon writing 
 to-day to the Emperor Alexander, and imploring him to in- 
 struct Count Tolstoy, his ambassador in Paris, to remonstrate 
 with Napoleon, and convince him of the cruelty and injustice 
 of his demands. Oh, the king is ready, with an energy de- 
 serving the highest admiration, to do every thing to lessen the 
 burdens under which his subjects are groaning. He himself 
 has drawn up a financial plan to procure the first twelve mill- 
 ions, which we shall offer to pay immediately. He is ready 
 to order reductions in the budget of the army, the opera, the 
 ballet, and the extraordinary pensions. He himself sets an 
 example of self-denial and economy. He will reduce further 
 his household, and retain only the most indispensable ser- 
 vants. Notwithstanding my protestations, he insists on re- 
 fusing to accept the civil list due him." 
 
 "Oh," exclaimed the queen, "who can call me unhappy 
 when I am the wife of the noblest of men? But I will also 
 take part in these sacrifices, and I hope the king has also re- 
 fused to accept the money paid me by the state treasury." 
 
 " No, your majesty. That should not be curtailed ; I would 
 never advise it, and the king would not consent." 
 
 "But I insist," replied the queen, firmly. "My king and 
 husband must forgive me if I choose for once to have a will 
 of my own. If the king is ready to suffer privations, then it 
 is my right and duty to share them."
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 313 
 
 " But your majesty ought to think of your children, who 
 would also suffer. Pray take into consideration that the royal 
 family would be reduced to a very small income, and that the 
 most rigid economy could not preserve you from embarrass- 
 ments. A portion of the royal estates is to be mortgaged or 
 sold for the purpose of defraying part of the French contribu- 
 tion; considering the universal distress, it is very probable 
 that the income to be derived from the other estates will not 
 be paid at all, or very tardily. The king, moreover, gave up 
 very considerable resources by sending the large gold dinner- 
 set to the mint to be converted into coin, which he did not 
 use for himself or his household, but paid into the state treas- 
 ury. If your majesty, like the king, refuses to accept money 
 from the treasury, pecuniary difficulties will arise, which will 
 be the more painful to you, as your children will suffer, de- 
 prived of the comforts to which they have been accustomed." 
 
 "That will produce a salutary effect," said the queen, 
 quickly. " Circumstances educate men, and it will certainly 
 be good for my children to be familiar with something more 
 than the sunniest side of life. If they had grown up in 
 opulence, they would ever consider it as a matter of course ; 
 but that there may be a change, they learn now from the 
 gravity of their father, and the tears of their mother. It is 
 especially good for the crown prince to become acquainted 
 with adversity when, as I hope, happier times come, he will 
 better appreciate his prosperity. Let them share our adverse 
 fortune ! I know how to protect them from real want. I 
 have still some means left, and the Lord will not forsake us. 
 Do not call this stubbornness or presumption. You know we 
 have not refrained from every exertion to lessen our calamities. 
 I have even gone so far as to beg the Duke de Eovigo, who is 
 now governor of East Prussia, to intercede with the emperor 
 concerning the contributions, and to have restored to us our 
 estates, because they were our only possessions. Do you know 
 the reply the duke made? He told me that all solicitations 
 would be in vain, and even the intercession of Russia would 
 be of no avail in regard to this matter. He added that there 
 remained to us one way of procuring money, and he advised 
 us to sell our plate and jewels." 
 
 "The impudent villain!" exclaimed Stein, indignantly. 
 " How could he go so far as to use such language toward your 
 majesty!" 
 
 "It is true," said the queen, gently, "it pained me griev-
 
 314 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ously, and brought tears. Not that my heart cares for worldly 
 splendor, but there is something inexpressibly offensive in 
 the scorn with which those men, and particularly the Duke 
 de Eovigo, imitate the example of their master. But, after 
 all, that sagacious duke was right, perhaps, for useless jewels 
 may be converted into money. I admit," added the queen, 
 with a smile, " that I had never thought of it ; it would never 
 have occurred to me that we might get money by selling our 
 personal property. In fact, I ought to be grateful to M. 
 Savary for his advice." 
 
 "Your majesty," said Stein, deeply affected, "you must 
 not think of selling your jewels. Better times will come. 
 Even in these days of adversity there will be occasions when 
 you must show yourself to your people at public festivities and 
 demonstrations; they like to see their queen adorned in a 
 regal and becoming manner." 
 
 " My most becoming ornament will be simplicity, and the 
 tears of gratitude with which I shall receive those who wish 
 to honor me." 
 
 " But your jewels are the heirlooms of your children, your 
 majesty." 
 
 " The only inheritance of our children which we are not al- 
 lowed to part with is our honor," said the queen, firmly. " We 
 would not sell it for all the empires of the world. That must 
 remain to us. As for the rest, we must learn to do without it. " 
 
 " But it will greatly pain the king should your majesty sell 
 your jewels. It will be another humiliation." 
 
 " Oh, I can conceal it from him," exclaimed the queen. " I 
 shall sell those superfluous articles secretly. There will be no 
 festivities here, and hence it will be unnecessary for me to 
 appear in rqyal attire. Two-thirds of the money realized will 
 pay the pensions of the king's old servants; for I know the 
 unsettled arrears cause my husband many a pang. When 
 these worthy men, who are to be deprived of the salaries which 
 they so richly deserve, send in their receipts, then let my 
 husband find out whence we have obtained the money; then, 
 I hope, he will forgive my having taken this step without his 
 permission. You must assist me in this matter, and take 
 upon yourself the payment of the pensions and salaries; will 
 you promise me to do so?" 
 
 Baron von Stein endeavored to reply, but the words died on 
 his lips; he bowed over the hand the queen offered him, and 
 tears fell on it as he pressed it to his lips.
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 315 
 
 "Oh," said the queen, "was I not right in saying that I 
 should never lack ornaments? Are there any more precious 
 than the sympathizing tears of a high-minded man?" 
 
 " Pardon me," whispered Baron von Stein. " I wish I could 
 transmute them into diamonds, and lay them at the feet of 
 my queen." 
 
 "And what," asked Louisa, "would they be worth com- 
 pared with your noble and faithful heart? We can do with- 
 out jewelry, but not without your services." 
 
 " Henceforth all my thought and energy shall be devoted to 
 Prussia," said the minister. "But your majesty must be so 
 kind as to assist me. I must implore you to unite with me to 
 obtain from Napoleon less rigorous terms, and the withdrawal 
 of the French troops." 
 
 "Alas! what can I do? You see I am ready to do any 
 thing to lessen the sorrows of Prussia. Tell me, therefore, 
 what I am to do." 
 
 " I have the honor to inform your majesty. I have drawn 
 up a plan which will enable Prussia to pay this burdensome debt 
 in the course of three years. It is true, we have to consent to 
 large reductions, collect the war-debt due from Russia, negotiate 
 loans, impose on the subjects of Prussia, besides the ordinary 
 taxes, extraordinary contributions, and an income-tax, and 
 issue paper money. These onerous expedients will deliver us 
 at least from the present pressure by furnishing us the means 
 of paying the French contributions. It is only necessary to 
 send my plan to Paris to deliver it safely into the hands of 
 Napoleon, and induce him to accept it." 
 
 " I hope you will not ask me to go to Paris for this pur- 
 pose!" exclaimed the qaeen, in dismay. 
 
 " No," answered Stein, " I have proposed to his majesty to 
 intrust this task to his brother, Prince William. The king 
 has approved my proposition, and sent for the prince to re- 
 quest him to undertake this difficult and dangerous mission." 
 
 "He will joyfully consent to do so," exclaimed Louisa. 
 " He loves his king and his country, and will shrink from no 
 sacrifice. Alas, he will have to endure many a humiliation, 
 and in vain; it will lead to nothing." 
 
 "We must send powerful auxiliaries with him," said Stein, 
 quickly. " And now I shall state the request which I desire 
 to make to your majesty. You must support the prince, and 
 help him in his difficult undertaking. I beseech you, there- 
 fore, to give him an autograph letter to Napoleon ; condescend 
 21
 
 316 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 to entreat the emperor to be merciful and generous ; depict to 
 him the distress of your country, the sufferings of your sub- 
 jects, and the privations of your family, and appeal to his 
 magnanimity to desist from his demands, and accept our plan 
 of payment. Oh, your majesty, in your enthusiasm and 
 patriotic love, you are inspired with a power of expression 
 which even Napoleon will be unable to resist ; and whatever 
 he would refuse to the prayers of the prince he will yield to 
 those of Queen Louisa!" 
 
 "Never!" she exclaimed. "Never can I subject myself to 
 this humiliation! Never can I stoop so low as to write to 
 that man ! Oh, you do not know how pitilessly he insulted 
 me ; otherwise you would not dare to ask me. Eemember 
 what I have already done, how low I have humbled myself, 
 and all for nothing. Can I forget those days of Tilsit, when 
 I seemed to live only for the purpose of heightening the con- 
 queror's pride by my woe-begone appearance when I felt as 
 if chained in a triumphal car, and endeavored with a mourn- 
 ful smile to conceal my shame and misery, in order to meet 
 him politely whose heartless glances made my soul tremble? 
 How can I write to him whom I implored at Tilsit, but who 
 carried his cruelty so far as to make promises which he after- 
 ward renounced who designated as acts of gallantry the as- 
 surances he had given in reply to the tears of my motherly 
 heart? If I could save Prussia, and secure the happiness of 
 my husband and children, I would willingly suffer death, but 
 this renewed humiliation is beyond my strength." 
 
 The minister, folding his arms, looked with deep emotion 
 at the excited queen, as she rapidly walked up and down the 
 apartment. Standing in front of him, she said in a gentle, 
 imploring voice : " I am sure you feel that your request can- 
 not possibly be granted." 
 
 " May I repeat to your majesty," said Stein, solemnly, "the 
 words you uttered just now with regard to Prince William? 
 'The prince will joyfully consent to undertake the difficult 
 mission. He loves his king and his country, and will shrink 
 from no sacrifice. ' ' 
 
 The queen burst into tears, and, turning away from Stein, 
 again but slowly paced the room, her head thrown back, her 
 eyes turned upward with a suppliant expression, and her lips 
 quivering. 
 
 "She is undergoing a terrible struggle," said Stein to him- 
 self, " but she will be victorious, for her heart is noble, and
 
 FINANCIAL CALAMITIES. 317 
 
 eternal love is in her and with her." He was not mistaken. 
 Gradually she grew calmer; her eyes became more cheerful, 
 and her features assumed a serene expression. 
 
 " Baron von Stein," she said, "I will do what you ask of 
 me; I will conquer myself. As you believe it prudent, I will 
 write to the Emperor Napoleon, and entreat him to spare 
 Prussia. I desire you to draw up the letter for me, so that it 
 may be only necessary to copy it." 
 
 " I foresaw this, and complied with it in advance," said the 
 minister, taking out his memorandum-book, and presenting 
 a sheet of paper. "Here, "he said, "is a draught of the 
 needed letter. If your majesty approve it, I venture to re- 
 quest you to copy it speedily, for this business must not be 
 delayed, and if the prince accepts the propositions of the 
 king, it would be advisable and necessary for him to set out 
 to-day." 
 
 The queen hastily glanced over the letter. " It is all 
 right," she said; " I approve all you have written. I wish to 
 get through at once with this painful matter, and I request 
 you to wait until I have copied it. You may take it with 
 you, and lay it before the king." 
 
 She hastened to her desk, and wrote rapidly, but at times 
 hesitating, as though her pen refused the humiliating words. 
 But at last she finished, and having quickly read what she had 
 written, she called Minister von Stein to her side. "Here," 
 she said, sighing, and handing the paper to him, " take it, 
 the sacrifice has been made. Will my people," she added, 
 weeping, " will my children be hereafter grateful to me for 
 having humbled myself for their sake? Will they ever think 
 how painful must have been these sacrifices? Will they re- 
 member and thank me for them in happier days?" 
 
 "Your majesty," said Stein, enthusiastically, " never will 
 they forget such devotion to your country; and when our 
 great-grandchildren talk of these days of wretchedness, they 
 Avill say: 'Prussia could be humiliated, but she could never 
 perish ; for Louisa was her good genius, praying, acting, and 
 suffering for her.' ' 
 
 "Well," whispered the queen, sadly, "my slumber in the 
 grave will be sweet. " Starting suddenly, she laid her hand 
 on her heart. "Oh, "she groaned, "how long before this 
 troubled life of mine shall cease! I will tell you something, 
 Baron von Stein. Death is not far from me, and I feel that 
 he comes nearer every day. There is no future for me on
 
 318 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 earth. But God's will be done. I read the other day some- 
 where, 'Sufferings and afflictions are blessings when they are 
 overcome.' Oh, how true that is! I myself say, in the 
 midst of my afflictions that they are blessings ! How much 
 nearer I am to God ! how clear and true my ideas of the im- 
 mortality of the soul ! Seen through these tears, the solemn 
 facts of the future come to me with resistless power. Adver- 
 sity, if rightly used, does instruct and bless. I do not com- 
 plain therefore that I have been called to weep." A low 
 knocking at the door interrupted her, and the footman an- 
 nounced the arrival of Prince William. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXVI. 
 
 PRINCE WILLIAM. 
 
 THE queen met her husband's brother with a pleasant 
 smile, and offered him her hand. " I suppose, my brother, 
 you come to bid me farewell?" she asked. 
 
 " I come to get from my noble sister the letter that I am to 
 deliver to the Emperor Napoleon," said the prince, respect- 
 fully kissing the hand of his sister-in-law. 
 
 Louisa turned her eyes toward the minister. " The king 
 knew, then, that you were to request me to write the letter?" 
 
 " Yes, but he forbade me to say that he deemed it neces- 
 sary. It was to depend on your majesty's unbiassed judg- 
 ment whether it should be written or not." 
 
 "You see, my sister," exclaimed the prince,"! had no 
 doubt whatever as to your decision." 
 
 " Nor I that you would set out to-day," said Louisa, smiling. 
 
 " But will your majesty pardon me when I confess that I 
 have not come merely for the letter, and to take leave of 
 you?" asked the prince. "I heard from the king that Min- 
 ister von Stein was with your majesty, and as 1 am going to 
 set out to-night, and my time accordingly is very limited, I 
 decided to have settled a little business affair with the 
 minister." 
 
 " It affords me pleasure," said the queen. 
 
 "And you, minister," asked the prince, bowing to the 
 baron, "will you grant me a brief audience to-day?" 
 
 " I shall immediately repair to the anteroom of your royal
 
 PRINCE WILLIAM. 319 
 
 highness, and wait until you return," said Stein, approaching 
 the door. 
 
 " Oh, no! pray, stay here," exclaimed the queen. " I offer 
 this room to the prince as a salle de conferences, and shall re- 
 tire into my cabinet." 
 
 The prince followed the queen, who was about to withdraw, 
 and conducted her back to the sofa. "Pardon, my sister," 
 he said, " I do not desire to confer with the minister about 
 secrets that your majesty cannot hear. I only wish to ask a 
 favor of his excellency, the minister of finance. You, doubt- 
 less, need a great deal of money at the present time, while my 
 wife and I are spending much less than heretofore, because 
 we are living here in very humble style. We have made our 
 calculations, and ascertained that we are able to do with two- 
 thirds of our income. Accordingly, I request you to accede 
 to my resolution that, until times are better, I give up one- 
 third, and beg you to pay this amount into the state treasury." 
 
 "Ah, my brother," replied the queen, "you are worthy of 
 being the brother of the best of kings, for you vie with him 
 in every virtue. Prussia cannot be crushed so long as such 
 princes stand by her side." 
 
 " And so long as she is protected by such a queen," said the 
 prince, kissing the offered hand of his sister-in-law. He 
 then turned again to the minister. " Your excellency," he 
 said, " I am commissioned to reveal the same resolution to 
 you in the name of my brother. Prince Henry also gives one- 
 third of his income, and requests the minister of finance to 
 pay this amount into the state treasury. Is this verbal dec- 
 laration sufficient, or will it be necessary for us to repeat it 
 in writing?" 
 
 " It will be necessary for your royal highness, as well as for 
 Prince Henry, to make a written declaration to this effect, 
 and hand it to the minister of state. It will then be de- 
 posited in the archives of the royal house, and will one day be 
 a splendid monument of your patriotism." 
 
 " In that case, a declaration in writing being required, I re- 
 quest you to be so kind as to accompany me to my house. 
 We will settle the matter at once, and invite Prince Henry to 
 participate in the transaction. Can you spare us fifteen min- 
 utes, and will you accept a seat in my carriage?" 
 
 "I am at the service of your royal highness," said Stein, 
 bowing. 
 
 "Then I beg my sister to dismiss us," said the prince, ap-
 
 320 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 preaching the queen. " I have many things yet to attend to, 
 so that every minute is precious, and, above all, I have to in- 
 form my wife of my speedy departure. Let me beg you, my 
 sister, to be a faithful friend of Marianne in my absence; 
 take my beloved wife under your protection, and, when she is 
 afflicted, permit her to be near you." 
 
 "We shall weep together, my brother," said the queen, 
 deeply moved. " All of us will miss you, and it will seem as 
 though life had become drearier when you are absent. But, 
 considering your generous resolution, it does not behoove mo 
 to complain of our fate. Joyfully, as you have done, we shall 
 submit to it. I entertain the firm belief that there are bet- 
 ter days for Prussia. Go, my brother, and assist in hastening 
 them by word and deed. God will protect you, and the love 
 of your wife, and of your brothers and sisters, will accompany 
 you! Farewell!" She waved her hand, and turned away to 
 conceal her tears. 
 
 The prince withdrew in silence, followed by the minister. 
 The queen heard the door close after him, and, raising her 
 arms toward heaven, exclaimed in a fervent tone : " My God, 
 protect Prussia! Oh, bless our country and our people!" 
 She stood thus praying, with uplifted arms. 
 
 After a pause, she murmured, " Now it is time to attend to 
 my business with the jeweller. The king is in his cabinet, 
 and never comes at this hour. " Having rung the bell, she 
 ordered the footman to request the court-jeweller to call at 
 once on the queen. Going to her dressing-room, she took 
 from the table a large leathern box containing all her jewelry. 
 She succeeded with difficulty in carrying the heavy box into 
 the reception-room, but she thought, smilingly : " The heavier 
 it is, the better." Opening the caskets, the brilliant orna- 
 ments gladdened her more than they had ever done. The 
 table was covered with them, and she contemplated their 
 beauty and value "Ah!" she exclaimed, "I did not know 
 that I was so rich. These precious stones will certainly bring 
 money enough to pay all arrears, and there will be something 
 over for my children." 
 
 At this moment the door of the anteroom opened, and the 
 footman announced Mr. Marcus, the court-jeweller. The 
 queen ordered him to be admitted, adding, that no one else 
 was to be announced while he was present. She then locked 
 the opposite door leading into the small corridor, and thence 
 to the rooms of the king. In the mean time the jeweller had
 
 PRINCE WILLIAM. 321 
 
 entered ; he remained respectfully at the door, and waited for 
 the queen to accost him. 
 
 " Mr. Marcus, " said Louisa, gracefully acknowledging his 
 bow, " I sent for you to confer about my jewelry. I should 
 like to make some changes in it; and then, as we cannot tell 
 whither these stormy times may drive us or our property, I 
 wish to make an invoice of these articles, and ascertain their 
 cash value. Please step to the table, and be kind enough to 
 tell me how much all this is worth." 
 
 Mr. Marcus approached and carefully examined the mag- 
 nificent array before him. " These are real treasures, your 
 majesty," he said, admiringly; "several pieces among them 
 are exceedingly rich." 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed the queen, "I suppose one could get a 
 great deal of money for them?" 
 
 " Your majesty," said Mr. Marcus, shrugging his shoulders, 
 " it needs much money in fact, an enormous fortune, to buy 
 them. Part of their value consists in their artistic setting." 
 
 " Ah, I understand ; you mean to say that, if they were to 
 be sold now, one would not get as much as was paid for them. " 
 
 "Not half as much, your majesty! The intrinsic value is 
 very different from the cost, which depends much on the 
 setting." 
 
 " Pray tell me, then, their intrinsic value." 
 
 " Your majesty, to do so correctly, it would be necessary 
 for me to examine every piece." 
 
 " Do so, Mr. Marcus. I will take my memorandum-book 
 and enter each one, affixing the price. Afterward we can 
 ascertain the whole amount." 
 
 The jeweller looked in surprise at the queen; she apparently 
 did not notice it, but pointed with the lead-pencil, which she 
 had in her hand, at one of the caskets. "There is my large 
 diamond necklace; what do you think that is worth, sir?" 
 
 The jeweller took up the necklace, twinkling as a cluster of 
 stars. "These diamonds are magnificent," he said; "they 
 are only a little yellow, and here and there is a slight defect. 
 I think, however, that the stones, without the setting, are 
 worth five thousand dollars." 
 
 "Five thousand dollars," wrote the queen. "Now, the 
 necklace of rubies and diamonds." 
 
 " These Turkish rubies belong to that very rare kind to be 
 met with only in royal treasuries," said the jeweller. " They 
 are antiaue, and look like sparkling blood. Their value is
 
 322 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 immense, your majesty; only a connoisseur would be able to 
 appreciate them, and it is difficult to appraise them but by 
 the standard value of other Turkish rubies. A jeweller 
 might, however, receive twice as much as I name four thou- 
 sand dollars, according to the ordinary standard." 
 
 " Four thousand dollars," wrote the queen ; " now, the next. " 
 
 "Here," he said, "is a complete set of the most beautiful 
 round pearls: a diadem, a necklace, earrings, and bracelets," 
 taking up a large case which had not been opened, and rais- 
 ing its lid. 
 
 "No," said the queen, blushing, "we will not appraise 
 these pearls. I have inherited them from my lamented 
 mother, and they are therefore of priceless value to me." 
 She extended her hand and laid the casket on the table at her 
 side. "Now tell me the value of the other articles; take that 
 necklace of Indian emeralds " 
 
 Half an hour afterward the list was completed. " Thirty 
 thousand dollars," said the queen; "that, then, is the full 
 value of my jewelry?" 
 
 " Yes, your majesty, but its cost must have been several 
 hundred thousand dollars. I have stated only the imperish- 
 able value of the stones; it is impossible to appraise the 
 setting." 
 
 "Well, just now I care only for the cash equivalent," said 
 the queen, quickly. " And now, sir, listen to me. When 
 I was requested to procure you the appointment of jeweller 
 to the court, I made inquiries concerning your character, and 
 heard nothing but the most flattering opinions. You are 
 known as an honorable man in whom all may repose con- 
 fidence. I will prove to you the high value I attach to public 
 opinion, and I rely on you to keep secret what I am about to 
 tell you." 
 
 " I swear by all that is sacred that what your majesty is 
 gracious enough to reveal shall remain buried in my heart as 
 a precious gem in the depths of the sea." 
 
 "I believe you," said the queen. " I want to sell all these 
 diamonds, emeralds, and rubies every thing, except my 
 pearls." 
 
 "Sell them!" exclaimed Mr. Marcus, starting back and 
 turning pale. " Oh, no, pardon me, your majesty, I have 
 misunderstood you. My hearing is a little impaired. I beg 
 pardon for my mistake, and request your majesty to be kind 
 enough to repeat your orders."
 
 PRINCE WILLIAM. 323 
 
 "You did not mistake my words," said the queen, kindly. 
 * C I do want to sell them." 
 
 "Has it come to this," said the jeweller, sighing, "that 
 our noble and beautiful queen is unwilling to wear again her 
 accustomed ornaments ; and that she considers it no longer 
 worth while to be seen by her poor, unhappy people in the 
 splendor of a queen?" Sobs choked his voice, and, unable to 
 repress his tears, he turned away and covered his face with his 
 hands. 
 
 " It has come to that, sir, that the queen will also take part 
 in the privations of her country ; that she will have no other 
 diamonds than the grateful tears of her loyal people, and that 
 she believes herself sufficiently adorned when at the side of 
 her husband, and surrounded by her children. I thank you 
 for your sympathy, for they prove your honest disposition 
 toward me. But believe me, I need no pity. If every good 
 man has peace in his own heart, he will have cause to rejoice. 
 And now, sir, let us talk calmly about this matter." 
 
 "I am ready to receive the orders of your majesty," said 
 Mr. Marcus, making an effort to regain his composure, " and 
 entreat my august queen to forgive me that my feelings over- 
 came me in her presence. But now I must examine the 
 jewels more carefully than before. Believing that they were 
 merely to be invoiced without reference to their sale, I stated 
 only their lowest value. I am sure better prices might be 
 obtained for them, and, besides, it remains for me to ascer- 
 tain the value of the gold setting by weighing it." 
 
 " Oh, no," said the queen, smiling. " Let us not enter into 
 such minute details. Besides, the purchaser ought to have 
 something for his trouble, and for the risk of being unable to 
 sell again. We will, therefore, let your first appraisement 
 stand as it is. The question is, whether you know of any one 
 who is willing to pay so large a sum in cash." 
 
 The jeweller reflected a moment. "Well," he said, "I 
 know an opportunity to dispose of them immediately. If 
 your majesty permits me to do so, I will purchase them my- 
 self. The Emperor Alexander of Russia, during his late 
 sojourn at this place, gave me a large order in reference to a 
 wedding-gift for the betrothed of the Grand-duke Constan- 
 tine. I have received bills of exchange, drawn on the 
 wealthiest banking-houses of St. Petersburg, and the emperor 
 has authorized me to send in at once precious stones to the 
 amount of fifty thousand dollars. I am able to pay you half
 
 324 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the appraised value to-day, and for the other half I will give 
 you bills, drawn on St. Petersburg bankers, payable in two 
 weeks. But I repeat to your majesty that I have appraised 
 the stones at a very low rate, and that I shall make large 
 profits, and realize at least four thousand dollars. Your maj- 
 esty ought to permit me to add the value of the setting." 
 
 " I told you already that we ought not to add any thing to 
 the first appraisement. Well, the bargain is made," said the 
 queen, gently. "Bring me the money and the bills of ex- 
 change, and you may then take the jewelry. Let us say I 
 have intrusted it to you to make some alterations in it." 
 
 An hour afterward, the caskets disappeared from the 
 queen's table; in their place stood a box filled with rolls of 
 gold-pieces, and the bills of exchange lay at its side. The 
 queen, placing a few of the rolls in her desk and the bills in 
 the box, hastened to write the following letter to Baron von 
 Stein : 
 
 " I request you to grant me the same favor which the prince 
 obtained from you. I desire likewise to pay some savings into 
 the state treasury, and send you, therefore, twenty-five thou- 
 sand dollars with this letter. Pray do iiot forget to pay, in 
 accordance with our agreement, the arrears of salaries due the 
 men of science and art, and the faithful old servants of the 
 king. LOUISA." 
 
 " Oh," said the queen, laying aside the pen, and looking up 
 with a grateful expression, "how many worthy men will be 
 delivered from distress by this unexpected payment ! What 
 fervent prayers for their king will ascend to heaven! Merci- 
 ful God, hear them, and let my husband and children be 
 again happy; then I shall have nothing more to desire on 
 earth!" 
 
 In the evening of the same day Prince William, accom- 
 panied only by an adjutant and a footman, set out for Paris 
 in order to deliver to the Emperor Napoleon the financial 
 plan drawn up by Minister von Stein, and the letter of Queen 
 Louisa, and to try to induce Napoleon by verbal remonstrances 
 to withdraw his demands, and accept less ruinous conditions. 
 Before entering his travelling-coach, the prince, in his cab- 
 inet, bade farewell to her whom he loved so passionately. 
 They remained long without uttering a word or even a sigh. 
 The beautiful face of the Princess Marianne was pale, but 
 her tearless eyes beamed with hope. " Go, my beloved hus- 
 band," she said, disengaging herself at last from the arms of
 
 PRINCE WILLIAM. 335 
 
 the prince, " go and perform your noble sacrifice ! My love 
 will accompany you. Your life is my life, and your death 
 my death! Go! I fear nothing." 
 
 " But at this solemn hour I must communicate a secret to 
 you, Marianne," said the prince, "and ask your consent to a 
 resolution that I have taken. Should all my efforts be of no 
 avail should Napoleon be induced neither by Stein's plan 
 nor by the queen's letter, nor by my own solicitations, to con- 
 sent to the proposed mode of liquidation, owing to his belief 
 that he would not have sufficient security for the payment of 
 the contributions, then, Marianne, a last remedy would re- 
 main, and I would assuredly not shrink from it. In that 
 case I shall offer myself as a hostage. I shall tell him that 
 I must remain his prisoner, and allow myself to be trans- 
 ported to If, to Cayenne, or where he pleases, until the king 
 has made all the promised payments. This will prove to him 
 that I myself feel convinced that these will be made. He 
 may be sure the king's brother will be redeemed. Tell me 
 now, Marianne, do you approve my resolution?" 
 
 The princess laid her hand on the head of her husband. 
 " You offer to surrender not only yourself but both of us," she 
 said. " Both of us, William, for I want to be where you are. 
 I will also share your devotion to Prussia. You may offer 
 both of us as hostages to the emperor. I shall be happy when 
 with you, whether in a dungeon or in a palace. The love 
 uniting us will sustain us even then, and, when our captivity 
 is over, we will return happy to our beloved country. But 
 if it be otherwise if circumstances occur delaying the pay- 
 ments, and calling down upon you the wrath of the conqueror 
 if he then desire to take revenge upon you oh, then, I 
 shall know how to find a way to his heart so that he will per- 
 mit me to die with you. We are alone; our children are 
 dead, and, therefore, we are at liberty to pursue such a course. 
 Oh, William, then we shall be happy forever! Go, my be- 
 loved husband ! and when the hour comes, call me to your 
 side. Let us live, and, if need be, die for the fatherland! 
 Let it be inscribed on our coffin: 'They have done their 
 duty. The fatherland is content with them!' " * 
 
 * Prince William really carried out this resolution. He found at his first inter- 
 view that Napoleon was by no means riendly toward Prussia, and particularly toward 
 King Frederick William. Carried away by his enthusiasm and generosity, the prince 
 took at this audience the step which he 'had intended to reserve if all else should 
 prove unavailing. He offered himself and his wife as hostages to the emperor, and 
 entreated him to permit them to remain in French captivity until the payments 
 were made. Napoleon listened to him, and while he was speaking the countenance
 
 326 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXVII. 
 
 THE GENIUS OF PRUSSIA. 
 
 THE queen was alone in her room. She sat on the sofa, 
 and a dress of heavy silk, interwoven with flowers, lay spread 
 out on the table before her. She turned over the dress, as if 
 carefully examining it. " Sure enough, there it is!" she sud- 
 denly exclaimed. "Now, quick to work!" She hastened to 
 her table, on which was to be seen a beautiful silk embroidery 
 just finished by the queen. Among the threads she selected 
 one that was of the same color as the dress, and hastily 
 threaded her needle. " Now I will finish my work before any 
 one surprises me," whispered Louisa. She was so assiduously 
 employed that she did not notice that the opposite door, 
 softly opening, had admitted the king. He stood still for a 
 moment and looked at the queen. Advancing, he asked, 
 frowningly, "What are you doing, Louisa?" 
 
 The queen uttered a cry, and a deep blush suffused her 
 cheeks. Pushing aside the table and the dress, she rose from 
 the sofa and went to salute her husband. " Welcome, dear- 
 est!" she said, lovingly clinging to him; "you knew that it 
 was cold and lonely here, and you come to gladden me. 
 Thanks, my Frederick, thanks and welcome! I feel as 
 though you were given to me anew, and I greet you every 
 morning as with the young heart of a bride." She laid her 
 beautiful head on his shoulder, and her delicate hand played 
 with his hair. 
 
 But the king did not return her caresses, and his eyes, 
 which usually looked so lovingly at his wife, were directed to 
 the dress on the table. " You have not yet replied to me, 
 Louisa," he exclaimed. 
 
 " Replied to what?" she asked, raising her head from his 
 shoulder, and calmly looking at him. 
 
 "You know it," said the king "to my question." 
 
 "To your question? And what did you ask?" replied the 
 queen. " You asked me whether I loved you and had already 
 
 of the emperor gradually became milder. He approached the prince, embraced 
 him affectionately, and exclaimed, "That is very generous, but it is impossible. 
 Never would I accept such a sacrifice never !" For the rest, the mission of the 
 prince was an utter failure. Napoleon referred him to Minister Champagny, who, 
 by all sorts of subterfuges, managed to protract and finally to break off the nego- 
 tiations. The prince was detained several months in Paris, and returned, without 
 having accomplished any thing, to Konigsberg, whither the royal family had removed 
 in the mean tune.
 
 THE GENIUS OF PRUSSIA. 327 
 
 thought of you this morning. Yes, my king and husband, 
 you are the object of all my thoughts, and I think of you with 
 every pulsation of my heart. And do you know what just 
 occurred to me, and what I am going to propose to you? It 
 is a fine winter-day, and the snow is sparkling in the sun. 
 We have half an hour until dinner. Let us improve it and 
 take a walk. Let us go to our two princes, who are skating 
 with their instructor. Tell me, my friend, shall we do so?" 
 
 The king shook his head gloomily. " You wish to divert 
 me from my question," he said, "which proves that you have 
 heard it. I will repeat it. What were you doing with that 
 dress when I entered?" 
 
 The queen hung her head in evident embarrassment, and 
 her face assumed a melancholy air. " You insist on a reply, 
 my husband?" she asked. "I hoped you would notice my 
 confusion, and generously desist." 
 
 " I must know every thing that happens to you," said the 
 king; " I must know the full extent of our misfortunes, that 
 I may not be deceived by any illusions. Tell me, therefore, 
 what were you doing?" 
 
 " Well, then, my husband, I will tell you," said the queen, 
 resolutely. " I like the dress, not because it is made of very 
 costly and beautiful materials, but you yourself selected it 
 for me. You know that we give a party to-morrow to cele- 
 brate the birthday of the crown prince, and I wished to wear 
 that dress. Now, I knew what no one else knew, that the 
 last time I wore it I had torn it by a nail in the wall, on 
 crossing the corridor. If I had informed my maid of this 
 mishap, I should have been unable to wear it again, for cus- 
 tom, I believe, forbids queens to wear mended dresses. I was, 
 however, bent on saving it. For this purpose I took it 
 stealthily from my wardrobe to mend the small hole as rapidly 
 as possible, while my lady of honor was taking a ride, and my 
 maid was at dinner. I had just finished when you entered, 
 and if you had come a few minutes later the dress would have 
 disappeared, and no one would suspect to-morrow that my 
 rich attire had been mended. Now, you know my secret, and 
 I entreat you to keep it and allude to it no more. But you 
 must also reply to me: shall we take a walk?" 
 
 The king made no answer, but gazed at her with melan- 
 choly tenderness. " You do this, Louisa, because you shrink 
 from the expense of buying a new dress," he said. "Oh, do 
 not deny it; do not try to deceive me. I know it to be true."
 
 328 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "And suppose it were true?" asked the queen, gently, draw- 
 ing her head from his hands. " Will you be sad because I do 
 in these times what all our subjects are obliged to do be- 
 cause I try to be a little economical?" 
 
 "The Queen of Prussia, my consort," exclaimed the king, 
 "is compelled to mend her own dresses! Is the cup of dis- 
 grace and humiliation not yet full!" 
 
 "And why do you speak of disgrace?" asked the queen, 
 laying her hands on the shoulders of her husband, and look- 
 ing tenderly in his face. " Why do you say I humble myself 
 by mending my dress? I only followed the example of your 
 noble ancestor, Frederick II. Did not the great king also 
 mend and patch his clothes? Did he not repair with sealing- 
 wax his scabbard, because he did not want to buy a new one? 
 Well, I believe little Louisa will be allowed to do as the great 
 Frederick did, and need not be ashamed of it. On the con- 
 trary, my husband, when I sat there sewing, my heart was 
 glad, for the memories of my early years revived in my mind: 
 I saw myself at the side of my venerable grandmother, the 
 Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt, and I lived again in those 
 sunny days that I spent with her in Hanover. My grand- 
 mother taught me how to mend, and I frequently profited by 
 the skill I had acquired with her. For you married the 
 daughter of a poor prince, who was not a sovereign at that 
 time, but only a younger brother, and the Queen of Prussia 
 does not blush to confess that when she was yet a princess of 
 Mecklenburg, she not only mended her dresses but even 
 trimmed her shoes with her own hands. It is no jest, my 
 king and husband, I really often did so, and I never felt 
 humiliated. Never did I consider it a disgrace to do some- 
 times what thousands of the most virtuous and amiable women 
 are always doing. When I used to sew my shoes, I was poor, 
 for I did not yet know you ; but now, although I have re- 
 paired my dress, I am rich, for I have you I have my chil- 
 dren I am the wife of a man who suffers because he values 
 his honor higher than worldly greatness who would perish 
 rather than break an alliance he has sworn to, and refuses to 
 give his neck to the tyrant's yoke. Oh, my husband, when I 
 look at you, my soul is transported with gladness, and I thank 
 God that I arn allowed to love you. Since you are mine I feel 
 happy, rich, and powerful." 
 
 She placed her beautiful arms around the king, who pressed 
 her against his breast. " Thanks, my Louisa! thanks for
 
 THE GENIUS OF PRUSSIA. 329 
 
 your joyful love. Your eyes gladden my life, and your voice 
 is the only music that can lull my grief. That is the reason 
 I come to you now. I seek here consolation in my affliction, 
 for when you help me to bear the burden, it is less oppressive. 
 I have received two letters to-day which gave me pain, and 
 which I desire to communicate to you." 
 
 " I shall be grateful to you, my husband, for doing so," said 
 the queen. " Come, let us sit down together, and commu- 
 nicate the letters to me. Who wrote them? Whence did they 
 come?" 
 
 " One is from Konigsberg, from our daughter Charlotte." 
 
 "From Charlotte!" exclaimed the queen, starting. "Has 
 any thing happened to her? Has she been taken ill?" 
 
 " No, she is well, and nothing has happened to her. She 
 is, on the contrary, in excellent spirits, and, like all young 
 girls, wishes to dress well. She writes to me, asking me to 
 send her money that she may renew her winter wardrobe. 
 Here is the letter." 
 
 The queen quickly glanced over it. " Oh, the dear, good 
 child," she exclaimed, "how tenderly she loves us how 
 prettily and affectionately she gives expression to her feelings! 
 And yet she often appears outwardly cold and indifferent. 
 She resembles her noble father : she does not wear her heart 
 on her tongue, but it throbs lovingly in her -bosom. She is 
 seemingly reserved and haughty, but she is affectionate. If 
 God permits her to live I anticipate a brilliant future for 
 her." * 
 
 "A brilliant future!" echoed the king ; " for my daughter 
 for the daughter of a king without a kingdom of a man 
 who is so poor as to be unable to gratify her just and modest 
 wishes ! She asks for money to replenish her winter ward- 
 robe. Now, do you know what I have written to her? I 
 have sent her five dollars, and given her at the same time the 
 wretched consolation to be content with that sum, for it was 
 all I could spare." 
 
 " Well," said the queen, with a gentle smile, " at all events, 
 five dollars will enable her to buy a warm winter dress, and by 
 and by our finances will improve." 
 
 "I do not see any such prospect," exclaimed the king, ve- 
 hemently. " All our resources are exhausted ; all the public 
 funds are gone, and even your generosity will be unable to 
 
 *The very words of the queen. Vide 'Queen Louisa, "p. 302. This prophecv 
 was fulfilled, for the Princess Charlotte afterward married the Emperor of Russia.
 
 330 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 create new ones. My noble queen, in generous self-denial, 
 sacrifices her jewels in order to gladden and comfort others, 
 and to lay her own contribution on the altar of her country. 
 She did not think of herself in doing so." 
 
 " Yes, I did," said the queen, smiling, " I did think of my- 
 self. I reserved five thousand dollars, and with that sum all 
 the bills we owed all our debts for the household, for the 
 stable, and the servants, have been paid. But you intended 
 communicating two letters to me. What about the second?" 
 
 "The second," said the king, mournfully, "is a farewell 
 from my faithful subjects in the province of Mark, whom, 
 alas ! with a heavy heart, I have absolved from their oath of 
 allegiance, and ordered to serve another sovereign, and to obey 
 the new King of Westphalia. I am not ashamed of confess- 
 ing it, Louisa, I wept on writing to them, and on reading 
 their reply. There it is. Read it aloud. It will do me good 
 to hear again these touching words." 
 
 The queen unfolded the large letter, to which several official 
 seals were attached, and read in a tremulous voice : 
 
 " Our heart was rent when we read your farewell letter, 
 good king. We cannot believe even now that we, who always 
 loved you so affectionately, are to cease being your subjects. 
 As sure as we live, it was neither your fault, nor ours, that 
 your generals and ministers were too confused after the defeat 
 of Jena to march the dispersed divisions of the army to us, 
 and to lead them, united with our whole people, into a strug- 
 gle which, with the blessing of God, would have been suc- 
 cessful. We would have willingly risked our lives, for you 
 must not doubt that the blood of the ancient Cheruscians is 
 still flowing in our veins; that we are proud of calling Her- 
 mann and Wittekind countrymen of ours, and of knowing 
 that on our soil was that field of battle where our ancestors 
 defeated their enemies in so decisive a manner that they never 
 fought again. We also would assuredly have saved the father- 
 land, for we have, we believe, marrow in our bones, and re- 
 main uncorrupted by modern luxury and effeminacy. But no 
 one can escape the decrees of Providence. Oh, farewell, then, 
 our father and king ! Heaven grant you more faithful gener- 
 als and more sagacious ministers for the remainder of your 
 states! You are not omniscient, and you were sometimes 
 obliged to follow them into blind paths. Unfortunately, we 
 must also submit to what cannot be helped. God help us! 
 We trust our new sovereign will be a father to us, and honor
 
 THE GENIUS OF PRUSSIA. 331 
 
 and respect our language and customs, our faith and rights, 
 as you always did, dear and beloved king! Health, joy, and 
 peace!" 
 
 " And you call us poor and disgraced when such hearts are 
 throbbing for us," exclaimed the queen, with radiant eyes. 
 " No, we are rich, for our subjects love us, and even when 
 compelled to part with you, they send you their love-greet- 
 ings!" 
 
 " But I cannot reward their love ; I have no means of show- 
 ing how my heart appreciates it," exclaimed the king, mourn- 
 fully. "Oh, Louisa, I am a poor, wretched man; my heart 
 is desponding, and even your cheering words are unable to 
 console it. Wherever I look, whatever plans I form, I see 
 nowhere a prospect of change for the better. My country is 
 occupied by hordes of foreign soldiers. My subjects, exposed 
 to the overbearing and avarice of the French, who think they 
 are sovereign rulers of my states, are vainly praying to their 
 king to come to their assistance. Their courage is exhausted; 
 their strength gone; commerce is prostrated ; manufacturers 
 and mechanics are idle ; the farmers have no seed-corn, nor 
 courage to cultivate their fields, for they know that they will 
 be robbed of the fruits of their labor. Our soldiers walk about 
 with bowed heads, and scarcely dare to wear their uniforms, 
 for they remind them of Jena and Auerstadt, of the capitula- 
 tion of Prenzlau, of the surrender of so many fortresses, and,, 
 like myself, they wish they had been buried on the battle-field 
 of Jena. Want, misery, and suffering are everywhere, and I 
 am unable to help ! I must still permit the enemy to inun- 
 date my states, although it was expressly stipulated by the 
 treaty of Tilsit that the French army was to evacuate Prussia 
 in the course of two months. I must also permit the Em- 
 peror Napoleon (though after the conclusion of peace, and 
 contrary to the treaty) to take New Silesia, and add her to 
 the kingdom of Warsaw; to transform the two leagues of the 
 new territory of Dantzic into two German miles, and, without 
 even asking my consent, to deprive me of my property. But 
 I am determined to suffer this injustice and humiliation no 
 longer, and to make the last sacrifice." 
 
 " What are you going to do, my husband?" exclaimed the 
 queen, laying her hand with an anxious gesture on the arm of 
 her husband. " What sacrifice?" 
 
 "Myself!" said the king, gloomily, "for it is I alone who 
 bring misfortune on my people. A sinister fatality pursues 
 22
 
 332 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 me, and has pursued me from my earliest youth. Only one 
 star ever rose on my troubled firmament, and that was you, 
 Louisa. But it will not set, even though I carry out my pur- 
 pose. In solitude and sorrow it will still shine hopefully 
 upon me. My childhood was wretched, and embittered by 
 long-continued sufferings ; while I was crown prince, I had to 
 submit to the affliction of not possessing the heart of my 
 father, and of being unable to approve his actions. I was so 
 unfortunate as to be compelled to begin the first day of my 
 reign with a demonstration against his course by having the 
 woman arrested whom he had loved so long and ardently, and 
 to whom the final wishes and thoughts of the dying sovereign 
 had been devoted. It is his spirit, perhaps, that now brings 
 all these calamities upon me. But my people shall not 
 suffer; I will deliver them from the fatal influences attach- 
 ing them to me, and in order to conciliate my fate I will 
 voluntarily lay down my crown." 
 
 "Never! my husband, never shall you do so," exclaimed 
 the queen in great excitement. " Never shall my noble and 
 brave king declare that his spirit is crushed and vanquished. 
 Majesty would thereby render itself guilty of suicide. For 
 majesty, like life, is a boon sent by Providence, and you are no 
 more allowed to divest yourself of it arbitrarily than to put a 
 voluntary end to your life. And, least of all, are you per- 
 mitted to do so in times of adversity and danger, for such a 
 course would look like cowardice with which my king and 
 husband assuredly cannot be charged. Charles V. and Chris- 
 tina of Sweden were at liberty to abdicate, for when they did 
 so they were at the acme of their power, and yet they ever 
 repented of it ; they felt that all nations were scornfully ex- 
 claiming: 'Behold the faithless, suicidal servant of God! 
 Behold the stigma on that anointed brow ! The crown sanc- 
 tifies the head that wears it. But that coward has dishonored 
 himself, and the glory that God gave him.' Oh, my beloved 
 husband, the nations must never speak in this manner of you ; 
 the annals of history must never report that you deserted your 
 people when they were oppressed, and that, in order to obtain 
 peace and safety for yourself, you gave up your country, and 
 cast away your crown. It is true, fortune is imposing grievous 
 burdens on us ; but at such a time it behooves a true man to 
 meet adversity with a bold front." 
 
 "Ah, if I were possessed of your unwavering faith and 
 cheerfulness!" said the king, profoundly sighing. "But my
 
 THE GENIUS OF PRUSSIA. 333 
 
 hope is gone ; our misfortunes have crushed out not my cour- 
 age but my belief in a, better future." 
 
 " And yet they were necessary that we might one day obtain 
 real happiness," said Louisa. "Oh, I begin to perceive dis- 
 tinctly that the events which have afflicted us will redound to 
 our own welfare. Providence is evidently introducing a new 
 era, because the old one has outlived itself. We fell asleep 
 on the laurels of Frederick the Great, who was the master- 
 spirit of another century; we did not progress with the times, 
 and they outstripped us." 
 
 " There must be many changes, I am satisfied, in our ad- 
 ministration," said the king, thoughtfully. " The army must 
 be reorganized, and those who in the hour of danger are cow- 
 ards must be judged with inexorable severity. Alas! all this 
 will be in vain; I succeed in accomplishing nothing; all my 
 measures turn out to my detriment, and to the advantage of 
 our enemy." 
 
 "It is true," said the queen, sighing, "he has much suc- 
 cess. Even our most deliberate plans are fruitless. Though 
 the Russians and Prussians fight like lions, and are not de- 
 feated, they are obliged to evacuate the field of battle, and 
 the French emperor claims a victory. Nevertheless, it would 
 be blasphemous to say that God was on his side; he is an in- 
 strument of Providence in order to bury that in which life is 
 extinct, but which still clings to that destined to live. We 
 may derive lessons from him, and what he has accomplished 
 ought not to be lost to us. Oh, I firmly believe in Provi- 
 dence, and a great moral system ruling the world. I cannot 
 see it, however, in the brutal reign of force, and hence I believe 
 that these times will be succeeded by more prosperous ones. 
 All good men hope for them, and the eulogists of the hero of 
 this day must not mislead us. All that has happened is not 
 the ultimate order of things; it is a severe yet salutary prep- 
 aration for a new and better destiny. We must not delude 
 ourselves, my beloved friend, with the idea that this is remote; 
 in spite of all obstacles, we must strive to reach it with 
 strength, courage, and cheerfulness. With the merciful as- 
 sistance of Providence, we must continue to battle for our 
 honor and our rights!" 
 
 " Yes, be it so!" exclaimed the king, " God is with me, for 
 He has placed you at my side ; He has given me an angel who 
 fills my heart with that courage which is based on faith in 
 Him. Oh, forgive my timidity and despondency; I pledge
 
 334 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 you my word I will meet the future with a strong heart. 
 Only remain with me, my dearest Louisa; look at me with 
 your cheering eyes,, and inspire my heart with hope. When- 
 ever I falter, remind me of this hour in which I vowed to you 
 to struggle to the last." 
 
 "Thanks, my king and husband!" exclaimed the queen; 
 " whatever may happen, let us meet it, united in love, hope, 
 and faith in God!" 
 
 " Yes," said the king; " adversity itself is not devoid of ex- 
 alted moments, and you, my Louisa, have become dearer to me 
 in these days. I know now by experience what a treasure you 
 are to me. Let the storm rage outside, if all is calm within." 
 
 " It is my pride and happiness to possess the love of the 
 best of men," said the queen; "and though we leave no in- 
 heritance to our children, we shall leave them at least the ex- 
 ample of our wedded life ; let them learn from it to be happy 
 in themselves." 
 
 " Madame la Reine est serme!" shouted a merry voice be- 
 hind them; and when the queen turned, she saw her son, 
 Crown-Prince Frederick William, who approached her with 
 rosy cheeks and laughing eyes. " Pardon me, dearest parents, 
 for venturing to enter the room without your permission, but 
 I longed to salute you, and therefore assumed the duty of the 
 steward, who was about to announce that dinner is ready." 
 
 " And I suppose my son found this announcement exceed- 
 ingly interesting, and longed just as much for his dinner as 
 for his parents," exclaimed the queen, smiling and looking 
 with beaming eyes at her favorite son. 
 
 " Oh, no, no," said the crown prince, laughing, "I thought 
 first of my beloved parents, but then yes, I confess the idea 
 of getting my dinner is very agreeable, considering that I 
 have been on the ice for several hours." 
 
 "Well, my husband," asked the queen, merrily, "shall we 
 comply with the wishes of the young epicure? Shall we per- 
 mit him to conduct us to the dining-room?" 
 
 "Yes, certainly," said the king, offering his arm to his 
 wife. " Lead the way, M. Steward !" The crown prince as- 
 sumed a grave air, and, after bowing to his parents in the 
 reverential manner of a royal steward, he preceded them with 
 ludicrous strides, and commenced singing in a ringing voice: 
 " Immer langsam voran, dass die oesterreiclische landwehr nach- 
 Tcommen Jcann." * 
 
 * " Always slowly forward, that the Austrian landwehr may be able to follow " 
 a well-known humorous song, ridiculing: the slowness of the Austrian militia,
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 335 
 
 The king laughed more heartily than he had done for many 
 weeks, while the queen looked lovingly at her son who had 
 performed this miracle. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXVIII. 
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 
 
 IN the dining-room was "William, the younger prince, who 
 hastened to his parents, and returned the tender salutation, 
 of his beautiful mother by covering her hand with kisses. 
 There were no guests at the royal table; the king preferred to- 
 dine en famiUe, and for several days the queen had ordered 
 the ladies and gentlemen of the court to dine by themselves, 
 and only with the royal family when company was not dis- 
 tasteful to her husband. The king looked with a smile of 
 content at the small table, on which he noticed only four 
 covers, and, conducting his wife to her seat, he said, with a 
 grateful glance, " You have anticipated my most secret wishes,. 
 Louisa; I like, above all, to dine alone with my family. 
 Guests and strange faces always bring etiquette with them,, 
 and that renders our repasts formal and unpleasant. Thanks r 
 Louisa!" 
 
 It was a very frugal meal, hardly suitable to a royal dinner- 
 table. Frederick William and the queen, however, contentedly 
 partook of the plain, wholesome food; and, gayly chatting, 
 they did not seem to notice that the dinner was served up in 
 common china dishes, and that the plates before them were of 
 the same cheap material. Prince William ate with the ap- 
 petite of a healthy little boy; the crown prince, however, who- 
 was twelve years old, did not seem to relish his food. He had 
 disposed of his soup, although he thought it weak and not 
 well flavored, supposing the other courses would be more to- 
 his taste. But when it was succeeded by roast meat and cab- 
 bage, he made a wry face, and handled his fork very daintily. 
 
 " I suppose you do not like cabbage?" asked the king, who- 
 had noticed the reluctant appetite of the crown prince. 
 
 "No, your majesty," said the prince, smiling, "there are- 
 dishes that I like better, although I know it to be a very re- 
 spectable one, with which the French just now are made 
 acquainted. I will leave the sliucrout * to them, and console? 
 
 * French pronunciation of sour-crout.
 
 336 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 myself in the mean time with thinking of two things of the 
 entremets now, and of my birthday to-morrow." 
 
 " I suppose you entertain a good many wishes in regard to 
 your birthday?" asked the king, putting more cabbage on his 
 own plate. "Tell me, Fred, what is it you wish?" 
 
 " Above all, that my gracious father and my dear mother may 
 continue to love me," said the crown prince, glancing at the 
 queen, who nodded to him. "But, besides, I have a few 
 other wishes. In the first place, I would like to have a nice 
 horse with handsome new saddle and bridle, and I would like 
 to be allowed to take frequent rides with my parents, but 
 always at a gallop at a full gallop!" 
 
 " But, Fred, that would be bad for you, considering that you 
 are not yet a skilful horseman," exclaimed the queen, laughing. 
 
 "Well, then," said the prince, gravely, " I wish for another 
 birthday present, that I may become a skilful horseman with- 
 out learning, for that is a very unpleasant and slow affair, as 
 I found it out again to-day, when, in skating, I wanted to 
 imitate my teacher in describing a circle on the ice, and only 
 succeeded in falling on my nose!" 
 
 "Every thing in the world has to be learned," said the 
 king, " and although you may at first fall, you learn thereby 
 to stand the firmer afterward, and to keep your head erect. 
 But have you told us all your birthday wishes, or are there 
 any more?" 
 
 " Oh, there are a great many yet, your majesty," exclaimed 
 the prince, laughing. "If I could sow all my great and 
 small wishes, like the dragon's teeth of Cadmus, I would be 
 at the head of a very pretty regiment of soldiers to-morrow." 
 
