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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy
+
+Author: Charles Major
+
+Release Date: April 16, 2004 [EBook #12057]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOLANDA: MAID OF BURGUNDY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charlie Kirschner and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+YOLANDA
+
+MAID OF BURGUNDY
+
+_By_ CHARLES MAJOR
+
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+CHARLOTTE WEBER DITZLER
+
+_MCMV_
+
+1905.
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER I
+A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS
+
+CHAPTER II
+KNIGHTS-ERRANT
+
+CHAPTER III
+YOLANDA THE SORCERESS
+
+CHAPTER IV
+DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY
+
+CHAPTER V
+WHO IS YOLANDA?
+
+CHAPTER VI
+DUKE CHARLES THE RASH
+
+CHAPTER VII
+A RACE WITH THE DUKE
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+ON THE MOAT BRIDGE
+
+CHAPTER IX
+THE GREAT RIDDLE
+
+CHAPTER X
+THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL
+
+CHAPTER XI
+PERONNE LA PUCELLE
+
+CHAPTER XII
+A LIVE WREN PIE
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+A BATTLE IN MID AIR
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS
+
+CHAPTER XV
+THE CROSSING OF A "T"
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+PARTICEPS CRIMINIS
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+TRIAL BY COMBAT
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+MAX GOES TO WAR
+
+CHAPTER XX
+A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+MAX AND YOLANDA
+KARL AND MAX AT HAPSBURG CASTLE
+MAX
+THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY
+MAX AT THE GATE OF THE LISTS
+
+
+
+YOLANDA
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS
+
+Like the Israelites of old, mankind is prone to worship false gods, and
+persistently sets up the brazen image of a sham hero, as its idol. I
+should like to write the history of the world, if for no other reason
+than to assist several well-established heroes down from their
+pedestals. Great Charlemagne might come to earth's level, his
+patriarchal, flowing beard might drop from his face, and we might see
+him as he really was--a plucked and toothless old savage, with no more
+Christianity than Jacob, and with all of Jacob's greed. Richard of
+England, styled by hero-worshippers "The Lion-hearted," might be
+re-christened "The Wolf-hearted," and the famous Du Guesclin might seem
+to us a half-brutish vagabond. But Charles of Burgundy, dubbed by this
+prone world "The Bold" and "The Rash," would take the greatest fall. Of
+him and his fair daughter I shall speak in this history.
+
+At the time of which I write Louis XI reigned over France, Edward IV
+ruled in England, and his sister, the beautiful Margaret of York, was
+the unhappy wife of this Charles the Rash, and stepmother to his gentle
+daughter Mary. Charles, though only a duke in name, reigned as a most
+potent and despotic king over the fair rich land of Burgundy. Frederick
+of Styria was head of the great house of Hapsburg, and Count Maximilian,
+my young friend and pupil, was his heir.
+
+Of the other rulers of Europe I need not speak, since they will not
+enter this narrative. They were all bad enough,--and may God have mercy
+on their souls.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Most of the really tragic parts in the great drama of history have been
+played by women. This truth I had always dimly known, yet one does not
+really know a fact until he feels it. I did not realize the extent to
+which these poor women of history have suffered in the matter of
+enforced marriages, until the truth was brought home to me in the person
+of Mary, Princess of Burgundy, to whose castle, Peronne La Pucelle, my
+pupil, Maximilian of Hapsburg, and I made a journey in the year 1476.
+
+My knowledge of this fair lady began in far-off Styria, and there I
+shall begin my story.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In times of peace, life in Hapsburg Castle was dull; in times of war it
+was doleful. War is always grievous, but my good mistress, the Duchess
+of Styria, was ever in such painful dread lest evil should befall her
+only child, Maximilian, that the pains of war-time were rendered doubly
+keen to those who loved Her Grace.
+
+After Maximilian had reached the fighting age there was too little war
+to suit him. Up to his eighteenth year he had thrice gone out to war,
+and these expeditions were heart-breaking trials for his mother.
+Although tied to his mother's apron strings by bonds of mutual love, he
+burned with the fire and ambition of youth; while I, reaching well
+toward my threescore years, had almost outlived the lust for strife. Max
+longed to spread his wings, but the conditions of his birth held him
+chained to the rocks of Styria, on the pinnacle of his family's empty
+greatness.
+
+Perched among the mountain crags, our castle was almost impregnable; but
+that was its only virtue as a dwelling-place. Bare walls, stone floors,
+sour wine, coarse boar's meat, brown bread, and poor beds constituted
+our meagre portion.
+
+Duke Frederick was poor because his people were poor. They lived among
+the rocks and crags, raised their goats, ploughed their tiny patches of
+thin earth, and gave to the duke and to each man his due. They were
+simple, bigoted, and honest to the heart's core.
+
+Though of mean fortune, Duke Frederick was the head of the great House
+of Hapsburg, whose founders lived in the morning mists of European
+history and dwelt proudly amid the peaks of their mountain home. Our
+castle in Styria was not the original Castle Hapsburg. That was built
+centuries before the time of this story, among the hawks' crags of
+Aargau in Switzerland. It was lost by the House of Hapsburg many years
+before Max was born. The castle in Styria was its namesake.
+
+To leaven the poor loaf of life in Castle Hapsburg, its inmates enjoyed
+the companionship of the kindest man and woman that ever graced a high
+estate--the Duke and Duchess of Styria. Though in their little court,
+life was rigid with the starch of ceremony, it was softened by the
+tenderness of love. All that Duke Frederick asked from his subjects was
+a bare livelihood and a strict observance of ceremonious conventions.
+Those who approached him and his son did so with uncovered head and
+bended knee. An act of personal familiarity would have been looked on as
+high treason. Taxes might remain unpaid, laws might be broken, and there
+was mercy in the ducal heart; but a flaw in ceremony was unpardonable.
+
+The boar's meat and the brown bread were eaten in state; the sour wine
+was drunk solemnly; and going to bed each night was an act of national
+importance. Such had been the life of this house for generations, and
+good Duke Frederick neither would nor could break away from it.
+
+Of all these painful conditions young Max was a suffering victim. Did
+he sally forth to stick a wild boar or to kill a bear, the Master of the
+Hunt rode beside him in a gaudy, faded uniform. Fore-riders preceded
+him, and after-riders followed. He was almost compelled to hunt by
+proxy, and he considered himself lucky to be in at the death. The bear,
+of course, was officially killed by Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, no
+matter what hand dealt the blow. Maximilian, being the heir of Hapsburg,
+must always move with a slow dignity becoming his exalted station. He
+must, if possible, always act through an officer; I verily believe that
+Duke Frederick, his father, regretted the humiliating necessity of
+eating his own dinner.
+
+Poor Max did not really live; he was an automaton.
+
+Once every year Duke Frederick gave a tournament, the cost of which, in
+entertainments and prizes, consumed fully two-thirds of his annual
+income. On these occasions punctilious ceremony took the place of rich
+wine, and a stiff, kindly welcome did service as a feast. These
+tournaments were rare events for Max; they gave him a day of partial
+rest from his strait-jacket life at the little court among the crags.
+
+I shall give you here ten lines concerning myself. I am Italian by
+birth--a younger son of the noble House of Pitti. I left home when but
+little more than a boy. Journeying to the East, I became Sir Karl de
+Pitti, Knight of the Holy Order of St. John, and in consequence I am
+half priest, half soldier. My order and my type are rapidly passing
+away. I fought and prayed in many lands during twenty years. To be
+frank, I fought a great deal more than I prayed. Six years out of the
+twenty I spent in Burgundy, fighting under the banner of Duke Philip the
+Good, father to Charles the Rash. My mother was a Burgundian--a
+Walloon--and to her love for things German I owe my name, Karl. During
+my service under Duke Philip I met my Lord d'Hymbercourt, and won that
+most valuable of all prizes, a trusted friend.
+
+Fifteen years before the opening of this story I grew tired of fighting.
+How I drifted, a sort of human flotsam, against the crags of Styria
+would be a long, uninteresting story. By a curious combination of events
+I assumed the duties of tutor to the small count, Maximilian of
+Hapsburg, then a flaxen-haired little beauty of three summers. I taught
+him all that was needful from books, and grounded him fairly well in
+church lore, but gave my best efforts to his education in arms.
+
+Aside from my duties as instructor to the young count, I was useful in
+many ways about the castle. By reason of the half of me that was
+priestly, I could, upon occasion, hear confession, administer the holy
+sacrament, and shrive a sinner as effectively as the laziest priest in
+Christendom. I could also set a broken bone, and could mix as bitter a
+draught as any Jew out of Judea. So, you will see, I was a useful member
+of a household wherein ancestry took the place of wealth, and pride was
+made to stand for ready cash.
+
+The good duke might have filled his coffers by pillaging travellers, as
+many of his neighbors did; but he scorned to thrive by robbery, and
+lived in grandiose but honest penury.
+
+Max took readily to the use of arms, and by the time he was eighteen,
+which was three years before our now famous journey to Burgundy, a
+strong, time-hardened man might well beware of him. When the boy was
+fourteen or fifteen, I began to see in him great possibilities. In
+personal beauty and strength he was beyond compare. His eyes were as
+blue as an Italian sky, and his hair fell in a mass of tawny curls to
+his shoulders. His mother likened him to a young lion. Mentally he was
+slow, but his judgment was clear and accurate. Above all, he was honest,
+and knew not fear of man, beast, or devil. His life in Styria, hedged
+about by ceremonious conventions, had given him an undue portion of
+dignity and reticence, but that could easily be polished down by
+friction with the rougher side of the world. Except myself and his
+mother, he had never known a real friend.
+
+To Max the people of the world were of two conditions: a very small
+class to whom he must kneel, and a very large number who must kneel to
+him. Even his mother addressed him publicly as "My Lord Count." On rare
+occasions, in the deep privacy of her closet, mother-love would get the
+better of her and break through the crust of ceremony. Then she indulged
+herself and him in the ravishing, though doubtful, luxury of calling him
+"Little Max." No one but I, and perhaps at rare intervals Duke
+Frederick, ever witnessed this lapse from dignity on the part of Her
+Grace, and we, of course, would not expose her weakness to the world.
+
+This love-name clung to Max, and "Little Max," though somewhat
+incongruous, was pretty when applied to a strapping fellow six feet two
+and large of limb in proportion.
+
+When the boy approached manhood, I grew troubled lest this strait-jacket
+existence in Styria should dwarf him mentally and morally. So I began to
+stir cautiously in the matter of sending him abroad into the world. My
+first advances met with a rebuff.
+
+"It is not to be thought of," said the duke.
+
+"Send the count out to the rude world to associate with underlings?
+Never!" cried the duchess, horrified and alarmed.
+
+I had expected this, and I was not daunted. I renewed the attack from
+different points, and after many onslaughts, I captured the bailey of
+the parental fortresses; that is, I compelled them to listen to me. My
+chief point of attack was Max himself. He listened readily enough, but
+he could not see how the thing was to be done. When I spoke of the
+luxuries of Italy and Burgundy, and told him of deeds of prowess
+performed daily throughout the world by men vastly his inferior, his
+eyes brightened and his cheek flushed. When I talked of wealth to be won
+and glory to be achieved in those rich lands, and hinted at the barren
+poverty of Styria, he would sigh and answer:--
+
+"Ah, Karl, it sounds glorious, but I was born to this life, and father
+and mother would not forgive me if I should seek another destiny. Fate
+has fixed my lot, and I must endure it."
+
+I did not cease my lay; and especially was the fat land of Burgundy my
+theme, for I knew it well. Max would listen in enraptured silence. When
+he was eighteen, I wrote, with deep-seated purpose, several letters to
+my friend Lord d'Hymbercourt, who was at the time one of the councillors
+of Charles the Rash, Duke of Burgundy. In those letters I dwelt at
+length on the virtues, strength, and manly beauty of my pupil.
+
+I knew that Charles often negotiated with other states the marriage of
+his only child and heiress, Princess Mary. This form of treaty appeared
+to be almost a mania with the rash Burgundian. I also knew that in no
+instance had he ever intended to fulfil the treaty. His purpose in each
+case was probably to create a temporary alliance with that one state
+while he was in trouble with another. His daughter would inherit a
+domain richer than that of any king in Europe, and the duke certainly
+would be contented with nothing less than the hand of an heir to a
+crown. Suitors for the fair Mary came from every land. All were
+entertained; but the princess remained unbetrothed.
+
+A few broad hints in my letters to Hymbercourt produced the result I so
+much desired. One bright day our castle was stirred to its
+foundation-stones by the arrival of a messenger from Duke Charles of
+Burgundy, bearing the following missive:--
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"To His Grace, Duke Frederick of Styria, Elector of the Holy Roman
+Empire, and Count of Austria; Charles, Duke of Burgundy and Count of
+Charolois, sends greeting:--
+
+"The said Duke Charles recommends himself to the most puissant Duke
+Frederick, and bearing in mind the great antiquity and high nobility of
+the illustrious House of Hapsburg, begs to express his desire to bind
+the said noble House to Burgundy by ties of marriage.
+
+"To that end, His Grace of Burgundy, knowing by fame the many virtues
+of the young and valiant Count of Hapsburg, son to His Grace, Duke
+Frederick, would, if it pleasures the said illustrious Duke Frederick,
+suggest the appointment of commissioners by each of the high contracting
+parties for the purpose of drawing a treaty of marriage between the
+noble Count of Hapsburg and our daughter, Princess Mary of Burgundy. The
+said commissioners shall meet within six months after the date of these
+presents and shall formulate indentures of treaty that shall be
+submitted to His Grace of Styria and His Grace of Burgundy.
+
+"The lady of Burgundy sends herewith a letter and a jewel which she
+hopes the noble Count of Hapsburg will accept as tokens of her esteem.
+
+"May God and the Blessed Virgin keep His Grace of Styria in their
+especial care."
+
+Signed with a flourish. "CHARLES."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+This letter did not deceive me. I did not think for a moment that
+Charles meant to give his daughter to Max. But it answered my purpose by
+bringing Max to a realization of the nothingness of life in Styria, and
+opening his eyes to the glorious possibilities that lay in the great
+world beyond the mountain peaks.
+
+Burgundy's missive produced several effects in the household of Castle
+Hapsburg, though none were shown on the surface. I was glad, but, of
+course, I carefully concealed the reasons for my pleasure from His
+Grace. Duke Frederick was pleased to his toes and got himself very drunk
+on the strength of it. Otherwise he smothered his delight. He "was not
+sure"; "was not quite disposed to yield so great a favor to this
+far-away duke"; "the count is young; no need for haste," and so on. The
+duke had no intention whatever of sending such messages to Burgundy; he
+simply wished to strut before his little court. Charles most certainly
+would receive a pompous and affirmative answer. The poor duchess, torn
+by contending emotions of mother-love and family pride, was flattered by
+Burgundy's offer; but she was also grieved.
+
+"We do not know the lady," she said. "Fame speaks well of her, but the
+report may be false. She may not be sufficiently endued with religious
+enthusiasm."
+
+"She will absorb that from Your Grace," I answered.
+
+Her Grace thought that she herself was religious and tried to impress
+that belief on others; but Max was her god. In truth she was jealous of
+any woman who looked on him twice, and she kept at the castle only the
+old and harmless of the dangerous sex. She would have refused Burgundy's
+offer quickly enough if her heart had been permitted to reply.
+
+The effect of the letter on Max was tremendous. He realized its
+political importance, knowing full well that if he could add the rich
+domain of Burgundy to the Hapsburg prestige, he might easily achieve the
+imperial throne. But that was his lesser motive. Hymbercourt's letters
+to me had extolled Mary's beauty and gentleness. Every page had sung her
+praises. These letters I had given to Max, and there had sprung up in
+his untouched heart a chivalric admiration for the lady of Burgundy. He
+loved an ideal. I suppose most men and every woman will understand his
+condition. It was truly an ardent love.
+
+Max kept Hymbercourt's letters, and would hide himself on the
+battlements by the hour reading them, dreaming the dreams of youth and
+worshipping at the feet of his ideal,--fair Mary of Burgundy, his
+unknown lady-love.
+
+Before the arrival of the messenger from Duke Charles, Max spoke little
+of the Burgundian princess; but the message gave her a touch of reality,
+and he began to open his heart to me--his only confidant.
+
+There seemed to have been a reciprocal idealization going on in the
+far-off land of Burgundy. My letters to Hymbercourt, in which you may be
+sure Max's strength and virtues lost nothing, fell into the hands of
+Madame d'Hymbercourt, and thus came under the eyes of Princess Mary.
+That fair little lady also built in her heart an altar to an unknown
+god, if hints in Hymbercourt's letters were to be trusted. Her maidenly
+emotions were probably far more passive than Max's, though I have been
+told that a woman's heart will go to great lengths for the sake of an
+ideal. Many a man, doubtless, would fall short in the estimation of his
+lady-love were it not for those qualities with which she herself
+endows him.
+
+Whatever the lady's sentiments may have been, my faith in Hymbercourt's
+hints concerning them were strengthened by Mary's kindly letter and the
+diamond ring for Max which came with her father's message to Styria.
+They were palpable facts, and young Max built an altar in his holy of
+holies, and laid them tenderly upon it.
+
+Duke Frederick, with my help, composed a letter in reply to Burgundy's
+message. It required many days of work to bring it to a form sufficient
+in dignity, yet ample in assent. The missive must answer "yes" so
+emphatically as to leave no room for doubt in Burgundy's mind, yet it
+must show no eagerness on the part of Styria. (Duke Frederick always
+spoke of himself as Styria.) Burgundy must be made to appreciate the
+honor of this alliance; still, the fact must not be offensively
+thrust upon him.
+
+The letter was sent, and Charles of Burgundy probably laughed at it.
+Duke Frederick appointed commissioners and fixed Cannstadt as the place
+of meeting. Whatever Duke Charles's reasons for making the offer of
+marriage may have been, they probably ceased to exist soon afterward,
+for he never even replied to Duke Frederick's acceptance. For months
+Castle Hapsburg was in a ferment of expectancy. A watch stood from dawn
+till dusk on the battlements of the keep, that the duke might be
+informed of the approach of the Burgundian messenger--that never came.
+After a year of futile waiting the watch was abandoned. Anger, for a
+time, took the place of expectancy; Duke Frederick each day drowned his
+ill-humor in a gallon of sour wine, and remained silent on the subject
+of the Burgundian insult.
+
+Max's attitude was that of a dignified man. He showed neither anger nor
+disappointment, but he kept the letter and the ring that Mary had sent
+him and mused upon his love for his ideal--the lady he had never seen.
+
+A letter from Hymbercourt, that reached me nearly two years after this
+affair, spoke of a tender little maiden in Burgundy, whose heart
+throbbed with disappointment while it also clung to its ideal, as tender
+natures are apt to do. This hint in Hymbercourt's letter sank to the
+tenderest spot in Max's heart.
+
+On Max's twenty-first birthday he was knighted by the emperor. A grand
+tournament, lasting five days, celebrated the event, and Max proved
+himself a man among men and a knight worthy of his spurs. I had trained
+him for months in preparation for this, his first great trial of
+strength and skill. He was not lacking in either, though they would
+mature only with his judgment. His strength was beyond compare. A man
+could hardly span his great arm with both hands.
+
+Soon after Max was knighted, I brought up the subject of his journey
+into the world. I was again met by parental opposition; but Max was of
+age and his views had weight. If I could bring him to see the truth, the
+cause would be won. Unfortunately, it was not his desires I must
+overcome; it was his scruples. His head and his heart were full of false
+ideas and distorted motives absorbed from environment, inculcated by
+parental teaching, and inherited from twenty generations of fantastic
+forefathers. In-born motives in a conscientious person are stubborn
+tyrants, and Max was their slave. The time came when his false but
+honest standards cost him dearly, as you shall learn. But in Max's heart
+there lived another motive stronger than the will of man; it was love.
+Upon that string I chose to play.
+
+One day while we were sunning ourselves on the battlements, I touched,
+as if by chance, on the theme dear to his heart--Mary of Burgundy. After
+a little time Max asked hesitatingly:--
+
+"Have you written of late to my Lord d'Hymbercourt?"
+
+"No," I answered.
+
+A long pause followed; then Max continued: "I hope you will soon do so.
+He might write of--of--" He did not finish the sentence. I allowed him
+to remain in thought while I formulated my reply. After a time I said:--
+
+"If you are still interested in the lady, why don't you go to Burgundy
+and try to win her?"
+
+"That would be impossible," he answered.
+
+"No, no, Max," I returned, "not impossible--- difficult, perhaps, but
+certainly not impossible."
+
+"Ah, Karl, you but raise false hopes," he responded dolefully.
+
+"You could at least see her," I returned, ignoring his protest, "and
+that, I have been told, is much comfort to a lover!"
+
+"Indeed, it would be," said Max, frankly admitting the state of his
+heart.
+
+"Or it might be that if you saw her, the illusion would be dispelled."
+
+"I have little fear of that," he returned.
+
+"It is true," I continued, "her father's domains are the richest on
+earth. He is proud and powerful, noble and arrogant; but you are just as
+proud and just as noble as he. You are penniless, and your estate will
+be of little value; your father is poor, and his mountain crags are a
+burden rather than a profit; but all Europe boasts no nobler blood than
+that of your house. Lift it from its penury. You are worthy of this
+lady, were her estates multiplied tenfold. Win the estates, Max, and win
+the lady. Many a man with half your capacity has climbed to the pinnacle
+of fame and fortune, though starting with none of your prestige. Why do
+you, born a mountain lion, stay mewed up in this castle like a purring
+cat in your mother's lap? For shame, Max, to waste your life when love,
+fortune, and fame beckon you beyond these dreary hills and call to you
+in tones that should arouse ambition in the dullest breast."
+
+"Duke Charles has already insulted us," he replied.
+
+"But his daughter has not," I answered quickly.
+
+"That is true," returned Max, with a sigh, "but the Duke of Burgundy
+would turn me from his gates."
+
+"Perhaps he would," I replied, "if you should knock and demand surrender
+to Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg. Take another name; be for a time a
+soldier of fortune. Bury the Count of Hapsburg for a year or two; be
+plain Sir Max Anybody. You will, at least, see the world and learn what
+life really is. Here is naught but dry rot and mould. Taste for once the
+zest of living; then come back, if you can, to this tomb. Come, come,
+Max! Let us to Burgundy to win this fair lady who awaits us and
+doubtless holds us faint of heart because we dare not strike for her. I
+shall have one more sweet draught of life before I die. You will learn a
+lesson that will give you strength for all the years to come, and will
+have, at least, a chance of winning the lady. It may be one chance in a
+million; but God favors the brave, and you have no chance if you remain
+perched owl-like upon this wilderness of rock. Max, you know not what
+awaits you. Rouse yourself from this sloth of a thousand years, and
+strike fire from the earth that shall illumine your name to the end
+of time!"
+
+"But we have no money for our travels, and father has none to give me,"
+he answered.
+
+"True," I replied, "but I have a small sum in the hands of a merchant at
+Vienna that will support us for a time. When it is spent, we must make
+our bread or starve. That will be the best part of our experience. A
+struggle for existence sweetens it; and if we starve, we shall deserve
+the fate."
+
+After three days Max gave me his answer.
+
+"I will go with you, Karl," he said; "you have never led me wrong. If we
+starve, I shall not be much worse off than I am here in Styria. It hurts
+me to say that the love of my father and mother is my greatest danger;
+but it is true. They have lived here so long, feeding on the poor
+adulation of a poor people, that they do not see life truly. I have had
+none of the joys and pleasures which, my heart tells me, life holds. I
+have known nothing but this existence--hard and barren as the rocks that
+surround me. I must, in time, return to Styria and take up my burden,
+but, Karl, I will first live."
+
+After this great stand, Max and I attacked first the father fortress and
+then the mother stronghold. The latter required a long siege; but at
+last it surrendered unconditionally, and the day was appointed when Max
+and I should ride out in quest of fortune, and, perhaps,
+a-bride-hunting. Neither of us mentioned Burgundy. I confess to
+telling--at least, to acting--a lie. We said that we wished to go to my
+people in Italy, and to visit Rome, Venice, and other cities. I said
+that I had a small sum of gold that I should be glad to use; but I did
+not say how small it was, and no hint was dropped that the heir to
+Styria might be compelled to soil his hands by earning his daily bread.
+We easily agreed among ourselves that Max and I, lacking funds to travel
+in state befitting a prince of the House of Hapsburg, should go
+incognito. I should keep my own name, it being little known. Max should
+take the name of his mother's house, and should be known as Sir
+Maximilian du Guelph.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At last came the momentous day of our departure. The battlements of the
+gate were crowded with retainers, many of them in tears at losing "My
+young Lord, the Count." Public opinion in Castle Hapsburg unanimously
+condemned the expedition, and I was roundly abused for what was held to
+be my part in the terrible mistake. Such an untoward thing had never
+before happened in the House of Hapsburg. Its annals nowhere revealed a
+journey of an heir into the contaminating world. The dignity of the
+house was impaired beyond remedy, and all by the advice of a foreigner.
+There was no lack of grumbling; but of course the duke's will was law.
+If he wished to hang the count, he might do so; therefore the grumbling
+reached the duke's ears only from a distance.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+KNIGHTS-ERRANT
+
+The good mother had made a bundle for her son that would have brought a
+smile to my lips had it not brought tears to my eyes. There were her
+homely balsams to cure Max's ailments; true, he had never been ill, but
+he might be. There was a pillow of down for his head, and a lawn
+kerchief to keep the wind from his delicate throat. Last, but by no
+means least, was the dear old mother's greatest treasure, a tooth of St.
+Martin, which she firmly believed would keep her son's heart pure and
+free from sin. Of that amulet Max did not stand in need.
+
+We followed the Save for many leagues, and left its beautiful banks only
+to journey toward Vienna. At that city I drew my slender stock of gold
+from the merchant that had been keeping it for me, and bought a
+beautiful chain coat for Max. He already had a good, though plain, suit
+of steel plate which his father had given him when he received the
+accolade. I owned a good plate armor and the most perfect chain coat I
+have ever seen. I took it from a Saracen lord one day in battle, and
+gave him his own life in payment. Max and I each bore a long sword, a
+short sword, and a mace. We carried no lance. That weapon is burdensome,
+and we could get one at any place along our journey.
+
+I was proud of Max the morning we rode out of Vienna, true
+knights-errant, with the greatest princess in Europe as our objective
+prize. Truly, we were in no wise modest; but the God of heaven, the god
+of Luck, and the god of Love all favor the man that is bold enough to
+attempt the impossible.
+
+My stock of gold might, with frugality, last us three months, but after
+that we should surely have to make our own way or starve. We hoped that
+Max would be successful in filling our purses with prize money and
+ransoms, should we fall in with a tournament now and then; but, lacking
+that good fortune, we expected to engage ourselves as escorts to
+merchant caravans. By this kind of employment we hoped to be housed and
+fed upon our travels and to receive at each journey's end a good round
+sum of gold for our services. But we might find neither tournament nor
+merchant caravan. Then there would be trouble and hardship for us, and
+perhaps, at times, an aching void under our belts. I had often
+suffered the like.
+
+Ours, you see, was not to be a flower-strewn journey of tinselled prince
+to embowered princess. Before our return to Styria, Max would probably
+receive what he needed to make a man of him--hard knocks and rough
+blows in the real battle of life. Above all, he would learn to know the
+people of whom this great world is composed, and would return to
+Hapsburg Castle full of all sorts of noxious heresies, to the
+everlasting horror of the duke and the duchess. They probably would
+never forgive me for making a real live man of their son, but I should
+have my reward in Max.
+
+To Max, of course, the future was rosy-hued. Caravans were waiting for
+our protection, and princes were preparing tournaments for our special
+behoof. _We_ want for food to eat or place to lay our heads? Absurd! Our
+purses would soon be so heavy they would burden us; we should soon need
+squires to carry them. If it were not for our desire to remain
+incognito, we might presently collect a retinue and travel with herald
+and banner. But at the end of all was sweet Mary of Burgundy waiting to
+be carried off by Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg.
+
+Just what the boy expected to do in Burgundy, I did not know. For the
+lady's wealth I believe he did not care a straw--he wanted herself. He
+hoped that Charles, for his own peace, would not be too uncivil and
+would not force a desperate person to take extreme measures; but should
+this rash duke be blind to his own interests--well, let him beware! Some
+one _might_ carry off his daughter right from under the ducal nose. Then
+let the Burgundian follow at his peril. Castle Hapsburg would open his
+eyes. He would learn what an impregnable castle really is. If Duke
+Charles thought he could bring his soft-footed Walloons, used only to
+the mud roads of Burgundy, up the stony path to the hawk's crag, why,
+let him try! Harmless boasting is a boy's vent. Max did not really mean
+to boast, he was only wishing; and to a flushed, enthusiastic soul, the
+wish of to-day is apt to look like the fact of to-morrow.
+
+We hoped to find a caravan ready to leave Linz, but we were
+disappointed, so we journeyed by the Danube to the mouth of the Inn, up
+which we went to Muhldorf. There we found a small caravan bound for
+Munich on the Iser. From Munich we travelled with a caravan to Augsburg,
+and thence to Ulm, where we were overjoyed to meet once more our old
+friend, the Danube. Max snatched up a handful of water, kissed it, and
+tossed it back to the river, saying:--"Sweet water, carry my kiss to the
+river Save; there give it to a nymph that you will find waiting, and
+tell her to take it to my dear old mother in far-off Styria."
+
+Do not think that we met with no hard fortune in our journeying. My gold
+was exhausted before we reached Muhldorf, and we often travelled hungry,
+meeting with many lowly adventures. Max at first resented the
+familiarity of strangers, but hunger is one of the factors in
+man-building, and the scales soon began to fall from his eyes. Dignity
+is a good thing to stand on, but a poor thing to travel with, and Max
+soon found it the most cumbersome piece of luggage a knight-errant
+could carry.
+
+Among our misfortunes was the loss of the bundle prepared by the
+duchess, and with it, alas! St. Martin's tooth. Max was so deeply
+troubled by the loss of the tooth that I could not help laughing.
+
+"Karl, I am surprised that you laugh at the loss of my mother's sacred
+relic," said Max, sorrowfully.
+
+I continued to laugh, and said: "We may get another tooth from the first
+barber we meet. It will answer all the purposes of the one you
+have lost."
+
+"Truly, Karl?"
+
+"Truly," I answered. "The tooth was a humbug."
+
+"I have long thought as much," said Max, "but I valued it because my
+mother loved it."
+
+"A good reason, Max," I replied, and the tooth was never afterward
+mentioned.
+
+From Ulm we guarded a caravan to Cannstadt. From that city we hoped to
+go to Strasburg, and thence through Lorraine to Burgundy, but we found
+no caravan bound in that direction. Our sojourn at Cannstadt exhausted
+the money we got for our journeys from Augsburg and Ulm, and we were
+compelled, much against our will, to accept an offer of service with one
+Master Franz, a silk merchant of Basel, who was about to journey
+homeward. His caravan would pass through the Black Forest; perhaps the
+most dangerous country in Europe for travellers.
+
+Knowing the perils ahead of us, I engaged two stout men-at-arms, and
+late in February we started for Basel as bodyguard to good Master Franz.
+Think of the heir of Hapsburg marching in the train of a Swiss merchant!
+Max dared not think of it; he was utterly humiliated!
+
+Our first good fortune at Muhldorf he looked on as the deepest
+degradation a man might endure, but he could not starve, and he would
+not beg. Not once did he even think of returning to Styria, and, in
+truth, he could not have done so had he wished; our bridges were burned
+behind us; our money was spent.
+
+By the time we had finished half our journey to Basel, Max liked the
+life we were leading, and learned to love personal liberty, of which he
+had known so little. Now he could actually do what he wished. He could
+even slap a man on the back and call him "comrade." Of course, if the
+process were reversed,--if any one slapped Max on the back,--well,
+dignity is tender and not to be slapped. On several occasions Max got
+himself into trouble by resenting familiarities, and his difficulties at
+times were ludicrous. Once a fist fight occurred. The heir of Hapsburg
+was actually compelled to fight with his fists. He thrashed the poor
+fellow most terribly, and I believe would have killed him had not I
+stayed his hand. Another time a pretty girl at Augsburg became familiar
+with him, and Max checked her peremptorily. When he grew angry, she
+laughed, and saucily held up her lips for a kiss. Max looked at me in
+half-amused wonder.
+
+"Take it, Max; there is no harm in it," I suggested.
+
+Max found it so, and immediately wanted more, but the girl said too many
+would not be good for him. She promised others later on, if he were
+very, very good. Thus Max was conquered by a kiss at the wayside.
+
+The girl was very pretty, Max was very good, and she helped me
+wonderfully in reducing his superfluous dignity. Her name was Gertrude,
+and we spoke of her afterward as "Gertrude the Conqueror." She was a
+most enticing little individual, and Max learned that persons of low
+degree really may be interesting. That was his first great lesson. I had
+some trouble after leaving Augsburg to keep him from taking too many
+lessons of the same sort.
+
+Our contract with Franz provided that we should receive no compensation
+until after his merchandise had safely reached Basel, but then our
+remuneration was to be large. Max had no doubt as to the safe arrival of
+the caravan at Basel, and he rejoiced at the prospect. I tried to reduce
+the rosy hue of his dreams, but failed. I suggested that we might have
+fighting ahead of us harder than any we had known, though we had given
+and taken some rough knocks on two of our expeditions. Max laughed and
+longed for the fray; he was beginning to live. The fray came quickly
+enough after we reached the Black Forest, and the fight was sufficiently
+warm to suit even enthusiastic Max. He and I were wounded; one of our
+men-at-arms was killed, and Franz's life was saved only by an heroic
+feat of arms on Max's part. The robbers were driven off; we spent a
+fortnight in a near-by monastery, that our wounds might heal, and again
+started for Basel.
+
+During the last week in March we approached Basel. Max had saved the
+merchant's life; we had protected the caravan from robbery; and good
+Franz was grateful. Notwithstanding our sure reward, Max was gloomy. The
+future had lost its rosiness; his wound did not readily heal; Basel was
+half a hundred leagues off our road to Burgundy. Why did we ever come to
+Switzerland? Everything was wrong. But no man knows what good fortune
+may lurk in an evil chance.
+
+At the close of a stormy day we sighted Basel from the top of a hill,
+and soon the lights, one by one, began to twinkle cosily through the
+gloaming. All day long drizzling rain and spitting snow had blown in our
+faces like lance points, driven down the wind straight from the icy
+Alps. We were chilled to the bone; in all my life I have never beheld a
+sight so comforting as the home lights of the quaint old Swiss city.
+
+Franz soon found a wherry and, after crossing the Rhine, we marched
+slowly down the river street, ducking our heads to the blast. Within
+half an hour we passed under a stone archway and found ourselves snug in
+the haven of our merchant's courtyard. Even the sumpter mules rejoiced,
+and gave forth a chorus of brays that did one's heart good. Every tone
+of their voices spoke of the warm stalls, the double feed of oats, and
+the great manger of sweet hay that awaited them. Before going into the
+house Max gave to each mule a stroke of his hand in token of affection.
+Surely this proud automaton of Hapsburg was growing lowly in his tastes.
+In other words, nature had captured his heart and was driving out the
+inherited conventions of twenty generations. Five months of contact with
+the world had wrought a greater cure than I had hoped five years would
+work. I was making a man out of the flesh and blood of a Hapsburg. God
+only knows when the like had happened before.
+
+Max and I were conducted by a demure little Swiss maid to a large room
+on the third floor of the house, overlooking the Rhine. There was no
+luxury, but there was every comfort. There were two beds, each with a
+soft feather mattress, pillows of down, and warm, stuffed coverlets of
+silk. These were not known even in the duke's apartments at Hapsburg
+Castle. There we had tarnished gold cloth and ancient tapestries in
+abundance, but we lacked the little comforts that make life worth
+living. Here Max learned another lesson concerning the people of this
+world. The lowly Swiss merchant's unknown guest slept more comfortably
+than did the Duke of Styria.
+
+When we went down to supper, I could see the effort it cost Max to sit
+at table with these good people. But the struggle was not very great;
+five months before it would have been impossible. At Hapsburg he sat at
+table with his father and mother only; even I had never sat with him in
+the castle. At Basel he was sitting with a burgher and a burgher's frau.
+In Styria he ate boar's meat from battered silver plate and drank sour
+wine from superannuated golden goblets; in Switzerland he ate tender,
+juicy meats and toothsome pastries from stone dishes and drank rich
+Cannstadt beer from leathern mugs. His palate and his stomach jointly
+attacked his brain, and the horrors of life in Hapsburg appeared in
+their true colors.
+
+On the morning of our second day at Basel, Franz invited us to be his
+guests during our sojourn in the city. His house was large, having been
+built to entertain customers who came from great distances to buy
+his silks.
+
+Max and I had expected to leave Basel when our wounds were entirely
+healed, but we changed our minds after I had talked with Franz. The
+conversation that brought about this change occurred one morning while
+the merchant and I were sitting in his shop. He handed me a purse filled
+with gold, saying:--
+
+"Here is twice the sum I agreed to pay. I beg that you accept it since I
+shall still be in your debt."
+
+I knew by the weight of the gold that it was a larger sum than I had
+ever before possessed. I did not like to accept it, but I could not
+bring myself to refuse a thing so important to Max.
+
+"We should not accept this from you, good Franz, but--but--"
+
+"The boy saved my life and my fortune," he interrupted, "and I am really
+ashamed to offer you so small a sum. You should have half of all
+my goods."
+
+I protested and thanked him heartily, not only for his gift, but also
+for his manner of giving. Then I told him of our intended journey to
+Burgundy--of course not mentioning the princess--and asked if he knew of
+any merchant who would soon be travelling that way.
+
+"There are many going down the river from Basel to Strasburg," he
+answered, "and you may easily fall in with one any day. But there will
+soon be an opportunity for you to travel all the way to Burgundy. I
+know the very man for your purpose. He is Master George Castleman of
+Peronne. He comes every spring, if there is peace along the road, to buy
+silks. We now have peace, though I fear it will be of short duration,
+and I am expecting Castleman early this season. He will probably be here
+before the first of May. He is a rich merchant, and was one of the
+councillors of Duke Philip the Good, father to the present Duke of
+Burgundy. Years ago Duke Philip built a house for him abutting the walls
+of Peronne Castle. It is called 'The House under the Wall,' and
+Castleman still lives in it. He refused a title of nobility offered him
+by Duke Philip. He is not out of favor with the present duke, but he
+loves peace too dearly to be of use to the hot-headed, tempestuous
+Charles. Duke Charles, as you know, is really King of Burgundy--the
+richest land on earth. His domain is the envy of every king, but he will
+bring all his grandeur tumbling about his head if he perseveres in his
+present course of violence and greed."
+
+At that moment Max joined us.
+
+"I hear this Duke Charles has no son to inherit his rich domain?" I
+observed interrogatively.
+
+"No," answered Franz. "He has a daughter, the Princess Mary, who will
+inherit Burgundy. She is said to be as gentle as her father is violent.
+Castleman tells me that she is gracious and kind to those beneath her,
+and, in my opinion, that is the true stamp of greatness."
+
+Those were healthful words for Max.
+
+"The really great and good have no need to assert their qualities," I
+answered.
+
+"Castleman often speaks of the princess," said Franz. "He tells me that
+his daughter Antoinette and the Princess Mary have been friends since
+childhood--that is, of course, so far as persons so widely separated by
+birth and station can be friends."
+
+I briefly told Max what Franz had said concerning Castleman, and the
+young fellow was delighted at the prospect of an early start
+for Peronne.
+
+In Max's awakening, the radiance of his ideal may have been dimmed, but
+if so, the words of Franz restored its lustre. If the boy's fancy had
+wandered, it quickly returned to the lady of Burgundy.
+
+I asked Franz if Duke Charles lived at Peronne.
+
+"No, he lives at Ghent," he answered; "but on rare occasions he visits
+Peronne, which is on the French border. Duke Philip once lived there,
+but Charles keeps Peronne only as his watch-tower to overlook his old
+enemy, France. The enmity, I hope, will cease, now that the Princess
+Mary is to marry the Dauphin."
+
+This confirmation of a rumor which I had already heard was anything but
+welcome. However, it sensitized the feeling Max entertained for his
+unknown lady-love, and strengthened his resolution to pursue his
+journey to Burgundy at whatever cost.
+
+I led Franz to speak of Burgundian affairs and he continued:--
+
+"The princess and her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret, live at Peronne.
+They doubtless found life at Ghent with the duke too violent. It is said
+that the duchess is unhappily wedded to the fierce duke, and that the
+unfortunate princess finds little favor in her father's eyes because he
+cannot forgive her the grievous fault of being a girl."
+
+While Franz was talking I was dreaming. A kind providence had led us a
+half-hundred leagues out of our road, through wounds and hardships, to
+Basel; but that quiet city might after all prove to be the open doorway
+to Max's fortune. My air-castle was of this architecture: Max would win
+old Castleman's favor--an easy task. We would journey to Peronne, seek
+Castleman's house, pay court to Antoinette--I prayed she might not be
+too pretty--and--you can easily find your way over the rest of
+my castle.
+
+Within a fortnight Max and I had recovered entirely from our wounds, and
+were abroad each day in the growing warmth of the sunshine. We did not
+often speak of Castleman, but we waited, each day wishing for his
+speedy advent.
+
+At last, one beautiful evening early in May, he arrived. Max and I were
+sitting at our window watching the river, when the little company rode
+up to the door of the merchant's shop. With Castleman were two young
+women hardly more than girls. One of them was a pink and white young
+beauty, rather tall and somewhat stout. Her face, complexion, and hair
+were exquisite, but there was little animation in her expression. The
+other girl had features less regular, perhaps, but she was infinitely
+more attractive. She was small, but beautiful in form; and she sprang
+from her horse with the grace of a kitten. Her face was not so white as
+her companion's, but its color was entrancing. Her expression was
+animated, and her great brown eyes danced like twinkling stars on a
+clear, moonless night.
+
+The young women entered the house, and we saw nothing more of them for
+several days.
+
+When we met Castleman, he gladly engaged our services to Peronne, having
+heard from Franz of our adventures in the Black Forest. We left the
+terms to him, and he suggested a compensation far greater than we should
+have asked. The sum we received from Franz, together with that which we
+should get from Castleman, would place us beyond want for a year to
+come. Surely luck was with us.
+
+After Castleman's arrival our meals were served in our room, and we saw
+little of him or of Franz for a week or more. Twice I saw Castleman ride
+out with the young women, and after that I haunted the front door of
+the house. One bright afternoon I met them as they were about to
+dismount. Castleman was an old man and quite stout, so I helped him from
+his horse. He then turned to the fair girl of pink and white, saying:--
+
+"Antoinette, daughter, this is Sir Karl de Pitti, who will accompany us
+to Peronne."
+
+I made my bow and assisted Fräulein Antoinette to the ground. The other
+young lady sprang nimbly from her saddle without assistance and waited,
+as I thought, to be presented. Castleman did not offer to present her,
+and she ran to the house, followed by serene Antoinette. I concluded
+that the smaller girl was Fräulein Castleman's maid. I knew that great
+familiarity between mistress and servant was usual among the
+burgher class.
+
+The smaller girl was certainly attractive, but I did not care for her
+acquaintance. Antoinette was the one in whose eyes I hoped to find
+favor, first for myself and then for Max. By her help I hoped Max might
+be brought to meet the Princess of Burgundy when we should reach
+Peronne. I had little doubt of Max's success in pleasing Antoinette; I
+was not at all anxious that he should please the smaller maid. There was
+a saucy glance in her dark eyes, and a tremulous little smile constantly
+playing about her red, bedimpled mouth, that boded trouble to a
+susceptible masculine heart. Max, with all his simplicity, though not
+susceptible, had about him an impetuosity when his interest was aroused
+of which I had learned to stand in wholesome dread. I was jealous of any
+woman who might disturb his dreams of Mary of Burgundy, and this little
+maid was surely attractive enough to turn any man's head her way if she
+so desired.
+
+Later in the afternoon I saw Fräulein Antoinette in the shop looking at
+silks and laces. Hoping to improve the opportunity, I approached her,
+and was received with a serene and gracious smile. Near Antoinette were
+the saucy brown eyes and the bedimpled mouth. Truly they were
+exquisitely beautiful in combination, and, old as I was, I could not
+keep my eyes from them. The eyes and dimples came quickly to Antoinette,
+who presented me to her "Cousin Fräulein Yolanda Castleman." Fräulein
+Yolanda bowed with a grace one would not expect to find in a burgher
+girl, and said with the condescension of a princess:--
+
+"Sir Karl, you pleasure me."
+
+I was not prepared for her manner. She probably was _not_ Antoinette's
+maid. A pause followed my presentation which might have been meant by
+the brown-eyed maid as permission to withdraw. But I was for having
+further words with Antoinette. She, however, stepped back from her
+cousin, and, if I was to remain, I must speak to my lady Fräulein
+Yolanda Castleman or remain silent, so I asked,--
+
+"Do you reside in Basel, Fräulein?"
+
+"No, no," she replied, with no touch of bourgeois confusion, "I am a
+Burgundian. Uncle Castleman, after promising Twonette" (I spell the name
+as she pronounced it) "and me for years, has brought us on this long
+journey into the world. I am enjoying it more than any one can know, but
+poor uncle lives in dread of the journey home. He upbraids himself for
+having brought us and declares that if he but had us home again, nothing
+could induce him to start out with such a cargo of merchandise."
+
+"Well he may be fearful," I answered. "Where one's greatest treasure is,
+there is his greatest fear, but peace reigns on the road to Burgundy,
+and I hope your good uncle's fears are without ground save in his love."
+
+"I hear you are to accompany us, and of course we shall be safe," she
+said, the shadow of a smile playing suspiciously about her mouth and
+dancing in her eyes.
+
+"Yes, I am to have that great _honor_," I replied, bowing very low. I,
+too, could be sarcastic.
+
+"Does the--will the--the gentleman who is with you accompany us?" asked
+Fräulein Yolanda. So! These maidens of Burgundy had already seen my
+handsome Max! This one would surely be tempting him with her eyes and
+her irresistible little smile.
+
+"Yolanda!" exclaimed serene Twonette. Yolanda gave no heed.
+
+"Yes, Fräulein," I responded. "He goes with us. Do you live in Peronne?"
+
+"Y-e-s," she replied hesitatingly. "Where is your home and your
+friend's?"
+
+"Yolanda!" again came in tones of mild remonstrance from Fräulein
+Antoinette. The dimples again ignored the warning and waited for
+my answer.
+
+"We have no home at present save the broad earth, Fräulein," I
+responded.
+
+"You cannot occupy it all," she retorted, looking roguishly up to me.
+
+"No," I responded, "we are occupying this part of the earth at present,
+but we hope soon to occupy Burgundy."
+
+"Please leave a small patch of that fair land for Twonette and me," she
+answered, in mock entreaty. After a short pause she continued:--
+
+"It seems easier for you to ask questions than to answer them."
+
+"Fräulein," I responded, "your question is not easily answered. I was
+born in Italy. I lived for many years in the East, and--"
+
+"I did not ask for your biography," she said, interrupting me. I did not
+notice the interruption, but continued:--
+
+"I spent six years in your fair land of Burgundy. My mother was a
+Walloon. I dearly love her people, and hope that my home may soon be
+among them."
+
+The girl's face had been slightly clouded, but when I spoke lovingly of
+the Walloons, the dimples again played around her mouth and a smile
+brightened her eyes.
+
+"I also am a Walloon," she answered; "and your friend? He surely is not
+Italian: he is too fair."
+
+"The Lombards are fair," I answered, "and the Guelphs, you know, are of
+Lombardy. You may have heard of the Houses of Guelph and of Pitti."
+
+"I have often heard of them," she answered; then, after a short
+silence,--"I fear I have asked too many questions." A gentle, apologetic
+smile lighted her face and won me instantly. I liked her as much as I
+admired her. I knew that she wanted me to speak of Max, so to please her
+I continued, even against my inclination:--
+
+"My young friend, Sir Maximilian du Guelph, wanted to see the world. We
+are very poor, Fräulein, and if we would travel, we must make our way as
+we go. We have just come from Ulm and Cannstadt, passing through the
+Black Forest. Sir Max saved the life of our host, and in so doing was
+grievously wounded. Good Master Franz rewarded us far beyond our
+deserts, and for the time being we think we are rich."
+
+"The name Maximilian is not Italian," observed Yolanda. "It has an
+Austrian sound."
+
+"That is true," I responded. "My name, Karl, is German. Few names
+nowadays keep to their own country. Your name, Yolanda, for example,
+is Italian."
+
+"Is that true?" she answered inquiringly, taking up a piece of lace. I
+saw that the interview was closing. After a moment's hesitation Yolanda
+turned quickly to me and said:--
+
+"You and your friend may sup with us this evening in the dining room of
+our hostess. We take supper at five."
+
+The invitation was given with all the condescension of a noble lady.
+Twonette ventured:--
+
+"What will father say, Yolanda?"
+
+"I can guess what uncle will say, but we will give him his say and take
+our own way. Nonsense, Twonette, if we are to journey to Peronne with
+these gentlemen, our acquaintance with them cannot begin too soon. Come,
+Sir Karl, and--and bring your young friend, Sir Maximilian."
+
+It was clear to my mind that, without my young friend, Sir Maximilian, I
+should not have had the invitation. Yolanda then turned to Franz and his
+silks, and I, who had always thought myself of some importance, was
+dismissed by a burgher girl. I soothed my vanity with the thought that
+beauty has its own prerogatives.
+
+Without being little, Yolanda was small; without nobility, she had the
+_haute_ mien. But over and above all she had a sweet charm of manner, a
+saucy gentleness, and a kindly grace that made her irresistible. When
+she smiled, one felt like thanking God for the benediction.
+
+That evening at five o'clock Max and I supped with Frau Franz. The good
+frau and her husband sat at either end of the table, Castleman, his
+daughter, and Yolanda occupied one side, while I sat by Max opposite
+them. If Castleman had offered objection to the arrangement, he had
+been silenced.
+
+I was especially anxious that Max should devote himself to Twonette,
+but, as I had expected, Yolanda's attractions were far too great to be
+resisted. There was a slight Walloon accent in her French and German (we
+all spoke both languages) that gave to her voice an exquisite cadence. I
+spoke to her in Walloonish, and she was so pleased that she seemed to
+nestle toward me. In the midst of an animated conversation she suddenly
+became silent, and I saw her watching Max's hand. I thought she was
+looking at his ring. It was the one that Mary of Burgundy had given him.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+YOLANDA THE SORCERESS
+
+Several days passed, during which we saw the Castlemans frequently. One
+evening after supper, when we were all sitting in the parlor, Yolanda
+enticed Max to an adjoining room, on the excuse of showing him an
+ancient piece of tapestry. When it had been examined, she seated herself
+on a window bench and indicated a chair for Max near by. Among much that
+was said I quote the following from memory, as Max told me afterward:--
+
+"So you are from Italy, Sir Max?" queried Yolanda, stealing a glance at
+his ring.
+
+"Yes," returned Max.
+
+"From what part, may I ask?" continued the girl, with a slight
+inclination of her head to one side and a flash from beneath the
+preposterously long lashes toward his hand.
+
+"From--from Rome," stammered Max, halting at even so small a lie.
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl said you were from Lombardy," answered the girl.
+
+"Well--that is--originally, perhaps, I was," he returned.
+
+"Perhaps your family lives in both places?" she asked very seriously.
+
+"Yes, that is the way of it," he responded.
+
+"Were you born in both places?" asked Yolanda, without the shadow of a
+smile. Max was thinking of the little lie he was telling and did not
+analyze her question.
+
+"No," he answered, in simple honesty, "you see I could not be born in
+two places. That would be impossible."
+
+"Perhaps it would be," replied Yolanda, with perfect gravity. Max was
+five years her senior, but he was a boy, while she had the self-command
+of a quick-witted woman, though she still retained the saucy
+impertinence of childhood. Slow-going, guileless Max began to suspect a
+lurking intention on Yolanda's part to quiz him.
+
+"Did not Sir Karl say something about your having been born in Styria?"
+asked the girl, glancing slyly at the ring.
+
+"No, he did not," answered Max, emphatically. "I suppose I was born in
+Rome--no, I mean Lombardy--but it cannot matter much to you, Fräulein,
+where I was born if I do not wish to tell."
+
+The direct course was as natural to Max as breathing. The girl was
+startled by his abruptness. After a pause she continued:--
+
+"I am sure you are not ashamed of your birthplace, and--"
+
+He interrupted her sharply:--
+
+"I also am sure I am not ashamed of it."
+
+"If you had permitted me to finish," she said quietly, "you would have
+had no need to speak so sharply. I spoke seriously. I wanted to say that
+I am sure you have no reason to feel ashamed of your birthplace, and
+that perhaps I ought not to have asked a question that you evidently do
+not want to answer. Uncle says if my curiosity were taken from me, there
+would be nothing left but my toes."
+
+Her contrition melted Max at once, and he said:--
+
+I will gladly tell you, Fräulein, if you want to know. I was born--"
+
+"No, no," she interrupted, "you shall not tell me. I will leave you at
+once and see you no more if you do. Besides, there is no need to tell
+me; I already know. I am a sorceress, a witch. I regret to make the
+confession, but it is true; I am a witch."
+
+"I believe you are," answered Max, looking at her admiringly and seating
+himself beside her on the window bench. He had learned from Gertrude of
+Augsburg and many other burgher girls that certain pleasantries were
+more objectionable to them in theory than in practice; but this burgher
+girl rose to her feet at his approach and seemed to grow a head taller
+in an instant. He quietly took his old place and she took hers. She
+continued as if unconscious of what had happened:--
+
+"Yes, I am a sorceress." Then she drew her face close to Max, and,
+gazing fixedly into his eyes, said solemnly:--
+
+"I can look into a person's eyes and know if they are telling me the
+truth. I can tell their fortunes--past, present, and future. I can tell
+them where they were born. I can tell them the history of anything of
+value they have. Their jewellery, their--"
+
+"Tell me any one of those things concerning myself," interrupted Max,
+suddenly alive with interest.
+
+"No, it is too great a strain upon me," answered the girl, with amusing
+gravity.
+
+"I entreat you," said Max, laughing, though deeply interested. "I
+believe you can do what you say. I beg you to show me your skill in only
+one instance."
+
+The girl gently refused, begging Max not to tempt her.
+
+"No, no, I cannot," she said, "good Father Brantôme has told me it is
+sinful. I must not."
+
+Half in jest but all in earnest, Max begged her to try; and, after a
+great deal of coaxing, she reluctantly consented to give a very small
+exhibition of her powers. Covering her face with her hands, she remained
+for the space of a minute as if in deep thought. Then, making a series
+of graceful and fantastic passes in the air with her hands, as if
+invoking a familiar spirit, she said in low, solemn tones:--
+
+"You may now sit by me, Sir Max. My words must not be heard by any ears
+save yours."
+
+Max seated himself beside the girl.
+
+"Give me your word that you will tell no one what I am about to do and
+say," she said.
+
+"I so promise," answered Max, beginning to feel that the situation was
+almost uncanny.
+
+"Now, place in my hand some jewel or valued article of which I may
+speak," she said.
+
+Excepting his sword and dagger, Max owned but one article of value--the
+ring Mary of Burgundy had given him. He hesitatingly drew it from his
+finger and placed it in the girl's hand. She examined it carefully,
+and said:--
+
+"Now, give me your hand, Sir Max." Her hand was not much larger than a
+big snowflake in early spring, Max thought, and it was completely lost
+to sight when his great fingers closed over it. The velvety softness of
+the little hand sent a thrill through his veins, and the firm,
+unyielding strength of his clasp was a new, delicious sensation to the
+girl. Startled by it, she made a feeble effort to withdraw her hand; but
+Max clasped it firmly, and she surrendered. After a short silence she
+placed the ring to her forehead, closed her eyes, and drew her face so
+near to Max that he felt her warm breath on his cheek. Max was learning
+a new lesson in life--the greatest of all. She spoke in soft whispers,
+slowly dropping her words one by one in sepulchral tones:--
+
+"What--do--I see--surely I am wrong. No--I see clearly--a lady--a great
+lady--a princess. She smiles upon a man. He is tall and young. His face
+is fair; his hair falls in long, bright curls like yours. She gives him
+this ring; she asks him to be her husband--no--surely a modest maiden
+would not do that." She stopped suddenly, snatched her hand from Max,
+returned the ring and cried, "No more, no more!"
+
+She tossed her hands in the air, as if to drive off the spirits, and
+without another word ran to the parlor laughing, and threw herself on
+Uncle Castleman's knee. Max slowly made the sign of the cross and
+followed the little enchantress. She had most effectually imposed on
+him. He was inclined to believe that she had seen the ring or had heard
+of it in Burgundy before the princess sent it; but Yolanda could have
+been little more than a child at that time--three years before. Perhaps
+she was hardly past fourteen, and one of her class would certainly not
+be apt to know of the ring that had been sent by the princess. She might
+have received her information from Twonette, who, Franz said, was
+acquainted with Mary of Burgundy; but even had Yolanda heard of the
+ring, the fact would not have helped her to know it.
+
+After our first evening with the Castlemans we got on famously
+together. True, Max and I felt that we were making great concessions,
+and I do not doubt that we showed it in many unconscious words and acts.
+This certainly was true of Max; but Yolanda's unfailing laughter, though
+at times it was provoking, soon brought him to see that too great a
+sense of dignity was at times ridiculous. He could not, however, always
+forget that he was a Hapsburg while she was a burgher girl, and his good
+memory got him many a keen little thrust from her saucy tongue. If Max
+resented her sauciness, she ran away from him with the full knowledge
+that he would miss her. She was much surer that she pleased and
+delighted him than he was that he pleased her, though of the latter fact
+she left, in truth, little room for doubt.
+
+Max was very happy. He had never before known a playmate. But here in
+Basel the good Franz and his frau, Yolanda, Twonette, fat old Castleman,
+and myself were all boys and girls together, snatching the joys of life
+fresh from the soil of mother earth, close to which we lived in rustic
+simplicity.
+
+Since we had left Styria, our life, with all its hardships, had been a
+delight to Max, but it was also a series of constantly repeated shocks.
+If the shocks came too rapidly and too hard, he solaced his bruised
+dignity with the thought that those who were unduly familiar with him
+did not know that he was the heir of the House of Hapsburg. So day by
+day he grew to enjoy the nestling comfort of a near-by friend. This, I
+grieve to say, was too plainly seen in his relations with Yolanda, for
+she unquestionably nestled toward him. She made no effort to conceal her
+delight in his companionship, though she most adroitly kept him at a
+proper distance. If she observed a growing confidence in Max, she
+quickly nipped it by showing him that she enjoyed my companionship or
+that of old Franz just as much. On such occasions Max's dignity and
+vanity required balm.
+
+"Oh, Karl," he said to me one evening while we were preparing for bed,
+"it seems to me I have just wakened to life, or have just got out of
+prison. No man can be happy on a pinnacle above the intimate friendships
+of his fellow-man and--and woman."
+
+"Yes, 'and woman.' Well put, Max," said I.
+
+Max did not notice my insinuation, but continued:--
+
+"I have lived longer since knowing these lowly friends than in all the
+years of my life in Styria. Karl, you have spoiled a good, stiff-jointed
+Hapsburg, but you have made a man. If nothing more comes of this journey
+into the world than I have already had, I am your debtor for life. What
+would my dear old father and mother say if they should see me and know
+the life I am leading? In their eyes I should be disgraced--covered
+with shame."
+
+"When you go back to Hapsburg," I said, "you can again take up your
+old, petrified existence and eat your husks of daily adulation. You will
+soon again find satisfaction in the bended knee, and will insist that
+those who approach you bow deferentially to your ancestors."
+
+"I shall, of course, return to Hapsburg," he said. "It is my fate, and
+no man can change the destiny to which he was born. I must also endure
+the bowing and the adulation. Men shall honor my ancestors and respect
+in me their descendant, but I shall never again be without friends if it
+be in my power to possess them. As I have said, that is difficult for
+one placed above his fellow-man."
+
+"There is the trouble with men of your degree," I answered. "Friends are
+not like castles, cities, and courtly servitors. Those, indeed, one may
+really own; but we possess our friends only as they possess us. Like a
+mirror, a friend gives us only what we ourselves give. No king is great
+enough to produce his own image unless he stands before the glass."
+
+"Teach me, Karl, to stand before the glass," said Max, plaintively.
+
+"You are before it now, my dear boy," I answered. "These new friends are
+giving you only what you give them. With me, you have always been before
+the glass."
+
+"That has been true," said Max, "ever since the first day you entered
+Hapsburg. Do you remember? I climbed on your knee and said, 'You have a
+big, ugly nose!' Mother admonished me, and I quickly made amends by
+saying, 'But I like you.'"
+
+"I well remember, Max," I responded. "That day was one of mutual
+conquest. That is the prime condition of friendship: mutual conquest and
+mutual surrender. But you must have other friends than me. You see I am
+not jealous. You must have friends of your own age."
+
+"I now realize why I have hungered all my life," said Max, "though I
+have never before known: I longed for friends. Is it not strange that I
+should find them among these low-born people? It surely cannot be wrong
+for me to live as I do, though father and mother would doubtless deem it
+criminal."
+
+"These good burgher folk are making you better and broader and
+stronger," I answered. "But there is one thing I want to suggest: you
+are devoting too much of your time to the brown-eyed little maid. You
+must seek favor with Twonette. She is harmless, and through her you may,
+by some freak of fortune, reach the goal of your desires. With the
+prestige of your family and the riches of Burgundy, you may become the
+most powerful man in the world, save the Pope."
+
+"Perhaps Fräulein Yolanda is also acquainted with the Princess Mary,"
+responded Max, half reluctantly speaking Mary's name.
+
+"No," I answered, "she is not." I asked her if she were. She laughed at
+the suggestion, and said: 'Oh, no, no, the princess is a very proud
+person and very exclusive. She knows but one burgher girl in Peronne, I
+am told. That one is Twonette, and I believe she treats her most
+ungraciously at times. I would not endure her snubs and haughty ways as
+Twonette does. I seek the friendship of no princess. Girls of my own
+class are good enough for me. "Twonette, fetch me a cup of wine."
+"Twonette, thread my needle." "Twonette, you are fat and lazy and sleep
+too much." "Twonette, stand up." "Twonette, sit down." Faugh! I tell you
+I want none of these princesses, no, not one of them. I hate princesses,
+and I tell you I doubly hate this--this--' She did not say whom she
+doubly hated. She is a forward little witch, Max. She laughed merrily at
+my questions concerning the princess, and asked me if we were going to
+Burgundy to storm Mary's heart. 'Who is to win her?' she asked. 'You,
+Sir Karl, or Sir Max? It must be you. Sir Max is too slow and dignified
+even to think of scaling the walls of a maiden fortress. It must be you,
+Sir Karl.' The saucy little elf rose from her chair, bowed low before me
+and said, 'I do liege homage to the future Duke of Burgundy.' Then she
+danced across the room, laughing at my discomfiture. She is charming,
+Max, but remember Gertrude the Conqueror! Such trifling affairs are well
+enough to teach a man the a-b-c of life but one with your destiny ahead
+of him must not remain too long in his alphabet. Such affairs are for
+boys, Max, for boys."
+
+"Do not fear for me, Karl," answered Max, laughingly. "We are not apt to
+take hurt from dangers we see."
+
+"Do you clearly see the danger?" I suggested.
+
+"I clearly see," he responded. "I admire Fräulein Yolanda as I have
+never admired any other woman. I respect her as if she were a princess;
+but one of the penalties of my birth is that I may not think of her nor
+of one of her class. She is not for me; she is a burgher maiden--out of
+my reach. For that reason I feel that I should respect her."
+
+The attitude of Max toward Yolanda was a real triumph of skill and
+adroitness over inherited convictions and false education. She had
+brought him from condescension to deference solely by the magic of her
+art. Or am I wrong? Was it her artlessness? Perhaps it was her artful
+artlessness, since every girl-baby is born with a modicum of that
+dangerous quality.
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Karl," added Max. "I may underrate the power of
+this girl. As you have said, she is a little witch. But beneath her
+laughter there is a rare show of tenderness and strength, which at
+times seems pathetic and almost elfin. You are right, Karl. I will
+devote myself to Twonette hereafter. She is like a feather-bed in that
+she cannot be injured by a blow, neither can she give one; but
+Yolanda--ah, Karl, she is like a priceless jewel that may be shattered
+by a blow and may blind one by its radiance."
+
+But Max's devotion to Twonette was a failure. She was certainly willing,
+but Yolanda would have none of it, and with no equivocation gave every
+one to understand as much. Still, she held Max at a respectful distance.
+In fact, this Yolanda handled us all as a juggler tosses his balls. Max
+must not be too attentive to her, and he must not be at all attentive to
+Twonette. In this arrangement Twonette acquiesced. She would not dare to
+lift her eyes to one upon whom Yolanda was looking!
+
+Here was illustrated the complete supremacy of mind over matter.
+Castleman, Twonette, Franz and his frau, Max and I, all danced when the
+tiny white hand of Yolanda pulled the strings. A kiss or a saucy nod for
+Castleman or Twonette, a smile or a frown for Max and me, were the
+instruments wherewith she worked. Deftly she turned each situation as
+she desired. Max made frequent efforts to obtain a private moment with
+her, that he might ask a few questions concerning her wonderful
+knowledge of his ring--they had been burning him since the night of her
+sorcery--but, though she knew quite well his desire to question her, she
+gave him no opportunity.
+
+During the time that Castleman was buying his silks, the members of our
+little party grew rapidly in friendship. In culture, education, and
+refinement, the Castlemans were far above any burghers I had ever known.
+Franz and his wife, though good, simple people, were not at all in
+Castleman's class. They felt their inferiority, and did not go abroad
+with us, though we supped daily with them. Each evening supper was a
+little fête followed by a romp of amusement, songs, and childish games
+in the frau's great parlor.
+
+The Castlemans, Max, and I made several excursions into the mountains.
+Yolanda and Twonette were in ecstasy at the mountain views, which were
+so vividly in contrast with the lowlands of Burgundy.
+
+"These mountains are beautiful," said patriotic Yolanda, "but our
+lowlands raise bread to feed the hungry."
+
+On one occasion we rode to the Falls of Schaffhausen, and often we were
+out upon the river. During these expeditions Yolanda adroitly kept our
+little party together, and Max could have no private word with her.
+
+I had never been so happy as I was during the fortnight at Basel while
+Castleman was buying silk. I was almost a child again; my fifty odd
+years seemed to fall from me as an eagle sheds his plumes in spring. We
+were all happy and merry as a May-day, and our joyousness was woven from
+the warp and woof of Yolanda's gentle, laughing nature. Without her, our
+life would have been comfortable but commonplace.
+
+During all this time Max pondered in vain upon the remarkable manner in
+which Yolanda had divined the secret of his ring. He longed to question
+her, but she would not be questioned until she was ready to answer.
+
+On a certain morning near the close of our sojourn in Basel, Max, after
+many elephantine manoeuvres, obtained Yolanda's promise to walk out with
+him to a near-by hill in the afternoon. It was a Sabbath day, and every
+burgher maiden in Basel that boasted a sweetheart would be abroad with
+him in the sunshine. Max could not help feeling that it was most
+condescending in him, a prince, to walk out with Yolanda, a burgher
+maiden. Should any one from Styria meet him, he would certainly sink
+into the ground, though in a certain way the girl's reluctance seemed to
+place the condescension with her.
+
+After dinner, which we all took together that day, she put him off with
+excuses until drowsy Uncle Castleman had taken himself off for a nap.
+Then Yolanda quickly said:--
+
+"Fetch me my hood, Twonette. I shall not need a cloak. I am going to
+walk out with Sir Max."
+
+Twonette instantly obeyed, as if she were a tire-woman to a princess,
+and soon returned wearing her own hood and carrying Yolanda's.
+
+"Ah, but you are not to come with us," said Yolanda. She was ready to
+give Max the opportunity he desired, and would give it generously.
+
+"But--but what will father say?" asked Twonette, uneasily.
+
+"We shall learn what he says when we return. No need to worry about that
+now," answered Yolanda. Twonette took off her hood.
+
+Max and Yolanda climbed the hill, and, after a little demurring on the
+girl's part, sat down on a shelving rock at a point where the river view
+was beautiful. As usual, Yolanda managed the conversation to suit
+herself, but after a short time she permitted Max to introduce the
+subject on which he wished to talk.
+
+"Will you tell me, Fräulein," he asked, "how you were enabled to know
+the history of my ring? I cannot believe you are what you said--a
+sorceress--a witch."
+
+"No, no," she answered laughingly, "I am not a sorceress."
+
+"You almost made me believe you were," said Max, "but I am slow of wit,
+as you have doubtless observed. I told Sir Karl you said you were a
+sorceress, and he said--"
+
+"You gave me your word you would not tell!" exclaimed Yolanda.
+
+"Neither did I tell aught save that you said you were a sorceress. He
+laughed and said--"
+
+"Yes, yes, what did he say?" eagerly queried the girl.
+
+"He said--I am sure you will not take amiss what he said?" responded
+Max.
+
+"No, no, indeed no! Tell me," she demanded eagerly.
+
+"He said you were a witch, if brown eyes, dimpling smiles, and girlish
+beauty could make one," answered Max.
+
+"Ah, did he say that of me?" asked the girl, musingly. After a pause she
+continued, "That was kind in Sir Karl and--and evidently sincere." After
+another pause devoted to revery she said: "Perhaps I shall be his friend
+sometime in a manner he little expects. Even the friendship of a
+helpless burgher girl is not to be despised. But he is wrong. I am not
+beautiful," she poutingly continued. "Now let us examine my face." She
+laughed, and settled herself contentedly upon the stone, as if to take
+up a serious discussion. "I often do so in the mirror. Vain? Of course
+I am!"
+
+"I am only too willing to examine it," said Max, laughingly.
+
+"My mouth," she said, pursing her lips and lifting her face temptingly
+for his inspection, "my mouth is--"
+
+"Perfect," interrupted Max.
+
+She looked surprised and said, "Ah, that was nicely spoken, Little Max,
+and quickly, for you."
+
+"'Little Max'!" exclaimed the young man. "Where heard you that name? No
+one save my mother has ever used it; no one but Karl and my father has
+ever heard her speak the words. Did Karl tell you of it?"
+
+"Karl did not tell me," she responded, "and I never heard any one speak
+the name. The name fits you so well--by contraries--that it came to me,
+perhaps, by inspiration."
+
+"That hardly seems possible," returned Max, "and your knowledge of how I
+received the ring is more than remarkable."
+
+"Let us talk about my face," said the girl, full of the spirit of
+mischief, and wishing to put off the discussion of the ring. "Now, my
+eyes, of which Sir Karl spoke so kindly, are--"
+
+"The most wonderful in the world," interrupted Max. "They are brilliant
+as priceless jewels, fathomless as deep water, gentle and tender as--"
+
+"There, there, Little Max," she cried, checking with a gesture his flow
+of unexpected eloquence. "I declare! you are not so slow as you seem. I
+will tell you just how much of a sorceress I am. I thought to flatter
+you by saying a great lady had given you the ring, and lo, I was right
+unless you are adroitly leading me to believe in my own sorcery. Is she
+a great lady? Come, tell me the story."
+
+She unconsciously moved nearer to him with an air of pleasant
+anticipation.
+
+"Yes, it was a great lady, a very great lady who gave me the ring," he
+said most seriously.
+
+"And was I right in my other divination?" she asked, looking down and
+flushing slightly. "Did--did she wish to marry you? But you need not
+answer that question."
+
+"I will gladly answer it," returned Max, leaning forward, resting his
+elbow on his knees and looking at the ground between his feet. "I hoped
+she did. I--I longed for it."
+
+"Perhaps she possessed vast estates?" asked the girl, a slight frown
+gathering on her brow.
+
+"Yes, she possessed vast estates," said Max, "but I would gladly have
+taken her penniless save for the fact that I am very poor, and that she
+would suffer for the lack of luxuries she has always known."
+
+"But how could the lady have felt sure you were not seeking her for the
+sake of her estates?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"She could not know," answered Max. "But I sought her for her own sake
+and for no other reason."
+
+"What manner of person was she?" asked Yolanda. "Was she dark or light,
+short or tall, plain of feature or beautiful, amiable of temper or
+vixenish? Was she like any one you have ever seen?"
+
+She spoke in deep earnest and looked eagerly up to his face.
+
+"She was beautiful of feature," answered Max. "Her eyes and her hair
+were dark as yours are. She was short of stature, I have been told."
+
+Yolanda laughed merrily: "I declare, Sir Max, you were in love with a
+lady you had never seen. It was her estate you loved."
+
+"No, no," said Max, earnestly. "I ardently desired--"
+
+"Perhaps if you were to see her, your enthusiasm would vanish," said
+Yolanda, interrupting him almost sharply. "My magic tells me she is a
+squat little creature, with a wizened face; her eyes are sharp and
+black, and her nose is a-peak, not unlike mine. That, she is sour and
+peevish of temper, as I am, there can be no doubt. And, although she be
+great and rich as the Princess of Burgundy, I warrant you she is not one
+whit handsomer nor kinder in disposition than I."
