“I think I have distressed and tormented him enough,” said the count to himself; “he will devise some means of gratifying my wishes, and in his despair will risk everything in order to obtain his wife and child. It is well that men have hearts, for they supply the most convenient handles for seizing hold of them and managing them. And for that reason men without susceptible hearts always become rulers, conquerors. Therefore have I become great and powerful, and will ascend yet higher, grow yet more mighty, for I, thank God! I have no heart! I have never been a victim to the silly vagaries of an enamored heart, never made a fool of myself for any woman; never have I felt my heart moved by any other desire than that of attaining a pre-eminent position and becoming a great man. Such I have become, but I would mount yet higher, and in this in this that enamored fool Gabriel Nietzel shall assist me.”

The count grew suddenly silent, and looked toward the door. In the antechamber he had heard the sound of a voice familiar and grateful to his ears, a voice which awakened in his breast a rare and unwonted feeling of joy and happiness. “My son,” he murmured, “yes, it is my son. I really believe that I have a heart at last, for I feel it beat higher just now, and feel that it is a happiness to have a son!”

He hastily crossed the room, and had almost reached the door, when it suddenly opened and revealed the presence of a tall and slender young man, dressed in the elegant Spanish garb, such as was worn at the court of the German Emperor Ferdinand III.

“Father, dear father!” he cried, with a voice full of tenderness, and with outstretched arms he sped toward his father to press him to his heart. Count Adam von Schwarzenberg smilingly submitted, and an infinite feeling of satisfaction penetrated his whole being under the warm pressure of his only son’s embrace. But only one short instant did he yield to this sensation, for he was ashamed of his weakness, and gently extricated himself from his son’s arms.

“Here you are again, you gadabout and rover!” he said; but he could not subdue the brighter glistening of his eyes, as they fastened themselves upon his son’s handsome, spirited, and youthful face.

“Yes, here I am again, cher et aimable pere,” exclaimed the young man, laughing; “but you do me great injustice by calling me a gadabout and rover, for, indeed, I have only traveled on most serious and proper business, and it strikes me that I am vastly to be feared and honored in my capacity of imperial treasurer and member of the Aulic council.”

“What?” cried Count Adam joyfully, “the Emperor has conferred upon you such a high favor and honored you with such lofty titles?”

The young count nodded assent. “In me he has honored my father’s son,” said he, “and distinguished me out of veneration and respect for you.”

“You are far too modest, my son,” cried the count, smiling. “What the Emperor Ferdinand has done for you he did not for your father’s son, but in deference to your own merits.”

“Please, oh please, let us talk no more on the subject,” said the young man. “You will not succeed in altering my opinion, especially as I had it from the exalted mouth of his Imperial Majesty himself, that he gladly distinguished the son of so noble, gifted, and faithful a servant as Count Adam Schwarzenberg had ever been to the imperial house, and in consideration thereof bestowed upon him the dignity of imperial treasurer, and nominated him independently of individual merit a member of the Aulic council. I beg you to observe, my noble and highly deserving count, that your son has fallen heir to his honors without individual merit, whence it naturally follows that I am a worthless treasurer, and wholly devoid of merit as a member of the Aulic council.”

“Well,” laughed his father, “then I must console you with this, Adolphus, that you are besides that my coadjutor in my office of Grand Master of the Knights of St. John, and that I entertain the fixed determination of soon seeing you share with me the Stadtholdership of the Mark.”

“I assure you, I need no consolation whatever!” cried Count Adolphus Schwarzenberg. “I am your son, and that is as much as if I were the fair Danae, and had a shower of gold perpetually poured out upon me.”

“You would deceive me,” said Count Adam, gently shaking his head. “You would have me believe that you are satisfied with being my son, and have no personal ambition for yourself.”

“It is no deception, cher pere” laughed the young man. “I really do not give myself the trouble to have personal ambition beforehand. I behold my much-loved father standing in the sunshine of renown, and I quite composedly allow a few stray beams from his splendor to alight upon myself. I would not say, though, that I am wholly devoid of ambition. I only avoid talking about it till the time comes.”

“My son, the time is come,” said Count Adam quickly. “Yes, the time for ambition is come with you, too, and to-day we must discuss it at length. But first tell me what news do you bring me from Vienna? Come, let us sit down, and confer with one another like two grave politicians and diplomatists.” He took his son’s arm and led him toward the divan.