 " It is strange how many desires young folks have now- 
 adays," said the king, thoughtfully. " That boy, although he 
 is but twelve years old, wishes to have a saddle-horse as a 
 birthday present, and in times so hard as these ! When I was 
 as old as you, there were golden times in Prussia, and yet I did 
 not receive many presents on my birthday. Sometimes I had 
 to be content with nothing but a small flower-pot, worth a few 
 shillings, and if my instructor wished to be particularly kind 
 to me he took me to a public garden, and treated me to one, 
 or, at the best, two silver groschens' worth of cherries." 
 
 "Oh," said the queen, with tearful eyes, "it makes my 
 heart ache when I think of the cheerless youth of your good 
 and noble father, and of the sufferings he had to undergo 
 under his harsh instructor."
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 337 
 
 " It is true, Counsellor Benisch was a rigorous and harsh 
 man," said the king; "he treated me very roughly, often 
 wreaked his ill-humor upon me, and thought he ought to rob 
 me entirely of my youthful pleasures. He did not do so be- 
 cause he was a bad man, but because he believed it to be the 
 best system of education. And then it produced good fruits. 
 I learned early to bear disagreeable things, and uncomplain- 
 ingly to do without agreeable ones; thus I succeeded in sub- 
 mitting to a great deal that seemed intolerably burdensome to 
 others. When I was a boy, it was a holiday for me, for in- 
 stance, when the entremets at dinner consisted of omelet, 
 while I see that our Prince Fred is no better satisfied with 
 that than with the cabbage." 
 
 "Your majesty is right; I do not like either," said the 
 crown prince, " and it was in vain that I consoled myself with 
 the hope that there was something more to my taste." 
 
 " What?" exclaimed the queen, smiling. " You do not like 
 omelet? If you are a true son of mine, it must become a fa- 
 vorite dish, for when I was your age, I greatly liked it ; and if 
 you will now eat a good plate of it, I will tell you a story 
 about omelet and salad." 
 
 " Oh, mamma, just see, I have liberally supplied my plate; 
 I am, therefore, entitled to the story," exclaimed the crown 
 prince. 
 
 " I will tell the story if the king will permit me," said the 
 queen, looking at her husband. 
 
 " The king requests you to do so," said Frederick William, 
 nodding pleasantly. " I wish to hear your story, Louisa; you 
 always know new and very pretty ones; your memory is really 
 a little treasury!" 
 
 "It is not a very interesting story, after all," said the 
 queen, thoughtfully, " except to myself as a youthful reminis- 
 cence. I had gone with my father and my brother George to 
 Frankfort-on-the-Main to witness the coronation of the Em- 
 peror Leopold. I remember but little of the festivities, for 
 at that time I was only fourteen years old, and the pompous 
 ceremonies, together with the deafening shouts of the popu- 
 lace (who cheered the roast ox, larded with rabbits, no less 
 enthusiastically than the German emperor), were indescrib- 
 ably tedious to me." 
 
 " Dear mamma," exclaimed the crown prince, "possibly the 
 people may have taken the roast ox for the German emperor." 
 
 "Possibly my witty son may be right," said the queen,
 
 338 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " and the people may have rejoiced in so boisterous a manner 
 because they were better pleased with the roast ox than with 
 the emperor himself. The ceremonies lasted too long for me, 
 and as all eyes were fixed on the emperor, and no one paid any 
 attention to the daughter of a younger son of Mecklenburg, I 
 softly slipped from the gallery of the princes, beckoned to my 
 sister Frederica, and, followed by our governess, dear Madame 
 Gelieux, we left the Koemer, and entered our carriage, which 
 made but slow headway through the dense crowd, but finally 
 conveyed us to a more quiet street. We intended to do hom- 
 age to some one else to pay our respects to the king of litera- 
 ture. We desired to make a pilgrimage to the place where 
 the greatest poet of Germany was born, and visit the dear lady 
 his mother, Mde. Counsellor Goethe. 
 
 " Our heart was transported with gladness when the carriage 
 halted in front of the door, and a handsome face, with dark, 
 brilliant eyes, appeared at the window, and nodded to us very 
 cordially. We were old friends and acquaintances, and, 
 therefore, did not beg leave to enter, but hastened directly 
 into the sitting-room. Madame Goethe met us with a kind 
 salutation, and made a sign to the servant-girl to remove the 
 table standing in the middle of the room. But we saw that 
 the dish was still filled, and that Madame Goethe, after re- 
 turning from the coronation, was about to take dinner. 
 
 " 'Madame Goethe,' we exclaimed, 'if you do not have your 
 dinner immediately served up, we shall leave at once, and will 
 never believe again that you are our friend, and that we are 
 your children, as you always call us. If you will eat, and 
 permit us to be present, we will remain ; but if you persist in 
 receiving us ceremoniously as princesses, and in having the 
 dinner removed, we must go.' 'Good heavens,' exclaimed 
 the good lady, in surprise, 'I will comply with the wishes of the 
 little princesses, and eat if they insist on it. I am only 
 ashamed of my dinner to-day, for I have permitted the cook 
 to go to the coronation, and she has not yet returned. The 
 chambermaid, therefore, prepared some food for me ; it is so 
 plain, however, that I cannot invite you to partake of it. ' 
 'Oh, we do not want to eat, but only to sit with you,' ex- 
 claimed Frederica and I ; we then took the arms of the old 
 lady and conducted her to the table. She sighed, but yielded 
 to our solicitations. We sat down opposite her, and Madame 
 Gelieux took a seat close to us in the window-niche. Madame 
 Goethe quickly ate her soup, and rang the bell for the servant
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 339 
 
 to bring the second course. When she appeared and placed 
 two dishes on the table, madame became greatly embarrassed. 
 'That is a dinner,' she said, 'that ought to be ashamed of 
 showing its mean face in the presence of two little princesses 
 so beautiful, and dressed in brocade! Why, it is nothing but 
 an omelet and a salad. ' And she then cut off a small piece 
 of the omelet and put it among the green leaves of the salad. 
 We looked on, and the dish seemed by far more desirable to 
 us than the imperial ox. In spite of our brocade dresses, 
 we were not at all ashamed of having a strong appetite. I 
 looked at my sister Frederica, and she looked at me, and 
 then both of us looked at the omelet, and at our governess. 
 Finally, I was unable to resist the temptation any longer, 
 and said, timidly, 'Madame Goethe, pray let me also have 
 a little.' 'Ah, yes, dear madame,' said my sister, 'give us 
 some. ' ' 
 
 The two princesses interrupted the queen's narrative by 
 loud laughter, and the king himself joined gayly in it. 
 
 "That was right, mamma," exclaimed the crown prince. 
 " Your story has given me an excellent appetite for omelet, 
 and I have eaten all on my plate." 
 
 "That is just what I intended," said the queen, smiling. 
 
 "But what is the end of the story?" asked the crown 
 prince. "Did Madame Goethe give you some? I hope she 
 complied with the request of the Queen of Prussia. " 
 
 " I was not yet Queen of Prussia, my son," said Louisa, with 
 a slight expression of melancholy; "but even queens beg 
 sometimes in vain. Then, however, I did not. The kind 
 old lady cheerfully consented, and it was of no avail that 
 Madame Gelieux admonished us not to deprive Madame 
 Goethe of her dinner, and not to eat at so unusual an hour. 
 We moved our chairs to the table ; Madame Goethe laid two 
 covers for us, and, notwithstanding the brocade dresses, and 
 the coronation of the emperor, the two princesses of Mecklen- 
 burg commenced partaking of the omelet and salad with the 
 strong appetite of peasant girls. Madame Goethe looked at 
 us with a smile; our governess, however, frowningly. But 
 only after eating all before us did we look up and see the 
 kind countenance of Madame Goethe, and the angry air of 
 Madame Gelieux. The dish had greatly increased our cour- 
 age ; instead of being afraid of the governess, we only looked 
 at the face of the dear old lady, and when she said, 'Now I 
 wish I had some good dessert for my two little princesses, ' I
 
 340 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 exclaimed quickly, 'I know something that I would like to 
 have for dessert!' 
 
 "I know it also!' exclaimed sister Frederica, 'we have 
 already been wishing for it for a whole week.' 'Well, what 
 is it?' asked Madame Goethe. 'Tell me what you wish, and 
 I pledge you my word your wish shall be fulfilled, if it is at 
 all in my power. ' 'Dear Madame Goethe,' I exclaimed, im- 
 ploringly, 'a week ago we saw your servant-girl pumping water 
 at the well, and we have ever since been longing to pump 
 water just once!' 'Yes, to pump water just once, but to our 
 heart's content,' begged sister Frederica. 'You shall do so!' 
 exclaimed Madame Goethe, laughing merrily, 'come, we will 
 go to the well in the yard; there you may pump.' 'No, mes- 
 dames, that is impossible,' exclaimed the governess, approach- 
 ing in her dignity, and placing herself with outspread arms 
 in front of the door, 'never shall I consent to so unseemly 
 a proceeding.' 'Unseemly!' exclaimed Madame Goethe, in- 
 dignantly. ' Why should it be unseemly for the dear little 
 princesses to move their arms like other children, and to draw 
 up the fresh spring-water? It is an innocent pleasure, and 
 they shall have it as sure as I am Goethe's mother. Come, I 
 will conduct you to the well. ' And she walked proudly across 
 the room to the small door opposite. We accompanied her, 
 and slipped out, Madame Goethe following us. When Gelieux 
 exclaimed she would never permit us to pump water, and 
 would, if need be, use force to prevent us from doing so, Ma- 
 dame Goethe shouted angrily: 'I should like to see the person 
 that would deprive the little princesses of such a pleasure, 
 which they can enjoy only at my house!' And just as the 
 governess had reached the door, Madame Goethe closed and 
 bolted it. And we, naughty children, went to the well and 
 pumped water until our arms were quite weak and tired. 
 That is my story of the omelet and salad, and the pumping 
 for dessert," said the queen, concluding her narrative, and 
 bowing with a sweet smile to her husband. 
 
 The king nodded pleasantly to her. " I would I were a 
 painter!" he said; "I should paint the scene where both of 
 you are sitting at the round table and eating, while Madame 
 Goethe is looking kindly on, and your governess with an 
 angry frown. It would be a pretty picture, I should think." 
 
 "And I, although no painter, will draw the other picture," 
 exclaimed the crown prince; "oh, I see it distinctly before 
 me. A fine old tree in a large yard ; under the tree a well,
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 341 
 
 and the two princesses pumping. Madame Goethe in her old- 
 fashioned dress, and at the open window of the side-building 
 the angry face of the governess. Oh, as his majesty says, it 
 will certainly be a pretty picture, and if my mother will 
 graciously permit, I shall present it to her as a proof of my 
 gratitude for her beautiful story." 
 
 "Dear, dear mamma," exclaimed Prince William, "if you 
 know another story about an omelet, pray tell it to us, and I 
 will then also try to paint the scene for you like Fred." 
 
 "See, Louisa, what you have done," said the king, laugh- 
 ing. " They are anxious to hear your stories, and will, per- 
 haps, become great painters, if you tell them more about 
 omelets." 
 
 "That will unfortunately not happen, my husband," said 
 the queen, smiling, " for I do not know any other stories. It 
 is true," she added, musingly, "I remember another omelet 
 that caused me a great deal of pleasure." 
 
 " Where was it, dearest, dearest mamma? Oh, pray tell us," 
 exclaimed the crown prince. 
 
 " Pray tell us, mamma," begged little Prince William; " be 
 so gracious as to tell us a story for my picture!" 
 
 Louisa looked at her husband. The king nodded. " Your 
 last story was so appetizing," he said, gayly, " that I am quite 
 ready to have another." 
 
 " I ate this second omelet during our journey to East Prus- 
 sia, where the estates of the province were to take the oath of 
 allegiance. Oh, my beloved children, that was a splendid 
 journey. The whole world was spread out before me like a 
 bright summer day ; everywhere I heard nothing but greet- 
 ings of love. Everywhere addresses and banquets! festoons, 
 pealing bells, children and young ladies strewing flowers! 
 And our good people did not receive us in so festive a manner 
 through compulsion, or in accordance with an old custom, but 
 because their hearts impelled them ; for they had already per- 
 ceived that the young king, your noble father, would also be 
 their benefactor; they loved and worshipped their king, and, 
 in their kindness, transferred part of their love and veneration 
 to myself. We had already passed through Stargard; the 
 king had preceded me to Coeslin, and I was following him. 
 At noon I arrived in a large village at no great distance from 
 Coeslin. All the peasants and peasant-women came to meet 
 me, dressed in their holiday attire, and the supervisor of tie 
 village, to whose hat a large bouquet had been fastened,
 
 342 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 stepped up to the carriage to deliver an address to me. It 
 contained but a few artless words; the kind-hearted man 
 begged me, in the name of the people, to do their village the 
 honor to alight, and partake of some refreshment, for they 
 desired to entertain the "mother of the country," that the 
 inhabitants of the cities might not deem this an exclusive 
 privilege. You may imagine that I allowed the gentleman to 
 conduct me to the farm-house where the entertainment had 
 been prepared. The cloth was laid on a round table in the 
 small sitting-room, and a huge omelet lay in a large pewter 
 dish. I laughed, and, to the great delight of the peasants 
 looking through the open windows into the room, ate a large 
 piece, while the girls outside sang with the voices of larks." 
 
 "And the omelet constituted the whole entertainment?" 
 asked the crown prince, laughing. 
 
 " Oh, no, my little epicure ; there was also a dessert : bread, 
 and fresh butter wrapped in green leaves, and more fragrant 
 than we ever have it." 
 
 " That is a good dessert," exclaimed the prince. " It seems 
 to me the entertainment was not so bad, and " 
 
 At this moment the door opened. High-Chamberlain von 
 Schladen entered and approached the king. " Pardon me, 
 sire, for venturing to disturb you," he said. " A peasant and 
 a peasant-woman have just arrived. They ask urgently and 
 imploringly to see your majesty; and, on being told that you 
 were at dinner, the woman insisted only the more to be at 
 once admitted to her majesty, for she had brought her some- 
 thing necessary to a good dinner. I confess, the bearing of 
 these persons is so simple and kind-hearted that I ventured to 
 disturb you, even at the risk of being rebuked for it." 
 
 "Where do they come from?" asked the king, musingly. 
 
 " From the lowlands of the Vistula, near Culm, sire, and it 
 seems to me they belong to the sect of the Mennonites, for 
 they never take off their hats, and address everybody with 
 'thee. ' These patriotic persons have performed their journey 
 on foot, and say that their eyes have known no slumber, and 
 their feet no rest, since they left their village in order to see 
 the king and queen." 
 
 "Oh, my husband," exclaimed the queen, "pray do not 
 make them wait any longer. They come hither to manifest 
 their love for us, and love must never be kept waiting in the 
 anteroom. " 
 
 " That is not my intention," said the king, smiling. " We
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 343 
 
 will admit them at once. Come, Lousia, let us go to your 
 sitting-room, and M. von Schladen will be so kind as to con- 
 duct them thither." He offered his arm to Louisa, she 
 wrapped herself more closely in the Turkish shawl that 
 covered her shoulders, and, taking leave of the two princes 
 with a tender smile, repaired with the king to her own 
 room. 
 
 A few minutes afterward the door opened, and M. von 
 Schladen ushered in Abraham Nickel and his wife. The 
 queen sat on a sofa ; and the king, supporting his hand on the 
 back of it, stood by her side. Both of them saluted the peas- 
 ants, who approached slowly, and who, in their simple, neat 
 costume, with their pleasant, healthy faces, which betrayed 
 no embarrassment whatever, made a very agreeable impres- 
 sion. The woman carried on her arm a basket carefully 
 covered with green leaves. The man held in his right hand 
 a small gray bag, which seemed to be heavy. Both saluted 
 the royal couple very reverentially the woman making a deep 
 courtesy, and the man bowing, without, however, taking off 
 his broad-brimmed hat. 
 
 "I suppose thee to be the king, our good sovereign," said 
 the peasant, fixing his fine lustrous eyes on the king's coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 "I am the king," said Frederick William, kindly. 
 
 "And I see by thy beautiful face," exclaimed the woman, 
 pointing with her hand at Louisa, " thee is the queen, the 
 dear mother of our country Louisa, whom all love for 
 whom we are always praying, and whom we are teaching our 
 children to love and pray for." 
 
 "I thank you, kind folks," exclaimed the queen, feelingly, 
 "I thank you. Yes, pray for me, and abov.e all, pray for 
 Prussia; pray that she may be saved and protected, for when 
 Prussia is happy I am." 
 
 " Prussia will be happy again, and the Lord will not for- 
 sake her!" exclaimed the woman. "All of us hope for it, 
 and we wandered hither to bring to our beloved king and 
 queen the greetings of their faithful subjects in the lowlands 
 of Culm, and to tell their majesties that we are praying day 
 and night that God may drive the French from the country, 
 and render our king and queen again powerful. But with 
 your leave we should like to give you a small proof of our re- 
 gard in the presents we have brought." 
 
 The king nodded his consent, while the queen smiled and
 
 844 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 said : " What you give us with loving hearts we will accept 
 with loving hearts." 
 
 "What I have brought is but little," said the woman. 
 " But I have been told that our gracious queen likes to eat 
 good fresh butter, and that the young princes and princesses 
 are also fond of sandwiches; now," she added, removing the 
 leaves from the basket, "this butter is clean and good; I 
 churned it myself in my dairy, and as the article is so very 
 scarce at present, I thought it would be acceptable, and the 
 gracious queen would not spurn my humble gift. Thee looks 
 so kind-hearted and good, dear queen, and I am glad to see 
 thee face to face, and shall be doubly so if thee will be so kind 
 as to accept my butter." 
 
 "I accept it joyfully," exclaimed the queen, taking the 
 basket which the woman presented to her. " I thank you for 
 your nice present, my dear woman, and I myself will put 
 some of it to-day on the sandwiches of my sons, who shall eat 
 them in honor of good Mde. Nickel." 
 
 " And now I should like to beg leave to present a small gift 
 to the king," said the peasant. "I " 
 
 "Ah, I guess what it is," exclaimed the king, merrily. 
 "You bring me a fine cheese to be eaten with the fresh 
 butter." 
 
 " No, most gracious king. Thy loyal Mennonite subjects in 
 the province of Prussia have learned with the most profound 
 grief how great the distress is which God has inflicted upon 
 thee, thy house, and thy states. We have learned that the 
 funds of thy military chest are entirely exhausted that the 
 French have put them into their pockets. All this affected 
 us most painfully, and we thought thee might sometimes even 
 be out of pocket-money. All the men, women, and children 
 of our community, therefore, looked into their saving-boxes, 
 and contributed joyfully the mite that is to manifest the love 
 we entertain for our king. And here is the money we have 
 collected, good king, and I would urgently entreat thee in the 
 name of our community graciously to accept the trifle offered 
 thee by thy faithful Mennonite subjects, who will never cease 
 to love and pray for thee." 
 
 "No," exclaimed the king, in a tremulous voice, his face 
 quivering with profound emotion, " no, I am not poor so long 
 as I have still subjects so good and loyal as you are!" And 
 he offered his hand with a grateful look. 
 
 The queen had listened to these words with increasing
 
 A FAMILY DINNER. 345 
 
 emotion; her beautiful countenance was beaming with joy; 
 her eyes were lifted to heaven, and her lips seemed to whisper 
 a prayer of gratitude. When the king cordially shook hands 
 with the Mennonite, the queen, overcome by her feelings, 
 burst into tears tears such as she had not shed for a long 
 while. She took the costly Turkish shawl from her shoulders 
 and threw it around the surprised woman. 
 
 "Keep it in memory of this interview," whispered the 
 queen, in a voice choked by tears. 
 
 " Thee permits me, kind king, to give thee our little sav- 
 ings, and to place them on this table?" asked Abraham Nickel. 
 
 "I do," said the king. The peasant stepped to the table. 
 After deliberately untying the string of the gray linen bag, 
 he turned it upside down, and poured out the contents. The 
 queen uttered an exclamation of surprise, and the king him- 
 self was unable to suppress his astonishment ; for gold-piece 
 after gold-piece rolled from the bag and fell ringing in a 
 bright pile on the table. "Well, indeed," said the king, 
 " my people of the Vistula have good things in their saving- 
 boxes. " 
 
 "There are three thousand louis-d'or, dear king," said 
 Abraham Nickel. " Unfortunately, this is all, although we 
 ardently desired to make you a better present." 
 
 "Three thousand louis-d'or are too much," replied the 
 king, " and I cannot accept the sum as a mere gift. Accept 
 my thanks, and rest assured that I shall ever gratefully re- 
 member your kindness. I will, however, accept it as a pres- 
 ent now, but at a later day, when times are more prosperous, 
 it must be considered as a loan, which I shall repay with in- 
 terest. Accept a receipt, my friend, and tell the elders of 
 your community to preserve it carefully, that I may redeem 
 it."* 
 
 "The king's will be done," said Nickel. "If times re- 
 main as they are now, thy receipt, dear king, shall be pre- 
 served in our community as a sacred token of thy love. But 
 when affairs are better, then thee may do as thee pleases, and 
 we will gladly permit our king to fill again the saving-boxes 
 of his people." 
 
 * The king did not forget his promise. In 1816, when the fatherland had been de- 
 livered, he requested the authorities of Mariemverder to give him information about 
 Abraham Nickel. It was ascertained that the poor man, owing to the calamities of 
 war, had lost his whole property, his buildings having been burned down by the 
 enemy. The king had them rebuilt in a much better style than before, gave him 
 ample means to start again, and redeemed the due-bill he had given to the Mennon- 
 ites. Vide Hippel's work on Frederick William III., vol. iii., p. 291.
 
 346 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "There will be better times for Prussia," said the king, 
 solemnly, "for I hope in God and in my countrymen. I hope 
 that we shall have strength to outlive these evil days, and to 
 be worthy of the prosperity to come. Prussia is not lost ; she 
 cannot be, for her people and her king are united in lore and 
 fealty, and that is the source of heroic deeds. God save 
 Prussia!" 
 
 " God save Prussia!" exclaimed the queen, raising her tear- 
 ful eyes and clasped hands. 
 
 "God save Prussia!" whispered the peasant and his wife, 
 bowing their heads in silent prayer.
 
 BOOK V. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 FRENCH ERFUKT. 
 
 ERFURT had undergone a great transformation in trie 
 course of a single week. The quiet German fortress, and the 
 gloomy streets and deserted public places, had become a gay 
 capital. There were constantly seen crowds of French foot- 
 men in rich liveries, high-born gentlemen with their stars on 
 their breasts, and gaping idlers looking wonderingly at the 
 change. But what feverish activity and toil had been re- 
 quired to effect this! Paris nay, all France, had to contrib- 
 ute their treasures. Long lines of wagons had conveyed to 
 Erfurt costly furniture, covered with velvet and gilt orna- 
 ments, from the imperial garde-meubles of Paris, magnificent 
 porcelain from Sevres, precious gobelins and silks from Lyons 
 and Rouen, rare wines from Bordeaux, tropic fruits from 
 Marseilles, and truffles from Perigord. Not only the castle, 
 but also the prominent private residences, had been decorated 
 in the most sumptuous style. An army of cooks and kitchen- 
 boys had garrisoned the basements and kitchens filled with 
 the delicacies brought from the principal cities of Europe. 
 
 France had adorned Erfurt as a bride ready to receive her 
 lord, and the German princes had come as bridesmen. Nearly 
 every German state had sent its sovereign or crown prince. 
 There were the Kings of Saxony, Wiirtemberg, Bavaria, and 
 Westphalia; the Dukes of Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, Weimar, 
 Gotha, Oldenburg, Schwerin, and Strelitz, and more than 
 twenty of the petty sovereigns in which Germany abounded. 
 For the first time all seemed to be united, and to have one 
 purpose. This was, to do homage to the Emperor Napoleon. 
 
 He intended to come to Erfurt to meet again the friend 
 
 he had gained at Tilsit, the Emperor Alexander. Nearly 
 
 eighteen months had passed since the first meeting of the two 
 
 monarchs. Since that time the morning sky of their friend- 
 
 23
 
 348 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 ship had been overcast. The meeting at Erfurt was to renew 
 their former relations. Both emperors felt that they could 
 not do without each other, and they sought this meeting with 
 equal eagerness. Alexander desired to continue his war 
 against Sweden for the possession of Finland. Napoleon had 
 not yet been able to bring the great struggle in Spain to a 
 successful end, and had, therefore, to remain at peace with 
 the only sovereign whose power and enmity he had still to 
 fear. Besides, the two emperors loved each other; they had 
 exchanged at Tilsit ardent vows. The world was aware of 
 this, and could not but regard it as a matter of course that 
 the imperial friends longed to meet again. The auspicious 
 period was fixed for the 27th of September, 1808. The ap- 
 pointed hour had struck ; the cannon and the pealing of bells 
 announced the advent of Napoleon. All the thoroughfares 
 and public places were crowded. The people were hastening 
 with wild impetuosity to the streets through which he was 
 to pass; the members of the municipality, dressed in their 
 official robes, proceeded to the gate where .they were to wel- 
 come him; the windows of all the houses were open; and 
 there appeared beautiful women, adorned with flowers and 
 gems, awaiting his approach. The imperial guard formed in 
 line to the soul-stirring notes of their band, and the Kings of 
 Saxony and Wurtemberg, and the whole host of German 
 princes, had assembled in the large hall of the government 
 palace to salute the emperor. 
 
 A noise as of distant thunder seemed to shake the air; it 
 drew nearer and nearer. It was the cheering of the people 
 and the soldiers, for the emperor had now entered the city. 
 The procession moved on, greeted by the bright eyes of the 
 ladies, and the shouts of the multitude. Napoleon, wearily 
 leaning back in the open barouche, drawn by six richly- 
 caparisoned horses, thanked the people with an indifferent 
 wave of his hand, and saluted the ladies with a scarcely per- 
 ceptible nod. His countenance was immovable, and the pub- 
 lic excitement was unable to betray him into the faintest sign 
 of gratification. The noisy welcome seemed as stale to him 
 as some old song which he had heard too often. As his car- 
 riage made but slow headway through the surging mass, the 
 emperor started with a movement of impatience. " For- 
 ward !" he shouted in a loud voice, and the adjutants, riding 
 on both sides, repeated to the outriders, " Forward! forward !" 
 The carriage rolled on at a full gallop, regardless of the pop-
 
 FRENCH ERFURT. 349 
 
 ulace, followed by a cavalcade of marshals and generals, and 
 the coaches of Champagny, Maret, and Talleyrand. Having 
 arrived in front of the palace, the emperor quickly entered. 
 At the landing of the staircase he was received by the German 
 princes, headed by the King of Saxony. Napoleon embraced 
 the old gentleman with an expression of genuine tenderness. 
 "Sire," said the king, "you see you have made my heart 
 young again you have restored the elasticity of youth to 
 my old body. I hastened hither with courier-horses in order 
 to greet you first, and in the impatience of my heart I have 
 been at the window for several hours to have the happiness of 
 seeing your majesty." 
 
 " Oh," exclaimed Napoleon, bending a sinister glance on the 
 other princes, " I would my love could succeed in rendering 
 you as young as your heart ; it would greatly promote the wel- 
 fare of Germany. You would regenerate the ancient German 
 empire, and transform it into a real and lasting union." He 
 cordially shook hands with the king, saluted the other for- 
 eigners with an impatient nod, and walked to his rooms, where 
 his valets de chambre were awaiting him. 
 
 Half an hour afterward Minister Champagny was called into 
 the emperor's cabinet. When the minister entered, Napoleon 
 was pacing the room ; his hands folded, as usual, behind him. 
 A map, covered with colored pins, and on which he cast a 
 long, dark look, lay on the table. Champagny remained in 
 respectful silence at the door, waiting the moment when it 
 would please the emperor to notice his presence. At length 
 Napoleon stood facing him. "Champagny," he asked, "do 
 you know why we are here, and what is the object of this 
 meeting?" 
 
 " Your majesty has not done me the honor of making a 
 confidant of me," said the minister, respectfully; "hence, I 
 do not know, but merely venture to surmise, what may be the 
 object." 
 
 " And what do you surmise?" 
 
 " I suppose that your majesty intends to give a fresh im- 
 petus to the friendship of the Emperor Alexander, and to 
 conclude a firm alliance with him in order to be sure of him, 
 and to be able to carry on the war in Spain without hinder- 
 ance, and, if need be, if " 
 
 " Well, why do you hesitate?" said Napoleon, impatiently. 
 
 "If need be," added Champagny, "to declare war against 
 Austria. "
 
 350 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Then yon really believe in the possibility of such a war?" 
 he said. "Yes, you are right; we must not suffer ourselves 
 to be deceived by apparent humility and equivocal friends; 
 they have a smile on their lips, but at heart they are as hostile 
 as ever, and while with their right hand they greet us, they 
 are arming with their left. But woe to those scoundrels if I 
 catch them at their tricks ! I will so punish them as to shatter 
 their thrones and crush their power. Those men who style 
 themselves 'princes by the grace of God' have never learned 
 any thing and never will. They close their ears with arro- 
 gance against the events that unerringly speak to them, and 
 they are still lulled to sleep by the nursery-song of 'unap- 
 proachable majesty. ' But I will arouse them by my cannon, 
 and my armies shall sing them a song of the new majesty that 
 Heaven has sent into the world. It has overtoppled the 
 thrones of Naples and Spain; so it will that of Austria, if 
 such be my desire ! Austria must not persist in her insolence, 
 and dare to menace me!" 
 
 Frowning, he commenced again rapidly walking the apart- 
 ment. " Champagny," he said, stopping in the middle of the 
 room, " come here close to me, that even the walls will not 
 bear what I tell you. You shall learn the object of our jour- 
 ney to Erfurt, and I will inform you what you are to do. I 
 have hitherto treated you in the same manner as the admirals 
 to whom I give dispatches to be opened only on the high seas. 
 You have now reached them, Champagny, and shall, there- 
 fore, learn your orders. I have taken you with me because 
 you are to assist in accomplishing an important object. I 
 have selected you, and you alone, for I know that I may 
 confide in your discretion, and that you will not betray any 
 secret intrusted to you. Not a word of what you hear now 
 must ever pass your lips not a hint even to Talleyrand. 
 Talleyrand is a sneak and a traitor, who would like to be on 
 good terms with all parties, so as to be sure of their support 
 whatever may happen. Oh, I know him; I have fathomed 
 him, and can read the thoughts which he takes the greatest 
 pains to conceal. I know that I ought to distrust him that 
 he is intriguing with Austria; and that, if I suffered him to 
 share in our scheme, he would betray the secrets of my cabinet 
 to the Austrian ambassador. I profit by his services when- 
 ever he is useful by his intrigue and diplomatic jugglery ; but, 
 I repeat it, I do not trust him." 
 
 " Sire, I swear that I should deem myself dishonored if my
 
 FRENCH ERFURT. 351 
 
 lips ever betray a syllable of the secret projects of my em- 
 peror!" exclaimed the minister, solemnly. 
 
 "Well, well, I trust you," said Napoleon, nodding to him. 
 "Now, listen!" He took the minister by one of the golden 
 buttons of his velvet coat and drew him closer to his side. 
 " I have brought about this meeting because I desire to dupe 
 the Emperor Alexander." 
 
 Champagny started and looked surprised. Napoleon smiled. 
 " I shall accomplish my purpose so far as Alexander himself 
 is concerned," he said; " but you must do the same with re- 
 gard to the Russian minister, hard-headed old Roman zoff. 
 And let me tell you why. You know what I promised Alex- 
 ander at Tilsit, and by what means I succeeded in winning his 
 heart. He is an idealist; the plans of his grandmother 
 Catharine are constantly haunting him, and his thoughts are 
 fixed on Turkey particularly on Constantinople. He is am- 
 bitious, fickle, and visionary. I promised to realize his 
 visions, and thereby gained his confidence. I promised when 
 the time came, not only not to oppose his plans against Turkey, 
 but to support them to the best of my power. In consideration 
 of this promise, he approved my ideas with regard to Spain, 
 and solemnly pledged me his word that he would raise no ob- 
 jection if I hurl the Bourbons from the Spanish throne, and 
 place one of my brothers on it. He has kept his word, for, 
 although the crown is still uneasy on the head of my brother 
 Joseph, yet he is a king, and Alexander will believe that it 
 is time for me to keep my word. His envoys, and his confi- 
 dential minister, old Romanzoff, have already urged the de- 
 mands of their master. Joseph having made his entry into 
 Madrid, Alexander desires to enter Constantinople. His im- 
 patience has risen to the highest point, and to calm and 
 conciliate him, I consented to his desire for a meeting. 
 He will renew his demands concerning Constantinople, and 
 I shall once more promise." 
 
 " Will your majesty promise him Constantinople?" asked 
 Champagny. 
 
 "Yes," said Napoleon, smiling, "promise! But I do not 
 intend to perform. Never will I consent to give Constanti- 
 nople to the Emperor of Russia, for I would thereby surrender 
 the key of a universal monarchy into his hands he would be 
 at once master of Europe and Asia. He often instructed 
 Caulaincourt to assure me he did not want the whole of Tur- 
 key; he did not claim any territory south of the Balkan, nor
 
 352 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 any part of Eoumelia not even Adrianople only Constan- 
 tinople with its neighborhood. He calls it the 'Cat's 
 Tongue,' from its shape, and is more anxious to obtain it 
 than the ancient Romans ever were to indulge in the deli- 
 cacy of the tongues of nightingales. But if Russia possessed 
 this cat's tongue, it would be transformed into a wolf's, 
 armed with formidable teeth against all commerce and na- 
 tional intercourse. Never shall I permit Russia to annex 
 Constantinople, for that would be destroying the equilibrium 
 of Europe." 
 
 " But, sire, you yourself said just now that the Emperor 
 Alexander was most anxious to seize that city, and that the 
 object of his journey to Erfurt was principally to obtain the 
 consent of your majesty to its conquest." 
 
 " And I told you also that my object was to dupe and intoxi- 
 cate him gradually by delusive friendship and promises, by 
 festivities and false homage, until it is indifferent to him 
 whether, as a compensation for the acquisition of Spain by 
 my brother, I give him Constantinople and the Balkan, or 
 something else, provided it is palatable. He has an awful 
 appetite for territory, and it is important to satisfy it in one 
 way or another. It is easy to persuade a hungry man that a 
 very common dish is good roast meat. It is our business, 
 therefore, to suggest to the emperor and his minister another 
 conquest instead of Constantinople, and so to dress up the idea 
 that they may relish it, and ask for nothing else." 
 
 " Ah, sire," exclaimed Champagny, sighing, " it will be 
 easy for your majesty to fascinate the emperor. But my 
 efforts with his old minister Romanzoff are likely to be utterly 
 unavailing. I am not well versed in that art of which you 
 are a master, and he is too old and shrewd to be fascinated by 
 any one. He is not easily deluded, and his eyes are stead- 
 fastly fixed on Constantinople. It is his most fervent hope to 
 be hailed in heaven by Peter the Great, after assisting Alex- 
 ander in accomplishing the will of his illustrious ancestor." 
 
 "And yet we must succeed," exclaimed Napoleon, stamping 
 on the floor. " I tell you, Champagny, I will and must suc- 
 ceed! No objections! I told you that I have made up my 
 mind, and nothing can shake my determination. You will 
 commence by encouraging Romanzoff in his hopes, and throw 
 out only, now and then, a vague hint that there are countries, 
 the annexation of which would be more important and advan- 
 tageous to Russia. After having prepared his mind in this
 
 FRENCH ERFURT. 353 
 
 manner for our plan, you will gradually, and as soon as I have 
 gained over the emperor, point out to him the conquest which 
 Eussia ought previously to make, and prove to him that Mol- 
 davia and Wallachia would be the very best territorial aggran- 
 dizement which he could desire." 
 
 " Your majesty intends, then, to permit the Emperor of 
 Russia to annex Moldavia and Wallachia?" asked the minister. 
 
 "Yes. I must satisfy him with some compensation for 
 Constantinople. And, it seems to me, the fertile provinces 
 of the Danube, if I grant them to him immediately and un- 
 reservedly, are an acquisition which ought to content any 
 ambition. I cannot do without the friendship of Alexander 
 at this moment. Spain is in a state of insurrection, and, 
 owing to Joseph's timidity, will not be soon reduced to sub- 
 mission. Austria is trying to get up a quarrel with us; she 
 is secretly and perfidiously preparing for an attack, and is 
 only waiting for fresh defeats of my army in Spain to declare 
 war against me. Prussia, it is true, is not able to injure me, 
 for I am keeping her under my heel ; but if I were compelled 
 to withdraw my foot for an instant, she would slip away and 
 unite with my enemies. Nor do I trust my other allies in 
 Germany. They are faithful and devoted only so long as they 
 are afraid of me ; they would forsake me as soon as they see 
 my position endangered. They submitted reluctantly to my 
 orders to furnish me with auxiliaries for my army in Spain. 
 If I were to insist on another levy, all these petty princes of 
 the Confederation of the Rhine would flatly refuse, provided 
 there was a prospect of their succeeding in their opposition. 
 I must keep them down by the terror with which I inspire 
 them. I must prove to all those revolutionary elements fer- 
 menting in Germany to insurgents, from the throne to the 
 cottage to all those miserable conspirators and demagogues 
 that I stand as firm as a rock, from which their fury will 
 recoil. United with Russia, I will make all Europe tremble. 
 The echoes of the festivities of Erfurt shall penetrate every- 
 where, from London to Constantinople; the whole world looks 
 upon us and sees the Emperors of Russia and France side by 
 side. Amid these enchantments I believe I shall succeed in 
 persuading my friend Alexander to accept temporarily Mol- 
 davia and Wallachia as a sufficient indemnity for Constanti- 
 nople. You know your duty now, Champagny; lay your 
 mines skilfully, and you will succeed in blowing up the old 
 granite fortress of Romauzoff. "
 
 354 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Sire, I assure you I will assist you to the best of my abil- 
 ity," said the minister. " Your majesty, however, will permit 
 me to ask a question. The promise of the annexation of Mol- 
 davia and Wallachia is not to be a mere sham, and your 
 majesty will really permit Eussia to seize these two provinces?" 
 
 Napoleon smiled, and, violently pulling the minister's ear 
 in his usual jocular way, said, " What a rash and indiscreet 
 question ! Of course, we shall promise the annexation. When 
 it is to be fulfilled we must delay it as long as possible, and 
 the rest will depend on events. In order that I may know 
 exactly how far you have progressed with Eomanzoff, you will 
 write down your conversations with him every day, and also 
 your plans, hopes, and fears; I desire to have every night a 
 letter from you on the table at my bedside. Adieu!" He 
 nodded pleasantly, and while Champagny withdrew, the em- 
 peror called in a loud voice for Constant, his valet de chambre. 
 
 "Did you send for Talma?" he asked Constant. 
 
 " Sire, Talma is waiting for your majesty's orders in the 
 anteroom." 
 
 " Very well, let him come in. Have the horses brought to 
 the door. All the marshals and my whole suite must be 
 ready. We set out immediately to meet the Emperor Alex- 
 ander, but I will previously put on my decoration of St. An- 
 drew's order; then my toilet will be complete. Talma!" 
 
 Constant hastened into the anteroom to inform Talma that 
 the emperor wished to see him, and a moment afterward the 
 great actor made his appearance. "Ah, you have arrived, 
 then, Talma," exclaimed Napoleon, gayly, "and I hope you 
 have brought with you the most select company of actors, the 
 finest costumes, and the best pieces?" 
 
 " I have brought hither, sire, the actors and the theatre of 
 the conqueror of the world," said Talma, " and that says every 
 thing. The eyes of your majesty will be on us ; that is all 
 that is needed to inspire us." 
 
 " But you will also play before an audience such as perhaps 
 will never again assemble," said Napoleon, smiling. "You 
 will have it occupied by kings and sovereign princes." 
 
 " Sire," said Talma, bowing deeply, " where your majesty is, 
 there is but one king and master." 
 
 "No; there is another king, and his name is Talma," ex- 
 claimed Napoleon, smiling. "These German princes may 
 take a lesson from Talma as to the manner in which a king 
 should bear himself in prosperity as well as in adversity.
 
 FRENCH ERFURT. 355 
 
 You will, therefore, perform CEdipus, Cinna, Mohammed, 
 and Andromache, that kings may see how true monarchs 
 ought to behave. I could have wished, however, that you 
 had prepared not only the tragedies of Racine, Corneille, and 
 Voltaire, but also some of the comedies of Moliere. You 
 know how highly I esteem them. But the Germans would 
 not understand them. We must show them the beauty and 
 sublimity of our tragic theatre; they will appreciate it better 
 than the profound wit of Moliere. Make it indispensable for 
 the actors, and very particularly the actresses, to speak as 
 distinctly and loudly as possible, that the Emperor Alexander, 
 who is somewhat hard of hearing, may understand. You are 
 the representatives of the honor of French literature; just say 
 so to the artists in my name, and order the ladies especially to 
 refrain from their wonted ogling and coquetry. Handsome 
 Mademoiselle Bourgoin likes also to make conquests, not only 
 on the stage, but among the spectators; and, while she is 
 playing tragic amoureuses, she casts on the audience glances 
 that are more suitable to a beauty of the Palais Eoyal than to 
 a heroine, and which contrast strangely with the chaste char- 
 acters she represents. Tell her that I desire her to abstain 
 from such follies; she must not desecrate the buskin by the 
 minauderies of a soubrette.* For the rest, I rely entirely on 
 you, Talma. The eyes of Europe are fixed on Erfurt at this 
 moment, and your immortality is sure." 
 
 " Sire, it was so on the day when, after the representation of 
 Cinna, your majesty told me that you were satisfied with me." 
 
 " And perform Cinna to-night. I enjoy the pleasure already 
 in anticipation. I ask another question. Did you bring the 
 parts for Voltaire's 'Death of Caesar?' ' 
 
 "For the 'Death of Caesar?' " asked Talma, in surprise. 
 " Your majesty " 
 
 " Ah, you want to tell me that the piece is prohibited in 
 Paris," exclaimed Napoleon, smiling. " But Paris is a Vesu- 
 vius what is inflammatory in France is perfectly harmless in 
 phlegmatic Germany. Let the actors prepare for performing 
 the 'Death of Caesar;' I will order it to be played in a few 
 days. Tell them so. Well, Constant, what is the matter?" 
 
 " Sire, your majesty desired to put on the large Russian 
 decoration." 
 
 "Ah, it is true," said Napoleon; "come, put it on." And 
 
 * Alexander fell in love with this actress at Erfurt. Napoleon tried to prevent 
 Mademoiselle Bourgoin from continuing this liaison, but the actress was bold 
 enough to defy the wrath of the emperor.
 
 356 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 while Constant put the broad cordon with the 'diamond star 
 over the emperor's shoulders, and arranged it on his breast, 
 Napoleon turned once more to Talma. " YOU see," he said, 
 " we monarchs pursue the same course you do. We put on 
 different costumes according to the part we play. I wore a 
 fez in Egypt, and to-day I put on the imperial star of Eussia." 
 
 " But, sire, everywhere you play your part with masterly 
 skill, and the world, which is your audience, applauds your 
 majesty," exclaimed Talma. 
 
 " Oh, it would not be safe to hiss me," said Napoleon, put- 
 ting on his gloves, and taking the riding-whip which Con- 
 stant handed to him. 
 
 Accompanied by a brilliant suite, the emperor left Erfurt, 
 and took the road to Weimar, whence the Emperor Alexander 
 was to come. French troops lined the way, and behind them 
 was a vast and motley crowd of peasants, who had come from 
 all parts to witness the cavalcade. Napoleon did not hear the 
 enthusiastic shouts of the soldiers, but he noticed the silence 
 of the people, who stared at him with the curiosity with 
 which they would have stared at any other unusual spectacle. 
 He bent his head and rode on, absorbed in reflection; the 
 bridle hung loose in his hand, but his white charger was ac- 
 customed to this carelessness, and galloped forward, proud of 
 his melancholy rider. 
 
 Duroc rode up. "Sire, "he said, "I believe that is the 
 Emperor Alexander." 
 
 Napoleon quickly raised his head, and turned his keen eyes 
 in the direction the grand marshal had pointed out. An open 
 barouche, in which a single person sat, was approaching, ac- 
 companied by a few horsemen. Napoleon waited. The car- 
 riage drew nearer, and the person seated in it was recognized 
 by his uniform and the grand cordon of the Legion of Honor. 
 
 "It is he the Emperor Alexander!" exclaimed Napoleon, 
 and rode forward at a gallop, followed by his marshals and 
 generals. The carriage of the Russian emperor also moved 
 more rapidly, and when both were near each other they sud- 
 denly halted. Napoleon dismounted; and Alexander, not 
 waiting for the carriage door to oe opened, jumped over it. 
 The two monarchs rushed toward each other with open arms, 
 and the soldiers made the welkin ring with " Long live Napo- 
 leon! Long live Alexander!" 
 
 Napoleon, disengaging himself from the arms of his friend, 
 saluted the Grand-duke Constahtine. A horse was Drought
 
 FRENCH ERFURT. 357 
 
 to the Emperor Alexander, and as he was about to mount he 
 looked in surprise at the splendid animal, as well as at its 
 equipment. "Why," he said, "this looks exactly as though 
 I were going to take a ride on my favorite charger in St. 
 Petersburg. It is precisely of similar color and trappings." 
 
 *' That proves that the drawings which Caulaincourt sent 
 me were pretty correct," said Napoleon, smiling. 
 
 "Ah, then it is another attention of yours," exclaimed 
 Alexander, affectionately pressing the hand of his friend. 
 " Your majesty is bent on infatuating me. I feel perfectly at- 
 home on this horse." 
 
 "Ah, that is exactly what I wished," said Napoleon; "I 
 sincerely desired that your majesty should feel at home while 
 with me. Well, if it please you, let us ride to Erfurt." 
 
 "Very well," said Alexander, vaulting gracefully into the 
 saddle, and offering his hand to Napoleon, on whose right he 
 was riding. The emperors, chatting gayly, rode on to Erfurt. 
 Behind them was the Grand-duke Constantine, between King 
 Jerome of Westphalia, and Murat, Grand-duke of Berg. 
 Then followed the suite of the marshals and generals, and the 
 procession was closed by the carriage of old Eomanzoff, Alex- 
 ander's minister of state. Enthusiastic cheers resounded 
 along the whole road, and now Napoleon, with a serene bow, 
 saluted the multitude. Amid the peals of bells, the booming 
 of cannon, and the cheers of the soldiers and the populace, 
 the two emperors made their entry, halting in front of the 
 hotel. Napoleon alighted first to welcome his guest, and con- 
 duct him to the rooms prepared for his reception. 
 
 Late on the same day Napoleon received a letter from his 
 Minister Champagny. It contained only the following words: 
 *' Sire, I have held the first conference with Romauzoff. It 
 will be very difficult to persuade this stubborn man that a piece 
 of meat on the Danube is as good as the cat's tongue, for 
 which the old gentleman is as clamorous as a hungry child for 
 its dinner." 
 
 Napoleon took a pen and affixed the following words : " I 
 have also held the first conference with the Emperor Alex- 
 ander. There will be no change in my plans. Moldavia and 
 Wallachia as an indemnity for the 'cat's tongue!' We must 
 succeed!" He then folded and sealed the letter, which he 
 immediately sent back to his minister.
 
 358 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA, 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS. 
 
 WHILE the illumination, with which the good people of the 
 French city had celebrated the arrival of the two emperors, 
 was in full blaze on the principal thoroughfares, -ly single 
 dim light was to be seen in a small building situated on the 
 corner of one of the more quiet streets. The ther windows 
 of this house were dark, and all was silent as though no living 
 beings were dwelling in it. From time to time, a closely- 
 veiled man appeared in the neighborhood, and, after glancing 
 at the light in the upper window, uttered a strange cry. A 
 second light was soon moving to and fro, and disappearing 
 again. The man approached and knocked repeatedly at the 
 door, which opened and admitted him. Twelve men had en- 
 tered. The light was extinguished ; the door bolted on the 
 inside, and profound silence reigned in the building. 
 
 The French police had devoted their whole attention to the 
 principal streets of the city, and to the vast crowds that fol- 
 lowed the emperors, who, accompanied by kings and princes, 
 proceeded to admire the illumination. There were no eyes 
 for this small, dark house in an obscure alley no ears to lis- 
 ten to what was going on within. The twelve men who had 
 entered in so mysterious a manner, had assembled in a large 
 back room. They had whispered the password into the ear of 
 the door-keeper, and were at once admitted. 
 
 The windows of this room were covered with heavy black 
 curtains, which prevented sound, as well as light, from pene- 
 trating to the outside. Thirteen candlesticks were fixed at 
 equal distances in the plain white walls. The man who had 
 entered first approached the first candlestick and lighted the 
 two tapers. He who came next did the- same with the next 
 candlestick, and the others followed their example. At this 
 moment the tapers on twelve candlesticks were burning ; and 
 only the thirteenth, which contained six tapers, had not yet 
 been lighted. Around the long table standing in the middle 
 of the room, twelve grave and silent men were sitting on cane- 
 chairs, the high backs of which were carved in a peculiar, 
 old-fashioned style; these men vorc closely wrapped in black 
 cloaks, the capes of which concealed their heads, and their
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS. 359 
 
 faces were covered with black half-masks, which they had 
 put on immediately after entering the house. At the up- 
 per end of the table stood a black easy-chair, which was 
 alone unoccupied. The flashing eyes peering from the 
 capes were directed to this chair; no word was spoken; a 
 breath was almost audible in the motionless assembly. Sud- 
 denly a narrow, secret door opened in the opposite wall, and 
 a tall man, dressed and veiled like the others, made his ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 The assembly remained as before, and seemed to take no 
 notice of the new-comer. The latter quickly walked to the 
 thirteenth candlestick, and lighted its tapers. The others 
 immediately rose from their seats and bowed deeply. " The 
 president!" they murmured. " We greet him who has called 
 us we greet the president!" He nodded, and then went to 
 the upper end of the table. Before sitting down, he opened 
 a little the black cloak enveloping his whole form, and the 
 others beheld a heavy silver chain adorning his breast, and to 
 which was fastened a locket, decorated with diamonds. In 
 the middle of it a skull was to be seen, and under it the in- 
 scription of " Liberty or Death!" As soon as the rest beheld 
 this, they also opened their cloaks. Each of them wore a 
 similar chain, locket, and inscription. 
 
 " Resume your seats, brethren," said the president, sitting 
 down in the easy-chair. He then said in a loud, solemn voice, 
 " The hour has come for us to act. Germany has called us, 
 and, as obedient sons, we come! Germany, our beloved 
 mother, is here in our midst, although we do not see her. 
 She stands with veiled head and tearful eyes before her chil- 
 dren, and asks us to give her an account of what we have 
 done and accomplished. Brethren, are we ready?" 
 
 "We are!" all exclaimed, simultaneously. 
 
 "When we parted three months ago, my brethren," added 
 the president, " we resolved to meet here to-day. I see that 
 all have remained faithful to their oath. Not one is absent. 
 No taper is unlit the seats are occupied. Germania, that 
 knows who are hers, and how to call them by their names, 
 although they veil their heads, Germania thanks you for 
 your fidelity. She awaits our report. Let us speak! He 
 who arrived first will commence." 
 
 One at the lower end of the table rose and bowed respect- 
 fully. "I arrived first," he said. 
 
 " You have the floor, then, my brother," said the president.
 
 360 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Make your report. Where have you been? What connec- 
 tions did you establish? What hopes do you bring?" 
 
 " I was in Northern Germany," he replied; "for that was 
 the order which I drew from the urn when we met here three 
 months ago. In the envelope which I received, I found a 
 paper containing the words: 'Ferdinand von Schill at Kol- 
 berg. ' The first lines of a song were affixed to this address. 
 I repaired immediately to Kolberg, and found Major von 
 Schill engaged in equipping and drilling the second regiment 
 of Brandenburg hussars, of which the king has appointed him 
 commander. The regiment consists of the four brave com- 
 panies of cavalry with which Lieutenant von Schill undertook 
 his bold and successful raids. " 
 
 " And did you deliver your credentials to the major, my 
 brother?" 
 
 " I did. He received me with a joyful salutation, and sends 
 his greeting and fraternal kiss to the 'patriots. ' He said to 
 me: 'We pursue with zeal and courage the purpose which we 
 have sworn to accomplish. Go to the brethren tell them 
 that they may count on me and my men, and on the people, 
 who are gradually being inspired with the true spirit, and who 
 will rise when the alarm is sounded. When the time comes, 
 the whole of Germany will rise to a man, break her chains, 
 and expel the tyrant. Let us prepare for this hour, in the 
 North and South, in the East and West, that the whole coun- 
 try may be armed at the first battle-cry of freedom ! Let us 
 work and toil, keeping each other well informed of our prog- 
 ress. We must all act on one and the same day!' ' 
 
 "Did you hear the words and greetings of brave Schill, 
 brethren?" asked the president. 
 
 " We heard, and engraved them on our heart." 
 
 "It is now the turn of the brother who arrived next," said 
 the president. " Make your report." 
 
 " Soul-stirring hopes! and I wish you joy of our prospects," 
 said he who had now risen. " At our last meeting I drew 
 from the urn the order to go to Berlin and Konigsberg. I 
 was there! Oh, brethren, the days of freedom are near! In 
 Berlin, I was introduced by one of our friends to a circle of 
 patriots, who, like us, have formed a secret society for the 
 purpose of promoting the welfare of the fatherland, and of 
 ushering in the day of freedom. Those patriots are in com- 
 munication with men sharing their sentiments throughout 
 the whole of Northern Germany; committees are organized
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS. 361 
 
 everywhere to instruct the people, to disseminate patriotic 
 views, and to gain adherents to the great league of the de- 
 fenders of the fatherland. Secret depots of arms are being 
 established in every city. The central committee, sitting 
 in Berlin, have taken upon themselves the task of watching 
 me French troops, their numbers, location, and strength; of 
 ;;. cortaining the disposition of the people in the provinces, 
 -..id of transmitting the results of their observations to the 
 t .' ..nches of their league, as well as to the other patriotic 
 . i.cieties. Henceforth we shall also receive those reports, if 
 , .no of our brethren will call for them in Berlin. 
 
