CHAPTER V.
Most of the guests had arrived. The magnificence of the dresses with which the ball-room was crowded, hid from view the calamities caused by the war that had lately visited Saxony. The King's dress was covered with diamonds, large diamonds formed the buttons of his tunic, whilst a profusion of the same precious stones glittered on the hilt of his sword and the buckles of his shoes. His majestic figure looked quite youthful, and the expression of his features was more suited to a victor than to one who had been obliged to fight for his throne against a most determined adversary.
The dresses of the ladies also glittered with precious stones, although many of the court beauties had no need of these adornments. The Queen alone was modestly dressed; Augustus gallantly hastened forward to meet her; the musicians played a fanfare. The principal actresses, however, had not yet arrived.
The King had already begun to frown in true Olympic fashion, and was looking at Fürstenberg in a way that that nobleman understood perfectly, when, despite the respect due to the presence of the sovereign, murmurs arose at the entrance to the ball-room. The eyes of all the guests were eagerly turned towards the doorway.
"They come!" whispered Fürstenberg.
He was right; and the next moment, Hoym, his face pale and sad, entered the room, accompanied by his wife.
Perhaps never before had there been seen beauty so dazzling, even at that court so famed for beautiful women.
Countess Hoym walked amongst the ladies with the dignity of a queen; she was fearless, calm, dignified, and so lovely, that there was a general murmur of admiration. The King looked at her intently, but failed to catch her eyes. As she was to be presented to the Queen, she allowed herself to be conducted to Her Majesty, but she did not appear to be dazzled by the splendour of the court, or by the Apollo-like beauty of the King, who, it was evident, had placed himself so as to appear before her to the best advantage. A quiver of impatience passed over his features.
Hoym led his wife forward, looking like a man condemned to death. His enemies were delighted at the sight of his agony, which he made no attempt to conceal. The Queen looked kindly on the Countess, and smiled on her graciously, but she was full of pity for the fate that awaited that beautiful woman. She even sighed slightly.
As soon as the formalities of the presentation were concluded, the musicians played a polonaise, and the King opened the ball with the Queen.
Princess Teschen had not yet arrived. All the other ladies were present, however, even Fraulein Hulchen, who, although ill, had overcome her sufferings in order to satisfy her curiosity.
The first dance was just ended, when the sounds of renewed murmuring announced that something unusual had occurred. All the guests, and even the King, looked in the direction whence the sound proceeded--there on the threshold, as though hesitating whether or no she should enter, stood Princess Teschen. She was clad in deep mourning. On seeing who it was, Augustus went forward to meet her, looking very much annoyed.
"Whom have you lost," he inquired ironically, "that you appear here in a dress so little suited to a ball?"
"I have lost your Majesty," murmured Teschen softly.
The inquisitive eyes that had been regarding the Princess were now turned towards Countess Hoym, and even the ladies acknowledged that the latter was by far the more beautiful.
Augustus was intoxicated at the sight of her beauty, and the moment Countess Vitzthum had separated her from her husband, he approached Hoym, and clapping him on the shoulder, said confidentially,--
"My dear Count, you have won that thousand ducats off Fürstenberg. I congratulate you on your good fortune, and also on your wife's beauty. There is no doubt that she is the most beautiful lady at our court. Oh, Hoym, what a happy man you must be!"
But seeing Hoym, as he stood with drooping head, listening to the King's congratulations, no one would have supposed him to be happy. On the contrary, he looked like one humiliated and crushed; like a man repenting his evil deeds; like one who, did he but dare, would groan aloud in his anguish. Fürstenberg bowed, looking ironically at the King.
"I see, your Majesty," said he in a whisper, "that I must pay the costs of the King's decision, and that I must also pay the piper."
Augustus turned towards him, and, extending his hand to be kissed, said,--
"Do not complain, Fürstenberg; pay the thousand ducats, and take ten thousand from my treasury as a reward for the opportunity you have given me of beholding such a masterpiece of beauty."
Meanwhile, Princess Teschen sat alone--every one had deserted her. Having observed this, Augustus, following his usual custom of sweetening, as far as possible, his subjects' downfall, went over to her. Those unacquainted with the King's mode of procedure were much surprised at seeing him walk in that direction. But Countess Reuss and Fraulein Hulchen, who observed his movements, were well aware of its meaning.
"Teschen is overthrown!" said the Countess, addressing her friend. "The King has gone over to her!"
The old courtiers also, who had seen the King embracing Chancellor Beichling the day before he was sent to Königstein, knew how to interpret His Majesty's tenderness towards the Princess Teschen.
"Do you know," said the King, seating himself by her side, "that looking at you in that black dress, you are so beautiful that you remind me of that tournament at Warsaw, when you fainted through anxiety for my safety?"
