THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Peter Scott 
 
 ;
 
 ; v
 
 PRINCE EUGENE 
 
 AND HIS TIMES 
 
 <2Vn historical Xoocl 
 
 BY 
 
 L. MUHLBACH 
 
 AUTHOR OF FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS COURT, THE MERCHANT OF BERLIN, 
 BtRLIN AND SASS-SOUCI, JOSEPH II. AND HIS COURT, FTC. 
 
 TRANSLATED FKO.M THE GERMAN 
 
 BY ADELAIDE DEV. CHAUDRON 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 
 1907
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1868. 
 BY D. APPLETON AXD
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The Countess of Soissons ...... 1 
 
 II. The Laboratory . . 5 
 
 III. Prince Eugene 12 
 
 IV. The Riot 23 
 
 V. Barbesieur Louvois . ... , ... 34 
 
 VI. The State -Reception . 43 
 
 VII. Help in Time of Need . 52 
 
 VIII. The Plight 61 
 
 IX. The Parting 71 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 I. Marianna Mancini 84 
 
 II. The Trial 90 
 
 III. A Skirmish 99 
 
 IV. Louvois' Daughter 109 
 
 V. The Court-Ball 119 
 
 VI. The Lady of the Bedchamber 126 
 
 VII. The Lady of the Bedchamber 133 
 
 VIII. First Love .146 
 
 IX. The Betrayal 156 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 I. The Disappointment 162 
 
 II. The Foes . . . . .170 
 
 III. The Repulse 175 
 
 ill 
 
 2227644
 
 IV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAOK 
 
 IV. The Farewell 184 
 
 V. A Page from History 188 
 
 VI. The Emperor Leopold 1 192 
 
 VII. The Council of War 197 
 
 VIII. The Plains of Kitsee 207 
 
 IX. The Baptism of Blood 217 
 
 X. Vienna . 227 
 
 XI. The Re-enforcements , 233 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 L The Fall of Buda 244 
 
 II. The Friends 253 
 
 III. The Marquis Strozzi 266 
 
 IV. Laura 275 
 
 V. The Regatta . . . ... . . .284 
 
 VI. The Negotiator 299 
 
 VII. The Lovers reunited 311 
 
 VIII. Antonio's Expiation . 322 
 
 IX. The Dungeon 325 
 
 BOOK V. 
 
 I. A Twofold Victory ....... 331 
 
 II. The Dumb Music 342 
 
 III. The Retirement of the Commander-in-Chicf . . 347 
 
 IV. The Fall of Belgrade 356 
 
 V. The Marchioness 364 
 
 VI. The Flight 374 
 
 VII. The Forester's Hut . 380 
 
 BOOK VI. 
 
 I. Sister Angelica 886 
 
 II. Louis the Fourteenth 394 
 
 III. The King and the Petitioners 401 
 
 IV. The Window that was too large 407 
 
 V. The Imperial Diet at Regensburg .... 415 
 
 VI. The Judith of Esslingen .424 
 
 VII. Her Return . 432
 
 CONTENTS. V 
 BOOK VII. 
 
 CHAPTKB PAGE 
 
 I. The Island of Bliss 436 
 
 II. The French in Speier 440 
 
 III. The Treasure 446 
 
 IV. Caspar's Vengoance 451 
 
 V. The Duchess of Orleans 454 
 
 VI. The Deliverance of Trier 458 
 
 VII. The Fire-tongs 466 
 
 VIII. Brave Hearts . 471 
 
 BOOK VIII. 
 
 I. The Advance into France 480 
 
 II. The Ravens 485 
 
 III. Sick and Well 493 
 
 IV. The Duke's Dangerous Illness 499 
 
 V. The Marquis Strozzi 508 
 
 VI. Insanity and Revenge 512 
 
 VII. The Ambrosia 521 
 
 VIIL The Betrothal 530 
 
 IX. Vengeance 539
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PACING 
 PAGB 
 
 rortrait of Prince Eugene ...... Frontitpiec 
 
 Portrait of Louis XIV 120 
 
 In Venice 292 
 
 Caspar's Vengeance on General Melac 452
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 PRINCE EUGENE, THE LITTLE ABBA 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE COUNTESS OF SOISSOrfS. 
 
 " Is that your last word, madame ? " said Louvois, in a tone 
 so emphatic as to be almorst threatening. 
 
 "My last wofd," replied the countess, haughtily. "My 
 daughter is too young to marry, and were she older, I would 
 not impose a husband upon her who was not the inan of her 
 choice. She shall bestow her hand and heart together." 
 
 " Do you mean that it is impossible for your daughter to 
 love my son ? " asked Louvois, hastily. 
 
 The countess raised her shoulders and smiled superciliously, 
 while from her large black eyes there darted forth a glance 
 that spoke volumes to the mind of the irritated minister. 
 
 " It would appeal 1 ," said she, " that there can be no sympa- 
 thy between the Mancinis and the Louvois, and that their an- 
 tipathies are to be perpetuated from generation to generation." 
 
 "You would remind me of the similarity which the fate of 
 my son as a wooer bears to that of his father ? " asked Louvois. 
 "I do not deny it; the repulse which twenty-one years ago I 
 received from Olympia Mancini, she repeats to-day in the per- 
 son of her daughter. But it may be that on some other occa- 
 sion the Mancinis shall be repulsed by the Louvois." 
 
 " A threat ? " said the countess, angrily. 
 
 Now it was the shoulders of the minister that were raised. 
 " I have sowed love and reaped hate," said he, quietly. 
 
 (1)
 
 2 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The countess laughed. " Ah," said she, " I see that you 
 have remodelled your speech according to the pious formulary 
 of Madame de Maintenon, and that you seek for your trouba- 
 dours among the prophets." 
 
 "Yes the Scriptural prophets satisfy my cravings for 
 knowledge," replied Louvois, smiling. " Pity that everybody 
 else is not as orthodox as I ! " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked the countess, uneasily. 
 
 " I mean that it would be better for the Countess de Sois- 
 sons if she imitated the discretion of Madame de Maintenon, 
 and eschewed association with those unholy prophets who 
 draw their inspiration from the stars." 
 
 " Do you think so ? And yet the book of the stars is in- 
 spired and contains truth, for therein it stands written that our 
 two families will never be united by the bonds of love. What 
 is the use of striving against destiny ? Fate has willed our 
 enmity, and we must submit with resignation," said the couut- 
 ess, with an affected drawl. " You see," added she, pathetic- 
 ally, " how beautifully I fall into your new-fashioned dialect, 
 and how harmoniously my dulcet notes mingle with those of 
 the court chorus." 
 
 " I remember the dulcet notes of a poem written years ago, 
 which were wont to edify the court with a strain that would 
 sound inharmonious there to-day. What would De Monies- 
 pan and De Maintenon say to such discordant lines as these ? >: 
 And Louvois began to hum the following : 
 
 " La belle Olympe n'a point de seqonde, 
 Et FAmour a bien reuni 
 Dedans 1'infante Mancini 
 Par un avantage supreme 
 Tout ce qui force a dire : J'aime ! 
 Et qui 1'a fait dire a nos dieux ! " * 
 
 " What they would say ? " replied the countess ; " why, 
 they would listen approvingly to a rhapsody which time has 
 falsified, and imagine that I wince to hear it sung. But they 
 would be in error. I thank you for recalling to my mind the 
 golden vision of the past, wherein a king knelt at my feet, and 
 
 * " Les Nieces de Mazarion," par Rene"e, p. 177.
 
 THE COUNTESS OF SOISSONS. ;j 
 
 Louvois lived upon my smiles. She who can look back upon 
 conquests such as these, can afford to despise the contrarieties 
 of the present, while she plumes her victorious wings for fu- 
 ture flight, wherein she shall attain indemnification for the 
 trifling vexations of to-day." 
 
 " I wish you may realize your joyous anticipations," replied 
 Louvois, with a sneer. " But if you will allow me to draw 
 your horoscope, you will confess that I am a wiser seer than 
 your dear friend La Voisin." 
 
 For one moment the features of the countess contracted 
 painfully, but she mastered her emotion and was able to reply 
 with a tranquil smile, " Do so, your excellency, I am all at- 
 tention." 
 
 " I read in the stars that snares encompass you, Countess de 
 Soissons. You have enemies, numerous, powerful, and crafty. 
 At their head stands the queen, who can never forgive you for 
 having opened one of her letters, and having stolen thence a 
 note addressed to the king, which accused her of secret machi- 
 nations with Spain. Then there is poor Louise de la Valliere, 
 who for your cruel sarcasms shed such oceans of tears " 
 
 " She is in a convent." 
 
 "True, but the scars of your persecutions are upon her 
 heart; and although she may be a Christian, think you that 
 she has ceased to be a woman ? Third among the number of 
 those who hate you is the Marquise de Montespan, to whom 
 the brilliant assemblages at the Hotel de Soissons are a source 
 of mortification, for she can never forget that, on more than 
 one occasion, the king has forgotten his rendezvous with her, 
 to linger at the side of his fascinating hostess. And we must 
 not overlook the pious De Maintenon, who lives in constant 
 terror lest some day or other your presence should recall to 
 the king that golden vision of his youth, whereof Olympia 
 Mancini was the enshrined divinity. For this reason you are 
 more obnoxious to the ex-governess than De Montespau her- 
 self. The star of the latter favorite is already on the wane, 
 whereas yours may rise again at the bidding of Memory. 
 These four women have long meditated your destruction, and 
 many are the thorns with which they have strewed your path 
 in life. But, to compass your ruin, there was wanting one
 
 4 PRINCE EUGEXK AND HIS TJMES. 
 
 strong arm that could concentrate their scattered missiles, 
 and hurl them in one great bomb at your head. Countess de 
 Soissons, that arm is mine I, Louvqis, the trusted minister of 
 the king, the friend of De Maintenon, the mightiest subject in 
 France I am the man whose arm shall strike on behalf of 
 your enemies, of whom in me behold the chief ! You have 
 thrown me your gauntlet, and I raise it. I proclaim myself 
 ypur foe, and since there must be war between our races, we 
 shall see whether for the future the Mancinis may jipt be made 
 to suffer through the Louvois ! This is my horoscope, and now 
 mark well my last words: La Voisin the soothsayer was ar- 
 rested last night." 
 
 All the self-control which she could gather to meet this 
 sinister disclosure, pould not smother the groan which was up- 
 heaved from Olympia's sinking heart. 
 
 Louvois affected not to hear it. He bowed low and pre- 
 pared to take his leave. The countess made no effort to de- 
 tain him ; she was too frightened for circumspection, and she 
 followed his retreating figure with eyes that were all aflame 
 with hate. Nor did their fiery glow abate when, having 
 reached the door, Louvois turned and confronted her. 
 
 He surveyed her calmly, but his eye returned hate for hate, 
 and so for a moment they stared at each other, while there 
 passed between the two g, silent challenge, which both felt was 
 to be fought out to the death- 
 After a pause Louvois spoke. His mouth dilated with a 
 cruel smile, which, when its mocking light was s<-( n, beto- 
 kened peril to those who offended him. 
 
 " Madame," said he, " not only has La Voisin been arrested, 
 but her private papers have been seized.'' So saying, he bowed 
 again and disappeared behind the portiere.
 
 THE LABORATORY. 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE LABORATORY. 
 
 THE countess listened to his echoing footsteps until they 
 were no longer audible, nor did she move until she heard the 
 roll of the carriage which bore him away. 
 
 Gradually the sound of the receding vehicle melted into 
 distance, and a deep silence ensued. This silence first roused 
 the countess from her lethargy. A tremor convulsed her 
 limbs ; her dilated orbs which had been fixed upon the door 
 relaxed, and wandered from the silken hangings of the walls 
 to the gilded furniture around her ; from the tables of Flor- 
 entine marble to the rainbow-tinted chandeliers, whose 
 pendants swayed to and fro in the sunshine. And now 
 they rested dreamily Upon a picture which, conspicuous' 
 for size and beauty, hiing immediately Opposite to the sofa 
 whereon she was reclining. It Was the full length por- 
 trait of a handsome youth. lie was not tall, but he wa 
 gracefully proportioned. His shoulders were broad; aiid, 
 rising from the midst of a slender throat, adorned with 
 a fall of lace, appeared his stately head crowned with a 
 wealth of long, brown curls. His face was of a beautiful 
 oval, his complexion clear, his mouth wreathed with happy 
 smiles. The brow was high and arched, and the fine gray 
 eyes beamed with hope and energy. In one hand he held 
 a rose, which he extended to a person not represented in 
 the picture; the other hand, half- veiled by its overhanging 
 fall of gossamer lace, rested carelessly on the table, while 
 close by lay two rose-buds, which seemed just to have been 
 dropped from the half-open fingers. Over an arm-chair in 
 the background was thrown a mantle of royal ermine, which 
 partially concealed the kingly crown that surmounted its 
 high carved back. 
 
 The eyes of the countess were fixed upon this picture with 
 an expression of tender sadness, and slowly, as if yielding to 
 an influence altogether objective, she rose from her sfcat and 
 advanced toward the portrait, where she remained gafcirig
 
 6 PRINCE EUGEXE A\D HIS TIMES. 
 
 until her sight was dimmed by tears, while the youth smiled 
 ever, and ever held out the rose. 
 
 What golden tribute had his homage brought to her am- 
 bition! What ecstasy had it poured into her heart! How 
 truly had she loved that princely boy, who, careless, happy, 
 and fickle, was bestowing upon other women the roses which 
 for her had withered years ago, leaving upon their blighted 
 stems the sharp and cruel thorns of his inconstancy ! 
 
 Since then, twenty-three years had gone by ; she had be- 
 come a wife and the mother of seven children, but the wound 
 still festered ; the old sorrow still sang its mournful dirge with- 
 in a heart which to-day beat as wildly as ever, and felt a pang 
 as keen as when it first grew jealous, and learned that not she, 
 but Marie, had become the divinity whom Louis worshipped. 
 
 Marie, too, had been forsaken, and had stifled the cries of 
 her despairing heart by marriage with another. The fate of 
 both sisters had been the same a short dream of gratified am- 
 bition, followed by long years of humiliation. It seemed that 
 the prosperity and happiness of Cardinal Mazarin's nieces had 
 been coexistent with his life, for when the eyes of their uncle 
 closed in death, the light of their fortunes grew dim and ex- 
 pired. 
 
 The portrait of Louis XIV., which was calling up the spec- 
 tres of so many buried joys, had been painted expressly for 
 Olympia Mancini. It represented his first declaration of love 
 to her, and had been sent as a souvenir of " the brightest hour 
 of his life." He had barely reached his thirty-seventh year, 
 and yet this winsome youth had been transformed into a de- 
 mure devotee, who, despising the vanities of the world, had 
 turned his heart toward heaven, and spent his life doing pen- 
 ance for the sins of his early manhood ! 
 
 And this transformation was the work of a woman who 
 had neither beauty, youth, nor birth to recommend her to the 
 favor of a monarch a woman who h^'l been the paid govern- 
 ess of the king's bastards, and was not even gifted with intel- 
 lect enough to cover her other deficiencies ! 
 
 These last thoughts brought a smile to the face of the 
 countess. Turning suddenly away from the portrait she 
 crossed the room with rapid steps, and placed herself directly
 
 THE LABORATORY. 7 
 
 in front of a large Venetian mirror which occupied the space 
 between two windows. It gave back the reflection of an ex- 
 quisite figure, whose outlines contributed much to the grace 
 with which the folds of a blue satin dress fell in rich profusion 
 around it. The white shoulders \V<MV scarcely concealed by a 
 shawl of superb lace, and the arms, still round, were set off by 
 costly bracelets. The raven hair, witli not a trace of time's 
 finger to discolor its glossy blackness, fell around her face in 
 curls as delicate as the tendrils of a grape. Her brow was 
 smooth and polished, her eyes aglow with passionate longing, 
 and, as her lips curved into a complacent smile, they disclosed 
 two rows of pearly teeth, compact and without a fleck. 
 
 Yes, she was not deceived. Olympia de Soissons was a 
 handsome woman, and with so much comeliness, such ready 
 wit, and such unrivalled powers of conversation, she might 
 gird up her loins to do battle with her rivals. Was not Madame 
 de Maintenon her elder by three years? And as for De Montes- 
 pan, was she not wasting away into an old woman? If they 
 had found it possible to win the heart of this sensual Louis, 
 why not she ? This heart had once been all her own, and why 
 should not she, who combined the beauty of one mistress with 
 the shrewdness of the other, dispossess them both, and re-enter 
 into possession of her old domains ? 
 
 She smiled again, and saw how well her smiles became 
 her. " Yes," said she to herself, " yes, I will recall this truant 
 merlin, and he shall return to perch upon the hand he used to 
 love ! I will be m istress of his heart and mistress of his realms. 
 She foretold it all, and gave me the charm wherewith to work 
 the spell." 
 
 But as she gave utterance to these last words, her lips began 
 to quiver, and her fine features were distorted by some sudden 
 pain. She had just called to mind the fearful intelligence of 
 La Voisin's arrest. 
 
 " Great God ! If my letters should have been found among 
 her papers ! What, oh what would be my fate ? " 
 
 She shuddered and in place of the triumphant vision of a 
 heart recaptured, a monarch at her feet, there arose the fear- 
 ful spectacle of an execution which, four years before, she had 
 witnessed at the blood v Place de Greve. Once more she saw 
 3
 
 g PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the square, black with a mass of human beings, who, jeering, 
 shouting, and cursing, moved hither and thither like the waves 
 of a turbulent ocean ; at every window that looked out upon 
 the place, she saw gayly-dressed ladies who peered anxiously 
 out to catch a glimpse of one gloomy object that loomed 
 darkly up from its centre. She saw the crowd give way and 
 part, as, keeping pace with the dull sound of a muffled drum, 
 a sad procession entered upon the scene. At its head marched 
 a battalion of soldiers, and behind them, seated in the felon's 
 cart, came a pale, beautiful woman, who ever and anon pressed 
 to her quivering lips the crucifix held out to her by a priest 
 that last link of sympathy between the convict and his fel- 
 low-creatures. At the criminal's side, in symbolic robes of san- 
 guinary red, was the executioner that was to sever this slender 
 tie, and wrench the spirit from the body to whose guardian- 
 ship God had committed it on earth. Silently the hideous 
 cortege moved on, while the crowd fell back to let it pass, until 
 the scaffold came to view. How joyously the sun's rays 
 seemed to play around the glittering axe that was to end a 
 career of secret crime ! How eagerly the high-born dames 
 bend forward to catch sight of the criminal, as, leaning on the 
 arm of the priest, she tottered to her doom ! Olympia remem- 
 bered only too well the moment when the drum ceased its 
 " discordant sound," and when the silence was so oppressive 
 that the low voice of the condemned was heard uttering her 
 last prayer. She knelt beside the block a circle of light was 
 described upon the air and the head fell upon the blood- be- 
 sprinkled sand. 
 
 The Countess de Soissons sickened as she remembered that 
 the woman whom she had seen executed was one of high po- 
 sition, no less a personage than the beautiful and fascinating 
 Marquise de Brinvilliers. Neither her rank, her charms, nor 
 the strenuous efforts of her powerful friends, had been ade- 
 quate to save her from the headsman's axe. She had been 
 convicted of poisoning, and had shared the fate of other male- 
 factors of less repute. Her confidante La Voisin had been 
 arrested at the time, but as nothing proved her to have been an 
 accomplice of her former mistress she had escaped conviction. 
 
 Something new with regard to the fortune-teller must have
 
 THE LABORATORY. 
 
 transpired, for Louvois had considered her arrest as an ill- 
 omen for the Countess de Soissons. Not only for Olympia, 
 however, was the arrest of Catherine a calamity, for she was 
 the trusty counsellor of many a noble lady who, before sus- 
 picion had sullied her name, had been the dear and intimate 
 associate of the Marquise de Brinvilliers. 
 
 The countess had turned away from the contemplation of 
 her mellow charms, and was on her way to her boudoir. She 
 bolted the door within, and, crossing the room, mounted a 
 chair that stood by the side of a tall mirror set in a thick gilt 
 frame. She touched a spring, when the mirror glided noise- 
 lessly aside, revealing a dark recess within the wall. 
 
 Olympia slipped through the opening, which closed behind 
 her, darted up a narrow staircase, and, hastily drawing a key 
 from a pocket concealed within the folds of her dress, she un- 
 locked the door of a room whose aspect was anything but ap- 
 propriate to the pursuits of a lady of quality. 
 
 It was to all appearances a kitchen, for one entire side of it 
 was occupied by a hearth full of recesses, each one of which 
 contained a furnace fitted up with iron utensils for cooking. 
 On the mantel, which corresponded to this immense hearth, 
 were ranged pipkins and other vessels of different sizes, inter- 
 spersed with rows of phials and flasks containing liquids of 
 every imaginable color. On a massive oaken table, in the 
 centre of the apartment, were placed a number of bowls and 
 dishes, and near them lay a disorderly pile of papers, books, 
 and pamphlets. 
 
 Olympia approached the hearth, stooped over one of the 
 furnaces, and from a fagot lying near gathered a few small 
 sticks. Over these sticks she poured a fluid from one of her 
 flasks, and then rubbing them briskly together, they began to 
 emit sparks. She placed them under the furnace, added a lit- 
 tle more fuel, and in a " -w moments had a good fire. 
 
 She now sprang to her feet, and hastily pushing aside a 
 row of pipkins, opened a small door which had been concealed 
 behind them, above the mantel. From a recess within the 
 wall she took a brass-bound casket, which she placed upon the 
 table. 
 
 The casket contained some books, papers, and several di-
 
 10 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 minutive phials. One of these phials she held up to the light, 
 contemplating its contents with manifest satisfaction. 
 
 " Herein lies the spell that is to lure my faithless monarch 
 back again. La Voisin may rot in prison, but her mantle of 
 science has fallen upon me, and her secrets are mine. Her 
 last, best gift shall restore me to my throne. Not only did she 
 leave me the means of success, but she foretold the certainty 
 of that success besides. It must be so : La Voisin never erred 
 in her predictions, and I shall triumph ! " 
 
 Pressing the phial to her lips, Olympia hid it beneath the 
 folds of her lace tucker, murmuring the while, " I shall sip of 
 this nectar anon; for the present, I must provide for dis- 
 covery." 
 
 She took the papers that lay in the casket, and weighing 
 them in her hand said musingly : 
 
 '' How light they are, and yet how heavy was the gold with 
 which I purchased them! 'Tis a pity they should be de- 
 stroyed: what if I should forget ? But no ! oblivion of their 
 treasured secrets were impossible to me ; so away with you ! 
 You might turn traitors, and I had best anticipate treachery by 
 destruction." 
 
 Then followed the books and the contents of the phials re- 
 maining in the casket. The blue flames leaped high as these 
 last were added to the cremation, and the room became op- 
 pressive with their unwholesome vapor. 
 
 " The window must be opened " said Olympia. " This odor 
 might betray me. People might suspect me of having cooked 
 arsenic in my kitchen instead of onions." 
 
 With these words she opened the casement, and the nox- 
 ious cloud passed slowly out into the air. 
 
 '' Now all is safe. Louvois can send as many bailiffs as he 
 lists, and should they poke their inquisitive noses into my 
 sanctum, they will find nothing for their pains but an innocent 
 laboratory wherein the Countess de Soissons prepares her 
 cosmetics, and makes experiments in the chemistry of the 
 toilet." 
 
 She replaced her casket, searched the mantel carefully, and 
 then glanced sharply around the room to assure herself that 
 she was alone and undiscovered.
 
 THE LABORATORY. H 
 
 Yes! Alone, the witnesses of her guilt consumed, and 
 their ashes etherealized throughout space. 
 
 The countess smiled, and, as she locked the door of her 
 laboratory, her spirits revived and her thoughts once more re- 
 verted to the ambitious dreams of the morning. When she 
 had reached her boudoir again, and the complaisant mirror 
 had resumed its place, she drew the flask from her bosom, re- 
 moved the glass stopper, inhaled for a moment its perfume, 
 and then, raising it to her lips, drained the contents to their 
 last drop. 
 
 " And this philter is to make me mistress of your heart, 
 King Louis ! How I long to begin my reign ! " 
 
 A slight rustling was heard outside, and the guilty woman 
 trembled anew. She concealed the phial, and listened breath- 
 lessly, while her straining eyes were fixed upon the door as 
 though they had hoped to see through its panels of oak 
 whether friend or foe stood without. 
 
 A slight knock was heard, and now, in spite of herself, the 
 Countess de Soissons grew pale and shivered. What if the 
 myrmidons of Louvois had come with a lettre de cachet! 
 What if No ! not even he would go so far in his enmity to 
 the niece of the great cardinal, the relative of the reigning 
 Duke of Savoy, and the daughter-in-law of the Princess Ca- 
 rignan. 
 
 So she summoned resolution enough to cross the room, 
 draw back the bolt, and to say in a loud, imperious tone : 
 u Come in." 
 
 The door opened, and admitted a young man. The count- 
 ess no sooner recognized him than she smiled, and, with a 
 slight elevation of her shoulders, said, "Nobody but you." 
 
 u Nobody but me," replied the youth, sadly. " I come to 
 ask of my gracious mother an interview."
 
 12 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 THE countess inclined her head in token of assent ; but, as 
 she did so, her eyes rested on the diminutive form of her son 
 with an expression that savored of disdain. The look was un- 
 mdtherlyj and seemed to say, " How can a man of such insig- 
 nificant appearance be the son of the stately Countess de Sois- 
 sons ? " 
 
 And indeed to a careless observer the words were not inap- 
 propriate to his dwarfish proportiohs. His head, which, be- 
 tween his excessively wide shoulders, was perched upon the 
 top of a very long neck, was too large, much too large for his 
 body. His face was narrow, his complexion swarthy, his sal- 
 low cheeks high and sunken. A nose slightly turned up, gave 
 an expression of boldness to his countenance, increased by the 
 shortness Of his upper lip, which exposed to view two large front 
 teeth that were almost ferocious in their size. On either side 
 of his high, narrow forehead, his hair, instead of being worn 
 according to the prevailing fashion, was suffered to fall in 
 long elf-locks about his ears. Notwithstanding all these dis- 
 advantages, his eyes were so superlatively beautiful that they 
 almost persuaded you into the belief that he was handsome. 
 From their lustrous depths there streamed a meteoric splendor, 
 which, more than words, revealed the genius, the enthusiasm, 
 and the noble soul to which Nature had assigned such un- 
 worthy corporality. 
 
 Those speaking eyes were fixed upon the countess in tender 
 sadness, while, in a respectful attitude near the door, he awaited 
 her permission to approach. 
 
 She languidly extended her hand, and, Eugene coming for- 
 ward, bent over and imprinted upon it a heartfelt kiss. 
 
 " My dear mother then consents ? " said he, humbly. 
 
 "I know of no reason why I should refuse," replied the 
 countess, carelessly. " Neither am I able to divine wherefore 
 you make your request in a tone of such unusual solemnity. 
 One would suppose that the little abbe has come to invite his
 
 PRINCE EUGENE. 13 
 
 mother to a confession of her sins, so portentous is his de- 
 meanor." 
 
 " Would I could receive that confession," exclaimed he, 
 earnestly ; " would I could look into my mother's heart and 
 read the secrets there ! " 
 
 "Indeed! and have you come hither to catechise your 
 mother, then ? " said the countess, with a frown. 
 
 " No, dear mother, no," cried Eugene, eagerly ; " I have 
 come to ask of you whether I may walk with head erect be- 
 fore the world, or whether I must die because of our dis- 
 honor ? " 
 
 " An extraordinary alternative to present for my decision, 
 certainly ; and I confess that I am very curious to learn how 
 it happens that I can assist you in your dilemma. Speak, then, 
 and I will listen." 
 
 With these words the countess threw herself indolently 
 into an arm-chair, and motioned Eugene to a seat. But he 
 only advanced a step or two, and gazed wistfully upon her 
 handsome, hardened face. 
 
 " Mother," said he, in a low, husky voice, " the soothsayer 
 La Voisin has been arrested." 
 
 " Ah I ^vhat else ? " asked the countess, with perfect com- 
 posure. 
 
 "Her house is guarded, every corner has been searched, 
 and her papers have all been seized." 
 
 " And what else ? " repeated the countess. 
 
 Her son looked up, and a ray of hope shot athwart his pale 
 and anxious face. " Nothing is talked of in Paris," continued 
 he, " but the strange revelations connected with her arrest. It 
 is said that she not only drew the horoscope of those who were 
 accustomed to visit her, and gave them philters, but but " 
 
 "But," echoed the countess as her son paused. 
 
 " But that she prepared secret poisons, one of which, called 
 ' La poudre de succession,' was specially designed for the use 
 of those who wished to remove an inconvenient relative." 
 
 This time the countess was silent ; her brow contracted, 
 and she shivered perceptibly. 
 
 An involuntary cry burst from the lips of her son, which 
 recalled her to a sense of her imprudence.
 
 14 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " What ails you ? " asked she, abruptly. " Have you seen 
 a ghost, that you cry out in a voice so unearthly ? " 
 
 "Yes, mother, I have seen a ghost the ghost of my 
 father ! " And while the countess grew pale, and her eyes di- 
 lated with fear, her unhappy son sank upon his knees before 
 her, and clasped his hands with agony of apprehension. 
 
 " Mother, have mercy on me, and forgive me if, in the an- 
 guish of my writhing soul, I ask you whether you are inno- 
 cent of my father's death ? " 
 
 " Has any one dared to accuse me ? " asked she, with a 
 scowl. 
 
 " Ay ! And so publicly, that men spoke of it together as I 
 passed them in the streets to-day. Need I say that I was ready 
 to die of grief as I heard the epithet of murderess applied to 
 the mother who to me has been the ideal of beauty, goodness, 
 and excellence, which my heart has worshipped to the exclu- 
 sion of all other loves! My brain was on fire as I dashed 
 through the scornful crowd, and made my way to you, mother, 
 here to look upon your dear face, and read in your eyes your 
 innocence of the hideous crime. We are alone with God : in 
 mercy tell me, are you innocent or guilty ? " 
 
 As he raised his face to hers, the countess saw there such 
 powerful love struggling with his anguish, that her heart was 
 touched, and the angry words she had meditated died upon 
 her lips. 
 
 " These are cruel doubts wherewith to assail your mother, 
 Eugene," said she, after a pause. "Follow me, and in the 
 presence of your forefathers you shall be answered." 
 
 With a lofty bend of the head, she left the room, followed 
 by her stricken child. They crossed a spacious hall, and trav- 
 ersed one after another the apartments of state which were 
 thrown open to guests on occasions of great ceremony, and 
 led to the grand hall of reception. At the farther end of this 
 hall, under a canopy of purple velvet, surmounted by a ducal 
 crown, were the two thrones which, on the days of these state 
 receptions, the Count and Countess de Soissons were privileged 
 to occupy in presence of their guests, provided his majesty 
 ( were not of the number. This right they held by virtue of 
 their connection with the royal house of France, and their
 
 PRINCE ET'GF.XE. 15 
 
 close relationship to the Duke of Savoy. At the time of the 
 marriage of his 111000 with the Count de Soissons, Cardin;d 
 Mazarin had obtained from Louis XIV. an acknowledgment 
 of her husband as a prinoe of the blood, and, by virtue ol this 
 acknowledgment, his riirht to attend without invitation all 
 court festivities, to appear at the public and private levees of 
 the king, and in his own palace to sit upon a throne. 
 
 On either side of the throne-room of the Hotel de Soissons 
 were ranged the portraits of their ancestors, in armor, in ducal 
 or episcopal robes, in doublet and hose, or in flowing wigs. 
 Silently the mother and son walked by the stately effigies of 
 princes and princesses, until they had reached the farthest 
 portrait there. 
 
 With outstretched arms the countess pointed to the like- 
 ness of a handsome man, clad in a rich court-suit, which well 
 became his aristocratic figure. As he gazed upon the pleasant 
 smile that illumined a face expressive of exceeding goodness, 
 the eyes of young Eugene filled with tears. 
 
 His mother surveyed him with a curl of her lip. 
 
 " Tears ! " said she. "And yet you stand before the portrait 
 of your father, whom you accuse me of having murdered ! " 
 
 " No, no," cried her son, eagerly, " I did not accuse, I I 
 
 "You inquired," interrupted the countess, disdainfully. 
 " And by your inquiry you insinuate that such a crime by the 
 hand of your mother was not only possible, but probable." 
 
 " Unhappily, I have more than once seen La Voisin in your 
 boudoir, mother." 
 
 The countess affected not to hear. " Then a son considers 
 himself justifiable in asking of his mother whether or not she 
 poisoned his father ; he should do so with the sword of justice 
 in his hand, not with an eyelid that trembles with cowardly 
 tears." 
 
 " Mother, have pity on me," sobbed Eugene, throwing him- 
 self at her feet. " Do not answer my cruel question, for I read 
 your innocence in the noble scorn that flashes from your eye, 
 and beams from every feature of your dear, truthful face. 
 Pardon me, beloved mother; pardon your repentant child." 
 
 " No, I shall not pardon the poltroon who, believing that 
 Jus mother has disgraced his escutcheon, weeps like a woman
 
 16 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 over wrongs which he should avenge like a man. But I fo 
 got. The little abbe of Savoy is not accustomed to wear a 
 sword: his weapon is the missal. Go, then, to your prayers, 
 and when you pray for your father's soul, ask forgiveness of 
 God for your heartless and ungrateful conduct to his widow." 
 
 " Dear, dear mother, have pity ! " sobbed Eugene, still kneel- 
 ing at her feet. 
 
 "Was there any pity in your heart for me when you asked 
 that shameful question ? " 
 
 "I was demented," cried he; "maddened by the sneers 
 that were flung at me in the streets to-day." 
 
 " And, to console yourself , you joined in the popular cry. 
 ' Vox populi vox Dei' I suppose, is your pious motto." 
 
 " Mother ! " cried Eugene, springing to his feet, " crush me, 
 if you will, under the weight of your anger, but do no* stretch 
 me upon the rack of your scorn. I am no devotee ; and, if the 
 king, my family, and yourself, are forcing me into a career 
 which is repugnant to every instinct of my manhood, pity me, 
 if you will, but do not insult me." 
 
 "Pity you!" sneered the countess. "I am a woman; but 
 he who would venture to pity me, would receive my glove in 
 his face for his insolence. Go, faint heart! You are fit for 
 nothing but a whining priest, for there is not a spark of man- 
 hood within your sluggish breast. No generous blood of the 
 princes of Savoy mantles in your sallow cheek; 'tis the ichor- 
 ous fluid of the churchman Mazarin that " 
 
 "Mother!" thundered Eugene, with a force that gave the 
 lie to her derisive words " mother, you shall go no further in 
 your disdain of me, for the blood of Savoy is seething within 
 my veins, and I may, perchance, forget that she who so af- 
 fronts my father's son, is my mother ! " 
 
 " You have already forgotten," replied the countess, coldly. 
 " My answer to your infamous charge shall be made not to 
 you, but to your ancestors." 
 
 So saying, she bent her steps toward the ducal throne, and 
 seating herself thereon, addressed her son: 
 
 " Eugene of Savoy, Prince of Carignan, Bourbon, and 
 Piedmont, bend your knee before the mother that bore you, 
 and hearken to her words."
 
 PRINCE EUGENK. 1? 
 
 The prince obeyed, and knelt at the foot of the throne. 
 
 The countess raised her arm, and pointed to the portraits 
 that hung around. " You have been witnesses," said she, ad- 
 dressing them all, " to the outrage which has been put upon 
 me to-day by him who inherits your name, but not your worth. 
 If I am the guilty wretch which he has pronounced me to be, 
 strike me to the earth for my crimes, and justify his parrici- 
 dal words. But you know that I am innocent, and that, with 
 bitter tears, I lamented the death of my murdered husband ! " 
 
 "Murdered!" exclaimed Eugene. "It is, then, true that 
 he was murdered ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied the countess, " he was murdered, but not by 
 bowl or dagger." 
 
 With these words, she rose, and, slowly descending from 
 her throne, she returned to the spot which she had left, and 
 gazed mournfully upon her husband's portrait. " He was a 
 noble, brave, and gallant prince," said she, softly. u He loved 
 me unspeakably, and wherefore should I have taken the life 
 of him whose whole pleasure lay in ministering to my happi- 
 ness ? What could I gain by the death of the dearest friend I 
 ever had ? Ah, never would he have mistrusted his Olympia! 
 Had the envious rabble of Paris defamed me while he lived to 
 iefend my honor, it is not your father, Prince Eugene, that 
 would have joined my traducers and outraged my woman- 
 hood, as you have done to-day ! " 
 
 " Forgive me," murmured the prince. 
 
 ' Yes, my beloved," continued she, addressing the picture, 
 " they accuse me of murdering thee, because they seek my 
 ruin as they compassed thine." 
 
 " Who, dear mother, who ? " cried Eugene, passionately. 
 " Who are the fiends that murdered my father and calum- 
 niate my mother ? " 
 
 "They are Louis XIV.," exclaimed the countess, ''his 
 minister Louvois, and his two mistresses, De Montespan and 
 De Maintenon." 
 
 " The king ! " echoed Eugene, in a voice of such fury, that 
 his mother turned her eyes from the portrait, and stared at 
 him with amazement. 
 
 " You hate the king ? " said she, hurriedly.
 
 Ifc PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Yes," said Eugene, his eyes flashing fire ; " yes, I hate 
 him." 
 
 " And why ? " 
 
 " Do not ask me, mother; I dare not say wherefore I hate 
 the king." 
 
 " Then I will tell you why. You hate him because you be- 
 lieve the scandalous reports which my enemies have spread 
 throughout Europe as regards my relations, in years gone by, 
 with Louis. You believe that your mother was once the 
 king's mistress, and that, to hide her shame, she borrowed the 
 name of the Count de Soissons." 
 
 Eugene made no reply. 
 
 " Ah, why have I no son to shelter me from these infamous 
 suspicions! Why must I live and die under such false and 
 disgraceful imputations ? " 
 
 "Then, it is not true ?" cried Eugene, joyfully. "You did 
 not love the king, mother ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did love him," said she, calmly, "and loved him as 
 an Italian alone can love." 
 
 Eugene groaned, and covered his face with his hands. 
 
 " I do not deny the love," continued the countess, " for it 
 was all the work of Cardinal Mazarin. He brought me from 
 Italy, and bade me win the king's heart and become a 
 queen ; and when he did so he added a recommendation to me 
 to be a good, dutiful niece, and never to forget who it was 
 had helped me to a crown. I saw the youth whom the car- 
 dinal desired me to love : the handsomest, wittiest, and most 
 accomplished cavalier in France. I obeyed but too willingly, 
 and Louis became the idol of my life." 
 
 " Then it is true that my mother was beloved by the king ? " 
 said Eugene, sternly. 
 
 " Beloved by him, but never his mistress ! " returned the 
 countess, proudly. " Yes, he loved me as I did him, with the 
 trust, the strength, the passion, that are characteristic of a first 
 love. I was ambitious for him as well as for myself, and 
 would have had him a monarch in deed as well as in name. 
 I led him away from the frivolous regions of indolent enjoy- 
 ineiit to the starry realms of poetry, art, and science ; and, had 
 Louis ever risen to the fame of Numa, I should have merited
 
 PRINCE EUGENE. 19 
 
 that of Egeria. But this conflicted with the ambition of the 
 cardinal. He had no sooner comprehended the nature of ths 
 influence I exerted over his royal tool, than he poisoned his 
 ear by insinuating that ambition, not love, was the spring of 
 all my efforts to elevate him to the level of his magnificent 
 destiny. Poor, weak Louis ! He was anything that Cardinal 
 Mazarin chose to make him ; so at the word of command he 
 ceased to love, and went to make an offering of his accom- 
 modating affections to Marie. She made him take an oath 
 never to look at me again." 
 
 " Did he respect the oath ? " 
 
 " Just so long as he loved Marie. I need not tell you that 
 I suffered from his inconstancy. I was inexpressibly grieved; 
 but pride upheld me, and Louis never received a word or look 
 of reproach for his faithlessness. Meanwhile your father of- 
 fered his hand, and before I accepted it he was made acquaint- 
 ed with the history of my heart. I concealed nothing from 
 him, so that he was at once the confidant of my past sorrows, 
 and their comforter." 
 
 "Thank you, dear, dear mother," said Eugene, tenderly. 
 " In the name of all your children, let me thank you for 
 your noble candor. " 
 
 *' I married the Prince de Soissons, and here, in presence of 
 his assembled ancestors, I swear that I have kept unstained 
 the faith I pledged him at the marriage-altar. Let the world 
 belie me as it will, Olympia Mancini has ever been a spotless 
 wife. So true is this, that Louis, when he had abandoned Marie, 
 and had tired of his queen, returned to me with vows of a love 
 which he swore had been the only genuine passion of his life ; 
 and when, as my husband's loyal wife, I repulsed the advances 
 of his sovereign, that sovereign became my bitterest enemy. 
 Not even after he had consoled himself with the insipid 
 charms of that poor, flimsy creature, La Valliere, did Louis re* 
 lent ; his animosity, because of some witticism of mine on the 
 subject of his hysterical mistress, has pursued me throughout 
 life ; not only me, but every member of my family. For a 
 mere epigram I was banished from Paris, and your father 
 stripped of a lucrative and honorable office. We managed 
 after a time to return to court, but my enemies were more
 
 20 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 powerful than I. Through the jealousy of the Marquise de 
 Montespan I was a second time banished ; but before we left, 
 your father fought two duels with noblemen who had circu- 
 lated the calumnies which the marquise had originated concern- 
 ing me. The Duke de Noailles was wounded, and the Cheva- 
 lier de Grand Mercy killed. Although the challenges had 
 been honorably sent and accepted, the Count de Soissoiis was 
 summoned before the king and publicly rebuked. Oh, let me 
 speak no longer of the contumely we endured during those 
 bitter days ! My husband died, blessing me, and cursing the 
 selfish monarch who had ruined us both." 
 
 Eugene clinched his hand. " I shall remember the curse," 
 cried he, "and it shall be verified if God give me strength, 
 mother! '' 
 
 " Yes, avenge us if you can, Eugene, but, until the day of 
 reckoning come, we must be politic and wary. Be silent and 
 discreet as I was, when, on being allowed to return to Paris, I 
 humbled myself for my dear children's sake, and not only 
 swore to write no more epigrams, but went in person to sue to 
 Madame de Montespan for pardon and protection ! " 
 
 " Mother, is it possible ! Far better had it been for us to 
 die obscurely in some provincial village, than purchase our 
 admission to court at the price of such humiliation as that ! " 
 
 '' No, no I had sworn to be revenged upon my persecutors, 
 and no plan of vendetta could I carry out in a provincial vil- 
 lage. Do you remember what I told my sons on the day of our 
 return to the Hotel de Soissons ? " 
 
 " Ay, mother, that do I. You said : ' Bow your heads in 
 ostensible humility, but never forget that the Bourbons have 
 robbed you of your inheritance. Never forget that if you are 
 poor, it is because on some idle pretext of a conspiracy that 
 never could be proved, Louis XIV. sequestered the estates of 
 the Counts de Soissons.' Thase were your words, and you see 
 that I have not forgotten them. They are the steel on which 
 I have sharpened the hate I feel for the King of France. And 
 now that its edge is keen, why may I not lift it against the 
 man who belied my mother, and murdered my father ? Oh 
 mother, mother, why will you force me to become a priest ? " 
 
 "What else could you become?" asked Olympia. ''The
 
 PRINCE EUGENE. 21 
 
 king is your guardian, and he it is that from your childhood 
 has destined you for the church.'' 
 
 " I hate this garb," exclaimed Eugene, touching his cassock. 
 "My vocation is not for the priesthood, and, if I am called 
 upon to utter compulsory vows, I feel. that I shall disgrace my 
 cloth. Dear mother, loosen the detested bonds that bind me 
 to a listless and contemplative life ! Gird me with a sword, 
 and let me go out to battle with the world like a man ! " 
 
 The countess looked disdainfully at the diminutive figure 
 of her son, and raised her shoulders with contempt. " You a 
 soldier ! " 
 
 " Yes ! " exclaimed Eugene, passionately. " Yes ! My soul 
 abhors the cloister, and yearns for the battle-field. While 
 you have fancied that I was studying theology, I have been 
 poring over the lives of great commanders; and, instead of 
 preparing my soul for heaven, I have trained my body for 
 earthly strife. Look not so compassionately upon my stature, 
 mother. This body is slender, but 'tis the coat of mail that 
 covers an intrepid soul, and I have hardened it until it can bid 
 defiance to wind or weather. With this arm I curb the 
 wildest horse, nor will its sinews yield to the blow of the 
 most practised swordsman in France. I have studied the 
 science of warfare in books ; my life has been one long prep- 
 aration for its practice, and I cannot, will not relinquish 
 my day-dreams of glory." 
 
 "There is no help for it, I tell you. All princes of the 
 blood are wards of the king ; your royal guardian has chosen 
 your profession, and you must either submit or bear the con- 
 sequences of his wrath." 
 
 " What care I for his wrath ? Let him give me my free- 
 dom, and I will promise never to seek my fortune at his 
 hands." 
 
 " At all events, wait for some favorable opportunity to re- 
 bel, Eugene. We are poor and dependent now, and your 
 brother's scandalous marriage has forever marred our hopes 
 of seeing him heir to the duchy of Savoy. To think of a 
 Prince de Carignan uniting himself to the daughter of the 
 equerry of the Prince de Conde ! What a disgrace ! " 
 
 " My brother consulted his heart and not his escutcheon,"
 
 22 CRINGE Et/GENE AND tttS TtMEg. 
 
 replied Eugene, with a smile. " He followed the example oi 
 his father, and may God bless him with a wife as beautiful and 
 as virtuous as his mother ! " 
 
 The countess, who had begun to frown at Eugene's apology 
 for his brother, could not resist this filial flattery. She gave 
 him her hand, which he kissed devoutly. 
 
 " You no longer believe me guilty, my son ? " said she. 
 Eugene knelt and murmured: u Pardon, dear, dear mother! 
 My life will be all too short to expiate my unworthy doubts, 
 and to avenge your wrongs." 
 
 " Avenge them, but do not exasperate the king. Imitate 
 Richelieu and Mazarin, and the priest's gown will no longer be 
 distasteful to you. They were great in the field and in the 
 cabinet, and both possessed more than regal power, for both 
 were the rulers of kings." 
 
 Eugene was about to reply, but Olympia raised her hand in 
 remonstrance, and continued : 
 
 " I exact of you, for a time at least, apparent submission 
 and perfect silence. When the hour is ripe for retaliation, 
 you shall strike, and repay me for all that I have endured at 
 the hands of the king. But, for the present, breathe not the 
 name of Louis above a whisper. I have a deadlier foe than he 
 to encounter now. Louvois, Louvois, I dread above all other 
 men; and if you have the strength of a man in your arm, 
 Eugene, let the force of its vengeance fall upon the head of 
 him, whose animosity is more potent than that of all my other 
 enemies united." 
 
 " It shall crush him and all who seek to injure you, mother. 
 Revenge ! yes, revenge for your wrongs, for my father's death, 
 and for my bondage ! " 
 
 " Ay, revenge, Eugene ! A man may wear the garb of an 
 ecclesiastic with the heart of a hero, and to your brave heart 
 these Princes of Carignan commit my cause! Come, let u^ 
 leave our ancestors to their grim repose. May they lend their 
 ghostly aid to the arm that wields the carnal weapons of our 
 righteous vengeance ! " 
 
 As she turned to leave the gallery, the train of her blue 
 satin dress became entangled in the claws of the lion which 
 supported the throne. Eugene stooped hastily to release i\
 
 TI1E RIOT. 23 
 
 and, instead of dropping it again, he smiled affectionately upon 
 his mother and placed himself in the attitude of a page. 
 
 The countess looked pleased at the attention, and said, 
 " Have you learned, among your other accomplishments, to 
 be a trainbearer ? " 
 
 " Yes, mother, I have learned to be your trainbearer, but 
 to no other mortal would I condescend to do such service." 
 
 But Olympia was not listening. She was day-dreaming 
 again, and the substance of her dreams was as follows : 
 
 " How soon, perchance, the court of France may bear my 
 train along, while I, victorious and exultant, crush the head of 
 my enemies beneath my heel ! I feel the glow of the philter 
 as it courses through my veins, warming the blood that shall 
 mantle in my cheeks, kindling the fire that shall flash from 
 my eyes ! The hour is nigh when I am to make my last su- 
 preme effort for mastery over the heart of Louis : if I fail I 
 have an avenger in Eugene, who " 
 
 At this moment an outcry was heard in the streets, and as 
 Olympia opened the door of her cabinet, she was confronted 
 by her steward, who, unannounced, stood pale as death before 
 his astonished mistress. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE RIOT. 
 
 " WHAT, in the name of Heaven, is the matter ? " exclaimed 
 she. " Whence these discordant yells without, and how 
 oomes it that you enter my private apartments without a sum- 
 mons ? " 
 
 " I trust your highness will pardon my boldness ; the case 
 is too urgent to admit of formalities, and I come to receive 
 your instructions as to 
 
 Here the voice of the steward was overpowered by the yells 
 of the populace without, and for several moments the countess 
 and her son stood in speechless amazement, waiting an ex- 
 planation. " What can it mean ? " asked she at last.
 
 24 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "Yonr highness," replied the trembling steward, "the coai-t 
 is filled with an infuriated mob, who rushed in before we had 
 time to close the gates." 
 
 Eugene, with an exclamation of dismay, would have 
 darted to the window, but the steward raised his hand implor- 
 ingly. 
 
 " Do not let them see you, prince," cried he. " They have 
 torn up the pavement, and with the stones have shattered the 
 windows of the lower story." 
 
 " Then it is a riot," said the countess, " and the canaille of 
 Paris have rebelled against the aristocracy." 
 
 " Unhappily, your highness, their anger is directed exclu- 
 sively against the Hotel Soissons, and, if I judged by the num- 
 ber of our assailants, I should say that all Paris has joined in 
 the attack. Not only the canaille are here, but, as I was hur- 
 rying to the corps de garde to ask for protection, I sav^ more 
 than one well-dressed personage descend from his carriage and 
 come thither to increase the number of our enemies." 
 
 " I understand," said the countess, setting her teeth, " the 
 anger of the mob is directed against me." 
 
 " Mother," whispered Eugene, " they must be the same 
 men whom I met in the streets, and whose jeers drove me 
 thither to add to your misery the stab of my unfilial doubts." 
 
 " Did you say that you had sent off for guards ? " asked she 
 of Latour. 
 
 " Yes, your highness. I went at once to the headquarters 
 of the corps de garde, and the officer of the day promised im- 
 mediate succor." 
 
 "It will not be sent," returned Olympia. "But hark! 
 What tumult is this ? " 
 
 " They are battering the palace-doors," said Eugene, who, 
 in spite of the steward's entreaties, had approached the win- 
 dow and was looking down upon the mob. The palace de 
 Soissons fronted the Rue Deux Ecus, from which it was sep- 
 arated by a tall iron railing. The enclosure was filled with a 
 throng so dense that there was scarcely room for them to 
 move a limb ; and yet, in their regular assaults upon the pal- 
 ace-doors, they seemed to be obeying the commands of some 
 unseen chief.
 
 THE RIOT. 35 
 
 Eugene surveyed the scene with something of that calm "but 
 powerful interest which possesses the soul of a commander 
 about to engage the enemy. 
 
 " The multitude increase," said he. " If they continue to 
 press in much longer, the court will be so thronged that no 
 more missiles can be thrown." 
 
 At that very moment the windows were assailed by a hail- 
 storm of stones, one of which fell at Olympia's feet. She 
 touched it with the point of her satin slipper, remarking as she 
 did so, " This is a greeting from Louvois." 
 
 " For God's sake, your highness, be not so rash ! " exclaimed 
 Latour, as a second stone flew over the head of the prince, and 
 shattered part of a cornice close by. 
 
 Eugene had not moved. He heeded neither steward nor 
 stone, but stood with folded arms, looking upon the terrible 
 concourse of his mother's accusers. His face was very pale 
 and resolute; it expressed nothing beyond stern endurance; 
 but the eye was threatening, and the dwarfish figure had ex 
 panded until the abbe was forgotten, and in his place stood the 
 implacable foe of Louis XIV. 
 
 u Yes," said he, " I was right. The crowd is so dense that 
 they now threaten one another, and, unless they force the en- 
 trance to the palace, they will be crushed by their own num- 
 bers." 
 
 " They will never force the entrance," said Latour. " The 
 door is barred and bolted, and they may bombard it for a day 
 before they ever make an impression upon the stout plates of 
 iron with which it is lined." 
 
 " Ay," replied Eugene, with a smile. " Catharine de Medi- 
 cis knew how to build a stronghold. She knew from experi- 
 ence what it is to face an insurrection, and took her precau- 
 tions accordingly. We owe her a debt of gratitude for our 
 security Good heavens!" cried he, interrupting himself, 
 " they have found means to send us another salvo." 
 
 A shower of stones came rattling toward the very window 
 where he stood, one of which struck the countess on the shoul- 
 der and caused her to wince. 
 
 Once more Latour besought her to take refuge in another 
 apartment.
 
 26 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You have said that they cannot force the entrance : what 
 do you fear ? " said she. 
 
 " I fear the stones, your highness." 
 
 " Then I will prove to the rabble that I, no more than Car- 
 dinal Mazarin, am to be terrified by stones," returned Olym- 
 pia, approaching the window and placing herself at the side of 
 her son. 
 
 The multitude, as they recognized her, broke forth into a 
 wild shout of abhorrence. 
 
 ''Look! there is the woman who murdered her husband, 
 and would have murdered her children too ! " " There is the 
 wretch who would have poisoned the king ! " " There stands 
 the accomplice of La Voisin!" "And while her tool lan- 
 guishes in prison, she has no right to breathe the free air of 
 heaven I " " Away with her to the Bastile ! " " To the Bas- 
 tile, to the Bastile ! " " No ! let her be burned for her 
 crimes ! " 
 
 " Louvois ! Louvois ! " murmured Olympia, her brow red- 
 dening with humiliation. 
 
 Another yell from the besiegers was silenced by a loud 
 voice, whose words of command rose clear above the tu- 
 mult. 
 
 " I knew it," said Eugene, " they have a leader. There is a 
 method in these manifestations which shows that they are not 
 the disconnected efforts of a many-headed monster." 
 
 " Great God ! And the guards are not even to be seen ! " 
 cried Latour, who stood with folded hands, murmuring snatches 
 of prayer for help. 
 
 " Nor will they be seen," added Olympia, in a low voice. 
 
 Eugene was glancing now at his mother, now at her perse- 
 cutors. As his eye wandered from one to another of the up- 
 lifted and angry faces below, he saw two men somewhat ele 
 vated above the rest, who with their outstretched arms were 
 giving the signal for a fresh onslaught. No demonstration, 
 however, followed the command, for the people had gravitated 
 into one solid body, of which no portion was capable of inde- 
 pendent action. 
 
 " Now," thought the prince, " now would be the opportu- 
 nity for retaliation. If I had but the means ! Latour," con-
 
 THE RlO'i. 27 
 
 tinued he, aloud, " do the iron gates of entrance open within 
 or without ? " 
 
 "Without, your highness." 
 
 '' So that if we could get access to the street, we might cage 
 up these base-born villains, might we not ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness ; but he who shuts the gates must undo 
 the chains by which they are fastened back." 
 
 " Who has the keys ? " 
 
 ''I, your highness. I have them now upon my person." 
 
 " There are outlets by which you could gain access to the 
 gates without facing the people ? " 
 
 " Certainly, your highness," began Latour ; but his words 
 were drowned in another outburst of bowlings from the mad- 
 dened mob, and another discharge of stones whizzed through 
 the air, crushing the mullions of the windows to splinters, and 
 dashing their fragments of shivering glass into the very faces 
 of the unfortunate besieged. 
 
 " If the guards would but come ! " said Latour, reiterating 
 for the twentieth time his dolef ul'refrain. 
 
 " Since it appears that they have no intention of coming," 
 replied the prince, " we must e'en take this matter of defence 
 in our own hands. Hasten, Latour, to the street undo the 
 fastenings, and quick as thought lock the gates ! " 
 
 " But, your highness, do you suppose that I shall be suf- 
 fered by that infuriated crowd to lock or unlock the gates at 
 pleasure ? " 
 
 " Never fear ; their faces are all turned toward the palace. 
 You will have accomplished the thing before they know that 
 you have undertaken it. Take two other men with you, who, 
 as soon as you release the chains, must fling the gates together, 
 while you relock them. Now be dexterous, and you will have 
 performed no unimportant feat of strategy." 
 
 "I will do my best, your highness." 
 
 " Before you go, summon the household to my presence. 
 How many men are there at home to-day ? " 
 
 "Twelve, your highness." 
 
 "Enough to settle with two thousand such wretches." 
 
 Latour darted away on his double mission, and the prince 
 turned to his mother, who, undaunted and defiant, still stood
 
 2g FRINGE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 before the window contemplating her assailants, giving back 
 look for look of scorn and abhorrence. 
 
 " May I beg of my dear mother permission to absent myself 
 for a while ? " said Eugene. 
 
 The countess looked round with inquiring eyes. "Whither 
 would you go, my son ? " asked she. 
 
 " I wish to give some orders to the domestics, to arm them, 
 and assign to each man his post." 
 
 " Where will you find weapons, my son ? " 
 
 " I have among my effects a small collection of fire-arms. 
 They are all in good order, and all loaded. I have nothing to 
 do but distribute them, and place my men." 
 
 The countess smiled. " In good sooth, I begin to believe 
 that you are fitter for a soldier than for a churchman. 
 But you are not in earnest when you speak of using fire- 
 arms ? " 
 
 " Why not ? We are attacked, and, obeying the laws of 
 necessity, we defend ourselves. Unfortunately, we are forced 
 to remain on the defensive ; I only wish I had an opportunity 
 to attack. " 
 
 " But what means that new outbreak of fury ? " asked the 
 countess, returning to the window. 
 
 " It means," cried Eugene, joyfully, " that Latour has been 
 successful, and the gates are locked. The ruffians have dis- 
 covered the snare, and they howl accordingly. Now to my 
 garrison; I must station it with judgment, for it is not nu- 
 merous. " 
 
 "I will accompany you, my son," said the countess. "I 
 would not miss the sight of the first exploit of my future car- 
 dinal, him who promises to unite in his own person the wisdom 
 of Mazarin with the prowess of Richelieu ! " 
 
 The servants were assembled in the hall, whither they had 
 taken refuge from the stones and splintering glass, that were 
 flying in the palace windows. They were not a very valiant- 
 looking body of troops, but their commander made no com- 
 ment upon their dismayed faces. He merely counted them 
 and spoke to his valet. 
 
 " Darmont, conduct these men to the armory, and provide 
 each one with a musket. Let them handle the guns carefully,
 
 T1IE RIOT. 29 
 
 for they are heavily loaded. Bring me my pistols also. And 
 now, away! and return quickly." 
 
 Silently, and, to all appearances, not much edified by these 
 recommendations, the domestics followed Darmont, while Eu- 
 gene returned to his station at the window. 
 
 " Not only have they a leader," said he, " but I believe that 
 they were instigated to make this attack, mother." 
 
 " No doubt of it," replied Olyrnpia; " and since Louvois has 
 dared so much, we may infer that he has the sanction of the 
 king for his brutality." 
 
 "Look!" cried Eugene, catching her arm, "there is the 
 leader! that tall man in the brown suit, with bright buttons, 
 who stands upon the stone seat, near the gates." 
 
 " I see him," returned the countess. " He is speaking with 
 two men who are directly in front of him. This person looks 
 familiar to me : I have surely seen that tall figure and those 
 wide shoulders before. If his hat were not drawn so far over 
 iiis brows, and we could but see his face, our doubts as to the 
 source of this outrage would speedily be solved." 
 
 " He has been giving instructions, for the two men are 
 addressing the crowd. I fear we must look out for another 
 bombardment. " 
 
 And so it seemed; for the mob, having recovered from 
 their momentary fright, were evidently preparing for action. 
 Hundreds of brawny arms, each one of which grasped a stone, 
 were raised into the air; while as many stooping forms were 
 seen, crouching close to the ground, that they might leave 
 room for the slingers to hurl their missiles without impedi- 
 ment. 
 
 " That is a good manoeuvre," said Eugene. " Their leader 
 understands strategic warfare. They are ready, and await the 
 word of command. It conies! Stand back, mother!" 
 
 A crash was heard, but not a stone had been aimed at the 
 windows. " Ah, I understand," cried Eugene. " They are 
 trying to force the door, and so obtain their release. Thank 
 Heaven ! Here comes the garrison, a handful of braves who, 
 I hope, are destined to change the fortunes of the day. Now," 
 continued he, advancing to meet them, " listen to me. There 
 are twelve of you, and the hall has seven openings. Leave thq
 
 30 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 central window free, and station yourselves two at each one of 
 the other six. Throw open the casements, cock your guns, 
 and be ready for the word of command. Darmont, give me 
 my pistols." 
 
 With one of these in either hand, Eugene stationed him- 
 self at the window in the centre, while his mother stood by his 
 side. 
 
 " They are about to favor us with another volley," said the 
 prince. " Neither they nor their leader have as yet remarked 
 the changed aspect of the palace- windows." 
 
 "The hat of the leader is purposely drawn down, and, 
 while he succeeds in concealing his features, he loses sight of 
 the danger which threatens from above. So much the better 
 for us ; but I do long to have a sight of his face," returned the 
 countess. 
 
 " You shall have your wish," replied Eugene, with a smile. 
 " I will knock off his hat, and your curiosity shall be grati- 
 fied." 
 
 " How will you manage to do that ? " 
 
 " You shall see," said he, raising the pistol that he held in 
 his right hand. 
 
 He fired, and when the smoke had cleared away, the face 
 of the leader was exposed to view. The ball had struck the 
 hat, which had fallen, and now a pair of dark, sinister eyes 
 were glaring at the spot whence the insult had been sent. 
 
 " Have a care," said the prince, leaning forward and ad- 
 dressing the crowd. " If you send another missile against these 
 walls, I will have twelve of your lives ! " 
 
 The men, who were just about to fling their stones, paused 
 and stared at one another in dumb perplexity. 
 
 Their leader, pale with rage, gave the word of command. 
 
 Eugene heard it, and called out in clear, defiant tones : " If 
 the leader of this riot attempt a repetition of his order, I will 
 break his right arm. " 
 
 " Another volley, men ! " shouted the chief. 
 
 A second report from the window was heard, which was 
 answered by a yell from below. Eugene's ball had pierced 
 the elbow of the leader, and the dismayed crowd had made a 
 hasty movement toward the gates.
 
 THE RIOT. 31 
 
 "Do you not see that there is no egress for you except 
 through the palace ? Look at the murderess there, instigating 
 her whelp to new crimes! She exults over your weakness, 
 and laughs at your panic. On ! on ! Batter down the doors ! " 
 
 " On ! " echoed the mob ; and their stones were flung with 
 such frenzy against the palace-doors, that its very walls trem- 
 bled. 
 
 " Fire ! " called out the sonorous voice of Eugene, and in 
 another moment might be seen the sinking forms of twelve 
 of the rioters, while, among the others, some were pale with 
 fright, and a few cried out that they would be revenged. 
 
 " Revenge is for those whom you have insulted and at- 
 tacked," replied the prince, deliberately. " You have made a 
 cowardly assault upon a noble lady, and not one of you shall 
 leave this place alive! Make ready! Take aim!" continued 
 he to his men. 
 
 The click of the locks was distinctly heard, and in the 
 crowd each man fancied that one of those carbines was aimed 
 at his own head. The mob was losing heart; not even their 
 leader was to be seen or heard. He had taken refuge in a 
 sheltered corner of the court, where his wounds were being 
 bound up by his lieutenants. Inconspicuous as he was, how- 
 ever, the sharp eyes of Olympia had followed him to his re- 
 treat. Not for one moment did she lose sight of him ; she 
 was determined to solve the enigma of his identity. As the 
 last bellicose words of Prince Eugene rang through the ears 
 of his dismayed followers, the wounded ringleader flung back 
 his head with such sudden haste, that its masses of dark, 
 tangled hair were entirely thrown aside, and the face that was 
 revealed by their removal, caused the countess to start and 
 utter an exclamation of surprise. As Eugene was about to 
 give the command to fire, his mother caught his arm, and 
 whispered in his ear : 
 
 " My son, I now think that I can tell you the name of yon- 
 der caitiff there, and, if I have guessed rightly, it were better 
 for us to cease hostile demonstrations, and capitulate." 
 
 "Capitulate! " cried the prince, indignantly. " Capitulate 
 with the rabble ! Who can be this man that has so suddenly 
 cowered the heart of my noble mother ? "
 
 " I think that he is the son of Louvois," whispered she. 
 
 " Ah, the presuming 1 Barbesieur, who would have given his 
 name to a Princess de Carignan? " 
 
 " Yes the same. His beard is dyed, and he wears false 
 locks, but, spite of his disguise, I feel sure that it is Barbe- 
 sieur. And I warn you, Eugene! harm not a hair on his 
 head, for he is the favorite son of the mightiest man in France 
 mighty and vindictive. Kill as many of the rabble as you 
 will ; but give positive orders to your men not to touch Barbe- 
 sieur Louvois." 
 
 " I ought to command them to fire on no other man, for he 
 is responsible for the acts of every rioter here." 
 
 " That would be to cast your entire family into the very 
 jaws of destruction. These men who call me murderess, could 
 not be made to believe that I have the tenderness of a mother 
 for my children ; but you, Eugene, who know how dearly I 
 love you all, you can understand that no revenge would be 
 sweet that was purchased at the expense of my children's wel- 
 fare. Spare, then, I implore you, the man who holds your 
 destinies in his unfriendly hand." 
 
 " So be it," sighed Eugene, and he went from man to man, 
 saying in a low voice, " Direct your fire toward the left." He 
 then took his station at the central window, and, raising 
 his arm, called out a second time : " Make ready ! Take 
 aim!" 
 
 The multitude heard, and their exceeding consternation 
 found utterance in one prolonged shriek of horror. 
 
 u Do not fire ! " screamed a hundred voices. " Do not fire ! 
 We are defenceless ! " 
 
 The order was countermanded, and the self-possessed de- 
 fender of the beleaguered palace advanced his head and con- 
 templated the ignoble faces of his enemies. 
 
 " You acknowledge yourself baffled, then ? You are will- 
 ing to retreat ? " 
 
 lt Ay ! " was the ready response of every rioter there. 
 
 " You swear to desist now and forever from your infamous 
 attack upon this palace ? You swear never more to make use 
 of vituperative epithets toward the family of the deceased 
 Count de Soissons ? "
 
 THE RIOT. 33 
 
 " We swear, we swear ! Open the gates ! Let us out ! Let 
 us out ! " was now the universal cry. 
 
 " Not so fast. Before you have my permission to retire, I 
 must have unequivocal, outspoken evidence of your repentance 
 and conversion. You have presumed to asperse the good 
 name of the Countess de Soissons. Take back your injurious 
 words, and cheer her now, right lustily. Cry out three times, 
 ' Long live the noble Countess de Soissons ! ' and, if your ac- 
 clamations are to my mind, I will open the gates. 1 ' 
 
 The reply to these conditions was a greeting so enthusiastic 
 and so unanimous, that you would have sworn the mob had 
 assembled before the hotel to tender to its inmates a popular 
 ovation. 
 
 " Miserable canaille ! " muttered their chief; " they are base 
 enough to hurl their stones at me, if that beardless manikin up 
 there should require it of them, as a peace-offering to his im- 
 maculate mother ! " 
 
 " I told your excellency that you could not trust them,'' 
 replied the companion on whose arm he was leaning. " It is 
 a dangerous thing to be identified with any action of theirs." 
 
 " You were right. Francois. Give me your arm, and let us 
 try to reach the gates, so as to be the first to escape from this 
 accursed man- trap." 
 
 " You have cheered the countess but once," cried Eugene 
 to the multitude. " Do you wish me to renew our strife ? " 
 
 " Long live the noble Countess de Soissons ! " was the 
 ]<r. mpt reply. And, without waiting for a third suggestion, 
 they shouted again and again, "Long live the Countess de Sois- 
 sons ! " 
 
 Olympia's flashing eyes rested proudly on her son. "I 
 thank you, Eugene: you have avenged me effectually. All 
 Paris will be filled with lampoons on the ridiculous repulse of 
 the valiant Barbesieur and his followers." 
 
 Eugene made no reply. His eyes were fixed upon the per- 
 sonage whom they supposed to be the son of Louvois, and the 
 prince knew perfectly well wherefore he seemed in such nerv- 
 ous haste to reach the gates. 
 
 " He hopes to escape without recognition," muttered Eugene, 
 "but I must have a word with him before we part."
 
 34 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Open the gates ! " clamored the populace anew ; then sud- 
 denly there was a cry of alarm which was echoed from man 
 to man, from group to group, until it shaped itself into these 
 words : " The guards ! The guards ! " 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BARBESIEUR LOUVOIS. 
 
 THUNDERING down the street came a troop of horsemen, 
 who halted directly in front of the palace-gates. 
 
 " Louvois' spies have been reporting the failure of his son's 
 warlike expedition," remarked Olympia, and the guards whom 
 we had vainly called to our help, have come in hot haste to 
 protect our assailants." 
 
 By this time the officer in command was at the gates mak- 
 ing vain efforts to open them. 
 
 " What does this signify ? " asked he. " And what is this 
 multitude about in the court of the Hotel de Soissons ? " 
 
 " Look at the palace- windows and the palace-doors, and 
 you will read your answer there," replied Eugene. " I closed 
 the gates against a furious and misguided mob ; but we have 
 come to terms, and I am about to liberate them. I crave your 
 indulgence for these poor fellows : they have been deceived, 
 and knew not what they did, and I hope that you will make 
 good the forgiveness I have extended to their fault, by allow- 
 ing them to go hence without molestation." 
 
 " If so," replied the officer, " I shall be happy to confirm 
 you highness's clemency by carrying out your order for their 
 release." 
 
 " Is it possible," asked the countess of her son, " that you 
 are in earnest ? You intend to suffer those wretches to go 
 away unharmed ! Because I asked your forbearance for one 
 man, shall this vile horde be snatched from the hands of jus- 
 tice!" 
 
 " Do you suppose that justice has any intention of overtak- 
 ing them ? " asked Eugene, with a significant smile. " Believe
 
 BARBfcSlEtJR tOCtOtS, gg 
 
 me, dear mother, I do but anticipate the object for which the 
 guards were sent, and spare myself and you the humiliation 
 of publishing to the world that neither law nor justice takes 
 cognizance of the wrongs of the Countess de Soissons. These 
 men have come hither to succor our enemies, not us." 
 
 " Ah, my son, I begin to appreciate you. You have in- 
 herited the sagacity of your great uncle," returned Olympia. 
 
 " Open the gates ! open the gates ! " cried the rioters. 
 
 " Will your highness be pleased to send some one to re- 
 lease your prisoners ? " asked the captain of the guardsmen. 
 
 u I shall be there myself, in a moment," was the reply. 
 
 " You ! " exclaimed the countess. " Would you expose 
 yourself to the vengeance of the populace, Eugene ? " 
 
 " They will not molest me. Barbesieur Louvois has reached 
 the gates, and I must greet him ere he goes. Come, Latour 
 and Darmont, and show me the way by the private staircase. 
 The rest of you keep your posts and be watchful, for the 
 struggle may be renewed, and it is just possible that I may 
 have to order you to fire. And now shall I conduct my 
 mother to her boudoir ? " 
 
 " No, my son, I remain here to observe what passes below, 
 nor will I retire until I shall have seen the ending of this 
 curious spectacle." 
 
 Eugene bowed and withdrew. " Go before, Latour," said 
 he. " I am unacquainted with the private inlets and outlets 
 of the palace." 
 
 Latour obeyed, saying to himself : " They may well make 
 a priest of this virtuous youth, who knows nothing of the 
 secret windings of his own hotel. His father and his brother 
 were wiser than he; and many a night have they gone in and 
 out on visits of gallantry, when they were young enough to 
 be as squeamish as he, or old enough to have reformed their 
 ways. " 
 
 "Give me the keys," said Eugene, as they emerged from 
 the side-entrance. "I will unlock the gates, and when I cry 
 Halt ! ' do you seize upon a man whom I shall point out to 
 you as he attempts to force the' passage in advance of his con- 
 federates." 
 
 "Let us alone for holding him fast, your highness."
 
 36 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Eugene went a few steps farther; then, turning round, he 
 said: "Yes grasp him well, but be careful not to take him by 
 the right arm, for I believe that it is wounded." 
 
 As he spoke these merciful words, Eugene blushed, for he 
 saw a derisive smile on Latour's face. 
 
 " I was in error," thought the steward. " Such a soft heart 
 ought to have been lodged in the body of a woman. " 
 
 They had now reached the palace-front, where, in return 
 for the obsequious salutation of the captain of the guard, Eu- 
 gene slightly inclined his head. 
 
 " You came late to the rescue," said the prince. " Had you 
 answered the requisition of my steward, you would have 
 spared me the painful necessity of wounding a dozen of those 
 poor devils." 
 
 " Was there bloodshed ? " returned the officer. 
 
 "Of course there was. You can hardly imagine that I 
 quieted these turbulent rioters with a lullaby. Yes, there has 
 been bloodshed, and I have had satisfaction for the affront 
 offered to my house to-day. I hope you hold me justified in 
 my method of procedure." 
 
 " Perfectly justified, your highness. " 
 
 "Then the matter rests here, and peace is proclaimed. 
 From my amnesty, however, I except one man, him who is re- 
 sponsible for all the evil that has been done by his followers." 
 
 " Your highness has only to point him out, and I will have 
 him arrested forthwith." 
 
 " You give me your word of honor that he shall not escape 
 punishment ? " 
 
 "My word of honor, your highness." 
 
 "Latour and Darmont, station yourselves one on either 
 side of me, while I unlock the gates." 
 
 They took their positions, and Eugene slowly drew out his 
 ponderous keys. They were heard to click in the locks, and 
 at the welcome sound, there was a shout of joy from the im- 
 prisoned rioters. They pressed eagerly forward the gates 
 parted and the crowd began to pour out into the streets. 
 Eugene soon perceived the tall form of the ringleader, although 
 he had borrowed the hat of his companion, and wore it 
 slouched far down over his face.
 
 BARBESIEUR LOUVOIS. 37 
 
 As he approached the entrance, Eugene gave the signal 
 agreed upon, and he was seized by Latour and Darmont. But 
 they had forgotten the precaution given them as regarded his 
 wounded arm, for as they touched him he had been unable to 
 suppress a cry of pain. 
 
 " Hold him, Latour," said the prince, " and you, Darmont, 
 close the gates so that only one man may pass at a time. Some 
 of those guards might be of service to us. Have I your permis- 
 sion to employ them, captain ? " 
 
 Eight men were ordered to dismount and to station them- 
 selves at the gates, which, spite of the tremendous pressure 
 from within, they managed to secure, so that each man as he 
 passed could be scanned by him, who, notwithstanding his 
 delicate build and diminutive stature, was unquestionably the 
 hero of the day. 
 
 " Now that the court is empty, you can see what devasta- 
 tion has been committed," said he to the captain of the guard. 
 
 " Yes, indeed," replied the latter, raising himself in his 
 stirrups to overlook the railing, " they have uprooted the whole 
 pavement." 
 
 " And have seriously damaged the windows," added Eu- 
 gene. " For all this destruction we have to thank yonder 
 churl," continued he, pointing to a man of almost gigantic 
 stature, who was struggling to free himself from the hands of 
 Latour and Darmont. " Not content with the laurels he has 
 won as the ringleader of a mob, he has aspired to achieve re- 
 nown by defaming women. He has incited the populace to 
 asperse the good name of my honored mother, and by Heaven, 
 he shall suffer for every opprobrious word that has fallen 
 from the tongue of every base-born villain that followed him 
 hither!" 
 
 "Your highness shall yourself dictate his punishment," 
 replied the officer, courteously. 
 
 " Then order your men to capture the twelve last rioters 
 that leave the enclosure, and let their leader, who is a thou- 
 sand times more guilty than they, oversee the restoration of 
 the pavement, and himself remove yonder Druid's temple, that 
 lies before the central window there." 
 
 " Never ! " exclaimed the giant, redoubling his efforts to
 
 38 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 escape, and writhing so vigorously that Latour and Darmont 
 had to strain every sinew to retain their hold of his huge 
 body. 
 
 Eugene eyed his prisoner with withering scorn. "You 
 hear him, captain ! He says ' Never ! ' as though it were for 
 him to decide whether or not my judgment is a righteous 
 one. And yet I think it most moderate amends to make for 
 such immeasurable wrong." 
 
 " Indeed, your highness, it is most disproportionate to the 
 enormity of the offence. It is only too merciful ! Here ! Eight 
 men to carry out the orders of the noble Prince of Savoy ! " 
 shouted he, peremptorily. 
 
 The crowd, meanwhile, by this time convinced that submis- 
 sion was their only alternative, were passing slowly and si- 
 lently through the gates. They were so completely subdued, 
 that not one ventured a remonstrance. They were intent each 
 man upon his own retreat, and nobody was troubled about the 
 fate of the chief. 
 
 " There are just twelve men within the enclosure," said the 
 officer. " Instead of capturing them singly, close the gates, 
 and secure them all at once." 
 
 "But first let us admit my distinguished prisoner. Thrust 
 him in, Latour, and conduct him to his task. He must expiate 
 his offence against the Countess de Soissons, by removing 
 that heap of stones, which were cast by his command 
 against my palace-doors. If he prove intractable, bring him 
 to his senses by administering a blow or two with a stout 
 cudgel." 
 
 The chief, who for a few moments had been hoping by 
 affected submission to withdraw the attention of Eugene from 
 himself to his followers, gave a howl of rage, and looked 
 around for his companion. The latter, instead of passing out 
 with the crowd, had remained voluntarily in the enclosure 
 with the twelve who were to suffer for all. 
 
 They whispered together, after which the subordinate, ap- 
 proaching the captain of the guard, said : " Captain, I come to 
 offer myself in the place of my poor brother, who, having been 
 wounded in the arm, is helpless, and incapable of removing 
 the smallest of those stones,"
 
 BARBK8IEUB LOUVOIS. 39 
 
 " What says your highness ? " asked the officer of the 
 prince. 
 
 " I grant the petition, for it is reasonable. Let him confine 
 himself, then, to the superintendence of the work.'' 
 
 " Captain, I crave permission to conduct my brother to a 
 surgeon, where his wound may be dressed. It is impossible 
 that any man can be so brutal as to require him to stay here 
 with a bullet in his arm," said the subordinate. 
 
 " The bullet was no impediment while outrage was to be 
 committed on the property of the Countess de Soissons," thun- 
 dered Eugene, "and I exact that he remain." 
 
 " Your highuess's commands shall be obeyed," replied the 
 officer. 
 
 '' Captain," said the ringleader, dragging himself forward, 
 while in his tremendous strength he forced his captors along 
 with him, " captain, I must have a word in private with you. 
 I have something of importance to communicate, and you 
 must come nearer that I may whisper in your ear." 
 
 So imperious was the sound of his voice that the captain 
 involuntarily obeyed, and bent down his ear to listen. Al- 
 though the latter was on horseback and the former on foot, 
 his tall figure was almost on a level with the officer's head. 
 
 He spoke a few low words, the captain started, and, quickly 
 raising his head, he surveyed the gigantic chief from head to 
 foot. He then conferred with him a few moments, after 
 which he addressed himself in a very embarrassed manner to 
 Eugene. 
 
 " Your highness, this poor man complains so piteously of 
 the agony he endures, that it would be cruel to detain him 
 any longer. If you have no objection, I will send him 
 to the surgeon, accompanied by four of my men, who, 
 when his wound shall have been dressed, can reconduct him 
 hither." 
 
 " He will not return," replied Eugene, with a shrug. " He 
 will find means to escape the vigilance of the police. So be 
 it. Let his wounds be dressed, and let him depart whither ho 
 lists. But I have a few words of adieu to speak ere he goes." 
 So saying, he approached his tall adversary, and so command- 
 ing was his presence, so fiery his eye, and so proud his de-
 
 40 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 meaner, that Eugene of Savoy looked mightier than the wide- 
 shouldered giant before him. 
 
 " I wish merely to say to this fellow that he is a knave," 
 said the prince. " Yes, captain, a knave, although you start 
 to hear me call him thus. I neither know his name, nor wish 
 to know it; hut I shall recognize him among a thousand, and, 
 if ever I meet him again, I will give him a knave's portion a 
 sound horsewhipping. And now away with him ! His pres- 
 ence is intolerable ! " 
 
 " I go," replied the other, pale and trembling with rage. 
 " But beware, little priestling, how you cross my path ! If 
 ever you dare intrude yourself upon my sight, I will crush 
 your diminutive carcass as an elephant does a crawling 
 worm ! " He went, followed by him who had claimed him as 
 a brother, and accompanied by four guardsmen, who rode at 
 some distance behind their prisoners. 
 
 " And now, captain," said Eugene, " since your sympathiz- 
 ing heart has made it impossible for you to allow justice its 
 way, you will, I presume, see fit to appoint another man to su- 
 pervise the repairing of my court-yard." 
 
 " I myself will attend to it, your highness," said the officer, 
 bowing to his saddle-bow. " Not only that ; I will send work- 
 men to replace the broken panes and restore the window- 
 frames, so that by to-morrow no trace of the damage done 
 shall remain." 
 
 Eugene laughed. *' You are certainly most accommodat- 
 ing ! As much so as if the city guard had participated in the 
 riot! Adieu, sir! And may this be our last meeting of the 
 sort!" 
 
 Accompanied by his two domestics, he re-entered the pal- 
 ace. His twelve men were at their posts, and the countess was 
 still standing at the window whence she had witnessed the 
 scene below. 
 
 Eugene dismissed his household, gave orders to have his 
 weapons carefully replaced in his armory, and then, with a 
 deep inclination to his mother, he asked if he might now con- 
 duct her to her boudoir. 
 
 She gave a smiling assent, took his proffered arm, and 
 returned to her cabinet. Once there, she turned toward her
 
 BARBESIEUR LOUVOIS. 41 
 
 son, and, contemplating him for the first time in her life with 
 pride and admiration, she thanked him warmly for what he 
 had done. 
 
 " My dear son," said she, " I must congratulate you upon 
 your strength of character. Believe me, you looked mightier 
 far than Louvois' overgrown Titan. If he surpassed you in 
 stature, your great soul towered far above his lofty person. I 
 could not hear what you were saying to those two men, Eu- 
 gene, but I read in the glance of your fearless eye that your 
 words were such as would have rejoiced my heart to overhear. 
 In that moment my soul went far out into the future, and 
 there I saw you great, glorious, renowned. You know, Eu- 
 gene, that I have sometimes strange revelations of things hid- 
 den from ordinary mortals : T have visions that are prophetic, 
 and I tell you that you are destined to earn imperishable fame. 
 Go, my son, and fulfil your destiny ! " 
 
 Eugene, his features illumined by enthusiasm and radiant 
 with hope, covered his mother's hand with kisses, and again 
 besought her forgiveness for his unfilial behavior in the gal- 
 lery. " Dear mother," said he, tearfully. " are you indeed rec- 
 onciled to your unworthy child ? " 
 
 "Yes, Eugene, yes. When you compelled that unwilling 
 multitude to do me homage, I forgave you from my heart. I 
 have always loved you as my child, but from this day forward 
 I honor you as my deliverer. Come to my arms and take the 
 mother's kiss that shall consecrate you to glory." 
 
 Eugene, intoxicated with happiness, threw himself upon 
 her bosom, and was clasped to her heart. "With this kiss I 
 greet the hero whose exploits shall shed new lustre upon his 
 princely house. God bless thee, my son ! Sweeter lips may 
 meet thine in the glow of a love more passionate, but never 
 will they kiss thee with a tenderness more true than does thy 
 proud mother this day ! " 
 
 "And never will I love woman more tenderly than I 
 do my precious mother. You were my ideal of womanly 
 perfection as a child, and your adored image will be my 
 soul's divinity to the latest hour of my life! Never again 
 will I doubt you; were the whole world to scorn you, I at 
 least will believe in you, and honor you with a faith as
 
 42 PRINCE EUGESE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 implicit as that which leads man to martyrdom for his Re- 
 deemer's sake." 
 
 " Believe in me, and trust me," returned the countess, again 
 impressing a kiss on her son's forehead. " And when you are 
 great and powerful, think of this hour, my child. 'Tis one of 
 the brightest of my life ; one of the few wherein I have unveiled 
 my heart to mortal man. Think of it, then, Eugene, when 
 you wear the hat of a cardinal, and " 
 
 " What, mother ! You would devote me to the priesthood, 
 after all that has passed between us to-day ! " 
 
 '' 'Tis your only path to renown ; 'tis the only ladder by 
 which ambition can climb to power. With Louis' favor, you 
 may become a cardinal and a statesman ; without it you will 
 never become a field-marshal. We must take fate as we find 
 it, Eugene ; not whine because we may not fashion it to our 
 own liking." 
 
 " Then be it so: I submit. But I tell you, for the last time, 
 that under my priestly gown there will be heard the wild and 
 unseemly throbbings of a heart that not only pants for glory, 
 but yearns for love." 
 
 " Cardinals may hope for both, 1 ' returned Olympia, with a 
 strange, unpleasant smile. " Ask the widowed Queen Anne, 
 whether Richelieu knew how to love. And ask her whether 
 Mazarin was not as fond as he was sagacious. But enough of 
 day-dreams : we must return to the affairs of real life. There 
 has been a demonstration of serious import against me to-day. 
 I must oppose it by another. Louvois and his minions must 
 learn that I am not to be intimidated by their menaces, nor 
 to be browbeaten by their contumely." 
 
 Near her hand, on a porphyry table, lay a golden bell a 
 marvel of Benvenuto Cellini's workmanship. The countess 
 took it up and rang. 
 
 The steward answered the summons, and begged to know 
 what her highness was pleased to command. 
 
 " Let the palace-doors be thrown open, that the people may 
 know how little I fear their dislike. Send all the lackeys out, 
 and let them announce to the court that to-day I hold a special 
 levee, and that my rooms will be opened to visitors at nine this 
 evening. Let the equerry be informed that in half an hour I
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 43 
 
 shall take a drive in my open caleche, with six horses and two 
 outriders, all in livery of state." 
 
 The steward bowed and left the room. When he had gone, 
 the countess again addressed her son : " In half an hour the 
 ?ourt will be assembled at the Pre aux Clercs ; no doubt it 
 would gratify more than one of those envious Parisians were 
 I absent to-day. But they shall not enjoy any such satisfac- 
 tion. They shall greet me as usual, and I I I intend to ap- 
 proach the king ! " 
 
 " And I, dearest mother, 1 ' said Eugene, " beg to be allowed 
 to accompany you in your ride." 
 
 " You shall do so, son of my heart," exclaimed Olympia, 
 giving him her hand. " I see that you are not only the child 
 of my love, but bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Yes, 
 Eugene, you shall be my knight, and no loving maiden was 
 ever prouder of her cavalier than I shall be of mine ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 
 
 THE commands of the countess were promptly obeyed. All 
 Paris (that is, the Paris of the aristocracy) were informed that 
 a special reception would be held at the Hotel de Soissons, and 
 messengers were dispatched with official announcement of the 
 same to the royal household. The ponderous gates were flung 
 wide open to admit the carriage of state. Eugene's superb 
 gelding was led out by his jockey ; while near the open por- 
 tiere stood the equerry whose office it was to hand the countesa 
 to her carriage. 
 
 Her turnout was magnificent. The frame of the carriage 
 was of dead gilt, while above the burnished wheels rose its 
 body, in shape and color like the wonderful lily of the Ama- 
 zon. Its exterior of snowy whiteness was relieved by the rich 
 coloring of the arms of Carignan and Soissons emblazoned on 
 the panels ; the interior was cushioned with purple velvet em- 
 broidered in gold. To this sumptuous vehicle were harnessed
 
 44 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 six white horses, whose head-gear of velvet was adorned with 
 ostrich-plumes so delicate, that, as the air breathed upon them, 
 they looked like wreaths of snowy vapor. Perched high above 
 the hammer-cloth, which in color and material corresponded 
 with the inner decorations of the carriage, sat the chubfaced 
 coachman, his head buried in the vast expanse of a flowing 
 wig, and surmounted by a gold-and-purple cocked hat. The 
 handle of his coach-whip was of steel inlaid with gold, and he 
 flourished it with as much ostentation as if it had been the 
 baton of a field-marshal. Behind this princely equipage were 
 two footmen in state livery ; on either side were two out- 
 riders. 
 
 The countess emerged from her palace-doors, clad in mantle 
 of sky-blue velvet bordered with gold. She was followed by 
 the prince, who, as the equerry advanced to assist his mistress, 
 gently waved him away, and took his place. Olympia smiled 
 fondly upon her son, and with graceful negligence sank back 
 among her luxurious cushions. 
 
 The equerry approached for orders. " Let the coachman 
 drive leisurely through the streets, and still more slowly when 
 we enter the Pre aux Clercs." 
 
 Eugene mounted his impatient gelding, and his mother, 
 inclining her head to the equerry, gave the signal for their 
 departure. 
 
 Slowly went the cortege, through the Rue des Deux Ecus 
 and along the Quartier St. Honore, while from every house, 
 as they passed, the windows were cautiously opened, and 
 sneering faces looked down upon the vain pomp with which 
 Olympia de Soissons would have sustained the falling ruins 
 of her good name. 
 
 ^ But things grew worse, when the outriders would have 
 opened a passage for the carriage through the crowded streets. 
 As soon as the people recognized the liveries, all the conven- 
 tional homage with which they were accustomed to greet such 
 splendor, was transformed into scorn. 
 
 " The poisoner ! the poisoner ! " they cried. " She braves us 
 in the open streets ! Away with her 1 Away with the accom- 
 plice of La Voisin ! " 
 
 The object of all this contumely preserved an appearance
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 45 
 
 of consummate indifference to it all ; but her son ! her un- 
 happy son blushed with shame and anger. He turned his 
 sympathizing eyes upon her\ whom he believed to be an imper- 
 sonation of every feminine virtue, and she replied to his glance 
 by an unconscious smile. 
 
 At last they reached the Pre aux Clercs, the fashionable 
 promenade of the day. Here the aristocracy were accustomed 
 to drive, the king and queen invariably appearing there to 
 receive, sometimes, in the case of the former, to pay homage. 
 How often had he leaned upon the carriage of Olympia, while 
 princes and princesses of the blood had been obliged to wait 
 behind, until the Countess de Soissons was ready to move on, 
 and allow them to proceed ! And how they had flattered and 
 praised, and curried favor with the divinity of the hour ! 
 
 " It must all be enacted anew," thought the ex-favorite, as 
 she slightly raised her head to see if the king was in sight. 
 " The philter will work : from the moment I catch his eye, he 
 is mine! This was La Voisin's promise." 
 
 Yes the royal equipages were there, at the other end of 
 the shaded avenue, and, following in their wake, were those 
 of the court. Olympia cast aside her nonchalance, and raised 
 her head that she might be seen. The crisis had come ! She 
 was now to quaff the intoxicating drink of success, or drain 
 the poisoned chalice of defeat ! 
 
 She could see the very smile on his face as he whispered 
 flattering words in the ear of some beauty who was in advance, 
 and whom Olympia could not recognize. One moment more, 
 and her equipage would pass ! He would meet her eye, and 
 the passion of his youth would be rekindled in his heart, never 
 more to die out ! 
 
 But what commotion was this among the lords and ladies 
 that surrounded the king ? His majesty spoke with his chief 
 equerry ; the equerry sprang forward, and presently the royal 
 equipages came rushing by, close, close to the caleche of the 
 countess, who vainly sought to meet the eye of Louis, for he 
 was conversing with the queen, and his head was turned 
 away. 
 
 Scarcely had the royal carriages been put in motion, before 
 the entire cortege followed at the same rapid pace. Princes
 
 46 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 and princesses of the blood, dukes, counts, and marquises,- 
 duchesses and marchionesses, rushed by so swiftly that not 
 one of her court friends had time to give so much as a pass- 
 ing nod to her who nevertheless was allied by marriage to the 
 reigning Duke of Savoy. 
 
 The last equipage had just gone by. " Is it the will of your 
 highness that we follow ? " asked the equerry. 
 
 The countess inclined her head, and the equerry passed the 
 word to the coachman: " Follow the cortege." But the horses 
 stirred not a foot. 
 
 Eugene repeated the order, when the coachman slowly 
 shook his head. " Impossible, gracious prince, impossible ! 
 The countess would never forgive me, and I should be despised 
 by every coachman of distinction, were I so far to forget my 
 duty as to suffer that an equipage bearing the ducal arms of 
 Savoy should follow the carriage of a nobleman so insignifi- 
 cant as the Vicomte de Charlieu. Why, he goes back but ten 
 generations ! " 
 
 Eugene smiled and delivered the portentous message to his 
 mother. 
 
 " He is right," replied she ; " and were he wrong, it would 
 avail me nothing to contend with him on a point of etiquette. 
 The coachmen of people of quality are more tenacious of their 
 rights than the noble families they serve. Not long ago, the 
 Duchesses of Chartres and of Luynes waited four hours in the 
 rain, because, having met in a very narrow street, neither one 
 of their coachmen would back out, to give the other an oppor- 
 tunity of passing. I must imitate their patience, and wait for 
 the return of the cortege, to take my proper place." 
 
 The decision of the countess being transmitted to the 
 coachman, he nodded approvingly. " I thought her highness 
 would understand," replied he. " Our place is after the Duch- 
 ess de Bourbon, the sixth carriage from that of his majest}^ 
 The coachman of the Duke de Cheneuse knows it as well as I 
 do, and he will yield us precedence as soon as he sees me ready 
 to fall in." 
 
 They waited the countess in perfect composure, her large 
 black eyes cast upward in complete forgetfulness of the actual 
 state of things around her; Eugene, with visible annoyance 
 
 6 . & ) J
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 47 
 
 on his face, darting anxious and uneasy glances down the 
 avenue through which the king was expected to return. And 
 so passed an hour, at the end of which the avenue was still 
 and empty as a desert. It now became apparent that his ma- 
 jesty had selected some other route by which to reach the 
 Louvre, and Olympia, awaking from her golden day-dreams, 
 began to realize the exceeding awkwardness of her position. 
 For the first time her heart faltered, and a cloud passed over 
 her face. 
 
 Eugene rode up to the portiere, and addressing the countess 
 in Italian : " Mother," said he, u if we remain here any longer, 
 I shall choke with rage." 
 
 " Home," said Olympia to the equerry. " Home ! Quick ! 
 Urge your horses to their fullest speed ! " 
 
 On the evening of that eventful day, every reception-room 
 in the Hotel Soissons was thrown open, and the palace front 
 was one blaze of light. But the steward had been obliged to 
 close the gates, and station four armed men within them, to 
 protect the entrance from the rabble who had again begun to 
 assemble, again begun to threaten. 
 
 The countess was either ignorant of this unpleasant cir- 
 cumstance, or she considered it beneath her notice. From her 
 carriage she had passed to her cabinet, whence she had never 
 emerged until compelled to make her toilet for the evening. 
 Her temporary discouragement overcome, she entered the 
 throne-room magnificently attired, sparkling with jewels, and 
 radiant with feverish expectation. She was still upheld by 
 the confidence she reposed in La Voisin's predictions, and the 
 firm faith with which she clung to the virtues of her philter. 
 
 She could not, however, repress the scowl that darkened her 
 brow, as, glancing around her vast suite of empty rooms, she 
 beheld not one visitor ! no living being besides her own three 
 daughters, the young Princesses de Carignan, who came for- 
 ward to kiss her hand, and pay her their tribute of affectionate 
 admiration. 
 
 She paid very .little attention to their sweet flattery ; her 
 restless eyes wandered from door to door, where not a form 
 was seen but those of the four lackeys, who were in waiting 
 to announce the distinguished guests as they arrived,
 
 8 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 4 
 The mocking echo of her tread, as she traversed the void 
 
 which should have been filled with a courtly throng, sounded 
 ominous in her ear, and the haughty woman began to quail. 
 She had heard it said that when a ship was doomed to destruc- 
 tion, no rats were ever known to leave port in its hold. Was 
 she a sinking ship ? Was her doom sealed ? Once more her 
 longing eyes sought the lofty, open doors, through which so 
 often the court had passed to do her homage on her throne, 
 and she shivered almost perceptibly. But she forced a smile, 
 and observed to her eldest daughter: " Our guests are unusu- 
 ally late to-night. Even the Duchess de Bouillon, generally 
 so punctual, has not yet made her appearance." 
 
 " Even your adorer, Marshal de Luxemburg, mamma, is 
 not yet here," returned the princess, with a smile. 
 
 The countess looked sharply at her daughter. Why had 
 she mentioned the name of De Luxemburg ? Why named 
 him in conjunction with the Duchess de Bouillon ? Did Jo- 
 hanna know that these two were her confidants, and that they 
 were accustomed to visit La Voisin together ? That only five 
 days before, they had met in the den of the soothsayer, to have 
 their horoscope drawn for the last time ? Did Johanna know 
 that through De Luxemburg's efforts Louis's valet had been 
 bribed to rob him of a lock of his hair, without which the 
 precious philter could never have been distilled ? Oh, no! 
 She was silly nervous the events of the day had disheart- 
 ened her, and she was growing to be a craven. How should 
 Johanna know her secrets ? The allusion to the marshal was 
 accidental. 
 
 The wax-lights were growing fearfully short, and still the 
 invited guests tarried. Never in her life before had Olympia 
 condescended to rest her gaze upon the faces of those who 
 served her; to-night she could not resist an inclination to 
 glance for one moment at their countenances. As she looked 
 athwart those features, erst so submissive and so reverent, she 
 saw significant smirks, and an expression of disdain for which 
 she could have felled them to the earth. 
 
 Meanwhile the three princesses, their lips distorted with 
 forced smiles, stood around their mother, sometimes raising 
 their anxious eyes to her stormy face, sometimes exchanging
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 40 
 
 uneasy glances one with another ; but not one of them daring 
 to break the oppressive silence by a single word. 
 
 At last the painful lull was broken by a slight rustling. The 
 door of the anteroom was opened, and a solitary figure was 
 seen traversing the long suite of apartments. 
 
 " Eugene," exclaimed Johanna. " Our little abbe ! " And, 
 delighted to put an end to their embarrassment, the sisters 
 went forward with outstretched hands to meet him. 
 
 But Eugene could not respond to their greeting. His eyes 
 were fixed upon the chandelier, under whose blaze he beheld 
 a pale, sinister face, and a tall, haughty figure; his mother, 
 attired with regal splendor, looking every inch a queen ; but 
 ah ! a dethroned queen, for her subjects had deserted her. 
 and among them " there was none so poor to do her rever- 
 ence." 
 
 He approached her, and, as she silently extended her icy 
 hand, he covered it with loving kisses. "I had hardly ex- 
 pected to find my dear mother here before me," said he, with 
 a smile. 
 
 " Why so, Eugene ? " asked Olympia. 
 
 " Because the hour for your reception was fixed for nine 
 o'clock, and it has not yet struck nine." 
 
 " The countess glanced quickly at the clock on the sculp- 
 tured mantel-piece. " It is almost ten," said she. 
 
 '' Your clock is nearly an hour too fast," said Eugene, who 
 had followed the direction of his mother's eyes. And he drew 
 out his own watch. 
 
 She looked at it a moment. " True your watch is slow, 
 Eugene. You knew, then, before you came hither, that no 
 one had yet arrived ? " 
 
 " Dear mother," responded Eugene, " you think 
 
 " I think that you are a tender, loving son," said she, inter- 
 rupting him. " But it is not necessary to deceive me, dear 
 boy. I know that it is almost an hour past the time I had 
 appointed ; but that signifies nothing. It was not known until 
 late that I would receive to-night, and this is the reception- 
 day of the Duchess cle Luynes. My guests will naturally have 
 gone thither first, and they will come later to us." 
 
 " You are quite right," replied Eugene. " But would it not
 
 50 frfclNCfc EtTGEKE ANl) HIS 
 
 be better for you to retire to your cabinet and rest until the 
 company arrive ? I will call you as soon as the rooms begin 
 to fill." 
 
 She shook her head slowly. "No I remain here. It 
 would be cowardly to retire now. Let us calmly await our 
 distinguished guests. They will be coming very soon." 
 
 Eugene bowed his head in obedience to her commands, and 
 stationed himself by the side of his sisters. There was another 
 long silence, interrupted by the slow, inflexible strokes of the 
 clock, which announced the hour of "ten." 
 
 Great drops of anguish stood out upon the pale, high fore- 
 head of the prince, and his sisters could no longer restrain 
 their tears. The countess alone looked resolute : her features 
 betrayed no emotion whatever; but about her mouth there 
 hovered a vindictive smile, and in her eyes there was a light 
 like that which glitters in the serpent's head that looks out 
 from the deadly jungles of India. 
 
 " Would that I could breathe poison into the veins of yon- 
 der staring menials at the door ! " said she to herself. 
 " Would that I could blind their staring eyes with lightning ! 
 But for them I might leave this fiery furnace of shame, and 
 hide my face within the privacy of my own room ! " 
 
 A sound was heard without, and the Princess Joanna un- 
 consciously clasped her hands with delight, exclaiming, 
 " There comes a carriage ! " 
 
 The countess turned around, and glanced fiercely at her 
 unsophisticated daughter. " Is there anything remarkable in 
 the sound of a carriage, that it should occasion so much joy, 
 mademoiselle ? Are carriages so rare within the gates of the 
 Hotel Soissons ? " 
 
 The door opened, and the gentleman-usher, with his gilded 
 staff, appeared on the threshold. 
 
 " Madame la Marquise Dupont de Lanin," cried he, and the 
 lady followed the announcement at once. 
 
 Often had the poor old marquise attended the levees of the 
 Countess de Soissons, but never before had she been accorded 
 so distinguished a reception. She was tolerated in the salons 
 of Paris on account of her high birth and connections ; added 
 to which she had a tongue in her mouth like a two-edged
 
 THE STATE RECEPTION. 51 
 
 sword, which flew hither and thither about the reputations oi 
 those who slighted or forgot her claims to courtesy. 
 
 To-night she was most graciously, most cordially wel- 
 comed. Like the dove which brought the olive-branch to 
 Noah, the marquise was a messenger from dry land. The 
 waters had subsided the deluge of their troubles was over. 
 
 With wreathed smiles and flattering words, Olympia came 
 forward to greet her first guest. The old marquise received 
 the unprecedented attention paid her without the least mani- 
 festation of surprise. With her sharp old eyes, she traversed 
 the empty vastness of the gilded halls that were wont to 
 swarm with the cr&me de la crme of Paris, and understood 
 the matter at once. She had scarcely had time to reciprocate 
 the politeness of her hostess before two other carriages rolled 
 into the court-yard and two more distinguished names were 
 announced by the usher. 
 
 This time an old duchess and an equally venerable vis- 
 count entered the room of state. Their social status was sinv 
 ilar to that of the marquise: they belonged to the species 
 whom the world is compelled to invite, but whom it detests, 
 because they never have been known to decline an invitation. 
 But they, too, were heartily welcomed, and, by one not ini- 
 tiated in the mysteries of the hour, they would have been set 
 down as the countess's dearest friends. 
 
 Eugene took no part in the conversation which ensued. 
 He had again resumed his taciturn and unsocial demeanor, 
 and now, with folded arms, he stood in the deep recess of a 
 curtained window, sometimes looking gloomily out into the 
 night, anon glancing at the little knot of adventurers, and per- 
 sonages of doubtful reputation, who occasionally added an- 
 other to the meagre group that were around his mother. 
 Olympia strove to converse gayly with her assemblage of in- 
 supportables, but she was chafing like an infuriated lioness. 
 
 "If Marianna and De Luxemburg would but come ! I 
 might, at least, learn how I stand at court, and find out why 
 the king returned to the Louvre by an unusual route. Heav- 
 ens ! how long will I be able to smile upon these hateful 
 bores ? How long sustain the burden of this insufferable lie ? " 
 
 The evening waned, and neither Marianna, De Luxemburg,
 
 5g PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 nor any other member of the court circle appeared, to silence 
 the apprehensions or soothe the wounded pride of the haughty 
 Countess de Soissons. But late very late when she had re- 
 linquished all hopes of another arrival, the doors were flung 
 open, and the usher, in a loud voice, announced : " His high- 
 ness the Duke de Bouillon ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HELP IN TIME OF NEED. 
 
 OLYMPIA, who, with three or four wrinkled old fops, and 
 as many withered dames, had just taken her seat at a card- 
 table, kissed her hand, and received her brother-in-law, with a 
 profusion of smiles such as never before had greeted his en- 
 trance into the salons of the Hotel Soissons. 
 
 He seemed to be totally unconscious of her blandishments, 
 as, with a slight inclination to the company, he came very 
 close to the hostess, and, regardless of etiquette, whispered 
 something in her ear. 
 
 His communication must have been of a nature to excite 
 mirth, for she threw back her head, and, laughing rather more 
 boisterously than was her wont, rose quickly from her seat. 
 
 " Of course, my dear duke," said she, so as to be heard by 
 all who were around ; " of course you shall have the drops 
 for my sister. I regret to hear that she needs them. Come 
 with me to my cabinet, and you shall receive them from my 
 hand. I will even taste them in your presence, that they may 
 not be suspected of containing poison. Follow me, if my kind 
 friends will excuse us for a few moments." 
 
 With a graceful bend of her head, the countess crossed the 
 room, and disappeared with her brother-in-law. From the 
 window to which he had retired, Eugene had seen and heard 
 what was passing, and in the stern expression of the Duke de 
 Bouillon's face he had read something of more significance 
 than a whispered request for headache-drops. No sooner had 
 his mother left the room than he followed her, and as she was
 
 HELP IN TIME OF NEED. 53 
 
 about to enter her cabinet, he laid his hand upon he* shoul- 
 der : 
 
 " Pardon, dear mother," said he, in fond and deprecating 
 tones. '* I mei'ely wish to say, that during your interview 
 with iny uncle, I will remain in the little room adjoining. 
 You may want me, perchance, to execute some commission 
 it may be to bear an apology to our guests." 
 
 " It will be better for Prince Eugene to take part in our 
 conference," said the duke, with his usual moroseness. He is 
 the only son you have in Paris, and, as the representative of 
 the family, it is proper for him to hear what I am about to 
 communicate." 
 
 " I consent," replied Olympia, calmly. " I have no secrets 
 from my son, and your highness may speak without reserve 
 what you have come hither at this unusual hour to say." 
 
 With these words she entered her cabinet, the others fol- 
 lowing silently behind. The duke closed the door and looked 
 around, to see that there were no other occupants of the room. 
 He peered curiously at the heavy folds of the satin curtains 
 which concealed the windows, and, having satisfied himself 
 that no listeners lurked behind, he spoke. 
 
 " You are quite sure that we cannot be overheard ? " said 
 he, addressing the countess. 
 
 " Perfectly sure," replied she. " Of these walls it may be 
 said, that, unlike walls of ordinary construction, they have no 
 ears. Speak without apprehension. But above all things let 
 us be seated." 
 
 "No, madame, let us remain as we are, and hearken to 
 my words. You know that La Voisin was arrested last 
 night." 
 
 " I know it. Monsieur Louvois brought me the news this 
 morning, and it was corroborated by the rabble that attacked 
 us not long after his departure from the palace. It is said that 
 La Voisin is a toxicologist, and that she has been in the habit 
 of selling poison to her patrons. Was this what you came 
 to say ? " 
 
 " With this I intended to open my communication, ma- 
 dame. That La Voisin has trafficked in poisons is proved, 
 and she will assuredly mount the scaffold for her crimes. But
 
 54 WtlNCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the next point is to inquire to whom her poudre de succes* 
 sion has been sold." 
 
 " Has the question been put to La Voisin ? " asked the 
 countess, carelessly. "They have only to inquire of her; 
 doubtless she will reveal the names of her friends." 
 
 The duke came nearer, and looked sternly in her face. 
 " The question has been asked, and it has been answered, 
 madame." 
 
 The countess shuddered, but recovered herself instantane- 
 ously. Momentary as it was, however, Eugene had seen the 
 motion, and now his large dark eyes were fixed upon his uncle 
 with a look of steady defiance. 
 
 " The confessions of La Voisin can be of no significance to 
 the Countess de Soissins," said he, haughtily. "She cannot 
 have made any declaration that would compromise a noble 
 lady ! " 
 
 "Nevertheless she has compromised one of the noblest 
 names in France," returned the duke. "She was forced to 
 reveal the names of her confederates." 
 
 " Yes ! they have been as cruel as they were to poor Brin- 
 villiers ; they have taken her to the charribre ardente I " cried 
 the countess, in a trembling voice. 
 
 "Yes, madame, she was taken to the chambre ardente, 
 stretched upon the rack, and then she confessed." 
 
 " Confessed what ? " gasped Olympia. 
 
 " She confessed to have sold her poudre de succession ; to 
 have foretold the future, and to have prepared love-philters." 
 
 " I do not know that there is treason in drawing horoscopes 
 and brewing love-philters," returned the countess, with a 
 forced laugh. 
 
 " It is treason to brew love-philters, when they are designed 
 to take effect upon the King of France," replied the duke. " It 
 is also treason to steal a lock of his hair wherewith to prepare 
 the philter." 
 
 " Did she say this ? " screamed the countess, with the fe- 
 rocity of a tigress at bay. 
 
 " She did. The lock of hair was obtained by Marshal Lux- 
 emburg, who bribed the valet of his majesty ; the philter was 
 prepared for the Countess de Soissons."
 
 HELP LV TIME OF NEED. 55 
 
 "Her tortures must then have unsettled her reason," cried 
 Olympia. " To end her agony, the poor delirious wretch has 
 confessed any thing that her executioners may have sug- 
 gested." 
 
 "You are mistaken. When she had fully recovered her 
 senses, she repeated her declaration word for word. She sig- 
 nalized three persons as her trustiest confidants. Two of the 
 three were her accomplices; the third is merely accused of 
 having made use of La Voisin to raise the devil. The two 
 who are accused of murder are Monsieur de Luxemburg and 
 Madame de Soissons." 
 
 " The third ? " said Olympia, hoarsely. 
 
 " My own wife," returned the duke, mournfully. " Not 
 having been accused of crime, she has not been sent to the 
 Bastile; his majesty has graciously permitted her to be im- 
 prisoned in her own hotel." 
 
 "Not sent to the Bastile!" echoed the countess, with a 
 
 P 
 
 shudder. " Has any one been sent there ? " 
 
 "Yes. Two hours ago Monsieur de Luxemburg was ar- 
 rested, and he is now there in a criminal's cell." 
 
 The countess uttered a cry of anguish, and tottered to a 
 seat, for her trembling limbs refused to support her. She put 
 her hand to her head, and looked wildly around. 
 
 " And I ? am I to be arrested ? " 
 
 "Yes, madame. The lettre de cachet has been sent by 
 Louvois to the king, and " 
 
 " And the king ! " said Olympia, almost inaudibly. 
 
 "His majesty has signed it." 
 
 The countess pressed her hands upon her heart, and then, 
 suddenly springing to her feet, she burst into a loud, frenzied 
 laugh. " He has signed ! He has signed ! And you you " 
 muttered she, with a scowl at the duke, " did you offer to act 
 as bailiff for the king ? " 
 
 As though he would have confronted a world to shield her 
 from harm, Eugene threw his arm around his mother's waist, 
 and stood between the two. 
 
 " If such be your errand, Duke de Bouillon, you must first 
 be the assassin of her son. No blow shall reach her, until it 
 shall have pierced the heart of her only protector! " 
 5
 
 56 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Not so grandiloquent, my little abbe," replied De Bouillon, 
 superciliously. " Methinks, were I so disposed, I might snap 
 the feeble thread of your existence, without any extraordinary 
 display of valor, but I have no desire to deprive the countess 
 of so valiant a knight. I come, not to arrest, but to deliver 
 her. I come to save herself from the headsman, her family 
 from the foul blot of her public execution." 
 
 "Avenging God! " murmured the miserable woman. 
 
 "You must fly, Olympia," continued the duke, compas- 
 sionating her fearful condition, "you must fly, and without 
 delay." 
 
 " Fly ! " exclaimed Eugene, furiously. " Because a de- 
 graded wretch like that La Voisin, in her delirium of agony, 
 has spoken the name of the Countess de Soissons, she shall be- 
 come a fugitive from justice ? No, mother, no! Remain to 
 confound your calumniators, and, with the good sword of 
 Right, and Truth, pierce the vile falsehood to its heart's 
 core ! " 
 
 The duke shook his head. "Let not ill-advised heroism 
 tempt you to defy your legions of accusers. Be you innocent 
 or guilty, you are prejudged, and will be condemned. Believe 
 me, the danger is urgent, and it were sheer imbecility to con- 
 front it." 
 
 "You say the king ha*? signed ? " replied she, with a vacant 
 stare. Then clasping her hands, she burst into a flood of 
 tears, repeating o'er and o'er the piteous words, "Oh no! Nol 
 No ! It cannot be ! It caniot be ! " 
 
 " Nevertheless, he has done it ; done it at the instigation of 
 Louvois and De Montespan. But mark me well, and you too, 
 abbe listen to what I am about to say. The king himself it 
 was who sent me hither to warn you ; it is he who urges you 
 to flight. That you may have time to escape, the lettre de 
 cachet is not to go into effect until to-morrow morning. But 
 the morrow is close at hand : hark ! the clock strikes eleven, 
 and you have but one hour. If after midnight you are found 
 within the gates of Paris, your doom is certain. The spies of 
 Louvois are close at hand ; they watch before your palace- 
 gates, and await the twelfth stroke of the iron tongue that 
 speaks from the towers of Notre Dame, to force their way into
 
 HELP IN TIME OF NEED. 57 
 
 the very room wherein we stand. If they pass the threshold 
 of the palace you are irretrievably lost ! " 
 
 The countess spoke not a word in reply. They scarcely 
 knew whether she had understood the terrible import of the 
 duke's appeal. She had remained motionless, almost breath- 
 less ; her face white as death, her large orbs distended to their 
 utmost, gazing, not upon the tangible objects that were before 
 them, but upon some fearful pageant that was passing within 
 the shadowy precincts of her soul. 
 
 Her lips began to move, and she muttered incoherent 
 words. " Ah ! is it so ? " said she, almost inaudibly. u The end 
 of tbat bright dream! The philter! What !" cried she with 
 sudden energy, " he warns me ? He grants me one one 
 hour ! " And then, overpowered by the reality of her supreme 
 desolation, she opened her arms, and looked defiantly above, as 
 if invoking the wrath of that Heaven which had forsaken 
 her. 
 
 " Olympia," said the duke, touching her arm, " you have 
 but three-quarters of an hour to quit Paris." 
 
 " Dear mother," implored Eugene, " decide quickly whether 
 you go or remain." 
 
 She shuddered, and, with a deep sigh, suffered her arms to 
 fall listlessly at her side. 
 
 "I must drink of this chalice of humiliation," said she, 
 mournfully. "I must fly." 
 
 A groan of anguish broke from the depths of Eugene's suf- 
 fering heart, while a strange look shot athwart the counte- 
 nance of the duke. The groan was that of faith that faltered ; 
 the glance was that of doubt made certainty. 
 
 " I must make my escape," iterated Olympia in a tone more 
 resolute. "If Louvois has effected the arrest of a woman al- 
 lied to the royal family, it is because he is secure of her con- 
 viction. Rather than become his victim, I will endure the 
 shame of flight. Time enough remains to me for justifica- 
 tion."* 
 
 " Justification shall come through me ! " cried Eugene, 
 raising his right hand as though taking an oath. 
 
 * The countess's own words. See Amade'e Kenee, " The Nieces of Ma- 
 zarin," p. 207.
 
 68 PRINCE EUGENE AXD HIS TIMES. 
 
 "Countess, countess," urged De Bouillon, "you have but 
 half an hour." 
 
 "You are right," returned Olympia, summoning all her 
 resolution to her aid. "Time is flying, and I must be dili- 
 gent" 
 
 " I promised his majesty not to leave you until you were 
 on your way, Olympia," was the duke's reply, "and I shall 
 remain to fulfil my promise." 
 
 "And I, mother," added Eugene, "will never leave you 
 until you are in perfect safety." 
 
 "Then let us prepare," was Olympia's rejoinder. "You, 
 duke, be so kind as to collect my papers and money. They 
 are in that ebony secretary at your elbow. Here are the keys. 
 You will find a casket therein, where all that you find may be 
 deposited for the present. I myself will gather up my jewels 
 and such clothing as cannot be dispensed with. Eugene, my 
 son, go at once to the stables : order my travelling-chariot, 
 and see that eight of my swiftest horses are attached to it. In 
 Brussels I shall find a friend in the Spanish viceroy. Send 
 forward relays to Rheims and Namur ; and let the men be 
 clad in liveries of dark gray. Hasten, my son ; before half an 
 hour, I must be hence ! " 
 
 When Eugene returned, he found his mother waiting. 
 The duke hastily threw over her shoulders a travelling-cloak 
 bordered with fur, and Olympia, drawing the hood closely 
 around her face, prepared to quit the room. 
 
 " Shall I not call my sisters to bid you adieu ? " asked her 
 don. 
 
 "No," said she, calmly. "Their absence would be re- 
 marked, and nothing must arouse the suspicion of my guests. 
 I leave to you, Monsieur de Bouillon, the task of communi- 
 cating my flight to my daughters. May I request you to bear 
 a message to the king also ? Tell him that whenever he will 
 pass his royal word that I may return without danger of incar- 
 ceration, I shall be ready to appear before my accusers, and 
 defend my calumniated reputation.* Give me your arm, and 
 yours, Eugene : we are late." 
 
 Silently, and without a single expression of regret, she went 
 
 * Her own words, See the "Letters of Mad woe de S^vigne," vol. Ui.
 
 IN TlMfe OF NEED. 
 
 through the lofty corridors of the hotel, until she reached the 
 private staircase by which Eugene had passed to the street 
 that morning. The servants had assembled to bid her adieu, 
 and, as they tendered their good wishes, she bent her lofty 
 head with the condescension of a queen. Before descending, 
 she addressed a few words to the steward : 
 
 "I am forced to leave Paris fora time, Latour. My ene- 
 mies refuse me the poor privilege of remaining here to refute 
 the absurd charges preferred against me by the senseless rab- 
 ble that are in their pay. During my absence, I leave you in 
 full command of my household. You shall receive your 
 wages until you decide to seek employment elsewhere. Fare- 
 well all!" 
 
 The chariot with eight superb horses was at the postern, 
 and around it stood the lackeys in their liveries of sombre 
 gray. The countess took her seat in the carriage, and, bend- 
 ing forward to kiss her son, said, " Bear my greetings to your 
 sisters, Eugene." 
 
 " Will my gracious uncle accept this commission ? " asked 
 he, turning to the duke. 
 
 " Why not you ? " asked Olympia. 
 
 " Because my place is with you, dearest mother," was the 
 simple reply of her devoted child, while he took his seat at 
 her side. 
 
 " It is right," remarked the duke, " and I begin to feel con- 
 siderable respect for our little abbe ! " 
 
 " I shall compel respect from more than the Duke de Bou- 
 illon," thought his nephew. 
 
 " Farewell ! " said Olympia, with as much self-possession 
 as if she had been starting for a tour of pleasure. " Tell the 
 king that I forget to pity my own impotence in compassion- 
 ating his." 
 
 The carriage rolled away, first under the illuminated win- 
 dows of the rooms of state, where the unconscious Princesses 
 de Carignan were doing their best to entertain the motley as- 
 semblage, that had been so suddenly deserted by their mother ; 
 then along the dimly-lighted streets where Eugene's heart 
 beat with painful apprehension lest the crowd should rec- 
 ognize the fugitive ; then they entered the avenue where the
 
 60 FRINGE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 court had turned its back upon Olympia and her extravagant 
 hopes, and at last they reached the gates. 
 
 Meanwhile the Duke de Bouillon had returned to the salons, t 
 where he announced the departure of the countess to her 
 guests ; the servants had dispersed, and returned to their usual 
 employments, all except one, who crept stealthily out, and, 
 turning the corner, advanced a few paces into a dark and nar- 
 row alley. Two horsemen were waiting his appearance there. 
 
 " Has she gone ? " asked one. 
 
 " Yes," replied the man ; '' and relays have been ordered to 
 hasten her escape." 
 
 *' What route did she take ? " 
 
 " She goes to Brussels, by the way of Rheims, Rocroy, and 
 Namur." 
 
 " Here are your four louis d'ors." 
 
 With these words, the two horsemen galloped away, turn- 
 ing their horses' heads toward the palace of the minister of 
 war. In the porte-cochere stood Louvois himself, who, motion- 
 ing them not to dismount, spoke a few low words, and then 
 handed to each one a package of letters and a purse of gold. 
 
 "Fly with all speed," said he, in his parting injunctions. 
 "Kill as many horses as you list I pay for their carcasses ; 
 but see that at every station you arrive a full hour before the 
 countess." 
 
 He then entered his carriage, and drove to the Louvre to 
 inform the king that his royal commands had been obeyed, 
 and that the Countess de Soissons had been suffered to escape. 
 
 As the chariot that was bearing away the disgraced Olympia 
 drove through the barrier and entered upon the high-road, the 
 two horsemen galloped past, and so completely did they dis- 
 tance the unhappy travellers, that in a few moments the echo 
 of their horses' feet had died away into silence.
 
 THE FLIGHT. 61 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE FLIGHT. 
 
 IT was a glorious night a night of sapphire skies, radiant 
 with stellar diamonds one of those nights whose beauty in- 
 tensifies pleasure, and whose gentle influence soothes pain ; 
 which, to the joyous heart seem to prefigure heaven ; to the 
 sorrowing are like the healing touch of the Almighty hand, 
 which, ha exceeding love, has stricken it with a passing paiu. 
 
 But not a ray of hope or consolation refreshed the dreary 
 wastes of the heart of Olympia de Soissons. She had with- 
 drawn herself from the embrace of her son, and leaned far 
 back into the corner of the carriage. But for the glare of her 
 large, black eyes, as they reflected the light of the lamps on 
 either side, she might have been asleep, so motionless she lay ; 
 but, whenever Eugene turned a timid glance upon her rigid 
 features, he saw that she seemed ever and ever to be looking 
 away from him, and far out upon the black and shapeless 
 masses of the woods through which they journeyed all that 
 night. 
 
 He had tried to divert her by conversation;- but to his re- 
 marks she had made such curt and random replies, that he 
 desisted,and left her to the bleak solitude of her own reveries. 
 
 And thus they passed the night. With fresh relays of 
 eight spirited horses, they travelled so swiftly, that when 
 morning dawned, the lofty towers of the Cathedral of Rheims 
 were seen looming through the mist, and the coachman drew 
 up before the gates. 
 
 But; although a courier had been sent in advance to order 
 it, no relay was there. The coachman turned to Eugene for 
 instructions. 
 
 " This is most unfortunate," replied he, " for it compels us 
 to enter the city and change horses at the royal post-house. 
 While arrangements are being made there, will it please my 
 dear mother to leave her carriage and partake of some refresh- 
 ment ? " 
 
 The countess replied with a silent bend of the head, and
 
 62 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Eugene sent forward a courier, with orders to have breakfast 
 prepared. The carriage passed the old Roman gate, and en- 
 tered the city, made famous by the coronation of so many 
 kings of France. The rattle of the wheels over the rough 
 stone pavement made the countess start with apprehension of 
 she knew not what, and she withdrew cautiously from sight. 
 
 " It is well that the roll of this clamorous carriage cannot 
 awaken our foes," said she, as they stopped before the post- 
 house. 
 
 Her rejoicings were premature ; for the master of the post- 
 horses came leisurely forward, his face expressing a mixture 
 of rude curiosity with careless contempt. 
 
 " You want post-horses ? " asked he, with a familiar nod. 
 
 Eugene's large eyes flashed fire. " It would appear," said 
 he, " that you do not know to whom you have the honor of 
 speaking, or else you would remove your hat." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I know who you are," answered he, insolently. 
 " That is the Countess de Soissons, and you are the little abbe, 
 her son. But I keep on my hat, for it is cool this morning, 
 and it suits me not to remove it." 
 
 " It suits you, then, to be a boor, a barefaced " 
 
 '' Peace, Eugene ! " interrupted Oly mpia, in Italian ; " peace, 
 or you will cause me some detention that may imperil my life. 
 See ; in spite of the undue hour, how many men are around 
 our carriage. They are not here by accident. Their presence 
 only proves that Louvois' couriers have anticipated us ; and if 
 ever we hope to pass the frontiers of France, we must be dis- 
 creet. " 
 
 " And I may not, therefore, chastise this varlet ! I must sit 
 tamely by while he insults my mother ! " 
 
 "He is but a tool, Eugene. Spare the instrument, and 
 strike the hand that directs it against me." 
 
 " By the Eternal God, I Trill smite that hand ! " said Eugene, 
 while the master of the post-horses stood staring at Oly mpia 
 with an expression of familiarity that would have cost him his 
 life, had she been free to take it. But sweet as the honey of 
 Hybla, were the words she spoke. 
 
 " Good sir, would you be so obliging as to furnish us with 
 eight horses ? " said she, almost imploringly.
 
 THE FLIGHT. 63 
 
 '' Kight horses ! for that light vehicle ? It looks much as if 
 you were trying to make your escape, and were sore pressed to 
 move on." 
 
 ' I am, indeed, sorely pressed," said she, in tones of distress ; 
 " hasten, I implore of you, hasten ! " 
 
 " You cannot have them before half an hour," said he, turn- 
 ing oil his heel, and re-entering the house. 
 
 The countess now called to one of her footmen : " Go, see 
 if we can have a room and some breakfast." 
 
 The man obeyed, but returned almost immediately, with a 
 most embarrassed expression. 
 
 " They have no vacant room, and say that your highness 
 need not trouble yourself to leave the carriage, in search of 
 lodgings, were it even for five minutes." 
 
 "Then go and bring us each a cup of chocolate," replied 
 the countess, with a sigh. 
 
 The footman renewed his petition, and this time returned, 
 accompanied by a woman, who, in angry haste, approached 
 the unhappy fugitives : 
 
 " You are the Countess cle Soissons ? " asked she, with a 
 bold stare. 
 
 " Yes, madame, I am ; and I hope you will do me the favor 
 to serve us a cup of chocolate." 
 
 " You do do you ? Well, I have come out here to tell 
 you that I shall do no such thing. How do I know that your 
 breath may not poison my cup and 
 
 " Woman ! " cried Eugene, springing up from his seat. 
 
 His mother put him firmly back. " I command you to 
 keep silence," said she, imperiously. Then, resuming her col- 
 loquy with the woman who stood by, with arms akimbo : '' I 
 will tell you how you can oblige me without any risk to your- 
 self." 
 
 " How, pray ? " 
 
 " Sell me, not only the chocolate, but the cups that contain 
 it. I will give you a louis d'or for each one." 
 
 The woman's eyes glistened with greed of gold. " Two louis 
 d'ors for two cups of chocolate ! " said she to herself, " that is 
 a brave trade for me. You shall have them," added she aloud, 
 " I will fetch them in a moment. "
 
 64: PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES 
 
 And off she pattered with her slipshod shoes into the house. 
 The countess then addressed her son, who, leaning back in a 
 corner of the carriage, sat with his head buried in his hands. 
 
 " Eugene," said she, emphatically, u if you are to accompany 
 me any farther, it must be as a peace-loving abbe not as an 
 irascible soldier. If you incense these people against us, you* 
 indiscreet zeal will cause me to be captured. I have no long- 
 ing for death ; I desire to live until my son, the mighty car- 
 dinal, has trampled under foot the least as well as the greatest 
 of my enemies." 
 
 " Oh, mother, I have not only your in juries to avenge, but 
 mine ! I have the burning shame of yesterday to wipe out, 
 although the wound of my humiliation can never be healed." 
 
 "Time Nature's sweet balm heals every wound, and in 
 our days of adversity let this be our consolation. To the sharp 
 lash of Destiny the wise man will bow in silence ; but if the 
 blow be from the hand of man, it is from the crucible of the 
 suffering it imposes that must come the strength wherewith 
 we retaliate ; from the depths of our wounded hearts that 
 must spring the geysers of our seething revenge. It woiild 
 gratify me to have you the companion of my flight, but, if in 
 the impotence of your wrath you seek to defend me, it will be 
 better for us to part. Ah, here comes the chocolate ! I con- 
 fess that I rejoice to scent its fragrant aroma. Let us drink, 
 and afterward you will decide whether you subscribe 'to my 
 exactions, or return to Paris. " 
 
 The cups were cracked, without handles, and of coarse pot- 
 tery the thrifty housewife having taken care to select the 
 worst of her wares to barter away. The countess smilingly 
 accepted hers, and, as Eugene was putting his impatiently 
 away, she took it herself from the servant's hands. 
 
 "Drink," said she, "and hearken to a saying of our uncle, 
 Cardinal Mazarin : ' When a man is troubled in spirit, he 
 must strengthen himself in body. The world is a gi'eat cam- 
 paign against contrarieties with which we must daily antici- 
 pate a skirmish. And above all, on the eve of a great battle, 
 the soul, which is the chief, must see to it that his soldier, 
 which is the body, is in a condition to do him service.' These 
 were the words of a wise man, and they are worthy of being
 
 THE FLIGHT. 05 
 
 remembered. Drink your chocolate, iny son, for you well 
 know that we are about to go into action." 
 
 He took the cup from his mother's hand, and, without an- 
 other word, emptied it of its contents. The woman, mean- 
 while, had been watching her cups, lamenting their approach- 
 ing destruction, which, spite of the tremendous price at which 
 they had been purchased, she looked upon as a sacrifice greatly 
 to be deplored. Seeing that the catastrophe was approaching, 
 she stepped forward to receive her pay. In her hand she held 
 a large pan of water, which she raised to a level with the por- 
 tiere of the carriage. 
 
 " Now, madame," said she, " you have had your chocolate, 
 give me my louis d'ors." 
 
 From her jewelled purse Olympia drew out two gold-pieces, 
 which she offered to the woman. But, instead of receiving 
 them, she cried out in a shrill voic : 
 
 "Drop them in the water. After a few hours I may 
 venture to touch the gold that Las passed through your 
 hands!" 
 
 The crowd, whom curiosity had drawn around the carriage, 
 now burst out into a shout of applause. 
 
 " Right, right, Dame Iviargot ! You are a prudent woman ! 
 Nobody knows what migLt come of handling her louis 
 d'ors." 
 
 Olympia smiled. " Yes." said she, " you are a wise woman, 
 and, as a token of my admiration for your prudence, here are 
 three louis d'ors instead of the two I had promised." 
 
 So saying, she dropped three gold-pieces in the basin. The 
 woman blushed, and looked ashamed. The crowd were aston- 
 ished, and here and there were heard a few murmured words 
 of sympathy. " That was very kind, was it not ? After all. 
 she may not be as bad as they say. It may all be a lie about 
 her poisoning her children ! " 
 
 Olympia heard it, and a proud smile flitted over her beau- 
 tiful face. The woman still lingered at the carriage-door. 
 " And the cups ? " asked she, wistfully. " I suppose you will 
 break them, will yon no* ? " 
 
 " No," replied the countess, speaking so that she might be 
 heard by the people. " No, my gooci woman, I will not break
 
 66 PRINCE EUGENE AXD HIS TIMES. 
 
 them : they shall lie in the basin, so that, like the gold, they 
 may be purified until you find them worthy of being used 
 again I " 
 
 And again her jewelled hand was extended, and from her 
 slender fingers the cups were carefully dropped into the basin. 
 
 " Your highness," exclaimed the woman, abashed, " I thank 
 you a thousand times for your generosity, and I hope you will 
 forgive my rudeness. I would not have been so forgetful of 
 the respect I owe to a lady of your rank, if I had not been put 
 up to it by other people. From my heart I beg your pardon, 
 madame." 
 
 ' ' You are sincerely forgiven," replied Olympia, gently. " I 
 am accustomed to contumely, and when unjustly persecuted 
 I follow the example of my Saviour I forgive those that hate 
 and revile me." 
 
 " Did you hear that ? " whispered the multitude one to an- 
 other. " And do you mark what a beautiful countenance she 
 has ? Instead of being a murderess, she may be a pious saint. 
 Who knows ? " 
 
 "No," cried the vender of chocolate, bravely diving her 
 hand into the basin and withdrawing her louis d'ors, " DO, she 
 is no murderess, she is a benevolent, Christian lady." 
 
 " She is a benevolent Christian lady," shouted the people, 
 and in less than five minutes the countess was as popular as a 
 prince who has just ascended the throne. 
 
 A third time the magic purse was drawn forth, and two 
 more louis d'ors glittered in the hand of Dame Margot ! 
 
 " May I ask of you the favor to give this to those good peo- 
 ple, that they may drink my health ? " said Olympia. 
 
 "You are an angel," cried Margot, while her eyes grew 
 moist with sympathizing tears. 
 
 " Yes, an angel ! " echoed the crowd. " So beautiful ! So 
 good! So bountiful!" 
 
 They were still in the height of their enthusiasm when tin 
 half hour had expired, and the post-horses were brought out 
 and harnessed. The postilion sounded his horn, and the coach 
 man cracked his whip. 
 
 " Long live the noble Countess de Soissons ! " cried Dame 
 Margot, and " Long live her highness ! " echoed the converts,
 
 Tfifi FLIGHT. 67 
 
 while the carriage thundered through the streets, and the 
 countess threw herself back and laughed. 
 
 "Miserable rabble!" said she, "whose love and hate are 
 bought with gold, and whom philanthropists regard as the ex- 
 ponents of the Divine will ! ' Vox populi vox Dei? forsooth ! " 
 Then, turning to Eugene, who, during the whole perform- 
 ance, had remained sullenly silent, she continued: " Have you 
 decided whether to leave or accompany me ? If the latter, it 
 must be in the character of a diplomatist, whose weapons are 
 sweet words and shining gold.'' 
 
 " I go on with you, mother, as your loving and obedient 
 son," said Eugene, kissing her hand even the one which still 
 clasped the wonder-working purse. " I have no right to de- 
 spise this tiny necromancer, for, by its beneficent power, you 
 have been rescued from dangers which I, a man, and not a 
 coward, was impotent to avert. I submit, dear mother, to 
 your dictates no longer your champion, look upon me hence- 
 forth as your subject." 
 
 The voice was very mournful in which Eugene made this 
 profession of vassalage, and at its conclusion his eyes were 
 veiled by tears of burning humiliation. His mother affected 
 not to perceive his emotion, as she replied in her blandest 
 tones: 
 
 " I thank you, my son. Your decision is a most filial and 
 meritorious one. The two days that have just passed over 
 your head have proved to me that, whatever may be your 
 career, you are destined to render it illustrious'either by states- 
 manship or prowess. Whether as an ecclesiastic, a politi- 
 cian, or a soldier, you will certainly attain distinction." 
 
 " Mother, as a soldier, I may attain distinction ; as a church- 
 man, never. For the present I accept my fate; but blessed 
 will be the day on which I go into the world free to feel the 
 power of my manhood, and to shape my fortunes with my 
 u\s n hand. Let women rise to dignity thiwigh royal favor 
 ami family influence; man's only ally should be his owu 
 strong arm. Far nobler to me is the lieutenant who wins his 
 epaulets upon the battle-field, than the prince who is born to 
 the command of an army." 
 
 " Have a care how you speak such high-treason at the court
 
 68 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 of Louis XIV.," replied his mother. "It would be repeated to 
 his majesty, and never would be forgiven." 
 
 " I hope to do many things in my life that will be repeated 
 to his majesty of France perchance some of which may never 
 obtain his forgiveness, 1 ' replied Eugene, quietly. " But let us 
 speak of the present, and of you, beloved mother." 
 
 Olympia threw herself back against the soft upholstery that 
 lined the back of the carriage. " Rather let us speak of noth- 
 ing, my child. Neither of us had any rest last night : I would 
 gladly sleep awhile." 
 
