"And yet you have already conducted and executed matters so grandly, so
admirably, father! You have no idea with what rapture they think of you
and your performances at the imperial court. Emperor Ferdinand spoke of
you as his most trusted and beloved servant, and Father Silvio called you
a lamp of the faith and a faithful son of the Church, through whom many
will yet be saved."

"Yes, many shall yet be brought within the ark of safety by my means!"
cried Count Adam, in a lively manner. "I know what I purpose, I know the
great aims after which I have striven for twenty years with intrepid
spirit, with ardor never to be chilled. My son, with you I make no secret
of my aims, and you must know them, that you may stand unflinching at my
side. It is true, I am ambitious. I thirst for fame; it is true, I have
labored for myself and forwarded my own personal interests as much as I
could. My aims, however, are not restricted to these private interests,
they are higher, nobler! I am the faithful servant and subject of my
Emperor and lord; I am the believing and zealous son of our holy Church.
To the Emperor and the Church belong the fruits of my striving and my
energy, and to promote the greatness and consideration of both is the
ultimate object of all my labors and all my schemes."

"And I, most gracious father, will take my station firmly at your side,"
said Count Adolphus fervently. "You will ever find in me an attentive
pupil, eager to learn."

"We have both a great mission to fulfill," exclaimed Count Adam, "and it
is well for us sometimes to place this clearly before our eyes, in order
to be ever mindful of it, and never to forget it even in the pursuance of
private ends. You, too, remember this, my son, and act accordingly. To the
Emperor and the Church be all our services dedicated! To render the