 " Thence, well provided with recommendations by the com- 
 mittee, I repaired to Konigsberg. From what I saw there I 
 derived much consolation and hope for the future of the 
 country. The spirit of freedom is fermenting, and high- 
 minded men have erected at Konigsberg an altar on which 
 they intend to kindle the sacred fire, that it may melt our 
 chains. The name of this altar is the 'Tugendbund. ' * Noble 
 and illustrious men are at the head of this league ; a prince 
 is its president; Stein, the great minister, is its protector; 
 brave General Bliicher, Gneisenau, the distinguished officer 
 in short, the most eminent and popular men of Prussia are 
 members. King Frederick William has approved its by-laws ; 
 Queen Louisa is enthusiastically in favor of its patriotic efforts. 
 It does not intend to enter upon a violent struggle, but will 
 prepare the people by its words and example for better days. It 
 intends to increase the moral energy of the nation, that it may 
 also rise in its physical strength, and be able to cope with the 
 invaders. This league, my brethren, purposes to propagate 
 patriotism, courage, attachment to the sovereign and the con- 
 stitution, love of virtue, art, science, and literature. It in- 
 tends to cultivate the minds and hearts of the people, that 
 they may shrink from no sacrifice for the welfare of the coun- 
 try. My brethren, the 'Tugendbund' is the head and heart 
 of us all ; we shall one day be its arm and sword, and trans- 
 late its teachings into heroic deeds. It sends its greetings to 
 the brethren, admonishing us never to cease working and toil- 
 ing, and to maintain a close connection with it, as well as 
 with all our friends, until the great day of deliverance 
 dawns upon us. But I do not bring greetings from that 
 league alone. I have seen also the 'Knights of Louisa,' f and 
 
 * The celebrated "League of Virtue." 
 t Die Loulsenritter.
 
 362 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 received their fraternal kiss. Brave Major von Nostitz, for- 
 merly an intimate friend and adjutant of Prince Louis Fer- 
 dinand, is their president, and the noble queen has permitted 
 them the use of her name as a token of her sympathy. As a 
 further expression of her approval, she has presented the 
 president with a silver chain, and all the members of the 
 order wear, as their regalia, a silver chain and a locket with 
 the queen's portrait. The 'Tugendbund' and the 'Knights 
 of Louisa' send greetings to the brethren, and will unite with 
 them in struggling for the same holy cause. They await our 
 messengers, and will inform us of every thing that is done by 
 them, as well as receive information from us concerning our 
 own efforts." 
 
 "Your report is highly gratifying," said the president, 
 after a pause. " Deliverance will soon come, and true Ger- 
 mans will be prepared for it. We will now listen to the third 
 brother." 
 
 "I was in Westphalia, and bring cheering tidings to the 
 patriotic brethren," said the third brother. " The chains are 
 still clanking in unfortunate Westphalia, but the men are as 
 undaunted as ever. Noble Chevalier von Dornberg sends his 
 greeting. He admonishes us to toil, and to be prepared. 
 We shall have ready our swords and our strong arms. Thou- 
 sands of noble and faithful Hessians belong to this league. 
 The honest minds of the people cannot see what right the 
 Corsican emperor had to expel their legitimate ruler, and to 
 place an Italian clown on his throne. Intense indignation at 
 the foreign yoke is prevailing throughout Hessia and West- 
 phalia, and every patriot rallies around Dornberg waiting for 
 the signal to expel the oppressor. United with us, Dornberg 
 sends .his messengers and receives ours." 
 
 "Let the fourth brother make his report," said the presi- 
 dent. 
 
 " I come from Bavaria, and bring greetings from the society 
 of ' Concord ists,' founded by Chevalier von Lang. This so- 
 ciety is straining every nerve to bring about the liberation of 
 the country ; it is, like our league, preparing the people for 
 their freedom. It is ready to enter into relationship with us. " 
 
 "And what brings the fifth of the brethren?" 
 
 " I bring fraternal kisses from the Rhine, where Jahn, the 
 bold German, is organizing the legion of the 'Black Knights.' 
 I bring also greetings from the chivalrous Duke of Bruns- 
 wick. The 'Corps of Vengeance,' with skulls on their black
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS. 363 
 
 helmets, are rallying around the prince, who, with fiery zeal, 
 is preparing for the day when he will avenge the despair and 
 death of his father. The 'Black Knights' and the 'Corps of 
 Vengeance' send us greetings, and are ready to toil with us 
 for the deliverance of our country, and the overthrow of the 
 tyrant." 
 
 The president requested the sixth brother to take the floor, 
 and he too stated that he had established connections with 
 leagues having the same common object. The other six made 
 similar statements. Everywhere in Germany they had found 
 patriots, the same hatred of a foreign yoke, and the most ar- 
 dent longing for freedom. 
 
 When the twelfth brother had concluded his report, the 
 president arose. "Brethren," he said, encouragingly, "our 
 night begins to brighten the day is breaking. Let us, 
 therefore, be vigilant, active, and undaunted. Gather around 
 you the circles of the faithful ; initiate and arm them ; teach 
 them to be ready for the battle-cry, that they may rise and 
 fight, all for one, and one for all. Set out again on your 
 travels; establish new societies, and join, in a genuine spirit 
 of brotherly love, such as are already in operation. Work 
 for the honor and liberty of Germany. Thousands already 
 belong to us, and you will still enlist thousands more ; that, 
 when the trumpet sounds, the brethren may reenforce the 
 uvmy of German liberty, not with a battalion, but with legions 
 of warriors. We have come hither to-day from all parts of 
 Germany; we know not each other's names, nor have we ever 
 seen each other's faces; yet no one has proved recreant. Go, 
 then, again into the world, and pursue your sacred mission. 
 Three months hence we will again meet at this house at the 
 same hour, and confer as to what ought to be done. Bring 
 the urn, and draw your duties for the next three months." 
 
 The man who had last arrived rose and walked to the oppo- 
 site wall, at which the president pointed, as he said, " Press 
 the golden button which you see fixed in the wall." 
 
 The conspirator obeyed, and immediately a small door 
 opened, revealing a black urn, which he handed to the presi- 
 dent, who said, " Come hither, brethren, and draw your lots." 
 
 The twelve men rose successively and stepped to the urn, 
 from which each drew a small folded paper, and, approaching 
 the light, immediately learned his mission by opening the lot; 
 as soon as he had read its contents, he burned it, extinguished 
 his tapers, and withdrew, without word, glance, or gesture, 
 
 24
 
 364 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Nine had already left. Only four candlesticks remained 
 lighted three of the conspirators, besides the president, were 
 still in the room. Each of these three men stood near the 
 burning tapers, and looked in grave silence at the open paper 
 in his hand. 
 
 "Why are you here still, brethren?" asked the president. 
 
 "My order says that I am to remain here," answered the 
 man to whom the president addressed himself. 
 
 " My order says the same," exclaimed the second brother. 
 
 " Mine is the same," said the third. 
 
 " Come hither and listen to me, brethren," commanded the 
 president. " What is the motto of our league?" 
 
 '"Liberty or death!'" exclaimed the three men, simulta- 
 neously. "Our fortunes, our lives, our blood, for Germany! 
 If need be, death for the attainment of liberty, whether it be 
 on the field of battle, in a dungeon, or on the scaffold!" 
 
 " Or on the scaffold!" echoed the president. "Do you re- 
 member, brethren, that, when we met for the first time, I told 
 you Germany might stand in need of a Mutius Scaevola, and 
 require him to assassinate Porsenna? Do you remember that 
 we all swore, if the day should come to imitate that ancient 
 patriot?" 
 
 "We do." 
 
 " That day has come," said the president, solemnly. " Ger- 
 many requires a Mutius Scaevola, to kill Porsenna, and, if he 
 should miss him, to suffer as stoically as the Roman youth. 
 Enough German blood has been shed. Thousands of our 
 brethren would still have to die, if we meet the tyrant in open 
 combat. We must do this, if we cannot get rid of him in 
 any other way. But before resorting to it, before permitting 
 Germany to be again devastated by revolution and war, we 
 will try another way, the course pursued by the Roman. 
 When the tyrant is dead, Germany will be free and happy, 
 and the exultation of his countrymen will console the con- 
 science of him whom the world will call an assassin." 
 
 "That is true," said the three conspirators. 
 
 "Yes," responded the president. "There are four of us 
 here. Two shall avenge Germany. It is necessary that two 
 should undertake the task, for if one should be unsuccessful, 
 the other may not." 
 
 " But there are only three of us here," said one of the dis- 
 guised men. 
 
 "No," replied the president, "there are four; I am the
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS. 365 
 
 fourth. You must not prevent me from participating in a 
 deed requiring intrepid courage, and which cannot but involve 
 incalculable dangers. I insist on taking part in it." 
 
 " But the league stands in need of your services. What 
 would become of us if you should draw the lot, and, in carry- 
 ing out the plan, fail and be arrested?" 
 
 " In that case, brethren, you will announce on the day of 
 the next meeting, when the chair remains unoccupied, that 
 the president has died in the cause, and you will elect another 
 chief. But, a truce to further objections! Let us draw lots. 
 Here are two white and two black balls which I put into the 
 urn. Those who draw the black balls will leave together, and 
 jointly concert a plan for the death of the tyrant. The blow 
 must be struck in the course of a week, while he is still in 
 this city." 
 
 " It must be," echoed the three, in solemn tones. 
 
 " But let us swear not to attempt any life but his that no 
 innocent blood be shed that the dagger or the pistol be 
 aimed at him alone. Let us swear not to undertake any thing 
 that might endanger others!" 
 
 " We do so swear, for to destroy any but the tyrant would 
 be murder. Now let us extinguish all the lights save one, and 
 simultaneously draw a ball from the urn." 
 
 "Lift up your hands and let us see the balls!" said the 
 president. There was a white ball in his own hand. "It was 
 not God's will. He did not choose me," he said, with a sigh. 
 
 "He has chosen us," said the two who held black balls. 
 They grasped each other's hands, and their eyes seemed to 
 read each other's thoughts. He who had drawn the other 
 white ball inclined his head and left the room. 
 
 " We go together; our ways do not separate," said the two 
 who had drawn the black balls, and walked arm in arm 
 toward the door. 
 
 The president gazed after them until they had disappeared. 
 Extinguishing the last taper, he groped cautiously along until 
 he reached the door, and stepping out into a corridor, has- 
 tened across it to the landing of a staircase, at the foot of 
 which a small dim lamp was burning. Before descending, he 
 took off the mask that had covered his face, and the cloak in 
 which he had been wrapped, and, rolling them into a bundle, 
 he concealed it in a drawer fixed under the first step of the 
 staircase, and which was visible only to initiated eyes. In the 
 flickering light of the lamp the beholder might have discerned
 
 366 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 his tall, slender form, and youthful countenance, whose manly 
 expression contrasted with his long golden hair. He hastened 
 down-stairs, and crossed the hall into the street. The noise 
 had ceased, and nearly all the lights had burnt out. As he 
 turned a corner rapidly, he was attracted by a transparency. 
 The inscription, in large letters on a crimson ground, read: 
 " Gab's jetzt noch einen Gottersohn, so ware es Napoleon! " * 
 
 A flash of anger burst from the youth's eyes, and he raised 
 his clinched fist menacingly. " You miserable dogs," he said, 
 in a low voice, "when the true Germans come, you will hide 
 yourselves in the dust!" He walked rapidly until he reached 
 a small house at the lower end of the street, and softly enter- 
 ing, glided across the hall, cautiously ascended the staircase. 
 halted in front of a door up-stairs, and gently rapped. It 
 opened immediately, and a young woman of surpassing beauty 
 appeared on the threshold. " Oh, Frederick, is it really you?" 
 she whispered, embracing him. " Yon are mine again, be- 
 loved Frederick ! You did not draw the fatal lot ! Heaven 
 refused the sacrifice which you were ready to make." 
 
 " It is so, Anna," said the young man. "But why do you 
 weep, dearest? You were formerly so courageous, and ap- 
 proved my determination to engage in that desperate enter- 
 prise!" 
 
 She clasped her hands, lifting her large black eyes to 
 heaven. " Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son," she said, 
 " but when his offering was not accepted, he was thankful. 
 Thus I also thank and praise God at this moment!" 
 
 "Yes," said the young man, gloomily, "He rejected my 
 offering, and for the present I am free. I come to take leave 
 of you, beloved Anna; I must depart this very night." 
 
 "You are going to leave me!" she exclaimed in dismay. 
 " Ah, you have deceived me, then you have drawn the fatal 
 lot! You come to bid me farewell, because you are to perpe- 
 trate the terrible deed!" 
 
 " No, Anna. I swear to you by our love I am free ! I did 
 not draw the lot. But I must go to Leipsic. My mission 
 here has been accomplished, and I must be about my business. 
 The president of the patriotic brethren must descend from 
 his exalted position, and once more become a poor insignifi- 
 cant merchant. But I know, and predict it, Anna, there 
 will be a day when Germany will choose me to deliver her 
 from the tyrant. A presentiment tells me that the two who 
 
 * " If there were now a son of the gods, he would be Napoleon."
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR. 367 
 
 have drawn the black balls to-day will not succeed. Their 
 hands trembled when they held up the balls, and I saw that 
 they started when they perceived them to be black. Yes, 
 they will fail; but I shall not! It is reserved for me; a 
 shout of joy will resound throughout the country, and the 
 people will exclaim, 'We are delivered from the tyrant; Ger- 
 many is free, and the name of our deliverer is Frederick 
 Staps!" 
 
 CHAPTEE XLI. 
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF EEFURT AXD WEIMAR. 
 
 FESTIVITIES were succeeded by festivities, amusements by 
 amusements, and these days of Erfurt glided by in friendship, 
 pleasure, and love. Napoleon was the host. It was he who 
 received the Emperor of Eussia, the kings, the dukes, and 
 the princes, with their legions of courtiers and cavaliers, and 
 treated all the members of these different petty courts with 
 imperial munificence. In return there were universal mani- 
 festations, of homage and devotion. The kings and princes 
 every morning attended his levee. He arranged the enter- 
 tainments that were to take place, and designated those who 
 were to participate in them. All bowed to him, even the 
 Emperor Alexander himself. The most cordial feeling pre- 
 vailed between the two emperors. They were always seen arm 
 in arm, like two loving youths, jealous of every minute that 
 separated them. At the dinner-table, at the theatre, at the 
 balls and concerts, they always came together into the proud 
 society that awaited them. At dinner, Napoleon, playing the 
 polite and obliging host, always had Alexander placed at his 
 right. At the theatre, directly behind the orchestra, were 
 two gilded easy-chairs on a small platform, and the two em- 
 perors were enthroned on them near each other ; on the floor 
 behind this stood four small arm-chairs, occupied by the 
 Kings of Bavaria, Wiirtemberg, Saxony, and "Westphalia ; and 
 in the rear, on common chairs, sat the dukes, princes, counts, 
 and the large array of cavaliers and courtiers. The queens 
 and princesses were seated in the proscenium-boxes on both 
 sides of the stage, and the ladies of the Jiaute-voUe in their 
 rich toilets and wealth of jewelry filled the first tier. 
 
 Napoleon kept the promise he had made to Talma : that 
 celebrated actor played before a pit of kings, and it was, per-
 
 368 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 haps, this fact, or the expectant face of Napoleon, whose eyes 
 were on him, or the presence of Alexander, who was never 
 weary of praising him it was probably all this that enkindled 
 the actor's enthusiasm. Never before had Talma played more 
 effectively never before had he assumed such a dignity for 
 enthroned greatness, or better studied its bearing in adversity. 
 His expression of hatred, love, and grief, in his impersona- 
 tions, were never more famous than in these gala-days of Er- 
 furt. A sort of inspiration pervaded the great artist, and his 
 enthusiasm infected the spectators, especially Alexander, who 
 was carried away by Talma's passion in the representation of 
 " CEdipus." When the actor exclaimed, " The friendship of a 
 great man is a boon of the gods!" the Eussian emperor bent 
 over Napoleon, and seizing his hand pressed it against his 
 breast. A murmur of applause was heard ; all appeared as- 
 tonished at this public demonstration; even CEdipus on the 
 stage seemed to be impressed, and his voice trembled. Napo- 
 leon alone remained grave and calm, not a feature changed or 
 betrayed the ' satisfaction that his heart could not but feel at 
 this moment ; he thanked Alexander only by a glance, and his 
 attention seemed to be again directed to the stage. 
 
 Late at night Napoleon found, as usual, a letter from his 
 minister Champagny. " Old Eomanzoff insists on the prompt 
 fulfilment of the promises of Tilsit," wrote the minister. 
 " Constantinople nothing but Constantinople seems to the 
 stubborn Eussian an equivalent for Spain. I believe the per- 
 emptory orders only of his master will subdue this obstinacy." 
 
 "Ah," murmured Napoleon, crumpling the paper in his 
 hand, "I must put a stop to this. We must arrive at a 
 definite result. I shall utter the decisive word to-morrow!" 
 
 On the following morning the kings and princes appeared 
 in vain in the anteroom of the Emperor Napoleon to attend 
 his levee. He had risen at an unusually early hour, and, 
 allured by the sunny autumnal morning, visited his friend 
 Alexander, who had just risen when Napoleon, unannounced, 
 entered with a smiling face. 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed Alexander, rushing toward him with a 
 cry of exultation, and embracing him affectionately, " sire, I 
 dreamed of you all night; you were here at my side, while I 
 was sleeping, and all seemed bright, but when I opened my 
 eyes and did not see you, the room appeared dark, although 
 the sun was shining. But now you are here, and my dreams 
 are realized."
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR. 369 
 
 Napoleon's face suddenly turned gloomy, and the smile dis- 
 appeared from his lips. "I also had a dream," he said, 
 gravely. " It seemed to me as though I lay on a bed of flow- 
 ers, and two stars were twinkling above me, and as they came 
 nearer I saw that they were not stars, but bright eyes beaming 
 in a manly face, and looking at me with tenderness. I was 
 fascinated. I raised myself as if borne on angel-wings, and 
 stretched out my arms toward the approaching form. Sud- 
 denly I uttered a scream ; the friend had been changed into a 
 wolf that rushed toward me, and fixing his eyes on mine, tore 
 my breast and fed upon my heart. Oh, I was in horrible 
 pain not imaginary but real for I screamed so loudly that 
 Constant, my valet de chambre, hastened from the adjoining 
 room and awakened me. Even now that I think of it I 
 tremble, and sadness fills my soul." He bent his head on his 
 breast, and, folding his hands behind him, paced the room 
 slowly. 
 
 Alexander looked smilingly at him, but approaching, said: 
 " Sire, why this melancholy? In truth, when looking at you, 
 one might think, my august friend, that you believed in 
 dreams." 
 
 "I do," exclaimed Napoleon, quickly raising his head. 
 " Dreams are revelations from on high ! Had Julius Caesar 
 believed in his dreams, and in the prophecies of the astrolo- 
 gers, he would not have fallen by the daggers of assassins." 
 
 " But how will your majesty interpret the dream that tor- 
 mented you last night?" asked Alexander. 
 
 Napoleon bent a strange look on his frank countenance. 
 "Alexander," he said, in a low voice, "could you ever trans- 
 form yourself into a wolf, and tear out my heart?" 
 
 "I, Napoleon, I?" ejaculated Alexander, starting back in 
 dismay. " Your majesty, then, does not believe in my friend- 
 ship, in the profound admiration for you that fills my soul? 
 All I have said and done has then been in vain! Instead of 
 having won your esteem, your majesty distrusts me, and be- 
 lieves the follies of the imagination in sleep rather than the 
 protestations of reason, interest, and friendship!" 
 
 " No, no," said Napoleon, affectionately, and almost touched 
 by the profound grief depicted in Alexander's countenance, 
 " I believe that your majesty returns a little the love I feel for 
 you. I believe in your noble heart, in spite of all dreams." 
 
 " And I swear to your majesty that you may believe in me," 
 exclaimed Alexander. " My whole policy, the new course
 
 370 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 npon which I have entered, will prove to you, more convinc- 
 ingly than words, sire, that I am most anxious to establish a 
 firm alliance between Russia and France; oh, believe me, sire, 
 I gladly acknowledge you as my superior ; all promptings of 
 jealousy are extinct in my heart; and when, in the face of 
 the enormous territorial aggrandizements of France, I desire 
 an enlargement of Russia, too, I do so not for my sake, but 
 in order to satisfy my people, that they may bear more 
 patiently your operations in Spain. For my part, I approve 
 all you have done in that country. King Charles and his son 
 Ferdinand have abundantly deserved their present fate by 
 their incapacity and baseness, and I do not pity them. But 
 one must comprehend the system of the great Napoleon as 
 clearly and thoroughly as I do, to be able to pass over the 
 great catastrophes which your majesty has caused the world to 
 witness. My people, and, above all, my nobility, have not 
 yet progressed so far as that, and hence the attention of the 
 Russians should be turned to important changes in the Orient 
 that they may look more indifferently at what you are under- 
 taking in the Occident. As for myself, I am your most 
 faithful friend, and I have proved it to your majesty by be- 
 coming the enemy of your enemies. In accordance with your 
 wishes, I have declared war against England, and shall prob- 
 ably soon have to do the same against Austria, for I shall re- 
 quire her in the most energetic manner to explain why she is 
 secretly arming; and, if her explanations should not be satis- 
 factory, draw the sword against her. Then, I suppose, your 
 majesty will believe in my friendship?" 
 
 "Oh, I believe in it now," exclaimed Napoleon, pressing 
 the proffered hand of Alexander. " For this friendship is my 
 hope. United, we shall be able to carry out the grand 
 schemes which we formed at Tilsit. Striding across the 
 world, we shall lay it at our feet, and one day there will be 
 only two thrones ; but in the beginning we must proceed care- 
 fully. It took the Creator six days to make the world, and 
 each day, most likely, comprehended a vast number of our 
 years. We shall create our world in six years, and then we 
 shall look at it, and pronounce it 'very good.' But caution 
 is indispensable, for our empires labor under many burdens. 
 You are waging war in Finland, and I am doing so in Spain. 
 Prudence advises us not to increase these embarrassments by 
 seeking at this moment for Russia an aggrandizement which 
 would fill the world with astonishment, and reecho like a war-
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR. 371 
 
 cry throughout Europe. Let the dissolution of Turkey and 
 her annexation to Eussia be the keystone of our creation, the 
 last work of the sixth day. Let us erect the new empires on 
 solid foundations, which all the storms of this world may not 
 shake!" 
 
 " When Constantinople is mine, I shall not be afraid," ex- 
 claimed Alexander, ardently. 
 
 "Constantinople belongs to the sixth day of creation," said 
 Napoleon, " but we are only at the second. Tilsit was the 
 first, Erfurt is the second." 
 
 " And on the second day you take from me what you prom- 
 ised on the first?" asked Alexander, whose brow was losing its 
 serenity. 
 
 "No, I only want to secure it to you," said Napoleon "to 
 give a firm base to the edifice of our future. If your majesty 
 should take possession of Turkey to-day, one-half of Europe 
 would arm to-morrow to take it from you, and at this moment 
 Russia is unable to brave so many enemies. Austria would 
 rise against you, for, whatever offers you might make, she 
 would prefer war to a partition of Turkey. England would 
 see her commerce endangered, and enter into the contest from 
 calculations of self-interest. Besides, Turkey herself would 
 wage war with the fanaticism of her menaced nationality. 
 Where are the armies which your majesty could oppose to the 
 united forces of England, Austria, and Turkey? It is true, 
 you have an army on the Danube, sufficiently strong to oppose 
 Turkey, but too weak if the whole nation should rise. Your 
 principal army is in Finland, and you have no troops to war 
 against Austria. I alone, therefore for, as a matter of 
 course, I shall remain your faithful ally I should have to 
 struggle with Austria, England, Spain, and, perhaps, with 
 the whole of Germany. To be sure, I might do so, for I have 
 sufficient power to cope with all my enemies. But would it 
 be wise to enter at once into enterprises so vast? And what 
 for? To pursue a chimerical project which, how grand 
 soever it may be, is not attainable at this time." 
 
 "Alas!" sighed Alexander, "I see that your majesty is 
 right, and that mountain difficulties rise between me and my 
 cherished project! I shall have to return empty-handed to 
 my ancestors, and when Peter the Great asks me, 'What have 
 you done to fulfil my will? Where are the provinces that you 
 have added to my empire?' I must hang my head in con- 
 fusion and say that "
 
 372 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "No," exclaimed Napoleon, in a loud and solemn voice; 
 "you will proudly raise your head and reply: 'Look at Rus- 
 sia! I have made her great at home and abroad. I have 
 given to my people civilization and culture, and added to my 
 empire new provinces which promote its greatness and power 
 more substantially than Constantinople itself would have 
 done. The possession of that city is a dream. I have an- 
 nexed to my country real provinces. ' That is what you will 
 reply to your great ancestor, sire, provided you go to him be- 
 fore having arrived at your sixth day of creation." 
 
 Alexander was speechless for a moment, as if fascinated by 
 Napoleon's countenance, beaming with energy and determi- 
 nation. 
 
 "What provinces does your majesty allude to?" he asked, 
 dreamily. 
 
 " They lie at the feet of Kussia, and seem only to wait for 
 your majesty to pick them up. Moldavia and Wallachia you 
 will present as new crown jewels to your empire. They are 
 substantial realities in place of visionary wishes; solid posses- 
 sions far more important than Constantinople." 
 
 "That is true," exclaimed Alexander. "I have myself 
 thought so for a long time, but I dare not avow it, because I 
 was afraid your majesty would not agree with me." 
 
 "France knows no envy ," said the emperor, "and Napoleon 
 loves his friend Alexander ; he will gladly grant to him what 
 he desires, and what is attainable. Take Moldavia and Wal- 
 lachia, sire!" 
 
 " You grant them to me," exclaimed Alexander, " and it is 
 no empty promise, but a definite and immutable agreement?" 
 
 " I say, sire, take them at once, and woe to those who would 
 dare touch your new possessions!" 
 
 "I thank you, sire," Alexander said. "You have given 
 me a proof of your friendship to-day, and old Romanzoff will 
 have to acknowledge that he is wrong in thinking that you 
 only intended to amuse us with idle promises. Ah, he is a 
 hard head, and I believe your Minister Champagny cannot get 
 along with him very well." 
 
 " That is so," exclaimed Napoleon, laughing, and Alexander 
 joined heartily in his mirth. 
 
 "He will now demand guaranties," said Alexander, still 
 laughing. " He is so distrustful that he believes in no words, 
 though from heaven. My old Romanzoff believes only in 
 black and white."
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR. 373 
 
 " We will so guarantee Moldavia to him," said Napoleon. 
 
 " Oh, not for my sake," exclaimed Alexander, carelessly. 
 " Your majesty's word is amply sufficient for me; let Roman- 
 zoff and Champagny quarrel about the formalities." 
 
 " I will come to the assistance of poor Champagny," said 
 Napoleon, " if your majesty, in return, will be kind enough to 
 make stubborn Eomanzoff somewhat more tractable. You 
 have already occupied these provinces; it will, therefore, be 
 easy for you to annex them. France will give her consent 
 by a formal treaty, and not only engage to recognize this an- 
 nexation so far as she herself is concerned, but also to compel 
 Turkey, Austria, and England, to acknowledge it. Your 
 majesty, therefore, Avill break the armistice with Turkey, and 
 advance your army to the foot of the Balkan, then to Adrian- 
 ople, and, if need be, to Constantinople, in order to wrest 
 these territories from the Porte. In case Austria should in- 
 tervene, we shall both declare war against her. As for Eng- 
 land, we are already at war with her. It will only be 
 necessary for me to give her a bloody defeat in Sapin to ren- 
 der her insensible to any enterprises we may enter into on 
 the continent. All this we stipulate not only verbally, but 
 in writing. "Will that satisfy your majesty?" 
 
 " Me? I am satisfied with your majesty's word," exclaimed 
 Alexander. 
 
 "Well, then," said Napoleon, with a smile, "the question 
 is, Will your minister be satisfied?" 
 
 " Of course, he will ; and, moreover, I shall command him 
 to raise no further objections. Let Champagny and Romau- 
 zoff draw up the treaty ; it will then be merely necessary for 
 us to sign it, and the whole matter is settled. Our friend- 
 ship will have been rendered more intimate and lasting by 
 new bonds, which nothing in the world will be able to break." 
 
 "As to our other plans," said Napoleon, " we shall never 
 lose sight of them. Every day we draw nearer to their fulfil- 
 ment. There is yet a vast future before us in which to ac- 
 complish our purposes with regard to the Orient, and to 
 remodel its political affairs. Romanzoff is aged, and hence, 
 impatient to enjoy what he desires. But you are young: you 
 can wait." 
 
 " Romanzoff is a Russian of the old school," said Alexander, 
 smiling. " He has passions and inclinations from which I am 
 free. I attach a higher value to civilizing than enlarging my 
 empire. Hence, I desire the provinces of the Danube more
 
 374 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 for my nation than for myself. I shall be able to wait 
 patiently until our plans can be carried into effect. But you, 
 my noble friend, you ought to enjoy in tranquillity the great 
 things which yon have accomplished, and no longer expose 
 yourself to the danger of war. Have you not obtained glory 
 and power enough ? Alexander and Caesar gained no more 
 laurels than you ! Be happy, and let us leave the execution 
 of our projects to the future." 
 
 " Yes, let us do so," replied Napoleon. " I am also longing 
 for repose. I am tired of conquest; it has charms for me no 
 longer, and battle-fields seem to me what they are the grave- 
 yards of brave men prematurely taken from their country and 
 their families. No more war! Peace with the whole world, 
 made more desirable by the friendship of Alexander !" He 
 offered his hand with that smile which no one could with- 
 stand. "Oh!" he continued, "I am so happy at having at 
 length arrived at an understanding with you, and strengthened 
 our alliance, that I wish your majesty had some desire that I 
 might grant, and which it would be difficult for me to fulfil. 
 Is there nothing at all that you could demand of me?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, there is," responded Alexander, "and I have 
 both a wish and a prayer to address your majesty. Sire, my 
 ally, the poor King of Prussia, and his noble consort, are still 
 living in exile. I saw them, with your consent, on passing 
 through Konigsberg, and confess that I promised to intercede 
 for them, and procure an alleviation of their unfortunate 
 condition." 
 
 "An alleviation of their unfortunate condition!" exclaimed 
 Napoleon, frowning. " Do they not owe their present fate 
 entirely to themselves? Why do they not pay punctually the 
 contributions which I have imposed upon them?" 
 
 " Sire, because they cannot ! Prussia, exhausted, and re- 
 duced to one-half of her former territory, is unable to pay war 
 contributions amounting to one hundred and fifty millions of 
 dollars, in the short space of two years, and to feed, besides, 
 a French army of forty thousand men. Your majesty ought to 
 be magnanimous, and restore at least a semblance of indepen- 
 dence to my poor ally, by putting an end to the occupation." 
 
 " If I do so, Prussia would think no longer of fulfilling her 
 obligations to me," exclaimed Napoleon. " Instead of paying 
 the war contributions, she would be foolish enough to rise in 
 open hostility against me. Queen Louisa hates me ; she will 
 never cease to intrigue against me, and to instigate her hus-
 
 THE FESTIVITIES OF ERFURT AND WEIMAR. 375 
 
 band to pursue a course hostile to me. She surrounds herself 
 and her husband by men who share her sentiments, and are 
 plotting to revolutionize Prussia nay, all Germany. There 
 is, for instance, a cert" in Baron von Stein, whom the king 
 appointed minister at the requ:st >f the queen, and who is 
 nothing but a tool in the hands of this intriguing woman. 
 That Stein is a bad and dangerous man ; he is at the head of 
 secret societies, in " I shall immediately take steps to render 
 him harmles H and the queen alone make Prussia oppose 
 me, and refuse paying the stipulated contributions." 
 
 "Sire, "said Alexander, almost imploringly, "I repeat to 
 your majesty, Prussia is unable to pay the enormous amount 
 which has ven been increased after the conclusion of the 
 treaty of Tilsit, and, moreover, in the short space of two years. 
 Oh, your majesty, the fate of the royal family of Prussia is 
 truly pitiable and weighs down my soul with remorse. Do for 
 my sake what you are unwilling to do for the sake of Prussia. 
 Let me not return without consolation to that mourning royal 
 family. Let me enjoy the triumph of proving to them that 
 my words and intercession were able to obtain from your 
 majesty what neither the queen's letter, nor all the solicita- 
 tions of Prince William, and of the Prussian diplomatists, had 
 been able to accomplish ! Oh, sire, you see I am vain, and 
 would like to demonstrate your friendship for me." 
 
 Napoleon's countenance grew milder while Alexander was 
 impressively uttering these words. "Sire, "he said, "who 
 could withstand your grace and magnanimity? I wished a 
 few minutes ago to be allowed to grant you some request, diffi- 
 cult for me to fulfil, in order to give you a proof of my re- 
 gard! Well, your majesty has really asked something very 
 difficult for me to grant. But I will comply for your sake, 
 sire ! I will deduct twenty millions from the sum to be paid 
 by Prussia, extend the time in which the contributions are to 
 be paid from two to three years, and withdraw my troops and 
 officials in the course of six months. Is your majesty satisfied 
 with this, and will you regard it as a proof of my friend- 
 ship?" 
 
 " It is a proof of your friendship and generosity, and I 
 thank your majesty," exclaimed Alexander. " Oh, how happy 
 I shall be when on my return I announce these glad tidings 
 to the royal couple ! Ah, my poor allies have suffered a great 
 deal, and if your majesty does not object, I should like to in- 
 vite King Frederick William and his consort, next winter, to
 
 376 NAPOLEON AND QUTSEN LOUISA. 
 
 spend a few weeks at St. Petersburg. Does your majesty 
 approve?" 
 
 Napoleon cast a quick and searching glance at Alexander. 
 " I do not assume to decide whom your majesty should hospit- 
 ably receive," he said, " and I confide in your friendship you 
 are henceforth my ally. Get the King of Prussia to join this 
 alliance, as the latter induced you to join the alliance against 
 me ; that would indeed greatly promote the welfare of Freder- 
 ick William, and put an end to the intrigues >f his queen. 
 But now, sire, a truce to politics and business! We are 
 agreed and shall be united in peace as in war. Our business 
 is accomplished, and the days we still spend here must be ex- 
 clusively devoted to pleasure and friendly intercourse. The 
 Duke of Weimar would like to receive us for a few days at 
 his capital, to arrange a chase and a ball. Suppose we go 
 thither this afternoon and spend two days? Would it be 
 agreeable to you?" 
 
 " I would accompany your majesty anywhere, were it into 
 Orcus," exclaimed Alexander. "Let us go to Weimar!" 
 
 "And if you please, sire, to Jena also. I should like to 
 show the battle-field to your majesty." 
 
 " And I should like to learn from your majesty how to win 
 such laurels. I follow you as a pupil." 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 NAPOLEON AND GOETHE. 
 
 ON his return from the early visit he had paid to the Em- 
 peror of Russia, Napoleon immediately went to his cabinet 
 and sent for Minister Champagny, whom he met with unusual 
 animation ; and now, that he deemed it no longer necessary to 
 mask his countenance, it was beaming with joy. " Cham- 
 pagny," he said, "it will be no longer necessary for you to 
 send letters to me. The emperor Alexander has accepted my 
 offers, and Romanzoff will have to hang up his 'cat's tongue' 
 in the smoke-house. For the present the appetite of the 
 Russian Emperor for new territories has been satisfied with 
 the provinces of the Danube, and he will compel his minister 
 to yield. The stubborn old fellow will have to give way, but, 
 we are obliged to give him our promises in black and white. 
 T go this afternoon with the emperor to Weimar to spend a
 
 NAPOLEON AND GOETHE. 377 
 
 few days You may in the mean time carry on the negoti- 
 ations with Eomanzoff and draw up the treaty. I shall send 
 you further instructions to-night." 
 
 " And will not your majesty be kind enough to give rne also 
 instructions as to the course I am to pursue toward the Aus- 
 trian ambassador, Count Vincent?" said the minister. "He 
 overwhelms me every day with questions and demands. He 
 is very anxious to obtain an interview with your majesty, to 
 learn from your own lips that Austria has nothing to fear 
 from France, and that your majesty believes in the sincerity 
 of the friendship and devotedness of his master." 
 
 "I believe in the sincerity of Austria!" exclaimed Napo- 
 leon, frowning. "I know her perfidy; I know that she is 
 secretly arming to attack me as soon as she believes me to be 
 embarrassed by the events in Spain. But I will unmask these 
 hypocrites, and meet them with open visor. I will wage war 
 against them, because they disdain to remain at peace with 
 me. Now that I am sure of Eussia, I am no longer afraid of 
 Austria, for Eussia will assist me in the war against her, or at 
 least not prevent me from attacking and punishing her for 
 her insolence. It was in my power to overthrow that mon- 
 archy as I have overthrown those of Naples and Spain. I re- 
 frained, and Austria is indebted to me for her existence. 
 Now, however, I am inexorable, and when I once more make 
 my entry into Vienna, it will be as dictator prescribing laws 
 to the vanquished. Austria is arming, and France will arm 
 for another Austerlitz. I authorize you to repeat these words 
 to Count Vincent. I myself will write to his emperor and in- 
 trust my letter to the ambassador. Tell him so." He dis- 
 missed the minister and repaired to the dining-room. 
 
 Breakfast was ready, and had been served on a round table 
 in the middle of the room. Talleyrand, Berthier, Savary, 
 and Daru, received the emperor, and accompanied him to 
 the table, not to participate in the repast, but to converse 
 with him, as Napoleon liked to do while he was eating, and to 
 reply to the questions which he addressed now to one, now to 
 another. 
 
 "Well, Daru," he asked, taking his seat, "you come from 
 Berlin? What about the payment of the contributions?" 
 
 "Ah, sire, the prospects are very discouraging," said Daru, 
 shrugging his shoulders. " More rigorous measures will prob- 
 ably become necessary to coerce those stubborn Prussians, 
 and "
 
 378 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 The door opened, and Constant, the valet de cliambre, en- 
 tered, whispering a few words to Marshal Berthier. 
 
 The marshal approached the emperor, who was engaged 
 with the wing of a chicken. " Sire," he said, " your majesty 
 ordered M. von Goethe to appear before you at this hour. He 
 is in the anteroom." 
 
 "Ah, M. von Goethe, the great German poet, the author 
 of the 'Sorrows of Werther, '" exclaimed Napoleon. "Let 
 him come in immediately." A moment later Constant an- 
 nounced M. von Goethe. Napoleon was still sitting at the 
 table; Talleyrand was standing at his right; Daru, Savary, 
 and Berthier, at his left. The eyes of all turned toward the 
 door, where appeared a gentleman of high, dignified bearing. 
 He was tall and vigorous, like a German oak ; the head of a 
 Jupiter surmounted his broad shoulders and chest. Time, 
 with its wrinkling hand, had tried in vain to deform the im- 
 perishable beauty of that countenance ; age could not touch 
 the charm and dignity of his features; the grace of youth still 
 played on his classic lips, and the ardor of a young heart was 
 beaming from his dark eyes as they looked calmly at the 
 emperor. 
 
 Napoleon, continuing to eat, beckoned Goethe, with a care- 
 less wave of his hand, to approach. He complied, and stood 
 in front of the table, opposite the emperor, who looked up, 
 and, turning with an expression of surprise to Talleyrand, 
 pointed to Goethe, and exclaimed, "Ah, that is a man!"* 
 An imperceptible smile overspread the poet's countenance, 
 and he bowed in silence. 
 
 "How old are you, M. von Goethe?" asked Napoleon. 
 
 " Sire, I am in my sixtieth year." 
 
 " In your sixtieth year, and yet you have the appearance of 
 a youth ! Ah, it is evident that perpetual intercourse with 
 the muses has imparted external youth to you." 
 
 " Sire, that is true," exclaimed Daru, " the muse of Goethe 
 is that of youth, beauty, and grace. Germany justly calls 
 him her greatest poet, and does homage with well-grounded 
 enthusiasm to the author of 'Faust,' of 'Werther,' and of so 
 many other master-pieces." 
 
 "I believe you have also written tragedies?" asked Napo- 
 leon. 
 
 * " Voild un homme ! " These words created a great sensation at the time, ana 
 were highly appreciated by the admirers of Goethe, as well as by the great poet him- 
 self. His correspondence with friends contains numerous allusions to them. Vide 
 * Riemer's Letters to and from Goethe," p. 325.
 
 NAPOLEON AND GOETHE. 379 
 
 "Sire, I have made some attempts," replied Goethe, smil- 
 ing. " But the applause of my countrymen cannot blind me as 
 to the real value of my dramas. I believe it is very difficult, 
 if not impossible, for a German poet to write real tragedies, 
 which fulfil the higher requirements of art, and withal those 
 of the stage. I must confess that my tragedies are not so 
 adapted." 
 
 " Sire," said Daru, " M. von Goethe has also translated Vol- 
 taire's 'Mohammed.' ' 
 
 "That is not a good tragedy," said Napoleon. "Voltaire 
 has sinned against history and the human heart. He has 
 prostituted the character of Mohammed by petty intrigues. 
 He makes a man, who revolutionized the world, act like an 
 infamous criminal deserving the gallows. Let us rather speak 
 of Goethe's own work of the 'Sorrows of AVerther. ' I have 
 read it many times, and it has always afforded me the highest 
 enjoyment; it accompanied me to Egypt, and during my 
 campaigns in Italy, and it is therefore but just that I should 
 return thanks to the poet for the many pleasant hours he has 
 afforded me." 
 
 " Sire, your majesty, at this moment, amply rewards me," 
 said Goethe, bowing slightly. 
 
 " Your 'Werther ' is indeed a work full of the most exalted 
 ideas," added Napoleon; " it contains noble views of life, and 
 depicts the weariness and disgust which all high-minded 
 characters must feel on being forced to leave their sphere and 
 come in contact with the gross world. You have described 
 the sufferings of your hero with irresistible eloquence, and 
 never, perhaps, has a poet made a more artistic analysis of 
 love. Let me tell you, however, that you have not been en- 
 tirely consistent in the work. You make your hero die not 
 only of love, but of wounded ambition, and you mention ex- 
 pressly that the injustice he met with at the hands of his 
 official superiors was a wound always bleeding, of which he 
 suffered even in the presence of the lady whom he loved so 
 passionately. That is not quite natural, and weakens in the 
 mind of the reader the comprehension of that influence which 
 love exerted on Werther. Why did you do so?" 
 
 Goethe looked almost in astonishment at the emperor ; this 
 unexpected censure, and the quick, categorical question, had 
 equally surprised him, and momentarily disturbed the calm- 
 ness of the poet. " Sire," he said, after a brief pause, " your 
 majesty has found fault with something with which no one
 
 380 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 has reproached me heretofore, and I confess that your criti- 
 cism has struck me. But it is just, and I deserve it. How- 
 ever, a poet may be pardoned for using an artifice which 
 cannot easily be detected, in order to produce a certain effect 
 that he believes he is unable to bring about in a simple and 
 natural way." 
 
 Napoleon nodded assentingly. " Your 'Werther' is a 
 drama of the heart, and there are none to be compared with 
 it," he said. "After reading it, I am persuaded that it is 
 your vocation to write in this style ; for the tragic muse is the 
 favorite companion of the greatest poet. Tragedy was at all 
 times the school of great men. It is the duty of sovereigns 
 to encourage, patronize, and reward it. In order to appreci- 
 ate it correctly, we need not be poets ourselves ; we only need 
 knowledge of human nature, of life, and of a cultivated mind. 
 Tragedy fires the heart, elevates the soul, and can or rather 
 must create heroes. I am convinced that France is indebted 
 to the works of Corneille for many of her greatest men. If 
 he were living I would make a prince of him." 
 
 " Your majesty, by your words, has just adorned his mem- 
 ory with the coronet of a prince," said Goethe. "Corneille 
 would assuredly have deserved it, for he was a poet in the 
 noblest sense, and imbued with the ideas and principles of 
 modern civilization. He never makes his heroes die in con- 
 sequence of a decree of fate, but they always bear in them- 
 selves the germ of their ruin or death; it is a natural, rational 
 death, not an artificial one." 
 
 " Let us say no more about the ancients and their fatalism," 
 exclaimed Napoleon ; " they belong to a darker age. Political 
 supremacy is our modern fatalism, and our tragedies must 
 be the school of politicians and statesmen. That is the highest 
 summit which poets are able to reach. You, for instance, 
 ought to write the death of Caesar ; it seems to me you could 
 present a much more exalted view of it than Voltaire did. 
 That might become the noblest task of your life. It ought to 
 be proved to the world how happy and prosperous Csesar 
 would have made it if time had been given him to carry his 
 comprehensive plans into effect. What do you think of it, 
 M. von Goethe?" 
 
 " Sire," said Goethe, with a polite smile, " I should prefer to 
 write the life and career of Caesar, and in doing so I should not 
 be at a loss for a model." His eyes met those of the emperor, 
 and they well understood each other. Both of them smiled.
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 381 
 
 "Yon ought to go to Paris," exclaimed Napoleon. "I in- 
 sist on your doing so. There you will find abundant matter 
 for your muse." 
 
 " Your majesty provides the poets of the present time, 
 wherever they may be, with abundant matter," said Goethe, 
 not in the tone of a courtier, but with the tranquillity of a 
 prince who confers a favor. 
 
 "You must go to Paris," repeated Napoleon. "We shall 
 meet again." 
 
 Goethe, who was an experienced courtier, understood the 
 delicate hint, and stepped back from the table. Napoleon 
 addressed a question to Marshal Soult, who entered at 
 this moment. The poet withdrew without further ceremony. 
 The eyes of the emperor followed the tall, proud figure, and 
 turning to Berthier, he repeated his exclamation, " Voila un 
 homme!" 
 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 
 
 THE two emperors made their entry into the decorated city 
 of Weimar amidst pealing bells, and the cheers of the people. 
 The Duchess of Weimar, just as she had done two years be- 
 fore, received the French conqueror at the head of the palace 
 staircase ; this time, however, she was not alone, but her hus- 
 band, whom the emperor had formerly hated and reviled 
 so bitterly, stood at her side. Napoleon greeted the ducal 
 couple with his most winning smile. 
 
 The events of those terrible days of the past had been well- 
 nigh forgotten. A short time had sufficed to veil their mem- 
 ory, and Napoleon was a welcome and highly-honored guest 
 two years after the battle of Jena. No vestige of the former 
 distress remained; but the laurels of the victor had not 
 withered. 
 
 A vast number of carriages, horsemen, and pedestrians, 
 Hiled the streets. The whole country had sent its representa- 
 tives to greet the emperors. All the houses were ornamented 
 \vith flags, festoons, busts, and laudatory inscriptions. But 
 no one cared to stay at home. The inhabitants and strangers 
 nastened to the forest of Ettersburg, to witness the great 
 chase which the Duke of Weimar had arranged in honor of
 
 382 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the imperial guests. Several hundred deer had been driven 
 up and fenced in, close to the large clearing which was to be 
 the scene of this day's festivities. In the middle rose a huge 
 hunting-pavilion, the roof of which rested on pillars twined 
 with flowers. Here the two emperors were to witness the 
 chase, and the two wings of the structure were assigned to the 
 kings, dukes, and princes. All eyes and thoughts, therefore, 
 were turned in that direction ; and yet no one noticed partic- 
 ularly two youthful forms, wrapped in cloaks and leaning 
 against an oak near the gamekeepers. The merry clamor and 
 the bugle-calls of the hunters drowned the conversation of 
 these young men. No one was surprised at seeing rifles in 
 their hands; they might be hunters or gamekeepers who 
 could tell? 
 
 "I belfeve," said one of them, in a whisper, "we shall ac- 
 complish nothing. My rifle does not carry far enough to hit 
 him, and we are not allowed to approach nearer." 
 
 " It is impossible to take a sure aim from here," replied the 
 other. " My eye does not reach so far ; I could fire only at 
 random into the pavilion." 
 
 " The order says, however, to strike him alone, and not to 
 endanger other lives," said the first speaker. " The president 
 said, if we kill him, it would be an act of justice ; but if we 
 are so unfortunate as to kill another, it would be murder." 
 
 "Oh, what sophistries to lull the warning voice of con- 
 science!" murmured the second speaker ; "I " 
 
 Loud cheers interrupted him ; the notes of bugles and the 
 roll of drums mingled with the general uproar. The people 
 seemed wild with excitement, and the deer in the enclosure 
 huddled together in terror. The two emperors with their 
 suites had just arrived. 
 
 "Look at him, brother," whispered the young man to his 
 companion; "look at the weird contrast of his gloomy coun- 
 tenance with the merry faces around him. He stands like 
 some incarnate spirit of evil in the midst of laughing fools." 
 
 " Yes, but he is himself merry, brother Alfred, or seems to 
 be," said his companion. 
 
 " The groans of poor Germania are not heard in the flatter- 
 ies of her princes, who are fawning around him, and guarding 
 him so well that the hand of a true German cannot reach him. " 
 
 " But the sword is hanging over him, brother Conrad," said 
 Alfred, " and if it do not fall on him to-day, it will to-mor- 
 row. Let us wait and watch for an opportunity. "
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 383 
 
 " Yes, Alfred, let us wait. We know not what favorable 
 chance may aid us." 
 
 The chase commenced ; amidst deafening shouts the game 
 were driven from the enclosure. Whenever a deer passed 
 near the pavilion, the two emperors fired, and when the noble 
 animal fell at perhaps ten yards' distance, the spectators 
 cheered, the bugles sounded, and the two imperial sportsmen 
 congratulated each other on their skill. 
 
 " It is in vain to stand here any longer," said Conrad, im- 
 patiently. "We shall be unable to reach him, and it is 
 repugnant to my feelings to witness this butchery." 
 
 " Let us go, brother," whispered Alfred. " We must try to 
 find another opportunity. Let us reflect. Do you know the 
 programme of the day's festivities?" 
 
 " I do. After the chase there will be a gala-dinner, and 
 the sovereigns will then ride to the theatre, where the 'Death 
 of Caesar' will be performed. After the representation of the 
 tragedy, there will be a grand supper and ball at the palace." 
 
 " The 'Death of Caesar?' " asked Conrad, musingly. " Does 
 fate intend giving us a hint thereby? Does it show us where 
 to find him and to strike the blow? Let us be the actors in a 
 similar play, and perform our part at the entrance of the 
 theatre! Are you ready, brother?" 
 
 "I am ready," replied Alfred, sighing. "We have sworn 
 to do every thing the league orders us to do we must obey." 
 
 "Yes," said Conrad, sighing, "obey or die. Let us take 
 our daggers to-night, and use them well. Let us place our- 
 selves in front of the theatre, you on the right, and myself on 
 the left. We must strike at the same time, when he alights 
 from his carriage. While all are gazing at him, let us 
 stealthily slip through the crowd. When you hear me shout 
 'One,' you will shout 'Two!' We will then simultaneously 
 rush forward." 
 
 " At what time do we meet?" 
 
 "At seven o'clock, and if we escape death and arrest, we 
 shall meet again at the tavern outside the gate. Farewell, 
 brother Alfred!" 
 
 " Farewell, brother Conrad !" 
 
 On the same evening, a thousand lights illuminated Wei- 
 mar. That part of the city between the palace and the 
 theatre, where the emperors would pass, was especially brill- 
 iant. When after the chase they had withdrawn to rest a 
 little, and the high dignitaries of the court were waiting in
 
 384 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 the large reception-halls, Grand-Marshal Duroc approached 
 General von Muffling, who had left the Kussian service ; he 
 was now vice-president in Weimar, and had been charged by 
 the duke with the supervision of the court festivities. 
 
 " Tell me, sir," said Duroc, in a low voice, " I suppose you 
 have a good police here?" 
 
 "Of course, we have," replied Muffling, smiling, "that is 
 to say, we have a police to attend to sweeping the chimneys 
 and cleaning the streets, but as to a haute police, we still live 
 in a state of perfect innocence." 
 
 " The emperor, then, is to go to the theatre, and your police 
 have taken no precautions for his safety?" asked Duroc, 
 anxiously. 
 
 "I believe it is so, M. Grand Marhsal. If you wish to 
 make any arrangements, pray do so, and I shall approve 
 them." 
 
 "Thank you," said Duroc, bowing. "I have secretly sent 
 for a brigade of French gendarmes. Will you permit them to 
 guard the doors of the theatre, and keep the populace from 
 the streets along which the emperors will ride?" 
 
 "Do as you please, M. Grand Marshal," said General von 
 Muffling, with a slightly sarcastic smile. " A detachment of 
 the imperial guard will be drawn up in front of the theatre, 
 and hence I deemed any further precautions entirely super- 
 fluous." 
 
 " The grenadiers are posted there only as a guard of honor," 
 said Duroc; " I hasten to send the gendarmes thither." 
 
 Fifteen minutes afterward the whole route from the palace 
 to the theatre was guarded by gendarmes, who pushed back 
 all who tried to cross the narrow sidewalks, or to step into the 
 street along which the carriages were rolling. A double line 
 of grenadiers was drawn up in front of the theatre. An officer 
 walked up and down, gazing anxiously along the street, in 
 order to command the drummers to beat according to the rank 
 of the sovereigns arriving. For the emperors they were to 
 roll thrice, for the kings twice, and but once for the sovereign 
 dukes and princes. The drummers had just rolled three 
 times, for the Emperor Alexander had arrived. Another 
 magnificent carriage approached ; the coachman on the box 
 was covered with gold lace, and two runners, entirely clad in 
 gold brocade, accompanied. Two rolls had already been 
 beaten, a third was about to commence, when the command- 
 ing officer waved his hand angrily, and shouted, " Silence ! It
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 385 
 
 is only a king!" The stout form of the King of Wiirtemberg 
 appeared, and hastened into the theatre. Another carriage 
 approached. The drummers beat louder than before. Once, 
 twice! And then a third roll. The grenadiers presented 
 arms, and the people rushed forward. It was the Emperor 
 Napoleon. 
 
 At this moment a young man elbowed himself through the 
 crowd. He was already close to the emperor. Only a single 
 gendarme was in front of him. 
 
 U 0ne!" he shouted in a ringing voice, pushing aside the 
 gendarme. "One!" he repeated. No voice replied. 
 
 " Stand back!" cried the guard. 
 
 The emperor walked past. He had heard the shout. At 
 the door he turned his stern face, while his eyes flashed for 
 a moment searchingly over the crowd. He then slowly walked 
 on. No accident disturbed the representation, and the daggers 
 that had been lurking outside for the modern Cassar had 
 failed to strike him. 
 
 On the same evening the two conspirators met at the place 
 agreed on. With disappointed faces they seemed to read each 
 other's secret thoughts. 
 
 "Why did you not reply to me, brother?" asked Conrad. 
 " Why were you silent when I gave the signal?" 
 
 "I was unable to get through the crowd," said Alfred. 
 " The gendarmes refused to let me pass, and it appeared to 
 me they were eying me suspiciously. - It was impossible to 
 penetrate to the spot indicated. I heard you call, but could 
 not reply; I was too far from you." 
 
 " The work, then, must be done to-morrow," said Conrad, 
 gravely and sadly. 
 
