"You are right," replied Barbarossa; "Louis will never be able to get rid of the English, if he undertakes to protect Alexander; and, on the other hand, the Englishman will lose every foot of soil which he now holds in France, should he presume to oppose the organization of the Imperial Church."

At this juncture, the Chancellor Palatine Ulrich, upon a sign from the Emperor, left the room.

"We have yet an act of justice to perform," said he, "at which we request your presence. A complaint has been made to us of a gross abuse of authority. Those whom we honor with our confidence should be careful not to be guilty of acts which will disgrace it. Therefore, without regard to rank or position, we are determined that vigorous and stern justice shall be meted out to all."

Whilst Barbarossa was speaking, Rechberg entered the room on one side, while on the other appeared Herman, the prefect of Staufenberg. He was followed by Hesso the chief of police, a sufficient evidence that he was the accused party. He approached the throne boldly and with head erect, and threw himself upon his knees, where he remained in the posture of a suppliant.

"Stand up!" said the Emperor, "and let the chancellor do his duty!"

Ulrich advanced between Herman and the Barons; his stern and flushed face showing that he was about to exercise one of the most important functions of his office.

"In the name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity!" he cried, in a loud voice.

At these words the Emperor and his n.o.bles rose from their seats and bowed profoundly.

"The n.o.ble Count Erwin of Rechberg, here present, accuses the knight Herman, prefect and Imperial Castellan of Staufenberg, of having exacted illegal tolls, and of having in this abused the name of the Emperor, to the intent of prejudicing him in the esteem of the public."

"What answer have you to make?" demanded Barbarossa.

"I have never," replied Herman, insolently, "abused the name of the Emperor, and have never violated the law. I maintain that the accusation is false and lying, and will prove it so in the lists, sword in hand."

"Perhaps you had not the intention of violating the law," said Frederic; "still it is none the less positive that such has been the result of your illegal conduct."

"If I had not the intention to act illegally, Sire, I can scarcely be considered criminal. A second time I spurn this accusation as false. I will prove my innocence with my lance and with my sword."

"We cannot accord you this privilege."

"But the right which I claim belongs to every freeman."

Frederic glanced angrily at the bold knight, but his calm demeanor was unshaken. The Bishop of Munster immediately spoke out:

"In the name of the Holy Church," said the prelate, "I must correct your mistake. The canons expressly forbid the practice of trial by battle. In truth, there is nothing more censurable than this mode of attempting to establish one's innocence. Admitting that you defeat your adversary, does that prove in any way that you are not guilty?"

These remarks had not been at all prompted by a sentiment of duty, but influenced solely by a desire of doing the Emperor a service; and as the speaker resumed his seat, he glanced towards him to observe the effect which his words had produced.

"Count Rechberg," resumed the monarch, turning towards Erwin, "what toll was demanded of you by Herman?"

"Four gold pieces for myself, and eight others for Bonello and his daughter."

"Do you admit this, sir?"

Herman looked around anxiously, as if seeking a loophole of escape.

"Knight Herman," said Barbarossa, menacingly, "take care to make no mistake! A denial will avail you nothing, but will only increase the severity of your punishment."

"Under the impression that I had traitors before me, I did demand twelve gold pieces; but as G.o.d is my judge, I had no intention of either violating the law, or abusing the Emperor's name."

"However," said Barbarossa, "you have abused your position; you have robbed our subjects; listen then to your sentence: We deprive you of your office and your arms, and declare you degraded from the rank of n.o.ble. Your escutcheon shall be broken by the executioner, and a mangy dog shall drag the pieces around the walls of the city of Milan."

Herman heard the first words of his sentence with a contemptuous smile upon his face; but when the Emperor spoke of ordering his escutcheon to be dragged in the mire, he shuddered, changed color, and fell on his knees before the throne.

"Mercy! Pity!" he cried. "Condemn me to death if you will, but do not dishonor the escutcheon of my family."

"Silence! Your sentence has been p.r.o.nounced, and it shall be executed,"

said Frederic.

