CHAPTER XXXV.
It was barely dawn when Albert Maurice began his last day's march towards Ghent; and though the distance was considerable, at the hour of three in the afternoon, he was within a league of the city. The number of armed men that he now overtook, both single individuals and small bands, showed him that the force which had retreated from before Tournay must have lately passed. And with a sort of anxious apprehension in regard to the machinations which might have taken place in Ghent during his absence, he spoke personally with almost all the stragglers he saw; and, by a few kind words, easily induced a number of the half-disciplined burghers and peasantry to join the small force he was leading into Ghent; most of them being very willing to pass for part of a conquering rather than part of a conquered army.
At the distance of about two miles from the city, at a point where the town itself was hidden by a detached wood, Albert Maurice perceived a small body of horsemen coming towards him; but as such a sight had nothing extraordinary in it, he took but little heed of the party till it was within a hundred yards, when, to his unutterable surprise, he beheld the portly figure of worthy Martin Fruse leading the van on horseback, a situation which the good burgher, as may be well remembered, had never coveted in his most agile and enterprising age, and which had become quite abhorrent to his feelings now that years and bulk had weighed down all activity.
"Halt your troops! halt your troops, my dear boy!" cried the worthy merchant, in some trepidation. "Halt your troops, and listen to me while I tell you----"
"Had you not better speak with the honourable President apart?" said one of the party, in whom Albert Maurice instantly recognised Maitre Pierre, the eschevin who had been called to examine the dwelling of the old Lord of Neufchatel; although, on glancing his eye over the rest, he could recall the face of none other amongst the stout men-at-arms, of which the chief part of the band was composed.
Seeing that there was something to be communicated, and judging that no very agreeable intelligence awaited him, from the evident agitation of his friends, he gave the command to halt his little force; and then leading the way into the meadow, begged his uncle to explain the cause of his perturbation.
Martin Fruse began with a violent declamation upon the evils of riding on horseback, and the perils thereupon attending; but he ended with a recapitulation of dangers somewhat more real, which awaited his nephew if he ventured within the gates of Ghent. It seemed that the violent party--as Albert Maurice had apprehended--had, under the skilful tactics of the druggist Ganay, completely outmanœuvred the little junta which the young President had left to keep them in check; and now that it was too late, Albert Maurice perceived that he had suffered his thirst for military renown to lead him aside from the paths of saner policy. Ganay himself had become the supreme object of the people's adoration; and having leagued himself by some skilful management with the Duke of Cleves on the one hand, and the populace on the other, he had been entirely successful in all the measures he had proposed to the council of magistrates. The states general had not again met, but a new party had been created in the town. The city of Ghent, in fact, had become completely, but unequally divided; for though a strong and influential body had attached themselves to Martin Fruse, the multitude adhered to his opponent.
Ganay, indeed, the worthy burgher said, not daring openly to assail one whose successes in the field were daily subject of rejoicing with the citizens, affected to act upon the instructions and desires of Albert Maurice himself; and the complete, or rather apparent union between them, which had formerly existed, had aided to deceive the people. Martin Fruse had reproached the druggist, and reasoned with the magistrates, in vain; and all that he had gained was the certainty that, from some cause which he could not define, Ganay had become his nephew's most bitter enemy, though he still affected to regard him as a friend. Private information, also, had reached Martin Fruse early in the morning, that, as soon as it had been ascertained the young citizen was on his march with the intention of reaching the city in the course of the day, Ganay, supported both by the nobility under the Duke of Cleves, and by the more violent members of the states, had contrived a scheme for arresting the President that very night, at a grand banquet to be given in honour of his return; and the large body of discontented soldiery which had been pouring into the town during the day, and who were already jealous of those who had been more successful than themselves, seemed to offer the means of accomplishing this purpose in security.
Martin Fruse, losing all presence of mind at the danger of his beloved nephew, had determined to quit the city, to meet and warn the object of this conspiracy, of his danger, ere he entered town. The eschevin, who had been called to the hotel of the Lord of Neufchatel, conscious that some suspicions which he had ventured to breathe concerning the death of that nobleman had rendered him obnoxious to the party which for the time appeared triumphant, had joined the good burgher; and the danger that seemed to threaten all, had even overcome the objection of Martin Fruse to the use of a horse.
This tale was soon told; and Albert Maurice, from his own private knowledge of all the springs that were moving the dark cabals within the walls of the city before him, saw much deeper into the dangers and difficulties of his own situation than those who detailed the circumstances which had occurred since his departure. He saw that the crisis of his fate was come; and without once entertaining the vain thought of avoiding it, he merely paused to calculate how he might pass through it most triumphantly.
Fear, or hesitation, doubt or even anxiety, never seemed to cross his mind for a moment. He felt, it is true, that his victory or his fall must be now complete, and that he was marching forward to a strife that must be final and decisive; but still he was eager to bring the whole to a close, perhaps from that confidence in his own powers which is ever one great step towards success. He heard his uncle to an end with an unchanged countenance; and then, without a single observation on the intelligence he had just received, he spoke a few words to the eschevin, in a low tone, in regard to the inquisition he had charged him to make in the house of the old Lord of Neufchatel. The answers seemed to satisfy him well; for ever and anon he bowed his head with a calm but somewhat bitter smile, saying merely, "So! Ay! Is it so?"
At length he demanded suddenly--pointing to a man-at-arms who had come up with his uncle and the party which had accompanied him, and now sat with his visor up, displaying a fresh and weather-beaten countenance, well seamed with scars of ancient wounds--"Who is that? I should know his face."
"That," whispered his uncle, riding close up to him, "that is good Matthew Gourney, the captain of adventurers, who was with us in the year '50, when we made a stand against the Count of Charolois. He said you had sent for him."
"I did, I did!" replied the young burgher; "but I had forgotten all about it, in the events that have since taken place. Where is the prisoner I left in the town prison?"
"Ay, there is one of their bold acts," answered Martin Fruse; and, as he spoke, the countenance of Albert Maurice turned deadly pale, thinking they had put to death the man whom he had promised to set free; but his uncle soon relieved him. "Ay! there is one of their bold acts," he said; "they have moved him from the town-house to the Prevot's prison, and threaten to do him to death to-morrow by cock-crow. Maillotin du Bac would fain have had him tried by the eschevins this morning; but the Duke of Cleves made so long a speech, and brought so much other business before the council, that they agreed to put it off till to-morrow, when he is to be interrogated at six o'clock, and have the question at seven if he refuse to confess."
Again the President mused, without reply, though he saw that to extort confessions, which would tend to create a charge against him, might be the object of the Prevot in reserving the Vert Gallant for the torture. At length, riding up to the old man-at-arms, he led him apart, and conversed with him earnestly for near a quarter of an hour. He then conducted him, with the dozen of troopers who accompanied him, to the last constabulary of the horse, which had shared in his own successful expedition, and then spoke a few words with the constable, or leader of the troop, who, with a low reverence, dropped back amongst his men. The followers of Matthew Gournay fell into the ranks; the adventurer put himself at their head; and scarcely a difference was perceivable in the order of the band.
