Page 157 - A Jacobite Exile

that some of them passed through Sweden on the way to establish
themselves there, and I may very well have made their acquaintance at

Gottenburg or Stockholm.

"Once established in the house of one of my countrymen, your position
would be fairly safe and not altogether unpleasant, and you would be
certainly far better off than a Swede would be engaged on this mission. The

Swedes are, of course, regarded by the Poles as enemies, but, as there is no
feeling against Englishmen or Scotchmen, you might pass about unnoticed

as one of the family of a Scottish trader there, or as his assistant."

"I don't fear its being unpleasant in the least, colonel. Nor do I think

anything one way or the other about my safety. I only fear that I shall not
be able to carry out properly the mission intrusted to me."

"You will do your best, lad, and that is all that can be expected. You have
not solicited the post, and as it is none of your choosing, your failure would

be the fault of those who have sent you, and not of yourself; but in a matter
of this kind there is no such thing as complete failure. When you have to

deal with one man you may succeed or you may fail in endeavouring to
induce him to act in a certain manner, but when you have to deal with a
considerable number of men, some will be willing to accept your proposals,

some will not, and the question of success will probably depend upon
outside influences and circumstances over which you have no control

whatever. I have no fear that it will be a failure. If our party in Poland
triumph, or if our army here advances, or if Augustus, finding his position
hopeless, leaves the country, the good people of Warsaw will join their

voices to those of the majority. If matters go the other way, you may be
sure that they will not risk imprisonment, confiscation, and perhaps death,

by getting up a revolt on their own account. The king will be perfectly
aware of this, and will not expect impossibilities, and there is really no
occasion whatever for you to worry yourself on that ground."

Upon calling upon Count Piper the next morning, Charlie found that, as the

colonel had told him, his mission was a general one.