Chapter 12

by William Makepeace Thackeray

　　TRAGICAL HISTORY OF PRINCESS OF X--More than twenty years after the events described in the pastchapters, I was walking with my Lady Lyndon in the Rotunda atRanelagh. It was in the year 1790; the emigration from France hadalready commenced, the old counts and marquises were thronging toour shores: not starving and miserable, as one saw them a few yearsafterwards, but unmolested as yet, and bringing with them some tokenof their national splendour. I was walking with Lady Lyndon, who,proverbially jealous and always anxious to annoy me, spied out aforeign lady who was evidently remarking me, and of course asked whowas the hideous fat Dutchwoman who was leering at me so? I knew hernot in the least. I felt I had seen the lady's face somewhere (itwas now, as my wife said, enormously fat and bloated); but I did notrecognise in the bearer of that face one who had been among the mostbeautiful women in Germany in her day.It was no other than Madame de Liliengarten, the mistress, or assome said the morganatic wife, of the old Duke of X----, DukeVictor's father. She had left X----a few months after the elderDuke's demise, had gone to Paris, as I heard, where someunprincipled adventurer had married her for her money; but, however,had always retained her quasi-royal title, and pretended, amidst thegreat laughter of the Parisians who frequented her house, to thehonours and ceremonial of a sovereign's widow. She had a throneerected in her state-room, and was styled by her servants and thosewho wished to pay court to her, or borrow money from her, 'Altesse.'Report said she drank rather copiously--certainly her face boreevery mark of that habit, and had lost the rosy, frank, good-humoured beauty which had charmed the sovereign who had ennobledher.Although she did not address me in the circle at Ranelagh, I was atthis period as well known as the Prince of Wales, and she had nodifficulty in finding my house in Berkeley Square; whither a notewas next morning despatched to me. 'An old friend of Monsieur deBalibari,' it stated (in extremely bad French), 'is anxious to seethe Chevalier again and to talk over old happy times. Rosina deLiliengarten (can it be that Redmond Balibari has forgotten her?)will be at her house in Leicester Fields all the morning, lookingfor one who would never have passed her by twenty years ago.'Rosina of Liliengarten it was indeed--such a full-blown Rosina Ihave seldom seen. I found her in a decent first-floor in LeicesterFields (the poor soul fell much lower afterwards) drinking tea,which had somehow a very strong smell of brandy in it; and aftersalutations, which would be more tedious to recount than they wereto perform, and after further straggling conversation, she gave mebriefly the following narrative of the events in X----, which I maywell entitle the 'Princess's Tragedy.''You remember Monsieur de Geldern, the Police Minister. He was ofDutch extraction, and, what is more, of a family of Dutch Jews.Although everybody was aware of this blot in his scutcheon, he wasmortally angry if ever his origin was suspected; and made up for hisfathers' errors by outrageous professions of religion, and the mostaustere practices of devotion. He visited church every morning,confessed once a week, and hated Jews and Protestants as much as aninquisitor could do. He never lost an opportunity of proving hissincerity, by persecuting one or the other whenever occasion fell inhis way.'He hated the Princess mortally; for her Highness in some whim hadinsulted him with his origin, caused pork to be removed from beforehim at table, or injured him in some such silly way; and he had aviolent animosity to the old Baron de Magny, both in his capacity ofProtestant, and because the latter in some haughty mood had publiclyturned his back upon him as a sharper and a spy. Perpetual quarrelswere taking place between them in council; where it was only thepresence of his august masters that restrained the Baron frompublicly and frequently expressing the contempt which he felt forthe officer of police.'Thus Geldern had hatred as one reason for ruining the Princess, andit is my belief he had a stronger motive still--interest. Youremember whom the Duke married, after the death of his first wife?--a princess of the house of F----. Geldern built his fine palace twoyears after, and, as I feel convinced, with the money which was paidto him by the F----family for forwarding the match.'To go to Prince Victor, and report to his Highness a case whicheverybody knew, was not by any means Geldern's desire. He knew theman would be ruined for ever in the Prince's estimation who carriedhim intelligence so disastrous. His aim, therefore, was to leave thematter to explain itself to his Highness; and, when the time wasripe, he cast about for a means of carrying his point. He had spiesin the houses of the elder and younger Magny; but this you know, ofcourse, from your experience of Continental customs. We had allspies over each other. Your black (Zamor, I think, was his name)used to give me reports every morning; and I used to entertain thedear old Duke with stories of you and your uncle practising picquetand dice in the morning, and with your quarrels and intrigues. Welevied similar contributions on everybody in X----, to amuse thedear old man. Monsieur de Magny's valet used to report both to meand Monsieur de Geldern.'I knew of the fact of the emerald being in pawn; and it was out ofmy exchequer that the poor Princess drew the funds which were spentupon the odious Lowe, and the still more worthless young Chevalier.How the Princess could trust the latter as she persisted in doing,is beyond my comprehension; but there is no infatuation like that ofa woman in love: and you will remark, my dear Monsieur de Balibari,that our sex generally fix upon a bad man.''Not always, madam,' I interposed; 'your humble servant has createdmany such attachments.''I do not see that that affects the truth of the proposition,' saidthe old lady drily, and continued her narrative. 