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Developing Responsive Web Applications with AJAX and
jQuery 1st Edition Sandeep Kumar Patel Digital Instant
Download
Author(s): Sandeep Kumar Patel
ISBN(s): 9781783286379, 1783286377
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 11.77 MB
Year: 2014
Language: english
www.allitebooks.com
Developing Responsive
Web Applications with
AJAX and jQuery

Design and develop your very own responsive web

applications using Java, jQuery, and AJAX

Sandeep Kumar Patel

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

www.allitebooks.com
Developing Responsive Web Applications with AJAX
and jQuery

Copyright © 2014 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy
of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is
sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt
Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages
caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: July 2014

Production reference: 1180714

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78328-637-9

www.packtpub.com

Cover image by Abhishek Pandey (abhishek.pandey1210@gmail.com)

www.allitebooks.com
 Credits

Author Project Coordinator

Sandeep Kumar Patel Aaron S. Lazar

Reviewers Proofreaders
Fernando Doglio Simran Bhogal
Md. Zahid Hasan Paul Hindle
Mohammad Amzad Hossain
Indexers
Jake Kronika
Hemangini Bari

Commissioning Editor Rekha Nair

Julian Ursell Priya Subramani

Acquisition Editor Graphics

Mohammad Rizvi Abhinash Sahu

Content Development Editor Production Coordinator

Balaji Naidu Shantanu Zagade

Technical Editors Cover Work

Venu Manthena Shantanu Zagade
Mrunmayee Patil

Copy Editors
Roshni Banerjee
Sarang Chari
Janbal Dharmaraj
Gladson Monteiro
Deepa Nambiar
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 About the Author

Sandeep Kumar Patel is a senior web developer and the founder of

www.tutorialsavvy.com, a widely-read programming blog since 2012. He has
more than 4 years of experience in object-oriented JavaScript and JSON-based web
application development. He is GATE 2005 Information Technology (IT) qualified
and has a Master's degree from VIT University, Vellore. At present, he holds the
position of Web Developer in SAP Labs, India. You can find out more about him
from his LinkedIn profile (http://www.linkedin.com/in/techblogger).
He has received the DZone Most Valuable Blogger (MVB) award for technical
publications related to web technologies. His article can be viewed at
http://www.dzone.com/users/sandeepgiet. He has also received the Java
Code Geek (JCG) badge for a technical article published in JCG. His article can be
viewed at http://www.javacodegeeks.com/author/sandeep-kumar-patel/.

www.allitebooks.com
 About the Reviewers

Fernando Doglio has been working as a web developer for the past 10 years.
During that time, he fell in love with the Web and has had the opportunity of
working with most of the leading technologies such as PHP, Ruby on Rails,
MySQL, Node.js, AngularJS, AJAX, REST APIs, and others.

In his spare time, he likes to tinker and learn new things, which is why his
GitHub account keeps getting new repos every month. He's also a big open
source supporter and tries to win the support of new people with the help
of his site: http://www.lookingforpullrequests.com/. He can be contacted
on Twitter at @deleteman123.

When not programming, he can be seen spending time with his family.

Md. Zahid Hasan is a professional web developer. He got his BSc and MSc in
Information and Communication Engineering from University of Rajshahi (RU),
Rajshahi. Now, he is working as a Lecturer in the department of Computer Science
and Engineering at Green University of Bangladesh. He previously worked as a
Software Developer at SEleven IT Limited for 2 years in Bangladesh.

He has a wide range of technical skills, Internet knowledge, and experience across
the spectrum of online development in the service of building and improving online
properties for multiple clients. He enjoys creating site architecture and infrastructure,
backend development using open source tools such as Linux, Apache, MySQL,
and PHP (LAMP), and frontend development with CSS and HTML/XHTML.

www.allitebooks.com
Mohammad Amzad Hossain has 7 years of experience building large-scale
complex websites and web applications. He works as a Branch Manager in Sourcetop
Inc. where he leads an offshore team in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His day-to-day life
requires him to plan, analyze, guide, and provide solutions for complex requirements.
In his free time, he digs into recent trends in web development and follows hundreds
of RSS that help him to keep up in the fast-track world of development. He has a BSc
degree in Computer Science Engineering.

Jake Kronika, a software developer and UI architect with over 20 years of

experience, brings to bear extensive proficiency implementing both server-side and
user interface (UI) solutions including multiple responsive web applications to date.

He began his career early in life using online tools for static content and rapidly
progressed to building dynamic applications incorporating databases and server-side
scripting languages. He has been a Senior User Interface Software Engineer at ADP
Dealer Services in Seattle, WA, USA from 2011. Prior to this, he occupied numerous
senior-level positions in the UI space in Chicago, IL. He has also balanced considerable
freelance work under a sole proprietorship named Gridline Design & Development,
accessible at http://gridlined.com/, online since 1999.

Over the past several years, particularly as the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript portions
of websites have experienced rapid evolution, he has continually sought out and
digested new technological knowledge through reading, personal and client projects,
and other means. Some of his favorite current tools include Node.js and AngularJS,
Less/Sass, and Git VCS.

Prior to this book, he was a technical reviewer for the following Packt
Publishing titles:

• Django JavaScript Integration: AJAX and jQuery, Jonathan Hayward,

in January 2011
• jQuery UI 1.8: The User Interface Library for jQuery, Dan Wellman,
in August 2011
• jQuery Tools UI Library, Alex Libby, in February 2012

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www.allitebooks.com
 Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: Introduction to a Responsive Web Application 7
Benefits of a responsive design 8
Server- versus client-side detection 9
The technology stack 9
HTML5 10
CSS3 and media queries 10
JavaScript 11
Measuring responsiveness 11
Devices and screens 12
Media types 12
Media queries 14
Role of media queries 15
Responsive frameworks 15
Bootstrap 16
The Foundation framework 16
The Cascade framework 16
The Pure CSS framework 17
The Gumby framework 17
Bootstrap 3 for a responsive design 17
What are we building? 18
Summary 19

www.allitebooks.com
Table of Contents

Chapter 2: Creating a Responsive Layout for a Web Application 21

Required software and tools 21
Setting up a Java-based web project 22
Configuring Bootstrap 3 25
Creating a wireframe for a web application 27
Responsive layouts 28
Creating a layout for large and small devices 29
Developing the layout 29
Bootstrap 3 containers 29
Developing a row 31
Developing the menu section 33
Developing the hero section 35
Developing the list of products section 36
The combined layout 41
Verifying the layout 45
The Opera Mobile emulator 45
Summary 52
Chapter 3: Adding Dynamic Visuals to a Web Application 53
Building a JSON servlet 53
Creating a POJO class 53
Creating a product store 55
Converting from POJO to JSON 58
Creating the servlet 58
Building a jQuery AJAX method 62
jQuery promises 64
The jQuery templating mechanism 66
The combined jQuery code 68
The combined HTML markup 69
Modifying the style of the product 71
Building an image carousel 74
Summary 79
Chapter 4: Twitter Integration 81
Introduction to Twitter4J 81
Configuring Twitter4J in a web application 82
Posting a tweet 83
Creating a Twitter button 83
Setting up a new Twitter application 86
The Twitter Permissions tab 88
The Twitter Details tab 89
The Twitter Settings tab 90
The Twitter API Keys tab 90

[ ii ]
 Table of Contents

Developing a Twitter servlet 91

Request token 93
Developing a Twitter callback servlet 96
Access token 96
Combining all the pieces 98
Posting a tweet with an image 102
Product store with an image 103
Markup changes 106
Changes in app.js 107
Twitter servlet changes 108
Changes in the Twitter callback servlet 110
User Twitter timeline 111
Summary 111
Chapter 5: Facebook Integration 113
Introduction to the Facebook SDK for JavaScript 113
Creating a Facebook application 115
Configuring the Facebook SDK 117
The Settings tab 118
The Basic configuration 118
The Advanced configuration 119
The Migrations configuration 120
Configuring a Facebook login 120
Configuring the Facebook Like and Share buttons 122
Configuring Facebook comments 127
The combined code 128
Summary 136
Chapter 6: Google+ Integration 137
Introduction to the Google+ API 137
Configuring Google+ 139
Creating a client ID 139
Including the Google script 141
Log in using Google+ 142
Integrating +1 recommendations 144
Summary 149
Chapter 7: Linking Dynamic Content from External Websites 151
Introduction to the YouTube API 151
Configuring a YouTube API 151
Searching for a YouTube video 154
The part parameter 156
The fields parameter 156
The YouTube button markup 156
[ iii ]
Table of Contents

