ANDREAS HOFER AT THE THEATRE.
Count Stadion, the minister of foreign affairs, was pacing his
cabinet with a quick step and an anxious expression of countenance.
At times he stood still, and, bending his head toward the door,
seemed to listen intently for some sound; all remaining silent
outside, he commenced again striding up and down, and whenever he
approached the clock on the mantelpiece he cast an anxious glance on
it.
"I am afraid Hormayr was not at home," he murmured moodily to
himself; "his servants did not know where he was, and therefore the
mischief cannot be stopped."
He drew a golden snuff-box from his pocket and took a large pinch
from it. "I said at the very outset," he murmured, "that we ought to
keep aloof from these stupid peasants, who will only involve us in
trouble and mischief. But those gentlemen would not listen to me,
and--Really, I believe I hear footsteps in the anteroom. Yes, yes,
somebody is coming!"
Count Stadion was not mistaken. The door opened, and a footman
announced, in a loud voice, "Baron von Hormayr!"
"Let him come in, let him come in, quick!" said Count Stadion,
waving his hand impatiently; and when Hormayr appeared on the
threshold of the door, he hastily went to meet him.
"In truth; it took my servants a good while to find you!" exclaimed
the minister, angrily. "I have been waiting for you half an hour."
"I was at the Archduke John's rooms, with whom I had business of
importance, your excellency," said Hormayr, emphasizing his last
words. "Moreover, I could not guess that your excellency would wish
to grant me an audience at so unusual an hour, and without my asking
for it."
"At so unusual an hour!" cried Count Stadion, putting one pinch of
snuff after another into his nose. "Yes, yes, at so unusual an hour!
It would have been more agreeable to me, too, if it had been
unnecessary for me to trouble you and myself. But it is your own
fault. You do not keep your word."
"Your excellency!" cried Hormayr, indignantly.
"Bah! it is true. You do not keep your word. You promised me that
your Tyrolese should not show themselves, lest we might be charged
with fomenting an insurrection; and it was necessary, also, to
prevent the Bavarians from learning prematurely our plans. Can you
deny that you promised this to me? "
"No, your excellency, I do not deny it at all."
"Well, your Tyrolese are running around everywhere."
"Pardon me, your excellency, that cannot be true. You must have been
misinformed."
"What! misinformed? How dare you say so to my face, sir? Your
beardman, or bushman, or Sandwirth Hofer is at the Karnthnerthor
Theatre, and is the observed of all observers. I saw him with my own
eyes; and that was the reason why I left the theatre and sent for
you."[Footnote: Count Stadion's own words.--See Hormayr's "Andreas
Hofer," vol i., p. 209]
"Your excellency saw him with your own eyes! Then, of course, it
must be true, and I would beg leave of your excellency to go
immediately to the theatre and take him to his hotel."
"That was just what I wished to ask you to do, Baron von Hormayr.
Make haste and induce this bushman to leave Vienna immediately."
"He will leave the capital early in the morning. Your excellency
will permit me now to withdraw."
Baron von Hormayr hastened down stairs, left the chancery of state,
and crossed the Joseph's Place. On reaching the Karnthnerthor
Theatre, he bought a ticket at the office and entered the pit.
"The Marriage of Figaro," by Mozart, was performed at the
Karnthnerthor Theatre to-night, and this favorite opera of the
Viennese had attracted so large an audience that not a seat was
vacant, and the baron had to elbow his way with no little difficulty
through the crowd filling the pit, in order to reach a point where
he might be able to see every part of the house, and discover him
for whose sake he had come.
At length he had succeeded in advancing so far that, leaning against
one of the pillars supporting the upper tiers of boxes, he was able
to survey the lower part of the house. But all faces were averted
from it, all eyes were fixed on the stage. The opera had just
reached the scene where Count Almaviva lifts the carpet from the
chair and finds Cherubino under it. A loud outburst of laughter
resounded from the pit to the upper gallery. But in the midst of the
din, a loud and angry voice exclaimed: "Ah, you young good-for-
nothing, if I had you here I would show you how to behave!" And a
threatening fist and vigorous arm was raised in the midst of the
orchestra-stalls.
"Good heavens! that is really Andreas Hofer," murmured Baron von
Hormayr, concealing himself anxiously behind the pillar. A renewed
shout of laughter greeted Hofer's words, and all eyes turned toward
the side where they had been uttered. And there sat the good Andreas
Hofer, in his handsome national costume, with his long black beard,
and his florid, kind-hearted face. There he sat, quite regardless of
the gaze which the audience fixed upon him, utterly unaware of the
fact that he was the observed of all observers, and quite engrossed
in looking at the stage, where proceeded the well-known scene
between Cherubino, the count, and Figaro. He followed the progress
of the action with rapt attention, and when Cherubino tried to prove
his innocence by all sorts of plausible and improbable falsehoods,
Hofer's brow became clouded. He averted his eyes from the stage, and
turned to his neighbor. "Why," he said, loudly and indignantly,
"that boy is as great a liar as though he were Bonaparte himself!"