'The Jew who heldthe emerald had had many dealings with the Princess, and at last wasoffered a bribe of such magnitude, that he determined to give up thepledge. He committed the inconceivable imprudence of bringing theemerald with him to X----, and waited on Magny, who was provided bythe Princess with money to redeem the pledge, and was actually readyto pay it.''Their interview took place in Magny's own apartments, when hisvalet overheard every word of their conversation. The young man, whowas always utterly careless of money when it was in his possession,was so easy in offering it, that Lowe rose in his demands, and hadthe conscience to ask double the sum for which he had previouslystipulated.'At this the Chevalier lost all patience, fell on the wretch and wasfor killing him; when the opportune valet rushed in and saved him.The man had heard every word of the conversation between thedisputants, and the Jew ran flying with terror into his arms; andMagny, a quick and passionate, but not a violent man, bade theservant lead the villain downstairs, and thought no more of him.'Perhaps he was not sorry to be rid of him, and to have in hispossession a large sum of money, four thousand ducats, with which hecould tempt fortune once more; as you know he did at your table thatnight.''Your ladyship went halves, madam,' said I; 'and you know how littleI was the better for my winnings.''The man conducted the trembling Israelite out of the palace, and nosooner had seen him lodged at the house of one of his brethren,where he was accustomed to put up, than he went away to the officeof his Excellency the Minister of Police, and narrated every word ofthe conversation which had taken place between the Jew and hismaster.'Geldern expressed the greatest satisfaction at his spy's prudenceand fidelity. He gave him a purse of twenty ducats, and promised toprovide for him handsomely: as great men do sometimes promise toreward their instruments; but you, Monsieur de Balibari, know howseldom those promises are kept. "Now, go and find out," saidMonsieur de Geldern, "at what time the Israelite proposes to returnhome again, or whether he will repent and take the money." The manwent on this errand. Meanwhile, to make matters sure, Geldernarranged a play-party at my house, inviting you thither with yourbank, as you may remember; and finding means, at the same time, tolet Maxime de Magny know that there was to be faro at Madame deLiliengarten's. It was an invitation the poor fellow neverneglected.'I remembered the facts, and listened on, amazed at the artifice ofthe infernal Minister of Police.'The spy came back from his message to Lowe, and stated that he hadmade inquiries among the servants of the house where the Heidelbergbanker lodged, and that it was the latter's intention to leave X----that afternoon. He travelled by himself, riding an old horse,exceedingly humbly attired, after the manner of his people.'"Johann," said the Minister, clapping the pleased spy upon theshoulder, "I am more and more pleased with you. I have beenthinking, since you left me, of your intelligence, and the faithfulmanner in which you have served me; and shall soon find an occasionto place you according to your merits. Which way does thisIsraelitish scoundrel take?"'"He goes to R----to-night."'"And must pass by the Kaiserwald. Are you a man of courage, JohannKerner?"'"Will your Excellency try me?" said the man, his eyes glittering:"I served through the Seven Years' War, and was never known to failthere."'"Now, listen. The emerald must be taken from that Jew: in the verykeeping it the scoundrel has committed high treason. To the man whobrings me that emerald I swear I will give five hundred louis. Youunderstand why it is necessary that it should be restored to herHighness. I need say no more."'"You shall have it to-night, sir," said the man. "Of course yourExcellency will hold me harmless in case of accident."'"Psha!" answered the Minister; "I will pay you half the moneybeforehand; such is my confidence in you. Accident's impossible ifyou take your measures properly. There are four leagues of wood; theJew rides slowly. It will be night before he can reach, let us say,the old Powder-Mill in the wood. What's to prevent you from puttinga rope across the road, and dealing with him there? Be back with methis evening at supper. If you meet any of the patrol, say 'foxesare loose,'--that's the word for to-night. They will let you passthem without questions."'The man went off quite charmed with his commission; and when Magnywas losing his money at our faro-table, his servant waylaid the Jewat the spot named the Powder-Mill, in the Kaiserwald. The Jew'shorse stumbled over a rope which had been placed across the road;and, as the rider fell groaning to the ground, Johann Kerner rushedout on him, masked, and pistol in hand, and demanded his money. Hehad no wish to kill the Jew, I believe, unless his resistance shouldrender extreme measures necessary.'Nor did he commit any such murder; for, as the yelling Jew roaredfor mercy, and his assailant menaced him with a pistol, a squad ofpatrol came up, and laid hold of the robber and the wounded man.'Kerner swore an oath. "You have come too soon," said he to thesergeant of the police. "Foxes are loose." "Some are caught," saidthe sergeant, quite unconcerned; and bound the fellow's hands withthe rope which he had stretched across the road to entrap the Jew.He was placed behind a policeman on a horse; Lowe was similarlyaccommodated, and the party thus came back into the town as thenight fell. 