This news did not appear agreeable to the prejudices of some hearers; there were complaints, growls, and a certain number of lamentations.
Herr von Mada seemed to understand these sad protestations.
"If," said he, "it is not without pain that you resign former connections that were dear to you, I respect such feelings and esteem them as a guarantee that you and your children will be faithfully attached to me and my house."
An enormous bulldog replied by a single bark, which appeared, however, to speak the opinion of the two or three hundred companions around him.
The interruption did not disturb Herr von Mada, and he went on:
"You will recognize the force of accomplished facts; if the fruits of an obstinate war and of b.l.o.o.d.y victories are not to be lost to Germany, the duty of self-preservation and care for national interests imperatively demand that the town of Frankfort shall be joined to Prussia, solidly and for ever."
At this moment a dog broke its chain and despite shouts of "Arrest the rebel! Arrest the rebel!" and the pursuit of some five or six Sachsenhausen urchins, disappeared into the Jewry.
"And, as my father of blessed memory declared," resumed Herr von Mada, "it is solely for the profit of Germany that Prussia has enlarged its boundaries. I offer this for your serious reflection, and I confide in your upright German good sense to swear allegiance to me with the same sincerity as my own people. May G.o.d grant it!"
"WILLIAM"
"Given at my castle of Babelsberg, October 3rd, 1866."
And raising his voice, Herr von Mada added, by way of peroration:
"Hurrah for King William! Hurrah for the King of Prussia!"
At the same instant the black-and-white flag was hoisted on the topmost gable of the Roemer. No shout replied to Herr von Mada"s, only the voice of Lenhart was heard like that of a drill sergeant:
"And now, my little doggies, as you have the honour to be Prussian dogs, shout "Hurrah for the King of Prussia!""
Then every man pressed his toe upon the tail, the ear, or the paw of his dog, and there arose such frightful uproar, including the deepest and the shrillest notes, as could only be covered by the band of the 34th Prussian Regiment playing "_Heil dir im Siegeskranze_," which means "Hail to thee in the crown of victory."
Thus was the former free town of Frankfort united to the kingdom of Prussia. But many people say that it is not st.i.tched, but only tacked on.
EPILOGUE
On June 5th, in the year 1867, a young man of some twenty-five to twenty-seven years of age, elegantly dressed, and wearing at his b.u.t.tonhole a ribbon half red and half blue-and-white, had just finished his cup of chocolate at the Cafe Prevot, which was at the corner of the Boulevard and the Rue Poissoniere. He asked for the "etandard"
newspaper.
He had to repeat the name twice to the waiter, who, not having the paper on the premises, went out to the Boulevard for a copy and brought it to his customer. The latter cast his eyes rapidly over it, looking evidently for some article that he knew to be there. His glance settled at last upon the following lines:
"To-day, Wednesday, June 6th, the King of Prussia will enter Paris.
We give a complete list of the persons who will accompany His Majesty:
"M. de Bismarck.
"General de Moltke.
"Count Puckler, Lord Marshal.
"General de Treskow.
"Count de Goltz, Brigadier-General.
"Count Lehendorff, Aide-de-Camp to the king.
"General Achilles Sturm--"
Doubtless the young man had seen all that he wanted to see, for he carried no further his investigations into the persons accompanying His Majesty.
But he tried, to discover at what hour King William was to arrive, and found that he was expected at a quarter-past four at the Gare du Nord.
He immediately took a carriage and placed himself upon the road which the king would have to follow in going to the Tuileries.
The king and his escort were some minutes behind their time. Our young man was waiting at the corner of the Boulevard de Magenta; he placed himself at the end of the procession, and accompanied it to the Tuileries, keeping his eyes particularly, as he did so, upon the carriage which contained General von Treskow, Count von Goltz, and General Achilles Sturm. That carriage entered the courtyard of the palace with the King of Prussia"s, but came out again, almost immediately, with the three generals who occupied it, in order to go to the Hotel du Louvre.
There the three generals alighted; they were clearly intending to lodge in the neighbourhood of the Tuileries where their sovereign was staying.
Our young man, who also had alighted, saw a waiter lead them to their several rooms. He waited a moment, but none of them came out again. He got into his carriage again and disappeared round the corner of the Rue des Pyramides. He knew all that he wanted to know.
Next morning, about eleven o"clock, the same young man was walking in front of the cafe belonging to the hotel, and smoking a cigarette. At the end of ten minutes his expectation was satisfied. General Sturm came from the Hotel du Louvre into the restaurant, sat down at one of the marble tables arranged just inside the windows and asked for a cup of coffee and a gla.s.s of brandy. This was just opposite the Zouave Barracks.
Benedict entered the barracks and came out a minute later, with two officers. He led them in front of the window and showed them General Sturm.
"Gentlemen," said he, "that is a Prussian general with whom I have so serious a quarrel that one of us must be left upon the field. I have applied to you to do me the favour of acting as my seconds, because you are officers, because you do not know me, and do not know my adversary, and consequently, will not have any of those little delicate considerations for us that fashionable people have towards those for whom they act as seconds. We will go in and sit down at the same table with him. I will reproach him with what I have to reproach him with, and you will see whether the matter is serious enough for a duel to the death. If you judge it to be so, you will do me the honour of being my seconds. I am a soldier like yourselves; I went through the Chinese war with the rank of lieutenant, I fought at the battle of Langensalza as orderly to Prince Ernest of Hanover, and, finally, I fired one of the last shots at the battle of Aschaffenburg. My name is Benedict Turpin, and I am a knight of the Legion of Honour and of the Guelphic Order."
The two officers stepped back a pace, exchanged a few words in a low voice, and returned to Benedict"s side, to tell him that they were at his command.
All three then entered the cafe and went to seat themselves at the general"s table. The latter looked up and found himself face to face with Benedict, whom he recognized at the first glance.
"Ah, it is you, sir," said he, growing rather pale.
"Yes, sir," answered Benedict. "And here are these gentlemen who are still unacquainted with the explanation that I am about to have with you and are here to hear what I say, and will be kind enough to a.s.sist me in our combat. Will you allow me to explain to these gentlemen, in your presence, the cause of our meeting, and afterwards will you give them details of our antecedents as we go together to the place decided upon?
You remember, sir, that, nearly a year ago you did me the honour of writing to me that mountains did not meet, but that men did, and that whenever I had the honour of meeting you outside the kingdom of His Majesty, King William, you would put no difficulty in the way of giving me satisfaction."
The general rose.
"It is useless," said he, "to prolong an explanation in a cafe where everybody can hear what we say; you can give any explanations to these gentlemen of the grounds of complaint which you consider yourself to have against me, and which I am not in any degree bound to disclaim to you. I wrote to you that I was ready to give you satisfaction; I am.
Give me time to go into the hotel and fetch two friends. That is all I ask of you."
"Do so, sir," said Benedict, bowing.
Sturm left the cafe. Benedict and the two officers followed him. He went into the Hotel du Louvre. The three gentlemen waited at the door.
In the ten minutes during which they waited Benedict told them the whole story, and was just concluding it as the general reappeared with his seconds--two officers of the king"s retinue. All three came towards Benedict and bowed to him. Benedict introduced his own seconds to those of the general by a wave of the hand. All four drew apart a little.
Presently Benedict"s seconds came back to him.
"You have left the choice of weapons to the general?" said he.