'I would take the liberty of making some suggestions,' Ludovici said softly. 'The foreign resident ministers should be carefully watched, for what else are they than official spies of their countries? I do not exclude even the Count von Wallenstein although he is the master of ceremonies. And then the Prussian Waldburg, the Marquise de Monte, the resident minister Woodward, the Count Weisbach, and the Baron Zulich.'
'Ah! my dear Ludovici, very often the foreign countries are not as dangerous as home intrigues.'
'Excellent, beautiful,' Ludovici said. 'Yes! Yes! Yes! Nobody respects the minister Brühl more than I do.'
At that moment Sulkowski looked at Ludovici, the councillor at him, laughed, raised his hand, turned his head aside, and became silent. Thus they understood each other.
'He is my friend,' said Sulkowski, 'a man whose great talents I appreciate.'
'Talents--great, unusual, enormous, fearful,' Ludovici affirmed with animation. 'Oh, yes!'
'You must know that the late King recommended him very strongly to the Prince, that he is going to marry the Countess Kolowrath, that the Princess thinks much of him. Notwithstanding all that, you would be wrong in interpreting my thoughts if you suppose that I distrust him, that I fear him--'
'Yes, but it is better to be cautious, and it is necessary to watch--through him flows the river of silver and gold.'
Sulkowski changed the subject of conversation and said:
'They complain to me that Watzdorf has too ready a tongue.'