CHAPTER XIII.
Prince Fürstenburg and Count Flemming had made a compact to get rid of Countess Cosel. She ordered them, as if she had been a Queen, she treated them proudly, and she squandered money like a child who is ignorant of its value. The influence she had acquired over the King alarmed every one. None of the King's favourites had had such power, such faith in herself, and none of them had been able to keep the fickle Augustus so long at her side. The whole court longed for her downfall; the number of her enemies increased daily. But the Countess heeded them not, and when the faithful Zaklika told her things that he had overheard, she only laughed contemptuously. Slowly yet surely the forces of her enemies were gathering together against her, but as yet they did not venture to declare open war. They were waiting for certain symptoms that would lead them to believe that the King was tired of her, and would indicate that the fight would be crowned with victory.
On the one side were adroit and clever courtiers, drilled from childhood in the art of intriguing, and aided in their enterprise by corrupt and cunning women; on the other side was Countess Cosel, proud, intelligent, trusting in her beauty, in her imaginary title of wife, in the knot that had been made fast by having her children acknowledged, and a few friends without influence, and a few double-faced people, who were eager to be on the victorious side, and only waiting to see which side had the greatest power. The prospect was that the war would be long, but Cosel's adversaries were patient, and, knowing the disposition of the King, felt confident of an ultimate victory.
They knew that sooner or later Cosel must weary the King by her fancies and by her insatiable desire for luxury as well as by her pride and impetuosity. Until the present these had amused the King, but at any moment the scale might turn.
Every one of importance at Court was against Cosel, profiting by the King's absence in Flanders, whither he had gone to fight against France, in the hope that by some deed of daring he might brighten his fame, so clouded by the Swedish defeat. Fürstenberg and Flemming wished to shake the King's love by writing to him about the Countess's extravagant luxuries. So black did they succeed in painting her, that the King gave orders that she should not be furnished with too much money. Fürstenberg seized on this order to refuse Cosel money several times when she required it, for which insult the Countess threatened to give him a slap in the face should she come across him.
But when the King arrived in Dresden, he had not a single look for Fürstenberg, instead, he went straight to the Palace of the Four Seasons, where again he found Cosel just leaving her room after another confinement. She was more beautiful than ever, and, although weeping, received him most affectionately.
"Ah! my lord!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms round his neck, "you know that I am always eager to see you as soon as possible, yet, perhaps, never have I longed so much for your return as at the present time. Deliver me from persecution! Am I still the mistress of your heart or not, that these men humiliate me so cruelly?"
"Who?" inquired the King.
"Your best friends; that drunkard, Flemming, and that perverse hypocrite, Fürstenberg, have made me a laughing-stock. My lord! deliver me from them."
After long separation, Cosel had regained her power over the King, who had begun to cool towards her.
"I will scold Fürstenberg and Flemming severely," said he.
By the time he left the palace, he was once more under the influence of her charms, and when Fürstenberg and Flemming came to him with an accusation against her, he told them both to go the next day and beg the Countess's pardon.
"You are both wrong. I dislike quarrels, and you must make it up with the Countess."
"Your Majesty, it would be too humiliating for me," said Flemming.
"It must be done, otherwise you would be obliged to leave the Court."
The next day the King sent for them to come to the Palace of the Four Seasons. Cosel was crimson with anger, and proud as a Queen.
"I suppose," said the King, "that a mutual misunderstanding was the cause of the quarrel. The Countess will forget the past, and you, gentlemen, ever indulgent to the fair sex, you will overlook it if she has ever said any bitter words about you."
All the while the King was speaking, Cosel's look was full of anger, Fürstenberg's of hatred, and Flemming's of irony. Yet when he had finished, they bowed politely, and their indistinct mutterings might have been taken as begging pardon.
Neither side was deluded with the idea that the reconciliation was sincere.
