CK >^IM*WWI H . 'WlWWi W ' ti KKla i n .ii HnHK 4$ Bin HHSHSStf &**£ ^HHHHnSBRP 11 Bfl wBM Hi HHn ■ ■ |» H $fe ■nnHni nili — wm&m H mil HbI ml HffiXlll II E> HAHY OF THE UN IVLRSITY Of ILLINOIS A«,3r v. I /** THE ROYAL WANDERER, OR THE - O THE liOYAL WANDEREtl. racter. It was marked by a portion of depravity, to the honor of human nature, so rare, as must stamp it in the memory of all who are acquainted with its details. It is true, it failed in its first and most dire object, yet Cerulea was for a long time the victim of its baneful operation ; and, even when banished from society, she was left in a retired and dismal spot to pine away the prime of her gayest years in an obscurity of anguish, mourn- ing the abuse of that confidence which she had so erroneously placed in the ho- nor of a prince and the judgment of a nation. A proud and powerful consolation, however, arose out of the recollection, that there was still one individual in the kingdom, to whose conviction the proofs of Cerulea's innocence had come, bright and piercing as the meridian sun ; who THE ROYAL WANDERER. < had, uniformly, even before an investi- gation had called forth the testimonies of her unblemished conduct, discounte- nanced the rumours which attached guilt to her character ; and, subsequent to the trial, who cheered and supported her, under the unmerited desertion of her husband. Had it been left to this lorn and persecuted wife to have selected, from amongst the whole nation, one in- dividual whose countenance she would have preferred to all others; in whose opinion (placing her husband out of the question) she was most anxious to stand unimpeached; whose approbation she would most highly prize ; it would have been, doubtless, this august personage, her father-in-law, the revered King. But not even his unequivocal voice could stem the current of popular preju- dice so artfully inflamed against her, the 8 THE ROYAL WANDERER. plan formed for her destruction was too deeply laid entirely to fail of effect. Her husband denounced her on the pretended •authority of witnesses ready to come forward with overwhelming' proof. Her father- in-law, anxious for the honor of his son, and no less so that justice should be done to the foreign princess, referred the affair to a secret committee before whom was brought forward a set of vo- luntary witnesses self-tutored to the most abandoned and unlimited perjury. Their odious testimony was tendered and receiv- ed. But not content with the black part they themselves had resolved to act in this most iniquitous transaction, meaner tools were bribed into the lesson of vil- lainy, as supports to the arch fiends. Some of these minor wretches, how- ever, being but imperfectly taught, bun- gled through their perjury in a manner THE ROYAL WANDERER. 9 that shook the horrid design, and the honest candour of one or two witnesses, of an honourable profession, disappointed the conspirators of their worst and most favorite object. The committee which had been ap- pointed to sift the business, betwixt a becoming indignation at the unabashed and determined consistency of the prin- cipals engaged in this terrible conspi- racy, even under the most apparent and unanswerable contradictions, and the manifest symptoms of impurity which marked the whole of the transaction, declared their total incompetency to come to any thing like a decisive opinion, upon charges which had given birth to such glaring inconsistencies of evidence ; and, consequently, left it to. the wisdom and penetration of the sovereign to de- cree, whether innocence or guilt should b 3 10 THE ROYAL WANDERER. attach to the character of Cerulea. The resolution of the royal arbiter was prompt, and accordant to the wishes of every ho- nourable and benevolent member of the community. It went to the complete ac- quittal of the accused lady of every charge which had been laid against her; and she was immediately afterwards received by him with all those marks of attention which are the tributes of worth and beau- ty. But it was not so with her husband, Prince Pompion ; he had required no evi- dences of her guilt or innocence; to his prejudiced m'nd it was sufficient guilt that she was innocent; and the result of the labours of the committee caused no plea- sure to him, since it had done so little to- wards the furtherance of his views. The zeal of his officious agents, however, pre- vented the total miscarriage of the deep and dark design. THE ROYAL WANDERER. 11 The secrecy with which the investiga- tion was conducted afforded them an op- portunity of instilling into the public mind whatever they chose, as the real result of that inquiry, and every advantage was taken of this circumstance; every "thing was represented as having concurred in condemning her, and the continued aver- sion of the prince, and her solitary resi- dence on Bareheath, isolated from all society, supported the insinuations. The public mind wavered, but the judgment of man, ever prone to put the worst con- struction on another's actions, seemed very generally against the unhappy Ce- rulea. Some, indeed, who had indepen- dence enough to support her and to cen- sure the prince, made no hesitation to ap- ply to his treatment of her those epithets which it justly deserved; but they were few, and their influence was too partial to turn the strong' current of opinion: 12 THE ROYAL WANDERER. and after the whole was concluded, Ceru- lea, notwithstanding her innocence, was left in a situation certainly in some mea- sure the worse for its operation. In her solitary abode, deserted by all creditable society, the object of pretty general condemnation, the unfortunate Cerulea was left to put to the full test all those consolations which intangibly remain to the victim of calumnious villainy. The prince persisted in treating her as an ob- ject of disgust and contempt. The prin- cess was blest with a daughter — a daugh- ter on whom she lavished the most ardent tenderness, as she had lavished the most assiduous care, — a daughter who felt her full value, and returned her affection to its extent. The society of Geraldine was, amongst all her miseries, her most solid and effectual comfort. In gazing on her growing perfections, tears of mingled THE ROYAL WANDERER. 13 joy and gratitude would descend from her eyes to water the plant her hand had reared. Yes, Cerulea saw her daughter, and she forgot not to smile: softened by her maternal tenderness, she could retain no sentiment of hatred against her ene- mies, none of discontent at her present situation ; she almost persuaded herself she was happy. This state of placid serenity endured for some years, in every one ©f which Geraldine^ improvements added a joy to her mother's scanty stock. There are in the world hearts which nothing can sof- ten; there is malignity which nothing can abate ; cruelty which no torment it inflicts is severe enough to gratify. There are hearts which are so unalterably barred, both by nature and an habitual obduracy, to all generosity of feeling, against every thing like sensibility, that brutal ferocity 14 THE ROYAL WANDERER. is the only passion which finds existence there. There are bosoms over which se- raphic charity never covered her angelic pinions; which have never been visited by those sublime solicitudes, from which a be- nignant Providence has ordained the mea- sure of our griefs and joys to emanate — And such must have been the hearts and bosoms in which was engendered the last black plan for the destruction of the hopes of Cerulea. It was through the amiable and beloved daughter that those who hated the mother for her virtues endeavoured to strike a mortal blow. It was too much to be allowed to the deserted and afflicted Cerulea that she should give vent to her maternal feelings ; that, in the joys of a mother, she should sometimes lose the re- membrance of a wife's afflictions. This daughter must be torn from her bosom,- — from her society; the principle of huma- nity, which leaves the dam of the brute THE ROYAL WANDERER. 15 creation to fondle its young without inter- ruption, was to be abandoned in the treat- ment of this proscribed mother. For her not only the smile of a husband was to be checked, but the dutiful and affectionate endearings of a child must be prohibited. It must be prohibited, too, in the most cruel manner, with all those savage ag- gravations of which savage minds alone are capable ; the plea for the action was blacker than the action. Not only must the child be removed, but, to render the deed feasible in the eyes of mankind, the mother must be represented as unworthy to be entrusted with the controul of her child : her example, forsooth, might prove mischievous to the morals of her offspring, her inculcations might sap the fortifications of virtue. And, alas! with such assiduity were these insinuations scattered through the country, that many became converts to the necessity of separating Cerulea and 16 THE ROYAL WANDERER. her daughter. Is there a mother who cat* conceive a pang more dreadful than such a sundering of all the consolations of na- tural intercourse, heightened by the un- merited and nn feeling imputation, that she was unfit to convey the first impres- sions of virtue to her child, that it was ne- cessary for the welfare of the latter that their association should not extend beyond the period of infancy ? And from whom did this mandate come ? From a father, who was the standard of comparison for the qualifications most op- posite to reason and virtue. No one wha knew his establishment, and the principles and the orgies which, under his presidency,, reigned around him, hesitated to declare it not the most eligible spot that unble- mished purity could enter, no less injurious to reputation in the first instance than it always ultimately proved to innocence, — THE ROYAL VANDEKER. 