+
+Max started on hearing Mary of Burgundy's name, but quickly recovering
+himself said:--
+
+"I would not wish her better than you in any respect. You wrong both
+yourself and the lady to speak as you do. Those who know her say the
+lady has not her like in all the world."
+
+A soft light came to Yolanda's face as he spoke, and she answered
+slowly:--
+
+"Doubtless the lady had like news of you, and is curious to know what
+manner of man you are. She too may have dreamed of an ideal."
+
+"How do you know she has never seen me?" asked Max, who had not fully
+caught her reply when she spoke of the fact that he had never seen the
+lady of the ring. "I shall surely come to believe you are a sorceress."
+
+"No, I am not," she answered emphatically. "You shall carry that jest no
+further. A moment since you said those who know her say so and so, and
+you believed she was short of stature. Had you ever seen the lady, you
+would know if she were tall or short. You would not be in doubt upon so
+important a matter as the stature of your lady-love."
+
+The reasoning and the reasoner were so irresistible that Max was easily
+satisfied.
+
+"But you have spoken of the lady as in the past. I hope she is not
+dead?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"No," answered Max, gravely, "our fathers did not agree. That is, her
+father was not satisfied, and it all came to nothing save a--a
+heartache for me."
+
+It was well that Max was looking at the ground when she turned the soft
+radiance of her eyes upon him, else he might have learned too much. His
+modesty and honesty in admitting frankly that the lady's father was not
+satisfied with the match pleased her and she sat in silence, smiling
+contentedly. After a time she turned almost fiercely upon him:--
+
+"Do you know what I should do, Sir Max, were I in your place?"
+
+"What would you do, Fräulein?" queried Max.
+
+"I would show the lady that I was worthy of her by winning her, even
+though she were on a throne, guarded by a thousand dragons. I am a
+woman, Sir Max, and I know a woman's heart. The heart of a princess is
+first the heart of a woman. Be sure the lady will thank you and will
+reward you if you fight your way to her and carry her off against all
+the world."
+
+"But how is that to be done, Fräulein?" asked Max, carelessly. In truth,
+Mary of Burgundy was not uppermost in his heart at that moment.
+
+"That is for a man to say and for a man to do," she responded. "A woman
+knows only how to wait and to long for one who, alas! may never come.
+She will wait for you, Sir Max, and when you come to her, she will place
+her hand in yours and go with you wherever you wish to take her. Of
+this, at least, my powers of sorcery are sufficient to assure you. Do
+not fear! do not fear!"
+
+She spoke earnestly, as if from the depths of a personal experience. Her
+eyes glowed with the light of excitement and her face was radiant. Max
+turned to her and saw all this beauty. Then he gently took her hand and
+said huskily:--
+
+"If I thought she were like you, Fräulein, I would gladly go to the end
+of the world to win from her even one smile."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, withdrawing her hand, "we must have no
+more such speeches from you. They are wrong coming from one of your
+degree to a burgher girl of Peronne, if she be an honest girl. Our
+stations are too far apart."
+
+"That is true, Fräulein," answered Max, sorrowfully, "but I mean no
+disrespect. I honor you as if you were a princess"--here his tones took
+energy and emphasis--"but I meant what I said, Fräulein, I meant what I
+said, and though I shall never say it again, I know that I shall mean it
+all the days of my life."
+
+The expression in her eyes as she looked up at him was one of mingled
+pleasure and amusement. It seemed to say, "Do not be too sure that you
+will never say it again," but she said nothing. After a moment she
+suggested:--
+
+"Shall we return, Sir Max?" They rose, and as they started back to Basel
+he remarked:--
+
+"The words 'Little Max' on your lips sounded sweet to me, Fräulein.
+They bring home to me the voice of my mother, and though I should not
+care to hear another speak them, still, the words are very pretty on
+your lips, and I like them."
+
+Yolanda glanced quickly up to him with radiant eyes. He caught the
+glance, and the last vestige of his ideal, Mary of Burgundy, left his
+heart, driven out by the very real little enchantress that walked by
+his side.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY
+
+Notwithstanding the idle, happy life we were leading, I was anxious to
+begin our journey to Burgundy. Just what would--or could--happen when we
+should reach that land of promise--perhaps I should say of no promise--I
+did not know. I hoped that by some happy turn of fortune--perhaps
+through Twonette's help--Max might be brought to meet Mary of Burgundy.
+I had all faith in his ability to please her, or any woman, but what
+advantage he could gain by winning her regard I could not guess. The
+lady's personal preference would cut no figure in the choosing of a
+husband. Her father would do that for her, and she would be powerless
+against the will of a man whose chief impulses were those of a mad bull.
+This arrogant duke, without so much as a formal withdrawal, had ignored
+Duke Frederick's acceptance and had contracted his daughter's hand to
+the Dauphin of France, who was a puny, weak-minded boy of fourteen.
+
+Should Max and I go to Burgundy and say to Charles, "This is Maximilian
+of Styria, to whom you offered your daughter in marriage," his answer
+might be a sword thrust. Should the duke learn of our unbidden presence
+in his domain, his love for making enemies would probably bring us into
+trouble. Therefore, though I ardently wished to begin the journey, I had
+no real cause to hope for good results, though there were many reasons
+to fear the outcome of our adventures.
+
+One may well ask why I continued in a course so dangerous. My answer is:
+A man travels the road of his destiny. The Fates sometimes hunt out a
+man for their purposes and snatch him from his hiding-place in the
+by-ways, but they usually choose from the scenes of great events their
+victims or their favorites. The man who fears to be their victim is
+seldom chosen for their favorite. I should rather be their victim than
+be overlooked; and what I should have chosen for myself I desired for
+Max. I had no future save in him; I had been overlooked in the by-ways.
+
+At the time of our journeying all Europe turned on a Burgundian pivot,
+and the Fates were busy in that land. It was the stage of the world, on
+which the strong, the great, and the enterprising of mankind were
+playing; and I hoped that Max, who was strong and enterprising, would
+find his part in this Burgundian drama. I was willing to risk
+sacrificing him, though he was dearer to me than the blood of my heart,
+if I might stand even a small chance to make him great.
+
+At strange variance with my philosophy, I had faith in Max's luck. It
+was more than faith; it was a fixed, intuitive conviction that he would
+win. For these reasons, all growing out of what I felt rather than what
+I reasoned, we continued our dangerous and apparently useless journey.
+When a man feels himself led by an unseen hand, he should gladly follow.
+There is an intuition that is better than reason.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One bright morning in May we began our journey down the Rhine. My fears
+had no place in Max's heart, and his self-confidence was to me a
+harbinger of good fortune. A man may do anything that he knows he can
+do; failure never disappoints him who expects it.
+
+We left Basel by the west gate and took the road for Strasburg, leading
+down the west bank of the Rhine. That was not the most direct route to
+Peronne, but it was the safest because of the numerous river towns
+wherein we might lie safely by night. The robber barons whom we had to
+fear along the river were at least not pilfering vagabonds, such as we
+should meet across country. Against the open attack of a brave foe we
+felt that we could make a good defence. Our fighting force consisted of
+Max, myself, and two lusty squires. We had also a half-score of men who
+led the sumpter mules.
+
+Castleman had purchased two beautiful chargers in Basel, pretending that
+he wished to take them to Peronne for sale. He asked Max to ride one and
+offered the other for my use. I was sure that his only reason for buying
+the horses was his desire to present them to us, which he afterward did.
+Max named his charger "Night," because of its spotless coat of black.
+Yolanda rode a beautiful white mare which we re-christened "Day."
+Castleman bestrode an ambling Flemish bay, almost as fat as its master
+and quite as good-natured, which, because of its slowness, Yolanda
+dubbed "Last Week."
+
+We travelled slowly down the Rhine, enjoying the scenery and filling our
+hearts with the sunshine of the soft spring days. Our cautious merchant
+so arranged our lodging-places that we were never on the road after
+dark. His system caused much delay, as we often rested a half-day in a
+town that we might be able to lodge there over night. In this deliberate
+manner of proceeding, life was a sweet, lazy holiday, and our journey
+was like a May outing. We were all very happy--almost ominously so.
+
+After the explanation between Max and Yolanda on the hill at Basel she
+made no effort to avoid him, and he certainly did not avoid her. They
+both evidently rested on his remark that he would never again speak
+upon a certain subject. They fully understood each other's position.
+
+Max knew that between him and the burgher maiden there could be no
+thought of marriage. She, it seemed, was equally aware of that fact. All
+that he had been taught to value in life--father, mother, family and
+position, his father's subjects, who would one day be his, his father's
+throne, on which he would one day sit--stood between him and Yolanda.
+They stood between him and the achievement of any desire purely personal
+to himself and not conducive to the welfare of his state. He felt that
+he did not belong to himself; that his own happiness was never to be
+considered. He belonged to his house, his people, and his ancestors.
+
+Max had not only been brought up with that idea as the chief element in
+his education, but he had also inherited it from two score generations
+of men and women that had learned, believed, and taught the same lesson.
+We may by effort efface the marks of our environment, but those we
+inherit are bred in the bone. Yolanda was not for Max. He could not
+control his heart; it took its inheritance of unbidden passion from a
+thousand scores of generations which had lived and died and learned
+their lesson centuries before the House of Hapsburg began; but he could
+control his lips and his acts.
+
+With Max's growing love for Yolanda came a knightly reverence which was
+the very breath of the chivalry that he had sworn to uphold. This spirit
+of reverence the girl was quick to observe, and he lost nothing by it in
+her esteem. At times I could see that this reverential attitude of Max
+almost sobered her spirits; to do so completely would have been as
+impossible as to dam the current of a mountain stream.
+
+On the evening of our first day out of Basel we were merrily eating our
+suppers in a village where we had halted for the night, when I remarked
+that I had met a man, while strolling near the river, who had said that
+war was imminent between Burgundy and Switzerland. My remark immediately
+caught Yolanda's sharp attention.
+
+"Yes," said I, "we left Switzerland none too soon. This man tells me, on
+what authority I know not, that a herald will soon be sent by Duke
+Charles carrying defiance to the Swiss. What of value the duke expects
+to obtain from barren Switzerland outside of Basel, I do not know.
+Fighting for fighting's sake is poor sport."
+
+"Forbear your wise saws, Sir Karl, and tell me what the man said,"
+demanded Yolanda.
+
+"He told me," I replied, "that he had heard the news at Metz, and that
+it was supposed Duke René would muster his forces in Lorraine and turn
+them against Burgundy in case of war with Switzerland."
+
+"I predicted evil when Burgundy took Nancy from Lorraine," cried
+Yolanda, excitedly. "The hollow conventions made with Lorraine after the
+capture of that city were but the promises of a man under duress. The
+only ties that will bind a narrow man are those of immediate
+self-interest. There can be no lasting treaty between France and
+Burgundy so long as King Louis covets Flanders and is able to bribe our
+neighbors. These conventions between Burgundy, Lorraine, Bourbon, and
+St. Pol will hold only so long as Burgundy does not need them."
+
+"That is surely true, Fräulein," I said.
+
+"Yes," she continued, "and should Burgundy suffer any great misfortune
+or be crippled for an hour, those small states would be upon his back
+like a pack of wolves, and he would be ruined. Lorraine, Bourbon, and
+St. Pol do not see that Burgundy alone stands between them and the
+greedy maw of France. Should King Louis survive my--my Lord of Burgundy
+five years, these dukes and counts will lose their feudal rights and
+become servile vassals of France, not in name, as now they are, but in
+sorry fact."
+
+I was so astonished at this tempestuous outburst from an unexpected
+quarter, and was so surprised at discovering an intimate knowledge of
+great affairs in a simple burgher maid, that I dropped the piece of meat
+I held in my fingers and stared in wonder across the table at Yolanda. I
+had known from the first hour of meeting her that the girl's mind was
+marvellously keen; but that a maid of seventeen or eighteen, in her
+position, should have so firm a grasp of international affairs and
+should possess so clear a conception of the troublous situation in
+western Europe, astounded me.
+
+In eastern Europe, where we were not blinded by neighborly hatred and
+local jealousies, the truth of Yolanda's statement had long been
+apparent. We carried our prophecy further and predicted that the
+headlong passions of Charles the Rash would soon result in his death or
+overthrow.
+
+My point in dragging in this heavy load of political lore is this: In
+case of the death of Charles of Burgundy, the future of western Europe
+would depend on the brains and the bravery of the man who should marry
+the Princess Mary. I felt that Max was chosen of God for that destiny.
+Should he succeed in defending Burgundy against France, he would become
+the most powerful man in Europe. No event save death could keep him from
+achieving the imperial crown.
+
+If the existing treaty of marriage between Mary and the Dauphin of
+France were carried out, and if the Dauphin as king should possess
+one-half the wisdom of his father, Louis, all western Europe would soon
+be France. If this treaty were to fail and the Princess Mary espouse a
+man capable of defending her territory, Burgundy would still remain a
+wall of protection to the smaller states of the Rhine.
+
+A long silence followed Yolanda's outburst, but her words had so
+astonished me that my supper for the evening was finished. Castleman
+plied his knife industriously; Yolanda nibbled at a piece of meat
+between her dainty fingers, and Twonette gazed serenely out of the
+open window.
+
+Yolanda's words and Castleman's constraint filled me with wonder. There
+was to me a mystery about this little beauty that had not been touched
+on by my friend from Peronne. I hoped to gain information on the point
+by inducing Yolanda to talk. She was willing enough.
+
+"Fräulein," I said, "I quite agree with you. It is a matter of surprise
+to me that these noblemen you mention do not see the truth as you
+state it."
+
+"They are fools, Sir Karl, sodden fools," exclaimed Yolanda. "You could
+buy their souls for a sou. King Louis buys them with an empty promise
+of one."
+
+"Why does not Duke Charles buy them?" I asked. "'Tis said he has
+enormous quantities of ready gold in Luxembourg Castle."
+
+"Because, Sir Karl," she responded almost savagely, "bribery is the
+weapon of a coward. The Duke of Burgundy uses his money to pay
+soldiers."
+
+"But, Fräulein," I answered, "the duke has for years--ever since before
+his father's death--been wasting his money, sacrificing his soldiers,
+and despoiling his land by wars, prosecuted to no good end. He has
+conquered large territory, but he has paid for it with the blood of his
+people. Neither they nor he are the better because of those accessions,
+and the duke has made enemies who will one day surely wrest them from
+him. A brave prince should not fear to be called a coward because of an
+act that will bring peace and happiness to his subjects and save their
+lives, their liberties, and their estates. That great end will ennoble
+any means. The subjects of Burgundy are frugal and peace-loving. They
+should be protected from the cruel cost of useless war. I would not
+criticise Duke Charles, whose bravery is beyond compare, but for the
+sake of his people I could wish that his boldness were tempered with
+caution. Policy, not blows, appears to me the only way out of his
+present and imminent danger."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Sir Karl," answered Yolanda, "but I advise you
+to keep your views to yourself when you reach Burgundy. Should they come
+to the duke's ears, you might lose yours."
+
+"Indeed, Fräulein, your warning is unnecessary," I responded laughingly.
+"I already know the disposition of the duke toward those who disagree
+with him. His ungovernable passions will surely lead him to a terrible
+end. Bravery, if wise, is one of the noblest attributes of men. The
+lack of wisdom makes it the most dangerous. Duke Charles ought to temper
+his courage with love for his people. He should fight, when he must,
+with wise bravery. If he should die, God pity the poor people of
+Burgundy unless their princess choose a husband both wise and brave."
+
+"But she will not be allowed to choose," cried Yolanda, passionately.
+"Her freedom is less than that of any serf. She is bound hand and foot
+by the chains of her birth. She is more to be pitied than the poorest
+maiden in Burgundy. The saddest of all captives is she who is chained to
+a throne."
+
+"That surely is the bitterest draught fate offers to mortal man," sighed
+Max.
+
+"Yes," whispered Yolanda, huskily. "One cannot rebel; one may not even
+kill one's self when one is condemned to live. One can do nothing but
+endure and wait in haunting fear and, in rare moments, hope against a
+million chances."
+
+Evidently she meant us to know that she sorrowed for Max's martyrdom,
+though how she had learned of his true station in life I could
+not guess.
+
+"It is strange," said I to Castleman, when Yolanda and Twonette had left
+us, "that Fräulein Yolanda, who seems to be all laughter and
+thoughtlessness, should be so well informed upon the affairs of princes
+and princesses, and should take this public matter so much to heart."
+
+"Yes, she is a strange, unfortunate girl," answered Castleman, "and
+truly loves her native land. She would, I believe, be another Joan of
+Arc, had she the opportunity. She and her father do not at all agree. He
+wholly fails to comprehend her."
+
+"Is her father your brother?" I asked. I felt a sense of impertinence in
+putting the question, but my curiosity was irresistible.
+
+"Yes," answered Castleman, hesitatingly; then, as if hurrying from the
+subject, he continued, "Her mother is dead, and the girl lives chiefly
+under my roof."
+
+I wanted to ask other questions concerning Yolanda, but I kept silent. I
+had begun to suspect that she was not what she passed for--a burgher
+girl; but Castleman was a straightforward, truthful man, and his words
+satisfied me. I had, at any rate, to be content with them, since
+Yolanda's affairs were none of mine. Had I not been sure that Max's
+training and inheritance gave him a shield against her darts, she and
+her affairs would have given me deep concern. At that time I had all the
+match-making impulses of an old woman, and was determined that no woman
+should step between Max and the far-off, almost impossible Princess
+of Burgundy.
+
+When we resumed our journey the next morning Yolanda was demure, grave,
+and serious; but the bright sun soon had its way with her, and within a
+half-hour after leaving the village she was riding beside Max, laughing,
+singing, and flashing her eyes upon him with a lustre that dimmed the
+sun--at least, so Max thought, and probably he was right. That evening
+Max told me much of Yolanda's conversation.
+
+The road we were travelling clung to the Rhine for several leagues. In
+many places it was cut from the bank at the water's edge. At others it
+ran along the brink of beetling precipices. At one of these Max guided
+his horse close to the brink, and, leaning over in his saddle, looked
+down the dizzy heights to the river below.
+
+"Please do not ride so near the brink, Sir Max," pleaded Yolanda. "It
+frightens me."
+
+Max had little of the braggadocio spirit about him, but no rightly
+constituted young man is entirely devoid of the desire to "show off" in
+the presence of timid and interesting ladies. Without that spirit of
+"show-off," what would induce our knights to meet in glorious
+tournaments? Without it, what would our chivalry amount to? Without it,
+why should a peacock spread its tail? I do not belittle it, since from
+this spirit of "show-off" arises one great good--respect for the opinion
+of our fellow-man. So Max, with a dash of "show-off" in his disposition,
+laughed at Yolanda's fears and answered that he was in no danger.
+
+"It is very brave in you, Sir Max, to go so near the brink," said
+Yolanda, ironically, "but do you remember what Sir Karl said concerning
+'wise bravery'? There can be no need for your bravery, and therefore no
+wisdom in it. Were there good reason why you should go near the brink, I
+should despise you if you refused; but there is no reason and, since it
+frightens me, I wish you would remain in the road."
+
+"Gladly I will," answered Max, reining his horse beside her.
+
+"Do you know," said Yolanda, with as much seriousness as she could
+easily command, "that your friend, Sir Karl, is a philosopher? His
+phrase, 'wise bravery,' clings to me. I certainly wish the Duke of
+Burgundy would learn it and take it to heart."
+
+"I have heard many conflicting stories concerning this Duke Charles,"
+said Max. "Some persons say he is all that is brave and noble; others
+declare that he is fierce, passionate, and bad. I wonder which I shall
+find him to be?"
+
+"Do you expect to take service with him?" asked Yolanda, half sadly. At
+the mention of the duke's name all smiles and dimples fled
+incontinently.
+
+"No," answered Max, "I think I shall not take service with the duke. In
+truth, I don't know what I shall do. For what purpose I am going to
+Burgundy I am sure I cannot say."
+
+A short silence ensued, which was broken by Yolanda, speaking archly:--
+
+"Perhaps you are going to Burgundy or to France to win the lady who gave
+you the ring?" Max was surprised, and flushed as he answered:--
+
+"That would be an impossible thought, Fräulein. If you but knew who the
+lady is, you would understand that such a hope on my part were a
+phantasy. But I have no such hope or wish. I do not now want to win the
+lady of the ring."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, protestingly, "you must not basely
+desert this lady-love whom you have never seen. If trouble should come
+to her, whoever she is, you must hasten to her rescue and carry her
+away. The best opportunity to rob, you know, comes in the midst of a
+mêlée. Take her, Sir Max. I wish you success."
+
+"Do you really wish me success, Fräulein?" asked Max, looking straight
+ahead. He was not at all flattered by her good wishes concerning the
+lady of the ring.
+
+"Indeed I do," responded the girl, joyously; "I will pray to the Virgin
+and ask her to help you to win this fair lady who gave you the ring."
+
+"I thank you for your good wishes," returned Max, "though I could easily
+be satisfied with less enthusiasm on the subject."
+
+"Indeed? Why, may I ask?"
+
+"Because, Fräulein--because I had hoped--" Max ceased speaking, and,
+leaning forward, smoothed his horse's mane.
+
+Yolanda waited for a moment and then, turning her face toward Max,
+asked:--
+
+"You had hoped for what, Sir Max?"
+
+"I had hoped for nothing, Fräulein," he answered. "I am satisfied as
+matters now stand between us. Your words at supper last evening rang in
+my ears all night, 'Chained to a throne; chained to a throne.' I knew
+you referred to my unhappy lot when you spoke, though how you guessed
+the truth concerning my station I do not know."
+
+A surprised little smile spread over her face, but he did not see it. He
+was still smoothing his horse's mane.
+
+"You cannot know the terrible truth of your words," continued Max. "I
+will tell you a part of my secret, Fräulein. All my life I have been cut
+off--chained to a throne--from the fellowship of men and the love of
+friends. Karl is the only friend I have ever known save my mother until
+I met you and your good people. Only the good God can know how I have
+longed and hungered since childhood for friendship; even for
+companionship. I did not know what I yearned for until since my arrival
+at Basel. Truly it is not good for man to be alone, even though he be
+upon a throne. I am not upon a throne, Fräulein, but I am near one--a
+small, barren throne, whose greatest attribute is its ancestry. My home
+is a sad, lonely place--how lonely even you, who have guessed so
+shrewdly and who speak so eloquently, cannot know. You should thank God
+for your lowly birth and your lowly friends."
+
+"I do," the girl answered, with a queer, half-sad, half-amused
+expression upon her face which Max could not interpret.
+
+"But we cannot break the chains that have been welded a thousand
+years--that have grown stronger and tighter with each generation," said
+Max. "You truthfully said, 'One may only endure.'"
+
+"I also said that at rare moments one may hope," she answered, with
+drooping head.
+
+"Not I, Fräulein. I may not even hope. I am doomed," answered Max.
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," responded the drooping head.
+
+After a prolonged silence Max said, "I am sure the secret of my station
+is safe with you."
+
+"You need not doubt, Sir Max," she responded. "You cannot know how safe
+it is." She turned brightly upon him and continued, "Let me invoke my
+spirits, Sir Max." She raised her eyes, saint-fashion, toward heaven,
+and spoke under her breath: "I hear the word 'hope,' Sir Max, 'hope.' It
+is very faint, but better faint than not at all."
+
+"I tell you there is no hope for me, Fräulein," responded Max,
+desperately. "It is cruel in you to say there is. It is doubly cruel to
+speak jestingly."
+
+"I speak earnestly," said Yolanda. "There is hope. If you win the lady
+who gave you the ring, you will be happy. I do not jest."
+
+"You do. You mock me," cried Max. "I tell you, Yolanda, there is in all
+the world no woman for me save--save one upon whom I may not think."
+Yolanda's face grew radiant, though tears moistened her eyes. "Even
+though it were possible for me to defy my parents, to turn my face
+against my country, my people, and the sacred traditions of my house, by
+asking her to share my life, there could be only wretchedness ahead for
+her, and therefore unhappiness for me. The dove and the eagle may not
+mate. Consider the fate of sweet Agnes Bernauer, who married Duke Albert
+and perished in the Danube. I tell you, Fräulein, I am hopeless. When I
+return to my people, I shall do so knowing that life thereafter will be
+something to endure, not a blessing to thank God for."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," murmured the girl, "you do not know."
+
+Max turned upon her almost angrily:--
+
+"A man knows when he lives; a man knows when he is dying, and a man, if
+he be worthy of the name, knows when he loves a woman. I am not sure
+that the sun shines, Fräulein, than I am that I shall not forget this
+woman nor cease to sorrow for her all the days of my life."
+
+"You must not speak such words to me, Sir Max," said Yolanda,
+reprovingly. "I, too, must live and be happy if--if I can."
+
+She turned her face away from Max and, touching her horse with her whip,
+passed a few feet ahead of him. If there were tears in her eyes, she did
+not wish Max to see them. After several minutes of silence he spurred
+his horse to her side.
+
+"I did not intend to speak, Fräulein. I once said I would never speak
+again. I should not have spoken now, though I have told you only what
+you already know. I ask no favor in return, not even a touch from
+your hand."
+
+"You shall have that at least, Sir Max," she answered, impulsively
+reining her horse close to Max and placing her hand in his.
+
+"Still, you wish me to win the lady who sent me the ring?" asked Max.
+
+"Yes," returned Yolanda, softly. "It will mean your happiness and
+mine--" Suddenly checking herself, she explained: "I shall be happy if
+you are. A man cannot know how happy a woman may be for another's sake."
+
+I felt no desire to reprove Max when he told me of his day's adventure
+with Yolanda, since I could in no way remedy the evil. In fact, Max was
+growing out of my jurisdiction. He had listened to my lectures and
+advice since childhood and had taken them kindly, because my authority
+grew out of my love for him and his love for me. He was a boy when we
+left Styria, but he was a man when we were journeying down the Rhine.
+Though the confidential relations between us had grown closer, my advice
+was gradually taking the form of consultation. I did not seek his
+confidences, and he gave them more freely, if that were possible, than
+ever before. I did not offer my advice so readily, but he sought it more
+frequently. Max told me the sorrowful little story of the day, and I did
+not comment on it. I simply led him in another direction.
+
+"Fräulein Yolanda's words have given me food for thought," I said. "So
+long as Duke Charles lives, there can be no union between Burgundy and
+Hapsburg; but at the pace he is travelling he will surely receive his
+_coup de grâce_ before long, and I hope you will meet and know the
+princess before the tragedy occurs. Then declare yourself and back your
+claim with the duke's proposal, which has never been withdrawn. That the
+people of Burgundy hate France and this French marriage there can be no
+doubt. They are fools for so doing, but we may easily profit by their
+lack of wisdom. In the event of the duke's death the inclinations of the
+princess will be half the battle. So long as he lives they are no part
+of it. If, by the help of Twonette, you should be so fortunate as to
+meet the princess, our dream may be realized, and our house may become
+the greatest in Europe."
+
+"I suppose you are right, Karl," answered Max. "You are always right;
+but I have no heart in this matter, and I hope nothing will come of it.
+I have never known you to be so cold-blooded as in this affair."
+
+"If you are to be hot-blooded, or even warm-blooded, you must turn your
+back on your house and cast from you the duties and privileges of your
+birth," I observed.
+
+"You are right," he answered irritably. "But it will be difficult for me
+to please one woman while thinking of another. Ah, Karl, I am growing
+tired of this Burgundian dream. Dream? It is almost a nightmare."
+
+Max's words did not alarm me; he was "chained to a throne." He would not
+fail me if the hour of good fortune should come.
+
+"Your thoughts of another woman will not stand in your way," I said.
+"Experience is more necessary in dealing with women than in any other of
+life's affairs, and this episode with Yolanda is what you need to
+prepare you for--for what I pray you may have to do."
+
+"Karl, please do not talk of this--this--my feeling for Yolanda as an
+episode," he said, speaking almost angrily. "It is a part of my life,
+and will be my sorrow as long as I live."
+
+The boy's anger warned me that if I would lead him, I must do it gently.
+
+"I believe, Max, you speak truly," I said; "but it will not be an
+unmixed evil. Good will come of it, since the image of a pure woman
+injures no man's heart. It keeps him in the narrow way and guides his
+hand for righteousness."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+WHO IS YOLANDA?
+
+Next morning Yolanda came to breakfast smiling, bedimpled, and sparkling
+as a sunlit mountain brook. Max, who was gloomy, took her sprightliness
+amiss, thinking, no doubt, that her life also ought to be darkened by
+the cloud that he thought was over-shadowing him. There was no doubt in
+my mind that Yolanda had inspired a deep and lasting passion in Max,
+though he was, I hoped, mistaken in the belief that it would darken his
+life. But I would not give a kreutzer for a young fellow who does not
+feel that life is worthless without his lady-love.
+
+Yolanda did not take kindly to clouds of any sort, and she soon
+scattered those that Max had conjured up. After we had resumed our
+journey Max fell back to ride with her.
+
+"Sir Max," she said, "if you allow yourself to become The Knight
+Doleful, I will not only cease having speech with you, but I will
+laugh at you."
+
+The latter she did then and there. This from a burgher girl of Peronne
+to a prince of the House of Hapsburg! The good duke and duchess would
+have swooned with horror had they known of it. Max was inclined to be
+angry, but, unfortunately for his ill-humor, he caught a glimpse of her
+face, and he, too, laughed.
+
+"I fear I am a great fool," he said. Yolanda did not contradict him. She
+simply shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "That unfortunate condition
+is apt, at times, to overtake the best of men."
+
+Soon our little cavalcade came together, and we rode, laughing, and all
+talking at once, for a league or more.
+
+Our road had parted from the river at one of its great bends, and for an
+hour we had been slowly climbing a long hill. When we reached the top,
+we unsaddled for dinner in the shade of a tree by the wayside. A hundred
+yards from the road was a dense copse of undergrowth and bushes on the
+edge of the forest. Off to the east flowed the majestic Rhine, a league
+distant, and to the north ran the road like a white ribbon, stretching
+downhill to the valley and up again to the top of another hill, distant
+perhaps a half-league.
+
+While we were eating dinner, a cloud of dust arose from the hilltop
+north of us, and immediately began descending in our direction. At
+intervals, in the midst of the dust-cloud, we caught glimpses of men on
+horseback riding at full gallop. This unwelcome sight brought our dinner
+to an end. I at once ordered the sumpter mules taken to the copse on
+the forest's edge, and directed every man to look to his arms and armor.
+I asked Twonette and Yolanda to go with the mules, and Yolanda
+became angry.
+
+"_I_ go with the mules? Sir Karl, you forget yourself," cried the young
+lady, drawing herself up with the dignity of a princess royal. Twonette
+ran as rapidly as her feet could take her to seek refuge with the mules,
+but Yolanda, with flashing eyes, declared:
+
+"I will remain here."
+
+I felt that an apology was due to this burgher girl.
+
+"I will gladly apologize later, Fräulein, but now I have only time to
+beg that you will conceal yourself. These men probably are robbers. If
+they see you, we shall be compelled to fight them, however great their
+numbers. If we find their force too large for us, we may easily ransom
+the mules and their packs, but we could make no terms for you. If they
+are Black Riders, they will prefer a little gold to a great deal of
+silk, but they will prefer you and Fräulein Twonette to a great deal
+of gold."
+
+"I would not pay them one piece of gold," cried Yolanda, defiantly.
+"Give me an arquebuse. I will help you fight."
+
+The brave little heroine astonished me.
+
+"Would you prefer that Max or your good uncle and perhaps some of our
+poor mule-leaders should be killed by these pigstickers," I asked, "or
+would you compound with them in some reasonable way? Shall we
+fight them?"
+
+"No, no," she answered, "wise bravery is better. I suppose I shall learn
+the lesson some day."
+
+While the troop of horsemen were under the crest of the hill, Yolanda
+ran across the open to a place of concealment beside Twonette. Hardly
+was she hidden when the dust-cloud rose from the brink of the hill, and
+five men, well though roughly armed, galloped up to us and drew their
+horses back upon their haunches.
+
+"What have we here?" demanded the captain, a huge German. Their grimy
+armor and bearded faces besmeared with black marked them as Black
+Riders. I was overjoyed to see that they numbered but five.
+
+"What is that to you?" I asked, putting on a bold front, though I feared
+our mule-leaders would make but a sorry fight should we come to blows.
+
+"That depends on what you have," responded our swart friend, coolly.
+"Whatever you have, so much it is to us."
+
+"What will you take in gold, my good man, and let us go our way in peace
+with our cargo of silks?" asked Castleman.
+
+"By your leave, friend," said I, interrupting the negotiations, "I am
+in command when fighting is to be done. Let me settle with this fellow."
+
+"Settle now, if you are so keen," cried the big German, drawing his
+sword and spurring his horse upon me. I could not have withstood the
+unexpected onrush, and certainly would have met with hard blows or
+worse, had not Max come to my rescue. I hurriedly stepped back, and the
+German, in following me, rode near a large stone by the roadside. He
+had, doubtless, passed the stone many times in his travels up and down
+the road, but the thought probably had never occurred to him that it
+would be the cause of his death. The most potential facts in our lives
+are usually too insignificant to attract attention.
+
+When the German charged me, Max sprang upon the stone and dealt the
+swart ruffian a blow such as no man may survive. Max's great battle-axe
+crushed the Black Eider's helmet as if it were an egg-shell, and the
+captain of our foes fell backward, hanging by his stirrups. One of our
+squires shot one of the robbers, and the remaining three took flight.
+Max caught the captain's horse, and coolly extricated the dead man's
+feet from the stirrups. Then he thrust the body to the roadside with the
+indifference of a man whose life has been spent in slaughter. Among his
+many inheritances, Max probably had taken this indifference, together
+with his instinctive love of battle. He was not quarrelsome, but he
+took to a fight as naturally as a duck takes to water.
+
+When the robbers had left, Yolanda came running from her hiding-place.
+She was not frightened; she was aglow with excitement. She, too, must
+have inherited the love of battle. Twonette was trembling with fear.
+
+"Ah, Sir Max, it was beautifully done," said Yolanda. "You sprang upon
+the rock with the quickness of a panther, and the blow was dealt with
+the strength of a lion. I saw it all. When your battle-axe rose above
+the robber's head, death was written on the steel. It was beautiful to
+see you kill him, Sir Max. Strength is always beautiful in the eyes of a
+woman, but it is doubly so when used in her defence and linked with
+'wise bravery.' I thank you, Sir Karl, for teaching me that word. Sir
+Max, I--I cannot thank you now."
+
+She stopped speaking and covered her face with her hands. In a moment
+she partly recovered composure and smiled her gratitude through a little
+shower of tears. Max was, of course, aglow with pleasure at Yolanda's
+praise, but he bore his honors meekly. He did not look upon his
+tremendous feat of arms as of much importance.
+
+Fearing the return of the Schwartreiter with reënforcements, we lost no
+time in resuming our journey, Max and Yolanda quickly finished their
+dinner, but Castleman, Twonette, and myself did not care to eat.
+
+Within ten minutes after Max had killed the captain of the Black Riders
+we were on our road travelling downhill, very joyful in our victory and
+very proud of our knight, Sir Max. We left the dead men by the roadside,
+but took with us two fine horses as compensation for our trouble. The
+captain's great charger Max appropriated for his own. He will appear
+again in this chronicle.
+
+We rode silently but joyfully. Twonette slowly recovered from her
+fright, and the pink crept back to her cheeks. The pink had not left
+Yolanda's cheeks, nor had her nerves been disturbed by the adventures of
+the morning. Max tried hard to suppress his exuberance of spirit, and
+Yolanda laved him in the sunshine of her smiles.
+
+Within three hours we were safely housed at a village by the Rhine.
+Castleman, finding me alone, said:--
+
+"You, Sir Karl, and Sir Max little know the value of the friend you have
+made this day."
+
+"I thank you, good Castleman," I answered, hardly liking so great an air
+of condescension on the part of a burgher. An afterthought suggested
+that perhaps Castleman had not referred to himself as the friend we had
+made. Strange thoughts and speculations had of late been swarming in my
+mind until they had almost taken the form of a refrain, "Who is
+Yolanda?" Though the question repeated itself constantly by day and by
+night, I received no whisper of an answer.
+
+We travelled slowly, and it was not until the second day after our
+conflict with the Black Riders that we found ourselves near Strasburg. A
+league from the city gates we met Raoul de Rose, a herald of the Duke of
+Burgundy. Yolanda recognized his banner at a distance and hastily veiled
+herself. Twonette remained unveiled.
+
+We halted, and De Rose, who was travelling alone, safe under a herald's
+privileges, drew rein beside Castleman and me, who had been riding in
+advance of our cavalcade. While Castleman was talking to De Rose,
+Yolanda and Twonette rode forward, passing on that side of the highway
+which left Castleman and me between them and the herald.
+
+"Ah, good Castleman," said De Rose, "you are far from home these
+troublous times."
+
+"Your words imply bad news, monsieur," returned Castleman. "I have
+already heard hints of trouble, though all was quiet when I
+left Peronne."
+
+"When did you leave?" asked the herald.
+
+"More than two months ago," answered Castleman.
+
+"With our rapidly moving duke, two months is ample time to make a deal
+of trouble, to gain victories, and to compel peace among his
+quarrelsome neighbors," answered De Rose. "It is publicly known that I
+carry defiance to the Swiss. They cannot comply with Burgundy's terms,
+and war will surely follow. Our duke will teach these Swiss sheep to
+stop bleating, and when this war is finished, the dominion of Burgundy
+will include the Alps. Duke Charles will have fresh ice for his dinner
+every day--ice from the mountain tops."
+
+"That is all he will get from the barren Swiss land, I fear," remarked
+Castleman.
+
+"But if he wants it?" answered De Rose, shrugging his shoulders.
+
+"Yes," returned Castleman, "if the duke wants it, God give it him; but I
+am sorry to see war with so peaceful a people as the Swiss."
+
+"There are many persons in Burgundy foolish enough to agree with you,"
+answered De Rose, laughingly, "but for my part, the will of my master
+is my will."
+
+"Amen!" said the cautious burgher.
+
+De Rose smiled, and said:--
+
+"There is but one will in Burgundy, and that will be done."
+
+"Where is the duke?" asked Castleman.
+
+"He is at home in Ghent," answered the herald.
+
+"Is he to remain there?" asked the burgher, displaying a sudden
+interest.
+
+"I believe he goes soon to Peronne to look after his affairs, on the
+French border, and to see the duchess and the princess before leaving
+for Switzerland. It is also publicly known that the duke, while at
+Peronne, intends to arrange for the immediate marriage of the princess
+to the Dauphin. He wishes to tie the hands of King Louis before making
+war elsewhere, and he is going to Peronne to cause this marriage to be
+celebrated before he leaves Burgundy."
+
+"Sacred God!" exclaimed the usually phlegmatic burgher. "We must hasten
+home. Farewell, Monsieur de Rose. Your news indeed is bad--your news
+of war."
+
+Castleman urged "Last Week" to an unwonted pace, and drew rein beside
+Yolanda. I followed slowly, and unintentionally overhead him say:--
+
+"Your father will soon be in Peronne. The duke leaves Ghent within a day
+or two."
+
+"Holy Virgin!" cried Yolanda, excitedly. "We must make all haste, good
+uncle. Hereafter we must travel night and day. We must double our
+retinue at Strasburg and hasten forward regardless of danger and
+fatigue. I wish we were across Lorraine and well out of Metz. If this
+war begins, Lorraine will surely turn upon Burgundy."
+
+"I begged you not to come upon this journey," said Castleman,
+complainingly.
+
+"I know you did, uncle," returned Yolanda, repentantly.
+
+"But you would come," continued Castleman, determined to give vent to
+his feelings. "I could not dissuade you, and now if the duke leaves
+Ghent--if your father reaches Peronne--before we return, God help
+us all."
+
+"Yes, dear uncle," said Yolanda, humbly; "as usual, I was at fault. I
+have been a source of trouble and danger to you nearly all my life, and
+you, of all persons in the world, I would make happy."
+
+I was riding ten paces behind Castleman, but the wind came toward me,
+and I was an involuntary listener. What I had heard was of such
+tremendous import to Max that I could not bring myself to rein back my
+horse, though I despised myself for listening. I believe that moment
+was, of all my life, the greatest test of my love for Max. No less a
+motive could have induced me to become an eavesdropper. Castleman was
+silent for a short time, and then I heard him say:--
+
+"You have also brought me happiness, Yolanda, and I shall be wretched
+when your father takes you from me. Twonette is not dearer to me than
+you. Whatever befalls, I shall still thank God for the happiness He has
+given me in you."
+
+"Ah, uncle, your kind words almost break my heart," said Yolanda,
+placing her kerchief to her eyes. "I wish you would not forgive me for
+having brought you into this hard case. I wish you would upbraid me. I
+will pray to the Blessed Virgin night and day to protect you from this
+trouble my wilfulness has brought upon you. Never again will I be
+wilful, dear uncle, never again--with you. At Strasburg I will make an
+offering to the Virgin."
+
+"Make her an offering of this young man on whom you are smiling,"
+suggested Castleman. "I would have left him at Basel but for your
+wilfulness and entreaties. We know nothing of him save that he is big,
+honest, brave, gentle, and good to look upon. I have already warned you
+against the great favor you show him. I shall not do so again. I advise
+that we leave him at Metz."
+
+"I will do as you advise," said Yolanda, mournfully. "I will offer even
+this, my first great happiness, to the Virgin. Surely it will
+propitiate her."
+
+This conversation almost deprived me of the power to think. In a dimly
+conscious fashion, I wondered whether Castleman could possibly have
+meant the Duke of Burgundy when he told Yolanda that her father would
+soon be at Peronne. I could find no other meaning for his words, and I
+was almost ready to believe that the brown-eyed, laughing Yolanda was
+none other than the far-famed Mary of Burgundy, whose tiny hand was
+sought by every nation of Europe having a marriageable king or prince.
+
+Kings in their dotage and princes in their nonage wooed her. Old men
+and babes eagerly sought the favor of this young girl, and stood ready
+to give their gold, their blood, and the lives of their subjects on even
+the shadow of a chance to win her. The battle-field and the bower alike
+had been wooing-ground for her smiles. After all this, she had been
+affianced to the Dauphin of France, and her father would bring the
+marriage about within a few weeks. To this girl I had thought to be
+gracious, and had feared that I might be too condescending. I then
+realized what a pitiable ass a man may make of himself by giving his
+whole time and attention to the task.
+
+Of course I was not sure that Yolanda was the princess. Her father,
+spoken of by Castleman, might be, and probably was, a great lord in the
+duke's train. Yolanda might be the love-daughter of Charles of Burgundy.
+Many explanations might be given to Castleman's remarks; but I could not
+help believing that Yolanda was the far-famed Burgundian princess. If
+so, what a marvellous romance was this journey that Max and I had
+undertaken, and what a fantastic trick fate had played in bringing these
+two from the ends of the earth to meet in the quaint old Swiss city. It
+seemed almost as if their souls had journeyed toward each other, since
+the beginning of time.
+
+That the princess should be abroad with Castleman and his daughter
+unattended by even a lady-in-waiting seemed improbable--almost
+impossible.
+
+My wavering mind veered with each moment from the conviction that
+Yolanda was the princess to a feeling of certainty that she was not, and
+back again. That she was the princess seemed at one moment indubitably
+true; the next moment it appeared absurdly impossible. Still,
+Castleman's words rang in my ears.
+
+I was glad that Max was riding a hundred yards behind me. My first
+determination was that he should know nothing of what I had heard. My
+second was that he and I should leave the party at Metz. If I were to
+disclose to Max my suspicions concerning Yolanda, I well knew that it
+would be beyond my power or that of any man to prevent his journeying
+to Peronne.
+
+This meeting with the princess far from home, one might suppose, was the
+event of all others that I desired, but the situation presented many
+points to be considered. If we should conduct Yolanda to Peronne and
+should reach that city after the duke's arrival, there would be untold
+trouble for us, if (oh, that mighty if!) she were the Princess Mary. I
+was thoroughly frightened, since I could not know what trouble I might
+bring to Max. We might, with comparative safety, visit Peronne at a
+later period; but I sincerely hoped that Yolanda would offer Max to the
+Virgin when we reached Metz.
+
+If Yolanda were the princess, and if the duke with his intentions
+regarding her immediate marriage, should reach Peronne and find his
+daughter absent, his wrath against all concerned would be unappeasable.
+If he should learn that she had been absent from Peronne on this
+journey, even though she reached home before her father, Castleman would
+probably lose his head for the crime of taking her, and all concerned in
+the journey might meet with evil fortune. Any of these catastrophes
+might occur if she were the princess. If she were not the princess, some
+other great catastrophe, hinted by Castleman and dreaded by Yolanda,
+might happen; and it is well for disinterested persons to remain away
+from the scene of impending trouble.
+
+Aside from all these good reasons for cutting short our journey to
+Peronne, was the fact that our motive for going there had ceased to
+exist. The princess was soon to become the wife of the Dauphin. If
+Yolanda were not the princess, there was still good reason why we should
+abandon her at Metz. She was dangerously attractive and was gaining too
+great a hold on Max. We were under contract to escort Castleman to
+Peronne, and no danger should prevent us from fulfilling our agreement;
+but if Castleman should voluntarily release us, our obligation
+would cease.
+
+As we passed under the portcullis at Strasburg, Max spurred his horse
+to Yolanda's side. She neither lifted her veil nor gave any sign of
+recognition. The news of impending war had been discussed, and Max
+supposed Yolanda was frightened. He spoke reassuringly to her, and she
+answered:--
+
+"I thank you, Sir Max, but our danger is greater than you know."
+
+It was four o'clock when we reached Strasburg, where we stopped at The
+Cygnet. Soon after we entered the inn, Twonette and Yolanda went forth,
+heavily veiled, and walked rapidly in the direction of the cathedral.
+Yolanda was going to make her offering to the Virgin of the man she
+loved; surely woman could make no greater.
+
+When Yolanda and Twonette had gone, Castleman asked me to assist him in
+procuring a score of men-at-arms. They might be needed in crossing
+Lorraine from Strasburg to Metz.
+
+"I shall travel night and day till we reach home," said Castleman. "I
+have news of war that hastens us, and--and it is most important that
+Yolanda should deliver certain papers at the castle before the duke
+arrives at Peronne. If she reaches the castle one hour or one minute
+after the duke, the results will be evil beyond remedy."
+
+"I sincerely hope there may be no delay," I answered, believing that the
+papers were an invention of Castleman's.
+
+"Yes," responded the burgher; "and, Sir Karl, I deem it best for all
+concerned that you and Sir Max part company with us at Metz. I thank you
+for your services, and hope you will honor us by visiting Peronne at
+some future time. But now it is best that you leave us to pursue our
+journey without you."
+
+Castleman's suggestion was most welcome to me, and I communicated it to
+Max when I returned to the inn. He was sorrowful; but I found that he,
+too, felt that he should part from Yolanda.
+
+Castleman and I found the burgomaster, to whom we paid five hundred
+guilders (a sum equal to his entire annual salary), and within an hour a
+troop of twenty men-at-arms awaited us in the courtyard of The Cygnet.
+Castleman barely touched his meat at supper, though he drank two bottles
+of Johannesburg; Max ate little, and I had no appetite whatever.
+
+When Yolanda returned, I said:--
+
+"Fräulein, will you not eat?"
+
+"I do not care to eat," she replied, and I could easily see that she was
+struggling to keep back the tears. "Let us resume our journey at once. I
+see the men-at-arms are waiting."
+
+Our rare days of sunshine had surely been weather-breeders. We were all
+under a dark cloud.
+
+We left Strasburg by the north gate, and, as the city fell back of us,
+Max, riding by my side, asked:--
+
+"What is the evil news that has cast this gloom over Yolanda and good
+Castleman? If our friends are in danger, I would not leave them at Metz,
+and you would not have me do so."
+
+"The evil news grows out of the war," I answered evasively. "I heard
+every word spoken by the herald and Castleman. The burgher is wise to
+hasten home. If he delays his journey even for a day, he may find
+Burgundy--especially Lorraine--swarming with lawless men going to the
+various rendezvous. He also tells me he has important papers that must
+be delivered in the castle before the duke arrives at Peronne."
+
+"It is strange," said Max, "that news of merely a general nature should
+produce so gloomy an effect; but, if you heard all that De Rose said,
+that must be the only cause."
+
+"I cannot say," I responded, "what the cause may be. All I know is that
+De Rose spoke of the impending war, and said that the duke was hastening
+to Peronne for the purpose of consummating the French marriage at once.
+There is now no reason why we should journey to Peronne. My air-castles
+have crumbled about my ears in fine shape."
+
+"I am not sorry, Karl," replied Max. "During the last fortnight I have
+changed. Should my marriage with the princess, by any marvellous
+chance, become possible, it would now be wholly for the sake of her
+estates, and I despise myself when I try to think that I wish to bring
+it about. Ah, Karl, it is now impossible even to hope for this marriage,
+and I tell you I am glad of it. We will see the world, then we will
+return to Styria; and I shall thank you all my life for having made a
+man of me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+DUKE CHARLES THE RASH
+
+Our caravan travelled with the mournfulness of a funeral procession.
+Early in the evening Max spoke to Yolanda:--
+
+"I hear your uncle desires Sir Karl and me to leave you at Metz."
+
+"Yes," she answered dolefully, hanging her head, "we part at Metz. I
+shall see you there before I leave, and then--and then--ah, Sir Max, I
+was wrong and you were right; there is no hope."
+
+"What of the lady who gave me the ring?" asked Max, in a feeble effort
+to banter her.
+
+"She would have made you very happy, Sir Max. Her estates would have
+compensated for all losses elsewhere."
+
+"You know, that is not true, Yolanda," said Max, earnestly.
+
+"I am not sure, Sir Max," responded the girl, "and do not wish to be
+sure. I will see you at Metz, and there we may part. It is our fate. We
+must not be doleful, Sir Max, we must be--we must be--happy and brave."
+Her poor little effort to be happy and brave was piteous.
+
+Castleman soon fell back with Yolanda, and Max rode forward beside me.
+
+At midnight we offsaddled by a stream in a forest and allowed our horses
+and mules to rest until sunrise. Then we took up our journey again, and
+by forced marches reached Metz one morning an hour before dawn. We
+waited in a drizzling rain till the gates opened, and, after a long
+parley with the warder, entered the city. We were all nearly exhausted,
+and our poor mules staggered along the streets hardly able to carry
+their burdens another step. Two had fallen a half-league outside of
+Metz; and three others fell with their loads within the city gates.
+
+Castleman had determined to stop with a merchant friend, and after what
+seemed a long journey from the gates we halted at the merchant's house.
+Our host left us in his parlor while he went to arrange for breakfast.
+When he had gone Castleman turned to me:--
+
+"You and Sir Max will, if you please, find good lodging at the Great
+Tun. My friend will send a man in advance to bespeak your comfort."
+
+Max and I rose to leave, and Yolanda offered him her hand, saying:--
+
+"It may be that we are to part here at Metz, but I will send for you
+soon and will see you before we leave, and--and--" She could not speak
+further; tears were in her eyes and her voice. It was not so easy after
+all to be happy and brave.
+
+"You will not fail to send for me?" asked Max, clinging to her hand.
+
+"I will not fail," she answered, looking up timidly and instantly
+dropping her eyes. "Of that you have better assurance than you will
+ever know."
+
+Castleman followed us to the street door and handed me a purse of gold.
+
+"I have expected to part from you here," he said, "and it may be so; but
+I fear I shall need your services still further. My mules are unfit to
+travel at present; they may never be fit to use; surely not within a
+fortnight. I must find other sumpter mules, wait for those I have to
+regain their strength, or leave my goods at Metz. My fortune is invested
+in these silks, and if I leave them here, I shall never see them again.
+In case the Duke of Lorraine succeeds in rallying his subjects against
+Burgundy, I shall find it difficult to buy sumpter mules on the eve of
+war, and may be compelled to remain in Metz until my own mules are able
+to travel. In that event may I depend upon you and Sir Max to escort my
+niece and my daughter to Peronne without me?"
+
+I answered promptly, though against my desires:--"You may depend on
+us."
+
+At midnight I was aroused by a knock at my door. I arose and admitted
+Castleman.
+
+"I will take you at your word, Sir Karl," said the burgher. "I cannot
+obtain sumpter mules, and I shall be ruined in fortune if I leave my
+silks at Metz. I have had word that the Duke of Burgundy leaves Ghent
+the day after to-morrow for Peronne. If he leaves late in the day, you
+may, by starting at once, reach Peronne Castle ahead of him. His journey
+will be shorter than yours by twenty-five leagues, but you will have a
+better road. If you travel with all haste, you may be able to take
+Yolanda, with--with the important papers, to the castle a half-day
+before my lord arrives there. Are you ready to begin the journey
+at once?"
+
+"We are ready," answered Max.
+
+"I will meet you at the Deutsches Thor Gate within an hour," said
+Castleman. "My daughter and my niece will be there. Since you are to
+travel rapidly I advise a small retinue. Your squires have proved
+themselves worthy men, and I feel sure you will be able to protect
+your charges."
+
+"We'll not boast of what we shall do, good Castleman," said Max, "but
+we'll do our best."
+
+"If you reach Peronne after the duke arrives," said Castleman, "I advise
+you not to enter the gates of the city, but to leave Burgundy at once
+and with all the speed you can make. If you reach Peronne before the
+duke, I advise you not to tarry; but if you determine to remain, you
+will go to The Mitre--a quiet inn kept by my good friend Marcus Grote. I
+strongly advise you not to remain at Peronne; but if you do not see fit
+to follow my advice, I hope you will remain close at The Mitre until my
+return, which, I trust, will be within three weeks. Danger will attend
+you if you do not follow my suggestion. In any case, Sir Max, I hope you
+will not visit my house. My words may seem ungracious, but they are for
+your good and mine. When I return to Peronne, I shall be happy if you
+will honor my poor house; but until my return, untold trouble to many
+persons may follow your disregard of what I say."
+
+Castleman then departed, and we immediately arranged for the journey.
+
+Max and I, with our squires, were waiting at the Deutsches Thor Gate
+when Castleman arrived with Twonette, Yolanda, and a guide. I knocked at
+the door of the lodge to rouse the warder, who, of course, was asleep,
+and that alert guardian of a drowsy city came grumbling to the wicket.
+
+"What in the devil's name do you want at this time of night?" he
+growled. "The gates won't open till dawn."
+
+"Yes, they will," replied Castleman. "I have the burgomaster's order."
+
+"I open the gates only on an order from the governor of the citadel,"
+said the warder.
+
+"I have not that, my good friend," responded Castleman, "but I have a
+hundred silver marks in my purse."
+
+"Let me see the burgomaster's order," said the worthy gatekeeper. "I am
+always glad to be accommodating."
+
+Castleman handed over the order and the purse, and the warder pretended
+to read the paper in the dark.
+
+"I'll open the gate to accommodate you and to please the burgomaster,"
+he said.
+
+The gates screeched upon their hinges, and every link in the portcullis
+chain groaned as if it wished to alarm the city. When the portcullis was
+a-block, Max, myself, and the squires mounted our horses. Yolanda leaned
+down from her saddle and, placing her arms about Castleman's neck,
+kissed him. Twonette followed her example; then our small cavalcade
+passed out through the gate, and we entered on our long, hard race with
+the Duke of Burgundy.
+
+At dawn Yolanda called me to her side.
+
+"Our guide will conduct us to Cinq Voies on the Somme, eight leagues
+this side of Peronne," she said. "There we shall dismiss him. From Cinq
+Voies the road is straight to Peronne down the river. Shall we put our
+horses to the gallop?"
+
+To her last suggestion I objected:--
+
+"We have no relays. These horses must carry us to Peronne. In Styria we
+have an adage, 'If you would gallop on a long journey, walk
+your horse.'"
+
+"In Styria!" exclaimed Yolanda, laughing. "You told me you were from
+Italy."
+
+"So I am," I replied.
+
+"Now you say _we_ have an adage in Styria," she returned, amused at my
+discomfiture. "I hope you have not been wandering from the path of truth
+in your long journey, Sir Karl."
+
+"No farther than yourself, Fräulein," I answered.
+
+A frown came instantly to her face and, after a moment's hesitation, she
+retorted:--
+
+"Ah, but I am a woman; I am privileged to wander a little way from the
+narrow road. A man may protect himself with his sword and battle-axe,
+and need never stray. A woman's defence lies in her wit and her tongue."
+The frown deepened, and she turned sharply upon me: "But in what
+respect, pray, have I wandered? I have not spoken a word to you which
+has not been the exact truth. If I have left anything untold, it is
+because I do not wish to tell it, in which case, of course, you would
+not wish to pry."
+
+Her audacity amused me, and though I knew I ought to hold my tongue, I
+could not resist saying:--
+
+"I have asked no questions, Fräulein."
+
+Yolanda cast a surprised glance toward me and then broke into a merry
+laugh.
+
+"That is to say _I_ have asked too many questions. Good for you, Sir
+Karl! I have had the worst of this encounter. I will ask no more
+questions nor give you further cause to wander from the truth. Your
+memory, Sir Karl, is poor. 'To be a good liar, one must have a good
+memory,' as King Louis of France has said."
+
+"Ask all the questions you wish, Fräulein," I responded penitently, "I
+will answer with the truth."
+
+"There is no need to ask questions," she said, giving me a side glance
+full of sauciness. "I already know all that I wish to know."
+
+I could not resist saying:--
+
+"Perhaps, Fräulein, I know quite as much about you as you know about
+us."
+
+"There is little to know about me that is really worth while, but what
+little there is I sincerely hope you do not know," she replied half
+angrily. "If you do know anything which I have left untold, or if, in
+your vanity, you think you have discovered some great mystery concerning
+me, I advise you to keep your supposed knowledge to yourself. The day
+that I am made sure you know too much, our friendship ceases, and that,
+Sir Karl, would give me pain. I hope it would pain you."
+
+I at once began an orderly though hasty retreat.
+
+"I do not know to what you refer concerning yourself," I explained. "All
+I know about you is that you are Fräulein Castleman, and a very charming
+person, whom I would have for my friend, if that be possible. I spoke
+but jestingly. I have often doubted that you are a burgher maiden, but
+there my knowledge ceases; and I am willing that it should so remain
+till you see fit to enlighten me."
+
+"There is little knowledge in doubt," said Yolanda, with a nervous
+laugh, "though a doubt usually precedes wisdom."
+
+Although I was looking at my horse's ears, I could see the light of her
+eyes as she watched me inquiringly. After a long pause she stroked her
+horse's mane with her whip, and said, musingly:--
+
+"A man should seek to know only the languages, philosophy, and other
+useful learning. Useless knowledge has cost many a man his head."
+
+After a long pause she turned to me with a broad smile:--
+
+"But it is usually not dangerous so long as it does not lodge in the
+tongue."
+
+I replied quickly:--
+
+"Fräulein, when my tongue makes a fool of me, I pray God I may lose it."
+
+"God save all fools by a like fate," she answered.
+
+I was sure she did not mean to include me in the category of fools.
+
+This conversation revealed to me two facts: first, I learned that by
+some means--possibly the ring Max wore--this girl, Yolanda, whoever she
+might be, knew Max. Second, I discovered in myself a dangerous
+propensity to talk, and of all sure roads to ruin the tongue is the
+surest. A man's vanity prompts him to be witty; hatred prompts him to
+cut his enemy, and his love of truth often prompts him to speak it at
+the wrong time. These three motives combined often prompt him to lose
+his head. Max and I were on dangerous ground, and one untimely error
+might make it perilous.
+
+We travelled rapidly, and near midnight of the second day out of Metz we
+reached Cinq Voies on the Somme. The village, consisting of a large inn,
+a church, a priest's house, and a farrier's shop, is situate at the
+meeting of five roads, from which the hamlet takes its name. One road
+led down from Cambrai and Ghent in the north, one from Liege in the
+northeast, and the one over which we had travelled from Metz came out of
+the southeast. Two roads led westward to Peronne. One followed the right
+bank of the Somme, passed Peronne, and thence on to Amiens. Another road
+followed the left bank of the Somme, touched Peronne, and thence ran
+southwesterly to Paris.
+
+When we reached Cinq Voies on the Somme--within eight leagues of
+Peronne--we halted for supper, very tired and weary. While supper was
+preparing, we held a consultation, and determined to rest there for the
+night. I advised against this course, believing that the duke would pass
+that way on his road from Ghent to Peronne. But Yolanda's sweet face
+was pinched by weariness, and Twonette was sound asleep. Our horses, I
+feared, might fail, and leave us hopelessly in the lurch. Therefore, I
+gave the command to offsaddle, and we halted at the inn for the night.
+
+Our host told me his house was full of guests who had arrived two hours
+before, but he found a room for Yolanda and Twonette, and told Max and
+me to sleep, if we could, on the tap-room floor. After an hour on the
+hard boards I went to the stable, and, rousing a groom, gave him a
+silver crown for the privilege of sleeping on a wisp of hay. I fell
+asleep at once and must have slept like the dead, for the dawn was
+breaking when one of our squires wakened me. I could not believe that I
+had been sleeping five minutes, but the dim morning light startled me,
+and I ordered the horses saddled.
+
+I hastened to the inn and wakened Max, to whose well-covered bones a
+board was as soft as a feather bed. While I was speaking to him, I heard
+a noise in an adjoining room and saw the door opening. Max and I barely
+escaped through an open arch when a commanding figure clad in light
+armor entered the tap-room.
+
+I had not seen Charles of Burgundy since he was a boy--he was then Count
+of Charolois--but I at once knew with terrifying certainty that I looked
+on the most dreaded man in Europe. He had changed greatly since I last
+had seen him. He was then beardless; now he wore a beard that reached
+almost to his belt, and I should not have recognized in him the young
+Count of Charolois. There was, however, no doubt in my mind concerning
+his identity.
+
+Even had I failed to see the angry scar on his neck, of which I had
+often heard, or had I failed to note the lack of upper teeth (a fact
+known to all Europe) which gave his face an expression of savagery, I
+should have recognized him by his mien. There was not another man like
+him in all the world, and I trust there never will be. His face wore an
+expression of ferocity that was almost brutal. The passions of anger,
+arrogance, and hatred were marked on every feature; but over all there
+was the stamp of an almost superhuman strength, the impress of an iron
+will, the expression of an exhaustless energy, and the majesty of a
+satanic bravery. If Yolanda was the daughter of this terrible man, and
+if he should discover that I had her hidden in the room above his head,
+I should never eat another breakfast. Truly, Max and I were on
+perilous ground.
+
+Max remained in concealment, and I climbed the stairs, two steps at a
+time, to Yolanda's room. I gently knocked, and received a
+sleepy response.
+
+"Rise at once," I whispered. "I must speak to you instantly."
+
+"Enter--we are already dressed," answered Yolanda.
+
+When I entered she had risen from the bed and was rubbing her eyes.
+
+"We were so tired we slept in our garments. Don't we show it?" said
+Yolanda.
+
+Her hands were above her head, vainly endeavoring to arrange her hair,
+which had fallen in a great tumble of dark curls over her shoulder. Rest
+had flushed her cheeks, and her lips and her eyes were moist with the
+dew of sleep. Though my business was urgent I could not resist
+exclaiming:--
+
+"Ah, Fräulein, you surely are beautiful."
+
+"I thank you, Sir Karl," she answered, flashing a smile upon me. "You
+may kiss my hand."
+
+She offered me her hand and asked:--
+
+"But what is your news?"
+
+While she spoke I heard voices and the tramping of hoofs beneath the
+window in front of the inn, and turned to look. I quickly drew away from
+the window and beckoned Yolanda:--
+
+"Come here, Fräulein."
+
+She came to my side, and as she looked out upon the road two men emerged
+from the inn door. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy. She clutched my
+arm and whispered excitedly:--
+
+"Watch them, Sir Karl! Note the road they take! If they go by the right,
+we shall take the left. We _must_ reach Peronne Castle before the duke.
+Death itself hangs upon the issue, Sir Karl."
+
+I watched till the duke and all his people had left the inn; then I
+followed till I saw them take the road leading down the right bank of
+the Somme. When I returned to the inn, I paid the score, and gave each
+member of our little party a _boule_ of bread to be eaten as we rode;
+and within five minutes after the duke's departure we were fording the
+Somme to take the left bank for Peronne.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A RACE WITH THE DUKE
+
+Neither road clung to the river in all its windings, but at too frequent
+intervals both touched the stream at the same points. At places the
+roads hugged the Somme, separated only by its width--perhaps two hundred
+yards. These would be our danger points. I did not know them, and
+Yolanda's knowledge of the road was imperfect.
+
+Soon after leaving Cinq Voies, the road on the right bank--the one taken
+by the duke--gained a mile over the road on the left by cutting across a
+great bend in the river around which we had to travel. We therefore lost
+the duke's cavalcade at the outset.
+
+Hoping to pass the duke before the roads came again within sight of each
+other, we urged our horses to full speed. But the duke also was
+travelling rapidly, as we learned when we reached the first point of
+contact. Should the duke's men see us they would certainly hail. Four
+men in armor and two ladies, travelling the road to Peronne would not be
+allowed to pass unchallenged. Fortunately, just before the danger point,
+a clump of trees and underbushes grew between our road and the river.
+Max, who was riding a hundred yards in advance, suddenly stopped and
+held up his hand warningly. We halted immediately, and Max turned back
+to us, guiding his horse to the roadside to avoid raising a dust-cloud.
+
+We listened in silence, and I beckoned the squires to our sides. The men
+of our little party all dismounted and stood by their horses' heads,
+ready to strike the noses of the animals should they offer to salute the
+horses across the river with a neigh. Had not our danger been so great
+it would have been amusing to see each man, with uplifted hand, watching
+the eyes of his horse as intently as though they were the eyes of his
+lady-love. Yolanda laughed despite the danger, but covered her mouth
+with her hand when I frowned warningly.
+
+Presently we heard the tramping of horses and the voices of men across
+the river, and soon the duke approached at a canter. I could not help
+speculating on the consequences should His Grace know that Yolanda was
+watching him--if Yolanda were his daughter.
+
+That "if" would surely be the death of me.
+
+When the duke had passed a little way down the road, I peered through
+the bushes and saw the dust-cloud ahead of us.
+
+We could not venture from our hiding-place till the duke was out of
+sight, and by the delay we lost a good half-league in our race. I asked
+Yolanda if she knew how far it was to the next point of contact, She did
+not know, but I learned from a peasant that the river made a great bend,
+and that our road gained nearly a league over the other before each
+again touched the river. This was our great chance.
+
+We put our horses to their best; and when we again reached the river,
+Max, who was riding in advance, announced that the other cavalcade was
+not in sight. If it had passed, our race was lost; if it had not, we
+felt that we could easily ride into Peronne ahead of Duke Charles. At
+that point the roads followed the river within a stone's throw of each
+other for a great distance. If the duke had not reached this point, our
+need for haste was greater than ever before. We must be beyond the open
+stretch before the other cavalcade should come up to it.
+
+Our poor blown horses were loath to run, but we urged them to it. When
+we had covered half this open road, we took to the sod at the roadside
+to avoid raising a telltale cloud of dust. After a hard gallop we
+reached a forest where the road again left the river. Here we halted to
+breathe our horses and to watch the road on the right bank. After ten
+minutes we became uneasy and began to fear that the duke's cavalcade had
+passed us, but Max insisted that our fears were groundless.
+
+"Their dust could not have settled so quickly," he declared. "We should
+see at least traces of it. They cannot have passed."
+
+"One cannot help believing," said Yolanda, musingly, "that there are men
+who command the elements. One would almost say they make the rain to
+fall or to cease, the wind to rise or to drop, to suit their purposes,
+and the dust to lie quietly beneath their horses' feet. I pray God we
+may soon know, else I shall surely die of suspense."
+
+"There are also some persons, Fräulein, whom God answers quickly," said
+Max, looking under his hand down the road. "Do you see yonder
+dust-cloud? It is a good two miles back of us."
+
+"It may not be the duke," said Yolanda, doubtingly.
+
+"Let us trust it is," said Max, "and lose no more time here."
+
+We watered our horses at a small brook and entered the forest, feeling
+that our race was won. The exultation of victory was upon Yolanda, and
+her buoyant spirits mounted to the skies. All fear and gloom had left
+her. She laughed and sang, and the sunshine of her humor filled all our
+hearts with delight. Since leaving Metz we had travelled so rapidly, and
+a cloud of uncertainty and fear was so constantly over us, that Yolanda
+had spoken little to Max or to any one; but now that victory was in her
+grasp, she intended to waste not one moment more in troubled thoughts
+and painful fears.
+
+"Ride beside me, Sir Max," she cried, beckoning him as if she were a
+great princess and he her page. Max spurred his horse to her side, and
+after a moment Twonette fell back with me. I overheard all that was said
+between Max and Yolanda, and though I do not pretend to quote
+accurately, I will give you the substance of their conversation.
+
+"I cannot help laughing," she said, suiting the action to the word,
+"over our tragic parting at Metz. We were separated a whole day!"
+
+"But we supposed it was to be for a very long time," said Max. "We--that
+is, I--feared I should never see you again. As it was, the day seemed
+long to me, Fräulein."
+
+The girl laughed joyously. She had, you remember, offered Max to the
+Virgin at Strasburg. Perhaps part of her joy was because the Queen of
+Heaven had returned him to her.
+
+"I should like to try a separation for many days," she said.
+
+"You will soon have the opportunity," returned Max, with wounded vanity.
+She paid no heed to his remark, and continued:--
+
+"The second day would not seem so long to you. The third would be still
+shorter, and at the end of a fortnight--nay, at the end of a week--you
+would wonder how you were ever brought to fix your eyes on a poor
+burgher girl, even for a passing moment--you, a great lord. You see, I
+have no vast estates to hold you constant, such as those possessed by
+the forward lady who sent you the letter and the ring. Do you know, Sir
+Max, if I were very fond of you,--if I were your sweetheart,--I should
+be jealous of this brazen lady, very jealous."
+
+There was a glint in her eyes that might have caused one to believe the
+jealousy already existed.
+
+"Your raillery ill becomes you," said Max, half sullenly. "If I forget
+my rank and hold it of small account for your sake, you should not make
+a jest of it."
+
+You see, he had not entirely washed out of himself the ceremonious
+starch of Hapsburg.
+
+She glanced quickly toward him and answered poutingly:--
+
+"If you don't like my jesting, Sir Max, you may leave me to ride alone."
+
+"You asked me to ride with you," returned Max, "but if you have changed
+your mind and insist on being ill-tempered, I will--"
+
+She reached out her hand, and, grasping his bridle-reins, threw them
+over the pommel of her saddle.
+
+"Now let me see what you will do, my great Lord Somebody," she cried
+defiantly. "You shall not only ride beside me, but you shall also
+listen good-humoredly to my jests when I am pleased to make them, and
+bear with my ill-humor when I am pleased to be ill-humored."
+
+Max left the bridle-reins in her hand, but did not smile. She was not to
+be driven from her mood.
+
+"You are such a serious person, Sir Max, that you must, at times, feel
+yourself a great weight--almost burdensome--to carry about." She
+laughed, though his resentment had piqued her, and there was a dash of
+anger in her words. "Ponderous persons are often ridiculous and are apt
+to tire themselves with their own weight--no, Sir Max, you can't get
+away. I have your reins."
+
+"I can dismount," returned Max, "and leave you my horse to lead."
+
+He turned to leave his saddle, but she caught his arm, rode close to his
+side, and, slipping her hand down his sleeve, clasped his hand--if a
+hand so small as hers can be said to clasp one so large as his.
+
+A beautiful woman is born with a latent consciousness of her power over
+the subjugated sex. Max found in the soft touch of the girl's hand a
+wonderful antidote to her sharp words. She continued to hold his hand as
+compensation while she said, laughing nervously:--
+
+"Sir Max, you are still young. A friend would advise you: Never lose a
+chance to laugh, even though it be at your own expense. There will
+always be opportunity to grieve and be gloomy. I tell you frankly, Sir
+Max, I almost wept when I bade you good-by at Metz. Now, I am telling
+you my state secret and am giving you more than you have asked."
+
+Max joyfully interrupted her:--
+
+"I can forgive you all your raillery, Fräulein, for that admission."
+
+"Yes, I confess it is a very important admission," she said, in
+half-comic seriousness, "but you see, I really did weep when I parted
+from my great mastiff, Caesar, at Peronne."
+
+The saucy turn was made so quickly that its humor took Max unawares, and
+he laughed.
+
+"There, there! Sir Max, there is hope for you," she cried exultantly.
+Then she continued, stealing a side glance at him, "I loved Caesar very,
+very much."
+
+There was a satisfying implication in her laughing words, owing to the
+fact that she had almost wept at Metz. Max was eager to take advantage
+of the opportunity her words gave him, for his caution was rapidly
+oozing away; but he had placed a seal on his lips, and they were
+shut--at least, for the time. His silence needed no explanation to
+Yolanda, and she continued laughingly:--
+
+"Yes, I almost wept. Perhaps I did weep. I will not say truly that I did
+not, Sir Max, but within an hour I was laughing at my foolish self and
+feared that you, too, would be laughing at me. I wondered if in all the
+world there was another burgher maiden so great a fool as to lift her
+eyes to a mighty lord, or to think that he could lower his eyes to her
+with true intent."