Asynchronous search in YouTube 158

Rendering the YouTube search results 162
Embedding a YouTube video 165
Summary 169
Chapter 8: Integrating E-Commerce or Shopping Applications
with Your Website 171
Creating a shopping cart 171
Adding a product to the cart 171
Displaying the minimal view of the cart 173
Displaying the cart details in a table 174
Configuring the PayPal Developer API 178
Integrating the PayPal Developer API 180
Configuring the Shopify API 191
Integrating the Shopify API 192
Summary 194
Chapter 9: Integrating the Google Currency Converter with
Your Web Application 195
The Google Currency Converter API 195
Configuring the Google Currency Converter API 198
Integrating the Currency Converter API 198
Developing our currency converter 199
Building the currency list dropdown 199
Processing the conversion request 203
Exceptions 208
Summary 208
Chapter 10: Debugging and Testing 209
Implementing the debugging mechanism 210
Dimensions Toolkit 210
The Designmodo Responsive Test tool 210
The Opera Mobile emulator tool 211
The Responsinator tool 211
The Viewport Resizer tool 212
The L-Square Responsive Design Inspector tool 212
The FireBreak add-on 212
The More Display Resolutions 1.0 add-on 213
The BrowserStack Responsive tool 214

[ iv ]
 Table of Contents

The MobileTest tool 214

The TestSize tool 215
The Am I Responsive tool 215
The Responsive Design Checker tool 216
The RUIT tool 216
The Responsive Test online tool 217
Testing the app as a whole 217
Summary 219
Index 221

[v]
 Preface
Welcome to Developing Responsive Web Applications with AJAX and jQuery. If you
want to learn and understand responsive layout development or social application
integration using AJAX and jQuery, then this book is for you. It covers a systematic
approach for building a responsive web application.

All the key features of a responsive application are explained with the detailed
code. It also explains how to debug and test a responsive web application
during development.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introduction to a Responsive Web Application, introduces you to the
responsiveness of an application and lists the key benefits of a responsive
application for a commercial site.

Chapter 2, Creating a Responsive Layout for a Web Application, explains how to develop
a layout that will support different screen sizes to render using Bootstrap 3.

Chapter 3, Adding Dynamic Visuals to a Web Application, explains how to make

a jQuery AJAX call for JSON data and render content in different parts of the
web application.

Chapter 4, Twitter Integration, demonstrates how to integrate the Twitter4J library to

incorporate different features such as tweets and posts from the web application.

Chapter 5, Facebook Integration, demonstrates how to integrate the Facebook SDK to

add the Facebook login and Like features in the web application.

Chapter 6, Google+ Integration, shows how to integrate the Google+ login and +1
feature into the web application.
Preface

Chapter 7, Linking Dynamic Content from External Websites, explains how to integrate
the YouTube API to embed a recommended video into a web application.

Chapter 8, Integrating E-Commerce or Shopping Applications with Your Website, illustrates

the integration of the PayPal payment API into the application. Also, it introduces
the integration of the Shopify API into the application.

Chapter 9, Integrating the Google Currency Converter with Your Web Application,
explains how to integrate the Google Currency API to help a user see the amount
in a different currency.

Chapter 10, Debugging and Testing, introduces the different available online and offline
tools to test a responsive application during development.

What you need for this book

The following list of tools and libraries are required for this book:

• Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers

• Apache Tomcat 7.0
• Bootstrap 3.0
• jQuery 2.1.0

Who this book is for

This book is for Java web developers who want to create responsive web
applications. This book is also helpful for those who want to learn about the
integration of social applications into existing web applications. Finally, the book
is for everyone interested in better understanding AJAX-based responsive web
application development.

Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between
different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an
explanation of their meaning.

[2]
 Preface

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions,
pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"The data-toggle attribute has the value for the effect property such as collapse."

A block of code is set as follows:

<div class="navbar-collapse collapse" id="ts-top-menu">
<ul class="nav navbar-nav">
<li class="active"><a href="#">Category 1</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Category 2</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Category 3</a></li>
</ul>
</div>

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block,

the relevant lines or items are set in bold:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="asset/css/bootstrap.min.css">
<title>Responsive product Store</title>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container-fluid"></div>
</body>
</html>

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on
the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this:
"The Arguments option is for passing additional arguments."

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

[3]
Preface

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[4]
 Preface

Piracy
Piracy of copyright material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media.
At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you
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[5]

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Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
is empty, I will lock the door, and take care they do not come back
again."
Gottlieb, who was not aware that he was a somnambulist, stared
wildly. Karl, however, bade him obey, and he submitted blindly.
Consuelo had an insurmountable objection to entering Mayer's room.
But Karl said, in a low tone—"Why fear that man? He has too large a
bribe to betray you. His advice is good. I will return to the bastion.
Too much haste would destroy us!"
"Too much sang-froid and coolness might also do so," thought
Consuelo. But she yielded to Karl's advice. She carried a weapon
about her. As she crossed the kitchen of the Swartzes she had taken
possession of a carving-knife, the hilt of which gave her not a little
confidence. She had given Karl her money and papers, keeping on
her person nothing but her crucifix, which she looked on almost as
an amulet.
For greater security, Mayer shut her up in his room and left with
Gottlieb. After ten minutes, which to Consuelo appeared an age,
Nauteuil came for her, and she observed with terror, that he closed
the door and put the key in his pocket.
"Signora," said he, in Italian, "you have yet a half hour to wait. The
jackanapes are drunk, and will not quit the table until the clock
strikes one. Then the keeper, who has charge of the room, will put
them out of doors."
"What have you done with Gottlieb, sir?"
"Your friend, Gottlieb, is in safety behind a bundle of fagots, where
he can sleep soundly. He will not leave it until he is able to follow
you."
"Karl will be informed of all?"
"Unless I wish to have him hung," said the adjutant, with a diabolical
expression, as Consuelo thought. "I do not wish to leave him behind
us. Are you satisfied, signora?"
"I cannot prove my gratitude now, sir," said Consuelo, with a
coldness, in which he sought in vain to conceal disdain; "but I hope
ere long to discharge all my obligations to you honorably."
"Pardieu! you can discharge them at once," (Consuelo shrunk back
with horror.) "By exhibiting something of friendship to me," added
Mayer, with a tone of brutal and coarse cajolery. "You see, were I
not passionately fond of music, and were you not a pretty woman, I
would not violate my duty by thus enabling you to escape. Do you
think I have been led to this by avarice?—Bah! I am rich enough to
do without all this, and Prince Henry is not powerful enough to save
me from the rope or solitary confinement, if I should be discovered.
All this requires some consolation. Well, do not be proud; you know I
love you; my heart is susceptible, but you need not on that account
abuse my tenderness. You are not bigoted or religious; not you. You
are an actress, and I venture to say, you have succeeded by having
granted your favors to the managers. Pardieu! if, as they say, you
sang before Marie Theresa, you know Prince Kaunitz and his boudoir.
Now you have a less splendid room, but your liberty is in my hands,
and that is a more precious boon than an empress's favor."
"Is this a threat, sir?" said Consuelo, pale with indignation and
disgust.
"No; but it is a prayer, signora."
"I hope you don't make it a condition?"
"Not so. No, no! by no means," said Mayer with impudent irony,
approaching Consuelo with open arms as he spoke.
Consuelo was terrified, and fled to the extremity of the room. Mayer
followed her. She saw that if she sacrificed honor to humanity she
was lost; and suddenly, inspired by the wild ferocity of Spanish
women, as Mayer embraced her, she gave him about three inches of
the knife she had concealed. Mayer was rather fat and the wound
was not dangerous; but when he saw the blood, for he was as
cowardly as he was sensual, he thought he was dead, and came
near fainting, falling on his face on the bed. He cried out, "I am
murdered! I am dead!" Consuelo thought she had killed him, and
was also near fainting. After a few moments of silent terror, she
ventured to approach him and took the key of the room, which he
had let fall. No sooner had she possession of it than she felt her
courage revive. She went into the galleries and found all the doors
open before her. She went down a staircase, which led she knew not
whither. She could scarcely support herself, as she heard the alarm
clock, and not long after the roll of the drums. She also heard the
gun which had echoed through the night when Gottlieb's
somnambulism had caused an alarm. She sank on her knees at the
last steps, and clasping her hands, invoked God to aid Gottlieb and
the generous Karl. Separated from them, after having permitted
them to expose their lives for her, she felt herself powerless and
hopeless. Heavy and hasty steps sounded on her ears, the light of
torches dazzled her eyes, and she could not say whether this was
reality or the effect of delirium. She hid herself in a corner and lost
all consciousness.
[12]Consuelo here gave some details we have already mentioned
about the Swartz family. All that was mere repetition to the reader
has been suppressed.

