Clouds dark and threatening course swiftly through the sky, horsemen dark

and threatening course swiftly over the earth.

"Waldow! they come nearer! But we have still the start of them!"

"Only see, count! That dark mass there against the sky. That is our goal.

Just one quarter of an hour and we shall be safe in Spandow."

"One quarter of an hour! An eternity! Heigh! Huzza! On! on!"

"Halt!" is heard behind them. "Halt! in the name of the Elector, in the

name of the law! Halt! halt!"

"That is Burgsdorf's voice!" cries Count Schwarzenberg, and spurs his

horse with such violence that it rears and then shoots forward, swift as

an arrow from a bow. But the pursuers, too, dash forward, as if borne upon

the wings of the wind, and the distance between them constantly grows

less. Already they hear the horses pant; ever clearer, ever more distinct

become the passionate outcries of Colonel Burgsdorf.

He swears, he threatens, he rages! He orders the fugitives to halt, and

swears to shoot them if they do not.

What care they for threats or orders? Forward! forward! Behind them sounds

a shot--a second, then a third! The balls whistle past their ears, and

they laugh aloud, to prove to the enemy that they are still alive.

Before them flash lights, like golden stars, like bonfires of rejoicing.

"Count, those are the lights of Spandow! Just see those torches there! The

commandant is waiting for you at the entrance to the fort with his

torchbearers."

"On! on!" shout the three, and they race onward at lightning speed. And at

lightning speed the pursuers follow. Nearer they come, ever nearer.

"I have them! I have caught them!" exults Burgsdorf, springing forward and

stretching out his hands toward the fugitives, for it seems to him as if

he can indeed lay his hand upon them. "Halt! halt! in the name of the

Elector!"

"Forward! forward! What care we for the Elector? What care we for

Burgsdorf? Forward!"

The lights increase in size and brilliancy. Now they distinguish

torches and the figures of men.

"Are you there, count?" calls down Colonel von Rochow from the wall.

"It is I, colonel!"

The gate is open, they gallop in!

Over the wooden bridge gallop the pursuers after them. Now they are at the

gate. But the gate slams to with thundering sound. The pursuers are left

without.

"Undo the bolts, Colonel von Rochow! I command you, undo the bolts!"

"Who is it that dares to command me?" calls down Colonel von Rochow from

the fortification walls.

"I command you! I, the commandant in chief of all the fortresses in the

Mark!"

"I know no commandant in chief, and trouble myself about no such person. I

am commandant of Spandow, and have sworn to serve the Emperor, and him

alone."

"Colonel von Rochow, in the name of the Elector and in the name of the

Stadtholder in the Mark, I command you for the last time to open the gate!"

"The Elector is not my master to command me, and as to the Stadtholder in

the Mark, here he is at my side. Only Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg do I

recognize as such, and he forbids my opening the gate. Go back quietly to

Berlin, colonel, for the night is cold, and your ride will warm you."

"And I must pocket this insult," muttered old Burgsdorf, gnashing his

teeth. "I can do nothing but turn around and go back with shame!" Almost

tearfully he gave his men the order to face about and return to Berlin.

In the castle within, Count John Adolphus cordially offered his hand to

Commandant von Rochow.

"Colonel, you have saved my life by furnishing me a refuge. I would have

shot myself if Burgsdorf had overtaken me. I shall commend you to the

Emperor's Majesty for this friendly service."

IX.--THE LETTER.

"Well, here you are at last," exclaimed Elector Frederick William, holding

out his hand to Baron Leuchtmar von Kalkhun. "You have at last returned

from your difficult journey."

"Yes, gracious sir, you may well call it a difficult journey. Four long

months of endless debate, wrangling, and dispute with those arrogant

Swedish lords, who were ever ready to take but never to give. Such was my

experience day by day for four long months."

"Yes, you are right," said the Elector thoughtfully. "Four months have

indeed elapsed since you set out upon your journey and I undertook the

duties of ruler. My God! it seems to me as if many years had rolled by

since then, and as if I had become an old, old man! I do not believe I

have laughed once during these four months, or enjoyed one quarter of an

hour of pleasure or relaxation. Discord and discussion everywhere with

Emperor and empire, with the States, with Poland, Juliers and Cleves. They

are all my foes, and not one single hand is held out to me in friendship.

I have felt at times right lonely, Leuchtmar, and sorely sighed for you.

It could not be, though, and I have learned already to submit to

necessity. Necessity alone is the despotic mistress of all princes, and we

nothing but her humble vassals. It is a humiliating thought, but

nevertheless true. I must learn to endure mortifications, and to consider

them but the price which I pay for my future."

"It grieves me to perceive that your highness is somewhat downcast and

discouraged," sighed Leuchtmar, looking sadly at the Elector's pale, sober

countenance, upon which the last four months had indeed left the imprint

of years.

"Downcast? Yes," cried Frederick William; "for my affairs progress but

slowly, and to gain anything I am compelled on all sides to make

unpleasant concessions and to submit to irksome restraints. But

discouraged--no, Leuchtmar, I am not discouraged, and by God's help never

shall be! I know my purpose, which I shall pursue with immovable

steadfastness, and, although the results of these first four months of

government are barely discernible, I comfort myself that in as many years

I shall have accomplished much. It is strange, Leuchtmar, that you have

returned to-day, the very day which brings home my Polish ambassador with

the tidings that the King of Poland is ready solemnly to invest me with

the dukedom of Prussia, thanks to our money and our fair speeches. This

very day I also expect decisive news from Colonel von Burgsdorf at Berlin.

On the self-same day I sent you forth. You were like doves sent from a

storm-tossed ark to seek for land. Almost at the same time you return to

the ark, but I fear that none of you brings with him an olive branch."

"Yet, most noble sir, I do bring you a small olive leaf," replied

Leuchtmar, with a gentle smile. "I come to announce to your grace that I

have at last succeeded, after a four months' contest, in wringing from the

Swedish lords a few concessions, and concluding an armistice, which is to

be binding for two years."

"A two years' cessation of hostilities is equivalent to ten years of

refreshment, of reinvigoration!" cried the Elector with radiant looks.

"Tell me, Leuchtmar, what concessions did these hard-headed Swedes make at

the last moment?"

"Your highness, they have pledged themselves not to allow their soldiery

to enter the Mark, unless unavoidably compelled to march through on their

way elsewhere, and that then they shall be quartered and fed only under

the direction of an Electoral commissary; and that, moreover, separate

agreements shall be entered into with regard to the maintenance of the

Swedish garrisons of forts in Pomerania and the Mark." [49]

"Yes," murmured the Elector, with dejected mien, "so low are we reduced

that if they even acknowledge our natural rights, it strikes us in the

light of a concession, a grant, and we must esteem ourselves happy in

having obtained it! Ah! Leuchtmar, when will the time come when I can take

my revenge for these humiliations, the time when they will bow to _me_,

and when it will be for _me_ to concede and grant favors? Hush, ambitious

heart, be soft and still! Go on, tell me what further settlements you

concluded with the Swedes."

"Gracious sir, I have no other concessions to mention, except that

something has been done for the protection of our mutual traffic by sea

and land. But that is as much to the advantage of the Swedes as of

ourselves. The demands of the Swedes are truly far greater than their

concessions!"

"What do they demand?"

"They demand in advance that they be left in undisturbed possession of the

fortresses they are now masters of."

"I have not the power to take them by force of arms!" cried the Elector,

shrugging his shoulders. "Let them keep what I can not force from them!

What else?"

"They demand, besides, that the Werben fortress be delivered up to them."

"I will not deliver it up to them!" cried the Elector; "but I will have it

destroyed, that it be not seized by the Imperialists. What else?"

"The Swedes further desire that the Küstrin Pass be closed to imperial

troops."

"To that I willingly consent, for it is in accordance with my own

interests," said Frederick William, smiling. "By Küstrin is the road to

Stettin, and it is important for us, too, that this way be closed to the

Imperialists. Methinks a time will come when it shall be closed to the

Swedes as well, and once closed, I shall not open it again. What else?"

"The Swedes crave the privilege of having a resident at Küstrin, who shall

attend to carrying out this article."

"That I shall never consent to!" cried the Elector passionately. "No, that

can not be, for such a permission would involve degradation, and the

concessions which I am willing to make for the welfare of my torn and

bleeding land need not go to the extent of degradation. I must have an

armistice, that my subjects may recover from the effects of these bloody,

trying times, and gather strength for renewed existence. I must have an

armistice, in order to gain time for the re-establishment of law and

order. But there need be no armistice tending to dishonor me, and place me

under Swedish surveillance in the midst of my own land. No, no Swedish spy,

no resident at Küstrin--that is the condition of my agreeing to the

armistice. All else I acquiesce in."

"And I hope to prevail upon the Swedish lords to recede from this claim

yet," said Leuchtmar. "Rest is very essential to them also just at this

time, for they have enough to do to contend with the Imperialists, and the

Danes are threatening them with war. They will not desire to be embroiled

with Brandenburg at the same time. I will guarantee the conclusion of the

armistice, and, if it meets your highness's approbation, will travel again

to Sweden to effect this alteration and then bring the articles to your

highness for your signature."

"So be it, dear Leuchtmar. Return to Stockholm. Strike the iron while it

is hot. Much I hope from this armistice. It will make the lords of Warsaw,

Regensburg, and Vienna more pliant and yielding, for it will show them

that the Elector of Brandenburg is no longer drifting helplessly about in

a leaky boat, but that he has succeeded at least in stopping one hole and

keeping himself above water! And now, friend Leuchtmar, how fared you in

your secret mission? Did you hand my letter to the young Queen?"

"Yes, your highness; I even had the opportunity of delivering it to her in

a private audience without witnesses."

"And did she accept it in a kind and friendly manner?"

"Gracious sir," replied Leuchtmar, smiling, "a queen of fourteen years of

age is very sensitive with regard to her dignity, and takes it very ill if

she is not treated with due reverence and extreme devotion."

"Was my missive wanting in these respects?" asked Frederick William.

"I beg your highness's pardon, but the young Queen seemed to be rather of

this opinion. She was visibly delighted when I handed her your letter, and

especially delighted that she received it secretly, without witnesses, and

not in the presence of Chancellor Oxenstiern, whose guardianship seems to

be very irksome and unpleasant to her. The young Queen blushed, sir, when

she took your letter, and I must confess that at this moment she looked

pretty and graceful enough to be the wife of my gracious master. But her

countenance soon became clouded, as she read your communication, whose

contents seemed to afford her little satisfaction."

