magic and real detectives-第15节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



seen　that　Louis　XV。　amused　himself　by　carrying　on　a　secret　scheme

of　fantastic　diplomacy　through　subordinate　agents；　behind　the　backs

and　without　the　knowledge　of　his　responsible　ministers。　　The　Duc　de

Choiseul；　as　Minister　of　Foreign　Affairs；　was　excluded；　it　seems；

from　all　knowledge　of　these　double　intrigues；　and　the　Marechal　de

Belle…Isle；　Minister　of　War；　was　obviously　kept　in　the　dark；　as　was

Madame　de　Pompadour。　　Now　it　is　stated　by　Von　Gleichen　that　the

Marechal　de　Belle…Isle；　from　the　War　Office；　started　a　NEW　secret

diplomacy　behind　the　back　of　de　Choiseul；　at　the　Foreign　Office。

The　King　and　Madame　de　Pompadour　（who　was　not　initiated　into　the

general　scheme　of　the　King's　secret）　were　both　acquainted　with　what

de　Choiseul　was　not　to　knownamely；　Belle…Isle's　plan　for　secretly

making　peace　through　the　mediation；　or　management；　at　all　events；

of　Holland。　　All　this　must　have　been　prior　to　the　death　of　the

Marechal　de　Belle…Isle　in　1761；　and　probably　de　Broglie；　who

managed　the　regular　old　secret　policy　of　Louis　XV。；　knew　nothing

about　this　new　clandestine　adventure；　at　all　events；　the　late　Duc

de　Broglie　says　nothing　about　it　in　his　book　The　King's　Secret。＇1＇





＇1＇　The　Duc　de　Broglie；　I　am　privately　informed；　could　find　no　clue

to　the　mystery　of　Saint…Germain。





The　story；　as　given　by　Von　Gleichen；　goes　on　to　say　that　Saint…

Germain　offered　to　conduct　the　intrigue　at　the　Hague。　　As　Louis　XV。

certainly　allowed　that　maidenly　captain　of　dragoons；　d'Eon；　to

manage　his　hidden　policy　in　London；　it　is　not　at　all　improbable

that　he　really　intrusted　this　fresh　cabal　in　Holland　to　Saint…

Germain；　whom　he　admitted　to　great　intimacy。　　To　The　Hague　went

Saint…Germain；　diamonds；　rubies；　senna　tea；　and　all；　and　began　to

diplomatize　with　the　Dutch。　　But　the　regular　French　minister　at　The

Hague；　d'Affry；　found　out　what　was　going　on　behind　his　backfound

it　out　either　because　he　was　sharper　than　other　ambassadors；　or

because　a　personage　so　extraordinary　as　Saint…Germain　was　certain

to　be　very　closely　watched；　or　because　the　Dutch　did　not　take　to

the　Undying　One；　and　told　d'Affry　what　he　was　doing。　　D'Affry　wrote

to　de　Choiseul。　　An　immortal　but　dubious　personage；　he　said；　was

treating　in　the　interests　of　France；　for　peace；　which　it　was

d'Affry's　business　to　do　if　the　thing　was　to　be　done　at　all。

Choiseul　replied　in　a　rage　by　the　same　courier。　　Saint…Germain；　he

said；　must　be　extradited；　bound　hand　and　foot；　and　sent　to　the

Bastille。　　Choiseul　thought　that　he　might　practice　his　regimen　and

drink　his　senna　tea；　to　the　advantage　of　public　affairs；　within

those　venerable　walls。　　Then　the　angry　minister　went　to　the　King；

told　him　what　orders　he　had　given；　and　said　that；　of　course；　in　a

case　of　this　kind　it　was　superfluous　to　inquire　as　to　the　royal

pleasure。　　Louis　XV。　was　caught；　so　was　the　Marechal　de　Belle…Isle。

They　blushed　and　were　silent。