CHAPTER XX

When Consuelo recovered from her unconscious state, she was

delighted, although unaware of where she was, or how she had
come thither. She was asleep in the open air, but without feeling any
inconvenience from the cold of the night, and casting her eyes
toward heaven, she saw the stars shining in the clear sky. To this
enchanting prospect succeeded ere long a sensation of rapid but
pleasant motion. The sound of the oars as they fell in the water at
regular intervals, made her understand that she was in a boat, and
was passing over the lake. A gentle heat penetrated her limbs, and
in the placidity of the silent waters, where the breeze agitated
numerous aquatic plants, something pleasant recalled the waters of
Venice during the spring. Consuelo lifted up her languid head, looked
around her and saw two rowers, one at each extremity of the boat.
She looked at the citadel, and saw it in the distance, dark as a
mountain of stone in the transparency of the water and sky. She said
at once to herself that she was safe, remembered her friends, and
pronounced Karl's name with anxiety. "Here I am, signora; not a
word; be silent as possible," said Karl, who sat in front of her and
rowed away. Consuelo fancied that the other oarsman was Gottlieb,
and completely exhausted, she resumed her former attitude. Some
one threw over her a soft and warm cloak: she threw it aside,
however, that she might contemplate the starry sky which was
unfolded above her.
As she felt her strength and the elasticity of her power, which had
been paralysed by a violent nervous movement, return, she
recovered her senses, and the remembrance of Mayer presented
itself horribly to her. She made an effort to arouse herself again, and
saw that her head rested on the knees of a third person, whom as
yet she had not seen, or whom she had taken for a bale of goods,
so completely was he wrapped up and buried in the boat.
Consuelo was terrified when she recalled the imprudent confidence
Karl had exhibited to Mayer, and when she fancied the adjutant
might be near her. The care he seemed to take appeared to
aggravate the suspicions of the fugitive. She was confused at having
reposed on that man's bosom, and almost reproached herself for
having enjoyed under his protection a few moments of healthful and
ineffable oblivion.
Fortunately the boat touched the shore just then, and Consuelo
hastened to take Karl's hand and to step on shore. The shock,
however, of the boat touching the shore, made her tremble, and
almost fall into the arms of this mysterious person. She then saw
him rise, and discovered that he wore a black mask. He was at least
a head taller than Mayer, and though wrapped in a large cloak, had
the appearance of being tall and thin. These circumstances
completely assured the fugitive, and she accepted the arm which
was silently offered her. She then walked about fifty paces on the
strand, followed by Karl and another individual, who by signs had
enjoined on her not to say a single word. The country was silent and
deserted, and not the slightest sound was heard in the citadel.
Behind the thicket was a coach with four horses, into which the
stranger went with Consuelo. Karl got on the box, and the third
individual disappeared without Consuelo having noticed him. She
yielded to the silent anxiety of her liberators, and ere long the
carriage, which was excellent and admirably built, rolled on with the
rapidity of lightning. The noise of the wheels, and the rapidity of
conveyance, did not at all contribute to conversation. Consuelo was
intimidated, she was even terrified at a tête-à-tête with the stranger.
When she saw that there was no danger, she thought it her duty to
express her gratitude and joy. She obtained no answer, however. He
sat in front of her as a token of respect; he took her hand and
clasped it in his, but said nothing. He then sank into the recess of
the carriage, and Consuelo, who had begun the conversation, dared
say nothing, and did not venture to persist on his silent refusal. She
was very anxious to know what generous friend had secured her
safety, yet she experienced for him, she knew not why, an instinctive
sentiment of respect, mingled with fear, and her imagination
attributed to this strange travelling-companion all the romance which
the state of the case might have induced her to expect. At last the
idea occurred to her that he was some subaltern agent of the
Invisibles, and perhaps a faithful servant, who was afraid of violating
his duty by speaking alone to her at night.
After having travelled for about two hours with great rapidity, the
coach stopped in a dark wood, the relay not having come. The
stranger went a few steps away, either to see if the horses were
coming, or to conceal his uneasiness. Consuelo also left the carriage
and walked down the road with Karl, of whom she had a thousand
questions to ask.
"Thank God, signora," said her faithful attendant, "that you are
alive."
"And that you, too, are alive."
"Now that you are safe, why should I not?"
"Where is Gottlieb?"
"I expect he is now in bed at Spandau."
"Heavens! Gottlieb left behind? He will then suffer for us."
"He will suffer neither for himself nor for any one else. The alarm
having been given, I know not by whom, I hurried at all risks to find
you, seeing that the time was come to risk all for all. I met the
adjutant Nauteuil, that is to say, Mayer, the recruiting officer, very
pale."
"You met him? Was he up and able to walk?"
"Why not?"
"He was wounded then?"
"Ah, yes. He told me he had hurt himself by falling, in the dark, on a
stack of arms. I did not pay much attention to him, and asked where
you were. He knew nothing, and seemed out of his mind. I almost
thought he had intended to betray us, for the clock which sounded,
the tone of which I know perfectly, is the one that hangs over his
quarters. He seems to have changed his mind, for the creature
knows much money is to be made by your escape. He then aided
me in turning aside the attention of the garrison, by telling all he
met that Gottlieb had another attack of somnambulism, and had
caused another false alarm. In fact, as if Gottlieb wished to make
good his words, we found him asleep in a corner, in the strange way
in which he often does by day. Never mind where he is. One might
have thought the agitation of his flight made him sleep, or he may
by mistake have drank a few drops of the liquor I poured out so
plentifully to his parents. What I know is, that they shut him up in
the first room they came to, to keep him from walking on the glacis,
and I thought it best to leave him there. No one can accuse him of
anything, and my escape will be a sufficient explanation of your
own. The Swartzes were too sound asleep to hear the bell, and no
one has been to your room to ascertain whether it was open or shut.
The alarm will not be serious until to-morrow. Nauteuil assisted me
in dissipating it, and I set out to look for you, pretending the while
to go to my dormitory. I was fortunate in finding you about three
paces from the door we had to pass through. The keepers there
were all bribed. At first I was afraid you were dead; but living or not,
I would not leave you there. I took you without difficulty to the boat,
which waited for you outside of the ditch. Then a very disagreeable
thing happened, which I will tell you on some other occasion. You
have had emotion enough to-day, and what I am thinking of might
give you much trouble——"
"No, no, Karl, I wish to know all. I can hear all."
"Ah, I know you, signora. You will blame me. I remember Roswald,
where you prevented me from——"
"Karl, your silence would distress me cruelly. Speak, I beseech you. I
wish you to do so."
"Well, signora, it is a misfortune; but if it be a sin, it rests on me
alone. As I was passing beneath a low arch in the boat with you and
as I was going very slowly and had come to the end of it, I was
seized by three men, who took me by the throat, and sprang into
the boat. I must tell you that the person who travels with us, and is
one of us, was imprudent enough to give two-thirds of the sum to
Nauteuil, as we passed the postern. Nauteuil, thinking, beyond
doubt, that he should be satisfied and could get the rest by
betraying us, had posted himself with two good-for-nothing fellows
of the sort to seize us. That is the reason beyond doubt, why they
sought to murder us. Your friend, however, signora, is a lion in
combat, peaceable as he seems I will remember him for many a day.
By two twists of his arms he threw the first into the water; the
second became afraid and leaped back on the bridge, looking on the
result of my contest with the adjutant. I did not manage as well as
his lordship, whose name I do not know. It lasted half a minute, and
the affair does me no credit, for Nauteuil, who usually is as strong as
a bull, appeared stiff and enfeebled, as if the wound of which he
spoke annoyed him. At last, feeling him let go, I just dipped his feet
in the water. His lordship then said, 'Do not kill him, it is useless.' I
had recognised him, however, and was aware how well he could
swim. Besides, I had fell his gripe, and had some old accounts to
settle with him, and I could not refrain from giving him a blow on
the head with my fist. Never again will he give or take another. May
God have mercy on his soul and mine! He went down in the water
like a flounder, and did not rise again, any more than if he had been
marble. The other fellow whom his lordship had sent on a similar
excursion, had made a dive, and had already reached the bank,
where his companion, the most prudent of the three, helped him
out. This was not easy, the bank at that place being so narrow that
there was not a good footing, and the two went into the water
together. While they were thus contending together, and swearing,
as they enjoyed their swimming party, I rowed away, and soon came
to a place where a second oarsman, a fisherman by trade, had
promised to be in waiting and help me by a stroke or two to cross
the pond. It was very well, signora, that I took it into my head to
play the sailor on the gentle waters of Roswald. I did not know,
when I rehearsed the part before you, that I would one day for your
sake participate in a naval battle not so magnificent but much more
serious. All this passed over my mind as I was on the water, and I
could not help laughing like a fool—disagreeably, too. I did not make
any noise, at least I did not hear myself, but my teeth chattered. I
had an iron hand on my throat, and the sweat, cold as ice, ran over
my brow. I then saw that a man is not killed like a fly. He was not
the first one, however, for I have been a soldier, and at war one
fights. Instead of that, in a corner there, behind a wall, it looked like
a premeditated murder. Yet it was a legitimate case of self-defence.
You remember, signora, without you I would have done it, but I do
not know if I would not have repented afterwards. One thing is sure,
I had an awful laughing fit on the pool; and now I cannot help it, for
it was so strange to stick the fellow in the ditch, like a twig planted
in a vase, after I had crushed his head with my fist. Mercy! how ugly
he was! I see him now!"
Consuelo, fearing the effect of this terrible emotion on Karl,
overcame her own feelings, and attempted to soothe and calm him.
Karl by nature was calm and mild, as a Bohemian serf naturally is.
The tragical life into which fate had thrown him was not made for
him. He accomplished acts of energy and revenge, yet suffered the
horror of remorse. Consuelo diverted him from his moody thoughts,
perhaps to change her own. She also had armed herself on that
night to slay. She had struck a blow, and had shed the blood of an
impure victim. An upright and pious mind cannot approach the
thought or conceive the resolution of homicide, without cursing and
deploring the circumstances which place honor and life under the
safeguard of the poniard. Consuelo was terror-stricken, and did not
dare to say that her liberty was worth the price she had paid for it. It
had cost the life of a man—a guilty one, it is true.
"Poor Karl," said she, "we have played the executioner to-night. It is
terrible! but console yourself with the idea that we have neither
foreseen nor determined on what fate exacted. Tell me about the
nobleman who has toiled so generously to rescue me. Do you know
him?"
"Not at all, signora. I never saw him before, and do not even know
his name."
"Whither does he take us?"
"I do not know, signora. He forbade me to ask; and I was ordered to
say that if on the route you made any attempt to ascertain where
you are, and whither you are going, he would be forced to leave
you. It is certain that he wishes us well, and I have made up my
mind to be treated like a child."
"Have you seen his face?"
"I saw it by the light of a lantern, just when I put you into the boat.
His face is handsome—I never saw one more so. One might think
him a king."
"Is that all? Is he young?"
"About thirty years old."
"What is his language?"
"Free Bohemian—the true tongue of a Christian. He only spoke three
or four words to me. What a pleasure it was to hear the dear old
tongue, had he not said 'Do not kill him, it is useless.' Ah! he was
mistaken. It was necessary!"
"What did he say, when you adopted that terrible alternative?"
"I think, may God pardon me! that he did not see it. He threw
himself on the bottom of the boat, where you lay as if you were
dead; apparently fearing some injury might befall you, he covered
you with his body; and when we were on the open water and safe,
he lifted you up, wrapped you in a cloak he had brought apparently
for the purpose, and pressed you against his heart as a mother
would press a child. He seems very fond of you, signora, and you
must know him."
"Perhaps I do; but I have not been able to see his face."
"It is strange that he conceals himself from you. Nothing astonishes
me in those people, however."
"What people?"
"Those called the Knights—the Black Masks—the Invisibles. I
scarcely know more than you do about them, signora, though for
two months they have led me by a thread any where they pleased."
The sound of hoofs on the ground was heard; and in two minutes
they were harnessed again, and another postilion, who did not
belong to the royal service appeared, and exchanged a few words
with the stranger. The latter gave his hand to Consuelo, who
returned to the carriage with him. He sat as far from her as possible;
but did not interrupt the solemn silence of the night by a single
word, and only looked from time to time at his watch. It was not
near day, though the sound of the quail in the briar was heard, and
also the watchdog's distant bark. The night was magnificent, and the
constellation of the Great Bear appeared reversed on the horizon.
The sound of wheels stifled the harmonious voices of the country,
and they turned their backs to the great northern stars. Consuelo
saw she was going southward; and as Karl sat on the box he
attempted to shake off the spectre of Mayer, which he fancied he
saw floating through the alleys of the forest, at the foot of the
crosses, or under the tall pines. He did not, consequently, observe
the direction in which his good or bad stars led him.

