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The Strong Arm

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"There is a ring of truth in that, but it sounds worldly. How can we
tell that such action is pleasing to God? May it not be better to
depend entirely on the Lord, and let Him strike your blows for you?"

"Never! What does He give you arms for but to protect your own head,
and what does He give you swift limbs for if not to take your body out
of reach when you are threatened with being overmatched? God must
despise such a man as you speak of, and rightly so. I am myself a
commander of soldiers, and if I had a lieutenant who trusted all to me
and refused to strike a sturdy blow on his own behalf I should tear his
badge from him and have him scourged from out the ranks."

"But may we not, by misdirected efforts, thwart the will of God?"

"Oh! the depths of human vanity! Thwart the will of God? What, a puny
worm like you? You amaze me, sir, with your conceit, and I lose the
respect for you which at first your garb engendered in my mind. Do your
work manfully, and flatter not yourself that your most strenuous
efforts are able to cross the design of the Almighty. My own poor
belief is that He has patience with any but a coward and a loiterer."

The elder prisoner staggered into the centre of the room and raised his
hands above his head.

"Oh, Lord, have mercy upon me," he cried. "Thou who hast brought light
to me in this foul dungeon which was refused to me in the radiance of
Thy Cathedral. Have mercy on me, oh, Lord, the meanest of Thy servants
--a craven Emperor."

"The Emperor!" gasped Wilhelm, the more amazed because he had his
Majesty in mind when he spoke so bitterly of neglected duty,
unconsciously blaming his sovereign rather than his own rashness for
the extreme predicament in which he found himself.

Before either could again speak the door suddenly opened wide, and a
deep voice solemnly enunciated the words:

"Wilhelm of Schonburg, pretended Commander of his Majesty's forces, you
are summoned to appear instantly before the court of the Holy Fehm, now
in session and awaiting you."




CHAPTER VI

THE HOLY FEHM


When the spokesman of the Fehmgerichte had finished his ominous
summons, his attendants crowded round Wilhelm swiftly and silently as
if to forestall any attempt at resistance either on his part or on the
part of the Emperor. They hurried their victim immediately out of the
cell and instantly barred the door on the remaining prisoner. First
they crossed the low-roofed, thickly-pillared great hall, passing
through a doorway at which two armed men stood guard, masked, as were
all the others. The Judgment Hall of the dread Fehmgerichte was a room
of about ten times the extent of the cell Wilhelm had just left, but
still hardly of a size that would justify the term large. The walls and
vaulted roof were of rough stone, and on the side opposite the entrance
had been cut deeply the large letters S. S. G. G. A few feet distant
from this lettered wall stood a long table, and between the wall and
the table sat seven men. The Freigraf, as Wilhelm surmised him to be,
occupied in the centre of this line a chair slightly more elevated than
those of the three who sat on either hand. Seven staples had been
driven into the interstices of the stones above the heads of the Court
and from each staple hung a lighted lantern, which with those at the
belts of the guard standing round, illuminated the dismal chamber
fairly well. To the left of the Court was a block draped in black and
beside it stood the executioner with his arms resting on the handle of
his axe. In the ceiling above his head was an iron ring and from this
ring depended a rope, the noose of which dangled at the shoulder of the
headsman, for it was the benevolent custom of the Court to allow its
victim a choice in the manner of his death. It was also a habit of the
judges of this Court to sit until the sentence they had pronounced was
carried out, and thus there could be no chance of mistake or rescue. No
feature of any judge was visible except the eyes through the holes
pierced for the purposes of vision in the long black cloaks which
completely enveloped their persons.

As Wilhelm was brought to a stand before this assemblage, the Freigraf
nodded his head and the guards in silence undid the thongs which
pinioned together wrists and elbows, leaving the prisoner absolutely
unfettered.--This done, the guard retreated backwards to the opposite
wall, and Wilhelm stood alone before the seven sinister doomsmen. He
expected that his examination, if the Court indulged in any such, would
be begun by the Freigraf, but this was not the case. The last man to
the left in the row had a small bundle of documents on the table before
him. He rose to his feet, bowed low to his brother judges, and then
with less deference to the prisoner. He spoke in a voice lacking any
trace of loudness, but distinctly heard in every corner of the room
because of the intense stillness. There was a sweet persuasiveness in
the accents he used, and his sentences resembled those of a lady
anxious not to give offence to the person addressed.

