CHAPTER II.
QUEEN AND CONFIDANTE.
"Madam," said Chrotechilde to Brunhild, "for whom do you intend the oneof the two female slaves whom you expect to buy?"
"You really ask me?"
"Yes, madam--"
"Chrotechilde, age seems to dull your powers of penetration--perhaps Imay have to look for some other confidante."
"Madam, please explain yourself--"
"I mean to test how far the present dullness that seems to have comeover you may go."
"Truly, madam, I am at a loss to understand you--"
"Tell me, Chrotechilde, did not my son Childebert, when he diedassassinated by Fredegonde, leave me the guardianship of his two sons,my grandchildren, Thierry and Theudebert?"
"Yes--madam--but I was speaking of the two female slaves--and not ofyour children."
"At what age was my grandson Theudebert a father?"
"At thirteen--at that age he had a son from Bilichilde, thedark-complexioned slave with green eyes, for whom you paid a big price.I still see her wild looks, as uncommon as her style of beauty. For therest, she had a nymph's waist, and wavy and jet-black hair that reachedthe floor. I never in my life saw such hair. But why do you look sosomber?"
"The vile slave! Did not that miserable Bilichilde gain a fatalascendency over my grandson Theudebert, despite the many otherconcubines that we furnished him?"
"Indeed, madam! So fatal was the ascendency that she gained over him,that she caused us to be driven out of Metz, both you and me, and ledprisoners as far as Arcis-on-the-Aube, the boundary of Burgundy, thekingdom of your other grandson, Thierry. But all that is an old story,madam, that is dead and should be forgotten, together with the principalactors in it. Bilichilde is no more; she was last year strangled todeath by your grandson, the savage idiot Theudebert himself, who passedfrom love to hatred; afterwards, beaten at the battle of Tolbiac by hisbrother, whom you hurled at his head, he was himself shorn of his hairand stabbed to death; finally, his five-year-old son had his skullbroken against a stone. Accordingly, that score was thoroughly settled.Were you not amply revenged?"
"No; with me, hatred survives vengeance, it survives death itself, asthe dagger survives the murder. No; my vengeance is not yet complete."
"You are not reasonable. To hate beyond the grave is childish at yourage."
"And is your mind not yet enlightened by what we have just said?"
"With regard to the two handsome slaves?"
"Yes, with regard to the two pretty girls."
"No, madam, I cannot yet fathom your thoughts."
"Let us, then, proceed, seeing that you have become so obtuse. Tell me,what was the nature of Theudebert, before we gave him Bilichilde forcompanion?"
"Violent, active, resolute, head-strong and above all proud. At elevenyears he already felt the proud ardor of his royal blood. He used to sayloftily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'"
"And two years after he possessed the dark-complexioned slave with thegreen eyes and curly hair, whom you so judiciously chose for him, whatwas then the nature of my grandson? Answer me, Chrotechilde."
"Oh, madam, Theudebert was unrecognizable. Unnerved, irresolute andlanguid, he had no will except to go from his bed to table, and fromtable to bed with his concubines. He hardly had enough spirit to huntwith falcons, a woman's amusement; the hunt of wild animals he could notthink of, it was too tiring. I was not at all surprised at the change.From being robust, pert and loving noisy games since his earlychildhood, he became sickly, weak, puny, dreamy, and preferred darkenedrooms as if the light of the sun hurt his eyes. In short, he had givenpromise of becoming a man of large size, but he died stunted and almostbeardless."
"It was that I aimed at, Chrotechilde. Precocious debauchery unnervesthe soul as much as it does the body. Accordingly Theudebert's issue wasnot born with vitality enough to survive."
"True enough; I never saw such puny children--but what else could beexpected from a dwarfish and almost imbecile father?"
"And yet, as early as his twelfth year, Theudebert used to sayhaughtily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'"
"Yes, but afterwards, whenever you sought to converse with him uponmatters of state, and you called his attention to his being King, theboy would regularly answer you in his languid voice and with his eyeshalf shut: 'Grandmother, I am King of my women, of my amphoras of oldwine and of my falcons! Reign in my stead, grandmother; reign in myname, if you please!'"