Soon after this her cunning enemies again tried to make the King quarrel with the beautiful Cosel, who seemed to be one of those wonderful creatures who are always young. Passing through Brussels on his way from Flanders, the King met a beautiful dancing girl, called Duparc, and invited her to come to Dresden. Cosel's enemies knew how jealous she was, and they employed the Baroness Glasenapp to carry out an intrigue. When inviting Duparc to Dresden, Augustus did not tell her that he was the King; he was travelling then under the name of Count Torgau. On her arrival in Dresden, she failed to find a Count of that name. However, she had an aunt in Dresden, who was in the theatre, and this aunt took her to Chamberlain Murdachs, who was at that time director of the royal entertainments. He knew all about Duparc, and to her great surprise received her very well, expressing a wish that she would appear in the ballet, called "The Princess Elida," that had just been prepared to celebrate the King's return. All this was the work of Count Torgau, and both the women guessed that he must be the King, and their suppositions were rendered more certain by the anonymous presents received by the dancer.
During the ballet the King sat in the box with Cosel; when Duparc noticed him she fainted from emotion. The King ordered his doctor to go and attend to her, and this seriously displeased his jealous favourite.
"It seems to me," said she, "that your Majesty is too good in taking such interest in an unknown dancer, who probably does not deserve such a favour."
Augustus was offended, and replied drily,--
"It is true that I should often be accused of showing too much favour to persons who only abuse it! I hope that Duparc will be less exacting."
Cosel, unable to control either her voice or her movements, withdrew to the further end of the box, exclaiming,--
"Your Majesty has a peculiar taste for the street women."
Fearing a further outburst of passion from her, the King left the box.
Cosel was thus exposed to the ironical glances of the whole Court; she remained for a short time longer, then making believe that she was unwell, ordered her litter, and returned home.
The Countess's enemies thought that by exciting her jealousy, they would succeed in making her quarrel with the King; and with this end in view they sent the Baroness Glasenapp to call on her. She found Cosel in tears and at once began to prattle.
"You cannot think how I pity you. I know everything, and I am indignant at it. You do not perhaps know that the King has taken supper with Duparc?"
Cosel listened quietly to her gossip, then she said,--
"Do not think that I am jealous; I only grieve for the King, who wrongs himself more than he does me."
Having said this, she rose, wiped away her tears, and, suspecting some intrigue, tried to appear indifferent.
Glasenapp did not succeed in making her angry. Cosel could control herself at times.
The King did not come to see her the next day, he was afraid of her impetuosity. Instead he sent Vitzthum to reconnoitre. Cosel and he had always been good friends. Apparently, he came of his own accord, to inquire after her health, and did not in anyway allude to the events of the preceding evening.
"As you see, I am quite well," said Cosel with a sad smile.
"You are always beautiful!"
"And you are always good-hearted and polite."
They talked awhile on indifferent subjects, and then Vitzthum returned to the King and told him Cosel was very reasonable.
The whole clique of her enemies now waited impatiently for the dénouement. Towards evening Augustus himself repaired to the Palace of the Four Seasons.
The news spread, and faces grew sad in consequence.
The King had become accustomed to Anna, and did not wish to abandon her; although his passionate love for her had passed, the habit still remained. He was ashamed of Duparc and proud of Cosel. Cosel on her side was determined to be as reasonable as the Queen herself.
"I do not like public quarrels," said the King, "they do not become either of us."
"Your Majesty, it is my love for the King."
"It must be reasonable," interrupted Augustus.
"It is characteristic of love that it cannot be reasonable."
"But you must try not to be jealous."
"Why, your Majesty, should you give me any reason for jealousy?"
The King shrugged his shoulders, and replied,--
"Childishness."
Cosel refrained from another outburst; she knew that she was not threatened by anything.
The relations between her and the King were not at all changed, only they had become less cordial; a ceremonious gallantry was now substituted for his former passionate love.
The best proof that the Countess had not lost her lover's heart was furnished by the visit of the Danish King, Frederick IV. Augustus, who was always glad of an opportunity for festivities and entertainments, by which he might astonish Europe, received his nephew with great splendour, and in all the festivities Cosel played the leading part, for by her beauty and majestic mien, she was superior to all the women at Court. It seemed as though the King should be excused for admiring such an exceptional being.
After the balls, tournaments, shooting parties, there came the day when the Danish King must take his departure and set out on a journey to Berlin, whither Augustus was to accompany him. After a splendid supper, Cosel returned to her palace. Her face still glowed with triumph and enthusiasm, but at the same time she felt exhausted. She threw herself down on the sofa to rest.
In the palace perfect silence reigned, and this quiet, following on the noise of the entertainment, acted on her most strangely. She was seized with a most unjustifiable fear.
