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andreas hofer-第60部分

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…〃

〃Until he loses another battle;〃 interrupted the emperor;
sneeringly。 〃My dear count; one swallow does not make a summer; and…
…Well; what is it; Leonard?〃 said the emperor; turning quickly to
his footman; who entered the room at this moment。

〃Your majesty; his imperial highness the Archduke John has just
arrived; and requests an audience。〃

〃Let the archduke come in;〃 said the emperor; and when the footman
had withdrawn; Francis turned again to the minister。 〃He is the
second swallow in which the childish people here are hoping;〃 he
said。 〃But two swallows do not make a summer either; there may still
be a frost under which John's young laurels of Sacile and St。
Boniface will wither。Ah; here is my brother。〃

The emperor advanced a few steps to meet the Archduke John; who had
just crossed the threshold; and stood still at the door to bow
deeply and reverentially to his imperial brother。

〃No ceremonies; brother; no ceremonies;〃 said the emperor; smiling;
〃we are here not in the imperial palace; but in the camp; my crown
is in Vienna; and my head is therefore bare; while yours is wreathed
with laurels。〃

The emperor said this in so sarcastic a tone that the archduke gave
a start; and his cheeks crimsoned with indignation。 But he
restrained his anger; and fixed his eyes calmly on the sneering face
of the emperor。

〃Your majesty condescends to jest;〃 he said; composedly; 〃and I am
glad to see from this that my brother; the victor of Aspern; has
gladdened your majesty's heart。〃

〃Your majesty;〃 said Count Stadion; in a low; pressing tone; 〃will
you not graciously permit me to withdraw?〃

〃Ah; you think your presence would be inconvenient during our
interview; and might hinder the free exchange of our confidential
communications? But I do not believe that I and my brother have any
special secrets to communicate to each other; so that the presence
of my minister would be inconvenient to us。 However; let the
archduke decide this point。 Tell me therefore; brother; is it
necessary that you should see me alone and without witnesses?〃

〃On the contrary; your majesty;〃 said John; calmly; 〃it will be
agreeable to me if the minister of foreign affairs is present at our
interview; for; as your majesty deigned to observe; we never have
confidential communications to make to each other; and as we shall
speak only of business affairs; the minister may take part in the
conversation。〃

〃Stay; then; count。 And now; my esteemed brother; may I take the
liberty of asking what induced the commanding…general of my army of
Upper Austria; now stationed at Comorn; to leave his post and pay me
a friendly visit here at Wolkersdorf?〃

〃Your majesty; I come to implore my sovereign to graciously fulfil
the promise which your majesty vouchsafed to me at Vienna。 Your
majesty promised me that I should succor with the forces intrusted
to me the Tyrolese in their heroic struggle for deliverance from the
foreign yoke; and that I might devote all my efforts to aiding this
noble and heroic people; which has risen as one man in order to be
incorporated again with Austria。 It was I who organized the
insurrection of the Tyrol; who appointed the leaders of the
peasants; and fixed the day and hour when the insurrection was to
break out。〃

〃Yes; yes; it is true;〃 interrupted the emperor; 〃you proved that
you were a skilful and shrewd revolutionist; and it was really
fortunate for me that you availed yourself of your revolutionary
talents; not AGAINST me; but FOR me。 If I shall ever recover full
possession of the Tyrol; I shall be indebted for it only to the
revolutionary skill of my brother John; and I shall always look upon
it as an act of great disinterestedness on your part to leave me the
Tyrol; and not keep it for yourself; for it is in your hands; and it
is you whom the Tyrolese in their hearts call their real emperor。〃

〃Your majesty is distrustful of the love of the faithful Tyrolese;〃
said John; mournfully; 〃and yet they have sealed it with their blood
since the insurrection broke out; it was always the name of their
Emperor Francis with which they went into battle; the name of the
Emperor Francis with which they exulted triumphantly when God and
their intrepidity made them victorious。〃

〃No; archduke; I know better!〃 exclaimed the Emperor; vehemently。
〃They did not confine themselves to rendering homage to me; but when
the peasants had taken Innspruck; they placed the Archduke John's
picture on the triumphal arch by the side of my own portrait;
surrounded it with candles; and rendered the same homage to it as to
that of the emperor。〃

〃It is true; the honest peasants know nothing of etiquette;〃 said
John; sadly。〃 They believed in their simplicity that they might love
a little their emperor's brother; who had been sent to their
assistance by his majesty; and that they might place his picture
without further ceremony by the side of that of the emperor。 But
that they nevertheless knew very well how to distinguish the emperor
from the archduke; and that they granted to the emperor the first
place in their hearts; and deemed him the sole object of their
loyalty; is proved by the song which the Tyrolese sang with
enthusiastic unanimity on fastening the Austrian eagle to the
imperial palace at Innspruck。 As such full particulars of the events
in the Tyrol were sent to your majesty; I am sure this beautiful
song was likewise communicated to you。〃