 She closed her eyes, and finally Nature asserted her lotig- 
 frustrated claims. In a few moments, the humiliations, tho 
 fears, and the sufferings of the unhappy Olympia, were 
 drowned in the drowsy waters of profound sleep. 
 
 She was not long permitted to remain in oblivion of her 
 woes. Her repose was broken by the hoots and hisses of an- 
 other vulgar crowd, that swarmed like hornets about the car- 
 riage-windows. They had arrived at another station, where, in 
 place of finding post-horses, they were met by another mob as 
 vituperative as the one they had encountered before. 
 
 Eugene thrust open the portiere, and, leaping into the very 
 midst of the rioters, he drew out his pistols. " The first one of 
 you," cried he, " that proffers another injurious word, I will 
 shoot as I would a vicious dog ! " 
 
 "Hear that sickly manikin ! He is trying to browbeat 
 us ! " cried some one in the crowd. 
 
 " Yes, yes, trying to browbeat us ! " echoed the chorus. 
 
 " Yes by the eternal heavens above us ! " exclaimed the 
 prince, " The first that moves a foot toward us, dies ! " 
 
 His eyes flashed so boldly, and his attitude was so com- 
 manding, that the people, ever cowed by true courage, fal- 
 tered and fell back. 
 
 Just then Olympia opened the door on her own side of the 
 chariot, and, without the slightest manifes' ition of fear or an- 
 ger, stepped to the ground, and, with one of her bewitching 
 smiles, made her way to the very center of her foes. Her 
 voice was soft and low, but, to a practised ear, it would have 
 seemed like that of a lioness, who, forced to temporize, was 
 longing to devour.
 
 THE FLIGHT. 09 
 
 "Good people," said the leonine siren, "pardon the iras- 
 cibility of this young man. He is my son, and, when he heard 
 his mother's name aspersed, his anger got the better of his dis- 
 cretion. Is it not true," continued she, turning to a woman 
 who had been most vociferous in her maledictions, " is it not 
 true, dear friend, that a son is excusable who grows indignant 
 when he hears his mother accused of deeds the very thought 
 of which would fill her with horror ? Perhaps you, too, have 
 a son that loves you, and who, knowing you to be a good and 
 pious woman, would never suffer any man to attack your 
 good name." 
 
 " Yes," replied the woman, entirely propitiated, " yes, ma- 
 dame, I have a son who certainly would defend my good name 
 against any man that attacked it. " 
 
 " Then you will make allowances for mine, and speak 
 a kind word for him to your friends here, for we mothers 
 understand one another, do we not ? And any one of us is 
 ready to shelter the good son of some other woman ? Are we 
 not ? " 
 
 " That we are," returned the woman, enthusiastically. " I 
 will protect your son, never fear." And. with her arms up- 
 raised, she dashed through the crowd, and addressed those who 
 were nearest to Eugene, and who, partially over their panic, 
 were just about to remember that they were many against their 
 one opponent. 
 
 " Let him alone ! " cried she. " He is her son ! You see 
 that we have been deceived by those who told us that she had 
 poisoned her children. How should this one love her, if she 
 were so wicked ? " 
 
 "Dear friends," cried Olympia, so as to be heard by all 
 around, ''you have been shamefully imposed upon, if you 
 were told that I poisoned my dear children. I have given birth 
 to seven, who are all alive to testify that their poor mother is 
 innocent." 
 
 "All seven alive! Seven children, and not one dead!" 
 exclaimed the "dear friend" whom Olympia had specially ad- 
 dressed. " Just think of that ! Why, of course she is inno- 
 cent." 
 
 And here and there the shrill voices of the women were
 
 TO PRINCE EUGENE AXD HIS TIMES. 
 
 heard repeating the words, " She is innocent, of course she is 
 innocent ! " 
 
 " You perceive, then," continued the countess, pursuing her 
 advantage, " that I have powerful enemies, since they precede 
 me on my journey with slanderous falsehoods, and try to turn 
 the honest hearts of the villagers of France against me and 
 my son. I see that they have been here, and have bribed you 
 to insult me." 
 
 " That is true," cried a chorus of rough voices. " We were 
 paid to insult you and to refuse you post-horses." 
 
 " Well, then," returned Olympia, with one of her most en- 
 chanting smiles, " I, too, will give you money, but it shall not 
 be to bribe you to resent my injuries. It will be to dispose of 
 as your kind hearts deem best." 
 
 She threw out a handful of silver, for which some began to 
 stoop and scramble, while others, emboldened by the sight of 
 such a largesse, crowded around, stretching out their hands 
 for a " souvenir." 
 
 " Whoever, at the expiration of fifteen minutes, furnishes 
 me eight fresh horses, shall receive eight louis d'ors as a token 
 of my gratitude," said the sagacious Olympia. 
 
 No sooner were the words spoken, than every man there 
 flew to earn the token. In less than a minute the ground was 
 cleared, and naught was to be seen but a few women and 
 children, still bent upon searching for the silver. 
 
 The countess returned to her carnage, where she found Eu- 
 gene, looking embarrassed and ashamed. He immediately 
 apologized for his involuntary disregard of her injunctions. 
 
 "Dear mother, forgive me ; in this last dilemma I have 
 conducted myself like a madman, while you have shown that 
 you possess true heroism. I see how very much wiser you are 
 than I ; and I solemnly promise to attempt no more violence, 
 where personal violence is not offered to us. But to say that 
 I could exchange my weapons for yours, I cannot. I never 
 shall learn to dissimulate and flatter." 
 
 His mother slightly raised her shoulders. '' You will learn 
 it in time, when you will have learned to despise your fel- 
 lows as I do. But see! Heaven be praised, here come the 
 horses,"
 
 THE PARTING. 71 
 
 In a few moments, eight brown hands were outstretched to 
 receive the gold, and, amid the huzzas of the multitude, the 
 Countess de Soissons pursued her journey. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE PARTING. 
 
 EUGENE looked gloomily out of the carriage-window, and 
 heard a succession of deep sighs. 
 
 " Shall I tell you why you are so sad ? " said Olympia to 
 her son. 
 
 " I am sad because I feel my miserable impotence," replied 
 he, moodily. " I am sad because I must at last acknowledge 
 that Mazarin was right when he said that gold was the only 
 divinity devoutly worshipped on earth." 
 
 " Speak not slightingly of gold," cried Olympia, laughing ; 
 " it has probably saved my life to-day. Unluckily we are far 
 from the end of our journey, and I may not have enough of 
 this precious gold wherewith to purchase forbearance as 
 we go." 
 
 " We are not far from the frontier, and once in Flanders, 
 you are safe." 
 
 " Not so. There are no bounds to the realms of this yellow 
 divinity. Its worshippers are everywhere, and Louvois will 
 seek them in France and out of it. But I think I have a device 
 whereby we may outwit our mighty oppressor, and avoid fur- 
 ther contumely." 
 
 " What is it, mother? " 
 
 '' I will take another and a less public road. You shall go 
 with me as far as the boundaries. We can pass the night at 
 Rocroy, and part on the morrow : you to retrace your steps. I 
 to continue my flight in a plain carriage, with two horses and 
 no attendants." 
 
 " I have promised to submit, and will obey you implicitly," 
 returned Eugene, respectfully. '' Since you command me to 
 go, we will part at Rocroy." 
 6
 
 72 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES 
 
 " Ah ! " sighed the countess, " I would we were there, fox 
 indeed I am exhausted, and yearn for rest." 
 
 Many hours, however, went by, before they reached Rocroy, 
 and, wherever their need compelled them to stop, they met with 
 the same insults ; the same efforts were to be gone through, to 
 propitiate the rabble ; and Eugene was forced to endure it all, 
 while his martyred heart was wrung with anguish that no 
 words are adequate to picture. 
 
 At last, to the relief of the prince, and the great joy of his 
 mother, who was almost fainting with fatigue, the fortress was 
 reached, the foaming horses were drawn up, and the officer in 
 command was seen coming through a postern, followed by six 
 of his men. 
 
 It was the custom in France to search every vehicle that 
 left the frontier; and, in compliance with this custom, the offi- 
 cer advanced promptly to meet the travellers. The countess 
 had so often submitted to this formality, that when her name 
 and destination were asked, she avowed them both without the 
 least hesitation. 
 
 " I hope," added she, " that the declaration of my name and 
 rank will exempt me from the detention usual in these cases, 
 for I am in great haste, and you will oblige me by ordering 
 the gates to be opened at once." 
 
 " I am sorry to disoblige your highness," replied the officer, 
 with a supercilious smile, " but that very declaration compels 
 me to refuse you egress through the gates of Rocroy. " 
 
 "What in Heaven's name do you mean, sir?" exclaimed 
 Olympia, alarmed. 
 
 "I mean that Monsieur Louvois's orders are express that 
 the Countess de Soissons shall not be suffered to pass the for- 
 tress, and his orders here are paramount." 
 
 With these words the officer turned his back, made a sign 
 to his men, and in less than a minute the party had disap- 
 peared, and the inexorable gates had closed. 
 
 The countess sighed wearily. " Let us go farther," said 
 she " In the next village we will at least find lodgings, and 
 rest for the night." 
 
 The horses' heads were turned, and the tired animals urged 
 on, until a neighboring town had been reached, whose stately
 
 THE PARTING. 73 
 
 inn, with its brightly-illuminated entrance, gave promise of 
 comfortable entertainment for man and beast. 
 
 Three well-dressed individuals stood in the lofty door-way, 
 and as the carriage drove up they came forward to meet it. 
 ;o. shielding his mother from sight, asked if they could 
 alight to sup and lodge there for the night. 
 
 " That depends upon circumstances," replied one of them. 
 " You must first have the goodness to give us your name." 
 
 " My name is nothing to the purpose," cried Eugene, im- 
 patiently. " I ask merely whether strangers can be accommo- 
 dated with supper and beds in this house." 
 
 " The name is every thing, sir, and, before I answer your 
 inquiry, I must know it unless, indeed, you are anxious to 
 conceal it." 
 
 " A Prince de Carignan has never yet had reason to conceal 
 his name," said Eugene, haughtily. 
 
 "Ah! your highness, then, is the Prince de Carignan ! And 
 may this lady in the corner there be your mother, the Countess 
 de Soissons ? " 
 
 "Yes the Countess de Soissons; and now that you are 
 made acquainted with our names " 
 
 " I regret that I cannot receive you," interrupted the host. 
 " Were you alone, my house and every thing within my doors 
 would be at the service of the Prince de Carignan, but for his 
 mother we have no accommodation. We are afraid of noble 
 ladies that use poison." 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth, before he sprang 
 up the steps, and closed the doors of the inn in their faces. 
 
 " Ah ! " muttered Olympia, between her teeth, " such cruelty 
 as this is enough to drive any one to the use of poison ! And 
 if I live I will be revenged on yonder churl that has sent me 
 out into the darkness, denying me food and rest ! " 
 
 '' Whither will your highness go now? " asked the footman ; 
 and, by the tone of the inquiry, Olympia felt that her menials 
 were rapidly losing all respect for a " highness " that could no 
 longer command entrance into a public inn. 
 
 " Take a by-way to the next village, and stop at the first 
 peasant's hut on the road." 
 
 The coachman was growing surly, and the poor, worn-out
 
 ?4 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMKS. 
 
 horses were so stiff that they could barely travel any longer. 
 The village, however, was only a few miles off, so that they 
 were not more than an hour in reaching a miserable hovel, at 
 the door of which was a man in the superlative degree of as- 
 tonishment. He, at least, had never heard of Louvois and 
 Louvois's orders, so that, for the promise of a gold-piece, ha 
 was easily induced to receive the desponding party. But his 
 only bed was of straw, and he feared their excellencies would 
 not be satisfied with his fare. 
 
 " My friend," said Olympia, " to an exhausted traveller a 
 litter of straw is as welcome as a bed of down ; " and, with a 
 sigh of relief, she took the arm of her son, and entered the hut. 
 
 " Are you married ? " asked she, taking her seat on a wooden 
 stool, near the chimney. 
 
 "Yes; and here is my wife," said he, as a young woman, 
 blushing and courtesying, came forward to welcome her dis- 
 tinguished visitors. 
 
 " Have you a wagon and horses ? " continued the countess. 
 
 " A wagon, your excellency, but no horses : we have two 
 sturdy oxen, instead." 
 
 " Would you like to earn enough money to-night to buy 
 yourself a handsome team ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, we would," cried husband and wife simul- 
 taneously. 
 
 " Then," said Olympia to the latter, " sell me your Sunday- 
 gown, let me have something to eat, and throw down some 
 clean straw in the corner, where I may sleep for a few hours. 
 When I awake," added she to the man, "harness your oxen, 
 and take me in your wagon beyond the frontier, to Flanders. 
 If you will do this, you shall have fifty louis d'ors for your 
 trouble. " 
 
 The peasant grinned responsive. " That will I," cried he, 
 slapping his thigh ; " and, if you say so, I'll take you as far as 
 Chimay, which is a good way beyond the frontier." 
 
 " Right," said the countess, joyfully. " To Chimay we go. 
 Now, my good girl, bring me your best holiday -suit." 
 
 The young woman ran, breathless with joy, to fetch her at- 
 tire, while the man went out to feed his oxen. Olympia then 
 addressed herself to Eugene :
 
 THE PARTING. 75 
 
 " Now, my son, we are alone, and I claim the fulfilment of 
 your promise. You have seen me to a place of safety, and you 
 must return to Paris. Listen now to my commands, perhaps 
 the last I may ever give you." 
 
 ' Command, dear mother, and I will obey. But do not ask 
 me to abandon you to the danger which still threatens you." 
 
 " You exaggerate my danger, Eugene ; and, by remaining 
 with me, you increase it. You are too impulsive to be a dis- 
 creet companion, and I exact of you to leave me. Disguised 
 as a peasant-woman, and travelling in an ox-cart, my foes will 
 never discover me, and I have every hope of reaching my des- 
 tination in safety." 
 
 " It is impossible," persisted Eugene, his eyes filling with 
 tears. 
 
 " My child, must I then force you to do my bidding ? " 
 
 " No force can compel me to do what I know to be craven 
 and dishonorable," cried the prince. " Mother, I must not 
 cannot obey." 
 
 " For one short moment, the eyes of the countess flashed 
 fire, but as suddenly they softened, and she smilingly extended 
 her hand : 
 
 " Well let us contend no longer, dear boy ; I see that, for 
 once, I must succumb to your strong will. Here comes the 
 woman with my disguise. Go out a while, and let me change 
 my dress. Send the footman with a little casket you will find 
 in the carriage-box. Here is the key. And, Eugene, do beg 
 the man to send in our supper, that it may be ready for us 
 when I shall have metamorphosed myself into a peasant- 
 woman." 
 
 About fifteen minutes later, the countess called her son. 
 " How do you like me ? " she said. " Am I sufficiently dis- 
 guised to pass for that fellow's wife ? What a strange picture 
 we will make you and I, seated on a sack of wool, and drawn 
 by a pair of creeping oxen ! 'Tis well for you that you are an 
 abbe ; were yoTi any thing else, you could not venture to travel 
 by the side of a woman of low degree. But come, let us en- 
 joy our supper ; I, for one, am both hungry and sleepy." 
 
 She drew a stool up to the table, which was spread with a 
 clean cloth, and covered with nlatters of bread, butter, and
 
 ?6 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 cheese. Between two wooden bowls stood a large pitcher of 
 milk. These bowls the countess filled to the brim, and handed 
 one to her son. 
 
 " Pledge me a bumper, and wish me a prosperous journey," 
 said she, playfully, while she put the cup to her lips, all the 
 while narrowly watching Eugene. 
 
 lie followed her example, and drained his bowl to its last 
 drop. Then, striving to fall in with her mood, he said : 
 
 " You see how obedient I am, and yet you know that I am 
 not one of those that would be content to live in a land flow- 
 ing with milk and honey." 
 
 " Thank you," replied his mother, " for this one act of obe- 
 dience. I could wish you were as submissive in other things. 
 But what is the matter, boy ? You are pale." 
 
 "I do not know," stammered Eugene, his tongue seem- 
 ing paralyzed. " I am sick I want fresh air ! Some air, 
 mother ! " 
 
 He attempted to rise, but fell back into his seat. 
 
 k ' Mother," murmured he, while his features were becom- 
 ing distorted by pain, " have you drugged 
 
 He could articulate no longer, but gazed upon his mother 
 with fast-glazing eyes, until slowly his dull orbs closed, and 
 his head dropped heavily upon the table. 
 
 u Three minutes," said the countess, quietly. " Only three 
 minutes, and he sleeps soundly. La Voisin was a wonderful 
 creature ! What a high privilege it is to reign over the will 
 of another human being with a might as mysterious as it is 
 irresistible ? And greater yet the privilege of dispensing life 
 or death! Why did I not exercise that power over the proud 
 man that follows me with such unrelenting hate ? Ah, Lou- 
 vois, had I been braver, I had not endured your contumely! 
 Poor, weak fool that I was, not to wrestle with fate and mas- 
 ter it ! But it is useless to repine. Let me see. Eugene will 
 sleep four hours, and, ere he wakes, I must be beyond the 
 frontiers of hostile France." 
 
 She left the little room and joined the peasant's wife. 
 
 "I have prevailed upon my son to return to Paris," said 
 she, in that caressing tone which she had practised so success- 
 fully through the day. " His health is delicate, and the hard-
 
 THE PARTING. 77 
 
 ships of our hurried journey have so exhausted him that he 
 has fallen into a profound sleep. Do not disturb him. I en- 
 treat of you, dear friend, and, when he awakes, give him this 
 note." 
 
 She drew from her pocket-book a paper, and, giving it to 
 the woman, repeated her request that her dear boy should not 
 be disturbed. 
 
 " I will take my seat at the door, madame, and await the 
 wakening of Monsieur 1'Abbe, to deliver your highness's note. 
 But will you too not rest awhile, before you go on? I think 
 you look as if you needed sleep quite as much as your son." 
 
 " No, no, thank you, I must reach Flanders before sunrise," 
 replied Olympia, " and do beg your husband to use dispatch, 
 for I am impatient to start. Will you also be so obliging as 
 to call my servants? I must say a few words to them before 
 we part." 
 
 When the men came in, their mistress, in spite of her cos- 
 tume, wore a demeanor so lofty, that they were afraid to be- 
 tray their cognition of her disguise, and were awed back into 
 their usual stolid and obsequious deportment. 
 
 "You have witnessed," said the countess, ''the persecutions 
 that have been heaped upon me since yesterday, and of course 
 you are not surprised to find that I have adopted a disguise by 
 which I may hope to escape further outrage. You have both 
 been among the trustiest of my servants, and to you, rather 
 than to my son, I confide my parting instructions. He is now 
 asleep, and I will not even waken him to take leave ; for he 
 would wish to accompany me, and so compromise both his 
 safety and mine. I therefore journey in secret and alone. 
 As for you, be in readiness to return to Paris by daylight, 
 and do all that you can for the comfort of my son on the way." 
 
 " I served his father," replied the coachman, " and will do 
 my duty by his son, your highness. Rely upon me." 
 
 " And I," added the footman, " will do my best to deserve 
 the praise your highness has so kindly vouchsafed to us, by 
 serving my lord and prince as faithfully as I know how." 
 
 "Right, my good friends. You will always find him, in 
 return, a gracious and generous master. You will have no 
 difficulty in procuring relays or lodging on your return to
 
 78 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Paris : oblige me, then, by travelling with all speed, for it is 
 important that my son arrive quickly. And now farewell, 
 and accept this as a remembrance." 
 
 Dropping several gold-pieces into the hands of each one, 
 their proud mistress inclined her head, and passed out of the 
 hut. 
 
 " If your highness is ready," said the peasant's wife, meeting 
 her on the threshold, " my husband is in his wagon waiting." 
 
 " In one moment," replied Olympia ; " I must return to take 
 a last kiss from my son." 
 
 She hastened back to the little room, and, stepping lightly, 
 advanced to the table, where Eugene, his head supported by 
 his arms, lay precisely in the position wherein she had left 
 him. She lifted the masses of his shaggy, black hair, and 
 gazed wistfully upon his pale face. "And if the stars are not 
 false," whispered she, tenderly, '' this feeble body enshrines a 
 mind that shall win renown for the house of Savoy. God 
 bless thee, my fragile, but great-hearted Eugene ! As I gaze 
 upon thy pallid brow, my whole being is inundated by the 
 gushing waters of a love which to-night seems more than 
 maternal! So should angels love the sons of men! Take 
 from my lips the baptismal kisses that consecrate thee to 
 glory ! May God bless and prosper thee, my boy ! " 
 
 She bent over the sleeping youth and kissed his forehead 
 o'er and o'er. When she raised her head, among the raven 
 masses of Eugene's hair there trembled here and there a tear, 
 perhaps the purest that ever flowed from the turbid spring of 
 Olympia de Soisson's corrupt heart. 
 
 One more kiss she pressed upon his clasped hands, and then 
 she hurried away. The cart was before the door; she took 
 her seat, and slowly the creeping oxen went out into the dark- 
 ness, bearing away with them a secret which, to the wonder- 
 ing peasant-woman, was like Jove's descent to the daughter of 
 Acrisius.* 
 
 Four hours passed away, and the power of the drugged cup 
 
 * Louvois's hate pursued the Countess de Soissons to Brussels, where the 
 beggars were bribed to insult her as she passed them in the streets. She was 
 so persecuted by the rabble that, on one occasion, when she was purchasing 
 lace at the convent of the Be"guines, they assembled in such multitudes at the
 
 THE PARTING. 79 
 
 was at an end. Day was breaking, and. although by the un- 
 certain light of the gray dawn, no object in that poor place 
 was clearly defined, still everything was visible. Eugene raised 
 his head aud looked, bewildered, around the room. He saw at 
 once that his mother was not there, and with a gesture of wild 
 alarm he sprang to his feet. 
 
 " Mother, my mother ! " exclaimed he. 
 
 The door opened, and the smiling peasant with a deep 
 courtesy came forward to wish his highness good-morning. 
 
 " Your mother, excellency, has been gone these four hours," 
 said she. 
 
 " Gone ! Gracious Heaven ! whither, and with whom ? " 
 
 " She went to Flanders, excellency, with my husband. Do 
 not feel unhappy, sir, I beg of you ; my husband is a good, pru- 
 dent fellow, and he will take her safely to Chimay. Here is a 
 paper she left for you, and she bade me say that, as soon as I 
 had given you an early breakfast, you would return with your 
 servants to Paris." 
 
 Eugene clutched at the note, and returned to the table to 
 read it. Its contents were as follows : 
 
 " My dear child, you would not obey me, and yet I could 
 no longer brook the danger of your attendance. Although I 
 am no adept in the art of poisoning, yet I have learned from 
 La Voisin to prepare harmless anodynes, one of which I min- 
 gled with the cup of milk you took from my hand to-night. 
 You sleep, dear Eugene, and I must go forth to meet my 
 fate alone. Your knightly repugnance to what you looked 
 upon as a desertion of your mother, has forced me to the use 
 of means which, though perfectly innocent, I would rather not 
 have employed. I knew no other device by which to escape 
 your too loving vigilance. 
 
 entrance, that the nuns, to save her from being torn to pieces, were com- 
 pelled to permit her to remain with them all night. Finally the governor of 
 Netherlands was driven to take her under his own personal protection, by 
 which it became unlawful to molest her further. After the governor became 
 her champion, the prejudices of the people wore gradually away, until at last 
 Olympia held her levees as she had done in her palmy days at the Hotel de 
 Soissons. See Abbe de Choisy : Me"moires, p. 224. Renee : " Les Nieces d.9 
 Nfuzarin," p. 212.
 
 80 PRINCE EUGENE AND III* TIMES. 
 
 " Go back to Paris, my Eugene, and go with all speed, for 
 there you can protect, there alone you can defend me. There 
 are my enemies ; and, although I dedicate you to the church, 
 I would not have you put in practice that precept of the Scrip- 
 tures which enjoins upon you to forgive your traducers, and 
 bless those who despitefully use you. No, no ! From my son's 
 hand I await the blow that is to avenge my wounded honor 
 and my blasted existence. Farewell ! The spirit of Mazarin 
 guide you to wisdom and success! Olympia." 
 
 "I will avenge you, my own, my precious mother," said 
 Eugene, his teeth firmly set with bitter resolve. " The world 
 has thrown its gauntlet to us, and, by Heaven I will wear it 
 on my front I I have swept the dark circle of every imagina- 
 ble sorrow, and my soul is athirst for strife. 'Tis a priestly 
 office to vindicate a mother's good name, and I shall be the 
 hierophant of an altar whereon the blood of her enemies shall 
 be sacrificed. And now, dear maligned one," continued he, 
 kissing the words her hand had traced, " farewell ! Thou wert 
 my first passionate love, and in my faithful heart nothing ever 
 shall transcend thee ! " 
 
 Half an hour later he was on the road to Paris ; but, desir- 
 ous to escape notice, Eugene travelled without footmen or out- 
 ridel's, and confined himself to a span of horses for his car- 
 riage. The simple equipage attracted no attention, and no 
 one attempted to peer at its silent occupant, so that on the 
 morning of the next day he had arrived in Paris. 
 
 It was a clear, bright morning, and perchance this might 
 be a reason why the streets were unusually crowded ; but as the 
 prince was remarking what a multitude were astir to enjoy the 
 beauty of a sky that was vaulted with pale-blue and silver, he 
 observed at the same time that all were going in one direction. 
 The throng grew denser as the carriage advanced, until it 
 reached the Rue des Deux Ecus, when it came to a dead stop 
 And after that it advanced but a few feet at a time, for the 
 whole world seemed to be going, with Eugene, to the Hotel de 
 Soissons. 
 
 At last they reached the gates, and the prince was about to 
 plight, when, directly in front of the palace, and within the
 
 THE PARTING. $1 
 
 court, he saw the sight which had attracted the multitude 
 thither. 
 
 Before the principal entrance of the palace were six horse- 
 men, two of whom in their right hands held long trumpets 
 decked with flowing ribbons. Behind these, bestriding four 
 immense bosses of Norman breed, were four beadles in their 
 long black gowns, and broad-brimmed hats, looped up with 
 cockp'les. Behind these four were two mounted soldiers, 
 dressed like those in front, in the municipal colors of the city 
 of Paris, and in place of trumpets they carried halberds. 
 
 As he saw this extraordinary group, who had apparently 
 selected the court of the Hotel Soissons wherein to enact some 
 ridiculous pageant, Eugene could scarcely believe his dazzled 
 eyes. He looked again, and saw the horsemen raise their 
 trumpets to their lips, while the air resounded with & fanfare 
 that made the very windows of the palace tremble in their 
 frames. 
 
 The multitude, that up to this moment had been struggling 
 and contending together for place and passage, suddenly grew 
 breathless with expectation, when a second fanfare rang out 
 upon the air ; and, when its clang had died away, one of the 
 black-robed beadles cried out in a loud voice : 
 
 " We, the appointed magistrate of the venerable city of 
 Paris, hereby do summon the Countess Olympia de Soissons, 
 Princess of Carignan, widow of the most high the Count de 
 Soissons, Prince Royal of Bourbon, and Prince of Carignan, 
 to appear within three days before our tribunal, at the town- 
 hall of our good city of Paris." 
 
 The trumpet sounded a third time, and another beadle con- 
 tinued the summons : 
 
 " And we, the appointed magistrate of the venerable city of 
 Paris, do hereby accuse said Countess Olympia de Soissons and 
 Princess de Carignan of sorcery and murder by poison. If 
 she hold herself innocent of these charges, she will appear 
 within the three days by law granted her wherein to answer 
 our summons. If she do not appear within three days, she 
 shall he held guilty by contumacy, and condemned." 
 
 Scarcely had these last words been pronounced, when the 
 people broke out into jubilant shouts over the fearless recti-
 
 82 PRINCE EUGENE AND MlS TIMES. 
 
 tude of the honorable city fathers, who were not afraid to lift 
 the avenging arm of justice against criminals in high places. 
 
 Amid the din that followed, Eugene escaped from his car- 
 riage to the private entrance, through which twice before he 
 had passed in such indescribable anguish of heart. 
 
 Not a soul was there to greet the heir of this princely house, 
 or bid him welcome home. The servant, who, after his re- 
 peated knockings, appeared to open the door, gazed at his 
 young lord with a countenance wherein terror and sympathy 
 were strangely mingled. 
 
 " Are the princesses at home? " asked Eugene. 
 
 " No, your highness, they took refuge with their grand- 
 mother, the Princess de Carignan." 
 
 " Took refuge ! " echoed Eugene, staring at the man in dumb 
 dismay. 
 
 " Yes, my lord, they were afraid of the people, who have 
 gathered here by thousands every day since the countess left. 
 This is the third summons that has been made for her high- 
 ness, and at each one the people of Paris have nocked to the 
 hotel with such jeers and curses, that the poor young ladies 
 were too terrified to remain." 
 
 "They acted prudently," replied Eugene, recovering his 
 self-possession. "But where is the steward? And where are 
 the other servants? " 
 
 "Latour accompanied the princesses, your highness, and 
 has not returned. The remainder of the household have taken 
 service elsewhere." 
 
 " What ! my valet, Dupont? " 
 
 " He thought your highness had left Paris for a long time, 
 and looked for another master." 
 
 " Then how comes it that you are here, Conrad? " 
 
 " I, my lord? Oh, that is quite another thing. I belong to 
 a family that have served the Princes de Carignan for three 
 generations. I myself have served them from my boyhood, 
 and if your highness does not discharge me, I shall not do so, 
 were the hotel to be attacked by every churl in Paris." 
 
 As Conrad spoke these words, Eugene turned and looked 
 affectionately at his faithful servant. "Thank you, Conrad, 
 for your loyalty and courage ; I can never grow unmindful of
 
 THE PARTING. 83 
 
 such devotion. From this day you become my valet, and if 
 you never quit my service until I discharge you, we will roam 
 the world together as long as we both live ! " 
 
 Tears of gratitude glistened in Conrad's honest eyes. " Then 
 to the day of my death I remain with my dear lord," replied 
 he, kneeling, and devoutly kissing the hand which Eugene 
 had extended. iC And I swear to your highness love and fealty, 
 while God gives me life wherewith to serve you." 
 
 ' I believe you, Conrad," replied Eugene, kindly, " and I 
 thank you for the solitary welcome you have given me on my 
 return to this unhappy house. Your loving words have 
 drowned the clang of yonder trumpets without. And now let 
 us part for a while: I feel inclined to sleep." 
 
 The prince turned into a hall that led to his apartments, 
 and entered his bed-chamber. He had scarcely taken a seat, 
 and leaned his weary head upon his hand, before the trumpet 
 pealed another blast, and the beadle again summoned the 
 Countess de Soissons to answer before the tribunal of justice 
 for her crimes ! 
 
 The people shouted as though they would have rent the 
 canopy of heaven ; and Eugene, overcome by such excess of 
 degradation, burst into a flood of tears.
 
 8OOK IL 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MARIANNA MANCINI. 
 
 FOR a day Eugene remained in his room, while Conrad 
 ept vigil in the antechamber without. The unhappy prince 
 had longed so intensely for the privilege of grieving without 
 witnesses, that he felt as if no boon on earth was compara- 
 ble to solitude. Not only his affections, but his honor, had 
 been mortally wounded: what medicine could ever restore it 
 to life? 
 
 And through the long night Conrad had listened to his 
 slow, measured step, as forth and back he had paced his room 
 in the vain hope of wooing sleep to 
 
 "steep his senses in forgetfulness." 
 
 Finally day dawned, and Conrad then ventured to knock and 
 inquire whether his lord would not breakfast. The door was 
 not opened, but Eugene thanked him, and refused. The poor 
 fellow then threw himself down on the carpet and slept for 
 several hours. He was awakened by his father, the only serv- 
 ant besides himself that had remained to share the humilia- 
 tions of the family, and who now came as bearer of a letter 
 from the Duke de Bouillon, which was to be delivered to the 
 prince without delay. 
 
 Delighted to have a pretext that might gain him admit- 
 tance to the presence of his master, Conrad sprang up and 
 knocked. The door was just sufficiently opened to give pas- 
 sage to the latter, was hastily closed, and the bolt was heard to 
 slide. But two hours later Eugene appeared, and greeted his 
 two faithful attendants with a gracious inclination of the head. 
 
 " Now, Conrad," said he, " I am ready to oblige you by tak- 
 ing my breakfast. Immediately after, I shall go out, and, as 
 
 (84)
 
 MARlAXXA MAXCINI. 85 
 
 I go on an affair of importance, order the state-coach, two 
 footmen, and two outriders. What makes you look so blank? 
 Does it seeni singular that I ride in state through the streets of 
 Paris?" 
 
 u God forbid, your highness ! " exclaimed Conrad, " but " 
 
 "But" 
 
 "But we have no footmen 110 outriders, your highness." 
 
 " True," said Eugene, '' I had forgotten. But I suppose that 
 the rascals may be found and re-engaged. Go after them, 
 Conrad, and stay where is the steward? " 
 
 " He went with the princesses to the Hotel Carignan, your 
 highness." 
 
 " True true you told me so yesterday. Go to him, Con- 
 rad ; bid him return and resume his duties, for the Hotel de 
 Soissons must be open, and I must have a household befitting 
 my rank. Be as diligent as you can, my good fellow, and let 
 the carriage be before the entrance in one hour." 
 
 " But first, your highness must breakfast." 
 
 " And how can I breakfast if all the servants have desert- 
 ed ? Or has the cook been more loyal than his compan- 
 ions ? " 
 
 " No, your highness ; he went with the rest, but he is in the 
 neighborhood, and will be glad to return." 
 
 " I am rejoiced to hear it. Fetch him, then, and let him 
 provide breakfast. But, above all things, find me footmen and 
 outriders. I would rather go out hungry than without attend- 
 ants." 
 
 " Your highness shall have all you desire," returned Con- 
 rad, with alacrity ; and he kept his word. An hour later, the 
 state-coach stood before the portal of the palace, and the out- 
 riders and footmen were each man in his proper place. The 
 prince had partaken of an excellent breakfast, and was ad- 
 vancing to his carriage. 
 
 When he saw old Philip, the coachman, he gave him a 
 look of grateful recognition, and inquired whether he had re- 
 covered from the fatigues of their uncomfortable journey. 
 
 " I endured no fatigue, your highness," was the old man's 
 reply. "I was on duty, and had no right to be fatigued." 
 
 " Bravely answered," returned Eugene. " I see that you,
 
 86 WltNCfi EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 at least, are unchanged, and I may rely upon your loyalty. 
 And the rest of you," continued he, looking searchingly 
 around at the captured deserters, " you have returned, I per 
 ceive." 
 
 " Your highness," replied one of them, eagerly, u I had the 
 honor of accompanying you to Flanders. " 
 
 " Oh, I do not allude to you, Louis. I know that I can 
 count upon you." 
 
 " We, too, are loyal, your highness," replied the others, 
 " and are ready to serve you from the bottom of our hearts. 
 The hotel was empty, and we had supposed ourselves to be 
 without places. But we are only too happy to return." 
 
 u Very well, I shall have occasion to test your fidelity this 
 very day. Conrad, get in the coach with me. I desire to con- 
 verse with you in private." 
 
 Conrad dared not disobey, although to sit opposite to his 
 master in a carriage, seemed to him the acme of presumption. 
 He took his seat with a look of most comic embarrassment, 
 and stared at the prince as though he suspected him of being 
 suddenly attacked with insanity. 
 
 " To the Hotel Bouillon ! " was the order given, and the 
 coach went thundering through the gates toward the Quai 
 Malaquais. It was stared at, precisely as before, when Eugene 
 and his mother had attempted to join the royal cortege at the 
 Pre aux Clercs. The people sneered at the equipage and es- 
 cutcheon of a countess, who, for three days in succession, had 
 been publicly summoned before the tribunal of justice; but of 
 the young prince, who was the solitary occupant of the coach, 
 they took no notice whatever. He was not guilty, therefore 
 he provoked no curiosity ; he was not handsome, therefore he 
 attracted no attention. As lonely and heart sick his head re- 
 clined amid the velvet cushions, whose silken threads seemed 
 each a pricking thorn to give him pain, Eugene's resolves of 
 vengeance deepened into vows, and he swore an oath of en- 
 mity against his mother's enemies, which long years after he 
 redeemed. 
 
 Conrad was perplexed, and ashamed of the honor conferred 
 upon him ; but when after a long pause Eugene began to 
 speak in low, earnest tones, the embarrassed expression of the
 
 MAR1ANNA AlANClNL 87 
 
 valet's countenance gave place to a look of interest, and finally 
 he ventured a smile. 
 
 " Indeed, your highness," replied he, " it shall be accom- 
 plished to your entire satisfaction, and old Philip will be de- 
 lighted to be of the party. He is already burning to revenge 
 himself upon the Louvois family for taking precedence of 
 carriages that have the right to go before them ; and he has 
 more than once approached the coachmen of the nobles thus 
 insulted, for their cowardice in suffering it." 
 
 " Well you will both have an opportunity of exhibiting 
 your powers to-day in the Pre aux Clercs, and I only hope that 
 the court will be there to witness it." 
 
 " Philip will not fail, your highness, nor I either." 
 
 " Thank you. There may be an affray, and perchance a 
 blow or two in store for you ; but I will reward you hand- 
 somely. But what is this ? The carriage has stopped, and we 
 have not yet reached the Hotel de Bouillon." 
 
 Conrad sprang out to ascertain the cause of their deten- 
 tion. 
 
 " Your highness," said he, returning, " we cannot proceed 
 any farther. The street is blocked up with carriages that ex- 
 tend all the way to the entrance of the hotel. Some of them 
 are equipages of the princes of the blood." 
 
 u Then I must go on foot, and you and Philip can profit 
 by your leisure to discuss the manner of your attack. But by 
 all means let it be in the Pre aux Clercs, where all these car- 
 riages will be filled with occupants." 
 
 So saying, Eugene alighted, and hurried to the hotel. Its 
 large portals were flung wide open, and streams of elegantly- 
 dressed courtiers and ladies were entering the palace. In such 
 a crowd, where the men were in glittering uniforms, and the 
 women, resplendent with diamonds, wore long trains of vel- 
 vet or satin, borne by gay ly -attired pages, nobody had eyes for 
 a little abbe, clad in russet gown, with buttons of brass ; so 
 that Eugene was more than once forced back before he made 
 his way to the state apartments. Step by step he advanced, 
 until at last he reached the centre of the room, where the 
 family were assembled to receive their distinguished guests. 
 
 The duke, in the uniform of a general, stood in the midst 
 7
 
 8S PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 of the group. At his side was the duchess, the celebrated 
 Marianna Mancini, the rival of Olympia de Soissons, not only 
 in the affections of Cardinal Mazarin, but also in those of the 
 king. When the heart of Louis had wearied of the elder 
 sister, its capricious longings fluttered toward the younger, for 
 whose sake he deserted La Valliere, and to whom, for a season, 
 he swore every imaginable vow of love and eternal constancy. 
 
 Marianna had gained wisdom from the experience of her 
 sister. Quite convinced of the transitory nature of a king's 
 favor, she formed the bold design of capturing the hand as 
 well as the heart of his majesty of France. Perhaps Louis 
 fathomed her intentions, and resolved to punish her ambition, 
 for he suddenly manifested a willingness to marry the Spanish 
 princess, whom Mazarin had vainly endeavored to force upon 
 him as a wife ; and Marianna, like her bister, sought con- 
 solation in marriage with another, and became Duchess de 
 Bouillon.* 
 
 Years had gone by, but Marianna was still a court beauty, 
 and she still possessed a certain influence over the heart of her 
 royal admirer. She alone refused to do homage to De Mon- 
 tespan, and she alone ventured to interrupt the pious con- 
 versations of the king with his new favorite De Maintenon. 
 When the obsequious courtiers were vying with each other as 
 to who should minister most successfully to the vanity of the 
 monarch that considered himself as the state ; when princes 
 and princesses listened breathlessly to the oracles that fell 
 from his inspired lips, the Duchess de Bouillon was not afraid 
 to break their reverential silence, by conversing at her ease 
 in a tone of voice quite as audible as that of his majesty. 
 
 She stood in the midst of that brilliant throng, accepting 
 their homage as though she had been born to a throne, and 
 dispensing gracious words with the proud consciousness that 
 every smile of hers was received as a condescension. And 
 yet, in that very horn*, the Duchess de Bouillon was under im- 
 peachment for crime. Her summons had been sent " in the 
 name of the king ; " but everybody knew that it was the work 
 of Louvois, and everybody knew equally well that the com- 
 
 * This is a mistake. The one whom Louis loved was Marie Mancini, 
 Princess of Colonna. THAN*.
 
 MARIANNA MANCINI. 89 
 
 pliment paid to the duchess that day, was especially gratifying 
 to the king, who himself had suggested it as a means of vex- 
 ing his arrogant minister. 
 
 That morning, his majesty had held a grand levee, which 
 was punctually attended by all who had the inestimable pi-ivi- 
 lege of appearing there. Louis received his courtiers with 
 that gay and smiling affability which was the result of his 
 temperament, and had procured for him from one of his ador- 
 ers the surname of Phoebus. But, all of a sudden, a cloud 
 was seen to obscure the face of the sun, and the dismayed 
 sycophants were in a nutter to know what was passing behind 
 it. The firmament had darkened at the approach of the Duke 
 de Vendome and the Cardinal d'Albret. 
 
 "My lords," said the king, curtly, ''I am surprised to see 
 you here. Me thinks the proper place for you both this morn- 
 ing would be at the side of your relative, the Duchess de Bou- 
 illon." 
 
 " Sire," replied the young duke, " I came to see if the sun 
 had risen. I behold it now; and since the day has dawned 
 on which my aunt is to appear before her accusers, I hasten 
 whither duty calls, to take my place among her adherents." 
 
 " And you, cardinal? " said Louis, to the handsome brother 
 of the Duke de Bouillon. 
 
 " I, my sovereign, am accustomed to say my orisons before 
 turning my thoughts to the affairs of this world. Now that I 
 have worshipped at the shrine of my earthly divinity, I am 
 ready to admit the claims of my noble sister-in-law." 
 
 The king received all this adulation as a matter of course, 
 and, without vouchsafing any reply, turned to his confessor. 
 Pere la Chaise looked displeased; he had no relish for court 
 nonsense at any time; but what availed his exhortations to 
 humility, if his royal penitent was to have his ears poisoned 
 with such abominable stuff as this! 
 
 Louis guessed somewhat the nature of his confessor's vexa* 
 tion, for he blushed, and spoke in a mild, conciliatory tone : 
 
 " Pardon me, father, if this morning I have ventured to 
 permit the things of this world to take precedence of things 
 spiritual. But a king should be ready at all hours to do justice 
 unto all men ; and as this is the day fixed for the trial of a
 
 90 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 noble lady of France, for crimes of which I hope and believe 
 that she will be found innocent, I have deemed it proper to 
 show my impartiality by upholding those who have the cour- 
 age to avow themselves champions or defenders of the Duchess 
 de Bouillon. Come, father, let us hasten to the chapel." 
 
 He rose from his couch, and, with head bowed down, trav- 
 ersed his apartments, until he reached a side-door which com- 
 municated with the rooms of the Marquise de Maintenon. On 
 either side were long rows of obsequious courtiers, imitating as 
 far as they could the devotional demeanor of the king; and, 
 following the latter, came Pere la Chaise the only man in all 
 the crowd who walked with head erect. His large, dark eyes 
 wandered from one courtier to another, and their glances were 
 as significant as words. They asserted his supremacy over 
 king and court ; they proclaimed him the ambassador of the 
 King of kings. 
 
 At the threshold Louis turned, and, letting fall the mantle 
 of his humility, addressed his courtiers. 
 
 " My lords," said he, imperiously, " we dispense with your 
 attendance in chapel this morning, and you are all free to go 
 whithersoever you deem best." 
 
 With a slight bend of the head, he passed through the por- 
 tiere and disappeared. The courtiers had comprehended the 
 motive of their dismissal : it was a command from his majesty 
 to repair to the Hotel de Bouillon. They hastened to avail 
 themselves of the royal permission, and one and all were 
 shortly after in presence of the duchess, offering sympathy, 
 countenance, and homage. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE TRIAL. 
 
 WHILE she received her numerous visitors with cordiality, 
 Marianna Mancini tempered her affability with just enough of 
 stateliness to make it appear that their presence there was a 
 matter of course, and not of significance. She had arrayed
 
 THE TRiAL. 91 
 
 herself with great splendor for this extraordinary occasion of 
 mingled humiliation and triumph. She wore a dress of rose- 
 colored satin, whose folds, as she moved, changed from the 
 rich hues of the carnation to the delicate tinge of the peach- 
 blossom. Her neck and arms were resplendent with dia- 
 monds, and her whole person seemed invested with more than 
 its usual majesty and grace. 
 
 She saw Eugene, who was making vain endeavors to ap- 
 proach her. With mock-heroic air, she raised her white arm, 
 and motioned away those who were immediately around her 
 person. 
 
 "Let me request the mourners," said she, "to give 
 place to the priest, who advances to hear the last confession 
 of the criminal. Poor little abbe! How will he manage 
 to sustain the weight of the iniquities I shall pour into his 
 ears?" 
 
 A merry laugh followed this sally, and all eyes were turned 
 upon Eugene, who, blushing like a maiden, kissed his aunt's 
 outstretched hand, but was too much embarrassed to reply to 
 her greeting. 
 
 " Prince," said a tall personage coming forward, " will you 
 allow me to act as your substitute? My shoulders are broad, 
 and will gladly bear the burden of all the sins that have ever 
 been committed by your charming penitent." 
 
 " I dare say. Monsieur la Fontaine," replied Eugene, recov- 
 ering himself, " and they will incommode you no longer than 
 the time it will occupy you to weave them into a tissue of 
 pleasant fables." 
 
 " Thanks, gallant abbe ! " cried Marianna, pleased. " You 
 look upon my crimes, then, as fiction? " 
 
 " Yes, dearest aunt," said Eugene, resolutely ; " they are, I 
 heartily believe, as fictitious as those attributed to my dear and 
 honored mother." 
 
 As he spoke, Eugene's large eyes looked courageously 
 around, to read the countenances of the men that were listen- 
 ing. Whatever they might think of the mother, the chivalry 
 of her son was indisputable, and no one was disposed to wound 
 his filial piety by so much as a supercilious glance. 
 
 The silence that ensued was broken by La Fontaine. " Did
 
 92 fRtXCE EtiGUNK AM) HIS TIMfiS. 
 
 you know," said he, " that Madame de Coulanges had been 
 summoned to trial yesterday?" 
 
 " Yes," replied the duchess, " but I have not heard the re- 
 sult. Can you tell it to us, my dear La Fontaine? " 
 
 " I can. The judges paid her a compliment which I am 
 sure she has not received from anybody else, since the days of 
 her childhood." 
 
 " What was it? " 
 
 " They gave in a verdict of innocent." 
 
 A hearty laugh followed this satire of La Fontaine's, and 
 the duchess indulged in so much mirth thereat, that her eyes 
 sparkled like the brilliants on her person, and her cheeks 
 flushed until they rivalled the deepest hues of her pink dress. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried La Fontaine, bending the knee before her, 
 " La mere des amours, et la reine des graces, c'est Bouillon, et 
 Venus lui cede ses emplois." * 
 
 " Go on, go on, fabulist ! " cried Marianna, laughing. 
 
 La Fontaine continued : 
 
 " Ah, que Marianne a de beautes, de graces, et de charmes ; 
 Elle salt enchanter et 1'esprit et les yeux ; 
 Mortels, aimez-la tous ! inais cc n'est qu'a des dieux, 
 Qu'est reserve 1'honneur de lui rendre les r.rmes !" f 
 
 " Do you, then, desert and go over to my enemies ? " asked 
 the duchess, reproachfully. 
 
 " I ! " exclaimed La Fontaine, rising to his feet. " Who 
 could so calumniate me ? " 
 
 " Why, did not you say ' elle sait enchanter ' ? And is not 
 that the very crime of which I am accused ? " 
 
 La Fontaine was about to make some witty reply to this 
 sportive reproach, when the Duke de Bouillon announced to 
 the duchess that she must prepare herself to appear before her 
 judges. 
 
 " I am ready," was the response, and Marianna passed her 
 arm within that of her husband. 
 
 "My friends," said she, addressing all present, "I invite 
 
 * La Fontaine's " Letters to the Duchess de Bouillon," p. 49. 
 t See Works of La Fontaine.
 
 THE TRIAL. 93 
 
 you to accompany me on my excursion to the Arsenal. Come, 
 Eugene, give me your other arm. It is fit that the criminal 
 should go before her accusers between her confessor and her 
 victim." 
 
 " Madame," returned Eugene, frowning, " I am no con- 
 fessor. A confessor should be an anointed of the Lord, which 
 I am not." 
 
 " Not anointed ! " exclaimed the duchess. " I have an ex- 
 cellent receipt for unguent given me by La Voisin; and, if 
 you promise that I shall not be made to mount the scaffold for 
 my obliging act, I will anoint you myself, whenever you like." 
 
 " Mount the scaffold ! " cried La Fontaine. " For such as 
 you, duchess, we erect altars, not scaffolds. True, you have 
 bewitched our hearts, but we forgive you, and hope to witness, 
 not your disgrace, but your triumph." 
 
 And, indeed, the exit of the Duchess de Bouillon had the 
 appearance of an ovation. The streets were lined with peo- 
 ple, who greeted her with acclamations, as though they were 
 longing to indemnify one sister for the obloquy they had 
 heaped upon the other. The aristocracy, too, felt impelled to 
 avenge the insult offered to their order by the impeachment 
 of the Countess de Soissons. In the cortege of the Duchess de 
 Bouillon were all the flower of the French nobility ; and such 
 as had not joined her train were at their windows, waving 
 their handkerchiefs and kissing their hands to Marianna, who, 
 in a state-carriage drawn by eight horses, returned their greet- 
 ings with as much unconcern as if she had been on her way 
 to her own coronation. 
 
 Next to her equipage was that of the Countess de Soissons ; 
 and bitter were the feelings with which Eugene gazed upon 
 the multitude, who, but a few days before, had driven his 
 mother into exile. He was absorbed in his own sorrowful 
 musings, when the carriage stopped, and it became his duty to 
 alight and hand out his aunt. 
 
 She received him with unruffled smiles, and they entered 
 the corridors of the Arsenal. Behind them came a gay con- 
 course of nobles, drawn out in one long glittering line, which, 
 like a gilded serpent, glided through the darksome windings 
 of that gloomy palace of justice.
 
 94 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The usher that was stationed at the entrance of the council- 
 chamber was transfixed with amazement at the sight. He 
 rubbed his eyes, and wondered whether he had fallen asleep 
 and was dreaming of the fairy tales that years ago had de- 
 lighted his childhood. And when he saw the duchess smile, 
 and heard her ringing laugh, he was so bewitched with its 
 music that, instead of challenging her train of followers, he 
 suffered them every one to pass into the chamber without a 
 protest. 
 
 At the upper end of the hall of council, seated around a 
 table covered with a heavy black cloth, were the judges in 
 their funeral gowns and long wigs, which floated like ominous 
 clouds around their sinister faces. Close by, at a smaller table 
 similarly draped, sat the six lateral judges of the criminal 
 court, and the scribes, who were prepared to take notes of all 
 that was said during the trial. 
 
 When Marianna came in, with her cortege stretching out 
 behind her like the tail of a comet, the pens dropped from their 
 hands and the solemn judges themselves looked around in 
 undisguised astonishment. 
 
 The duchess, affecting complete unconsciousness of the sen- 
 sation she was creating, came in smiling, graceful, and self- 
 possessed. While the frowning faces of the judiciary scanned 
 the gay host of intruders, who were desecrating the solemnity 
 of the council-chamber with their levity, the duchess advanced 
 until she stood directly in front of their table, and there she 
 smiled again and inclined her head. 
 
 The judges were still more astounded so much so, that 
 they were at a loss how to express their indignation. It took 
 the form of exceeding respect, and their great black wigs were 
 all simultaneously bent down in acknowledgment of the lady's 
 greeting. 
 
 The only one among them who allowed expression to his 
 displeasure was the presiding judge, Laraynie, who, with a 
 view to remind the criminal that her blandishments were out 
 of place, stiffened himself considerably. 
 
 " The Duchess de Bouillon has been summoned before this 
 august tribunal to answer for the crimes with which she has 
 been charged," said he, severely. " Are you the accused ? "
 
 THE TRIAL. 95 
 
 " My dear president," returned Marianna, flippantly, " how 
 can you be so absurd ? If you have forgotten me, I perfectly 
 remember you. You were formerly amanuensis to ray uncle, 
 Cardinal Mazarin, who promoted you to the office, because of 
 your dexterity in mending pens. Yes, I am the Duchess de 
 Bouillon, and nobody has a better right to know it than you, 
 who wrote out my marriage contract, and were handsomely 
 paid for your trouble." 
 
 " Our business is not with the past, but the present," replied 
 Laraynie, haughtily. " The question is not whether you are 
 or are not the niece of the deceased Cardinal Mas-arin, but 
 whether you are or are not guilty of the crimes for which you 
 have been summoned hither ? " 
 
 u Which summons, you perceive, I have obeyed/' inter- 
 rupted the duchess. " But I pray you to understand that I 
 acknowledge no right of yours to cite a duchess before your 
 tribunal, sir. If I come at your call, it is because it has 
 been made in the name of the king, my sovereign and 
 yours ! '' * 
 
 " You have obeyed the citation, because it was your duty 
 to obey it," returned Laraynie. " But I see here a multitude 
 who have come neither by indictment nor invitation. It is 
 natural enough that the Duke de Bouillon should accompany 
 his spouse on an occasion of such solemn import to her safety ; 
 but who are all these people that have obtruded themselves 
 upon our presence ? " 
 
 "Did you not comply with my husband's request that I 
 might be accompanied to the Arsenal by a few of my 
 friends ? " 
 
 "Yes his petition was granted." 
 
 " Well, then," replied Marianna, turning toward the bril- 
 liant assembly that had grouped themselves around the room 
 in a circle, "these are a few of my most particular friends. 
 You see on my right the Dukes de Vendome and d'Albret, and 
 the Prince of Savoy : on my left, the Prince de Chatillon, and 
 others with whose names and persons you were familiar in 
 the days of your secretaryship under Cardinal Mazarin." 
 
 * The duchess's own words. Ste Renee, " The Nieces of Mazariu," 
 j>. 395.
 
 06 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "To our business!" cried Laraynie, angrily. "We will 
 begin the examination." 
 
 " First let me have a seat," replied the duchess, looking 
 around, as though she had expected an accommodation of the 
 kind. There was not even a stool to be seen in the council- 
 chamber. But at the table of the judges stood a vacant arm- 
 chair, the property of some absent member ; and in the twink- 
 ling of an eye Eugene had perceived and rolled it forward. 
 He placed it respectfully behind his aunt, and resumed his 
 position on her left. 
 
 This bold act was received by the judiciary with a frown, 
 by the other spectators with a murmur of applause, and by the 
 beautiful daughter of the house of Mancini with one of those 
 bewitching smiles which have been celebrated in the sonnets 
 of Benserade, Corneille, Moliere, St. Evremont, and La Fon- 
 taine. 
 
 She sank into the luxurious depths of the arm-chair, and 
 her "particular friends" drew nearer, and stationed then> 
 selves around it. 
 
 " Now, gentlemen," said she, in the tone of a queen about 
 to hold a levee, ''now I am ready. What is it that you are 
 curious to know as regards my manner of life ? " 
 
 " First, your name, title, rank, position, age, and 
 
 " Oh, gentlemen ! " cried Marianna, interrupting the presi- 
 dent in his nomenclature, " is it possible that you can be so 
 uncivil as to ask a lady her age ? I warn you, if you persist in 
 your indiscreet curiosity, that you will compel me to resort to 
 falsehood, for I positively will not tell you how old I am. As 
 regards the rest of your questions, you are all acquainted 
 with my name, title, rank, and position. Let us come to the 
 point." 
 
 " So be it," replied the president, who was gradually chang- 
 ing his tone, and assuming a demeanor less haughty toward 
 the duchess. " You are accused of an attempt on the life of 
 the Duke de Bouillon." 
 
 " Who are my accusers ? " asked Marianna. 
 
 "You shall hear," replied Laraynie, trying to resume 
 his official severity. "Are you acquainted with La Voi- 
 sin?"
 
 THE TRIAL. 97 
 
 " Yes, I know her," said Marianna, without any embarrass- 
 ment whatever. 
 
 "Why did you desire to rid yourself of your husband ?" 
 was the second interrogatory. 
 
 " To rid myself of my husband ! " cried the duchess, with 
 a merry laugh. Then turning to the duke, " Ask him whether 
 he believes that I ever meditated harm toward him." 
 
 "No!" exclaimed the duke. "No! She has ever been to 
 me a true and loving wife, and we have lived too happily to- 
 gether for her ever to have harbored ill-will toward me. Of 
 evil deeds, my honored wife is incapable ! " 
 
 " You hear him, judges ; you hear him ! " exclaimed Mari- 
 anna, her face beaming with exultation. " What more have 
 you to ask of me now? " 
 
 " Why were you in the habit of visiting La Voisin? " 
 
 " Because she was shrewd and entertaining, and because 
 she promised me an interview with spirits." 
 
 " Did you not show her a purse of gold, and promised it to 
 her in case these spirits made their appearance ? " 
 
 " No ! " said Marianna, emphatically, " and that for the best 
 of reasons. I never was possessed of any but an empty purse 
 a melancholy truth, to which my husband here can bear wit- 
 ness. That I may have promised gold to La Voisin is just possi- 
 ble, but that she ever saw any in my possession is impossible." 
 
 Marianna glanced at her friends, who returned her look 
 with approving nods and smiles. 
 
 " You deny, then," continued the judge, not exactly know- 
 ing what to say next, " you deny that you ever made an at- 
 tempt to poison your husband? " 
 
 " I do, and I am sure that La Voisin never originated a cal- 
 umny so base. But I confess that I was dying to see the 
 spirits. Unhappily, although La Voisin called them, they 
 never came." 
 
 " You confess, then, that you did instigate La Voisin to cite 
 spirits ? " 
 
 " I certainly did, but it was all to no purpose. The spirits 
 were excessively disobliging, and refused to appear." 
 
 Another murmur of approbation was heard among the 
 friends of the duchess, some of whom applauded audibly.
 
 98 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You are accused not only of raising spirits, but of citing 
 the devil,'' pursued Laraynie, in tones of marked reproof. 
 " Have you ever seen the devil? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! He is before me now. He is old, ugly, and 
 wears the disguise of a presiding judge." 
 
 This time the applause rang through the council-chamber. 
 It was accompanied by shouts of laughter, and no more at- 
 tempt was made by the amused spectators to preserve the least 
 semblance of decorum. The president, pale with rage, rose 
 from his seat, and darting fiery glances at the irreverent 
 crowd, whom the duchess had named as her particular friends, 
 he cried out : 
 
 " The trial is over, and I hereby dismiss the court." 
 
 " What already ? " said the duchess, rising languidly from 
 her seat. " Have you nothing more to say to me, my dear 
 President Laraynie? " 
 
 Her " dear president" vouchsafed not a word in reply ; he 
 motioned to his compeers to rise, and they all betook them- 
 selves to their hall of conference. When the door had closed 
 behind them, Marianna addressed her friends. 
 
 u My lords," said she, " I must apologize for the exceeding 
 dulness of the scene you have just witnessed. But who 
 would ever have imagined that such wise men could ask such 
 a tissue of silly questions? I had hoped to experience a sen- 
 sation by having a distant glimpse of the headsman's axe, and 
 lo ! I am cheated into an exhibition of President Laraynie's 
 long ears ! '' * 
 
 " Come, Marianna," said her husband, passing her arm 
 within his. " It is time for our drive to the Pre aux Clercs ; 
 the king and court are doubtless there already. 1 ' 
 
 u And I shall annoy Madame de Maintenon by entertaining 
 his majesty with an account of the absurd comedy that has 
 just been performed in the council-chamber of the Arsenal." 
 
 So saying, Marianna led the way, and, followed by her ad- 
 herents, left the tribunal of justice, and drove off in triumph 
 to the Pre aux Clercs. 
 
 * The duchess's own words. This account of the trial is historical. See 
 , " The Nieces of Mazarin," p. 895.
 
 A SKIRMISH. 99 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 A SKIRMISH. 
 
 INSTEAD of accompanying his aunt from the council- 
 chamber to her carriage, Eugene fell back, and joined two 
 young men, who were walking arm in arm just behind the 
 duke and duchess. 
 
 They greeted him with marked cordiality, and congratu- 
 lated him upon the presence of mind with which he had cap- 
 tured the judicial arm-chair, and pressed it into the service of 
 his aunt. 
 
 " My cousins of Conti are pleased to jest," replied Eugene. 
 " Such praise befits not him who removes a chair, but him 
 who unsettles a throne. " 
 
 "Have you any such ambitious designs?" asked Prince 
 Louis de Conti, sportively. 
 
 "Why not?" returned his brother, Prince de la Roche. 
 " It would not be the first time that such a feat had been per- 
 formed by an ecclesiastic. Cardinal Mazarin removed the 
 throne of France from the Louvre to his bedchamber, and 
 what Giulio Mazarini once accomplished, may perchance be 
 repeated by his kinsman, the abbe." 
 
 ' Who tells you that I am a priest? " said Eugene. 
 
 " First your garb ; second, the will of your family ; and 
 third, the command of the king." 
 
 " You forget the will of the individual most interested. 
 But of that anon I have a request to make of you both." 
 
 " It is granted in advance," exclaimed the brothers with 
 one voice. 
 
 '* Thank you, gracious kinsmen. Will you, then, accept 
 a seat in my carriage, and drive with me to the Pre aux 
 Clercs?" 
 
 " With pleasure. Is that all? " 
 
 " Almost all," replied Eugene, laughing. " What else re- 
 mains to be done, must be performed by myself." 
 
 " Ah ! There is something then in the wind? May we ask 
 what it is? "
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You will witness it, and that is all I require of you. But 
 here is my carriage. Be so kind as to step in." 
 
 Conrad stood at the portiere, and, while the young Princes 
 de Conti were entering the coach, he drew from under his 
 cloak a slender parcel, which he presented to his lord. 
 
 Eugene received it with a smiling acknowledgment. u Is 
 all prepared? " he asked. 
 
 "Yes, your highness. Old Philip is in ecstasies, and the 
 other lackeys are like a pack of hounds on the eve of a fox- 
 chase." 
 
 " They shall hear the fanfare presently,'' returned Eugene, 
 following his cousins, and taking his seat opposite to them. 
 
 "What is that? " asked the Prince de Conti pointing to the 
 long, thin roll of white paper which Eugene held in his hand. 
 
 *' I suspect that it is a crucifix, and Eugene is going to en- 
 trap us into a confession," returned De la Eoche, who loved to 
 banter his cousin. 
 
 "We shall see," replied Eugene, opening the paper, and 
 exhibiting its contents. 
 
 " A whip ! " exclaimed De Conti. 
 
 " Yes, a stout, hunting-whip ! " echoed De la Roche. " Are 
 we to go on a fox-hunt, dear little abbe? " 
 
 <l We are, dear, tall prince, and we shall shortly set out." 
 
 " Things begin to look serious," observed De Conti, with a 
 searching glance at the pale, resolute face of his young rela- 
 tive. " You do not really intend to chase your fox in presence 
 of the king? " 
 
 " Yes, I do. I intend to prove to his majesty that I am not 
 altogether unskilled in worldly craft, and, as regards my fox, 
 I intend that all Paris shall witness his punishment." 
 
 "You mean that you have been insulted, and are resolved 
 to disgrace the man that has insulted you? " asked De la Roche. 
 
 " You have guessed," said Eugene, deliberately, as he un- 
 wound the long lash of the whip, and tried its strength. 
 
 " But Eugene," said De Conti, earnestly, " remember that 
 such degradation is only to be wiped out with blood, and that 
 your cloth will not protect you from the consequences of so 
 unpriestly an act." 
 
 Eugene's eyes flashed fire. " Hear me," said he. " If my
 
 A SKIRMISH. 101 
 
 miserable garb could prevent me from vindicating my honor 
 as a man, I would rend it into fragments, and cast it away as 
 the livery of a coward. A man's dress is not a symbol of his 
 soul; and so help me, God ! this brown cassock shall some day 
 be transformed into the panoply of a soldier. But see ! The 
 carriage stops, and we are about to taste the joys ineffable of 
 seeing the King of France drive by." 
 
 Two outriders in the royal livery were now seen to gallop 
 down the allee, as a signal for all vehicles whatsoever to drive 
 aside until the royal equipages had passed by. 
 
 In this manner Louis was accustomed to exhibit himself 
 to the admiring gaze of his subjects, and to bestow upon them 
 the unspeakable privilege of a stray beam from the '' sou of 
 France." Never had he shed his rays upon a more numerous 
 or more magnificent concourse than the one assembled in the 
 Pre aux Clercs ; for the Duchess de Bouillon had just entered 
 with her cortege, and the allee was lined on either side with 
 splendid equipages and their outriders pages, equestrians, and 
 foot-passengers. 
 
 His majesty was gazing around, bowing affably to the 
 crowd, when he perceived the Duchess de Bouillon, and 
 caught her eye. Louis waved his hand, and smiled ; and this 
 royal congratulation filled up the measure of Marianna's con- 
 tent. At that moment his face was illumined by an expression 
 of genuine feeling, perhaps a reflection of the light of a love 
 which had shone upon it in the golden morning of his 
 youth. 
 
 The king's coach had gone by; following came the equi- 
 pages of the royal family, and the princes of the blood : then 
 
 " My dear cousin," said Eugene, " be on your guard, and if 
 the glasses of our carriage-windows begin to splinter, close 
 your eyes, for 
 
 At this moment the coach darted suddenly forward, and 
 took its place behind the royal cortege. There was a tremen- 
 dous concussion of wheels and shafts, a crash of broken 
 panes, a stamping and struggling of horses; and, above all 
 this din, the frantic oaths of the coachmen that had suffered 
 from the collision. 
 
 "What do you mean, you ill-mannered churl! What do
 
 102 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 you mean by driving in front of my horses? " cried a loud and 
 angry voice. 
 
 " What do you mean yourself, clown ! " was the furious re- 
 ply of the Jehu addressed. " My horses were merely advanc- 
 ing to take the position which belongs to them of right, and 
 how dare you stop the way ! " 
 
 "Do you hear?" asked Eugene, with composure. "The 
 drama begins, and I and my whip will shortly appear on the 
 stage. It was my trusty old Philip who began the fray, and 
 it has already gone from words to blows, for it seems to me I 
 heard something like a box on the ear " 
 
 "You did indeed!" exclaimed the Prince de Conti; "but 
 what on earth can it mean? " 
 
 " You will find out presently," replied Eugene. " But wait 
 a moment, I must listen for my cue " 
 
 " Your cue will have to be a thunder-clap, if you are to hear 
 it above all this racket," said De la Roche, sJightly lowering 
 one of the windows, and looking cautiously out. " Devil take 
 me ! but it is a veritable pitched battle. These knights of the 
 hammer-cloth are dexterous in the use of their fists, and every 
 one of your servants, Eugene, are engaged in the fight ! " 
 
 The prince's last words were lost to his listeners, for a tre- 
 mendous crash drowned his voice, and something fell heavily 
 to the ground. 
 
 "This is my cue," cried Eugene. '* Come I am about to 
 make my debut." And before he had time to rise from his 
 seat, the portiere flew open, and Conrad hastily took down the 
 carriage-steps. 
 
 "Is his coach overturned?" asked the prince. 
 
 " Yes, your highness, and he is inside. His footmen tried 
 to get him out; but with the help of some of our friends we 
 fell upon them, and so gave them plenty of occupation, until 
 your highness was ready to appear." 
 
 " Well let him out, Conrad. I am ready for him 1 
 Come," added he, turning to his cousins. " Come, and let us 
 survey the field." 
 
 In truth, the Pre aux Clercs, at this moment, resembled a 
 battle-ground. Although the royal cortege had long gone by, 
 the prpmenaders we re too curious to follow ; they all remained
 
 A SKIRMISH. 103 
 
 to see the end of this turbulent opening. Every one had wit- 
 nessed old Philip's manoeuvre, and everybody knew that the 
 point of attack was the carriage of Barbesieur Louvois, for the 
 footmen of the Countess de Soissons had been seen to seize the 
 horses' reins, and force them out of the way. 
 
 And now the coaches were all emptied of their occupants, 
 ;vho crowded around the spot which Eugene, with his two 
 cousins, was seen approaching. They began to comprehend 
 that this was no uproar among lackeys, but a serious misun- 
 derstanding between their masters. The Dukes de Bouillon, 
 de Larochejaquelein, and de Luynes, the Princes de Belmont 
 and Conde, and many other nobles of distinction, came forward 
 and followed Prince Eugene to the field of action. The coach- 
 man and lackeys of Barbesieur Louvois were trying to force 
 the footmen of the Countess de Soissons to right their over- 
 turned coach. Old Philip cried out that the Princes de Ca- 
 rignan took precedence of all manner of Louvois of whatever 
 generation, and that he would not stir. His companions had 
 applauded his spirit, and both parties having found allies 
 among the other retainers of the nobles on the ground, the bat- 
 tle had become general, and the number of fists engaged was 
 formidable. 
 
 The tumult was at its height when the clear, commanding 
 tones of Eugene's voice were heard. 
 
 " Churl and villain ! " exclaimed he, " are you at last in my 
 power ? " 
 
 In a moment every eye was turned upon the speaker, who, 
 just as Barbesieur was emerging from the coach-window, 
 seized and held^him prisoner. The belligerent lackeys were so 
 astounded, that on both sides the upraised fists were suspended, 
 while old Philip, taking advantage of the momentary lull, cried 
 out in stentorian tones : 
 
 " Armistice for the servants ! Their lords are here to de- 
 cide the difficulty ! " 
 
 Down went the fists, and all parties gazed in breathless si- 
 lence at the pale, young David, who confronted his Goliath 
 with as firm reliance on the justice of his cause as did the shep- 
 herd-warrior of ancient Israel. Eugene was pale and col- 
 lected, but his nostrils were distended, and his eyes were aflame 
 s
 
 104 PRINCE KriJEXE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Barbesieur's great chest heaved with fury, as he felt himself 
 in the grasp of his puny antagonist, and turning met the 
 glance of the son of Olympia de Soissons. 
 
 For a few moments no word was spoken. The two ene- 
 mies exchanged glances; while princes, dukes, counts, and 
 their followers, looked on with breathless interest and expec- 
 tation. 
 
 Barbesieur now made one supreme effort to escape, but all 
 in vain. With one thrust of his muscular arm, Eugene forced 
 him back into the coach, his nether limbs within, his great 
 trunk without the window. 
 
 " Miserable coward," said the prince, " who to escape from 
 the dangers of a fray among lackeys, have taken refuge in the 
 carriage of a nobleman! Monsieur Louvois will assuredly 
 have you punished for your presumption ; but before he hears 
 of your insolence toward him, you shall be chastised for the 
 injuries you have inflicted upon me." 
 
 " Dare harm one hair of my head," muttered Barbesieur, 
 between his teeth, " and your life shall be the forfeit. My 
 father will avenge me." 
 
 "So be it; but first, let me avenge my mother," cried Eu- 
 gene, raising his whip on high. 
 
 " Eugene, Eugene," exclaimed the Duke de Bouillon, try- 
 ing to reach his kinsman in time to prevent the descending 
 stroke, " you are mistaken. This gentleman is no intruder 
 in the coach of the Louvois ; it is Bai'besieur de Louvois him- 
 self!" 
 
 " It is you that are in error," returned Eugene, holding fast 
 to his prisoner, who looked like some great monster in a trap. 
 * This is not Monsieur Louvois ; this is a leader of mobs, an 
 instigator of riots. He is the knave that incited the people of 
 Paris to malign my mother, and to stone her palace. Here ! 
 Philip ! Conrad ! Men of my household, do you not recognize 
 this man ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " was the prompt response, " he is the very man 
 that led on the rabble." 
 
 ' He is. The captain of the guard allowed him to escape, 
 but before he left I promised him a horsewhipping, and I 
 never break my word. You are a villain, for you have de-
 
 A SKIRMISH. 105 
 
 famed a noble lady. Take this! You are a liar, for you have 
 accused her of crime. Take this! You are a poltroon, for 
 while you were inciting others to violent deeds, you hid your 
 face, and denied your name. Take this! " 
 
 At each opprobrious epithet, the lash fell heavily upon the 
 shoulders of Barbesieur, and every blow was answered by a 
 cry of mingled pain and rage. The multitude looked on in 
 silence, almost in terror; for who could calculate the conse- 
 quence of such an indignity offered to such a family ! 
 
 " And now," said Eugene, throwing the whip as far as he 
 could send it, " now you are free ! My mother's defamer has 
 been lashed like a hound, and her son's heart is relieved of its 
 load." 
 
 So saying, he turned his back, and joined the group, among 
 whom his cousins were awaiting his return. 
 
 " Which of you, my lords," said he, " cried out that I was 
 mistaken in the identity of yonder knave ? " 
 
 " It was I. Eugene," replied the Duke de Bouillon. 
 
 " But you see your error now, do you not, uncle ? since not 
 only I, but my whole household proclaim him to be the ring- 
 leader of that riot, which forced my mother into exile." 
 
 l< And yet he is assuredly Barbesieur Louvois," laughed the 
 Prince de Conti. 
 
 " Well we shall see," was the reply. " He has disengaged 
 himself from his coach-window, and if he is a gentleman he 
 will know what he has to do." 
 
 And Eugene returned to the place where Barbesieur was 
 now standing, calling out to his friends to follow him. 
 
 " Are you quite sure, my lords, that this individual is Mon- 
 sieur Louvois ? " 
 
 They answered with one voice, "We are!" while all eyes 
 were fixed upon the tall figure which, now relaxed and bent 
 with shame, resembled the stricken frame of an old man ; 
 while his eyes were sedulously cast down, that they might 
 not meet the glance of the meanest man who had witnessed 
 his disgrace. 
 
 " I am still incredulous," said the prince. " But I reaffirm 
 that this is the brutal ringleader of the mob that attacked my 
 mother's home, and since I am ready to swear upon my honor
 
 ]06 fftlNCfi EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 that it is he, have not I performed my duty by chastising 
 him?" 
 
 " Yes, Prince of Savoy, if you are sure that it is he." was the 
 unanimous reply. 
 
 " I can prove that it is he. When, in spite of my warning 1 , 
 he uplifted his right arm to urge the rabble to a new attack 
 on the palace, I aimed a bullet at his elbow, and it reached its 
 mark. Now, if this man be Monsieur Louvois, and not the 
 knave I hold him to be, let him raise his right arm, and so 
 brand me as a liar." 
 
 As he heard this challenge, Barbesieur trembled, and his 
 face paled to a deadly whiteness. His right hand was buried 
 in the breast of his coat, and well he knew that every eye was 
 riveted upon that spot. He made one superlative effort to 
 straighten his arm, but no sooner had he moved it than he ut- 
 tered a stifled cry of pain, and the wounded limb fell helpless 
 to his side. 
 
 " My lords," said Eugene, inclining his head, " you see that 
 I am no calumniator. This is the churl who maligned my 
 mother's name." 
 
 " And I am Barbesieur Louvois ! " cried the churl, gnashing 
 his teeth with rage. " I am Barbesieur Louvois, and you shall 
 learn it to your sorrow, for my father will avenge the insult 
 you have offered to his son." 
 
 " Your father ! " echoed the Prince de Conti. " But your- 
 self ! What will you do to mend your bruised honor ? A 
 nobleman knows but one means of repairing that." 
 
 Barbesieur blushed, and then grew very pale. " You see 
 that I am incapable of resorting to this means," replied he, in 
 much confusion. 
 
 " Then you will not challenge the Prince de Carignan ? " 
 
 " It is not in my power to send a challenge. My right arm 
 is useless to me." 
 
 " Sir," said De Conti, haughtily, " there are blots on a 
 man's honor, which can only be wiped out with blood ; and 
 when the right hand is powerless, a nobleman learns to use 
 his left." 
 
 " I claim the privilege of waiting until I shall have regained 
 the use of my right hand," returned Barbesieur with a sinister
 
 A SKIRMISH. 107 
 
 glance at De Conti. " I cannot be sure of my aim with an 
 unpractised left hand ; and when I meet this miserable mani- 
 kin, I wish to kill him. Eugene of Savoy, you have offered 
 me a deadly affront ; and as soon as my wound is healed, you 
 shall hear from me." 
 
 "Don't give yourself the trouble of sending me a challenge," 
 returned Eugene coolly, "for I will not accept it." 
 
 ' Not accept it ! " echoed Barbesieur, unable to suppress the 
 gleam of satisfaction that would shoot across his countenance. 
 "Your valor then, which is equal to put opprobrium upon a 
 defenceless man, will not bear you out to face him in a duel ? 
 What say these gentlemen here present, to such behavior on 
 the part of a prince of the ducal house of Savoy ?" 
 
 " When I shall have spoken a few more words to you, they 
 can decide. You have so outraged my mother, the Countess 
 de Soissons, that the falsehood with which you have befouled 
 her honored name can never be recalled ! Not content with 
 forcing her, by your persecutions, into exile, your emissaries 
 preceded her to every point whereat she sought shelter, and 
 incited the populace to refuse her the merest necessaries ol 
 life ! For wrongs such as these, nothing could repay me but 
 the infliction of a degradation both public and complete. I 
 have disgraced you ; the marks of my lash are upon your back, 
 and think you that I shall bestow upon you one drop of my 
 blood wherewith to heal your stripes ? No ! I fight with no 
 man whom I have chastised as I would a serf ; but if you have 
 a friend that will represent you, here is my gauntlet : let him 
 raise it. Gentlemen, which of you will be the proxy that shall 
 cleanse the sullied honor of Barbesieur Louvois with his 
 blood ? " 
 
 " Not I," said the two Princes de Conti, simultaneously. 
 
 " Nor I," " Nor I, " Nor I ! " echoed the others. 
 
 " Nor I," cried the Duke de la Roche Guyon, stepping for 
 ward so as to be conspicuous and generally heard. " I am thd 
 son-in-law of Monsieur Louvois, and unhappily this man is 
 the brother of my dear and honored wife. But he is no kins- 
 man of mine ; and if I raise this glove, it is to return it to the 
 Prince of Savoy, for among us all he has not an enemy. He 
 stands in the midst of his friends, and they uphold and will
 
 108 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 sustain him, let the consequences of this day be what they 
 may." 
 
 With a deep inclination of the head, the duke returned his 
 glove to Eugene, who, greatly affected, could scarcely murmur 
 his thanks. 
 
 With glaring eyes and scowl of hatred, Barbesieur had 
 listened, while his brother-in-law's repudiation of the tie that 
 bound them to one another had deepened and widened the 
 gashes of his disgrace. With muttered words of revenge, he 
 mounted the horse of one of his grooms, and galloped swiftly 
 out of sight of the detested Pre aux Clercs. 
 
 " Gentlemen," resumed the Duke de la Roche Guyon, " I 
 am about to seek an audience with Monsieur Louvois, to relate 
 to him the events that have just transpired ; and to exact of 
 him as a man of honor that he will seek no revenge for the 
 affront offered to his son. Which of you, then, will accom- 
 pany me as witness ? " 
 
 " All, all," cried the cavaliers, with enthusiasm. " We sus- 
 tain the Prince of Savoy, and if Minister Louvois injures a 
 hair of his head, he shall be answerable for the deed to every 
 nobleman in France." 
 
 " And you, dear Eugene, whither are you going ? " asked De 
 Conti, putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder, and contem- 
 plating him with looks of affectionate admiration. 
 
 "I?" said Eugene, softly. "I shall return home to the 
 hall of my ancestors, there to hang this gauntlet below my 
 mother's portrait. Would that kneeling I could lay it at her 
 feet ! " 
 
 He was about to turn away, when De Conti remarked, " I 
 wonder whether Barbesieur will have the assurance to attend 
 the court-ball to-night ? " 
 
 "We shall see," replied Eugene, with a smile. 
 
 "We! Why, you surely will not present yourself before 
 the king, until you find out in what way his majesty intends 
 to view your attack upon the favorite son of his favorite min- 
 ister ? " 
 
 " I shall go to the ball to ascertain the sentiments of his 
 majesty. You know how I abhor society, and how awkward 
 I am in the presence of the beau monde ; but not to attend this
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. lilt) 
 
 ball would be an act of cowardice. I must overcome my dis- 
 inclination to such assemblies, and learn my fate to-night." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. 
 
 " ARE you really in earnest, ma toute belle " said Eliza- 
 beth-Charlotte of Orleans. "Are you serious when you re- 
 linquish your golden hours of untrammelled existence, to be- 
 come my maid of honor ? " 
 
 The young girl, who was seated on a tabouret close by, lifted 
 her great black eyes, and for a moment contemplated the large, 
 good-natured features of the duchess ; then, smiling as if in 
 satisfaction at the survey, she replied : 
 
 '' Certainly, if your highness accords me your gracious per- 
 mission to attach myself to your person." 
 
 " And does your father approve ? Has the powerful minis- 
 ter of his majesty no objection to have his daughter enter my 
 service ? " 
 
 " I told him that if he refused I would take the veil," re- 
 turned the young girl, with quiet decision. 
 
 The duchess leaned forward, and contemplated her with 
 interest. "Take the veil!" exclaimed she. ''What should 
 such a pretty creature do in a convent ? You are not you 
 cannot be in earnest. Let those transform themselves into 
 nuns who have sins upon their consciences, or sorrow within 
 their hearts : you can have had no greater loss to mourn than 
 the flight of a canary, or the death of a greyhound/' 
 
 The maiden's eyes glistened with tears. " Your highness, I 
 have lost a mother." 
 
 " Oh, how unfeeling of me to have forgotten it ! " exclaimed 
 the duchess. " But, in good sooth, this heartless court-life cor- 
 rupts us all ; we are so unaccustomed to genuine feeling, that 
 we forget its existence on earth. Dear child, forgive me ; I 
 am thoughtless, but not cruel. Give me your hand and let us 
 be friends."
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The girl pressed a fervent kiss upon the hand that was out- 
 stretched to meet hers. " Oh ! " cried she, feelingly, " ray 
 grandmother was right when she told me that you were 
 the best and noblest lady that ever graced the court of 
 France." 
 
 " Did your grandmother say that, love ? " asked the duchess. 
 '' I remember her as one of the most delightful persons I eve: 
 met. She was a spirited, intelligent, and pure-minded woman ; 
 and many are the pleasant hours we have passed together. I 
 was really grieved when the Marquise de Bonaletta disappeared 
 from court, and went into retirement." 
 
 "She left the court for love of my mother, S^hose marriage 
 was a most unhappy one ; and who, although she had much 
 strength of mind, had not enough to cope with the malignity 
 of the enemies that were of her own household." 
 
 " Your father was twice married, was he not ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness ; and, by his first marriage, had a son 
 and a daughter. With the latter, the present Duchess de la 
 Roche Guyon, my mother lived in perfect harmony, but her 
 step-son, Barbesieur, hated her, and finally caused her to quit 
 her husband's house, and take refuge with her mother, the 
 Marchioness de Bonaletta." 
 
 " I remember," returned the duchess. " Both ladies left 
 Paris at the same time, and nothing was ever heard of them 
 afterward. They retired to the country, did they not ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness. My grandmother had inherited a 
 handsome estate from her husband ; and thither they took ref- 
 uore from the persecution of Barbesieur my brother, and yet 
 me enemy who, before I had attained my sixth year, had 
 driven me to a state of orphanage, by alienating from me my 
 father's affection. Well I scarcely missed his protection, for 
 dear mother's love filled up the measure of my heart's cravings 
 for sympathy, and her care supplied every requirement of my 
 mind. But my happiness was short-lived as a dream ; my 
 mother's health had been sorely shattered by her many trials, 
 and I was not yet fourteen when it pleased God to take her to 
 Himself." 
 
 The duchess listened with tender sympathy. '' I see, dear 
 child," said she, " that you are a loving daughter, for two
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. HI 
 
 years have gone by since your misfortune, and yet your eyes 
 are dim with tears." 
 
 "Ah, your highness, time has increased, not lessened, my 
 sorrow. The longer the separation, the harder it is to hear, 
 and I know not from what source consolation is to flow. For 
 a time, however, I had the sympathy of my grandmother to 
 soothe my grief. We visited her grave, we spoke of her to- 
 gether. For love of her who was so eager for my improve- 
 ment, I applied myself heartily to my studies. Hoping, be- 
 lieving that she looked down from heaven upon her child, 1 
 strove to prove my love by cultivating to their utmost the 
 powers which God had bestowed upon me. 1 ' 
 
 " And no doubt you have become such a learned little lady, 
 that you will be quite formidable to such triflers as we,"' said 
 the duchess, with a smile. 
 
 " No, indeed, dear lady. I am slightly proficient in music 
 and painting these are my only accomplishments." 
 
 " Ah, you love music ? How it delights me to know this, 
 for I, too, am passionately fond of it ! When I was a maiden 
 in Heidelberg, I used to roam about the woods, singing in con- 
 cert with the larks and nightingales ; and my deceased father, 
 the Elector Palatine, finally declared that I was no German 
 princess, but a metamorphosed lark, whom he constantly ex- 
 pected to see spread out her wings, and depart for Bird -land. 
 Sometimes, when my reveries are mournful, I could almost 
 wish myself a lark, hovering over the fields that lie at the foot 
 of our dear castle at Heidelberg, or nestling among its towers, 
 wherein I have passed so many joyous hours. Now, if I were 
 a Hindoo, I would look forward with pleasure to the day of 
 my transmigration ; for as a lark, I would fly to my dear na- 
 tive home, and sing the old air of which my father was so 
 fond : 
 
 ' The sky that bends over the Neckar is fair. 
 And its waters are kissed by the soft summer air ' " 
 
 As the duchess attempted to hum this familiar strain, her 
 voice grew faint, and her eyes filled with tears. She dashed 
 them hastily away. 
 
 " My dear child," said she, after a pause, " I know not
 
 112 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 your sweet companionship should have brought to mind vis- 
 ions of home and happiness that are long since buried in the 
 grave o2 the past. I seldom indulge in retrospection, Laura ; 
 it unfits me for endurance of the heartless life we lead in 
 Paris. But sometimes, when we are alone, you will let me 
 live over these sunny hours, and " 
 
 Again her voice faltered, and she buried her face in her 
 hands, while Laura looked on with sympathetic tears. 
 
 There was a silence of several moments, at the end of which 
 the duchess gave a short sigh, and looked up. Her face was 
 quite composed, and, smiling affectionately upon her young 
 companion, she resumed their conversation. 
 
 " And now, dear child, go on with what you were relating 
 to me. My little episode of weakness is ended, and I listen to 
 your artless narration with genuine pleasure. You lived with 
 your grandmother on her estate, and you were tenderly at- 
 tached to each other ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I loved my grandmother to adoration. My 
 lonely heart had concentrated all its love upon her who loved 
 me not only for my own, but for my mother's sake ; and we 
 wei-e beginning to find happiness in our mutual affection, when 
 death again snatched from me my last stay, my only friend. 
 My dear grandmother would have gone joyfully, but for the 
 sake of the poor child she was leaving behind. When she 
 felt her end approaching, she sent for my father, who obeyed 
 the summons at once. He arrived in time to receive her last 
 injunctions. They had a long private interview, at the end of 
 which I was called in, and formally delivered over to the 
 guardianship of my father, who promised me his love and pro- 
 tection. But my grandmother added these words, which I 
 have carefully treasured in my memory : 
 
 " ' If you should ever need advice or countenance from a 
 woman, go to the Duchess of Orleans. She is a virtuous and 
 benevolent princess, and will befriend you. With her for a 
 protectress, you will be as safe from harm as in the sheltering 
 arms of your own mother.' " 
 
 The duchess extended her hand. "I thank your grand- 
 mother, dear child, for her confidence in my benevolence: if I 
 have never deserved it before, I will earn it now ; and be as-
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. 
 
 sured that in me you will find a loving protectress. But why 
 should you need any influence of mine ? Your father is the 
 most powerful subject at court, and the whole world will be at 
 your feet. Young, handsome, and rich, every nobleman in 
 France will be your suitor." 
 
 " But I can never marry without love," replied Laura, en- 
 thusiastically. " Love alone could reconcile me to the exigen- 
 cies of married life, and / must choose the man that is to rule 
 over my destiny. Let me be frank, and confess to your high- 
 ness why I desire to place myself under your protection. My 
 father is trying to force me into a marriage with the Marquis 
 de Strozzi, the Venetian envoy. He is young, handsome, rich, 
 and may perhaps become Doge of Venice. He is all this but 
 what are his recommendations to me? I do not love him! 
 More than that, he is the friend of Barbesieur, and therefore I 
 dislike him. The match, too, is of Barbesieur's making : he it 
 was that influenced my father to consent to it. I have already 
 declared that, sooner than marry the marquis, I will take the 
 veil. But my vocation is not for the cloister, and therefore I 
 implore your highness's protection. I beseech you, give me 
 the place made vacant by the marriage of your maid of honor, 
 and save me from a life of misery. In my father's house I am 
 solitary and unloved : but even loneliness of heart I could en- 
 dure, if I were permitted to endure it in peace ! But a com- 
 pulsory marriage is worse to me than death! Save me, dear 
 lady, and I will be the humblest and most obedient of your 
 subjects ! " 
 
 The duchess smilingly shook her head. "I am afraid," 
 said she, " that the daughter of Louvois will not be permitted 
 to accept the office you ask, my child. Do you know that my 
 maids of honor are paid for their services ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness ; but I crave permission to serve you 
 without salary. I am rich, and, as regards fortune, independ- 
 ent of my father. On condition that I assume her name, my 
 grandmother left me the v, hole of her vast estates. I have 
 wealth, then, more than enough to gratify my wildest caprices ; 
 but no mother no friend. Oh, take pity on me, and be- 
 friend a poor orphan ! " 
 
 " A poor orphan ! " laughed the duchess. " A rich heiress,
 
 PRINCE EUGENE A&b frlS TIMES. 
 
 you mean a marchioness of fifteen years, who is possessed 
 of sufficient character to dispute the mandates of the powerful 
 minister of the King of France ! But your resolute bearing 
 pleases me. You are not the puppet of circumstances, nor is 
 your heart hardened by ambition. It follows whither youth- 
 ful enthusiasm beckons, and scorns the rein of worldly re- 
 straint. I like your spirit, Laura, and I love you. You may 
 count upon me, therefore, as far as it lies in my power to serve 
 you. But understand that I am not a favorite at court. The 
 king honors me occasionally with his notice ; but the two 
 great magnates, the ' powers that be,' De Montespan, and her 
 rival De Maintenon, both dislike me. They have reason to do 
 so, for I do not love them. I am at heart an honest German 
 woman, and have no taste for gilded corruption. I honor and 
 love my brother-in-law, whom God preserve and bless ! But 
 if the Lord would take these two marchionesses to Himself, or 
 send them below, to regions more congenial to their tastes 
 than heaven, I assure you that I would not die of grief at 
 their loss. De Montespan is merely a dissolute woman, who 
 abandoned her husband and children to become the mistress 
 of a king. But that De Maintenon ! Her hypocrisy is enough 
 to turn one's stomach. She not only supplants her benefac- 
 tress in the affections of her lover, but dresses up her sins in 
 the garments of a virtue, and affects piety ! She teaches his 
 majesty to sin and pray, and pray and sin, hoping to com- 
 pound with Heaven for adultery, by sanctimony : perchance 
 expecting, as brokerage for her king's regenerated soul, an 
 earthly reward in the shape of a mantle edged with ermine ! 
 When I think of that Iscariot in petticoats, I am ready to 
 burst with indignation ! " 
 
 The duchess grew so excited that she had to wipe her face 
 with her embroidered handkerchief. After cooling herself for 
 a few moments, she resumed : 
 
 " Yes ! and to think that the princes of the blood and tha 
 queen herself, are obsequious to these two lemans of a king ! 
 May I freeze in the cold blast of royal disfavor, before I de- 
 grade my rank and womanhood by such servility! And 
 mark this well, little marchioness, if you take service with me. 
 Who goes to court with me, pays no homage to the mistresses
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. 115 
 
 of the king. But why do you kneel, my child ? What means 
 this humility ? " 
 
 " How otherwise could I give expression to my reverence, 
 my admiration, my love ? " exclaimed Laura, her countenance 
 beaming with beautiful enthusiasm. "And how otherwise, 
 could I thank my God that so noble, so brave, so incompa- 
 rable a woman is my protectress ! Let me kiss this honored 
 hand that has never been contaminated by the touch of cor- 
 ruption ! " 
 
 "You are a sweet enthusiast," said Elizabeth-Charlotte, 
 bending down and kissing Laura's brow. " In your eye there 
 beams a light that reveals to me a kindred spirit. Beautiful, 
 young, hopeful though you be (and I am none of these), there 
 is a congeniality of soul between us that leaps over all dis- 
 parity, and proclaims us to be friends. Come, dear child, to 
 my heart." 
 
 With a cry of joy, Laura threw herself into the arms of the 
 duchess, who held her fast, and kissed her o'er and o'er. 
 
 " Sweet child," exclaimed she, " your spontaneous love is 
 like a flower springing from the hideous gaps of a grave. I 
 greet it as a gift of God, and it shall reanimate within me hap- 
 piness and hope. You are but fifteen, Laura, and I am a ma- 
 ture woman of thirty ; but my heart is as strong to love as 
 yours ; for many years it has pined under clouds of neglect, 
 but the sun of your sympathy has shone upon it, and, warmed 
 by its kindly beams, it will revive and bloom." 
 
 " And oh how I shall love you in return ! " cried the happy 
 girl. " As a lother whom I trust and revere as a sister to 
 whom I may confide my girlish secrets as a guardian angel 
 whose blessing I shall implore. But in the world, and when 
 I bear your train, I will forget that I am aught but the low- 
 liest handmaiden of her royal highness, Elizabeth-Charlotte, 
 Duchess of Orleans." 
 
 " And when we are alone and without witnesses, we will 
 speak of those we have loved ; and I, alas ! of some whom I 
 have not loved ; for, Laura, my marriage was a compulsory 
 one. The altar on which I pledged my faith was one of sac- 
 rifice ; and I, the bride, the lamb that was immolated for my 
 country's good. Ah ! many tears have I shed since I was Duch-
 
 116 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMER. 
 
 ess of Orleans ; but your tender hand shall wipe them away, 
 and in your sweet society I shall grow joyous again. We will 
 sing the ditties of my fatherland ; and, provided no one is 
 within hearing, I will teach you our German dances, which, 
 because of the corruption that dwells within their hearts, 
 these French people stigmatize as voluptuous. With such a 
 birdling as you to carol around me, the lark that once dwelt 
 in my heart, will find its voice again, and awake to sing a 
 hymn of thankfulness to God, who has enriched me with the 
 blessing of your love." 
 
 " And I, dear lady, will try to deserve the happiness He has 
 vouchsafed to me, by loving all His creatures even Barbe- 
 sieur himself." 
 
 " Ah ! Barbesieur ! " echoed the duchess, thoughtfully. " I 
 doubt whether he or your father will consent t<"> give you to 
 me, Laura. Nobody knows better than Monsieur Louvois, 
 how unimportant a personage at court is the Duchess of Or- 
 leans." 
 
 " He must give me to you or to the cloister," exclaimed 
 Laura, quickly. " And not only relinquish me, which would 
 be no great loss, but my worldly goo<f ,, which are an impor- 
 tant item in his estimation. I am ab 'lute mistress of my for- 
 tune, and nobody but the Chevalier Lankey has a word to say 
 in the matter. As for him dear old fellow ! he is the tender- 
 est guardian that ever pretended to have authority over an 
 heiress ; and he loves me so sincerely, that if I were to come 
 and say that, to save me from misfortune, he must stab me to 
 the heart, he would do my bidding, and forthwith die of grief 
 for the act." 
 
 " I can almost believe you, absurd child ; for you are an en- 
 chantress, and therefore irresistible." 
 
 " Yes I am irresistible," replied Laura, throwing her arms 
 around the duchess's neck, " and I vow and declare that it is 
 my good pleasure to live forever in the sunshine of your high- 
 ness's presence ; so I consider myself as accepted and in- 
 stalled." 
 
 " With all my heart, if your family be propitious ! And 
 with a view to reconciling them, I must create an office for you 
 of more dignity than that of a mere maid of honor. You
 
 LOUVOIS' DAUGHTER. 117 
 
 shall be lady of the bedchamber ; and I will announce your 
 appointment with all due formality to the king, the court, and 
 my own household. You retain the title of maid of honor, 
 because that gives you the right to remain constantly attached 
 to my person ; but, except on days of extraordinary ceremony, 
 you shall be dispensed with the duty of following me a* train- 
 bearer." 
 
 " I shall be dispensed with no such thing ! " cried Laura, 
 playfully ; " I do not intend to delegate my duties to anybody ; 
 above all, a duty which to me will be a privilege." 
 
 " We shall see, you self-willed girl," was the reply, " for I 
 shall forbid you in presence of my household, and, for deco- 
 rum's sake, you will be forced to obey. Neither shall you in- 
 habit the third story of the main palace, in common with the 
 other maids of honor ; you shall occupy the pretty pavilion 
 in the garden, and have an independent household as befits 
 your rank and fortune. Now, as regards your table. You 
 know that, by the laws of French etiquette, nobody is permit- 
 ted to sit at table with the princes or princesses of the blood ; 
 and my lord, the duke, is so stringent in his observance of 
 these laws, that he would faint were he to witness a breach of 
 them. When his royal highness, then, dines with me, you 
 will be served in the pavilion, and are at liberty to invite 
 whom you please to share your repasts ; but happily, I am 
 honored with his presence but twice a week ; and on all other 
 days, we shall breakfast and dine together. The duke spends 
 two days out hunting, and the other three with his mistress, 
 Madame de Rulhieres. You look surprised to hear me men- 
 tion this so coolly. Time was, when I felt humiliated to know 
 that mine were not the only children who kissed my husband, 
 and called him father. The caresses he bestowed upon his 
 mistress, I never grudged. She robbed me of nothing when 
 she accepted them. As the wife of a man whom I did not 
 love, I could aspire to none of the joys of wedded life ; I have 
 contented myself with fulfilling its duties, and so conducting 
 myself that I need never be ashamed to look my dear children 
 in the face. But enough of this : let us return to you. You 
 will keep your own carriage, use your own liveries, and be 
 sole mistress of your house and home, into which the Duchess
 
 118 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 df Orleans shall not enter unannounced. You will find it 
 larger than it looks to be. It contains a parlor, sitting and 
 dining rooms, a library opening on the garden ; a bed-room, 
 three chambers for servants, and two anterooms, large enough 
 to accommodate your worshippers while they await admission 
 to your presence. This is all I have to offer my lady of the 
 bedchamber. May I hope that it is agreeable ? " 
 
 " Agreeable ! " exclaimed Laura, affectionately. " It will 
 place me on a pinnacle of happiness. And now that I have 
 heard of all the favors, the privileges, and the honors that are 
 to accrue to me from my residence in the pavilion, will my 
 gracious mistress deign to instruct me as to the duties I am to 
 perform, in return for her bounty ? " 
 
 " Wilful creature, have I not already told you ? On occa- 
 sions of state you are to be one of my trainbearers ; and when 
 his majesty comes to visit me, you station yourself at my side. 
 Then you are to drive out with me daily, and as you alone 
 will be with me in the carriage, we can have many a pleasant 
 chat, while the maids of honor come behind. And we must 
 be discreet, or they may inform monsieur of the preference 
 which madame has for her lady of the bedchamber ; and then, 
 Heaven knows what the duke might do to us ! Let us hope 
 that he would not poison you, as he did my poor little Italian 
 greyhound, a few weeks ago. He hated the dog because I 
 loved it, and because it was a present to me from my dear 
 brother Carl. So be wary and prudent, Laura : these maids 
 of honor have sharp ears, and it is not safe to talk when they 
 are waiting in the anteroom, for some are in the pay of De 
 Maintenon, and you will not have been here many days before 
 one of them is sold to your father. I can scarcely believe in 
 the reality of my new acquisition, for much as I regret to tell 
 you so, Laura, you cannot enter my service until Monsieur 
 Louvois comes hither to make the request himself. Otherwise, 
 monsieur and Madame de Maintenon would spread it about, 
 that I had forcibly abducted the Marchioness de Bonaletta, and 
 torn her from her loving father's arms." 
 
 "My father will be here to-day to comply with all the 
 formalities that must precede my installation," replied 
 Laura. "And, if your highness will admit him, I shall
 
 THE COURT-BALL. 119 
 
 Have the happiness of being in your train at the court-ball to- 
 night." 
 
 " Of course I must admit him, since you will it, my queen 
 of hearts. By what magic is it that you have won my love so 
 completely to-day, Laura ? " 
 
 '' By the magic touch of my own heart that loves you so 
 well, dear lady so well, that I ask no other boon of Heaven 
 but that of deserving and returning your affection. " 
 
 " Until some lover comes between us, and robs me of my 
 treasure," said the duchess, with a smile. " Have you seen the 
 brigand yet ? Do you know him ? " 
 
 Laura laughed. " He is a myth I have no faith in his ex- 
 istence," said she. 
 
 " He exists, nevertheless, my child, and will make his ap- 
 pearance before long ; for you are destined to have many 
 suitors." 
 
 " But none that approaches my ideal of manhood. Where 
 shall I find this hero of my dreams ? not at the court of 
 France, your highness. But should he ever come out of the 
 clouds, brave, noble, wise, as I have pictured him, then, oh 
 then ! I should follow the destiny of woman ; leaving all 
 other beings, even my gracious mistress herself, to cleave unto 
 him, and merge my soul in his ! Were I to love, the world 
 itself would recede from view, leaving all space filled with 
 the image of the man I loved ! Better he should never come 
 down from the moon for, if he comes, I am lost ! " 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE COURT-BALL. 
 
 THE magnificent halls of the Louvre were open to receive 
 the guests of his majesty Louis XIV. Balls were " few and 
 far between " at the French court, and the festivities of the 
 evening were significant, as betokening triumph to De Monte- 
 span and mortification to De Maintenon. 
 
 For Louis, like Mohammed's coffin, was suspended between 
 9
 
 120 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the heaven of De Mainteuon's pious attractions, and the earth 
 of De Montespan's carnal fascinations. Neither the exhorta- 
 tions of Pere la Chaise, nor the affectionate zeal of De Main- 
 tenon, had as yet overthrown the power of De Montespan ; and 
 more 'than once, when wearied with the solemn dulness of the 
 former, had he sought refuge from drowsiness in the rollick- 
 ing companionship of the latter, who, if she icas a sinner, wore 
 the livery of her master, and sinned honestly and above-hoard. 
 De Montespan always profited by these little intervals of ten- 
 derness, to obtain some signal favor from Louis, which had 
 the effect of perplexing the court, and rendering it a doubtful 
 matter to those who would fain have gone over to the vic- 
 torious party, which of his two mistresses was truly sovereign 
 of the king's unstable affections. 
 
 Such a concession was this ball, wrung from Louis, first by 
 coaxing, and finally by pouting and tears. De Montespan was 
 elated, for it was a double triumph ; it was given at her re- 
 quest, and was to take place on her birthday. 
 
 And De Maintenon, of course, was proportionally crest- 
 fallen. But, after shedding just as many tears as she deemed 
 appropriate, Scarron's widow was clever enough to understand 
 that wisdom lay in acquiescence. She wiped her eyes, and 
 suffered herself to be caressed into a good-humor ; was more 
 amiable, more sprightly, more fascinating than ever, with not 
 a trace of disappointment in her looks, save that which lay in 
 the unusual paleness of her face. 
 
 Louis was so touched by her magnanimity, that he abso- 
 lutely "begged her pardon ; and she was so overcome by the 
 condescension of his majesty, that she asked permission to be 
 present at the ball. 
 
 " He was only too happy ! " that is to say, he did his best 
 to conceal his consternation at the unheard-of proposition. 
 Sainte Maintenon at a ball ! What would she do in so un- 
 righteous a place ? And worse still worse : what would his 
 other charmer say when she heard of it ? What outbreak of 
 indignation might not be expected, when De Montespan was 
 told that her ex-go vern ess was to be present at a ball given in 
 her own honor ? Between his saint and his sinner, Louis was 
 sorely perplexed. But he might have spared himself all un-
 
 LOUIS XIV.
 
 THE COURT-BALL. 121 
 
 easiness. De Montespan was not in the least ruffled at the 
 tidings ; she rather enjoyed the idea of setting off her own 
 splendor against the shabbiuess of her rival. 
 
 But the court was in a state of anxious excitement on the 
 subject. Everybody was dying of curiosity to see the meeting 
 of the rivals, and the effect that was to be produced by their 
 presence on the poor deserted queen. 
 
 To which of the favorites will the king throw his handker- 
 chief ? With which of the two will he converse most ? Will 
 he feel at ease as he treads the minuet under the eyes of the 
 devotee ? Or will he venture to recognize her in presence of 
 the courtesan ? 
 
 Such were the questions that were continually asked, but 
 never answered by the elegant crowd which thronged the halls 
 of the palace that evening. The rencontre of Eugene and 
 Barbesieur was for the moment forgotten. It was not likely 
 that either one of the disputants would venture to appear at 
 court, until the king had decided to which party belonged the 
 blame of the affray ; but, as regarded the brush that was im- 
 minent between the king's mistresses, that was a matter which 
 concerned everybody, and everybody was in a nutter to know 
 the result. 
 
 The lord chamberlain having announced that the court 
 was about to make its entrance, the throng pressed forward to 
 the Gallery of Apollo. Four immense chandeliers lit up the 
 gorgeous frescoes on the ceiliiig, and poured a flood of radi- 
 ance upon the line of stately courtiers and elegant women who 
 were the guests of the king's leman that night. The ladies 
 coquetted with their large fans, whispered with the cavaliers 
 close by, and dispensed smiles and bewitching glances upon 
 those who were too far for speech until the master of ceremo- 
 nies flung open the doors, and announced " his majesty the 
 king." 
 
 There was at once profound silence ; and in a moment 
 every head was bent, and every eye sought the floor. The 
 men bowed low, the women courtesied lower, and nothing was 
 to be seen but a chaos of jewels, velvet, brocade, and llama, sur- 
 mounted by feathered, flowered, or ringleted heads, and long, 
 flowing wigs.
 
 122 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The one personage who had the right to hold himself erect 
 in the presence of this reverential multitude the king ap- 
 peared, followed by a glittering train of marshals, chamber- 
 lains, officers of the royal household, and pages. His majesty 
 traversed the gallery and approached the throne, which, for 
 this festive occasion, was hung with white velvet, studded 
 with golden lilies. Not far from the royal arm-chair stood a 
 lady, whose sad eyes looked wearily upon the pageant, and 
 whose pallid lips had long since forgotten how to smile. It 
 was Maria Theresa, the queen. She had made her entry be- 
 fore the king, but it had scarcely been remarked. She was a 
 deserted wife, and, being without influence at court, had no 
 favors to bestow. She was, therefore, altogether sans cons- 
 quence. 
 
 Nevertheless, she was the queen-consort, and Louis, extend- 
 ing his hand, and inclining his royal head, assisted her to 
 mount the throne. As soon as the kingly pair were seated, his 
 majesty's voice was heard 
 
 " My guests are welcome." 
 
 As if by enchantment, feathers, flowers, curls, and wigs, all 
 rose up out of chaos, and every eye was turned upon the 
 nandsome person of the sovereign. 
 
 While all this had been going on Eugene of Savoy stood 
 erect, nor once cast down his flashing eyes before the light- 
 ning of the royal presence. He had entered quietly, had re- 
 tired to the recess of a window, and, as the crowd had simul- 
 taneously become a heap of garments, he had curled his lip in 
 contempt. Suddenly his eye grew soft, and his mouth relaxed 
 into a smile. Not far from the throne he had seen one head 
 one beautiful head, and had met the glance of a pair of glorious 
 eyes, which were qiiietly surveying the scene, and, as Eugene 
 thought, enjoying it with an expression of suppressed amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 Who could she be, that, while every other person there had 
 lost his individuality and merged it into one monstrous con- 
 cretion of obsequiousness, had preserved her balance, and 
 stood undazzled by the rays of the sun of France ? As young 
 as she was lovely, whence came the mingled self-possession 
 and unconsciousness which made her an observer instead of a
 
 TSE COFRT-BALL, 128 
 
 worshipper ? Eugene had never seen this beautiful creaturo 
 before ; but from the depths of her starry eyes there streamed 
 a light that went straight to his heart, making strange reve- 
 lation of some half-forgotten bliss which, in an anterior state 
 of being, might once have been his own. 
 
 But how came she hither ? What had her fair, unclouded 
 orow. her innocent face, her maidenly bearing in common 
 with the vain, voluptuous, and corrupt women around, who 
 were so lost to shame as not only to do homage to the king's 
 mistresses, but to envy them the infamous distinction of his 
 preference ? 
 
 Their eyes met ; and in her glance of astonishment Eugene 
 fancied that he saw mirrored his own surprise at her extraor- 
 dinary defiance of courtly servility. She too seemed to ask, 
 " How is it that you stand so proudly erect, when every other 
 head is bent in reverence before our sovereign ? Who are you, 
 that presume to " 
 
 But the king and his suite passed between them, and the 
 beautiful face was lost to sight. In its place, Eugene beheld 
 the haughty monarch who had caused such bitter tears to flow 
 from the eyes of his dear, exiled mother ; and the thought of 
 that beloved mother led to remembrance of his father's death, 
 and to the tyranny which would make of his father's son an 
 unwilling priest. 
 
 Meanwhile the king had seated himself on the throne, and 
 the princes and princesses of the blood had approached to pay 
 their homage. Not a sound was heard in that splendid gal- 
 lery, save the subdued tones of Louis, who was conversing 
 with the Duke of Orleans ; for, until the former rose to make 
 his grande tournee, etiquette required of his adoring subjects 
 to be dumb. 
 
 A slight hum. however, began to be heard at the lower end 
 of the hall, and all eyes were turned toward the door which 
 opened to admit the woman whom the king delighted to 
 honor. 
 
 Her tall figure was set off to great advantage by a dress of 
 purple velvet, embroidered with silver. From her voluptuous 
 shoulders drooped a mantle, edged with richest ermine ; and 
 her swelling bust was scarcely concealed by a drapery of sil-
 
 124 PKINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 vered gauze. On her bosom she wore a fleur de lis composed 
 of emeralds, pearls, and diamonds, and on her magnificent 
 brow glittered a diadem of brilliants worthy the acceptance of 
 an empress. 
 
 So haughty was her bearing, and so obsequious were the 
 salutations which greeted her entrance, that but for the pale 
 statue that occupied a seat next the king, Madame de Mon- 
 tespan might have been mistaken for the queen. 
 
 Eugene's eyes had sought and found the young girl, whose 
 sweet vision had been displaced by the king, but who now, in 
 full view of the company, stood immediately behind the chair 
 of the Duchess of Orleans. Would she bow her incomparable 
 head before that exalted harlot ? Would she outrage her 
 maidenhood by acknowledgment of De Montespan's title to 
 consideration ? No ! Thank God, she was true to her pure, 
 womanly instincts. Her face crimsoned, her delicate brows 
 were slightly drawn together, and her head was unconsciously 
 raised, as if in protest against the public scandal of this wom- 
 an's intrusion. 
 
 When Eugene saw this, his heart leaped with joy, and he 
 yearned to throw himself at her feet. 
 
 " In Heaven's name who can she be, that fairy-queen, who 
 fears not mortal man ? " thought he. " Who " 
 
 But suddenly his eye shot fire, and the expression of his 
 face was transformed. He had met the glance of Barbesieur 
 Louvois, who, under shelter of De Montespan's favor with 
 Louis, and the protection of his father, had intruded himself 
 into the company of the proudest nobles in France. How was 
 it possible that the^master of ceremonies had allowed to a dis- 
 graced man the privilege of appearing before the king and 
 queen ? 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! " thought Eugene, " are honor and 
 shame but empty words? Is this, indeed, the Marchioness de 
 Montespan, whose entrance is greeted like that of a sovereign, 
 while the Countess de Soissons wanders in foreign lands, a 
 fugitive from justice ? Justice ? No ! A fugitive from oppres- 
 sion, and the kinsman who should have protected her her 
 oppressor! And is yonder swaggering cavalier the caitiff 
 whose back is smarting with the lash of my hunting-whip ?
 
 THE COURT-BALL. 125 
 
 And those smiling courtiers there, who take him by the hand 
 are they the noblemen that upheld me in the act ? By 
 Heaven, they greet him as though, like me, his veins were blue 
 with the blood ct kings ! But no ! not all ! The Princes of 
 Conti have refused to recognize him : they bow to the minister 
 of war, but pass without a word to his son. For that act I 
 shall hold them ' in my heart of hearts,' nor forget their man- 
 liness while I live to honor worth and scorn servility ! " 
 
 Eugene looked affectionately at his cousins, until his eyes 
 filled with tears of gratitude ; but they were unconscious of 
 the comfort they had ministered to his wounded heart, for 
 they were not aware of his presence in the ballroom. 
 
 The king had not yet ended his long conversation with the 
 Duke of Orleans. The company stood still and expectant, and 
 the Marchioness de Montespan began to exhibit signs of im- 
 patience. Sbe had hoped that the ceremonial of compliments 
 to and from the royal family would have been over before her 
 entrance ; and now that she had been there fully ten minutes, 
 the king seemed as unconscious of her presence as ever. 
 
 But thank Heaven ! the colloquy was at an end ; the king 
 has risen, and has signified to the queen that the princesses of 
 the blood may rise also. He descends from his throne, and 
 De Montespan's heart is wild with joy. The moment of her 
 triumph approaches; Louis is about to lead her out for the 
 minuet, and so proclaim her queen of the festival. She smiles 
 ineffably ; in her eagerness, she almost rises from her tabouret 
 to meet him, but what can he intend to do ? Has he not seen 
 her ? He turns away, and now he extends his hand to an- 
 other ! 
 
 De Montespan was perfectly overwhelmed, and, all eti- 
 quette forgetting, she actually rose from her seat and took a 
 step forward, that she might see who was the person that had 
 been so singularly honored by the king. 
 
 Who was it ? Why, nobody but Sainte Maintenon, who, 
 without pomp or parade, had entered the room, and had taken 
 her tabouret with as much simplicity as she would have seated 
 herself in church. 
 
 Her toilet, as well as her demeanor, presented a singular 
 contrast with that of her sparkling rival. Her dress was of
 
 126 PRINCE EUGENE AND III? TIMES. 
 
 dark velvet, buttoned up to the throat, Her wealth of beauti- 
 ful black hair was fastened up with a barbe of gossamer lace, 
 and the only ornament she wore around her neck was a deli- 
 cate gold chain, to which was attached a miniature of Louis set 
 in superb brilliants. 
 
 And upon this wearisome, insipid, old-fashioned puppet, 
 the King of France had bestowed his attentions. De Monte- 
 span would have given her diadem to have been permitted to 
 vent her humiliation in tears ; but pride restrained her, while 
 she looked on, and saw how the king led De Main tenon to the 
 queen, an honor hitherto reserved for princesses of the blood. 
 And with what feline humility she knelt and pressed her ma- 
 jesty's hands to her unholy lips ! Oh ! De Montespan could 
 have taken her life when she saw this! 
 
 And she she for whom this gay assemblage were called 
 together, sat unnoticed and alone ; her expected triumph, defeat 
 every hope she had cherished of love reciprocated, and ambi- 
 tion gratified, transformed into despair, by one little act. The 
 king had given his hand to her rival ! 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 
 
 THE conversation between the king, the queen, and Ma- 
 dame de Maintenon, was long and interesting. When she 
 saw the former rise and incline his head, De Montespan's 
 heart fluttered with expectation ; but his majesty stopped be- 
 fore the Duchess of Orleans, and there he lingered so long 
 that everybody wondered what could be the attraction there. 
 Presently Elizabeth-Charlotte turned to the young girl who 
 stood beside her, and presented her to the king. How beauti- 
 ful she was ! How enchanting her smile, how charming her 
 blushes ! 
 
 She was evidently a stranger, and De Montespan set her 
 down as an enemy, for she had not complied with the customs 
 of the court, by which every lady introduced there was ex-
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 127 
 
 tweeted to leave a card for the mistress of the king. An enemy, 
 then, she must be perchance, a rival ! But who was she ? 
 
 " Yes, who is she ? " thought Prince Eugene, as, transfixed 
 with admiration, he gazed upon her lovely face. " I must 
 know," exclaimed he aloud, while he pressed forward to make 
 the inquiry. 
 
 There was no one near to whom he could address himself, 
 for he now for the first time remarked that he stood quite 
 alone. He began to be aware that his friends were shy and 
 kept aloof; but Eugene had come to this ball to prove that the 
 son of the Countess de Soissons was not to be browbeaten by 
 king or courtier ; and he went on and on until he stood so near 
 to Louis that he could look him full in the eye. 
 
 The grand monarque knit his brows, and presumed that 
 the Prince of Savoy would understand the hint, and with- 
 draw ; but Eugene paid no attention to the Olympic frown, or 
 affected not to see it. 
 
 Louis, who had been chatting with the little Duke of 
 Maine, strode angrily forward and addressed the prince : 
 
 " I judge from your eyes, little abbe, that you have come 
 hither to ask some favor of us to-night ? " 
 
 "Then my eyes belie my purpose, your majesty," replied 
 Eugene, quietly. " 1 have no favor to ask of any one." 
 
 " I understand," said the king, slightly raising his shoul- 
 ders. " You have come for an answer to your last petition ? " 
 
 " Pardon me, sire, I have presented no petition whatever to 
 your majesty." 
 
 " If you have not, your mother, the Countess de Soissons, 
 has presented one for you. She begged me, not long ago, to 
 appoint you prebendary of a cathedral: as she has thought 
 proper to abscond from my dominions, I have had no oppor- 
 tunity of answering her request. When you write to her, 
 you can tell her that it is refused. Prince Eugene of Savoy 
 leads too worldly a life to deserve promotion in the church. 
 Bullies are not apt to distinguish themselves as ecclesiastics." 
 
 " Sire, I thank your majesty ; for the sentiments to which 
 you have just given utterance release me from further obliga- 
 tion to enter upon a career for which I have neither inclina- 
 tion nor calling."
 
 J28 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 To these bold words Louis vouchsafed no answer. He an- 
 nihilated the offender with a glance, and passed on. Then 
 turning to the Duke of Orleans, he said in a voice that was in- 
 tended to be generally heard, " I cannot imagine what that 
 little abbe of Savoy wants here to-night. His face brings me 
 bad luck."* 
 
 This was enough to damn Eugene forever at the French 
 court. It was the anathema maranatha of his sovereign, 
 and cast him out from association with all loyal subjects. 
 Nobody m those vast halls would have been seen in his vicin- 
 ity ; his best friends would not now have ventured one look 
 of sympathy or kindness toward a nobleman so publicly and 
 pointedly insulted by royalty. He was henceforth a proscribed 
 man. 
 
 The Princes de Conti were sorely grieved, but they dared, 
 no more than their compeers, risk the displeasure of the king 
 by upholding their outraged kinsman. The eldest one, how- 
 ever., managed to whisper a word or two in passing. 
 
 " Dear Eugene," said he, " do be reasonable, and put an end 
 to this abominable scene by going home. Our hearts are all 
 with you, but we dare not affront the king by the smallest 
 demonstration on your behalf; he is looking out for it, and 
 would revenge himself effectually. We went this morning 
 w,ith De la Roche Guyon to Louvois, and obtained his sacred 
 promise to ignore your difficulty with his son, and allow it to 
 be settled between yourselves. But he has evidently not kept 
 his word; for the affair has been misrepresented to the king, 
 and the insult you have received is a proof of it. Go away 
 for a few weeks until it blows over, and all will have been for- 
 gotten." 
 
 " I have no desire to have my affairs forgotten ; I trust that 
 they may be remembered," replied Eugene. " But hark ! the 
 music. We are to have the ineffable privilege of seeing the 
 king dance. Doubtless you have already secured a partner, 
 and I will not detain you." 
 
 The music was heard, and his majesty went through the 
 usual form of requesting the queen to open the ball. She an- 
 swered, as she was expected to do, that her health was too 
 * The king's own words. See " Memoirs of the Duke <lc St. Simon," vol. x
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 
 
 feeble for her to enjoy dancing, and she hoped his majesty 
 would excuse her, and find another partner. 
 
 This was always a time of suspense and excitement at court- 
 balls ; for the lady who was then selected by the king- was, de 
 facto, the queen of the festival. The minuet's enticing meas- 
 ure was calling upon its votaries to commence; but, until the 
 king had made his choice, no one could stir. 
 
 Madame de Montespan's heart began to throb anew with 
 hope. This time she was sure of being chosen, for De Mainte- 
 non did not dance ; and, after ail, what signified a few words 
 with the queen, compared with the glory of being led out to 
 the dance by the king ? 
 
 Her eyes sparkled with animation, her mouth began to 
 ripple with happy smiles, and oh ! triumph and joy ! the king 
 was seen coming in that direction. 
 
 But again he stopped to speak with the Duchess of Orleans. 
 What could he want of her ? If De Montespan had been 
 within hearing, she need not have wondered, for Louis merely 
 requested the pleasure of her hand for the dance. 
 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte looked up in astonishment. 
 
 " I hope I have not fallen into disfavor," said Louis, an- 
 swering the look. " You are not about to refuse me ? " 
 
 " Oh, sire," replied his sister-in-law, laughing, "I am merely 
 overcome with your condescension. But your majesty knows," 
 continued she, seriously, " that since my father's death I have 
 never danced. I was enjoying myself in this very hall while 
 he was expiring at home ; and from that unhappy day I have 
 never desired to dance again. Moreover, I am a miserable 
 partner, and you would be ashamed of me." 
 
 " How ashamed ? " asked Louis, amused at his sister-in-law's 
 artlessness. 
 
 " I mean, sire, that strive as I will, I am always behind- 
 hand in p. dance. I am like the snail, who, being invited to a 
 wedding, arrived there a year after, and found herself the first 
 guest that had come to the christening. As she entered the 
 garden she fell into a ha-ha, whereupon she said, ' More haste, 
 worse speed.'" 
 
 Louis laughed heartily. ''Then I am refused, dear sister," 
 said he, " and I must acquiesce in yom- decision. But I must
 
 130 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 have satisfaction for the affront. You must find a substi- 
 tute." 
 
 "A substitute!" exclaimed the duchess, reddening with 
 anger, as she fancied she saw the king's eyes wander to the 
 tabouret whereon De Montespan still waited and smiled. 
 " Surely, your majesty would not ask of me " 
 
 "Why not ?" cried Louis, enjoying her perplexity. "Why 
 may I not ask you to procure me a substitute of your own 
 selection ? It is not much for you to do is it ? " 
 
 As he spoke, the eyes of the king rested unequivocally upon 
 an object which he perceived just behind the chair of the 
 duchess. She understood, and hastened to repair her blunder. 
 
 " Sire," said she " may I ask of your majesty a favor ? My 
 new lady of the bedchamber has just arrived in Paris, where 
 she is a perfect stranger. " Will you be so gracious as to give 
 her this proof of your royal favor ? She is not only my favor- 
 ite attendant, but the daughter of your majesty's minister of 
 war, and " 
 
 "And she is, above all things, herself the beautiful Mar 
 chioness de Bonaletta," interrupted the king, with somewhat 
 of his youthful courtliness and grace. " You propose her as 
 your substitute, do you not ? " 
 
 <k Yes, sire if your majesty is so good." 
 
 " So good ! I shall esteem myself most happy in the acqui- 
 sition of so charming a partner. Does the Marchioness de 
 Bonaletta consent ? " 
 
 With these words, Louis offered his hand ; and Laura, 
 without embarrassment or presumption, accepted the honor 
 conferred upon her, and was led out to the dance. A murmur 
 of admiration followed her appearance, but she seemed quite 
 unconscious of the impression she had made. Her lovely 
 countenance was neither lit up by pride, nor suffused by bash- 
 fulness. Her cheeks were slightly flushed by natural mod* 
 esty, and her sweet, unaffected bearing enhanced her incom- 
 parable beauty of person. 
 
 Even De Montespan herself could not withhold her tribute 
 of admiration. At first she had darted glances of hatred 
 toward an imaginary rival ; but a calm survey of Laura's pure 
 and angelic expression of face reassured her; This girl had
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 131 
 
 no mind to entrap the king, and if Louis had not courage 
 enough to dance with her (De Montespan), in presence of that 
 canting hypocrite De Maintenon, perhaps it was quite as well 
 that he had provided himself with a partner sans coquetterie, 
 and therefore sans consequence. 
 
 Madame de Maintenon, too, had remarked Laura, as, grace- 
 fully emerging from her concealment behind the seat of the 
 duchess, she had unostentatiously accepted the king's invita- 
 tion to dance. 
 
 u What a union of tact with tenderness of heart is appar- 
 ent in all that his majesty does," said she to the Duke de 
 Maine, who was standing beside her. " This young girl is the 
 personification of innocence and purity, and his majesty's se- 
 lection of her as his partner proves that he not only desires to 
 pay homage to youth and beauty, but also to virtue and mod- 
 esty." 
 
 " How beautiful she is ! " murmured a young cavalier, who, 
 with Barbesieur Louvois, was watching the dancers. 
 
 " Why do you sigh ? " replied Barbesieur. u You ought 
 rather to be proud of your future bride." 
 
 " My future bride ! " echoed he, dolefully. " I would she 
 were, my dear friend. But although your father has so gra- 
 ciously given his consent, I am as far from obtaining her as 
 ever." 
 
 "It you wait for that," whispered Barbesieur in return, 
 "you may wait until the day of judgment. My sister is one 
 of those incomprehensible beings that loves opposition for op- 
 position's sake. If she is disdainful, it is precisely because she 
 is quite as much enamored of you as you are of her. She is 
 a sort of chaste Artemis who is ashamed of her preference for 
 a man, and would die rather than confess it." 
 
 " She enchants me at one moment, and drives me to despair 
 the next," sighed the marquis. 
 
 "No need for despair," was the reply. " My dear marquis," 
 continued Barbesieur, coming close to the ear of the Italian, 
 " what will you give me if I promise that you shall become 
 her husband ? " 
 
 The eyes of the marquis glowed with desire, and his swarthy 
 face was tinged with red. " What would I give ? " cried he,
 
 132 PRINCE EUGENE AND fllS TIMES. 
 
 as he caught a glimpse of Laura on the dance. " The half of 
 my fortune, the half of my life, if, with one half of either, I 
 might call her mine ! " 
 
 " Nay," said Barbesieur, with a sinister laugh, " I am neither 
 robber nor devil. I wish neither your fortune nor your soul 
 in exchange for my wares. Laura is so headstrong, thai she 
 wiU have to be forced into happiness, and made to take what 
 even now she is longing to snatch. So if I make you both 
 happy, you will not then object to giving me a few of the 
 crumbs that fall from your table ? " 
 
 " I will give you any thing you desire, and my eternal grat- 
 itude to boot, if you will help me to become possessor of that 
 angel." 
 
 " I am passionately fond of hunting, and the Marchioness 
 de Bonaletta has the most tempting bit of woods that ever 
 made a hunter's heart ache to call it his. Now if you marry 
 Laura, you become her guardian, and have absolute power 
 over her property." 
 
 "I care nothing for her property," cried the marquis, 
 passionately. "Her beauty, her sweetness, and her noble 
 birth, are wealth enough for me. In the golden book of 
 Venice the name of the richest noble there inscribed is the 
 Stroz^," 
 
 "Everybody knows that, dear marquis, and therefore you 
 will not refuse the reward I claim from my sister's own 
 possessions. Tis but meet that she make a present to her 
 brother on her wedding-day. So, then, we understand each 
 other : immediately after the ceremony of your marriage, you 
 make out a deed by which you relinquish to me the usufruct 
 of the Bonaletta estates in Savoy for life. Who gets them 
 after me, I care not." 
 
 " I consent ; and add thereunto a yearly pension of one 
 thousand ducats. Does that content you ? " 
 
 " Your liberality is really touching. A thousand ducats to 
 boot ! They will fall like a refreshing shower into a purse 
 that is always as empty as the sieves of the Danaides. It is a 
 bargain. You wed Laura Bonaletta, and / get her estates, and 
 one thousand ducats a year." 
 
 "Here is my hand."
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 133 
 
 " And mine. In one month you shall both be on your way 
 to Venice ; you a happy bridegroom, and she your bride." 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 
 
 THE dance was over, and the king reconducted Laura to her 
 chaperone. " My dear sister," said he, " the fascinations of the 
 partner you selected for me are almost enough to reconcile 
 one to a refusal from yourself. I am convinced that I have 
 been the envy of every cavalier present. I withdraw, there- 
 fore, that I may not stand in the way of the fair Laura's ad- 
 mirers. " 
 
 And gracefully saluting his partner, the royal flirt betook 
 himself at last to poor De Montespan, who had tact enough to 
 smother her chagrin, and give him a cordial reception. It 
 was better to be noticed late than never. 
 
 " Your highness," whispered Laura, bending over the back 
 of the duchess's chair, " pray command me not to dance any 
 more. Do you see that swarthy, sinister face over there, close 
 to Barbesieur ? It is the Marquis de Strozzi staring at me al- 
 ready. He is about to come hither, and if you do not assist 
 me I shall have to dance with him." 
 
 " Never fear, darling," whispered the duchess in return. 
 " They shall not rob me of you so soon. Take your place, and, 
 being on duty, no one can claim you, were it the wild hunter 
 himself." 
 
 Laura hastened to resume her station, and, in doing so, 
 glanced toward the window, where stood the pale young man 
 whom she had noticed before. Their eyes met again, and 
 again she blushed. Laura bent her head, and, feigning to ar- 
 range a displaced ringlet on the head of her mistress, she said, 
 in low, earnest tones : " Pardon me, gracious mistress ; but 
 will you tell me who is that young cavalier in the recess of 
 the window opposite ? " 
 
 " Certainly, my dear," replied the duchess in the same tone
 
 134 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 of voice. " He is one whom all the courtiers avoid to-night- 
 miserable timeservers as they are for he has fallen into dis- 
 grace with your father and the king. He is Prince Eugene of 
 Savoy." 
 
 "Prince Eugene!" echoed Laura. "He who laid the 
 weight of his whip over Barbesieur's shoulders this morn- 
 ing!" 
 
 " Yes, the same, and he has been publicly rebuked for it to- 
 night. Your father has received full satisfaction, Laura ; for, 
 not only has his majesty offered a pointed slight to the man 
 who disgraced Barbesieur, but he has paid him a signal com- 
 pliment by opening the ball with his sister." 
 
 " If I had imagined that any thought of Barbesieur min- 
 gled with the compliment paid me by the king, I would have 
 refused to dance with him." 
 
 The duchess looked up astounded. " Why, Laura, such an 
 insult to his majesty would almost amount to treason. For 
 Heaven's sake, never utter such sentiments at court, child ! " 
 
 ' : What care I for the court ? " cried Laura, her eyes filling 
 with tears. " I am overwhelmed with the shame of having 
 been made use of as a tool wherewith to humiliate the noble 
 Prince de Carignan ! But I shall repair the wrong I have 
 done him, and that in presence of the court ! " 
 
 "Thoughtless, impulsive child, what would you do? "said 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte, anxiously. "I really believe you are 
 ready to go up and give him a kiss, by way of proving that 
 you are not a party to his humiliation to-night ! " 
 
 " Perhaps I am ! " exclaimed Laura, passionately. " The 
 prince was right to punish Barbesieur for his cowardly at- 
 tack upon a noble lady ; and my brother-in-law, De la Roche 
 Guyon, was one of those who justify him. I, too, applaud his 
 spirit ; for, in avenging his mother, he avenged mine. This 
 morning, when no king was by to uphold the calumniator, all 
 these nobles were the friends of the prince, and not one of 
 them would lift the gauntlet which, with his brave hand, he 
 flung to the world. And to-night they desert him ! They are 
 not worthy to touch the hem of his garment ! But I will take 
 his hand the noble hand that had disgraced his mother's tra- 
 ducer beyond the power of royalty to undo ! "
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 135 
 
 " You will do no such thing, you dear little madcap ! " re- 
 turned the duchess, glancing admiringly at the beaming 
 countenance of the beautiful enthusiast. " You have a brave 
 heart, deai' child ; but you must not allow it to run away with 
 your judgment. You must keep your place at my side, nor 
 let magnanimity get the better of discretion. The latter is a 
 cardinal virtue in woman. But see how the Marquis de 
 Strozzi devours us with his eyes ; he is waiting until I cease 
 speaking to come forwai'd and claim your hand. Be com- 
 forted he shall not have it. Here he comes let the cham- 
 berlain have a chance to present him." 
 
 So saying, she turned away from Laura, and began to fan 
 herself vigorously, while the marquis and the chamberlain 
 advanced. 
 
 " Your royal highness," said the latter, reverentially, " may 
 I present the Marquis de Strozzi ? " 
 
 U I am acquainted with him," interrupted the duchess. 
 " He needs no introduction. How do you like Paris, marquis ? 
 Why are you not dancing this evening ? " 
 
 '' Your royal highness has anticipated my wishes," was the 
 reply. " I am anxious to dance, and crave your permission to 
 offer my hand to the Marchioness de Bonaletta." 
 
 " I regret to disoblige you," answered the duchess, " but you 
 see that she is on duty, and etiquette forbids her to leave her 
 post, except for two dances. His majesty has had the first, 
 and for the second she is engaged." 
 
 u Then I shall follow her example, and decline to dance," 
 returned De Strozzi, with his burning glances rivetted upon 
 Laura's face. 
 
 She drew back haughtily. " The Marquis de Strozzi will 
 oblige me by following the example of some other person. I 
 have no desire to be remarked by him in any way." 
 
 The marquis's brow grew dark, and his eyes glowed like 
 coals of fire. But he made an attempt to smile as he re- 
 plied, " However I might be inclined to obey your commands, 
 I have it not in my power to comply with a request so un- 
 reasonable." 
 
 The duchess saw how the crimson blood was mantling in 
 the cheeks of her "dear little madcap," and she thought it 
 10
 
 '36 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 prudent to put an end to the skirmish by rising from her 
 seat. 
 
 'I will take a turn through the ballroom," said she. 
 "Come, marchioness." 
 
 She came down from the platform reserved to the various 
 members of the royal family, and mingled with the gay groups 
 below, addressing here and there a greeting to her friends, or 
 stopping to receive their heartfelt homage. Side by side came 
 the duchess and her lady of the bedchamber ; the latter all 
 unconscious of her beauty, enjoying the scene with the zest of 
 youth, unmindful of the fact that at every step she took, her 
 admirers increased, until the cortege was as long as the trail 
 of a comet. 
 
 But one face she sees the noble countenance of Prince 
 Eugene who, as she approaches the window near which he 
 stands, looks as though the morning sun had shone upon his 
 heart, driving away all darkness and all night. She sees that 
 joyous look, and with a wild bound her heart leaps to meet 
 his. Her brow crimsons with shame, and she presses close 
 to the duchess, as if to seek protection from her own emo- 
 tion. 
 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte misunderstood the movement, or she 
 may have guessed the longing that was struggling with deco- 
 rum in the heart of her young attendant. She advanced to- 
 ward the prince, and signed for him to approach. 
 
 Eugene started forward and stood directly in front of them. 
 " How is the Princess de Carignan ? " asked the duchess, 
 kindly, " and why is she not here to-night ? I hope she is not 
 indisposed ! " 
 
 " Your highness," returned Eugene, with a smile, " she is 
 ill with a malady that has attacked every member of our 
 family." 
 
 " What malady, prince ? " 
 
 " The malady of royal disfavor, your highness." 
 
 " That is indeed a fearful malady, prince, for it rarely at- 
 tacks the innocent." 
 
 "Pardon me, your highness," returned Eugene, calmly, 
 "since the death of Cardinal Mazarin 'tis a heritage in our 
 family, and"
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 137 
 
 " Madame," said a voice behind the duchess, " be so good as 
 to take my arm. The queen desires your attendance." 
 