17 But such was the decree, and it came from the quarter of authority. There are hearts which can patiently endure accu- mulated injuries and accumulated insults, which can bear repetition of them upon repetition without a murmur of complaint, or a sentiment of malice against the au- thor of them; but there are also injuries which no heart of human mould, not the most tender and forgiving, can overlook, or forbear from making the most strenu- ous exertion to resist. Cerulea's injuries were of that stamp at this point; even her mild spirit was wound up to oppose the continued dominion of such tyrannical and wanton oppression. Notwithstanding Cerulea was thus pa- tient and forbearing, notwithstanding the repeated assaults of adversity had pretty well perfected her in the lessons of meek- ness under suffering, this last blow utterly 18 THE ROYAL WANDERER. discomposed the serene resignation of lief mind. The strength of her own inno- cence was sufficient to support her under the persecutions of her husband; it was a pillar against which she could lean con- fidently, and mark, unawedand unabash- ed, the thickened clouds laden with the storm; but there could be no solaces of sufficient power to counterpoise the loss of a mothers sweet intercourse with her child : this was a total and abrupt disse- verment of those ties which are rooted in existence itself. Amongst the attendants of Cerulea, there was one who particu- larly shared her confidence, and to Char- lotta she confided it to write to Count Slavetoun, one of the principal ministers of Prince Pompion, for the purpose of as- certaining the cause of this strange barba- rity, and of entering her protest against a measure so repugnant to every principle of justice, and so utterly destructive of THE ROYAL WANDERER. 19 her happiness. The reply of the minister was polite, but harrowing- to the soul of Cerulea : it conveyed an expressed per- mission for the mother occasionally to see her child, and thus virtually and in effect confirmed the worst fears of the unhappy princess. It was nothing better than an explicit avowal of a determination to fol- low up the odious design which had been formed against the peace of Cerulea, and which was consequently so well calculated to rouze all the slumbering indignation of her bosom. Resolved no longer tamely to submit to the tyranny which pressed so hardly on her, she determined on an appeal to the hearts of the people of Albina at large; and accordingly printed in the journals of that country her own application to the minister, with his answer thereto, a cor- respondence which she imagined could 20 THE ROYAL WANDERER. not fail to arouse in her cause the whole ardour of a people so just and generous. It had in some measure the desired effect. Declamations against the conduct of the persons in authority appeared in all the public prints,* with the exception of those which were devoted to them ; her injuries became the theme of universal interest and popular indignation: the person of the prince was followed by expressions of tu- multuous contempt wherever he appeared ; representations were even made on the subject in the legislative assembly. The only effect of this opposition to the mea- sure was to excite in the black hearts of her persecutors an additional rancour, which manifested itself by public promul- gation of the opinion that she was an unfit person for the society of her daughter^ and an invidious and deceptious reference to the proceedings of the secret commit- tee. This was a fair challenge, one which, THE ROYAL WAXDERER. 21 in justice to herself, Cerulea was bound to accept, and she did accept it; she ten- dered defiance: the contest took place, and terminated most gloriously in favour of wronged and insulted innocence. The mystery which had enveloped the proceedings of the committee appointed to investigate the character of Cerulea was not doomed to remain long unpene- trated. The secret, necessarily entrusted to many individuals in the course of the discussion, was of too much consequence to be kept inviolate. Amongst others, with whom the important circumstances were vested, was a Mr. Spareall, who, on this occasion, had officiated as counsel for Cerulea. His genius was apt and versa- tile, and was always kept on the alert by the stimulating impulses of private policy. He was not one of the description of Sir Thomas More, who would never receive 23 THE ROYAL WANDERER. a fee from a widow, an orphan, or a poor person; whenever a fee was offered to him, he universally listened to a powerful pleader in his own bosom, which coun- selledhlm to disregard altogetherthe rank and description of the individual, and to accept with equal readiness from all. It was the same instigator which, at this mo- ment, suggested to him the possibility of turning to ffood account the information which he had obtained during his inter- course with the secret committee. This information was in the possession of very few, consequently it appeared to him a likely means of elevating his condition in life, if the secret could be skilfully ma- naged. No sooner did he find, in his own almost exclusive possession, the whole of the interesting materials which he design- ed to form the basis of his future exalta- tion, than he began to execute the vast plan which he had sketched out for the THE ROYAL WANDERER. 23 superstructure. It was upon the ruin of other characters that he designed to erect his own ; the interests of some of the most exalted personages of the state were to be unrelentingly sacrificed upon the altar of his own. He immediately employed a great number of individuals in his own house to print the mass of matter which he had collected. Five millions of this mysterious work were struck off, to give a more menacing aspect to the mighty en- gine of intrigue which he meant to employ on this occasion. The utmost secrecy was ohserved during the progress of the work : the workmen were all sworn to se- crecy; and so effectually were the pre- cautions adopted to keep from the world the knowledge of the matter which was in embryo, that the whole was completed without causing any suspicion of the affair. 24 THE ROYAL WANDERER. When the whole material was thus fur- nished, the subtle designer disposed to strike the blow,, and intimation was given to all the persons most likely to be injured by such a publication*, how instantaneous- ly the whole could be set in motion. It was decisive : so many and so great inte- rests were at stake., that it admitted of no he- sitation : the resolution was instantaneous- ly adopted. Mr. Spareall was immediately appointed advocate royal, with promises of rapid advancement, and he, in return, pledged himself for the suppression of 44 the book/' Notwithstanding all the precaution that had been used, however, an ancient damsel, who had been hired for the humble employment of stitching together this notable pamphlet, was moved by the singular production . The copy, so stolen, found its way into the hands of a literary man, who occupied himself in writing a most elaborate comment on the THE ROYAL WANDERER. 25 whole substance of it ; and, subsequently, kept it by him in the hope of receiving a large sum either for its publication or its suppression. The latter circumstance ac- tually occurred ; for, as hints had been given, it was purchased from the same quarter, as were the others, for a very large price. This gentleman had com- municated the substance of this famous book to several confidential friends, and, in consequence, it was much talked of, and became the subject of universal inter- est. The public, however, were never in* dulged with so much as an intimation of the real matter of the book ; they knew that it related in some respect to the Princess Cerulea, but in what manner the subject was treated they were totally ig- norant. I The importance of the subject, how- ever, and the universal interest attached vol. i. c 26 THE ROYAL WANDERER. to it by the public, induced a great num- ber of literary persons to speculate upon the contents of this wonderful production. Various pretenders, turning to their own advantage the general anxiety to become possessed of such valuable information,, published that which purported to be the substance of the Investigation ; although, in fact, not one of these persons had derived from any authority the intelligence which, with such a kind consideration for the po- pular feeling, they promulgated to their fellow subjects. The whole of these fictions statements had been for some time before the world, and their interest had, in a great measure, subsided, when the determination of the Prince to separate Cerulea and her daugh- ter induced the former to threaten a dis- closure of all the evidence given upon the investigation, in order to make manifest THE ROYAL WANDERER 27 her own innocence, and to expose the foul conduct of those who had persecuted her. The counsellors of Prince* Pompion, alarmed lest Cerulea should carry her pur- pose into execution, endeavoured to deter her by assuming a most lofty tone, and defying her to become