The Merchant of Berlin Part 4

"He must persuade the citizens to yield without fighting."

"That my father will never do," said she, warmly.

"Yes, he will do it," replied her lover, "when he learns that all fighting is useless. Let him have compa.s.sion on his native town, on himself. You are all lost if you fight. Already twelve thousand of our men, under General Tottleben, stand before the gates. At this moment, while I am speaking, Tschernitscheff, with twenty thousand regulars, is approaching from the other side. Count Lacy, too, with his Austrians, is drawing near. All this tell your father. Tell him, also, that General Tottleben has promised our Empress Elizabeth to take Berlin, if he has to lay it in ruins and ashes. Use all your influence, implore him to do all in his power to persuade the citizens to a peaceful surrender."

"I have no influence over my father," said she, sadly, "and if I had I would not abuse it. Such a surrender, without a fight, would be cowardice."

"But a fight, with the a.s.sured certainty of defeat, would be madness.

Your father does not know the number of troops ma.s.sed around Berlin.

Do you tell him."

She looked at him mournfully. "And shall I tell him, too, from whom I received this information?"

After a little reflection, he replied: "Yes, if it cannot be otherwise, tell him. Your father will not betray me."

"No, but he will curse his daughter," cried Elise, painfully--"curse her for having had intercourse with our country's enemy, while the Russian cannon threaten our town. No, no, Feodor, it were no use to warn him. My father would not listen to me."

"So Berlin will run toward its ruin, and I cannot prevent it," said the colonel, sadly. "I have done all in my power. I wish to requite your father for all the kindness he has shown me, and for that reason I risked my life in order to warn him."

"Believe me, Feodor, I will never forget you for it," said she, offering him both her hands. "However angry my father may be, my heart still remains yours. Love does not recognize any national hatred. It yields itself without reserve to him who has won it."

She leaned her head upon his breast, and he imprinted a kiss upon her forehead.

"Thank you for these words," said he; "wherever I go they shall be my talisman."

"Are you going already?" asked she, anxiously.

"I must go, Elise," replied he.

"Oh, Feodor, I dare not bid you stay. I tremble at the thought of my father seeing you," sighed she; "but when, my beloved, when shall we see each other again?"

He looked at her a long time with a steady, piercing glance. He then exclaimed, almost rudely: "You have sworn me love and constancy till death. Do you remember it?"

"I remember it, and never will I be faithless to my vow," whispered she, smiling through her tears.

"You swore to me never to belong to any one but me. Have you forgotten that?"

"No, I have not."

"Well, then," said he, rising, "we shall soon see each other again."

"When, Feodor, when?"

"When Berlin is in our hands," said he, smiling proudly; "when we enter your gates as conquerors."

She shuddered painfully. He saw it, and a hateful, mocking expression pa.s.sed across his features; but this lasted only a moment, and his changeable countenance appeared again bright and loving. He took Elise's hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Will you, even at such a time, allow me to see you? Will you, faithful to your vow, remember that my Elise has sworn by G.o.d and her love never to turn a deaf ear to my call? Will you expect me?" asked he, coaxingly.

"I will," answered she, in a low voice.

"And I will come," cried he, pa.s.sionately, "if the way to you leads over mountains of dead bodies!"

She threw herself into his open arms, and nestled like a timid dove on his breast.

"Oh!" cried she, "when danger threatens you, then I think I would like to be a man to share it with you."

He covered her lips and eyes with kisses. "Farewell, farewell, Elise; and if it is G.o.d's will, we will meet again."

One last kiss, one last embrace, and he tore himself from her arms and hurried toward the wall. Now he climbs it, and throws his last greetings to her, then descends on the other side.

"He is gone, he is gone!" she shrieked, and, falling on her knees, raised her hands to heaven. "O G.o.d, have mercy on me, have pity on my love!"

It seemed as if G.o.d did grant her prayer, for a thick veil sank over her eyes, and a swoon robbed her of consciousness.

CHAPTER V.

MR. KRETSCHMER, OF THE VOSSIAN GAZETTE.

