Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia

by L. Mühlbach

  CHAPTER XXXII.

  THE PATRIOT

  High-chamberlain von Schladen entered the sick-room on tiptoe, precededby the Baroness von Stein, who, hastening to her husband, looked at himanxiously. In fact, the baron looked very ill. His cheeks were hollowand deadly pale; his eyes lay deep in their sockets, and were flashingwith that peculiar light emanating from the fever; his thin lips wereparched, and he constantly tried to moisten them with his tongue, whilehis breathing was very painful.

  M. von Schladen looked in profound emotion at the patient, and a feelingof melancholy was apparent. He was obliged to acknowledge that thebaroness was right, and that this wasted form was not able to rise toobey the king's call; he believed that he had come in vain, and would becompelled to leave without having accomplished any thing, and thisconviction was accompanied with a sigh. The sick man heard it, and afaint smile passed over his features. "You find me very ill then, M. vonSchladen?" he asked in a tremulous voice. "I suppose I am but the shadowof the healthy, vigorous man who took leave of you at Koenigsberg a fewmonths since? You see, I am still unable to give up my sympathies forPrussia; indeed, I am like her in every respect. Prussia is also but ashadow of what she was a short time ago; she is undergoing herdeath-struggle, and will succumb unless a strong arm soon lift her up."

  "But this strong arm will come," said M. von Schladen.

  "You believe so?" asked Stein. "Would you were right! But all I hear isdisheartening. We live in a period of degradation and servitude, when wecan do nothing better than seek a refuge in the grave, the only placewhere we may find liberty. You see that I am already on the brink. But Iwill not now speak of myself, but of you. What brought you hither? Towhat lucky accident am I indebted for your visit? My physician has toldme you had casually stopped in this town, and being informed of myillness had desired to see me. What is your destination?"

  "I am returning to Memel, to the King and Queen of Prussia," said M. vonSchladen.

  "Ah, you are a faithful servant, and I envy you," said Baron von Stein,"for your services are gratefully accepted; you are not treated withcontumely, and your zeal is not regarded as malice and self-will. Youmay assist your country with your head, your arm, and your heart. Youare not doomed to step aside, and idly dream away your days instead ofseeking relief in useful activity. Oh, I repeat again, I envy you!"While he was speaking, his pale cheeks had assumed some color, and hisvoice, which, at first, had been faint, grew louder. But now, exhaustedby the effort, and by his profound emotion, he sank back on the pillowand closed his eyes.

  His wife bent over him, and wiped off the perspiration which covered hisbrow in large drops. In the open door leading into the adjoining room,appeared the kind face of the physician, who looked scrutinizingly atthe patient. He then nodded in a satisfied manner, and whispered to thehigh-chamberlain: "Go on! go on! Tell him every thing. He can bear it."

  Baron von Stein opened his eyes again and glanced at M. von Schladen."You did not yet tell me whence you came, my dear friend?" he said. "Wasyour journey a mere pleasure-trip, or were graver purposes connectedwith it?"

  "It was no pleasure-trip, for what German cares nowadays for suchthings?" said M. von Schladen. "My purpose, in undertaking this journey,was not only a grave, but a sacred one. I undertook it for the welfareof our country, and I come to solicit your advice. I know you lovedPrussia once; you will not, although you are no longer in her service,withhold your sympathy from her, when you can be useful, you willjoyfully render her aid, will you not?"

  "Yes, indeed I will," exclaimed Baron von Stein; "my thoughts were withyou all the time; my grief arises from your affliction and themisfortunes of Prussia; every new blow inflicted upon her fell on me,and her ruin prostrated me. Tell me, in what way can I aid you?"

  "Your excellency, by assisting me in finding the man whom I am seeking;on whom the eyes of all good Prussians are fixed, and who is alone ableto save the country, to reestablish its prosperity at home, and toobtain for it respect and authority abroad. The man whom the queen callsher friend, and of whom she expects help--to whom the king offers hishand, and whom he begs (understand me well, begs) to sustain him withhis strong arm and his powerful mind, and, for the sake of Prussia, notto remember the wrongs he suffered in by-gone days--your excellency, Iam seeking this high-minded man, who forgets insults, and yet does notclose his ears against the cry of his country; whom adversity does notdeter, and whom the burden to be laid on his shoulders does not cause totremble; who forgets his own interests in order to have the satisfactionof saving a state to which, from his youth, he has devoted hisstrength--the man in whom all patriots confide, whom Hardenberg, whenNapoleon's despotic will compelled him to resign his office, pointed outto the king as the only one by whom Prussia might still be redeemed.Your excellency, can you tell me where I may find this man?"

  While M. von Schladen was speaking, Stein slowly raised his head tolisten. His countenance had undergone a marvellous change; his featureshad regained their wonted expression, and his eyes beamed with energy.