+
+At that point in the conversation I felt that the seal upon Max's lips
+would not stand another attack. It was sure to melt; so I rode to
+Yolanda's side and interrupted the interesting colloquy.
+
+Max supposed the girl to be of the burgher class, and if by any chance
+she were Mary of Burgundy, he might ruin his future, should he become
+too insistent upon his rank in explaining the reasons why he could not
+follow the path of his inclinations. He might make himself ridiculous;
+and that mistake will ruin a man with any woman, especially if she be
+young and much inclined to laugh.
+
+During the foregoing conversation we had been travelling at a six-mile
+canter. The day was warm, and I suggested breathing the horses in the
+shade of the forest.
+
+"I believe we are approaching the river," I said, "and we should rest
+the horses before taking a dash over the open road."
+
+Yolanda assented--in a manner she seemed to have taken command of the
+party--and we halted under the trees. Max rode forward to a point from
+which he could view the other road, and waved his hand to let us know
+that the duke was not in sight. We immediately put spurs to our horses
+and covered the stretch of open road by the river in a short, brisk
+gallop. On leaving the road again we saw no indication of the duke's
+cavalcade. Evidently the race was ours by an easy canter. From that
+point to within two miles of Peronne, Yolanda's song was as joyous as
+that of a wooing bird. The sun beat down upon us, and blinding clouds of
+dust rose from every plunge of our horses' hoofs; but Yolanda's song
+transformed our hot, wearisome journey into a triumphant march.
+Happiness seemed to radiate from her and to furnish joy for all.
+
+For a stretch of two miles up river from Peronne the roads approached
+each other, but, owing to an intervening marsh, they were fully half a
+mile apart. We, or at least Yolanda, had apparently forgotten the duke
+when, near the hour of eight in the morning, we approached the marsh;
+but when we entered the open country we saw, to our consternation, the
+duke's cavalcade within one mile of Peronne. Where they had passed us we
+did not know, nor did we stop to consider. They were five minutes ahead,
+and if we could not enter Peronne in advance of them, it were no worse
+had they been a day before us.
+
+Yolanda cast one frightened glance toward the duke's party, and struck
+her horse a blow with her whip that sent it bounding forward at a
+furious gallop. We reached the river and were crossing as the duke
+entered Cambrai Gate--the north entrance to the city. We would enter by
+the gate on the south known as the Somme Gate; Cambrai Gate was nearer
+the castle.
+
+The duke, I supposed, would go directly to the castle; where Yolanda
+would go I could not guess. From outside the Somme Gate we saw the duke
+enter Cambrai, but after we had passed under the arch we could not see
+him for a time because of intervening houses. The huge, grim pile of
+stone known as Peronne Castle loomed ominously on the opposite side of
+the small town. Yolanda veiled herself before passing under the gate and
+hastened, though without conspicuous speed, toward the castle.
+
+I afterward learned that there was but one entrance to the castle from
+the town. It was known as the Postern, though it had a portcullis and a
+drawbridge spanning the moat. To the Postern the duke took his way, as
+we could see at intervals by looking down cross streets. Yolanda did not
+follow him. She held her course down a narrow street flanked by
+overhanging eaves. Looking down this street, I could see that it
+terminated abruptly at the castle wall, which rose dark and unbroken
+sixty feet above the ground.
+
+At the end of this street a stone footbridge spanned the moat, leading
+to a strip of ground perhaps one hundred yards broad and two hundred
+long that lay between the moat and the castle wall. At either end of
+this strip the moat again turned to the castle. The Cologne River joined
+the moat at the north end of this tract of ground and flowed on by the
+castle wall to the Somme. In a grove of trees stood a large two-story
+house of time-darkened stone, built against the castle wall. One could
+not leave the strip of ground save by the stone footbridge, unless by
+swimming the moat or scaling the walls.
+
+When we reached the footbridge, Yolanda and Twonette, without a word of
+farewell, urged their horses across, and, springing from their saddles,
+hurriedly entered the house. Max and I turned our horses' heads, and, as
+we were leaving the footbridge, saw the duke's cavalcade enter the
+Postern, which was perhaps three hundred yards back and north of the
+strip on which stood the House under the Wall.
+
+To reach the Postern in the castle wall from the footbridge one must go
+well up into the town and cross the great bridge that spans the Cologne;
+then back along the north bank of the river by the street that leads to
+the Postern. From the House under the Wall to the Postern, by way of the
+Cologne bridge, is a half-hour's walk, though in a direct line, as the
+crow flies, it may be less than three hundred yards. Neither Max nor I
+knew whether our journey had been a success or a failure.
+
+We rode leisurely back to the centre of the town, and asked a carter to
+direct us to Marcus Grote's inn, The Mitre. We soon found it, and gave
+mine host the letter that we bore from Castleman. Although the hour of
+nine in the morning had not yet struck, Max and I eagerly sought our
+beds, and did not rise till late in the afternoon. The next morning we
+dismissed our squires, fearing they might talk. We paid the men, gave
+them each a horse, and saw them well on their road back to Switzerland.
+They were Swiss lads, and could not take themselves out of Burgundy fast
+enough to keep pace with their desires.
+
+Notwithstanding Castleman's admonition, Max determined to remain in
+Peronne; not for the sake of Mary the princess, but for the smile of
+Yolanda the burgher girl. I well knew that opposition would avail
+nothing, and was quite willing to be led by the unseen hand of fate.
+
+The evening of the second day after our arrival I walked out at dusk and
+by accident met my friend, the Sieur d'Hymbercourt. He it was to whom my
+letters concerning Max had been written, and who had been responsible
+for the offer of Mary's hand. He recognized me before I could avoid him,
+so I offered my hand and he gave me kindly welcome.
+
+"By what good fortune are you here, Sir Karl?" he asked.
+
+"I cannot tell," I answered, "whether it be good or evil fortune that
+brings me. I deem it right to tell you that I am here with my young
+pupil, the Count of Hapsburg."
+
+Hymbercourt whistled his astonishment.
+
+"We are out to see a little of the world, and I need not tell you how
+important it is that we remain unknown while in Burgundy. I bear my own
+name; the young count has assumed the name of his mother's family and
+wishes to be known as Sir Maximilian du Guelph."
+
+"I shall not mention your presence even to my wife," he replied. "I
+advise you not to remain in Burgundy. The duke takes it for granted that
+Styria will aid the Swiss, or at least will sympathize with them in this
+brewing war, and I should fear for your safety were he to discover you."
+
+"I understand the duke recently arrived in Peronne?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," answered Hymbercourt, "we all came yesterday morning."
+
+"How is the fair princess? Did she come with you?" I asked, fearing to
+hear his reply.
+
+"She is well, and more beautiful than ever before," he answered. "She
+did not come with us from Ghent; she has been here at the castle with
+her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret. They have lived here during the
+last two or three years. The princess met her father just inside the
+Postern, lovely and fresh as a dew-dipped rose."
+
+"She met her father just inside the Postern?" I asked, slowly dropping
+my words in astonishment. "She was in the castle yard when her father
+entered,--and at the Postern?"
+
+"Yes, she took his hand and sprang to a seat behind him," answered
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"She met him inside the Postern, say you?" I repeated musingly.
+
+"What is there amazing about so small an act?" asked Hymbercourt. "Is it
+not natural that she should greet her father whom she has not seen for
+a year?"
+
+"Indeed, yes," I replied stumblingly, "but the weather is very hot,
+and--and I was thinking how much I should have enjoyed witnessing the
+meeting. She doubtless was dressed in gala attire for so rare an
+occasion?" I asked, wishing to talk upon the subject that touched me so
+nearly. Yolanda was in short skirts, stained and travel-worn, when
+she left us.
+
+"Indeed she was," answered Hymbercourt. "I can easily describe her
+dress. She loves woman's finery, and I must confess that I too love it.
+She wore a hawking costume; a cap of crimson--I think it was
+velvet--with little knots on it and gems scattered here and there. A
+heron's plume clasped with a diamond brooch adorned the cap. Her hair
+hung over her shoulders. It is very dark and falls in a great bush of
+fluffy curls. When her headgear is off, her hair looks like a black
+corona. She is wonderfully beautiful, wonderfully beautiful. Her gown
+was of red stuff. Perhaps it was of velvet like the cap. It was hitched
+up with a cord and girdle, with tassels of gold lace and--and--Sir Karl,
+you are not listening."
+
+"I am listening," I replied. "I am greatly interested. Her gown--she
+wore a gown--she wore a gown--"
+
+"Yes, of course she wore a gown," laughingly retorted Hymbercourt. "Your
+lagging attention is what I deserve, Sir Karl, for trying in my lame
+fashion to describe a woman's gear to a man who is half priest, half
+warrior. I do not wonder that you did not follow me."
+
+I had heard him, but there was another question dinning in my ears so
+loudly that it drowned all other sounds--"Who is Yolanda?"
+
+Yolanda was entering the door of the House under the Wall less than five
+minutes before I saw the duke pass through the Postern. Marcus Grote had
+told me there were but two openings to the castle, the Postern and the
+great gate on the other side of the castle by the donjon keep. To reach
+the great gate one must pass out by Cambrai or the Somme Gate and go
+around the city walls--an hour's journey.
+
+With an air of carelessness I asked Hymbercourt concerning the various
+entrances to the castle. He confirmed what Grote had said. Considering
+all the facts, I was forced to this conclusion: If the Princess Mary had
+met the duke at the Postern, Yolanda was not the Princess Mary.
+
+The next day I reconnoitred the premises, and again reached the
+conclusion that Yolanda could not have met the duke inside the Postern
+unless she were a witch with wings that could fly thither over the
+castle walls; ergo, she was not the princess. With equal certainty she
+was not a burgher girl.
+
+In seeking an identity that would fit her I groped among many absurd
+propositions. Yolanda might be the duke's ward, or she might be his
+daughter, though not bearing his name. My brain was in a whirl. If she
+were the princess, I wished to remain in Peronne to pursue the small
+advantage Max had assuredly gained in winning her favor. The French
+marriage might miscarry. But if she were not the princess, I could not
+get my Prince Max away from her dangerous neighborhood too quickly. I
+could not, of course, say to Max, "You shall remain in Peronne," or "You
+shall leave Peronne at once;" but my influence over him was great, and
+he trusted my fidelity, my love, and my ability to advise him rightly. I
+had always given my advice carefully, but, above all, I had given him
+the only pleasurable moments he had ever known. That, by the way, may
+have been the greatest good I could have offered him.
+
+When Max was a child, the pleasure of his amusements was smothered by
+officialism. My old Lord Aurbach, though gouty and stiff of joint, was
+eager to "run" his balls or his arrows, and old Sir Giles Butch could be
+caught so easily at tag or blind man's buff that there was no sport for
+Max in doing it. Everything the boy did was done by the heir of Styria,
+except on rare occasions when he and I stole away from the castle. Then
+we were boys together, and then it was I earned his love and confidence.
+At such times we used to leave the Hapsburg ancestry to care for itself
+and dumped Hapsburg dignity into the moat. But the crowning good I had
+brought to him was this journey into the world. The boy loathed the
+clinging dignities that made of him, at home, a royal automaton, tricked
+out in tarnished gold lace, faded velvets, and pompous airs. He often
+spoke of the pleasures I had given him. One evening at Grote's inn I
+answered:--
+
+"Nonsense, Max, nonsense," though I was so pleased with his gratitude I
+could have wept.
+
+"It is not nonsense. You have saved me from becoming a mummy. I see it
+all, Karl, and shudder to think of the life that might have been mine. I
+take no pleasure in seeing gouty old dependents bowing, kneeling, and
+smirking before me. Of course, these things are my prerogative, and a
+man born to them may not forego what is due to his birth even though it
+irks him. But such an existence--I will not call it living--saps the
+juice of life. Even dear old mother is compelled to suppress her love
+for me. Often she has pressed me to her breast only to thrust me away at
+the approach of footsteps. By the way, Karl," continued Max, while
+preparing for bed, "Yolanda one day at Basel jestingly called me
+'Little Max.'"
+
+"The devil she did," I exclaimed, unable to restrain my words.
+
+"Yes," answered Max, "and when in surprise I told her that it was my
+mother's love-name for me, she laughed saucily, 'Yes, I know it is.'"
+
+"The dev-- Max, you can't mean what you say?" I cried, in an ecstasy of
+delight over the news he was telling me.
+
+"Indeed I do," he returned. "I told her I loved the name as a sweet
+reminder of my mother."
+
+"What did she say?" I asked.
+
+"She seemed pleased and flashed her eyes on me--you know the way she
+has--and said: 'I, too, like the name. It fits you so well--by
+contraries.' Where could she have learned it, and how could she have
+known it was my mother's love-name for me?"
+
+"I cannot tell," I answered.
+
+So! here was a small fact suddenly grown big, since, despite all
+evidence to the contrary, it brought me back to my old belief that this
+fair, laughing Yolanda was none other than the great Princess of
+Burgundy. I was sure that she had gained all her information concerning
+Max from my letters to Hymbercourt.
+
+It racks a man's brain to play shuttlecock with it in that fashion.
+While I lay in bed trying to sleep, I thought of the meeting between the
+duke and the princess at the Postern, and back again flew my mind to the
+conviction that Yolanda was not, and could not possibly be, the Princess
+Mary. For days I had been able to think on no other subject. One moment
+she was Yolanda; the next she was the princess; and the next I did not
+know who she was. Surely the riddle would drive me mad. The fate of
+nations--but, infinitely more important to me, the fate of Max--depended
+upon its solution.
+
+Castleman had told us to remain at the inn until his return, and had
+exacted from Max, as you will remember, a promise not to visit the House
+under the Wall, which we had learned was the home of our burgher friend.
+We therefore spent our days and evenings in Grote's garden near the
+banks of the river Cologne.
+
+One afternoon, while we were sitting at a table sipping wine under the
+shade of a tree near the river bank, Max said:--
+
+"I have enjoyed every day of our journey, Karl. I have learned the great
+lesson of life, and am now ready to go back to Styria and take up my
+burden. We must see our friends and say farewell to them. Then--"
+
+"You forget the object of our journey to Burgundy," I answered.
+
+"No, I have not forgotten it," he replied. "I had abandoned it even
+before I heard of the impending French marriage."
+
+"Not with my consent, Max," I answered almost fiercely. "The princess is
+not yet married, and no one can foresee the outcome of these present
+complications into which the duke is plunging. We could not have reached
+Burgundy at a more auspicious time. God's hand seems to have been in our
+venture. If evil befall the duke, there will be an open gate for you,
+Max,--a gate opened by fate."
+
+I could not, by my utmost effort, force myself entirely away from the
+belief that Yolanda was the princess, and I was near to telling Max of
+my suspicions; but doubt came before my words, and I remained silent.
+Before many days I was glad of my caution.
+
+"I knew," said Max, "that I would pain you, Karl, by this determination
+to return to Styria without so much as an effort to do--to do what we--
+what you wished; but it must be as I say. I must leave Burgundy and go
+back to my strait-jacket. I have lived my life, Karl, I have had my
+portion of sweet joy and sweeter pain. The pain will give me joy as long
+as I live. Now for my duty to my father, my house, and my ancestors."
+
+"But your duty to all these lies here in Peronne," I answered, almost
+stifled by the stupendous import of the moment.
+
+"I suppose you are right," sighed Max, speaking gently, though with
+decision. "But that duty I'll shirk, and try to make amends in other
+ways. I shall never marry. That, Karl, you may depend upon. Styria may
+go at my death to Albert of Austria, or to his issue."
+
+"No, no! Max," I cried. He ignored my interruption.
+
+"Along with the countless duties that fall to the lot of a prince are a
+few that one owes to himself as a man. There are some sacrifices a man
+has no right to inflict upon himself, even for the sake of his family,
+his ancestors, or his state." He paused for the space of a minute, and,
+dropping his words slowly, continued in a low voice vibrant with
+emotion: "There is but one woman, Karl, whom I may marry with God's
+pleasure. Her, I may not even think upon; she is as far from me as if
+she were dead. I must sacrifice her for the sake of the obligations and
+conditions into which I was born; but--" here he hesitated, rose slowly
+to his feet, and lifted his hands above his head, "but I swear before
+the good God, who, in His wisdom, inflicted the curse of my birth upon
+me, that I will marry no other woman than this, let the result be
+what it may."
+
+He sank back into the chair and fell forward on the table, burying his
+face in his arms. His heart for the moment was stronger than his
+resolution.
+
+"That question is settled," thought I. No power save that of the Pope
+could absolve the boy from his oath, and I knew that the power of ten
+score of popes could not move him from its complete fulfilment. The oath
+of Maximilian of Hapsburg, whose heart had never coined a lie, was as
+everlasting as the rocks of his native land and, like Styria's mountain
+peaks, pierced the dome of heaven.
+
+If Yolanda were not the princess, our journeying to Burgundy had been in
+vain, and our sojourn in Peronne was useless and perilous. It could not
+be brought to a close too quickly. But (the question mark seems at times
+to be the greatest part of life) if Yolanda were Mary of Burgundy, Max
+had, beyond doubt, already won the lady's favor, unless she were a
+wanton snare for every man's feet. That hypothesis I did not entertain
+for a moment. I knew little of womankind, but my limited knowledge told
+me that Yolanda was true. Her heart was full of laughter,--a rare, rich
+heritage,--and she was little inclined to look on the serious side of
+life if she could avoid it; but beneath all there was a real Yolanda,
+with a great, tender heart and a shrewd, helpful brain. She was somewhat
+of a coquette, but coquetry salts a woman and gives her relish. It had
+been a grievous waste on the part of Providence to give to any girl such
+eyes as Yolanda's and to withhold from her a modicum of coquetry with
+which to use them. Taken all in all, Yolanda, whoever she was, would
+grace any station in life. But if she were not the princess, I would be
+willing to give my life--nay, more, I would almost be willing to take
+hers--rather than see her marry Maximilian of Hapsburg. Happiness could
+not come from such a union.
+
+Should Max marry a burgher girl, his father and mother would never look
+upon his face again. It would alienate his subjects, humble his house,
+and bring him to the level of the meanest noble on the Danube. To all
+these dire consequences Max was quite as wide awake as I. He had no
+intention of bringing them upon his house, though for himself he would
+have welcomed them. So I felt little uneasiness; but when a great love
+lays hold upon a great heart, no man may know the outcome.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ON THE MOAT BRIDGE
+
+Awaiting Castleman's return, we remained housed up at The Mitre, seldom
+going farther abroad than Grote's garden save in the early morning or
+after dark. But despite our caution trouble befell us, as our burgher
+friend had predicted.
+
+Within a week Max began to go out after dark without asking me to
+accompany him. When he came into our room late one evening, I asked
+carelessly where he had been. I knew where he had been going, and had
+burned to speak, but the boy was twenty-two. Within the last few months
+he had grown out of my tutelage, and his native strength of character
+had taught me to respect him and in a certain way to fear him. From the
+promptness of his reply I thought that he had wished me to ask
+concerning his outgoing and incoming.
+
+"I have been to the bridge over the moat, near Castleman's House under
+the Wall," he answered.
+
+"What did you there?" I asked, seeing his willingness to be questioned.
+
+"I stood there--I--I--" He paused, laughed, and stammered on. "I looked
+at the castle and at the moat, like a silly fool, and--and--"
+
+"Castleman's house?" I suggested, helping him out.
+
+"Y-e-s," he answered hesitatingly, "I could not help seeing it. It is
+close by the bridge--not twenty paces distant."
+
+"Did you see any one else--except the house?" I asked.
+
+"No," he returned promptly. "I did not want to see any one else. If I
+had I should have entered the house."
+
+"Why, then, did you go to the bridge?" I queried.
+
+"I cannot answer that question even to myself," he replied. "I--I--there
+is a constant hungering for her, Karl, that I cannot overcome; it seems
+as if I am compelled to go to the bridge, though I know I should not. It
+is very foolish in me, I am sure, but--"
+
+"I heartily agree with you," I answered. "It is not only foolish, it is
+rash; and it may bring you great trouble."
+
+I did not deem it necessary to tell him that he was following in the
+footsteps of his race. I left him to suppose that he was the only fool
+of the sort that had ever lived. The thought would abate his vanity.
+
+"But I _must_ go to the bridge," he continued, finishing the sentence I
+had interrupted, "and I do not see how there can be evil in it."
+
+"No, Max, it Is not wrong in itself," I said reprovingly; "but
+Castleman, evidently for good reasons, asked you to stay away from his
+house, and counselled us to remain close at the inn. It has also this
+evil in it for you, aside from the danger: it will make your duty harder
+to perform. When a man longs for what he may not have, he should not
+think upon it, much less act on it. Our desires, like covetousness and
+jealousy, feed upon themselves. We may, if we but knew it, augment or
+abate them at will."
+
+"I shall always think on--on my love for Yolanda," he replied. "I would
+not abate it one jot; I would augment it in my heart. But, Karl--you
+see, Karl, it is not a question of my own strength to resist. I need no
+strength. There is no more reason for you to warn me against this danger
+than to admonish a child not to long for a star, fearing he might get
+it. The longing may be indulged with impunity; the star and the danger
+are out of reach."
+
+I had nothing to say; Max was stronger and nobler than ever I had
+believed.
+
+Max continued to go to the bridge, and I made no effort to prevent him.
+Meddling mars more frequently than it mends, and when the Fates are
+leading, a man is a fool to try to direct their course. Whatever was to
+be would be. Fate held Max by the hand and was leading him. I almost
+feared to move or to speak in his affairs, lest I should make a mistake
+and offend these capricious Fates. The right or the wrong of his visits
+to the moat depended entirely upon the answer to my riddle, "Who is
+Yolanda?" and I dared not put it to the touch.
+
+On one occasion he returned from the bridge, and without lighting the
+lamp, sat on the arm of my chair. The moonlight streaming through the
+window illumined his head as with a halo. He tossed the damp curls from
+his face, and his eyes were aglow with joy. There was no need to tell me
+what had happened, but he told me.
+
+"Ah, Karl, I've seen the star," he cried triumphantly. He was but a
+boy-man, you must remember.
+
+"I was sure you would see her," I answered. "How did you bring the
+meeting about?"
+
+"I did not bring it about," he answered, laughing softly. "The star came
+to the child."
+
+"All things come to him that waits at the bridge," I replied
+sarcastically. He paid no heed to the sarcasm, but continued:--
+
+"She happened to be near the bridge when I got there, and she came to
+me, Karl,--she came to me like a real star falling out of the darkness."
+
+That little fact solved once more my great riddle--at least, it solved
+it for a time. Yolanda was not Mary of Burgundy. I had little knowledge
+of princesses and their ways, but I felt sure they were not in the habit
+of lurking in dark places or wandering by sluggish moats in the black
+shadow of a grim castle. A princess would not and could not have been
+loitering by the bridge near the House under the Wall. Castleman's words
+concerning Yolanda's residence under his roof came back and convinced me
+that my absurd theory concerning her identity was the dream of a madman.
+
+"She happened to be near the bridge?" I asked, with significant
+emphasis.
+
+"Perhaps I should not have used the word 'happened,'" returned Max.
+
+"I thought as much. What did she have to say for herself, Max?"
+
+"If I were not sure of your devotion, Karl, I should not answer a
+question concerning Yolanda put in such a manner," he replied; "but I'll
+tell you. When I stepped on the bridge, she came running to me from the
+shadow of the trees. Her arms were uplifted, and she moved so swiftly
+and with such grace one could almost think she was flying--"
+
+"Witches fly," I interrupted. My remark checked his flow of enthusiasm.
+After a long silence I queried, "Well?"
+
+Max began again.
+
+"She gave me her hand and said: 'I knew you would come again, Sir Max. I
+saw you from the battlements last night and the night before and the
+night before that. I could not, with certainty, recognize you from so
+great a distance, but I was sure you would come to the bridge--I do not
+know why, but I was sure you would come; so to-night I too came. You
+cannot know the trouble I took or the risk I ran in coming. You have not
+seen me for many days, yet you remember me and have come five times to
+the bridge. I was wrong when I said you would forget the burgher girl
+within a fortnight. Sir Max, you are a marvel of constancy.' At that
+moment the figures of two men appeared on the castle battlements,
+silhouetted against the moon; they seemed of enormous stature, magnified
+in the moonlight. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy. I recognized him
+by his great beard, of which I have heard you speak. Yolanda caught one
+glimpse of the men and ran back to the house without so much as giving
+me a word of farewell."
+
+"What did you say during the brief interview?" I asked.
+
+"Not one word," he replied.
+
+"By my soul, you are an ardent lover," I exclaimed.
+
+"I think she understood me," Max replied, confidently; and doubtless he
+was right.
+
+Once more the riddle was solved. A few more solutions and there would be
+a mad Styrian in Burgundy. My reflections were after this fashion:
+Princesses, after all, do wander by the moat side and loiter by the
+bridge. Princesses do go on long journeys with no lady-in-waiting to do
+their bidding and no servants ready at their call. Yolanda was Mary of
+Burgundy, thought I, and Max had been throwing away God-given
+opportunities. Had she not seen Max from the battlements, and had she
+not fled at sight of the duke? These two small facts were but scant
+evidence of Yolanda's royalty, but they seemed sufficient.
+
+"What would you have me say, Karl?" asked Max. "You would not have me
+speak more than I have already said and win her love beyond her power to
+withdraw it. That I sometimes believe I might do, but if my regard for
+her is true, I should not wish to bring unhappiness to her for the sake
+of satisfying my selfish vanity. If I am not mistaken, a woman would
+suffer more than a man from such a misfortune."
+
+Here, truly, was a generous love. It asked only the privilege of giving,
+and would take nothing in return because it could not give all. If
+Yolanda were Mary of Burgundy, Max might one day have a reward worthy of
+his virtue. Yolanda's sweetness and beauty and Mary's rich domain would
+surely be commensurate with the noblest virtue. I was not willing that
+Max should cease wooing Yolanda--if I might give that word to his
+conduct--until I should know certainly that she was not the princess.
+This, I admit, was cruel indifference to Yolanda's peace of mind or
+pain of heart, if Max should win her love and desert her.
+
+Because of a faint though dazzling ray of hope, I encouraged Max after
+this to visit the bridge over the moat, dangerous though it was; and
+each night I received an account of his doings. Usually the account was
+brief and pointless. He went, he stood upon the bridge, he saw the House
+under the Wall, he returned to the inn. But a night came when he had
+stirring adventures to relate.
+
+At the time of which I am writing every court in Europe had its cluster
+of genteel vagabonds,--foreigners,--who stood in high favor. These
+hangers-on, though perhaps of the noblest blood in their own lands, were
+usually exiles from their native country. Some had been banished for
+crimes; others had wandered from their homes, prompted by the love of
+roaming so often linked with unstable principles and reckless
+dispositions. Burgundy under Charles the Rash was a paradise for these
+gentry. The duke, who was so parsimonious with the great and wise Philip
+de Comines that he drove him to the court of Louis XI, was open-handed
+with these floating villains.
+
+In imitation of King Louis's Scotch guard, Charles had an Italian guard.
+The wide difference in the wisdom of these princes is nowhere more
+distinctly shown than in the quality of the men they chose to guard
+them. Louis employed the simple, honest, brave Scot. Charles chose the
+most guileful of men. They were true only to self-interest, brave only
+in the absence of danger. The court of Burgundy swarmed with these
+Italian mercenaries, many of whom had followed Charles to Peronne. Count
+Campo-Basso, who afterward betrayed Charles, was their chief. Among his
+followers was a huge Lombard, a great bully, who bore the name of
+Count Calli.
+
+On the evening of which I speak Max had hardly stepped on the bridge
+when Yolanda ran to him.
+
+"I have been waiting for you, Sir Max," she said. "You are late. I
+feared you would not come. I have waited surely an hour, though I am
+loath to confess it lest you think me a too willing maiden."
+
+"It would be hard, Fräulein, for me to think you too willing--you are
+but gracious and kind, and I thank you," answered Max. "But you have not
+waited an hour. Darkness has fallen barely a quarter of that time."
+
+"I was watching long before dark on the battlements, and--"
+
+"On the battlements, Fräulein?" asked Max, in surprise.
+
+"I mean from--from the window battlements in uncle's house. I've been
+out here under the trees since nightfall, and that seems to have been at
+least an hour ago. Don't you understand, Sir Max?" she continued,
+laughing softly and speaking as if in jest; "the longer I know you the
+more shamefully eager I become; but that is the way with a maid and a
+man. She grows more eager and he grows less ardent, and I doubt not the
+time will soon arrive, Sir Max, when you will not come at all, and I
+shall be left waiting under the trees to weep in loneliness."
+
+Max longed to speak the words that were in his heart and near his lips,
+but he controlled himself under this dire temptation and remained
+silent. After a long pause she stepped close to him and asked:--
+
+"Did you not want me to come?"
+
+Max dared not tell her how much he had wanted her to come, so he went to
+the other extreme--he must say something--and, in an excess of
+caution, said:--
+
+"I would not have asked you to come, Fräulein, though I much desired it;
+but sober judgment would prompt me to wish that--that is, I--ah,
+Fräulein, I did not want you to come to the bridge."
+
+She laughed softly and said:--
+
+"Now, Little Max, you do not speak the truth. You did want me to come,
+else why do you come to the bridge? Why do you come?"
+
+In view of all the facts in the case the question was practically
+unanswerable unless Max wished to tell the truth, so he evaded
+by saying:--
+
+"I do not know."
+
+She looked quickly up to his face and stepped back from him:--
+
+"Did you come to see Twonette? I had not thought of her. She is but
+drained milk and treacle. Do you want to see her, Sir Max? If so, I'll
+return to the house and send her to you."
+
+"Fräulein, I need not answer your question," returned Max, convincingly.
+
+"But I love Twonette. I know you do not come to see her, and I should
+not have spoken as I did," said Yolanda, penitently.
+
+Perhaps her penitential moods were the most bewitching--certainly they
+were the most dangerous--of all her many phases.
+
+"You know why I come to the bridge, even though I do not," said Max.
+"Tell me, Fräulein, why I come."
+
+"That is what you may tell me. I came to hear it," she answered softly,
+hanging her head.
+
+"I may not speak, Fräulein," he replied, with a deep, regretful sigh.
+"What I said to you on the road from Basel will be true as long as I
+live, but we agreed that it should not again be spoken between us. For
+your sake more than for mine it is better that I remain silent."
+
+Yolanda hung her head, while her fingers were nervously busy with the
+points of her bodice. She uttered a low laugh, flashed her eyes upon
+him for an instant, and again the long lashes shaded them.
+
+"You need not be _too_ considerate for my sake, Sir Max," she whispered;
+"though--though I confess that I never supposed any man could bring me
+to this condition of boldness."
+
+Max caught her hands, and, clasping them between his own, drew the girl
+toward him. The top of her head was below his chin, and the delicious
+scent from her hair intoxicated his senses. She felt his great frame
+tremble with emotion, and a thrill of exquisite delight sped through
+every fibre of her body, warming every drop of blood in her veins. But
+Max, by a mighty effort, checked himself, and remained true to his
+self-imposed renunciation in word and act. After a little time she drew
+her hands from his, saying:--
+
+"You are right, Max, to wish to save yourself and me from pain."
+
+"I wish to save you, Yolanda. I want the pain; I hope it will cling to
+me all my life. I want to save you from it."
+
+"Perhaps you are beginning too late, Max," said the girl, sighing,
+"but--but after all you are right. Even as you see our situation it is
+impossible for us to be more than we are to each other. But if you knew
+all the truth, you would see how utterly hopeless is the future in which
+I at one time thought I saw a ray of hope. Our fate is sealed, Max; we
+are doomed. Before long you shall know. I will soon tell you all."
+
+"Do you wish to tell me now, Fräulein?" he asked.
+
+"No," she whispered.
+
+"In your own good time, Yolanda. I would not urge you."
+
+Max understood Yolanda's words to imply that her station in life was
+even lower than it seemed, or that there was some taint upon herself or
+her family. Wishing to assure her that such a fact could not influence
+him, he said:--
+
+"You need not fear to tell me all concerning yourself or your family.
+There can be no stain upon you, and even though your station be
+less than--"
+
+"Hush, Max, hush," she cried, placing her hand protestingly against his
+breast. "You do not know what you are saying. There is no stain on me or
+my family."
+
+Max wondered, but was silent; he had not earned the right to be
+inquisitive.
+
+The guard appeared at that moment on the castle battlements, and Max and
+Yolanda sought the shelter of a grove of trees a dozen paces from the
+bridge on the town side of the moat. They seated themselves on a bench,
+well within the shadow of the trees, and after a moment's silence
+Max said:--
+
+"I shall not come to the bridge again, Fräulein. I'll wait till your
+uncle returns, when I shall see you at his house. Then I'll say farewell
+and go back to the hard rocks of my native land--and to a life harder
+than the rocks."
+
+"You are right in your resolve not to come again to the bridge," said
+Yolanda, "for so long as you come, I, too, shall come--when I can. That
+will surely bring us trouble sooner or later. But when Uncle Castleman
+returns, you must come to his house, and I shall see you there. As to
+your leaving Peronne, we will talk of that later. It is not to be
+thought of now."
+
+She spoke with the confidence of one who felt that she might command him
+to stay or order him to go. She would settle that little point
+for herself.
+
+"I will go, Fräulein," said Max, "soon after your uncle's return."
+
+"Perhaps it will be best, but we will determine that when we must--when
+the time comes that we can put it off no longer. Now, I wish you to
+grant me three promises, Sir Max. First, ask me no questions concerning
+myself. Of course, you will ask them of no one else; I need not demand
+that promise of you."
+
+"I gladly promise," he answered. "What I already know of you is
+all-sufficient."
+
+"Second, do not fail to come to my uncle's house when he invites you.
+His home is worthy to receive the grandest prince in the world. My--my
+lord, Duke Philip the Good, was Uncle Castleman's dear friend. The old
+duke, when in Peronne, dined once a week with my uncle. Although uncle
+is a burgher, he could have been noble. He refused a lordship and
+declined the Order of the Golden Fleece, preferring the freedom of his
+own caste. I have always thought he acted wisely."
+
+"Indeed he was wise," returned Max. "You that have never known the
+restraints of one born to high estate cannot fully understand how
+wise he was."
+
+Yolanda glanced up to Max with amusement in her eyes:--
+
+"Ah, yes! For example, there is poor Mary of Burgundy, who is to marry
+the French Dauphin. I pity her. For all we know, she may be longing for
+another man as I--I longed for my mastiff, Caesar, when I was away. By
+the way, Sir Max, are you still wearing the ring?" She took his hand and
+felt for the ring on his finger. "Ah, you have left it off," she cried
+reproachfully, answering her own question.
+
+"Yes," answered Max. "There have been so many changes within the last
+few weeks that I have taken it off, and--and I shall cease to wear it."
+
+"Then give it to me, Sir Max," she cried excitedly.
+
+"I may not do that, Fräulein," answered Max. "It was given to me by one
+I respect."
+
+"I know who the lady is," answered Yolanda, tossing her head saucily and
+speaking with a dash of irritation in her voice.
+
+"Ah, you do?" asked Max. "Tell me now, my little witch, who is the lady?
+If you know so much tell me."
+
+Yolanda lifted her eyes solemnly toward heaven, invoking the help of her
+never failing familiar spirit.
+
+"I see an unhappy lady," she said, speaking in a low whisper, "whose
+father is one of the richest and greatest princes in all the world. A
+few evenings ago while we were standing on the moat bridge talking, I
+saw the lady's father on the battlements of yonder terrible castle. His
+form seemed magnified against the sky till it was of unearthly size and
+terrible to look on--doubly terrible to those who know him. If she
+should disobey her father, he would kill her with his battle-axe, I
+verily believe, readily as he would crush a rebellious soldier. Yet she
+fears him not, because she is of his own dauntless blood and fears not
+death itself. She is to marry the Dauphin of France, and her wishes are
+of so small concern, I am told that she has not yet been notified. This
+terrible man will sell his daughter as he would barter a horse. She is
+powerless to move in her own behalf, being bound hand and foot by the
+remorseless shackles of her birth. She will become an unhappy queen,
+and, if she survives her cruel father, she will, in time, take to her
+husband this fat land of Burgundy, for the sake of which he wishes to
+marry her. She is Mary of Burgundy, and even I, poor and mean of
+station, pity her. She--gave--you--the--ring."
+
+"How did you learn all this, Fräulein? You are not guessing, as you
+would have had me believe, and you would not lie to me. What you have
+just said is a part with what you said at Basel and at Strasburg. How
+did you learn it, Fräulein?"
+
+"Twonette," answered Yolanda.
+
+That simple explanation was sufficient for Max. Yolanda might very
+likely know the private affairs of the Princess Mary through Twonette,
+who was a friend of Her Highness.
+
+"But you have not promised to visit Uncle Castleman's house when he
+invites you," said Yolanda, drawing Max again to the bench beside her.
+
+"I gladly promise," said Max.
+
+"That brings me to the third promise I desire," said Yolanda. "I want
+you to give me your word that you will not leave Burgundy within one
+month from this day, unless I give you permission."
+
+"I cannot grant you that promise, Fräulein," answered Max.
+
+"Ah, but you must, you shall," cried Yolanda, desperately clutching his
+huge arms with her small hands and clinging to him. "I will scream, I
+will waken the town. I will not leave you, and you shall not shake me
+off till I have your promise. I may not give you my reasons, but trust
+me, Max, trust me. Give me your unquestioning faith for once. I am not a
+fool, Max, nor would I lie to you for all the world, in telling you that
+it is best for you to give me the promise. Believe me, while there may
+be risk to me in what I ask, it is best that you grant it, and that you
+remain in Peronne for a month--perhaps for two months, unless I sooner
+tell you to go."
+
+"I may not give you the promise you ask, Fräulein," answered Max,
+desperately. "You must know how gladly I would remain here forever."
+
+"I believe truly you want to stay," she answered demurely, "else I
+surely would not ask this promise of you. Your unspoken words have been
+more eloquent than any vows your lips could coin, and I know what is in
+your heart, else my boldness would have been beyond excusing. What I
+wish is that your desire should be great enough to keep you when I ask
+you to remain."
+
+"I may not think of myself or my own desires, Fräulein," he answered.
+"Like the lady of Burgundy, I was shackled at my birth."
+
+"The lady of Burgundy is ever in your mind," Yolanda retorted sullenly.
+"You would give this promise quickly enough were she asking it--she
+with her vast estate."
+
+There was an angry gleam in the girl's eyes, and a dark cloud of
+unmistakable jealousy on her face. She stepped back from Max and hung
+her head. After a moment of silence she said:--
+
+"You may answer me to-morrow night at this bridge, Sir Max. If you do
+not see fit to give me the promise, then I shall weary you no further
+with importunity, and you may go your way."
+
+There was a touch of coldness in her voice as she turned and walked
+slowly toward the bridge. Max called softly:--
+
+"Yolanda!"
+
+She did not answer, but continued with slow steps and drooping head. As
+her form was fading into the black shadow of the castle wall he ran
+across the bridge to her, and took her hand:--
+
+"Fräulein, I will be at the bridge to-morrow night, and I will try to
+give the promise you ask of me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE GREAT RIDDLE
+
+Max was cautious in the matter of making promises, as every honest man
+should be, since he had no thought of breaking them once they were
+given. Therefore, he wished to know that he could keep his word before
+pledging it. His lifelong habit of asking my advice may also have
+influenced him in refusing the promise that he so much wished to give;
+or perhaps he may have wanted time to consider. He did not want to give
+the promise on the spur of an impulse.
+
+When he had finished telling me his troubles, I asked:--
+
+"What will you do to-morrow night?"
+
+My riddle was again solved; Yolanda was the princess. Her words were
+convincing. All doubt had been swept from my mind. There would be no
+more battledore and shuttlecock with my poor brain on that subject. So
+when Max said, "I do not know what I shall do," I offered my opinion;
+"You surprise me, Max. You lack enterprise; there is no warmth in your
+blood. The girl cannot harm you. Give her the promise. Are your veins
+filled with water and caution?"
+
+"What do you mean, Karl?" cried Max, stepping toward me with surprise
+and delight in his face. "Are you advising me wrongly for the first time
+in my life?" Then there was a touch of anger in his voice as he
+continued: "Have I blood in my veins? Aye, Karl, burning, seething
+blood, and every drop cries wildly for this girl--this child. I would
+give the half of it to make her my wife and to make her happy. But I
+would not abate one jot of my wretchedness at her expense. As I treat
+her I pray God to deal with me. I cannot make her my wife, and if I am
+half a man, I would not win her everlasting love and throw it to the
+dogs. She all but asked me last night to tell her of my love for her,
+and almost pressed hers upon me, but I did not even kiss her hand. Ah,
+Karl, I wish I were dead!"
+
+The poor boy threw himself on the bed and buried his face in his hands.
+I went to him and, seating myself on the bed, ran my fingers through
+his curls.
+
+"My dear Max, I have never advised you wrongly. Perhaps luck has been
+with me. Perhaps my good advice has been owing to my great caution and
+my deep love for you. I am sure that I do not advise you wrongly now. Go
+to the bridge to-morrow night, and give Yolanda the promise she asks.
+If she wants it, give her the ring. Keep restraint upon your words and
+acts, but do not fear for one single moment that my advice is wrong.
+Max, I know whereof I speak."
+
+Max rose from the bed and looked at me in surprise; but my advice jumped
+so entirely with the longing deep buried in his heart that he took it as
+a dying man accepts life.
+
+The next evening Max met Yolanda under the trees near the bridge.
+
+"I may remain but a moment," she said hurriedly and somewhat coldly. "Do
+you bring me the promise?"
+
+"Yes," answered Max. "I have also brought you the ring, Fräulein, but
+you may not wear it, and no one may ever see it."
+
+"Ah, Max, it is well that you have brought me the promise, for had you
+not you would never have seen me again. I thank you for the promise and
+for the ring. No one shall see it. Of that you may be doubly sure. If by
+any chance some meddlesome body should see it and tell this arrogant
+lady of the castle that I have the keepsake she sent you, there would be
+trouble, Max, there would be trouble. She is a jealous, vindictive
+little wretch and you shall not think on her. No doubt she would have me
+torn limb from limb if she knew I possessed the jewel. When I touch it,
+I feel that I almost hate this princess, whose vast estates have a
+power of attraction greater than any woman may exert."
+
+There was real anger in her tone. In truth, dislike and aversion were
+manifest in every word she spoke of the princess, save when the tender
+little heart pitied her.
+
+"Now I must say good night and adieu, Sir Max, until uncle returns,"
+said Yolanda. She gave Max her hands and he, in bringing them to his
+lips, drew her close to him. At that moment they were startled by a
+boisterous laugh close beside them, and the fellow calling himself Count
+Calli slapped Max on the back, saying in French:--
+
+"Nicely done, my boy, nicely done. But you are far too considerate. Why
+kiss a lady's hand when her lips are so near? I will show you, Fräulein
+Castleman, exactly how so delicate a transaction is conducted by an
+enterprising gentleman."
+
+He insultingly took hold of Yolanda, and, with evident intent to kiss
+her, tried to lift the veil with which she had hastily covered her face.
+Max struck the fellow a blow that felled him to the ground, but Calli
+rose and, drawing his dagger, rushed upon Max. Yolanda stood almost
+paralyzed with terror. Max was unarmed, but he seized Calli's wrist and
+twisted it till a small bone cracked, and the dagger fell from his hand
+to the ground. Calli's arm hung limp at his side, and he was powerless
+to do further injury. Max did not take advantage of his helplessness,
+but said:--
+
+"Go, or I will twist your neck as I have broken your wrist."
+
+Max had gone out that evening without arms or armor. He had not even a
+dagger.
+
+When Calli had passed out of sight, Yolanda stooped, picked up his
+dagger, and offered it to Max, saying:--
+
+"He will gather his friends at once. Take this dagger and hasten back to
+the inn, or you will never reach it alive. No, come with me to Uncle
+Castleman's house. There you may lie concealed."
+
+"I may not go to your uncle's house, Fräulein," answered Max. "I can go
+safely to the inn. Do not fear for me."
+
+Yolanda protested frantically, but Max refused.
+
+"Go quickly, then," she said, "and be on your guard at all times. This
+man who came upon us is Count Calli, the greatest villain in Burgundy.
+He is a friend of Campo-Basso. Now hasten to the inn, if you will not
+come with me to uncle's house, and beware, for this man and his friends
+will seek vengeance; of that you must never allow yourself to doubt.
+Adieu, till uncle comes."
+
+Max reached the inn unmolested. We donned our mail shirts, expecting
+trouble, and took turn and turn watching and sleeping. Next day we hired
+two stalwart Irish squires and armed them cap-a-pie. We meant to give
+our Italian friends a hot welcome if they attacked us, though we had, in
+truth, little fear of an open assault. We dreaded more a dagger thrust
+in the back, or trouble from court through the machinations of
+Campo-Basso.
+
+The next morning Max sent one of our Irishmen to Castleman's house with
+a verbal message to Fräulein Castleman. When the messenger returned, he
+replied to my question:--
+
+"I was shown into a little room where three ladies sat. 'What have you
+to say?' asked the little black-haired one in the corner--she with the
+great eyes and the face pale as a chalk-cliff. I said, 'I am instructed,
+mesdames, to deliver this simple message: Sir Max is quite well.' 'That
+will do. Thank you.' said the big eyes and the pale face. Then she gave
+me two gold florins. The money almost took my breath, and when I looked
+up to thank her, blest if the white face wasn't rosy as a June dawn.
+When I left, she was dancing about the room singing and laughing, and
+kissing everybody but me--worse luck! By Saint Patrick, I never saw so
+simple a message create so great a commotion. 'Sir Max is quite well.'
+I'm blest if he doesn't look it. Was he ever ill?"
+
+After five or six days we allowed ourselves to fall into a state of
+unwatchfulness. One warm evening we dismissed our squires for an hour's
+recreation. The Cologne River flows by the north side of the inn garden,
+and, the spot being secluded, Max and I, after dark, cooled ourselves by
+a plunge in the water. We had come from the water and finished dressing,
+save for our doublets, which lay upon the sod, when two men approached
+whom we thought to be our squires. When first we saw them, they were in
+the deep shadow of the trees that grew near the water's edge, and we did
+not notice their halberds until they were upon us. When the men had
+approached within four yards, we heard a noise back of us and turning
+saw four soldiers, each bearing an arquebuse pointed in our direction.
+At the same moment another man stepped from behind the two we had first
+seen and came quickly to me. He was Count Calli. In his left hand he
+held a parchment. Max and I were surrounded and unarmed.
+
+"I arrest you on the order of His Grace, the duke," said Calli, in low
+tones, speaking French with an Italian accent.
+
+"Your authority?" I demanded.
+
+"This," he said, offering me the parchment, "and this," touching his
+sword. I took the parchment but could not read it in the dark.
+
+"I'll go to the inn to read your warrant," I said, stooping to take up
+my doublet.
+
+"You will do nothing of the sort," he answered. "One word more from
+you, and there will be no need to arrest you. I shall be only too glad
+to dispense with that duty."
+
+I felt sure he wished us to resist that he might have a pretext for
+murdering us. I could see that slow-going Max was making ready for a
+fight, even at the odds of seven to two, and to avert trouble I spoke
+softly in German:--
+
+"These men are eager to kill us. Our only hope lies in submission."
+
+While I was speaking the men gathered closely about us, and almost
+before my words were uttered, our wrists were manacled behind us and we
+were blindfolded. Our captors at once led us away. A man on either side
+of me held my arms, and by way of warning I received now and then a
+merciless prod between my shoulder-blades from a halberd in the hands of
+an enthusiastic soul that walked behind me. Max, I supposed, was
+receiving like treatment.
+
+After a hundred paces or more we waded the river, and then I knew
+nothing of our whereabouts. Within a half-hour we crossed a bridge which
+I supposed was the one over the moat at the Postern. There we halted,
+and the password was given in a whisper. Then came the clanking of
+chains and creaking of hinges, and I knew the gates were opening and the
+portcullis rising. After the gates were opened I was again urged forward
+by the men on either side of me and the enterprising soul in the rear.
+
+I noticed that I was walking on smooth flags in place of cobble-stones,
+and I was sure we were in the bailey yard of the castle. Soon I was
+stopped again, a door opened, squeaking on its rusty hinges, and we
+began the descent of a narrow stairway. Twenty or thirty paces from the
+foot of the stairway we stopped while another door was opened. This, I
+felt sure, was the entrance to an underground cell, out of which God
+only knew if I should ever come alive. While I was being thrust through
+the door, I could not resist calling out, "Max--Max, for the love of God
+answer me if you hear!" I got no answer. Then I appealed to my guard:--
+
+"Let me have one moment's speech with him, only one moment. I will pay
+you a thousand crowns the day I am liberated if you grant me
+this favor."
+
+"No one is with you," the man replied. "I would willingly earn the
+thousand crowns, but if they are to be paid when you are liberated, I
+fear I should starve waiting for them."
+
+With these comforting words they thrust me into the cell, manacled and
+blindfolded. I heard the door clang to; the rusty lock screeched
+venomously, and then I was alone in gravelike silence. I hardly, dared
+to take a step, for I knew these underground cells were honeycombed
+with death-traps. I could not grope about me with my hands, for they
+were tied, and I knew not what pitfall my feet might find.
+
+How long I stood without moving I did not know; it might have been an
+hour or a day for all I could tell. I was almost stupefied by this
+misfortune into which I had led Max. I do not remember having thought at
+all of my own predicament. I cannot say that I suffered; I was benumbed.
+I remember wondering about Max and speculating vaguely on his fate, but
+for a time the thought did not move me. I also remember sinking to the
+floor, only half conscious of what I was doing, and then I must have
+swooned or slept.
+
+When I recovered consciousness I rose to my feet. A step or two brought
+me against a damp stone wall. Three short paces in another direction,
+and once more I was against the wall. Then I stopped, turned my back to
+the reeking stone, and cursed the brutes that had treated me with such
+wanton cruelty. It was not brutal; it was human. No brute could feel it;
+only in the heart of man could it live.
+
+By chafing the back of my head against the wall I succeeded in removing
+the bandage from my eyes. Though I was more comfortable, I was little
+better off, since I could see nothing in the pitiless black of my cell.
+I stretched my eyes, as one will in the dark, till they ached, but I
+could not see even an outline of the walls.
+
+A burning thirst usually follows excitement, and after a time it came to
+me and grew while I thought upon it. My parched throat was almost
+closed, and I wondered if I were to be left to choke to death. I knew
+that in Spain and Italy such refinement of cruelty was oftened
+practised, but I felt sure that the Duke of Burgundy would not permit
+the infliction of so cruel a fate, did he know of it. But our captors
+were not Burgundians, and I doubted if the duke even knew of our
+imprisonment. I suffered intensely, though I believe I could have
+endured it with fortitude had I not known that Max was suffering a
+like fate.
+
+I believed I had been several days in my cell when I heard a key turn in
+the lock. The door opened, and a man bearing a basket and a lantern
+entered. He placed the basket on the ground and, with the lantern hung
+over his arm, unfastened the manacles of my wrists. In the basket were a
+_boule_ of black bread and a stone jar of water. I eagerly grasped the
+jar, and never in my life has anything passed my lips that tasted so
+sweet as that draught.
+
+"Don't drink too much at one time," said the guard, not unkindly. "It
+might drive you mad. A man went mad in this cell less than a month ago
+from drinking too much water."
+
+"How long had he been without it?" I asked of this cheering personage.
+
+"Three days," he responded.
+
+"I did not know that men of the north could be so cruel as to keep a
+prisoner three days without water," I said.
+
+"It happened because the guard was drunk," answered the fellow,
+laughing.
+
+"I hope you will remain sober," said I, not at all intending to be
+humorous, though the guard laughed.
+
+"I was the guard," he replied. "I did not intend to leave the prisoner
+without water, but, you see, I was dead drunk and did not know it."
+
+"Perhaps you have been drunk for the last three or four days since I
+have been here?" I asked.
+
+He laughed boisterously.
+
+"You here three or four days! Why, you are mad already! You have been
+here only over night."
+
+Well! I thought surely I _was_ mad!
+
+Suddenly the guard left me and closed the cell door. I called
+frantically to him, but I might as well have cried from the bottom
+of the sea.
+
+After what seemed fully another week of waiting, the guard again came
+with bread and water. By that time my mind had cleared. I asked the
+guard to deliver a message to my Lord d'Hymbercourt and offered a large
+reward for the service. I begged him to say to Hymbercourt that his
+friends of The Mitre had been arrested and were now in prison. The
+guard willingly promised to deliver my message, but he did not keep his
+word, though I repeated my request many times and promised him any
+reward he might name when I should regain my liberty. With each visit he
+repeated his promise, but one day he laughed and said I was wasting
+words; that he would never see the reward and that in all probability I
+should never again see the light of day. His ominous words almost
+prostrated me, though again I say I suffered chiefly for Max's sake.
+Could I have gained his liberty at the cost of my life, nay, even my
+soul, I should have been glad to do it.
+
+But I will not further describe the tortures of my imprisonment. The
+greatest of them all was my ignorance of Max's fate. It was a frightful
+ordeal, and I wonder that my reason survived it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL
+
+To leave Max and myself in our underground dungeon, imprisoned for an
+unknown, uncommitted crime, while I narrate occurrences outside our
+prison walls looks like a romancer's trick, but how else I am to go
+about telling this history I do not know. Yolanda is quite as important
+a personage in this narrative as Max and myself, and I must tell of her
+troubles as I learned of them long afterwards.
+
+Castleman reached home ten days or a fortnight after our arrest,
+bringing with him his precious silks, velvets, and laces to the last
+ell. As he had predicted, they were quadrupled in value, and their
+increase made the good burgher a very rich man.
+
+Soon after Castleman reached the House under the Wall, Yolanda came
+dancing into the room where he was sitting with good Frau Katherine,
+drinking a bottle of rich Burgundy wine well mixed with pepper
+and honey.
+
+"Ah, uncle," she cried joyously, "at last you are at home, and I have a
+fine kiss for you."
+
+"Thank you, my dear," said Castleman, "you have spoiled my wine. The
+honey will now taste vinegarish."
+
+"You are a flatterer, uncle--isn't he, tante?" laughed Yolanda, turning
+to Aunt Castleman.
+
+"I am afraid he is," said the good frau, in mock distress. "Every one
+tries to spoil him."
+
+"You more than any one, tante," cried Yolanda.
+
+"Tut, tut, child," cried Frau Katherine, "I abate his vanity with
+frowns."
+
+Yolanda laughed, and the burgher, pinching his wife's red cheek,
+protested:--
+
+"_You_ frown? You couldn't frown if you tried. A clear sky may rain as
+easily. Get the peering glass, Yolanda, and find, if you can, a wrinkle
+on her face."
+
+Yolanda, who was always laughing, threw herself upon the frau's lap and
+pretended to hunt for wrinkles. Soon she reported:--
+
+"No wrinkles, uncle--there, you dear old tante, I'll kiss you to keep
+you from growing jealous of uncle on my account."
+
+"If any one about this house has been spoiled, it's you, Yolanda," said
+Frau Kate, affectionately.
+
+"When you speak after that fashion, tante, you almost make me weep,"
+said Yolanda. "Surely you and uncle and Twonette are the only friends I
+have, and give me all the joy I know. But, uncle, now that you are at
+home, I want you to drink your wine quickly and give me a great deal of
+joy--oh, a great deal."
+
+"Indeed I will, my dear. Tell me where to begin," answered Castleman,
+draining his goblet.
+
+Yolanda flushed rosily and hesitated. At that moment Twonette, who had
+already greeted her father, entered the room.
+
+"Twonette will tell you," said Yolanda, laughing nervously.
+
+"What shall I tell him?" asked Twonette.
+
+"You will tell him what I want him to do quickly, at once, immediately,"
+pleaded Yolanda. "You know what I have waited for this long,
+weary time."
+
+"Tell him yourself what you want quickly, at once, immediately,"
+answered Twonette. "I, too, have wants."
+
+"What do you want, daughter?" asked Castleman, beaming upon Twonette.
+
+"I want thirty ells of blue velvet for a gown, and I want you to ask
+permission of the duke for me to wear it."
+
+"Many noble ladies would not dare to ask so much of the duke," suggested
+Castleman.
+
+"It is true, George," said Frau Kate, "that only noble ladies of high
+degree are permitted to wear velvet of blue; but it is also true that
+only your stubbornness has deprived our daughter of that privilege. She
+might now be noble had you not been stubborn."
+
+"I also want--" began Twonette.
+
+"You shall wear the duke's own color, purple, if you will hold your
+tongue about worthless matters and tell your father what I want," cried
+Yolanda, impetuously thrusting Twonette toward Castleman.
+
+"You tell him your own wants," answered Twonette, pouting. "Then perhaps
+his own daughter may have his ear for a moment or two."
+
+Yolanda laughed at Twonette's display of ill-temper.
+
+"Well, uncle, since I must tell my own tale, I will begin," said
+Yolanda, blushing. "I want you to go to The Mitre and ask a friend--two
+friends--of yours here to supper this evening. I have waited a weary
+time for you to give this invitation, and I will not wait another hour,
+nay, not another minute. We have a fat peacock that longs to be killed;
+it is so fat that it is tired of life. We have three pheasants that will
+die of grief if they are not baked at once. I myself have been feeding
+them this fortnight past in anticipation of this feast. We have a dozen
+wrens for a live pie, so tame they will light on our heads when you cut
+the crust. We shall have a famous feast, uncle. There will be present
+only tante, you, Twonette, our two guests, and myself. Now, uncle, the
+wine is consumed. Hurry to the inn."
+
+"My dear child," said Castleman, seriously, "you know that I am almost
+powerless to refuse any request you make, but in this case I must
+do so."
+
+"Ah, uncle, please tell me why," coaxed Yolanda, with trouble in her
+eyes and grief at the corners of her mouth.
+
+"Because you must see no more of this very pleasing young man," answered
+Castleman. "I yielded to your wishes at Basel and brought him with us; I
+was compelled to send him with you from Metz; but now that our journey
+is over, I shall thank him and pay him an additional sum, since my goods
+are safe home, and say farewell to him. I believe he is a worthy and
+honorable young man, but we do not know who he is, and if we did--"
+
+"Ah, but _I_ know who he is," interrupted Yolanda, tossing her head.
+"_We_ may not know, but _I_ know, and that is sufficient."
+
+"Do you know?" asked Castleman. "Pray tell me of him. The information
+was refused me; at least, it was not given. He is probably of noble
+birth, but we have nobles here in Peronne whom we would not ask to our
+house. We know nothing of this wandering young Max, save that he is
+honest and brave and good to look upon."
+
+"In God's name, uncle, what more would you ask in a man?" cried Yolanda,
+stamping her foot. "'Noble, honest, brave, and good to look upon!' Will
+not those qualities fit a man for any one's regard and delight any
+woman's heart? I tell you I will have my way in this. I tell you I know
+his degree. I know who he is and what he is and all about him, though I
+don't intend to tell you anything, and would inform you now that it's no
+business of yours."
+
+"Did you coax all this information out of him, you little witch?" asked
+Castleman, smiling against his will.
+
+"I did not," retorted Yolanda, leaning forward and lifting her chin
+defiantly. "I learned it soon after we reached Basel. I discovered it
+by--by magic--by sorcery. He will tell you as much."
+
+"By the magic of your eyes and smiles. That's the way you wheedled it
+out of him, and that's the way you coax every one to your will," said
+Castleman, laughing while Yolanda pouted.
+
+"I never saw a girl make such eyes at a man as you made at this Sir
+Max," said Twonette, who was waiting for her blue velvet gown.
+
+"Twonette, you are prettier with your mouth shut. Silence becomes you,"
+retorted Yolanda, favoring Twonette with a view of her back. "Now,
+uncle," continued Yolanda, "all is ready: peacock, pheasants, wrens; and
+I command you to procure the guests."
+
+Castleman laughed at her imperious ways and said:--
+
+"I will obey your commands in all else, Yolanda, but not in this."
+
+The girl, who was more excited than she appeared to be, stood for a
+moment by her uncle's side, and, drawing her kerchief from its pouch,
+placed it to her eyes.
+
+"Every one tries to make me unhappy," she sobbed. "There is no one to
+whom I may turn for kindness. If you will not do this for me, uncle, if
+you will not bring him--them--to me, I give you my sacred word I will go
+to them at the inn. If you force me to do an act so unmaidenly, I'll
+leave you and will not return to your house. I shall know that you do
+not love me!"
+
+Castleman was not ready to yield, though he was sure that in the end he
+would do so. He also knew that her threat to go to the inn was by no
+means an idle word.
+
+Yolanda was not given to tears, but she used them when she found she
+could accomplish her ends by no other means. A long pause ensued, broken
+by Yolanda's sobs.
+
+"Good-by, uncle. Good-by, tante. Good-by, Twonette. I mean what I say,
+uncle. I am going, and I shall not come back if you will not do this
+thing for me. I am going to the inn."
+
+She kissed them all and started toward the door. The loving old tante
+could not hold out. She, too, was weeping, and she added her
+supplications to Yolanda's.
+
+"Do what she asks, father--only this once," said Frau Kate.
+
+"Only this once," pleaded Yolanda, turning her tear-moistened eyes upon
+the helpless burgher.
+
+"I suppose I must surrender," exclaimed Castleman, rising from his
+chair. "I have been surrendering to you, your aunt, and Twonette all my
+life. First Kate, then Twonette, and of late years they have been
+reënforced by you, Yolanda, and my day is lost. I do a little useless
+fighting when I know I am in the right, but it is always followed by a
+cowardly surrender."
+
+"But think of your victories in surrender, uncle. Think of your
+rewards," cried Yolanda, running to his side and kissing him. "Many a
+man would fight a score of dragons for that kiss."
+
+"Dragons!" cried Castleman, protestingly. "I would rather fight a
+hundred dragons than do this thing for you, Yolanda. I know little
+concerning the ways of a girl's heart, but, ignorant as I am, I could
+see--Mother, I never saw a girl so infatuated with a man as our Yolanda
+is with this Sir Max--this stranger."
+
+"There, tante," cried Yolanda, turning triumphantly to Frau Kate, "you
+hear what uncle says. Now you see the great reason for having him
+here--this Sir Max and his friend. But, uncle, if you think I mean to
+make a fool of myself about this man, put the notion out of your head. I
+know only too well the barrier between us, but, uncle mine," she
+continued pleadingly, all her wonted joyousness driven from her face, "I
+am so wretched, so unhappy. If I may have a moment of joy now, for the
+love of the Blessed Virgin don't deny me. I sometimes think you love me
+chiefly because I so truly deserve your pity. As for this young man, he
+is gentle, strong, and good, and, as you say, he certainly is good to
+look upon. Twonette knows that, don't you, Twonette? He is wise, too,
+and brave, even against the impulse of his own great heart. He thinks
+only of my good and his own duties. I am in no danger from him, uncle.
+He can do me only good. I shall be happier and better all my life long
+for having known him. Now, uncle?"
+
+"I will fetch him," exclaimed Castleman, seeking his hat. "You may be
+right or you may be wrong, but for persuasiveness I never saw your like.
+I declare, Yolanda, you have almost made me feel like a villain for
+refusing you."
+
+"I wish the world were filled with such villains, uncle. Don't you,
+tante?" said Yolanda, beaming upon the burgher.
+
+"No," answered the frau, "I should want them all for my husbands."
+
+"God forbid!" cried Yolanda, lifting her hands as she turned toward the
+door, laughing once more. "Tell them to be here by six o'clock, uncle.
+No! we will say five. Tell them to come on the stroke of five. No! four
+o'clock is better; then we will sup at six, and have an hour or two
+before we eat. That's it, uncle; have them here by four. Tell them to
+fail not by so much as a minute, upon their allegiance. Tell them to be
+here promptly on the stroke of four."
+
+She ran from the room singing, and Castleman started toward the front
+door.
+
+"The girl makes a fool of me whenever she wishes," he observed, pausing
+and turning toward his wife. "She coaxed me to take her to Basel, and
+life was a burden till I got her home again. Now she winds me around her
+finger and says, 'Uncle Castleman, obey me,' and I obey. Truly, there
+never was in all the world such another coaxing, persuasive little witch
+as our Yolanda."
+
+"Poor child," said Frau Kate, as her husband passed out of the door.
+
+Castleman reached The Mitre near the hour of one, and of course did not
+find us. At half-past four, Yolanda entered the great oak room where
+Twonette and Frau Kate were stitching tapestry.
+
+"Where suppose you Sir Max is--and Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda, with a
+touch of anger in her voice. "Why has he not come? I have been watching
+but have not seen him--them. He places little value on our invitation
+to slight it by half an hour. I am of half a mind not to see him when
+he comes."
+
+"Your uncle is downstairs under the arbor, Yolanda," said Frau
+Castleman, gently. "He will tell you, sweet one, why Sir Max is
+not here."
+
+Frau Katherine and Twonette put aside their tapestry, and went with
+Yolanda to question Castleman in the arbor.
+
+"Well, uncle, where are our guests?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"They are not at the inn, and have not been there since nearly a
+fortnight ago," answered Castleman.
+
+"Gone!" cried Yolanda, aflame with sudden anger. "He gave me his word he
+would not go. I'm glad he's gone, and I hope I may never see his face
+again. I deemed his word inviolate, and now he has broken it."
+
+"Do not judge Sir Max too harshly," said Castleman; "you may wrong him.
+I do not at all understand the absence of our friends. Grote tells me
+they went to the river one night to bathe and did not return. Their
+horses and arms are at the inn. Their squires, who had left them two
+hours before, have not been seen since. Grote has heard nothing of our
+friends that will throw light on their whereabouts. Fearing to get
+himself into trouble, he has stupidly held his tongue. He was not
+inclined to speak plainly even to me."
+
+"Blessed Mother, forgive me!" cried Yolanda, sinking back upon a
+settle. After a long silence she continued: "Two weeks ago! That was a
+few days after the trouble at the bridge."
+
+"What trouble?" asked Castleman.
+
+"I'll tell you, uncle, and you, tante. Twonette already knows of it,"
+answered Yolanda. "Less than three weeks ago I was with Sir Max near the
+moat bridge. It was dark--after night--"
+
+"Yolanda!" exclaimed Castleman, reproachfully.
+
+"Yes, uncle, I know I ought not to have been there, but I was," said
+Yolanda.
+
+"Alone with Sir Max after dark?" asked the astonished burgher.
+
+"Yes, alone with him, after it was _very_ dark," answered Yolanda. "I
+had met him several times before."
+
+Castleman tried to speak, but Yolanda interrupted him:--
+
+"Uncle, I know and admit the truth of all you would say, so don't say
+it. While I was standing very near to Sir Max, uncle, very near, Count
+Calli came upon us and offered me gross insult. Sir Max, being unarmed,
+knocked the fellow down, and in the struggle that ensued Count Calli's
+arm was broken. I heard the bone snap, then Calli, swearing vengeance,
+left us. Why Sir Max went out unarmed that night I do not know. Had he
+been armed he might have killed Calli; that would have prevented
+this trouble."
+
+"I, too, wonder that Sir Max went out unarmed," said Castleman musingly.
+"Why do you suppose he was so incautious?"
+
+"Perhaps that is the custom in Styria. There may be less danger, less
+treachery, there than in Burgundy," suggested Yolanda.
+
+"In Styria!" exclaimed Castleman. "Sir Karl said that he was from Italy.
+He did not tell me of Sir Max's home, but I supposed he also was from
+Italy, or perhaps from Würtemberg--there are many Guelphs in
+that country."
+
+"Yes, I will tell you of that later, uncle," said Yolanda. "When Calli
+left us, Sir Max returned safely to the inn, having promised me not to
+leave Peronne within a month. This trouble has come from Calli and
+Campo-Basso."
+
+"But you say this young man is from Styria?" asked Castleman, anxiously.
+
+"Yes," replied Yolanda, drooping her head, "he is Maximilian, Count of
+Hapsburg."
+
+"Great God!" exclaimed Castleman, starting to his feet excitedly. "If I
+have brought these men here to be murdered, I shall die of grief; all
+Europe will turn upon Burgundy."
+
+Yolanda buried her face in Mother Kate's breast; Castleman walked to and
+fro, and sympathetic Twonette wept gently. It was not in Twonette's
+nature to do anything violently. Yolanda, on the contrary, was intense
+in all her joys and griefs.
+
+"Did Sir Max tell you who he is?" asked Castleman, stopping in front of
+Yolanda.
+
+"No," she replied, "I will tell you some day how I guessed it. He does
+not know that I know, and I would not have you tell him."
+
+"Tell me, Yolanda," demanded Castleman, "what has passed between you and
+this Sir Max?"
+
+"Nothing, uncle, save that I know--ah, uncle, there is nothing. God pity
+me, there can be nothing. Whatever his great, true heart feels may be
+known to me as surely as if he had spoken a thousand vows, but he would
+not of his own accord so much as touch my hand or speak his love. He
+knows that one in his station may not mate with a burgher girl. He
+treats me as a true knight should treat a woman, and if he feels pain
+because of the gulf between us, he would not bring a like pain to me. He
+is a strong, noble man, Uncle Castleman, and we must save him."
+
+"If I knew where to begin, I would try at once," said Castleman, "but I
+do not know, and I cannot think of--"
+
+"I have a plan," interrupted Yolanda, "that will set the matter going.
+Consult my Lord d'Hymbercourt; he is a friend of Sir Karl's; he may help
+us. Tell him of the trouble at the bridge, but say that Twonette, not
+I, was there. If Lord d'Hymbercourt cannot help us, I'll try another way
+if I die for it."
+
+Castleman found Hymbercourt and told him the whole story, substituting
+Twonette for Yolanda.
+
+"It is the work of that accursed Basso," said Hymbercourt, stroking his
+beard. "No villany is too black for him and his minions to do."
+
+"But what have they done?" asked Castleman. "They surely would not
+murder these men because of the quarrel at the bridge."
+
+"They would do murder for half that cause," replied Hymbercourt. "A
+brave man hates an assassin, and I am always wondering why the duke, who
+is so bold and courageous, keeps this band of Italian cut-throats at
+his court."
+
+"What can we do to rescue our friends if they still live, or to avenge
+them if dead?" asked Castleman.
+
+"I do not know," answered Hymbercourt. "Let me think it all over, and I
+will see you at your house to-night. Of this I am certain: you must not
+move in the matter. If you are known to be interested, certain facts may
+leak out that would ruin you and perhaps bring trouble to one who
+already bears a burden too heavy for young shoulders. We know but one
+useful fact: Calli and Campo-Basso are at the bottom of this evil. The
+duke suspects that the states adjacent to Switzerland, including Styria,
+will give aid to the Swiss in this war with Burgundy, and it may be
+that Duke Charles has reasons for the arrest of our friends. He may have
+learned that Sir Max is the Count of Hapsburg. I hope his finger is not
+in the affair. I will learn what I can, and will see you to-night. Till
+then, adieu."
+
+True to his promise, Hymbercourt went to Castleman's that evening, but
+he had learned nothing and had thought out no plan of action. Two days
+passed and there was another consultation. Still the mystery was as far
+from solution as on the day of its birth. Yolanda was in tribulation,
+and declared that she would take the matter into her own hands. Her
+uncle dissuaded her, however, and she reluctantly agreed to remain
+silent for a day or two longer, but she vowed that she would give tongue
+to her thoughts and arouse all Burgundy in behalf of Max and myself if
+we were not soon discovered.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+PERONNE LA PUCELLE
+
+The next morning Duke Charles went down to the great hall of the castle
+to hear reports from his officers relating to the war that he was about
+to wage against the Swiss. When the duke ascended the three steps of the
+dais to the ducal throne, he spoke to Campo-Basso who stood upon the
+first step at the duke's right.
+
+"What news, my Lord Count?" asked Charles. "I'm told there is a
+messenger from Ghent."
+
+"Ill news, my lord," answered Campo-Basso.
+
+"Out with it!" cried the duke. "One should always swallow a bitter
+draught quickly."
+
+"We hear the Swiss are gathering their cantons in great numbers," said
+Campo-Basso.
+
+"Let the sheep gather," said Charles, waving his hands. "The more they
+gather to the fold, the more we'll shear." He laughed as if pleased with
+the prospect, and continued, "Proceed, my Lord Count."
+
+"The Duke of Lorraine is again trying to muster his subjects against
+Your Grace, and sends a polite message asking and offering terms of
+agreement. Shall I read the missive, my lord?"
+
+"No!" cried the duke, "Curse his soft words. There is no bad news yet.
+Proceed."
+
+"It is rumored, Your Grace," continued the count, "that Frederick, Duke
+of Styria, is preparing to aid the Swiss against Your Grace."
+
+"With his advice?" asked the duke. "The old pauper has nothing else to
+give, unless it be the bones of his ancestors."
