Like a flash his alert mind saw the
full purport of the bombshell Cologne had so carelessly tossed between
himself and his henchman. Cologne, having lost everything, had now
proved clever enough to set by the ears those who overruled him by their
united vote. If this girl were made Empress she would be entirely under
the influence of her uncle, of whose household she had been a pliant
member ever since childhood. Yet what was Mayence to do? Should he
object to the nomination, he would at once obliterate the unswerving
loyalty of Treves, and if this happened, Treves and Cologne, joining,
would outvote him, and his objection would prove futile. He would enrage
Treves without carrying his own point, and he knew that he held his
position only because of the dog-like fidelity of the weaker man. Slow
anger rose in his heart as he pictured the conditions of the future.
Whatever influence he sought to exert upon the Emperor by the indirect
assistance of the Empress, must be got at through the complacency of
Treves, who would gradually come to appreciate his own increased
importance.
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