The diet of Sweden had assembled at the capital. To the house of
assembly hastened the Swedish lords, counts and barons, the knights,
the lower nobility, and the good men of the kingdom, to deliberate upon
her welfare in the _pleno plenorum_. Arwed rode gloomily through the
files of carriages and masses of people who filled the Ritter square in
crowds. His way led him past the statue of the great Gustavus Vasa,
which adorned the place. 'Oh that thou wert now alive, noble hero!'
sighed he, as he came in view of it. 'Then, truly, the despotism of
vassals would not dare to deck itself with the robes of righteousness!'
As if desirous of fleeing from the grief which preyed upon him, he gave
the spur to his horse, and hastily passed the bridge which connects
Holy-Ghost island and the city with the Norrmalm, and followed the
south bank towards Blasiusholm, the refuge of Georgina. At the door he
met the preacher Conradi, in whose countenance he observed with
surprise an expression of hope and serenity, mingled with some degree
of excitement. They entered the room of the young sufferer together.
'Sister is praying in her chamber,' whispered the little Magdalena to
them. 'We must not disturb her.'
'May God hear the prayer of the pious maiden,' said Conradi. 'Since
yesterday a small gleam of hope has arisen.'
'Hope?' asked Arwed. 'You have seen the cold, inimical, hypocritical
face of the queen, and dream you yet of hope?'
'If Ulrika remain queen,' answered Conradi, 'then indeed is Goertz
lost; but she has received as yet but the allegiance of the senate and
army, and not that of the country. Before she obtains the latter many
things may happen. I spoke yesterday with the counsellor count Tessin,
who is most favorably disposed towards our poor friend. The queen has
committed a great political error. She has, in convoking the members of
the diet, styled herself hereditary queen. This has injured her cause.
The senate has been severely reproached on account of the readiness
with which it acknowledged her hereditary right. They have also sought
to awaken dissatisfaction among the people; and in the last sitting of
the senate, the president, count Horn, did not hesitate to desire of
the queen that she should surrender the conferring of the royal dignity
to the decision of the diet. That only would insure her the crown,
which she else may lose.'
'Elected or hereditary queen! is it not all one?' asked Arwed.
'Not for the diet,' answered Conradi; 'and as little for the queen. The
hereditary king is indebted only to God and his forefathers; the
elected king is the creature of the electors, and must be dependent
upon them.'
'And if Ulrika should now stand upon her hereditary right?' asked Arwed
further.
'Then,' answered Conradi, 'she would by this exercise of arbitrary
power, provoke the diet to inquire into the hereditary right of the
duke of Holstein, which would perhaps stand the scrutiny much better
than her's.'
'That would little help the good cause!' replied Arwed. 'What can be
expected of a prince who is capable of giving up his faithful minister
to the rage of his enemies?'
'Or the throne would be declared vacant,' proceeded Conradi, 'and a
regent of the empire seated upon it. To that end are many Swedish lords
laboring, as I am well informed from good sources. At all events let
there be a change in the government, and there may be also a change of
feeling in relation to Goertz, to his advantage.'
'I doubt that,' observed Arwed. 'Though the contending parties may
oppose each other ever so bitterly on other subjects, all unite in
their hatred of the foreigner. He is the common enemy against whom they
all, as one man, array themselves.'
'You shall not thus frivolously deprive me of my best joy,' said
Conradi, struck by the weight of his objection.
'All your suppositions,' continued Arwed, 'are founded upon the
hypothesis that the queen will persevere in maintaining her hereditary
right. But she will not persevere. As soon as it clearly appears to her
that she can purchase the crown only at this price, she will become an
elective queen, or charity queen, or whatever else it may please the
diet to name her.'
'Do you think so?' asked Conradi with alarm.
'Has she not already yielded the sovereignty?' asked Arwed. 'She who
can lend herself to become a state puppet, to be decked out with crown
and sceptre on festival days, that the people may imagine they have a
queen, will, not be obstinate upon minor points. Let her but retain the
title of queen, and that will be enough for a vain-glorious woman.'
'Destroy not so cruelly my last air-built castle, Arwed!' said
Georgina, stepping out of her chamber, her eyes red with weeping. 'I
have enjoyed to-day the first cheerful moment for months, through the
intelligence brought me by the good Conradi, and your contradiction of
it cuts me to the heart.'
'Do not lose courage yet, baroness!' said Conradi, consolingly.
