Chapter XIV. - THE DISCOVERY.

They sat hand in hand in the quiet and fragrant conservatory; after a long separation they gazed once more in each other's eyes, doubting the reality of their happiness, and asking if it were not a dream, a delightful dream.

This was the first time since his return from Silesia that Prince Augustus William had seen his Laura alone; the first time he could tell her of his longing and his suffering; the first time she could whisper in his ear the sweet and holy confession of her love--a confession that none should hear but her lover and her God.

But there were four ears which heard every thing; four eyes which saw all that took place in the myrtle arbor. Louise von Schwerin and her lover, the handsome Fritz Wendel, sat arm in arm in the grotto, and listened attentively to the conversation of the prince and his bride.

„How happy they are!“ whispered Louise, with a sigh.

„Are we not also happy?“ asked Fritz Wendel, tenderly, clasping his arm more firmly around her. „Is not our love as ardent, as passionate, and as pure as theirs?“

„And yet the world would shed tears of pity for them, while we would be mocked and laughed at,“ said Louise, sighing.

„It is true that the love of the poor gardener for the beautiful Mademoiselle von Schwerin is only calculated to excite ridicule,“ murmured Fritz Wendel; „but that shall and will be changed; I shall soon begin the new career which I have planned for myself; my Louise need then no longer blush for her lover, and my adoration for her shall no longer be a cause of shame and humiliation. I have a means by which I can purchase rank and position, and I intend to employ this means.“

„Pray tell me how; let me know your plans,“ said Louise. He pointed with a cruel smile to the lovers in the myrtle arbor.

„This secret is my purchase money,“ said he, whispering; „I shall betray them to the king; and he will give me rank and wealth for this disclosure; for upon this secret depends the future of Prussia. Let us, therefore, listen attentively to what they say, that--“

„No,“ said Louise, interrupting him with vivacity, „we will not listen. It is cruel and ignoble to desire to purchase our own happiness with the misery of others; it is--“

„For Heaven's sake be quiet and listen!“ said Fritz Wendel, softly, laying his hand on her angry lips.

The conversation of the lovers in the myrtle arbor had now taken another direction. Their eyes no longer sparkled with delight, but had lost their lustre, and an expression of deep sadness rested on their features.

„Is it then really true?“ said Laura, mournfully; „you are affianced to the Princess of Brunswick?“

„It is true,“ said the prince, in a low voice. „There was no other means of securing and preserving our secret than to seem to yield to the king's command, and to consent to this alliance with a good grace. This cloak will shield our love until we can acknowledge it before the whole world; and that depends, my beloved, upon you alone. Think of the vows of eternal love and fidelity we have made to each other; remember that you have promised to be mine for all eternity, and to devote your whole life to me; remember that you wear my engagement-ring on your finger, and are my bride.“

„And yet you are affianced to another, and wear another engagement ring!“

„But this princess, to whom I have been affianced, knows that I do not love her. I have opened my heart to her; I told her that I loved you alone, and could never love another; that no woman but Laura von Pannewitz should ever be my wife; and she was generous enough to give her assistance and consent to be considered my bride until our union should no longer need this protection. And now, my dear Laura, I conjure you, by our love and the happiness of our lives, yield to my ardent entreaties and my fervent prayers; have the courage to defy the world and its prejudices. Follow me, my beloved; flee with me and consent to be my wife!“

The glances with which he regarded her were so loving, so imploring, that Laura could not find in her heart to offer decided resistance. Her own heart pleaded for him; and now when she might altogether lose him if she refused his request, now that he was affianced to another, she was filled with a torturing jealousy; she was now conscious that it would be easier to die than renounce her lover.

But she still had the strength to battle with her own weak heart, to desire to shut out the alluring voices which resounded in her own breast. Like Odysseus, she tried to be deaf to the sirens' voices which tempted her. But she still heard them, and although she had found strength to refuse her lover's prayers and entreaties to flee with him, yet she could not repel his passionate appeals to her to be his wife.

It was so sweet to listen to the music of his voice; such bliss to lean her head on his shoulder, to look up into his handsome countenance and to drink in the words of ardent and devoted love which fell from his lips; to know what he suffers is for your sake! It rests with you to give him happiness or despair. She knew not that the words which she drank in were coursing like fire through her own veins, destroying her resolution and turning her strength to ashes.