"But she answered my letter, did she not, and you bring me her reply?"

"Oh, yes, most gracious sir, she answered it, and I have with me Queen

Christina's reply. But I must beforehand make your grace an apology for

this answer."

"Well, let me see it, Leuchtmar. Give me the answer."

Leuchtmar drew a folded paper from his pocket, and handed it to the

Elector, who unfolded it. A number of torn bits of paper fell to the

floor.

"What is that, Leuchtmar?" asked the Elector in amazement.

"Your highness," replied Leuchtmar, "that is Queen Christina's answer."

The Elector picked up a few of the larger scraps of paper, and examined

them attentively. "It seems to me, Leuchtmar," he said, "that I recognize

specimens of my own penmanship. Yes, yes, it is my writing!"

"Yes, indeed, your highness, it is your own writing. It is your letter to

Queen Christina of Sweden."

"She sends it back to me torn?"

"She tore it with her own exalted hands, trampled it under her royal feet,

and literally wept for rage."

"My heavens! what have I done to enrage her little Majesty so?"

"In the first place, noble sir, you wrote to the Queen in German instead

of Latin, and she found that very wanting in respect, and thought you

might have given yourself the trouble to write to her in the language most

agreeable to her.[50] In the second place, you addressed the young Queen

as 'Your highness,' when she is entitled to be called 'Most serene

highness.' She is certain of that, for Oxenstiern had told her that he

gained the title for her as an especial prerogative for her from your

father and the house of Brandenburg. And in the third place, the Queen was

annoyed that your writing was so cold and serious, and contained so few

love words. 'If the Elector had nothing more to say to me than is

contained in this letter,' cried the Queen, 'he need not have troubled

himself to send it privately. This is a political document, which might

have been handed by his envoy to the assembled States, and read aloud in

public. But, if I do run the risk of receiving and reading a letter

secretly, contrary to the high chancellor's wishes, let it at least be a

love letter. I merely gave you audience because I was curious to get a

love letter at last, and to know how such feelings are expressed. This is

no love letter, though, and to such a note I have no other answer than

this.' And then the Queen tore the letter into little bits and scattered

them on the floor. I gathered up the pieces, in which she aided me

assiduously, lest Chancellor Oxenstiern, whom she momentarily expected,

might notice something peculiar, and suspect that she had received a

secret missive. I asked her most serene highness if I should bring your

grace these torn bits of paper as her answer. She replied with a

bewitching smile that I must do so. Her cousin Frederick William might

thereby learn to write her a better letter, when she would give him a

better answer. This, gracious sir, is the story of the letter you

intrusted to me for Queen Christina of Sweden."

The Elector laughed aloud. "A charming story!" he cried, "for which I must

thank my young relative, for she has lighted my somber existence by a ray

of sunshine. It pleases me that my cousin is so forward, and thereby

candid. The little maid of fourteen sighs for a love letter, and hopes

that her cousin Frederick William, who sues for her hand, will write her

one, and is so innocent as to suppose that he woos her because he loves

her. Poor child, disappointed in her curiosity and her wish to know

herself beloved! Yes, yes, it is the perpetual longing of the young heart

to be loved, and when the first love letter is received, the foolish young

creature fancies itself the happiest being upon earth, and feels itself

transported into the blessedness of paradise. Alas! they know not that all

this is only an illusion, a sweet morning dream from which they will

speedily be roused by rude, ungentle hands. Leuchtmar, I can not gratify

the little Queen of Sweden in her wish; I can write her no love letter,

for I would be guilty of deceiving this young heart. No, I can utter no

tender protestations, while my heart is still bleeding from inflicted

wounds. But a cordial, friendly letter I will write to my dear cousin. I

will write to her in faultless Latin, and couch it in most reverential

terms. Who knows, perhaps I may yet win her heart, and she heal mine! I

will write the letter, and you shall secretly transmit it to Queen

Christina. I will so express it that it shall not seem to her fitted to be

read before the assembled States, even though it be no love letter. Go

now, Leuchtmar, and rest after the fatigues of your journey. But to-morrow

evening, when business is ended, come to me in my cabinet, and let us read

a couple of Horace's odes for my strength and encouragement, as we used to

do when I was still a free young man and not the Elector, the slave of

position."

He offered the baron his hand, and affectionately conducted him to the

door himself. Just at this moment that door was quickly opened, and a page

appeared.

"Your Electoral Highness," was his announcement, "the imperial envoy,

Count Martinitz, craves an audience for himself, a special messenger from

the Emperor, and his attendant."

"Admit his Majesty's envoys," replied Frederick William, as he again

crossed the room and seated himself in the armchair before his writing

table.

X.--A SECRET AUDIENCE.

The three persons announced entered the Electoral cabinet. First came

Count Martinitz with important air, dressed in the richly embroidered

costume of a Spanish courtier, followed by an old man of venerable aspect

and the bearing of a scholar, clad in a suit of black velvet, and by a

young lord in a magnificent court dress. The Elector sprang up on

beholding the latter, and a flush of indignation suffused his

countenance.

"Count Martinitz," he asked hastily, "whom do you bring to me?"

"Your highness," replied. Martinitz, with firm, composed voice--"your

highness, I beg to be allowed to present these two lords to you. This is

Dr. Gebhard, a very learned and wise man, the Emperor Ferdinand's cabinet

and privy counselor, sent by his Majesty to your highness, charged with a

confidential and secret errand. Permit me now to present to your highness,

this other gentleman."

"I know him!" cried the Elector, with flashing eyes and angry mien. "I am

only too well acquainted with Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg and all the

plots and intrigues concocted by him in Berlin, and his efforts to lead my

officers into insubordination and revolt. But when I ordered investigations

to be made into these matters, and the count should have justified his

actions, the boastful lord showed himself to be but a cowardly deserter!"

"Your highness!" exclaimed the count coming forward with long strides, and

touching the hilt of the dress-sword hanging at his side--"your highness,

I have come to justify myself against the calumnies of my enemies. Will

you be pleased to hear me patiently, and not impugn my honor as a

gentleman and a count of the empire before you have listened to my

justification?"

"You would justify yourself! Do you dare to attempt this?" asked the

Elector indignantly. "Look, here on my table lies the paper which the

States of the Mark have addressed to me, and in which they accuse you. The

Emperor's Majesty has sent me a scholar, who can certainly read it aright,

if I perchance have made some mistake. Read, if you please, Dr. Gebhard,

read these lines, and hear what the States write to me!"

He handed the imperial legate the document and pointed out with his finger

the passage in point.

Dr. Gebhard read: "Count John Adolphus Schwarzenberg, however, eluded the

investigation by flight in the night-time, and despite a guard set. In an

unusual way and in utter contempt of your highness's received orders, he

secretly escaped."[51]

"Now," cried the Elector passionately, "would you maintain, that my States

have reported to me what is not true?"

"It is true," said Count Schwarzenberg. "I saw myself forced to escape

unjust pursuit, and--"

"Forced by your bad conscience, sir," interrupted the Elector impatiently.

"You left it for others to draw out of the fire the chestnuts which you

had thrown in, and when you found out that I was not the timid, powerless

Prince you supposed me to be, who could be frightened at a contest with

you and your faction and awed by your glory and dignity; when you saw that

I would bring you to justice, you evaded the course of law and fled

precipitately from the judges."

"Because I knew that these judges were my enemies, and that he who was at

their head, President von Götze, had been my father's implacable foe of

old."

"That is to say, he had been of old an honest, true Brandenburger, not

merely having proved himself an incorruptible man, but never having

condescended to bribe others for the sake of obtaining honor, position,

or wealth for himself."

"Your highness," called out the count hastily, "would you defame my father

even in his grave?"

"Have I pronounced your father's name?" asked the Elector, with dignity.

"Is it not rather you who asperse your late father's fame by referring to

him what I said with regard to bribery?"

The count cast down his eyes and was silent. Frederick William now turned

by a slow movement of the head to Count Martinitz.

"Sir Count," he said gravely and ceremoniously, "I interrupted you in your

presentation. Continue it, and introduce this gentleman to me. I must know

in what capacity he dares return to my dominions and intrude upon my

presence."

"Your Electoral Highness, I have the honor of presenting to you the count

of the empire, Adolphus John von Schwarzenberg, imperial privy counselor

and chamberlain, also _attaché_ and associate of the Emperor's ambassador

extraordinary, furnished with a safe conduct signed by the Emperor

himself."

"I well knew," cried the Elector, "that this gentleman had made sure of

his own safety before venturing near me. That was the reason of my

question. As imperial officer and chamberlain he is secure against my just

wrath, and his Majesty's safe conduct a glorious wall behind which to hide

himself. Let him profit by it; I shall not see him behind the wall, but

instead only a piece of white paper, on which his Imperial Majesty has

inscribed his name, and accordingly I shall respect this piece of paper,

which otherwise I would tear in twain."

"Your highness!" cried Count Schwarzenberg--"your highness, I--"

"Count von Martinitz," interposed the Elector haughtily, "I empower you to

say to the ambassador extraordinary of his Imperial Majesty, that I give

him leave to deliver the Emperor's message to me and to impart to me his

Majesty's desires."

"Most respected lord and Elector," said Dr. Gebhard with solemnity, "his

Majesty the Emperor Ferdinand sends me to your highness in the assured

hope that in your justice and exalted wisdom your grace will be superior

to all personal enmities, and not visit upon the son faults, perhaps

unintentional, committed against you by the father."

"Of what father and son do you speak, sir?" asked the Elector.

"Of the father who for twenty years was the honored counselor and friend

of Elector George William, who, faithful even beyond the tomb, forsook the

earth no longer tenanted by his lord and Elector. Of the son who has

committed no crime except that of being his father's heir, and not

allowing his patrimony to be diminished and torn from him. For this son,

in the Emperor's name, I would plead with your Electoral Highness for

grace and favor, beseeching you not to deprive him of his rights, but to

restore to him what belongs to him."

"Tell me, Dr. Gebhard," asked the Elector, "what those rights are of which

I have deprived him, according to his Majesty's opinion, and what things I

have taken from him which belong to him?"

