by L. Mühlbach
CHAPTER XXIX.
BAD TIDINGS.
Frederick William and Louisa sat hand in hand in the small, wretchedroom of the mill at Puktupoehnen. They were not a royal couple, but apair of lovers, thanking God that they were again united, and could readin each other's eyes the love and constancy that animated them. Theking, generally taciturn and laconic, found words at this hour; hishappiness made him eloquent, and he unbosomed himself unreservedly,telling of his apprehensions and forebodings. "But now," he said,pressing Louisa's hand to his lips, "now you are here, and affairs willassume a more hopeful aspect. Your eyes will strengthen and your voicewill encourage me. Alas! I stand greatly in need of your presence, formy soul is well-nigh crushed. I have no longer sufficient strength towithstand my misfortunes and humiliations--they oppress my life day andnight, leaving me no rest. At times, when I sat at the dinner-tablebetween the two emperors, and gazed at the sombre features of Napoleon,in contrast with the good-natured face of Alexander, and listened totheir jests, I felt as though I ought to interrupt them by an expressionof anger, and say to them, 'It is a shame for you to laugh whenmisfortune is in your company, and seated by your side.' But Isuppressed my feelings. Oh, Louisa, I was all alone in my agony. Now youare here, I am no longer alone!" He threw his arms around the queen'sneck, and pressed her against his heart, as though afraid she might alsobe wrested from him. "Oh, beloved Louisa," he whispered, "you are myconsolation and my hope; do not desert me--do not give me up--now thatthe whole world seems to desert me!"
The queen encircled his neck in her arms and kissed him. "I shall alwaysstay with you," she said, smiling in her tears; "so long as my heartthrobs it belongs to you, my king, my beloved husband!" They remainedlocked in an embrace. Their thoughts were prayers, and their prayerslove.
A carriage rapidly driving up to the door, and rattling the windows,roused them. "It is Alexander, who comes to pay you a visit," said theking, rising. "I will meet him."
But before he had reached the door, it opened, and the Emperor Alexanderappeared. "Ah, I succeeded in surprising both of you," he said, with agood-humored smile. Bowing respectfully to the queen, he added: "I trustyour majesty will forgive my entering without announcement, but I longedto see my noble friend Frederick William. God and His saints be praisedthat the sun has at length risen on us, and that your majesty hasarrived!"
"Yes, sire, I have arrived," said Louisa, mournfully; "however, I donot bring the sun with me. Night surrounds us, and it seems to me Icannot see a single star in the darkness."
Alexander became grave; he gazed long and searchingly at the pale faceof the queen, and a sigh escaped his breast. "Sire," he said, turning tothe king, "can we really make peace with the man who, in the course of afew weeks, changed into the lily the red rose that once adorned the faceof the noblest and most beautiful lady? Can we really forgive him forwringing tears from our august queen?"
"Fate does not ask us whether we can," said the king, gloomily. "Ittells us only that we must. In my heart I shall never make peace withthe man who, although a great captain, is no great man; else he would beless cruel. But God has given him the power, and we must all bow tohim."
"But it is not necessary to humble ourselves before him," exclaimed thequeen. "Amid our misfortunes we must keep ourselves erect; and if weperish, we ought to do so with unsullied honor."
"But why perish?" said Alexander. "We are shipwrecked, it is true, andwe are now drifting on the waves, but we must save ourselves. Every onemust try, to the best of his ability, to do so; he must grasp at thefirst thing that falls into his hands--at a plank, at a straw. Somefortunate rope may at last save us, and draw us to the shore. We shallthen build a new ship, and man her with fresh hands. Do you agree withme, my dear fellow-sufferers?"
"Sire," said Louisa, in a low and mournful voice, "you are magnanimous.You call yourself our fellow-sufferer. And yet the tempest shipwreckedus alone."
"By no means," exclaimed Alexander; "I have also suffered; all my hopes,wishes, and ambition went down. But I did not wish to be drowned, and Istretched out my arms for something to support me. Do you know what Ifound to sustain me? The Emperor Napoleon! Oh, he is a strong support."
"I have heard, sire, your majesty has of late become an ardent admirerof Napoleon," said the queen, in a tremulous voice.
"Yes," exclaimed Alexander, enthusiastically, "Napoleon is a genius, ademi-god; the great Alexander of antiquity has risen from the dead. Herealizes the myths of the ancient heroes. I repeat it to him every day,and, thank God, he believes me!"