the publisher of her own shame and confusion. Cerulea, however, felt herself imperi- ously called on to give up to the public the whole particulars, and to this she was further advised by her prime counsellor, Mr. Roughman ; she therefore began to deal out piece-meal the whole of the evi- dence laid before the Committee, formerly appointed by the king to enquire into her conduct. When the other party found that the secretcould be no longer withheld, they also began to retail this precious mat- ter to the world, declaiming at every sen- tence against the monstrous indelicacy of c2 28 THE ROYAL WANDERER. the female who could thus prove in the face of day her own immaculacy and their foul villany. The nature of this evidence has alrea- dy been stated, and from that statement it is easy to infer the influence it must have on the public mind ; the principal part of it, which was directed against the person accused, carried in itself the signs of its own depravity ; it was composed of details disgusting to all common decency, and stamping their author with a degree of grossness and want of principle suf- ficient to invalidate her testimony. The inevitable effect of such a publica- tion was to horrify and disgust the public, and with this did the base adherents of her persecutors reproach Cerulea, and asserted, that any thing might be pre- sumed against the woman who could in- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 29 suit the public feeling by the promulga- tion of such matter. But, if to publish this matter in defence of her own charac- ter, and of her rights and feelings as a mother, were criminal in Cerutea, what epithet shall we attach to those who fabri- cated and brought forward such a tissue of revolting falsehoods for the purpose of destroying an innocent woman ; and who, when their diabolical plot had failed of effect, goaded and tormented the unhap- py sufferer, till she was compelled to ex- pose to the light of day the noxious result of their vile artifices ! The vocabulary of nature does not contain a term to de- signate this atrocity, the very existence of which almost surpasses credibility. The result of this public investigation was that which must necessarily ensue on an en- lightened and impartial review of the evi- dence, the establishment of truth, and the triumph of innocence — and a glorious tri- 30 THE ROYAL WANDERER. umph did this prove for Cerulea ! There had, previously, been some individuals, who, misled by the baleful industry of her enemies, had been disposed to decide against her; there had been some who hesitated between the two. But this pub- lication ended the reign of such injurious doubts and odious prejudices ; not an in- dividual remained Avho was not now com- pletely satisfied of her spotless purity, and of the frightful malignity of her accusers. No more the solitary tenant of a remote villa; no more the pensive exile, mourn- ing over her woes ; but the oppressed re- stored, the injured righted, the regent of a peoples hearts. From the capital city of Albina, from every principal town, and from the females of the country, the eager deputies crowded with addresses of ardent congratulation and enthusiastic ad- miration ; such was the final issue of that desperate plot aimed at her happiness, her honour, and her life ! THE ROYAL WANDERER. 31 But not here ended the hate of her ene- mies, nor their efforts against her peace ; still were her daughter's embraces, with a cruel sparingness, dealt out to her, as it pleased her tyrants ; and, though the pub lie voice spake loudly in her favor, and though her wrongs had been sharply mentioned in the legislative assembly, yet the vain impertinence of power was deaf to the voice alike of mercy or of justice, and persisted in denying her that natural consolation which was her undoubted right; nothing but force could have in- duced the oppressors to mitigate their se- verity, and they were too strong to fear any superiority of power. But, though the transactions above men- tioned were not productive of all the be- nefit to Cerulea which might have been expected from them, yet they were found infinitely useful to others. The govern- 3£ THE ROYAL WANDERER. ment of Albina was opposed in the legis- lative body by a party of men, whose in- tegrity was too strict for them to contem- plate tamely the various peculations of that government ; and, though the repre- hensions of these individuals were incapa- ble of checking the rapid progress of mis- chief, they, in some measure, excited the discontent of the people, and inspired considerable awe in the partizans of the crown. Any fresh instance of misconduct on the part of the hirelings of royalty was eagerly seized on by these honest spirits, and thrown with aggravations in their teeth, as often as opportunity offered. The wrongs of Cerulea were a treasure to this party ; they were an inexhaustible mine from which fresh subjects of invec- tive might at all times be drawn, and which could constantly keep alive the po- pular execration against the government. The effect which this publication pro- THE RQYAL WANDERER. 33 duced throughout the state was the first cause which led to the exile of Cerulea. The public indignation appeared to break forth on every occasion with such a degree of warmth, and was so materially in- flamed by her appearance, that it was con- sidered absolutely indispensable that she should be removed, in the hope that, in her absence, the impression which her wrongs had made upon the popular mind might decay, and be followed by the revi- val of the popularity of Prince Pompion, which seemed to have been materially in- jured in consequence of the illiberal and unjust councils to which he had submitted his actions. It was also hoped that the exile would increase her measure of suf- fering, and subdue that spirit of dignity which she had uniformly exhibited through the whole progress of her persecutions. It is to be observed, however, that in c 3 S4 THE ROYAi WANDERER. spite of all these occurrences, Geraldine still felt that warm and grateful affection for her mother which her virtues and her tenderness inspired ; she felt her wrongs, she wept for her sorrows, and she hated her enemies ; neither the entreaties, nor the persuasions, nor the threats which were employed, could shake the firmness of her adherence, nor the constancy of her love. When this disposition on the part of Geraldine had been sufficiently evinced, she, too, became the victim of her father's implacability, and shared that severity which she rather chose to share than to desert the sacred cause of her dear mo- ther. Severe restraints and harsh du- ennas were placed over the young prin- cess, and she was denied all those enjoy- ments natural to her sex and age. This state of things endured for some time ; the Princess Cerulea admired by every body but her enemies, and by them unceasingly THE ROYAL WANDERER. 35 persecuted ; the Princess Geraldine gladly availing herself of all the opportunities which were allowed her of lavishing on her mother her endearing consolations, and even sometimes contriving to elude the vigilance of her keepers, and snatch an hour from their barbarity to devote to her mother's comfort. The amiable qualifications of her open- ing mind daily developed themselves to the admiration of the whole nation. Her high sense of honor, her ardent love of her native country, her reverence for the constitutional rights and privileges of the people; her constant attachment to her mother, under circumstances the most try- ing, and her firmness and magnanimity under suffering, gave her a just and suc- cessful claim to the best^aifections of the people. Numberless anecdotes, also, which illustrated most happily the brilliant ex- 36 THE ROYAL WANDERER. pansion of her intellectual powers, were circulated and received with great avidity by a nation so strongly prepossessed in her favor by the many and conspicuous virtues which illuminated her character. While, in too many instances, the lustre of exalted rank only serves to show more glaringly the mental impotence and vi- cious propensities which disgrace its pos- sessor, it was malter of proud consolation, that here the brilliance of situation was eclipsed by the radiances which hourly emanated from her mind, which showed like the sparklings of a transparent foun- tain, reflecting and refracting the rays of the meridian sun. The successful termination of a long and arduous war, brought to the capital of Albina several potent monarchs, who had been in alliance with that country throughout the contest; these monarchs THE ROYAL VrANDEltEK. 