AN IMPERIAL FANATIC
I was now to face Wilhelm II.
It was solely for this purpose that I had come to Berlin. But I knew
the great advantage of getting myself vouched for in advance by a
third party, and therefore I had been anxious to convince Finkelstein
of my identity in the first place, so that his master might accept me
without inquiry as to whether I was the man I claimed to be.
I dined quietly in my hotel, a small tavern in a back street. It was
getting late, and I was on the point of going to bed, when I heard
the noise of a motor rushing up and stopping suddenly outside the
little inn.
An aide-de-camp burst in upon me.
"Your name, sir?" he demanded in a whisper.
"Petrovitch," I replied in the same tone.
"Come this way, if you please."
In less than a minute I was seated in the car, which was dashing at a
really dangerous pace through the nearly deserted streets.
"I am taking you to Potsdam," was all the explanation my companion
thought necessary.
It did not take us long to reach the famous palace of Frederick the
Great, which the growth of Berlin has almost turned into a suburban
residence.
My conductor brought me past all the sentries and servants, and led
me down some steps into what seemed to be a subterranean hall. It was
decorated with statues and paintings of the ancestors of Wilhelm II.,
together with weapons, suits of armor, and banners of the successive
periods in which they lived.
But the most striking object in the hall or crypt--for it might have
been either--was a trophy erected on a species of altar at one end,
exhibiting a variety of crowns.
At the foot were a number of small coronets, representing those worn
by the former Margraves of Brandenburg, in whom the Hohenzollern
family took its rise. Above were ranged the crowns of the Kings of
Prussia, that of Frederick the Great being in the center. Still
higher rose the three imperial crowns of Germany, those of William
I., Frederick III., and the present Emperor. And then, right on the
summit, came a still more gorgeous object, whose like I had never
seen before.
It was a colossal miter, somewhat after the fashion of the Papal
tiara, wrought out of pure gold, thickly studded with great pearls,
and surmounted by a cross.
But I had barely time to notice this singular display. As my guide
left me on the threshold of the hall, I was aware that I stood in the
presence of the German Emperor.
This extraordinary monarch, whose great and far-reaching views are
combined with a type of extravagance which has long made him looked
upon as the _enfant terrible_ of Europe, was about to teach me a new
side of his character.
He received me seated in a small ivory chair like a throne, and
attired in a garment of pontifical design.
"Advance, M. Petrovitch," he commanded in a loud voice.
As I stood in front of him, he said theatrically,
"I receive you in the Hall of the Hohenzollerns. You see around you
the sacred memorials of the family which Providence has raised up to
be the saviors of Europe, and the future rulers of the world."
In response to this invitation I took a longer and more comprehensive
view of the various objects already described. The Kaiser
condescended to point some of them out to me with a long two-handed
sword which he held.
I began to suspect seriously that the megalomania which has always
formed one of Wilhelm's characteristic traits, was overpowering his
good sense.
"M. Petrovitch," my august cicerone proceeded, "you see there the
crowns which have been won and worn by my illustrious and
never-to-be-forgotten ancestors. Can you guess the meaning of the
diadem above--which I have designed myself?
"That," declared the last and most remarkable of the Hohenzollerns,
"is intended to be worn by that member of my Family who shall be
called by the united voice of the other sovereigns to the supreme
world monarchy. It is destined to be our Planetary Crown."
I bowed in stupefaction. The Kaiser seemed pleased with the
impression he had made.
"And now," he said, "since it is necessary that I should be sure of
you before I trust you with my plans, kneel down."
I knelt, feeling as if I were in a dream. Wilhelm II. solemnly held
out the hilt of his two-handed sword:--
"You swear to yield faith, loyalty and utter obedience now and
henceforth to Almighty God, and the Head of the Hohenzollerns!"
It being impossible to refuse the oath in the circumstances, I kissed
the sword, with a mental reservation.
Wilhelm II. surprised me by thereupon laying it across my shoulders.
"I dub thee knight of the Sacred Order of the Hohenzollerns! Arise."
I got up, thoroughly confused. The Emperor invited me to be seated,
and proceeded to deliver a harangue--for it was nothing less.
"Bismarck had not sufficient genius to see the destiny of the
Hohenzollerns. With the vision of a mere German Junker, he looked on
Russia as the enemy.