 " Remember, brother, that the order of the president was 
 to strike the blow within a week. To-morrow is the last 
 day!" 
 
 " Yes, to-morrow we must desecrate the sacred cause of the 
 fatherland by an assassination," said Alfred, sighing. "But 
 we have sworn not to shrink from death if the league requires 
 it, and must obey!" 
 
 "We must obey or die," murmured Conrad. "Do you 
 know the programme of to-morrow?" 
 
 " I do, brother. Napoleon wishes to show the battle-field 
 of Jena to the Emperor Alexander, and to the kings and 
 princes; and the Duke of Weimar, who participated in the 
 battle at the head of a Prussian division, has arranged, in
 
 386 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 harmless self-irony, a hare-hunt. That will be a highly 
 dignified celebration of the anniversary of that battle." 
 
 "Oh, Germania! how thou must suifer!" groaned Conrad. 
 "It is time for us to place a bloody offering on thy altar! It 
 must be done to-morrow. The road to Jena crosses the small 
 forest of the Webicht. Let us place ourselves there close to 
 the road, armed with our muskets. One of their balls will 
 surely hit him. We must both shoot at the same time." 
 
 "To-morrow, then, in the forest of the Webicht!" 
 
 On the following day the imperial and royal visitors re- 
 paired to Jena, in order to hunt hares on the battle-field of 
 Napoleon's famous victory. On the Landgrafenberg, where 
 Napoleon two years ago had spent the night before the battle 
 at a bivouac-fire, a magnificent tent had been erected, and the 
 Duke of Weimar begged leave to call it henceforth " Napo- 
 leousberg." Napoleon granted the request, smilingly, and 
 then asked the company to take a walk with him across the 
 battle-field, that he might explain to them the various oper- 
 ations of the great struggle. This request of course was re- 
 ceived with general joy, and the party descended into the 
 valley. Napoleon led the way ; on his right Alexander, on 
 his left Prince William of Prussia, whom he had taken care 
 to have by his side. All listened in breathless silence to his 
 words, which were growing more and more enthusiastic. He 
 disclosed to his audience his own plans and motives, as well 
 as the disastrous dispositions of his enemies. Alexander lis- 
 tened to him musingly; the German kings and princes, in 
 breathless suspense. The French marshals, however, looked 
 discontented while their sovereign was speaking. Once, when 
 the emperor was just expatiating in glowing words on the 
 correct mode of warfare, his eyes happened to meet the coun- 
 tenance of Berthier, Prince of Neufchatel, and noticed the 
 dissatisfied expression of his features. 
 
 When Napoleon repaired to his tent, he ordered Marshal 
 Berthier to follow him. "Berthier, why did you look so 
 angry?" 
 
 " Sire," faltered Berthier, in confusion, " I do not know 
 that I did." 
 
 "But I know it. Why were you dissatisfied? Speak! I 
 command you!" 
 
 "Well, if your majesty insists, I will speak," exclaimed 
 Berthier. " Your majesty apparently forgot what you have 
 repeated to us so often : that we ought always to treat our
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 387 
 
 allies as though they afterward might become our enemies. 
 Is your majesty not afraid lest the sovereigns should profit 
 hereafter by the excellent lessons given them to-day?" 
 
 The emperor smiled. "Berthier," he said, kindly, "that 
 is truly a bold rebuke, and hence I like it. I believe you take 
 me for a babbler. You think, then, Prince of Neufchatel," 
 he added, bending over Berthier and pulling his ear, " that I 
 have put whips into the hands of the German princes which 
 they might use against us! Be not alarmed; I do not tell 
 them every thing." And Napoleon opened the door of the 
 tent with a laugh, and gave the signal for the hunt to begin. 
 
 Not a human voice was to be heard in the forest of We- 
 bicht, which was generally much frequented. It was but a 
 bird's song that broke the deep silence. Suddenly there was 
 a rustling noise in the autumnal leaves covering the ground, 
 and quick footsteps approached the road crossing the middle 
 of the forest. 
 
 Two young men, wrapped in cloaks, glided through the 
 woods, and stationed themselves behind a couple of large 
 beeches. They looked searchingly along the road; opened 
 their cloaks, and raised their weapons to examine them, that 
 they might make sure work. 
 
 "All right," said Conrad. 
 
 "All right," echoed Alfred. 
 
 " When I call out 'One,' we must both fire!" 
 
 "Yes, but we have been ordered to kill none but him," 
 said Alfred, hesitatingly. " What if he does not ride alone? 
 If one of the balls should strike an innocent man?" 
 
 " If one of his marshals or adjutants sits beside him he 
 would not be an innocent man, for he has assisted in making 
 our country unhappy! Let German soil drink his blood! 
 He must not prevent us from carrying out our purpose. We 
 cannot shrink from it, because we have sworn obedience to 
 the league, and this is the last day. We must do or die!" 
 
 " Hash! let us listen and watch for him, brother Conrad." 
 Soon the roll of wheels was heard. The two conspirators 
 raised their muskets as the carriage approached. It could be 
 seen that it contained two persons. 
 
 "It is he," whispered Alfred. "But who is seated by his 
 side?" 
 
 " One of his adjutants," said Conard ; " no matter ! Let us 
 aim, brother." The large trunks of the beeches concealed 
 the forms of the conspirator?.
 
 388 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "When I command, we fire!" whispered Conrad. 
 So close were they now that the persons seated in the coach 
 could be recognized. The man sitting on the right was Na- 
 poleon. But who was the young man with the fine but down- 
 cast face? 
 
 "Stop," whispered Alfred. "Do not shoot, brother! He 
 is no Frenchman ! He is a German prince, the brother of 
 the King of Prussia! We cannot fire!" 
 
 " No, we must not fire at the brother of the unfortunate 
 King of Prussia!" murmured Conrad, lowering his arm. As 
 the carriage passed by, the conspirators could distinctly hear 
 the words of Napoleon and his companion. " A fine, fragrant 
 forest," said the former, in his sonorous voice, " just the thing 
 for German poets and dreamers. For I suppose, prince, the 
 Germans like to dream?" 
 
 "Sire," said Prince William, mournfully, "I believe your 
 majesty has at last disturbed them in their visionary musings." 
 Napoleon burst into laughter, which resounded through 
 the forest, and startled the pale men standing behind the 
 trees, and gazing gloomily after him. He chatted gayly be- 
 side Prince William, without suspecting that he, the brother 
 of the King of Prussia, whom Napoleon had humbled so often 
 and so grievously, had just saved his life. 
 
 "We have failed again," said Alfred, when the noise of the 
 wheels was dying away in the distance. " The last day is 
 nearly gone. What shdl we reply to the brethren when they 
 ask us how we have carried out the order which our country 
 sent us? What shall we reply when they call us to account?" 
 " We shall tell them that Heaven refused to allow the sacred 
 cause of Germany to be desecrated by murder!" exclaimed 
 Conrad, gravely; "that, faithful to our obligation, although 
 with reluctant hearts, we tried to accomplish our mission, 
 but that we were restrained and our strength was paralyzed. 
 You will tell them so, brother you alone. Tell them that I 
 was not forgetful of the oath I took on the day I joined the 
 league. Having been unable to obey, I die! Farewell, 
 brother!" A shot reechoed in the silent forest. 
 
 Not long after, a man, with livid cheeks .and wild eyes, 
 might have been seen hastening across the distant heath on 
 the other side of the woods. As he ran he whispered, " Un- 
 happy Germany!" These were the last words of his com- 
 panion Conrad, who lay dead on the fallen leaves. 
 
 Two days after their return from Weimar, on the 10th of
 
 THE CHASE AND THE ASSASSINS. 389 
 
 October, the emperors signed the treaty about which they had 
 agreed, and in which Romanzoff had been obliged to acqui- 
 esce. France consented in this treaty that Russia should take 
 possession of Moldavia and Wallachia. Russia also agreed to 
 whatever changes Napoleon had made, and would hereafter 
 make, in regard to the government of Spain, and engaged to 
 assist him in a war against Austria. 
 
 On the 14th of October they left Erfurt, and returned to 
 their states. The object of their meeting had been attained ; 
 both had derived benefit from it. Alexander had gained 
 Moldavia and Wallachia; Napoleon, a powerful friend and 
 ally. Europe received tremblingly the news of this alliance 
 of the West and the East. What hopes remained to Ger- 
 many! to that dismembered country, over whose battle-fields 
 Russia and France had joined hands and concerted measures 
 against the most powerful of its states Austria !
 
 BOOK VI. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 THE WAR WITH AUSTRIA. 
 
 NAPOLEON, in ill-humor, was pacing his cabinet, while 
 Minister Champagny was standing at the large desk, covered 
 with papers and maps, where he was engaged in folding and 
 arranging several documents. 
 
 "They are bent on having war, those insolent Austrians," 
 said Napoleon, after a pause, "and they want it now, because 
 they believe that I am not prepared for it. What an unheard- 
 of presumption, to arrest my couriers, and take their papers 
 from them! And now that I am taking reprisals that I on 
 my part have issued orders to arrest their couriers on all high- 
 ways, and in all cities, and to take their papers from them, 
 the Austrians are raising a hue-and-cry about the violation of 
 international law ; and if war should break out, the blame, as 
 usual, will be laid at my door!" He paused, but added 
 immediately : 
 
 " I wished to remain at peace with Germany for the present, 
 for I have enough to do with those wretched Spaniards, who 
 are rising against my troops like a vast band of guerillas. 
 But that is just what is giving the Austrians courage. They 
 believe me to be weakened, isolated, and unable to wage war 
 with any other power, and hence the cowards take heart, and 
 think they can obtain spoils from the lion. But, patience! 
 the lion retains his former strength and vigor, and will finally 
 destroy his enemies. Champagny, I suppose you have already 
 sent the Austrian ambassador his passports?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, Count Metternich has departed ^ith all the 
 members of his legation." 
 
 " Very well; let him go to Vienna and announce my speedy 
 arrival to the Emperor Francis," exclaimed Napoleon, im- 
 patiently.
 
 THE WAR WITH AUSTRIA. 391 
 
 " Sire, Count Metternich will meet the emperor no longer 
 in Vienna," said Champagny calmly. 
 
 "No longer in Vienna!" exclaimed Napoleon, laughing 
 scornfully. " Does Francis II. suspect already that I am 
 about to come, and has he taken to his heels even before I 
 have left Paris?" 
 
 " No, sire ; it seems, on the contrary, that the Emperor 
 .Francis intends to put himself at the head of his troops." 
 
 Napoleon burst into a loud laugh. " The Austrians, then, 
 believe my soldiers to be sparrows, and think they can drive 
 them out by setting up a scarecrow ! If the Emperor Francis 
 himself intends to command, he will command the army only 
 to retreat, for the word 'forward' is not to be found in his 
 dictionary. Have you looked over the dispatches from Ger- 
 many, and can you report to me what they contain?" 
 
 " I am ready, sire," said Champagny, glancing at the papers. 
 
 "Then commence," ordered the emperor, sitting down, 
 and taking from the table a penknife, with which he whittled 
 the back of the chair. 
 
 " The four corps of the Austrian army, with the two reserve 
 corps, moved on the first of April toward the frontier of Ba- 
 varia," said Champagny. 
 
 " As soon as they cross the Inn and enter the territory of 
 my ally, war will break out," exclaimed Napoleon. "Pro- 
 ceed!" 
 
 " On the evening of the 9th of April, the Archduke Charles 
 and his brother, the emperor, arrived with the army at Linz. 
 Thence he sent one of his adjutants to the King of Bavaria, 
 to whom was to be delivered an autograph letter, in which 
 the archduke announced to the king that he had received 
 orders to advance, and would regard and treat as enemies all 
 that would resist his progress, no matter whether they were 
 German or foreign troops." 
 
 "Why, that is a regular declaration of war," said the em- 
 peror, piercing the velvet cushion of the chair with his pen- 
 knife. 
 
 "Yes, sire, it is," said Champagny, taking up another 
 paper. "We have received, moreover, a copy of the war 
 manifesto which the Emperor of Austria has published in the 
 Vienna Court Gazette, and which was drawn up by Gentz, the 
 well-known pamphleteer." 
 
 "Gentz!" ejaculated Napoleon. 1 not th/ <e warlike 
 Austrians see that that is their den; ell, and .hat it is a
 
 392 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 bad omen for them that Gentz had to blow the war-trumpet? 
 Is it not the same Gentz who drew up the high-sounding 
 manifesto for the King of Prussia, previous to the battle of 
 Jena?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, the same." 
 
 " Well, that was in 1806; the six has been transformed into 
 a nine that is all the difference," exclaimed Napoleon. 
 " Every thing else has remained unchanged. I suppose the 
 same language of self-reliance, of a wounded sense of honor, 
 and of noble patriotism, is to be found in the manifesto of 
 1809 as in that of 1806? Oh, I know it! Those Germans 
 ever remain the same ; they always believe their cause just ; 
 they always want peace, and find war, without any fault of 
 theirs. Those Austrians have irritated me for about a year 
 past; they have secretly armed during that time. The busier 
 they believed me to be in Spain, the more energetically they 
 continued their preparations; and whenever I had them ques- 
 tioned about their motives and objects, they made evasive and 
 unsatisfactory replies. The natural consequence of all this 
 was, that I moved my troops toward the German frontier; 
 that Davoust, Lannes, and Massena, with three corps, had to 
 approach Austria, and hold themselves in readiness to cross 
 its boundaries when the Austrians enter Bavarian territory ; 
 and that, finally, I issued orders to the princes of the Con- 
 federation of the Rhine to place their federal quota on a war- 
 footing, and prepare for the outbreak of hostilities. No 
 sooner had this been done, than the Austrians arrested my 
 courier contrary to international law, and compelled me to 
 retaliate. Nevertheless, I suppose, they are entirely innocent 
 now, and the manifesto of the Emperor Francis proves clearly 
 that France, by her incessant insults and encroachments, by 
 her insatiable thirst after new territories, and by her bound- 
 less ambition, compelled Austria to take up arms. Is it not 
 so?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, it is so. There are at the conclusion of this 
 manifesto words and ideas that are almost identical with those 
 your majesty uttered just now." 
 
 " Read this conclusion," said Napoleon, leaning back in his 
 chair. 
 
 Champagny read : " The Emperor Francis will never deem 
 himself authorized to meddle with the domestic affairs of for- 
 eign states, or to arrogate to himself a controlling influence 
 on their system of government, on their legislative and ad-
 
 THE WAR WITH AUSTRIA. 393 
 
 ministrative affairs, or on the development of their military 
 strength. He demands a just reciprocity. Far from being 
 actuated by motives of ambition or jealousy, the emperor will 
 envy no other sovereign his greatness, his glory, his legitimate 
 influence; the exclusive assumption of such advantages alone 
 is the source of general apprehensions and the germ of ever- 
 lasting wars. Not France, in the preservation and welfare of 
 which his majesty will always take the liveliest interest, but 
 the uninterrupted extension of a system which, under the 
 name of the French Empire, acknowledges no other law in 
 Europe than its own, has brought about the present confu- 
 sion; it will be removed, and all the wishes of his majesty will 
 be fulfilled, when that exclusive system will be replaced by 
 one of moderation, self-restraint, the reciprocal independence 
 of all the states, respect for the rights of every power, the 
 sacred observance of treaties, and the supremacy of peace. 
 Then alone can the Austrian monarchy and the whole political 
 fabric of Europe be maintained in a prosperous condition." 
 
 "Enough!" exclaimed Napoleon, rising from his chair, and 
 throwing the penknife into a distant corner of the room. " I 
 shall pay Austria for this insolence, and there will be a day 
 when the Emperor Francis and his scribbler Gentz will repent 
 of this miserable pamphlet ! I will have to treat the former 
 as I have treated the kings of Naples and Spain. The house 
 of the Hapsburgs must cease to reign. Or, if in my patience, 
 I should allow the imperial throne of Austria to exist further 
 under their rule, it shall not be occupied by this dull and 
 obstinate man, but by his brother, the Elector of Wiirzburg!* 
 But woe to this M. Gentz, who has dared to irritate me anew ! 
 Once already I gave orders to arrest and punish him. He 
 succeeded in making his escape. My police will be more cau- 
 tious this time. When I have made my entry into Vienna, I 
 shall remember M. Gentz! Ah, somebody is coming!" 
 
 The door opened, and one of the imperial adjutants entered. 
 
 " Sire," he said, handing a sealed letter to Napoleon, "the 
 director of the Paris telegraph-office has just brought this." 
 
 "At last!" exclaimed Napoleon, seizing the letter, and 
 then motioning him to leave the room. 
 
 " At last!" he repeated, breaking the seal. His eyes passed 
 over the paper with an expression of uncontrollable im- 
 patience. His countenance brightened, and a faint blush 
 
 * After Napoleon had made his entry into Vienna, he really requested the Em- 
 peror Francis to abdicate in favor of the latter's brother. The cattle of Aspern pre- 
 vented this plan from being carried into effect.
 
 394 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 carne to his cheeks. He raised his eyes toward the minister. 
 " Champagny, " he said, in a joyful voice, "war has com- 
 menced ; the Austrians have crossed the Inn and invaded the 
 states of my ally the King of Bavaria. The decisive moment 
 is at hand. I shall set out this very night. To-day is the 
 12th of April; on the 17th I shall be at Donauworth and put 
 myself at the head of my army. Now let us go to work and 
 make our dispositions. What is the matter now?" 
 
 The door opened again, and the court-marshal appeared on 
 the threshold to announce dinner. 
 
 Napoleon cast a hasty glance at the clock. " Indeed, it is 
 six o'clock!" he exclaimed. "But I cannot go yet. Have 
 every thing kept in readiness. Tell the empress I wish she 
 would wait for me in the dining-room. I will soon be with 
 her. Send for the Prince de Benevento and the Duke 
 d'Otranto. I want to see them immediately. Now come, 
 dhampagny," he said, when the court-marshal had with- 
 drawn ; " let us go to work. We have a great many things to 
 attend to, and there is but little time left, for, as I told you 
 before, I will set out this very night." 
 
 Fifteen minutes afterward Talleyrand and Fouche entered 
 the cabinet agreeably to the emperor's orders. They found 
 him amid his maps, on which he marched the various armies 
 by means of the colored pins which Champagny handed to him. 
 
 "Gentlemen," exclaimed Napoleon, saluting the the new- 
 comers, "the Austrians have commenced war; come hither 
 and see!" 
 
 In the mean time the empress, according to the wishes of 
 her consort, had repaired with her ladies of honor to the din- 
 ing-room, and waited for the arrival of Napoleon. The dishes 
 had already been served up; for, owing to the hasty manner 
 in which the emperor liked to dine, the various courses could 
 not successively be brought from the kitchen, but had to be 
 placed on the table before dinner commenced. A number of 
 silver warming-vessels, filled with hot water, always stood on 
 the imperial table. Only the roast chicken, which every day 
 made the last course, and was one of the emperor's favorite 
 dishes, had remained in the kitchen ; it was still turning on 
 the spit, and waiting for the moment when it was to be carried 
 up. But this moment was delayed an unusually long time to- 
 day. The first chicken had long ago been replaced by a sec- 
 ond, a third, and a fourth, and this one had been roasting so 
 much that it was tough and juiceless. It had not yet been
 
 THE WAR WITH AUSTRIA. 395 
 
 Called for. The waiters returned from time to time into the 
 kitchen for boiling water, to fill anew the silver vessels on 
 which the dishes were kept warm. 
 
 " If that goes on in the same manner we shall depopulate 
 the whole poultry-yard," grumbled the chief cook, ordering a 
 fresh half-dozen of young chickens to be brought in and pre- 
 pared for roasting. 
 
 The emperor did not come. The clock struck seven, eight, 
 nine, and ten, and Napoleon had not yet made his appearance 
 in the dining-room. But this long delay did not cause the 
 least impatience or anger to appear on the face of the em- 
 press; not for a single moment did she lose her temper. 
 Graceful and gay, she conversed with her cavaliers and ladies 
 of honor, and her eyes but occasionally glanced at the door by 
 which Napoleon had to enter. 
 
 At last the emperor appeared. He walked toward the 
 empress with a hasty nod, and offering her his hand to con- 
 duct her to the table, he said : " I believe it is a little late. 
 I have kept you waiting, I suppose?" 
 
 Josephine laughed. "The question is rather naive, my 
 friend." she said; " I have been waiting ever since six o'clock, 
 and it is now past eleven." 
 
 "Ah, that is late, indeed," said the emperor abstractedly. 
 " I thought I had already dined ; Champagny, however, re- 
 minded me that this was not the case. Well, Josephine, let 
 us eat!" And he commenced eating the soup which the 
 grand-marshal placed before him. 
 
 Thanks to the warming-vessels, the dishes had remained 
 palatable ; but the chief cook, when the gratifying announce- 
 ment was made that the emperor had at length made his ap- 
 pearance, had just ordered the twenty-third chicken to be 
 put on the spit for the purpose of having a juicy and freshly- 
 roasted wing in readiness. 
 
 The emperor, who was very reticent and abstracted, took 
 his dinner even more rapidly than usual, and no sooner had 
 he finished than he rose impetuously from his chair and left 
 the table. Without addressing a word to the empress, he 
 walked across the room. 
 
 Josephine gazed after him with a long and mournful look, 
 and her face was sad. " He is cruel," she muttered to her- 
 self. " After waiting so many hours, he has scarcely a word 
 for me, and leaves me without salutation!" 
 
 But when Napoleon was near the door, he turned round 
 26
 
 396 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 and walked hastily toward the empress. " Good-night, my 
 dear Josephine," he said, giving his hand to her. "It is 
 already late near midnight retire. We shall not meet 
 again to-day; farewell, and au revoir! " 
 
 He nodded to her, and then left the room for his cabinet. 
 On arriving there, he bolted the small door leading into the 
 corridor, and thence into the apartments of the empress, call- 
 ing in a loud voice, "Constant!" The valet de chambre 
 entered immediately. " Constant!" said the emperor, " come 
 hither close to me, and listen. You will quickly set in order 
 my travelling-coach, so that I shall be able to set out in an 
 hour. Roustan and you will accompany me no one else. 
 But you must not say a word about my departure. I want it 
 to be known at the Tuileries, as well as in Paris, to-morrow 
 only, that I ha r e left the capital, and it is of the highest im- 
 portance that it should remain a secret until then. Do you 
 understand me? And now make haste! In an hour every 
 thing must be ready!" 
 
 Constant bowed in silence and withdrew. "Yes, yes," he 
 murmured, while hastily passing on, " I understood the em- 
 peror very well. His departure is to remain a secret; that is 
 to say, especially for the empress. Ah ! the poor, good em- 
 press! How she will weep when she hears to-morrow that the 
 emperor has again set out without her ! Formerly he always 
 took her with him ; she had to share the triumphs and troubles 
 of the journey; but now she must stay at home. Poor 
 Josephine! she is so good, and loves him intensely! But I 
 must obey the emperor's order. I cannot tell her any thing! 
 I cannot, but it would be no fault of mine if some one else 
 should ! Ah ! a good idea strikes me ! The empress had the 
 gold travelling-case of the emperor brought to her yesterday 
 in order to have one like it made for the viceroy of Italy. I 
 must go immediately and get it from her maid, and she ia 
 fortunately tenderly devoted to the empress!" 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 
 
 THE empress in the mean time had returned to her rooms, 
 sad and absorbed in her reflections. She had dismissed her 
 ladies of honor ; only her mistress of ceremonies, Madame de
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 397 
 
 Remusat, was still with her, and her maids were in the adjoin- 
 ing room to await her orders until she retired. 
 
 No sooner had Josephine reached her room than she sat 
 down slowly and abstractedly, and, throwing back her head, 
 fixed her eyes on the ceiling. An expression of profound 
 grief was visible in her features, and darkened the shade with 
 which age was veiling her countenance. When smiling, 
 Josephine was still a graceful and fascinating woman, but 
 when melancholy it was but too plainly to be seen that her 
 charms were fading, and neither the flattering rouge nor the 
 skill of the artist could conceal this fact. 
 
 Josephine's brow was now often clouded, and her youthful 
 beauty was fast losing its charms. Gloomy forebodings were 
 constantly passing over her heart; she felt that she was stand- 
 ing as on the brink of a precipice, and that the days of her 
 happiness were numbered. She awoke every morning in ter- 
 ror, for before the evening she might be cast into an abyss of 
 sorrow removed from the Tuileries and the side of her hus- 
 band replaced by another, a younger woman, the daughter 
 of an ancient sovereign house, who was to become the wife of 
 Napoleon and the mother of his sons. Josephine knew that 
 the brothers and sisters of the emperor were constantly impor- 
 tuning him to disown his childless wife, and to secure hi* 
 throne and dynasty, as well as their own, by choosing another 
 consort giving an heir to his crown. She knew that Talley- 
 rand was representing this to him daily as a political necessity, 
 without which his empire and his greatness would be endan- 
 gered. She knew also that Napoleon no longer, as formerly, 
 closed his ears against these insinuations, but, eagerly listen- 
 ing, held them in serious consideration. 
 
 Josephine was aware of all this, and sat in her room a prey 
 to well-grounded suspicion and sorrowful presentiments. 
 
 Madame de Remusat looked at her awhile, sighing and in 
 silence; she now softly approached the empress, and, taking 
 her hand, said in an affectionate voice, " Your majesty ought 
 to retire! You need sleep; it is long past midnight, ano 
 your eyes are weary." 
 
 " Not from waking from weeping, my dear Remusat," said 
 the empress, pressing the hand of her confidante. " But you 
 are right, I will retire. In sleep we forget our grief. Remusat, 
 in my dreams I always see Napoleon as affectionate, as loving 
 as he ever was in my dreams he loves me still and looks at 
 me, not with the stern eyes of the emperor, but of a tender
 
 398 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 husband. When I awake, Remusat, his fine face still before 
 my mind, and remember that his love is now gone and lost 
 forever oh, then a sword seems to pierce my heart, and I 
 shed scalding tears in spite of myself ! And yet I will retire. 
 He commanded me, and I will obey." 
 
 "How discouraged your majesty is again to-day!" said. 
 Madame de Remusat, sighing. " Still it seems to me there is 
 less cause than ever. The emperor was more cordial and 
 affectionate than usual. He was evidently abstracted, and 
 occupied with important plans, and yet he returned; his ex- 
 pression was unusually gentle, and his voice trembled when 
 he bade farewell to your majesty." 
 
 " But why did he bid me farewell?" exclaimed the empress. 
 " This is what fills me with anxiety. Heretofore he only said 
 to me, 'Good-night!' and, 'we shall meet again to-morrow, 
 Josephine!' But to-day he said. 'Farewell, and au revoir! ' 
 Remusat, there was a hidden meaning in these words. Some- 
 thing unusual is to happen, for the emperor never took leave 
 of me in this manner. l Au revoir!" 1 You never say that to 
 one whom you meet again in the morning. It means as- 
 suredly something! But you are right I need repose, for my 
 limbs are trembling, and my head is burning, as if I had 
 fever! Call my maids!" 
 
 Josephine sighed deeply, and rose to be undressed. She 
 was so absorbed in her reflections that she, who always ad- 
 dressed a pleasant word to her servants, did not apparently 
 notice their presence. In silence she allowed her jewels to be 
 removed, which Madame de Remusat carefully put away into 
 their caskets ; in silence she suffered herself to be divested of 
 her blue satin dress, embroidered with silver, and her white 
 satin underskirt, without observing that her first maid was 
 absent. When her wrapper was brought by the second maid, 
 she noticed that the first was not present. 
 
 "Where is Dufour?" she asked, hesitatingly. 
 
 " Your majesty, she has just been called out to attend to 
 something urgently required by his majesty the emperor," 
 said the second maid, approaching the empress. 
 
 But Josephine pushed her back. " To attend to something 
 urgently required by the emperor?" she asked, breathlessly. 
 "What does that mean? Ah, there is Dufour! What could 
 have detained her?" And she rushed toward her and grasped 
 her hand. 
 
 " Dufour, where have you been? What is the matter?"
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 
 
 " Your majesty, Constant wished to see me. I beg pardon; 
 for coming so late, but it was something very urgent." 
 
 "Urgent! There is the same word again," exclaimed 
 Josephine. " What was it that was 'urgent?' ' 
 
 " Your majesty, M. Constant wanted the golden travelling- 
 case of the emperor, which your majesty showed to the jewel- 
 ler to-day. As it was in my keeping, he applied to me for 
 it." 
 
 " Well, could he not wait until to-morrow?" asked the 
 empress. 
 
 " No, your majesty, for the emperor needs the travelling- 
 case, and at once." 
 
 Josephine uttered a cry. "He is about to depart! Oh, I 
 feel he is going to leave me!" she exclaimed, almost beside 
 herself. And without reflecting and hesitating, regardless of 
 the fact that she was undressed, her shoulders bare, and her 
 feet incased in small slippers of crimson velvet forgetful of 
 every thing but the distracting thought that the emperor was 
 leaving her, without even a farewell, she ran across the room 
 toward the door. 
 
 Vainly did Madame de Remusat try to detain her. Jose- 
 phine pushed her aside, opened the door, and ran out. Breath- 
 less, bathed in tears, her dishevelled locks streaming in the 
 air, she hastened through the rooms and magnificent halls in 
 which she was accustomed to appear in a gorgeous toilet, and 
 receive the homage of princes. On crossing the threshold of 
 the first reception-room she lost one of her slippers; but this 
 modern Atalanta did not know it as she rushed along the corri- 
 dor and down the stairs. Having reached the palace-yard, 
 she found that she was not mistaken there stood the em- 
 peror's travelling-carriage. Roustan and Constant were wait- 
 ing in front of it, but she passed them before they knew what 
 had happened. Trembling and weeping, she sat down in the 
 carriage. 
 
 The emperor at that moment entered the palace-yard, while 
 the two servants were still standing near, speechless, and as if 
 paralyzed with terror. He took no notice of them, and as- 
 cending the steps of the carriage beheld the strange white 
 figure within. 
 
 "What is that?" exclaimed the emperor, standing still. 
 " Who is there?" 
 
 " It is I," exclaimed the empress, in a suppliant voice. " I, 
 Josephine! You wished to depart again without me, Bona-
 
 400 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA, 
 
 parte; but I will not suffer yon; I will cling to you! I 
 not leave you!" 
 
 She threw her arms around his neck, but Napoleon pushed 
 her back. "You are a fool, Josephine!" he said, angrily. 
 " This is childish ; you ridiculously retard my departure. I 
 do not wish to hear any more ! Be kind enough to leave the 
 carriage! It is necessary that I set out immediately." 
 
 "But, Bonaparte, you cannot be in earnest," cried Jose- 
 phine, sobbing aloud. " Have mercy on me ! Do not drive me 
 from you ! I tell you, you must use violence to remove me ! 
 Oh, have pity on me on my poor, painful heart, and let me 
 go along with you! Remember that you promised me the 
 other day that I should accompany you on your next journey. 
 Oh, Bonaparte, keep your word ! Keep your word only this 
 time! Have pity on me, and let me accompany you!" She 
 covered his lips and cheeks with her kisses and tears. Na- 
 poleon's heart seemed to be softened, for he involuntarily 
 raised his arms and wound them around Josephine's neck. 
 " How cold you are !" he exclaimed. " And your shoulders 
 are bare! What does this mean?" 
 
 " It means," said the empress, half laughing, half weeping, 
 " that I was just about retiring when when I heard the car- 
 riage drive up to the door. My heart told me that you in- 
 tended to leave me, and that I would not have time to dress 
 if I wished to see you, and therefore I came at once." 
 
 "And indeed you were right; if you had come a minute 
 later, I would certainly have been gone." 
 
 The emperor entered the carriage, closed the door, and 
 shouted in a powerful voice out of the window : " Have every 
 thing the empress needs for her toilet sent to the first station, 
 that she may find it on her arrival. Order the mistress of 
 ceremonies to set out immediately with her majesty's ladies 
 of honor. They must be at Strasburg on the 18th. For 
 ward!" 
 
 Josephine uttered a joyous cry, and sat down on the em- 
 peror's knees, pressing his head with her arms against her 
 bosom. He laughed, and did not resist her. Roustan and 
 Constant ascended, and the carriage started. 
 
 "Bonaparte, thanks! a thousand thanks!" whispered the 
 empress. " Never shall I forget this hour, for it proves to 
 me that you still love your poor Josephine, or that at least you 
 pity her!" 
 
 " Oh, you know full well, traitress, that I cannot withstand
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 401 
 
 your tears," said Napoleon, half angrily, half smilingly. 
 "But you are almost naked!" 
 
 " Yes, I am naked, as it behooves a beggar-woman who begs 
 for love at the palace-gate," said the empress, smiling. "I 
 hope, my emperor and lord will give me something to cover 
 my nakedness." 
 
 " Here is what you want, you impulsive beggar!" exclaimed 
 Napoleon, throwing the sable robe, which the Emperor Alex- 
 ander had presented to him, over her shoulders, and wrapping 
 it carefully around her. 
 
 "Accept my thanks!" exclaimed Josephine, laughing; "I 
 will wear it as a token of your kindness." 
 
 " You will not," quickly replied Napoleon. " I merely lend 
 it to you until our arrival at the next station, where, I hope, 
 we shall meet a courier with your wardrobe." 
 
 " But he will not be able to overtake us there, Bonaparte, 
 and you will have to leave me the robe for some time yet." 
 
 " No ; he will travel faster on horseback than we in our 
 carriage. I would have no objection to the robe myself, for 
 the night is cold!" 
 
 " It is cold; come, I will let you have part of it," wrapping 
 it around the emperor, and clinging closely to him. Napo- 
 leon laughed, and winding his arms around the slender waist 
 of Josehpine, pressed her to his breast. She laid her wearied 
 head silently on his shoulder. The carriage continued the 
 journey without interruption, and, exhausted by her previous 
 excitement, she closed her eyes and slept. 
 
 Suddenly the voice of the emperor aroused her. They had 
 reached the first station; it was already daylight. The mu- 
 nicipal officers of the small town were standing in front of the 
 post-office to present their respects. A man, mounted on a 
 horse covered with foam, was near them. It was the courier 
 who had brought the wardrobe of the empress. 
 
 "There is your luggage," said the emperor, pointing smil- 
 ingly at a small leather trunk which had been placed on the 
 back seat. " The empress has set out as a .travelling ad- 
 venturer!" 
 
 "Yes, you are right," exclaimed Josephine. "It is just 
 like a fairy-story. Some poor, disowned princess is met on 
 her journey by a handsome son of a king, who takes her in 
 his arms, gives her magnificent dresses, and marries her. 
 I thank you, my friend, and now I will attend to my toilet." 
 
 " I hope not here in the carriage?" asked Napoleon, in sur-
 
 402 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 prise. " We shall have the trunk carried into the house ; 1 
 believe the postmaster has a room where you can dress, and a 
 servant-girl who can assist you." 
 
 "But, Bonaparte," exclaimed Josephine, "do you not see 
 that that is impossible? It is daylight; is, then, the car- 
 riage to open and the empress to alight with one slipper on 
 her feet, to be triumphantly conducted into the house? Ah, 
 my friend, all Europe would smile at the idyllic empress who 
 accompanied her husband on his journey in such a dishabille." 
 
 "It is true," said Napoleon, moodily, "it would be a fine 
 anecdote for the so-called legitimate princes, and they would 
 proudly laugh at the violation of the dehors committed by 
 imperial upstarts. As though it were so difficult to learn the 
 ridiculous rules of their etiquette, if one should deem it 
 worth while!" 
 
 Josephine gently patted the emperor's forehead with her 
 white hand. " No clouds must darken my morning sun," she 
 said, "for they would foretell a gloomy day. I wish you 
 could transform yourself into my maid." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the emperor, laughing. "Transform 
 myself into your maid?" 
 
 "And why not, Bonaparte?" asked Josephine. "Did not 
 your brother, the great Jove, transform himself into an ox 
 for the sake of Europa? The carriage is moving again! 
 Draw the curtains, and then, my dear maid, we shall com- 
 mence dressing." She hastily opened the small travelling- 
 trunk, which had carefully been filled with every thing 
 required for her toilet small velvet gaiters, a comfortable 
 velvet cloak, one of her large cashmere shawls, and a beauti- 
 ful red satin dress with lace trimmings. 
 
 "You will have but little trouble with me," said the em- 
 press, busily examining the contents of the trunk. " Dear 
 Madame Remusat has arranged every thing as judiciously as 
 possible, and forgotten nothing. There are warm gloves, em- 
 broidered handkerchiefs in short, all I need. Ah ! there is 
 but one thing she has forgotten." 
 
 "Well, and what is. that?" 
 
 " It is a mirror. Bonaparte, you must be my mirror to-day. 
 But come now, my dear maid ! enter upon your duties. In 
 the first place, assist me in putting on my gaiters." 
 
 " What admirable ones they are!" said the emperor. " Are 
 these tiny things really large enough for your feet?" 
 
 " Yes. Did you forget that your Josephine has the smallest
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 403 
 
 and prettiest foot in all France? Formerly, when you were 
 not the all-powerful Napoleon, but the brave and illustrious 
 General Bonaparte, you knew it. Ah, I wish you were still 
 General Bonaparte, and we lived at our small house in the 
 Rue Chantereine!" 
 
 " Indeed, I am glad that I am no longer there," said Napo- 
 leon. " It seems to me General Bonaparte did not forfeit his 
 glory ; he only changed his title and position. That of an 
 emperor is not so bad, and the Tuileries a very pleasant resi- 
 dence. But, Josephine, let me see whether this fairy-shoe is 
 really large enough for human foot!" 
 
 " Bonaparte, envy and jealousy prompt you to say so," said 
 Josephine, laughing. " You cannot comprehend how any foot 
 could be even smaller than yours. But just take into con- 
 sideration that you are the great Bonaparte, and that I am 
 but poor little Josephine the insignificant creature that de- 
 rives only from you light and life. Bonaparte, you have the 
 largest foot that man ever had." 
 
 " What! I have the largest foot?" exclaimed Napoleon, in 
 surprise. " Why, I have always been told that my foot was 
 very small." 
 
 "Oh, that was a mistake," said Josephine, gravely, "for 
 how would it otherwise be possible for you to trample down 
 the whole of Europe as you are doing?" 
 
 Napoleon laughed. " Very good," he said, "you are right; 
 I have put my foot on the neck of Europe, and shall crush all 
 who resist me!" 
 
 " Bonaparte," exclaimed Josephine, menacingly, " no politics 
 now, no threatening imperial face ! Remember that, at the 
 present moment, you are nothing but my maid. There is 
 my foot! Put on my gaiter, and see whether it is large 
 enough!" 
 
 Napoleon at once obeyed, his wife's toilet commenced, and 
 the first day of their journey passed in laughter and affection- 
 ate chatting. The empress had not enjoyed so happy a day 
 for years. All cares and apprehensions were forgotten. 
 What did light-hearted Josephine care for the future? 
 
 But, alas! the second day was different. The smiles of 
 the unfortunate woman met with no reply. The emperor was 
 taciturn and gloomy. Wrapped in his sable robe, he was lean- 
 ing in a corner of the carriage, and made only stern and brief 
 answers to Josephine's questions. The heart and countenance 
 of the empress grew heavy and nnxious.
 
 404 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "When they arrived at Strasburg on the evening of the fourth 
 day, each of them sat silent the empress with tearful eye; 
 the emperor frowning and stern. Napoleon offered his arm 
 to his consort, and conducted her into the palace. " Good- 
 night, Josephine," he said, standing still at the entrance of 
 the rooms destined for her, "good-night!" 
 
 " You will not take supper with me?" asked the empress 
 in a low, imploring voice. 
 
 "No, I have business to attend to. Good-night!" And 
 he walked away without saluting or even looking at her. 
 Josephine went into her rooms. She refused to partake of 
 refreshment, and avoided the necessity of admitting the 
 officials, who wished to pay their respects to her, by sending 
 them word that she was too fatigued to receive any one. 
 Alone she could weep without being disturbed. 
 
 At an unusually early hour on the following morning Na- 
 poleon entered her room. Josephine was just about to dress, 
 assisted by her Parisian maids. He motioned them to with- 
 draw, and then commenced pacing the room in his usual man- 
 ner, when excited. 
 
 "Napoleon," said Josephine, in a tremulous voice, "you 
 have come with bad news. My heart tells me so, and I read 
 it on your gloomy brow. Speak, and tell me every thing at 
 once. I am prepared for it. " 
 
 " Well, then, I must say," replied Napoleon, vehemently, 
 "you cannot, Josephine, accompany me farther. We must 
 part this hour. I yielded to your wishes in spite of myself, 
 but only thus far ! A new campaign is about to begin ; days 
 of battles, troubles, and fatigues, are awaiting me. You must 
 not and cannot share them. You must remain here." 
 
 Josephine cast a melancholy look on him. "But when yon 
 have conquered, when you have made again your triumphant 
 entry into Vienna, will you then call me, Napoleon ? Shall I 
 then share your triumphs as I used to do? Bonaparte, do not 
 now make an evasive reply ! Tell me the truth, for I can bear 
 it. Tell me, when the fortune of war has favored you when 
 you have vanquished Austria, as you have hitherto every other 
 enemy will you then call me to you? The truth, my friend, 
 the truth!" 
 
 " Very well, I will tell you the truth," exclaimed Napoleon, 
 after a brief hesitation. " No, Josephine I will not. Yon 
 can share my triumphs no more!" 
 
 Josephine uttered a cry, and her eyes filled with tears. " I
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 405 
 
 am doomed, then," she said, "and whatFouche told me was 
 true!" 
 
 "What did he tell you?" asked the emperor, hastily. 
 
 " He told me to prepare for a heavy blow that you, Napo- 
 leon, had secretly applied to the Emperor Alexander for the 
 hand of his sister, and that only the resistance of the dowager 
 prevented you from accomplishing your purpose." 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed Napoleon, moodily, and, as if absent- 
 minded, "yes, the proud empress-dowager hates me, and 
 hastened to marry her daughter to a petty German prince 
 rather than let her become the consort of the Emperor of the 
 French.* Well, no matter! other princes have daughters, 
 too, and one of them will assuredly be only too happy to be- 
 come my wife!" 
 
 " Napoleon, and you dare tell me so?" exclaimed Josephine, 
 reproachfully. " You admit, then, that you are about to 
 disown me?" 
 
 The emperor started. "Pardon me, Josephine," he said, 
 in confusion, " I was absent-minded, I " 
 
 "Yes, you were," interrupted the empress, "and while so, 
 you betrayed your thoughts. It is true, then ! Cruel man ! 
 You have forgotten every thing, and the whole past has been 
 blotted out. You can seriously think of parting with me, 
 your best friend?" 
 
 "No, not now, Josephine," exclaimed Napoleon. "You 
 have nothing to fear. I shall not enter Germany as a wooer, 
 but as a soldier, and I do not desire to seek myrtle-crowns, but 
 laurels!" 
 
 " But, my husband, when you have gained fresh laurels and 
 new territories with the blood of your soldiers, then, I sup- 
 pose, Josephine is to be sacrificed?" 
 
 Napoleon did not reply. He paced the room slowly and 
 with a bowed head. Standing still, he looked with sad eyes 
 in his consort's tearful face. 
 
 "Josephine," he said, in a grave voice, "you have a noble 
 heart, and it will bear the truth. Yes, there may be a day 
 when we shall have to part, although I love you, and I know 
 well that you are the only faithful friend on whom I can rely ! 
 
 * Napoleon ordered Talleyrand at Erfurt to inquire of the Emperor Alexander 
 whether he would permit him to marry his sister. Alexander replied that nothing 
 could afford him greater pleasure than that Napoleon should become his brother-in- 
 law, but the matter did not depend on his decision alone. The em press-dowager 
 must also be consulted. No sooner had she heard of Napoleon's wishes than she in- 
 duced her daughter to marry the Duke of Oldenburg. The notification of the mar- 
 riage of the grand-duchess to this German prince was the only reply that was ever 
 made to Napoleon's inquiring wish.
 
 406 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Judge, therefore, what pangs it will cost me when obliged to 
 come to the terrible resolution to separate from you, my 
 guardian angel! But I belong to my people I belong to my 
 glory ! My power has assumed such gigantic proportions that 
 I must support it with foundations that cannot be overthrown. 
 The Emperor Napoleon must have a successor; if you had 
 given birth to one, I should never have parted from you. 
 Now all hope is gone, and I shall, perhaps, be compelled one 
 day to look for a consort among the daughters of kings. I 
 really do not wish to do so, but my duty to my people makes 
 it imperative." 
 
 "No, not your duty, but your ambition!" cried Josephine, 
 with streaming eyes. " You have sacrificed every thing for 
 that your tranquillity, your conscience, the blood of your 
 soldiers, and now your wife!" 
 
 "Yes, it is as you say, Josephine/' exclaimed Napoleon; 
 " it is my ambition that separates me from you, and compels 
 me to part with her who has been my glory and my life for 
 sixteen years! It is ambition that points its iron arm at my 
 imperial crown, and commands me to look for another em- 
 press, that I and my son may enter the ranks of legitimate 
 princes. I have formed vast plans ; I shall soon effect new 
 convulsions: I shall vanquish all my enemies, and Europe will 
 have to recognize me as her master. But when nothing re- 
 mains to wish for when I have so ascended as to leave no 
 heights above me, then I shall think of securing the happiness 
 and peace of iny people and of my empire. To do so, I am 
 in need of a direct heir. For myself, I ask and wish for 
 nothing ; but my glory belongs to France. After my death 
 my contemporaries will say of me, 'He was the only one who 
 could strive for universal good, while his individual wishes had 
 been gratified ; others thought only of themselves Bonaparte's 
 wishes and deeds were for his country. There was one thing 
 that was dear to him personally, and that was his wife ! But 
 the welfare of his people requiring it, he sacrificed this beloved 
 wife to their interests. ' ' 
 
 "Words!" exclaimed Josephine. "You are vainly trying 
 to conceal your innermost thoughts from me. I know you, 
 Bonaparte, and can read your soul! You wish to connect 
 yourself with the foremost sovereign houses of Europe, because 
 such a union will flatter your pride and your insatiable am- 
 bition. When you are the son-in-law of an emperor or a 
 king, you will believe that you are at liberty to do every thing
 
 JOSEPHINE'S FAREWELL. 407 
 
 with impunity. You will deem yourself a demi-god, and, 
 accompanied by your victorious legions, you will march to 
 the conquest of the whole world. But that will not be your 
 destiny. You believe you can enslave the nations. Beware 
 lest they one day awake, break their chains, and take a terri- 
 ble revenge on the tyrant whom they allowed so long to op- 
 press them! Seduced by your illusive ambition, you will 
 disown Josephine? Infatuated man! you will perceive too 
 late that you walk near a volcano. Oh, Bonaparte, I tremble 
 and weep for you ! Kemember that you have often called me 
 your guardian angel. Believe me, when you disown me, you 
 disown your good fortune. It will forsake the faithless man, 
 and your star will sink in an eternal night! That is what 
 wounds my heart, and drives me to despair. You will be 
 alone in the midst of traitors and false friends. When Jose- 
 phine is with you no more, no one will have good intentions 
 toward you. No one will dare tell you the truth, when you 
 lose your best friend. Falsehood will flatter you, but only to 
 lead you to the verge of the precipice!" The empress, with 
 quivering limbs and pale features, sank on a chair, and cov- 
 ered her face. 
 
 A long pause ensued. Napoleon gloomily continued walk- 
 ing the room. At last he approached Josephine, and gently 
 laid his hand on her shoulder. " Do not weep," he said, im- 
 ploringly. " We have once more allowed phantoms to frighten 
 us, and quarrelled about things that belong to the future. 
 You are still my wife, and who knows whether you will not 
 always remain mine? Who knows whether you will not soon 
 be my widow? I am about to enter into another war, and it 
 will be a desperate, obstinate struggle, in which old Austria 
 will try to wrest the palm of victory from young France. 
 Victory will perch on my banners. I have no doubt of that, 
 but who knows whether I shall not have to pay for it with my 
 blood ! for I must not spare myself I shall always be at the 
 head of my troops, and, like my private soldiers, with them 
 bare my own breast to the hail of bullets. In so decisive a 
 struggle as will take place now, the emperor will be nothing 
 but a soldier, and do his duty." 
 
 "Oh, Bonaparte!" cried Josephine, rising in dismay and 
 clinging to him, "oh, have mercy on my heart! Do not 
 rashly expose yourself to the accidents of battle ! Remember 
 that the fate of millions depends on your life ! Remember 
 that I should die if an accident befall you ! Oh, my dearest
 
 408 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 husband, be kind and generous spare yourself, and spare my 
 love!" 
 
 " Then you love me in spite of your gloomy forebodings?" 
 asked Napoleon, with a gentle smile. " Oh, I know my 
 Josephine is my most faithful and best friend, and whatever 
 may happen, her heart will always be mine. Let this be our 
 farewell, Josephine! I must go; I must depart this very 
 hour. To-morrow I join my army, and my cannon will soon 
 announce to Germany that the victor of Austerlitz and Jena 
 is demonstrating his right to rule, and at his own pleasure to 
 destroy or create kingdoms." 
 
 CHAPTEK XLVI. 
 
 FEKDINAND VON SCHILL. 
 
 A TRAVELLING carriage stopped in front of the house on 
 Frederick Street in which Major von Schill had established 
 his headquarters since his regiment had been sent to Berlin. 
 The horses were wet with perspiration, and the carriage was 
 covered with mud. Every thing indicated that the young 
 man seated in it had made a long and hurried journey, and 
 his exhausted and anxious face induced the belief that the ob- 
 ject could not but be highly important. He alighted hastily, 
 and approached the house, in front of which a crowd of idlers 
 were staring at the windows, Addressing one of them, he 
 asked, " Can you tell me whether Major von Schill lives in 
 this house?" 
 
 " Yes," said the man, proudly; " every good citizen of Ber- 
 lin can tell you that Major Ferdinand von Schill, the favorite 
 of our people and of all partriotic Germans, lives here. " 
 
 The young man smiled. " And can you tell me whether 
 Major von Schill is at home?" 
 
 " Well, what should we stand here for, if Schill were not at 
 home? We are only here to see and salute him when he ap- 
 pears at the window, and to escort him when he leaves the 
 house. He is always surrounded by a guard of honor, com- 
 posed of citizens of Berlin, and the cheers never cease wher- 
 ever he may be. I myself have not yet seen him, for I was ill. 
 But yesterday was my birthday, and my wife presented me 
 with a pipe-bowl with Schill's portrait; my daughter says he 
 is the best-looking man in the world, and she has bought a
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 409 
 
 locket with his portrait, which she is wearing on her neck. I 
 have come to see whether the portraits so much in vogue are 
 like him, and whether he is not only the bravest soldier, but, 
 as the girls pretend, the finest-looking man. I will cheer so 
 vigorously as to shake the statues on the arsenal. I suppose 
 you have also come to see him?" 
 
 "That is all I have come for," said the young man, and, 
 turning to the postilion, who had just unhitched his horses, 
 he shouted : 
 
 " Postilion, when yon arrive at the post-office, order im- 
 mediately some fresh horses for me and send them hither. 
 I shall set out for home in half an hour!" 
 
 He then walked toward the house, elbowing himself through 
 the constantly increasing crowd, and reached the door. After 
 rapidly crossing the hall, he went upstairs. A footman, 
 dressed in a rich livery, who was pacing the corridor on the 
 upper floor, looked inquiringly at the young stranger. 
 
 " Does Major von Schill live here?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "And is he at home?" 
 
 " I am not quite sure I rather believe he has gone out. 
 He is subjected to visits and invitations to such an extent, 
 that I really do not know whether there are persons with him 
 at present, or whether some of his admirers have taken him to 
 another banquet to be given in his honor. The people of Ber- 
 lin are perfectly infatuated with my master, and if an angel 
 should appear upon earth, they could not pay more deference 
 to him. The fuss they are making about him has positively 
 made him ill. Day and night he must attend parties, listen, 
 and reply to a thousand speeches, and take wine with every- 
 body ; and then, again, the ladies are not the least active in 
 demonstrating his popularity. Oh, the people of this city 
 will certainly kill my dear, good master in this way, and I 
 must see to it that he gets occasionally a little rest, and is able 
 to take a peaceful nap on his sofa. I think I must tell you 
 now, sir, that Major von Schill is not at home. He returned 
 only at daybreak from a ball which the city of Berlin gave in 
 his honor ; at noon he will have to attend a banquet to which 
 the governor of Berlin, General von Lestocq, has invited him, 
 and which is in fact another testimonial of the public respect 
 for him. Major von Schill must have some repose, or his 
 popularity will be the death of him. Please return some 
 other time. You cannot see him to-day."
 
 410 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " But, my friend, I cannot return," said the stranger. " I 
 am not one of the citizens of Berlin, but I am an enthusiastic 
 admirer of Schill, and have travelled three days and nights 
 without interruption, in order to bring important news to 
 him." 
 
 " Ah, that alters the case," said the footman. " If you bring 
 important news for my master, I will go and see whether he is 
 at home." 
 
 "Do so, my friend, and tell the major that Eeferendary 
 von Bothmar has come from Cassel expressly to see him. " 
 
 The footman nodded, and hastened into the room, the door 
 of which he had hitherto guarded with the affection of a 
 friend and the obstinacy of a faithful sentinel. He returned 
 in a few minutes, opened the door, and exclaimed : " The 
 major requests you to come in!" 
 
 M. von Bothmar entered. In obedience to the sign the 
 footman made to him, he crossed the anteroom and opened 
 the door of the one adjoining. A fine-looking man in the 
 uniform of a major, with a fresh, florid countenance, and high 
 forehead adorned with a broad scar, came to meet him. It 
 was Ferdinand von Schill, the lieutenant of the queen's 
 dragoons, who, ever since the disastrous battle of Jena, had 
 given such brilliant proofs of his courage and patriotism at 
 Kolberg (and during the guerilla warfare he had afterward 
 entered into on his own responsibility), that the people hoped 
 he would become the savior of the country. The King of 
 Prussia had promoted him to a majority, and conferred on 
 his regiment the honorary distinction that it should be the 
 first Prussian regiment that was to make its entry into Berlin 
 after the French had evacuated the capital. 
 
 "Let me welcome you, my dear sir," said Schill, kindly 
 offering his hand to the young man. " You told my footman 
 you had come from Cassel to bring important news to me. 
 You are, therefore, a good German patriot, and I may greet 
 M. von Bothmar as a friend and brother. But let me hear 
 what you bring glad tidings, I suppose?" 
 
 "No. major, but important," said M. von Bothmar. 
 
 Schill became uneasy, and a deep blush crimsoned his 
 cheeks for a moment. " You know Dornberg?" he inquired. 
 
