THE COUNTRY WILLS IT.
Events precipitated themselves with frightful rapidity. Veiled promises
and secret encouragements on the part of Napoleon III. contributed
largely to the development of an insurrection whose instigators were
too confident in the diplomatic intervention of France, England, and
Austria. A bitter disappointment was the result, as we know. A brutal
reply from the Russian government sufficed to make Europe fall back,
and rendered harder than ever the fate of Poland.
At the point whither our story has carried us, all hope of preventing a
fatal catastrophe was not lost. Several men of influence, whose
foresight was better than that of the foolish masses, made heroic
efforts toward this end. Among these was our Jacob, whose interview
with Gromof had resulted in enlightening him as to the fatal
consequences of a premature revolution.
The most of the Jews rallied around the Marquis Wielopolski, a
double-faced man, half Russian, half Polish, with equivocal politics.
He was clever in appearance, but deceitful at heart, and sought to
please both sides. This policy was not pleasing to the nobles, whom he
held of little account; it alienated the ultramontanes, and irritated
the revolutionists, whom he tried to reduce by violent measures. The
marquis, much more authoritative than liberal, wished to inaugurate
that which he called the legal progress; but not leaning on either
party, he soon had every one against him. The Jews, however, sustained
him for some time with ardour; but he soon displeased them, like the
others, by an absolute want of tact in his conduct toward them.
Men of exalted opinions, whose only wish was to benefit humanity, and
who desired to maintain a just moderation, were alienated and were left
alone.
Jacob, although of an entirely different character from Wielopolski,
was equally unfortunate. In his political role he was no more
successful than in his character of religious reformer. Admitted to all
the meetings, he perceived that he had no influence whatever.
He displeased the revolutionists by his wise warnings; the
conservatives, by his transports of spirit; and the partisans of legal
progress, by his spirit of independence. He had no communication with
the Russians, with the exception of Gromof.
Among his own people, Mann detested him because he refused to bow down
to him and admire him; for vanity was this individual's ruling passion.
Mathilde's father was devoted body and soul to the palace of Bruehl,
which was Wielopolski's seat, and received his former pupil coldly, for
he did not wish to be ranked under the same banner. For the same reason
Henri Segel, a zealous servant of the marquis, looked on him with pity.
Bartold, less servile, nevertheless adhered to the new regime to a
certain extent, and was surprised that Jacob did not follow his
example. Ivas, whose relations with his friend were growing cooler,
accidentally met him one evening.
"Jacob," said he, "the moment approaches when the country will need all
her children's services. I was coming to ask you to pay your tribute,
and I will give you the receipt. You have only to fix the amount
yourself."
"I do not dream of refusing to make all necessary sacrifices," replied
Jacob after a moment of thought. "But in giving I wish to know why I
give. Will you give me your word of honour that it is not to aid the
revolution?"
"It is truly to buy arms."
"If it is for that, I refuse. I am ready to sacrifice half, or more
than half, of my fortune for Poland, but not one cent to light the
torch of incendiarism."
"Man of little faith and frozen soul, how can you be presumptuous
enough to suppose that you can hinder patriotic sentiments, or strong
enough to overthrow all obstacles! Am I not right? We are sure of the
people; we have the Catholic clergy, thanks to the marquis, who has
also reconciled the masses; and we count on the greater part of the
Israelites. We shall force the nobles to come out of their
intrenchments and join us. In Russia the revolution ferments. Garibaldi
promises us champions; Hungary, arms, men, and money. Austria is a
beneficent neighbour; and, to finish, France and England will
undoubtedly aid us."
"Softly! Softly! Repeat your enumerations one by one."
"If faith does not exist in you it is useless for me to talk further. I
will listen to nothing. Will you give me the money? Yes or no."
"For the revolution, no."
"But the necessity is urgent, my dear Jacob. We must have money to-day;
you cannot refuse us."
"I refuse; I have said it."
"I have been your friend and defender, and I am still; but above all, I
am a revolutionist. Do you know to what you are exposed by your
opinions? To death, perhaps; certainly infamy."
"Infamy, never! A man can only render himself infamous; others cannot
imprint this stain upon him. As for death, I do not fear it. The
preservation of life or of fortune by the sacrifice of profound
convictions is unworthy of a true man, is cowardly. You can obtain
nothing from me by threats; kill me if you wish; I firmly believe in
the justice of God and the immortality of the soul. And so I am
tranquil."
