Prince Fuerstenburg and Count Flemming had made a compact to get rid of
Countess Cosel. She ordered them, as if she had been a Queen, she
treated them proudly, and she squandered money like a child who is
ignorant of its value. The influence she had acquired over the King
alarmed every one. None of the King's favourites had had such power,
such faith in herself, and none of them had been able to keep the
fickle Augustus so long at her side. The whole court longed for her
downfall; the number of her enemies increased daily. But the Countess
heeded them not, and when the faithful Zaklika told her things that he
had overheard, she only laughed contemptuously. Slowly yet surely the
forces of her enemies were gathering together against her, but as yet
they did not venture to declare open war. They were waiting for certain
symptoms that would lead them to believe that the King was tired of
her, and would indicate that the fight would be crowned with victory.
On the one side were adroit and clever courtiers, drilled from
childhood in the art of intriguing, and aided in their enterprise by
corrupt and cunning women; on the other side was Countess Cosel, proud,
intelligent, trusting in her beauty, in her imaginary title of wife, in
the knot that had been made fast by having her children acknowledged,
and a few friends without influence, and a few double-faced people, who
were eager to be on the victorious side, and only waiting to see which
side had the greatest power. The prospect was that the war would be
long, but Cosel's adversaries were patient, and, knowing the
disposition of the King, felt confident of an ultimate victory.
They knew that sooner or later Cosel must weary the King by her fancies
and by her insatiable desire for luxury as well as by her pride and
impetuosity. Until the present these had amused the King, but at any
moment the scale might turn.
Every one of importance at Court was against Cosel, profiting by the
King's absence in Flanders, whither he had gone to fight against
France, in the hope that by some deed of daring he might brighten his
fame, so clouded by the Swedish defeat. Fuerstenberg and Flemming wished
to shake the King's love by writing to him about the Countess's
extravagant luxuries. So black did they succeed in painting her, that
the King gave orders that she should not be furnished with too much
money. Fuerstenberg seized on this order to refuse Cosel money several
times when she required it, for which insult the Countess threatened to
give him a slap in the face should she come across him.
But when the King arrived in Dresden, he had not a single look for
Fuerstenberg, instead, he went straight to the Palace of the Four
Seasons, where again he found Cosel just leaving her room after another
confinement. She was more beautiful than ever, and, although weeping,
received him most affectionately.
"Ah! my lord!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms round his neck, "you
know that I am always eager to see you as soon as possible, yet,
perhaps, never have I longed so much for your return as at the present
time. Deliver me from persecution! Am I still the mistress of your
heart or not, that these men humiliate me so cruelly?"
"Who?" inquired the King.
"Your best friends; that drunkard, Flemming, and that perverse
hypocrite, Fuerstenberg, have made me a laughing-stock. My lord! deliver
me from them."
After long separation, Cosel had regained her power over the King, who
had begun to cool towards her.
"I will scold Fuerstenberg and Flemming severely," said he.
By the time he left the palace, he was once more under the influence of
her charms, and when Fuerstenberg and Flemming came to him with an
accusation against her, he told them both to go the next day and beg
the Countess's pardon.
"You are both wrong. I dislike quarrels, and you must make it up with
the Countess."
"Your Majesty, it would be too humiliating for me," said Flemming.
"It must be done, otherwise you would be obliged to leave the Court."
The next day the King sent for them to come to the Palace of the Four
Seasons. Cosel was crimson with anger, and proud as a Queen.
"I suppose," said the King, "that a mutual misunderstanding was the
cause of the quarrel. The Countess will forget the past, and you,
gentlemen, ever indulgent to the fair sex, you will overlook it if she
has ever said any bitter words about you."
All the while the King was speaking, Cosel's look was full of anger,
Fuerstenberg's of hatred, and Flemming's of irony. Yet when he had
finished, they bowed politely, and their indistinct mutterings might
have been taken as begging pardon.
Neither side was deluded with the idea that the reconciliation was
sincere.
