by L. Mühlbach
CHAPTER VII.
THE QUEEN'S FLIGHT.
Louisa waited till Lombard had been carried away amid the jeers of thepeople; then, accompanied by her friend, she hastened down-stairs inorder to continue her journey. Many persons were still assembled in thestreet, who, instead of following Lombard, had preferred to see thequeen once more. They received her with enthusiastic cheers, andheartily wished her a safe journey.
"Give our best wishes to our king, and tell him that we will be faithfulto him as long as we live!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd.
"We thank the queen for ordering the traitor to be arrested!" exclaimedanother. "Now we need not have any fears for her, and know that she isable to continue her journey without incurring any danger whatever."
Louisa greeted her subjects smilingly, and lowered the windows of thecarriage for the purpose of returning their salutations, and of beingseen by them.
"Yes," she said, when the carriage rolled through the gate into thehigh-road, "yes, I hope the prophecy of these good men will befulfilled, and that I shall safely reach my destination. Now thatLombard has been arrested, I am satisfied of it, for he had followed mein order to inform the enemy of my whereabouts; I feel convinced of it.But the judgment of Heaven has overtaken him, and he has received hispunishment. Oh, how dreadful it must be to stand before the people withso bad a conscience, so pale and cowardly a face, and to be accused bythem! We are able to bear up under the greatest afflictions when oursoul is free from guilt! And therefore I will meet the futurecourageously and patiently, hoping that God will have mercy on us.Henceforth there will be but one duty for me, and that is, to be afaithful mother, and a comforter to my husband in his misfortunes. Oh,Caroline, my heart, which was lately, as it were, frozen and dead, isreawakening now--it is living and throbbing with joy, for I shall see myhusband and my children! If all should forsake us, love will remain withus, and he whose heart is full of love will not be forsaken by theLord."
She leaned back and closed her eyes. Profound peace was depicted on herhandsome face; her brow was calm and cloudless, and a sweet smile playedon her lips. Grief had not yet marked this noble and youthfulcountenance with its mournful yet eloquent traces, and its handwritingwas not yet to be read on her expansive forehead.
"Oh," whispered her friend to herself, contemplating the beautifulslumbering queen, "oh, that grief might pass away from her like a darkcloud--that no thunderbolt burst forth from it and strike that belovedhead! But I am afraid the lightning will at last blight all the blossomsof her heart. O God, give her strength, nerve her in her sufferings, asThou hast blessed her in her happiness! She is sleeping; let her slumberbe peaceful and refreshing, so that it may invigorate her mind!" Madamevon Berg leaned cautiously, in order not to disturb the queen, into theother corner of the carriage, which rapidly drove along the high-road.
The journey was continued uninterruptedly from station to station; inevery town and village the people, as soon they had recognized her,hastened to procure fresh horses for her, and crowds gathered everywhereto cheer her on her way. She had already passed through Frankfort, andstopped in the village of Rettwein in front of the superintendent'shouse. The footman entered and asked in her name for another set ofhorses. The superintendent looked at him uneasily and gloomily. "I willget them directly," he said; "I will go myself to the stable and harnessthem, in order not to detain the queen unnecessarily." He left the househastily, and the footman returned to the carriage.
Louisa had risen and contemplated with a melancholy air the desertedlandscape. For the first time since the beginning of her journey she wasnot welcomed on her arrival. Nobody seemed to know or care that it wasthe queen who was seated in the carriage. Only a few tow-headedpeasants' children, in ragged, dirty dresses, rushed toward thesuperintendent's house and stared at her, without saluting or thankingher for her kindly nods.
"We shall frequently ride out of the gate, but no drums will be beaten,"murmured she, with a faint smile, and sank back on the cushions.
Time passed, and no horses made their appearance. The queen glanceduneasily at her watch. "We have been here nearly an hour," she said;"this long delay renders me uneasy."
She rose once more and looked again out of the coach window. The samesilence prevailed. The children were still in front of the house, withtheir fingers in their mouths staring at the carriage. At a distance thedull lowing of the cows in their stables and the barking of dogs were tobe heard. No human being, except the few children, was to be seen; eventhe superintendent did not make his appearance, although he knew thatthe queen was waiting at his door. Just then, however, a laborer, in along blouse, with heavy wooden shoes, came out of the house andremained at the door, staring with his small blue eyes at the royalcarriage.
"I do not know why," murmured Louisa, uneasily, "but this silencefrightens me; it fills my heart with a feeling of anxiety which I cannotwell explain. It seems to me as though every thing around me werebreathing treachery and mischief, and some great danger were menacingme. Let us set out--we must leave this place. Why do not the horsescome?"
"Will your majesty permit me to call the footman, and ask him to hurryup the postilion?" said Madame von Berg, leaning out of the window.
"Tell them to make haste," she said to the approaching footman. "Hermajesty wishes to continue her journey immediately."
