by every possible means, to ameliorate his sad fate. And, after all,
never had the night of his imprisonment been utterly dark and
impenetrable. The star of hope, of love, of constancy, had glimmered
from afar. This star, which had thrown its silver veil over his most
beautiful and sacred remembrances, over his young life of liberty
and love, this star was Amelia. She had never ceased to think of
him, to care for him, to labor for his release; she had always found
means to supply him with help, with gold, with active friends. But,
alas! all this had only served to add to his misfortunes, to narrow
the boundaries of his prison, and increase the weight of his chains.

Treachery and seeming accident had, up to this time, made vain every
attempt at escape, and destroyed in one moment the sad and
exhausting labors of many long months. The first and seemingly most
promising attempt at flight had miscarried, through the treason of
the faithless Baron Weingarten, who had offered to communicate
between Trenck and the princess.

For six long months Trenck had worked with ceaseless and
incomparable energy at a subterranean path which would lead him to
freedom; all was prepared, all complete. The faithful grenadier,
Gefhart, who had been won over by the princess, had given him the
necessary instruments, and through the bars of his prison had
conveyed to him such food as would strengthen him for his giant
task.

Nothing was now wanting but gold, to enable Trenck, when he had
escaped, to hire a little boat, which would place him on the other
side of the Elbe--gold, to enable him to make a rapid flight.