Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia

by L. Mühlbach

  CHAPTER LII

  AN EXECUTION.

  Napoleon had passed a sleepless night. The image of this pale youth,with his determined patriotism, who frankly confessed that his objecthad been assassination, and regretted that the attempt was unsuccessful,stood as a grim sentinel by the emperor's couch, forbidding sleep to hiseyes or peace to his mind.

  It was scarcely dawn when he rose, sad and weary, and called his _valetde chambre_ to dress him. His lips scarcely touching the cup ofchocolate presented to him, he pushed it impatiently aside. Contrary tohis usual manner with the servants, he left his bedroom without apleasant glance or a kind word, and repaired to his cabinet. Thecandelabras on the mantel-piece were lit, for it was still dark; and abright fire was burning, but the room was not yet warm.

  "Germany is a cold, disagreeable country," exclaimed Napoleon,shuddering, and warming his feet at the fire. "We are only in the earlypart of October, but it is already like mid-winter. The sun himselfseems to put on the sheep-skin which every German pulls over his ears.In truth, it is a wretched country; I wish I could turn my back on itto-morrow, and bid adieu to these wild dreamers. When so slow andcold-blooded a nation gets excited, it resembles a bull in the arena,whose fury is kindled by a red handkerchief. Such is Germany at thistime, and I must step out of the way if I do not wish to be pierced ortrampled to death. That would be inglorious!"

  A low rapping at the door was heard. The emperor started. "Come in!" heshouted, in an imperious voice.

  The door opened immediately, and Constant appeared. "Pardon me, sire,but it is so early that none of the chamberlains are yet in theanteroom."

  "Well, what is it?" asked Napoleon, impatiently. "Quick, what is thematter?"

  "Sire, the Duke de Cadore has just arrived from Vienna and desires to beadmitted."

  "Show him in immediately," ordered the emperor, who, in his impatience,hurried to the door to receive the minister.

  Champagny entered, carrying under his arm a large portfolio.

  "Well, Champagny, what brings you hither at so early an hour? What hasoccurred? What did you do last night?"

  "Sire," said Champagny, composedly, "I have made peace."

  "What? Peace!" exclaimed Napoleon, and his countenance brightened, as ifthe morning had suddenly cast on him its earliest golden beams. "Peace!And the treaty has already been signed?"

  "Yes, sire, and I bring it to your majesty."

  "Signed! But how did you do that?"

  "Sire, as soon as I reached Vienna last night, I sent for the Prince vonLichtenstein and Count Bubna, and locked myself with them in my room. Wehad a long and exciting discussion; but I saw that the plenipotentiarieshad received fresh instructions from their emperor, and that he hadordered them to make peace. I extorted million by million from them; atone o'clock in the morning I had already made them consent to thepayment of seventy-five millions, the sum demanded by your majesty; butI saw that I could go farther, and I did. At two o'clock I succeeded ina war contribution of eighty-five millions, and with that I wassatisfied."

  "What!" exclaimed the emperor, gayly; "you have obtained eighty-fivemillions when I told you I would be content with seventy-five millions!That was well done, Champagny, and I am highly pleased with yourconduct. Give me the treaty. I wish to read it."

  Champagny handed the emperor the papers, and he read them attentively."Very well," he said, when he had finished, and with a smile--"we haveaccomplished, indeed, a very favorable peace. Austria has concluded fourtreaties with me within the last twelve years, but I must confess thatthis is the most advantageous to us--more so than the treaties of CampoFormio, Luneville, and Presburg. Austria loses two thousand squareleagues, with three millions and a half of inhabitants, and pays us awar contribution of eighty-five millions of francs. I think France maybe thankful, for, from this campaign, we bring her territory, money, andglory. We have done with Austria; and the insurgents of the Tyrol,headed by their peasant-prince, Andrew Hofer, will likewise have tosubmit. Their own emperor will command the insurgents to lay down theirarms. But I will make an example, and show the world how such peopleought to be chastised. Andrew Hofer must be delivered to me; he must bepunished as a demagogue! Come, Champagny, let us lose no time. I willsign the treaty. It is very good. I am content with it." He stepped tohis desk and hastily affixed his signature. He then cast the pen aside,and his features assumed an expression of proud scorn. "HenceforthAustria is nothing but a vassal of France, and I can annihilate herwhenever I please. Her frontiers are open and unprotected on all sides;she is weakened within and without, and hemmed in everywhere by Frenchterritories. She dares no longer breathe freely, or raise her armagainst us. If, however, she should, we shall crush her, and reconstructthe throne of Charlemagne on the ruins of Austria. His crown belongs tome already; I have it at Aix-la-Chapelle, and I do not see what shouldprevent me from placing it on my brow in Vienna."