"The horses are not yet here," exclaimed he anxiously; "thesuperintendent promised he would fetch and harness them himself, and hedoes not return."
Some one set up a loud, scornful laugh, which reached the queen's ears.She bent forward and looked uneasily at the laborer who was standing atthe door with folded arms. The footman turned, and asked him,indignantly, why he laughed. The man looked at him with twinkling eyes."Well," he said, "I laugh because you are looking for horses, and havebeen waiting here for an hour already. But they will not come, for thesuperintendent has driven two of them through the back gate into thefield, and then mounted the third, and rode off!"
The queen uttered a low cry, and placed her hand convulsively on herheart; she felt there a piercing pain, depriving her of breath, andturning her cheeks pale.
"Then the stable is empty?" said Madame von Berg.
"Yes, and there is not a hack even in the whole village; the peasantshave taken them all to Kuestrin, lest the French should take them."
"Are the French, then, so near?"
"The superintendent said this morning he had seen them at Baerwalde, twomiles from our village."
"Let us start--let us set out without a minute's delay," said Louisa,anxiously grasping her friend's arm. "The superintendent is a traitor,and has left the village in order to inform our enemies that I am here.Oh, Caroline, we must escape, and if I cannot do otherwise, I shallpursue my journey on foot!"
"No, your majesty, there must and will be some expedient," repliedCaroline, resolutely. "Permit me to alight for a moment, and speak tothe postilion who drove us hither."
"I shall alight with you," exclaimed the queen, rising and trying toopen the coach door.
Madame von Berg wished to keep her back. "What," she exclaimed indismay. "I am sure your majesty will not--"
"Speak personally to the postilion? Yes, I will. He is a human being,like all of us, and at this hour happier and more enviable than we are.Perhaps he will have mercy on his sovereign!"
She hastily left the carriage, and ordered the footman to conduct her tothe postilion, who, during the last hour, had fed and watered hishorses, and was just about to ride back with them to his station. Hehastened to obey the order, and approached the queen, who stoodtrembling near the carriage by the side of Madame von Berg.
"Speak to him first," said Louisa to her friend.
"You have heard that we cannot get any other horses," said Madame vonBerg. "Her majesty wants you, therefore, to drive us to the nextstation."
"That is impossible, madame," said the postilion; "my horses areexhausted, and I myself am so weary that I am almost unable to stand,for I have been on ho
rseback for three days. We had to take fugitives toKuestrin all the time."
"If you drive us thither rapidly and without delay, you shall beliberally rewarded; you may depend on it," replied Madame von Berg.
"All the rewards of the world would not do me any good, inasmuch asneither I nor my horses are able to continue the journey to Kuestrin," hereplied, shrugging his shoulders. "I would gladly comply with yourrequest, but I cannot."
"You cannot?" asked the queen, in her sonorous voice, "have you anychildren?"
"Yes, madame, I have children. Two boys and a girl."
"Well, suppose you should hear that your children were in Kuestrin, thatsome great danger was menacing them, and that they were anxiously cryingfor their father. What would you do then?"
"I would gallop with lightning speed, not caring if the trip killed myhorses, could I only reach my children!"
"Well," said the queen, with a gentle smile, "although you are a father,and love your children so ardently, yet you are cruel enough to refuseyour assistance to a mother who wishes to hasten to hers? I beseech youtake me to them, for they are looking with anxiety for me." As sheuttered these words her eyes filled with tears, and her lips trembled.
The man was silent, and gazed with an air of surprise at Louisa'sbeautiful face. "Madame," he said, after a pause, "pray enter thecarriage again. I will take you to Kuestrin--you shall be with yourchildren in an hour. But I tell you, madame," he added, turning toMadame von Berg, "I do not go for the sake of the reward you havepromised me, and I will not take any money. I go because it would beinfamous not to reunite a mother and her children. Now, make haste." Heturned round without waiting for a reply, and began to prepare for thejourney.
The queen gazed after him with beaming glances, and then raised her eyesto heaven. "I thank Thee, my God," she murmured. "Give me strength thatI may still believe in the human heart, and that such a discovery as Ihave made to-day as to the treachery of one man may not harden my heart!Come, Caroline, let us enter; in an hour we shall be with my children;oh, in an hour, I shall see the king!" An expression of delightoverspread her face like sunshine, and she hastened to the carriage withlight, elastic steps.
The postilion whipped the horses. The village was soon left behind, andthey proceeded rapidly toward their destination.
"How fast the kind-hearted man drives!" said Louisa. "He does not do sofor the sake of the queen, but because he thinks of his children, andcommiserates a mother's heart. Oh, I confess, my heart was painfullymoved by the discovery of the superintendent's treachery, but theall-merciful God sends me this excellent man. I shall ever remember him,and, please God, I will reward him for his kindness, by taking care ofhis children."