'They were taken forthwith to the police quarter; and,as the chief happened to be there, they were examined by hisExcellency in person. Both were rigorously searched; the Jew'spapers and cases taken from him: the jewel was found in a privatepocket. As for the spy, the Minister, looking at him angrily, said,"Why, this is the servant of the Chevalier de Magny, one of herHighness's equerries!" and without hearing a word in exculpationfrom the poor frightened wretch, ordered him into close confinement.'Calling for his horse, he then rode to the Prince's apartments atthe palace, and asked for an instant audience. When admitted, heproduced the emerald. "This jewel," said he, "has been found on theperson of a Heidelberg Jew, who has been here repeatedly of late,and has had many dealings with her Highness's equerry, the Chevalierde Magny. This afternoon the Chevalier's servant came from hismaster's lodgings, accompanied by the Hebrew; was heard to makeinquiries as to the route the man intended to take on his wayhomewards; followed him, or preceded him rather, and was found inthe act of rifling his victim by my police in the Kaiserwald. Theman will confess nothing; but, on being searched, a large sum ingold was found on his person; and though it is with the utmost painthat I can bring myself to entertain such an opinion, and toimplicate a gentleman of the character and name of Monsieur deMagny, I do submit that our duty is to have the Chevalier examinedrelative to the affair. As Monsieur de Magny is in her Highness'sprivate service, and in her confidence I have heard, I would notventure to apprehend him without your Highness's permission."'The Prince's Master of the Horse, a friend of the old Baron deMagny, who was present at the interview, no sooner heard the strangeintelligence than he hastened away to the old general with thedreadful news of his grandson's supposed crime. Perhaps his Highnesshimself was not unwilling that his old friend and tutor in armsshould have the chance of saving his family from disgrace; at allevents, Monsieur de Hengst, the Master of the Horse, was permittedto go off to the Baron undisturbed, and break to him theintelligence of the accusation pending over the unfortunateChevalier.'It is possible that he expected some such dreadful catastrophe,for, after hearing Hengst's narrative (as the latter afterwards toldme), he only said, "Heaven's will be done!" for some time refused tostir a step in the matter, and then only by the solicitation of hisfriend was induced to write the letter which Maxime de Magnyreceived at our play-table.'Whilst he was there, squandering the Princess's money, a policevisit was paid to his apartments, and a hundred proofs, not of hisguilt with respect to the robbery, but of his guilty connection withthe Princess, were discovered there,--tokens of her giving,passionate letters from her, copies of his own correspondence to hisyoung friends at Paris,--all of which the Police Minister perused,and carefully put together under seal for his Highness, PrinceVictor. I have no doubt he perused them, for, on delivering them tothe Hereditary Prince, Geldern said that, in obedience to hisHighness's orders, he had collected the Chevalier's papers; but heneed not say that, on his honour, he (Geldern) himself had neverexamined the documents. His difference with Messieurs de Magny wasknown; he begged his Highness to employ any other official person inthe judgment of the accusation brought against the young Chevalier.'All these things were going on while the Chevalier was at play. Arun of luck--you had great luck in those days, Monsieur de Balibari--was against him. He stayed and lost his 4000 ducats. He receivedhis uncle's note, and such was the infatuation of the wretchedgambler, that, on receipt of it, he went down to the courtyard,where the horse was in waiting, absolutely took the money which thepoor old gentleman had placed in the saddle-holsters, brought itupstairs, played it, and lost it; and when he issued from the roomto fly, it was too late: he was placed in arrest at the bottom of mystaircase, as you were upon entering your own home.'Even when he came in under the charge of the soldiery sent toarrest him, the old General, who was waiting, was overjoyed to seehim, and flung himself into the lad's arms, and embraced him: it wassaid, for the first time in many years. "He is here, gentlemen," hesobbed out,--"thank God he is not guilty of the robbery!" and thensank back in a chair in a burst of emotion; painful, it was said bythose present, to witness on the part of a man so brave, and knownto be so cold and stern.'"Robbery!" said the young man. "I swear before Heaven I am guiltyof none!" and a scene of almost touching reconciliation passedbetween them, before the unhappy