"It is I who have changed all that. I have taught the Czar to look to
me for guidance and protection. Should the present revolutionary
movement become dangerous, I shall march at the head of my army to
the rescue, and reinstate the Romanoffs as my vassals.
"The only obstacle in the path of the Hohenzollerns is an island
which two of my Army Corps could subdue in a fortnight. But in order
to invade it with safety, I must have France on my side.
"It is for this end that I have been working. France cherishes a
grudge against me because of the glorious exploits of my immortal
grandfather. Moreover, my uncle, Edward VII., has contrived to win
the friendship of the Republicans.
"But France is the ally of Russia, and if Russia is attacked, France
must draw the sword on her behalf.
"You understand?--with the first shot which is fired by a British
warship on the Russian flag, I shall be able to invade England."
I understood indeed. Briefly and plainly Wilhelm II. had summed up
the result of my own inquiries and reasonings.
"It is you," the Emperor proceeded, "who have undertaken to secure
this result."
I bowed, intensely desirous to know exactly what it was that
Petrovitch had pledged himself to do.
"I have just rewarded you for the services you have already rendered,
by admitting you to my Family Order, an order which I intend shall
take precedence of the Golden Fleece, and even the Garter. Should you
carry out your present task to my satisfaction I shall consider no
reward too great for you."
I trembled as I listened to this wild vaporing. If such were the
private thoughts of the Kaiser, no wonder some of his public
utterances smacked of the visionary.
I could not doubt that he was thoroughly in earnest. Long brooding on
the greatness of his ancestors, and his own importance as the sole
European ruler who has kings for his satellites, had filled him with
the fanatical spirit of a Mohammed or a Hildebrand. He believed,
firmly and sincerely believed, that Providence had called him to the
sovereignty of the globe, and authorized him to sweep every rival out
of his path.
"Your majesty overwhelms me," I murmured. "Consider, sire, that to be
your servant is in itself an honor so great that no other reward is
necessary."
The Kaiser smiled graciously.
"Well, now, M. _de_ Petrovitch----" his majesty emphasized the
particle by way of reminding me that I was now a knight of the
important Order of Hohenzollern--"let us discuss your next step."
I seized the opportunity to obtain the information I was so anxious
to secure.
"I should feel it presumptuous to enter into anything like a
discussion with you, sire. If your majesty will be gracious enough to
impart your criticism on my proposal?"
Wilhelm II. looked at me as though he found me to be a person of much
good sense.
"Your idea, my dear de Petrovitch, as I understand it, is to provoke
the British to reprisals by some outrage on the part of the Baltic
Fleet during its passage to the Far East.
"Unfortunately, as you must see, the British are determined not to be
provoked. Remember what has been done already. You have captured and
sunk their ships, in violation of international law; you have sent
out volunteer cruisers from the Black Sea in defiance of treaties,
and turned back their mail steamers with government stores on board.
"What has been the result? The English Government has complained to
yours; the Czar has ordered explanations to be given, and the thing
has blown over.
"This time there must be something more than that. There must be
something which cannot be explained away. We must if possible place
Nicholas II., as well as Great Britain, in a position from which
neither can retreat without loss of honor.
"To this end it is necessary that the Baltic Fleet should commit an
act of war, and that the Czar should be convinced that the
provocation has come from the English side. Do you understand?"
I recalled the hints dropped by Captain Vassileffsky at Revel.
"Your majesty has been informed perhaps that I have caused the
officers and men of the Fleet to believe that they will find Japanese
torpedo boats lying in wait for them among the English fishing
vessels in the North Sea. In consequence, they will be ready to fire
without waiting to see if the torpedo boats are really there,
especially if the fishermen fail to retire as the Fleet approaches."
The Kaiser shook his head.
"All that is leaving too much to chance, my good de Petrovitch. What
is required is something more positive. In short, the torpedo boats
must really be there."
I lifted my eyes to his.
"There is not a Japanese torpedo boat within ten thousand miles of
the North Sea, unfortunately."
Wilhelm II. smiled a meaning smile.
"If that is all, we must so far forget the duties of neutrality as to
allow the friends of Japan to procure a craft suitable for the
purpose from our dockyard at Kiel."