The editor of the _Vossian Gazette_, Mr. Kretschmer, sat at his desk, busily writing. That he was a learned man was seen by his earnest, care-worn forehead, his large, well-powdered wig, and above all by the disorder and confusion which reigned in the whole room. Besides which, Mr. Kretschmer wore a dressing-gown, thickly sprinkled with ink-spots, the official robe of his literary dignity. And whosoever beheld him in this robe, his long pipe in his mouth, filling the room with a thick blue smoke, seated on his high tripod before his desk, could not but believe that Mr. Kretschmer was a learned man.

But more than this, he was a great politician. Thereto testified the numerous journals which lay scattered about on the floor, but more especially the nineteen quarto volumes, which stood above on the book-shelf, lettered in gold on the back, "VOSSIAN GAZETTE," and under that the number of the year, from 1740 to 1759. The _Vossian Gazette_ was then a young, blooming rose, of scarcely nineteen summers. It could still pa.s.s for a vigorous, handsome, and perhaps even innocent young maiden; and Mr. Kretschmer was the editor of the _Vossian Gazette_. Had he not, then, a right to be regarded as a great politician?

Mr. Kretschmer was at this moment occupied in writing an article for the next morning's paper, and as he had just received news "by special courier" of another battle, subsequent to that of Liegnitz, which had resulted favorably for the Prussians, he was composing, with the courage of a lion, an extra, which fairly glowed with ardent hatred against the oppressors and cannibals, namely, the Russians and the Austrians; and declared that the salvation of all Germany depended on the supreme dominion of Prussia.

The bold editor of the _Vossian Gazette_ in this article called upon the people to fly to arms against the "incendiary oppressors of Freedom and the people's rights," as he called the Russians; he exhorted even the women and girls to fight, and called upon them to grasp the sword in their tender hands instead of the needle. Finally, he entreated all Berlin, if ever the _incendiary enemy_ should approach the gates, rather to let the whole city be destroyed by fire, and bury themselves in the ruins before they submitted to the foe.

Mr. Kretschmer then laid his pen down, and revised with a satisfied look what he had written.

"That will have an effect," said he, rubbing his hands together, delighted. "When his majesty, our heroic king, returns victorious to Berlin, I will send him this sheet of the _Vossian Gazette_, and I know that he will be satisfied with my heroism."

He looked again at the paper. "Beautiful, beautiful!" exclaimed he, with a self-satisfied smile. "My pen has shot nothing less than bomb-sh.e.l.ls and grape, and my ink has turned into whole streams of the enemy's blood. And why should I not be bold, it being perfectly safe, since the king must certainly be victorious, and the enemy has no idea of visiting Berlin? Tschernitscheff and Tottleben are quietly encamped on the other side of the Oder; Soltikoff with his army is near Frankfort; and Count Lacy with his Austrians is waiting an opportunity to give battle to our king. Thus, as I said, I can safely exhort the good citizens of Berlin to defend themselves heroically against the infamous spoiler. How beautifully this peroration sounds: 'People of Berlin! rather let yourselves be buried under the ruins of your burning city than submit to an incendiary enemy!'--_Incendiary_,"

repeated he thoughtfully, "that is rather a strong expression, and if the Russians do come, they will revenge themselves for it; but, pshaw!

the Russians are not coming, and I can safely send this article to the press. And, furthermore, did not the king himself stigmatize the Russians as such? Yes, I remember last year, after the unfortunate invasion of the Russians, he looked down from the steeple in Frankfort upon the devastation of the country, and cried out with angry indignation, 'Incendiaries! incendiaries!' The expression is at least official, and can therefore remain."

Mr. Kretschmer seized the bell-rope, and began to ring violently.

Immediately the door opened, and a small boy entered with a portfolio under his arm.

"Devil," said Mr. Kretschmer, majestically, "here is my article; run as fast as you can to the printing-office with it, and impress upon the compositor the necessity of haste, and, above all things, not to make such mistakes as he did lately, when, in speaking of the Russians, he put 'friends' instead of 'fiends,' which was an unpardonable and most treasonable error of expression."

The little boy took the paper and laid it in his portfolio.

"The printer told me to ask you," said he, "if you had written nothing yet for the 'Miscellaneous.' _Spener's Journal_ had yesterday such a beautiful 'Miscellaneous,' and told about a woman who had four children at a birth, and a stork which had arrived and built its nest, although it was the month of October."