CHAPTER XXI

Porporina, fancying that he had determined not to exchange a word

with her, thought she could not do better than respect the strange
vow which, like the old knight-errants, he seemed to be resolved to
keep. To get rid of the sombre images and sad reflections suggested
by Karl's story, she attempted to penetrate the unknown future
which opened before her, and gradually sunk into a reverie full of
charms. A few rare persons have the power of commanding their
ideas in a state of contemplative idleness. Consuelo had often,
during her three months' confinement at Spandau, had occasion to
exert this faculty, which is granted less frequently to the happy in
this world than to those who earn their living by toil, persecution,
and danger. All must recognise this mystery as providential, without
which the serenity of many unfortunate creatures would appear
impossible to those who have not known misfortune.
Our fugitive was indeed in a condition strange enough to lay the
foundations of many castles in the air. The mystery which
surrounded her like a cloud, the fatality which led her into a fantastic
world, the kind of paternal love which surrounded her with miracles,
were quite sufficient to charm an imagination instinct with poetry as
hers was. She recalled those words of holy writ, which in her
imprisonment she had set to music:—"I shall send one of my angels
to thee, and he shall bear thee in his hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone. I walk in darkness, yet I walk without fear, for the
Lord is with me." Thenceforth those words acquired a more distinct
and divine signification. At a time when there is no faith in direct
revelation, and in the sensible manifestation of the divinity, the
protection and manifestations of heaven are translated by the
affections, assistance, and devotion of our fellow-creatures. There is
something so delicious in the abandonment of our conduct to those
we love, and so to say, in feeling ourselves sustained by others. This
happiness is so exquisite, that it would soon corrupt us, if we did not
resist the disposition to abuse it. It is the happiness of a child, the
golden dreams of whom are troubled, as it slumbers on its mother's
bosom, by none of the apprehensions of human life.
These thoughts, which presented themselves like dreams to
Consuelo on the occasion of her sudden escape from such a painful
condition, wrapped her in such voluptuous calm, that sleep at last
came to drown her sensations, in that kind of repose of body and
mind which may be called pleasant and delicious annihilation. She
had entirely forgotten the presence of her mute travelling
companion, and awoke, finding herself near him, with her head
leaning on his shoulder. At first she did not move, dreaming that she
was travelling with her mother, and that the arm which sustained her
was the Zingara's. When completely aroused, she was confused at
her inadvertence. The arm of the stranger, however, was become a
magic chain. Secretly she made vain attempts to get loose. The
stranger seemed to sleep also, and had received his companion
mechanically in his arms, as she sank in them overcome by fatigue
and the motion of the coach. He had clasped his hands around
Consuelo, as if to preserve her from falling while he slept. His sleep
had not relaxed the force of his clasped hands, and it would have
been necessary to have waked him to extricate herself. This
Consuelo did not dare to do. She hoped he would voluntarily release
her, and that she might return to her place without seeming to have
remarked the delicate circumstances of their situation.
The stranger slept soundly, and Consuelo, whom the calmness of his
breathing, and the immobility of his repose, had restored to
confidence, went to sleep herself, being completely overcome by the
exhaustion which succeeds violent agitation. When she awoke again,
the head of her companion was pressed to hers, his mask was off,
their faces touched, and their breathing was intermingled. She made
a brisk effort to withdraw, without thinking to look at the features of
the stranger, which would indeed have been difficult in the darkness.
The stranger pressed Consuelo to his bosom, the heat of which was
communicated to her own, and deprived her of the power and wish
to remove. There was nothing violent or brutal in the embrace of
this man. Chastity was neither offended nor sullied by his caresses,
and Consuelo, as if a charm had been thrown around her, forgetting
her prudence, and one might also say, the virginal coldness which
she had never been tempted to part with, even in the arms of the
fiery Anzoleto, returned the eager and enthusiastic kiss of the
stranger.
As all about this mysterious being seemed strange and unusual, the
involuntary transport of Consuelo seemed neither to surprise, to
embolden, nor to intoxicate him. He yet pressed her closely to his
bosom, and though he did so with unusual power, she did not feel
the pain such an embrace usually inflicts on a delicate being. Neither
was she sensible of the shame so great a forgetfulness of her
habitual modesty would usually have created. No idea came to
disturb the ineffable security of this moment of mutual and
miraculous love. It was the first of her life. She was aware of the
instinct, or rather it was revealed to her, and the charm was so
complete, so divine, that it seemed impossible for it to be changed.
He passed the extremity of his fingers, which were softer than the
leaf of a flower, over the lids of Consuelo, and at once she sank to
sleep again, as if by enchantment. On this occasion he remained
awake, but apparently as calm as if the arrows of temptation never
had entered his bosom. He bore Consuelo, she knew not whither, as
an archangel might bear on his wings a seraph, amazed at the
Godhead's radiation.
Dawn, and the freshness of morning, roused Consuelo from this kind
of lethargy. She found herself alone in the carriage, and doubted if
she had not dreamed that she loved. She sought to let down one of
the blinds; they were, however, fastened by an external spring, the
secret of which she did not know. She could receive air through
them, and see flit by her, in broken and confused lines, the white
and green margin of the road, but could make no observation nor
discovery as to the route. There was something absolute and
despotical in the protection extended over her. It was like a forcible
carrying away, and she began to be afraid.
The stranger had disappeared, and the poor sinner became aware of
all the anguish of shame, stupor and astonishment. Few theatre-girls
(thus singers and dancers were then called) would have been thus
annoyed by a kiss given in the dark to a very discreet stranger,
especially after having been assured by Karl, as Porporina had been
that her companion was of admirable figure and form. This act of
folly was so repugnant to the manner and ideas of the prudent and
good Consuelo, that she was greatly mortified by it. She asked
pardon of Albert's manes, and blushed deeply at having in heart
been unfaithful to his memory in so forward and thoughtless a
manner. The tragical events of the night, and joy at her escape, she
thought must have made her delirious. "Besides, how could I fancy
that I entertained any love for a man who never spoke to me, and
the face of whom I never saw. It is like one of the shameless
adventures of masked balls, the possibility of which in another
woman I could never conceive. What contempt this man must have
conceived for me! If he did not take advantage of my error, it was
because I was under the safeguard of his honor, or else an oath
binds him to higher duties. Perhaps even he disdains me. Perhaps he
guessed or saw that my conduct was the consequence of fever or
delirium!"
In vain did Consuelo thus reproach herself; she could not resist a
better feeling, which was more intense than all the pricks of
