Frederick the Great and His Family [316]
advanced to meet him, and gazed with a sharp, piercing glance at the general, who bowed respectfully before her.
"I have sent for you, general," said the princess, "to repair an injury. You have been announced twice, and both times I declined receiving you."
"That was no injury, your royal highness," said the general, smiling. "I ventured to call on you because etiquette demands that a new ambassador should introduce himself to every member of the royal house. Your royal highness declined to receive me, it was not agreeable, and you were perfectly justifiable in closing your doors against me."
"And now you must wonder why I have sent for you?"
"I never allow myself to wonder. Your order for me to come has made me happy--that is sufficient."
"You have no suspicion why I sent for you?"
"Your royal highness has just informed me you kindly wished to indemnify me for my two former visits."
"You are a good diplomatist; you turn quickly about, are as smooth as an eel, cannot be taken hold of, but slip through one's fingers. I am accustomed to go at once to the point--I cannot diplomatize. See here, why I wished to see you--I wished to show you this cup."
She took the cup hastily from the table, and gave it to the ambassador. He gazed at it long and earnestly; he turned it around, looking at every picture, reading every verse. Amelia watched him keenly, but his countenance betrayed nothing. He was as smiling, as unembarrassed as before. When he had looked at it attentively, he placed it on the table.
"Well, what do you think of the workmanship?" said Amelia.
"It is wonderful, worthy of an artist, your royal highness."
"And do you know by what artist it was made?"
"I suspect it, your royal highness."
"Give me his name?"
"I think he is called Frederick von Trenck."
"It is so, and if I do not err, he is your relative?"
"My distant relative--yes, your royal highness."
"And can you bear to have your relative in chains? Does not your heart bleed for his sufferings?"
"He suffers justly, I presume, or he would not have been condemned."
"Were he the greatest criminal that lived, it would still be a crime to make him suffer perpetually. A man's sleep is sacred, be he a criminal or a murderer. Let them kill the criminal, but they should not murder sleep. Look at this picture, general; look at this prisoner lying upon the hard floor; he has been torn from his dreams of freedom and happiness by the rough voice of the soldier standing at his door. Read the verse beneath it--is not every word of it bathed in tears? Breathes there not a cry of terror throughout so fearful, so unheard-of, that it must resound in every breast? And you, his relative, you will not hear him? You will do nothing to free this unfortunate man from his prison? You, the Austrian ambassador, suffer an officer of your empress to remain a prisoner in a strange land, without a trial, without a hearing."
"When my empress sent me here, she gave me her instructions, and she informed me of the extent and character of my duties. She did not request me to exert myself for the release of this unfortunate prisoner, that is entirely beyond my sphere of action, and I must be discreet."
"You must be careful and discreet when the life of a man, a relative, is concerned? You have, then, no pity for him?"
"I pity him deeply, your royal highness, but can do nothing more."
"Perhaps not you! Perhaps another! Perhaps I?"
"I do not know if your royal highness interests herself sufficiently in the prisoner to work for him."
"You know not whether I interest myself sufficiently in Trenck to serve him," cried Amelia, with a harsh laugh. "You well know it; the whole world knows it; no one dares speak of it aloud, for fear of the king's anger, but it is whispered throughout the whole land why Trenck languishes in prison. You, you alone, should be ignorant of it! Know, then, that Trenck is imprisoned because I love him! Yes, general, I love him! Why do you not laugh, sir? Is it not laughable to hear an old, wrinkled, broken-down
"I have sent for you, general," said the princess, "to repair an injury. You have been announced twice, and both times I declined receiving you."
"That was no injury, your royal highness," said the general, smiling. "I ventured to call on you because etiquette demands that a new ambassador should introduce himself to every member of the royal house. Your royal highness declined to receive me, it was not agreeable, and you were perfectly justifiable in closing your doors against me."
"And now you must wonder why I have sent for you?"
"I never allow myself to wonder. Your order for me to come has made me happy--that is sufficient."
"You have no suspicion why I sent for you?"
"Your royal highness has just informed me you kindly wished to indemnify me for my two former visits."
"You are a good diplomatist; you turn quickly about, are as smooth as an eel, cannot be taken hold of, but slip through one's fingers. I am accustomed to go at once to the point--I cannot diplomatize. See here, why I wished to see you--I wished to show you this cup."
She took the cup hastily from the table, and gave it to the ambassador. He gazed at it long and earnestly; he turned it around, looking at every picture, reading every verse. Amelia watched him keenly, but his countenance betrayed nothing. He was as smiling, as unembarrassed as before. When he had looked at it attentively, he placed it on the table.
"Well, what do you think of the workmanship?" said Amelia.
"It is wonderful, worthy of an artist, your royal highness."
"And do you know by what artist it was made?"
"I suspect it, your royal highness."
"Give me his name?"
"I think he is called Frederick von Trenck."
"It is so, and if I do not err, he is your relative?"
"My distant relative--yes, your royal highness."
"And can you bear to have your relative in chains? Does not your heart bleed for his sufferings?"
"He suffers justly, I presume, or he would not have been condemned."
"Were he the greatest criminal that lived, it would still be a crime to make him suffer perpetually. A man's sleep is sacred, be he a criminal or a murderer. Let them kill the criminal, but they should not murder sleep. Look at this picture, general; look at this prisoner lying upon the hard floor; he has been torn from his dreams of freedom and happiness by the rough voice of the soldier standing at his door. Read the verse beneath it--is not every word of it bathed in tears? Breathes there not a cry of terror throughout so fearful, so unheard-of, that it must resound in every breast? And you, his relative, you will not hear him? You will do nothing to free this unfortunate man from his prison? You, the Austrian ambassador, suffer an officer of your empress to remain a prisoner in a strange land, without a trial, without a hearing."
"When my empress sent me here, she gave me her instructions, and she informed me of the extent and character of my duties. She did not request me to exert myself for the release of this unfortunate prisoner, that is entirely beyond my sphere of action, and I must be discreet."
"You must be careful and discreet when the life of a man, a relative, is concerned? You have, then, no pity for him?"
"I pity him deeply, your royal highness, but can do nothing more."
"Perhaps not you! Perhaps another! Perhaps I?"
"I do not know if your royal highness interests herself sufficiently in the prisoner to work for him."
"You know not whether I interest myself sufficiently in Trenck to serve him," cried Amelia, with a harsh laugh. "You well know it; the whole world knows it; no one dares speak of it aloud, for fear of the king's anger, but it is whispered throughout the whole land why Trenck languishes in prison. You, you alone, should be ignorant of it! Know, then, that Trenck is imprisoned because I love him! Yes, general, I love him! Why do you not laugh, sir? Is it not laughable to hear an old, wrinkled, broken-down