'Notwithstanding the captain despairs of every thing, the anchor of my
hopes still holds fast in this tempest. Let the _plenum plenorum_ be
only once held, and then will Gyllenstierna hold another language.'
'Then may we very soon expect their decision,' said Arwed. 'The _plenum
plenorum_ is already organized. May its deliberations result
differently from my anticipations!'
'Organized to-day?' asked Conradi with great astonishment. 'I thought
that to-day would be occupied in examining credentials and establishing
forms of procedure.'
'That had been previously done,' answered Arwed. 'I know for a
certainty, by means of my father's secretary, that the full action of
the diet commences to-day.'
'Then count Tessin has not dealt fairly with me,' murmured Conradi,
shaking his head. 'Probably he wished to lull me to sleep and find out
what further means might be at my command. That is not cavalier-like.
When the lion creeps and watches like the cat, it becomes only a common
animal.'
A long pause ensued, during which each one was occupied with his own
thoughts. Georgina leaned her head upon the back of her chair, whilst
her breast labored with the anguish of fearful expectation. Arwed stood
there with his arms folded, casting glances of love and compassion upon
the maiden. The little Magdalena, unaware of the importance of the
moment, was innocently playing with his sword knot; while Conradi had
stepped to the window, and was listening attentively to every sound
from without.
'Did you not hear something like the sound of a distant bell?' he asked
Arwed. The latter hastened anxiously to the window, and listened to the
faint sounds. Directly more distinct tones fell upon his ear.
'Those are the bells of Jacob's church!' cried Georgina, springing up.
'What means this general ringing of the bells at so unusual an hour?'
'Something of importance either for good or evil,' said Conradi. 'I
think the diet must have decided, and these bells are to celebrate
their choice.'
'Arwed!' sighed Georgina, stretching out her hands imploringly towards
the youth.
'I will go into the city and procure intelligence,' said he, seizing
his hat. 'God grant that I may bring you back good news.'
He hastened out, threw himself upon his horse, and coursed back to the
city. From every tower rung out the merry peal of the bells, and in all
the streets through which he rode, floated joyous multitudes of people.
In the great square they were crowded head to head, and ten thousand
hands pointed towards the capitol. 'The hour of decision has arrived,'
said Arwed to himself. Leaping from his horse, and throwing the bridle
reins to his servant, he pushed his way through the crowd to the portal
of the building.
There stood the pompous equipage of the duke of Holstein. The duke sat
therein, viewing the windows of the hall of assembly with a countenance
expressive of sorrow and offended pride. An elderly gentleman in the
uniform of a Holstein general, and with a pensive air, stepped out of
the door of the capitol.'
'Now, Bauer?' cried the duke to him impatiently, throwing open the door
of the carriage.
'All in vain, your grace!' said Bauer, stepping into the carriage. 'I
did not even obtain an opportunity to read your protest to the end.'
'Sweden, Sweden, to whom I have offered up every thing,' growled the
duke, 'is this your gratitude!' Hastily catching hold of the general,
he drew him into the carriage and shut the door, crying, 'forward!' The
carriage soon rattled out of Arwed's view.
Trumpets now sounded from the balcony of the capitol, attracting
Arwed's attention to the place. The president of the senate, count
Horn, accompanied by many of the senators, stepped out upon the
balcony. 'Silence!' cried he to the crowd below, waving his hand.
'Silence!' cried the people in return, and all was still.
'Free Swedes!' cried the orator, 'the royal council and the assembled
diet of this kingdom, by virtue of the elective right vested in them,
in consequence of the throne having become vacant without immediate
heirs, have elected to be queen of the Swedes and Goths the full sister
of our immortal lord, her royal highness and princely grace the
landgravine Ulrika Eleonora of Hesse. This gracious princess having
solemnly renounced the sovereignty, so named, or unlimited sovereign
power, we hereby declare the said unlimited power to be forever
alienated from the throne, and will hold as an enemy to the kingdom
whoever may hereafter, by secret artifice or the open exertion of
force, attempt the assumption or exercise of absolute power. Long live
her majesty, queen Ulrika Eleonora!'
'Long live her majesty Ulrika Eleonora!' roared the numberless throng,
mingling their voices with the trumpet blasts; and, as if raised by a
whirlwind, their hats and caps flew high in air.
'All is lost!' cried Arwed indignantly, as he opened a way for himself
through the crowd.