The queen cast a surprised and inquiring glance on him. A singular smileplayed on his lips. "Yes," he repeated, "Napoleon believes me! He isconvinced of the sincerity of my admiration, and he is right. I love himas my master--as my teacher--as the great ideal that I will endeavor toimitate!"
"Oh, sire," sighed the queen, reproachfully, "you give me pain!"
"You hate him, then?" asked Alexander, quickly.
"No," replied Louisa, gently, "I do not hate him, but I cannot love andadore him. Only the good can make the world happy, and Napoleon has nogood intentions toward the nations. In his unmeasured ambition he thinksof himself and his individual interests only. We may admire, but cannotlove him."
"We must, we can love him!" exclaimed Alexander. "He is an instrument inthe hand of Providence, that seems to have armed him to rule the world.I love Napoleon," he added, in a whispering tone, "and I am sure hebelieves in and returns my love. He overwhelms me with attentions andfavors; we have long conversations every day; we take our mealstogether, and make many excursions. A shower surprised us yesterday andgave us a thorough wetting. How amiably the great Napoleon behavedtoward me! how kindly he took care of me! he would not even let me go tomy quarters to change my dress, but conducted me himself to his room andlent me his linen and clothing. As a souvenir, he presented me with asuperb dressing-case of gold which I chanced to admire. I shall alwayspreserve this gift as a token of his friendship."
He paused a moment, and cast a quick glance at the royal couple.Frederick William had turned toward the window, and seemed to lookintently at the sky. Louisa had cast down her eyes, and her featuresexpressed a profound melancholy. The same strange smile played on theemperor's face, but neither the king nor the queen noticed it. He kissedLouisa's hand and asked: "Will your majesty graciously permit me to showyou that beautiful dressing-case?"
The queen withdrew her hand almost indignantly. "I thank your majesty,"she said, "I am not very anxious to see the gifts of Napoleon."
Alexander approached nearer to her. "That is right," he whisperedhastily, "be angry with me--regard me as a faithless man--a renegade,you will yet be undeceived!"
"Sire," said the queen, "sire--"
"Hush!" whispered Alexander, receding from her and approaching the king."Your majesty knows how much I have at heart your friendship as well asyour welfare--what pains I take to soften the heart of the conqueror,and to inspire him with more lenient sentiments toward Prussia. Iimprove every opportunity; I try to profit by my private interviews toobtain better terms for you; as, for instance, I succeeded yesterday inpersuading him to leave you the fortress of Graudenz."
"I thank your majesty," said Frederick William, gravely. "But, as far asI know, Napoleon did not conquer and occupy that fortress at all; itheld out bravely and faithfully to the day of the armistice; it remainedmine, and I do not see by what right he claims it."
"Oh, your majesty," exclaimed Alexander, carelessly, "the victor claimsthe right of taking every thing he pleases. You must remember that, nowand hereafter--yes, hereafter," repeated Alexander, laying stress on theword. "I was glad, therefore, that I succeeded in preserving Graudenz toyou. Unfortunately, however, I did not succeed in recovering thefrontiers. Our august queen must use her eloquence, and I have no doubtthat the noblest of women will succeed in bringing about what we and ourministers failed to accomplish. But in order that your majesty maybecome fully aware of the important interests that are at stake, of thedangers m
enacing Prussia, and how urgently she needs the assistance ofher queen, I have brought the 'ultimatum' of Napoleon. He dictated itto-day, to Talleyrand in my presence, and I requested him to give me acopy. Will you permit me, sire, to communicate it to you?"
"It is always better to know our fate, and look it full in the face,"said the king, slowly. "I request your majesty, therefore, to read it."
"And will you also permit me?" asked Alexander, turning to the queen.
Louisa gently nodded. "The king is right," she said, "we should know theworst. Let us sit down, if your majesty please."
She took a seat on the sofa; the emperor and her husband occupied theeasy-chairs on the other side of the table.