 Eugene looked up, and saw a small, effeminate personage, 
 magnificently attired, and wearing the broad, blue band of the 
 order of St. Louis. He recognized the king's brother, the Duke 
 of Orleans. 
 
 The duchess, with a sigh, laid her arm within that of her 
 husband ; but, disregarding his frowns, she remained to say a 
 parting word to the victim of kingly displeasure. 
 
 "Give my regards to the princess, your grandmother, and 
 tell her that if her indisposition lasts, I will go in person to 
 express my sympathy with you both." 
 
 " Madame," said the duke, angrily, while, with little regard 
 to courtesy, he almost dragged her along with him, " you will 
 do no such thing. I cannot undei-stand your audacity ; still 
 less will I countenance it. The Prince of Savoy has been so 
 pointedly slighted by his majesty, that no one dares be seen 
 conversing with him ; it seems to me that you set a shameful 
 example to the court by noticing one whom your king has 
 been pleased to reprove." 
 
 "It seems to me that my example would be worse, were 
 I to ignore my acquaintances because they happen to be 
 momentarily out of favor at court," replied Elizabeth-Char- 
 lotte. ''Such miserable servility may beseem a courtier, 
 but it ill becomes our princely station. And if the king 
 speaks to me on the subject, I shall say as much to him, for 
 his majesty has a noble heart and wi.U approve my independ- 
 ence." 
 
 While their royal highnesses were thus interchanging opin- 
 ions on the subject of court ethics, a scene was being enacted 
 behind them, which, had he witnessed it, would have called 
 forth the indignation of the duke. 
 
 The Marchioness Bonaletta, as a matter of course, had fol- 
 lowed her mistress ; but during his short colloquy with the 
 latter, Eugene had received so sweet a smile from her attend- 
 ant, that he followed at a distance ; resolved, since he could 
 do no more, to gaze at her until the ball was over. In spite 
 of the throng which closed as fast as the ducal pair went by, 
 Eugene saw that the marchioness had dropped her fan. It
 
 138 PRINCE fctJGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 became entangled in the train of another lady, and finally \vu.s 
 dragged to the floor. 
 
 Eugene rescued it from destruction, and hastened with it to 
 its owner, who appeared just to have discovered her loss. 
 
 " You are looking for your fan ? " said he, with a beaming 
 smile. 
 
 " Yes, prince," replied she, giving him in return a look that 
 almost maddened him with joy it was so kind, so, gentle so 
 sympathizing. 
 
 "I have been so fortunate as to find it," replied he, in a 
 voice whose music thrilled the heart of her to whom he spoke. 
 " And to be permitted to return it to you, confers upon me the 
 first pleasurable sensation I have felt since I entered this un- 
 friendly palace to-night." 
 
 u I am happy to have been the means," she began. But just 
 then the Duke of Orleans turned around, and his indignation 
 may be imagined when he saw the Prince of Savoy in conver- 
 sation with a lady of the duchess's household ! 
 
 " Call your lady of the bedchamber hither," said he, impe- 
 riously. " That little abbe has the assurance to follow us, as 
 though to defy his majesty, and prove to the court that, if no- 
 body else esteems him, he has friends in the household of the 
 Duchess of Orleans. Send that young lady on some errand." 
 
 The duchess walked a few steps farther, then turning 
 around she beckoned to Laura. " Come, Marchioness de Bona- 
 letta, I must present you to the queen. " 
 
 " Ah ! " thought Eugene, as he took up his position in the 
 window again, "if I may not follow her, at least I know her 
 name ! Marchioness Bonaletta what a pretty name it is ! I 
 have never heard it before, nor have I ever seen any thing that 
 reminded me of her lovely person. 'Tis plain that she is a 
 stranger at this corrupt court. Those limpid eyes, that brow 
 of innocence, those heavenly smiles O my God ! what sudden 
 thrill of joy is this which pervades my being ? What flood of 
 ecstasy is this which drowns my soul in bliss ! Oh, angel 
 of beauty " 
 
 But his raptures were suddenly brought to a close by the 
 sight of Louvois, who with his son joined the party of the 
 Duchess of Orleans. He did not like to see him so near his
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 1P.9 
 
 angel ; but his uneasiness increased to positive pain when he 
 saw her extend her hand, and greet him with one of her sweet- 
 est smiles. 
 
 " So," thought Eugene, " she is like the rest ! Louvois is 
 the favorite of the king, and of De Maintenon, and therefore 
 she greets him as though he were a near and dear friend. But 
 what is it to me ? I came here to show his majesty that I shall 
 maintain my rights in the face of his displeasure, and here I 
 shall remain, though she and every other woman here do hom- 
 age to my foes. What is the Marchioness Bonaletta to me ? " 
 
 But, in spite of himself, his eyes would wander to the spot 
 where she stood, and his heart seemed ready to burst when he 
 beheld Barbesieur approach her. He spoke to her and she an- 
 swered him ; but Eugene could see that she was displeased. 
 Could he have heard the words she addressed to Barbesieur, he 
 would have hated himself for his unworthy suspicions, and 
 would have acknowledged that she was not like the rest. 
 
 " So my lovely sister has refused to dance with the Marquis 
 de Strozzi ? " said Barbesieur. 
 
 "Yes," was the curt reply. 
 
 " And may one venture to inquire why ? " 
 
 She darted a glance of contempt at him. " Because he is 
 your friend." 
 
 Barbesieur laughed. " I really believe that you are in ear- 
 nest, my candid sister. It is enough for a man to be my friend 
 to earn your enmity." 
 
 "You are right," said she, deliberately. 
 
 " But you will hardly go so far as to say that it suffices for 
 a man to be my foe, to be your friend," said he with an ugly 
 frown. 
 
 " What if it were so ? " said she. 
 
 " If it were so, I would advise my sister not to provoke me 
 too far. I would advise her not to make any more demonstra- 
 tions of regard to the little abbe of Savoy, and to remember 
 that she is my sister." 
 
 "When I heard of all that took place this morning at the 
 Pre aux Clercs," said Laura, " I remembered it to my shame 
 and sorrow." 
 
 Barbesieur grew pale with rage and hissed into his sister's
 
 14:0 PRIXCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ear " Have a care, girl, how you rouse me to retaliation ! I 
 can crush you like a worm under my heel ; and as for yonder 
 princely beggar, be assured that I shall remember him to his 
 cost." 
 
 u Which means that you will bring suit against him, and 
 obtain damages," replied she, contemptuously ; " for you know 
 that the Prince of Savoy will not condescend to fight a duel 
 with Barbesieur de Louvois." 
 
 " I would not make myself ridiculous by fighting with such 
 an apology for a man ; but I will crush him as I would any 
 other reptile that attempts to injure me. There shall not be a 
 day of his life that does not bring him some pang which he 
 shall owe to the hate of Barbesieur de Louvois. And I counsel 
 you not to imitate his audacity, for " 
 
 " Why, you scarcely expect me to bestow a horsewhipping 
 upon you ? " laughed Laura. " But I am not afraid of you, 
 Barbesieur ; it is not in your power to injure me." 
 
 "If you are not afraid of me, so much the worse for you ; 
 I should have thought that you had learned from your 
 mother, how Barbesieur de Louvois nurses his hate, and how 
 it blossoms into misery for those on whom he bestows it/' 
 
 Laura's eyes filled with tears, and her voice faltered. " I 
 did learn it from her martyrdom ; but she was not like me. 
 She submitted where I would resist. " 
 
 " Resistance will only increase the bitterness of your punish- 
 ment, and once more I warn you not to make friends of my 
 enemies, and not to offer slights to my friends. The Marquis 
 de Strozzi wishes to marry you : your father is anxious for the 
 match so am J, and you shall marry the marquis, of that be 
 assured. He has asked you to dance, to-night, and you shall 
 dance with him, too. This plea of an engagement is a false- 
 hood. Where is your partner ? " 
 
 " I will remind him of our engagement, now that I am pre- 
 pared to fulfil mine," answered Laura. And, yielding to an 
 impulse of aversion to Barbesieur, resolved to give him then 
 and there proof unquestionable of her contempt ; impelled, 
 too, by an enthusiastic longing to sympathize with one whom 
 all had united to slight, and forgetful of the social restraints 
 which it is always unwise for a woman to overleap, Laura
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 141 
 
 pressed through the crowds that were assembling for the dance, 
 and stepped so proudly by, that all wondered at the solemn 
 earnestness of her mien, more resembling that of a priestess 
 than of a young maiden at her first ball. 
 
 If all other eyes were gazing upon her, those of Eugene 
 were riveted upon her advancing figure with mingled rapture 
 and wonder. He had long since forgotten the rudeness of the 
 king and the contumely of his courtiers. Laura's image filled 
 his heart, and left no space therein for painful emotions. He 
 had watched her countenance while Barbesieur had been 
 speaking to her, and had guessed that their colloquy was any- 
 thing but friendly. He had seen her turn suddenly away, and 
 now she came nearer and nearer, until her dazzled worshipper 
 lost all sense of time and place, and his enfranchised soul went 
 out to meet hers. 
 
 But at last she came so near, that he wakened from his ec- 
 stasy, and remembered that he had nothing in common with 
 that liigh-born girl ; for, shame had fallen upon his house, and 
 royalty had turned its back upon him. 
 
 But he had scarcely time to pass from heaven to earth be- 
 fore she stood directly before him, her starry eyes uplifted 
 to meet his, her sweet voice drowning his senses in melody. 
 
 " Prince," said she, in clear, self-possessed tones that attract- 
 ed the attention of those immediately around, "it appears 
 that you have forgotten the engagement you made to dance 
 with me this evening. Pardon me if I recall it to you." 
 
 So saying, she extended her little hand to Eugene, who, be- 
 wildered with joy, was almost afraid to touch the delicate em- 
 broidered glove that lay so temptingly near his. He was 
 afraid that he had gone mad. But Laura smiled, and came a 
 step nearer ; whereupon he gave himself up to the intoxicat- 
 ing dream, and led her away to the dance. 
 
 They took their place among the others, but the dancers 
 looked upon them with glances of uneasiness and displeasure. 
 How were they to know that they might not be compromised 
 by their vicinity to an ostracized man, and how did they know 
 that the king was not observing them, to see how they would 
 receive this bold intruder ? 
 
 They might have spared themselves all anxiety ; for, in the
 
 142 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 first place, the king was in another room, at the card-table, 
 and, in the second place, their sensitive loyalty was soon re- 
 lieved from its perplexities. 
 
 As a matter of course, Laura's generous indiscretion had 
 been witnessed by Barbesieur ; not only by him, however, but 
 by her father and the Duchess of Orleans. Barbesieur, en- 
 ragedj would have followed, and torn her violently away, but 
 Louvois' hand was laid upon his shoulder, and Louvois' voice 
 (imperious even in a whisper) bade him remain. 
 
 " No 6clat, my son : we are the guests of his majesty." 
 
 " But I cannot brook her insolence," muttered Barbesieur, 
 in return. " She is my sister, and before she shall dance with 
 a man that has insulted me, I will fell him to the earth, were 
 the king at my side to witness it." 
 
 "Be quiet, I command you, or you shall sleep to-night 
 within the walls of the Bastile," was the reply. " God knows 
 that you ought to avoid notoriety ; for, your affair with Prince 
 Eugene has not covered you with glory. Eetire, then, if you 
 cannot control yourself, and I will find means to put an end 
 to this foolish demonstration of your sister." 
 
 The means were at hand ; they were concentrated in the 
 person of his royal highness the Duke of Orleans. He had 
 been about to join the dance, when he, too, witnessed the ter- 
 rible sight of Laura de Bonaletta standing at the side of the 
 little abbe of Savoy ! 
 
 With a hasty apology to his partner, the Duchess de Chev- 
 reuse, he strode away and joined madame. Elizabeth-Char- 
 lotte saw him coming and heaved a sigh. 
 
 " Now for a tempest in a teapot ! " thought she. " To be 
 sure, the anger of my lord is not much like that of a thunder- 
 ing Jove ; yet I don't know but what it is better to be struck 
 dead by lightning, than to live forever within sound of the 
 scolding tongue of a fishwife ! I must try, however, to be 
 conciliatory in my tones, or poor Laura will get into trouble." 
 
 So she smiled as graciously as she could, but her affability 
 was lost upon the duke. He was in a towering passion. 
 
 " Madame," said he, in a low, but snappish voice, u do you 
 know that your lady of the bedchamber is dancing with the 
 Prince of Savoy ? "
 
 THE I.ADY OF TIIK BEDCHAMBER. 143 
 
 The duchess turned around, as if to see whether Laura were 
 not at her post. " True enough," replied she, " she is not here. 
 I was so absorbed in my conversation with the queen that I 
 had not missed her. I suppose she thought I could spare her 
 for a while, and so allowed herself to be persuaded to 
 dance." 
 
 ' ; But when I tell you that she is dancing with Prince Eu- 
 gene ! with the son of the Countess de Soissons ! " cried the 
 duke, impatiently. 
 
 '' I understand your highness. The prince is in disgrace, 
 and has the plague. But you must pardon my little marchion- 
 ess, for she is new to court customs, and does not know how 
 contagious is her partner's malady. She will learn prudence, 
 all in good time, and, perchance, become as obse I mean as 
 discreet as the rest of us." 
 
 " You will be so good as to begin her education at once, by 
 reproving her sharply for her indecorous behavior here to- 
 night," said the duke, beginning to stammer. 
 
 "When he stammers," thought his wife, ''he is in a rage. 
 I had better try the effect of soft words. What would your 
 highness have me say ? " added she aloud. 
 
 " I would have you send a peremptory message to the mar- 
 chioness to quit the dance immediately ; and, if she does not 
 obey, I would have you go yourself and " 
 
 " My dear lord." whispered madame, laying the weight of 
 her hand upon monsieur's arm, " do you forget that she is the 
 daughter of Louvois, and that we dare not affront her lightly ? 
 And have you forgotten that her father has promised to obtain 
 for you, from his majesty, the woods of St. Germain. In ac- 
 cordance with your desire and that of her father, who is power- 
 ful enough to command everybody at this court, I have taken 
 this young girl into my service since this morning. Would 
 you undo what I have done for your advantage ? " 
 
 " But it is an outrage," murmured the duke, somewhat paci- 
 fied. "It is an outrage against his majesty." 
 
 "I will put an end to the outrage then, but I will do so by 
 gentle means. My Lord Marquis de Valmy, I am suffering 
 terribly with a migraine, and am compelled to retire. Will 
 you bear my apology to the Marchioness de Bonaletta, and say
 
 144 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 that I regret to be obliged to interrupt her pleasures, but must 
 request her attendance." 
 
 The marquis hastened away with his message, and just as 
 Prince Eugene had so far recovered himself as to be able to 
 address a few murmured words of thanks to his beautiful part- 
 ner, just as she was looking bashfully into his face, and had 
 seen that his large black eyes were moistened with tears, she 
 heard a voice at her side : 
 
 'Madame is suddenly indisposed, and regrets to say that 
 she requires the attendance of the Marchioness de Bonaletta. 
 Her highness is sorry to be obliged to interrupt you, mademoi- 
 selle." 
 
 " I will have the honor of conducting mademoiselle to her 
 highness," replied Eugene, regaining in a moment all his self- 
 possession. 
 
 Laura had just laid her arm within his, when monsieur ap- 
 proached with most undignified haste. 
 
 " Give me your arm, mademoiselle," said he. " Her high- 
 ness has requested me to accompany you to her seat." 
 
 And without a word or look significative of his knowledge 
 that Eugene was nigh, the duke placed Laura's other arm 
 within his own, and stalked away. 
 
 The prince left the dancers, and retired again to his window- 
 seat. He was pale with the shock of his sudden disappoint- 
 ment, but was callous to the fresh insult offered him by the 
 king's brother. Still less was he conscious of the titter that 
 was going around at his expense, or of the scornful looks 
 directed to him from the eyes of many who until that day had 
 called themselves his friends. He had neither eyes, ears, nor 
 understanding, for any creature but the one who had braved 
 the ridicule of the court, and the displeasure of its sovereign, 
 to show her sympathy with a man in adversity. He must he 
 would see her again ! He must thank her for her magnanim- 
 ity, let the consequences be what they would ! 
 
 He darted forward toward the door through which the 
 Duke and Duchess of Orleans were passing, with their suite. 
 On the stairway he caught a glimpse of Laura's white satin 
 dress, and one look at her beautiful face. He made a des- 
 perate effort to follow, but before he could put his foot on the
 
 THE LADY OF THE BEDCHAMBER. 145 
 
 top step, the Duke of Orleans and his suite, returning to the 
 ballroom, stopped the way. 
 
 u Too late ! too late ! " groaned Eugene. " But I will see 
 her again, if it costs me my life ! " 
 
 The carriage of madame, meanwhile, was rolling home- 
 ward. She and her attendant were seated opposite each other, 
 both keeping a profound silence. At length Laura could bear 
 it no longer. Gliding from her seat, and kneeling at the feet 
 of the duchess, she took her hand and pressed it to her lips. 
 
 " Dear lady," sobbed she, passionately, " have I done wrong ? 
 If I have, reprove me ; but speak. Your silence is harder to 
 bear than rebuke." 
 
 The duchess, no longer able to keep up her affected dis- 
 pleasure, put her arms around the young girl, and kissed her 
 forehead. '* I certainly ought to reprove you," said she, " for 
 your conduct has been almost unmaidenly, but I have not the 
 heart to chide you for indiscretion that springs from the over- 
 flowing of a generous nature. You have violated every rule 
 of etiquette and decorum ; but what would you ? I am the 
 least conventional of beings myself ; and, instead of condemn- 
 ing you, I positively admire your impropriety. You have 
 raised a tempest about your ears, child ; but I will do my best 
 to defend you against the king, monsieur, and the censorious 
 world. Against your father and your brother you can defend 
 yourself." 
 
 " They may think of me whatever they please," cried Laura, 
 joyfully. "I shall not defend myself against anybody, for 
 you are not displeased, and he I oh, I believe that I conferred 
 upon him one moment of happiness ! " 
 
 " He ! Who ? Of whom do you speak ? " 
 
 " Of Prince Eugene," murmured Laura, blushing. 
 
 " Prince Eugene ! " echoed the duchess. 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed she, passionately, "of him, the noble, 
 brave knight, who, like another St. George, sets his foot upon 
 the dragon of this world's wickedness, and towers above its 
 miserable 1 worshippers, like an archangel ! " 
 
 " Great Heavens ! what has possessed the girl ? " exclaimed 
 the duchess. " She speaks of that little abbe as if he were an 
 impersonation of manly beauty ! "
 
 PRINCE UtTGENE ANT) fits 
 
 " And so he is ! His eyes are aflame with the light of a lib- 
 ble soul, and his face is as that of a demi-god ! " 
 
 " A demi-god ! " cried madame, clasping her hands. " I do 
 believe she has fallen in love with him ! " 
 
 Laura buried her face in the folds of the duchess's dress. 
 *' Pray for me, dear lady," sohbed she ; " pray for me. Never 
 would my father consent to bestow my hand upon the son of 
 the Countess de Soissons, and I ! oh, if I should love him, I 
 would forsake the whole world for his sake. Alas ! alas ! I 
 believe that he is lord and sovereign of my heart, for it bounds 
 to meet his, as though it felt that he was master of its destiny ! " 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 
 FIRST LOVE. 
 
 FOUR days had elapsed since the ball, and its events, tri- 
 umphs, and contrarieties were already forgotten. Nobody be- 
 stowed a thought upon Prince Eugene, who, concealed from 
 view by the thick cloud of the king's dislike, had fallen into 
 complete oblivion. 
 
 Nobody said a word about the ignominious punishment 
 administered to Barbesieur de Louvois, for the king had treated 
 him with consideration ; and his majesty's countenance had 
 healed his stripes, and cured his wounded honor. So that 
 Barbesieur de Louvois was greeted with the courtesy due to a 
 noble knight, and Eugene of Savoy was spurned as a base-born 
 churl. 
 
 Was it for this that he was so pale, so silent, and so shy ? 
 Was it for this that he sat alone in his room for hours, mur- 
 muring words of passionate tenderness, and extending his 
 arms to heaven, as if he expected some seraph to visit him in 
 his desolate home ? Was it for this that by night he paced 
 the length of a garden- wall, and stood with folded arms before 
 its trellised gates ? Had sorrow and slight unsettled his rea- 
 son? 
 
 If they had, there was " method in his madness," for his
 
 FIRST LOVE. 147 
 
 steps were ever directed toward the same place, the hotel of the 
 Duke of Orleans. 
 
 On this fourth day after the ball, at dusk, Eugene left the 
 Hotel de Soissons, and took the way, as usual, toward the Pa- 
 lais Royal. Its long facade was dimly lighted, and every 
 thing within seemed hushed. 
 
 " I am fortunate," thought he ; " the duchess has dismissed 
 her attendants, and she has retired to the pavilion." 
 
 He continued his way along the side-wing of the palace, 
 until he arrived at the garden which occupied the space now 
 contained between the Rue Vivienne and the Bourse. This 
 magnificent garden was refreshed by plashing fountains, and 
 decorated by noble trees and gay parterres ; but it was encom- 
 passed by a high stone wall, of which the summit was defend- 
 ed by short iron spikes whose uplifted points gave warning to 
 all passers-by that intrusion into this paradise was attended 
 with danger. 
 
 But what cares love for " stony limits," or when did danger 
 ever intimidate a stout heart ? 
 
 Eugene was now at the extreme end of the garden. The 
 deep, unbroken stillness of solitude reigned around. At times, 
 and at a distance, was heard the faint rumbling of a coach ; 
 but otherwise nothing interrupted the loneliness of the place 
 and the hour. For, although nine o'clock had just sounded 
 from the tower of St. Jacques, all Paris was at rest, save the 
 few aristocrats who were on their way to balls and banquets, 
 or the houseless wretches who, with their dark lanterns, were 
 searching the gutters for a lost penny. 
 
 So that Eugene was unobserved, and had full opportunity 
 to draw from his cloak a package which proved to be a rope- 
 ladder of silk ; to unroll, and fling it over the garden wall. It 
 caught in the prongs, and in a few moments he was within 
 the enchanted walls of the palace where Laura de Bonaletta 
 dwelt. 
 
 She was alone in her pavilion, in the room which led into 
 the garden, and its glass doors now stood wide open. She had 
 thrown aside her court-dress, and was now attired in a white 
 peignior edged with delicate lace. Her feet were encased in 
 slippers of blue satin embroidered with silver, and her hair,
 
 148 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 stripped of all ornament, was twisted into a coronal around 
 her graceful head. 
 
 She had dismissed her attendants, and sat beside :i table oi 
 white marble, holding in her hand a book which she seemed 
 to read yet not to read. She turned its pages, and her eyes 
 were fixed upon them, but little saw Laura of their contents, 
 she was looking into another book, the book of her own heart ; 
 and mysterious were the pages thereof, half painful, half pleas- 
 ant, to peruse. 
 
 Around her all was silent. From time to time the night 
 wind sighed through the branches of the trees without, and a 
 few sorrowing leaves fell rustling to the ground, while she, 
 her book now laid aside, and her pretty hands folded in her 
 lap, gazed and gazed at sky and earth, at moonlit paths, and 
 darkly looming trees, but saw nothing of them all. Some- 
 thing broke the perfect stillness. It was neither summer 
 breeze, nor rustling leaf ; 'twas the crackling gravel that was 
 being displaced by approaching footsteps. The sound was all 
 unheeded by Laura, who heard nothing but the voice of her 
 heart as it sang its first anthem of love. 
 
 The moon emerged from a silver cloud, and Eugene's figure 
 darkened the threshold. For one moment he contemplated 
 the beautiful picture before him, then with noiseless steps he 
 approached and knelt at her feet. 
 
 " Kill me for my presumption," whispered he, " for I de- 
 serve death. But I would rather die at your feet than live an- 
 other hour out of your sight." 
 
 Laura spoke not a word in return, but neither did she cry 
 out in terror or surprise. She merely gazed at Eugene with 
 distended eyes, whose mysterious expressions he dreaded to in 
 terpret. 
 
 A feeling of anguish inexpressible pervaded his being. " 1 
 thought so," murmured he, bitterly. " I thought so ; and 
 yet I could not have done otherwise. Had I known that I 
 was to be racked for my temerity, I must have sought you, 
 alone and unattended sought you as I would my Maker, 
 when no curious eye was upon me to see my tears, no mock- 
 ing tongue to echo my sighs ; but when, unfettered by the 
 bonds of a conventional world, I was free to pour out the
 
 FIRST LOVE. 
 
 oceans of love that are drowning me in their sweetness ; and 
 then ! to live or die, as you should determine. I love you .' 
 Do you hear ? I love you ! And with such strength of love, 
 that if I am unworthy ; if, poor, ill-favored, unfortunate, the 
 Prince of Savoy may not aspire to your hand, then call your 
 people, and drive me hence ; for whether you welcome or 
 whether you spurn, you still must hear me, while my yearning 
 heart cries out for judgment. Speak, beloved ! I await my 
 sentence is it life or death ? " 
 
 He raised his pleading eyes to hers, and as they met, her 
 beautiful head drooped lower and lower, until it almost 
 touched his own. He felt the soft touch of her hands upon 
 his shoulders, and heard the thrilling accents of her trem- 
 bling voice, as, in tones so inaudible that none but a lover's 
 ear could have guessed their sweet import, she whispered these 
 words : 
 
 "I was waiting for thee." 
 
 With a wild cry of rapture, Eugene caught her to his 
 heart, and imprinted one long, loving kiss upon her lips. 
 Then he gazed upon her with an expression of passionate ten- 
 derness, which transfigured his homely features and lent them 
 beauty. 
 
 " Say that thou lovest me," cried he, " oh, say it again 
 again again." 
 
 " I love thee," repeated Laura, " I love thee, Eugene. 
 When first our eyes met, I knew that my heart had found its 
 sovereign. Oh, sweet vassalage, that never again will seek 
 enfranchisement ! Oh, happy bondage, than liberty more pre- 
 cious ! Bondage that makes me thine, and thou mine for- 
 ever ! *' 
 
 *' Ay, forever ! " echoed Eugene, while tears streamed from 
 his eyes at sound of her delicious avowal. k 'We love each 
 other ! Oh, my Laura, what magic in those blessed words ! 
 We love each other ! I could weary echo with repetition of 
 the sound : WE ! 'Tis the first time in my life that ray name 
 has ever been joined with that of a fellow-being. My broth- 
 ers, who enjoyed the privileges of their birth and rank, looked 
 down with contempt upon one who was condemned to the ob- 
 scurity of the priesthood ; my young sisters feared me, and 1
 
 150 PRINCE EUGENE AND His 
 
 was too shy to ask for their love ; in my proud and beautiful 
 mother's heart there was no room for the son, to whom fate 
 had allotted no share of her loveliness and grace. Alone in the 
 midst of a family circle, alone in society, alone in the world, I 
 thrust hack into my sorrowing soul the hopes, the loves, the 
 aspirations of youth, and refused to listen to their pleadings. 
 But in the depths of the night, when no mortal was by, and 
 I stood alone in the presence of God, I called them up, and 
 bade them weep with me that life and light were denied them. 
 I mourned, and prayed for deliverance, but no friendly voice 
 ever bade me be comforted. And so I lived, shunned and de- 
 spised by my fellows." 
 
 " No, no, my Eugene, not shunned and despised," exclaimed 
 Laura, while her gentle hands wiped away the tears that were 
 streaming down her lover's cheeks. " You belie yourself and 
 the world. It may not love you, but it has divined your worth. " 
 
 Eugene answered with a faint smile. " My worth is small, 
 beloved ; but no human being has ever divined the secrets of 
 my ambitious heart. But ah ! how changed is life to me to- 
 night ! I went to that ball to throw down the gauntlet of my 
 hate before Louvois and his son. I was rebuked by the king, 
 slighted by his nobles ; but I had no eyes to see, no pride to 
 resent their insults. When I saw thee. the sun shone upon 
 my heart, and there was light and love within. But oh ! when 
 thou earnest so near that I felt the perfume of thy breath upon 
 my cheek, and the touch of thy hand within my hand, then I 
 was born again to a life of hope and happiness. My soul's 
 better half was found, and nevermore shall it wander from 
 ray side. I am here at thy feet to ask thee for my wife. I 
 have neither wealth nor repute to offer thee : I am a poor ap- 
 panagist, a prince without fortune or distinction. But, dear- 
 est, if thou wilt be mine, I swear by all the imprisoned aspira- 
 tions which thy coming has liberated, that the wife of Eugene 
 of Savoy shall have pride in her husband ! Be mine, be mine, 
 and I will make thy name illustrious ! " 
 
 " I am thine," said Laura, fervently, '* for time and for 
 eternity. I care not whether thy name be obscure or thy for 
 tunes advei-se ; I love thee as thou art. " And so saying, she 
 extended her hand.
 
 FIRST LOVE. 
 
 He grasped it in his own and covered it with rapturous 
 kisses. " From this blissful hour, then, thou art my hetrothed ; 
 and to-morrow I shall ask the consent of madame to our mar- 
 riage. Or hast thou relatives whom I must know and propi- 
 tiate ? " 
 
 At this innocent question, Laura's youth and animal spir- 
 its got the better of her sentiment. She laughed heartily. 
 " What ! " cried she, " you do not know who I am ? " 
 
 " No, sweetest ; I know not, I care not who thou art. What 
 have I to do with thy surroundings ? I love thee only thee. 
 If thou hast father and mother, I will throw myself at their 
 feet, and beg their blessing for us both." 
 
 Laura's hilarity had all vanished. As Eugene had spoken of 
 her father and mother, her cheeks had blanched, and the smile 
 had died from the rosy lips. " Alas ! " cried she, clasping her 
 hands, '' he knows not who I am ! " 
 
 " I know thou art an angel, and that is enough to make me 
 the happiest of men." 
 
 " True, true," murmured Laura. " When my grandmother 
 retired from court, he was but a boy." 
 
 " And had I been a man, what to me are the comings and 
 goings of the ladies of the court ? " said Eugene, simply. " But 
 why art thou troubled, my beloved ? " 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " murmured Laura, her eyes filling with tears. 
 " May God grant that you spoke the truth, Eugene de Carignan, 
 when you said that you cared not who was my father or my 
 mother ! " 
 
 " So help me Heaven, I do not care ! " was the fervent re- 
 sponse, while he gazed passionately upon his new-found treas- 
 ure. 
 
 She bent her head, and lowered her voice to a whisper. 
 " Eugene," said she, almost gasping for breath, " I bear my 
 mother's name ; but I am the daughter of your bitterest ene- 
 my, Louvois." 
 
 Eugene started back in horror. '* Louvois ! Louvois ! " 
 echoed he, mournfully. u And Barbesieur, her brother ! " 
 
 " Not my own brother," ci-ied Laura, terrified at the effect 
 of her revelation. '' Before I had seen you, I approved your 
 act, and bade God bless the son that had avenged his mother's 
 11
 
 152 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 wrongs upon her traducer. Ah, Eugene ! my affianced, say 
 that you do not hate me ! I knew that you were the son of 
 the Countess de Soissons, and yet I loved you! perhaps the 
 more, that Barbesieur was your enemy." 
 
 "And I love you, my own one, despite your parentage. I 
 love you so far beyond all feelings of pride or enmity, that I 
 am ready to humble myself before my mother's enemy, and be 
 to him a son." 
 
 " He will never receive you as such," cried she, bitterly. 
 " Woe is me, if he should learn what has transpired to-night 
 between us ! He would part us by force." 
 
 " Part us he shall not ! " exclaimed Eugene, passionately, 
 while he flung his arm around the maiden's slender waist, and 
 pressed her wildly to his heart. " Thou art Louvois' daughter, 
 but my betrothed." 
 
 " I am Barbesieur's sister, but thou art my affianced ! " 
 
 ".Neither daughter nor sister of any man, my Laura ; thou 
 art thyself and being thyself mine." 
 
 "Thine for life and death," was her reply, "and from this 
 hour I know no will of mine." 
 
 " Then, ere thy father suspects our love, it must be sancti- 
 fied before the altar of God. Our faith once plighted there, no 
 hand of mortal can wrest thee from my side. Art ready to 
 speak the irrevocable words that bjnd us together as man and 
 wife?" 
 
 "I am ready," replied she, clasping her hands, and looking 
 solemnly up to heaven. " If, in my eager acquiescence, I seem 
 unmaidenly, forgive me ; but I dare not be coy, Eugene ; we 
 have no time for conventional reserve, and I must act as be- 
 comes a brave and trusting woman, for every moment is 
 fraught with danger. I am surrounded by spies, even of my 
 own household, and, until I hear the blessing of the priest, I 
 shall disbelieve my own happiness." 
 
 "Then hear me, dearest. I know how crafty are the spies 
 of Louvois, and I tremble lest the whispering breeze betray 
 our secret. Yes, we must be diligent, so diligent that Fate shall 
 stand between our love and all contingency. For two days 
 I shall part from thee long days that will steep my soul in 
 darkness ! But day after to-morrow, at this same hour of the
 
 FIRST LOVE. 153 
 
 evening, I shall be here with the chaplain of the Princess de 
 Carignan, an old and dear friend, who will bless our bridal. As 
 witnesses, I will be accompanied by my kinsmen, the Princes 
 de Conti, two of the worthiest nobles of France. Be in readi- 
 ness, my best beloved, that not a word need be spoken until 
 we are married. Then away with me to the Hotel de Sois- 
 sons, where those who love, may seek thee in thy husband's 
 home." 
 
 " So soon ? " murmured Laura, blushing. " Shall I leave 
 my dear mistress without a word ? Is she not to share our 
 secret ? " 
 
 " Assuredly not ; for it would burden her with a painful re- 
 sponsibility. It would be her duty to betray you, artless 
 child." 
 
 " Oh, I will not speak ! " exclaimed Laura, eagerly. " I 
 will be silent ; and when when we are married, we will beg 
 so humbly for forgiveness that she will have to grant it." 
 
 " You must leave a note declaring everything ; for with our 
 marriage ends all secrecy. I will neither see you nor write 
 until the appointed time. Dismiss your household as early as 
 possible, and, if all is propitious, place a light in yonder win- 
 dow. If I see it, I will enter with the priest, and, lest there 
 should be interruption, he will begin the ceremony at once." 
 
 " Alas, Eugene ! " said Laura, looking anxiously around, 
 " some evil spirit is about. It whispers me that this shall 
 never be ! Speak to me in mercy speak ! Let me hear thy 
 voice, for even now its sinister threaten ings are freezing the 
 blood in my veins ! " 
 
 " Nay, sweet one, fear nothing ! My love shall compass thee 
 with a charm that shall keep away all evil spirits, and make 
 thy life a waking dream of bliss." 
 
 '' How can I ever prove to thee how much I love thee ? " 
 
 " Thou wilt prove it to me when, day after to-morrow, thou 
 forsakest father and brother, to cleave to me alone ; for never 
 will my mother's son take the hand of Barbesieur Louvois." 
 
 "Nor my mother's daughter," cried Laura, vehemently, 
 " for she, too, has a debt of hatred to pay to the man who broke 
 that mother's heart. And believe me, our marriage will 
 avenge us both ; for it will end his contemptible intrigues to
 
 154 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 sell my hand to whomsoever chinks most gold in his. And 
 now, dear Eugene, good-night 1 " 
 
 " Must I be exiled so soon, Laura ? What have I done to 
 be thus driven from paradise ? " 
 
 " Nothing nothing," stammered she. " But my mother's 
 name has made me fear that that I am wrong to hold such 
 long parley with you in secret and at night. Methinks I see 
 that mother's pleading eyes before me, and oh, Eugene ! when- 
 ever they rest upon me thus, 'tis because danger threatens ! 
 Go, beloved, and God be with you ! " 
 
 "I go," sighed he. "I would not stay one moment to 
 wound your sweet scruples, my madonna. One more kiss, 
 and then good-night ! " 
 
 They walked side by side until they stood upon the thresh- 
 old. Eugene put his arm around her waist, and kissed her 
 fair brow. 
 
 "Look," said she, "at yonder star that is just emerging 
 from a fleecy cloud. It soars joyously upward now, and shall 
 be to us an omen of hope and happiness. Farewell." 
 
 " Farewell ! " was the sad response, and Eugene went slow- 
 ly down the dark avenue, until he was lost in the gloom of 
 night. Laura lingered for a while, listening to his footsteps, 
 then resumed her seat at the table. 
 
 A half hour went by, and Laura sought her chamber. To 
 her surprise she found her waiting-woman stretched at full 
 length on the carpet, in a deep sleep, so deep that her mistress 
 had much trouble to waken her. When, at last, she had be^n 
 made to rise, she seemed scarcely to know where she was, or 
 to whom she was speaking. 
 
 " I beg your ladyship's pardon," said she drowsily, " I was 
 dreaming. I thought I heard robbers in the house, and when 
 your ladyship spoke, I was struggling." 
 
 " God be thanked, there are no robbers here ! " returned 
 Laura, kindly. " Perhaps you heard the sentry's step in the 
 park, and you ought to know that the Palais Eoyal is strictly 
 guarded. But why are you not in bed with the rest ? I dis- 
 missed you all." 
 
 " I have no right to retire before my mistress," returned the 
 girl, obsequiously. " Therefore, I sat in your ladyship's worn
 
 FIRST LOVE. 
 
 to await you, but sleep overcame me, and I humbly crave your 
 pardon. Shall I close the door that leads to the garden ? " 
 
 ' What ! still afraid of robbers, Louise ? " laughed Laura. 
 ''Well close the door, if you will good-night." 
 
 " Can I do nothing for your ladyship ?" 
 
 "Thank you yes. Open the door of Madame Dupont's 
 room, and let me feel that I am within hearing of my dear old 
 Cerberus. That is all." 
 
 The waiting-woman did as she was bidden, and then retired 
 to her room, but not to sleep. She seated herself before a 
 table, drew out her portfolio, and began to write. Now and 
 then she paused and looked up, when the sinister light that 
 shone in her eyes streamed through the room like the phos- 
 phorescent glow of the lichen that moulds in the churchyard. 
 
 She wrote the whole night long, and day dawned before 
 she rose from her task. 
 
 " Ah," sighed she, " for such a service surely he will return 
 to me ! I have repeated their conversation, word for word, 
 not a sigh or a kiss have I forgotten. Who but his poor 
 Louise would have served him so faithfully ! 'Tis a vile trade, 
 that of a spy ; nor would I have accepted such a mission for 
 all the gold in the king's treasury ; but, for love of Barbesieur 
 Louvois, I would sell my own sister to infamy why not his ?" 
 
 While thus soliloquizing, she had left her own room and 
 crossed the corridor that led to the men's apartments. She 
 opened the door of one of the rooms without knocking, and 
 going directly up to a bed she touched the sleeper, and having 
 wakened him, whispered : 
 
 " George, awake awake ! rouse up quickly ! ' 
 
 " What is it ? " mumbled George, stretching himself. 
 
 '' Hist ! It is I, Louise. Dress yourself as speedily as you 
 can, and away with this packet to your master. Give it to 
 no messenger, but place it in his own hands, and he will re- 
 ward you magnificently, for you will have done him a great 
 service." 
 
 She glided away and returned to her own room, leaving the 
 door open. In less than fifteen minutes George stood before 
 her, equipped for secret service. '' Mademoiselle Louise," whis- 
 pered he, "I shall be with Monsieur de Louvois in ten min-
 
 15(5 PRINCE EUGENE! ANt) RIS TIMES. 
 
 utes ; for I have the key of the postern, and can slip out and 
 back again without anybody being the wiser for my little ex- 
 cursion." 
 
 " So much the better. Away with you, and the sooner the 
 better ! " 
 
 George went on his way, and Louise stood in her doorway 
 until she heard him softly open and close the outer door be- 
 low ; then she threw herself upon her bed to sleep. Her last 
 words were these : 
 
 " Oh, faithless but loved now can I dream that thine arms 
 are around me once more ! " 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE BETRAYAL. 
 
 THE sun was high in the heavens when Laura awoke, and 
 rang for her waiting-woman. Mademoiselle Louise, fresh, 
 smiling, and officious, came at once from the anteroom, and 
 began the toilet of her mistress. She seemed to take more 
 pleasure than usual in gathering her magnificent dark coils 
 into a net of gold and pearls, and to linger more admiringly 
 than ever over the last little touches given to the lace that bor- 
 dered Laura's neglige of spotless white mull. 
 
 She certainly was one of the loveliest of created beings, and 
 so thought good Madame Dupont, as her ex-pupil came into the 
 dining-room, and imprinted two hearty kisses on her withered 
 old cheeks. They sat down together to breakfast, and George, 
 looking as innocent as if he had just awaked from the sleep of 
 the righteous, came in with their morning chocolate. All went 
 on as usual, except with the young marchioness, who, instead 
 of laughing and chatting of Italy, and Bonaletta, as she was 
 accustomed to do with her " dear Dupont," sipped her choc- 
 olate in silent abstraction. Breakfast had long been over, and 
 still she sat in her arm-chair, looking dreamily into the garden, 
 her head leaning on her hand, her lips sometimes rippling 
 with a smile, sometimes opening with a gentle sigh.
 
 THE BETRAYAL. 157 
 
 She had been plunged iu her blissful reverie for almost 
 an hour, when the door was opened, and George appeared be- 
 fore her. 
 
 " Your ladyship,'' said he, " a man without desires speech 
 with you. " 
 
 " Who is he, George ? " asked Laura, reluctantly returning 
 to the world and its exigencies. 
 
 " He will not say, my lady. He wears no livery, but says 
 that your ladyship knows whence he comes and why. He has 
 a bouquet which was forgotten yesterday evening." 
 
 Laura darted from her chair ; then, blushing deeply, she 
 stopped, and recalled her wandering senses. 
 
 ''Admit him," said she, trying to speak carelessly. "I 
 will inquire what this means." 
 
 " Oh, 'tis a greeting from him," thought she ; but before 
 she had time to surmise any further, the door reopened, and a 
 young man entered the room, holding in his hand a superb 
 bouquet of rare and exquisite flowers. 
 
 ''Who sent you hither?" asked Laura, with wildly -beating 
 heart. 
 
 "A cavalier whose name I do not know," replied the young 
 man, looking timidly up at the dazzling vision of beauty 
 that stood before him. " I am first clerk in the largest estab- 
 lishment of the Marche aux Fleurs, and the gentleman who 
 bespoke the bouquet ordered the handsomest flowers in our 
 collection. Your ladyship sees that we have filled the order 
 with the greatest care ; for this bouquet contains specimens 
 of our rarest and most expensive flowers. To be sure, the gen- 
 tleman paid an enormous price for it. saying that nothing we 
 could furnish was too costly for the occasion." 
 
 Laura had listened with wonderful patience to all this idle 
 babble. " Give me the flowers," she said. " They are indeed 
 most beautiful, and I am grateful for them, both to you and 
 the amiable unknown who sends them." 
 
 '' He is very small ; of sallow complexion, but with large 
 black eyes," replied the clerk, while, with an awkward scrape 
 and bow, he presented the bouquet to Laura. "He was so 
 pleased with our selection, that he kissed one of the flow- 
 ers,"
 
 158 PRINCE KUGEXE AXD HIS TIMES. 
 
 Before she had time to control her tongue, Laura had ex- 
 claimed, " Which one ? " 
 
 " The blue one, your ladyship, called Comelina coelestis." 
 
 Laura looked down at the Comelina coelestis, and fain 
 would she have robbed it of its kiss, but she consoled herself 
 with the thought that she would rifle it of its sweets as soon as 
 the messenger left. 
 
 He came closer. " Your ladyship," said he, in a very low 
 voice, " I bear a message, as well as a nosegay. Is there any 
 one about, to overhear me ? " 
 
 '' No one," replied Laura, breathless and eager. 
 
 " Search the bouquet, and under the Comelina your lady- 
 ship will find something." 
 
 Laura's rosy fingers were buried in the flowers, and she 
 drew from its fragrant hiding-place a small slip of paper. 
 
 " Your ladyship is requested, if you consent, to return, as an 
 answer, the four first words of the note." 
 
 Laura unrolled the paper, and read : " Not to-morrow, but 
 to-day. Danger threatens, and we must anticipate. E." 
 
 Her face flushed, and her eager eyes were fixed upon that 
 little scroll which, to her and her lover, was of such great im- 
 port. What could it mean ? She read it again and again, un- 
 til the words danced before her reeling senses. 
 
 The clerk came closer yet. "Your ladyship," whispered 
 he, "I must take back my answer. Somebody might come 
 in." 
 
 " The answer ? " gasped she, scarcely knowing what he said. 
 " True, time, there must be an answer." She stood for a mo- 
 ment irresolute, then a shudder thrilled through her frame, 
 and she felt as if some evil spirit had again come nigh. She 
 raised her eyes to the face of the messenger, as though she 
 would have looked into the penetralia of his thoughts. 
 
 " I am to write four words ? " asked she, plaintively. "You 
 know, then, where he lives ? " 
 
 The clerk replied without the least embarrassment : " Par- 
 don me, I told your ladyship that I was unacquainted with 
 the cavalier. He awaits my return in the flower-market, and 
 lest I should be too long absent, he hired a fiacre to bring me 
 forth and back."
 
 THE BETRAYAL. 159 
 
 "He awaits my answer," thought Laura. " Oh, it must be 
 80 ! He shall not be left in suspense ! " 
 
 She went hurriedly to a table, and wrote, " Not to-morrow, 
 but to-day." 
 
 " Here," said she, " is my answer, and before you go, I beg 
 you to accept this for your trouble." 
 
 She was about to hand him a purse of gold, when he re- 
 treated, and raised his hand in token of refusal. 
 
 " I thank your ladyship, I have already been paid, and have 
 no right to a reward from you. May I be permitted to take 
 my leave ? " 
 
 "Yes ; hasten, I implore you," returned Laura, wondering 
 at his disinterestedness. 
 
 Scarcely had the commissionnaire taken his leave, when 
 the door of the antechamber was opened, and a lackey an- 
 nounced : 
 
 " Madame, her royal highness the Duchess of Orleans !" 
 
 Laura hastily thrust the paper in her bosom, and, coming 
 forward, kissed the hand of her friend. But as she did so, 
 she felt the blood rush to her temples, and bent low her head 
 to hide her confusion. 
 
 u I could not stay away any longer," began the unsuspect- 
 ing duchess. " For three days monsieur has been confined to 
 his room with some trifling ailment, for which peevishness 
 seems to be his only palliative. He is one of those who, when 
 he sneezes, imagines that the earth is shaken to her founda- 
 tions ; and when he snuffles, that all the angels in heaven 
 drop on their knees to pray for him. With some trouble, I 
 prevailed upon him to give me one hour wherein to make 
 some change in my dress. I have accomplished the change 
 in fifteen minutes, and the remainder of the hour I come to 
 spend with you." 
 
 " Thank you, dear friend," replied Laura, who had now re- 
 covered her self-possession, and was sincerely glad to see the 
 duchess. Then leading her to a divan, the graceful young 
 hostess dropped down on a cushion at the feet of her royal 
 guest, and continued : " I have been wondering why I did not 
 see rny gracious mistress ; I thought she had foi'gotten me." 
 
 " How could you do her such injustice ? " replied Elizabeth-
 
 160 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Charlotte, affectionately. " I have been longing for the sound 
 of your carolling voice, and the sight of your beaming face. 
 Let me look at you," continued she, taking Laura's head be- 
 tween her two hands, and gazing upon her with fondest ad- 
 miration. 
 
 Poor Laura could ill bear the test of such loving scrutiny. 
 She blushed scarlet, and her long black eyelashes fell at once 
 under the searching look of the duchess's round blue eyes. 
 
 " Laura ! " exclaimed she, anxiously, " something ails you, 
 my darling ; what have you on your heart that you are Hid- 
 ing from me ? " 
 
 " Dear, dear duchess," stammered Laura, " I have nothing 
 to" 
 
 " Nay, child, do not stoop to untruth " 
 
 "I cannot I will not," cried Laura, bursting into tears. 
 " I have a secret but you shall know it soon." 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! " cried the duchess, turning very pale, 
 '' what has happened ? What evil tidings am I to hear ? " 
 
 " No evil tidings, my dearest mistress, no evil tidings ! 
 Nothing but joy joy unspeakable. Do you remember what I 
 told you on that happy morning of the ball, that if -I ever loved 
 I would leave even your dear self to follow the man of my 
 choice ? Well ! " cried she, her face breaking out into bright 
 smiles, while glistening tears lay like dew-drops upon -her 
 rose-tinted cheeks, " he is here ! He came down from the 
 moon on yesternight, and brought two grea( stars in his head 
 instead of ey^o ; stars that I had no soonc .- looked upon, than 
 I fell madly in love. Oh ! he was sen hither by the good 
 God, and it is His will that I love him, and forsake all others, 
 to follow whithersoever he leads ! " 
 
 "Is she mad?" cried the duchess, in alarm. ''Yesternight? 
 came from the moon ? Who came, Laura ?" 
 
 "God and my mother know his name, and both have 
 blessed us ; but I dare not tell it yet not even to you. Pray 
 ask me no more for I may not say another word." 
 
 "Not say another word?" said the duchess, shaking her 
 head, and looking reproachfully at her favorite. " Then there 
 is something wrong in this headlong love, and it is no mes- 
 sage to your heart from above. Afraid to say more to your
 
 THE BETRAYAL. 161 
 
 best friend to her who replaces your mother ? When saw 
 you this preterhuman being ? Who ? Great God ! " cried 
 she, suddenly, putting her hands to her heart, " can it be ! Yes 
 it must be Prince Eugene ! " 
 
 Laura clapped her hands, and then threw herself in the 
 duchess's arms. " Yes you have guessed it is he whom I 
 shall love to-day, to-morrow, and forever. But not another 
 word, my own dear mistress. To-morrow you shall know all, 
 and be assured that there is no wrong either done or to be 
 done I can say but this to-day, that he certainly came down 
 from the moon, and is the only luminary whose rays shall 
 ever shine upon my heart ! " 
 
 While Laura was pouring out her childish half-confidences, 
 her disinterested friend, the commissionnaire, was similarly en- 
 gaged in the anteroom with Master George. 
 
 This latter worthy, after a few whispered words from the 
 former, excused himself to the lackeys of her royal highness, 
 who were in waiting there, and retreated to the corridor with 
 the clerk. 
 
 "Now, George," whispered he, "mark what I tell you. 
 Your master says that the coachman must be ready with the 
 travelling-carriage of the marchioness at ten o'clock to-night ; 
 that Mademoiselle Louise must secretly pack up some of her 
 lady's effects and her own, and have them conveyed to the 
 chariot throughout the day ; and that all must be done so that 
 her ladyship shall suspect nothing." 
 
 " It shall be done. And so her ladyship is to go on a jour- 
 ney at ten o'clock to-night ? What an hour to set out ! " 
 
 " Yes, at ten o'clock precisely, and the blessing of God go 
 with her ! "
 
 BOOK in. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 ALL was bustle and confusion in the Hotel de Soissons. A 
 crowd of workmen filled its halls ; some on ladders, regilding 
 walls and ceilings ; some on their knees waxing the inlaid 
 floors ; and others occupied in removing the coverings, and 
 dusting the satin cushions of the rich furniture of the state 
 apartments. The first upholsterers in Paris had been sum- 
 moned to the work of preparation, and the general-in-chief of 
 the gilders stood in their midst, giving orders to his staff, and 
 sending off detachments for special service. He held in his 
 hand a roll of paper resembling a marshal's baton, with which 
 he assigned their posts to his men. Some of his subalterns 
 approached, to ask in what style the walls of the reception- 
 rooms were to be decorated. 
 
 " I must see the Prince of Savoy about that," said he, with 
 a flourish. And he took his way for the prince's cabinet. 
 " Announce me to his highness," said he, i.... he entered the 
 antechamber. 
 
 "His highness is at home to nobody to-day, sir," replied 
 Conrad. 
 
 " He will be at home for me," said the decorator, compla- 
 cently. " Say to the prince that I desire an interview on busi- 
 ness of great moment, connected with the embellishment of 
 the hotel ; and without a conference with himself we cannot 
 proceed. I am Monsieur Louis, the master of the masters of 
 decoration." 
 
 Conrad, quite awed by the stateliness of Monsieur Louis, 
 went at once to announce him, and returned with a summons 
 for him to enter the cabinet.
 
 tnfc DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 Eugene met him with a bright smile of welcome, and asked 
 what he could do to assist Monsieur Louis. 
 
 "Your highness," replied monsieur, "my workmen have 
 gilded, waxed, and dusted the apartments, and the important 
 task of decorating them is about to commence. I am here to 
 inquire of your highness what is to be the character of the 
 decorations. Are they to have a significance that betokens 
 Honor, Friendship, Art, or Love ? " 
 
 Eugene could not repress a smile as he asked whether, for 
 the expression of these various sentiments, there were different 
 styles of decoration. 
 
 "Most assuredly," was the pompous reply. "It depends 
 entirely upon the nature of the guest or guests to be enter- 
 tained. If your highness is to receive a personage of distinc- 
 tion (a king, for example), your decorations must be emblemat- 
 ic of respect. They must consist of laurels, lilies, and banners. 
 If a friend or one of your own noble kinsmen, the decorations 
 have no special significance ; we mingle flowers, festoons, and 
 pictures that are not allegorical. If you invite a company of 
 artists, poets, musicians, and the like, the principal decorations 
 surmount the seat of the Maecenas who entertains, and the 
 rest of the apartment is left in simplicity." 
 
 " But you spoke of a fourth style," said Eugene, blushing. 
 
 " Indeed I did, your highness ; and on that style we lavish 
 our best efforts. If the guest is to be a bride, then our walls 
 and ceilings must be ornamented with rich designs emblematic 
 of love. We must have cupids, billing doves, and wreaths of 
 roses, mingled with orange-flowers. Added to this, the deco- 
 rations must begin in the vestibule, and be carried out in char- 
 acter, through the entire palace." 
 
 " Well," said Eugene, his large eyes glowing with delight, 
 " let your decorations be appropriate to a bridal." 
 
 " Impossible, your highness ! This style requires great 
 originality of conception, and time to carry out the designs. 
 It would require a hundred workmen, and then I doubt " 
 
 " Employ more than a hundred," returned Eugene, " and it 
 can be done in a day. Indeed it must be done, and I ask of 
 you as a favor not to mention to any one in what style you are 
 decorating the Hotel de Soissons."
 
 164 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Your highness, I will answer for myself, but I cannot an 
 swer for the discretion of a hundred workmen, who, precisely 
 because they are asked to be silent, would prefer to be com- 
 municative. " 
 
 " Well do your best, but remember that your work must 
 be done to-day." 
 
 " It shall be done, your highness, and when you see it, you 
 will confess that I am the first decorateur of the age." 
 
 So saying, Monsieur Louis made his bow and strutted 
 off. 
 
 Eugene looked after him with a smile. " He is proud and 
 happy," said the prince, u and yet he merely embellishes the 
 palace wherein love's festival is to be held. But for me oh, 
 happiest of mortals ! is the festival prepared. Laura, adored 
 Laura, I must speak thy name to the walls, or my heart will 
 burst with the fullness of its joy ! How shall I kill the weary 
 hours of this day of expectation? How cool the hot blood 
 that rushes wildly through my veins, and threatens me with 
 loss of reason from excess of bliss ! I am no longer a solitary, 
 slighted abbe ; I am a hero, a giant, for I am beloved I " 
 
 At that moment the door was hastily opened, and Conrad 
 made his appearance. 
 
 "Your highness," said he, "a messenger is here from her 
 royal highness, madame, and begs for an audience." 
 
 Eugene started, and his brow clouded with anxiety. " A 
 messenger from madame," murmured he. " What can how 
 should the duchess ? But Conrad, admit him." 
 
 " Speak," cried Eugene, as soon as the messenger entered 
 the room. " What are her royal highness's commands ?" 
 
 " Her royal highness the Duchess of Orleans requests his 
 highness Prince Eugene of Savoy to visit her immediately. 
 And that no delay may occur, her royal highness's equipage is 
 at the door, waiting for his excellency." 
 
 Eugene answered not a word. With an imperious wave of 
 the hand, which was justly interpreted into a command to 
 clear the passage, he strode on and on through the corridors of 
 the Hotel de Soissons, crushing with his foot Monsieur Louis's 
 choicest garlands, that lay on the floor ready to wreathe the 
 walls and mirrors of the rooms of state.
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 165 
 
 Monsieur Louis was shocked at such desecration ; but still 
 more shocked was he to observe what a change had come over 
 the face of the prince since their interview scarce half an hour 
 ago. Reckless of the ruined garlands that followed his track, 
 pale and silent, he went on and on, down the marble staircase, 
 and through the vestibule, until he flung himself into the 
 coach, and cried : 
 
 " On, for your life ! urge your horses to their topmost 
 speed ! " 
 
 The coachman obeyed, and went thundering down the 
 streets, little heeding whether the equipage that bore the royal 
 arms trod down half a dozen boors on its way or not. 
 
 It drew up with a sudden jerk before the Palais Royal ; 
 and the messenger, who had followed on horseback, asked if 
 his highness would follow him. He had madame's orders to 
 introduce her visitor without further ceremony, by a private 
 staircase, leading to her own apartments. 
 
 Doubtless the duchess had heard the carriage as it stopped, 
 for, when Eugene entered the anteroom, she was standing in 
 the door of her cabinet, visibly impatient for his arrival. She 
 beckoned him to approach, and closed the door with her own 
 hand. 
 
 She gave him no time for ceremonious greeting. " God be 
 thanked, you are here ! " exclaimed she. " Put down the por- 
 tiere, that no one may hear what I have to say." Eugene 
 obeyed mechanically, and loosening its heavy tassels, the 
 crimson satin curtain fell heavily to the floor. 
 
 " A.nd now," cried the duchess, indignantly, u now, Prince 
 Eugene of Savoy, I command you to tell me the truth, and the 
 whole truth ! What have you done with her ? How could 
 you be so unknightly as to take advantage of her innocent 
 and affectionate nature, to wrong one of the purest and most 
 perfect of God's creatures ! My heart is like to break with its 
 weight of sorrow and disgrace ; and, had it not been for 
 Laura's sake, I would have laid my complaint before his ma- 
 jesty. But I must not expose her to the world's contumely, 
 and therefore I endure your presence here. Tell me at once 
 what have you done with my darling ? " 
 
 Eugene could scarcely reply to this passionate appeal. His
 
 166 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 senses reeled his heart seemed to freeze within him. He 
 thought he comprehended ; and yet 
 
 '' Who ? Who is gone ? Oh, duchess, be merciful ; what 
 mean these words of mystery ? " 
 
 The duchess eyed him scornfully. " Base seducer, dare you 
 question me ? Do you strive to delude me into believing that 
 you do not know of whom I speak ? I demand of you at once 
 the person of the Marchioness de Bonaletta ! " 
 
 " Laura ! " cried Eugene, in a tone of deepest despair. 
 " Laura gone ! And you say that I enticed her away ! " 
 
 " Tell me the truth, tell me the truth," cried madame. 
 
 " The truth ! " groaned Eugene, while the duchess started 
 from her seat, and grasped both his hands in hers. 
 
 " Have mercy," stammered he, trembling as if an ague had 
 suddenly seized him. " Is she no longer here ? " 
 
 '' She is no longer here," echoed the duchess, staring in as- 
 tonishment at the writhing features of the unhappy prince. 
 
 " You know not where she is ? " gasped he, faintly. 
 
 " No," cried she, " no ! You look as though you were your- 
 self astounded, Prince Eugene ; but you will no longer deny 
 your guilt when I tell you that my poor innocent child has 
 told me all." 
 
 " What all ? " asked Eugene. 
 
 " S.he told me that you were lovers. And now, prevaricate 
 no longer ; it is useless and renders you still more infamous." 
 
 "What more did she say ?" asked Eugene, unconscious that 
 his tone was as imperative as that of an emperor. 
 
 " Nothing more. She merely told me that in two days I 
 should learn all. Alas ! I have learned it to my cost, and to 
 her ruin ! " 
 
 " And you accuse me of enticing her ! Great God ! if my 
 heart were not breaking with anguish, it would break that 
 such baseness could be attributed to me. Would that I could 
 answer you, duchess, but God in heaven knows that I was ig- 
 norant of her departure, until I learned it from yourself ! '* 
 
 " Was ever a man so bold in falsehood ! " cried the duch- 
 ess, losing all command of her temper. " I have in your own 
 handwriting the proof of your wickedness. Now mark me ! 
 This morning, the second woman in waiting of the marchion-
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 167 
 
 ess came frightened to my apartments to tell me that her mis- 
 tress, her woman Louise, and George, had disappeared from 
 the pavilion, no one could surmise when. I was so overcome 
 with terror that I hurried to the pavilion, and alas ! found that 
 it was indeed so. Neither her own bed, nor that of the serv- 
 ant who accompanied her, had been occupied. I looked 
 everywhere for some clew to the mystery, when, on the floor 
 near her morning-dress, which hung on a chair, I found this 
 scrap of paper, which, as it is signed with your initials, you 
 will not deny, I presume." 
 
 With eyes that flashed fire, she almost dashed the paper in 
 his face. Eugene took it, and, having given it one glance, he 
 turned pale as death, and it fluttered from his palsied hands to 
 the floor. 
 
 " Heavens, what can ail him ! " cried the duchess, sympa- 
 thizing, in spite of herself, with his sudden sorrow. He was 
 ghastly as a spectre, and his whole frame shook like the leaf 
 of an aspen. 
 
 '' I did not write it," gasped he, but almost inaudibly ; for 
 his teeth chattered so that he could scarcely articulate a sound. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the duchess, now thoroughly con- 
 vinced of his innocence, and feeling her terror increase with 
 the conviction, " what ! you did not write these words ? " 
 
 He shook his head, but no sound came from his blanched 
 lips. He laid his hands upon his heart as if to stifle its an- 
 guish ; then, raising them to his head, he pressed them to his 
 temples, and so paced the room for a while. Then he came 
 and stood before the duchess, whose compassionate eyes filled 
 with tears as they met his look of anguish. Finally, he heaved 
 a long sigh, and spoke. 
 
 " My name has been used to deceive her," said he. " She 
 has never seen my writing, and thus she fell into the snare." 
 
 " But I cannot comprehend who it is that possessed such 
 influence over her as to frighten her into silent acquiescence 
 of the fraud. Laura is young, but she is prudent and resolute. 
 These words had some meaning which could be referred to 
 you, or she would not have understood them." 
 
 " Ay," returned Eugene, solemnly, '' they were chosen with 
 satanic shrewdness. They referred to our plans of to-day, and 
 
 Jo 

 
 168 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 signified that I had anticipated the time for our marriage. 
 All ! well I know what happened ; and well I know why 
 Laura made no resistance ! At ten o'clock she extinguished 
 all the lights in her parlor save one ; and as soon as this sig- 
 nal had been given, four men, whose faces were concealed, en- 
 tered the house. One of them was a priest, two wei*e witnesses, 
 and the fourth O God ! that fourth one ! Who was he I 
 know not ; but I shall learn alas ! too soon. Without a 
 word (for such had been our agreement) he took her hand, and 
 the priest read the marriage ceremony. When the names had 
 been signed, he raised my Laura in his arms, bore her through 
 the postern to a carriage, and, God ! O God ! tore her from 
 me forever ! " 
 
 " But how come you to know these particulars, who knew 
 not even of her flight ? " 
 
 " Duchess, it was to have taken place to-night, and / was 
 to have been that bridegroom. We were overheard, and those 
 accursed words, ' not to-morrow, but to-night,' were sent in 
 my name. She thought to give me her dear hand, while I 
 I" 
 
 He could not proceed. He gave one loud sob, and burst 
 into tears. Those tears, bitter though they were, saved his 
 reason. 
 
 The duchess, too, wept profusely. " Poor prince ! " said 
 she, " well may you mourn, for you have lost an angel of 
 goodness and " 
 
 " No ! " interrupted Eugene, fiercely. " Say not that she is 
 lost to me ! I must find her, for she is mine, and I must find 
 her ravisher. Great God of heaven ! " cried he, raising his 
 clasped hands, "where shall I find the robber that has so 
 cruelly despoiled us both ? " 
 
 " Stay ! " cried the duchess. " I know of a man that was 
 her suitor, and whose suit was countenanced by her father and 
 her brother. She told me of it herself, and, to avoid their 
 persecutions, took refuge with me." 
 
 " His name, his name, I implore you, his name ! " 
 
 "The Venetian ambassador, the Marquis de Strozzi." 
 
 " I thank your highness," replied Eugene, approaching the 
 door.
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 169 
 
 " Whither do you go ?" 
 
 "To seek the Venetian ambassador." 
 
 " And compromise Laura ? You do not know that things 
 transpired as you imagine. She may merely have been re- 
 moved by her father, to part her from yourself. And suppose 
 the marquis was no party to her flight ? You would make her 
 ridiculous nay, more ; you would sully her name, so that 
 every gossip in Paris would fall upon your Laura's reputation, 
 and leave not a shred of it wherewith to protect her from the 
 world's contempt." 
 
 Eugene wiped off the great drops of sweat that beaded his 
 pallid brow. ''You are right," said he. "She must not be 
 compromised no, not even if I died of grief for her loss : 
 there are other means I will go to her father." 
 
 Elizabeth nodded her head approvingly. " Yes that you 
 can do. You may confide her secret to her father. Take the 
 same carriage that brought you hither, and, to make sure of 
 obtaining speedy admission to Louvois' presence, announce 
 yourself as my envoy." 
 
 " I thank your highness," replied Eugene, and, inclining 
 his head, he moved toward the door. The duchess followed 
 him, and, taking his hand affectionately, pressed it within her 
 own. 
 
 '' I see that you love my darling as she deserves to be loved, 
 and you would have made her happy. Forgive my injustice 
 and my hard words. I was so wretched that I knew not the 
 import of my accusations." 
 
 " 1 do not remember them," returned Eugene, sadly. " But 
 one thing fills my heart the thought of my Laura's loss. 
 Farewell, dear lady. Now, to question Louvois ! "
 
 170 PRINCE EUGENE AND ms 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE FOES. 
 
 GREAT was the astonishment of the household of Louvois, 
 when, hastening- to do honor to the liveries of the royal house 
 of Orleans, they saw emerging from the coach Prince Eugene 
 of Savoy. 
 
 " Announce me to Monsieur Louvois," said he. 
 
 The message passed from vestibule to corridor, from corri- 
 dor to staircase, and finally reached the antechamber of the 
 minister's private cabinet. In a short while, the answer was 
 forthcoming. 
 
 ''His excellency begged to decline the visit of his high- 
 ness the Prince of Savoy. He was particularly engaged." 
 
 " He is at home," replied the prince ; " then I shall cer- 
 tainly alight, for I must and will see him." 
 
 So he entered the house, and traversed the vestibule. The 
 lackeys made no effort to stop him, for he looked dangerous ; 
 but they were certainly astounded at his boldness, who forced 
 himself into the presence of the minister, when he had de- 
 clined the proffered visit. 
 
 Eugene, disregarding their amazed looks, asked the way to 
 the cabinet, and no one ventured to refuse. So he was passed 
 from lackey to lackey, until he reached the antechamber. 
 " Here," said the servant that had accompanied him, " here 
 your highness will find a person to announce you. " 
 
 Eugene bowed his head, and entered. The " person " was 
 certainly within ; but in lieu of announcing the prince, he 
 stared at him in speechless astonishment. 
 
 Eugene paid no attention to him, but moved toward the 
 door leading to the prime minister's cabinet. When the valet 
 saw this, he flew across the room to stop the intruder, and, 
 placing himself directly in his way, he bowed and said, " Par- 
 don me, your highness. You must have been misinformed. 
 His excellency regrets that he cannot receive your highness's 
 visit to-day. He is particularly engaged." 
 
 " I have no visit to make to his excellency," replied the
 
 THE FOES. 171 
 
 prince without embarrassment. " I am the envoy of her royal 
 highness the Duchess of Orleans. Announce me as such." 
 
 The valet soon returned, and, holding up the portiere so as 
 to admit Eugene, he said, " His excellency will receive the en- 
 voy of her royal highness the Duchess of Orleans." 
 
 Louvois was standing near a writing-table, from which he 
 appeared at that moment to have risen. His right hand rested 
 on a book, and he stood stiff and erect, awaiting an inclina- 
 tion from Eugene, to bend his head in return. But the prince 
 advanced so proudly that Louvois involuntarily made a step 
 toward him, and then recollecting himself, stood still and 
 frowned visibly. 
 
 " You came under false colors to claim an audience from 
 me, prince," said he. " As you found (indeed, you should have 
 known) that I would not receive you in your own name, you 
 borrowed that of her royal highness ; taking advantage of 
 the respect due madame, to force yourself into my presence. 
 What is your business ? " 
 
 " In supposing that I have used her royal highness's name 
 to force myself upon you, you are mistaken," replied Eugene, 
 calmly. " If you will take the trouble to look out of yonder 
 window, you will see that I came hither in her highness's own 
 coach." 
 
 Louvois stepped to the window, looked out, and, affecting 
 astonishment, exclaimed, " True enough ; there are the royal 
 liveries, and you have told the truth. You really must excuse 
 me." 
 
 " I do excuse you ; for I do not consider that one bearing 
 tbe name of Louvois is in a position to affront me by doubting 
 my word." 
 
 " Lucky for you," returned Louvois, with his sinister laugh; 
 " for there is not likely to be much harmony between the two 
 families. And now to business. What message do you bear 
 from madame ? " 
 
 "Her royal highness informs Monsieur de Louvois that 
 on yesterday night, the Marchioness de Bonaletta disappeared 
 from her pavilion in the Palais Royal. As Monsieur de Lou- 
 vois is well posted in all that takes place in or about Paris, her 
 royal highness is convinced that he is no stranger to this oc-
 
 172 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 currence, and she requires that her lady of the bedchamber be 
 returned to her, or she be directed where to find her." 
 
 " Is that all ? " asked Louvois, after a pause. 
 
 " That is all that I have to say for the Duchess of Or- 
 leans." 
 
 " You are so very emphatic that I infer you have something 
 else to say, after all. Am I right ? " 
 
 "You are." 
 
 " Well, you may speak. But first, allow me to ask how you 
 happen to be her highness's messenger ? Was it by way of 
 sympathizing with the Marchioness de Bonaletta, that you took 
 service with her mistress ? " 
 
 " My lord prime minister," returned Eugene, proudly, " I 
 serve myself and the requirements of my honor only." 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! And does this respectable lady pay you 
 well ? " 
 
 "She bestows upon me wherewith to pay those who ven- 
 ture to attack her name." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! Then you must have heavy payments to make, 
 not for yourself only, but for your mother." 
 
 Eugene clinched his fist, and made a motion toward his 
 cruel enemy, but Louvois calmly raised his hand. 
 
 " Peace, young man," said he ; " the hour for reckoning has 
 not arrived. I respect, in you, the representative of madame, 
 and you shall depart from my house uninjured, to-day . Take 
 advantage, then, of your opportunity ; say all that you have 
 to say, and spare yourself the trouble of sending me your peti- 
 tions by writing." 
 
 " I have no petitions to make to you, oral or written. I 
 came hither to claim for her royal mistress the Marchioness de 
 Bonaletta, your daughter. " 
 
 "And I repeat my question. How came you to be the 
 chosen ambassador of her royal highness, on this strictly pri- 
 vate affair between herself and me ? " 
 
 " I was chosen," replied Eugene, breathing hard and grow- 
 ing pale, " because I love the marchioness." 
 
 Louvois laughed aloud. " You love my daughter, do you ? 
 I admire the sagacity which directs your love toward the 
 daughter of the prime minister of France, and the richest
 
 THE FOBS. 173 
 
 heiress within its boundaries. I congratulate you upon your 
 choice." 
 
 " Yes," repeated Eugene, " I love her, although she is your 
 daughter. And so dearly do I love her that, for her dear sake, 
 I submit to be affronted by my mother's traducer, because that 
 traducer is the father of my Laura. As regards your absurd 
 insinuations respecting her wealth, they pass by me as the l idle 
 wind which I respect not.' And now, that I have satisfied 
 your curiosity, be so good as to answer me. The Duchess of 
 Orleans wishes to know where is her lady of the bedchamber : 
 Eugene of Savoy demands his bride." 
 
 " Demands his bride ? This is too presuming ! But I must 
 be patient with the representative of madame. Know, then, 
 ambitious manikin, that, with a father's right to save his mis- 
 guided child from your artifices and from the ridicule of the 
 world, I rescued her from ruin last night, and, to secure her 
 honor, gave her in marriage to an honorable man." 
 
 Eugene was as overwhelmed with this intelligence as though 
 he had not foreseen it from the first. His wail was so piteous 
 that Louvois himself felt its terrible significance, and started. 
 
 " You forced forced her to give her hand to another ? " 
 gasped he. 
 
 " Forced ! I perceived no reluctance on my daughter's side, 
 to her marriage. She spoke a willing and distinct assent to 
 the priest's interrogatory. I ought to know, who myself was 
 one of her witnesses." 
 
 " That merely proves that she was deceived by the lying 
 note that you forged in my name. How, in the sight of God, 
 can a father so betray his own child ! " 
 
 " It was sent with my approbation, but written by Barbe- 
 sieur, as a slight token of acknowledgment for your cowardly 
 attack on him at the Pre aux Clercs. Your mother was right, 
 it appears, when a few weeks ago she told me that no sympathy 
 could exist between her race and mine ; and that every at- 
 tempt at love between us was sure to end in hate. Quite right 
 she was, quite right. And now, Prince of Savoy, your mis- 
 sion is fulfilled. Tell the Duchess of Orleans that her lady of 
 the bedchamber is secure, but cannot return to her service : 
 she is under the protection of her husband."
 
 174 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " I will tell her," replied Eugene. " I will tell her that all 
 honor, all humanity, all justice, forgetting, a father has cruelly 
 betrayed his own daughter, and has cursed her life forever. 
 Your wicked action has broken the hearts of two of God's 
 creatures, and has consigned them to a misery that can only 
 end with death. I say not, ' May God forgive you.' No ! may 
 God avenge my Laura's wrongs, and may he choose Eugene 
 of Savoy as the instrument of His wrath ! for every pang that 
 rends the heart of my beloved, and for every throe that racks 
 my own, you shall answer to me, proud minister of France : 
 and, as there lives a God in heaven, you shall regret one day 
 that you rejected me for your son-in-law." 
 
 Without another word or look toward Louvois, he left the 
 room, and returned to his carriage. When he re-entered the 
 cabinet of madame, his ghastly face, the very incarnation of 
 woe, told its own story. 
 
 " You bring me evil tidings," said she, mournfully. " My 
 darling is lost to us both ! " 
 
 " Alas, my prophetic heart ! She is married ! " was his cry 
 of despair. 
 
 u Poor Laura ! poor Eugene ! " sobbed the duchess, unable 
 to restrain her tears. 
 
 " If you weep, what shall Jdo ? " asked Eugene. "Why do 
 you take it so much to heart ? " 
 
 " Why ? " exclaimed she. " Because I am no longer young, 
 and I have lost my last hope of happiness. You, at least, have 
 life and the world before you." 
 
 " And I," said he, languidly " I am young, and have a life- 
 time wherein to suffer. The world is before me ! Yes ; but it 
 is a waste, without tree or flower. With scorched eyes and 
 blistered feet, I must tread its burning sands alone. Forgive 
 me, dear lady, if I ask permission to go. If I stay much longer, 
 my aching head will burst." 
 
 " You are wan as a spectre, my poor Eugene," returned the 
 duchess, laying her hand upon his arm. and looking him com- 
 passionately in the face. 
 
 " And, in truth, I am but the corpse of the living man of 
 yesterday," sighed he. " Let me go home, that I may bury my- 
 self and my dead hopes together."
 
 THE REPULSE. 175 
 
 The duchess rang for her gentleman in waiting, and re- 
 quested him to accompany the prince to his carriage, and 
 thence to the Hotel de Soissons ; hut Eugene gently refused 
 the proffered escort, and begged to be allowed to depart alone. 
 He turned away, and as the duchess watched his receding 
 figure, she saw him reel from side to side, like a man intoxi- 
 cated. 
 
 At last he was at home. He had strength left to alight, to 
 ascend the long marble staircase, whose balustrade was now 
 hidden by a thicket of climbing jessamines, and to enter the 
 antechamber leading to the apartments of state. 
 
 Monsieur Louis, with the elite of his workmen, was deco- 
 rating its walls with hangings of white satin, looped with gar- 
 lands suspended from the bills of cooing doves. When he 
 beheld the prince, he came triumphantly forward. 
 
 " See. your highness, this is but the vestibule of the temple ! 
 When you will have seen its interior, you will confess that it 
 is worthy the abode of the loveliest bride that ever graced its 
 princely halls." 
 
 Eugene neither interrupted nor answered him. He raised 
 his large, mournful eyes to the festooned roses, the gilded 
 doves, the snowy, shimmering satin, and to his fading senses 
 they seemed gradually to darken into cypress-wreaths and 
 funereal palls. He pressed his hand upon his bui-sting heart, 
 and fell insensible to the floor. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE REPULSE. 
 
 EIGHT weeks had passed away since the disappearance of 
 the Marchioness de Bonaletta eight weeks of suffering and 
 delirium for Eugene of Savoy. A nervous fever had ensued, 
 which, if it had well-nigh proved mortal, had proved, in one 
 sense, beneficent ; for it had stricken him with unconscious- 
 ness of woe. Blissful dreams of love hovered about his couch, 
 and lit up with feverish brilliancy his pallid countenance. At
 
 176 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 such times she seemed to sit beside him ; for he smiled, held 
 out his hand, and addressed her in words of burning love and 
 ecstasy. Perhaps these joyful phantasms gave him strength to 
 recuperate from his terrible prostration, for he recovered ; and, 
 after four weeks of struggle between life and death, was de 
 dared convalescent. His grandmother and his sisters had 
 nursed him tenderly throughout, and they had the satisfaction 
 of hearing from his physician, that to their loving care he 
 owed his restoration to health. The poor sufferer himself 
 could not find it in his heart to be grateful for the boon. With 
 .returning reason came awakening anguish, sharp as the first 
 keen stroke that had laid low the beautiful fabric of his ephem- 
 eral happiness. 
 
 But he was resolved to face his sorrow not to fly from it. 
 " It shall kill me or make a man of me, whom no shaft of ad- 
 versity can ever wound again," thought he. He confided his 
 troubles to no one, little dreaming that his secret was known 
 not only to his grandmother and his sistei-s, but to the Princes 
 de Conti, who, throughout their long watches by his bedside, 
 had heard the history of his love, its return by the beloved 
 one, and its disastrous end. But each and all respected the 
 secret, and tacitly agreed to cover it with a veil of profound 
 silence. 
 
 So Eugene suffered and struggled alone, until the tempest 
 of his grief had passed, and light once more dawned upon his 
 soul. His dreamy eyes, in whose depths one visionary object 
 had been mirrored, now rested upon things with quick and 
 apprehensive intelligence ; his ears, that had been pained 
 with one monotonous dirge of woe, now opened to the sounds 
 of the outer world around ; and his thoughts, which hitherto 
 had kept unceasing plaint for their buried love, now shook 
 off repining, and hearkened to the trumpet-call of ambition. 
 
 One morning he called Conrad, who (accustomed of late to 
 see his master reclining languidly on a sofa, seemingly inter- 
 ested in nothing) was quite surprised to find him in the ar- 
 senal, busily engaged in examining and cleaning his arms. 
 
 Conrad could not repress a smile, and a glance of mingled 
 astonishment and delight. Eugene saw it, and replied at once. 
 
 " You see," said he, gently, " that I am better, Conrad. I
 
 THE REPULSE. 
 
 was very slow to recover from my severe illness, but I believe 
 that I am quite sound again. I thank you for all your self- 
 sacrificing devotion to me, during that season of suffering ; 
 and never while my heart beats will I forget it. Let me press 
 your friendly hand within my own, for well I know that 
 your highest reward is to be found in my esteem and affec- 
 tion." 
 
 Conrad grasped the hand that was so kindly proffered, and 
 tears of joy fell upon its pale, attenuated fingers. 
 
 " My dear lord," sobbed he, " how you have suffered ! and 
 oh, how gladly I would have suffered for you ! " 
 
 " I believe it, good, true heart ; but let us try to forget the 
 past, and make ready for the future. First tell me whether 
 the letter you took for me yesterday is likely to reach the cabi- 
 net of his majesty." 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Conrad, with a happy smile. 
 " My cousin Lolo washes the plate at the Louvre, and is en- 
 gaged to be married to the king's second valet. I gave it to 
 her, and charged her, as she valued her salvation, to see that 
 Leblond remitted it." 
 
 "So far, so well, then. Order my state-carriage, livery, 
 and outriders ; and then return to assist me in dressing. I 
 must go to court in half an hour." 
 
 While Eugene was preparing to visit the king, his majesty 
 with his prime minister was in his cabinet, writing ; while, 
 not too far to be out of reach of his majesty's admiring eyes, 
 sat the demure De Maintenon, profoundly engaged in tapestry- 
 work. The conference over, Louis signed to Louvois to gather 
 up the papers to Avhich the royal signature had been attached, 
 and to take his leave. Louvois hastened to obey ; put his 
 portfolio under his arm, and was about to retire, when the 
 king bade him remain. 
 
 " Apropos,'' said he, " I was about to forget a trifle that may 
 as well be attended to. I have received a letter from Prince 
 Eugene ' f Savoy. There is a vacancy in the dragoons, and 
 the little prince asks for it. Methinks it can be granted.'' 
 
 Louvois smiled. " What, your majesty ! Give a captaincy 
 of dragoons to that poor little weakling ? Why, he would not 
 survive one single campaign." As he uttered these careless
 
 178 PRIXCE fcl'GENE AftB HIS TIMES. 
 
 words, he glanced at the marquise, who understood him at 
 once. 
 
 " In truth," observed she, in her soft, musical voice, whose 
 melody was as bewitching as that of the sea-maids of Sicily 
 " in truth, poor Prince Eugene seems as unsuited to the career 
 of a soldier as to that of an ecclesiastic. The dissipated and 
 debauched life which, in imitation of his mother, he has led 
 since his boyhood, has exhausted his energies. He is pre- 
 maturely old older far than your majesty." 
 
 A complacent smile flitted over the features of the vain 
 monarch. "He certainly looked more dead than alive the 
 last time we saw him, and since then he has been very ill, has 
 he not ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Louvois, carelessly, "and for a long time 
 his recovery was considered doubtful." 
 
 " Madame told me of it," resumed the king. " She seems 
 very much interested in the little prince." 
 
 " Madame is the impersonation of goodness," observed De 
 Maintenon, "and by her very innocence is unfitted to judge of 
 character. The old Princess de Carignan imposed upon her 
 credulity with some story of an unhappy attachment, while 
 veritably his illness is nothing more than the natural conse- 
 quence of his excesses." 
 
 Louvois thanked his coadjutor with a second glance, and 
 the marquise acknowledged the compliment by a slight incli- 
 nation of her head, imperceptible to the king. 
 
 " Be all this as it may," replied the latter, " I cannot refuse 
 so paltry a favor to the nephew of Cardinal Mazarin. If we 
 do no more, we ought at least to throw him a bone to 
 gnaw."* 
 
 " Sire," said Louvois, hastily, " you do not know Prince Eu- 
 gene. He is a dangerous man, though a weakly one, for he 
 is possessed of insatiable ambition. He desires renown at any 
 price." 
 
 " At any price ! " repeated Louis, with a shrug. " Such a 
 poor devil as that covet renown at any price ! " 
 
 " Sire ! " exclaimed Louvois, earnestly, " he is an otfshoot 
 
 * Louis' own words. " Memoires de Jeanne d'Albret de Luynes," vol. L, 
 p. 85.
 
 THE REPULSE. 179 
 
 of the ambitious house of Savoy, and a stranger besides. 
 Strangers always bring us ill-luck." 
 
 "You are right," interposed the marquise, with a sigh. 
 "Strangers never bring us any but ill-luck." 
 
 Louis turned and fixed his eyes upon her. Their glances 
 met, and there was such unequivocal love expressed in that of 
 the pious marquise, that her royal disciple blushed with grati- 
 fication. He went up to her and extended both his hands. 
 
 She took them passionately within her own, and covered 
 them with kisses. Then raising her eyes pleadingly to his, she 
 whispered, " Sire, he is the son of his mother ; and if your ma- 
 jesty show him favor, I shall think that you have not ceased 
 to love the Countess de Soissons, and my heart will break." 
 
 Louis was so touched by the charming jealousy uncon- 
 sciously betrayed by these words, that he whispered in return : 
 
 " I will prove, then, that I love nobody but yourself." 
 
 " Be so good," added he aloud to Louvois, " as to say to the 
 usher that the Prince of Savoy will have an audience." 
 
 This being equivalent to a dismission, Louvois backed out 
 of his master's presence, and retired. As he was passing 
 through the antechamber, congratulating himself upon hav- 
 ing effectually muzzled his adversary, the minister saw his 
 pale, serious face at the door. Eugene was in the act of desir- 
 ing the usher to announce him. 
 
 " His majesty awaits the Prince of Savoy," said Louvois, 
 and he stepped aside to allow him entrance. 
 
 Eugene came in, and the door was closed. The two enemies 
 were alone, face to face ; and they surveyed each other as two 
 lions might do on the eve of a deathly contest. 
 
 "It has pleased you to make an attempt to beg a commis- 
 sion in the army, and to address yourself directly to the 
 king," said Louvois, after a pause. " And you presumed to 
 do so without the intervention of his majesty's minister of 
 war." 
 
 k 'I have no business with the servants of his majesty," 
 replied Eugene, tranquilly. " If I have a request to make, I 
 address it to the king my kinsman, and require no influence 
 of his subordinates." 
 
 " Sir ! " exclaimed Louvois, angrily, " I counsel you "
 
 180 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " I desire no counsel from a man whom I despise," inter- 
 rupted Eugene. 
 
 ' You shall give me satisfaction for this word," returned 
 Louvois, laying his hand on his sword. " You are a noble- 
 man, and therefore" 
 
 "And therefore," interrupted Eugene again, "you shall 
 have no satisfaction from me, for you are not a nohleman, 
 and I shall not measure swords with you. Peace, monsieur,'' 
 continued he, as Louvois was about to insult him, " we are in 
 the antechamber of the king, and a servant may not resent his 
 grievances within earshot of his master. Take care that you 
 become not too obstreperous, lest I publish to the world the 
 story of your crimes toward your unhappy daughter. And 
 now let me pass : the king awaits me." 
 
 With these words Eugene crossed the antechamber, and 
 stood near the door that led to the king's cabinet. There he 
 stopped, and. addressing the indignant minister 
 
 "Now, sir," said he, imperatively, "you can go out to the 
 vestibule and send the usher to announce me to his majesty." 
 
 Louvois made a rush at the prince, and almost shrieked 
 with rage. " Sir, this insolence " 
 
 But at that moment the door of the king's cabinet opened, 
 and the voice of Louis asked, "Who presumes to speak so 
 loud ? " His angry glances were launched first at one and 
 then at the other offender, and, as neither made any reply, his 
 majesty resumed : 
 
 " Ah, you are there, little abbe ? You asked for an audi- 
 ence : it is granted." 
 
 He returned to his cabinet, Eugene following. The mar- 
 quise was assiduously occupied with her tapestry, but her large 
 eyes were raised for one glance ; then, as quickly casting them 
 down, she appeared to be absorbed in her embroidery. 
 
 The king threw himself carelessly back in an arm-chair, 
 and signed to Eugene to advance. 
 
 " You would like to command a company of dragoons ? " 
 said Louis, shortly. 
 
 " Such is my desire, your majesty. I wish to become a sol- 
 dier ; I hope a brave one." 
 
 Louis surveyed him with scorn. "I cannot grant your
 
 THE REPULSE. 181 
 
 request," said he. " You are too sickly to enter my serv- 
 ice." 
 
 He then rose from his chair and turned his back. This of 
 course signified that the audience was at an end ; but, to his 
 unspeakable astonishment, he felt the touch of a hand upon 
 his arm, and, turning round, beheld Eugene ! 
 
 " Is that all your majesty has to say to me ? " said the 
 prince. 
 
 " That is all," cried Louis, imperiously. u The audience is 
 at an end begone ! " 
 
 ''Not yet," replied Eugene, "not yet." 
 
 Madame de Maintenon uttered a cry of horror, and her 
 tapestry fell from her hands. 
 
 " Do you know that you are a traitor ? " exclaimed the 
 king. 
 
 " No, sire. I am but a man who, driven to despair, can no 
 longer withhold the cry of a heart wrung by every species of 
 contumely and injustice. Were I tamely to submit to all that 
 you have done to wound me, I were a hound unfit to bear the 
 name of nobleman. By the memory of Cardinal Mazariu, 
 your benefactor, nay, more, the spouse of your mother, I claim 
 the right to remonstrate with your majesty, and to ask you to 
 reverse your decision." 
 
 " You have summoned to your aid a name which I have 
 ever cherished and honored," replied Louis. " For his sake I 
 grant you fifteen minutes' audience. Be quick, then, and say 
 what you will at once." 
 
 " Then, sire, may I ask if you remember the solemn promise 
 you made to the cardinal on his death-bed ? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 " To the man who, during your minority, transformed a 
 distracted country into a powerful and peaceful empire, you 
 promised friendship and protection for his kindred. But how 
 has this promise been fulfilled ? The family of Mazarin have, 
 one and all, been given over to persecution and injustice, and 
 that by a sovereign who " 
 
 " Prince," cried Louis, " you forget that you address your 
 king- ! " 
 
 '' My king ! when has your conduct ever been to me tha*
 
 182 PRINCE EUGENE AN'D HIS TIMES. 
 
 of a king, aud therefore of a father ? I know that my uncle 
 was once king of the King of France ; and by the God above 
 us ! he was a gracious monarch, for he left to his successor a 
 prosperous kingdom and an overflowing treasury ! " 
 
 " Which was not fuller than his own private purse," re- 
 torted Louis. 
 
 " The cardinal named you his heir, sire why did you not 
 accept the heritage ? " 
 
 " Because I would not enrich myself at the expense of his 
 family," replied Louis, haughtily. 
 
 " Because you knew very well that what you affected to 
 relinquish, that the world might admire your magnanimity, 
 you intended to take back by piecemeal. And to do this, you 
 have persecuted the unhappy family of your best friend with 
 an ingenuity of malice that is beneath the dignity not only of 
 your station, but of your manhood ! " 
 
 " Sire," cried Madame de Maintenon, hastening to the king, 
 " I beseech you, drive from your presence this insolent mad- 
 man." 
 
 "Let him speak," said Louis, in a voice of suppressed rage. 
 "I wish to see how far he will carry his presumption." 
 
 " Sire, it reaches past your crown, as far as the judgment- 
 seat of God, where it stands as your accuser. Sire, what have 
 we done to merit your aversion ? My mother that you al- 
 lowed your minions to traduce and drive her into exile ? My 
 father who fought and bled for you, that you offered him 
 public insult, and so wounded his proud spirit, that he died 
 from the effects of your cruelty ? My sisters that you have 
 robbed them of their patrimony ! And I ! what have I done 
 that you should hold me up to the mockery of your court, and 
 deny me the paltry boon of a petty commission in your army ? 
 I had forgiven your public affronts, so unworthy of a king 
 and a gentleman ; and I had offered my hand and sword to 
 your majesty as proofs of my loyalty and superiority to resent- 
 ment. As a kinsman and your subject you have repulsed me : 
 for the future, know me as an alien and enemy." 
 
 The king laughed scornfully. " Puny braggart, what care 
 I for your enmity ? " 
 
 "Time will show, sire ; and, as truly as a lion once owed
 
 THE REPULSE. 1$3 
 
 his life to a mouse, your majesty will repent of your injustice 
 to me." 
 
 " I never repent, 1 ' returned the king, hastily. 
 
 " A day of repentance must come for all who have sinned, 
 and it must dawn for you. Beware lest it come so late that 
 the prayers of yonder sanctimonious marquise avail you noth- 
 ing." 
 
 " By heavens ! *' cried the king, starting from his seat and 
 clutching his bell, " my patience is exhausted. This arch-trai- 
 tor shall" 
 
 But Madame de Maintenon was at his side in a moment. 
 " Sire," said she, beseechingly, " in the name of the love and 
 loyalty I bear my sovereign, pardon this misguided youth. 
 Remember that the highest prerogative of power is the exer- 
 cise of mercy. I, for my part, forgive him freely, and I thank 
 God that I am here to mediate between him and your majesty's 
 just anger." 
 
 " You are an angel," cried Louis, clasping her hand in his 
 own, and covering them with kisses. "You are an angel 
 whom God has sent for my happiness in this world and the 
 next." And turning to Eugene with a lofty gesture, he said : 
 " Go, young man. Madame de Main tenon's magnanimity has 
 earned your pardon. Go that I may forget you and your 
 existence." 
 
 "Sire," replied Eugene with emphasis, "I do not intend 
 that you shall forget me. In your pride of power, you have 
 likened yourself to a god, but, great as you are, you shall rue 
 the day on which Eugene of Savoy turned his back upon your 
 kingdom ! " 
 
 " So you persist in believing yourself to be a man, do 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes, sire ; such is my conviction. I aim at renown, and, 
 in spite of my enemies, of my poverty, and of my friendless 
 condition, I have strength and energy to attain it. I am no 
 longer a subject of France. I bid farewell to my country for- 
 ever." 
 
 With a slight inclination of his head, and without waiting 
 for permission, he turned his back, and left the room. 
 
 Louis gazed upon his receding figure, with an expression 
 13
 
 184: PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 so strange, that Madame de Maintenon in great alarm flew to 
 his side. His eyes were fixed, and great drops of sweat stood 
 out upon his forehead. The marquise wiped them away with 
 her handkerchief, all the while whispering words of tender 
 encouragement. 
 
 Louis shivered, and seemed like one awakening from a 
 dream. His eyelids fell, the strained eyeballs moved, and he 
 tried to smile. 
 
 " Dearest friend," said he, <k I know not what has happened ; 
 but, as the Prince of Savoy disappeared from my sight, a voice 
 seemed to speak to my soul, and say that his threats had been 
 prophetic, and that I would dearly rue the day on which the 
 nephew of Mazarin had left me in anger. Can such things 
 be ? or am I the sport of 
 
 " Sire, sovereign, beloved," cried the marquise, kneeling 
 and clasping his knees in her arms, "give no heed to this 
 mocking voice. 'Tis but a temptation of the Evil One. Let 
 us pray together." 
 
 " Yes, let us pray. Send for Pere la Chaise, and let us 
 away to the chapel." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FAREWELL. 
 
 PRINCE EUGENE, meanwhile, was on his way to visit the 
 Duchess of Orleans. She met him with unaffected cordiality, 
 and gave him a hearty welcome. 
 
 " Indeed," said she, extending both her hands, " I am re- 
 joiced to see you again. I made you many a visit of inquiry 
 during your illness ; and it pained me deeply to hear from 
 your grandmother that no effort of those who love you had so 
 far prevailed upon you to leave your room. I am glad to see 
 that your heart is returning to us, for you know that I am 
 foremost in the rank of your friends." 
 
 " I know it, gracious lady," said Eugene, feelingly, " and for 
 that reason I am here." 
 
 " And although you are pale, you are looking well. You
 
 THE FAREWELL. 185 
 
 have a brave spirit, Eugene, and have met your sorrow like a 
 man." 
 
 " Yes. Suffering has made a man of me, and he that has 
 received its chrism with courage has overcome grief. I have 
 come to give your highness a proof of my fortitude. I"- 
 but he paused, and his face grew of a deadly pallor, while a 
 convulsive sigh was upheaved from his bosom. 
 
 " Speak, poor boy," said the duchess, compassionately. 
 
 '' I wanted to ask if your highness has news from the Mar- 
 chioness de Bonaletta ? " resumed he, with an effort. 
 
 " Yes," replied the duchess, mournfully. 
 
 " Has she written to you ? '' was the hurried rejoinder. 
 
 The duchess shook her head. " She has not, and thereby I 
 judge that she is closely watched. For, if my darling were 
 free to do so, she would long ago have poured her sorrows into 
 my heart. Sometimes I feel her soft arms twining about my 
 neck, and hear her voice, as, in the simplicity of her trust, she 
 said to me one day : ' Pray for me, that I may never love, for 
 if I should, I would forsake every thing for the man of my 
 choice even yourself, my best friend.' " 
 
 " She spoke thus ? " cried Eugene, brightening. 
 
 " She did ; and, not long after, she glided up to me, and, 
 giving me a kiss, said : ' I have found him, I have found him 
 him whom I shall love throughout all eternity.' ' Gracious 
 Heavens ! ' I exclaimed, ' it is not Prince Eugene ! ' whereupon 
 she kissed me again, and said, ' But it is he ; and I shall love 
 him forever ! ' ' 
 
 " Ah ! I thought I had been stronger ! " murmured Eugene, 
 his eyes filling with tears. " I had armed myself against mis- 
 fortune, but the memory of her love unmans me." 
 
 " Poor Eugene ! I have been thoughtlessly cruel : forgive 
 me, for you are the first one to whom I have dared, as yet, to 
 mention her name. Let me not probe your wounds further, 
 but tell you at once what I know. I have heard from Laura 
 through the medium of her father only. The day after her 
 shameful immolation, he communicated his daughter's mar- 
 riage to the king ; and, the evening after, gave a grand ball in 
 honor of the event. He excused her absence, and the secrecy 
 attending her wedding, by saying that her betrothed having
 
 186 PRINCE EUGEXE AND IIIS TIMES. 
 
 been suddenly summoned away, he had yielded to the solicita- 
 tion of the lovers, and had consented to have them married 
 without formality. " 
 
 " Liar and deceiver ! " cried Eugene, gnashing his teeth. 
 
 " Ay, indeed, liar and deceiver ! " echoed the duchess. 
 " And I had to sit there, and hear him congratulated ; and lis- 
 ten to the flattering comments of his guests, every one of 
 whom knew that not a word of truth was heing spoken on 
 either side. Of course I had no choice whether to absent my- 
 self or not ; I was ordered to appear, and to confirm the lie. 
 And once or twice, when my face unconsciously expressed my 
 indignation, my husband was at hand to remind me that my 
 lady of the bedchamber had married with my consent and 
 approbation ! The day after, Louvois distributed largesses 
 among his household, and bestowed princely sums upon the 
 poor, all in honor of the happy event ! For a whole week I 
 could neither eat nor sleep for grief and anger. I can never 
 recover from this blow. If you had robbed me of Laura, I 
 could have forgotten my own loss in her gain ; but to know 
 that she is chained to the galley of an unhappy marriage 
 almost breaks my heart ! " 
 
 ' She is not chained to that galley," said Eugene ; " the oath 
 she took was not to the man whom the world calls her hus- 
 bandit was pledged to me. But do not fear that I will lay 
 claim to her, duchess. Far be it from me to take one step that 
 could endanger her safety, or unsettle her convictions. If she 
 considers the oath binding which she took to one man, suppos- 
 ing him to be another, I will bear my fate with resignation ; 
 but if she scorns the lie that calls her his wife, she will find 
 means to let me know it ; and, let her summons come when it 
 may, I shall be ready to obey it. Let her heart seek mine, and 
 1 will take care that renown shall tell her where to find 
 me." 
 
 " I feared as much," said the duchess. " I knew that you 
 would not remain at this false, corrupt court. Whither do 
 you travel ? " 
 
 " I shall follow my brother. Your highness knows that he 
 was banished for having married the girl whom he loved, 
 whose only fault was her obscure birth. He is in the service
 
 TIIK FAKfcWELL. 1ST 
 
 of the Emperor of Austria ; and, if his imperial majesty will 
 accept of me, I, too, will join the Austrian army." 
 
 '* And you will live to replace the lost myrtles of your love 
 with the laurels of fame. " 
 
 " God grant that you may be a true prophetess ! And now, 
 your highness, I have one more favor to ask. May I visit the 
 room in which I saw her last ? " 
 
 " Come. We can take a turn in the park, and enter the 
 pavilion as if by accident. Every thing is just as she left it." 
 
 Accompanied by two maids of honor, and followed at a 
 distance by two lackeys, they descended to the gardens. For 
 a time they confined their stroll to the principal walks ; but 
 when they had reached the pathway that led to the pavilion, 
 the duchess, turning to her maids of honor, requested them to 
 await her at the intersection of the avenues, and continued her 
 way with the prince. Not a word was spoken on either side 
 until they had ascended the steps leading to the room where, 
 in one short hour, Eugene had seen the birth and death of his 
 ephemeral happiness. 
 
 He opened the door ; then, standing on the threshold, gazed 
 mournfully around him. Not an object in the room was miss- 
 ing. There, in the embrasure of the window, stood her harp : 
 there, on the table, lay her books and drawings ; and there, 
 alas ! hung the silver chandelier whose solitary light was to 
 have guided him to his bridal. Every thing was there, as be- 
 fore, and yet nothing remained, for she, who had been the soul 
 of the habitation, had left it forever ! 
 
 And now, as his wandering gaze rested upon the arm-chair 
 where, kneeling at her feet, he had received the intoxicating 
 confession of her love, he started forward, and, burying his 
 face in its cushions, wept aloud. 
 
 The duchess, meanwhile, had remained outside on the per- 
 ron. She would not invade the sanctity of Eugene's grief by 
 her presence, for .she felt that, in a moment of such supreme 
 agony, the soul would be alone with its Maker. 
 
 Presently she heard the door open and Eugene joined her 
 on the balcony. For a while he looked at her in silence ; then 
 his lips began to move, and she caught these words, uttered al- 
 most inaudiblv :
 
 188 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " I am about to go. Will you grant me one more request ? " 
 
 " Yes what is it ? '' 
 
 "You told me that, when she confided to you her love for 
 me, she put her arms around your neck, and kissed you. May 
 I have that kiss from your lips, dear duchess ? " 
 
 Instead of a reply, Elizabeth embraced the poor youth. 
 " God bless you, Eugene ! " said she, fondly. " Go forth into 
 the world to fight the battle of life, and win it." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A PAGE FROM HISTORY. 
 
 THE year 1683 was full of significance for Austria. It was 
 a period of victory and defeat, of triumph and humiliation. 
 Austria's wounds were many and dangerous, but her cure was 
 rapid. In the spring of this momentous year she was threat- 
 ened simultaneously from the East and the West, and she had 
 every reason to fear that she would be similarly assailed from 
 her northern and southern frontiers. 
 
 Her troubles originated, as they had often done before, 
 with Hungary that land of haughty Magyars and enthusias- 
 tic patriots. Leopold I. ascended the throne in 1658, and from 
 that time forward every year of his reign had been marked by 
 intestine wars. Sometimes, by force of numbers, the rebellious 
 Hungarians were, for a time, held in subjection ; but the fire 
 of patriotism, though smothered, was never extinguished in 
 their hearts. Deep buried under the ashes of many a deluded 
 hope, it lived on, until some friendly breath of encouragement 
 fanned it to activity, and its flames leaped upward, and defied 
 the emperor anew. 
 
 Hungary would not submit to be considered as a provincial 
 dependency on Austria. She claimed the constitutional rights 
 guaranteed to her from time immemorial, and recorded in the 
 golden bull of King Andreas. In 1654 the Emperor Ferdinand 
 had promised, both for himself and his successors, that this 
 constitution should be held inviolate ; that all foreign troops
 
 A PAGE FROM HISTORY. 189 
 
 should be withdrawn from Hungary, while no Hungarians 
 should be called upon to fight elsewhere than on their native 
 soil ; that the crown lands were to be inalienable ; all offices 
 bestowed upon native-born Hungarians ; Protestants secured 
 in the exercise of their religion ; and no war undertaken, nor 
 treaty concluded, with any foreign power, without the consent 
 of the Hungarian Diet. 
 
 The Emperor Leopold had promised to ratify the constitu- 
 tion. But, in 1064, Austria declared war against Turkey, and 
 called for money and troops from Hungary. The Magyars, 
 not having been consulted as to the expediency of the war, 
 refused to have any thing to do with it. With the help of 
 France, peace was made with the Porte ; and, as soon as his 
 foreign difficulties were settled, Leopold bethought himself of 
 liis turbulent Hungarians at home. Austrian troops were 
 marched into Hungary, and the Protestant Magyars, in the 
 enjoyment of high offices, were superseded by Catholics. 
 
 The indignation of the Hungarians knew no bounds. They 
 took up arms, and swore never to lay them down until they 
 had freed their native land. The revolution broke out in 1G70 ; 
 and such was the fanaticism of the patriots, that their banners 
 bore the cross as their emblem, and every soldier wore a cross 
 upon his shoulder. By this sign they swore eternal enmity to 
 the detested Austrian lancers ; and, however they might be 
 outnumbered, they hoped in God, and rushed by thousands to 
 fill up the ranks whence thousands had fallen. Undaunted 
 by reverses, undismayed by danger, new armies of warriors 
 seemed to spring from the blood of the slain. Nor were the 
 brave Hungarians without sympathy in their struggle for free- 
 dom ; they had allies both powerful and efficient. 
 
 Two of their ablest generals, Zriny and Frangipany, had 
 fallen into the hands of the Austrians, and had perished igno. 
 miniously on the scaffold ; and another hero, Count Tokoly, 
 had fallen at the siege of Arva. But his son survived, a boy 
 who had been rescued from the enemy and conveyed to Tran- 
 sylvania. There he was taught to hate the oppressors of his 
 country ; and no sooner was he of an age to serve, than he en- 
 tered the army. He brought with him succor from Prince 
 Apafy, of Transylvania, and the promise of aid from the Porte.
 
 190 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Fired by the enthusiasm of young Emerich Tokoly, the Hun- 
 garians renewed the contest with Leopold, and fortune so fa- 
 vored their youthful leader, that he conquered Upper Hungary, 
 marched to Presburg, drove out the Austrians, and called an 
 imperial Diet to consult as to the propriety of deposing the 
 Emperor Leopold from the throne of Hungary. 
 
 But Emerich did not tarry at Presburg to attend the Diet. 
 He marched on to Buda to confer with Kara Mustapha, the 
 grand-vizier of Mohammed IV. , on the affairs of Hungary. 
 The victories of the young hero had more effect upon Mustapha 
 than any amount of pleading could have done ; he was there- 
 fore prepared to receive him favorably. Mustapha was am- 
 bitious, covetous, and vindictive ; he had latterly felt some 
 uneasiness as to the security of his own influence with the 
 Sultan, and he burned to reinstate himself by gaining a victory 
 or two over the Austrians. Moreover, he thought of the booty 
 which would follow each victory ; and, in the hope of retriev- 
 ing his defeat at St. Gotthard's, he concluded a treaty with 
 Count Emerich, which was specially directed against Austria. 
 He promised, in the Sultan's name, arms, money, and men ; 
 and, as an earnest of the friendship of his new ally, Emerich 
 was declared King of Hungary. 
 
 Under the ruined walls of the fortress of Fulek, which 
 Emerich had taken from the enemy, Mustapha handed him 
 the diploma of royalty which had been drawn up in Constan- 
 tinople ; at the same time bestowing upon him the rank of a 
 Turkish general, and presenting him with a standard and a 
 horsetail. 
 
 The newly-appointed king pledged himself, in return, to 
 consider the Sultan as his lord-paramount, and to pay him a 
 yearly tribute of forty thousand florins. He was so elated 
 with his title, and so desirous of humiliating Austria, that, to 
 free himself from the emperor, he consented to become a vas- 
 sal of the Porte. He signed the treaty, whereupon Kara Mus- 
 tapha rejected the proposals of alliance which Leopold was 
 making, and began to dream of extending the dominion of the 
 Crescent, and of founding a Moslem empire in the West, whose 
 capital should be Vienna. He dismissed the Austrian ambas- 
 sadors with cold indifference, and promised the Sultan that the
 
 A PAGE FROM HISTORY. 191 
 
 green banner of the Prophet should carry terror and devasta- 
 tion into the very heart of Austria. This was the danger 
 which threatened the emperor from the East. He had equally 
 powerftil enemies in the West. Hungary had sent ambassa- 
 dors to the court of Louis XIV. These ambassadors had been 
 received in Paris as the accredited envoys of an independent 
 and recognized kingdom ; and King Louis, a son of the Catho- 
 lic Church, had carried his hatred to Austria so far, that he 
 entered into a secret alliance with the unbelieving Porte, and 
 promised assistance to the Protestant rebels of Hungary. This 
 assistance he sent at once in the form of money arid arms. 
 French officers were dispatched to Hungary, to join the insur- 
 gents and discipline their soldiers. And, while Louis was se- 
 cretly upholding Turkey and Hungary, he was calling councils 
 at home to establish claims to a portion of the imperial domin- 
 ions of Austria. 
 
 These juridical councils were established at Metz and Bri- 
 sach, and they had instructions from Louis to reannex to his 
 crown all the domains which had ever been held in fief by 
 any of his predecessors, however remote. They began by 
 summoning tbe lords of the Trois-Eveches to acknowledge 
 then- vassalage to France ; and they went on to cite before 
 their tribunal the Elector Palatine, the King of Spain, and 
 the King of Sweden ; all and each of whom were called upon 
 to do homage to the king, or have their possessions seques- 
 trated. 
 
 All Europe was aghast at these monstrous pretensions, but 
 nobody ventured to put them down, for Louis had a standing 
 army .of one hundred and forty thousand men, while the 
 German empire, still suffering from its losses in the Thirty 
 Years' War, could scarcely put into the field one-third of this 
 number. 
 
 So that, without the drawing of a sword, Louis was suffered 
 to possess himself of the important city of Strasburg, and sub- 
 sequently of all Alsatia. Finally he claimed the cloister of 
 Wasserburg and the province of Germersheim, and pushed his 
 greed and arrogance to such a height, that Germany at last 
 awakened from her lethargy, and found resolution enough to 
 protest against the aggressions of this royal robber. Louis,
 
 192 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 in return, proposed to call a universal council at Frankfort, 
 and have his claims investigated. This was agreed to, and 
 each sovereign sent his plenipotentiaries. Meanwhile the 
 King of France kept possession of all the lands in dispute, and 
 stationed his troops at Strasburg, and at every other town in 
 Alsatia. 
 
 Here was danger enough for the Emperor Leopold, from 
 the west ; while, north and south, his horizon darkened also. 
 The ambitious Victor Amadeus, seeing that Austria was en- 
 compassed by enemies, now bethought himself of annexing 
 Lombardy to his dominions, while there was every reason to 
 fear that the bold and enterprising Peter the Great would ex- 
 tend his frontiers to the Baltic Sea, and. with quite as much 
 right as Louis ever had to Strasburg, declare Dantzic to be a 
 part of his Russian territories. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE EMPEROR LEOPOLD I. 
 
 THE Emperor Leopold had just returned from early mass. 
 Throughout the services, and during the excellent sermon of 
 his celebrated court-preacher Father Abraham, the face of his 
 imperial majesty had worn a troubled aspect ; it had not even 
 brightened at the appearance of the Empress Eleonora. But 
 when, in his cabinet, he saw his professor of music, Herr 
 Kircher, Leopold smiled, and his brow cleared at once, The 
 professor was occupied in putting a new string to the emperor's 
 spinet, which the evening before had been broken by his ma- 
 jesty at a concert ; and, having his back turned to the door, 
 was not aware of the emperor's entrance until the latter laid 
 his hand upon Kircher's shoulder. 
 
 The musician would have risen, but Leopold gently forced 
 him back into his seat, observing that it was unbecoming in a 
 teacher to rise at the entrance of his pupil. 
 
 " Of his pupil, your majesty, to whom there remains noth- 
 ing for a teacher to teach ; for in good sooth, if your majesty
 
 TIIE EMPEROR I EOPOLD I. 193 
 
 felt disposed, you are competent to till the chair of a musical 
 professorship, or to become the maestro of your own imperial 
 chapel." 
 
 "I prefer iny own position," replied Leopold, laughing, "al- 
 though there are times when the berth of an emperor is not 
 an easy one. But when as at present I am here with you, 
 then I am truly happy, for your conversation and music 
 awaken in me pleasant thoughts and noble aspirations. Let 
 me enjoy the hour, for indeed, Kircher, I need recz*eation." 
 
 The emperor sighed, and sank slowly into an arm-chair, 
 where, taking off his plumed hat, he threw it wearily down 
 on a tabouret close by. 
 
 " Has your majesty any cause for vexation ? " asked Kircher. 
 
 " Not for vexation, but much for sorrow," returned Leo- 
 pold. " Let me forget it, and if you have no objection, take 
 up that piece of music on the table, and give me your opinion 
 of it." 
 
 Professor Kircher obeyed at once. ''Your majesty has 
 been composing, I perceive, and your composition is hi strict 
 accordance with the rules of counterpoint. " 
 
 " I have translated my sorrows into music," returned Leo- 
 pold. " I could not sleep last night, and there was running 
 through my head the words of a sad and beautiful Latin 
 poem. I rose from my bed, and treading .softly so as not to 
 disturb tbe empress, I came hither, and set the poem to music. 
 It gave me indescribable pleasure, and I wish you would try 
 it, that I may know whether my interpretation has meaning 
 for others as well as for myself." 
 
 " My voice will not do it justice, your majesty ; let me call 
 Vittorio Carambini to sing it, while I accompany him." 
 
 "No," returned Leopold. "Carambini's voice would so 
 beautify my composition, that I would not recognize it. I 
 prefer to hear it from you. So sit you down, dear Kircher, and 
 begin." 
 
 Kircher made no further opposition, and commenced the 
 prelude. The emperor leaned back his head, and closed his 
 eyes, as he v.'a rccrstcned to do, wher. Ir.t-rv-iiriT Attentively. 
 Reclining among: the purple-velvet cushions of his luxurious 
 arm-chair, Leopold presented a handsome picture of imperial
 
 194 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 comeliness. His fine figure was set off to advantage by his 
 close-fitting Spanish doublet of black velvet ; his short Span- 
 ish cloak, looped up with large diamond solitaires, fell in 
 graceful folds from his shoulders, gently stirring with its 
 golden fringe the feathers of his hat that lay beside him. The 
 pale, regular features of the emperor harmonized with the 
 splendid costume which, from the days of Charles V., had 
 been in fashion at the imperial court of Vienna. Leopold had 
 made one modification, however, in his dress. In spite of his 
 dislike to the King of France, and all things French, he wore 
 the long curled wig which Louis XIV. had brought into vogue. 
 
 His whole attention was absorbed by Kircher, who, with a 
 wig similar in fashion, but more modest in dimensions, sat 
 playing and singing the " Schmerz-Lied. " He sang with 
 great feeling, and he, as well as the composer, felt the power 
 and beauty of the music. 
 
 It died away in gentle sighs, and there was a pause. Then 
 the emperor in a low voice said, " Thank you, Kircher ; you 
 have given me great pleasure." 
 
 " Your majesty, it is I who should thank you. Your com- 
 position is a masterpiece ; and, instead of criticising my mis- 
 erable performance, you praise it." 
 
 " Do you really like it, then ? " 
 
 " Like it ! It evinces genius, which is something more than 
 a conformity to musical rules. It is a gift from Heaven, 
 whence surely all musical inspiration descends. The man 
 that could listen to your ' Schmerz-Lied ' without emotion has 
 no soul ; and, to him that could hear it with eyes undimmed, 
 God has denied the gift of tears." 
 
 " Kircher." said the emperor, with a delighted smile, " I 
 thank you a thousand times for your approbation. It embold- 
 ens me to confess that I felt tears in my eyes while you sang. 
 To you, a musician, I may say as much ; for you know that, 
 to write a song of sorrow, a man must have known sorrow 
 himself. I fear that my ' Schmerz-Lied ' will have to give 
 place to embateria, and our spinet to the discordant drum." 
 
 "And will it come to open war with the Porte?" asked 
 Kircher, sadly. 
 
 " I fear as much," sighed the emperor. " Is it not singular
 
 THE EMPEROR LEOPOLD I. 195 
 
 that I, a man of peace, and lover of art, should be forever 
 compelled to be at war with the world ? And is it not hard 
 that a potentate should be continually forced into measures 
 which he abhors, and stand before his fellow-creatures in a 
 character that is not his own ? History will depict me as a 
 heartless and bloodthirsty monarch, while no man has ever 
 more deprecated the shedding of blood than I. My only com- 
 fort is, that, if my poor subjects suffer, it is ' ad majorem Dei 
 gloriam.'" 
 
 And Leopold, who was not only a disciple but a lay mem- 
 ber of the order of Jesuits, bent his head, and made the sign 
 of the cross. 
 
 " Your majesty alludes to the bloodshed in Hungary ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Leopold, mournfully ; " for I love those poor 
 Hungarians, though they be heretics and rebels, and I long 
 for the rising of the sun of peace upon their unhappy land. 
 O Kircher, if we could but be at peace abroad and at home, 
 how happily would our days glide by ! My court should be 
 the paradise of poetry and love, the home of art, and the tem- 
 ple of all wisdom and science." 
 
 " Your majesty is already the patron of all the arts ; and 
 artists are proud to hail you as their brother. Are you not 
 both a composer of music and a performer ? Do you not rival 
 Hermann, Schildbach, and Hamilton, in painting ? And did 
 you not astonish Fisher von Erlach with the siiggestions you 
 offered him in the planning of the palace of Schonbrunn ? 
 And in all your majesty's dominions, is there a bolder horse- 
 man, a more valiant sportsman, a more graceful dancer than 
 yourself ? " 
 
 "To hear you, Kircher," said Leopold, laughing, "one 
 would suppose that you were describing the attributes of Phoe- 
 bus-Apollo." 
 
 " And so I am," laughed Kircher ; " for out of the letters of 
 your majesty's name, Leopoldus A, did not Sigismund von 
 Birken compose the anagram, ' Deus Apollo ? ' " 
 
 kl It is very easy to make anagrams by misplacing a few let- 
 ters, my dear Kircher ; but to convert a poor terrene German 
 emperor into a Magnus- Apollo, would require the upheaval of 
 mountains by Titan hands, from now until the millennium.
 
 196 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 I would be content to be myself, were I regarded as a benefi- 
 cent and peace-loving monarch. Consilio et Industria is the 
 motto of my choice a motto, which, though inappropriate to 
 a god, is pertinent as the device of a Leopold. I would wish 
 to govern with judgment, and labor industriously for the 
 welfare of my people, accepting with Christian resignation 
 whatever it pleases my Maker to apportion. All I ask of Provi- 
 dence is some little leisure for the cultivation of my favor- 
 ite art. From music I derive such indescribable enjoyment, 
 that, if I could, I would die within hearing of its delicious 
 melody. And, since I have said so much, Kircher, I will go 
 on to request of you, that when my end draws near, you will 
 attend to the fulfilment of ray wish." 
 
 " A melancholy duty you assign to me, gracious sovei'eign," 
 sighed Kircher. "But if I outlive you, it shall be lovingly 
 performed. Let us hope, however, for Austria's sake, that you 
 will survive me by many years." 
 
 " Life and death are in the hands of God," returned Leo- 
 pold, reverently. " And now let us speak of matters less se- 
 rious. Here is the score of a new opera, lately sent to me 
 from Rome. It is called ' La Principessa Fidele,' and is com- 
 posed by Scarlatti, who, as you know, is winning a great rep- 
 utation." 
 
 "Yes," growled Kircher, "he is winning reputation by 
 tickling the ears with soft strains which convey no meaning 
 to the heart." 
 
 " Well, well, maestro, let us hear, before we decide," replied 
 Leopold, laughing. 
 
 Kircher placed the score upon the desk of the spinet, and 
 began to play. The emperor threw himself back again into 
 his arm-chair, and, closing his eyes, listened with an expression 
 of great satisfaction. 
 
 But his pleasure was of short duration. Scarcely had 
 Kircher finished the first grand aria, before the door opened, 
 and the chamberlain of the day presented himself. Leopold 
 frowned, and, raising his head, asked somewhat impatiently, 
 "Well, what is it?" 
 
 " The members of your imperial majesty's council of war 
 are in the anteroom, and solicit an audience."
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 197 
 
 " Ask them to assemble in the small council-chamber, and 
 I will join them in a moment." Then, turning to Kircher, the 
 emperor shook his head. '' Something unusual must have hap- 
 pened for the council to assemble at such an early hour. You 
 see, Kircher, that in these troublous times an emperor can 
 have no leisure hours ; and, however I may yearn to remain, 
 I must leave you." 
 
 " Shall I return to-morrow morning ? " asked Kircher. 
 
 " Happy is the man who can dispose of the morrow," sighed 
 Leopold. " It is more than an Emperor of Germany dare do. 
 I must first ascertain what news my council bring me ; but, 
 under any circumstances, come, Kircher ; for if I am not here, 
 some distant strain of your music may reach my ear to lighten 
 my cares of state." 
 
 Resuming his hat, the emperor left the cabinet, and joined 
 his ministers in the council-chamber. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 
 
 THE president, vice-president, and three members of the 
 council, awaited the entrance of the emperor. The president, 
 the Margrave of Baden, stood in the embrasure of a window, 
 engaged in a whispered conversation with the vice-president, 
 General Count von Starhemberg. whose eyes were continually 
 wandering to the spot where the Duke of Lorraine was pro- 
 foundly engaged in the contemplation of a full-length por- 
 trait of Charles V. Beyond, in the recess of another window, 
 stood the Counts von Kinsky and Portia, conversing in low 
 but earnest tones ; both from time to time glancing at the 
 Duke of Lorraine with an expression of aversion which neither 
 attempted to disguise from the other. 
 
 " Do you think his majesty will bestow the chief com- 
 mand upon his brother - in - law ? " asked General Count 
 Portia. 
 
 ''Yes," replied Count Kinsky, with a shrug. "The emper-
 
 198 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 or is so inordinately fond of the Duke of Lorraine that he 
 fancies him endowed with military genius." 
 
 " General," whispered the Margrave of Baden to Count 
 Starhemberg, " I wish to say something to you in private. Can 
 I rely upon your discretion ? " 
 
 " Your highness does me honor," was the reply, " and I 
 promise absolute silence as regards any thing you may he 
 pleased to communicate." 
 
 " Then I will go to the point at once. The Duke of Lorraine 
 must not have the command of the Austrian army. Do you 
 sustain me ? " 
 
 " Ah ! Your highness, too, hates him." 
 
 The margrave smiled. " My dear general, that little word 
 ' too ' proves that we are of one mind. Yes, I hate the Duke 
 of Lorraine, not per se, nor for any evil quality that I know 
 of. I hate him as one dangerous to the welfare of the state, 
 and too influential with its ruler, the emperor. Though he 
 has the reputation of being a great general, he longs for peace 
 and retirement among his books and maps at home ; and he 
 would rather submit to be humbled by foreign powers than 
 declare war against their aggressions, however insolent. In 
 other words, he hates bloodshed, and, if he is a soldier, he is 
 one that loves the pen far more than he does the sword.". 
 
 "Your highness is right," returned Count Starhemberg; 
 " the duke is no soldier, and his appointment to the chief com- 
 mand of her armies would be a misfortune for Austria. And, 
 worse yet, he is so opiniated that he never will listen to ad- 
 vice." 
 
 u Therefore we must work together to avert his appoint- 
 ment. We need a young commander, brave, ambitious, and 
 eager for renown. " 
 
 " Like Prince Louis of Baden ? " asked Von Starhemberg, 
 smiling. 
 
 " Yes, like Prince Louis of Baden, said the margrave, em- 
 phatically. " He is quite as brave and skilful as the duke ; 
 but he is modest, is willing to listen to advice, and to be guided 
 by the experience of good counsellors. Instead of ruling the 
 war department, he will be ruled by it, and thus we will have 
 unanimity both in field and council. It is to your interest,
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 199 
 
 therefore, to defeat the Duke of Lorraine, and secure the ap- 
 pointment of nay nephew." 
 
 ' Your highness can count on me ; but I am not very san- 
 guine of success. " 
 
 " It may be easier of accomplishment than you think ; at 
 all events let us make the attempt. We must represent war as 
 inevitable ; and, having given an account of the formidable 
 preparations making by the enemy, we must counterbalance it 
 all by a glowing exposition of our own strength and resources. 
 This will arouse the duke's spirit of opposition, and he will 
 forthwith discourse on the horrors of war. I will take advan- 
 tage of his disinclination to fight, to suggest that, with such 
 sentiments, he had better not aspire to command our armies. 
 In your quality of vice-president you come forward to sustain 
 my Chut 1 Here comes the emperor." 
 
 All the members of the council bowed low, except the Duke 
 of Lorraine, who, having his back to the door, had not per- 
 ceived the entrance of the emperor. Leopold crossed the room, 
 and the thickness of the carpet so muffled his footfall that he 
 had his hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder before the latter 
 had become aware of his presence. 
 
 " What are you thinking of ? " asked he, with an affable 
 smile. " You appear to be absorbed in admiration of our great 
 ancestor." 
 
 " Yes, your majesty," replied the duke. " I was admiring 
 the beauty of his noble countenance, and thinking of the pride 
 you must feel when you remember that you are his descend- 
 ant, and that his blood flows in your veins." 
 
 Leopold bent his head in token of assent. " You are right ; 
 I am proud of my descent. Such an ancestry as mine should 
 inspire a man to noble deeds ; and if I encourage pride of 
 birth in my subjects, it is because I believe it to be an incentive 
 to virtue and honor. Remembering, then, with mingled gratu- 
 lation and humility, that we are the posterity of Charles V., 
 let us determine to-day to act in a manner worthy of our great 
 progenitor ; for, by your haste to assemble here this morning, 
 I judge that we have weighty matters to discuss. Be seated, 
 and let us proceed to business." 
 
 So saying, the emperor glided into his arm-chair, which 
 14
 
 200 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 stood behind a semicircular table, immediately under the por 
 trait of Charles V., and his five counsellors occupied the tab- 
 ourets around. 
 
 "And now, my lords," exclaimed Leopold, "let me hear 
 what it is that brings you hither at an hour so unusual." 
 
 " Dispatches from General Count Caprara, your majesty," 
 replied the Margrave Herman of Baden. 
 
 " And from France and Poland, likewise," added the Duke 
 of Lorraine. 
 
 " Let us hear from General Caprara. We sent him to Tur- 
 key to make a last effort at pacification. Our propositions, 
 through him, were such as must have proved to the Porte our 
 earnest longing for peace. Why did the general not present 
 his dispatches in person ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, it is out of his power to do so," was the 
 reply. " Your majesty's proposals were haughtily rejected, 
 and, in their stead, conditions were made which the general 
 could not accept. The grand-vizier was so incensed, that he 
 arrested your envoy, and forced him to accompany the Turkish 
 embassy back to Constantinople. He then marched his army 
 to our frontiers, carrying along your majesty's legation as 
 prisoners of war. At Belgrade one of the secretaries managed 
 to make his escape, and to conceal on his person the letters and 
 documents of the general, which he has ridden day and night 
 to deliver into your majesty's hands." 
 
 " What is the purport of these documents ?" said Leopold, 
 who had listened with perfect calmness to this extraordinary 
 recital. 
 
 "First, your majesty, they contain an account of the gen- 
 eral's peace negotiations. They were all rejected, and the 
 grand-vizier has refused to renew the truce which has just 
 expired. He requires new conditions." 
 
 " Name them," said Leopold. 
 
 The margrave drew from his portfolio a document, and be- 
 gan to read. 
 
 " Austria shall pay yearly tribute to the Porte. She shall 
 raze every fortress she has erected on the Turkish frontier. 
 She shall recognize Count Tokoly as King of Hungary. She 
 shall deliver to him the island of Schutt, the fortress of Co-
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 201 
 
 morn, and all other strongholds in Hungary, and place him 
 on an equal footing with the Prince of Transylvania." 
 
 " Which means neither more nor less than a declaration of 
 war," cried the emperor ; '* and General Caprara would have 
 been a traitor had he listened to such insulting proposals. My 
 patience with this arrogant Moslem is exhausted, and further 
 forbearance would be a disgrace. We have no alternative : 
 we must go to war, trusting in God to defend the right. Our 
 cause is a holy one ; and perhaps, with the blessing of Heaven, 
 it may be granted us to drive the infidel from Europe forever. 
 Go on, margrave. What other news have you ? " 
 
 " Important information, your majesty, as to the strength 
 of the enemy's forces. The Sultan, at Belgrade, reviewed an 
 army of two hundred thousand men, all fully equipped, and 
 anxious to retrieve their losses at St. Gotthard. They have 
 carried their fanaticism to such an extent that they talk of 
 planting the Crescent where the Cross now looms from the 
 towers of St. Stephen's in Vienna. Kara Mustapha himself 
 told General Caprara that, in a few weeks from now, a Sultan 
 of the West would seat himself on the throne of the Emperors 
 of Germany." 
 
 " God will punish his blasphemous boasting," returned 
 Leopold. " God will not suffer the Christian to perish before 
 the might of the Paynim. The die is cast for war, for war ! 
 At least, such is my conviction ; but if any one here be of op- 
 posite mind, let him speak boldly. Freedom of speech in this 
 chamber is not only his right, but his solemn duty." 
 
 " War ! war ! " echoed the councillors, four of them vocifer- 
 ously, the Duke of Lorraine deliberately, and so slowly, that 
 his voice came as an echo of the words that were spoken by 
 his colleagues. 
 
 The emperor was a little surprised. "Your highness is 
 then of our opinion ? " asked he. 
 
 " I am, your majesty. War is inevitable, and we must 
 risk our meagre forces against the two hundred thousand men 
 of the Sultan." 
 
 " True, we are not so numerous as the enemy," observed the 
 Margrave of Baden, " but our men are as well eqiiipped and as 
 enthusiastic as those of the Porte, and, under the leadership
 
 202 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 of such a hero as the Duke of Lorraine, we are certain of 
 victory." 
 
 The duke shook his head. " The greatest general that ever 
 led an army into battle cannot hope for victory, when, to 
 forces immensely superior to his own, he opposes troops 
 neither well armed nor well provided." 
 
 " Happily," replied the margrave, " this is not the case with 
 our men. Without counting the auxiliaries that will be fur- 
 nished by the princes of the empire, we shall oppose a hun- 
 dred thousand men to the Turks. Moreover, we have been 
 preparing for war, and for several months have taken meas- 
 ures to arm our troops and provision them for a campaign." 
 
 " Permit me to dispute your last assertion," replied the 
 duke, whose mild countenance kindled, and whose soft eyes 
 began to glow. "It is my duty to speak the truth to his 
 majesty, and I shall do it fearlessly. No, my liege, we have 
 not a hundred thousand men, and our soldiers are ill equipped 
 and ill provided. As regards the auxiliaries of the princes of 
 the German empire, your majesty knows that their deputies 
 have been in Frankfort for months without having yet held 
 one single council to deliberate on the expediency of sending 
 or not sending re-enforcements to our army. I grieve to say 
 so, but the truth must be spoken. We have an insignificant 
 army, which, of itself, is inadequate to repel the Turkish 
 hordes ; and, should they march to Vienna, our capital must 
 fall, for I regret to say that no measures have been taken for 
 its defence. There are but ten guns on the bastions ; the 
 trenches are so dry that they can be crossed by foot-passengers, 
 and the garrison consists of our ordinary city guard, and one 
 thousand troops of the line. For Vienna to withstand a siege 
 in this defenceless condition is impossible ; and, should the 
 Turks be allowed to march hither, your majesty would have 
 to surrender." 
 
 " Your majesty," interrupted Count Starhemberg, vehe- 
 mently, " leave to me the defence of Vienna, and I swear that, 
 sooner than deliver your capital to the Turks, I will perish 
 under its ruins." 
 
 " And I," added the margrave, " solemnly adjure your ma- 
 jesty not to confide the chief command of your forces to the
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 203 
 
 Duke of Lorraine, for it is evident that he does not desire so 
 perilous an appointment. His highness has no confidence in 
 our ability to prosecute the war successfully ; and no general 
 can lead his soldiers to victory who beforehand is convinced 
 that they are destined to suffer defeat. " 
 
 " No general can lead his soldiers to victory who refuses to 
 contemplate the possibilities of defeat," exclaimed the Duke of 
 Lorraine, whose handsome face began to show traces of anger. 
 " To estimate his strength at its real value, he must at least 
 learn something of the size and condition of his army. It is 
 the duty of a commander-in-chief to see with his own eyes, 
 and decide from his own observation ; for him, the men and 
 stores that are exhibited to view on the green cloth of a table 
 within the walls of a council-chamber have no significance 
 whatever." 
 
 " Does your highness accuse me of an intention to deceive 
 his majesty ? " cried the margrave, haughtily. " Do you " 
 
 " Peace, gentlemen, peace ! " interrupted the emperor. 
 " We are here to war with the stranger, not with our own flesh 
 and blood. Every man present shall speak his mind without 
 censure from his colleagues ; and he who prevaricates is no true 
 subject of mine. You are all free to discuss our difficulties ; it 
 remains for me to decide in what manner they shall be met. 
 I beg to recall this fact to Count Starhemberg, who unsolicited 
 has offered to take upon himself the defence of Vienna. My 
 heartfelt thanks are due to the Duke of Lorraine for his frank 
 exposition of our disabilities ; he is now, as ever, the cham- 
 pion of truth and right. Has the Margrave of Baden any 
 further dispatches to lay before us ? " 
 
 " No, your majesty," answered the margrave, pale with 
 anger. 
 
 " Then let us have those of his highness of Lorraine," re- 
 turned Leopold, with an affectionate glance at his brother-in- 
 law. 
 
 " I have couriers, your majesty, from Count von Mansfeld 
 and from Count von Waldstein." 
 
 " Let us hear the news from Paris first," replied Leopold, 
 slightly frowning. '' Let us hear from our hereditaiy foe, 
 who, under pretence of coming to our rescue, pillages our
 
 204: PRINCE EUGENE AND HIP TIMES. 
 
 property while the house is on fire. We know full well that 
 this fair-spoken Louis is in secret league with our foes at home 
 and abroad, and we confess that when he invited us to he 
 sponsor to his grandson, we accepted the honor with an ill 
 grace. By-the-by, has the young dauphin been baptized ? " 
 
 " Yes, your majesty, and Count von Mansfeld was your im- 
 perial majesty's proxy. After the ceremony the king held a 
 long and gracious conversation with your majesty's represent- 
 ative, in which he expressed his great sympathy with your 
 majesty, and requested Count Mansfeld to say that he remem- 
 bered you night and morning in his prayers." 
 
 "The King of France will deceive neither the Lord of 
 heaven nor His servant the ruler of Austria, with his prayers," 
 exclaimed Leopold, with some show of warmth. " He merely 
 means to say that he intends to give us nothing more substan- 
 tial. Would he but content himself with cold neutrality, we 
 would be willing to accept his prayers instead of his works. 
 But while he prays for us, he gives aid and comfort to our 
 enemies, who are less our enemies than such a sanctimonious 
 friend. But, enough of the King of France ! To such an of- 
 fensive message I have no answer to return. " 
 
 " Count von Mansfeld left Paris at once, your majesty, and 
 proceeded to Spain to urge the claims of his imperial highness, 
 the Archduke Charles, to the Spanish succession." 
 
 " Now let us hear from Count von Waldstein and Warsaw." 
 
 " Count von Waldstein was received with distinguished con- 
 sideration. The King of Poland, at least, is your imperial 
 majesty's friend. You remember that his wife is a French 
 woman ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Leopold, shaking his head, "and a woman 
 whose birth is not illustrious enough for her station." 
 
 "She is, nevertheless, Queen of Poland, my liege, and is 
 recognized as such by the Poles. When the grandson of 
 the King of France was born, he purposely sent notification 
 of the event to the King of Poland, ignoring in" his dispatches 
 the queen. This omission of a courtesy, customary among 
 royal heads, offended the queen ; and to her resentment we 
 are to attribute the gracious reception given to our ambassa- 
 dor. My liege, our alliance with Poland is a fixed fact. A
 
 THE COUNCIL OF WAR. 205 
 
 treaty has been concluded, by which John Sobiesky pledges 
 himself to sustain Austria against Turkey, furnishing at once 
 forty thousand men who are ready for action as soon as 
 needed." 
 