Soon after this her cunning enemies again tried to make the King
quarrel with the beautiful Cosel, who seemed to be one of those
wonderful creatures who are always young. Passing through Brussels on
his way from Flanders, the King met a beautiful dancing girl, called
Duparc, and invited her to come to Dresden. Cosel's enemies knew how
jealous she was, and they employed the Baroness Glasenapp to carry out
an intrigue. When inviting Duparc to Dresden, Augustus did not tell her
that he was the King; he was travelling then under the name of Count
Torgau. On her arrival in Dresden, she failed to find a Count of that
name. However, she had an aunt in Dresden, who was in the theatre, and
this aunt took her to Chamberlain Murdachs, who was at that time
director of the royal entertainments. He knew all about Duparc, and to
her great surprise received her very well, expressing a wish that she
would appear in the ballet, called "The Princess Elida," that had just
been prepared to celebrate the King's return. All this was the work of
Count Torgau, and both the women guessed that he must be the King, and
their suppositions were rendered more certain by the anonymous presents
received by the dancer.
During the ballet the King sat in the box with Cosel; when Duparc
noticed him she fainted from emotion. The King ordered his doctor to go
and attend to her, and this seriously displeased his jealous favourite.
"It seems to me," said she, "that your Majesty is too good in taking
such interest in an unknown dancer, who probably does not deserve such
a favour."
Augustus was offended, and replied drily,--
"It is true that I should often be accused of showing too much favour
to persons who only abuse it! I hope that Duparc will be less
exacting."
Cosel, unable to control either her voice or her movements, withdrew to
the further end of the box, exclaiming,--
"Your Majesty has a peculiar taste for the street women."
Fearing a further outburst of passion from her, the King left the box.
Cosel was thus exposed to the ironical glances of the whole Court; she
remained for a short time longer, then making believe that she was
unwell, ordered her litter, and returned home.
The Countess's enemies thought that by exciting her jealousy, they
would succeed in making her quarrel with the King; and with this end in
view they sent the Baroness Glasenapp to call on her. She found Cosel
in tears and at once began to prattle.
"You cannot think how I pity you. I know everything, and I am indignant
at it. You do not perhaps know that the King has taken supper with
Duparc?"
Cosel listened quietly to her gossip, then she said,--
"Do not think that I am jealous; I only grieve for the King, who wrongs
himself more than he does me."
Having said this, she rose, wiped away her tears, and, suspecting some
intrigue, tried to appear indifferent.
Glasenapp did not succeed in making her angry. Cosel could control
herself at times.
The King did not come to see her the next day, he was afraid of her
impetuosity. Instead he sent Vitzthum to reconnoitre. Cosel and he had
always been good friends. Apparently, he came of his own accord, to
inquire after her health, and did not in anyway allude to the events of
the preceding evening.
"As you see, I am quite well," said Cosel with a sad smile.
"You are always beautiful!"
"And you are always good-hearted and polite."
They talked awhile on indifferent subjects, and then Vitzthum returned
to the King and told him Cosel was very reasonable.
The whole clique of her enemies now waited impatiently for the
_denouement_. Towards evening Augustus himself repaired to the Palace
of the Four Seasons.
The news spread, and faces grew sad in consequence.
The King had become accustomed to Anna, and did not wish to abandon
her; although his passionate love for her had passed, the habit still
remained. He was ashamed of Duparc and proud of Cosel. Cosel on her
side was determined to be as reasonable as the Queen herself.
"I do not like public quarrels," said the King, "they do not become
either of us."
"Your Majesty, it is my love for the King."
"It must be reasonable," interrupted Augustus.
"It is characteristic of love that it cannot be reasonable."
"But you must try not to be jealous."
"Why, your Majesty, should you give me any reason for jealousy?"
The King shrugged his shoulders, and replied,--
"Childishness."
Cosel refrained from another outburst; she knew that she was not
threatened by anything.
The relations between her and the King were not at all changed, only
they had become less cordial; a ceremonious gallantry was now
substituted for his former passionate love.
The best proof that the Countess had not lost her lover's heart was
furnished by the visit of the Danish King, Frederick IV. Augustus, who
was always glad of an opportunity for festivities and entertainments,
by which he might astonish Europe, received his nephew with great
splendour, and in all the festivities Cosel played the leading part,
for by her beauty and majestic mien, she was superior to all the women
at Court. It seemed as though the King should be excused for admiring
such an exceptional being.
After the balls, tournaments, shooting parties, there came the day when
the Danish King must take his departure and set out on a journey to
Berlin, whither Augustus was to accompany him. After a splendid supper,
Cosel returned to her palace. Her face still glowed with triumph and
enthusiasm, but at the same time she felt exhausted. She threw herself
down on the sofa to rest.
In the palace perfect silence reigned, and this quiet, following on the
noise of the entertainment, acted on her most strangely. She was seized
with a most unjustifiable fear.