young man was led from the guard-house into the prison which he was destined never to quit.'That night the Duke looked over the papers which Geldern hadbrought to him. It was at a very early stage of the perusal, nodoubt, that he gave orders for your arrest; for you were taken atmidnight, Magny at ten o'clock; after which time the old Baron deMagny had seen his Highness, protesting of his grandson's innocence,and the Prince had received him most graciously and kindly. HisHighness said he had no doubt the young man was innocent; his birthand his blood rendered such a crime impossible; but suspicion wastoo strong against him: he was known to have been that day closetedwith the Jew; to have received a very large sum of money which hesquandered at play, and of which the Hebrew had, doubtless, been thelender,--to have despatched his servant after him, who inquired thehour of the Jew's departure, lay in wait for him, and rifled him.Suspicion was so strong against the Chevalier, that common justicerequired his arrest; and, meanwhile, until he cleared himself, heshould be kept in not dishonourable durance, and every regard hadfor his name, and the services of his honourable grandfather. Withthis assurance, and with a warm grasp of the hand, the Prince leftold General de Magny that night; and the veteran retired to restalmost consoled, and confident in Maxime's eventual and immediaterelease.'But in the morning, before daybreak, the Prince, who had beenreading papers all night, wildly called to the page, who slept inthe next room across the door, bade him get horses, which werealways kept in readiness in the stables, and, flinging a parcel ofletters into a box, told the page to follow him on horseback withthese. The young man (Monsieur de Weissenborn) told this to a younglady who was then of my household, and who is now Madame deWeissenborn, and a mother of a score of children.'The page described that never was such a change seen as in hisaugust master in the course of that single night. His eyes werebloodshot, his face livid, his clothes were hanging loose about him,and he who had always made his appearance on parade as preciselydressed as any sergeant of his troops, might have been seengalloping through the lonely streets at early dawn without a hat,his unpowdered hair streaming behind him like a madman.'The page, with the box of papers, clattered after his master,--itwas no easy task to follow him; and they rode from the palace to thetown, and through it to the General's quarter. The sentinels at thedoor were scared at the strange figure that rushed up to theGeneral's gate, and, not knowing him, crossed bayonets, and refusedhim admission. "Fools," said Weissenborn, "it is the Prince!" And,jangling at the bell as if for an alarm of fire, the door was atlength opened by the porter, and his Highness ran up to the Generalsbedchamber, followed by the page with the box.'"Magny--Magny," roared the Prince, thundering at the closed door,"get up!" And to the queries of the old man from within, answered,"It is I--Victor--the Prince!--get up!" And presently the door wasopened by the General in his robe de chambre, and the Princeentered. The page brought in the box, and was bidden to waitwithout, which he did; but there led from Monsieur de Magny'sbedroom into his antechamber two doors, the great one which formedthe entrance into his room, and a smaller one which led, as thefashion is with our houses abroad, into the closet whichcommunicates with the alcove where the bed is. The door of this wasfound by M. de Weissenborn to be open, and the young man was thusenabled to hear and see everything which occurred within theapartment.'The General, somewhat nervously, asked what was the reason of soearly a visit from his Highness; to which the Prince did not for awhile reply, farther than by staring at him rather wildly, andpacing up and down the room.'At last he said, "Here is the cause!" dashing his fist on the box;and, as he had forgotten to bring the key with him, he went to thedoor for a moment, saying, "Weissenborn perhaps has it;" but seeingover the stove one of the General's couteaux de chasse, he took itdown, and said, "That will do," and fell to work to burst the redtrunk open with the blade of the forest knife. The point broke, andhe gave an oath, but continued haggling on with the broken blade,which was better suited to his purpose than the long pointed knife,and finally succeeded in wrenching open the lid of the chest.'"What is the matter?" said he, laughing. "Here's the matter;--readthathere's more--no, not that;that's somebody else's picture--but here's hers! Do you know that,Magny? My wife's--the Princess's! Why did you and your cursed raceever come out of France, to plant your infernal wickedness whereveryour feet fell, and to ruin honest German homes? What have you andyours ever had from my family but confidence and kindness? We gaveyou a home when you had none, and here's our reward!" and he flung aparcel of papers down before the old General; who saw the truth atonce;--he had known it long before, probably, and sank down on hischair, covering his face.'The Prince went on gesticulating, and shrieking almost. "If a maninjured you so, Magny, before you begot the father of that gamblinglying villain yonder, you would have known how to revenge yourself.You would have killed him! Yes, would have killed him. But who's tohelp me to my revenge? I've no equal. I can't meet that dog of