As soon as all this was completed, Albert Maurice rode back to his uncle and the rest of his party, and informed them calmly that it was absolutely necessary, notwithstanding all the events which had lately taken place, that they should return to Ghent, and re-enter the town by one of the opposite gates; so as to leave it at least doubtful whether they had or had not held any communication with himself.
What he required of them was, perhaps, somewhat hard, considering that they were peaceable men, who had no small reason to fear for their lives, and had no immediate stimulus to make them risk so much willingly. But Martin Fruse had seen his nephew accomplish such great things in the face of every sort of probability, and the tone in which Albert Maurice spoke was so calm and assured, that the wishes of the young citizen were received as commands; and the small party of citizens, now left without an escort, rode off; while the young President still halted on the road, to give them time to make the circuit proposed before his entrance. As soon as he judged that this object was accomplished, Albert Maurice again put his troops in motion, and advanced slowly towards the city. As he emerged from the low wood that had hitherto screened him, he despatched a trumpet to announce his approach to the council of Ghent, and the States of Flanders; and directed the messenger especially to speak with Signior Ganay, one of the magistrates of the town. He then resumed a quicker pace, and approached rapidly the walls of the city.
Before he reached the gates, however, it became evident that his harbinger had not spared the spur, and had already executed his commission. A large body of horsemen were seen to issue forth, accompanied by a crowd on foot; and loud shouts of joy and gratulation met the ear of Albert Maurice, showing that the populace, at least, to whom Ganay had first made his court by affecting friendship for their victorious President, had not yet become aware of the designs of his enemies. But such demonstrations of the popular joy on his return, were received by Albert Maurice as no sign that the purpose of destroying him did not exist, nor as any reason for expecting that his overthrow would not be attempted, nor as any proof that the people would oppose or resent it; for no one knew better than himself how slight a charge will condemn the most innocent before the fierce tribunal of the multitude, or felt more bitterly how readily those who now greeted his return would shout at his execution.
He was surprised, however, as the two parties drew near each other, to find that the body which had issued forth to receive him was headed by Ganay himself, and was composed of all those whom he had the greatest reason to look upon as his political enemies. But Albert Maurice was not to be deceived; and though he received the compliments and gratulations of the citizens on his return, and their thanks for his great services, with a smiling countenance, and bland untroubled brow, yet his mind clearly divined the motives of so much courtesy, and he internally scoffed at the grossness of the deceit they attempted to play off upon him. He bowed, and smiled, and doffed his cap and plume to every one who affected to congratulate him; but he well understood that he was surrounded by doubtful friends or concealed enemies, and watched carefully every changing expression of the faces round him.
The populace on foot, who crowded round, with loud and vehement shouts of "Long live the noble President! Long live the conqueror of Le Lude!" he clearly saw were sincere enough. But in the set speeches and formal courtesy of the different members of the states, he beheld much to distrust, and calmly prepared for those great measures which were alone fitted to meet the exigency of the moment.
Albert Maurice was a reader of the human countenance--a book, every volume of which is easy to comprehend, when we know the language in which it is written, or, in other words, when we understand the general character of the individual. Ganay was a master in the art of dissimulation; but the young citizen was so intimately acquainted with every turn of his dark mind, that even the slight traces which he suffered to appear, were as legible to Albert Maurice, as if he had seen into his heart. He marked a transient and scarcely perceptible shade come over the brow of the druggist, whenever the people vociferated their noisy welcome. He saw, too, that on each shout, Ganay redoubled his attention to himself; and he perceived that, from the moment they met, his former friend attached himself to his side, and strove anxiously to prevent his holding any private communication with the leaders of his troops. From all this, he judged that the tidings received from Martin Fruse were substantially correct; and that the honours shown him on his return, were only to deceive the people, while any act that was meditated against him was to be executed at night, after the lower orders had retired to rest.
Albert Maurice affected to be entirely deceived, and rode on with the party who had come to welcome him, with every appearance of friendship and confidence. He spoke freely and calmly with those around him; addressed Ganay frequently in a low and confidential tone; and at the same time, assumed all that state and dignity, which he knew that his enemies expected him to display. He marked, too, with a feeling of suppressed scorn, the significant glances which passed between his foes, as--taking on himself the principal place, and with an air and demeanour, which might have suited the most potent monarch in Christendom--he rode through the gates of Ghent amidst the acclamations of the people.
While thus Albert Maurice proceeded, surrounded by a great number of the high citizens, the troops he commanded followed in a long line, now swelled to the amount of nearly fifteen hundred men. The whole cavalcade moved on towards the market-place; but some persons, who remained near the drawbridge, remarked that the last band of soldiers did not follow the rest; but, halting at the gate, relieved the guard that was there on duty, and then passed on, in a different direction, by the low streets which ran under the walls. At the same time, however, three of the troopers were detached, and, at once, repassing the gates, galloped off at full speed, in the direction of Heusden and Melle. It was farther observed, that in about two hours afterwards, three bands of men-at-arms came up from the same quarter, at a quick pace, and entered the city, without even being questioned by the guard. To what spot they went in the city was not very clearly ascertained, but it was generally reported that they made their way in small parties to the town-house.
In the meanwhile, Albert Maurice and the rest pursued their march towards that building, the crowds increasing every moment as they passed, and rending the air with their acclamations. With his helmet, lance, and shield, carried by pages behind him, as if he had been the most distinguished knight in the land--with his cap and plume in his hand, and bowing his fine head low at every shout of the multitude, the young citizen advanced towards what was called the Perron of the Hotel de Ville, on which he found collected, to do him honour, the Duke of Cleves and a number of the other nobles of the town and neighbourhood. Knowing their league against him, and what a mockery they considered this public reception of a simple burgher, Albert Maurice could scarcely prevent the scorn he felt in his heart from curling his proud lip. But he did prevent it, and merely thinking, like Hamlet--"They fool me to the top of my bent," he dismounted from his horse at the steps, and played exactly the part which he well knew they expected from him. After receiving, with a degree both of haughtiness and humility, the gratulations of the nobles upon his successful expedition, he turned and addressed the lower orders of Ghent in a long and flattering harangue, throughout which, the close of every period was drowned in the enthusiastic cheers of the populace.
"It were hard, my friends," he added, in conclusion, "that you should all come out hither to welcome my return, and I should give you no sign of my good will. Fain would I have you all to sup with me; but, in good faith, there are so many here--some twenty thousand, as I guess--that no house could hold the multitude I see around me. However, it is a fair and beautiful evening, and there is no better roof than the sky. Now, as these noble lords and worthy merchants have invited me to banquet with them within, I invite you all to sup here in the market-place, and by seven of the clock you shall find good ale and beef enough to satisfy you, if I give the last stiver of my private fortune to entertain the worthy artisans of Ghent."
