Count Bruhl Part 7

'Is the minister at home?' he asked.

'Yes, sir, but he is engaged with visitors.'

'Visitors?' repeated Bruhl, hesitating as to what to do. 'Who is there?'

'Some pious young men from Leipzig.'

Bruhl was still hesitating, when a dignified middle-aged man appeared in the doorway and conducted him to a further apartment.

'I do not wish to intrude,' said the page, bowing.

'You never intrude,' said the host coolly and distinctly. 'The people will not crowd my house any more now. Pray, come in. In a Protestant country one enters a clergyman's house secretly, as the first Christians did into the catacombs. Glory to those who pa.s.s our threshold.'

So saying he entered with Bruhl into a large, modestly furnished room.

Here were two young men, and it seemed to Bruhl that he knew the taller of the two. He could not however remember where he had seen him. The tall man also looked attentively at Bruhl, and approaching him, said:

'If I am not mistaken, this is the second time we have met. I am indebted to your kindness that I did not fall into the hands of the King's servants and was not treated as a vagabond.'

'Count Zinzendorf--'

'Brother in Christ,' answered the youth, 'and were you Catholic, Aryan, Wicklyffite or of any denomination, I should always greet you as a brother in Christ.'

The host, whose face was severe and to whom bushy, contracted eyebrows gave a still more gloomy expression groaned.

'Count, let your dreams alone; the chaff must be separated from the grain, although they both grow on one stem.'

Bruhl was silent.

'What news from the court?' asked the host. 'There does not seem to be any change; prayers in the morning, opera in the evening. But pray be seated.'

They all sat. Zinzendorf looked at Bruhl piercingly, as though wis.h.i.+ng to penetrate into his soul, but those windows, Bruhl's beautiful eyes, through which he hoped to look within him, avoided meeting his.

'Is it true that they are going to build a Catholic church?' asked the host.

'I don't know anything definite about it,' answered Bruhl.

'It would be scandalous!' the minister moaned.

'Why?' interrupted Zinzendorf. 'We complain that they are not tolerant; should we then retaliate? The glory of Christ may be sung in many ways.

Why not by Catholics as well as by us?'

Bruhl nodded in the affirmative, but as he did so he encountered a severe glance from the host; so he stopped the gesture, and changed his expression into a double-faced smile.

'Count,' said the minister, 'those are the ideas of youth, beautiful in your mouth, but impossible in life. As one cannot sit on two chairs, so one cannot confess two religions, for in that case, like some people in very high positions, we have no religion.'

The minister sighed; they all understood to whom he was alluding. Bruhl pretended not to hear; perchance he was sorry he had fallen among these men, discussing such delicate questions. Zinzendorf, on the contrary, seemed to be perfectly happy.

'But how can we spread the truth and convert the people if we mix not with those of other creeds? Christ mixed with Pharisees and heathens and converted them by His kindness.'

'You are young, and you dream,' sighed the minister, 'but when you will be called upon to fight, and to change your dreams into action--'

'That's what I desire!' the young enthusiast cried, lifting his hands.

'Did I only love myself, I would go into the desert to seek for Christ in contemplation; but I love my fellow-man, everybody, even those who are in error; that is why I shall act and try to realise my dreams, as you put it.'

The minister, Bruhl, and the other young man, each listened with quite different feelings. The first stood gloomy and irritated, the second was embarra.s.sed although he smiled, and the other was filled with admiration for each of his friend's words.

'I think that your zeal,' said the minister, 'would diminish at court.'

'Shall we have the pleasure of seeing you at the court?' Bruhl asked quietly.

'Never!' exclaimed Zinzendorf. 'I, at court? There is no power that could bring me there. My court is where there are poor people, my future is to apply Christ's teaching to my life. I go to preach Christ's love. At court I should be sneered at.--I shall search for another field in order to accomplish that whereunto I am called.'

'But your family, Count?' said the minister.

'My father is in heaven,' answered Zinzendorf. 'To Him alone I owe obedience.'

Bruhl came to the conclusion that he had nothing to do there.

Zinzendorf frightened him by his extraordinary speech. He took the minister aside, whispered with him for a moment, and took his leave. He bowed from afar in true courtly manner to the apostle and went out. It would be difficult to say whether he was more sincere with the Jesuit or with the minister, but the fact remains that although he visited both, he flattered Padre Guarini more than the Rev. Knofl.

In the street Bruhl again hesitated. The Prince's palace was not far distant. Two guards were at the door. The young page went into the courtyard and ran to the left wing. The open door and the light in the window tempted him to try his luck at the court also. Here lived the Countess Kolowrath, lady in waiting to the princess, her favourite, a much respected and middle-aged lady; she was fond of the young page, who would bring her all the gossip of the court.

He could enter her apartments at any hour of the day, and took advantage of that privilege very freely, but in such, a way as not to be seen by the people, or to give them a chance to know about his intimacy with the Countess.

In the ante-room a lackey, in the court livery, opened the door and showed in the page. Bruhl entered on tip-toe. The drawing-room was lighted with a few wax candles. To the right, through the half-opened door a stream of bright light was seen, and at the noise of Bruhl's shoes on the s.h.i.+ning parquetry floor, a child's head appeared.

Bruhl stepped softly forward.

'Ah! it's you. Monsieur Henry,' said a fresh voice. 'Wait a moment.'

The head disappeared, but soon the door opened wide and an eight year old girl came to it. She wore a satin dress ornamented with lace, silk _a jour_ stockings, shoes with high heels; her hair was curled and powdered, and she looked more like a doll than a child. She smiled to Bruhl, curtseyed to him, as it was customary in the court and as she was taught by her _maitre de ballet_, Monsieur Favier. She had the comically serious mien of those china figures made in Meissen.

Bruhl bowed to her as he would have done to an elderly lady. The child looked seriously at him with a pair of big black eyes, but all at once her seriousness forsook her and she burst into laughter. The comedy was over.

'How do you do, Henry?'

'And how is her Excellency?'

'Her Excellency, my mother, prays with the Princess. Padre Guarini recites a litany, and I am bored. Listen, Bruhl, let us play at court; I shall be the queen and you the great chamberlain.'

'I would do it willingly, my dear Frances,' but I must return to the King's service before playing.'

'You are not polite towards the ladies!' answered the little Countess with the air of an old lady, which made her very amusing.

'I will not love you, and should you ever fall in love with me--'

'Ah! yes, it will be soon,' said Bruhl laughing.

'Then you will see how cruel I shall be,' added Frances.