 '* To what are we pledged in return for this ? " asked Leopold. 
 
 " Merely to furnish on our part sixty thousand men, and to 
 consult with his majesty as to our operations." 
 
 " To consult with him ! " repeated the emperor. " This 
 looks as though he expected to take part in our plans for the 
 prosecution of this war, instead of recognizing us as com- 
 mander-in-chief . '' 
 
 " To exact such recognition from him would be unseemly," 
 replied the duke. " The King of Poland is a great captain as 
 well as a crowned head ; and it would ill become us to dictate 
 to a warrior, from whom we should all regard it as a privilege 
 to receive advice. Moreover, as a crowned head, John Sobi- 
 osky is entitled to the first rank in the field as well as in the 
 cabinet." 
 
 " He is nothing more than an elected ruler," observed Leo- 
 pold, with a shrug. " For want of a better alliance, I must 
 content myself with that of John Sobiesky ; but I put the 
 question to you suppose he were to come to Vienna, how 
 should I receive or entertain an elected king ? " 
 
 " With open arms, if he come to deliver us from our foes,"* 
 was the prompt reply. " Welcome are all who visit us as true 
 friends, but doubly welcome those who come in time of need. 
 The King of Poland has been the first prince to respond to our 
 offers of alliance, the first to co-operate with us in our struggle 
 with the infidel." 
 
 " But he will not be the last," interposed the Margrave of 
 Baden. " I, too, have good news for you, my liege. The Elect- 
 or of Bavaria, to whom I wrote for aid in your majesty's ap- 
 proaching troubles, has promised not only a considerable body 
 of troops, but offers to command them in person. The Elector 
 of Saxony, too, I think, will co-operate with us. The council of 
 the states of the German empire also are in session at Frank 
 fort, to consult as to the expediency of joining your majesty's 
 standard." 
 
 * The duke's own words. See Armath, " Prince Eugene of Savoy," vol. L
 
 206 PRINCE EUGENE AND IIIS TIMES. 
 
 " And before the electors equip their men, and the council 
 make up their mind, the Turks will have marched to Vienna, 
 unless we make a junction with the King of Poland and inter- 
 cept them on their way. Each day of delay increases the peril, 
 for they are already on this side of Belgrade. Unless we can 
 oppose them now, we are lost, and all Bavaria, Saxony, and 
 the states of the empire, cannot avert our doom." 
 
 "Then, in God's name, let us act at once," cried the emper- 
 or, rising from his seat. " President of the war department, 
 let your troops be in readiness to march, and see that our men 
 are equipped and provisioned." 
 
 " Your majesty's commands shall be obeyed." 
 
 u Duke of Lorraine," continued Leopold, " I appoint you to 
 the chief command of my forces. Go forth, and, with the 
 blessing of God, do battle for Christendom and Germany." 
 
 "I accept, your majesty," returned the duke, solemnly 
 bending his head. " Victory is in the hands of Almighty 
 God ; but bravery, loyalty, and struggle unto death, I promise, 
 on behalf of your majesty's army." 
 
 '' Count Rudiger von Starhemberg," resumed the emperor, 
 " your petition is granted. To you I commit the defence of 
 my capital." 
 
 " Thanks, your : lajesty," exclaimed Von Starhemberg fer- 
 vently. " I will defend it with the last drop of my blood ; 
 and if Vienna fall into the hands of the infidel, he shall find 
 nothing left of her stateliness, save a heap of ruins and the 
 lifeless bodies of her defenders." 
 
 " To you, Counts Portia and Kin sky, I commit the direction 
 of the war department, in conjunction with your colleague, 
 the Margrave of Baden. Let couriers be dispatched to all the 
 European courts with information of our declaration of war 
 against the Porte. Let it be announced to the world that, for 
 the good of Christendom, Leopold has grasped the sword ; 
 and, in this new crusade, may he confound the unbelieving 
 Turk, and glorify the standard of the Christian, in the name 
 of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And may 
 the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Christ, vouchsafe her pro- 
 tection and her prayers 1 "
 
 THE PLAINS OF KITSEE. 207 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE PLAINS OF KITSEE. 
 
 ON the first of May, 1683, the Emperor Leopold reviewed 
 his troops on the plains of Kitsee, not far from Presburg. To 
 this review, all who had promised to sustain Austria were in- 
 vited. Her appeals had at last roused the German princes to 
 action ; but they had been so dilatory in their councils, that 
 not one of them was prepared for war. 
 
 The army assembled on the plains of Kitsee was not nu- 
 merous. There were thirty -three thousand men in all, who, 
 with their faded uniforms and defective weapons, made no 
 great show. 
 
 The emperor, as he emerged from his tent, looked dis- 
 couraged. Sternly he rode forth on his richly-caparisoned 
 gray horse, and, when his men greeted him with en- 
 thusiastic shouts, he bowed his head in silence, and sighed 
 heavily. 
 
 He turned to Charles of Lorraine, who rode a few paces be- 
 hind him, and said : 
 
 "Come hither, Carl." The duke obeyed at once, and at 
 one bound was at the emperor's side. '' Tell me, Carl," said 
 he, anxiously, "how many infantry are there here ? " 
 
 " Twenty -two thousand, your majesty." 
 
 " And cavalry ? " 
 
 "Twelve thousand mounted troops." 
 
 u About what may be the strength of the enemy ? " 
 
 "Your majesty, our scouts report that the combined forces 
 of Turkey and Hungary amount to more than two hundred 
 thousand." 
 
 Leopold raised his eyes to the calm, self-possessed face of 
 his brother-in-law. " You say that, as quietly as if it were a 
 pleasant piece of news ; and yet methinks we are in a critical 
 position." 
 
 " Your majesty, I have known this for so long a time that 
 I am accustomed to contemplate it with equanimity. Before 
 our decision was made, I was timid and irresolute ; but since
 
 PRINCE EUGEXE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the die is cast, I am bold and self-reliant, for I know that I 
 will either conquer or die." 
 
 '' You think success then a possibility ! With thirty -three 
 thousand men, you hope to repulse two hundred thousand ? " 
 
 " The King of Poland adds forty thousand to our number, 
 the Electors of Bavaria and Saxony are making preparations 
 to re-enforce us, and the other princes of Germany u ill soon 
 follow their example. The Moslem has put out all his sti-eiigth 
 for one decisive blow ; the longer we avoid an engagement the 
 weaker he grows ; while time to us brings accession of num- 
 bers, and lessens his chance for reaching Vienna/' 
 
 The emperor shook his head. '' That you are a hero, Carl, 
 I confess : this hour proves you one. But I cannot share your 
 hopefulness. When I look around me at all these men, and 
 think that they are death-doomed, my heart grows faint, and 
 my eyes dim." 
 
 " Do not think so much of the number of your troops, sire; 
 look at their countenances. See those stern, resolute faces, 
 and those fiery eyes. Every man of them chafes to march 
 against the infidel " 
 
 " Hurrah for our emperor ! " cried out a lusty voice, close 
 by. " Hurrah for our general, Charles of Lorraine ! " 
 
 " Ah, Christopher 111, are you there ? " cried the duke, cor- 
 dially. 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied the cuirassier, while his 
 horse stepped a few paces in front of the ranks. " Yes, your 
 highness, I am here to fight the infidel with a will as good as 
 I had at St. Gotthard's twenty years ago. That was a glorious 
 day ; and I thank God that I am alive to see your highness 
 win another victory as great over the insolent Turk." 
 
 "You think, then, that we will be victorious, Christo- 
 pher ? " 
 
 " Ay, indeed, your highness, for God is with us." 
 
 " Bravely spoken," said the emperor, gazing with visible 
 satisfaction at the wrinkled face and snow-white beard of the 
 old cuirassier. 
 
 The Duke of Lorraine signed to him to advance. " Your 
 majesty," said he to Leopold, " allow me to present one of your 
 bravest soldiers, Christopher 111. In all the army there is not
 
 THE PLAINS OF KITSEE. 200 
 
 a man as old as his youngest son, and I venture to say that he 
 is the oldest man iu Europe under arms." 
 
 '" That is a broad assertion," replied Leopold. '' How old 
 may you be, Christopher 111 ? '' 
 
 " Last Thursday I was a hundred and nine years old, please 
 your imperial majesty," said Christopher, bowing to his sad- 
 dle-bow. 
 
 '* A hundred and nine years old ! " cried Leopold, incredu- 
 lously. '' Nay that is impossible. No man of that age could 
 sit a horse or carry a sword as you do." 
 
 " Your majesty, it is said in Holy Writ, that, when our fore- 
 fathers were five hundred years old, they were young and 
 lusty ; and I can assure my emperor, that when once I am on 
 my horse, with my sabre in hand, I will fight with the best lad 
 of twenty years. I mount rather stiffly, because of a wound I 
 received at Leipsic when we had the ill-luck to be defeated by 
 Gustavus Adolphus." 
 
 " Why, man, do you mean to say that fifty -two years ago 
 you were in the army ? " 
 
 " Yes, sire ; and there I received the wound from which I 
 still suffer to -day. The battle of Leipsic was far from being 
 my first : it may have been the twentieth, but I am not quite 
 sure. When first I entered the service, I used to mark our 
 battles with a red cross when we were victorious, and a black 
 one when we were unfortunate ; but, after I had been in the 
 army for twenty years, I stopped. There were too many fights 
 to record." 
 
 " But you can remember your first battle, can you not ? " 
 
 " Certainly, sire. I began, as I am likely to end, by fight- 
 ing the Porte ; and we defeated him then, as we assuredly in 
 tend to do now." 
 
 *' When was it ? " asked Leopold, with interest. 
 
 u Eighty years ago, sire, when the Hungarians and Turks 
 made war upon the Emperor Rudolph the Second. Yes, even 
 then, the dogs were after Vienna, and those mutinous Hunga- 
 rians were giving trouble to your majesty's forefathers. The 
 Emperor Mathias. who succeeded his brother, made a treaty 
 with them for twenty years, for we had as much on our hands 
 as we could manage, with the rebels of Bohemia. They rose
 
 frfclNCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 again and again under the three Ferdinands, but we brought 
 them down at last. I have served under six emperors, and all 
 have vanquished their enemies, even, as my last gracious 
 sovereign Leopold shall do. Long live our Leopold, the con- 
 queror of the Turks ! " 
 
 " Long live our Leopold ! " shouted the cuirassiers, delight- 
 ed with the condescension of the emperor to Christopher. 
 The shout was taken up by the other troops, until it resounded 
 like rolling thunder along the plains of Kitsee. 
 
 The emperor greeted his army with something like a re- 
 flection of their enthusiasm, and then returned to Christopher. 
 
 " Christopher," said he, " you have served under six em- 
 perors, and have done more than your duty toward Austria. 
 I give you your discharge, for he who has worked faithfully 
 all day has a right to rest when night sets in. I appoint you 
 castellan of my palace at Innspruck ; and, in addition to your 
 salary, bestow upon you a pension of four hundred florins." 
 
 " Thank your majesty, but indeed I cannot go," replied the 
 old man, resolutely. "I hardly think the Turkish hounds 
 will ever get as far as Innspruck, so I must e'en go forward 
 with the army to fight them wherever they are to be met. My 
 night has not yet set in, sire." 
 
 " What ! " cried Leopold, laughing, " you refuse ? " 
 
 " Yes, your majesty. I crave neither pension nor sinecure. 
 I intend to follow the army, and, if God calls me hence, then 
 I shall be willing to rest ; but before I go I hope to mow- 
 down a few Turks' heads to take to St. Peter, for him to use as 
 balls when he plays ninepins. But, if your imperial majesty 
 will grant it, you might do me a favor." 
 
 " What is it, my brave cuirassier ? tell me." 
 
 "Your majesty, will you allow me to present my sons, 
 grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons ? They 
 are all in my regiment." 
 
 " The Eleventh Cuirassiers of Herberstein, your majesty," 
 added the Duke of Lorraine. 
 
 " Ah," cried the emperor, in a voice intended to be heard by 
 all the men, " that is an old and renowned i-egiment. Were 
 you in it, Christopher, when it was commanded by the great 
 Dampierreinl619?"
 
 THE PLAIN'S OF KITSEE. 211 
 
 "Yes, your majesty, I was the first man enrolled. I was 
 there when the regiment rescued the Emperor Ferdinand from 
 a body of insurgents, who had surrounded his imperial palace, 
 and were trying to compel him to abdicate. Just as they 
 were forcing the gates, the trumpets of Dampierre sounded an 
 alarm, and the emperor was saved. The cuirassiers galloped 
 into the midst of the insurgents, and dispersed them like so 
 many cats." 
 
 " And to reward their loyalty and opportune aid," cried the 
 emperor, " Ferdinand conferred upon the Eleventh Cuirassiers 
 the privilege of riding through Vienna, trumpet sounding and 
 colors flying, and of pitching their tents on the Burgplatz."* 
 
 " Hurrah ! Hurrah ! The emperor knows our history," 
 shouted Christopher 111. 
 
 " Hurrah ! Hurrah ! " echoed the regiment, and once more 
 through the plains of Kitsee rang the jubilant cry, " Long live 
 Leopold ! Long live our emperor ! " 
 
 " And now," said the emperor, when the shouts had died 
 away, "now let me see your children, my brave veteran. 
 Baron Dupin," added Leopold, addressing himself to the colo- 
 nel of the regiment, " will you permit them to step out of their 
 ranks ? " 
 
 Baron Dupin bowed, and, riding to the front with drawn 
 sword, he called out : " All the descendants of Christopher 
 Ill-forward ! " 
 
 There was a general movement among the cuirassiers, and 
 fifty-four men rode up, and clustered around their common 
 ancestor. There were bronzed faces with white beards 
 others with gray ; there were men in the prime of life, and 
 others in the flower ; there were youths approaching man- 
 hood, and lads that had scarcely emerged from childhood ; but 
 from peeping bud to fruit that was about to fall, they one and 
 all resembled their parent stem ; every mother's son of them 
 had Christopher Ill's aquiline nose, and large, sparkling eyes. 
 
 "Your majesty perceives," said the old man, looking 
 proudly around him, "that if I have sabred many a Turk's 
 
 * This is historical, and in 1819, on the two hundredth anniversary of the 
 rescue, the privilege was extended to the present time. See Austrian Plu- 
 tarch.
 
 212 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 head, I have replaced each one by that of a Christian ; so that 
 I owe nothing to humanity for the damage my sword has 
 done. Now, boys, cry out, ' Long live the emperor ! ' "' 
 
 So the hoys, young and old, echoed the shout ; the regi- 
 ment took it up, and for the third time Leopold's heart was 
 cheered by the enthusiastic affection of the army. 
 
 '' Well, Christopher,'' said he, gayly, " although you reject 
 my pension for yourself, you will not, I hope, reject it for 
 your sons. Let it be divided between them, and long may 
 you live to see them enjoy it ! " 
 
 With these words, the emperor raised his hat, and waving 
 it in token of adieu, he returned to his tent, far happier than 
 he had left it some hours before. 
 
 " Carl," said he to the Duke of Lorraine, " I thank you for 
 presenting Christopher 111 to my notice. That old man's 
 spirit is catching, and I feel the pleasant infection. I recog- 
 nize the might of bravery, and it seems as if my small army 
 had doubled its numbers. This veteran, who in his person 
 unites the history of six of my predecessors, has taught me 
 that individuals are nothing in the sight of God. Six em- 
 perors have succumbed to the immutable laws of Nature, but 
 the house of Hapsburg is still erect. What, then, if I meet 
 with reverses ? The Lord has given me a son, who, if I should 
 be unfortunate, will prop up our dynasty, and avenge his 
 father's misfortunes." 
 
 " We will try to leave him none to avenge, sire. Your 
 men are full of loyalty, and God will preserve your majesty's 
 life until your son is fit to be your successor. " 
 
 " His holy will be done ! " said Leopold, crossing himself ; 
 then, having given orders for an advance upon the fortress of 
 Neuhausel, he changed his dress preparatory to starting for 
 Vienna. 
 
 He had just been equipped in his black travelling-suit when 
 Prince Louis of Baden entered the tent, followed by a young 
 man whose simple costume presented a striking contrast to 
 the magnificence of the uniforms around. He wore a brown 
 coat buttoned up to the throat, leaving visible merely the ends 
 of his cravat of costly Venetian lace. Ruffles of the same en- 
 circled his white hands, which, it was easy to see, had never
 
 THE PLAINS OF KlTSEE. 213 
 
 been hardened by work, or browned by the sun. His face, 
 though youthful, bore traces of thought and suffering ; and 
 his bearing was self-possessed, although every eye was upon 
 him. 
 
 ''Whom bring you hither?" inquired Leopold, with a 
 smile. 
 
 " Your majesty, I bring nothing but a young Savoyard : 
 nevertheless I predict that, one of these days, he will be one 
 of the great generals of the world."* 
 
 " I am not so presumptuous as to expect that I will ever 
 rival Prince Louis of Baden or Charles of Lorraine," said Eu- 
 gene. " All I have to ask of your majesty is the favor of be- 
 ing allowed to serve under them.'" 
 
 There was a pause. Everybody looked in amazement at 
 the bold being who, all court etiquette disregarding, had ven- 
 tured to address the emperor without being spoken to by his 
 majesty ; but he was perfectly unconscious of his blunder. 
 He looked so frank, so modest, and yet so unembarrassed, that 
 the emperor was disarmed, and a smile nickered over his pleas- 
 ant face. 
 
 " I see that he is a stranger," was Leopold's deprecatory re- 
 mark. "Present him, your highness, that I may welcome 
 him to Austria." 
 
 The prince, taking the young man by the hand, led him 
 up to the emperor. 
 
 " Sire, I have the honor to present you my kinsman, Prince 
 Eugene of Savoy. He has come to Austria to join his brother, 
 and, like him, to serve under the Austrian flag." 
 
 "Prince Eugene of Savoy, you are welcome to Austria," 
 said Leopold, graciously. 
 
 Eugene answered the salutation by a low bow, and then 
 calmly raised his head. But Prince Louis of Baden whispered 
 in his ear, " The Spanish genuflection quick ! bend the 
 knee ! " 
 
 Eugene looked surprised, for he had not understood the 
 warning. But the emperor had overheard, and came once 
 more to the rescue. 
 
 * The Margrave of Baden's own words. See Arniath, "Prince Eugene," 
 vol. i., p. 23.
 
 214 PiUNCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "Never mind the Spanish genuflection," interposed he, 
 with a good-natured laugh. " The prince is not my subject ; 
 he has heen educated in France, where people know little or 
 nothing of the customs and usages of our court." 
 
 But scarcely were the words out of Leopold's mouth before 
 Eugene had approached his arm-chair, and had fallen on one 
 knee. 
 
 "Sire," said he, in his soft, melodious voice, whose tones 
 went straight to the emperor's heart, "allow me to consider 
 myself as your subject, and to render you homage according 
 to the usages of your majesty's court. It is my misfortune to 
 have been educated in France, and thereby to have lost twenty 
 years of my life." 
 
 "Why lost?" inquired Leopold. "What was wanting in 
 France to make you happy ? " 
 
 " Every thing, sire ! " cried Eugene, warmly. u And the 
 only thing I did not want was thrust upon me." 
 
 " What was that ? " 
 
 " The tonsttre, sire. I begged the King of France for an in- 
 significant commission in his army ; I was scornfully repulsed. 
 And now that I have shaken the dust of his dominions from 
 my feet, I never wish to return thither unless 
 
 "Well," said the emperor, as Eugene paused. "Finish 
 your sentence. ' Unless ' 
 
 Eugene raised his magnificent eyes until they met those of 
 the emperor. Then, in a calm voice, he continued : 
 
 "Unless I could do so as his majesty's victorious enemy." * 
 
 " Your majesty sees that he is the stuff of which heroes are 
 made," observed Louis of Baden. 
 
 "You do not love France ? " said Leopold. 
 
 "Sire, my family and I have suffered persecution at the 
 hands of the French monarch, and I yearn for satisfaction. 
 Your majesty sees how unfit I am to be a priest, for I cannot 
 love, my enemies, nor do good to those who despiteful ly use 
 we." 
 
 " Let us hope that you will learn this lesson later. Mean- 
 while you seem more fitted for the career of a soldier than the 
 vocation of a churchman. Your appearance here reminds me 
 * Eugene's own words. See Rend, " Mazariu's Js ieces."
 
 THE PLAINS OF KITSEE. 215 
 
 of my own youth. I, too, was destined for the priesthood, and 
 wore the garb of an abbe. I was a younger son, and nothing 
 but an appendage to royalty. But it pleased God of His serv- 
 ant to make a sovereign, and to send as His messenger, death. 
 My brother Ferdinand, the hope of Austria, died, and I stepped 
 forth from my insignificance to become the heir to a mighty 
 empire. Your brother Louis has frequently mentioned you to 
 me, and from him I learned that at the French court you were 
 known as ' the little abbe ! ' If of me, who was once a novice, 
 Almighty God has made an emperor of you, little abbe, He 
 may make a great warrior ! " 
 
 " Sire, my fate is in His hands ; but all that lies in my own, 
 I will do to serve your majesty as your loyal subject, hoping 
 to follow from afar in the footsteps of the distinguished models 
 before me. " At the same time, Eugene bowed low to the Duke 
 of Lorraine. 
 
 " Will you take him as your pupil ? " asked Leopold of his 
 brother-in-law. " No one in Austria can teach him better how 
 to win laurels." 
 
 " With your majesty's permission, I accept the task," re- 
 plied the duke. " But he must expect to find me a hard mas- 
 ter, and, as my pupil in war, to have little leisure for aught 
 else." 
 
 " You see," said Leopold, gayly, " what a miserable lot you 
 have chosen for yourself. You have fallen from Scylla into 
 Chary bdis, my poor youth." 
 
 " I have my Ulysses, your majesty, in his highness of Lor- 
 raine. I give myself up to his sage guidance." 
 
 " If Prince Eugene is as ready with his sword as with his 
 tongue, my enemies will have to look out, methinks," cried 
 Leopold. " So take him along, Duke of Lorraine, and of the 
 little abbe of the King of France make a great captain for the 
 Emperor of Austria." 
 
 " With your majesty's permission, I will confer upon him 
 the rank of colonel, and the first vacancy that occurs. Until 
 then, prince, you can accompany me as a volunteer." 
 
 " As a volunteer for life, your highness." replied Eugene ; 
 " and, although I have already to thank his majesty for much 
 gracious encouragement, I feel more grateful to him for plac- 
 15
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ing me under your highness's orders, than for any other of the 
 fa voi-s he has so kindly bestowed upon me to-day." 
 
 " I am glad to know it," returned the emperor. " Follow 
 your leader, then, my young friend ; and sec that, although 
 you have relinquished the priesthood, you hold fast to Chris- 
 tianity. We part for a time, hut we shall meet again before 
 long. Let us hope that it may be to give thanks to God for 
 victory and peace." 
 
 The emperor then rose, and, followed by his officers, left 
 the tent. His carriage stood without, and in a few moments, 
 amid the respectful greetings of his staff, and the hurrahs of 
 the army, he disappeared from the plains of Kitsee. 
 
 The Duke of Lorraine signed to Eugene to follow him. 
 Laying his hand gently upon the prince's shoulder, he said : 
 " Young man, you have requested me to be your instructor, 
 and I have accepted the office, for you please me, and my 
 heart inclines toward you. Let me then begin at once. I 
 wish to give you some advice." 
 
 " I am all attention, your highness." 
 
 " Weigh well your words, before you give them utterance. 
 You will find enemies in the Austrian ranks, as well as in 
 those of the Turkish army. You have already gained a few ; 
 and by-and-by, if you are not careful, you will have as many 
 as myself." 
 
 "What can I have done, your highness, during the half 
 hour I have spent in his majesty's tent, to provoke enmity 
 from the strangers around me ? That you should have ene- 
 mies, I comprehend ; for distinction always calls forth envy. 
 But I, an unknown youth ! who could envy me ? " 
 
 " Those who saw how graciously you were welcomed by 
 the Emperor of Austria. But that is not all. You have of- 
 fended your kinsman, Louis of Baden. It was he who present- 
 ed you to the king. He is a brave and distinguished officer, 
 and deserved all the compliments you bestowed upon me. Be- 
 lieve me, if you know your own interest, you will select him 
 for your model and master in the art of war. He will be flat- 
 tered at your preference, and will serve you efficiently. His 
 friendship is worth having." 
 
 " I love Louis of Baden from my heart," said Eugene ; "and,
 
 THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD. 217 
 
 after your highness, he has the first place in my consideration 
 and esteem." 
 
 " After me, say you ? Give him the first place, and he will 
 procure you rapid advancement. For myself, I am unpopu- 
 lar, and if you love or respect me, do so in secret. You will 
 not long have been an Austrian officer before you make the 
 discovery that it is not politic to praise Charles of Lorraine." 
 
 CHAPTEB IX. 
 
 THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD. 
 
 WAR had begun . Kara Mustapha advanced into Austria, 
 looking neither to the right nor the left, marching onward, 
 onward to Vienna. Such obstacles as he encountered on his 
 way he removed by the might and strength of his forces, as 
 an elephant lifts his ponderous foot to crush a pigmy lying in 
 his path. His march was through burning villages and devas- 
 tated fields ; the glare of his torch illumined the sky, the blood 
 of his victims reddened the earth. Austria's desponding hopes 
 were concentrated upon the Duke of Lorraine ; for the King 
 of Poland had not arrived, and the Elector of Bavaria was yet 
 undecided. 
 
 The army of the allied enemies increased daily, while that 
 of the Austrians was decimated partly by contagious diseases, 
 partly by a division of their forces, for the defence of the 
 only fortress which was in a condition to arrest the advance of 
 the Turks. 
 
 The duke's army, which now numbered twenty -three thou- 
 sand men, was encamped in front of the fortress of Raab ; for 
 here the Turks would make their first attack, and to possess 
 Raab was to hold the key of Upper Hungary and Central Aus- 
 tria. The army had halted there in the course of the after- 
 noon, but, as night approached, the hum of action gradually 
 ceased, and gloomy silence reigned throughout. No groups 
 of merry soldiers gathered round the camp-fires with laugh, or 
 jest, or mirthful song. Some slept from exhaustion and dis-
 
 218 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 couragernent, others sat mournfully gazing toward the east, 
 which, unlike the dark horizon around, was lit up with a fiery 
 glow, that marked the advance of the ferocious invaders. In 
 one tent pitched on a hillock that overlooked the camp-ground, 
 a faint light shone through the crevices of the curtain ; and 
 this glimmering spark was the only sign of life that was to be 
 seen. The rest of the camp was in utter darkness. 
 
 The tent whence beamed this solitary light was that of the 
 commander-in-chief, to whom his scouts had just brought in- 
 telligence which necessitated prompt action. He had sent for 
 General Caprara and Prince Louis of Baden ; and when his 
 interview with them was at an end, he dispatched his adjutant 
 for Prince Eugene of Savoy. 
 
 In a few moments Eugene raised the hangings of the tent 
 and silently saluted his commander. The latter seemed not 
 to have perceived his entrance. He stood before a table, lean- 
 ing over a map on which he was tracing and retracing lines 
 with his fingers. Eugene stepped closer, and followed the 
 motions of the duke with his eyes. He seemed to understand 
 them ; for his countenance expressed anxiety and astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 A long pause ensued, after which the duke raised his head 
 and spoke : 
 
 " You have been here for some time ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness ; I came as soon as I received your 
 orders. 1 ' 
 
 " I saw the shadow of your head on the map. You were 
 watching my fingers attentively. I was glad to see that you 
 were interested. What did you infer from your inspection of 
 the map ? " 
 
 " I will try to tell your highness as well as I can," was the 
 modest reply. " You began by drawing a line from Stuhl- 
 weissenburg with three fingers. This represented the Turkish 
 army, composed of three columns. Your forefinger represented 
 the left wing, your third the right wing, and your middle fin- 
 ger the main body of the army. The two wings were then de- 
 tached, and made a circuitous march to capture the fortress 
 of Wesgrim. They again joined the main army, and I saw, 
 with astonishment, that the consolidated forces had flanked
 
 THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD. 219 
 
 Raab, Comorn, and Leopoldstadt, had passed by the shores of 
 the Neusidler Sea, and were now encamped on the banks of 
 the Leitha." 
 
 " You have guessed most accurately," cried the duke, who 
 had listened in amazement to Eugene's reply. 
 
 " It was not difficult to do," remarked the latter. " Since I 
 have had the honor of serving under your highness, I have 
 studied this map daily. I know every thicket, every forest, 
 every stream laid down upon it. The whole country which 
 it comprises is as familiar to me as if I surveyed it all at a 
 glance. It is not, then, surprising that I should understand 
 the movements of your highness's fingers." 
 
 '' You think it quite natural I consider it extraordinary. 
 But you have raised my curiosity to know whether you also 
 were able to interpret what followed." 
 
 " After accompanying the enemy to the banks of the 
 Leitha, your highness stopped, raised your hand, and laid your 
 finger upon the fortress of Raab. This, of course, denotes the 
 position of our own army, and the direction in which we are 
 to move." 
 
 " Move ? We came here to defend this stronghold." 
 
 " We have been flanked, and have nothing to gain by a de- 
 fence of Raab. With your finger, then, upon Raab, you were 
 deliberating as to the route we are to take ; since it is evident 
 that, if we are not prompt, we will be cut off from Vienna. 
 You made two divisions of your army. One finger traced a 
 line across the island of Schiitt to Presburg, and thence to 
 Vienna ; this, I presume, denotes the march of the infantry. 
 The other finger, on the left bank of the Danube, drew a line 
 from Wieselburg to Hainburg, and this route would be for our 
 cavalry it is too rough for foot -soldiers." 
 
 The duke listened with growing interest, and when Eugene 
 ceased, he put his arm affectionately around the neck of the 
 young officer, and exclaimed, '' I congratulate you, Eugene. 
 You will be a great captain. You will be a better general than 
 I. Let us hope that you will also be a more fortunate one 
 that you will complete what I ihave t begun avenge Austria's 
 wrongs on France, .and restore her to her place as one of the 
 four great powers. You have not only the instincts of a
 
 220 ttuxcfi EUGE.M; AND HIS 
 
 soldier, but the quickness and penetration which constitute 
 military genius. My pupil, I think, will ere long become my 
 master." 
 
 " Ah ! '' replied Eugene, " unless you keep me as a pupil, I 
 shall never become a master. " 
 
 " The little that I know you shall learn from me, Eugene. 
 I have predicted for you a glorious career, and, as far as lies in 
 my power, I will contribute to your success. But success is as 
 much the fruit of policy as of genius. You must not proclaim 
 your preference for me to the world ; it will impede your ad- 
 vancement. To obtain promotion you must be an ostensible 
 adherent of my enemies ; and for this reason I shall give you 
 some command near the persons of General Caprara and Louis 
 of Baden." 
 
 " Your highness, Louis of Baden is not " 
 
 " My enemy, you would say ? Believe me, I know human 
 nature better than you do ; but I have no resentment against 
 Louis on account of his animosity. He is young, ambitious, 
 and capable ; it is therefore but natural that he should covet 
 my position. He will obtain it. for all my enemies will give 
 him their suffrages, and chief among them all is the Margrave 
 Herman. I, on the contrary, have but one friend the em- 
 peror." 
 
 " But the emperor is a host within himself," cried Eugene. 
 
 " If you think so, it is because yru are unacquainted with 
 the intrigues of the Austrian court. The privy council has 
 more power than Leopold ; and the veritable ruler of Austria 
 is the minister of war, who, from his green-covered table, 
 plans our battles and commands our armies. What do you 
 suppose are my instructions from the war department ? I 
 must first, with my thirty-three thousand men, hold the entire 
 Turkish army in check ; I must garrison Raab, Comorn, and 
 Leopoldstadt ; I must defend fifty miles of frontier between 
 the pass of Jublunkau and Pettau ; I must oppose the passage 
 of the enemy to Vienna ; and having accomplished all these 
 impossibilities, I must end by giving him battle wherever and 
 whenever I meet him." * 
 
 ' Impossible, indeed ! " cried Eugene, indignantly. 
 
 * Kausler, " Life of Eugene of Savoy."
 
 THE HAPTISM OF BLOOD. 221 
 
 " And, for that very reason, assigned to me as my duty. 
 For, as I shall certainly not accomplish it, there will be an out- 
 cry at my incapacity, and a pretext for my removal. I shall 
 fulfil my obligations nevertheless, as conscientiously to foes as 
 to friends. I have borne arms for the emperor against France, 
 Sweden, Hungary, and Turkey ; if it serve his interests or those 
 of Austria, 1 am ready to struggle with his enemies at home : 
 but, if my championship is to be dangerous to my sovereign or 
 to my country, I shall resign without a protest. As for you, 
 my son, the path of glory is open to you ; perhaps before an- 
 other sun has set, you may flesh your maiden sword in the blood 
 of the infidel. You have anticipated my intentions. We are 
 about to march to Vienna. Do you hear the signal ? The 
 men are being awakened ; and in one hour we must be on our 
 way. I sent for you to bid you farewell. So far, you have 
 been attached to my person, and I have learned to esteem and 
 love you. But the opportunity for you to distinguish yourself 
 is at hand, and I must no longer retain you by me. I assign 
 you to your brother's regiment of dragoons. It belongs to the 
 brigade of Prince Louis, and the division of General Caprara. 
 I part from you reluctantly, but I do it for your own good ; 
 and I hope soon to make honorable mention of my favorite 
 officer to the emperor. " 
 
 " My dear lord," answered Eugene, in a voice that trembled 
 with emotion, *' I will do all that I can to deserve your ap- 
 proval. I care for naught else in this world ; and if after a 
 battle you say that you are satisfied with me, I shall be richly 
 rewarded for any peril, any sacrifice." 
 
 At this moment the curtain of the tent was drawn asidej 
 and the duke's staff entered. He waved his hand in token of 
 adieu to Eugene, at the same time saying : 
 
 " And now, colonel, Prince of Savoy, you will join your 
 brother's regiment. It has received its orders, and is in readi- 
 ness to depart." 
 
 Eugene bowed low and left the tent. 
 
 The Austrian camp was now alive and in motion, but the 
 men were spiritless and taciturn. Conscious of the immense 
 superiority of the enemy, they advanced to meet him with 
 more of resignation than of hope. Not only were they out-
 
 222 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 numbered, but their foe was one whose every step was marked 
 by incendiarism and murder. The zest, the incentive to gal- 
 lantry, was gone ; and, believing that they were going forth to 
 death, they went like victims to an inevitable doom. Far dif- 
 ferent were the feelings with which Eugene mounted his horse, 
 and crossed the field to join the division of General Caprara. 
 He found Prince Louis of Savoy already in the saddle, await- 
 ing his arrival. The brothers greeted each other with fondest 
 affection. 
 
 " Dear Eugene," said Louis, " my heart is joyous, since I 
 know that we are to go in company. How sweet and home- 
 like it is to have you with me ! By-and-by, we shall see you 
 cutting off Turks' heads as if they were poppies." 
 
 " For each one that I send to his account, I mean to claim a 
 kiss from my beautiful sister-in-law." 
 
 " You are welcome if you can get them," laughed Louis. 
 " But Urania is not prodigal of her kisses, Eugene ; I never 
 was able to obtain a single one until she became my wife. 
 But let us not speak of her. Love is any thing but an incen- 
 tive to valor ; and just now I almost envy you who have 
 never loved. If you intend to be a soldier, twine no myrtle 
 with your laurels until you shall have attained renown." 
 
 Eugene's brow darkened, and a gleam of anguish shot 
 athwart his countenance. " I shall never," began he 
 
 But just at that moment the trumpet's peal was heard, and 
 Prince Louis, galloping off, gave the word of command to 
 move on. 
 
 And now was heard the roll of the drum, the clang of arms, 
 the stamp of horses, and the measured tread of men. The in- 
 fantry took the left, the cavalry the right bank of the Danube. 
 When morning dawned, the camp lay far behind them, but 
 the road was long that led to Vienna. 
 
 The two Princes of Savoy rode together. Little had been 
 said by either one, but whenever their eyes met, each read in 
 the glance of the other that he was dearly loved, and then they 
 smiled, and relapsed into silence. After riding in this way for 
 several miles, Prince Louis spoke. 
 
 " I wish to ask you something, Eugene. But promise not to 
 ridicule me,"
 
 THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD. 223 
 
 " I promise, with all my heart." 
 
 " Then tell me do you believe in dreams and presenti- 
 ments ? " 
 
 Eugene reflected for a while and then said, " Yes you 
 know that our family have every reason to believe in dreams. 
 Mine have often been realized ; and often too, I must confess, 
 that they have deceived me but still I am a believer." 
 
 " Well, then," said his brother, " I shall meet my death to- 
 day." 
 
 Eugene shuddered. " Meet your death ! " exclaimed he. 
 " This is a grim jest, dear Louis." 
 
 "No jest, brother ; a serious prediction. Last night I saw 
 myself mortally wounded, and I heard the wailing of my wife 
 and children, when the news of my death was brought to 
 them. It was so vivid that it awakened me. Dear Eugene, 
 if I fall, be a brother to my Urania, a father to my chil- 
 dren." 
 
 "I will, I will, Louis, but God forbid that they should 
 need protection from me ! Were you to die, I should lose my 
 only friend, for whom have I to love in this world besides 
 yourself, dear brother ? " 
 
 " Nay, Eugene," returned Louis, " I cannot be your only 
 or your dearest friend, for you do not trust me. From our 
 cousins, the Princes de Conti, I learned that you had endured 
 some great sorrow at the hands of Louvois, the French min- 
 ister of war. I have waited for you to confide your troubles 
 to me, but Great God ! What is the matter ? " 
 
 Eugene had reiued in his horse with such force, that it 
 seemed to be falling back upon its haunches. His face was 
 deadly pale, and his hand raised imploringly. 
 
 "My head reels," murmured he, in return. "I dare not 
 think of the past, much less speak of it. Dear, dear brother, 
 do not exact it of me. Be content to know that, for three 
 days of my life, I was happy beyond the power of man to ex- 
 press but for three days only. What followed almost cost 
 me my reason ; and the mere mention of my misfortune un- 
 settles it to-day. Give me your hand, and let us drop this 
 subject forever, Louis. I have no past ; futurity is everything 
 to me."
 
 224 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " So be it," replied Louis, grasping his brother's hand with 
 fervor. " From this day we are comrades for life ! " 
 
 Their hands remained clasped for a few seconds : then, as by 
 a simultaneous impulse, the brothers struck spurs into their 
 horses' flanks, and galloped swiftly onward. The troops were 
 allowed to halt but once during the day ; they went on and on 
 until sunset, when they arrived within sight of the market- 
 town of Petronelle. Between the city and the tired troopers 
 was a wide plain, whose uniformity was broken here and there 
 by the ruins of ancient Roman fortifications. 
 
 Suddenly there was a cry, a clash of swords, and a clang 
 of trumpets uttering strange sounds ; and, as the regiment of 
 the Princes of Savoy was defiling along a passage between the 
 ruins, a troop of Tartars that had been in ambuscade behind, 
 sprang out, uttering the most hideous yells. 
 
 " Forward ! " cried Prince Louis, brandishing his sword. 
 
 " Forward ! " echoed Eugene, joyfully, spurring his horse 
 into their very midst. For a while the brothers fought side by 
 side, Louis with calm intrepidity, Eugene with the instinct, the 
 enthusiasm, the inspiration of genius. His sword mowed 
 down the Tartars as the reaper's scythe sweeps away the 
 grass ; but unhappily the attack had been so sudden, and the 
 cries which had accompanied it so frightful, that the Austrians 
 became panic-stricken, and their ranks disorderly. 
 
 In vain the elder Prince of Savoy tried to rally them ; in 
 vain Eugene, followed by a few veterans, called upon them 
 to charge ; his reckless gallantry availed him nothing. Fi- 
 nally his arm with its unsheathed sword, dropped discour- 
 aged at his side. 
 
 " Lost, lost ! " cried he to his brother. " Lost and dis- 
 graced ! " 
 
 "Yes, by Heaven, they are flying!" was the despairing 
 reply. But as he spoke the words, he saw that he was in error. 
 The galloping horses were coming nearer and nearer, and now 
 they saw that re-enforcement was at hand. The Duke of Lor- 
 raine with his cavalry was flying to their rescue, and the fight 
 was resumed. The dragoons, encouraged by the sight of their 
 commander-in-chief. now charged the Tartars, and they in 
 their turn began to fly.
 
 THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD. 225 
 
 Prince Louis was eager to pursue them, and, calling his 
 men, the chase began. His horse outstripped the others, and 
 unhappily was so conspicuous a mark, that the arrow of a 
 Calrauck, hidden behind the ruins of a triumphal arch, pierced 
 his breast. Maddened by pain, the animal leaped so high in 
 the air that his rider was thrown to the ground ; and while 
 the horse rushed on, his master was trodden down by his own 
 dragoons, who, in the eagerness of pursuit, trampled their un- 
 fortunate commander to death. 
 
 The enemy had been repulsed, and the troops were in better 
 spirits. Eugene rode from rank to rank, repeating the same 
 words, " Where is my brother ? Where is the Prince of Sa- 
 voy ? " 
 
 Not a man there could answer his questions, for not one 
 had seen his leader fall. At length, it was remembered that 
 a wounded horse had been seen madly rushing over the plain, 
 but the excited troopers had given no heed to the circum 
 stance ; it was an occurrence too common in an engagement, 
 to arrest them for a moment from their pursuit of an enemy. 
 
 Eugene's heart was bounding with joy, and he had been 
 seeking his brother to give and receive congratulations. His 
 countenance, which had been glowing with pride, became sud- 
 denly disturbed ; his flashing eyes grew dull and leaden, and 
 so for one moment he sat, stricken and motionless. But he 
 started from his lethargy, and crying out to his men, " Follow 
 me ! " they galloped away to the spot where the dying and the 
 dead were heaped together near the ruined arch where the 
 Tartars had been concealed. 
 
 In an instant the unfortunate youth saw the body of his 
 brother. He flung himself from his horse, and knelt down hy 
 his side. Gracious Heaven ! was that bruised and shapeless 
 mass all that remained of the comeliness and grace of Louis 
 of Savoy ! 
 
 Eugene hent down, and, lovingly as a mother lifts her new- 
 born infant, he raised his brother's mangled head, and rested 
 it upon his arm. The hot tears that fell upon that poor, bleed- 
 ing face, awoke the small remnant of life that was pulsating 
 in the dying prince's heart, and his filmy eyes unclosed. Their 
 light was almost extinguished, but Eugene saw that he was
 
 226 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 recognized, for the feeble spark kindled, and the pale lips 
 fluttered. 
 
 " My dream ! " were the words he uttered, " my dream ! " 
 
 " No, no ! " cried Eugene, in piercing tones of anguish, while 
 with his trembling hand he stroked his brother's hair and 
 wiped, the death-dew from his brow. 
 
 " Eugene," murmured Louis, " my wife my chil " 
 
 u Oh ! they shall be mine mine, beloved,'' was the passion- 
 ate reply. 
 
 "Kiss me, brother, and bear the kiss to my Urania." 
 
 Eugene stifled his sobs, and kissed the pale, cold lips. A 
 shudder crossed the frame of the dying man, a torrent of blood 
 gushed from his lips, and moving his head so that it rested 
 close to his brother's heart, he expired. 
 
 With a groan, Eugene fell upon his lifeless body. How 
 long he had lain there he knew not, when he felt a gentle 
 touch upon his shoulder. He looked up, and beheld the Duke 
 of Lorraine. 
 
 " Prince Eugene," said he, "war has. claimed from you a 
 terrible sacrifice. You have lost a brother whom you most 
 tenderly loved. But a soldier must conquer grief ; and who 
 more than he should remember that death, however painful, 
 cancels all human woes ? " 
 
 Eugene rose slowly to his feet, and raised his hand all pur- 
 ple with his brother's gore. " See," said he, " my brother has 
 given me the baptism of war, and now I dedicate myself to 
 strife. This blood-besprinkled hand shall smite the Turk, 
 shall ruin his fields, shall devastate his towns. Ah, Louis ! 
 Ambition has hitherto been my incentive to glory, but revenge 
 is stronger than ambition, and revenge shall lift me to great- 
 ness ! " 
 
 The setting sun poured down a stream of light upon the 
 speaker, who, small, delicate, and insignificant, seemed trans- 
 figured into the genius of war. The dragoons around looked 
 upon him with awe ; and, long years after, they were accus- 
 tomed to relate the circumstance of Prince Louis's death, and 
 Prince Eugene's vow.
 
 VIENNA. 22? 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 VIENNA. 
 
 " THE Turks, the Turks ! The Tartars are coming ! The 
 Duke of Lorraine has been defeated ! We are lost ! " 
 
 Such were the cries in Vienna, on the morning of the 8th 
 of July, 1683. A courier from the Duke of Lorraine had 
 brought news of the unfortunate skirmish near Petronelle, 
 and had warned the emperor of the approach of the enemy. 
 Leopold had acted upon the information at once, and prep- 
 arations were making by the royal family to evacuate Vi- 
 enna. 
 
 This fact was no sooner known throughout the city, than 
 thousands of its inhabitants prepared to follow. If the em- 
 peror deserted his capital, it was because he knew that it must 
 fall ; and those who loved their lives were determined to fly. 
 From palace to hut there was but one common feeling a fren- 
 zied desire to go elseAvhere anywhere rather than remain to 
 be butchered by the infidel. 
 
 Whosoever possessed a carriage, a wagon, a cart, was an 
 object of greater envy than he who counted his treasures by 
 millions. Incredible prices were offered and received for the 
 roughest of conveyances. Before every house stood vehicles 
 of every kind, crowded with fugitives, upon whom the poorer 
 classes gazed with longing eyes ; many of them, by dint of 
 tears and prayers, obtaining liberty to hang on the wagons as 
 they drove away. 
 
 And now amid the throng arose a cry. " The emperor 1 
 the emperor ! " 
 
 Yes he sat in his imperial carriage, pale, mournful, silent. 
 And at his side, sorrowful as r ie, was the Empress Eleanor. 
 Behind them, in another carriage, came the aja, with the 
 crown prince of Austria in her arms. Alas ! not even for 
 that innocent babe was there safety to be found in the doomed 
 city. 
 
 The people, like madmen, rushed through the streets behind 
 the imperial cortege. Whither their sovereign went, they de-
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 termined to follow ; for with him, they fancied, they would 
 find refuge from the terrible Turk. 
 
 The retinue of the emperor took the way toward the Dan- 
 ube, and the long train of carriages thundered over its wide 
 bridge. At intervals the people shouted : 
 
 " Follow his imperial majesty ! Whither our sovereign 
 travels, we must go for safety ! " And for six hours the bridge 
 was thronged with passengers ; some in vehicles, some cling- 
 ing to vehicles ; ladies and lackeys together in rumbles, or 
 together hanging to the carriage-doors. Never in his life 
 had such a cortege followed the Emperor of Austria ; and 
 certainly a procession more mournful had never accompa- 
 nied a sovereign before. Leopold's destination was Linz ; 
 hut the way was tedious, the roads sandy, and the sun's rays 
 scorching. Poor horses ! they were white with sweat ; but 
 still the drivers urged them on, for relays there were none. 
 Terror had almost depopulated the country. Toward nightfall 
 the fugitives were compelled to halt, for their tired animals 
 were too stiff to travel farther, and themselves were weary and 
 hungry. 
 
 They had reached a small village, where Leopold gave 
 orders to have beds and supper prepared for his pale and worn- 
 out empress. 
 
 " Ah, yes !" sighed she, " I am hungry and sleepy." 
 
 But from some mismanagement, the wagons containing the 
 beds and provisions of the imperial family had either stopped 
 on the way, or had never left Vienna. 
 
 The poor empress folded her hands and began to pray. 
 The emperor bowed his head. " My house is sorely in need," 
 said he, sadly, " but we are all in the hands of Almighty God. 
 Whithersoever it be His will to exile us, I am ready to go : 
 and may His holy will be done ! " 
 
 The imperial pair then left ^heir carriage, and, a bed being 
 made of the cloaks of the pages, they laid them down to sleep 
 under the dark-blue vault of the spangled heavens. But, at 
 the dawn of day, they resumed their journey. The horses had 
 rested, and the gentlemen of the imperial household had pro- 
 cured some homely refreshments for the famished monarch 
 and his family. It consisted of eggs, milk, and black bread ;
 
 VIENNA. 229 
 
 but hunger lent it savor, and their majesties ate with more 
 relish, perhaps, than they had ever done before. 
 
 They set out again. Their way now lay over cornfields, 
 where the farmers, with their maids and men, were gather- 
 ing the wheat, and binding it into sheaves. They, too, were 
 in terror of the Turks ; but, when they saw the imperial 
 cortege slowly plodding its way through the sandy road, they 
 stopped their work, and, coming up to the portieres, intruded 
 their coarse, brutal faces into the very carriages themselves. 
 They stared at the empress and jeered at the emperor ; in- 
 quired how he liked his crown, and why he did not wear it on 
 his head. They added that it was a fine thing to be on a 
 throne, to be sure ; but emperors had a right to their share of 
 trouble in this world, quite as much as other people ; perhaps 
 they deserved a little more than others. 
 
 When the officers and pages around heard this insolent 
 scoffing, they drew their swords, and would have made short 
 work of the boors ; but Leopold forbade the use of violence. 
 " Let them alone," said he, mildly. " They are quite right. It 
 is easy to be a monarch while the sun shines, and the empire 
 prospers ; let me hope to prove to my subjects that I can bear 
 my reverses with humility and fortitude. Let these people 
 alone ; for all trials come from above, and in His own good 
 tune God will help us, and end our tribulations." 
 
 The psasants, ashamed, slunk back into their fields, and the 
 imperial retinue went on to Linz, while for those that had re- 
 mained in Vienna there ensued a period of danger, hardships, 
 and terrible endurance. 
 
 Count Rudiger von Starhemberg, who had been chosen to 
 defend Vienna, entered upon his perilous responsibilities with 
 enthusiasm and energy. Rich and poor, great and small, were 
 called upon to contribute to the general welfare. Nobles of 
 high degree worked on the defences ; ladies brought baskets 
 of provisions to the laborers ; and the mayor of Vienna, by 
 way of setting the example to his inferiors, carried sand all 
 day in a wheelbarrow to the fortifications. But bravely as 
 they worked, each day augmented their danger. The sentinels 
 on St. Stephen's towers could see, by the reddened heavens, 
 that the Turk was approaching. On the 12th of July the sum-
 
 230 PRIXCE EUGENE AXD HIP TIMES. 
 
 mit of the Kahlenberg was seen to be in flames ; and the be- 
 sieged had no need to be told that a monastery had been de- 
 stroyed, and its occupants perchance put to the sword. Kara 
 Mustapha invested Vienna, and sent to demand the surrender 
 of the city. It was refused, and the siege was begun. 
 
 The Turks pitched their tents at the distance of several 
 miles, and began to mine. Meanwhile a terrible fire broke 
 out in Vienna which threatened destruction to its inhabitants. 
 Driven onward by a high wind, it consumed street after street, 
 and at length approached the arsenal, within whose precincts 
 were a shot-tower and the powder-magazine. Thousands of citi- 
 zens were at the engines, making despairing efforts to arrest 
 the conflagration ; but the licking flames came fast and faster 
 toward the shot-tower. The wretched Viennese had given up 
 every hope of salvation, when Count Guido von Starhemberg, 
 the nephew of the commanding general, rescued Vienna at the 
 risk of his own life. Accompanied by a few soldiers, he en- 
 tered, the tower, and deluged the powder-barrels with water- 
 Animated by the noble devotion of the young count, others 
 followed him with new supplies. The windows of the powder- 
 magazine were then walled up, and the fire extinguished. 
 
 Scarcely had the Viennese recovered from this threatened 
 catastrophe before danger assailed them from another quarter. 
 The Turkish lines grew closer around the city, and the Duke 
 of Lorraine, who, in the interim, had arrived, and had en- 
 camped on an island in the Danube, was forced back to Mora- 
 via, there to await the long-promised succor of the King of 
 Poland, and the long-procrastinated re-enforcements of the 
 Elector of Bavaria. 
 
 Within the gates their foes were sickness, discouragement, 
 hunger, and mutiny. With these intestine enemies Count von 
 Starhemberg battled manfully. His own spirit and courage 
 were the weapons he used to keep down discontent. Day and 
 night he was in the trenches ; and when, by skilful couDter- 
 mining, his men had succeeded in taking the lives of a few 
 hundred Turks, Count von Starhemberg embraced the miners, 
 and took the earliest opportunity of rewarding them. 
 
 Undaunted by the Turkish bullets, he visited the ramparts 
 three times daily, until finally he was struck by one of the
 
 VIENNA. 23 1 
 
 halls that were constantly aimed at him, and severely wounded 
 in the head. He was picked up insensible, and carried home ; 
 but Rudiger von Starhemberg had no time to be sick : so three 
 days after he rose from his bed, and, with his head bound up, 
 mounted his horse, and returned to his post. 
 
 His short absence had been productive of much evil in 
 Vienna. It had dispirited the timid and emboldened the in- 
 subordinate. But Count Rudiger had an iron will, and no 
 sympathy for weakness that endangered the state. An officer 
 having neglected his watch, and permitted the Turks to in- 
 trench themselves in front of a bastion whereof he had the 
 guard. Count von Starhemberg gave him his choice between 
 the gallows and a sortie wherein he should meet the death of 
 a soldier. The officer chose the latter alternative, and died 
 after performing prodigies of valor. 
 
 Two soldiers had resisted the commands of their captain. 
 Both were arrested, and one of them accused the other of hav- 
 ing instigated him to insubordination. In presence of their 
 regiment they were made to throw for their lives, and he who 
 threw the lowest number was taken out and shot. 
 
 From the fulfilment of their duty to the country, Count 
 von Starhemberg would exempt neither age nor sex. Two 
 boys of less than twelve years of age were accused of having 
 secret uiiderstanging with the enemy, by which, for a rich re- 
 ward, they were to open the gates at night, and deliver the 
 city into Kara Mustapha's hands. Count von Starhemberg in- 
 vestigated the matter thoroughly, and, the fact having been 
 proved upon the boys, they were executed. 
 
 But hunger and disease were fast decreasing the ranks of 
 the besieged. The hospitals were so crowded with patients, 
 that no more could obtain admittance ; and the commander, 
 who seemed to have an expedient for every disaster, appealed 
 to the women of Vienna to receive the sufferers in their 
 houses. They responded, as woman does, to the claims of hu- 
 manity, and, carrying their devotion further than was required, 
 they visited the hospitals, and brought food to the men on the 
 ramparts, to refresh and invigorate them as they worked. 
 
 But unhappily, the day came when substantial food was no 
 longer to be gotten. The city was invested, and no supplies 
 16
 
 232 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 could come from without. The Duke of Lorraine had prom- 
 ised re-enforcements toward the end of the month ; and yet the 
 30th day of August had dawned, and no help was vouchsafed. 
 
 But there was yet another night to pass before they would 
 despair of his coming. Crowds of men assembled on the towers 
 of St. Stephen's, that they might hear from the lips of the 
 sentinels the first tidings of joy ; in the churches women and 
 children were on their knees imploring Heaven to send them 
 succor ; while without the Turks, who had just begun a fresh 
 assault, were thinning the ranks of their defenders, and adding 
 to the mournful numbers of the widows and orphans of 
 Vienna. 
 
 By morning the Turks had mined a passage to the strong- 
 hold of Ravelin. Thither rushed the men with pikes, sabres, 
 and clubs ; and beliind them came their wives and daughters 
 with boiling pitch and oil, with sacks of sand and ashes, to 
 throw upon the invaders as they emerged from their subter- 
 ranean passage. The expedient was successful ; the enemy 
 was repulsed with loss, and the fall of Vienna averted for an- 
 other day. 
 
 A messenger from the emperor had managed to pass the 
 Turkish lines, promising help to the brave besieged, could they 
 but hold out till the middle of September ; but, after ten weeks 
 of struggle, patient waiting, and hope deferred, two weeks 
 seemed an eternity. Nevertheless the indomitable Starhem- 
 berg reanimated their courage, not only by words, but by his 
 noble and unselfish endurance of hardship, his fearless defi- 
 ance of danger. They had resisted fifteen assaults of the ene- 
 my, and had made twenty-one sallies outside of the defences. 
 He knew that, if they chose, their valiant souls would sustain 
 them for two weeks longer, and his burning words prevailed. 
 
 Once more they rallied, and defended themselves with 
 desperation. Though shells were bursting over their houses 
 and at their feet, though sickness was raging in their hospitals, 
 and hunger was wasting away their kindred, they swore to re- 
 sist for two weeks longer. So they could but save Vienna, 
 their fatherland, and their emperor, they were willing to en- 
 dure their sufferings to the bitter end. The Turks pressed 
 closer, but every foot of ground cost them thousands of men ;
 
 THE KE-EXFORCEMENTS. 233 
 
 and their advance was disputed by heroes whose bodies were 
 weakened with fasting and sickness. Not a morsel of bread 
 or of fresh meat was to be seen ; for a while a cat was esteemed 
 a great delicacy ; and, finally, when the rats were exhausted, 
 the poor, famished Viennese were glad to eat mice. 
 
 Meanwhile Kara Mustapha went about in his litter, calling 
 upon his men to exterminate these obstinate starvelings, be- 
 stowing rewards upon those who had distinguished themselves, 
 and beheading with his own cimeter such as displeased or of- 
 fended him. After each one of these visits of the commander 
 to his trenches, the Turks made a fresh assault on the city. 
 Had they made a general attack, the besieged were lost ; for 
 there were within the walls of Vienna but four thousand men 
 capable of bearing arms, and these were so exhausted by hun- 
 ger, that they might easily have been overpowered. No 
 amount of heroism could supply the want of bodily strength ; 
 and at last Count von Starhemberg himself was forced to ac- 
 knowledge that they must ere long capitulate. 
 
 Every night from the towers of St. Stephen's signal-rockets 
 proclaimed to heaven and earth the distress and despair of the 
 people of Vienna ; while the burning eyes of the brave com- 
 mander were strained to see a responsive light, and his ears in- 
 tent to listen for the answering boom of the cannon that was 
 to have announced approaching succor. One week of the 
 two had painfully ebbed away ; in eight days more Vienna 
 would be sacked, and the Crescent would replace the Cross ! 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 
 
 ON this same 8th of September so fraught with discour- 
 agement to the suffering inhabitants of Vienna the Duke of 
 Lorraine held a council of war in his tent with his allies. The 
 King of Poland was there, burning with ardor to rescue the 
 capital of Austria ; the Elector of Bavaria had arrived with 
 heavy re-enforcements, which, added to the troops furnished
 
 234 PRIKCE EtJGENE AND HIS 
 
 by Saxony, Swabia, and Franconia, swelled the army to eighty- 
 four thousand men. Other volunteers from various parts of 
 Germany had joined the standard of Austria, and all were 
 eager to uphold the cause of Christendom against the unbe- 
 lieving infidel. 
 
 For three days the Polish troops had been occupied build- 
 ing a pontoon bridge, upon which, on the 8th day of Septem- 
 ber, the allied forces began to cross the Danube. 
 
 The first to cross were the King of Poland and the Duke of 
 Lorraine. No sooner had they gained the opposite bank than 
 the army broke out into one universal shout of joy. 
 
 John Sobiesky's fine face was beaming with exultation. 
 With a triumphant smile he turned to the duke, who, with 
 his usual serious expression of countenance, was watching the 
 troops while they came across. 
 
 " The Turks are lost ! " said Sobiesky. 
 
 " They were lost from the moment your majesty came to 
 our rescue," was the courteous reply. "From the moment 
 that you assumed the chief command, I felt certain of suc- 
 cess." 
 
 " My dear duke," said the king, warmly, " I am not so daz- 
 zled by your generous praise as not to know which of us is 
 the greater general of the two. If I have accepted your 
 highness's gracious relinquishment of the chief command to 
 me, I shall take good care not to exercise it without advice 
 from yourself. But I am in no trouble now as to the issue of 
 our contest with the Turks. They are already beaten. A gen- 
 eral who, at the head of two hundred thousand men, suffers 
 us to construct this bridge within five leagues of his camp, is a 
 man of no ability. He is as good as beaten." * 
 
 " Provided we reach Vienna before our poor hungry coun- 
 trymen will have been forced to surrender." 
 
 The king's eyes flashed. " Ay, ay, indeed ! " exclaimed he, 
 eagerly ; " every thing depends upon that. The main ques- 
 tion is, to march to Vienna as quick as possible." 
 
 " There are two roads to Vienna," replied the duke. 
 
 The king nodded affirmatively. " Yes ; the road lying 
 
 * John Sobiesky's own words. See Kausler, " Prince Eugene of Suvoy," 
 TL i., p. 22.
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS, 235 
 
 through the valley of the Danube is level ; the one that leads 
 to Vienna by the Kahlenberg is steep and toilsome." 
 
 " But much shorter," added the duke. 
 
 "Let us then select the route over the Kahlenberg," an- 
 swered the king. " Your highness understands giving sound 
 advice under the garb of a passing observation." 
 
 Their conversation was just then interrupted by the ap- 
 pearance of two young horsemen, who bowed respectfully as 
 they rode by. One wore the rich and becoming uniform of 
 the Polish lancers this was the crown prince of Poland ; the 
 other, more simply attired, was Prince Eugene of Savoy the 
 youngest colonel in the Austrian service. 
 
 At a signal from the King of Poland, the youths reined in 
 then- horses. 
 
 " My son." said the king, touching the Polish prince on the 
 shoulder, " let me congratulate you that you are about to en- 
 gage the enemy under the command of one of the most dis- 
 tinguished generals of the age." 
 
 The duke shook his head, and smilingly addressed Eugene : 
 '' Prince of Savoy," said he, " you see before you a king whose 
 least glory is his crown. Let him be your model, and when 
 you confront the enemy let the thought of John Sobiesky's 
 fame urge you to deeds of prowess." 
 
 " Your highness," replied Eugene, " not only when I con- 
 front the enemy, but every day and every hour of my life, 
 will I look back with emotion to the time when I beheld the 
 two most eminent commanders of the age contemplating each 
 other's greatness without envy, and accepting each other's sug- 
 gestions without cavil ; and I trust that, from the sight, I may 
 receive inspiration as far as lies within my capacity, to emu- 
 late their moral as well as their military worth." 
 
 " You will ere long have the opportunity of showing us 
 how proximity to John Sobiesky inspires men to valor," re- 
 plied the duke. " We are about to march to Vienna. Which 
 road would you take, if you had to choose for the army ? " 
 
 Eugene's large black eyes wandered over the horizon until 
 they rested on the summit of Kahlenberg. " If we gain those 
 heights, we overlook not only our friends, but the entire camp 
 of the enemy."
 
 236 PRINCE EUGENE AND II1S TIMES. 
 
 " Well answered," said John Sobiesky. " You are a mili- 
 tary man by intuition, I see, and are destined to make a fig- 
 ure in the world. You are small in person, but would be 
 great in council. Men of your size and build are more fre- 
 quently gifted with military genius than those of lofty stature. 
 I suppose," continued he, smiling, " that it is because the brain 
 which reasons, and the heart that feels, lie close together, and 
 so can help each other. But," said he, interrupting himself, 
 " here comes the Elector Max Emmanuel. Allow me to bid 
 him welcome." 
 
 The Duke of Lorraine followed him with his eyes, as, in 
 company with the crown prince, the king rode forward to meet 
 the handsome Prince of Bavaria. 
 
 " The Poles did well," said he to himself, " to prefer John 
 Sobiesky to me ; and, if I had known him personally, never 
 would I have been his competitor for a throne. He is better 
 fitted to reign and govern than I." 
 
 " Has your highness any commands for me ? " asked Eu- 
 gene. 
 
 " Yes, my dear young friend," replied the duke, solemnly. 
 " We draw near to Vienna. Avenge your brother's death, but 
 prize and cherish your own life. Do not wantonly expose 
 your person, nor seek for danger ; for he alone is a hero whose 
 valor is restrained by prudence. I shall place you, neverthe- 
 less, where danger is imminent, and glory to be earned ; so 
 that, when I recommend you for promotion to the emperor, 
 the world may not say that you owe your advancement to 
 favor." 
 
 " Your highness's advice shall be followed to the letter," 
 replied Eugene, earnestly. " I will despise danger, that I may 
 avenge my brother ; yet will I guard my life, that I may be 
 the protector of his wife and children. But nothing will more 
 inspire me to heroic deeds than the friendship which you so 
 condescendingly evince for me. May God bless and reward 
 you for your sympathy with my suffering heart ! " 
 
 At the end of three days, the army gained the heights of 
 the Kahlenberg. The men, tired and sleepy, dispersed, and 
 threw themselves down to rest under the trees ; their com- 
 manders rode farther to the mountain's brow, and there, be-
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 237 
 
 aeath the fiery rays of the setting sun, lay prisoned Vienna 
 and her Turkish jailers. But above was a cloud of smoke and 
 dust, through which ever and anon leaped columns of fire, 
 while the air was heavy with reverberation of cannon. The 
 Turks were storming the city. 
 
 The besieged, mindful of their promise, were defending 
 themselves with desperation. With imperturbable calm, 
 Count von Starhemberg headed every sortie, and his quick 
 eye perceived every little advantage that could be taken ; 
 while his wise precautions saved many a life, and warded off 
 many a peril. His redoubts were no sooner damaged than re- 
 paired ; trench after trench was dug ; street by street defended 
 with palisades, improvised of rods and beams. 
 
 As night came on, the heavy firing of the Turks ceased, and 
 a dead stillness followed the terrible boom of cannon. The 
 streets were ploughed with balls, the ashes of many a con- 
 sumed building were scattered about by the wind, while here 
 and there a fitful blaze was seen issuing from a shapeless mass 
 that once had been the stately home of some proud Austrian 
 noble. Pale, ghastly figures wandered among the ruins, 
 searching for food, which, alas ! they rarely found. But, 
 amid this " abomination of desolation," they still lifted their 
 eyes to heaven for help, and still clung to hope of rescue. 
 
 Count Starhemberg, as usual, had ascended the tower of 
 St. Stephen's ; while in the city below every form was pros- 
 trate in prayer. With his own hand he fired the nightly 
 rocket, and watched its myriads of stars as they shot heaven- 
 ward, illumined the darkness, and then fell back into nothing- 
 ness. His heart beat painfully, as the last scintillations went 
 out, and left but the pall of night behind. But he gazed on 
 in silence, and in anguish unutterable. Suddenly he unclasped 
 his rigid hands, for oh ! joy ! joy ! there was light on the 
 summit of the Kahlenberg ; the signal darts up into the sky, 
 and from Herman's peak the cannon proclaims that help is 
 nigh ! 
 
 One cry of rapture burst from the lips of all who stood 
 around the commander ; the warder grasped his speaking- 
 trumpet, and cried out to the crowd below, " The signal is an- 
 swered ! "
 
 238 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The sound was caught up by the eager multitude, the 
 blessed tidings were borne from street to street, and the people 
 with one accord knelt down and thanked God. Noble and 
 simple, aged and young, all hastened to St. Stephen's. Men 
 clasped hands ; and strangers that had never met before, em- 
 braced one another like friends and kinsmen. Hope had soft- 
 ened all hearts, joy's electric touch had made a thousand inter- 
 ests one : men were no longer segregate, their lives were 
 blended into one great emotion. 
 
 Count von Starhemberg was so overcome, that for some 
 moments his tongue refused him utterance. When he spoke, 
 his voice, so accustomed to command, trembled and grew soft 
 soft and gentle as that of a young maiden. 
 
 " Will some one fetch me pen and paper ? " said he. And 
 when a portfolio was brought for him to write upon, he 
 could scarcely command his hand while it traced these few 
 words : 
 
 '' Lose no time ; in Heaven's name, be quick, or we are 
 lost ! " 
 
 " Who will venture to swim across the Danube, and deliver 
 this paper to the Duke of Lorraine ? " added he. 
 
 Three young men volunteered at once. Count von Star- 
 hemberg chose the one that seemed the strongest, and gave it 
 to him. 
 
 " Promise me that you will deliver it or die ! " 
 
 " I promise," was the reply of the young man, who, without 
 tarrying another moment, sprang down the steps and disap 
 peared. 
 
 In a few hours, another rocket from the mountain-top an- 
 nounced the safe arrival of the messenger, and promised 
 speedy relief. 
 
 Yes, deliverance was at hand. At gray dawn, the army 
 were ready to march, and the King- of Poland, the Duke of 
 Lorraine, and Louis of Baden were in the saddle. When all 
 were assembled, John Sobiesky dismounted, and kneeling be- 
 fore the altar of Leopold's chapel, addressed a prayer to Heav- 
 en for a blessing on the approaching struggle. In his priestly 
 robes, within the chancel, stood Marcus Aviauus. the inspired 
 Capuchin whom the pope had sent to Germany to preach
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. . $39 
 
 this new crusade. His burning words had done as much for 
 the cause of Christianity as the stalwart arms of Austria's best 
 warriors ; and now, as he raised his hands on high, and eighty 
 thousand men knelt to receive his blessing, their hearts 
 throbbed with joy, for they felt that the God of battles would 
 be with them that day. 
 
 The rites done, John Sobiesky bestowed the honor of 
 knighthood upon his son, *' thereby commemorating the proud- 
 est day of tbeir lives ; " and at the conclusion of the ceremony, 
 he addressed the Polish army, exhorting them to fight as be- 
 came a Christian host in a cause '' where death was not only 
 the path to glory, but the way to heaven." 
 
 "I have but one command to give my men," said he, 
 in conclusion. " Let them follow their king, and wherever 
 he is to be seen, there let them know that the battle rages 
 fiercest." 
 
 A tumultuous shout was the answer to this exhortation. 
 It gathered strength as it passed along the ranks, until it awoke 
 a thousand echoes from the mountain-tops around ; while the 
 rays of the sun, like a consecrating fire, glistened from the point 
 of every bayonet, and flashed from the blade of every waving 
 sword. 
 
 The cheers of the Christians were borne on the summer air, 
 until the sound reached the very camp of the Turks. It sent 
 consternation to the heart of Kara Mustapha, as he lay smok- 
 ing his hookah under a tent of silk and velvet. For sixty days 
 he had besieged Vienna with his hundreds of thousands. 
 Against its obstinate defenders Avarfare had failed ; and now 
 that hunger was about to do what he had vainly tried to par- 
 alyze their valor, here came succor, to render his victory doubt- 
 ful. For he well knew that the Christians were full of ardor, 
 while his Turks were tired of fighting. That he might excite 
 their thirst for blood, he assembled all his prisoners, men, wom- 
 en, and children, together, and, within view of his army, or- 
 dered them all to be massacred. The work of death began, 
 and the expiring cries of his victims were the Paynim's answer 
 to the shouts of the Christians, that were raising their hearts 
 to God. 
 
 That fearful wail was heard, too, by the beleaguered men
 
 '240 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 of Vienna ; and the thought of their butchered kindred gavn 
 strength to their famished bodies. They hungered no longer 
 for food ! they thirsted for blood. 
 
 And now the bells, which for sixty days had been silent, 
 rang out their alarum, calling all to the last great struggle. 
 The sick raised their heads, and felt the glow of health thrill- 
 ing through their fevered veins ; the aged worked like youths 
 the youths like demi-gods. And full of hope, full of valor, 
 the brave citizens of Vienna awaited the coming of their liber- 
 ators. 
 
 The main body of the allied army was commanded by the 
 Electors of Bavaria and of Saxony ; the right wing, by John 
 Sobiesky ; the left, by the Duke of Lorraine and Louis of Ba- 
 den. The plan of the attack had been made according to the 
 suggestions of the King of Poland. 
 
 At the side of Louis of Baden rode Eugene of Savoy, his 
 sorrows all forgotten in the excitement of the occasion. His 
 countenance beamed with animation, his eyes darted fire. His 
 black war-horse, too, partook of his enthusiasm : he pranced, 
 leaped into the air, and neighed as if in defiance of the barbs 
 that were to bear his enemies into battle that morning. 
 
 " My dear cousin," said Eugene to Louis, " I implore you let 
 me go early into action. Give me something to do as soon as 
 we are in sight of the enemy, and thereby prove me your 
 love." 
 
 " You shall have your wish, Eugene. Your division is to 
 open the engagement. As soon as you hear the discharge of 
 the cannon from the heights of the Kahlenberg, you ad- 
 vance." 
 
 With a joyful wave of the hand, Eugene sprang forward, 
 and placed himself at the head of his dragoons, where, rigid as 
 a statue, he stood with his eyes raised to the summit of the 
 Kahlenberg. 
 
 The first shot rolled like thunder through the valley 
 gorges. The men grasped their muskets, the horses pawed 
 the ground. The second, the third, followed, and every 
 eye glistened, and every heart throbbed. The fourth the 
 fifth! 
 
 " En avant ! " cried Eugene ; and the dragoons galloped
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 241 
 
 forward. They were to drive the enemy from the valley of 
 the Nussberg, and force the pass of Heiligenstadt. But the 
 Turks disputed every inch of the ground, making breastworks 
 of every hillock, trenches of every hollow. They defended 
 the way with such desperation that the Austrian cavalry began 
 to waver. 
 
 An exclamation of fury was heard from the lips of Eugene. 
 " Victory or death ! " cried he ; and with these words the 
 intrepid youth struck spurs into his horse, and sprang through 
 the pass ; his sabre, flashing like lightning through the air, as 
 right and left it dealt destruction to the Janizaries that dis- 
 puted his passage. 
 
 Amazed at such prowess, the dragoons gave one simultane- 
 ous cheer, and leaped into the enemy's midst. From that mo- 
 ment they moved on like a granite wall ; onward in the track 
 of their gallant commander, all peril disregarding, they fought 
 their way, until, inspired by his heroism, encouraged by the 
 soul-stirring tones of his blithe young voice, they won the pass, 
 and forced the enemy back. 
 
 Meanwhile the imperial and Saxon forces had advanced 
 from the Kahlenberg, in one dense column, the sight of which 
 had sorely shaken the confidence of Kara Mustapha in his 
 power to resist them. 
 
 On swept the mighty mass, and in a few moments the deep 
 thunder of the cannon reverberated along the mountain, 
 gorges ; the clashing of swords and the rattling of musketry 
 mingled with the cries of the wounded, and the groans of the 
 dying ; while all above was fire and smoke. The passes were 
 reddened with blood, which drop by drop flowed down thair 
 declivities, until it met another life destroying current on its 
 way ; and both glided onward to the Danube, empurpling its 
 waters with the mingled gore of Christian and Paynim. 
 
 The battle raged, without any decisive advantage, until 
 long after noon. At four o'clock, however, the Ulans of the 
 King of Poland were about to be overpowered by superior 
 numbers, when re-enforcement came in the form of a charge 
 on the right wing of the Turks, by the troops under Charles 
 of Lorraine. Those flying squadrons, beneath whose horses' 
 hoofs the ground is trembling as if upheaved by an earth-
 
 242 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 quake, are headed by Eugene the indomitable Eugene. On 
 his foam-flecked steed, with a sword in his hand that is gory to 
 the hilt, comes the " little abbe," who was too much of a weak- 
 ling to obtain a commission in the army of the King of France. 
 If his mother could see him now, she would confess that he 
 was no fit aspirant for a scarlet hat. 
 
 Side by side rode Eugene and Louis of Baden, both heading 
 that bloody chase. Over heaps of corpses, over struggling 
 horses, falling timbers, through smoke and fire, they dashed 
 toward the gates of Vienna. Count Starhemberg was there 
 with his handful of braves, making gallant resistance to the 
 Janizaries. But for the mad charge of Eugene, the little garri- 
 son would soon have been cut to pieces. But the attack on 
 their rear surprised the Janizaries ; they fell back, only to be 
 confronted by the Duke of Lorraine, and, believing resistance 
 to be useless, they fled. 
 
 The King of Poland meanwhile was within the gates en- 
 gaged in a hand-to-hand fight with the enemy in the streets. 
 He was not left long to struggle without help. Once more 
 Eugene and his cavalry came to the rescue ; and now the Turk- 
 ish legions are flying for their lives, while the Christians are 
 shouting for joy and victory ! 
 
 Kara Mustapha, who was to have made his seat of empire 
 at Vienna, has suddenly become a panic-stricken adventurer. 
 With that singular absence of fortitude which so often distin- 
 guishes tyrants in adversity, he fell to weeping like a child, 
 and went whining for protection to the Khan of Tartary. 
 
 " Save me, save me ! " was his cowardly cry. 
 
 The khan shook his head. " We know the King of Poland 
 too well," said he. " Nobody can withstand him." 
 
 And from this moment nothing was thought of, in the 
 Turkish camp, but flight. Kara Mustapha's war-horse, with 
 its housings of purple velvet worked in pearls, was too heavy 
 to bear him away from Vienna ; he mounted a fleet-footed 
 Arabian, and sped away without thought of the treasures he 
 was leaving behind. His costly tent, his girdles of diamonds, 
 his cimeters inlaid with rubies and sapphires, his six hundred 
 sacks of piastres, all fell into the hands of John Sobiesky. 
 
 While joy and jubilee prevailed throughout the streets of
 
 THE RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 243 
 
 Vienna, Eugene of Savoy was on his way to the dwelling of 
 his widowed sister : but, while he sorrowed with Urania and 
 her orphans, his name was being borne upon the trumpet-blast 
 of fame, as chief among the heroes that rescued Vienna from 
 the infidel.
 
 BOOK IY. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FALL OF BUDA. 
 
 As a signal that the conference was at an end, the Emperor 
 Leopold rose from his arm-chair. The president and vice- 
 president followed his example, and the other members of the 
 council bowed and retired. The Margrave of Baden and 
 Count von Starhemberg remained standing by the green table, 
 while the emperor, who had crossed the room, now stood va- 
 cantly staring out of a window, drumming with his fingers on 
 one of the panes. 
 
 His two counsellors were perfectly au fait to the import 
 of this drumming ; it meant that the emperor's thoughts were 
 with his army, which was still in the field, although three 
 years had gone by since the siege of Vienna. During this 
 protracted struggle both parties had fought bravely, but neither 
 one had as yet prevailed against the other. In 1684 the Aus- 
 trians had gained a brilliant victory over the allied enemy ; 
 but, in the course of the same year, the Turks, by their obsti- 
 nate valor, had forced the Duke of Lorraine to abandon the 
 siege of Buda, which, since then, had remained in their pos- 
 session, and gave them entire control of Hungary. 
 
 The emperor's thoughts, then, were at Buda, while his fin- 
 gers still drummed on the window-pane. At last he turned 
 around. 
 
 " Any news from the army ? " asked he, hastily. 
 
 " None, your majesty," replied the margrave. " Since the 
 news of the junction of the Duke of Lorraine's forces with 
 those of Prince Louis of Baden and Max Emmanuel, nothing 
 further has been heard as to the progress of the siege. " 
 
 (844)
 
 THE FALL OF BUDA. 245 
 
 "And that, of course, signifies that there is nothing good 
 to be told," added Von Starhemberg. " If the Duke of Lor- 
 raine had met with any success, he would not have failed to 
 send a courier with the tidings." 
 
 " Unhappily, since he has had command of the army, he 
 has had many more reverses to communicate than victories," 
 replied the margrave, with a sigh. 
 
 " You forget his brilliant victory at Gran .last year," re- 
 turned the emperor. " Away with your petty ill-will toward 
 the duke ! Forget your personal grievances in admiration of 
 his heroism." 
 
 '' Sire," replied the margrave, somewhat impetuously, " there 
 are personal grievances which will not allow themselves to be 
 forgotten. The Duke of Lorraine, in his dispatches, has not 
 only accused me of neglect in the provisioning and arming of 
 his troops, but has also declared me unqualified for my posi- 
 tion, and has recommended another man as minister of war." 
 
 " And yet you retain your position," replied the emperor ; 
 " so that neither one of you has influence enough with me to 
 injure the other. I have great confidence, nevertheless, in the 
 judgment of my brother-in-law ; and, if occasionally he is of 
 opinion that battles are not to be planned on the green table of 
 a council-chamber, but in the field by the man, who is to fight 
 them not in theories but in praxis I am inclined to think 
 that he is right." 
 
 " One thing I hope that your majesty will do me the justice 
 to remember," answered Von Starhemberg, in a tone of vexa- 
 tion. "It is this : the war department, at my suggestion, ad- 
 vised that Buda should not be assaulted, but that the passes 
 lying behind the city should be seized, Stuhlweissemberg be- 
 sieged, and Buda, by this means, cut off from all intercourse 
 with Turkey. Thus it would have fallen without bloodshed ; 
 whereas we have nothing to expect, as the result of a second 
 direct attack, but the news of a second repulse." 
 
 " Should the Duke of Lorraine be forced to raise the siege 
 a second time, I hope that the war department will remember 
 that it was I, and not my commander-in-chief, who rejected 
 their advice. So that, if we should be unfortunate, mine be 
 the blame of the disaster, for I ordered the attack."
 
 246 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 At this moment the door of the council-chamber was opened 
 with some precipitation, and the chamberlain of the day ap- 
 peared on the threshold. 
 
 "What do you come to announce ? " asked Leopold. 
 
 "Sire, a bearer of dispatches from his highness of Lor- 
 raine." 
 
 "Ah, lupus in fabula" said the emperor, with a smile. 
 "Well let in the lupus." 
 
 "Your majesty," interrupted the Margrave of Baden, 
 " would it not be better for me to receive the dispatches, and 
 communicate their contents to you ? The news of another 
 disaster will be a great blow : your mind should be prepared 
 to receive it." 
 
 " I am prepared for whatever it may please God to assign," 
 replied Leopold, reverently. " If the news be bad, it is my 
 duty to confront it like a man ; if good, let me taste it pure, 
 as it comes from the lips of the messenger. Let him enter ! " 
 
 The chamberlain stepped back, made a sign to the page in 
 the anteroom, and both sides of the door were flung open. 
 
 " Our bearer is a person of distinction," said Leopold to 
 himself. " Both doors are opened for a reigning prince, a 
 grandee of Spain, or " 
 
 Just then the bearer of dispatches appeared a small, slight 
 person, in a simple uniform, but his breast well covered with 
 orders, both Austrian and Spanish. 
 
 " Prince Eugene of Savoy ! " exclaimed Leopold, with evi- 
 dent pleasure. And he made several steps toward the prince. 
 
 " Prince Eugene of Savoy," muttered the margrave, with 
 an ugly frown ; for well he knew that such an envoy would 
 never have been chosen to be the bearer of evil tidings. 
 
 Meanwhile Eugene rapidly crossed the room, and knelt 
 before the emperor. 
 
 " You forget," said Leopold, raising him, " that a knight of 
 the Golden Fleece is not obliged to conform to the court cus- 
 tom of kneeling. His order kneel before the Almighty alone. 
 Moreover, as grandee of Spain, your highness has a right to 
 appear with covered head." 
 
 " Sire, I came hither neither as a grandee nor a knight. I 
 c*me as the squire of my noble lord, the Duke of Lorraine,
 
 THE FALL OF BUDA. 24? 
 
 and as tlie soldier and subject of my emperor. Let me, then, 
 greet my sovereign as my heart dictates." 
 
 With these words Eugene knelt again. 
 
 " Now," said Leopold, " rise, loyal subject, and satisfy my 
 impatience. Tell me, in one word, has Buda fallen ? " 
 
 " Yes, sire," was the exulting reply. 
 
 The emperor raised his grateful eyes to heaven, while his 
 two councillors exchanged glances of dissatisfaction. Leopold 
 saw this, and addressed himself to both. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said he, " pray remember that you were op- 
 posed to the siege of Buda, and that it was undertaken at the 
 request of the Duke of Lorraine." 
 
 u Your majesty told us that you had commanded it your- 
 self," answered the margrave. " The duke, then, has merely 
 carried out orders ! " 
 
 " Orders given because of his request. He proved to me 
 that Buda could be taken ; and, when I commanded this sec- 
 ond attempt to reduce it, I merely yielded to his better judg- 
 ment. But let us change the subject. You are most welcome," 
 continued he, to Prince Eugene. " And now let us hear the 
 details of your glad tidings." 
 
 " Sire, the siege of Buda is an epic, worthy of the pen of a 
 Homer. None but a great poet can do justice to the deeds of 
 valor of the Duke of Lorraine." 
 
 "Try you, nevertheless," replied Leopold. "But hold ! It 
 were selfish to enjoy your narrative alone. The empress and 
 the court shall partake of our happiness to day. Count VOK 
 Starhemberg, oblige me by opening the door, and recalling 
 the chamberlain." 
 
 The count reluctantly obeyed, and the chamberlain reap- 
 peared. 
 
 " You will announce to the ladies and gentlemen in wait* 
 ing, that I request the presence of the court. I myself will 
 conduct the empress hither." Then, with a wave of his hand 
 to Prince Eugene, he added, " Await our return." 
 
 Not long after, the empress, conducted by her imperial hun- 
 band, entered the room and took her seat. The ladies and 
 gentlemen in waiting stood behind, and the margrave and 
 Count von Starhemberg were on either side of the emperor. 
 17
 
 24:8 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES, 
 
 " And now, Prince Eugene of Savoy," cried Leopold, " let 
 us hear the details of the fall of Buda." 
 
 All eyes were turned upon Eugene, who, without boldness 
 or bashfulness, calmly surveyed the brilliant assembly before 
 him. In his plain, dark uniform, his black hair worn natu- 
 rally and without powder, he presented a striking contrast to 
 the courtiers in their magnificently-embroidered Spanish 
 doublets, and huge, powdered wigs. 
 
 He began his narrative, by alluding to the fact that for one 
 hundred and twenty years, in spite of six different attempts on 
 the part of Austria to retake it, the ancient capital of Hungary 
 had been in the hands of the Turks. He quoted the well- 
 known saying of John Sobiesky, " Buda has drunk such tor- 
 rents of Christian blood, that every handful of earth around 
 its walls is red and moist with gore." He made a few brief 
 remarks on the subject of the last unsuccessful attack, two 
 years before ; and then, with all the enthusiasm of a warrior- 
 poet, he entered upon the narration of the seventh siege. 
 
 He spoke of the various stratagems, sallies, and skirmishes 
 that preceded the final assault. On the 18th of June the city 
 was invested, and by the end of July the allied army had 
 effected an entrance, and captured so many streets that the 
 besieged had been compelled to retire within the fortress. At 
 the same time, combustibles were thrown into the magazine, 
 which exploded with fearful destruction, and the Duke of 
 Lorraine, compassionating the condition of the brave old com- 
 mander, Pacha Abdurrahmen, sent a messenger, advising bim 
 to capitulate. Abdurrahmen, for all answer, informed the 
 duke that Allah and the Prophet would shortly punish the 
 audacity of the Christians, and, by way of anticipating Divine 
 justice, he caused one hundred Saxons, who had been cap- 
 tured a few days before, to be hanged within view of the be- 
 siegers. 
 
 This vindictive act was the signal for a new assault, and 
 the fortress was attacked on three sides. The assailants were 
 several times repulsed, for the Turks fought like demons. 
 Undismayed, they stood upon the walls, pouring fire and shot 
 into the Christian ranks until the hah- was singed from their 
 heads, and their scorched clothes dropped from their bodies.
 
 THE FALL OF BUD A. 949 
 
 If the allies were heroic in their attack, the Turks were not 
 less so in their defence. Finally the women, too, were seen, 
 some carrying ammunition, some bringing refreshments to 
 the gunners, while others, singing wild strains of Turkish em- 
 bateria, hurled stones from the walls upon the invading army. 
 
 More than two thousand Austrians had fallen, but they had 
 succeeded in establishing themselves within one of the bas- 
 tions, and had thereby obtained possession of the prison-tower. 
 The day following, however. Abdurrahman sprung a mine, 
 which killed one hundred of the imperial troops, and so terri- 
 fied the others, that they retired in confusion, and the bastion 
 remained in the hands of the Turks. 
 
 Once more the Duke of Lorraine offered terms to the be- 
 sieged, which a second time were indignantly refused. For 
 the grand-vizier had arrived with re-enforcements, and on a 
 plain just behind the city of Buda his troops were drawn up 
 in battle array. The besieged now commenced an attack upon 
 the besiegers ; one of their bombs burst almost at the feet of 
 the Duke of Lorraine, killing and wounding several of his 
 staff ; another fell into a heap of hand-grenades, which pro- 
 duced a frightful conflagration. 
 
 On the first of September Abdurrahmen was again sum- 
 moned to surrender. The white-haii'ed hero presented two 
 documents to the envoys, one of which was from the high- 
 priest of the Prophet at Constantinople, the other from the 
 Sultan. The first enjoined it upon the pacha, as a religious 
 duty, to defend Buda as the key to the Ottoman empire ; the 
 other contained these few emphatic words : " Either fall as a 
 martyr before the sword of the invader, or die as a traitor by 
 the blade of the headsman." 
 
 " You see," added Abdurrahmen, calmly, " that no discre- 
 tion is allowed me. I must prevail against you, or fight until 
 I fall." 
 
 This decided the question of capitulation forever ; and 
 although the grand-vizier was there with his reserves, the Duke 
 of Lorraine determined to storm the fortress anew. It was a 
 desperate resolve ; but, like Abdurrahmen, he had made up his 
 mind to conquer or die. 
 
 At this point of his narration, Eugene paused for breath.
 
 250 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The emperor, perceiving that he was fatigued, made a sign to 
 one of the pages in attendance, who themipon placed a chair 
 for him a compliment never before paid by a sovereign of 
 Austria to any man below the rank of a reigning prince. 
 
 " Prince Eugene of Savoy," said Leopold, " as a grandee of 
 Spain, and a knight of the Golden Fleece, you have a right to 
 be seated in the presence of your sovereign. Make use of the 
 privilege, then ; for if you stand much longer, I see that you 
 will not have strength to finish your recital ; and I would not 
 abridge it by a word. It sounds like martial music to my en- 
 raptured ear." 
 
 u Sire," replied Eugene, accepting the chair, " 'tis no won- 
 der if the boom of the cannon sound like music to the son of 
 Charles V. ; above all, when it thunders to proclaim your 
 majesty's success. On the 2d of September began the last as- 
 sault upon the fortress of Buda. It was impossible not to ad- 
 mire the intrepidity of our enemies : to a man, they seemed to 
 have sworn, like their commander, to defend the post or die 
 amid its ruins. But your majesty's troops were as resolute as 
 they. After a terrible conflict fought over the bodies of their 
 slain comrades, they cut to pieces a detachment of Janizaries 
 that had been sent to oppose their passage. 
 
 " ' No quarter ! ' was the watchword of the Moslems.. ' No 
 quarter ! ' cried the Christians in return. ' No quarter ! ' shout- 
 ed the Bavarians, as they mounted a breach in the fortress, and 
 fought hand to hand with its frenzied defenders. The latter 
 poured out in such numbers that the Bavarians wavered, and 
 perhaps might have been repulsed, had not the gallant Louis 
 of Baden mounted the breach himself, and called upon his 
 men to follow. They obeyed ; the Bavarians rallied, and the 
 prince ordered a fresh attack. Thanks to his valor and able 
 generalship, the Turks were forced back, and fled in confusion ; 
 some finding refuge within the walls, others, in their dismay, 
 plunging into the moat. The Bavarians followed the fugi- 
 tives, and now from every castle-window waved the white flag 
 of surrender. 
 
 " To the hero of Buda, the brave Abdurrahmen, our com- 
 manders would gladly have granted an honorable retreat. 
 But he refused mercy at the hands of his admiring antago-
 
 THE FALL OF BUDA. 
 
 nists. Alone he stood, sabre in hand, defending the breach 
 against our advancing troops, until he fell, pierced by twenty 
 balls, while the bodies of his slain foes lay like a monument 
 of his hei'oism around him. With the death of Abdurrahmen 
 the struggle ceased, and that night, as a last act of defiance, 
 the Turks sprung a mine in the fortress, and reduced it to a 
 heap of ruins. 
 
 " The next morning, the grand- vizier retreated, and the plan 
 of attack, inspired by the genius of the Duke of Lorraine, had 
 destroyed the prestige of the Sultan in Hungary. Scarcely in- 
 ferior to this great commander was the ability displayed by 
 Prince Louis of Baden, and Max Emmanuel. No man who 
 beheld them cau ever forget the sight of these two great 
 heroes, handsome and brave as Hector and Patroclus. 
 
 " Sire, my tale is ended. Buda has fallen, and its conquer- 
 ors have immortalized themselves." 
 
 u You say, your tale is at an end. Prince Eugene," replied 
 the emperor, smiling. " But you have omitted something in 
 your recital." 
 
 " What is it, your majesty ? " 
 
 " You have not once mentioned the name of the Prince of 
 Savoy ; and yet he must have been there. You have exalt- 
 ed the genius of the Duke of Lorraine, and you have likened 
 his two generals to the heroes of antiquity. It is said that the 
 Prince of Savoy is the inseparable companion of Prince Louis 
 and Max Emmanuel. Where, then, was he, while his friends 
 were gaining immortality ? " 
 
 " Sire, he was with them ; but, as he did no more than his 
 duty, I have nothing further to say." 
 
 " It is your duty, as bearer of dispatches from your com- 
 mander-in chief, to answer my inquiries, let them relate to 
 whomsoever they will. Where were you, then, while your 
 friends were astonishing you with their valor ? " 
 
 " He was at their side, your majesty. Before the siege, tlie 
 three friends had sworn never to surrender to the enemy. It 
 was therefore natural that the Prince of Savoy should follow 
 the example of his superior officers, and imitate their gal- 
 lantry." 
 
 " But was he in no danger ? Was he not wounded ? "
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Sire, on such a day, no soldier could hope to escape from 
 danger ; above all, the officers who led them into action. The 
 Prince of Savoy's horse was shot under him, and he himself 
 was slightly wounded in the hand by an arrow." 
 
 " Where was he stationed on that last day ? " 
 
 " He was ordered to skirmish with the enemy, and prevent 
 them from making sorties on the besiegers." 
 
 "A hard task, for one so young." 
 
 "Yes, sire ; for it condemned him to inaction, while his 
 comrades were gaining glory. But before the close of the 
 day, fate befriended him. The grand-vizier having made no 
 attempt to join the besieged, the Prince of Savoy was so for- 
 tunate as to come in with his dragoons, just as the Bavarians 
 were about to be repulsed from the breach." 
 
 " Ah ! I thought so ! " exclaimed Leopold ; " and doubt- 
 less his appearance had much to do with the successful storm- 
 ing of the castle. And how did the Duke of Lorraine reward 
 his gallantry ? " 
 
 " Sire, he was rewarded far, far beyond his deserts. The 
 Duke of Lorraine, in presence of the army, folded him in his 
 embrace." 
 
 "That was well done. Come hither, Prince Eugene. I, 
 too, would reward you as the Duke of Lorraine did." 
 
 Eugene hastened to the emperor, who folded him in his 
 arms, and then led him to the empress. 
 
 " Your majesty," said he to his wife, " I present you a young 
 hero, who for three years has been gaining renown in the serv- 
 ice of Austria. I recommend him to your favor, and beg that 
 you, too, will bestow some reward upon him." 
 
 The empress turned her soft blue eyes upon the prince, who 
 bent his knee, and kissed the hand she extended to him. " I will 
 pray for you," said she, " as long as I live ; and, as a testimonial 
 of my regard, I beg you to accept my husband's portrait. " 
 
 Unclasping from her neck a heavy gold chain, to which 
 was attached a miniature set in brilliants, she threw it over 
 Eugene's shoulder with these words : 
 
 " Let the emperor's likeness be to you a souvenir of your 
 past heroism, and may it inspire you for the future to serve 
 him with loyalty and love."
 
 THE i-RIENDS. 253 
 
 " Your majesty," replied Eugene, "of ray own free will I 
 chose the Emperor of Austria for my sovereign ; but from this 
 day forth I am pledged to serve him as his native-born sub- 
 ject : and the chain so graciously bestowed by your majesty, I 
 shall wear as emblematic of my fealty, for life." 
 
 The emperor signed to Eugene to rise, and addressed him- 
 self to all present. " Vienna, too, shall have her share in this 
 day's joy. The crescent, which for more than a hundred years 
 has proclaimed to the world that Austria's capital was once in 
 the hands of the infidel, shall be taken down from the tower 
 of St. Stephen's. We have won the right to displace the ac- 
 cursed emblem, and it shall once more give place to the sym- 
 bol of Christianity ! " 
 
 The crescent of which the emperor spoke, had been on the 
 tower of St. Stephen's since the year 1529, when Vienna was 
 besieged by the Sultan Soliman. His guns were being con- 
 stantly directed against the tower ; and the Viennese having 
 sent a deputation to request that the Turks would not de- 
 molish their beautiful cathedral, Soliman consented to spare it 
 on one condition. This was, that the cross should be removed, 
 and the crescent take its place. In their extremity, the prom- 
 ise was made ; and, from that day, the Christian church had 
 borne the hated symbol of Mohammedanism. 
 
 At the fall of Buda, Leopold refused to be bound any 
 longer by the promise extorted from his ancestors ; and, in com- 
 memoration of the capture of this important post, a cross 
 was erected on the tower, with this inscription : " Luna de- 
 posuit, et crux exaltata. Anno quo Buda a Turcis capta, 
 MDCLXXXVI." 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 THE FRIENDS. 
 
 WITH the capture of Buda, the campaign of 1686 closed. 
 The army went into winter quarters, and the officers all con- 
 gregrated in Vienna, there to indemnify themselves for past 
 hardships by a few months of recreation.
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Eugene of Savoy participated very little in the gayety of 
 court-life. While his companion-in-arms, Louis of Baden, 
 plunged headlong into the vortex of pleasure, the shy young 
 Frenchman led a most retired existence, in his little hotel in 
 the Herrengasse. He had purchased this residence for his 
 brother's widow and children, intending to make it not only 
 their home, but his own. The young widow, after spending 
 two years with her brother-in-law, forsook the world and re- 
 tired to a convent, there to lay her burden of grief at the feet 
 of her Lord. Her children she committed to the care of 
 their great-grandmother, the Princess de Carignan ; and 
 Eugene was left to the solitude of a bachelor home, without 
 one friendly voice to bid him welcome to its cold hearth. 
 
 Even Conrad, his faithful Conrad, was absent. Eugene 
 had sent him to Turin with messages to Victor Amadeus, 
 which he had not thought it prudent to write. For Conrad 
 was not only loyal and affectionate ; he had proved himself a 
 person of such uncommon ability, that he was now his lord's 
 secretary, no longer his servant. He had the care of his 
 money, the administration of his affairs, and was his trusty 
 and confidential friend. Eugene missed him sorely ; for Con- 
 rad had accompanied him "that night "to the Palais Royal, 
 and although Laura's name had never passed his lips, still her 
 lover found some solace in the companionship of the man who 
 had tended him during that dreadful illness, and who, he 
 knew full well, had learned from his unconscious lips the se- 
 cret of his love and its blight. 
 
 Eugene was in his cabinet. He had been engaged in the 
 study of mathematics, and the perusal of Julius Caesar's cam- 
 paigns ; after which, by way of recreation, he sat down to his 
 escritoire, and, unfolding a sheet of paper, began to make 
 plans of palaces and gardens. 
 
 He was so absorbed in his drawing, that he neither heard 
 nor saw the door open, and give entrance to a handsome 
 young man in a rich Spanish costume. For one moment the 
 visitor paused on the threshold, and smilingly surveyed Eu- 
 gene ; then, crossing the room on tiptoes, he laid his hand 
 upon the prince's shoulder. 
 
 " I certainly thought I would surprise you inditing a poem
 
 THE FRIENDS. 255 
 
 or a letter to the lady of your thoughts, and here I find you 
 drawing plans ! " 
 
 " Max Emmanuel ! " exclaimed Eugene, rising joyfully, and 
 embracing his friend. 
 
 " Yes, Max Emmanuel, who, having paid his devoirs to his 
 imperial father-in-law, has come with all haste to ask how it 
 fares with his friend. The servants told me you were in your 
 cabinet, so I forbade them to announce me, and made my way 
 hither all alone, that I might take you by surprise, and find 
 out whether you loved me as much as I do you. Seeing you 
 intent upon writing, I was quite confident that I was about to 
 discover a great secret when lo ! I see nothing but a sheet of 
 drawing-paper, covered with porches and pilasters. Tell me 
 the truth, Eugene why is it that, instead of worshipping Aph- 
 rodite, like other youths, you are doing homage to the house- 
 hold gods of domestic architecture ? "' 
 
 " Why, my dear Max, domestic architecture interests me, 
 because I expect to build houses, and lay out grounds. I do 
 not worship Aphrodite like other youths, because because I 
 know her not." 
 
 The elector looked searchingly into Eugene's solemn eyes. 
 " Are you in earnest ? " asked he. " Do you intend me to be- 
 lieve that you are unacquainted with the ecstasies and tribula- 
 tions of love ? " 
 
 "No," replied Eugene, sadly, "for I am too truly your 
 friend to deceive you, Max. I have loved, but my love was 
 unfortunate ; and the wound it has made in my heart is too 
 painful to be probed. Dear friend, let us speak of it never- 
 more ! " 
 
 " On the contrary, let us speak of it together without re- 
 serve. A hero like Eugene, who has faced death, and so often 
 wrested victory from his enemies, can surely contemplate such 
 a wound as Cupid's dart inflicts upon a man ! But tell me, 
 what are unfortunate loves ? mine have all been crowned with 
 myrtle, and smothered in roses." 
 
 Eugene was silent for a time ; then raising his large, melan- 
 choly eyes, till they restod affectionately upon the bright, 
 laughing countenance of his friend, he spoke : "I can well be- 
 lieve that you know nothing of tin- pangs inflicted by unhappy
 
 256 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 love ; for you are handsome, distinguished, and gifted. I, who 
 am none of these, can tell you what it is to love adversely. It 
 is to love with passion ; to be parted from the object of your 
 love ; and not to know whether she, like you, is constant to 
 her vows, and suffers from your absence, as you do from hers. 
 Pray Heaven that love may never come to you in such a 
 shape as this." 
 
 " No danger of me contracting the malady," replied Max ; 
 " I am constitutionally incapable of receiving it. I pluck the 
 fruit or flower that grows nearest, never suffering my imagina- 
 tion to run away with my longings. But never mind me and 
 my sybaritic interpretations of the tender passion. Are your 
 woes irremediable ? Is the lady married ? " 
 
 " In the eyes of the world she is." 
 
 u But not in the eyes of God, you would say. Then her 
 marriage must have been compulsory or fraudulent ? " 
 
 "It was fraudulent." 
 
 " Then hie we to the pope for justice ! His holiness will 
 not refuse it to such a brave crusader as you, and I myself will 
 be your advocate. Give me pen and paper. I will write at 
 once, send your signature and mine to the petition, and dis- 
 patch it by a courier this very day ; and then the world will 
 see whether we, who stormed Buda, may not storm adverse 
 fortune also." 
 
 " Dear friend, neither the pope nor you can storm my ad- 
 verse fortunes. I must hear from my beloved whether she is 
 true to me before I take one step to possess myself of her. 
 For three years I have waited in vain for her summons ; and 
 yet my longing arms are outstretched to clasp her, and never 
 while I live will they encircle the form of another ! " 
 
 " Nay these are the enthusiastic ravings of recent disap- 
 pointment. For a few years longer you may sorrow for your 
 first love ; but oblivion will come, all in good time, and you 
 will end by loving some other woman as deserving as your 
 absent mistress, and more attainable. After all, ambition, not 
 love, is the business of life ; and Cytherea's groves grow not 
 a flower that can compare with the laurels which fame 
 places on the brow of the conqueror. It is well for me 
 that I am ten years your senior, else I should have been
 
 THE FRIENDS. 257 
 
 obliged to come behind you, Eugene, and pick up your cast- 
 off leaves." 
 
 " The Elector of Bavaria is not a man so easily set aside," 
 was Eugene's reply. 
 
 " And yet efforts are continually being made to set him 
 aside," cried the elector, hastily. 
 
 " Who could be so presuming as to lay his sacrilegious hand 
 upon the well-earned laurels of a warrior so distinguished as 
 your highness ? " 
 
 " Who ? You know quite as well as I, that it is the Duke 
 of Lorraine." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed Eugene, with enthusiasm, " who can 
 compete with him ? He is the greatest man of the age. As 
 learned as he is brave ; as prudent as he is resolute ; a wise 
 statesman, an unrivalled general ; equally distinguished in the 
 cabinet and the field. How fortunate I have been in having 
 him for my master in the art of war ! " 
 
 "You are modest," said the elector, derisively. "As for 
 me, I have no ambition to follow any master in the art of 
 war. I wish to carve out my own plans and schemes, and I 
 am weary of being subject to the will of the Duke of Lor- 
 raine." 
 
 " He is commander-in-chief of the army," urged Eugene. 
 " No army can be without a head, to which all its members 
 must be subordinate." 
 
 " But why must that head be Charles of Lorraine, pray ? " 
 
 " You surely would not dream of supplanting him I " cried 
 Eugene. 
 
 " Yes, 1 would ; and I have determined to submit to his 
 dictation no longer. If I cannot have a command independ- 
 ent of the Duke of Lorraine, I shall withdraw my troops, re- 
 main in Bavaria, and leave my father-in-law to fight his own 
 battles with the Turks." 
 
 " You will do no such thing," said Eugene, laying his hand 
 upon the prince's shoulder, and looking anxiously into his 
 face. " You will not endanger the great cause for which we 
 have fought together by the interference of petty personal 
 jealousies. No, Max Emmanuel, you are too magnanimous to 
 sacrifice the interests of Christendom to such considerations.
 
 258 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Moreover, you have gained too much renown as a general, to 
 be overshadowed by the reputation of any man." 
 
 " I do not know that . I only know that the Duke of Lor- 
 raine is in my way, and that for the future he must stand 
 aside, or I resign my commission in the imperial army. But 
 these are matters of future discussion. We will postpone this 
 altercation until the opening of our next campaign. Mean- 
 while do you know what brought me hither this morning ? 
 I come to snatch you away from cold contemplation, and in- 
 troduce you to society." 
 
 " I have no taste for society," replied Eugene, shrinking 
 from the very thought. " I love solitude ; and mine is peopled 
 with delicious visions of the past, as well as glorious aspira- 
 tions for the future." 
 
 " Of what nature are your aspirations ? They point to mili- 
 tary distinction, I hope. Do they not ? " 
 
 " Yes ; and I trust that I shall attain it honorably. Fate 
 will assign me my place ; the rest remains for me to do. I 
 have too much to learn, to mingle with the world." 
 
 "Man learns not only through the study of books, but 
 through that of human nature," exclaimed Max Emmanuel ; 
 " and you need never hope for greatness unless you gain knowl- 
 edge of the world. I have come to entice you away, and I 
 will not be refused." 
 
 " Whither would you entice me ? " asked Eugene, smiling. 
 
 "To the paradise of pleasure and of lovely women to 
 Venice ! " 
 
 Eugene started, and a glow overspread his pale face. " To 
 Venice ! " echoed he. " To Venice ! " 
 
 " Ay, prince to Venice," repeated Max Emmanuel. " To 
 live over the ' Arabian Nights,' by joining the great carni- 
 val." 
 
 l< I have heard that Venice is the seat of all elegance and 
 refinement, and that no man who has not graduated in its 
 school of gallantry is considered perfect in woi'ldly accom- 
 plishments." 
 
 " Then you perceive that you, who are so ambitious, must 
 go with me to Venice to receive your diploma as a gallant. 
 My heart beats with joyful impatience as I think of the de-
 
 THE FRIENDS. 259 
 
 lights that await us. The carnival is to be unusually brilliant 
 this year. The Prince of Hanover, the Margraves of Baireuth 
 and of Baden, the brave commander-in-chief of the republican 
 armies, Morosini, and Admirals Molino and Delphini, are all 
 to be there. Morosini himself has written me an invitation to 
 the carnival, and you must accompany me." 
 
 " No, your highness," replied Eugene, seriously. " I have 
 not been invited ; there is therefore no reason whv I should 
 go." 
 
 " But if I tell you that I will consider it as a proof of your 
 friendship," persisted the elector, k ' then I hope you will no 
 longer refuse me. Indeed, you would do me the greatest 
 favor." 
 
 " How could it possibly be a favor ? " asked Eugene. 
 
 " I will tell you how. I am impulsive and easily led away : 
 your principles are firm as a rock. I have known you for 
 three years, and have closely observed your character, Eugene. 
 You are sensible, honorable, and independent ; you are re- 
 served, yet sincere brave, yet discreet. You are more than 
 all this you are an honest man, rejoicing in the fame of 
 others, and never blind to worth because of envy or longing 
 for notoriety." 
 
 " My dear, dear friend," interrupted Eugene, " you overrate 
 me beyond 
 
 "No, T do not overrate you," was the elector's reply. "I 
 appreciate you that is all ; and I want you for a counsellor. 
 You know how a reigning prince is surrounded by flatterers ; 
 how his follies are heralded to the world as virtues ; and, 
 above all, you know how many snares are spread for such a 
 gilded butterfly by artful women, who long, not only for his 
 heart, but for his gold ; above all, when he calls himself a 
 prince, and is the son-in-law of an emperor." 
 
 " You have a poor opinion of women." smiled Eugene. 
 
 " They have given me no reason to think well of them. 
 I know the whole sex to be fickle, coquettish, and heartless ; 
 and yet I am forever being led astray by their siren voices. 
 And when the wicked enchantresses smile and swear that they 
 lov me, 1 am ravished albeit, I know that every word they 
 utter is a lie."
 
 260 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You mean when they smiled and swore, I presume," said 
 Eugene ; " for such delusions must have ended with your mar- 
 riage. The husband of the beautiful Archduchess Antonia 
 need not fear the wiles of Phryne or Lais." 
 
 " Pardon me," replied the elector, with a woe-begone ex- 
 pression of countenance, " they have become doubly danger- 
 ous, since they are forbidden fruit. I never was intended to 
 be a model of conjugal fidelity, and my heart beats fearfully 
 when I think of the starry eyes, the raven hair, the pearly 
 cheeks of the fair women of Venice ! I have very little confi- 
 dence in my own valor, if I have to meet them single-banded. 
 Do, Eugene, come with me ; let us be compauions-in-pleasure 
 as we have been companions-in-arms. I depend upon you to 
 fortify my virtue in the hour of need." 
 
 " Your true and loving friend I am and will be ever," re- 
 plied Eugene ; " but do not ask me to go to Venice. I am too 
 poor to go thither in such distinguished companionship." 
 
 " It is understood that you go as my guest ; there can then 
 be no question of riches or poverty. I have engaged a palace 
 for me and my suite ; my household are already there, and you 
 have nothing to do but to make yourself at home. Every 
 thing I possess is at my friend's disposal." 
 
 " Which means that your highness considers me as one of 
 your suite, and perchance intends to supply me with pocket- 
 money ? " said Eugene, proudly. 
 
 " Nay, Eugene," replied the elector, offering his hand, " I 
 meant nothing that could offend my friend. I meant that he 
 should share with me as a brother whatever I possess. 
 
 " There are two things, your highness, which no man can 
 share with another. One is his mistress, the other his honor. 
 I am poor, and therefore I cannot share with you your advan- 
 tages of fortune ; I am obscure, and scorn to shine by the bor- 
 rowed light of your highness's exalted station. Sooner would 
 I dwell in a cottage than in a palace at another man's expense." 
 
 Max Emmanuel had at first regarded Eugene with unmixed 
 astonishment ; then the expression of his handsome face had 
 changed to one of admiration and tenderness. As the prince 
 ceased, the elector rose from his chair, and took both his 
 friend's hands.
 
 THE FRIENDS. 261 
 
 " You are, indeed, one of Nature's noblemen," continued he, 
 affectionately. "Your view of this matter is, as usual, ex- 
 ceptional ; but it is the highest view that can be taken of such 
 an offer ; and, although I am the loser thereby, I honor you 
 for the refusal. I must then renounce the pleasure 1 had 
 promised myself of having your company to Venice," added 
 the elector, with a sigh. 
 
 " Perhaps not," returned Eugene. " Any thing on earth I 
 would do to prove you my friendship ; and I may go to 
 Venice, not for the sake of its beautiful women, but for the 
 pleasure of bearing you company." 
 
 " Thank you for that ' may,' Eugene. But let your decision 
 be a speedy one, I implore you ; for I long to quit a court that 
 bristles with so many tiresome Spanish formalities. I would 
 be glad to start to-morrow, but I will wait for you. How long 
 must I wait ? " 
 
 " Only until my secretary retxirns from Turin. I expect 
 him to-day." 
 
 " So much the better. Let me hear from you as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 "I will." 
 
 The elector rose and took his leave, while Eugene returned 
 x> his escritoire, and tried to resume his occupation. But his 
 thoughts were straying to Venice, and his hand lay listless 
 on the paper. 
 
 " To Venice ! " murmured he. " To Venice perchance to 
 Laura ! " 
 
 As he pronounced her name, he broke into one wild ejacu- 
 lation of joy. 
 
 " See her ? Oh, yes ! " cried he, passionately. " Gaze into 
 my Laura's eyes, I must should the sight cost me my life ! 
 But no 1 " faltered he, suddenly. " I must not see her. She 
 has forgotten me : and perhaps at this very hour, when my 
 heart throbs to bursting at the thought of meeting her again, 
 she jests with her husband at the silly episode of her foolish 
 fancy for me ! Perhaps she rejoices at her escape from alli- 
 ance with the disgraced family of the De Soissons, and blesses 
 Heaven for peace, doubting heart ! I will believe I will 
 hope Laura, my Laura. Ah, Conrad, are you here at last ? v
 
 262 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 And Eugene, springing from his seat, clasped Conrad's 
 hands within his own. 
 
 " Yes, your highness," replied Conrad, his face beaming 
 with joy to see his dear lord. " I have just alighted, and must 
 apologize for my dusty garh. I did not stop to change my 
 dress." 
 
 "You were right quite right, and it needs no apology. 
 Tell me the result of your mission. Did you speak with the 
 Duke of Savoy in person ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, he was so kind as to grant me two 
 audiences. I related to him the entire history of your em- 
 barrassments, and their cause. I told him of the sequestration 
 of your estates by the covetous King of France, and of the 
 debts which this act of injustice had compelled you to leave in 
 Paris. He asked me what was your pay as colonel in the 
 Austrian service. I told him that the pay was fluctuating as 
 to amount, and uncertain as to receipt ; but at its maximum it 
 might reach the sum of ten thousand florins a year. Upon 
 this, he said: 'Ten thousand florins a year to maintain a 
 prince of the house of Savoy, and one of the most distinguished 
 officers in the imperial service ! Well may he be straitened 
 in purse ! ' Then I took courage, and told his highness that 
 you could not possibly live on less than fifteen thousand 
 florins, and that you appealed to him to assist you in maintain- 
 ing the dignity of the ducal house of Savoy, and saving its 
 representatives from absolute penury." 
 
 " And what was the answer ? " 
 
 " He requested me to return the next day, which I did. I 
 was most kindly received, and his highness said that he hoped 
 he had found a remedy for your embarrassments, my lord. 
 Although forbidden by the laws of Savoy to pay a salary to 
 any man not in the service of his own dukedom, he would be 
 happy to assist your highness from his own privy purse, until 
 he had arranged matters in a manner more satisfactory and 
 more secure. Prince Antony of Savoy, who is in a dying con- 
 dition, possesses the revenues of five abbeys, which his high- 
 ness of Savoy hopes to have transferred to your highness, thus 
 securing to you a fixed and certain income, not subject to the 
 sequestrations of the King of France."
 
 THE FRIENDS. 263 
 
 " He wrote no letter ? '' 
 
 "No, your highness. The duke gave me four rouleaux of 
 three hundred ducats each for present need, and bade me take 
 them as his answer to your highness's letter." 
 
 Eugene smiled. " Therein I recognize my prudent cousin, 
 who dares not trust his promises to writing. But I thank him 
 for his golden answer. How much did you say you brought, 
 Conrad ? " 
 
 '* Twelve hundred ducats, my lord, which will cover all ex- 
 penses until the opening of the spring campaign, when your 
 pay is due." 
 
 " But, my dear Conrad, you forget that we have debts to 
 pay. And, by-the-by, what news do you bring from Paris ? " 
 
 " Your highness's creditors there were so astounded at the 
 prospect of being paid, that I almost regretted to be obliged to 
 disturb the tranquillity with which they had accepted their 
 losses. They were so grateful that they bade me say they 
 would be perfectly satisfied with yearly instalments of any 
 amount your highness would be pleased to pay. So I made 
 arrangements to close your whole indebtedness at the end of 
 three years." 
 
 " A long time for those poor fellows to wait for their dues," 
 said Eugene, shaking his head. " Conrad, if we obtain the 
 transfer of those abbey revenues, the first sum we receive 
 therefrom goes to my creditors in Paris. Remember that. " * 
 
 " I shall be very sure to remember it, my lord ; for it will 
 be an occasion of rejoicing to many an honest tradesman, each 
 one of whom will bless your highness's magnanimity." 
 
 " Magnanimity ! I call it bare justice ! " said Eugene. 
 "Give me the memoranda." 
 
 Conrad pi'esented the package, which his lord opened, ex- 
 amining each account until he had seen all. 
 
 " I miss one account here which I would gladly pay," said 
 he, with some embarrassment. 
 
 " The account of Monsieur Louis ? " was Conrad's prompt 
 reply. 
 
 * The payment of Prinee Eugene's debts was regarded as something ultra- 
 honorable by the people of Paris, and the Duchess Elizabeth-Charlotte speaks 
 of It in her letters as a noble action. See " Letters of Elizabeth-Charlotte." 
 
 18
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Eugene made a motion of assent, while Conrad continued : 
 
 " My lord," said he, averting bis eyes from the prince, " 1 
 went to Monsieur Louis, as I did to your other creditors. He 
 said that he could not accept payment for decorations which 
 had never been completed. He would always hold sacred the 
 remembrance of the day when your highness fell insensible 
 upon a heap of garlands that were to have ornamented your 
 reception-rooms, and he had been near to lift you in his arms. 
 He told me this with tears in his eyes, my lord ; pardon me if 
 I have awakened painful reminiscences by the recital ; but he 
 begged me to convey his message, and I felt bound to comply." 
 
 For some moments Eugene kept silence. A f ter a pause, dur- 
 ing which Conrad dared not meet his eye, the prince replied : 
 
 " Conrad," said he, " if I should ever afford to have a 
 princely retinue again, I will take Monsieur Louis into my 
 service. At all events, if I ever build a house, he shall deco- 
 rate it, and shall be well paid for his work. And now to other 
 things. Did you see her highness the Duchess of Orleans ? '' 
 
 "Yes, my lord. Her highness was walking in the park 
 when your letter was handed to her. She sent for me at once, 
 and received me in the little pavilion." 
 
 "The pavilion ! The pavilion ! Go on." 
 
 " She inquired minutely as to your health, prospects, and 
 condition. She asked if you were cheerful. I told her that 
 you were always in high spirits on the day of a battle. Then 
 she would have me relate to her the dangers you had incurred, 
 spoke of her grief at hearing you had been wounded, and 
 seemed never to tire of your praises. Then she sat down and 
 begged me to wait until she wrote you a short letter. Here it 
 is, my lord." 
 
 Eugene broke the seal ; then, as if ashamed of the emotion 
 that was welling up from his agitated heart, he looked at Con- 
 rad, who understood the appeal, and withdrew. 
 
 As the letter was opened, a small bit of paper fell from its 
 folds, and fluttered to the carpet. Eugene, without observing 
 it, began to read his letter. It ran thus : 
 
 " I cannot refrain from sending you a greeting in my own 
 hand. My dear prince, I hold you in affectionate remem-
 
 THE FRIENDS. 265 
 
 brauce ; let me hope that you have not forgotten me. Every 
 thing remains here as when you left ; false, frivolous, and, to 
 me, as antagonistic as of erst. I have never been happy since 
 she. was so cruelly forced away from my pi'otection. I have 
 had news of her. My daughter, who lives in Turin, made a 
 visit to Venice lately. I had begged her, if possible, to give 
 
 me tidings of , and to give her my hearty love. They met 
 
 for a moment, when she pressed into my daughter's hand a 
 little note for me. I opened it, but it contained only the slip of 
 paper I enclose. Be assured of my sincere and constant friend- 
 ship. ELIZABETH-CHARLOTTE." 
 
 " The paper ! the paper ! '' exclaimed Eugene, as, with 
 trembling hands, he opened the sheet, and found nothing 
 within. " Great God ! the duchess has forgotten to enclose it, 
 and I must away to Paris, this night, this very " 
 
 Just then his eyes rested on the carpet, and there at his feet 
 lay the treasured paper. It contained these words : 
 
 " I am a prisoner watched day and night. Have you, too, 
 forgotten me ? I cannot believe it ; and, after three long years 
 of silence and of suffering, I still await your coming." 
 
 As Eugene read these tender words, he sank on his knees, 
 and pressed the paper to his lips. " Forgive me, my Laura," 
 murmured he. "I was weak in faith, and unworthy of you. 
 But I will love you all the more for my injustice. I come ! 
 I come ! " 
 
 He rose from his knees, calling for Conrad, who was in 
 the antechamber, awaiting a summons to return. Great was 
 his astonishment when he beheld Eugene advancing toward 
 him, his lips parted with a happy smile, his eyes beaming with 
 animation, his whole bearing transformed. What could ii 
 mean ? 
 
 " Conrad." cried he, and his very voice had a joyful peal, 
 like the chime of marriage-bells "Conrad, we must leave 
 Vienna this evening. Let everything be in readiness. If we 
 have not gold enough with our cousin's ducats, borrow more ; 
 but be ready to go with me at once. Stay I had almost 
 forgotten. Go to the palace ; see the chamberlain of his 
 highness the Elector of Bavaria, and tell him to announce to
 
 266 PRINCE EtJGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the prince that Prince Eugene of Savoy leaves this evening 
 for Venice. That is all. Make haste, Conrad ! Away with 
 you, and fly back as soon as possible, for I tell you that we 
 must be on our road before night ! " 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 
 
 THE Marquis Strozzi was alone in his cabinet, pacing the 
 room with clouded brow and compressed lips. Now and then 
 he stopped before the window which opened on a balcony 
 overlooking the Canale Grande ; and the sight of the gayly- 
 decked gondolas that shot hither and thither with their freight 
 of youth and youthful glee, seemed to intensify his discontent, 
 and rouse him to positive anger. 
 
 " They are shouting their stupid welcome to these foreign 
 princes," muttered he, " and presently she will be attracted by 
 the sound, and seek to know what it means. My God ! " ejacu- 
 lated be, striking his forehead, " this love is the curse of my 
 life. It will drive me to madness, and yet and yet I cannot 
 overcome it. To work, then, to work ! I must increase my 
 number of spies." 
 
 In the centre of the room, on a table of Florentine mosaic, 
 lay a little golden bell, fashioned by the master-hand of Ben- 
 venuto Cellini. The marquis rang it gently, and, before he 
 had replaced it, a secret door in the wall slided back, giving 
 entrance to a masked figure, enveloped in a long black cloak. 
 
 Strozzi surveyed him for a moment, then, throwing himself 
 upon a divan, he was lost in contemplation of the frescoes by 
 Paul Veronese, which decorated the ceiling of this luxurious 
 apartment. Meanwhile the mask had carefully closed the 
 door, and stood respectfully silent. 
 
 Finally Strozzi condescended to speak. "Take off your 
 mask." The man obeyed, and Strozzi gazed upon a sinister 
 face, disfigured by a long, purple scar, which reached from the 
 left temple to the chin.
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 267 
 
 " Do you know," continued the marquis, " that if you were 
 to appt-ai- unmasked in the market-place, every child in Venice 
 would recognize you, Antonio ? " 
 
 " Yes, excellenza," was the humble reply. 
 
 " How did you come by that scar ? " sneered the patrician. 
 
 Antonio moved impatiently, and glanced imploringly at 
 the marquis. 
 
 The latter merely repeated the question. 
 
 Antonio heaved a sigh, and his head dropped to his breast. 
 
 " It was inflicted by my father,'' murmured he, almost in- 
 audibly. 
 
 " Speak louder," said Strozzi. " Why did he inflict it ? " 
 
 The man's eyes shot fire, but he dared not remonstrate. 
 His glance fell before the cold glitter of Strozzi's black orbs, 
 as he muttered in reply, "I was trying to get at his money, 
 when he rushed in upon me, and gashed my face with a dag- 
 ger." 
 
 " Upon which you plunged your poniard into his throat, 
 and made an end of your respectable parent on the spot." 
 
 " Excellenza," cried Antonio, in tones of deep emotion, " I 
 had but raised it to ward off the blow, when my father rushed 
 upon it, and so met his fate." 
 
 The marquis laughed. " Rushed upon it did he ? Of 
 course you are an innocent lamb of a parricide, and the judg- 
 ment passed upon your act was a most iniquitous one. It was 
 doubtless a shame that you were publicly maimed, and then 
 led back to prison to await your execution. Possibly you may 
 remember the night that followed your punishment, when a 
 priest entered your cell, and, on condition that you paid him 
 implicit obedience for five years, offered you life and the release 
 of your paramour the woman for whose sake you murdered 
 your father." 
 
 " Poor Caterina ! " sighed Antonio. " To think that, for the 
 life of a babe not a day old, she should be imprisoned for five 
 years ! " 
 
 ' Why, then, did she murder it ? " asked Strozzi. 
 
 " To save herself from the vengeance of her husband, ex- 
 cellenza. But I I hare kept my word, and have served you 
 faithfully, have I not ? "
 
 268 PKINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 *' Yes you are a tolerably submissive hound," said Strozzi, 
 scornfully. " How long before your bondage ceases ? " 
 
 " Excellenza, it was in January, 1683, that you appeared to 
 me in the dress of a priest, and saved me from the headsman. 
 I owe you still one year, one month, and twenty-six days of 
 service." 
 
 " You are accurate very ; but mark me ! If you fail in 
 the least point, the contract is null. I neither release your 
 Caterina nor you." 
 
 " I am your slave, and have no will but yours." 
 
 " "Tis well. What have you learned to-day ? " 
 
 " As regards the gracious marchioness, but little. She 
 drew, played on her harp, and embroidered, as usual, and wrote 
 a letter, which she committed to the hands of that demoiselle 
 Victorine, who gives out that she was sent to her ladyship by 
 her friend the Duchess of Orleans." 
 
 " I know I know. Where is the letter ? " 
 
 " Here it is, excellenza." 
 
 The marquis examined the seal, to see that it had not been 
 tampered with by his underlings. "Any thing further ?* 
 added he, raising his eyes to Antonio's woe-begone face. 
 
 "Very little, excellenza. The signora went twice to the 
 balcony to look at the gondolas, Mademoiselle Victorine watch- 
 ing her from within. The second time she went, she clasped 
 her hands all of a sudden, blushed, and leaned so far over the 
 balustrade that mademoiselle made sure that there was some- 
 thing unusual on the canal. Pretending that she had some 
 question to ask as to the signora's dress, she followed, but the 
 signora was so absorbed in what she saw, that she did not re- 
 mark her tire- woman." 
 
 "What was it?" asked Strozzi, breathless with expecta- 
 tion. 
 
 "The Canale Grande was so crowded with splendid gon- 
 dolas that it was hard to say what had attracted the marchion- 
 ess's attention. But after a moment or two of waiting, Made- 
 moiselle Victorine saw that one of the gondolas was stationary 
 just opposite to the palace." 
 
 " Whose gondola ? Who was in it ? " cried Strozzi, imperi- 
 ously.
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 269 
 
 " Besides the gondoliers, the gondola contained a young 
 man, so simply dressed, that he could not have been anybody 
 of distinction, for he wore a brown doublet with plain buttons. 
 Mademoiselle concluded that the ]yiug-to of the gondola was 
 accidental ; he was too insignificant to have interested the sig- 
 nora." 
 
 " What do you think ? " asked Strozzi, eying him search- 
 ingly. 
 
 " I think it was premeditated, but I will soon find out." 
 
 ' What steps have you taken to ? But no ! go on go 
 on. What took place afterward ? " 
 
 " Nothing, excellenza ; for after this gondola, came that of 
 my lord the marquis, and the sigiiora retreated hastily to her 
 room." 
 
 " Ah ! Now tell me what you have done ? " 
 
 '" I posted one of my men, with his gondola, under the bal- 
 cony. He is to remain there, watching every gondola that 
 passes both by day and by night. I have stationed men at 
 every entrance of the palace, who are to give admittance to all 
 who present themselves ; but who are to require the names and 
 business of all who leave. Even those who are in your ex- 
 cellency's pay are to be searched for example, Mademoiselle 
 Victorine." 
 
 " You are a well-trained dog," laughed Strozzi. " I really 
 believe that I will have to set you and your child- murderess 
 free, some of these days. Go, now, and bring me word who 
 was in that gondola." 
 
 Antonio resumed his mask, and disappeared through the 
 door, which closed, and left no trace upon the wall. 
 
 At this moment, there was a knock at the door of the 
 antechamber, and a woman's voice was heard, asking admis- 
 sion. 
 
 " Lucretia ! " said Strozzi, rising and undoing the bolt. 
 
 A lady entered the room. She was enveloped from head 
 to foot in a veil of costly Venetian guipure, fastened to the 
 braids of her raven-black hair by two large brilliants. Her 
 face had been concealed by the veil, but, as the door closed 
 behind her, she threw it back, and exposed to view a counte- 
 nance of remarkable beauty.
 
 270 PRINCE EUGENE AND filS TIMES. 
 
 "Look at me, Ottario,'' said she. " Tell me candidly am. 
 I handsome enough to bewitch our guests, those princely bears 
 of Germany ? " 
 
 The marquis surveyed her critically, just as a painter might 
 examine a fine picture. He looked at her pale, pearly skin, 
 her scarlet lips, her delicately-chiselled nose, and her low, wide 
 forehead, so like that of the Capitoliue Venus. Then he gazed 
 into her dark, flashing eyes, at once so languishing and so pas- 
 sionate, with the beautiful arched eyebrows that gave such fin- 
 ish to their splendor. The black hair, like a frame of ebony, 
 surrounded the face, and brought out the graceful oval of her 
 cheeks. Strozzi then followed the luxurious outline of her 
 well-developed bust, prisoned in a bodice of blue velvet, which 
 rested on her white shoulders like an azure cloud upon the 
 bosom of a snowy mountain-peak. The skirt, also of blue vel- 
 vet, was short in front, that it might not conceal a fairy foot 
 encased in blue satin slippers ; but, behind, it fell in a long 
 train, whose rich folds lay on the carpet, perfecting the grace 
 and elegance of the beautiful living picture. 
 
 " You are certainly charming," said Strozzi, at last " quite 
 charming enough to bewitch a dozen German princes, suppos- 
 ing your husband to offer no impediment to the spell." 
 
 Here she drew out a fan of coral and gold, and, opening it 
 with a snap, began to fan herself. " Caro amico," said she, 
 " you speak as if you were ignorant of the character and vir- 
 tues of Count Canossa, when you yourself are the very trades- 
 man that sold me to him." 
 
 "You use very strong expressions, Lucretia." 
 
 "Do I? Not stronger than are warranted by the transac- 
 tion. You sold me to him to rid yourself of your mother's 
 dying charge, and you did it, although you knew him to be a 
 man so depraved that nothing on earth was sacred in his eyes 
 not even the virtue of his wife." 
 
 " Why, that," replied the marquis significantly, " is so much 
 the better for you." 
 
 " You mean that otherwise he would not have married me ?" 
 asked Lucretia. 
 
 "I mean that he would have examined more carefully into 
 the truth of the rumor which accused the sister of the Stro/zi
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 271 
 
 of hnving a liaison with a gondolier ; of having fled with him 
 to Padua, and of having been caught and brought back to 
 Venice, while her patrician lover was sent to the galleys." 
 
 " I wish he had done so," was the reply, " and then you 
 would have been compelled to save ray honor by allowing me 
 to marry Giuseppe. Do not laugh so heartlessly, Ottario. I 
 loved him not only because of his manly beauty, but because 
 he was honorable and worthy of a woman's purest love. His 
 only fault was that of having loved me. You sent him to the 
 galleys ; and I I, too, have been condemned to the galleys, 
 and chained to a felon for life. Well I know that he covered 
 my indiscretions with his name for a stipulated sum, which 
 my generous brother paid to save my reputation, and he gam- 
 bled it away before the expiration of a year. Our palace re- 
 sembles a ship that has been visited by corsairs. It contains 
 nothing but a pile of lumber, for which not even a pawnbroker 
 would give a bajocco. Were it not for your alms, the Countess 
 Canossa would starve." 
 
 " Alms, call you my gifts ? " said Strozzi, casting his eyes 
 over her rich toilet. "They dress you up handsomely, me- 
 thinks." 
 
 " But there they end," objected the countess. " I have 
 neither lackeys nor diamonds, neither gondola nor gondolier, 
 and my saloons are so shabby that I can receive no company 
 at home. You give me as little as decency permits." 
 
 "If I gave you diamonds, our dear Canossa would steal 
 them ; and if I furnished your parlors, he would gamble away 
 the furniture in a night." 
 
 " You know the worth of the husband you selected for 
 your mother's child, and doubtless you had your own private 
 reasons for sacrificing her to such a man. His worth lessness, 
 oo, furnishes an excuse for your niggardly allowance to me. 
 The very dresses I wear are the price of dishonor. I often feel 
 ashamed of the part I play toward your wife, Ottario, and I 
 know not but some day I may throw myself at her feet and 
 acknowledge my treachery." 
 
 " If you do, your acknowledgment will be forthwith con- 
 veyed to my ears, and the doors of the palace Strozzi will be 
 closed to you forever,"
 
 272 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " I know it," sighed the countess ; " and the fear of this ex- 
 pulsion binds me to your wicked will." 
 
 " Never mind what binds you, so you serve with fidelity ; 
 and, above all things, I charge you to be watchful during the 
 coming week. I will not be able to keep my wife much 
 longer from participation in the social pleasures of Ven- 
 ice." 
 
 " Why not ? You have spread a report of her insanity, and 
 nobody will ever give a thought to her absence." 
 
 " But she may desire to witness the carnival herself." 
 
 " How so ? when she has invariably refused to be presented 
 to any one as your wife ? " 
 
 " She might change her mind, and claim her right to be 
 presented to the doge and dogessa. She may wish to take part 
 in the carnival, because of a fancy for some foreign prince I- 
 Great God ! when I think of such a possibility," cried Strozzi, 
 interrupting himself, " I feel as though I were going mad fot 
 jealousy ! " 
 
 " Poor fellow ! " said Lucretia, " I pity you. You live with 
 a perpetual dagger in your heart." 
 
 " And it will kill me unless you are loyal to your office, 
 Lucretia. Promise me to watch this woman closely. Lis- 
 ten to me. She may wish to go out, and if she does, it 
 is quite natural that you, as well as I, should accompany 
 her. Swear that wheresoever you may be together, you 
 will not for one moment quit her side, or take your eyes off 
 her person." 
 
 " For what do you take me, pray ? Do you suppose that I 
 attend the carnival to yawn at the side of your wife ? or do 
 you imagine that such eyes as mine were made for nothing 
 better than to stare at a woman ? " 
 
 u You will have as much opportunity as you can desire to 
 use them to your own advantage, Lucretia, for Laura will not 
 go out often. " 
 
 " What will you give me in return for my self-denial ? " 
 
 ft If the carnival passes off without misadventure, I will buy 
 you a splendid gondola, with two gondoliers dressed all in 
 silk." 
 
 " Give them to me now, and if I neglect my duty, then take
 
 THE MARQUIS STKOZZI. 273 
 
 them back. But do do give them to me to use during the 
 carnival." 
 
 " Very well, you shall have them to-morrow morning. 
 And you s\vear that my wife shall neither give her hand nor 
 speak to any man in Venice, and that you will report her very 
 glances to me ? " 
 
 " I swear to guard your golden apple like a good dragon. 
 And to-morrow I shall join the great regatta," added she, 
 clapping her hands like a petted child. " Now. Ottario, listen 
 to me I have just come from your wife's apartments with 
 news for you." 
 
 " What is it ? " gasped Strozzi, clutching at the arms of his 
 chair. 
 