aFrenchman,--that pimp from Versailles,--and kill him, as if he hadplayed the traitor to one of his own degree."'"The blood of Maxime de Magny," said the old gentleman proudly, "isas good as that of any prince in Christendom."'"Can I take it?" cried the Prince; "you know I can't. I can't havethe privilege of any other gentleman in Europe. What am I to do?Look here, Magny: I was wild when I came here; I didn't know what todo. You've served me for thirty years; you've saved my life twice:they are all knaves and harlots about my poor old father here--nohonest men or women--you are the only one--you saved my life; tellme what am I to do?" Thus from insulting Monsieur de Magny, the poordistracted Prince fell to supplicating him; and, at last, fairlyflung himself down, and burst out in an agony of tears.'Old Magny, one of the most rigid and cold of men on commonoccasions, when he saw this outbreak of passion on the Prince'spart, became, as my informant has described to me, as much affectedas his master. The old man from being cold and high, suddenly fell,as it were, into the whimpering querulousness of extreme old age. Helost all sense of dignity; he went down on his knees, and broke outinto all sorts of wild incoherent attempts at consolation; so muchso, that Weissenborn said he could not bear to look at the scene,and actually turned away from the contemplation of it.'But, from what followed in a few days, we may guess the results ofthe long interview. The Prince, when he came away from theconversation with his old servant, forgot his fatal box of papersand sent the page back for them. The General was on his kneespraying in the room when the young man entered, and only stirred andlooked wildly round as the other removed the packet. The Prince rodeaway to his hunting-lodge at three leagues from X----, and threedays after that Maxime de Magny died in prison; having made aconfession that he was engaged in an attempt to rob the Jew, andthat he had made away with himself, ashamed of his dishonour.'But it is not known that it was the General himself who took hisgrandson poison: it was said even that he shot him in the prison.This, however, was not the case. General de Magny carried hisgrandson the draught which was to carry him out of the world;represented to the wretched youth that his fate was inevitable; thatit would be public and disgraceful unless he chose to anticipate thepunishment, and so left him. But it was not of his own accord, andnot until he had used every means of escape, as you shall hear, thatthe unfortunate being's life was brought to an end.'As for General de Magny, he quite fell into imbecility a short timeafter his grandson's death, and my honoured Duke's demise. After hisHighness the Prince married the Princess Mary of F----, as they werewalking in the English park together they once met old Magny ridingin the sun in the easy chair, in which he was carried commonlyabroad after his paralytic fits. "This is my wife, Magny," said thePrince affectionately, taking the veteran's hand; and he added,turning to his Princess, "General de Magny saved my life during theSeven Years' War."'"What, you've taken her back again?" said the old man. "I wishyou'd send me back my poor Maxime." He had quite forgotten the deathof the poor Princess Olivia, and the Prince, looking very darkindeed, passed away.'And now,' said Madame de Liliengarten, 'I have only one more gloomystory to relate to you--the death of the Princess Olivia. It is evenmore horrible than the tale I have just told you.' With whichpreface the old lady resumed her narrative.'The kind weak Princess's fate was hastened, if not occasioned, bythe cowardice of Magny. He found means to communicate with her fromhis prison, and her Highness, who was not in open disgrace yet (forthe Duke, out of regard to the family, persisted in charging Magnywith only robbery), made the most desperate efforts to relieve him,and to bribe the gaolers to effect his escape. She was so wild thatshe lost all patience and prudence in the conduct of any schemes shemay have had for Magny's liberation; for her husband was inexorable,and caused the Chevalier's prison to be too strictly guarded forescape to be possible. She offered the State jewels in pawn to theCourt banker; who of course was obliged to decline the transaction.She fell down on her knees, it is said, to Geldern, the PoliceMinister, and offered him Heaven knows what as a bribe. Finally, shecame screaming to my poor dear Duke, who, with his age, diseases,and easy habits, was quite unfit for scenes of so violent a nature;and who, in consequence of the excitement created in his augustbosom by her frantic violence and grief, had a fit in which I verynigh lost him. That his dear life was brought to an untimely end bythese transactions I have not the slightest doubt; for theStrasbourg pie, of which they said he died, never, I am sure, couldhave injured him, but for the injury which his dear gentle heartreceived from the unusual occurrences in which he was forced to takea share.'All her Highness's movements were carefully, though not ostensibly,watched by her husband, Prince Victor; who, waiting upon his augustfather, sternly signified to him that if his Highness (my Duke)should dare to aid the Princess in her efforts to release Magny, he,Prince Victor, would publicly accuse the Princess and her paramourof high treason, and take measures with the Diet for removing hisfather from the throne, as