CHAPTER LI. SCHOeNBRUNN IN 1809
About two months afterwards, on a warm evening of summer, I enteredVienna in a litter, along with some twelve hundred other wounded men,escorted by a regiment of cuirassiers. I was weak and unable to walk.The fever of my wound had reduced me to a skeleton; but I was consoledfor everything by knowing that I was a captain on the Emperor's ownstaff, and decorated by himself with the Cross of 'the Legion.' Norwere these my only distinctions, for my name had been included amongthe lists of the _officiers delite_--a new institution of the Emperor,enjoying considerable privileges and increase of pay.
To this latter elevation, too, I owed my handsome quarters in the'Raab' Palace at Vienna, and the sentry at my door, like that of afield-officer. Fortune, indeed, began to smile upon me, and never areher flatteries more welcome than in the first hours of returning health,after a long sickness. I was visited by the first men of the army;marshals and generals figured among the names of my intimates, andinvitations flowed in upon me from all that were distinguished by rankand station.
Vienna, at that period, presented few features of a city occupied by anenemy. The guards, it is true, on all arsenals and forts, were French,and the gates were held by them; but there was no interruption to thecourse of trade and commerce. The theatres were open every night, andballs and receptions went on with only redoubled frequency. Unlike hispolicy towards Russia, Napoleon abstained from all that might humiliatethe Austrians. Every possible concession was made to their naturaltastes and feelings, and officers of all ranks in the French army werestrictly enjoined to observe a conduct of conciliation and civilityon every occasion of intercourse with the citizens. Few general orderscould be more palatable to Frenchmen, and they set about the task ofcultivating the good esteem of the Viennese with a most honest desirefor success. Accident, too, aided their efforts not a little; for itchanced that a short time before the battle of Aspern, the city had beengarrisoned by Croat and Wallachian regiments, whose officers, scarcelyhalf civilised, and with all the brutal ferocity of barbarian tribes,were most favourably supplanted by Frenchmen in the best of possibletempers with themselves and the world.
It might be argued, that the Austrians would have shown more patriotismin holding themselves aloof, and avoiding all interchange of civilitieswith their conquerors. Perhaps, too, this line of conduct would haveprevailed to a greater extent, had not those in high places set anopposite example. But so it was; and in the hope of obtaining morefavourable treatment in their last extremity, the princes of theImperial House, and the highest nobles of the land, freely accepted theinvitations of our marshals, and as freely received them at their owntables.
There was something of pride, too, in the way these great familiescontinued to keep up the splendour of their households--large retinuesof servants and gorgeous equipages--when the very empire itself wascrumbling to pieces. And to the costly expenditure of that feveredinterval may be dated the ruin of some of the richest of the Austriannobility. To maintain a corresponding style, and to receive the proudguests with suitable magnificence, enormous 'allowances' were made tothe French generals; while in striking contrast to all the splendour,the Emperor Napoleon lived at Schoenbrunn with a most simple householdand restricted retinue.
'Berthier's' Palace, in the 'Graben,' was, by its superior magnificence,the recognised centre of French society; and thither flocked everyevening all that was most distinguished in rank of both nations. Motivesof policy, or at least the terrible pressure of necessity, filled thesesalons with the highest personages of the empire; while as it accepting,as inevitable, the glorious ascendency of Napoleon, many of the French_emigre_ families emerged from their retirement to pay their court tothe favoured lieutenants of Napoleon. Marmont, who was highly connectedwith the French aristocracy, gave no slight aid to this movement, and,it was currently believed at the time, was secretly intrusted by theEmperor with the task of accomplishing what in modern phrase is styled,a 'fusion.'
The real source of all these flattering attentions on the Austrian side,however, was the well-founded dread of the partition of the empire--aplan over which Napoleon was then hourly in deliberation, and to thenon-accomplishment of which he ascribed, in the days of his last exile,all the calamities of his fall. Be this as it may, few thoughts ofthe graver interests at stake disturbed the pleasure we felt in theluxurious life of that delightful city; nor can I, through the wholeof a long and varied career, call to mind any period of more unmixedenjoyment.