  "Sire," said Champagny, smilingly, "it would, perhaps, be more desirablefor your majesty to allow the throne of the Hapsburgs to exist, and torender Austria harmless, not by destroying her, but by attaching theimperial family to your majesty by intimate and sacred ties. Avanquished enemy is always dangerous; but an ally, even though weak,will strengthen your own power, and Austria is able to give to thethrone of your majesty the last and only jewel that, to the infiniteregret of your subjects, it still lacks."

  "Ah!" exclaimed the emperor. "You do not mean to say that Austria,bleeding from a thousand wounds that I have inflicted upon her, couldmake up her mind to put an end to her hatred by concluding an allianceof love with me?"

  "Sire," said Champagny, "I do not believe that your majesty is hated byall the members of the imperial family of the Hapsburgs."

  "What do you mean?" asked Napoleon, casting a quick glance on thesmiling countenance of the minister.

  "I suppose your majesty still remembers that, during the bombardment ofVienna last May, a flag of truce was sent with the request that no morebombshells be fired at the palace, because one of the archduchesses hadremained there, having been prevented by sickness from leaving thecapital with the imperial family?"

  "I remember the incident," said Napoleon. "A few shells had alreadystruck the palace, and I gave orders that it should be spared. One ofthe little daughters of the emperor, the Archduchess Maria Louisa, thena mere child, had been left there with her nurse."

  "Sire, this child is seventeen years old, and, as everybody assures me,she is very beautiful, with light hair, blue eyes, and charming figure.She was deeply moved at the generosity manifested by your majesty; sheis filled with admiration for the hero to whom indeed the whole world isdoing homage, and before whose power the mightiest princes pass away;she is possessed of sufficient energy and courage to give utterance toher sentiments, even in presence of her father the emperor."

  "Indeed!" exclaimed Napoleon, joyfully. "But who told you so,Champagny?"

  "Sire, the Prince von Lichtenstein, during our confidential interviewyesterday; and he added that the Emperor Francis, notwithstanding theshort time that has elapsed since the conclusion of the recent bloodywar, and the many fresh humiliations he has had to undergo, seemedhimself to be an admirer of your majesty, for he listened to the eulogyof the archduchess with smiling tranquillity."

  "That is strange," said Napoleon, slowly pacing the room; "but theAustrian marriages were always pernicious to France."

  "Sire, it was, however, an Austrian princess, Queen Anne, who gave toFrance one of her greatest kings, Louis XIV."

  "That is true," said Napoleon; "and I should be happy if my sonresembled the great Louis."

  "Sire, he will resemble his great father," said Champagny.

  "A son--an heir to my throne," said the emperor, passionately--"alegitimate inheritor of my glory, and a descendant of an ancient andimperial house, who would dare doubt the purity of his blood, and hisright to reign? His throne I would have established; and he wouldconfirm by the highest title the fourth dynasty of France. Champagny, Imust have such a son,
and--poor Josephine!"

  He paced the apartment with rapid steps, and, halting in front of hisminister, he said: "I shall set out to-morrow; this air is oppressive. Ican hardly breathe it; and besides I have no longer any business here.You will remain for the purpose of exchanging the treaties of peace.Immediately after the arrival of the Austrian plenipotentiary, bringingthe copy of the treaty signed by the Emperor Francis, you will attend tothe exchange of the ratifications, and inform me that it has beencarried into effect. I shall go from here to Munich, and reachFontainebleau in the course of a week. You may tell the Prince vonLichtenstein, in the same confidential manner in which he spoke to youof the archduchess, that I am now firmly determined to separate fromthe Empress Josephine; that a divorce from her had been irrevocablyresolved upon, and that it would be publicly proclaimed in the course ofthe present year. That is all that you will tell him for the present.Champagny, I am determined to make this sacrifice for the sake ofFrance, however painful it may be to my heart. The welfare of my countryand the stability of my throne render it incumbent. After the divorcehas taken place, I shall demand a final and categorical reply fromRussia, and if Alexander is unable to give it--if his mother stillrefuse to place her daughter on the most powerful throne in theworld--well, then, I shall break off the negotiations, and remember thatthe Archduchess Maria Louisa has some respect and sympathy for me. Forthe present we may be content with Austria, and I think the treaty ofVienna is a work of which we may well be proud. The genius of Francewill give it a glorious place on the tablets of history!"