 " The beautiful Laura is no longer the cold vestal that came 
 to Venice as your wife. Her eye is bright, her cheek is flushed, 
 her lips are parted with womanly longing. I congratulate 
 you upon the change. Your love has at last awakened a cor- 
 responding sentiment, and now is your time to woo and win. 
 I came hither to tell you this and make you happy. Do not 
 forget my gondola ! Addio, caro amico, addio ! " 
 
 She kissed the tips of her rosy fingers, and then, coquettish- 
 ly drawing her veil around her shoulders, she bounded off like 
 a gazelle, through the corridors of the palace. 
 
 " I wish I had your frivolity," murmured her brother, sink- 
 ing back upon the cushions of his divan. " I would that love, 
 for me, were but the episode of the hour ! But hark ! twelve 
 o'clock the hour for my visit to her who is at once the bless- 
 ing and the curse of my life ! " 
 
 He was about to quit the room, when he heard a rustling 
 at the secret door. " Come in," said he, and the mask re-en- 
 tered the room. 
 
 "You, Antonio ! Already returned ?" asked Strozzi, sur- 
 prised. 
 
 " Yes, excellenza. I know the name of the young man 
 in the gondola which stopped before the palace this morn- 
 ing." 
 
 Strozzi was too much agitated to speak. He signed to the 
 man to go on. 
 
 " It was Prince Eugene of Savoy. He arrived in Venice
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND His 
 
 yesterday, and has taken the little Palazzo Capello, next to the 
 Palazzo Manfredino, which since this morning is occupied by 
 the Elector of Bavaria." 
 
 Strozzi was now as pale as a corpse ; his brow darkened, 
 and his limbs trembled so that he was obliged to sit down. He 
 mastered his agitation as well as he could, and resumed his 
 questionings. 
 
 " You are quite sure, Antonio ? " 
 
 " Perfectly sure, excellenza." 
 
 " And yet the Prince of Savoy is not among the invited ? " 
 
 " He came alone. The Marquis de Villars had rented the 
 Palazzo Capello for himself, but he has given it up to Prince 
 Eugene, and has accepted the invitation of the elector to occu- 
 py a suite on the ground floor of the Palazzo Manfredino. The 
 Prince of Savoy and the elector are intimate friends ; for no 
 sooner had the former arrived, than he left his address at the 
 Palazzo Manfredino ; and the latter had not been here an hour 
 before he was at the hotel of the White Lion, where Prince 
 Eugene had taken lodgings. By noon, the elector had obtained 
 the relinquishment of the Palazzo Capello for the prince, and 
 the Marquis de Villars had taken up his quarters at the Pa- 
 lazzo Manfredino." 
 
 " From whom did you learn all these details ? " 
 
 "From one of the gondoliers that rowed Prince Eugene 
 this morning, my half-brother Beppo. ' Whither shall I row 
 you, excellenza ?' asked he. 'Anywhere, 1 said the prince, in 
 excellent Italian, 'but take me to see your famous palaces.' 
 ' The Foscari, for example ? ' inquired Beppo. ' Yes, and the 
 Strozzi, which, I am told, is one of the finest residences in 
 Venice.' So they rowed to the Strozzi palace, and there the 
 prince bade Beppo stop for ever so long a time. The prince 
 will spend the entire carnival here. He has bought a gondola, 
 and his secretary is on the lookout for gondoliers, an Italian 
 valet, and a commissionnaire. " 
 
 "You will offer yourself as his commissionnaire, then," 
 said Strozzi, with a sinister scowl. " And be sure you get the 
 place do you hear ? " 
 
 Antonio bowed, and the marquis continued : " In fifteen 
 minutes return to me, and meanwhile begone ! "
 
 LAURA. 275 
 
 Without a word of reply Antonio disappeared ; Strozzi 
 pressed down into the wall the spring by which the door was 
 opened, and then, taking up his plumed hat, betook himself 
 to the apartments of his wife. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LAURA. 
 
 SHE lay half buried in the yellow satin cushions of a soft 
 ottoman. Her large, dreamy eyes were fixed upon the ceiling, 
 whereon groups of flying Cupids were pelting one another 
 with roses. Her lips were parted with a happy smile, her fair 
 brow was serene and cloudless, and her cheeks were tinged 
 with a faint flush like that of the rose that is kissed by the first 
 beams of the rising sun. She was the same beautiful, spirited, 
 hopeful being that had lived and loved in the pavilion of the 
 Palais Pvoyal. 
 
 She lay dreaming and smiling, smiling and dreaming, 
 when the velvet portiere that opened into her boudoir was 
 drawn aside to give entrance to the Marquis de Strozzi. Yes- 
 terday his visit had been a martyrdom to Laura ; to-day she 
 was indifferent to it : she was far beyond its influence, nor did 
 she acknowledge it by so much as a glance. 
 
 But when he stood directly before her, and would have 
 stooped to kiss her hand, she withdrew it with a gesture of 
 aversion, although her countenance yet beamed with happi- 
 ness. 
 
 The marquis saw that she was excited, and he frowned. 
 "You seem in good spirits to-day, Marchioness de Strozzi," 
 said he, moodily. 
 
 " I am indeed in good spirits when I can endure your pres- 
 ence with tranquillity, nor start at the sound of a title which 
 is not mine. I am not the Marchioness de Strozzi. " 
 
 " I do not know how that can be, when you are indubitably 
 my wedded wife." 
 
 " No, no, I am no wedded wife of yours, nor am I bound to
 
 276 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 you by the lying vows that gave toe into your keeping. For 
 three years, 1 have endeavored to make you understand this, 
 but you are singularly obtuse." 
 
 " I can never be made to understand that the woman who 
 in presence of her father and brother, promised to be unto me 
 a faithful wife, is not my true and lawful spouse.'' 
 
 " My vows were not for you ; they were made to another." 
 
 " Nay I can show your signature to the contract, arid the 
 pope himself cannot undo our marriage." 
 
 " Our marriage ! " exclaimed she, haughtily. " There is no 
 marriage between you and me, and be assured that there never 
 will be. I would sooner die than become your wife. Hear 
 me," continued she, passionately. " If I thought that I was 
 indeed bound to you, I would ay ! I believe that I would 
 commit the crime of suicide. Could you convince me that the 
 hand which received your accursed ring was indeed yours, I 
 would gather up all my strength of hate to strike it off, and 
 dash it in your face." 
 
 " Great God ! And I love you to madness ! " cried he, 
 throwing himself on his knees, and clasping her hands so con- 
 vulsively that all her writhings could not release them. " I 
 love you, I love you, and am doomed to love you, albeit your 
 cruelty is driving me to madness I " 
 
 "'Tis the punishment of your crime toward me," answered 
 Laura, coldly. " You have sinned against love, and God has 
 punished you through love that shall be forever unrequited. 
 Accept your fate, and be resigned. 1 ' 
 
 " I cannot do it, Laura, I cannot do it ! My love for you 
 is like a deadly poison that sets my blood on fire. It must be 
 requited, or I shall die a maniac. Oh, have pity 1 have pity ! '' 
 
 " Pity for yon ! " said she, contemptuously. 
 
 " Look at me," cried he, imploringly. " For once in your 
 life, Laura, turn your eyes upon me without hate, and see how 
 love has corroded my very life. Three years ago I was a 
 happy man to-day I am not yet thirty, and my hair is gray, 
 and my face wrinkled. Life has no charms for me, and yet I 
 am too cowardly to die, and leave you to another. Oh, Laura, 
 look at me, and be merciful ! Deliver me from the hell in 
 which your hatred has plunged me I "
 
 LAURA. 277 
 
 "Nay your sufferings are the purgatorial fires whereby 
 you may perchance be purified from the guilt of your treach- 
 ery toward an innocent girl. Marquis de Strozzi, now look at 
 me. Am I, too, changed since three years of misery unspeak- 
 able?" 
 
 " No," sighed he, " you are as beautiful and youthful as you 
 were when first I saw you in Paris." 
 
 " You are right," replied she. " I am altered neither in ap- 
 pearance nor in heart. And do you know why ? It is because 
 Hope bright-eyed Hope has sat day and night by my side, 
 whispering sweet words of encouragement, bidding me be firm ; 
 imparting to me strength to endure the present, and to enjoy 
 the future. I feel it in my soul that he will come sooner or 
 later to liberate me from my bondage." 
 
 " If he ever comes, I will murder him ! " hissed Strozzi. 
 
 " You will try, but you will not succeed. God protects him ? 
 and he wears the invisible armor of my love to shield him 
 from your hate." 
 
 u Very well. Pray for him if you will ; but, as sure as I 
 live, I will find his vulnerable heel !" 
 
 As he said this, Laura turned pale, and Strozzi remarked 
 her pallor with a malicious pleasure. " Ah ! your faith is not 
 strong ! My poisoned arrows will find the flaw, and upon him 
 shall be avenged every pang that you have inflicted upon my 
 bleeding heart. You know that he is here I see it by your 
 altered demeanor." 
 
 "Yes, yes, I know it." 
 
 " Be not too overjoyed thereat ; for the daggers of my 
 bravoes are keen and sure, and the lagoons are deep, and give 
 not up their dead." 
 
 " You would not sully your soul with secret murder ! " ex- 
 claimed Laura, shuddering. 
 
 " That would I. He is my rival, and he shall be put out of 
 my way that is all." 
 
 " No that is not all. You dare not murder a prince, a hero 
 upon whom the eyes of all Europe are fixed in admiration. 
 Such a man as he is not to be put out of the way with impunity. 
 Were you to murder Eugene of Savoy, know that I myself 
 would be your accuser ; and your uncle, the doge himself, is
 
 278 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 not powerful enough to save your head from the execu- 
 tioner." 
 
 " What care I for the executioner's axe, who for three years 
 have been stretched upon the rack of your aversion ? So I 
 make sure that he has gone before me so I have the sweet re- 
 venge of sending him to Tartarus, what care I how soon I fol- 
 low him thither ? " 
 
 " You are a monster ! " exclaimed Laura. 
 
 " I am the work of your hands," replied Strozzi. " If 1 am 
 a monster, my perdition be upon your head. And now, mark 
 me ! I came hither to have one decisive interview with you. 
 Prince Eugene is in Venice ; you are aware of it, for you sent 
 him a greeting from your balcony this morning, as his gon- 
 dola lay in front of the palace." 
 
 " Your spies are vigilant," said she. 
 
 " Yes, they serve me well, and they are ubiquitous. They 
 mark each smile and report every tear that tells of silent joy 
 or grief upon your face. They are with you when you pray ; 
 they watch you while you sleep, so that your very dreams are 
 not your own. Now you are my wife, howsoever you may 
 protest against the name, and you shall not sully that name, 
 be assured of it. If, by word or look, by movement or sign, 
 you allow Prince Eugene to suppose that you recognize him, 
 he shall expiate your disobedience to my will by death. I am 
 afraid that you do not believe me ; you think that I make a 
 mere threat to terrify you into submission. Is it so ? " 
 
 " Yes, marquis, it is so. You are treacherous and cruel ; but, 
 abhor you as I may for the misery you have inflicted upon me, 
 I do believe you to be one degree above a bravo. You are not 
 a coward you would not consent to be an assassin." 
 
 "You flatter your keeper, that you may disarm him." 
 
 " No ; I speak the truth. I hate, but do not despise you to 
 such a degree as to believe your threats." 
 
 " So much the worse for you. I would enjoy the privilege 
 of plunging a dagger into his heart with my own hands ; but 
 I must deny myself that satisfaction. It is safer to employ a 
 bravo, and to pay him. You kuow how dearly I loved my 
 mother, do you not ? " 
 
 "Yes, I have heard of it from your sister."
 
 LAURA. 279 
 
 " Well that portrait hang-ing over your divan is my 
 mother's. Doubtless, had you known it, you would have ban- 
 ished it from the walls of your boudoir for hatred of her son." 
 
 " I have all along known that it was your mother. But I 
 loved my own too deeply ever to offer disrespect to yours. I 
 have often raised my imploring eyes to that mild face, and 
 have poured out to her spirit my plaint of her son's cruelty." 
 
 "Raise your eyes to it again, then, and inform her that it 
 rests with you whether her son shall become an assassin or 
 not. For, by my mother's soul, I swear that, if ever there 
 comes to pass the most trifling interchange of thought between 
 Prince Eugene and the Marchioness de Strozzi, he shall die 
 die, if I have to expiate the deed upon the scaffold ! Do you 
 believe me now ? " 
 
 '' I must believe you," returned Laura, sickening with dis- 
 gust. " But while conviction despoils you of the last claim I 
 supposed you to possess to the name of a man, it does not ter- 
 rify me for the life you would destroy. God, who has pro- 
 tected him on the field of battle God, who has created him 
 ' to give the world assurance of a man ' God, who is the shield 
 of the pure, the brave, the virtuous, will not suffer the Prince 
 of Savoy to fall under the dagger of your hired bravi ! " 
 
 ' Nous verrons. And now, signora, let us speak of other 
 things. The carnival this year is to be of unusual splendor ; 
 a number of foreigners of distinction have visited Venice to 
 witness it. Lucretia, without doubt, has appi-ised you of all 
 this?" 
 
 "She has." 
 
 " So I presumed ; for Lucretia is fond of gossip. She would 
 gladly induce you to go into society, knowing that a woman 
 of your beauty and extreme youth cannot appear in the world 
 alone, and that she would naturally be the person to accom- 
 pany you. Would you like to see the regatta ? " 
 
 This proposal terrified Laura, for she comprehended that 
 he was in earnest when he threatened Eugene's life. The 
 marquis read her thoughts, and replied to them. 
 
 " I shall shun no occasion whatever that may justify me in 
 keeping the oath you heard me take a while ago. And, there- 
 fore, you are welcome to appear at the regatta. The doge will 
 IS
 
 280 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 be there in the Bucentaur, attended by all the court. As you 
 have refused to be presented as my wife, you cannot take your 
 proper place among the ladies of rank. But it is not too late. 
 If you wish, I can present you to-day." 
 
 " No no," cried Laura, u I do not wish it." 
 
 " Then perhaps you would like to go incognita. It will be 
 many years before another such regatta is seen in Venice." 
 
 " True, I would like to see the sight," said the poor young 
 victim. And to herself she added : "I might percbance see 
 him." 
 
 " Be it so, then, signora ; your wishes are my commands." 
 
 " But I would like to see without being seen," added she. 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Strozzi, with a wicked sneer. " Then 
 I will see that your gondola is closely curtained. Will you 
 allow me the honor of accompanying you ? " 
 
 " As if I were free to refuse," said Laura, with quivering lip. 
 
 " One thing more," said the marquis. " It is the custom for 
 all who join in the festivities of the carnival to appear in a 
 costume of some foregone century. May I commission my sis- 
 ter to select yours ? " 
 
 " I would like to select for myself." 
 
 The marquis bowed his head. " As you please. The trades- 
 men of Venice will be delighted at last to have a look at the 
 beautiful wife of the Strozzi." 
 
 Laura shrank visibly. " I will not go," said she. " Let the 
 Countess Canossa select my costume. It matters little to me : 
 but be so good as to see that the gondola is well curtained." 
 
 " I will not forget it," answered the marquis, as he bowed 
 and left the room. 
 
 Laura's eyes followed him until he had crossed her whole 
 suite, and had closed the door behind him. Then, yielding to 
 the bliss of being left a few moments alone, she opened her 
 arms, and, kneeling before her prie-dieu, poured out her heart 
 in prayer to Heaven for Eugene's safety. Then, throwing 
 herself again upon the divan, she began to dream. She saw 
 her gondola approaching his ; she saw her lover her spouse, 
 and made one rapid movement of her hand. His gondola 
 touched hers ; she flung aside the curtains and leaped into the 
 boat with him.
 
 LAURA. 281 
 
 But as she dreamed, there floated over the water the sound 
 of song. This was no unusual sound on the Canale Grande, 
 but the music was not Italian ; it was no languishing barca- 
 rolle, such as Venetian lovers were wont to sing to their mis- 
 tresses ; the air was foreign the words were French. She 
 heard them distinctly ; they were the words of her own, dear, 
 native language ! 
 
 " It is he ! " cried she, springing out upon the balcony. 
 
 Yes, it was he ; he had called her with an old familiar air, 
 and, while he looked up in rapture, the music went on, for the 
 singers were in a gondola that followed. 
 
 Laura was so wild with joy that she forgot the marquis, his 
 spies, and his threats. Snatching the first bouquet that pre- 
 sented itself, she made an attempt to throw it to her lover. But 
 she had not calculated the distance, and it fell far short of its 
 destination. 
 
 " An evil omen," murmured she, and then she remembered 
 the horrible threat of the marquis. She gave one ejaculation 
 of terror, and bounded back into her boudoir. 
 
 About fifteen minutes later, Strozzi entered the room. In 
 his hand he held a bouquet of beautiful roses, which he pre- 
 sented with mock courtesy. 
 
 " Signora, you were so unfortunate as to drop your bou- 
 quet in the lagoon not long ago. The mermaids will be glad 
 to receive so fair a gift from so fair a hand. Allow me to re- 
 place it." 
 
 " On the contrary, I must request you to take your roses 
 away from my boudoir. I do not like the odor of flowers, and 
 I threw mine into the water because their perfume oppressed 
 me. I regret that you should have taken so much useless 
 trouble." 
 
 " And I beg pardon for interrupting your reveries," said 
 Strozzi, with a sarcastic smile, as he bowed and retired with 
 his bouquet. 
 
 "Gracious Heaven, I was watched ! Am I, then, given 
 over to enemies, and is there not one being here that I can 
 trust ? " 
 
 At this moment a door opened, and a young girl entered 
 the room. " Victorine ! " exclaimed Laura, joyfully, " come
 
 282 PRINCE EUGENE A.XD HIS TIMES. 
 
 hither. God has sent you to me to shield me from de 
 spair. " 
 
 The girl came smilingly forward, and, kneeling at her mis- 
 tress's side, looked affectionately at her, saying in Laura's own 
 tongue : 
 
 " What ails my dear mistress ? " 
 
 " Victorine," replied Laura, gazing earnestly into the maid- 
 en's eyes, " Victorine, do you love me ? " 
 
 Victorine covered her hand with kisses, while she pro- 
 tested that she loved her mistress with all her heart. "Dear 
 lady," said she, " did I not leave Paris for love of her whom 
 her royal highness cherished as a daughter ? Was I not sent 
 to you hy the Duchess of Orleans, that you might have one 
 true friend among your troops of enemies ? And now that I 
 had hoped to have proved to my dear mistress my devotion, 
 she asks if I love her ! " 
 
 " True, Victorine, I have no right to doubt your attachment. 
 And certainly I have proved that I trust you, by committing 
 to your care my letters to the duchess. Ah, Victorine, when 
 will you bring me an answer to those letters ? " 
 
 " The answers cannot have reached Venice as yet, dear mis- 
 tress," said Victorine, soothingly. " But I came to tell you 
 something. May I speak?" 
 
 " Yes speak speak quickly ! " 
 
 Victorine went on tiptoe to the door, and, having convinced 
 herself that no one was near, she came close to Laura, and 
 whispered in her ear : " Madame, one of the foreign princes 
 has been here to call on you." 
 
 " Who ? who ? " 
 
 " Prince Eugene of Savoy," said Victorine, as though she 
 was afraid the breeze might betray her. 
 
 Laura shivered, became deadly pale, and could scarcely 
 gather courage to say, " He was refused entrance ? " 
 
 " Yes, the porter told him that the marchioness was in bad 
 health, and received no visitors." 
 
 "That was well. Go, Victorine, and tell the servants to 
 convey neither message nor card of Prince Eugene of Savov 
 to me. I will not receive him. Go, go quickly, and then ' 
 
 " And then ? " said Victorine, coaxingly.
 
 LAURA. 283 
 
 Laura was silent for a while ; then, putting her arms around 
 Victorine's neck, she drew the young girl's head upon her 
 bosom. " Try to find out where Prince Eugene is staying, and 
 go to him. Say that you come from the Marchioness Bona- 
 letta, and you will be admitted to his presence. Now tell him 
 word for word what I shall say to you. ' To-morrow the Mar- 
 chioness Bonaletta will attend the regatta. Her gondola will 
 be closed, but whosoever wishes to recognize it can see her as 
 she descends the stair and enters it. Let the gondola be closely 
 followed, and when a hand holding a nosegay of roses is seen 
 outside the curtain, let the gondoliers be instructed to come as 
 close as possible to the hand, so that the two gondolas col- 
 lide. Then let the prince await me.' Do you hear, Vic- 
 torine ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear mistress, I hear, and will report your words 
 faithfully." 
 
 "Tell him that Venice is alive with spies and bravi, and 
 oh ! bid him be careful how he exposes himself to danger. 
 Now go ! and may Heaven bless you for your fidelity to a 
 wretched and betrayed woman ! " 
 
 Victorine withdrew. But before leaving the palace, she 
 betook herself to the cabinet of the marquis, where they had 
 an interview of some length. No sooner was she dismissed, 
 than she retreated to her own room, drew out a purse of gold 
 from her bosom, chinked its contents, emptied them out on 
 the table, and counted them with rapture. 
 
 " Ten ducats ! Ten ducats for each intercepted message," 
 said she. " I shall soon be rich enough to leave this abomi- 
 nable marsh of a Venice, and return to my dear Paris ! " 
 
 Having locked up her gold, and tied the key of her chest 
 around her neck, she directed her steps to the hotel of Prince 
 Eugene.
 
 284 PRINCE EUGEN'E AND IliS 'L'lMEii 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE REGATTA. 
 
 PRINCE EUGENE was watching the little French clock on 
 the marble mantelpiece of his dressing-room, wondering, in 
 his impatience, whether it ever would strike the hour of twelve, 
 the hour at which he was to witness the departure of the 
 Strozzis for the regatta. 
 
 Mademoiselle Victorine had delivered her mistress's mes- 
 sage, and the heart of her lover was once more bounding with 
 joy. His eyes flashed with a light which, except on a day of 
 battle, had never been seen within their sad depths since the 
 dreadful period of his parting with Laura. Forgotten was aM 
 the anguish of those three long years ; forgotten all doubts, 
 forgotten all fears. She loved him ; she was true to her vows, 
 and he would bear her away from her ravisher to the spouse 
 that was hers before Heaven. 
 
 But how long how unspeakably long the hours that in- 
 tervened between him and happiness ! He was wishing for 
 some interruption that would break this monotonous waiting, 
 when the door opened, and Conrad came forward. 
 
 " My lord, I have found a commissionnaire for you ; one 
 who professes to know Venice and its golden book by heart." 
 
 " Introduce him at once : I wish to speak with him." 
 
 Conrad opened the door and signed to some one without, 
 when the commissionnaire advanced and bowed. 
 
 " Why are you masked ? " asked the prince, who remem- 
 bered the warning which Laura had sent him the day pre- 
 vious. 
 
 " Excellenza, every Venetian of good character has a right 
 to wear a mask during the carnival/' 
 
 " And every criminal can take advantage of the right," re- 
 plied Eugene. " Behind a mask every man has a good char- 
 acter, for nobody knows who he is." 
 
 " I beg pardon, excellenza. The republican fathers, through 
 their sbirri, know every man in Venice. If yon will take the 
 trouble to look around you in the market-place, you will see
 
 THE REGATTA. 285 
 
 how now and then a masker is touched on the shoulder, when 
 his mask drops at once, or he escapes among the crowd to 
 avoid public exposure." 
 
 " Then, I suppose that a stranger has no hope of seeing the 
 beautiful women here ? " observed Eugene, smiling. 
 
 "Pardon me ; to-day, at the regatta, no masks will be 
 worn, and your excellency will see all the beauty of Venice, 
 both patrician and plebeian." 
 
 " Why, then, do you wear a mask ? " 
 
 " I wear it habitually, having a fancy to go about incog- 
 nito." 
 
 " Nevertheless, you must remove it now, for I cannot take 
 a man into my service incognito." 
 
 The man raised his left hand, withdrew the mask, and re- 
 vealed to sight a face that was colorless save where it had been 
 marked with a deep-red scar from temple to jaw. 
 
 " You are indeed conspicuous, and not to be mistaken by 
 those who have seen you once. Whence came this scar ? " 
 
 " I received it two years ago, excellenza, at the taking of 
 Prevosa." 
 
 " You have been a soldier, then ? " asked Eugene, his coun- 
 tenance at once expressing interest. 
 
 " I have, indeed ; and but for the loss of my right hand by 
 the sabre of an infernal Turk, I would be a soldier still." 
 
 " You have written the conquests of the republic upon 
 your body, my friend," said Eugene, kindly. " But your mu- 
 tilations are so many orders of valor ; they are the inefface- 
 able laurels which victory places on a brave man's brow." 
 
 A slight flush overspread the sallow face of the ex -soldier, 
 and his eyes sought the floor. 
 
 Eugene contemplated him for several moments with the 
 sympathy even the respect which a military man feels 
 for extraordinary bravery, as attested by such wounds as 
 these. 
 
 " With what manner of weapon were you cut in the face ? " 
 said he. " Not with a sabre, for the scar is curved." 
 
 " It was not a sabre-cut, excellenza," replied the man, in a 
 low, tremulous voice. " I was in the breech, fighting hand to 
 hand with a Turk, whom I had just overthrown, While
 
 286 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 stooping 1 over his prostrate body, he drew forth a yataghan 
 and gashed my face as you see." 
 
 " I knew it was a dagger-thrust," replied Eugene. " Well, 
 this scar shall be your best recommendation to me, for I, too, 
 am a soldier." 
 
 " Excellenza, I thank you, but I have other and weighty 
 recommendations from my employers. Moreover, here is my 
 license as conimissionnaire from the Signiory." 
 
 So saying, he would have handed the prince a document 
 with a large seal appended to it, but Eugene waved it away. 
 
 " I prefer the license to serve that is written on your body, 
 my friend. You have been a brave soldier, you will therefore 
 be a faithful servant. You say that you are well acquainted 
 with Venice ? " 
 
 " Ay, indeed, signer ; I know every palace and every den, 
 every nobleman and every bravo, in Venice." 
 
 '' You are, then, the very man I need. Make your terms 
 with my secretary. But be loyal to me, and remember that 
 the scar you had received in your country's service was the 
 only recommendation I required \ hen I took you into mine." 
 
 " Excellenza ! '' exclaimed the man, kneeling, and raising 
 the prince's doublet to his lips, ' I will bear it in mind, and 
 serve you faithfully." 
 
 " I believe you, my brave ! Rise and tell me your name." 
 
 " Antonio, signer." 
 
 " Antonio. Well, Antonio, you accompany me to the re- 
 gatta to-day." 
 
 " My lord," said Conrad, entering the room, " your gon- 
 dola is below, and his highness the Elector of Bavaria is 
 here." 
 
 A deep flush of joy overspread Eugene's countenance as he 
 advanced to welcome his friend. Max Emmanuel had chosen 
 the gorgeous costume of a Russian boyar. His dress was of 
 dark-blue velvet, bordered with sables, and buttoned up to the 
 throat with immense brilliants. On his head he wore a Rus- 
 sian cap, with a heron's plume fastened in front by a rosette of 
 opals and diamonds. 
 
 Eugene surveyed him with undisguised admiration. " You 
 gre as gloriously handsome as a Grecian demi-god," cried he,
 
 THE REGATTA. 287 
 
 enthusiastically. " I pity the lovely women of Venice to-day, 
 when they come within sight of the hero of Buda." 
 
 "I absolve them all from tribute except one," returned 
 Max. 
 
 " What ! In love already ! " 
 
 " My dear young friend, I saw yesterday on a balcony a 
 black-haired beauty far beyond peri or houri of my imagina- 
 tion ! majestic as Juno, voluptuous as Venus, with eyes that 
 maddened, and smile that ravished me. Unless I find this 
 houri, I am a lost, broken-hearted man ! " 
 
 '" Then you have not yet begun your siege ? " 
 
 " Impossible to begin it. The Duke of Modena was with me, 
 and you know what an enterprising roue he is. To have 
 pointed her out to him would have been to retreat with loss. 
 So I was obliged to say nothing : but I will see her again if, to 
 do so, I have to reduce Venice to a heap of ashes ! " 
 
 " Peace, thou insatiable conqueror, or amorous ambition 
 will intoxicate you. You are certainly just the very cava- 
 lier to storm and take the citadel of a woman's heart ; but you 
 are the Elector of Bavaria, a reigning prince, and son-in-law 
 of the Emperor of Austria." 
 
 " My dear Eugene, no ugly moral reflections, as you love 
 me ! I am here to enjoy the glow of the warm blood that 
 dances through my veins to sip the ambrosia that pleasure 
 holds to my lips in short, I am, body and soul, a son of the 
 short-lived carnival that begins to-day. Don't preach ; but 
 pray if you like, for my success, and help me in my need. " 
 
 '" Help you ? I should like to know how I am to do that ! " 
 said Eugene, laughing. " But stay I have a man in my serv- 
 ice who professes to know everybody in Venice. So, if you 
 should see your houri to-day, point her out, and doubtless An- 
 tonio will tell us her name. Ah ! Twelve o'clock at last ! 
 Come, come, let us go." 
 
 " You have not made your toilet, Eugene. What costume 
 have you selected ? " 
 
 " The very respectable one of a little abbe," was the reply. 
 
 '' Respectable, if you will, but excessively unbecoming, and 
 unworthy of the Prince of Savoy. I perceive that you, at 
 least, have no wish to make conquests to-day."
 
 288 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " No all my victories I hope to win by the help of my good 
 sword." 
 
 " Do you go with me in my gondola, reverend sir ? " 
 
 " I in your magnificent gondola, at the side of such a Phoe- 
 bus-Apollo ! I might well despair of making conquests in 
 such company ; and, for aught you know, I may be desirous 
 of attracting the attention of some fair lady who is not taken 
 by appearances." 
 
 The elector looked up in surprise. He had never heard an 
 expression like this from Eugene's lips before ; and now he saw 
 clearly that his demeanor had changed, that his eye was rest- 
 less and bright, his cheek flushed, his whole countenance 
 beaming with some inward hope or realized joy. 
 
 "Eugene," said he, touching his friend's shoulder, "Venice 
 holds the secret of your love ; and you have tidings that have 
 lightened your heart. I read them in your eyes, which are far 
 from being as discreet as your lips." 
 
 " Perhaps so ; but the secrets of love are sacred sacred as 
 those of the confessional. Nevertheless, I may confide in you 
 sooner than you expect, for I may need your help as well as 
 you mine." 
 
 The two young men went out arm in arm, followed by the 
 suite of the elector, and, behind them, by Conrad and Antonio. 
 
 " Who is that mask ? " asked Max, as he passed by. 
 
 *' My new commissionnaire, Antonio he that is to tell us 
 the name of your belle." 
 
 They were by this time on the marble stairs that led to the 
 water, where side by side lay the superb gilded gondola of the 
 Elector of Bavaria and the inconspicuous one of the Prince of 
 Savoy. 
 
 As the two princes were descending the stairs, a gayly- 
 dressed nobleman sprang from the gondola of the elector, and 
 advanced respectfully to meet them. 
 
 " Monsieur le Marquis de Villars," said Max, bowing, " I am 
 happy to see that you have accepted a seat with me." 
 
 " It is an honor for which I am deeply grateful, your high- 
 ness," replied the marquis ; " and one which I accept in the 
 name of my gracious sovereign, for whom alone such a com- 
 pliment can be intended."
 
 THE REGATTA. 289 
 
 " You are mistaken, marquis ; I invited you that I might en- 
 joy the pleasure of your company to-day. Allow me, Prince 
 of Savoy, to introduce to you the Marquis de Villars, the 
 French ambassador to the court of Bavaria." 
 
 " There is no necessity for us to know each other," replied 
 Eugene. " The marquis is a Frenchman, and I have no love 
 for that nation ; particularly for those who are favorites of 
 Monsieur Louvois. Adieu, your highness." 
 
 And without vouchsafing a word to the French ambassador, 
 Eugene entered his gondola. 
 
 u I must apologize for my friend," said the courteous Max 
 Emmanuel to the marquis. '' He has been sorely injured both 
 by the King of France and his minister. Forget his bluntness, 
 then, I beseech you, and forgive his unpleasant remark." 
 
 " He is your highness's friend, and that at once earns his 
 forgiveness," replied De Villars. " But that the friend of the 
 Elector of Bavaria should be the enemy of my sovereign 
 I deeply regret ; for he may prejudice your highness 
 against the King of France. He may transfer his aver- 
 sion to 
 
 " Let us rather suppose that I may transfer my love of 
 France to him," said Max Emmanuel. "But let us eschew 
 politics, and enjoy the bliss of the hour. To-day la bella 
 Venezia puts forth all her charms. And as the swift gondolas 
 skim over the green waters of the lagoon, so flies my hear* 
 toward my bellissima Venetiana ! " 
 
 At twelve o'clock, Laura left her dressing-room to join 
 the Marquis de Strozzi and his sister in the drawing-room 
 below. 
 
 " Great heavens, how beautiful ! " cried Lucretia, embracing 
 her. " I have not been wise in placing myself so near you, be- 
 witching Laura. Ottario, do look at her ; did you ever see 
 such a vision of beauty ? " 
 
 " Pray do not force the marquis to praise me," said Laura ; 
 " you are perfectly aware that I am indifferent to his approba- 
 tion. But as regards beauty in Venice, where beautiful women 
 abound, the Countess Canossa is acknowledged to be la belleza 
 delle belle. And to think that nobody will see you to-day in 
 my closed gondola ! "
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You adhere to your resolution to have your gondola cur- 
 tained ? " asked the marquis. 
 
 " Yes," replied Laura, without bestowing a glance upon him. 
 
 "And I rejoice to know it," exclaimed he, passionately, 
 " for I alone will drink in all your beauty. For me alone have 
 you worn this becoming costume." 
 
 " You know perfectly well that my dress was chosen by 
 your sister." 
 
 " Catharine Cornaro was by adoption a Venetian," returned 
 Strozzi, "and since you have willingly donned her dress, I 
 must accept it as an earnest of your consent to appear as the 
 wife of a Venetian noble." 
 
 To this taunt Laura made no reply. She gave her hand to 
 the countess, and they passed into the corridors together. The 
 walls were hung with chefs-d'ceuvres of Titian, Tintoretto, 
 Paul Veronese, and Gioberti, all gorgeously framed in Italian 
 style ; and between each picture was a mirror that extended 
 from floor to ceiling. Through these magnificent halls went 
 Laura, as regardless of their splendor as of the passionate 
 glances of the man who walked by her side, so near and yet so 
 far, so very far away from her heart. 
 
 The gondola that awaited them was an heir-loom of the 
 Strozzis, and was never used except on gala-days. It was well 
 known to the Venetians, every one of whom was accustomed 
 to point to it with pride, saying, " There goes the bucentoro of 
 the Strozzis ! " 
 
 As Laura was about to step into this glittering bucentoro, 
 the gondoliers around, delighted with her beauty, shouted, 
 " Evviva la Marchesa Strozzi ! " To their great astonishment, 
 the marchesa, instead of bowing and smiling as is usual on 
 such occasions, gave no other evidence of having heard their 
 greeting than that which by a frown and a flash of her dark 
 eyes might be construed into a signal of displeasure, as she 
 disappeared behind the silken hangings of the bucentoro. 
 
 The centre of the gondola was supported by gilded pillars, 
 surmounted by a canopy of silk and gold. Behind this canopy 
 was a sort of pavilion, bordered by seats cushioned with gold 
 brocade. In the centre was a table, of costly material and 
 make, on which stood a golden vase of rare flowers. The pil-
 
 THE REGATTA. 29 1 
 
 lars also were wreathed with flowers, which appeared to be 
 carried from column to column by flying Cupids that were 
 holding up the garlands in their chubby little hands. In short, 
 the temple was worthy of the divinities, one of whom was light- 
 hearted and coquettish, the other proud and serious. Between 
 them was the Marquis de Strozzi, in the rich habit of a Greek 
 corsair a character which his handsome, sinister face was 
 well fitted to represent. His gloomy black eyes were fixed upon 
 Laura, while his hands toyed with a silken cord that hung from 
 the pillar against which he was leaning. 
 
 The eyes of the countess were fixed upon the cord, and 
 presently she raised them with a glance of inquiry to her 
 brother. He nodded, and his sister smiled. Then throwing 
 herself back among the cushions, she raised her little foot to a 
 gilded stool that was before her, and leaning her head against 
 the pillar, looked out upon the waters with an expression that 
 might have become Danae awaiting her shower of gold. 
 
 Laura, on the contrary, wore a look of resolve that seemed 
 inappropriate to the scene and the occasion. But her thoughts 
 were far away from the frivolities that interested Lucretia. 
 She had determined that, in presence of all Venice and of the 
 foreigners that had assembled there to celebrate the carnival, 
 she would burst asunder the compulsory ties that bound her 
 to Strozzi. Before the world she would give the lie to that 
 simulated bridal, and fly to him who was, by all the laws of 
 God, her true and only spouse. 
 
 Thus thought Laura, while far away from the crowds that 
 from o-ondola to gondola were greeting one another, the bucen- 
 toro pursued its solitary way over the water. She had man- 
 aged to draw aside the curtain and to look around for him 
 who to her filled the world with his presence. At last she saw 
 him. He was there there ! and he saw her, for his gondola 
 changed its course, and came nearer. Like an arrow it sped 
 across the waters, taking heed of no impediments, dashing 
 mto the midst of other gondolas, as reckless as a pirate of the 
 consternation it created among the bewildered gondoliers, who 
 were forced to give it passage, or be dashed aside like so much 
 spray ; while Eugene's gaze was fixed upon the golden bark of 
 the Strozzi the argosy that bore such precious freight. At
 
 PRINCE EUGENE) AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 last they neared it, and Eugene could see the little white hand, 
 holding a bouquet of roses from between the crimson hang- 
 ings of the pavilion. His eyes brightened, and his whole being 
 seemed transfigured. Gallant and comely he looked a knight 
 worthy of any woman's love. 
 
 The Elector of Bavaria had seen all the movements of Eu- 
 gene's gondola. He had seen it suddenly change its course, 
 and had watched the prince pointing with uplifted hand to 
 some object in the distance, which, to judge by his bearing, 
 one would have supposed was a breach to mount. Max Em- 
 manuel had smiled and said to himself : " In yonder direction 
 lies Eugene's love-secret. We had better follow, for we may 
 be useful in time of need. He seems to me to be too bashful 
 to manage an intrigue with skill." 
 
 So the elector gave orders to follow the gondola of the 
 Prince of Savoy ; and now his gondoliers, too, were rowing 
 for their lives, while many a bright eye was turned admiringly 
 upon his tall, graceful form. 
 
 Laura was not the only person that was looking out from 
 the curtained bucentoro. The marquis, too, had seen the two 
 approaching gondolas ; and now, as the foremost one came 
 full in view, he passed his arm outside, and, while Laura's head 
 was turned away, made a sign to Antonio, who responded with 
 another. 
 
 The gondolas were now so close that their occupants were 
 easily recognized. Strozzi saw Eugene's passionate gaze, and 
 guessed that it had been returned, although the face of his 
 wife had been averted, so that he had not seen the ao* 
 
 At this moment Laura turned, and gave a quick, searching 
 glance around the pavilion. 
 
 " You are looking for me ? " asked Strozzi, with a singular 
 smile. " I am here, my wife, to protect you from all danger ; 
 and as I am weary of standing, and as there is no seat for me 
 beside you, I will take the place that my heart covets most." 
 
 And, before Laura could prevent him, he had thrown him- 
 self at full length, had clasped her feet, and raised them over 
 his knee, so that they had the appearance of having been 
 placed in that familiar position by her own will. He then 
 pulled the silken cord which he had held all this while in his
 
 TIIK KEUATTA. 293 
 
 hand, and the curtains of the pavilion were rolled up, exposing 
 its three occupants to the view of the whole Venetian world. 
 On one side lay Lucretia, in her Danue-like position, and on 
 the other, gazing with the rapture of an accepted lover inte 
 the face of the marchioness, lay Strozzi. The picture was un- 
 equivocally that of a pair of lovers, and those who knew her 
 not as his wife were convinced that in Laura they beheld the 
 mistress of the Marquis de Strozzi. 
 
 " Evviva .' " shouted the enraptured multitude, dazzled by 
 the beauty of the tableau. No one heard Laura's despairing 
 entreaty for release from a posture so humiliating. Nor had 
 any one heard the exclamation of delight that burst from the 
 lips of the elector, as in Lucretia he recognized his houri. 
 
 " There she is ! " exclaimed he to the French ambas- 
 sador. 
 
 " Who ? " asked the latter, in astonishment. 
 
 " The most beautiful woman that ever distracted a suscep- 
 tible man," was the reply. " Do you not know her ? " 
 
 *' I regret to say that I do not, but I will make it my duty 
 to discover her abode, and communicate the discovery to your 
 highness." 
 
 " Thank you," began the elector. But suddenly he stopped, 
 and gazed intently upon Prince Eugene, who was standing at 
 the stern of his gondola, only a few feet distant from the bu- 
 centoro of the Strozzis. The elector directed his gondoliers to 
 approach that of the prince, and, springing from one boat to 
 the other, he laid his hand on Eugene's shoulder. 
 
 ' Friend," said he, " I do not desire to force myself into 
 your confidence ; but lest I become your unconscious rival, an- 
 swer me one question. Is that lady there, in the red-velvet 
 dress, the object of your unhappy attachment ? " 
 
 " No, dear Max," replied Eugene, with his eyes fixed stead- 
 fastly upon Laura. 
 
 " Truly ? " 
 
 " Truly, I do not know her ; but if you ask Antonio, he will 
 tell you." 
 
 With these few words Eugene turned away, and, in a low 
 voice, promised a rich reward to his gondoliers if they would 
 but touch the gondola of the Marquis Strozzi.
 
 294 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The elector beckoned to Antonio. " Who is that lady in 
 the gilded gondola close by ? " said he. 
 
 " Which one, your highness ? " 
 
 " The one in red velvet." 
 
 " That is the Countess Lucretia Canossa, sister of the Mar- 
 quis de Strozzi." 
 
 " Is she married ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness, to a man who has squandered her 
 fortune ; so that but for her brother she would be penniless." 
 
 The elector thanked Antonio, and leaped back into his own 
 gondola. The Marquis de Villars, meanwhile, who knew that 
 gondoliers were the news-givers of Venice, had ascertained 
 quite as much of the position of the countess as Max Em- 
 manuel had done during his short absence. 
 
 " I can answer your highness's question now," whispered 
 he. " I have learned every thing concerning her that it is 
 needful to know from the gondoliers." 
 
 " And I, too, know all that I care to know," replied the 
 elector ; " so here am I, like Kinaldo before the enchanted gar- 
 dens of Armida : I must and will enter ! " 
 
 " Of course you will. What woman can withstand the 
 fascinations of the handsomest cavalier in Europe ? " observed 
 the marquis ; adding to himself : " And thank Heaven that I 
 know the Armida of his longings, for she must draw this Ki- 
 naldo, not only into her own toils, but into those of France." 
 
 Eugene was standing on the edge of his gondola, his pas- 
 sionate gaze fixed upon the group that had been disclosed by 
 the rising of Strozzi's silk curtain. What could it mean ? Oh ! 
 it was horrible ! To see Laura lying back in a position so vo- 
 luptuous, her feet clasped in Strozzi's arms, his eyes so lovingly 
 triumphant, was like a poisoned dagger to the heart of her un- 
 happy lover. Had she called him thither to make him the 
 sport of his successful rival ? The very thought was madness : 
 and yet Laura feigned not to see him ; her eyes were steadily 
 cast down. 
 
 Eugene was determined to know the worst ; he would not 
 retreat until conviction had chased away this deadly suspense. 
 Slowly his gondola came near and more near, while in that of 
 his rival its approach was watched by two of its occupants,
 
 THK REGATTA. 295 
 
 both of whom knew equally well for what purpose it was 
 coming. 
 
 Laura gathered up all her strength for one effort, and freed 
 her feet from Strozzi's clasp. 
 
 " You are a wretch ! " exclaimed she with indignation. '* If 
 you pollute me again with the touch of your hands, I will 
 drown myself here, in your very sight." 
 
 " Oh no ; you will throw yourself overboard, that Prince 
 Eugene may plunge after you. Listen to me, Marchioness de 
 Strozzi. I am perfectly acquainted with the nature of the 
 stratagem you proposed to put into execution to-day. But I 
 tell you that as sure as the gondola of the prince touches mine, 
 and you make the least movement of your hand or foot, he 
 dies." 
 
 " Vain threat ! " exclaimed she, surveying him with con- 
 temptuous disbelief. 
 
 " You think so ? Let me prove to you the contrary. Do 
 you see the mask behind Prince Eugene ? He is the man that 
 will do the deed. Observe his motions while I speak a word 
 or two, ostensibly to my rowers really to him." 
 
 And the marquis called out, as though to his gondoliers, 
 " Are you ready ? " 
 
 The words were no sooner spoken, than the mask bowed 
 his head, and drew from his cloak a poniard, which he raised 
 and held suspended over the back of Eugene's neck. 
 
 Laura uttered a cry and fell back among the cushions, 
 while Strozzi, hanging over her with the air of an enamoured 
 lover, whispered : " The gondola almost touches ours. Make 
 but the smallest sign lift but a finger, and I swear that I will 
 give the signal for his death ! '' 
 
 " O God ! do not kill him ! " was all that the wretched girl 
 had strength to say. 
 
 The gondolas met. Eugene stood erect on the stern of his 
 boat, his right arm extended toward her whom he loved. But 
 alas ! she came not. She did not e\en turn her head ; for An- 
 tonio was there, his poniard uplifted, and Eugene's life de- 
 pended upon her obedience. 
 
 " Traitress ! " exclaimed the prince, as Strozzi's bueentoro 
 shot ahead, and the red-silk curtains, falling heavily down. 
 20
 
 296 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 shut out the fearful tableau that had been prepared to torture 
 and exasperate him. 
 
 Laura had swooned, and her fall had been remarked by the 
 gondoliers. 
 
 " Poor thing," said one of them, " she has a paroxysm of 
 insanity." 
 
 " How insanity ? " asked Conrad. 
 
 " Everybody in Venice has heard of the lunacy of the Mar- 
 chioness de Strozzi," was the reply. " It is for that reason that 
 she never goes out. The marquis perhaps thought she might 
 be trusted to see the regatta ; but he was mistaken. You must 
 have remarked how closely he watched her for fear of some 
 catastrophe." 
 
 " Insane, is she ? " said Eugene, with quivering lip, to An- 
 tonio. 
 
 " Pazza per amore," replied he, with a shrug. Then, com- 
 ing closer to the prince, he added, " The marquis gives out that 
 his wife is crazy, and, as nobody ever sees her, nobody is any 
 the wiser." 
 
 " And you ? What think you, Antonio ? " 
 
 " I do not believe it, for I know the signora well." 
 
 " You know her ? " said Eugene, touching Antonio on the 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Yes. She it is who recommended me to take service 
 with your highness, and to tell you that you might trust 
 me." 
 
 " Oh, I do trust you, good Antonio. Did I not say that the 
 scar on your face was your best recommendation ? " 
 
 " Yes, excellenza ; and I will not forget it." 
 
 " Can you explain to me the mystery of the scene we have 
 just witnessed ? " 
 
 " Yes, excellenza. The marchesa intended to leap into this 
 gondola and fly with you from Venice ; but, as she attempted 
 to rise, the marquis showed her a dagger, and swore that if she 
 moved hand or foot he would spring into your highness's boat 
 and kill you." 
 
 " And I cursed her ! " thought Eugene, " and she heard my 
 cruel words. Oh Laura, my Laura ! when will I lie at thy 
 feet to implore forgiveness ? Home," cried he aloud, to the
 
 THE KEGATTA. 29? 
 
 gondoliers. Then, in a whisper, he added to Antonio, "I 
 must speak with you as soon as we are alone." 
 
 All this time Laura lay insensible in the bucentoro, her 
 husband gazing intently upon her pallid face. The Countess 
 Luci'etia was wearied to death with the whole performance. 
 
 " Fratillo," said she, " I hope that you have done with me, 
 and that you intend.to return with your sentimental beauty to 
 the palace." 
 
 Without removing his eyes from Laura, Strozzi bent his 
 head, while the countess went on : 
 
 " My gondola, your handsome present, is just behind us, 
 and I must say that it is worthy of Aphrodite herself. Pity 
 that no goddess should grace such a lovely sea-shell. Have I 
 your permission to occupy it, and leave this stifling atmos 
 phere of love ? " 
 
 " Go, go," answered Strozzi, impatiently. 
 
 " Thanks ! " was Lucretia's heartfelt reply ; and, opening 
 the curtains, she beckoned to her gondoliers, and stepped grace- 
 fully from the bucentoro to her own dainty bark. 
 
 " It is rather tiresome to be without company," thought she, 
 as she was rowed away ; " but solitude is better than conceal- 
 ment behind those hateful curtains of Ottario's. I wonder 
 who is the handsome cavalier that seemed to be struck with me 
 a while ago ? One of the foreign princes, I imagine, for he had 
 a star on his breast. Ah ! There he is, staring at me with all 
 the power of his splendid eyes." 
 
 And the beautiful Lucretia, pretending not to see the elect- 
 or, sank gracefully back among her white satin cushions. 
 
 " Row toward the piazetta," said she to her gondoliers, " but 
 go in a direction contrary to that taken by yonder large gon- 
 dola filled with cavaliers." 
 
 "That of the Elector of Bavaria ? Yes, signora."' 
 
 " Ah ! " thought she, delighted, " he is the Elector of Bava- 
 ria, son-in-law of the Emperor of Germany. It would be worth 
 my while to entice so handsome a prince from his loyalty to 
 an emperor's daughter ! " 
 
 Scarcely had the gondola of the countess altered its course, 
 before the elector ordered pursuit. 
 
 " Do you see that gondola there, fashioned like a sea-shell,
 
 298 PRINCE EUGENE ANl) HIS TIME& 
 
 and cushioned in white satin, Montgelas ? " said he to his 
 chamberlain. 
 
 ''Yes, your highness." 
 
 '" Say to the gondoliers that we follow in its track. Wheth- 
 er we see the regatta or not is of no consequence, so we keep 
 in view of that Venus in the conch-shell." 
 
 The Marquis de Villars had pretended to be in earnest con- 
 versation with his neighbor, but he heard every word of this 
 order. 
 
 "Yes, indeed," thought he. " The countess must be bought, 
 if her price be a million." 
 
 Lucretia vouchsafed not a glance that could be detected at 
 her pursuers ; but she saw every thing, and exulted at her con- 
 quest. " Oh, emperor's daughter, emperor's daughter ! " said 
 she, " your husband is falling into my toils. They say you 
 are handsome, but your elector's eyes tell me that I am hand- 
 somer than you ! " 
 
 And so she beguiled her solitude, while in the bucentoro 
 Laura still lay in her swoon, and Strozzi gazed enamoured 
 upon her beauty. 
 
 " Beautiful as Aurora ! " murmured he, " beautiful as a dew- 
 gemmed rose ; beautiful as the evening star ! I love you I 
 love you to madness, and you must, you shall be mine ! " 
 
 He bent over her, and, now that she had no power to resist 
 him, he covered her face with passionate kisses. But his 
 kisses restored her to life, and with a shudder she raised her 
 hands, and threw him off. 
 
 " Touch me again, and I will plunge this dagger in your 
 false heart ! " cried she, drawing a poniard from her bosom. 
 
 " I would not care, so I could say that you were mine be- 
 fore I died!" 
 
 "Would that you were dead, that I might fly to him whose 
 wife I am, in the sight of Heaven 1 " 
 
 " Put up your dagger," said Strozzi, coldly, while a look of 
 venom chased away the love that had beamed in his eye. " I 
 will not trouble you again." 
 
 " You have betrayed me a second time, liar and impostor 
 that you are ! " exclaimed Laura, replacing her dagger. " You 
 have deceived my lover into the belief that I am false to him,
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 299 
 
 but, believe me, he shall know the truth. God will protect 
 him from you and your bravi, and He will avenge my wrongs \ 
 Now, order these curtains to be raised. It is better to be gazed 
 at by the multitude, some of whom have hearts and souls, than 
 to sit in this pavilion within sight of you ! And bid your 
 gondoliers take me home to my prison, where, God be thanked ! 
 I can sometimes be alone with my own thoughts ! " 
 
 Strozzi obeyed like a cowed hound. He lifted the curtains, 
 and ordered the men to row to the palace. 
 
 Laura's eyes sought the gondola of her lover, but she could 
 not see it. It had left the regatta, and had already landed at 
 the stairs of the Palazza Capello. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 
 
 COUNTESS LUCRETIA CANOSSA had just risen, and lay re- 
 clining on a faded ottoman, attired in a neglige, which was 
 any thing but elegant, or appropriate to a beauty. She had 
 rung several times for her breakfast, but her waiting-maid had 
 not seemed to hear the summons, for nobody came at the call. 
 
 The countess, however, was so absorbed in her day-dreams, 
 that she forgot her breakfast. For a time her thoughts dwelt 
 upon the singular scene that had taken place in the bucentoro. 
 She knew nothing of the complications relating thereunto ; 
 she had but witnessed the approach of the gondola which she 
 supposed to be that of her sister-in-law's lover ; had seen her 
 brother's extraordinary excitement, and had guessed that some 
 disappointment connected with the presence of the insignifi- 
 cant little personage in that gondola had caused Laura to fall 
 into a swoon. She felt sincerely sorry for her unhappy sis- 
 ter-in-law, but the countess was not inclined to sentiment ; so 
 she dismissed the mystery of Laura's troubles with a sigh, and 
 fell to thinking of the Elector of Bavaria. 
 
 He had followed her all day, and well had she perceived 
 that he had had eyes for no one but herself. And when she
 
 300 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 had affected to weary of his pursuit, he had left his own gon- 
 dola for that of Count Cornaro, who had approached and 
 asked permission to present his distinguished guest. The per- 
 mission having been accorded as a matter of course, the elect- 
 or had entered into an animated conversation with her, which 
 lasted until the close of the regatta. 
 
 She had met him again that evening, at a ball given by 
 Admiral Mocenigo to the foreign princes. Many a handsome, 
 gay gallant was there ; but the handsomest and most admired 
 of them all was Max Emmanuel of Bavaria. His dress, too, 
 was magnificent in the extreme. It was so covered with dia- 
 monds that it was like a dazzling sea of light. But more splen- 
 did than his jewels were the flashing eyes which, during that 
 whole festival, had been fixed in admiration upon the beauti- 
 ful Lucretia ; and what was still more delightful was the fact 
 that everybody had observed it, and that many a dame, who 
 had eclipsed the Countess of Canossa, and slighted her be- 
 cause of her poverty, had envied her the conquest of the Ba- 
 varian prince's heart. It had all ended as it should have done. 
 Max Emmanuel had asked permission to call upon her, and he 
 was to make his visit at one o'clock that day. 
 
 Lucretia had advanced so far in her triumphal course, when 
 she cast a glance of dismay at her mean, faded furniture. 
 
 " Oh, how forlorn it looks ! " said she. " And to think that 
 this is the only room wherein I can receive a visit ! for not 
 another apartment in the palace contains a chair whereon a 
 man might take a seat. I ought not to have yielded to my 
 vanity, and consented to receive him at home, for, when he 
 sees my poverty, he will no longer think my heart worthy of 
 being won. He will believe that it can be bought, and I shall 
 sink in his estimation to the level of an ordinary courtesan. 
 I must be proud and reserved to-day with him ; and, as I have 
 naught else to display, I must show off my wardrobe. But 
 where can Marietta be ? Perhaps Count Canossa has gam- 
 bled her away, and she has gone off like the rest of the ap- 
 pointments of this dreary palace." 
 
 Lucfeiia rang again ; still there was no answer. 
 
 11 The poor girl must have gone out to get me some break- 
 fast I had forgotten that the cook left us because he had not
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 30 1 
 
 been paid for a year ; and, as there is nobody else here, I must 
 e'en have patience until Marietta returns." 
 
 Lucretia sighed, and fell back upon her ottoman. For 
 some time past she had been aware that there was considerable 
 bustle in the palace, attended by hammering, and the sound of 
 furniture either placed or displaced. She had paid very little 
 attention to it, for the rooms were entirely empty, and she 
 could only conjecture that her needy spouse might have rented 
 them out for the carnival. But the noise came nearer and 
 nearer, until she perceived that it had reached the adjoining 
 chamber, whence she could hear the sound of voices, and dis- 
 tinguish much that was said. 
 
 She rang again, and this time the door was opened by some 
 invisible hand, when Marietta, bearing in her hand a large sil- 
 ver waiter, advanced to a rickety table which stood near the 
 ottoman, and placed upon it a most delicate breakfast, served 
 in dishes of costly, chased silver. Not only the service was 
 superb, but Marietta herself was attired in a costume which 
 shamed the shabbiness of her high-born mistress. 
 
 Begging the countess's pardon for her unpunctuality, the 
 maid proceeded to pour out the chocolate, which she handed in 
 a cup of Sevres porcelain. 
 
 Lucretia rubbed her eyes. " Where, in the name of Alad- 
 din, did you get that dress ? And where this service ? " 
 
 " The dress was brought to me this morning, my lady, and 
 the mantua-maker told me that it had been ordered by your- 
 self ; the jeweller who brought the services of silver told me 
 the same thing." 
 
 " I ! " cried the countess. " I order such costly things ? " 
 
 '' Why, yes, my lady, for the upholsterers have almost 
 arranged the beautiful furniture you bought yesterday." 
 
 The countess smiled. " This is a prank of some carnival- 
 mad jester, child," said she. " There is not a word of truth in 
 it. I wish there were ! " 
 
 " It is as true as that there are at least fifty workmen in the 
 palace at this very moment," was Marietta's reply. 
 
 Lucretia made no answer. She sprang from her ottoman, 
 and, crossing the room, threw open the door leading into the 
 next saloon.
 
 302 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Marietta had spoken the sober truth. There they were all 
 fifty some hanging satin curtains before the bare windows, 
 others placing lofty mirrors in the recesses ; one detachment 
 uncovering the gilded furniture, another arranging it, while 
 the last folds of a rich Turkey carpet were being smoothed in 
 the corners of the room, where dainty tables held vases of 
 costly workmanship, filled with rai*e flowers. 
 
 At first the countess had been struck dumb and motionless. 
 Recovering herself, however, after a moment or two, she went 
 hastily up to the person who seemed to direct the proceedings, 
 and accosted him : 
 
 " Will you oblige me by saying who ordered all this furni- 
 ture?" 
 
 " Her ladyship, the Countess de Canossa," was the man's 
 reply. 
 
 " Are you acquainted with the countess ? " asked Lucretia. 
 
 " No, madame ; I have not that honor." 
 
 " Then, how do you know that you are acting by her or- 
 ders?" 
 
 "I received them yesterday through her steward." 
 
 " Her steward ? And have you seen him since ? " 
 
 " Yes, madanie. He came again this morning very early, 
 to see whether we were punctual. It was all to be completed 
 by one o'clock, and, as it is not quite ten, you perceive that we 
 will certainly have done in time. But I must ask you to see 
 the countess and request permission for the workmen to be ad- 
 mitted to her boudoir. Will you be so good as to convey the 
 message ? " 
 
 Lucretia cast a glance of shame at her faded gown. " He 
 does not know me," thought she, "and how should he in 
 such a guise ? " Then she added, aloud, " I will apprise the 
 countess." 
 
 Marietta was now in the dressing-room, whither she re- 
 quested the presence of her mistress immediately. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked the bewildered Lucretia. 
 
 " The dressmaker is there, signora, to see if your dresses are 
 to your taste," replied Marietta. 
 
 " Let me see them," cried she, impatiently. 
 
 Marietta drew from a box a dress of pink satin, which,
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 303 
 
 from its make, was evidently intended for an under-skirt. 
 " Tin IT is another, just like it, of blue satin," exclaimed the 
 enraptured lady's maid, "and here is a. box containing two 
 priguoirs of guipure, with morning caps to match. How 
 beautiful your ladyship will look in these negliges ! " 
 
 We will see at once whether I do," answered Lucretia, 
 clapping her hands with joy. '' Here Marietta quick ! Help 
 me off with this hateful gown, and hand me the pink-satin 
 petticoat." 
 
 In a few moments the mistress and maid were equally 
 happy, while the former was being decked in her magnificent 
 neglige. The satin petticoat was loose ; and over it was thrown 
 the guipure peignoir which reached to the throat and was con- 
 fined at the waist by a pink sash. The full sleeves were open, 
 leaving half-covered, half-exposed, Lucretia's arms, firm and 
 white as Carrara marble. 
 
 " Now this love of a lace cap," cried Marietta, placing it 
 with great coquetry around the black braids of Lucretia's glossy 
 hair ; while the latter, quite reconciled to the woiidei's that 
 were being enacted around her, was profoundly engaged in 
 admiring herself in a looking-glass. 
 
 " And now," said Marietta, " you are ready, and certainly 
 you are as lovely as a fairy." 
 
 " Fairy, say you ? Yes ; that seems to be the appropriate 
 name for one who is the recipient of such extraordinary riches 
 as these. But now. Marietta, whence do they come \ Are the^y 
 from my brother ? " 
 
 " Signora, I know no more than I have told you. Yester- 
 day a gentleman (I think he must have been a Frenchman) 
 came hitlier, announced himself as an architect, and told me 
 that your ladyship had sent him to examine the palace, Avitli a 
 view to refurnishing it with great magnificence." 
 
 "Did you take him over the rooms > v 
 
 ' Of course I did, my lady. He took various notes as he 
 went along, and remained longer in your boudoir than in any 
 room in the palace. He sat down and made a drawing of it, 
 asking me, now and then, a question as to your ladyship's 
 tastes and habits. " 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! " exclaimed the countess, while a pain-
 
 PRINCB EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ful blush overspread her face, " has he been here to see my 
 need and hear of my privations ? Can he have been the secret 
 giver of all this magnificence ? " 
 
 As the possibility that the Elector of Bavaria was her un- 
 known benefactor, presented itself to Lucretia's mind, her 
 humiliation grew extreme ; for if these gifts were from him, 
 they proved that he held the daughter of the noble house of 
 Strozzi to be a creature that was to be bought with gold, with- 
 out the poor pretence of one word of love. 
 
 " When came he, and what sort of looking man was he ? " 
 asked she, frowning. 
 
 "He came just after the regatta had begun, signora." 
 
 u Then, God be praised, it was not he ! " said Lucretia to 
 herself, " for at that hour, he was with me, in Count Cornaro's 
 gondola." 
 
 A faint knock was heard at the door, and the decorateur 
 begged permission to enter. His coming awakened the count- 
 ess from her reverie, and she hastily bade him come in, " for," 
 said she, "it must be almost one o'clock." 
 
 " The clock on the mantel of the drawing-room has just 
 struck eleven, your ladyship," replied the man, who, now that 
 she was richly dressed, recognized the lady of the house. 
 
 " So," thought Lucretia, " I have a clock ! " and she bound- 
 ed off to the drawing-room to see it. Marietta followed with 
 the chocolate, which, in the excitement of the moment, had 
 been forgotten. 
 
 " True," said the countess. " bring me my breakfast, and let 
 me take it here in this beautiful apartment. Who is that at 
 the door ? " added she, as Marietta went forward to open it. 
 
 " Your ladyship's butler," replied she. " He comes to know 
 whether the dejeuner a la fourchette is to be served in the bou- 
 doir or in the banqueting-hall." 
 
 " Let it be in the banqueting-hall, for I may have several 
 guests." 
 
 " The steward ordered it for one o'clock, my lady. He said 
 that you expected some guests of distinction." 
 
 " My steward ? " repeated Lucretia, smiling. " So it seems 
 that I have an entire household. Let us go over our altered 
 domains, Marietta." And the two went from room to room,
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 305 
 
 the femme de cbambre as delighted as her mistress, until they 
 descended as far as the kitchen. Here every thing gave evi- 
 dence that the dejeuner was to be a rare one. Two cooks, in 
 white, presided over the arrangements, and two scullions were 
 busy carrying out the orders of the chief. They were so ab 
 sorbed in their business, that they did not perceive the countess 
 who stood in the door. 
 
 Presently from the storeroom opposite there emerged a 
 man with baskets of bottles, which he deposited on the table, 
 saying : 
 
 " Here is Burgundy for the Bayonne ham. The champagne, 
 sherry, and constantia, are for the table." 
 
 The countess had now seen and heard enough. Not only 
 was her palace fitted up, but her kitchen was in order, and her 
 wine-cellar filled. So she returned to the drawing-room, where 
 she was met with the tidings that her boudoir was ready for 
 occupation, and nothing now remained to be done, unless her 
 ladyship had any alterations to suggest, or deficiencies to point 
 out. 
 
 Her ladyship professed herself satisfied, and then came a 
 moment of embarrassment. " As regards the payment " 
 
 " Oh, signora, the steward is to meet me at twelve o'clock, 
 to arrange that matter.'" And with these words he took his 
 leave. 
 
 "I ought to have followed him," thought Lucretia, "to 
 solve this agreeable riddle, by making acquaintance with my 
 steward. But pshaw ! I shall soon know all about it. Nobody 
 has made me these presents without intending to get a word 
 of thanks for the benefaction." 
 
 She had scarcely seated herself in a new and beautiful otto- 
 man, which had replaced her faded, rickety old couch, before 
 a servant appeared and announced, 
 
 " Her ladyship's steward ! " 
 
 " My ladyship's steward ! " echoed Lucretia. " Do let us 
 make his acquaintance." 
 
 He came in a small, slender man, apparently young, with 
 a pair of twinkling black eyes, and a countenance expressive 
 of great energy. With the air of a finished gentleman he 
 bowed, advanced, and bowed again.
 
 306 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Signer," said the countess, " you have been announced by 
 a title which I have no right to bestow upon any person living 
 that of my steward. Pray tell me who you are." 
 
 "Gracious countess," answered he, smiling, "I have the 
 honor to present myself. I am the Marquis de Villars, am- 
 bassador of his majesty the King of France to the court of 
 Bavaria." 
 
 " And may I ask why, in addition to your other representa- 
 tive titles, you have assumed that of steward to the Countess 
 of Canossa ? " 
 
 "Because, signora, seeing that your habitation was not 
 worthy of you, I have ventured to perform the duties of a 
 faithful steward, by fitting it up in a manner which I hope is 
 agreeable to the divinity at whose shrine the elector is now a 
 worshipper ? " 
 
 " Did the elector suggest " began Lucretia, reddening. 
 
 " Oh no, signora ; he knows nothing of the little surprise I 
 have prepared for you. It does not concern him at all." 
 
 " Then I am to suppose that Count Canossa, having gam- 
 bled away my very home, this palace has become your prop- 
 erty, and I am here on sufferance. How long may I remain ? " 
 
 " How long may you remain in your own home ! Signora, 
 all that you see has been done for you, in your own name, and 
 I hope you will do me the honor to accept it." 
 
 " From whom ? " 
 
 "You shall learn as soon as we understand each other, sig- 
 nora." 
 
 " Then let us come to an understanding at once, for the 
 Countess Canossa does not receive princely gifts from stran- 
 gers." 
 
 " Of course not, nor would a stranger take so unpardonable 
 a liberty with a lady of her rank and birth. But before going 
 further, let me assure you, signora, that you are under obliga- 
 tions to nobody for the little surprise I have prepared for you. 
 Not in the least to me, for I am but the representative of him 
 who begs your acceptance of it." 
 
 " You speak in riddles," said Lucretia, witli a shrug. " But, 
 at all events, I understand that this furniture, silver, and these 
 rich dresses, are mine ? "
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 307 
 
 " Assuredly yours, signora." 
 
 " Then let rne inform you that in a week, at farthest, they 
 will go, as they came, in the space of a few hours. Count Ca- 
 nossa will ha*e lost them at the gaming-table, and the palazzo 
 will be in the same condition as it was yesterday." 
 
 " Count Canossa is powerless to touch the least portion of 
 your property, signora." 
 
 " Powerless ? How ! Are you a sorcerer, and have you 
 changed him into stone ? Or have you spirited him away ? " 
 
 " I have spirited him away, signora. I have persuaded him 
 by the eloquence of gold to forsake Venice, forever. As long 
 as he remains in Paris, he is to receive a yearly pension from 
 the King of France." 
 
 " Gone to Paris ! Pensioned by the King of France ! " ex- 
 claimed Lucretia. 
 
 " Gone, signora ; and, in leaving, he desired me to say to 
 you that he hoped you would forgive all the unhappiness he 
 had caused you since your marriage." 
 
 " Gone ! Gone ! Am I then free ? " cried Lucretia, start- 
 ing from her ottoman, and grasping the hand of the mar- 
 quis. 
 
 "Yes, signora. You are free to bestow your heart on 
 whomsoever you will. Count Canossa will never molest you 
 more. " 
 
 " Oh how I thank you ! How I thank you ! " replied she, 
 her beautiful eyes filling with tears of joy. ' % But tell me," 
 added she, after a short pause "tell me, if you please, the 
 meaning of all this providential interference with my domestic 
 affairs ? " 
 
 " I am ready, signora," said the marquis, waiting for the 
 countess to resume her seat, and then placing himself at her 
 side. " Perhaps in your leisure hours you may have interested 
 yourself in European politics." 
 
 " Not I," said Lucretia, emphatically. 
 
 " Then allow me to enlighten you on the subject," replied 
 the marquis. 
 
 " To what end ? " inquired she, impatiently. 
 
 " I will not detain you long, signora. Give me but a few 
 moments of your attention. Doubtless you have heard that
 
 308 PRINCE EUGEXE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the Emperor of Austria, for several yeai-s past, has beeu at war 
 with the Porte ? " 
 
 Lucretia nodded, and the marquis went on. a Perhaps it 
 will interest you to know that the Elector of Bavaria is an ally 
 of the emperor, and has distinguished himself greatly, particu- 
 larly at the siege of Buda." 
 
 " Oh, I can believe it," cried she, with animation. '' He 
 looks like a hero. Tell me, pray, something abovt his ex- 
 ploits." 
 
 " Later, signora, with pleasure ; but for the present we 
 must discuss politics. Now the Emperor of Austria is fast get- 
 ting the better of the Sultan ; and if the latter should succumb 
 in this war, the former would not only be left with too much 
 power for the good of Europe generally, but would become a 
 dangerous rival to the King of France. Now it is important 
 for my sovereign that the victories of Austria cease, and that 
 Austria's power wax no greater. Have I expressed myself 
 clearly ? Do you understand ? " 
 
 '' I begin to understand," was the reply. 
 
 " Now, there are various ways of crippling the resources of 
 Austria ; for example, her allies might be estranged. Have 
 patience, signora ; in a few moments my politics will grow 
 personal and interesting. One of the emperor's most power- 
 ful allies is the Elector of Bavaria." 
 
 " Of course," cried Lucretia, delighted with the turn that 
 politics were taking. " Of course he is, being the emperor's 
 son-in-law. Tell me about the elector's wife. Is she hand- 
 some ? Does he love her ? " 
 
 " Signora, as regards your latter question, the elector him- 
 self will have great pleasure in answering it. As regards the 
 former, the Archduchess Antonia is handsome, but sickly, and 
 her ill-health has lost her the affection of her husband." 
 
 " Ah ! " cried Lucretia, relieved, ' he does not love her." 
 
 '' He loves her no longer," said the marquis. " But he was 
 greatly taken by the charms of the Countess Kaunitz ; and as 
 the elector's alliance with Austria was a matter of more im- 
 portance than his conjugal relations with the archduchess, the 
 husband of the fair countess was appointed ambassador to Ba- 
 varia, and his wife ambassadress. It was through the influ-
 
 THE NEGOTIATOR. 309 
 
 ence of this charming ambassadress that Max Emmanuel joined 
 the forces of Austria." 
 
 " So he has a mistress, then ? One whom he loves ? " 
 
 " Whom he loved until he saw the Countess Canossa." 
 
 "Do you think I could supplant her ? " exclaimed Lucretia, 
 her large eyes darting fire at the thought. 
 
 "I do not doubt it," was the flattering reply. '"If you 
 choose, you can trample under foot this arrogant Austrian, 
 who flatters herself that Max Emmanuel is all her own." 
 
 '' I would like to try," cried Lucretia, with the air of an 
 amazon about to go into battle. 
 
 " Then let me offer my services," said the marquis, bowing. 
 " The elector is peculiar, and has pretensions to be loved for 
 his own sake ; therefore he would never quite trust the disin- 
 terested affections of a woman whom he had power to raise 
 from poverty to affluence." 
 
 " Ah ! " cried Lucretia, with a significant bend ">f the head. 
 " Noiv I begin to apprehend your meaning as well as your 
 munificence." 
 
 "Signora," said De Villars, with equal significance, "the 
 Kinjf of France seeks a friend who will alienate the elector 
 from Austria, and win him for France. Will you accept the 
 trust ? " 
 
 " But you said that he loved another woman." 
 
 " So much the greater will be your glory in the conquest, 
 for the countess is beautiful and fascinating." 
 
 " Is she in Venice ? " 
 
 "Wherever the elector goes, thither she is sure to fol- 
 low." 
 
 " She must leave Venice ; she must be forced to leave ! " 
 cried the vindictive Italian, ready to hate the woman whom 
 Max Emmanuel loved. 
 
 "You must do better. Induce the elector to forsake her, 
 and leave her in Venice like another Didone abbandonata, 
 while you carry him in triumph back to Munich." 
 
 " I will, indeed I will ! " exclaimed Lucretia, exultiugly. 
 
 " Ah, signora," said the marquis, coaxiugly, " what a mag- 
 nanimous and disinterested nature you display ! You accede 
 to my request without naming conditions. Allow me to ad-
 
 310 PRINCE EUGEXE AND ins TIMES. 
 
 mire your nobleness, and believe me when I say that my royal 
 master shall hear of it." 
 
 " Well, tell him that, if it lies in my power. Max Emmanuel 
 shall learn to dislike Austria and love France." 
 
 "Signora, you are the instrument of a great purpose. 1 
 give you a whole year wherein to work ; and if, at the end of 
 that time, you have prevailed upon the elector to sign a treaty 
 of alliance with France, you, as one of France's noblest allies, 
 shall receive from my royal master one million of francs. 
 Meanwhile you shall have ten thousand francs a month for 
 pin-money." 
 
 " Alas ! " said Lucretia, " I am forced to accept ; for my 
 husband has so effectually impoverished me that I live on the 
 bounty of my brother. And he is so arrogant that I am al- 
 most as glad to be independent of him as to be delivered from 
 my detestable husband. I shall endeavor to let my acts speak 
 my gratitude for the deliverance." 
 
 " Allow me, signora, to present you with your pocket-mon- 
 ey for this present month, and give me a receipt in the shape 
 of your fair hand to kiss. " 
 
 So saying, he laid a purse of gold at Lucretia's feet, and 
 covered her hand with kisses. 
 
 " I shall want to consult you frequently, dear marquis,' ob- 
 served Lucretia. 
 
 " I shall always be at your service." 
 
 " And now, I take it as a matter of course, that what has 
 passed between us this morning is to remain a profound se- 
 cret." 
 
 "As a matter of course, signora, it goes no further," re- 
 turned De Villars, * " and to insure perfect secrecy, you must 
 pretend not to know me when we meet abroad. Not even the 
 elector or, perhaps I should say, above all men, the elector is 
 not to know of my visit. I must, therefore, take my leave, 
 for hark ! your clock strikes one, and lovers are sure to be 
 punctual." 
 
 " I shall expect you every morning at eleven ; and so we 
 can take counsel together, and I can report daily progress to 
 you." 
 
 * " Memoirs of the Marquis de Villars," vol. L, p. 104.
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 
 
 *' Aurevoir, then, signora. Allow me one word more. If, 
 before the close of the carnival, you leave Venice in company 
 with the elector, I shall take the liberty of refunding to you 
 the entire cost of the refurnishing of your palace to-day, as 
 compensation for its temporary loss. And now, fairest of the 
 allies of France, adieu ! " 
 
 The French ambassador had hardly time to make his es- 
 cape, before the doors of the drawing-room were flung open, 
 and the lackey announced, " His highness the Elector of Ba- 
 varia ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 
 
 Two weeks had elapsed since that unhappy meeting be- 
 tween Eugene and Laura two weeks of expectation and hope 
 frustrated. In vain had Eugene attempted to reach her with 
 a message ; in vain had he remained for hours before her win- 
 dows ; in vain had Antonio tried to penetrate into her presence. 
 Day after day came the same sorrowful news : the marchion- 
 ess was very ill, and no one was allowed to pass the threshold 
 of the palace. Her husband watched day and night at her 
 bedside, and, excepting Mademoiselle Victorine, no living 
 creature was allowed to enter her room. 
 
 When, for the fourteenth time, Antonio returned unsuc- 
 cessful from his mission, Eugene became so agitated and grew 
 so pale that the bravo was touched to the heart, and, taking 
 the prince's hand, covered it with kisses. 
 
 u Do not be so cast down, excellenza," said he, imploringly ; 
 " have courage, and hope for the best." 
 
 " Oh, Antonio ! " murmured the prince, " she is dead ! " 
 
 "No, excellenza, no ! I swear to you that she lives, nor 
 do I believe one word of this rumored illness." 
 
 " Why should you not believe it, my friend ? " 
 
 " Because I know the marquis well ; and this is merely a 
 pretext for keeping his wife imprisoned." 
 
 " Thank you, Antonio, thank you," replied Eugene, " for
 
 312 PRINCE EUGENE AND ms TIMES 
 
 this ray of hope. Then I depend upon you to deliver iny mes- 
 sage sooner or later. Remember my words : ' The Prince of 
 Savoy knows why the marchioness did not speak to him. He 
 lives, loves, and hopes.' And if you will but return to me 
 with one word from her lips, I will feel grateful to you for 
 life, Antonio." 
 
 " I will serve you with my life, excellenza," said Antonio, 
 bowing and leaving the room. 
 
 He had not been long away, before the door was opened, 
 and Conrad announced the Elector of Bavaria. 
 
 " I have come to entice the hermit of the Capello out of his 
 cell," cried Max Emmanuel. " My dear Eugene, was ever a 
 man so obstinate a recluse ? Every time I come I am told that 
 you are at the arsenal, the dock-yards, the armory, a picture- 
 gallery, or some other retreat of arts and sciences." 
 
 " Well, dear Max, I am a student, and find much to learn 
 in Venice." 
 
 " To whom do you say that ? " cried Max, laughing. " As 
 if I, too, were not a student, only that my tastes lie not in the 
 same direction as yours, and as if I were not making tremen- 
 dous progress in my studies ! " 
 
 " No wonder : you are far advanced in every branch of 
 learning, while I am but a neophyte." 
 
 " No such thing ; you are much more deeply learned than 
 I ; but you are the victim of an unfortunate passion which you 
 are striving to smother under a weight of study, while I I, 
 my dear fellow, am distancing you every hour of the day, for 
 my studies are all concentrated upon the 'art of love.' " 
 
 " God speed you, then, and deliver you from the malady 
 that is wasting away my life ! " 
 
 " You are an incomprehensible being, Eugene. I cannot 
 comprehend your dogged fidelity to such an abstraction as a 
 woman whom you never see. You have not trusted me with 
 your secret, and yet I might have done you some service had 
 you been more frank with me." 
 
 " You mock me," replied Eugene, gloomily. 
 
 " No, Eugene, I do not mock you. I know your secret, 
 despite your taciturnity. I know that you love the Marchion- 
 ess Stroz/i, and that the jealousy of her husband is such that
 
 TEE LOVERS REUNITED. 313 
 
 you have not been able to speak a word with her since your 
 arrival in Venice." 
 
 "Who could have told you ? " 
 
 " My houri she whose love has made of Venice a Mussul- 
 man's paradise to me. Oh, Eugene ! I am the happiest man 
 alive ! I am beloved and loved for myself. My beautiful 
 mistress is noble and rich ; she refuses all my gifts, and yet 
 she is about to give me unequivocal proof of her love : she is 
 about to leave her lovely Italian home, and fly with me to 
 Munich." 
 
 " Are you about to leave Venice so soon ? " 
 
 " The archduchess is dangerously ill, and yesterday a cou- 
 rier was sent to summon me home. And, would you believe 
 it ? my Lucretia consents to accompany me, on condition that 
 I force no gifts upon her acceptance, but allow her to furnish 
 her house in Munich at her own expense. Did you ever hear 
 of such disinterestedness? Now I am about to give you a 
 proof of my confidence, and tell you the name of my mistress. 
 It is the Countess Cauossa. Well ! You are not overjoyed ? 
 You do not understand ! " 
 
 " How should I be overjoyed or understand, when I do not 
 know the lady, Max ? " 
 
 " Great goodness, is it possible that this unconscionable 
 snail has lived so closely in his shell that he does not know 
 how fortunate for him it is, that the Countess Canossa loves 
 me ! Hear me, Eugene. My Lucretia is the sister of the Mar- 
 quis de Strozzi." 
 
 " My enemy ! " murmured Eugene, his brow suddenly 
 darkening. 
 
 "Yes ; but not his sister's friend ; for although he makes a 
 confidante of her, she hates him. Except Victorine, the count- 
 ess is the only person permitted to have access to her sister-in- 
 law's apartments. " 
 
 Eugene's eyes now brightened with expectation, and he 
 looked gratefully up into the elector's handsome, flushed 
 face. 
 
 " Yes, Eugene, yes," continued Max, " and through her an- 
 gelic goodness, you shall visit your Laurk. To-day, Lucretia 
 appears as Mary Stuart, at a masked entertainment given by
 
 314 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Admiral Mocenigo. Before she goes, she is to show off her 
 dress to the poor prisoner of the Palazzo Strozzi. Her long 
 train is to be borne by a page, who of course will have to fol- 
 low whithersoever Mary Stuart goes. This page is to be your- 
 self, my boy ! " 
 
 Eugene threw himself into the elector's arms. He was too 
 happy for speech. 
 
 At noon, on the same day, the gondola of the Countess Ca- 
 nossa stopped before the Palazzo Strozzi. The countess, dressed 
 in a magnificent costume, went slowly up the marble stairs, 
 her long train of white satin borne by a page in purple velvet. 
 His face, like that of his mistress, was hidden by a mask ; and 
 the broad red scarf which was tied around his slender waist, 
 confined a small dagger whose hilt was set in precious stones. 
 His eyes were so large and bright that the mask could not en- 
 tirely conceal their beauty ; and it was perhaps because of 
 their splendor that the porter hesitated to admit him within 
 the palace. 
 
 The countess, who had gone a few steps before, turned care- 
 lessly round, and asked why her page did not follow. 
 
 " Your ladyship," replied Beppo, the porter, " the marquis 
 has forbidden the admission of strangers." 
 
 " And you call that poor, little fellow of mine a stranger ? 
 You might as well ask me to cut off my train, as expect me to 
 wear it without my page ! Come, Filippo, come ! " 
 
 Filippo passed on, while the old porter grumbled. 
 
 " Never mind, Beppo," said the countess, looking back kind- 
 ly, " I will tell my brother of your over- watchfulness, and in- 
 form him what a love of a Cerberus he has for a porter. " And 
 on she went, having reached the top of the staircase, before 
 Filippo and the train had gone half way. 
 
 Mademoiselle Victorine was awaiting their arrival, and 
 made a profound courtesy to Lucretia. 
 
 " Signora, the marchioness awaits you in her boudoir." 
 
 " And the marquis knows that I am here ? " 
 
 " Yes, signora. He was anxious to accompany you in your 
 visit to my lady ; but she would not consent ; and you know 
 that he dares not go without it. He never has crossed the 
 threshold of her dressing-room."
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 315 
 
 " I know it well. Now go and announce my visit to her. 
 But first, go to the marquis and tell him that, as soon as I shall 
 have returned from the apartments of my sister-in-law, I wish 
 to see him in his cabinet, on important business." 
 
 This was spoken in an elevated tone, so that all the spies, 
 whom Lucretia knew to be eavesdropping around, might hear 
 her words and repeat them. 
 
 " I go, signora," replied Victorine, in the same tone ; but 
 she added in a whisper to the page, " For God's sake, be dis- 
 creet ! " 
 
 The lady's maid, in obedience to Lucretia's orders, went 
 directly to the cabinet of Strozzi, while the countess proceeded 
 in an opposite direction. At the end of the grand corridor 
 was a lofty door, which, being shut, the countess remained 
 stationary ; while Filippo, who seemed not to have remarked 
 it, went on with his train, until he stood immediately behind 
 his mistress. 
 
 She chided him for his familiarity. " Back, Filippo,'' said 
 she, impatiently. " When I stop, how do you presume to go 
 on ? You are too unmannerly for a page ! " 
 
 Filippo murmured a few unintelligible words, and retreat- 
 ed, while the countess knocked several times at the door. 
 
 " It is I, Laura, the Countess de Canossa." 
 
 If anybody had been near, the beatings of poor Filippo's 
 heart might have been heard during the pause that ensued be- 
 fore the door was opened. At length its heavy panels were 
 seen to move, and a sweet, soft voice was heard : 
 
 " Come in, dear Lucretia." 
 
 The countess disappeared within ; but scarcely had she en- 
 tered the room before she grasped Laura's arm, and hurried 
 her into the room beyond. 
 
 '' Not here, not here," whispered she. " Go into your pri- 
 vate apartment, Laura. In this one you would be unsafe. 
 There will be listeners at the door." 
 
 Laura made no reply ; she flew back and disappeared be- 
 hind the portiere that led into her boudoir. The countess 
 looked back at her page, who leaned trembling against a mar- 
 ble column close by. 
 
 "Shut the door, Filippo," said she, " and await me here. I
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 will see the marchioness in her boudoir, and Mademoiselle 
 Victorine will be back presently, to entertain you." 
 
 The door was shut, and Filippo, letting Mary Stuart's train 
 drop without further ceremony, sprang forward and touched 
 the arm of his royal mistress. 
 
 " Where is she ? " 
 
 "In her boudoir." The page would have gone thither at 
 once ; but Lucretia stopped him. " Mark my words well. 
 Speak low ; and when Victorine summons you away, obey at 
 once, for delay may cost you your life. And now, impatient 
 youth, begone ! " 
 
 They were together. Laura would have sprung forward to 
 meet him, but emotion paralyzed her limbs, and chained her 
 to the floor. He clasped her in his loving arms, kissed her 
 again and again, and each felt the wild throbbing of the oth- 
 er's heart. Forgotten were the long years of their parting, 
 forgotten all doubt, all anguish. It seemed but yesterday that 
 they had plighted their troth in that moonlit pavilion ; and 
 nothing lay between, save one long night which now had 
 passed away, leaving the dawn of a day that was radiant with 
 sunshine. 
 
 "I have thee once more, my own ! Close close to my 
 heart, and would to God thou couldst grow there, blending 
 our dual being into one ! " 
 
 " Not once more, my Eugene, for thou hast never lost me. 
 I have kept unstained the faith I pledged, and never have I be- 
 longed to any man but thee ! " 
 
 " But alas, my treasure, I may not possess thee ! Let me at 
 least drink my fill of thy beauty, my Laura 1 " 
 
 She drew him gently to her divan, and there, just as he 
 had done in the pavilion, he knelt at her feet, and gazed, en- 
 raptured, in her face. With her little white hands she stroked 
 his black locks, and lifted them from his pale, high brow. 
 
 " My hero," murmured she, tenderly. " Thou hast decked 
 that brow with laurels since I loved thee, Eugene ; and the 
 world has heard of thee and of thy deeds of valor. I knew it 
 would be so ; I knew that the God of the brave would shield 
 thy dear head in the day of battle, and lift thee to mountain- 
 heights of glory and renown."
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 317 
 
 "And yet I would so gladly have yielded up my life, 
 Laura ! What was liie without thee ? One long night of 
 anguish, to which death would have been glorious day ! Oh, 
 Laura ! that day that fearful day on which I was bereft of 
 thee ! " 
 
 She laid her hand upon his lips. " Do not think of it, be- 
 loved, or thou wilt mar the ecstasy of the present. I, too, have 
 suffered more, it must have been more, than thou ! And yet 
 in all my anguish I was happy ; for I was faithful, though 
 sorely tried, and never, never despaired of thy coming." 
 
 "And yet thou art the wife of another." 
 
 " Say not so. When the priest laid my hand in his, / laid 
 it in thine. To thee were my promises of fidelity, to thee I 
 plighted my troth. That another a liar and deceiver, should 
 have inserted his odious name for thine, laid his dishonored 
 hand in mine, has never bound me ! I was, I am, I will ever 
 be thine, so help me, God ! who heard the oath I swore, and 
 knew that, swearing, I believed thee there ! " 
 
 " And I could doubt her, my love, my wife ! Forgive me, 
 Laura, that in my madness I should have accused thee." 
 
 " All is forgotten, for I have thee here ! " 
 
 It was well for these impassioned lovers that a friend 
 watched for them without. Lucretia had mounted guard for 
 half an hour, when Victorine returned to say that the marquis 
 would be glad to see his sister ; her visit had lasted long 
 enough. 
 
 " Take my place, then, Victorine ; bolt the door, and admit 
 nobody." 
 
 " Oh, signora, if the marquis finds us out, he will assassi- 
 nate me 1 " said Victorine, trembling. 
 
 " He will not find us out ; and you can very well endure 
 some little uneasiness, when for a few nervous twitches you 
 are to receive two thousand sequins. Think that, by to-night, 
 you will be on your way to Paris." 
 
 "Would to God I were there, away from this frightful rob- 
 bers' nest ! " 
 
 Lucretia laughed. " You flatter the city of Venice. But I 
 am not surprised that you are not in love with the Palazzo 
 Strozzi, for when its master is contradicted, he is a rag-
 
 318 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ing tiger, whose thirst nothing save human blood will 
 quench." 
 
 " O God ! O Lord ! I am almost dead with fright ! " 
 
 " Have patience, mademoiselle. Look at yonder clock on 
 the mantel. Precisely at the expiration of one hour, come 
 with your message to my brother's cabinet. That will be the 
 signal for your release. Are your effects out of the palace ? " 
 
 " Yes, signora ; they are all at the hotel of the Marquis de 
 Villars." 
 
 " And the gondola of the elector will be here to speak the 
 prince's adieux. Now remain just where you are ; and, instead 
 of opening your ears to what is passing in yonder boudoir, 
 make use of your leisure to say your prayers, which you may 
 possibly have forgotten this morning." 
 
 The countess lifted up her long train, and, passing it over 
 her arm, went on her way to meet the amiable Strozzi. 
 
 "Really, Ottario," said she, entering the cabinet, "your 
 palace is singularly like a prison. As I came through the 
 corridor, I felt as if I were passing over the Ponte de' Sospiri. 
 The atmosphere of the place is heavy with your jealous sighs." 
 
 " True ; there is little happiness under the marble dome of 
 my palace. But let us speak of other things. What can I do 
 to serve you ? " 
 
 " You seem to intimate that I can never desire to speak with 
 you, except to ask a favor." 
 
 " I find that, generally speaking, the case." 
 
 " For once you are mistaken. I want nothing from you 
 whatever." 
 
 " You seem to have grown rich by some legerdemain or 
 other, Lucretia. I hear that you have refitted your palace 
 with great magnificence. Has Canossa come into a fortune ? 
 or has he been winning at the card-table ? " 
 
 " Neither ; but it was precisely of my newly acquired wealth 
 that I came to speak with you. I am about to quit Venice, 
 perhaps forever ; and before leaving I wished to have an ex- 
 planation with you." 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! who will take your place by Laura ? " 
 
 " Very flattering that my departure occasions no emotion 
 in my brother's fond heart, save regret for the loss of his spy !
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 319 
 
 But never mind, I overlook the slight, and proceed with my 
 confession." 
 
 So Lucretia went over all the humiliations and hardships 
 she had undergone within the past six months ; and, after 
 dwelling pathetically upon her own sufferings, she related the 
 manner of her meeting with the Elector of Bavaria, and its 
 consequences. They loved each other to adoration ; he lav- 
 ished every gift upon her that his wealth could purchase, and 
 now she was about to give him substantial proof of her at- 
 tachment, by going off with him to Munich. No mention 
 was made, in the recital, of her episode with the French min- 
 ister. 
 
 The countess had barely arrived at the end of her confi- 
 dences, when a knock was heard, and Mademoiselle Victorine 
 walked in with a message from the marchioness. 
 
 " What message ? " cried Strozzi, rising at once to receive it. 
 
 " Pardon me, excellenza, it is only a message for the sig- 
 nora," said Victorine, courtesying. " My lady wishes to know 
 if the countess has the French book that she promised to bring 
 to-day ? " 
 
 '' Dear me ! I had forgotten it," cried the countess. " But 
 stay, Victorine, it is in the gondola below. Let little Filippo 
 go after it." 
 
 " Who is Filippo ? " asked the marquis, frowning. 
 
 " My page, to be sure. Have you never seen him ? Of 
 course I could not carry Mary Stuart's long train up the stair- 
 case without a page to help me." 
 
 " And he is here, in the palace ? " 
 
 " Of course he is : where else should the child be but here 
 with me ? And, as I was not anxious to have him eavesdrop- 
 ping about your cabinet while we were conversing, I gave him 
 in charge to Victorine." 
 
 " I shall discharge Beppo," growled the marquis. " How 
 dared he " 
 
 " Let me intercede for poor Beppo," laughed Lucretia. 
 " He would have kept out Filippo, but I insisted that your pi*o- 
 hibition could not extend to boys, and I insisted upon having 
 him to carry my train. Since his presence here annoys you, 
 he shall be made to leave, and await me in my gondola."
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "But the book, signora," said Victorine, with quiver- 
 ing lip. 
 
 " True the book for Laura. Will you permit Victorine to 
 go with Filippo, and get it ? But bless me ! Without her pro- 
 tection, Beppo would not allow him to pass. You consent for 
 her to accompany him ? '' 
 
 " Yes," said Strozzi, roughly. " But if ever you come again, 
 leave your page at home." 
 
 " The watchword, signer ? " asked Victorine. 
 
 " Venetia," returned Strozzi. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed Lucretia, " does Victorine, too, need a 
 password to leave the palace ? My dear brother, I admire your 
 genius ! You are qualified to make a first-rate jailer." 
 
 Mademoiselle Victorine had not tarried to hear the ironical 
 compliment of the countess. She flew along the corridor to 
 the apartments of the marchioness, and, first knocking at the 
 door, she drew back the portiere. 
 
 "Your highness," said she, " the hour has expired." Then 
 dropping the portiere, that the lovers might part without wit- 
 nesses, she waited without. 
 
 Laura's arms were around his neck. Eugene drew her 
 passionately to his heart. " Must I then go without thee ? " 
 murmured he. 
 
 " Yes, my Eugene ; this time thou goest alone. But be 
 patient and hopeful, and thy spouse will find means to escape 
 from her jailer." 
 
 " I cannot go," cried Eugene, despairingly. " Nor can I 
 leave my enemy's house like a frightened cur, while the woman 
 I love remains to bear his anger. He must he shall renounce 
 my wife ! " 
 
 " That is, you would see me murdered before your eyes ! ' : 
 exclaimed Laura, well knowing what argument would move 
 him most to discretion. u Eugene, he has sworn to assassinate 
 me, if I ever speak to you arid, believe me, he will keep his 
 oath." 
 
 " And I must leave my treasure in his bloodthirsty hands ? " 
 cried the prince, pressing her still more closely in his arms. 
 
 " The tiger will do me no harm, Eugene, if thou wilt go 
 before he sees thee."
 
 THE LOVERS REUNITED. 321 
 
 " Your highness," said Victorine, imploringly through the 
 portiere, " for God's sake, tarry no longer ! " 
 
 Laura, freeing herself from his embrace, led him to the 
 door. " Farewell, my beloved," said she. " God is merciful, 
 and will reunite us." 
 
 " One more look into those dear eyes, one more kiss from 
 those sweet lips." 
 
 " Oh, your highness ! " whispered Victorine, a second time. 
 
 Laura raised the portiere, and led him forward. She saw 
 Victorine reach him his mask, and then, darting back into her 
 boudoir, she fell upon her knees, and prayed for an hour. 
 
 Meanwhile the Countess Lucretia was still discussing her 
 affairs ; but she seemed to have become absent-minded, some- 
 times stopping suddenly in her speech to listen, occasionally 
 directing anxious glances toward the windows. 
 
 The marquis was too keen for these symptoms to escape his 
 penetration. 
 
 " Are you watching or waiting for any thing ? " asked he. 
 
 " Yes," replied she, " I await something, and oh ! there it 
 is!" 
 
 As she spoke these last words, a voice from the water called 
 out three times : " Addio ! addio ! addio ! " 
 
 " Do you know what that ' addio ' signifies ? " asked Lu- 
 cretia. 
 
 " How can I understand the signals that pass between you 
 and your loves ? " 
 
 " I will tell you what it means," said she, looking full into 
 her brother's face. " I but no ! your eyes glare too fiercely 
 just now ; you are ready for a spring, and I dare not wait to 
 be devoured. Addio, Ottario, addio. Take this note, and 
 swear that you will not open it before ten minutes." 
 
 " What childishness ! " exclaimed Strozzi, rudely. 
 
 " You will not ? Then you shall not see its contents, which, 
 nevertheless, concern your Laura." 
 
 " Laura ! Then I swear that I will not open it before ten 
 minutes." 
 
 '' It is on the table. Be careful how you break your oath. 
 You would not be safe were you to unfold that paper before 
 ten minutes."
 
 322 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 So saying, she kissed her hand, and tripped merrily away 
 to her gondola. 
 
 At the expiration of the time required, Strozzi took up the 
 paper, and broke its seal. It contained the following : 
 
 " MY DEAR BROTHER : You sold me to Count Canossa, and 
 you have degraded me to the trade of a spy. You have forced 
 me, more than once, to play the dragon by your poor, unhappy 
 wife ; but I have repaid her for my unkindness, and have 
 avenged myself also. My little Filippo is Prince Eugene, and 
 he is to remain alone with your wife, exactly as long as I con- 
 verse with you in your cabinet. The three 'addios' which 
 you will have heard ere this from the Canale, signify that the 
 prince has reached his gondola, and is safe. Also that Made- 
 moiselle Victorine, my accomplice, has fled. You gave her 
 ten ducats for each betrayal of her mistress ; we offered two 
 thousand sequins, and of course she betrayed you. Addio ! " 
 
 To describe the fury of the marquis would be impossible. 
 But his paroxysm of rage over, he at once began to revolve in 
 his mind the means of revenge. 
 
 " There must be an end to this martyrdom," said he. " It 
 must end ! " He looked at the clock. " 'Tis time Antonio 
 were here, and he shall do it." 
 
 He struck three times on his little bell, and the door in the 
 wall glided back, giving entrance to Antonio. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 ANTONIO'S EXPIATION. 
 
 THE next morning Antonio asked admittance to the cabinet 
 of his new employer. 
 
 "Your highness," said he, " I have seen the marchioness." 
 " What greeting does she send, good Antonio ? " 
 "My lord, she awaits Filippo at eight o'clock this even- 
 ing."
 
 ANTONIO'S EXPIATION. 323 
 
 " She awaits me ! " echoed Eugene. " And you are to con- 
 duct me to her ? " 
 
 " Yes, my lord. I am acquainted with the secret passages 
 of the palace. I will show you the way, and, as God in heaven 
 hears me, I will bring you safely back." 
 
 " How solemnly you speak, Antonio ! " 
 
 "Ah, excellenza, it is easier to enter that palace than to 
 leave it ! But you shall leave it in safety, as I hope to be saved 
 from perdition ! " 
 
 " At what hour did you say ? " 
 
 " At eight this evening. And now, my lord, allow me to 
 leave you for a time. The marquis requires me to remain at 
 the palace, and I must be punctual, or he will suspect me. 
 You will be obliged to engage another commissionnaire ; but, 
 believe me, I shall better serve you in the palace than 
 here." 
 
 Antonio was allowed to depart ; but instead of going toward 
 the Strozzi palace, he betook himself to that of the Elector of 
 Bavaria, where the household were in that state of confusion 
 which precedes a departure. The elector had chosen to leave 
 Venice by night. 
 
 " I have an important message from my lord, Prince Eu- 
 gene of Savoy to his highness of Bavaria," said Antonio, mak- 
 ing his way through the busy throng of servants. " Is he in 
 his cabinet ? " 
 
 " Yes. The chamberlain is in the anteroom. He will an- 
 nounce you." 
 
 "His highness will receive the messenger of Prince Eu- 
 gene," was the reply ; and Antonio, having been admitted, had 
 a conversation of some length with the elector, which left the 
 latter in a state of great agitation. 
 
 " I wish it were in my power to render assistance ; but I 
 dare not. He made me promise that I would not interfere in 
 any way ; and I must keep my word. I would but act in the 
 dark, and might ruin him. And now to Lucretia, to devise 
 other means of rescue, if these should fail " 
 
 After leaving the elector, Antonio directed his steps toward 
 the prison near the palace of the doge. The porter that stood 
 near the grated door looked searchiugly at the mask that pre-
 
 324 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 sumed to tarry before those dismal gates whereof he was the 
 guardian. 
 
 " Would you earn a thousand sequins ? " said Antonio, in a 
 whisper. 
 
 "How?" asked the porter, opening his eyes like two full 
 moons. 
 
 '' Do you know in which cell Catherina Griamberta is con- 
 fined?" 
 
 "Yes, I know." 
 
 " Take this flower to her. It is her birthday, and she loves 
 flowers. Tell her it comes from Antonio, and ask her to send 
 him the ribbon she wears around her neck. If you return 
 with it, I will give you one thousand sequins." 
 
 He handed the porter a large rose, whose stem was carefully 
 wrapped in paper. Christiano scarcely saw what it was, so 
 dazzled were his eyes by the approaching glitter of a thousand 
 sequins. But he thrust it in his bosom, drew the bolts of his 
 prison, and disappeared within its gloomy depths. 
 
 Antonio leaned his head against the clammy prison-wall 
 and waited. In half an hour the turnkey returned. 
 
 " Have you your thousand sequins with you ? " asked he. 
 
 " Here they are," said Antonio, drawing from his cloak a 
 purse,' through whose dingy silk meshes the gold was visi- 
 ble. 
 
 The turnkey put his hand through the grate, and Antonio 
 saw a faded, yellow paper, tied with a silken cord. He took 
 the packet, and in return gave Christiano the purse. As he 
 did so, he said : " Make good use of it ; I have passed through 
 five years of misery to earn it. Make good use of it, and if 
 you will have a mass said for the repose of my soul, 'tis all I 
 ask in addition to the service you have just rendered me." 
 
 He turned away, and, hurriedly taking the direction of St. 
 Mark's, entered a side-door, and stood within its sacred walls. 
 The church was empty and dimly lighted. Antonio knelt 
 down behind one of the pillars, and opened the paper. 
 
 It contained a lock of golden hair the hair of a child. 
 The bravo pressed it to his lips, and, murmuring a few fond 
 words, laid it lovingly upon his heart, arid began to pray. 
 When his prayer was ended, he approached a confessional
 
 THE DUNGEON. 325 
 
 wherein sat an old Benedictine monk, and, kneeling down, be- 
 gan his confession. 
 
 The recital was a long, and apparently a terrible one ; 
 for more than once the monk shuddered, and his vener- 
 able face was mournfully upraised as if in prayer for the 
 penitent. When Antonio ceased, he remained silent, still 
 praying. 
 
 '' Reverend father," murmured the bravo, " may I not re- 
 ceive absolution for my sins ! " 
 
 " Yes, my son, you shall receive such absolution as it rests 
 with me to give. If, as I hope, you are truly repentant, God 
 will do the rest. You have sinned grievously, but you are 
 ready to expiate." And the priest performed the ceremony of 
 absolution. 
 
 " Eeverend father, give me your blessing your blessing in 
 articulo mortis." 
 
 '' Come hither and receive it." 
 
 Antonio emerged from the confessional, and knelt on the 
 marble pavement, while the rays from a stained window above 
 fell upon his head like a soft, golden halo. The priest, too, 
 stepped out, and, laying his hand upon that bowed head, made 
 the sign of the cross, and blessed him in articulo mortis. 
 Then going slowly up the aisle, and kneeling within the 
 sanctuary, he passed the night in praying for a soul that was 
 about to depart this world. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DUNGEON. 
 
 THE clock on the Campanillo of St. Mark's struck eight. 
 The day of longing expectation had at last worn away, and 
 Eugene was once more to be admitted to the presence of his 
 beloved. 
 
 Before leaving his cabinet he had sent for Antonio, and, 
 reaching him a purse of gold, had said : u Here, my brave 
 here are two hundred ducats. Take this purse, and, when you
 
 326 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 make use of its contents, remember that I gave it as a token of 
 my gratitude for your fidelity and friendship." 
 
 " No, your highness," replied Antonio, in a tearful voice 
 " no, your highness, I need no gold. If you would give me a 
 souvenir, let me have the glove that has covered the right hand 
 of a hero whose sword has never been unsheathed save in the 
 cause of right." 
 
 "Singular man," exclaimed Eugene, " take them both, and 
 believe that I thank you for your attachment. And now, let 
 us away ! " 
 
 "Yes, my lord ; but I implore you, not this rich cloak of 
 velvet. Take this black wrapping of cloth ; it is more appro- 
 priate for an adventure such as ours." 
 
 The little gondola lay moored at the stairs, without gondo- 
 lier or light. Nobody was there except Eugene and Antonio, 
 who rowed without help. They made for a channel leading 
 to a wing of the Palace Strozzi, whose dark, frowning walls, 
 unrelieved by one single opening, were laved by the foul and 
 turbid waters of the narrow estuary. Antonio's practised eye 
 discovered the low opening that gave access to the palace ; 
 and, after fastening his gondola to a ring in the wall, he 
 knocked three times at the door. It was opened, and they en- 
 tered a small vestibule, dimly lighted, where they were con- 
 fronted by a man who asked for the password. 
 
 Antonio whispered something in his ear, and they were 
 permitted to ascend a steep, narrow staircase leading to a pas- 
 sage so contracted that Eugene's shoulders touched on either 
 side, as he struggled along toward a second staircase. "When 
 they had reached the last step, Antonio said : " We have no 
 farther to go. Pass in, signer, and, whatever ensues, remem- 
 ber that you must patiently await my return." 
 
 A door opened, Eugene passed through, and it closed be- 
 hind him. He was in a room of singular shape and construc- 
 tion. It was a rotunda, whose blank walls were without open- 
 ing whatsoever ; neither door nor window was to be seen 
 therein. Suspended from the lofty ceiling was an iron chain, 
 to which was attached a small lamp, whose light fell directly 
 over a table that stood in the centre of the room. On the table 
 lay a piece of bread and a glass of water ; near it was placed a
 
 THE DUNGEON. 32^ 
 
 wooden chair, and this was all the furniture contained within 
 the dismal apartment. 
 
 " A dung-eon," said Eugene to himself. " One of those 
 dungeon? of which I have heard, but in whose existence I 
 never believed until now.'' 
 
 He was perfectly collected ; but he comprehended his posi- 
 tion, and knew that he had been betrayed. He had been lured 
 into this secret prison, there to die without a sign ! But he 
 must make one desperate effort to escape. Death he could 
 confront even the death that stared him in the face ; but to 
 know that Laura would be doomed to a life of utter wretched- 
 ness, was a thought that almost unsettled his reason. 
 
 He surveyed the place, and then felt every stone, every 
 crevice, that came within his reach. As he raised his mourn- 
 ful eyes to look above him, the wall just below the ceiling be- 
 gan to move, a small window was opened, and within its iron 
 frame appeared a pale, sinister face the face of the Marquis 
 de Strozzi. 
 
 Eugene tore the mask from his face, and his large eyes 
 flashed with scorn. 
 
 " Assassin ! " cried he, " cowardly assassin ! " 
 
 The marquis laughed ; he could afford to laugh. " Yes," 
 said he, " I am any thing you may please to term me ; but you, 
 Prince of Savoy, are no longer among the living. Your days 
 are numbered : farewell ! " 
 
 The window closed, and the wall moved slowly back until 
 no trace of the opening was to be seen. A dungeon ! A 
 grave ! Eugene of Savoy would die of hunger ! no human 
 ear would hear his dying plaint ; within a few steps of one 
 that loved him he would disappear from earth ; and, until the 
 great day whereon hell would yield up its secrets of horror to 
 the Eternal Judge, his fate would remain a mystery ! Alas ! 
 alas ! And was this to be the end of his aspirations for 
 glory 1 
 
 But hark ! What sound is that 1 The invisible door, for 
 which he had been groping in vain, was once more opened, 
 and Antonio glided noiselessly into the room. 
 
 He raised his hand in token of warning. " Not a word, my 
 lord," whispered he. " I come to save you,"
 
 328 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " To save rne, traitor ! You, the despicable tool of 
 Strozzi ? " 
 
 " Oh, my lord ! Have mercy, have mercy ! Every mo- 
 ment is precious : listen to me, listen to me ! " 
 
 Antonio sank on his knees, the mask dropped from his face, 
 and his pale, suffering- countenance wore any aspect but that 
 of treachery. 
 
 "In the name of the Marchioness Laura Boualetta, hear 
 me," said he, imploringly. 
 
 " Laura Bonaletta ! " echoed Eugene, in a voice of pierc- 
 ing anguish. " What can such as you know of Laura Bona- 
 letta ? " 
 
 Antonio gave him a folded paper containing these few 
 lines : " If thou lovest me, do as Antonio bids thee. If thou 
 wouldst not have me die of grief, accept thy life from An- 
 tonio's hands, and oh, love 1 believe me, we shall meet again. 
 Thy Laura." 
 
 Eugene pressed the paper to his lips, and when he looked 
 at Antonio again, his eye had lost its sternness, and about his 
 lips there fluttered a sad smile. 
 
 " What does this mean, Antonio ? " said he. 
 
 " Excellenza, it means that I was a hardened sinner until 
 you rescued my soul from perdition. Would that I had time 
 to lay before you the sins of my whole life, that you might 
 know from what depths of crime you delivered me ! But time 
 is precious. I can only say that I am no brave soldier that 
 was scarred in battle. This wound upon my face was from 
 the hand of my father, and, for the crime of his murder, my 
 right hand was hewed by the arm of the executioner. Nay 
 do not start, my dear, dear lord ! 'Tis you that brought me to 
 repentance ; 'tis you that inspired me to seek reconciliation 
 with Heaven. I came to you a bravo the emissary of the 
 Marquis Strozzi ; but when you touched my mutilated arm 
 with your honored hand when you trusted me because you 
 believed me to be brave I swore in my heart that you at least 
 I would not betray. 'Tis true, I led you hither where Strozzi 
 would have left you to die of hunger. Ah, my lord ! you are 
 not the first that has looked upon these cruel walls. Giuseppi, 
 the gondolier whom the countess loved he, too, poor youth,
 
 THE DUNGEON. 329 
 
 came hither and six days after I was sent for his corpse, and 
 consigned it to the sullen waters of the lagoon, that covers the 
 secrets of Strozzi's atrocious murders." 
 
 " But why, then, did you not warn me ? " 
 
 " Because Strozzi would have murdered me, and employed 
 another man to betray you into his hands. Or, if you had be- 
 lieved me, you might have remained in Venice, and you must 
 fly this very night this very hour. Until you are safe, Strozzi 
 must believe that you are his prisoner." 
 
 il Am I, then, forever doomed to turn my back upon this 
 man ? " 
 
 " My lord, my lord, no vain scruples ! The Marchioness 
 Bonaletta will die if you do not live to rescue her from his 
 tyranny." 
 
 Eugene grasped his arm. " Ah, yes, indeed ! Then come, 
 Antonio let us fly." 
 
 " My dear lord, one man only can leave this room. The 
 porter is ready with his dagger if both should attempt to 
 pass." 
 
 " You would remain here in my place ! You would sacri- 
 fice your life to liberate me, Antonio ! " 
 
 " The parricide would fain be at rest," replied Antonio, 
 gently. " The sinner would gladly suffer death, that, expiat- 
 ing his crimes, he may hope to be forgiven by his Maker." 
 
 " Never will I purchase life at such a price," was the reply 
 of the prince. 
 
 " My life is accursed," said Antonio ; " my death will be 
 triumphant. My lord, if you knew how I longed for death, 
 you would not refuse me the blessing I covet. My Catherina 
 ere this awaits me in the other world ; I long to rejoin her I , 
 long to obtain the pardon of my murdered father." 
 
 Eugene's face was buried in his hands, and he was weeping. 
 '" I cannot, T cannot," gasped he. 
 
 '' You would drive your Laura to despair, then ? You would 
 go to your grave without renown ? " 
 
 " No ; I would live. Come : we can overpower the porter 
 if nothing less will save us, we can kill him." 
 
 " Before he dies he will call for help, and help will be 
 near. But one of us can escape ; and, by my eternal salva-
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS 
 
 tion, I swear that I will not be that one ! Away with you ! 
 Away ! In a moment it will be too late ! Do you not hear 
 me ? Whether you go or stay, I never will leave this place 
 again ! " 
 
 Eugene staggered against the wall, and sighed heavily. 
 Antonio knelt at his feet. At last he murmured almost in- 
 audibly, " I will go." 
 
 Antonio sprang from his knees, threw his cloak around the 
 prince, and, with eager, trembling hands, adjusted his mask. 
 
 " Thank God ! " said he, " we are of the same size and build. 
 There is not the least danger of recognition. The porter will 
 suspect nothing. The password is, ' One of two? The gondola 
 is moored in the place where we left it, and your friends are at 
 the landing, awaiting you now. The marchioness knows that 
 you are to leave Venice to-night. God in heaven bless you. 
 And now away 1 " 
 
 "Antonio," replied Eugene, greatly affected, "with my 
 latest breath I will bless and thank you." 
 
 Then folding the bravo in his arms, he would have spoken 
 his thanks again, but Antonio hurried him away, closed the 
 door, and then fell upon his knees to pray. 
 
 The password was spoken, the door was opened, and Eugene 
 was saved ! He sprang into the gondola, and it flew across 
 those sullen waters like an arrow. As he reached the landing, 
 a well-known voice called out, " Eugene ! " 
 
 " Max Emmanuel, I am here ! " was the reply, and the 
 friends were locked in each other's arms. 
 
 At length the elector spoke : " I have confronted death," 
 said he, "but never in my life have I passed an hour of such 
 anguish as this. Come, Eugene, yonder lies the ship that is 
 to bear us away from this sin-laden city. Step into my gon- 
 dola, we have not a moment to lose." 
 
 They rowed to the ship's side ; they mounted the ladder, 
 and before the dawn of day Venice with her palaces and their 
 secret prisons had disappeared, and the friends were far on their 
 way to Trieste.
 
 BOOK V. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY. 
 
 THE winter of 1688 had gone by ; the snows were melting 
 from the bosom of reviving earth ; and the trees that bordered 
 the avenues of the Prater were bursting into life. At the 
 court of Austria nobody welcomed spring ; for its approach 
 betokened the cessation of gayety, and the resumption of 
 hostilities. The year 1687 had been rendered illustrious in 
 the annals of Austrian history, by Charles of Lorraine, who, 
 on the 12th of August, had gained a signal victory over the 
 Turks. The rebellion in Hungary, if not suppressed, was 
 smothered ; for the weary and exhausted Magyars had been 
 totally crushed by the iron heel of General Caraffa, and they 
 had submitted to Austria. The conditions of the surrender 
 were hard : they demanded the relinquishment of some of the 
 dearest rights of the liberty-loving Hungarians. First, they 
 were to renounce all right of resistance against the King of 
 Hungary ; second, they were no longer to elect their own sov- 
 ereigns ; the crown of Hungary was made hereditary in the 
 house of the Emperors of Austria. The Archduke Joseph, 
 then ten years of age, was crowned king ; and the Hungarians 
 were compelled to take the oath of allegiance to this irrespon- 
 sible sovereign. 
 
 This being a decisive victory, the campaign ended early, 
 and the season of festivity had therefore been a prolonged one. 
 Not only the aristocracy of Vienna had celebrated the heroism 
 of the victors by balls, concerts, and assemblies, but the em- 
 peror himself sometimes prevailed upon his retiring and de- 
 vout empress to participate in the national gayety, by giving 
 entertainments to her subjects at the imperial palace. 
 
 CW)
 
 332 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 It was the festival of the Empress Eleanora, and the day 
 was to be celebrated by the production of a new opera, entitled 
 "II Porno d'Oro." The rehearsals had been superintended by 
 the emperor in person ; he had suggested and directed the 
 scenery and decorations, and, to the great scandal of his con- 
 fessor, Father Bischof, Leopold had more than once curtailed 
 his devotions, to attend these rehearsals. 
 
 On the day of the performance the emperor retired early to 
 his dressing-room, and, to honor the festival of his consort, 
 arrayed himself with imperial magnificence. His doublet was 
 of cloth of gold, edged with fringe of the same ; his cloak of 
 purple velvet, richly embroidered, was fastened on the shoul- 
 der by an agraffe of superb diamonds. The breeches, reaching 
 to the knee, were of velvet, like the cloak : and the hose, like 
 the doublet, were of cloth of gold. The shoes of purple velvet 
 were fastened with buckles of diamonds to correspond with 
 the agraffe of the cloak. His ruff was of gold lace, his hat was 
 decorated with a long white plume, and on his breast he wore 
 the splendid order of the Golden Fleece. 
 
 When Leopold entered his music-room, Kircherus, who 
 was there, awaiting him, could not repress an exclamation of 
 wonder at the dazzling apparition. 
 
 " You are amazed at my magnificence," said the emperor, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Your majesty, say rather that I am struck with admira- 
 tion than with amazement. You are as glorious as the god of 
 day ; and if the Muses were to trip by, they would surely mis- 
 take you for their Phoebus, and, quitting Parnassus, make 
 themselves at home in Vienna." 
 
 il And be driven away with contumely ; for, being heathen 
 maidens, Father Bischof would speedily exorcise and exile 
 them back to Greece. And now tell me what you think of the 
 new opera. Do you expect it to be successful ? " 
 
 u Indeed I do, your majesty. It is, to my mind, heavenly." 
 
 " And to mine also. 'Tis the very music with which to lull 
 the dying soul to rest. I have spared nothing to bring it out 
 handsomely, and it has certainly been a golden apple to my 
 purse, for it has already cost me thirty thousand ducats. But 
 I tell you this in confidence, Kircherus : were my generals to
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY. 333 
 
 hear of it, they would cry out that money is to be had for 
 every thing except the army." 
 
 "I wish there were no army to swallow up your majesty's 
 resources, and that we might he allowed to enjoy our music in 
 peace," growled Kircherus. 
 
 " Hush, Kircherus ; you are an artiste, and know nothing 
 of the exigencies of political existence. I would I were such 
 a heavenly idiot as you ; but God has decreed otherwise. It is 
 my duty to declare war or peace, as becomes the ruler of a 
 great people ; and so disinclined am I to strife, and so inclined 
 to peaceful arts, that I sometimes think I have been purposely 
 thwarted by God, and cast upon an epoch of perplexity and 
 dissension, that my character might be invigorated by its exi- 
 gencies. Even now I go reluctantly from art, to hold a coun- 
 cil of war. I fear it is about to be anything but amicable ; so, 
 do your best to console me on my return, and see that all goes 
 well as regards the opera." 
 
 The officers of the war department had been for more than 
 half an hour awaiting the appearance of the emperor. One 
 only was absent, the Duke of Lorraine, who had excused him- 
 self on a plea of indisposition. 
 
 " He is craftier than I had supposed," said the Margrave of 
 Baden to his nephew. " He avoids the unpleasant responsi- 
 bilities of debate, and shields himself behind the orders of the 
 emperor." 
 
 "Because he awaits a reappointment to the chief com- 
 mand," replied Louis. " For him is the glory of our victories ; 
 for us the danger. But I have a missile to throw into the 
 camp of the enemy ; it is from Max Emmanuel, who votes 
 with us." 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! " said the margrave, with a satisfied air. 
 " Then I think we may hope to thwart this insolent pretender, 
 who considers me incapable of directing the war department 
 of Austria." 
 
 " He has offered me a public affront," returned Louis, in- 
 dignantly. '' I had a right to command the Slavonian cav- 
 alry ; and he bestowed it upon Dunewald, who is nothing but 
 his creature. I have therefore followed the example of Max 
 Emmanuel, and shall resign my commission to-day."
 
 334 PRINCE EUGENE AND His 
 
 " I would give millions if, after your defection, lie were de- 
 feated by the Turks. But he has the most unconscionable 
 luck. And then, that silly Prince of Savoy, who blows such 
 blasts in his praise. Louis, you ought not to be so intimate 
 with Prince Eugene he is one of our enemies." 
 
 " Oh no," replied Louis, smiling. " Eugene is the enemy 
 of no man. Say nothing against him, uncle, if you love me. 
 He is a youth of noble spirit, incapable of envy ; recognizing 
 every soldier's merit except his own. Our cousin of Savoy is 
 destined to become a great man." 
 
 " He is already a great man," replied the margrave, with a 
 sneer. " Not twenty -five years of age, and a knight of the 
 Golden Fleece a protege of the emperor, the favorite of 
 Charles of Lorraine ! " 
 
 At this moment the doors were opened, and Leopold, fol- 
 lowed by a small, slender officer, entered the council-chamber. 
 
 " The Prince of Savoy ! " muttered the margrave, impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 " Eugene ! " said Louis to himself, as, bowing his head with 
 the rest, he wondered what could be the meaning of his cous- 
 in's presence. 
 
 " My lords,'' said the emperor, taking his seat, " I have in- 
 vited Prince Eugene of Savoy to assist at this council not 
 only as a listener, but as one of us ; and I shall call upon him 
 to give his opinion as such, upon the matters that come under 
 discussion to-day." 
 
 " Pardon me, your majesty, if, as president of this council, 
 I remind you that the Prince of Savoy is too young and inex- 
 perienced for such a discussion, and that no man in active 
 service, under the rank of a field-marshal, ever participates in 
 the debates of the war department." 
 
 " Your highness is quite right, and I thank you for the re- 
 minder. We have no desire to infringe the etiquette of the 
 council-chamber ; and as we have invited the prince therein, 
 we must repair our oversight by qualifying him to sit. Prince 
 of Savoy, we hereby create you field-marshal, and trust that, 
 as such, you may win so many laurels that the world will par- 
 don your youth in favor of your genius." 
 
 Eugene crimsoned to his temples, and kissed the hand
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY. 335 
 
 which Leopold extended. "My liego," sa ^ he, in a voice 
 choked with emotion, " your majesty heaps coals of fire on 
 my head. May God give me grace to earn these unparalleled 
 honors ! " 
 
 " You have already earned them," replied Leopold, " and 
 Austria is proud to have won such a hero to her cause. And 
 now, my lords, to business. President of the council, what is 
 the condition of our army at present ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, the army is not, as yet, armed and provi- 
 sioned ; but it will be in a condition to oppose the enemy as 
 soon as the marshes of Hungary are sufficiently dry to allow 
 of an advance. " 
 
 " That means simply that nothing has been done," replied 
 the emperor, in tones of dissatisfaction, " and that the winter 
 has been spent in total inaction. It means also that this year 
 as well as last our soldiers are to feel the want of the neces- 
 saries of life ; and that for lack of money, munition, and 
 stores, our most advantageous marches will have to be relin- 
 quished." 
 
 " I see that the Duke of Lorraine has already accused and 
 calumniated me," said the margrave, sullenly. 
 
 "The Duke of Lorraine has at times complained of the 
 want of munition, stores, and forage ; but he neither calum- 
 niates nor accuses any one. He has remarked that, instead of 
 being sustained by the war department, he has been hampered 
 and harassed by its opposition to his plans. Even his officers 
 have manifested a spirit of such insubordination, that they 
 have seriously interfered with his successes." 
 
 " That means that he has complained of me," interposed 
 Louis of Baden. 
 
 " Yes, mai'grave, it does ; and we are both surprised that a 
 hero of your recognized ability and renown should fail in a 
 soldier's first duty obedience to orders." 
 
 "Your majesty," exclaimed Louis, "I am no subordinate 
 officer to receive or obey orders from another ! I am an inde- 
 pendent prince of the German empire, in every respect the 
 equal of the Duke of Lorraine." 
 
 " Except as an officer in the Austrian army," replied Leo- 
 pold, " in which character the Duke of Lorraine is your chief,
 
 336 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 You have not sufficiently considered this matter of your rank 
 as an officer in my service ; let me hope that, for the future, 
 you will acknowledge and respect the authority of your com- 
 mander-in -chief. I myself have found him ever ready to 
 acknowledge and respect mine." 
 
 ''The will of the emperor, to us, is law," said the Margrave 
 Herman. " But your imperial majesty has hitherto exacted 
 of your officers that they should receive your mandates 
 through the medium of the minister of war. The Duke of 
 Lorraine, who claims such strict obedience from others, has 
 set at defiance the mandates issued from this council-chamber. 
 As president of the same, I complain of the insubordination of 
 your majesty's commander-in-chief. He has not carried out 
 the orders received from the war department." 
 
 " He would have been more than mortal had he done so ; 
 for the war department has required of him feats that were 
 physically impossible. We can trace out upon this green 
 cloth before me any number of strategic movements, which, 
 supposing the enemy to be of one mind with ourselves, would 
 annihilate him beyond a doubt. But as he is apt to do the 
 very reverse of what we would prescribe, the man upon whom 
 rests the responsibility of confronting him, must use his rea- 
 son, and modify orders according to circumstances. What is 
 to be, you cannot include in your paper plans of attack ; but 
 the Duke of Lorraine has met every emergency as it present- 
 ed itself on the field, and every true Austrian should be his 
 friend." 
 
 "Your majesty," cried the margrave, greatly irritated, 
 " the president of this council must nevertheless persist in his 
 conviction that the highest court of military jurisdiction is 
 here, and that the commander-in-chief of the army is its sub- 
 ordinate." 
 
 " You mistake the extent of its power," replied the emper- 
 or, with composure. " It is merely expected of the general- 
 in-chief that he act in concert with the war department." 
 
 '' Which the Duke of Lorraine has never done ! " cried the 
 margrave, impetuously. 
 
 u Perhaps the blame lay in the injudicious exactions of the 
 minister of war," replied Leopold, carelessly ; " and if, despite
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY. 337 
 
 of all the obstacles that were placed in his way, he has sub- 
 dued Hungary, you have no part in his glory, my lord ; for in 
 every case your judgment has been contrary to his." 
 
 " It follows, then, that I have not filled my office to the satis- 
 faction of your majesty,'' said the margrave, choking with anger. 
 
 " I regret to say that I have less confidence in your judg- 
 ment than in your ability, my lord ; the former is unhappily 
 often obscured by prejudice," replied Leopold, calmly. 
 
 " Your majesty," cried the margrave, " in this case I shall 
 feel compelled 
 
 " I do not wish you to say or do any thing on compulsion, 
 my lord ; I prefer to assign you a position in which your tal- 
 ents, being unfettered by your antipathies, will shine with 
 undimmed lustre. You have complained of late that the 
 duties of the war department have become irksome to you ; if 
 so, I can give you an appointment less onerous to you, but 
 equally important to the state. I am just now in need of an 
 intelligent representative before the imperial Diet. This 
 charge I commit to you, premising that you must start for 
 your post immediately, that you may infuse some life into the 
 stagnant councils of the ambassadors of the princes of Ger- 
 many." 
 
 "Your majesty wishes to banish me from court?" asked 
 the margrave, pale with anger. 
 
 " Certainly not, your highness," replied the emperor, gen- 
 tly. "I send you on an honorable embassy, and one whereat 
 I need a capable and fearless advocate. The question to be 
 decided before the imperial Diet is one of life or death to Aus- 
 tria, nay to Germany. France is evidently preparing for 
 war with the German empire. Her fortresses on the eastern 
 frontier are all garrisoned ; her troops are approaching ; and 
 under some pretext or other, they will cross our boundary 
 lines. This being the case, the princes of the empire must 
 cease their everlasting petty dissensions, and band themselves 
 together for the defence of Germany. Be it your task to 
 strengthen the bond of unity between them, and to convince 
 them that in close alliance with Austria safety is to be found 
 for all. I know of no man who can serve my interests at 
 Regensburg as well as you, my lord ; while, happily, I can
 
 338 PRINCE! EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 find a substitute for your presidential chair at home, in Count 
 von Starhemberg. And now, farewell ; and let me hear from 
 you as soon as possible.'' 
 
 The emperor extended his hand to the margrave, who, 
 scarcely able to control his dissatisfaction, barely raised it to 
 his lips, and hurried away. 
 
 " My lords," said the emperor, " let us proceed to business. 
 The spring is nigh, and a new campaign is about to be planned. 
 Count von Starhemberg, as president of this assembly, will be 
 so good as to impart his views." 
 
 Count von Starhemberg bowed : " Your majesty, it ap- 
 pears to me that our policy is to avoid a general engagement. 
 The end of this campaign is the reduction of Belgrade, and 
 great precaution must be used if we are to succeed. I would 
 divide the army, so as to begin operations at three points si- 
 multaneously, and weaken the enemy, by scattering his forces. 
 By detaching, we can easily defeat them, and capture their 
 arsenals. This accomplished, we proceed to Belgrade, and, 
 witfi the conquest of this Turkish stronghold, we end not only 
 the campaign, but the war." 
 
 As Von Starhemberg concluded this harangue, the emperor 
 addressed himself to Prince Louis of Baden. 
 
 " Your majesty," replied he, " I have no opinion to offer, 
 for my views coincide altogether with those of Count von Star- 
 hemberg." 
 
 " And you, Count von Kinsky ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, I sustain the president." 
 
 The same replies were forthcoming from Counts Liechten- 
 stein and Puchta, and the emperor, having heard each one, 
 relapsed into silence. After a pause, he spoke. "There 
 reigns a remarkable unanimity of opinion here, among the 
 councils of the war department," said he, with some emphasis. 
 " Five members having but one mind as to the prosecution of 
 the war ! Not one variation from the plan of the president 
 not one suggestion not even from so experienced and able a 
 general as Louis of Baden ! This is singular and surprising. 
 We have yet to hear the youngest member of the council. 
 Field-Marshal Prince of Savoy, speak without restraint, and 
 fear not to express your own views."
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY. 339 
 
 " Pardon me, your majesty," said Eugene, blushing, " if I 
 venture to dissent from the opinions expressed by those who 
 are my seniors in years, and my superiors in experience. But 
 it is the duty of a man, when called upon to speak, to speak 
 honestly ; and I should be untrue to my most earnest convic- 
 tions, were I to give in my adherence to the plan proposed." 
 
 Amazement was depicted upon the faces of the assembled 
 councillors ; not only amazement, but disapprobation of Eu* 
 gene's boldness. The emperor, however, looked kindly at the 
 prince, and bade him proceed. 
 
 " With your majesty's permission, I am of the opinion that 
 the entire army be concentrated in an attack upon Belgrade. 
 To divide our forces will enfeeble them doubly ; their numbers 
 would be inconsiderable, and their command by one chief, im- 
 possible. Division is weakness concentration is strength. 
 Belgrade is our goal, and to Belgrade let us march at once. 
 Let us possess the key of Turkey, and then we can make con- 
 ditions with the Sultan." 
 
 " I honor your frankness, prince," replied the emperor. u I 
 should respect it, were my opinion on the subject adverse to 
 yours. But it is not. My lords, I regret that we are not all of 
 one mind ; but I must decide in favor of the campaign as pro- 
 posed by Field-Marshal Eugene of Savoy. I cannot consent 
 to have the army crippled by division ; we must put forth all 
 our strength, if we are to lay siege to Belgrade, and to this one 
 end let our warlike preparations be directed." 
 
 "Your majesty's will is law," replied Count von Starhem- 
 berg. " It only remains for you to name the one to whom the 
 chief command of the Austrian forces is to be intrusted." 
 
 " It is to be intrusted to him who has commanded it with 
 such signal ability to the Duke of Lorraine, my lord. And 
 now, gentlemen," added the emperor, rising, "the sitting is 
 ended." 
 
 " Your majesty," interposed Louis of Baden, "I crave a few 
 moments more." 
 
 The emperor gave consent, and the young prince came for- 
 ward and spoke. 
 
 "Your majesty, the chief command of the army being 
 given to the Duke of Lorraine, it follows that neither the
 
 340 PRINCE EUGENE AND HI? TIMES. 
 
 Elector of Bavaria nor I have any independent position ; we 
 are to obey the orders of the Duke of Lorraine. This being 
 the case, Max Emmanuel has commissioned me to announce 
 with the utmost respect that it does not become a reigning 
 prince to be the instrument of any other man's will. His 
 subjects have already complained of the subordinate rank of 
 their sovereign, and he cannot allow their sense of honor to be 
 wounded by a renewal of such affront. He therefore tenders 
 his resignation. He will withdraw the Bavarian troops, and 
 take no part in your majesty's projected campaign against the 
 Turks. " 
 
 " We shall take time to consider the subject,'' replied Leo- 
 pold, in a tone of unconcern, '' and will speak with the elector 
 in person. Have you anything else to say 1 " 
 
 " Yes, your majesty," said Louis. " I, also, consider it be- 
 neath my dignity to serve under a foreign prince, and I owe it 
 to my own self-respect to act with the elector, and to tender my 
 resignation." 
 
 The emperor looked searchingly at the troubled counte- 
 nance of the margrave, who blushed beneath his gaze, and cast 
 down his eyes. 
 
 '' And you, too, would abandon your colors t " asked Leo- 
 pold. 
 
 The eyes of the margrave flashed fire. "I false to my 
 colors ! " exclaimed he. 
 
 " You," repeated the emperor. " With your rank, as Mar- 
 grave of Baden, I have nothing to do. You are an officer in 
 my army, and have taken the oath of allegiance to me, as 
 your lord and emperor. I ask you if you deem it honorable 
 to desert your flag on the eve of a campaign 1 Do we not call 
 such conduct by the name of cowardice 1 " 
 
 " Your majesty," cried Louis, vehemently, "la ! " 
 
 " I do not speak of you/' interrupted Leopold, calmly. " I 
 ask you, if, at the moment of engaging the enemy, one of your 
 ablest officers were to come to you with the proposition you 
 have just made to me, by what word would you characterize 
 the act?" 
 
 " Your majesty I I " stammered the margrave. 
 
 " You cannot answer, my lord, but I will answer for you-
 
 A TWOFOLD VICTORY 341 
 
 You would say to such a man, ' He who deserts his post in the 
 hour of danger is a coward. ' But you, Margrave of Baden, are a 
 man of honor, and therefore you will withhold your vaulting 
 ambition. You will not strive with the destiny which makes 
 Charles of Lorraine an older and more experienced, hut not a 
 braver man than you ; but you will return to your duty, and 
 emulate his greatness. Ambition is inseparable from valor ; 
 but it must be checked by reason, or it degenerates into envy. 
 What would you think of a crown prince who should feel hu- 
 miliated at his subordinate rank when compared with that of 
 his father ? When you entered my service, the Duke of Lor- 
 raine was already general-in-chief of the armies of Austria ; 
 and, as he has always led them to victory, it would be in the 
 highest degree unjust to supersede him by another. He who 
 would command, must first learn to obey. Margrave of Ba- 
 den, I cannot accept your resignation." 
 
 " I will do my duty,'' replied Louis, bowing low before the 
 emperor's reproof. ' I submit myself to your majesty's de- 
 cision, and remain. ' 
 
 " Say, rather," returned Leopold, smiling affectionately 
 upon the young prince, " say rather that you go, for the cam- 
 paign must open at once. Be diligent, Count von Starhem- 
 berg ; inaugurate your preparations this very day ; and you, 
 Field-Marshal Prince of Savoy, hasten to Innspruck, to com- 
 municate to the Duke of Lorraine the result of our council of 
 war." 
 
 ' I thank your majesty," replied Eugene, " for this gracious 
 command. May I be permitted to retire, and make my prepa- 
 rations to leave ? " 
 
 The emperor bowed his head, and addressed the Margrave 
 of Baden. " As there is no such urgency attending the move- 
 ments of your highness, I will be happy to consider you as 
 my guest, and shall expect the pleasure of your company at 
 the opera. You also, gentlemen," added he to the other mem- 
 bers of the war department. " The empress is already in the 
 theatre, awaiting our coming." 
 