Ivas laughed, and was a little touched.
"You are a great child, my dear Jacob," said he, with an air of
compassion. "I pity you, for you are not a man of this century. I
regard you as a phenomenon, as a mortal who awakes after a thousand
years of sleep into an epoch entirely different from his own.
Nevertheless, I esteem you."
Jacob held out his hand silently.
"You cannot change me," said he. "It will be useless for you to try it.
I feel that the world which surrounds me is not with me; however, as I
am here, and I exist, it must be with some special design of
Providence."
"I return to my pecuniary wants."
"Ivas," said Jacob, "tell me, what sum do you require, for yourself?"
"Nothing for myself; all for the country."
"And it is expressly to buy arms?"
"Yes; my conscience does not permit me to lie."
"And mine commands me to refuse."
"You are the first who has refused me so decidedly. Your conduct is a
bad example. A rigorous condemnation awaits you. I leave you in sorrow,
for, Jacob, you will die."
"I am not at all afraid to die, and your threat will not make me break
my word."
"I beg of you, my friend."
"Do not supplicate me; it is in vain. Tell me that you will use the
money to save men pursued by the Russian government, to facilitate
their flight, and enable them to live, and I am ready to reduce myself
to poverty for that; but for your insane revolution, not a rouble."
"I do not insist, but"--
"Very well. Have you seen Gromof?"
"Twenty times."
"What have you replied to his argument?"
"That he is a Russian; consequently, ardent in words, and timid in
action. For the Russians the opportune moment never arrives. Their
former conspiracies were broken up by a word from Nicholas; a word
sufficed to calm a popular disturbance. A weak-kneed race, they are
still as cowardly as then. I believe Gromof to be an agent of the
police. He is suspected."
"What he says accords with the actual situation."
"I am one of those," said Ivas, "who will not listen to reasoning. Good
sense, circumspection, are empty words for us. Hurrah for blessed
exultation! Hurrah for ardour pushed almost to folly! We will march
against the troops with our batons, convinced of being victorious."
"You are heroes," said Jacob, "and I admire you; but have you counted
the cost? How long will this exaltation last? How many are there that
feel as you do?"
"A hundred, or a million, what does it matter? The masses will follow
us."
"The masses will be reduced to a handful of men, most of them
adventurers who will do more harm than good."
"Stop, you weary me. Adieu, egotist, I wash my hands of what will
happen to you."
"But before leaving in this hostile fashion, give me your hand as
formerly, Ivas, and may God's will be done!"
Ivas hesitated.
"No," cried he. "I have ceased to be your friend, and in the future I
will be your enemy."
"Are you insane, Ivas?"
"I belong entirely, body and soul, to the cause of the revolution; no
more friendship. Good-night."
"Wait a moment."
"You will give us the money?"
"Impossible."
"You persist in not sacrificing your personal feelings to the interest
of the country?"
"Not contrary to my convictions, my principles, never!"
Ivas was carried away by his enthusiasm, but was at heart honest and
loving. At the threshold of the door strong emotion seized him; he
returned and stood near Jacob.
"After all," said he with tears in his eyes, "I esteem you. Let us
embrace."
They threw themselves into each other's arms.
As he was on the point of leaving he said in a grave voice:--
"But if to-morrow I receive the order to kill you for your disobedience
to the revolutionary committee, I will come with cold blood to stab
you. The country above everything."
"Blind heroism, which I respect without sharing. These are frightful
times we are living in. How horrible is the regime which inspires
hatred, and familiarizes honest souls with crime, and transforms an old
friend into an assassin! What will not be the responsibility before God
of governments whose tyrannous acts have engendered such despair!"
Ivas, without replying, left him with emotion.
Jacob expected to receive on the morrow his sentence of death, but it
did not arrive either that day or later on. Ivas spoke on his friend's
behalf, and he was not even declared a traitor to his country. All the
revolutionists there understood Ivas, and ceased to have any relations
with Jacob, who was considered from that day as a man from whom the
revolutionary party had nothing to expect.
* * * * *
All this is true. The entire scene is scrupulously authentic. Author's
note.