Tales from the German Volume I Part 13

'Stand up and speak,' answered Ulrika, stopping, and causing her train of attendants to halt.

'Your majesty,' said Conradi, without changing his position, 'has inherited the crown of Sweden from your deceased royal brother....'

'Inherited! quite right!' interposed Ulrika quickly: 'and it is unaccountable to us,' she proceeded, looking at her companions, 'that doubt upon that subject can yet be entertained in any quarter.'

'It is not to be doubted,' said the pastor, astonished at this unexpected episode, 'that your majesty heartily honors the memory of our late glorious king, as you were so nearly connected with him by the ties of blood. Nevertheless, his truest servant, the man upon whom he bestowed unlimited confidence, now languishes in undeserved chains. A criminal court is now sitting upon him, and all, who are convinced of his innocence, shudder at the possibility: that Sweden may be guilty of shedding that n.o.ble blood.'

'The number of them will not be great,' said Ulrika, coolly. 'Have you any thing further to say to us?'

'I beg of your majesty mercy for unhappy Goertz,' said Conradi with increasing warmth. 'I appeal to the softer feelings of your s.e.x, to the magnanimity of the princess, to the forgiving spirit of the christian.

By the G.o.d in whom we all believe, Goertz is innocent. And if he has done any thing wrong, and so brought any misfortune upon Sweden, which I do not know, he has but acted in obedience to his lord, like a true va.s.sal, and that lord was ent.i.tled to the unreserved obedience of all, whilst he reigned over this land as an absolute sovereign.'

'Sweden will have cause to remember that unlimited sovereignty for some generations,' remarked Ulrika, glancing at the splendid watch hanging at her girdle. 'Please to come to an end.'

'I have nothing more to add,' said the preacher dejectedly, 'except to implore your majesty to signalize the commencement of your reign by an act of mercy, rather than by the shedding of blood.'

'Mercy for Goertz!' cried Arwed, throwing himself at the queen's feet, and pressing her once scorned hand pa.s.sionately to his lips.

Ulrika, surprised by the sudden movement, withdrew her hand with a look of pride and scorn, and motioned him to rise. Without deigning to answer him, she turned again to the still kneeling preacher. 'My good man,' said she, with cold friendliness, 'I would willingly forgive the baron for all the evil he has done to me. The queen has no memory for injuries suffered by the princess. But the decision lies not with me.

Next to G.o.d, have I from my true states received the crown, and without their voice I neither can nor will decide upon crimes against the nation, of which Goertz is accused.' She made a sign to her attendants, and moved proudly forward.

'All in vain!' cried Conradi, rising. 'And this affected mildness, beneath which the queen conceals her implacable hatred, is to me more frightful than if she had poured forth her anger in pa.s.sionate words.

Here is a coolly devised plan to destroy an innocent man, against which even the eloquence of the apostle Paul himself would fail to succeed.

Let us go.'

Sadly they turned towards the door. Fieldmarshal, the prince of Hesse, entering at that moment, met them.

'Is my wife yet here?' asked he of lieutenant general Rank. 'I come to lead her to the court.'

'She has just gone,' answered Rank. 'Her majesty was pleased to grant an audience here before she went.'

The prince looked at both of the supplicants. 'Captain Gyllenstierna!'

said he, playfully, 'what affair could bring you to the ante-chamber, which is certainly a ground upon which you have not yet learned to man[oe]uvre?'

'So our ill-success has proved,' answered Arwed, with suppressed rage.

'We have been vainly pleading for the life of the unhappy Goertz.'

'For Goertz's life?' asked the prince with an appearance of interest.

'I can guess what prompts you to the effort, and pity you from the bottom of my heart. It is a very bad case.'

'If your royal highness will graciously condescend to interest yourself, we shall have new grounds for hope, and all may yet end well,' said Conradi.

'Trouble not his royal highness with your intercessions, Conradi,' said Arwed bitterly. 'Upon his high command was the baron arrested; consequently he has already decided upon his guilt, and mercy here is not to be thought of.'

'You deceive yourself, captain,' said the prince, mildly correcting the excited youth. 'I hate not the unfortunate man. Powerless he must become, and powerless he must remain, but his death would be contrary to my wish and my advice. If his sentence depended upon me, I would banish him from the country, and so settle all.'

'Ah, if your royal highness will exert your influence in favor of a mild sentence,' cried Conradi in raptures, 'G.o.d will be your rich rewarder.'

'My dear pastor,' answered the prince graciously, 'this case will probably be decided by the diet. The power of my wife is circ.u.mscribed, and I am only her first subject.'