"Already in his father's lifetime Count John Adolphus Schwarzenberg was

elected his coadjutor in the Order of St. John, therefore on his father's

demise he had a right to the vacant dignity of grand master, and yet this

has not been accorded him by your highness. As his father's heir, Count

John Adolphus received all his father's property, and entered into

possession of it. Yet this your highness did not allow him uncontested,

and withheld what was his. Nay, your highness even instituted a criminal

process against the young count, his father's heir. This last proceeding

is especially distasteful and annoying to his Majesty; the Emperor wishes

above all things that your highness withdraw this criminal suit, referring

it to the imperial court at Vienna, and that you again receive Count John

into favor." [52]

"Truly his Imperial Majesty asks and requires a great deal of me," cried

Frederick William, with flashing eyes and cheeks flushed with anger. "More

than a prince dare give, who has to act not merely in subjection and

dependence, but as Sovereign of his people. It seems to me as if no one

had cause to interfere in this affair of Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg, for

it concerns the interior interests of my realm. Within the limits of my

own country I alone am lord and ruler, and only one lord there is, before

whom I bow, and whom I recognize as my superior--_the law_! Law is

properly supreme within the Brandenburg provinces, and shall and must

reign over high and low! But my favor, sir, my favor, can only flow

spontaneously from within, and can not be arbitrarily bestowed even at an

Emperor's behest. I have not withdrawn my favor from Count Adolphus

Schwarzenberg, for he never possessed it. Law and right alone must decide

for or against him. Many of my subjects have brought accusations against

him, and for these I am pledged to procure justice at the hands of the

courts of justice. What was done in my lands must be also judged in my

lands, else my subjects might be wounded in their sense of right; and to

assign this suit to the imperial court at Vienna would be in the highest

degree derogatory to the Electoral power and jurisdiction. I can not

therefore gratify his Imperial Majesty in this wish.[53] As concerns his

right to the place of grand master, that appointment belongs not to me,

but to the members of the order. They, however, will not elect the young

count, and I can not compel them to do so. Lastly, as regards the estates

claimed by the heir of the Stadtholder in the Mark, his title to them is

wanting, and, moreover, there are no accounts to prove that the money for

which the estates were mortgaged was ever used by the Stadtholder for my

father's benefit. Besides, even if such contracts existed, they were

entered into without the consent of the States, and consequently by the

laws of the land were null and void. This is the reply I have to make to

the imperial envoy, of which I can alter and abate nothing, however I may

deplore any apparent disrespect to his Imperial Majesty's wishes. Return

to Vienna, Dr. Gebhard, return with your associate and _attaché_, and

repeat to the Emperor what I have said to you. You are dismissed,

gentlemen."

"Your Electoral Highness will pardon me for venturing to add one more

word," said Count Martinitz, "but I am empowered to do so by the imperial

order. The Emperor Ferdinand commissioned me in his own handwriting, in

case that your highness refused to accede to the demands made by Dr.

Gebhard--"

"Demands?" broke in the Elector. "I did not hear Dr. Gebhard make use of

any such term. Mention was made only of imperial wishes and requests. You

mean that in case I do not grant Dr. Gebhard's requests--Proceed, Count

Martinitz."

"I am in that case commissioned to desire your highness in the Emperor's

name to grant a private audience to the _attaché_ of the imperial embassy,

the Emperor's privy counselor and chamberlain, Count Adolphus von

Schwarzenberg, as he wishes to make an important and confidential

communication to your highness."

Frederick William's piercing eyes were fixed with a questioning expression

upon the count's face, whose eyes returned the look with a bold and steady

gaze.

"You presume greatly upon the respect I owe the Emperor," said the Elector

after a pause. "I have wished to regard you hitherto merely as a piece of

paper hallowed by the Emperor's superscription. But now you voluntarily

step forth from behind the protecting paper, and present yourself to me as

a man, a self-dependent individual, who is responsible for his words and

actions. Consider well what you risk, sir, and take my advice: retreat,

while yet there is time! Ask me not to look upon you as you actually are,

but be content, inasmuch as in you I respect the Emperor's safe conduct.

Reflect once again, and then speak!"

"Your Electoral Highness," said the count after a pause, "the Emperor has

condescended to request a secret audience for me of your grace. I entreat

your highness to grant it to me."

"You desire it? Be it so, then!" cried the Elector. "You, gentlemen, Count

von Martinitz and Dr. Gebhard, are dismissed. Count Schwarzenberg may

remain. For the Emperor's sake I am ready to grant him the secret audience.

Take your leave, gentlemen! Your audience is at an end!"

The two gentlemen bowed low and withdrew. The Elector followed them with

his eyes until the door closed behind them. Then he slowly turned his head

toward Count Schwarzenberg.

"Speak now," he ordered coldly and severely. "Say what you have to say,

but weigh well each word, and take heed of rousing my wrath, for I tell

you the measure of my patience and forbearance is well-nigh exhausted!

What would you have of me? What do you want?"

"Justice, your highness, justice! Enter into no contest with me! Take not

away from me the estates given in pledge by the Elector George William to

my father, which have not yet been redeemed. Acknowledge me as the Grand

Master of the Knights of St. John, graciously nominate me Stadtholder

in the Mark, and I swear to you that I shall be your faithful and devoted

servant, your mediator with Emperor and empire! You see, your highness, I

ask for nothing but justice!"

"Justice!" repeated Frederick William, while with flashing eyes he

approached one step nearer the count. "Beware of reminding me that I have

not exercised justice toward you! Ask it not, for then I must needs summon

a guard and have you arrested! Then must I call a court-martial, have you

tried, and see you mount the scaffold!"

"The scaffold!" exclaimed the count, turning pale. "But then the Emperor

would call you to account for this deed of violence, and--"

"Deed of violence, you call it?" interposed the Elector. "You are

mistaken, sir; it would only be a merited punishment! You deserve this

punishment, not on account of anything done by your father, although in

sooth you bore a full share in his deeds, but on account of your own

crime."

"Crime, your highness?"

"Yes, count, crime! You are a conspirator, a rebel! You incited my

officers to revolt, entangled them in a conspiracy, and when I would have

brought you to judgment you fled like a cowardly woman."

"Your highness!" screamed the count, "I beseech you, weigh your words,

provoke me not too much! Otherwise I might forget the respect due you."

"And if you should venture, I have ample means of leading you back to the

proper bounds, of forcing you to respect me, to fall down in the dust, and

plead for pardon! Do you know what you are? Do you know what you were?"

"What I was I know," cried the count. "I was the favored lover of your

sister, Princess Charlotte Louise!"

"Ah! Now at last you drop your mask, now you show your real face. The face

of a slanderer, a liar! For you utter a falsehood. You calumniate the

virtue of a noble lady, and boast of a favor you never received."

"I speak the truth, your highness, and am in a condition to prove it.

Princess Charlotte Louise gave me her favor, and went further than was

seemly for a modest maiden. She volunteered to grant me a rendezvous

impelled by ardent love."

"That is not true."

"It is true, sir, and I can prove it! I have the writing with me, in which

your sister invites me to a rendezvous in the castle at Berlin. She wrote

it with her own hand, and signed it with her name. Until now, no one has

known the secret, and no one shall know it if we can agree."

"We agree?"

"Yes, your highness, _we_! Your sister's letter is well worth what I ask.

I demand nothing but my rights. Leave me my estates, acknowledge me as

grand master, appoint me my father's successor, give me the hand of

Princess Charlotte Louise."

"My sister's hand to _you_?"

"To me, for I have a right to that hand. The Princess engaged herself to

me, and granted me favors."

"Wretched man, to boast of them!" interrupted the Elector.

"She appointed a meeting with me to take place by night," continued the

count quietly. "Your honor would be destroyed if any one knew of this. Let

me keep it intact! Give me your sister's hand! For I tell you if you do

not the world shall hear of this _faux pas_ on the part of the Princess. I

shall publicly expose the letter she wrote to me, and a laugh of scorn

will pursue both you and her through the whole of Germany! Give me your

sister's hand!"

"Were you the Emperor himself I would not give her to you. And if you were

in a position to defame my whole house, I would not give her to you! And

were my sister to fall at my feet weeping at my refusal, I would not give

her to you! Yes, and if I knew that my lands and wealth would be doubled

by this marriage, I would _never_ give my sister to you! I asked you just

now if you knew what you were and what you are. To the first question you

replied that you were my sister's lover. Now I will tell you what you are:

you are the son of a poisoner and a murderer!"

"Sir!" screamed the count, bounding forward in fury and with a sudden

movement drawing his dagger from its sheath--"sir, you assail my father in

his grave, I will defend him! You owe me satisfaction for this insult! It

is not the Elector who stands before me, but a man who has wounded my

honor, and I demand satisfaction. You dare not refuse it, or--"

"Or you will complete your father's work, will you? Will hire murderers to

do what you dare not attempt yourself? Oh, you may very probably find a

second Gabriel Nietzel, whom you may goad on to crime, profiting by his

agony and distress of mind to change a thoughtless deceiver into a

poisoner! Do not stare at me in such amazement, as if you understood not

my words! You know Gabriel Nietzel well, and your dagger would not have

fallen from your hand if your conscience had not struck it down!"

"I know nothing of Gabriel Nietzel!" cried the count, "I only know that

you have called my father a murderer and--"

"And, I did wrong in this, for certainly the murderous deed miscarried!

_I_ live! And _he_ was forced to die. Do you know of what your father

died?"

"Of grief, and the humiliations which you prepared for him!"

"No, he died of remorse. A stroke, they say, put an end to his life. Yes,

it was conscience that smote him to the earth. Gabriel Nietzel stood

before him and reminded him of his deeds, demanding of him his wife, whom

your father murdered because she saved my life!"

"Horrible!" muttered the count, with sunken head and downcast eyes.

"Yes, horrible!" repeated the Elector. "Gabriel Nietzel was the avenging

sword sent from on high for your father's punishment. He, the unhappy one,

himself confessed his crime to me, and I have forgiven him. I will forgive

your father also, for he stands before a higher tribunal, and _He_ who

tries the heart, will reward him according to his deeds. But I am your

judge, and your deeds accuse you before me! I could have you arrested and

tried, and, believe me, I would do so, despite the imperial safe conduct,

behind which you have ensconced yourself, but I honor in you the memory of

my father, who loved yours, and would not have the world discover how

shamefully the magnanimous heart of George William was deceived. Regarding

the property you claim from me, let the law decide; regarding the military

title you aspire to, let the knights of the order decide; but regarding

the accusation which you bring against my sister, and the offer you make

me on her account, the Princess alone is the proper person to consult. You

shall speak with her this very hour, for I would not have your vain heart

puffed up with the idea that the Princess loves you, and that it is only

my tyranny which separates you from her. No, you shall speak with the

Princess herself, and she shall decide the question between you. And that

you may not suppose that I have influenced my sister, you shall speak to

her before I communicate with her myself."

He took the handbell and rang; a page appeared. "Request her Electoral

Grace the Princess Charlotte Louise to have the kindness to come to me."