“God forbid, Sir Stadtholder, that I, a mere tyro in diplomacy and politics, should venture to seat myself at your side,” cried Count Adolphus. “No, father, I know my place, and you must indeed permit me to take my station at a reverential distance from you.”

He took one of the little gold-embroidered footstools which stood near the divan and seated himself opposite his father. Count Adam looked upon him with a proud yet gentle smile, and seemed to have his own pleasure in his son’s handsome and imposing appearance.

“I should like to know whether you resemble me,” he said thoughtfully; “I should like to know whether I was ever such a lively, jovial young man.”

“You are more than that, most respected father,” cried his son; “you were handsome and possessed of irresistible attractions. I know that, for you are still so.”

“So, it seems that my son has learned to flatter at the imperial court!”

“No, no; I speak the truth, and I swear that every one who has the good fortune to be admitted to your presence will confirm my testimony. You understand the art of fascinating men, and once let any one love you, then you can never be forgotten. The Emperor Ferdinand spoke of you with genuine admiration, and Princess Lobkowitz assured me that you were the only man whom she had ardently and truly loved. And yet they say that Princess Lobkowitz has had many admirers and still has.”

“Princess Lobkowitz!” repeated Count Adam thoughtfully “how fine that sounds, Princess Lobkowitz! Yet I well remember the time when Lobkowitz was quite a poor, inconsiderable count, who esteemed himself peculiarly happy when I lent him some of my pocket money, which, by the bye, I never saw again. We were both at that time pages at the court of Emperor Ferdinand I, and swore eternal friendship. But how vain are such oaths! I afterward left the imperial court and came to the court of Cleves, and thence here to Prussia. I have restlessly labored, and may well say that I have wielded the helm of state in this country for twenty years, and am still nothing but plain Count Schwarzenberg! The little, insignificant Count Lobkowitz, on the other hand, has now become a Prince through the Emperor’s favor, as have also Eggenberg, Liechtenstein, and Fuerstenberg.”

“You shall be a Prince, too, father,” said Count Adolphus softly. “Yes, without doubt, you have only to hint your wish to receive the title of Prince, and the Emperor Ferdinand will gladly remunerate you in that way, if he first sees his own desires fulfilled through you.”

The count started, and cast an inquisitive, questioning look upon his son. “I thank you, Adolphus,” said he, “you have led back our conversation, or rather, my lord treasurer, our conference, to the subject in point, in a manner as tender as diplomatic. Yes, the question is, first of all, to learn what news you bring for me from his Majesty, and what orders the Emperor has to give me.”

“First of all, cher pere, the Emperor wishes that every possible obstruction be interposed to prevent the Electoral Prince’s marriage with the Princess of the Palatinate, and that, if practicable, the Electoral Prince be deterred from forming any matrimonial connection. It would greatly complicate affairs if the Electoral Prince should chance to have offspring soon, and thereby outwardly give more firmness and durability to the house of Brandenburg.”

The count’s eyes flashed upon his son’s countenance, which still preserved its placid, innocent expression. “Who told you that?” said he, “Who spoke such strange, mysterious words? Not the Emperor, no, he can not have said that!”

“No, but the Emperor’s most confidential adviser, mio padre amato, the venerable father confessor and Jesuit, Signor Silvio. By the way, I regard him as a man turned serpent, and would avoid exposing a shoeless heel to him. But one thing is certain, that he has the Emperor’s ear not only in the confessional, but in the council chamber as well, and what he says is just as good as if the Emperor himself said it. For the rest, they affirm at the imperial court that he is a sorcerer, and can look through men’s eyes straight into their hearts and decipher what is therein as plainly and distinctly as if it was written on parchment in German text.”

“I believe it is so,” murmured the count. “I believe he has read into my heart, too. But further, further, my son! What more did Father Silvio say to you?”

“He spoke much of the weak and uncertain condition of the Electoral house of Brandenburg, which he said rested upon only two lives, and would be extinct if the Electoral Prince Frederick William should perish by a sudden death.”

The count started, and a gray pallor overspread his face. His son, absorbed in his own discourse, observed it not and continued: “I ventured meanwhile to differ from the wise father, and reminded him that seven cousins and blood relations were still in existence, to give permanence to the Elector’s family, and thereby lessen very greatly the weakness of the Brandenburg-Hohenzollerns. But Father Silvio smiled almost compassionately at this remark of mine, and said in a tone of lofty superiority: ’Young man, your father will be a better judge of this; only repeat my words to him: that the Emperor will not admit the claims of the collateral branches of the Electoral house, and if unfortunately the Electoral Prince of Brandenburg should die without descendants, he will consider the Electoral Mark as an unincumbered fief, which the Emperor of Germany, in the plenitude of his power and as an act of free grace, might bestow on another prince.’”