  "Your excellency," asked Schladen again, "can you tell me where I mayfind this man for whom all Prussia is calling?"

  "You have not yet told me his name," whispered Baron von Stein. "To findhim it is necessary to know his name."

  "His name is on this letter which the Princess von Radziwill requestedme to deliver to him," said Schladen, taking one from hismemorandum-book, and handing it to the patient.

  Baron von Stein quickly took it, and, on looking at the superscription,he muttered, "My name! my name is on the letter!"

  "And it is your name that is now on all Prussian lips--that the queen iscalling from afar--that the king--"

  "Ah," interrupted Baron von Stein, "the king has insulted me too deeply;I should almost dishonor myself if I forget it!"

  "You will shed the most radiant honor on your name by forgiving it,"exclaimed M. de Schladen. "The king has commissioned me to tell you thathe hopes in you alone. He will intrust to you the department of theinterior and of finance; he assures you of his most implicit confidence;he promises never to allude again to what has passed between him andyou. Here, your excellency, is a communication from Minister vonHardenberg, which will confirm all I have said."

  He laid another letter on the table. Baron von Stein took it and lookedat the address with a faint smile. "It is Hardenberg's handwriting," hesaid; "he is a genuine courtier, and takes it always for granted thatthe king's will is a sacred law for every one. He calls me already'Prussian Minister of Finance.' And the queen?" he then asked, raisinghis eyes to M. von Schladen. "What does she say? Does she believe, too,that I can forget, forgive, and return?"

  "The queen believes it, because she wishes it, your excellency. 'Steinis my last consolation,' she said to me when I took leave of her. 'Beinga man of magnanimity and the keenest sagacity, he may be able todiscover ways and means of saving the country that are as yet concealedfrom us. Tell him that, when he comes, the sun will rise again for me;tell him to remember the sacred vow I received from him to standfaithfully by us, and to come when Prussia stands in need of him, andcalls him to her assistance. Tell him that his queen prays Heaven torestore to her country the man who is a defence against wrong andinjustice, and one of the noblest sons of Germany.'"

  Baron von Stein cast down his eyes; his lips were trembling; and tearsrolled slowly down his cheeks.

  "Your excellency," said M. von Schladen, urgently, "will you not readthe letters? That from the Princess Louisa von Radziwill will give you amore graphic description of the present situation of the court than I amable to do; the one from Minister von Hardenberg will tell you what todo, and how important and necessary it is that you should come asspeedily as possible. In Hardenberg's letter you will also find a briefnote from General Bluecher, who joins in these solicitations. I have beenpermitted to read these letters, that, if they were lost on the way, Ishould, nevertheless, be able to communicate their contents to you. Willyou not read them?"

  "Yes," said Baron von Stein
, breathing more freely, "I will read them.They are the first doves that, after the long deluge of affliction, cometo me with an olive-branch of peace. I will see what the letterscontain." He hastily opened that from the Princess Louisa and commencedreading it. But the paper soon dropped from his hand; a death-likepallor overspread his cheeks, and, almost fainting, he fell back on thepillow. "Alas," he murmured mournfully, "I forget that I am a poor, sickman! I cannot read; the letters swim before my eyes!" But this faintnesslasted only a moment; Stein then raised his head again, and turned hiseyes with a tender expression toward his wife, who was sitting at hisbedside, and watching all his movements with anxious suspense. "DearWilhelmina," he said, "you have been my secretary during the last fewweeks, and have rendered evil tidings less disagreeable to me; will younot read these cheering letters to me?"

  The baroness bent over him, and, in place of a reply, kissed hisforehead. She then read as follows:

  "Your friend Hardenberg and the newspapers will have informed you of themelancholy end of all our hopes. Cowardice and weakness, perhaps morethan the luck of our enemies, have subjugated us, and Hardenberg'sresignation, which he tendered voluntarily, in order to be useful to useven by this sacrifice, and to preserve the king from the humiliation ofdismissing him, causes us to feel our yoke painfully. I promised towrite to you about the king. He deserves our sympathy at this moment;his courage and firmness have not been shaken by our last disasters; hewas ready to make any sacrifice, because he thought it better to fallnobly than to live dishonorably. He clung with sincere attachment toyour friend Hardenberg, and just at this moment when all are desertinghim, when he has neither power nor will, he loses this well-triedfriend, who, actuated by his love of the country, and affection for hismaster, left him with a grief that deeply moved my heart. At this momentthe eyes of us all are turning toward you, my dear Stein. From you wehope for consolation, and for forgetfulness of the wrongs which haveremoved you from us, and which you will be too generous to remember at atime when he who insulted you only deserves your sympathy andassistance. Can you withstand our solicitations? Can you see thiscountry deserted, and refuse to it the co-operation of those talentsthat alone are able to raise us from our prostration? Hardenberg sees noother hope for his master than in you, and if you are not restored tous--if you do not yield to the wishes of those yearning for you, what isto become of our future?