incapacitated to reign. Henceinterposition on our part was vain, and Magny was left to his fate.'It came, as you are aware, very suddenly. Geldern, Police Minister,Hengst, Master of the Horse, and the colonel of the Prince's guard,waited upon the young man in his prison two days after hisgrandfather had visited him there and left behind him the phial ofpoison which the criminal had not the courage to use. And Geldernsignified to the young man that unless he took of his own accord thelaurelwater provided by the elder Magny, more violent means of deathwould be instantly employed upon him, and that a file of grenadierswas in waiting in the courtyard to despatch him. Seeing this, Magny,with the most dreadful self-abasement, after dragging himself roundthe room on his knees from one officer to another, weeping andscreaming with terror, at last desperately drank off the potion, andwas a corpse in a few minutes. Thus ended this wretched young man.'His death was made public in the Court Gazette two days after, theparagraph stating that Monsieur de M----, struck with remorse forhaving attempted the murder of the Jew, had put himself to death bypoison in prison; and a warning was added to all young noblemen ofthe duchy to avoid the dreadful sin of gambling, which had been thecause of the young man's ruin, and had brought upon the grey hairsof one of the noblest and most honourable of the servants of theDuke irretrievable sorrow.'The funeral was conducted with decent privacy, the General de Magnyattending it. The carriages of the two Dukes and all the firstpeople of the Court made their calls upon the General afterwards. Heattended parade as usual the next day on the Arsenal-Place, and DukeVictor, who had been inspecting the building, came out of it leaningon the brave old warrior's arm. He was particularly gracious to theold man, and told his officers the oft-repeated story how atRosbach, when the X----contingent served with the troops of theunlucky Soubise, the General had thrown himself in the way of aFrench dragoon, who was pressing hard upon his Highness in the rout,had received the blow intended for his master, and killed theassailant. And he alluded to the family motto of "Magny sans tache,"and said, "It had been always so with his gallant friend and tutorin arms." This speech affected all present very much; with theexception of the old General, who only bowed and did not speak: butwhen he went home he was heard muttering "Magny sans tache, Magnysans tache!" and was attacked with paralysis that night, from whichhe never more than partially recovered.'The news of Maxime's death had somehow been kept from the Princessuntil now: a Gazette even being printed without the paragraphcontaining the account of his suicide; but it was at length, I knownot how, made known to her. And when she heard it, her ladies tellme, she screamed and fell, as if struck dead; then sat up wildly andraved like a madwoman, and was then carried to her bed, where herphysician attended her, and where she lay of a brain-fever. All thiswhile the Prince used to send to make inquiries concerning her; andfrom his giving orders that his Castle of Schlangenfels should beprepared and furnished, I make no doubt it was his intention to sendher into confinement thither: as had been done with the unhappysister of His Britannic Majesty at Zell.'She sent repeatedly to demand an interview with his Highness; whichthe latter declined, saying that he would communicate with herHighness when her health was sufficiently recovered. To one of herpassionate letters he sent back for reply a packet, which, whenopened, was found to contain the emerald that had been the causeround which all this dark intrigue moved.'Her Highness at this time became quite frantic; vowed in thepresence of all her ladies that one lock of her darling Maxime'shair was more precious to her than all the jewels in the world: rangfor her carriage, and said she would go and kiss his tomb;proclaimed the murdered martyr's innocence, and called down thepunishment of Heaven, the wrath of her family, upon his assassin.The Prince, on hearing these speeches (they were all, of course,regularly brought to him), is said to have given one of his dreadfullooks (which I remember now), and to have said, "This cannot lastmuch longer."'All that day and the next the Princess Olivia passed in dictatingthe most passionate letters to the Prince her father, to the Kingsof France, Naples, and Spain, her kinsmen, and to all other branchesof her family, calling upon them in the most incoherent terms toprotect her against the butcher and assassin her husband, assailinghis person in the maddest terms of reproach, and at the same timeconfessing her love for the murdered Magny. It was in vain thatthose ladies who were faithful to her pointed out to her theinutility of these letters, the dangerous folly of the confessionswhich they made; she insisted upon writing them, and used to givethem to her second robe-woman, a Frenchwoman (her Highness alwaysaffectioned persons of that nation), who had the key of hercassette, and carried every one of these epistles to Geldern.'With the exception that no public receptions were held, theceremony of the Princess's establishment went on as before. Herladies were allowed to wait upon her and perform their usual dutiesabout her person. The only men admitted were, however, her servants,her physician and chaplain; and one day when she wished to go intothe