It　must　be　remembered　that　this　report　of　a　private　incident　could

only　come　to　the　narrator；　Von　Gleichen；　from　de　Choiseul；　with

whom　he　professes　to　have　been　intimate。　　The　King　and　the　Marechal

de　Belle…Isle　would　not　tell　the　story　of　their　own　discomfiture。

It　is　not　very　likely　that　de　Choiseul　himself　would　blab。

However；　the　anecdote　avers　that　the　King　and　the　Minister　for　War

thought　it　best　to　say　nothing；　and　the　demand　for　Saint…Germain's

extradition　was　presented　at　The　Hague。　　But　the　Dutch　were　not

fond　of　giving　up　political　offenders。　　They　let　Saint…Germain　have

a　hint；　he　slipped　over　to　London；　and　a　London　paper　published　a

kind　of　veiled　interview　with　him　in　June　1760。



His　name；　we　read；　when　announced　after　his　death；　will　astonish

the　world　more　than　all　the　marvels　of　his　life。　　He　has　been　in

England　already　（1743…17？）；　he　is　a　great　unknown。　　Nobody　can

accuse　him　of　anything　dishonest　or　dishonorable。　　When　he　was　here

before　we　were　all　mad　about　music；　and　so　he　enchanted　us　with　his

violin。　　But　Italy　knows　him　as　an　expert　in　the　plastic　arts；　and

Germany　admires　in　him　a　master　in　chemical　science。　　In　France；

where　he　was　supposed　to　possess　the　secret　of　the　transmutation　of

metals；　the　police　for　two　years　sought　and　failed　to　find　any

normal　source　of　his　opulence。　　A　lady　of　forty…five　once　swallowed

a　whole　bottle　of　his　elixir。　　Nobody　recognized　her；　for　she　had

become　a　girl　of　sixteen　without　observing　the　transformation！



Saint…Germain　is　said　to　have　remained　in　London　but　for　a　short

period。　　Horace　Walpole　does　not　speak　of　him　again；　which　is　odd；

but　probably　the　Count　did　not　again　go　into　society。　　Our

information；　mainly　from　Von　Gleichen；　becomes　very　misty；　a　thing

of　surmises；　really　worthless。　　The　Count　is　credited　with　a　great

part　in　the　palace　conspiracies　of　St。　Petersburg；　he　lived　at

Berlin；　and；　under　the　name　of　Tzarogy；　at　the　Court　of　the

Margrave　of　Anspach。　　Then　he　went；　they　say；　to　Italy；　and　then

north　to　the　Landgrave　Charles　of　Hesse；　who　dabbled　in　alchemy。

Here　he　is　said　to　have　died　about　1780…85；　leaving　his　papers　to

the　Landgrave　but　all　is　very　vague　after　he　disappeared　from　Paris

in　1760。　　When　next　I　meet　Saint…Germain　he　is　again　at　Paris；

again　mysteriously　rich；　again　he　rather　disappears　than　dies；　he

calls　himself　Major　Fraser；　and　the　date　is　in　the　last　years　of

Louis　Philippe。　　My　authority　may　be　caviled　at；　it　is　that　of　the

late　ingenious　Mr。　Van　Damme；　who　describes　Major　Fraser　in　a　book

on　the　characters　of　the　Second　Empire。　　He　does　not　seem　to　have

heard　of　Saint…Germain；　whom　he　does　not　mention。



Major　Fraser；　〃in　spite　of　his　English　（sic）　name；　was　decidedly

not　English；　though　he　spoke　the　language。〃　　He　was　（like　Saint…

Germain）　〃one　of　the　best　dressed　men　of　the　period。　。　。　。　　He

lived　alone；　and　never　alluded　to　his　parentage。　　He　was　always

flush　of　money；　though　the　sources　of　his　income　were　a　mystery　to