〃No; it was not;〃 said the emperor; carelessly。 〃What song is it?〃

〃Your majesty; it is a hymn of joy and triumph which; ever since
that day; is sung by all Tyrolese; not only by the men; but also by
the women and children; and which resounds now as the spring…hymn of
the new era both in the valleys and on the summits of the mountains。
I am sorry that I do not know the words by hearts; but I shall have
the honor of sending them to your majesty。 I remember only the
refrain of every verse; which is as follows:〃

〃'Ueberall lebt'st seh treu und bieder; Wo der Adler uns angeschaut;
Und nu' haben wir unsern Franzel wieder; Weil wir halt auf Gott and
ihn vertraut。'〃 'Footnote: 〃Far reaching as the eagle's view; Are
beating loyal hearts and true; Once more our Francis can we claim;
Because we trust in God's great name!〃'

〃That is quite pretty;〃 said the emperor; smiling。 〃And is that the
song they are singing now in the Tyrol?〃

〃Your majesty; they not only sing it; but they believe in it too。
Yes; the Tyrolese confide in your majesty; they believe implicitly
in the promises which your majesty has made to them; and they would
punish as a traitor any one who should dare to tell them that these
promises would not be fulfilled。〃

〃And who asserts that they will not be fulfilled?〃 asked the
emperor。

〃Your majesty; the facts will unfortunately soon convince the
Tyrolese that they must not look for the fulfilment of these
promises;〃 said the archduke; sighing。 〃At the very moment when the
Tyrol is being threatened by two hostile armies; those of the
Viceroy of Italy and the Duke of Dantzic; and when the Tyrol;
therefore; if it is not to succumb again to such enormous odds;
urgently needs assistance and succor; I receive orders to leave the
Tyrol and march to Hungary。 That is to say; I am to give up
Salzburg; which is occupied by the French; I am not to succor
Innspruck; which is menaced by Baraguay d'Hilliers。 Not only am I
not to lend any assistance to the Tyrolese; but I am to break their
moral courage and paralyze their energy; by showing to them by my
retreat that the emperor's promises will not be fulfilled; and that
the army of Upper Austria abandons the Tyrol to succor Hungary。〃

〃Well; the Tyrol is not yet abandoned; even though the Archduke John
is no longer there;〃 said the emperor; shrugging his shoulders。 〃We
have two generals with corps there; have we not? Are not the Marquis
of Chasteler and Count Buol there?〃

〃They are; your majesty; but the Marquis of Chasteler is morally
paralyzed by the sentence of outlawry which Napoleon has issued
against him; and Count Buol has too few troops to oppose the enemy's
operations; which are not checked by any corps outside the Tyrol。〃

〃Ah; you wish to give me another proof of the fraternal love
reigning between you and the Archduke Charles?〃 asked the emperor
sarcastically。 〃You wish to oppose the orders of your
generalissimo?〃

〃I wish to ask the emperor; my sovereign; whether I am to give up
the Tyrol or not; I wish to ask him if he orders me to march my army
to Presburg; unite with the insurgent forces; and operate there
against the enemy。〃

〃Are these the generalissimo's orders?〃

〃They are; your majesty。〃

〃And what else does he command?〃

〃He commands me; further; to make myself master of the two islands
of Schutt in front of Presburg; take Altenburg by a coup de main;
and garrison; supply; and provision the two fortresses of Raab and
Comorn for six months。〃

A sarcastic expression overspread the emperor's face。

〃Well; these are excellent and most energetic orders;〃 he said。
〃Carry them out; therefore。〃

〃But; your majesty; it is not in my power to do so。 These orders
look very fine on paper; but they cannot be carried into effect。 I
have neither troops nor supplies enough to garrison; supply; and
provision Raab and Comorn; and hold Presburg; even after effecting a
junction with the troops of the Archduke Palatine and the Hungarian
volunteers。 And the generalissimo is well aware of it; for I have
always acquainted him with what occurred in my army; he knows that
my forces and those of the Archduke Palatine together are scarcely
twenty…five thousand strong; and that one…half of these troops
consists of undisciplined recruits。 He knows that the enemy is
threatening us on all sides with forty thousand veteran troops。 The
generalissimo is so well aware of this; that he spoke of the
weakness of the remnants of my army in the dispatches which he
addressed to me only a few days ago。 But the victory of Aspern seems
suddenly to have made the generalissimo believe that; inasmuch as he
himself has performed extraordinary things; he may demand of me what
is impossible。〃

〃What is impossible?〃 said the em

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