"Your Electoral Grace," said the page, "Colonel von Burgsdorf has just

come into the antechamber, and urgently insists upon my announcing him to

your grace."

"Admit him and call the Princess. When the gracious young lady has entered

the antechamber, let me know. Admit the colonel."

"Here I am, your highness, here I am!" cried Conrad von Burgsdorf, coming

in with hasty steps. "I am just from Berlin, and bring my dearest lord

good news, and--But what is that?" interrupted he, fixing his lively gray

eyes upon Count Schwarzenberg, who, pale and visibly disconcerted, had

withdrawn into one of the window niches.

For one moment Burgsdorf stood still, as if bewildered by the unexpected

sight, then he sprang forward like a tiger, and laid his hands like iron

claws upon the count's shoulders.

"In the name of the Elector and the law, I arrest you Count Schwarzenberg!"

he shrieked.

"Let him go, Burgsdorf," commanded Frederick William.

"No, gracious sir," cried Burgsdorf, "I can not, must not let him go. I

must hold fast to my prisoner until I have put him in a safe prison. If I

take my hands off him, he will surely find some mousehole to creep

through. I know the fine gentleman, and have had experience of his

mouselike nature. I thought I had him safe at Berlin, imprisoned in his

own palace, and sentinels stationed everywhere. A man could not have

escaped, but a mouse can find a hole to retire to almost anywhere. Master

Mousy here slipped off through an underground passage. Fortunately I had

stationed a couple of spies in front of the park, and one of them came to

inform me that they had seen two suspicious personages issue from the

park, while the other dogged their footsteps. I flew to horse, and,

thinking that the young count would make for Spandow, raced with my men to

the Spandow Gate. Exactly, they had just fled on before. We gave them

chase. Huzza! that was a hunt! Already I thought I had the fugitives

within my reach, and stretched out my hand to grasp them, when they

galloped into the fortress, the gate was shut, and I stood baffled on the

outside, and had my mortification increased by hearing Colonel Rochow's

mocks and jeers from the wall above. And now when I can take my revenge,

when I at last have my prisoner trapped and caught, now, your highness

commands me to let him go. No, your highness, it is impossible; for trust

me, as soon as I let him go he will find his way to some mousehole. I

arrest you in the name of the Elector and the law, Count John Adolphus von

Schwarzenberg!"

"Burgsdorf!" cried the Elector in a commanding tone, "once more, I command

you to let him go, and come here. Obey without delay!"

The colonel muttered between his teeth a few wild words of wrath, but

released the count, and with bowed head and chagrined air slunk toward the

Elector.

"You treat me like a well-trained pointer, your highness!" he growled.

"You whistle for me, and I drop the prey which you would not have me keep."

"You do yourself too much honor, old Burgsdorf," said the Elector,

smiling. "A well-trained pointer does not follow a false scent, and that

was what you were doing just now. Did you expect to find a fugitive in

your master's cabinet? You thought that this was Count John Adolphus

Schwarzenberg, whom I was compelled to arraign as a criminal, and who, in

his consciousness of guilt, took refuge from trial in flight. Look closely

at what is in the window niche and acknowledge that you were mistaken, and

that it is not Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg."

Colonel Burgsdorf, perfectly bewildered, gazed with wide-open eyes first

on the Elector and then on the count, who returned his stare with a

scornful smile.

"Most gracious sir," he then cried, "my head is not clear enough to

discern your meaning, and I stick to it: that is Count Adolphus

Schwarzenberg, my escaped prisoner."

"And I repeat it, you are mistaken, your old eyes deceive you! Look once

more right sharply and closely, and you will perceive your error and

comprehend that this is not Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg, to whom I could

never have granted an audience in my cabinet. Only look closer and you

will see, old Burgsdorf, that there is nought in the window niche but a

great sheet of parchment, inscribed with manifold characters, furnished

with the seal of the empire, and signed by the Emperor Ferdinand's own

hand. I know that you do not read with ease, and therefore will tell you

what is marked on this parchment, and what it means. It means a safe

conduct, and the Emperor himself has written upon it that this parchment

must be held in honor and sacred from all attack."

"Ah!" cried the colonel--"ah! I begin to understand now."

"Well truly that is a fortunate circumstance," said the Elector, smiling.

"Yes, your highness," repeated Burgsdorf, "I begin to understand. Let me

examine the thing narrowly once again."

He covered his eyes with his hand, as if he were blinded by a ray of

light, and again stared at the window niche.

"Yes, indeed," he said slowly--"yes, I see it quite plainly and distinctly

now. Yes, that is no man, but a veritable piece of parchment, and I

recognize, too, the imperial seal and the Emperor's handwriting. Where

were my eyes that I did not see it from the first, and what a stupid fool

I was to suppose that I saw a man there! What misfortune would have ensued

if I had defaced the Emperor's handwriting or broken the seal, perhaps!"

"It would have been a wrong done to Imperial Majesty itself," smiled the

Elector, "and might have brought me under the ban of the empire, or

perhaps produced a war."

"Good heavens! a war about an ass's hide," exclaimed Burgsdorf, with an

expression of horror.

"Surely, your highness," shrieked the count, stepping forth from his place

of retirement, pale and trembling with passion, "you can not ask me any

longer to submit in silence to such gross insults."

"Gracious sir," asked Burgsdorf, "may the ass's hide speak? May a piece of

parchment, merely because hallowed by the Emperor's signature, venture to

leave its place and threaten?"

"Hush, Burgsdorf! And you, sir, step back into your recess, stay in the

place pointed out to you, and wait."

"Learn to wait!" cried Burgsdorf. "Oh, gracious sir, that is the very

window niche in which I was once forced to stand in order to learn to wait.

I thank you, gracious sir, for in this hour you give me my revenge. Now it

is for my enemy to learn; and I beseech Your Grace to give me leave to

open my budget from Berlin. The parchment must hear it and learn. Oh, I

know how it feels to have to listen in silence to have to learn to wait!"

"Colonel Conrad von Burgsdorf," said the Elector with majesty, "you are

here to bring me tidings from Berlin. Speak out and be assured that no one

will venture to interrupt you. In the first place, have you executed my

orders?"

"Yes, gracious sir, according to the best of my abilities and the means at

my disposal."

"As their superior officer, have you required an oath of allegiance to me

from the commandants and garrisons of the forts?"

"I sent your orders everywhere, requiring the commandants to swear their

men into service in your name, and to come to Berlin that I might

administer the same oath to themselves."

"And have they done so? Have my officers and troops sworn to serve me

faithfully?"

"A few commandants have done so, but Kracht, Rochow, and Goldacker have

refused, declaring that they would rather blow their fortresses up than

swear fealty to the Elector. Hereupon I forthwith had the commandant of

Berlin, Colonel von Kracht, arrested, and would have proceeded in like

manner against the Commandants von Rochow and von Goldacker, but the

traitors got wind of my intentions. Goldacker left Brandenburg with thirty

horse, and, report says, went over to the Imperialists. Colonel von

Rochow, however, in his fortress assumed a warlike attitude, and gave out

that he was ready to do battle with the enemy to the death. Meanwhile

Margrave Ernest conferred with him under a flag of truce, and the

committee of investigation at Berlin diligently prosecuted their labors,

and brought to light heinous offenses committed by the two colonels and

Count John Adolphus von Schwarzenberg."

"Do you know the particulars? The colonels were accused of cheating and

embezzlement, were they not?"

"Yes," said Burgsdorf with a little embarrassment, "the question regards

the payment of the troops enlisted, for which the colonels received money,

and--and--"

"And yet the men were not enlisted," said the Elector, with an

imperceptible smile. "Had they done nothing more than this, I would have

pardoned them; if they had shown themselves in other respects true and

faithful, and repented of their folly."

"But this they have by no means done!" cried Burgsdorf eagerly. "They have

rather shown themselves to be obstinate and untoward. Goldacker has been

extorting bonds in Fürstenwald, plundering whole villages, and putting the

magistrates in chains, because they would not say that Goldacker gave the

press money to the young fellows of the village, although these had not

made their appearance. Colonel von Rochow put the clerk of his muster roll

in irons, and had him condemned to the gallows by a court-martial, because

the poor fellow would not bear false witness and swear that the colonel

had made payments to him. When the Stadtholder demanded the clerk's

release, Colonel von Rochow insolently refused to give him up, and now the

margrave ordered me to arrest him. But von Rochow did as his

accomplices--he fled and made his escape to the Imperialists."

"Let the Imperialists keep Goldacker and Rochow," said the Elector. "I

would have them know that I from this time forth cheerfully resign their

services, and yield them up with good grace to the Emperor and empire.

With these two, therefore, we have done. Tell me now, how the

Schwarzenberg affair stands. We gave orders that in due time the papers

found in the palace of the deceased count should be sealed and handed over

to the committee of investigation. Was this done, and has it perhaps been

made evident from the examination of the papers, that the son of the

Stadtholder was innocent of complicity in the intrigues of his father and

friends, and been falsely accused by us?"

"On the contrary, your highness, it was proved that Count John Adolphus

had conspired, not merely with the rebellious officers, but with other

persons not subjects of your highness. Among the papers of the old count

was found the young gentleman's secret correspondence. It was in cipher,

it is true, but there are very learned men on the committee of

investigation, and they discovered the key, and were able to read the

letters. Oh, most gracious sir, all your faithful servants were shamefully

slandered and calumniated in these letters. Your highness even was not

spared, and the young gentleman expressly wrote that he would do all he

possibly could to effect the downfall of the Elector Frederick William.

Of the States, he said that they were almost all friends of the Swedes and

foes of the Emperor, and, above all, he represented me, Conrad von

Burgsdorf, as a bitter enemy to the Emperor, and said that on that account

all orders came to me. But the States will complain to the Emperor that

the rebellious slanderer, Count Schwarzenberg, has blackened them so

abominably and accused them of high treason."

"They can do so," said the Elector--"they can call the slanderer to

account, and you can do so too, Burgsdorf, if it seems necessary to you."

"But it does not seem at all necessary to me, your highness," cried the

colonel. "I have only one master, yourself, and if I had injured your

grace I should have been guilty of high treason. Henceforth I shall be

nothing but the most devoted and diligent servant of my dear young lord

and Elector, and I care very little about Schwarzenberg's having aspersed

me to the Emperor if I am only blessed with your favor."

"I have recognized you as a true and faithful servant," said the Elector

kindly, "and I am no ingrate. You shall experience this hereafter, for I

shall find means to reward my old friend as he deserves!"