A loud shout burst from the people, but Ganay and his friends exchanged glances not of the most pleasant kind. Nor were their looks rendered more placid, when they heard an order given by the young President to his troops, purporting that they were to stable their horses in whatever sheds they could find round the marketplace, and to quarter themselves in the wide halls and vacant chambers of the Hotel de Ville. Ganay even ventured to remonstrate against turning the town-house into a barrack, but he was instantly silenced by Albert Maurice.
"I have heard, my excellent, good friend," he replied, "since my return to Ghent, that the fifteen thousand men, who were driven like sheep from before Tournay, have been received in this city, and quartered in the different barracks. I know, therefore, that there can be no room to spare, and what you urge with regard to the illegality of bringing troops into the town-house, you must well know does not apply in the present case. The troops which I have resolved to station there are the troops of the city of Ghent, not those of either a foreign or a native prince."
"But for the informality of the thing," urged Ganay, seeing that by the very measures which he had taken to secure the safe execution of his purpose against the young citizen, he had, in fact, over-reached himself--"but for the informality of the thing, would it not be better, as there is no room for them in the town, to march them into any of the pleasant little villages in the neighbourhood?"
"What!" exclaimed Albert Maurice, ass tuning an air of indignation--"what! make the victorious troops, that have so well served the city, give place to those who have brought nothing but disgrace upon us! No, no, Master Ganay, let us hear no more of this. My orders must be obeyed;" and so saying, he turned and advanced towards the door of the town-house.
A short and rapid conversation was now carried on, in a low tone, between the druggist and the Duke of Cleves, as they ascended the steps towards the hall. "It will be impossible to-night," whispered the noble.
"If he live over to-morrow," replied Ganay, "no earthly power will overthrow him."
A few words succeeded, in so low a tone, that even, by the parties who spoke, their meaning was probably gathered more completely by their mutual looks, than by any distinct sounds. A white-haired old soldier, however, who was pushing up the steps after the President, just heard Ganay add, "If I do, will you justify and defend me?"
"Anything to get rid of him!" replied the duke, emphatically; and they both passed on.
The sun was, by this time, beginning to descend in the western sky; and on entering the town-house, the young citizen retired to the apartments which had been assigned him in that building, and remained long in consultation with various persons, who were admitted to him one after another. The individuals who thus visited him were all marked by the opposite faction, which remained in the other parts of the town-house; and it was seen that, besides Martin Fruse, and a number of the burghers adhering to the party of that good citizen, almost all the leaders of the bands which had accompanied the young President in his expedition to Lille and Douai were admitted, and remained with him long.
All this, however, appeared natural enough; and though his troops, in quartering themselves in different parts of the building, according to his orders, seemed to take upon themselves a tone of authority and power not very pleasing to his adversaries, yet this also might pass for the swagger and insolence of military success; nor did it excite any very great surprise. As the evening went on, however, a number of persons were observed ascending to his apartments, whose faces no one recognised. Some stayed and some returned; but it was evident that they were not citizens of Ghent, and great was the anxiety and discussion which these appearances caused amongst the enemies of the young President. Every means was taken to discover whence they came and what was their errand, but it was all in vain. The Duke of Cleves retired to his own hotel, to prepare for the scenes that were about to take place; and Ganay waited eagerly the coming of the hour appointed for the banquet, which would put an end, he believed, for ever, to transactions which, from many causes, he both doubted and feared.
Nevertheless, his sensations were of a mixed, and even painful nature, and his conclusions in regard to the conduct of Albert Maurice were less clear and decided than they had ever been before. He did not and would not believe that the President suspected the precise design of those who had contrived his overthrow; but he saw evidently that he was not deceived by all the fair appearances which had welcomed him back to Ghent; and he felt that the moment was come when, as the young citizen had long before foreseen, the immediate destruction of the one was necessary to the safety of the other. That conviction in his own bosom of course made him believe that Albert Maurice was equally alive to the same fact; and as the means which he had so carefully prepared during the absence of the other had been, in some degree, rendered vain by the measures that the President had taken, the druggist now stood resolved to snatch the first opportunity of executing his purpose by any means, however great the risk, well knowing that the peril of delay was still greater.
And yet, strange to say, there was within the bosom of that man--hardened as he was by crimes, and still more hardened by the struggle of passions concealed within his breast through a long life--strange to say, there was a feeling of deep regret, of bitter repugnance, when he thought of the very act he planned for his own security. If ever there had been, in the course of all his existence, a being that he had sincerely loved, besides his own unhappy son, that being had been Albert Maurice; and though in the scenes of civil faction and the strife of contending interests and desires which they had lately passed through, that affection had been apparently smothered, it is wonderful how freshly it rose up in his heart, when he thought that Albert Maurice must die by his means--possibly by his own hand.
The fatal creed he held of man's entire mortality, made him fearless of death himself, and careless of inflicting it on others; but, perhaps, by teaching him that the loves and affections of this life were all, it made them take a deeper hold upon his heart, when once they could grasp it by any means; and for a moment, as he thought of cutting off the noble being whose powers he had so often admired--of extinguishing for ever all those fiery energies and bright aspirations he had watched from their first breaking forth to their full expansion--he shuddered at the task.
The people without, witnessing the preparations for the banquet to which the young citizen had invited them, from time to time shouted forth his name with loud applause, and there was a voice within the bosom of Ganay that echoed their praises. "He is, indeed, a splendid creature," he thought; "and if ever there was one calculated to win all hearts, and lead men and nations on to scenes and glories such as the world has never yet seen, he is the man. Yet after all, he must die! and 'tis but like the slaughter of a mighty stag or a noble boar; and death--which ends all things--perhaps, when the pain and the pleasure of life are fairly balanced, is the crowning good that renders the whole equal at last; but I must speed to see all prepared!"
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Never had the town of Ghent witnessed so magnificent a sight as on the night after the return of Albert Maurice. The whole marketplace before the Stadt Huys, illuminated by a thousand torches, was crowded with people regaling at long tables, which groaned beneath the burden of good cheer. The young President had spared no means to satisfy all; and, by the magic influence of gold, had, in the short time which had elapsed since his return, conjured up a festival more like some of those fairy banquets depicted in an Eastern tale, than anything in real life. Thousands and thousands, too, of the wealthier classes, whose circumstances raised them above those who came to partake of his bounty, moved through the open spaces, enjoying the scene. The Perron of the Hotel de Ville was crowded with guards, officers, and attendants, looking over the gay and happy sight which the square afforded; and above all, rose the dark mass of the town-house, with a broad blaze flashing forth from all the open windows, while the sound of music from within, and the glancing of figures moving rapidly across the lights, offered links of interest between the feelings of the crowd without and the transactions that were passing in the building. A knot of the more curious citizens had stationed themselves on the little rise by the fountain, and watched eagerly the windows of the hall, where the banquet was just about to take place; and at length, when a loud flourish of trumpets echoed out upon the air, some of them were heard to exclaim, "Now! now they are coming to the tables!--See, see! they are passing along!--There is the Duke of Cleves; I know him by the limp in his gait; and there is the President--there is the noble President! See how he overtops them all, and how his plumes dance above the highest in the hall! Hurrah for the noble President!" and the multitude catching the sound, burst forth with a loud and universal cheer, that made the buildings around echo and re-echo with the shout.