Fortune stood by me in everything. Marshal Marmont required as the headof his etat-major an officer who could speak and write German, and,if possible, who understood the Tyrol dialect. I was selected for theappointment; but then there arose a difficulty. The etiquette of theservice demanded that the _chef d etat-major_ should be at least alieutenant-colonel, and I was but a captain.
'No matter,' said he; 'you are _officier delite_, which always givesbrevet rank, and so one step more will place you where we want you. Comewith me to Schonbrunn to-night, and I'll try and arrange it.'
I was still very weak, and unable for any fatigue, as I accompaniedthe marshal to the quaint old palace which, at about a league from thecapital, formed the headquarters of the Emperor. Up to this time I hadnever been presented to Napoleon, and had formed to myself the mostgorgeous notions of the state and splendour that should surround suchmajesty. Guess then my astonishment, and, need I own, disappointment, aswe drove up a straight avenue, very sparingly lighted, and descended ata large door, where a lieutenant's guard was stationed. It was customaryfor the marshals and generals of division to present themselves eachevening at Schoenbrunn, from six to nine o'clock, and we found that eightor ten carriages were already in waiting when we arrived. An officer ofthe household recognised the marshal as he alighted, and as we mountedthe stairs whispered a few words hurriedly in his ear, of which I onlycaught one, 'Komorn,' the name of the Hungarian fortress on the Danubewhere the Imperial family of Vienna and the cabinet had sought refuge.
'_Diantre!_' exclaimed Marmont--'bad news! My dear Tiernay, we havefallen on an unlucky moment to ask a favour! The despatches fromKomorn are, it would seem, unsatisfactory. The Tyrol is far from quiet.Kuffstein, I think that's the name, or some such place, is attacked by alarge force, and likely to fall into their hands from assault.'
'That can scarcely be, sir,' said I, interrupting; 'I know Kuffsteinwell I was two years a prisoner there; and, except by famine, thefortress is inaccessible.'
'What! are you certain of this?' cried he eagerly; 'is there not oneside on which escalade is possible?'
'Quite impracticable on every quarter, believe me, sir. A hundred men ofthe line and twenty gunners might hold Kuffstein against the world.'
You hear what he says, Lefebvre,' said Marmont to the officer; 'I thinkI might venture to bring him up?' The other shook his head doubtfully,and said nothing. 'Well, announce me, then,' said the marshal; 'and,Tiernay, do you throw yourself on one of those sofas there, and wait forme.'
I did as I was bade, and, partly from the unusual fatigue, and in partfrom the warmth of a summer evening, soon fell off into a heavy sleep. Iwas suddenly awakened by a voice saying, 'Come along, captain, be quick,your name has been called twice!' I sprang up and looked about me,without the very vaguest notion of where I was. 'Where to? Where am Igoing?' asked I, in my confusion. 'Follow that gentleman,' was the briefreply; and so I did, in the same dreamy state that a sleep-walker mighthave done. Some confused impression that I was in attendance on GeneralMarmont was all that I could collect, when I found myself standing ina great room densely crowded with officers of rank. Though gatheredin groups and knots chatting, there was, from time to time, a sort ofmovement in the mass that seemed communicated by some single impulse;and then all would remain watchful and attentive for some seconds,their eyes turned in the direction of a large door at the end of theapartment. At last this was thrown suddenly open, and a number ofpersons entered, at whose appearance every tongue was hushed, and thevery slightest gesture subdue
d. The crowd meanwhile fell back, forminga species of circle round the room, in front of which this newly enteredgroup walked. I cannot now remember what struggling efforts I made tocollect my faculties, and think where I was then standing; but if athunderbolt had struck the ground before me, it could not have givenme a more terrific shock than that I felt on seeing the Emperor himselfaddress the general officer beside me.
