Part 31 (1/2)
After the reception the King said to Vitzthum,--
”Have you seen that they wish to seduce me here; but so long as women such as Denhoff wish to compete against Cosel, the latter is perfectly safe.”
Vitzthum, who was in a good humour at the time, replied,--
”Your Majesty, it is not a question of Countess Cosel's happiness, for she can remain in Dresden, and Madam Denhoff at Warsaw. But it seems that the Poles complain that they are wronged by Countess Cosel, and wish you to select some one from among them. It would therefore be necessary to divide your Majesty's heart between Saxony and Poland.”
The King laughed.
”It is all very well for you,” said he, ”but every day I receive letters full of reproaches, and then they try and tempt me here.”
”The King should do that which pleases him.”
Augustus did not need to be persuaded of that.
On Countess Bielinska's part, everything that might attract the King was attended to. The next day he was invited to supper, and Countess Denhoff and her sister amused him by singing to the harpsichord.
This evening Countess Denhoff was more daring, and while singing, she constantly looked across at the King, who liked to be provoked. Her mother and sister helped her, answering for her, and choosing merry subjects of conversation. The King soon grew to like the house and the people, and to visit them oftener; and it was not long before he became accustomed to the little Countess, and fell in love with her, as much as such a man as he was able.
The King was constantly receiving letters from Cosel, to whom her enemies purposely communicated everything: these letters were in consequence full of bitter reproaches. At first the King used to reply to them, but gradually he left them unanswered.
In a conversation with Vitzthum, the King had expressed a wish to get rid of Countess Cosel, whom he feared. Flemming determined to utilize the remark, and one evening when the King sighed, he laughed.
”I should like,” said he, ”to remind your Majesty of an old story which might perhaps be applied to present circ.u.mstances.”
”For instance?” queried Augustus.
”In old times,” said Flemming, ”before he met the beautiful Aurore, the Kurfurst of Saxony was in love with Rechenberg. Soon he wished to get rid of her. Then the Kurfurst of Saxony asked Chancellor Beichling to help him. Beichling courted the lady, and the King was freed.”
”I doubt if you would succeed in the same way with Cosel,” said the King.
”One could always try.”
”Whom do you wish to make happy with her?”
”I would leave the choice to your Majesty's penetration,” said Flemming.
The King strode up and down the room, smiling ironically.
”It is difficult to choose, for Cosel has very few acquaintances who would even dare to approach her. Why not employ Baron Lowendhal, who, being her relation and _protege_, can approach her more easily than any one else. If I could prove to her that she was unfaithful, I should have a pretext for breaking with her.”
”I will employ Lowendhal,” said the General. ”She has done a great deal for him, but the King has done more; besides, he would not like to fail with Cosel.”
”He will do what he is ordered.”
As a result of this conversation, a letter was despatched to Dresden, to Lowendhal, ordering him to compromise Cosel.
CHAPTER XV.