A Conspiracy of the Carbonari

ng restlessly up and down, with his eyes fix

ion been roused, and have they arrested him? Oh, God forbid! then we should all be lost,

ftly opened and the servant an

ace. Thick, bushy brows shaded a pair of large dark eyes, whose youthful fire formed a strange contrast to the bowed frame and the white hair. His figure, which must once have been stately and vigorous, was attired in the latest fashion, and the elegance of his dress showed that Baron von Moudenfels, though a man perhaps s

with placing the finger-tips of the little hand adorned with glittering rings in the

of stairs has exhausted my strength, and I must rest. You probably see that

u are, as you say, an old man, but in this aged form dwells a fiery, youthful s

of my life belong to my native land and the foes who oppress it, and I know that I shall not die until I have attained the object of my life, until I

ered, "don't speak so loud, baron; who knows whether my valet is not a paid spy; whether he is no

why it is quite time that we should secure you agai

aron?" asked the colonel tim

aron solemnly. "I mean that ere a week has passed, the world will be releas

teroom. Then, after convincing himself that no one was near, he closed it, and made a tour of the spacious room, carefully examining

ite to him. "We are really alone and without listeners, so I am ready to h

é is very much dissatisfied with his beloved fellow conspirators; that he thinks they have not acted so resol

lonel. "What ought we to have done? When and

n, when Napoleon left his exhausted and conquered army on the island of Lobau, and wen

tionless a posture, breathing so softly, that he might have been believed to be dead, and did not even hear his drunken soldiers force their way

and whose object is to overthrow the hated tyrant and oppressor? Did they avail themselves of the opportunity to attain this desired goal with a single bold stroke? No, they stood whispering and irresolute, asking one another what should be done if Napoleon did not wake from his deathlike slumber-who should then be his heir to the throne of France? Whether they should make Bernadotte, the Prince of Ponte

onel in surprise. "One would really suppose you had been pr

ul and reliable man, a skillful negotiator, who was qualified to maintain and to promote the agreements and alliances between the French conspirators and the German patriots, and who could be employed without fear or reserve. Well, this Commissioner Kraus, as you probably know, had come to Ebersdorf to negotiate in behalf of myself and my German friends, and to ask whether the time had not now come to accomplish the

tune has befallen him; the emperor's spies have doubtless tracked

and, since Monsieur Bonaparte must fare like the worthy citizens of Nuremberg who hang no one until they have caught him, Comm

e has re

days

nd I, we all, kno

iscovery, to compromise no one. So Fouché addressed his reply to me; for if the letter had actually been opened, it could have done Baron von Moudenfels no h

iage impatiently. "Pray do not keep me on t

You see that it is directed to me-Baron von Moudenfels-and contains nothing but the following words: 'Why ask me anything, when you ought alr

, pale and horror-stricken, "what does

n thrust into a sack and flung into the Danube, the whole affair would have been ended in the most successful and shortest way, instead of our now being obliged to rack our brains and plunge into dange

n no counsel, su

ors, and this communication has occupied me during these last few days. The point was to discover, among th

e you su

o and fro, and I know very well that I risk my life in doing it. But I am ready to sacrifice it for my native land, and death is a matter of indifference, if my suffering serves my country. Now listen! Within a week Napoleon must be removed; for every day beyond endangers us the more. He has a suspicion of our plans; he has a whole legion of spies in the army, in Vienna, acting in concert with friends and foes, to watch the designs of the conspirators. For he is perfectly conscious that a conspiracy exists, and

ou thin

the back of the head. So he was struck from behind, and his murderer was in the ranks of his fellow-combatants. So you see that the emperor had sentenced him to death and he had

your death-sentence will be signed. You hate Bonaparte. You are an adherent of the Count de Lille. You desire to replace the legitimate King Louis XVIII. upon the throne of his ancestors. Well, to accomplish this, Bonaparte must fall. Help to overthrow

of me? What part

al of Vienna, Count Andreossy, and it is your task not merely to hear, but also to see what is occurring in the capital. But, during the next few days, you will have the kindness to be blind and see nothing that is passing around you, not to notice the preparations that attract the attention of the su

family for centuries, and we owe them all that we are. I am ready to prove my gratitude by deeds, and I hope that, if I fall in the service of the king, he will have pity on my wife and my two children as

. Stephens. One of our emissaries will be waiting night and day at the entrance of the ma

w is De Guesniard to re

erhaps a blind cripple, the day after a priest, a lady, or some other person who would not rouse susp

ice. You have nothing

rn the news that the Emperor Napoleon has disappeared, you will hear it with the joy of a true patriot. It will be reserved for you t

orable task," cried the colonel joyously

us to do our utmost to regain the greatest of blessings, over liberty

lonel Mariage, pressing the bar