Part 49 (1/2)
”Well! Humphry has something of me in him after all!” he said. ”He is not entirely his mother! He has a heart,--a will, and a conscience,--all three generally lacking to sons of kings! Let me be honest with myself!
If he had given way to me, I should have despised him!--'but for Love's sake he has opposed me; and by my soul!--I respect him!”
CHAPTER XXIII
THE KING'S DEFENDER
Rumour, we are told, has a million tongues, and they were soon all at work, wagging out the news of the Crown Prince's mysterious departure.
Each tongue told a different story, and none of the stories tallied.
No information was to be obtained at Court. There nothing was said, but that the Prince, disliking the formal ceremony of a public departure, had privately set sail in his own yacht for his projected tour round the world. n.o.body believed this; and the general impression soon gained ground that the young man had fallen into disgrace with his Royal parents, and had been sent away for a time till he should recognize the enormity of his youthful indiscretions.
”Sent away--you understand!” said the society gossips; ”To avoid further scandal!”
The Prince's younger brothers, Rupert and Cyprian, were often plied with questions by their intimates, but knowing nothing, and truly caring less, they could give no explanation. Neither King nor Queen spoke a word on the subject; and Sir Roger de Launay, astonished and perplexed beyond measure as he was at this turn in affairs, dared not put any questions even to his friend Professor von Glauben who, as soon as the news of the Prince's departure was known, resolutely declined to speak, so he said, ”on what did not concern him.” Gradually, however, this excitement partially subsided to give place to other forms of social commotion, which beginning in trifles, swiftly expanded to larger and more serious development. The first of these was the sudden rise of a newspaper which had for many years subsisted with the greatest difficulty in opposition to the many journals governed by David Jost. It happened in this manner.
Several leading articles written in favour of a Jesuit settlement in the country, had appeared constantly in Jost's largest and most widely circulated newspaper, and the last of these 'leaders,' had concluded with the a.s.sertion that though his Majesty, the King, had at first refused the portion of Crown-lands needed by the Society for building, he had now 'graciously' re-considered the situation, and had been pleased to revoke his previous decision. Whereat, the very next morning the rival 'daily' had leaped into prominence by merely two headlines:
THE JESUIT SETTLEMENT STATEMENT BY HIS MAJESTY THE KING.
And there, plainly set forth, was the Royal and authoritative refusal to grant the lands required, 'Because of the earnest pet.i.tion of our loving subjects against the said grant,'--and till 'our loving subjects''
objections were removed, the lands would be withheld. This public announcement signed by the King in person, created the most extraordinary sensation throughout the whole country. It was the one topic at every social meeting; it was the one subject of every sermon.
Preachers stormed and harangued in every pulpit, and Monsignor Del Fortis, lifting up his harsh raucous voice in the Cathedral itself, addressed an enormous congregation one Sunday morning on the matter, and denounced the King, the Queen, and the mysteriously-departed Crown Prince in the most orthodox Christian manner, commending them to the flames of h.e.l.l, and the mercy of a loving G.o.d at one and the same moment.
Meanwhile, the newspaper that had been permitted to publish the King's statement got its circulation up by tens of thousands, the more so as certain brilliant and fiery articles on the political situation began to appear therein signed by one Pasquin Leroy, a stranger to the reading public, but in whom the spirit of a modern 'Junius' appeared to have entered for the purpose of warning, threatening and commanding. A scathing and audacious attack upon Carl Perousse, Secretary of State, in which the small darts of satire flew further than the sharpest arrows of a.s.sertion, was among the first of these, and Perousse himself, maddened like a bull at the first p.r.i.c.k of the toreador, by the stinging truths the writer uttered, or rather suggested, lost no time in summoning General Bernhoff to a second interview.
”Did I not tell you,” he said, pointing to the signature at the end of the offending article, ”to 'shadow' that man, and arrest him as a common spy?”
Bernhoff bowed stiffly.
”You did! But it is difficult to arrest one who is not capable of being arrested. I must be provided first with proofs of his guilt; and I must also obtain the King's order.”
”Proofs should be easy enough for you to obtain,” said Perousse fiercely; ”And the King will sign any warrant he is told. At least, you can surely find this rascal out?--where he lives, and what are his means of subsistence?”
”If he were here, I could,” responded Bernhoff calmly; ”I have made all the necessary preliminary enquiries. The man is a gentleman of considerable wealth. He writes for his own amus.e.m.e.nt, and--from a distance. I advise you--” and here the General held up an obstinate-looking finger of warning; ”I advise you, I say, to let him alone! I can find no proof whatever that he is a spy.”
”Proof! I can give you enough--” began Perousse hotly, then paused in confusion. For what could he truly say? If he told the Chief of Police that this Pasquin Leroy was believed to have counterfeited the Prime Minister's signet, in order to obtain an interview with David Jost, why then the Chief of Police would be informed once and for all that the Prime Minister was in confidential communication with the Jew-proprietor of a stock-jobbing newspaper! And that would never do! It would, at the least, be impolitic. Inwardly chafing with annoyance, he a.s.sumed an outward air of conscientious gravity.
”You will regret it, General, I think, if you do not follow out my suggestions respecting this man,” he said coldly; ”He is writing for the press in a strain which is plainly directed against the Government. Of course we statesmen pay little or no heed to modern journalism, but the King, having taken the unusual, and as I consider it, unwise step of proclaiming certain of his intentions in a newspaper which was, until his patronage, obscure and unsuccessful, the public attention has been suddenly turned towards this particular journal; and what is written therein may possibly influence the ma.s.ses as it would not have done a few weeks ago.”
”I quite believe that!” said Bernhoff tersely; ”But I cannot arrest a man for writing clever things. Literary talent is no proof of dishonesty.”
Perousse looked at him sharply. But there was no satire in Bernhoff's fixed and gla.s.sy eye, and no expression whatever in his woodenly-composed countenance.
”We entertain different opinions on the matter, it is evident!” he said; ”You will at least grant that if he cannot be arrested, he can be carefully watched?”
”He _is_ carefully watched!” replied Bernhoff; ”That is to say, as far as _I_ can watch him!”