CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesneintended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke inthe morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged betweenus. Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a greatmeasure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, stillenough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipationsfar from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality nocause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demanda meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should beaccepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, anddeeply too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, asthough betraying the interests he had confided to me.
There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier:the insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once beeninjured; the spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more thaneither, I shunned the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what everyone around him loved or respected,--of stripping off every illusionwhich made life valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard ofmere selfish gratification all that was great, or noble, or venerable.Already had his evil influence done me injury in this way. Even now Ifelt, that of the few daydreams I once indulged in he had robbed meof the best, and reduced me to the sad reflection which haunted methroughout my whole career, and imbittered every passing enjoyment of mylife: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being an alien, of having but thehireling's part in that career of glory which others followed; thatI alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all around me wereexulting in its display; that I had neither home nor country! Oh! ifthey who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and oppressions ofmisgovernment at home,--who, with high aspirations after liberty andholy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war against thedespotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which would despisethe other; if they could only foresee, that in changing allegiancethey did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load; that theservice of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every feelingwhich ties a man to kindred and to friends,--which links his manhoodwith his youth, his age with both,--which gives him, in the language ofhis forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if they couldknow and feel these things; if they could learn how, in surrenderingthem, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays upon life'socean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement must beto them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling thoughtswhich mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere they lefthome and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
If such thoughts found entrance into _my_ heart, how must they havedwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,--whofrom earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection norknown the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept bywithout some thought of the far-away land of my birth,--some memory ofits hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and inmy dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to thecottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated thepoor but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,--nowtelling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hopeof its one day prosperity.
"Captain Burke's quarters?" said a voice without. At the same instant,the jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner asa soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staffentered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipatedthe object of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in mostdiplomatic fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly toransack his sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowdedit.
"Ah! here it is," said he at length. "I ask your pardon for all thisdelay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?"
"I must confess I suspect it," said I, with a smile.
"Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long;nor, for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. Iconclude you are quite prepared?"
"You shall find me so."
"So the minister said," replied he; while, once more, his eyes wereburied in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the mostintense astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoeverhe might be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fightinga duel, was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
"Here is the note I looked for," said he as he took forth a small slipof paper, written on both sides. "May I beg you will take down thedetails; they are brief, but important."
"You may trust my memory with them," said I, rather surprised at thecircumstantial style of his conduct.
"As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'CaptainBurke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visitingthe following garrisons _en route_'(here come the names, which you cancopy), where his attention will be specially directed to the pointsmarked A. B. and--'"
"Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you arealluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?"
"The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from theminister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you wereprepared."
"Hem! there has been a mistake here," said I, endeavoring to rememberhow far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
"All my fault, Captain Burke," said he, frankly. "I should have beenmore explicit at first. But I really thought from something--I forgetprecisely what now--that you knew of the movement on the frontier, andwere, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far ourmystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne--theex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose--
"Yes! what of him?"
"Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for thecommandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally onthe equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited _en route_. I shallgive you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist yourmemory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayenceby Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a wholeyear in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!"
I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused andastonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal ofoffice, confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trickof my imagination.
The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath nowinformed me that a Government _caleche_ stood awaiting me, and Ispeedily began my preparations for the road.
One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It wasDuchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few wordshe uttered as I left the _salon_ were ringing in my ears, and here wastheir explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove mefrom Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might beinconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecutedwith more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal _rencontre_was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at thethought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily hedecided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratifiedon the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it wasoffended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove tooppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and suchpowerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in lifehere came to my aid,--to act well my own part, and leave the result totime. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to myadversary, and set out from Paris.
The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my firstcampaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty,
which, if lessenthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whateverdistinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, notin the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were chargingand squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, itswiles and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; inthe other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and lessscrupulous hearts than my own.
Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reachedMayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained meabove half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting thetroops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officersin command had been apprised that their reports would be required, andcame ready at once to afford the information.
The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand newlevies,--the conscripts of the past year,--who, although well drilledand equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor met anenemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran legions ofthe Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to France,were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders whitherthey should carry their victorious standards.
As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertaintyprevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place andagainst what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in thefield, reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, wasfaltering in her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia wereno longer a secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of theRepublic, France was about to contend single-handed against the whole ofEurope.
In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to thevery highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful thaneither, the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to theirminds the famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them rememberthat Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students--apowerful and an organized class--stood foremost in this patrioticmovement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songsof Kerner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalrywhich is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, callingupon their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the "Vaterland" againstthe aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feelingexpressed, that even before the negotiations had lost their pacificcharacter, the youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpentheir swords at the door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen ofPrussia most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windingsof diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generousnature. Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade anopen and a bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content tostake all on the chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mindof the king was rather impelled by the current of popular opinion thaninduced by conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But onceengaged in it, he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyieldingcourage.
Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlikespirit they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of warresounded from the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia.Never was the effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous.Their cavalry, in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first,if not the very first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained areputation which, since the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it themost perfect arm of the service.
The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; andit was with a very different impression of his present enemy from thatwhich filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked toSoult, "We shall want the mattock in this war,"--thereby implying that,against such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed,as well as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls ofinfantry.