  "I admit that to call upon you to share our fortune is to deem youcapable of the greatest disinterestedness; for nothing has ever beendone by you to deserve the conduct formerly manifested toward you; butyour soul is too generous to remember those insults, and I know you toowell not to be sure that you will unhesitatingly come to the assistanceof this unfortunate prince, who for five months possesses just claims tosympathy. Even at this juncture he maintains his dignity; he has gainedfriends and zealous adherents, and appears to me never more estimablethan since these disasters, in which I have seen him assert a courageand resignation of which I should never have deemed him capable. Itgrieved me to see Hardenberg depart; he himself is very sad, and I amsure that only the hope of restoring you to the service of his mastersustains him. Do not refuse to comply with our request, my dear Stein,and be not as cruel as that destiny which is taking from us all thedistinguished characters that were able to reconcile us with life andmankind. I look for your reply with impatience; may it be favorable tous! It needs no assurance of mine to make you believe in theaffectionate and constant attachment which I have always felt for you.

  "LOUISA."

  Stein listened to the letter with eyes half closed. A faint blush hadgradually suffused his cheeks, and a smile was playing on his lips. "Andwhat do you think of this letter, Wilhelmina?" he then asked. "What doesyour heart reply to this call?"

  "I am fearful for you, my beloved friend," said the baroness,mournfully. "My heart shrinks from this career into which you willreenter, and in which you will be exposed again to ingratitude, and thepersecutions of your enemies."

  "Not to ingratitude," said M. von Schladen. "All Prussia will begrateful to you, and the king will be the first to thank and reward youwith his friendship for having complied with his invitation. Yourexcellency, will you not read the letter from Minister von Hardenberg?It will tell you in the most convincing manner how firmly you may relyon the king and on his gratitude, and how necessary it is that youshould repair to him as soon as possible."

  "No, no, I will not hear any more," exclaimed Stein, in a loud voice."It shall not be said that the flattering words of a friend induced meto do what is my duty. Call the doctor; I must see the doctor!"

  "The doctor is here," said Dr. von Waldau, entering the room. "Whenpatients are able to shout in such stentorian tones, they must indeedstand in need of assistance."

  "Doctor," exclaimed Stein, "come here; feel my pulse, look me full inthe face, and tell me, upon your honor, when I shall be able to setout."

  The physician took the proffered hand and laid his finger on the pulse.A pause ensued; all looked in breathless suspense on his face. Thedoctor smilingly nodded. "It has turned out as I predicted," heexclaimed. "The 'genius of Germany' has come to our assistance, andsaved her bravest and noblest champion. The pulse is regular and strong,as it has not been for weeks. The crisis for which I hoped so long hastaken place. Baron von Stein, in two weeks you will be well enough toset out."

  "In two weeks!" exclaimed the baron, in a contemptuous tone of voice."You did not hear, then, that Prussia stands in need of me; that theking calls me, and that Hardenberg tells me it is of the highestimportance I should immediately enter upon the duties of my office? No,I shall not depart in two weeks, nor in two days, but immediately!" Heraised himself in his bed, and imperiously stretching out his arms, heexclaimed, "My clothes! I will rise! I have no more time to be sick!Give me my clothes!"

  "But my beloved friend," exclaimed the baroness, in dismay, "this isimpossible; just consider that the fever has exhausted your strength,that--"

  "Hush, do not contradict him," whispered the physician. "Thecontradiction would irritate him, and might easily bring about a freshattack of fever."

  "My clothes! my clothes!" exclaimed Baron von Stein, louder and moreimperiously than before, and he cast angry glances on his wife.

  The physician himself hastened to the clothes-press, and, taking thesilken dressing-gown from it, carried it to the patient. "Here is yourdressing-gown," he said; "let me be your _valet de chambre_." Baron vonStein thanked him with a smile, and lifted up his arms that the garmentmight be wrapped around him.

  "And here are your slippers," said the baroness; "let me put them onyour feet."

  "And permit me to support you when you rise," said M. von Schladen,approaching the bed. "Oh, lean on me only for a moment; afterward thewhole of Prussia will lean on you."

  Baron von Stein made no reply. He put on the dressing-gown and theslippers, and then raised himself, assisted by M. von Schladen. But hisface was pallid, and large drops of perspiration gathered on hisforehead. He left his couch, and stood free and erect. "I am wellagain!" he exclaimed. "Prussia calls me! I am not allowed to be ill;I--" His voice died away in a faint groan; his head bent down, and hisform sank to the floor. M. von Schiaden and the baroness caught him intheir arms, and placed him again on his bed.

  "Doctor," exclaimed the baroness, in a menacing tone, "if he die, youare his murderer; you have killed him!"