everyone。〃　　The　French　police　vainly　sought　to　detect　the　origin　of

Saint…Germain's　supplies；　opening　his　letters　at　the　post…office。

Major　Fraser's　knowledge　of　every　civilized　country　at　every　period

was　marvelous；　though　he　had　very　few　books。　　〃His　memory　was

something　prodigious。　。　。　。　　Strange　to　say；　he　used　often　to　hint

that　his　was　no　mere　book　knowledge。　　〃'Of　course；　it　is　perfectly

ridiculous；'〃　he　remarked；　with　a　strange　smile；　〃'but　every　now

and　then　I　feel　as　if　this　did　not　come　to　me　from　reading；　but

from　personal　experience。　　At　times　I　become　almost　convinced　that

I　lived　with　Nero；　that　I　knew　Dante　personally；　and　so　forth。'〃＇1＇

At　the　major's　death　not　a　letter　was　found　giving　a　clew　to　his

antecedents；　and　no　money　was　discovered。　　DID　he　die？　　As　in　the

case　of　Saint…Germain；　no　date　is　given。　　The　author　had　an　idea

that　the　major　was　〃an　illegitimate　son　of　some　exalted　person〃　of

the　period　of　Charles　IV。　and　Ferdinand　VII。　of　Spain。





＇1＇　An　Englishman　in　Paris；　vol。　i。；　pp。　130…133。　　London；　1892。





The　author　does　not　mention　Saint…Germain；　and　may　never　have　heard

of　him。　　If　his　account　of　Major　Fraser　is　not　mere　romance；　in

that　warrior　we　have　the　undying　friend　of　Louis　XV。　and　Madame　de

Pompadour。　　He　had　drunk　at　Medmenham　with　Jack　Wilkes；　as　Riccio

he　had　sung　duets　with　the　fairest　of　unhappy　queens；　he　had

extracted　from　Blanche　de　Bechamel　the　secret　of　Goby　de　Mouchy。

As　Pinto；　he　told　much　of　his　secret　history　to　Mr。　Thackeray；　who

says：　〃I　am　rather　sorry　to　lose　him　after　three　little　bits　of

Roundabout　Papers。〃



Did　Saint…Germain　really　die　in　a　palace　of　Prince　Charles　of　Hesse

about　1780…85？　　Did　he；　on　the　other　hand；　escape　from　the　French

prison　where　Grosley　thought　he　saw　him；　during　the　French

Revolution？　　Was　he　known　to　Lord　Lytton　about　1860？　　Was　he　then

Major　Fraser？　　Is　he　the　mysterious　Muscovite　adviser　of　the　Dalai

Lama？　　Who　knows？　　He　is　a　will…o'…the…wisp　of　the　memoir…writers

of　the　eighteenth　century。　　Whenever　you　think　you　have　a　chance　of

finding　him　in　good　authentic　State　papers；　he　gives　you　the　slip；

and　if　his　existence　were　not　vouched　for　by　Horace　Walpole；　I

should　incline　to　deem　him　as　Betsy　Prig　thought　of　Mrs。　Harris。







The　Man　in　the　Iron　Mask





I



THE　LEGEND





The　Mystery　of　the　Man　in　the　Iron　Mask　is；　despite　a　pleasant

saying　of　Lord　Beaconsfield's；　one　of　the　most　fascinating　in

history。　　By　a　curious　coincidence　the　wildest　legend　on　the

subject；　and　the　correct　explanation　of　the　problem；　were　offered

to　the　world　in　the　same　year；　1801。　　According　to　this　form　of　the

legend；　the　Man　in　the　Iron　Mask　was　the　genuine　Louis　XIV。；

deprived　of　his　rights　in　favor　of　a　child　of　Anne　of　Austria　and

of　Mazarin。　　Immured　in　the　Isles　Sainte…Marguerite；　in　the　bay　of

Cannes　（where　you　are　shown　his　cell；　looking　north　to　the　sunny

town）；　he　married；　and　begot　a　son。　　That　son　was　carried　to

Corsica；　was　named　de　Buona　Parte；　and　was　th