The Sword Maker by Robert Barr

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"I think you take too serious a view of the matter," commented Roland.
"Mayence is undoubtedly a subtle man, who takes every precaution that he
shall have his own way. The reason that there will be no civil war is
this. I happen to know on very excellent authority that so far as the
Electoral Court goes, Mayence is paramount. He does not need to conquer
Cologne and Treves by force, because he is already supreme by his genius
for intrigue. He is a born ruler, and his methods are all those of
diplomacy as against those of arms. I dare say if occasion demanded it
he would strike quick and strike effectually, but occasion does not
demand. I am rather sure of my facts, and I know that the three
Archbishops, together with the Count Palatine of the Rhine, are in
agreement to elect my namesake, Prince Roland, Emperor of Germany."

"Yes," said Greusel, "I heard that rumor, and it is generally believed
in Frankfort. Rumor, however, as usual, speaks falsely."

The Prince smiled at his pessimistic colleague, for that colleague was
talking to the man who knew; nevertheless, he listened patiently, for of
course he could not yet reveal himself to his somber lieutenant, who
continued his narrative:

"The two men spoke of the unfortunate Prince, who is, I understand,
still a prisoner in Ehrenfels."

Here Roland laughed outright.

"My dear Greusel, you are entirely mistaken. The Prince was never really
a prisoner, and is at this moment in Frankfort, as free to do what he
likes as I am."

"I am sorry," said Greusel, "that you do not grasp the seriousness of
the situation, but I have not yet come to the vital part of it, although
I thought the very fact that seven thousand men threatened Frankfort
would impress you."

"It does, Greusel," said Roland, remembering the distrust in which both
the Countess and her guardian held Mayence, and also the close watch his
Lordship was keeping over Frankfort, as evidenced by the domiciliary
visit paid to himself by an officer of that potentate. "Go on, Greusel,"
he said more soberly, "I shall not interrupt you again."

"I gathered that Prince Roland actually had been chosen, but
complications arose which I do not altogether understand. These
complications relate to a woman, or two women; both of them equally
objectionable to the Archbishop of Mayence. One of these two women was
to marry the new Emperor, but rather than have this happen, Mayence
determined that another than Prince Roland should be elected, the reason
being that Mayence feared one Empress would be entirely under the
influence of Cologne, if chosen, and the other under the influence of
Treves. So his subtle Lordship is deluding both of these Electors.
Cologne has been asked to bring to Frankfort the woman he controls,
therefore he harbors the illusion that Mayence is reconciled to her.
Treves also has been requested to bring the lady who is his relative;
thus she, too, is in Frankfort, and Treves blindly believes Mayence is
favorable to her cause.

"As a matter of fact Mayence will have neither, but has resolved to
spring upon the Electoral Court at the last moment the name of the Grand
Duke Karl of Hesse, a middle-aged man already married, and entirely
under the dominance of his Lordship of Mayence."

"Pardon me, Greusel, I must interrupt, in spite of my disclaimer. What
you say sounds very ingenious, but it cannot be carried out. Treves,
Cologne, and the Count Palatine are already pledged to vote for Prince
Roland, so is Mayence himself, and to change front at the last moment
would be to forswear himself, and act as traitor to his colleagues. Now,
he cannot afford to lose even one vote, and I believe that the
Archbishop of Cologne will vote for Prince Roland through thick and
thin. I think the same of the Count Palatine. Treves, of course, is
always doubtful and wavering, but you see that the negative vote of the
Archbishop of Cologne would render Mayence powerless and an Election
impossible."

"Doubtless what you say is true, and now you have put your finger on the
danger spot. Why has the Election been delayed beyond all precedent?"

"That I do not know," replied Roland.

"Then I will tell you. The Archbishop of Mayence has sent peremptory
orders to the other three Electors, who are reported to be careless so
far as Imperial affairs are concerned, and quite indifferent regarding
the personality of the future Emperor. No one of these three Electors,
however, dares offend so powerful a man as Mayence. If the Archbishop
can overawe his colleagues nominally equal to him in position, each
commanding an army, how think you can three small nobles, with no
soldiers at their beck, withstand his requests, suavely given, no doubt,
but with an iron menace behind them?"

"True, true," muttered Roland.