"Your highness, you have rewarded me already," cried Burgsdorf--"you have

called me your friend, my Elector, and I thank you out of a full heart."

The Elector nodded. "In time all the world shall learn that I honor and

esteem you as my friend," he said. "But now tell me, what progress has

been made in quieting the refractory soldiery in the Mark? Have you begun

that difficult task?"

"We have begun, your highness, and will also end, although at first there

was much insubordination and mutiny, and although the cart had been driven

so deep into the mire that we could not have drawn it out altogether

without great difficulty, even if there had been more of us."

The door of the antechamber opened, and the page made his appearance.

"In accordance with your highness's request, the Princess has entered the

antechamber."

"Beg the young lady to wait a moment. I will come directly to conduct her

grace into my cabinet."

"Burgsdorf," said the Elector, turning to the colonel, "go up now, and pay

your respects to my mother. You can tell her what is going on at Berlin.

Her grace will hear you gladly, for she takes great interest in the cities

of Berlin and Cologne."

"Very curious stories I can tell the Electress, since your highness

accords me that permission!" cried the colonel. "Many thrilling affairs

have happened, and--"

"Go now, my friend," said the Elector, pointing to the door through which

Burgsdorf had entered. Then he crossed over to the opposite end of the

apartment himself and opened the door of the inner room.

XI.--MEETING AND PARTING.

"Be kind enough to come in, dear sister," said the Elector, standing in

the doorway and smilingly greeting the Princess, who now entered the

apartment.

"I have come at your bidding, Frederick," said the Princess, accepting her

brother's proffered hand, and looking up at him with a sweet, affectionate

smile.

In the window niche stood John Adolphus Schwarzenberg, and the fires of

passion and resentment burned in the glance which he fixed upon the

Princess, whom he now saw for the first time after a lapse of three years.

How much pain and mortification had he not suffered during these three

years on her account? The only change wrought in the Princess by the

flight of time was a more perfect development of beauty and of grace of

carriage. The count heaved a deep, painful sigh, and the rage of despair

took possession of his soul at the sight of that noble, tranquil

countenance.

"She has not suffered," he said to himself. "She never loved me, and will

now despise me!"

"Forgive me, sister, for troubling you to come to me," said Frederick

William, nodding affectionately to the Princess. "I ought indeed to have

come to you, but I wished to speak with you on a matter strictly

confidential, which I did not wish our mother and sister to know anything

about."

"Is it really a secret, then?" asked Charlotte Louise--"no bad secret, I

hope, Frederick?"

"It at least touches very grave matters," replied the Elector. "Look

yonder at that window niche."

The Princess turned quickly, and looked in the direction indicated. A low

scream escaped her lips, and she sank trembling upon a seat.

"Adolphus!" murmured her quivering lips.

This single utterance spoke more eloquently to both men than the most

elaborate arrangement of sentences could have done. It told them that

years of separation had not estranged the Princess from Count

Schwarzenberg; that her heart still called him by the familiar name

accorded him by love; that with the count, Charlotte Louise was not the

proud Princess, but only the humble, loving maiden. The Elector understood

this, and a cloud overshadowed his brow.

The count understood it, too, and his dark countenance brightened. With

uplifted head he rushed from the window niche to the Princess, and,

kneeling before her, seized her hand to press it to his lips. But this

touching of her hand seemed to restore to the Princess her strength and

self-possession. By a hasty movement she released her hand and rose.

"Brother," she said, "is it customary to greet princesses in this style?

Be pleased to tell me, for you know I have been but little in the world,

and am, therefore, but little conversant with its forms."

"No, Louise, it is not customary," replied Frederick William, breathing

more freely; "but Count Schwarzenberg seems to suppose, that as your

favored lover he need not regard the laws of ceremony."

"As my favored lover?" asked the Princess, a blush suddenly suffusing her

brow and neck, while her blue eyes, usually so soft, sparkled with

indignation. "Did I hear aright? Did you actually say that to _me_,

brother, to your sister? Did you call this or any other man my favored

lover?"

"I only repeated the words made use of by Count John Adolphus von

Schwarzenberg in suing for your hand, sister. This gentleman affirms that

you have granted him more favor than was seemly in a modest maiden. And

when I doubted it he replied that he could prove it, for he possessed a

note, written with your own hand, in which you invited him to a

rendezvous by night."

"He said that!" cried the Princess. "He said that, and you did not kill

him on the spot?"

"I did not kill him," answered the Elector gravely and solemnly, "because

no one should die for the truth. And he maintains that he speaks the

truth: that by means of this letter of yours he can dishonor you and my

house in the eyes of the whole world. Say then, Louise, is it true; does

he actually possess such a letter?"

Charlotte Louise shuddered and tottered backward.

"Yes!" she breathed--"yes, he speaks the truth--he does possess such a

letter!"

"No!" cried the count, "he did not speak the truth! Oh, forgive me,

Princess, forgive me this slander, which my lips uttered, uttered in the

delirium of pain, love, and despair! I lied, Princess, you never wrote to

me, never! I said that in order to force your brother to give me your

hand, because I love you, Princess, you know not how dearly! Ah! you

little imagine with what fervor of devotion my soul clung to you, and what

you did that time when you mocked and betrayed me, treating me like a

despised beggar! That hour wrought a change in my whole nature! The most

sacred blossoms of my love had been crushed by you, and I trampled them

under foot and strove to bury my despair in mirth and pleasure. I did not

succeed. The sacred old song of the buried love was forever making itself

heard in low, sweet strains. I would not listen, I tried to drown it. I

became a conspirator, a rebel, for I longed to take vengeance upon you and

your house. Fate was against me; my revenge constituting my punishment. I

must flee, I must leave as a fugitive the land in which you live. The

Emperor received me graciously, giving me rank and titles, and bestowing

upon me marks of favor and regard, thus opening to the ambitious heart a

career of fame, dignity, and honor. All was in vain, though. I felt too

late that love, not ambition, had urged me into the dangerous paths of

insurrection and revolt. I could not forget you. Like a radiant star, you

ever shone upon the midnight darkness of my soul. I must see you again, to

obtain from your own lips my sentence of pardon or condemnation. I

despised all danger, even the order of arrest issued against me, and

obtained the Emperor's leave to accompany his ambassador here. I came and

suffered the severest mortification that a man can suffer. I subjected

myself to your brother's scorn and contempt. Then at last my heart

rebelled, and when he scornfully refused your hand to me, I claimed it as

my right, by virtue of the love you once vowed to me. The Elector disputed

your love for me, and then, in the rage of my heart, I boasted of a favor

which I never received, boasted of having received from you a letter, and

an invitation to a rendezvous. Oh, forgive the madman who kneels here at

your feet and suffers the agony of death. He has no right to claim

anything, he only implores from you an act of grace!"

While the count thus spoke in passionate excitement, the Elector had

slowly retired, and, standing apart with folded arms, gazed upon the

couple with melancholy eyes. In the beginning the Princess had sunk upon a

chair, with bowed head and hanging arms, pale as a drooping lily. But the

glowing words which fell upon her ear seemed to find an echo, a painful

echo, in her heart. Slowly she raised her head, and breathlessly listened

to his words, while the color once more mounted to her cheek. When the

count stopped, she slowly rose and proudly and indignantly drew herself

erect.

"You speak falsely now, Count Schwarzenberg," she said, "for what you told

my brother was true. Yes, three years ago, in the childish folly of my

heart, I granted you a favor unseemly for a modest maiden. Yes, I wrote

you a note with my own hand, inviting you to a rendezvous in the castle at

nine o'clock in the evening. Brother, I confess this, although I know that

I am thereby forever forfeiting your esteem. But this man has accused me,

and I honor the past of my heart, while I acknowledge the fault of which

he accuses me. Yes, I have loved him, warmly, inexpressibly, and have wept

and lamented him in a manner little becoming a princess, but in my love I

was only a poor simple maiden, who wanted nothing in the whole world but

his heart. Well I know that I sinned grievously against my mother and the

laws of virtue and propriety in carrying on a clandestine love affair, in

allowing my heart to be deceived by his ardent protestations of love and

even in my delusion going so far as to grant him a rendezvous--nay, even

to ask for one."

"Did you really do that, sister?"

"I did, and have repented it for three long years. That I confess this,

that I reveal my secret, should prove to you that I now speak the truth.

And therefore you will believe me, Frederick William, when I affirm that

this is the only favor of which the count can boast. I have to blush

before you, but not before him."

"Not before me either, Louise," said the Elector. "I know love, and in my

own heart have battled with all its follies and illusions. I know what you

suffer, by remembering my own experiences. It is a bitter grief to be

obliged to admit that you have wasted the holiest feelings of your heart

upon an unworthy object."

"Yes indeed, it is a bitter grief," sighed the Princess.

"O Princess! spare yourself this grief!" cried the count, still kneeling

before her. "You have freely owned that you love me. Why, then, will you

turn away from me? Accept me as your husband, and I will love you, serve

you, obey you, ask nothing but the privilege of looking upon you, and

basking in your presence."

She gave him a long, cold look. "And if I decline your hand, you will

revenge yourself, will you not, by displaying my note to the Emperor and

the whole world, you will defame me and all my house? Was not that your

threat?"

"I spoke in frenzy, in despair. But you shall see that I will ask nothing

from you for fear, but all for love. See, here is the note. I have

hitherto preserved it as my most precious jewel; my father bade me do so,

and told me that this paper might save me in the hour of greatest peril.

This hour is now at hand, but I will not have it save me. Here is the

note; I offer it to you. Take it, tear it up, and then decide!"

With outstretched hands he held out the paper, but she took it not, and

quickly stepped back.

"Keep the paper," she said. "Why should I ask whether you will turn it

into a weapon against me? I will accept no favor or advantage from you.

Only let it be known at the imperial court, to the whole world, that I

loved you; show this paper everywhere, and all will turn from you, all

women will despise you, and all men blush for the traitor to love!"

"No one shall despise me, no one shall turn, from me!" cried the count,

springing to his feet. With trembling hands he tore the paper into little

bits, and threw them on the floor.

"There lies the secret, Princess! Now I am entirely in your power! Now I

have no weapon of defense. Call Burgsdorf, your highness, have me

arrested, if it seems good to you, I renounce the Emperor's safe conduct,

as I just now renounced your sister's letter."

"We accept no act of generosity or renunciation from you," replied the

Elector with dignity. "The Emperor's safe conduct I shall respect, and as

I allowed you to speak quietly to my sister, although you misrepresented

much and put matters in a false light, so I will allow you to depart

unmolested. As regards the love letter, your excuse for demanding my

sister's hand, the fragments testify as strongly against you as the letter

itself. My sister alone has to reply to your offer."