Now the merriment of the audience knew no longer any bounds. They
applauded, they shouted, "Bravo! bravo!" They forgot the scene on
the stage entirely, and devoted their exclusive attention to the
queer, bearded stranger in the orchestra-stall, on whom all eyes and
opera-glasses were fixed.
Baron von Hormayr behind his pillar wiped the perspiration from his
forehead, and cast furious glances on Andreas Hofer, who, however,
was utterly unaware of his presence, and from whose breast,
protected as it was by his beard and crucifix, rebounded all such
glances like blunted arrows.
The actors, who, interrupted by the unexpected cheers, and the
incident in the audience, had paused a few minutes, and had
themselves hardly been able to refrain from bursting into laughter,
now continued their scene, and the charms of the music and the
interesting character of the action soon succeeded again in riveting
the attention of the audience.
Andreas Hofer, who had in the mean time relapsed into his silent
astonishment, gazed fixedly upon the stage. Baron von Hormayr left
his place quietly and walked to the entrance. He slipped a florin
into the hand of the doorkeeper, who was leaning against the wall.
"Say," he whispered to him hastily, "as soon as the curtain drops,
go to the giant with the long beard, who sits in the orchestra-stall
yonder, and whose words amused the audience just now. He is a
cattle-dealer from Hungary, and I must see him at once. Just whisper
in his ear that his countryman with the wine and horses has arrived,
and it is necessary he should come and see him right away.--Thank
God, the curtain falls! Now make haste. If you bring the cattle-
dealer with you into the corridor, I will give you another florin."
The doorkeeper's face beamed with satisfaction; he elbowed himself
courageously through the crowd, and succeeded. in reaching the
"cattle-dealer from Hungary," who sat absorbed in his reflections,
with his head bent on his breast. He touched his shoulder softly and
whispered his message into his ear.
Andreas Hofer gave a start and stared at the doorkeeper. "What
countrymen?" he asked; "and how can he bring to me wine and horses
here as--"
"I do not know anything about it," whispered the door-keeper; "I
know only that your countryman with the wine and the horses is
waiting for you, and that he says he must see you right away."
" Well, then, come, conduct me to him," said Andreas, rising from
his chair, and drawing up his colossal form to its full height. "I
should like to know who this countryman is. Lead the way, sir; I
will follow you."
The doorkeeper retraced his steps through the crowd; Andreas Hofer
followed him, greeting kindly and pleasantly in all directions, and
pushing aside the men like flies whenever they stood in his way.
At length they reached the door, and stepped into the corridor.
Baron von Hormayr, like a tiger pouncing upon his prey, rushed upon
Andreas Hofer, seized his arm, and drew him down the corridor into
the outer hall, which was so deserted and silent that there was no
danger of their conversation being overheard by an eavesdropper.
Here at length Hormayr stood still and dropped the arm of Andreas
Hofer, who had followed him, dumfounded with astonishment, and
glancing around as if looking for somebody else.
"Andy," exclaimed Hormayr, vehemently, "what am I to think of you?
The Tyrolese always keep their promises, and to think that our
honest Sandwirth alone should not do so! You pledged me your word
that you would conceal your presence here in Vienna as much as
possible, and now you are running about the city in your national
costume and with your bearded face to hear the opera-trills and see
how the ballet-dancers stretch their legs!" [Footnote: Hormayr's own
words.--See Hormayr's "Andreas Hofer," vol. i., p. 209.]
"Andreas Hofer never breaks his word," said Hofer, gravely. "I
promised not to appear in the streets in the day-time, and I have
faithfully kept my word. I stayed at home all day, and it was only
after nightfall that we three went together into the street.
Speckbacher and Wallner went to the Archduke John's gunsmith,
Anthony Steger, to take leave of him, and I intended to go to St.
Stephen's Cathedral to attend vespers. But I am a stranger in the
city, and happened to lose my way. All at once I got into a dense
crowd, and thought I had arrived at St. Stephen's Cathedral, and
that the crowd consisted of pious Christians going to vespers;
hence, I allowed myself to be drawn along into the door, because I
thought it was the church."
"And on buying a ticket. Andy, you supposed you purchased
indulgence, did you not? "
"No, I did not," said Andreas in a tone of embarrassment. "But, on
seeing all those persons step to the office and get tickets, I
thought there were Christian passion-plays performed there, as at
Innspruck in Lent; and on hearing the man standing before me
shouting, 'Ticket for an orchestra-stall,' I shouted, also, 'Ticket
for an orchestra-stall,' and threw a florin on the table. Thereupon
they handed me a ticket, and I followed the others into the hall.