 And with these words, the emperor, followed by his council- 
 lors, left the room. Without, the court was waiting to accom- 
 pany him ; and, when the lord-chamberlain had announced
 
 342 FfUNCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 to the world that his majesty the emperor was about to 
 visit the opera, the long, brilliant cortege set itself in mo- 
 tion. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 THE DUMB MUSIC. 
 
 THE court entered the theatre. The emperor's suite took 
 possession of the boxes on either side of the one appropriated 
 to the imperial family, while Leopold, followed by Prince 
 Eugene, whom he delighted to honor, entered the imperial box. 
 
 " I wish to present our new field- marshal to the empress," 
 said he to his courtiers. 
 
 The empress was seated in one corner of the box, busily en- 
 gaged with a piece of embroidery. She was so absorbed in the 
 mysteries of silk and golden stitching, that she scarcely re- 
 marked the entrance of the court. For a moment her eyes 
 met those of the emperor, to whom she bowed and smiled ; 
 then, bending her head again, she resumed her work. 
 
 The emperor took a seat by her, and watched her flying fin- 
 gers with affectionate interest. "Your majesty is unusually 
 industrious to-day," said he, smiling, and touching the em- 
 broidery. 
 
 " I was merely beguiling the hour of expectation which has 
 passed away with your majesty's presence, by completing a 
 flower on this altar-cloth, intended for the chapel of the 
 blessed Eleanor, my namesake." 
 
 " The blessed Eleanor must excuse you to-day if I claim 
 your presence here," replied the emperor. " And let me im- 
 plore you for a while to fold those busy hands, and give your 
 attention to the music which has been gotten up for your es- 
 pecial gratification." 
 
 The empress quietly folded her work, and rose from her 
 tabouret. 
 
 " Allow me to present to your majesty the youngest field- 
 marshal in the army," said Leopold, signing to Eugene to ad 
 vance.
 
 THE DUMB MUSIC. 343 
 
 " I congratulate your highness," replied the empress, while 
 Eugene knelt and kissed her hand. " Are you, indeed, so very 
 young, prince ? " 
 
 " No, your majesty," said he, sadly. " I am so old, that I 
 wonder my hair is not gray." 
 
 " Indeed ! How old are you, then ? " 
 
 "Your majesty, I am forty-six years of age," replied 
 Eugene. 
 
 " Why, how can you say such a thing," exclaimed Leopold, 
 " when everybody knows you to be just twenty-three ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, are not the years of active service reckoned 
 by the soldier as double ? " 
 
 " Yes, assuredly, my young field-marshal." 
 
 " Then, my liege, I am forty-six years of age, for my life 
 has been one long war with troubles and trials." 
 
 The empress looked sympathizingly into the deep, sad eyes 
 of the young prince, and saw that he spoke the truth. 
 
 " Have you then had many sorrows ? " asked she, gently. 
 
 " Ay, your majesty ; I have struggled and suffered since 
 childhood, for I have ever been a soldier of misfortune." 
 
 " But you are no longer one," said Leopold, laying his hand 
 upon Eugene's shoulder ; " you have taken the oath of alle- 
 giance to Austria, and misfortune has now no claim upon you." 
 
 Eugene looked up, and the face of the emperor was beaming 
 with kindness. " Whatever betide, my liege," returned he, " I 
 am yours for life, and Austria is my land of adoption." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it ; and now there is but one thing 
 wanting to make you a subject after my own heart. You 
 must marry an Austrian wife that shall make you as happy a 
 husband as myself, and transform earth into heaven, as her 
 majesty has done for me. It is in commemoration of my own 
 happiness that I have chosen the opera of ' II Porno d'Oro ' to 
 celebrate the empress's festival. 'II Porno d'Oro' that is, a 
 happy union the golden apple of paradise. " 
 
 And the emperor, enchanted to have turned the conversa- 
 tion to a subject which was to him of supreme interest, offered 
 his arm to the empress, and conducted her to the front of the 
 box. 
 
 As soon as their majesties appeared, the spectators rose and 
 23
 
 344 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 cheered them enthusiastically. The imperial pair took their 
 seats, and behind them stood Prince Eugene, the only other 
 occupant pf the box. 
 
 The emperor now waved his hand as a signal to the marshal 
 of the household, who, raising his gilded staff, conveyed the 
 imperial command to the leader of the orchestra. " His maj- 
 esty is graciously pleased that the opera shall commence," cried 
 the lord- chamberlain. 
 
 The leader bowed to the emperor, and took his place, which 
 was conspicuously raised above that of the other musicians. 
 
 " His majesty is graciously pleased to allow all present to be 
 seated," was the second cry of the emperor's mouth-piece. 
 And now was heard a rustling of ladies' silks, and of cavaliers' 
 velvets, and the grateful spectators took their seats, while the 
 emperor, with a look of extreme satisfaction, opened the score 
 of the Porno d'Oro, laid it on the ledge of the box, and began 
 to hum the overture. 
 
 " Have you your text-book ? " asked he of the empress. " I 
 ordered one for your especial use ; a synopsis of the opera, with 
 the principal airs only. I hope that you received it. This one 
 is too heavy for you." 
 
 The empress pointed to a purple-velvet book at her side, and 
 slightly bowed her head. 
 
 Leopold nodded, much pleased, and then gave his attention 
 to the stage. 
 
 The audience breathlessly awaited the opening. The leader 
 flourished his baton. The violins raised their bows, the haut- 
 boys and horns were clapped to the mouths of their respective 
 performers, bass-viols were seized, harps were clutched, and 
 drumsticks were raised in the air. 
 
 Nevertheless, not a sound was heard from the orchestra ! 
 
 The emperor looked up from his score, and there, to be sure, 
 was the leader, his baton going from left to right there were 
 the violins busy with their bows ; the wind instruments were 
 blowing for dear life ; the harpists were tugging at their 
 strings ; the drumsticks were going with all their might and 
 not a sound ! The musicians might just as well have been so 
 many phantoms. 
 
 The emperor, in his bewilderment, turned to the empress,
 
 THE DUMB MUSIC. 345 
 
 who was so profoundly engaged with her score, that she mur- 
 mured the words thereof half aloud. 
 
 " Do you hear the music ? " asked her husband. 
 
 She started a little, and, blushing deeply, looked very much 
 confused. " Yes, yes," replied she, absently ; " it is very 
 fine." 
 
 " I must then have lost my hearing," said Leopold ; " for I 
 hear nothing." And a second time he glanced at the orchestra, 
 where the music was proceeding with the utmost energy. 
 
 " I cannot unriddle the mystery," thought the emperor, " for 
 the empress hears the music and pronounces it fine. Prince 
 Eugene," added he, aloud, " Do you hear any thing ? " 
 
 " Not a sound, your majesty." 
 
 The emperor, looking very much relieved, beckoned to the 
 lord-chamberlain, and sent him to inquire into the matter. 
 
 The audience, meanwhile, were quite as astounded as their 
 sovereign. However, after a time they began to whisper and 
 smile ; and finally, as the drummer performed an extra flour- 
 ish with his drumsticks, a voice was heard to cry out, " Bravo ! 
 bravo!" 
 
 This was the signal for a general burst of laughter, which 
 the marshal of the household, though he shook his baton furi- 
 ously, was impotent to quell. While the merriment was at 
 its height the lord-chamberlain returned, and his countenance 
 was expressive of extreme indignation. 
 
 Leopold, who for a moment had forgotten his Spanish for- 
 mality, and had retired to the back of the box, advanced eager- 
 ly to meet him. 
 
 " What says the leader ? " asked he, hastily. 
 
 " The leader, your majesty, is in despair, and is as much at 
 a loss to account for the eccentricity of his orchestra as the 
 audience themselves. He says that the last rehearsal was per- 
 fectly satisfactory." 
 
 " Go, then, to the musicians. See the first violin, Baron 
 von Rietmann, and tell him that the overture must com- 
 mence." 
 
 The lord-chamberlain went off on his mission, while Leo- 
 pold, in undisguised impatience, stood at the door of his box 
 waiting. The empress, apparently not cognizant of any thing
 
 846 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 around her, kept her eyes steadfastly riveted on her book. 
 Prince Eugene had risen, and stood behind the emperor. 
 
 " What think you of this opera comique ? " asked Leopold. 
 
 " It is past my comprehension, your majesty. I cannot 
 conceive how they presume to " 
 
 The emperor suddenly interrupted him. " I begin to appre 
 hend the difficulty," said he, laughing. " My musicians are all 
 of high rank, and, as noblemen and artistes, they have a two- 
 fold pride. They know perfectly well that I cannot do with- 
 out them, and they occasionally take advantage of the fact to 
 annoy me. They have some cause of complaint, I confess, 
 and Ah ! What says Baron Rietmann ? " 
 
 " My liege," replied the chamberlain, pale and breathless. 
 
 "Do not look so terrified," said Leopold ; "what says the 
 baron ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, I am ashamed to be the bearer of his mes- 
 sage," sighed the chamberlain. "He says their instruments 
 will be dumb until the arrears due the orchestra for the last 
 three months are paid ! " 
 
 At this the emperor burst into an audible fit of laughter ; 
 then, remembering himself, he glanced anxiously at his impas- 
 sible empress, to see if she had overheard him. No ; she was 
 perfectly unconscious of any thing but her book. 
 
 " Rietmann is a bold fellow," said Leopold at length, " but 
 he is a great artiste, and I forgive his presumption. He is 
 quite correct, however, as regards the orchestra. The imperial 
 treasury has been drained for the army, and nothing remains 
 for my musicians." 
 
 " Your majesty must order the army to refill the treasury 
 at the expense of the enemy," said Eugene, with a smile. '' It 
 is said that the grand-vizier has immense treasures in Bel- 
 grade." 
 
 " Capture them all, field-marshal, for we are sorely in need 
 of them. But let us try first to compromise with these mu- 
 sical rebels here. Go, my lord -chamberlain, to Baron Riet- 
 mann, and say that the arrears due the orchestra shall be paid 
 to-morrow, and thereunto I pledge my imperial word. Now, 
 Prince Eugene, let us resume our seats. I presume that my 
 golden promises will restore the dumb to speech."
 
 fftE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 347 
 
 And so they did. Scarcely had the lord-chamberlain 
 whispered the emperor's dulcet words into the baron's ear, be- 
 fore a signal passed between the musicians, and the overture 
 began.* 
 
 The scenic effect of the opera was beautiful. The fount- 
 ains were of real water, and graceful naiads disported within 
 their marble basins ; and there was lightning and thunder ; 
 there were transformations of men into animals, and finally, 
 there was a golden apple which fructified into a bewitching 
 fairy. She sang so delightfully that the emperor, in his en- 
 thusiasm, let fall his score, and applauded with all his might. 
 
 The fairy was encored, and as she was about to repeat her 
 aria, the emperor turned to the empress and requested leave 
 to be allowed the use of her text-book for a few minutes. In 
 his eagerness he did not remark her exceeding confusion ; 
 but as, taking the book from her hands, he gave a glance at 
 its pages, he uttered an exclamation of surprise. 
 
 And no wonder 1 For, instead of an opera-score, he found 
 a prayer-book ! 
 
 " I hope your majesty will excuse me," stammered the em- 
 press. " In absence of mind, I brought my prayer-book in- 
 stead of the score." 
 
 " And your majesty was praying for us," replied Leopold, 
 half -vexed, half-amused. " But in our sinful way, we, too, are 
 praying ; for surely music such as this is both prayer and 
 praise ; and He who taught the nightingale her song, must 
 surely rejoice to hear from human tongues the strains which 
 He has revealed to inspired human genius ! " 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 
 
 THE imperial army, in five divisions, had marched to the 
 Turkish frontier. They had traversed Transylvania, taking, 
 on their way, the fortresses of Grosswardein, Sziget, and Ca- 
 
 * This scene is historical. Sec " Lite and Deeds of Leopold the Great."
 
 348 PUIXCE EUGENE AND HIS 
 
 nischa ; and, farther on their victorious march, Peterwardein 
 and Illock. 
 
 The Turks had pursued their usual mode of vengeful re- 
 treat, tracing their march with fire and blood, and, whereso- 
 ever they were forced to surrender, leaving to the victors 
 naught but the smouldering ruins of the strongholds from 
 which they had been driven. 
 
 The imperialists were eager to invest Belgrade ; but their 
 general-in-chief was ill ; and for several days they had watched 
 in vain to see the hangings of his tent drawn aside, and hear 
 the welcome order to march. 
 
 Finally a courier arrived from Vienna, and it was rumored 
 that instructions had been received to advance. The troops 
 were all the more hopeful that, immediately after the dismissal 
 of the courier, the Duke of Lorraine had sent a messenger 
 to Field-Marshal the Prince of Savoy, requesting his presence 
 at headquarters. 
 
 The prince obeyed the summons without delay, and, enter- 
 ing the tent, found the adjutant and the duke's physician, sit- 
 ting together, discoursing mournfully to each other of the ill- 
 ness of the beloved commander. 
 
 " I fear," said the surgeon, " that his highness is attacked 
 with nervous fever ; his symptoms indicate it. He passed a 
 restless night, and is suffering from intense headache. He 
 must not be excited ; he can therefore see nobody." 
 
 " But he has sent for me," objected Eugene. 
 
 The surgeon shook his head. " Your highness has heard 
 my opinion, and, if you approach him, it must be on your own 
 responsibility." 
 
 " I am a soldier," replied Eugene, smiling, " and must obey 
 orders. I have been sent for by the general, and must at 
 least be announced." 
 
 At this moment the hangings of the inner tent were drawn 
 aside, and Martin, the duke's old valet, came forward. 
 
 u Am I wanted ? " asked the surgeon. 
 
 "No, sir," replied Martin. "His excellency bade me 
 see if the Ah ! There he is ! Your highness, the duke 
 begs your presence at once, and requests these gentlemen 
 to leave the tent until his conference with your highness is
 
 THE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 349 
 
 at an end. He is very nervous, and the least rustling affects 
 his head." 
 
 "Just as I feared," sighed the surgeon. "Martin, in one 
 hour I shall return, to change the cold compress." 
 
 Eugene entered the sleeping apartment of the duke, and 
 his pleasure at being admitted to see his commander, was 
 changed into anxiety, when he beheld the pale, careworn face 
 of the duke, and saw his head enveloped in bandages. 
 
 " Martin, have they left the tent ? " inquired he, languidly. 
 
 " Yes, your highness ; and I shall remain and keep watch 
 that no one may enter." 
 
 " Do it, good Martin, for indeed I do not wish to be dis- 
 turbed." 
 
 Martin disappeared, and the duke, removing his bandages, 
 rose from the couch, and sank into an arm chair. 
 
 " We are alone, and I may as well dispense with all this ; 
 it is needless." 
 
 " Then, your highness, God be thanked, is not sick ? " ex- 
 claimed Eugene. 
 
 "Yes, I am sick," replied the duke, sadly, "but not in the 
 sense in which my physician supposes. A malady of the mind 
 is not to be cured by compresses." 
 
 " Have you bad news ? " asked Eugene, with tender sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 "Ah, yes," sighed the duke. "Bad news for him who, lov- 
 ing his fatherland more than self, is withheld from willing 
 sacrifice by the unworthy strivings of ambition with duty. 
 But of that anon. I have sent for you to confer of the affairs 
 of the Austrian army ; for I know that I can count upon your 
 sincerity, and trust to your discretion." 
 
 " Your highness knows how unspeakable is the love I bear 
 you : you well know that it is the aim of my life to imitate, 
 though I may never hope to rival, your greatness." 
 
 "I thank you for your honest affection, dear Eugene," re- 
 plied the duke, looking fondly into the speaking face of his 
 youthful worshipper. " I thank God that you are here, to 
 complete what I am forced to leave unfinished." 
 
 " Your highness would forsake Austria I " cried Eugene, 
 alarmed.
 
 350 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Ask rather, my son, whether Austria has not forsaken 
 me," was the mournful reply. " It is of this that I would 
 speak with you. You are the only officer in the army that 
 does not bear me ill-will ; and to your sound and impartial 
 judgment I am about to submit the question of my resigna- 
 tion." 
 
 " Resignation ! " 
 
 " Yes ; but first let us talk of the campaign which is before 
 us. You know that its main object is the capture of Belgrade. " 
 
 Eugene bowed assent. 
 
 The duke laid his finger on a topographical chart that lay 
 on a table close by. " Here is the key which opens the door 
 to Turkey. Unless we obtain this key, our past victories are all 
 without significance, and for years we have been pouring out 
 Christian blood in vain." 
 
 '' But we shall take Belgrade," cried Eugene. " We have 
 sixty-six thousand well-armed men, all eager for the fray." 
 
 " And the Turks have one hundred and fifty thousand." 
 
 " But they are not a consolidated army, and we must pre- 
 vent them from uniting their forces." 
 
 " True ; and for this end I have sent Prince Louis of Baden 
 to Bosnia with six thousand men, that he may keep them busy 
 at Gradiska. But the long march has exhausted his troops, 
 and he has written to ask for re-enforcements. I must grant 
 them ; and to-morrow I send him four thousand men. How 
 many does that leave us ? " 
 
 " About fifty thousand, general." 
 
 " Suppose the enemy oppose fifty thousand to our ten, in 
 Bosnia, there still remain to him twice as many as we can op- 
 pose to him." 
 
 " Yes ; but they are not commanded by a Duke of Lorraine," 
 exclaimed Eugene, with enthusiasm. " A great general out- 
 weighs the disparity of numbers." 
 
 A sad smile played about the duke's features. *' I am not 
 indispensable to Austria's success," said he. " My men will 
 fight as bravely under another commander as they have done 
 under me ; but I do not say that I relinquish them to that 
 other without a pang." 
 
 " Has such a question been raised ? " asked Eugene, sadly.
 
 THE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IX-CHIEF. 351 
 
 " You are too close an observer not to have suspected it. 
 Do you remember my telling you that I would be obliged to 
 succumb to the hatred of my enemies ? " 
 " Yes, your highness." 
 
 " I did not overrate their influence. Even those who hate 
 each other forget their hatred, to persecute me. And yet I 
 have never done them the least wrong. There is Prince Louis 
 of Baden I have shown him every mark of distinction in my 
 power, and yet he hates me." 
 
 " Too true," sighed Eugene. " And I confess that since I 
 have known it. I love him less." 
 
 "You are wrong. He is merely an echo of his uncle, who 
 has some right to hate me, for to me he owes the loss of his 
 place as president of the war department. He was not fit for 
 the office, and I convinced the emperor of his incapacity. 
 This, I allow, to be a ground of dislike. But there is another 
 distinguished officer, too, that hates me. What have I done to 
 Max Emmanuel ? " 
 
 " You have not only given him every opportunity to gain 
 renown, but often have I admired your magnanimity when he 
 has conspicuously paraded his ill-will." 
 
 " I thank you for that avowal, Eugene ; for well I know 
 how unwillingly you blame the elector. And he deserves your 
 friendship, for he loves you sincerely. He has a noble heart, 
 although I have not been able to win it ; he is a fearless hero, 
 and a great military chieftain. It is a pity that we were con- 
 temporaries. Were I to die to-day, no man would be louder 
 in my praise than he ; but I live, and he cannot brook a rival." 
 " Nay, your highness, he is not so presuming as to suppose 
 that he is worthy to supplant you." 
 
 " He is about to supplant me, Eugene. I forgive him ; for 
 he is young, ambitious, and conscious of his own genius, 
 which, while I enjoy the chief command, is hampered by a 
 subordinate position. He is just as capable as myself ; but I 
 do not feel that he is my superior, and therefore it pains me to 
 be obliged to resign my command to him." 
 
 " You do not think of such a thing ! What would be the 
 effect of your retirement upon the troops ? " 
 
 " They would cry out, as the Frenchmen do, ' Le roi est mort,
 
 352 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 vive le roi ! ' I am not self -deceived as to the ephemeral nature 
 of military popularity. It is always directed toward an ob- 
 ject present and tangible, and speedily consoles itself for the 
 loss of one idol by replacing it with another. But now, listen 
 to me. A courier has just arrived from Vienna. The presi- 
 dent of the war department declares himself unable to put any 
 more troops in the field ; he has neither money nor munition 
 more. The emperor writes under his own hand that he has 
 several times called upon the Elector of Bavaria to join his 
 command, and place himself at the head of his Bavarians." 
 
 " And he has refused ! " cried Eugene. 
 
 " No. He has accepted, but conditionally only. Can you 
 guess his conditions ? " 
 
 Eugene turned pale and stammered : " Your highness, I 
 cannot I hope that I do not " 
 
 "Well, I see that you have guessed. He demands the 
 chief command of the entire army." 
 
 u But if the emperor, as a matter of course, refuses this un- 
 reasonable and presumptuous demand ? " 
 
 " Then he withdraws his troops. Peace peace ! I know 
 that you love the elector : let us not discuss his acts, but con- 
 sider their bearings upon the welfare of Austria. For months 
 the emperor has been trying to arrange matters, but all in 
 vain. Count Strattmaiin, the last envoy, who had a long per- 
 sonal interview with Max, says that he will not retreat from 
 his exactions. He assumes the chief command, or his troops 
 are this day ordered to Bavaria." 
 
 "The emperor will never yield. He ought not to yield." 
 
 " The decision of this difficulty has been left with me. Max 
 is close at hand, in Essek, awaiting my determination. And 
 now, Eugene, what answer shall I send him ? " 
 
 44 Thei'e is but one. The Austrian army cannot spare the 
 Duke of Lorraine." 
 
 " But still less can it spare the Bavarian troops. How many 
 men did you say that we counted in all ? " 
 
 44 Fifty thousand, your highness." 
 
 " And of these, how many are from Bavaria ? " 
 
 44 Eight thousand infantry," said Eugene, with a sigh. 
 
 " And four thousand cavalry. In all, twelve thousand ; and
 
 THE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 353 
 
 let us do him justice : the troops of the elector are an admira- 
 bly disciplined and efficient body of men. Now, if we lose 
 this number, our forces are reduced to thirty-eight thousand. 
 Can we confront a hundred thousand Turks with such a hand- 
 ful?" 
 
 Eugene spoke not a word. His face was bent over the 
 chart, but it was easy to see that he was powerfully agitated. 
 After a long silence, the duke pointed with his finger to the 
 spot on the map which the prince had apparently been ex- 
 amining. 
 
 "This tear is my answer," said he. "We cannot spare the 
 Bavarians." 
 
 " Too true," murmured Eugene, ''too true." 
 
 li Then the general must sacrifice his ambition to the na- 
 tional welfare ; he must retire from his command." 
 
 " Oh, no ! Not yet. Let me go to the elector. We are in- 
 timate friends, and I will persuade him to retract his unright- 
 eous exactions." 
 
 " You will not succeed. Moreover, I would not accept the 
 sacrifice. Could we have done without his troops, I would 
 joyfully have retained my command ; but we have no right to 
 ask of Max Emmanuel, who caniiot be spared, to yield to me 
 who can be spared. I repeat it, then : I accept no sacrifice 
 from the elector, nor will I be outdone by any man in magna- 
 nimity. The wound smarts, I am not ashamed to confess it ; 
 but my duty is too clear before me for hesitation ; and in its 
 fulfilment I have great consolation. To you, dear Eugene, this 
 hour will afford a valuable lesson." 
 
 "Ay, indeed," replied Eugene. " It will teach me high re- 
 solve and holy resignation. If I ever should he tempted to 
 envy the greatness of a rival, I will remember the day on 
 which my friend's mad ambition deprived an army of its great 
 and renowned commander." 
 
 " You are not apt to have rivals, Eugene, for you will sur- 
 pass all your contemporaries in military genius. As for me, I 
 retire, but I shall probably find other opportunities of using 
 my sword for Austria. If as God grant ! we should be vic- 
 torious again this year, the King of France will show his teeth, 
 and perhaps the laurels I have lost on the Save I may recover
 
 354- PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 on the Rhine. And now, son of my heart, farewell ! God be 
 with you, now and evermore ! " 
 
 He embraced Eugene with affection, and, returning to the 
 table, rang for Martin. The old man answered the summons, 
 whereupon the duke began at once to give orders for his de- 
 parture. 
 
 "Say to the surgeon that my head is worse, and that I 
 crave his attendance. Then see the imperial couriers, and 
 send them hither." 
 
 " The surgeon is here," said that individual, coming for- 
 ward. " But what do I see ? Your highness has risen ? " 
 
 ' Yes, doctor, for I ana too ill to remain in camp any longer, 
 and we must start to-day for Innspruck, where you will find 
 me an altered man, and the most submissive of patients." 
 
 " Thank Heaven ! " replied the surgeon, " for your highness 
 needs rest." 
 
 " I will take as much as is needful," said the duke. " And 
 now," added he to Eugene, " will you do me a last favor ? " 
 
 " What can I do for your highness ?" 
 
 " Seat yourself at my escritoire, and write what I shall dic- 
 tate." 
 
 Eugene took up his pen and wrote : 
 
 " Instructions for my officers : 
 
 " My health being too weak to allow of my remaining any 
 longer in active service, I am compelled to resign the com- 
 mand of the imperial armies to another. My successor, his 
 highness the Elector of Bavaria, is at Essek, and will be with 
 the army in a few hours. Until his arrival, I appoint Field- 
 Marshal Count Caprara my representative. God protect the 
 emperor and his brave army 1 " 
 
 " Thank you, prince," added the duke. " Now be so good as 
 to reach me your pen, that I may sign my name." 
 
 "When his signature had been appended to this short proc- 
 lamation, the duke, sighing heavily, said, " Eugene, do you 
 know what I have just signed ? My death-warrant ! " 
 
 " Oh, my general 1 " 
 
 " Hush ! Here come the couriers."
 
 THE RETIREMENT OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 355 
 
 The duke bade them welcome, adding, " Did his imperial 
 majesty charge you with any letter subject to my order ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness. We have one to the Elector of Ba- 
 varia, which, according as your highness commanded, was to 
 be delivered to the elector, or returned to his majesty." 
 
 "Hasten to Essek, and deliver it to the elector. And you, 
 baron," said he, addressing the other courier, " return to Vi- 
 enna, and say to the emperor that, as you were leaving the 
 camp, I was departing for Innspruck ; and, that you may be 
 able to speak the truth literally, you shall see me go. If I 
 mistake not, Martin is coming to say that my travelling-car- 
 riage awaits me." 
 
 " Yes, your highness, we wait for nothing but your com- 
 mands." 
 
 " Then let us depart. Doctor, you will bear me company 
 as far as Innspruck, will you not ? Give me your arm, Prince 
 Eugene." 
 
 With these words, he put his arm around the prince's neck, 
 and, supporting himself on that slender frame, the duke, who 
 was a man of tall stature, left his tent, and walked slowly to 
 the carriage. 
 
 Behind him, in solemn silence, came the physician and the 
 two couriers. At the door of the chariot he let his arm glide 
 away from Eugene's neck, gave him one last fond look, one 
 last friendly pressure, and then was gone ! 
 
 The prince followed him with his eyes, until the chariot 
 had disappeared from view. Then, sad and solitary, he re- 
 turned to his own tent. 
 
 " And thus I am doomed to lose all that I love ! " was his 
 bitter reflection. " The Duke of Lorraine Laura ! Oh, my 
 Laura, how light to me were other losses, wert thou but here 
 to smile me to forgetfulness ! " 
 
 And, with his head bowed down between his hands, Eugene 
 forgot all time, to dream of his love. For several hours he 
 sat thus his spirit all unconscious of the day, the hour, the 
 place when suddenly he was aroused from his reverie by a 
 familiar voice. 
 
 "Eugene," cried Max Emmanuel, " where are you ? The 
 whole army is shouting me a welcome, and my friend has no
 
 56 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 greeting for me ! He waits until I force myself into his tent 
 to claim his congratulations ! " 
 
 " I was not awrae that your highness had arrived. I I 
 
 "And is this my welcome !" cried the elector, disappointed. 
 " Are you displeased with me for superseding your master and 
 hero ? " 
 
 " Yes, proud, ambitious Max, I am grieved ; for you are 
 right, he was my master and my hero." 
 
 " Proud, ambitious, am I ? Yes, I acknowledge it, and ac- 
 knowledge it without shame. The day for hero-worship has 
 passed away, and that of hei-oic action has dawned for both of 
 us. Forgive me if I have usurped the place of your demi-god ; 
 and, in his stead, accept your friend and companion-in-arms. 
 Think of the pledge we made before Buda, and refuse me not 
 the advantage of your support. Without you, I cannot cap- 
 ture Belgrade ; with you, I feel that I am invincible. Will 
 you not sustain me ? " 
 
 " I will, dear Max, and, sorely though you have grieved 
 me, I bid you welcome." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FALL OF BELGRADE. 
 
 Two months had passed away since Max Emmanuel as- 
 sumed command of the imperial army. During this time the 
 besiegers had dug trenches and thrown up embankments ; had 
 demolished fortifications, and thrown bridges across the Save, 
 with a view to attacking the Turks both in front and rear. 
 The latter had been obliged to look on while all this had been 
 progressing, impotent, in spite of their valor, to stop proceed- 
 ings. Of course they had thrown bombs and sprung mines 
 under the feet of their enemies, but nothing dismayed the Aus- 
 trians, and finally they were prepared to assault the city. 
 
 The duke had twice called upon Achmed Pacha to sur- 
 render. The first summons, sent by a Turkish prisoner, was 
 laconically answered by the gibbeting of the unfortunate mes-
 
 THE FALL OF BELGRADE. 357 
 
 senger within sight of the Austrian camp. To the second, 
 Achmed Pasha replied by a thousand greetings to the hrave 
 Duke of Lorraine ; adding that the siege would terminate as 
 it pleased God. 
 
 " And we are here to carry out His will," observed the 
 duke, laughing. " The miners must cease their work neither 
 day nor night ; they may be relieved, but must not stop. Tell 
 them that if they work me a passage to the fortress by the 16th 
 of September, I will give to each one of them from this day 
 forward a gratuity of two ducats a day." 
 
 On the 15th of September the Turkish commander was a 
 third time summoned to surrender. This last summons was 
 treated with contemptuous silence. It had been delivered to 
 Achmed Pacha, while, accompanied by his Janizaries, he was 
 on his way to the mosque. When he had finished its perusal, 
 he addressed two of his officers that were walking on either 
 side of him. 
 
 " What answer would you advise me to make to the Chris- 
 tian commander-in-chief ? " asked he of the first. " In the name 
 of Allah and the Prophet, I call upon you to speak according 
 to your convictions." 
 
 " The two Janizaries exchanged glances of uneasiness ; but 
 Achmed Pacha's stern, handsome face was inscrutable in its 
 composure. 
 
 "We are sorely pressed," replied the officer, mustering 
 courage to speak. " Unless Allah work a miracle in our favor, 
 we must succumb ; it seems to me, therefore, that a useless de- 
 fence will but exasperate the enemy." 
 
 Achmed Pacha turned to the other. " And you ? " said he, 
 mildly. 
 
 " Most illustrious leader of the armies of the faithful," said 
 the second officer, quite reassured as to consequences, " if you 
 insist upon hearing the candid opinion of the least of your 
 servants, I must venture to say that our garrison is exhausted 
 and spiritless. Allah has forsaken us, and it were better to 
 stop further effusion of blood by an honorable surrender." 
 
 Achmed's eyes now darted fire, and the angry blood 
 rushed to his pale brow. He signed to a third officer to ad- 
 vance.
 
 358 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You have heard these traitors," said he in a loud, distinct 
 voice. " Off with their cowardly heads, and bear them through 
 the city on pikes, while a herald shall come after you, crying 
 out to all who choose to profit by the warning, ' Such is the 
 fate of the traitors that counsel submission to the Christian ! " 
 
 The officers were thrown to the ground, and, in a few mo- 
 ments, their headless trunks lay stretched on the earth, while 
 their heads were borne aloft through the streets of Belgrade. 
 
 "Justice is satisfied," said Achmed Pacha, solemnly ; " now 
 let us betake ourselves to prayer. Let us thank Allah, who has 
 turned away the perils by which we were threatened, and is 
 preparing for the faithful a great triumph over their unbeliev- 
 ing foe. The grand-vizier is at hand with re-enforcements, 
 and ere long the Christians will be put to ignominious flight." 
 
 This declaration of the general soon made its way to 
 every house in the city, and caused universal joy. The sol- 
 diers crowded around their chief and swore to defend Belgrade 
 until the grand-vizier arrived. 
 
 " And the Sultan will reward you all," said Achmed. " The 
 booty will be left to the soldiery, and the commander of the 
 faithful will pour out the treasures of his generosity from the 
 horn of his beneficence. The defenders of Belgrade will be 
 the nearest to his throne and his heart, and to your chil- 
 dren shall descend the honors he will confer ! Now come 
 and let us praise Allah for the glory you are about to win ' ! " 
 
 And with this nourish of promises, Achmed Pacha entered 
 the mosque. Once there, he fell upon his knees, and prayed 
 after the following fashion : 
 
 " Allah, forgive me the lies which I have just uttered before 
 the gates of Thy holy temple. Allah, make true my words : 
 send hither, I implore Thee, the help I have ventured to prom- 
 ise to my unhappy garrison ; for the two unfortunates whom 
 I have just executed were the speakers of truth ; if a miracle 
 is not vouchsafed to us, we are lost." 
 
 In the Christian camp Max Emmanuel was making ready 
 to storm the city ; and his troops, with beating hearts, were 
 eagerly awaiting the signal to begin the assault. 
 
 u You are really going to commence your attack ? " asked 
 the Puke of Mantua of the elector.
 
 THE FALL OF BELGRADE. 359 
 
 " Not only to commence, but to finish it," was the reply, 
 ''Before the sun, sets, Belgrade must be ours. 1 ' 
 
 " Very fine and sententious," replied the duke, with a shrug, 
 "but, unfortunately, impracticable." 
 
 " Well nobody can deny that your highness is afar-seeing 
 warrior," said Max, laugbing, and remembering Mohacz.* 
 " You have an eagle-glance for a field of battle, and I propose 
 to renew for you to-day the spectacle which last year you en- 
 joyed looking on, while the rest of us were fighting." 
 
 " Think you that Belgrade is a bee-hive, and that the Turks 
 are to be smoked therefrom, like a swarm of bees ? " 
 
 " I think that Belgrade is peopled by Turks, not bees ; and 
 yet I shall smoke them out of it this very day. Will you bet 
 me five thousand ducats that I do not ?" 
 
 " Yes, I take the bet ; and although five thousand ducats is 
 a considerable sum, I sincerely hope I may lose it. I shall 
 make haste to return to my villa, whence I can look on the 
 assault, while I pray for the success of your arms." 
 
 " We shall have unspeakable comfort in the thought," cried 
 the elector, galloping off to join his staff. 
 
 " A pious Moses that," said he to Prince Eugene. " I am 
 really glad that he has again taken his leave. I lose all my 
 pride of manhood when I look upon such a poltroon, and think 
 that we are of the same species." 
 
 " He is a natural curiosity," said Eugene, " a mere exception 
 to his race. I rather enjoy the contemplation of such a spo- 
 radic case of cowardice." 
 
 The attack was to begin at five points simultaneously. 
 
 * The Duke of Mantua had promised to come to the assistance of the em- 
 peror. In 1637 he visited the imperial camp, where he was received with 
 every mark of consideration. On the morning of the battle of Mohacz, as the 
 troops were about to make the attack, lie came up to General Caprara, and in 
 the coolest manner asked from what point he could best observe the fight. 
 The general replied, " Your highness must join the staff of the commander-in- 
 chief if you wish to look on without being mixed up in the general engage- 
 ment." "But the staff are in constant danger, as well as the rest," was his 
 answer, "and I might be struck by a ball or a bomb-shell." "Oh!" cried 
 Caprara, " you wish to look on without endangering your life ! Then go up 
 to the top of yonder mountain." The duke went, and remained there until 
 the battle was ended. 
 24
 
 360 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 When the fifth courier had reported his division to be in 
 readiness, the elector, giving orders to his staff which dis- 
 persed them for a while, turned to Eugene and began in a 
 low voice : 
 
 " Eugene, I feel like a lover who has just become a husband. 
 My heart beats with anticipation of bliss, and is all aflame with 
 desire." 
 
 "I should think you had clasped Bellona to your heart 
 so often, that you would have learned to accept her fa- 
 vors without excitement or anxiety," returned Eugene, play- 
 fully. 
 
 Max glanced at the calm and self-possessed prince, and re- 
 plied : " You shall teach me self-control, clear Eugene, for you 
 have wonderful mastery over your emotions. Did I not know 
 what a warm heart is throbbing under that composed demean- 
 or, I should imagine Prince Eugene to be a mere compound of 
 wisdom and self-possession ; and yet I know that, at this very 
 moment, that heart is burning with love for one who, in the 
 hour of battle, is dearer to him than ever. Eugene, this is a 
 moment of solemnity enough for me to ask you whether Laura 
 lives ? " 
 
 "I do not know," murmured he, nervously grasping his 
 reins, and becoming very pale. " I have no news, and yet, if 
 she were dead, my heart would tell me so ; I believe, then 
 that she is alive, and, should I fall to-day, there hangs a medal 
 lion around my neck (her dear portrait), which must be sent 
 to her. Say that I died loving her beyond all power of speech 
 to convey ; that for her love, I bless and thank her, trusting 
 that she will forgive me for having been the cause of all her 
 misfortunes. I am grateful to you, Max, for having spoken of 
 her to me. If I die, this is my last will." 
 
 u Enviable saint, that has but one legacy and one love ! I 
 shall take very good care not to entertain you with the his- 
 tory, in many volumes, of all my various loves. But the last of 
 them you can greet for me, should I fall to-day ; and you will 
 do it cordially, for she is Laura's sister-in-law. Tell my beau- 
 tiful Lucretia that I have been happy in her love ; and, al- 
 though I would not have her mourn for me, I hope she will 
 sometimes waft me a thought or a gentle sigh. And now to
 
 THE FALL OF BELGRADE. 361 
 
 arms, and to victory ! You promise to fight at my side, do you 
 not?" 
 
 " Yes, Max nothing but death shall part us, until Belgrade 
 is ours." 
 
 " Give me your left hand, while, with the right, I give the 
 signal for the attack." 
 
 So saying, the elector held aloft a silken flag, which fluttered 
 for a moment, and then boldly caught the breeze. There was 
 a shoi't silence ; then every Christian gun proclaimed defiance 
 to the Turk. 
 
 Early in the action, General Scarffenberg was mortally 
 wounded ; but he had carried his point of attack, and with his 
 dying eyes he saw the Austrians mount the breach, and drive 
 away the enemy at the point of the bayonet. The bastion once 
 reached, the men, almost reeling with fatigue, paused for a 
 moment to regain breath. The enemy taking advantage of 
 the halt, returned and poured out such numbers of fresh as- 
 sailants that the Christians from sheer exhaustion began to 
 falter, and were about to be driven back, when Prince Eugene, 
 seeing their danger, sprang forward to General Sereni, and 
 called for re-enforcements. 
 
 Placing himself at their head, the bastion was recaptured, 
 and the Austrians rushed eagerly forward to follow up their 
 success. 
 
 But just beyond the breach lay a deep, wide trench, behind 
 which the enemy had fortified themselves, and were now pour- 
 ing out a murderous fire. 
 
 " The line of these breastworks must be broken," said the 
 elector. 
 
 But the question was how were they to be broken ? Not 
 a path was to be seen conducting thither ; and the imperial- 
 ists, hurried forward by the eager troops behind, who were un- 
 aware of the impediment in front, seemed to have no alterna- 
 tive but that of inevitable death or retreat. 
 
 Retreat ! odious word, which the officers could not bring 
 their lips to pronounce. And yet there was no possibility of 
 advancing ; and to remain stationary was to offer themselves 
 for massacre. The soldiers were so closely packed together 
 that they could make no use of their weapons, while the Turks
 
 362 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 were shooting them down like so many birds in a battue. The 
 elector stood by the side of the breach, and called a hasty 
 council of his officers. 
 
 " We have done enough for to-day," said General Sereni. 
 " We can intrench ourselves behind the breach, and renew the 
 attack to-morrow." 
 
 " The men are exhausted," urged another. " We will surely 
 capture the fortress to-morrow." 
 
 The elector had listened in perfect silence to the various 
 changes rung on the same idea ; but he was not altogether 
 convinced. He now turned to Eugene, who spoke not a word, 
 but gazed sharply from the trench to the serried ranks of Turks 
 on the opposite side. He raised his eyes with a mournful, 
 questioning look, to the face of the perplexed commander. 
 Their glances met, and a smile of perfect understanding passed 
 between them. 
 
 The elector hurried forward to the brink of the trench ; 
 behind him came Eugene. Both drew their swords, and, 
 brandishing them above their heads, Max Emmanuel called 
 out in clear, distinct, and ringing tones : 
 
 " Comrades, look, and follow me !" 
 
 Then the two heroes sprang into the trench, and the troops 
 rushed forward to follow them. Many dislocated their limbs, 
 as they leaped down ; but such as escaped without broken 
 bones went onward, fighting like tigers. 
 
 Suddenly an arrow pierced the cheek of the elector, and v his 
 face was covered with blood. 
 
 " You are wounded, dear Max ! " cried Eugene, affrighted. 
 
 The elector laughed, and, drawing out the arrow, replied, 
 "Not at all ; this is Bellona's first kiss." 
 
 And, like a furious lion, he dashed ahead, and avenged the 
 kiss by many a stout blow of his sword. 
 
 The Janizaries were driven from their breastworks, but, ere 
 they went, one of them, astonished at the prowess of Eugene, 
 whom he took to be a lad, was determined to make short work 
 of the insolent boy that was slaying right and left like another 
 David. 
 
 He raised his brawny arm, and smiled contemptuously 
 upon so puny an adversary. But when he would have dealt
 
 THE FALL OF BELGRADE. 363 
 
 his blow, it \vas parried by a thrust of such power that he 
 reeled and almost lost his balance. In his fury he raised his 
 cimeter and cleft the helmet of the prince in twain. 
 
 For a moment Eugene was dizzy, though uninjured ; but, 
 quickly recovering his senses, he made a lunge at the Janizary 
 and ran him through the body. Without waiting to see him 
 die, the prince drew out his sabre and darted onward. The 
 imperialists shouted and cheered him as he went, but the 
 Turks, too, had witnessed the deed, and more than one musket 
 was vengefully aimed at the slayer of the Paynim Goliath. 
 One one, alas ! has reached the mark. It has pierced his 
 foot, and he is no longer in a condition to make another step. 
 Heaven be praised that the Turks have taken flight, and that 
 the Christians have possessed themselves of the trench ! Eu- 
 gene has the comfort of knowing that he will not be a captive, 
 and this assurance gives him strength to drag himself within 
 speaking distance of a group of soldiers. 
 
 " Bear me away, if you please," said he ; "I cannot walk." 
 
 Two of them hastened to his relief, and bore him tenderly 
 away to the spot where a field-surgeon was attending to the 
 wounded. 
 
 The town and citadel have fallen ; nothing now remains 
 to the Turks but the castle, from the "windows of which a white 
 flag is proclaiming their defeat and surrender. But the Chris- 
 tians do not see it ; and the elector, followed by his victorious 
 troops, rushes, sword in hand, to the prison wherein the Chris- 
 tian prisoners are confined. The dungeons were crowded with 
 fugitive Turks, who had betaken themselves thither as the 
 safest place to be found. They cried for mercy, and it was 
 granted them. Their lives were spared, but they were prison- 
 ers. Achmed Pacha was among them. He came forward and 
 bent the knee before his conqueror. 
 
 "Allah has willed it," said he, "and may his name be 
 praised ! General, thou hast prevailed, and I am thy prisoner. 
 I ask but one favor of thee. Give me no Greek or Rascian for 
 my master ; let me serve a German." 
 
 The elector smilingly raised him, and explained that Chris- 
 tians did not enslave their prisoners of war. "You have de- 
 fended yourself heroically," added he, " and we honor a brave
 
 364 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 enemy. The Emperor of Germany alone is the arbiter of 
 your fate." 
 
 "Allah will decide what that fate is to be," was the pious 
 response of the Mussulman. 
 
 The Elector of Bavaria has won his wager ; but what cares 
 a victorious hero for ducats or dastards like the Duke of 
 Mantua ? 
 
 ''Where is Eugene ? " was his first inquiry. And, not see- 
 ing him among his followers, he darted out of the castle in 
 search of his friend. 
 
 The question passed from man to man, until one was found 
 at last to answer it. The prince was in the hands of the im- 
 perial surgeons, who were vainly endeavoring to extract the 
 ball. 
 
 The elector dragged one of them aside. " Is he dangerously 
 wounded ? " asked he, anxiously. 
 
 " He may not die of the wound," was the surgeon's reply ; 
 "but it will be tedious and very painful." 
 
 " He will live ! " cried Max, wiping away a tear, and hasten- 
 ing to the litter whereon Eugene was lying. 
 
 He bent over him, and gently touched his forehead. 
 
 Eugene raised his large, melancholy eyes, and looking 
 upon the beaming face that encountered his, he pointed to the 
 wound, around which the blood had already coagulated, and 
 said : 
 
 " Happy Max, whom Bellona has kissed ! Me she has trod- 
 den under foot." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 
 
 " STROZZI, take my advice, and give up this miserable life. 
 Of all earthly bores, solitude is the greatest." 
 
 " No, Barbesieur, in solitude I find my only comfort," re- 
 turned Strozzi, with a weary sigh. " Here, at least, Laura is 
 indubitably mine ; here she is Marchioness de Strozzi/' 
 
 "She is Marchioness de Strozzi throughout the entire world,
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 3G5 
 
 as I am ready to prove, who saw your hands joined together, 
 and heard your reciprocrated vows in Paris." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; but you know that she denies the marriage, and 
 persists that she is the wife of Eugene of Savoy." 
 
 " She is a sentimental fool," cried Barbesieur, with a coarse 
 laugh. " And devil take me but I would cure her of her folly 
 were she my wife ! If she will not love you, man, why do you 
 not force her to fear you ? " 
 
 %< Fear me ! Her soul knows not fear. Have I not tried to 
 intimidate her over and over again ? and every threat I hurl, 
 she thrusts back into my teeth, as though her spirit were de- 
 fended from harm by some invisible, enchanted armor." 
 
 " And you love her ! You, the master and jailer, creep 
 about, with sallow cheek and sunken eye, while your prisoner 
 is the very impersonation of hopeful happiness. At every un- 
 expected step she listens with a smile ; if a cloud stray across 
 the window, she mistakes it for the shadow of deliverance ! 
 Verily, my excellent father, who sent me hither to find out 
 whether you were slowly killing his daughter by your cruelty, 
 will scarcely believe me when I tell him what a beneficial 
 effect has been produced upon her by your wholesome re- 
 straint. You must know that, although not remarkable for 
 his social virtues, Monsieur Louvois has intervals of puling 
 sensibility, at which times he reproaches himself with the part 
 he took in the comedy of your marriage, and, since Prince 
 Eugene has grown famous, almost repents that he did not ac- 
 cept that fascinating individual for his son-in-law. He is be- 
 ginning to be absolutely afraid of the little ex-abbe." 
 
 " And I too fear him," said Strozzi, gnashing his teeth. 
 " He beat's a charmed life, or he would not see the light of 
 heaven to-day. I thought I had him beyond all power of res- 
 cue, once in Venice. So sure was I that he must die, that I 
 hastened to Laura and announced his demise. That night I 
 took her away, hoping by change of scene to induce forgetful- 
 ness, where hope, of course, was extinct. One day, in Milan, 
 a group of men were talking of some recent victory of the 
 imperialists, and to my amazement I heard the name of the 
 Prince of Savoy among those who had most distinguished 
 themselves."
 
 366 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Was Laura with you ? " asked Barbesieur. 
 
 " Alas, she was ! And her beautiful face was transfigured 
 with joy. I felt as if I could have swooned with jealousy. I 
 hurried her home, and in half an hour she was on the road to 
 this castle. Here I knew that no news could ever reach her 
 of the world or its heroes ; here I could leave her, and fear 
 not to absent myself, for this is a lonely forest, no strangers 
 ever wander hither, and I have good, watchful dragons to 
 guard my treasure. I posted then, with all speed, to Venice, 
 entered the palace at night, and made my way to the secret 
 prison of which you have heard, to see for myself if it could 
 possibly be true that Eugene of Savoy was living." 
 
 " Did you find any one ? " 
 
 " Of course, some man was bound to be there : else he could 
 not have escaped. Conceive my fury when I recognized my 
 own hired bravo, Antonio, who must have betrayed me, and 
 remained instead of the prince. I opened a niche in the wall, 
 kicked his rotten carcass into the lagoon, and, more wretched 
 than ever, returned to this hell wherein I languish, while 
 paradise is within sight/' 
 
 " How long do you intend to make a voluntary Tantalus of 
 yourself." 
 
 " I shall stay until she forgets Prince Eugene, and loves 
 me." 
 
 " I wish you joy ; meanwhile I shall await your bulletins 
 at my delightful residence your generous gift. I must re- 
 main until the arrival of my father's couriers ; and, having 
 seen them off with the glad tidings of my fair sister's flourish- 
 ing condition, I will be off for Bonaletta. I wonder which of 
 us two she hates the more ? Come we may as well go at once 
 to her rooms, that my visit may be over." 
 
 So saying, Barbesieur put his arm within that of the mar- 
 quis, but the latter, drawing back, pointed to the clock on 
 the mantel. 
 
 " It is too early : she never permits me to come before 
 eleven." 
 
 "And you her husband, suffer such impertinent dictation 
 from your vassal your wife ! " 
 
 "I dare not thwart her by any intrusion of myself except
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 367 
 
 at her will. If I were to lay my hand on her, she would kill 
 herself, like another Lucretia, to save her honor. And if I 
 contradict her by coming before my time, she will start and 
 grow pale, perhaps faint, and be sick ; and oh, Barbesieur ! the 
 idea of losing her, makes me frantic." 
 
 " As you please," returned Barbesieur, with a shrug and a 
 loud laugh. " But as I am not pining for a sight of her beauty, 
 I shall go rabbit-hunting, while you stay at home and look 
 wistfully at what you dare not take." 
 
 So saying, Barbesieur shouldered his gun, whistled to his 
 dogs, and went off to the chase ; while Strozzi, his eyes on the 
 dial of the clock, awaited the hour for visiting his inapproach- 
 able wife. 
 
 The marchioness was in an apartment situated in the centre 
 of the wing which her affectionate husband had fitted up for 
 her incarceration. No one that entered this magnificent suite 
 would ever have imagined that it was a prison. The walls 
 were covered with hangings of satin and gold : the floors were 
 hidden by Turkey carpets as soft as turf ; the windows Avere 
 festooned with curtains of velvet and lace ; and their recesses 
 filled with tall Venetian mirrors. Paintings of value adorned 
 the walls, and frescoes ornamented the ceilings ; while every 
 object of vertu that Avas known to the age, lay in elegant pro- 
 fusion about this luxurious abbde. 
 
 And yet it was veritably a prison, wherein the Marchioness 
 de Strozzi was confined " because of her hopeless lunacy," and 
 the windows thereof Avere guarded by a strong trellis-work 
 of iron, which might clearly be seen through their panes, 
 while without, in an anteroom, two she-dragons kept watch 
 over the doors Avhich led from the prison to the A\ T orld with- 
 out. 
 
 The parlor of Laura's habitation opened into a boudoir 
 which led to the bedroom. This apartment was as sumptu- 
 ously fitted up as the others, but its AvindoAvs were similarly 
 guarded. Opposite, and beyond the parlor, was a small room 
 occupied by the duennas, so that the prisoner could not 
 leave her apartments without encountering one or both of 
 them. 
 
 Tonietta, the second lady's maid, was busy with her needle
 
 368 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 when the marquis entered, and began his usual routine of in 
 quiries. 
 
 " How is the marchioness to-day ? Is she quiet and well- 
 disposed ? Has she breakfasted ? Does her health seem good ? " 
 and so on. 
 
 The woman's lip curled, but she controlled herself aiid 
 made reply. " Her ladyship is as usual. She has played on 
 the harp, sung, and taken her chocolate. But she was unu- 
 sually cheerful while we were occupied with her toilet, and I 
 do not like this humor." 
 
 ' Why, why ? " asked Strozzi. 
 
 " Because it is a very sudden change too sudden to portend 
 good. She has always been reserved, and showed no disposi- 
 tion to be friendly. All of a sudden, she becomes talkative 
 and gay." 
 
 " So much the better. That proves that she is becoming ac- 
 customed to her lot." 
 
 " It might prove just the contrary," returned the duenna, 
 with a crafty glance at her master. " It might be intended to 
 blind us, or it might prove that she has hopes of escaping." 
 
 "Great God!" shrieked Strozzi, "you terrify me. What 
 hope can she possibly indulge of escape ? " 
 
 "I do not know, but I like not her cheerfulness, neverthe- 
 less. However, be under no apprehension, my lord ; we keep 
 strict watch, and there is no mode of egress save through one 
 of these two doors. I am not afraid during the day but at 
 night ! Who knows ? Your lordship was wrong to allow her 
 to sleep in a room without us, and to permit her to fasten her 
 door against us." 
 
 " She would have it so," sighed Strozzi ; "but what does it 
 signify ? Had she wings, she could not fly out of her prison." 
 
 And, with these words, he passed into the parlor. 
 
 Laura sat by a window before her easel, and was so ab- 
 sorbed with her work that she was, or affected to be, uncon- 
 scious of her husband's entrance. Not daring to advance, he 
 stood in the doorway, devouring her with his eyes, almost mad 
 with desire to clasp her to his heart. She, on her side, sat 
 painting, and humming a song, her blue-satin dress defining 
 the graceful contour of her bust and slender waist, then swell-
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 369 
 
 ing out beneath into rich folds that shimmered like silver un- 
 der the sunbeams that fell upon them from the window above. 
 The long lace sleeves drooped in gossamer waves over the 
 dress, leaving bare her round, fair arms, firm and white as 
 those of the Venus of Milo. Her hair was gathered into a 
 Grecian knot behind, and her delicate profile, illumined by the 
 morning sun, was so marvellous in its beauty, that Strozzi's 
 eyes filled with tears as he gazed, and his sallow, sunken cheeks 
 glowed with mingled love and hate. 
 
 He made a few steps forward, and encountered the cold 
 glance of her splendid eyes, and saw the slight bend of her 
 haughty head, as she became aware of his presence. 
 
 '' What brings you hither, sir ? " said she. " But I need not 
 ask. You have come to satisfy yourself by ocular demonstra- 
 tion that your prisoner has not flown up the chimney. You 
 need not trouble yourself to remain I am here." 
 
 " Prisoner, say you, cruel Laura ! 'Tis I that am a prisoner ; 
 prisoned by your coldness, and yet I love you I love you to 
 madness ! " 
 
 " You are quite right thus to define your love ; and per- 
 chance it may lead you to that lunacy which is your lying 
 pretext for incarcerating me alive in this lonely castle." 
 
 " Oh, I fear it, I fear it ! " cried he, despairingly, " for day 
 by day my reason fails me. Have mercy, have mercy ! " 
 
 " Mercy ! You who would have taken the life of the man I 
 love. You are an assassin, whose just portion would be the 
 scaffold. But enough why renew each day the mournful duo 
 of your love and my contempt ? Let me be silent and wait." 
 
 " Wait ! Oh, then, there is hope for me, and you bid me 
 not despair ! " 
 
 "You ! I spoke of myself ; for, as there is a just God above 
 us, I believe that He will open the doors of my prison, and 
 send His angel to deliver me. " 
 
 "Then you are entirely without sympathy." 
 
 " Entirely for the man that obtained possession of my per- 
 son by a fraud, and who, for five long, bitter years, has laden 
 me with the chains of this lie which he calls our marriage." 
 
 " I know that you have suffered, and I have wept for your 
 sufferings, while I have been impotent to lessen them. Speak
 
 370 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 but the word say that you are that which, by the laws of God 
 and man, you have been for these five long years, and I open 
 your doors and restore you to freedom. I ask you not to love 
 me ; but I implore you to accept my love, and acknowledge 
 yourself to be niy wife ; for well I know that, the acknowl- 
 edgment once made, you are too honorable, too virtuous, to 
 sully the name you are willing to bear. Oh, Laura, my peer- 
 less Laura ! I will make amends for all that I have inflicted 
 upon you through the madness of my love. I have wealth 
 unbounded a noble name, high station : all shall be yours. 
 See I am at your feet. Call me your husband, and henceforth 
 I live to be your willing slave ! " 
 
 " Never ! " exclaimed she, starting from her seat, and reced- 
 ing in horror from his touch. " My body you hold in bondage, 
 but my spirit is free ; and it is away from this gloomy prison, 
 far away, mingling with that of my spouse before Heaven, my 
 Eugene, my lord and husband." 
 
 " Silence ! " shrieked Strozzi, starting to his feet. " Silence ! 
 or you will drive me mad ! And be assured that as long as 
 you defy me, just so long will I hold you in bondage." 
 
 "You may not live forever, marquis, for the Strozzis, like 
 other men, are mortal ; and death, perchance, may liberate me, 
 without your permission. But live or die, as you choose ; I 
 shall find means to rejoin Eugene, and this conviction gives 
 me strength to endure your persecutions." 
 
 " The Marchioness Bonaletta is too proud and chaste to be 
 the mistress of any man," returned Strozzi, with some return 
 of courtesy. 
 
 " What do you know of me ? I counsel you not to build 
 your hopes upon any estimate you may have formed of my 
 notions of honor, for they will sorely deceive you, if you do." 
 
 Before the marquis had time to reply to these defiant words, 
 the door opened, and Barbesieur, holding a letter in his hand, 
 entered the room. 
 
 Laura frowned, and asked Strozzi by what right her room 
 was thus invaded by a stranger. " I do not desire his pres- 
 ence," she said. " Be so good as to conduct him to your own 
 apartments. " 
 
 " I am not so easily conducted, most amiable sister," re-
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 371 
 
 turned Barbesieur. " I have come to deliver a message from 
 your father, after which I shall take my leave without the least 
 regret. We are about to go to war with Germany, and / am 
 about to receive a general's commission in the French army, 
 so that I have no time to lose in forcing my company upon 
 you." 
 
 " You a general's commission ! You that were once publicly 
 disgraced by " 
 
 " Your marriage has long ago consoled me for that trifling 
 mishap," interrupted Barbesieur, " and in Paris nobody has 
 ever presumed to think less of me on account of it. I think 
 that, in every way, the sufferer therefrom was the valiant Eu- 
 gene. And, by-the-by, that leads directly to the business that 
 brought me hither. That Emperor of Austria has been entirely 
 too lucky in war to please the King of France ; and Max Em- 
 manuel, whom we had expected to win over to our side, is the 
 commander-in-chief of the imperial armies. Max your quasi 
 brother-in-law, Strozzi ; for doubtless you are aware that Lu- 
 cretia, the left-handed electress, is the first person in impor- 
 tance at the Bavarian court." 
 
 " May she be damned for it ! " muttered Strozzi, between 
 his teeth. 
 
 " Not on her head as much as on yours rests the shame of 
 Lucretia's act," said Laura, reproachfully. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried Strozzi, a gleam of joy darting athwart his 
 meagre face, " you acknowledge, then, that a woman is dis- 
 graced who loves a man whom she cannot marry ! " 
 
 "A truce to this nonsense, my turtle-doves," interposed 
 Barbesieur. " I bring you tidings which henceforth render 
 such discussions superfluous. Listen to me, both of you. My 
 father has sent me a bit of news which, coming direct from the 
 Marquis de Villars that is, from Munich is positive and au- 
 thentic. Here it is." 
 
 Laura turned away her head that they might not see her 
 emotion, while Strozzi besought Barbesieur not to be so long- 
 winded. 
 
 " Well, I will gratify you both. Belgrade is taken ; Prince 
 Eugene, as usual, was foremost in the fight ; but unhappily for 
 some people, and happily for others "
 
 372 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Here Barbesieur paused to enjoy the agony of his sister's 
 suspense. Her face he could not see, but her trembling figure 
 gave evidence of the poignancy of her anguish. 
 
 " WeU " said Strozzi, " what befell him ? " 
 
 " Something not at all uncommon he was killed." 
 
 Laura turned quickly around and caught the diabolical 
 glance of Barbesieur's eyes. "I I do not believe it/' mur- 
 mured she. 
 
 " Did you say that you had the original letter from the Mar- 
 quis ? " asked Strozzi, eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, here it is ; the marchioness can see for herself." 
 
 Laura took the paper and glanced hurriedly over its con- 
 tents. She raised her eyes to heaven in thanksgiving. " He 
 is not dead," said she, almost inaudibly. 
 
 " Then you have read very carelessly," returned Barbesieur. 
 " The letter says, ' so dangerously wounded that he was trans- 
 ported in a dying condition to Vienna.' " 
 
 " Had he been dying, he would not have been transported 
 to Vienna," exclaimed Laura, with a smile of returning hope. 
 ' No, no 1 Had Eugene been dead, the air I breathe, the clouds 
 that I watch as they pass by yonder grated windows my 
 heart, whose beatings are responsive to his every thing in 
 nature would have revealed the terrible truth. Eugene lives 
 and lives to fulfil his great and glorious destiny. Pardon me, 
 O Lord, that, for a moment, my faith was weak ! " 
 
 She looked so transcendently lovely as she spoke, that 
 Strozzi's heart sank within him. He turned his face away, and 
 groaned. 
 
 " My charming sister is easily consoled, you perceive," said 
 Barbesieur to Strozzi. " And now that, according to her own 
 interpretation of the marriage ceremony, she is widowed, I 
 hope to hear before long that you have effectually dried up 
 her tears. Come let us leave this hopeful widow to herself. " 
 
 "I come," replied Strozzi, *' for you must take some refresh- 
 ment before you go. Until the hour of dinner I take my 
 leave, marchioness." 
 
 " Marquis," said Laura, following him to the door. 
 
 Strozzi dropped Barbesieur's arm, and returned to her at 
 once.
 
 THE MARCHIONESS. 373 
 
 "You have something to command ? " said he, humbly. 
 
 " I do not wish to dine to-day," said she. " It will be use- 
 less, then, for you to return." 
 
 " I cannot deny myself that pleasure," was the reply. 
 
 Laura constrained herself to soften her tone, and to implore. 
 u Only this one day," said she, in trembling tones. " I need 
 repose quiet " 
 
 ''To weep out the first pangs of widowhood," interrupted 
 Barbesieur, with one of his coarse laughs. u Come, Strozzi 
 let her cry it out to-day, she will be all the more smiling for it 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " Then as you please," said Strozzi, bowing respectfully. " I 
 will not return until to-morrow before noon." 
 
 "Tell my turnkeys that they need not disturb me," said 
 Laura. " Let me be veritably and entirely alone." 
 
 " You cannot dispense with their help," objected the mar- 
 quis. 
 
 "I can and will dispense with their presence," returned 
 Laura. " And may I ask of you, as a guaranty that I shall 
 not be disturbed, to leave the keys inside ? The bolts without 
 are secure, and the women can watch by the doors to see that 
 I do not attempt to escape." 
 
 "Your will shall be my law, to-day," said Strozzi, " for I am 
 but its slave. When will you reward my love when, Laura ? " 
 
 " Leave me, I implore you," was the faltering reply of his 
 stricken wife ; " leave me for this one day ! " 
 
 " I will," cried Strozzi, casting passionate glances at her, 
 " but to-morrow ? " 
 
 " To-morrow," replied Laura, solemnly, " to-morrow is in 
 the hands of God ! " 
 
 " There, now," exclaimed Barbesieur, " she is making prom- 
 ises already. Come along I am really hungry." 
 
 The voice of Strozzi was heard in the anteroom, and in a 
 few moments Carlotta removed the key to the inside. With 
 one bound Laura reached the door, and fastened it within. 
 Then crossing the parlor, she locked herself within her bou- 
 doir, and, falling on her knees, besought the blessing of God 
 upon her flight for she was resolved to fly that very night.
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FLIGHT. 
 
 FOR one year from the day of her meeting with Eugene 
 Laura had been revolving in her mind the possibility of escape, 
 and again and again had she been compelled to acknowledge 
 that escape was impossible. At night, lest sleep should over- 
 power their senses, her untiring spies had barred the doors 
 that led from the anteroom with their beds. Sometimes Laura 
 had proposed to bribe them ; but in the event of success with 
 the women, a watchman kept guard at the head of the stair- 
 case ; and at the entrance of the castle was stationed a porter, 
 whom no one could pass without the watchword. If all these 
 obstacles had been overcome, and the prisoner had found 
 egress to the park, she was met by four watchmen, whom 
 neither promises nor bribery had power to conciliate. These 
 were four bloodhounds who were loosed at night by the mar- 
 quis's own hands, and on whose fidelity he knew that he might 
 count. 
 
 Flight through the doors was out of the question ; flight 
 from the windows, had they been free, was equally so ; for 
 whoever had dared their dangerous descent, would have been 
 devoured the very moment he touched the ground below. 
 
 Plan after plan was made and rejected, and yet she must 
 she would escape. 
 
 In her parlor was one of those large chimneys found in old 
 castles, chimneys that were intended to consume an entire load 
 of wood at once. On one occasion, Strozzi being present at the 
 time, a chimney-sweep went up its grimy walls, to cleanse them 
 from the accumulated soot of the winter. Strozzi, forgetting 
 that the sweep had to return, began to make declarations to 
 Laura, and finally became so lovelorn as to throw himself at 
 her feet. He was on his knees, whining for forgiveness, when 
 the little sweep, like a deus ex machina, alighted suddenly in 
 the middle of the hearth, and surprised him in his abject and 
 ridiculous posture. 
 
 Laura laughed outright ; but the marquis, of course, did
 
 THE FLIGHT. 375 
 
 not share her mirth. He turned furiously upon the sweep, 
 threatening to take his life for his impertinent intrusion. The 
 poor fellow pleaded the impossibility of getting out by any 
 other means, when the marquis, stamping his foot with rage, 
 bade him begone up the chimney, and ordered him to find his 
 way over the castle-roof to another chimney at the farthest 
 extremity of the building, which led into an ancient buttery, 
 and thence to the park. 
 
 From that day, Laura had revolved in her mind the feasi- 
 bility of escape through the chimney. If a boy like that had 
 so often gone up and down in safety, why not she, when 
 urged by the double incentive of liberating herself from 
 Strozzi, and making her way to Eugene ? The more she pon- 
 dered the scheme, the easier it seemed of execution, and she 
 began seriously to resolve means for carrying it out. 
 
 Accident soon befriended her. One day, in stepping back 
 from a window, whence she had been watching the flight of a 
 flock of birds, her foot became entangled in the carpet, and she 
 fell. This carpet did not cover the entire room. Within a 
 foot of the walls it was fastened by little brass rings, to nails 
 of the same metal, which caught and confined it to the floor. 
 
 Laura naturally looked to see the cause of her fall, and, 
 while examining the loosened nails, she perceived that the 
 carpet a magnificent product of the looms of Turkey was 
 lined underneath with a species of black cotton cloth, very 
 similar to that of which the sweep's garments were made. 
 When she saw this, her heart beat so wildly that she felt as if 
 it were about to burst. Here was the material of which her 
 dress should be made ! Providence had sent it to her, and the 
 enthusiastic girl knelt down and thanked God for His good- 
 ness. 
 
 She now began to loosen it, and night after night, when her 
 door was locked inside, she worked as prisoners alone are 
 gifted to work, until she had stripped off enough cloth for her 
 purpose. She gave out that, to beguile her solitude, she was 
 desirous of embroidering an altar-cloth of black velvet, and 
 Carlotta was dispatched to the nearest town, to procure mate- 
 rials for the work. 
 
 Carlotta was absent three days, whence Laura concluded
 
 376 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 that the ''nearest town" was at some considerable distance 
 from the castle, of whose situation the marquis had taken 
 good care that she should remain ignorant. But another ac- 
 cident revealed to her the name of the town. She found it 
 in a small paper which enveloped some thread, and contained 
 the name of the merchant from whom it had heen purchased, 
 with the place of his residence in a street which Laura knew 
 to be the great thoroughfai'e of Turin. She was then not two 
 days' journey from Turin, and no longer on Venetian soil. 
 
 Once in Turin, she was safe from pursuit, for her estates 
 lay in Savoy, and the duke was obliged to give her protection. 
 She was his subject, and he could not refuse it. 
 
 And now began that change of manner and of life which 
 had awakened the suspicions of the two duennas. For several 
 hours of the day she worked at her altar-cloth ; but when 
 night set in, and her doors were locked, the needles, thread, 
 and scissors, disappeared from the frame in the parlor, and 
 the black cloth was gradually converted into a jacket and 
 pantaloons like that of the sweep. This accomplished, Laura 
 set about devising a cord and weight, by which she might de- 
 scend into the buttery. She had so closely observed the little 
 lad she was resolved to emulate, that she had succeeded in 
 fashioning out of the heavy bindings of some old hangings, 
 that lay in a sort of rubbish closet, a stout rope, of strength 
 sufficient to bear her weight. 
 
 It was at this juncture of her preparations, that Barbesieur 
 broke in upon her happy solitude, with his terrible tidings of 
 Eugene's misfortune. She was ready to risk her life to meet 
 him, and perchance he was mortally wounded, and she might 
 never see him more ! A woman less resolute might have 
 faltered in her purpose ; but to Laura the news of her lover's 
 danger had imparted new strength, and she would liberate 
 herself that very night, or perish in the attempt. 
 
 She had no money ; the marquis had considered it prudent 
 to relieve her of the custody of her wealth, and to put it out 
 of her power to bribe his spies. But she had jewels, and such 
 of these as could be concealed about her person she took. 
 
 During the day she had played upon her harp, and impro- 
 vised melodies so ravishing, that Strozzi had been on his knees
 
 THE FLIGHT. 377 
 
 outside, listening and weeping by turns. Finally, when she 
 had ceased singing, he knocked, and besought her to let him 
 look for one moment upon her face, to let him imprint one 
 kiss upon her hand. 
 
 Laura thought it prudent to comply, so she opened the door 
 and allowed him, for the first time in his life, to hold her hand 
 and press it to his lips, and to thank her for the heavenly 
 music. Not to overdo the matter, she allowed him to remain 
 but a few moments ; and the marquis retired, perfectly con- 
 vinced that all was right, and that he had a hope of winning 
 that obdurate heart at last. 
 
 Night was at hand ! The skies were overclouded, with here 
 and there a star struggling through the darkness. Gradually 
 the castle grew silent, the closing of doors and drawing of bolts 
 ceased at last, and all was still. 
 
 A 11, except those two duennas ; and Laura saw that if she 
 ever was to lull them to bed, she must call them in to undress 
 her. So opening the door, she beckoned to Carlotta, who, to 
 her great joy, appeared in a dressing-gown. Finally, the 
 comedy being over, and the duennas completely hoodwinked, 
 Laura locked her doors a second time, and, retreating to her 
 bedroom, raised the carpet and drew forth her black disguise. 
 She tore off her white night-gown, clasped a pearl necklace 
 around her neck, and several diamond bracelets on her arms, 
 and then arrayed herself in the costume of the chimney- 
 sweeper. She took up her rope, and, fastening a small iron 
 casket to the end, slung it over her shoulder, and began her 
 dark, perilous ascent. Away ! away I Over the castle-roof to 
 liberty and love ! 
 
 With her delicate little hands she seized a hook that pro- 
 jected from the chimney. She reached a second and supported 
 her foot on the first ; a third, a fourth ; and now the opening 
 grew narrow and more narrow, and she struggled along 
 through the black, suffocating hole, until her breath had 
 almost failed her, and she had nigh been choked to death ! 
 Poor girl ! She could not reach her eyes to clear them of the 
 soot that was blinding and maddening her with pain, and she 
 began to tremble lest she should lose her senses. But she 
 prayed to God to deliver her, and made one supreme effort to
 
 378 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 free herself. She felt the air from above ; the hole began to 
 widen, and she could lay her head backward and breathe. 
 She raised her smarting eyes and saw a light a star ! A greet- 
 ing from heaven ! 
 
 But she felt that at such a moment she must not indulge in 
 sensibility. The extremity in which she found herself re- 
 quired resolution, daring, and coolness. She called up all her 
 courage, and struggled on. At last at last, her hands rested 
 on the top of the chimney : she drew herself upward, and with 
 one bound sprang upon the roof. 
 
 For a moment or two she leaned her weary arms upon the 
 edge of the chimney ; then, placing her ear at the opening, 
 she listened to hear if there was any stir below. No all was 
 silent ; not a sound broke the profound stillness of the night. 
 She must be going then over the castle-roof to liberty and 
 love ! 
 
 She groped, with hands outstretched, for some support, but 
 found nothing. Nevertheless she must tread the dark and 
 mysterious way that was to lead her to freedom, and she made 
 a few steps forward. Suddenly she grew faint and dizzy, and 
 a shudder ran through her limbs ; she tried to rally her 
 strength and put out her foot. It encountered some obstacle 
 which sent her reeling backward ; and, murmuring a prayer 
 to Heaven, she swooned and fell. When she recovered her 
 senses, she was lying, she knew not where, perhaps she had 
 fallen from the battlements to the ground, there to be devoured 
 by the savage bloodhounds, or to become again and forever 
 the prisoner of the abhorred marquis. But she felt no pain 
 and, stretching out her hand to make an effort to rise, she per- 
 ceived that she was on a smooth, hard surface, and lay against 
 the battlements, or rather against a heavy stone balustrade 
 that surrounded the castle-roof. With this balustrade to grasp, 
 she could arrive at the chimney she was seeking ; all she had 
 to do, was to use it as a guide to the remote wing she was try- 
 ing to reach. If there had been but a few friendly stars to 
 smile upon her perilous pilgrimage ! But the night was fear- 
 fully dark ; so dark that she had no reliance beyond her sense 
 of touch. This alone admonished her of her approach to the 
 angle where she was to turn into the wing. Now and then
 
 THE FLIGHT. 379 
 
 she paused and looked back to see if there was light or sign of 
 life along that broad castle-front. But all was safe, and she 
 went slowly on. She felt hopeful now, and strengthened, for 
 the wing was quite remote from the inhabited parts of the cas- 
 tle ; its windows opened low ; and a pathway, now overgrown 
 with weeds, led from one of these windows to a gate which, as 
 the marquis had never dreamed of danger in that quarter, was 
 always left unlocked for the accommodation of the foresters 
 and wood-cutters. Oh, that she were but there ! On ! on ! 
 she must hasten, or she might be discovered ! She was about 
 to press forward, when, to her unspeakable horror, she per- 
 ceived that her hand rested no longer on the balustrade. 
 She had passed the chimney and stood upon the unprotected 
 battlements ! Shuddering, she drew back her feet almost 
 giving way under her trembling limbs ; but in the might and 
 vigor of her strong, firm will, she drew herself up and retreated. 
 The roof was not steep it had merely descent enough to carry 
 off the rain ; but the tiles were so smooth that more than once 
 she slipped back, and she was becoming timorous and weak. 
 While she was resting for a moment from her fatigue, how- 
 ever, she saw something looming up above the roof the sight 
 whereof restored her courage and her strength. It was the 
 long-sought chimney. 
 
 She darted toward it, and in a few moments had made fast 
 her rope, and dropped it within. She caught it in her hauds, 
 and then, carefully sliding into the chimney, began her fright- 
 ful descent. In vain she tried to resist ; the rope slipped 
 through her fingers with such fearful rapidity that, by the time 
 she had reached the hearth, her delicate hands were all stream- 
 ing with blood. She scarcely felt the pain, she had but one 
 absorbing thought she w r as free ! 
 
 Folding those poor, quivering hands, she whispered a 
 thanksgiving to (i>d, ami rose, full of hope and joy. Not a 
 sound was to be heard ; and now, blessing the obscurity that 
 shielded her from view, she opened the window, and darted 
 down the pathway. The gate yielded to her touch, and, like 
 a frightened doe, she fled through the woods, until the castle 
 was out of sight, and she could venture to breathe.
 
 380 PRINCE EUGENE ANU HIS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE FORESTER'S HUT. 
 
 MORNING had not yet dawned ; nevertheless there was light 
 and life in a little hut that nestled in the woods near Strozzi 
 Castle. The forester, in hunting costume, stood in the middle 
 of the hearth ; while his young wife, by the light of a naming 
 pine torch, prepared his breakfast. 
 
 The whole room was illumined by the torch, whose red 
 rays nickered even over the face of the infant that lay sleeping 
 in its cradle, and shone far down the forest glade, s. kindly 
 beacon to guide the footsteps of the fugitive of Strozzi Castle. 
 
 The forester rose from his breakfast, and slung his gun 
 across his shoulder. "Now I must go, Marcella," said he, "or 
 the stag will have left the brook before I get there. By sunrise 
 it will be off." 
 
 " Go, then, Luigi, and may the holy Bernard protect you ! 
 I do hope you will bring down the stag, and please the marquis 
 by your skill as a huntsman." 
 
 " Please him ? He looks as if nothing on earth would ever 
 please him again. He is the crossest-looking man you ever 
 saw ; so unlike his wife. They say the marchioness is crazy ; 
 but I do not believe it." 
 
 " Why, Luigi ? Did you ever see her ? " 
 
 u Once, when I went to the castle to tell the marquis that 
 his hounds were ready for the hunt. He was out walking in 
 the park, and I had to wait for him to come back. Presently 
 he came with two lackeys before him, and two behind, and at 
 his side the most beautiful woman you ever laid your eyes 
 upon. I could have fallen on my knees before her, she looked 
 so lovely ; while he bless me, Marcella, with his fierce eyes 
 and his thick brows frowning over his long, sallow face, he 
 looked like Love's headsman such a face. But I must go ; I 
 will tell you the rest another time." 
 
 " Oh no ; do tell it to me now, I love so to hear you talk, 
 dear Luigi. But I will not keep you from your work. Let 
 me go a bit with you into the forest, as far as the blasted oak
 
 THE FORESTER'S HUT. 381 
 
 It is too late for me to sleep, and the baby will not wake for 
 half an hour/' 
 
 "Very well/' said Luigi, kissing her ; "come, for morning 
 will soon dawn." 
 
 So, with their arms entwined about each other, the young 
 couple went out into the woods, and the sound of their loving 
 voices was sweet to the ear of the wanderer that stood upon 
 their threshold. Laura pushed open the door, and entered the 
 little room, looking around to see if any one was nigh. 
 
 Her dress was torn, and her hands and feet were bleeding ; 
 but her countenance beamed with hope, as, approaching the 
 fireplace, she rested her stiffened limbs. 
 
 After enjoying for a few moments the reviving glow of the 
 fire, she rose and looked around to assure herself that no one 
 was near. " She is to be absent for half an hour," said Laura 
 to herself. " By that time I will have destroyed this garment, 
 and God will forgive me the substitution of my bracelet for 
 one of the peasant's gowns." 
 
 Opening a chest that stood by the side of the bed, the mar- 
 chioness took out a petticoat and kirtle of coarse, dark stuff ; 
 stripped off her sweep's dress, and, in a trice, was transformed 
 into a country-maid, very beautiful, but sooty still. Then 
 throwing her disguise into the fire, she rejoiced to think that 
 no human being would ever fincl out the manner of her escape. 
 
 Half an hour after. Marcella returned, and rekindling the 
 fire, prepared to warm her baby's milk. As she rose from her 
 knees, she looked instinctively around at the child's cradle, 
 and there, to her extreme astonishment, she saw the figure of 
 a woman with hands outstretched, and eyes that seemed to 
 plead for mercy. Marcella darted toward the cradle, her fears 
 being entirely for her child. But it lay peacefully slumbering 
 with a smile on its face, and the mother began to be apprehen- 
 sive for her wares. 
 
 " Who are you ? '' said she, sharply, to Laura. 
 
 " Marcella," replied the marchioness, coming forward and 
 taking her hand, " I am an unhappy woman, that implores 
 you, by all your hopes of heaven, to rescue her from persecu- 
 tion." 
 
 But Marcella heard not a word of this petition. She had
 
 382 PRINCE EUGENE AND IIIS TIMES. 
 
 recognized her petticoat and kirtle, and screamed with all her 
 might : 
 
 " Those are my clothes, you thief ! You have been rob- 
 bing me ! Thief 1 thief ! " cried she. " Oh, why is Luigi not 
 here ? Give me my kirtle ! Off with my clothes, this instant, 
 you rogue ! " 
 
 Laura was somewhat alarmed, and not a little hurt ; for the 
 grasp of the peasant was rough, and her voice, as she called 
 for help, was loud and piercing. 
 
 " Marcella," said she, when she had opportunity to speak, 
 and her tones were so pleading, that the woman listened in 
 spite of herself " Marcella, as I stood beside your threshold 
 to-night, I heard your husband telling you of the misfortunes 
 of the Marchioness Strozzi. He broke oft' to go into the for- 
 est ; you followed him, and now I can tell you what he related 
 after you left the cottage. Your husband came respectfully 
 up to the marquis, who repulsed him rudely, and asked what 
 business he had in the court of the castle. Luigi replied that 
 Battista had admitted him, whereupon the marquis discharged 
 Battista on the spot, and drove him from the castle. Then he 
 dragged the marchioness forward and hurried her up the steps 
 of the portico." 
 
 " Just so," murmured Marcella. " But what else ? Do you 
 know what else occurred ? What the signora did ? " 
 
 " Of course I do. Slipping from her finger a diamond-ring, 
 she presented it to Battista, saying, ' Forgive me ; it is I who 
 am the cause of your dismissal.' " 
 
 " So she did ! " cried Marcella. " But how came you to 
 know ? " 
 
 " Alas ! I am that unhappy marchioness." 
 
 " The Marchioness Strozzi ! " 
 
 " Yes ; but believe me, Marcella, I am not crazy. For five 
 years I have been a prisoner, and now that God has willed my 
 liberation by means so marvellous as almost to partake of the 
 character of a miracle, He has sent me to you that you might 
 aid in the blessed work of my deliverance. See my hands 
 bleeding and cut see my feet torn by thorns, and bruised by 
 stones ; and oh, as you hope for mercy, help me on my way 
 to liberty!"
 
 THE FORESTER'S HUT. 383 
 
 " I do not believe you," was the reply of the cautious Mar- 
 cella. " The Marchioness Strozzi would not come out of her 
 grand castle by night to steal a poor peasant-woman's clothes. 
 Where are your fine garments, if you are the marchioness ? 
 Let me see them." 
 
 " I came disguised, and burnt up the dress in which I made 
 my escape. I needed another disguise, and have taken your 
 clothes ; but I will reward you richly for the forced loan. 
 Take this bracelet ; your husband can sell it, and, with the 
 money, buy you a pretty farm." 
 
 " Ah ! '' screamed Marcella again, " now I know you to be 
 a thief, perhaps worse than a thief ! You have been stealing 
 the jewels of the signora ; for aught I know, murdering her 
 with those bloody hands, and now you want to bribe me to 
 help you away ! No, no, you shall not escape that I promise 
 you." 
 
 '' Oh, Marcella, how shall I convince you that I am no im- 
 postor ? I swear, by God who made, by Christ who redeemed 
 me, and by His holy mother, the Blessed Virgin, that I am the 
 Marchioness of Strozzi, the unhappy prisoner of yonder 
 gloomy castle. It is impossible that you can be so cruel as to 
 deliver me into the hands of its wicked lord ! A woman that 
 loves that loves her husband and child, must surely have a 
 compassionate heart ! See I am at your feet ! In mercy, 
 help me to escape ! " 
 
 Marcella slowly shook her head. " I cannot, 1 cannot, I 
 dare not." 
 
 "Yes, yes, you can, you dare do a good action. Think of 
 the joy you experienced when the pangs of your travail were 
 past, and you had given birth to a child whom you loved even 
 before it had seen the light of life. Think, if your child should 
 be in distress like mine, and kneel in vain at the feet of an- 
 other woman who might deliver it from peril, and would not ! 
 Oh, if you were in your grave, as my dear mother is, would 
 you not curse the heartless being that repulsed your orphan ! 
 Oh, mother ! my dead mother ! soften this woman's heart, 
 that she may help me ! " 
 
 Just then the voice of the baby, cooing in its cradle, reached 
 Marcella's ear, and strangely moved her heart.
 
 384: PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Ah, the child the dear child will plead for me," cried 
 Laura. And, stooping to the cradle, she raised the baby in 
 her arms, and brought the little rosy, smiling thing to its 
 mother's feet. 
 
 " Let this baby, whom you love, be my advocate. I lay my 
 hand upon its head and swear before Heaven that I am an in- 
 nocent fugitive from persecution. Do unto me as you would 
 have others do unto your own child." 
 
 And Marcella, no longer able to resist the pleadings of 
 that melodious voice, burst into tears, and, encircling both 
 Laura and the baby in her arms, clasped them close to her 
 heart. 
 
 " My child, my child ! " cried she, tenderly. " As I do to 
 this unhappy lady, so may others do unto you." 
 
 " Then you will not betray me ! " cried Laura, joyfully. 
 " Oh, good, good Marcella, may God bless you for those pity- 
 ing words ! " 
 
 Marcella wiped her eyes, kissed her baby, and, replacing it 
 in its cradle, said, " Now, signora, that I consent to assist you, 
 tell me at once what is to be done, for it must be done 
 quickly." 
 
 " Give me these clothes and a little money ; guide me out 
 of the forest to a post-station whence I may travel to Turin ; 
 and for these services take the bracelet : it is honestly mine, 
 and therefore yours." 
 
 " It is now four o'clock," observed Marcella, looking toward 
 the east. 
 
 " And precisely at eight the marquis will visit my rooms 
 and discover my flight. Come come we have indeed no 
 time to lose." 
 
 " We can reach the station in an hour," replied Marcella, 
 "and the postilions will start early this morning for to what 
 point did you say you wished to travel, signora ? " 
 
 "To Turin." 
 
 " That is a pity," murmured Marcella. 
 
 " Why ? " asked Laura, anxiously. 
 
 " Because, if you were going northward, we might find you 
 an escort. Luigi and I met a courier who was going to the 
 next station to order post-horses for a traveller who is to leave
 
 THE FORESTER'S HUT. 
 
 for Vienna this morning. The mail stopped to ask us the 
 way." 
 
 '' For Vienna ! " cried Laura. " Who is going- to Vienna ? " 
 
 " The physician of the Duke of Savoy, whom his highness 
 is sending to see a kinsman of his who is very ill in Vienna." 
 
 Laura uttered a cry of joy. " G God ! my God, I thank 
 thee ! Come, Marcella : I know the duke's physician, and he, 
 of all other men, is the one I prefer for an escort." 
 
 "But your poor, bleeding feet, signora," cried Marcella, 
 piteously. 
 
 " Never mind them. May they bleed anew, so I but reach 
 the station in time to meet the physician I God has sent him 
 to my deliverance. Come let us away I "
 
 BOOK VI. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SISTER ANGELICA. 
 
 Two months had passed away since the fall of Belgrade, 
 and Prince Eugene of Savoy was still suffering from his 
 wound. Nothing had been spared that couJd contribute to his 
 recovery ; he was attended by the surgeon-in-chief of Max 
 Emmanuel, visited daily by the physicians of the emperor, and 
 nursed by his untiring secretary, Conrad. More than once the 
 report of his death had been spread throughout Vienna, and 
 then contradicted. 
 
 But, until the arrival of the physician of Victor Amadeus, 
 all medical skill had proved unavailing. Whether through 
 the agency of Doctor Franzi or of the nurse whom he had 
 brought with him, Prince Eugene began, at last, to improve. 
 
 Sister Angelica, the nurse, had watched her patient with 
 preterhuman vigilance. Day and night she sat by his bedside, 
 dressing his wound, administering his medicine, and resting 
 his fevered head on her shoulder ; laying her soft, cool hand 
 upon his brow, until to wild delirium succeeded tranquil sleep, 
 or a calm, placid wakefulness. At such times the nun was 
 accustomed to sing ; and at the sound of her voice, Eugene 
 smiled, and resigned himself to rest. 
 
 At last, the glance of his eye grew intelligent, and he re- 
 turned to a consciousness of his position. Doctor Franzi re- 
 marked with regret, however, that he was apathetic, listless, 
 and quite indifferent to his recovery. He made no complaint, 
 seldom spoke, and seemed to be sinking gradually into a state 
 of nervous prostration. 
 
 " Your highness," said the surgeon, one day, " you are now 
 
 (380)
 
 SISTER ANGELICA. 387 
 
 convalescent, and it is time yon made some effort to receive 
 your friends." 
 
 Eugene turned wearily away, and sighed. " No, no," mur- 
 mured he, u I am averse to the sight of any man, friend or foe.' 1 
 
 " Nevertheless, I prescribe it," urged the doctor. " You are 
 now less sick in body than in mind, and you must have change 
 of scene to cheer you." 
 
 "Change will not cheer me," replied Eugene, languidly. 
 "I feel nothing but absolute weariness of life." 
 
 " A morbid state of mind resulting from your long confine- 
 ment to this room, and it must be overcome by yourself. A 
 pretty thing it would be, to be sure, if, after saving your life, 
 we should allow you to fling it away because you are as melan- 
 choly as a lovesick maiden ! " 
 
 " Doctor," cried Eugene, flushing, " choose your words more 
 carefully ! " 
 
 " Good, good," returned the doctor, with an approving nod. 
 " You have some spirit left, I perceive, and if you would but 
 see one or two of your most intimate friends " 
 
 " I will not see them," interrupted Eugene, peevishly. He 
 would have said something more, but his speech was checked 
 by a paroxysm of coughing. In a moment, the door opened 
 noiselessly, and the nun gliding in hastened to support his 
 trembling frame ; and, while he suffered his head to fall upon 
 her shoulder, wiped the dews from his clammy forehead. 
 Then, gently placing him on his pillow, she warmed his 
 drink over a lamp, and held it to his lips while he partook of it. 
 
 " Thank you, dear sister," said the invalid, faintly. 
 
 The next morning a consultation was held by the physicians 
 of the prince, and it was decided that he must have change of 
 air without delay. Eugene, reclining in an arm-chair, looked 
 wearily on, until the conference was at an end ; then, shaking 
 his head and frowning, he turned away and gazed fixedly at 
 his nurse, who, with arms crossed over her breast, stood close 
 at hand, ready to anticipate his wants ere he could give them 
 utterance. 
 
 " Your highness must not resist," said the imperial court 
 physician. " Change of air and of scene is indispensable to 
 your recovery."
 
 388 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Let me die here," was Eugene's languid reply. 
 
 " Your highness is not going to die," observed Doctor 
 Franzi ; " but I am afraid that you are about to cause the death 
 of another person. " 
 
 " Whom can you mean ? " asked Eugene, interested. 
 
 "I mean Sister Angelica, your nurse." 
 
 " Surely she is not sick," said the prince, turning anxiously 
 around. "No 1 " said he, smiling, " no she is here." 
 
 " And yet she is sick," persisted Doctor Franzi. " For a 
 month past, she has lived without sleep, scarcely snatching a 
 moment to change her clothing, and never once breathing any 
 but the air of this sick-room." The nun made a deprecating 
 gesture. "You need not deny it," continued the doctor. 
 " Prince, when Sister Angelica was allowed by the prioress of 
 her convent to accompany me to Vienna, she made a vow 
 never to leave my patient until he recovered from his illness 
 or died. Now you are neither dead nor about to die ; but if 
 you do all you can to frustrate our endeavors to cure you, your 
 nurse will succumb long before you are well enough to dis- 
 pense with her valuable services." 
 
 " In that case, I cease to oppose you," said Eugene. " Do 
 with me what you will. God forbid that I should harm my 
 ministering angel !" 
 
 " In view of your highness's submission to our orders," ob- 
 served the court physician, "his majesty the emperor has of- 
 fered the use of his palace at Schonbrunn, and we have taken 
 the liberty of preparing every thing for your immediate de- 
 parture." 
 
 " His majesty is too kind," was the reply, " and my first 
 care shall be to thank my gracious sovereign for so signal a 
 proof of his beneficence. Let us then depart for Schonbrunn. 
 You are satisfied, dear sister, are you not ? " 
 
 The sister bowed her head, and passed her hand over Eu- 
 gene's glossy, black hair, while Doctor Franzi came in and 
 out, making preparations for the accommodation of his pa- 
 tient. 
 
 A litter was brought, and when the prince had been care- 
 fully placed upon it the doctor inquired whether he felt com- 
 fortable enough therein to bear the journey. Eugene, on
 
 SISTER ANGELICA. 389 
 
 his part, asked how his physician and the nun were to 
 travel. 
 
 " We expect to occupy your highness's carriage, and to pre- 
 cede you, by a half hour, to Schonbrunn." 
 
 "Would it be inconvenient or uncomfortable for Sister 
 Angelica to occupy the litter with me ? " 
 
 " By no means ; but if she accompanies your highness, 
 things will not be quite so comfortable for your reception." 
 
 " Then let me have less comfort, and more content. She 
 supports my head so delightfully when I cough, and moves my 
 wounded foot so gently " 
 
 The nun no sooner heard these words than she put aside 
 the doctor who was standing before her, and hastened to the 
 litter, altered the inclination of Eugene's pillow, and very gen- 
 tly changed the position of his wounded foot. 
 
 " Oh, how I thank you, dear sister ! " murmured the prince, 
 with a sigh of relief. " When you are by, pain seems to van- 
 ish, and night breaks into joyful day." 
 
 The bearers raised the litter, and the little cortege set out 
 for Schonbrunn. Two runners went before, to make way, 
 crying as they went along : 
 
 " Room for the litter of his highness the Prince of Savoy ! " 
 
 The hurrying wayfarers retreated at the sound ; a passage 
 was opened through the crowded thoroughfares ; and, while 
 the hero of Belgrade was borne along the streets of Vienna, 
 the people stood respectfully aside to let him pass. 
 
 The air of Schonbrunn was pure and delightful. Every 
 morning the prince was conveyed to its lovely gardens, where 
 he spent at least an hour in inhaling the sweet breath of com- 
 ing spring. He drank goat's milk for his cough, and partook 
 submissively of the food prescribed for his nourishment ; but 
 his fever was not subdued, and his cheeks grew paler and 
 thinner each day. 
 
 " We must use other means." said Doctor Franzi to the nun, 
 who had been anxiously questioning him as to the result of a 
 consultation held that day over the sinking patient. "My 
 colleagues are of opinion that his fever is hectic, and there- 
 fore incurable ; but I differ with them. I really believe that 
 if he could be roused from his apathy, we could save him yet.
 
 390 PRIXCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Corporeal remedies have done their best ; we must try a moral 
 reaction." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " murmured the nun. 
 
 " I mean that Sister Angelica must raise her veil, and break 
 her long silence," replied the doctor, raising her delicate white 
 hand to his lips. 
 
 The nun trembled, and caught her breath, the doctor view- 
 ing her with amazement. " What ! " said he, " you who have 
 displayed such fortitude and endurance, are you about to be- 
 come faint-hearted ? " 
 
 " Doctor," whispered she, " joy has its agitation as well as 
 grief. And if the shock should be too great for him ! " 
 
 " If too great now, he will never be able to bear it, my 
 dear child. It is possible that it may deprive him for a time 
 of consciousness, but he will awake to life another man. At 
 least, such is my impression. I consider that his fate now lies 
 in your hands, and you must decide it to-day nay, this very 
 hour." 
 
 " Oh, doctor, I am so unprepared ! I have no self-com- 
 mand ; let us wait until to-morrow. If we should fail " 
 
 " We shall have done him no injury. I am ready to an- 
 swer before God that " 
 
 The door was partially opened, and the valet of the prince 
 apologized for interrupting them. " His highness feels very 
 much exhausted, and calls for Sister Angelica." 
 
 " She will be there in one moment," replied the doctor. 
 "You see," whispered he, "that his heart has divined your 
 presence. As soon as you leave the room, he begins to suffer." 
 
 So saying, he gave her his hand, and she submitted to be 
 led as far as the door of the prince's sitting-room. There she 
 paused, and laying her hands upon her heart 
 
 " Oh, it will burst," murmured she. " Doctor, you will re- 
 main with me will you not ? " 
 
 " I will remain as long as my presence is beneficial, and de- 
 part as soon as it becomes oppressive. Come ! " 
 
 He opened the door, and, with gentle constraint, com- 
 pelled her to advance. The prince, extended on his couch, 
 looked very ill. " Have you given me up ? Have you, too, 
 forgotten me ? "
 
 SISTEK ANGELICA. 391 
 
 " ' You too,' " echoed the doctor, while the nun was engaged 
 in preparing the patient's drink. '' Why, has anybody else 
 ever forgotten your highness ? " 
 
 k< No," sighed Eugene ; " I was unjust. But I have lost her, 
 and that loss is killing ine." 
 
 " You hear him," whispered the doctor, while the nun, 
 scarcely able to hold the glass, presented it to the lips of her 
 patient. 
 
 " Drink, Prince Eugene," said she, in low, trembling tones. 
 At the sound of her voice he started, and raised his head to 
 listen. 
 
 '' Great Heaven ! Who spoke ? " 
 
 The doctor smiled, and, slightly raising his shoulders, re- 
 plied : " Nobody but Sister Angelica, I presume, for nobody 
 else is here." 
 
 "Sister Angelica ! " repeated Eugene, slowly. " I thought 
 she had made a vow of silence, to last until her return to the 
 convent ? " 
 
 " You are quite right ; but it appears that she has forgotten 
 herself for a moment, in her anxiety to serve you. Drink, 
 then, to oblige her." 
 
 Eugene clutched the glass and emptied it of its con- 
 tents. 
 
 " Good," said the doctor. " Now that you are somewhat 
 refreshed, I must entei-tain you with a little outside gossip. I 
 have letters from Turin to-day. Victor Amadeus has disen- 
 thralled himself from his filial bondage. His mother, having 
 been regent during his minority, has been struggling since his 
 majority to retain her supremacy over him and the duchy. 
 She insisted upon taking precedence of her daughter-in-law, 
 the reigning duchess, and was equally bent upon dismissing 
 one of the ministers. There was considerable strife, and no 
 little intrigue in Turin, until the defection of one of the dow- 
 ager's adherents, which so strengthened the opposite party, 
 that she was obliged to succumb, and retired in high dudgeon 
 to her estates. The duke, on his side, out of gratitude to his 
 new friend, has created him prime minister an appointment 
 which is very popular in Savoy for there is not a worthier 
 man in the dukedom than the Marquis de Bonaletta." 
 26
 
 392 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 At sound of this name, Eugene started up, and leaning his 
 head upon his hand, prepared to listen. 
 
 The doctor continued : " By-the-by, he is the uncle of the 
 unfortunate young marchioness of that name who was forced 
 into a marriage with a depraved Venetian nobleman called 
 Strozzi. Your highness has heard her history ?" 
 
 Eugene murmured something in reply, and sank back upon 
 his pillow. 
 
 " A very melancholy affair," pursued the doctor, signing 
 to the nun to approach, " and it has ended most singularly." 
 
 " Ended ! How ? " cried Eugene. " Speak, doctor, I implore 
 you : is she dead ? " 
 
 " She ? The marchioness ? Quite the contrary, she is alive 
 and well. Her husband suddenly disappeared with her from 
 Venice, last spring ; and it was discovered that he had con- 
 fined her within a solitary castle, somewhere in a forest ; 
 having previously given out to the world that she was a rav- 
 ing lunatic." 
 
 " The accursed liar ! " muttered Eugene. " May God grant 
 me life to avenge her wrongs ! " 
 
 u Your highness is much moved at the recital," continued 
 the doctor, "and no wonder, for it is a fact much stranger 
 than fiction. But I will defer the conclusion of my story 
 to some other day. You are too much excited to hear it now." 
 
 " Oh no, indeed ! I am strong well. Look at me, doctor ; 
 and believe me when I say that your conversation is more 
 healing than all the medicines you have ever administered." 
 
 " In truth, your highness seems quite invigorated within 
 the last half hour. Do you not perceive the change, Sister 
 Angelica ? " 
 
 She bowed her head, and approached the couch. 
 
 " Then, in mercy, let me hear the rest," cried Eugene, his 
 eyes flashing with eagerness. 
 
 " Be it so, then. In spite of bolts, bars, and her miserable 
 husband's spies, the marchioness has managed to escape." 
 
 " Escape ! " exclaimed Eugene, starting from his couch, and 
 standing upright upon the Hoot. In a moment the nun was 
 behind him, ready to support him in case of need ; but he 
 walked hurriedly to the window, threw it wide open, and in-
 
 SISTER ANGELICA. 393 
 
 haled the fresh morning air. For a while, not a word wa& 
 spoken. The prince looked upward at the blue and silver 
 clouds that were floating silently by ; his large, dark eyes 
 wandered lovingly over the beautiful landscape that lay below, 
 and then, bowing his head, he lifted his heart to heaven, and 
 thanked God. 
 
 " Doctor," said he, at last, " whither fled the marchioness ? " 
 
 " No one knows, your highness. But you must excuse me 
 if I take my leave. I must attend a consultation of " 
 
 " Doctor," cried the prince, grasping him by the arm, " you 
 cannot go : I must know all that you have to tell." 
 
 The doctor smiled. " Upon my word, your highness speaks 
 as if you were ordering a charge against the Turks. But I 
 cannot obey : Sister Angelica has heard the story from begin- 
 ning to end, and she will relate the rest of it. Adieu." 
 
 So saying, Doctor Franzi left the room. 
 
 " Oh, dear sister," cried Eugene, " can you tell me whether 
 she fell into his hands again ? " 
 
 u She did not," replied the nun, in a low, tremulous voice ; 
 ' but the shock of her disappearance was so terrible in its ef- 
 fects upon the marquis, that he is now a maniac in the very 
 apartments wherein he had confined his wretched wife." 
 
 Eugene had listened in breathless amazement to these low, 
 fluttering words ; and when they ceased he seemed still to lis- 
 ten. His face had become excessively pale ; his lips were 
 slightly parted, and his eyes riveted upon some imaginary ob- 
 ject at a distance, which seemed to obliterate from his mind 
 the presence of his companion. She meanwhile became so 
 terrified that she clasped her hands, and knelt at his feet. 
 
 He saw he understood it all, and, raising her in his arms, 
 he pressed her rapturously to his heart. The veil had fallen, 
 and she was there ! His Laura ! his long-lost Laura !
 
 394 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LOUIS THE FOURTEENTH. 
 
 THE morning service was at an end, and King Louis XIV., 
 attended by his courtiers, left the royal chapel. His counte- 
 nance was troubled, and it followed, as a matter of course, that 
 everybody else wore a woe-begone expression. The fact is, 
 that things were very dull and solemn at the French court. 
 Feasts and festivals were forbidden, and nobody was allowed 
 to look cheerful. La Valliere, in a Carmelite convent, was 
 doing penance for the sin of her love for Louis ; while De 
 Montespan, in the world, was expiating hers within sight of 
 the king's indifference. He had tired of her long ago, but had 
 permitted her to remain at court, where her saloons were as 
 stupid, as silent, and as empty, as they had once been bright 
 and crowded. 
 
 The reigning favorite was De Maintenon, who might have 
 had followers innumerable, had she desired them. But she ap- 
 peared to be perfectly unconscious of her own power ; going 
 about, now as ever, with modest mien and simple dress, with 
 folded hands and downcast eyes, apparently unaware of the 
 existence of any mortal whatsoever, save that of her well-be- 
 loved Louis. And her course of action had been triumphantly 
 successful, for by many she was believed to be the legitimate 
 spouse of the King of France. 
 
 From the chapel, Louis betook himself to the boudoir of the 
 marquise, and greeted her with a slight inclination of his 
 royal head. 
 
 " Why were you not at mass to-day, madame ? " inquired 
 he, curtly, as, hastily crossing the room, he flung open the 
 window, and admitted the sharp air of a raw autumn morning. 
 
 De Maintenon stifled a sigh, and compelled herself to smile. 
 " You know, sire," replied she, gently, " that I am indisposed. 
 My physician has forbidden me to breathe the air, and for this 
 reason I dared not follow the impulse of my heart, and join 
 my prayers to those of your majesty this morning. The au- 
 tumn winds are too keen for me."
 
 LOUIS THE FOURTEENTH. 395 
 
 The king paid no attention to De Maintenon's allusion to 
 the "autumn winds." The window remained open, and she 
 was obliged to stand directly in front of it as long as Louis 
 was pleased to enjoy the breeze. 
 
 " You are becoming sickly, madame," observed he, coldly. 
 
 " True, sire, I suffer of late," sighed she. 
 
 " You are getting old," replied he, tartly. " Old age is a 
 sorry companion ; it makes people peevish and disagreeable." 
 
 The marquise grew as pale as ashes, and the sharp glance 
 of her black eyes was turned quickly upon the countenance of 
 the king, who, instead of looking at her, was staring out of the 
 window at the marble Naiads, over whose white limbs the 
 waters of a fountain were foaming and plashing, in myriads 
 of pearly drops. He appeared to be quite unconscious of hav- 
 ing wounded the feelings of his sensitive companion. 
 
 She, on her part, felt that a crisis was at hand, and that, to 
 waken the king from his apathy, desperate measures must be 
 adopted. She plunged into her remedy at once. 
 
 " I see," sighed she, u that my presence is irksome to your 
 majesty. It is better, therefore, that I gather up my strength, 
 and sacrifice my happiness to yours. I will retire to St. Cyr." 
 
 Louis raised his shoulders. " I think not. People often 
 say such things, but never mean what they say. " 
 
 " Sire, Madame de la Valliere is a proof of the contrary, and 
 I although (as you remarked just now) I am old, possess a 
 heart over whose emotions time and age have no power. I 
 love as I have ever loved, passionately, profoundly ; but my 
 love is disinterested, and soars high above all self -gratification. 
 Now that it has become obtrusive, its current shall be turned 
 to heaven, and in the sacred walls of a cloister I will spend the 
 remainder of my days in prayer for him whose image I shall 
 cherish unto death. Sire, I respectfully request permission 
 to enter the convent of St. Cyr." 
 
 Louis began to be uneasy. He knew very well that De 
 Maintenon had a vigorous and resolute soul, quite capable of 
 carrying out any purpose dictated by her head ; and, if once 
 she appealed from her affections to her pride, he felt that no 
 ulterior persuasions of his would avail to deter her from the 
 step she meditated.
 
 396 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Are you serious, madame ? " said he, reproachfully. 
 " Would you, indeed, forsake me ? " 
 
 " Sire, I am so earnest in my intention to free you from the 
 presence of an infirm old woman, that I repeat my request to 
 be allowed to depart now this very hour." 
 
 The king hated nothing 1 on earth like surprises ; he disliked 
 to have the sluggish waters of his every -day life stirred by un- 
 accustomed occurrences. He turned around at once to remon- 
 strate, and, instead of the pallid face he had encountered just a 
 few minutes ago, he saw a pair of glowing cheeks and flashing 
 eyes, from whose lustrous depths there darted a light that 
 warmed up his tepid old heart, and set it to beating as it had 
 been wont to do, when La Valliere smiled and De Montespan 
 coquetted. 
 
 " Surely,*' said he, " you would not set a bad example to the 
 wives of my courtiers, Francoise ! You would not teach them 
 that when they tire of their husbands they may desert them, 
 and bury their ennui in a convent ! " 
 
 " Sire, I cannot accept the responsibility of other women's 
 derelictions. My duty points out to me a convent as the 
 proper refuge for a woman who has outlived her husband's 
 love." 
 
 '' I will not release you from your marriage-tie, madame ; 
 and, should you brave my displeasure, and attempt to leave 
 me, I would follow you to St. Cyr, and drag you from the altar, 
 were you in the very act of making your vows ! " 
 
 The marquise dropped on her knees. " Oh, sire, do I hear 
 aright ! I am not odious to you ! You will not drive me 
 away from my earthly heaven ! I may yet be happy, yet be 
 loved ! " 
 
 The king bent over her, and raised her tenderly in his 
 arms. "Rise, madame," said he, "it does not become the 
 wife of the King of France to bend the knee to any man. 
 You know full well, Franoise," continued he, affectionately, 
 " that without you my life would be an aimless, burdensome 
 one. Who could replace you, my wife, my counsellor, my 
 prime minister ? " 
 
 " Ah, sire, what words ! They thrill me to the depths of 
 my heart, and restore me to bliss unspeakable 1 "
 
 LOUIS THE FOURTEENTH. 397 
 
 " Then the cloud of your discontent has passed away, has 
 it not ? " 
 
 "Oh, sire, it is day, hright day, and my soul is flooded with 
 sunshine ! " 
 
 " Then let us sit down on yonder divan, and talk of the 
 affairs of France. Do you know that I have bad news from 
 Germany ? " 
 
 " I feared as much, sire, when you entered the room with 
 such a troubled aspect." 
 
 " These German princes will not come to a decision as to 
 my claims. For four years my envoys have been before the 
 imperial Diet, vainly urging them to define our boundaries." 
 
 " They are procrastinating in the hope of receiving succor 
 from the emperor, who, as soon as he has sufficiently humbled 
 the Porte, will make an attempt to humble France. With 
 Leopold to sustain them, the Diet will claim Strasburg and 
 Alsatia, and exact of your majesty the withdrawal of the 
 French troops from all the Rhenish provinces." 
 
 " They shall not be withdrawn," returned Louis. " When 
 France has her grasp upon a province, she never relaxes her 
 hold. And so far am I from any intention to temporize, that, 
 if the Diet decides against me, I will not scruple to break the 
 twenty years' truce, and appeal to arms. This I have long 
 ago decided to do, so we need not discuss the question any 
 longer. I have other matters to confide to you, which harass 
 me." 
 
 " Has the emperor refused to recognize the new Elector of 
 Cologne ? " asked the marquise, indignantly. 
 
 " Yes, he has had the assurance to reject the lawful election 
 of Egon of Furstenberg ; and to appoint, in his stead, Joseph 
 Clemens, the brother of the Elector of Bavaria. Out of four- 
 and-twenty prebendaries of the archbishopric of Cologne, four- 
 teen votes were given to Egon, while Joseph received but ten. 
 And what, do you suppose, is the ground of the emperor's in- 
 solent rejection of my nominee ? He pretends that the four- 
 teen voters were bribed by France, and that the candidate him- 
 self is disaffected, and under French influence. This is tanta- 
 mount to a declaration of war ; and, what is worse than all, 
 Pope Innocent sustains the emperor."
 
 398 PRINCE EUGEXE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The marquise folded her hands in pious resignation. " That 
 is a sad proof of the unfriendliness of his holiness toward 
 France,'' murmured she. " But that is the fault of the Min- 
 ister Louvois. He has deserved the displeasure of his holiness 
 by the forcible occupation of Avignon (so long the residence 
 of the successors of St. Peter), and by the arrest of the papal 
 nuncio." 
 
 " He could not help it," cried Louis, impatiently ; ''it was an 
 act of reprisal. Our ambassador at Rome had been affronted ; 
 the spies of the pope had forced themselves into the hotel of 
 the embassy and had arrested two men that had sought pro- 
 tection from the French flag." 
 
 " Sire," said the marquise with determination, " they were 
 papal subjects and criminals, who had no right to the protec- 
 tion of the French flag. It should never be said that Louis 
 of France shields from justice the theives and murderers 
 whom the Vicar of Christ would punish. You know, sire, 
 that these men had committed sacrilege. They had plundered 
 the altar of St. Peter's of its golden pyx and candlesticks, and 
 had poniarded the sacristan that had them in charge." 
 
 " It was a crime that I cannot deny," said Louis with a 
 deprecating sigh, ''but the right of asylum is sacred, and we 
 were forced to defend it." 
 
 " Sire, do you, an earthly monarch, pretend to believe that 
 you can shield a criminal from the all-seeing vengeance of 
 the Lord ? Had the sinner the wings of the morning, where- 
 with he might fly to the uttermost limits of the earth, the arm 
 of God would overtake and arrest him in his flight ! How, 
 then, do you pretend to cover his crimes with the folds of the 
 French flag ? " 
 
 The king was cowed by the bold and uncompromising voice 
 of truth. He folded his hands and bowed his head. 
 
 " Alas, alas ! you are right and we were wrong ! We 
 should not have given refuge to these murderers and plunder- 
 ers. I am truly repentant, Fran9oise, and will do my best to 
 expiate the sin." 
 
 " Sire, you are right to bewail the sin, but it lies not on your 
 conscience ; it is the fault of your arrogant minister, who, with- 
 out consulting you, demanded satisfaction of his holiness ; and,
 
 LOUIS TI1E FOURTEENTH. 399 
 
 when it was righteously refused, took possession of Avignon, 
 and imprisoned the papal nuncio. Then, when the deed was 
 done, and not until then, he dispatched a courier to Paris, to 
 inform you of what had taken place." 
 
 " That is true, dear Fransoise," said Louis, mildly ; " but, 
 after all, Louvois had no alternative. Had he consulted me, I 
 might have felt myself bound to temporize ; whereas, by his 
 assumption of the act, he renders apology on my part possible. 
 The thing is done ; the honor of France is satisfied, and I can 
 now release the nuncio, and make all necessary excuses to his 
 holiness." 
 
 The marquise gazed searchingly at the countenance of the 
 royal casuist, who bore her scrutiny without flinching, and, 
 with a slight clearing of his throat, went on : 
 
 " I am not yet at the end of my chapter of vexations. A 
 courier has arrived to-day from the Marquis de Villars. In 
 spite of all his petty intrigues, and the millions with which he 
 bribed the mistress of the elector, Max Emmanuel has never 
 been estranged from Austria. So far from it, he has assumed 
 the chief command of the imperial armies, and is about to lay 
 siege to Belgrade." 
 
 "He will come to grief, sire," cried the marquise. "The 
 Turks and Hungarians greatly outnumber the imperialists, 
 and" 
 
 The king raised his hand and shook his head. " I would 
 you were right ; but, Francoise, you are a false prophet my 
 last and worst tale is told Belgrade has fallen ! " 
 
 " The will of God be done ! " cried the marquise. " Chris- 
 tianity has triumphed, and the unbelieving Moslem has bitten 
 the dust!" 
 
 " Pray," interrupted Louis, fretfully, " put aside your piety 
 for a while and look at the thing through the medium of good 
 sense and earthly foresight. The Emperor of Germany is vic- 
 torious ; he is gradually weakening the Sultan, so that it is 
 within the range of possibilities that he overturn the Ottoman 
 power, and consolidate the Germanic confederations into one 
 great empire. This done, he will turn his attention to France 
 -of that you may be sure." 
 
 "My beloved sovereign speaks of events that will neve?
 
 400 PRINCE EUGEN'E AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 come to pass," replied the marquise, with one of her most 
 enticing smiles. "Long before the Emperor Leopold will 
 have exterminated the Turks, we will force him to defend his 
 own territories from the invading armies of France." 
 
 ''You approve me, then, and think that it is time I began 
 to be aggressive in my warfare," exclaimed Louis, eagerly. 
 
 "I am always of the opinion of my lord and sovereign," 
 was the courteous reply of the marquise, who had already for- 
 gotten the discussion relating to Avignon. " It remains to be 
 seen if Louvois acquiesces." 
 
 " Louvois will do as he is bid," said Louis, frowning. 
 
 "Remember, sire, that he said publicly, yesterday, that the 
 French army was not in a condition to open a campaign, and 
 that it could not be equipped before spring." 
 
 ' " Before spring ! " echoed the king. " While the generals 
 of Leopold carry every thing before them ! for he has distin- 
 guished generals in his service, madam e ; one of whom is that 
 same Eugene of Savoy whom you pronounced unworthy of a 
 bishopric. Whatever he might have done as a churchman, I 
 would he were an archbishop rather than what he is to-day ! " 
 
 " Oh, sire ! " said the marquise, reproachfully. " True I 
 never thought Prince Eugene had any vocation for the priest- 
 hood ; and, knowing his disinclination to the church, I myself 
 advised him to ask for a commission in the army. He did ask 
 it a mere captaincy and your majesty well remembers who 
 it was that influenced you to refuse him so small a boon. To 
 Louvois France owes the loss of this great military genius." 
 
 " Right, right, you are always right, and I have unwittingly 
 given you another pretext for blaming him." 
 
 " Although he is my bitter foe, I would not blame him, sire, 
 were he not culpable." 
 
 " Your bitter foe, Fran9oise ? How ? " 
 
 " Ah, sire, was it not he that opposed our marriage ? " 
 
 "Forgive him, dear Fran9oise, he acted according to his 
 own notions of duty. But you see that my love was mightier 
 than his objections, and you are, before God, my own beloved 
 spouse." 
 
 " Before God, sire, I am ; but the world doubts my right to 
 the name. In the eyes of the court, I am but the mistress of
 
 THE KING AND THE PETITIONERS. 
 
 the king ; a humiliation which I owe to Louvois, who bound 
 your majesty by an oath never to recognize me as Queen of 
 France." 
 
 " I rejoice to think that he did so," was the king's reply, 
 " for the tie that binds us is sacred in the sight of Heaven, 
 while in the eyes of the world I am spared the ridicule of plac- 
 ing Scarroirs widow upon the throne of Charlemagne the 
 Great. In your own reception-room you act as queen, and I 
 am perfectly willing that you should do so, for it proves that 
 you are the wife of the king, and not his mistress. Be mag- 
 nanimous, then, and forgive Louvois if, above the ambition of 
 Madame de Maintenon, he valued the dignity and honor of the 
 French throne. But the hour of my interview with you is at 
 an end : I hold a levee this morning, and must leave you." 
 
 Kissing the hand of the marquise, Louis bowed and left 
 the room. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE KING AND THE PETITIONERS. 
 
 WHEN the king entered the audience-chamber, the court- 
 iers, dispersed in groups about the room, were all in eager con- 
 versation. So absorbed were they in the subject under dis- 
 cussion, that those who stood at the opposite end of the room 
 were not aware of the royal presence until the grande tournee 
 forced it upon their attention. 
 
 The king joined one of these groups. " Gentlemen," said 
 he, u what interests you so deeply to-day ? Have you received 
 any important news ? " 
 
 " Yes, sire," replied the Prince de Conti. " We are speaking 
 of my cousin Eugene. He has been severely wounded, but 
 not until he had materially assisted the Elector of Bavaria to 
 capture Belgrade." 
 
 " Ah ! you have heard of the fall of Belgrade ! " said the 
 king, frowning, as he perceived that Louvois was approaching. 
 " Is it you," asked he, curtly, ' that has been in such hot haste 
 to spread the news of the successes of the imperial army ? "
 
 402 PRINCE EUGENE AND BIS TIMES. 
 
 " Pardon me, sire," replied Louvois, " I am no gossip ; nor 
 do the successes of the Emperor of Austria interest me suffi- 
 ciently for me to deem them worthy of announcement here." 
 
 " Nevertheless, they are for you a cause of no little humilia- 
 tion ; for they remind the world that you were once guilty of 
 a blunder in your statesmanship. If I am not mistaken, it was 
 you who caused me to refuse Prince Eugene a commission in 
 my army that same Prince Eugene who has turned out to be 
 one of the greatest military geniuses of the age." 
 
 " Sire," returned Louvois, reddening with anger, " you your- 
 self were of the opinion that Prince Eugene of Savoy 
 
 '* Sir," interrupted the king, haughtily, " I am of opinion 
 that when you scorned Prince Eugene, you were lamentably 
 deficient in judgment ; and that, if he is now shedding lustre 
 upon the arms of Austria, it is because you repulsed him when 
 he would have entered the service of France." 
 
 And the king, whose wounded vanity was greatly com- 
 forted by a thrust at that of his prime minister, turned on his 
 heel, and addressed himself again to the Prince de Conti : 
 
 " Whence came your news of the taking of Belgrade ? " 
 
 " From the Duke de Luynes, your majesty, who, you may 
 remember, has joined the imperial armies. But Eugene is not 
 the only Frenchman who has distinguished himself at the 
 siege ; the Prince de Commercy behaved in a manner worthy 
 of all admiration." 
 
 u Yes, indeed," added the young Duke of Maine (the royal 
 son of De Montespan). " It is such deeds as his that have earned 
 for Frenchmen the title of the 'Knightly Nation.' " 
 
 And the little hobbling duke, who had never drawn a 
 sword from its scabbard, struck himself on the breast, as if he 
 had represented in his own person the united chivalry of all 
 France. 
 
 " I am curious to hear of the valiant deeds of the Prince de 
 Commercy," said the king, carelessly. " Pray relate them to 
 us, prince." 
 
 The prince bowed : " Sire, as the Prince de Commercy was 
 charging a body of Janizaries stationed at one of the gates of 
 Belgrade, a Turk made a sudden dash at his standard-bearer, 
 and captured the regimental flag. The men were disheartened
 
 THE KING AND THE PETITIONERS. 403 
 
 at their loss, when the prince, crying out, ' Wait a moment, 
 boys, and you shall have another.' galloped right into the 
 enemy's midst, and raised his pistol to bring down the stand- 
 ard-bearer of the Turks. The latter, taking immediate advan- 
 tage of the position of the prince, thrust a lance into his right 
 side. Without giving the least attention to his wound, Com- 
 mercy grasped the spear with his left hand and held it fast* 
 while with his right he drew out his sabre, killed the standard- 
 bearer and bore away his flag. Then, withdrawing the lance 
 from his side, he gave the blood-besprinkled banner into the 
 hands of the German ensign, saying, as he did so, ' Pray be 
 more careful of this one than you were of the other.' " 
 
 The king slightly bowed his head. " Indeed, the Prince de 
 Commercy does honor to the country that gave him birth. I 
 will take care that he is suitably rewarded." 
 
 " Sire," replied the Prince de Conti, " the Emperor of Ger- 
 many has already done so. He has been promoted ; and the 
 flag which was stained with his blood now hangs within the 
 cathedral walls of St. Stephen's ; while, with her own hands, 
 the empress is embroidering a new one for the regiment, 
 which, in honor, of the prince, is called the Commercy regi- 
 ment." 
 
 " The Emperor of Germany knows how to reward valor," 
 exclaimed the Duke de la Roche Guyon, " for Eugene of Savoy 
 is only five-and-twenty years of age, and yet he has been 
 created a field-marshal. " 
 
 The king affected not to have heard this remark, and passed 
 on. His courtiers saw, with consternation, that he was an- 
 noyed at something, and every face in the audience-chamber 
 gave back a reflection of the royal discontent. Louis saun- 
 tered along, occasionally addressing a word or two to such as 
 he " delighted to honor," until the grande tournee had been 
 made. 
 
 When the two Princes de Conti saw that he was disengaged, 
 they advanced with a mien so respectful, that Louis knew per- 
 fectly well the nature of their errand, although he little 
 guessed its purport. 
 
 " Well, gentlemen," said he, " for what new escapade have 
 you come to crave our royal indulgence? I see, by your
 
 4:04 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 demeanor, that you are about to ask a favor of your sover- 
 eign." 
 
 " Yes, my liege," replied the elder of the two ; " we have 
 come to ask a favor, but not such a one as your majesty sup- 
 poses. We have grown melancholy, and your royal hand 
 can heal us." 
 
 " Grown melancholy ! You, the boldest, gayest cavaliers 
 in Paris ! " 
 
 " Yes, sire," sighed De Conti. u We cannot sleep for think- 
 ing of the laurels of our kinsman of Savoy, and we humbly 
 crave your royal permission to join the imperial crusade 
 against the Turks." 
 
 Louis frowned, but quickly recovered himself. l ' Of course 
 of course," replied he, condescendingly ; u if the laurels of the 
 little prince disturb your slumbers, you have my full consent 
 to go after him. 'Twere a pity to deny you so small a boon." 
 
 And, without giving opportunity to the two princes to 
 thank him, the king turned around and addressed Marshal 
 Crequi : 
 
 u Who knows," said he, raising his voice, " whether these 
 two silly boys have not chosen the wiser part ? Though they 
 may never earn any laurels, they may fight away some of their 
 folly which loss would be to them great gain." 
 
 " Sire, it is perfectly natural for youth to desire glory," re- 
 turned the old marshal. " I think that thirst for fame is hon- 
 orable to a young nobleman, and for this reason I have con- 
 sented that my son, the Marquis de Blanchefort, should join the 
 imperial crusade, provided he obtains your majesty's consent. 
 I venture to hope that your majesty will not refuse to him 
 what you have conceded to the Princes de Conti." 
 
 Louis looked with amazement at the smiling countenance 
 of the old marshal, but he answered as before : 
 
 " I certainly will not do less for your son than for the De 
 Contis. He has my consent to accompany them on their jour- 
 ney after glory." 
 
 The young Marquis de Blanchefort, who was near at hand, 
 would have expressed his gratitude for the royal permission to 
 leave France, but the king turned coldly away, and darted a 
 peremptory glance at Louvois.
 
 THE KING AND THE PETITIONERS. 405 
 
 The minister understood, and came forward at once. 
 
 De Blanchefort, meanwhile, hurried off to join the De 
 Contis, who, surrounded by a group of young noblemen, were 
 engaged in a low, but earnest conversation. 
 
 '' I have my discharge," whispered he. 
 
 " Then you are the third one upon whom fortune has smiled 
 to-day," sighed the young Duke de Brienne. " I wish I were 
 as far advanced as you." 
 
 " Allow me to give the three lucky knights a bit of advice," 
 whispered the Duke de la Roche Guyon, Louvois's son-in-law. 
 "Make use of the king's permission without delay. Who 
 knows, but when the rest of us prefer our petitions, he may 
 not withdraw his consent from you ? " 
 
 " My dear friend," said the younger De Conti, " our trunks 
 are packed, and our travelling-carriage awaits us at the corner 
 of the Rue St. Honove. Nobody knows what may happen ; so 
 that we are about to depart without parade, bidding adieu to 
 our friends by notes of farewell." 
 
 " You have acted with foresight," replied the duke. " And 
 you, De Blanchefort, when do you start ? " 
 
 " My father is a soldier, and admires punctuality," answered 
 the marquis. " Yesterday afternoon he presented me with a 
 new travelling-chariot, and this morning he ordered it to be 
 ready for my departure, at the corner of the Garde Meubles. 
 That is even nearer than the Rue St. Honore, and if you will 
 allow me, I fly to see if it is still there." 
 
 " Do so," returned the duke, " and our dear princes would 
 do well to follow your example." 
 
 "We were about to take our leave, and now " began 
 young De Conti. 
 
 " Away with you ! " was the reply ; and the three young 
 men, murmuring, " Au revoir," disappeared behind the portiere 
 which led to the antechamber, and sped away from the Louvre 
 to their carriages. 
 
 "Messieurs," said the Duke de la Roche Guyon, taking 
 out his watch, " we must give them a quarter of an hour, 
 before we irritate his majesty by preferring our own peti- 
 tions." 
 
 When the quarter of an hour had elapsed, the duke re-
 
 406 PtttNOE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 placed his watch, and resumed : " Now let us go and try our 
 luck." 
 
 " Shall we go together, or one by one ? " inquired the Duke 
 de Liancourt. 
 
 "We are four, and the king's good-nature is soon exhausted. 
 The last two petitioners would indubitably be rebuffed, so I 
 think we had better go in a body. " 
 
 " With yourself as spokesman," said De Brienne. 
 
 " Eight ! " echoed the others, and they are all approached 
 the king. He was engaged in conversation with Louvois, and 
 interrupted himself to stare at the four young men, as if he 
 had been greatly astonished to see them. 
 
 " Here is your son-in-law," observed he to Louvois. " What 
 can he want ? " 
 
 "Indeed, sire, nobody knows his wants less than I. He its 
 my daughter's husband, but no friend of mine." 
 
 "Here are De Turenne, De Brienne, and De Liancourt at 
 his heels," replied the king, trying to stare them out of coun- 
 tenance, while the poor young men waited in vain for the 
 royal permission to speak. 
 
 At last the Duke de la Roche Guyon gathered courage to 
 begin. 
 
 " Your majesty, we come with all respect 
 
 " We ! " echoed the king. " Then you represent four peti- 
 tioners." 
 
 "Yes, your majesty, the three here present and myself. 
 May I be permitted to state the nature of our petition ? " 
 
 The king bowed, and De la Roche Guyon resumed : " Sire, 
 we are all, lifce the Princes de Conti and the Marquis de 
 Blanchefort, envious of the laurels of Eugene of Savoy. We 
 are athirst for glory." 
 
 " And you come to ask if I will not make war to gratify 
 your greed for fame ? " asked the king, eagerly. 
 
 " Sire ! " exclaimed the duke, " can you imagine such assur- 
 ance on the part of your subjects ? No we merely ask per- 
 mission to join the imperial army." 
 
 " The army of the Emperor of Germany ! " cried Louis, in 
 a voice so loud and angry that his courtiers grew pale, and 
 almost forgot to breathe. But the Duke de la Roche
 
 THE WINDOW THAT WAS TOO LARGE. 407 
 
 Guyon had steeled himself against the bolts of this Jupiter 
 Tonans. 
 
 " Yes, sire," replied he, courteously, " the army of the em- 
 peror who represents Christendom doing battle with Moham- 
 medanism. It is a holy cause, and we hope that it has your 
 majesty's sympathy and approbation." 
 
 " It would appear that the youth of my court are drifting 
 into imbecility," replied the king, with a contemptuous shrug. 
 " They need a physician ; and it will be time enough to listen 
 to any request they may have to make, when they shall have 
 returned to their senses." 
 
 " Your majesty refuses us ! " said the duke, bitterly. 
 
 " When the king has spoken, sir," replied Louis, haughtily, 
 " it becomes his subjects to obey and be silent. The court is 
 dismissed ! Monsieur de Louvois, you will go with me to Tria- 
 non, to inspect the new palace. The court are at liberty to ac- 
 company us." 
 
 This " at liberty " being a command which nobody dared 
 resist, the king had no sooner left the room than the courtiers 
 hastened to their carriages and gave orders to their various 
 coachmen to join the royal cortege. 
 
 CHAPTER TV. 
 
 THE WINDOW THAT WAS TOO LARGE. 
 
 MEANWHILE the king had made his way to the boudoir of 
 his marquise, who advanced joyfully to meet him. 
 
 " Madame," said he, " I am about to drive to Trianon ; will 
 you accompany me ? Decide according to your own judgment ; 
 do not inconvenience yourself on my account. " 
 
 " Your majesty knows that I live in your presence," sighed 
 the marquise, " but 
 
 "But you dare not leave your room. Well I am sorry ; 
 you would have enjoyed the drive." 
 
 " The drive to Trianon," replied the marquise, " where, as 
 an architect, Louvois will be the theme of your majesty's enco- 
 miums." 
 
 27
 
 408 fiUNCE EUGENE AKu HIS TIMES. 
 
 The king's lip curled. "Scarcely" said he. "I do not 
 think that Louvois will enjoy his visit to-day. I am not at all 
 pleased with his plans, nor will I be at pains to conceal my 
 displeasure. " 
 
 The marquise looked inquiringly into the face of the king. 
 It was smiling and significant. 
 
 " Sire," said the marquise, " are you in earnest ? May I in- 
 deed be permitted to accompany you to Trianon ?" 
 
 " Indeed, you cannot conceive how much I regret your in- 
 ability to go,' 1 returned Louis. 
 
 " Oh, sire, my love is mightier than my infirmities ; it shall 
 lend me strength, and I shall have the unspeakable bliss of ac- 
 companying you." 
 
 ' I counted upon you," returned Louis. " So let us go at 
 once ; the court waits, and punctuality is the politeness of 
 kings." 
 
 Without paying the least attention to Louvois, who. as 
 superintendent of the royal edifices, stood close at hand, the 
 king entered his coach, and assisted Madame de Maintenon, as 
 she took her place at his side. Louvois had expected to be in- 
 vited to ride with the king, and this oversight, he knew, be- 
 tokened something sinister for him. 
 
 And what could it be ? " The old bigot has been sowing 
 her tares again," said he to himself. " There is some mortifica- 
 tion in store for me, or she would not have exposed herself to 
 this sharp autumn blast to-day." And he ran over all the late 
 occurrences of the court, that he might disentangle the knotted 
 thread of the king's ill-humor. "It must be that accursed 
 business of the Prince of Savoy, and the king is no better than 
 these silly lads ; the laurels of the little abbe keep him awake 
 at night, and he vents his spleen upon me. What an over- 
 sight it was of mine, to let that Eugene escape ! Had I caused 
 him to disappear from this wicked world and given him an 
 asylum in the Bastile, he never svould have troubled us with 
 his doings in Germany. There was my blunder my unpar- 
 donable blunder. But it cannot be recalled, and the king's 
 vanity is so insatiable, that there is no knowing how it is ever 
 to be appeased. I must succumb for the present, and Ah ! " 
 cried he, interrupting the current of his despondency, " I think
 
 THE WINDOW THAT WAS TOO LARGE. 409 
 
 I can repair my error. We must allow his envious majesty 
 to gather a handful of these laurels for which he has such a 
 longing. We must put the Emperor of Germany in check, 
 and" 
 
 Just then the iron gates of Trianon opened to admit the 
 carriage, and the superintendent of the royal edifices made 
 haste to alight and wait the arrival of the king. 
 
 For the first time, his majesty condescended to seem aware 
 of Louvois' presence. "Monsieur," said he, to the tottering 
 favorite, " I have come to inspect this chateau. Madame la 
 marquise, it being intended as a pleasure-house for yourself, 
 you will oblige me by speaking frankly on the subject." 
 
 So saying, he gave his arm to madame, and the court, with 
 heads uncovered, came submissively behind. 
 
 '* Follow us," said the king. 
 
 This " us " delighted the marquise, for it was an informal 
 acknowledgment of her right to be considered as the king's 
 consort. With her large eyes beaming with joy, and her face 
 radiant with triumph, she went, hanging on Louis 1 arm, over 
 the chateau which his munificence had prepared for her occu- 
 pation in summer. Immediately behind them walked Louvois ; 
 and after him a long procession of nobles, not one of whom 
 dared to utter a word. The central building was pronounced 
 satisfactory ; its front and marble colonnade received their 
 due meed of praise, and the king ended by these words : 
 
 " I am perfectly satisfied with Mansard ; he is really a dis- 
 tinguished architect." 
 
 " Sire," returned Louvois, to whom this eulogium had been 
 addressed, " Mansard will be overjoyed to hear of his sov- 
 ereign's approbation. But your majesty will pardon me if I 
 appropriate some portion of your praise ; the ground-plan of 
 the building is mine. I furnished it to Mansard." 
 
 The king made no reply to this attempt to extort a word of 
 approval ; he merely nodded, and went on his way. They 
 had now reached a point whence the right facade of the build- 
 ing was brought to view. 
 
 '' Monsieur," said Louis, pointing to the central window, 
 " this window is out of proportion." 
 
 " Pardon me, sire," retui'ned Louvois, submissively, " it is
 
 410 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 exactly of the size of the central window in front, and only 
 appeal's larger because of the absence of a colonnade." 
 
 " Sir," said the king, indignantly, " I tell you that this win- 
 dow is much too large, and unless it be reduced the entire 
 palace is a failure." 
 
 " I must, nevertheless, abide by my judgment, sire," replied 
 Louvois, respectfully. " The two windows are exactly alike ; N 
 this one being more conspicuous than the other, but not one 
 inch higher." 
 
 '' Then you have been guilty of some great oversight by 
 allowing it to appear higher than the other," returned the 
 king, rudely. " Your plan is ridiculous, and the sooner you 
 set about mending it the better." 
 
 14 Sire," said Louvois, bitterly, " when praise was to be 
 awarded, the credit of the plan was Mansard's 
 
 " But as you did not choose to concede it, you must accept 
 the blame of your blunder. Your vision is not acute, sir, a 
 defect that is as unbecoming in an architect as in a war minis- 
 ter. You have been equally blind to the monstrous size of 
 yonder window, and to the great genius of my kinsman, Eu- 
 gene of Savoy. Unhappily, your want of judgment, as re- 
 gards the man, is irreparable ; the defect in your window you 
 will be so good as to correct." 
 
 " Sire," said Louvois, trembling with anger, " I beg to be 
 discharged from my duties as architect to your majesty. Un- 
 der the circumstances. I feel myself inadequate to perform its 
 duties." 
 