  "No," said the physician, quietly, "I have saved him. This swoon is thelast struggle of death with triumphant life. When Baron von Stein awakeshe will be no longer seriously ill, but convalescent. When he isconscious again, the crisis is over. See, he begins to stir! Ah, hisbrave mind will not suffer his body to rest, and will assuredly awakenit."

  The baron very soon opened his eyes, and looked with a perfectly calmand conscious expression, first at his wife, then at the physician andthe king's messenger. "M. von Schladen," he said, "will you read to meHardenberg's letter? Wilhelmina, lay your arm around me and support myhead a little. Waldau is right; I wi
ll not be able to set out to-day. Iam still very weak."

  "But you will be able to set out in ten days," exclaimed the physician."You see I yield to you. I ask no longer for two weeks, but only for tendays."

  Baron von Stein gave him his hand with a grateful glance. "And now,High-Chamberlain von Schladen, I request you to read once moreHardenberg's communication." M. von Schladen looked inquiringly at thephysician, who nodded his consent.

  "Read, read," said the baron, entreatingly, supporting his head againsthis wife's shoulder. M. von Schladen opened the letter, and laid GeneralBluecher's note, enclosed in it, on the table and commenced reading.

  The letter urgently requested Baron von Stein to accept the twodepartments of finance and of the interior, which the king wished tointrust to him because the welfare of Prussia required it. Besides,Hardenberg asked Stein to repair immediately to the king, because it wasof the highest importance that the ears of Frederick William should notbe besieged again by hostile insinuations. He gave him cautious hints asto the manner in which he would have to win the confidence of FrederickWilliam, and assured him that he would retain it, provided he neverpretended to rule over the king. He called upon him in the name ofPrussia and Germany not to decline the difficult task, but to fulfil thehopes which patriots were reposing in him. He advised him to impose suchconditions as he might deem prudent before accepting the offer, and toaddress a letter to his majesty in regard to them.

  A pause ensued. Stein had listened to the words of his friends insilence. All looked at him anxiously. His face was calm, and when heslowly opened his eyes, they indicated entire composure.

  "High-chamberlain von Schladen," asked Stein, "you have made the longjourney from Memel to this place for no other purpose than to deliver tome these letters and the order of the king?"

  "It was the only object of my journey," said M. von Schladen. "Itravelled by way of Copenhagen and Hamburg, in order to avoid Frenchspies."

  "And when do you intend setting out again?" asked the baron.

  "Your excellency, as soon as I have obtained a reply."

  "Ah," exclaimed Stein, with a gentle smile; "you want to prevent me,then, from writing immediately, that I may retain you for some time as awelcome guest?"

  "No, your excellency, let me entreat you to give me at once your replyto the solicitations with which the king and the queen--allPrussia--nay, all Germany turn to you, and implore you to lend to thefatherland your strong arm."

  "Alas, my hand is so feeble that it can scarcely hold a pen!" said Baronvon Stein, sighing. "Wilhelmina, you are always my kind and obligingfriend--will you now also lend me your hand, and be my secretary?"

  The baroness cast a mournful and loving look on him. "I read in youreyes," she said, sadly, "that you have made up your mind, and that, eventhough I implore you to desist for my sake and that of our children, itwould be in vain. We shall lose you again; your house and my heart willbe lonely, and only my thoughts will travel with you! But it hardlybecomes me to dissuade you from your purpose. In these days of generaldistress it does not behoove German patriots to confine themselves tothe happiness of their own firesides, and to shut their ears against thecries of the fatherland. Your heart, I know, belongs to me. Your mindand your abilities belong to the world. Go, then, my beloved husband,and do your duty; I will fulfil mine." She kissed the baron's forehead,and then stepped to the table at the window. "Your secretary is ready,"she said, taking the pen; "tell me what to write."

  Baron von Stein raised himself, and dictated in a firm voice as follows:

  "TO THE KING'S MAJESTY:--Your gracious orders and the offer of thedepartment of the interior, have been communicated to me by a letterfrom Minister von Hardenberg, _de dato_ Memel, July 10, which I receivedon the 9th of August. I accept the office unconditionally, and leave itto your royal majesty to arrange with what persons, or in what relationsto my colleagues, I am to discharge my duties. At this moment of mycountry's distress it would be wrong to consult my own personalgrievances, particularly as your majesty manifests so exalted aconstancy in adversity.

  "I should have set out immediately, but a violent tertian fever isconfining me to my bed; as soon as my health is better, which I trustwill be the case in ten days or two weeks, I shall hasten to yourmajesty. Your obedient servant,

  "STEIN."

  Baron von Stein kept his word. Two weeks afterward, although stillsuffering and feeble, he entered his travelling-coach to repair toMemel, and to hold again in his powerful hands the reins of the Prussiangovernment.