 " I know him, and I was also aware of his plan, and of the 
 day and hour when his blow was to be struck. " 
 
 "Then he has commenced already?" asked Schill. 
 
 "Yes, commenced and ended," said Bothmar, mourn-
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 411 
 
 fully. "Our noble Dornberg expected too much of the 
 patriotism of the Hessians. He arrived with the legion of 
 his peasants as far as Cassel, and called upon the soldiers to 
 join him in order to expel King Jerome and his French min- 
 ions. But the soldiers did not listen to him ; they obeyed the 
 orders of their officers, and turned their arms against their 
 German brethren, who were soon routed and dispersed." 
 
 "This is really dreadful!" ejaculated Schill. "And 
 Dornberg?" 
 
 " Dornberg succeeded in making his escape; he will prob- 
 ably go to Prague, where the Elector of Hesse is at present 
 residing." 
 
 " Well, I am glad that he is at least safe," exclaimed Schill, 
 breathing more freely. " The defeat is a disastrous blow, to 
 be sure, but the good news that we have just received will 
 afford us consolation for it. The Archduke Charles has 
 gained a glorious victory over the French at Hof." 
 
 " Can that be positively true?" exclaimed Bothmar. " Dur- 
 ing my whole journey I did not hear a word about it. On the 
 contrary, I learned everywhere only the mournful intelligence 
 that Napoleon had put himself at the head of his army, and 
 was advancing victoriously in the direction of Vienna." 
 
 " And yet my statement is perfectly true. General Lestocq, 
 governor of Berlin, in joyful commemoration of this victory,, 
 issued to-day the countersign of 'Charles and Hof!' ' 
 
 " Heaven grant that you are correctly informed, and that 
 the general is not mistaken!" said M. von Bothmar, sighing. 
 " Pardon me for not sharing your confidence. The deplorable 
 turn our affairs have taken in Hesse has discouraged me, and 
 then but I am not through yet with the news which brought 
 me to you." 
 
 "Speak, sir, what else has happened?" exclaimed Schill. 
 
 "Excuse me," said M. von Bothmar, "should I assume the 
 semblance of one of your most trusted confidants, and take the 
 liberty of speaking to you about your most secret plans. You 
 intrusted to your faithful friend and follower, Rom berg, let- 
 ters and proclamations to be circulated in Westphalia. Am 
 I right?" 
 
 "You are." 
 
 " You gave to him private letters for Counsellor von 
 Ledebour, at Bielefeld, and for Colonel von Sobbe, who were 
 to head the insurrection in that part of the country?" 
 
 "I did, sir; you are right." 
 27
 
 412 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Well, then, major, Kom berg was arrested at Magdeburg; 
 all his papers, letters, and proclamations, were seized, and 
 General Michaud sent him under guard to Cassel." 
 
 "Eomberg imprisoned! My dear, faithful Romberg in 
 danger!" exclaimed Schill, mournfully. 
 
 "No," said M. von Bothmar, solemnly, "Romberg is no 
 longer imprisoned; he is not now in danger." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 " I mean that Romberg, immediately after his arrival at 
 Cassel, was tried by a court-martial, and that sentence of 
 death was at once passed upon him." 
 
 " He has been shot?" 
 
 "Yes, Schill, Romberg has been shot." 
 
 Schill uttered a cry, and covered his face with his hands. 
 " Oh!" he murmured, " I have lost my most faithful friend, 
 and Germany one of her noblest sons. He was an humble 
 peasant, but the heart of a great patriot was throbbing under 
 his blouse. He was the Andrew Hofer of the North, and his 
 death is a terrible disaster! But I will not complain," added 
 Schill " no, I will not complain. Blessed are the dead, and 
 who knows how soon we ourselves shall have to bid farewell to 
 life? The storm is threatening us on all sides." 
 
 " And it is threatening our noble Schill, the hope of Ger- 
 many," exclaimed M. von Bothmar. "I have told you that 
 all Romberg's papers were seized, and among them the letters 
 which you wrote to your friends Ledebour and Sobbe. Your 
 proclamations were read by the French authorities, and as they 
 thereby became aware of your plans, they will at once take 
 steps to put a stop to your agitation, and, if possible, put you to 
 death. Would Prussia be powerful and courageous enough 
 to protect you, if the King of Westphalia should charge you 
 with being a traitor and demagogue, and if Napoleon should 
 insist on your punishment?" 
 
 " It is true," said Schill, "you point out to me an imminent 
 danger, from which I can only escape by striking immediately. 
 If we give our enemies time to mature their plans, all will be 
 lost. We must, therefore, act at once. We must hesitate no 
 longer, but begin even before my comrades here have learned 
 that Romberg did not succeed in his enterprise. We may be 
 more successful, for God will perhaps be merciful to me: He 
 has decreed, perhaps, that Schill shall first of all break the 
 chains imposed on us by the foreign despot." 
 
 " Germany hopes in Schill," exclaimed Bothmar, enthusias-
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 113 
 
 tically, " and hence I was bold enough to violate the oath of 
 allegiance which I had taken to King Jerome, and disclose to 
 the German hero the danger menacing him. I am a refer- 
 endary at the department of state in Cassel, and accordingly 
 I soon heard of the danger to which you are exposed. Under 
 the pretext that I intended to enforce tranquillity and obe- 
 dience among the peasants on my estate, situated a few 
 miles from Cassel, I obtained leave of absence for six days, 
 and hastened hither. I set out from there three days 
 ago, and, thank God ! I have found you in time to give you 
 warning." 
 
 " Thanks to you," exclaimed Schill, affectionately embracing 
 M. von Bothmar ; " you have saved my life, perhaps ; at all 
 events, you have rendered an important service to the sacred 
 cause of the fatherland." 
 
 " Every one must serve the fatherland in his own way, and 
 according to his ability," said Bothmar, gently; "you are 
 serving it by your heroic arm and soul-stirring example; I am 
 doing so by trying at least to prevent mischief, and to assist 
 my brethren as much as I can. My task now is accomplished! 
 Farewell ! and may Heaven grant victory to your patriotic 
 zeal!" 
 
 "Where are you going?" said Schill, grasping Bothmar's 
 arm and detaining him. " You must not leave me yet; you 
 must remain here at least to-day, that but what is the mean- 
 ing of this bugle-call?" 
 
 " It means that the postilion has arrived with horses, and 
 calls me," said M. von Bothmar, smiling. 
 
 " What ! You have travelled three days and three nights, 
 and are departing so soon?" 
 
 " Have I not told you that I obtained leave of absence only 
 for six days? Well, then, three days hence I shall be in Cas- 
 sel again, and, I believe, I have improved my six days in a 
 highly commendable manner." 
 
 "Farewell, noble young man! when we meet again, Ger- 
 many, if it please God, will be free and happy!" 
 
 " Oh, may it be so!" said M. von Bothmar, sighing. " Be 
 prudent, sir, do not endanger your life; remember that it 
 does not belong to you, but to the fatherland, and now fare- 
 well ! The impatient postilion is sounding his bugle again. 
 Farewell!" 
 
 He quickly left the room, but Schill accompanied to the 
 staircase the friend he had gained so suddenly. He returned
 
 414 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 to his room and hastened to the window, to wave his hand 
 once more to M. von Bothmar. Loud cheers greeted him as 
 soon as his countenance was recognized behind the window- 
 panes; the crowd in front of the house constantly increased, 
 and when he appeared to the longing eyes of the citizens, they 
 could not suppress their loud huzzas. 
 
 " They do me too much honor," said Schill to himself, smil- 
 ing, and stepping back from the window. " But their love 
 and its boisterous demonstrations are not exactly intended for 
 myself individually. These kind people greet in me the first 
 hope dawning to them after a long period of darkness; and, 
 therefore, I will joyfully indulge them, and I will thank 
 them by brave deeds. Yes, by deeds! The time of procrasti- 
 nation is over. I must hesitate no longer: I must act!" 
 
 His servant entered and handed him some letters just 
 brought for him. He opened and read them rapidly. The 
 perfume of the firs, written on rose-colored note-paper, made 
 him smile. " It is the sixth declaration of love that I have 
 received to-day," he said, in a low voice, "and the sixth re- 
 quest for a rendezvous to-night. Oh, women ! how innocent 
 in your enthusiasm for poor Schill ! You imagine you love 
 me, and do not know that it is the fatherland that you love in 
 me! I will reconquer your country, and bring back that 
 sweet liberty which the tyrant has taken from us. Until 
 then, no Cupid's love! My heart must belong wholly to 
 Germany!" 
 
 He read the second letter. " Another painter asks me to 
 sit to him! Why, have not the people already portraits 
 enough of poor Schill? Has not every old citizen my head on 
 his pipe or his snuff-box? Does not every pretty girl wear my 
 scarred face in her locket? I have no time to spare for 
 painters; I must take the field!" 
 
 He opened the third; but while he read it, his eyes were 
 sad. " Again the same admonition which I have so often re- 
 ceived. Do they doubt my patriotism? Do they believe 
 that I am a traitor, and will suffer the opportunity to pass 
 by without improving it?" 
 
 He looked at the letter again, which contained only the 
 following words: "Brutus, thou sleepest, awake!"* 
 
 "No," he exclaimed, in a powerful voice, "I do not sleep. 
 
 * Schill received almost daily, from various parts of Germany, letters containing 
 nothing but those words. A secret society, extending throughout Germany, seemed 
 to have made it a special duty to instigate Schill to strike the blow, lest the homage 
 lie received in Berlin should render him forgetful of his mission.
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 415 
 
 I am awake, and behold the golden dawn of freedom! O 
 Germany, my arm and my honor belong to thee! To thee 
 and to her!" he whispered, almost inaudibly. " Yes, to her 
 the genius of Prussia! For her I will sacrifice my life!" 
 
 The door opened again, and the footman entered. " Major, 
 there is another gentleman who desires to see you on pressing 
 business. I wanted to turn him off, but he said it was indis- 
 pensable for him to see you. He told me he wished to deliver 
 to the major something that would gladden his heart. His 
 name is High-Chamberlain von Schladen, and he said he had 
 just arrived from Konigsberg." 
 
 "Show him in at once," exclaimed Schill, but, in his im- 
 petuosity, he himself led the way and opened the door. 
 
 " Come in, Mr. High-Chamberlain, and forgive me for mak- 
 ing you wait even a moment," he said, offering his hand to 
 M. von Schladen, and conducting him into his sitting-room. 
 " You come from Konigsberg?" 
 
 " Yes, major, and I bring you greetings from your friends, 
 from the brethren of the great league, and also from the king 
 and the queen." 
 
 "She really told you to greet me in her name?" asked 
 Schill. " Oh, do not deceive me ; tell me the truth ! Did the 
 queen really tell you that?" 
 
 "She did more than that, major," said M. von Schladen, 
 smiling; "she intrusted to me a present for you, which I am 
 to deliver to yourself, and which she made for you with her 
 own hands." 
 
 At this moment Schill was a truly handsome man. If the 
 ladies and the painters of Berlin had seen him just then, they 
 would have been transported at his noble countenance, as 
 his black eyes sparkled with joy. " The queen sends me a 
 present!" he exclaimed "a present which she herself has 
 made!" 
 
 " Yes, and on which she inscribed your name with her own 
 hand, that it might be to you a plain and undeniable proof of 
 her favor." 
 
 "Oh, give it to me, sir!" exclaimed Schill, stretching out 
 his hands. 
 
 M. von Schladen drew a small package, wrapped in paper, 
 from his bosom, and handed it to Schill. 
 
 " On my knees will I receive this present from my queen!" 
 exclaimed Schill. " Oh, it seems to me as though she were 
 standing before me, looking at me with that sad smile which
 
 416 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 brings tears into the eyes of all who behold her ! When I was 
 at Konigsberg the other day, it was permitted me to speak to 
 her, and press my lips on her hand. With that kiss I devoted 
 myself to her for my whole life, and she is ever before my 
 eyes, clothed in a sort of divine beauty as a Madonna hold- 
 ing the Messiah of Freedom in her arms! And the noble 
 queen, to whom I pray every night as to a saint, sends me a 
 present which she has made for me with her own hands? Oh, 
 am I worthy of such kindness; have I done any thing entitling 
 me to such a proof of condescension on her part, and arn I 
 thus honored by her who is the guardian angel of Prussia ! 
 whom Napoleon hates, because he fears her zeal and fidelity. 
 As a vestal, she has kept alive the fire of patriotism on the 
 altar of her country. When all despair, she still hopes for the 
 redemption of her people from a victorious but merciless 
 enemy. I will consecrate my life anew to her, though un- 
 worthy of the distinguished regard she bestows on me by this 
 present, the work of her own royal hands." 
 
 " Yes, but you are worthy of the favor of our noble queen," 
 said M. von Schladen, solemnly, " for you are the representa- 
 tive hero of Germany, and Heaven has decreed, perhaps, that 
 you should break the first link of the chain with which the 
 usurper has fettered our country. As soon as that link is 
 broken, it will be easy to break the rest. You, Major von 
 Schill, are the hope of Germany the hope of Queen Louisa. 
 Take, then, the present which she sends you, worthy cham- 
 pion of the cause of her country!" 
 
 He handed the package to the major. Schill, kneeling, 
 took it and unfolded the wrapper. It contained a magnificent 
 memorandum-book, embroidered in gold, and closed with a 
 gold pencil. Schill admired the rich art displayed in the 
 book, and, opening it, looked for the autograph of the queen. 
 He uttered a joyful cry. The queen had written these words, 
 in small, neat characters: "For brave Major von Schill. 
 Louisa." 
 
 Schill pressed his lips on the words, and then, closing the 
 book, put it into his bosom, and rose from his knees. " It 
 will rest on my heart as long as I live," he said; "its every 
 pulsation belongs to her! And now, M. von Schladen, what 
 is the state of affairs at Konigsberg? What hopes are enter- 
 tained there?" 
 
 "Hopes!" exclaimed M. von Schladen, with a mournful 
 smile; "none only apprehensions."
 
 FERDINAND VON SCHILL. 417 
 
 "And they do not yet think of bidding defiance to the 
 tyrant, and of recalling noble Baron von Stein?" 
 
 " No, they dare not do so. Stein, proscribed by Napoleon, 
 forsaken by his king, who sacrificed him at the emperor's be- 
 hest, is living in exile, deprived of his whole property, which 
 Napoleon confiscated; he is without employment, without 
 influence, far from his country, far from his friends. The 
 Emperor of Austria did what the King of Prussia dare not do: 
 he gave an aslyum to the proscribed patriot; Baron von Stein 
 is now with his family at Brunn." 
 
 " And the king?" asked Schill. " Does he not feel it as a 
 wound to bow to the tyrant's behest, and dismiss his noblest 
 and ablest servant?" 
 
 " He does, perhaps," replied M. von Schladen, hesitatingly; 
 " but he does not say so. The afflictions of the past years 
 have broken his courage, and rendered him irresolute and 
 timid. As soon as he received Napoleon's orders, he dis- 
 missed Baron von Stein, without bestowing any token of 
 kindness or gratitude. Every true Prussian deeply felt this 
 treatment ; one of the most faithful and upright servants of 
 the king, District-Councillor Scheffner, who has every day 
 interviews with the queen, dared even to write a letter to the 
 king, informing him of the indignation prevailing every- 
 where. He asked the king to gladden the hearts of all good 
 Prussians, and to give a courageous proof of his royal grati- 
 tude toward the eminent minister, by conferring the order of 
 the Black Eagle upon Baron von Stein." 
 
 " And what did the king say to him?" 
 
 " He replied that he was very sorry that he was unable to 
 comply with this request. Although he entertained the high- 
 est respect for Baron von Stein, and would be glad to confer 
 this exalted distinction on him, it would be highly improper 
 at the present time to make so dangerous a demonstration." 
 
 " Such is the gratitude of kings toward their faithful ser- 
 vants!" exclaimed Schill, in a tone of bitter reproach; "such 
 is the manner in which they reward those who have sacrificed 
 for them their property and life ! But we do not struggle for 
 kings and princes; we are serving the adored fatherland; we 
 are fighting for liberty, and the death which we find on the 
 field of honor is an order of the Black Eagle which the great 
 fatherland confers on us! Germany, one day I shall also 
 receive this honor at thy hands; free Germany will adorn my 
 corpse with it!"
 
 418 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Oh, what desponding words you are now uttering!' said 
 M. von Schladen, anxiously. " Who can be courageous and 
 hopeful when Schill talks of death?" 
 
 "I am not desponding," exclaimed Schill, smiling, "but I 
 have a foreboding that I am to seal my love for Germany with 
 my heart's blood. I am almost glad of it, for friendships so 
 sealed are said to be eternal, and Germany will, perhaps, re- 
 vere my memory when I die for her. And Louisa! What 
 says the queen? How does she bear these days of humili- 
 ation?" 
 
 " Like a heroine ! Like a queen whose kingdom is not of 
 this world. Her cheeks are pale, but a spirt of resignation 
 pervades her countenance, and when she turns her blue eyes 
 upward, there is an expression in them that plainly reveals 
 her yearning for a home in heaven!" 
 
 "But her health is good?" inquired Schill, anxiously. 
 " She is not ill?" 
 
 " That is to say, she is not positively ill, but her whole life 
 is that of a martyr. Her heart is broken; she suffers men- 
 tally, while she is not altogether free from physical pain. 
 But she never complains, and, alas! the physicians know of 
 no remedy. There is but one for our smiling, suffering 
 queen, and that is the deliverance of her country!" 
 
 " Germany must and shall be delivered," exclaimed Schill, 
 enthusiastically. " Something must be done ! We must arouse 
 the sleepers; we must compel them to act!" 
 
 " You are right ! The nation must wake and rise. That 
 is the opinion of all patriots, as well as of the queen. And 
 we are looking with trusting hearts toward you; we hope 
 that you will give this impetus to our countrymen. It is 
 out of the question to hesitate longer ; we must act. Austria 
 is in the field ; her people are exultingly marching to vanquish 
 the tyrant, who, with his proud armies, has again penetrated 
 into Germany. The report that the Archduke Charles has 
 gained a victory is as though it were the first herald announc- 
 ing to us safety and restoration. Hope fills every heart. As 
 soon as Schill unfurls his banner and calls upon his brethren 
 to commence the holy struggle for the liberation of the father- 
 land, patriotic men from all the states of Prussia and North 
 Germany will rally around him ; the enthusiasm of the people 
 will rush like a torrent carrying away the king and his minis- 
 ters in spite of themselves; their hesitations, fears, and 
 cowardice, will be overwhelmed by the public determination.
 
 SCHILL TAKES THE FIELD. 419 
 
 The hope of the queen is in Schill's heroic example; it is the 
 hope of Gneisenau, Bliicher, and Scharnhorst; it is the hope 
 of all!" 
 
 " And it shall be fulfilled," exclaimed Schill. " Brutus does 
 not sleep. He is awake, and ready for action. I swear it by 
 this precious gift of my queen!" He drew the memorandum- 
 book from his bosom. Solemnly laying his hand on it, and 
 raising his eyes toward heaven, he said : " I swear that I will 
 draw my sword now for the fight of liberty that I will not 
 sheath it until this sacred cause has been carried to a glorious 
 conclusion, unless forbidden by death longer to serve my 
 queen and country!" He pressed the book against his lips, 
 and then opening it read again Louisa's words. As he turned 
 over the leaves, a scrap of paper fell upon the floor. Picking 
 it up, he saw that it contained a single line written in the 
 same small handwriting: "Der Konig schwankt; Schill, 
 ziehen sie mit Gott !" * " Yes, Heaven is on our side, to fight 
 for Germany and her noble queen!" exclaimed Schill. "I 
 will depart to-morrow!" 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 BOHILL TAKES THE FIELD. 
 
 THE following afternoon (March 28, 1809) Major Ferdi- 
 nand von Schill proceeded with his regiment through the 
 streets of Berlin to- the Halle gate. The people saluted him 
 everywhere with loud cheers and waving of hats. 
 
 Schill thanked them more gravely than he had hitherto 
 done, and marched his soldiers out of the gate. No one was 
 surprised at this ; all supposed that he only intended to-day, 
 as he had often done, to drill his troops and to encamp near 
 the city. His adjutants, Barsch and Liitzow, were, however, 
 aware of his plans, and had secretly made preparations to carry 
 them into effect. 
 
 The regiment took the road to Potsdam. Major von Schill 
 and his two adjutants rode at its head, and patriotic songs 
 from the soldiers resounded along their march. About half- 
 way between Berlin and Potsdam, near the village of Steglitz, 
 the major stopped his horse, and, with a wave of his sword, 
 ordered the regiment to halt; then to move from the road 
 
 * "The king hesitates : Schill. march with God ! "
 
 420 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 into the adjoining field, and form in square. The command 
 was obeyed in a few minutes; and Major von Schill, resting 
 in the centre on his chestnut charger, surveyed his men with 
 evident pleasure. 
 
 All eyes were turned toward him all hearts were beating 
 with affection for that man of indomitable courage towering 
 above them. Addressing them, his sonorous voice rang over 
 the welkin as the first notes of a trumpet summoning to the 
 field of blood. 
 
 "Soldiers," he said, "comrades! the moment has come to 
 fight the enemy, against whom all our souls are filled with 
 hatred the despoiler of thrones, who has plunged our father- 
 land into such distress; who has trampled under foot all the 
 rights of man; to whom no treaty, no peace is sacred, and 
 who is only waiting for an opportunity utterly to destroy the 
 constitution of our country. The perfidious oppressor thus 
 treated Spain, after she had made numerous sacrifices to him 
 in order to preserve peace. He intends to degrade Prussia in 
 the same manner, and not to rest until he has dethroned our 
 beloved king and prostrated the illustrious dynasty of the 
 Hohenzollerns. But never shall he succeed in carrying out 
 so nefarious a plan! Austria, Germany, every patriotic heart 
 is rising against him, and we Prussians cannot remain behind. 
 It is a sacred obligation to fight for the fatherland, for our 
 beloved king, for the queen whom we all worship, a precious 
 token from whom I am now holding in my hand, and for 
 whom we are ready at any hour to die !" 
 
 While uttering these words, Schill waved the embroidered 
 memorandum-book, which flashed in the sunbeams as a 
 trophy and pledge of victory. 
 
 Shouts burst from the soldiers. "Hurrah!" they cried, 
 "long live the king and the queen! long live Major von 
 Schill!" 
 
 "Boys," exclaimed Schill, "will you follow me, and fight 
 for Germany and our king?" 
 
 "Yes, we will, we will!" shouted the hussars, drawing their 
 sabres and waving them over their heads. 
 
 " Will you swear to stand by your commander to the last 
 extremity?" 
 
 " We swear to stand by you to the last!" was the enthusias- 
 tic answer, while the soldiers looked exultantly at each other, 
 and exchanged congratulations at the opening of the cam- 
 paign. But no one had thought of future dangers or the
 
 SCHILL TAKES THE FIELD. 421 
 
 necessities of a soldier's life. They had nothing but their 
 uniforms; leaving in Berlin all their money and clothing, 
 and, unaware of this sudden movement, they had not even 
 taken leave of their parents, wives, and children. Every 
 thing was forgotten in their partiotism, so soon and un- 
 expectedly tested in their glowing desire to save their coun- 
 try, and gain a name on the field of honor. 
 
 The march was continued to Potsdam. There they rested 
 over night, and the servants of the officers joined them in the 
 morning, bringing from the governor of Berlin passports for 
 Schill. The brave little regiment soon after left for an as- 
 sault on the fortress of Wittenberg. It was not taken, but 
 the commander of Wittenberg concluded an armistice with 
 Schill, and permitted him and his soldiers, with their drums 
 beating, to march under the cannon of the fortress, and to 
 pass the bridge built at that place over the Elbe. 
 
 On the 2d of May the regiment reached Dessau. The duke 
 had fled, but the inhabitants received the Prussian hussars in 
 the most ardent manner, and hailed Schill as the hero who 
 would free the people from the yoke under which they were 
 groaning. 
 
 The expedition was no longer a secret. The joyful news 
 spread : " Schill has taken the field against Napoleon ; he has 
 called the Germans to arms, and they will rally around his 
 banner!" He himself believed in success, firmly convinced 
 that it was only necessary for him to issue a proclamation, and 
 the people would rise en masse. He resolved to do so from 
 his headquarters at Dessau. No sooner had he reached that 
 city than he hurriedly prepared his call "To the Germans!" 
 The ink was not yet dry, when he took the paper, and, ac- 
 companied by his adjutants, went to the house of M. Hor- 
 muth, printer to the court, and asked to see him. The 
 printer soon made his appearance, and anxiously asked Schill 
 his business. 
 
 "You will please print this proclamation, sir," said Schill, 
 handing him the paper; " it must be ready in an hour." 
 
 "Major," said Hormuth, glancing despairingly at the 
 scarcely legible handwriting, " I cannot print it, for I am 
 unable to read it." 
 
 " Oh, I will read it to you," exclaimed Schill, and he com- 
 menced : 
 
 "To THE GERMANS! Brethren, groaning under the yoke 
 of a foreign nation ! the moment has arrived when you are
 
 422 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 able to break your chains, and to regain the constitution 
 under which you have lived in happiness and prosperity for 
 centuries, un til the boundless ambition of a conqueror brought 
 incalculable calamities upon our country. Eise! Be men! 
 Follow me, and we shall again be what we were! King the 
 tocsin ! Let this signal fan the flame of patriotism in your 
 hearts, and be the death-knell of your oppressors ! Take up 
 arms! Scythes and pikes may take the place of muskets. 
 They will soon be replaced by English weapons already arrived. 
 Wielded by strong arms, even the peaceful scythe becomes 
 fatal. Let every one arm himself, and share the glory of the 
 liberators of the fatherland, fighting not only for himself but 
 for the safety and happiness of future generations ! He who 
 is cowardly enough to disobey this call, will be consigned to 
 contempt and infamy. No noble German girl will ever bestow 
 her hand upon such a traitor. Courage ! God is with us and 
 our just cause. Let the old men pray for us! The armies of 
 Austria are advancing victoriously, notwithstanding the 
 boasts of the IVench ; the brave Tyrolese have already broken 
 their chains; the courageous Hessians have risen, and I am 
 hastening to you at the head of well-tried and skilful soldiers. 
 The just cause will soon conquer, and the ancient glory of our 
 country will be restored. To arms! to arms! SCHILL." 
 
 " Now, sir," said Schill, " I suppose you will be able to read 
 my handwriting and to print it?" 
 
 " Now that I know the contents," said M. Hormuth, shak- 
 ing his head, "I know also that he who prints this proclama- 
 tion endangers his life, and that he may lose it just as soon 
 as Palm. Sir, I have a wife and children ; I am happy with 
 my family; hence life is dear to me, and I should not like to 
 lose it like poor Palm. He did much less than you ask me to 
 do. He only circulated a pamphlet hostile to the French, but 
 I am to print a proclamation calling upon all Germans to rise 
 in arms against the Emperor of the French. Major, I risk 
 my life by complying with your order." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Schill, angrily; "you are a German, 
 and refuse to serve the holy cause of your country? You re- 
 fuse to print this proclamation?" 
 
 "No, I will print it," said M. Hormuth, slowly; "I will 
 print it, but only on one condition." 
 
 " Well, and that condition is " 
 
 " That you, major, be kind enough to hold a pistol to my 
 breast and threaten to shoot me, in case I refuse. You must
 
 SCHILL TAKES THE FIELD. , 423 
 
 do so in the presence of my compositors, and give me a writ- 
 ten certificate that I yielded only to violence." 
 
 " M. Hormuth, you are a very prudent man, and it will 
 afford me great pleasure to fulfil your wishes," said Schill, 
 smilingly, drawing his pistol and aiming at the printer. 
 
 "Pray, major, do not cock it, for the pistol might go off," 
 said Hormuth, anxiously. "Now be kind enough to hold it 
 to my breast, and shout in a loud and menacing voice that 
 you will shoot me like a dog if I refuse to print this paper. 
 Distribute also some insulting epithets call me a coward, a 
 renegade, any thing you can think of, and as loud and 
 threatening as you can." 
 
 "Very well, I will do all that," said Schill, laughing, and 
 his adjutants, as well as M. Hormuth himself, joined in the 
 sport. 
 
 " Now, let us go to work," said Schill. 
 
 "Will you print this proclamation, you miserable coward? 
 Why, you have not pluck enough to be a German ! I ask you, 
 for the last time, will you print the proclamation?" 
 
 "Sir, have mercy upon me!" wailed M. Hormuth, in a 
 terrified tone. " I cannot print it. It is impossible, sir; 
 impossible!" 
 
 " You villain, I will kill you on the spot if you dare resist 
 me," cried Schill. "I " 
 
 " My compositors will be here presently," said M. Hormuth. 
 " Please go on in the same strain." 
 
 " I will shoot you like a dog if you do not obey!" 
 
 "Help! help! oh, major, have mercy!" 
 
 The doors opened, and there appeared at one door the com- 
 positors and pressmen ; at the other, Madame Hormuth with 
 her children. 
 
 "Will you print my proclamation, you infamous scoun- 
 drel?" shouted Schill. "Say no, and I will put a bullet 
 through your cowardly heart!" 
 
 "Sir, I cannot; I " 
 
 " Husband, I beseech you !" cried Madame Hormuth, rush- 
 ing toward him. "Husband, consider what you are doing; 
 think of your children, think of me, and comply with the 
 wishes of the major." 
 
 " No! I will die rather than print so seditious a paper!" 
 
 " Very well, then, you shall die," said Schill. " You refuse 
 to print, and I will assuredly shoot you." 
 
 " M. Hormuth, you may as well yield," said the compos-
 
 424 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 itors. " It is prudent to submit to necessity. Besides, we are 
 somewhat interested, for your death would throw us out of 
 work." 
 
 "I will yield," said M. Hormuth, sighing. "Take away 
 your pistol, major. I will print your proclamation ; but be 
 so good as to certify that I consent only on account of your 
 threats and violence. My workmen will sign the certificate 
 as witnesses, will you not?" 
 
 " Yes, certainly, we will cheerfully witness what is true." 
 
 "Very well," said M. Hormuth. "Now quick, boys; go 
 to work! Here is the manuscript. Let four compositors 
 take it. Divide the copy into four parts; the composition 
 must be done in fifteen minutes, and the printing in two 
 hours. How many copies do you want, major?" 
 
 " Ten thousand." 
 
 " Very well, ten thousand copies to be done in two hours. 
 We must remember my life is at stake ; for I suppose you will 
 shoot me, major, if we should disappoint you?" 
 
 " You may be sure of that. Now give me the pen and ink 
 that I may draw up that certificate for you." 
 
 The ten thousand printed copies arrived exactly two hours 
 afterward at the headquarters of Major von Schill, and M. 
 Hormuth, who refused to take any payment for them, re- 
 ceived in return a certificate that he had been forcibly com- 
 pelled to print them. 
 
 The brave regiment left Dessau on the following day, still 
 in the joyful hope that the German people would rise, and 
 that a host of warriors would respond to the call for the de- 
 liverance of the fatherland. But alas ! this hope was not to 
 be fulfilled. The population of the cities and villages received 
 SchilPs hussars and their heroic chieftain in the most gratify- 
 ing manner. His proclamation was read everywhere with 
 unbounded pleasure, but no one dared to follow him; no 
 scythes or pikes were to be seen in the array of this little band 
 of patriots. There was but one glad day for Schill ; that was 
 on the 12th of May, when Lieutenant von Quistorp, from 
 Berlin, joined him with a hundred and sixty men, who had 
 left their colors and came with him to reenforce " brave 
 Schill, the liberator of Germany." 
 
 But Quistorp brought at the same time bad news. The 
 report of a victory of the Austrians had proved unfounded. 
 The Archduke Charles had obtained no advantages; on the 
 contrary, after a succession of desperate engagements, he was
 
 SCHILL TAKES THE FIELD. 425 
 
 beaten on the 23d of April at Ratisbon, and escaped with the 
 remnant of his army into the Bohmerwald. The Emperor 
 Napoleon had advanced with his victorious forces in the direct 
 road to Vienna. 
 
 "If Napoleon takes Vienna," said Schill to himself, "then 
 we shall all perish! But we will still hope and trust; the 
 fortune of war may turn yet. The Emperor of Austria is still 
 in Vienna, and the citizens have sworn to be buried under the 
 ruins of their city rather than open its gates again to the 
 enemy. Let us hope, therefore, and fight." Turning to 
 Quistorp, he continued: "Every thing may yet turn out 
 well. My proclamation ma} find an echo in the hearts of my 
 Prussian comrades, and they may unite with us. To-day, 
 you, Lieutenant von Quistorp, have arrived with one hundred 
 and sixty men ; to-morrow another friend may join us with 
 several thousand. Before long we shall have a considerable 
 army, and this will inspire those still hesitating, and make 
 the timid bold. The larger our force, the firmer will be the 
 confidence of the king, and finally he will freely and openly 
 order all the regiments to join us and commence the struggle." 
 
 "Do not hope in the king, major," said Lieutenant von 
 Quistorp, sadly. " The failure of Dornberg's rising, the de- 
 feat of the Archduke Charles, and the new victories of Napo- 
 leon, have made him more resolute than ever; he is afraid of 
 Napoleon's anger and vengeance, and, more indisposed than 
 ever to incur them, he has publicly and solemnly repudiated 
 your bold movement." 
 
 "What has the king done?" exclaimed Schill, turning 
 pale; " what do you know?" 
 
 " I now that the king has also issued a proclamation, in 
 which he says that he cannot find words sufficiently forcible 
 to express his disapproval of your illegal and criminal con- 
 duct ; he calls upon the army not to be seduced by your ex- 
 ample, and orders you, and all with you, to be tried by a 
 court-martial." 
 
 "That is impossible!" cried Schill, in great excitement; 
 " the king cannot forsake me in so shameful a manner! You 
 have been misinformed, Quistorp ; certain persons have tried 
 to deter you from joining me by false reports." 
 
 "No," said Quistorp, "you are mistaken. I was already 
 on the march to Arneburg, when, a few miles from here, a 
 courier, under instructions from General Chassot, overtook 
 me. In order to warn me, the general sent me the proclamu-
 
 426 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 tion of the king, and ordered me to face about immediately 
 and return to my regiment. He added that this was the last 
 order he would issue, for he, as well as General Lestocq, gov- 
 ernor of Berlin, had been called, by order of the king, to 
 Konigsberg, where both of them were to be tried by a military 
 commission. Here are the papers, major." 
 
 Schill glanced over them, and, while reading, his hands 
 trembled. " This is a terrible blow," he said, sighing. "The 
 king proscribes me, and brands me as a traitor and deserter. 
 It is all in vain! Germany is asleep, and our voice will not 
 ji waken her; Germany lies in the dust before the French 
 tyrant, and the King of Prussia will punish as traitors those 
 who act courageously! Oh, my country, thou art lost, for 
 thy own princes betray thee!" 
 
 He sank despairingly on a chair, and hid his face with his 
 hands. In this attitude he remained, groaning piteously, a 
 prey to his anguish. The adjutants entered the room, but 
 Schill did not notice them. Absorbed in his reflections and 
 forebodings, his mind, as it were, had passed from the con- 
 templation of the present, and beheld nothing but the awful 
 future. 
 
 The three young officers, Liitzow, Quistorp, and Barsch, 
 well known for their intrepidity, stood sad and dejected be- 
 fore their brave major. 
 
 Suddenly rising from his chair, he said : " I thank you, 
 Lieutenant von Quistorp, for having joined me with your 
 faithful men. Germany will see at least that there are still 
 brave men who do not forsake their country, and if we sacri- 
 fice our lives for her, she will at least engrave our names on 
 the tablets of her martyrs. We cannot retrace our steps, my 
 friends ; we must advance, though death stare us in the face. 
 This very night we leave Arneburg, and continue our march. 
 We may still succeed in what Dornberg and Charles have been 
 unable to accomplish. We shall appeal again to the patriot- 
 ism of the Germans. Perhaps their hearts will practically 
 respond they may hear our voice and follow us. But if 
 fortune have decided against us, if we succumb without 
 delivering our country, very well! 'An end with terror 
 is better than terror without end!' Before us is honor, 
 and at the worst, a glorious death; behind us, contumely 
 and disgrace. Therefore, forward!"
 
 SCHILL'S DEATH. 427 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 SCHILL'S DEATH. 
 
 SCHILL was sitting, sad and deserted, at his lonely quarters 
 in Rostock, where, after many adventures, he arrived on the 
 20th of May. He had succeeded in nothing; fortune had not 
 once been favorable to him. He had intended to turn toward 
 Magdeburg, in hope that its garrison of Westphalian troops 
 would joyously open the gates of the fortress, and declare 
 against King Jerome, who had been forced upon them. But, 
 at a distance of a German mile from the city the columns of 
 the enemy had met him, and an engagement had taken place 
 at Dodendorf. It was in vain that Schill had sent a flag of 
 truce to his German brethren to request them to join him, 
 imploring them not to betray the fatherland for the sake of a 
 French king. 
 
 The Westphalians shot the bearer of the flag of truce, and 
 a murderous fire was their only reply. Now began the des- 
 perate struggle of brethren against brethren of Germans 
 against Germans! 
 
 Schill was victorious in this battle. He mortally wounded 
 the French commander of the Westphalians, Colonel Vautier ; 
 his hussars fought like lions and dispersed the enemy ; a hun- 
 dred and sixty prisoners, several stands of colors, and a large 
 number of small-arms, were the trophies of this brilliant 
 affair. But he was unable to derive any benefit from the 
 Dodendorf victory ; fearing lest a larger corps should leave 
 Magdeburg and attack him, he retreated, overwhelmed with 
 grief, for he at last understood that the German soldiers were 
 deaf to his appeals, and that the Westphalians, faithful to 
 their French king, refused to desert him. 
 
 Nor had Schill's second victory, the occupation of Donritz, 
 been advantageous to him. Moreover, dissensions had arisen 
 among the officers themselves; the regiment, so enthusiastic 
 at first, commenced gradually to lose faith in his ability to 
 succeed in his bold enterprise; the officers insisted on 
 being consulted as to future operations. They refused 
 to yield obedience, and demanded that he should listen 
 to their advice and remonstrances. But resistance ren- 
 dered him only more determined, and in his obstinacy he fre- 
 28
 
 428 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 quently rejected prudent counsel, that he might accomplish 
 his own plans. His mind was confused by disappointment, 
 and at length by despair. He was, in fact, unequal to the 
 dangers surrounding him. 
 
 Schill was sitting, sad and deserted, at his lonely quarters 
 in Rostock, absorbed in discouraging thoughts, and sighing 
 at the frustration of his hopes. In his hand he held the 
 memorandum-book the queen had presented to him, and read 
 again and again the words she had written : " To brave Major 
 von Schill." Suddenly the door behind him opened, and 
 Lieutenant von Liitzow, with his uniform covered with dust, 
 entered the room. 
 
 Schill slowly turned his head. " Well, Liitzow, have you 
 returned?" he asked. " Were you at Doberan? Did you see 
 the duke?" 
 
 "Yes, I was at Doberan." 
 
 "And what news do you bring? Bad news, of course! 
 Did you see the Duke of Mecklenburg?" 
 
 " No, the duke had given orders to admit neither you nor 
 any of your delegates. He says he will have nothing to do 
 with insurgents and rebels." 
 
 " Of course," exclaimed Schill, laughing scornfully, "he is 
 a German prince, and, therefore, cannot adhere to the cause 
 of Germany, but must side with France! Oh, I ought to 
 have known it before. Well, it is all right. What other 
 news do you bring, Liitzow?" 
 
 " Here, major, is a paper issued by King Jerome of West- 
 phalia. His majesty does you the honor to call you in this 
 proclamation a chief of robbers, a pirate, and a deserter, and 
 commands the military and civil authorities to hunt you 
 down. He also offers a reward of ten thousand francs to him 
 who will bring you dead or alive to Cassel." 
 
 "Is that so?" exclaimed Schill, laughing. "Well, M. 
 Jerome attaches a tolerably high value to my head. I am 
 sorry that I am unable to return the compliment. I shall re- 
 ply this very day to Jerome's proclamation by issuing one to 
 the Germans, and by promising a reward of five dollars for his 
 delivery, living or dead. What else, lieutenant?" 
 
 " The Emperor Napoleon has also issued an edict against 
 Schill and his men. He says in this document: 'A certain 
 Schill, a sort of highway robber, who committed crime upon 
 crime during the last campaign in Prussia, and was rewarded 
 with a captaincy, has deserted with his whole regiment from
 
 SCHILL'S DEATH. 429 
 
 Berlin, marched to "Wittenberg, and surrounded that place. 
 General Lestocq, governor of Berlin, has declared Schill a 
 deserter, and the King of Prussia has given orders to arrest 
 him wherever he can be found, and to put the insurgent on 
 trial before a court-martial.' ' 
 
 "Yes," murmured Schill, musingly, "the German patriot 
 has become an insurgent, and is to be punished for what he at- 
 tempted in the salvation of his country. It was quite un- 
 necessary for the emperor to abuse and revile him who boldly 
 opposed his tyranny; the King of Prussia and the governor of 
 Berlin had already done so. And what else does Napoleon say?" 
 
 " He orders a corps of observation to be formed on the Elbe, 
 to be commanded by the marshal, Duke of Valmy, and to be 
 sixty thousand strong." 
 
 " Sixty thousand men!" exclaimed Schill. "Ah! it seems 
 M. Napoleon has a pretty good opinion of 'that deserter 
 Schill,' inasmuch as he considers him dangerous enough to 
 oppose to him an army of sixty thousand men. Thank you, 
 M. Bonaparte, thank you for this acknowledgment. It is a 
 delightful balm to the tortured heart of the poor Prussian de- 
 serter ; it restores his courage. Let us advance undauntedly 
 we may conquer yet. The Germans may awake and rally 
 round the standard of liberty!" 
 
 "Alas, Schill, I am afraid your hopes are in vain," said 
 Liitzow, sadly. " I am not yet done with my bad news." 
 
 "Not yet?" asked Schill, mournfully. " Proceed!" 
 
 "Vienna has fallen!" 
 
 "Vienna fallen!" cried Schill, in dismay. "Is that really 
 true?" 
 
 " It is. The Emperor Francis and his family have fled to 
 Hungary, and the Emperor of the French has again made hia 
 triumphant entry." 
 
 "And the Viennese did not even try to defend their city?" 
 
 "They did try, but soon laid down their arms and sub- 
 mitted quietly to the conqueror. Napoleon has established 
 his headquarters at Schonbrunn, and issued a proclamation to 
 the Austrians. He calls upon them to be faithful and obedi- 
 ent to him, and disbands the militia of Vienna. A general 
 amnesty is granted to those who surrender their arms." 
 
 " A general amnesty," exclaimed Schill, "for the crime they 
 committed in complying with the request of their sovereign 
 to take up arms and defend their country! And what is to 
 be done with those who do not surrender?"
 
 430 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA 
 
 " The houses of both officers and privates of the militia who 
 do not return home within a specified time, are to be burned 
 down, their property confiscated, and themselves tried and 
 punished as rebels." 
 
 "Oh," exclaimed Schill, raising his hands, "is there still 
 justice in heaven, or is it also asleep ! Is there no ear for our 
 wails, no compassion for our disgrace? What is natural, 
 grows unnatural; honor becomes dishonor; patriotism, rebel- 
 lion and Heaven seems to permit it!" 
 
 "Yes," said Liitzow, with a melancholy smile. "What 
 Ovid said of Cato now becomes true of you: 'The victorious 
 cause pleases the gods, but the vanquished one pleases you!' ' 
 
 " Yes, " murmured Schill, "the vanquished cause pleased 
 Cato ! and it shall also please Schill as long as he breathes. 
 It shall please him though his king call him a deserter, and 
 a court-martial pass sentence of death upon him. 'The peo- 
 ple of Nuremberg hang none but those they have in custody,' 
 is a proverb often repeated, and I think the people of Konigs- 
 berg will not shoot a man they cannot catch ! I would rather 
 be trampled to death by the horses of the enemy, than pierced 
 by the bullets of my German brethren. The matter is settled, 
 Liitzow; let us continue the struggle." 
 
 " Continue the struggle?" asked Liitzow. "I beseech you, 
 take my advice and do not follow the dictates of courage 
 alone ; listen also to those of prudence. It will be utterly use- 
 less, Schill ; we should husband our strength for better times. 
 We are threatened either by military force, or the rigor of 
 the law. Prussia has drawn up a corps on her frontier to re- 
 pulse us, if need be, should we come armed; and, if unarmed, 
 she would have us tried by a court-martial. Napoleon's corps 
 of observation is stationed on the boundaries of Saxony and 
 Westphalia, and even the King of Denmark has ordered Gen- 
 eral von Ewald to march against us." 
 
 " The stag has been surrounded, but not yet captured," ex- 
 claimed Schill. " There is still a place where he may escape. 
 The King of Sweden has not yet a corps in the field against 
 us, and Stralsund is occupied only by a garrison of scarcely 
 three hundred men, commanded by General Candras. Let 
 us march thither and surprise the fortress. When Stralsund 
 is ours, we are on the sea-shore, and in communication with 
 the British; we have ships in the harbor, on which, if every 
 thing else should fail, we could find an asylum, and hasten 
 to England."
 
 SCHILL'S DEATH. 431 
 
 "But suppose we should not take Stralsund?" asked Liit- 
 zow. "How could we escape? I beseech you, listen to 
 reason, consider our hopeless situation; save yourself save 
 the poor soldiers who have reposed confidence and hope in 
 you! Let us embark for England. There are well-nigh 
 thirty ships in the harbor of Warnemiinde; if they refuse to 
 take us on board, we can compel them." 
 
 "No," exclaimed Schill, vehemently. "We shall do just 
 as I said march to Stralsund and take the fortress. But 
 Lieutenant Barsch is to seize twenty of the ships at Warne- 
 miinde and embark on them our baggage, the sick, and the 
 military chest, and convey them to the island of Eiigen. We 
 start to-morrow and take Stralsund. That is my plan, and it 
 must be accomplished!" 
 
 And Schill's plan was accomplished. He marched his hus- 
 sars to Stralsund, and for a moment fortune smiled on him. 
 The French commander, General Candras, preferred to meet 
 the enemy in the open field instead of awaiting him behind 
 the half-decayed fortifications. He marched against Schill 
 with the whole garrison and a battery of light artillery ; but 
 the Prussian hussars, with a shout attacked the enemy, and 
 dispersed them, took six hundred prisoners, and made their 
 triumphant entry into Stralsund. 
 
 "And here let us conquer or die," said Schill to his officers, 
 who were standing around him. "Friends, brethren! the 
 day of success is at hand, and Stralsund is the first taken. 
 Let us remain here; throw up intrenchments against the 
 enemy, and wait for the succor which England has so often 
 promised." 
 
 " Let us not wait for this succor," said one of the officers; 
 "let us meet it." 
 
 "Every hour of delay increases the danger," exclaimed 
 another. " If we do not now embrace the opportunity if we 
 do not start without delay, and meet the English squadron in 
 the open sea, or hasten to the Swedish shore, we must inevit- 
 ably perish." 
 
 " It would be foolhardiness to remain here for the enemy's 
 superior force to attack us," said a third. "To struggle 
 against such odds is folly, and prudent men submit to the 
 decrees of fortune, instead of resisting them in a spirit of 
 childish petulance." 
 
 "Let us husband our resources for a future day," said a 
 fourth. " It will come when Germany, which is repudiating
 
 432 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 us now, will stand in need of our assistance, and call us to her 
 side. Let us preserve ourselves for more favorable prospects, 
 and a greater probability of success." 
 
 Schill looked angrily on his officers. " Is there no one wh<j 
 will raise his voice against these opinions?" he asked. " la 
 there no one who will reply to the timid and desponding, in 
 the name of honor, courage, and patriotism?" 
 
 All were silent; a murmur of indignation was the only 
 reply. "Well, then," exclaimed Schill, ardently, "I will 
 myself speak against you all ; I will tell you that it is cowardly 
 to flee from danger, and to think of defeat instead of victory ; 
 that it is perfidious to desert our country when in danger, to 
 save one's own miserable life. Accursed be he who thinks of 
 flight and of forsaking the great cause which we are serving! 
 We must hold Stralsund to the last man. We must make it 
 a German Saragossa, and lie dead beneath the ruins of the 
 city rather than surrender. Let us repair the fortifications, 
 throw up new earthworks, and await the enemy behind the 
 intrenchments. This is my resolution; I will not suffer con- 
 tradiction, but treat as rebels and mutineers those who dare 
 to act contrary to my orders! The soldiers obey me, and I 
 am their commander. But such of the officers as do not wish 
 to participate longer in the struggle ; who, instead of remain- 
 ing true to their duty, prefer to save their lives by flight, are 
 at liberty to do so. I will not prevent them from making 
 their escape ; they may embark on one of the ships in the har- 
 bor, and flee whither they desire. Let them remember, how- 
 ever, that they will leave their dishonor here, and will not 
 participate in the glory which posterity may grant as the only 
 conquerors' crown to poor Schill and his faithful men. Let 
 such as desire to flee step forth and receive their discharge." 
 A long pause ensued. No one advanced. 
 
 " We agreed to serve under the leadership of Major von 
 Schill," at last said the oldest officer, in a grave, solemn voice; 
 " we have sworn to fight under him against the enemies of our 
 country, to remain with him to the last, and to obey his 
 orders. We shall fulfil our oath, and not faithlessly desert 
 the banner which we have hitherto followed. Let Major von 
 Schill consider, however, that he is responsible for the lives of 
 all those who have united their destiny with his own, and that 
 his conscience, God, and posterity, will judge him, if instead 
 of preserving them he should lead them to an inglorious death 
 or captivity. If Major von Schill is unwilling to listen t<t
 
 SCHILL'S DEATH 433 
 
 prudence if he refuses to embark and escape with us, we will 
 all remain, and, with him, await our fate. Speak, then, 
 major, will you go with us or remain?" 
 
 "I will remain," exclaimed Schill, energetically. "I will 
 await the enemy ; I will conquer or die on German soil. Oh, 
 friends, comrades, do not speak to me of flight or submission ; 
 Schill does not flee, Schill does not submit ! I have tried to 
 arouse my country ; I have stretched out my hand toward my 
 countrymen, and said to them, 'I will assist you in shaking 
 the sleep from your half-closed eyes. Rise ! and I will lead 
 you in the path of liberty and honor. My arm is strong, and 
 my sword is sharp; unite with me, and let us expel the 
 tyrant!' But Germany did not listen to my appeal; she is 
 still sleeping too soundly, and God did not decree that I should 
 accomplish my task. Perhaps Providence may intend that 
 you and I shall strengthen the cause of liberty by shedding 
 our blood our death will awaken the sleepers, that they may 
 avenge us. The Germans entertain great admiration for the 
 dead. It is only toward the living that they are cold and re- 
 served. Brethren, let us die for liberty if we cannot live for 
 it. Let us remain united in life and death!" 
 
 "Yes, united in life and death!" exclaimed all the officers, 
 and they thronged around Schill to shake hands with him, 
 and to assure him of their fidelity. 
 
 Four days of repose and peace followed. Schill profited by 
 them to repair the decayed intrenchments and fortifications, 
 and made all necessary preparations for an obstinate defence 
 against the approaching enemy. 
 
 On the 31st of May, early in the morning, while the major 
 was reviewing his troops in the market-place, wild shouts 
 were heard in the streets. They drew nearer and nearer. 
 Soldiers were rushing toward Schill, and behind them, at 
 some distance, others in red uniforms became visible. 
 
 A flash of joy kindled the patriot's face. " The English," 
 he exclaimed, in a loud voice, "see their red coats! The 
 English have landed, and are coming to our assistance!" 
 
 " The English are coming!" echoed the exultant soldiers. 
 
 "No, no," gasped one of the guards, who had just reached 
 the market-place, " the Dutch are coming it is the enemy ! 
 They surprised us at the Knieper gate, dispersed our infantry, 
 and penetrated into the city. See ! their assaulting columns 
 are already advancing! Let every one escape as he can!" 
 
 " It is the enemy!" exclaimed Schill, vaulting on his horse.
 
 434 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Come, brethren, let us meet them. The cavalry will remain 
 here as our reserve. The other troops will follow me to the 
 Triebseer gate!" And he galloped into the narrow street 
 leading to the gate, followed by his men. He was a picture 
 of heroism as he rode at the head of his band, with his hair 
 streaming in the wind, and his countenance beaming with 
 courage. Turning with a smile to Lieutenant Alvensleben, 
 who was riding at his side, " Oh," he said, "it seems to me as 
 though a heavy load had been removed from my breast, and I 
 could breathe freely again. The decisive struggle is at hand, 
 and burdensome life will be resigned with joy. I shall die, 
 my friend, die. Hurrah! forward! liberty is beckoning to- 
 me, glorious liberty!" 
 
 He spurred his horse and galloped more rapidly, Alvensle- 
 ben remaining at his side. 
 
 "Friend," exclaimed Schill, further on, "when I am no 
 more, defend me against my enemies, and greet my friends I 
 Take my last oath of fealty to the queen, and my last love- 
 greeting to Germany, when she is free. Hurrah ! there comes 
 the enemy! Let us sing an inspiring song!" And he sang 
 in a loud voice : 
 
 "Tod du stisser, f ttr das Vaterland ! 
 Sttsser als der Brautgruss, als das Lallen 
 Auf dem Mutterschooss des ersten Kindes, 
 Sei mir willkoinmen ! " 
 
 " Willkommen! " he cried again, and galloped more rapidly 
 past the Dutch soldiers, who were just emerging from a side- 
 street and cut him off from Alvensleben and his other follow- 
 ers. The enemy, commanded by the Dutch General Carteret, 
 was also approaching from the opposite street. The patriot 
 galloped into the midst of the staff his sabre flashed, and the 
 general fell from his horse as if struck by lightning. Schill 
 turned when he was unable to penetrate through this body of 
 men obstructing the street. But another battalion had 
 already formed behind him and cut him hopelessly off from 
 assistance. His own men tried to reach him. Shouts, oaths, 
 cries of defiance and fury, with the-groans of the dying, rent 
 the air. 
 
 Schill saw that he was lost, that he was no longer able to 
 save himself, his faithful men, or his fatherland ! There was 
 no escape for him. Death was howling around him on all 
 sides, panting for its prey. Suddenly the column of the 
 enemy opened ; he saw the gap, and spurred his horse with a 
 desperate effort, making him leap into the midst of th
 
 THE PARADE AT SCHONBRUNN. 435 
 
 enemy. The Dutch soldiers fell back in dismay, and Schill 
 galloped by them into Fahr Street. Forward, as on the wings of 
 a tempest, he hastened to the assistance of his men. A bullet 
 hissed past him another shot was fired. He wavered in the 
 saddle; the bullet had struck him! A detachment of Dutch 
 soldiers were just coming up the street. The man heading 
 them saw the pale Prussian officer, who was scarcely able to 
 retain his seat. 
 
