"And what does he want?" asked Manteuffel.
"Venetia for Italy."
"And for himself, for France?"
"For himself," returned Bismarck, "nothing."
"Nothing?" said Herr von Manteuffel, "nothing? But have you no clue to his unspoken thoughts? As far as I remember he wanted nothing, when he took Savoy and Nice after the Italian war."
"As to his thoughts," said Bismarck, "I believe I guess correctly when I say he regards the possession of Luxemburg as highly desirable, and in the far horizon the acquisition of Belgium by France seems feasible to him. You know that in Brussels the wind often blows strongly to Orleans."
"And what does Napoleon think about you in connection with these desires?" further inquired Manteuffel.
"What he pleases," returned Bismarck, indifferently. "If he wanted nothing, I had no occasion to promise him anything, and as to his wishes,--well,--it certainly was not my business to point out to him that they were foolish and unattainable."
"I understand," said Manteuffel, with a nod.
"Hanover must receive compensation for what she cedes to us in Lauenburg and Holstein," added Bismarck.