During the evening, Mr. Wraxall called on Baron von Seckendorf, from whom be received a minute of the proposed letter to the King of England, sent by the queen, which he would communicate to Baron von Bülow. At ten o'clock at night, Mr. Wraxall started for Zährendorf, which place he reached in the ensuing afternoon. A short time before nightfall, the baron arrived, dressed as a tradesman, in an open post-waggon. The couple passed more than eight hours together. Mr. Wraxall gave the baron the documents; the latter approved of every measure taken, and authorized Mr. Wraxall to assure the queen so by letter, as well as to renew to her, in the name of the party, every possible protestation of zeal and adherence. He also begged Mr. Wraxall to hasten back from England as soon as he could, and to be assured of the gratitude of those persons in whose service he was engaged.[51]
About one in the morning the baron and Mr. Wraxall parted. Previous to the separation, the latter received a cypher for the future correspondence, which it was agreed should be carried on under cover to Mr. le Texier, as less likely to excite suspicion, and that all Mr. Wraxall's letters should be addressed to Mr. Matthiesen, at Hamburg. The baron then returned to Altona, by the same conveyance which had brought him, and the next morning Mr. Wraxall started for England viâ Osnabrück. In the latter city he had a trifling adventure, which seems extracted from Casanova's Memoirs. I will give it in his own words:—
"I walked over the town, and returned to dinner at four. At about six my servant announced a "gentleman," who would do himself the honour of speaking to me. He came in, sat down, and stayed an hour. He requested me to sup with him and Monsieur le Comte de Marazzani and his lady. I excused myself on account of fatigue. He spoke English, French, Russian, Italian, Latin: he was young, apparently of my own age. Finding I would not accept his invitation, he took leave, first telling me he was the Baron de Stampe, a German nobleman. I was, I must own, a little surprised at his visit and manner of introducing himself—'twas odd!
"Tuesday, November 1.—I went, at about nine, to visit the count, countess, and baron. 'Twas a miserable apartment I was shown into. Madame la Comtesse was a little woman, very young, pretty in face, and her complexion fair. I kissed her hand, and must avow she had a very fine hand. They pressed me to stay dinner, or at least to remain in Osnabrück till two or three o'clock, after which time they would, if necessary, submit to losing me. I saw at once the deception. She squeezed my hand, and added a thousand pressing instances to induce me to stay. I pleaded urgent business. The count insisted on accompanying me to the inn, and would not be refused. When we arrived, he walked in, told me in a few words that he just then was in need of a little money, that his letters of credit were not arrived, that his servant had stolen seventy guineas and his lady's gold watch; that, therefore, he must request me to lend him a few ducats. I pitied him, and, had my fortunes been sufficient, would not have hesitated an instant to have given him what he asked. But I could not, for I had not even enough to permit me diminishing my stock, and most frankly told him so. He reasoned the point, pressed, requested, but 'twas impossible to comply, so he very politely took leave, promising to visit me in England. I might, I am convinced, have received the payment from Madame la Comtesse—there was the temptation, but with such adventurers was too dangerous. They might have served me a worse trick than Don Raphael and Lamela did by poor Gil Blas, and I might have had more reason to remember the Countess Marazzani than he had Doña Camilla. 'Twas a droll adventure: doubtless their intention was to have won my money by cards or love."
On November 13, Mr. Wraxall embarked from Helvoetsluys, and arrived at Harwich on the following day. To quote his own words: "This day shall ever be sacred in my calendar. I had now finished my tour through the northern kingdoms, and was once more in my native country, after being absent seven months and three days, from the 10th of April last. I returned thanks to the protecting gods who had carried me, unhurt, through so many barbarous nations and Polar regions."
CHAPTER VII.
'TWIXT THE CUP AND THE LIP.
BARON VON LICHTENSTEIN—THE KING'S INSTRUCTIONS—THE ANSWER FROM HAMBURG—THE FOUR ARTICLES—A TERRIBLE JOURNEY—ARRIVAL AT CELLE—INTERVIEW WITH THE QUEEN—BARON VON SECKENDORF—THE ANSWER FROM COPENHAGEN—THE APPEAL TO GEORGE III.—THE COUNTER-REVOLUTION—ANOTHER VISIT TO CELLE—THE LAST INTERVIEW—THE QUEEN'S GRATITUDE—RETURN TO LONDON—WAITING FOR THE ANSWER—A SUDDEN BLOW.
As the queen, in her instructions to Mr. Wraxall at Celle, had left it entirely at his option, on his arrival in London, to wait either on Lord Suffolk or Baron von Lichtenstein, though expressing a degree of preference for the former, he went, on November 15, to Lord Suffolk's residence in Downing Street. Being admitted, a private secretary requested Mr. Wraxall to inform him of the nature of his business: Lord Suffolk not only being confined to his bed-chamber by gout, but unable, from the violence of his disorder, to see any one. Mr. Wraxall informed him, in answer, that as his business was of a nature which could only be communicated to Lord Suffolk in person, he would call again in a day or two, by which time his lordship might be able to see him.