ll fugitives from one country to the
other should be returned; and Fredrik, as king of Norway, was bound to
see to it that the treaty was observed. It cannot be stated positively
that he encouraged the fugitives himself, but it is very certain that
his officers in Norway did, and that he made no effort to restrain
them.[114]

The share Christina had in this conspiracy is likewise doubtful. So
early as February Gustavus suspected her, and ordered one of his
officers to keep spies upon her track. As a result one of her servants
was detected in treacherous proceedings and arrested. It appears,
however, that she did not merit all the king's severity; for Brask in
April wrote a friend, that the monarch was treating her with undue
harshness. She was widely popular, and Gustavus would have been more
wise had his hostility to her been less open. "Nescit regnare qui nescit
dissimulare," wrote the wily bishop. Christina was not, at any rate, on
the best of terms with Mehlen, for her boy was kept in Kalmar till the
castle passed from Mehlen's hands.[115]

This last result was not effected till a long time after Mehlen had been
deposed. Before leaving Kalmar he had intrusted matters to his brother,
with orders not to yield the castle to any but himself. As soon,
therefore, as the new officer approached to take his fief, the reply was
given him that the castle would not be yielded till Mehlen should
return. After some three weeks spent in futile negotiation, Gustavus
wrung from Mehlen a letter directed to his brother, instructing him to
yield. This the monarch sent to Kalmar, April 8, along with a letter of
his own. Convinced that the whole delay on the part of Mehlen was to use
up time, he instructed his messenger to warn the occupants that if the
castle were not surrendered by the 1st of May, he would make them smart
for it. In his letter, however, Gustavus used more gentle language. "We
have kept your brother here," he wrote, "in order to protect him from
the populace, whose mouths are full of scandal about our relations to
him. From your letter it appears you thought we held him in
confinement.... We are minded to treat him well and kindly, unless we
shall be forced by you to treat him otherwise. We warn you, however, we
shall deal with Kalmar in the way that we deem best, for the town and
castle belong to God, to us, and to the Swedish crown.... Our counsel is
that you obey our mandate, and the earlier you do so the better it