Count Adam Schwarzenberg sprang up, and for a moment his eyes rested with a penetrating expression upon his son’s countenance. Then he turned and began to move violently to and fro. Now it was his son’s turn to fix his eyes piercingly upon him. When the count turned again, however, there was no trace of excitement visible on the young man’s countenance, and with a friendly smile he looked at his father. Count Adam stepped close up to him, and laid his hand on his son’s shoulder.

“You did not remind wise Father Silvio, then,” he asked, “that the Elector George William has, besides his son, two daughters? That there are two Electoral Princesses Charlotte Louise and the young Sophie Hedwig?”

“No, father,” replied Count Adolphus carelessly, “no, I did not. I deemed that superfluous, because in the Brandenburg Electoral house women have no right to the succession. The Salic law exists here, does it not?”

“As if laws could not be altered!” cried Count Adam. “As if the Emperor were not here to give new laws! My son, let us speak openly and candidly to one another, and answer me one question: On what terms are you with the Princess Charlotte Louise?”

The young man started, and for a moment a deep blush suffused his cheeks. “I do not understand you, father. What do you mean? On what terms should I be with the Princess?”

“John Adolphus, you understand me well enough, and know what I mean,” returned Count Schwarzenberg smiling. “When I ask on what terms you are with the Princess Charlotte Louise, I mean by that, what progress have you made in her good graces?”

An almost imperceptible smile flitted across the young count’s visage. “Well,” he said, “the ladies of the Electoral house have ever been most condescending in their manner to me, Princess Charlotte Louise no less than her mother and sister, and, as I have done nothing to forfeit their favor, I hope that upon my return they will receive me as graciously as they dismissed me before I left home.”

“My son,” said Count Adam seriously, “you answer me evasively, and that is not well. We two are made to support each other, and to go hand in hand in the difficult path which lies before us. For you know as well as I do that our safety is imperiled when the Electoral Prince again makes his appearance at court, and we will henceforth find many stones of stumbling in our way.”

“But my wise and puissant father will remove all such obstructions,” cried the son, with a merry laugh. “Let the Electoral Prince throw ever so many stones in our way, we can pick them up, and your honor will find opportunity to hurl them back at the little Prince, the last scion of his house.”

“I shall find opportunity, and, by heavens, I will make use of it.”

“And if my gracious father can or will make use of me in picking up the stones, or maybe in throwing them, I am most heartily at his service. Your honor needs only to direct. I shall aim well, and hope to hit the mark.”

“My son, verily, you are a great diplomatist,” cried Schwarzenberg, “and many an one who esteems himself an old adept in this art might take lessons from you. How cleverly you managed to evade the question I put to you, and lead the conversation into a different channel! But I must recur to my question, and, since you will throw stones subject to my direction, then, my son, I tell you that your relations with the Princess Charlotte Louise may become a most effective missile against the Electoral Prince, which, if you aim it accurately, may inflict a deadly blow upon the Prince. Therefore, my fine son, answer my question honestly: On what terms are you with the Princess Charlotte Louise?”

A cloud of displeasure flitted across the young count’s lofty and open brow, and his cheerful countenance became overshadowed with gloom.

“My God!” he said, “what on earth has the Princess to do with politics?”

“A great deal, my son. Let me remind you of Father Silvio’s words, which you yourself reported to me. The father had me informed that in case of the Electoral Prince’s dying without heirs, his Majesty would not recognize the claims of the other branches of the house of Brandenburg, but would consider the Electoral Mark as a vacant fief, which he might bestow elsewhere as matter of favor. The simplest and most natural thing will be, if there is no longer any son living, to pass the right of succession to the daughter, and for the Emperor to declare the eldest daughter of the Elector George William rightful successor, and to transmit the Electoral Mark Brandenburg to herself and her husband as an act of grace.”

“Those are very great and very far-seeing plans,” murmured the young man, with downcast eyes.

“But plans which may be realized,” interposed his father hastily “plans which you have very maturely weighed in your prudent brain, for I shall answer my own question myself for you are on very good terms with Princess Charlotte Louise. You have calculated very wisely and very correctly. The Princess loves you, and may bring you an electorship as a bridal gift.”