  Two days afterward the emperor's travelling-carriage was in front of thepalace gate of Schoenbrunn. Every thing was in readiness for hisdeparture, and he was about to leave his cabinet. He only wished to seeGrand-Marshal Duroc, who had just arrived from Vienna.

  The door opened, and Duroc entered. Napoleon quickly met him. "Well,Duroc," he asked, "did you see him? Did he name his companions in thiscrime?"

  "Sire, I have, and conversed with him," said Duroc, gravely. "He refusesto confess any thing, and talks like a madman."

  "What does he say?" exclaimed Napoleon. "Conceal nothing from me. Thisyoung man interests me. I desire to know all."

  "Sire, he affirms that your majesty is his only accomplice; the miserybrought by you on Germany, he contends, instigated him to attempt thedeed, and you ought to blame none but yourself."

  "He does not repent, then? He does not ask for mercy?"

  "He regrets only that he did not succeed, and he asks merely the favorof being permitted to keep the portrait of his Anna, which hecontemplates continually; and he implores her in touching words toforgive him the grief he has brought upon her."

  "What a strange mixture of ferocity and gentleness!" said the emperor,thoughtfully. "Has he been closely watched during these two days?"

  "Two gendarmes were locked up with him all the time, and they speak withastonishment of the unruffled tranquillity of the young man. For themost part he paces the cell with slow steps; at times he kneels down andprays in silence. Not a word of despair has escaped his lips, not a teardropped from his eyes. Yesterday, when his dinner was brought, he tookthe knife and looked at it musingly. One of the gendarmes intended totake it from him, but Staps handed it at once, and said, smilingly,'Fear nothing, I will not hurt myself with it; I will not waste myblood; it is reserved for the altar of my country, and must be shed bymy enemies.'"

  "Did he take any food?" asked the emperor.

  "No, sire, he has not eaten or drunk any thing these two days. He sayshe has done with life, and will have strength enough left to meet hisdeath with a firm step."

  "He knows, then, that he is to be shot?"

  "Yes, sire, he knows that the court-martial passed sentence of deathupon him last night."

  "But I hope you told him, Duroc, that I had sent you to him, and that Iwished to pardon him, as soon as he repents of his deeds, implores myforgiveness, and takes an oath to give up his evil designs? Did you tellhim all that, Duroc?"

  "I did, sire."

  "And what did he reply? Tell me every thing!"

  "Sire, he replied, that if he could repent of the deed, he would nothave attempted it; that if he accepted pardon, all Germany would cursehim, while he now descends into the grave, accompanied by the blessingsand tears of his country; in fine, that his death will arouse theGermans, and urge them to renewed efforts for liberty."

  The emperor made no reply. His whole frame shuddered, and if Corvisarthad felt his pulse then, he would not have said that it was quiteregular. The large drops of perspiration on the emperor's brow mighthave alarmed the physician.

  "I am sure he is insane," said Napoleon, after a pause. "I want him tobe looked upon as a lunatic. I hope that the whole affair will remain asecret, and that the world will hear nothing of it; but if it should betalked about, we must insist that the man was insane."

  Duroc bowed in silence.

  "When is Staps to be shot?" asked the emperor, after a pause.

  "Sire, this morning, at seven o'clock."

  Napoleon glanced at the clock. "It is half-past six," he said; "I willset out. Well, the Viennese will not hear the report of the muskets, forthe cannon that is to announce to them the conclusion of peace willrender inaudible the volley at the execution. Come, Duroc! I am tired ofthis fantastic Germany! Let us return to France!"

  Quickly crossing the room and approaching the door, he stood on thethreshold and glanced again at the clock. "It is a quarter to seven," hesaid; "in fifteen minutes there will be one lunatic less in Germany!" Afew minutes afterward a carriage rolled down the avenue of the palace ofSchoenbrunn. The emperor had departed.

  At the same time the room opened in which Staps had been confined forthree days, under the close surveillance of two gendarmes. An officerentered; eight soldiers, shouldering their muskets, drew up in front ofthe door. Frederick Staps met the officer with a serene smile. He stillwore the short black velvet coat, fastened around his slender waist by abroad leather belt, his neck surrounded by a white collar, on which hislong hair fell in dense masses. During the three days of his captivityhe had not undressed, taken no food, and even abstained from sleep. Histime was occupied in preparing for death, and in writing letters to hisbeloved Anna and his old father. These letters, folded and carefullydirected, he placed in the belt which the fatal knife had adorned threedays before.

