Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 _* “Pe Man in Red. east, and the relics of the Grand Army, with crowds of new conscripts from France, are falling back toward their native land, defeat | ollowing defeat, only fighting to secure a re-| them, ‘‘and his majesty has never failed to honor. For twelve years no enemy had crossed “the soil of France, now the English are in Toulouse. whether he thought the Russians would advance furtber than the Polish frontier. — ‘* Not if the emperor can prevent it,” he told if by so doing they could save their | drive his enemies so far.” ‘*How about the retreat from Moscow, count?” asked Count Waldstein, a young Ger- man officer, maliciously. ‘‘ We heard that the For six years the Prussians have been trodden | Russians drove you pretty far in three months.” under foot, now they have joined the Russians. The flag of France still waves over Berlin, but how long will it wave there? The Russians, flushed with triumph, are advancing to drive the emperor behind the Elbe. In the midst of this war of giants, a traveling carriage, with a tall, grim-looking cuirassier on the box, is driving rapidly through the — of the Bohemian Mountains, and nearing ienna. In the carriage sits a handsome man, still young and fresh looking, in the uniform of a French general, and as they pass object after object on the roads, he sighs and murmurs to himself: ‘“‘ How different now.” The old cuirassier on the box looks at things in another way. He is a philosopher and smokes a short, black pipe, conducive to a placid frame of mind. As the a changes horses at Pratzen, he descends and asks: ‘Is there anything I can do for you, my general?” ‘*No, Casse Tete,” says the general, with a sigh. ‘‘I need nothing. Do you notice where we are?” ‘Truly, yes, my general. This is the place we gave the Russians their milk, only seven years ago.” ‘* And now the tables are turned.” ‘‘A trifle, my general, a trifle. We shall drive them back yet. One cannot always have luck; but we can beat any of them single- handed.” *‘That’s it, Casse Tete. Ask the postmaster how long it takes to Vienna.” “Three hours, gracious herr,” says the offi- cia], respectfully, and away goes the carriage again, past the old battle-field of Austerlitz, and so on till it rolls over the long bridge at Vienna and rumbles through the streets to the nch embassy. There Count Gabriel of Fried- land gets out and is closeted with the embassa- dor for a long time, while Casse Tete waits patiently in the ante-room. At last the door opens and Casse Tete catches the Jast words: . ‘‘No one knows who he is, but we are certai he is a Russian emissary, and he has the em- ror’s ear all the time. You'll see him to- night at the ball.” ‘And I cannot procure an interview till to- morrow?’ says Gabriel, sadly. ‘*T fear not. Even that is doubtful. Things are changed, count. I will send in the request at once, however.” briel thanked him, and they depart to a suit of rooms that has been prepared for the special envoy from the Emperor Napoleon. Casse Tete bustles about to make his chief comfortable, and tries to cheer him up, but Gabriel is very gloomy still. At last the faitb- ful orderly observes: ‘It seems to me, my general, that you set too much store on little things.” ‘Little things, Casse Tete? Yes; but a feather wil! show the direction of thetwind.” ‘* The wind changes, my general, and [ never knew it to blow long in one direction. Your honor has mp wait and it will be favorable.” The count shook his head. “We cannot afford to wait. We are in ahurry. If we wait, our foes will move.” ‘*So much the better, my general. It will save us the trouble of moving to find them. a We shall fight our battles where we want | them.” _ Casse Tete seemed determined to Jet nothing cast down his spirits, though, in truth, be felt ~ gloomy as his young master, so he continued riskly : sf What uniform will your honor wear at the ball to-night?” ‘* Tt matters little, Casse Tete.” ** Pardon, my general; but it matters a great deal. ‘If these Austrians seg you looking gloomy and badly dressed, they will think we are in a bad way; but if you put on your best uniform and show yourself cheerful, they will think we are all right.” ‘* You are right, Casse Tete. Put out the uniform of Master of the Horse. I will keep up a bold front.” Accordingly, that evening, when a grand ball was held in the palace, one of the most conspicuous figures on the