Although, at that distance, it was difficult to distinguish the persons within, yet the shout was appropriate, for it was, indeed, Albert Maurice who--received as a guest by the states of Flanders, and the nobles and prime burghers of Ghent--was advancing to the seat prepared for him. Long consultations had been previously held in regard to where that seat was to be placed; for feudal states in general required that a marked distinction should be observed between nobles and citizens; but the druggist counselled the nobles to indulge the young citizen's pride to the utmost for that one night. The example of Artevelde--a common tradesman of that very town, who had sat and treated with the highest princes of Europe--was cited, and prevailed; and the president of Ghent took his chair by the Duke of Cleves, with Ganay, by a previous arrangement, seated beside him.
The face of the druggist was uncommonly pale. He had marked the immense concourse of people in the square; he had marked the multitude of guards and attendants that crowded the terrace and thronged the halls of the town-house; and he knew the infinite perils that attended the deed he had undertaken to perform. Whatever course events might take, he felt that fate brooded heavily over the whole splendid scene; and his small, clear dark eye wandered somewhat wildly round the hall, especially as, in following Albert Maurice towards the seat it had been arranged he was to occupy, the thundering shout of the multitude without burst upon his ear. All, however, apparently passed in tranquil ease; the whole party were seated; and the attendants of the Duke of Cleves--somewhat more numerous than necessary--drew round the upper end of the table. But as they did so, they perceived that they enclosed amongst themselves two or three strange men, against whose intrusion they remonstrated rather roughly. What the others answered was not heard, but they kept their place, and the banquet proceeded. Everything was rich and splendid, according to the custom of that time; and many a fish and many a fowl appeared upon the table, which have either lost their palatable flavour in latter days, or have been discarded by some depravity of human taste. Albert Maurice ate sparingly, and drank little; but he was more gay and cheerful than, perhaps, any one had ever seen him before; and, with the whole, there was an air of easy dignity, which left any outward difference that might be observed between himself and any of the nobles around, entirely to his advantage.
Ganay drank deep; and, as the banquet proceeded, his cheek grew flushed, and his eye sparkled more; but he was silent, absent, and thoughtful, and shrunk when the eye of Albert Maurice rested on him, even for a moment, in conversation. At length the Duke of Cleves rose, and addressed the druggist briefly, saying, "Master Ganay, you are an orator, and I am none; and besides, as one of the consuls of the good town of Ghent, the task I am going to put upon you falls more naturally to you than to me. Fill, then, yon golden chalice to the brim, and express, if you can find language to do so, the gratitude and admiration which the states of Flanders--nobles and commons alike--feel for him who has won the first successes in arms for his native country against her base invaders--successes which I trust may be but the earnest of many more."
Ganay took the large golden cup, and held it to an officer who filled it with wine: but, as the druggist again brought it back, ha leaned his hand upon the edge for a moment, and something seemed, to the eyes of more persons than one, to fall into the chalice. He rose, however, with greater composure than he had hitherto displayed through the evening; and with a happy flow of words, the very choiceness and selection of which made his speech appear far more vigorous and enthusiastic than it really was, he commented on the talents and successes of the young citizen, and thanked him, in the name of the town of Ghent and the States of Flanders, for the services he had rendered to his country. It is scarcely necessary, perhaps, to state that it was the common custom of the day for a person publicly drinking to another in such a manner, to taste the wine himself, and then to send the cup to him whom he addressed. Ganay, accordingly, at the end of his oration, raised the bowl to his lips, and held it there for a moment; and then, according to form, gave it to the cupbearer, who presented it to the young burgher. Albert Maurice, after taking the chalice, rose at once, while the eye of the druggist fixed upon him with a gaze, that had something almost fearful in its very intensity.
"Noble lords," he said, in a clear, mellow, steady voice; "noble lords! dear fellow citizens! worthy men of Flanders! you have been pleased this day to show me honours, far higher than my poor merits gave me any title to expect. The duty of a citizen to his country is one, which, however zealously executed, affords him no claim to thanks; for being an obligation imposed on him by his birth, it binds him strictly through his life; and even at his death, he that has done all within his scope to uphold his native land, has still done nothing but that which he was bound to do. Nevertheless, it is hard to say, how much I rejoice that the men of Ghent and the states of Flanders have thought fit, by such distinguished honours, to reward such poor services as mine. Nor, however grateful to my heart may be your generous applause, are my feelings personal alone. I rejoice more that you have so honoured and rewarded the first man who has been enabled to render service in arms to the state, since her restoration to freedom, than that the first was Albert Maurice. I rejoice chiefly, because I am sure that the distinction shown to me this night, unworthy as I am, will be the means of calling others forth in the service of the country, whom diffidence of their own powers, or doubts of the state's willingness to accept what they may believe inefficient service, has hitherto kept back from the path of fame. When an individual serves his country to the utmost of his power, as I have before said, he does but his duty to that country, and no more; but when the state recompenses its individual servants even beyond their deserts, it does its duty to itself, and ensures the most zealous services of all its children: for the men who will serve a niggard master well, will serve a liberal one with their whole heart and soul; and let me say, there is a mighty difference. Men of Ghent," continued the young President, "and you, noble barons and burghers of Flanders, I give you all deep and heartfelt thanks; and I drink unto you all!"
Albert Maurice had spoken calmly and collectedly, and not a word betrayed that there was one feeling in his heart but tranquil confidence. As he paused and lifted the cup in his hand, the gaze of Ganay grew more and more intense; his pale lip quivered, and a bright red spot glowed on his ashy cheek, while the young citizen continued to raise the cup slowly towards his lip. Suddenly, however, Albert Maurice paused, and turned his glance with a movement as quick as lightning upon the druggist, into whose face the blood rushed with fearful violence as their eyes met. Sternly and steadfastly the young President gazed on him, while one might count fifty, and then tossing the cup into the midst of the hall, he exclaimed, with a scornful laugh, "No, no! No, no! Did you dream that I did not know you, murderer?"
"Know me now then!" cried Ganay, starting up; "know me now!" and he sprang towards Albert Maurice like a famished tiger. But, at that moment, the man who stood behind his chair strode forward; something bright waved above the druggist as he rose, descended at once upon his head, and cleft its way through to the very eyes. Ganay fell back from his place, dead upon the floor of the hall; but even as he fell, his hand, armed with a short poniard, aimed an impotent blow at the young President, which struck ringing against the pavement.
"Ho! Close the doors!" cried Albert Maurice, rapidly. "Matthew Gournay, you have done well! Let no one dare to approach the corpse! Look at him as he lies, lords and free citizens! Look at him as he lies, with the weapon of destruction in his hand! And you, my friends, whom I stationed round about, did you not see him drop the poison in the cup as clearly as I did?"
"We did! we did! we did!" cried a dozen voices round the table; and those who were at first inclined to look somewhat fiercely upon these witnesses, soon perceived that the testimony came from all the most honourable citizens of Ghent, who, forewarned, had watched the proceedings of the druggist.