garden, a heyduc, who kept the door, intimated to her Highnessthat the Prince's orders were that she should keep her apartments.'They abut, as you remember, upon the landing of the marblestaircase of Schloss X----; the entrance to Prince Victor's suite ofrooms being opposite the Princess's on the same landing. This spaceis large, filled with sofas and benches, and the gentlemen andofficers who waited upon the Duke used to make a sort of antechamberof the landing-place, and pay their court to his Highness there, ashe passed out, at eleven o'clock, to parade. At such a time, theheyducs within the Princess's suite of rooms used to turn out withtheir halberts and present to Prince Victor--the same ceremony beingperformed on his own side, when pages came out and announced theapproach of his Highness. The pages used to come out and say, "ThePrince, gentlemen!" and the drums beat in the hall, and thegentlemen rose, who were waiting on the benches that ran along thebalustrade.'As if fate impelled her to her death, one day the Princess, as herguards turned out, and she was aware that the Prince was standing,as was his wont, on the landing, conversing with his gentlemen (inthe old days he used to cross to the Princess's apartment and kissher hand)--the Princess, who had been anxious all the morning,complaining of heat, insisting that all the doors of the apartmentsshould be left open; and giving tokens of an insanity which I thinkwas now evident, rushed wildly at the doors when the guards passedout, flung them open, and before a word could be said, or her ladiescould follow her, was in presence of Duke Victor, who was talking asusual on the landing: placing herself between him and the stair, shebegan apostrophising him with frantic vehemence:--'"Take notice, gentlemen!" she screamed out, "that this man is amurderer and a liar; that he lays plots for honourable gentlemen,and kills them in prison! Take notice, that I too am in prison, andfear the same fate: the same butcher who killed Maxime de Magny,may, any night, put the knife to my throat. I appeal to you, and toall the kings of Europe, my Royal kinsmen. I demand to be set freefrom this tyrant and villain, this liar and traitor! I adjure youall, as gentlemen of honour, to carry these letters to my relatives,and say from whom you had them!" and with this the unhappy ladybegan scattering letters about among the astonished crowd.'"Let no man stoop!" cried the Prince, in a voice of thunder."Madame de Gleim, you should have watched your patient better. Callthe Princess's physicians: her Highness's brain is affected.Gentlemen, have the goodness to retire." And the Prince stood on thelanding as the gentlemen went down the stairs, saying fiercely tothe guard, "Soldier, if she moves, strike with your halbert!" onwhich the man brought the point of his weapon to the Princess'sbreast; and the lady, frightened, shrank back and re-entered herapartments. "Now, Monsieur de Weissenborn," said the Prince, "pickup all those papers;" and the Prince went into his own apartments,preceded by his pages, and never quitted them until he had seenevery one of the papers burnt.'The next day the Court Gazette contained a bulletin signed by thethree physicians, stating that "her Highness the Hereditary Princesslaboured under inflammation of the brain, and had passed a restlessand disturbed night." Similar notices were issued day after day. Theservices of all her ladies, except two, were dispensed with. Guardswere placed within and without her doors; her windows were secured,so that escape from them was impossible: and you know what tookplace ten days after. The church-bells were ringing all night, andthe prayers of the faithful asked for a person in extremis. AGazette appeared in the morning, edged with black, and stating thatthe high and mighty Princess Olivia Maria Ferdinanda, consort of HisSerene Highness Victor Louis Emanuel, Hereditary Prince of X----,had died in the evening of the 24th of January 1769.'But do you know how she died, sir? That, too, is a mystery.Weissenborn, the page, was concerned in this dark tragedy; and thesecret was so dreadful, that never, believe me, till Prince Victor'sdeath, did I reveal it.'After the fatal esclandre which the Princess had made, the Princesent for Weissenborn, and binding him by the most solemn adjurationto secrecy (he only broke it to his wife many years after: indeed,there is no secret in the world that women cannot know if theywill), despatched him on the following mysterious commission.'"There lives," said his Highness, "on the Kehl side of the river,opposite to Strasbourg, a man whose residence you will easily findout from his name, which is Monsieur de Strasbourg. You will makeyour inquiries concerning him quietly, and without occasioning anyremark; perhaps you had better go into Strasbourg for the purpose,where the person is quite well known. You will take with you anycomrade on whom you can perfectly rely: the lives of both, remember,depend on your secrecy. You will find out some period when Monsieurde Strasbourg is alone, or only in company of the domestic who liveswith him (I myself visited the man by accident on my return fromParis five years since, and hence am induced to send for him now, inmy present emergency). You will have your carriage waiting at hisdoor at night; and you and your comrade will enter his house masked;and present him with a purse of a hundred louis; promising himdouble that sum on his