  "Sir," said Staps, offering his hand to the officer, "I suppose you comefor me?"

  "It will soon be seven o'clock," replied the officer, in a sad,compassionate tone.

  "Oh, sir," exclaimed Staps, "do not pity me! I shall die joyfully. But Ihave a favor to ask of you. I should like to send my last love-greetingsto my father, and the young lady to whom I was engaged. Will you be kindenough to send my letters to them? You hesitate? Reply to me, andconsider that a dying man always should be told the truth."

  "Well, sir," replied the officer, "I am not permitted to forward theseletters to them. Not a word is to be said about your fate; it mustremain a secret."

  "Ah, the tyrant is afraid lest my destiny should become generally known.He wishes to hide it in obscurity; but my name, and that for which Idie, will not sink into oblivion. The day of freedom will dawn yet on mynative land, and my grave will be known and visited by my Germanbrethren. You will not forward my letters?"

  "I am not allowed to do so, sir."

  "Well, then I will forward them myself," exclaimed Staps, drawing theletters from his belt and tearing them into small pieces, which he threwaway. "Go! my greetings and adieus!" he said; "let the winds bear yeinto the quiet parsonage of my old father, and the chamber of myfaithful Anna! Tell my countrymen of poor Frederick Staps, who wished tosave Germany, and could only die for it!--Now come, sir, let us go!"

  "You have no other wish?" asked the officer. "There is nothing that youdesire, and that I could grant you?"

  "Yes, sir, there is. I do not wish to be tied like a wild beast, butconducted to the place of execution with my arms free; I do not wish tobe b
lindfolded. I would like to see the soil and the sky of my countryin the last moment!"

  "That wish will be granted. You shall be executed with your eyes open,and your arms unfettered."

  "Thank you," said Staps, cordially grasping the officer's hand. "Isuppose it is time for us to go?"

  "Yes," said the officer, mournfully, "we must go!"

  "I am ready," responded Staps, and he walked with firm steps toward thedoor.

  The soldiers stepped aside, and then surrounded him and the officer. Theprocession moved slowly and silently through the long and gloomycorridors. Emerging into the open air, they came to a square inside thebastions. High ramparts surrounded it on three sides; on the fourth rosethe rear wall of the barracks in which the condemned had spent the threedays of his imprisonment. A few French soldiers were standing here andthere at the open windows, gazing with indifferent face on the youngstranger led to execution, and of whose crime they knew nothing. He wasconducted across the square to the opposite rampart, and placed in frontof the newly-dug grave which was to receive his body.

  A detachment of French soldiers marched from the gate of the barracksand formed in line, just as the sun cast his first rays over therampart, and shone upon the head of the pale youth. At this moment theearth seemed to tremble as beneath a peal of thunder.

  "What is that?" asked Staps of the officer who was standing by his side.

  "It is the salute announcing that peace has been concluded."

  "Peace!" exclaimed the dying youth, joyfully. "Oh, tell me the truth,sir, do not deceive me? Has peace really been concluded?"

  "Yes, a treaty has been signed. The Emperor Napoleon leaves Schoenbrunnthis very day to return to France. Three months hence there will not bea single French soldier to be seen in all Austria."

  "Peace restored to Germany!" cried Staps, and, sinking on his knees, heraised his arms toward heaven; joy beamed from his countenance, and hiseyes filled with tears. "I thank Thee, my God, I thank Thee!" heexclaimed aloud.

  "Thou allowest me to depart amid the booming of cannon proclaiming peaceto Germany! I die happy!"

  "Attention! Aim!" ordered the officer.

  The young man rose from his knees. "Give me another minute," he cried;"let me sing my death-hymn!"

  The officer nodded assent. Staps, stretching his arms upward, sang in ajoyous voice:

  "Tod du suesser fuer das Vaterland, Suesser als der Brautgruss, als das Lallen Auf dem Mutterschooss des ersten Kindes, Sei mir willkommen! Was das Lied nicht loeset, loest---"

  "Fire!" said the commanding officer, and twelve soldiers dischargedtheir muskets.

  Frederick Staps immediately fell dead, and the blood streaming from hisbreast reddened his native soil. While Napoleon's cannon was proclaimingthe conclusion of peace, this youthful martyr breathed his last sigh!

  BOOK VII.