r even specific
address, lest accident happen. "Adieu then, Herr General-Lieutenant;
rule is, shoes of swiftness, cloak of darkness: adieu!" And Gortz Senior
is off on the instant, careering towards Weimar, where he finds Gortz
Junior, and makes known his errand. Gortz Junior stares in the natural
astonishment; but, after some intense brief deliberation, becomes
affirmative, and in a minimum of time is ready and on the road.

Gortz Junior proved to have been an excellent choice on the King's part;
and came to good promotion afterwards by his conduct in this affair.
Gortz Junior started for Munchen on the instant, masked utterly, or
his business masked, from profane eyes; saw this person, saw that, and
glided swiftly about, swiftly and with sure aim; and speedily kindled
the matter, and had smoke rising in various points. And before January
was out, saw the Reichs-Diet at Regensburg, much more the general
Gazetteerage everywhere, seized of this affair, and thrown into
paroxysms at the size and complexion of it: saw, in fact, a world
getting into flame,--kindled by whom or what nobody could guess, for
a long time to come. Gortz had great running about in his cloak of
darkness, and showed abundant talent of the kind needed. A pushing,
clear-eyed, stout-hearted man; much cleverness and sureness in what
he did and forbore to do. His adventures were manifold; he had much
travelling about: was at Regensburg, at Mannheim; saw many persons
whom he had to judge of on the instant, and speak frankly to, or speak
darkly, or speak nothing; and he made no mistake. One of his best
counsellors, I gather, was Duchess Clement: of course it was not long
till Duchess Clement heard some inkling of him; till, in some of his
goings and comings, he saw Duchess Clement, who hailed him as an angel
of light. In one journey more mysterious than ever, "he was three
days invisible in Duchess Clement's Garden-house." "AH, MADAME, QUE
N'ETIEZ-VOUS ELECTEUR, Why were not you Elector!" writes Friedrich to
her once: "We should not have seen those shameful events, which every
good German must blush for, to the bottom of his heart (DONT TOUT BON
ALLEMAND DOIT ROUGIR JUSQU'AU FOND DU COEUR)!" [Preuss, iv. 94.]

We cannot afford the least narrative of Gortz and his courses:
imagination, from a few traits, will sufficiently conceive them. He had
gone first to Karl Theodor's Minister: "Dead to it, I fear; has already
signed?" Alas, yes. Upon which to Zweibruck