"But Countess Hoym is more beautiful than I am, than the tournament, or the remembrance of my fainting," replied the Princess sarcastically.
"Countess Hoym may be beautiful, even most beautiful," said Augustus, "but there are things more beautiful than beauty itself--and one is a tender and loving heart. Dear Princess, do not make such a spectacle of yourself; return home, put on your blue dress, that is so becoming to you, and wait for me for supper."
A deep blush overspread the pale face of the Princess Ursula.
"My King! my Lord!" she exclaimed, forgetful of all that had gone before. "Is this true? Is it possible that Augustus is still mine?"
"Pray do not doubt me," replied the King gravely. "Why should I lie?"
It was true. At that moment the King did not lie; Countess Hoym's beauty had made a great impression on him, but at the same time it had filled him with a sort of fear. The energy of her character betrayed itself in her every movement and glance, and he felt that he should be obliged to lay half of his power at her feet. Anna's face said, "I must rule;" the face of Ursula said, "I love you, and I am dying for your love!" Countess Hoym even appeared to him too sad and serious. That, therefore, was the reason he went over to console the Princess; he had no wish to lose her, and place his neck beneath the yoke of a woman who seemed not in the least anxious to conquer him.
Countess Hoym was very tastefully dressed; she wore no jewels, but her coiffure and the colour and cut of her dress lent an added charm to her beauty. The portraits of her taken at that time, represent her as having a face of an exquisite oval, a small nose, lovely lips, and very expressive, large black eyes, whilst her features were very delicate, and her long black hair very abundant. Her hands, bust, and waist were of a corresponding beauty; and her fair face blushed and paled with every succeeding emotion.
Although exposed to the gaze of several hundred persons, Anna Hoym was not in the least confused; at first she was silent and dignified, but she speedily became accustomed to the dazzling splendour, which appeared to her to be an ordinary thing here, for although the court in which she had passed her young days was not so splendid as that of Dresden, the forms, she found, were the same.
Princess Teschen at once prepared to obey the King's command, and having cast on him one languishing glance, she left the ball-room almost triumphant. A few moments later Augustus stood beside Countess Hoym's chair. He gazed at her in silence, and, having noticed his approach, Anna rose. The King requested her to be seated, and she obeyed, but without any exaggerated respect.
At that time it was the custom that when the King desired to talk with any one, those standing near immediately retreated. This custom was observed in the present instance.
"Countess, you are the most beautiful lady at my court," said the King gallantly, bending towards her as he spoke. "I am delighted with the new and splendid star that has now risen on my horizon."
Anna raised her head proudly.
"Your Majesty!" replied she, "at night, any small light looks like a star, but with the daylight it expires. I know how to appreciate your Majesty's favour, and it is to this favour that I attribute these flattering words."
"I only repeat what I hear," said Augustus.
"People who see me for the first time," rejoined Anna, laughing, "usually see badly. A new object amuses; that alone is truly beautiful which, after many years, still appears beautiful."
The King was silent, for he understood that the beautiful lady beside him was referring to his gallantry towards Princess Teschen. But after a few moments, he said,--
"You are too modest."
"Oh, no!" replied Anna with animation. "I do not attach any value to beauty."
"But beauty of face indicates beauty of soul," rejoined the King.
Anna lowered her eyes. The King did not leave her.
"After the long solitude imposed on you by your husband," continued Augustus, "the court must appear very strange to you."
"Not at all," replied Anna. "I spent my youth at a court which, although more modest than your Majesty's, gave me just the same idea as to what all courts are."
"And what are they?" inquired the King.
"A well-played comedy," answered the Countess.
"And what rôle do I play in it?"
"Perhaps that of a manager, who is deceived and robbed by every one."
Augustus, slightly surprised, inquired,--
"Do you find everything here deceitful?"
"How could it be otherwise?" asked Anna. "Kings never hear the truth."
"It may be so," said Augustus, "and that is the reason they so frequently search for lips from which they may hear it."
"But perhaps," rejoined Anna, "they only find lips that know how to administer poison more skilfully than the others."
"Your speech," said the King politely, "proves to me that you do not like splendid courts. I greatly regret this, for I thought that the light from your eyes would brighten our gloomy skies."
"Your Majesty," replied Anna with animation, "I should sound here with a false note. I know not how to sing like the others."
To turn the current of their conversation, Augustus now began to make humorous remarks about the ladies and gentlemen surrounding them. And from this Anna discovered that he knew far more about the characters, inclinations, and even of the secrets in the lives of his courtiers, than she would have expected.
"You see," added Augustus, "that this comedy holds no secrets for me; and what renders it very amusing is that these people imagine that they deceive and blind me."
"Thus the gods look on the earth," concluded the Countess.