"And it did please me, Chrotechilde. I reigned in Austrasia for mygrandson Theudebert until the day when that vile slave Bilichilde,availing herself of her influence over the imbecile King, drove me fromMetz--drove out me--Brunhild!"
"Ever the remembrance of that occurrence! Again does the storm gatherover your forehead! Again your eyes shoot lightning! But, by theheavens, madam; the slave has been strangled, the imbecile and his sonare both dead--they have both been killed and lie in their graves. Ieven forgot that, in order to complete the hecatomb of those maleficanimals, Quintio, the stewart of the palace and Duke of Champagne, whotook an improper part in the affair of Metz, was put to death upon yourorders. What more can you wish? Besides, in exchange for the Austrasiathat you lost, did you not gain a Burgundy? If Theudebert drove you fromMetz, did you not take refuge here, in Chalon, near your other grandsonThierry? Enervated and besotted through overindulgence with the womenthat we furnished him with, did you not drive him to undertake amerciless war against his own brother, whom he overcame at Toul andTolbiac, and who, after these defeats, was himself, together with hisson put to death, as I reminded you a minute ago? Thus revenged forbeing exiled from Metz, have you not ever since held sway over Thierryand actually reigned in his stead? When Aegila, the stewart of thepalace, made you apprehensive by reason of his growing influence overyour grandson, you promptly rid yourself of Aegila, and you substitutedhim with your lover Protade, who thereupon became the mayor of thepalace--"
"But they killed him, Chrotechilde--they killed him--they killed mylover, my Protade!"
"Come, madam; we are here among ourselves; admit that a Queen neversuffers any dearth of lovers. You need only choose among the handsomest,the youngest, the most appetizing nobles of the court. Moreover, madam,without meaning to make you any reproaches on that score, if they didkill your Protade, did you not in turn kill their Bishop Didier?"
"Perchance he did not merit his fate?"
"Never was punishment more condign! The wily prelate! He schemed tosupplant us in our amorous manoeuvres! Why, the fellow plotted themarriage of your grandson to the Spanish princess, in order to snatchhim from the voluptuous life in which we kept him, and thereby withdrawhim from your domination! And what happened to the tonsured schemer?The current of the Chalaronne washed his corpse down the stream, whilethe Spanish woman, upon whom he reckoned in order to evict you and, bymeans of her, to rule Thierry and through Thierry Burgundy, that Spanishwoman has been repudiated by your grandson, she went back to her owncountry only six months after her wedding, and we have appropriated herdower. Finally, Thierry died this year of a dysentery," added the hagwith a horrid smile, "and so you now are absolute mistress and sovereignQueen of this country of Burgundy, seeing that Sigebert, the eldest sonof Thierry, your great-grandson, is now only eleven years old. We mustprevent these kinglets from dying out, else Fredegonde's surviving sonwould fall heir to their kingdoms. All that is needed is that theyvegetate, in order that you may reign in their stead. Well, madam, theyvegetate. But all this takes us far away from the young female slavewhom you wish to buy from Samuel."
"On the contrary, Chrotechilde, the review leads us directly to theslave."
"In what manner?"
"There can no longer be any doubt about it; age is softening yourbrains; formerly so quick to grasp my purposes, it is now fully aquarter of an hour that you have been giving me distressful proofs ofyour waning intellect."
"I, madam?"
"Yes; in former days, instead of asking me what I intended doing wit
hone of Samuel's slaves, you would have guessed on the spot. I have beenable to convince myself at leisure of the senility of yourunderstanding--it is sad, Chrotechilde."
"As sad to me as to you, madam. But deign to explain yourself, I prayyou. For me to hear is to obey."
"What! Dullard! You know that I have the guardianship of mygreat-grandchildren, and yet you stupidly ask me what I propose to dowith one of the two pretty slaves! Do you now understand?"
"Oh! Yes! I now begin to understand, madam; but yet your reproaches wereunmerited. You forget that Sigebert is not yet eleven."