As he, at last, brought to despair by her silence and resistance, burst into tears, and accused her of cruelty and indifference, as she saw his noble countenance shadowed with pain and sorrow, she no longer found courage to offer resistance, and throwing herself into his arms, with a happy blush, she whispered:

„Take me; I am yours forever! I accept you as my master and husband. Your will shall be mine; what you command I will obey; where you call me there will I go; I will follow you to the ends of the earth, and nothing but death shall hereafter separate us!“

The prince pressed her closely and fervently to his heart, and kissed her pure brow.

„God bless you, my darling; God bless you for this resolution.“ His voice was now firm and full, and his countenance had assumed an expression of tranquillity and energy. He was no longer the sighing, despairing lover, but a determined man, who knew what his wishes were, and had the courage and energy to carry them into execution.

Fritz Wendel pressed Louise more closely to his side, and whispered:

„You say that Laura is an angel of virtue and modesty, and yet she has not the cruel courage to resist her lover; she yields to his entreaties, and is determined to flee with him. Will you be less kind and humane than this tender, modest Laura? Oh, Louise, you should also follow your tender, womanly heart; flee with me and become my wife. I will conceal you, and then go to those who would now reject my suit scornfully, and dictate terms to them.“

„I will do as she does,“ whispered Louise, with glowing cheeks. „What Laura can do, I may also do; if she flies with her lover, I will fly with you; if she becomes his wife, I will be yours. But let us be quiet, and listen.“

„And now, my Laura, listen attentively to every word I utter,“ said Prince Augustus William, gravely. „I have made all the necessary preparations, and in a week you will be my wife. There is a good and pious divine on one of my estates who is devoted to me. He has promised to perform the marriage ceremony. On leaving Berlin we will first flee to him, and our union will receive his blessing in the village church at night; a carriage will await us at the door, which, with fresh relays of horses, will rapidly conduct us to the Prussian boundary. I have already obtained from my friend the English ambassador a passport, which will carry us safely to England under assumed names; once there, my uncle, the King of England, will not refuse his protection and assistance; and by his intercession we will be reconciled to the king my brother. When he sees that our union has been accomplished, he will give up all useless attempts to separate us.“

„But he can and will punish you for this; you will thereby forfeit your right of succession to the throne, and for my sake you will be forced to renounce your proud and brilliant future.“

„I shall not regret it,“ said the prince, smiling. „I do not long for a crown, and will not purchase this bauble of earthly magnifisence at the expense of my happiness and my love. And perhaps I have not the strength, the talent, or the power of intellect to be a ruler. It suffices me to rule in your heart, and be a monarch in the kingdom of your love. If I can therefore purchase the uncontested possession of my beloved by renouncing all claims to the throne, I shall do so with joy and without the slightest regret.“

„But I, poor, humble, weak girl that I am, how can I make good the loss you will sustain for my sake?“ asked Laura.

„Your love will be more than a compensation. You must now lay aside all doubt and indecision. You know our plans for the future. On my part all the preliminary measures have been taken; you should also make whatever preparations are necessary. It is Hartwig, the curate of Oranienburg, who is to marry us. Send the necessary apparel and whatever you most need to him, without a word or message. The curate has already been advised of their arrival, and will retain the trunks unopened. On next Tuesday, a week from to-day, the king will give a ball. For two days previous to this ball you will keep your room on the plea of sickness; this will be a sufficient excuse for your not accompanying the queen. I shall accept the invitation, but will not appear at the ball, and will await you at the castle gate of Monbijou. At eight o'clock the ball commences; at nine you will leave your room and the castle, at the gate of which I will receive you. At a short distance from the gate a carriage will be in readiness to convey us to Oranienburg, where we will stop before the village church. There we will find a preacher standing before the altar, ready to perform the ceremony, and when this is accomplished we will enter another carriage which will rapidly convey us to Hamburg, where we will find a ship, hired by the English ambassador, ready to take us to England. You see, dear Laura, that every thing has been well considered, and nothing can interfere with our plans, now that we understand each other. In a week, therefore, remember, Laura.“

„In a week,“ she whispered. „I have no will but yours.“

„Until then we will neither see nor speak with each other, that no thoughtless word may excite suspicion in the breasts of the spies who surround us. We must give each other no word, no message, no letter, or sign; but I will await you at the castle gate at nine o'clock on next Tuesday, and you will not let me wait in vain.“

„No, you shall not wait in vain,“ whispered Laura, with a happy smile, hiding her blushing face on the breast of her lover.

„And you, will you let me wait in vain?“ asked Fritz Wendel, raising Louise's head from his breast, and gazing on her glowing and dreamy countenance.

