Tales from the German. Volume I.

by C. F. van der Velde

CHAPTER XXI.

The diet of Sweden had assembled at the capital. To the house of assembly hastened the Swedish lords, counts and barons, the knights, the lower nobility, and the good men of the kingdom, to deliberate upon her welfare in the pleno plenorum. Arwed rode gloomily through the files of carriages and masses of people who filled the Ritter square in crowds. His way led him past the statue of the great Gustavus Vasa, which adorned the place. 'Oh that thou wert now alive, noble hero!' sighed he, as he came in view of it. 'Then, truly, the despotism of vassals would not dare to deck itself with the robes of righteousness!' As if desirous of fleeing from the grief which preyed upon him, he gave the spur to his horse, and hastily passed the bridge which connects Holy-Ghost island and the city with the Norrmalm, and followed the south bank towards Blasiusholm, the refuge of Georgina. At the door he met the preacher Conradi, in whose countenance he observed with surprise an expression of hope and serenity, mingled with some degree of excitement. They entered the room of the young sufferer together.

'Sister is praying in her chamber,' whispered the little Magdalena to them. 'We must not disturb her.'

'May God hear the prayer of the pious maiden,' said Conradi. 'Since yesterday a small gleam of hope has arisen.'

'Hope?' asked Arwed. 'You have seen the cold, inimical, hypocritical face of the queen, and dream you yet of hope?'

'If Ulrika remain queen,' answered Conradi, 'then indeed is Goertz lost; but she has received as yet but the allegiance of the senate and army, and not that of the country. Before she obtains the latter many things may happen. I spoke yesterday with the counsellor count Tessin, who is most favorably disposed towards our poor friend. The queen has committed a great political error. She has, in convoking the members of the diet, styled herself hereditary queen. This has injured her cause. The senate has been severely reproached on account of the readiness with which it acknowledged her hereditary right. They have also sought to awaken dissatisfaction among the people; and in the last sitting of the senate, the president, count Horn, did not hesitate to desire of the queen that she should surrender the conferring of the royal dignity to the decision of the diet. That only would insure her the crown, which she else may lose.'

'Elected or hereditary queen! is it not all one?' asked Arwed.

'Not for the diet,' answered Conradi; 'and as little for the queen. The hereditary king is indebted only to God and his forefathers; the elected king is the creature of the electors, and must be dependent upon them.'

'And if Ulrika should now stand upon her hereditary right?' asked Arwed further.

'Then,' answered Conradi, 'she would by this exercise of arbitrary power, provoke the diet to inquire into the hereditary right of the duke of Holstein, which would perhaps stand the scrutiny much better than her's.'

'That would little help the good cause!' replied Arwed. 'What can be expected of a prince who is capable of giving up his faithful minister to the rage of his enemies?'

'Or the throne would be declared vacant,' proceeded Conradi, 'and a regent of the empire seated upon it. To that end are many Swedish lords laboring, as I am well informed from good sources. At all events let there be a change in the government, and there may be also a change of feeling in relation to Goertz, to his advantage.'

'I doubt that,' observed Arwed. 'Though the contending parties may oppose each other ever so bitterly on other subjects, all unite in their hatred of the foreigner. He is the common enemy against whom they all, as one man, array themselves.'

'You shall not thus frivolously deprive me of my best joy,' said Conradi, struck by the weight of his objection.

'All your suppositions,' continued Arwed, 'are founded upon the hypothesis that the queen will persevere in maintaining her hereditary right. But she will not persevere. As soon as it clearly appears to her that she can purchase the crown only at this price, she will become an elective queen, or charity queen, or whatever else it may please the diet to name her.'

'Do you think so?' asked Conradi with alarm.

'Has she not already yielded the sovereignty?' asked Arwed. 'She who can lend herself to become a state puppet, to be decked out with crown and sceptre on festival days, that the people may imagine they have a queen, will, not be obstinate upon minor points. Let her but retain the title of queen, and that will be enough for a vain-glorious woman.'

'Destroy not so cruelly my last air-built castle, Arwed!' said Georgina, stepping out of her chamber, her eyes red with weeping. 'I have enjoyed to-day the first cheerful moment for months, through the intelligence brought me by the good Conradi, and your contradiction of it cuts me to the heart.'

