Part 54 (1/2)

Andreas Hofer gave public audiences every morning like a real prince, and the sentinels placed in front of the imperial palace and at the door of the commander-in-chief had received stringent orders not to refuse admittance to the audience-room to any one, but allow all to come in, how poorly soever they might be dressed. Andreas listened to every one with kind patience and cordial sympathy, and always took care to help console the distressed, make peace, and conciliate; and every one who needed comfort and a.s.sistance hastened to apply to the always helpful commander-in-chief.

To-day again many persons were in the audience-room, waiting impatiently for the moment when the door should open, and when Andreas Hofer should make his appearance on the threshold, greet all with a pleasant nod of his head, and then beckon to him who was nearest to the door to enter his cabinet.

But the hour fixed for the audience had struck long ago, and the commander-in-chief, who was usually so punctual and conscientious, had not yet opened the door of his audience-room. He had already been half an hour in his cabinet, and Doeninger sat at the desk, ready to write down the names of all applicants for audience, and add a brief statement of their wishes and pet.i.tions. But Andreas was still pacing the room, his hands behind his back; and although he had already laid his hand twice on the door-k.n.o.b, he had stepped back as if in terror, and continued striding up and down.

”Commander-in-chief,” said Doeninger, after a long pause, during which he had watched Hofer's irresolute bearing smilingly, ”there is something that disquiets you, is there not?”

”Yes, Cajetan,” sighed Andreas. ”As you have found it out, I will no longer deny that there is something that disquiets me.”

”And what is it, commander-in-chief? Will you not communicate it to your faithful and discreet Cajetan?”

”Yes, I will, my dear Cajetan,” said Hofer. ”I am afraid I did something very stupid yesterday, and I am ashamed of it.”

”Ah, you allude to the lawsuit which you decided yesterday,”

exclaimed Doeninger.

”You see, no sooner did I say that I did something very stupid, than you at once knew what I meant; what I did must, therefore, have been very stupid indeed. Yes, I alluded to the lawsuit, Cajetan, for I am afraid I did not decide it, but made it only more complicated.”

”On the whole, there was nothing to be decided,” said Doeninger, dryly. ”The lawsuit was already decided; the supreme court had given judgment in favor of the plaintiff and awarded to him the sum of one thousand florins, which was at issue, and sentenced the defendant to pay that sum and the costs. But the defendant--”

”It was no man, Cajetan,” interrupted Andreas; ”it was a woman, and that was the worst of it. I cannot bear to see women weep. They know so well how to touch my heart by their tears and lamentations, that I long to help them. Lord Jesus, how that woman, the defendant in the lawsuit, wept! And was it the poor woman's fault, Cajetan, that her deceased husband was head over ears in debt, that he borrowed one thousand florins from a friend, and meanly affixed his wife's name without her knowledge to the note which he gave for it?”

”But that is just the trouble, commander-in-chief; not only did she know it, but she herself put her name under the note. I myself asked the judges about it yesterday. They say that the woman is known to be avaricious, greedy, and mean, and they would not have given judgment against her if there had not been sworn evidence to the effect that she herself signed the note. They add that she is rich enough to pay back the thousand florins which her husband certainly borrowed from his friend.”

”I cannot believe it,” exclaimed Andreas. ”She wept and lamented so very unaffectedly; during my whole wedded life I have not seen my wife weep so much as the woman wept during that quarter of an hour yesterday; and I think one that can weep so much must be innocent.

Hence, I did what I had a perfect right to do; I wrote to the judges and reversed their decision.”

”Well, commander-in-chief, if you think you were justified in what you did, why does it disquiet you?”

”It does,” said Andreas Hofer, ”because I think now that the plaintiff, who lost his suit, may feel very sore over it, and blame me for depriving him of what he thought was due to him; and I shudder to think he maybe in the other room, and intend to reproach me with ruining him and taking from him what the judges had already awarded to him.”

”And, Andy, because you would not like to see one man, you keep the others waiting outside.”

”You are right, Cajetan. I ought not to do that; I am a selfish, cowardly fellow,” cried Andreas, contritely. ”I will no longer keep them waiting, but admit them at once.”

And he went with a hasty step to the door of the audience-room, threw it open, and stepped upon the threshold. The large room was crowded with persons of every age and rank; all thronged toward the door, and every one was desirous of being the first to greet the commander-in-chief, and to be invited by him into his cabinet.

Andreas Hofer bowed kindly to all; his eyes fell on an old man with silver-white hair, who was striving to penetrate to him, and cast beseeching glances on him.

”My old friend,” said Andreas, mildly, ”it is true you are not nearest to the door, but you are the oldest person in the room, and therefore it is right for me to listen to you first. Come in, then, and tell me what you want of me.”

The old man, leaning on his cane, hastened forward and entered the cabinet, the door of which Andreas Hofer himself closed behind him.

”Now tell me, my aged friend, who are you, and what I can do for you.”

”Much, very much, commander-in-chief,” replied the old man, in a tremulous voice. ”You can grant me justice. My name is Friedel Hofmeier, and I am the unfortunate man who gained his lawsuit yesterday, and who was to get his thousand florins back, but from whom you took them again by virtue of your supreme authority.”

”Cajetan, it is as I said,” sighed Andreas, turning with a doleful air to Doeninger, who sat at the desk, pen in hand, and bowed to the commander-in-chief with a shrug.

”I come to you, the emperor's lieutenant, to demand justice,” added the old man. ”Your decree was unjust and contrary to law. The judges had decided in my favor, and by reversing their judgment, you treat with harshness and cruelty an old man who stands on the brink of the grave, and deprive my poor grandchild of its whole inheritance.”