Count Bruhl Part 60

'Well, tell me, what news?'

'Instead of thanking me, your Excellency scolds me. It is true that Henniche was a lackey, but precisely for that reason, he does not like to be reminded of the fact.'

Saying this he unfolded some papers.

'Here is what I have brought; I made Ludovici drunk, I have a.s.sured him that we shall appoint him a councillor in the secret department, and I guarantee that he shall keep it in such secrecy that n.o.body shall learn about it! I have already some accusations. There are sums taken from the custom house, there are receipts of money not paid to the army. Ho!

ho! plenty to accuse him of. How could he buy estates otherwise?'

'You must have proofs,' said Bruhl.

'Black and white,' Henniche returned.

'When could you have them ready?'

'In a few days.'

'There is no hurry,' said Bruhl, 'the King must rest after his first effort. Faustina shall sing, Guarini shall make him laugh, we shall shoot; the incident in the corridor will be forgotten, then we shall be able to act. The essential thing is to keep all in secrecy; he must not suspect anything and run away.'

Henniche, who looked attentively at his master, added:

'We must watch him at Nebigan; we must tell some of our lackeys to enter his service; they will act as spies.'

'Very good,' said Bruhl.

'I should think it is very good, as I never suggest anything bad,'

rejoined Henniche.

'If he escapes to Vienna, or to Prussia, even to Poland,' said Bruhl thoughtfully, 'it would be a very unpleasant and dangerous occurrence.'

'Yes, dangerous,' said Henniche fixing his wig, 'for although he is not very cunning, it is never wise to despise an enemy.'

'Then it is understood,' whispered Bruhl, 'you collect proofs of guilt.

It would not be proper for me, who succeed him, to act openly against him.'

Before leaving he added:

'Listen, Henniche, you cannot go away, it will be better to send Globig. Such a man as Sulkowski cannot be put in one room, especially when it is probable that he will remain there a long time. Do you understand? Tell Globig to go to the commandant and let him choose a few good rooms for the Count, that he may be quite comfortable. They might clean the rooms and have them ready, but they must not know for whom they are destined.'

Henniche laughed.

'Your Excellency forgets that for such a game I must be rewarded.'

'When he is in the cage,' Bruhl said. 'And it seems to me that you do not forget yourself.'

'We are both alike,' rejoined Henniche folding the papers. 'Why should we cheat each other? We know each other well.'

Bruhl, although the ex-lackey treated him so brutally, did not dare to answer; he needed him.

The minister returned with a serene face to the drawing-room, where the card tables were quite ready. The Countess Moszynski, tapping the table with her fingers, waited for him.

'Sit down,' she said, 'at this hour all business goes to bed.'

CHAPTER XXI

The last days of the carnival were more merry than in former years, because everyone tried to make the King cheerful, on whose forehead could often be seen something like sadness and yearning.

He yawned very often during the afternoon, and Guarini's jokes could not make him laugh. They asked Faustina to sing the King's favourite songs. Frosch and Horch were promised a reward for good tricks. They induced the King to shoot every day at a target. The entertainments at the castle were very brilliant. Bruhl would hardly leave the castle; he would stand at the door trying to guess the King's thoughts. Sometimes Augustus would be in a better humour and would smile; but very often too, during the laughter, a cloud would come and the monarch's face would become suddenly gloomy; then he would turn to the window, and appeared not to see or to hear anything.

The next day Sulkowski received an order to go immediately to Nebigan.

He was obliged to leave Dresden. The people were waiting for him on his way in order to jeer at him.

His little dog Fido was running after his carriage, someone shot him.

It was done in the day time, in the town, and no one said anything. The Countess cried, the Count said not a word, he bore it stoically, pretending to know nothing about it.

The vile mob accompanied him beyond the bridge, running and shouting after him. The coachman urged the horses, the Count looked into the distance and did not even move--he felt superior to it all.

Bruhl was told all about this; he only smiled.

At last the new minister learned through his spies that Sulkowski's downfall aroused in the court rather regret and fear than pleasure.

They murmured everywhere.

The only remedy for that was to isolate the King so that no unauthorised word could penetrate to him. During the next few days, immediately the new officials were appointed, Bruhl's brother became the Grand Marshal of the court, the pages and lackeys whom they suspected of having any relations with Sulkowski, were changed.

Augustus got everything he was fond of, but he was strictly watched. He felt happy, since he could satisfy his habits and besides that, desired nothing else.

It was impossible immediately to think of restraining the Queen's influence, but it was in Bruhl's plans to do so. He determined to act through his wife alone, for he feared that Guarini would not consent to use such radical measures. Bruhl felt omnipotent, and his viceroys, as they called his councillors, grew more and more arrogant.

They were still afraid of Sulkowski and it was necessary to finish with him once and for ever. Henniche collected proofs of money appropriated.

The action that now had to be put through was, to confiscate the Furstenburg Palace, given to him by the King, to take from him Nebigan Castle, and lock him up in Konigstein. As there had been many similar examples in the reign of Augustus the Strong, Bruhl expected to be able to carry out his plans very easily. Sulkowski, free, was dangerous.

Sulkowski in Vienna would be threatening.

Bruhl was still more alarmed that the Count did not seem to be crushed by his misfortune. He ordered his furniture to be brought from Dresden to Nebigan, and the beautiful situation of the castle made sojourn in it quite bearable. From his window Sulkowski could see the tower of the King's castle, in which he had been such a powerful man.

The carnival drew to its end, the Count did not leave Nebigan.

Every day his steps were dogged by spies, but they could not learn anything. n.o.body visited him from town. Every day the Count's servants would go to Dresden for provisions, but they had no intercourse with anyone except the shopkeepers.

The Count would spend whole days reading, conversing with his wife, and writing letters, but the spies never learned how they were sent.

One morning Bruhl entered the King's room with a pile of papers. The King hated the mere sight of papers, and talk about intrigues. One word would make him sullen.

Bruhl would shorten the disagreeable duty by handing to the King doc.u.ments ready for his signature. Augustus III would sit at a table and would sign them like a machine, not looking at the doc.u.ments; his signature was always the same, clear, precise, majestic and quiet.

That day, the King, having noticed the papers, was preparing to perform his onerous duty, but Bruhl stood motionless, and did not unfold the doc.u.ments.