“God forbid that I should play a criminal game with the Princess’s heart!” cried Count Adolphus, in tones louder and more energetic than he had yet employed. “You accuse me falsely, most gracious sir. It has never come into my mind to speculate on such a bridal gift, or to make of love a calculation.”

Count Adam gazed with an expression of painful astonishment upon the excited countenance of his son. “Unhappy boy, you love the Princess, then?” he asked.

“Yes,” exclaimed the young man vehemently “yes, I love her! I should love her were she a simple village maiden. I should seek to win her were she of obscure and humble parentage, if she could present me with nothing but her heart, her affectionate nature, her charming self. Learn now, father, on what terms I stand with the Princess: I love her, love her passionately!”

“Ah, my son, how well this enthusiasm becomes you!” said his father. “How happy the Princess would be if she could see you with those fiery glances flashing from your large bright eyes! My son, you will surpass me, for you have one great advantage over me, you have received from Nature a glorious endowment denied to me; you have a tender heart! You either feel glowing love or maybe simulate, and act it to the life! We will not discuss this further; I only repeat it, you are destined to surpass me. You love the Princess Charlotte Louise! I thank you for this one confession, but add to it a second, Adolphus. Tell me whether the Princess returns your love?”

“I have not ventured to put this question to her,” replied Count Adolphus, with downcast eyes. “The Princess is so high above me, is so pure and virtuous, that it would be a sin to tempt her innocence and virtue by the avowal of an unsanctioned love!”

“My son!” exclaimed the count, smiling, “you are a pattern of discretion and modesty. You amaze, you delight me. You have not ventured, and will not venture to declare your love to the Princess?”

“No, father, at least, not so long as it is an unsanctioned love so long as I do not know whether it has your approval, and through you the Elector’s.”

“You would step surely, you would engage in no undertaking that does not promise good results! Ah, I understand now I comprehend all now. I have an irresistible desire to embrace you, and I know you will pardon your father for this one ebullition of tenderness. Come to my heart, my great, my admirable son!”

He flung his arms around his son’s neck and imprinted a warm kiss upon his lips.

“Count John Adolphus Schwarzenberg,” he said then, “with this kiss I give you my consent to woo the Princess Charlotte Louise! With this kiss I promise so to work upon and bend the Elector’s heart, that he will give you the Princess’s hand, and agree to your union.”

“My dear father, you open indeed to me the gate of paradise. But this gate has two wings, and if I would gain admittance, both wings must open to me.”

“Oh, you mean the Electress? She will certainly be very much opposed to such a union, for she has a proud and willful heart, over which no one has any influence except the Electoral Prince, and he, indeed, will not use his influence in our behalf. Well, there is nothing for it but to oppose force to force, and to constrain the dear lady to give her consent. To employ such coercive measures is your affair, my son!”

“You empower me to do so, father? You will not refuse me your support? You will not disavow my acts?”

“I empower you to do everything you think needful, and you will find me a faithful ally, for I recognize joyfully in you my trusty coadjutor, and see that we may count upon each other.”

“I shall ever esteem it a sacred and delightful duty to obey you, my much-loved father, and I shall joyfully hold myself ready to carry out your wishes.”

“And you will do well in this, my son,” said Count Adam Schwarzenberg, with a hearty pressure of the hand. “All that I do for myself is also done for you, all that I obtain is for your profit and advantage. You are my heir, to you will descend all my earthly possessions, my name, my renown, my dignities and offices, my money and estates.”

“Cher pere” cried the young man, “let us not speak of such solemn things. I hope that it will be a long time yet ere I enter upon that great and sad inheritance.”

“I hope so, too,” said Count Adam, with animation of manner. “I would leave you all in perfect condition, and to effect this much labor is yet required. I have set myself a mighty task, and it is yet far from its accomplishment.”

“And yet you have already conducted and executed matters so grandly, so admirably, father! You have no idea with what rapture they think of you and your performances at the imperial court. Emperor Ferdinand spoke of you as his most trusted and beloved servant, and Father Silvio called you a lamp of the faith and a faithful son of the Church, through whom many will yet be saved.”