„No, I shall not let you wait in vain,“ said Louise von Schwerin. „We will also have our carriage, only we will leave a little sooner than the prince and Laura. We will also drive to Oranienburg, and await the prince before the door of the church. We will tell him we knew his secret and did not betray him. We will acknowledge our love, Laura will intercede for us, and the preacher will have to perform the ceremony for two couples instead of one. We will then accompany the prince and his wife in their flight to England; from there the prince will obtain pardon of the king, and we the forgiveness of my family. Oh, this is a splendid, a magnificent plan!--a flight, a secret marriage at night, and a long journey. This will be quite like the charming romances which I am so fond of, and mine will be a fantastic and adventurous life. But what is that?“ said she. „Did you hear nothing? It seems to me I heard a noise as of some one opening the outer door of the conservatory.“

„Be still,“ murmured Fritz Wendel, „I heard it also; let us therefore be on our guard.“

The prince and Laura had also heard this noise, and were listening in breathless terror, their glances fastened on the door. Perhaps it was only the wind which had moved the outer door; perhaps--but no, the door opened noiselessly, and a tall female figure cautiously entered the saloon.

„The queen!“ whispered Laura, trembling.

„My mother!“ murmured the prince, anxiously looking around for some means of escape. He now perceived the dark grotto, and pointing rapidly toward it, he whispered: „Quick, quick, conceal yourself there. I will remain and await my mother.“

The stately figure of the queen could already be seen rapidly advancing through the flowers and shrubbery, and now her sparkling eye and proud and angry face were visible.

„Quick,“ whispered the prince, „conceal yourself, or we are lost!“

Laura slipped hastily behind the myrtle and laurel foliage and attained the asylum of the grotto, unobserved by the queen; she entered and leaned tremblingly against the inner wall. Blinded by the sudden darkness, she could see nothing, and she was almost benumbed with terror.

Suddenly she heard a low, whispering voice at her side: „Laura, dear Laura, fear nothing. We are true friends, who know your secret, and desire to assist you.“

„Follow me, mademoiselle,“ whispered another voice; „confide in us as we confide in you. We know your secret; you shall learn ours. Give me your hand; I will conduct you from this place noiselessly and unobserved, and you can then return to the castle.“

Laura hardly knew what she was doing. She was gently drawn forward, and saw at her side a smiling girlish face, and now she recognized the little maid of honor, Louise von Schwerin.

„Louise,“ said she, in a low voice, „what does all this mean?“

„Be still,“ she whispered: „follow him down the stairway. Farewell! I will remain and cover the retreat.“

Louise now hastily concealed the opening through which Fritz Wendel and Laura had disappeared, and then slipped noiselessly back to the grotto, and concealed herself behind the shrubbery at its entrance, so that she could see and hear every thing that took place.

It was in truth Queen Sophia Dorothea, who had dismissed her attendants and come alone to the conservatory at this unusual hour.

This was the time at which the queen's maids of honor were not on service, and were at liberty to do as they pleased. The queen had been in the habit of reposing at this time, but to-day she could not find rest; annoyed at her sleeplessness, she had arisen, and in walking up and down had stepped to the window and looked dreamily down into the still and desolate garden. Then it was that she thought she saw a female figure passing hurriedly down the avenue. It must have been one of her maids of honor; and although the queen had not recognized her, she was convinced that it was none other than Laura von Pannewitz, and that she was now going to a rendezvous with her unknown lover, whom the queen had hitherto vainly endeavored to discover. The queen called her waiting-maids to her assistance, and putting on her furs and hood, she told them she felt a desire to take a solitary walk in the garden, and that none of her attendants should be called, with which she hurried into the garden, following the same path which the veiled lady had taken. She followed the foot-tracks in the snow to the conservatory, and entered without hesitation, determined to discover the secret of her maid of honor, and to punish her.

It was fortunate for the poor lovers that the increasing corpulence of the queen and her swollen right foot rendered her advance rather slow, so that when she at last reached the lower end of the conservatory she found no one there but her son Augustus William, whose embarrassed and constrained reception of herself convinced the queen that her appearance was not only a surprise, but also a disagreeable one. She therefore demanded of him with severity the cause of his unexpected and unusual visit to her conservatory; and when Augustus William smilingly replied--

„That he had awaited here the queen's awakening, in order that he might pay his visit--“

The queen asked abruptly: „And who, my son, helped to dispel the ennui of this tedious waiting?“

„No one, my dear mother,“ said the prince; but he did not dare to meet his mother's penetrating glance.

„No one?“ repeated she; „but I heard you speaking on entering the conservatory.“

„You know, your majesty, that I have inherited the habit of speaking aloud to myself from my father,“ replied the prince, with a constrained smile.