"I implore your majesties, however, to listen without interrupting me,"said Alexander, drawing a paper from his bosom. Glancing over it, headded: "Napoleon demands, above all, that Prussia shall cede to him thewhole territory on the right of the Niemen, the city of Memel, and thedistrict extending as far as Tilsit, for he asserts that this is thenatural frontier of Russia. He requires your majesty, further, to cedeyour whole territory on the left of the Elbe to France, for he regardsthe Elbe as also the natural frontier of the Prussian kingdom. Hestipulates expressly that the district of Hildesheim shall not beincluded in the territory of your majesty on the right of the Elbe, forhe desires this district to form part of the new kingdom of Westphalia,which he has resolved to organize. But to compensate you for this loss,he will prevail upon Saxony to cede to you a territory on the right ofthe Elbe, equivalent to the district of Memel. Napoleon demands thePolish provinces of Prussia for the new kingdom of Poland to beorganized; but your majesty is to keep Pomerelia and the districts ofKulm, Elbing, and Marienwerder. The district of the Netze, as well asthe canal of Bromberg and Thorn, will be taken from Prussia; Dantzic,with its surroundings, is to be constituted a free--I believe, a freeGerman city, under the joint protection of Saxony and Prussia. Russia isto cede the island of Corfu to France. This is Napoleon's 'ultimatum,'"said Alexander, laying the paper on the table. "These, queen, are theconditions which your majesty ought to endeavor to render less rigorous,and if possible, to cancel altogether. What do you think of them, yourmajesty?"
"I think that if we cannot avert our fate, we must submit to it,"replied Frederick William in a hollow voice, "but that recourse ought tobe had to every means to render it less offensive. For if I am compelledto sign these propositions, I sign the ruin of Prussia."
The queen had listened to the words of the emperor, with breathlessattention, and fixed her eyes inquiringly on her husband. On hearing hismournful reply, she sank back exhausted, and tears flowed down hercheeks.
"Your majesty sees how necessary it was that you should come hither,"said Alexander to the queen. "You have a great task to perform here. Youalone are able to save Prussia!"
Louisa shook her head. "Sire," she said, "he who was arrogant enough todraw up such an 'ultimatum,' is also cruel enough to withstand allsolicitation. I have come because my king commanded me; faithful to theduty intrusted to me, I shall try to mitigate our fate, but I do nothope to be successful."
"In these times, nothing can be promised with any degree of certainty;we can only hope for the best," said Alexander. "We must not relax inour efforts to bring about a change in these terms. But I have not yetcommunicated to you all the demands of the Emperor Napoleon."
"Indeed!" exclaimed the king, with a bitter laugh. "Then there issomething still left for Napoleon to take from me?"
"Yes, sire, he demands that your majesty dismiss your minister, VonHardenberg."
"Hardenberg!" exclaimed the queen, sadly--"the king's most faithful anddevoted servant! Oh, your majesty knows him--the generous zeal thatanimates him, and the noble purposes that he pursues."
"I know him and have tried to lessen Napoleon's hostility," saidAlexander, shrugging his shoulders. "But my efforts were unsuccessful.He insists on Hardenberg's removal, and I cannot but advise yourmajesty, urgently, to comply. I cannot conceal from you that the EmperorNapoleon has declared to me to-day, that he would make no peace, butwage war with Prussia for forty years rather than consent thatHardenberg, his implacable adversary, should remain your minister for asingle day."
"That is too much," exclaimed the queen, indignantly. "Let Napoleondismember Prussia, since he has the power, but he must not compel us toselect or dismiss our servants according to his _bon plaisir_."
"He must not! but he can do so," said the king gloomily, "and asNapoleon does every thing he can, of course he compels me to undergo afresh humiliation. I must restore peace to my poor, bleeding country; Icannot continue the war. If, therefore, he insists on Hardenberg'sremoval as a first condition of the peace, I must comply."
"But it is impossible to inform such a faithful and devoted servant ofthe state so abruptly of his ignominious removal from office," exclaimedthe queen, mournfully.
"No," said Alexander, "that is unnecessary. Minister von Hardenberg willsend in his resignation. I have had a long conference with him, and, inconsequence of it, he has repaired hither to request your majesty togrant him an audience. May I call him?"
"If your majesty desires me I will receive him in your presence and inthat of the queen," said Frederick William, walking to the door; heopened it, and cried: "Minister von Hardenberg!"
A few minutes afterward Hardenberg entered the room. The sereneexpression of his fine, manly features had not disappeared; calm, andkindly as usual, he approached their majesties, and bowed to themrespectfully, yet with the pride of a man conscious of his own dignity.He took the liberty, therefore, to violate etiquette, and to speakwithout being spoken to. "Sire," he said, turning to the EmperorAlexander, "I thank you for being so kind as to procure me an audiencewith his majesty, and as I may hope that you have communicated to myking and master the reason why I applied for it, I shall have but littleto say. Time is precious, and, therefore, I shall be brief."
He approached the king, and, bowing deeply to him, added: "Your majestyknows that I have devoted my life to the service of Prussia. I haveserved her to the best of my ability and energy so long as theconfidence of your majesty permitted me. But circumstances require menow to prove my devotedness in a different way. I can serve her now onlyby retiring from the civil service, and by laying the portfolio thatyour majesty intrusted to me, at your feet. I, therefore, request you tobe so gracious as to accept my resignation."