“Yes, many shall yet be brought within the ark of safety by my means!” cried Count Adam, in a lively manner. “I know what I purpose, I know the great aims after which I have striven for twenty years with intrepid spirit, with ardor never to be chilled. My son, with you I make no secret of my aims, and you must know them, that you may stand unflinching at my side. It is true, I am ambitious. I thirst for fame; it is true, I have labored for myself and forwarded my own personal interests as much as I could. My aims, however, are not restricted to these private interests, they are higher, nobler! I am the faithful servant and subject of my Emperor and lord; I am the believing and zealous son of our holy Church. To the Emperor and the Church belong the fruits of my striving and my energy, and to promote the greatness and consideration of both is the ultimate object of all my labors and all my schemes.”

“And I, most gracious father, will take my station firmly at your side,” said Count Adolphus fervently. “You will ever find in me an attentive pupil, eager to learn.”

“We have both a great mission to fulfill,” exclaimed Count Adam, “and it is well for us sometimes to place this clearly before our eyes, in order to be ever mindful of it, and never to forget it even in the pursuance of private ends. You, too, remember this, my son, and act accordingly. To the Emperor and the Church be all our services dedicated! To render the Emperor great and mighty, to strengthen his consideration throughout the German Empire, is and shall be my aim as a statesman. To extend continually the power and dominion of the Catholic religion is and shall be my task as a Christian, as a son of the Church, within whose pale alone is salvation. God himself has chosen me for his tool, else how would it have been possible that the bigoted, reformed Elector should have selected me for his first and mightiest minister? God wills that through me the influence of the Holy Roman See and the German Emperor be promoted and advanced; therefore has he caused me, the subject of the Emperor, an Austrian born, to become the servant of the Elector of Brandenburg. But the servant has become master, and the Catholic Austrian is Stadtholder in the Mark, the almighty minister in the land of the heretic. It is so, because through him this land is to be led back to the true faith and the Emperor, because through him is to be re-established the endangered supremacy of the Emperor of Germany! The Protestant Electors would have exalted themselves against the power of Emperor and empire; with the help of the Swedes they would have cut up the Holy Roman Empire into a number of free, independent States, great and small, where Protestants, Reformers, and Lutherans would have enjoyed as great consideration as the Catholics, and over which the Emperor would no longer have exercised control. The Protestant Elector of the Palatinate was to have been changed into a King, waving his scepter over Catholic Bohemia, and in place of the little Elector of Brandenburg was to have arisen a mighty Prince, who was to have broken the power of the German Emperor in the north, and become the chief and center of Protestant Germany! To that end were they leagued with the Swedes, to that end was King Gustavus Adolphus to have furnished help to his cousins and brothers-in-law. But the fates were against them! In the battle of the White Mountain the Count Palatine lost his Bohemian throne, in the battle of Luetzen the Swedish King his life, and in the peace of Prague the Swedes and other enemies of the Emperor a powerful ally in the Elector of Brandenburg! It was I who alienated the Elector from the Swedes, who made him again the obedient vassal of his Emperor and Sovereign. And it shall be I who will make the Mark Brandenburg imperialist again! For the limbs accommodate themselves to the head, and if the Prince acknowledges himself a professed Catholic, his subjects will soon follow suit.”

“What! most gracious father, is it possible that the Elector George William

“Hush, hush, my son! who says anything about the Elector George William? Who thinks of the decaying tree, which can no longer bear fruit, when he beholds at its side a young, vigorous tree laden with blossoms, rich for future harvests? My son, I herewith give you my consent to woo the love of the Princess Charlotte Louise, but I make one condition which you must solemnly swear to respect: none but a Catholic becomes the wife of my son John Adolphus.”

“None but a Catholic becomes my wife!” cried the young count. “I solemnly give you my oath to that effect, father.”

“And you actually suppose that the Emperor will bestow upon me the same favor he has conferred upon Fuerstenberg, Lobkowitz, and Liechtenstein?”

“I am empowered to promise it prospectively, most gracious sir. The house of Austria is grateful, and forgets not that already your father before you rendered her important services, attending the Emperor with credit in his wars against the Turks; that you yourself have been through a whole lifetime true and unswerving in your fidelity to the Emperor’s service; that the Stadtholder in the Mark, and the Grand Master of the Order of St. John has been ever mindful of his duty to the Emperor.”

“I must and shall be ever called a good Imperialist,” cried the count warmly, “and prefer the Emperor’s to the Elector’s service. Bethlen Gabor, Prince of Hungary, has well said that the Elector and I are upon one ship, and that my fortune depends upon the Elector’s fortune; but he shall be proved to have been in error, and we prefer making our voyage in our own little bark to take passage in the Electoral ship.”