"I have no answer to give this man, for he dare not ask anything more of

me," said the Princess proudly. "He who can betray the secrets of the

heart degrades himself. The man who boasts of a favor received is unworthy

of it, and every woman will despise him. Not merely now, in the hour of

danger, have you bethought yourself of my letter, Count Adolphus

Schwarzenberg, but you had spoken of it previously to your father. You

have turned a young girl's letter into a political bond, which, as a

cunning merchant, was to be redeemed and converted into money. Now you

have redeemed it; there lies the letter! I give you for it my contempt."

"I think you have now received my sister's answer," said the Elector, "and

we have nothing more to say to one another, for the courts must settle

other subjects of dispute between us. Go, Count Schwarzenberg, return home

to Vienna, for your mission is ended. You are dismissed."

The count answered not a word. One long glance of grief and rage he cast

upon the Princess, who stood loftily erect at her brother's side. Then,

with a slight bow of salutation, he turned and strode through the room.

Not a sound interrupted the solemn silence save the count's footsteps as

he advanced to the door. There he once more paused and turned back his

livid, wrathful countenance. The Princess still stood erect, calm, and

unmoved, beside the Elector. Schwarzenberg cast down his eyes and left the

room. The Princess heard the door shut, and a heavy sigh escaped her

breast. "He has gone," she murmured softly, "he has gone; I shall never

see him again."

She leaned her head upon her brother's shoulder and wept bitterly.

"You loved him very dearly, then?" asked the Elector gently, throwing his

arms around her neck.

"Yes," she whispered softly, "I loved him dearly, and I am afraid I love

him still, and will mourn for him forever. No one on earth has mortified

me so deeply as he, and yet I shall never love another as I have loved

him."

"Poor child," said Frederick William sadly, "you love him still, although

you despise him!"

With folded arms he walked several times to and fro, while his sister

dropped into a chair, covered her face with her hands, and quietly wept.

The Elector stopped in front of her and gently drew her hands from before

her face.

"Sister," he said tenderly, "I will dry your tears, for I may do so, and

in this hour of most sacred confidence not the shadow of an untruth shall

lie between us. When you wrote that billet to the count three years ago he

did not come to the rendezvous, did he?"

"No!" cried the Princess; "he dared to let me expect him in vain, to

decline the interview which I had granted him. O Frederick! when I think

of this I could die for very shame, so much do I hate him who humiliated

me so deeply, so much do I despise myself for having incurred and merited

this humiliation."

"Louise," said the Elector softly, "if that is your only reason for hating

him, then you can love him again, for this is probably the only fault of

which he is innocent. Lift up your head, sister, for I can relieve you

from this humiliation. It was Count Schwarzenberg's wish to keep the

appointment. He stood for two hours before a locked door seeking

admission. I, however, stood on the other side of the door, guarding it,

and did not depart until he had gone away in despair."

"You, brother?" asked the Princess, whose cheeks grew suddenly crimson.

"You knew about it? You prevented the interview?"

"I wanted to guard my sister against her own indiscretion; I wanted to

preserve her from error."

"You knew it and kept silence, magnanimously kept my secret from my

mother? Oh, and _he_ is innocent? He did not scorn and insult me? I can

think of him without anger, without--No, no; forgive me, brother, I--"

"Hear me, Louise," said he softly. "I will prove to you how much I have

your happiness at heart, and how gladly I would promote it. If in spite of

all that you have learned to-day, in spite of his mode of wooing, you

still love Count Schwarzenberg--so love him that for his sake you can

forever--mark well my words, _forever_--give up mother, brother and

sister, home, country, yea, religion itself, sundering all the ties which

bind you here--if you so love him that he is family, home, everything to

you, then tell me so, sister, and I will overcome my repugnance and have

the count recalled, will accept his offer, and bestow you upon him in

marriage. Only you must choose between him and us. In that hour, when I

join your hands, we have seen each other for the last time, and never will

your return home be possible. But if you really love him, go, for well I

know that love only finds its home in the heart of the beloved one.

Choose then, sister. Will you follow him? Speak, I shall not reproach

you--speak, and I will have him recalled!"

She flung her arms around his neck and gently laid her head upon his

breast. "No," she said softly--"no, do not call him back. He has betrayed

and desecrated love. My heart revolts from him and turns with deep

affection to you. Thank you, brother, for acquainting me with the truth

and taking that weight of humiliation from my soul. Now I shall be

comforted, now I can hold up my head again. I am not the rejected, but the

rejecter. Yes, brother, I have renounced love and happiness. The golden

morning dream is over, and I am awake! Let me weep, Frederick, my last

tears for a lost love!"

The Elector bent over her and imprinted a kiss upon her brow. "Weep,

sister, weep," he said softly. "And if it can in any degree console you,

know that I have wept and suffered as you do now."

[Illustration: Wladislaus IV, King of Poland]

XII.--THE INVESTITURE AT WARSAW.

At last all matters of dispute were settled, all difficulties smoothed

over. King Wladislaus of Poland had declared himself ready to receive the

oath of allegiance from his vassal the Elector of Brandenburg, and to

invest him with the duchy of Prussia. Hard conditions, truly, were those

imposed upon the young Elector, and heavy the sacrifices which the King

and, more pressingly yet, the members of the Polish Diet required. That

the Elector should pay a yearly tribute of thirty thousand florins,

besides a hundred thousand florins from the naval taxes, was a condition

to which he had agreed without a struggle; but much severer and more

humbling compliances he had to make.

They wished to make him feel that the King of Poland was still lord

paramount of Prussia, and that the Elector must give way to him. The

nobility of Prussia were therefore to have the right, in all civil and

difficult cases, to appeal from the decision of the Elector to that of the

King. On the other hand, the Elector was not, without the King's express

permission, to occupy a neutral position with regard to any enemy of

Poland; he was to receive the King's commissioners whenever it pleased the

latter to send them to inspect the fortresses of Memel and Pillau. But the

hardest thing was, that the Elector must pledge himself to protect and

exalt the Roman Catholic worship in Prussia with all his might, and to do

nothing for the further spread of the Reformed Church in Prussia. He was

to build up the decaying Catholic Church at Königsberg, and, besides that,

have a new one built. The Catholics were to be protected in the free

exercise of their worship, and guarded against every attack of the

Protestant preachers.

Hard and degrading were these conditions, but the Elector had accepted

them. He had bowed his proud heart and constrained it to be humble. Tears

of indignation had stood in his eyes as they handed him the document on

which were inscribed all these conditions; his hand had trembled when he

took the pen, but still he had appended his signature, and none but

Burgsdorf had seen the tears which fell from Frederick William's eyes upon

his hand as he signed.

"Burgsdorf," he said, pointing to his signature, "do you know what I have

written there?"

"No, your highness, that I do not. I am not stupid enough to give myself

much trouble deciphering the scratches of a pen. But I know and have read

what is written upon your face, sir."

"Well, and what stands written there, old friend?"

"Most gracious sir, it is written there that you suffer now, but will be

revenged hereafter. It says that you now in a submissive manner offer your

hand to the insolent, cursed Pole, but that on some future day you will

shake your fist in his face, and amply requite his haughty arrogance."

"Well done; you have read correctly," exclaimed the Elector, laughing.

"You have divined my most secret thoughts."

"And may a good God only deign to grant me this one favor, that I may live

long enough to see your thoughts put in action, gracious sir! May he

preserve me from gout and paralysis, that I too, may have a hand in the

deeds of that blessed day, and strike a few well-aimed blows."

"Well, it is to hoped that not many years will elapse ere the dawning of

that day," said the Elector. "I shall not know ease or rest until it is

here, and I can have my revenge. Let us think of this, old friend, and be

meekly patient and wear a placid mien on our way to Warsaw, to humble

ourselves. You know a man must sometimes swallow bitter medicine when he

is sick and faint, and the bitterest will appear sweet if he drinks it in

order to imbibe new life and health. My poor country is, indeed, sick unto

death, and therefore I go to Warsaw to swallow a bitter pill for the

health and salvation of my land. But we go on crutches, two hard

crutches."

"I know the names of those crutches, your highness," said Burgsdorf. "One

crutch is called 'Imperial,' the other 'Polish.'"

"You have guessed correctly, old friend," answered the Elector. "But some

day we will throw aside the crutches on which we must now lean, and

Prussia shall be the sword which we shall unsheathe and draw against all

our foes. I must now submit to having a lord over me, but the time will

come when the Prussian black eagle will feel itself strong enough to do

battle against the white eagle of Poland, and soar aloft on bold, strong

wing. Once more I tell you, old friend, think of that, if we do go now to

Warsaw! You are to accompany me, and when you ride into Warsaw at the head

of my soldiers, as their colonel and chief, show a smiling visage to the

fair Polish women and enchant them by your grace."

"I will so enchant them, your highness," laughed Burgsdorf, "that for

rapture at sight of me they will not look at you, and not even make an

attempt to win your heart."

"My heart, Burgsdorf?" said the Elector. "I have no heart, at least no

personal one. My thoughts and feelings belong only to my country, my

ambition, and my future. I now go to Warsaw and bow my head in the dust,

that at a later period I may lift it up the more proudly and

independently."

And on the 7th of October, 1641, Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg

made his entry into Warsaw. At the head of his splendidly equipped

regiment rode old Conrad von Burgsdorf, his broad, bloated face flushed

crimson, and, as he stroked his long, light moustache, he bowed right and

left, saluting the fair ladies, who looked down upon the glittering

procession from windows hung with tapestry and decorated with flowers and

ribbons. But the fair ladies took but little notice of old Burgsdorf.

Their bright eyes were all turned to the handsome young nobleman, who,

quite alone, followed the regiment of soldiers. Behind him was seen a

brilliant array of gentlemen in handsome uniforms; but all this vanished

unnoticed. Only upon _him_, yon youth who rides his horse so proudly and

so gracefully, upon him alone were all eyes fixed. How finely his figure

was outlined in that closely fitted velvet coat, trimmed with golden

"Brandenburgs," and crossed by the golden shoulder belt from which hung

his German broadsword. How gracefully fell his long brown hair over his

shoulders, how boldly sat upon his head the cocked felt hat, with its

crest of black and white ostrich plumes! How fiery and penetrating the

glance of those dark-blue eyes, and how sweet and captivating the smile of

those full, fresh lips.