37 were attended by parts of their families and by their nobles. The ceremonial of such a visit occasioned a fresh struggle for the rights of Cerulea, whether or not she was to be treated by the foreigners as the princess of the country. No doubt could, for an instant, exist as to what was her right ; but Cerulea was not accustomed to the enjoyment of her rights. The plan, followed on this occasion, was to wave all dispute, and to contrive to keep her out of the way of the illustrious visitors. They certainly did not visit her, but, happening to meet her at one of the places of public amusement in Albina, they bestowed on her the most polite notice. Another cir- cumstance, however, arose out of this visit. It brought to a crisis a negociation which had for some time before depended for the marriage of Geraldine to the son of the so- vereign of a neighbouring commercial country, whose territory and influence had 38 THE ROYAL WANDERER. been greatly increased by the issue of the late war. Pomp ion and his advisers had resolved to bring about this match, and the arrival of the prince in Albina ren- dered it expedient to introduce him per- sonally to his intended bride, and to con- summate the union. The prince Orano was consequently presented to Geraldine, and she was commanded to consider him as her future lord. Orano possessed none of those quali- fications which command either love or hatred : nature had but scantily supplied his person or his mind; there was an equality in the stature of both, and each was somewhat below the standard of beau- ty. Nevertheless, as he was a man to whom no solid objection could be made, and one withal who professed to feel a considerable affection for Geraldine, it is probable that she would have submitted to THE ROYAL WAXD1.RLR. 39 the mandate of her father, and have re- ceived a husband whose greatest powers could only have excited indifference in her bosom, had not her necessary separation from her mother, which must have been the consequence of her own banishment to a foreign land, operated so powerfully on her mind as to counteract every other feeling. If she surrendered her obedience to her husband, she must yield up the gra- tifications of her filial feelings. On these points she rejected him : she insisted that her mother should be restored to her original and merited elevation, and that Orano should consent to her con- stant residence in this country. The first point might, in some measure, have been conceded for the furtherance of this favor- ite project, and Orano even promised to bring her back to Albina, after a short vi- sit to his subjects ; but so great was Ge- 40 THE ROYAL WANDERER. raldine's dread of being separated from her mother, and so little her confidence in the good faith of those with whom she had to treat, that she resisted the plan al- together, and peremptorily refused to marry Orano. When the foreign prince found this to be her unalterable determination, he did not choose to lessen his own consequence by reiterating his entreaties to Geraldine, but received his final answer, and betook himself to his native land. The advisers of Pompion, however, had long set their minds on this union, and had succeeded in persuading him that it was essential to the interest of the country and the dignity of the crown. Irritated by the defeat of their project, they now incessantly taunt- ed him with the little influence he had over his daughter, and represented to him the extreme absurdity of a princess at- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 41 tempting to resist a union which its go- vernors shall think conducive to the wel- fare of a country. These suggestions had the effect of inflaming to an excessive de- gree the prince's anger against his daugh- ter, and he prepared himself to exert the plenitude of parental authority. Accord- ingly, notwithstanding the very infirm state to which her late agitation had re- duced his daughter's health, he called to his aid a select band of withered widows of nobility, musty bishops, pert maids of honor, &c. ; and with this escort repaired to the residence allotted to Geraldine ; and no sooner did he find himself in her pre- sence, supported by the formidable herd of executioners that surrounded him, than he gave way to all his fury, and outrage- ously denounced her rebellious obstinacy ; worse, he pronounced sentence against her : he informed her, that she must quit her house, and that all her faithful and ac- 42 THE R0TAL WANDERER. customed attendants must quit her ; that she must repair to a gloomy mansion si- tuated in the remote recesses of a wild fo- rest at some distance from the capital; there to be under the vigilant guidance of the crew of executioners he brought with him; that she was to be debarred the use of pen, ink, and paper, and that her inter- course with her mother must be still more restricted. And all this heavy load of severe judge- ment was heaped upon Geraldine for no other offence than her constant attach- ment to her mother, and her firm refusal to form new engagements which would cause a rupture of the ties of nature, and compel her to adopt habits completely different from those which were most con- genial to her disposition. Weakened by the combined efforts of sickness and per- secution, she was altogether unable to bear THE ROYAL WANDERER. 43 up against this new assault upon her feel- ings. A momentary desperation seized possession of her mind, and, without a single thought of the consequences, she left the room, and, alone and unprotected, rushed out of the house, choosing rather to trust herself in the hands of strangers than to place confidence in the professed affection of a father. Her first impulse urged her to commit herself to the honor and fidelity of an individual of the lowest rank and order of society, who, at the re- quest of the royal fugitive, conducted her in safety to the arms of her astonished mo- ther. Here, however, she was allowed but a moment's pause from persecution, a moment of condolence and sympathy : — scarcely was she permitted to express the tale of her new affliction, scarcely felt the kind condolence of a mother's affection, before she was dragged back to meet the stern frown of an angry and disappointed 44 THE ROYAL WANDERER. father, and to hear from his lips the stern sentence of banishment from her mother's presence, and seclusion amidst the solitary horrors of Gloomwood Lodge. Here it was, remote from every scene of previous enjoyment, all her faithful and esteemed attendants exiled from her person, and su~ perseded by others who were entirely de- voted to the views of that parent whose severity had been the fertile source of her many sufferings ; far from the reach of all consolations, save those which were inborn, the progeny of a virtuous and undaunted mind, — that she was to be tempered to the will of her father ; that she was to be taught to forget those holy ties which bound a mother to her heart; that she was to be made an alien from nature and feel- ing. Such, at least, was the object of those who sought to wound the mother through the child ; but the principles of Geraldine were too strongly rooted to be THE ROYAL WANDLIIEK. 45 thus easily overthrown : her love of her mother was not the result of habit, or duty, or education; it was nature — powerful, unconquerable nature; that first great principle of human being, which cannot perish but in the wreck of the universe. Her firmness was only rooted the more deeply in solitude; her filial affection blazed the more fiercely in proportion to the violence of the efforts which were made to extinguish it. Vain would have been any attempts of Cerulea to procure a mitigation of this sentence ; entreaties she was too proud to address to dull heads and flinty hearts : and she had now discovered that no pa- roxysm of popular indignation could turn from their guilty course her hardened per- secutors. She was, therefore, compelled to restrain every expression of feeling but her tears, when she saw her darling child 46 THE ROYAL WANDERER. labouring under all the pains of a disease, which was heightened by every agitation, debarred from the sea air, which her me- dical attendants had pronounced abso- lutely necessary for her, and, worse, de- barred from her mother's endearments. — Even a parting embrace was denied — de- nied by those who suspected that a fare- well moment would have been occupied in schemes to elude their base arrange- ments. But Heaven soon granted what her sire denied. On her road to Gloom- wood, Geraldine must of necessity pass through a part of the royal demesne open to the public, frequented by the great as a drive and a promenade. Her dislike to them induced her to exclude from her own chariot all her duennas, and she was lean- ing back absorbed in dismal reflections on her present situation, when her attention was a little aroused by the noise of a car- riage furiously driving towards her; she THE ROYAL WANDERER. 47 larted up, and beheld her mother's Hve- ies! The carriage approached: with an motion which beggars expression, Ge- ildine ordered her coachman to stop ; the oors instantaneously flew open, and a mo- lent sufficed to lock the mother and aughter in each other's arms. Happy moment! sweet but fleeting recompence or days and nights of sorrow ! At that ender instant, how impotent appeared he malice of those who had thus unre- entingly persecuted the hapless pair ! — Providence seemed to throw the accident n the way to shew that the sufferings of irtue were not disregarded by it ; that ts eye was benignantly directed to the af- lictions of those who deserved pity and upport from heaven ; and as a pledge of uture happiness, when the violence of the empest of persecution should have spent tself, and passed away. There was no ime for lengthened adieus; a brief, a 48 THK ROYAL WANDERER. passing, an affectionate, farewell was all that the opportunity could afford; their lips had just time to murmur the inarticu- late eloquence of affection, to breathe that magic — " Remember me !" — which, like an irresistible spell, holds every feeling of the heart in perfect subjection, when the attendants of Geraldine, those hateful duennas which she had excluded from her carriage, that she might indulge, without disturbance, in all the luxury of grief, came up, and their arrival was the signal of separation. The mother cast a linger- ing look of affection on her child, then sent up a silent but sacred prayer to hea- ven for her protection; the swimming eyes of Geraldine returned the expressive token of love; and before the mist of an* guislHiad dispersed itself from before her eyes, Cerulea was gone, and the young princess was left alone to ruminate and weep anew. But she wept not alone ; for THE ROYAL WANDERER. 