I cannot pretend to have enjoyed many opportunities of royal notice. Atthe time I speak of, such distinction was altogether unknown to me; buteven when most highly favoured in that respect, I have never been ableto divest myself of a most crushing feeling of my inferiority--a senseat once so humiliating and painful, that I longed to be away and outof a presence where I might dare to look at him who addressed me,and venture on something beyond mere replies to interrogatories. Thissituation, good reader, with your courtly breeding and _aplomb_ to boot,is never totally free of constraint; but imagine what it can be when,instead of standing in the faint sunshine of a royal smile, you findyourself cowering under the stern and relentless look of anger, and thatanger an emperor's.
This was precisely my predicament, for in my confusion I had not noticedhow, as the Emperor drew near to any individual to converse, the others,at either side, immediately retired out of hearing, preserving an air ofobedient attention, but without in any way obtruding themselves on theroyal notice. The consequence was, that as his Majesty stood to talkwith Marshal Oudinot, I maintained my place, never perceiving myawkwardness till I saw that I made one of three figures isolated in thefloor of the chamber. To say that I had rather have stood in face of anenemy's battery, is no exaggeration. I'd have walked up to a gun witha stouter heart than I felt at this terrible moment; and yet there wassomething in that sidelong glance of angry meaning that actually nailedme to the spot, and I could not have fallen back to save my life. Therewere, I afterwards learned, no end of signals and telegraphic noticesto me from the officers-in-waiting. Gestures and indications for myguidance abounded, but I saw none of them. I had drawn myself up in anattitude of parade stiffness--neither looked right nor left--and waitedas a criminal might have waited for the fall of the axe that was to endhis sufferings for ever.
That the Emperor remained something like two hours and a half inconversation with the marshal, I should have been quite ready to verifyon oath; but the simple fact was, that the interview occupied under fourminutes, and then General Oudinot backed out of the presence, leaving mealone in front of his Majesty.
The silence of the chamber was quite dreadful, as, with his handsclasped behind his back, and his head slightly thrown forward, theEmperor stared steadily at me. I am more than half ashamed of theconfession, but, what between the effect of long illness and suffering,the length of time I had been standing, and the emotion I experienced,I felt myself growing dizzy, and a sickly faintness began to creep overme, and, but for the support of my sabre, I should actually have fallen.
'You seem weak; you had better sit down,' said the Emperor, in a softand mild voice.
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'Yes, sire, I have not quite recovered yet,' muttered I indistinctly;but before I could well finish the sentence, Marmont was beside theEmperor, and speaking rapidly to him.
'Ah, indeed!' cried Napoleon, tapping his snuff-box, and smiling. 'Thisis Tiernay, then. _Parbleu!_ we have heard something of you before.'
Marmont still continued to talk on; and I heard the words, Rhine, Genoa,and Kuffstein distinctly fall from him. The Emperor smiled twice, andnodded his head slowly, as if assenting to what was said.
'But his wound?' said Napoleon doubtingly. 'He says that your Majestycured him when the doctor despaired,' said Marmont. 'I'm sure, sire, hehas equal faith in what you still could do for him.'
'Well, sir,' said the Emperor, addressing me, 'if all I hear of you becorrect, you carry a stouter heart before the enemy than you seem towear here. Your name is high in Marshal Massena's list; and GeneralMarmont desires to have your services on his staff. I make no objection;you shall have your grade.'
I bowed without speaking; indeed, I could not have uttered a word, evenif it had been my duty.
'They have extracted the ball, I hope?' said the Emperor to me, andpointing to my thigh.
'It never lodged, sire; it was a round shot,' said I. '_Diable!_ a roundshot! You're a lucky fellow, Colonel Tiernay,' said he, laying a stresson the title--'a very lucky fellow.'
'I shall ever think so, sire, since your Majesty has said it,' was myanswer.
'I was not a lieutenant-colonel at your age,' resumed Napoleon; 'norwere you either, Marmont. You see, sir, that we live in better times--atleast, in times when merit is better rewarded.' And with this he passedon; and Marmont, slipping my arm within his own, led me away, downthe great stair, through crowds of attendant orderlies and groupsof servants. At last we reached our carriage, and in half an hourre-entered Vienna, my heart wild with excitement, and burning withzealous ardour to do something for the service of the Emperor.