"These are bold and terrible deeds, Sir President!" said the Duke of Cleves.
"Not so bold as some I could name, Duke of Cleves!" replied Albert Maurice, bending his brows sternly upon him. "The man who lies before you has already more than one murder on his head. There are the proofs of his participation in the death of the good old Lord of Neufchatel, who died by poison while recovering from his wounds. For these proofs I have to thank yon worthy and fearless magistrate, Maitre Pierre. These, however, would have been produced before the judges of this city, had I not discovered the purpose of this base assassin to poison me this night, and taken proper means to counteract his design. There are others here present, leagued in the same evil conspiracy; and did I so please, I could name them one by one. Look not to your attendants, Duke of Cleves; for know, that in this building and around it I have enough faithful friends, to bind every traitor present hand and foot, and give them over to the common hangman, did I so will it. But fear not; I neither accuse you nor absolve you, my lord. You came here, a guest to the city of Ghent, and you depart unopposed, uninjured, with this warning only: beware how you entertain a thought against the liberties of the people. To the rest--within whose bosoms dwells the fearful consciousness of their own treachery--I say only, I do not dread them; and from my confidence in myself and in the people of Ghent, they find safety. Those who were moved to seek my overthrow by fears and doubts, instilled into them by yon arch traitor who now lies dead, will learn from my conduct this night, that I am not the man that I have been represented; and those who, from baser motives, would have compassed my death, may also learn, that such designs fall ever, sooner or later, on the heads of those that framed them. Those who love me not, therefore, may depart in peace; those who love me and Ghent, remain; and let us finish our festivities, for the death of that base man is no more to be noted than the shooting of a wolf, or any other wild beast that would destroy us. Take away the corpse!"
The guests looked upon each other with inquiring glances, as they stood around the table in the same attitudes into which they had started, on the sudden catastrophe they had just witnessed; but few present were willing, by quitting the hall, to brand themselves as enemies to Albert Maurice and to Ghent.
Good Martin Fruse was the first to resume his seat, which he did, murmuring, "He was an unworthy man, that Ganay, and a disgrace to the city. He nearly caused my death some twenty years ago."
Those who heard this new charge against the unhappy druggist started, and many looked wise, and shook the sagacious head, exclaiming, "Ah! we always knew he was a wicked man!" but Albert Maurice, who understood that the mode of death to which his uncle alluded was not quite deserving of such serious comment, again called upon those who were friends to Ghent, and to himself, to resume their seats at once.
One after another, all the citizens, and almost all the nobles, followed the example of good Martin Fruse. The Duke of Cleves, however, together with a few of his immediate partisans, remained standing, and, after a brief pause, moved a step towards the door.
"It is not my custom," he said, "to sit and drink in halls where blood has just been shed; and without being an enemy to Ghent, or any of her true and faithful sons, I may be pardoned for quitting a place, where I know not what is to happen next."
"Fortunately for myself, my lord," replied Albert Maurice, "I did know what was intended to happen next; though, perhaps, my having spoiled the design may be matter of offence to some here present. But not to bandy words with so high a prince, I have only further to say, that the citizens of Ghent have been honoured by your presence while it has lasted; and you have, in return, been treated with a goodly and instructive, though somewhat fearful, spectacle, showing how the men of this city punish those who attempt to poison them at their solemn feasts. Make way for the Duke of Cleves, there!" And with an air in which courtesy and grace gave additional point to the keen scorn that curled his lip and bent his brow, Albert Maurice led the Duke towards the door, and bowed low as he passed out.
The young President then resumed his seat; his lip softened, his brow unbent, and, gazing round the guests with one of those bland smiles which often win approbation for the past, by seeming certain of applause, he exclaimed--"Friends, have I done well?"
The man who rose to reply was one of the most zealous of that violent party on whose support Ganay had founded his authority; and Albert Maurice prepared for bold opposition; for he knew him to be fierce and fearless, though honest and upright in purpose. By one of those sudden revolutions of feeling, however, which are common in scenes of great excitement, the whole sentiments of the partisan had become changed by the frank and determined demeanour of the young citizen; and he answered at once--"So well have you done, Sir President, that, in my opinion, if Ghent owed you gratitude before, that gratitude ought now to be increased a hundred-fold; and if she suspected you of any baseness, those suspicions should be done away for ever. To many of us you have been represented as courting the nobility for your own purposes, and seeking alone, in all you have done, your own aggrandizement. Some of us, too--I for one," he added, boldly--"consented to your arrest this night. I acknowledge it; and frankly I acknowledge I was wrong. But believe me, Sir President, when with the same voice I declare, that, had I ever dreamed of the scheme for murdering you here, my own knife should first have drunk the blood of the assassin. Justly has he been done to death; and wisely have you treated yon proud prince, who courts us now, only, that he may first rise by us, and then crush us hereafter; and who, as no one that saw his countenance can doubt, was leagued with the dead assassin. It is the policy of those that hate us, to set us at variance amongst ourselves, and remove from us all the men whose talents and whose firmness will enable us to triumph still. Let us then, all pledge ourselves to union; and, in order to preserve him who alone possesses genius and power sufficient to lead us properly, let us give him a guard of five hundred men, and intrust him with greater authority than he has hitherto enjoyed."
The proposal was received with acclamation; and the citizens, some eager to show that they had no participation in the plot which had just been frustrated, some carried away by the general enthusiasm, and some from the first devoted to the young President, vied with each other in voting him new powers and new dignities. At that moment he might have commanded anything in the power of the states of Flanders to bestow; and much more was spontaneously offered than he thought prudent to accept. "No, no!" he said; "limit the power you grant me to that which your fathers formerly conferred, in this very hall, on Jacob Von Artevelde, with this further restriction, that I shall submit, every month, the revenues intrusted to my disposal to the inspection of three persons chosen from your own body. Thus shall I be enabled to serve you as much as man can do; and thus will you guard against those abuses to which the unlimited confidence of your ancestors gave rise. Nothing more will I accept."
The will of the young citizen for the time was law, and the whole arrangement was speedily completed. One more deep cup of red wine each man present quaffed to the health of Albert Maurice, and then took leave, one by one. Martin Fruse was the last that left him, and, as he did so, the good old man wrung his hand hard. "Farewell, Albert," he said; "I have seen you a little child, and I have seen you a stately man, and I have loved you better than anything else on earth. You have now reached a dizzy height, my dear boy; and, oh! take care that your head do not turn giddy. For my sake, if not for your own, take care; for it would slay me to see your fall."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Albert Maurice sat alone, after an evening of such fearful excitement, as few have ever passed upon this earth--after having seen his own life, and power, and hopes, in momentary danger--after having controlled and concealed his own passions, and bridled, and governed, and guided those of others--after having overthrown his enemies, slain his betrayer, secured his authority, and taken all but one small easy step to the very summit of his ambition. Oh, what a host of mingled sensations crowded rapidly on his heart! and how dizzily his brain whirled for the first few brief moments, while remembrance rapidly brought before him all the multiplied events of the last two hours; and out of the smoke of memory rose the giant consciousness that he was successful--triumphantly successful!