conscience. She regretted having lost a companion whom she knew
she had neither the right nor power to blame. He was impressed on
her mind as a superior being, invested with magical, perhaps
infernal power, which also was resistless. She was afraid, yet
regretted that they had separated so suddenly.
The carriage went slowly, and Karl came to open the blind, "If you
incline to walk a little, signora, the chevalier will be pleased. The
road is very bad, and as we are in the woods, it seems there is no
danger."
Consuelo leaned on Karl's shoulder, and sprang out on the sand
without allowing him time to let down the steps. She was anxious to
see her travelling companion, her improvised lover. She saw him, ere
long, about thirty paces from her, with his back turned and wearing
the vast grey cloak which he seemed determined to wear by day as
well as by night. His bearing and the small portion of his head and
extremities which were visible, announced a person of high
distinction, and one anxious, by a studious toilette, to enhance the
advantages of his person. The hilt of his sword, on which the rays of
the morning sun shone, glittered on his side like a star, and the
perfume of the powder, which well-bred people were then very fond
of, left behind him in the morning air the trace of a man perfectly
comme il faut.
"Alas!" thought Consuelo, "he is, perhaps, some fool, or contraband
lord, or haughty noble: whoever he be, he turns his back on me, and
is right."
"Why do you call him the Chevalier?" asked she of Karl, continuing
her reflections aloud.
"Because I heard the drivers call him so."
"The Chevalier of what?"
"That is all. Why, signora, do you wish to find out? Since he wishes
to be unknown, it seems to me that he renders you sufficient service
at the risk of his own life, to insure your suppression of curiosity. For
my part I would travel ten years without asking whither he wished to
take me; he is so brave, so good, so gay."
"So gay! That man so gay?"
"Certainly. He is so delighted at having aided you, that he cannot be
silent. He asked a thousand questions about Spandau, yourself,
Gottlieb, myself, and the King of Prussia. I told him all I knew, all
that had happened, and even of Roswald: it does a man so much
good to talk Bohemian to one who understands you, instead of
speaking to those Prussians, who know no tongue but their own."
"He is a Bohemian, then?"
"I ventured to ask that question, and he answered briefly and rather
dryly. I was wrong to question him, instead of answering his
questions."
"Is he always masked?"
"Only when he is with you. Ah! he is a strange person, and evidently
seeks to tease you."
Karl's good humor and confidence, however, did not altogether
reassure Consuelo. She saw that he united, to much bravery and
determination, an honesty and simplicity of heart, which could easily
be abused. Had he not relied on Mayer's good faith? Had he not
even put her in that scoundrel's room? Now he yielded blindly to a
stranger, and was conveying Consuelo away, so that she would be
exposed to the most dangerous influences. She remembered the
note of the Invisibles: "A snare is set for you—a new danger
menaces you. Distrust any one who shall attempt to induce you to
fly before we give you certain information,"&c. No note had come to
confirm that, and Consuelo, delighted at having met Karl, thought
this worthy servant sufficiently authorised to serve her. Was not the
stranger a traitor? whither was she so mysteriously taken? Consuelo
had no friend who at all resembled the fine figure of the Chevalier,
except Frederick Von Trenck. Karl knew the baron perfectly, and he
was not her travelling companion. The Count de Saint Germain and
Cagliostro were not so tall. While she looked at the stranger in
search of something which would identify him, Consuelo came to the
conclusion that she had never in her life seen any one with so much
grace and ease. Albert alone had as much majesty; but his slow step
and habitual despondency had not that air of strength, that activity
and chivalric power, which characterised the stranger.
The woods became light and the horses began to trot, to catch up
with the travellers who had preceded them. The Chevalier, without
turning round, reached out his arm and shook his handkerchief
which was whiter than snow. Karl understood the signal and put
Consuelo in the carriage, saying, "Apropos, signora, in the boxes
under the seats you will find linen, apparel, and all that you need to
dress and eat when you please. There are books there, also. It
seems that the carriage is a hotel on wheels, and that you will not
leave it soon."
"Karl," said Consuelo, "I beg of you to ask the Chevalier if I will be
free as soon as I shall have passed the frontier, to thank him and to
go whithersoever I please."
"Signora, I cannot dare to say so unkind a thing to so polite a man."
"I require you to do so. You will give me his answer at the next relay
since he will not speak to me."
The stranger said the lady was perfectly free, and that her wishes
were orders. He said that her safety and that of her guide, as well as
of Karl, demanded that she should oppose no difficulty to the
selection of her route and her asylum. Karl added, with an air of naïf
reproof, that this distrust seemed to mortify the Chevalier very
much, and that he had become sad and melancholy.
The whole day passed without any incident. Shut up in the carriage
as close as if she were a prisoner of state, Consuelo could form no
idea about the direction she travelled. She changed her clothes with
great satisfaction, for she saw with disgust several drops of Mayer's
black blood on her dress. She sought to read, but her mind was too
busy. She determined to sleep as soon as possible, hoping in this
manner to forget the sooner the mortification of her last adventure.
He evidently had not forgotten it, and his respectful delicacy made
Consuelo yet more ridiculous and guilty in her own opinion. At the
same time she was distressed at the inconvenience and fatigue
which he bore in a seat too narrow for two persons, side by side
with a great soldier disguised as a servant, comme il faut certainly,
but whose tedious and dull conversation must necessarily be
annoying to him. Besides, he was exposed to the fresh air of the
night, and was deprived of sleep. This courage might be
presumption. Did he think himself irresistible? Did he think that
Consuelo, recovered from the first surprise, would not resist his by
far too paternal familiarity?
The poor girl said all this to console her downcast pride. It is very
certain that she desired to see the Chevalier, and feared above all
things his disdain at the triumphs of an excess of virtue which would
have rendered them strangers to each other forever.
About midnight they halted in a ravine. The weather was bad, and
the noise of the wind in the foliage was like running water.
"Signora," said Karl, opening the door, "we are now come to the
most inconvenient portion of our journey. We must pass the frontier.
With money and boldness it is possible to do anything. Yet it would
not be prudent to attempt to do so on the highroad, and under the
eyes of the police. I am no one, and risk nothing. I will drive the
carriage slowly with a single horse, as if I took a new purchase of
my master to a neighboring estate. You will take a cross-road with
the Chevalier, and may find the pathway difficult. Can you walk a
league over a bad road?"
Consuelo having said yes, the Chevalier gave her his arm. "If you
reach the place of rendezvous before me, signora," said Karl, "you
will wait for me, and will not be afraid."
"I am afraid of nothing," said Consuelo with a tone of mingled
tenderness and pride, "for this gentleman protects me. But, Karl, do
you run no risk?"
Karl shrugged his shoulders, and kissed Consuelo's hand. He then
began to fix his horse, and our heroine set out across the country
with her silent protector.