floor wasa tall, hand- some, fair-haired man, im a picturesque hussar uniform of blue and silver, and wearing the cross of the Legion of Honor on his breast, It was Count Gabriel of Friedland, and he at- tracted a good deal of attention among the gay Viennese, to whom he had been well known in the prosperous days of the empire. Very soon he was surrounded by the youn officers of the guard, asking bim questions o how he had left the French army at Berlin, and ‘* Not one step,” asseverated Gabriel. ‘* They tried to stop us more than once and we cut our way out rag | time. Besides, we were not afraid of the Russians. It was the winter that hurt us.” ‘‘The Russian envoy doesn’t say so,” young Waldstein retorted. ‘By the by, have you seen him yet?” ‘* Seen whom?’ “« General Grupisch, to be sure, the new special envoy. All the. world is talking about him.” ‘‘Grupisch? No. But that is not a Russian name. ho is he?” ‘* A German, Te You know there are a number of Germans their army, and the Russians hate them, too, because they have more brains thanthemselves, But this Grupisch does not look like a German. He has more the aspect of a Frenchman.” ‘‘ When did he come here?’ asked Gabriel. ‘‘ Three days ago, and he seems to be a great favorite already. He has had two interviews with the emperor.” “There he is now,” interrupted one of the young officers. ‘‘Look at the further end of the saloon, count. He is coming with the Kaiser.” Gabriel beheld amid the crowds that filled the great ball-room two gentlemen comin slowly forward engaged in conversation, an they appeared to be distinguished people from the way in which everybody made way from them, retiring respectfully. ’ He knew one of them well enough by his tall, dignified figure, silver hair and kindly face. It was the Emperor Francis Joseph. The other was none other than the general about whom hung so much mystery. He was a dressed in a dark green uniform, with very little lace on it, and appeared to be listen- ing to what the Austrian emperor was saying. Gabriel knew that in that man lay all bis danger at the court of Vienna. The emperor’s daughter was on the the throne of France and Austria was still nominally the rom of Napoleon, but had withdrawn her forces to her own terri- tory at the first disasters of the Moscow cam- paign, He had come himself to Vienna to ask the active assistance of an Austrian contingent, and here he found a Russian emissary high in favor with the Kaiser. His resolution was taken in a moment, and to him the ball-room became a field of battle in which he had an object to gain. The Austrian officers fell away from his side as the emperor advanced, and he was left alone | waiting. Under ordinary circumstances he would have | himself, but the | fallen back into the crowd occasion was too pressing to admit of delicacy in asserting his own position. He remained standing in the path of the ad- vancing couple till Francis Joseph raised his eyes, when he bowed wpa 3 6 “iy emperor with his usual dly smile said im: ‘‘The Count of Friedland I believe, is it not?” ‘‘ The same, sire, on a special mission to your majesty from the Emperor Napoleon.” he emperor’s face grew colder as he said: Ps go I thought you had an embas- sador. CHAPTER XXV. A FEMALE DIPLOMAT. “ T thought you had an ambassador,” The words were discouraging, and the usual kindness of the Kaiser’s face had changed to a look of severity. But Gabriel had come prepared to meet cold- ness and to evade it. His former experience at the Court of Berlin in a trying crisis stood bim in good stead here, so he answered with the most smiling grace: ; “Tt is very true, sire, but his majesty desired to show special honor to his august father-in- law on this occasion and has sent me in ad- dition to convey to your majesty his assurances of good will. Our minister the Duke of Paler- mo has had the honor I believe to communicate my arrival to your majesty and to ask an audi- ence for to-morrow,” ; ‘*' Yes, yes,” replied the Austrian, hastily. ‘He has sent word, You sball have it, sir. At noon, at noon. How did you leave his majesty the Emperor of the French?” ! ‘Well in health, sire, and triumphant over any enemy who ventured to come close enough to feel our artillery,” ** Very good, Th see you to-morrow, count. Yes, yes; I'll see you. -evening.” And the emperor dismissed him with a cold nod and moved on, the Russian still by his side. Gabriel noticed tbat this stranger had