"Am I right in supposing you to be Wilhelm, lately of Schonburg, but
now of Frankfort?"

"You are right."

"May I ask if you are a member of the Fehmgerichte?"

"I am not. I never heard of it until this afternoon."

"Who was then your informant regarding the order?"

"I refuse to answer."

The examiner inclined his head gracefully as if, while regretting the
decision of the witness, he nevertheless bowed to it.

"Do you acknowledge his lordship the Archbishop of Mayence as your over
lord?"

"Most assuredly."

"Have you ever been guilty of an act of rebellion or insubordination
against his lordship?"

"My over-lord, the Archbishop of Mayence, has never preferred a request
to me which I have refused."

"Pardon me, I fear I have not stated my proposition with sufficient
clearness, and so you may have misunderstood the question. I had in my
mind a specific act, and so will enter into further detail. Is it true
that in the Wahlzimmer you entered the presence of your over-lord with
a drawn sword in your hand, commanding a body of armed men lately
outlaws of the Empire, thus intimidating your over-lord in the just
exercise of his privileges and rights as an Elector?"

"My understanding of the Feudal law," said Wilhelm, "is that the
commands of an over-lord are to be obeyed only in so far as they do not
run counter to orders from a still higher authority."

"Your exposition of the law is admirable, and its interpretation stands
exactly as you have stated it. Are we to understand then that you were
obeying the orders of some person in authority who is empowered to
exercise a jurisdiction over his lordship the Archbishop, similar to
that which the latter in his turn claims over you?"

"That is precisely what I was about to state."

"Whose wishes were you therefore carrying out?

"Those of his Majesty the Emperor."

The examiner bowed with the utmost deference when the august name was
mentioned.

"I have to thank you in the name of the Court," he went on, "for your
prompt and comprehensive replies, which have thus so speedily enabled
us to come to a just and honourable verdict, and it gives me pleasure
to inform you that the defence you have made is one that cannot be
gainsaid, and, therefore, with the exception of one slight formality,
there is nothing more for us to do but to set you at liberty and ask
pardon for the constraint we regret having put upon you, and further to
request that you take oath that neither to wife nor child, father nor
mother, sister nor brother, fire nor wind, will you reveal anything
that has happened to you; that you will conceal it from all that the
sun shines on and from all that the rain wets, and from every being
between heaven and earth. And now before our doors are thus opened I
have to beg that you will favour the Court with the privilege of
examining the commission that his Majesty the Emperor has signed."

"You cannot expect me to carry my commission about on my person, more
especially as I had no idea I should be called upon to undergo
examination upon it."

"Such an expectation would certainly be doomed to disappointment, but
you are doubtless able to tell us where the document lies, and I can
assure you that, wherever it is placed, an emissary of this order will
speedily fetch it, whether, it is concealed in palace or in hut. Allow
me to ask you then, where this commission is?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Do you mean you cannot, or you will not?"

"Take it whichever way you please, it is a matter of indifference to
me."

The examiner folded his arms under his black cloak and stood for some
moments in silence, looking reproachfully at the prisoner. At last he
spoke in a tone which seemed to indicate that he was pained at the
young man's attitude:

"I sincerely trust I am mistaken in supposing that you refuse
absolutely to assist this Court in the securing of a document which not
only stands between you and your liberty, but also between you and your
death."

"Oh, a truce to this childish and feigned regret," cried Wilhelm with
rude impatience. "I pray you end the farce with less of verbiage and of
pretended justice. You have his Majesty here a prisoner. You have,
through my own folly, my neck at the mercy of your axe or your rope.
There stands the executioner eager for his gruesome work. Finish that
which you have already decided upon, and as sure as there is a God in
heaven there will be quick retribution for the crimes committed in this
loathsome dungeon."

The examiner deplored the introduction of heat into a discussion that
required the most temperate judgment.

"But be assured," he said, "that the hurling of unfounded accusations
against this honourable body will not in the least prejudice their
members in dealing with your case."

"I know it," said Wilhelm with a sneering laugh.