return from his expedition. If he refuse, youmust use force and bring him; menacing him with instant death shouldhe decline to follow you. You will place him in the carriage withthe blinds drawn, one or other of you never losing sight of him thewhole way, and threatening him with death if he discover himself orcry out. You will lodge him in the old Tower here, where a roomshall be prepared for him; and his work being done, you will restorehim to his home with the same speed and secrecy with which youbrought him from it."'Such were the mysterious orders Prince Victor gave his page; andWeissenborn, selecting for his comrade in the expedition LieutenantBartenstein, set out on his strange journey.'All this while the palace was hushed, as if in mourning, thebulletins in the Court Gazette appeared, announcing the continuanceof the Princess's malady; and though she had but few attendants,strange and circumstantial stories were told regarding the progressof her complaint. She was quite wild. She had tried to kill herself.She had fancied herself to be I don't know how many differentcharacters. Expresses were sent to her family informing them of herstate, and couriers despatched publicly to Vienna and Paris toprocure the attendance of physicians skilled in treating diseases ofthe brain. That pretended anxiety was all a feint: it was neverintended that the Princess should recover.'The day on which Weissenborn and Bartenstein returned from theirexpedition, it was announced that her Highness the Princess was muchworse; that night the report through the town was that she was atthe agony: and that night the unfortunate creature was endeavouringto make her escape.'She had unlimited confidence in the French chamber-woman whoattended her, and between her and this woman the plan of escape wasarranged. The Princess took her jewels in a casket; a private door,opening from one of her rooms and leading into the outer gate, itwas said, of the palace, was discovered for her: and a letter wasbrought to her, purporting to be from the Duke, her father-in-law,and stating that a carriage and horses had been provided, and wouldtake her to B----: the territory where she might communicate withher family and be safe.'The unhappy lady, confiding in her guardian, set out on theexpedition. The passages wound through the walls of the modern partof the palace and abutted in effect at the old Owl Tower, as it wascalled, on the outer wall: the tower was pulled down afterwards, andfor good reason.'At a certain place the candle, which the chamberwoman was carrying,went out; and the Princess would have screamed with terror, but herhand was seized, and a voice cried "Hush!" The next minute a man ina mask (it was the Duke himself) rushed forward, gagged her with ahandkerchief, her hands and legs were bound, and she was carriedswooning with terror into a vaulted room, where she was placed by aperson there waiting, and tied in an arm-chair. The same mask whohad gagged her, came and bared her neck and said, "It had best bedone now she has fainted."'Perhaps it would have been as well; for though she recovered fromher swoon, and her confessor, who was present, came forward andendeavoured to prepare her for the awful deed which was about to bedone upon her, and for the state into which she was about to enter,when she came to herself it was only to scream like a maniac, tocurse the Duke as a butcher and tyrant, and to call upon Magny, herdear Magny.'At this the Duke said, quite calmly, "May God have mercy on hersinful soul!" He, the confessor, and Geldern, who were present, wentdown on their knees; and, as his Highness dropped his handkerchief,Weissenborn fell down in a fainting fit; while Monsieur deStrasbourg, taking the back hair in his hand, separated theshrieking head of Olivia from the miserable sinful body. May Heavenhave mercy upon her soul!' * * * * * * * * * * * * This was the story told by Madame de Liliengarten, and the readerwill have no difficulty in drawing from it that part which affectedmyself and my uncle; who, after six weeks of arrest, were set atliberty, but with orders to quit the duchy immediately: indeed, withan escort of dragoons to conduct us to the frontier. What propertywe had, we were allowed to sell and realise in money; but none ofour play debts were paid to us: and all my hopes of the Countess Idawere thus at an end.When Duke Victor came to the throne, which he did when, six monthsafter, apoplexy carried off the old sovereign his father, all thegood old usages of X----were given up,--play forbidden; the operaand ballet sent to the right-about; and the regiments which the oldDuke had sold recalled from their foreign service: with them came myCountess's beggarly cousin the ensign, and he married her. I don'tknow whether they were happy or not. It is certain that a woman ofsuch a poor spirit did not merit any very high degree of pleasure.The now reigning Duke of X----himself married four years after hisfirst wife's demise, and Geldern, though no longer Police Minister,built the grand house of which Madame de Liliengarten spoke. Whatbecame of the minor actors in the great tragedy, who knows? OnlyMonsieur de Strasbourg was restored to his duties. Of the rest--theJew, the chamber-woman, the spy on Magny--I know nothing. Thosesharp tools with which great people cut out their enterprises aregenerally broken in the using: nor did I ever hear that theiremployers had much regard for them in their ruin.