49 the eyes of the crowds of spectators who had been assembled by the interesting scene, bore testimony of their sympathy in the sorrows of the illustrious objects of their curiosity. Cerulea's persecutions rose anew to the recollections of all around, and gave a new impulse to the blended feelings of pity and indignation. Long was the period which elapsed after this ere Cerulea again embraced her child. The season was now far advanced, and the inhabitants of the metropolis of Albina were preparing to leave town to enjoy the mild breezes of the summer on the coast, and in various parts of the coun- try. It was not to be supposed that Ce- rulea would spend the summer in that spot which was now become so dreary to her ; her mind received a dreadful shock from this last separation from her daugh- ter t she was almost distracted, she knew VOL. I. D 50 THE 110YAL WANDERER. not whither she should go, how she could fly from the overwhelming sorrow which now oppressed her, she was unable to form any settled plan. By the advice of her few remaining friends, however, she formed an intention of spending some time on the sea coast, in the hope that the variety and bustle of the scene might, in some measure, relieve her mind from the horror of its present state. She even che- rished a hope, that the heart of Pompion would yet so far relax as to permit Geral- dine to visit some part of the coast, and that she might possibly spend some time in her company. In the present state of her thoughts, she gave way to the sug- gestions of those about her, and prepara- tions were made for the excursion. Un- der these circumstances, she determined on making an effort to obtain another in- terview with Geraldine; and accordingly she instructed her favorite Anna to write THE ROTAL WANDERER. 5i fn her name to Count Slavetown, expres- sing such her intention, and, further, her purpose of going to Gloomwood Lodge to see her daughter. On the first receipt of this letter, Slavetown looked on it as a matter of little import, and proposed merely to express Prince Pompion's ac- quiescence without any farther concern : he, however, thought it would be but due deference just to mention to his Serene Highness the receipt of this letter, and to receive his sanction to the answer, which he could do at dinner that evening. It so happened, however, that at the prince's table were assembled divers illustrious personages, famous for state dexterity and all species of political chicanery. In the course of the evening, Slavetown just loosely mentioned the affair to the prince, who was disposed to treat it as a matter of course ; when the ever-vigilant Tower- beam caught the accents as they dropped, d 2 52 THE ROYAL WANDERER. %nd resolved to make a complete job of the transaction : he was for a long time reserved and thoughtful, carefully weigh- ing the ideas which this intelligence con- jured up in his active mind, and putting together what he thought a most capital and praise-worthy scheme. After having completely digested his plan, he took an opportunity of drawing the prince aside, for he was desirous of having the whole merit of his ingenuity. '* My gracious liege," he began, " have you ever, amongst your oldest and most beloved friends, found that man, who, in his zeal for your happiness and honor, displayed an ardour exceeding mine ?" — V No, never — I believe — that is, not since — no, never, never!" stammered Prince Pompion, in tones scarcely intel- ligible, and then heaved a deep sigh, as though the recollection of some departed THE ROYAL WANDERER. 53 friends suddenly flashed over his brain. — '* Your highness does me honor/' return- ed Towerbeam, " and I will now convince you that your favors have not been ill-be- stowed, that your confidence is not mis- placed. I have a plan, Sir, to turn this visit of Cerulea to the coast greatly to our advantage/' — " Indeed \" interrupted the prince, (C let me hear it quick. I am all impatience and expectation/' — " Why/' returned the sage adviser, " it appears to me that we might, with the utmost ease, transport her to the opposite shore, and then, Sir, when ocean rolls between- you, she can no longer pester your sight, nor check your enjoyments by her hateful presence." — iC Humph !" said the prince ; " but the people — the people — whose in- dignation is already so powerfully excited against me, — what will the people say if I become the kidnapper of my wife to rid myself of her company ?'* — " Away with, 64 THE ROYAL WANDERER. all scruples,, my prince/' replied Tower- "beam ; iC I wish not to give them fresh handles for abuse and censure. I would use no force ; there are better and more specious modes of proceeding' to which we may resort/* — C( Any thing/' said the prince, iC which will not commit me with the nation ; for, believe me, Towerbeam, my scruples are not the consequence of any affection I feel for the woman ; and if it can be accomplished plausibly, and without any very great deal of trouble, I shall be much gratified by her absence fom my empire/' — " Leave it to me, Sir/* returned the minister. " I will diplomatize her into a concurrence with our scheme ; and as to its feasibility, and the advantages which may result from it, do but consider, Sir, the effect her exile will have upon all classes. The members of opposition will no longer have this fine and popular pretext for thwarting all your THE ROYAL WANDtRER. 55 applications for money, and for throwing' your moral and domestic character in your teeth ; and as for the people themselves, they will no more find cause to shew im- potent malice whenever your highness condescends to display your face in public. Again, her absence will be a most une- quivocal and complete separation from Geraldine." — " Enough, enough," re- plied the prince, eagerly grasping the hand of Towerbeam, " that single reason outweighs every other consideration. Se- paration from Geraldine ! Sweet idea 1 O ! Towerbeam, perform but this act cleverly, effect but this most desirable se paration, and take care that it be final and eternal, and a dukedom, at least, shall be thy reward/' — " My own feel- ings/' stammered the minister, " my own — my own feelings,— that is, the feeling that I have served you, and attended to my — my — du — duty, I mean, my inte- 56 THE ROYAL WANDERER. rest, — that is, my duty— " Pompion saw the distress of Towerbeam, and, anxious to relieve it, kindly took the words out of his mouth. — Thus, then," resumed Ce- rulta, * f I find that all my friends on whom I most firmly rely are of opinion that I should retire, in conformity with the wishes of his serene highness, Prince Pompion, and his ministers; and I must truly say, that the result of my own cogi- tations has been, that it is preferable at present to yield to the torrent,, as our at- tempts to stem it seem vain. It appears, too, more consistent with that delicacy which 1 should always wish to preserve, unless forced from it by imperious circum- stances. Taken on the whole, however, I must view it in the light of a species of THE ROYAL WANDERER. 93 banishment." till the succeeding spring, and the minis- ters were content to let that circumstance 118 THE ROYAL WANDERER. pass over without animadversion. No matter what were her intentions, Tower- beam flattered himself that there remained in his manufactory yet another contrivance which he could bring forward to continue her exile, if she should manifest any pre- mature disposition to shorten it. When her affairs were finally arranged, and her- self and suit prepared to depart, when the vessel was provided by government, and even the day of her sailing fixed, Cerulea thought proper to demand a parting inter- view with her daughter. This, without the most outrageous indecency, could not be denied ; and Geraldine, therefore, was desired to make her last visit in Stucco- place, The day arrived, and she came in such a frame of mind as the occasion was cal- culated to produce. It were superfluous to detail the whole of the affectionate con- THE- ROYAL WANDERER. 119 versation which took place between them, to repeat the numerous expressions of ten- derness and sympathy which were i ter- changed^ we shall content ourselves in giving a part of the adv ce which Ce- rulea addressed to her daughter. (t My dear child," said she, tc your si- tuation is extremely singular, and equally delicate, and requires a nicer discretion than can be expected of such young years. The heiress presumptive to a grand king- dom, you are without any one competent to instil into your mind those great princi- ples, and direct you to those pursuits, which may best fit you for the exalted station which you are destined to occupy. It is your misfortune to have a father who is little qualified, either by precept or by example, to improve your understanding or your conduct ; who exhibits himself a lamentable example of the unhappy effects 120 THE ROYAL WANDERER. which result from power, falling by inhe- ritance to the lot of persons without ta- lents, to render it beneficial to their sub- jects. He is environed and guided by a set of the most degenerate and worthless beings that this kingdom contains, who daily repeat the wretched routine of the meanest political chinanery and the most brutish debauchery; From whom, then, are you to copy ? — by whom are you to be instructed ? Your mother is removed far from you, and marked out as the victim of the malevolence of your father's slaves. Her you cannot be persuaded to despise, but you are prevented from seeing. To what dangers are you not liable ? — what prospect is open to me of your becoming a great sovereign ? But I have to thank heaven that you are blessed with a strong mind and a good heart, that is open to the dictates of virtue and the lessons of reason : you maintain a dignified contempt for vice THE ROYAL WANDERER. 