“Yes, father, that shall we!” cried the young count joyfully. “You sit at the helm and give management and direction to the boat. For my part, I shall so hoist and unfurl the sails that we catch the breeze and bound swiftly forward!”

“Do so, my son, and always heed the wind as it blows across from the apartments of the Electress and her princesses, as well as from the robber nests and dens of the squires and waylayers of the Mark, and from the fortresses and garrisons. We, too, my son, voyage together in the same boat; I am the pilot, you unfurl the sails, and upon our flag in mysterious and invisible colors is inscribed this device: Good Imperialists, good Catholics!”

“Yes, good Imperialists and good Catholics,” replied the young count energetically. “But, dearest father, let us add besides, quite softly, good Schwarzenbergians!”

“Yes, my son, that will we. For, in addition to those great and holy interests, to keep one’s own interests a little in view is manly and justifiable. My heavens! life would have been perfectly hateful and abominable in this dirty, cheerless Berlin if we had not seen above us a glittering star, to which we could look up when all was so dismal here below, which shone upon our path and cheered us when we feared to sink in the mud and mire. This star, my son, do you know its name?”

“Its name is Fame, its name is Love, cher pere.”

“Well, for the sake of fame I will put up with love, foolish dreamer. You may bring it on board our boat as ballast. But if a storm should come and necessity impel, we shall throw our ballast overboard.”

“Dear father, if you do that, you will throw overboard likewise my happiness and life!” exclaimed Count Adolphus warmly. “If you call love ballast, then forget not, father, that in this ballast your son’s heart is included.”

“Enamored fool, you really have a heart? Do you believe so?”

“I believe so, most noble father, because I feel it, because

A hasty knock, thrice repeated, at the door of the antechamber interrupted him, and in obedience to the Stadtholder’s summons, the lackey Balthasar hurriedly entered.

“Most gracious sir,” he said, “it is a courier from the Commandant von Rochow at Spandow, who desires to speak with your lordship on most urgent business.”

“I am going, most gracious father, I am going,” cried the young count, speedily rising. “I can no longer lay claim to the Stadtholder’s precious time.”

“And you have very important affairs of your own to attend to, have you not?” asked his father. “You have been long enough diplomatist and politician, and that curious thing, whose possession you boast, the heart, will now assert its rights?”

The young man laughed and pressed the count’s extended hand tenderly to his lips. Then he nodded once more affectionately to his father, and bounded lightly through the room to the side door, through which he vanished. Count Adam Schwarzenberg looked thoughtfully after his son. “Strange!” he murmured. “Is he acting a comedy, or is it truth? Does he prudently pretend to have a heart, or has he one in reality? Well, never mind. The courier from Spandow!”

In answer to the count’s loud call a huntsman in dirty, dusty uniform made his appearance from the antechamber, and, making a military salute, remained standing near the door.

“What news have you for me?” asked Count Schwarzenberg, striding toward him. “Where are your letters and dispatches?”

“I crave pardon, your excellency, but I have no letters or dispatches. The Commandant von Rochow sent me with a verbal message, and entreats forgiveness in that haste allowed him no time for writing. I have only to announce that, even at the instant of my departure, the Electoral Prince was making his solemn entry into Spandow. All ranks and conditions of people from the region round about had joined the Electoral Prince, and followed him, in carriages, on horseback, and on foot. The commandant was greatly amazed to witness so much pomp, and hastened to array himself in parade uniform in order to go and meet the Electoral Prince with his corps of officers.”

“That is all you have to communicate to me?”

“All, your excellency.”

“Then ride back again, and return to the commandant my warmest thanks for his welcome message.”

“Yes,” repeated the count, when the courier had taken leave, “yes, this is a welcome message and by ! I shall derive profit from it.”

“Ho, Balthasar, Balthasar! Is the commander of police in the antechamber?”

“Your highness, he has been there an hour already.”

“Bid him come in. There you are, Master Brandt! Well, listen! Send all your secret friends and emissaries through the city, privately inform the citizens, the magistrates, the merchants, the whole inhabitants in a body, that the Electoral Prince will arrive here in from three to four hours, and that it would surely be a right great pleasure to the Elector and his wife if they would prepare him a public reception, and go a little way on the road to meet him. Say, moreover, that it would assuredly prepare a very great joy for the Electoral Prince if they would illuminate the city this evening, and if this were done voluntarily, and without suggestion, the Electoral Prince would be forced to admit how very glad the people of Berlin are to welcome him, and how much they hope for from his return. Excite the populace properly, that their houses be brightly illuminated, and that they may give great demonstrations of joy. Dispatch your agents everywhere, and show me to-day for once that you know how to execute my orders punctually, and are a worthy successor of my dear, recently deceased Dietrich, your predecessor in office.”