 " You are quite right," replied the king. " You will then 
 have more leisure to devote to the war department, and to de- 
 vise some means for gratifying the national love of glory, 
 without driving my French nobles to foreign courts for distinc- 
 tion. Come, madame," added the king, to the marquise, who, 
 all this time, had been standing with eyes cast down ; the very 
 personification of humility. "Let us proceed to Versailles ; 
 for this ungainly -window has taken away my breath. I must 
 have change of scene for the remainder of the day." 
 
 As they took their seat in the coach, the marquise whis- 
 pered : " Oh, sire ! how overwhelming, yet how noble, is your 
 anger ! I should die under it, were it directed toward me ;
 
 ffifi WIKDOW THAT WAS TOO LAfiGE. 
 
 and, in spite of all Louvois' ill-will toward me, I pitied hinuso 
 sincerely that I could scarcely restrain my impulse to inter- 
 cede for him." 
 
 " You are an angel," was the stereotyped reply. 
 
 Meanwhile, the court were preparing to follow the royal 
 equipage. Louvois stood by, but not one of the nobles seemed 
 aware of his presence ; he was out of favor, and thereby in- 
 visible to courtly eyes. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day the minister of war, 
 with brow serene and countenance unruffled, entered the 
 council-chamber of the king. He had found a remedy for his 
 annoyances at Trianon, and he pretended not to see the mar- 
 quise, who, as usual, sat embroidering in the deep embrasure 
 of a window, almost concealed from view by its velvet cur- 
 tains. 
 
 " Sire," said Louvois, " I come before your majesty with 
 proposals of great moment, and I await with much anxiety 
 your decision." 
 
 "Let us hear your proposals," said the king, languidly. 
 " Have more couriers arrived with news of Austrian suc- 
 cesses ? " 
 
 " No, sire, we have had enough of Austrian victories, and'I 
 am of opinion that the emperor must receive his check from 
 the powerful hand of France. It is time that your majesty 
 interposed to change his fortunes." 
 
 The king was startled out of his indifference. He raised 
 his head to listen, while the marquise dropped her work, and 
 applied her ear to the opening in the curtains. 
 
 "Your majesty has acted toward this arrogant Austrian 
 with a forbearance that is more than human. Well I know 
 that your humane aversion to bloodshed has been in part the 
 cause of your unparalleled magnanimity ; but you have been 
 thwarted in your choice of an Elector of Cologne ; your claims 
 to Alsatia ami Lorraine have been set aside ; the dower of her 
 royal highness the Duchess of Orleans has been refused you ; 
 and patience under so many affronts has ceased to be a virtue. 
 The honor of France must be sustained, and we must evoke, as 
 a last resort, the demon of war." 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! " said the marquise, behind her cur-
 
 412 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 tain, " if he rouses the king's ambition, I shall occupy but a 
 secondary position at the court of France, and he will be more 
 influential than ever ! Louis has already forgotten me, else 
 he would call me to his side before he decides so weighty a 
 matter." 
 
 The marquise was shrewd, and did not err in her specula- 
 tions : Louis had indeed forgotten her presence. His heart 
 was full of covetousness and resentment at the opposition of 
 that presuming Leopold, who penetrated his designs upon 
 the Rhenish provinces of the empire, and he thirsted for venge- 
 ance. 
 
 " Yes," replied he, " I have given an example of forbearance 
 which must have astonished all Europe. I would have been 
 glad to settle our differences in a Christian-like manner ; but 
 Leopold is deaf to all reason and justice " 
 
 At this moment the king's voice was rendered inaudible by 
 a loud cough which proceeded from the window wherein the 
 marquise had retired from observation. 
 
 " My dear Francoise," exclaimed Louis, " come and take 
 your part in this important council of war. " 
 
 The hangings were parted, and out she stepped ; slightly 
 acknowledging the salute of the minister, she passed him by, 
 and took an arm-chair at the side of the king. 
 
 "You have heard us discussing, have you not?" asked 
 Louis. 
 
 "Yes, sire," sighed she, "I have heard every thing/' 
 
 " Then you understand that it concerns my honor to make 
 war upon Germany ? " 
 
 The marquise turned her flashing eyes upon the one that 
 held this royal honor in his keeping. " Sire," said she, " I 
 am slow of comprehension ; for it has just occurred to me 
 that your majesty's criticism 'upon a window at Trianon is 
 to be productive of results most disastrous to the French na- 
 tion." 
 
 " This criticism concerns nobody but Mansard," observed 
 Louvois, carelessly. " I am no longer superintendent of the 
 royal edifices." 
 
 " I do not understand you, madame," interposed the king. 
 " What lias a window at Trianon to do with the affairs of
 
 THE WINDOW THAT WAS TOO LARGE. 
 
 the nation ? Pray let us be serious, and come to a determina- 
 tion." 
 
 " Sire," asked the marquise, " is not this matter already de- 
 termined ? " 
 
 The king kissed her hand. " It is and your inquiry is a 
 new proof of your penetration. How truly you sympathize 
 with my emotions ! How clearly you read the pages of my 
 heart ! Yes, dear marquise, war is inevitable." 
 
 " Then our days of happiness are at an end," returned she', 
 sadly ; " and your majesty's heart will descend from the con- 
 templation of heavenly things, to thoughts of strife and cruel 
 bloodshed." 
 
 " The war is a holy one," interrupted Louvois, " and God 
 Himself holds a monarch responsible for the honor of his peo- 
 ple." 
 
 "Well spoken, Louvois," replied the king, approvingly. 
 " The cause is just, and the Lord of hosts will battle for us. 
 You, marquise, will be our intercessor with Heaven." 
 
 " But your majesty will not be nigh to pray with me," said 
 the marquise, in regretful tones. 
 
 The king made no reply to this affectionate challenge ; he 
 continued to speak with Louvois, enjoining upon him to has- 
 ten his preparations. 
 
 " Sire, my plans are laid," replied Louvois. 
 
 " Already ! " cried Louis, joyfully. 
 
 " Already ! " echoed De Maintenon, affrighted. 
 
 " Sire," continued Louvois, " as soon as your majesty has 
 approved my plan, the couriers, who are waiting without, will 
 transfer your royal commands to the army. It is my design 
 to march at once upon the Rhenish provinces, and to take pos- 
 session of the Palatinate." 
 
 " Good ! but will our army be strong enough to fight the 
 emperor and the Germanic confederation at once ? " 
 
 "Sire, the emperor shall have occupation elsewhere, 
 and the princes of the empire must be terrified into submis- 
 sion." 
 
 " But how, now ? " 
 
 " Both ends may be reached by one stroke. The Rhenish 
 provinces, Alsatia, and the Palatinate, must be transformed
 
 414 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 into a waste. We must wage against Germany a war of de- 
 struction, whose fearful consequences will be felt there for a 
 century to come." 
 
 " Oh, sire," exclaimed De Maintenon, such a war is contrary 
 to the laws of God and man ! Shall France, the most refined 
 country on the globe, set to civilized Europe an example of 
 barbarity only to be equalled by the atrocities of the Huns and 
 Vandals ? " 
 
 ' My dear marquise," cried Louis, fretfully, " do be silent. 
 Go on, Louvois, and let me hear your plans." 
 
 ' Sire, they are very simple. We have only to march on 
 the German towns, sack and burn them, and put to the sword 
 all those that presume to defy the power of France. We must 
 spread consternation throughout all Germany, that your 
 majesty's name may cause every cheek to pale, and every 
 heart to sink with fear. The enemy shall provision our army, 
 and forage our horses. We will take possession of their 
 magazines, stores, and shambles ; and to every house that re- 
 fuses us gold, we will apply the devouring torch. Thus we 
 will make it impossible for the emperor to advance to Lor 
 raine ; and the wide desert that intervenes between us will be 
 come French territory. " 
 
 " I approve your mode of warfare, Louvois ; it is good. If 
 the emperor had ratified my choice of an Elector of Cologne, 
 and had sustained my claims to Lorraine and Alsatia, I would 
 have conceded him as many triumphs as he chose in Transyl- 
 vania. As he opposes me, let him take the consequence war 
 with all its horrors ! " 
 
 "Your majesty empowers me, then, to dispatch my cou- 
 riers ? " said Louvois. 
 
 " I do, my dear marquis," was the gracious reply, while the 
 royal hand was held out to be kissed. 
 
 Louvois pressed it to his lips, as a lover does the rosy fingers 
 of his mistress, and, hastening away with the agility of a young 
 man, sprang into his carriage, and drove off. " ' My dear mar- 
 quis,'" murmured he, with a smile of complacency. <% He 
 called me his dear marquis, and the storm of his displeasure 
 has passed away. I came very near being struck by its light- 
 ning, nevertheless, That De Maintenon is a shrewd woman,
 
 THE IMPERIAL DIET AT REGENSBURG. 415 
 
 and found me out at once. Yes ! yes, your majesty ! Had 
 you admired my window at Trianon, I should not have been 
 obliged to involve you in a war with Germany." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE IMPERIAL DIET AT REGENSBURG. 
 
 IN 1687 the imperial Diet assembled at Regensburg, to ex- 
 amine the claims of the King of France to Alsatia, Lorraine, 
 the Palatinate, and other possessions, which his majesty longed 
 to appropriate out of the domains of his neighbors. 
 
 On the 2d of October, 1689, a travelling- carriage might have 
 been seen standing hi front of the large, antiquated building 
 occupied by Count Spaur, the envoy of the Emperor Leopold. 
 
 The postilion sounded his horn, and cracked his whip with 
 such vehemence, that here and there an inquiring and angry 
 face might be seen at the neighboring windows, peering out 
 upon the untimely intruders, who were making dawn hideous 
 by their clattering arrival. The footman sprang from his 
 board, and thundered with all his might at the door, while, 
 between each interval of knocking, the postilion accom- 
 panied him by a fanfare that stirred up the sleeping echoes 
 of that dull old town in a manner that was astonishing to 
 hear. 
 
 Finally, their zeal was rewarded by the appearance of a 
 man's head at the window on the ground floor, and the sound 
 of his voice inquiring who it was that was making all this up- 
 roar. 
 
 " Who we are ? " echoed the footman. " We are individuals 
 entitled to make an uproar, and shall continue to make it until 
 we obtain admission to the presence of Count Spaur for his 
 excellency Count von Crenneville, who comes on important 
 business from his imperial majesty the emperor." 
 
 This pompous announcement had the desired effect ; it 
 awed the porter into civility, and he hastened to inform the 
 footman of his excellency, that Count Spaur being in bed, he
 
 416 PRINCE EtJGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 would inform the valet, and have the Austrian ambassador ap- 
 prised of the visit of Count von Crenneville. 
 
 " Open your door before you go, and admit his excellency 
 into the house," cried the footman, imperiously. 
 
 " I dare not," replied the porter, shaking his head. " I am 
 not at liberty to admit anybody, until I have orders to do so 
 from the valet of Count Spaur." 
 
 " Not admit the emperor's envoy ? " exclaimed the indig- 
 nant lackey. " That is an affront to his excellency." 
 
 " I do not know the person of his excellency," persisted the 
 porter, " and how do I know but some petty ducal envoy may 
 not be playing a trick on me, and so obtain fraudulent en- 
 trance to the house of the Austrian ambassador ? " 
 
 "You presume to apply such language to Count von 
 Crenneville ! " cried the footman. " I shall 
 
 *' Peace, Caspar ! " said a voice from the carriage ; " the 
 honest fellow is quite right, and deserves no blame for his 
 prudence. Nevertheless, as we are no impostors, hasten, my 
 good friend, to the valet, and let me have entrance, for I am 
 very tired." 
 
 At this moment the porter was put aside, and a man in rich 
 livery came forward. 
 
 " Count Spaur has risen, and will be happy to receive his 
 excellency Count von Crenneville," said he. At these magical 
 words the heavy doors were opened, and the envoy sprang 
 lightly from his carriage, and entered the house. At the head 
 of the staircase he was met by Count Spaur, who apologized 
 for being compelled to receive his guest in a dressing-gown. 
 
 " It would not be the first time that I have seen you in a 
 deshabille, my dear comrade," replied Von Crenneville, " for 
 you cannot have forgotten the old days when we were quar- 
 tered together in Hungary. As I presume you have not break- 
 fasted, I will take the liberty of inviting myself to breakfast, 
 for I am hungry and exhausted by travelling all night." 
 
 Count Spaur offered his arm, and conducted his guest to 
 the dining-room, where breakfast was aboiit to be served. 
 
 Count von Crenneville threw aside his military cloak, un- 
 fastened a few buttons of his uniform, and took his seat at the 
 table.
 
 THE IMPERIAL DIET AT REGENSBURG. 417 
 
 " I am delighted to see 3 r ou," said Count Spaur, handing a 
 cup of chocolate. " Your arrival is a delicious interruption to 
 the stupid life I had in Regensburg." 
 
 When they had breakfasted, Count Spaur led the way to 
 his cabinet, and the conference began by Count von Crenne- 
 ville handing a packet to his friend from the emperor. 
 
 The latter received it with a profound inclination, and care- 
 fully cutting it, so as to avoid breaking the seal, he opened it, 
 and prepared to make himself master of its contents. 
 
 He shook his head dolefully. " His majesty asks impossi- 
 bilities of me," sighed he. "Do you know what this -letter 
 contains ? " 
 
 "Be so kind as to read it to me." 
 
 So Count Spaur began : " My dear Count, It is time this 
 imperial Diet end their petty quarrels, and go seriously to 
 work ; for these are no days wherein important interests may 
 be neglected for the sake of etiquette. Announce to the Diet 
 that I require of them to be serious, and to come to the assist- 
 ance of their fatherland. Count von Crenneville, who will 
 deliver this to you, is empowered to declare the same to the 
 assembled representatives of the Germanic Confederation. 
 
 (Signed) "LEOPOLD, Emperor." 
 
 " It seems to me that the demand is a reasonable one," re- 
 marked Count von Crenneville. 
 
 " But impossible of compliance. Do you know how long the 
 Diet has been sitting at Regensburg ? " 
 
 "Two years, I believe." 
 
 " Well : do you know what they have been doing for these 
 two years ? " 
 
 " No, count ; it is precisely to learn this that his majesty 
 has sent me here," said Von Crenneville. 
 
 " I will tell you then. They have been profoundly engaged 
 in settling questions of diplomatic etiquette. You may laugh, 
 if you like ; but for one that has been obliged to hear it all, it 
 is wearisome beyond expression. The first trouble arose from 
 the etiquette of visiting. As imperial envoy, I received the 
 first visit from them all, I returned my calls, and so far all was 
 well. But when the other envoys were to visit among them- 
 selves, the dissensions began. Each man wrote to his sover-
 
 418 PRINCE EUGENE AND HI* TIMES. 
 
 eign, and each sovereign upheld his man ; couriers came and 
 went, and for a time Regensburg was alive with arrivals and 
 departures." 
 
 " And meanwhile the King of France was allowed to build 
 his bridges across the Rhine," observed Count von Crenne- 
 ville. 
 
 " My dear friend, the King of France might have dethroned 
 the emperor, meanwhile, without a protest. Nothing under 
 heaven could be attended to, while this visiting question was 
 on the tapis." 
 
 " Is it decided 1 " 
 
 '' After three months of daily conferences, during which I 
 exhausted more statesmanship than would overturn an empire, 
 it was decided that the envoys of the princes would call on the 
 envoys of the electors, provided the latter would come half 
 way down the staircase to meet the former." 
 
 " God be thanked ! They could then proceed to business ! " 
 
 Count Spaur replied by a melancholy shake of the head. 
 
 " You are not aware that, before the Diet assemble, a ban- 
 quet is given, at which all are expected to be present. You 
 are furthermore not cognizant of the fact that every concomi- 
 tant of this banquet has been made a subject of strife, from 
 the day on which the visiting question was arranged, until 
 the present time." 
 
 " My dear count, I pity you." 
 
 *' You may well do so. The electoral envoys claimed the 
 right of using gold knives and forks, while they exacted that 
 the ducal representatives should be content with silver. These 
 latter resented the indignity, and of course the banquet had to 
 be postponed." 
 
 " This is pitiful indeed ; but go on." 
 
 " Then came the question of the color of the arm-chairs 
 around the table. The electoral envoys claimed the right of 
 having their seats covered in red ; and contended that the 
 others were obliged by etiquette to cover theirs with green. 
 The others would not accept the green, and so arose the third 
 point of discussion. The fourth disagreement was about the 
 carpets. The electorals would have the four legs of their 
 chairs on the carpet (which is narrow), and the others should
 
 THE IMPERIAL DiET AT REGENSBURG. 419 
 
 have but the /ore-legs of theirs. The fifth regarded the May- 
 bougns. On May-day, the electorate exacted that the superin- 
 tendent of public festivities should put six boughs over their 
 front doors, while the others must content themselves with 
 five. Now, my dear count, you are made acquainted with the 
 subjects of discussion which for two years have detained the 
 imperial Diet in Regensburg ; which have imbittered my days, 
 and made sleepless my nights ; which have nigh lost the cause 
 of German nationality, and have made us the laughing-stock 
 of all Europe." 
 
 "My friend, I sympathize with you. But are these five 
 questions not decided ? " 
 
 " No, they are not. The ducal envoys indignantly refused 
 to yield to the pretensions of their colleagues, and no banquet 
 could be given. After much exertion on my part to bring 
 about an understanding, the banquet was set aside, and a com- 
 promise was effected. All the arm-chairs were covered with 
 green this was a concession to the ducal envoys ; while they, 
 on their part, consented that the hind-legs of their chairs 
 shoiild rest on the bare floor ! " * 
 
 "What a victory! I congratulate you from my heart; 
 for I would much rather have charged a regiment of Jani- 
 zaries." 
 
 " And at least have earned some glory thereby," returned 
 Spaur, grimly. " But the only reward I shall ever reap will 
 be the unpleasant notoriety I shall have acquired as a member 
 of this stultified assembly." 
 
 u My dear friend, be under no uneasiness as to that. The 
 King of France has crossed our frontiers, and you are about 
 to throw aside diplomacy and take up the sword. This is the 
 message with which the emperor has charged me, both to 
 yourself and to the imperial Diet." 
 
 " I am happy to tell you that to-day the Diet opens its sit- 
 ting. Hark ! the bells are ringing ! This announces to Re- 
 gensburg that the envoys are about to proceed to the hall of 
 conference. Excuse me while I retire to change my dress." 
 
 " I will betake myself to the nearest hotel to follow your 
 example," replied Von Crenneville. 
 
 * i'iittcr. " Historical Notes 011 the Constitution of the German Empire."
 
 .20 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " By no means. Your room is prepared, and I will conduct 
 you thither at once, if you wish." 
 
 Fifteen or twenty minutes elapsed, when the two imperial 
 envoys met again, and drove, in the state-carriage of Count 
 Spaur, to the hall of conference. The other envoys were all 
 assembled, and, scattered in groups, seemed to be earnestly en- 
 gaged in discussing some weighty matter. 
 
 Count Spaur remarked this, and whispered to his col- 
 league : " I am afraid there is trouble brewing ; the electo- 
 ral envoys are all on one side of the hall the ducal on the 
 other." 
 
 " The electorals are those with the red cloaks are they 
 not ? " 
 
 " Yes, they are ; and I fear that these red cloaks signify 
 war." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean war with but, pardon me, I see that they are 
 waiting for me to open the council." 
 
 With an inclination of the head, Count Spaur passed down 
 the hall, and took his seat under the red canopy appropriated 
 to the imperial ambassador. A deep silence reigned through- 
 out the assembly, broken by the sweet chime of the bells that 
 still continued to convey far and wide the intelligence of the 
 opening of the conference. 
 
 Count Spaur took off his Spanish hat, and, bowing right 
 and left, addressed the envoys : 
 
 " My lords ambassadors of the electors, princes, and impe 
 rial cities of the German empire, in the name of his majesty 
 Leopold I greet you, and announce that the imperial Diet 
 is opened. Long live the emperor ! " 
 
 " Long live the emperor ! " echoed the ambassadors. 
 
 " The Diet is opened," resumed he, " and I have the honoi 
 to introduce an envoy of his imperial majesty, who has this 
 day arrived from Vienna." 
 
 At this, Count von Crenneville advanced, and the master 
 of ceremonies placed an arm-chair for him under the canopy, 
 at the side of Count Spaur. 
 
 At a signal from the latter, the other envoys took their 
 seats, and Count von Crenneville addressed the assembly :
 
 THE IMPERIAL DIET AT REGENSBURG. 421 
 
 " My lords ambassadors of the electors, princes, and impe- 
 rial cities of the German empire, his majesty greets you all. 
 But he is deeply wounded at the indifference manifested by 
 the Diet to the dearest interests of Germany, and he implores 
 you, as you value your nationality and liberty, to lay aside 
 your petty dissensions, and to unite with him in defence 
 of your fatherland. The King of France has marched his 
 armies into Germany and disunion to Germans is defeat and 
 ruin." 
 
 This prelude appeared to cause considerable emotion. There 
 was visible agitation throughout the assembly. 
 
 Count von Crenneville felt encouraged, and was about to 
 continue his appeal, when one of the electorals started from 
 his seat and spoke : 
 
 *' I beg pardon of the imperial envoy ; but I must ask per- 
 mission of the imperial representative- resident to make a per- 
 sonal remark." 
 
 "The permission is granted," replied Count Spaur, sol- 
 emnly. 
 
 The envoy then continued, in loud and agitated tones : " I 
 must, then, call the attention of this august assembly to a fla- 
 grant violation of the compact agreed between the first and 
 second class of these ambassadors, by the latter. They have 
 advanced their arm-chairs until the four legs of the same are 
 now resting upon the carpet." 
 
 " We merely advanced our seats, to hear what his excel- 
 lency had to say," remarked the envoy from Bremen. 
 
 " Nevertheless," replied Count Spaur, " I must request these 
 gentlemen to recede. The understanding was, that their 
 chairs were to rest partly on the carpet, partly on the floor." 
 
 Back went all the chairs, but their occupants looked dag- 
 gers at the envoy from Mentz. 
 
 Count von Crenneville then resumed the broken thread of 
 his discourse : " I earnestly request the assembly to come to a 
 decision this very day. The country is in imminent danger, 
 and can only be saved by unanimity and promptitude of ac- 
 tion." 
 
 Here he was interrupted by the envoy from Bremen, who 
 rose and begged to be allowed to make his personal remark.
 
 422 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Count Spaur gave the required permission, and Bremen be- 
 gan to protest against Mentz & Co. 
 
 " I beg to remark, that the electoral envoys have spread out 
 their red cloaks over the backs of the chairs, in such a way as 
 to conceal the green covering entirely from view." 
 
 " It is exceedingly warm in the hall," replied electoral Co- 
 logne ; '* we were compelled to throw off our cloaks." 
 
 " Why, then, did the electoral envoys wear their cloaks ? " 
 was the inquiry of the other side. 
 
 " Because we had a right to wear them hither, and violate 
 no compact by throwing them over our chairs." 
 
 " But the electoral envoys had no right to use them as up- 
 holstery," objected Bremen, in tragic tones. " They have now 
 the appearance of being seated on red arm-chairs." 
 
 " So much the better," replied Cologne. " If accident has 
 re-established our rights of precedence, nobody has any busi- 
 ness to complain." * 
 
 This declaration was received with a burst of indignation, 
 and the princely envoys rose simultaneously from their seats. 
 A noisy and angry debate ensued, at the conclusion of which 
 the offended party declared that they would rest every leg of 
 their chairs upon the carpet ; and, as if at the word of com- 
 mand, every man dragged his arm-chair most unequivocally 
 forward, and surveyed the enemy with dogged defiance. 
 
 There was now a commotion on the side of the electorals, 
 in the midst of which Count Spaur, in perfect despair, cried 
 out at the top of his voice : 
 
 u In the name of the emperor, I demand, on both sides, the 
 literal fulfilment of your conditions. The electoral ambassa- 
 dors must withdraw their red cloaks from the backs of their 
 chairs, and throw them over the arms, and the other envoys 
 must draw back their chairs until the hind-legs thereof are on 
 the floor." 
 
 " My lords," added Count von Crenneville, " I demand also, 
 in the name of the emperor, that all personalities be cast aside, 
 and that we give our hearts to our country's cause. France is 
 upon us. She knows how disunited are the princes of Ger- 
 many, and their discord is her sheet-anchor. She knows that 
 
 * Historical. See Putter.
 
 THE IMPERIAL DIET AT REGENSBURG. 423 
 
 you are unprepared to meet her, and the emperor, being at 
 present too far to come to your rescue, she will attack you be- 
 fore you have time to defend yourselves. Is it possible that 
 you have sunk all patriotism in contemptible jealousies of one 
 another? I cannot believe it ! Away with petty rivalry and 
 family dissensions : clasp hands and make ready to defend our 
 fatherland ! " 
 
 At this moment there was a knock at the main entrance of 
 the hall, and two masters of ceremonies appeared. 
 
 " I announce to the imperial commissaries, and the envoys 
 of the German empire here assembled, that a messenger, with 
 important tidings, requests admission to this illustrious com- 
 pany." 
 
 " Whence comes he ? " asked Count Spaur. 
 
 " He announces himself as Count de Crecy, ambassador ex- 
 traordinary of the King of France to the imperial Diet." 
 
 This communication was received in profound silence. 
 Dismay was pictured on many a face, and every eye was 
 turned upon the presiding envoy, the representative of the 
 emperor. 
 
 " I lay it before the imperial Diet," said he, at last, " whether 
 the French ambassador shall be allowed entrance into the hall 
 during the sitting of its members." 
 
 " Ay, ay, let him enter," was the reply the first instance 
 of unanimity among the envoys since the day they had ar- 
 rived at Regensburg two years before ! 
 
 The masters of ceremonies retired, and Count Spaur, put- 
 ting on his hat, said : " I declare this sitting suspended. My 
 lords, cover your heads ! " 
 
 The French ambassador, followed by a numerous retinue, 
 now entered the hall. He advanced to the canopy where the 
 imperial envoys were seated, and inclined his head. Not a 
 word was spoken in return for his salutation ; and, after a 
 short pause, he raised his voice, and delivered his message : 
 
 "In the name of his most Christian majesty, Louis XIV., 
 King of France, I announce to the Diet of the German empire 
 that he has taken possession of Bonn, Kaiserswerth, and other 
 strongholds of the archbishopric of Cologne ; that Mentz has 
 opened her doors to his victorious armies, and that war is de-
 
 424 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 dared between France and Germany. The sword is drawn, 
 nor shall it return to its scabbard until the inheritance of the 
 Duchess of Orleans is given up to France, and the King of 
 France is recognized as lord and sovereign of Lorraine, Alsatia, 
 and the Netherlands ! War is declared ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE JUDITH OF ESSL1NGKN. 
 
 IT was a clear, bright morning in March. The snow had 
 long since melted from the mountain-tops, flowers had begun 
 to peep out of the earth's bosom, and the trees that grew upon 
 the heights around Esslingen were decked with buds of tender 
 green. 
 
 But the inhabitants of Esslingen had no pleasure in con- 
 templating those verdant hills ; for the castle that crowned 
 their summit was in possession of the French. Within its 
 walls the enemy were feasting and drinking, while the owners 
 of the soil, plundered of all they possessed, had naught left to 
 them on earth save the cold, bare boards of their homes, where- 
 in, a few weeks before, peace and plenty had reigned. 
 
 On the 2d of March, 1689, the French reduced the castle of 
 Heidelberg to a heap of ashes, and for more than a century its 
 bleak ruins kept alive the hatred of Germany toward their 
 relentless enemies. 
 
 God had permitted them to spread desolation over the land. 
 He had withdrawn His help from the innocent, and had suf- 
 fered the wicked to triumph. After plundering their houses 
 of every necessary of life, General Melac now required of them 
 tribute in the shape of twenty thousand florins. To raise one- 
 fourth of the sum was an impossibility in Esslingen ; and the 
 burghers of the town had gone in a body to the castle to beg 
 for mercy. 
 
 Two hours had elapsed since they had departed on their 
 dangerous mission, and the people, with throbbing hearts, 
 awaited their return. Up to this day, they had mourned and
 
 JUDITH OF ESSLIXGEtf. 425 
 
 wept in the solitude of their plundered homes ; but in this 
 hour of mortal suspense, they had instinctively sought com- 
 panionship ; and now the market-place, in whose centre was 
 the ancient town-hall, was thronged with men, women, and 
 children, of every degree. Misfortune had levelled all dis- 
 tinctions of rank, and the common danger had cemented 
 thousands of human beings into one stricken and terrified 
 family. 
 
 They stood, their anxious looks fixed upon the winding 
 path which led to the castle, while all around at the open win- 
 dows pale-faced women hoped and feared by turns, as they saw 
 light or shadow upon the faces of the multitude below. 
 
 Just opposite the council-hall was a house of dark-gray 
 stone, with a bow- window and a richly -fretted gable. At the 
 window stood two persons ; one a woman whose head was en- 
 veloped in a black veil which set off the extreme paleness of 
 her face, and fell in long folds around her person. Near her 
 stood a young girl similarly attired ; but, instead of the hair 
 just tinged with gray, which lay in smooth bands across the 
 forehead of her companion, her golden curls, stirred by the 
 breeze, encircled her young head like a halo, and the veil that 
 fluttered lightly around her graceful person lay like a misty 
 cloud about a face as beautiful in color as it was in feature. 
 Spite of suffering and privation, the brow was smooth and 
 fair, the cheeks were tinged with rose, and the lips were scarlet 
 as autumn berries. She, like the rest, had endured hunger and 
 cold ; but youth is warmed and nourished by Hope, and the 
 tears that dim a maiden's eyes are but dew-drops glittering 
 upon a beautiful rose. 
 
 Her face was serious and anxious, but her large black eyes 
 flashed with expectation, and the parted lips showed that hope 
 was stronger than fear in her young heart. Marie was the 
 only child of the chief burgomaster of Esslingen, and the lady 
 at her side was his honored wife. 
 
 " Do you see nothing, my child ? " said the mother. 
 " Great God ! this suspense is worse than death ! Your father 
 expected to be back within an hour, and more than two hours 
 have gone by ! " 
 
 The young girl strained her eyes, and looked up the castle-
 
 426 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS 
 
 road, which was just opposite the house. " Mother," said she, 
 '' I see something dark issuing from the gates." 
 
 " Oh, look again ! Is it they ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I think so, dear mother. I see them advancing : it 
 must be father and the deputies. Now I begin to distinguish 
 one from the other. There are one two three. Great God, 
 mother ! were there not seven ? I see but six ! " 
 
 "Yes seven. Your father, two burgomasters, and four 
 senators. Are you sure ? Look count once more." 
 
 " I see them distinctly now : there are six. They will be 
 hidden presently by the winding of the road ; but I see them 
 each one as he turns aside." 
 
 " And there are but six ! One of them is missing ! Oh, 
 merciful Father, which of them can it be ? " 
 
 " I see them no longer. Alas ! they are too far for recogni- 
 tion, and we must wait. Oh, mother, how my heart pains me ! " 
 
 " Let us pray, my darling," returned the mother, clasping 
 her daughter's trembling hands. 
 
 " Dear mother, I cannot ! I am too miserable to pray. If 
 Caspar were but here, I should feel less wretched." 
 
 " And yet, as a soldier of the imperial army, he is in less 
 danger than he would be, as a civilian of Esslingen. I thank 
 Heaven, dear Marie, that your betrothed is not here. At least 
 he fights face to face, with arms in hand ; while we oh, what 
 weapon can avail against midnight murder and incendia- 
 rism ? " 
 
 " And yet," sighed Marie, " I would he were here to protect 
 me!" 
 
 " He would not be allowed to protect you, for, had he seen 
 lae familiarity of that despot yesterday, he would in all prob- 
 ability have lost his life in your defence." 
 
 " I had not thought of that, I had only yearned for his pro- 
 tecting arm. Yes, mother, he would have done some desperate 
 deed had he seen the blood-stained hand of that accursed 
 Frenchman when it touched my cheek, and heard his insolent 
 tones as he asked whether its roses were colored by nature or 
 art. Oh, mother, what a misfortune for us that we were on 
 the street when he arrived ! " 
 
 Mother and daughter now relapsed into silence, for the
 
 THE JUDITH OF ESSLINGEN. 427 
 
 deputies, their heads despondingly held down, were to be seen 
 making their way through the crowd. Frau Wengelin could 
 not articulate the words she longed to speak ; hut Marie, clasp- 
 ing her hands in agony, cried out : 
 
 " He is not there ! My father is missing ! " 
 
 With one faint shriek, her mother fell senseless to the floor, 
 while Marie, darting out of the house, made her way through 
 the throng to the market-place, and overtook the deputies as 
 they were ascending the steps that led to the hall of council. 
 Grasping the arm of the first she encountered, she looked 
 wildly into his eyes, while her quivering lips vainly tried to 
 murmur. " Where is my father ? " 
 
 The old man understood those pleading looks, and answered 
 them with tears. 
 
 " Where is my father ? " cried Marie, with the strength of 
 her growing agony ; and, as the deputy was still silent, the 
 multitude around took up the young girl's words and shouted : 
 " Where is her father ? Tell us where is the Burgomaster 
 Wengelin ? " 
 
 " Is he dead ? " murmured Marie, her teeth chattering with 
 fear. 
 
 " No, Marie," replied the senator, " he is not dead, but if no 
 help is vouchsafed from above, he will die to-day, and we must 
 all die with him." 
 
 The people broke into a long wail, and Marie fell upon her 
 knees to pray. She could frame no words wherewith to cry 
 for mercy, but her soul was with God ; and for a few moments 
 she was rapt in an ecstasy that bore her far, far away from 
 the weeping multitude around. She was recalled from her 
 pious transport by the voice of her uncle, one of the deputies, 
 who was addressing the people. 
 
 General Melac had mocked at their petition. They had 
 humbled themselves on their knees for the sake of their suffer- 
 ing fellow-citizens, but the heartless Frenchman had laughed, 
 and, laughing, reiterated his command. 
 
 If before sunset the five hundred thousand francs were not 
 forthcoming, the French soldiery would be there with fire and 
 sword. The inhabitants should be exterminated, and Esslin- 
 gen laid in ashes,
 
 428 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 This horrible disclosure was received with another burst of 
 woe, except from the unfortunate Marie, who stood like a pale 
 and rigid Niobe her grief too deep for tears or sighs. 
 
 When the tumult had somewhat subsided, the senator re- 
 sumed his sad recital. At sound of the Frenchman's cruel 
 mandate, the Burgomaster Wengelin had risen from his knees, 
 and raising his head proudly, had cried out : " Give us back 
 that of which you have robbed us, and we can pay you ten 
 times the sum you ask. We were a peaceful and prosperous 
 community until your plundering hordes reduced us to beg- 
 gary. Be content with the booty you have already ; and be 
 not twice a barbarian, first stealing our property, and then, 
 like a fiend, requiring us to reproduce and lay it at your 
 feet." 
 
 The noble indignation of the burgomaster excited nothing 
 but mirth on the part of the Frenchman. He laughed. 
 
 " Well, it makes no great difference, after all. Your lives 
 will do quite as well as the ransom you cannot afford to pay 
 for them. My soldiery like fire and blood and pretty women 
 almost as well as they do gold, and I shall enjoy the spectacle 
 from the castle- walls. As for you, burgomaster, you have 
 something that I covet for my own use your beautiful 
 daughter." 
 
 " My daughter ! " shrieked Wengelin, defiantly, " before she 
 should be delivered to you, monster ! I would take her life as 
 Virginius took that of his well-beloved child ! " 
 
 The general said not a word. For a time the two men eyed 
 each other like two enraged tigers ; but General Melac wasted 
 no time in vain indignation. He signed to his guards, and 
 ordered them to take away the prisoner, and retain him as a 
 hostage until sunset. 
 
 " When our well-beloved citizens of Esslingen shall hear 
 the report of the musketry that ends his life, they will know 
 that the signal for pillage has been given. The execution will 
 take place at sunset. " 
 
 Then, addressing himself to the six remaining deputies : 
 " Go," said he, " and relate what you have seen and heard to 
 your fellow-citizens ; and tell them that my Frenchmen are 
 skilful both with sabre and torch ; they have been practising
 
 THE JUDITH OF ESSLINGEN. 
 
 for several weeks past in Heidelberg, Mannheim, and other 
 German cities. Do not forget to communicate all this to the 
 fair daughter of the burgomaster." 
 
 This time there was no outburst of grief from the people ; 
 they felt that all hope was vain, and they were nerving 
 themselves for martyrdom. Presently there was a sound of 
 voices, and the fugitives from Wurtemberg and the Palati- 
 nate were heard relating their frightful experience of the 
 warfare of a monarch who styled himself " Most Christian 
 King." 
 
 One of them mounted the steps of the council-hall, and de- 
 scribed the entrance of the French into his native town. The 
 people were driven with bayonets from their beds into the 
 snow, children were tossed into the flames ; old men were 
 butchered like cattle ; maidens were torn from the arms of 
 their parents, and given over to the soldiery ; and the narrator, 
 who had escaped, had been for days without food for weeks 
 without covering or shelter ! 
 
 As the man concluded this frightful picture of carnage, a 
 voice from among the crowd was heard in clear, loud, ringing 
 tones : 
 
 " There is rescue at hand we must make use of it ! " 
 
 At the same moment, Marie felt a grasp upon her arm, and 
 turning beheld herself in the custody of a tall, pale man, who 
 continued to cry out : 
 
 " She can rescue us ! I saw the French general stroke 
 her cheeks yesterday, and look at her with eyes of love. Did 
 he not demand her of her father ? And were his last words 
 not a message to her ? I hint that she might ransom us if she 
 would ! " 
 
 " Ay, ay," responded one of the crowd. " Ay ! " echoed 
 another and another ; and now the chorus gathered strength, 
 and swelled into a shout that penetrated the walls of Esslin- 
 eii Castle, and reached the ears of Marie's unconscious 
 father. 
 
 Marie covered her face with her hands, and sank upon her 
 kuees. *' Oh, Caspar ! " was the unspoken thought of her af- 
 fectionate soul. 
 
 " Friends ! " exclaimed her uncle, " you are drunk with
 
 430 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 cowardly fright. Know ye that ye ask of this maiden her own 
 ruin for your lives ? " 
 
 >J But if Melac's soldiery are set upon us," replied a young 
 woman in the throng ; " we shall all be ruined mothers, 
 wives, and maidens. And is it not better," continued she, rais- 
 ing her voice, and addressing the mob, " is it not better that 
 One woman should suffer dishonor than a thousand ? " 
 
 " Marie Wengelin will have her father's life to answer for, 
 as well as the lives of her fellow-citizens," cried another voice. 
 " It is her duty to sacrifice herself." 
 
 At this moment the loud, shrill tones of an affrighted voice 
 were heard calling out, " Marie ! Marie ! my child ! " and the 
 figure of Frau Wengelin, with outstretched arms, was now 
 seen at the window, whence the mother and daughter had 
 watched the return of the deputies. 
 
 Marie would have responded to that pathetic appeal, but as 
 she rose from her knees, and attempted to move, she was forced 
 and held back by the crowd. They were lost to all sense of 
 humanity for the one segregated being by whose immolation 
 the safety of the aggregate might be effected. 
 
 " Have pity ! have pity ! " cried the poor girl. " Do you 
 not hear my mother calling me ? Think of your own children, 
 and hinder me not, I implore ye ! " 
 
 " We think of our children, and therefore you shall not 
 go ! You shall sacrifice yourself for the suffering many ! " 
 
 And they lifted her back to the peristyle, where she stood 
 alone, confronting the pitiless crowd that demanded her honor 
 wherewith to buy their lives. What was the fate of the daugh- 
 ter of Jephthah, compared to that which threatened poor 
 Marie of Esslingen ? 
 
 Suddenly a cloud seemed to pass over the sky, and the faces 
 of her enemies were no longer distinct. Marie raise her arms 
 wildly over her head, and screamed, for too well she under- 
 stood the shadow that rested upon the market-place. The sun 
 had sunk behind the heights of Esslingen. and one half hour 
 remained ere her father lost his life. 
 
 The crowd renewed their cries, entreaties, and threats. 
 Some appealed to her patriotism, some to her filial love, some 
 called her a murderess, the meanest among the multitude at
 
 THE JUDITH OF ESSLINT.EN. 431 
 
 tempted to terrify her as if any doom could equal the horror 
 of the one they were forcing upon an innocent, pure-hearted, 
 and loving girl ! 
 
 She raised her hand to obtain a hearing. 
 
 ' You shall not perish if my prayers can save you ! I will 
 go to our oppressor, 'and try to move his heart to pity." 
 
 She heard neither their shouts of joy nor their thanks. 
 She was hardly conscious of the blessings that were being 
 poured on her head, the kisses that were imprinted on her 
 rigid, clammy hands. She stood for a while, her teeth 
 clinched, her eyes distended, her figure dilated to its utmost ; 
 then suddenly she shivered, thrust away the women that were 
 clustering about her, and began her via cruets. 
 
 At the gate of the city she encountered the pastor that had 
 baptized and received her into the church. He had placed 
 himself there that he might pour what consolation he could 
 into that bruised and bleeding heart. The old man laid his 
 hand upon her golden curls, and she fell at his feet. The mul- 
 titude that had followed their victim simultaneously bent the 
 knee and bowed their heads ; for, although they were too far 
 to overhear his words, they knew that the pastor was blessing 
 her. 
 
 "As Abraham blessed Isaac, and as the Israelites blessed 
 Judith, so do I bless thee, thou deliverer of thy people ! May 
 God inspire thy tongue, and so soften the heart of the tyrant, 
 that he may hearken to thy prayers, and, looking upon thy 
 pure and virgin brow, he may respect that honor which is 
 dearer to woman than life. God bless thee, Marie ! God bless 
 thee ! " He bowed his head close to her ear. u Marie you are 
 a Christian. Swear to me that you will not stain your hands 
 with blood.'' 
 
 Marie's eyes flashed fire. " Did not the Israelite kill Holo- 
 fernes ? " 
 
 '' Yes, my child ; but Israel's heroine was called Judith, 
 and ours bears the blessed name of Mary ! 'Vengeance is 
 mine, saith the Lord ; I will repay.'" 
 
 Marie's eye was still unsubdued, and she looked more like 
 Judith than like Mary. The old pastor was agitated and 
 alarmed.
 
 432 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Marie, Marie, you are in the hands of God. Come weal, 
 come wo, can you not trust yourself to Him ? See, the sun 
 goes lower and lower ; but before I release your hand you must 
 swear that it shall shed no blood." 
 
 Alas ! Yes the sun was rapidly sinking, and she must hns- 
 ten, or her father's life would be lost. "I promise," said .she, 
 " and now, father, pray pray for 
 
 She could say no more ; but rising she went alone up the 
 steps that led to Esslingen Castle. The people, still on their 
 knees, followed her lithe figure till it was hidden for a time 
 by the fir-trees that grew along the heights ; then, as she 
 emerged again and appeared at the hill-top, the multitude gave 
 vent to their feelings in prayer. 
 
 Higher and higher she mounted, until they saw that she 
 had reached the gates, and disappeared. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HER RETURN. 
 
 HOURS went by and darkness set in. It was a cold night 
 in March ; the wind howled in fitful gusts along the streets, 
 but the people could not disperse. They sat shivering to- 
 gether in the market-place ; for how was it possible for sleep 
 to visit their eyes, when every moment might hurl destruc- 
 tion upon their heads. The old priest went from one to an- 
 other, encouraging the desponding, and comforting the afflict- 
 ed ; praying with the mothers, and covering their shivering 
 children, who, stretched at the feet of their parents, or resting 
 within their arms, were the only ones there to whom sleep 
 brought oblivion of sorrow. 
 
 At last that fearful night of suspense went by. A rosy 
 flush tinged the eastern sky, it deepened to gold, and the sun 
 rose. The people raised a hymn of thanksgiving, and, as they 
 were rising from their devotions, the roll of a drum was heard, 
 and a file of soldiers were seen issuing from the castle-gates. 
 They came nearer and nearer, until they reached the city;
 
 HER RETURN. 433 
 
 but by the time they had neared the market-place, not a hu- 
 man being was there to confront them : the people had all fled 
 to their houses. 
 
 They stopped before the residence of the burgomaster, and 
 from an opening made in the ranks there issued two persons ; 
 the one a man, the other a woman. The latter was veiled, 
 and her head rested languidly upon the shoulders of her com- 
 panion. 
 
 A group of French officers escorted them to the door, where 
 they took off their hats, and, bowing low, retired. The father 
 and daughter were lost to view, the drum beat anew, and the 
 men, without exchanging a word with the inhabitants, re- 
 turned to their quarters at Esslingen Castle. 
 
 The people were no sooner reassured as to the intentions of 
 the soldiers, than they poured in streams from their homes, 
 and took their way to the burgomaster's house. Congratula- 
 tions were exchanged between friends, parents embraced their 
 children, husbands pressed their wives to their bosoms ; every 
 heart overflowed with gratitude to Marie, every voice was lift- 
 ed in her praise. 
 
 But she ! Scarcely enduring her mother's caresses, she 
 had torn herself from that mother's embrace, and, hastening 
 away to the solitude of her own room, had bolted herself 
 within. 
 
 Two hours went by, and the house of the burgomaster 
 could scarcely contain the friends that flocked thither to wel- 
 come his daughter. Without, a band of music was playing 
 martial airs, while within, halls, parlors, and staircases, were 
 crowded with magistrates in their robes of office, churchmen 
 in their clerical gowns, and women and maidens in gay and 
 festive apparel. 
 
 A deputation of citizens now requested to be permitted to 
 pay homage to the heroine that had rescued her townsmen 
 from death ; and Frau Wengelin ventured to knock at the 
 door of her daughter's chamber. She was so earnest in her 
 pleadings, that at last the bolt was withdrawn, and Marie, with 
 bloodshot eyes, and mouth convulsed, appeared upon the 
 threshold. 
 
 " Come r my child," said the poor mother, " the citizens will
 
 434 ttttifCfi EtGfcKE AXD HIS TlM$& 
 
 not leave the house until they have seen you.' 1 And compel- 
 ling her forward, Frau Wengelin, with some difficulty, brought 
 her as far as the foot of the staircase. 
 
 She was greeted with loud and repeated cheerings, which 
 scarcely appeared to reach her ear, while her eyes, fixed upon 
 the throng before her, seemed to ask what meant this tur- 
 moil. 
 
 Suddenly she heard her name whispered, and, with a fear- 
 ful shriek, she recoiled from the outstretched hand of a 
 young man, who had just rushed forward to clasp her in his 
 arms. 
 
 " What ails my Marie on this festive day, where all is joy 
 around ?" said he. "I have just this moment arrived, to say 
 that help is nigh, my countrymen," added he, addressing the 
 crowd. " Our army is at hand, and the French shall suffer 
 for their deeds of violence in Germany. But what means this 
 large and gay assemblage ? And who are these ? " asked he, 
 as a group of young maidens came forward with a crown of 
 laurel, and some of the principal burgomasters, leading the be- 
 wildered Marie to a throne decked with flowers, seated her on 
 a chair under its green and fragrant canopy. 
 
 No answer was made to his inquiry, for one of the deputies 
 began an address, in which Marie was hailed as the heroine 
 that had rescued her fellow-citizens from death, and her native 
 place from destruction. Her portrait was to grace the council- 
 hall of Esslingen, and such honors as it lay in the power of 
 its magistrates to confer, were to be hers forever. 
 
 At this moment Marie rose, suddenly from her seat, gasped 
 for breath, and fell as suddenly back, for the first time lifting 
 her face, which, as she lay against the wall of flowers that 
 concealed her chair, was marble-white, and strangely con- 
 vulsed. 
 
 Her mother started forward, and Caspar, catching her in 
 his arms, c-ovei-ed her face with kisses. 
 
 " What ails thee, my beloved '{ Oh, do not look so wildly 
 at thy Caspar ! Marie, my own one, what is it ? " 
 
 " It is over," murmured she, almost inaudibly. 
 
 " What is over ? " cried the frightened mother^ bending 
 over her child's writhing form.
 
 HER RETURN. 435 
 
 " Life ! " sighed the girl, aud her eyes closed wearily. 
 
 The frightful stillness was unbroken by a sound. Fran 
 Wengelin suppressed her sobs, that she might gaze upon her 
 dying child ; while her father stood by, the picture of dumb 
 despair. Caspar held her to his heart, dimly apprehending 
 the fearful tragedy of the hour, and the guests pressed noise- 
 lessly around, vainly striving to catch a glimpse of their vic- 
 tim's face. 
 
 The crowd opened to allow passage to the priest, who, ap- 
 proaching the throne, came and knelt beside Caspar. 
 
 " Marie," said he, in a loud, distinct voice, that reached the 
 portals of her soul, and aroused her departing senses. 
 
 Marie slowly opened her eyes, and gazed upon the speaker. 
 " I have kept my oath," said she, hoarsely. " No blood was 
 shed, but I have returned to die." 
 
 " Wherefore to die ? " cried several voices at once. 
 
 " Ask my Caspar," murmured she, looking fondly into the 
 face of her betrothed, and, with her eyes fixed upon his, Marie's 
 soul took its flight to heaven.
 
 BOOK YIL 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ISLAND OF BLISS. 
 
 THEY were together iu the little pavilion of the garden at 
 Schonbrunn. With clasped hands, and eyes that sparkled 
 with happiness, they sat in that sweet silence which to lovers 
 is more eloquent than words. The door that led to the park 
 was open, and the balmy breath of May wafted toward them 
 the perfume of the flowers and trees without. 
 
 The park, too, was undisturbed by a sound. The laborers 
 had gone to their mid-day meal, and the birds had hidden 
 themselves away from the sunbeams. The great heart of 
 Nature was pulsating with a joy like that of the lovers, too 
 great for utterance. There was something in the appearance 
 of this youthful pair which would have convinced a looker-on 
 that there was a mystery of some sort surrounding the ro- 
 mance of their love. For the one was in the garb of a nun, 
 her head concealed by a coif, and her person enveloped in a 
 long white veil ; while the other was attired in a splendid 
 Spanish dress. Over it hung a heavy gold chain, to which 
 was attached the order of the Golden Fleece. His soft black 
 hair lay on a forehead white as snow, and made a pleasant 
 contrast with a face which was pale, not with sickness or suf- 
 fering, but with that suppressed sensibility which leaves the 
 cheek colorless because its fires are concentrated within the 
 heart. No ! It was not for sorrow that Eugene of Savoy was 
 pale ; it was from excess of joy ; for she was at his side, and 
 the world had nothing more to bestow ! 
 
 So thought he, as, with caressing hand, he lifted her long 
 veil from her shoulders and threw it behind, in imitation of 
 the drapery that hangs around Raphael's Madonnas. 
 
 (436)
 
 THE ISLAND OF BLISS. 437 
 
 " Oh, how I love you, Sister Angelica ! " murmured he ; 
 " and, in my feverish visions, how often I have mistaken that 
 white veil for the snowy sail of a ship of which I used to 
 dream in my delirium a ship that was bearing me onward to 
 an island of bliss, where my Laura stood with outstretched 
 arms, and welcomed me home ! But what were imagination's 
 brightest picturings to the reality of the deep joy that flooded 
 my being, when the veil was flung back, and my love stood 
 revealed ! Oh, Laura my life will be all too short to reward 
 you for your fidelity." 
 
 " You love me, Eugene, and therein is my unspeakable re- 
 ward." 
 
 " And will you never leave me, dearest ? " 
 
 She laid her small hand upon his head, smoothed his hair 
 fondly, and gazed passionately into his eyes. You ask, as if 
 you required an answer, 1 ' said she, in tones that were tremu- 
 lous with love. 
 
 '' I do require an answer, for I am continually fearing that 
 this is a blissful dream ; and that some morn I shall awake 
 to find thee flown, and Angelica the nun all that is left of 
 thee ! When thou art absent from my sight, I shiver with 
 dread lest I should see thee never more." 
 
 She laughed, and oh, how musical was her laugh ! " Is 
 this the hero of Belgrade, that talks of shivering with 
 dread?" 
 
 "Yes ; and when he thinks that he might lose you, he is no 
 hero, but a poor coward. And in truth, my Laura, I am tired 
 of a soldier's life it is too exciting for my health ; and I am 
 tired of the world and its frivolities, too. If you love me as I 
 do you, you will be happy in our mutual love, without other 
 companionship than mine." 
 
 ' Over castle-roof, and through the dangerous descent of 
 that castle-chimney, came I to meet you, Eugene ; how then 
 should I pine for other companionship ?" 
 
 " When I think how mysterious was your escape, I dread 
 lest you should disappear from me as mysteriously. The very 
 thought presses on my brain like the first horrid symptoms of 
 madness ; then my body begins to suft'er, my wounds seem to 
 open, and bleed anew. Laura, prove to me your love by going
 
 438 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 with me into solitude. I am tired of being a courtier, and 
 have asked the emperor for my discharge." 
 
 " Did he grant it, Eugene ? " asked she, fixing her large, 
 penetrating eyes upon his, with an earnestness that forbade 
 him to avoid her glance. 
 
 *' He will grant it to-morrow. To-morrow for the last time, 
 I go to the imperial palace as a field-marshal ; I shall return 
 thence nobody but Eugene of Savoy, your lover, who lives but 
 to serve you, and repay if he can all that he owes to your 
 courageous and heroic affection." 
 
 '' The emperor has refused," replied Laura. " He gave you 
 time for reflection," added she, looking intently again into her 
 lover's eyes. 
 
 " Perhaps he may have wished me to reflect," replied he, 
 smiling, and trying to endure her scrutiny. " But my resolve 
 is not to be shaken. I shall retire to the estate presented me 
 by the emperor in Hungary, there to live with my darling on 
 an island of bliss, upheaved so far above the tempestuous 
 ocean of the world's vicissitudes, that no lashing of its waves 
 will ever reach our home. Will you go with me into this isl- 
 and, where you shall not fear the world's censorious comments 
 on our reunion where you may throw aside that false vestal 
 garb, and be my own untrammelled bride ?" 
 
 Laura said nothing ; a deep glow suffused her cheeks, 
 and her eyes filled with tears. Gliding from her seat 
 to her knees, she took her lover's hand and covered it with 
 kisses. 
 
 " Laura ! " exclaimed he, " what can this signify ? " 
 
 Laura wept on for a time in silence ; then, when she had 
 recovered herself sufficiently to speak, she replied : 
 
 "It signifies that I bow down before the magnanimity of 
 him who, to shield me from the world's contumely, would re- 
 linquish that which he holds most dear on earth, his hopes of 
 glory." 
 
 " Laura, give me an answer to my prayer. Will you go 
 with me to my estates in Hungary ? " 
 
 Laura smiled, but said nothing. 
 
 "Answer me, Laura, answer me, my own love." 
 
 " The emperor gp ve you a day to reflect upon your sudden
 
 THE ISLAND OF BLISS. 
 
 desire for retirement. Give me but one hour for my deci- 
 sion." 
 
 "You hesitate!" 
 
 " Only one hour, Eugene ; but during that hour I must be 
 alone with my Maker. Await me here." 
 
 Drawing the veil over her face, Laura bounded lightly 
 down the pavilion steps, and walked hurriedly toward the pal- 
 ace. Eugene looked after her with eyes that beamed with love 
 ineffable, sighing as he did so : " She is worthy of the sacri- 
 fice ; I owe it to her." 
 
 The hour seemed interminable. At first, he fixed his eyes 
 upon the walk by which she must return ; then he turned 
 away, that he might wait until he heard her dear voice. 
 
 At last a light step approached the pavilion ; he heard it 
 coming up the steps, and a beloved voice spoke : 
 
 " The Marchioness de Boiialetta." 
 
 Eugene turned, and there, instead of Sister Angelica, stood 
 his beautiful Laura in rich attire so beautiful that he thought 
 he had never sufficiently admired her before. 
 
 He started forward, and, dropping on one knee, took her 
 little hand, and covered it with kisses. Then, rising, he flung 
 his arm around her waist, and drew her to a seat. 
 
 " Now read me the riddle," said he. 
 
 " My beloved, do you think me so blind as not to have com- 
 prehended the immeasurable sacrifice you would have made 
 to my womanly pride ? Oh, how I thank you, my own, peer- 
 less Eugene ! But I will not accept it. I may not bear your 
 name, but God knows that I am your wife, as Eve was the 
 spouse of Adam ; and it is for me to show that our bond is 
 holy, by enduring courageously the stigma of being considered 
 as your mistress. Enough for me to feel that to you I shall 
 be an honored and beloved wife, incapable of sharing your 
 fame, but oh, how proud of my hero ! Gird on your sword, 
 my Eugene, and fulfil your glorious destiny. Go once more 
 into the world, and let me share your fate." 
 
 " Let her share my fate ! She asks me to let her share my 
 fate/' cried Eugene, pressing her to his heart. And God and 
 Nature blessed the union that man refused to acknowledge. 
 
 29
 
 440 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE FRENCH IN SPEIEB. 
 
 GENERAL MELAC and his murderous hordes were in the old 
 city of Speier, squandering the goods and money of which 
 they had robbed the unfortunate inhabitants. Scarcely two 
 months had elapsed since the departure of the French from 
 Esslingen, and in that short interval they had laid more than 
 one hundred towns in ashes. 
 
 But Melac was insatiable ; his eyes feasted on the scarlet 
 hue of German blood, his ears were ravished with the sounds 
 of German groans and sighs ; and oftentimes, when the poor 
 hunted fugitives were flying from his presence, he made a 
 pastime of their misery for himself, by aiming at them with 
 his own musket, to see how many he could bring down before 
 they passed out of sight. 
 
 He was holding a council of war with his generals ; but, 
 while he made merry over his cruelties of the day before, and 
 projected others for the morrow, his officers frowned and 
 averted their eyes. 
 
 His thick, sensual lips expanded with a hideous smile. '* It 
 would seem that my orders are not agreeable," said he. 
 " Pray, gentlemen, am I so unlucky as to have earned your 
 disapproval ? " 
 
 There was no answer to this inquiry, but neither was there 
 any change in the aspect of the officers. 
 
 "General Feuquiere," cried Melac, "you are not usually 
 reticent ; pray, let us hear your opinion of my mode of war- 
 fare." 
 
 " I cannot approve of cruelty," replied Feuquiere, bluntly. 
 " Our men act much less like the brave soldiers of a Chris- 
 tian king, than like demons that have been let loose from 
 hell." 
 
 " You do not flatter us," replied Melac. " And I am curious 
 to know whether anybody else here present shares your opin- 
 ion." 
 
 " We are all of one mind," was the unanimous reply.
 
 THE FRENCH IX SPEIER. 
 
 "We are assassins and incendiaries, but we have never 
 yet fought a battle like men," resumed De Feuquiere. 
 
 " No," added Montclas. u We have longed in vain for hon- 
 orable warfare ; for a fair combat before the light of heaven, 
 face to face with men armed like ourselves ; and we are sick 
 at heart of midnight torches and midnight murders." 
 
 " No doubt ; you are a sentimental personage, I hear : one 
 who shed tears when the order was given to sack Mann- 
 heim." 
 
 "I am not ashamed of those tears," returned Montclas. 
 " For three months these much enduring people have exerted 
 themselves to do our bidding, treating us like guests who had 
 come to them as foes. And when, in return for their kind- 
 ness, our soldiery were ordered to sack their beautiful city, I 
 wept while I was forced to obey the inhuman command of my 
 superior officer. May Almighty God not hold me responsible 
 as a creature for what I have been forced to do as a sol- 
 dier ! " 
 
 "You can justify yourself by referring the Almighty to 
 me, as I shall certainly justify myself by referring Him to 
 Monsieur Louvois. It is true that I do not weep when I carry 
 out his orders ; but you may judge for yourselves whether I 
 transcend them. General Montclas, be so good as to read 
 aloud this dispatch." 
 
 General Montclas took the paper, and read in an audible 
 voice : 
 
 " 'It is now two weeks since I have seen a courier from the 
 army. What are you about that I receive no more accounts 
 of the destruction of German cities wherewith to entertain the 
 idle hours of his majesty ? You have been ordered to devas- 
 tate the entire German frontier. You began bravely, but you 
 are not keeping the promise of your opening. The Germans 
 are full of sentiment, and you must wound them through 
 their affections and associations. Burn their houses, sack their 
 fine churches, deface and destroy their monuments and public 
 buildings. When next you write, let me hear that Speier 
 with its magnificent cathedral is a thing of the past ; and be 
 expeditious, that Worms and Trier may share the same fate. 
 
 'Louvois.'"
 
 442 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " You see, then," observed Melac, " that I do but obey or- 
 ders. 
 
 " That may be," sighed De Feuquiere, " but all Europe will 
 rise in one indignant protest against our inhumanity." 
 
 " Let them protest ; we will have raised such a barrier of 
 desolation between themselves and France, that we can afford 
 to laugh at their indignation. I for my part approve of the 
 method of warfare traced out for us by the minister of war, 
 and I shall carry it out from Basle to Coblentz. The time we 
 allowed to the people of Speier for reflection, expires to-day. 
 To horse, then ! The burgomasters are waiting for us in the 
 market-place by the cathedral." 
 
 Yes ! The burghers, the clergy, the women, and the chil- 
 dren, were on their knees in the market-place, crying for mercy. 
 Melac, laughing at their wretchedness, spurred his horse on- 
 ward, and plunged into their midst, scattering them right and 
 left like a flock of frightened sheep ; and the clang of his 
 horse's hoofs on the stone pavement sounded to his unhappy 
 victims like the riveting of nails in the great coffin wherein 
 their beautiful city was shortly to be buried. 
 
 But they were not noisy in their grief. Here and there 
 might be heard a slight sob, and, with this exception, there was 
 silence in that thronged market-place. 
 
 Suddenly the great bell of the cathedral began to toll, and 
 after it all the bells in Speier. General Melac slackened his 
 pace, and rode deliberately along the market-place, as if to 
 give that weeping multitude the opportunity of looking upon 
 his cruel face, and reading there that from him no mercy was 
 to be expected. 
 
 The bells ceased, and their tones were yet trembling on the 
 air, when the women and children lifted up their voices and 
 began to chant : " In my trouble I called on the Lord ! v 
 
 The strain was taken up by the musicians who stood at the 
 open windows of the council -hall, and now the burghers, the 
 magistrates, and the clergy, joined in the holy song. The 
 French uncovered their heads and listened reverentially, while 
 many an eye was dimmed with tears, and many a heart bled 
 for the fate of those whom they could not rescue. 
 
 Every man there felt the influence of the blessed words,
 
 fHE FRENCH IX SPEIER. 443 
 
 except one. General Melac was neither awed nor touched ; 
 hi> -Kile eye was as cold, his sardonic mouth as cruel as ever. 
 
 '' He is perfectly hardened," murmured a monk, who was 
 leaning against one of the columns of the cathedral. This 
 monk was a young man, of tall, muscular build. His wide 
 shoulders and fine, erect figure, seemed much more suitable to 
 a soldier than to a brother of the order of mercy. Even his 
 sun-burnt face had a proud, martial look ; and as his dark, 
 glowing eyes rested on Melac, they kindled with a glance that 
 was not very expressive of bi'otherly love. 
 
 "He is without pity," thought he, "and perhaps 'tis well ; 
 for I might have been touched to grant him a death more 
 merciful." 
 
 He moved away that he might distinguish the words that 
 were now being poured forth from the quivering lips of the 
 white-haired prebendary of the cathedral ; but the poor old 
 priest's voice was tremulous with tears, and the monk could 
 not hear. He then made a passage for himself through the 
 crowd and approached General Melac. The prebendary had 
 ceased to speak, and there was a solemn stillness in the mar- 
 ket-place, for every sigh was hushed to catch the words that 
 were to follow. 
 
 Melac looked around that he might see how many thousand 
 human beings were acknowledging his power, then he drew 
 in his rein and smiled that deadly smile ! 
 
 " My orders must be carried out," said he, in a loud and dis- 
 tinct voice. " Speier must be razed to the ground, and I am 
 sorry that its inhabitants were unwilling to profit by the ner- 
 mission I gave them to emigrate to France. They would 
 have been kindly received there." 
 
 " We hope for mercy," was the reply of the prebendary. 
 " Oh, general, let us not hope in vain ! " 
 
 " No mercy shall be given you," said Melac, who, turning 
 to General Montclas, remarked, " What an advantage I have 
 over you ! I know their language, and can understand all 
 their expressions of grief ! It is a comic litany ! " 
 
 " Demon, I will repay thee ! " muttered the monk. And, 
 coming close to the general's horse, he laid Uis hand upon the 
 rein.
 
 444 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " What do you mean, sirrah ? " cried Melac. " Withdraw 
 your hand." 
 
 " Your excellency," replied the man in pure French, " allow 
 me to station myself at your horse's head, for you may need 
 my help to-day." 
 
 " Your help ? Wherefore ? " 
 
 "The work in which you are engaged is apt to provoke 
 personal hostility. I dreamed last night that I saw you wel- 
 tering in your blood, enveloped in flames. I am superstitious 
 very ; particularly as regards dreams, and I left the hospital 
 where I was engaged in nursing the sick, on purpose to pro- 
 tect your excellency from secret foes." 
 
 '* Protect me ! Who do you suppose would be so bold as to 
 attack me ? Not this whining multitude around us." 
 
 "Nobody knows to what acts despair may drive the meek- 
 est of men," was the monk's reply. 
 
 " Very well ; I believe you are right," said Melac, a little 
 disturbed. ' Station yourself at my rein, then." 
 
 At that moment there was a general wail, and many a 
 voice was lifted up in one last effort to soften the heart of their 
 persecutor. 
 
 " Speier must be destroyed," was his answer, " but to show 
 you the extent of my clemency, I will now announce to you 
 that without the gates are four hundred forage- wagons, which 
 I have provided for the removal of your valuables (if you 
 have any) to any point you may select within the boundaries 
 of France. Those who prefer to remain, are allowed to de- 
 posit their effects in the cathedral, and to guard them in per- 
 son. The temple of Almighty God is sacred, and the hand of 
 man shall not profane its sanctity by deeds of violence. Take 
 your choice of the cathedral or the army-wagons : I give you 
 four hours' grace. If, after that time, I find a German on the 
 streets, man, woman, or child, the offender shall be scourged 
 or put to the sword." 
 
 In a few moments the market-place was empty, and the 
 people, exhausted and cowed thoxigh they were, by two months 
 of oppression, had flown to take advantage of this last act of 
 grace. 
 
 "Now, my excellent brother," said Melac to the monk,
 
 THE FRENCH IN SPEIER. 445 
 
 " you see that I am quite safe, and cau dispense with your pro- 
 tection." 
 
 " The day is not yet at an end," said the monk, solemnly. 
 
 " You are right." cried the butcher, u it has scarcely begun ; 
 but by and-by we shall see a comedy that will raise your spirits 
 for a month to come. The actors thereof are to be the people 
 of Speier, and the entertainment will close with an exhibition 
 of fireworks on a magnificent scale. Send me two ordnance 
 officers ! " cried he to his staff. 
 
 Two lancers approached and saluted their commander. 
 
 u Let two companies of infantry occupy the market-place," 
 said Melac. " Let four cannon be stationed at the entrances 
 of the four streets leading to the cathedral. For four hours 
 the people shall be allowed to enter with their chattels. At 
 the end of this truce, two more companies of infantry shall be 
 ordered hither, one of which shall surround the cathedral, the 
 other march inside. A detachment of miners must encompass 
 the columns and cornice of the roof with combustibles ; but 
 use no powder, for that might endanger ourselves. There 
 are straw, hemp, pitch, tar, and sulphur enough in the town to 
 make the grandest show since Rome was burned. The in- 
 fantry that enter the church, will massacre the people, and if 
 they are dexterous the booty is theirs ; hut they must do their 
 work swiftly, or there will be no time to save anything, for I 
 intend that the entire building shall be fired at once. 
 
 The monk started, grasped the mane of the horse with a 
 movement that caused him to shy, and his rider to cry out in 
 great irritation : 
 
 " What are you doing, fool ? " 
 
 " Pardon, your excellency, my foot was under your horse's 
 hoof, and I could not help catching at his mane." 
 
 " Keep farther away, then ; I do not believe in dreams. 
 Away ! " cried he, to the lancers, who, horror-stricken but 
 powerless to refuse, went on their diabolical mission. 
 
 " And now," continued Melac, " we will ride to the gates to 
 see what sort of entertainment our hospitable hosts of Speier 
 are preparing for us there." 
 
 He galloped off with such swiftness that his guardian-angel 
 was left behind. But he followed as fast as he could ; when-
 
 446 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ever he met a man hastening with his goods to the cathe- 
 dral, bidding him " Beware ! " and passing on. Some heeded 
 the warning, others did not. They were so paralyzed by de- 
 spair that the monk's words conveyed no meaning to their 
 ninds, and they went humbly on to their destruction. 
 
 He meanwhile hurried to the gates through which the 
 weeping crowds were bearing, each one, what he valued most 
 on earth. There were women, scarcely able to totter, whose 
 dearest burdens were their own helpless children ; there were 
 men carrying sickly wives or decrepit mothers ; there were 
 others so loaded down with the few worldly goods that the 
 odious Frenchman had left them, that their backs were almost 
 bent in two, and they were scarcely able to drag themselves 
 along ! The nearer the gates, the denser the throng, many of 
 whom were fainting with misery and exhaustion ; but many 
 also to whom despair lent strength. 
 
 Melac was there, enjoying the scene ; sometimes glancing 
 toward the gates, sometimes toward the wagons which, for 
 miles around, covered the extensive plain outside of the city. 
 The poor fainting wretches that reached them let their burdens 
 drop, and would have made an effort to follow them, but they 
 were told that no one would be allowed to enter the wagons 
 until all had been filled with their wares. 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 THE TREASURE. 
 
 FOR three hours the monk strove in vain to reach the gate ; 
 but the time of grace was fast approaching its close, and now, 
 the press becoming less, he sped along as if he had been flying 
 for life, until he came panting, almost breathless, to the spot 
 where the French general, surrounded by his staff, was sitting 
 on his horse, enjoying himself immensely. 
 
 u Ah ! " said he, " our pious brother here ! Well you see 
 that I am alive." 
 
 " Yes, and I am glad to know it," replied the monk, resum- 
 ing his place at the bridle.
 
 THE TREASURE. 44? 
 
 Melac turned to one of his adjutants : " Give orders to the 
 drivers to go on, and let the soldiers cut down every man that 
 attempts to mount the wagons or withdraw his effects. To 
 get the honey, we must kill the bees. When they are all dead, 
 the men can divide the spoils." * 
 
 " As soon as the sport is over," continued he. to another ad- 
 jutant, " I will repair, with my staff, to the council-hall, there 
 to see the illumination. Ride on, and tell the superin- 
 tendent that, when he sees my handkerchief waving from 
 the great window in the second story, he must apply his 
 matches." 
 
 So saying, Melac put spurs to his horse, and, followed by 
 his staff, approached the wagons, and gave a signal with his 
 sword. 
 
 The whole train was set in motion, and the horses were 
 urged to the top of their speed. 
 
 The unhappy victims of this demoniac stratagem gave one 
 simultaneous shout of indignation. Those nearest the wagons 
 strove to clutch at them with their hands. Some held on even 
 to the wheels, some mounted the horses, some snatched the 
 reins. But sharp swords were near ; and, at the word of com- 
 mand, every outstretched arm was hacked off, and fell, sev- 
 ered, to the ground. 
 
 A struggle now began between the soldiery and the com- 
 panions of those who had been so cruelly mutilated. They 
 were unarmed, but they had the strength of brutes at bay ; 
 and by-and-by many a sword had been snatched from their 
 assassins, and many a Frenchman had bitten the dust. General 
 Melac was so interested in a fight between two soldiers and two 
 women whose children had been driven off in the wagons, that, 
 before he was aware of his danger, a sword was uplifted over 
 his head, and a frenzied face was almost thrust into his own. 
 At this moment his reins were seized, his horse was forced 
 back, and the stout arm of the monk had wrested the sabre 
 from the enraged German, who fell, pierced by a bullet from 
 the holster of an officer close by. 
 
 " Was it you, pious brother, that so opportunely backed my 
 steed ? " inquired Melac. 
 
 * Historical. See Zimmermaaii, " History of Wurtemberg," vol. ii.
 
 448 PRINCE EUGEXE AND HI1S TIMES. 
 
 The monk bowed, and the general saw that his forehead 
 was bloody. 
 
 " Are you wounded ? " 
 
 " Yes, general ; I received the stroke that was intended for 
 you, but parried it, and the blow was slight." 
 
 " I am a thousand times indebted to you for the service you 
 have rendered me, and hope that you will not leave me a 
 second time without your sheltering presence. Ho ! a horse 
 there for the Bernardine monk ! " 
 
 No sooner were Melac's commands uttered than they were 
 obeyed, for he that tarried when the tyrant spoke was sure to 
 come to grief. The monk swung himself into the saddle with 
 the agility of a trooper, and, although the horse reared and 
 plunged, he never swerved from his seat. 
 
 " Verily you are a curious specimen of a monk," laughed 
 Melac. " I never saw a brother so much to my taste before. 
 Come, follow me to the market-place, and you shall see my 
 skill in pyrotechnics. If I had but Nero's field of operations, 
 I could rival his burning of Rome. Happy Nero, that could 
 destroy a Rome ! " 
 
 "Do you, also, envy Nero his sudden death?" asked the 
 monk. 
 
 " Why, yes ; though I would like to put off the evil day as 
 far as may be, I hope to die a sudden and painless death." 
 
 " Sudden and painless death," muttered the monk, between 
 his teeth. " You allude to death on the field of battle ? " 
 
 " Ay, that do I ; it is the only end befitting a soldier. See 
 we are at the gates. The way is obstructed by corpses,'' 
 continued he, urging his horse over a heap of dead that lay in 
 the streets. " Luckily, they will not have to be buried ; they 
 shall have a funeral pile, like that of the ancients." 
 
 " Is the entire city to be destroyed ? " asked the monk. 
 
 " Yes, the whole city, from one end to the other ; and these 
 tottering old buildings will make a brave blaze." 
 
 " A brave blaze," echoed the monk, raising his mournful 
 eyes to the long rows of houses that so lately were the abodes 
 of many a happy family, were as empty as open graves. They 
 continued their way along the silent streets silent even 
 around the cathedral, where, early in the morning, so many
 
 THE TREASURE. 449 
 
 thousand supplicants had knelt before God and man for 
 mercy, hut knelt in vain. 
 
 Some few \\civ within the cathedral walls, some were ly- 
 ing, their ghastly faces upturned to heaven, and those who 
 had survived were wandering across their blasted fields, bereft 
 of kindred and home, houseless, hungry, and almost naked. 
 
 General Melac glanced at the cathedral porch. That, too, 
 was empty and still. 
 
 " I wonder whether our men have done their work over 
 there ? " said he. " I must go and see." 
 
 Then dismounting, and flinging his bridle to his equerry, 
 he called upon the monk to follow him. The staff also dis- 
 mounted, and an officer advanced to receive orders. 
 
 " Gentlemen, betake yourselves to the hall of council, and 
 await my return at the great window there, opposite." 
 
 The staff obeyed, and the general, followed by his preserver, 
 ascended the steps that led to the cathedral. 
 
 "Your excellency," whispered the monk, coming very 
 close, " before we enter, will you allow me to say a word to 
 you ? " 
 
 '' I should think you had had opportunity enough to-day to 
 say what you wish." 
 
 "Not in private, general. Until now we have had lis- 
 teners." 
 
 " Well, is it anything of moment you desire to communi- 
 cate ? " 
 
 " Something of great importance." 
 
 "Speak on, and be quick, for time presses." 
 
 " Your excellency is resolved to burn down the cathedral ?" 
 
 " Have I not told you that I would ? " replied Melac, with a 
 frown. " Nothing in heaven or on earth shall save it." 
 
 "Then," said the monk with a deep sigh, " for the sake of 
 our brotherhood, I must violate the sanctity of the confes- 
 sional. But you must swear to preserve my secret, otherwise 
 you shall not hear it." 
 
 " A secret of the confessional ! How can it concern 
 me?" 
 
 " You shall hear. It relates to the concealment of two mil- 
 lions' worth of gold and precious atones,"
 
 450 PRINCE EUGENE AtfD HIS TIMES. 
 
 The covetous eyes of Melac glittered, and the blood mounted 
 to his brow. " Two millions ! " gasped he. 
 
 " One for you and one for our brotherhood. Do you swear 
 to keep the secret ? " 
 
 " Most unquestionably/' 
 
 " And also swear that no one but ourselves shall know the 
 place of its concealment ? " 
 
 " I swear, most willingly, for I do not intend to divide my 
 share of the booty with anybody living. How soon do you 
 expect to come in possession of it ? '' 
 
 ''Now at this very hour." 
 
 Melac drew back, and eyed the monk suspiciously. " How ! 
 These lying wretches had two millions of treasure, and not one 
 of them would yield it up ? " 
 
 " General, the people of Speier have nothing nothing. 
 Nobody knew of it save the bishop, who died day before 
 yesterday, and the sacristan, who died to-day. You re- 
 member that I was absent from your side during two hours 
 to-day?" 
 
 Melac nodded, and the monk went on : " Those two hours 
 I spent by the dying-bed of this sacristan, the only depositary 
 of the secret. He was wounded among the rest, was conveyed 
 to a neighboring house, and there I received his last confes- 
 sions. All the treasures of the cathedral its gold, silver, and 
 jewels were, at the approach of the French army, conveyed 
 to a place in the tower, which place the sacristan designated so 
 plainly, that I can find it without difficulty." 
 
 " But what has induced you to share it with me ? " asked 
 Melac, with a glance of mistrust. 
 
 " Imperative necessity, general. I cannot obtain it without 
 your protection. You have given orders that no man shall 
 be suffered to escape from the cathedral to-day, and, unless 
 you go with me, the treasure must be given up to the flames. 
 Certainly, if I could have gotten it without assistance, it 
 would have been my duty to give it over entire into the hands 
 of the brotherhood. But if you help me, I will divide it with 
 you. It lies in the tower of the cathedral, close by the bel- 
 fry." 
 
 " Come, then, come ; show me the way."
 
 CASPAR'S VENGEANCE. 45 1 
 
 They entered the massive doors. The sentry saluted the 
 general, and they passed on. 
 
 " Let nothing more be done until I return," said Melao 
 to the sentry. " I wish to go over the old building before we 
 consign it to the flames. " 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 CASPAR'S VENGEANCE. 
 
 DEEP silence reigned within the walls of the holy temple, 
 broken occasionally by an expiring sigh, or the faint sound of 
 the death-rattle. For the French soldiery had done their 
 work. The poor wretches that had been ensnared into seeking 
 refuge there, had all been murdered, and their possessions re- 
 moved to a place of safety. One hour earlier, the vaults of the 
 house of God had rung with shrieks and groans, but the vic- 
 tims were now dying or dead. 
 
 General Melac went among the prostrate bodies, looking 
 here and there behind the pillars, to see whether any thing of 
 value had been overlooked by his subordinates. The monk 
 meanwhile bent over the prostrate forms that lay in hundreds 
 upon the marble pavement, and so absorbed was he in sooth- 
 ing tneir last moments, that he almost started as the rough 
 voice of General Melac reached him from the opposite end of 
 the nave. 
 
 '' Come, come," cried he, in thundering tones. " Enough of 
 useless sentimentality ! " 
 
 Without a word the monk rose, and, pointing to the grand 
 altar, the general entered the chancel, and followed his con- 
 ductor to a small door cut in the wall. This the monk opened, 
 and, stepping back, signed to Melac to advance. 
 
 " Does this winding-stair lead to the tower '( " asked the 
 latter. 
 
 " Yes, general, and as there is but one way to reach it, I re- 
 sume my proper place, and follow you, as in duty bound." 
 
 Melac began to ascend the stairs, the monk coming behind
 
 452 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 him, with an aspect the very opposite of that he had endeav- 
 ored to maintain all day. His stooping shoulders were flung 
 back, his head was erect, and in his eyes there sat a threaten- 
 ing devil, which, if Melac could have seen it, would have made 
 his heart grow chill with apprehension. But Melac. too, was 
 no longer the same. Up to this moment he had assumed an 
 appearance of friendliness toward his companion. But now 
 his eye flashed, and his hand clutched his sword, while deep 
 in his heart flowed a current of treachery, which, translated 
 into words ran thus : 
 
 " I do not see why he should have any part in this treasure. 
 As soon as he has pointed out the spot, I will catch him in my 
 arms and hurl him down into the body of the church. By 
 Heaven ! the life of one miserable monk never was worth a 
 million of treasure ! " 
 
 Did the monk suspect what was passing within the mind of 
 the general ? Perhaps he did ; for well he knew that he WMS 
 capable of any amount of atrocity. 
 
 On they went, sometimes stumbling in the dark, sometimes 
 emerging into the light, until at last they reached the topmost 
 step where Melac halted to breathe. 
 
 "Are we almost there ? " asked he. 
 
 "Almost there," echoed the monk, while with a swift 
 movement of his hand he drew from under his cassock two 
 long, stout thongs of hide. 
 
 " What are you doing there ? " asked Melac. 
 
 "I am making ready my lasso," replied he, throwing one 
 of the thongs over the head of the general ; and, before the 
 latter had time to recover from his surprise, it was passed 
 around his body, and his hands were pinioned fast behind. 
 
 Melac comprehended that he was betrayed, and making 
 desperate efforts to free himself, he lost his footing, and fell 
 at full length on the granite pavement of the tower. The 
 monk now sprang upon his body, and drawing from his 
 bosom a long handkerchief, he tied it fast over his victim's 
 mouth. 
 
 "Your cries might be heard, and some fool might come to 
 the rescxie," said he. " You shall die without being allowed to 
 give utterance to your despair."
 
 CASPAR'S VENGEANCE ON GENERAL
 
 CASPAR'S VENGEANCE. 453 
 
 Melac's eyeballs almost started from their sockets, but the 
 monk looked on without pity. He dragged him to that part 
 of the tower whence the gilded weathercock could be seen toy- 
 ing with the free air of heaven. The sky shone blue and 
 bright ; never had it seemed so fair to the wretch that was 
 looking his last upon its azure dome. He felt himself raised 
 in the arms of the monk, firmly fastened with a second thong, 
 and then tossed outside the tower, where he hung, a small, dark 
 speck in the eyes of the officers that were awaiting his return 
 to the hall of council. 
 
 And now the monk cast himself down upon his knees. 
 " O God, I thank Thee that Thou hast granted my prayer, and 
 delivered this monster to my hands ! 'Tis Thy will that I 
 should be his executioner, and may Thy holy will be done for- 
 ever and forever ! v 
 
 He rose and approached Melac, whose face was ghastly 
 pale, and whose eyes were overflowing with tears. ' Now," 
 said he, " know why I have delivered you unto a cruel and 
 agonizing death. For mouths I have tracked your path, with 
 power to have stricken you every hour of the day. But sud- 
 den death was too merciful for such a brute as you ! The 
 Hyena of Esslingen shall have the horror and apprehension 
 of a slow, torturing, and solitary death. Without sympathy 
 and without witnesses shall he die, and in his last moments, 
 when his flesh quivers with agony, and the devouring flames 
 shall consume his odious body, let him think on Marie Wen- 
 gelin, and on me, her lover and betrothed husband Cas- 
 par ! " 
 
 Without another word, he drew from Melac's finger his 
 signet-ring, and began to descend the winding-stair. The eye 
 of his victim followed his tall, manly figure until it disap- 
 peared forever from his sight ; and then he listened to his re- 
 treating footsteps until they grew faint aud more faint, and 
 all hope was lost ! An hour of mortal agony went by ; the 
 sun sank slowly to rest, and a few stars brightened the sap- 
 phire vault above him. Suddenly a red glow brightened the 
 heavens, and gilded the dark waters of the Rhine that Rhine 
 which he had so iucarnadiiied with blood ! Avenging God ! 
 It was the fire himself had kindled ! It leaped up from every
 
 454 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIR TIMES. 
 
 point of Speier and now now the cathedral was in flames, 
 and death slow, lingering, and agonizing had overtaken 
 the Hyena of Esslingen 1 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS. 
 
 " I CAN never consent to such a disgraceful marriage for 
 my son," cried Elizabeth-Charlotte to her husband. 
 
 " Madame, I look upon it as a great honor that my son 
 should espouse the daughter of the king." 
 
 " The daughter of shame and infamy the daughter of a 
 man who, violating his marriage-vow " 
 
 " Madame," interrupted the duke, " you forget that you are 
 speaking of his majesty the King of France I " 
 
 " King of France ? There is no question of a king, but of 
 my brother-in-law, of whose faults nay, sins, I may surely 
 speak, within the walls of my own cabinet, I suppose." 
 
 " Madame," replied the duke, trying to draw up his small 
 person until he fairly stood on tiptoe, " madame, I forbid you 
 to express yourself in such terms of your sovereign and mine." 
 
 " Forbid me to speak the truth, you mean. And to be sure, 
 at a court like this, where everybody feeds on flattery, truth is 
 strangely out of place." 
 
 " Like yourself, for instance," observed the duke. 
 
 " Yes, like myself," replied the duchess, with a sweet smile 
 that illumined her plain features, and lent them a passing 
 beauty. " I believe that I am most unwelcome among the fine 
 and fashionable folks of Paris ; but it is not my fault that I 
 am here, a poor, homely sparrow in a flock of peacocks and 
 parrots." 
 
 " Madame," replied the duke, pompously, " if you choose to 
 consider yourself as a sparrow, you have my full consent to 
 do so, although I must say that it is somewhat presuming for 
 any one so to designate the woman whom I honored with my 
 hand. But I must always regret that you have never dis-
 
 THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS. 455 
 
 played enough tact to lay aside your plebeian German man- 
 ners, and resume those of the courtly and elegant entourage of 
 the refined King of France." 
 
 The eyes of the duchess shot fire, and the hue on her cheeks 
 deepened to scarlet. 
 
 '' Your manners may be refined, monseigneur ; but God 
 shield me from your morals ! The war you are waging 
 against my native land is one of assassination and rapine ; and 
 oh ! how I wish that I were free to leave France forever, that 
 I might suffer and die with my dear, slaughtered countrymen ! 
 But dearly as I love my native land, I love my children still 
 more. Maternal love is stronger in my heart than patriotism, 
 and my Elizabeth and my Philip are more to me than Ger- 
 many ! " 
 
 " You say nothing of me," observed the duke, sentiment- 
 ally. " Am I, then, nothing to you ? " 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur, you are the father of my children. I 
 plighted my faith to you, and I have kept my marriage-vows. 
 But you know, as well as I, that we were both nothing but 
 royal merchandise, bartered for reasons of state, and that we 
 have never been congenial. Nevertheless, I love you as the 
 father of my Philip ! for he has your handsome face and your 
 refined and courtly bearing." 
 
 " Madame," returned the duke, blushing with gratification, 
 "I thought you disdained to flatter." 
 
 "I do not flatter you, monseigneur," cried the duchess, 
 cordially grasping his hand, and leading him to the mantel, 
 over which hung a full-length portrait of the youthful Duke 
 de (Jhartres. "See," exclaimed she with affectionate pride, 
 " see what a beautiful picture Mignet has made of him. It 
 was done in secret in Mignet's studio, and was brought to me 
 yesterday as a birthday present from my boy." 
 
 " It was very thoughtless of Philip to visit Mignet," ob- 
 jected the duke. " He too often forgets his rank and rela- 
 tionship to the king." 
 
 " Forgive him, monseigneur. He forgot his station, to re- 
 member his filial affection," and for several moments the 
 mother's eyes were fondly fixed upon the portrait. " Look ! " 
 resumed she ; " these are your eyes, your well-developed fore- 
 30
 
 456 PRINCE EUGENE AND IIIS TIMES. 
 
 head, your aquiline nose, your pleasant and expressive mouth, 
 In your youth, you were as handsome as he I have often 
 heard it said that you were the handsomest cavalier in Paris." 
 
 " Except the king, madame except the king ! I am too 
 loyal a subject to excel his majesty in anything. I am glad, 
 however, that you think my son resembles me ; to me there is 
 a blended likeness of both his parents in his countenance.'' 
 
 " Never, never ! " exclaimed Elizabeth-Charlotte, with ani- 
 mation. "There is no trace of my coarse features in that 
 aristocratic face ; and yet, like the owl that hatched the eagle's 
 egg, I am proud of calling him my son. And now, monsei- 
 gneur, let me implore of you not to cross the escutcheon of our 
 eaglet with the bar-sinister that disgraces the arms of Made- 
 moiselle de Blois." 
 
 "Madame," exclaimed the duke, much irritated, "speak 
 more respectfully of the daughter of Louis XIV. ! She has 
 been recognized by his majesty, and there is no stain upon her 
 arms." 
 
 " Pardon me it is not in the power of any sovereign to 
 <irase the foul blot of her birth ; and I shudder when I think 
 of an alliance between the son of the Duke of Orleans and 
 grandson of the Elector Palatine, and the daughter of a king's 
 leman. If his majesty mentions the subject to me, I shall tell 
 him as much." 
 
 " Impossible ! " cried the duke, aghast. " I have already 
 promised that you would solicit the honor of an alliance with 
 Mademoiselle de Blois." 
 
 "You promised what I will not perform. Do you suppose 
 that I, by birth and marriage a royal princess, would debase 
 myself so far as to ask for my son's wife the daughter of a 
 harlot who drove the hapless queen to her grave ? and to take 
 her by the hand, and present her to the court as my daughter ? 
 I would rather absent myself forever from court, and I will 
 certainly not attend the king's ball to-night." 
 
 "You cannot do that, for you accepted the invitation 
 yesterday." 
 
 " Yesterday I knew not the humiliation implied in my 
 acceptance. To-day I know it, and I will excuse myself, and 
 be sick,"
 
 THE Dt CHESS OF ORLEANS. 457 
 
 " Madame, I command you to appear at the ball," cried out 
 the enraged duke, " and we shall see whether you presume to 
 rebel against my conjugal authority." 
 
 " I shall not rebel," replied the duchess. u Since you com- 
 mand my presence, you shall have it ; but I warn you that I 
 shall mortally offend the king, for" 
 
 The duke was about to protest anew against his wife's blas- 
 phemy, when the old German lady of honor, who presided 
 over the toilet of her highness, rushed into the room in a state 
 of great agitation. 
 
 " What is the matter, Katharina ? '' asked the duchess. 
 
 ''Your royal highness,'' replied Kathariua, panting, "a cou- 
 rier has just arrived from the Countess Louise. He has ridden 
 day and night to deliver his message, and. although he is cov- 
 ered with mud and dust, he insisted that I should announce 
 him to your royal highness." 
 
 " A courier from Louise ! " murmured the duchess. 
 " Something must have happened ! Go, Kathi, bid him come 
 into my little parlor. Will monseigneur excuse me? I am 
 deeply concerned lest some misfortune should have befallen 
 my sister." 
 
 ' Sister ! Is the Countess Louise the daughter of a princess 
 Palatine ? " 
 
 " No, monseigneur ; you know that she is the daughter of 
 the Countess Dagenfeld, my father's wedded wife although 
 never acknowledged as such because she was not of royal 
 birth. There is no bar-sinister on Louise's shield ; she is truly 
 and honorably my half-sister." 
 
 The duchess bowed and hastened to her parlor, where the 
 courier was awaiting her arrival. 
 
 " Has anything happened to the countess ? Is she ill? Have 
 I lost my dear relative ? " 
 
 " No, your royal highness. Your princely relatives are 
 well, and here here is " 
 
 He made an attempt to place a letter in her hand, but reeled 
 and fell, exhausted, at her feet. 
 
 " Pardon me, madame," said he, " I have been for three 
 days and nights in the saddle. My strength has given way I 
 cannot rise. But read your letter, I implore you."
 
 458 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 The duchess stooped, and took it from his nerveless hand ; 
 then, commending him to the care of Katharina, she broke the 
 seal and began to read. 
 
 Its contents affected her so terribly, that her teeth chattered, 
 her knees trembled, and,~throwing herself upon the sofa, she 
 covered her face with her hands and wept. 
 
 But she wept for a moment only. 
 
 " Katharina," cried she, to her old confidante, who was 
 chafing the temples of the courier, " leave that poor youth for 
 a moment, and fetch me a mantilla and hood. I must go to 
 the king at once ! " 
 
 " Your royal highness is in a neglige," remonstrated Katha- 
 rina ; "I will have to dress you." 
 
 " I cannot wait to be dressed," cried Elizabeth-Charlotte ; 
 " speed away, and bring me my wrappings. God be praised, 
 the king will be at home ! Thousands of lives depend upon 
 my intercession ! " 
 
 Katharina returned with the mantilla, which, without the 
 least regard to grace, her royal highness flung over her stout 
 figure, while she jerked the hood over her head with an im- 
 petuosity that made the old lady wring her hands. 
 
 " Oh, her hair is down, and the hood all twisted to. one 
 side," murmured the mistress of the toilet, as the duchess, indif- 
 ferent to all forms of civilization, dashed down the staircase 
 and leaped into her carriage. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF TRIER. 
 
 THE equipage thundered along the streets of Paris, and 
 drew up before the hooded door, at the side entrance of the 
 Louvre, which was especially reserved for the use of the royal 
 family. 
 
 The duchess sprang from her carriage, hurried up the stair- 
 case, almost stumbling over the sentry as he made an attempt 
 to present arms; and flew into the antechamber that led to the 
 cabinet of the king.
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF TRIER. 459 
 
 She came in like a frigate under full sail, but was encoun- 
 tered by a gentleman of the privy chamber, who barred the 
 entrance. 
 
 " Make way for me do ! " said she, clasping her hands. " I 
 must see his majesty this very moment." 
 
 " His majesty is in secret conference with the Marquis de 
 Louvois and Madame de Maintenon," was the reply. "Not 
 even your royal highness can obtain admittance." 
 
 ''So much the better if Louvois is there. Let me pass I 
 command you, let me pass ! " 
 
 " Indeed, madame, you know not what you ask. I have 
 received stringent orders to admit nobody." 
 
 " The royal family are never included in these prohibi- 
 tions," cried the duchess. 
 
 " But to-day, your royal highness, I was placed here to pre- 
 vent their coming ! You well know that none but the princes 
 and princesses of the blood would presume to make use of this 
 entrance." 
 
 " It concerns the lives of thousands ! " urged the duchess. 
 
 " Did it concern that of my own son, I would know better 
 than to seek to save it by disobeying his majesty's orders." 
 
 " You will not positively will not let me pass ? " 
 
 "I dare not, madame." 
 
 " Then you must excuse me, but I shall force my way," re- 
 turned Elizabeth-Charlotte, grasping the slender form of the 
 king's gentleman, and, with her powerful hands, flinging him 
 into the comer of the room, while she strode rapidly to the 
 opposite door, and opened and had closed it again before her 
 opponent had recovered his breath. 
 
 Before touching the bolt of the door which opened directly 
 into the king's cabinet, she paused to recover her breath, and 
 to gather courage for the coming interview. She trembled 
 from head to foot, and leaned against the wall for support. * 
 But Elizabeth-Charlotte was not a woman to be deterred, by 
 fear of kings, from what she deemed her duty. With the reso- 
 lution that characterized her, she uttered one short ejacula- 
 tion for help from above, and opened the door. 
 
 Louvois was in the act of speaking. " Sire, our arms are as 
 successful in Italy as they have been in Germany, where town
 
 460 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 after town has been taken without the drawing of a sword 
 where the people have offered the keys of all the fortresses to 
 your generals, and have welcomed the advent of our troops 
 with joy. " 
 
 "Your majesty," cried the duchess, coming forward, "do 
 not believe him ! He tells a falsehood O God ! what a false- 
 hood ! " 
 
 The astonishment of that cabinet-council is not to he de- 
 scribed. The king rose from his seat and confronted her with 
 eyes that flamed with anger. 
 
 "Madame,'' exclaimed the grand monarque, in a rage, 
 ' were you not told that I would see nobody this morning ? " 
 
 "Yes, your majesty ; so emphatically told, that, before I 
 could make my way to your presence, I was obliged to hurl 
 your gentleman to the other side of the room. It is not his 
 fault that I am here ! " 
 
 Madame de Maintenon rolled up her eyes, Louvois sneered, 
 and Louis, looking as if he wished that he could consume his 
 sister-in-law with a glance, turned around to his minister. 
 
 " Monsieur Louvois, be so good as to forget the imprudent 
 words that madame has just spoken. It is impossible that a 
 princess of the blood should so far forget her own dignity us 
 to lay hands on an attendant of the king. Take care that the 
 indiscretion of her royal highness go no farther than these 
 walls ; and, if you hear it spoken of, contradict it flatly." 
 
 " Your majesty," exclaimed the duchess, " that is the very 
 way to make everybody believe it, for surely nobody will be- 
 lieve Monsieur Louvois." 
 
 " Sire," said Louvois, shrewdly, " I was about to communi- 
 cate tidings of the greatest importance to your majesty. I 
 would be glad of your permission to resume our conference. 
 It is late, and " 
 
 "Madame," cried Louis, " once for all, leave this room, and 
 interrupt us no longer." 
 
 " Does your majesty suppose that, after forcing my way 
 to your presence, I intend to retreat without accomplishing 
 the object for which I came? I entreat of you, hear me, 
 and judge for yourself whether my pertinacity is not justified 
 by the occasion of my intrusion."
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF TRIER. 461 
 
 "Very well, madame," replied Louis. "I will remember 
 that you are my brother's wife, and forget an excess of pre- 
 sumption which, were you not my sister-in-law, would merit 
 the Bastile. Speak, and let us hear your petition. It needs to 
 be one of moment to earn your pardon." 
 
 With these words, Louis threw himself into his arm-chair, 
 and, pointing to a tabouret at hand, requested her royal high* 
 ness to be seated. The duchess looked around the room, and, 
 seeing a vacant arm-chair a little farther off, she rolled it for- 
 ward, and seated herself with great grandeur. This chair be- 
 longed to Madame de Maintenon, who, a moment previous, had 
 risen and walked to the window. 
 
 She became very red in the face, and, coming directly in 
 front of the duchess, said : " Madame, this is my own arm- 
 chair ; be so good as to excuse me if I ask you to rise." 
 
 *' Impossible, my dear marquise, impossible ! " was the re- 
 joinder. >l His majesty requests me to be seated, and this is the 
 only seat in the room that accords with my rank. If his 
 majesty allows y*ou to seat yourself in his presence, and that 
 of a princess of the blood, there is a tabouret which doubtless 
 was placed for your accommodation on such occasions." 
 
 Madame de Maintenon looked imploringly at the king, 
 hoping that he would interfere ; but he did not. His eyes 
 were cast down, and it was plain that no help was to be ex- 
 pected from him. His unacknowledged spouse was therefore 
 obliged to yield the point, and put up with the tabouret. 
 
 "Now, madame," said Louis, as though rousing himself 
 from profound meditation, ''I await your pleasure." 
 
 " Sire," cried the duchess, " I have come hither to accuse 
 yonder traitor, who, in your majesty's name, is perpetrating 
 deeds of horror that are enough to brand any sovereign with 
 infamy. Did I not hear him say, as I entered this room, that 
 the French army was received with open arms by the Ger- 
 mans ? " 
 
 " You did, madame. As a proof of the truth of this asser- 
 tion, here are the very keys of all the towns and fortresses we 
 have besieged." 
 
 The king pointed to a basket wreathed with flowers, where- 
 in lay i \eap of gigantic keys.
 
 462 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Oh, sire," exclaimed the duchess, " these keys were pur- 
 chased with blood and pillage. Your soldiers have not 
 inarched into Germany like the invading armies of a civilized 
 nation ; they have come as incendiaries and assassins. Wit- 
 ness my father's castle, which they reduced to a heap of ashes. 1 ' 
 
 " My dear madame," said Louis, deprecatingly, " war is not 
 a pastime. I regret that it was necessary to burn your father's 
 castle ; but you perceive that it was- not burned in vain, for 
 your countrymen, since then, have shown themselves amen- 
 able to reason." 
 
 " Sire, you are shamefully deceived ; and I have come to 
 lay at the foot of your throne the plaint of an unhappy people. 
 Ah, you little know what crimes are being committed in your 
 name ! General Montclas himself shed tears when Mannheim 
 was sacked and destroyed ; and, when the people of Durlach 
 were driven by your soldiery into the very midst of the flames 
 that were consuming their homes, the Duke de la Roche re- 
 monstrated with the Marquis de Crequi on the atrocity of the 
 crime. What do you suppose was the answer of the marquis ? 
 ' Le roi le veut ! ' " 
 
 "Is this so?" asked the king, turning to Louvois, who 
 was hiding his troubled countenance in the embrasure of a 
 window. 
 
 " Sire, I have never heard of it before," replied the minister. 
 
 " Well may he say that he never heard of it, if he means 
 that your majesty never gave such an order to him ! " cried 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte. But if he means that he did not order 
 these massacres, he tells an untruth. He is avenging on the 
 people of Germany the laurels which Prince Eugene has 
 earned in the service of the emperor, and which, but for him, 
 would have redounded to the glory of France. Oh, sire ! this 
 war is one of personal vengeance on the part of your wicked 
 subject ; it is not waged for your honor or advantage. I ask 
 in his presence, did the King of France order the destruction 
 of Worms and Speier ? Was it by the order of our gracious 
 sovereign that the very house of God was committed to the 
 flames ? " 
 
 " Can such a crime have been perpetrated in my name ? " 
 cried Louis, with indignation.
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF TRIER. 463 
 
 "Sire," replied Louvois, "your majesty has said it 'War 
 is no pastime.' " 
 
 " He does not deny it," cried the duchess, wiping away her 
 tears, and struggling for composure to go on. " But what is 
 done, is done Worms and Speier are in ashes, and their mur- 
 dered inhabitants at rest. But, oh, my liege, my gracious lord, 
 the city of Trier is threatened with the same fate ! For three 
 days the people have been crying in vain for mercy. At your 
 feet, sire, I implore you, have pity, and save them from butch- 
 ery ! " 
 
 And the duchess, with hands upraised, and eyes that were 
 streaming with tears, sank on her knees before the kins. 
 
 Louis rose hastily from his seat. 
 
 " Eise, madame," said he, " and let us retire to yonder em- 
 brasure. I wish to speak with you in private," 
 
 So saying, he gave her his hand, and conducted her to a 
 deep recess at the farther end of the room, which was, in fact, 
 a small apartment furnished with seats a cabinet within a 
 cabinet. He loosened the gold cord that confined the curtain 
 to the side, and it fell to the floor a thick, heavy portiere that 
 shut all sound from the apartment without. Not satisfied with 
 this, the king opened the casement, that the hum from the 
 street below might effectually drown their voices. 
 
 '" Now, madame," said he, " we will converse openly and 
 without reserve, as it befits near relatives to do. Has your 
 husband confided to you my wishes ? " 
 
 " What wishes ? " asked the duchess, who, in her anxiety 
 for the fate of Trier, had forgotten the occurrences of the day. 
 
 Louis was piqued. " I allude to my matrimonial plans for 
 your son and my daughter ; and I beg you to observe that 
 where I have a right to command, I am gracious enough to re- 
 quest their fulfilment. It is understood that the Duke de 
 Chartres is to be betrothed to Mademoiselle de Blois this even- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Sire," murmured Elizabeth-Charlotte, who began to un- 
 derstand how much she was risking by her mediation in favor 
 of Trier, " sire, I implore you to save the lives of thousands of 
 human beings, and you answer me by questions as to the mar- 
 riage of my son ! "
 
 4G4 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "My dear sister," returned the king, with a smile, "surely 
 you take more interest in the fate of your child, than in that 
 of a remote town in Germany. My brother has already con- 
 sented that our children should be united ; and, as you are 
 hei"e, I wish to hear from your own lips that the union gives 
 you as much satisfaction as it will afford to me." 
 
 " Sire, the Duke de Chartres is but a lad wild and un- 
 tamed. He is not fit to be the husband of any woman." 
 
 The king frowned. " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Sire, he is but sixteen years of age a boy ; and it is not 
 customary for princes of the blood to marry before the age of 
 eighteen." 
 
 " I know that as well as yourself. It is no question of mar- 
 riage, only one of betrothal. Mademoiselle de Blois is but 
 twelve, and no fitter to be married than your son. But it is 
 well for young people to know that they are bound by honor 
 to restrain their passions and curb their irregularities. If the 
 Duke de Chartres is untamed, you have the means of keeping 
 him within bounds, and of forcing him to lead a chaste and 
 virtuous life." 
 
 " Oh, sire, you know full well that the promises of their 
 parents do not bind youthful hearts. My Philip is inclined tc 
 dissipation, and it would be an unfortunate match for .Made- 
 moiselle de Blois." 
 
 " Give me a direct answer to my inquiry. Do you consent 
 to the betrothal of your son with my daughter ? " 
 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte burst into tears. " Sire, I I cannot," 
 murmured she. 
 
 The king flushed with anger. "I thought so," said he. 
 '' You are nothing but a mass of prejudices, which you would 
 rather die than relinquish. Very well, madame ; I bow to 
 your prejudices, and will make no vain efforts to overcome 
 them. Excuse me if, as regards your petition, I echo your 
 words, ' I cannot.' " 
 
 " Oh, sire, 1 ' cried the duchess. " the cases are not parallel. 
 I plead for the lives of so many unfortunates ! " 
 
 " And I for my own gratification ; and assuredly a wish of 
 the King of France is of a little more importance than the fate 
 of a miserable German town."
 
 11 IK DELIVERANCE OF TRIER. 
 
 '' Your majesty, it would cost you but a word to earn the 
 blessings of so many grateful hearts." 
 
 *' And it would cost you but a word to give rank and an 
 unequivocal position to my favorite daughter. For if a wom- 
 an like yourself, recognized as a model of propriety, acknowl- 
 edge her as your son's bride, you insure an honorable future 
 to all my children not born to the throne. It is in your power 
 to raise Mademoiselle de Blois to the rank of a legitimate prin- 
 cess of the blood, and thereby to confer a favor upon her father." 
 
 " Oh. sire, indeed I cannot ! Ask any thing of me but that ! 
 It would give the lie to all the teachings of my life ! It would 
 be an acknowledgment of the worthlessness of chastity of 
 honor ! Oh, forgive me ! My brain reels ; I know not what 
 I say ! " 
 
 " But I do ; and I have heard enough. I shall counter- 
 mand the soiree, and seek another bridegroom for Mademoiselle 
 de Blois. But Trier shall fall, and on your head be the fate 
 of its inhabitants ! " 
 
 He rose and would have put aside the portiere, but his hand 
 was convulsively clutched, and the duchess, in a voice that 
 was hoarse with agony, gasped : 
 
 " Have I understood ? You would barter the fate of Trier 
 for my consent to this unnatural marriage ! " 
 
 " Yes, by God, I do ! " was the profane and passionate reply 
 of the king. 
 
 "Stay stay," murmured she, trembling in every limb. 
 " Would you rescue the city if I consented ? " 
 
 "I will do so, with pleasure." 
 
 The duchess shivered, clasped her hands together, and, 
 closing her eyes as though to hide her humiliation from Heav- 
 en, she retracted her refusal, and then fell almost insensible 
 into an arm-chair. 
 
 The king approached her and kissing her, said, " Madame, 
 from my heart, I thank you." 
 
 The poor duchess scarcely heeded these gracious words. 
 She had received a blow that well-nigh blunted her heart to 
 the sufferings of her countrymen. But she had made the sac- 
 rifice of her principles, and she must reap the reward of that 
 terrible sacrifice.
 
 466 PfclNCE ECGENE Atil) tltS TIMES. 
 
 "Sire," said she, as soon as she had recovered strength 
 enough to articulate, " sire, fulfil your promise immediately, 
 or it will be too late." 
 
 " Give me your hand, dear sister," replied Louis. " Once 
 more I thank you for the happiness you have conferred upon 
 me, and the first gift of Mademoiselle de Blois to her mother- 
 in-law shall be the safety of Trier. I implore you, try to 
 love the poor child, for my sake." 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 THE FIRE-TONGS. 
 
 RAISING the curtain, Louis XIV. offered his hand, and the 
 royal brother and sister-in-law re-entered the cabinet, where 
 their return was eagerly awaited by Madame de Maintenon, 
 and uneasily expected by the minister of war. 
 
 " Monsieur de Louvois," said the king, " I am in possession 
 of all the details that relate to the shameful abuse that has 
 been made of my name in Germany. The cruel practices which 
 you have authorized toward an innocent population must cease 
 at once, and our troops be commanded to prosecute the war as 
 becomes the army of a Christian nation." 
 
 The king, while he spoke these words, was gradually ad- 
 vancing to his writing-desk, which stood close to the mantel. 
 Seating himself in his arm-chair, he turned his countenance 
 avay from the penetrating glances of De Maintenon, and be- 
 gan to play with the bronze shovel and tongs that lay crossed 
 upon the fender. 
 
 After a pause, during which he waited in vain for a reply 
 from Louvois, he resumed : " Why do you not answer me, 
 Louvois ? " 
 
 " Sire, your wishes shall be fulfilled. The next courier that 
 leaves for Germany, shall bear your royal commands to the 
 army, and they shall be ordered to remain altogether on the 
 defensive." 
 
 " What do you mean, sir ? " cried the king.
 
 THE iiKE-TOXGS. 
 
 " If your majesty intends to treat your enemies with clem- 
 ency, you must expect no more victories, but remain content 
 with the territory you have already acquired. What are we 
 to do, if we are crippled by injudicious and false humanity ? 
 Must we relinquish our claims ? Shall we content ourselves 
 with having made threats which we are too pusillanimous to 
 execute ? " 
 
 Monsieur," said Louis, haughtily, " you are becoming im- 
 pertinent. Cease your questions, and obey my commands. 
 Send off your couriers at once. Trier shall not be destroyed ; 
 nor shall its inhabitants be driven from their dwellings. Pri- 
 vate property shall be respected, and the temples of the Most 
 High held sacred." 
 
 " Sire," said Louvois, " I will obey ; but, unhappily, as re- 
 gards Trier, your clemency comes too late. I cannot save it." 
 
 "Cannot !" shouted Louis, who to please his sister-in-law 
 had worked himsel? into a veritable fury. " Who dares say 
 he cannot, when I command ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, what is done cannot be undone." 
 
 At these words the king sprang from his chair, still hold- 
 ing the tongs in his hand. 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you have ordered new atrocities 
 to be commited in Germany ? '' exclaimed he. 
 
 " Sire," replied Louvois defiantly, " if it pleases you to term 
 the necessities of w r ar atrocities, so be it. The people of Trier 
 having imitated the stubbornness of those of Speier, I ordered 
 them to be subjected to the same treatment." 
 
 " Sir," cried Louis, raising the tongs, as if he intended to 
 assail his minister with them, " you shall countermand this 
 order at once, or I will smite you as the lightning blasts the 
 oak ! '' All this time he was advancing, until the tongs were 
 in dangerous proximity with Louvois' head.* 
 
 The minister was thoroughly frightened. "Sire," ex- 
 claimed he, receding in terror, '' would you murder me ? " 
 
 " It would be too honoi'able an end for you to die by my 
 hands," replied the king, letting fall his tongs. " But this I 
 say to you : if Trier is destroyed I will make an example of 
 
 * Historical. See " Memoirs of the Court of France," by the Marquis dt 
 Dungeau,
 
 468 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 you that shall deter any other traitor from using my name to 
 gratify his wicked revenge. Send off your couriers ; nor re- 
 turn to this palace until you come to inform me that Trier is 
 safe." So saying, the King turned his back, and began to con- 
 verse with Madame de Maintenon on the subject of an after- 
 noon ride ; after which he offered his arm to his sister-in-law 
 and conducted her himself to the head of the private staircase. 
 
 He had no sooner left the room than Louvois darted to the 
 side of Madame de Maintenon, who was just about to raise a 
 portiere leading to her own apartments. 
 
 Catching her dress in his agitation, Louvois implored her 
 to remain. 
 
 " Wherefore, monsieur'? " asked she, coldly. 
 
 " Oh, madame, I fear that I shall never be able to rescue 
 this accursed city, and, I implore you, be my mediatrix with 
 his majesty." 
 
 " On what grounds, monsieur ? " 
 
 " Oh, madame, you have enemies as well as I : let us make 
 a compact together, and crush them all. Uphold me for this 
 once, and you will not find me ungrateful." 
 
 " I fear no man's enmity," was the reply of the marquise. 
 "My trust is in God, who ruleth all things." 
 
 " You refuse me then ? " said Louvois. 
 
 " I am not in a position to defy the king, and uphold his re- 
 bellious subjects. Were I Queen of France, my influence 
 would, perhaps, avail ; as it is, I would advise you to make all 
 speed to dispatch your couriers, and thereby rescue Trier and 
 yourself." 
 
 With these consolatory words, the marquise disappeared ; 
 and Louvois, taking her advice, unpalatable though it was, 
 rushed ih undignified haste through the corridors, and 
 plunging into his carriage, was driven at full gallop to his 
 hotel. 
 
 Twenty minutes later his couriers were on their way. To 
 him who arrived at Trier first, Louvois promised a purse of one 
 thousand louis d'ors, and, if he reached the city in time to save 
 it, the sum was to be doubled. 
 
 Thanks to this reward, as well as to the dilatory movements 
 of the courier that had borne the order for destruction, Trier
 
 TfiE FlRE-TOKGS. 469 
 
 was saved on the very morning of the day which should have 
 been its last. 
 
 Louvois was ordered to bring the news to the duchess in 
 person. 
 
 She was in her cabinet with the Duke de Chartres, who had 
 been complaining of the ugliness and stupidity of his affianced 
 bride. Louvois was announced, and the duchess, in her im- 
 petuous way, hurried to the door and met him not by way of 
 welcoming him, however. 
 
 " I never expected to see you here under my roof," said she, 
 '' nor would I receive you had you not come from his maj- 
 esty." 
 
 '' Madame, I will withdraw as soon as my message is de- 
 livered," replied Louvois, haughtily. " His majesty has sent 
 me to announce to your royal highness that Trier is safe." 
 
 " Now, God be thanked ! " exclaimed Elizabeth-Charlotte 
 solemnly. 
 
 " With your leave, madame, I withdraw," observed Lou- 
 vois. 
 
 " Not yet. You have brought me tidings of one deliver- 
 ance I will impart to you another. Have you any news from 
 my poor Laura ? " 
 
 A cloud overspread the minister's brow. "I have not 
 heard from her for more than a year, at which time she fled 
 from her husband's castle, how or whither he has never been 
 able to discover." 
 
 " And you have you no idea of her whereabouts ? " 
 
 "She must either have died, or have retired to a convent." 
 
 " She has done neither," replied the duchess. 
 
 u She lives ! " cried Louvois, with more terror in his voice 
 than joy. 
 
 " Yes ; dear, ill-used Laura ! She lives, and lives happily 
 with him whose arm will protect her against future persecu- 
 tion." 
 
 " Your royal highness does not mean to say that my daugh- 
 ter has sought the protection of Prince Eugene ? " cried Lou- 
 vois. 
 
 " I do, indeed : they are united at last, whom you sought to 
 put asunder."
 
 470 i'KlNCfi EUGfiNfi AND UlS TIMES. 
 
 u Great God ! " was the minister's exclamation. " She has 
 given herself up to shame ! She lives publicly as the mistress 
 of a man who was not worthy to become her husband ! Your 
 royal highness must have been misinformed." 
 
 "I have it from herself, nevertheless." 
 
 ''And your royal highness, that bears the name of the 
 most virtuous woman in Paris, is not shocked at her un- 
 chastity ? " 
 
 " Unchastity ! You talk of unchastity, who, while she was 
 plighting her troth to this same Eugene, were not ashamed to 
 prostitute her to Strozzi ! Cease your disgusting cant, and 
 learn that I acknowledge and respect the tie that binds your 
 daughter to her real spouse : and woe to you, if you dare 
 trouble the current of her peaceful life ! Farewell. Say to 
 his majesty that I shall be forever grateful for the deliverance 
 of Trier." 
 
 " Philip," added she, when Louvois had left the room, " for- 
 give me, beloved son, if I sacrificed you to the well-being of 
 my oppressed countrymen ! You say that your affianced is 
 stupid ; but every weary hour you spend in her society shall 
 be repaid to you by the blessings of those whom you have 
 saved from assassination. Moreover, Mademoiselle de Blois 
 is not yet your bride, and many a thing may intervene to 
 prevent you from being forced to espouse her. If your 
 mother can do any thing to frustrate it, be sure that she 
 will come to your assistance. Her consent was wrung from 
 her, 'tis true but not her willingness." 
 
 " Laura the mistress of Eugene of Savoy ! " muttered Lou- 
 vois, as he descended the marble staircase of the ducal palace. 
 " And to propitiate that royal virago, I dare not revenge my- 
 self ! But no !" said he suddenly, " no I need not lift a fin- 
 ger. I will leave it to Barbesieur ; he will attend to it. He 
 will put an end to her infamous life ! "
 
 BRAVE HEARTS. 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BRAVE HEARTS. 
 
 THE embassy of Prince Eugene to Turin had been attend- 
 ed with the happiest results. His arguments in favor of the 
 emperor had proved irresistible, for he had worked upon the 
 pride as well as the ambition of his kinsman. He had ad- 
 dressed him as a '' royal highness ; " had promised him acces- 
 sion of territory ; and finally had imparted to him a diplomatic 
 secret which decided him at once to join the imperialists. In 
 the event of any manifestation on the part of Victor Amadeus 
 that was friendly toward the emperor, Louvois had ordered Mar- 
 shal Catinat to take him prisoner, confine him in the fortress of 
 Pignerolles, and appoint the duchess-dowager Regent of Savoy. 
 
 The astounding insolence of the French minister gained a 
 zealous partisan for Leopold. " I am yours and the emperor's 
 forever," cried the indignant duke. " And from my heart I 
 hope that we may both have speedy opportunity to avenge the 
 wrongs we have sustained at the hands of Louis XIV. and 
 that atrocious villain Louvois." 
 
 "As for my wrongs," replied Eugene, with a beaming smile, 
 " they are all forgotten in my excess of happiness." 
 
 " So, then, you are happy at last ? " asked Victor Amadeus, 
 kindly. 
 
 " Supremely blest," was Eugene's emphatic reply. 
 
 " Supremely blest ? " repeated the duke, shaking his head. 
 " Pardon me if I think otherwise. Do you not think that you 
 could be made happier by obtaining the sanction of the church 
 to your liaison with the Marchioness de Strozzi ? " 
 
 " I would be the proudest and happiest of created beings if 
 I could call her my wife," sighed Eugene. " And since the 
 subject has been broached between us, I will confide in you. 
 I have written to the pope an account of Laura's fraudulent 
 marriage with Strozzi, and I hope that his holiness will recog- 
 nize the unlawfulness of that wicked transaction. It seems to 
 me impossible that Religion should look upon it otherwise 
 than as an act of falsehood." 
 31
 
 4:72 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "You have no answer as yet from Rome ? " 
 
 " I expect an answer to-day ; and now, that the crisis of my 
 Laura's destiny is at hand, I begin to be timorous as to the 
 success of my petition. The pope is not my friend ; I have 
 upheld the Waldenses against the church, and have sought 
 their alliance for Austria. These, I know, are serious of- 
 fences ; and not less displeasing to his holiness will be the 
 news of your defection from France to Austria through my 
 intervention." 
 
 " True true," said Victor Amadeus, thoughtfully. "Your 
 embassy to Turin will prove prejudicial to your own inter- 
 ests at Eome. I am afraid they will suffer. And if his holi- 
 ness will not grant a divorce, what is to become of the mar- 
 chioness ? You will not continue to live with her out of wed- 
 lock?" 
 
 " Pardon me," replied Eugene. " She is mine in the sight 
 of God, and man shall not part us. Our union is holy in our 
 own eyes, and we shall maintain its sanctity against the whole 
 world. It will very soon forget us, and consign us to the ob- 
 livion we covet." 
 
 "You are not so easily consigned to oblivion, my dear 
 cousin ; you occupy a prominent position before the world, 
 and the brighter your fame as a hero, the darker will be tha 
 shadow that falls upon your mistress. My wife and I have 
 talked this matter over, and we have determined to make a 
 joint effort either to have you formally united at the altar, or 
 to use our honest endeavors to induce you to separate. The 
 duchess has sent three invitations to the marchioness, every 
 one of which has been refused." 
 
 " The marchioness desires no intercourse with the world. 
 She is independent of its sanction or its blame."' 
 
 "Because, for the present, her world is concentrated in 
 you. But it will not always be so ; and the duchess has gone 
 this very morning to pay her a visit, hoping to prove to her 
 that a woman should not only avoid wrong, but the appearance 
 of wrong. At the same time, we both render ample justice to 
 the purity of intention of the marchioness." 
 
 " Not only of intention, but of conduct," replied Eugene. 
 ' But let us discuss other matters. The elector, Max Em man-
 
 BRAVE HEARTS. 
 
 uel, has arrived at Montcaliers, the imperialists have joined 
 him, and the Spanish troops are on their way." 
 
 " My array also shall march to Montcaliers to-morrow. It 
 is time that the atrocities of Louis XIV. should cease. His 
 soldiers have been worse than an irruption of the Goths both 
 in Germany and in Italy." 
 
 "With the help of God, we will emulate their deeds in 
 France." 
 
 While the two Princes of Savoy were in their cabinet to- 
 gether, the duchess was on her way to visit the marchioness. 
 She was determined not to give Laura the opportunity of deny- 
 ing herself. To this end she followed the lackey that an- 
 nounced her, and as he opened the door, and was about to pro- 
 nounce her name, she passed him by, and, going directly up 
 to Laura, introduced herself. 
 
 She was calmly and courteously received, and, after some 
 desultory conversation, entered upon her delicate mission. 
 
 " I have but one rule of action," said Laura, in return, " and 
 I cannot wound my own convictions by shaping my conduct 
 according to the standard of others." 
 
 " But surely you do not apply this rule to your unlawful 
 liaison with Prince Eugene ! " exclaimed the duchess. 
 
 u It is no unlawful liaison," replied Laura, simply. " I am 
 Eugene's wife in his eyes and in mine : we have plighted our 
 troth, and will be faithful to our vows until death ! " 
 
 " And to this fidelity you sacrifice your honor and your 
 peace of mind. Prince Eugene is but a mortal man. He is, 
 for the time, desperately in love, and scorns all possibility of 
 change. But by-and-by he will begin to be annoyed by the 
 world's censure : he will be ashamed to be seen with you " 
 
 "Madame," interrupted Laura, proudly, "by what right do 
 you thus prejudge the conduct of Prince Eugene ?" 
 
 " By the right of experience, my poor child, and of a knowl- 
 edge of the human heart, whose inconsistencies are all un* 
 known to you. Let me relate to you a history that concerns 
 me nearly, and has caused me many a burning tear. My hus- 
 band was once beloved by a beautiful woman, who, for his 
 sake, left her husband, the court, and the grand monde, to be 
 the solitary inhabitant of a castle, which, to be sure, was fit to
 
 474 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 be the abode of a goddess. She became the mistress of the 
 Duke of Savoy, who loved her to distraction. 1, his unhappy 
 wife, had no right to remonstrate, for our union was like that 
 of princes generally, an affair of state ; and Victor Amadeus 
 never knew that my poor heart was racked by jealousy, and 
 that many a time I prayed for death as the only remedy for 
 my anguish. For a time the duke was contented to see the 
 Countess de la Verrue in her castle, but by-and-by he exacted 
 of this poor devoted creature another sacrifice that of return- 
 ing with a brow of shame to the world. He fitted up a resi- 
 dence for her in Turin ; passed all his time at her side ; drove 
 out with her, and finally held his levees at her palace. Now, 
 there were certain festivals de rigueur that were obliged to be 
 given at the ducal palace ; and from these festivals the count- 
 ess would be excluded unless she was invited by myself. I 
 had nothing to lose, and hoping to win an approving smile 
 from Victor, I invited his mistress, and, when she entered the 
 hall of reception, placed her above all possibility of slight by 
 advancing to meet her." 
 
 " That was magnanimous indeed ! " exclaimed Laura. 
 
 The duchess smiled. " Do not overestimate the act, my 
 dear child. There was quite as much policy in it as magna- 
 nimity. I know men well : they are greater slaves to opinion 
 than women ; they have not half our moral courage, and not 
 one of them can long confront the disapprobation of the world. 
 From this day, a change came over the spirit of my husband. 
 Seeing that the world held me in high esteem for nay sacrifice, 
 and held his mistress very cheaply, he began to feel uncom- 
 fortable when he brought her before its scrutiny. From dis- 
 comfort he proceeded to shame, and finally the day came the 
 inevitable day that dawns for every woman who lays her honor 
 at the feet of her lover. The poor countess was reproached for 
 the sacrifices she had made, and blamed for her weakness in 
 yielding to the importunities of her seducer ! She fled, broken- 
 hearted from his presence, and, like poor La ValHere, took ref- 
 uge in a convent. Oh, my dear young lady ! " continued the 
 duchess, taking Laura's hand in her own, u be warned, and do 
 not court the fate of these unfortunate victims of man's incon- 
 stancy I "
 
 BRAVE HEAfcTS. 
 
 " Madame," returned Laura, " their fate in no way can af- 
 fect me, for I am not the mistress of Prince Eugene. He can 
 never reproach me with weakness, for he, like myself, believes 
 in the holiness of our union. We have been sinned against, 
 but are not sinning. No woman can say of Eugene that he 
 has broken his vows to her ; no man can say of me that I have 
 been unfaithful to him ! " 
 
 "You forget the Marquis de Strozzi." 
 
 " Forget him ! Great God ! Forget the villain who, un- 
 der cover of night, stole the vows I pledged to Eugene, and 
 kept me his prisoner for five long years ! No, madame, I 
 have not forgotten the Marquis de Strozzi ; but he is no hus- 
 band of mine. My spouse before Heaven is Prince Eugene 
 and, so help me God, I will be true to him in life as in 
 death ! " 
 
 " You are a noble woman ; and your love, I admit, is as 
 pure as that of Eve for Adam. But, for your exalted ideas of 
 duty, you will receive naught from the world save scorn and 
 contumely. " 
 
 " So be it. In my Eugene's love will be my exceeding great 
 reward. The arrows of the world's contempt will fall harm- 
 less at my feet, for his dear arm will shield me from their 
 sharpness. My world is Eugene ; he alone is my husband, 
 and my judge." 
 
 The duchess looked compassionately at the beautiful en- 
 thusiast, and heaved a sigh. " I cannot save you, my child : 
 your resolution is mightier than my arguments, and I can 
 only pity and love you. Farewell ! May your heroism meet 
 with the reward it deserves." 
 
 Laura accompanied the duchess to the door, and returned, 
 calm and serene, to her embroidery-frame. She was working 
 a standard for her beloved Eugene, and appeared quite to have 
 forgotten the visit of the duchess, when, suddenly her cheeks 
 Hushed, and she raised her head to listen. She sprang from 
 her seat, crossed the room and opened the door. Eugene 
 came in, clasped her in his arms, and imprinted a kiss on her 
 fair brow. 
 
 " My own love, my white swan," whispered he. 
 
 She lifted her magnificent eyes to his, there and he read the
 
 476 PRINCE EUGEKfi AND His TIMES. 
 
 history of her deep, deep love. They sat down together, his 
 arm still around her waist. 
 
 " Has the Duchess of Savoy been here ? " asked he. 
 
 " Yes. She was here to persuade me, for the world's sake, 
 to leave you." 
 
 " The duke has been doing the same by me," said Eugene. 
 
 And then they smiled. Neither one made protestations to 
 the other ; neither one had any thing to relate. The heaven 
 of their mutual trust was without a cloud. 
 
 Their silent, solemn happiness was interrupted by a knock. 
 Conrad came in with two dispatches one from Germany, and 
 one from Rome. Eugene took them from the golden salver 
 on which they lay, and said : 
 
 "With the permission of the marchioness, I will read 
 item." 
 
 She bowed and smiled ; then, passing her arm through his, 
 led him to a divan, and would have had him take a seat by her 
 side. 
 
 " No, darling," said he, gently putting her down upon its 
 satin cushions. " Lie there, while I sit at your feet and read 
 the fiat of Rome." 
 
 He unfolded the letter, and read, Laura watching him 
 the while ; smoothing his hair with her loving hands, and 
 gazing in his face with tenderness unspeakable. As she gazed 
 she saw a cloud pass over his features ; he looked up at her, 
 and his eyes wore an expression of strange compassion and 
 sorrow. 
 
 Laura bent forward and kissed him. "What ails my 
 love ? " said she. 
 
 li This letter has destroyed a blessed dream, beloved. I had 
 hoped that we had propitiated Fate, and that misfortune had 
 ceased to follow us." 
 
 " Why, what have your political papers to do with our for- 
 tunes ? " 
 
 " This is not a political dispatch," replied Eugene. " It is 
 the answer to a letter I addressed to Pope Innocent. Will 
 you read it, dearest ? " 
 
 She took the paper from his hands, and then began to 
 laugh.
 
 BRAVE HEARTS. 477 
 
 " I do not read Latin," said she. " Translate it for me." 
 
 Eugene then rose, put his arm around her and read : 
 
 "The sacrament of marriage is holy and inviolable, and it 
 cannot be set aside. Woe be unto those who deny its sanctity 
 and its irrevocable pledges ! The marchioness Strozzi was 
 married by a priest, and her witnesses were a father and a 
 brother. We are under the necessity of refusing the petition 
 of the Prince of Savoy ; for, no representation of intentions 
 misdirected, can stand against the deliberate consent of the 
 parties to wedlock, witnessed by honorable relatives. We, 
 therefore, call upon the Prince of Savoy to humble himself as 
 beseems a man that has sinned against God and the Church, 
 lest he incur her malediction, at the hands of the vicar of 
 Christ on earth." 
 
 The paper fell from his hands and fluttered to her feet. 
 
 " You appealed to the pope to annul my marriage with 
 Strozzi ? " asked she. 
 
 " Yes, my beloved. I would have aspired to the bliss of see- 
 ing the beautiful Laura Bonaletta my own wife my wife be- 
 fore the world." 
 
 " How good, how noble of you ! " murmured she. " You 
 would have elevated poor Laura Bonaletta to the height of 
 your own greatness, and would have had her bear your glori- 
 ous name ! It would have been too much bliss for me to bear 
 that honored name, Eugene : and yet ! oh, how I wish I 
 might have called myself Princess of Savoy ! This happiness 
 is denied me, and I must submit ; but I will not sin against 
 my conscience, by allowing any judgment of mortal man to 
 drive me from your side. Once more I lay my hand in yours, 
 and what God has joined together, no power of man shall 
 ever put asunder.'' 
 
 Eugene clasped her trembling hand in his, and, raising his 
 eyes to heaven, recorded their vows. 
 
 After a pause, Laura resumed : " You have another letter 
 to read, dear Eugene. Perhaps it may console you for our 
 own disappointment. It is from Germany, and will, doubtless, 
 bring pleasant tidings." 
 
 Eugene unfolded the dispatch, with a smile ; but scarcely 
 had he glanced at its first words, when his face grew pale,
 
 478 PRINCE EUGEXE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 and his hands trembled so that he could scarcely hold the 
 paper. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried Laura, " another disappointment ! " 
 
 " Oh, Laura," sighed he, " Charles of Lorraine is no more." 
 
 " Your dearest friend ? " 
 
 "Ay my dearest friend ! Charles of Lorraine dead ! 
 And dead of a broken heart. Not on the battle-field, as became 
 the greatest hero of his age, but on a bed of sickness. No offi- 
 cer by to do him honor no soldiers there to weep for their 
 adored commander ! Oh, I would be a happy man, could I 
 but win the love of my men as he did, and earn but one of 
 the many laurels that were wreathed around his honored 
 head ! " * 
 
 "Your laurels will surpass his, my Eugene," exclaimed 
 Laura, with prophetic love. " You are destined to achieve im- 
 mortality." 
 
 Eugene shook his head, and, almost unconsciously, mur- 
 mured these lines of Homer : 
 
 " Like leaves on trees, the race of man is found, 
 Now green in youth, now withering on the ground ; 
 Another race the following spring supplies, 
 They fall successive, and successive rise. 
 So generations, in their course, decay, 
 So nourish these, when those have passed away ! " 
 
 "Any admission within these enchanted walls ?" said a 
 gay voice, behind them ; and, starting up in amazement, they 
 beheld the tall figure of the Elector of Bavaria, and behind 
 him, Conrad, with a perplexed and most distressed counte- 
 nance. 
 
 " Before I say another word, let me exonerate Conrad from 
 any complicity in my indiscretion," said the elector ; " for, I 
 must say, that he told a series of falsehoods on your account, 
 that will keep him out of heaven for many a month. But I 
 surprised him glancing uneasily toward this cioor so I took 
 your Peter by the shoulders, put him aside, and walked into 
 paradise without his permission." 
 
 * Prince Eugene's own words. See Zimmermann.
 
 BRAVE HEARTS. 479 
 
 "Very well, Conrad," said Eugene; u you are excused." 
 And, taking the hand of the elector, he led him to the mar- 
 chioness, and presented him as his dearest living friend. 
 
 The elector kissed her hand and bent the knee before her 
 as he would have done before an empress. 
 
 ' Madonna," said he, " I bow before your beauty and your 
 worth. I am a poor, sinful mortal, but I have, at least, an ap- 
 preciation of heavenly goodness, and I come to do homage to 
 the innocence, the purity, and the courage of my friend's 
 guardian angel." 
 
 " You are most welcome, prince ; but, I pray you, rise. It 
 becomes not a hero like you to kneel before poor Laura Bo- 
 naletta." 
 
 " I would have died but for her care," said Eugene, when 
 the elector had accepted a seat at Laura's side. " She came to 
 me through perils that shame our every-day deeds on the field 
 of battle." 
 
 u I have heard of her miraculous flight from one who loves 
 her dearly. We rejoiced together over the news of her es- 
 cape." 
 
 " You allude to Lucretia," said Laura " how is she ? " 
 
 " Like other mortals," laughed the elector ; " loving to-day 
 and hating to-morrow, and, finally, discovering that lovers' 
 hate is love. Neither you nor Eugene can understand these 
 vicissitudes of sublunary attachments ; for you have nothing 
 in common with the stormy and changeful sea of ordinary 
 loves. Heaven created you one for the other, and your lives 
 are a development of that divine charity which ' believetb. all 
 things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things.' "
 
 BOOK VIII. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ADVANCE INTO FRANCE. 
 
 THE war in Italy had lasted for three years without any 
 decisive result on either side. Here and there some unimpor- 
 tant advantages had been gained by the imperialists, which had 
 then been balanced by some equally trifling defeats. The 
 campaign had opened unfortunately. Against the advice of 
 his generals, Victor Arnadeus had given battle to General Calr 
 inat, near the abbey of Staffarda, and in spite of all that his 
 kinsman Eugene could do by personal bravery to repair the 
 blunder, the imperialists sustained a most humiliating defeat. 
 Eugene, however, had the melancholy satisfaction of knowing 
 that he had predicted the result, although his remonstrances 
 had been unavailing to avert it. 
 
 This disaster had the effect of cooling the zeal of Victor 
 Amadeus to such an extent, that he actually began to repent of 
 having taken sides against the French. He was too wary to be- 
 tray his state of mind ; so he pretended great ardor, and called 
 urgently for re-enforcements. Backed by the importunities 
 of Prince Eugene, he succeeded in obtaining them, and at their 
 head the Elector Max Emmanuel, commander-in-chief of all 
 the imperial forces. 
 
 In spite of all this, the war was not vigorously prosecuted. 
 Max Emmanuel, although brave and true, seemed to have lost 
 the qualities that had made him a wise and energetic com- 
 mander : he lacked coolness when plans were to be conceived, 
 and decision when they were to be carried out. He left all 
 supervision to the care of his subordinates, and spent his days 
 in the pursuit of pleasure. 
 
 (480)
 
 THE ADVANCE INTO FRANCE. 481 
 
 All this Prince Eugene perceived with unavailing regret. 
 He was powerless to prevent it, for, as the youngest of the 
 field-marshals, his duty was restricted to the mere execution 
 of the orders of his superiors. The war dwindled down to an 
 insignificant though bloody contest with the mountaineers of 
 Savoy and the Italian peasantry, and things continued in this 
 state until the allies of the emperor manifested their discon- 
 tent, and called for the removal of Max Emmanuel. Field- 
 marshal Carassa was recalled, and, at the beginning of the cam- 
 paign of 1692, the command of the allied forces was given to 
 Victor Amadeus, while Field-Marshal Caprara was appointed 
 second in command. 
 
