“God knows,” broke out Councilor Müllern, with tears in his eyes. “Your Majesty does not need to prove your courage to the world, and it would be a nobler part to submit.”
“Submit! submit!” repeated the King angrily. “You tire me with words!”
General Hord, who had fought by Karl’s side at Poltava, and who was still maimed as a result of his wounds, now addressed the King.
“Sire,” he asked, “will you condemn to a miserable death, at the hands of the infidel, these poor Swedes, the remnant of your victories?”
“I know, by those victories, that you know how to obey,” replied the King sternly. “Till now you have done your duty, General Hord--continue to do it to-day.”
“Sire,” he said, “I was with the Khan, and on leaving him met Ismail Pasha; from what I learnt it is but too true that they have received orders from the Porte that every Swede who resists is to be slain, even to your Majesty!”
“Have you seen this order?” demanded the King quietly.
“Yes,” replied M. Fabrice, “the Khan showed it to me.”
“Well,” said Karl, “tell them from me that I give another order--and that is that no Swede leaves Bender.”
M. Fabrice was in despair; he glanced at the sad faces of Karl’s faithful friends who had suffered such pains and hardships for him, and he felt it was unendurable that all should end in a useless death.
He fell on his knees, grasping the skirts of the King’s coat.
“For the sake of these others, sire, who are all that are left to you, out of so many who have perished for your sake----”
“Get up, M. Fabrice,” said Karl kindly, “and return to your lodging. There is no need for you to remain to share my fortune.”
M. Fabrice sprang to his feet, angry and agitated.
“This obstinacy is not worthy, sire. You have no right to fling away so many lives for a whim!”
Karl only smiled; he was not easily angry with M. Fabrice.
Holstein-Gottorp had always been specially under his protection, nor had he ever forgotten the young Duke for whose sake he had first gone to war and who had been killed at his side.
It was his nature to be most tenaciously faithful to any cause or friendship he had once undertaken, and he had never faltered in his resolve to uphold the rights of his brother-in-law; he intended to make the little orphan Duke, his elder sister’s son, his heir, and to that end kept M. Fabrice near him, and gave him as much of his confidence as he accorded to any man.