"Sire," resumed Herman, dragging himself like a worm to the foot of the throne, "gracious lord, kill me, but in pity do not inflict this outrage. See these scars," (and tearing open his doublet, he bared his breast;) "I received them fighting in your cause, and yet now you would doom me to eternal ignominy!"

"Lead him away," said the stern lawgiver, unmoved by the prayers of the abject wretch.

The captain and his aids dragged off the condemned man, who mingled threats and maledictions with his entreaties.

_CHAPTER XXII_.

_VANITY_.

As soon as Herman's sentence had been p.r.o.nounced, Erwin left the Camp, and sought the solitude of a neighboring wood, where he might meditate at his leisure.

He had considered it his duty to complain of Herman's conduct, but the demeanor and profound despair of the culprit almost made him regret the step which he had taken. Rechberg, like all generous-hearted men, was painfully impressed by the sight of even a well-merited punishment, and as he reflected upon the sufferings of the disgraced soldier, he was forcibly reminded of his own troubles. Would the inflexible will of the Emperor consent to Bonello's pardon? The question was a doubtful one, but he hoped for the best, and it needed all this hope to sustain his faltering courage. His reverie was long and absorbing, but suddenly a strange restlessness took possession of his imagination; and yielding to his presentiments, he retraced his steps to the Camp as hurriedly as though he had been informed of the arrival of his lady-love. Still he could not possibly expect it, for he was ignorant of the designs of the Empress. However, Hermengarde had really come, and had entered the Imperial tent at a most opportune moment. Beatrice felt some slight apprehension of her husband's anger, but as the Emperor and the Chancellor Rinaldo had gone over to Lodi after the audience of the amba.s.sadors, she was rea.s.sured as to the success of her plans, for a few days at least.

Her reception of Hermengarde was cordial in the extreme, and was at first attributed by the latter to the kind offices of Count Rechberg, but Her Majesty's words undeceived her.

"I cannot express to you," said she, "the pleasure which I experience in receiving a young girl whose n.o.ble self-devotion made no account of either dangers or difficulties in her father's cause. I desire to a.s.sure you of my sincere respect and admiration, and will hope that the Court may derive new l.u.s.tre from your presence."

These flattering words surprised Hermengarde, whose ingenuous soul, devoid of all pride, had no desire to become conspicuous in any way. At the end of the reception, which had been wearily lengthened out by the many formalities then in usage, she withdrew to her own chamber to repose from the fatigues of the journey.

Beatrice's expectation of the Italian's beauty had been greatly surpa.s.sed by the reality. Herself very handsome, and perfectly aware of her charms, she had in her invitation neither been influenced by her guest's merits nor Rechberg's wishes, but simply by the curiosity of seeing one whose beauty was so widely renowned. Up to this moment her own rank and loveliness had given her the first place at Court, and now she found herself in the position of a general who sustains an unexpected defeat after a long career of victories. The haughty sovereign was disappointed and provoked, and although she made every effort to retain her calmness, each movement betrayed the thoughts which agitated her mind.

"Well, madam, what do you think of the young lady's beauty?" asked Richilda, who rather liked to tease her mistress.

"Take away those draperies; it is suffocatingly hot," said Beatrice.

"Oh, you ask me what I think?--Do you find her pretty?"

"I have never seen any one like her!" said the tire-woman, boldly. "It is to be supposed that my taste is not perfect, but it is the expression of my opinion. She is beautiful, wonderfully beautiful!"

"Indeed? you think her wonderfully beautiful?" repeated Beatrice, with a mixture of scorn and anger. "You are very enthusiastic, it seems!"

"I only wished to express the highest point of beauty. Perhaps I should have said beautiful as an angel!--And, indeed, your Majesty, I always imagined that an angel would look like her!"

Beatrice endeavored to restrain her anger, but in spite of herself, she colored and grew pale by turns.

"Oh! she is only a child yet, not fourteen they say, and before the age of twenty she may change a great deal. You know that pretty children often grow up into ugly women."

"The proverb will be wrong here, your Majesty. The young girl's beauty is still only in the bud, but we can already foresee what it will become. When the rose shall be fully blown, I would advise no one to come near who is not perfectly sure that she can bear the comparison."