"Two of these nobles have already arrived, and are housed with the
Archbishop of Mayence. The third is expected here within three days;
four days at the farthest. Mayence will immediately convene the
Electoral Court, when the Count Palatine, with the two Archbishops, may
be astonished to find that for the first time in history, the whole
seven are present in the Wahlzimmer. Mayence will ask Cologne to make
the nomination, and he will put forward the name of Prince Roland. On a
vote being taken the Prince will be in a minority of one. Mayence then
shows his hand, nominating the Grand Duke Karl, who will be elected by a
majority of one. Then may ensue a commotion in the Wahlzimmer, and
accusations of bad faith, but remember that Cologne and Treves are taken
completely by surprise. They cannot communicate with their commanders,
for the three thousand troops which Mayence already has within Frankfort
will have quietly surrounded the Town Hall that contains the Election
Chamber, and Mayence's seven thousand men from the forest are pouring
through the southern gate into the city, making straight for the Romer.
Meanwhile the Grand Duke Karl, a man well known to the populace of
Frankfort, appears on the balcony of the Kaisersaal, and is loudly
acclaimed the new Emperor."

"Ah, Greusel, forgive my attitude of doubt. It is all as plain now as
the Cathedral tower. Still, there will be no civil war. Treves and
Cologne will gather up their troops and go home, once more defeated by a
man cleverer and more unscrupulous than both of them put together. They
are but infants in his hands."

"Have you any suggestion to make?" asked Greusel.

"No; there is nothing to be done. You see, the young Prince has no
following. He is quite unknown in Frankfort. His name can arouse no
enthusiasm, and, all in all, that strikes me as a very good thing. The
Grand Duke Karl is popular, and I believe he will make a very good
Emperor."

"You mean, Roland, that the Archbishop of Mayence will make a very good
ruler, for he will be the real king."

"Well, after all, Joseph, there is much to be said in favor of Mayence.
He is a man who knows what he wants, and, what is more, gets it, and
that, after all is the main thing in life. If any one could sway the
Archbishop so that he put his great talents to the benefit of his
country, instead of thinking only of himself, what a triumph of
influence that would be! By the Three Kings, I'd like to do it! I admire
him. If I found opportunity and could persuade him to join us in the
relief of Frankfort, and in opening the Rhine to commerce, we would give
these inane merchants a lesson in organization."

Greusel rose from his chair, poured out another tankard full from the
flagon, and drank it off.

"I must go down now and meet the guild," he said. "I have eaten nothing
all day, and am as hungry as a wolf from the Taunus."

"Oh, how did you escape, by the way?"

"I didn't escape. I was led blindfolded into a tent, where my bandage
was removed, and here a man in ordinary dress questioned me concerning
my object in entering the forest. I told him exactly the truth, and
explained what we were trying to do in Frankfort. I dare say I looked
honest and rather stupid. He asked when I set out; in what direction I
came; questioning me with a great affectation of indifference; wanted to
know if I had met many persons, and I told him quite truthfully I met no
one but the man I understood was a forester; a keeper, I supposed."

"'There are a number of us,' he said, 'hunting the wild boar, and we do
not wish the animal life of these woods to be disturbed. We shall not be
here longer than a week, but I advise you to seek another spot for what
timber you require.'

"He asked me, finally, if any one in Frankfort knew I had come to the
forest, and I answered that the guild of twenty knew, and that we were
all to meet to-night at the Rheingold tavern to report. He pondered for
a while on this statement, and I suppose reached the conclusion that if
I did not return to Frankfort, this score of men might set out in the
morning to search for me, it being well known that the forest is
dangerous on account of wild boars. So, as if it were of no consequence,
he blindfolded me again, apologizing privately for doing so, saying it
was quite unnecessary in the first instance, but as the guard had done
so, he did not wish to censure him by implication.

"I answered that it did not matter at all, but desired him to order my
wrists released, which was done."

"I must say," commented Roland, "that the Archbishop of Mayence is well
served by his officers. Your examiner was a wise man."

"Yes," replied Greusel, "but nevertheless, I am telling my story here in
Frankfort."

"No difference for that, because, as I have said, we can do nothing.
Still, it is a blessing your examiner could not guess what you overheard
in the other tent. He let you go thinking you had seen and learned
nothing, and in doing so warded off a search party to-morrow."

XXI

A SECRET MARRIAGE

Blessed is he that expects nothing, for he shall not be disappointed.
Roland walked with Greusel across the bridge and through the streets to
the entrance of the Rheingold, and there stopped.