+
+"It is said, Your Highness, that Würtemberg will also aid the Swiss, and
+that Duke Albert will try to bring about a coalition of the German
+states for the purpose of assisting the Swiss, aiding Lorraine, and
+overthrowing Burgundy. This purpose, our informant tells us, has been
+fostered by this same Duke Frederick of Styria."
+
+"This news, I suppose, is intended for our ears by the Duke of Styria.
+He probably wishes us to know that he is against us," said Charles. "He
+wanted our daughter for his clown of a son, and our contempt for his
+claims rankles in his heart. He cannot inflame Würtemberg, and
+Würtemberg cannot influence the other German princes."
+
+The duke paused, and Campo-Basso proceeded:--
+
+"The citizens of Ghent, my lord, petition Your Grace for the restoration
+of certain communal rights, and beg for the abolition of the hearth tax
+and the salt levy. They also desire the right to elect their own
+burgomaster and--"
+
+"Give me the petition," demanded the duke. Campo-Basso handed the
+parchment to Charles, and he tore it to shreds.
+
+"Send these to the dogs of Ghent, and tell them that for every scrap of
+parchment I'll take a score of heads when I return from Switzerland."
+
+"We hear also, my lord," said the Italian, "that King Edward of England
+is marshalling an army, presumably for the invasion of France and,
+because of the close union that is soon to be between King Louis and
+Burgundy, I have thought proper to lay the news before Your Grace."
+
+"Edward wants more of King Louis' gold," answered Charles. "We'll let
+him get it. We care not how much he has from this crafty miser of the
+Seine. Louis will buy the English ministers, and the army will suddenly
+vanish. When King Edward grows scarce of gold, he musters an army, or
+pretends to do so, and Louis fills the English coffers. The French king
+would buy an apostle, or the devil, and would sell his soul to either to
+serve a purpose. Have you more in your budget, Sir Count?"
+
+"I have delivered all, I believe, my lord," answered Campo-Basso.
+
+"It might have been worse," said the duke, rising to quit his throne.
+
+"One moment, my lord! There is another matter to which I wish to call
+Your Grace's attention before you rise," said the count. "I have for
+your signature the warrants for the execution of the Swiss spies, who,
+Your Highness may remember, were entrapped and arrested by the
+watchfulness of Your Grace's faithful servant, the noble Count Calli."
+
+"Give me the warrant," said the duke, "and let the execution take place
+at once."
+
+Hymbercourt had been standing in the back part of the room, paying
+little attention to the proceedings, but the mention of Calli's name in
+connection with the Swiss spies quickly roused him, and he hurriedly
+elbowed his way to the ducal throne. A page was handing Charles a quill
+and an ink-well when Hymbercourt spoke:--
+
+"My Lord Duke, I beg you not to sign the warrant until I have asked a
+few questions of my Lord Campo-Basso concerning these alleged spies."
+
+"Why do you say 'alleged spies,' my Lord d'Hymbercourt?" asked the duke.
+"Do you know anything of them? Are they friends of yours?"
+
+"If they are friends of mine, Your Grace may be sure they are not
+spies," answered Hymbercourt. "I am not sure that I know these men, but
+I fear a mistake has been made."
+
+A soft cry, a mere exclamation, was heard behind the chancel in the
+ladies' gallery, which was above the throne, a little to the right. But
+it caused no comment other than a momentary turning of heads in that
+direction.
+
+"On what ground do you base your suspicion, my lord?" asked Charles.
+
+"Little ground, Your Grace," answered Hymbercourt. "I may be entirely
+wrong; but I beg the privilege of asking the noble Count Calli two or
+three questions before Your Grace signs the death warrant. We may avert
+a grave mistake and prevent a horrible crime."
+
+"It is a waste of valuable time," answered Charles, "but if you will be
+brief, you may proceed. Count Calli, come into presence."
+
+Calli stepped forward and saluted the duke on bended knee.
+
+"Your questions, Hymbercourt, and quickly," said Charles, testily. "We
+are in haste. Time between the arrest and the hanging of a spy
+is wasted."
+
+"I thank you, my lord," said Hymbercourt. He then turned to Calli, and
+asked, "When were these men arrested?"
+
+"More than a fortnight ago," answered Calli.
+
+"How came you to discover they were spies?" asked Hymbercourt.
+
+"I watched them, and their actions were suspicious," replied the
+Italian.
+
+"In what respect were they suspicious?"
+
+"They went abroad only at night, and one of them was seen near the
+castle several evenings after dark," responded Calli.
+
+"Is that your only evidence against them?" demanded Hymbercourt.
+
+"It is surely enough," replied Calli, "but if more is wanted, they were
+overheard to avow their guilt."
+
+"What were they heard to say and where did they say it?" asked
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"I lay concealed, with six men-at-arms, near the river in the garden of
+The Mitre Inn, where the spies had been bathing. We heard them speak
+many words of treason against our gracious Lord Duke, but I did not move
+in their arrest until the younger man said to his companion: 'I will
+to-morrow gain entrance to the castle as a pedler and will stab this
+Duke Charles to death. You remain near the Postern with the horses, and
+I will try to escape to you. If the gate should be closed, ride away
+without me and carry the news to the cantons. I would gladly give my
+life to save the fatherland.'"
+
+"Hang them," cried the duke. "We are wasting time."
+
+"I pray your patience, my Lord Duke," said Hymbercourt, holding up his
+hand protestingly. "I know these men whom Count Calli has falsely
+accused. They are not spies; they are not Swiss; neither are they
+enemies of Burgundy. Were they so, I, my lord, would demand their death
+were they a thousand-fold my friends. I stake my life upon their
+honesty. I offer my person and my estates as hostages for them, and
+make myself their champion. Count Calli lies."
+
+Hymbercourt's words caused a great commotion in the hall. Swords and
+daggers sprang from the scabbards of the Italians, and cries of
+indignation were uttered by the mercenaries, who saw their crime
+exposed, and by the Burgundians, who hated the Italians and their
+dastardly methods. Charles commanded silence, and Campo-Basso received
+permission to speak.
+
+"Since when did my Lord d'Hymbercourt turn traitor?" said he. "His
+fealty has always been as loud-mouthed as the baying of a wolf."
+
+"I am a Burgundian, my lord," said Hymbercourt, ignoring the Italian and
+addressing Charles. "I receive no pay for my fealty. I am not a foreign
+mercenary, and I need not defend my loyalty to one who knows me as he
+knows his own heart."
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor needs no defence," said Charles. "I trust
+his honesty and loyalty as I trust myself. He may be mistaken; he may be
+right. Bring in these spies."
+
+"Surely Your Grace will not contaminate your presence with these
+wretches," pleaded Campo-Basso. "Consider the danger to yourself, my
+dear lord. They are desperate men, who would gladly give their lives to
+take yours and save their country. I beg you out of the love I bear Your
+Grace, pause before you bring these traitorous spies into your sacred
+presence."
+
+"Bring them before me!" cried the duke. "We will determine this matter
+for ourselves. We have a score of brave, well-paid Italians who may be
+able to protect our person from the onslaught of two manacled men."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On this same morning the guard had been to my cell with bread and water,
+and had departed. I did not know, of course, whether it was morning,
+noon, or night, but I had learned to measure with some degree of
+accuracy the lapse of time between the visits of the guard, and was
+surprised to hear the rusty lock turn long before the time for his
+reappearance. When the man entered my cell, bearing his lantern,
+he said:--
+
+"Come with me."
+
+The words were both welcome and terrible. I could not know their
+meaning--whether it was liberty or death. I stepped from the cell and,
+while I waited for the guard to relock the door, I saw the light of a
+lantern at the other end of a passageway. Two men with Max between them
+came out of the darkness and stopped in front of me. Our wrists were
+manacled behind us, and we could not touch hands. I could have wept for
+joy and grief at seeing Max.
+
+"Forgive me, Max, for bringing you to this," I cried.
+
+"Forgive me, Karl. It is I who have brought you to these straits," said
+Max. "Which is it to be, think you, Karl, liberty or death?"
+
+"God only knows," I answered.
+
+"For your sake, Karl, I hope He cares more than I. I would prefer death
+to the black cell I have just left."
+
+We went through many dark passageways and winding stairs to the audience
+hall.
+
+When we entered the hall, the courtiers fell back, leaving an aisle from
+the great double doors to the ducal throne. When we approached the duke,
+I bent my knee, but Max simply bowed.
+
+"Kneel!" cried Campo-Basso, addressing Max.
+
+"If my Lord of Burgundy demands that I kneel, I will do so, but it is
+more meet that he should kneel to me for the outrage that has been put
+upon me at his court," said Max, gazing unfalteringly into the
+duke's face.
+
+"Who are you?" demanded the duke, speaking to me.
+
+"I am Sir Karl de Pitti," I replied. "Your Grace may know my family; we
+are of Italy. It was once my good fortune to serve under your father and
+yourself. My young friend is known as Sir Maximilian du Guelph."
+
+"He is known as Guelph, but who is he?" demanded Charles.
+
+"That question I may not answer, my lord," said I, speaking in the
+Walloon tongue.
+
+"You shall answer or die," returned the duke, angrily.
+
+"I hope my Lord of Burgundy will not be so harsh with us," interrupted
+Max, lifting his head and speaking boldly. "We have committed no crime,
+and do not know why we have been arrested. We beg that we may be told
+the charge against us, and we would also know who makes the charge."
+
+"Count Calli," said the duke, beckoning that worthy knight, "come
+forward and speak."
+
+Calli came forward, knelt to the duke, and said:
+
+"I, my lord, charge these unknown men as being Swiss spies and
+assassins, who seek to murder Your Grace and to betray Burgundy."
+
+"You lie, you dog," cried Max, looking like an angry young god. "You lie
+in your teeth and in your heart. My Lord of Burgundy, I demand the
+combat against this man who seeks my life by treachery and falsehood. I
+waive my rank for the sweet privilege of killing this liar."
+
+"My Lord Duke," I exclaimed, interrupting Max, "if my Lord d'Hymbercourt
+is in presence, I beg that I may have speech with him."
+
+Hymbercourt stepped to my side, and the duke signified permission to
+speak.
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt," said I, turning to my friend, "I beg you to
+tell His Grace that we are not spies. I may not, for reasons well known
+to you, give you permission to inform His Grace who my young companion
+is, and I hope my Lord of Burgundy will be satisfied with your assurance
+that we are honest knights who wish only good to this land and its
+puissant ruler."
+
+"Indeed, my Lord Duke, I was right," answered Hymbercourt. "Again I
+offer my person and my estates as hostages for these men. They are not
+spies. They are not of Switzerland, nor are they friends to the Swiss;
+neither are they enemies of Burgundy. I doubt not they will gladly join
+Your Lordship in this war against the cantons. These knights have been
+arrested to gratify revenge for personal injury received and deserved by
+this traitorous Count Calli."
+
+"It is false," cried Campo-Basso.
+
+"It is true--pitifully true, my lord," returned Hymbercourt. "This young
+knight was at the moat bridge near Castleman's House under the Wall
+talking with a burgher maid, Fräulein Castleman. Count Calli stole upon
+them without warning and insulted the maiden. My young friend knocked
+down the ruffian, and, in the conflict that ensued, broke Calli's arm.
+Your Grace may have seen him carrying it in a sling until within the
+last forty-eight hours.
+
+"For this deserved chastisement Count Calli seeks the young man's life
+by bearing false witness against him; and with it that of my old friend,
+Sir Karl de Pitti. It is Burgundy's shame, my lord, that these
+treacherous mercenaries should be allowed to murder strangers and to
+outrage Your Grace's loyal subjects in the name of Your Lordship's
+justice. Sir Maximilian du Guelph has demanded the combat against this
+Count Calli. Sir Maximilian is a spurred and belted knight, and under
+the laws of chivalry even Your Grace may not gainsay him."
+
+"My lord, I do not fight assassins and spies," said Calli, addressing
+the duke.
+
+"I do," cried Max, "when they put injuries upon me as this false coward
+has done. I will prove upon his body, my Lord Duke, who is the assassin
+and the spy. My Lord d'Hymbercourt will vouch that my rank entitles me
+to fight in knightly combat with any man in this presence. My wrists are
+manacled, my lord, and I have no gage to throw before this false knight;
+but, my Lord of Burgundy, I again demand the combat. One brave as Your
+Grace is must also be just. We shall leave Count Calli no excuse to
+avoid this combat, even if I must tell Your Grace my true rank
+and station."
+
+"This knight," said Hymbercourt, addressing Charles and extending his
+hand toward Max, "is of birth entitling him to meet in the lists any
+knight in Burgundy, and I will gladly stand his sponsor."
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's sponsorship proves any man," said the duke,
+who well knew that Campo-Basso and his friends would commit any crime to
+avenge an injury, fancied or real.
+
+"My Lord Duke, I pray your patience," said Campo-Basso, obsequiously.
+"No man may impugn my Lord d'Hymbercourt's honesty, but may he not be
+mistaken? In the face of the evidence against this man, may he not be
+mistaken? The six men who were with Count Calli will testify to the
+treasonable words spoken by this young spy."
+
+"Does any other man in presence know these men?" asked the duke. No one
+responded.
+
+After a little time Hymbercourt broke silence.
+
+"I am grieved and deeply hurt, my lord, that you should want other
+evidence than mine against the witnesses who make this charge. I am a
+Burgundian. These witnesses are Italians who love Your Grace for the
+sake of the gold they get. I had hoped that my poor services had earned
+for me the right to be believed, but if I may have a little time, I will
+procure another man whose word shall be to you as the word of
+your father."
+
+"Bring him into our presence," answered the duke. "We will see him
+to-morrow at this hour."
+
+"May I not crave Your Grace's indulgence for a half-hour?" pleaded
+Hymbercourt. "I will have this man here within that time."
+
+"Not another minute," replied the duke. "Heralds, cry the rising."
+
+"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! His Grace, the Duke of Burgundy, is about to rise.
+His Grace has risen," cried the herald.
+
+The duke left the hall by a small door near the dais.
+
+Hymbercourt was standing beside us when the captain of the guard
+approached to lead us back to our cells.
+
+"May we not have comfortable quarters, and may we not be placed in one
+cell?" I asked, appealing to Hymbercourt. "I have been confined in a
+reeking, rayless dungeon unfit for swine, and doubtless Sir Max has been
+similarly outraged."
+
+Hymbercourt put his hand into his pouch and drew forth two gold pieces.
+These he stealthily placed in the captain's hand, and that worthy
+official said:--
+
+"I shall be glad to oblige, my lord."
+
+Hymbercourt left us, and Campo-Basso, beckoning the captain to one side,
+spoke to him in low tones. The captain, I was glad to see, was a
+Burgundian.
+
+After we left the hall we were taken to our old quarters. The captain
+followed me into the cell, leaving his men in the passageway.
+
+"My Lord Count ordered me to bring you here," he said; "but I will, if I
+can, soon return with other men who are not Italians and will remove
+you to a place of safety."
+
+"Am I not safe here? Is my friend in danger?" I asked.
+
+The man smiled as though amused at my simplicity:--
+
+"If you remain here to-night, there will be no need to hang you in the
+morning. Our Italian friends have methods of their own that are simple
+and sure. But I will try to find a way to remove you before--before the
+Italians have time to do their work. I will see my Lord d'Hymbercourt,
+and if the duke has not gone a-hunting, we will induce His Grace to
+order your removal to a place of safety."
+
+"But if the duke is gone, cannot you get the order when he returns?" I
+asked.
+
+"That will be too late, I fear," he answered, laughing, and with these
+comforting remarks he left me.
+
+After two or three hours--the time seemed days--I heard a key enter the
+lock of my cell door. If the hand inserting the key was that of an
+Italian, I might look for death. To my great joy the man was my
+Burgundian captain.
+
+"The duke had gone a-hunting," he said, "and I could not find my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt; but Her Highness, the princess, asked me to remove you,
+and I am willing to risk my neck for her sweet sake. I am to place you
+in one of the tower rooms, out of the reach of our Italian cut-throats."
+
+"Will my young friend be with me?" I asked eagerly.
+
+"Yes," responded the captain.
+
+Again I met Max with a man-at-arms in the passageway outside my cell
+door, and we all went up the steps together. We were hurried through
+dark passages to a spiral stairway, which we climbed till my knees
+ached. But we were going up instead of down, and I was overjoyed to have
+the aching leave my heart for my knees.
+
+The room in which the Burgundian left us was large and clean. There were
+two beds of sweet straw upon the floor, and to my unspeakable joy there
+was a bar on the door whereby it could be locked from within. There were
+also two tubs of water for a bath. On a rude bench was a complete change
+of clothing which had been brought by some kind hand from the inn. On an
+oak table were two bottles of wine, a bowl of honey, a cellar of pepper,
+white bread, cold meat, and pastry. A soul reaching heaven out of
+purgatory must feel as we felt then. We were too excited to eat, so we
+bathed, dressed, and lay down on the straw beds.
+
+Before leaving us our captain had said:--
+
+"Do not unbolt your door except to the password 'Burgundy.'"
+
+We slept till late in the afternoon. When we wakened the sun was well
+down in the west, and we could see only its reflected glare in the
+eastern sky. There was but one opening in the room through which the
+light could enter--a narrow window, less than a foot wide. The light in
+the room was dim even at noon, but the long darkness had so affected our
+eyes that the light from the window was sufficient to illumine the
+apartment and to make all objects plainly discernible. There was little
+to be seen. The arched roof was of solid masonry; the walls were without
+a break save the narrow window and the door. Through the window we could
+see only a patch of sky in the east, reddened by the reflection of the
+sinking sun; but the sight was so beautiful that Max and I were loath to
+leave it even for supper.
+
+"We must eat before the light dies," said Max, whose young stomach was
+more imperious than mine, "or we shall have to eat in the dark. I have
+had more than enough of that."
+
+"Fall to," I said, as we drew the stools to the table. With the first
+mouthful of clean, delicious food my appetite returned, and I ate
+ravenously. Had the repast been larger I believe we should have killed
+ourselves. Fortunately it was consumed before we were exhausted, and we
+came off alive and victorious. After supper darkness fell, and Max sat
+beside me on the bench. He was very happy, for he felt that our troubles
+would end with the night. I put my arm over his neck and begged him to
+forgive me for bringing this evil upon him.
+
+"You shall not blame yourself, Karl," he protested. "There is no fault
+in you. No one is to blame save myself; I should not have gone to the
+bridge. I wonder what poor Yolanda is doing. Perhaps she is suffering in
+fear and is ignorant of our misfortune. Perhaps she thinks I have broken
+my promise and left Peronne. I can see her stamp her little foot, and I
+see her great eyes flashing in anger. Each new humor in her seems more
+beautiful than the last, Karl. Knowing her, I seem to have known all
+mankind--at least, all womankind. She has wakened me to life. Her touch
+has unsealed my eyes, and the pain that I take from my love for her is
+like a foretaste of heaven. I believe that a man comes to his full
+strength, mental and moral, only through the elixir of pain."
+
+"We surely have had our share of late," I said dolefully.
+
+"All will soon be well with us, Karl; do not fear. We shall be free
+to-morrow, and I will kill this Calli. Then I'll go back to Styria a
+better, wiser, stronger man than I could ever have been had I remained
+at home. This last terrible experience has been the keystone of my
+regeneration. It has taught me to be merciful even to the guilty, and
+gentle with the accused. No man shall ever suffer at my command until he
+has been proved guilty. Doubtless thousands of innocent men as free from
+crime and evil intent as we, are wasting their lives away in dungeons as
+loathsome as those that imprisoned us."
+
+"Calli will not fight you," I said.
+
+"If he refuses, I will kill him at the steps of the throne of Burgundy,
+let the result be what it may. God will protect me in my just vengeance.
+I will then go home; and I'll not return to Burgundy till I do so at the
+head of an army, to compel Duke Charles to behead Campo-Basso."
+
+"What will you do about Yolanda, Max?" I asked.
+
+The interference of the princess in our behalf had thrown more light on
+my important riddle, and once again I was convinced that she
+was Yolanda.
+
+"I'll keep her in my heart till I die, Karl," he responded, "and I pray
+God to give her a happier life than mine can be. That is all I can do."
+
+"Will you see her before you go?" I asked, fully intending that there
+should be no doubt on the question.
+
+"Yes, and then--" He paused; and, after a little time, I asked:--
+
+"And what then, Max?"
+
+"God only knows what, Karl. I'm sure I don't," he answered.
+
+We talked till late into the night, lay down on our soft, clean beds of
+straw, and were soon asleep.
+
+I did not know how long I had been sleeping when I was wakened by a
+voice that seemed to fill the room, low, soft, and musical as the tones
+of an Aeolian harp. I groped my way noiselessly in the dark to Max's bed
+and aroused him. Placing my hand over his mouth to insure silence, I
+whispered:--
+
+"Listen!"
+
+He rested on his elbow, and we waited. After a few seconds the voice
+again resounded through the room, soft as a murmured ave, distinct as
+the notes of a bird. Max clutched my hand. Soon the voice came again,
+and we heard the words:--
+
+"Little Max, do you hear? Answer softly."
+
+"I hear," responded Max.
+
+There was an uncanny note in the music of the voice. It seemed almost
+celestial. We could not tell whence it came. Every stone in the walls
+and ceiling, every slab in the floor seemed resonant with silvery tones.
+After Max had answered there was a pause lasting two or three minutes,
+and the voice spoke again:--
+
+"I love you, Little Max. I tell you because I wish to comfort you. Do
+not fear. You shall be free to-morrow. Do not answer. Adieu."
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!" cried Max, pleadingly; but he received no answer. He
+put his hand on my shoulder and said:--
+
+"It was Yolanda, Karl--ah, God must hate a child that He brings into
+the world a prince."
+
+For the rest of the night we did not sleep, neither did we speak. The
+morrow was to be a day of frightful import to us, and we awaited it in
+great anxiety.
+
+When the morning broke and the sun shot his rays through the narrow
+window, we carefully examined the floor and walls of our room, but we
+found no opening through which the voice could have penetrated. In the
+side of the room formed by the wall of the tower, the mortar had fallen
+from between two stones, leaving one of them somewhat loose, but the
+castle wall at that point was fully sixteen feet thick, and it was
+impossible that the voice should have come through the layers of stone.
+
+From my first acquaintance with Yolanda there had seemed to be a
+supernatural element in her nature, an elfin quality in her face and
+manner that could not be described. Max had often told me that she
+impressed him in like manner. The voice in our stone-girt chamber,
+coming as it did from nowhere, and resounding as it did everywhere,
+intensified that feeling till it was almost a conviction, though I am
+slow to accept supernatural explanations--a natural one usually exists.
+Of course, there are rare instances of supernatural power vested in men
+and women, and Yolanda's great, burning eyes caused me at times, almost
+to believe that she was favored with it.
+
+The voice that we had heard was unquestionably Yolanda's, but by what
+strange power it was enabled to penetrate our rock-ribbed prison and
+give tongues to the cold stones I could not guess, though I could not
+stop trying. Here was another riddle set by this marvellous girl for my
+solving. This riddle, however, helped to solve the first, and confirmed
+my belief that Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy.
+
+After breakfast Max and I were taken to the great hall, where we found
+Castleman standing before the ducal throne, speaking to Charles. The
+burgher turned toward us, and as we approached I heard him say:--
+
+"My lord, these men are not spies."
+
+"Who are they?" demanded the duke.
+
+Castleman gave our names and told the story of our meeting at Basel,
+after we had escorted Merchant Franz from Cannstadt. Then he narrated
+Max's adventure at the moat bridge, closing with:--
+
+"Count Calli grossly insulted Fräulein Castleman, for which Sir Max
+chastised him; and no doubt, my lord, this arrest has been made
+for revenge."
+
+"Has the younger man name or title other than you have given?" asked
+Charles.
+
+The burgher hesitated before he answered:--
+
+"He has, my lord, though I may not disclose it to Your Grace without his
+permission, unless you order me so to do upon my fealty. That I humbly
+beg Your Grace not to do."
+
+"I beg Your Grace not to ask me to disclose my identity at this time,"
+said Max. "I am willing, should you insist upon knowing who I am, to
+tell it privately in Your Grace's ear; but I am travelling incognito
+with my friend, Sir Karl de Pitti, and I beg that I may remain so. My
+estate is neither very great nor very small, but what it is I desire for
+many reasons not to divulge. These reasons in no way touch Burgundy, and
+I am sure Your Grace will not wish to intrude upon them. Within a month,
+perhaps within a few days, I will enlighten you. If you will permit me
+to remain in Peronne, I will communicate my reasons to you personally;
+if I leave, I will write to Your Grace. I give my parole that I will,
+within a month, surrender myself to Your Lordship, if you are not
+satisfied, upon hearing my explanations, that my word is that of an
+honorable knight, and my station one worthy of Your Grace's respect. I
+hope my Lord d'Hymbercourt and my good friend Castleman will stand as
+hostages for me in making this pledge."
+
+Both men eagerly offered their persons and their estates as hostages,
+and the duke, turning to the captain of the guard, said:--
+
+"Remove the manacles from these knights."
+
+The chains were removed, and the duke, coming down to the last step of
+the dais, looked into Max's face.
+
+Max calmly returned the fierce gaze without so much as the faltering of
+an eyelid.
+
+"All step back save this young man," ordered the duke, extending his
+open palm toward the courtiers.
+
+We all fell away, but the duke said:--
+
+"Farther back, farther back, I say! Don't crowd in like a pack of yokels
+at a street fight!"
+
+Charles was acting under great excitement. I was not sure that it was
+not anger since his mien looked much like it. I did not know what was
+going to happen, and was in an agony of suspense. Anything was possible
+with this brutish duke when his brain was crazed with passion.
+
+All who had been near the ducal throne moved back, till no one was
+within ten yards of Charles save Max. The duke wore a dagger and a shirt
+of mail; Max wore neither arms nor armor. After the courtiers stepped
+back from the throne a deep, expectant hush fell upon the room. No one
+could guess the intentions of this fierce, cruel duke, and I was
+terribly apprehensive for Max's safety. Had Max been armed, I should
+have had no fear for him at the hands of the duke or any other man.
+
+Charles stepped from the dais to the floor beside Max, still gazing
+fixedly into his face. The men were within four feet of each other. The
+silence in the room was broken only by the heavy breathing of excited
+courtiers. The duke's voice sounded loud and harsh when he spoke to Max,
+and his breath came in hoarse gusts:--
+
+"You are accused, Sir Knight, by credible witnesses of intent to murder
+me. For such a crime it is my privilege to kill you here and now with my
+own hand. What have you to say?"
+
+Charles paused for a reply, drawing his dagger from its sheath. When Max
+saw the naked weapon, I noticed that he gave a start, though it was
+almost imperceptible. He at once recovered himself, and straightening to
+his full height, stepped to within two feet of the duke.
+
+"If I plotted or intended to kill you, my lord," said Max, less moved
+than any other man in the room, "it is your right to kill me; but even
+were I guilty I doubt if my Lord of Burgundy, who is noted the world
+over for his bravery, would strike an unarmed man. If Your Grace wished
+to attack me, you would give me arms equal to your own. If you should
+kill me, unarmed as I am, you would be more pitiable than any other man
+in Burgundy. You would despise yourself, and all mankind would
+spurn you."
+
+"Do you not fear me?" asked the duke, still clutching the hilt of his
+unsheathed dagger.
+
+"I do not believe you have the least intent to kill me," answered Max,
+"but if you have, you may easily do so, and I shall be less to be
+pitied than you. No, I do not fear you! Do I look it, my lord?"
+
+"No, by God, you don't look it. Neither have you cause to fear me," said
+Charles. "There is not another man in Christendom could have stood this
+ordeal without flinching."
+
+To a brave man, bravery is above all the cardinal virtue. Charles turned
+toward his courtiers and continued:--
+
+"There is one man who does not fear me--man, say I? He is little more
+than a boy. Men of Burgundy, take a lesson from this youth, and bear it
+in mind when we go to war."
+
+The duke began to unbuckle his shirt of mail, speaking as he did so:--
+
+"I'll soon learn who has lied. I'll show this boy that I am as brave as
+he."
+
+Charles turned to Calli.
+
+"Sir Count, did you not say this knight wished to kill me, even at the
+cost of his own life?"
+
+"I so said, my lord, and so maintain upon my honor as a knight and upon
+my hope of salvation as a Christian. I so heard him avow,"
+answered Calli.
+
+"I will quickly prove or disprove your words, Sir Count," said the duke,
+removing his mail shirt and throwing it to the floor. Then he turned to
+Max and offered him the hilt of his dagger: "If you would purchase my
+death at the cost of your life, here is my dagger, and you may easily
+make the barter. I am unarmed. One blow from that great arm of yours
+will end all prospects of war with your Switzerland."
+
+Max hesitatingly took the dagger and looked with a puzzled expression
+from it to the duke's face. Campo-Basso and his Italian friends moved
+toward their lord as if to protect him, but Charles waved them back with
+a protesting palm.
+
+"Switzerland is not my native land, Your Grace, nor do I seek your life.
+Take your dagger," said Max.
+
+"I offer you better terms," said Charles. "If you wish to kill me, I now
+give you safe conduct beyond the borders of Burgundy."
+
+"My lord, you are mistaken," said Max, impatiently, tossing the dagger
+to the floor and stepping back from the duke. A soft ripple of laughter
+was heard in the ladies' gallery.
+
+"No, it is not I that am mistaken," said Charles. "It is Campo-Basso and
+his friends. Count Calli, prepare to give the combat to this knight,
+whoever he may be, and God have mercy on your soul, for the day of your
+death is at hand."
+
+Another ripple of soft laughter came from the ladies' gallery.
+
+"I cannot fight him," wailed Calli. "I am suffering from a broken arm.
+My horse fell with me three weeks ago, as Your Grace well knows."
+
+"When your arm mends, you must fight and prove your cause, or by the
+soul of God, you hang! We'll make a fête of this combat, and another of
+your funeral. There shall be a thousand candles, and masses sufficient
+to save the soul of Satan himself. My Lord Campo-Basso, let not the like
+of this happen again. Vengeance in Burgundy is mine, not my Italians'.
+Heralds, dismiss the company. These men are free."
+
+All departed save Castleman, Hymbercourt, Max, and myself, who remained
+at the duke's request.
+
+"If you will remain at the castle, you are most welcome," said Charles,
+addressing Max and me.
+
+I would have jumped at the offer, but Max thanked the duke and declined.
+
+"We will, with Your Grace's permission, remain at Grote's inn for a
+short time and then ask leave to depart from Burgundy."
+
+The duke answered:--
+
+"As you will. I do not press you. If you change your mind, come to the
+castle, and you will be very welcome."
+
+He turned and, with brief adieu, left the great-hall by the small door
+near the dais. Castleman, Hymbercourt, and Max passed out through the
+great doors, and I was about to follow them when I was startled by the
+voice I had heard in the night:--
+
+"Little Max, Little Max," came softly from the ladies' gallery.
+
+I paused to hear more, but all was silent in the great hall. The words
+could have come from no other lips than Yolanda's--Mary's. True, I
+reasoned, Yolanda might be one of the ladies of the court, perhaps a
+near relative of the duke. Once the horrifying thought that he was her
+lover came to my mind, but it fled instantly. There was no evil
+in Yolanda.
+
+Max did not hear the voice. I intended to tell him of it when we should
+reach the inn, and I thought to tell him also that I believed Yolanda
+was the Princess Mary. I changed my mind, however, and again had reason
+to be thankful for my silence.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A LIVE WREN PIE
+
+The next day came the invitation to sup at Castleman's, and we were on
+hand promptly at the appointed time--four o'clock. Before leaving the
+inn I had determined to ask Castleman to satisfy my curiosity concerning
+Yolanda. With good reason I felt that it was my duty and my right to
+know certainly who she was. She might not be Mary of Burgundy, but she
+surely was not a burgher girl, and in some manner she was connected with
+the court of Duke Charles.
+
+Max and I were sitting in the long room (it was on the ground floor and
+extended across the entire front of the house) with Castleman when Frau
+Kate entered followed by Yolanda and Twonette. The frau courtesied, and
+gave us welcome. Twonette courtesied and stepped to her father's side.
+Yolanda gave Max her hand and lifted it to be kissed. The girl laughed
+joyously, and, giving him her other hand, stood looking up into his
+face. Her laughter soon became nervous, and that change in a womanly
+woman is apt to be the forerunner of tears. They soon came to moisten
+Yolanda's eyes, but she kept herself well in hand and said:--
+
+"It has been a very long time, Sir Max, since last I saw you."
+
+"A hard, cruel time for me, Fräulein. Your hot-headed duke gives strange
+license to his murderous courtiers," answered Max.
+
+"It has been a hard time for others, too," she responded. "Hard for
+uncle, hard for tante, hard for Twonette--very hard for Twonette." She
+spoke jestingly, but one might easily see her emotion.
+
+"And you, Fräulein?" he asked smilingly.
+
+"I--I dare not say how hard it has been for me, Little Max. Do you not
+see? I fear--I fear I shall--weep--if I try to tell you. I am almost
+weeping now. I fear I have grown gray because of it," she answered,
+closing with a nervous laugh. Max, too, could hardly speak. She smiled
+up into his face, and bending before him stood on tiptoe to bring the
+top of her head under his inspection.
+
+"You may see the white hairs if you look carefully," she said.
+
+Max laughed and stooped to examine the great bush of fluffy dark hair.
+
+"I see not one white hair," he said.
+
+"Look closely," she insisted.
+
+He looked closely, and startled us all, including Yolanda, by putting
+his lips to the fragrant, silky mass.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed Yolanda, stepping back from him and placing her hand to
+the top of her head on the spot that he had kissed. She looked up to him
+with a fluttering little laugh:--
+
+"I--I did not know you were going to do that."
+
+"Neither did I," said Max.
+
+Castleman and his wife looked displeased and Twonette's face wore an
+expression of amused surprise.
+
+After a constrained pause Frau Katherine said:--
+
+"Our guests are not in the habit of kissing us."
+
+"No one has kissed you, tante," retorted Yolanda, "nor do they intend to
+do so. Do not fear. I--I brought it on myself, and if I do not complain,
+you may bear up under it."
+
+"It certainly is unusual to--" began the frau.
+
+"Tante," cried Yolanda, flushing angrily and stamping her foot. Tante
+was silent.
+
+"Your words night before last brought marvellous comfort to us,
+Fräulein," said Max. "Where were you, and how--"
+
+"My words? Night before last?" asked Yolanda, in open-eyed wonder, "I
+have not seen you since three weeks ago."
+
+"You called to me in my prison in the tower," said Max. "You called to
+me by the name you sometimes use."
+
+"Ah, that is wonderful," exclaimed Yolanda. "I wakened myself night
+before last calling your name, and telling you not to fear. I was
+dreaming that you were in danger, but I also dreamed that you would soon
+be free. Can it be possible that the voice of a dreamer can travel to a
+distance and penetrate stone walls? You almost make me fear myself by
+telling me that you heard my call."
+
+Like most persons, Max loved the mysterious, so he at once became
+greatly interested. He would have discussed the subject further had not
+Yolanda turned to me, saying:--
+
+"Ah, I have not greeted Sir Karl."
+
+She gave me her hand, and I would have knelt had she not prevented me by
+a surprised arching of her eyebrows. My attempt to salute her on my knee
+was involuntary, but when I saw the warning expression in her eyes, I
+quickly recovered myself. I bowed and she withdrew her hand.
+
+"Let us go to the garden," she suggested.
+
+The others left the room, but Yolanda held back and detained me by a
+gesture.
+
+"You would have knelt to me," she said almost angrily.
+
+"Yes, mademoiselle," I replied, "the movement was involuntary."
+
+"I once warned you, Sir Karl, not to try to learn anything concerning
+me. I told you that useless knowledge was dangerous. You have been
+guessing, and probably are very far wrong in your conclusion. But
+whatever your surmises are, don't let me know them. Above all, say
+nothing to Sir Max; I warn you! Unless you would see no more of me, bear
+this warning in mind. Yolanda is a burgher girl. Treat her accordingly,
+and impress the fact on Sir Max. Were I as great as the ill-tempered
+Princess of Burgundy, whose estates you came to woo, I should still
+despise adulation. Bah! I hate it all," she continued, stamping her
+foot. "I hate princes and princesses, and do not understand how they can
+endure to have men kneel and grovel before them. This fine Princess of
+Burgundy, I am told, looks--" She paused and then went on: "I sometimes
+hate her most of all. I am a burgher girl, I tell you, and I am proud of
+it. I warn you not to make me other."
+
+"Your warning, my lady, is--"
+
+"Fräulein!" interrupted Yolanda, angrily stamping her foot, "or
+Yolanda--call me either. If I give you the privilege, you should value
+it sufficiently to use it."
+
+"Yolanda, I will sin no more," I responded. Her face broke into a smile,
+and she took my arm, laughing contentedly.
+
+I walked out to the garden--Yolanda danced out--and we sat with the
+others under the shade of the arbor vines. Castleman and Max drank
+sparingly of wine and honey, while I sipped orange water with Yolanda,
+Twonette, and Frau Kate.
+
+"What do you think of Burgundy, Sir Max?" asked the burgher.
+
+"I like Grote's inn well," answered Max. "I like the castle dungeon ill.
+I have seen little else of Burgundy save in our journey down the Somme.
+Then I saw nothing but the road on the opposite bank. Had I tried to see
+the country I should have failed; the dust-cloud we carried with us was
+impenetrable." He turned to Yolanda, "That was a hard journey for you,
+Fräulein."
+
+"No, no," she cried, "it was glorious. The excitement was worth a
+lifetime of monotony; it was delightful. I could feel my heart beat all
+the time, and no woman is sure she lives until she feels the beating of
+her heart."
+
+I suspected a double meaning in her words, but no trace of
+self-consciousness was visible in her face.
+
+"I have often wondered, Fräulein, if the papers reached the castle
+before the duke arrived?" asked Max.
+
+"What papers?" queried Yolanda.
+
+"Why, the papers we made the mad race to deliver," answered Max.
+
+"Oh, y-e-s," responded the girl, "they arrived just in time."
+
+"And were delivered at the gate?" I suggested.
+
+A quick, angry glance of surprise shot from Yolanda's eyes, and rising
+from her chair she entered the house. Twonette followed her, and the two
+did not return for an hour. I was accumulating evidence on the subject
+of my puzzling riddle, but I feared my last batch might prove expensive.
+I saw the mistake my tongue had led me into. Many a man has wrecked his
+fortune by airing his wit.
+
+When Yolanda returned, she sat at a little distance from us, pouting
+beautifully. The cause of her unmistakable ill-humor, of course, was
+known only to me, and was a source of wonder to Max. At the end of five
+minutes, during which there had been little conversation, Max, who was
+amused at Yolanda's pouting, turned to her, and said:--
+
+"The Fates owe me a few smiles as compensation for their frowns during
+the last three weeks. Won't you help them to pay me, Fräulein?"
+
+Her face had been averted, but when Max spoke she turned slowly and gave
+him the smile he desired as if to say, "I am not pouting at you."
+
+Her act was so childlike and her face so childishly beautiful that we
+all smiled with amusement and pleasure. Yolanda saw the smiles and
+turned on us, pouting though almost ready to laugh. She rose from her
+chair, stamped her foot, stood irresolutely for a moment, and then
+breaking into a laugh, drew her chair to our little circle--next to
+Max--and sat down.
+
+"Tante, is supper never to be served?" she asked. "I am impatient to see
+the live wren pie."
+
+"Live wren pie?" asked Max, incredulously.
+
+"Yes. Have you never seen one?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"Surely not," he replied.
+
+"Ah, you have a treat in store," she exclaimed, clapping her hands
+enthusiastically. "Uncle carves the pie, the wrens fly out, you open
+your mouth, and the birds, being very small, fly down your throat and
+save you the trouble eating them. They are trained to do it, you know."
+
+A chorus of laughter followed this remarkable statement. Max leaned
+forward, rested his elbows on his knees, looked at the ground for the
+space of half a minute, and said:--
+
+"I was mistaken in saying that I had never partaken of the dish. While
+at Basel I foolishly opened my mouth, and a beautiful little bird flew
+down my throat to my heart."
+
+Frau Castleman coughed, and the burgher moved in his chair and swallowed
+half a goblet of wine. Twonette laughed outright at the pretty turn Max
+had made upon Yolanda, and I ridiculously tried to keep my face
+expressionless. Yolanda laughed flutteringly, and the long lashes fell.
+
+"That was prettily spoken, Sir Max," she said, smiling. "No Frenchman
+could improve upon it. You are constantly surprising me."
+
+"Are Frenchmen apt at such matters, Fräulein?" I asked.
+
+"I have known but few Frenchmen," she responded. "You know Burgundy and
+France are natural enemies, like the cat and the dog. I have little love
+for the French. I speak only from hearsay."
+
+"You will do well to learn to like them," I suggested. "Burgundy itself
+will soon be French, if the Princess Mary weds the Dauphin."
+
+By speaking freely of the princess, I hoped Yolanda might believe that,
+whatever my surmises were concerning her identity, I did not suspect
+that she was Mademoiselle de Burgundy.
+
+Yolanda sighed, but did not answer. Silence fell upon our little party,
+and after a long pause I turned to Twonette:--
+
+"I remember that Franz told me at Basel, Fräulein Twonette, that you and
+this famous Princess Mary of Burgundy were friends."
+
+"Yes," answered Twonette, with an effort not to smile, "she has, at
+times, honored me with her notice."
+
+"Out of that fact grows Twonette's serene dignity," laughed Yolanda. "On
+the strength of this acquaintance she quite lords it over us at times,
+and is always reminding me of the many haughty virtues of her friend as
+a pattern that I should follow. You see, I am incessantly confronted
+with this princess."
+
+I thought it was a pretty piece of acting, though the emphasis of her
+dislike for the princess was unmistakably genuine.
+
+"The duke has graciously invited us to the castle," I said, "and I hope
+to have the honor of seeing the princess."
+
+When I spoke of the duke's invitation, I at once caught Yolanda's
+attention.
+
+"You will not meet the princess if you go to the castle," said Yolanda.
+"She is an ill-natured person, I am told, and is far from gracious to
+strangers."
+
+"I do not hope for such an honor," I replied. "I should like merely to
+see her before I leave Burgundy. That is all the favor I ask at her
+hands. She is a lady famed throughout all Europe for her beauty and her
+gentleness."
+
+"She doesn't merit her fame," responded Yolanda, carefully examining her
+hands folded in her lap, and glancing nervously toward Max.
+
+"Do you know Her Highness?" I asked.
+
+"I--I have heard enough of her and have often seen her," she replied.
+"She usually rides out with her ladies at this hour. From the upper end
+of the garden you may soon see her come through the Postern gate, if you
+care to watch."
+
+"I certainly should like to see her," I answered, rapidly losing faith
+in my conclusion that Yolanda was the princess.
+
+The Castlemans did not offer to move, but Yolanda, springing to her
+feet, said, "Come," and led the way.
+
+The upper end of the garden, as I have told you, was on the banks of the
+Cologne at a point where it flowed into the castle moat. The castle
+wall, sixty feet high at that point, bordered the west side of the
+garden. The moat curved along the right side, and the river flowed past
+the upper end. Castleman's house faced south, and stood on the lower end
+of the strip of ground that lay between the castle wall and the moat.
+The Postern was perhaps three hundred yards north from the upper end of
+Castleman's garden. Since it was on the opposite side of the river, one
+could reach the Postern, from Castleman's house, only by going up to the
+town bridge and back to the castle by the street that followed the north
+side of the Cologne.
+
+We all walked to the upper end of the garden, and stood leaning against
+the low stone wall at the river's edge. We had waited perhaps ten
+minutes when we heard a blare of trumpets and saw a small cavalcade of
+ladies and gentlemen ride from the castle and pass over the drawbridge.
+
+"The lady in scarlet is the duchess," said Castleman.
+
+"She is English," remarked Yolanda, "and loves bright colors."
+
+"Which is the princess?" I asked of Yolanda, feeling that I also was
+acting my part admirably. To my surprise she answered promptly:--
+
+"She in blue with a falcon on her shoulder. Am I not right, uncle?"
+
+"Yes," responded Castleman. Twonette confirmed the statement.
+
+My air-castles fell noiselessly about my head. My dreams vanished like
+breath from a cold mirror, and the sphinx-like face of my great riddle
+rose before me in defiance.
+
+After the cavalcade had passed I found myself with Yolanda a dozen paces
+from the others.
+
+"Fräulein," I said, "I want to confess I thought you were the Princess
+Mary of Burgundy."
+
+Yolanda laughed softly.
+
+"I was sure you had some such absurd notion. I supposed you had seen
+her, and had believed she was Yolanda, the burgher girl; that mistake
+has often been made. You may see this princess at the castle, and I warn
+you not to be deceived. I have the great honor, it is said, to resemble
+Her Highness as one pea resembles another. I have been told that she has
+heard of the low-born maiden that dares to have a face like hers, and
+she doubtless hates me for it, just as I bear her no good-will for the
+same reason. When two women greatly resemble each other, there is
+seldom good feeling between them. Each believes the other is stealing
+something of her personality, and a woman's vanity prompts her to resent
+it. If you make the mistake with the princess that you made with me, I
+warn you it will not be so easily corrected."
+
+My poor riddle! My stony sphinx! My clinging hallucination! Again I
+should have it with me, stalking at my side by day, lying by me at
+night, whirling through my brain at all times, and driving me mad with
+its eternal question, "Who is Yolanda?" The solution of my riddle may be
+clear to you as I am telling you the story. At least, you may think it
+is, since I am trying to conceal nothing from you. I relate this history
+in the order of its happening, and wish, if possible, to place before
+you the manner in which this question of Yolanda's identity puzzled me.
+If you will put yourself in my place, you will at once realize how
+deeply I was affected by this momentous, unanswered, unanswerable
+question, "Who is Yolanda?" and you will understand why I could not see
+the solution, however clear you may believe it to be to yourself.
+
+We soon went in to supper and, after the peacock, the pheasants, and the
+pastries were removed, we were served with a most delicious after-dish
+in sparkling glass cups. It was frozen orange-water mixed with wine of
+Burgundy. I had never tasted a dish so palatable. I had dined at the
+emperor's table in Vienna; I had lived in Italy; I had sojourned in the
+East, where luxuries are most valued and used, but I had never partaken
+of a more delicious supper than that which I ate at the house of my rich
+burgher friend, George Castleman. There might have been a greater
+showing of plate, though that was not lacking, but there could have been
+no whiter linen nor more appetizing dishes than those which good Frau
+Kate gave us that evening.
+
+After the frozen wine had disappeared, a serving-maid brought in a
+stoneware pan covered with a snowy pastry, made from the whites of eggs
+and clear sugar. At its entry Yolanda clapped her hands and cried out
+with childish delight. When the pan was placed before Castleman, she
+exclaimed:--
+
+"Be careful, uncle! Don't thrust the knife too deep, or you will kill
+the birds."
+
+Uncle Castleman ran the point of the knife around the outer edge of the
+crust, and, with a twist of the blade, quickly lifted it from the pan,
+when out flew a dozen or more wrens. Yolanda's delight knew no bounds.
+She sprang from her chair, exclaiming:--
+
+"Catch them! Catch them!" and led the way.
+
+She climbed on chairs, tables, and window shelves, and soon had her
+hands full of the demure little songsters. Max, too, was pursuing the
+wrens, and Twonette, losing part of her serenity, actually caught a
+bird. The sport was infectious, and soon fat old Castleman was puffing
+like a tired porpoise, and sedate old Karl de Pitti was in the chase.
+Frau Katherine grabbed desperately at a bird now and then, but she was
+too stout to catch one and soon took her chair, laughing and out of
+breath. Yolanda screamed with laughter, and after she had caught six or
+seven birds and put them in the cage provided for them, she asked Max to
+lift her in his arms that she might reach one resting on a beam near the
+ceiling. Max gladly complied, and Yolanda, having caught the
+bird, said:--
+
+"Now, Sir Max, open your mouth."
+
+"I have already swallowed one," said Max, laughing, "and I will swallow
+none other so long as I live."
+
+As Max lowered her to the floor her arm fell about his neck for an
+instant, and the great strong boy trembled at the touch of this
+weak girl.
+
+Out to the garden we went again after supper, and when dusk began to
+fall, Yolanda led Max to a rustic seat in the deep shadow of the vines.
+I could not hear their words, but I learned afterward of the
+conversation.
+
+When I thought Yolanda was the princess, I was joyful because of the
+marked favor that she showed Max. When I thought she was a burgher girl,
+I felt like a fussy old hen with a flock of ducks if he were alone with
+her. She seemed then a bewitching little ogress slowly devouring my
+handsome Prince Max. That she was fair, entrancing, and lovable beyond
+any woman I had ever known, only added to my anxiety. Would Max be
+strong enough to hold out against her wooing? I don't like to apply the
+word "wooing" to a young girl's conduct, but we all know that woman does
+her part in the great system of human mating when the persons most
+interested do the choosing; and it is right that she should. The modesty
+that prevents a woman from showing her preference is the result of a
+false philosophy, and flies in the face of nature. Her right to choose
+is as good as man's.
+
+If Yolanda's wooing was more pronounced than is usual with a modest
+young girl, it must be remembered that her situation was different. She
+knew that Max had been restrained from wooing her only because of the
+impassable gulf that lay between them. Ardor in Max when marriage was
+impossible would have been an insult to Yolanda. His reticence for
+conscience' sake and for her sake was the most chivalric flattery he
+could have paid her. She saw the situation clearly, and, trusting Max
+implicitly, felt safe in giving rein to her heart. She did not care to
+hide from him its true condition. On the contrary she wished him to be
+as sure of her as she was of him, for after all that would be the only
+satisfaction they would ever know.
+
+I argued: If Yolanda were the princess, betrothed to the Dauphin, the
+gulf between her and Max was as impassable as if she were a burgher
+girl. In neither case could she hope to marry him. Therefore, her
+girlish wooing was but the outcry of nature and was without boldness.
+
+The paramount instinct of all nature is to flower. Even the frozen
+Alpine rock sends forth its edelweiss, and the heart of a princess is
+first the heart of a woman, and must blossom when its spring comes. All
+the conventions that man can invent will not keep back the flower. All
+created things, animate and inanimate, have in them an uncontrollable
+impulse which, in their spring, reverts with a holy retrospect to the
+great first principle of existence, the love of reproduction.
+
+Yolanda's spring had come, and her heart was a flower with the sacred
+bloom. Being a woman, she loved it and cuddled it for the sake of the
+pain it brought, as a mother fondles a wayward child. Max, being a man,
+struggled against the joy that hurt him and, with a sympathy broad
+enough for two, feared the pain he might bring to Yolanda. So this
+unresponsiveness in Max made him doubly attractive to the girl, who was
+of the sort, whether royal or bourgeois, before whom men usually fall.
+
+"I thought you had left me, Sir Max," she said, drawing him to a seat
+beside her in the shade.
+
+"I promised you I would not go," he responded, "and I would not
+willingly break my word to any one, certainly not to you, Fräulein."
+
+"I was angry when I heard you had left the inn," she said, "and I spoke
+unkindly of you. There has been an ache in my heart ever since that
+nothing but confession and remission will cure."
+
+"I grant the remission gladly," answered Max. "There was flattery in
+your anger."
+
+The girl laughed softly and, clasping her hands over her knee, spoke
+with a sigh.
+
+"I think women have the harder part of life in everything. I again ask
+you to promise me that you will not leave Peronne within a month."
+
+"I cannot promise you that, Fräulein," answered Max.
+
+"You will some day--soon, perhaps--know my reasons," said Yolanda, "and
+if they do not prove good I am willing to forfeit your esteem. That is
+the greatest hostage I can give."
+
+"I cannot promise," answered Max, stubbornly.
+
+"I offer you another inducement, one that will overmatch the small
+weight of my poor wishes. I promise to bring you to meet this Mary of
+Burgundy whom you came to woo. I cannot present you, but I will see that
+Twonette brings about the meeting. I tell you, as I have already told
+Sir Karl, that it is said I resemble this princess, so you must not
+mistake her for me."
+
+When Max told me of this offer I wondered if the girl had been testing
+him, and a light dawned on me concerning her motives.
+
+"I did not come to woo her," answered Max, "though she may have been a
+part of my reason for coming. I knew that she was affianced to the
+Dauphin of France. Her beauty and goodness were known to me through
+letters of my Lord d'Hymbercourt, written to my dear old friend Karl.
+Because of certain transactions, of which you do not know and of which I
+may not speak, I esteemed her for a time above all women, though I had
+never seen her. I still esteem her, but--but the other is all past now,
+Fräulein, and I do not wish to meet the princess, though the honor would
+be far beyond my deserts."
+
+"Why do you not wish to meet her?" asked Yolanda, with an air of
+pleasure. Max hesitated, then answered bluntly:--
+
+"Because I have met you, Fräulein. You should not lead me to speak such
+words."
+
+Yolanda touched Max's arm and said frankly:--
+
+"There can be no harm, Max. If you knew all,--if I could tell you
+all,--you would understand. The words can harm neither of us." She
+hesitated and, with drooping head, continued: "And they are to me as the
+sun and the south wind to the flowers and the corn. You already know all
+that is in my heart, or I would not speak so plainly. In all my life I
+have known little of the sweet touch of human sympathy and love, and,
+Max, my poor heart yearns for them until at times I feel like the
+flowers without the sun and the corn without the rain,--as if I will die
+for lack of them. I am almost tempted to tell you all."
+
+"Tell me all, Yolanda," entreated Max, "for I, too, have suffered from
+the same want, though my misfortune comes from being born to a high
+estate. If you but knew the lonely, corroding misery of those born to a
+station above the reach of real human sympathy, you would not envy, you
+would pity them. You would be charitable to their sins, and would thank
+God for your lowly lot in life. I will tell you my secret. I am
+Maximilian of Hapsburg."
+
+"I have known it since the first day I saw you at Basel," answered
+Yolanda.
+
+"I have felt sure at times that you did," responded Max, "though I
+cannot think how you learned it. Will you tell me of yourself?"
+
+The girl hung her head and hesitated. Once she lifted her face to speak,
+but changed her mind.
+
+"Please don't ask me now. I will tell you soon, but not now, not now. Be
+patient with me. I do pity you. I do, I do. If we could help each
+other--but we cannot, and there is no use longing for it. I sometimes
+fear that your attitude is the right one, and that it is best that we
+should part and meet no more."
+
+The proposition to part and meet no more was good in theory, but Max
+found that the suggestion to make a fact of it frightened him.
+
+"Let us not speak of that now," he said. "The parting will come soon
+enough. You will surely deem me cold and unworthy, Fräulein, but you
+cannot understand. One may not call a man hard and selfish who plucks
+out his eye for the sake of a God-imposed duty, or who deliberately
+thrusts away happiness and accepts a life of misery and heartache
+because of the chains with which God bound him at his birth."
+
+"Ah, I do understand, Max; I understand only too well," answered the
+girl.
+
+I have often wondered why Max did not suspect that Yolanda was the
+Princess Mary; but when I considered that he had not my reasons to lead
+him to that conclusion, I easily understood his blindness, for even I
+was unconvinced. Had I not overheard Castleman's conversation with
+Yolanda on the road to Strasburg, after meeting De Rose, the supposition
+that the burgher girl travelling unattended with a merchant and his
+daughter could possibly be the Princess Mary would have been beyond the
+credence of a sane man. The thought never would have occurred to me.
+Even with Castleman's words always ringing in my ears, I was
+constantly in doubt.
+
+"There is no reason why one should deliberately hasten the day of one's
+thralldom," said Yolanda, softly. "If one may be free and happy for an
+hour without breaking those terrible chains of God's welding, is he not
+foolish to refuse the small benediction? The memory of it may sweeten
+the years to come."
+
+"To woman, such a memory is sweet," answered Max, striving to steel his
+heart against the girl. "To men, it is a bitter regret."
+
+To me he had spoken differently of his pain.
+
+"Then be generous, Little Max, and give me the sweet memory," said the
+girl, carried away by the swirling impulse of her heart.
+
+"You will not need it," answered Max. "Your lot will be different from
+mine."
+
+"Yes, it will be different, Max--it will be worse," she cried
+passionately, almost in tears. "I think I shall kill myself when you
+leave Burgundy." She paused and turned fiercely upon him, "Give me the
+promise I ask. I demand at least that consolation as my right--as a poor
+return for what you take from me."
+
+Max gently took her hand, which was at once lost in his great clasp.
+
+"Fräulein, I will not leave Burgundy within a month, whatever the
+consequences may be," he said tenderly.
+
+"Upon your honor?" she asked, joyously clapping her hands.
+
+"Every promise I make, Fräulein, is on my honor," said Max, seriously.
+
+"So it is, Little Max, so it is," she answered gently. Then they rose
+and came to the table where Castleman and I were sitting.
+
+Yolanda had gained her point and was joyful over her victory.
+
+Frau Katherine was asleep in a high-backed chair. Twonette slept in a
+corner of the arbor, her flaxen head embowered in a cluster of leaves
+and illumined by a stray beam of moonlight that stole between the vines.
+
+"I am going in now. Come, Twonette," said Yolanda, shaking that plump
+young lady to arouse her. "Come, Twonette."
+
+Twonette slowly opened her big blue eyes, but she was slower in
+awakening.
+
+"Twonette! Twonette!" cried Yolanda, pulling at the girl's hand. "I
+declare, if you don't resist this growing drowsiness you will go down in
+history as the 'Eighth Sleeper,' and will be left snoring on
+resurrection morn."
+
+When Twonette had awakened sufficiently to walk, we started from the
+arbor to the house. As we passed from beneath the vines, the frowning
+wall of the castle and the dark forms of its huge towers, silhouetted in
+black against the moon-lit sky, formed a picture of fierce and sombre
+gloom not soon to be forgotten.
+
+"The dark, frowning castle reminds one of its terrible lord," said Max,
+looking up at the battlements.
+
+"It does, indeed," answered Yolanda, hardly above a whisper. Then we
+went into the house.
+
+"We hope to see you again for supper to-morrow evening, don't we,
+uncle?" said Yolanda, addressing Max and me, and turning to Castleman.
+
+"Yes--yes, to-morrow evening," said the burgher, hesitatingly.
+
+Max accepted the invitation and we made our adieux.
+
+At the bridge over the Cologne we met Hymbercourt returning to his house
+from the castle. While we talked, the cavalcade of ladies and gentlemen
+that we had watched from Castleman's garden cantered up the street.
+
+"You will now see the princess," said Hymbercourt. "She comes with the
+duke and the duchess. They left the castle at five, and have been riding
+in the moonlight."
+
+We stepped to one side of the street as the cavalcade passed, and I
+asked Hymbercourt to point out the princess.
+
+"She rides between the duke--the tall figure that you may recognize by
+his long beard--and the page carrying a hooded falcon," he answered.
+
+Surely this evidence should have put my mind at rest concerning my
+hallucination that Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy; but when we reached
+the inn and Max told me of his conversation with Yolanda the riddle
+again sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. I felt that I was growing weak
+in mind. Yolanda's desire to tell Max her secret, and her refusal; her
+longing for human sympathy, and the lack of it; her wish that he should
+remain in Peronne for a month--all these made me feel that she was
+the princess.
+
+I could not help hoping that Hymbercourt was mistaken in pointing out
+Her Highness. She rode in the shadow of the buildings and the moon was
+less than half full. Yolanda might have wished to deceive us by pointing
+out the princess while we watched the cavalcade from Castleman's garden.
+The burgher and Twonette might have been drawn into the plot against us
+by the impetuous will of this saucy little witch. Many things, I
+imagined, had happened which would have appeared absurd to a sane
+man--but I was not sane. I wished to believe that Yolanda was the
+princess, and I could not get the notion out of my head.
+
+Yolanda's forwardness with Max, if she were Mary of Burgundy, could
+easily be explained on the ground that she was a princess, and was
+entitled to speak her mind. I was sure she was a modest girl, therefore,
+if she were of lowly birth, she would have hesitated to speak so plainly
+to Max. So, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I refused to
+be convinced that Yolanda was not Mademoiselle de Burgundy. I loved the
+thought so dearly that I could not and would not part with it. That
+night, while I lay pondering over the riddle, I determined to do no more
+guessing, and let the Fates solve it for me. They might give me the
+answer soon if I would "give it up."
+
+The next evening we went to Castleman's house, but we did not see
+Yolanda. Frau Kate said she was indisposed, and we ate supper without
+her. It was a dull meal,--so much does a good appetite wait upon good
+company,--and for the first time I realized fully the marvellous quality
+of this girl's magic spell. Max, of course, was disappointed, and we
+walked back to The Mitre in silence.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A BATTLE IN MID AIR
+
+A day or two after the supper of the wren pie, Max bought from a pedler
+a gray falcon most beautifully marked, with a scarlet head and neck, and
+we sent our squires to Hymbercourt, asking him to solicit from the
+duke's seneschal, my Lord de Vergy, permission to strike a heron on the
+marshes. The favor was easily obtained, and we went forth that afternoon
+to try the new hawk.
+
+The hours passed quickly. The hawk was perfectly trained, and as fierce
+as a mountain wildcat. Its combats in mid air were most exciting. It
+would attack its prey and drive it back to a point nearly over our
+heads. There it waged the battle of death. It had killed three herons,
+all of which had fallen at our feet, and we were returning home when a
+fourth rose from the marsh. We were on a side road or path, perhaps five
+hundred yards from the main highway.
+
+At the moment Max gave wing to his bird, two ladies and three gentlemen
+came up the road, returning to Peronne, and halted to witness the
+aërial combat. That they were of the court, I could easily see by their
+habits, though the distance was so great that I could not distinguish
+their faces.
+
+Never did hawk acquit itself more nobly. It seemed to realize that it
+had a distinguished audience. The heron opened the battle desperately,
+and persisted in keeping its course to the south. The hawk, not ready
+for battle till the prey should be over our heads, circled round and
+round the heron, constantly striking, but carefully avoiding the _coup
+de grace_. After the birds had flown several hundred yards away from us,
+and were growing small in the distance, the heron, less hardy than its
+knightly foe, showed signs of weariness and confusion. It changed its
+course, still flying away from us. This did not suit the hawk, and it
+continued circling about its faltering prey with a vicious swiftness
+well calculated to inspire terror. Its movements became so rapid that it
+appeared to describe a gray circle about the heron. These circles, with
+the heron as the centre, constantly grew smaller, and after a time we
+could see that the birds were slowly but surely approaching us.
+
+When they were almost over our heads, the hawk rose with incredible
+swiftness above its prey, and dropped like a bolt of gray lightning upon
+the heron. Then followed a struggle that lasted while the birds fell
+three hundred feet. When within fifty feet of the ground the hawk
+suddenly spread its wings and stood motionless in mid air, watching its
+vanquished foe as it fell to a spot within ten yards of where we stood.
+The movement of the falcon in descending to us can only be described as
+a settling or gradual sinking, with outstretched, motionless wings. When
+Max piped, the bird flew to its master's wrist and held down its beak
+for the hood.
+
+At the close of the battle, the gentlemen of our little audience clapped
+their hands, and the ladies waved their kerchiefs. Max and I raised our
+caps and reined our horses toward the main road. As we approached, the
+ladies and one of the gentlemen resumed their journey toward Cambrai
+Gate, but the others awaited us. When we reached them we found, to our
+surprise, Duke Charles and my Lord d'Hymbercourt.
+
+"Ah, it is our unknown knight who was so eager to fight Count Calli,"
+exclaimed the duke.
+
+"And still eager, Your Grace," answered Max. He uncovered upon
+approaching the duke, but after a moment said, "By Your Grace's leave,"
+and resumed his cap. I, of course, remained uncovered. The duke showed
+surprise and irritation as he answered:--
+
+"Since you do not see fit to tell us who you are, you should have the
+grace to remain uncovered."
+
+Max glanced quickly at the duke's face, and removed his cap, as he
+answered, smiling:--
+
+"If it pleases Your Grace, I will remain uncovered even though I be the
+Pope himself."
+
+The duke saw the humor of the situation and replied:--
+
+"One who owns so noble a hawk may remain covered in any man's presence.
+Never have I seen so rare a battle in mid air. The soul of Roland
+himself must inhabit the bird."
+
+"Will Your Grace accept the hawk?" Max asked.
+
+"Gladly," answered the duke, "though I hesitate to deprive you of a bird
+to which you must be attached."
+
+"Do not hesitate to give me that pleasure, my lord," answered Max. "The
+bird is yours. His name is Caesar. I will send him to the castle
+this evening."
+
+"Do not send him," suggested the duke. "Double your kindness by bringing
+him to-morrow at the noon hour, after the morning audience. We must now
+follow the princess. Adieu, messieurs."
+
+The duke touched his cap, and we bent almost to our horses' manes.
+
+Charles and Hymbercourt rode forward at a brisk canter, and Max and I
+followed slowly. We entered Cambrai Gate three or four minutes after the
+duke and the princess.
+
+Max, eager to exhibit his hawk to Yolanda, proposed that we ride
+directly to Castleman's house.
+
+While we were crossing the Cologne bridge we saw the duke's party enter
+the castle by the Postern, and as we turned a corner toward Castleman's
+the ladies looked in our direction and the gentlemen lifted their caps.
+
+"Yolanda will be delighted when she sees my hawk," said Max.
+
+I did not answer, but I thought that Yolanda would not see the bird that
+evening, since she had just entered the castle with her father. I was in
+great glee of spirits; I had at last trapped the young lady. If she were
+not at Castleman's house there could be but one answer to my riddle. I
+did not merely believe that I should not find her there; I knew I
+should not.
+
+Max and I hitched our horses, and when Castleman's front door opened,
+lo! there stood Yolanda. Never in all my life have I taken such a fall.
+
+Somewhat out of breath, Yolanda exclaimed:--
+
+"Ah, Sir Max and Sir Karl, I saw you coming and ran to give you
+welcome."
+
+She was in an ecstasy of glee, strangely out of proportion to the event,
+and there was a look of triumph in her eyes.
+
+After we entered the house Yolanda's laughter continued, and if it
+ceased for a moment it broke out again without a pretext. She was always
+pleased to see Max, and never failed to show her pleasure in laughter
+more or less; but Max's presence could hardly account for her high
+merriment and the satisfaction she seemed to feel, as if a great victory
+had been gained. My sense of utter defeat had nothing but Yolanda's
+peculiar conduct to comfort it.
+
+To the arbor we went, Yolanda carrying the hawk on her shoulder and
+caressing it with her cheek. In the garden, when our adventures were
+related, Yolanda, all excitement, could not keep her chair, but danced
+delightedly like a child and killed a score of imaginary herons.
+
+She stroked the falcon's wings, and when I said, "My lord the duke has
+graciously consented to accept the bird," she turned upon Max,
+exclaiming in mock anger:--
+
+"The duke has graciously consented to accept the bird! I should think it
+required little grace to accept such a gift, though much to give it. Why
+don't you give the bird to me, Sir Max, if you are eager to part
+with it?"
+
+"I would gladly have given it to you, Fräulein," answered Max, "had I
+supposed you could use it on the duke's marshes. Only nobles practise
+the royal sport of falconry."
+
+Yolanda glanced quickly from Max to Castleman, turned her face to the
+bird upon her shoulder, and said, with a touch of dignity:--
+
+"We receive small favors from court once in a while, don't we, uncle?
+We are not dirt under the nobles' feet, if we are plain burgher folk,
+are we, uncle?"
+
+"Don't you know, Fräulein, what great pleasure I should have taken in
+giving you the bird?" asked Max.
+
+Yolanda bent her head to one side, placed her cheek against the falcon's
+wing and pouted. Her pout was prettier even than her smile, and that is
+saying a great deal.
+
+After a few minutes Yolanda started to walk up the garden path and Max
+followed her, leaving the Castlemans and me under the arbor. Yolanda,
+still pouting, carried Caesar on her shoulder, lavishing caresses on the
+bird that excited Max's bitterest envy. Max spoke at intervals, but she
+answered only to the bird. After many futile efforts to make her speak,
+he said:--
+
+"If you won't talk to me, I'll go back to the arbor."
+
+She turned to the bird: "We are willing, Caesar, aren't we--if he can
+go."
+
+Max laughed and started toward the arbor.
+
+"Tell him to come back, Caesar. Tell him to come back," exclaimed
+Yolanda.
+
+"I take no orders from a bird," declared Max, with pretended
+seriousness. Then she turned toward him and her face softened. She
+smiled and the dimples came, though there was a nervous tremor in the
+upturned corners of her mouth that belied her bantering air and brought
+Max quickly to her side. I saw the pantomime, though I did not hear the
+words; and I knew that neither Max nor any other man could withstand the
+quivering smile that played upon Yolanda's lips and the yearning
+invitation that was in her eyes. If Max did not soon take himself away
+from Burgundy and lead himself out of this temptation, I feared that in
+the end he would cast aside his ancient heritage, rend his sacred family
+ties, and forego everything he possessed in response to this mighty cry
+of nature, offering the one chance in life for happiness.
+
+"Now you will give me the bird--I know you will," exclaimed Yolanda.
+
+A remnant of the pout still hovered about her lips, doing battle with
+the dimples of a smile.
+
+"I have already given him to the duke," answered Max.
+
+"Tell the duke the bird escaped, or died suddenly of an apoplexy. Tell
+him anything you like, but give me the hawk," said Yolanda.
+
+"Would you have me lie, Fräulein?" asked Max, amused at her persistency.
+"I cannot do that, even for you. If you insist upon having the bird, I
+may go to the duke and withdraw my gift."
+
+"Would you do that for me, Sir Max?" she asked, eagerly.
+
+"Ay, and a great deal more, Fräulein. I tremble at the thought of what
+you could make me do," he answered.
+
+"In the fiend's name, let the duke have the bird," cried Yolanda. "He
+will pout more than I if you don't. He is of a sullen nature."
+
+"Do you know the duke?" asked Max, suspecting for the first time that
+Yolanda might be more intimate about the court than he had supposed.
+
+"I have heard much of him from those who know him," answered Yolanda.
+
+So the duke got Caesar.
+
+The next morning Hymbercourt came to the inn to accompany us to the
+castle. While we were sipping a mug of wine at a garden table,
+he said:--
+
+"I do not want to be officious in your affairs, but I am convinced that
+it will be well for you to tell the duke who you are. If you do not see
+fit to do so, it were wise in you to leave Burgundy at your earliest
+convenience."
+
+"I cannot leave within a month," said Max. I knew the cause of his
+detention, and, ignoring his remark, turned to Hymbercourt:--
+
+"Do you want to give the reasons for your advice?"
+
+"Yes, I am quite willing," he answered, "but I would not have my words
+repeated."
+
+"Of that you may rest assured," I answered.
+
+"If you do not tell the duke who you are," said Hymbercourt, "he will
+soon learn it from our Italian friends, who have the fiend's own energy
+in the pursuit of vengeance. They will discover who you are, and you
+will lose the advantage of a frank avowal. Duke Charles admires Sir Max,
+but our liege lord is capricious and can easily fancy that others are
+plotting to injure him. I am sure that he will now receive the Count of
+Hapsburg graciously if you tell him that Sir Max is that person. What he
+would do were he to learn the fact highly colored by his Italians, I
+cannot say. These mercenaries have a strange influence over His Grace,
+and there is not a nobleman in Burgundy who does not fear them."
+
+"How will the duke feel concerning the old proposition of marriage?" I
+asked.
+
+"That, I hope, will be of no moment now, since the duke is arranging for
+the immediate celebration of this marriage with the Dauphin. I am given
+to understand that His Grace, the Bishop of Cambrai, secretary to the
+duke, has received orders to draught a letter to King Louis expressing
+our lord's pleasure. King Louis is so eager for the marriage, which will
+once more bring Burgundy to the French kingship, that Duke Charles deems
+it sufficiently courteous to express his intentions to Louis, rather
+than to request the king's compliance. The duke's contempt for the king
+of France is so great that he causes the letter to be written in
+English, a language which Charles loves because of the English blood in
+his veins, and which Louis, with good reason, hates."
+
+"Has this letter been despatched?" I asked, concealing as well as I
+could my deep concern.
+
+Max heard Hymbercourt's statement without even a show of interest. Had
+he suspected that Hymbercourt was speaking of Yolanda's marriage, there
+surely would have been a demonstration.
+
+"No," answered Hymbercourt, "the letter has not been sent, but the duke
+will despatch it at once. It will probably be the chief business of this
+morning's audience. The duke wants the marriage celebrated before he
+leaves for Switzerland. That will be within three or four weeks. I am
+not informed as to the details of the ceremony, but I suppose the
+princess will be taken to St. Denis, and will there be married. The
+unfortunate princess, doubtless, has not yet been told of her impending
+fate, though she may have heard of it by rumor. There will be tears and
+trouble when she learns of it, for she has a strong dash of her father's
+temper. But--" He shrugged his shoulders as if to say that her tears
+would count for nothing.
+
+Hymbercourt's words took the heart out of me; and when he left us for a
+moment, I urged Max to leave Burgundy at once.
+
+"I must see Yolanda and ask her to release me from my promise before I
+go," he said.
+
+"You are surely not so weak as to allow a burgher girl to hold you?" I
+asked.
