Louisa of Prussia and Her Times Part 35

"The soft-hearted fools!" muttered Thugut.

"But their prayers were fruitless. They preferred them repeatedly, and always were refused. They even went so far as to a.s.sure the amba.s.sador, in case he should yield to their request and give them time to calm the people and induce them to leave the place, that the Austrian government would a.s.suredly give him whatever satisfaction he should demand. But General Bernadotte persisted in his refusal--and replied peremptorily, 'No, the banner remains!'"

"Proceed, proceed!" exclaimed Thugut, impatiently.

"That is all I know, but I shall hasten to collect further news, and then return to your excellency."

Hubschle disappeared through the secret door, and Thugut replaced the painting before it. "The banner remains!" he exclaimed, laughing scornfully. "We will see how long it will remain! Ah, Heinle is rapping again at the other door. What is it, Heinle?"

"Another dispatch from the French amba.s.sador," said Heinle, merely pus.h.i.+ng his arm with the letter through the door.

"And you have made the same reply?"

"The same reply."

"Good! Return to your post."

The arm disappeared again. Thugut opened the second dispatch, and read as before in a half-loud voice: "The amba.s.sador of the French Republic informs Baron Thugut that the fury of the mob is constantly on the increase; already all the window-panes of the dwelling have been shattered by the stones the rioters are incessantly throwing at them; he informs you that the crowd at the present moment numbers no less than three or four thousand men, and that the soldiers whose a.s.sistance was invoked, so far from protecting the house of the French emba.s.sy, remain impa.s.sive spectators of the doings and fury of the rabble, their inactivity encouraging the latter instead of deterring them. The amba.s.sador cannot but believe that this scandalous scene is not merely tolerated, but fostered by the authorities, for nothing whatever is done to put a stop to it. He sees with as much regret as pain that the dignity of the French people is being violated by the insults heaped on the amba.s.sador, who vainly implored the populace to disperse and go home. At the moment the amba.s.sador is writing these lines, the rage of the crowd is strained to such a pitch that the doors have been broken open by means of stones, while the soldiers were quietly looking on. The furious rabble tore the French colors from the balcony with hooks and long poles. The amba.s.sador, who cannot remain any longer in a country where the most sacred laws are disregarded and solemn treaties trampled under foot, therefore asks Baron Thugut to send him his pa.s.sports in order that he may repair to France with all the attaches of the emba.s.sy, unless Baron Thugut should announce at once that the Austrian government has taken no part whatever in the insults heaped upon the French Republic; that it disavows them, on the contrary, in the most formal manner, and that it orders the ringleaders and their accomplices to be arrested and punished in the most summary manner. On this condition alone, and if the Austrian government agrees to restore the French banner and to cause it to be displayed on the balcony of the French emba.s.sy by a staff-officer, the amba.s.sador consents to remain in Vienna.

Let Baron Thugut remember that these are precious moments, and that he owes the amba.s.sador an immediate and categorical reply to his inquiries." [Footnote: "Memoires d'un Homme d'Etat," vol. v., p. 501.]

"Well, I believe the good people of Vienna will take it upon themselves to make a categorical reply to General Bernadotte, and to silence the overbearing babbler, no matter how it is done," exclaimed Thugut, laughing scornfully. "I am really anxious to know how this affair is going to end, and how my brave rioters will chastise the amba.s.sador for his insolence. What, another rap already? Why, you are a genuine postillon d' amour! Do you bring me another letter?"

"A third dispatch from General Bernadotte," exclaimed Heinle, outside, pus.h.i.+ng his arm with the dispatch again through the door.

Thugut took it and rapidly opened it. "It seems matters are growing more pressing," he said, smilingly. "Let us read it!"

And he read with an air of great satisfaction:

"The amba.s.sador of the French Republic informs Baron Thugut that the riotous proceedings have lasted five hours already; that no agent of the police has come to his a.s.sistance; that the furious rioters have taken possession of a portion of the house and are destroying every thing they can lay their hands on."

"Aha, my friend Wenzel is looking for the papers in the rooms of the French emba.s.sy!" exclaimed Thugut, triumphantly. He then read on.

"The amba.s.sador, the secretaries of legation, the French citizens and officers who are with him, were compelled to retire to a room where they are waiting further developments with the undaunted courage characteristic of the republicans. The amba.s.sador repeats his demand that the necessary pa.s.sports be sent for him and for all the French who desire to accompany him. The transmission of these pa.s.sports is the more urgent, as the rioters, who were about to rush into the room where the French were awaiting them, only shrank back when some servants of the French emba.s.sy discharged the fire-arms with which they had been provided."

"Ah, a regular battle, then, has taken place!" shouted Thugut, in great glee. "A siege in grand style! Wonder why Hubschle has not come back yet? But stop! I hear him already. He raps! I am coming, sir! I am opening the door already!"