"I shall not go down with you," he said. "You have given me much to
think of, and I am in no mood for a hilarious meeting. Indeed, I fear I
should but damp the enthusiasm of the lads. Continue your good work
to-morrow, and report to me at my room."

With this Roland bade Greusel good-night and turned away. He walked very
slowly as far as the bridge, and there, resting his arms on the parapet,
looked down at the dark water. He was astonished to realize how little
he cared about giving up the Emperorship, and he recalled, with a glow
of delight, his recent talk in the garden with Hildegunde, and her
assurance that she lacked all ambition to become the first lady in the
land so long as they two spent their lives together.

The bells of Frankfort tolling the hour of ten aroused him from his
reverie, and brought down his thoughts from delicious dreams of romance
to realms of reality. The precious minutes were passing over his head
swiftly as the drops of water beneath his feet. There was little use of
feeding Frankfort if it must be given over to fire and slaughter.

With a chill of apprehension he reviewed the cold treachery of Mayence,
willing to levy the horrors of civil war upon an already stricken city
so long as his own selfish purposes were attained.

"And yet," he said to himself, "there must be good in the man. I wish I
knew his history. Perhaps he had to fight for every step he has risen in
the world. Perhaps he has been baffled and defeated by deception;
overcome by chicanery until his faith died within him. My faith would
die within me were it not that when I meet a Mayence I encounter also
the virtue of a Cologne, and the bluff honesty of a Count Palatine. How
marvelous is this world, where the trickery of a Kurzbold and a Gensbein
is canceled by the faithfulness unto death of a Greusel and an
Ebearhard! Thus doth good balance evil, and then--and then, how Heaven
beams upon earth in the angel glance of a good woman. God guide me
aright! God guide me aright!" he repeated fervently, "and suppress in me
all anger and uncharitableness."

He walked rapidly across the bridge into Sachsenhausen, past his room at
the street corner, and on to the monastery of the Benedictines, whose
little chapel stood open night and day for the prayers of those in
trouble or in sadness, habited only by one of the elder brothers, who
gave, if it were needed, advice, encouragement, or spiritual comfort.
Removing his hat, the Prince entered into the silence on tiptoe, and
kneeling before the altar, prayed devoutly for direction, asking the
Almighty to turn the thoughts of His servant, Mayence, into channels
that flowed towards peace and the relief of this unhappy city.

As he rose to his feet a weight lifted from his shoulders, and the
buoyancy of youth drove away the depression that temporarily overcame
him on hearing of the army threatening Frankfort. His plans were honest,
his methods conciliatory, and the path now seemed clear before him. The
monk in charge, who had been kneeling in a dark corner near the door,
now came forward to intercept him.

"Will your Highness deny me in the chapel as you did upon the bridge?"

Roland stopped. In the gloom he had not recognized the ghostly Father.

"No, Father Ambrose, and I do now what I should have done then. I pray
your blessing on the enterprise before me."

"My son, it is willingly given, the more willingly that I may atone in
part my forgetting of the Holy Words: 'Judge not, that ye be not
judged.' I grievously misjudged you, as I learn from both the Archbishop
and my kinswoman. I ask your forgiveness."

"I shall forgive you, Father Ambrose, if you make full, not partial
atonement. The consequences of your mistake have proved drastic and
far-reaching. The least of these consequences is that it has cost me the
Emperorship."

"Oh," moaned the good man, "_mea culpa, mea culpa!_ No penance put upon
me can compensate for that disaster."

"You blame yourself overmuch, good Father. The penance I have to impose
will leave me deeply in your debt. Now, to come from the least to the
greatest of these results, so far as I am concerned, my marriage with
your kinswoman, whom I love devotedly, is in jeopardy. Through her
conviction that I was a thief, she braved the Archbishop of Mayence, who
imprisoned her, and now his Lordship has determined that the Grand Duke
Karl of Hesse shall be Emperor. Thus we arrive at the most important
outcome of your error. Between the overwhelming forces of Mayence and
the insufficient troops of Cologne and Treves there may ensue a conflict
causing the streets of Frankfort to flow with blood."

The pious man groaned dismally.