+
+"The girl does not hold me," he answered. "I was so weak as to give my
+promise, and that holds me."
+
+"She will give you your release if you demand it," I suggested.
+
+"If she does, I will go with you to-morrow. It is time that we were out
+of Burgundy. I will forego even my combat with Calli to get away. I
+should not have given Yolanda my promise; but she is so persuasive, and
+I pity her, and--and, oh! Karl, I--the trouble is, I love her, and it is
+like death to part from her forever. That is my weakness."
+
+The poor, suffering boy leaned forward on the table and buried his face
+in his arms.
+
+"That isn't your weakness, Max, it's your strength," I responded. "Few
+men are so unfortunate as to escape it. God must pity those who do. It
+may be well to tell the duke who you are. If he is displeased, we may
+leave Burgundy at once. If he receives you graciously, we may remain and
+you may fight this Calli. That is the one duty that holds you
+in Peronne."
+
+My heart was hardened with years, and its love of just vengeance was
+stronger than young Max could feel. Besides, he was possessed by a
+softer passion; and though he felt it his pleasant duty to fight Calli,
+vengeance held second place in his breast.
+
+Hymbercourt returned, and we started for the castle accompanied by our
+squires; all riding in fine state.
+
+We arrived at the great hall before the duke had arisen from the morning
+audience, and waited unobserved in the back part of the chamber. Our
+Irish squire, Michael, carried Caesar, hooded and belled. He was held by
+a golden chain that we had bought from a goldsmith, notwithstanding our
+purse was growing dangerously light.
+
+There was a great stir in the hall as we entered. The courtiers were
+buzzing like a swarm of bees discussing a new queen. Evidently matters
+of importance had been under consideration. Campo-Basso, my Lord de
+Vergy, seneschal of Burgundy, and the Bishop of Cambrai, clerk to the
+duke, were standing on the second step of the dais, each with hand
+resting on knee, and leaning eagerly toward the duke. Charles and these
+councillors were speaking in low tones, and the courtiers of less degree
+were taking advantage of the intermission in public business to settle
+the great question among themselves. Each petty courtier felt that he
+could offer a suggestion that would be of great value, could he but gain
+the duke's ear.
+
+After a little time, Charles saw Hymbercourt with us, and sent a page to
+fetch him. Hymbercourt left us, and soon we saw him in whispered
+conversation with the duke. Soon after Hymbercourt had gone to the
+ducal throne, Calli, with two Italians, stopped four paces from where we
+were standing. He gazed insolently at Max, and said in Italian to his
+companions:--
+
+"There is the loutish outlander, who boasted before the duke that he
+would fight me. He is a big callow fellow, and it would be a shame to
+stick the swine."
+
+Max, who understood the Italian language sufficiently to grasp Calli's
+meaning, flushed angrily, but I touched his arm and he turned his back
+upon the fellow. Then I spoke in tones that Calli could not fail
+to hear:--
+
+"Never turn your face from a cowardly foe, Max. He will, if he can, stab
+you in the back. Your revenge will come when you send his soul to hell."
+
+Calli grasped his dagger hilt and muttered something about the duke's
+presence. The incident determined us in the course Max should take. He
+should tell the duke who he was, remain in Burgundy to kill this fellow
+Calli, and to meet such other fortune as the Fates might have in
+store for him.
+
+Hymbercourt and the duke spoke together for the space of five minutes,
+evidently discussing a parchment that Charles held in his hand. Then the
+duke resumed his seat, and handed the parchment to the Bishop of
+Cambrai, when all save His Reverence stepped from the dais to the
+floor. A herald commanded silence, and the bishop spoke:--
+
+"It is the will of our most gracious lord that I announce to the court
+the impending marriage of Her Grace, the Princess, Mademoiselle de
+Burgundy, to the princely Dauphin of France, son to our lord's royal
+ally, King Louis. His Grace of Burgundy hopes within three weeks to open
+his campaign against the Swiss, and it is his intention to cause the
+marriage ceremony to take place before his departure. When the details
+have been arranged, they will be announced to the court."
+
+The bishop had barely stopped speaking when the shutter in the chancel
+of the ladies' gallery above the throne opened, and a voice rang through
+the vast audience hall, like the tones of an alarm bell:--
+
+"Make one more announcement, please, my Lord Bishop. Say that if this
+wondrous ceremony is to come off within three weeks, the Dauphin of
+France must be content with a dead bride."
+
+No one saw the face of the speaker. The shutter closed, and a deep
+silence fell upon the room. The duke sprang angrily to his feet; his
+face was like a thunder-cloud. He looked toward the ladies' gallery, and
+stood for a moment like the incarnation of wrath. A puzzled expression
+followed the glare of anger; and within a moment he laughed, and waved
+his hands to the heralds, directing them to cry the rising. The
+audience was dismissed, and the courtiers left the hall, laughing in
+imitation of their lord and master.
+
+Nothing could be more indicative of cruelty than the laughter that
+followed the passionate protest of the unhappy princess. To the duke,
+and of course to his courtiers, the girl's suffering and the fate that
+was in store for her were mere matters of mirth. They laughed at her
+pain as savages laugh at the agonies of a tortured victim.
+
+I was so startled by the cry of the princess that for a time I could not
+think coherently. My first clear thought was of Yolanda. If she were the
+princess, this sacrifice that is practised without a protest throughout
+the world had come home to me, for Yolanda had nestled in my heart. That
+she, the gentle, the tender, the passionate, the sensitive, should be
+the victim of this legalized crime; that she, innocent of all fault,
+save that she had been born a girl, should be condemned to misery
+because the laws of chivalry and the laws of God, distorted by men to
+suit their purposes, declared her to be the chattel of her father, moved
+me as I was never moved before. My sympathy for this rare, sweet girl,
+so capable of joy, so susceptible to pain, almost brought tears to my
+eyes; for I could not help thinking that she was the suffering princess.
+
+When the courtiers had left the great hall Hymbercourt, Max, and I
+approached the duke. Hymbercourt and I made obeisance on bended knee,
+but Max saluted the duke with a low bow. After the duke had spoken,
+Max said:--
+
+"I hope Your Grace has not forgotten your promise to honor me by
+accepting the falcon you admired yesterday."
+
+"I have not, my unknown friend," answered the duke.
+
+Max took the bird from Michael and offered it to Charles, who accepted
+the gift graciously. I looked toward Hymbercourt and he, understanding
+my unspoken word, again bent his knee before the duke:--
+
+"My gracious lord, it is the desire of this young knight that he be
+presented to you in due form under his own name and title, though he
+would humbly ask that he be permitted to retain the name by which he is
+known in Burgundy. His reasons for so doing are good, though they would
+not interest Your Grace. Have I my lord's permission to present him?"
+
+"In God's name, yes!" exclaimed the duke, stirred by some irritation,
+but spurred by curiosity.
+
+"My lord," said Hymbercourt, speaking to the duke and extending his hand
+toward Max, "it is my great honor to present to Your Grace his highness,
+Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg."
+
+"By the just God, my lord, you certainly have given us a surprise," said
+the duke, stepping back and making no offer of his hand to Max. He
+passed the falcon to a page, and continued, "What business have these
+men at my court?"
+
+"None, Your Grace, absolutely none," answered Max, standing proudly
+before the duke and steadfastly meeting his gaze. "It was my desire to
+see the world and to learn something of its people before I undertook to
+govern my own. My country is not rich and fat like this great land of
+Burgundy. I have neither the means nor the inclination to travel in
+state; so my dear friend and instructor, Sir Karl de Pitti, undertook to
+guide me and teach me in this journey to the outer world. I would rather
+have missed seeing all other countries than Burgundy, and of all the
+princes of the world Your Grace was and is to me the most interesting.
+Your hand is the strongest, your courage the bravest, and your land the
+richest in Europe. We heard at Metz that you were here in Peronne; and
+now, my lord, you understand what business I have in Burgundy."
+
+I had never given the boy credit for so much adroitness. What the duke's
+intentions were, immediately after Hymbercourt presented Max, I could
+not have told, but his words sounded ominous, and the expression of his
+face was anything but pleasant. Max, though not quarrelsome, was not
+given to the soft answer that turneth away wrath; but on this occasion
+discretion came to his rescue, and he made the soft answer with a
+dignity and boldness that won Charles's respect. The duke's face
+softened into a half-smile,--if anything so hard as his face can be said
+to soften,--and he offered his hand to Max. He withdrew it almost
+instantly from Max's grasp, and said:--
+
+"Are you sure my armament against Switzerland is no part of the reason
+for your presence in Burgundy?" Like all highly pugnacious men, he was
+suspicious. "I have been told your father is a friend to the Swiss."
+
+"Does Your Grace mean to ask if I am here in the capacity of a spy, as
+Calli has charged?" asked Max, lifting his head and looking boldly into
+the duke's face.
+
+"I do not know," said the duke, hesitatingly. "I do not say you are. I
+do not think you are, but--"
+
+"I am glad Your Grace does not think we are spies, and am pleased to
+believe that you would not put so great an insult upon us," answered
+Max, "else we should ask permission to leave Burgundy at once. I am sure
+my lord knows we are not spies. If Your Lordship had a son, would you
+send him forth as a spy for the sake of Burgundy? Much less would you do
+it for another land. Your Grace is misinformed. My father is not a
+friend to the Swiss; neither does he hate them, though perhaps he has
+better cause to do so than has Your Grace. Your quarrel with the Swiss
+is over a few cart-loads of sheepskins. These same Swiss took from my
+father our ancient homestead, the old Castle of Hapsburg, and the
+surrounding territory of Aargau."
+
+"I have heard of the spoliation, and have often wondered at your
+father's meek submission," said the duke, with an almost imperceptible
+sneer. Like Richard the Lion-hearted, of England, butchery was this
+duke's trade, and he despised a man who did not practise it on all
+possible occasions. A pretext for a quarrel is balm to the soul of
+a hero.
+
+"The mountains of Switzerland, my lord, are the graveyard of foreign
+soldiers," Max replied. "Old Hapsburg Castle is a mere hawks' crag, as
+its name implies, and the half-score of mountain peaks my father lost
+with it are not worth the life of his humblest subject. He loves his
+people, and would not shed their blood to soothe his wounded pride. The
+man who makes war should fight in the front rank."
+
+"There is where I fight, young sir," returned Charles.
+
+"The world knows that fact, my lord," responded Max. "My father cannot
+fight at the head of his army, therefore, he makes war only in defence
+of his people's hearths. It is possible that after consulting with my
+friend, Sir Karl, I may ask the honor of serving with Your Grace against
+these Swiss who despoiled my house. Is Your Grace now satisfied that we
+are not Swiss spies? And are we welcome to sojourn for a time in
+Peronne? Or shall we leave Burgundy and return to my father in Styria,
+to tell him that you turned a guest and a friend from your door?"
+
+"You are very welcome, Sir Count, and you, Sir Karl," answered the duke,
+giving his right hand to Max and familiarly offering me his left. This
+hard duke had been beaten into a gracious mood by Max's adroit mixture
+of flattery and boldness.
+
+A soft answer may turn away wrath, but it may also involve the
+disagreeable necessity of turning the other cheek. If it be not tempered
+by spirit, it is apt to arouse contempt. The duke remained silent for
+the space of a minute or two. He was evidently struggling to suppress a
+good impulse. Then he turned to me and said, laughingly:--
+
+"By my soul, Sir Karl, you have brought us a Roland and a Demosthenes in
+one. Where learned you your oratory, Sir Count?"
+
+"From a just cause, my lord," quickly retorted Max.
+
+"I fear I have had the worst of this encounter, Hymbercourt," said the
+duke, smiling, "and I see nothing left for me but apology."
+
+"I sincerely hope Your Grace will not embarrass us by apologizing," said
+Max.
+
+Charles hesitated, gave a short laugh, and apologized by placing his
+hand on Max's shoulder.
+
+"Let us go into the little parley room," he said. "Hymbercourt, lead the
+way with Sir Max; Sir Karl and I will follow presently."
+
+Max and Hymbercourt passed out at a small door near the throne, and the
+duke turned to me:--
+
+"I like the boy's modest boldness, and I hope that I may induce him and
+you to accompany me against the Swiss. I would not accept his offer made
+on the spur of the moment, but if, on talking it over with him, you make
+up your minds to come with me, I will make it well worth your while.
+This war will be but a May-day outing. We'll speak on the subject again.
+Meantime, I understand that you and Sir Max wish to remain incognito
+at Peronne?"
+
+"We do, Your Grace," I responded. "I fear it will be impossible to
+accept the honor you have offered, but, as you have graciously said, we
+will, if you wish, speak of it again."
+
+"I am content," said the duke. "Let us follow Hymbercourt."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS
+
+The duke and I passed through the door by which Max and Hymbercourt had
+left the hall, and entered a narrow passageway eight or ten yards long,
+having two doors at the farther end. The door to the right, I soon
+learned, led to the little parley room where Max and Hymbercourt had
+gone. The door to the left opened into a staircase that led to the
+apartments of the duchess. A narrow flight of stone steps that led from
+the ladies' gallery opened into the passage, and, just as the duke
+entered in advance of me, two ladies emerged from the stairs. They did
+not see me in the shadow, and supposed that the duke was alone. The
+taller, who I soon learned was the duchess, hastened down the passage
+and through the door leading to her apartments. The smaller I at once
+recognized. She was Yolanda.
+
+"Father, you cannot mean to send me into France," she cried, trying to
+detain the duke. "Kill me, father, if you will, but do not send me to
+that hated land. I shall not survive this marriage a fortnight, and if I
+die, Burgundy will go to our cousin of Bourbon."
+
+"Don't hinder me, daughter," returned the duke, impatiently. "Don't you
+see we are not alone?"
+
+Yolanda turned in surprise toward me, and the duke said:--
+
+"Go by the right door, Sir Karl. I will be with you at once. I wish to
+speak with the duchess."
+
+He hurriedly followed his wife and left me alone with Yolanda.
+
+"Fräulein, my intrusion was unintentional," I stammered. "I followed the
+duke at his request."
+
+"Fräulein!" exclaimed the girl, lifting her head and looking a very
+queen in miniature. "Fräulein! Do you know, sir, to whom you speak?"
+
+"I beg your pardon, most gracious princess," I replied. "Did you not
+command me to address you as Fräulein or Yolanda?"
+
+"My name, sir, is not Yolanda. You have made a sad mistake," said the
+princess, drawing herself up to her full height. Then I thought of
+Yolanda's words when she told me that she resembled the princess as one
+pea resembles another.
+
+The girl trembled, and even in the dim light I could see the gleam of
+anger in her eyes. I was endeavoring to frame a suitable apology when
+she spoke again:--
+
+"Fräulein! Yolanda! Sir, your courtesy is scant to give me these names.
+I do not know you, and--did I not tell you that if you made this mistake
+with the princess you would not so easily correct it? That
+I--you--Blessed Virgin! I have betrayed myself. I knew I should. I knew
+I could not carry it out."
+
+She covered her face with her hands and began to weep, speaking while
+she sobbed:--
+
+"My troubles are more than I can bear."
+
+I wished to reassure her at once:--
+
+"Most Gracious Princess--Yolanda--your secret is safe with me. You are
+as dear to me as if you were my child. You have nestled in my heart and
+filled it as completely as one human being can fill the heart of
+another. I would gladly give my poor old life to make you happy. Now if
+you can make use of me, I am at your service."
+
+"You will not tell Sir Max?" she sobbed.
+
+She was no longer a princess. She was the child Yolanda.
+
+"As I hope for salvation, no, I will not tell Sir Max," I responded.
+
+"Sometime I will give you my reasons," she said.
+
+"I wish none," I replied.
+
+After a short pause, she went on, still weeping gently:--
+
+"If I must go to France, Sir Karl, you may come there to be my Lord
+Chamberlain. Perhaps Max should not come, since I shall be the wife of
+another, and--and there would surely be trouble. Max should not come."
+
+She stepped quickly to my side. Her hand fell, and she grasped mine for
+an instant under the folds of her cloak; then she ran from the passage,
+and I went to the room where Max and Hymbercourt were waiting.
+
+After a few moments the duke joined us. Wine was served, but Charles did
+not drink. On account of the excessive natural heat of his blood he
+drank nothing but water. His Grace was restless; and, although there was
+no lack of courtesy, I fancied he did not wish us to remain. So after
+our cups were emptied I asked permission to depart. The duke acquiesced
+by rising, and said, turning to Max:--
+
+"May we not try our new hawk together this afternoon?"
+
+"With pleasure, Your Grace," responded Max.
+
+"Then we'll meet at Cambrai Gate near the hour of two," said the duke.
+
+"I thank Your Grace," said Max, bowing.
+
+On our way back to the inn, I told Max of my meeting with the princess,
+and remarked upon her resemblance to Yolanda.
+
+"You imagined the resemblance, Karl. There can be but one Yolanda in the
+world," said Max. "Her Highness, perhaps, is of Yolanda's complexion and
+stature,--so Yolanda has told me,--and your imagination has furnished
+the rest."
+
+"Perhaps that is true," said I, fearing that I had already spoken too
+freely.
+
+So my great riddle was at last solved! The Fates had answered when I
+"gave it up." I was so athrill with the sweet assurance that Yolanda was
+the princess that I feared my secret would leap from my eyes or spring
+unbidden from my lips.
+
+I cast about in my mind for Yolanda's reasons in wishing to remain
+Yolanda to Max, and I could find none save the desire to win his heart
+as a burgher girl. That, indeed, would be a triumph. She knew that every
+marriageable prince in Europe coveted her wealth and her estates. The
+most natural desire that she or any girl could have would be to find a
+worthy man who would seek her for her own sake. As Yolanda, she offered
+no inducement save herself. The girl was playing a daring game, and
+a wise one.
+
+True, there appeared to be no possibility that she could ever have Max
+for her husband, even should she win his heart as Yolanda. In view of
+the impending and apparently unavoidable French marriage, the future
+held no hope. But when her day of wretchedness should come, she would,
+through all her life, take comfort from the sweetest joy a woman can
+know--that the man she loved loved her because she was her own fair
+self, and for no other reason. There would, of course, be the sorrow of
+regret, but that is passive, while the joy of memory is ever active.
+
+When Max and I had departed, the duke turned to Hymbercourt and said:--
+
+"The bishop's letter is not sufficiently direct. It is my desire to
+inform King Louis that this marriage shall take place at once--now!
+_Now_! It will effectually keep Louis from allying with Bourbon and
+Lorraine, or some other prince, while I am away from home. They all hate
+me, but not one of the cowards would say 'Booh!' unless the others were
+back of him. A word from Louis would kindle rebellion in Liege and
+Ghent. This war with Switzerland is what Louis has waited for; and when
+I march to the south, he will march into Burgundy from the west unless
+he has a counter motive."
+
+"That is but too true, my lord," said Hymbercourt.
+
+"But if my daughter marries the Dauphin, Louis will look upon Burgundy
+as the property of the French kingship in the end, and the marriage will
+frighten Bourbon and Lorraine to our feet once more. This hypocrite,
+Louis, has concocted a fine scheme to absorb Burgundy into his realm by
+this marriage with my daughter. But I'll disappoint his greed. I'll
+whisper a secret in your ear, Hymbercourt,--a secret to be told to no
+one else. I'll execute this treaty of marriage now, and will use my
+crafty foe for my own purposes so long as I need him; but when I return
+from Switzerland, I will divorce my present duchess and take a fruitful
+wife who will bear me a son to inherit Burgundy; then King Louis may
+keep the girl for his pains."
+
+The duke laughed, and seemed to feel that he was perpetrating a great
+joke on his rival.
+
+"But your brother-in-law, Edward of England, may object to having his
+sister divorced," suggested Hymbercourt.
+
+"In that case we'll take a page from King Louis' book," answered
+Charles. "We'll use gold, Hymbercourt, gold! I shall not, however, like
+Louis, buy Edward's ministers! They are too expensive. I'll put none of
+my gold in Hastings's sleeve. I'll pension Shore's wife, and Edward will
+not trouble himself about his sister. He prefers other men's sisters. Do
+not fear, Hymbercourt; the time has come to meet Louis' craft
+with craft."
+
+"And Your Grace's unhappy daughter is to be the shuttlecock, my lord?"
+suggested Hymbercourt.
+
+"She will serve her purpose in the weal of Burgundy, as I do. I give my
+life to Burgundy. Why should not this daughter of mine give a few tears?
+But her tears are unreasonable. Why should she object to this marriage?
+Even though God should hereafter give me a son, who should cut the
+princess out of Burgundy, will she not be queen of France? What more
+would the perverse girl have? By God, Hymbercourt, it makes my blood
+boil to hear you, a man of sound reason, talk like a fool. I hear the
+same maudlin protest from the duchess. She, too, is under the spell of
+this girl, and mourns over her trumped-up grief like a parish priest at
+a bishop's funeral."
+
+"But, my lord, consider the creature your daughter is to marry," said
+Hymbercourt. "He is but a child, less than fourteen years of age, and is
+weak in mind and body. Surely, it is a wretched fate for your daughter."
+
+"I tell you the girl is perverse," interrupted the duke. "She would
+raise a storm were the Dauphin a paragon of manliness. He is a poor,
+mean wretch, whom she may easily rule. His weakness will be her
+advantage. She is strong enough, God knows, and wilful enough to face
+down the devil himself. If there is a perverse wench on all the earth,
+who will always have her own way by hook or by crook, it is this
+troublesome daughter of mine. She has the duchess wound around her
+finger. I could not live with them at Ghent, and sent them here for the
+sake of peace. When she is queen of France she will also be king of that
+realm--and in God's name what more could the girl ask?"
+
+"But, my lord, let me beg you to consider well this step before you take
+it. I am sure evil will come of it," pleaded Hymbercourt.
+
+"I have considered," answered the duke. "Let me hear no more of this
+rubbish. Two women dinning it into my ears morning, noon, and night are
+quite enough for my peace of mind. I hear constantly, 'Dear father,
+don't kill me. Spare your daughter,' and 'Dear my lord, I beg you not to
+sacrifice the princess, whom I so love.' God's mercy! I say I am tired
+of it! This marriage shall take place at once! Now, now, now, do you
+hear, Hymbercourt? Tell the bishop to write this letter in English. We
+will make the draught as bitter as possible for Louis. He hates the
+sight of an English word, and small wonder. Direct the bishop to make
+the letter short and to the point. Tell him to say the marriage shall
+take place _now_. Have him use the word _now_. Do you understand?"
+
+"Yes, my lord," answered Hymbercourt.
+
+"Order him to fetch the missive immediately to the apartments of the
+duchess. It shall be read, signed, and despatched in the presence of my
+daughter and my wife, so that they may know what they have to expect.
+I'll see that I'm bothered no more with their tears and their senseless
+importunities."
+
+"I'll carry out your instructions," said Hymbercourt, bowing and taking
+his leave.
+
+The duke went to his wife's parlor and fell moodily into a chair. The
+duchess was sitting on a divan, and the princess was weeping in her
+arms. After a long silence, broken only by Mary's half-smothered sobs,
+the duke turned sharply upon the women:--
+
+"For the love of God, cease your miserable whimpering," growled his
+lordship. "Is not my life full of vexations without this deluge of tears
+at home? A whimpering woman will do more to wear out the life of a man
+than a score of battling enemies. Silence, I say; silence, you fools!"
+
+Mary and the duchess were now unable to control themselves. Charles rose
+angrily and, with his clenched hand raised for a blow, strode across the
+room to the unhappy women. Clinging to each other, the princess and
+Duchess Margaret crouched low on the divan. Then this great hero, whom
+the world worships and calls "The Bold," bent over the trembling women
+and upbraided them in language that I will not write.
+
+"God curse me if I will have my life made miserable by a pair of fools,"
+cried the duke. "I am wretched enough without this useless annoyance.
+Enemies abroad and disobedience in my own family will drive me mad!"
+
+The women slipped from the divan to the floor at the duke's feet, and
+clung to each other. The duchess covered the princess to protect her
+from the duke's blow, and, alas! took it herself. Charles stepped back,
+intending to kick his daughter, but the duchess again threw herself on
+Yolanda and again received the blow. By that time the duke's fury was
+beyond all measure, and he stooped to drag his wife from Yolanda that he
+might vent his wrath upon the sobbing girl. The duchess, who was a
+young, strong woman, sprang to her feet and placed herself between
+Yolanda, lying on the floor, and the infuriated duke.
+
+"You shall not touch the child, my lord!" cried the duchess. "Though she
+is your child, you shall not touch her if I can help it. Twice, my lord,
+you have almost killed your daughter in your anger, and I have sworn to
+prevent a recurrence of your brutality or to die in my attempt to
+save her."
+
+She snatched a dagger from her bosom, and spoke calmly: "Now come, my
+lord; but when you do so, draw your dagger, for, by the Virgin, I will
+kill you if you do not kill me, before you shall touch that girl. Before
+you kill me, my lord, remember that my brother of England will tear you
+limb from limb for the crime, and that King Louis will gladly help him
+in the task. Come, my husband! Come, my brave lord! I am but a weak
+woman. You may easily kill me, and I will welcome death rather than life
+with you. When I am out of the way, you may work your will on your
+daughter. Because I am your wife, my brother has twice saved you from
+King Louis. You owe your domain and your life to me. I should sell my
+life at a glorious price if my death purchased your ruin. Come,
+my lord!"
+
+The duke paused with his hand on his dagger; but he knew that his
+wife's words were true, and he realized that his ruin would follow
+quickly on the heels of her death.
+
+"You complain that the world and your own family are against you, my
+lord," said the duchess. "It is because you are a cruel tyrant abroad
+and at home. It is because you are against the world and against those
+whom you should protect and keep safe from evil. The fault is with you,
+Charles of Burgundy. You have spoken the truth. The world hates you, and
+this girl--the tenderest, most loving heart on earth--dreads you as her
+most relentless enemy. If I were in your place, my lord, I would fall
+upon my sword."
+
+Beaten by his wife's just fury, this great war hero walked back to his
+chair, and the duchess tenderly lifted Mary to the divan.
+
+"He will not strike you, child," said Margaret. Then she fell to kissing
+Yolanda passionately, and tears came to her relief.
+
+Poor Yolanda buried her face in her mother's breast and tried to smother
+her sobs. Charles sat mumbling blasphemous oaths. At the expiration of
+half an hour, a page announced the Bishop of Cambrai and other
+gentlemen. The duke signified that they were to be admitted; and when
+the bishop entered the room, Charles, who was smarting from his late
+defeat, spoke angrily:--
+
+"By the good God, my Lord Bishop, you are slow! Does it require an hour
+to write a missive of ten lines? If you are as slow in saving souls as
+in writing letters, the world will go to hell before you can say
+a mass."
+
+"The wording was difficult, Your Grace," replied the bishop
+obsequiously. "The Lord d'Hymbercourt said Your Grace wished the missive
+to be written in English, which language my scrivener knows but
+imperfectly. After it was written I received Your Lordship's
+instructions to use the word 'now,' so I caused the letter to be
+rewritten that I might comply with your wishes."
+
+"Now" is a small word, but in this instance it was a great one for
+Yolanda, as you shall soon learn.
+
+"Cease explaining, my Lord Bishop, and read me the missive," said the
+duke, sullenly.
+
+The bishop unfolded the missive, which was in a pouch ready for sealing.
+Yolanda stopped sobbing that she might hear the document that touched so
+closely on her fate. Her tear-stained face, with its childlike pathos,
+but served to increase her father's anger.
+
+"Read, my Lord Bishop! Body of me, why stand you there like a wooden
+quintain?" exclaimed the duke. "By all the gods, you are slow! Read,
+I say!"
+
+"With pleasure, my lord," answered the bishop.
+
+"To His Majesty, King Louis of France, Charles, Duke of Burgundy and
+Count of Charolois, sends this Greeting:--
+
+"His Grace of Burgundy would recommend himself to His Majesty of France,
+and would beg to inform the most puissant King Louis that the said
+Charles, Duke of Burgundy, will march at the head of a Burgundian army
+within three weeks from the date of these presents, against the Swiss
+cantons, with intent to punish the said Swiss for certain depredations.
+Therefore, the said Charles, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Charolois,
+begs that His Majesty of France will now move toward the immediate
+consummation of the treaty existing between Burgundy and France, looking
+to the marriage of the Princess Mary, Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the
+princely Dauphin, son to King Louis; and to these presents said Charles,
+Duke of Burgundy, requests the honor of an early reply.
+
+"We recommend Your Majesty to the protection of God, the Blessed Virgin,
+and the Saints."
+
+"Words, words, my Lord Bishop," said Charles. "Why waste them on a
+graceless hypocrite?"
+
+"I thought only to be courteous," returned the bishop.
+
+"Why should we show King Louis courtesy?" asked the duke. "Is it because
+we give him our daughter to be the wife of his bandy-shanked,
+half-witted son? There is small need for courtesy, my Lord Bishop. We
+could not insult this King Louis, should we try, while he sees an
+advantage to be gained. Give me the letter, and I will sign it, though I
+despise your whimpering courtesy, as you call it."
+
+Charles took the letter, and, going to a table near a window, drew up a
+chair.
+
+"Give me a quill," he said, addressing the bishop. "Did you not bring
+one, my lord?"
+
+"Your Grace--Your Grace," began the bishop, apologetically.
+
+"Do you think I am a snivelling scrivener, carrying quill and ink-well
+in my gown?" asked the duke. "Go to your parlor and fetch ink and
+quill," said Charles, pointing with the folded missive toward Yolanda.
+
+"A page will fetch the quill and ink, my lord," suggested the duchess.
+
+"Go!" cried the duke, turning angrily on the princess. Yolanda left the
+room, weeping, and hastened up the long flight of steps to her parlor.
+It was the refinement of cruelty in Charles to send Yolanda for the
+quill with which he was to sign the instrument of her doom.
+
+Still weeping, Yolanda hurried back with the writing materials, but
+before entering the room she stopped at the door to dry her tears and
+stay her sobs. When she entered, she said:--
+
+"There is the quill, father, and there is the ink."
+
+She placed them before the duke and stood trembling with one hand on the
+table. After a moment she spoke in a voice little above a whisper:--"You
+will accomplish nothing, my lord, my father, by sending the letter. I
+shall die before this marriage can take place. I am willing to obey you,
+but, father, I shall die. Ah, father, pity me."
+
+She fell upon her knees before the duke and tried to put her hands
+about his shoulders. He repulsed her, and, taking up the quill, signed
+the letter. After he had affixed his signature and had sealed the
+missive with his private seal, he folded the parchment and handed it to
+the bishop, saying:--
+
+"Seal the pouch, my lord, and send Byron, the herald, here to receive
+our personal instructions."
+
+"The herald has not yet returned from Cambrai, my lord," said De Vergy,
+who stood near by. "He is expected between the hours of five and six
+this evening."
+
+"Leave the letter, my lord," said Charles, "and send Byron to me when he
+arrives. I shall be here at six o'clock to give him full instructions."
+
+The letter was deposited in a small iron box on the table, and the duke
+left the room, followed closely by the lords and pages.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE CROSSING OF A "T"
+
+Yolanda and her stepmother remained on the divan in silence for fully an
+hour after the duke had left. The duchess was first to speak.
+
+"Be resigned, sweet one, to your fate. It is one common to women. It was
+my hard fate to be compelled to marry your father. It was your mother's,
+poor woman, and it killed her. God wills our slavery, and we must
+submit. We but make our fate harder by fighting against it."
+
+Yolanda answered with convulsive sobs, but after a while she grew more
+calm.
+
+"Is there nothing I can do to save myself?" she asked.
+
+"No, sweet one," answered the duchess.
+
+"Has God put a curse upon women, mother?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"Alas! I fear He has," answered Margaret. "The Holy Church teaches us
+that He punishes us for the sin of our mother Eve, but though He
+punishes us, He loves us, and we are His children. He knows what is best
+for us here and hereafter."
+
+"He certainly is looking to my _future_ good, if at all," sighed
+Yolanda. "But I do believe in God's goodness, mother, and I am sure He
+will save me. Holy Virgin! how helpless a woman is." She began to weep
+afresh, and the duchess tried to soothe her.
+
+"I believe I will pray to the Virgin. She may help us," said the girl,
+in a voice that was plaintively childlike.
+
+"It is a pious thought, Mary," answered the duchess.
+
+Yolanda slipped from the divan to the floor, and, kneeling, buried her
+face in her mother's lap. She prayed aloud:--
+
+"Blessed Virgin, Thou seest my dire need. Help me. My prayer is short,
+but Thou, Blessed Lady, knowest how fervent it is." The duchess crossed
+herself, bowed her head, and murmured a fervent "Amen."
+
+Yolanda rose from her prayer with a brighter face, and exclaimed almost
+joyfully:--
+
+"It was impious in me to doubt God's love, mother. I do believe I heard
+the Blessed Virgin say, 'Help is at hand.' At least, I felt her
+words, mother."
+
+Yolanda moved about the room aimlessly for several minutes and by chance
+stopped at the table. She started to take up the quill and ink-well to
+carry them back to her parlor, which was in Darius (Darius was the name
+of the tower that rose from the castle battlements immediately above
+Castleman's House under the Wall), and her eyes rested on the small iron
+box in which the letter to King Louis had been deposited. An unconscious
+motive, perhaps it was childish curiosity, prompted her to examine the
+missive. She took the pouch from the box and found it unsealed. She
+listlessly drew out the missive and began to read, when suddenly her
+face grew radiant with joy. She ran excitedly to her mother, who was
+sitting on the divan, and exclaimed:--
+
+"Oh! mother, the sweet Blessed Virgin has sent help!"
+
+"In what manner, child?" asked the duchess, fondling Yolanda's hair
+while the girl knelt beside her.
+
+"Here, mother, here! Here is help; here in this very letter that was
+intended to be my undoing. I cannot wait to thank the Holy Mother." She
+crossed herself and buried her face in her mother's lap while she
+thanked the Virgin.
+
+"What is it, Mary, and where is the help?" asked Margaret, fearing the
+girl's mind had been touched by her troubles.
+
+"Listen!" cried Yolanda.
+
+Her excitement was so great that she could hardly see the words the
+bishop's scrivener had written.
+
+"Listen, listen! Father in this letter first tells the king that
+he--that is, father, you understand--is going to war with Lorraine--no,
+with Bourbon. I am wrong again. Father is so constantly warring with
+some one that I cannot keep track of his enemies--against the Swiss.
+See, mother, it is the Swiss. He says he will go--will start--will begin
+the war--no, I am wrong again. I can hardly see the words. He says he
+will march at the head of a Burgundian army--poor soldiers, I pity
+them--within three weeks. Ah, how short that time seemed when I heard
+the letter read an hour ago. How long it is now! I wish he would march
+to-morrow. Three long weeks!"
+
+"But, my dear, how will that help you?" asked the duchess. "In what
+manner will--"
+
+"Do not interrupt me, mother, but hear what follows. Father says he will
+march in three weeks and 'begs that His Majesty of France will _now_
+move toward the immediate consummation of the treaty existing between
+Burgundy and France looking to the marriage of the Princess,
+Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the princely Dauphin, son to King Louis.'
+In that word 'now,' mother, lies my help."
+
+"In what manner does help lie in the word 'now,' child?" asked the
+duchess.
+
+"In this, mother. 'Now' is a little word of three letters, n-o-v. See,
+mother, the letter 'v' is not perfectly made. We will extend the first
+prong upward, cross it and make 't' of it, using the second prong as a
+flourish. Then the letter will read, 'begs that His Majesty of France
+will _not_ move toward the immediate consummation of the treaty.' What
+could be more natural than that my father should wish nothing of
+importance to occur until after this war with Switzerland is over? The
+French king, of course, will answer that he will not move in the matter,
+and his letter will throw father into a delightful frenzy of rage. It
+may even induce him to declare war against France, and to break off the
+treaty of marriage when he returns from Switzerland. He has often done
+battle for a lesser cause. It will at least prevent the marriage for the
+present. It may prevent it forever."
+
+"Surely that cannot be; King Louis will immediately explain the mistake
+to your father," suggested Margaret.
+
+"But father, you know, will not listen to an explanation if he fears it
+may avert blows," returned Yolanda; "and he will be sure not to believe
+King Louis whose every word he doubts. I shall enjoy King Louis' efforts
+to explain. 'Hypocrite,' 'liar,' 'coward,' 'villain,' will be among
+father's most endearing terms when speaking of His Majesty. If by chance
+the error of 'not' for 'now' be discovered, the Bishop of Cambrai and
+father will swear it is King Louis who has committed the forgery. But
+should the worst come, our 't' will have answered its purpose, at least
+for the present. The bishop may suffer, but I care not. He did his part
+in bringing about this marriage treaty, bribed, doubtless, by King
+Louis' gold. In any case, we have no reason to constitute ourselves the
+bishop's guardians. We have all we can do to care for ourselves--and
+more."
+
+She sprang to her feet and danced about the room, ardently kissing the
+letter she had so recently dreaded.
+
+"Mary, you frighten me," said the duchess. "If we should be discovered
+in changing this letter, I do believe your father would kill us. I do
+not know that it would be right to make the alteration. It would be
+forgery, and that, you know, is a crime punishable by death."
+
+"_We_ shall not be discovered," said Mary. "You must have no part in
+this transaction, mother. Father would not kill me; I am too valuable as
+a chattel of trade. With my poor little self he can buy the good-will of
+kings and princes. I am more potent than all his gold. This alteration
+can be no sin; it is self-defence. Think how small it is, mother. It is
+only a matter of the crossing of a 't.' But I care not how great the
+crime may be; I believe, mother, I would commit murder to save myself
+from the fate father wishes to put upon me."
+
+"You frighten me, child," said Margaret. "I tremble in terror at what
+you propose to do."
+
+"I, too, am trembling, mother," sighed Yolanda, "but you must now leave
+the room. You must know nothing of this great crime."
+
+The girl laughed nervously and tried to push her mother from the room.
+
+"No, I will remain," said the duchess. "I almost believe that you are
+right, and that the Virgin has prompted you to do this to save
+yourself."
+
+"I know she has," answered Yolanda, crossing herself. "Now leave me. I
+must waste no more time."
+
+"I will remain with you, Mary," said Margaret, "and I will myself make
+the alteration. Then I'll take all the blame in case we are discovered."
+
+Margaret rose, walked over to the table, and took up the quill. She
+trembled so violently that she could not control her hand.
+
+"No, mother, you shall not touch it," cried Yolanda, snatching the
+parchment from the countess and holding it behind her. "If I would let
+you, you could not make the alteration; see, your hand trembles! You
+would blot the parchment and spoil all this fine plan of mine. Give me
+the quill, mother! Give me the quill!"
+
+She took the quill from Margaret's passive hand and sat down at the
+table. Spreading the missive before her, she dipped the quill in the
+ink-well, and when she lifted it, a drop of ink fell upon the table
+within a hair's breadth of the parchment.
+
+"Ah, Blessed Virgin!" cried Yolanda, snatching the missive away from the
+ink blot. "If the ink had fallen on the parchment, we surely had been
+lost. I, too, am trembling, and I dare not try to make the alteration
+now. What a poor, helpless creature I am, when I cannot even cross a 't'
+to save myself. Blessed Virgin, help me once more!"
+
+But help did not come. Yolanda's excitement grew instead of subsiding,
+and she was so wrought upon by a nameless fear that she began to weep.
+Margaret seated herself on the divan and covered her face with her
+hands. Yolanda walked the floor like a caged wild thing, uttering
+ejaculatory prayers to the Virgin. Again she took up the quill, but
+again put it down, exclaiming:--
+
+"I have it, mother! There is a friend of whom I have often told you--Sir
+Karl. He will help us if I can bring him here in time. If father has
+left the castle, I'll take the letter to my parlor and fetch Sir Karl.
+He is a brave, strong old man and his hand will not tremble."
+
+Yolanda left the room and soon returned.
+
+"Father has gone to the marshes," she whispered excitedly. "We have
+ample time if I can find Sir Karl."
+
+She took the missive, the ink, and the quill to her parlor in Darius
+Tower, and hurried to Castleman's house. How she got there I will
+soon tell you.
+
+She found Twonette sewing, and hastily explained her wishes.
+
+"Run, Twonette, to The Mitre, and fetch me Sir Karl. I don't want Sir
+Max to know that I am sending. I think Sir Max has gone falconing with
+father; I pray God he has gone, and I pray that Sir Karl has not. Tell
+Sir Karl to come to me at once. If he is not at the inn send for him. If
+you love me, Twonette, make all haste. Run! Run!"
+
+Twonette's haste was really wonderful. When she found me her cheeks were
+like red roses, and she could hardly speak for lack of breath. For the
+first and last time I saw Twonette shorn of her serenity.
+
+The duke had not invited me to go hawking, and fortunately I had stayed
+at home cuddling the thought that Yolanda was the Princess Mary, and
+that my fair Prince Max had found rare favor in her eyes.
+
+"Yolanda wants you at my father's house immediately," said Twonette,
+when I stepped outside the inn door. "The need is urgent beyond
+measure." Whereupon she courtesied and turned away. Twonette held that
+words were not made to be wasted, so I asked no questions. I almost ran
+to Castleman's house, and was taken at once to a large room in the
+second story. It was on the west side of the house immediately against
+the castle wall. The walls of the room were sealed with broad oak
+panels, beautifully carved, and the west end of the apartment--that next
+the castle wall--was hung with silk tapestries. When I entered the room
+I found Yolanda alone. She hurriedly closed the door after me and spoke
+excitedly:--
+
+"I am so glad Twonette found you, Sir Karl. I am in dire need. Will you
+help me?"
+
+"I will help you if it is in my power, Yolanda," I answered. "You can
+ask nothing which I will not at least try to do."
+
+"Even at the risk of your life?" she asked, placing her hand upon my
+arm.
+
+"Even to the loss of my life, Yolanda," I replied.
+
+"Would you commit an act which the law calls a crime?" she asked,
+trembling in voice and limb.
+
+"I would do that which is really a crime, if I might thereby serve you
+to great purpose," I answered. "God often does apparent evil that good
+may come of it. An act must be judged as a whole, by its conception, its
+execution, and its result. Tell me what you wish me to do, and I will do
+it without an 'if'--God giving me the power."
+
+"Then come with me."
+
+She took my hand and led me to the end of the room next the castle
+wall. There she held the draperies to one side while she pushed back one
+of the oak panels. Through this opening we passed, and the draperies
+fell together behind us. After Yolanda had opened the panel a moment of
+light revealed to me a flight of stone steps built in the heart of the
+castle wall, which at that point was sixteen feet thick. When Yolanda
+closed the panel, we were in total darkness. She took my left hand in
+her left and with her right arm at my back guided me up the long, dark
+stairway. While mounting the steps, she said:--"Now, Sir Karl, you have
+all my great secrets--at least, they are very great to me. You know who
+I am, and you know of this stairway. No one knows of it but my mother,
+uncle, aunt, Twonette, and my faithful tire-woman, Anne. Even my father
+does not know of its existence. If he knew, he would soon close it. My
+grandfather, Duke Philip the Good, built it in the wall to connect his
+bedroom with the house of his true friend, burgher Castleman. Some day
+I'll tell you the story of the stairway, and how I discovered it. My
+bedroom is the one my grandfather occupied."
+
+The stairway explained to me all the strange occurrences relating to
+Yolanda's appearances and disappearances at Castleman's house, and it
+will do the same for you.
+
+After we had climbed until I felt that surely we must be among the
+clouds, I said:--
+
+"Yolanda, you must be leading me to heaven."
+
+"I should like to do that, Sir Karl," she responded, laughing softly.
+
+"I would gladly give my life to lead you and Max to heaven," said I.
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered gently, pressing my hand and caressingly
+placing her cheek against my arm. "I dare not even think on that. If he
+could and would take me, believing me to be a burgher girl, he would
+truly lead me to heaven."
+
+After a pause, while we rested to take a breath, I said: "What is it you
+want me to do, Yolanda? I am unarmed."
+
+"I shall not ask you to do murder, Sir Karl," she said, laughing
+nervously. I fancied I could see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes as she
+continued: "It is not so bad as that. Neither is there a dragon for you
+to overthrow. But I shall soon enlighten you--here we are at the top of
+the steps."
+
+At the moment she spoke I collided with a heavy oak partition, in which
+Yolanda quickly found a moving panel, and we entered a dimly lighted
+room. I noticed among the furniture a gorgeously tapestried bed. A rich
+rug, the like of which I had seen in Damascus, covered the floor. The
+stone walls were draped with silk tapestry, and a jewelled lamp was
+pendant from the vaulted ceiling. This was Yolanda's bedroom, and truly
+it was a resting-place worthy of the richest princess in Christendom. I
+felt that I was in the holy of holies. I found difficulty in believing
+that the childlike Yolanda could be so important a personage in the
+politics of Europe. She seemed almost to belong to me, so much at that
+time did she lean on my strength.
+
+Out of her sleeping apartment she led me to another and a larger room,
+lighted by broad windows cut through the inner wall of the castle, which
+at that point was not more than three or four feet thick. This was
+Yolanda's parlor. The floor, like that of the bedroom, was covered with
+a Damascus rug. The windows were closed by glass of crystal purity, and
+the furniture was richer than any I had seen in the emperor's palace.
+
+Yolanda led me to a table, pointed to a chair for me, and drew up one
+for herself. At that moment a lady entered, whom Yolanda ran to meet.
+The princess took the lady's hand and led her to me:--
+
+"Sir Karl, this is my mother. As you already know, she is my stepmother,
+but I forget that in the love I bear her, and in the sweet love she
+gives to me."
+
+I bent my knee before the duchess, who gave me her hand to kiss,
+saying:--
+
+"The princess has often spoken to me of you, Sir Karl. I see she has
+crept into your heart. She wins all who know her."
+
+"My devotion to Her Highness is self-evident and needs no avowal," I
+answered, "but I take pleasure in declaring it. I am ready to aid her at
+whatever cost."
+
+"Has the princess told you what she wants you to do?" asked the duchess.
+
+I answered that she had not, but that I was glad to pledge myself
+unenlightened. I then placed a chair for the duchess, but, of course,
+remained standing. Yolanda resumed her chair, and said:--
+
+"Fetch a chair, Sir Karl. We are glad to have you sit, are we not,
+mother?"
+
+"Indeed we are," said Margaret. "Please sit by the table, and the
+princess will explain why she brought you here."
+
+"I believe I can now do it myself, mother," said Yolanda, taking a
+folded parchment from its pouch.
+
+"See, my hand is perfectly steady. Sir Karl has given me strength."
+
+She spread the parchment before her, and, taking a quill from the table,
+dipped it in the ink-well.
+
+"I'll not need you after all, Sir Karl. I find I can commit my own
+crime," she said, much to my disappointment. I was, you see, eager to
+sin for her. I longed to kill some one or to do some other deed of
+valiant and perilous villany.
+
+Yolanda bent over the missive, quill in hand, but hesitated. She
+changed her position on the chair, squaring herself before the
+parchment, and tried again, but she seemed unable to use the quill. She
+placed it on the table and laughed nervously.
+
+"I surely am a great fool," she said. "When I take the quill in my hand,
+I tremble like a squire on his quintain trial. I'll wait a moment, and
+grow calm again," she added, with a fluttering little laugh peculiar to
+her when she was excited. But she did not grow calm, and after she had
+vainly taken up the quill again and again, her mother said:--
+
+"Poor child! Tell Sir Karl what you wish him to do."
+
+Yolanda did so, and then read the missive. I did not know the English
+language perfectly, but Yolanda, who spoke it as if it were her mother
+tongue, translated as she read. I had always considered the island
+language harsh till I heard Yolanda speak it. Even the hissing "th" was
+music on her lips. Had I been a young man I would doubtless have made a
+fool of myself for the sake of this beautiful child-woman. When she had
+finished reading the missive, she left her chair and came to my side.
+She bent over my shoulder, holding the parchment before me.
+
+"What I want to do, but can't--what I want you to do is so small and
+simple a matter that it is almost amusing. I grow angry when I think
+that I cannot do so little a thing to help myself; but you see, Sir
+Karl, I tremble and my hand shakes to that extent I fear to mar the
+page. I simply want to make the letter 't' on this parchment and I
+can't. Will you do it for me?"
+
+"Ay, gladly," I responded, "but where and why?" Then she pointed out to
+me the word "nov" in the manuscript and said:--
+
+"A letter 't,' if deftly done, will make 'not' instead of 'nov.' Do you
+understand, Sir Karl?"
+
+I sprang to my feet as if I had been touched by a sword-point. The
+thought was so ingenious, the thing itself was so small and the result
+was so tremendous that I stood in wonder before the daring girl who had
+conceived it. I made no answer. I placed the parchment on the table,
+unceremoniously reached in front of the duchess for the quill, and in
+less time than one can count three I made a tiny ink mark not the
+sixteenth part of an inch long that changed the destinies of nations for
+all time to come.
+
+I placed the quill on the table and turned to Yolanda, just in time to
+catch her as she was about to fall. I was frightened at the sight of her
+pale face and cried out:--
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!"
+
+Margaret quickly brought a small goblet of wine, and I held the princess
+while I opened her lips and poured a portion of the drink into her
+mouth. I had in my life seen, without a tremor, hundreds of men killed,
+but I had never seen a woman faint, and the sight almost unmanned me.
+
+Stimulated by the wine Yolanda soon revived; and when she opened her
+eyes and smiled up into my face, I was so joyful that I fell to kissing
+her hands and could utter no word save "Yolanda, Yolanda." She did not
+at once rise from my arms, but lay there smiling into my face as if she
+were a child. When she did rise she laughed softly and said, turning to
+the duchess:--
+
+"'Yolanda' is the name by which Sir Karl knows me. You see, mother, I
+was not mistaken in deeming him my friend."
+
+Then she turned suddenly to me, and taking my rough old hand in hers,
+lifted it to her lips. That simple act of childish gratitude threw me
+into a fever of ecstasy so great that death itself could have had no
+terrors for me. He might have come when he chose. I had lived through
+that one moment, and even God could not rob me of it.
+
+Yolanda moved away from me and took up the parchment.
+
+"Don't touch it till the ink dries," I cried sharply.
+
+She dropped it as if it were hot, and the duchess came to me, and
+graciously offered her hand:--
+
+"I thank you with my whole heart, not only for what you have done, but
+for the love you bear the princess. She is the one I love above all
+others, and I know she loves me. I love those who love her. As the
+French say, '_Les amies de mes amies sont mes amies.'_ I am a poor
+helpless woman, more to be pitied than the world can believe. I have
+only my gratitude to offer you, Sir Karl, but that shall be yours so
+long as I live."
+
+"Your Grace's reward is far too great for the small service I have
+rendered," I replied, dropping to my knee. I was really beginning to
+live in my sixtieth year. I was late in starting, but my zest for life
+was none the less, now that I had at last learned its sweetness through
+these two gracious women.
+
+When we had grown more composed, Yolanda explained to me her hopes
+regarding the French king's answer to the altered missive, and the whole
+marvellous possibilities of the letter "t" dawned upon my mind. The
+princess bent over the parchment, watching our mighty "t" while the ink
+was drying, but the process was too slow for her, so she filled her
+cheeks and breathed upon the writing. The color returned to her face
+while I watched her, and I felt that committing a forgery was a small
+price to pay for witnessing so beautiful a sight. Yolanda's breath soon
+dried the ink, and then we examined my work. I had performed wonders.
+The keenest eye could not detect the alteration. Yolanda, as usual,
+sprang from the deepest purgatory of trouble to the seventh heaven of
+joy. She ran about the room, singing, dancing, and laughing, until the
+duchess warned her to be quiet. Then she placed her hand over her mouth,
+shrugged her shoulders, walked on tiptoe, and spoke only in whispers.
+Margaret smiled affectionately at Yolanda's childish antics and said:--
+
+"I think the conspirators should disperse. I hope, Sir Karl, that I may
+soon meet you in due form. Meantime, of course, it is best that we do
+not know each other."
+
+After examining the missive for the twentieth time, Yolanda placed it in
+its pouch and turned to the duchess.
+
+"Take it, mother, to the iron box, and I will lead Sir Karl back to
+Uncle Castleman's," she said.
+
+The duchess graciously offered me a goblet of wine, and after I had
+drunk, Yolanda led me down the stairway to the House under the Wall.
+While descending Yolanda called my attention to a loose stone in the
+wall of the staircase.
+
+"The other end of this stone," she said, "penetrates the wall of the
+room that you and Sir Max occupied the night before you were liberated.
+The mortar has fallen away, and it was here that I spoke to you and told
+you not to fear."
+
+Here was another supernatural marvel all too easily explained.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+PARTICEPS CRIMINIS
+
+That evening after supper Max and I walked over to Castleman's. The
+evening was cool, and we were sitting in the great parlor talking with
+Castleman and Twonette when Yolanda entered. The room was fully fifty
+feet long, and extended across the entire front of the house. A huge
+chimney was built at the east end of the room, and on either side of the
+fireplace was a cushioned bench. A similar bench extended across the
+entire west end of the room. When Yolanda entered she ran to me and
+took my hand.
+
+"Come, Sir Karl, I want to speak with you," she said.
+
+She led me to the west end of the room, sat down on the cushioned bench,
+and drew in her skirts that I might sit close beside her.
+
+"I want to tell you about the missive, Sir Karl," she whispered,
+laughing and shrugging her shoulders in great glee. "Mother returned it
+to the box, and when I left you I hurried back and haunted the room,
+fearing that some one might meddle with the parchment. Near the hour of
+six o'clock father entered. I was sitting on the divan, and he sat down
+in his great chair, of course taking no notice of me--I am too
+insignificant for so great a person to notice, except when he is
+compelled to do so. I was joyful in my heart, but I conjured up all my
+troubles that I might make myself weep. I feared to show any change in
+myself, so I sobbed aloud now and then, and soon father turned angrily
+toward me. 'Are you still there?' he asked. 'Yes, father,' I answered,
+as if trying to stifle my sobs. 'Are you really going to send that cruel
+letter to King Louis?'"
+
+"Cruel, indeed," I interrupted.
+
+"Ah, yes! Well, father made no reply, and I went over to him and began
+to plead. I should have wanted to cut my tongue out had I succeeded, but
+I had little fear. Father is not easily touched by another's suffering,
+and my tears only hardened his heart. Well, of course, he repulsed me;
+and soon a page announced Byron the herald and the Bishop of Cambrai.
+Father took the packet from the iron box, and put his fingers in the
+pouch, as if he were going to take out the letter. He hesitated, and
+during that moment of halting I was by turns cold as ice and hot as
+fire. Finally his resolution took form, and he drew out the missive. I
+thought I should die then and there, when he began to look it over. But
+after a careless glance he put it back in the pouch, and threw it on
+the table in front of the bishop. I could hardly keep from shouting for
+joy. He had failed to see the alteration, and in case of its discovery,
+he might now be his own witness against King Louis, should that crafty
+monarch dare to alter my father's missive by so much as the crossing of
+a 't'. If father hereafter discovers anything wrong in the letter, he
+will be able to swear that King Louis was the evil doer, since father
+himself put the letter in the pouch with his own hands. Father will
+never suspect that a friend came to me out of far-away Styria to commit
+this crime."
+
+"I rejoice that I came," I said.
+
+"And I," she answered. "I feared the bishop would read the letter, but
+he did not. He tied the ribbon, softened the lead wafer over the lamp
+flame, and placed it on the bow-knot; then he stamped it with father's
+small seal. When it was finished I did not want to laugh for joy--when
+one is very happy one wants to weep. That I could safely do, and I did.
+The bishop handed the letter to Byron, and father spoke commandingly:
+'Deliver the missive to the French king before you sleep or eat, unless
+he has left Paris. If he has gone to Tours, follow him and loiter not.'
+'And if he is not in Tours, Your Grace?' asked Byron. 'Follow him till
+you find him,' answered father, 'if you must cross the seas.' 'Shall I
+do all this without eating or sleeping?' asked Byron. Father rose
+angrily, and Byron said: 'If Your Grace will watch from the donjon
+battlements, in five minutes you will see me riding on your mission.
+When Your Grace sees me riding back, it will be, I fear, the ghost
+of Byron.'
+
+"It was a wearisome task for me to climb the donjon stairs, but I knew
+father would not be there to watch Byron set out, and I felt that one of
+the family should give him God-speed; so alone, and frightened almost
+out of my wits, I climbed those dark steps to the battlements, and gazed
+after Byron till he was a mere speck on the horizon down toward Paris. I
+pray God there may be a great plenty of trouble grow out of the crossing
+of this 't'. Father is always saying that women were put on earth to
+make trouble, so I'll do what little I can to make true His Lordship's
+words." She threw back her head, laughing softly. "Is it not glorious,
+Sir Karl?"
+
+"Indeed, Princess--" I began, but she clapped her hand over my mouth and
+I continued, "Indeed, Yolanda, the plan is so adroit and so effective
+that it fills me with admiration and awe."
+
+"I like the name Yolanda," said she, looking toward Max, who was sitting
+with Twonette on one of the benches by the chimney.
+
+"And I, too, like it," I responded. "I cannot think of you as the
+greatest and richest princess in Europe."
+
+"Ah, I wish I, too, could forget it, but I can't," she answered with a
+sigh, glancing from under her preposterously long lashes toward Max
+and Twonette.
+
+"How came you to take the name Yolanda?" I asked.
+
+"Grandfather wished to give me the name in baptism," she answered, "but
+Mary fell to my lot. I like the present arrangement. Mary is the name of
+the princess--the unhappy, faulty princess. Yolanda is my name. Almost
+every happy hour I have ever spent has been as Yolanda. You cannot know
+the wide difference between me and the Princess Mary. It is, Sir Karl,
+as if we were two persons."
+
+She spoke very earnestly, and I could see that there was no mirth in her
+heart when she thought of herself as the Princess Mary; she was
+not jesting.
+
+"I don't know the princess," I said laughingly, "but I know Yolanda."
+
+"Yes; I'll tell you a great secret, Sir Karl. The Princess Mary is not
+at all an agreeable person. She is morose, revengeful, haughty, cold--"
+here her voice dropped to a whisper, "and, Sir Karl, she lies--she lies.
+While Yolanda--well, Yolanda at least is not cold, and I--I think she is
+a very delightful person. Don't you?"
+
+There was a troubled, eager expression in her eyes that told plainly she
+was in earnest. To Yolanda the princess was another person.
+
+"Yolanda is very sure of me," I answered.
+
+"Ah, that she is," answered the girl. You see, this was a real case of
+billing and cooing between December and May.
+
+A short silence followed, during which Yolanda glanced furtively toward
+Max and Twonette.
+
+"You spoke of your grandfather," said I, "and that reminds me that you
+promised to tell me the story of the staircase in the wall."
+
+"So I did," answered Yolanda, haltingly. Her attention was at the other
+end of the room.
+
+"Do you think Twonette a very pretty girl?" she asked.
+
+"Yes," I answered, surprised at the abrupt question. I caught a glimpse
+of Yolanda's face and saw that I had made a mistake, so I continued
+hastily: "That is--yes--yes, she is pretty, though not beautiful. Her
+face, I think, is rather dollish. It is a fine creation in pink and
+white, but I fear it lacks animation."
+
+"Now for the stairway in the wall," said Yolanda, settling herself with
+the pretty little movements peculiar to her when she was contented. "As
+I told you, grandfather built it. Afterward he ceded Peronne to King
+Louis, and for many years none of our family ever saw the castle. A few
+years ago King Louis ceded it to my father. Father has never lived here,
+and has visited Peronne only once in a while, for the purpose of
+looking after his affairs on the French border. The castle is very
+strong, and, being here on the border at the meeting of the Somme and
+the Cologne, it has endured many sieges, but it has never been taken. It
+is called 'Peronne La Pucelle.'
+
+"Father's infrequent visits to the castle have been brief, and all who
+have ever known of the stairway are dead or have left Burgundy, save the
+good people in this house, my mother, my tire-woman, and myself. Three
+or four years ago, when I was a child, mother and I, unhappy at Ghent
+and an annoyance to father, came here to live in the castle, and--and--I
+wonder what Sir Max and Twonette find to talk about--and Twonette and I
+became friends. I love Twonette dearly, but she is a sly creature, for
+all she is so demure, and she is bolder than you would think, Sir Karl.
+These very demure girls are often full of surprises. She has been
+sitting there in the shadow with Sir Max for half an hour. That, I say,
+would be bold in any girl. Well, to finish about the staircase: my
+bedroom, as I told you, was my grandfather's. One day Twonette was
+visiting me, and we--we--Sir Max, what in the world are you and Twonette
+talking about? We can't hear a word you say."
+
+"We can't hear what you are saying," retorted Max.
+
+"I wish you were young, Sir Karl," whispered Yolanda, "so that I might
+make him jealous."
+
+"Shall we come to you?" asked Max.
+
+"No, no, stay where you are," cried Yolanda; then, turning to me, "Where
+did I stop?"
+
+"Your bedroom--" I suggested.
+
+"Yes--my bedroom was my grandfather's. One day I had Twonette in to play
+with me, and we rummaged every nook and corner we could reach. By
+accident we discovered the movable panel. We pushed it aside, and
+spurring our bravery by daring each other, we descended the dark
+stairway step by step until we came suddenly against the oak panel at
+the foot. We grew frightened and cried aloud for help. Fortunately,
+Tante Castleman was on the opposite side of the panel in the oak room,
+and--and--"
+
+She had been halting in the latter part of her narrative and I plainly
+saw what was coming.
+
+"Tante Castleman was--was--It was fortunate she--was in--" She sprang to
+her feet, exclaiming: "I'm going to tell Twonette what I think of her
+boldness in sitting there in the dark with Sir Max. Her father is not
+here to do it." And that was the last I heard of the stairway in
+the wall.
+
+Yolanda ran across the room to the bench by the fireplace and stamped
+her foot angrily before Twonette.
+
+"It--it is immodest for a girl to sit here in the deep shadow beside a
+gentleman for hours together. Shame, Twonette! Your father is not here
+to correct you."
+
+Castleman had left the room.
+
+Twonette laughed, rose hurriedly, and stood by Yolanda in front of Max.
+Yolanda, by way of apology, took Twonette's hand, but after a few words
+she coolly appropriated her place "in the deep shadow beside a
+gentleman." A princess enjoys many privileges denied to a burgher girl.
+When a girl happens to be both, the burgher girl is apt to be influenced
+by the princess, as the princess is apt to be modified by the life of
+the burgher girl. Presently Yolanda said:--
+
+"Please go, Twonette, and mix a bowl of wine and honey. Yours is
+delicious. Put in a bit of allspice, Twonette, and pepper, beat it well,
+Twonette, and don't spare the honey. Now there's a good girl. Go
+quickly, but don't hurry back. Haste, you know, Twonette, makes waste,
+and you may spoil the wine."
+
+Twonette laughed and went to mix the wine and honey. I walked back to
+the other end of the room, and sat down by a window to watch the night
+gather without. I was athrill with the delightful thought that, all
+unknown to the world, unknown even to himself, Max, through my
+instrumentality, was wooing Mary of Burgundy within fifty feet of where
+I sat. He was not, of course, actively pressing his suit, but all
+unconsciously he was taking the best course to win her heart forever and
+ever. Now, with a propitious trick of fortune, my fantastic dream,
+conceived in far-off Styria, might yet become a veritable fact. By what
+rare trick this consummation might be brought about, I did not know, but
+fortune had been kind so far, and I felt that her capricious ladyship
+would not abandon us.
+
+Yolanda turned to Max with a soft laugh of satisfaction, settled her
+skirts about her, as a pleased woman is apt to do, and said
+contentedly:--
+
+"There, now!"
+
+"Fräulein, you are very kind to me," said Max.
+
+"Yes--yes, I am, Sir Max," she responded, beaming on him. "Now, tell me
+what you and Twonette have been talking about."
+
+"You," answered Max.
+
+A laugh gurgled in her throat as she asked:--
+
+"What else?"
+
+"I'll tell you if you will tell me what you and Sir Karl were saying,"
+he responded.
+
+"Ah, I see!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands gleefully. "You were
+jealous."
+
+"I admit it," he answered, so very seriously that one might have thought
+him in earnest. "And you, Fräulein?"
+
+"I jealous?" she responded, with lifted eyebrows. "You are a vain man,
+Sir Max. I was not jealous--only--only a tiny bit--so much--" and she
+measured the extent of her jealousy on the pink tip of her little
+finger. "I am told you were falconing with the Duke of Burgundy to-day.
+If you go in such fine company, I fear we shall see little of you."
+
+"There is no company finer than--than--" Max checked his tongue.
+
+"Say it, Max, say it," she whispered coaxingly, leaning toward him.
+
+"Than you, Fräulein." The girl leaned back contentedly against the wall,
+and Max continued: "Yes, his lordship was kind to me, and most gracious.
+I cannot believe the stories of cruelty I hear of him. I have been told
+that on different occasions he has used personal violence on his wife
+and daughter. If that be true, he must be worse than the brutes of the
+field, but you may be sure, Yolanda, the stories are false."
+
+"Alas! I fear they are too true," responded the girl, sighing in memory
+of the afternoon.
+
+"He is a pleasing companion when he wishes to be," said Max, "and I hear
+his daughter, the princess, is much like him."
+
+"Heavens!" exclaimed Yolanda, "I hope she is like him only when he is
+pleasing."
+
+"That is probably true," said Max.
+
+"There is where I am really jealous, Max--this princess--" she said,
+leaning forward and looking up into his face with unmistakable
+earnestness.
+
+"Why?" asked Max, laughing.
+
+"Because men love wealth and high estate. There are scores of men--at
+least, so I have been told--eager to marry this princess, who do not
+even know that she is not hideous to look upon and vixenish in temper.
+They would take her gladly, with any deformity, physical, mental, or
+moral, for the sake of possessing Burgundy."
+
+"But I am told she is fair and beautiful," said Max.
+
+"Believe it not," said Yolanda, sullenly. "Whoever heard of a rich
+princess who was not beautiful? Anne and Joan, daughters of King Louis,
+are always spoken of as paragons of beauty; yet those who know tell me
+these royal ladies are hideous. King Louis has nicknamed Joan 'The
+Owlet' because she is little, ill-shapen, and black. Anne is tall, large
+of bone, fat, and sallow. He should name her 'The Giantess of Beaujeu';
+and the little half-witted Dauphin he should dub 'Knight of the Princely
+Order of House Rats.'"
+
+That she was deeply in earnest there could be no doubt.
+
+"I hope you do not speak so freely to others," said Max. "If His Grace
+of Burgundy should hear of your words he might--"
+
+"I hope you will not tell him," said Yolanda, laughing. "But this Mary!"
+she continued, clinging stubbornly to the dangerous topic. "You came to
+woo her estates, and in the end you will do so."
+
+I am convinced that the girl was intensely jealous of herself. When she
+feared that Max might seek the Princess Mary, her heart brooded over the
+thought that he would do so for the sake of her wealth and her domains.
+
+"I have told you once, Fräulein, what I will do and what I will not. For
+your own sake and mine I'll tell you no more," said Max.
+
+"If I were a great princess," said Yolanda, pouting and hanging her
+head, "you would not speak so sharply to me." Evidently she was hurt by
+Max's words, though they were the expression, not of his displeasure,
+but of his pain.
+
+"Fräulein, forgive me; my words were not meant to be sharp. It was my
+pain that spoke. You torture me and cause me to torture myself," said
+Max. "To keep a constant curb on one's ardent longing is exhausting. It
+takes the heart out of a man. At times you seem to forget that my
+silence is my great grief, not my fault. Ah, Fräulein! you cannot
+understand my longing and my struggle."
+
+"I do understand," she answered plaintively, slipping her hand into his,
+"and unless certain recent happenings have the result I hope for, you,
+too, will understand, more clearly than you now do, within a very
+short time."
+
+She covered her face with her hands. Her words mystified Max, and he was
+on the point of asking her to explain. He loved and pitied her, and
+would have put his arm around her waist to comfort her, but she sprang
+to her feet, exclaiming:--
+
+"No, no, Little Max, let us save all that for our farewell. You will not
+have long to wait."
+
+Wisdom returned to Max, and he knew that she was right in helping him to
+resist the temptation that he had so valiantly struggled against since
+leaving Basel.
+
+All that I had really hoped for in Styria, all our fair dreams upon the
+castle walls of Hapsburg, had come to pass. Max had, beyond doubt, won
+the heart of Mary of Burgundy, but that would avail nothing unless by
+some good chance conditions should so change that Mary would be able to
+choose for herself. In such case, ambition would cut no figure in her
+choice. The chains of duty to family, state, and ancestry that bound
+Max's feet so firmly would be but wisps of straw about Yolanda's slender
+ankles. She would have no hesitancy in making her choice, were she free
+to do so, and states might go hang for all she would care. Her heart was
+her state. Would she ever be able to choose? Fortune had been kind to us
+thus far; would she remain our friend? She is a coquette; but the heart
+of a coquette, if truly won, is the most steadfast of all.
+
+Twonette brought in the wine and honey; Castleman soon returned and
+lighted the lamp, and we all sat talking before the small blaze in the
+fireplace, till the great clock in the middle of the room chimed the
+hour of ten. Then Yolanda ran from us with a hurried good night, and Max
+returned with me to the inn.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I cannot describe the joy I took from the recurring thought that I was
+particeps criminis with the Princess of Burgundy in the commission of a
+crime. At times I wished the crime had been greater and its extenuation
+far less. We hear much about what happens when thieves fall out, but my
+observation teaches me that thieves usually remain good friends. The
+bonds of friendship had begun to strengthen between Yolanda and me
+before she sought my help in the perpetration of her great crime. After
+that black felony, they became like links of Milan chain. I shared her
+secrets, great and small.
+
+One day while Yolanda and I were sitting in the oak room,--the room from
+which the panel opened into the stairway in the wall,--I said to her:--
+
+"If your letter 't' causes a break with France, perhaps Max's
+opportunity may come."
+
+"I do not know--I cannot hope," she responded dolefully. "You see, when
+father made this treaty with France, he was halting between two men in
+the choice of a husband for me. One was the Dauphin, son to King Louis,
+whom father hates with every breath he draws. The other was the Duke of
+Gelders, whom father really likes. Gelders is a brute, Sir Karl. He kept
+his father in prison four years, and usurped his domain. He is a
+drunkard, a murderer, and a profligate. For reasons of state father
+chose the Dauphin, but if the treaty with France is broken, I suppose it
+will be Gelders again. If it comes to that, Sir Karl--but I'll not say
+what I'll do. My head is full of schemes from morning till night, and
+when I sleep my poor brain is a whirl of visions. Self-destruction,
+elopement, and I know not what else appeal to me. How far is it to
+Styria, Sir Karl?" she asked abruptly.
+
+"Two or three hundred leagues, perhaps--it may be more," I answered. "I
+do not know how far it is, Yolanda, but it is not far enough for your
+purposes. Even could you reach there, Styria could not protect you."
+
+"I was not thinking of--of what you suppose, Sir Karl," she said
+plaintively.
+
+"What were you thinking of, Yolanda?" I asked.
+
+"Of nothing--of--of--a wild dream of hiding away from the world in some
+unknown corner, at times comes to me in my sleep--only in my sleep, Sir
+Karl--for in my waking hours I know it to be impossible. The only
+pleasant part of being a princess is that the world envies you; but what
+a poor bauble it is to buy at the frightful price I pay!"
+
+"I have been on mountain tops," I answered philosophically, "and I find
+that breathing grows difficult as one ascends."
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered tearfully, "I believe I'll go upstairs and
+weep."
+
+I led her to the moving panel and opened it for her. Without turning her
+face she held back her hand for me to kiss. Then she started up the dark
+stone steps, and I knew that she was weeping. I closed the panel and sat
+on the cushioned bench. To say that I would have given my old life to
+win happiness for her but poorly measures my devotion. A man's happiness
+depends entirely on the number and quality of those to whom his love
+goes out. Before meeting Yolanda I drew all my happiness from loving one
+person--Max. Now my source was doubled, and I wished for the first time
+that I might live my life again, to lay it at this girl's feet.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TRIAL BY COMBAT
+
+Max had waited until Calli's arm was mended to bring up the subject of
+the trial by combat; but when he would have taken it before the duke, I
+dissuaded him by many pretexts, and for a few days it was dropped. But
+soon it was brought forward in a most unpleasant way. Max and I were in
+the streets of Peronne one afternoon, and as we approached a group of
+ragged boys, one of them cried out:--
+
+"There is the fellow that challenged Count Calli, but won't fight him!"
+
+Max turned upon the boy, caught him roughly by the shoulder, and asked
+him where he got his information. The frightened boy replied that his
+father was a hostler in the duke's stables, and had heard Count Calli
+say that the fellow who had challenged him was "all gauntlet but
+no fight."
+
+We at once sought Hymbercourt, who, on being closely questioned,
+admitted that the Italians in the castle were boasting that the stranger
+who seemed so eager to fight when Calli's arm was lame, had lost his
+courage now that the arm was healed.