For an instant his lip curled with a proud and satisfied smile; and everything was forgotten, but that bright bubble--success. But, as he sat, a sort of lassitude came over him; his eye fell casually on the spot where the druggist Ganay had lain, convulsed in the agonies of death; and, by a caprice of the imagination, the same face which had then appeared streaked with ghastly blood, and contorted with the pangs of dissolution, was presented to his memory, as he had seen it in former days, speaking the words of hope to his own ear, and cheering him on the path of enterprise and ambition.
Touched by the magic wand of association, the splendid objects which he had just been contemplating began to change their form and lose their brightness. A dull weight of thought seemed to fall upon him, and his utmost efforts would not throw it off. It seemed as if some fiend, in bitter mockery, resolved to conjure up the faces of the dead, and to torture his heart with painful recollections, even in the hour of triumph. To the form of the druggist, next succeeded, before the eye of fancy, that of the Duke of Gueldres, dyeing the green sward with his blood; and then, the shifting picture of the mind presented the same prince as when first, with buoyant joy, he came to thank him for his liberation. Next appeared Imbercourt and Hugonet, bending to the stroke of the executioner: and then, he beheld them as they had appeared at the council, when he had been examined on the accusation of the Prevot; while the calm, grave, noble countenance of Imbercourt was seen pleading eagerly in exculpation of him, who had since worked out the death of his defender.
"So many, in so short a time!" thought Albert Maurice. "Yet have they died, each for his own misdeeds; and I have sacrificed them--ay, and with pain--for the good of my country alone!"
He almost started at the vehemence with which conscience gave the lie to so base a delusion. "For the good of my country alone!" he thought again. "Nay--nay--nay--for my own ambition. What--what act have I done yet, for the good of my country alone? None, alas! none! and even now, perhaps--even now, when ambition has swallowed up all--when I have reached the very pinnacle of success--perhaps the only one I have suffered to escape--perhaps yon Duke of Cleves is even now plotting to deprive me of the only reward that can wipe away every evil memory, repay every effort, tranquillize every pain, and render success a blessing indeed. But he shall plot in vain; and if he dare to plot, by the Lord that lives, he shall die!"
"Ho! without there!" he continued, aloud. "Bring me a hat and cloak! Oh, good Matthew Gournay--I had forgot," he added, as he saw who it was that answered his summons--"this very night your noble lord shall be set free. But I must see him myself; I have tidings for him which will glad his heart. You, too, shall not be forgotten; and though I know, gold can never pay such services as yours, yet there are other means within my power. This very night we will set free your lord. In all the turbulence of the past evening, I had forgot what I should have remembered. No, no, boy"--he added, to the page who brought him a high-plumed bonnet and richly decorated cloak--"these vestments I have on are all too fine already. I must conceal my rank--my station in the city, I should say. Get me some servant's cloak and hat. Be quick! 'Tis nearly ten."
The President mused thoughtfully till the boy returned; and honest Matthew Gournay, seeing that deep and agitating thoughts were engrossing all his attention, stood quietly gazing on the spot where he had slain the unhappy Ganay, and wondering that any man should take the trouble of poisoning another, when he might rid himself of his enemy so easily by the dagger or the sword.
At length the hat and cloak were brought; and Albert Maurice drew the one round his person, and the other over his brow. "Now, Matthew Gournay," he said, "take five-and-twenty men, and bid them follow me by separate ways to the palace. There wait till I come. I will be in the square almost as soon as you; and after I have spent some ten minutes in transacting business which admits of no delay, we will go on and liberate your good lord."
The ring which Matthew Gournay had received from his young lord, acted with the magic effect of some talisman in an Eastern tale; and whatever commands he received from Albert Maurice, he obeyed at once, with unquestioning alacrity. The five-and-twenty men were soon summoned--for the whole force of the free companions had been poured into the town of Ghent, during the evening, by means of the gate which, as we have seen, the followers of the President had secured on his first entering the city. A few brief words directed them by different ways to the palace; and--passing through the various crowds which had been gathered together for the entertainment in the square, and which were now discussing, in eager tones, the events that had taken place in the town-house--the men selected to accompany, or rather to follow, the young citizen, soon made their way to the gates of the palace. That part of the town was nearly deserted, and the little square before the Cours du Prince was void and solitary, except where, nearly in the midst, a tall, dark figure, with its arms crossed upon its chest, stood gazing up at the building. All was quiet, and calm, and dark, along the facade of the palace, except where, here and there, from some of the long narrow windows, a stream of tremulous light broke upon the night.
For several minutes the figure continued to gaze, apparently fixing its glance earnestly upon one part of the building. But at length perceiving the number of soldiers collecting before the gate, Albert Maurice--for he it was, who had outwalked his followers--advanced, and after speaking a few words to Matthew Gournay, demanded admission from the warder of the fortified gate. He gave his name and station, and urged business of importance as an excuse for the lateness of his visit. The warder replied in a tone of humble deference, which circumstances had compelled the proud soldiers of Burgundy to learn in speaking to the once contemned burghers of Ghent, telling him that he would willingly admit him, but that, as his orders had been very strict for the last week, he must detain him at the gate while he caused the princess to be informed of the fact.
Albert Maurice made no objection, and remained, musing with a downcast countenance, across which the shadows of many emotions were passing, that he would not willingly have shown to the eye of open day. As calm and tranquil as a summer's morning, he had sat his horse in the midst of battle and conflict. Calmly, too, he had remained beside the man who was mixing a cup of poison for his lip, and preparing the dagger if the cup should fail. But now every nerve thrilled, and his heart beat like a coward's, though he was but to meet a fair and gentle girl, whose fate might almost be said to rest in his own hands. He had hoped, and he had dreamt, through many a long day; and various circumstances had combined to give those hopes and dreams a tangible foundation and a definite form. But now that the moment approached when they were to be realized or destroyed for ever, they faded all away into fears and anxieties.
The warder returned and bowed low, while the gates were thrown open. The soldiers within the court did military honours to the President of Ghent; and, assuming a firmer step and a prouder air, Albert Maurice passed on within the precincts of the palace, followed by the train who had met him according to his appointment. At the entrance-hall his followers paused; and he himself, ushered forward by one of the domestic attendants of the princess, ascended the steps towards a smaller chamber, adjoining the great hall of audience.
In the ante-room he cast off his hat and cloak, and remained in the rich dress in which he had descended to the banquet in the town-house; and as he passed on towards the door which the servant threw open, his eye fell upon a Venetian mirror, and perhaps he gained another ray of hope, from feeling that, in appearance as well as mind, he was not unfitted to move through those lordly halls, in the high station for which his ambition strove.
The chamber that he entered was but dimly lighted; and it was evident that the preparations for receiving him there had only been made upon the sudden announcement of his arrival. His eye, however, instantly rested upon Mary of Burgundy, as she sat surrounded by a number of her women; and the sweet smile with which she welcomed him so thrilled through his heart, that he felt the resolution which had brought him thither shaken, lest, by seeking for deeper happiness, he should lose even the joy of that sweet smile itself.