"I have a plan which will prevent this. The day after to-morrow I shall
renounce all claim to the throne; but being selfish, like the rest, I
refuse to renounce all claim to the woman the Archbishops themselves
chose as my wife, neither shall I allow the case to be made further the
plaything of circumstance. Your kinswoman, no later ago than this
afternoon, confessed her love for me and her complete disregard of any
position I may hold in this realm. Now, Father Ambrose, I ask you
several questions. Is it in consonance with the rules of the Church that
a marriage be solemnized in this chapel?"

"Yes."

"Are you entitled to perform the ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible this ceremony can be performed to-morrow?"

"Yes."

"Will you therefore attend to the necessary preliminaries, of which I am
vastly ignorant, and say at what hour the Countess and I may present
ourselves in this chapel?"

"The Archbishop of Cologne is guardian to her ladyship. Will you bring
me his sanction?"

"Ah, Father Ambrose, there is just the point. So far as concerns himself
I doubt not that the Archbishop is the most unambitious of men, but to
the marriage of his ward with a sword maker I fear he would refuse
consent which he would gladly give to a marriage with an Emperor."

The monk hung his head, and pondered on the proposition. At last he
said:

"Why not ask my Lord the Archbishop?"

"I dare not venture. Too much is at stake. She might be carried away to
any castle in Germany. Remember that Cologne has already acquiesced in
her imprisonment, and but that the iron chain of the Pfalzgraf brought
me to her prison door--The iron chain, do I say? 'Twas the hand of God
that directed me to her, and now, with the help of Him who guided me,
not all the Archbishops in Christendom shall prevent our marriage. No,
Father Ambrose, pile on yourself all the futile penances you can adopt.
They are useless, for they do not remedy the wrong you have committed.
And now, good-night to your Reverence!"

The young man strode towards the door.

"My son," said the quiet voice of the priest, "when you were on your
knees just now did you pray for remission from anger?"

Roland whirled round.

_"Mea culpa,_ as you said just now. Father Ambrose, I ask your pardon. I
made an unfair use of your mistake to coerce you. You were quite right
in relating what your own eyes saw here in Frankfort, and although the
inference drawn was wrong, you were not to blame for that. I recognize
your scruples, but nevertheless protest that already I possess the
sanction of the Archbishop, which has never been withdrawn."

"Prince Roland, if you bring hither the Countess von Sayn to-morrow
afternoon, when the bells strike three, I will marry you, and gladly
accept whatever penances ensue. I fear the monk's robe has not crushed
out all the impulses of the Sayn blood. In my case, perhaps, it has only
covered them. And now, good-night, and God's blessing fall upon you and
her you are to marry."

Roland went directly from the chapel to his own room, where he slept the
sleep of one who has made up his mind. Nevertheless, it was not a
dreamless sleep, for throughout the night he seemed to hear the tramp of
armed men marching upon unconscious Frankfort, and this sound was so
persistent, that at last he woke, yet still it continued. Springing up
in alarm, and flinging wide the wooden shutters of his window, he was
amazed to see that the sun was already high, while the sound that
disturbed him was caused by a procession of heavy-footed horses,
dragging over the cobble-stones carts well-laden with farm produce.

Having dressed and finished breakfast, he wrote a letter to the
Archbishop of Mayence:

"My LORD ARCHBISHOP,--There are some important proposals which I
wish to make to the Electors, and as it is an unwritten rule that I
should not communicate with them separately, I beg of you to
convene a meeting to-morrow, in the Wahlzimmer, at the hour of
midday. Perhaps it is permissible to add, for your own information,
that while my major proposition has to do with the relief of
Frankfort, the minor suggestions I shall make will have the effect
of clearing away obstacles that at present obstruct your path, and
I venture to think that what I say will meet with your warmest
approval."

It was so necessary that this communication should reach the Archbishop
as soon as possible that Roland became his own messenger, and himself
delivered the document at the Archbishop's Palace. As he turned away he
was startled by a hand being placed on his shoulder with a weight
suggesting an action of arrest rather than a greeting of friendship. He
turned quickly, and saw the Lieutenant who had so discourteously used
him in the square. There was, however, no menace in the officer's
countenance.

"Still thrusting your sword at people?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, and very harmlessly. 'Tis a bloodless combat I wage
with the sword. I praise its construction, and leave to superiors like
yourself, sir, the proving of its quality."

"You are an energetic young man, and we of Mayence admire competence
whether shown by mechanic or noble. Was the letter you handed in just
now addressed to his Lordship?"

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"'Twill be quite without effect."

"It grieves me to hear you say so, sir."