kept his eyes on the floor during their whole conversation, a lurking smile on his lip, and as they moved away he heard him say to the em- ror: ‘Times are changed, sire; but nothing to what they will be m another year.” Then they passed on and Gabriel retired to a corner of the saloon, feeling more than ever doubtful of the success of his mission. He had secured an audience, which was something, but — could read rejection already in the Kaiser’s glance,. Presently, while he was buried in gloomy thoughts he beard his name pronounced behind him, and turned to behold the face of a lady which seemed strangely familiar to him, but which he could not at tre moment identify, ‘*My dear count,” said the lady, gayly, ‘‘I see in your eye that you have not the least idea who I am, which is not flattering.” ‘‘ Indeed,” returned Gabriel, in the same spirit, ‘‘you are mistaken. I’m sure I recog- nize you perfectly, but—” ‘*But you don’t know wholam. It is true, but then you have only seen me once in Russia, where you passed a night at my house without asking leave; but otherwise I am bound to ad- mit behaved very well, far better than I had reason to expect. ‘‘IT know now, madame, I told you that I recognized you, It is the princess, Olga Dokto- roff, I am sure.” ‘*And yet, when you saw me then, you in- sisted you had seen me before.” ‘* Yes; I remember; and it was in Paris, I am sure. But I cannot— Will you tell meif on the first occasion I saw you, a different cos- tume was not—” ‘*My dear count, of course. Do you really suppose that a woman would wear the same costume all the time?’ ‘‘That is not it entirely. It must have been the surroundings—” ‘*Ah, now you are going into the secrets of the toilet, which no man can safely dare to penetrate. But tell me, how do you like Vien- na now?” She had slipped her arm into his with a quiet freedom that became her, and was taking him along in the stream of promenaders that circled round the room, ‘* How do you like Vienna?” she repeated, as he did not answer. ‘I do not dislike it. It is a lovely place, and were it time of peace and I at home here, [ might like it well,” he answered, embarrassed, and not knowing how to get rid of her. ‘* And the emperor—you like him, of course? es one adores Kaiser Joseph.” * Why, madame?” ** Because he is so good. I remember in the days before Wagram, when your people held Vienna and when the black eagle was but a beaten bird, the am a wept for their kaiser’s hard fate and ha Napoleon worse than a Prussian.” ‘* Were you in Vienna then?” he asked, in the hope of finding out something of this mysteri- ous woman. “‘T have been everywhere, count. But you are to have an audience to-morrow, I hear.’ ** Madame?” ‘‘T heard it. No mystery aboutit. I was in the crowd when the emperor granted it, I know what you have come for; but you will not get it.” ‘* How do you know it?” ‘‘T know it. You have to secure the active support of Schwarzenberg’s army, but it will not enter the quarrel on your side.’ Gabriel listened to the confident tone in which she gee and retorted: ‘You say that because you hope it; but you must remember that I am French, not Rus- an. ‘* And how do you know that the French do not hope the same as I?” **No true Frenchman could desire the fall of the greatest man in France.” ‘‘He will fall, for all that, and France be happier for it. But come, count; I did not take your arm to quarrel with you. I told you once that if you would leave the service of this r I could procure you a better—” ‘‘Pardon me,” he interrupted, flushing deep- ly. “Idonotlike to he uncivil to 9 ladv, but I must decline to listen to any proposition to betray my chief,” ‘‘T have not asked you to doit. I have mere- ly told you—reminded you—” ‘‘Of an offer that should never have been made to a soldier, madame.” ‘‘ As you please.” The lady seemed nettled at his tone. “Some da rom will be sorry for it. I will trouble you to take me to my brother, count.” ‘‘ With pleasure, if madame will indicate the n and the way to find him.” ‘You know him well enough, Itis the man who owns your life,” Her tone had a sly, triumphant malice in it which surprised him, and her dark eyes rested on his with a meaning expression. | ‘J will not affect to misunderstand yes he said, slowly, “The gentleman of w you speak is the bitter enemy of France, and I was foolish enough to place my life in his power. I will conduct you to him if you wish. I see him EOmicboo KS - (E()