The King was much pleased at being called a god. As she spoke those words, her eyes, for the first time, met those of the King, which were fixed on her full of enthusiasm and admiration. In Anna's eyes there was only an expression of cold curiosity, not unmixed with fear.
After this, the King left her slowly. His courtiers all tried to divine his thoughts. Fürstenberg was the first to encounter him.
"Your Majesty," said he, "may I dare to ask if the most beautiful is also--"
"The most witty," said the King, finishing his sentence for him. "We must tell Hoym that he must not on any account venture to take her from Dresden. She is very interesting indeed--a little bit cold, but that will pass with time."
Hoym, who had been watching from a distance, was unable to guess his wife's thoughts; but the moment Anna was left alone Countess Reuss, Fraulein Hulchen, and Countess Vitzthum hastened forward and surrounded her.
The King noticed it, and shrugged his shoulders.
"They already bow before the rising sun," whispered he to Fürstenberg. "But I very much fear that they will be disappointed."
Fürstenberg looked surprised.
"You also are mistaken," said Augustus, bending down and speaking in his ear. "Hoym's wife is beautiful, I have examined her carefully: she is an animated Greek statue, but she is too energetic, too intelligent; and besides, she would wish to rule. A few days' pleasure with her is all that I desire. Her beauty attracts me, but her character repels me."
Fürstenberg now looked very much astonished, and the King went away.
During all this time, no one had noticed the pale face of a young man, whose head towered above all the others in the crowd around the door. His glance rested continually on Anna, and when the King approached her, his eyes gleamed with anger. At first Countess Hoym did not observe him, but when the King had left her, and she had more leisure to look around her, she perceived and recognized Zaklika.
As her eyes rested on his pale face, she grew a trifle confused. Then, uncertain whether she was mistaken or not, she looked again, and this time she met his eyes gazing towards her. Now there was no longer room for doubt: her silent admirer from Laubegast stood before her. In the expression of his face, she seemed to read pity, sorrow, and uneasiness.
His looks made her uneasy, and every moment she glanced in his direction, hoping he might have disappeared. But no, he was still there, and with the same expression on his features. Why should that poor, unknown vagabond of a man interest her more than the shining majesty of the King, or than the courtiers, who were all bent on petting her? That was a question she was quite unable to answer. She only felt that a mysterious chain of some strange destiny united her to that stranger.
Was he an executioner awaiting the hour of her torture, or was he a victim awaiting the execution? Anna knew not, but a mysterious, tormenting voice seemed to whisper to her, prophesying the unfolding of some future destiny between herself and that stranger. Every time she met his glance, she shivered.
She laughed at her foolish fancies, and the echo in her soul replied with plaintive moaning.
It was in such a mood that Hoym found her, and he looked very yellow and sour as he offered her his arm to escort her home. Fate decreed that they went towards the door near which the stranger youth was standing. The crowd stepped aside to let them pass. As she crossed the threshold, the Countess glanced fearfully around, and perceived the stranger from Laubegast leaning against the wall. Having met her glance, the youth knelt on one knee, and she felt him seize the hem of her dress and press it to his lips. When, however, she turned, he had disappeared.
There before her stood the Countess Reuss, who invited them to supper so cordially that the Secretary could not refuse.
Fürstenberg was behind her. They proceeded immediately to the house of Countess Reuss, where, in company with a select circle, they spent about an hour. The famous Egeria Hulchen was the leader there. She was an old maid, but the King gave heed to her words, and frequently asked her advice. Around her gathered all those who wished to rule, or to keep up their influence. The King laughed at this clique, but, by its unseen springs, it ruled both him and the court.
Countess Reuss was one of the principal acting figures at the court of Augustus II. In her house were held the most important councils. Here plans were laid for the overthrow or rise of one or other of the lord's favourites; here also was predicted the favours that awaited the various ladies; and here, too, they foretold with great exactness the moment when the King's variable affection would require to change the object of its devotion.
Hoym was aware that Countess Reuss, foreseeing a new favourite, was trying to win her to her side; he was shocked by her obsequiousness, which allowed all to guess that she foresaw in Anna a substitute for Princess Teschen, but he could not be angry, or rather, he could not show that he was angry. Through Fraulein Hulchen and her relations, Countess Reuss had a very great influence at court, and it would be dangerous to make an enemy of her. Consequently he appeared not to notice anything amiss, and accepted the invitation.
The party assembled in the drawing-room was very animated, while in the boudoir adjoining, where persons were moving in and out, the hostess, her friend, Fürstenberg, and other members of the clique were talking business. The largest circle of guests talked of silk and stuff, and gossiped of matters familiar to every one.
According to the prevailing opinion, the King's tenderness towards Teschen was a sure sign of her downfall. But Augustus II. was obliged to spare her, for many reasons. Her relation to Sobieskis, and Radziejowskis, and her influence in Poland, obliged the King to reckon with her.
