The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 11. Francke Kuno
when a new caller was announced.
"Who is it?" asked His Excellency with some anxiety; "you know I must not be seen here by every one."
"It is Privy Councilor Schieler, Your Excellency."
"Oh, he! – By the way, don't trust that old sneak any more than is necessary! He is a box that contains many good wares, but is to be handled with care. Above all things, don't trust him in the matter in question; it is quite unnecessary; his high protector can do nothing about it."
"That is why I took the liberty to turn to Your Excellency."
"One is always too late with his advice to you. Another thing: In this little clan war, as you have to carry it on here with the North German centaurs, you need what is known to be thrice necessary in real war. Are you sufficiently provided with that?"
"I was ever of the opinion that war must sustain war. Besides, I can draw on Brussels at any time for any amount, if it should be necessary."
"Perhaps it will be necessary. In any case, keep the party in hand. There is, in spite of your sanguine hopes for the future, which I, by the way, share fully, a period of lean years ahead of us first. We shall have to lead the life of a church mouse, and church-mouse precaution behooves us now more than ever. You will keep me au courant?"
"In my own interest, Your Excellency."
The Privy Councilor had entered; His Excellency extended him his hand. "You come as I am leaving – that's too bad. You know that there is no one with whom I would rather chat than with you. Which way does the wind blow today in Wilhelmstrasse? Did they sleep well? Did they get out of bed with the right foot or the left first? Nerves faint or firm? Is country air in demand or not? Good Heavens! Don't let me die of unsatisfied curiosity!" His Excellency did not wait for the smiling Privy Councilor to answer, but shook hands again with both gentlemen, and, leaning on the arm of his body-servant, who meanwhile had come in, left the room.
"Isn't it wonderful," said the Privy Councilor, – "this prodigious versatility, this marvelous ready wit, this quickness in attack, this security in retreat. A Moltke of guerilla warfare. What an enviable treasure your party has in this man!"
"Our party, my dear sir? Pardon me, I really must first stop and think each time that you don't belong to us. Won't you sit down?"
"Thank you, no. I haven't a moment to spare, and I can only tell you the most essential part in flying haste. First, in the Department of Commerce they are beside themselves over a just reported vote of the great General Staff on the Harbor matter which, as a colleague has informed me – I myself have not been able to get a look at it – is as much as a veto. The finished report is by a certain Captain von Schönau – but the mind behind it – it is an unheard of thing – is there, right in the War Department, and is, of course, none other than our friend the General. That sets us back again I don't know how far or for how long. I am beside myself, and the more so because I am absolutely at a loss in the face of this obstruction. Good Heavens! A man may have influence and could use this influence if he had to, even against an old friend, but he surely would not do that sort of thing except in the last extremity. Now what is your advice?"
"The purity of our cause is not to be clouded by intermingling with such repugnant personalities," replied Giraldi. – "If you think that you must spare an old friend, then there is, as you know, an old feud between the General and myself, and everything which I personally might do against him, or cause to be done, would properly seem to every one to be an act of common revenge – which may God Almighty forbid! If he will, he can have some incident occur which will disarm our enemy, and which doesn't need to be an accident because people call it so."
"You mean if he should die?" questioned the Privy Councilor with a shifty look.
"I don't mean anything definite at all, and certainly not his death. As far as I am concerned he may live long."
"That is a very noble sentiment, a very Christian sentiment," replied the Privy Councilor, rubbing his long nose. – "And it is my heart's wish, of course; and yet his opposition is and always will be a stumbling block. I wish that were our only obstacle! But Count Golm tells me now – I have just come from him – he will give himself the honor immediately after me – I have just hurried on ahead of him because I have another little bit of information about him to give you, which I'll tell you in a moment – Count Golm tells me that his efforts with the President in Sundin – he had come over in his semi-official capacity as president of the board of directors in spe– that they had been fruitless, quite fruitless; that he had been convinced, and unalterably, much as he would like to do it for the Count, for a thousand reasons – regard for a fellow countryman, and personal friendship, and so on. Golm, who, between you and me, is crafty enough and by no means a fool, finally hinted at the great sacrifices which we had decided to make – but all in vain. In fact, Golm says that he rather made matters worse than better by that."
"As ever when one does things by halves," said Giraldi.
"By halves, my dear sir! How do you mean that? What did they offer him?"
"Fifty thousand thalers as compensation, and the first position as director of the new road, with six thousand a year fixed salary, besides customary office rent, traveling expenses, and so forth."
"Well then, that, I suppose, is just half of what the man demanded himself!"
"He didn't demand anything."
"One doesn't demand such things; one has them offered him. Authorize the Count to propose twice as much, and I'll wager the deal is closed."
"We can't go as far as that," replied the Privy Councilor, scratching his close-cropped hair. – "We haven't the means to permit that; and the rest of us, too – and then, for the present, Count Golm is satisfied with fifty thousand; we could not offer the President twice as much without insulting Golm. He is already not so very kindly disposed toward us, and that is the point that I should like to settle with you before he gets here. Is it really impossible for you to – I mean for us: the Board of Trustees of Warnow – to sell directly to us: I mean the corporation?"
"Over the Count's head?" cried Giraldi. – "Goodness, Privy Councilor, I think that you are bound by the most definite promises, so far as the Count is concerned, in this respect!"
"Of course, of course, unfortunately. But then even Lübbener – our financier, and at the same time – "
"The Count's banker – I know – "
"You know everything! – Even Lübbener thinks that one could get a little assistance from a man who, like the Count, falls from one dilemma into another, and is always inclined or compelled to sell his birthright for a mess of pottage. Only we do not wish or intend to act contrary to your plans, and if you insist upon it – "
"I insist upon nothing, Sir," replied Giraldi; "I simply follow the wishes of my mistress, which, on this point, are identical with those of von Wallbach."
"Good Lord," exclaimed the Privy Councilor impatiently, "I quite understand that, to keep up appearances, one would rather sell to an equal in rank than to a committee, even though the man concerned be a member of this very committee; but you ought not to forget, too, that we should have to pay direct to you just as much, or about as much, as we shall hereafter have to pay the Count."
"The Count will not get off so cheaply as you say, either – "
"He will sell to us so much the higher," said the Privy Councilor. "Matters will only be worse for us thereby."
"And yet I must, to my great regret, hereby refuse my support," replied Giraldi decidedly.
The Privy Councilor made a very wry face. "It will be best," he said grumblingly, "if he can't find the money – not even the hundred thousand, to say nothing of the million, or whatever sum we may agree upon in family council as the price of the estates. For he has to yield to us; I do not know any one else in the world who would advance him so much, at once or in instalments. I can say in advance, of course, without being Merlin the Wise, that he will not get the money from us cheaply, and so it will be evened up again at the end. – But now, my honored patron, I must give place to the Count, and take leave of you. My regards to Madame, whom I have