And Thugut hastened to touch the frame of the painting and to open the door.

It was true, Hubschle, the private secretary, was there, but he did not come alone. Wenzel, soiled with blood, his clothes torn and in the wildest disorder, entered with him, supporting himself on Hubschle's arm.

"Ah, you bring me there a wounded boar!" said Thugut, morosely.

"A boar who splendidly goaded on the hounds and performed the most astonis.h.i.+ng exploits," said Hubschle, enthusiastically. "He received a gunshot wound in the right arm and fainted. I carried him with the a.s.sistance of a few friends to a well, and we poured water on him until he recovered his senses and was able again to partic.i.p.ate in the general jubilee."

"Then it was a jubilee? Mr. Wenzel, tell me all about it."

"It was a very fine affair," said Wenzel, gasping. "We had penetrated into the house and were working to the best of our power in the magnificent rooms. The furniture, the looking-gla.s.ses, the chandeliers, the carriages in the courtyard, every thing was destroyed, while we were singing and shouting, 'Long live the emperor! G.o.d save the Emperor Francis!'"

"What a splendid Ma.r.s.eillaise that dear, kind-hearted Haydn has composed for us in that hymn," said Thugut, in a low voice, gleefully rubbing his hands. "And the banner? What has become of the banner?"

"The banner we had previously torn to pieces, and with the shreds we had gone to the Schottenplatz and publicly burned them there amidst the jubilant shouts of the people."

"Very good. And what else was done in the emba.s.sy building?"

"We rushed from room to room. Nothing withstood our fury, and finally we arrived at the room in which the amba.s.sador and his suite had barricaded themselves as in a fortress. It was the amba.s.sador's study," said Wenzel, slowly and significantly--"the cabinet in which he kept his papers."

Thugut nodded gently, and said nothing but "Proceed!"

"I rushed toward the door and encouraged the others to follow me. We succeeded in bursting the door open. At the same moment the besieged fired at us. Three of us dropped wounded; the others ran away."

"Yes, the miserable rascals always run away as soon as they smell gunpowder," said Thugut, indignantly. "And you, Mr. Wenzel?"

"I was wounded and had fainted. My comrades carried me out of the house."

"And the papers?" asked Thugut. "You did not take them?"

"Your excellency, General Bernadotte and the whole retinue of the emba.s.sy were in the room in which the amba.s.sador keeps his papers. I would have penetrated into it with my friends if the bullet had not shattered my arm and stretched me down senseless."

"Yes, indeed, you became entirely senseless," said Thugut, harshly, "for you even forgot that I only promised to release you provided you should bring the papers of the French amba.s.sador."

"Your excellency," shouted Wenzel, in dismay, "I--"

"Silence!" commanded Thugut, in a stern tone; "who has allowed you to speak without being asked?"

At this moment another hasty rap at the door was heard, and Heinle's arm appeared again in the door.

"Another dispatch from the French amba.s.sador?" asked Thugut.

"No, your excellency, a dispatch from his majesty the emperor."

Thugut hastily seized the small sealed note and opened it. It contained nothing but the following words:

"The amba.s.sador has received a salutary lesson, and his banner has been destroyed. Let us stop the riot now, and avoid extreme measures. Several regiments must be called out to restore order."

The minister slowly folded the paper and put it into his pocket. He then rang the bell so violently and loudly, that Heinle and the other servants rushed immediately into the room.

"Open every door--call every footman!" commanded Thugut. "Admit every one who wants to see me. Two mounted messengers shall hold themselves in readiness to forward dispatches. Every one may learn that, in spite of my sickness, I have risen from my couch in order to reestablish tranquillity in the capital."

He stepped to his desk and rapidly wrote a few words, whereupon he handed the paper to Germain, his valet de chambre.

"Here, Germain, hasten with this note to Count Fersen, the director of police, and take this fellow along. Two footmen may accompany you. You will deliver him to the director of the police and tell him that he is one of the rioters whom my agents have arrested. Request the director to have him placed in a safe prison and to admit none to him but the officers of the criminal court. He is a very dangerous criminal; this is the second time that he has been arrested as a rioter. Well, what is the matter with the fellow? He reels like a drunken man! He has probably drunk too much brandy for the purpose of stimulating his courage."

"Pardon me, your excellency," said Hubschle, "the man has fainted."

"Then carry him away, and take him in a carriage to the director of the police," said Thugut, indifferently, and he looked on coldly and unfeelingly, while the footman hastily seized the pale, unconscious man and dragged him away.

He returned to his desk and rapidly wrote a few words on a sheet of large, gilt-edged paper, which he then enclosed in an envelope, sealed, and directed.