The next morning I removed to General Marmont's quarters, and for thefirst time put on the golden aigrette of _chef de etat-major_, not alittle to the astonishment of all who saw the 'boy colonel,' as, halfin sarcasm, half in praise, they styled me. From an early hour of themorning till the time of a late dinner, I was incessantly occupied. Thestaff duties were excessively severe, and the number of letters to beread and replied to almost beyond belief. The war had again assumedsomething of importance in the Tyrol. Hofer and Spechbacher were at thehead of considerable forces, which in the fastnesses of their nativemountains were more than a match for any regular soldiery. The newsfrom Spain was gloomy: England was already threatening her long-plannedattack on the Scheldt. Whatever real importance might attach to thesemovements, the Austrian cabinet made them the pretext for demanding morefavourable conditions; and Metternich was emboldened to go so far as toask for the restoration of the Empire in all its former integrity.
These negotiations between the two cabinets at the time assumed the mostsingular form which probably was ever adopted in such intercourse--allthe disagreeable intelligences and disastrous tidings being communicatedfrom one side to the other with the mock politeness of friendlyrelations. As, for instance, the Austrian cabinet would forward anextract from one of Hofer's descriptions of a victory; to which theFrench would reply by a bulletin of Eugene Beauharnais, or, as Napoleonon one occasion did, by a copy of a letter from the Emperor Alexander,filled with expressions of friendship, and professing the most perfectconfidence in his 'brother of France.' So far was this petty and mostcontemptible warfare carried, that every little gossip and every passingstory was pressed into the service, and if not directly addressed to thecabinet, at least conveyed to its knowledge by some indirect channel.
It is probable I should have forgotten this curious feature of the time,if not impressed on my memory by personal circumstances too importantto be easily obliterated from memory. An Austrian officer arrived onemorning from Komorn, with an account of the defeat of Lefebvre's forcebefore Schenatz, and of a great victory gained by Hofer and Spechbacherover the French and Bavarians. Two thousand prisoners were said to havebeen taken, and the French driven across the Inn, and in full retreat onKuffstein. Now, as I had been confined at Kuffstein, and could speakof its impregnable character from actual observation, I was immediatelysent off with despatches, about some indifferent matter, to the cabinet,with injunctions to speak freely about the fortress, and declare thatwe were perfectly confident of its security. I may mention incidentally,and as showing the real character of my mission, that a secret despatchfrom Lefebvre had already reached Vienna, in which he declared that heshould be compelled to evacuate the Tyrol, and fall back into Bavaria.
'I have provided you with introductions that will secure your friendlyreception,' said Marmont to me. 'The replies to these despatcheswill require some days, during which you will have time to make manyacquaintances about the Court, and, if practicable, to effect a verydelicate object.'
This, after cons
iderable injunctions as to secrecy, and so forth, was noless than to obtain a miniature, or a copy of a miniature, of the youngarchduchess, who had been so dangerously ill during the siege of Vienna,and whom report represented as exceedingly handsome. A good-lookingyoung fellow, a colonel, of two or three-and-twenty, with unlimitedbribery, if needed, at command, should find little difficulty in themission; at least, so Marmont assured me; and from his enthusiasm on thesubject, I saw, or fancied I saw, that he would have had no objection tobe employed in the service himself. For while professing how absurdit was to offer any advice or suggestion on such a subject to one likemyself, he entered into details, and sketched out a plan of campaign,that might well have made a chapter of _Gil Blas_. It would possiblyhappen, he reminded me, that the Austrian Court would grow suspectful ofme, and not exactly feel at ease were my stay prolonged beyond a dayor two; in which case it was left entirely to my ingenuity to devisereasons for my remaining; and I was at liberty to despatch couriers forinstructions, and await replies, to any extent I thought requisite. Infact, I had a species of general commission to press into the servicewhatever resources could forward the object of my mission, success beingthe only point not to be dispensed with.
'Take a week, if you like--a month, if you must, Tiernay,' said he to meat parting; 'but, above all, no failure! mind that--no failure!'