+
+Of course I was in a deal of trouble over this combat, and heartily
+wished the challenge had never been given, though I had all faith in
+Max's strength and skill. I, who had fought constantly for twenty years,
+had trained him since his tenth birthday. I had not only trained him; I
+had introduced him to the lists at eighteen--he being well grown, strong
+of limb, and active as a wildcat. I waged him against a famous tilt-yard
+knight, and Max held his own manfully, to his great credit and to my
+great joy. The battle was a draw. My first great joy in life came a few
+months afterward, when Max unhorsed this same knight, and received the
+crown of victory from the queen of the lists.
+
+But this combat would be a battle of death. Two men would enter the
+lists; one would die in the course.
+
+Max could, with propriety, announce his title and refuse to fight one so
+far beneath him as Calli; but even my love for the boy and my fear of
+the outcome, could not induce me to advise this. The advice would have
+been little heeded had I given it. Max was not one in whose heart hatred
+could thrive, but every man should have a just sense of injury received,
+and no one should leave all vengeance to God. In Max's heart this sense
+was almost judicial. The court of his conscience had convicted Calli of
+an unforgivable crime, and he felt that it was his God-appointed duty to
+carry out the sentence.
+
+While I had all faith in Max's strength and skill, I also knew Calli to
+be a strong, time-hardened man, well used to arms. What his skill was, I
+could not say, but fame proclaimed it great. It would need to be great
+to kill Max, boy though he was, but accidents are apt to happen in the
+lists, and Calli was treacherous. I was deep in trouble, but I saw no
+way out but for Max to fight. So, on the morning after our conversation
+with Hymbercourt, Max and I sought admission to the duke's audience.
+Charles had been privately told of our purpose and of course was
+delighted at the prospect of a battle to the death.
+
+A tournament with, mayhap, a few broken heads furnished him great
+enjoyment; but a real battle between two men, each seeking the other's
+life, was such keen pleasure to his savage, blood-loving nature, that
+its importance could hardly be measured. Charles would have postponed
+his war against the Swiss, I verily believe, rather than miss this
+combat between Max and Calli.
+
+The duke hurried through the business of the morning, and then turned
+toward Max, signifying that his time had come. Max stepped before the
+ducal throne, made his obeisance, and said:--
+
+"May it please Your Highness to recall a wage of battle given by me some
+weeks ago, in this hall and in this august presence, to one who calls
+himself Count Calli? The cause of my complaint against the said Calli I
+need not here rehearse. I have waited to repeat my defiance until such
+time as Count Calli's arm should mend. I am told that he is now strong;
+and, most gracious Lord Charles, Duke of Burgundy, I again offer my wage
+of battle against this said knight and demand the trial by combat."
+
+Thereupon he drew an iron gauntlet from his girdle and threw it clanking
+on the stone floor. The gauntlet lay untouched for the space of a minute
+or two; and the duke turned toward Calli and Campo-Basso, who stood
+surrounded by their Italian friends at the right of the throne. After a
+long pause Charles said:--
+
+"Will Count Calli lift the gage, or shall we appoint a court of heraldry
+to determine whether or no the combat shall take place?"
+
+There was a whispered conversation among the Italians, after which
+Campo-Basso addressed the duke.
+
+"My most gracious lord," said he, "the noble Count Calli is loath to
+lift the gage of an unknown man, and would make bold to say that he will
+not do so until he is satisfied that he who so boastingly offers it is
+worthy in blood, station, and knighthood to stand before him."
+
+"For all that I will stand surety," said Hymbercourt, turning to the
+duke and to Campo-Basso.
+
+"The Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor is beyond reproach," replied the
+Italian, "but Count Calli must have other proof."
+
+Hymbercourt was about to make an angry reply, but he was silenced by the
+duke's uplifted hand.
+
+"We will ourself be surety for this knight," said Charles.
+
+"We cannot gainsay Your Lordship's surety, most gracious duke," returned
+Campo-Basso; "but with all meekness and humility we would suggest, with
+Your Grace's permission, that when a man jeopards his life against
+another he feels it his right to know at least his foe's name."
+
+"Count Calli must content himself with knowing that the knight's name is
+Sir Maximilian du Guelph. If Count Calli is right and his cause just,
+God will give him victory, and the whole world shall know of his deed.
+If he is in the wrong and his cause unjust, may God have mercy on
+his soul."
+
+A long pause ensued during which Max stood before the duke, a noble
+figure of manly beauty worthy the chisel of a Greek sculptor. The
+shutter in the ladies' gallery was ajar and I caught a glimpse of
+Yolanda's pale, tear-stained face as she looked down upon the man she
+loved, who was to put his life in peril to avenge her wrong.
+
+"We are wasting time, Count Calli," spoke the duke. "Take up the gage or
+demand a court. The charge made by Sir Max will certainly justify a
+court of chivalry in ordering the combat. The truth or falsity of that
+charge you and Sir Max must prove on each other's bodies. His desire to
+remain unknown the court will respect; he has ample precedent. If you
+are convinced by the word of our Lord d'Hymbercourt and myself that he
+is of birth and station worthy to engage with you in knightly and mortal
+combat, you can ask no more. Few courts of chivalry, I take it, would
+hold the evidence inconclusive. Take up or leave the gage, Sir Count,
+and do one or the other at once."
+
+Calli walked over to the gauntlet and, taking it from the floor, held it
+in his right hand while he bent his knee before the duke. He did not
+look toward Max, but turned in the direction of his friends and tucked
+the gauntlet in his girdle as he strode away.
+
+"We appoint this day twelve days, on a Sunday afternoon, for the
+combat," said Charles. "Then these men shall do their endeavor, each
+upon the other; and may God give victory to the right!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That evening, as usual, Max and I were at Castleman's. Yolanda did not
+come down till late, but when she came she clung silently to Max, and
+there was a deep pathos in her every word and glance. As we left, I went
+back and whispered hurriedly to her:--
+
+"Have no fear, dear one. Our Max will take no harm."
+
+My words were bolder than my heart, but I thought to comfort her.
+
+"I have no fear, Sir Karl," she said, in a trembling voice. "There is no
+man so strong and brave as Max. He is in the right, and God is just. The
+Blessed Virgin, too, will help him. It would be sacrilege to doubt her.
+I do not doubt. I do not fear, Sir Karl, but, oh, my friend--" Here she
+buried her face on my breast and wept convulsively. Her words, too, had
+been bolder than her heart--far bolder.
+
+The brooding instinct in me--the faint remnant of mother love, that kind
+Providence has left in every, good man's heart--longed to comfort her
+and bear her pains. But I was powerless to help her, and, after all, her
+suffering was wholesome. In a moment she continued, sobbing while
+she spoke:--
+
+"But--oh! if by any mischance Max should fall; if by treachery or
+accident--oh, Sir Karl, my heart is breaking. Do not let Max fight."
+These words were from her woman's heart. "His station will excuse him,
+but if the affair has gone too far for him to withdraw, tell him to--to
+leave Burgundy, to run away, to--"
+
+"Yolanda, what are you saying?" I asked. "Would you not rather see him
+dead than a coward?"
+
+"No, no, Sir Karl," she cried, wrought almost to a frenzy by her grief
+and fear. "No, no, anything but dead."
+
+"Listen to reason, Yolanda," I answered. "I, who love Max more than I
+love the blood of my heart, would kill him with my own hand rather than
+have cause to call him coward and speak the truth."
+
+"No, no," she cried desperately, grasping my hand. "Do not let him
+fight. Ah, Sir Karl, if you bear me any love, if my grief and unhappy
+lot have touched your heart, even on the smallest spot, I pray you, do
+this thing for me. Do not let Max fight with this Count Calli. If
+Max falls--"
+
+"But Max will not fall," I answered boldly. "He has overthrown better
+men than Calli."
+
+"Has he? Ah, tell me, has he? He is little more than a boy. I seem older
+than he at times, and it is hard to believe what you say, though I know
+he is strong, and that fear has no place in his heart. Tell me, whom has
+he overthrown?"
+
+"Another time, Yolanda," I responded soothingly, "but this I say now to
+comfort you. Calli is no match for our Max. In the combat that is to
+come, Max can kill him if he chooses, barring accidents and treachery.
+Over and above his prowess, his cause, you know, is just, and for that
+reason God will be with him."
+
+"Yes, yes," sobbed Yolanda, "and the Virgin, too."
+
+The Virgin was a woman in whom she could find a woman's sympathy. She
+trusted God and stood in reverent awe of Him; but one could easily see
+that the Virgin held her heart and was her refuge in time of trouble.
+When I turned to leave she called me back, saying:--
+
+"I have a mind to tell Max the truth--to tell him who I am."
+
+"I would not do so now," I answered, fearing, perhaps with good reason,
+the effect of the disclosure on Max. "After the combat, if you wish to
+tell him--"
+
+"But if he should fall?" said the girl, beginning to weep again and
+clinging desperately to my arm. "If he should fall, not knowing who
+I am?"
+
+"Max will not fall, Yolanda. Dismiss that fear from your heart."
+
+My bold words served a double purpose. They at least partially satisfied
+Yolanda, and they strengthened me.
+
+Of course Max and I at once began to prepare for the combat. The charger
+we had captured from the robbers on the Rhine now came to our hand as if
+sent by Providence. He was a large, active horse, with limbs like steel.
+He was an intelligent animal, too, and a good brain is almost as
+valuable in a horse as in a man. He had evidently borne arms all his
+life, for when we tried him in the tilt-yard we found him trained at
+every point.
+
+There was no heavy plate at the Peronne armorer's large enough for Max,
+so Hymbercourt dropped a hint to Duke Charles, and His Grace sent two
+beautiful suits to our inn. One was of Barcelona make, the other an old
+suit which we judged had come from Damascus. I tried the latter with my
+sword, and spoiled a good blade. Although the Damascus armor was too
+heavy by a stone, we chose it, and employed an armorer to tighten a few
+nuts, and to adjust new straps to the shoulder plates and arm pieces.
+
+We caused lists to be built outside the walls, and Max worked eight
+hours a day to harden himself. He ran against me, against our squires,
+who were lusty big fellows, and now and then against Hymbercourt, who
+was a most accomplished knight.
+
+Yolanda was prone to coax Max not to fight, and her fear showed itself
+in every look and gesture. Her words, of course, could not have turned
+him, but her fears might have undermined his self-confidence. So I
+pointed out to her the help he would get from encouragement, and the
+possible hurt he would take were her fears to infect him. After my
+admonition, her efforts to be cheerful and confident almost brought
+tears to my eyes. She would sing, but her song was joyless. She would
+banter Max and would run imaginary courses with him, taking the part of
+Calli, and always falling dead at Max's feet; but the moment of
+relaxation brought a haunting, terrified expression to her eyes. The
+corners of her sweet mouth would droop, effacing the cluster of dimples
+that played about her lips, and the fair, childish face, usually so
+joyful, wore the mask of grief. For the first time in her life real
+happiness had come, not within her grasp, but within sight; and this
+combat might snatch it from her.
+
+Once when I was helping Max to buckle on his armor for a bout at
+practice, he said:--
+
+"Yolanda seems to treat this battle as a jest. She laughs and banters me
+as if it were to be a justing bout. I wonder if she really has a heart?"
+
+"Max, I am surprised at your dulness," I said. "Do you not see her
+manner is assumed, though her fear is small because of her great faith
+in your prowess?"
+
+"I'll try to deserve her faith," answered Max.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When at last the day arrived, Max was in prime condition. At the inn we
+carefully adjusted the armor and fitted it on him. One of our squires
+led the charger, carefully trapped, to the lists, which had been built
+in an open field outside the town, west of the castle.
+
+Max and I, accompanied by Hymbercourt and two other friends, rode down
+to Castleman's, and Max entered the house for a few minutes. Yolanda had
+told him that she would not be at the lists, and Max felt that it were
+better so.
+
+Twonette and her father had gone to the lists when we reached the House
+under the Wall, but Yolanda and Frau Kate were awaiting us. There was a
+brief greeting and a hurried parting--tearful on Yolanda's part. Then we
+rode around to the Postern and entered the courtyard of the castle.
+Crossing the courtyard, we passed out through the great gate at the
+keep, and soon stood demanding admission to the lists.
+
+The course was laid off north and south, the sun being in the southwest.
+The hour of battle was fixed at four o'clock, and the combat was to
+continue till sundown, if neither champion fell before that time. The
+pavilion for the duke and the other spectators was built at the west
+side of the false lists--a strip of ground ten feet wide, extending
+entirely around the true lists, but separated from it by a barrier or
+railing three feet high.
+
+It was an hour after we left Castleman's house before Max and I entered
+the false lists. As I expected, the princess was sitting in the pavilion
+with her father and Duchess Margaret. A veil partly concealed her
+features, and when Max rode down the false lists to make his obeisance
+before the duke and the duchess, he could not know that the white face
+of Yolanda looked down upon him. I was sorry to see the princess in the
+pavilion, because I knew that if an untoward fate should befall Max, a
+demonstration would surely follow in the ducal gallery.
+
+At the gate of the true lists, Max was met by a priest, who heard his
+oath, and by a herald, who read the laws and the agreement relating to
+the combat. A court of heraldry had decided that three lances should be
+broken, after which the champions, if both alive, should dismount and
+continue the fight with battle-axes of whatever weight they might
+choose. If either knight should be disabled, it was the other's right
+to kill him.
+
+After Max had entered the true lists the gates were closed, and
+Hymbercourt, myself, and our squires stood outside the barrier at the
+north end of the false lists,--the north being Max's station on
+the course.
+
+Max sat his charger, lance in rest; Calli waited in the south, and these
+two faced each other with death between them.
+
+When all was ready the heralds raised their banners, and the duke gave
+the word of battle. There was a moment of deep silence, broken by the
+thunder of tramping hoofs, as horses and men rushed upon each other.
+Calli and Max met in mid-course, and the din of their contact was like
+the report of a cannon. Each horse fell back upon its haunches; each
+rider bent back upon his horse. Two tough yule lances burst into a
+hundred splinters. Then silence ensued, broken after a moment by a storm
+of applause from the pavilion.
+
+The second course was like the first, save that Max nearly unhorsed
+Calli by a marvellous helmet stroke. The stroke loosened Calli's helmet
+by breaking a throat-strap, but neither he nor his friends seemed to
+notice the mishap, and the third course was begun without remedying it.
+When the champions were within ten yards of each other, a report like
+the discharge of an arquebuse was heard, coming apparently from beneath
+the pavilion. I could not say whence the report came--I was too intent
+upon the scene in the lists to be thoroughly conscious of happenings
+elsewhere--but come it did from somewhere, and Max's fine charger
+plunged forward on the lists, dead. Max fell over his horse's head and
+lay half-stunned upon the ground.
+
+Above the din rose a cry, a frantic scream, that fairly pierced my
+heart. Well I knew the voice that uttered it. The people in the pavilion
+rose to their feet, and cries of "Treachery! treachery!" came from all
+directions. Calli was evidently expecting the shot, for just before it
+came he reined in his horse, and when Max fell the Italian instantly
+brought his charger to a standstill and began to dismount with all the
+speed his heavy armor would permit. When safely down, he unclasped his
+battle-axe from the chain that held it to his girdle and started toward
+Max, who was lying prone upon the ground. Cries of "Shame! shame!" came
+from the pavilion, but no one, not even the duke, dared to interfere; it
+was Calli's right to kill Max if he could.
+
+I had covered my eyes with my hand, thinking that surely the boy's hour
+had come. I removed my hand when I heard the scream, and I have thanked
+God ever since for prompting me to do that little act, for I saw the
+most beautiful sight that my eyes have ever beheld. Calli had reached
+his prostrate foe and was standing over him with battle-axe uplifted to
+deal the blow of death. At that same moment Yolanda sprang from the
+duke's side, cleared the low railing in front of the ducal box, and
+jumped to the false lists six or eight feet below. Her gown of scarlet
+and gold shone with dazzling radiance in the sunlight.
+
+Calli was facing the pavilion, and Yolanda's leap probably attracted his
+attention. However that may have been--perhaps it was because of Calli's
+haste, perhaps it was the will of God--the blow fell short, and Calli's
+battle-axe, glancing from Max's helmet, buried itself in the hard
+ground. While Calli was struggling to release his axe, Yolanda cleared
+the low barrier of the true lists, sped across the intervening space
+like a flash of red avenging flame, and reached Max not one second too
+soon, for Calli's axe was again uplifted. She fell upon Max, and had the
+axe descended she would have received the blow. Calli stepped back in
+surprise, his heel caught on the toe of Max's iron boot, he fell prone
+upon his back, and the weight of his armor prevented him from rising
+quickly. The glancing blow on Max's helmet had roused him, and when he
+moved Yolanda rose to her knees beside him.
+
+"Let me help you," she cried, lifting Max's mailed hand to her shoulder;
+Max did so, and by help of the frail girl he drew himself to his knees
+and then to his feet. Meantime, Calli was attempting to rise. I can
+still see the terrible picture. Calli's panting horse stood near by with
+drooping head. Max's charger lay quivering in the convulsions of death.
+Calli, whose helmet had dropped from his head when he fell, lay resting
+on his elbow, half risen and bareheaded. Max stood deliberately taking
+his battle-axe from his girdle chain, while Yolanda still knelt at his
+feet. Battle-axe in hand, Max stepped toward Calli, who had risen to his
+knees. The expression on the Italian's face I shall never forget. With
+bared head and upturned face he awaited the death that he knew he
+deserved. Max lifted his battle-axe to give the blow. I wondered if he
+would give it. He lowered the axe, and a shout went up from the
+pavilion:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+He lifted the axe again, and a silence like the hush of death fell upon
+the shouting audience. Again Max hesitated, and I distinctly heard
+Yolanda, who was still upon her knees, whisper:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+Then came the shouts of a thousand voices, thrilling me to the marrow:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!" and I knew that if I were standing in Max's shoes,
+Calli would die within a moment. I also remember wondering in a flash of
+thought if Max were great enough to spare him. Again the battle-axe came
+slowly down, and the din in the pavilion was deafening:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+Again the battle-axe rose; but after a pause, Max let it fall to the
+ground behind him; and, turning toward the girl, lifted her with his
+mailed hands to her feet. When she had risen Max looked into her face,
+and, falling back a step, exclaimed in a voice hushed by wonder:--
+
+"Yolanda!"
+
+His words coming to the girl's ears, like a far-away sound, from the
+cavernous recesses of his helmet, frightened her.
+
+"No, no, my name is not Yolanda. You are mistaken. You do not know me.
+I--I am the princess. You do not know me."
+
+Her words were prompted by two motives: she wished to remain unknown to
+Max, and she feared lest her father should come to know that a great
+part of her life was spent as a burgher girl. Her hands were clasped at
+her breast; her face was as pale as a gray dawn; her breath came in
+feeble gusts, and her words fell haltingly from her lips. She took two
+steps forward, her eyes closed, and she began to fall. Max caught her
+and lifted her in his strong arms. On great occasions persons often do
+trivial acts. With Yolanda held tightly in the embrace of his left arm,
+Max stooped to the ground and picked up his battle-axe with his right
+hand. Then he strode to the north end of the lists and placed the girl
+in my arms.
+
+"Yolanda," he said, intending to tell me of his fair burden.
+
+"No, Max," I whispered, as he unfastened his helmet. "Not Yolanda, but
+the princess. The two resemble each other greatly."
+
+"Yolanda," returned Max, doggedly. "I know her as a mother knows her
+first-born."
+
+Not one hundred seconds had elapsed between the report of the arquebuse
+and the placing of Yolanda in my arms; but hardly had Max finished
+speaking when a dozen ladies crowded about us and took possession of the
+unconscious princess.
+
+After the duke had set on foot a search for the man who had fired the
+arquebuse, he came down to the false lists and stood with Hymbercourt
+and me, discussing the event. Campo-Basso said that his heart was "sore
+with grief," and the Italians jabbered like monkeys. One of them wanted
+to kiss Max for sparing his kinsman's life, but Max thrust him off with
+a fierce oath. The young fellow was in an ugly mood, and if I had been
+his enemy, I would sooner have crossed the path of a wounded lion than
+his. He was slow to anger, but the treachery he had encountered had
+raised all of Satan that was in him. Had he stood before Calli thirty
+seconds longer that treacherous heart would have ceased to beat.
+
+While we were standing in the false lists, speaking with the duke, an
+Italian approached Max, bowed low, and said:--
+
+"The noble Count Calli approaches to thank you for your mercy and to
+extol your bravery."
+
+Max turned his head toward the centre of the course, and saw Calli
+surrounded by a crowd of jabbering friends who were leading him toward
+us. A black cloud--a very mist from hell--came over Max's face. He
+stooped and took his battle-axe from the ground. I placed my hand on the
+boy's arm and warningly spoke his name:--
+
+"Max!" After a pause I continued, "Leave murder to the Italians."
+
+Max uttered a snort of disdain, but, as usual, he took my advice. He
+turned to Campo-Basso, still grasping his battle-axe:--
+
+"Keep that fellow away from me," he said, pointing toward Calli. "My
+merciful mood was brief. By the good God who gave me the villain's life,
+I will kill him if he comes within reach of my axe."
+
+An Italian ran to the men who had Calli in charge, and they turned at
+once and hurried toward the south gate of the lists. All this action was
+very rapid, consuming only a minute or two, and transpired in much less
+time than it requires to tell of it.
+
+While our squires were removing Max's armor, I heard the duke say:--
+
+"Arrest Calli. We will hold him until the shot is explained. If he was
+privy to it, he shall hang or boil." Then the duke, placing his hand on
+Max's shoulder, continued: "You are the best knight in Christendom, the
+bravest, the most generous, and the greatest fool. Think you Calli would
+have spared you, boy?"
+
+"I am not Calli, my lord," said Max.
+
+"You certainly are not," returned the duke.
+
+Visions of trouble with France growing out of Yolanda's "t," and of a
+subsequent union between Max and the princess, floated before my mind,
+even amidst the din that surrounded me. Taking the situation by and
+large, I was in an ecstasy of joy. Max's victory was a thousand
+triumphs in one. It was a triumph over his enemy, a triumph over his
+friends, but, above all, a triumph over himself. He had proved himself
+brave and merciful, and I knew that in him the world had a man who would
+leave it better and happier than he found it.
+
+Calli was arrested and brought to the duke's presence. Of course he
+denied all knowledge of the shot that had killed Max's horse. Others
+were questioned, including three Italian friars wearing cassocks and
+cowls, who bore a most wondrous testimony.
+
+"Your Grace," said one of the friars, "we three men of God can explain
+this matter that so nearly touches the honor of our fair countryman, the
+noble Count Calli."
+
+"In God's name, do so," exclaimed the duke.
+
+"This is the explanation, most gracious lord. When the third course was
+preparing, we three men of God prayed in concert to God the
+Father,"--all the friars crossed themselves,--"God the Son, and God the
+Holy Ghost, to save our countryman, and lo! our prayers were most
+graciously answered; for, noble lord, at the moment when this most
+valiant knight was about to kill our friend, we each heard a report
+marvellously like to the discharge of an arquebuse. At the same instant
+a fiery shaft descended from the palm of a mighty hand in the heavens,
+and the horse of this valiant and most generous knight, Sir Max, fell
+dead, stricken by the hand of God."
+
+I had no doubt that this absurd explanation would be received with
+scorn and derision; but the friar knew his audience, and I did not. His
+statement was not really accepted as true, but it was not cast aside as
+utterly absurd. I saw that it might easily be believed.
+
+"Why did not others see your wondrous shaft from the hand of God?" I
+asked.
+
+"Because, noble lord," answered the friar, "our eyes were looking upward
+in prayer. All others were fixed on this worldly combat."
+
+The explanation actually seemed to explain.
+
+Just then the men who had been sent out to seek evidence concerning the
+shot returned, and reported that no arquebuse was to be found. The lists
+were surrounded by an open field, and a man endeavoring to escape would
+have been seen.
+
+"Did you search all places of possible concealment for an arquebuse?"
+asked the duke.
+
+"All, my lord," answered the men, who were Burgundians and to be
+trusted.
+
+Faith in the friars absurd story was rapidly gaining ground, and several
+of the Italian courtiers, emboldened by encouragement, affirmed upon
+their hope of salvation and their knightly honor that they, too, had
+witnessed the descent of the shaft from heaven. Touch a man on his
+superstitions, and he will believe anything you tell him. If you assure
+him that an honest friend has told you so and so, he may doubt you, but
+tell him that God tells you, and he will swallow your hook. If you would
+have your lie believed, tell a great one.
+
+Charles, more credulous and gullible than I should have believed, turned
+to Hymbercourt. He spoke reverentially, being, you understand, in the
+presence of a miracle:--
+
+"This is a wondrous happening, my lord," said the duke.
+
+"If it happened, Your Grace," returned Hymbercourt, "it certainly was
+marvellous."
+
+"Don't you think it did happen? Do not you believe that this bolt came
+from the hand that was seen by these worthy friars?" asked the duke.
+
+"The shaft surely did not come from a just God, my lord," returned
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"Whence, then, did it come?" asked the duke. "No arquebuse has been
+found, and a careful scrutiny has been made."
+
+"Aye!" echoed the friars. "Whence else did it come? Whence, my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt, whence?"
+
+I had noticed our Irish servant Michael standing near one of the friars.
+At this point in the conversation the Irishman plucked me by the sleeve,
+pointed to a friar, and whispered a word in my ear. Like a stone from a
+catapult I sprang on the friar indicated, threw him to the ground, and
+drew from under his black cassock an arquebuse.
+
+"Here is the shaft from God!" I exclaimed, holding the arquebuse up to
+view. Then I kneeled on the prostrate wretch and clutched his throat.
+Anger gathered in my brain as lightning clusters about a mountain top. I
+threw aside the arquebuse and proceeded to kill the canting mendicant. I
+do not know that I killed him; I hope I did. I cannot speak with
+certainty on that point, for I was quickly thrown away from him by the
+avenging mob that rushed upon us and tore the fellow limb from limb. The
+other friars were set upon by the populace that had witnessed the combat
+from without the lists, and were beaten so unmercifully that one of them
+died. Of the other's fate I know nothing, but I have my secret desires.
+
+"Kill the Italians! Murder the assassins! Down with the mercenaries,"
+cried the populace, who hated the duke's guard. The barriers were broken
+down, and an interesting battle ensued. Surely the people got their full
+satisfaction of blood and excitement that day. The Italians drew their
+swords, but, being separated, they were at a disadvantage, though their
+assailants carried only staves. I expected the duke to stop the fight,
+but he withdrew to a little distance and watched it with evident
+interest. My interest was more than evident; it was uproarious. I have
+never spent so enjoyable a day. The fight raged after Max and I left,
+and there was many a sore head and broken bone that night among the
+Italian mercenaries of the Duke of Burgundy.
+
+When Max and I returned to Peronne, we went to the noble church of St.
+Jean and offered our humble gratitude. Max, having thrown off his anger,
+proposed to buy a mass for the dead friar; but I was for leaving him in
+purgatory where he belonged, and Max, as usual, took my advice.
+
+On reaching the inn, Max cried loudly for supper. His calmness would
+have done credit to a hardened warrior. There was at least one hardened
+warrior that was not calm. I was wrought almost to a pitch of frenzy and
+could not eat, though the supper prepared by Grote was a marvel in its
+way. The old man, usually grave and crusty, after the manner of German
+hosts, actually bent his knee to Max and said:--
+
+"My poor house has entertained kings and princes; but never has it had
+so great an honor as that which it now has in sheltering you."
+
+That night the duke came with Hymbercourt to honor us at the inn. Each
+spoke excitedly and warmly. Max seemed to be the only calm man
+in Peronne.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?
+
+After these adventures we could no longer conceal Max's identity, and it
+soon became noised about that he was Count of Hapsburg. But Styria was
+so far away, and so little known, even to courtiers of considerable
+rank, that the fact made no great stir in Peronne. To Frau Kate and
+Twonette the disclosure came with almost paralyzing effect.
+
+The duke remained with us until late in the night, so Max and I did not
+go over to the House under the Wall. When we were alone in our room,
+Max said:
+
+"The Princess Mary has treated me as if I were a boy."
+
+"She saved your life," I returned. "Calli would certainly have killed
+you had she not acted quickly."
+
+"I surely owe her my life," said Max, "though I have little knowledge of
+what happened after I fell from my horse until I rose to my feet by her
+help. I complain of her conduct in deceiving me by pretending to be a
+burgher maiden. It was easily done, Karl, but ungraciously."
+
+"You are now speaking of Yolanda," I said, not knowing what the wishes
+of the princess might be in regard to enlightening him. He looked at me
+and answered:--
+
+"Karl, if a woman's face is burned on a man's heart, he knows it when he
+sees it."
+
+"You know Yolanda's face, certainly, and I doubt if Yolanda will thank
+you for mistaking another's for it."
+
+"I have made no mistake, Karl," he answered.
+
+"I am not so sure," I replied. "The girl you placed in my arms seemed
+taller by half a head than Yolanda. I noticed her while she was
+standing. She seemed rounder and much heavier in form; but I, too,
+thought she was Yolanda, and, after all, you may be right."
+
+"I caught but a glimpse of her face, and that poorly," said Max. "It is
+difficult to see anything looking downward out of a helmet; one must
+look straight ahead. But the glimpse I had of her face satisfied me."
+
+"Do not be too sure, Max. I once took another man for myself." Max
+laughed. "I am sure no one could have told us apart. He was the Pope,
+and I his cousin. Yolanda herself once told me--I believe she has also
+told you--that she has the honor to resemble the princess."
+
+I did not wish to lie to Max, and you will note that I did not say the
+princess was not Yolanda. Still, I wished him to remain ignorant upon
+the important question until Yolanda should see fit to enlighten him. I
+was not sure of her motive in maintaining the alias, though I was
+certain it was more than a mere whim. How great it was I could not know.
+Should she persist in it I would help her up to the point of telling Max
+a downright falsehood. There I would stop.
+
+We spent two evenings at Castleman's, but did not see Yolanda. On the
+first evening, after an hour of listlessness, Max hesitatingly asked:--
+
+"Where is Yo--that is, the princess has not been here this evening."
+
+"The princess!" exclaimed Frau Kate. "No, she has not been here this
+evening--nor the duke, nor the king of France. No titled person, Sir
+Count, save yourself, has honored us to-day. Our poor roof shelters
+few such."
+
+"I mean Yolanda," said Max. Good-natured Frau Kate laughed softly, and
+Twonette said, with smiling serenity:--
+
+"Yolanda's head will surely be turned, Sir Count, when she hears you
+have called her the princess. So much greatness thrust upon her will
+make it impossible for us to live with her."
+
+"She rules us all as it is, sweet soul," said Castleman.
+
+"Yolanda is ill upstairs, Sir Count," said Frau Kate. "She wanted to
+come down this evening, but I commanded otherwise. Twonette, go to her.
+She will be lonely."
+
+Twonette rose, courtesied, and departed. This splendid bit of acting
+almost made me doubt that Yolanda was the princess, and it shook Max's
+conviction to its very foundation.
+
+I wish to warn you that the deception practised upon Max by Yolanda will
+seem almost impossible, except on the hypothesis that Max was a very
+simple fellow. But the elaborate scheme designed and executed by this
+girl, with the help of the Castlemans and myself,--all of whom Max had
+no reason to distrust,--would have deceived any man. Max, though simple
+and confiding where he trusted,--judging others' good faith by his
+own,--was shrewd for his years, and this plan of Yolanda's had to be
+faultless, as it really was, to mislead him.
+
+On the morning of the fourth day after the trial by combat, Yolanda made
+her appearance at Castleman's, looking pale and large-eyed. Max and I
+had walked down to the House under the Wall before going to dine with
+the duke. Soon after we were seated Twonette left, and within five
+minutes Yolanda came suddenly upon us in the long parlor. She ran to
+Max, grasping both his hands. For a moment she could only say, "Max,
+Max," and he remained silent.
+
+When she recovered control of her voice she said:--
+
+"How proud we are of you, Sir Max! Uncle and aunt have told me how
+brave and merciful you were at the combat."
+
+"Your Highness surely knows all that can be told on the subject, since
+you were there and took so active a part in the adventure," answered
+Max. "It is I who should be grateful, and I am. I owe my life to Your
+Highness."
+
+"You honor me too much, Sir Max," said Yolanda, looking up with surprise
+and bowing low before him. "Let my elevation be gradual that I may grow
+accustomed to my rank. Make of me first a great lady, and then, say, a
+countess. Afterward, if I prove worthy, call me princess."
+
+"We will call you a princess now, Your Highness," answered Max, not to
+be driven from his position.
+
+"Very well," cried Yolanda, with a laugh and a sweeping courtesy. "If
+you will have me a princess, a princess I'll be. But I will not be the
+Princess of Burgundy. She saved your life, and I am jealous of her--I
+hate her."
+
+She stamped her foot, and the angry gleam in her eyes was genuine. There
+could be no doubt that she was jealous of the princess. I could not
+account for her unique attitude toward herself save on one hypothesis:
+she was, even to herself, two distinct persons. Yolanda was a happy
+burgher girl; Mary was a wretched princess. The two widely differing
+conditions under which she lived were so distinct, and were separated by
+a gulf so broad, that to her the princess and the burgher girl were in
+no way related.
+
+With change of condition there was always a change of person. The
+unhappy princess would come down the stairway in the wall; God would
+kindly touch her, and lo! she was transformed into a happy Yolanda.
+Yolanda's light feet would climb the dark stone steps, and God was once
+more a frowning father. There must also be added Max's share in her
+emotions. Perhaps she feared the princess as she would have dreaded a
+rival; since she longed with all her passionate, tender heart to win Max
+for herself only. It would have been an easy task, as princess, to win
+him or any man; but if she could win him as Yolanda, the burgher girl,
+the prize would be the greatest that could fall to a woman.
+
+The true situation dawned upon me as I stood before Max and watched
+Yolanda. I thought of her adroit plan to make trouble with France, and I
+wanted to shout for joy. The impossible might yet happen. God's hand
+surely had been in our journeying to Burgundy. Max might yet win this
+peerless princess, this priceless girl; or, reverse it if you choose,
+Mary of Burgundy might win this peerless man, and might at the same time
+attain the unutterable joy of knowing that she had won him for her
+own sake.
+
+Perhaps her yearning had led her to hope that he might in the end be
+willing to fling behind him his high estate for the sake of a burgher
+girl. Then, when she had brought him to that resolution, what a joy it
+would be to turn upon him and say: "I am not a burgher girl. I am
+Princess Mary of Burgundy, and all these things which you are willing to
+forego for my sake you may keep, and you may add to them the fair land
+of Burgundy!" Her high estate and rich domains, now the tokens of her
+thralldom, would then be her joy, since she could give them to Max.
+
+While these bright hopes were filling my mind, Yolanda was playing well
+her part. She, too, evidently meant to tell no lies, though she might be
+forced to act many. Her fiery outburst against the Princess of Burgundy
+astonished Max and almost startled me. Still, the conviction was strong
+with him that Yolanda was Mary.
+
+"If--if you are the princess, Yo--Yolanda," said Max, evidently
+wavering, "it were ungracious to deceive me."
+
+"But I _am_ the princess," cried Yolanda, lifting her head and walking
+majestically to and fro. "Address me not by that low, plebeian
+name, Yolanda."
+
+She stepped upon a chair and thence to the top of the great oak table
+that stood in the middle of the room. Drawing the chair up after her she
+placed it on the table, and, seating herself on this improvised throne,
+lifted one knee over the other, after the manner of her father. She
+looked serenely about her in a most amusing imitation of the duke, and
+spoke with a deep voice:--
+
+"Heralds!"
+
+No one responded. So she filled the office of herald herself and cried
+out:--
+
+"Oyez! Oyez! The princess now gives audience!" Resuming the ducal voice,
+she continued, "Are there complaints, my Lord Seneschal?" A pause. "Ah,
+our guards have stolen Grion's cow, have they? The devil take Grion and
+his cow, too! Hang Grion for complaining." A pause ensues while the duke
+awaits the next report. "The Swiss have stolen a sheepskin? Ah, we'll
+skin the Swiss. My Lord Seneschal, find me fifty thousand men who are
+ready to die for a sheepskin. Body of me! A sheepskin! I do love
+it well."
+
+Yolanda's audience was roaring with laughter by this time, but her face
+was stern and calm.
+
+"Silence, you fools," she cried hoarsely, but no one was silent, and Max
+laughed till the tears came to his eyes. Yolanda on her throne was so
+irresistibly bewitching that he ran to her side, grasped her about the
+waist, and unceremoniously lifted her to the floor. When she was on her
+feet, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, saying:--
+
+"Yolanda or Mary--it's all one to me. There is not another like you in
+all the world."
+
+She drew herself up haughtily: "Sir, this indignity shall cost you
+dear," and turning her back on him she moved away three or four paces.
+Then she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. His face had lost its
+smile, and she knew the joke had gone far enough; so the dimples began
+to cluster about the quivering corners of her mouth, the long black
+lashes fell for a moment, a soft radiance came to her eyes, and
+she asked:--
+
+"Which shall it be, Sir Max, Yolanda or the princess?"
+
+"Yolanda," cried Max, huskily, while he held out his hands to her. Quick
+as the movement of a kitten, she sprang to him and allowed his arms to
+close about her for one brief moment. While one might count ten she
+rested her head on his breast, but all too quickly she turned her face
+to his and whispered:--
+
+"Are you sure? Is it Yolanda?"
+
+"Yes, yes, Yolanda. Thank God! it is Yolanda," he replied, placing his
+hand before his eyes. She slipped from his arms, and Max, too deeply
+moved to speak, walked over to the window and looked out upon the
+frowning walls of Peronne the Impregnable. There was irony for you!
+
+Probably Max was not sure that Yolanda was Yolanda; but, if he was,
+conviction had come through his emotions, and it might be temporary. He
+was, however, soon to be convinced by evidence so cunningly constructed
+that he was compelled to abandon the testimony of his own eyes and
+accept that of seemingly incontestable facts.
+
+"We are to dine privately with the duke at twelve o'clock," I said,
+while Max was standing at the window.
+
+"Indeed?" asked Yolanda, arching her eyebrows; surprise and displeasure
+evident in her voice. She glanced at the great clock, then looked toward
+Max, and said:--
+
+"It lacks but thirty minutes of that time now, and I suppose I shall
+soon lose you."
+
+Max turned from the window, saying:--"Yes, we must go, or we shall be
+late."
+
+"Does the princess dine with you?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"I do not know, Fräulein," answered Max. Thereupon Yolanda left the room
+pouting, and we took our departure, having promised to return to
+Castleman's after dinner.
+
+We went at once to the castle; and thirty minutes after leaving
+Castleman's we were in the small parlor or talking room of Duchess
+Margaret, where the famous letter to the king of France had been signed
+by Duke Charles. When we entered we saw the duchess and the princess
+sitting upon the divan. The duke was in his great oak chair, and
+Hymbercourt and two other gentlemen were standing near by. I made
+obeisance to Charles on bended knee. He rose to receive Max, and, after
+a slight hesitation, offered his hand, saying:--
+
+"You are welcome, my Lord Count."
+
+A year had passed since I had heard Max addressed as "my lord," and the
+words sounded strange to my ears. I turned quickly toward the princess,
+expecting to see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes, but Yolanda's ever
+present smile was wholly lacking. The countenance of the princess was
+calm, immovable, and expressionless as a mirror. I could hardly believe
+that it was the radiant, bedimpled, pouting face I had just seen at
+Castleman's, and for the first time in all my experience I realized that
+I was face to face with a dual personality. The transformation was so
+complete that I might easily have been duped had I not known beyond
+peradventure the identity of Yolanda and Mary.
+
+After the duke had kindly saluted Max, His Grace presented us to the
+ladies. When the princess rose to receive us, she seemed at least half a
+head taller than Yolanda. Her hair was hidden, and her face seemed
+fuller. These changes were probably wrought by her head-dress, which
+towered in two great curved horns twelve inches high. She wore a long,
+flowing gown that trailed two yards behind her, and this added to her
+apparent height. Max had seen Yolanda only in the short skirts of a
+burgher girl's costume.
+
+When Max rose, after kneeling before the princess, he gazed into her
+eyes, but the glance he received in return was calm and cold. Yolanda
+was rich, red wine, hot and strong; the princess was cold, clear water.
+The one was exhilarating, at times intoxicating; the other was chilling.
+The face of the princess, though beautiful, was touched with disdain.
+Every attitude was one of dignity and hauteur. Her words, though not
+lacking intelligence, were commonplace, and her voice was that of her
+father's daughter. Yolanda was a girl; the princess was a woman. The
+metamorphosis was complete, and Max's hallucination, I felt sure, would
+be cured. The princess's face was not burned on his heart, whatever
+might be true of Yolanda's. I can give no stronger testimony to the
+marvellous quality of the change this girl had wrought in herself than
+to tell you that even I began to doubt, and wonder if Yolanda had
+tricked me. The effect on Max was instantaneous. After looking into the
+princess's face, he said:--
+
+"I wish to thank Your Highness for saving my life. I surely had been
+killed but for your timely help."
+
+The situation bordered on the ridiculous.
+
+"Do not thank me, my Lord Count," responded the princess, in cold and
+measured words. "I should have done the same for any man in your hard
+case. I once saved a yokel in like manner. Two common men were fighting
+with staves. One would have beaten the other to death had I not entered
+the lists and parted them. Father feared a similar exhibition on my part
+and did not wish me to attend your combat. He says now that I shall go
+to no more. I certainly made myself ridiculous. I enjoy a fair fight,
+whatever the outcome may be, but I despise murder. My act was entirely
+impersonal, Sir Count."
+
+"On the lists I addressed Your Highness as 'Yolanda,'" said Max. "Your
+resemblance to one whom I know well was so great as to deceive me."
+
+I was eager to take Max away from the dangerous situation, but I could
+not. The duke, the courtiers, and myself had moved several paces from
+Max and the princess. I, however, kept my eyes and ears open to what
+occurred between them.
+
+"Yes," returned the princess, haughtily, "I remember you so addressed
+me. I have heard of the person to whom you refer. She is, I believe, a
+niece of one Castleman, a burgher of Peronne. I know Castleman's
+daughter--a simple creature, with no pretence of being else. It has been
+said that--what do they call her? Yolanda, I believe--resembles me in
+some respects and is quite proud of the distinction. I am sure I thank
+no one for the compliment, since she is a low creature, but I accept
+your apology, my Lord Count."
+
+"I do not apologize, Your Highness," answered Max, in tones of equal
+hauteur. "You probably do not know the lady of whom you speak."
+
+The princess seemed to increase by an inch or two in stature as she drew
+herself up, and answered:--
+
+"Of course we do not know her."
+
+"If you knew her, Your Highness would apologize," retorted Max.
+
+Seeing the angry color mounting to his face, I stepped to his side and
+joined in the conversation. Presently dinner was announced, and I
+rejoiced when we parted from the princess. Turning our faces toward the
+ladies, we moved backward from the room, and went with the duke to the
+dinner hall.
+
+Compared with Castleman's daily fare, the duke's dinner was almost
+unpalatable. We had coarse beef, coarse boar's meat, coarse bread,--not
+black, but brown. Frau Kate's bread was like snow. The sour wine on the
+duke's table set our teeth on edge, though it was served in huge golden
+goblets studded with rare gems. At each guest's plate was a jewelled
+dagger. The tablecloth was of rich silk, soiled by numberless stains.
+Leeks and garlic were the only vegetables served.
+
+Nothing of importance occurred at the table, but after dinner the duke
+abruptly offered Max a large sum of gold to accompany him to
+Switzerland. Max thanked His Grace and said he would give him an answer
+soon. The duke urged an early reply, and Max said:--
+
+"With Your Grace's permission we will attend to-morrow's morning
+audience, and will make our answer after Your Lordship has risen."
+
+Charles acquiesced, and we soon left the castle. The duke, as I have
+already told you, was very rich. Hymbercourt once told me that he had
+two hundred and fifty thousand gold crowns in his coffers at Luxembourg.
+That was probably more than the combined treasuries of any two kings in
+Europe could show. Max and I were short of money, and the sum that the
+duke offered seemed enormous. Neither Max nor his father, Duke
+Frederick, had ever possessed as much money at one time.
+
+While we were leisurely walking across the courtyard toward the Postern,
+three ladies and two gentlemen, accompanied by outriders and pages
+carrying falcons, rode by us and passed out through the Postern. We
+followed, and overtook them at the town end of the drawbridge, where
+they had halted. When we came up to them, we recognized the duchess and
+the princess. The duchess bowed smilingly, but the princess did not
+speak, though she looked in our direction.
+
+The cavalcade turned to the left, and went up a narrow street toward
+Cambrai Gate, evidently bound for the marshes. Max and I walked straight
+ahead toward the Cologne bridge, intending, as we had promised, to go
+back to Castleman's. Two hundred yards up the street I glanced back, and
+saw a lady riding through the Postern, back to the castle. I knew at
+once that the princess had returned, and I was sure of meeting
+Yolanda,--sweet, smiling, tender Yolanda,--at the dear old House under
+the Wall. I did not like the princess; she was cold, haughty,
+supercilious, and perhaps tinged with her father's cruelty. I longed
+ardently for Yolanda to come out of her skin, and my heart leaped with
+joy at the early prospect.
+
+I was right in my surmise. Yolanda's sweet face, radiant with smiles and
+soft with dimples, was pressed against the window-pane watching for us
+when we crossed the moat bridge at Castleman's door.
+
+"To see her face again is like coming back to heaven; isn't it, Karl?"
+said Max.
+
+Yolanda ran to the door and opened it.
+
+"I am glad you did not stay with her," she said, giving a hand to Max
+and to me, and walking into the room between us. She was like a child
+holding our hands.
+
+I had seen the world and its people in all its phases, and I prided
+myself on my shrewdness, but without my knowledge of the stairway in the
+wall, I would have sworn that Yolanda had played a trick on me by
+leading me to believe that she was the Princess Mary. Even with full
+knowledge of all the facts, I found myself doubting. It is small cause
+for wonder, therefore, that Max was deceived.
+
+"Uncle is at the shop," said Yolanda. "Tante is at a neighbor's, and
+Twonette, of course, is asleep. We three will sit here on this bench
+with no one to disturb us, and I shall have you both all to myself. No!
+There! I'll sit between you. Now, this is delightful."
+
+She sat between us, crossed her knees--an unpardonable crime, Frau Kate
+would have thought--and giving a hand to Max and to me, said
+contentedly:--
+
+"Now, tell me all about it."
+
+I was actually on the point of beginning a narrative of our adventures,
+just as if she did not already know them,--so great was the spell she
+had thrown over me,--when Max spoke:--
+
+"We had a poor dinner, but a kind host, therefore a fine feast. The duke
+has asked us to go to Switzerland with him. Judging by the enormous sum
+he offers for our poor services, he must believe that he will need no
+other help to conquer the Swiss."
+
+"Yes--yes, that is interesting," said Yolanda, hastily, "but the
+princess--tell me of her."
+
+"She is a very beautiful princess," answered Max.
+
+"Yes--I suppose she is," answered Yolanda. "I have it dinned into my
+ears till I ought to believe it; but tell me of her manner, her
+conversation, her temper. What of them?"
+
+"She is a most beautiful princess," answered Max, evidently intending to
+utter no word against Her Highness, though as a matter of fact he did
+not like her at all. "I am sure she deserves all the good that fame
+speaks of her."
+
+Yolanda flung our hands from her, sprang to her feet, and faced us
+angrily.
+
+"That's the way with all men. A rich princess, even though she be a cold
+devil, is beautiful and good and gentle and wise and true and quick of
+wit. Men care not what she is if her house be great and rich and
+powerful. If her domains are fat and broad, she deserves 'all the good
+that fame speaks of her.' She can win no man for herself. She cannot
+touch a man's heart; she can only satisfy his greed. You went to the
+castle, Sir Max, to see this princess. You want Burgundy. That is why
+you are in Peronne!"
+
+The girl's passionate outburst was sincere, and showed me her true
+motive for deceiving Max. Her plan was not the outgrowth of a whim; it
+was the result of a tremendous motive conceived in the depths of her
+soul. She had found the man she loved, and was taking her own way to win
+him, if she could, for herself. She judged all men by the standard that
+she had just announced. She would never believe in the love of a man who
+should woo her as Princess Mary of Burgundy.
+
+Her words came near accomplishing more than she desired. When she
+stopped speaking, Max leaned forward and gently took her hand.
+
+"Yolanda, this princess is nothing to me, and I swear to you that I will
+never ask her to marry--"
+
+A frightened gleam came to the girl's eyes when she understood the oath
+that Max was about to take, and she quickly placed her hand over his
+mouth. Max was swearing too much.
+
+"You shall not make that oath, Little Max," she said. "You shall not say
+that you will never marry her, nor shall you say that you will never
+marry any one else. You must remain free to choose the right wife when
+the right time comes. You must tread the path that God has marked out
+for you. Perhaps it leads to this princess; no one can tell. If so, you
+must accept your fate, Sir Max." She sighed at the mere thought of so
+untoward a fate for Max.
+
+"I need make no oath not to marry the princess," answered Max. "She is
+beyond my reach, even though I were dying for love of her."
+
+"And you are not dying for love of her, are you?" asked Yolanda, again
+taking the seat between Max and me.
+
+"No," he responded.
+
+"Nor for love of any woman?" she asked, looking toward Max.
+
+"I'll not say that," he replied, laughing softly, and taking her hands
+between his.
+
+"No, no," she mused, looking in revery out the window. "No, we will not
+say that."
+
+I have always been as unsentimental as a man well can be, but I believe,
+had I been in Max's place, I should have thrown away my crown for the
+sake of Yolanda, the burgher girl. I remember wondering if Max would be
+strong enough finally to reach the same conclusion. If he should be, my
+faith in Yolanda's powers led me to believe that she would contrive a
+plan to make him her husband, despite her father, or the devil and
+all his imps.
+
+There is a power of finesse in the feminine mind that no man may fully
+compass, and Yolanda, in that respect, was the flower of her sex. That
+she had been able to maintain her humble personality with Max, despite
+the fact that she had been compelled to meet him twice as princess,
+proved her ability. Of course, she had the help of good old Castleman
+and his sweet Frau Kate, serene Twonette, and myself; but with all this
+help she probably would have failed without the stairway in the wall.
+
+When we left Castleman's, I did not bring up the subject of Mary and
+Yolanda. Max walked silently beside me until we had nearly reached the
+inn, when he said:--
+
+"I am almost glad I was wrong, Karl. I would not have Yolanda other
+than she is. At times, wild thoughts suggest themselves to me; but I am
+not so weak as to give way to them. I drive them off and clench my
+teeth, determined to take the misery God doles out to me. I am glad we
+are soon to leave Burgundy. The duke marches in three days, and it is
+none too soon for me."
+
+"Shall not we return to Burgundy?" I asked. "I want you to see Paris and
+Brussels, and, if possible, London before we return to Styria. Don't you
+think it best that we come back to Peronne after this war?"
+
+"You are right, Karl; we must come back," he answered. "I do not fear
+Yolanda. I am not weak."
+
+"I sometimes wonder if we know our strength from our weakness," I
+suggested. "There is doubtless much energy wasted by conscientious men
+striving in the wrong direction, who fancy they are doing their duty."
+
+"You would not have me marry Yolanda?" asked Max, a gleam of light
+coming to his eyes.
+
+"I do not know, Max," I responded. "A rare thing has happened to you.
+You have won a marvellous love from a marvellous woman. She takes no
+pains to conceal it. She could not hide it if she would. What you feel,
+only you and God know."
+
+"Only God," cried Max, huskily. "Only God. I cannot measure it."
+
+"My dear boy," said I, taking his arm, "you are at a point where you
+must decide for yourself."
+
+"I have decided," returned Max. "If my father and mother were not
+living, I might--I might--bah! there is but one life for me. I am
+doomed. I make myself wretched by resistance."
+
+"When we return to Peronne, you will know your mind," I answered
+soothingly.
+
+"I know my mind now," he answered. "I know that I would give half the
+years of my life to possess Yolanda; but I also know the fate that God
+has marked out for me."
+
+"Then you know more than many a wise man thrice your age can boast,"
+said I.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The duke's armies had been gathering throughout Burgundy. Men had come
+in great numbers to camp near Peronne, and the town was noisy with
+martial preparations. Contrary to Hymbercourt's advice, the duke was
+leaving Peronne Castle guarded by only a small garrison. Charles had
+great faith in the strength of Peronne the Impregnable, and, although it
+was near the French border, he trusted in its strength and in his treaty
+with King Louis. He knew from experience that a treaty with Louis would
+bind that crafty monarch only so long as it was to his interest to
+remain bound; but Louis' interest in maintaining the treaty seemed
+greater than Burgundy's, and Charles rested on that fact. Peronne was to
+be left captained by the duchess and Mary, and garrisoned by five score
+men-at-arms, who were either too old or too young to go to war.
+
+Without discussing the duke's offer, Max and I decided to accept it,
+though for different reasons. Max needed the gold; he also sniffed
+battle, and wanted the excitement and the enterprise of war. I had all
+his reasons, and still another; I wanted to give Yolanda time to execute
+her plans.
+
+The war with Switzerland would probably be short. Max would be with the
+duke, and would, I hoped, augment the favor with which Charles already
+honored him. Should Yolanda's letter make trouble with France, Duke
+Charles might be induced, through his personal feelings, to listen to
+Max's suit. If Charles returned from Switzerland victorious--and no
+other outcome seemed possible--he would no longer have reason to carry
+out the marriage treaty with France. It had been made largely for the
+purpose of keeping Louis quiet while Charles was absent. Anything might
+happen; everything might happen, while Max was with Charles in
+Switzerland and Yolanda at home making trouble with France.
+
+The next day, by appointment, we waited on the duke at the morning
+audience. When we entered the great hall, the urgent business had been
+transacted, and half a score of lords and gentlemen stood near the dais,
+discussing some topic with the duke and with one another. We moved near
+the throne, and I heard Charles say to Campo-Basso and Hymbercourt:--
+
+"Almost three weeks have passed since our message to France, and we have
+had no answer. What think you, gentlemen, of the delay?"
+
+"His Majesty is not in Paris, or delays answering," said Hymbercourt.
+
+"By the Host, if I could think that King Louis were holding Byron and
+delaying an answer, I would change my plans and march on Paris rather
+than on Switzerland."
+
+"I fear, my lord," said Campo-Basso, with a sympathetic desire to make
+trouble, if possible, "that His Majesty delays an answer while he frames
+one that shall be elusive, yet conciliatory. King Louis, Your Grace
+knows, thinks many times before each word he speaks or writes."
+
+"If he has intentionally delayed this answer, I'll give him cause to
+think many times _after_ his words," said Charles.
+
+Conversations of like nature had occurred on several occasions since the
+sending of the missive to Louis, and they offered the stormy duke
+opportunity to vent his boastfulness and spleen. While Charles was
+pouring out his wrath against his brother-in-law, Byron, the herald,
+appeared at the door of the great hall. He announced himself, and, when
+ordered to approach, ran to the dais, kneeled on the second step, and
+placed a small sealed packet in the duke's hand.
+
+"Did you find King Louis at Paris?" asked the duke, addressing Byron.
+
+"I did, my lord."
+
+"Paris is but thirty leagues distant, and you certainly have had
+sufficient time since leaving us to journey across Europe and back. Did
+not I command you to make haste?"
+
+"You did, my lord," answered the herald. "King Louis put me off from day
+to day, always promising me an answer, but giving it only yesterday
+afternoon when the sun was half below the horizon."
+
+Charles nervously broke the seals of the package, and attempted to read
+the letter. He failed, and handed it to Campo-Basso, saying:--
+
+"Read the missive. I already know its contents, but read, my lord,
+read."
+
+Campo-Basso read the letter.
+
+"To Our Most Illustrious Brother Charles Duke of Burgundy, and Count of
+Charolois:--
+
+"We recommend us and send Your Grace greeting. We are anxious to
+pleasure our noble brother of Burgundy in all things, and heartily
+desire the marriage between our son and the illustrious Princess of
+Burgundy, but we shall not move toward it until our said noble brother
+shall return from Switzerland, nor will we do aught to distract his
+attention from the perilous business he now has on hand. We pray that
+the saints may favor his design, and would especially recommend that our
+noble brother propitiate with prayers and offerings the holy Saint
+Hubert. We, ourselves, have importuned this holy saint, and he has
+proved marvellously helpful on parlous occasions.
+
+"Louis, R."
+
+The duke's anger was terrible and disgusting to behold. When his
+transports of rage allowed him to speak, he broke forth with oaths too
+blasphemous to write on a white page.
+
+"The fawning hypocrite!" he cried. "He thinks to cozen us with his cheap
+words. The biting insult in his missive is that he takes it for granted
+that we are so great a fool as to believe him. Even his recommendation
+of a saint is a lie. The world knows his favorite saint is Saint Andrew.
+King Louis spends half his time grovelling on his marrow bones before
+that saint and the Blessed Virgin. He recommends to us Saint Hubert,
+believing that his holy saintship will be of no avail."
+
+Charles was right. Sir Philip de Comines, seneschal to King Louis,
+afterward told me that His Majesty, in writing this letter to the Duke
+of Burgundy, actually took counsel and devoted much time and thought to
+the choice of a baneful or impotent saint to recommend to his "noble
+brother of Burgundy." Disaster to Louis had once followed supplication
+to Saint Hubert, and the king hoped that the worthy saint might prove
+equally unpropitious for Charles. Yolanda's wonderful "t" was certainly
+the most stupendous single letter ever quilled. Here were the
+first-fruits of it.
+
+"Were it not that these self-sufficient Swiss need to be blooded, I
+would turn my army against France to-morrow," said the duke.
+
+"And have Bourbon and Lorraine upon Your Lordship's back from the east,
+Ghent rebelling in the north, and the Swiss pouring in from the south,"
+interrupted Hymbercourt.
+
+"You are certainly right, my Lord d'Hymbercourt," replied Charles,
+sullenly. "They surround us like a pack of starved wolves, ready to
+spring upon us the moment we are crippled. Burgundy stands alone against
+all Europe."
+
+"A vast treasure, my lord, attracts thieves," said Hymbercourt.
+"Burgundy is the richest land on earth."
+
+"It is, indeed it is," replied the duke, angrily, "and I have no son to
+keep it after me. But France shall not have it; that I swear upon my
+knighthood. Write to France, my Lord Bishop of Cambrai, and tell King
+Louis that my daughter shall not marry his son. Waste no words, my Lord
+Bishop, in what you call courtesy. We need no double meaning in our
+missives."
+
+Those who heard the duke's words knew that he was committing a costly
+error, but no one dared to suggest as much. One might, with equal
+success, have flung soft words at a mad bull. Truly that "t"--but I will
+speak of it no more, though I have a thrill of joy and mirth even now
+when I think of it.
+
+After many explosions, the duke's pent-up wrath found vent, and began to
+subside. Espying Max and me he called us to the throne.
+
+"Have you concluded to join us in our little holiday excursion against
+these mountain swine?" asked His Grace, addressing us.
+
+"We have, my lord. We shall be proud to serve under the banner of so
+brave a prince," I answered.
+
+"'We have' would have been sufficient, Sir Karl," answered the duke,
+still surly from the dregs of his wrath. "We hear so many soft words
+from France that we despise them in the mouths of honest men."
+
+The duke then turned to his seneschal, De Vergy, and spoke in tones that
+were heard all over the room:--
+
+"My lord, Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, and Sir Karl de Pitti have
+consented to join our banners. Enroll them in places of honor, my Lord
+Seneschal. See that they are supplied with horses, accoutrements, and
+tents for themselves and their squires, and direct my Lord Treasurer to
+pay to them upon demand a sum of money of which he shall be duly
+notified."
+
+When the duke stopped speaking, a murmur of approval ran through the
+audience--though the Italians had no part in it. The murmur grew
+clamorous and soon a mighty shout filled the vaulted roof:--
+
+"Long life to the noble Count of Hapsburg! Burgundy and Styria forever!"
+
+To me, the words seemed delightfully prophetic. Soon afterward the
+audience was dismissed, and Max and I had the great honor of being asked
+to join the duke's council. A council to the Duke of Burgundy was indeed
+a veritable fifth wheel. He made his own plans and, right or wrong,
+clung to them. He would, on rare occasions, listen to Hymbercourt,--a
+man of few words, who gave advice as if he were lending a crown,--but
+the suggestions of others antagonized him.
+
+The question before the council this morning was: Should the duke's army
+carry provisions, or should it take them from the countries through
+which it was to pass? Charles favored the latter course, and it was
+agreed upon. The people of non-belligerent states should be paid for the
+provisions that were taken; that is, theoretically they should be paid.
+The Swiss should furnish provision, gratis, and that doubtless would be
+terribly practical.
+
+On each of the three evenings intervening between the day of this
+council and the departure of the army, we saw Yolanda at Castleman's.
+She was always waiting when we arrived. She had changed in many
+respects, but especially in her attitude regarding Max. She was kind and
+gentle, but shy. Having dropped her familiar manner, she did not go near
+him, but sat at a distance, holding Twonette's hand, and silently but
+constantly watching him, as if she were awaiting something. Her eyes, at
+times, seemed to be half-indignant interrogation points. At other times
+I could see in them doubt, waiting, and hope--hope almost tired
+with yearning.
+
+It was no small love that she wanted from Max. She had hoped--perhaps I
+should say she had longed with little hope--that he would, for the sake
+of the burgher girl, Yolanda, be willing to turn his back on his family
+and his land. But now he was leaving, and her dream was about to close,
+since Max would probably never come back to her.
+
+Not the least painful of Yolanda's emotions was the knowledge that she
+could insure Max's return by telling him that she was the Princess of
+Burgundy. But she did not want this man whom she loved so dearly, and
+who, she knew, loved her, if she must win him as princess. She was
+strangely impelled to reject a reprieve from a life of wretchedness,
+unless it came through the high court of love.
+
+Max, in speaking to me about his return, had wavered many times. One day
+he would return; the next, he would swallow the bitter draught fate had
+in store for him. He was a great, honest soul, and to such the call of
+duty is compelling.
+
+On the evening before our departure we went to sup with Castleman. On
+our way down to the House under the Wall, Max said:--
+
+"Karl, my duty is clear. I must not return to Peronne. If I do, I fear I
+shall never leave it."
+
+I did not answer; but I had resolved that he should return, and I
+intended that my resolution should become a fact. Yolanda was not
+present at supper, but she appeared soon after we had risen. We sat
+under the dim light of a lamp in the long room. Yolanda was on the
+cushioned bench in the shadow of the great chimney, silently clasping
+Twonette's hand. Twonette, of course, was silent and serene. Castleman
+and I talked disjointedly, and Max sat motionless, gazing through the
+window into the night. After greeting us, Yolanda spoke not a word; but
+ever in the deep shadow I could see the glow of her eyes looking toward
+Max. That his heart was filled with a great struggle, I knew, and I
+believed that Yolanda also knew.
+
+We had many preparations to make before our departure next morning at
+dawn, so after an hour Max and I rose to leave. Twonette, leaving
+Yolanda, came to us, and the Castlemans all gave us a hearty God-speed.
+Yolanda sat wordless in the shadow. I went to her and gave her my hand.
+
+"Farewell, Fräulein," I said.
+
+Max followed me closely, and I stepped aside to make way for him. The
+girl rose and stood irresolute before him. I went to the Castlemans, who
+were standing at a distance.
+
+"Fräulein--" said Max. But she interrupted him, extending her hands,
+which he clasped.
+
+"Have you no word for me, Sir Max?" she asked pathetically, tears
+springing to her eyes. "Are you coming back to me? Have you the right to
+come into my life as you have done, and to leave me? Does God impose but
+one duty on you--that of your birth?"
+
+"Ah, Fräulein," answered Max, huskily, "you know--you know what I
+suffer."
+
+"I surely do know," she responded, "else I would not speak so plainly.
+But answer me, Sir Max. Answer my question. It is my right to know upon
+what I may depend. Will you come back to me?"
+
+The imperious will of the princess had come to the rescue of Yolanda,
+the burgher girl.
+
+Max paused before speaking, then grasped her hands fiercely and
+answered:--
+
+"Before God, Fräulein, I will come back to you, if I live."
+
+Yolanda sank upon the cushioned bench, covered her face with her hands,
+and the pent-up storm of sobs and tears broke forth as Max and I passed
+out the door.
+
+Yolanda had won.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+MAX GOES TO WAR
+
+The next morning at dawn our army marched. Although Duke Charles would
+not encumber himself with provisions for his men, he carried a vast
+train of carts filled with plate, silk tents, rich rugs, and precious
+jewels; for, with all his bravery, this duke's ruling passion was the
+love of display in the presence of foreigners.
+
+I shall not give the story of this disastrous war in detail; that lies
+in the province of history, and my story relates only to Max and
+Yolanda, and to the manner in which they were affected by the results
+of the war.
+
+We marched with forty thousand men, and laid siege to the city of
+Granson, in the district of Vaud. The Swiss sent ambassadors under a
+flag of truce, begging Charles to spare them, and saying, according to
+my friend Comines, that "there were among them no good prisoners to
+make, and that the spurs and horses' bits of the duke's army were worth
+more money than all the people of Switzerland could pay in ransoms, even
+if they were taken." Charles rejected all overtures, and on the third of
+March the brave little Swiss army sallied against us, "heralding their
+advances by the lowings of the Bull of Uri and the Cow of Unterwalden,
+two enormous instruments which had been given to their ancestors by
+Charlemagne."
+
+God was against Charles of Burgundy, and his army was utterly routed by
+one of less than a fourth its size. I was with Charles after the battle,
+and his humiliation was more pitiful than his bursts of ungovernable
+wrath were disgusting. The king of France, hoping for this disaster, was
+near by at Lyons.
+
+A cruel man is always despicable in misfortune. Charles at once sent to
+King Louis a conciliatory, fawning letter, recanting all that he had
+said in his last missive from Peronne, and expressing the hope that His
+Majesty would adhere to the treaty and would consent to the marriage of
+Princess Mary and the Dauphin at once. In this letter Yolanda had no
+opportunity to insert a disturbing "t." Louis answered graciously,
+saying that the treaty should be observed, and that the marriage should
+take place immediately upon the duke's return to Burgundy.
+
+"We have already forwarded instructions to Paris," wrote King Louis,
+"directing that preparations be made at once for the celebration of this
+most desired union at the holy church of St. Denis. We wondered much at
+Your Grace's first missive, in which you so peremptorily desired us not
+to move in this matter till your return; and we wondered more at Your
+Lordship's ungracious reply to our answer in which we consented to the
+delay Your Grace had asked."
+
+Well might King Louis wonder. Charles also wondered, and cursed the
+stupidity of the Bishop of Cambrai, who had so "encumbered his letter
+with senseless courtesy as to distort its meaning."
+
+Charles despatched letters to Peronne and Ghent, ordering immediate
+preparations for the marriage. As usual, poor Mary was not considered of
+sufficient importance to receive notice of the event that concerned her
+so vitally. Others would prepare her, as one might fatten a lamb for
+slaughter. The lamb need not be consulted or even informed; the day of
+its fate would be sufficient for it. I was in despair. Max, in his
+ignorance, was indifferent.
+
+After a short delay, the duke gathered his wrath and his army and laid
+siege to the town of Morat, announcing his intention to give no quarter,
+but to kill all, old and young, men, women, and children. The Swiss were
+prepared for us. "The energy of pride was going to be pitted against the
+energy of patriotism." Again disaster fell upon Charles. Thousands of
+his army were slain, and thousands fled in hopeless rout. His soldiers
+had never wanted to fight, and one man defending his hearth is stronger
+than half a score attacking it.
+
+The loss of this battle drove Charles back to Burgundy. With a few of
+his train, including Max and myself, he retired to the Castle of La
+Riviera. Here he learned that René, Duke of Lorraine, had mustered his
+forces and had laid siege to Nancy, which city Charles had taken from
+Duke René, some years before, and had garrisoned with Burgundians and
+English. Upon hearing this unwelcome news, Charles began the arduous
+task of collecting another army. He was compelled to leave the
+neighborhood of Switzerland and fly to the rescue of Nancy.
+
+The first of January found us before Nancy, but our arrival was three
+days too late. The city had capitulated to Duke René. On the fifth of
+January a battle was fought before Nancy, but Fortune had turned her
+back for all and all on this cruel Duke of Burgundy and Count of
+Charolois. The disasters at Granson and Morat were repeated. At
+nightfall Charles could not be found. I supposed that he had escaped,
+but the next morning his body was found by a washerwoman, frozen in the
+ice of a pond. He had been killed through the machinations of
+Campo-Basso. Duke René magnanimously gave Charles regal burial, and
+dismissed his followers without ransom. You may be sure I was eager to
+return to Peronne.
+
+Fortune, in turning her back upon Charles, had turned her smiling face
+toward Max. Her ladyship's smiles were too precious to be wasted, so we
+made post-haste for Peronne, I spurred by one motive, Mary of Burgundy,
+Max by another--Yolanda. His heart had grieved for her in castle, in
+camp, and in din of battle. He had, unknown to me, formed a great and
+noble resolution; and there was no horse swift enough to keep pace with
+his desire when we started for Peronne.
+
+I was the first to announce the duke's death. The dark news was given by
+me to the duchess and the princess in Margaret's parlor. These poor
+women tried to grieve, but they were not hypocrites, and they could not
+weep. Each had received at Charles's hands only ill-usage and cruelty,
+and in their hearts they must have felt relief at his death.
+
+"It was sure to come," said Margaret. "The duke's bravery led him always
+into danger. It is God's will, and it must be right."
+
+The princess walked to the window, and said nothing, until I was about
+to leave; then she turned to me nervously and asked:--
+
+"Did--did Sir Max come with you?"
+
+I looked at her in surprise, and glanced inquiringly toward the duchess.
+
+"My mother knows all, Sir Karl," said the princess, reassuringly. "There
+have been many things which I could not have done without her help. I
+have made many rapid changes, Sir Karl, from a princess to a burgher
+girl, and back again, and I should have failed without my mother's help.
+I surely mystified you often before you knew of the stairway in the
+wall. Indeed, I have often hurried breathless to Uncle Castleman's house
+to deceive you. Mother invented a burgher girl's costume that I used to
+wear as an under-bodice and petticoat, so, you see, I have been visiting
+you in my petticoats. I will show you some fine day--perhaps. I have but
+to unfasten a half-score of hooks, and off drops the princess--I am
+Yolanda! I throw a skirt over my head, fasten the hooks of a bodice, don
+my head-dress, and behold! the princess once more. Only a moment
+intervenes between happiness and wretchedness. But tell me, Sir Karl,
+have you ever told Sir Max who I am?"
+
+"Never, Your Highness--"
+
+"Yolanda," she interrupted, correcting me smilingly.
+
+"Never, Yolanda," I responded. "He does not even suspect that you are
+the princess. I shall be true to you. You know what you are doing."
+
+"Indeed I do, Sir Karl," she replied. "I shall win or lose now in a
+short time and in short skirts. If Max will wed me as Yolanda, I shall
+be the happiest girl on earth. If not, I shall be the most wretched. If
+he learns that I am the princess, and if I must offer him the additional
+inducement of my estates and my domains to bring him to me, I shall not
+see him again, Sir Karl, if I die of grief for it."
+
+I knew well what she meant, but I did not believe that she would be
+able to hold to her resolution if she were put to the test. I was,
+however, mistaken. With all my knowledge of the girl I did not know
+her strength.
+
+We reached Peronne during the afternoon and, of course, went early the
+same evening to Castleman's.
+
+We were greeted heartily by the good burgher, his wife, and his
+daughter. Twonette courtesied to Max, but when she came to me, this
+serene young goddess of pink and white offered me her cheek to kiss. I,
+who had passed my quasi-priestly life without once enjoying such a
+luxury, touched the velvet cheek with my lips and actually felt a thrill
+of delight. Life among the burghers really was delicious. I tell you
+this as a marked illustration of the fact that a man never grows too old
+to be at times a fool. Twonette slipped from the room, and within
+fifteen minutes returned. She went directly to Max and said:--
+
+"Some one is waiting for you in the oak room above."
+
+She pointed the way, and Max climbed the stairs two steps at a time. I
+thought from his eagerness he would clear the entire flight at one
+bound. To his knock a soft voice bade him enter. The owner of the voice
+was sitting demurely at the farthest end of the room on a cushioned
+bench. Her back rested against the moving panel that led to the
+stairway in the wall. She did not move when Max entered. She had done
+all the moving she intended to do, and Max must now act for himself. He
+did. He ran down the long room to her, crying:--
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!"
+
+She rose to greet him, and he, taking her in his arms, covered her face
+with kisses. The unconscious violence of his great strength bruised and
+hurt her, but she gloried in the pain, and was passive as a babe in his
+arms. When they were seated and half calm, she clutched one of his great
+fingers and said:--
+
+"You kept your word, Little Max. You came back to me."
+
+"Did you not know that I would come?" he asked.
+
+"Ah, indeed, I knew--you are not one that makes a promise to break it.
+Sometimes it is difficult to induce such a man to give his word, and I
+found it so, but once given it is worth having--worth having,
+Little Max."
+
+She smiled up into his face while she spoke, as if to say, "You gave me
+a deal of trouble, but at last I have captured you."