CHAPTER XXII
The weather became worse and worse. The wind began to blow
more violently, and our two fugitives walked for about half an hour,
sometimes across the briars, and then across the tall grass. At last
the rain became violent. Consuelo, as yet, had not said a word to
her companion, but seeing him uneasy about her, and looking for a
shelter, she said, "Do not be afraid on my account, Monsieur. I am
strong, and only suffer from seeing you exposed to such fatigue and
care for a person who is nothing to you, and for whom you do not
care."
The stranger made a gesture of joy at the sight of a ruined house, in
one corner of which he contrived to shelter his companion from the
torrents of rain. The roof had been taken away and the space
sheltered by the masonry was so small, that unless he stood close to
Consuelo, the stranger was forced to receive all the rain. He,
however, respected her condition, and went so far away as to banish
all fear. Consuelo, however, would not consent to accept his self-
denial. She called him, and seeing that he would not come, left her
shelter, and said, in a tone she sought to make joyous, "Every one
has his turn, Chevalier. I now will soak for a time. If you will not
share with me, take a shelter yourself."
The Chevalier wished to lead Consuelo back to the place about
which this amicable contest occurred. She resisted, however, and
said, "No, I will not yield. I see that I offended you to-day, by
expressing a wish to leave you at the frontier. I will atone for my
offence at the expense of a severe cold even."
The Chevalier yielded, and sheltered himself. Consuelo, seeing that
she owed him reparation, came to his side, though she was humbled
at the idea of having to make advances to him. She had rather seem
volatile than ungrateful, and, as an expiation of her fault, resolved to
be submissive. The stranger understood this so well, that he stood
as far from her as the small space they occupied would permit, and
it was only two or three feet square. Leaning against the wall, he
pretended to look away, lest he should annoy and trouble her by his
anxiety. Consuelo was amazed that a man sentenced to silence, and
who inflicted this punishment to a degree on himself, should divine
and understand her so well. Every moment augmented her esteem
for him, and this strange feeling made her heart beat so, that it was
with great difficulty that she could breathe the air this man, who so
strangely sympathised with her, inhaled.
After a quarter of an hour the storm became so lulled that the two
travellers could resume their journey. The paths were thoroughly
wet, and had become almost impassable for a woman. The Chevalier
for some moments suffered Consuelo to slip, and almost fall.
Suddenly, as if weary of seeing her fatigue herself, he took her in his
arms, and supported her as easily as if she had been a child. She
reproached him for doing so, it is true, but her reproaches never
amounted to resistance. Consuelo felt fascinated and overpowered.
She was transported by the cavalier through the wind and the storm,
and he was not unlike the spirit of night, crossing ravines and
thickets with as rapid and certain a step as if he had been
immaterial. Then they came to the ford of a small stream, where the
stranger took Consuelo in his arms, raising her up as the water
became deep.
Unfortunately the torrents of rain had been so rapid, that the course
of the rivulet was swollen, and it became a torrent, rolling in foam,
and roaring turbulently. It was already up to the knight's belt, and in
his efforts to sustain Consuelo, she feared that his feet, which were
in the slimy mire of the bed of the streamlet, would slip. She became
alarmed for his sake, and said, "For heaven's sake let me go; let me
go—I can swim!"
Just then a violent blast of wind threw down one of the trees on the
bank, towards which our travellers went, and this brought down an
avalanche of stones and mud, which for a moment made a natural
dike against the torrent. The tree had luckily fallen across the river,
and the stranger was beginning to breathe, when the water, making
a passage for itself, rushed into one headlong, mad current, against
which it was impossible for him to contend any longer. He paused,
and Consuelo sought to get out of his arms. "Leave me," said she; "I
do not wish to be the cause of your death. I am strong, and bold
also. Let me struggle for myself!"
The Chevalier, however, pressed her the closer to his heart. One
might have fancied that he intended to die with her. She was afraid
of his black mask—of this man, silent as the water-spirits of the old
German ballads, who wished to drag her below with him. For more
than a quarter of an hour the stranger contended with the fury of
the wind and storm with a coolness and obstinacy which were really
frightful, sustaining Consuelo above the water, and not advancing
more than a single step in four or five minutes. He contemplated his
situation calmly. It was as difficult for him to advance as to
withdraw, for if he did the water might sweep him away. At last he
reached the bank, and walked on, without permitting Consuelo to
put her foot on the ground. He did not even pause to take breath,
until he heard Karl, who was waiting anxiously for him, whistle. He
then gave his precious burden into the arms of the deserter, and
almost overpowered, sank on the ground. He was able only to sigh,
not breathe, and it seemed as though his breast would burst. "Oh!
my God, Karl!" said Consuelo, bending over him, "he will die! Listen
to the death-rattle! Take off that mask, which suffocates him!"
Karl was about to obey, but the stranger by a painful effort, lifted up
his icy hands, and seized that of the deserter. "True!" said Karl, "my
oath, signora. I swore to him that even were he to die in your
presence, I would not touch his mask. Hurry to the carriage, signora,
and bring me the flask of brandy which is on the seat; a few drops
will relieve him. Consuelo sought to go, but the Chevalier restrained
her. If he were about to die, he wished to expire at her feet.
"That is right," said Karl, who, notwithstanding his rude manners,
understood all love's mysteries, for he had loved himself. "You can
attend to him better than I can. I will go for the flask. Listen,
signora," he continued, in a low tone; "I believe if you loved him,
and were kind enough to say so, that he will not die; otherwise I
cannot promise."
Karl went away smiling. He did not share Consuelo's terror. He saw
that the suffocating sensation of the Chevalier was becoming
allayed. Consuelo was terror-stricken, and fancying she witnessed
the death agony of this generous man, folded him in her arms, and
covered his broad brow—the only part of his face the mask did not
cover—with kisses.
"I conjure you," said she, "remove that mask. I will not look at you.
Do so, and you will be able to breathe."
The stranger took Consuelo's two hands and placed them on his
panting bosom, as much to feel their sweet warmth as to allay her
anxiety to aid by unmasking him. At that moment all the young
woman's soul was in that chaste embrace. She remembered what
Karl had said, in a half growling and half softened mood.
"Do not die," said she; "do not die. Do you not see that I love you?"
Scarcely had she uttered these words than they seemed to have
fallen from her in a dream. They had escaped her lips in spite of
herself. The Chevalier had heard them. He made an effort to rise. He
fell on his knees, and embraced those of Consuelo, who, in her
agitation shed tears.
Karl returned with the flask. The Chevalier refused the favorite
specific of the deserter, and leaning on him reached the coach,
where Consuelo sat by him. She was much troubled at the cold,
which could not but be communicated to him by his damp clothes.
"Do not be afraid, signora," said Karl, "the Chevalier has not had
time to grow cold. I will wrap him up in his cloak, which I took care
to put in the carriage when I saw the rain coming. I was sure he
would be damp. When one has become wet, and puts on dry
apparel over all, heat is preserved for a long time. It is as if you
were in a warm bath, and it is not at all unhealthy."
"You, Karl, do the same thing; and take my mantle, for you have
also got wet."
"I? Ah! my skin is thicker than yours. Put your mantle on the
Chevalier; pack him up well; and if I kill the poor horse, I will hurry
on to the next relay."
For an hour Consuelo kept her arms around the stranger; and her
head resting on his bosom, filled him with life far sooner than all the
receipts and prescriptions of Karl. She sometimes felt his brow, and
warmed it with her breath, in order that the perspiration which hung
on it might not be chilled. When the carriage paused, he clasped her
to his breast with a power that showed he was in all the plenitude of
life and health. He then let down the steps hastily, and disappeared.
Consuelo found herself beneath a kind of shed, face to face with an
old servant, half peasant in his appearance, who bore a dark lantern,
and led her by a pathway, bordered by a hedge, to an ordinary-
looking house, a kind of summer retreat, the door of which he shut,
after having ushered her in. Seeing a second door open, she went
into a little room, which was very clean, and simply divided into two
parts. One was a well-warmed chamber, with a good bed all