Oh, King's daughter, King's daughter, shield your heart, lest it glow with

love for the handsome stranger who now draws near, and whom they call the

young Elector of Brandenburg! He looks not at _you_, he thinks not of

_you_. But _you_--you look at him and think of him. They have told you

that they will wed you to him, that the little Elector will esteem it a

great honor to become the husband of a daughter of the King of Poland.

Why, she is a princess of imperial blood, for her mother is an archduchess

of Austria, a daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I! It will, indeed, be a great

honor to the little Elector, if they bestow upon him the hand of a king's

daughter, an emperor's grandchild, and happy will he be to be allowed to

receive it, and to become great by means of his great connections!

Look closely at him, Princess Hildegarde; look at him with your heart and

soul, rejoice in his youth, beauty, and proud bearing, for he is to be

your husband! Your father will do him the honor to receive him as his

son-in-law, and the Emperor will condescendingly admit him to his

relationship! See now he has approached quite near the throne which has

been erected upon the square fronting the palace. On the throne sits King

Wladislaus in the rich national costume. Beside him stands his brother,

Prince Casimir, while to the right and left on the steps of the throne

stand the magnates with their insignia of rank, the bishops and prelates.

Close behind the throne is the kingly palace, and there, upon a balcony

hung with gold brocade, stands the Queen; to the right and left of her the

two royal Princesses, both so lovely to look upon in their picturesque

Polish garb, their raven tresses surmounted by the Polish cap with its

heron's plumes.

Oh, King's daughter, King's daughter, you need not fear, you are so

charming, so attractive; surely you will win his heart, and he will woo

you not merely from political motives, but from love!

Does he see you, and is he looking up at you? No, he only looks up at the

King as he now stands at the foot of the throne, beside that magnificent

cushion studded with emeralds and pearls. His knights and bodyguard range

themselves to the right and left of the throne, and reserve a small open

space in the midst of the broad square, which is densely thronged by

masses of people behind the closed ranks of the soldiers. In this small

vacant space stands he, the young Elector of Brandenburg!

High is his head, radiant the glance which he now lifts higher than the

King's throne. Looks he at you, Princess Hildegarde, gazes he upon you,

fair maiden of a royal line?

No, his glance mounts higher; to heaven itself he raises both eye and

thought! He communes with God and the forefathers of his house, who once,

like him, stood at the foot of that throne. And he vows before God and his

ancestors that he will be the last Hohenzollern to submit to such

humiliation and bend the knee as vassal to the Polish King. He will free

his land and crown, and be the vassal of none but God alone!

So swore the Elector Frederick William as he stood at the foot of the

throne on which sat the Polish King, resplendent with his crown and

scepter, and this oath made his countenance beam with joy and his eyes

flame with energy and spirit.

Now is heard the flourish of trumpets and kettledrums, and the bell of

every tower in Warsaw rings, for the solemn act begins: the Duke of

Prussia is to swear allegiance to the King of Poland!

Three cannon thunder from the ramparts! The bells grow dumb, the trumpets

and drums are silent! A breathless stillness pervades that spacious

square. The people with dark, flashing eyes gaze curiously upon the

heretic, the unbeliever, who is to swear fealty to his Catholic Majesty.

The Polish deputies look threateningly upon the bold duke, who dared to

enter upon the government of Prussia before he had given his oath of

allegiance; the papal nuncio turns his head aside with sorrowful looks,

and can not bear to see a heretic, an apostate, invested with authority

over a Catholic country.

The King, however, smiles good-naturedly, and the ladies from the balcony

in the rear kindly incline their heads and blushingly greet the young

Elector, who, doffing his plumed hat, gracefully salutes them.

Three senators approach the Elector. One holds out to him the red feudal

banner, which the Elector grasps firmly in his right hand. The second

offers him the _Juramentum fidelitatis_ (oath of fidelity), on which the

young Prince is to lay his hands and swear. The third holds in his hand

the parchment on which is inscribed the feudal oath. The high chancellor

now descends from the steps of the throne and takes the parchment out of

the senator's hands. The Elector bends his knee upon the richly

embroidered cushion, a crimson glow flushes his cheeks, and deep in his

soul he repeats: "I shall be the last Hohenzollern to submit to such

humiliation and bow in the dust before another Prince. I shall make my

Prussia and Brandenburg great. I shall free them from Emperor and King,

and shall own no superior but God! To that end, O Lord, grant me thy

blessing, and hear the vow my heart utters while my lips are speaking

other words!"

The King waves his golden scepter and the lord chancellor begins with

resonant voice to read off the oath of allegiance couched in the Latin

tongue.

Loud and clearly the Elector speaks each word after him, loud and clearly

his lips pronounce words of which his heart knows nothing. To be a

submissive vassal, his lips swear--to fulfill faithfully and obediently

all the obligations due from him as Duke of Prussia to the King, as is

written in the oath of fealty subscribed by him. How full and strong is

his voice, sounding distinctly over all the square, and yet how sweet

and harmonious every tone!

Oh, King's daughter, King's daughter, shield your heart! Look not down

upon his lustrous eyes, heed not his voice, though it ring like music in

your ear! Beware of loving him, for you know not whether his heart

inclines toward you!

God be praised! The formula of the oath is ended. The Elector may rise

from his knees, and, as he does so, he says to himself: "Never again shall

this knee bend to man! Never again shall I endure what I have endured

to-day!"

But his countenance betrays nothing of the emotions of his soul, and with

a smile upon his lips he ascends the steps of the throne, and takes his

place upon a seat at the left hand of the King.

And again are heard the ringing of bells and nourishing of trumpets, as

they announce to the city of Warsaw, that the Elector Frederick William

has just sworn allegiance to the King of Poland. The solemnity is over,

and the King, the Elector, and the nobles of his realm, repair to the

palace to partake of a banquet which has been prepared there for them.

A sumptuous banquet! The tables glitter with gold and silver plate, around

which are ranged the nobles in their striking national costumes. The

Brandenburg officers are arrayed in gold-laced uniforms, and between them

sit the beautiful Polish ladies, richly adorned with flowers and sparkling

gems, themselves the fairest flowers and their eyes the most brilliant

gems. Between the King and Queen sits the young Elector, opposite him the

two Princesses.

Oh, King's daughter, shield your heart. He talks with you, indeed, and

smiles upon you, and sweet words flutter like butterflies across!

Butterflies take speedy flight, sweet words are scattered to the wind!

Nothing remains of them but a painful memory! If it should be so with you,

King's daughter!

The Elector is no longer the humble vassal with serious face and

melancholy mien; he is the young ruler, the hero of the future. His eyes

glisten, his lips smile, witticisms drop from his mouth, his countenance

beams with merriment and youthful joy. Not merely are the ladies delighted

with him, but the men also, and the royal pair are glad of heart, for well

pleased are they to present such a husband to their amiable daughter.

Not until late at night is the _fête_ concluded, and when the Elector goes

home to the Brandenburg Palace, all the nobility attend him with torches

in their hands--a long procession of five thousand torches! Like a golden

flood it streams through the streets of Warsaw, flashes in at all the

windows, and inscribes on every wall in shining characters, "The Elector

of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia, has given the oath of vassalage to the

King of Poland!"

The _fête_ is over, but the next morning ushers in new festivities! To-day

the Elector gives a splendid entertainment to the royal family and the

chief nobility. At table the Queen sits on his right hand, on his left

Princess Hildegarde, the King's daughter.

The Elector is cheerful and unembarrassed in manner; she is thoughtful,

reserved, and silent. She is wont to be so lively and talkative in her

girlish innocence. The Elector, however, knows not that her manner is

changed. His heart is a stranger to her, and his glances say no more to

her than to all other pretty women! In the evening he dances with her

at the Queen's ball--that is to say, the Elector dances with the King's

daughter, but not the young man with the beautiful young girl.

Will he not propose? The Queen hints at the great honor which they destine

for him; the King says tenderly to him that he would esteem himself happy,

if he could call so noble a young Prince his son. But the Elector

understands neither the Queen nor the King, he is silent and does not

propose. He is so modest and diffident--perhaps he dare not. They must

wait awhile. If he has not declared himself on the last day of his visit,

they must take the initiative and woo him, since he will not woo.

On this last day it is the Princesses who give a ball to the Elector--a

splendid masquerade, for which they have been preparing three months,

arranging costumes and practicing dances. A half mask is to-day well

chosen for the Princess Hildegarde, for it conceals her agitated features,

her anxious countenance. She knows that to-day her fate is to be decided!

She knows that at the close of this _fête_ she is to be betrothed to the

Elector of Brandenburg.

Yes, since he will not woo, he must be wooed! The King's daughter, the

Emperor's grandchild, is exalted so high over the little Elector, the

powerless duke, that he actually can not venture to sue for her hand, but

must have his good fortune announced to him.

Count Gerhard von Dönhof is selected by the King to execute this delicate

commission, and doubts not that his proposition will be auspiciously

received.

He requests of the Elector an interview in the little Chinese pavilion

near the conservatory, and with smiling, free, and cordial manner tells

him how much the Queen and King love him.

"And I reciprocate their feelings with all my heart," answers the

Elector. "These delightful days, like brilliant stars, will ever live in

my remembrance. Tell their Majesties so."

"Your highness should carry home with you a lasting memento of these

days," whispered the courtier.

"What mean you, Count Dönhof?"

"I believe that if you were to ask the hand of Princess Hildegarde,

their Majesties would cheerfully grant you their consent and bestow upon

you a royal bride."

Gravely the Elector shook his head. "No," he said solemnly--"no, Count

Dönhof, so long as I can not govern my land in peace, I dare seek no other

bride than my own good sword." [54]

And smilingly, as if he had heard nothing, as if nothing uncommon had

happened, the Elector returns to the conservatory.

The Princess Hildegarde also smiles, looks cheerful and happy, and dances

with all the cavaliers. But not with the Elector! He does not approach her

again.

She seems not to perceive this, and maintains her cheerfulness, even when

at last he approaches the Princesses to take leave of them.

"Farewell, Sir Elector! May you have a prosperous journey home and be

happy!" So say her lips. What says her heart?

That nobody knows. The Princess has a tender but proud heart! Only at

night was heard a low sobbing and wailing in the Princess's chamber. When

morning broke though it was hushed. That is the deepest grief which must

shun the light of day, and only find vent and expression in the curtained

darkness of night.

Poor Hildegarde! Poor King's daughter! Scorned! The Emperor's grandchild

scorned by the little Elector of Brandenburg!