"All the better! The debauch will begin so much earlier."
"That is true," remarked the other monster with a horrid peal oflaughter. "That is true; all the better. The debauch will start so muchsooner."
During this shocking conversation the august bronze effigy remainedmotionless in the case of medals on the ivory stand; it never once asmuch as winked, nor did its metal mouth utter a cry of malediction toshake the walls of the apartment like a trumpet blast of the day ofjudgment.
The conversation between the two matrons proceeded.
"You mean to furnish a concubine to your great-grandson, Sigebert," saidChrotechilde to the Queen, "although he is not yet eleven."
"Yes," repeated Brunhild; "but what happened with Bilichilde makes mepause: I do not know which of the two slaves to take. What is youropinion, in view of your experience?"
"The tall brunette who weeps constantly will never be dangerous; she ismild, candid, and stupid as a sheep. There is no fear that the sillything will ever instil Sigebert with evil thoughts against you."
"I also am strongly inclined in favor of the weepful one; the other girlseems to me rather too bold a piece. The impudent thing never oncelowered her eyes before mine, that terrify the otherwise firmest andmost daring men."
"It is quite possible, madam, that the frisky little imp may have toolarge a measure of what the tall one has too little--there may be profitin that. Let us look at things as they are. Sigebert is not yet eleven,he is very childish, thinks only of his top and huckle-bones; besides,he is quiet and timid, a veritable lamb. Now, then, if the tall sillything associates with him like a sheep--you understand me, madam? On theother hand, the little gay imp might set our lamb afire. I alwaysremember the fear of Theudebert at the sight of the girl with the greeneyes and curly hair. The matter requires careful consideration, madam.Let us first study the nature of the two girls. Moreover, there is nogreat hurry in the matter. Sigebert is now in Germany with DukeWarnachaire, the mayor of the palace of Burgundy."
"They may be back any moment. I should not be surprised to see them backto-day. Moreover, I am in all the greater hurry to procure a slave girlfor Sigebert, seeing that I fear Warnachaire may have gained someinfluence over him during this journey into Germany. If so, whateverinfluence Warnachaire may have gained over the boy will be speedily lostin his experiences with love."
"But, madam, if you mistrust the duke, why did you confide Sigebert tohim?"
"Was it not absolutely necessary for Sigebert to be a part of theembassy? The sight of the royal child, with his sweet face, was certainto interest in his behalf the German tribes on the other side of theRhine whose alliance Warnachaire was to secure for me. Their troops willdouble my army. Oh, in this last supreme effort, in this merciless warthat will now break out between me and Clotaire II, this son ofFredegonde will be ground to dust--it must be--it must be--my vengeancemust be complete."
"And it will be, madam. Until now, your enemies have all fallen underyour blows. The death of Fredegonde's son will crown the work. I must,nevertheless, admit that this Duke Warnachaire makes me feel uneasy.Madam, these mayors of the palaces, who, forty-five or fifty years ago,under the reign of the sons of old Clotaire, began with being theintendants of the royal palaces, and who, ever since, have by little andlittle become the actual governors of the people, I fear me that thesemayors of the palaces will end by swallowing up the kings, if the kingsdo not suppress them. These able folks say to the princes: 'Keepconcubines, drink, play, hunt, sleep, squander the money that we fillyour treasuries with, enjoy your lives, bother not with matters ofgovernment, we shall take charge of that burden.' These are dangerousand wicked proceedings, madam. That a mother, a grandmother should actin that manner towards her sons and grandsons, that is allowable; butwith mayors of the palace it becomes usurpation; and this Warnachaire,whom you allowed to retain his office of mayor after Thierry's death isbent, it seems to me, upon dominating Sigebert and ousting you, madam. Iknow that with the tall or the short slave we shall be able to hold ourown against the duke--but never forget your exile from Metz, madam!"
"You are preaching to one already converted. I recently wrote to Aimoin,who returns with Warnachaire, to kill him on the way back."
"Oh, glorious Queen, why did you not say so before! I would have sparedyou my rhetoric."