121 and folly, though they are perpetually set before you in the most enticing colours, and even enforced by high authority. " What a consolation does not this im- part to my distressed heart ! I am about to leave you to the charge of a father, whose influence I dread —whose utter in- capability of doing you good, I know. As a punishment for your attachment to virtue, you are now a prisoner, under the guidance of a crew, whose mean spirits bend to the basest wishes of their employ- er. Confidence in them you can have none, but, on the contrary, must ever be on your guard against them. Yet, my Geraldine, though you are placed in this dangerous and embarrassing situation, and though on your firm adherence to those good principles, which, thank hea- ven ! you have imbibed, I can place the strongest reliance, I must caution you VOL. I G 122 THE ROYAL WANDERER. against too rude an opposition to the will of your father and his associates. Never let them discover any degree of pert bold- ness in the objections you may make to their plans ; testify a calm unshaken at- tachment to right, but a placid acquies- cence in their desires, when not at the expence of your conscience. To the er- rors of your father I would have you grant every kind of leniency which does not imply approbation ; be careful not to irritate or vex him unnecessarily, — it is at once unna- tural, imprudent, and improper ; let your behaviour to him be conciliatory and re- spectful, and, where the occasion will ad- mit of it, tender. " I cannot recommend to you to culti- vate the conversation of any one now about you ; you could extract from them neither sincerity nor information ; be to them at once polite and reserved ; shame them, if THE ROYAL WANDERER. 123 possible, by your conduct, not by re- proaches. You have formerly known men, whose society was a treasure ; for- get not their precepts ; be ever eager to acquire information, and study attentive- ly those things which you are already aware it is proper for you to know, other- wise your ignorance will hereafter occa- sion the misery of millions. * And now, my dear child, I come to touch upon a subject of the very first im- portance to your future happiness, and on which I should wish to consult, as far as possible, your feelings, merely en- treating you, at the same, to suffer them to be influenced by the best efforts of your understanding. What I would re- fer to, is the marriage which has been pressed upon you with the Prince Orano. It is more than probable, that, abstracted from other considerations, you may have g 2 1^4 THE ROYAL WANDERER. no inclination to this match; that the prince may not be the man which your imagination could fix on for a husband ; that you even may have attempted to asso- ciate the idea of love with marriage. Now, however practicable it may be in common life to cement an union on that foundation, I should think that you must be aware, that between persons of royal rank it is quite out of the question. If the man's person, manners, and disposition, are such as to be disgusting to you ; if you think he is deficient in respect and regard to you ; that lie is a man, who, as your hus- band, might act at all to the detriment of the people whom you hope to govern, . in either of those cases I would have you peremptorily refuse him ; but, if neither of these is the case, I would have you be- ware of letting any personal caprice in- duce you to act unreasonably in this par- ticular. Princesses are not domestic be- THE ROYAL WANDERER. l c 25 ings ; they must not look forward to much domestic enjoyment ; their happiness must consist in doing good on an extensive scale. Their country expects of them to consult in marriage its interest alone. " I myself am not aware of any insu- perable objection that exists to your union with Prince Orano ; that of being separated from me is, by present circum- stances, done away ; indeed, such a mea- sure might be the means of our being much more together. But, I would have you well revolve the affair in your mind, and proceed on the basis of pure reason, ere you irritate your father and his ad- visers, or neglect an opportunity of pro- moting the interest of your country, by a positive rejection of your suitor. It is most likely the proposal will be again made to you, and I would have you be pre- pared with an answer, which you may af- terwards have no cause to repent/' 126 THE ROYAL WANDERER. €< It has indeed been argued against this proposed marriage, and that by persons who, I believe, are actuated by very pure motives, that the match is unsuitable to your rank and condition in life. The fa- ther of Prince Orano, it is asserted, was raised to his present title by the ministers of your father, to give something like a colour to the union ; but that there is no legitimate claim which he can set up to the sovereignty, and consequently no se- curity for its continuance. The convul- sion of a moment may overthrow the fa- bric, and moulder away the immature dig- nity into dust. If this position be tena- ble, such a marriage could not be pro- ductive of any benefit to your country ; and, consequently, could not be political- ly or morally desirable. You will do well, my child, to weigh the matter ma- turely ; it is a subject which most vitally concerns your own interests, and there- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 127 fore merits all your consideration. May heaven enable you to decide correctly !" Such was the sum of the counsel deli- vered by Cerulea to her daughter, who with tears of tenderness and gratitude, professed how deeply she felt it all, and how religiously she would attend to it. With respect to the latter part of it, how- ever, she merely said that she would think further on the subject : she had another motive, not hinted at by Cerulea, and, indeed, suspected by very few, which she did not think proper ta con fide even to her mother, for rejecting, at least for the present, the Prince Orano ; a motive, too, capable of outweighing the advice of all the world. In a subsequent period of the day, when the Ladies Charlottaand Anna were present, the practicability of a corres- 128 THE ROYAL WANDEREH. pondence between Cerulea and her daugh- ter came into discussion. " My dear girl," said Cerulea, " with- out corresponding with you, how bitter will be the separation, how dreary every scene ! without those pleasing remini- scences, how can I bear your absence ! what will be my consolation i" " I fear, mama/ 1 answered Geraldine, " we shall never be able to surmount the obstacles which are opposed to it by our jealous governors ; I am strictly debarred from pen, ink, and paper, and permitted to receive no letters at all, and yours would be the last which would be suffered to reach me." (( O God! O God!" exclaimed the agitated princess, " to what must I sub- mit! to what length will my enemies carry their persecutions !" THE ROYAL WANDERER* 129 fixing her eyes intently upon Lady Char- lotte, exclaimed — " Alas, how much has this ceremony cost me ! hew many afflict- ing remembrances has it not awakened in my bosom ! What have I done to these good honest citizens that they should have been thus lavish in their approbation of h 3 loi THE ROYAL WANDERER. me ? I had some claim upon the feelings of the people of Albina ; but no ties have bound these good-hearted Ham- burghers to me, except the common sympathy which endears the child of sorrow to the bosom of benevolence ! Well, well," she continued, after wiping her eyes for a moment, in silence — " I must acquire philosophy under all circum- stances, if I would not disgrace my name and rank." All this was perfectly unin- telligible to Lady Charlotta, who, for the •oul of her, could see nothing to be dis- tressed about in the eagerness of the people to do homage to them ; she won- dered, however, in silence, and secretly sent up an ejaculation to heaven, express- ive of something like a mixture of pity and concern at her highness's eccentricity. Orders were given for the departure of the royal groupe early the next morning for Brownreach, the birth-place of Ceru- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 165 lea, and a messenger was dispatched to her brother, the Prince of Eels, to ad- vise him of her approach. Immediately on her ascending- the car- riage, to proceed on her travels, a gloom took possession of the mind of Cerulea, which no efforts of her faithful compa- nion could dissipate; she was absorbed in reflections, and those of the most sombre cast. She was returning to her native eity, to an affectionate brother — but how was she returning after an absence of twenty years — as the stately princess of Albina, as the lofty wife of Pompion, as< the mother of Albina's future queen, at- tended by a retinue indicative of her rank, and of the respect which was paid her by her adopted country ? No, as an unfortunate, whose every hope had been blasted ; who, framed for all the enjoy- ments of love, had been treated witfc 156 THE ROYAL WANDERER. contempt by the only legitimate object of it ; who, capable of gracing the highest honors, denied those to which she was en- titled ; a tender mother forcibly separated from her child ; an exile from a country to whose interests she had devoted herself; the victim of broken ties and disregarded oaths. She who should have entered to be adored as a protecting saint, fled thither for protection from continued un- wearied persecutors. It may be proper to give the reader a slight picture of this city of Brownreach, and the Prince of Eels, who governed it. It was one of those petty independent states of Germany, which, though go- verned by a prince of its own, was al- ways at the command of any adjacent power stronger than itself, like the other cities in Germany in the same situation. The disposition and employment of its THE ROYAL WANDERER. 