prepared; and in the other was a light and comfortable supper. She
noticed with sorrow that there was but one cover, and when Karl
came to offer to serve her, she did not dare to tell him the only thing
she wished was the company of her friend and protector.
"Eat and sleep yourself, Karl," said she, "I need nothing. You must
be more fatigued than I am."
"I am no more fatigued than if I had done nothing but say my
prayers by the hearthside with my poor wife, to whom may the Lord
grant peace! How happy was I when I saw myself outside of
Prussia; though to tell the truth, I do not know if I am in Saxony,
Bohemia, Poland, or in China, as we used to say at Roswald, Count
Hoditz's place."
"How is it possible, Karl, that you could sit on the box of the
carriage, and not know a single place you passed through?"
"Because I never travelled this route before, signora; and I cannot
read what is written on the bridges and signboards. Besides, we did
not stop in any city or village, and always found our relays in the
forest, or in the courtyard of some private house. There is also
another reason, signora—I promised the Chevalier not to tell you."
"You should have mentioned that reason first, Karl, and I would not
object. But tell me, does the Chevalier seem sick?"
"Not all, signora. He goes and comes about the house, which does
not seem to do any great business, for I see no other face than that
of the silent old gardener."
"Go and offer to help him, Karl. I can dispense with you."
"Why, he has already refused my services, and bade me attend to
you."
"Well, mind your own affairs, then, my friend, and dream of liberty."
Consuelo went to bed about dawn, and when she had dressed, she
saw by her watch that it was two o'clock. The day seemed clear and
brilliant. She attempted to open the blinds, but in both rooms they
were shut by a secret spring, like those of the post-chaise in which
she had travelled. She sought to go out, but the doors were
fastened on the outside. She went to the window, and saw a portion
of a moderate orchard. Nothing announced the vicinity of a city or a
travelled road. The silence of the house was complete. On the
outside nothing was heard but the hum of insects, the cooing of
pigeons on the roof, and from time to time the plaintive creaking of
the wheelbarrow, where her eye could not reach. She listened
mechanically to these agreeable sounds, for her ear had long been
deprived of the sounds of rustic life. Consuelo was yet a prisoner,
and the anxiety with which she was concealed gave her a great deal
of unhappiness. She resigned herself for the time to a captivity the
aspect of which was so gentle; and she was not so afraid of the love
of the Chevalier as of Mayer.
Though Karl had told her to ring for him as soon as she was up, she
was unwilling to disturb him, thinking he needed a longer sleep than
she did. She was also afraid to awaken her other companion, whose
fatigue must have been excessive. She then went into the room next
to her chamber, and instead of the meal which she left on the
previous evening, there was a collection of books and writing
materials.
The books did not tempt her. She was far too much agitated to use
them. But amid all her perplexity, she was delighted at being able to
retrace the events of the previous night. Gradually the idea
suggested itself, as she was yet kept in solitary confinement, to
continue her journal, and she wrote the following preamble on a
loose sheet:—
"Dear Beppo—For you alone I resume the story of my strange
adventures. Accustomed to speak to you with the expansion of heart
inspired by the conformity of ages and ideas, I can confide to you
emotions my other friends would not understand, and would
perhaps judge more severely. This commencement will tell you that I
do not feel myself free from error. I have erred in my own opinion,
but as yet I cannot appreciate the consequences.
"Joseph, before I tell you bow I escaped from Spandau, (which
indeed appears trifling compared with what now occupies me), I
must tell you... How can I? I do not know myself. Have I dreamed? I
know that my heart burns and my brain quivers as if it would rush
from me and take possession of another frame. I will tell you the
story simply; for the whole truth, my friend, is contained in the
simple phrase—I love!
"I love a stranger! a man, the sound of whose voice I have never
heard! You will say this is folly. You are right; for love is but
systematic folly. Listen, Joseph, and do not doubt that my happiness
surpasses all the illusions of my first love, and that my ecstacy is too
intoxicating to permit me to be ashamed at having so madly
assented and foolishly placed my love, that I know not if I will be
loved in return. Ah! I am loved! I feel it so well! Be certain that I am
not mistaken; that now I love truly—I may say, madly! Why not?
Does not love come from God? It does not depend on us to kindle it
in our hearts, as we light a torch at the altar. All my efforts to love
Albert, (whose name I now tremble to write,) were not sufficient to
enkindle that ardent and pure flame. Since I lost him I loved his
memory better than I ever did his person. Who knows how I could
love him, were he restored to me again?"
Scarcely had Consuelo written these last words than she effaced
them, not so much that they might not be read, as to shake off a
feeling of horror at having ever suffered them to enter her mind. She
was greatly excited, and the truth of the inspiration of love betrayed
itself in spite of her wishes, in all her inmost thoughts. In vain she
wished to continue to write, that she might more fully explain to
herself the mystery of her heart. She found nothing that could more
distinctly render its delicate shades than the words, "Who knows
how I could love him, were he restored to me?"
Consuelo could be false. She had fancied that she loved the memory
of a dead man with real love; but she now felt life overflowing in her
heart, and a real passion take the place of an imaginary one.
She sought to read again all that she had written, and thus to
recover from her disorder of mind. But it was in vain. Despairing of
being able to enjoy calm enough to control herself, and aware that
the effort would give her a fever, she crushed the sheet she had
written in her hands, and threw it on the table until she might be
able to burn it. Trembling like a criminal, with her face in a blaze,
she paid attention to nothing, except that she loved, and that
henceforth she could not doubt it. Some one knocked at the door of
her room, and she went to admit Karl. His face was heated, his eyes
haggard, and his jaws hanging. She thought him over-fatigued; but
from his answers, soon saw that he had drank, in honor of his safe
arrival, too much of his host's wine. This was Karl's only defect. One
dram made him as confident as possible; another made him terrible.
He talked of the Chevalier, who seemed the only subject on his
mind. He was so good, so kind. He made Karl sit down, instead of
waiting at the table. He had insisted on his sharing his meal, and
had poured out the best wine for him, ringing his glass with him,
and holding up his head, as if he were a true Sclave.
"What a pity he is an Italian! He deserves to be a real Bohemian; for
he carries wine as well as I do," said Karl.
"That is not saying much," said Consuelo, who was not highly
charmed at the Chevalier measuring cups with a soldier. She soon,
however, reproached herself for having thought Karl inferior to her
and her friends, after the services he had done her. Besides, it was
certainly to make him talk of her that the stranger had associated
with her servant. Karl's conversation soon showed her that she was
not mistaken.
"Oh! signora," added he simply, "this good young man is mad with
love for you, and would commit even crime and incur disgrace to
serve you."
"I will excuse him," said Consuelo, whom these expressions greatly
displeased. Karl did not understand. She then said, "Can you explain
why I am shut up here?"
"Ah! signora, did I know, I would have my tongue cut out rather
than tell. I promised the Chevalier to answer none of your
questions."
"Thank you. Then you love the Chevalier better than you do me?"
"Not so. I said not so, but since he satisfied me that he is in your
interests, I must serve you in spite of yourself."
"How so?"
"I do not know; but I am sure it is so. He has ordered me, signora,
to shut you up, to watch you, to keep you a prisoner until we come
to——"
"Then we do not stay here?"
"We go at night. We will not travel by day, to save you from fatigue,
and for other reasons I know nothing of."
"And you are to be my jailer?"
"I swore so on the bible, signora."
"Well, this Chevalier is a strange person. I am helpless then; but for
a jailer I like you better than I did Herr Swartz."
"I will treat you better," said Karl kindly. "Now I will get your dinner."
"I want none, Karl."
"That is not possible. You must dine—and well, too. Such are my
orders. You know what Swartz said about orders."
"Take him as your model, and you will not make me eat. He was
only anxious I should pay."
"That was his business; but with me things are different. That
concern is the chevalier's. He is not mean, for he scatters gold by
handsful. He must be rich, or his fortune will not last."
Consuelo asked for a light, and went into the next room to burn
what she had written, but during her absence it had disappeared.