The performance commenced almost at the same moment, the curtain
rose, and the actors began to sing. It is true, it is not a passion-
play, and there is nothing from the Bible in it; but then it is a
nice play. I believe the curtain will rise again immediately, and it
is time for me to return to my seat. But I should like to know where
my countryman with the horses and wine is. He insisted on seeing me,
sent for me, and does not come now."
"But, Andy, do you not yet know that it was I who sent for you?"
asked Hormayr. "Why, it was only a stratagem of mine to get the
Barbone out of the theatre and take him away from here."
"But why do you want to take me away from here? I tell you I like
the play very well, and have never seen any thing like it. It is
true, Cherubino, the boy, is an arrant liar, but he is a jolly
fellow, and I do not want him to come to grief. And Figaro is a sly
fox, and withal a brave man. I should like to make his acquaintance
and ask him if he really promised old Marielle to marry her; for it
would be wrong if he did not keep his word now, and refused to make
her his wife because he likes the young woman better than her. If I
knew where he lives, I would go to him this very night and tell him
what he ought to do."
"Oh, you foolish old child of Nature! what you saw on the stage was
nothing but a play. Figaro never existed; and even though he did,
you would not go to him, but accompany me and take supper with me."
"I am sorry." said Andreas, gravely, "I cannot do so; for, in the
first place, I must stay here and wait for the countryman who has
arrived here with the horses and wine."
"Jesus Maria! what do you say? The countryman? Did I not tell you
that it is I, Andy?"
"Oh, yes, I had already forgotten it. But, second, I cannot go
because I must see the remainder of the play. Let me, therefore,
return to my seat, for I paid for the whole performance; I believe I
have already missed a great deal; but they will assuredly not return
to me at the office a penny for what I did not hear." [Footnote:
Hofer's own words.--See Hormayr, "Andreas Hofer," vol. i., p. 810.]
"They will not, and shall not either," cried Hormayr, angrily. "You
will not return to your seat, Andy, but go and take supper with me.
For you know, my dear fellow, that you have come to Vienna, not to
go to the theatre, but to ask the dear Archduke John's assistance
and succor for the beloved Tyrol, and inquire of the emperor if he
will not aid his loyal Tyrolese in their attempt to become his
subjects once more. And the emperor and the archduke will help you;
they promise to send soldiers and guns in time to the Tyrol. But, in
return, you must do what the archduke asked you to do; you must
carefully conceal yourself, Andy, in order to prevent the Bavarians
from learning of your trip to Vienna; otherwise they would arrest
you and your friends after your return to the Tyrol. Hence you must
not return to your seat, where so many persons would see you, and
unfortunately have seen you already."
"Well, if it must be so, let us go, sir," sighed Andreas. "But just
listen how they are singing, shouting, and cheering inside! Jesus
Maria! Figaro, I believe, will have to marry old Marielle after all,
and give up pretty little Susanne. Ah, my God! she will die heart-
broken, for she loves him so dearly. Pray, sir, let me go in once
more, that I may see whether or not he must marry old Marielle."
"No, Andy," said Hormayr, smiling, "you need not be uneasy; Figaro
will not marry old Marielle, for she is his own mother."
"What!" cried Andreas, in dismay; "she his mother, and he has
promised to marry her! That is most sinful and infamous! No good
Christian should listen to such things. Come along, sir. I do not
want to hear another word of it. Good heavens! what will Anna
Gertrude say when I tell her what I have seen here, and that there
are here in Vienna men infamous enough to promise to marry their
mothers?"
"But they never do so in reality, Andy, but only on the stage.
Otherwise the police would be after them at once. For the emperor is
a very pious and virtuous gentleman, and he does not permit any
infractions of the sacred laws of God and the Church in his
dominions."
"Yes, the emperor is a very pious and virtuous gentleman," exclaimed
Andreas Hofer, enthusiastically, "and that is the reason why the
Tyrolese love him and wish to be again his subjects and children.
Come, I will go home with you. I do not want to hear any more of the
theatrical nonsense. Let us speak of our emperor and our dear
Archduke John. God grant that we may soon be able to say he is our
emperor again, and the archduke is our John, and his Tyrolese are
again his subjects, because they fought well for their liberty, and
because God blessed their efforts and crowned them with victory.
Come, we will go home, and to-morrow I shall return to the Tyrol, to
my wife and children, and mountain and valley shall know that the
time has come, and that we shall become Austrians again. May the
Holy Virgin protect us and grant us a safe return; may she prevent
the Bavarians from waylaying us and frustrating our great and noble
purpose!" [Footnote: The delegates of the Tyrolese left Vienna on
the following morning; their presence there, however, had been
reported to the Bavarian officers, who, during their homeward
journey, almost succeeded in arresting them. John von Graff, a
banker of Botzen, was apprised of their arrival in Vienna by his
correspondent in that city and informed the commissary-general at
Brixen of what he had learned. A warrant for the arrest of the three
delegates was issued, but they escaped in time into the mountains.--
Hormayr, vol. i., p. 191.]