"But I trust your majesty will also remember the traitor, and cause himto be punished," said Madame von Berg, indignantly. "He has committed agreat crime against his queen and against his fatherland, and ought tobe called to account."
"If he has deserved it, let God punish him," said Louisa, gently. "Ishall try to forget him, and I beg you not to say any thing about it tothe king. I am afraid, my dear, we should have much, very much to do, ifwe were to punish all those who betray us. The superintendent was thefirst faithless subject we met, but he will not be the last. Let usforget him. But what is that? Why does the postilion drive so fast? Itseems as if the carriage had wings. What does it mean?"
In fact, they dashed along the road like an arrow, and, as though thiswere not sufficient, the anxious voice of the footman was heardshouting, "Forward, postilion! Forward, as fast as possible!"
"There is something wrong, and I must know what it is!" exclaimed thequeen. She rose from her seat, and opened the front window. "Tell mehonestly and directly," she said to the footman, "why does the postiliondrive so rapidly?"
"If your majesty commands me to do so, I must tell the truth," repliedhe. "We are pursued by French chasseurs. They are galloping behind us onthe high-road. I can already distinguish their uniforms."
"And shall we be able to escape them?" asked Louisa, with the semblanceof perfect calmness.
"We hope so, your majesty. If the horses can run fifteen minutes longer,we are safe, for then we shall be in Kuestrin."
"Tell the postilion that I shall provide for the education of hischildren, if we reach Kuestrin in fifteen minutes," replied the queen.
She then sank back for a minute like a bruised reed. A heart-rendingscream escaped her, and she raised her hand in despair. Presently sheagain became composed and looked back from the window, so as to be ableto see the approaching danger.
Like lightning they proceeded along the high-road, but the chasseursgained upon them, and the distance rapidly decreased. The queen'spiercing eyes could already distinguish the faces of her enemies. Sheheard the loud shouts and oaths with which they sought to increase theirspeed. She leaned back, and a fearful pallor overspread her cheeks, butshe was still calm.
"Listen to what I tell you, Caroline," she said, in a grave, solemnvoice, "I cannot survive the disgrace of being taken prisoner by theFrench. I will not adorn, as a modern Cleopatra, the triumphal entry ofthe modern Augustus. To live and to die honorably is my motto. I preferdeath to ignominious captivity. Tell it to my husband and my children.And now to the will of God I commit myself. The moment that a Frenchsoldier extends his hand toward me, this friend will deliver me!"
She drew a small dagger from her bosom, and grasped it firmly andresolutely.
"What are you going to do?" exclaimed Caroline, in terror.
"Hush!" replied the queen, "my resolution is irrevocable. Sooner deaththan the disgrace of ridicule! Let us see what is going on."
She leaned once more out of the carriage, which was still dashing alongwith the utmost rapidity. The chasseurs were fast approaching. Thepanting and snorting of the foaming horses were already heard--theflashing, triumphant eyes of the soldiers distinctly seen. Every secondbrought them nearer and nearer. Louisa withdrew her head. Her right handfirmly grasped the dagger. In breathless exhaustion, and as pale asthough dying, she awaited her fate.
Suddenly they rolled with great noise over a paved street--theystopped--and Louisa thought it was an angel's voice, when she heard thewords, "There is Kuestrin! We are saved!"
She started up, and looked once more out of the window. Yes, she wassaved. The chasseurs were galloping off again, and close at hand was thefirst gate of the fortress of Kuestrin. She had constantly looked backtoward the pursuing enemy, not toward her destination, and now that shewas saved, it seemed to her a miracle, for which she thanked God fromthe bottom of her heart.
They passed through the gate, but could only drive at a slow pace. Animmense chaos of vehicles loaded with bedding, furniture, trunks, cases,boxes, and bags, obstructed the passage. Shrieks, lamentations, andoaths, resounded in the wildest confusion. All the inhabitants of thesuburbs and neighboring villages had fled hither with their movables, toseek protection behind the walls of the fortress.
The queen had again concealed the dagger in her bosom, and looked up toheaven with eyes full of fervent gratitude.
"I am saved!" she whispered; "I shall see again my husband and mychildren. Life is mine again!"
The passage became wider. They were able to advance more rapidly, andsoon reached the market-place. A general in uniform was just crossingit. When he was passing near her, the queen joyfully exclaimed:
"Koeckeritz! Where is the king?"
"Oh, Heaven, be praised that your majesty has arrived! The king is here.He is standing among the generals in front of the house yonder."
They stopped. The coach door opened, and the pale, melancholy face ofthe king looked in. Louisa stretched out her arms toward him."Frederick! my dear, dear husband!" she exclaimed, and, encircling hisneck with her arms, imprinted a kiss on his lips. He did not utter aword, but drew her with an impetuous motion into his arms and carriedher into the house, regardless of the rules of etiquette, through thecrowd of generals, who bowed and stepped aside. She clung tenderly tohim and supported her h
ead with a blissful smile on his shoulder. He nowplaced the beloved burden slowly and cautiously into an easy-chair; thencrossed the room and opened the door leading into an adjoining chamber.