"Welcome, my lord," she said, "most welcome back again to Ghent. For though we had great joy from your victories and successes, the first that have ever yet blessed our cause, yet we have much needed your presence in the city."
"I hope, lady," replied the young citizen, with a tone of deep interest in all that concerned her immediate happiness, "I hope that you have suffered no personal annoyance; for, believe me, before I went, I took every means to guard you from the importunity of the Duke of Gueldres, or the intrusion of any one else."
"From the Duke of Gueldres," replied Mary, "who, I hear, unhappy man, has fallen in some of the late conflicts, I have, indeed, suffered nothing; nor have I truly to complain of any one else. Though my good cousin of Cleves does, perhaps, press me somewhat unkindly to a union, which is little less fearful in my eyes than the other. Doubtless, he deems it for my good, and strong are the reasons he urges; but having taken on myself to decide, and having told him that decision, I would fain be spared all further discussion."
The cheek of Albert Maurice reddened with anger; and he answered hastily, "Fear not, dear lady; his importunities shall not press upon your Grace much longer. The city of Ghent and the states of Flanders have this night armed me, thank God! with sufficient power to sweep--to--to----"
Albert Maurice paused and hesitated; for the bold and ambitious words that had been just springing to his lips, he felt must not be rashly uttered in the ear of one whose love was to be gained and fixed, and whose hand, although it was the crowning object of all his ambition, though it was the motive for every energy and endeavour of his bosom, would at once become vain and valueless, if unaccompanied by her heart. He paused, and then continued, "have armed me with sufficient power, at once to guide the state, I trust, to permanent security and peace; and to sweep away from your domestic life every pain, anxiety, and fear."
The last words were spoken low and slowly; and as he pronounced them, he dropped his eyes to the ground; while the warm conscious blood rose up into his cheeks, and spoke far more than his lips. The words he uttered, it is true, had no very definite meaning, and might be taken up in a very general sense; but the tone, the manner, the hesitation, the flushing of the cheek, the timid glance of the eye, gave emphasis and purpose to the whole. For the first time, a suspicion of what was passing in his bosom flashed across the mind of Mary of Burgundy, and inspired her, for the moment, with a feeling of terror which approached very nearly to despair. She turned deadly pale, and trembled violently, as, with rapid thought, she ran over the circumstances of her situation, and found how helpless she was, if that suspicion were well founded. It was but for an instant, however, that she gave way to apprehension. From the first, she had appreciated the general character of Albert Maurice, especially its finer points, by a sort of instinctive comparison with her own. She knew that he was generous, high-spirited, noble-minded; and, though she might now find that her estimate of his ambition had been far below that which it should have been, yet she trusted to the better parts of his disposition to deliver her from the consequences of the worse. She knew that she was in his power. She felt that his will was law, in all the country that surrounded her; and that, if he chose, he could blast her hopes and happiness for ever. But, at the same time, she felt there was some resource, though the only one, in the native generosity of his heart; and she determined to appeal to it boldly as her sole refuge from despair. It is true that a union with Albert Maurice, whose splendid qualities she could not but acknowledge, might, were such feelings susceptible of any very marked shades of difference, and had it been possible for her to dream for one moment of such a union, might have been less repugnant to her, than the marriages which had been proposed with the drivelling boy of France, with the coarse and brutal son of the Duke of Cleves, or with the cruel and unnatural Duke of Gueldres. But still, the simple fact existed, she loved another with all the deep sincerity of a woman's first affection, and the very thought of any other alliance was abhorrent to every feeling of her heart.
Nothing could have balanced those feelings in her bosom, but her strong sense of duty to the nation she was called upon to govern and protect. She could, indeed, and would, have sacrificed everything for her country and her people; but that people themselves had rejected the only alliance that could have benefited them; and, in the present instance, no such object could have been gained by her marriage with the President of Ghent, as that which the French alliance might have accomplished, even could she have entertained the thought of bestowing the hand of the heiress of Burgundy on an adventurous and aspiring citizen, a thought from which all Mary's feelings revolted, not the less strongly for the natural gentleness of her character. Had time for reflection been added, the discovery or the suspicion of his love might have afforded a key to all the conduct of the young citizen, and, by showing to what deeds his passion had already betrayed him, might have increased a thousand-fold the terror of the unhappy princess; but, luckily, the consideration of her own situation, and of the means of averting the consequences she dreaded, engrossed her wholly, and thus guarded her from worse apprehensions.
The first effect of his speech, and of the sudden conviction which his manner, more than his words, produced, was, as we said, to turn her deadly pale; and while a thousand new anxieties and painful considerations crossed her mind, she remained gazing on him so long, in silence, that she felt he must see that he was understood. The silence of her own embarrassment then becoming painful to her, as well as to him, the blood rushed up into her face, and yet she could not reply; so that both remained completely mute for several moments, after words had been spoken, which, to the by-standers, seemed perfectly simple.
At length she answered--"Oh! Sir President, if such power has been granted to you by the states, use it nobly, and Heaven will bless you."
"As far, lady, as my poor judgment can extend, I will use it nobly," replied Albert Maurice, over whose heart an icy chill had come, he knew not well why. "But," he added, "as I would fain use it for your happiness--believing it to be inseparable from that of the people--let me crave a few words with you in private, that I may ascertain more fully how that happiness may be best consulted."
He spoke slowly and calmly; but, from the quivering of his lip, it was evident that each word cost him a painful struggle to pronounce. On the other hand, Mary was herself embarrassed by his request, which was not a little contrary to the etiquette of her situation; and yet he who requested, she knew, might command; and she felt that, perhaps, it might be better for both that they should be alone.
After a moment's pause, then, she gave the necessary order for her attendants to withdraw into the ante-chamber, and then resumed her seat. Albert Maurice stood beside her, with his eyes still bent upon the ground; and for a moment, after the suite had quitted the chamber, he remained silent, striving to master all the emotions which were agitating his heart. It was a painful struggle, but at length he succeeded; and then raising his head with some degree of proud consciousness in his aspect, he looked calmly on the princess.