"We have been informed that no such commission exists, that the
document empowering you to take instant command of the Imperial troops
rests in the hands of the wife of his Majesty the Emperor and is
unsigned."

"If you know that, then why do you ask me so many questions about it?"

"In the sincere hope that by the production of the document itself, you
may be able to repudiate so serious an accusation. You admit then that
you have acted without the shelter of a commission from his Majesty?"

"I admit nothing."

The examiner looked up and down the row of silent figures as much as to
say, "I have done my best; shall any further questions be put?" There
being no response to this the examiner said, still without raising his
voice:

"There is a witness in this case, and I ask him to stand forward."

A hooded and cloaked figure approached the table.

"Are you a member of the Fehmgerichte?"

"I am."

"In good and honourable standing?"

"In good and honourable standing."

"You swear by the order to which you belong that the evidence you give
shall be truth without equivocation and without mental reservation?"

"I swear it."

"Has the prisoner a commission signed by the Emperor empowering him to
command the Imperial troops?"

"He has not, and never has had such a commission. A document was made
out and sent three times to his Majesty for signature; to-day it was
returned for the third time unsigned."

"Prisoner, do you deny that statement?"

"I neither deny nor affirm."

Wilhelm was well aware that his fate was decided upon. Even if he had
appeared before a regularly constituted court of the Empire instead of
at the bar of an underground secret association, the verdict must
inevitably have gone against him, so long as the Emperor's signature
was not appended to the document which would have legalised his
position.

"It would appear then," went on the examiner, "that in the action you
took against your immediate over-lord, the Archbishop of Mayence, you
were unprotected by the mandate of the Emperor. Freigraf and
Freischoffen have heard question and answer. With extreme reluctance I
am compelled to announce to this honourable body, that nothing now
remains except to pronounce the verdict."

With this the examiner sat down, and for a few moments there was
silence, then the Freigraf enunciated in a low voice the single word:

"Condemned."

And beginning at the right hand, each member of the Court pronounced
the word "Condemned."

Wilhelm listened eagerly to the word, expecting each moment to hear the
voice of one or other of the Archbishops, but in this he was
disappointed. The low tone universally used by each speaker gave a
certain monotony of sound which made it almost impossible to
distinguish one voice from another. This evident desire for concealment
raised a suspicion in the young man's mind that probably each member of
the Court did not know who his neighbours were. When the examiner at
the extreme left had uttered the word "Condemned" the Freigraf again
spoke:

"Is there any reason why the sentence just pronounced be not
immediately carried out?"

The examiner again rose to his feet and said quietly, but with great
respect:

"My Lord, I ask that this young man be not executed immediately, but on
the contrary, be taken to his cell, there to be held during the
pleasure of the Court."

There seemed to be a murmured dissent to this, but a whispered
explanation passed along the line and the few that had at first
objected, nodded their heads in assent.

"Our rule cannot be set aside," said the Freigraf, "unless with
unanimous consent. Does any member demur?"

No protests being made the Freigraf ordered Wilhelm to be taken to a
cell, which was accordingly done.

The young man left alone in the darkness felt a pleasure in being able
to stretch his arms once more, and he paced up and down the narrow
limits of his cell, wondering what the next move would be in this
mysterious drama. In the Judgment Chamber he had abandoned all hope,
and had determined that when the order was given to seize him he would
pluck the dagger of the order from the inside of his doublet, and
springing over the table, kill one or more of these illegal judges
before he was overpowered. The sudden change in tactics persuaded him
that something else was required of him rather than the death which
seemed so imminent. It was palpable that several members of the Court
at least were unacquainted with the designs of the master mind which
was paramount in his prosecution. They had evinced surprise when the
examiner had demanded postponement of the execution. There was
something behind all this that betrayed the crafty hand of the
Archbishop of Treves. He was not long left in doubt. The door of the
cell opened slowly and the pale rays of a lantern illuminated the
blackness which surrounded him. The young man stopped in his walk and
awaited developments. There entered to him one of the cloak-enveloped
figures, who might, or might not, be a member of the Holy Court.
Wilhelm thought that perhaps his visitor was the examiner, but the
moment the silence was broken, in spite of the fact that the speaker
endeavoured to modulate his tones as the others had done, the young man
knew the incomer was not the person who had questioned him.