"Come, come, your mother is here!" said he, abruptly, and two boys ranimmediately into the room, with a loud, joyous exclamation.
"My sons, my beloved sons!" cried Louisa, stretching out her handstoward them. They rushed to her, clasping her in their arms and kissingher. The queen pressed them to her heart, shedding tears, half of grief,and half of happiness at being reunited with her family. Not a word wasspoken; only sighs and sobs, and expressions of tenderness, interruptedthe silence. The king stood at the window, looking at his wife and sons,and something like a tear dimmed his eyes. "I would gladly die if theycould only be happy again," he murmured to himself; "but we are only inthe beginning of our misfortunes, and worse things are in store for us!"
He was right; worse things were in store for them. Day after daybrought tidings of fresh disasters. The first was, that Erfurt hadcapitulated, on the day after the battle of Jena--that the Frenchoccupied it, and that a garrison of four thousand men had surrendered atdiscretion. Then came the news that the French, who had not met with theslightest resistance, and were driving every thing before them, hadcrossed the Elbe, and were moving on Potsdam and Berlin. The royalcouple learned at the same time that Count Schulenburg had left Berlinwith the troops without permission, and solely on his ownresponsibility, and that he had forgotten in his hurry to remote theimmense quantity of arms from the arsenal. Another day dawned andbrought even more disastrous tidings. The French were reported asapproaching the fortress of Kuestrin by forced marches!
A panic seized the garrison. Most of the officers and privates, and thewhole suite of the king, declared loudly, "Peace only can save us!Further resistance is vain, and will increase our calamities. Submissionto the conqueror may save what remains." Minister von Haugwitz used thislanguage, and so did Generals von Koeckeritz and von Zastrow, and sothought the commander of Kuestrin, though he did not utter hissentiments.
The king listened to all these supplications and suggestions with graveand gloomy composure. He did not say a word, but looked sometimes withan inquiring glance at the pale face of the queen. She understood him,and whispered with a smile: "Courage, my husband, courage!" And henodded to her, and said in a low voice: "I will have courage to thebitter end! We cannot remain here, for the report that the French areapproaching has been confirmed. Let us go to Graudenz!"
Louisa laid her hand on the king's shoulder, and looked tenderly intohis eyes. "Whither you go, I go," she said, "even though we should becompelled to escape beyond the sea or into the ice-fields of Siberia; wewill remain together, and so long as I am with you, adversity cannotbreak my heart."
Frederick kissed her and then went to make the necessary arrangementsfor their departure, to give his final orders to the commander ofKuestrin, M. von Ingelsheim: "Defend the fortress to the last extremity,and capitulate under no circumstances whatever."
The queen seemed calm and composed so long as her husband was at herside. But when he had withdrawn, she burst into tears; sinking down on achair, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed aloud.
"You are weeping!" whispered a soft, sweet voice. "Oh, dear mother, donot weep," said another, and two heads leaned on her shoulders--theheads of her oldest sons. She took her hands from her face, and shookthe tears from her eyes. She kissed her sons, and, placing both of thembefore her, gazed at them a long time with an air of melancholytenderness.
"Yes," she said, and while she spoke her voice became firmer, and herface radiant--"yes, I am weeping; nor am I ashamed of my tears. I amweeping for the downfall of my house--the loss of that glory with whichyour ancestors and their generals crowned the Hohenzollern dynasty, andthe splendor of which extended over the whole of Prussia--nay, over allGermany. That glory has, I say, departed forever. Fate has destroyed ina day a structure in the erection of which great men had been engagedfor two centuries. There is no longer a Prussian state, a Prussian army,and Prussian honor! Ah! my sons, you are old enough to comprehend andappreciate the events now befalling us; at a future time, when yourmother will be no more among the living, remember this unhappy hour.Shed tears for me, as I do for the ruin of our country! But listen," sheadded, and her eyes beamed with enthusiasm, "do not content yourselveswith shedding tears! Act, develop your strength. Prussia's genius,perhaps, will favor you. Then deliver your nation from the disgrace andhumiliation in which it is at present grovelling! Try to recover the noweclipsed fame of your ancestors, as your great-grandfather, the greatelector, once avenged, at Fehrbellin, the defeats of his father againstthe Swedes. Let not the degeneracy of the age carry you away, my sons;become men and heroes. Should you lack this ambition, you would beunworthy of the name of princes and grandsons of Frederick the Great.But if, in spite of all efforts, you should fail in restoring the formergrandeur of the state, then seek death as Prince Louis Ferdinand soughtit!"
