dent that evening, also a trusted friend of her son?
But by what charm had the Count retained the favor of the Empress and at the same time gained that of her son? The mother and her son formed two antagonistic forces which were always, both secretly and publicly, opposing each other. It was a struggle between antiquated conservatism and modern liberalism. The charm with which Felsenburk pleased both sides did not arise from his courtier-like manners, but simply from his knowing nothing about the questions on which they differed. He was not interested in religious and social questions; he was worldly, and above all he was a soldier—an Austrian soldier. He had formerly filled one of the highest positions in the army, which he gave up only during time of peace, and which at the first shout of war he intended to resume. The triumph of the Austrian army, the glory of his ruler’s court, and under its protection, the progress of his own family and the increase of his own wealth and might—these