In the boudoir, Countess Reuss was asking Fürstenberg what the King had told him concerning Countess Hoym.
"I know the King," replied the Prince, "especially as regards his disposition towards women. Countess Hoym was sharp and proud--that repelled him for a time, but her beauty appeals to his senses, and his senses always subdue him. He is afraid of her, and therefore he will desire her all the more--and you know that he must always have that for which he longs. It appears that Countess Hoym is not inclined to play the part of an easy favourite, and the King will exhaust all his strength before he conquers her, but there is no doubt that he pleases her."
"Then you think that her time will come?"
"Yes. Speaking from my knowledge of him, the King would like to gratify his fancy, but he has no desire for more solid relations; it depends entirely on her, and how she conducts this affair."
"Do you know anything about her, Chancellor?"
"I can only guess," replied Fürstenberg. "I believe that neither her husband, nor any one else, perhaps not even she herself, knows how she will act when she is extolled. To-day she is a proud and noble woman; she has a strong character, she is witty, she is clever."
"But she would let herself be guided?" inquired Countess Reuss.
The Prince became thoughtful.
"I only know this," he replied at length, "I prefer to deal with intelligent persons, rather than with those who do not know what they are doing."
Silence followed this remark, and presently the Countess signed to him to leave her alone. When he had departed, she walked up and down her boudoir several times, then she entered the drawing-room. Here she man[oe]uvred so cleverly, that she was able to approach Anna, take her away from the circle of guests, and lead her into the boudoir, where, after making her take a seat by her side, she spoke as follows:--
"Dear Countess, if you have any patience and indulgence for an old friend, permit me to speak with you frankly. No one can hear us in this room. I wish to advise and help you. You know sufficient of the court, the times in which we live, and of yourself, to be certain that you have not been brought to Dresden in vain. The King is weary of Teschen, and he must be in love with some one, it is his nature, and we must be indulgent to such a great and good lord, in whom the whole world will forgive such weakness. For us who surround the King, it only remains to derive as much good from this as we can. You can occupy the most brilliant position by the King's side, only you must be quick, and you must also be well aware of what you are going to do."
"Dear Countess," replied Anna, "I have no ambition, I do not care for riches. I have a husband, and I desire to remain an honest woman."
"I would not raise any objection to your doing so," rejoined Countess Reuss, smiling, "but permit me to say that I can see no reason why you should become a martyr. Hoym is awful; he is worn out, he is a libertine, he betrays you; it is impossible for you to love him; sooner or later, the heart must speak."
"I shall silence it!"
"Once, or twice, but afterwards there will come the years of weariness and longing, when, in your despair, you will throw yourself on some one's breast, and even then you will not be happy. I know the world well; such is our lot. The King, however, is fascinating and beautiful, and life with him may become a paradise."
"But he is inconstant, and I do not understand capricious love. It disgusts me! Such love is not for me!"
"It is the women who are at fault," responded Countess Reuss, "if they do not know how to make such relations permanent. It would be useless to bind him with an oath, for the first priest would release him from it. Your best guarantee of stability will lie in your common sense, tact, and beauty. Every woman must know how to keep a husband, or a lover--it is our business."
Countess Hoym shrugged her shoulders.
"It is a very poor love that one has to keep tied by a string!" exclaimed she. "I do not care for such love! But frankness for frankness, dear Countess," she continued, in a whisper. "I do not pledge myself. At present, I wish to remain faithful to Hoym, and it is only love that would ever make me unfaithful to him. The moment I love, I shall leave Hoym and go openly to the one I love; and the man who loves me shall be my husband."
"But the King! the King!"
"Whether he be a king or no, matters not to me," said Countess Hoym.
"Do you know that the King is married, although he does not live with his wife?"
"He will be obliged to obtain a divorce and marry me," rejoined Anna. "I have no wish to play the rôle of either Esterle, or Königsmark, or of Teschen."
Having said this, she rose and walked majestically across the room; Countess Reuss was silent, there was nothing more to be said.
"You will do as you please," said she, after a while. "As a good friend, it was my duty to warn you and give you good advice. Let us remain friends, but allow me to tell you this: the position you disdain is not so base and secondary as you imagine. The King will bow to your wishes; you may rule the country, and do much good; you may succour the unfortunate, make the people happy--all this is worth something."
"My honour is dearer to me than all that," replied Countess Hoym. "Let us speak no more on this subject."
They left the room. The ladies in the drawing-room looked at them curiously, trying to guess the subject of their conversation. Anna's face was crimson, the Countess Reuss was pale, yet both were smiling.
Suddenly the light of torches shone out beneath the window, and, looking out, Fürstenberg perceived the King on his way to visit Teschen, but he looked as sad as a man who had been sentenced to suffer some severe penalty.