"But unfortunately Aimoin failed to carry out my orders. Warnachaire isstill alive."
"Why did he not obey?"
"I do not yet know; I may learn the reason to-day."
"At any rate we should not be hasty in thinking ill of Aimoin. Perhapsno favorable opportunity presented itself; who knows but you may yet seehim return alone with Sigebert. And if not, once Warnachaire is back atChalon, in this castle, his fate, madam, will be in the hollow of yourhand--and you should not hesitate to strike. Oh, these mayors of thepalaces, these mayors of the palaces! I look upon them as the gravestdanger to the royal family. You may be certain, madam, that the royalfamily will never enjoy safety until it will have rid itself of thesedaily more dangerous rivals."
"We need time to overthrow their power. They have drawn around them allthe beneficiary seigneurs whom the royal generosity enriched. Oh! Time!Time! Oh, how short is life. I need time; combined with it, will-powerand force can do all. The time that I need is a long reign; I shall haveit. The barbarian tribes on the other side of the Rhine have respondedto our call; they will join our army. Thanks to their reinforcements,the troops of Clotaire will be crushed, and the son of Fredegonde willfall into my power! Oh! To inflict upon the son a slow death under theprotracted tortures that I prepared for his mother! To avenge by hisagony the murder of my sister Galeswinthe, and of my husband Sigebert!To take possession of Clotaire's kingdom and reign alone, the undisputedmistress of all Gaul for many a long year! That is my aim. And it willbe reached. I feel myself full of life, strength and will-power!"
"You will live a hundred years and more."
"I believe it. I feel it. Aye, I feel within me indomitable will andvitality. To reign! the ambition of great souls! To reign like theEmperors of Rome! I wish to emulate them in all their sovereignomnipotence! I wish to count by the millions the instruments of my will!I wish, by a mere gesture, to cause the power of my arms to be felt fromone confine of the world to the other! I wish to increase my kingdom toan infinite extent! I wish to be able to say: 'All these countries, fromthe nearest to the most distant, belong to me! I wish to concentrate theforces of all nations into my own hands and to cause all the peoples ofthe earth to bend under my yoke! I wish to raise in all parts of Gaulthe marvels of art that now cover Burgundy--fortified castles,magnificent palaces, gold-naved basilicas, wide and interminablehighways, prodigious monuments, all of which will in all the centuriesto come re-echo the name of Brunhild! Should I allow vulgar scruples tostay my hand, having such grand designs in view? No! No! Could thesechildren whom I unman, could these men whom I kill because they hindermy progress--could they or any of them as much as conceive my giganticdesigns? Of what value to the world is the life of these obscurevictims? Their bones will have turned to dust, their names will beburied in oblivion, when my name, repeated from age to age, willcontinue to amaze posterity!"
"And these will be valid reasons for the priests and bishops, whobesiege you with applications for grants of land and money, to pardonyour crimes."
"I forbid you to say an evil word against the priests; it is they whodraw my triumpha
l car--"
"The team is rather ruinous."
"Not to me. Do the gifts that I bestow upon them impoverish me? Is notthat which I give them, the overflow of my overflow? Moreover, they willaid me in restoring the imposts formerly decreed by the emperors, andthereby to replenish my coffers. Here, take this key; open the littlecoffer yonder on the table, and look for a roll of parchment tied in apurple ribbon."
"Here it is, madam."
"Kiss the parchment, it is written on by the hand of the representativeof God on earth, a Pope--the pious Gregory himself--"
"And does the sovereign pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, as heclaims, he who holds in his hands the keys of paradise, promise to openthem wide for you?"
"It is but just. Have I not amply gilded those keys of paradise? Readover again to me what the parchment contains."
"'Gregory to Brunhild, Queen of the Franks. The manner in which yougovern the kingdom and preside over the education of your son givewitness to the virtues of your Excellency, virtues that must be praisedand that are pleasing to God. You did not content yourself with leavingintact to your son the glory of temporal things, you also laid up forhim the great riches of eternal life by causing, with pious maternalsolicitude the germs of the true faith to take root in his soul.'"