 "It is Schill! it is Schill!" he cried out, rushing forward. 
 
 "Hurrah, it is Schill!" shouted the others, aiming their 
 muskets at him. Three shots were fired. The brave Prussian 
 still kept the saddle, but his hand dropped the bridle, and 
 the horse stood still. The Dutch chasseurs surrounded and 
 cut him. He lay helpless on the ground that herculean 
 man. He was still alive; his eyes, that had so beamed with 
 courage, cast their last glance toward heaven, and his lips, 
 that smiled so sweetly, murmured, "Tod du susser fur das 
 Vaterland! " A powerful sabre-stroke at last ended his life. 
 His enemies despoiled his body, tearing off his decorations, 
 and robbing him of a small crown of pearls and the memoran- 
 dum-book, both gifts of the queen whom he loved so well, and 
 for whom he fought so bravely. They seized the corpse and 
 dragged it along the street in order to present it to their 
 general. His hands were besmeared with mire ; his uniform 
 torn by the brutal grasp of the conquerors, and his gory head 
 trailed along the pavement. He was at last deposited in the 
 vestibule of the city hall, where the meat-merchants of Stral- 
 sund trade on market days. 
 
 A butcher's bench was the catafalque of unfortunate Ferdi- 
 nand von Schill, the martyr of German liberty! There he 
 lay, a horrible spectacle, with broken limbs, a face deformed 
 by bruises and sabre-gashes, and his eyes glaring to heaven as 
 if in accusation of the ignominy of his death and the brutality 
 of his enemies. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 THE PAEADE AT SCHONBRUNN. 
 
 NAPOLEON'S great victory at Wagram had put an end to 
 the war with Austria, and destroyed only too speedily the 
 hopes which the battle of Aspern or Esslingen had awakened 
 in the hearts of the Germans.
 
 436 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 The Archduke Charles had gained at Aspern half a vic- 
 tory ; and the fact that the Austrians had not been beaten 
 that Napoleon had been compelled to fall back with his army 
 and to take refuge on the island of Lobau, was regarded as a 
 victory, which was announced in the most boastful manner. 
 But if it was a victory, the Austrians did not know how to 
 profit by it. Instead of uniting their forces and attacking 
 Lobau, where the French army was encamped, huddled to- 
 gether, and exhausted by the long and murderous struggle 
 where the French grenadiers were weeping over the death of 
 their brave leader, Marshal Lannes, Duke of Montebello 
 where the wounded and defeated were cursing for the first 
 time the emperor's insatiable thirst for conquest instead of 
 surrounding the French army, or opening a cannonade upon 
 them, the Archduke Charles fell farther back from the right 
 bank of the Danube, and allowed his exhausted troops to rest 
 and recover from the fatigue of the terrible battle that had 
 lasted two days. While the Austrians were dressing their 
 wounds, the French profited by the delay, and built new 
 bridges, procured barges, left the island that might have been 
 a graveyard for them, and reorganized their shattered forces. 
 
 On the 6th of July, Napoleon took revenge at AVagram for 
 the two days of Aspern, and wrested again from the Archduke 
 Charles the laurels won at the latter place. Germany was in 
 ecstasies after the battle of Aspern, but she bowed her head 
 mournfully after that of AVagram. 
 
 Napoleon was again the master of Germany ; and Austria, 
 like the rest of the country, had to bow humbly to his im- 
 perious will. The "first soldier of Aspern," brave Prince 
 John of Lichtensteiu, was sent to Napoleon's headquarters at 
 Znaim to request an armistice and the opening of peace ne- 
 gotiations. Napoleon, whose armies were exhausted, whose 
 attention, besides, was absorbed by the war in Spain, and who 
 had found out at his late battles what resistance was now be- 
 ginning to be made in Germany, granted the request, con- 
 sented to a cessation of hostilities, and that the envoys of 
 France and Austria should agree upon terms of peace. 
 
 These negotiations had already been carried on for months, 
 and no conclusion had yet been arrived at. Vienna was still 
 a French city, and the Viennese had to submit to the rule 
 of a new governor, and to the galling yoke imposed on them 
 by a foreign police, who kept a close surveillance over every 
 action nay, every expression and look. They had to bow to
 
 THE PARADE AT SCHONBRUNN. 437 
 
 stern necessity, and to celebrate Napoleon's birthday, the loth 
 of August, by festivities and an illumination, as though it 
 were the birthday of their own sovereign. 
 
 Napoleon was still residing at Schonbrunn, at the palace 
 which Maria Theresa had built, and where she had signed the 
 marriage-contract of her daughter Marie Antoinette with the 
 Dauphin of France. Marie Antoinette had been guillotined, 
 and the heir of the Eevolution and of the French crown was 
 dwelling at her mother's palace. 
 
 Every morning the French Emperor reviewed his guards in 
 the large palace-yard, and thousands of the inhabitants of 
 Vienna hastened regularly to Schonbrunn in order to see him 
 and witness the parade. These morning reviews had become 
 a favorite public amusement, and, when listening to the 
 music of the French bands, and beholding the emperor (in his 
 gray coat, with his broad brow covered with the three- 
 cornered hat) gallop down the ranks of his troops, followed 
 by the brilliant staff of his marshals and generals, amid shouts 
 of " Vive V Empereur " the kind-hearted citizen sometimes 
 forgot that it was their enemy who was displaying his power, 
 and rejoicing in his ambition; instead of cursing, they ad- 
 mired him and his veterans, whose scars were the signs of many 
 a victory. 
 
 Napoleon was but too well aware of the influence which 
 these parades were exerting on the minds of the people ; he 
 knew the fascination which his person produced not only on 
 his soldiers, but the^ public generally, and he wished to profit 
 by it, in order to conquer the civilians after conquering their 
 army. Every one, therefore, had free access, and the subtle 
 invader had always a kind glance and an affable smile with 
 which to win their hearts. 
 
 On the 13th of October, as usual, a parade was to be held; 
 and the road leading to Vienna was early covered with car- 
 riages, horsemen, and pedestrians, hastening to Schonbrunn. 
 Among those hurrying along the high-road was a man of whom 
 no one took any notice, with whom no one was conversing, 
 and who, while all around were laughing, and speaking of the 
 parade, was pursuing his way in grave silence. His youthful 
 countenance was sad and pale; long, light hair was waving 
 round his oval face. His eyes seemed on fire, and his thin, 
 half-parted lips were quivering as though he were a prey to 
 intense emotion. He was wrapped in a large black cloak 
 reaching nearly to his feet ; a small black velvet cap covered
 
 438 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 his head. This strange figure looked like an apparition iu 
 the midst of the chatting crowd, the elegant carriages, and 
 dashing horsemen. All were too busily engaged with them- 
 selves, with the review, which was to be particularly brilliant, 
 and with the emperor, who was not only to be present, but t 
 command the troops. 
 
 A few persons referred also to the hopes entertained of a 
 speedy conclusion of peace, and regretted that they had not 
 yet been fulfilled, while others conversed stealthily about the 
 victories of the Tyrolese, and of noble and brave Andrew 
 Hofer, who, with his faithful mountaineers, still dared to re- 
 sist the French conqueror. The young man listened gravely 
 and silently to all this conversation. 
 
 It was yet early when he reached the palace ; for the Vien- 
 nese were anxious to get good places, and to be as near the 
 emperor as possible, and therefore they had set out several 
 hours before the parade was to commence. 
 
 The young man glanced with an evident air of disappoint- 
 ment over the large, unoccupied space which lay before him, 
 and on which as yet not a man of the imperial guard was to 
 be seen. " Will there be no parade to-day?" he asked a cor- 
 pulent citizen of Vienna, who was standing at his side. 
 
 "Certainly, sir, there will be one," said the citizen, with a 
 self-important air. " But it is very early yet, and an hour 
 may elapse before the emperor makes his appearance." 
 
 "An hour yet!" exclaimed the young stranger, indignantly. 
 " I was told I had to be here early in order to witness the 
 spectacle." 
 
 " You were correctly informed, sir. For if you want to 
 see any thing, it is necessary to be here at this hour to secure 
 a good place. Besides, the time you will have to wait will 
 not be very tedious. The various regiments that are to par- 
 ticipate in the parade will soon make their appearance ; then, 
 come the imperial guards, who form in line, and, finally, the 
 emperor with his marshals. Oh, you ought to hear the snouts, 
 the music of the band, and the roll of the drums when he ap- 
 pears! You will certainly hear the noise, provided it does 
 not make you deaf." 
 
 "I think it will not," said the young man, with a mourn- 
 ful smile. " But tell me, shall we be able to see the emperor 
 very near? From which door will he make his appearance, 
 and where does he generally take his position?" 
 
 "He comes generally from the large portal yonder ; it is
 
 THE PARADE AT SCHONBRUNN. 439 
 
 there that he mounts on horseback ; he then rides down the 
 front of the soldiers, and halts a short time just there, where 
 we are standing. Those who desire to say any thing to him, 
 or to deliver petitions, had better do so on this very spot. 
 But come, let us go a little farther into the palace-yard, that 
 we may see better." 
 
 "Very well, lead the way. I will follow," said the young 
 man. 
 
 "Come, then, sir." And the kind-hearted citizen of 
 Vienna elbowed himself through the crowd. 
 
 The young conspirator followed him a few steps, and then 
 halted. Instead of advancing farther he slipped back to his 
 former place. 
 
 "No," he muttered to himself, "I must not stand close 
 to, or converse with any one. I must be alone and an utter 
 stranger, so as to cast suspicion on no one else, and not to en- 
 danger the lives of innocent persons. The glory of the deed 
 will belong to me alone, if it should succeed ; let the penalty 
 be inflicted on me alone, if it should fail." He withdrew 
 farther from the citizen who had spoken to him so courteously, 
 and when he had entirely lost sight of' him, he approached 
 the palace cautiously and from the opposite side. " The blow 
 must be struck at once," he muttered. "Every delay will 
 involve me in fresh dangers, and my fate might be the same 
 as that of the two brethren who drew the black balls last year. 
 I drew the lot this time, and must accomplish what they were 
 unable to perform." 
 
 The youthful stranger raised his eyes toward heaven, and a 
 solemn earnestness beamed from his countenance. " Yes, I 
 swear it by the memory of Anna, and the tears she will soon 
 shed for me, that I will not, like those two brethren, shrink 
 from striking the blow. I drew the lot, and the president 
 must repair the fault committed by them. I must destroy 
 the tyrant! Heaven, hear my oath and let my plan succeed !" 
 He elbowed himself quickly through the crowd, and ap- 
 proached closer to the entrance of the palace. Once, in the 
 midst of the surging mass, his cloak was accidentally dis- 
 placed, and something like a dagger-blade flashed from under 
 it ; but hastily arranging his cloak he glanced around with an 
 air of uneasiness. No one paid any attention to him, for all eyes 
 were fixed on the imperial guard marching into line with a 
 proud step, conscious that they were the favorites of the 
 greatest general of the age, and the terror of the battle-field.
 
 440 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 NAPOLEON" AT SCHONBRUNN. 
 
 WHILE the regiments were forming in the palace-yard 
 below, and the spectators were thronging about them, Napo- 
 leon was still in his cabinet. But he was not alone. Some 
 of his adjutants and marshals were with him, and stood, like 
 the emperor, in front of a table covered with strange articles. 
 There lay a leg encased in a magnificent boot, a hand covered 
 with a white glove, an arm clad in the sleeve of a uniform, 
 by the side of which was a foot cut off close above the ankle, 
 and encased in a neat shoe. 
 
 Napoleon contemplated these things with grave glances, 
 and then turned his eyes toward a small man who was stand^ 
 ing in humble attire and attitude, and who was no other than 
 the celebrated mechanician and inventor of the metronome, 
 Leonard Malzl. "You are a genius indeed!" said the em- 
 peror, with an air of genuine admiration; "people did not 
 say too much in calling you the most skilful member of your 
 profession. You really suppose that it is possible to walk 
 with such a leg?" And the emperor pointed at that lying on 
 the table. 
 
 " Sire, I do not only suppose it, I know it," said M. Malzl, 
 gravely ; " a man may use these limbs and feet as easily and 
 naturally as though he were born with them. Please be so 
 kind, your majesty, as to look at this." M. Malzl took the 
 article and placed it in front of a chair. " Your majesty sees 
 that it is a foot with about half a leg. It is fastened with 
 these two suspenders, that are thrown over the shoulders, and 
 a man may then walk with it." 
 
 " Yes, walk, but he would not be able to sit down." 
 
 "Yes, he would, sire; you touch this spring, and your 
 majesty sees, the knee bends and the upper part drops on the 
 chair." 
 
 "So it does!" exclaimed Napoleon, joyously, but suddenly 
 his brow became dark and his eyes gloomy. "Alas," he said, 
 thoughtfully, "were Lannes still alive, I might have at least 
 offered him a substitute for the limbs he lost." He stared at 
 the ingenious work, and stroking his face quickly said, " You 
 assert, also, sir, that a man may use that hand, and hold any
 
 NAPOLEON AT SCHONBRUNN. 441 
 
 thing with it?" asked Napoleon, lifting up the neatly-gloved 
 hand. 
 
 " Sire, it is just as good as one new-grown. The human 
 will controls every limb and moves these artificial fingers just 
 as well as the natural ones. Will your majesty be so kind as 
 to order me to take something from the table with this hand 
 which you see now stretched out?" 
 
 The emperor drew a ring, adorned with a large diamond, 
 from his finger, and laid it on the table. " Let the machine 
 pick up this ring," he said. 
 
 Malzl took the hand, and, touching the spring fixed at the 
 wrist, the fingers bent immediately and seized the ring. Na- 
 poleon looked humorously at his astonished marshals and gen- 
 erals. "Now, gentlemen," he said, "we need no longer be 
 afraid of bullets, for if we lose the hands and feet that God 
 has given us, we can replace them by those made by Mr. 
 Malzl." 
 
 "Sire," said Mr. Malzl, smiling, "will you convince your- 
 self that my artificial hand cannot merely pick up, but also 
 retain an object? Will your majesty try to take the ring 
 from it?" 
 
 Napoleon seized the ring, but the fingers held it with irre- 
 sistible tenacity. "Indeed, these are very sensible fingers," 
 exclaimed Napoleon ; " they do not give up what they once 
 get hold of." 
 
 " Yes, sire, they will. I touch this spring, and the fingers 
 open again." 
 
 " No, no," exclaimed the emperor, " let them keep this time 
 what they have, and wear the ring as a memento. I will allow 
 them only to deliver it to their maker, who knows not only 
 how to use his own hands so skilfully, but also to manufacture 
 serviceable ones for others. No thanks, sir ! we are greatly 
 indebted to you, and not you to us, and it certainly behooves 
 me to thank you in the name of the brave soldiers whose lost 
 limbs you replace so ingeniously. When the precious day of 
 peace will come, people will be able to do without your inven- 
 tion, but I am afraid we shall not live to see that day. We 
 are, I fear, always exposed to the horrors of war. Hence, 
 your invention is a blessing that cannot be appreciated too 
 highly, for, thanks to you, there will be fewer cripples and 
 unsightly wooden legs. I shall issue orders to select five of 
 the bravest and most deserving invalids from every regiment 
 of my army, and you will restore to them their lost arms, legs
 
 442 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 and hands, at my expense. Indeed, sir, you imitate the 
 Creator, and the wonder would be complete if you knew also 
 how to replace lost heads." 
 
 "Sire, I do know that, too," said Malzl, smiling. 
 
 "Yes, a head of wax or painted wood!" 
 
 "No, sire, a head that moves, opens, and closes its eyes, 
 and thinks." 
 
 "A head that thinks?" exclaimed Napoleon, laughing. 
 " Ah, that is a pretty strong assertion, which you could hardly 
 prove." 
 
 " Pardon me, your majesty, I engage to furnish the proof. '' 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 " If your majesty will acknowledge that one must think in 
 order to play a game of chess, then the artificial man in my 
 possession is able to think." 
 
 " Where have you that man with the thinking head?" 
 
 " Sire, I have caused my assistants to set it up in the ad- 
 joining room. But I must observe that this man was not 
 made by myself; it is the master-piece of the late Mr. Kem- 
 peler, a well-known mechanician, of whose son I bought my 
 slave." 
 
 "Ah," said Napoleon, laughing," do you not know that the 
 trade in human chattels is now prohibited in our civilized 
 states? But let us see your slave. Come, gentlemen," added 
 Napoleon, turning toward his marshals and adjutants, "let us 
 look at the work of this modern Prometheus." He walked 
 toward the door, but, before leaving the cabinet, he turned to 
 the chamberlain. " When the Duke de Cadore comes bring 
 me word immediately." He then stepped into the adjoining 
 room and the marshals and Mr. Malzl followed him. 
 
 In the middle of the room, at a small table, on which was 
 a chess-board, sat a neatly-dressed male figure, looking like a 
 boy fourteen years old. 
 
 "That, then, is the celebrated chess-player," remarked Na- 
 poleon, advancing quickly. "The face is made of wax, but 
 who will warrant that there is not a human countenance con- 
 cealed under it, and that this prepossessing and well-propor- 
 tioned form does not really consist of flesh and blood?" 
 
 " Sire, this will convince your majesty that such is not the 
 case," said Malzl, touching a spring on the neck of the au- 
 tomaton, and taking the head from the trunk. 
 
 "You are right," exclaimed Napoleon, laughing, " I am 
 fully convinced. It is true men are walking about without
 
 NAPOLEON AT SCHONBRUNN. 4^3 
 
 heads, but they are not so honest as to reveal the fact so 
 openly as your automaton does." 
 
 " Sire, will your majesty grant the favor of playing a game 
 of chess with him?" asked Malzl, fastening on again the head 
 of the automaton. 
 
 44 What! the thing will dare to play a game of chess with 
 me?" 
 
 " With your majesty's permission." 
 
 "And alone?" 
 
 " Yes, sire ; your majesty will permit me, however, to take 
 position behind the chair?" 
 
 " Certainly. I see the chessmen are already on the board ; 
 let us commence." The emperor sat down opposite the au- 
 tomaton, and saluted it with a pleasant nod. 
 
 "Well, comrade, let us commence," said Napoleon. 
 
 The automaton made a graceful bow, and beckoned to the 
 emperor with its uplifted right hand, as though he wished 
 him to commence. 
 
 "Well, I shall commence," said Napoleon, advancing a 
 pawn. 
 
 The automaton took the pawn in front of the king and ad- 
 vanced it two squares. The emperor made another move, and 
 so did his opponent. Looking smilingly at the figure, Napo- 
 leon played his black bishop as a knight, occupying the 
 oblique white square. The automaton, shaking its head, put 
 the bishop on the square it ought to occupy. 
 
 "Ah, it does not like -cheating," exclaimed Napoleon, 
 laughing; "it is a very earnest and conscientious player." 
 And the emperor made another move. The automaton con- 
 tinued the game. Another attempt was made to cheat by 
 moving the castle in an oblique direction. His adversary 
 took the castle with an impetuous gesture and placed it aside 
 like a pawn it had won. 
 
 "It very properly punishes me," said the emperor. "We 
 must play seriously." 
 
 The game proceeded. It became more and more intricate ; 
 the chances were soon in favor of the automaton, and the em- 
 peror was in danger of losing the game. Forgetting who was 
 his antagonist, he remembered only that he was about to lose 
 a game, and became serious. He played hastily, and for the 
 third time tried to cheat by moving a knight contrary to the 
 rules. The automaton shook its head vehemently, and upset 
 the whole chess-board. 
 29
 
 444 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Ah, it refuses to continue the game," exclaimed Napo- 
 leon ; " it despises my swindling, and forgets that it is itself 
 a swindle. You may be thankful, M. Malzl, that we are no 
 longer in the middle ages; formerly they would have burned 
 you at the stake as a sorcerer, attempting to do what God 
 alone is able to do." 
 
 " Sire, permit me to repeat that this machine was not made 
 by myself, but by Kempeler. But I hope your majesty will 
 permit me to show you my own automaton, and allow it to 
 indulge in a little music before you." 
 
 " Where is it?" 
 
 "Here," said Malzl, opening the closed curtains of one of 
 the windows, and pointing at the handsome figure visible be- 
 hind them. 
 
 "Ah, a postilion!" exclaimed Napoleon, "and it will blow 
 us a tune on the bugle?" 
 
 " Sire, it begs leave to play the Marseillaise to your majesty," 
 said Malzl, moving the figure on rollers into the middle of the 
 room. 
 
 " Let it commence," said Napoleon. 
 
 The postilion raised its arm, seized the bugle hanging on a 
 silken string around its neck, put it to its mouth and com- 
 menced blowing. 
 
 At this moment the door of the cabinet opened ; the cham- 
 berlain entered and approached the emperor. "Sire," he 
 said, the " Duke de Cadore has just arrived and begs to be 
 admitted." 
 
 "Conduct him immediately into my cabinet," replied Na- 
 poleon, rising hastily. He then beckoned the mechanician to 
 his side. " Let your postilion still play to the marshals. As 
 to your chess-player, I must buy it of you. You may apply 
 to Grand-Marshal Duroc for the money. In order to punish 
 the automaton for nearly beating me at the game, I will buy 
 it, and it is henceforth to be my slave." * 
 
 " Sire, that is no punishment, but a reward, for which I 
 beg leave to thank you in the name of my chess-player." 
 
 " You have invented a most acceptable substitute for such 
 of my invalids as have lost arms or legs," said the emperor; 
 u now you must invent something else for me, and come to 
 the assistance of the wounded on the battle-field. Make me 
 the model of an ambulance into which the disabled can be 
 
 "This chess-player, which Napoleon bought of Malzl, remained at the Villa Bona- 
 parte, near Milan, until 1812, when it was removed to Paris, where it is at the pres 
 ent time.
 
 NAPOLEON AT SCHONBRUNN. 445 
 
 placed safely and comfortably, and which is arranged in such 
 a manner that it may be taken asunder and transported on 
 horseback with the train of the army. You are an inventive 
 genius, and I shall expect you with your model in the course 
 of a week. Now let your postilion blow again. Good-by!" 
 He waved his hand kindly to the mechanician, and then has- 
 tened back into his cabinet. The Duke de Cadore was there 
 already, and saluted the emperor with a low bow. 
 
 "Well, Champagny," exclaimed Napoleon, quickly, "do 
 you not yet bring us peace?" 
 
 " No, sire, the ambassadors of Austria refuse peremptorily 
 to accept the terms proposed to them." 
 
 " Ah," exclaimed the emperor, menacingly, "those Aus- 
 trians believe they can bid me defiance. They have not yet 
 been humbled enough, although I have defeated their army, 
 foiled the plans of their commander-in-chief, expelled their 
 emperor from his capital, and am residing at his palace. 
 They wish for further humiliations, and they shall have them. 
 If they do not change their mind very speedily, I shall send 
 for the Grand-duke of Wiirzburg and adorn his head with the 
 imperial crown of Austria." 
 
 " Sire, that would be replacing one puppet by another, but 
 not removing the men pulling the wires; and they are all 
 animated by the same spirit. Prince Lichtenstein and Count 
 Bubna are no less inflexible than was Count Metternich. It is 
 true they have already yielded in some points, and declared 
 to-day that the Emperor Francis had authorized them to ac- 
 cept some of the conditions proposed." 
 
 "Which?" asked Napoleon, hastily. 
 
 "The emperor is ready to cede to France Dalmatia and 
 Croatia, the territories demanded by your majesty." 
 
 " Well!" exclaimed Napoleon, "we obtain thereby the chief 
 point. I shall extend the territory of France to the Save, and 
 become the immediate neighbor of Turkey. Let the Emperor 
 of Russia try then to carry his plans against Constantinople 
 mto effect : France will know how to protect her neighbor, 
 <md her troops will always be ready to defend the Porte. 
 \Vhen I have extended my frontiers into the interior of Dal- 
 matia and Croatia, Russia's influence in the Orient is para- 
 lyzed, and France will be all-powerful in Constantinople. 
 What is it that Austria refuses after granting our principal 
 demands?" 
 
 " Sire, she consents further to cede to Bavaria part of Upper
 
 446 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Austria, namely: Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, and part of the 
 district of the Inn and Hausruck, but she refuses to give up 
 one-half of Upper Austria, which we claimed; she refuses 
 further to cede to Saxony such large territories in Bohemia, 
 and to Russia in Galicia, as was demanded by your majesty." 
 
 " We may yield a little as to these points," said Napoleon. 
 "It is always better to make exorbitant demands, because it 
 is easier then to abate, and appear accommodating. I do not 
 attach, moreover, any great value to the enlargement of Ba- 
 varia, Saxony, and Russia. Only the aggrandizement of 
 France by the extension of our frontiers to the boundaries of 
 Turkey was to be the object of our ambition. Having at- 
 tained this, we will yield as to the cession of other territories, 
 and be satisfied with less, provided that Austria accept un- 
 reservedly and fully the two other conditions I refer to." 
 
 " Your majesty refers to the reduction of the Austrian 
 army, and the war contribution of one hundred millions of 
 francs, which we have demanded." 
 
 " Which we have demanded, and which must be paid, un- 
 less they wish me to resume hostilities," said Napoleon, 
 menacingly. 
 
 " Sire, these are the two points as to which Austria shows 
 the greatest reluctance," said Champagny, shrugging his 
 shoulders. "She contends that a reduction of her army, 
 brought about by the imperious demands of France, is in- 
 compatible with the honor and dignity of her emperor; and 
 further, that she is unable to pay a war contribution of one 
 hundred millions of francs." 
 
 " She dares then to reject my demands!" exclaimed Napo- 
 leon, with a gloomy air. " She will compel me to recom- 
 mence the war for the sake of a few miserable millions of 
 francs!" 
 
 " Sire, Austria makes counter-propositions, and hopes that 
 an understanding will be arrived at. She promises to reduce 
 her army considerably in the course of six months, to disband 
 the militia, and to place the regiments on a peace footing. 
 She further offers one-half of the sum which we have de- 
 manded, namely, fifty millions." 
 
 "And she believes that I will be satisfied with that?" said 
 Napoleon. " She attempts to beat me down as though I were 
 a British shopkeeper! She dares to offer me one-half, and 
 talks to me about the honor and dignity of her emperor! As 
 tf it did not depend on me to trample under foot his horor
 
 NAPOLEON AT SCHONBRUNN. 447 
 
 and dignity, and to cast the imperial crown of Austria into 
 the waves of the Danube, or to place it on my own head, just 
 as I prefer!" 
 
 " Sire, I believe the Emperor Francis is fully aware of the 
 danger menacing him, and he is conscious, too, that his 
 dynasty is at stake in these negotiations. I do not believe, 
 therefore, that hostilities will break out again, owing to his 
 reluctance to submit to these two conditions." 
 
 "I shall not yield," said Napoleon, "although it seems to 
 me disgraceful to commence another war for the sake of fifty 
 millions, and when I know that my own army is in need of 
 repose. I " The emperor interrupted himself, and listened 
 to the clock, which struck twelve. " Indeed, it is already 
 twelve o'clock ! My guard must have been waiting for me in 
 the palace-yard for some time." He stepped to the window 
 and looked down. " My splendid guard has already formed 
 in line," he said, "and there is a vast crowd of spectators 
 from Vienna to see the parade." 
 
 " To see your majesty," corrected Champagny, approaching 
 the window at a sign made by Napoleon. 
 
 "Just look at that crowd!" said the emperor, smiling. 
 " There are at least three thousand men who have come hither 
 to see me and my soldiers, and they do not belong exclusively 
 to the lower classes, as is proved by the large number of car- 
 riages, the numerous elegant horsemen, and by the windows 
 yonder." He pointed at the windows of the opposite wing of 
 the palace; and when the minister turned his eyes, he beheld 
 a large number of ladies, whose toilet seemed to indicate that 
 they belonged to the higher classes of society. 
 
 "See!" said the emperor, "that beautiful lady in the 
 ermine dress; it is the Princess von Fiirstenberg, and the lady 
 at her side is the wife of Field-Marshal von Bellegarde. They 
 requested Bausset to lend them one of his windows, that they 
 might witness the parade. The ladies at their side are all 
 members of the highest aristocracy, and the citizens and the 
 populace generally are in the yard below. You see, these 
 good people regard us no longer as enemies; they love and 
 esteem us, and perhaps it would be wisest and best for me to 
 claim the crown of Austria in order to put an end to all 
 further quarrels. The Austrians, it seems to me, would be 
 content with it. Well, we shall see further about it! I will 
 not make the ladies, the populace, and, above all, my sol- 
 diers, wait longer. You may remain here in my cabinet
 
 448 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 There is a note on the table which I want you to finish. I 
 shall return soon. 
 
 The emperor took his hat, and, opening the door leading 
 into the adjoining room, he called out: "Gentlemen of the 
 staff to the parade!" 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 FREDERICK STAPS. 
 
 THE bands played, and shouts of " Vive VEmpereur!" 
 burst from the troops. Napoleon had emerged from the pal- 
 ace door, and the welcome was as a sunbeam brightening his 
 cold and emotionless face. He slowly descended the steps of 
 the outside staircase, with his eyes on the soldiers, and he did 
 not notice the young man who stood below, presenting to him 
 a petition with his left hand, while he concealed his right 
 under his cloak. 
 
 "Sire," said the young man, loudly and urgently, "sire, 
 here is a petition, and I request your majesty to listen to me 
 for a moment. I " 
 
 Napoleon passed on the other side without having heard 
 these words. The youth, holding the petition still in his hand, 
 was about to follow him, but Marshal Bessieres, who walked 
 behind, kept him back. " If you present a petition to the 
 emperor," he said, "wait here until the parade is over, when 
 he will return this way." The marshal proceeded, but the 
 young man took no notice of his order, and mingled boldly 
 with the emperor's suite. 
 
 General Eapp at length laid his hand on the youth's shoul- 
 der, and said : 
 
 " Sir, you must withdraw. This is no place for you." 
 
 " I have to present a petition to the emperor which cannot 
 be delayed," said the young man, in a gentle voice, "pray 
 permit me to give it to him at once." 
 
 " I tell you it is out of place here," exclaimed the general, 
 vehemently. Beckoning to one of the second lieutenants, 
 he said: " Conduct this man away from here." 
 
 "Come, sir," said the lieutenant; "stand back, soldiers; 
 let this man pass." In spite of himself, he was soon hurried 
 to the rear.
 
 FREDERICK STAPS. 449 
 
 " I must attain my object I must fulfil my oath," he mut- 
 tered to himself. " Napoleon must die to-day, and Frederick 
 Staps shall be his executioner. Forward !" He elbowed him- 
 self through the crowd that had assembled behind the soldiers, 
 and, standing on tiptoe, tried to descry the emperor and his 
 marshals while walking into the semicircle formed by the 
 troops. 
 
 No one noticed that, seeing a passage in the ranks of the 
 ooldiers, Staps advanced, cautiously and quickly as a snake, 
 until he was again inside the semicircle. " Fate is favorable 
 to me," he muttered, "and the moment is at hand when I 
 will deliver Germany!" He approached the emperor, who 
 was just coming down the front from the other side. " Sire," 
 he exclaimed, stretching out his paper toward Napoleon, 
 " take my petition, and listen to me a few minutes." 
 
 The emperor looked for a moment on the pale countenance 
 of the young man. "I do not understand you," he said; 
 "apply to General Rapp." 
 
 Staps apparently had not heard Napoleon's words; he ap- 
 proached still closer, and put his right hand under his cloak. 
 "Sire, listen to me," he exclaimed, "I " A strong hand 
 grasped his arm and pushed him back. 
 
 " Did you not hear that you are to apply to General Rapp?" 
 asked Marshal Bessieres. "Why did you come the second 
 time to a place where you do not belong? Leave immedi- 
 ately, or you will be arrested!" 
 
 " I am going," muttered Staps, and turned to pass through 
 the ranks of the soldiers. 
 
 At this moment a dark suspicion arose in the mind of Bes- 
 sieres, for which he was unable to give any good reasons, but 
 which alarmed him. He beckoned to two soldiers, and, 
 pointing at Staps, who was pressing his way outside, he 
 said, "Arrest that man, and bring him hither!" His order 
 was obeyed in a moment, and the soldiers, holding Staps by 
 the arms, dragged him to the marshal, whom the Duke de 
 Rovigo and General Rapp had now joined. 
 
 "Why did you have me arrested, general?" asked Staps, in 
 a firm, calm voice. 
 
 "Because I distrust you," replied Bessieres. "Take off 
 your cloak!" 
 
 Staps hesitated. "Take off your cloak!" repeated Bes- 
 sieres; and, not obeying, the soldiers violently tore the cloak 
 from his shoulders, and, as they did so, something flashed.
 
 450 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 It was the blade of a large knife, in a belt with which he had 
 fastened his black velvet coat. 
 
 "He is saved and I am lost!" muttered Staps to himself, 
 and dropped his head on his breast. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this knife?" asked General Rapp, 
 " What did you want to do with it?" 
 
 Staps slowly raised his head and lifted up his arm to point 
 at the emperor, who was standing but a few steps from them. 
 
 "I intended to punish him," he said, solemnly. 
 
 "An assassin! an assassin!" cried the marshals, in dismay, 
 thronging around him. 
 
 The emperor, perhaps, had heard these cries, for he ap- 
 proached. 
 
 " What is going on here?" he asked, as his eyes turned to the 
 pale face of the young man. 
 
 " Sire," said Bessieres, with an air of horror, "you see here 
 a criminal who was about to assassinate you! Here is the 
 knife with which he intended to perpetrate the deed." 
 
 Not a feature of the emperor's countenance changed ; not 
 a muscle quivered or betrayed any inward emotion. " Hush," 
 he said, in a low, imperious voice. " Take the man into the 
 palace ! I will examine him after the parade is over. Let 
 Savary and Kapp accompany him. Come, marshals!" 
 
 While Savary and Kapp, with the soldiers who surrounded 
 Staps, hastened into the palace, Napoleon, escorted by his 
 marshals, walked slowly down the front. He did not finish 
 the parade a minute earlier than usual. Ascending the stair- 
 case, he stood on the landing, and received again the saluta- 
 tions of the military. He then stepped into the lower hall of 
 the palace. But there he accelerated his steps, and, hurrying 
 through the anterooms, entered the apartment contiguous to 
 his cabinet. 
 
 An hour had passed since he had admired, in this room, 
 M. Malzl's chess-player and postilion, and now he looked 
 wonderingly at the young man who had tried to assassinate 
 him. "He is really but a child, and looks very innocent," 
 exclaimed the emperor, shrugging his shoulders ; " I do not 
 believe that he is an assassin." 
 
 " Sire, here is the knife that was found on his person," said 
 Savary, handing it to the emperor. 
 
 "That is, indeed, a strong proof of his intention," replied 
 Napoleon. "But who tells you that this knife was designed 
 for me? I will myself speak to the man. Eapp, are you
 
 FREDERICK STAPS. 451 
 
 sufficiently familiar with the German language to be my in- 
 terpreter?" 
 
 "Yes, sire, I speak German." 
 
 "Come, then," said the emperor, quickly approaching 
 Staps, whose hands had been tied behind him. 
 
 " Whence do you come, and what is your name?" 
 
 " I come from Naumburg, and my name is Frederick 
 Staps," was the calm reply. 
 
 " What is your father?" 
 
 "He is a clergyman. " 
 
 " A clergyman ! and he has taught his son so little religion ! 
 For I am told you intended to assassinate me. Is that 
 true?" 
 
 " It was the last means that I had resolved upon to save my 
 unfortunate native land," replied Staps, in a gentle voice. 
 " But before doing so, I was determined to try another." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " To implore you, in the name of my country, humanity, 
 and your own future, to give peace to the world," responded 
 Staps, enthusiastically. " I hoped that Heaven would impart 
 strength to my words, so that they would be able to move 
 your heart ; that your eyes would see the fountains of blood 
 your accursed hand has opened on the peaceful plains of Ger- 
 many ; that the armies of the dead lying in our fields might 
 satisfy your desire for war. Sire, have mercy on Germany 
 and on yourself! There are thousands of unburied corpses 
 accusing Napoleon as their murderer! Our cities and vil- 
 lages are filled with weeping mothers, and widows, and chil- 
 dren, arraigning you as the destroyer of their sons, husbands, 
 and fathers. Sire, have mercy on your own conscience, and 
 restore peace to the world!" 
 
 "He is assuredly insane," murmured Napoleon to himself. 
 At this moment he cast his eyes on a miniature, fastened to a 
 string, and lying on the table. 
 
 "What locket is that?" he asked. 
 
 "Sire," replied Rapp, "we took it from the assassin; he 
 wore it on his neck." 
 
 Napoleon examined it. It contained the portrait of a beau- 
 tiful woman. "Whose portrait is it?" 
 
 " Sire," said Staps, in a solemn voice, " it is the portrait of 
 my betrothed my dearly beloved Anna." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the emperor. "You have a sweet- 
 heart you have a mother and a father you are in the flower
 
 452 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 of your life and yet you intended to commit so horrible a 
 crime! For you will not deny that murder is a crime." 
 
 " Murder in ordinary cases is one of the greatest crimes," 
 said Staps, in his calm, gentle voice. "But to take your life 
 to rid the world of Napoleon is no murder and no crime; 
 it is an act of justice nay, it is a sacred duty ! If I had 
 killed you, no one would have called me an assassin; my at- 
 tempt is criminal because it did not succeed. That is what 
 one of our own great poets says concerning certain actions: 
 
 ' Conceived and unsuccessful there's the crime I 
 Accomplished, it becomes a deed immortal. 
 And what succeeds will surely be forgiven, 
 For God's own verdict lies in the result ! ' " * 
 
 "And God, then, has decided against you," said Napoleon, 
 quickly. 
 
 " No, God delays only the execution of the blow, and per- 
 haps I am not the right instrument. He will choose another, 
 and my successors will know better how to find your heart. 
 Believe me, the Germans know how to do their duty ; and to 
 rid Germany of her tyrant, and restore peace to her people, is 
 their duty." 
 
 "You have read a good deal, I suppose?" asked the em- 
 peror. " And it seems books have excited your imagination. 
 What were your favorite works?" 
 
 " Sire, historical works," said Staps, calmly. "I derived 
 from them the courage required for my deed." 
 
 "You know something of Brutus, then?" asked Napoleon, 
 with a compassionate smile. 
 
 " There were two Brutuses. The last Brutus killed the 
 tyrant, and died for liberty. Mankind have not ceased ad- 
 miring him, as France has not ceased admiring the Maid of 
 Orleans. She delivered her country from its enemies, but she 
 was captured, and perished. I intended to do what that 
 heroic maid did save my native land from oppression, but 
 God decreed that her destiny, and not her deed, should be 
 mine." 
 
 " Does your father know of your folly?" 
 
 " Neither he nor my betrothed, nor any one else, knew of 
 my purpose. I came hither alone, and alone I intended to ac- 
 complish it. Not until I had succeeded was its revelation to 
 
 * " Gedacht bloss und missgltickt ist's nur ein Frevel, 
 Vollbracht, ist's ein unsterblich Unternehmen, 
 Und was nur gliickt, das wird dann auch verziehen, 
 Denn jeder Ausgang ist ein Gottes-Urtheil ! " 
 
 SCHILLER.
 
 FREDERICK STAPS. 453 
 
 be made. And the news would have come to those I love as a 
 pledge of peace that the deluge of blood was over, and Ger- 
 many saved !" 
 
 " Your father and your betrothed will now receive bad tid- 
 ings of you. Are you not afraid of grieving them?" 
 
 " Both of them will weep for me so will many other Ger- 
 mans, and their tears will water the flowers upon my grave." 
 
 " You believe, then, that I shall have you executed?" 
 
 "I should consider it but natural for you." 
 
 " But it may please me to pardon you. Tell me, in that 
 case, what you would do? ' 
 
 " Accomplish my purpose," replied Staps, calmly. " I have 
 sworn to kill you. I must fulfil my oath or die!" 
 
 "Ah, you have either a morbid mind or a morbid body!" 
 exclaimed Napoleon, vehemently. 
 
 " No, I have neither one nor the other," replied Staps, com- 
 posedly; "my mind is healthy, and so is my body." 
 
 "Send for Corvisart," ordered the emperor, turning to his 
 suite. " But let no one dare tell him what is transpiring 
 here." 
 
 An adjutant hastened out, and Napoleon turned again to 
 Staps. " Are you a freemason or one of the Illuminati?" 
 
 "Neither." 
 
 " Did you ever hear of Moreau and Pichegru?" 
 
 "I did." 
 
 " And what do you think of these men, who tried to take 
 my life?" 
 
 " I think that they were afraid of death. " 
 
 "Did you know Schill and Dornberg?" 
 
 Staps hesitated a moment, and replied: "I knew Schill. 
 I saw him on the day after the battle of Jena, and we swore 
 to devote our thoughts, our energies, and our lives, to the 
 German fatherland, and never to grow weary in our struggle 
 against the tyrant. There were three of us who took this 
 oath. The first was Count Piickler, who shot himself; the 
 second was shot, Fredinand von Schill; the third will also 
 be shot, Frederick Staps!" 
 
 "He is insane," repeated Napoleon, shuddering involun- 
 tarily at the tranquillity of the prisoner. 
 
 The door opened, and the emperor's physician, M. de Cor- 
 visart, entered. 
 
 "Corvisart, come hither," the emperor said, vehemently. 
 " Examine this young man, and tell me what is the mattel
 
 454 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 with him." The marshals and generals stepped aside, and 
 the physician approached the prisoner, whose hands had been 
 untied a moment previously. " Examine his pulse, Corvisart ; 
 examine him carefully and tell me whether he has a fever, or 
 is insane." 
 
 Staps quietly stretched out his hand ; Corvisart took it and 
 laid his fingers on the pulse. Silence reigned in the room. 
 The marshals and generals in full uniform surrounded the 
 group ; in the midst stood the emperor, whose face was sadder 
 to-day than usual; at his side was Staps, with his gentle 
 countenance and radiant look turned toward heaven, his right 
 hand resting in that of the physician, who marked every pul- 
 sation with profound attention. 
 
 It was a scene worthy an artist's pencil. All were looking 
 at the physician and waited breathlessly for his decision. 
 
 " Sire," said Corvisart, after a long pause, " this young man 
 is in perfectly good health; his pulse is regular; there is 
 nothing indicative of insanity in his eyes; his complexion is 
 good, and in fact there is nothing in his appearance to denote 
 the slightest indisposition." 
 
 " Ah," exclaimed Staps, with a triumphant smile, "you see 
 that I was right. I am neither insane nor ill." 
 
 Napoleon stamped with anger, as his eyes flashed fire. 
 "He is insane, Corvisart!" he exclaimed; "examine him 
 again." 
 
 Corvisart, did so, and in a short time said : " Sire, I can- 
 not but repeat my previous statement; I do not find a trace 
 of fever or insanity. His pulse is perfectly regular." 
 
 "Well, then," said Napoleon, frowning, "this healthy per- 
 son just tried to assassinate me!" 
 
 "Assassinate you!" ejaculated Corvisart in dismay. "Un- 
 fortunate young man, what could induce you to attempt such 
 a crime?" 
 
 "The misfortunes and sufferings of my country," replied 
 Staps. " I desired to deliver it from the tyrant who has been 
 bringing misery, disgrace, and degradation on Germany for 
 the last ten years. My attempt was vain, but some one else 
 will succeed in what I have failed to accomplish. I have no 
 actual accomplices, but the heart of every German is my ac- 
 complice, and the knife which dropped from my hand to-day 
 will fall into another's. All Germany is in conspiracy. You 
 may kill me, but thousands are ready to do what I failed to 
 accomplish."
 
 FREDERICK STAPS. 455 
 
 The emperor indeed listened to such words, but with a 
 dark and angry countenance. He beckoned the Duke de 
 Rovigo to his side. 
 
 " Savary," he said, " take this boy away, and subject him to 
 a close examination. Try to discover his accomplices. If he 
 name them, I will pardon him." 
 
 " Sire, you have the right to execute me, but I do not give 
 you the right to despise me," exclaimed Staps. 
 
 "Take him away!" repeated the emperor, "and report to 
 me what he says." Saluting the marshals with a wave of his 
 hand, and, casting a last glance on Staps, he walked by and 
 opened the door of the cabinet, where Minister Champagny 
 was awaiting his return. 
 
 " Champagny," said the emperor, wearily sitting down on 
 an easy-chair, " did you not tell me the Prince von Lichten- 
 stein had informed you that frequent propositions to assassi- 
 nate me had been made to him?" 
 
 "Yes, sire," replied Champagny, "and the prince told me 
 he had invariably rejected them with horror." 
 
 " Nevertheless, an attempt has been made. A young man, 
 scarcely twenty years old, with the face of a sick girl, came 
 hither to-day to stab me with a kitchen-knife, as he would a 
 goose or a calf." 
 
 "Merciful Heaven, that is terrible!" exclaimed Champagny, 
 turning pale. " The life of your majesty was really endan- 
 gered, then?" 
 
 " If the knife which an assassin aims at your breast endan- 
 gers your life, mine was endangered," said the emperor, with 
 n gloomy smile. " It seems my marshals were somewhat dis- 
 trustful, and did not believe so confidently in the love and 
 admiration of the spectators as I did, and that saved my life." 
 
 "It is, perhaps, only a false suspicion, sire; the knife, it 
 may be, was not intended for your majesty." 
 
 " Oh, it was! I personally examined the young man. He 
 confesses his purpose ; he boasts of it, and says if I pardoned 
 him he would attempt the same thing." 
 
 "Horrible!" exclaimed Champagny. 
 
 "Yes, horrible!" repeated the emperor, musingly, "the 
 more so as he assures me with the utmost tranquillity that 
 every German shares his hatred of me; that the whole land is 
 but a hotbed of conspiracy, and that thousands of hands are 
 already armed to pierce my heart. And this young man is in 
 perfect health, bodily and mentally, according to Corvisart,
 
 456 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 who twice examined him ; his pulse is regular, and not in the 
 least feverish. Ah, these Germans have gall in their veins 
 instead of blood ! They are fanatics, and of such we ought to 
 beware." He dropped his head on his breast. After some 
 time he turned toward the minister, who was sitting opposite 
 him in respectful silence. " Champagny," he said, hastily, 
 " we must make peace. I am bent on putting an end to the 
 war, and on leaving the country. Eeturn to Vienna, and 
 send immediately for the Austrian plenipotentiaries. You 
 have already agreed as to the chief points; it is the war con- 
 tribution alone that still prevents both sides from coming to 
 a definite understanding. You ask for fifty millions more 
 than the Austrians offer to pay; well, compromise with them; 
 induce the ambassadors to assent to the payment of seventy- 
 five millions, and make peace. I am satisfied with the stipu- 
 lations of the last draft of the treaty ; add to it whatever you 
 may deem prudent. I rely altogether on you; but, at all 
 events, make peace! Hasten to Vienna. Good-by." 
 
 The Dukede Cadore left the emperor's cabinet. Napoleon 
 was still moodily sitting in his easy-chair, when he mur- 
 mured: "Ah, these Germans! They cannot be trusted! 
 They are dangerous fanatics, capable of perpetrating the 
 foulest and most cowardly crime, and of sanctifying it on the 
 altar of duty." 
 
 CHAPTEK LII 
 
 AN EXECUTION. 
 
 NAPOLEON had passed a sleepless night. The image of this 
 pale youth, with his determined patriotism, who frankly con- 
 fessed that his object had been assassination, and regretted 
 that the attempt was unsuccessful, stood as a grim sentinel by 
 the emperor's couch, forbidding sleep to his eyes or peace to 
 iiis mind. 
 
 It was scarcely dawn when he rose, sad and weary, and 
 <\illed his valet de chambre to dress him. His lips scarcely 
 touching the cup of chocolate presented to him, he pushed it 
 impatiently aside. Contrary to his usual manner with the 
 servants, he left his bedroom without a pleasant glance or a 
 kind word, and repaired to his cabinet. The candelabras on
 
 AN EXECUTION. 457 
 
 the mantel-piece were lit, for it was still dark ; and a bright 
 fire was burning, but the room was not yet warm. 
 
 "German}- is a cold, disagreeable country," exclaimed Na- 
 poleon, shuddering, and warming his feet at the fire. " We 
 are only in the early part of October, but it is already like 
 mid-winter. The sun himself seems to put on the sheep-skin 
 which every German pulls over his ears. In truth, it is a 
 wretched country; I wish I could turn my back on it to- 
 morrow, and bid adieu to these wild dreamers. When so slow 
 and cold-blooded a nation gets excited, it resembles a bull in 
 the arena, whose fury is kindled by a red handkerchief. 
 Such is Germany at this time, and I must step out of the way 
 if I do not wish to be pierced or trampled to death. That 
 would be inglorious!" 
 
 A low rapping at the door was heard. The emperor 
 started. " Come in!" he shouted, in an imperious voice. 
 
 The door opened immediately, and Constant appeared. 
 " Pardon me, sire, but it is so early that none of the chamber- 
 lains are yet in the anteroom." 
 
 " Well, what is it?" asked Napoleon, impatiently. " Quick, 
 what is the matter?" 
 
 " Sire, the Duke de Cadore has just arrived from Vienna 
 and desires to be admitted." 
 
 " Show him in immediately," ordered the emperor, who, in 
 his impatience, hurried to the door to receive the minister. 
 
 Champagny entered, carrying under his arm a large 
 portfolio. 
 
 " Well, Champagny, what brings you hither at so early an 
 hour? What has occurred? What did you do last night?" 
 
 " Sire," said Champagny, composedly, " I have made peace." 
 
 "What? Peace!" exclaimed Napoleon, and his counte- 
 nance brightened, as if the morning had suddenly cast on him 
 its earliest golden beams. "Peace! And the treaty has 
 already been signed?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, and I bring it to your majesty." 
 
 " Signed! But how did you do that?" 
 
 " Sire, as soon as I reached Vienna last night, I sent for the 
 Prince von Lichtenstein and Count Budna, and locked myself 
 with them in my room. We had a long and exciting discus- 
 sion; but I saw that the plenipotentiaries had received fresh 
 instructions from their emperor, and that he had ordered 
 them to make peace. I extorted million by million from 
 them; at one o'clock in the morning I had already made
 
 458 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 them consent to the payment of seventy-five millions, the sum 
 demanded by your majesty ; but I saw that I could go farther, 
 and I did. At two o'clock I succeeded in a war contribution 
 of eighty-five millions, and with that I was satisfied." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the emperor, gayly; "you have ob- 
 tained eighty-five millions when I told you I would be content 
 with seventy-five millions! That was well done, Champagny, 
 and I am highly pleased with your conduct. Give me the 
 treaty. I wish to read it. " 
 
 Champagny handed the emperor the papers, and he read 
 them attentively. "Very well," he said, when he had fin- 
 ished, and with a smile " we have accomplished, indeed, a 
 very favorable peace. Austria has concluded four treaties 
 with me within the last twelve years, but I must confess that 
 this is the most advantageous to us more so than the treaties 
 of Campo Formio, Luneville, and Presburg. Austria loses 
 two thousand square leagues, with three millions and a half 
 of inhabitants, and pays us a war contribution of eighty-five 
 millions of francs. I think France may be thankful, for, 
 from this campaign, we bring her territory, money, and 
 glory. We have done with Austria; and the insurgents of 
 the Tyrol, headed by their peasant-prince, Andrew Hofer, 
 will likewise have to submit. Their own emperor will com- 
 mand the insurgents to lay down their arms. But I will 
 make an example, and show the world how such people ought 
 to be chastised. Andrew Hofer must be delivered to me ; he 
 must be punished as a demagogue ! Come, Champagny, let 
 us lose no time. I will sign the treaty. It is very good. I 
 am content with it." He stepped to his desk and hastily 
 affixed his signature. He then cast the pen aside, and his 
 features assumed an expression of proud scorn. " Henceforth 
 Austria is nothing but a vassal of France, and I can annihilate 
 her whenever I please. Her frontiers are open and unpro- 
 tected on all sides ; she is weakened within and without, and 
 hemmed in everywhere by French territories. She dares nc 
 longer breathe freely, or raise her arm against us. If, how- 
 ever, she should, we shall crush her, and reconstruct the 
 throne of Charlemagne on the ruins of Austria. His crown 
 belongs to me already ; I have it at Aix-la-Chapelle, and I do 
 not see what should prevent me from placing it on my brow 
 in Vienna." 
 
 "Sire," said Champagny, smilingly, " it would, perhaps, 
 be more desirable for your majesty to allow the throne of the
 
 AN EXECUTION. 459 
 
 Hapsburgs to exist, and to render Austria harmless, not by 
 destroying her, but by attaching the imperial family to your 
 majesty by intimate and sacred ties. A vanquished enemy is 
 always dangerous; but an ally, even though weak, will 
 strengthen your own power, and Austria is able to give to the 
 throne of your majesty the last and only jewel that, to the 
 infinite regret of your subjects, it still lacks." 
 
 " Ah !" exclaimed the emperor. " You do not mean to say 
 that Austria, bleeding from a thousand wounds that I have 
 inflicted upon her, could make up her mind to put an end to 
 her hatred by concluding an alliance of love with "me?" 
 
 "Sire," said Champagny, "I do not believe that your 
 majesty is hated by all the members of the imperial family of 
 the Hapsburgs." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Napoleon, casting a quick 
 glance on the smiling countenance of the minister. 
 
 " I suppose your majesty still remembers that, during the 
 bombardment of Vienna last May, a flag of truce was sent 
 with the request that no more bombshells be fired at the 
 palace, because one of the archduchesses had remained there, 
 having been prevented by sickness from leaving the capital 
 with the imperial family?" 
 
 " I remember the incident," said Napoleon. " A few shells 
 had already struck the palace, and I gave orders that it should 
 be spared. One of the little daughters of the emperor, the 
 Archduchess Maria Louisa, then a mere child, had been left 
 there with her nurse." 
 
 " Sire, this child is seventeen years old, and, as everybody 
 assures me, she is very beautiful, with light hair, blue eyes, 
 and charming figure. She was deeply moved at the gener- 
 osity manifested by your majesty; she is filled with admiration 
 for the hero to whom indeed the whole world is doing hom- 
 age, and before whose power tbe mightiest princes pass away; 
 she is possessed of sufficient energy and courage to give utter- 
 ance to her sentiments, even in presence of her father the 
 emperor." 
 
 "Indeed!" exclaimed Napoleon, joyfully. "But who told 
 you so, Champagny?" 
 