"Take my advice, and make no effort to see the Archbishop until after
the Election. I judge you to be a sane young fellow, for whom I confess
a liking. You are the only man in Frankfort who has unhesitatingly told
me the exact truth, and I have not yet recovered from my amazement. Now,
when you return to your frugal room in Sachsenhausen you do not attempt
to reach it by mounting the stairs with one step?"

"Naturally not, Lieutenant."

"Very well. When the Emperor is proclaimed, come you to me. I'll
introduce you to my superior, and he, if impressed with your weapon,
will take you a step higher, and thus you will mount until you come to
an officer who may give you an astonishing order."

"I thank you, Lieutenant, and hope later to avail myself of your
kindness."

The Lieutenant slapped him on the shoulder, and wished him good-luck. As
Roland pushed his way through the crowd, he said to himself, with a
sigh:

"I regret not being Emperor, if only for the sake of young fellows like
that."

Frankfort was transformed as if a magician had waved his wand over it.
The streets swarmed with people. Farmers' vehicles of every description
added to the confusion, and Roland frowned as he noticed how badly
organized had been the preparations for coping with this sudden influx
of food, but he also saw that the men of Mayence had taken a hand in the
matter, and were rapidly bringing method out of chaos. The uniforms of
Cologne or Treves were seldom seen, while the quiet but firm soldiers of
Mayence were everywhere ordering to their homes those already served,
and clearing the way for the empty-handed.

At last Roland reached the Palace of Cologne, through a square thronged
with people. Within he found his mother and the Countess, seated in a
room whose windows overlooked the square, watching the stirring scene
presented to them. Having saluted his mother, he greeted the girl with a
quiet pressure of the hand.

"What is the cause of all this commotion?" asked the Empress.

Roland tapped his breast.

"I am the cause, mother," and he related the history of the relief
committee, and if appreciation carries with it gratification, his was
the advantage of knowing that the two women agreed he was the most
wonderful of men.

"But indeed, mother," continued Roland, "I selfishly rob you of the
credit. The beginning of all this was really your gift to me of five
hundred thalers, that time I came to crave your assistance in procuring
me this document I still carry, and without your thalers and the
parchment, this never could have happened. So you see they have
increased like the loaves and fishes of Holy Writ, and thus feed the
multitude."

Her Majesty arose, smiling.

"Ah, Roland," she said, kissing him, "you always gave your mother more
credit than she deserved. It wrung my heart at the time that I was so
scant of money." Then, pleading fatigue, the Empress left the room.

"Hilda!" cried the young man, "when you and I discuss things, those
things become true. Yesterday we agreed that the Imperial throne was not
so enviable a seat as a chair by the domestic hearth. To-day I propose
to secure the chair at the hearth, and to-morrow I shall freely give up
the Imperial throne."

The girl uttered an exclamation that seemed partly concurrence and
partly dismay, but she spoke no word, gazing at him intently as he
strode up and down the room, and listening with eagerness. Walking
backwards and forwards, looking like an enthusiastic boy, he very
graphically detailed the situation as he had learned it from Greusel.

"Now you see, my dear, any opposition to the Archbishop of Mayence means
a conflict, and supposing in that conflict our friends were to win, the
victory would be scarcely less disastrous than defeat. I at once made up
my mind, fortified by my knowledge of your opinion on the subject, that
for all the kingships in the world I could not be the cause of civil
dissension."

"That is a just and noble decision," she said, speaking for the first
time.

Then, standing before her, the young man in more moderate tone related
what had happened and what had been said in the chapel of the
Benedictine Fathers. She looked up at him, earnest face aglow, during
the first part of his recital, and now and then the sunshine of a smile
flickered at the corners of her mouth as she recognized her kinsman in
her lover's repetition of his words, but when it came to the question of
a marriage, her eyes sank to the floor, and remained there.

"Well, Hilda," he said at last, "have you the courage to go with me, all
unadvised, all unchaperoned, to the chapel this afternoon at three
o'clock?"

She rose slowly, still without looking at him, placed her hands on his
shoulders, then slipped them round his neck, laying her cheek beside
his.

"It requires no courage, Roland," she whispered, "to go anywhere if you
are with me. I need to call up my courage only when I think with a
shudder of our being separated."

Some minutes elapsed before conversation was resumed.

"Where is the Archbishop?" asked Roland, in belated manner remembering
his host.

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