+
+"Did you so greatly desire the promise, Yolanda?" asked Max, solely for
+the pleasure of hearing her answer.
+
+"Yes," she answered softly, hanging her head, "more than any _man_, can
+know. It must be an intense longing that will drive a modest girl to
+boldness, such as I have shown ever since the day I first met you at
+dear old Basel. It almost broke my heart when father--fatherland--when
+Burgundy made war on Switzerland." The word "land" was a lucky thought,
+and came to the girl just in the nick of time.
+
+Max was too much interested in the girl to pay close attention to any
+slips she might make about the war with Switzerland. It is true he was
+now a soldier, and war was all right in its place; but there are things
+in life compared with which the wars of nations are trivial affairs. All
+subjects save one were unwelcome to him.
+
+"Now I am going to ask a promise from you, Fräulein," said Max,
+loosening his hand from her grasp and placing his arm about her waist.
+She offered no objections to the new situation, but blushed and looked
+down demurely to her folded hands.
+
+"It will, I fear, be very easy for you, Max, to induce me to promise
+anything you wish. It will be all too easy, for I am not strong, as you
+are." She glanced into his face, but her eyes fell quickly to her hands.
+
+"I shall soon leave you again, Fräulein, and what I wish is of such
+moment that I--I almost fear to ask."
+
+"Yes, Max," she murmured, gently reaching across his knee, and placing
+her hand in his by way of encouragement.
+
+"It is this, Fräulein. I am going back to Styria, and I want to carry
+with me your promise to be my wife," said Max, softly.
+
+The girl's head fell over against his shoulder, and she clasped his free
+hand between both of hers.
+
+"I will ask my father's consent," said Max. "I will tell him of you and
+of my great love, which is so great, Fräulein, that all the world is
+nothing beside it and beside you, and he will grant my request."
+
+"But if he doesn't, Max?" asked the face hidden upon his breast.
+
+"If he does not, Fräulein, I will forego my country and my estates. I
+will come back to you and will work in the fields, if need be, to make
+you as happy as you will make me."
+
+"There will be no need for that, Max," she answered, tears of happiness
+slowly trickling down her cheeks, "for I am rich."
+
+"That I am sorry to hear," he responded.
+
+"Don't you want to know who I am before you wed me?" she asked, after a
+long pause. She had almost made up her mind to tell him.
+
+"That you may tell me when you are my wife," said Max. "I thought you
+were the Princess Mary, but I am almost glad that you are not. I soon
+knew that I was wrong, for I knew that you would not deceive me."
+
+The girl winced and concluded to postpone telling her momentous secret.
+She was now afraid to do so. As a matter of fact, she had in her heart a
+healthy little touch of womanly cowardice on small occasions. After a
+long, delicious pause, Max said:--
+
+"Have I your promise, Fräulein?"
+
+"Y-e-s," she answered hesitatingly, "I will be your wife if--if I can,
+and if you will take me when you learn who I am. There is no taint of
+disgrace about me, Max," she added quickly, in response to the look of
+surprise on his face. "But I am not worthy of you, and I fear that if
+your father but knew my unworthiness, he would refuse his consent to our
+marriage. You must not tell him of my boldness. I will tell you all
+about myself before you leave for Styria, and then, if you do not want
+me, you may leave me to--to die."
+
+"I shall want you, Yolanda. I shall want you. Have no doubt of that," he
+answered.
+
+"With the assurance that there is no stain or taint upon me or my
+family, do you give me your word, Max, that you will want me and will
+take me, whoever I am, and will not by word or gesture show me that you
+are angry or that you regret your promise?"
+
+"I gladly give you that promise," answered Max.
+
+"Did you ever tell a lie, Little Max?" she asked banteringly, "or did
+you ever deliberately break a promise?"
+
+"Did I ever steal or commit wilful murder?" asked Max, withdrawing his
+arm.
+
+"No, Max; now put it back again," she said.
+
+After a long pause she continued:--
+
+"I have lied."
+
+Max laughed and drew her to him.
+
+"Your lies will harm no one," he said joyously.
+
+"No," she responded, "I only lie that good may come of it."
+
+Then silence fell upon the world--their world. Was not that hour with
+Max worth all the pains that Yolanda had taken to deceive him?
+
+Yolanda and Max came down to the long room, and she, too, gave me her
+cheek to kiss.
+
+Twonette had prepared a great tankard of wine and honey, with pepper and
+allspice to suit Yolanda's taste, and we all sat before the great
+blazing yule fire, as joyful and content as any six people in
+Christendom. Twonette and Yolanda together occupied one large chair;
+Twonette serenely allowing herself to be caressed by Yolanda, who was in
+a state of mind that compelled her to caress some one. Gentle Frau Kate
+was sleeping in a great easy chair near the chimney-corner. Max sat at
+one side of the table,--the side nearest Yolanda,--while Castleman and
+I sat by each other within easy reach of the wine. I knew without the
+telling, all that had occurred upstairs, and the same light seemed to
+have fallen upon the Castlemans. Good old George was in high spirits,
+and I could see in his eye that he intended to get drunk and, if
+possible, to bring me, also, to that happy condition. After many goblets
+of wine, he remarked:--
+
+"The king of France will probably be upon us within a fortnight after he
+hears the sad news from Nancy."
+
+Yolanda immediately sat upright in her chair, abandoning Twonette's soft
+hand and softer cheek.
+
+"Why do you believe so, uncle?" she asked nervously.
+
+"Because he has waited all his life for this untoward event to happen."
+
+"Preparations should be made to receive him," said Yolanda.
+
+"Ah, yes," replied Castleman, "but Burgundy's army is scattered to the
+four winds. It has given its blood for causes in which its heart was
+not. We lack the strong arm of the duke, to force men to battle against
+their will. King Louis must be fought by policy, not by armies; and
+Hymbercourt is absent."
+
+"Do you know aught of him, Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"I do not, Fräulein," I answered, "save that he was alive and well when
+we left Nancy."
+
+"That, at least, is good news," she replied, "and I make sure he will
+soon come to Burgundy's help."
+
+"I am sure he is now on his way," I answered.
+
+"What can Burgundy do?" she asked, turning to Castleman and me. "You
+will each advise--advise the princess, I hope."
+
+"If she wishes my poor advice," I responded, "she has but to ask it."
+
+"And mine," said Castleman, tipping his goblet over his nose.
+
+"If we are to have clear heads to-morrow," I suggested, "we must drink
+no more wine to-night. The counsel of wine is the advice of the devil."
+
+"Right you are, Sir Karl. Only one more goblet. Here's to the health of
+the bride to be," said Castleman.
+
+Yolanda leaned back in her chair beside Twonette, and her face wore a
+curious combination of smile and pout.
+
+On the way to the inn, Max, who was of course very happy, told me what
+had happened in the oak room and added:--
+
+"I look to you, Karl, to help me with father."
+
+"That I will certainly do," I answered. I could not resist saying: "We
+came to Burgundy with the hope of winning the princess. Fortune has
+opened a door for you by the death of her father. Don't you wish
+to try?"
+
+"No," said Max, turning on me. A moment later he added, "If Yolanda were
+but the princess, as I once believed she was, what a romance our
+journey to Burgundy would make!"
+
+My spirits were somewhat dampened by Castleman's words concerning the
+French king. Surely they were true, since King Louis was the last man in
+Europe to forego the opportunity presented by the death of Charles.
+Should the Princess Mary lose Burgundy just at the time when Max had won
+her, my disappointment would indeed be great, and Max might truly need
+my help with his father.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI
+
+The next day Castleman and I were called to the castle, and talked over
+the situation with the duchess and the Princess Mary. In the midst of
+our council, in walked Hymbercourt and Hugonet. They were devoted
+friends of Mary.
+
+Our first move was to send spies to the court of France; so two trusted
+men started at once. Paris was but thirty leagues distant, and the men
+could reach it in fifteen hours. Half a day there should enable them to
+learn the true condition of affairs, since they carried well-filled
+purses to loosen the tongues of Cardinal Balau and Oliver the Barber.
+The bribery plan was Mary's, and it worked admirably.
+
+Within forty-eight hours the spies returned, and reported that King
+Louis, with a small army, was within fifteen leagues of Peronne. He had
+quickly assembled the three estates at Paris, all of whom promised the
+king their aid. In the language of the chancellor, "The commons offered
+to help their king with their bodies and their wealth, the nobles with
+their advice, and the clergy with their prayers." This appalling news
+set Peronne in an uproar.
+
+Recruiting officers were sent out in all directions, the town was
+garrisoned, and fortifications were overhauled. Mary was again in
+trouble, and the momentous affairs resting on her young shoulders seemed
+to have put Max out of her mind. I expected her to call him into council
+and reveal herself, but she did not.
+
+On the day after we learned of King Louis' approach, the princess called
+Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Castleman, and myself to her closet and graciously
+asked us to be seated about a small table.
+
+"I have formed a plan that I wish to submit to you," she said. "I'll
+send to King Louis an invitation to visit me here at Peronne, under
+safeguard. When he comes, I intend to offer to restore all the cities
+that my father took from him, if he will release me from the treaty of
+marriage, and will swear upon the Cross of Victory to support me against
+my enemies, and to assist me in subduing Ghent, now in rebellion. What
+think you of the plan?"
+
+"Your Highness is giving King Louis nearly half your domain," suggested
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"True," answered the princess, "but it is better to give half than to
+lose all. Where can we turn for help against this greedy king? When
+Burgundy is in better case, we'll take them all from him again."
+
+"Your Highness is right," answered Hymbercourt. "But what assurance have
+you that King Louis will accept your terms?"
+
+"Little, my lord, save that King Louis does not know our weakness.
+Oliver has by this time told him that he has news of a vast army
+collecting within twenty leagues of Peronne. If Louis accepts our terms,
+Oliver and the cardinal are each to receive twenty thousand crowns out
+of our treasury at Luxembourg. My father fought King Louis with blows;
+I'll fight His Majesty with his own weapon, gold. That is the lesson my
+father should have learned."
+
+I rose to my feet during her recital and looked down at her in wonder.
+
+"Yolanda"--I began, but corrected myself--"Your Highness needs no
+councillor. I, for one, deem your plan most wise, and I see in it the
+salvation of Burgundy."
+
+The other councillors agreed with me most heartily.
+
+"I have still another plan which I hope may frighten King Louis into
+accepting our terms. During the conference which I hope to hold with His
+Majesty, I shall receive a message from my mother's brother, King Edward
+of England. The missive, of course, will be directed to my father, since
+the English king cannot yet know of the duke's death. The messenger will
+be an English herald, and will demand immediate audience,
+and--and--however, I'll keep the remainder of that plan to myself."
+
+A broad smile appeared on the faces of all present. Hugonet gazed at the
+princess and laughed outright.
+
+"Why did not your father take you into his council?" he asked.
+
+"I should have been no help to him," she responded. "A woman's wits,
+dear Hugonet, must be driven by a great motive."
+
+"But you would have had the motive," answered Hugonet.
+
+"There is but one motive for a woman, my lord," she answered.
+
+Hugonet unceremoniously whistled his astonishment, and Yolanda blushed
+as she said:--
+
+"You shall soon know."
+
+Mary's plan for an interview with Louis succeeded perfectly. He came
+post-haste under safe conduct to Peronne.
+
+Whatever may be said against Louis, he did not know personal fear. He
+had a wholesome dread of sacrificing the lives of his people, and
+preferred to satisfy his greed by policy rather than by war. Gold,
+rather than blood, was the price he paid for his victories. Taken all in
+all, he was the greatest king that France ever had--if one may judge a
+king by the double standard of what he accomplishes and what it costs
+his people. He almost doubled the territory of France, and he lost fewer
+men in battle than any enterprising monarch of whom I know.
+
+Within forty-eight hours of receiving the safe conduct, King Louis was
+sitting beside Mary on the dais of the ducal throne in the great hall.
+She was heavily veiled, being in mourning for her father. At her left
+stood Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Max, and myself. At the king's right stood
+Cardinal Balau and Oliver the Barber, each anticipating a rich reward in
+case Louis should accept Mary's terms. Back of them stood a score of the
+king's courtiers. Many questions of state were discussed; and then
+Hymbercourt presented Mary's offer to King Louis. The king hesitated.
+After a long pause he spoke, looking straight ahead, at nothing; as was
+his custom.
+
+"We will consult with our friends and make answer soon," he said,
+speaking to nobody.
+
+Louis seemed to think that if he looked at no one and addressed nobody,
+when he spoke, he might the more easily wriggle out of his
+obligations later on.
+
+Mary had caused to be drawn up in duplicate a treaty in accordance with
+the terms that she had outlined at our little council. It was handed to
+Oliver when the king rose to retire to a private room, to discuss the
+contents with his councillors.
+
+At the moment when King Louis rose to his feet, a herald was announced
+at the great hall door.
+
+"A message from His Majesty, King Edward of England," cried the
+Burgundian herald. Louis resumed his seat as though his feet had slipped
+from under him.
+
+"We are engaged," answered Mary, acting well a difficult part. "Let the
+herald leave his packet, or deliver it later."
+
+A whispered conversation took place between the Burgundian herald and
+the Englishman. Then spoke the Burgundian:--
+
+"Most Gracious Princess, the English herald has no packet. He bears a
+verbal message to your late father, and insists that he must deliver it
+to Your Highness at once."
+
+"Must, indeed!" cried Mary, indignantly. Then turning to the king:
+"These English grow arrogant, Your Majesty. What has the herald to say?
+Let him come forward. We have no secrets from our most gracious
+godfather, King Louis."
+
+The English herald approached the ducal throne, but did not speak.
+
+"Proceed," said Mary, irritably.
+
+"With all deference, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald, "the
+subject-matter of my message is such that it should be communicated
+privately, or at Your Highness's council-board."
+
+"If you have a message from my good uncle, King Edward, deliver it here
+and now," said the princess.
+
+"As you will, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald. "King Edward has
+amassed a mighty army, which is now awaiting orders to sail for France;
+and His Majesty asks permission to cross the territory of Burgundy on
+his way to Paris. He will pay to Your Highness such compensation as may
+be agreed upon when His Majesty meets you, which he hopes may be within
+a month. His Majesty begs a written reply to the message I bear."
+
+Mary paused before she answered.
+
+"Wait without. My answer depends upon the conclusions of His Majesty,
+the King of France."
+
+The herald withdrew, but in the meantime Louis had descended to the
+floor and was busily conning the treaty that Mary had caused to be
+written. He was whispering with Cardinal Balau and Oliver, and was
+evidently excited by the news he had just heard from England. When he
+resumed his seat beside Mary, he said:--
+
+"By this treaty, which is simple and straightforward, Your Highness
+cedes to me certain cities herein named, in perpetuity; and in
+consideration thereof, I am to be with you friend of friend and foe of
+foe. I am to aid you in subduing your rebellious subjects, and to
+sustain you in your choice of a husband. I am also to release you from
+the present contract of marriage with my son, the Dauphin."
+
+"That is all, Your Majesty," said the princess. "It is short and to the
+point."
+
+"Indeed it is, Your Highness, and if you will answer King Edward and
+will deny him the privilege of crossing Burgundy, I will sign the
+treaty, and will swear upon the true cross to keep it inviolate."
+
+Mary could hardly conceal her exultation, but she answered calmly:--
+
+"Will Your Majesty sign now?"
+
+Louis and Mary each signed the treaty, and the piece of the true cross
+upon which the oath was to be made was brought before them, resting on a
+velvet pillow. Now there were many pieces of the true cross, of which
+Louis possessed two. Upon one of these he held the oath to be binding
+and inviolate; it was known as the Cross of Victory. Upon the other his
+oath was less sacred, and the sin of perjury was venial.
+
+I stood near the throne, and, suspecting Louis of fraud, made bold to
+inquire:--
+
+"Most humbly I would ask Your Majesty, is this the Cross of Victory?"
+
+The king examined the piece of wood resting on the cushion and said:--
+
+"By Saint Andrew, My Lord Cardinal, you have committed an error. You
+have brought me the wrong piece."
+
+The Cross of Victory was then produced, with many apologies and excuses
+for the mistake, and the oath was taken while Mary's tiny hand rested on
+the relic beside King Louis' browned and wrinkled talon. When the
+ceremony was finished, the king turned to Mary and said:--
+
+"Whom will Your Highness select for a husband?"
+
+"My father sometime had treaty with Duke Frederick of Styria, looking
+to my marriage with his son Maximilian, and I shall ratify the compact."
+
+Max was about to speak, but I plucked him by the sleeve.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Now I shall hasten to the end. The king took his departure within an
+hour, carrying with him his copy of the treaty. The audience was
+dismissed, and the princess left the great hall by the door back of the
+throne, having first directed Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Max, and myself to
+follow within five minutes, under conduct of a page. Castleman excused
+himself and left the hall.
+
+The page soon came to fetch us, and we were taken to Mary's parlor,
+adjoining her bedroom in Darius tower. From the bedroom, as you know,
+the stairway in the wall descends to Castleman's house. In the parlor we
+found Mary, the Duchess Margaret, and several ladies in waiting. All the
+ladies, including Mary, were heavily veiled. When we entered, Mary
+addressed Max:--
+
+"Sir Count, you doubtless heard my announcement to the king of France.
+It was my father's desire at one time to unite Styria and Burgundy by
+marriage. I myself sent you a letter and a ring that you doubtless still
+possess. Are you pleased with my offer?"
+
+Max fell to his knee before the princess:--
+
+"Your Highness's condescension is far beyond my deserts. There are few
+men who could refuse your offer, but I am pledged to another, and I beg
+Your Highness--"
+
+"Enough, enough," cried the princess, indignantly. "No man need explain
+his reasons for refusing the hand of Mary of Burgundy."
+
+Astonishment appeared on all faces save mine. I thought I knew the
+purpose of Her Highness. Max rose to his feet, and Mary said:--
+
+"We'll go downstairs now, and, if you wish, Sir Count, you may there say
+farewell." She whispered a word to her mother, and led the way into her
+bedroom. The duchess indicated that Max and I were to follow. We did so,
+and Margaret came after us.
+
+"We'll go down by these steps," said the princess, leading us to the
+open panel. "The way is dark, and you must use care in descending, Sir
+Count, but this is the nearest way to the ground."
+
+Max started down the steps and Mary followed close at his heels. I
+followed Mary, and Duchess Margaret came after me.
+
+When we had descended twenty steps, the upper panel was closed by some
+one in the bedroom, and the stairway became inky dark. Ten steps
+further, I stumbled and almost fell over a soft obstruction on the
+stairs. I stooped and examined it. Fearing that the duchess might fall
+when she reached it, I took it up. It was a lady's head-dress and veil.
+A few steps farther I picked up a lady's bodice and then a skirt. By the
+time I had made this collection, Max and Mary had reached the moving
+panel at the foot of the stairs. I heard it slide back, and a flood of
+light came in upon us. Yolanda, in burgher girl's costume, sprang over
+the cushioned seat into Castleman's oak room. Max followed, and I, with
+an armful of woman's gear, helped the duchess to step to the cushion and
+thence to the floor. Max stood for a moment in half-vexed surprise, but
+Yolanda, two yards off, laughed merrily:--
+
+"You promised, Sir Max, that you would show no anger when you learned
+who I was, and you said you would neither lie, steal, nor
+commit murder."
+
+The Castlemans stood near by, and the duchess and I joined them, forming
+an admiring group. Max did not reply. He held out his arms to the girl,
+and she ran to them. So closely did he hold her that she could hardly
+move. She did, however, succeed in turning her face toward us, and said
+poutingly:--
+
+"Why don't you leave the room?"
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
+
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+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Yoland, Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major.</title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy
+
+Author: Charles Major
+
+Release Date: April 16, 2004 [EBook #12057]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOLANDA: MAID OF BURGUNDY ***
+
+
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+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charlie Kirschner and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
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+</pre>
+
+<a name="413.jpg"></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="Images/413.jpg"><img src="Images/413.jpg"
+width="40%" alt=""></a><br>
+<b>MAX AND YOLANDA. <i>Frontispiece</i></b></p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h1>YOLANDA</h1>
+<h2>MAID OF BURGUNDY</h2>
+<h3><i>By</i> CHARLES MAJOR</h3>
+<br>
+<h5>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</h5>
+<h4>CHARLOTTE WEBER DITZLER</h4>
+<h4><i>MCMV</i></h4>
+<h4>1905.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<center><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br>
+A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br>
+KNIGHTS-ERRANT</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br>
+YOLANDA THE SORCERESS</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br>
+DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br>
+WHO IS YOLANDA?</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br>
+DUKE CHARLES THE RASH</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br>
+A RACE WITH THE DUKE</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br>
+ON THE MOAT BRIDGE</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br>
+THE GREAT RIDDLE</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br>
+THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br>
+PERONNE LA PUCELLE</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br>
+A LIVE WREN PIE</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br>
+A BATTLE IN MID AIR</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br>
+SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br>
+THE CROSSING OF A "T"</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br>
+PARTICEPS CRIMINIS</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br>
+TRIAL BY COMBAT</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII<br>
+YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX<br>
+MAX GOES TO WAR</a><br>
+<br>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX<br>
+A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI</a></center>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+<br>
+<center><a href="#413.jpg">MAX AND YOLANDA
+<i>Frontispiece</i></a><br>
+<a href="#414.jpg">KARL AND MAX AT HAPSBURG CASTLE</a><br>
+<a href="#415.jpg">MAX</a><br>
+<a href="#416.jpg">THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY</a><br>
+<a href="#417.jpg">MAX AT THE GATE OF THE LISTS</a></center>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>YOLANDA</h2>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+<h3>A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Like the Israelites of old, mankind is prone to worship false
+gods, and persistently sets up the brazen image of a sham hero, as
+its idol. I should like to write the history of the world, if for
+no other reason than to assist several well-established heroes down
+from their pedestals. Great Charlemagne might come to earth's
+level, his patriarchal, flowing beard might drop from his face, and
+we might see him as he really was--a plucked and toothless old
+savage, with no more Christianity than Jacob, and with all of
+Jacob's greed. Richard of England, styled by hero-worshippers "The
+Lion-hearted," might be re-christened "The Wolf-hearted," and the
+famous Du Guesclin might seem to us a half-brutish vagabond. But
+Charles of Burgundy, dubbed by this prone world "The Bold" and "The
+Rash," would take the greatest fall. Of him and his fair daughter I
+shall speak in this history.</p>
+<p>At the time of which I write Louis XI reigned over France,
+Edward IV ruled in England, and his sister, the beautiful Margaret
+of York, was the unhappy wife of this Charles the Rash, and
+stepmother to his gentle daughter Mary. Charles, though only a duke
+in name, reigned as a most potent and despotic king over the fair
+rich land of Burgundy. Frederick of Styria was head of the great
+house of Hapsburg, and Count Maximilian, my young friend and pupil,
+was his heir.</p>
+<p>Of the other rulers of Europe I need not speak, since they will
+not enter this narrative. They were all bad enough,--and may God
+have mercy on their souls.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>Most of the really tragic parts in the great drama of history
+have been played by women. This truth I had always dimly known, yet
+one does not really know a fact until he feels it. I did not
+realize the extent to which these poor women of history have
+suffered in the matter of enforced marriages, until the truth was
+brought home to me in the person of Mary, Princess of Burgundy, to
+whose castle, Peronne La Pucelle, my pupil, Maximilian of Hapsburg,
+and I made a journey in the year 1476.</p>
+<p>My knowledge of this fair lady began in far-off Styria, and
+there I shall begin my story.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>In times of peace, life in Hapsburg Castle was dull; in times of
+war it was doleful. War is always grievous, but my good mistress,
+the Duchess of Styria, was ever in such painful dread lest evil
+should befall her only child, Maximilian, that the pains of
+war-time were rendered doubly keen to those who loved Her
+Grace.</p>
+<p>After Maximilian had reached the fighting age there was too
+little war to suit him. Up to his eighteenth year he had thrice
+gone out to war, and these expeditions were heart-breaking trials
+for his mother. Although tied to his mother's apron strings by
+bonds of mutual love, he burned with the fire and ambition of
+youth; while I, reaching well toward my threescore years, had
+almost outlived the lust for strife. Max longed to spread his
+wings, but the conditions of his birth held him chained to the
+rocks of Styria, on the pinnacle of his family's empty
+greatness.</p>
+<p>Perched among the mountain crags, our castle was almost
+impregnable; but that was its only virtue as a dwelling-place. Bare
+walls, stone floors, sour wine, coarse boar's meat, brown bread,
+and poor beds constituted our meagre portion.</p>
+<p>Duke Frederick was poor because his people were poor. They lived
+among the rocks and crags, raised their goats, ploughed their tiny
+patches of thin earth, and gave to the duke and to each man his
+due. They were simple, bigoted, and honest to the heart's core.</p>
+<p>Though of mean fortune, Duke Frederick was the head of the great
+House of Hapsburg, whose founders lived in the morning mists of
+European history and dwelt proudly amid the peaks of their mountain
+home. Our castle in Styria was not the original Castle Hapsburg.
+That was built centuries before the time of this story, among the
+hawks' crags of Aargau in Switzerland. It was lost by the House of
+Hapsburg many years before Max was born. The castle in Styria was
+its namesake.</p>
+<p>To leaven the poor loaf of life in Castle Hapsburg, its inmates
+enjoyed the companionship of the kindest man and woman that ever
+graced a high estate--the Duke and Duchess of Styria. Though in
+their little court, life was rigid with the starch of ceremony, it
+was softened by the tenderness of love. All that Duke Frederick
+asked from his subjects was a bare livelihood and a strict
+observance of ceremonious conventions. Those who approached him and
+his son did so with uncovered head and bended knee. An act of
+personal familiarity would have been looked on as high treason.
+Taxes might remain unpaid, laws might be broken, and there was
+mercy in the ducal heart; but a flaw in ceremony was
+unpardonable.</p>
+<p>The boar's meat and the brown bread were eaten in state; the
+sour wine was drunk solemnly; and going to bed each night was an
+act of national importance. Such had been the life of this house
+for generations, and good Duke Frederick neither would nor could
+break away from it.</p>
+<p>Of all these painful conditions young Max was a suffering
+victim. Did he sally forth to stick a wild boar or to kill a bear,
+the Master of the Hunt rode beside him in a gaudy, faded uniform.
+Fore-riders preceded him, and after-riders followed. He was almost
+compelled to hunt by proxy, and he considered himself lucky to be
+in at the death. The bear, of course, was officially killed by
+Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, no matter what hand dealt the blow.
+Maximilian, being the heir of Hapsburg, must always move with a
+slow dignity becoming his exalted station. He must, if possible,
+always act through an officer; I verily believe that Duke
+Frederick, his father, regretted the humiliating necessity of
+eating his own dinner.</p>
+<p>Poor Max did not really live; he was an automaton.</p>
+<p>Once every year Duke Frederick gave a tournament, the cost of
+which, in entertainments and prizes, consumed fully two-thirds of
+his annual income. On these occasions punctilious ceremony took the
+place of rich wine, and a stiff, kindly welcome did service as a
+feast. These tournaments were rare events for Max; they gave him a
+day of partial rest from his strait-jacket life at the little court
+among the crags.</p>
+<p>I shall give you here ten lines concerning myself. I am Italian
+by birth--a younger son of the noble House of Pitti. I left home
+when but little more than a boy. Journeying to the East, I became
+Sir Karl de Pitti, Knight of the Holy Order of St. John, and in
+consequence I am half priest, half soldier. My order and my type
+are rapidly passing away. I fought and prayed in many lands during
+twenty years. To be frank, I fought a great deal more than I
+prayed. Six years out of the twenty I spent in Burgundy, fighting
+under the banner of Duke Philip the Good, father to Charles the
+Rash. My mother was a Burgundian--a Walloon--and to her love for
+things German I owe my name, Karl. During my service under Duke
+Philip I met my Lord d'Hymbercourt, and won that most valuable of
+all prizes, a trusted friend.</p>
+<p>Fifteen years before the opening of this story I grew tired of
+fighting. How I drifted, a sort of human flotsam, against the crags
+of Styria would be a long, uninteresting story. By a curious
+combination of events I assumed the duties of tutor to the small
+count, Maximilian of Hapsburg, then a flaxen-haired little beauty
+of three summers. I taught him all that was needful from books, and
+grounded him fairly well in church lore, but gave my best efforts
+to his education in arms.</p>
+<p>Aside from my duties as instructor to the young count, I was
+useful in many ways about the castle. By reason of the half of me
+that was priestly, I could, upon occasion, hear confession,
+administer the holy sacrament, and shrive a sinner as effectively
+as the laziest priest in Christendom. I could also set a broken
+bone, and could mix as bitter a draught as any Jew out of Judea.
+So, you will see, I was a useful member of a household wherein
+ancestry took the place of wealth, and pride was made to stand for
+ready cash.</p>
+<p>The good duke might have filled his coffers by pillaging
+travellers, as many of his neighbors did; but he scorned to thrive
+by robbery, and lived in grandiose but honest penury.</p>
+<p>Max took readily to the use of arms, and by the time he was
+eighteen, which was three years before our now famous journey to
+Burgundy, a strong, time-hardened man might well beware of him.
+When the boy was fourteen or fifteen, I began to see in him great
+possibilities. In personal beauty and strength he was beyond
+compare. His eyes were as blue as an Italian sky, and his hair fell
+in a mass of tawny curls to his shoulders. His mother likened him
+to a young lion. Mentally he was slow, but his judgment was clear
+and accurate. Above all, he was honest, and knew not fear of man,
+beast, or devil. His life in Styria, hedged about by ceremonious
+conventions, had given him an undue portion of dignity and
+reticence, but that could easily be polished down by friction with
+the rougher side of the world. Except myself and his mother, he had
+never known a real friend.</p>
+<p>To Max the people of the world were of two conditions: a very
+small class to whom he must kneel, and a very large number who must
+kneel to him. Even his mother addressed him publicly as "My Lord
+Count." On rare occasions, in the deep privacy of her closet,
+mother-love would get the better of her and break through the crust
+of ceremony. Then she indulged herself and him in the ravishing,
+though doubtful, luxury of calling him "Little Max." No one but I,
+and perhaps at rare intervals Duke Frederick, ever witnessed this
+lapse from dignity on the part of Her Grace, and we, of course,
+would not expose her weakness to the world.</p>
+<p>This love-name clung to Max, and "Little Max," though somewhat
+incongruous, was pretty when applied to a strapping fellow six feet
+two and large of limb in proportion.</p>
+<p>When the boy approached manhood, I grew troubled lest this
+strait-jacket existence in Styria should dwarf him mentally and
+morally. So I began to stir cautiously in the matter of sending him
+abroad into the world. My first advances met with a rebuff.</p>
+<p>"It is not to be thought of," said the duke.</p>
+<p>"Send the count out to the rude world to associate with
+underlings? Never!" cried the duchess, horrified and alarmed.</p>
+<p>I had expected this, and I was not daunted. I renewed the attack
+from different points, and after many onslaughts, I captured the
+bailey of the parental fortresses; that is, I compelled them to
+listen to me. My chief point of attack was Max himself. He listened
+readily enough, but he could not see how the thing was to be done.
+When I spoke of the luxuries of Italy and Burgundy, and told him of
+deeds of prowess performed daily throughout the world by men vastly
+his inferior, his eyes brightened and his cheek flushed. When I
+talked of wealth to be won and glory to be achieved in those rich
+lands, and hinted at the barren poverty of Styria, he would sigh
+and answer:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, Karl, it sounds glorious, but I was born to this life, and
+father and mother would not forgive me if I should seek another
+destiny. Fate has fixed my lot, and I must endure it."</p>
+<p>I did not cease my lay; and especially was the fat land of
+Burgundy my theme, for I knew it well. Max would listen in
+enraptured silence. When he was eighteen, I wrote, with deep-seated
+purpose, several letters to my friend Lord d'Hymbercourt, who was
+at the time one of the councillors of Charles the Rash, Duke of
+Burgundy. In those letters I dwelt at length on the virtues,
+strength, and manly beauty of my pupil.</p>
+<p>I knew that Charles often negotiated with other states the
+marriage of his only child and heiress, Princess Mary. This form of
+treaty appeared to be almost a mania with the rash Burgundian. I
+also knew that in no instance had he ever intended to fulfil the
+treaty. His purpose in each case was probably to create a temporary
+alliance with that one state while he was in trouble with another.
+His daughter would inherit a domain richer than that of any king in
+Europe, and the duke certainly would be contented with nothing less
+than the hand of an heir to a crown. Suitors for the fair Mary came
+from every land. All were entertained; but the princess remained
+unbetrothed.</p>
+<p>A few broad hints in my letters to Hymbercourt produced the
+result I so much desired. One bright day our castle was stirred to
+its foundation-stones by the arrival of a messenger from Duke
+Charles of Burgundy, bearing the following missive:--</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>"To His Grace, Duke Frederick of Styria, Elector of the Holy
+Roman Empire, and Count of Austria; Charles, Duke of Burgundy and
+Count of Charolois, sends greeting:--</p>
+<p>"The said Duke Charles recommends himself to the most puissant
+Duke Frederick, and bearing in mind the great antiquity and high
+nobility of the illustrious House of Hapsburg, begs to express his
+desire to bind the said noble House to Burgundy by ties of
+marriage.</p>
+<p>"To that end, His Grace of Burgundy, knowing by fame the many
+virtues of the young and valiant Count of Hapsburg, son to His
+Grace, Duke Frederick, would, if it pleasures the said illustrious
+Duke Frederick, suggest the appointment of commissioners by each of
+the high contracting parties for the purpose of drawing a treaty of
+marriage between the noble Count of Hapsburg and our daughter,
+Princess Mary of Burgundy. The said commissioners shall meet within
+six months after the date of these presents and shall formulate
+indentures of treaty that shall be submitted to His Grace of Styria
+and His Grace of Burgundy.</p>
+<p>"The lady of Burgundy sends herewith a letter and a jewel which
+she hopes the noble Count of Hapsburg will accept as tokens of her
+esteem.</p>
+<p>"May God and the Blessed Virgin keep His Grace of Styria in
+their especial care."</p>
+<p>Signed with a flourish. "CHARLES."</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>This letter did not deceive me. I did not think for a moment
+that Charles meant to give his daughter to Max. But it answered my
+purpose by bringing Max to a realization of the nothingness of life
+in Styria, and opening his eyes to the glorious possibilities that
+lay in the great world beyond the mountain peaks.</p>
+<p>Burgundy's missive produced several effects in the household of
+Castle Hapsburg, though none were shown on the surface. I was glad,
+but, of course, I carefully concealed the reasons for my pleasure
+from His Grace. Duke Frederick was pleased to his toes and got
+himself very drunk on the strength of it. Otherwise he smothered
+his delight. He "was not sure"; "was not quite disposed to yield so
+great a favor to this far-away duke"; "the count is young; no need
+for haste," and so on. The duke had no intention whatever of
+sending such messages to Burgundy; he simply wished to strut before
+his little court. Charles most certainly would receive a pompous
+and affirmative answer. The poor duchess, torn by contending
+emotions of mother-love and family pride, was flattered by
+Burgundy's offer; but she was also grieved.</p>
+<p>"We do not know the lady," she said. "Fame speaks well of her,
+but the report may be false. She may not be sufficiently endued
+with religious enthusiasm."</p>
+<p>"She will absorb that from Your Grace," I answered.</p>
+<p>Her Grace thought that she herself was religious and tried to
+impress that belief on others; but Max was her god. In truth she
+was jealous of any woman who looked on him twice, and she kept at
+the castle only the old and harmless of the dangerous sex. She
+would have refused Burgundy's offer quickly enough if her heart had
+been permitted to reply.</p>
+<p>The effect of the letter on Max was tremendous. He realized its
+political importance, knowing full well that if he could add the
+rich domain of Burgundy to the Hapsburg prestige, he might easily
+achieve the imperial throne. But that was his lesser motive.
+Hymbercourt's letters to me had extolled Mary's beauty and
+gentleness. Every page had sung her praises. These letters I had
+given to Max, and there had sprung up in his untouched heart a
+chivalric admiration for the lady of Burgundy. He loved an ideal. I
+suppose most men and every woman will understand his condition. It
+was truly an ardent love.</p>
+<p>Max kept Hymbercourt's letters, and would hide himself on the
+battlements by the hour reading them, dreaming the dreams of youth
+and worshipping at the feet of his ideal,--fair Mary of Burgundy,
+his unknown lady-love.</p>
+<p>Before the arrival of the messenger from Duke Charles, Max spoke
+little of the Burgundian princess; but the message gave her a touch
+of reality, and he began to open his heart to me--his only
+confidant.</p>
+<p>There seemed to have been a reciprocal idealization going on in
+the far-off land of Burgundy. My letters to Hymbercourt, in which
+you may be sure Max's strength and virtues lost nothing, fell into
+the hands of Madame d'Hymbercourt, and thus came under the eyes of
+Princess Mary. That fair little lady also built in her heart an
+altar to an unknown god, if hints in Hymbercourt's letters were to
+be trusted. Her maidenly emotions were probably far more passive
+than Max's, though I have been told that a woman's heart will go to
+great lengths for the sake of an ideal. Many a man, doubtless,
+would fall short in the estimation of his lady-love were it not for
+those qualities with which she herself endows him.</p>
+<p>Whatever the lady's sentiments may have been, my faith in
+Hymbercourt's hints concerning them were strengthened by Mary's
+kindly letter and the diamond ring for Max which came with her
+father's message to Styria. They were palpable facts, and young Max
+built an altar in his holy of holies, and laid them tenderly upon
+it.</p>
+<p>Duke Frederick, with my help, composed a letter in reply to
+Burgundy's message. It required many days of work to bring it to a
+form sufficient in dignity, yet ample in assent. The missive must
+answer "yes" so emphatically as to leave no room for doubt in
+Burgundy's mind, yet it must show no eagerness on the part of
+Styria. (Duke Frederick always spoke of himself as Styria.)
+Burgundy must be made to appreciate the honor of this alliance;
+still, the fact must not be offensively thrust upon him.</p>
+<p>The letter was sent, and Charles of Burgundy probably laughed at
+it. Duke Frederick appointed commissioners and fixed Cannstadt as
+the place of meeting. Whatever Duke Charles's reasons for making
+the offer of marriage may have been, they probably ceased to exist
+soon afterward, for he never even replied to Duke Frederick's
+acceptance. For months Castle Hapsburg was in a ferment of
+expectancy. A watch stood from dawn till dusk on the battlements of
+the keep, that the duke might be informed of the approach of the
+Burgundian messenger--that never came. After a year of futile
+waiting the watch was abandoned. Anger, for a time, took the place
+of expectancy; Duke Frederick each day drowned his ill-humor in a
+gallon of sour wine, and remained silent on the subject of the
+Burgundian insult.</p>
+<p>Max's attitude was that of a dignified man. He showed neither
+anger nor disappointment, but he kept the letter and the ring that
+Mary had sent him and mused upon his love for his ideal--the lady
+he had never seen.</p>
+<p>A letter from Hymbercourt, that reached me nearly two years
+after this affair, spoke of a tender little maiden in Burgundy,
+whose heart throbbed with disappointment while it also clung to its
+ideal, as tender natures are apt to do. This hint in Hymbercourt's
+letter sank to the tenderest spot in Max's heart.</p>
+<p>On Max's twenty-first birthday he was knighted by the emperor. A
+grand tournament, lasting five days, celebrated the event, and Max
+proved himself a man among men and a knight worthy of his spurs. I
+had trained him for months in preparation for this, his first great
+trial of strength and skill. He was not lacking in either, though
+they would mature only with his judgment. His strength was beyond
+compare. A man could hardly span his great arm with both hands.</p>
+<p>Soon after Max was knighted, I brought up the subject of his
+journey into the world. I was again met by parental opposition; but
+Max was of age and his views had weight. If I could bring him to
+see the truth, the cause would be won. Unfortunately, it was not
+his desires I must overcome; it was his scruples. His head and his
+heart were full of false ideas and distorted motives absorbed from
+environment, inculcated by parental teaching, and inherited from
+twenty generations of fantastic forefathers. In-born motives in a
+conscientious person are stubborn tyrants, and Max was their slave.
+The time came when his false but honest standards cost him dearly,
+as you shall learn. But in Max's heart there lived another motive
+stronger than the will of man; it was love. Upon that string I
+chose to play.</p>
+<p>One day while we were sunning ourselves on the battlements, I
+touched, as if by chance, on the theme dear to his heart--Mary of
+Burgundy. After a little time Max asked hesitatingly:--</p>
+<p>"Have you written of late to my Lord d'Hymbercourt?"</p>
+<p>"No," I answered.</p>
+<p>A long pause followed; then Max continued: "I hope you will soon
+do so. He might write of--of--" He did not finish the sentence. I
+allowed him to remain in thought while I formulated my reply. After
+a time I said:--</p>
+<p>"If you are still interested in the lady, why don't you go to
+Burgundy and try to win her?"</p>
+<p>"That would be impossible," he answered.</p>
+<p>"No, no, Max," I returned, "not impossible--- difficult,
+perhaps, but certainly not impossible."</p>
+<p>"Ah, Karl, you but raise false hopes," he responded
+dolefully.</p>
+<p>"You could at least see her," I returned, ignoring his protest,
+"and that, I have been told, is much comfort to a lover!"</p>
+<p>"Indeed, it would be," said Max, frankly admitting the state of
+his heart.</p>
+<p>"Or it might be that if you saw her, the illusion would be
+dispelled."</p>
+<p>"I have little fear of that," he returned.</p>
+<p>"It is true," I continued, "her father's domains are the richest
+on earth. He is proud and powerful, noble and arrogant; but you are
+just as proud and just as noble as he. You are penniless, and your
+estate will be of little value; your father is poor, and his
+mountain crags are a burden rather than a profit; but all Europe
+boasts no nobler blood than that of your house. Lift it from its
+penury. You are worthy of this lady, were her estates multiplied
+tenfold. Win the estates, Max, and win the lady. Many a man with
+half your capacity has climbed to the pinnacle of fame and fortune,
+though starting with none of your prestige. Why do you, born a
+mountain lion, stay mewed up in this castle like a purring cat in
+your mother's lap? For shame, Max, to waste your life when love,
+fortune, and fame beckon you beyond these dreary hills and call to
+you in tones that should arouse ambition in the dullest
+breast."</p>
+<p>"Duke Charles has already insulted us," he replied.</p>
+<p>"But his daughter has not," I answered quickly.</p>
+<p>"That is true," returned Max, with a sigh, "but the Duke of
+Burgundy would turn me from his gates."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps he would," I replied, "if you should knock and demand
+surrender to Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg. Take another name; be
+for a time a soldier of fortune. Bury the Count of Hapsburg for a
+year or two; be plain Sir Max Anybody. You will, at least, see the
+world and learn what life really is. Here is naught but dry rot and
+mould. Taste for once the zest of living; then come back, if you
+can, to this tomb. Come, come, Max! Let us to Burgundy to win this
+fair lady who awaits us and doubtless holds us faint of heart
+because we dare not strike for her. I shall have one more sweet
+draught of life before I die. You will learn a lesson that will
+give you strength for all the years to come, and will have, at
+least, a chance of winning the lady. It may be one chance in a
+million; but God favors the brave, and you have no chance if you
+remain perched owl-like upon this wilderness of rock. Max, you know
+not what awaits you. Rouse yourself from this sloth of a thousand
+years, and strike fire from the earth that shall illumine your name
+to the end of time!"</p>
+<p>"But we have no money for our travels, and father has none to
+give me," he answered.</p>
+<p>"True," I replied, "but I have a small sum in the hands of a
+merchant at Vienna that will support us for a time. When it is
+spent, we must make our bread or starve. That will be the best part
+of our experience. A struggle for existence sweetens it; and if we
+starve, we shall deserve the fate."</p>
+<p>After three days Max gave me his answer.</p>
+<p>"I will go with you, Karl," he said; "you have never led me
+wrong. If we starve, I shall not be much worse off than I am here
+in Styria. It hurts me to say that the love of my father and mother
+is my greatest danger; but it is true. They have lived here so
+long, feeding on the poor adulation of a poor people, that they do
+not see life truly. I have had none of the joys and pleasures
+which, my heart tells me, life holds. I have known nothing but this
+existence--hard and barren as the rocks that surround me. I must,
+in time, return to Styria and take up my burden, but, Karl, I will
+first live."</p>
+<a name="414.jpg"></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="Images/414.jpg"><img src="Images/414.jpg"
+width="40%" alt=""></a><br>
+<b>KARL AND MAX AT HAPSBURG CASTLE.</b></p>
+<p>After this great stand, Max and I attacked first the father
+fortress and then the mother stronghold. The latter required a long
+siege; but at last it surrendered unconditionally, and the day was
+appointed when Max and I should ride out in quest of fortune, and,
+perhaps, a-bride-hunting. Neither of us mentioned Burgundy. I
+confess to telling--at least, to acting--a lie. We said that we
+wished to go to my people in Italy, and to visit Rome, Venice, and
+other cities. I said that I had a small sum of gold that I should
+be glad to use; but I did not say how small it was, and no hint was
+dropped that the heir to Styria might be compelled to soil his
+hands by earning his daily bread. We easily agreed among ourselves
+that Max and I, lacking funds to travel in state befitting a prince
+of the House of Hapsburg, should go incognito. I should keep my own
+name, it being little known. Max should take the name of his
+mother's house, and should be known as Sir Maximilian du
+Guelph.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>At last came the momentous day of our departure. The battlements
+of the gate were crowded with retainers, many of them in tears at
+losing "My young Lord, the Count." Public opinion in Castle
+Hapsburg unanimously condemned the expedition, and I was roundly
+abused for what was held to be my part in the terrible mistake.
+Such an untoward thing had never before happened in the House of
+Hapsburg. Its annals nowhere revealed a journey of an heir into the
+contaminating world. The dignity of the house was impaired beyond
+remedy, and all by the advice of a foreigner. There was no lack of
+grumbling; but of course the duke's will was law. If he wished to
+hang the count, he might do so; therefore the grumbling reached the
+duke's ears only from a distance.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+<h3>KNIGHTS-ERRANT</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The good mother had made a bundle for her son that would have
+brought a smile to my lips had it not brought tears to my eyes.
+There were her homely balsams to cure Max's ailments; true, he had
+never been ill, but he might be. There was a pillow of down for his
+head, and a lawn kerchief to keep the wind from his delicate
+throat. Last, but by no means least, was the dear old mother's
+greatest treasure, a tooth of St. Martin, which she firmly believed
+would keep her son's heart pure and free from sin. Of that amulet
+Max did not stand in need.</p>
+<p>We followed the Save for many leagues, and left its beautiful
+banks only to journey toward Vienna. At that city I drew my slender
+stock of gold from the merchant that had been keeping it for me,
+and bought a beautiful chain coat for Max. He already had a good,
+though plain, suit of steel plate which his father had given him
+when he received the accolade. I owned a good plate armor and the
+most perfect chain coat I have ever seen. I took it from a Saracen
+lord one day in battle, and gave him his own life in payment. Max
+and I each bore a long sword, a short sword, and a mace. We carried
+no lance. That weapon is burdensome, and we could get one at any
+place along our journey.</p>
+<p>I was proud of Max the morning we rode out of Vienna, true
+knights-errant, with the greatest princess in Europe as our
+objective prize. Truly, we were in no wise modest; but the God of
+heaven, the god of Luck, and the god of Love all favor the man that
+is bold enough to attempt the impossible.</p>
+<p>My stock of gold might, with frugality, last us three months,
+but after that we should surely have to make our own way or starve.
+We hoped that Max would be successful in filling our purses with
+prize money and ransoms, should we fall in with a tournament now
+and then; but, lacking that good fortune, we expected to engage
+ourselves as escorts to merchant caravans. By this kind of
+employment we hoped to be housed and fed upon our travels and to
+receive at each journey's end a good round sum of gold for our
+services. But we might find neither tournament nor merchant
+caravan. Then there would be trouble and hardship for us, and
+perhaps, at times, an aching void under our belts. I had often
+suffered the like.</p>
+<p>Ours, you see, was not to be a flower-strewn journey of
+tinselled prince to embowered princess. Before our return to
+Styria, Max would probably receive what he needed to make a man of
+him--hard knocks and rough blows in the real battle of life. Above
+all, he would learn to know the people of whom this great world is
+composed, and would return to Hapsburg Castle full of all sorts of
+noxious heresies, to the everlasting horror of the duke and the
+duchess. They probably would never forgive me for making a real
+live man of their son, but I should have my reward in Max.</p>
+<p>To Max, of course, the future was rosy-hued. Caravans were
+waiting for our protection, and princes were preparing tournaments
+for our special behoof. <i>We</i> want for food to eat or place to
+lay our heads? Absurd! Our purses would soon be so heavy they would
+burden us; we should soon need squires to carry them. If it were
+not for our desire to remain incognito, we might presently collect
+a retinue and travel with herald and banner. But at the end of all
+was sweet Mary of Burgundy waiting to be carried off by Maximilian,
+Count of Hapsburg.</p>
+<p>Just what the boy expected to do in Burgundy, I did not know.
+For the lady's wealth I believe he did not care a straw--he wanted
+herself. He hoped that Charles, for his own peace, would not be too
+uncivil and would not force a desperate person to take extreme
+measures; but should this rash duke be blind to his own
+interests--well, let him beware! Some one <i>might</i> carry off
+his daughter right from under the ducal nose. Then let the
+Burgundian follow at his peril. Castle Hapsburg would open his
+eyes. He would learn what an impregnable castle really is. If Duke
+Charles thought he could bring his soft-footed Walloons, used only
+to the mud roads of Burgundy, up the stony path to the hawk's crag,
+why, let him try! Harmless boasting is a boy's vent. Max did not
+really mean to boast, he was only wishing; and to a flushed,
+enthusiastic soul, the wish of to-day is apt to look like the fact
+of to-morrow.</p>
+<p>We hoped to find a caravan ready to leave Linz, but we were
+disappointed, so we journeyed by the Danube to the mouth of the
+Inn, up which we went to Muhldorf. There we found a small caravan
+bound for Munich on the Iser. From Munich we travelled with a
+caravan to Augsburg, and thence to Ulm, where we were overjoyed to
+meet once more our old friend, the Danube. Max snatched up a
+handful of water, kissed it, and tossed it back to the river,
+saying:--"Sweet water, carry my kiss to the river Save; there give
+it to a nymph that you will find waiting, and tell her to take it
+to my dear old mother in far-off Styria."</p>
+<p>Do not think that we met with no hard fortune in our journeying.
+My gold was exhausted before we reached Muhldorf, and we often
+travelled hungry, meeting with many lowly adventures. Max at first
+resented the familiarity of strangers, but hunger is one of the
+factors in man-building, and the scales soon began to fall from his
+eyes. Dignity is a good thing to stand on, but a poor thing to
+travel with, and Max soon found it the most cumbersome piece of
+luggage a knight-errant could carry.</p>
+<p>Among our misfortunes was the loss of the bundle prepared by the
+duchess, and with it, alas! St. Martin's tooth. Max was so deeply
+troubled by the loss of the tooth that I could not help
+laughing.</p>
+<p>"Karl, I am surprised that you laugh at the loss of my mother's
+sacred relic," said Max, sorrowfully.</p>
+<p>I continued to laugh, and said: "We may get another tooth from
+the first barber we meet. It will answer all the purposes of the
+one you have lost."</p>
+<p>"Truly, Karl?"</p>
+<p>"Truly," I answered. "The tooth was a humbug."</p>
+<p>"I have long thought as much," said Max, "but I valued it
+because my mother loved it."</p>
+<p>"A good reason, Max," I replied, and the tooth was never
+afterward mentioned.</p>
+<p>From Ulm we guarded a caravan to Cannstadt. From that city we
+hoped to go to Strasburg, and thence through Lorraine to Burgundy,
+but we found no caravan bound in that direction. Our sojourn at
+Cannstadt exhausted the money we got for our journeys from Augsburg
+and Ulm, and we were compelled, much against our will, to accept an
+offer of service with one Master Franz, a silk merchant of Basel,
+who was about to journey homeward. His caravan would pass through
+the Black Forest; perhaps the most dangerous country in Europe for
+travellers.</p>
+<p>Knowing the perils ahead of us, I engaged two stout men-at-arms,
+and late in February we started for Basel as bodyguard to good
+Master Franz. Think of the heir of Hapsburg marching in the train
+of a Swiss merchant! Max dared not think of it; he was utterly
+humiliated!</p>
+<p>Our first good fortune at Muhldorf he looked on as the deepest
+degradation a man might endure, but he could not starve, and he
+would not beg. Not once did he even think of returning to Styria,
+and, in truth, he could not have done so had he wished; our bridges
+were burned behind us; our money was spent.</p>
+<p>By the time we had finished half our journey to Basel, Max liked
+the life we were leading, and learned to love personal liberty, of
+which he had known so little. Now he could actually do what he
+wished. He could even slap a man on the back and call him
+"comrade." Of course, if the process were reversed,--if any one
+slapped Max on the back,--well, dignity is tender and not to be
+slapped. On several occasions Max got himself into trouble by
+resenting familiarities, and his difficulties at times were
+ludicrous. Once a fist fight occurred. The heir of Hapsburg was
+actually compelled to fight with his fists. He thrashed the poor
+fellow most terribly, and I believe would have killed him had not I
+stayed his hand. Another time a pretty girl at Augsburg became
+familiar with him, and Max checked her peremptorily. When he grew
+angry, she laughed, and saucily held up her lips for a kiss. Max
+looked at me in half-amused wonder.</p>
+<p>"Take it, Max; there is no harm in it," I suggested.</p>
+<p>Max found it so, and immediately wanted more, but the girl said
+too many would not be good for him. She promised others later on,
+if he were very, very good. Thus Max was conquered by a kiss at the
+wayside.</p>
+<p>The girl was very pretty, Max was very good, and she helped me
+wonderfully in reducing his superfluous dignity. Her name was
+Gertrude, and we spoke of her afterward as "Gertrude the
+Conqueror." She was a most enticing little individual, and Max
+learned that persons of low degree really may be interesting. That
+was his first great lesson. I had some trouble after leaving
+Augsburg to keep him from taking too many lessons of the same
+sort.</p>
+<p>Our contract with Franz provided that we should receive no
+compensation until after his merchandise had safely reached Basel,
+but then our remuneration was to be large. Max had no doubt as to
+the safe arrival of the caravan at Basel, and he rejoiced at the
+prospect. I tried to reduce the rosy hue of his dreams, but failed.
+I suggested that we might have fighting ahead of us harder than any
+we had known, though we had given and taken some rough knocks on
+two of our expeditions. Max laughed and longed for the fray; he was
+beginning to live. The fray came quickly enough after we reached
+the Black Forest, and the fight was sufficiently warm to suit even
+enthusiastic Max. He and I were wounded; one of our men-at-arms was
+killed, and Franz's life was saved only by an heroic feat of arms
+on Max's part. The robbers were driven off; we spent a fortnight in
+a near-by monastery, that our wounds might heal, and again started
+for Basel.</p>
+<p>During the last week in March we approached Basel. Max had saved
+the merchant's life; we had protected the caravan from robbery; and
+good Franz was grateful. Notwithstanding our sure reward, Max was
+gloomy. The future had lost its rosiness; his wound did not readily
+heal; Basel was half a hundred leagues off our road to Burgundy.
+Why did we ever come to Switzerland? Everything was wrong. But no
+man knows what good fortune may lurk in an evil chance.</p>
+<p>At the close of a stormy day we sighted Basel from the top of a
+hill, and soon the lights, one by one, began to twinkle cosily
+through the gloaming. All day long drizzling rain and spitting snow
+had blown in our faces like lance points, driven down the wind
+straight from the icy Alps. We were chilled to the bone; in all my
+life I have never beheld a sight so comforting as the home lights
+of the quaint old Swiss city.</p>
+<p>Franz soon found a wherry and, after crossing the Rhine, we
+marched slowly down the river street, ducking our heads to the
+blast. Within half an hour we passed under a stone archway and
+found ourselves snug in the haven of our merchant's courtyard. Even
+the sumpter mules rejoiced, and gave forth a chorus of brays that
+did one's heart good. Every tone of their voices spoke of the warm
+stalls, the double feed of oats, and the great manger of sweet hay
+that awaited them. Before going into the house Max gave to each
+mule a stroke of his hand in token of affection. Surely this proud
+automaton of Hapsburg was growing lowly in his tastes. In other
+words, nature had captured his heart and was driving out the
+inherited conventions of twenty generations. Five months of contact
+with the world had wrought a greater cure than I had hoped five
+years would work. I was making a man out of the flesh and blood of
+a Hapsburg. God only knows when the like had happened before.</p>
+<p>Max and I were conducted by a demure little Swiss maid to a
+large room on the third floor of the house, overlooking the Rhine.
+There was no luxury, but there was every comfort. There were two
+beds, each with a soft feather mattress, pillows of down, and warm,
+stuffed coverlets of silk. These were not known even in the duke's
+apartments at Hapsburg Castle. There we had tarnished gold cloth
+and ancient tapestries in abundance, but we lacked the little
+comforts that make life worth living. Here Max learned another
+lesson concerning the people of this world. The lowly Swiss
+merchant's unknown guest slept more comfortably than did the Duke
+of Styria.</p>
+<p>When we went down to supper, I could see the effort it cost Max
+to sit at table with these good people. But the struggle was not
+very great; five months before it would have been impossible. At
+Hapsburg he sat at table with his father and mother only; even I
+had never sat with him in the castle. At Basel he was sitting with
+a burgher and a burgher's frau. In Styria he ate boar's meat from
+battered silver plate and drank sour wine from superannuated golden
+goblets; in Switzerland he ate tender, juicy meats and toothsome
+pastries from stone dishes and drank rich Cannstadt beer from
+leathern mugs. His palate and his stomach jointly attacked his
+brain, and the horrors of life in Hapsburg appeared in their true
+colors.</p>
+<p>On the morning of our second day at Basel, Franz invited us to
+be his guests during our sojourn in the city. His house was large,
+having been built to entertain customers who came from great
+distances to buy his silks.</p>
+<p>Max and I had expected to leave Basel when our wounds were
+entirely healed, but we changed our minds after I had talked with
+Franz. The conversation that brought about this change occurred one
+morning while the merchant and I were sitting in his shop. He
+handed me a purse filled with gold, saying:--</p>
+<p>"Here is twice the sum I agreed to pay. I beg that you accept it
+since I shall still be in your debt."</p>
+<p>I knew by the weight of the gold that it was a larger sum than I
+had ever before possessed. I did not like to accept it, but I could
+not bring myself to refuse a thing so important to Max.</p>
+<p>"We should not accept this from you, good Franz, but--but--"</p>
+<p>"The boy saved my life and my fortune," he interrupted, "and I
+am really ashamed to offer you so small a sum. You should have half
+of all my goods."</p>
+<p>I protested and thanked him heartily, not only for his gift, but
+also for his manner of giving. Then I told him of our intended
+journey to Burgundy--of course not mentioning the princess--and
+asked if he knew of any merchant who would soon be travelling that
+way.</p>
+<p>"There are many going down the river from Basel to Strasburg,"
+he answered, "and you may easily fall in with one any day. But
+there will soon be an opportunity for you to travel all the way to
+Burgundy. I know the very man for your purpose. He is Master George
+Castleman of Peronne. He comes every spring, if there is peace
+along the road, to buy silks. We now have peace, though I fear it
+will be of short duration, and I am expecting Castleman early this
+season. He will probably be here before the first of May. He is a
+rich merchant, and was one of the councillors of Duke Philip the
+Good, father to the present Duke of Burgundy. Years ago Duke Philip
+built a house for him abutting the walls of Peronne Castle. It is
+called 'The House under the Wall,' and Castleman still lives in it.
+He refused a title of nobility offered him by Duke Philip. He is
+not out of favor with the present duke, but he loves peace too
+dearly to be of use to the hot-headed, tempestuous Charles. Duke
+Charles, as you know, is really King of Burgundy--the richest land
+on earth. His domain is the envy of every king, but he will bring
+all his grandeur tumbling about his head if he perseveres in his
+present course of violence and greed."</p>
+<p>At that moment Max joined us.</p>
+<p>"I hear this Duke Charles has no son to inherit his rich
+domain?" I observed interrogatively.</p>
+<p>"No," answered Franz. "He has a daughter, the Princess Mary, who
+will inherit Burgundy. She is said to be as gentle as her father is
+violent. Castleman tells me that she is gracious and kind to those
+beneath her, and, in my opinion, that is the true stamp of
+greatness."</p>
+<p>Those were healthful words for Max.</p>
+<p>"The really great and good have no need to assert their
+qualities," I answered.</p>
+<p>"Castleman often speaks of the princess," said Franz. "He tells
+me that his daughter Antoinette and the Princess Mary have been
+friends since childhood--that is, of course, so far as persons so
+widely separated by birth and station can be friends."</p>
+<p>I briefly told Max what Franz had said concerning Castleman, and
+the young fellow was delighted at the prospect of an early start
+for Peronne.</p>
+<p>In Max's awakening, the radiance of his ideal may have been
+dimmed, but if so, the words of Franz restored its lustre. If the
+boy's fancy had wandered, it quickly returned to the lady of
+Burgundy.</p>
+<p>I asked Franz if Duke Charles lived at Peronne.</p>
+<p>"No, he lives at Ghent," he answered; "but on rare occasions he
+visits Peronne, which is on the French border. Duke Philip once
+lived there, but Charles keeps Peronne only as his watch-tower to
+overlook his old enemy, France. The enmity, I hope, will cease, now
+that the Princess Mary is to marry the Dauphin."</p>
+<p>This confirmation of a rumor which I had already heard was
+anything but welcome. However, it sensitized the feeling Max
+entertained for his unknown lady-love, and strengthened his
+resolution to pursue his journey to Burgundy at whatever cost.</p>
+<p>I led Franz to speak of Burgundian affairs and he
+continued:--</p>
+<p>"The princess and her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret, live at
+Peronne. They doubtless found life at Ghent with the duke too
+violent. It is said that the duchess is unhappily wedded to the
+fierce duke, and that the unfortunate princess finds little favor
+in her father's eyes because he cannot forgive her the grievous
+fault of being a girl."</p>
+<p>While Franz was talking I was dreaming. A kind providence had
+led us a half-hundred leagues out of our road, through wounds and
+hardships, to Basel; but that quiet city might after all prove to
+be the open doorway to Max's fortune. My air-castle was of this
+architecture: Max would win old Castleman's favor--an easy task. We
+would journey to Peronne, seek Castleman's house, pay court to
+Antoinette--I prayed she might not be too pretty--and--you can
+easily find your way over the rest of my castle.</p>
+<p>Within a fortnight Max and I had recovered entirely from our
+wounds, and were abroad each day in the growing warmth of the
+sunshine. We did not often speak of Castleman, but we waited, each
+day wishing for his speedy advent.</p>
+<p>At last, one beautiful evening early in May, he arrived. Max and
+I were sitting at our window watching the river, when the little
+company rode up to the door of the merchant's shop. With Castleman
+were two young women hardly more than girls. One of them was a pink
+and white young beauty, rather tall and somewhat stout. Her face,
+complexion, and hair were exquisite, but there was little animation
+in her expression. The other girl had features less regular,
+perhaps, but she was infinitely more attractive. She was small, but
+beautiful in form; and she sprang from her horse with the grace of
+a kitten. Her face was not so white as her companion's, but its
+color was entrancing. Her expression was animated, and her great
+brown eyes danced like twinkling stars on a clear, moonless
+night.</p>
+<p>The young women entered the house, and we saw nothing more of
+them for several days.</p>
+<p>When we met Castleman, he gladly engaged our services to
+Peronne, having heard from Franz of our adventures in the Black
+Forest. We left the terms to him, and he suggested a compensation
+far greater than we should have asked. The sum we received from
+Franz, together with that which we should get from Castleman, would
+place us beyond want for a year to come. Surely luck was with
+us.</p>
+<p>After Castleman's arrival our meals were served in our room, and
+we saw little of him or of Franz for a week or more. Twice I saw
+Castleman ride out with the young women, and after that I haunted
+the front door of the house. One bright afternoon I met them as
+they were about to dismount. Castleman was an old man and quite
+stout, so I helped him from his horse. He then turned to the fair
+girl of pink and white, saying:--</p>
+<p>"Antoinette, daughter, this is Sir Karl de Pitti, who will
+accompany us to Peronne."</p>
+<p>I made my bow and assisted Fr&auml;ulein Antoinette to the
+ground. The other young lady sprang nimbly from her saddle without
+assistance and waited, as I thought, to be presented. Castleman did
+not offer to present her, and she ran to the house, followed by
+serene Antoinette. I concluded that the smaller girl was
+Fr&auml;ulein Castleman's maid. I knew that great familiarity
+between mistress and servant was usual among the burgher class.</p>
+<p>The smaller girl was certainly attractive, but I did not care
+for her acquaintance. Antoinette was the one in whose eyes I hoped
+to find favor, first for myself and then for Max. By her help I
+hoped Max might be brought to meet the Princess of Burgundy when we
+should reach Peronne. I had little doubt of Max's success in
+pleasing Antoinette; I was not at all anxious that he should please
+the smaller maid. There was a saucy glance in her dark eyes, and a
+tremulous little smile constantly playing about her red, bedimpled
+mouth, that boded trouble to a susceptible masculine heart. Max,
+with all his simplicity, though not susceptible, had about him an
+impetuosity when his interest was aroused of which I had learned to
+stand in wholesome dread. I was jealous of any woman who might
+disturb his dreams of Mary of Burgundy, and this little maid was
+surely attractive enough to turn any man's head her way if she so
+desired.</p>
+<p>Later in the afternoon I saw Fr&auml;ulein Antoinette in the
+shop looking at silks and laces. Hoping to improve the opportunity,
+I approached her, and was received with a serene and gracious
+smile. Near Antoinette were the saucy brown eyes and the bedimpled
+mouth. Truly they were exquisitely beautiful in combination, and,
+old as I was, I could not keep my eyes from them. The eyes and
+dimples came quickly to Antoinette, who presented me to her "Cousin
+Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda Castleman." Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda bowed with
+a grace one would not expect to find in a burgher girl, and said
+with the condescension of a princess:--</p>
+<p>"Sir Karl, you pleasure me."</p>
+<p>I was not prepared for her manner. She probably was <i>not</i>
+Antoinette's maid. A pause followed my presentation which might
+have been meant by the brown-eyed maid as permission to withdraw.
+But I was for having further words with Antoinette. She, however,
+stepped back from her cousin, and, if I was to remain, I must speak
+to my lady Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda Castleman or remain silent, so I
+asked,--</p>
+<p>"Do you reside in Basel, Fr&auml;ulein?"</p>
+<p>"No, no," she replied, with no touch of bourgeois confusion, "I
+am a Burgundian. Uncle Castleman, after promising Twonette" (I
+spell the name as she pronounced it) "and me for years, has brought
+us on this long journey into the world. I am enjoying it more than
+any one can know, but poor uncle lives in dread of the journey
+home. He upbraids himself for having brought us and declares that
+if he but had us home again, nothing could induce him to start out
+with such a cargo of merchandise."</p>
+<p>"Well he may be fearful," I answered. "Where one's greatest
+treasure is, there is his greatest fear, but peace reigns on the
+road to Burgundy, and I hope your good uncle's fears are without
+ground save in his love."</p>
+<p>"I hear you are to accompany us, and of course we shall be
+safe," she said, the shadow of a smile playing suspiciously about
+her mouth and dancing in her eyes.</p>
+<p>"Yes, I am to have that great <i>honor</i>," I replied, bowing
+very low. I, too, could be sarcastic.</p>
+<p>"Does the--will the--the gentleman who is with you accompany
+us?" asked Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda. So! These maidens of Burgundy had
+already seen my handsome Max! This one would surely be tempting him
+with her eyes and her irresistible little smile.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda!" exclaimed serene Twonette. Yolanda gave no heed.</p>
+<p>"Yes, Fr&auml;ulein," I responded. "He goes with us. Do you live
+in Peronne?"</p>
+<p>"Y-e-s," she replied hesitatingly. "Where is your home and your
+friend's?"</p>
+<p>"Yolanda!" again came in tones of mild remonstrance from
+Fr&auml;ulein Antoinette. The dimples again ignored the warning and
+waited for my answer.</p>
+<p>"We have no home at present save the broad earth,
+Fr&auml;ulein," I responded.</p>
+<p>"You cannot occupy it all," she retorted, looking roguishly up
+to me.</p>
+<p>"No," I responded, "we are occupying this part of the earth at
+present, but we hope soon to occupy Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"Please leave a small patch of that fair land for Twonette and
+me," she answered, in mock entreaty. After a short pause she
+continued:--</p>
+<p>"It seems easier for you to ask questions than to answer
+them."</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein," I responded, "your question is not easily
+answered. I was born in Italy. I lived for many years in the East,
+and--"</p>
+<p>"I did not ask for your biography," she said, interrupting me. I
+did not notice the interruption, but continued:--</p>
+<p>"I spent six years in your fair land of Burgundy. My mother was
+a Walloon. I dearly love her people, and hope that my home may soon
+be among them."</p>
+<p>The girl's face had been slightly clouded, but when I spoke
+lovingly of the Walloons, the dimples again played around her mouth
+and a smile brightened her eyes.</p>
+<p>"I also am a Walloon," she answered; "and your friend? He surely
+is not Italian: he is too fair."</p>
+<p>"The Lombards are fair," I answered, "and the Guelphs, you know,
+are of Lombardy. You may have heard of the Houses of Guelph and of
+Pitti."</p>
+<p>"I have often heard of them," she answered; then, after a short
+silence,--"I fear I have asked too many questions." A gentle,
+apologetic smile lighted her face and won me instantly. I liked her
+as much as I admired her. I knew that she wanted me to speak of
+Max, so to please her I continued, even against my
+inclination:--</p>
+<p>"My young friend, Sir Maximilian du Guelph, wanted to see the
+world. We are very poor, Fr&auml;ulein, and if we would travel, we
+must make our way as we go. We have just come from Ulm and
+Cannstadt, passing through the Black Forest. Sir Max saved the life
+of our host, and in so doing was grievously wounded. Good Master
+Franz rewarded us far beyond our deserts, and for the time being we
+think we are rich."</p>
+<p>"The name Maximilian is not Italian," observed Yolanda. "It has
+an Austrian sound."</p>
+<p>"That is true," I responded. "My name, Karl, is German. Few
+names nowadays keep to their own country. Your name, Yolanda, for
+example, is Italian."</p>
+<p>"Is that true?" she answered inquiringly, taking up a piece of
+lace. I saw that the interview was closing. After a moment's
+hesitation Yolanda turned quickly to me and said:--</p>
+<p>"You and your friend may sup with us this evening in the dining
+room of our hostess. We take supper at five."</p>
+<p>The invitation was given with all the condescension of a noble
+lady. Twonette ventured:--</p>
+<p>"What will father say, Yolanda?"</p>
+<p>"I can guess what uncle will say, but we will give him his say
+and take our own way. Nonsense, Twonette, if we are to journey to
+Peronne with these gentlemen, our acquaintance with them cannot
+begin too soon. Come, Sir Karl, and--and bring your young friend,
+Sir Maximilian."</p>
+<p>It was clear to my mind that, without my young friend, Sir
+Maximilian, I should not have had the invitation. Yolanda then
+turned to Franz and his silks, and I, who had always thought myself
+of some importance, was dismissed by a burgher girl. I soothed my
+vanity with the thought that beauty has its own prerogatives.</p>
+<p>Without being little, Yolanda was small; without nobility, she
+had the <i>haute</i> mien. But over and above all she had a sweet
+charm of manner, a saucy gentleness, and a kindly grace that made
+her irresistible. When she smiled, one felt like thanking God for
+the benediction.</p>
+<p>That evening at five o'clock Max and I supped with Frau Franz.
+The good frau and her husband sat at either end of the table,
+Castleman, his daughter, and Yolanda occupied one side, while I sat
+by Max opposite them. If Castleman had offered objection to the
+arrangement, he had been silenced.</p>
+<p>I was especially anxious that Max should devote himself to
+Twonette, but, as I had expected, Yolanda's attractions were far
+too great to be resisted. There was a slight Walloon accent in her
+French and German (we all spoke both languages) that gave to her
+voice an exquisite cadence. I spoke to her in Walloonish, and she
+was so pleased that she seemed to nestle toward me. In the midst of
+an animated conversation she suddenly became silent, and I saw her
+watching Max's hand. I thought she was looking at his ring. It was
+the one that Mary of Burgundy had given him.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+<h3>YOLANDA THE SORCERESS</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Several days passed, during which we saw the Castlemans
+frequently. One evening after supper, when we were all sitting in
+the parlor, Yolanda enticed Max to an adjoining room, on the excuse
+of showing him an ancient piece of tapestry. When it had been
+examined, she seated herself on a window bench and indicated a
+chair for Max near by. Among much that was said I quote the
+following from memory, as Max told me afterward:--</p>
+<p>"So you are from Italy, Sir Max?" queried Yolanda, stealing a
+glance at his ring.</p>
+<p>"Yes," returned Max.</p>
+<p>"From what part, may I ask?" continued the girl, with a slight
+inclination of her head to one side and a flash from beneath the
+preposterously long lashes toward his hand.</p>
+<p>"From--from Rome," stammered Max, halting at even so small a
+lie.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Sir Karl said you were from Lombardy," answered the
+girl.</p>
+<p>"Well--that is--originally, perhaps, I was," he returned.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps your family lives in both places?" she asked very
+seriously.</p>
+<p>"Yes, that is the way of it," he responded.</p>
+<p>"Were you born in both places?" asked Yolanda, without the
+shadow of a smile. Max was thinking of the little lie he was
+telling and did not analyze her question.</p>
+<p>"No," he answered, in simple honesty, "you see I could not be
+born in two places. That would be impossible."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps it would be," replied Yolanda, with perfect gravity.