CHAPTER XXIII

A few moments afterwards Karl returned with a letter, the writing of

which was unknown to Consuelo. It ran as follows:—
"I leave you, perhaps never to see you again. I relinquish three days
I might pass with you—three days, the like of which I shall perhaps
never see again. I renounce them voluntarily. I should do so. You
will one day appreciate the sacrifice I make, and its purity.
"Yes, I love you—I love you madly, though I know no more of you
than you do of me. Do not thank me for what I have done. I obeyed
supreme instructions, and accomplished the orders with which I am
charged. Attribute to me nothing but the love I entertain for you,
which I can prove in no other manner than by leaving you. This love
is as ardent as it has been respectful. It will be durable as it has
been sudden and unexpected. I have scarcely seen your face; I
know nothing of your life; yet I felt that my soul belonged to you,
and that I can never resume it. Had your past conduct been as
sullied as your present seems pure, you would not to me be less
respectable and dear. I leave you, with my heart agitated with pride,
joy, and bitterness. You love me! How could I support the idea of
losing you, if the terrible will which disposes of both of us, so
ordained it? I know not. At this moment, in spite of my terror, I
cannot be unhappy. I am too much intoxicated with your love and
mine to suffer. Were I to seek in vain for you during my whole life, I
would not complain because I have seen you and received a kiss
from you, condemning me to eternal sorrow. Neither can I lose the
hope of meeting you some day; even though it were for a single
moment, and though I had no other evidence of your love than the
kiss so purely given and returned, I would feel myself a thousand
times happier than I ever was before I knew you.
"And now, dear girl, poor, troubled being, recall, without shame and
without terror, the brief and heavenly moments in which you felt my
love transfused into your heart. You have said love comes to us from
God, and we cannot ourselves stifle or enkindle it. Were I unworthy
of you the sudden inspiration which forced you to return my
embrace would not be less heavenly. The Providence that protects
you, would not consent that the treasure of my love should fall on a
vain and false heart. Were I ungrateful, as far as you are concerned,
it would only be a noble mind led astray, a precious inspiration lost. I
adore you; and whatever you may be in other respects, you had
nothing to do with the illusion, when you fancied that I loved you.
You were not profaned by the beating of my heart—by the support
of my arm—by the touch of my lips. Our mutual confidence, and
blind faith, have at once exalted us to that sublime abandon justified
by long attachment. Why regret you? I am well aware there is
something terrible in that fatality which impels us to each other. It is
the will of God. Do you see it? We cannot be mistaken. You bear
away with you my terrible secret. Keep it wholly to yourself—confide
it to no one. Beppo, perhaps, will not comprehend it. Whoever that
friend may be, I alone venerate your folly and respect your
weakness, for this folly and weakness are mine. Adieu! This may be
an eternal adieu, yet, as the world says, I am free, and so too are
you. I love you alone, and know you do not love another. Our fate is
not our own. I am bound by eternal vows, and so too will you be ere
long. At least you will be in the power of the Invisibles, and from
them there is no appeal. Adieu, then. . . . My bosom is torn, but God
will give me power to accomplish my sacrifice, and even a more
rigorous one yet, if such there be. Great God! have pity on me."
This unsigned letter was in a painful and counterfeited hand.
"Karl," said Consuelo, pale and trembling; "did the Chevalier give you
this?"
"Yes, signora."
"And wrote it himself?"
"Yes, signora; and not without pain. His right hand was wounded."
"Wounded, Karl? Severely?"
"Perhaps. The cut was deep, though he did not seem to mind it."
"Where was it?"
"Last night, when we were changing the horses, just before we
came to the frontier, the leading-horse wished to go before the
postilion had mounted the saddle-beast. You were in the carriage
alone; the postilion and I were four or five paces off. The Chevalier
held the horse with immense power, and with a lion's courage, for
he was very restive."
"Ah! yes, I felt violent shocks, but you told me it was nothing."
"I did not know the Chevalier was hurt. He had injured his hand with
a buckle of the harness."
"And for me? But, tell me, Karl, has the Chevalier gone?"
"Not yet. His horse is now being saddled, and I am come to pack his
portmanteau. He says that you have nothing to fear, for the person
who is to replace him has arrived. I hope we will see him soon, for I
would be sorry for any accident to happen. He, however, would
promise nothing, and to all my questions answered 'Perhaps.'"
"Where is the Chevalier, Karl?"
"I do not know, signora, his room is there. Do you wish me to say
from you——"
"No; I will write. No; tell him I would see him an instant, to thank
him and press his hand. Be quick; I fear he has gone already."
Karl left, and Consuelo soon regretted having sent the message. She
said to herself that the stranger had never come near her, except in
a case of absolute necessity, and had doubtless an affiliation with
the strange and whimsical Invisibles. She resolved to write to him;
but she had scarcely written and effaced a few words, when a slight
noise made her look up. She saw a panel of the woodwork slide, and
discovered there was thus a communication between the room in
which she had written and the Chevalier's chamber. The panel was
only opened wide enough for a gloved hand to be passed, and which
seemed to beckon to Consuelo. She rushed forward, saying, "The
other hand—the wounded hand." The stranger then withdrew
behind the panel so that she could not see him. He then passed out
his right hand, of which Consuelo took possession, and untying the
ligature, saw that the cut was severe and deep. She pressed her lips
on the linen and taking from her bosom the filagré cross, put it in
the blood-stained hand. "Here," said she, "is the most precious thing
I possess on earth. It is all I have, and never has been separated
from me. I never loved any one before well enough to confide to
them this treasure. Keep it till we meet——"
The stranger drew the hand of Consuelo behind the wood-work
which concealed him, and covered it with kisses. Then, when he
heard Karl's steps coming to deliver his message, he pushed it back,
and shut the paneling. Consuelo heard the sound of a bolt: she
listened in vain, expecting to catch the sound of the stranger's voice.
He either spoke in a low tone or had gone.
A few minutes afterwards, Karl returned to Consuelo. "He has gone,"
said he, sadly, "without saying farewell, but filling my pockets with I
know not how many ducats, for the unexpected expenses of our
voyage, our regular ones being provided for, as he said—at the
expense of the powers above or below, it matters not. There is a
little man in black there, who never opens his mouth, except to give
orders in a clear dry tone, and who does not please me at all. He
replaces the Chevalier, and I will have the honor of his company on
the box, a circumstance which does not promise me a very merry
conversation. Poor chevalier! may he be restored to us."
"But are we obliged to go with the little man in black?"
"We could not be more under compulsion, signora. The Chevalier
made me swear I would obey the stranger as himself. Well, signora,
here is your dinner. You must not slight it, for it looks well. We will
start at night, then: henceforth, we may stop only where we please
—whether at the behest of the powers above or below, I know not."
Consuelo, downcast and terrified, paid no attention to Karl's gossip.
She was uneasy about nothing relating to her voyage or her new
guide. All became indifferent from the moment the dear stranger
left. A prey to profound sadness, she sought mechanically to please
Karl, by tasting some of his dishes. Being, however, more anxious to
weep than to eat, she asked for a cup of coffee to give her some
physical strength and courage. The coffee was brought her. "See,
signora, the little man would prepare it himself, to be sure that it
was excellent, he looks like an old valet-de-chambre or steward,
and, after all, is not so black as he seems. I think he is not such a
bad man, though he does not like to talk. He gave me some brandy,
at least a hundred years old, the best I ever tasted. If you try a little,
you will find it much better than this coffee."
"Drink, Karl, anything you please, and do not disturb me," said
Consuelo, swallowing the coffee, the quality of which she scarcely
observed.
Scarcely had she left the table when she felt her head become
extremely heavy. When Karl came to say the carriage was ready, he
found her asleep in the chair. "Give me your arm," she said, "I
cannot sustain myself. I think I have a fever."
She was so crushed, that she saw only confusedly the carriage, her
new guide, and the keeper of the house, whom Karl could induce to
accept of nothing. As soon as she was en route, she fell asleep. The
carriage had been filled up with cushions, like a bed, and
thenceforward Consuelo was aware of nothing. She did not know the
length of her journey or even the hour of the day or night, whether
she travelled uninterruptedly or not. Once or twice she saw Karl at
the door, and could comprehend neither his questions nor his terror.
It seemed to her that the little man felt her pulse, and made her
swallow a refreshing drink, saying, "This is nothing; madame is
doing very well." She was indisposed and overcome, and could not
keep her heavy eyelids open, nor was her mind sufficiently active to
enable her to observe what passed around her. The more she slept,
the more she seemed to wish to. She did not even seek to ask if she
was sick or not, and she could only say to Karl again what she had
finished with before. "Let me alone, good Karl."
Finally, she felt both body and mind a little more free, and looking
around, saw that she slept in an excellent bed, between four vast
curtains of white satin, with gold fringes. The little man, masked as
the Chevalier had been, made her inhale the perfume of a flacon,
which seemed to dissipate the clouds over her brain, and replaced
the mystery which had enwrapped her with noonday clearness.
"Are you a physician, sir?" said she, with an effort.
"Yes, countess, I have that honor," said he, with a voice which did
not seem entirely unknown to her.
"Have I been sick?"
"Somewhat indisposed: you are now much better."
"I feel so, and thank you for your care."
"I am glad, and will not appear again before your ladyship, unless
you require my services."
"Am I, then, at the conclusion of my journey?"
"Yes, madame."
"Am I free, or am I a prisoner?"
"You are free, madame, in the area reserved for your habitation."
"I understand. I am in a large and comfortable prison," said
Consuelo, looking around her broad bright room, hung with white
lustre, with gold rays, supported by magnificently carved and
sculptured wood-work. "Can I see Karl?"
"I do not know, madame, for this house is not mine. I go: you need
my services no longer. I am forbidden to indulge in the luxury of
conversing with you."
He left, and Consuelo, yet feeble and listless, attempted to get up.
The only dress she found was a long white woollen robe, of a
wonderfully soft texture, not unlike the tunic of a Roman lady. She
took it up, and observed fall from it the following note, in letters of
gold: "This is the neophyte's spotless robe. If your mind be sullied,
this robe of noble innocence will be the devouring tunic of
Dejanera."
Consuelo, accustomed to a quiet conscience, (perhaps too quiet,)
smiled, and put on the robe with innocent pleasure. She picked up
the letter to read it again, and found it puerilely emphatic. She then
went to a rich toilette—a table of white marble sustaining a mirror, in
a golden frame, of excellent taste. Her attention was attracted by an
inscription on the upper ornament of the mirror. It was: "If your soul
be as pure as yon crystal, you will see yourself in it always—young
and beautiful. But if vice has withered your heart, be fearful of
reading in me the stern reflection of moral deformity."
"I have never been either beautiful or vicious," thought Consuelo.
"Therefore the mirror in either case must be false."
She looked in it without fear, and did not think herself ugly. The
flowing white robe, and her long, floating dark hair, made her look
like a priestess of antiquity. Her pallor was extreme, and her eyes
were less pure and brilliant than usual. "Can I be growing ugly?"
said she, "or does the mirror censure me?"
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