During the hour of her triumph, she had several times encountered Flemming's ironical glances, in which there was an expression of menace, which she alone could understand. Those looks stung her to the heart and made her sad.
In vain she tried to brighten her gloomy thoughts, by recalling all the marks of favour shown her by the King; she could not succeed, and even in the hour of her triumphs, she was haunted by the presentiment of a miserable future.
She did not expect to see the King that day, for the next morning he set out for Berlin.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps was heard coming along the corridor that connected the staircase with the gallery leading to the castle. It could be no one but Augustus, and Cosel sprang to her feet and hastened to the mirror, to assure herself that her hair and dress were in proper order.
Her first glance told Cosel that Augustus was in a state in which she had but seldom seen him.
The leave-taking of his nephew, whom the courtiers had respectfully carried to his bed, had been celebrated with bumper toasts. The King, although accustomed to these feasts, had not come out victorious. It was true that he was able to walk with the assistance of his chamberlain, but that minister only accompanied him to the door, and as soon as he was in Cosel's room he threw himself immediately on the sofa. His face was crimson, his eyes misty, and his speech indistinct.
"Anna," said he, "I wished to bid you goodbye. Well, to-day you were triumphant, as women very seldom can be. At least you will thank me for it."
Cosel turned towards him--she was sad.
"Alas! my lord," she replied, "I have not sufficient words to express my gratitude. But had you seen the jealous glances cast at me, you would understand why I have returned sad."
Augustus smiled.
"The tragi-comedy of life," he returned indifferently. "I had my Charles XII.--you have your Flemming! Every one has some pain, and life--is life. Be merry for my sake."
"I cannot," she said.
"For me!" repeated Augustus.
Cosel looked at him, then she smiled, though rather with an effort than from the heart.
"Could I always look on you, my lord," said she, sitting down beside him, "then I should be always most happy. But unfortunately you are going away, and who can tell how you will return?"
"Probably not so drunk as I am to-night," rejoined Augustus, with a cold smile. "I like wine, but I hate its dominating over me."
"And when will my lord return?" inquired Cosel.
"Ask the astrologers that question, I do not know. We are going to Berlin. But there is one thing I am glad of, Brandenburg will look rather meagre when compared with our festivities. Frederick will show us his soldiers instead of giving us a good dinner. Berlin after Dresden, ha! ha! ha! I am going on purpose to see my triumph."
"But will your Majesty return faithful to me?" asked Cosel, with whom this was now a constant thought.
"From Berlin?" laughed Augustus. "It is one of the most tedious courts in Europe. There is no danger there either for me or for you."
"And Dessau?" whispered Cosel.
"That is true!" said the King, making a movement with his head. "She was pretty, but she did not understand gallantry. She was offended with half a word. No, I do not like such women."
Then kissing her hand, he said,--
"My dear Anna, I should like to ask you a favour. I should be glad if you and Flemming would not devour each other."
Anna frowned.
"Your Majesty must kindly say that to Flemming, not to me. He is lacking in civility to me, to Cosel, to Augustus' wife."
At these words a strange smile passed over the King's face and his eyes shone fiercely.
"But I dislike wars," said he.
"Then command him to respect and obey me, your children's mother; that will be the best way of keeping peace."
The King made no reply to this, but began to take his leave. Cosel hung tenderly on his neck, then she conducted him to the door, behind which the chamberlain was waiting. The King was gloomy when he left Cosel.
Who could tell the thoughts that then filled his mind? The same evening he summoned Flemming. He was sarcastic and irritable.
"Old man," said he, jokingly, "Cosel complains of you. You must endure it; you must not pay attention to many things, the others you must forgive. You know I bear a great deal from her."
"Countess Cosel pays your Majesty with her love," said Flemming familiarly, "that is quite different."
"Well, get on well with Cosel," added Augustus.
"It will be difficult; I cannot be her courtier; I can neither lie nor flatter, and it is no easy matter for me to bow, for my back is old."
To this the King replied, laughing,--
"It is true, she does not like you either. She says that you look just like a monkey."
Flemming's eyes gleamed, he muttered something between his teeth, and then relapsed into silence.
Had the King desired to make them implacable enemies, he could not have employed better means.