"We are somewhat loth," the intruder began, "to cut short the career of
one so young as you are, and one who gives promise of becoming a
notable captain."

"What have you seen of me," inquired Wilhelm, "that leads you to
suppose I have the qualities of a capable officer in me?"

The other did not reply for a moment or two; then he said slowly:

"I do not say that I have seen anything to justify such a conclusion,
but I have heard of your action in the Wahlzimmer, and by the account
given, I judge you to be a young man of resource."

"I am indebted to you for the good opinion you express. It is quite in
your power to set me free, and then the qualities you are kind enough
to commend, may have an opportunity for development."

"Alas!" said the visitor, "it is not in my power to release you; that
lies entirely with yourself."

"You bring comforting news. What is the price?"

"You are asked to become a member of the Fehmgerichte."

"I should suppose that to be easily accomplished, as I am now a
partaker of its hospitality. What else?"

"The remaining proviso is that you take service, with his lordship, the
Archbishop of Treves, and swear entire allegiance to him."

"I am already in the service of the Emperor."

"It has just been proven that you are not."

"How could the Archbishop expect faithful service from me, if I prove
traitor to the one I deem my master?"

"The Archbishop will probably be content to take the risk of that."

"Are you commissioned to speak for the Archbishop?"

"I am."

"Are you one of the Archbishop's men?"

"My disposition towards him is friendly; I cannot say that I am one of
his men."

"Granting, then, that I took service with the Archbishop to save my
life, what would he expect me to do?"

"To obey him in all things."

"Ah, be more explicit, as the examiner said. I am not a man to enter
into a bargain blindly. I must know exactly what is required of me."

"It is probable that your first order would be to march your army from
Frankfort to Treves. Would the men follow you, do you think?"

"Undoubtedly. The men will follow wherever I choose to lead them.
Another question. What becomes of the Emperor in case I make this
bargain?"

"That question it is impossible at the present moment, to answer. The
Court of the Holy Fehm is now awaiting my return, and when I take my
place on the bench the Emperor will be called upon to answer for his
neglect of duty."

"Nevertheless you may hazard a guess regarding his fate."

"I hazard this guess then, that his fate will depend largely upon
himself, just as your fate depends upon yourself."

"I must see clearly where I am going, therefore I request you to be
more explicit. What will the Court demand of the Emperor that he may
save his life?"

"You are questioning me touching the action of others; therefore, all I
can do is merely to surmise. My supposition is that if the Emperor
promises to abdicate he will be permitted to pass unscathed from the
halls of the Fehmgerichte."

"And should he refuse?"

"Sir, I am already at the end of my patience through your numerous
questions," and as the voice rose in something approaching anger,
Wilhelm seemed to recognise its ring. "I came here, not to answer your
questions, but to have you answer mine. What is your decision?"

"My decision is that you are a confessed traitor; die the death of
such!"

Wilhelm sprang forward and buried the dagger of the Fehmgerichte into
the heart of the man before him. His action was so unexpected that the
victim could make no motion to defend himself. So truly was the fierce
blow dealt that the doomed man, without a cry or even a groan, sank in
his death collapse at the young man's feet in a heap on the floor.

Wilhelm, who thought little of taking any man's life in a fair fight,
shuddered as he gazed at the helpless bundle at his feet; a moment
before, this uncouth heap stood erect, a man like himself, conversing
with him, then the swift blow and the resulting huddle of clay.

"Oh, God above me, Over-lord of all, I struck for my King, yet I feel
myself an assassin. If I am, indeed, a murderer in Thy sight, wither me
where I stand, and crush me to the ground, companion to this dead
body."