"Madam," he said, in a firmer voice than he had hitherto commanded, "your general welfare, and that of your people, is undoubtedly one great, and ought to be one paramount, object with me in all I strive for; but, at the same time, believe me--oh, believe me! that your individual happiness is no less a deep and overpowering consideration in my mind. Lady, I know, and feel painfully, that the great difference of rank and station between us, may prevent you from conceiving fully how dear your interests are to me. Nay, turn not pale, madam!" he added, with watchful and somewhat irritable pride, softened by deep and sincere affection--"Nay, turn not pale! No word shall you hear from my lips, that may offend your ear or wound your heart. Lady, the ambitious, misproud citizen may have as elevated, perhaps more devoted, ideas of true affection, than the noble, whose pride and arrogance are his right of birth; and may be able to crush his own heart, to sacrifice more than life--hope, blessed hope itself, to serve the being that he loves. And do you weep?" he continued, seeing the tears roll rapidly over the fair cheek of Mary of Burgundy. "And do you weep? Then I have said too much. Yet, hear me a little. I see you agitated, far more agitated than anything which has passed hitherto should have occasioned, unless the words we have spoken, whose import seems but small, may have touched some fine strung cord within your heart, and made sadder music than I dreamed of. However, in this land of Flanders I have now no small power, which may last God knows how long. But fear not that the power I do possess will ever be used to thwart one wish of your heart. Whatever it may cost me, it shall be employed to serve you with deep and true attachment. There is," he added, his emotion almost mastering his calmness; "there is one question I would ask, which is hard to put, and may be painful to answer. Yet, let me speak it quickly and briefly, lest I should fail."
He paused for a moment, and looked down; while his hand became clenched fearfully tight, as if in the struggle to suppress some deep feelings that would fain have burst forth, but, after a single moment, all was again vanquished, and he proceeded:--"Some months have now passed since your father's eyes were closed in death; your dominions are invaded, your people are distracted by different parties, and your nobles are leaguing together to snatch one from another the blessing of your hand. It is time, lady, that you should make a choice; and although I know no one, on all the earth, that is worthy of the happiness within your gift, yet, if there be any one to whom you can give your heart, I will--I will--Yes!" he added, more firmly, "I will do all that mortal man can do, to render you happy in your love!" He paused; and although an indefinable something in the conduct and demeanour of Mary of Burgundy through that night, had already shown him that one half of his dreams were dreams indeed; yet hope--persevering hope--lingered still, and whispered, "If she love none else, she may still be mine."
Mary of Burgundy's conduct was already determined; but nevertheless she trembled in every limb; and long, long was it, ere she could reply. At length she answered--"You have, indeed, put to me a question, which makes me feel most painfully how different is the station of princes from the happy and modest retirement of private life. Nay, do not think I blame you, sir; I blame but my hard fate. You are most kind; and, amidst a base and interested crowd, who would fain make me the slave of their wild ambitions, I shall ever remember you with gratitude, as the only one--who--with more power than all the rest to command my fate, was willing to cast self away, and--and to seek my happiness alone. Feeling thus; believing from my heart that in your generous nature I may perfectly rely, I answer your question as distinctly as it is put. There is, I believe, but one man to whom I can conscientiously give my hand. 'Tis now near two years ago, that, by my father's command, I plighted my faith in writing, and pledged thereto a ring, to one, whom I had been taught, during some months of happy intimacy, to look upon as my future lord--Maximilian, Archduke of Austria--"
"And you love him! and you love him!" cried Albert Maurice, starting forward, and, forgetful of all restraint, grasping her firmly by the wrist. The princess started up alarmed, and a cry of terror at his sudden vehemence, had nearly passed her lips. But she stifled it ere it was uttered; and the next moment Albert Maurice had recovered himself, and was kneeling at her feet.
"Pardon me! pardon me, princess of Burgundy!" he said. "Give me, oh, give me your forgiveness! The dream is gone, the vision is over, and Albert Maurice, the humblest of your subjects, is ready to pour out his blood, to atone for all that he has done amiss. Madam," he added, rising, "I have been living in a dream; and, I fear me, when I come to look upon it steadily, I shall find it a sad one. But no more of that: at present I am, if that be not a dream also, President of the states general of Flanders, and armed with greater power than any other man in the land. What can I do to sweep all obstacles from before your wishes? Tell me quickly how I can serve you. Let me at least work out your happiness, before the memory of the past turn my brain."
"Oh, speak not so wildly, sir!" cried Mary. "You have great powers and noble energies, which will guide you to the height of fame; and yet, I trust, to the height of happiness. Indeed, sir, I cannot speak farther, while you seem so moved."
"Madam, I am perfectly calm," replied Albert Maurice. "Those energies and those powers your Grace is pleased to speak of, may last a longer or a shorter time, according to God's will; and I am most anxious to wipe out any offence I have committed, by employing them vigorously in your service. Let me beseech you to speak. Shall I send off immediate messengers to the Archduke?"
"No, no! Oh, no!" cried Mary; "I fear too much has been done already in that course, by my kind step-dame, the Duchess Margaret, and my good cousin of Ravestein; for I hear--for I hear--that the Archduke is already on his way to Brussels."
"Ha!" cried Albert Maurice; "ha!" but he said no more, and the princess proceeded.
"Yet, sir," she said, "I have many fears; for I know that the Duke of Cleves has not only sent forth messengers to forbid his approach, but also I learn from my dear foster-sister, Alice of Imbercourt, who is now with the good Lord of Hannut, that a hundred men, bearing the colours of the house of Cleves, have passed through Brussels; and, there is reason to believe, they waylay the road from the Rhine."
"Indeed! This must be seen to!" said the young citizen, in the same abstracted manner. "But your Grace was about to add----"
"Merely this, sir," replied Mary, with that calm, impressive gentleness that is more touching than any vehemence; "that the man to whom I believe myself plighted by every tie but the final sanction of the church, is, I am told, on his road hither, slenderly accompanied--for the avarice of the emperor is well known; and his son now journeys with hardly ten attendants. He has strong enemies on the way and I leave you to judge, sir, of the feelings that I experience."
The lip of Albert Maurice quivered; but he still retained command over himself, and replied in a low but distinct voice, though, in every tone, the vehement struggle he maintained to master the agony of his heart was still apparent: "To calm those feelings, madam, shall be my first effort; and, as I have received timely information, entertain not the slightest apprehension of the result. I will serve you, madam, more devotedly than I would serve myself; and the last energies that, possibly, I may ever be able to command, shall be directed to secure your happiness. I have now detained you long. Night wears, and time is precious. I humbly take my leave. May Heaven bless you, madam! May Heaven bless you! and send you happier days to shine upon your reign, than those with which it has begun."
He bowed low, and took two or three steps towards the door, while Mary gazed upon him with eyes in which compassion for all she saw that he suffered, and woman's invariable sympathy with love, called up an unwilling tear. "Stay, sir, one moment," she said at length; "it may be the last time that ever I shall have the power to thank you, as Duchess of Burgundy, before I resign my sovereignty with my hand to another. Believe me, then, that as far as the gratitude of a princess towards a subject can extend, I am grateful to you for all that you have done in my behalf. Believe me, too, that I admire and esteem the great qualities of your mind, and that I will, as far as in me lies, teach my husband"--and she laid a stress upon the word--"to appreciate your talents and your virtues, and to honour and employ them for our common benefit. Take this jewel, I beseech you," she added, "and wear it ever as a token of my gratitude."
"Oh! madam!" exclaimed Albert Maurice, as he advanced to receive the diamond she proffered. He took it slowly and reverentially; but as her hand resigned it, his feelings overpowered him, and pressing the jewel suddenly to his heart, he exclaimed, "I will carry it to my grave!" Then turning, without farther adieu, he threw open the door and quitted the apartment.