 Circumstances now seemed favorable to an earnest prosecu- 
 tion of the war. The imperialists were assembled at one 
 point ; they were superior in numbers to the enemy, and at 
 their head stood a man who lost no opportunity to publish to the 
 world his devotion to Austria, and his detestation of France. 
 
 Eugene was not as hopeful as the rest. He had had enough 
 of valiant words, and was longing for valiant deeds. 
 
 "We must advance into Fi-auce," said he, when the gener- 
 als next assembled in council. " We must retaliate upon the 
 people the persecutions of their army in Germany and Italy. 
 We must enter by the pass of Barcelonetta, which for the 
 present is unguarded. Before troops can arrive to succor the 
 garrison, we shall have taken several more posts of impor- 
 tance." 
 
 " But should we take, will we be able to hold them ? " asked 
 Victor Amadeus, affecting wisdom. 
 
 Eugene's large eyes looked searchingly into the sealed book 
 of his cousin's shrewd countenance. 
 
 u Your highness," replied he, " above all things let us have 
 confidence in ourselves, and let us place some trust in the for- 
 tunes of war. " 
 
 " Catiuat is very sagacious," observed General Laganay, the 
 leader of the Spanish forces. " As soon as we move in the 
 direction of Barcelonetta, he will re-enforce the garrison." 
 
 "Then so much the more necessity for speed on our part," 
 cried Eugene. "We must mislead the enemy, and make a 
 feint on Pignerol. To this end, let us send a corps of obser-
 
 482 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 vation into Piedmont, while we order a detachment of dra- 
 goons and infantry to possess themselves in all haste of the 
 pass." 
 
 The Duke of Savoy looked thoughtful, and there was pro- 
 found silence among the members of the war council. After 
 a pause of some duration, Victor Amadeus raised his head, and 
 gave a long searching look at the excited countenance of his 
 cousin. 
 
 " The Prince of Savoy is right," said he, at length. " We 
 must avenge our wrongs, and carry the war into France. Our 
 way lies through the vale of Barcelonetta, and we must move 
 without delay." 
 
 The face of Eugene was so lit up by joy that his cousin 
 smiled, and gave him a significant look. 
 
 " I have an account of my own to settle with France," add- 
 ed he, " and personal affronts to resent. So has my cousin, 
 who longs to avenge the injuries he has received from Lou- 
 vois." 
 
 " I assure your royal highness," answered Eugene, eagerly, 
 " that personal feeling has naught to do with my opinions as 
 to the prosecution of this war. I would despise myself if, in 
 what I have spoken regarding the interests of the emperor, I 
 had been actuated by any secret motive of aversion toward his 
 enemies." 
 
 There was something in this protest that annoyed Victor 
 Amadeus, for his eyes flashed, and his brows were momenta- 
 rily corrugated. But no one knew better than he how to sup- 
 press any symptoms of vexation. It was not convenient to 
 evince displeasure, and he composed his features back to se- 
 renity. 
 
 " Members of this council of war, and officers of the impe- 
 rial army," said he, with an appearance of solemn earnestness, 
 " we must act promptly and energetically. Let us prove to our 
 allies, and to all Europe, that we know how to avenge the 
 wrongs of our countrymen. We pass the boundary -lines of 
 France ! " 
 
 And every preparation was made to carry out this deter- 
 mination. The army was to advance in three divisions, and 
 Prince Eugene was to lead the vanguard.
 
 THE ADVANCE INTO FRANCE. 483 
 
 His way lay through the mountainous districts of Savoy ; 
 but, with experienced guides to lead them, the dragoons were 
 able to defile through secret passes unknown to any but the 
 natives, and to arrive unsuspected upon the frontiers of France. 
 
 The peasant that preceded Prince Eugene stopped for a 
 while, and, raising his arm, pointed on ward. 
 
 " This is France," said he. " Yonder is Barcelonetta, and 
 the towers you see beyond are those of the fortress of Guil- 
 lestre." 
 
 Eugene thanked him, and put spurs to his horse. On the 
 frontier he drew in his rein, surveyed the lovely green plain 
 before him, and addressed the Prince de Commercy. 
 
 " I have kept the promise I made in Hungary," said he. 
 
 " I remember it," replied De Commercy. " I had been tell- 
 ing you that, after hearing of your heroic deeds in the em- 
 peror's service, Louvois had said : ' Let Prince Eugene beware 
 how he attempts to return to France ! ' And your reply was 
 this : ' I shall return, but it shall be sword in hand.' " * 
 
 '* And we are here my good sword and I. Nine years ago, 
 I left my native country, a miserable and despairing youth." 
 
 " And you return a great general, and one of the happiest 
 men alive," cried De Commercy. 
 
 "Ay," murmured Eugene, "one of the happiest men alive ! 
 so happy, that methinks the contrarieties of life are so many 
 vaporous clouds, that throw but a passing shadow over the 
 face of heaven, and then melt into the azure of resplendent 
 day. From my heart I thank indulgent Destiny for her bless- 
 ings ! " 
 
 " Destiny that was mightier than the puny enmity of a 
 Louvois ! Well we have had our fill of glory in Hungary 
 and Italy. I hope we shall find a few laurels here in France." 
 
 " I hope so," said Eugene, moodily, " though oftentimes I " 
 
 " Why do you hesitate ? What do you fear ? " asked De 
 Commercy. 
 
 " I fear," replied Eugene, lowering his voice, " that we will 
 not be allowed to pluck laurels that grow on French soil." 
 
 " Do you think the French will outnumber us ? " 
 
 " No," sighed Eugene, " the enemy's numbers give me no 
 * Historical. See Ariuath, ''Prince Eugene of Saroy," vol. i.
 
 484 FRINGE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 uneasiness : I am afraid of our own weakness. We lack the 
 morale the will to conquer." 
 
 u Why surely, Eugene, you lack neither, 1 ' replied De Com- 
 mercy. 
 
 " As if I had any voice in these councils ! Were it left with 
 me to manosuvre this army, I would lead it to Paris in two 
 weeks. But, unhappily, you and I are but the instruments of 
 the will of our superiors. I will not conceal from you, my 
 friend, the impatience with which I submit to carry out orders 
 against which my judgment continually rebels ; and how 
 weary I am of serving, where I feel that I ought to command. 
 You know me too well to suspect me of the meanness of a 
 mere lust for distinction. Had we a true or competent leader, 
 I would be content to remain where I am, as youngest field- 
 marshal in the army in the fifth rank ; but 
 
 " But you consider Victor Amadeus as incapable as Max 
 Emmanuel ? " 
 
 " Max was not incapable," said Eugene, as though speaking 
 to himself. " True, he exhibited none of those great qualities 
 which distinguished him in Hungary ; or perhaps he was 
 shrewd enough to perceive that no amount of generalship 
 could prevail against the dulness of his German officers, the 
 ill-will of the Spaniards, and the irresolution of the Duke of 
 Savoy. I believe he concluded to let things take their course, 
 and cause his own removal. But he, at least, was honest. 
 He was not casting his eyes about, to see on which side lay his 
 own interest. His countenance is a true reflex of his soul 
 and what he says, he means." 
 
 " And by this you wish me to infer that such is not the case 
 with our.present commander-in-chief ? " asked De Commercy. 
 
 Eugene bent his head in token of assent, and gazed for a 
 moment at the country which lay before them. " We will 
 capture Barcelonetta," said he, " Gillestre, and perhaps Em- 
 bruu, provided we are too rapid in our movements for the 
 duke to circumvent us by countermanding orders. We must 
 strive to make retreat impossible, but we must not lose sight of 
 Victor Amadeus. We must watch him closely, and be on our 
 guard against 
 
 " Against what ? " asked De Commercy.
 
 THE RAVENS. 485 
 
 " Against treason," whispered Eugene. 
 
 " How ! You think it possible that 
 
 '' That while the road to Paris is open before us, we never 
 get farther than Embrun. Unless we are wary, De Com- 
 mercy, we shall be betrayed and sold to the enemy. But look ! 
 Here come our vanguard. You can indulge your fancy for 
 rural scenery, while I go to receive them." And Eugene gal- 
 loped back to his men, who received him with shouts of en- 
 thusiasm. 
 
 " My braves," said he, unsheathing his sword, and pointing 
 to the smiling plains beyond, " my braves, this is France ! the 
 enemy's country, which we are here to conquer ! " 
 
 The troops responded with a yell that betokened their 
 readiness for the bloody work. 
 
 CHARTER II. 
 
 THE RAVENS. 
 
 THE men were allowed an hour's rest to feed their horses 
 and prepare their dinners. Fires were lighted, vivandieres 
 went hither and thither, wishing that they could multiply 
 themselves to answer the demands of the hungry soldiers. 
 Here and there were picturesque groups of men reclining un- 
 der the trees, some chatting, some smoking, others singing 
 songs of home. 
 
 This bivouac was a pleasant scene to look upon ; but its 
 peace was like the stillness that precedes a storm. A few 
 hours might change these light-hearted human beings into 
 mangled corpses, and dye this velvet sward with human 
 blood. 
 
 Eugene had dismounted, and, accompanied by one of his 
 staff-officers, mingled with the merry crowd. Everywhere he 
 was greeted with demonstrations of affection and contemplated 
 with unmistakable admiration. Sometimes he paused awhile 
 to chat with the soldiers, of their families at home ; often ac- 
 cepting the bread they offered, and tasting of the soup that was 
 being distributed by the vivandieres.
 
 486 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Now and then a gruff voice was heard calling out to the 
 " little Capuchin," as the soldiers were accustomed to designate 
 Eugene, through fondness. At such times, he smiled, nodded, 
 and, when his officers would have eluded the men for their 
 familiarity, besought them not to reprove them for a jest so 
 harmless. 
 
 " Why do you look so melancholy, lieutenant ? " asked he 
 of a young officer, who, apart from his comrades, was leaning 
 against a tree, gazing intently in the distance. 
 
 The officer appeared to waken from a fit of abstraction, for 
 he gave a slight start, and removed his cap. 
 
 " Are you not pleased at our invasion of France ? '' asked 
 Eugene. 
 
 " Ay, that am I," replied he, with a bitter smile. u I have 
 long hoped for this invasion, and I thank God that it is at 
 hand." 
 
 u You are ambitious to wear the epaulets of a captain, I 
 presume ? " 
 
 "No, general, no. I care nothing for military finery." 
 
 " Why, then, have you longed to march to France ? " 
 
 " Because I hunger and thirst for French blood. General, 
 I implore you, give me a body of men, and let me initiate our 
 invasion of France by giving the French a taste of guerrilla 
 warfare." 
 
 " Are you so sanguinary, young man ? " asked Eugene, in 
 amazement. "Do you not know that war itself should be 
 conducted with humanity, and that we should never forget 
 our common brotherhood with our enemies ! " 
 
 " No, general, I know it not, nor do I wish to know it. I 
 know that the French have left me without kindred, without 
 home, without ties ; and that they have transformed me a 
 man whose heart once beat with sympathy and love for all 
 living creatures into a tiger, that craves blood, and mocks at 
 suffering." 
 
 " Unhappy man ! " exclaimed Eugene, sadly. " Then you 
 have suffered wrong at the hands of the French ? " 
 
 The young man heaved a convulsive sigh. 
 
 " I come from the Palatinate," said he. " My parents' house 
 was fired, my father murdered, and my mother driven out into
 
 THE RAVENS. 487 
 
 the woods, where she perished. But this is not all. I loved a 
 maiden a beautiful and virtuous maiden, to whom I was be- 
 trothed. O God ! that I should have lived to see it ! General, 
 the name of my betrothed was Marie Wengelin." 
 
 ' Marie Wengeliu ! " echoed Eugene, with a shudder. " I 
 have heard of her tragic end. It was she that delivered Ess- 
 lingen, but was " 
 
 " Marie ! Marie ! " cried Caspar, hiding his face with his 
 hands. 
 
 Eugene kindly touched him on the shoulder. " Unfortu- 
 nate young man," said he, '' from my soul I pity you, and well 
 I understand your hatred of the Frenchman." 
 
 ''Dear general, give me the command of a body of ma- 
 rauders that shall clear the way for our army. There is many 
 a man in our regiment as eager for revenge as I ; let us be 
 consolidated into one corps, and where bloody work is to be 
 done, confide it to us." 
 
 Eugene thought for a moment, and then replied : '' So be 
 it ; you shall have your wish. Select one hundred men, of 
 whom you shall be captain, and come to me, individually for 
 your orders, reporting also to myself, and not to my officers. 
 I will give you opportunity to distinguish yourself, young 
 man ; but remember that it is one thing to be a hero, and an- 
 other to be a cutthroat. Eetaliate upon the men, but spare 
 the women. If, in every Frenchman, you see a Melac, look 
 upon every woman as your Marie. Will you promise me 
 this?" 
 
 l> I will, general. At last I shall have vengeance, I shall 
 serve my country, and when my work is done, may God re- 
 lease me from this fearful earthly bondage ! " 
 
 " Utter no such sinful wishes. Believe me, there, is balm 
 for every wound ; and I, who tell you this, have suffered un- 
 speakably." 
 
 " General, my Marie is dead, and died by her own hand." 
 
 " She died the death of a heroine. But for you, it is hero- 
 ism to live, and so to live that the world may esteem you 
 worthy of having been loved by Marie Wengelin. Ah ! you 
 are no cutthroat. I see it in the glance of your eye, in the 
 M-emor of your Hp. You shall have command of the guerrillas ; 
 32
 
 488 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 for you will not be barbarous in your warfare. What is your 
 name ? " 
 
 " Caspar Werner." 
 
 " Give me your hand, Caspar Werner, and promise me that 
 you will go through life with the fortitude that becomes a 
 brave man." 
 
 Caspar grasped Eugene's extended hand. " Yes, general, I 
 promise. I will be worthy of my Marie worthy of your 
 kindness to-day ; and from this hour forth I am yours for life 
 or death." 
 
 Eugene gazed admiringly into the handsome face of the 
 trooper. " I will do all that lies in my power to lessen your 
 troubles, Caspar, and you shall be under my own special pro- 
 tection. How soon will you be able to organize your corps ? " 
 
 " In ten minutes, general. " 
 
 Eugene shook his head incredulously. 
 
 " You will see, general," said Caspar. " We are all prepared, 
 and awaited nothing but your consent. Now look ! The men 
 have just risen from dinner. Will you allow me to present 
 them now ? " 
 
 " Certainly. I will wait for them here." 
 
 Caspar leaped on his horse, which was close at hand, graz- 
 ing, and galloped to the spot where the soldiers had bivouacked. 
 Eugene, who was now joined by several of his staff, followed 
 his movements with great interest. 
 
 The trooper came so suddenly upon his comrades, that not 
 one of them had been aware of his approach. They went on 
 chatting and smoking until, all of a sudden, were heard these 
 few words : " Ravens, to horse ! " 
 
 In the twinkling of an eye, every man stood erect. For 
 the second time, Caspar called out, " Eavens, to horse ! " when 
 their hands were on the bridle, and in less than five minutes 
 they were all mounted. 
 
 Before ten minutes had expired, the Ravens had defiled be- 
 fore Prince Eugene, who contemplated, with a sort of grim 
 satisfaction, their stalwart forms, their resolute, bronzed faces, 
 and their fiery, flashing eyes. 
 
 He signed to Caspar to approach. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said he to his officers, "let me present to
 
 THE RAVENS. 489 
 
 you Captain Werner of the th. He is in command of an in- 
 dependent corps who call themselves ' The Ravens,' but in their 
 aspirings emulate the eagle. '' 
 
 " General," said Caspar, " give the word, and let your Ra- 
 \ens fly." 
 
 "You have it," replied Eugene, smiling. "Yonder are the 
 towers of Barcelonetta. On our march thither are two forts ; 
 they would inconvenience our advance, and must be taken." 
 
 "They shall be taken," was the reply, and in a few mo- 
 ments the Ravens had flown, and were no longer to be seen. 
 
 One hour later the vanguard of the imperial army resumed 
 its march. Nothing checked their advance, for the Ravens 
 had carried every thing before them. Barcelonetta, terrified 
 at the fate of the two other forts, held out the white flag ; and, 
 by the time Prince Eugene had arrived, a procession was on 
 its way to deliver into his hands the keys of the fortress. The 
 clergy, in full canonicals, were at their head, and after them a 
 t voop of young girls dressed in white, the first of whom pre- 
 s 3nted the keys on a silk cushion, and petitioned " the great 
 iero" for mercy. 
 
 " Oh, my mother ! " thought he, as he took the keys, " you 
 > re avenged. The despised abbe has proved to the King of 
 France that he is not a weakling unworthy of wearing a 
 s;vord !" 
 
 They tarried but a night at Barcelonetta. On the morrow 
 they captured Guillestre, and set out for Embrun, where they 
 expected to be joined by the main army. 
 
 Embrun resisted for twenty-four hours, but at the end of 
 that time it fell, and Victor Amadeus took up his headquarters 
 there, while Eugene marched on to Gab. He had been pre- 
 ceded by the Ravens, who, in imitation of their enemies, had 
 driven the people from their houses, and had set fire to whole 
 villages, cutting down all who offered resistance. 
 
 And, while they transformed the beautiful plains of Dau- 
 phine into a waste, and marked their path forward by smok- 
 ing ruins, they shouted in the ears of the unhappy fugitives : 
 " Revenge ! Revenge for the woes of Germany ! " 
 
 " Revenge for the woes of Germany ! " cried the Ravens, as 
 they leaped from their horses to storm the walls of Gab.
 
 490 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIME?. 
 
 But no answer was made to their challenge, for not a soul 
 was there to give back a defiant word. The gates stood open, 
 the walls were unguarded, and, when the dragoons entered 
 the town, they found not one living being whereon to wreak 
 their vengeance. So hasty had been the flight of the inhabit- 
 ants that they had left their worldly goods behind, and their 
 houses looked as though the owners had but just absented 
 themselves for an hour or so to attend church, or celebrate 
 some public festival. 
 
 The Ravens took possession, and, when Prince Eugene ar- 
 rived, he found the Austrian flag waving from the towers, and 
 that of Savoy streaming above the gates. 
 
 "You have done your work quickly," observed he to 
 Caspar. 
 
 '"There was nothing to do, general," was the reply. 
 " There is not a living soul of them within the walls. And 
 now, your highness a boon ! " 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "General, recall to your mind Speier and Worms, and 
 grant us leave to find our retaliation for their destruction in 
 Gab." 
 
 "You say there is not a living soul in Gab? Are 
 there, then, no women, no children, no superannuated or 
 infirm ? " 
 
 " General, every house is empty. I found but one living 
 creature in Gab a young girl who lay sick in bed too sick 
 to move." 
 
 "Alone? forsaken?" 
 
 " Forsaken, general, save by one little dog that had just ex- 
 pired at the side of her bed, for its body was warm and 
 supple." 
 
 "And the poor girl?" 
 
 "She was dying." 
 
 Eugene's large, questioning eyes were upon Caspar's face, 
 and their expression was anxious and painful. " Caspar, did 
 you remember your promise ? " 
 
 " Yes, general, I did. The maiden asked for water, and .1 
 held the cup to her lips. I seated myself at her bedside, and 
 while my comrades sacked the town, I soothed her last mo-
 
 THE RAVENS. 491 
 
 ments. When all was over, I covered her face, and left the 
 house." 
 
 Eugene extended his hand. "You acted nobly, Cas- 
 par." 
 
 " Nay, general," replied Caspar, his eyes filling with tears, 
 "her name was Marie ! But now, that I can assure you on 
 my honor that there is no creature to molest in the town, I 
 once more present the petition of my men. They ask for per- 
 mission to destroy Gah." 
 
 Eugene pondered for a moment, and then gave his consent. 
 " Let them do what they choose with the town." 
 
 Then, turning to the Prince de Commercy, "I hegin to 
 think," said he, " that I have done injustice to Victor Ama- 
 deus. It was he who, contrary to the opinions of his officers, 
 ordered the advance to Gab. He will be delighted and sur- 
 prised to hear that we have possession of the fortress already, 
 for he was anxious to be with us at the siege." 
 
 '' I can believe it : he may well desire the honor of captur- 
 ing one stronghold in France, when his cousin has already 
 reduced two. But look, Eugene, at yonder courier coming to- 
 ward us he seems to be in haste." 
 
 The courier came on, his horse flecked with foam, himself 
 covered with dust ; and, no sooner had he approached within 
 hearing, than he called in a loud voice for " Field-Marshal, the 
 Prince of Savoy." 
 
 An orderly conducted him at once to the prince, to whom 
 he delivered a package from his highness the Duke of Savoy. 
 
 Eugene broke the seals, and began to read. His brows 
 met, and, as he looked up from the perusal of his dispatches, 
 his face was expressive of extreme annoyance. 
 
 " It is well," said he to the courier. " Say to his highness 
 that we will obey. Monsieur de Commercy, let us ride to- 
 gether up the heights, whence we may have a full view of Gab 
 and our troops." 
 
 They set their horses in motion, and in a few moments had 
 reached the summit of the hill. Here Eugene reined in his 
 horse, and reopened his dispatch. 
 
 " Here we are alone, Commercy. Let me read you the let- 
 ter of my well-beloved cousin and commander-in-chief ;
 
 492 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " ' My dear kinsman and distinguished field-marshal : To 
 my unspeakable regret, I am deprived, by a serious illness, of 
 taking part in the attack upon Gab. My physicians have or- 
 dered me back to Embrun, there to await the result. These 
 presents will convey to the advance guard my command to 
 retreat to Embrun until further orders. It is my intention 
 (unless I succumb before your arrival) to hold a council of 
 war ; and, to this intent, I require the presence of all the gen- 
 eral officers. Hasten, therefore, my dear Eugene, lest you 
 should find me no longer alive ; and believe that, living or 
 dying, I am, as ever, your devoted kinsman and friend. 
 
 (Signed) " ' VICTOR AMADEUS, Duke of Savoy.' " 
 
 " Do you believe all this ? " asked De Commercy. 
 
 " Stay till you hear the postscript from his own hand : 
 
 u 'My dear cousin: You must pardon my egotistic ambi- 
 tion, if I do not allow the siege of Gab to be prosecuted with 
 out me. I am very desirous of glory, and perchance youi 
 laurels have contributed to my indisposition. At any rate, be 
 fore you take a third fortress, I must have my opportunity o' 
 capturing two. So, instead of attacking Gab, come to Embruj 
 to the relief of 
 
 " ' Yours, besieged by illness, V. A.' " 
 
 " I repeat my question do you believe in his illness ? " 
 
 " And you do you believe in his ambition ? " 
 
 " Why not ? He avows it openly." 
 
 " For which very reason, it has no existence. Victor 
 Amadeus is too crafty to make such an avowal in good faith. 
 He never says what he thinks, nor does he ever think what he 
 says. No, no my poor little leaflets of laurel would have 
 given him no uneasiness, had they not been plucked on French 
 soil ! But we must wait and see. The main point is to retreat 
 to Embrun." 
 
 " And Gab ? Will you retract your gift of its empty houses 
 to the Havens ? " 
 
 " No. My instructions were not to besiege Gab. It sur- 
 rendered before they reached me, and I shall leave it to the sol-
 
 SICK AND WELL. 493 
 
 diery. As for you and me, we must hasten to Embrun to try 
 to break the seal of my cousin's impassible countenance, and 
 read a few of his thoughts. Did I not tell you that we would 
 march no farther than Embrun ? " 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SICK AND WELL. 
 
 THE Duke of Savoy had taken up his residence at the castle 
 of Embrun, where, as soon as the officers had arrived, his 
 highness called a council of war. They were assembled in 
 the council-chamber, awaiting the appearance of the invalid. 
 
 The doors leading to a room beyond, were opened to give 
 passage to a huge arm-chair on rollers, which was wheeled by 
 four lackeys, to the centre of the hall. The duke's head re- 
 clined on a cushion which had been fastened for the occasion 
 to the back of the chair : the remainder of his person was 
 buried under a purple velvet coverlet, except his neck and 
 arms, which were clothed in a black doublet, the whole costume 
 being eminently calculated to heighten the pallor of the duke's 
 cheeks, and increase the whiteness of his hands as they lay 
 limp and helpless on the velvet covering. His eyes were half- 
 closed, and as he made a feeble attempt to survey the assem- 
 blage before him, they appeared to open with difficulty. 
 With a faint motion of the hand, he signed to the lackeys to 
 retire, and then made a painful effort to raise his head. 
 
 Deep silence reigned throughout the council-chamber, but 
 the gaze of every man there was fixed upon the pallid face of 
 him in whose trembling hands lay the destinies of four differ- 
 ent armies. His dim eyes wandered slowly about the room 
 until they rested on the person of Prince Eugene, who, hot 
 and dusty, presented an appearance that contrasted strongly 
 with that of his brother-officers. 
 
 " Our dear kinsman Eugene has arrived, I see," said the 
 duke, in a faint voice. *' We were afraid that we would be 
 obliged to hold this important council without your presence."
 
 494- PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " I hastened with all speed to obey your highness's sum- 
 mons," replied Eugene, " and I must avail myself of this op-' 
 portunity to apologize for my dress. I have just dismounted, 
 and hurried to the council-chamber that I might myself an- 
 nounce to your highness the good news of which I am the 
 bearer." 
 
 '' Let us hear it," murmured the duke, closing his eyes, and 
 letting his head droop upon the pillow. 
 
 " Your highness, we were not obliged to storm Gab : it 
 surrendered without a shot." 
 
 The duke's eyelids moved, and a flush overspread his face. 
 No one remarked this save Eugene, for all other eyes in the 
 hall were riveted upon himself. 
 
 " This is very good news," said the duke, feebly. 
 
 " Your highness sees, then, what a panic is produced by the 
 mere mention of your name. It is a talisman that will lead 
 us to Paris without opposition or loss of life. Like Csesar, 
 you come, see, and conquer and that not by your presence, 
 but by your reputation." 
 
 " Your highness is too modest,'' said Victor Ainadeus, some- 
 what recovering his voice. " I cannot accept the laurels you 
 have so honorably won. Alas ! " continued he, " I fear that 
 I shall never lead an army into battle again ! " 
 
 And, as if exhausted by the thought, he fell back and was 
 silent. In a few moments, he raised his head and spoke : this 
 time with open eyes, and with some distinctness. 
 
 " Gentlemen take your seats. The council is opened." 
 
 The great question of the next movement of the army was 
 now to be agitated. The council were divided in their senti- 
 ments. Some were for rapid advance, others were of opinion 
 that great discretion was to be exercised, now that they stood 
 on the enemy's territory, and that not one step should be made 
 without great deliberation as to its expediency. 
 
 At the head of the latter party stood General Caprara. 
 " We have no right to trust to luck in war," said he. " We 
 must take into consideration all the mischances that may be- 
 fall us hi the enemy's country, and act accordingly. Prince 
 Eugene's advance-guard, for example, had the good luck to 
 find Gab abandoned by its inhabitants. Had they remained
 
 SICK AND WELL. 495 
 
 to defend their city, we would have lost our men to no purpose 
 whatever." 
 
 " My advance-guard is composed of young and brave men, 
 who, to avenge the injuries of Germany, have devoted them- 
 selves to death ; hut they are so fearless, and therefore so ter 
 rible, that I believe they will live to perform many a gallant 
 deed." 
 
 " If they are not hanged as marauders," retorted Caprara ; 
 " for my edicts against plunderers and incendiaries remain in 
 force here as well as at home." 
 
 '' Your excellency has, then, changed your mode of warfare 
 since your soldiery devastated the towns of Hungary," said 
 Eugene. 
 
 " Field-Marshal ! " cried Caprara, reddening. 
 
 " What, your excellency ?" asked Eugene, with a provok- 
 ing smile. 
 
 " Gentlemen," interposed the Duke of Savoy, " distract not 
 our councils with your personal differences. Field-Marshal 
 Caprara, you are, then, of opinion that it would be perilous for 
 us to advance farther into the enemy's territory ? " 
 
 " Yes, your highness," growled Caprara, looking daggers at 
 Eugene. " A rapid march might give opportunity for the 
 display of personal prowess, which, while it redounded to the 
 credit of the few, would imperil the safety of the many." 
 
 " I heartily second the views of General Caprara," said 
 General Legnaney, the leader of the Spanish division. ' If we 
 march on, we leave our base of operations far behind, and 
 render unforeseen calamities irremediable." 
 
 " That is my opinion ; " " And mine," cried several voices 
 together, but among the younger officers there was dissenting 
 silence. 
 
 Victor Amadeus gave a long sigh, and, turning his head 
 slowly, addressed Eugene : 
 
 "Field-Marshal, Prince of Savoy, it is your turn to speak." 
 
 " I, your highness, am of opinion that we push our con- 
 quest with vigor. All the talent and strength of the French 
 army has been sent to the Netherlands, and France is, so to 
 speak, at our mercy. We have no obstacles before us in the 
 shape of men in the field or garrisoned strongholds. As we
 
 -;9G PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 captured Barcelonetta, Guillestre, and Gab, so will we capture 
 every place that lies on our march. There is absolutely noth- 
 ing of the proportions of a mole-bill to prevent us from going 
 as far as Grenoble nay, as far as Lyons." 
 
 " The Prince of Savoy has spoken like a sagacious general," 
 said the Prince de Commercy. " Nothing prevents us from 
 marching to Lyons." 
 
 " I sustain his views," added the Duke of Schomberg. " We 
 must advance. Let us promise protection to the Waldenses, 
 and so foment civil discord among the enemy. To create 
 disaffection in the enemy's country is good policy and it is a 
 policy that will bear us on to Paris. " 
 
 " We are of the same mind," said the other officers, who 
 had kept silence. 
 
 And now ensued another pause. The casting vote on this 
 momentous question was to be given by Victor Amadeus. He 
 had recovered his strength in a wonderful manner, for his 
 face had lost its pallor, his eyes their dimness, and his whole 
 countenance beamed with resolution. 
 
 " Gentlemen," cried he, as, in his excitement, he rose from 
 his chair, " to youth belong fame and conquest ; to youth be- 
 longs the strength that casts away impediments, and overleaps 
 all hindrances to success. Forgive us, who, being young, 
 thirst for glory, and long to quench that thirst in the spark- 
 ling waters of military success. Forgive, me, you who are sa- 
 tiated with ambition gratified, if, rather than be discreet with 
 you, I would be rash with my young kinsman. I am of Prince 
 Eugene's opinion. Nothing hinders our march to Grenoble. 
 I am impatient 
 
 Suddenly he paused, and grasped the arms of the chair. A 
 shudder pervaded his whole body, and, with a convulsive gasp, 
 he fell back, apparently insensible. 
 
 The assembly broke up in confusion. Physicians were 
 summoned, and, at their bidding, the duke was slowly borne 
 back into his chamber. His head was enveloped in damp 
 cloths, his temples were rubbed with stimulants, and, after 
 various restoratives had been applied, he slowly opened his 
 eyes, and looked bewildered about him. Nobody was near ex- 
 cept Doctor Mirazzi, The other physicians had retired to the
 
 SICK AND WELL. 497 
 
 embrasure of a bay-window, and the lackeys had gathered 
 about the door, where they were awaiting further orders from 
 their superiors. All this the duke had seen at a glance. He 
 closed his eyes again, but, as he did so, he made a sign to Doc- 
 tor Mirazzi. 
 
 The latter bent his head to listen, but in such a manner as 
 to convey the idea that he was watching his patient's fluttering 
 breath. 
 
 " Dismiss them all," whispered the sick man. 
 
 The doctor gave no ostensible sign of having heard. He 
 still kept his ear to the patient's mouth ; then, after a while, 
 he placed it close to his heart. The examination at an end, he 
 went on tiptoes toward the window T\ here his colleagues were 
 standing. 
 
 " He sleeps," whispered he. " When he awakes, his malady 
 will probably declare itself. I will remain here to watch him ; 
 it is unnecessary for you to confine yourselves with me in this 
 close sick-room. Will you oblige me by returning this even- 
 ing for a consultation ? " 
 
 u Certainly," was the reply of the others, who were grate- 
 ful to be relieved from duty. " Shall we appoint seven 
 o'clock ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Mirazzi ; " and we will hold our consulta- 
 tion in the duke's sitting-room. Our presence here might be 
 prejudicial." 
 
 And, with injunctions for silence, the doctor accompanied 
 his colleagues to the door, which was noiselessly opened by the 
 lackeys ; but, before they had time to close it again, Mirazzi 
 shut it with his own hands, loosening simultaneously a thick 
 velvet portiere, through whose heavy folds no sound could 
 penetrate without. 
 
 Victor Amadeus, meanwhile, lay motionless in his arm- 
 chair. 
 
 " Your highness," said Mirazzi, " we are now safe and 
 alone." 
 
 The duke arose, kicked off his coverlet and stood erect. 
 " My dear doctor," said he, " you must prove to me that I may 
 trust you." 
 
 "For thirty years I have served your royal highness's fam-
 
 AN!) tilS 
 
 ily, and I am ready to do so, be it with my life," replied Mi- 
 razzi. 
 
 '* I believe you, Mirazzi ; and therefore I, who am insincere 
 toward everybody else, am honest in my intercourse with you. 
 Now listen to me. In the science of medicine there are many 
 remedies for diseases. Are there any potions, known to physi 
 cians, that have power to produce maladies ? " 
 
 " That is a dangerous inquiry, your highness ; for it re 
 gards the most tragic secrets of the craft. There are many, 
 many things known to us that will produce sickness, followed 
 by death, immediate or remote ; but unfortunately there are 
 riot as many as you suppose, that will restore the vital energies 
 where they are impaired by disease." 
 
 '' But, doctor, surely you have some way of simulating dis- 
 ease without injuring the patient. Cutaneous maladies, for 
 instance, must be very easily induced." 
 
 " They can more easily be induced than simulated. I can 
 raise a scarlet eruption on a man's skin ; but when it appears, 
 it will bring with it fever and thirst." 
 
 4 * So much the better, so much the better ! " exclaimed Vic- 
 tor Amadeus, eagerly. " How long will the symptoms last ? ' 
 
 " If proper remedies are administered, they will disappear 
 in five or six days, your highness." 
 
 " Good, good," murmured the duke to himself ; and then 
 he began to pace forth and back the length of the apartment. 
 After a while he came and stood directly in front of the doctor, 
 who with his sharp eyes had been watching him as he walked, 
 and perfectly apprehended the nature of the service he was 
 expected to render to his distinguished patient. 
 
 " Doctor," said the sick man, " I feel the premonition of 
 some serious illness. My head swims, my limbs ache, and 
 cold chills are darting through my body. My fever will be 
 high, and perchance I may grow delirious. Let me then use 
 the rational interval left me, to make such dispositions as 
 might be necessary in case of my demise." 
 
 " Then let me advise your highness to get to bed as speedily 
 as possible," replied the doctor, solemnly. " This done, I will 
 call in our consulting physicians 
 
 " By no means : I hate consultations. Nobody shall come
 
 THE DUKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 499 
 
 into my room but yourself, and, when you need the advice of 
 your coadjutors, you must assemble them in some other part 
 of the castle." 
 
 " I thank your highness for so signal a proof of confi- 
 dence," said Mirazzi, " but I am not at liberty to assume the 
 undivided responsibility of your nursing ; for you may be- 
 come really sick, and you must have all needful attention. 
 Were we in Turin, her highness your noble spouse would suf- 
 fer no one to attend you except herself ; but here ' 
 
 " Here she shall not come ; and to make sure of this fact, 
 I will write her a letter in my own hand that will allay any 
 anxiety she might feel on my account. Write yourself to the 
 duchess, and ask her to send my old nurse her that has al- 
 ways tended me in sickness. But I feel very ill, doctor. Call 
 my valet to undress me. When I am comfortably arranged 
 in bed, I will send for my secretary, and afterward for my 
 staff -officers. They must receive their orders from me, before 
 I lose my senses." 
 
 " To bed, to bed, your highness that is the main thing ! " 
 
 u Yes, that is the main thing," echoed the duke, falling into 
 his arm-chair, and drawing up his velvet coverlet. " Now, 
 doctor," added he, in a very faint voice, " call my valets, or T 
 shall swoon before they get me to bed." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE DUKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 
 
 THE news of the duke's terrible illness spread through the 
 oastle, over the town, and reached the barracks of the soldiers, 
 who, like their officers, received the intelligence with blank 
 looks of disappointment. 
 
 The staff -officers hastened to the castle, and some of them 
 tnade attempts to penetrate the sick-chamber. But all in vain. 
 Doctor Mirazzi's orders were stringent, and the nerves of his 
 patient were not to be tried by the presence of any man, were 
 that man his own brother.
 
 500 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "We can determine nothing, nor can we administer any 
 remedies," said he, " until the malady declares itself. We 
 must wait." 
 
 " We must wait,'' said the duke's physician, and the whole 
 army was doomed to inaction, while urgent and more urgent 
 grew the necessity for active operations. 
 
 Throughout the castle reigned profound stillness : not the 
 least sound was permitted to reach the duke's ears. The offi- 
 cers that called were kept at a distance from his apartments, 
 and to all their inquiries there was but one and the same 
 reply the duke was delirious, and incapable of giving orders. 
 
 Finally, after three days of mortal suspense, it was an- 
 nounced that his highness of Savoy had malignant scarlet 
 fever. 
 
 During the four days that followed this announcement, 
 nobody was allowed to enter the room except Doctor Mirazzi, 
 and the old nurse that sat up with the duke at night. But, on 
 the fifth day, two persons were admitted. Of these, one was 
 the marshal of the duke's household, the other was his cousin 
 Eugene. 
 
 They were received with mysterious whisperings, and were 
 warned not to excite the patient. He had, in the incipiency of 
 his illness, insisted upon making his will, and these two confi- 
 dential friends had been summoned to witness it. 
 
 The old nurse now joined them to say that his highness was 
 awake, and would see Prince Eugene. 
 
 " My dear cousin,'* said the duke, languidly, " come and re- 
 ceive my last greeting." 
 
 Eugene entered the alcove, and stood at the bedside. The 
 bed was curtained in purple velvet, and the hangings were 
 so arranged as to leave the duke's face in obscurity. Eugene 
 perceived, nevertheless, that there was no emaciation of fea- 
 tures, nor any alteration in the expression of the sharp, rest- 
 less eye. 
 
 " My dear kinsman," continued the invalid, " it is all over 
 with me. I die without fame ; I have fought my last battle 
 and am vanquished by invincible death." 
 
 " No, your highness, you have not the aspect of a dying 
 man ; and I have strong hope that you will live to perform
 
 THE DUKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 501 
 
 great deeds yet. Young, wise, and brave as you are, your 
 strong will may vanquish not only death, but our common 
 enemy the King of France." 
 
 " May your words prove prophetic ! " sighed the duke, " but 
 something tells me that I must prepare for the woi-st. I have 
 made my will, and " 
 
 He paused, gasped for breath, and closed his eyes. Then 
 motioning to Eugene to come nearer, he whispered : " 1 have 
 appointed you my executor until the majority of my heir. 
 Promise me to do all in your power to make my subjects 
 happy." 
 
 " Your royal highness amazes me, and I know not " 
 
 He was interrupted by a loud groan which brought Doctor 
 Mirazzi to the bed in a trice. The duke was trembling ; his 
 teeth were clinched, and his hands were pressed upon his tern 
 pies. 
 
 Restoratives were used, and at the proper time the patient 
 unclosed his eyes. With a great effort he raised himself in 
 bed, beckoned to the marshal of the household to approach, 
 and, supported by Mirazzi, he put his name to the will. 
 
 " I request my minister and the marshal of my household 
 to approach and witness the signing of my will." 
 
 They came in, and, taking up a document which lay on a 
 table close by, the duke raised himself in bed, and, supported 
 by the doctor, gave his signature. 
 
 " Take it," said he, " to Turin. Place it in the archives, and 
 when I am dead let it be opened in the presence of the duchess 
 and of my well-beloved kinsman here present, the Prince of 
 Savoy. And now," said he, " farewell. My strength is ex- 
 hausted ! The end is nigh ! " 
 
 And with these faintly-articulated words, Victor Amadeus 
 fell back upon his pillow and swooned. 
 
 Eugene returned to his quarters in a state of extreme per- 
 plexity. 
 
 " How is the duke ? " cried De Commercy, who shared his 
 lodgings. 
 
 " I do not know," said Eugene, moodily. " But this I know : 
 we march, not to Grenoble, but back to Turin." 
 
 " Indeed ! "
 
 502 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Yes ; such are the duke's latest orders, and, as he has 
 appointed no one to represent him, the army is still under his 
 sole control. I told you, we should get no farther than Em- 
 brun ! " 
 
 " But the duke ? It is not possible that he is acting the sick 
 man all this while ? " 
 
 '" Not possible ! Nothing is impossible to such a crafty, 
 vulpine nature as his I " 
 
 " The bulletins say that he is attacked with scarlet fever, and 
 you must have seen whether he bears its marks on his skin or 
 not." 
 
 "He has them, but this shrewd kinsman of mine has 
 many a secret unknown to such as you and myself, Com- 
 mercy. Perhaps I do him injustice ; for, in good sooth, I am 
 provoked, and in a humor to suspect everybody. His voice 
 is very weak, and indeed, Commercy, I would feel very un- 
 comfortable should he prove to me, by dying, that I have sus- 
 pected him unjustly. I must go again ; I must satisfy my 
 doubts." 
 
 The duke's condition was declared to be so precarious that 
 sentries were stationed at every entrance of the castle, to pre- 
 vent so much as the lightest footstep from being heard by the 
 noble patient. He was passing a crisis, and, during the tran- 
 sition, not a soul must be admitted within the castle gates. 
 
 Prince Eugene, nevertheless, at dusk, betook himself 
 thitherward. The sentiy saluted him, but barred the en- 
 trance. 
 
 " You do not know me," said the prince. " I am the duke's 
 nearest kinsman, and, unless you have orders to exclude me 
 personally, I have the entrance to his chamber. " 
 
 "We have no orders with reference to your highness," was 
 the reply. 
 
 "Then I must pass, and I shoulder the responsibility." 
 
 The officer signed to the sentry to stand aside, and Eugene 
 entered the castle, crossed the tessellated vestibule, and as- 
 cended the wide marble staircase. Here he was stopped a sec- 
 ond time, but he referred the guards to the officer below, and 
 was again allowed to pass. " I must try to solve this riddle," 
 thought he. " The emperor's interests hang upon the solution.
 
 THE DUKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 505 
 
 Luckily, I have a pretext for my unexpected visit in these dis- 
 patches." 
 
 He had now traversed the long, lofty hall ; had entered a 
 smaller one that led to the duke's antechamber, and had 
 reached the opposite end of the room, where stood two more 
 sentries, one before each door that opened into the duke's 
 chamber. They had seen him in the morning, and taking it 
 for granted that, having penetrated thus far, he had authority 
 to go farther, they saluted him, and stepped aside. 
 
 Eugene whispered, " Is this the door by which I entered 
 this morning ? "' 
 
 The sentry bowed. 
 
 " Whither does it lead ?" 
 
 "To his royal highness's alcove, my lord." 
 
 "Right," said Eugene, laying his hand on the lock. It 
 turned, and he was in a small recess which opened into the al- 
 cove. The portiere was down, and Eugene stood irresolute 
 before it. He felt a nervous dread of he knew not what, and 
 almost resolved to retrace his steps. He thought he could not 
 bear the shock of the duke's treachery, should the illness 
 prove as he feared it would a sham. He wondered what he 
 would do ; and began to think it better not to penetrate into 
 the secrets of his kinsman's acts, but 
 
 No, no ! He had gone too far to lose his opportunity, 
 and, ashamed of his irresolution, he raised the portiere. The 
 alcove was darkened by draperies, but as soon as Eugene's eyes 
 had accustomed themselves to the obscurity of the place, he 
 drew near the bed, opened the curtains, and beheld nobody ! 
 nothing ! 
 
 " I was right," muttered he, grinding his teeth ; " it was a 
 comedy ! " As he retreated, he stumbled against the little 
 table, and the chink of the phials that stood upon it was audi- 
 ble. 
 
 " Is that you, my good Annetta ? " said the voice of the 
 duke. 
 
 Eugene emerged from the alcove, and entered the sitting- 
 room. There, in an arm-chair, before a table laden with 
 viands, fruits, and rare wines, sat the expiring patient that had 
 made his will in the morning. 
 33
 
 504 PRINCE UGENE AN1) HIS TIMES. 
 
 The duke was in the act of raising a glass of wine to his 
 lips. He laid it hastily down, and his keen eyes darted fire at 
 the intruder. 
 
 " What means this ? " asked he, in a voice that was some- 
 what uncertain. 
 
 '' If I may be permitted to interpret what I see before me," 
 replied Eugene, u I should say that your highness is merely 
 carrying out military customs. We were at a funeral this 
 morning, to the tune of a dead march we return, this after- 
 noon, to that of a quick-step." 
 
 " I hope you are agreeably surprised to find that instead 
 of being left behind, I have come back with the music," said 
 the duke, recovering his self-possession. " Come and join me 
 in a glass of good wine. I am as yet too weak to do the hon- 
 ors of my house, but I shall enjoy my repast twofold, now that 
 I have a guest. Sit down. My physician, having ascertained 
 that what I mistook for approaching dissolution was a favor- 
 able crisis, has prescribed a generous diet for me, and 1 do as- 
 sure you that, with every mouthful, I feel my health return. 
 Ah, Eugene ! life is a great boon, and I thank God, who has 
 generously prolonged mine. I hope that you. too, are glad 
 to see me revive ; the army, I know, will rejoice to hear of 
 my recovery." 
 
 "I do not doubt their joy," replied Eugene, "for your 
 highness's quick convalescence will spare them the mortifica- 
 tion of a retreat to Piedmont. I presume you will now march 
 to Paris." 
 
 " My fiery, impetuous Eugene," replied Victor Amadeus, 
 with an air of superiority, " you forget that convalescence is 
 not health. I am here for three weeks at least, and by that 
 time the season will be too much advanced to make a second 
 invasion of France. So, God willing, we shall return to Pied- 
 mont, there to prosecute the war against Catinat and his in- 
 cendiaries, whom I hope to drive ignominiously from Italy." 
 
 " That is we are to bold ourselves on the defensive," re- 
 plied Eugene, bitterly. "Your highness is truly magnani- 
 mous ! All France lies within your grasp, and, instead of 
 taking advantage of your good fortune, you lay it humbly at 
 the feet of Louis. We have it in our power to dictate terms,
 
 THE DUKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 505 
 
 while this retreat exposes us to have them dictated to our- 
 selves." 
 
 " Field-marshal," said the duke, haughtily, " you forget that 
 you speak to your command er-in-chief . " 
 
 " Yes to remember that I speak to the Duke of Savoy 
 
 " With the head of your house," interrupted the duke, " to 
 whom you owe respect." 
 
 " I accord it with all my heart. Precisely because the 
 Duke of Savoy is the chief of our house, do I implore him not 
 to turn his back upon the road which lies open to fame and 
 renown, but to advance bravely to the front, as becomes the 
 friend and ally of the emperor." 
 
 Victor Amadeus put his hand up to his head. " Excuse me 
 I am not equal to the holding of a council of war, nor do I 
 intend to have my commands discussed. We go back to Pied- 
 mont. " 
 
 " Then I must submit," said Eugene, mournfully. " But I 
 crave permission to ask one question of my kinsman." 
 
 " Say on," answered the duke, wearily. 
 
 " Does your highness propose to desert the cause of the em- 
 peror, and renew your alliance with France ? Ah, you smile ! 
 You smile to think that I should be so unpractised in the art 
 of diplomacy, as to expect a direct answer to such an inquiry. 
 But I entreat you to remember, that your defection concerns 
 not only your honor but mine also." 
 
 " My dear Eugene," said the duke, mildly, " you are anxious 
 without any grounds for anxiety. At your solicitation, and 
 from my own convictions of duty, I became the ally of the 
 emperor ; I have never reaped any advantage from the al- 
 liance, and yet I have remained perfectly loyal. France has 
 made me many offers, every one of which I have rejected. 
 So, make yourself easy on the score of my good faith, and let 
 us change the subject. To what chance do I owe the pleasant 
 surprise of this visit from you ? " 
 
 " I have the honor to bring letters to your royal highness 
 from the emperor," answered Eugene, presenting his dis- 
 patches. " I owe it to my relationship with your highness, 
 that I was allowed by your sentries to effect my entrance here." 
 
 " Of course, of course. Everybody knows in what high es-
 
 506 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 teem I hold Prince Eugene. Verily I believe you to be the 
 most popular man in the army, and your brown cassock to in- 
 spire more respect than my field-marshal's uniform. And 
 now to study the emperor's letter. I say study, for his majesty 
 will write to me in Latin, and I am no great scholar." 
 
 " While your highness is occupied," said Eugene, rising, " I 
 will retire to the window." He crossed the room, and, enter- 
 ing the embrasure, was completely lost to view behind its 
 hangings. 
 
 There was a silence of some duration. The duke studied 
 his Latin, while Eugene looked out of the window. Suddenly, 
 without any previous formality of knocking, the door leading 
 to the antechamber flew open, and the voice of the old nurse 
 was heard. 
 
 "Your highness," said she, as though communicating a 
 most agreeable piece of news, "your highness, here is the 
 French ambassador. I " 
 
 " Peace, Annetta, peace ! " cried Victor Amadeus. But An- 
 netta was too much interested to hear, and she went on with 
 great volubility : 
 
 " Here he is ; I passed him through. Everybody mistook 
 him for Prince Eugene " 
 
 " Annetta, hold your tongue ! " cried the duke, in a thun- 
 dering voice. 
 
 " Ay, your highness, ay," was the reply of the old woman, 
 who, stepping back, opened the door and called out : 
 
 " Count Tesse, his highness expects you ; come in." 
 
 And, to be sure, there walked in a gentleman wearing the 
 identical brown cassock, with its brass buttons, which was 
 known as the costume of Prince Eugene of Savoy ! 
 
 Victor Amadeus, in despair, sprang from his chair, and 
 made a deprecatory movement by which he hoped to prevail 
 upon the count to retreat. But he only looked bewildered ; 
 and his bewilderment increased to positive consternation, 
 when the curtains opened, and the veritable Eugene stepped 
 out and surveyed him with undisguised contempt. 
 
 " My dear Eugene," said the duke, in a conciliatory voice, 
 4t you see how pertinaciously I am besieged by these French- 
 men, Here, for instance, is Count Tesse. This is his third
 
 THE DCKE'S DANGEROUS ILLNESS. 507 
 
 attempt to force an interview with me, and he has gained his 
 end by bribing my silly old nurse to admit him under the 
 garb of one to whom no one here would dare deny entrance. 
 Count Tesse is an envoy of the King of France, and in your 
 presence I intend to show him that no offer, however brilliant, 
 can induce me to forsake my imperial ally of Austria." 
 
 " I am perfectly convinced of your loyalty," said Eugene, 
 with an ironical smile, " and, to prove my trust, I beg permis- 
 sion to withdraw. I have the honor to bid you good-even- 
 ing." 
 
 So saying, Eugene inclined his head to the duke, and, pay- 
 ing no attention whatever to his double, passed on. 
 
 With a saddened heart he returned to his barracks. He 
 was met by the Prince de Commercy, holding aloft a huge 
 placard. " The bulletin ! The bulletin ! " cried he. " The 
 crisis is past, and the duke is safe." 
 
 "We, however, my friend, are in great danger. We are 
 not driven from French territory by our enemies, but by our 
 pretended friends. Ah ! Victor Amadeus has this day in- 
 flicted upon me a wound more painful than that of the 
 Janizary's arrow at Belgrade. He has withered my laurels 
 at the very moment when my hand was extended to pluck 
 them." 
 
 " Then he abandons us, and declares himself for France ? " 
 asked De Commercy. 
 
 " If that were all, we could bear his defection, for we would 
 have one enemy more that is all. Instead of which, we have 
 a double-faced friend who will have far more power to injure 
 us by his treachery in our own camp, than by his hostility in 
 that of the enemy. I will warn the emperor, as it is my duty 
 to do ; but he will be dazzled by the fine promises of the duke, 
 and disregard my 'warning.* Meanwhile, as long as Victor 
 Amadeus wears his mask, should we even wrest a victory in 
 
 * Every thing happened exactly as Eugene predicted. The Duke of Sa- 
 voy retained command of the imperial army for three years, during which he 
 played into the hands of Louis XIV., condemning the allied forces to total in- 
 action, until France had complied with all his exactions, when he declared 
 himself for Louis, and accepted the rank of a general in the French army. 
 The Prince de Commercy was so exasperated that he challenged the duke, but 
 the challenge was refused.
 
 508 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 spite of his intrigues, he will manage to deprive us of alt its 
 advantages. He will sell us to France, of that you may be 
 sure." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 
 
 " THEN you think that Strozzi will not recognize me ? " 
 asked Barbesieur de Louvois. 
 
 "I know it," replied Carlotta. "His memory is a blank 
 from which every image, except that of his wife, has been 
 effaced." 
 
 " Does he love her still ? " 
 
 "Unhappily he does," sighed Carlotta. 
 
 "My good girl," said Barbesieur, trying to look amiable, 
 " pray don't be so concise. Tell me the condition of the mar- 
 quis, at once : I did not come to this old owl's roost for pas- 
 time. I came to see what could be done to restore its unhap- 
 py lord to reason. That you are observing, I remember ; you 
 proved it by the good care you took of my sister Laura." 
 
 '' My lord, you jest ; but the flight of the marchioness has 
 disgraced me. She outwitted me, and I shall hate her to the 
 end of my days." 
 
 " Verily I believe you," laughed Barbesieur, as he saw the 
 glitter of her pale-green eyes. " I see in your face that you 
 know how to hate. But you must excuse me if I am amused 
 when I think I see you watching the doors like a she-Cerberus, 
 while that sly creature was flying out of the chimney. But 
 never mind her : I want to talk with you of her husband. I 
 know that he was confined in a mad-house ; but, having oc- 
 casion to see if he was sane enough to do me a service, I found 
 out that he had been discharged as cured, and had retired with- 
 in himself. Now, good Carlotta, tell me his veritable condi- 
 tion." 
 
 " He never has been sane since the flight of the marchion- 
 ess. The morning after, when, in spite of our knocking and 
 calling, we received no answer, I set Julia to watch the doors
 
 THE MARQUIS STROZZI. 5Q9 
 
 (for I thought she was merely trying to frighten us, and would 
 make her escape while we were a way), and went to consult 
 the marquis as to what we must do. When we returned, Julia 
 assured us that she had not heard a breath since I had been 
 away." 
 
 " And I suppose that the marquis forced the doors ? " 
 " Oh, no, my lord," replied Carlotta, bitterly. " He was so 
 fearful of displeasing her that he resisted all my importunities 
 to break them open. He knocked and begged so humbly for 
 admission, that I fairly cried with rage. This lasted for hours. 
 Finally he fell on his knees and cried like a child, promising, 
 if she would open the door, to give her her freedom, and never 
 imprison her again. Then he swore by the memory of his 
 father that he would go to Rome and get a divorce for her. 
 It was shameful ; and at last I cried out for passion, and told 
 him to get up and behave like a man. But all in vain. Sud- 
 denly Julia came running to say that, while the marquis had 
 been lying before the parlor door, she had forced the one that 
 led to the sitting-room, and that the marchioness had escaped." 
 "What did Strozzi do when he heard this? Whine 
 louder ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! He sprang up, rushed into the rooms, and be- 
 gan to search for her. " 
 
 " I suppose you helped, like good dogs after their game ? " 
 " Of course, for it seemed impossible that she should have 
 gotten out by any but supernatural means. But at last we 
 were obliged to accept the fact of her flight, wonderful as it 
 was, and we sat down. Not so the marquis. He appeared to 
 think that she had been transformed into a mouse, for he ran 
 about, opening boxes, looking under tables, occasionally stop- 
 ping to roar like a wild beast, or falling on his knees and weep- 
 ing. Then he would begin his hunt again, and this lasted the 
 whole day. We asked him to take some rest, and let his serv- 
 ants be sent out to search the woods, but he gave us no an- 
 swer, still going round and round until dusk, when he called 
 for lights. He kept up his search the whole night ; and when 
 the sun rose, and we awoke, we found him running to and fro, 
 from one room to the other. In vain we pi'essed him to eat 
 or to rest, he spoke not a word to any of us. Finally, one of
 
 10 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the men laid hands on him to force him to sit down, when he 
 drew back and struck him with such force that the blood 
 spirted from his face, as he fell full length on the floor. The 
 marquis went on in this manner for a week, each day grow- 
 ing paler and feebler, until at last he staggered like a drunken 
 man." 
 
 " Unhappy lover ! " exclaimed Barbesieur, with a shrug. 
 
 " Finally, the physician we had sent for came from Turin. 
 By this time the marquis had fallen from exhaustion, and lay 
 asleep. He was lifted to bed, and four men were set to watch 
 him ; for the doctor expected him to be violent when he waked. 
 And so he was. He tried to leap out of bed, and was finally 
 bound hand and foot. After a while, came his cousin from 
 Venice, who took charge of him and of his property." 
 
 " Yes, to my cost," growled Barbesieur, " for he swindled 
 me out of my pension." 
 
 '' The Marquis Balbi-Strozzi inherits the estate, if the Mar- 
 quis Ottario dies without heirs," said Carlotta. 
 
 " The Marquis Ottario will not be such an ass as to die with- 
 out heirs," cried Barbesieur, impatiently. " He shall be rec- 
 onciled to his wife, or he shall marry some other woman, and 
 beget children. The devil ! He is a young man, and nobody 
 dies of love, nowadays." 
 
 " He looks like a man of eighty," said Carlotta. 
 
 " He is much changed, then ? " 
 
 "You would not know him, my lord." 
 
 "Perhaps not, but he will recover his youth with his 
 health. What does he do all day, Carlotta ? What does he 
 say?" 
 
 " My lord, he says nothing, except an occasional word to 
 his valet. As for what he does, he is forever shut up in his 
 laboratory." 
 
 " Laboratory ? What sort of a laboratory ? " 
 
 " A room which, immediately after his return, he had fitted 
 up like a great kitchen. When the alterations had been made, 
 he went to Turin, and came home with the entire contents of 
 an apothecary shop, with which the shelves of his laboratory 
 are filled. I helped him to place his jars and phials, but much 
 against my will, for he calls me ugly names,"
 
 THE MARQUIS S1R022I. 51 1 
 
 Barbesieur laughed. " Do tell me what he calls you ? " 
 " My lord, you may laugh, but you would not like to an 
 swer to the name of ' Basilisk. ' " 
 
 " To be sure, ' Floweret ' would be much more appropriate 
 to your style of beauty, Carlotta ; but let that pass, and go on 
 with your narrative. What is Strozzi about, in this labora- 
 tory ? " 
 
 "How do I know, my lord ? He cooks and evaporates his 
 messes ; then runs to his table and reads in some mouldy 
 old parchments ; then hurries back to the chimney and stirs 
 his pipkins then back to the table and so on, all day 
 long." 
 
 " But, my Angelic Carlotta, if nobody is allowed to enter the 
 laboratory, how came you to be so admirably posted as to 
 Strozzi's movements ? " 
 
 Carlotta looked perplexed. " My lord, there is a little hole 
 in the door that leads out to the corridor, and sometimes I have 
 thought it but right to watch our dear lord, that he might do 
 himself no harm." 
 
 " Which means that you bored a hole in the door by way 
 of observatory. Nay do not deny it ; I respect your thirst 
 for knowledge. Does he never leave his laboratory ? " 
 
 "Oh, yes, my lord. He writes a great deal in his cabinet. 
 All his orders are transmitted in that way. Last week the 
 steward made a mistake in his accounts " 
 " To his own prejudice ? " 
 
 " My lord," said Carlotta, with a hoarse laugh, u jo, to that 
 of the marquis. When he discovered it, he wrote underneath, 
 1 Two thousand florins unaccounted for. If this occurs a sec- 
 ond time, you are discharged.'" 
 
 " Good, good ! " cried Barbesieur. " Then he is returning 
 to his senses. He receives no company ? " added he. 
 
 '' How should he ? He knows nobody, and has forgotten 
 every thing connected with his past life." 
 
 " But you told me that he still remembered the marchion- 
 ess?" 
 
 " As for her, my lord, he loves her as madly as ever. He 
 stands before her portrait, weeping by the hour, and the table 
 is always set for two persons. Every morning he goes into
 
 512 PRINCE EtJGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 the garden and makes a bouquet, which he lays upon her plate 
 before he takes his seat. " 
 
 u Poor Strozzi ! Sane or mad, he will always be a dreamer ! " 
 said Barbesieur. " Where is he now ? " 
 
 '' In the garden, my lord ; for it is almost the hour for din- 
 ner, and he is in the conservatory gathering flowers for the 
 empty plate." 
 
 " Show me the way. I am curious to know whether he has 
 forgotten his brother-in-law and benefactor." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 INSANITY AND REVENGE. 
 
 BARBESIEUR followed Carlotta to the garden. They were 
 walking silently down the great avenue that led to the con- 
 servatory, when, at some distance, they beheld advancing to- 
 ward them the figure of a man. His step was feeble and slow ; 
 his black garments hung loosely about his shrunken limbs ; 
 his face was bloodless, like that of a corpse, his cheeks hollow, 
 his large eyes so sunken that their light seemed to come from 
 the depths of a cavern. His sparse hair, lightly blown about 
 by the wind, was white as snow ; his long, thin beard was of 
 the same hue. 
 
 " Who is that strange-looking old man ? " asked Barbe- 
 sieur. 
 
 " That, my lord, is the Marquis Strozzi ! " 
 
 " Impossible ! " cried Barbesieur, with a start. 
 
 " I told you, my lord, that he looked like a decrepit old 
 man," said Carlotta. 
 
 " And truly he is not a very seductive-looking personage," 
 answered Barbesieur. " But we must try if, in this extin- 
 guished crater, there be not a spark by which its fire may be 
 rekindled. Leave me, Carlotta. I must have no third person 
 here to divert Strozzi's attention from myself. " 
 
 " Shall I not announce you, my lord ? '' asked Carlotta, who 
 was dying of curiosity to see the meeting.
 
 INSANITY AND REVENGE. 513 
 
 " Not at all, my angel. Go back to the castle not by that 
 winding path, if you please, but by this wide avenue. And 
 be alert in your movements, for I shall watch you until yon- 
 der door closes upon your youthful charms, and hides them 
 from my sight." 
 
 Carlotta looked venomous, but dared not tarry, and Bar- 
 besieur followed her with his eyes until he heard the clang of 
 the ponderous castle-door behind her. He then confronted 
 the living spectre that, by this time, was within a few feet of 
 him. 
 
 " God's greeting to you, brother-in-law," cried he, in a loud, 
 emphatic voice, while he grasped Strozzi's poor, wan hands, 
 and held them within his own. 
 
 The marquis raised his dark, blank eyes, then let them fall 
 again upon the bouquet which Barbesieur had so unceremoni- 
 ously crushed. 
 
 " Sir," said he, gently, " do release my hand, for see you 
 are bruising my flowers." 
 
 " Sure enough, he does not recognize me," said Barbesieur, 
 relaxing his hold ; while Strozzi, unmindful of his presence, 
 caressed his flowers, and smoothed their crumpled leaves. 
 
 "She loves flowers," murmured the poor maniac. 
 
 Barbesieur took up the words. " Yes," said he, " yes ; my 
 sister Laura loves flowers. Pity she is not here to see them." 
 
 The marquis shivered. "Who speaks of my Laura?" 
 said he. 
 
 '* I, I, her brother," bawled Barbesieur, looking straight 
 into Strozzi's eyes. " I spoke of her, and, by G d, I have a 
 right to call her, for I am her brother Barbesieur ! " 
 
 Strozzi extended his hand, and an imbecile smile flitted 
 over his ghastly face. " Ah ! then, you love her ? " asked he, 
 mournfully. 
 
 " Of course I love her," was the lying response. " You re- 
 member do you not that you were indebted to me for your 
 marriage with Laura Bonaletta ? " 
 
 " Bonaletta ! " screamed Strozzi. " There is no Laura Bona- 
 letta ; her name is Laura Strozzi, the Marchioness Strozzi, my 
 wife ! Eemember that, sir remember it." 
 
 " To be sure, to be sure," murmured Barbesieur ; " he has
 
 514 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 forgotten everybody but that tiresome Laura. Let us see if we 
 cannot stir up his memory to another tune." 
 
 Strozzi meanwhile had passed on, and, with his eyes fixed 
 on his flowers, was slowly making his way to the castle. Bar- 
 besieur followed, though the poor lunatic seemed to have no 
 consciousness of his presence. They walked on together in 
 silence, until they had reached the castle, and entered the din- 
 ing-room, where dinner was served. 
 
 Strozzi went up to the table, laid his offering on the plate, 
 and bowed : 
 
 " Will you allow me to take my seat ? " said he, humbly, 
 while he took a chair opposite, which old Martino had drawn 
 back for his accommodation. 
 
 " Do you see, my lord ? " said Martino to Barbesieur ; " he 
 imagines the marchioness present at all his meals." 
 
 " He must be undeceived," said Barbesieur, roughly. 
 
 " I beseech you, signer," said the old man, " leave him in 
 error ; for, if you undeceive him, you will rob him of the only 
 glimpse of happiness that remains to him." 
 
 " I shall make the attempt, nevertheless," replied Barbe- 
 sieur, in a tone that admitted of no further remonstrance, 
 while he advanced to the table, and seated himself in the 
 empty chair. 
 
 The marquis started, and his brow darkened. " Sir," said 
 he, "that is the head of the table the place of the Marchioness 
 Strozzi." 
 
 " I know it," was the reply, " and, as soon as she makes her 
 appearance, I will give it up. Martino, serve the soup ; I am 
 hungry." So saying, he tossed the bouquet to the valet, and 
 poured out some wine. 
 
 At this, Strozzi sprang up, and, staring at Barbesieur, with 
 eyes that glowed like the orbs of a wild animal " Sir," ex- 
 claimed he, " you are an insolent intruder ! " 
 
 " I know it," cried Barbesieur '' and what next ? " 
 
 The marquis gazed in bewilderment at the threatening face 
 of his self-invited guest, and then, slowly turning around, 
 prepared to leave the room. Barbesieur rose and followed 
 him. 
 
 At the door of his cabinet he stopped and cried out ;
 
 IKSANItY AND REVENG*. 51g 
 
 " Let the marshal of the household see to it that no one in- 
 trudes upon my privacy ! " 
 
 And, with a gesture of offended dignity, he entered the 
 room. Barbesieur, however, was immediately behind him, 
 and they had no sooner crossed the threshold than he locked 
 the door, and put the key in his pocket. 
 
 " Now, I have him," thought he, " and I shall begin my ex- 
 periments." 
 
 "Sir," said Strozzi, alarmed, " why do you persecute me ?" 
 
 " I want you to say if you know me," answered Barbesieur, 
 dominating the madman with the calm, powerful glance of 
 reason. 
 
 Strozzi shook his head, murmuring, " No, sir, no. I do not 
 know you." 
 
 " But I know you, Strozzi, my good fellow. You are my 
 beloved brother-in-law, the husband of my sister Laura, who 
 forsook you so shamefully, because she did not love you." 
 
 The shaft had pierced. A gleam of returning reason shot 
 athwart Strozzi's face, and a faint color rose to his cheek. 
 
 '' Not love me ! " echoed he, tearfully ; " whom, then, does 
 she love ? " 
 
 Barbesieur laid the weight of his great hands upon Strozzi's 
 shoulders, and looked steadfastly in his eyes. Raising his 
 voice to the utmost, he shouted : " I will tell you whom she 
 loves, and mark me well, Strozzi. She loves Prince Eugene 
 of Savoy ! " 
 
 " Eugene of Savoy ! " shrieked the wretched creature. 
 " Eugene of Savoy ! Ah, yes, I remember. I hate him, and 
 he must die ! " 
 
 " Ay, that's it ! " cried Barbesieur, cheerily, u that's it. He 
 must die ; and when he is dead, Laura will love the Marquis 
 de Strozzi." 
 
 "You think so ?" asked Strozzi, laying his tremulous hand 
 upon Barbesieur's, great firm arm. 
 
 " I know it. The very moment Prince Eugene dies, Laura's 
 heart is yours." 
 
 " He must die ! He must die ! " murmured Strozzi, clasp- 
 ing his attenuated fingers, and looking imploringly into Bar- 
 besieur's face.
 
 516 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " Ay, that must he, and you are the man that s^all take his 
 life. Your honor demands it of you." 
 
 u Yes, my honor," repeated Strozzi, "my honor. I thank 
 you, sir, for your goodness to me. You are the first person 
 that ever advised me to avenge myself on Eugene of Savoy. 
 You are the only person that ever advised me to take his life, 
 and I believe you, and trust you. Yes, sir, take my word for 
 it, Eugene of Savoy shall die ! " 
 
 " How will you go about it ? " asked Barbesieur. 
 
 An expression of cunning was seen to steal over the face of 
 the madman, as he replied, " That is my secret, sir." 
 
 " I will tell you how to make an end of him," cried Barbe- 
 sieur, patting him on the shoulder. '* Poison him ! " 
 
 Strozzi gazed with astonishment at his brother-in-law, and 
 forthwith conceived a profound respect for his cleverness. 
 " Did you know that ? " said he, with a silly smile. " Did you 
 know that I meant to poison him ? " 
 
 "To be sure I did, and I came here to work with you 
 in your laboratory, until we concoct the right dose for 
 him." 
 
 " Did you know that I had a laboratory ? " asked Strozzi, in 
 a whisper. "And did you know that I was trying to find a 
 brave, beautiful poison that would kill him like a pistol-shot, 
 or a good stab under the ribs ? " 
 
 " I knew it all, and I came to help you." 
 
 '' I thank you, sir, I thank you ! Give me your hand. I 
 take you for my friend, and trust you. Come with me to my 
 laboratory." 
 
 So saying, he passed his arm within that of his brother-in- 
 law, and led him to the opposite end of the room. Barbesieur 
 laid his hand on the bolt, but the door was locked. 
 
 "You see," said Strozzi, waxing confidential, " I keep this 
 door always locked, for let me tell you, my dear friend, that 
 Eugene of Savoy has surrounded my castle with a regiment of 
 dragoons, who are his spies. That is the reason why I never 
 talk to anybody I am so afraid that my people will betray 
 me to Prince Eugene's dragoons. Luckily, they have never 
 found out the secret of my laboratory, for I always carry the 
 key in my pocket. Here it is." He took out his key and un-
 
 INSANITY AND REVENGE. 517 
 
 locked the door, but before opening it he addressed Barbesieur 
 in a solemn whisper : 
 
 " My dear friend, before you enter my sanctuary, swear to 
 me, by the memory of my dear departed wife, that you will 
 not betray its secrets to Prince Eugene's dragoons." 
 
 "I swear, my dear Strozzi, by sun, moon, and stars 
 
 Strozzi shook his head, arid folded his hands reverently. 
 "No, no ; swear by the memory of my sainted Laura." 
 
 Barbesieur swore, and the door was opened. 
 
 " Come in," said Strozzi. 
 
 " And may all the gods of vengeance bless my entrance 
 hither ! " muttered Barbesieur, between his teeth. 
 
 The room was as Caiiotta had described it. Its long 
 shelves were filled with jars and phials, and over the chimney 
 was a wide mantel, with porcelain pipkins, retorts, glass tubes, 
 and flasks. 
 
 '' Ah," cried Barbesieur, taking a phial from its shelf, " this 
 is a precious beverage, that lulls one to sleep or to death, as 
 one's friends may prescribe." 
 
 "Yes it is laudanum," replied Strozzi. "A painless dag- 
 ger, an invisible sword of justice in the hands of the elect. It 
 was the basis of all the wonderful preparations of Katherina 
 de Medicis. There was a woman ! Why did I not know her, 
 and learn of her the precious secrets of her laboratorium ? 
 From my youth, I have studied chemistry, and I had a beauti- 
 ful room in Venice, where I used to work with the famous 
 Chiari. But we never discovered Katherina's secret." 
 
 " What secret, dear Strozzi ? " inquired Barbesieur. 
 
 " The secret of killing people by fumes, which left no trace 
 whatever of their action on the body," answered Strozzi, with 
 an awakening gleam of wickedness in his eyes. 
 
 "And you believe that there are such delicate, ethereal 
 little ministers of vengeance ? " 
 
 " Do I believe it ? Why, to their agency, Katherina owed 
 her elevation to the throne of France. Nobody knows this 
 better than I, for my ancestor Filippo Strozzi was her friend 
 and relative, and their correspondence now is in the archives of 
 the family, at Venice. I am indebted to the letters of Kathe- 
 rina for much of my knowledge of chemistry."
 
 518 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 " And so you found out from her correspondence how she 
 managed to become Queen of France?" asked Barbesieur, 
 anxious to indulge Strozzi's sudden fit of garrulity. 
 
 "I did," was his complacent reply, while he nodded his 
 head repeatedly, and stroked his long, white beard. " When 
 Katherina came to France, she came as the bride of the Duke 
 of Orleans, the second son of Francis I. There seemed no 
 chance for her to be a queen, for the dauphin was a lusty 
 young fellow who was already betrothed to the beautiful In- 
 fanta of Spain. But Katherina had no mind to let the infanta 
 reign in France, so she invited the dauphin to her castle of 
 Gien, and took him to her conservatory. There was a beauti- 
 ful rare flower there, which had a strong perfume. Katherina 
 directed his attention to it, but advised him not to hang over 
 it too long, as it never failed to give her the headache, if she 
 approached it too closely. The dauphin laughed, and was not 
 to be frightened away from a flower, because of the headache. 
 Moreover, the odor was delightful, and he would not be 
 warned. That day he had a headache ; the next, he was pale 
 and feeble, and in less than a week, he died, and nobody the 
 wiser, except Katherina." 
 
 " And he died, really from the odor of a flower ? " 
 
 " Yes, from a flower which Katherina had perfumed for his 
 use, my dear friend. And do you know how she made away 
 with Joanna of Navarre, who had guessed the secret of the 
 dauphin's death, and had already hinted her suspicions to hei 1 
 brother Francis ? " 
 
 " No, I never heard of it. Upon my word, Strozzi, you in- 
 terest me exceedingly." 
 
 " Do I ? Well, I will tell you more, then. Katherina made 
 a present to Joanna of a pair of embroidered gloves. The day 
 after she wore them she was dead. What do you think of 
 that ? And did you ever hear how the Prince of Porcia died 
 he who advised the dauphin to divorce his wife because she 
 had been married for eight years and had borne him no chil- 
 dren ? " continued Strozzi, with increasing volubility. 
 
 "I confess my ignorance, Strozzi ; do enlighten me." 
 
 u I will, sir. The prince received a present from Katherina 
 (she was a great hand to make presents). This time it was 3
 
 INSANITY AND REVENGE. 519 
 
 flask of fine Italian oil for his night-lamp, which oil, in burn- 
 ing, emitted a delicate perfume. By the time the flask was 
 emptied, the prince had gone the way of all flesh." 
 
 " And all this because of Queen Katherina's science ? " 
 
 *' And all this because of Queen Katherina's science ! " 
 echoed Strozzi. 
 
 " But you have not yet hit upon her secret yourself ? " 
 
 " Not yet ; but I think I am on the track, and hope to dis- 
 cover it in time to try it on Prince Eugene. " 
 
 Barbesieur rose from his seat, and, coming toward Strozzi, 
 struck him on the shoulder. " Now, Strozzi, look at me atten- 
 tively, and try to understand what I am about to say to you. 
 I will help you to seek this poison. Do you hear ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Strozzi, with a cunning leer. " Yes, I hear. 
 You will help me to seek the poison for Prince Eugene." 
 
 " Good," replied Barbesieur. ' Now, look at me full in the 
 eyes. Look, I tell you ! " repeated he, as Strozzi's face began 
 to relapse into imbecility. "I have found the poison." 
 
 Strozzi uttered a triumphant yell, but Barbesieur silenced 
 him. '' Pay attention while I tell you how I became possessed 
 of it. I was by, when La Voisin was put to the torture in 
 La CJiambre ardente, and I heard her confession. I was de- 
 puted to search for her papers ; and before I delivered them 
 up you may be sure that I examined them, to see what I could 
 make out of them for my own profit. I found various receipts 
 for love-potions, as well as for the renowned poudre de succes- 
 sion of the Countess Soissons ; but of that anon. Do you 
 mark me, Strozzi s 
 
 " Oh, sir," cried Strozzi. trembling in every limb, " speak 
 speak quickly, or I shall die of suspense ! " 
 
 Barbesieiu- then, emphasizing each word, replied : "I found 
 a parchment on which were inscribed these words : ' Receipt 
 for procuring death by inhalation. Queen Katherina de 
 Medicis.' " 
 
 " That is it, that is it," howled Strozzi, and in his ecstasy he 
 flung his arms around Barbesieur's great body. But suddenly 
 his countenance became expressive of distrust, and his eye had 
 a deadly glitter, like that of a snake. 
 
 " But will vou give it to me ? Where is it ? I warn vou.
 
 520 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 do not trifle with me, for you never shall leave this labora- 
 tory until I have it ! " Meanwhile he made a furtive move- 
 ment toward his breast. 
 
 But Barbesieur had seen the gesture, and with his powerful 
 grasp he clutched Strozzi's hand, and withdrew it armed with 
 a poniard of fine, glistening steel. Flinging it with such force 
 against the wall that it buried itself in the masonry, Barbesieur 
 gazed for a moment at the poor fool whose teeth were chatter- 
 ing with fear ; then leading him to a seat 
 
 "Come," said he, "let us talk like men. We are neither 
 enemies nor rivals ; we are brothers, having one and the same 
 interest at stake. " 
 
 "Yes, sir," murmured Strozzi, obsequiously. 
 
 " Well, then, look at me. Did you ever see me before ? " 
 
 Strozzi raised his obedient eyes and looked for a while, in 
 blank amazement. But gradually his black orbs dilated, and 
 a sudden flash of intelligence crossed his face. He breathed 
 hard. 
 
 " I think, sir, I think you are are ah, yes ! I know. 
 You are Count Barbesieur de Louvois." 
 
 " Right, right," cried Barbesieur. " Laura Strozzi's broth- 
 er." 
 
 " Are you the brother of my darling Laura ? " cried Strozzi. 
 " If you are, you are welcome, sir. Oh, if she were but alive 
 to see you ! " 
 
 " Alive ? What do you mean ? Where do you suppose her 
 to be?" 
 
 " She is dead," replied Strozzi, his eyes overflowing with 
 tears. " Dead my own, my precious angel ! " 
 
 " Of what did she die ? " asked Barbesieur, highly amused 
 at poor Strozzi's grief. 
 
 Strozzi shook his head. " No one on earth knows, sir. She 
 must have dissolved in a sunbeam, and gone back to heaven, 
 for her corpse was never found here below." 
 
 " Strozzi, you are mistaken," exclaimed Barbesieur, with an 
 authoritative gesture. " Mark my words, and believe them, 
 or I shall be very angry. The Marchioness Laura is not dead. 
 She lives here on earth, not far away from you." 
 
 " She lives ! " repeated Strozzi, starting from his seat and
 
 THE AMBROSIA. 521 
 
 falling at Barbesieur's feet. " Tell me -where she is. Let me 
 go, let me go, and bring her home. Come come with me ! " 
 
 " Wait a minute. She is living with Eugene of Savoy, 
 disgracing you and me both. Before you bring her home, you 
 must take the life of her paramour, and just as soon as you 
 have done that, she will be freed from the spell that binds her, 
 and will love nobody but you." 
 
 " Ah, he shall die," muttered Strozzi. 
 
 " Yes, he must die, and you must kill him. But I shall fur- 
 nish the means. And now to work, to prepare the ambrosia 
 that shall give him immortality ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE AMBROSIA. 
 
 THANKS to the illness of the Duke of Savoy, the summer 
 campaign of 1692 was of short duration. The allies had dis- 
 persed and retired to winter-quarters ; the imperial army had 
 retreated to Piedmont ; and the officers in command of the 
 ^evera! divisions had betaken themselves to Turin to enjoy the 
 festivities that followed the recovery of Victor Amadeus. 
 
 Eugene had been invited with the rest ; but he gave his 
 health as an excuse for avoiding the changeable winds of 
 Turin, and seeking the balmy atmosphere of Nice, where, hav- 
 ing found comfortable quarters for his troops, he proposed to 
 pass the coming winter. 
 
 Victor Amadeus made great pretence of regret at Eugene's 
 absence ; but, truth to tell, he was not sorry to escape the 
 scrutiny of his clear-sighted cousin, who, for his part, was 
 happy beyond expression in the devotion of his men, and the 
 companionship of his Lau'ra. 
 
 Here in the peaceful seclusion of the obscure little village 
 of Nice, Eugene and Laura enjoyed unalloyed happiness. The 
 fishermen and sailors, that formed the principal part of its pop- 
 ulation, know nothing' of the history of the grand Austrian 
 officer that had come to live among them. In their eyes, the
 
 522 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 beautiful signora was his wife, as a matter of course ; and they 
 sunned themselves in the radiance of her beauty, without ever 
 giving a thought to the nature of the ties that bound her to 
 the field-marshal. 
 
 They were without an obstacle to their happiness. Eugene, 
 sitting at a table covered with paper and charts, wrote dis- 
 patches, and planned his next campaign ; while, on an otto- 
 man at his side, Laura read or embroidered, often interrupting 
 her occupation to gaze at his beloved countenance. 
 
 As for him, his mind was clearer, his hand was firmer, his 
 spirit seemed to dominate every subject of its contemplation, 
 when she was by. Oftentimes he paused in his labors to watch 
 the delicate outline of her sweet face, and, when their eyes 
 met and they exchanged a loving smile, he felt that there was 
 a communion of hearts that beggared language, and would 
 have no interpreter but a glance. 
 
 They were sitting together on the perron of their villa, 
 which looked out upon the shores of the Mediterranean. The 
 door leading to the drawing-room was open, exposing to view 
 a harp from which Laura had just risen. Before them lay the 
 boundless expanse of the ocean, blue with reflected azure from 
 heaven ; and, like some soft, weird melody to their ears, was 
 the murmuring of the waves, that kissed the smooth, white 
 beach before them. Elsewhere all was silent, for Nature 
 seemed to listen unwilling, by a sound of stirring leaf, to 
 break the delicious stillness. 
 
 On a sudden, a wild scream was heard in the air above, and 
 a vulture, cleaving the clouds, flew over their heads. Laura's 
 smiling face was upturned to reply to some loving expression 
 of Eugene's ; but when the vulture's scream was heard, she 
 rose to her feet, and with a slight shudder followed its flight 
 until it lessened to a dim speck on the horizon. 
 
 " What has disturbed you, dearest ? " asked Eugene. 
 
 " Nothing," whispered she. " And yet I am a miserable 
 coward. Even this vulture's scream has startled me. It 
 seems like an ill omen." 
 
 "Why, my darling, why should a vulture's scream be 
 ominous ? " 
 
 " Do not laugh at me, Eugene ; but my old nurse used al-
 
 THE AMBROSIA. 523 
 
 ways to cross herself when a vulture was in sight, and if it 
 screamed, she wept, for she said it betokened the approach of 
 misfortune." 
 
 " Why should you share the superstition of your nurse, 
 dearest ? " 
 
 "Because I myself once heard the scream," said Laura, 
 growing very pale. "I was standing with my nurse on a bal- 
 cony of Bonaletta Castle, and she was making wreaths of 
 pomegranate and orange from the blossoms I plucked. Mean- 
 while she was telling me a tale about some enchanted princess, 
 to which I was listening with my whole heart. Suddenly I 
 heard the cry of a vulture, the old woman dropped her flowers, 
 clasped her hands, and cried out : 'Oh, my God ! there is 
 woe at hand ! Come, child, come to the chapel, and pray the 
 Lord to avert it.' " 
 
 '' And it was averted by your dear prayers, was it not ? " 
 asked Eugene, kissing her. 
 
 " Alas, no ! Not many hours afterward, I was called to my 
 mother's room. " She lay on her bed, dying, in her hand, 
 a crumpled letter. The letter was from Barbesieur, and its 
 contents were her death-blow ! Eugene, she never opened 
 her eyes again ! And oh, how she loved me that dear 
 mother ! " 
 
 *' Who that knows you can help loving you ? " said Eugene, 
 tenderly. " Look at me, my treasure look at me, and smile. 
 What tears ? " 
 
 u I am thinking of my mother, dear, and of her wretched 
 life. It humiliates me to remember that she, who was a saint, 
 suffered so many sorrows, while I, her child, who have done 
 nothing to merit it, am too, too happy." 
 
 "Nothing to merit happiness ? You, whose constancy and 
 heroism I could not dare to imitate ? Ah, Laura, remember 
 that before I knew you. I was without hope, without trust, 
 without love. You crossed my path, and then my soul began 
 to soar to God ; for God is love, and he that knows not love 
 knows not what it is to adore his Creator. You are not only 
 the architect of my happiness, beloved, but that of my reli- 
 gion." 
 
 Laura flung her arms around his neck, and rested her cheek
 
 524: PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 against his. " And you you are my sun the luminary of 
 my life ! Without you, all is dark and void. Oh, Eugene I 
 be prudent, love, and beware of your enemies ; they encom- 
 pass you with snares. Do not go unarmed to the barracks, for 
 not long ago the soldiers saw a man following you after dusk. 
 They searched him, and found on his person a poniard, and in 
 his possession a purse of gold." 
 
 " We cannot deny that the dagger and bowl seem to be the 
 order of the day, in this land of bravi," returned Eugene, " and 
 I am continually warned that, dead or alive, the French are 
 resolved to possess themselves of my body. But between in- 
 tention and execution there lies a wide path, and. in spite of 
 prison and steel, I hope to tread it safely.* So do not be un- 
 happy on my account, sweet one. Let me look in those dear 
 eyes, and there read the poem of our love a love that death 
 itself shall not overcome." 
 
 " No, not death itself," said Laura, repeating his words, and 
 nestling close to his heart. He laid his hands upon her head, 
 and blessed and kissed her. 
 
 " So would I love to die so resting on thy heart, and gaz- 
 ing into thy face," murmured she, her eyes filling with tears 
 of joyful emotion. 
 
 " Die ! " exclaimed he, shuddering. " Love cannot die. 
 Through all eternity, its choral hymn 
 
 He unclasped his arms, for steps were heard along the cor- 
 ridor, and presently, within the frame of the open door, was 
 seen an orderly attached to the household. Laura retreated 
 to the parlor, while Eugene demanded the reason of an intru- 
 sion so untimely upon his privacy. 
 
 "Your highness, a courier has arrived, with dispatches 
 from the Duke of Savoy. They are so important as to require 
 immediate attention, and he will deliver them to no hands but 
 your own." 
 
 "Admit him," said Eugene, entering the drawing-room, 
 and joining Laura, who had taken a seat before her easel, and 
 was preparing to paint. " Shall I see the courier in my cabi- 
 net, or receive him here ? " said he. 
 
 * Eugene's own words. See Armath, " Life of Prinoe Eugene," vol. L 
 p. 51.
 
 THE AMBROSIA. 525 
 
 " Remain here, my dearest, and let me hear the sound of 
 your voice." So saying, she drew the hangings together, and, 
 in the deep embrasure of the bay-window, was entirely con- 
 cealed from view. Gliding back into her seat, she raised her 
 loring eyes to the canvas whereon she was painting a portrait 
 of her Eugene. 
 
 " I shall never, never catch the expression of those wonder- 
 ful eyes," said she to herself. " This is their color, but where 
 is their heavenly light ? How shall I ever transmit " 
 
 She started, let fall her palette, and gazed, horror-stricken, 
 at the hangings. She had heard a voice, the tones of which, 
 she knew not why, made the blood freeze within her veins. 
 These were the words she heard : " Here, your highness, are 
 my dispatches." Words without significance, but Laura 
 shivered from head to foot. With trembling hand, she parted 
 the hangings and looked out. 
 
 There, in the centre of the room, stood Eugene, in the act of 
 opening a sealed paper. For one moment, her eye rested ten- 
 derly upon the beloved image ; then she glanced quickly at 
 the person who stood by the door. He wore the Sardinian 
 uniform, and stood in a respectful posture, his eyes cast down. 
 
 But Laura ? She stared at his swarthy face and bloodless 
 lips, the sunken cheeks, and beetle brow, with a strange repug- 
 nance that almost shaped itself into some old, forgotten dis- 
 like. 
 
 " I must have seen him somewhere," thought she, " and the 
 dim remembrance of the countenance pains me terribly. If 
 he would but speak again ! I surely would recognize that 
 voice that voice which sounds to my ear like some retrospec- 
 tive agony of which I may have dreamed long years ago." 
 
 Eugene still held the paper. He had opened it, and was 
 turning it in and out, with an expression of great surprise. 
 " What am I to understand by this mystification ? " said he. 
 
 " Your highness," returned the courier, " the dispatches are 
 secret, and written with sympathetic ink. If you will hold 
 them over a light until a vapor begins to rise from them, the 
 writing will appear." 
 
 Eugene rang and ordered a light. He stood smilingly, 
 scrutinizing the blank pages of his letter ; the courier kept his
 
 526 PRINCE EtOEKfi AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 eyes on the floor, and Laura behind the hangings stood con- 
 templating the scene, her heart throbbing as though it would 
 burst. She saw the orderly place the wax-light upon the 
 table, and Eugene advance and hold the dispatch above it. 
 She turned unconsciously toward the courier. His eyes, no 
 longer riveted on the floor, glared horribly at Eugene ; and in 
 their glance were written manifest hatred and exultation. 
 
 For one moment Laura felt as though she were stiffening 
 to stone ; then, dashing aside the curtains, she bounded to the 
 table, crying out with all the strength of her love : 
 
 " Eugene, 'tis Strozzi ! " And, tearing the poisoned paper 
 from his hands, she flung it at the feet of the courier. 
 
 He sprang forward, and seized her in his arms. Eugene 
 darted to her rescue, and strove with all his might to free her 
 from Strozzi's grasp. But despair and insanity had lent him 
 strength, and vain was all striving to unlock his hands as they 
 clutched her slender throat, and threatened her with speedy 
 death. 
 
 Eugene made one bound to the table, and snatched up his 
 pistols. At the same moment, a dagger gleamed in the air. 
 Laura fell back with a piercing cry. and Strozzi, kneeling over 
 her prostrate body, covered her face with kisses. 
 
 The sharp report of the pistol was heard the murderer 
 leaped up into the air, and then dropped dead upon the floor. 
 And close beside him lay Laura with a poniard in her breast, 
 whose hilt of diamonds rose and fell with her quick breathing, 
 and glistened brightly in the rays of the setting sun that gild- 
 ed the terrible picture. 
 
 Instinctively Eugene would have withdrawn the murder- 
 ous weapon from his darling's heart, but he felt his arm with- 
 held, and turning beheld Doctor Franzi. 
 
 The doctor shook his head, sadly. " Do not touch it," whis- 
 pered he, " or her life-blood will gush out, and she will die at 
 once." 
 
 With a look of despair, the wretched man arose, and beck- 
 oned to the doctor to follow him to the balcony. 
 
 " The truth," gasped he, while his eyes glared as if they 
 would have started from their sockets. " Must she die ? " 
 
 u She will die instantaneously if the dagger is withdrawn.
 
 THE AMBROSIA. 527 
 
 I am familiar with the thrusts of these Venetian bravi when 
 they aim at the heart, death follows the stroke immediately ; 
 but when they strike the breast, it ensues with a gush of blood, 
 at the withdrawal of the weapon." 
 
 ' Is there any hope ? " 
 
 The doctor knew not how to shape an answer to this heart- 
 rending appeal. He turned away his face, and Eugene under- 
 stood the mute reply. 
 
 " How long ? " asked he, almost inaudibly. 
 
 " If it were any other woman, I should expect internal 
 hemorrhage to ensue within half an hour ; but the strong will 
 of the marchioness will ward off death for the space of an 
 hour." 
 
 Eugene stifled a groan. " O God ! is there no, no help ? " 
 
 "None. Science cannot prevail against the well-directed 
 blow of a Venetian dagger. But the marchioness will not 
 suffer." 
 
 ' No," sobbed Eugene, " for she dies ; but I I" 
 
 " Go to her, my dear friend go before she calls, for every 
 exertion she makes will hasten the end." 
 
 Eugene wrung his hands. " Not yet I cannot. I must 
 have a moment to conquer this overwhelming anguish. Go 
 to her yourself, doctor tell her I 
 
 But the doctor was already in the parlor, and Eugene was 
 alone. He leaned over the balcony and stared out at the sea ; 
 the breeze had freshened, and the sound of the waves as they 
 dashed against the shore seemed to mock at his agony. He 
 looked above : the skies were serene and indifferent to his 
 misery. The sun was setting in a flood of red and gold. 
 Alas ! alas ! For Laura, it would rise no more ! 
 
 But Eugene remembered that she had but an hour to live, 
 and, shuddering, he overcame his weakness and approached 
 the dying girl. She held out her hands, and smiled. 
 
 " Eugene," said she, " I long for air and light. May I be 
 lifted out upon the balcony ? " 
 
 Eugene looked, at Doctor Franzi, who beckoned to the serv- 
 ants. They rolled a divan to the spot where the marchioness 
 lay, and she was placed upon it, and gently removed to the 
 balcony. She thanked them all for their kindness, and each
 
 528 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 member of her household kissed her hand, and went away 
 weeping. No one now remained with her save Eugene and 
 the doctor. 
 
 " Step aside for a moment, beloved," said she. " I would 
 speak a few words with our dear friend." 
 
 He obeyed, and retired out of hearing, but not out of sight. 
 He could not do that. They had but half an hour ! 
 
 " Doctor," said Laura, " I must die, must I not ? " 
 
 " All things are possible with God, but 
 
 Her eyes filled with tears. " Does Eugene know it ? " 
 
 " Alas, he does ! " 
 
 " Doctor, promise me that if in his grief he should forget 
 to care for his own welfare, you will watch over it as I would 
 have done, had Heaven permitted. As long as sorrow pre- 
 dominates over reason, you will enter his room every morn- 
 ing, and speak these, my dying words : ' Laura sends you 
 her greeting, and bids you do all that you can to pre- 
 serve your health, and to overcome your sorrow.' Promise 
 me this." 
 
 " I promise," replied the doctor. 
 
 " And now, tell me. Is my enemy is Strozzi dead ? " 
 
 "The bullet went through his brain." 
 
 "May God forgive him, as I do !" murmured she. "And 
 now, dear friend, farewell ! I thank you for all my happiness, 
 on earth, and bless you with my latest breath for your kind- 
 ness to Eugene and to me."* 
 
 She gave him her hand, which he kissed, and, no longer 
 able to restrain his tears, he went back to the parlor. There 
 on the floor lay Strozzi stark and dead, his glazed eyes staring, 
 as if in defiance, to heaven. Doctor Franzi had the corpse re- 
 moved, and threw himself wearily upon a sofa. Presently he 
 saw Laura's Italian greyhound, with a piece of paper between 
 its teeth, with which it seemed to be playing. He was watch- 
 ing its motions, as people whose minds are preoccupied with a 
 great sorrow, are apt to watch some particular object within 
 view, when suddenly it howled, made a leap into the air, and 
 fell panting on the floor. The doctor stooped to examine it. 
 It was dying. 
 
 * This attempt to poisou .Prince Eugene is historical.
 
 THE AMBR03A. 529 
 
 " Why, the poor little brute has been poisoned 1 " said he to 
 Conrad. 
 
 Conrad shook his head. '' Impossible ! " replied he. " It 
 has been with me this whole day, and came with me hither 
 not half an hour since." 
 
 " Stay," replied the doctor, picking up the bits of paper that 
 lay scattered over the carpet. He took them to the light, and 
 held them above it. In a few moments a white vapor mingled 
 with green was seen to rise in the air, and an odor of garlic 
 pervaded the apartment. 
 
 " Come, Conrad," exclaimed the doctor ; " leave the room 
 quickly ! Happy it is for us that all these doors and windows 
 are open, or my curiosity would have cost me my life." 
 
 " And the marchioness ? " asked Conrad, sadly. 
 
 The little French clock on the mantel struck the hour. 
 '' You hear," said the doctor. " She has not a half an hour to 
 live." 
 
 Not half an hour to live ! And Eugene knew it ! For 
 above the breaking waves, above the tumultuous beating of 
 his bleeding heart, even above the tones of her dear voice, he 
 heai'd the striking of that clock. 
 
 But one half hour ! He was on his knees, her little hand 
 locked in his, and her eyes fixed upon his face, with a look of 
 love such as no human tongue had power to speak. But he 
 could not bear to see her so motionless ; he feared that she 
 was about to expire. 
 
 " Speak to me, my angel ; say thou lovest me," sobbed he. 
 
 " I love thee ! " said she, with a joyful smile. " Ah, Eugene, 
 I have spoken these words so often that earth and air, sky and 
 sea, will echo them forever." 
 
 " But thou thou goest from me ! " 
 
 " God has willed it thus. But, beloved, how beautiful to 
 me is the death that giveth life to thee ! Ah, my sovereign ! 
 lord of my heart ! weep not for her who dies as woman loves 
 to die ! " 
 
 " Weep not for thee ! Alas ! shall I have courage to bear 
 the burden of the life thou hast purchased with thine own ? " 
 
 " Yes, God will give thee strength to fulfil thy heroic des- 
 tiny, my Eugene. We have been very happy on earth, and
 
 30 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TlMfiS. 
 
 in heaven He will perfect our imperfect union, " Farewell, 
 beloved, farewell ! " 
 
 " Oh, look at me once more ! " cried Eugene, " Laura, 
 Laura, speak to me ! O God ! it cannot be that thou must 
 die!" 
 
 She made no answer, but her fast-closing eyes were fixed 
 upon his. He bent closer and closer, and opened his arms, 
 with a vain longing to fold her to his heart. But he durst 
 not I His embrace might extinguish the feeble spark of life 
 that glimmered yet for his momentary consolation. 
 
 But his tears fell upon her face, and awakened her failing 
 senses. She spoke again, and the melody of her voice was 
 like the faint notes of an ^Eolian harp. 
 
 " Do not weep," murmured she. " I was happy. I will be 
 near to thee in spirit. I " 
 
 A last sigh fluttered from her lips, and the JEolian harp 
 was silenced forever ! 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE BETROTHAL. 
 
 THE Duchess of Orleans sat weeping in her cabinet, and 
 yet she had been several times reminded by her tire-women 
 that monsieur awaited her in the drawing-room. She held in 
 her hand a letter the apparent cause of her unwillingness to 
 move. 
 
 "It has terminated as I feared," thought she ; "her short- 
 lived happiness has been purchased with her life. To think 
 that her relentless foe should have had no mercy upon her 
 youth and beauty ! And so it is to the good are apportioned 
 tribulation and trials to the wicked, prosperity and long life ! 
 God is merciful, and allows to those who are destined to burn 
 in hell their short season of triumph on earth. But I, who 
 am no saint, will avenge my dear child's murder, by exposing 
 its instigators to public scorn. My poor, darling Laura ! God 
 only knows how I am to bring it about, but He will surely 
 prompt the right words at the right moment. And now to
 
 THE BETROTHAL. 531 
 
 discharge the tiresome duties of the sacrifice I made to the 
 shameless exaction of Louis XIV. ! Now for the act that be- 
 fouls the escutcheon of France with the hlood of De Monte- 
 span's bastard ! " 
 
 She folded her letter, and, putting it in her bosom, called 
 with her stentorian lungs, for Katharina. 
 
 The tire-woman, who had been anxiously awaiting the 
 summons, appeared immediately, and approached her mistress, 
 in great haste to commence. 
 
 " Katharina," began the duchess, u do not be provoked if I 
 reject the magnificent attire you have prepared for me to-night. 
 I cannot wear it." 
 
 Katharina drew back in terror. " So your royal highness 
 does not intend to appear at court to-night ? " 
 
 " I intend to appear there, because I am compelled to do 
 so," returned the duchess ; " but I do not know that it is incum- 
 bent upon me to be as gay as a peacock, on the occasion of my 
 poor Philip's betrothal to that girl of De Montespan's. To me 
 it is more like a funeral than a festival, so you may get out my 
 suit of court mourning. The skirt of black velvet, the train 
 and head-dress of purple." 
 
 " Is the Empress of Austria dead, that your royal highness 
 should wear purple ?" asked Katharina.* 
 
 " A personage of more consequence to me than the Empress 
 of Austria is dead an angel has taken her flight to heaven, 
 and no royal princess can replace her here below. Hush, 
 Kathi you need not open your mouth to remonstrate, for my 
 purple mourning I will wear, and nobody in France shall 
 hinder me." 
 
 Katharina knew this so well, that she inclined her head, 
 and went off in search of the costume, which, as Elizabeth- 
 Charlotte never lingered before her looking-glass, was donned 
 in less than a quarter of an hour. She returned to her cabi- 
 net, and gave a quick glance at her image, as she passed before 
 a large Venetian mirror, that reached from floor to ceiling. 
 She smiled, and began an apostrophe to herself, after the fol- 
 lowing manner : 
 
 * At the court of Louis XIV., purple velvet was worn in the deepest 
 mourning only.
 
 532 FRINGE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 "You are unquestionably a homely woman ; and, in the 
 finery that decks royalty, you look somewhat like the scare- 
 crows I have seen in gardens at home. But, soberly clad as 
 you are at this moment, you are not an unsightly or undigni- 
 fied woman, nor would my poor murdered darling despise 
 me, were she to see me now. Ah, Laura ! would that the 
 battle of life were over for me, as it is for thee ! For 
 the world has apportioned to me much vexation, but little 
 happiness." 
 
 She turned away from the mirror, with a sigh. " Well, I 
 may not mourn any longer. I must put on my court-face, and 
 sing with old Luther : 
 
 ' It must be so, 
 That pain and woe 
 Will ever follow sin ; 
 Then go your ways ' " 
 
 The duchess was singing out this doggerel in a rough, loud 
 contralto, when her chamberlain appeared at the door, and an- 
 nounced that his royal highness was waiting for her to de- 
 scend. 
 
 " Tell monsieur not to let me detain him," replied she. " I 
 will be escorted to the Louvre by the Duke de Chartres. Hey, 
 Kathi ! come with my wrappings ! " 
 
 Kathi had just enveloped her highness's stout, robust form 
 in a cloak of purple velvet, when the little duke came skipping 
 into the room. 
 
 " Here I am, chore maman," cried he ;' " here is Cupid, 
 ready to attend on Venus." 
 
 The duchess replied with a glance of displeasure, and took 
 his arm. As they were crossing the corridor, she said : " Cu- 
 pid was a fractious and rebellious boy, and I remember that 
 Venus had many a time to box his ears for his misbehavior. 
 You are quite right to liken yourself to Cupid, for you are just 
 as contrary as he " 
 
 "And just as handsome ?" asked the duke, coaxingly. 
 
 The duchess tried to suppress a smile. " You are a little 
 puppy," said she ; " and if I resemble Venus in no other way, 
 I shall imitate her maternal corrections, and let you feel the
 
 THE BETROTHAL. 533 
 
 weight of my hand, if you provoke me, sir." And so saying, 
 she tumbled herself into the coach. 
 
 " I have already felt its weight," sighed the young duk, 
 "and a right heavy hand it is, when it is lifted to chastise." 
 
 "Then take care riot to deserve its chastisements. But 
 now, Philip, listen to me, and be serious. It is understood be- 
 tween us, that you refuse to sign the contract that you avow 
 loudly your aversion to marriage in general, and to Mademoi- 
 selle de Blois in particular ; and that you throw yourself at the 
 feet of the king, and ask for two years' delay. " 
 
 " Oh, yes, maman, yes, of course," replied Philip, hurriedly. 
 "I understand it all perfectly. Ah, here we are at the 
 Louvre ! Allow me to assist you to alight." 
 
 And the duke, vastly pleased that the maternal lecture was 
 at an end, leaped from the coach, and escorted his mother to 
 the palace. 
 
 The royal family, with the nobles and dignitaries that were 
 to witness the signing of the contract, were in the king's cabi- 
 net. The court awaited them in one of the magnificent rooms 
 of state. 
 
 On a marble slab, supported by three gilded dolphins, lay a 
 long roll of parchment, and close by was an inkstand of gold, 
 set with sapphires and diamonds. The king was in an adjoin- 
 ing apartment, anxiously waiting the arrival of the Duchess 
 of Orleans and the bridegroom-elect. 
 
 " Methinks," said Louis to monsieur, " that madame makes 
 me wait." 
 
 As these words were uttered with great severity, the duke 
 was abashed, and scarcely knew what he way saying. " Your 
 majesty," stammered he, "you know how may I entreat of 
 you" 
 
 " Her royal highness the Duchess of Orleans, and the Duke 
 de Chartres," cried the gentleman usher. 
 
 Louis rose from his arm-chair, and advanced to greet his 
 eccentric sister-in-law. Suddenly he drew back, and looked 
 like a Jupiter Tonans. 
 
 " Madame," said he, eying the duchess from head to foot 
 from her purple feathers to the very edge of her long purple- 
 velvet train " madame, what means this extraordinary attire ?
 
 534 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 Have you forgotten, in one of your fits of absence, that you 
 were invited, not to a funeral, but to a betrothal ? v 
 
 " Sire," replied the undismayed duchess, " I am not subject 
 to fits of absence ; but I beg to apologize for my dress. It is 
 appropriate to my feelings, for I have just experienced a most 
 painful loss." 
 
 " What member of your family is dead ? " asked his ma- 
 jesty. 
 
 " Not a member of my family, but a beloved friend, has 
 been foully murdered." 
 
 " Murdered ! " echoed Louis. " Who has been murdered ? " 
 
 " Sire, I will tell you, but Monsieur Louvois must be by to 
 hear the recital." 
 
 Monsieur Louvois was summoned, and while awaiting his 
 arrival, Louis expressed a wish that the duchess would make 
 her story as short as possible ; he was anxious to have this 
 ceremony over. 
 
 " Sire, I shall do my best," was the reply. " Ah," continued 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte, " here is Monsieur Louvois. Perhaps he 
 can tell your majesty why I am in mourning." 
 
 " I ! " said Louvois, with a defiant stare at his enemy. " 1 
 have not the honor of being in the secrets of madame." 
 
 "But she has the misfortune to be in yours," cried the 
 duchess. 
 
 " Sire, a few years ago, there appeared at your majesty's 
 court a young girl of extraordinary beauty and worth. She 
 was one of my maids of honor, and was as dear to me as my 
 own child. Lovely, innocent, and virtuous, as she was, she 
 was an object of aversion to her own kindred. She became 
 ardently attached to a youth of rank equal I mean to say, su- 
 perior to hers, against whom her relatives entertained a preju- 
 dice that manifested itself by every species of persecution. 
 There could be no reasonable objection to the alliance, but the 
 lovers knowing that, for very hatred of them both, the maid- 
 en's father would oppose their union, agreed to be married in 
 secret. They were betrayed, and you will scarcely believe me, 
 your majesty, when I tell you that the poor girl's own father 
 and brother deceived her by forged letters, and so arranged 
 matters that they came by night, and, substituting a man whom
 
 BETROTHAL 
 
 she detested, for her lover, they obtained her signature to a 
 fraudulent marriage." 
 
 " Her father did his duty," interrupted Louvois. " He had 
 a right to select her husband, and exercised his right. I hope 
 that his majesty is of the same opinion." 
 
 " Madame," said the king, taking no notice of Louvois' re- 
 mark, "pray continue your narrative." 
 
 "Your majesty, the miserable girl refused ever to acknowl- 
 edge the marriage. The man they had forced upon her im- 
 prisoned her for years, giving out to the world tbat she was 
 insane, but holding out to her a promise of release, whenever 
 she would recognize him as her husband. She never would 
 she never did." 
 
 " But her lover what was he about all this time ? " asked 
 Louis. 
 
 "He believed himself forgotten, nor could he discover 
 whither his betrothed had been conveyed by her tyrant. Fi- 
 nally by means that seem almost miraculous, she effected her 
 escape, and joined him ; and, believing herself to be his spouse 
 before God, they lived together as husband and wife." 
 
 " I should have regarded them as such," was the remark of 
 the king. "I hope that her unprincipled relatives did not 
 seek to repeat their sacrilege by any attempt to part her from 
 him to whom she had veritably plighted her faith." 
 
 Louvois could not contain himself. " Your majesty," cried 
 he, "the sacrilege was hers and not her father's. She was 
 legally married, and the tie that bound her to her lover was 
 a crime ! " 
 
 Louis contemplated his own illegitimate children, there 
 present, and Louvois' words roused his ire. " Sir," said he, 
 " you mistake human prejudices for principles. How can you 
 presume to contend for the sanctity of an infamous falsehood 
 like that of a marriage ceremony fraudulently performed ? " 
 
 " Thanks, your majesty, thanks for those generous words," 
 exclaimed the duchess, joyfully. "They rehabilitate the 
 memory of my darling, who was as pure and chaste as she was 
 constant and loving. In her case, endurance of the world's 
 contumely was heroism. She felt it to be unjust, but bore it 
 for the sake of her lover, and was happy. Her relatives, how- 
 35
 
 536 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 ever, urged by their hatred of the poor child, made use of her 
 demented husband to avenge what they pleased to term their 
 outraged honor. They armed him with dagger and poison, 
 and her own brother brought him to the town where she was 
 living, and led him to her villa. " 
 
 ' What an unnatural and wicked brother," exclaimed the 
 young Duke of Maine, who had edged himself in to listen. 
 
 The duchess gave him a grateful smile, and continued her 
 story : 
 
 " The murderer made an attempt to poison his rival. He 
 was recognized under his disguise by his wife, who darted for- 
 ward to save her lover's life. 4- s she did so, the assassin drew 
 from his bosom a poniard and stabbed her to the heart/' 
 
 "Horrible ! " was the exclamation of all the bystanders. 
 
 " Sire," resumed the duchess, " the woman so foully mur- 
 dered by the tool of her father and her brother, she, whom I 
 loved so dearly, and whom your majesty's self honored by 
 your attention, was Laura Bonaletta the daughter of Mon 
 sieur Louvois, and the sister of his depraved son Barbe- 
 sieur." 
 
 " The Marchioness Strozzi ! " cried the king, turning his in- 
 dignant eyes upon Louvois, who was vainly trying to effect a 
 retreat. 
 
 " Sir," said Louis, " I hope you will be able to disprove this 
 dreadful charge, and convince her royal highness that she has 
 been misinformed." 
 
 " Sire, I am not aware that any guilt attaches to my actions 
 as a father. I married my daughter to the man whom I chose 
 should be her husband, and I hastened the marriage that I 
 might save her from the artful snare which Prince Eugene 
 was laying for her large fortune." 
 
 " Sire," cried the duchess, " the whole world knows Prince 
 Eugene to be above mercenary considerations, and it also 
 knows that had Monsieur Louvois not driven him away from 
 France, he would not now be the most distinguished officer in 
 the army of a foreign prince." 
 
 " Very true," returned the king. "Louvois never showed 
 himself to have less penetration than when he undervalued 
 the genius of Prince Eugene. But this blunder we can par-
 
 THE BETROTHAL. 537 
 
 don, so he but clear himself of participation in the assassina- 
 tion of his daughter." 
 
 " That I can easily do, your majesty," replied Louvois. " I 
 knew nothing whatever of the attempt on Prince Eugene's 
 life." 
 
 " Then how comes it that this intercepted letter from your 
 own hand speaks so knowingly of it to your son ? Sire," con- 
 tinued the duchess, " this letter was sent to me by Victor 
 Amadeus. The courier to whom it had been confided was ar- 
 rested by a vidette of the duke's, and the letter forwarded to 
 his highness. From my step-daughter, the Duchess of Savoy, 
 I hold my information ; and it was imparted to me at her 
 husband's desire, that I might transmit it to your majesty, and 
 Louis XIV. might hear how Louvois vanquishes the heroes 
 that are opposed to him in war. Sire, not only your friends, 
 but your enemies, know that you hold such warfare in abhor- 
 rence.'' 
 
 " I do, indeed," cried Louis, " and I thank not only Victor 
 Amadeus, madame, but yourself, who have not shrunk from 
 the ungrateful duty of accusing a man whom many another 
 would have feared, because he was high in my estimation. I 
 thank you that you have given me occasion to vindicate my 
 honor from the foul blot which tbis man would have cast 
 upon it. I say nothing of his cruelty to his unhappy daugh- 
 ter, for that I leave to his Maker. But, as regards the attempt 
 on the life of Prince Eugene, it shall be investigated ; and 
 woe to him, should he be inculpated by the examination of 
 these papers ! Go, sir, and until your fame is cleared, consider 
 yourself a prisoner in your own house." 
 
 Pale and trembling. Louvois retreated from the royal pres- 
 ence. Around the door of the cabinet were groups of high- 
 born dames and titled lords, who all drew back to let him pass. 
 No one wished to breathe the atmosphere that was tainted by 
 the presence of a suspected murderer ; and the rumor of his 
 disgrace spread so rapidly through the palace, that it reached 
 the room whore the court was assembled, and every man 
 there turned his back upon the favorite who, an hour before, 
 had been greeted with courtesy and respect by the proudest 
 nobles in the land.
 
 53S HtlNCE EtTGM A&D HIS 
 
 The king's eyes followed the bowed figure of his fallen 
 minister until it passed out of sight ; then, as if nothing had 
 happened, he smilingly addressed the Duchess of Orleans : 
 
 " Madame, will you take the bride by the hand ? I, myself, 
 will escort the bridegroom." 
 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte, who, in her sorrow for the tragical 
 death of Laura, had forgotten the occasion of her coming, gave 
 a sudden start, and her heart died within her. She turned 
 her sharp eyes with a searching look upon the Duke de Char- 
 tres, hoping for some significant glance that would reassure 
 her as to his intentions. But the young duke's eyes were 
 turned another way : he was following the master of ceremo- 
 nies, and making a profound inclination before the king. 
 
 Madame dared no longer hesitate : she gave her hand to 
 Mademoiselle de Blois, and led her forward to the table where 
 lay the dreaded document. 
 
 At a signal from the king, the keeper of the seal advanced, 
 and, taking up the parchment, read the marriage contract of 
 his royal highness the Duke de Chartres with Mademoiselle de 
 Blois. The duke's marriage with the king's daughter entitled 
 him to the grandes entries du cabinet, and the entrees de der- 
 riere, privileges highly prized by the members of the royal 
 family. The contract also recognized Mademoiselle de Blois as 
 a daughter of France, and gave her a dowry of two millions 
 of livres, several large estates, and a complete parure of costly 
 diamonds. 
 
 With the exception of madame, everybody was enraptured 
 with the royal munificence. Again she tried to meet her son's 
 eyes, but they were steadfastly fixed upon the hand of the 
 king who had signed the contract, and was in the act of plac- 
 ing it before his daughter. 
 
 Mademoiselle de Blois scribbled her name under that of her 
 father, and passed the pen over to the bridegroom. The de- 
 cisive moment was at hand. With fast-throbbing heart, the 
 duchess bent forward to hear her son's rejection of this insult- 
 ing mesalliance, when lo ! that son, with a placid smile, ac- 
 cepted the pen, and signed ! 
 
 A cry had well-nigh burst from his mother's lips, as, with 
 every show of respect, he presented her the pen. Speechless
 
 VENGEANCE. 539 
 
 with anger, she advanced her hand, but it was not to take the 
 instrument of her humiliation : it was to administer to her re- 
 bellious son a box on the ear which resounded like a pistol- 
 shot through the apartment, and created considerable astonish- 
 ment among the aristocratic guests therein assembled.* 
 
 The young duke uttered a howl, and, rubbing his cheek, 
 jumped behind the hooped dress of his bride-elect. 
 
 Madame ! " exclaimed the king, '" what means this vio- 
 lence ? " 
 
 " Your majesty, I was killing a fly that had lit upon Philip's 
 cheek." 
 
 " It must be a robust fly, if it is not crushed to atoms," re- 
 plied the king, much amused. 
 
 The court, unable to withstand their merriment, burst into 
 one simultaneous shout of laughter, under cover of which 
 Elizabeth-Charlotte, with tearful eyes, signed the fatal docu- 
 ment which mingled the noble blood of Orleans with the 
 muddy stream of illegitimacy. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VENGEANCE. 
 
 So great \iad been the haste of the courtiers to spread the 
 news of Louvois' disgrace, that the very usher who opened the 
 door that led into the vestibule, performed his office with a 
 superciliousness which proved him to have heard it as well as 
 his betters. 
 
 Louvois felt as if his grave were yawning before him. He 
 had forgotten that his carriage could not possibly have re- 
 turned so soon ; and now he stood alone on the perron of the 
 palace, staring up and down the street in the vain hope of con- 
 cealing himself in a fiacre from the gaze of the curious. No 
 sentinel saluted him, no soldier presented arms, as, ashamed 
 of his rich dress and sparkling orders, which rendered him 
 
 * Historical. See "Letters of the Duchess of Orleans to the Princess of 
 \Valt."
 
 540 ' PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 conspicuous, lie walked on and on, an object of curiosity to 
 every passer-by. At length, on the Pont Neuf, he met a dilap- 
 idated old hackney-coach, amid whose threadbare cushions 
 he was glad to retreat from observation. 
 
 On his arrival home, nobody came out to assist him to 
 alight ; for how could the lackeys who were idling around the 
 porte-cochere surmise that the occupant of that shabby vehicle 
 was their haughty master ? 
 
 He entered the hotel, and, without vouchsafing a word to 
 the astounded valets, ascended the staircase that led to his own 
 private apartments. But they came after him to ask whether 
 he was indisposed, and whether they could be of service. 
 
 Their offers were rejected with scorn ; but Louvois thought 
 it politic to inform his own valet that, having been attacked 
 with sudden indisposition, he had been forced to leave the 
 court-ball, and return in a fiacre. While he was being divest- 
 ed of his rich dress and long curled wig. the valet went on to 
 announce that Count Barbesieur had arrived from Italy, and 
 was desirous of seeing his father as soon as possible. A lady 
 also had called to see his excellency ; and, having been told 
 that he was at the great court-festival, she had replied 
 that he would be apt to return home early, and she would 
 await his arrival, for she had important business to transact 
 with him. 
 
 " Where is the lady ? " asked Louvois. . 
 
 " She is in her carriage at the side door of the hotel. Shall 
 1 ask.her in the drawing-room, your excellency ?" 
 
 '* Later," said Louvois. " I must first speak with my 
 son." 
 
 " I am here," cried Barbesieur, who had silently entered the 
 room. 
 
 " Leave us," said Louvois to the valet, " and when Count 
 Barbesieur has retired, admit the lady. I 
 
 He paused, and caught at the arm-chair for support. He 
 had become suddenly dizzy, his face grew scarlet, his eyes 
 blood-shot, and his breathing oppressed. 
 
 The valet hastened to his assistance, and offered him a glass 
 of water. He emptied it at a draught, but his hands shook so, 
 that he could scarcely hold the goblet. Barbesieur had thrown
 
 VENGEANCE. 541 
 
 himself full length on a sofa, whence he contemplated his 
 father with the most consummate indifference. 
 
 " You ought to he bled," said he, carelessly. 
 
 " I will do so. It may relieve me," replied he, panting. 
 "Go," added he to the valet, "go for Fagot." 
 
 The valet hurried off, and the father and son were left 
 alone together. The former lay gasping with his head flung 
 back on a cushion ; the latter watched him closely, but with- 
 out the merest appearance of sympathy or interest. 
 
 After a pause, he spoke : " Father, have you forgotten my 
 presence ? " 
 
 Louvois opened his eyes wearily. " No ; I have not forgot- 
 ten it." 
 
 " You do not ask me about the result of my expedition," 
 said Barbesieur. 
 
 " Nor do you seem to think it incumbent upon you to ask 
 wherefore I suffer, or why I am here instead of being where I 
 ought to be, at the fianqailles of Mademoiselle de Blois," re- 
 plied Louvois, whom his son's indifference had stung to return- 
 ing energy. 
 
 " What care I for the fianqailles of Mademoiselle de Blois ? " 
 answered Barbesieur. " And as regards your indisposition, it 
 is not the first time that I have seen you similarly affected. 
 These congestions invariably leave you stronger than they find 
 you ; so let us pass on to affairs more momentous. I have 
 to inform you that my expedition to Italy has resulted in a 
 disastrous failure. Have you seen my courier ? " 
 
 " No, I have not seen him, but I know that you were guilty 
 of sending me written dispatches on a subject which pen 
 should never have recorded." 
 
 " Oh ! " sneered the dutiful son, " you are better, I see, for 
 you grow abusive. Then I suppose my courier has been ar- 
 rested ? " 
 
 "Ay, and your letters are in the hands of Louis XIV." 
 
 " Can it be possible ? " cried Barbesieur, anxiously. " How 
 came he in possession of them ? " 
 
 "They were given him by the Duchess of Orleans." 
 
 " But she" 
 
 " She received them from her step-daughter, the Duchess of
 
 542 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMEI. 
 
 Savoy. Not only them, but your imbecile-written promise to 
 Strozzi that his wife would return to him as soon as Prince 
 Eugene was dead." 
 
 " It was a blunder, I admit," returned Barbesieur. " But the 
 idiot had so set his heart upon it that I was forced to yield to 
 his whims ; there was no other way of controlling him. I had 
 no sooner given him this paper, than he became as plastic as 
 clay." 
 
 "Nevertheless, Laura is dead, and Eugene of Savoy lives." 
 
 "Oh, yes the thing miscarried, but how, I cannot con- 
 ceive. I was close at hand, waiting with horses for Strozzi, 
 who was to seize Laura, and make all speed for Italy. I 
 waited so long, that at last I ventured to creep up to the house, 
 and there I learned how Strozzi had stabbed Laura, and Eu- 
 gene had shot Strozzi. As soon as I found out that all had 
 gone awry, I galloped off to Bonaletta, to get my share of 
 Strozzi's and Laura's property. But the covetous relations 
 would not let me lay a finger on Laura's estates, without your 
 written authorization. That brought me hurriedly to Paris. 
 I want it at once, that I may return to Bonaletta to-day." 
 
 " You must remain for a while longer," said Louvois. 
 
 " And why, pray ? " 
 
 " Because you must at least wait until my funeral is over," 
 replied the unhappy father. 
 
 Barbesieur began to laugh. " Oh, papa ! pray don't get 
 sentimental. People are not apt to die of these little vex- 
 ations. I suppose the king was rude, as he has been many a 
 day before this was he ? " 
 
 " He was more than rude ; in presence of all his nobles he 
 accused me of participation in Laura's murder, and banished 
 me from court until I returned with proofs of my innocence." 
 
 " H'm " muttered Barbesieur. " The affair looks ugly." 
 
 " Insulted before the whole court," murmured Louvois. 
 
 u Pshaw ! Don't take it so much to heart. It is not your 
 first affront. You know full well that if old women get the 
 better of you to-day, you will outwit them to-morrow. Wit- 
 ness your feud of years with De Maiutenon." 
 
 "I shall not outwit them this time, Barbesieur. The duch- 
 ess has played her cards too dexterously for me to escape.
 
 VENGEANCE. 548 
 
 Nor would the king befriend me ; he is under too many ob- 
 ligations to me not to desire my humiliation and my ruin. 
 Moreover, he is anxious to propitiate the Duke of Savoy, and 
 will give him full satisfaction for the attempt on the life of 
 his kinsman. I am lost irretrievably lost ! " 
 
 '' Then so much the more imperative is it for us to lay the 
 foundation of some new structure of fortune elsewhere. 
 Luckily, Laura's large estates in Italy are all-sufficient to 
 make you a very rich man yet. So give me authority to act 
 for you ; I will go at once and take possession, while you ar- 
 range your affairs at home, and then follow me to Italy." 
 
 " He thinks of nothing but wealth," murmured Louvois ; 
 "he has no shame for loss of reputation or good name." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Barbesieur, with a coarse laugh ; " no 
 man that has money loses reputation. Poverty is the only 
 crime that the world cannot pardon, and you, thanks to the 
 Marchioness Bonaletta, have just inherited a fortune." 
 
 Louvois shuddered. "A fortune through the murder of 
 my child ! " 
 
 " For which we are not accountable," said Barbesieur, care-, 
 lessly. " We owe that obligation to Strozzi, and I must say it' 
 was the only sensible thing I ever knew him to do." 
 
 " Silence ! " cried Louvois, incensed. " If you have no re- 
 spect for the living, have some reverence for the dead ! " 
 
 Barbesieur rose with a yawn. " I see that my honored 
 father is not in a mood for reasonable conversation. Here 
 comes the surgeon with his lancet. Perhaps, when you have 
 lost a few quarts of your bad blood, you may see things in a 
 better light." So saying, he sauntered out of the room. With 
 scorn and hatred in his eye, Louvois watched him until he 
 disappeared from sight ; then turning to the surgeon, who had 
 entered by another door 
 
 " Be quick, and take some blood from my veins, or I shall 
 suffocate ! " 
 
 A half an hour later, the operation was over, and Louvois 
 felt much relieved. His face was pale, his eyes no longer 
 bloodshot, and the surgeon having prescribed rest, the dis- 
 graced favorite was left alone. 
 
 He sat propped up in his arm-chair, staring at vacancy
 
 544 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 his solitude embittered by the recollection of what he was, and 
 what he had been. The stately edifice of greatness, which he 
 had spent a lifetime in erecting, had fallen like a chdteau de 
 cartes, leaving nothing behind but the stinging recollection of 
 a glorious past. He could not outlive it he could not retire 
 to obscurity he 
 
 Suddenly he shivered, and gazed with eyes distended at the 
 figure of a woman that now stood against the portiere op- 
 posite. Great God ! had delirium seized upon his senses ? 
 Were the memories of his youth about to take shape and form, 
 and mingle their shadowy images with the tangible realities 
 of life ! He knew her tall, beautiful, pale as she was and 
 the recognition filled him with terror indefinable. 
 
 He knew her well ! In her youth he had loved her, but 
 she had scorned his love, because she was cherishing the hope 
 of becoming Queen of France ! This triumph had been denied 
 her, and she had hidden her disappointment by a marriage 
 with another. And fearfully had Louvois avenged her rejec- 
 tion of his love ! He had cited her as a criminal, before the 
 highest tribunal in France, and had driven her into exile. 
 Destiny had also given him power to crush her son to blast 
 his life as a lover, and his good name as a man. But ah ! that 
 daughter whom Eugene had loved ! He had blasted her life 
 also, and had given her over to a monster that had murdered 
 her I So young, so lovely, so attractive ! She had died to 
 gratify the malice of her own father ! 
 
 Like a lightning-flash these thoughts glanced athwart 
 his brain, while, breathless and terror-stricken, he gazed upon 
 the spectre that stood against the portiere ! 
 
 Was it a spectre, or some delusion of his disordered mind ? 
 She stood motionless as a marble statue of Nemesis ; but those 
 eyes those glowing eyes there was life and hate in their 
 fiery depths ! 
 
 Louvois had not the power to look away ; he was as spell- 
 bound as a bird under the glance of the basilisk. 
 
 " Olympia ! " cried he, at last, with a supreme effort to dis- 
 solve the spell. 
 
 She threw back her proud head, and came directly in front 
 of his chair. " You recognize me," said she, in tones of icy
 
 VENGEANCE. 545 
 
 hauteur. " I was waiting before I spoke, to see whether you 
 had forgotten me." 
 
 " What brings you hither ? " stammered he, confusedly. 
 
 "Destiny,' 1 replied she, sternly. ''Louvois, God is just, for 
 He has chosen me to be the instrument of your destruction. I 
 was travelling through Turin to nurse my son, who was not 
 expected to live. I learned that his illness was of the heart 
 not of the body. His Laura had been murdered before his 
 eyes, and, for love of her, he was in danger of dying. Ah, 
 Louvois ! it was the second time you had almost robbed me of 
 my child ! But God is just ! To my hands were confided the 
 proofs of your participation in the crime of your daughter's 
 assassination, and it was I that delivered them to the Duchess 
 of Orleans. She had her Laura's death to avenge, I great 
 God ! what had I not ? The humiliation of my flight from 
 France my persecution by strangers in a foreign land my 
 son's lifelong sorrow ! But ah ! you, that drove him from his 
 native country, have fallen, to rise no more, while Eugene's 
 name is but another word throughout the world for genius 
 and valor." 
 
 Louvois' teeth chattered with fear. He raised his hand, as 
 if to implore forbearance. She gave him, in return, a look of 
 scorn. 
 
 '' All Paris rings with your disgrace. The populace are be- 
 fore your windows, ready, at a signal, to assault your palace, 
 as, at your son's instigation, they once assailed mine. Your 
 servants are stealing away, and you are forsaken ! Poor, 
 fallen, powerless Louvois ! " 
 
 " Not so," screamed Louvois, " not so ! If I am powerless 
 it is because I am dying ! " And, with a passionate gesture, 
 he tore the bandages from his arm. 
 
 The blood gushed out like water from a fountain, and 
 Olympia looked on for a while in cruel enjoyment of her 
 enemy's mortal agony. But her hatred was unclouded by 
 passion. 
 
 '' It were a kindness to suffer you to die now," said she; 
 and her words fell like sharp icielos upon his poor, lacerated 
 heart. " But you shall live to endure the contumely you 
 forced upon me and mine ! Farewell ! I go to call for help."
 
 546 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 She crossed the room, and, as she entered the antechamber, 
 Louvois swooned, and fell upon the floor. 
 
 *' Go to your lord," said Olympia to the valets who were 
 waiting. " The bandage has become loosened, and he will 
 bleed to death if you are not prompt." 
 
 Crossing the antechamber, she opened the door that led to 
 a corridor where her own valet was awaiting her return. 
 
 " Can you tell me where I may find Count Barbesieur ? " 
 asked she. 
 
 " Yes, my lady. He is in his own room, to which I was 
 directed by his valet." 
 
 ' Show me the way," said the countess, following the man 
 to the farther end of the long corridor. 
 
 "Here, my lady," said he, pausing, "is his anteroom." 
 
 " Go in and announce me." 
 
 The valet opened the door and crossed the antechamber. 
 It was empty ; for Barbesieur's valet was, with the other serv- 
 ants, in the vestibule, discussing the mysteries of the evening. 
 Seeing that no one was there to announce the countess, the 
 lackey knocked until he heard a voice from within. He then 
 threw the door wide open, and cried out 
 
 " The Countess de Soissons ! " 
 
 Barbesieur, who was seated before a table, deep in the ex- 
 amination of the title-deeds of the Bonaletta estates, started up 
 in amazement at the unceremonious interruption. As he 
 turned around to chastise the insolence of the servant, he en- 
 countered the stately figure of the Countess de Soissons. 
 
 " It is long since we met," said she. " Do you remember 
 the occasion of our meeting ? " 
 
 " No, countess," replied he, awed by her queenly bearing 
 into momentary courtesy. 
 
 " I will refresh your memory. When last I saw you, you 
 were at the head of the rabble that mobbed the Palace de Sois- 
 sons, and had just received a wound in your arm from the pis- 
 tol of my son, Prince Eugene. I had not the satisfaction of 
 being present at the horsewhipping he administered to you at 
 Long Champs, for I was obliged to fly from your persecutions, 
 and I have never set foot in France until now." 
 
 Barbesieur laughed. " I have had my revenge. I owe him
 
 VENGEANCE. 
 
 nothing. The very grief that is sapping his life at this mo- 
 ment is the work of my hand." 
 
 " I know it, and I, in my turn, have avenged his woes.'' 
 
 " You must have done it secretly, then, for I have never 
 felt any inconvenience from your vengeance." 
 
 " You will experience it before long. Did one of your serv- 
 ants bi-iug you a fine peach on a salver, about half an hour 
 ago?" 
 
 Barbesieur turned very pale, and stammered, "Yes." 
 
 " Did you eat it ? " 
 
 " Yes," murmured he, " I did." 
 
 " Then, Barbesieur, that peach avenged Eugene and Laura 
 both. I sent it to you." 
 
 " You ! " cried Barbesieur, with a shudder. 
 
 " Yes," replied Olynipia, her black eyes darting fire as she 
 spoke. " I sent you the peach, and if you have eaten it (it will 
 be very slow in its effects), you have just four years longer to 
 live!" 
 
 As he heard these terrible words, Barbesieur dropped, like 
 a felled ox, to the floor. 
 
 " Count Barbesieur," cried a voice in the antechamber, 
 "your father is dying of apoplexy." 
 
 Barbesieur started up with an oath, and darted from the 
 room. The Countess de Soissons followed him to the corridor. 
 No one was there, for the servants had all congregated, as near 
 as possible, to the chamber of the dying statesman. Olympia 
 passed on, unchallenged, reached her carriage, and set off at 
 full gallop for Nice. 
 
 She found Eugene improved, and sitting up. He was in 
 his arm-chair, gazing with tearful eyes at a portrait opposite 
 a portrait of Laura, as Sister Angelica. His thoughts were so 
 far, far away from the weary present, that the door had opened, 
 and his mother had put her arms around his neck, before he 
 became aware of her entrance. 
 
 "Eugene, my beloved son," said she, " I have avenged you." 
 
 " Avenged ? Dear mother, what can you mean ? " 
 
 "I mean that Louvois is dead dead of humiliation. And 
 that Barbesieur lives ; but lives in the knowledge that, in four 
 years, he must die. His life, then, unto the bitter end, will be
 
 PRINCE EUGENE AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 one long agony. Eugene, you avenged my wrongs. I have 
 now paid the debt." 
 
 Eugene sighed heavily. " You have erred, mother. You 
 should have left further vengeance to God. What does it 
 profit me that Barhesieur suffers his sufferings cannot recall 
 my Laura." 
 
 " Ah," said Olympia, disappointed, " if you were in health 
 you would not be so pusillanimous, my child. Tis easy to see 
 that you are sick." 
 
 *' No, mother, I am no longer sick. At Laura's command, 
 I have wrestled with bodily weakness, and have overcome it.'' 
 
 "I do not understand you, my son." 
 
 Eugene pointed to the figure of Doctor Franzi, who just 
 then entered the room. " Listen, mother, and you will under- 
 stand." 
 
 The doctor advanced, and, taking Eugene's extended hand, 
 repeated Laura's dying words. Eugene looked at his mother, 
 and smiled. 
 
 " This message has been the medicine that has restored me 
 to health. My Laura speaks from beyond the grave, and I 
 must obey." 
 
 " Who but a hero could have obeyed a mandate at once so 
 loving and so cruel ! " exclaimed Doctor Franzi. " Countess, 
 I am rejoiced to see you, but more especially rejoice that you 
 should have arrived to-day. " 
 
 "I travelled night and day to return in time," said Olym- 
 pia, looking fondly at her son. 
 
 " Is it a festival ? " asked he. 
 
 " Yes, dear child," replied his mother, kissing him, " It is 
 your thirtieth birth-day." 
 
 "My thirtieth birth-day!" murmured Eugene. "My 
 youth is no more ; I enter upon the stern epoch of mature 
 manhood." 
 
 " Youth, with its sweet visions of love, has passed away ; 
 but manhood will indemnify you, prince, for the sorrows of 
 the past. Before you lies a future of usefulness and heroism. 
 Congratulate your son, countess, for he yesterday received 
 from the Emperor Leopold the chief command of his armies 
 in Italy. The troops are on their way now, to greet their gen-
 
 VENGEANCE. 549 
 
 eral. Hark ! Do you not hear the drums ? Every brave 
 heart in the army is beating with joy at the prospect of seeing 
 him again." 
 
 " And I, too, am joyful at the anticipation," replied Eugene, 
 rising from his chair. *' You are right, Franzi. I have been 
 sorely grieved, 'tis true ; but I bear about my heart the knowl- 
 edge of my Laura's love as veritable now as when I saw and 
 felt her mortal presence. This blessing shall make me a hero. 
 So help me God ! I will strive hereafter to do my duty as a 
 man. a soldier, and a Christian." 
 
 The drums rolled, the trumpets sounded, and thousands of 
 voices responded without : 
 
 " Long live our general ! Long live Prince Eugene ! " 
 
 (5) 
 
 THE END.
 
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