the latter still farther from our main army. Bonaparte himself
advanced with his forces as far as Fudenberg and Leoben. In order to
save Vienna, there was but one course left to the archduke: he had
to make proposals of peace."

"Did he really do so?" asked Count Saurau, breathlessly.

"He did. He sent two of our friends--Count Meerveldt, and the
Marquis de Gallo--to Bonaparte's headquarters at Leoben, for the
purpose of opening negotiations with him."

"Did your excellency authorize the archduke to do so?" asked the
count.

"No, I did not, and I might disavow it now if it suited me, but it
does not--it would not promote our interests--and I know but one
policy, the policy of interest. We should always adopt those
measures which afford us a reasonable prospect of gain, and discard
those which may involve us in loss. Power alone is infallible,
eternal, and divine, and power has now decided in favor of France.
Wherefore we must yield, and don the garb of peace until we secure
once more sufficient power to renew hostilities. We must make peace!
Our aim, however, should be to render this peace as advantageous to
Austria as possible--"

"You mean at the expense of France?"

"Bah!--at the expense of Germany, my dear little count. Germany is
to compensate us for the losses which peace may inflict. If we lose
any territory in Italy, why, we shall make it up in Germany, that is