'Yet,' interposed Arwed, 'the delightful privilege remains to your royal highness of alleviating the last hours of the unhappy man whom you cannot save. His daughter wishes to be permitted to speak to him. I wish to conduct her there, but the president of the special commission is inexorable.'

'That is hard!' said the prince. 'A criminal is still a man. Go directly to Ribbing, my dear Rank, and say to him that it is my wish.'

'G.o.d bless your royal highness for the deed!' cried the preacher.

'But that no trouble may arise from this exercise of my kind feelings,'

proceeded the prince, 'I require your word of honor, and your knightly hand, Gyllenstierna, that this permission shall in no way be abused.'

Arwed started. The thought, how advantage might be taken of such a permission, now for the first time arose in his honest soul.

His hand shrunk as if he would have drawn it back; but the prince extended his, and Arwed finally took it.

'Adieu,' said the prince, dismissing them in the most friendly manner, and the two pet.i.tioners left the palace.

CHAPTER XIX.

'What is now to be done to advance the main object?' asked Conradi of the sullenly silent Arwed. 'I think we had better send a pressing pet.i.tion to the diet, although I should hope nothing from it. They will leave every thing to the special commission,--and from the people, who are congratulating each other and rejoicing that they have become coadjutors in this business, we have nothing to expect.'

'Have they done that?' asked Arwed eagerly.

'Yes,' answered Conradi. 'Some among them have presumed openly to say, if Goertz does not lose his head this time, we shall lose ours.'

'Miserable spirit of party!' cried Arwed; 'under whose shield the judge may venture unpunished to throw his own hatred into the scale against the accused.'

For a while they walked on silently together. All at once Arwed stopped. 'G.o.d has given me a thought!' said he. 'The young duke arrived here yesterday. Goertz has never ceased to be his servant. He was only _loaned_ to Sweden, and the duke must interfere in his favor. The officer of a foreign sovereign cannot be judged here.'

'It is undeniable,' said Conradi thoughtfully, 'that the duke has the right and it is also his duty to interfere. The question is, however, has he the will? This prince still flatters himself that he has yet a chance of ascending the Swedish throne, and will not, therefore, be willing to lessen his influence with the diet.'

'The attempt must be made,' cried Arwed resolutely. 'I will hasten to him. Have the goodness to send information to the baroness Goertz upon the Blasiusholm, that she will, as I hope, be permitted to visit her father; and, G.o.d willing, we will meet in the morning at the Suedermalm council house.'

They shook hands and separated, Arwed flew to the palace of the duke of Holstein Gottorp. He was immediately announced and admitted. With an irresolute face, wherein hope and fear alternately prevailed, came the young prince to meet him, asking in an effeminate tone, 'what is your pleasure?'

'One of the officers,' answered Arwed, 'who, in the camp before Frederickshall, was anxious to have your grace proclaimed king of Sweden, ventures to bring the name of the unhappy Goertz to your remembrance.'

'I do not wish to hear any thing of this man,' said the duke, looking timidly about him. 'My interference in the case might be misconstrued by the Swedes, and it behoves me at this moment to avoid every thing which might occasion a misunderstanding.'

'Goertz is without aid and in prison,' proceeded Arwed, with manly earnestness, 'because they fear his ability, his activity and his devotion to your grace. Through this imprisonment of your servant, your sovereign rights are infringed. His life is in danger. To save it, it is only necessary for your grace to claim him of the Swedish government with princely energy. However great the animosity against him, party rage cannot withstand your demand, without violating the law of nations. They must deliver the unhappy man to you, and you will have the satisfaction of gratifying the feelings of your heart by this exercise of your rightful power, and of preserving for yourself an able supporter.'

'You would have spared yourself this long exposition, captain,' said the duke, with an unmeaning smile, 'had you known that Goertz has ceased to be my servant.'

An indignant 'ah!' escaped from the youth, and the duke proceeded.--'A man whom the whole Swedish nation as with one voice accuses, could not remain in my service. He has been dismissed from the offices which he held under me. And, being wholly surrendered, the laws of the country which he has offended must decide his fate.'

'I understand!' exclaimed Arwed with great excitement.--'Your grace hopes to win the love of Sweden by the desertion of your truest friend, and by publicly offering him up to gratify her vengeance. But if I may venture to judge of my native country, this sad expedient will entirely fail. It will only cause you to be hated. And your ingrat.i.tude will again with ingrat.i.tude be rewarded.'