1 57 habits were military, and the revenue of its prince was principally composed of the price for which he let out to hire the soldiers raised in his states. It possess- ed neither commerce, manufactures, nor arts ; as much of the population as could be spared from the necessary employment of agriculture, was drawn out into the field ; the soldiers thus raised were paid by a general licence to plunder, while the prince received the sums offered for the services of the mercenary horde. The late Prince of Brownreach had married a sister of the King of Albina, whose sovereigns possessed a little domi- nion situated in Germany. At the time when the legitimate sovereigns of Europe, at once dreading the noble principles of the French revolution, and excited by the prospect of sharing between them that fine territory of France, basely took ad- I 58 THE ROYAL WANDERER. vantage of its internal division, to pour, in concert, into Prance an immense num- ber of their troops, the then reigning Prince of Brownreach, instigated by the minister of Albina, who was the author of the whole scheme, joined his force to the iniquitous coalition, and was one of the first that marched into France. He there published the most sanguinary pro- clamations, and suffered his horde of rapacious barbarians to commit the most dreadful excesses. To the honor of the goad cause of liberty, however, and to the eternal shame of the leagued enemies of mankind, the national force, enthu- siastic in the defence of their dearest rights, not only drove from their native soil the unprincipled invaders, but fol- lowed them into their own countries, there to take ample vengeance on them for their unjustifiable aggressions. THE ROYAL WANDERER. 159 In subsequent wars, the success of the French power was so great, that the terri- tories of many of its base enemies were dismembered, and others considerably abridged : the man whose talents raised him from the most humble station to the rank of emperor of the French became the arbiter of kingdoms. All the petty states of Germany fell under his power, and he formed them into such govern- ments as best answered his views. It will be supposed, that the little dominion of Brownreach was incapable of resisting his power. He incorporated it with the king- dom of Westphalia, over which he set his brother Jerome. The old prince, spared from personal violence, did not find it ne- cessary to retire far from his native coun- try. He continued in Germany, where, a few years after his loss of power, he died. His son, the Prince of Eels, did not think proper to acquiesce so quietly in 160 THE ROYAL WANDERER. this order of things ; he fled, and succeeded in carrying off with him a brigade of ca- valry, which he offered to the king of Albina. Incapable of repulsing his nephew, the king of Albina took him and his troops into his service, and gave him a rank in the Albinian army, and rewarded him with a pension of £10,000 a year. Ha- ving no immediate occasion for the Brown- reach troops, the Albinian ministry direct- ed them to occupy the Isle of Black, a small insulated territory adjacent to Air bina ; and here they remained for some time, during which they did not fail to give the unfortunate inhabitants a pretty spe- cimen of the manners of German merce- naries. In subsequent wars, these troops were actively employed in the service of Albina. THE ROYAL WANDERER. l6l In the mean time, the territory of Brown- reach, under the government of the Bo- naparte dynasty, was reduced to a much more strict state of military discipline than it had ever before been ; by nature a mi- litary state, a military government and constant military employment were alone fit for it ; and, in this point of view, under the government of a Napoleon, it was greatly improved. Military colleges were established throughout its provinces ; the conscription laws yearly called to the field a fixed proportion of the youth there, un- der the command of French officers, and by the side of French soldiers, perpetually engaged in battles, and accustomed to the achievements of the most astonishing vic- tories, became equal to any soldiers in the world. The reign of Bonaparte being, partly through his own mistaken views, and 162 THE ROYAL WANDERER. partly from the restless jealousy of the so- vereigns whom he had repeatedly hum- bled,, a continual state of warfare, the mi- litary government of Brownreach had at- tained the height of perfection, and it be- came a mere land of soldiers. The won- derful events of that war which ended i» the temporary secession from the power of the French emperor, restored the state of Brownreach to its ancient dynasty, and consequently the Prince of Eels returned to claim possession of his inheritance.— The people of Brownreach were indiffer ent as to their governor, provided he was a soldier ; and as the Prince of Eels had, in some degree, signalized himself in that character, he was not an unacceptable leader to this warlike race. During his intermitting residence in AI- bina, this prince had been a witness to all his sister's wrongs ; but as he had not the THE ROYAL WANDERER. 163 power of redressing them, he thought it would be impolitic, by any species of bois- terous remonstrance, to lose the support of that government. He therefore let her affairs take their course. But now he had, through the means of the Albinian government, regained his hereditary do- minions, he was willing to shew Cerulea every mark of affection and respect. Ac- cordingly, when he heard of her approach to his states, he set in motion the city guard of Brownreach, which was a re* markable fine corps ; these, in their most splendid uniforms, he ordered to advance as far as Butterwolf, whilst he himself proceeded on to Saltau. He likewise gave directions to all the authorities to be ready to receive her at the gates of the city, and that preparations should be made for a general illumination. The old inha- bitants, who recollected her having been brought up amongst them, and yet re- 164 THE ROYAL WANDERER* " membered the virtues which, in her e; years, began to blossom, anticipated witfj joy the return of their favorite princess — They recounted to their children all the amiable traits which marked her younger* days ; so that the city now rung with her praises, and all prepared to receive her as a tutelary saint. Scarcely had Cerulea descended from her carriage at Saltau before she found herself in the arms of her brother, who congratulated her in the most tender terms on her return to her native land. — Little cause was there of congratulation, so Cerulea felt ; but her brother was de- sirous, if possible, to efface from her mind every disagreeable impression, and, by the most flattering attentions, to restore her to contentment, and even revive her ideas of her own consequence. After a ^hort time had been spent in the inter- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 165 change of fraternal endearments and ne- cessary refreshment, the united cavalcade set forward for its destination. As the weather was warm and agreeable, and they expected to reach Brownreach that night, Cerulea and her brother travelled in an open landau, their respective suites following in coaches. They reached Butterwolf just before xlusk, where the princes fine guard was drawn up to receive them. After firing a volley, the guards joined in the cavalcade, and the whole proceeded to Brownreach. It was dark ere they reached that city ; the illumination had taken place, and the town was a blaze of light ; the civil au- thorities were at the gates, ready to receive the stranger, and the people were all as- sembled in the streets. When the caval- cade reached the gates, being augmented by the commune., it proceeded slowly 166 the rAyal wanderer. through the streets, hailed by the loudest acclamations, and every possible demon- stration of joy on the part of the inhabi- tants, till it reached the princess's palace, where a grand supper was given to all the civil authorities and military grandees in the citv, in celebration of Cerulea's arri- val. Cerulea, notwithstanding the gloomy reflections that still, from time to time, weighed heavy at her heart, could not but feel gratified, and even delighted at these unaccustomed marks of respect. Sometimes, indeed, imagination, scorn- ing the fetters of prudence, employed it- self in contrasting the scenes which now passed in view before it with those to which it had been accustomed in Albina ; and, notwithstanding the flattering ho- mage which she now received from every quarter, a sigh would frequently escape when she referred to the more consonant THE ROYAL WANDERER. 