For a few moments Wilhelm stood rigid, his face uplifted, listening to
the pulsations in his own throat and the strident beatings of his own
heart. No bolt from heaven came to answer his supplication. Stooping,
he, with some difficulty, drew the poniard from its resting-place. The
malignant ingenuity of its construction had caused its needle point to
penetrate the chain armour, while its keen double edge cut link after
link of the hard steel as it sunk into the victim's breast. The severed
ends of the links now clutched the blade as if to prevent its removal.
Not a drop of blood followed its exit, although it had passed directly
through the citadel of life itself. Again concealing the weapon within
his doublet, a sudden realisation of the necessity for speed overcame
the assaulter. He saw before him a means of escape. He had but to don
the all-concealing cloak and walk out of this subterranean charnel
house by the way he had entered it, if he could but find the foot of
the stairs, down which they had carried him. Straightening out the body
he pulled the cloak free from it, thus exposing the face to the yellow
light of the lantern. His heart stood still as he saw that the man he
had killed was no other than that exalted Prince of the Church, the
venerable Archbishop of Treves. He drew the body to the pallet of straw
in the corner of the cell, and there, lying on its face, he left it. A
moment later he was costumed as a high priest of the order of the
Fehmgerichte. Taking the lantern in his hand he paused before the
closed door. He could not remember whether or not he had heard the
bolts shot after the Archbishop had entered. Conning rapidly in his
mind the startling change in the situation, he stood there until he had
recovered command of himself, resolved that if possible no mistake on
his part should now mar his chances of escape, and in this there was no
thought of saving his own life, but merely a determination to get once
more into the streets of Frankfort, rally his men, penetrate into these
subterranean regions, and rescue the Emperor alive. He pushed with all
his might against the door, and to his great relief the heavy barrier
swung slowly round on its hinges. Once outside he pushed it shut again,
and was startled by two guards springing to his assistance, one of them
saying:

"Shall we thrust in the bolts, my Lord?"

"Yes," answered Wilhelm in the low tone which all, costumed as he was,
had used. He turned away but was dismayed to find before him two
brethren of the order arrayed in like manner to himself, who had
evidently been waiting for him.

"What is the result of the conference? Does he consent?"

Rapidly Wilhelm had to readjust events in his own mind to meet this
unexpected emergency.

"No," he replied slowly, "he does not consent, at least, not just at
the moment. He has some scruples regarding his loyalty to the Emperor."

"Those scruples will be speedily removed then, when we remove his
Majesty. The other members of the Court are but now awaiting us in the
Judgment Chamber. Let us hasten there, and make a quick disposal of the
Emperor."

Wilhelm saw that there was no possibility of retreat. Any attempt at
flight would cause instant alarm and the closing of the exits, then
both the Emperor and himself would be caught like rats in a trap, yet
there was almost equal danger in entering the Council Chamber. He had
not the remotest idea which seat at the table he should occupy, and he
knew that a mistake in placing himself would probably lead to
discovery. He lagged behind, but the others persistently gave him
precedence, which seemed to indicate that they knew the real quality of
the man they supposed him to be. He surmised that his seat was probably
that of the Freigraf in the centre, but on crossing the threshold past
the saluting guards, he saw that the Freigraf occupied the elevated
seat, having at his left three Freischoffen, while the remaining seats
at his right were unoccupied. It was a space of extreme anxiety when
his two companions stopped to allow him to go first. He dared not take
the risk of placing himself wrongly at the board. There was scant time
for consideration, and Wilhelm speedily came to a decision. It was
merely one risk to take where several were presented, and he chose that
which seemed to be the safest. Leaning towards his companions he said
quietly:

"I beg of you, be seated. I have a few words to address to the Holy
Court."

The two inclined their heads in return, and one of them in passing him
murmured the scriptural words, "The first shall be last," which remark
still further assisted in reversing Wilhelm's former opinion and
convinced him that the identity of the Archbishop was known to them.
When they were seated, the chair at the extreme right was the only one
vacant, and Wilhelm breathed easier, having nothing further to fear
from that source, if he could but come forth scatheless from his
speech.

"I have to acquaint the Court of the Holy Fehm," he said, speaking
audibly, but no more, "that my mission to the cell of the prisoner who
has just left us, resulted partly in failure and partly in success. The
young man has some hesitation in placing himself in open opposition to
the Emperor. I therefore suggest that we go on with our deliberations,
leaving the final decision of his case until a later period."

To this the Court unanimously murmured the word: "Agreed," and Wilhelm
took his place at the table.

"Bring in prisoner No. 13," said the Freigraf, and a few moments later
the Emperor of Germany stood before the table.

He regarded the dread tribunal with a glance of haughty scorn while
countenance and demeanour exhibited a dignity which Wilhelm had fancied
was lacking during their interview in the cell.

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