The king made no immediate reply. The queen looked at him, and anexpression of anxious suspense and tender solicitude was to be seen inher features. The Emperor Alexander stood with folded arms at the sideof the king, and glanced with a smile now at the minister, now at theroyal couple.
"Sire," repeated Hardenberg, since the king was still silent, "I requestyour majesty to be so gracious as to accept my resignation."
Frederick William started. "You know very well," he said, hastily, andalmost in a harsh voice, "that it gives me pain to do so. I have tosubmit to necessity. I have no power to resist the most arrogantdemands--no army to continue the war. Hence, I must accept the onlyterms on which I am able to obtain peace, and must also accept theresignation you tender. You are free, Minister von Hardenberg; I am notallowed to attach you to my cause. Accept my thanks for your valuableservices, and, believe me, I regret that I shall have to do withoutthem." He took the minister's hand and added: "I wish you joy of beingno longer in office; it will not now be necessary for you to sign thepeace which Napoleon offers to us."
"Sire," said Hardenberg, proudly, "I should never have signed thattreaty. It is not a treaty of peace, but of servitude. But I forget thatI have now no right to meddle with the policy of Prussia. I thank yourmajesty, and beg leave to depart."
"I have to permit you," said the king; "you are more fortunate than Iam; you are a free man."
"Sire, I have, after all, but that freedom which every honorable manought to preserve even in misfortune," said Hardenberg, gently--"thefreedom of not bowing to wrong and injustice, and of perishing ratherthan e
nduring disgrace. I intend to depart in the course of an hour."
"Farewell," said Frederick William, hastily; "and when I say farewell, Imean that we shall meet again. I hope there will be better times. If Icall you, then, will you come, Hardenberg?"
"I shall never close my ear against the call of your majesty and ofPrussia," said Hardenberg, bowing to the king and the queen. He thenturned to the Emperor Alexander. "Sire," he said, "on taking leave ofyou, and being, perhaps, for the last time, so fortunate as to see yourmajesty, it is a comfort to me to remember the day when I beheld youfirst in the spring of the present year. It was at Kydullen, where yourmajesty showed to the King of Prussia your lifeguards that accompaniedyou from St. Petersburg to participate in the war against France. Whenthe soldiers marched past you embraced King Frederick William, andexclaimed with tearful eyes: 'Neither of us shall fall alone; eitherboth, or neither!' These words are still resounding in my ears, and inthese disastrous days, when Prussia's honor and existence are at stake,they are my only consolation. Your majesty has not fallen, and hence,you will not allow Prussia to fall. You will remember your oath, thefidelity which Prussia has manifested toward you, and never so stainyour glory as to desert her now and suffer her to fall alone! This is myhope, and, comforted by it, I leave you."
"Ah," said Alexander, sighing, "how unfortunate I am! You spoke at myright ear, and you know that there I am deaf. Hence, I did not hear muchof what you said. But I believe you wished to take leave of me; I,therefore, bid you a heart-felt farewell, and wish you a happy journey."He offered his hand to Hardenberg, but the deep bow the minister madejust then, prevented him, perhaps, from seeing the extended hand of theemperor; he did not grasp it, but withdrew in silence, walking backwardto the door.
When he was about to go out, the queen rose from the sofa. "Hardenberg,"she exclaimed, vehemently, "and you forget to bid _me_ farewell?"
"Your majesty," said the minister, respectfully, "I await yourpermission to do so."
The queen hastened to him. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she said ina voice tremulous with emotion: "You know what I suffer in these timesof humiliation, for you know my sentiments, which can neverchange--never prove faithless to the objects which we pursued together.A time of adversity compels us to bow our heads; but let us lift ourhearts to God, and pray for better times. He will instill courage andpatience into the souls of noble and true patriots, and teach them notto despair. Hardenberg, I believe in you, and so does Prussia. Work forthe cause in private life, as you are unable to do so in public--preparefor the new era. This is my farewell--this the expression of mygratitude for your fidelity. May God protect you, that you may be ableagain to be useful to our country! Whenever I pray for Prussia, I shallremember you! Farewell!" She offered him her hand, and as he bent tokiss it, he could not refrain from tears. He averted his head as if toconceal his emotion, and left the room.
Louisa looked at the king, who stood musing with folded arms. "Oh, myhusband!" she exclaimed mournfully, "Napoleon robs you not only of yourstates, but of your most faithful friends and advisers. God savePrussia!"