 " Sire, the Prince von Lichtenstein, during our confidential 
 interview yesterday ; and he added that the Emperor Francis, 
 notwithstanding the short time that has elapsed since the con- 
 clusion of the recent bloody war, and the many fresh humili- 
 ations he has had to undergo, seemed himself to be an admirer 
 30
 
 460 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 of your majesty, for he listened to the eulogy of the arch- 
 duchess with smiling tranquillity." 
 
 "That is strange," said Napoleon, slowly pacing the room; 
 "but the Austrian marriages were always pernicious to 
 France." 
 
 " Sire, it was, however, an Austrian princess, Queen Anne, 
 who gave to France one of her greatest kings, Louis XIV." 
 
 " That is true," said Napoleon; "and I should be happy if 
 my son resembled the great Louis." 
 
 "Sire, he will resemble his great father," said Champagny. 
 
 " A son an heir to my throne," said the emperor, passion- 
 ately " a legitimate inheritor of my glory, and a descendant 
 of an ancient and imperial house, who would dare doubt the 
 purity of his blood, and his right to reign? His throne I 
 would have established ; and he would confirm by the highest 
 title the fourth dynasty of France. Champagny, I must have 
 such a son, and poor Josephine!" 
 
 He paced the apartment with rapid steps, and, halting in 
 front of his minister, he said: " I shall set out to-morrow; 
 this air is oppressive. I can hardly breathe it ; and besides 
 I have no longer any business here. You will remain for the 
 purpose of exchanging the treaties of peace. Immediately 
 after the arrival of the Austrian plenipotentiary, bringing 
 the copy of the treaty signed by the Emperor Francis, you 
 will attend to the exchange of the ratifications, and inform 
 me that it has been carried into effect. I shall go from here 
 to Munich, and reach Fontainebleau in the course of a week. 
 You may tell the Prince von Lichtenstein, in the same confi- 
 dential manner in which he spoke to you of the archduchess, 
 that I am now firmly determined to separate from the Em- 
 press Josephine ; that a divorce from her had been irrevocably 
 resolved upon, and that it would be publicly proclaimed in 
 the course of the present year. That is all that you will tell 
 him for the present. Champagny, I am determined to make 
 this sacrifice for the sake of France, however painful it may 
 be to my heart. The welfare of my country and the stability 
 of my throne render it incumbent. After the divorce has 
 taken place, I shall demand a final and categorical reply from 
 Russia, and if Alexander is unable to give it if his mother 
 still refuse to place her daughter on the most powerful throne 
 in the world well, then, I shall break off the negotiations, 
 and remember that the Archduchess Maria Louisa has some 
 respect and sympathy for me. For the present we may be
 
 AN EXECUTION. 461 
 
 content with Austria, and I think the treaty of Vienna is a 
 work of which we may well be proud. The genius of France 
 will give it a glorious place on the tablets of history!" 
 
 Two days afterward the emperor's travelling-carriage was 
 in front of the palace gate of Schonbrunn. Every thing was 
 in readiness for his departure, and he was about to leave his 
 cabinet. He only wished to see Grand-Marshal Duroc, who 
 had just arrived from Vienna. 
 
 The door opened, and Duroc entered. Napoleon quickly 
 met him. "Well, Duroc," he asked, "did you see him? 
 Did he name his companions in this crime?" 
 
 "Sire, I have, and conversed with him," said Duroc, 
 gravely. " He refuses to confess any thing, and talks like a 
 madman." 
 
 " What does he say?" exclaimed Napoleon. " Conceal 
 nothing from me. This young man interests me. I desire 
 to know all." 
 
 " Sire, he affirms that your majesty is his only accomplice ; 
 the misery brought by you on Germany, he contends, insti- 
 gated him to attempt the deed, and you ought to blame none 
 but yourself." 
 
 " He does not repent, then? He does not ask for mercy?" 
 
 "He regrets only that he did not succeed, and he asks 
 merely the favor of being permitted to keep the portrait of 
 his Anna, which he contemplates continually; and he im- 
 plores her in touching words to forgive him the grief he has 
 brought upon her." 
 
 "What a strange mixture of ferocity and gentleness!" said 
 the emperor, thoughtfully. "Has he been closely watched 
 during these two days?" 
 
 " Two gendarmes were locked up with him all the time, and 
 they speak with astonishment of the unruffled tranquillity of 
 the young man. For the most part he paces the cell with 
 slow steps; at times he kneels down and prays in silence. 
 Not a word of despair has escaped his lips, not a tear dropped 
 from his eyes. Yesterday, when his dinner was brought, he 
 took the knife and looked at it musingly. One of the gen- 
 darmes intended to take it from him, but Staps handed it at 
 once, and said, smilingly, 'Fear nothing, I will not hurt my- 
 self with it; I will not waste my blood; it is reserved for the 
 altar of my country, and must be shed by my enemies. ' ' 
 
 " Did he take any food?" asked the emperor. 
 
 " No, sire, he has not eaten or drunk any thing these two
 
 462 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 days. He says he has done with life, and will have strength 
 enough left to meet his death with a firm step." 
 
 "He knows, then, that he is to be shot?" 
 
 " Yes, sire, he knows that the court-martial passed sentence 
 of death upon him last night." 
 
 " But I hope you told him, Duroc, that I had sent you to 
 him, and that I wished to pardon him, as soon as he repents 
 of his deeds, implores my forgiveness, and takes an oath to 
 give up his evil designs? Did you tell him all that, Duroc?" 
 
 "I did, sire." 
 
 " And what did he reply? Tell me every thing!" 
 
 "Sire, he replied, that if he could repent of the deed, he 
 would not have attempted it; that if he accepted pardon, all 
 Germany would curse him, while he now descends into the 
 grave, accompanied by the blessings and tears of his country ; 
 in fine, that his death will arouse the Germans, and urge 
 them to renewed efforts for liberty." 
 
 The emperor made no reply. His whole frame shuddered, 
 and if Corvisart had felt his pulse then, he would not have 
 said that it was quite regular. The large drops of perspira- 
 tion on the emperor's brow might have alarmed the physician. 
 
 "I am sure he is insane," said Napoleon, after a pause. 
 " I want him to be looked upon as a lunatic. I hope that the 
 whole affair will remain a secret, and that the world will hear 
 nothing of it ; but if it should be talked about, we must in- 
 sist that the man was insane." 
 
 Duroc bowed in silence. 
 
 "When is Staps to be shot?" asked the emperor, after a 
 pause. 
 
 "Sire, this morning, at seven o'clock." 
 
 Napoleon glanced at the clock. "It is half -past six," he 
 said ; " I will set out. Well, the Viennese will not hear the 
 report of the muskets, for the cannon that is to announce to 
 them the conclusion of peace will render inaudible the volley 
 at the execution. Come, Duroc! I am tired of this fantas- 
 tic Germany! Let us return to France!" 
 
 Quickly crossing the room and approaching the door, he 
 stood on the threshold and glanced again at the clock. " It 
 is a quarter to seven," he said; " in fifteen minutes there will 
 be one lunatic less in Germany!" A few minutes afterward 
 a carriage rolled down the avenue of the palace of Schon- 
 brunn. The emperor had departed. 
 
 At the same time the room opened in which Staps had beeii
 
 AN EXECUTION. 
 
 confined for three days, under the close surveillance of two 
 gendarmes. An officer entered; eight soldiers, shouldering 
 their muskets, drew up in front of the door. Frederick 
 Staps met the officer with a serene smile. He still wore the 
 short black velvet coat, fastened around his slender waist by a 
 broad leather belt, his neck surrounded by a white collar, on 
 which his long hair fell in dense masses. During the three 
 days of his captivity he had not undressed, taken no food, and 
 even abstained from sleep. His time was occupied in prepar- 
 ing for death, and in writing letters to his beloved Anna and 
 his old father. These letters, folded and carefully directed, 
 he placed in the belt which the fatal knife had adorned three 
 days before. 
 
 "Sir," said Staps, offering his hand to the officer, "I sup- 
 pose you come for me?" 
 
 " It will soon be seven o'clock," replied the officer, in a sad, 
 compassionate tone. 
 
 " Oh, sir," exclaimed Staps, "do not pity me! I shall die 
 joyfully. But I have a favor to ask of you. I should like 
 to send my last love-greetings to my father, and the young 
 lady to whom I was engaged. Will you be kind enough to 
 send my letters to them? You hesitate? Reply to me, and 
 consider that a dying man always should be told the truth." 
 
 "Well, sir," replied the officer, "I am not permitted to- 
 forward these letters to them. Not a word is to be said about, 
 your fate; it must remain a secret." 
 
 " Ah, the tyrant is afraid lest my destiny should become 
 generally known. He wishes to hide it in obscurity ; but my 
 name, and that for which I die, will not sink into oblivion. 
 The day of freedom will dawn yet on my native land, and my 
 grave will be known and visited by my German brethren. 
 You will not forward my letters?" 
 
 " I am not allowed to do so, sir." 
 
 " Well, then I will forward them myself," exclaimed Staps, 
 drawing the letters from his belt and tearing them into small 
 pieces, which he threw away. "Go! my greetings and 
 adieus!" he said; "let the winds bear ye into the quiet par- 
 sonage of my old father, and the chamber of my faithful 
 Anna! Tell my countrymen of poor Frederick Staps, who 
 wished to save Germany, and could only die for it! Now 
 come, sir, let us go!" 
 
 "You have no other wish?" asked the officer. " There i& 
 nothing that you desire, and that I could grant you?"
 
 464 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 " Yes, sir, there is. I do not v/ish to be tied like a wild 
 beast, but conducted to the place of execution with my arms 
 free ; I do not wish to be blindfolded. I would like to see 
 the soil and the sky of my country in the last moment!" 
 
 " That wish will be granted. You shall be executed with 
 your eyes open, and your arms unfettered." 
 
 "Thank you," said Staps, cordially grasping the officer's 
 hand. " I suppose it is time for us to go?" 
 
 "Yes," said the officer, mournfully, "we must go!" 
 
 "I am ready," responded Staps, and he walked with firm 
 steps toward the door. 
 
 The soldiers stepped aside, and then surrounded him and 
 the officer. The procession moved slowly and silently through 
 the long and gloomy corridors. Emerging into the open air, 
 they came to a square inside the bastions. High ramparts 
 surrounded it on three sides; on the fourth rose the rear wall 
 of the barracks in which the condemned had spent the three 
 days of his imprisonment. A few French soldiers were stand- 
 ing here and there at the open windows, gazing with indiffer- 
 ent face on the young stranger led to execution, and of whose 
 crime they knew nothing. He was conducted across the 
 square to the opposite rampart, and placed in front of the 
 newly-dug grave which was to receive his body. 
 
 A detachment of French soldiers marched from the gate of 
 the barracks and formed in line, just as the sun cast his first 
 rays over the rampart, and shone upon the head of the pale 
 youth. At this moment the earth seemed to tremble as be- 
 neath a peal of thunder. 
 
 " What is that?" asked Staps of the officer who was stand- 
 ing by his side. 
 
 "It is the salute announcing that peace has been con- 
 cluded." 
 
 "Peace!" exclaimed the dying youth, joyfully. "Oh, tell 
 me the truth, sir, do not deceive me? Has peace really been 
 concluded?" 
 
 " Yes, a treaty has been signed. The Emperor Napoleon 
 leaves Schonbrunn this very day to return to France. Three 
 months hence there will not be a single French soldier to b$ 
 seen in all Austria." 
 
 "Peace restored to Germany!" cried Staps, and, sinking 
 on his knees, he raised his arms toward heaven ; joy beamed 
 from his countenance, and his eyes filled with tears. " I 
 thank Thee, my God, I thank Thee !" he exclaimed aloud.
 
 AN EXECUTION. 465 
 
 " Thou allowest me to depart amid the booming of cannon 
 proclaiming peace to Germany! I die happy!" 
 
 " Attention ! Aim !" ordered the officer. 
 
 The young man rose from his knees. " Give me another 
 minute," he cried; "let me sing my death-hymn!" 
 
 The officer nodded assent. Staps, stretching his arms up- 
 ward, sang in a joyous voice: 
 
 "Tod du sttsser f ttr das Vaterland, 
 SUsser als der Brautgruss, als das Lalleu 
 Auf dem Mutterfechooss des ersten Kindes, 
 Sei mir willkommen ! 
 Was das Lied nicht loset, 18st " 
 
 "Fire!" said the commanding officer, and twelve soldiers 
 discharged their muskets. 
 
 Frederick Staps immediately fell dead, and the blood 
 streaming from his breast reddened his native soil. While 
 Napoleon's cannon was proclaiming the conclusion of peace, 
 this youthful martyr breathed his last sigh !
 
 BOOK VII. 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 THE 15th of December, 1809, was dawning. Queen Louisa 
 had long looked for this day with a throbbing heart, and now 
 that it had come, she felt embarrassed and anxious. It was 
 the day when the royal family were to leave Konigsberg and 
 return to Berlin, where the court was again to reside. Since 
 the 3d of October the French troops and authorities had left 
 the capital, and Berlin was once more a Prussian city, yearn- 
 ing for the return of its king and queen. 
 
 The carriages were at the door ; the princesses, wrapped in 
 fur robes, were in the anteroom and awaited the queen, whose 
 toilet had long since been finished. But Louisa had not yet 
 left her sitting-room. The king made his appearance, ready 
 to set out, and was somewhat surprised at not finding her with 
 her daughters. 
 
 " The queen does not know, perhaps, that the carriages are 
 at the door," said the king. "I will inform her that it is 
 time for us to start." He walked rapidly through the adjoin- 
 ing rooms and noiselessly opened the door of the queen's sit- 
 ting-room. 
 
 Louisa, wrapped in her travelling-robe, sat on the sofa, her 
 hands folded, her face bathed in tears, and her eyes uplifted 
 with an imploring expression. She did not immediately 
 notice the king, who, as if in profound reverence, stood at the 
 door. The queen was praying how could he dare to disturb 
 her! 
 
 At last she lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw that her 
 husband was present. "Oh, my friend," she exclaimed, ris- 
 ing hastily, " my thoughts were with you, and on taking leave 
 of these rooms where, owing to your love, I have enjoyed, 
 these last years, so much calm and sacred happiness, I prayed 
 that God cause it to accompany us to our future residence."
 
 HOMEWARD BOUim 467 
 
 " But while praying you wept, Louisa?" asked the king. 
 " I hoped that the days of tears were past, and that my Louisa 
 would become again as merry and light-hearted as she used to 
 be. Do you not like to return to Berlin?" 
 
 The queen looked down musingly. "I cannot tell you," 
 she said, thoughtfully. " When I think that I shall soon be 
 in Berlin, and meet again the faithful people, my heart is 
 joyful, and then again I shed many tears when I consider 
 that, while I may find every thing there as formerly, there 
 may in reality be sad changes, and I do not know how I may 
 be affected. Dismal forebodings are troubling me ; I should 
 like best to sit always alone, behind my little lamp, and in- 
 dulge in my reflections. I am longing for Berlin, and yet I 
 am almost afraid to go there." 
 
 " What are you afraid of?" asked the king, pressing his 
 wife tenderly against his breast. 
 
 " I believe I am afraid of prosperity," she said, with a gen- 
 tle smile. " I had become entirely resigned, and forever bid- 
 den farewell to outward splendor, so that its return surprises 
 and almost alarms me. Oh, my beloved friend, will it not 
 destroy the humbled, inward repose, which, during the time 
 of privation, was our support, and the only source of our hap- 
 piness?" 
 
 "It is true," said the king, smiling, "during these quiet 
 years here at Konigsberg, I was so happy as to have my wife, 
 the charming consoler of my afflictions, always at my side; 
 henceforth, the queen will often take my wife from me, and 
 thousands of hearts which will welcome you so rapturously, 
 will separate me often enough from my ideal. But I am not 
 jealous, and the more my beautiful queen is honored, the 
 greater will be my happiness. Come, my Louisa, let us go! 
 the carriages are in readiness, and the children are waiting 
 for us; but, before we leave this quiet room, accept again my 
 thanks for the fidelity and kindness you have manifested 
 toward me during my misfortunes. I am indebted to you for 
 many alleviations of the sorrows which weighed me down. I 
 am not a man of many words and cannot make fine phrases, 
 but here in my soul I feel fervently that God has placed you 
 at my side as an angel of consolation for the days of adversity, 
 and of happiness for those of prosperity. Because I love you, 
 I gave your name to our youngest daughter, born here at 
 Konigsberg. May she become a Louisa!" 
 
 "And may our sous inherit the noble spirit and the faith-
 
 468 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 f ul and devout heart of their father ! " exclaimed the queen, 
 deeply moved. " May they bear adversity like him, without 
 despondency, and enjoy prosperity without haughtiness ! Oh, 
 my friend, why will we say, then, that we are returning to 
 Berlin poorer and less powerful than when we left the city 
 three years ago? No, we return richer and more powerful : 
 for we left with five children, and we return with seven 
 seven hearts that love us, and belong to us. Do they not 
 constitute wealth and power? Come, my husband, let us 
 hasten to our children ! and with what a mother's pride shall 
 I show our treasures to the good people of Berlin ! " She 
 smiled and drew the king along; her eyes, from which the 
 tears had long since disappeared, were now radiant with love 
 and joy not a shade of melancholy was to be seen in her 
 countenance when she embraced her children. 
 
 The journey to Berlin could be performed but slowly and in 
 short stages. The snow-clad roads were almost impassable. 
 Besides, every city and village through which the royal family 
 journeyed, would have its share of congratulation. They 
 were greeted with triumphal arches, and hymns and addresses 
 of welcome. No one had escaped the miseries of war ; mourn- 
 ing mothers and wives, amid the ruins of a former prosperity, 
 were everywhere to be seen ; but all this was forgotten during 
 those happy hours when the people, delivered at length from 
 foreign oppression, rejoiced again in the presence of the 
 sovereigns who had endured the same afflictions. The whole 
 journey resembled a triumphal procession everywhere en- 
 thusiastic receptions and love-offerings ! 
 
 On the eighth day at noon they arrived at the village of 
 Weissensee, a league from Berlin. The shouts of thousands 
 of happy people received them. The whole population had 
 gathered at the roadside in order to greet the returning king 
 and his family, and at the entrance of the village were halting 
 fifty young citizens of Berlin mounted on fine horses. They 
 had been commissioned by the inhabitants of the capital to 
 escort the carriage in which Louisa was to make her entry, 
 and which the citizens desired to present to her. It was a 
 splendid gift, richly decorated with silver, and lined with 
 violet velvet, the favorite color of the queen. The eight mag- 
 nificent horses attached to the carriage wore violet harness, 
 adorned with silver rings and buckles. The queen entered it 
 with her daughter Charlotte and her third son, Prince Charles; 
 the king and the two oldest princes mounted on horseback.
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 4C9 
 
 " Now, Louisa," said the king, riding up, " we have nearly 
 reached our destination. There are the spires of Berlin ; iu 
 half an hour we shall be there. But how pale you are, and 
 your lips quiver! Are you unwell? Are you suffering?" 
 
 "No," she said; "I live only in my heart, which is throb- 
 bing as though it were ready to burst. Oh, I believe that one 
 may die of joy. But such a death must be very happy!" 
 
 " But you shall live in joy," said the king, smiling. " Fare- 
 well now, Louisa; I must leave you. According to the cere- 
 monial, I must be with the princes at the head of the proces- 
 sion. Au revoir at our house in Berlin!" 
 
 " Au revoir," said the queen, leaning back on the cushions 
 of the carriage. " Charlotte," she said to the princess sitting 
 at her side, " when we are near the gate, tell me. I want to 
 be surprised, and, until I have reached the dear city, I will 
 look at the sky, and remember that it is the same sky that 
 was over us at Memel in the days of our deepest affliction." 
 She threw back her head. Her eyes, blue and pure as heaven 
 itself, were looking up, and the bright firmament seemed to 
 inspire her with devout and grateful thoughts. Prayers were 
 in her heart, and the memories of other days mingled with 
 her prayers. It was exactly sixteen years since she made her 
 entry into Berlin as a happy young bride. At that time, life 
 was as the flowery spring, and she saw before her in her hope- 
 ful dreams only a world of happiness, love, and glory. She 
 was then a bride, beautiful, loving, and beloved by her young 
 husband, the inheritor of a kingdom. Now, at her second 
 entry, she was sixteen years older, a matron of thirty-four, 
 and a mother of seven children. The storms of life had passed 
 over her, destroying many of her hopes. Her heart had been 
 shaken as well as the throne of her husband. The ills of 
 common mortals had befallen the king and his consort, and 
 it was not their innate dignity and majesty that had enabled 
 them to bear up, but their warm human feeling; it was not 
 their self-reliance that had consoled them, but the faith that 
 God, the Father of all, would be merciful to them, if, con- 
 scious of their impotence, they recognized His providence and 
 believed iu His wisdom and goodness. 
 
 The queen thought of all this, and compared the entry of 
 the bride, rejoicing in the dreams of her young love and in 
 the reality of worldly power, with the entry of the mother and 
 queen, disappointed'in her hopes and robbed of her dominion. 
 
 " And yet it is better to-day," she murmured, " I am richer
 
 470 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 now than I was then. My heart is richer, my soul is stronger, 
 j " 
 
 " Mamma," exclaimed the Princess Charlotte, " I see already 
 the Bernauer gate! Oh, hear the shouts, look at that tri- 
 umphal arch!" 
 
 The queen turned her eyes toward the city. The cheers of 
 the people sounded in her ears like the early greetings of her 
 happiness, and filled her soul with ecstasy. As the king, be- 
 tween his sons, rode into the gateway, the bells rang, and the 
 cannon shook the ground. When the queen's carriage en- 
 tered, the soldiers formed in line on both sides of the street, 
 and behind them surged a dense crowd of men and women 
 Nothing was to be seen but happy, smiling faces ; love was 
 beaming from every eye, and with bells, cannon, waving 
 hands, and the cheers of her citizens, Berlin greeted the re- 
 turn of her sovereigns. 
 
 The king acknowledged these demonstrations with a grave, 
 thoughtful face ; he saluted the people aifectionately, but his 
 countenance grew sad. He thought of the many faithful sub- 
 jects whom he had lost, of the cities and provinces which 
 had been taken from him, of the grievous and bloody sacri- 
 fices of the last years; he remembered that he was returning to 
 his ancestors, possessed only of the smaller portion of the in- 
 heritance which they had left him, and these reflections over- 
 shadowed his joy. 
 
 The queen only felt and thought of the happiness of her 
 return. These thousands of hearts throbbing for her, this 
 crowd of greeting men about her carriage to see her and shout 
 words of welcome, filled her soul with profound emotion. 
 She did not restrain her tears, and was not ashamed of this 
 expression of her feelings. She wept, smiled, and rejoiced 
 with her people. 
 
 When the cheers reechoed through the street as she passed, 
 the queen exclaimed aloud: " What grateful music this is! 
 It sounds in my ears as sacred, and the city seems a vast 
 cathedral ! Charlotte, my beloved daughter, listen ! but with 
 a devout heart. There is hardly any thing more solemn and 
 yet delightful to a princess than the cheers of her subjects. 
 She who deserves them must return the people's love, and 
 sympathize in their joys and sufferings. My daughter, if you 
 yourself should one day wear a crown, think of this hour, and 
 let the affection of the people now occupy your heart. But, 
 my child, there is our house, the dear old house where you
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 471 
 
 children were born ! What persons are standing in front of 
 it? Who are they waving their handkerchiefs toward us? 
 The beloved sisters of your father, the Princesses of Orange 
 and Hesse! Who is that tall gentleman at their side? It is 
 my father, my honored father!" The carriage drove up to 
 the portal of the royal palace. "Welcome!" cried the prin- 
 cesses. "Welcome!" shouted the crowd, filling the large 
 square in front. 
 
 The queen did not utter a word ; but, stretching out her 
 arms toward her father, she greeted him with a smile, while 
 the tears rolled over her cheeks. 
 
 The duke pushed the footmen aside and opened himself the 
 door of her carriage, when the queen, disregarding all eti- 
 quette, threw her arms round his neck, and kissed him. The 
 people who witnessed this touching scene, became silent. 
 With folded hands and tearful eyes they admired her who had 
 ever been an affectionate and grateful daughter as well as a 
 beneficent sovereign, and their prayers ascended to heaven for 
 her welfare. Half carried in the arms of her father, Louisa 
 entered the palace, and ascended the staircase. The doors of 
 the large reception-room were open. The king met her; her 
 two oldest sons stood behind him, and her two youngest chil- 
 dren, held up by their nurses, stretched out their little arms 
 toward her. She joyfully hastened into the room. " Come, 
 my children," she exclaimed with a smile, "come, my seven 
 radiant stars!" 
 
 She took the two youngest children, Albert, not yet three 
 years, and Louisa, one year old, in her arms; the five other 
 children walking by her side, and thus, in the midst of these 
 '"seven stars," she approached her father. Bending her knee 
 before him, she exclaimed: "Grandfather! here are your 
 grandchildren; here is your daughter, who, with her chil- 
 dren, asks for your blessing, and here is the most faithful and 
 beloved man, my husband! Oh, father, honor him, for he 
 has preserved to your daughter her happiness!" She placed 
 the two youngest ones at the feet of the duke, and took the 
 king's hand, which she pressed to her bosom. 
 
 The king, who was afraid lest this excitement should be- 
 come injurious to the feeble health of his wife, after saluting 
 the duke and his own sisters in a cordial manner, proposed an 
 inspection of the rooms of their so long deserted house. 
 
 "Yes!" exclaimed Louisa, "let us show my beloved father 
 the temple of our happiness; and the good spirits around us
 
 473 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 no doubt welcome him and us. Come !" Walking between her 
 father and her husband, and followed by the princesses and 
 her oldest sons, the queen hastened through the suite of 
 rooms, hallowed by the remembrances of other days, and 
 which now seemed to her as beautiful as the halls of a fairy- 
 palace. "How tasteful, how brilliant!" exclaimed Louisa. 
 " Formerly, the magnificence of these rooms did not strike me 
 at all ; but now I am able to perceive and appreciate it. Our 
 houses at Memel and Konigsberg were much plainer, and I 
 thought of the beauty of our residence at Berlin. Ah, and 
 there is my piano! Oh, how often have I longed for it! 
 "Will you grant me a favor, my king and husband?" 
 
 " The queen is in her own rooms; she has to ask no favors 
 here, but only to command," said the king. 
 
 " You will then permit me to salute the good spirits of our 
 house with music, and to sing a hymn of welcome to them?" 
 asked the queen. 
 
 The king smilingly nodded, and Louisa, hastening to the 
 piano, quickly took off her gloves, and sat down on a chair in 
 front of the instrument. Her fingers swept over the keys in 
 many brilliant cadences. Her face was cheerful, but grad- 
 ually she became grave, and, turning her large eyes toward 
 heaven, her concords were slow and solemn. She thought of 
 the past of the day when, seized with forebodings, she sang 
 here a hymn which she repeated at the peasant's cottage dur- 
 ing her flight to Konigsberg, when her presentiments were 
 fulfilled. Her hands played almost spontaneously that simple 
 and beautiful air, and again she sang with emotion : 
 
 " Who never ate his bread with tears, 
 Who never in the sorrowing hours 
 Of night, lay sunk in gloomy fears, 
 He knows you not, ye Heavenly Power* I " * 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 THE EMPEROR FRANCIS AXD METTERNICH. 
 
 THE Emperor Francis was pacing his cabinet in evident 
 uneasiness and excitement. Count Clement Metternich, 
 since Stadion's withdrawal from the cabinet, prime minister 
 
 * " Wer nie sein Brot rait Thrfinen ass, 
 Wer nie die kummeryollen Nachte 
 Auf seinem Bette weinend sass, 
 Der kennt Euch nicht, Ihr himmlischen Miichte 1 *
 
 THE EMPEROR FRANCIS AND METTERNICH. 473 
 
 and confidential adviser, was standing at the emperor's desk, 
 and whenever Francis, in walking up and down, turned his 
 back to him, a scornful smile overspread his handsome coun- 
 tenance; this manifestation of contempt disappeared, how- 
 ever, as soon as his master turned again toward him. 
 
 " It will stir up a great deal of ill-feeling throughout Ger- 
 many," said the Emperor Francis, hastily. "No one will 
 believe that I, who was hitherto the most implacable enemy 
 of Bonaparte, should have suddenly done him so much honor." 
 
 " But at last every one will have to believe it, your majesty," 
 said Metternich, in his gentle, melodious voice. " The facts 
 will refute the surmises of the incredulous." 
 
 "But it is outrageous," cried the emperor, "and I can 
 hardly think it possible that I am to assist Bonaparte in mak- 
 ing a decent match, and that I am to stoop so low as to call 
 the son of the Corsican lawyer my son-in-law! Let me tell 
 you, it will never do ; I should ever after be afraid of passing 
 the church of the Capuchins; I should always imagine that 
 the tombs of my ancestors opened, and their ghosts arose and 
 asked me, 'How could you permit the imperial blood of the 
 Hapsburgs to mingle with that of the little Corsican lawyer's 
 son, the insurgent and revolutionary captain, who chances to 
 be a successful warrior?' Yes, and I ask myself the question, 
 How can I permit an archduchess, my daughter, to be mar- 
 ried to a man seated on a throne which does not belong to 
 him, and which the Bourbons, the legitimate rulers of France, 
 will one day take from him? How can I permit it, I ask, 
 and how am I to bear it, if this fellow without a pedigree 
 should some day take the liberty to call me his dear father-in- 
 law? How is it possible for me to expose myself to such risk?" 
 
 " Will your majesty permit me to answer these just ques- 
 tions of your imperial conscience?" asked Metternich. 
 
 "Do so," exclaimed Francis. "Explain the whole matter 
 to me as though I were not the emperor, but a common citi- 
 zen offended at the idea that the Emperor of Austria should 
 permit his daughter to be married to the revolutionary leader 
 who has the impudence to assume the imperial title. What 
 would you say? How would you excuse me?" 
 
 Metternich advanced a step toward the emperor, and re- 
 plied : " I would say the Emperor Francis has acted as a wise 
 statesman and ruler, and as a father of his people. In order 
 to preserve Austria from new wars, he has sacrificed his most 
 precious treasure, his only child. It is a pledge securing
 
 474 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 peace to his exhausted people. Austria is not now able to resist 
 Napoleon in case he should again attack her. Our frontiers 
 are defenceless ; our finances are exhausted. Hitherto every 
 war has caused us grievous losses in money, men, and territory ; 
 and so long as we stand alone, so long as Russia persists in 
 her absurd policy of being the cat's-paw of France, it would 
 be senseless and criminal again to endanger the existence of 
 the monarchy. We have suffered such immense losses, that 
 we must have peace to recover what we have lost. Hence we 
 must be reconciled with France, and this reconciliation 
 strengthens us against Russia. The very fact that Napoleon 
 desires to conclude an alliance with Austria indicates a change 
 in his political system, by which we should try to profit, and 
 if (what is unavoidable) a rupture with Russia ensues, Austria 
 ought to derive as much benefit therefrom as possible, and 
 enlarge her territories. We ought to render our present 
 position toward France as profitable as possible. The arch- 
 duchess will be a precious guaranty to Napoleon, for he will 
 feel convinced that the emperor will be unwilling to sacrifice 
 his child, and this conviction will fill him with confidence 
 and a feeling of security. Austria becomes closely connected 
 with the political interests of Napoleon, and shares the 
 hatred which all Europe feels against the Emperor of the 
 French. But this very hatred incurred by Austria will be 
 regarded by Napoleon as another surety for his fidelity. He 
 will ally himself more closely with us, and become more hos- 
 tile to Russia, the natural enemy of Austria ; hence it is bet- 
 ter for us to fight in company with France against Russia 
 than to allow Russia and France to fight against us. More- 
 over, our finances are in such a deplorable condition, that a 
 bankruptcy of the state would be the inevitable consequence 
 of another war; not only the future of the emperor's dynasty, 
 but the fortunes of his subjects would be endangered. In 
 consideration of this, the emperor, in his wisdom, has pre- 
 ferred to secure peace, the source of prosperity, to his beloved 
 subjects, and, like the patriarch, he sacrifices his own child 
 willingly and joyously. The noble emperor ought to be 
 blessed and praised for this, and his wisdom, which despises 
 prejudice, and only weighs and respects the benefits to be 
 secured by such a measure, should be gratefully acknowledged. 
 That, sire," said Metternich, concluding his speech, "is what 
 I would reply to him who would dare in my presence censure 
 the marriage of the archduchess to the Emperor Napoleon."
 
 THE EMPEROR FRANCIS AND METTERNICH. 475 
 
 "It sounds well enough," said the emperor, thoughtfully, 
 " but it is still an unpalatable dish for me, and my tongue 
 will cling to the roof of my mouth when I am to say, 'My 
 son-in-law the Emperor Napoleon!' He is no real emperor, 
 although he has placed three crowns on his head, and even 
 had the impudence of dividing my order of the Golden Fleece, 
 contrary to law, into three classes; he can never become a 
 real emperor; he must always remain the son of a Corsican 
 lawyer." 
 
 " Whom the pope, however, has anointed and crowned em- 
 peror," said Metternich, with a sneer. 
 
 " Yes, and, in return, this ungrateful fellow has deprived 
 the holy father of his throne, and imprisoned him ! In short, 
 I detest the usurper. It always deeply pained me to hear of 
 Bonaparte and his new victories; and since I saw him on that 
 day after the battle of Austerlitz, he is more hateful to me 
 than ever. Oh, how superciliously this fellow then looked at 
 me! He talked to me so haughtily that I felt quite miser- 
 able, and did not know what to say. I shall never forgive M. 
 Bonaparte, and yet I am to allow him to become my son-in- 
 law ! I tell you, Metternich, it will not do, for the end will 
 be bad." 
 
 " But the commencement," said Metternich, smiling, " will 
 be good for Austria, and that is the chief point. We shall 
 take care that the end will not be bad for us either, and that 
 Austria will not be the loser by it." 
 
 " It is all right," said Francis, nodding, " but the mischief 
 is, that when the unhappy time comes, M. Bonaparte will be 
 my son-in-law, and that it may be necessary for me to support 
 him and his cause." 
 
 "Your majesty," said Metternich, in a low voice, and 
 glancing cautiously over the room, " if you do not now hesi- 
 tate to sacrifice your own child for the welfare of your coun- 
 try, at a later time you will not shrink from sacrificing your 
 son-in-law. There are no relatives in politics; Austria has 
 no sisters and brothers, no daughters and sons-in-law; that is 
 what the august uncle of your majesty, the Emperor Joseph, 
 often said, and he was right." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, my great uncle Joseph was right," exclaimed 
 the emperor, laughing; "there are no sons-in-law in politics! 
 Oh, it would do my heart good if I could revenge myself one 
 day on M. Bonaparte for all the humiliations that I have to 
 bear now." 
 31
 
 476 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 "Your majesty," said Metternich, in a lower voice than 
 before, "there is an excellent Italian proverb, 'Revenge must 
 be eaten cold.' Your majesty knows it?" 
 
 "Of course I do," whispered the emperor. "I know it, 
 and shall surely remember it. 'Revenge must be eaten cold;' 
 he who wants to eat it hot, will burn his tongue. Let us 
 wait, therefore." 
 
 " Yes, let us wait," whispered Metternich. He then added 
 in a loud voice : " Your majesty, then, will graciously accept 
 the proposals of the Emperor Napoleon as to his union with 
 the archduchess, order the marriage contracts to be made out, 
 and permit the Prince de Neufchatel, Marshal Berthier, to 
 apply to your majesty and the archduchess for the hand of 
 the imperial princess?" 
 
 " Yes, I will," said Francis, hesitatingly, "but let me tell 
 you, I am afraid of what the empress, my consort, will say 
 about the matter, and also of Maria Louisa herself. The 
 empress never liked Bonaparte, and I do not know how I shall 
 break the news to her, that the man for whose sake, but a few 
 months since, so much Austrian blood was shed, and to whom 
 I had to sacrifice the brave Tyrolese, Andrew Hofer, is to be- 
 come my son-in-law. And Maria Louisa will be greatly 
 surprised; I am afraid she will weep a good deal on hearing 
 the news." 
 
 " I believe the archduchess will cheerfully submit to her 
 fate," said Metternich. "I heard her imperial highness 
 speak in terms of intense admiration of the heroism and mar- 
 vellous deeds of the Emperor Napoleon." 
 
 "Yes, she did," replied Francis, "but I commanded her 
 not to give expression to such sentiments. I explained to her 
 how much misery and ignominy Bonaparte had brought upon 
 Austria and our house, and what a cruel, tyrannical, and 
 bloodthirsty man he is; and my words made so deep an im- 
 pression on the mind of my dutiful daughter, that she has 
 detested Bonaparte ever since, and is afraid of him, as though 
 he were a monster." 
 
 " Perhaps, if your majesty were to tell the archduchess that 
 the Emperor Napoleon is not so bad after all," said Metter- 
 nich, smiling "if you were to assure her imperial highness 
 that he is a very great and admirable man, and that his lau- 
 rels are as good as a long line of ancestors, the words of your 
 majesty would not fail to impress themselves on her mind, and 
 her hatred would disappear, particularly if you should show
 
 THE EMPEROR FRANCIS AND METTERNICH. 47? 
 
 her u correct likeness of the emperor, for care has been 
 hitherto taken to exhibit to the imperial princes and prin- 
 cesses only those representations of Napoleon in which he is 
 horribly caricatured. I know that the mistress of ceremonies 
 of the archduchess, Countess Colloredo, in her passionate 
 hatred against him, and against France generally, tried this 
 remedy to cure the imperial princess of her admiration for 
 the conqueror, and the archduchess sees, hears, and reads noth- 
 ing but what has been previously examined by the countess. 
 I repeat, that if your majesty could have a really correct like- 
 ness of Napoleon brought to the young lady's notice, her 
 ideas of him would be somewhat changed." 
 
 "But I have no good likeness of Bonaparte," said the em- 
 peror, somewhat embarrassed. 
 
 " Marshal Berthier brought one, which he is to present to 
 the archduchess on solemnly applying for her hand. It is 
 very costly and correct. The frame consists of twenty very 
 large diamonds, for which one might buy a whole principality. 
 I requested the marshal to let me have it an hour, when he 
 permitted me to see it during the visit I paid to him. I told 
 him frankly I wished to take it to the emperor, who would 
 show it to the archduchess, that she might have some notion 
 of the real emperor, and receive his suit. The marshal 
 granted my request, and intrusted the miniature to me." 
 
 " Did you bring it with you?" 
 
 'I did, your majesty. Here it is." Metternich drew a 
 morocco case from his bosom and handed it to the emperor. 
 
 Francis opened it hastily, and contemplated the precious 
 locket a good while. " These are splendid diamonds, indeed," 
 he said, " and I am convinced Bonaparte did not inherit them 
 of his father. Not the slightest blemish, not a single imper- 
 fection in them; I believe I have no more beautiful diamonds 
 in my crown!" 
 
 'And the resemblance?" asked Metternich. "Does not 
 your majesty think that it is excellent?" 
 
 "Yes, yes," exclaimed Francis, laughing. "I had almost 
 forgotten that, in admiring the precious stones. Yes, it is a 
 good likeness; he looks precisely like that, but you must 
 admit it is a revolting face, looking as though there were but 
 one man in the world, and he were that man." 
 
 " But the expression of so much haughtiness impresses the 
 ladies very favorably," said Metternich. " They like the man 
 who loves to consider himself u god, and he is one in their
 
 478 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 eyes. I really believe it would be a good idea for your majesty 
 to show this to the archduchess, and tell her afterward that 
 it is the likeness of her future husband. If your majesty has 
 no objection, I will, in the mean time, request an audience 
 of the Empress Ludovica, and try to convince her majesty of 
 the necessity of this marriage." 
 
 "Do so," exclaimed the emperor, joyously, "it will be very 
 agreeable to me, and as soon as possible. In the mean time I 
 will go to the archduchess, show her the miniature, and tell 
 her plainly that it is that of her future husband. It is better 
 to tell her so without circumlocution. The princess will not 
 dare to oppose my wishes; she knows that it is the duty of an 
 obedient daughter to accept the husband her father has 
 selected for her. Go to the empress, Metternich ; I shall go 
 to the Archduchess Maria Louisa." 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA. 
 
 THE imperial princes and princesses had just dined to- 
 gether, as had been their custom since the reign of the 
 Emperor Joseph, and were still in the large dining-hall, 
 which was also the play-room of the imperial children. The 
 Emperor Francis, who had recently married his fourth wife, 
 had children by his second marriage only, but numerous 
 enough to secure the continued existence of the dynasty, and, 
 at the same time, furnish beautiful princesses to other sover- 
 eign houses. Of these five daughters and two sons, Maria 
 Louisa, who was seventeen years old, was the eldest. But 
 though a grown young lady, she liked to be together with her 
 younger brothers and sisters, and remained sometimes with 
 them after dinner, in order to participate in their merry play 
 and conversation. On this occasion, instead of returning 
 with the mistress of ceremonies to her room, she remained 
 with her brothers and sisters in the dining-hall. "While the 
 younger princes and princesses were engaged in playing round 
 a large table, the two oldest, the archduchesses Maria Louisa 
 and Leopoldine, retired into one of the bay-windows to con- 
 verse without being disturbed. 
 
 It was a charming sight those two young ladies standing 
 in the niche, surrounded by curtains as in a frame, and whose
 
 THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA. 479 
 
 beauty seemed to have caught a celestial radiance from the 
 light beaming through the windows. Both were in the morn- 
 ing of their age, but Maria Louisa, the older sister, was even 
 more attractive than Leopoldine. Thick ringlets of light- 
 brown hair floated around her forehead. She had large azure 
 eyes, telling of her happiness and the kindly emotions of her 
 soul. Her finely-cut nose gave an aristocratic expression to 
 her countenance, while her crimson lips, in their voluptuous 
 fulness, contrasted not unfavorably with the remarkable re- 
 finement of the rest of her features. An enchanting smile 
 played about her mouth, and spoke of her noble simplicity 
 and innocence. 
 
 She encircled the neck of her younger sister with her arms, 
 and was gazing at her with a tender expression. " Ah, Leo- 
 poldine," she said to her in a sweet voice, "how happy I am 
 that we are at length together again! When I remained here 
 ill and alone, and the enemy was besieging our capital, I was 
 always thinking of none but you, and yearned to be again 
 with you. But when the shells struck our palace, I thanked 
 Heaven that you were not here, and had not to undergo the 
 fear and anguish which I was enduring. When this Bona- 
 parte arrived, I was suffering of the scarlet fever, but the ter- 
 ror brought on an attack of intermittent fever. I shall 
 never forgive him. But, thank God, these evil times are 
 over ! Now we need not be afraid of being expelled again 
 from the palace of our ancestors by this bad man, and of see- 
 ing our dear Schonbrunn degraded by the presence of his 
 marshals. Now we can live happily and delightfully in un- 
 disturbed tranquillity." 
 
 "Yes, we can," said the Archduchess Leopoldine, smiling. 
 " But do you not think, sister, that our life is indescribably 
 monotonous and tedious at the present time? Our third 
 mother, the Empress Ludovica, is certainly a very amiable, 
 virtuous, and pious lady, but she really believes us still to be 
 small children, who ought to remain in the nursery, and it 
 does not occur to her that amusements are sometimes neces- 
 sary for young princesses of our age. We have passed the 
 whole winter in an intolerably quiet and wearisome manner; 
 we are already in the latter part of February, and have not 
 had a single ball at court. Ah, Louisa, it is, after all, not so 
 very pleasant to be a princess. Other girls of our age are at 
 liberty to indulge in a little pleasure, to attend balls, concerts, 
 and parties, where they see new faces and interesting persons.
 
 480 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 We are forbidden all this. We must wait until diversion 
 comes to us, and unfortunately we are not thought of at all ! 
 We are never allowed to pay visits or accept invitations. A 
 formal court ball, where we may appear for a few hours, and 
 dance with the most aristocratic cavaliers, is our only amuse- 
 ment, and at present we are deprived of that. We are guarded 
 in our apartments like prisoners." 
 
 " Yes, it is true," sighed Maria Louisa, " and we have a very 
 rigorous jailer in the Countess of Colloredo. Do you know, 
 Leopold ine, that I have had a violent scene with the mistress 
 of ceremonies to-day?" 
 
 "Ah, I am glad of it," exclaimed Leopoldine, laughing. 
 " What was the matter?" 
 
 " I wanted to read, and requested the mistress of ceremo- 
 nies to give me new books. She deferred it until to-day and 
 brought me then one of the works I had asked for, 'the Maid 
 of Orleans,' by Schiller, but it was mutilated and disfigured 
 like all books that are given to us. Whole pages had been 
 cut out, and on those remaining were to be found black spots 
 rendering whole lines and words illegible a liberty which the 
 mistress of ceremonies is in the habit of indulging in, in 
 reference to all the books we read." 
 
 "Yes, it is true," sighed the younger archduchess, "we 
 cannot read a single good book from beginning to end ; and 
 we are thus deprived of much pleasure. What did you do, 
 dear sister?" 
 
 " I cast the book aside with horror, and requested her to let 
 me have the latest newspapers. She brought them to me, but 
 everywhere the same foul marks; not only all the news from 
 France, but even the local Vienna items were almost illegible 
 to-day; lines had been cut out, words erased, and half a col- 
 umn had entirely disappeared. I was almost beside myself at 
 this treatment. I returned the papers and said, 'Madame, 
 this is doubtless a mistake. I am sure these papers were in- 
 tended for the nursery, that the little archduchesses might 
 learn to spell; as for myself, I can both spell and read, and I 
 request you, therefore, to give me legible books and news- 
 papers. ' " 
 
 "Oh," exclaimed Leopoldine, merrily clapping her hands, 
 "that was glorious! You acted like a heroine, my dear 
 sister!" 
 
 Maria Louisa smiled and added, " 'Madame,' I went on to 
 say, 'I cannot bear any longer this system of surveillance. It
 
 THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA. 481 
 
 is insulting and repugnant to me to be treated like a child, 
 and considered so weakminded as to be forbidden books which 
 thousands of girls of my age are allowed to read. Or do you 
 want to make me believe that all books and newspapers come 
 to Austria in this mutilated condition? Oh, I know full 
 well that the people would not submit to such a system of 
 tyranny, and that, in case such efforts should be made to de- 
 prive them of their mental food, assuredly a revolution would 
 break out, as in France at the time when my unfortunate 
 aunt, Marie Antoinette, was on the throne. ' ' 
 
 "Did you say so?" asked Leopoldine, in surprise. "But 
 where did you find the courage and the words?" 
 
 " I must avow to you that I had reflected about the matter 
 for three days, and drawn up, and learned by hear!;, this little 
 speech in order to address it to the mistress of ceremonies at 
 the first opportunity. I am really tired of being treated so 
 childishly, when I am a woman, and may expect soon to be 
 married." 
 
 " Ah, married !" sighed Leopoldine. " Who knows to what 
 dreadful princes we may be married? For, as a matter of 
 course, we shall not be asked whether we like the match or 
 not, and we shall not be as well off as the daughters of com- 
 mon citizens, who, as my maid told me, marry only those 
 whom they love. We princesses must marry men whom we 
 have never seen, with whom we exchange the first word only 
 after our marriage, and whom perhaps we may not like at 
 all." 
 
 "No matter, our marriage makes us free," exclaimed Maria 
 Louisa, impatiently. " We are then at least our own mis- 
 tresses, and need submit no longer to the restraints imposed on 
 us. The example of our third mother, the Empress Ludo- 
 vica, shows it. She has taken the liberty to pay no attention 
 to etiquette, and holds a reception at her rooms every night 
 from eight to ten o'clock, when she does not admit the ladies 
 and gentlemen of the court, but invited persons, among whom 
 there are frequently those who do not even belong to the 
 aristocracy." 
 
 " She does not invite ua to the evening parties," exclaimed 
 Leopoldine, sneeringly. " Maybe we are too aristocratic for 
 her. But you are right, Louisa as soon as we are married, 
 we shall also have the right to change rules of etiquette and 
 live as we please." 
 
 " Do you know the first thing I am going to do after my
 
 482 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 marriage?" asked Maria Louisa, quickly. "I shall buy all 
 the books that I have now, and peruse the cut-out and illegi- 
 ble passages. I am sure they are the most interesting and 
 beautiful in the books, and I believe they all treat of love. 
 Ah, Leopoldine, I should like to read for once a work con- 
 taining a very romantic love-story, and over which one might 
 dream. But, good Heaven ! what makes the children shout 
 so merrily? Come, let us see what they are doing." 
 
 " Come, let us play with them," exclaimed Leopoldine. 
 
 The princesses stepped arm in arm from the bay-window 
 and hastened to the table. The little archduchesses and their 
 brothers, it seemed, were engaged in a highly-interesting 
 game, which their governesses were witnessing with smiling 
 attention. They were standing about the large round table, 
 on which a small army of wax figures in green and blue uni- 
 forms had been placed in neatly-arranged rows. At the head 
 of this army stood a somewhat larger figure of the most re- 
 volting appearance. It was a little fellow with hunched 
 shoulders, a rotund stomach and an unnaturally large head. 
 The face was of a black-and-green color, and had eyes of a 
 ferocious expression, and a tremendous mouth without lips, 
 showing rows of ugly yellow teeth. This figure was dressed 
 in a green uniform, with broad white facings, and on his head 
 was a little cocked hat. Opposite this army of wax figures a 
 row of small brass cannon was placed, and at their side lay 
 diminutive bows, and arrows furnished with pins. The am- 
 munition-wagons were filled with black peas. 
 
 The game had just commenced. The imperial children had 
 opened the campaign against the hostile army of wax- figures. 
 The little Archdukes Ferdinand and Francis Charles stood as 
 gunners at the field pieces, while the Archduchesses Caroline, 
 Clementine, and Amelia, were armed with small bows. The 
 gunners fired at the ranks of the soldiers ; the archduchesses 
 aimed at the terrible captain of the little army. Whenever 
 an arrow hit him, or a cannon-ball struck down one of the 
 soldiers, the children burst into loud cheers. 
 
 "What game is this?" asked Maria Louisa, contemplating 
 with evident delight the blushing cheeks and bright eyes of 
 her young brothers and sisters. 
 
 "That is the Bonaparte game," exclaimed little Archduke 
 Francis Charles. " Papa emperor presented the game to me 
 when we were at Ofen, and taught me how to play it. , It is. 
 a long while since we played it, but to-day we will try it again.
 
 THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA. 483 
 
 Look, sister Louisa, that horrible fellow in front of the sol- 
 diers is the villain Bonaparte, who is stealing the states of all 
 the princes. He is made entirely of brass, and no arrow can 
 injure him, but he has a vulnerable spot on the breast, where 
 the heart is, that is made of wax. On shooting at him, you 
 always have to aim there; if you hit it, the arrow remains, 
 and you win the game and obtain the reward. Oh, I am well 
 versed in the Bonaparte game ; papa emperor was so gracious 
 as to play it often with me at Ofen, when we were fleeing 
 from that man; and his majesty taught me also how to insult 
 Bonaparte. See, sisters!" and he took the little bow from 
 the hands of the Archduchess Marianne, and laid an arrow on 
 the string. "Now, you miserable fellow," he shouted in an 
 angry voice and with flashing eyes, " now I will kill you with- 
 out mercy ! You thief, you stole Venice and Milan from us 
 you must die!" He discharged the arrow, but it glanced 
 off from the figure. 
 
 "You missed him! you missed him!" shouted the little 
 group. 
 
 "It is my turn now," exclaimed the little archduchess, 
 taking the bow from her brother. She put an arrow on it, 
 and, contracting her eyebrows and making her laughing little 
 face assume an angry and menacing air, shouted, " Now trem- 
 ble, you bad man! for I will put you to death because you 
 drove us twice from Vienna, and frightened us so badly that 
 you compelled us to escape, while you were enjoying yourself 
 in our fine palaces. Yes, I will kill you, because you shot our 
 soldiers and took our cannon. You are a wretch, a miserable 
 thief, and I will now shoot you that you may no longer mur- 
 der our men and expel our princes, you robber and assassin!" 
 She discharged her arrow, but with no better success than the 
 little archduke, and the laughter of her brothers and sisters 
 punished her for her lack of skill. 
 
 "Why, this is a very pretty game," exclaimed the Arch- 
 duchess Maria Louisa, laughing. "Come, Leopoldine, let us 
 try it, and see whether we are able to hit the monster." The 
 princesses sat down laughingly between the little archdukes, 
 and each took one of the bows. 
 
 "Pray let me shoot first, dear sister," exclaimed Leopol- 
 dine, eagerly. " Look, my arrow lies already on the string. 
 Now I will aim at you, miserable Bonaparte, and take revenge 
 for all the sufferings you have brought upon us. Your last 
 hour has come; fold your hands and pray, if you can. But
 
 484 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 you cannot pray, for you have a conscience burdened with 
 crimes; you have sinned grievously against God by insulting- 
 and imprisoning His representative on earth. The Holy 
 Father has excommunicated you for this, and you are ac- 
 cursed, delivered over to the tortures of hell, and every honest 
 Christian turns away from the wretch against whom the bolt 
 of excommunication has been hurled. You must die without 
 confession and absolution in the midst of your sins. " She 
 discharged the arrow, but, like those of her little brother 
 and sister, it glanced from the figure and dropped at its 
 feet. 
 
 The little archduchesses and princes, who, on hearing the 
 imprecations uttered by their sister, had assumed a very grave 
 air, felt as though they had been relieved of an oppressive 
 burden, and burst into loud laughter. 
 
 "It is my turn now!" exclaimed Maria Louisa. She took 
 the bow and fixed her blue eyes with an expression of pro- 
 found contempt on the repulsive figure. " You must die 
 ay, die!" she said, gravely. "Bonaparte, I will deliver the 
 world from you, for you are as insatiable as the Minotaur, 
 that required every day a human victim for breakfast. You 
 devour men and countries, and the wails of whole nations are 
 music to your ears. You must die, also, because you look so 
 horrible! God has marked you, and given you a monstrou; : 
 body, because your soul is that of a monster. I will kill you, 
 therefore, that you may no longer frighten mankind!" She 
 put the arrow on the string and shot. 
 
 A loud shout resounded. The arrow remained in the figure. 
 Maria Louisa had hit Bonaparte. 
 
 " Hurrah, the Archduchess Maria Louisa has killed Bona- 
 parte!" cried the little ones. "The monster is dead! The 
 robber lives no more! The wretch and villain!" 
 
 " Why, what is going on here? Whom are you abusing so 
 shockingly?" asked a voice behind them, and the children, 
 turning around, saw their father, the Emperor Francis, who 
 had entered unnoticed by them. 
 