During the hour of her triumph, she had several times encountered
Flemming's ironical glances, in which there was an expression of
menace, which she alone could understand. Those looks stung her to the
heart and made her sad.
In vain she tried to brighten her gloomy thoughts, by recalling all the
marks of favour shown her by the King; she could not succeed, and even
in the hour of her triumphs, she was haunted by the presentiment of a
miserable future.
She did not expect to see the King that day, for the next morning he
set out for Berlin.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps was heard coming along the corridor
that connected the staircase with the gallery leading to the castle. It
could be no one but Augustus, and Cosel sprang to her feet and hastened
to the mirror, to assure herself that her hair and dress were in proper
order.
Her first glance told Cosel that Augustus was in a state in which she
had but seldom seen him.
The leave-taking of his nephew, whom the courtiers had respectfully
carried to his bed, had been celebrated with bumper toasts. The King,
although accustomed to these feasts, had not come out victorious. It
was true that he was able to walk with the assistance of his
chamberlain, but that minister only accompanied him to the door, and as
soon as he was in Cosel's room he threw himself immediately on the
sofa. His face was crimson, his eyes misty, and his speech indistinct.
"Anna," said he, "I wished to bid you goodbye. Well, to-day you were
triumphant, as women very seldom can be. At least you will thank me for
it."
Cosel turned towards him--she was sad.
"Alas! my lord," she replied, "I have not sufficient words to express
my gratitude. But had you seen the jealous glances cast at me, you
would understand why I have returned sad."
Augustus smiled.
"The tragi-comedy of life," he returned indifferently. "I had my
Charles XII.--you have your Flemming! Every one has some pain, and
life--is life. Be merry for my sake."
"I cannot," she said.
"For me!" repeated Augustus.
Cosel looked at him, then she smiled, though rather with an effort than
from the heart.
"Could I always look on you, my lord," said she, sitting down beside
him, "then I should be always most happy. But unfortunately you are
going away, and who can tell how you will return?"
"Probably not so drunk as I am to-night," rejoined Augustus, with a
cold smile. "I like wine, but I hate its dominating over me."
"And when will my lord return?" inquired Cosel.
"Ask the astrologers that question, I do not know. We are going to
Berlin. But there is one thing I am glad of, Brandenburg will look
rather meagre when compared with our festivities. Frederick will show
us his soldiers instead of giving us a good dinner. Berlin after
Dresden, ha! ha! ha! I am going on purpose to see my triumph."
"But will your Majesty return faithful to me?" asked Cosel, with whom
this was now a constant thought.
"From Berlin?" laughed Augustus. "It is one of the most tedious courts
in Europe. There is no danger there either for me or for you."
"And Dessau?" whispered Cosel.
"That is true!" said the King, making a movement with his head. "She
was pretty, but she did not understand gallantry. She was offended with
half a word. No, I do not like such women."
Then kissing her hand, he said,--
"My dear Anna, I should like to ask you a favour. I should be glad if
you and Flemming would not devour each other."
Anna frowned.
"Your Majesty must kindly say that to Flemming, not to me. He is
lacking in civility to me, to Cosel, to Augustus' wife."
At these words a strange smile passed over the King's face and his eyes
shone fiercely.
"But I dislike wars," said he.
"Then command him to respect and obey me, your children's mother; that
will be the best way of keeping peace."
The King made no reply to this, but began to take his leave. Cosel hung
tenderly on his neck, then she conducted him to the door, behind which
the chamberlain was waiting. The King was gloomy when he left Cosel.
Who could tell the thoughts that then filled his mind? The same evening
he summoned Flemming. He was sarcastic and irritable.
"Old man," said he, jokingly, "Cosel complains of you. You must endure
it; you must not pay attention to many things, the others you must
forgive. You know I bear a great deal from her."
"Countess Cosel pays your Majesty with her love," said Flemming
familiarly, "that is quite different."
"Well, get on well with Cosel," added Augustus.
"It will be difficult; I cannot be her courtier; I can neither lie nor
flatter, and it is no easy matter for me to bow, for my back is old."
To this the King replied, laughing,--
"It is true, she does not like you either. She says that you look just
like a monkey."
Flemming's eyes gleamed, he muttered something between his teeth, and
then relapsed into silence.
Had the King desired to make them implacable enemies, he could not have
employed better means.