167 manners of the people of Albina. She struggled hard, however, to prevent her emotions from obtruding themselves upon her friends, and from disturbing that hap- piness which appeared to be universal : and whenever she caught herself in the act of yielding to the melancho'y which oppressed her, she would force a smile upon her countenance, which, although awkwardly, success! ully concealed her sorrow. The city guard of Brown reach was com- manded by Count Palsburgh, a nobleman of about fifty years of age, of which at least thirty-five had been spent in the ar- my. He was a man whose every idea was swallowed up in military aiiairs, a strict observer of discipline ; he had, never- theless, had a wife, who was now dead, but who had borne him a son, a youth now in the flower of manhood, and who 168 THE ROYAL WANDERER. was also in the army. This old noble* man was held in universal esteem, no less on account of his skill and valour than of his goodness of heart ; his warlike career had, however, stamped him with a degree of uncouth rudeness and formality, which rendered him unfit for any other society than that of the camp. His figure was tall and athletic, his carriage haughty and commanding, and his face deeply seamed with scars, and roughened by constant ex- posure, bore ample testimony to the ardor with which he followed his profession. He was at the head of the guard, on the occasion of Cerulea's entre ; and, though a strict disciple of Mars, he was not fore- closed from the temple of Venus. On their approach to Butterwolf, the lady Charlotta was seated by the side of Ceru- lea, and the redundant attractions of her person completely fascinated the veteran warrior. THE ROYAL WANDERER. 169 Charlotta was not in the bloom of youth, but she had attained that luxuriant maturity at which female beauty shines with double splendor; she had passed thirty, and the embonpoint of her person gave her credit for being at least five years younger than she was ; her com- plexion was of the most dazzling fairness; her front was full and inviting; her fea- tures mild and fascinating; her eyes of a serene azure ; her hair a brilliant auburn : but one of Charlotta's greatest attractions was the fine turn of her arm, in which few could equal her; so that, upon the whole, Charlotta presented to the amorous eyes of the count Palsburgh an assem- blage of beauties sufficient to excite a more backward disposition than his. During the whole journey, his eyes were never removed from her person ; he rode by the side of the carriage ; and, ere they reached Brownreach, had drank deep draughts of VOL. I. I 170 THE ROYAL WANDERER. Cytherean poison from the love-beaming eyes of Charlotta ; indeed, had not his horse been more attentive to the road than the count, they would inevitably have found their way into a ditch. The for- mality of his manners would not suffer him to accost her till a regular introduc- tion had taken place,, which was not till they arrived at the prince's palace,, and then he addressed to her a compliment, which sounded much more like giving the word of command,, than an enamoured swain's first sigh to his mistress. Char- lotta had not, at this time, noticed the de- vastation she had committed in the stout heart of the soldier ; and a declaration of his feelings was reserved till they should be better acquainted. Cerulea did not propose to remain in Brownreach any considerable time, as she resolved to take advantage of her banish- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 171 ment, to traverse the most remarkable parts of Europe, and the military state which her brother ruled was incapable of affording much either to interest or to amuse her. All the principal officers were, in their turns, introduced to her; none of them possessed any qualification sufficiently noticeable to become an ob- ject of her particular favor; and she dis- covered, that, however the present state of the country might suit her brother's disposition, it was far from an agreeable place for a female's residence. She spent as much time as she could in the company of her brother, and rode out with him for the purpose of seeing- all that was to be seen in his dominions ; but he was con- stantly occupied in visiting manufactories of arms, inspecting arsenals, organizing new levies, and reviewing the troops ; so that Cerulea was constantly involved in military affairs. i 2 J 72 THE ROYAL WANDERER. As a permanent peace was now to be formed, and an arrangement which should ensure a perpetual tranquillity on the con- tinent, every power thought that the best way of contributing to the equitable set- tlement of affairs, was to be prepared with a force sufficient to defend its own individual rights ; and, under the influ- ence of this principle, his serene highness the Prince of Eels had ordered a most ri- gorous levy within his dominions ; every person capable of serving, from eighteen to sixty, was to be called to arms for the protection of the state, and the organiza- tion of this new force it was that consti- tuted his constant employment. The pa- lace was continually filled with officers, who were the only company received, and occasional balls in the evening were the only amusements known there. Cerulea, moreover, visited the theatre, and took every opportunity of gratifying the pleas- THE ROYAL WANDERER. 1?3 ing curiosity of the people, by showing herself in public, so that she became ex- ceedingly popular. Such a routine of military business was ill calculated to gratify a female of elegant habits and disposition. The novelty of the scene, indeed, at first rendered it at* tractive ; but that feature wore away, and the attraction with it. Cerulea began to sigh for other objects of amusement, ob- jects more congenial to the natural soft- ness of her sex. She had repeatedly vi- sited every thing in the city which was at all worthy of attention, and was com- pelled to seek within the palace for new sources of enjoyment. Her attendant, Lady Eliza, had noticed, that during the time that the princess had been more secluded, a dirty mean-look- ing woman had daily applied at the gate 174 THE ROYAL WANDERER. of the palace ; and, when repulsed by the guards, retired to a short distance, whence she kept her eye continually on the gate, with little intermission till dark, when she went away. As this was a somewhat re- markable circumstance, Eliza could not help noticing it to Cerulea, who said she supposed the woman wanted to speak to some of the servants, or some one else in the palace, and would, in time, be grati- fied. As Cerulea, however, was one morning stepping into her carriage, she observed this same woman near the palace gate, who no sooner saw the princess, than she violently struggled to force her way through the guards and attendants ; she at length gained the door of the carriage, and, with tears in her eyes, and some ear- nest exclamations, forced into Cerulea's hands a scroll of dirty paper. This Ce= THE ROYAL WANDERER. 1?5 ruleadid not think proper to inspect at the time, but, coldly throwing it down in the carriage, proceeded on her ride. She would probably never have looked on the paper again, but Eliza, who felt some cu- riosity concerning it, made a point of bringing it out of the carriage when she reached home, and pressing it on Cerulea's notice. When she had opened it, Cerulea read as follows : " Voutre alltess serinis- sime et biene gracieuse, daignez avoir la bontee de vous fare informer touchant un pauvre famille qui vous trouveraite au comble de la misere humaine ; vous ave beaucoup de Pinfluence sur votre frere, serenissime; parlez une mot pur fare li- berer le pauvre Schofft. Ne rejettez pas ce priere, princess biene misericordieux, pour lamor de Dieu ne la rejettez pas, mais daignez envoyer quelq'un de vos atten- dans au No. 17, de la rue La Gloire, ou vous serez satisfaite des particuliers de ce conte malheureux." 176 THE ROYAL WANDERER. This precious specimen of French elo- quence, though in some it might have ex- cited only ridicule, and did indeed occa- sion a titter amongst Cerulea's household, yet did not fail to interest the feeling heart of that princess — she felt convinced that it was connected with some instance of human calamity, and never would she suffer the endurance of such if it was in her power to relieve it. She resolved to go in person, and make herself acquainted with the case of those unfortunates, and if possible to alleviate their misery. Accordingly, at dusk the same even- ing, having attired herself in plain apparel, and being accompanied by Charlotta only, and attended by a single footman, she bent her steps towards the Rue de la Gloire, which was situated in the most un- pleasant corner of the city. On arriving at No. 17, she found the outer door open, THE ROYAL WANDERER. 1?7 and, knocking at the first door she saw, she enquired in what part of the house the unfortunate family was situated. " Oh, I suppose its them at the top of the house as you wants/' roughly answered a wo- man ;