'Do not lose courage yet, baroness!' said Conradi, consolingly. 'Notwithstanding the captain despairs of every thing, the anchor of my hopes still holds fast in this tempest. Let the plenum plenorum be only once held, and then will Gyllenstierna hold another language.'

'Then may we very soon expect their decision,' said Arwed. 'The plenum plenorum is already organized. May its deliberations result differently from my anticipations!'

'Organized to-day?' asked Conradi with great astonishment. 'I thought that to-day would be occupied in examining credentials and establishing forms of procedure.'

'That had been previously done,' answered Arwed. 'I know for a certainty, by means of my father's secretary, that the full action of the diet commences to-day.'

'Then count Tessin has not dealt fairly with me,' murmured Conradi, shaking his head. 'Probably he wished to lull me to sleep and find out what further means might be at my command. That is not cavalier-like. When the lion creeps and watches like the cat, it becomes only a common animal.'

A long pause ensued, during which each one was occupied with his own thoughts. Georgina leaned her head upon the back of her chair, whilst her breast labored with the anguish of fearful expectation. Arwed stood there with his arms folded, casting glances of love and compassion upon the maiden. The little Magdalena, unaware of the importance of the moment, was innocently playing with his sword knot; while Conradi had stepped to the window, and was listening attentively to every sound from without.

'Did you not hear something like the sound of a distant bell?' he asked Arwed. The latter hastened anxiously to the window, and listened to the faint sounds. Directly more distinct tones fell upon his ear.

'Those are the bells of Jacob's church!' cried Georgina, springing up. 'What means this general ringing of the bells at so unusual an hour?'

'Something of importance either for good or evil,' said Conradi. 'I think the diet must have decided, and these bells are to celebrate their choice.'

'Arwed!' sighed Georgina, stretching out her hands imploringly towards the youth.

'I will go into the city and procure intelligence,' said he, seizing his hat. 'God grant that I may bring you back good news.'

He hastened out, threw himself upon his horse, and coursed back to the city. From every tower rung out the merry peal of the bells, and in all the streets through which he rode, floated joyous multitudes of people. In the great square they were crowded head to head, and ten thousand hands pointed towards the capitol. 'The hour of decision has arrived,' said Arwed to himself. Leaping from his horse, and throwing the bridle reins to his servant, he pushed his way through the crowd to the portal of the building.

There stood the pompous equipage of the duke of Holstein. The duke sat therein, viewing the windows of the hall of assembly with a countenance expressive of sorrow and offended pride. An elderly gentleman in the uniform of a Holstein general, and with a pensive air, stepped out of the door of the capitol.'

'Now, Bauer?' cried the duke to him impatiently, throwing open the door of the carriage.

'All in vain, your grace!' said Bauer, stepping into the carriage. 'I did not even obtain an opportunity to read your protest to the end.'

'Sweden, Sweden, to whom I have offered up every thing,' growled the duke, 'is this your gratitude!' Hastily catching hold of the general, he drew him into the carriage and shut the door, crying, 'forward!' The carriage soon rattled out of Arwed's view.

Trumpets now sounded from the balcony of the capitol, attracting Arwed's attention to the place. The president of the senate, count Horn, accompanied by many of the senators, stepped out upon the balcony. 'Silence!' cried he to the crowd below, waving his hand. 'Silence!' cried the people in return, and all was still.

'Free Swedes!' cried the orator, 'the royal council and the assembled diet of this kingdom, by virtue of the elective right vested in them, in consequence of the throne having become vacant without immediate heirs, have elected to be queen of the Swedes and Goths the full sister of our immortal lord, her royal highness and princely grace the landgravine Ulrika Eleonora of Hesse. This gracious princess having solemnly renounced the sovereignty, so named, or unlimited sovereign power, we hereby declare the said unlimited power to be forever alienated from the throne, and will hold as an enemy to the kingdom whoever may hereafter, by secret artifice or the open exertion of force, attempt the assumption or exercise of absolute power. Long live her majesty, queen Ulrika Eleonora!'

'Long live her majesty Ulrika Eleonora!' roared the numberless throng, mingling their voices with the trumpet blasts; and, as if raised by a whirlwind, their hats and caps flew high in air.

'All is lost!' cried Arwed indignantly, as he opened a way for himself through the crowd.