He has returned home; he has shaken from his feet the dust of that

humbling pilgrimage. The States of the duchy of Prussia had long delayed

swearing allegiance to the Elector, feeling that they had been aggrieved

as to their rights and privileges. Now at last all difficulties had been

adjusted and the deputies of Prussia were ready to do homage to their

Duke. Upon an open tribune before the palace stood the Elector, with bared

head and radiant countenance, and in front of him at the foot of the

throne the deputies from his duchy. They swore faithfulness and devotion,

and, as in Warsaw, so in Königsberg the bells rang, and trumpets and drums

sent forth triumphant sounds. The roar of cannon announced to Königsberg

and all Prussia that to-day the Duke and his States were joined in a

compact of concord, love, and unity!

"Leuchtmar," said the Elector, inclining toward the friend whom

he had summoned from Sweden, on purpose to be present at this

festivity--"Leuchtmar, in this hour the first germ of my future

has put forth buds!"

"And a great forest will grow therefrom, a forest of myrtle and laurel,

your highness!"

"Leave the myrtle to grow and bloom, Leuchtmar. I care not for that! But I

want a rapid growth of laurel! I long for action; and one thing I will

tell you, friend: to-day marks a new era of my life. Until now I have been

forced to bear and temporize, to bow my head, and patiently accommodate

myself to the arrogance and caprices of others. I was so small and all

about me so great. I was nothing, they were everything! I must become a

diplomatist in order to gain even ground enough on which to stand."

"And now you have gained ground. One title, at least, you have

substantiated, and may now claim to be veritably Duke of Prussia. You have

now won your position; and my Elector never recedes--he always moves

forward!"

"Yes, from this day he moves forward!" cried the Elector, with enthusiasm.

"Forward in the path of glory and renown! Hear you the ringing of bells

and thundering of cannon! God bless Prussia, my Prussia of the future--my

great, strong, mighty Prussia, as I feel she _will_ become. To her I

dedicate my life. Not in pride and vain ambition, but in genuine humility

and devotion to my duty and my calling. I will have nothing for myself,

all for my people, for the honor of my God and the good of my country! In

the discharge of my princely functions I shall be ever mindful that I

guard not my own, but my people's interests. And this thought will give

me strength and joy! This be the device of my whole future: _Pro deo et

populo_!--For God and the people!"

"God save our Duke!" cried and shouted the people, as the Elector now

descended the steps of the throne in order to return to the palace.

"Blessings on our Duke!" cried also the representatives and deputies from

the Prussian towns and provinces.

The Elector bowed to right and left, smilingly acknowledging their

salutations. His heart swelled with joy and love as he saw all these glad,

happy faces, the faces of his own people; and in the recesses of his soul

he repeated his oath, to devote his whole life and being to his

country--"_Pro deo et populo_!--For God and the people!"

END OF THE VOLUME.

ENDNOTES

[Endnote 1: The exact words of the deputies from Cleves. _Vide_ Droysen,

History of the Prussian Policy, vol. in, part I, p. 175.]

[Endnote 2: The Elector's own words. See F. Forster, Prussia's Heroes in

War and Peace, i, p. 15.]

[Endnote 3: Historical. _Vide_ Nicolai, Description of the Capital City

Berlin, Introduction, p. 27.]

[Endnote 4: The peace of Prague was concluded in 1635, and in this the

Elector of Brandenburg renounced alliance with the Swedes and assumed a

neutral position.]

[Endnote 5: Historical. _Vide_ Nicolai, i, p. 33.]

[Endnote 6: _Vide_ von Orlich, History of the Prussian State, etc., part

1, p. 34.]

[Endnote 7: _Vide_ von Orlich, History of the Prussian State, etc., part

1, p. 35.]

[Endnote 8: This palace of Count Schwarzenberg was situated on Broad

Street, and the open square in front of it was where now stand the houses

of the so-called Stechbahn. In the middle of this square stood the

cathedral, and behind this, near the Spree, arose the electoral castle. It

is the spot where the King's apothecary now has his stand.]

[Endnote 9: A historical fact. _Vide_ von Orlich.]

[Endnote 10: King, Description of Berlin, part I, p, 237.]

[Endnote 11: Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, part 3, p. 172.]

[Endnote 12: Count Lesle's own words. _Vide_ von Orlich, History of

Prussia, part I, p. 40.]

[Endnote 13: The Elector Frederick V of the Palatinate, brother to the

Electress of Brandenburg, was (after the Archduke Maximilian had been

declared to have forfeited the Bohemian throne) elected by the Bohemians

to be their King. He accepted the nomination, but a few days after his

coronation was defeated in the battle of the White Mountain in Austria

(1620); wandered about homeless for a long time, and died in 1632 in

Mainz. His wife was a daughter of the King of England, and his mother a

Princess of Orange, wherefore his wife and children found a refuge and

protection at The Hague.]

[Endnote 14: Count Lesle's own words. _Vide_ Droysen, History of Prussian

Politics, vol. iii, p. 173.]

[Endnote 15: Historical. _Vide_ von Orlich, part 1, p. 42.]

[Endnote 16: Historical. _Vide_ von Orlich.]

[Endnote 17: Historical. _Vide_ von Orlich, vol. ii, p. 456.]

[Endnote 18: The Elector's own words. See von Orlich, vol. i.]

[Endnote 19: The precise words of the Electoral Prince, See C.D. Küster,

The Remarkable Youth of the Great Elector, p. 39.]

[Endnote 20: Count Adam Schwarzenberg's own words. _Vide_ Droysen,

History of the Prussian Policy, vol. iii, part I, p. 35.]

[Endnote 21: Count Adam Schwarzenberg's own words. _Vide_ Droysen,

History of the Prussian Policy, vol. iii, part I, p. 35.]

[Endnote 22: Shortly before the Electoral Prince left home he found one

evening under his bed a man armed with two daggers. Upon the Prince's

outcry, his servants hurried to his assistance and succeeded in capturing

the murderer, who endeavored to make his escape. He confessed that he had

come to murder the Electoral Prince, and that he had not done so of his

own accord, but had been bribed to undertake the deed by a very

distinguished lord. This assertion was confirmed by a considerable sum of

money, which was found in his pockets upon being searched. They put him in

prison, but two days afterward he had vanished, and with him his jailer,

who had connived at his flight. The Electoral Prince was firmly convinced

that this murderer had been suborned by Count Schwarzenberg, and shortly

before his death himself related this story to his physician. _Vide_

Küster, Youthful Life of the Great Elector.]

[Endnote 23: von Orlich, History of the State of Prussia, vol. i, p. 42.]

[Endnote 24: Historical. _Vide_ King, Description of Berlin, part 1.]

[Endnote 25: Historical. _Vide_ Archives of Historical Science in Prussia.

Edited by Leopold von Ledebur, vol. iv, p. 97.]

[Endnote 26: They still made use of white as mourning in those days, and

in half mourning wore black gloves. Therefore the White Lady appeared

altogether in white when the death of the reigning sovereign or his wife

was to be announced; but if only some member of their family, in white

with black gloves.]

[Endnote 27: _Vide_ Historical; Archives]

[Endnote 28: _Vide_ Buchholz's History of Brandenburg.]

[Endnote 29: See von Orlich, The Great Elector, vol. i, p. 50.]

[Endnote 30: Von Orlich, p. 53.]

[Endnote 31: Frederick William's own words. See Droysen's History of

Prussian Policy, vol. in, p. 215.]

[Endnote 32: The Elector's own words. _Vide_ Droysen, vol. iii, p. 217.]

[Endnote 33: Historical. _Vide_ Letters of the Duchess of Orleans to

Countess Louise.]

[Endnote 34: In the year 1638 a ship, on board of which were all the

Electoral jewels to the amount of sixty thousand gulden, was plundered by

a detachment from the corps of General Monticuculi, and all the jewels

abstracted. Count Schwarzenberg had three officers concerned in it

arrested, and carried to Spandow for trial. Although the Emperor himself

desired the release of the imperial officers, the Stadtholder not only

refused this, but even subjected the three officers to the torture, in

order to extort from them a confession of the place where the jewels had

been hid. But they confessed nothing, meanwhile remaining in confinement

until the Elector Frederick William restored to them their freedom.

_Vide_ von Orlich, The Great Elector, vol. _i_, p. 53.]

[Endnote 35: Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, p. 180.]

[Endnote 36: The Elector's own words. _Vide_ Droysen, History of Prussian

Politics, vol. iii, p. 220.]

[Endnote 37: The Elector's own words. See von Orlich, History of Prussia.]

[Endnote 38: Burgsdorf's own words. _Vide_ History of Prussia, by von

Orlich, vol. ii, p. 390.]

[Endnote 39: The Elector's own words. See Droysen, History of Prussian

Politics, vol. iii, p. 223.]

[Endnote 40: Burgsdorf's own words. See ibid., p. 224.]

[Endnote 41: The Elector's own words. See Droysen, vol. in, p. 223.]

[Endnote 42: Schwarzenberg's own words. See Droysen, History of Prussian

Politics.]

[Endnote 43: See von Orlich, History of Prussia, vol. i, p. 60.]

[Endnote 44: See Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. in, p. 223.]

[Endnote 45: Rochow's own words. See Droysen, vol. in, p. 224.]

[Endnote 46: This whole scene is historical. See von Orlich, History of

Prussia, vol. i, p. 59.]

[Endnote 47: Count Schwarzenberg was buried in the Tillage church at

Spandow, his entrails in a separate case beside him. The sudden and

unexpected death of the Stadtholder excited uncommon attention through

Germany, and a report was circulated that upon the count's retiring to

Spandow on account of ill health the Elector had caused him to be

arrested, and secretly beheaded in prison. Even as late as the times of

Frederick the Great this report was commonly believed, and Frederick, when

he wished to write a history of the reigning house, had the count's coffin

opened to ascertain whether the head was separate from the body. No trace

of a violent severing of the head from the body was, however, discovered.

See Pollnitz, Memoirs, vol. iv, p. 40; Droysen, vol. in, p. 232.]

[Endnote 48: See Droysen, History of Prussian Polities.]

[Endnote 49: See Droysen, vol. iii, p. 239.]

[Endnote 50: Droysen, vol. iii, p. 237.]

[Endnote 51: See Droysen, History of Prussian Politics, vol. iii, p. 236.]

[Endnote 52: See von Orlich, History of Prussia, vol. i, p. 61.]

[Endnote 53: The Elector's own words.]

[Endnote 54: The Elector's own words. See von Orlich, History of Prussia,

vol. vi, p. 77.]

End of Project Gutenberg's The Youth of the Great Elector, by L. Mühlbach