„The king my husband did not cease speaking when I made his appearance,“ exclaimed the queen, angrily; „he had no secrets to hide from me.“

„The thoughts of my royal father were grand, and worthy of the sympathy of Queen Sophia Dorothea,“ said the prince, bowing low.

„God forbid that the thoughts of his son should be of another and less worthy character!“ exclaimed the queen. „My sons should, at least, be too proud to soil their lips with an untruth; and if they have the courage to do wrong, they should also find courage to acknowledge it.“

„I do not understand you, my dear mother;“ and meeting her penetrating glance with quiet composure, he continued, „I am conscious of no wrong, and consequently have none to acknowledge.“

„This is an assurance which deserves to be unmasked,“ exclaimed the queen, who could no longer suppress her anger. „You must know, prince, that I am not to be deceived by your seeming candor and youthful arrogance. I know that you were not alone, for I myself saw the lady coming here who kept you company while awaiting me, and I followed her to this house.“

„Then it seems that your majesty has followed a fata morgana,“ said the prince, with a forced smile; „for, as you see, I am alone, and no one else is present in the conservatory.“

But even while speaking, the prince glanced involuntarily toward the grotto which concealed his secret.

The Queen Sophia Dorothea caught this glance, and divined its meaning.

„There is no one in the saloon, and it now remains to examine the grotto,“ said she, stepping forward hastily.

The prince seized her hand, and endeavored to hold her back.

„I conjure you, mother, do not go too far in your suspicion and your examinations. Remember that your suspicion wounds me.“

The queen gave him a proud, angry glance.

„I am here on my own property,“ said she, withdrawing her hand, „and no one shall oppose my will.“

„Well, then, madame, follow your inclination,“ said the prince, with a resolute air; „I wished to spare you an annoyance. Let discord and sorrow come over us, if your majesty will have it so; and as you are inexorable, you will also find me firm and resolute. Examine the grotto, if you will.“

He offered her his arm and conducted her to the grotto. Sophia Dorothea felt disarmed by her son's resolute bearing, and she was almost convinced that she had done him injustice, and that no one was concealed in the grotto. With a benignant smile she had turned to her son, to say a few soothing words, when she heard a low rustle among the shrubbery, and saw something white flitting through the foliage.

„And you say, my son, that I was deceived by a fata morgana“ exclaimed the queen, hurrying forward with outstretched arm. „Come, my young lady, and save us and yourself the shame of drawing you forcibly from your hiding-place.“

The queen had not been mistaken. Something moved among the shrubbery, and now a female figure stepped forth and threw herself at the feet of the queen.

„Pardon, your majesty, pardon! I am innocent of any intention to intrude on your majesty's privacy. I had fallen asleep in this grotto, and awoke when it was too late to escape, as your majesty was already at the entrance of the conservatory. In this manner I have been an involuntary witness of your conversation. This is my whole fault.“

The queen listened with astonishment, while the prince regarded with consternation the kneeling girl who had been found here in the place of his Laura.

„This is not the voice of Mademoiselle von Pannewitz,“ said the queen, as she passed out into the light, and commanded the kneeling figure to follow her, that she might see her face. The lady arose and stepped forward. „Louise von Schwerin!“ exclaimed the queen and the prince at the same time, while the little maid of honor folded her hands imploringly, and said, with an expression of childish innocence:

„O your majesty, have compassion with me! Yesterday's ball made me so very tired; and as your majesty was sleeping, I thought I would come here and sleep a little too, although I had not forgotten that your majesty was not pleased to have us visit this conservatory alone.“

Sophia Dorothea did not honor her with a glance; her eyes rested on her son with an expression of severity and scorn.

„Really, I had a better opinion of you,“ said she. „It is no great achievement to mislead a child, and one that is altogether unworthy of a royal prince.“

„My mother,“ exclaimed the prince, indignantly, „you do not believe--“

„I believe what I see,“ said the queen, interrupting him. „Have done with your assurances of innocence, and bow to the truth, which has judged you in spite of your denial. And you, my young lady, will accompany me, and submit to my commands in silence, and without excuses. Come, and assume a cheerful and unconstrained air, if you please. I do not wish my court to hear of this scandal, and to read your guilt in your terrified countenance. I shall take care that you do not betray your guilt in words. Come.“

The prince looked after them with an expression of confusion and astonishment. „Well, no matter how this riddle is solved,“ murmured he, after the queen had left the conservatory with her maid of honor, „Laura is safe at all events, and in a week we will flee.“