“Your excellency, I shall do all that lies in my power, and I doubt not but that I shall succeed in deserving your honor’s approbation. I only venture to remark, that many of the citizens will find it exceedingly difficult to procure the candles or lamps needed for the illumination, for the poverty and distress are very great, and it would perhaps be well to aid the people and furnish them with the candles for illuminating.”

“Do so, Master Brandt,” cried the count, smiling. “I fully empower you to purchase tallow candles for distribution, to the amount of a hundred dollars; only, take care that the people actually light and burn them up, and do not consume them as dainties these hard times. And one thing more, Brandt! It would be pleasant to me if you would excite a few people against me and his highness the Elector, while you tell them various bad things about me, and attribute it as a crime to the Elector that he is so devoted to me. You might then urge on to the palace such people as you have stirred up and goaded, so that, as soon as the Electoral Prince arrives, they might shout with loud distinct voices: ’Long live the Electoral Prince! Long live our savior and deliverer! Down with the Catholics. Away with Schwarzenberg!’ You can at least persuade ten or fifteen to do this, and promise them that they shall have money to buy a good drink if they shout right loudly and clearly. Well, why do you smile so all of a sudden, man?”

“Pardon me, your highness, but when I entered upon my office, four weeks ago, your excellency urged it upon me as a stringent duty to report truly to your honor, not only what happens, but what is the mood of the people here. Does this command always have validity, your excellency?”

“It has validity for the whole term of your service, Master Brandt, or, rather, you will only remain chief of police so long as I am convinced that you always report to me the full truth in all things, without reserve. Speak! What would you say?”

“Your highness, I would only say that it is not necessary to stir up the people to give utterance to such infamous and disrespectful outcries against your excellency. They will do so of their own accord, and if I should not pick up the first who raised such a cry, have him arrested, and carried off, then immediately would twenty fellows be found, without any prompting from me, to shout exactly the words which your excellency would gladly hear.”

“You mean the words: ’Away with the Catholics! Down with Schwarzenberg’?”

“I beg your honor’s pardon, but those are the words I mean.”

The count laughed clearly. “Well,” he said, “so much the better! We will be spared then some trouble and expense, which is always a very pleasant thing. But hear, Sir Master of Police! If we let the fellows shout to-day, it does not follow that we shall not administer fitting punishment to-morrow. Mark the shouters very narrowly, and to-morrow, when the merriment is over, have them arrested and thrust into prison for a couple of weeks!”

The chief of police shrugged his shoulders. “I crave pardon, your excellency; that is no punishment for the rabble in these days. They are glad when they are put away at Oxenhead, or here in the castle prison, receiving food and lodgings free of cost, and many a one, who formerly lived in honor and affluence, would to-day be gladly found guilty of some fault, for the sake of being arrested and supported in prison at the expense of the state.”

“Well, then we will not gratify the shouting mob by punishing them with imprisonment, but cause the jailer to administer a sound cudgeling to each one of them, and then let the fellows go again. Make good speed now, Brandt, for I expect the Electoral Prince here in a few hours, and if the people are not properly notified, he will make his entry before they have taken off their rags and donned their holiday attire. Make haste, and let us have this evening a right brilliant illumination. Farewell, Master Brandt!”

The chief of police departed, and by a loud whistle Schwarzenberg called the lackey to him.

“One of the grooms must take horse,” was his command.

“He must ride out on the road to Spandow about a quarter of a mile. There he is to halt, and wait until the Electoral Prince arrives with his attendants. As soon as he has seen him, he is to come back at full speed and make the announcement to me.”

“All necessary preliminaries are arranged,” said Schwarzenberg, when he found himself again alone. “Now let the Electoral Prince come on, we are ready to receive him. There will be a hard struggle, but I have been victorious over all my enemies for twenty years, and shall probably conquer the little Electoral Prince too! Now a hurried toilet, and then to the Elector, to open the skirmish in his neighborhood! Ah, we shall see, my young Prince! For you shouts the rabble of Berlin, for me speaks the Elector! We shall see which of us two has built upon the sand!”