CHAPTER XXXV
THE DECENT SERVITOR
"This grows past all bearing," cried the Prince one morning, when he hadsummoned into his hall the Chancellor Dessauer and myself. For, thoughthe Prince was still wont to command in person in any important action,and in the general policy of his realm took counsel with none, yet it hadsomehow come about that we, the old man and the young, had beenconstituted an informal council of two which was liable to be summoned atany moment, whenever the Prince was weary or troubled.
He struck one clinched hand into the palm of the other before hespoke again.
"Duke Casimir is either in his dotage, or his riders have gotten out ofhand since Hugo and you drove the young wolf over to help the old. Bothare likely enough, with a people praying for deliverance and yearning fortheir Duke's death. A bare board and an empty treasury may render a newcourse of plunder necessary abroad, in order to keep his Dukedom fromtoppling about his ears at home. After all, 'tis natural enough. But Ihad thought that he would have had enough of sense to let the borders ofPlassenburg alone so long as its Prince lived."
"And what, my lord, has befallen?" asked the High Councillor.
"Why," cried the Prince, "the Black Riders of the Wolfmark are out again,and have left their ancient trail behind them in slain men and franticwomen--and on our borders, too, among our kindly husbandmen, our honest,sunburnt peasants. Bitterly shall Casimir Ironteeth rue the day that hemeddled with Karl Miller's Son."
"Your Highness," I said, "this is indeed madness. We have but to collectour forces, choose a time, and, lo! we are within the town of Thorn! Oncethere, we would be welcomed by man, woman, and child. We could thenbesiege the Wolfsberg, and in three days make an end."
"Aye, that is it," said the Prince, grimly; "you have hit it, Hugo. We_will_ make an end."
"Also, my Prince," I went on, boldly, "so ye give me leave and approve ofmy design, I will go alone to the town of Thorn, and bring you back wordof their power and dispositions. Save the Count von Reuss, there is nonewho could now recognize me within the city walls."
"What think ye, Dessauer?" said the Prince, looking over at the HighChancellor.
"I think well," said he, a little doubtfully; "but would it not bebetter that two should go than that one should adventure alone into thewolf's den ?"
"Surely it were better to keep the matter between our three selves," thePrince made answer; "not even the Princess must know of our attempt. Keepa candle flame within the hollow of your palm, and though the wind blowthe sparks will not fly far."
"I will go with the lad, Prince Karl," said the Chancellor, firmly. "Inmy youth I had some practice as a leech. I am acquainted with the art ofhealing. I could travel either as a doctor of healing, as a travellingphilosopher seeking disputation with the scholars of each country, or,perhaps best of all, in mine own quality of a doctor of law. And in anycase this young man might with all safety be my pupil or servant,whichever best liketh him."
"Servant, then," said I, "for the art of disputation I have hithertochiefly undertaken with my fists and side-irons. And as to surgery, I ammore practised in the giving of wounds than in the healing of them."
The Prince leaned his head upon his hand. He thought carefully over ourproposal, taking up point after point, resolving difficulty afterdifficulty in his mind, as was his wont.
"How long would you be away?" he asked, looking up at us.
"Ten days, Prince," said I. "Give us but ten days and we will return."
"I will give you eight, and if ye are not home again on the eve of thelast, as sure as I am Karl Miller's Son, the army of Plassenburg will bethundering on the walls of Thorn seeking for a wandering Chancellor and alost Hugo Gottfried!"
And so it was arranged. We of the Prince's staff were indeed in greatneed of such a mission, for we had heard nothing from Thorn or theWolfmark during many months; no tidings, at all events, that could berelied upon. For the cutting up of our frontiers by new raids, and theseverance of all relations between us and the dwellers in the Wolfmark,through fear of reprisals, caused us to hear little news but such as wasmanifest lies.
As thus: Duke Casimir was collecting a great army, magnificent withcannon and munitions of war. He was shut up tight in the Wolfsberg, notdaring to show his face to his own citizens. He would appear some fineday before the Palace of Plassenburg and slay every man of us. He was ina madman's cell, and Otho von Reuss was Duke of the Mark in his place.
These were only a few of the stories which were brought to regale usdaily. And since there was no certainty anywhere, we were all in the darkconcerning the military matters which it behooved us greatly to beacquainted with. Therefore I was honestly eager for my master's sake toundertake the perilous journey. But to tell the whole truth, the factthat I had not had a word from the Little Playmate, not so much as a lineof script nor a verbal message since her disappearance, made me moreeager to go than the high politics of a dozen provinces.
Since the duel, and the final declaring of my love for Helene, I had seenbut little of the Princess. Indeed, I kept out of her way, so far atleast as I could. And the Lady Ysolinde remained mostly in her owndomains--to which, of late, I had been less and less invited.Nevertheless, when we met, she was more than kind to me--gentle,forbearing, pathetic almost in bearing and demeanor, like as a womanwronged, slighted, misconstrued.
Also there was sent to my quarters a new banner for my following,broidered and blazoned in yellow and blue, a saddle-cloth of silk for myhorse, fine as a woman's robe, with a crowned Y faint and small in thecorner, lettered in straw-colored gold. No man could help being touchedby such kindly thought, which, after all, is more than mere liberality.
Yet I saw a sight upon her stairs one night which awoke me with a suddenstart to the fact that we had one to reckon with in our journeying to thecity of Thorn whom we had not as yet taken into consideration.
For it chanced that I was passing up to the Prince's apartments by thequicker way, through corridors and by stairs to which he had given meprivate access. And there, upon the steps leading to the Lady Ysolinde'srooms, I saw the decent servitor of Master Gerard stand waiting. Hestared as hard at me as I did at him. But whereas his smooth, silent,secret face remained with me, and I knew him at a glance, it was, Ijudged, clean impossible that he could know the beardless stripling inthe mustached leader of soldiers, walking well-accustomed and unafraidthrough palaces.
The man had a letter in his hand, and I saw him deliver it to a maid whocame to the dividing curtain to take it.
So there was later news from the city of Thorn within the Palace ofPlassenburg than we of the Prince's council of three possessed. Should Itell our Karl of this encounter? I thought it might be safer not. Becausethe Prince was the last man to attempt to obtain aught from his wife bycompulsion, and any question, direct or indirect, might only put her uponher guard.
If I let him into the secret, the Prince would be most likely to stridestraight into the Princess's rooms with the brusque words: "Gottfried hasseen a letter come to you from your father--what were its contents?"
And that would not suit us at all.
So, rightly or wrongly, I kept the matter from my master, speaking of itonly to Dessauer. And if aught befel from my reticence, it was at least Imyself who bore the burden, and, in the final event, paid the penalty.