 " We are abusing the malicious robber, papa emperor," ex- 
 claimed the Archduchess Marianne, pointing at the figure. 
 
 " Your majesty, dear papa emperor," exclaimed little Fran- 
 cis Charles, eagerly " only think of it, Maria Louisa has hit 
 the heart of Bonaparte. The monster is dead ; he is unable 
 now to steal any thing more from us!" 
 
 " Sancta Maria!" cried the emperor, " how can you use such.
 
 THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA. 485 
 
 language, my son? How can you utter such disrespectful 
 epithets about the illustrious Emperor Napoleon?" 
 
 The boy looked at his father in dismay. " Your majesty," 
 he said, timidly, " you yourself told me Napoleon could not 
 be abused enough, and a genuine Hapsburg ought to execrate 
 the infamous robber. Those were your majesty's own words, 
 papa!" 
 
 "Oh, I was only joking," exclaimed the emperor, angrily, 
 " and a clever prince, like you, ought to have noticed it at 
 once. But I am talking in earnest now, and forbid you play- 
 ing this stupid game any more, or uttering another word 
 against the Emperor Napoleon. He is a very illustrious, and 
 moreover an excellent man a very great emperor whom 
 every one loves and praises." 
 
 "Papa emperor," cried the Archduke Francis Charles, 
 wonderingly, " but your majesty told me at Ofen that every 
 one was abhorring Bonaparte, and " 
 
 "You are a pert little fool!" replied the emperor, vehe- 
 mently. " What I said then has no sense now. For at that 
 time we were at war, and Napoleon was our enemy. But now 
 we have made peace, and he is our friend, and so dear a 
 friend, that I would willingly intrust to him my most precious 
 treasure ; I am sure he would honor and cherish it ! Listen 
 to my orders, therefore, all of you : do not utter another word 
 against the Emperor Napoleon. We all love and admire him, 
 and that stupid game must never be played again. It must 
 be laid aside forever." 
 
 The children were frightened and downcast ; the emperor 
 turned from them, and beckoned to the Archduchess Maria 
 Louisa to follow him. " I came to see you at your rooms," he 
 said ; " the mistress of ceremonies told me that I would find 
 you here. I want to speak to you." 
 
 " Your majesty was very gracious to come to me instead of 
 sending for me," said the archduchess, bowing to her father. 
 " Does your majesty command me to follow you to your 
 cabinet?" 
 
 "No, just step with me into this window-niche," said the 
 emperor; " I will not detain you long. I wish to show you 
 something." He stepped with the princess into the last win- 
 dow-niche, and closed the curtain. "Now look," he said, " I 
 want to show you a miniature, and you must tell me how you 
 like it." He opened the locket and presented it to the arch- 
 duchess. She gazed at it long and musingly, and a blush
 
 486 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 suffused her cheeks. "Well! what do you think of this 
 man?" 
 
 " Your majesty, he must be a very great and distinguished 
 man," exclaimed the archduchess. " It is a countenance that 
 makes my heart throb; it is more than merely fine-looking, 
 it is sublime! How much majesty is enthroned on that brow, 
 and yet the smile seems petulant and childlike ; but the eyes 
 are magnificent." 
 
 "Look at him carefully," said the emperor, "and do not 
 restrain your feelings, but fall in love with him. For let me 
 tell you a secret, Louisa; it is the likeness of your future 
 husband." 
 
 A deeper blush crimsoned the face of the archduchess, and 
 half ashamed, half anxious, she fixed her eyes again on the 
 miniature. 
 
 "Yes," added the emperor, in a graver tone, "it is the 
 portrait of your husband, and you will receive this very day 
 his ambassador, who will apply to you for your hand. He 
 has already received my consent, and I am sure my daughter 
 knows her duty, and will accept obediently the husband I have 
 destined for her." 
 
 "Yes," whispered the archduchess, "I know that to be my 
 duty, and shall humbly submit to the will and commands of 
 my emperor and father." 
 
 "And it is a grand destiny that Providence offers you," 
 said the emperor, gravely. "You are to preserve peace to 
 the world, my daughter; you are to be the bond of reconcili- 
 ation between those who have hitherto hated and waged war 
 with each other." 
 
 "Sire," exclaimed the archduchess, anxiously, "your maj- 
 esty did not tell me whose likeness this is?" 
 
 " And whom I have determined to become your husband," 
 added the emperor. " I will tell you now, but be courageous 
 and brave, my daughter, and remember that you must obey 
 me unconditionally." 
 
 " I shall not forget to do so, your majesty." 
 
 "Well, then, did I not, on entering this room, hear the 
 children rejoice at your having hit the heart of the Emperor 
 Napoleon?" 
 
 " I was playing with the children, your majesty, and " 
 
 " And your play is to become earnest now, and you are to 
 take pains to conquer Bonaparte's heart, that he may love and 
 trust you. For, my daughter, this miniature, which you
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 487 
 
 pronounced so fine-looking, is a correct likeness of the Em- 
 peror Napoleon, who will become your husband." 
 
 The Archduchess Maria Louisa uttered a cry, and tottered 
 to the wall. 
 
 Her father clasped her in his arms, and placed her gently 
 on the easy-chair standing in the niche. The cheeks of Maria 
 Louisa had turned livid, her eyes were closed, and her arms 
 hung doAvn by her side. 
 
 "It is strange how easily women faint !" muttered the em- 
 peror. " I found that to be the case with all my wives. 
 When they do not know how to do any thing better, they 
 faint. All four of mine did, but they always revived, and so 
 will Louisa. I like it much better that she should faint than 
 that she should weep. She knows now what she had to know, 
 and will act accordingly." He opened the curtain, and 
 stepped back into the room. "Leopoldine!" he shouted to 
 the archduchess, "step in here to your sister, Maria Louisa. 
 She has swooned, but it is of no consequence ! Tell her to 
 wake up, and conduct her to her room. She will tell you 
 what has happened to her." 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIETHDAY. 
 
 THEKE were great rejoicings in Berlin. It was the 10th of 
 March, the queen's birthday, and she celebrated it again at 
 the capital for the first time in three years. Every one has- 
 tened to manifest his love and sympathy for the queen, and 
 all classes had sent in requests for permission to choose com- 
 :nittees to present their congratulations to her majesty. The 
 queen had cheerfully granted these requests, and the deputa- 
 tions of the old aristocracy, the states, the clergy, the munici- 
 pality, the academy, the painters, and other artists, the 
 mechanics, and citizens, were assembled in the large hall of 
 the royal palace, waiting her arrival. 
 
 The folding-doors at length opened, and the queen, pre- 
 ceded by the grand-marshal of the court, entered. She looked 
 pale and exhausted, but received with affability and grace the 
 cheers given by the assembly at her appearance, and walked 
 slowly down the long line of the deputations, addressing 
 a kind word or casting a grateful glance to every one, and
 
 488 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 charming all by her beauty, gentleness, and majesty. Sud- 
 denly her countenance brightened, and she approached a tall, 
 stout gentleman standing in the midst of the committee of 
 the artists. " M. Manager Iffland,"* she said, "let me bid 
 you welcome. I expected to see you here to-day, in order to 
 express once more my thanks for the joy you afforded me on 
 my last birthday, and for the sufferings you underwent for "ay 
 sake. But I should like to hear an account of the event from 
 your own lips, and I ask of you, as a birthday present, to re- 
 late to me what happened to you last year on this day." 
 
 While uttering these words, the queen stepped back into the 
 middle of the hall, and thereby compelled Iffland to leave the 
 committee, and follow her. " Your majesty is really too kind 
 to remember so insignificant an occurrence," said Iffland, 
 bowing respectfully. " I was on that day only so happy as to 
 give expression to the feelings animating all. 'Queen Louisa, 
 our royal lady!' that was the motto encouraging us to bear 
 up under the foreign yoke ; it was our consolation when we 
 thought of his majesty, our beloved king. However galling 
 our chains might have been, we felt comfort. 'The royal 
 lady is with him!' we said to each other, and with grateful 
 tears every one remembered his queen." 
 
 "Yes, it is true," exclaimed the queen with feeling, "we 
 met with much love and fidelity during the years of affliction, 
 and to-day I thank from the bottom of my heart all those who 
 were faithful to us." Her eyes gazed long and affectionately 
 on the brilliant circle of those assembled, and she then turned 
 again to Iffland. " Well, how was it on my birthday last 
 year?" she asked. "Tell me, but speak loudly, that every 
 one may hear." 
 
 " Last year on this day we were not as happy as we are to- 
 day," said Iffland. " Our queen was not with us, and we 
 could not let her read in our eyes the love and fidelity which 
 we had been forbidden from manifesting toward her by word 
 or deed. The French authorities had issued stringent orders 
 everywhere, that the citizens should abstain from any allusions 
 to or recollections of our queen's birthday, and that no 
 demonstrations whatever should be made. We were obliged 
 to submit to the petty tyranny, but our hearts were filled with 
 anger, and the love which we could not assert was strength- 
 ened in its concealment. It needed only a spark to bring 
 about an explosion, and the theatre was so fortunate as to 
 
 * The celebrated German actor.
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 480 
 
 kindle this spark in the hearts of the loyal Prussians. On 
 the evening of that 10th of March, a small family drama 
 which I had written was to be performed. It was the simple 
 and affecting history of a family celebrating happily the re- 
 union of a mother and her children. The mother's name was 
 Louisa, and this name was sufficient to fill the house with a 
 distinguished audience. All felt that the theatre was on that 
 day the only place where the public heart, devoted to the 
 queen, was allowed to throb for her; where glances could be 
 exchanged and understood, and where it was permitted to 
 whisper, 'It is her birthday to-day! Heaven bless her!* 
 Every seat was occupied in the galleries as well as in the 
 dress-circle, in the orchestra stalls as well as in the pit, every- 
 where reigned the same joyous commotion. Only in the boxes 
 of the French, faces were seen that cast an angry and hostile 
 expression on that audience. The curtain rose, and the per- 
 formance commenced. The actor Lange and myself appeared 
 in the first scene. Lange had to play the part of a friend of 
 the house, happening to arrive there on that day. I repre- 
 sented the son of Louisa, the mother, and appeared on the 
 stage with a large bouquet on my breast. ' Why do you look 
 so happy and well-dressed to-day?' said Lange. 'I suppose 
 you are celebrating a family festival?' 'Yes!' I exclaimed in 
 a loud and joyous voice, 'we are celebrating a family festival, 
 and it is a beautiful festival ; we are celebrating the return of 
 our beloved mother, God bless her ! God bless the dear lady 
 who is to receive these flowers!' Carried away by my enthusi- 
 asm, I tore the bouquet from my breast, and held it out toward 
 the audience. Moved by one and the same feeling of love 
 and admiration, the whole assembly rose, and thousands of 
 voices shouted, as it were with one mouth and from one 
 heart, ' God bless her ! God bless the dear lady the adored 
 mother!' Oh, queen, it was a sublime moment, and God 
 counted the tears and understood the prayers that we addressed 
 to Him. He has restored to us our queen, the beloved mother 
 of her country and people!" 
 
 The queen at first listened smilingly: gradually, however, 
 her countenance became grave. She was standing with pro- 
 found emotion in front of Iffland, when he concluded his nar- 
 rative, and tears dropped from her downcast eyes. Silence 
 reigned in the vast hall, and all faces were turned to the 
 queen. She raised her eyes slowly, and directed them toward 
 Iffland with an expression of indescribable kindness. " I
 
 490 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 thank you," said Louisa; "you stood faithfully by your queen 
 at a time when many were deserting her. You have been a 
 faithful knight of mine, and the king, therefore, wants you 
 to retain always the title of knight. He permits me to give 
 you to-day another decoration instead of the bouquet you wore 
 on your breast a year ago. In the name of his majesty I have 
 to present to you the insignia of the order of the Eed Eagle." 
 
 A pallor overspread Iffland's countenance, while he received 
 the order which the queen handed to him. "0 queen," he 
 said, deeply affected, "such an honor to me, the actor! I 
 thank your majesty in the name of all my colleagues, from 
 whom you have removed at this moment the interdict exclud- 
 ing them from the honors and dignities of other men." 
 
 The queen smiled. "It is true," she said, "I believe you 
 are the first actor who ever received an order in Prussia. 
 And are you not indeed the first actor? However, you owe 
 us still the conclusion of your narrative. You described to us 
 the scene at the theatre, but not the disagreeable consequences 
 of the occurrence." 
 
 " Ah! your majesty," exclaimed Iffland, smiling, " the con- 
 sequences were easy to bear after the sublime moment which 
 I had witnessed. I was imprisoned for forty-eight hours at 
 the French guard-house, where they put me on a diet of bread 
 and water. That was all." 
 
 "I thank you for suffering so cheerfully for me," said the 
 queen, dismissing Iffland with a pleasant nod. " Would I 
 were able to reward all those who have suffered for us, and 
 endured persecution in love and patience, and to return days 
 of joy for days of sorrow!" 
 
 Iffland, who looked proud and happy, stepped back among 
 the members of his committee, and Louisa continued her 
 walk, uttering words of gratitude and acknowledgment, and 
 charming all by her winning and withal queenly bearing. 
 
 After the reception was over, she returned to her apart- 
 ments. The smile disappeared from her lips, and her coun- 
 tenance assumed a melancholy expression. She motioned to 
 her two ladies of honor to leave her, and remained alone with 
 her confidante, Madame von Berg. "Oh, Caroline," sighed 
 the queen? " I can bear it no longer. My heart succumbs 
 under these tortures. They call this day a holiday, but to 
 me it is a day of terror. To-night a party at the palace a 
 banquet previous to it, and I must be gay, though suffering 
 severe pain ! My heart is bleeding, and yet I am to dance,
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 491 
 
 address pleasant words to every one, and assume an appear- 
 ance of happiness. I do not know whither to escape with my 
 grief! To whom will Prussia belong a year hence? Whither 
 shall we all be scattered? God have mercy on us!" 
 
 "Your majesty views the situation in too gloomy a light," 
 said Madame von Berg, consolingly. "No further events 
 have occurred that need alarm you." 
 
 "No further events!" exclaimed the queen, vehemently. 
 " You do not know, then, Caroline, that Count Krusemark 
 arrived from Paris this morning?" 
 
 "No, "replied Madame von Berg, anxiously; "I do not 
 know any thing about it. What is the meaning of this un- 
 expected arrival of the ambassador?" 
 
 " A new calamity is threatening us. Count Krusemark is 
 the bearer of a letter from Napoleon to the king. Oh, Caro- 
 line, what a letter it is! One cannot help blushing with 
 shame and anger on reading it, and yet it is necessary for us 
 to be silent. Napoleon menaces because the war contributions 
 are not promptly paid: he talks as a superior to his inferior 
 who neglects his duty; he scolds as a schoolmaster does his 
 pupil who has not learned his task. And we must bear it, we 
 must stoop so low as to beg him to be indulgent! Caroline, 
 we must now solicit the forbearance of the man who has in- 
 sulted us by every word he addressed to us, and by every look 
 he cast upon us. For do you really know what he threatens 
 to do? He writes that if the king does not immediately pay 
 up the arrears of the war contributions, he will send an army 
 to Prussia, to collect the money, and punish the king for his 
 breach of faith. He will send another army to Prussia! that 
 is to say, the war is to begin anew, and, as we have become 
 powerless, and cannot defend our frontiers, he means to crush 
 us. He will take every thing, and Prussia will cease to exist. 
 And we cannot pay, we have no means to obtain those mill- 
 ions so unjustly claimed!" 
 
 " But the ministers will devise means to pay the contribu- 
 tion, dearest queen; the minister of finance will be able to 
 suggest a scheme to fulfil the engagements that have been en- 
 tered into, and to discharge the claims which Napoleon has 
 against us." 
 
 The queen laughed scornfully. " Baron von Altenstein, the 
 
 minister of finance, is not of your opinion," she said. " The 
 
 king asked him to suggest measures by which the liabilities 
 
 we had incurred might be discharged. But Altenstein re- 
 
 32
 
 492 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 plied that he did not know of any, and he then proposed to 
 the king to pay the debt by ceding the province of Silesia to 
 Napoleon." 
 
 "Dreadful!" exclaimed Madame von Berg, indignantly. 
 " A Prussian minister does not shrink from advising the king, 
 although we are at peace, to sacrifice the best province that 
 has remained, and which even the defeats of Jena and Fried- 
 land, and the intriguing days of Tilsit did not endanger!" 
 
 " And if we do not consent to such a sacrifice (and we shall 
 not), what next?" exclaimed the queen, despairingly. "Na- 
 poleon will send his army and expel or imprison us, as he 
 treated the unfortunate royal family of Spain. Oh, Caroline, 
 I shall be uneasy night and day. Dreadful apprehensions are 
 constantly meeting me. I think of Spain, and fears oppress 
 me lest my husband have the same fate as King Charles. Be- 
 lieve me, his life, his liberty is threatened, and he is every- 
 day in danger of being suddenly seized and taken away as a 
 hostage, until we have fulfilled the behests of the tyrant, and 
 given him all that still belongs to us our honor, our crown, 
 .and, perhaps, our lives. We are surrounded by French spies: 
 very word, every look, is watched ; only a pretext is sought 
 to ruin us, and it will be found, as it was in Spain. Oh, he 
 will take my husband from me! he will drag him as a prisoner 
 from one place to another as he did the King of Spain; he 
 will sow the seeds of discord in our family as he did in that 
 unhappy country. He, the tyrant Napoleon, brought about 
 a quarrel between the Infante and his father; he compelled, 
 with his iron hand, the unfortunate King Charles to write 
 that his son's guilt had raised a barrier between father and 
 son. But whose hand was it that constructed it? Can there 
 be any doubt? It was his alone! Oh, will there be a time, 
 and shall I live to see it, when the hand of God will at length 
 write the 'Mene, mene, tekel,' on his wall?" 
 
 " Your majesty will live to see that time," exclaimed Ma- 
 dame von Berg. " You will witness the judgment of Heaven 
 and of the nations overthrowing the tyrant." 
 
 The queen shook her head. " No," she whispered, " I shall 
 not live to see it. I think this will be the last time that I 
 celebrate my birthday here."* 
 
 "Oh, Louisa," cried Madame von Berg, bursting into tears, 
 41 do not utter such cruel, heart-rending words. You will live, 
 you must live, for the consolation and joy of us all. It would 
 
 *The queen's own words.
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 493 
 
 be an injustice, and we should despair of divine equity, if our 
 queen depart without having seen again the days of deliver- 
 ance and happiness." 
 
 "My dear, Providence permits such acts of injustice," said 
 Louisa, with a mournful smile. " Was it just that noble 
 Palm should be shot, that Schill had to fall, and to be stig- 
 matized as a deserter for his heroic actions? Was it just that 
 Andrew Hofer had to expiate his glorious struggle for free- 
 dom by his death? The Emperor of Austria was in the same 
 position as we were. He had to sacrifice Andrew Hofer as 
 we Ferdinand von Schill. The cruel hand of the tyrant 
 rested on him as it did on us. And now they have shot the 
 brave, heroic leader of the Tyrolese at Mantua! My soul 
 mourns for him, for I hoped in him. It is but recently that 
 I understood Schiller's words, 'On the mountains there is- 
 freedom!' They resounded in my heart like a prophecy, 
 when in my thought I looked over to the mountaineers who 
 had risen at Hofer's call. My heart fought at his side! And 
 what a man this dear, honest, simple Andrew Hofer was! A 
 peasant who had become a general, and what a general! His 
 weapon prayer! His ally God! He fought with folded 
 hands, with bended knees, and struck down the enemy as 
 with a cherub's sword. And the brave Tyrolese were fight- 
 ing with him children in the simplicity of their hearts, they 
 fought like Titans, by hurling down rocks from the summits 
 of their fastnesses. And yet it was all in vain ! They were 
 sacrificed, and their leader was shot by the man who to-mor- 
 row marries the daughter of their emperor. And you doubt 
 that Providence permits acts of injustice? Oh, I do not 
 doubt that God is just, but we mortals are often unable to 
 comprehend his justice, because our life is too short to wit- 
 ness the result of that of which we have seen only the incep- 
 tion ; but He knows the end from the beginning. And an 
 end will come for Napoleon with all his glory. But shall I or 
 any of us ever live to witness it?" 
 
 " All of us will," said Madame von Berg; " our belief in the 
 final retribution of Divine justice will give us our strength, 
 I hope, for many years." 
 
 "I shall not live to see that blessed time," said the queen, 
 solemnly. " This man, who is to be married to a German 
 princess to-morrow, has wounded my heart so that it will at 
 lust destroy me. I do not speak figuratively, but mean what 
 I say. There is something in my heart that leaves me no rest
 
 494 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 night and day. Its palpitations strike like a death-watch. 
 There is something gnawing there incessantly; at times I feel 
 that it has nearly pierced my life, that death is surely near. 
 And I am dying of the wretchedness and disgrace which he 
 who is enthroned in France has brought upon Prussia ! I am 
 dying, and he will win further triumphs ; the whole of Europe 
 will lie prostrate at his feet, and his songs of victory will be 
 my dirge, leaving me no rest even in my grave. But hush, 
 hush ! Let us say no more. I have allowed you to look into 
 the depths of my soul. You, my friend, are the only one to 
 whom I sometimes raise the veil covering my bleeding heart. 
 But tell no one what you have seen ; keep my secret a little 
 while longer, my dear Caroline. And how is your friend, 
 excellent Baron von Stein? You told me yesterday you had 
 received letters from him. What does he write? Where does 
 he live?" 
 
 " He lives in Briinn ; his wife and children have joined him. 
 and his life therefore is outwardly at least less sad than 
 formerly. He is in constant communication with the promi- 
 nent statesmen of Germany ; all patriots hope in him, and re- 
 ceive advice and consolation from him. He is preparing 
 quietly and secretly the great work of deliverance, which, 
 when completed, will delight the eyes of my queen and receive 
 her blessing. His eyes are constantly turned toward Prussia, 
 and it is his profoundest sorrow that he is not permitted in 
 these times to devote his services to the king." 
 
 "Yes," said the queen, sighing, "it is the terrible misfor- 
 tune of the king that, in times so calamitous as these, he is 
 deprived of the assistance of the patriotic men- who alone 
 would be able to save him and the state. The tyrannous 
 decrees of Napoleon have taken his noblest and best servants 
 from him. Stein is in exile. Hardenberg has to keep aloof 
 from us because the emperor so ordered it. We might have 
 ministers competent to hold the helm of the ship of state and 
 take her successfully into port, but we are not allowed to em- 
 ploy them. Our interests are consequently intrusted to weak 
 and ill-disposed ministers, who will ruin them, and we shall 
 perish, unless assistance come soon very soon! Stein and 
 Hardenberg are exiled, and we have only Minister Altenstein, 
 who is bold enough to propose the voluntary cession of Silesia 
 to the king! Oh, my beloved, unfortunate Prussia, where is 
 there a prospect of safety for thee? Ah, the worm is again 
 at my heart oh, it oppresses me so that I can scarcely
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 495 
 
 breathe ! Tell me, Caroline, what else has Baron von Stein 
 written to you?" 
 
 " He describes the deep and painful impression which the 
 marriage of the Archduchess Maria Louisa with the Emperor 
 Napoleon has made throughout Austria. There was no rejoic- 
 ing, for all regarded it as another humiliation of Austria as 
 a chain by which she fastens herself to France, and makes 
 herself a vassal of a powerful enemy. The Viennese particu- 
 larly received the intelligence with profound indignation, and 
 even seditious gatherings took place, which had to be dispersed 
 by the troops. In their sorrow, the inhabitants of the Aus- 
 trian capital consoled themselves with a little wit; for, on 
 the day when the Viennese had to illuminate their city in 
 honor of the betrothal, the populace, marching through the 
 streets, reached the residence of the French ambassador, and 
 shouted in a loud and scornful tone: 'Napoleon is now 
 ruined ! We have at last played him a trick ! We have inoc- 
 ulated him with Austrian bad luck and Austrian stupidity !' " * 
 
 The queen laughed. " That sounds very silly, and does not 
 indicate much self-esteem, but there is a deep meaning in it 
 after all. A connection with Austria has always been disas- 
 trous to France. Louis XVI. died of his marriage with 
 Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon will not derive much benefit 
 from his with the archduchess. He intends to strengthen his 
 empire by this step, but it will alienate his own people from 
 him. By this connection with an old dynasty he recedes from 
 the people and from the liberal ideas of the revolution, which 
 enabled him to ascend the throne. If this throne should ever 
 be shaken, he would find that Austria will not support him." 
 
 " It will be shaken and fall!" exclaimed Madame von Berg. 
 " There is an ominous commotion everywhere. Spain is the 
 first fruit of the new era about to dawn upon us. She has 
 not yet been conquered, nor will she be, notwithstanding Na- 
 poleon's high-sounding phrases and so-called victories. She 
 is as a rock that will first break the waves of his haughty will. 
 As a proof of the hatred prevailing in Spain, Baron von Stein 
 sent me a page from the catechism, which the priests are 
 teaching the people at the present time, and he added to it a 
 few passages from the new French catechism. Will your 
 majesty permit me to read them?" 
 
 "Read," exclaimed the queen; "pray, dear Caroline, let 
 me hear them!" 
 
 * Hormayr, vol. 1., p. 89, and other historians relate this occurrence.
 
 496 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Madame von Berg drew several papers from her pocket. 
 " Let us first be edified by the Spanish catechism, if it please 
 your majesty," and she read: 
 
 "Who are you, my child?" 
 
 "A Spaniard, by the grace of God." 
 
 " What does that mean?" 
 
 "A man of honor." 
 
 " Who is our enemy?" 
 
 " The Emperor of the French." 
 
 " What is the Emperor of the French?" 
 
 "A villain, the source of all evil." 
 
 " How many natures has he?" 
 
 " Two. A human and a diabolical nature." 
 
 " How many Emperors of the French are there?" 
 
 " One emperor in three." 
 
 " What are their names?" 
 
 " Napoleon, Murat, and Manuel Godoy. " 
 
 "Which is the worst?" 
 
 "They are all equally bad." 
 
 "Whence does Napoleon come?" 
 
 " From sin." 
 
 "Murat?" 
 
 " From Napoleon." 
 
 " Godoy?" 
 
 "From both." 
 
 " What are the French?" 
 
 " Christians who have become heretics." 
 
 " What punishment deserves the Spaniard who neglects his 
 duties?" 
 
 " The death and disgrace of a traitor." 
 
 " Is it a sin to kill a Frenchman?" 
 
 " No, a man gains heaven by killing one of the heretical 
 dogs." 
 
 " Horrible!" exclaimed the queen, shuddering. " But that 
 is their catechism, and these are the doctrines which are act- 
 ually taught the people, and which filled them with such des- 
 perate courage at Saragossa. And now, Caroline, let me heal- 
 something of the French catechism." 
 
 "Here is a passage reading: 'To honor and serve our Em- 
 peror Napoleon, is to honor and serve God Himself, for it is 
 he whom the Lord has given to us, that he may restore the 
 holy faith of our fathers and to rule over us with wisdom and 
 firmness. He is the anointed of the Lord, owing to the con-
 
 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. 497 
 
 secration he has received at the hands of the pope, the head 
 of the Holy Catholic Church. Those who would not fulfil 
 their duties to the Emperor Napoleon would rebel against the 
 will of God, and be doomed eternally.' ' 
 
 " That is the fanaticism of a man who believes in nothing 
 but himself, and whom this self-deification nevertheless will 
 one day hurl into the abyss," exclaimed the queen. "But 
 hark, it strikes twelve! The king will soon be here to take 
 me to the palace. I will dress, for I must not keep him long 
 waiting. Ah, there he is already!" Louisa rose quickly 
 from the sofa and hastened toward the king, who entered the 
 room. Madame von Berg withdrew quietly, and the king and 
 the queen remained alone. 
 
 The king took the hands which the queen extended toward 
 him, and pressed them tenderly to his lips. " I come, per- 
 haps, earlier than you expected," he said, "but I wished to 
 see my beloved Louisa on this festive day, before she again 
 becomes the queen. It seems to me I have not yet seen you 
 to-day. Since early morning the people offering congratu- 
 lations and presents have perfectly besieged the house." 
 
 ''That is the consequence of celebrating my birthday in 
 Berlin, my friend," exclaimed the queen laughing; "it is 
 your just punishment for refusing to spend the day with me 
 and the children quietly at our dear Parez, as we always used 
 to do." 
 
 "I could not do that," said the king, gravely. " I had to 
 give our subjects an opportunity to manifest their love for you 
 and to indemnify them for the last three years, when they 
 were unable to do so. But do you know, Louisa, why I come 
 now? I should like to present you two acceptable gifts." 
 
 "More gifts?" exclaimed the queen, almost reproachfully. 
 " Your love has lavished so many costly and beautiful presents 
 on me to-day that I hardly know what you may give me." 
 
 " You need not be afraid, for the gifts are not very expen- 
 sive; they are only %.vo pieces of paper. They will not make 
 your casket heavier, but I hope they will render your heart 
 lighter. Here is the first." He drew a letter from his bosom 
 and handed it to the queen. "Read the address," he said. 
 
 The queen read: " 'To his excellency, Count von Harden- 
 berg, at present at the farm of Grohnde.' What?" she 
 asked, looking joyously at the king. " My friend, you have 
 yourself written to Hardenberg?" 
 
 The king nodded. " I myself," he said.
 
 498 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 , "And what did you write to him?" 
 
 " I requested him to come to me without delay, if he feel 
 strong enough, and resume his former position at the head of 
 the government. " 
 
 " But you know Napoleon does not want Hardeuberg to be 
 your minister." 
 
 " I am now again, and intend remaining, master in my own 
 country." 
 
 " Napoleon ordered that Hardenberg should not come 
 within twenty leagues of the place where the king resides. 
 Remember, dear friend, he is proscribed." 
 
 " But I disregard this proscription, and call Hardenberg to 
 my side. If he is courageous enough he will come, and when 
 he is here we shall take pains to pacify the emperor's wrath. 
 He is at present too busily engaged in arranging his wedding 
 festivities, and in preparing for the reception of his young 
 wife; he will not have time to notice that the little King of 
 Prussia has chosen another minister. We shall try to manage 
 the matter as prudently as possible, and prevail upon Napo- 
 leon to leave Hardenberg at the head of my cabinet. I can- 
 not do any thing with a minister who proposes to me to 
 sacrifice the province of Silesia, and to sell loyal subjects like 
 cattle. I will dismiss Altenstein, and appoint Hardenberg in 
 his place. I -have called him. If he is a good patriot, he 
 will come ; he must write a penitent letter to the emperor, 
 that he may permit him to remain with us." * 
 
 "Oh, he will come, my friend, and also write the letter," 
 exclaimed the queen. 
 
 " And do you approve my resolution to intrust Hardenberg 
 with Altenstein's department?" asked the king. 
 
 " Approve it? My heart rejoices at it! Now I have hopes 
 again of Prussia; now I look full of confidence into the 
 future, for Hardenberg is a true German patriot, who has the 
 honor and dignity of his country at heart, who does not want 
 us to become mere vassals of France, and who will not propose 
 to sacrifice provinces when we may discharge our liabilities 
 with money. Oh, my dear, beloved friend, how grateful I 
 am to you for this joyful surprise ! This paper is my most 
 precious birthday gift, and it really makes my heart glad." 
 
 * Hardenberg complied immediately with the king's request, and came to Pots- 
 dam, where he had a long interview with him, and declared his readiness to resume 
 his position at the head of the administration. He submitted also to the galling 
 necessity of conciliating Napoleon by an humble letter, in which he assured the em- 
 peror of his devotedness to France, and promised that the war-contributions should 
 be promptly paid. Napoleon was favorably impressed with this letter, and ceased 
 to object to Hardenberg's appointment.
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 499 
 
 " But I have another paper which will afford you pleasure," 
 said the king, drawing it from his bosom. " Here, my dear, 
 affectionate Princess of Mecklenburg, here is my second gift!" 
 
 He placed a folded paper into the hands of the queen. She 
 opened it, and a joyous cry burst from her lips. " 'Passenger 
 ticket for Queen Louisa, good for a trip to Mecklenburg- 
 Strelitz,'" she read, laughing. '"First travelling compan- 
 ion: Frederick William.' I am to go to Mecklenburg," cried 
 the queen, joyously, "and you will accompany me? Oh, my 
 beloved husband, you have divined, then, the most secret and 
 ardent wish of my heart, and you grant it even before my lips 
 have uttered it! Oh, how shall I thank you, my own dear 
 friend?" She encircled the king's neck with her arms, with 
 passionate tenderness, and pressed a long kiss on his lips. 
 "Dear, dear husband, how shall I thank you?" she whis- 
 pered, once more with tearful eyes. 
 
 The king looked at her long and lovingly. " That you are 
 with me is my greatest happiness. I was thinking to-day of 
 a poem written by good old Claudius; it expresses my own 
 feelings. It is an echo of my heart's gratitude!" 
 
 "What poem is it?" asked the queen. 
 
 Frederick William laid his hand on her head, raised his 
 eyes toward heaven, and said aloud : 
 
 " Ich danke dir mein Wohl, mein Gltick in diesem Leben, 
 
 Ich war wohl king, dass ich dich fand ; 
 Doch ich fand nicht, Gott hat dich mir gegeben, 
 So segnetkeines Menschen Hand ! " * 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 
 
 THE happy and long-yearned-for day, the 25th of June, had 
 dawned at last. The queen's wish was to be fulfilled; she 
 was to set out for her old Mecklenburg home, for her paternal 
 roof at Keustrelitz. The king intended to follow her thither 
 in a few days, for he was detained in Berlin by state affairs; 
 
 * On thee ray joy, my hopes rely ! 
 
 Ho'w wise to win thee mine ! 
 But surely it was Heaven not I, 
 That made me ever thine. 
 
 To thee, my loving spouse, I owe 
 
 Whate'er of good may be, 
 Nor could a human hand bestow 
 
 This priceless gift on me.
 
 500 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 they were then to go with her family to the ducal country- 
 seat of Hohenzieritz, and thence to return to Berlin. 
 . How had the queen longed for this day ! how joyously had 
 she awaited the moment when she was to see her old home 
 again ! Even her separation from her beloved children, from 
 her husband, did not shade her beautiful countenance. She 
 was to miss her children but for a short time, and her husbard 
 was to join her at the earliest moment ; she could therefore 
 yield to the joy with which the prospect of seeing her father 
 and his family, and of returning to her old home, filled her 
 heart. 
 
 Home ! The carriage rolled from the palace-gate of Char- 
 lottenburg, and the green fields as she passed had never seemed 
 so beautiful. But her eyes were often turned to the sky, and 
 she gazed on the white clouds floating over it as swans on an 
 azure lake. "Precede me, clouds! inform my father and my 
 brothers that I am coming!" she exclaimed, smiling. " Oh, 
 why does not my soul unfold its wings, and carry me home 
 through the air? The horses are too slow!" 
 
 And yet the horses were running along the turnpike,, 
 swiftly passing towns and villages, fields and meadows. The 
 queen, in her impatience, counted the relays. " We are already 
 at Gransee; the next town will be on Mecklenburg soil. 
 The frontier of my father's state is between Gransee and 
 Fiirstenberg. Forward! home! home!" 
 
 " Queen, here we are on the frontier ! Here is Mecklen- 
 burg!" exclaimed Madame von Berg. 
 
 "Mecklenburg!" said the queen, smiling. "Hail my 
 native country!" And she kissed her hands to the landscape 
 spread out before her in all its summer beauty. " I greet and 
 kiss thee, my Mecklenburg! I return with a faithful heart!" 
 
 Why did the queen start up so suddenly, and press her 
 hands so anxiously against her heart? "Oh, Caroline," she 
 whispered, "the death-worm, the death-worm! Could it not 
 be still at this moment? Could it not let me enjoy the bliss of 
 this hour? Oh, how it tortures my heart!" 
 
 "0 queen, why such gloomy thoughts now? Look at the 
 sky, how bright it is! how mild and pleasant the air the 
 air of Mecklenburg!" 
 
 " The air of my native country is fanning my face, but the 
 death-worm is at work in my heart. The gates of my home 
 above will soon be thrown open forme! But hush! Why 
 put this drop of wormwood into the cup of joy? I will not
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 501 
 
 drink it, I will not listen to my palpitating heart! Let us 
 see whether I am stronger than my pain. I will laugh and 
 be happy!" 
 
 And the queen, leaning forward with smiling countenance, 
 said : " I greet thee, my Mecklenburg, with thy waving wheat - 
 fields and fragrant meadows, thy transparent lakes and forest 
 oaks, and, above all, thy ruddy sons and daughters! Look, 
 Caroline, what sunny waves are passing over those ripening 
 fields, bringing to the farmer the fruits of his labor. Look at 
 that pretty scene yonder! At the door of the lonely cottage, 
 in the middle of the rye-field, sits a peasant's wife; her babe 
 is resting on her breast, and three flaxen- haired children are 
 playing at her feet. She does not see us ; she sees nothing but 
 her children, and sings to them. Stop, that I may hear the 
 song of the good young mother!" The carriage halted. The 
 wind swept across the plain, and played with the white veil 
 of the queen, who listened with bated breath to the lullaby of 
 the peasant's wife : 
 
 "Oh, schlop, mihn lewes, Itittes Kind, 
 Oh, schlop un drohm recht schon 1 
 Denn alle Engel bi di siiiul 
 Un Gott. de het di sehn. 
 Leev Gott het alle Minschen gihrn, 
 De Kinner doch am leevsten, 
 Driim wenn wi man wi Kinner wlrn, 
 Denn bar uns Gott am leevsten ! 
 Oh, schlop, mihn lewes, liittes Kind, 
 Oh, schlop, und drohm recht schon!"* 
 
 The queen laughed with delight. " That is a Mecklenburg 
 patois song," she exclaimed, "and yet how sweetly it sounds; 
 how gentle and winning, as though it were the language of 
 the heart ! My native country has greeted me now with its 
 most tender notes, with the song that the mother sings to her 
 children ! Forward ! I am also a child of Mecklenburg, and 
 long for my father's kiss and the embrace of my dear old 
 grandmother!" 
 
 " There are the spires of a town in Mecklenburg! the spires 
 of Fiirstenberg !" 
 
 * Oh sleep ! my darling baby, sleep 1 
 
 And dream without a tear. 
 For loving angels round thee keep 
 Their watch, and God is near! 
 O baby mine. 
 Sweet dreams be thine ! 
 
 If we as little children were 
 
 The Lord would love us best; 
 Of such he said, with tender care, 
 Is heaven's eternal rest ! 
 O baby mine. 
 Sweet dreams be thine!
 
 502 
 
 The carriage rolled through the gloomy old gate, and halted 
 in front of the palace. 
 
 " My father! My beloved father!" 
 
 "My daughter! My beloved Louisa! Welcome! a thou- 
 sand times welcome!" They embraced each other and wept 
 with joy. He is no duke, she is no queen ; he is a father, and 
 she is his child ! 
 
 From the arms of her father she sank into those of her 
 brother her darling George. " Oh, thanks, dear father and 
 brother, thanks for this surprise ! Now I shall have two hours 
 of happiness more than I hoped for, for I thought I would 
 meet you only at Neustrelitz. " 
 
 " Come now, my daughter, come ; the horses are ready, 
 and your old grandmother is longing for you." 
 
 "Grandmamma, I am coming!" exclaimed the queen, and 
 entered the carriage as merrily as a light-hearted child. Her 
 father and brother were at her side, and the ladies of the 
 queen took seats in the duke's coach. 
 
 "Forward, home!" Her hands clasping those of her father 
 and her brother, the queen rode across the meadows and wav- 
 ing fields. Was the death-worm still at her heart? Which 
 will triumph, that or the queen? She did triumph for a 
 season for holy love conquers all, even death. 
 
 The face of the queen beamed with happiness. Smiles 
 played upon her lips ; greetings flashed from her eyes to the 
 people standing at the roadside, and loudly cheering her. 
 She reached her destination ! There is Neustrelitz, there is 
 the palace ! At the gate stood the old grandmother who had 
 charge of Louisa in her childhood, the old landgravine, now 
 eighty years of age. She stretched out her arms toward the 
 queen; she called with tender words for her foster-child, her 
 Louisa! And Louisa rushed into the arms of her grand- 
 mother. They remained locked in a long embrace, weeping. 
 The duke himself wiped tears from his eyes. Happiness also 
 has tears, and sometimes sadness. 
 
 "Grandmother," whispered the queen, "I have wept a 
 great deal in grief and anguish. Now I am weeping in de- 
 light, and my tears are praising God!" The queen was at 
 home with her father, and under the roof of her ancestors. 
 The storms of adversity had spent their fury. Gladness 
 beamed from her face as she welcomed the friends and ac- 
 quaintances of former times. 
 
 A brilliant party was given at court on the second day. A
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 503 
 
 ball took place in the evening. Numerous guests were as- 
 sembled in the festive halls; all were waiting for the arrival 
 of the queen. Suddenly the folding doors opened ; she entered 
 the ball-room leaning on her father's arm, and greeted the 
 assembled guests. How beautiful she was! Her whole bear- 
 ing had an indescribable mildness and majesty. She had 
 adorned herself, for the first time since her adversity, as it be- 
 came a queen. Her noble figure was wrapped in a white satin 
 dress, and her bare arms and neck were magnificently adorned. 
 
 " Oh, queen, how charming you are to-day!" exclaimed 
 one of her early friends, transported with admiration. " And 
 how splendid these pearls are!" 
 
 "Yes!" said the queen, "they are. I value them very 
 highly, and retained them when I was obliged to part with 
 my other jewelry. Pearls are more suitable to me, for they 
 denote tears, and I have shed many." And as the queen ut- 
 tered these words, she started and pressed her hand against 
 her heart. Was the death-worm there again? Was it pene- 
 trating her heart? Was it, after all, stronger than the 
 queen? No! Louisa triumphed over it! Joy was in her 
 face ; merry words dropped from her lips, and she glided in 
 the mazes of the dance. 
 
 And this day was followed by another of still greater hap- 
 piness. The king came to see again his longed-for consort 
 and take her back to her second home, his house, and heart. 
 She was again united with her most faithful friend. She 
 gazed with delight at his fine, manly countenance ; she was 
 proud of his regal form, and his constant and earnest love 
 transported her with gratitude. As she looked toward the 
 king, who was leaving the room with the duke, in order to 
 look at the old palace church, " Oh, George," she said to the 
 hereditary prince, who had remained with his sister in the 
 duke's sitting-room, "now I am altogether happy! I would 
 like to repeat it to all of you !" And, as if these words were 
 not sufficient, as if she ought to write them down the queen 
 hastened to her father's desk. She took a scrap of paper and 
 a pen, and wrote in a hasty hand: " My dear father! I am 
 very happy to-day as your daughter, and as the wife of the 
 best of husbands. Louisa." * " So," she exclaimed, " I have 
 written it down. My father will not find it to-day, for we 
 shall immediately set out for Hohenzieritz ; but when he re- 
 
 * These were the last words the queen ever wrote. The king preserved the scrap 
 as a sacred relic, and carried it constantly in his memorandum-book.
 
 504 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 turns the day after to-morrow, and steps to his desk, he will 
 find this greeting from his Louisa, and it will gladden him, 
 and" 
 
 "Why do you start so suddenly, my sister? Your lips are 
 quivering, and you look so pale ! What ails you, dear sister?" 
 
 " It is nothing, brother it is nothing ! An insignificant 
 passing pain in my heart; it was sudden, but it is nothing, it 
 is over now. And if you love me, George, you will forget it. 
 You will not mention it to any one, and, least of all, to my 
 husband. They are already returning, our dear ones! Let 
 us meet them!" 
 
 They went from Nenstrelitz to Hohenzieritz, the charming 
 country-seat of the duke on the shore of Lake Tolleu. The 
 carriages halted in front of the palace-gate; Louisa, leaning 
 on the king's arm, entered ; suddenly a shudder shook her 
 frame ; a mortal pallor covered her cheeks, and she clung con- 
 vulsively to her husband. 
 
 "What ails you, Louisa? Why do you look so ill, and 
 tremble so violently? What is the matter?" 
 
 " I am quite well, my beloved friend, but I am cold, and 
 the air here seems close and oppressive to me; and it is as 
 silent and lonely as if death were dwelling here. Come, let 
 us go into the garden. Come!" She hastened into the life 
 and sunshine of the garden. The color came to her cheeks 
 again, and her eyes assumed their serenity. She walked with 
 her husband through the long, delightful avenues, and accom- 
 panied him to the lake. It lay before them, beautiful Lake 
 Tollen, shining like silver, and fringed with gigantic oaks. 
 
 " Oh, my dear Mecklenburg, my dear native country, how 
 beautiful thou art!" exclaimed the queen, and an echo replied 
 from the opposite shore, "Beautiful thou art!" 
 
 " The echo is right," said the king. " And, as I am gazing 
 at you, you seem to me again the young princess whom I saw 
 seventeen years ago for the first time. Your return to your 
 native country has made you once more a girl." 
 
 " But the girl of seventeen years ago was not so happy as is 
 the matron and mother of to-day," said the queen. " At that 
 time I did not have you, my husband, nor my beloved chil- 
 dren ! I am younger in my heart to-day than then, for love 
 imparts and preserves youthfulness. " 
 
 " God preserve you this youth, my Louisa, to the delight of 
 myself and our children! But come, it is cool here by the 
 lake, and you look pale again." They returned to the palace,
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 505 
 
 and the queen spent in the midst of her family a day of un- 
 alloyed pleasure. The last day! 
 
 When the next morning's sun shone into the queen's bed- 
 room, Louisa attempted to raise herself; her head fell back 
 heavily, and she pressed her hands convulsively against her 
 bosom, exclaiming: "Oh, iny heart!" Poor queen! The 
 death-worm was conquering! 
 
 "It is nothing!" she whispered to her husband, when the 
 struggle was over. "Nothing but a cold!" she repeated, 
 when the doctors, who had been called from Neustrelitz, came 
 to her bedside. 
 
 It was a cold, but the queen was unable to leave her bed to 
 accompany the king to Berlin, when, a few days afterward, 
 pressing state affairs called him back to the capital. She was 
 obliged to remain a few days at Hohenzieritz, in order to rest 
 and recover her strength. But the few days became weeks. 
 She was still ill, and suffered as she had never suffered. 
 Often, in the night, when her friend Caroline von Berg was. 
 sitting at her bedside, she beckoned to her and whispered in 
 her ear: "The conquering death-worm! Did I not tell you, 
 Caroline, that it was attacking my heart? Oh, I would the 
 king, my beloved husband, were with me!" 
 
 Couriers went to Charlottenburg to the king, and they came 
 every day to Hohenzieritz and inquired in his name for 
 Louisa's health. He himself was unable to come ; he was also 
 ill with fever, confining him to his bed. 
 
 " And I am not with him !" lamented the queen. " I can- 
 not nurse him, and smile away his cares! I am myself an 
 object of anxiety to him! Oh, shall I not soon be well again? 
 Tell me, dear Doctor Heim, you whom the king has sent, shall 
 I not soon be well, that I may nurse my husband?" 
 
 " Yes, your majesty, if it please God, you will soon be well. 
 But now let me deliver to you a letter from the king, which 
 his majesty has intrusted to me." 
 
 Louisa's eyes beamed with joy; she opened the letter and 
 read it. The words of tender love and ardent longing which 
 the king addressed to her brought tears to her eyes. " What 
 a letter!" she exclaimed. "How happy is she who receives 
 such!" She kissed the paper and then laid it on her heart. 
 " It shall remain there, and will cure me better than all your 
 medicine, doctor. If the spasms would only leave me, I 
 should be well ! When they seize me, I cannot help thinking 
 that my end is drawing nigh."
 
 506 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 Doctor Heim made no reply; he turned and prescribed 
 cooling beverages and anodynes. No one but God was able 
 to help her. Her spasms became frequent and violent, and 
 she of ten cried "Air! air! I am dying!" She yearned more 
 and more for her husband and children. 
 
 "Doctor! must I die, then? Shall I be taken from the 
 king and from my children?" The doctor made no reply. 
 
 "My God, I am young to die!" groaned the queen. " Life 
 has still to fulfil many promises to me ; I have shed many 
 tears and suffered much! Oh, there are these dreadful spasms 
 again ! Doctor, help me ! Ah, nothing but death can help 
 me!" 
 
 It was in the night of the 18th of July that the queen 
 uttered these complaints to her physicians. It was a stormy 
 night, and the gigantic trees in the garden of Hohenzieritz 
 rustled weirdly and dark. The silence of the palace was 
 broken only by low groans. 
 
 It was dawning when a carriage rolled into the palace-yard. 
 The duke hastened out. A pale man alighted and rushed 
 toward him. "How is she? How is Louisa?" 
 
 The duke was unable to make a reply. He took the king's 
 arm and conducted him into the palace. The two sons of the 
 king, who had arrived with their father, followed them in 
 silence and with bowed heads. The duke conducted the king 
 into his room, where he found the old landgravine and the 
 three physicians of the queen. 
 
 Frederick William saluted the princess only with a silent 
 nod ; he then turned his quivering face toward the physicians. 
 " How is the queen?" he asked. " What hopes have you?" 
 
 They made no reply, standing before him with gloomy faces 
 and downcast eyes. The king's face turned livid, and, press- 
 ing his hand upon his forehead, covered with perspiration, 
 he said, sternly and imperiously, " Eeply to me, I want to 
 know the truth! How is the queen? What hopes have 
 you?" 
 
 "No hopes whatever, your majesty," said Dr. Heim, 
 solemnly. " It is an organic disease of the heart, and in such 
 cases our skill is powerless. The queen has but a few hours 
 to live!" 
 
 The king staggered back to the wall. He neither spoke 
 nor wept, so great was his sorrow. The venerable old land- 
 gravine went to him and laid her hand gently on his shoulder. 
 "Hope still, my son," she said, solemnly, "Louisa still lives,
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 507 
 
 and so long as she lives there is hope. God in His mercy may 
 yet preserve her to us!" 
 
 The king shook his head despairingly. "Ah," he cried in 
 a husky, sombre voice, " if she were not mine, she would live. 
 But as she is my wife, she will surely die ! But I will see her, 
 I must see her! So long as she lives she belongs to me!" 
 
 " I will go and inform the queen that the king has arrived," 
 said Heim, and hastened into the sick-room. 
 
 A few minutes elapsed, and Louisa's voice exclaimed : " My 
 Frederick! my beloved husband, come to me!" 
 
 The king rushed to her room, the door of which had just 
 been opened by Dr. Heim. The queen lay on her couch, pale 
 and beautiful as a broken lily. 
 
 "My husband! my beloved friend!" 1 she exclaimed, raising 
 herself and endeavoring to stretch out her arms toward the 
 king, who stood at her bedside, but alas, she was unable to do 
 so. " Oh," whispered Louisa, sadly, " lam a queen, but can- 
 not move my arms!" 
 
 The king bent over, and, pressing her against his breast, 
 kissed her beloved face. Louisa smiled, laid her head on his 
 shoulder and looked at him long and tenderly. " You are 
 here! You are mine again! But how are the children? 
 Have you come alone?" 
 
 " No," said the king, " our two oldest sons accompany me." 
 
 "My sons! Where are they?" exclaimed the queen. "Let 
 me see them, oh, pray let me see my sons!" 
 
 Heim hastened out and returned with the Princes Fred- 
 erick and William. With eyes filled with tears, they stepped 
 on tiptoe to the bedside of the queen. 
 
 "My children!" exclaimed Louisa, in a loud, powerful 
 voice, and she raised herself up. Her maternal love gave her 
 strength to extend her arms. 
 
 "Oh, my children, my beloved children!" She pressed 
 them to her bosom, kissing them with the passionate tender- 
 ness of a mother. 
 
 The two young princes, entirely overcome by grief, sank on 
 their knees at the bedside of their mother. She laid her hands 
 on their heads, as if to bless them, and lifted her eyes to the 
 king, who, pale and silent, was gazing at her in unutterable 
 despair. 
 
 "Now I am happy," breathed the queen. "You are with 
 me, and my beloved sons!" 
 
 The king's sorrow was overpowering him, and he quickly 
 33
 
 508 NAPOLEON AND QUEEN LOUISA. 
 
 turned and left the room. Heim approached the princes and 
 begged them in a low voice to withdraw, because the queen 
 was unable to bear so much excitement. They rose from their 
 knees and kissed their mother's hands. Louisa was so faint 
 that she could greet her children only with a smile, and was 
 unable to bear their presence longer. But her eyes followed 
 them steadfastly until they had withdrawn. 
 
 She lay long silent and motionless, and then whispered to 
 her sister, the Princess of Solms : " The king acted as though 
 he wished to take leave of me. Tell him not to do so, else I 
 shall die immediately. But where is he? Where is my hus- 
 band? Oh, why is he not with me?" 
 
 Frederick William stood in a corner of the anteroom, his 
 head leaning against the wall, his hands pressed against his 
 breast, in order to suppress the sobs which escaped from it in 
 spite of him. His eyes were tearless; his quivering lips were 
 murmuring: "My wife is dying! She is dying!" 
 
 "Louisa wishes to see you," whispered the Princess of 
 Solms, approaching him. "But, pray be gentle; do not 
 manifest your grief; Louisa says that else she would die 
 immediately." 
 
 "No," said the king, sternly, "she shall not die. I will 
 endeavor to be calm!" And, restraining his grief, he stepped 
 to the queen's bedside. " I just had a conference with the 
 physicians," he said, almost smilingly. " They make me hope 
 for the best. Indeed, I never believed that you were in dan- 
 ger; I was only deeply moved because I saw you suffering so 
 intensely." 
 
 The queen looked him full in the face, and made no reply. 
 The king sat down on her bed and took her right hand. 
 Louisa pressed his hand gently, and fixed her eyes with a 
 thoughtful and grave expression on his countenance. Sud- 
 denly a dark shadow passed over her face. " It is coming ! 
 It is coming!" she cried in a tone of heart-rending anguish, 
 and started up in excruciating pain. 
 
 The king went to the door and called the physicians, who 
 hastened into the room, followed by the duke, the princes, 
 and the whole family. Madame von Berg raised the groaning 
 sufferer. The physicians were standing in the middle of the 
 room. " We cannot help her. It is the last convulsion!" 
 
 "Air! air!" cried the queen. 
 
 Frederick William bent over her with tearless eyes. The 
 agony she was suffering paralyzed his heart.
 
 LOUISA'S DEATH. 509 
 
 "Lord, end my sufferings!" cried the queen, with a last 
 effort, and her head sank back into the arms of Madame von 
 Berg. Another sigh a long, tremulous sigh. The clock 
 struck nine. A solemn silence reigned in the palace. The 
 queen was dead ! 
 
 (40) 
 
 THE END.
 
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