+Max was five years her senior, but he was a boy, while she had the
+self-command of a quick-witted woman, though she still retained the
+saucy impertinence of childhood. Slow-going, guileless Max began to
+suspect a lurking intention on Yolanda's part to quiz him.</p>
+<p>"Did not Sir Karl say something about your having been born in
+Styria?" asked the girl, glancing slyly at the ring.</p>
+<p>"No, he did not," answered Max, emphatically. "I suppose I was
+born in Rome--no, I mean Lombardy--but it cannot matter much to
+you, Fr&auml;ulein, where I was born if I do not wish to tell."</p>
+<p>The direct course was as natural to Max as breathing. The girl
+was startled by his abruptness. After a pause she continued:--</p>
+<p>"I am sure you are not ashamed of your birthplace, and--"</p>
+<p>He interrupted her sharply:--</p>
+<p>"I also am sure I am not ashamed of it."</p>
+<p>"If you had permitted me to finish," she said quietly, "you
+would have had no need to speak so sharply. I spoke seriously. I
+wanted to say that I am sure you have no reason to feel ashamed of
+your birthplace, and that perhaps I ought not to have asked a
+question that you evidently do not want to answer. Uncle says if my
+curiosity were taken from me, there would be nothing left but my
+toes."</p>
+<p>Her contrition melted Max at once, and he said:--</p>
+<p>I will gladly tell you, Fr&auml;ulein, if you want to know. I
+was born--"</p>
+<p>"No, no," she interrupted, "you shall not tell me. I will leave
+you at once and see you no more if you do. Besides, there is no
+need to tell me; I already know. I am a sorceress, a witch. I
+regret to make the confession, but it is true; I am a witch."</p>
+<p>"I believe you are," answered Max, looking at her admiringly and
+seating himself beside her on the window bench. He had learned from
+Gertrude of Augsburg and many other burgher girls that certain
+pleasantries were more objectionable to them in theory than in
+practice; but this burgher girl rose to her feet at his approach
+and seemed to grow a head taller in an instant. He quietly took his
+old place and she took hers. She continued as if unconscious of
+what had happened:--</p>
+<p>"Yes, I am a sorceress." Then she drew her face close to Max,
+and, gazing fixedly into his eyes, said solemnly:--</p>
+<p>"I can look into a person's eyes and know if they are telling me
+the truth. I can tell their fortunes--past, present, and future. I
+can tell them where they were born. I can tell them the history of
+anything of value they have. Their jewellery, their--"</p>
+<p>"Tell me any one of those things concerning myself," interrupted
+Max, suddenly alive with interest.</p>
+<p>"No, it is too great a strain upon me," answered the girl, with
+amusing gravity.</p>
+<p>"I entreat you," said Max, laughing, though deeply interested.
+"I believe you can do what you say. I beg you to show me your skill
+in only one instance."</p>
+<p>The girl gently refused, begging Max not to tempt her.</p>
+<p>"No, no, I cannot," she said, "good Father Brant&ocirc;me has
+told me it is sinful. I must not."</p>
+<p>Half in jest but all in earnest, Max begged her to try; and,
+after a great deal of coaxing, she reluctantly consented to give a
+very small exhibition of her powers. Covering her face with her
+hands, she remained for the space of a minute as if in deep
+thought. Then, making a series of graceful and fantastic passes in
+the air with her hands, as if invoking a familiar spirit, she said
+in low, solemn tones:--</p>
+<p>"You may now sit by me, Sir Max. My words must not be heard by
+any ears save yours."</p>
+<p>Max seated himself beside the girl.</p>
+<p>"Give me your word that you will tell no one what I am about to
+do and say," she said.</p>
+<p>"I so promise," answered Max, beginning to feel that the
+situation was almost uncanny.</p>
+<p>"Now, place in my hand some jewel or valued article of which I
+may speak," she said.</p>
+<p>Excepting his sword and dagger, Max owned but one article of
+value--the ring Mary of Burgundy had given him. He hesitatingly
+drew it from his finger and placed it in the girl's hand. She
+examined it carefully, and said:--</p>
+<p>"Now, give me your hand, Sir Max." Her hand was not much larger
+than a big snowflake in early spring, Max thought, and it was
+completely lost to sight when his great fingers closed over it. The
+velvety softness of the little hand sent a thrill through his
+veins, and the firm, unyielding strength of his clasp was a new,
+delicious sensation to the girl. Startled by it, she made a feeble
+effort to withdraw her hand; but Max clasped it firmly, and she
+surrendered. After a short silence she placed the ring to her
+forehead, closed her eyes, and drew her face so near to Max that he
+felt her warm breath on his cheek. Max was learning a new lesson in
+life--the greatest of all. She spoke in soft whispers, slowly
+dropping her words one by one in sepulchral tones:--</p>
+<p>"What--do--I see--surely I am wrong. No--I see clearly--a
+lady--a great lady--a princess. She smiles upon a man. He is tall
+and young. His face is fair; his hair falls in long, bright curls
+like yours. She gives him this ring; she asks him to be her
+husband--no--surely a modest maiden would not do that." She stopped
+suddenly, snatched her hand from Max, returned the ring and cried,
+"No more, no more!"</p>
+<p>She tossed her hands in the air, as if to drive off the spirits,
+and without another word ran to the parlor laughing, and threw
+herself on Uncle Castleman's knee. Max slowly made the sign of the
+cross and followed the little enchantress. She had most effectually
+imposed on him. He was inclined to believe that she had seen the
+ring or had heard of it in Burgundy before the princess sent it;
+but Yolanda could have been little more than a child at that
+time--three years before. Perhaps she was hardly past fourteen, and
+one of her class would certainly not be apt to know of the ring
+that had been sent by the princess. She might have received her
+information from Twonette, who, Franz said, was acquainted with
+Mary of Burgundy; but even had Yolanda heard of the ring, the fact
+would not have helped her to know it.</p>
+<p>After our first evening with the Castlemans we got on famously
+together. True, Max and I felt that we were making great
+concessions, and I do not doubt that we showed it in many
+unconscious words and acts. This certainly was true of Max; but
+Yolanda's unfailing laughter, though at times it was provoking,
+soon brought him to see that too great a sense of dignity was at
+times ridiculous. He could not, however, always forget that he was
+a Hapsburg while she was a burgher girl, and his good memory got
+him many a keen little thrust from her saucy tongue. If Max
+resented her sauciness, she ran away from him with the full
+knowledge that he would miss her. She was much surer that she
+pleased and delighted him than he was that he pleased her, though
+of the latter fact she left, in truth, little room for doubt.</p>
+<p>Max was very happy. He had never before known a playmate. But
+here in Basel the good Franz and his frau, Yolanda, Twonette, fat
+old Castleman, and myself were all boys and girls together,
+snatching the joys of life fresh from the soil of mother earth,
+close to which we lived in rustic simplicity.</p>
+<p>Since we had left Styria, our life, with all its hardships, had
+been a delight to Max, but it was also a series of constantly
+repeated shocks. If the shocks came too rapidly and too hard, he
+solaced his bruised dignity with the thought that those who were
+unduly familiar with him did not know that he was the heir of the
+House of Hapsburg. So day by day he grew to enjoy the nestling
+comfort of a near-by friend. This, I grieve to say, was too plainly
+seen in his relations with Yolanda, for she unquestionably nestled
+toward him. She made no effort to conceal her delight in his
+companionship, though she most adroitly kept him at a proper
+distance. If she observed a growing confidence in Max, she quickly
+nipped it by showing him that she enjoyed my companionship or that
+of old Franz just as much. On such occasions Max's dignity and
+vanity required balm.</p>
+<p>"Oh, Karl," he said to me one evening while we were preparing
+for bed, "it seems to me I have just wakened to life, or have just
+got out of prison. No man can be happy on a pinnacle above the
+intimate friendships of his fellow-man and--and woman."</p>
+<p>"Yes, 'and woman.' Well put, Max," said I.</p>
+<p>Max did not notice my insinuation, but continued:--</p>
+<p>"I have lived longer since knowing these lowly friends than in
+all the years of my life in Styria. Karl, you have spoiled a good,
+stiff-jointed Hapsburg, but you have made a man. If nothing more
+comes of this journey into the world than I have already had, I am
+your debtor for life. What would my dear old father and mother say
+if they should see me and know the life I am leading? In their eyes
+I should be disgraced--covered with shame."</p>
+<p>"When you go back to Hapsburg," I said, "you can again take up
+your old, petrified existence and eat your husks of daily
+adulation. You will soon again find satisfaction in the bended
+knee, and will insist that those who approach you bow deferentially
+to your ancestors."</p>
+<p>"I shall, of course, return to Hapsburg," he said. "It is my
+fate, and no man can change the destiny to which he was born. I
+must also endure the bowing and the adulation. Men shall honor my
+ancestors and respect in me their descendant, but I shall never
+again be without friends if it be in my power to possess them. As I
+have said, that is difficult for one placed above his
+fellow-man."</p>
+<p>"There is the trouble with men of your degree," I answered.
+"Friends are not like castles, cities, and courtly servitors.
+Those, indeed, one may really own; but we possess our friends only
+as they possess us. Like a mirror, a friend gives us only what we
+ourselves give. No king is great enough to produce his own image
+unless he stands before the glass."</p>
+<p>"Teach me, Karl, to stand before the glass," said Max,
+plaintively.</p>
+<p>"You are before it now, my dear boy," I answered. "These new
+friends are giving you only what you give them. With me, you have
+always been before the glass."</p>
+<p>"That has been true," said Max, "ever since the first day you
+entered Hapsburg. Do you remember? I climbed on your knee and said,
+'You have a big, ugly nose!' Mother admonished me, and I quickly
+made amends by saying, 'But I like you.'"</p>
+<p>"I well remember, Max," I responded. "That day was one of mutual
+conquest. That is the prime condition of friendship: mutual
+conquest and mutual surrender. But you must have other friends than
+me. You see I am not jealous. You must have friends of your own
+age."</p>
+<p>"I now realize why I have hungered all my life," said Max,
+"though I have never before known: I longed for friends. Is it not
+strange that I should find them among these low-born people? It
+surely cannot be wrong for me to live as I do, though father and
+mother would doubtless deem it criminal."</p>
+<p>"These good burgher folk are making you better and broader and
+stronger," I answered. "But there is one thing I want to suggest:
+you are devoting too much of your time to the brown-eyed little
+maid. You must seek favor with Twonette. She is harmless, and
+through her you may, by some freak of fortune, reach the goal of
+your desires. With the prestige of your family and the riches of
+Burgundy, you may become the most powerful man in the world, save
+the Pope."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda is also acquainted with the
+Princess Mary," responded Max, half reluctantly speaking Mary's
+name.</p>
+<p>"No," I answered, "she is not." I asked her if she were. She
+laughed at the suggestion, and said: 'Oh, no, no, the princess is a
+very proud person and very exclusive. She knows but one burgher
+girl in Peronne, I am told. That one is Twonette, and I believe she
+treats her most ungraciously at times. I would not endure her snubs
+and haughty ways as Twonette does. I seek the friendship of no
+princess. Girls of my own class are good enough for me. "Twonette,
+fetch me a cup of wine." "Twonette, thread my needle." "Twonette,
+you are fat and lazy and sleep too much." "Twonette, stand up."
+"Twonette, sit down." Faugh! I tell you I want none of these
+princesses, no, not one of them. I hate princesses, and I tell you
+I doubly hate this--this--' She did not say whom she doubly hated.
+She is a forward little witch, Max. She laughed merrily at my
+questions concerning the princess, and asked me if we were going to
+Burgundy to storm Mary's heart. 'Who is to win her?' she asked.
+'You, Sir Karl, or Sir Max? It must be you. Sir Max is too slow and
+dignified even to think of scaling the walls of a maiden fortress.
+It must be you, Sir Karl.' The saucy little elf rose from her
+chair, bowed low before me and said, 'I do liege homage to the
+future Duke of Burgundy.' Then she danced across the room, laughing
+at my discomfiture. She is charming, Max, but remember Gertrude the
+Conqueror! Such trifling affairs are well enough to teach a man the
+a-b-c of life but one with your destiny ahead of him must not
+remain too long in his alphabet. Such affairs are for boys, Max,
+for boys."</p>
+<p>"Do not fear for me, Karl," answered Max, laughingly. "We are
+not apt to take hurt from dangers we see."</p>
+<p>"Do you clearly see the danger?" I suggested.</p>
+<p>"I clearly see," he responded. "I admire Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda
+as I have never admired any other woman. I respect her as if she
+were a princess; but one of the penalties of my birth is that I may
+not think of her nor of one of her class. She is not for me; she is
+a burgher maiden--out of my reach. For that reason I feel that I
+should respect her."</p>
+<p>The attitude of Max toward Yolanda was a real triumph of skill
+and adroitness over inherited convictions and false education. She
+had brought him from condescension to deference solely by the magic
+of her art. Or am I wrong? Was it her artlessness? Perhaps it was
+her artful artlessness, since every girl-baby is born with a
+modicum of that dangerous quality.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps you are right, Karl," added Max. "I may underrate the
+power of this girl. As you have said, she is a little witch. But
+beneath her laughter there is a rare show of tenderness and
+strength, which at times seems pathetic and almost elfin. You are
+right, Karl. I will devote myself to Twonette hereafter. She is
+like a feather-bed in that she cannot be injured by a blow, neither
+can she give one; but Yolanda--ah, Karl, she is like a priceless
+jewel that may be shattered by a blow and may blind one by its
+radiance."</p>
+<p>But Max's devotion to Twonette was a failure. She was certainly
+willing, but Yolanda would have none of it, and with no
+equivocation gave every one to understand as much. Still, she held
+Max at a respectful distance. In fact, this Yolanda handled us all
+as a juggler tosses his balls. Max must not be too attentive to
+her, and he must not be at all attentive to Twonette. In this
+arrangement Twonette acquiesced. She would not dare to lift her
+eyes to one upon whom Yolanda was looking!</p>
+<p>Here was illustrated the complete supremacy of mind over matter.
+Castleman, Twonette, Franz and his frau, Max and I, all danced when
+the tiny white hand of Yolanda pulled the strings. A kiss or a
+saucy nod for Castleman or Twonette, a smile or a frown for Max and
+me, were the instruments wherewith she worked. Deftly she turned
+each situation as she desired. Max made frequent efforts to obtain
+a private moment with her, that he might ask a few questions
+concerning her wonderful knowledge of his ring--they had been
+burning him since the night of her sorcery--but, though she knew
+quite well his desire to question her, she gave him no
+opportunity.</p>
+<p>During the time that Castleman was buying his silks, the members
+of our little party grew rapidly in friendship. In culture,
+education, and refinement, the Castlemans were far above any
+burghers I had ever known. Franz and his wife, though good, simple
+people, were not at all in Castleman's class. They felt their
+inferiority, and did not go abroad with us, though we supped daily
+with them. Each evening supper was a little f&ecirc;te followed by
+a romp of amusement, songs, and childish games in the frau's great
+parlor.</p>
+<p>The Castlemans, Max, and I made several excursions into the
+mountains. Yolanda and Twonette were in ecstasy at the mountain
+views, which were so vividly in contrast with the lowlands of
+Burgundy.</p>
+<p>"These mountains are beautiful," said patriotic Yolanda, "but
+our lowlands raise bread to feed the hungry."</p>
+<p>On one occasion we rode to the Falls of Schaffhausen, and often
+we were out upon the river. During these expeditions Yolanda
+adroitly kept our little party together, and Max could have no
+private word with her.</p>
+<p>I had never been so happy as I was during the fortnight at Basel
+while Castleman was buying silk. I was almost a child again; my
+fifty odd years seemed to fall from me as an eagle sheds his plumes
+in spring. We were all happy and merry as a May-day, and our
+joyousness was woven from the warp and woof of Yolanda's gentle,
+laughing nature. Without her, our life would have been comfortable
+but commonplace.</p>
+<p>During all this time Max pondered in vain upon the remarkable
+manner in which Yolanda had divined the secret of his ring. He
+longed to question her, but she would not be questioned until she
+was ready to answer.</p>
+<p>On a certain morning near the close of our sojourn in Basel,
+Max, after many elephantine manoeuvres, obtained Yolanda's promise
+to walk out with him to a near-by hill in the afternoon. It was a
+Sabbath day, and every burgher maiden in Basel that boasted a
+sweetheart would be abroad with him in the sunshine. Max could not
+help feeling that it was most condescending in him, a prince, to
+walk out with Yolanda, a burgher maiden. Should any one from Styria
+meet him, he would certainly sink into the ground, though in a
+certain way the girl's reluctance seemed to place the condescension
+with her.</p>
+<p>After dinner, which we all took together that day, she put him
+off with excuses until drowsy Uncle Castleman had taken himself off
+for a nap. Then Yolanda quickly said:--</p>
+<p>"Fetch me my hood, Twonette. I shall not need a cloak. I am
+going to walk out with Sir Max."</p>
+<p>Twonette instantly obeyed, as if she were a tire-woman to a
+princess, and soon returned wearing her own hood and carrying
+Yolanda's.</p>
+<p>"Ah, but you are not to come with us," said Yolanda. She was
+ready to give Max the opportunity he desired, and would give it
+generously.</p>
+<p>"But--but what will father say?" asked Twonette, uneasily.</p>
+<p>"We shall learn what he says when we return. No need to worry
+about that now," answered Yolanda. Twonette took off her hood.</p>
+<p>Max and Yolanda climbed the hill, and, after a little demurring
+on the girl's part, sat down on a shelving rock at a point where
+the river view was beautiful. As usual, Yolanda managed the
+conversation to suit herself, but after a short time she permitted
+Max to introduce the subject on which he wished to talk.</p>
+<p>"Will you tell me, Fr&auml;ulein," he asked, "how you were
+enabled to know the history of my ring? I cannot believe you are
+what you said--a sorceress--a witch."</p>
+<p>"No, no," she answered laughingly, "I am not a sorceress."</p>
+<p>"You almost made me believe you were," said Max, "but I am slow
+of wit, as you have doubtless observed. I told Sir Karl you said
+you were a sorceress, and he said--"</p>
+<p>"You gave me your word you would not tell!" exclaimed
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Neither did I tell aught save that you said you were a
+sorceress. He laughed and said--"</p>
+<p>"Yes, yes, what did he say?" eagerly queried the girl.</p>
+<p>"He said--I am sure you will not take amiss what he said?"
+responded Max.</p>
+<p>"No, no, indeed no! Tell me," she demanded eagerly.</p>
+<p>"He said you were a witch, if brown eyes, dimpling smiles, and
+girlish beauty could make one," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"Ah, did he say that of me?" asked the girl, musingly. After a
+pause she continued, "That was kind in Sir Karl and--and evidently
+sincere." After another pause devoted to revery she said: "Perhaps
+I shall be his friend sometime in a manner he little expects. Even
+the friendship of a helpless burgher girl is not to be despised.
+But he is wrong. I am not beautiful," she poutingly continued. "Now
+let us examine my face." She laughed, and settled herself
+contentedly upon the stone, as if to take up a serious discussion.
+"I often do so in the mirror. Vain? Of course I am!"</p>
+<p>"I am only too willing to examine it," said Max, laughingly.</p>
+<p>"My mouth," she said, pursing her lips and lifting her face
+temptingly for his inspection, "my mouth is--"</p>
+<p>"Perfect," interrupted Max.</p>
+<p>She looked surprised and said, "Ah, that was nicely spoken,
+Little Max, and quickly, for you."</p>
+<p>"'Little Max'!" exclaimed the young man. "Where heard you that
+name? No one save my mother has ever used it; no one but Karl and
+my father has ever heard her speak the words. Did Karl tell you of
+it?"</p>
+<p>"Karl did not tell me," she responded, "and I never heard any
+one speak the name. The name fits you so well--by contraries--that
+it came to me, perhaps, by inspiration."</p>
+<p>"That hardly seems possible," returned Max, "and your knowledge
+of how I received the ring is more than remarkable."</p>
+<p>"Let us talk about my face," said the girl, full of the spirit
+of mischief, and wishing to put off the discussion of the ring.
+"Now, my eyes, of which Sir Karl spoke so kindly, are--"</p>
+<p>"The most wonderful in the world," interrupted Max. "They are
+brilliant as priceless jewels, fathomless as deep water, gentle and
+tender as--"</p>
+<p>"There, there, Little Max," she cried, checking with a gesture
+his flow of unexpected eloquence. "I declare! you are not so slow
+as you seem. I will tell you just how much of a sorceress I am. I
+thought to flatter you by saying a great lady had given you the
+ring, and lo, I was right unless you are adroitly leading me to
+believe in my own sorcery. Is she a great lady? Come, tell me the
+story."</p>
+<p>She unconsciously moved nearer to him with an air of pleasant
+anticipation.</p>
+<p>"Yes, it was a great lady, a very great lady who gave me the
+ring," he said most seriously.</p>
+<p>"And was I right in my other divination?" she asked, looking
+down and flushing slightly. "Did--did she wish to marry you? But
+you need not answer that question."</p>
+<p>"I will gladly answer it," returned Max, leaning forward,
+resting his elbow on his knees and looking at the ground between
+his feet. "I hoped she did. I--I longed for it."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps she possessed vast estates?" asked the girl, a slight
+frown gathering on her brow.</p>
+<p>"Yes, she possessed vast estates," said Max, "but I would gladly
+have taken her penniless save for the fact that I am very poor, and
+that she would suffer for the lack of luxuries she has always
+known."</p>
+<p>"But how could the lady have felt sure you were not seeking her
+for the sake of her estates?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"She could not know," answered Max. "But I sought her for her
+own sake and for no other reason."</p>
+<p>"What manner of person was she?" asked Yolanda. "Was she dark or
+light, short or tall, plain of feature or beautiful, amiable of
+temper or vixenish? Was she like any one you have ever seen?"</p>
+<p>She spoke in deep earnest and looked eagerly up to his face.</p>
+<p>"She was beautiful of feature," answered Max. "Her eyes and her
+hair were dark as yours are. She was short of stature, I have been
+told."</p>
+<p>Yolanda laughed merrily: "I declare, Sir Max, you were in love
+with a lady you had never seen. It was her estate you loved."</p>
+<p>"No, no," said Max, earnestly. "I ardently desired--"</p>
+<p>"Perhaps if you were to see her, your enthusiasm would vanish,"
+said Yolanda, interrupting him almost sharply. "My magic tells me
+she is a squat little creature, with a wizened face; her eyes are
+sharp and black, and her nose is a-peak, not unlike mine. That, she
+is sour and peevish of temper, as I am, there can be no doubt. And,
+although she be great and rich as the Princess of Burgundy, I
+warrant you she is not one whit handsomer nor kinder in disposition
+than I."</p>
+<p>Max started on hearing Mary of Burgundy's name, but quickly
+recovering himself said:--</p>
+<p>"I would not wish her better than you in any respect. You wrong
+both yourself and the lady to speak as you do. Those who know her
+say the lady has not her like in all the world."</p>
+<p>A soft light came to Yolanda's face as he spoke, and she
+answered slowly:--</p>
+<p>"Doubtless the lady had like news of you, and is curious to know
+what manner of man you are. She too may have dreamed of an
+ideal."</p>
+<p>"How do you know she has never seen me?" asked Max, who had not
+fully caught her reply when she spoke of the fact that he had never
+seen the lady of the ring. "I shall surely come to believe you are
+a sorceress."</p>
+<p>"No, I am not," she answered emphatically. "You shall carry that
+jest no further. A moment since you said those who know her say so
+and so, and you believed she was short of stature. Had you ever
+seen the lady, you would know if she were tall or short. You would
+not be in doubt upon so important a matter as the stature of your
+lady-love."</p>
+<p>The reasoning and the reasoner were so irresistible that Max was
+easily satisfied.</p>
+<p>"But you have spoken of the lady as in the past. I hope she is
+not dead?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"No," answered Max, gravely, "our fathers did not agree. That
+is, her father was not satisfied, and it all came to nothing save
+a--a heartache for me."</p>
+<p>It was well that Max was looking at the ground when she turned
+the soft radiance of her eyes upon him, else he might have learned
+too much. His modesty and honesty in admitting frankly that the
+lady's father was not satisfied with the match pleased her and she
+sat in silence, smiling contentedly. After a time she turned almost
+fiercely upon him:--</p>
+<p>"Do you know what I should do, Sir Max, were I in your
+place?"</p>
+<p>"What would you do, Fr&auml;ulein?" queried Max.</p>
+<p>"I would show the lady that I was worthy of her by winning her,
+even though she were on a throne, guarded by a thousand dragons. I
+am a woman, Sir Max, and I know a woman's heart. The heart of a
+princess is first the heart of a woman. Be sure the lady will thank
+you and will reward you if you fight your way to her and carry her
+off against all the world."</p>
+<p>"But how is that to be done, Fr&auml;ulein?" asked Max,
+carelessly. In truth, Mary of Burgundy was not uppermost in his
+heart at that moment.</p>
+<p>"That is for a man to say and for a man to do," she responded.
+"A woman knows only how to wait and to long for one who, alas! may
+never come. She will wait for you, Sir Max, and when you come to
+her, she will place her hand in yours and go with you wherever you
+wish to take her. Of this, at least, my powers of sorcery are
+sufficient to assure you. Do not fear! do not fear!"</p>
+<p>She spoke earnestly, as if from the depths of a personal
+experience. Her eyes glowed with the light of excitement and her
+face was radiant. Max turned to her and saw all this beauty. Then
+he gently took her hand and said huskily:--</p>
+<p>"If I thought she were like you, Fr&auml;ulein, I would gladly
+go to the end of the world to win from her even one smile."</p>
+<p>"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, withdrawing her hand, "we must
+have no more such speeches from you. They are wrong coming from one
+of your degree to a burgher girl of Peronne, if she be an honest
+girl. Our stations are too far apart."</p>
+<p>"That is true, Fr&auml;ulein," answered Max, sorrowfully, "but I
+mean no disrespect. I honor you as if you were a princess"--here
+his tones took energy and emphasis--"but I meant what I said,
+Fr&auml;ulein, I meant what I said, and though I shall never say it
+again, I know that I shall mean it all the days of my life."</p>
+<p>The expression in her eyes as she looked up at him was one of
+mingled pleasure and amusement. It seemed to say, "Do not be too
+sure that you will never say it again," but she said nothing. After
+a moment she suggested:--</p>
+<p>"Shall we return, Sir Max?" They rose, and as they started back
+to Basel he remarked:--</p>
+<p>"The words 'Little Max' on your lips sounded sweet to me,
+Fr&auml;ulein. They bring home to me the voice of my mother, and
+though I should not care to hear another speak them, still, the
+words are very pretty on your lips, and I like them."</p>
+<p>Yolanda glanced quickly up to him with radiant eyes. He caught
+the glance, and the last vestige of his ideal, Mary of Burgundy,
+left his heart, driven out by the very real little enchantress that
+walked by his side.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+<h3>DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Notwithstanding the idle, happy life we were leading, I was
+anxious to begin our journey to Burgundy. Just what would--or
+could--happen when we should reach that land of promise--perhaps I
+should say of no promise--I did not know. I hoped that by some
+happy turn of fortune--perhaps through Twonette's help--Max might
+be brought to meet Mary of Burgundy. I had all faith in his ability
+to please her, or any woman, but what advantage he could gain by
+winning her regard I could not guess. The lady's personal
+preference would cut no figure in the choosing of a husband. Her
+father would do that for her, and she would be powerless against
+the will of a man whose chief impulses were those of a mad bull.
+This arrogant duke, without so much as a formal withdrawal, had
+ignored Duke Frederick's acceptance and had contracted his
+daughter's hand to the Dauphin of France, who was a puny,
+weak-minded boy of fourteen.</p>
+<p>Should Max and I go to Burgundy and say to Charles, "This is
+Maximilian of Styria, to whom you offered your daughter in
+marriage," his answer might be a sword thrust. Should the duke
+learn of our unbidden presence in his domain, his love for making
+enemies would probably bring us into trouble. Therefore, though I
+ardently wished to begin the journey, I had no real cause to hope
+for good results, though there were many reasons to fear the
+outcome of our adventures.</p>
+<p>One may well ask why I continued in a course so dangerous. My
+answer is: A man travels the road of his destiny. The Fates
+sometimes hunt out a man for their purposes and snatch him from his
+hiding-place in the by-ways, but they usually choose from the
+scenes of great events their victims or their favorites. The man
+who fears to be their victim is seldom chosen for their favorite. I
+should rather be their victim than be overlooked; and what I should
+have chosen for myself I desired for Max. I had no future save in
+him; I had been overlooked in the by-ways.</p>
+<p>At the time of our journeying all Europe turned on a Burgundian
+pivot, and the Fates were busy in that land. It was the stage of
+the world, on which the strong, the great, and the enterprising of
+mankind were playing; and I hoped that Max, who was strong and
+enterprising, would find his part in this Burgundian drama. I was
+willing to risk sacrificing him, though he was dearer to me than
+the blood of my heart, if I might stand even a small chance to make
+him great.</p>
+<p>At strange variance with my philosophy, I had faith in Max's
+luck. It was more than faith; it was a fixed, intuitive conviction
+that he would win. For these reasons, all growing out of what I
+felt rather than what I reasoned, we continued our dangerous and
+apparently useless journey. When a man feels himself led by an
+unseen hand, he should gladly follow. There is an intuition that is
+better than reason.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>One bright morning in May we began our journey down the Rhine.
+My fears had no place in Max's heart, and his self-confidence was
+to me a harbinger of good fortune. A man may do anything that he
+knows he can do; failure never disappoints him who expects it.</p>
+<p>We left Basel by the west gate and took the road for Strasburg,
+leading down the west bank of the Rhine. That was not the most
+direct route to Peronne, but it was the safest because of the
+numerous river towns wherein we might lie safely by night. The
+robber barons whom we had to fear along the river were at least not
+pilfering vagabonds, such as we should meet across country. Against
+the open attack of a brave foe we felt that we could make a good
+defence. Our fighting force consisted of Max, myself, and two lusty
+squires. We had also a half-score of men who led the sumpter
+mules.</p>
+<p>Castleman had purchased two beautiful chargers in Basel,
+pretending that he wished to take them to Peronne for sale. He
+asked Max to ride one and offered the other for my use. I was sure
+that his only reason for buying the horses was his desire to
+present them to us, which he afterward did. Max named his charger
+"Night," because of its spotless coat of black. Yolanda rode a
+beautiful white mare which we re-christened "Day." Castleman
+bestrode an ambling Flemish bay, almost as fat as its master and
+quite as good-natured, which, because of its slowness, Yolanda
+dubbed "Last Week."</p>
+<p>We travelled slowly down the Rhine, enjoying the scenery and
+filling our hearts with the sunshine of the soft spring days. Our
+cautious merchant so arranged our lodging-places that we were never
+on the road after dark. His system caused much delay, as we often
+rested a half-day in a town that we might be able to lodge there
+over night. In this deliberate manner of proceeding, life was a
+sweet, lazy holiday, and our journey was like a May outing. We were
+all very happy--almost ominously so.</p>
+<p>After the explanation between Max and Yolanda on the hill at
+Basel she made no effort to avoid him, and he certainly did not
+avoid her. They both evidently rested on his remark that he would
+never again speak upon a certain subject. They fully understood
+each other's position.</p>
+<p>Max knew that between him and the burgher maiden there could be
+no thought of marriage. She, it seemed, was equally aware of that
+fact. All that he had been taught to value in life--father, mother,
+family and position, his father's subjects, who would one day be
+his, his father's throne, on which he would one day sit--stood
+between him and Yolanda. They stood between him and the achievement
+of any desire purely personal to himself and not conducive to the
+welfare of his state. He felt that he did not belong to himself;
+that his own happiness was never to be considered. He belonged to
+his house, his people, and his ancestors.</p>
+<p>Max had not only been brought up with that idea as the chief
+element in his education, but he had also inherited it from two
+score generations of men and women that had learned, believed, and
+taught the same lesson. We may by effort efface the marks of our
+environment, but those we inherit are bred in the bone. Yolanda was
+not for Max. He could not control his heart; it took its
+inheritance of unbidden passion from a thousand scores of
+generations which had lived and died and learned their lesson
+centuries before the House of Hapsburg began; but he could control
+his lips and his acts.</p>
+<p>With Max's growing love for Yolanda came a knightly reverence
+which was the very breath of the chivalry that he had sworn to
+uphold. This spirit of reverence the girl was quick to observe, and
+he lost nothing by it in her esteem. At times I could see that this
+reverential attitude of Max almost sobered her spirits; to do so
+completely would have been as impossible as to dam the current of a
+mountain stream.</p>
+<p>On the evening of our first day out of Basel we were merrily
+eating our suppers in a village where we had halted for the night,
+when I remarked that I had met a man, while strolling near the
+river, who had said that war was imminent between Burgundy and
+Switzerland. My remark immediately caught Yolanda's sharp
+attention.</p>
+<p>"Yes," said I, "we left Switzerland none too soon. This man
+tells me, on what authority I know not, that a herald will soon be
+sent by Duke Charles carrying defiance to the Swiss. What of value
+the duke expects to obtain from barren Switzerland outside of
+Basel, I do not know. Fighting for fighting's sake is poor
+sport."</p>
+<p>"Forbear your wise saws, Sir Karl, and tell me what the man
+said," demanded Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"He told me," I replied, "that he had heard the news at Metz,
+and that it was supposed Duke Ren&eacute; would muster his forces
+in Lorraine and turn them against Burgundy in case of war with
+Switzerland."</p>
+<p>"I predicted evil when Burgundy took Nancy from Lorraine," cried
+Yolanda, excitedly. "The hollow conventions made with Lorraine
+after the capture of that city were but the promises of a man under
+duress. The only ties that will bind a narrow man are those of
+immediate self-interest. There can be no lasting treaty between
+France and Burgundy so long as King Louis covets Flanders and is
+able to bribe our neighbors. These conventions between Burgundy,
+Lorraine, Bourbon, and St. Pol will hold only so long as Burgundy
+does not need them."</p>
+<p>"That is surely true, Fr&auml;ulein," I said.</p>
+<p>"Yes," she continued, "and should Burgundy suffer any great
+misfortune or be crippled for an hour, those small states would be
+upon his back like a pack of wolves, and he would be ruined.
+Lorraine, Bourbon, and St. Pol do not see that Burgundy alone
+stands between them and the greedy maw of France. Should King Louis
+survive my--my Lord of Burgundy five years, these dukes and counts
+will lose their feudal rights and become servile vassals of France,
+not in name, as now they are, but in sorry fact."</p>
+<p>I was so astonished at this tempestuous outburst from an
+unexpected quarter, and was so surprised at discovering an intimate
+knowledge of great affairs in a simple burgher maid, that I dropped
+the piece of meat I held in my fingers and stared in wonder across
+the table at Yolanda. I had known from the first hour of meeting
+her that the girl's mind was marvellously keen; but that a maid of
+seventeen or eighteen, in her position, should have so firm a grasp
+of international affairs and should possess so clear a conception
+of the troublous situation in western Europe, astounded me.</p>
+<p>In eastern Europe, where we were not blinded by neighborly
+hatred and local jealousies, the truth of Yolanda's statement had
+long been apparent. We carried our prophecy further and predicted
+that the headlong passions of Charles the Rash would soon result in
+his death or overthrow.</p>
+<p>My point in dragging in this heavy load of political lore is
+this: In case of the death of Charles of Burgundy, the future of
+western Europe would depend on the brains and the bravery of the
+man who should marry the Princess Mary. I felt that Max was chosen
+of God for that destiny. Should he succeed in defending Burgundy
+against France, he would become the most powerful man in Europe. No
+event save death could keep him from achieving the imperial
+crown.</p>
+<p>If the existing treaty of marriage between Mary and the Dauphin
+of France were carried out, and if the Dauphin as king should
+possess one-half the wisdom of his father, Louis, all western
+Europe would soon be France. If this treaty were to fail and the
+Princess Mary espouse a man capable of defending her territory,
+Burgundy would still remain a wall of protection to the smaller
+states of the Rhine.</p>
+<p>A long silence followed Yolanda's outburst, but her words had so
+astonished me that my supper for the evening was finished.
+Castleman plied his knife industriously; Yolanda nibbled at a piece
+of meat between her dainty fingers, and Twonette gazed serenely out
+of the open window.</p>
+<p>Yolanda's words and Castleman's constraint filled me with
+wonder. There was to me a mystery about this little beauty that had
+not been touched on by my friend from Peronne. I hoped to gain
+information on the point by inducing Yolanda to talk. She was
+willing enough.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein," I said, "I quite agree with you. It is a matter
+of surprise to me that these noblemen you mention do not see the
+truth as you state it."</p>
+<p>"They are fools, Sir Karl, sodden fools," exclaimed Yolanda.
+"You could buy their souls for a sou. King Louis buys them with an
+empty promise of one."</p>
+<p>"Why does not Duke Charles buy them?" I asked. "'Tis said he has
+enormous quantities of ready gold in Luxembourg Castle."</p>
+<p>"Because, Sir Karl," she responded almost savagely, "bribery is
+the weapon of a coward. The Duke of Burgundy uses his money to pay
+soldiers."</p>
+<p>"But, Fr&auml;ulein," I answered, "the duke has for years--ever
+since before his father's death--been wasting his money,
+sacrificing his soldiers, and despoiling his land by wars,
+prosecuted to no good end. He has conquered large territory, but he
+has paid for it with the blood of his people. Neither they nor he
+are the better because of those accessions, and the duke has made
+enemies who will one day surely wrest them from him. A brave prince
+should not fear to be called a coward because of an act that will
+bring peace and happiness to his subjects and save their lives,
+their liberties, and their estates. That great end will ennoble any
+means. The subjects of Burgundy are frugal and peace-loving. They
+should be protected from the cruel cost of useless war. I would not
+criticise Duke Charles, whose bravery is beyond compare, but for
+the sake of his people I could wish that his boldness were tempered
+with caution. Policy, not blows, appears to me the only way out of
+his present and imminent danger."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps you are right, Sir Karl," answered Yolanda, "but I
+advise you to keep your views to yourself when you reach Burgundy.
+Should they come to the duke's ears, you might lose yours."</p>
+<p>"Indeed, Fr&auml;ulein, your warning is unnecessary," I
+responded laughingly. "I already know the disposition of the duke
+toward those who disagree with him. His ungovernable passions will
+surely lead him to a terrible end. Bravery, if wise, is one of the
+noblest attributes of men. The lack of wisdom makes it the most
+dangerous. Duke Charles ought to temper his courage with love for
+his people. He should fight, when he must, with wise bravery. If he
+should die, God pity the poor people of Burgundy unless their
+princess choose a husband both wise and brave."</p>
+<p>"But she will not be allowed to choose," cried Yolanda,
+passionately. "Her freedom is less than that of any serf. She is
+bound hand and foot by the chains of her birth. She is more to be
+pitied than the poorest maiden in Burgundy. The saddest of all
+captives is she who is chained to a throne."</p>
+<p>"That surely is the bitterest draught fate offers to mortal
+man," sighed Max.</p>
+<p>"Yes," whispered Yolanda, huskily. "One cannot rebel; one may
+not even kill one's self when one is condemned to live. One can do
+nothing but endure and wait in haunting fear and, in rare moments,
+hope against a million chances."</p>
+<p>Evidently she meant us to know that she sorrowed for Max's
+martyrdom, though how she had learned of his true station in life I
+could not guess.</p>
+<p>"It is strange," said I to Castleman, when Yolanda and Twonette
+had left us, "that Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda, who seems to be all
+laughter and thoughtlessness, should be so well informed upon the
+affairs of princes and princesses, and should take this public
+matter so much to heart."</p>
+<p>"Yes, she is a strange, unfortunate girl," answered Castleman,
+"and truly loves her native land. She would, I believe, be another
+Joan of Arc, had she the opportunity. She and her father do not at
+all agree. He wholly fails to comprehend her."</p>
+<p>"Is her father your brother?" I asked. I felt a sense of
+impertinence in putting the question, but my curiosity was
+irresistible.</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Castleman, hesitatingly; then, as if hurrying
+from the subject, he continued, "Her mother is dead, and the girl
+lives chiefly under my roof."</p>
+<p>I wanted to ask other questions concerning Yolanda, but I kept
+silent. I had begun to suspect that she was not what she passed
+for--a burgher girl; but Castleman was a straightforward, truthful
+man, and his words satisfied me. I had, at any rate, to be content
+with them, since Yolanda's affairs were none of mine. Had I not
+been sure that Max's training and inheritance gave him a shield
+against her darts, she and her affairs would have given me deep
+concern. At that time I had all the match-making impulses of an old
+woman, and was determined that no woman should step between Max and
+the far-off, almost impossible Princess of Burgundy.</p>
+<p>When we resumed our journey the next morning Yolanda was demure,
+grave, and serious; but the bright sun soon had its way with her,
+and within a half-hour after leaving the village she was riding
+beside Max, laughing, singing, and flashing her eyes upon him with
+a lustre that dimmed the sun--at least, so Max thought, and
+probably he was right. That evening Max told me much of Yolanda's
+conversation.</p>
+<p>The road we were travelling clung to the Rhine for several
+leagues. In many places it was cut from the bank at the water's
+edge. At others it ran along the brink of beetling precipices. At
+one of these Max guided his horse close to the brink, and, leaning
+over in his saddle, looked down the dizzy heights to the river
+below.</p>
+<p>"Please do not ride so near the brink, Sir Max," pleaded
+Yolanda. "It frightens me."</p>
+<p>Max had little of the braggadocio spirit about him, but no
+rightly constituted young man is entirely devoid of the desire to
+"show off" in the presence of timid and interesting ladies. Without
+that spirit of "show-off," what would induce our knights to meet in
+glorious tournaments? Without it, what would our chivalry amount
+to? Without it, why should a peacock spread its tail? I do not
+belittle it, since from this spirit of "show-off" arises one great
+good--respect for the opinion of our fellow-man. So Max, with a
+dash of "show-off" in his disposition, laughed at Yolanda's fears
+and answered that he was in no danger.</p>
+<p>"It is very brave in you, Sir Max, to go so near the brink,"
+said Yolanda, ironically, "but do you remember what Sir Karl said
+concerning 'wise bravery'? There can be no need for your bravery,
+and therefore no wisdom in it. Were there good reason why you
+should go near the brink, I should despise you if you refused; but
+there is no reason and, since it frightens me, I wish you would
+remain in the road."</p>
+<p>"Gladly I will," answered Max, reining his horse beside her.</p>
+<p>"Do you know," said Yolanda, with as much seriousness as she
+could easily command, "that your friend, Sir Karl, is a
+philosopher? His phrase, 'wise bravery,' clings to me. I certainly
+wish the Duke of Burgundy would learn it and take it to heart."</p>
+<p>"I have heard many conflicting stories concerning this Duke
+Charles," said Max. "Some persons say he is all that is brave and
+noble; others declare that he is fierce, passionate, and bad. I
+wonder which I shall find him to be?"</p>
+<p>"Do you expect to take service with him?" asked Yolanda, half
+sadly. At the mention of the duke's name all smiles and dimples
+fled incontinently.</p>
+<p>"No," answered Max, "I think I shall not take service with the
+duke. In truth, I don't know what I shall do. For what purpose I am
+going to Burgundy I am sure I cannot say."</p>
+<p>A short silence ensued, which was broken by Yolanda, speaking
+archly:--</p>
+<p>"Perhaps you are going to Burgundy or to France to win the lady
+who gave you the ring?" Max was surprised, and flushed as he
+answered:--</p>
+<p>"That would be an impossible thought, Fr&auml;ulein. If you but
+knew who the lady is, you would understand that such a hope on my
+part were a phantasy. But I have no such hope or wish. I do not now
+want to win the lady of the ring."</p>
+<p>"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, protestingly, "you must not
+basely desert this lady-love whom you have never seen. If trouble
+should come to her, whoever she is, you must hasten to her rescue
+and carry her away. The best opportunity to rob, you know, comes in
+the midst of a m&ecirc;l&eacute;e. Take her, Sir Max. I wish you
+success."</p>
+<p>"Do you really wish me success, Fr&auml;ulein?" asked Max,
+looking straight ahead. He was not at all flattered by her good
+wishes concerning the lady of the ring.</p>
+<p>"Indeed I do," responded the girl, joyously; "I will pray to the
+Virgin and ask her to help you to win this fair lady who gave you
+the ring."</p>
+<p>"I thank you for your good wishes," returned Max, "though I
+could easily be satisfied with less enthusiasm on the subject."</p>
+<p>"Indeed? Why, may I ask?"</p>
+<p>"Because, Fr&auml;ulein--because I had hoped--" Max ceased
+speaking, and, leaning forward, smoothed his horse's mane.</p>
+<p>Yolanda waited for a moment and then, turning her face toward
+Max, asked:--</p>
+<p>"You had hoped for what, Sir Max?"</p>
+<p>"I had hoped for nothing, Fr&auml;ulein," he answered. "I am
+satisfied as matters now stand between us. Your words at supper
+last evening rang in my ears all night, 'Chained to a throne;
+chained to a throne.' I knew you referred to my unhappy lot when
+you spoke, though how you guessed the truth concerning my station I
+do not know."</p>
+<p>A surprised little smile spread over her face, but he did not
+see it. He was still smoothing his horse's mane.</p>
+<p>"You cannot know the terrible truth of your words," continued
+Max. "I will tell you a part of my secret, Fr&auml;ulein. All my
+life I have been cut off--chained to a throne--from the fellowship
+of men and the love of friends. Karl is the only friend I have ever
+known save my mother until I met you and your good people. Only the
+good God can know how I have longed and hungered since childhood
+for friendship; even for companionship. I did not know what I
+yearned for until since my arrival at Basel. Truly it is not good
+for man to be alone, even though he be upon a throne. I am not upon
+a throne, Fr&auml;ulein, but I am near one--a small, barren throne,
+whose greatest attribute is its ancestry. My home is a sad, lonely
+place--how lonely even you, who have guessed so shrewdly and who
+speak so eloquently, cannot know. You should thank God for your
+lowly birth and your lowly friends."</p>
+<p>"I do," the girl answered, with a queer, half-sad, half-amused
+expression upon her face which Max could not interpret.</p>
+<p>"But we cannot break the chains that have been welded a thousand
+years--that have grown stronger and tighter with each generation,"
+said Max. "You truthfully said, 'One may only endure.'"</p>
+<p>"I also said that at rare moments one may hope," she answered,
+with drooping head.</p>
+<p>"Not I, Fr&auml;ulein. I may not even hope. I am doomed,"
+answered Max.</p>
+<p>"No, no, Sir Max," responded the drooping head.</p>
+<p>After a prolonged silence Max said, "I am sure the secret of my
+station is safe with you."</p>
+<p>"You need not doubt, Sir Max," she responded. "You cannot know
+how safe it is." She turned brightly upon him and continued, "Let
+me invoke my spirits, Sir Max." She raised her eyes, saint-fashion,
+toward heaven, and spoke under her breath: "I hear the word 'hope,'
+Sir Max, 'hope.' It is very faint, but better faint than not at
+all."</p>
+<p>"I tell you there is no hope for me, Fr&auml;ulein," responded
+Max, desperately. "It is cruel in you to say there is. It is doubly
+cruel to speak jestingly."</p>
+<p>"I speak earnestly," said Yolanda. "There is hope. If you win
+the lady who gave you the ring, you will be happy. I do not
+jest."</p>
+<p>"You do. You mock me," cried Max. "I tell you, Yolanda, there is
+in all the world no woman for me save--save one upon whom I may not
+think." Yolanda's face grew radiant, though tears moistened her
+eyes. "Even though it were possible for me to defy my parents, to
+turn my face against my country, my people, and the sacred
+traditions of my house, by asking her to share my life, there could
+be only wretchedness ahead for her, and therefore unhappiness for
+me. The dove and the eagle may not mate. Consider the fate of sweet
+Agnes Bernauer, who married Duke Albert and perished in the Danube.
+I tell you, Fr&auml;ulein, I am hopeless. When I return to my
+people, I shall do so knowing that life thereafter will be
+something to endure, not a blessing to thank God for."</p>
+<p>"No, no, Sir Max," murmured the girl, "you do not know."</p>
+<p>Max turned upon her almost angrily:--</p>
+<p>"A man knows when he lives; a man knows when he is dying, and a
+man, if he be worthy of the name, knows when he loves a woman. I am
+not sure that the sun shines, Fr&auml;ulein, than I am that I shall
+not forget this woman nor cease to sorrow for her all the days of
+my life."</p>
+<p>"You must not speak such words to me, Sir Max," said Yolanda,
+reprovingly. "I, too, must live and be happy if--if I can."</p>
+<p>She turned her face away from Max and, touching her horse with
+her whip, passed a few feet ahead of him. If there were tears in
+her eyes, she did not wish Max to see them. After several minutes
+of silence he spurred his horse to her side.</p>
+<p>"I did not intend to speak, Fr&auml;ulein. I once said I would
+never speak again. I should not have spoken now, though I have told
+you only what you already know. I ask no favor in return, not even
+a touch from your hand."</p>
+<p>"You shall have that at least, Sir Max," she answered,
+impulsively reining her horse close to Max and placing her hand in
+his.</p>
+<p>"Still, you wish me to win the lady who sent me the ring?" asked
+Max.</p>
+<p>"Yes," returned Yolanda, softly. "It will mean your happiness
+and mine--" Suddenly checking herself, she explained: "I shall be
+happy if you are. A man cannot know how happy a woman may be for
+another's sake."</p>
+<p>I felt no desire to reprove Max when he told me of his day's
+adventure with Yolanda, since I could in no way remedy the evil. In
+fact, Max was growing out of my jurisdiction. He had listened to my
+lectures and advice since childhood and had taken them kindly,
+because my authority grew out of my love for him and his love for
+me. He was a boy when we left Styria, but he was a man when we were
+journeying down the Rhine. Though the confidential relations
+between us had grown closer, my advice was gradually taking the
+form of consultation. I did not seek his confidences, and he gave
+them more freely, if that were possible, than ever before. I did
+not offer my advice so readily, but he sought it more frequently.
+Max told me the sorrowful little story of the day, and I did not
+comment on it. I simply led him in another direction.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein Yolanda's words have given me food for thought,"
+I said. "So long as Duke Charles lives, there can be no union
+between Burgundy and Hapsburg; but at the pace he is travelling he
+will surely receive his <i>coup de gr&acirc;ce</i> before long, and
+I hope you will meet and know the princess before the tragedy
+occurs. Then declare yourself and back your claim with the duke's
+proposal, which has never been withdrawn. That the people of
+Burgundy hate France and this French marriage there can be no
+doubt. They are fools for so doing, but we may easily profit by
+their lack of wisdom. In the event of the duke's death the
+inclinations of the princess will be half the battle. So long as he
+lives they are no part of it. If, by the help of Twonette, you
+should be so fortunate as to meet the princess, our dream may be
+realized, and our house may become the greatest in Europe."</p>
+<p>"I suppose you are right, Karl," answered Max. "You are always
+right; but I have no heart in this matter, and I hope nothing will
+come of it. I have never known you to be so cold-blooded as in this
+affair."</p>
+<p>"If you are to be hot-blooded, or even warm-blooded, you must
+turn your back on your house and cast from you the duties and
+privileges of your birth," I observed.</p>
+<p>"You are right," he answered irritably. "But it will be
+difficult for me to please one woman while thinking of another. Ah,
+Karl, I am growing tired of this Burgundian dream. Dream? It is
+almost a nightmare."</p>
+<p>Max's words did not alarm me; he was "chained to a throne." He
+would not fail me if the hour of good fortune should come.</p>
+<p>"Your thoughts of another woman will not stand in your way," I
+said. "Experience is more necessary in dealing with women than in
+any other of life's affairs, and this episode with Yolanda is what
+you need to prepare you for--for what I pray you may have to
+do."</p>
+<p>"Karl, please do not talk of this--this--my feeling for Yolanda
+as an episode," he said, speaking almost angrily. "It is a part of
+my life, and will be my sorrow as long as I live."</p>
+<p>The boy's anger warned me that if I would lead him, I must do it
+gently.</p>
+<p>"I believe, Max, you speak truly," I said; "but it will not be
+an unmixed evil. Good will come of it, since the image of a pure
+woman injures no man's heart. It keeps him in the narrow way and
+guides his hand for righteousness."</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+<h3>WHO IS YOLANDA?</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Next morning Yolanda came to breakfast smiling, bedimpled, and
+sparkling as a sunlit mountain brook. Max, who was gloomy, took her
+sprightliness amiss, thinking, no doubt, that her life also ought
+to be darkened by the cloud that he thought was over-shadowing him.
+There was no doubt in my mind that Yolanda had inspired a deep and
+lasting passion in Max, though he was, I hoped, mistaken in the
+belief that it would darken his life. But I would not give a
+kreutzer for a young fellow who does not feel that life is
+worthless without his lady-love.</p>
+<p>Yolanda did not take kindly to clouds of any sort, and she soon
+scattered those that Max had conjured up. After we had resumed our
+journey Max fell back to ride with her.</p>
+<p>"Sir Max," she said, "if you allow yourself to become The Knight
+Doleful, I will not only cease having speech with you, but I will
+laugh at you."</p>
+<p>The latter she did then and there. This from a burgher girl of
+Peronne to a prince of the House of Hapsburg! The good duke and
+duchess would have swooned with horror had they known of it. Max
+was inclined to be angry, but, unfortunately for his ill-humor, he
+caught a glimpse of her face, and he, too, laughed.</p>
+<p>"I fear I am a great fool," he said. Yolanda did not contradict
+him. She simply shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "That
+unfortunate condition is apt, at times, to overtake the best of
+men."</p>
+<p>Soon our little cavalcade came together, and we rode, laughing,
+and all talking at once, for a league or more.</p>
+<p>Our road had parted from the river at one of its great bends,
+and for an hour we had been slowly climbing a long hill. When we
+reached the top, we unsaddled for dinner in the shade of a tree by
+the wayside. A hundred yards from the road was a dense copse of
+undergrowth and bushes on the edge of the forest. Off to the east
+flowed the majestic Rhine, a league distant, and to the north ran
+the road like a white ribbon, stretching downhill to the valley and
+up again to the top of another hill, distant perhaps a
+half-league.</p>
+<p>While we were eating dinner, a cloud of dust arose from the
+hilltop north of us, and immediately began descending in our
+direction. At intervals, in the midst of the dust-cloud, we caught
+glimpses of men on horseback riding at full gallop. This unwelcome
+sight brought our dinner to an end. I at once ordered the sumpter
+mules taken to the copse on the forest's edge, and directed every
+man to look to his arms and armor. I asked Twonette and Yolanda to
+go with the mules, and Yolanda became angry.</p>
+<p>"<i>I</i> go with the mules? Sir Karl, you forget yourself,"
+cried the young lady, drawing herself up with the dignity of a
+princess royal. Twonette ran as rapidly as her feet could take her
+to seek refuge with the mules, but Yolanda, with flashing eyes,
+declared:</p>
+<p>"I will remain here."</p>
+<p>I felt that an apology was due to this burgher girl.</p>
+<p>"I will gladly apologize later, Fr&auml;ulein, but now I have
+only time to beg that you will conceal yourself. These men probably
+are robbers. If they see you, we shall be compelled to fight them,
+however great their numbers. If we find their force too large for
+us, we may easily ransom the mules and their packs, but we could
+make no terms for you. If they are Black Riders, they will prefer a
+little gold to a great deal of silk, but they will prefer you and
+Fr&auml;ulein Twonette to a great deal of gold."</p>
+<p>"I would not pay them one piece of gold," cried Yolanda,
+defiantly. "Give me an arquebuse. I will help you fight."</p>
+<p>The brave little heroine astonished me.</p>
+<p>"Would you prefer that Max or your good uncle and perhaps some
+of our poor mule-leaders should be killed by these pigstickers," I
+asked, "or would you compound with them in some reasonable way?
+Shall we fight them?"</p>
+<p>"No, no," she answered, "wise bravery is better. I suppose I
+shall learn the lesson some day."</p>
+<p>While the troop of horsemen were under the crest of the hill,
+Yolanda ran across the open to a place of concealment beside
+Twonette. Hardly was she hidden when the dust-cloud rose from the
+brink of the hill, and five men, well though roughly armed,
+galloped up to us and drew their horses back upon their
+haunches.</p>
+<p>"What have we here?" demanded the captain, a huge German. Their
+grimy armor and bearded faces besmeared with black marked them as
+Black Riders. I was overjoyed to see that they numbered but
+five.</p>
+<p>"What is that to you?" I asked, putting on a bold front, though
+I feared our mule-leaders would make but a sorry fight should we
+come to blows.</p>
+<p>"That depends on what you have," responded our swart friend,
+coolly. "Whatever you have, so much it is to us."</p>
+<p>"What will you take in gold, my good man, and let us go our way
+in peace with our cargo of silks?" asked Castleman.</p>
+<p>"By your leave, friend," said I, interrupting the negotiations,
+"I am in command when fighting is to be done. Let me settle with
+this fellow."</p>
+<p>"Settle now, if you are so keen," cried the big German, drawing
+his sword and spurring his horse upon me. I could not have
+withstood the unexpected onrush, and certainly would have met with
+hard blows or worse, had not Max come to my rescue. I hurriedly
+stepped back, and the German, in following me, rode near a large
+stone by the roadside. He had, doubtless, passed the stone many
+times in his travels up and down the road, but the thought probably
+had never occurred to him that it would be the cause of his death.
+The most potential facts in our lives are usually too insignificant
+to attract attention.</p>
+<p>When the German charged me, Max sprang upon the stone and dealt
+the swart ruffian a blow such as no man may survive. Max's great
+battle-axe crushed the Black Eider's helmet as if it were an
+egg-shell, and the captain of our foes fell backward, hanging by
+his stirrups. One of our squires shot one of the robbers, and the
+remaining three took flight. Max caught the captain's horse, and
+coolly extricated the dead man's feet from the stirrups. Then he
+thrust the body to the roadside with the indifference of a man
+whose life has been spent in slaughter. Among his many
+inheritances, Max probably had taken this indifference, together
+with his instinctive love of battle. He was not quarrelsome, but he
+took to a fight as naturally as a duck takes to water.</p>
+<p>When the robbers had left, Yolanda came running from her
+hiding-place. She was not frightened; she was aglow with
+excitement. She, too, must have inherited the love of battle.
+Twonette was trembling with fear.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Sir Max, it was beautifully done," said Yolanda. "You
+sprang upon the rock with the quickness of a panther, and the blow
+was dealt with the strength of a lion. I saw it all. When your
+battle-axe rose above the robber's head, death was written on the
+steel. It was beautiful to see you kill him, Sir Max. Strength is
+always beautiful in the eyes of a woman, but it is doubly so when
+used in her defence and linked with 'wise bravery.' I thank you,
+Sir Karl, for teaching me that word. Sir Max, I--I cannot thank you
+now."</p>
+<p>She stopped speaking and covered her face with her hands. In a
+moment she partly recovered composure and smiled her gratitude
+through a little shower of tears. Max was, of course, aglow with
+pleasure at Yolanda's praise, but he bore his honors meekly. He did
+not look upon his tremendous feat of arms as of much
+importance.</p>
+<p>Fearing the return of the Schwartreiter with
+re&euml;nforcements, we lost no time in resuming our journey, Max
+and Yolanda quickly finished their dinner, but Castleman, Twonette,
+and myself did not care to eat.</p>
+<p>Within ten minutes after Max had killed the captain of the Black
+Riders we were on our road travelling downhill, very joyful in our
+victory and very proud of our knight, Sir Max. We left the dead men
+by the roadside, but took with us two fine horses as compensation
+for our trouble. The captain's great charger Max appropriated for
+his own. He will appear again in this chronicle.</p>
+<p>We rode silently but joyfully. Twonette slowly recovered from
+her fright, and the pink crept back to her cheeks. The pink had not
+left Yolanda's cheeks, nor had her nerves been disturbed by the
+adventures of the morning. Max tried hard to suppress his
+exuberance of spirit, and Yolanda laved him in the sunshine of her
+smiles.</p>
+<p>Within three hours we were safely housed at a village by the
+Rhine. Castleman, finding me alone, said:--</p>
+<p>"You, Sir Karl, and Sir Max little know the value of the friend
+you have made this day."</p>
+<p>"I thank you, good Castleman," I answered, hardly liking so
+great an air of condescension on the part of a burgher. An
+afterthought suggested that perhaps Castleman had not referred to
+himself as the friend we had made. Strange thoughts and
+speculations had of late been swarming in my mind until they had
+almost taken the form of a refrain, "Who is Yolanda?" Though the
+question repeated itself constantly by day and by night, I received
+no whisper of an answer.</p>
+<p>We travelled slowly, and it was not until the second day after
+our conflict with the Black Riders that we found ourselves near
+Strasburg. A league from the city gates we met Raoul de Rose, a
+herald of the Duke of Burgundy. Yolanda recognized his banner at a
+distance and hastily veiled herself. Twonette remained
+unveiled.</p>
+<p>We halted, and De Rose, who was travelling alone, safe under a
+herald's privileges, drew rein beside Castleman and me, who had
+been riding in advance of our cavalcade. While Castleman was
+talking to De Rose, Yolanda and Twonette rode forward, passing on
+that side of the highway which left Castleman and me between them
+and the herald.</p>
+<p>"Ah, good Castleman," said De Rose, "you are far from home these
+troublous times."</p>
+<p>"Your words imply bad news, monsieur," returned Castleman. "I
+have already heard hints of trouble, though all was quiet when I
+left Peronne."</p>
+<p>"When did you leave?" asked the herald.</p>
+<p>"More than two months ago," answered Castleman.</p>
+<p>"With our rapidly moving duke, two months is ample time to make
+a deal of trouble, to gain victories, and to compel peace among his
+quarrelsome neighbors," answered De Rose. "It is publicly known
+that I carry defiance to the Swiss. They cannot comply with
+Burgundy's terms, and war will surely follow. Our duke will teach
+these Swiss sheep to stop bleating, and when this war is finished,
+the dominion of Burgundy will include the Alps. Duke Charles will
+have fresh ice for his dinner every day--ice from the mountain
+tops."</p>
+<p>"That is all he will get from the barren Swiss land, I fear,"
+remarked Castleman.</p>
+<p>"But if he wants it?" answered De Rose, shrugging his
+shoulders.</p>
+<p>"Yes," returned Castleman, "if the duke wants it, God give it
+him; but I am sorry to see war with so peaceful a people as the
+Swiss."</p>
+<p>"There are many persons in Burgundy foolish enough to agree with
+you," answered De Rose, laughingly, "but for my part, the will of
+my master is my will."</p>
+<p>"Amen!" said the cautious burgher.</p>
+<p>De Rose smiled, and said:--</p>
+<p>"There is but one will in Burgundy, and that will be done."</p>
+<p>"Where is the duke?" asked Castleman.</p>
+<p>"He is at home in Ghent," answered the herald.</p>
+<p>"Is he to remain there?" asked the burgher, displaying a sudden
+interest.</p>
+<p>"I believe he goes soon to Peronne to look after his affairs, on
+the French border, and to see the duchess and the princess before
+leaving for Switzerland. It is also publicly known that the duke,
+while at Peronne, intends to arrange for the immediate marriage of
+the princess to the Dauphin. He wishes to tie the hands of King
+Louis before making war elsewhere, and he is going to Peronne to
+cause this marriage to be celebrated before he leaves
+Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"Sacred God!" exclaimed the usually phlegmatic burgher. "We must
+hasten home. Farewell, Monsieur de Rose. Your news indeed is
+bad--your news of war."</p>
+<p>Castleman urged "Last Week" to an unwonted pace, and drew rein
+beside Yolanda. I followed slowly, and unintentionally overhead him
+say:--</p>
+<p>"Your father will soon be in Peronne. The duke leaves Ghent
+within a day or two."</p>
+<p>"Holy Virgin!" cried Yolanda, excitedly. "We must make all
+haste, good uncle. Hereafter we must travel night and day. We must
+double our retinue at Strasburg and hasten forward regardless of
+danger and fatigue. I wish we were across Lorraine and well out of
+Metz. If this war begins, Lorraine will surely turn upon
+Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"I begged you not to come upon this journey," said Castleman,
+complainingly.</p>
+<p>"I know you did, uncle," returned Yolanda, repentantly.</p>
+<p>"But you would come," continued Castleman, determined to give
+vent to his feelings. "I could not dissuade you, and now if the
+duke leaves Ghent--if your father reaches Peronne--before we
+return, God help us all."</p>
+<p>"Yes, dear uncle," said Yolanda, humbly; "as usual, I was at
+fault. I have been a source of trouble and danger to you nearly all
+my life, and you, of all persons in the world, I would make
+happy."</p>
+<p>I was riding ten paces behind Castleman, but the wind came
+toward me, and I was an involuntary listener. What I had heard was
+of such tremendous import to Max that I could not bring myself to
+rein back my horse, though I despised myself for listening. I
+believe that moment was, of all my life, the greatest test of my
+love for Max. No less a motive could have induced me to become an
+eavesdropper. Castleman was silent for a short time, and then I
+heard him say:--</p>
+<p>"You have also brought me happiness, Yolanda, and I shall be
+wretched when your father takes you from me. Twonette is not dearer
+to me than you. Whatever befalls, I shall still thank God for the
+happiness He has given me in you."</p>
+<p>"Ah, uncle, your kind words almost break my heart," said
+Yolanda, placing her kerchief to her eyes. "I wish you would not
+forgive me for having brought you into this hard case. I wish you
+would upbraid me. I will pray to the Blessed Virgin night and day
+to protect you from this trouble my wilfulness has brought upon
+you. Never again will I be wilful, dear uncle, never again--with
+you. At Strasburg I will make an offering to the Virgin."</p>
+<p>"Make her an offering of this young man on whom you are
+smiling," suggested Castleman. "I would have left him at Basel but
+for your wilfulness and entreaties. We know nothing of him save
+that he is big, honest, brave, gentle, and good to look upon. I
+have already warned you against the great favor you show him. I
+shall not do so again. I advise that we leave him at Metz."</p>
+<p>"I will do as you advise," said Yolanda, mournfully. "I will
+offer even this, my first great happiness, to the Virgin. Surely it
+will propitiate her."</p>
+<p>This conversation almost deprived me of the power to think. In a
+dimly conscious fashion, I wondered whether Castleman could
+possibly have meant the Duke of Burgundy when he told Yolanda that
+her father would soon be at Peronne. I could find no other meaning
+for his words, and I was almost ready to believe that the
+brown-eyed, laughing Yolanda was none other than the far-famed Mary
+of Burgundy, whose tiny hand was sought by every nation of Europe
+having a marriageable king or prince.</p>
+<p>Kings in their dotage and princes in their nonage wooed her. Old
+men and babes eagerly sought the favor of this young girl, and
+stood ready to give their gold, their blood, and the lives of their
+subjects on even the shadow of a chance to win her. The
+battle-field and the bower alike had been wooing-ground for her
+smiles. After all this, she had been affianced to the Dauphin of
+France, and her father would bring the marriage about within a few
+weeks. To this girl I had thought to be gracious, and had feared
+that I might be too condescending. I then realized what a pitiable
+ass a man may make of himself by giving his whole time and
+attention to the task.</p>
+<p>Of course I was not sure that Yolanda was the princess. Her
+father, spoken of by Castleman, might be, and probably was, a great
+lord in the duke's train. Yolanda might be the love-daughter of
+Charles of Burgundy. Many explanations might be given to
+Castleman's remarks; but I could not help believing that Yolanda
+was the far-famed Burgundian princess. If so, what a marvellous
+romance was this journey that Max and I had undertaken, and what a
+fantastic trick fate had played in bringing these two from the ends
+of the earth to meet in the quaint old Swiss city. It seemed almost
+as if their souls had journeyed toward each other, since the
+beginning of time.</p>
+<p>That the princess should be abroad with Castleman and his
+daughter unattended by even a lady-in-waiting seemed
+improbable--almost impossible.</p>
+<p>My wavering mind veered with each moment from the conviction
+that Yolanda was the princess to a feeling of certainty that she
+was not, and back again. That she was the princess seemed at one
+moment indubitably true; the next moment it appeared absurdly
+impossible. Still, Castleman's words rang in my ears.</p>
+<p>I was glad that Max was riding a hundred yards behind me. My
+first determination was that he should know nothing of what I had
+heard. My second was that he and I should leave the party at Metz.
+If I were to disclose to Max my suspicions concerning Yolanda, I
+well knew that it would be beyond my power or that of any man to
+prevent his journeying to Peronne.</p>
+<p>This meeting with the princess far from home, one might suppose,
+was the event of all others that I desired, but the situation
+presented many points to be considered. If we should conduct
+Yolanda to Peronne and should reach that city after the duke's
+arrival, there would be untold trouble for us, if (oh, that mighty
+if!) she were the Princess Mary. I was thoroughly frightened, since
+I could not know what trouble I might bring to Max. We might, with
+comparative safety, visit Peronne at a later period; but I
+sincerely hoped that Yolanda would offer Max to the Virgin when we
+reached Metz.</p>
+<p>If Yolanda were the princess, and if the duke with his
+intentions regarding her immediate marriage, should reach Peronne
+and find his daughter absent, his wrath against all concerned would
+be unappeasable. If he should learn that she had been absent from
+Peronne on this journey, even though she reached home before her
+father, Castleman would probably lose his head for the crime of
+taking her, and all concerned in the journey might meet with evil
+fortune. Any of these catastrophes might occur if she were the
+princess. If she were not the princess, some other great
+catastrophe, hinted by Castleman and dreaded by Yolanda, might
+happen; and it is well for disinterested persons to remain away
+from the scene of impending trouble.</p>
+<p>Aside from all these good reasons for cutting short our journey
+to Peronne, was the fact that our motive for going there had ceased
+to exist. The princess was soon to become the wife of the Dauphin.
+If Yolanda were not the princess, there was still good reason why
+we should abandon her at Metz. She was dangerously attractive and
+was gaining too great a hold on Max. We were under contract to
+escort Castleman to Peronne, and no danger should prevent us from
+fulfilling our agreement; but if Castleman should voluntarily
+release us, our obligation would cease.</p>
+<p>As we passed under the portcullis at Strasburg, Max spurred his
+horse to Yolanda's side. She neither lifted her veil nor gave any
+sign of recognition. The news of impending war had been discussed,
+and Max supposed Yolanda was frightened. He spoke reassuringly to
+her, and she answered:--</p>
+<p>"I thank you, Sir Max, but our danger is greater than you
+know."</p>
+<p>It was four o'clock when we reached Strasburg, where we stopped
+at The Cygnet. Soon after we entered the inn, Twonette and Yolanda
+went forth, heavily veiled, and walked rapidly in the direction of
+the cathedral. Yolanda was going to make her offering to the Virgin
+of the man she loved; surely woman could make no greater.</p>
+<p>When Yolanda and Twonette had gone, Castleman asked me to assist
+him in procuring a score of men-at-arms. They might be needed in
+crossing Lorraine from Strasburg to Metz.</p>
+<p>"I shall travel night and day till we reach home," said
+Castleman. "I have news of war that hastens us, and--and it is most
+important that Yolanda should deliver certain papers at the castle
+before the duke arrives at Peronne. If she reaches the castle one
+hour or one minute after the duke, the results will be evil beyond
+remedy."</p>
+<p>"I sincerely hope there may be no delay," I answered, believing
+that the papers were an invention of Castleman's.</p>
+<p>"Yes," responded the burgher; "and, Sir Karl, I deem it best for
+all concerned that you and Sir Max part company with us at Metz. I
+thank you for your services, and hope you will honor us by visiting
+Peronne at some future time. But now it is best that you leave us
+to pursue our journey without you."</p>
+<p>Castleman's suggestion was most welcome to me, and I
+communicated it to Max when I returned to the inn. He was
+sorrowful; but I found that he, too, felt that he should part from
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>Castleman and I found the burgomaster, to whom we paid five
+hundred guilders (a sum equal to his entire annual salary), and
+within an hour a troop of twenty men-at-arms awaited us in the
+courtyard of The Cygnet. Castleman barely touched his meat at
+supper, though he drank two bottles of Johannesburg; Max ate
+little, and I had no appetite whatever.</p>
+<p>When Yolanda returned, I said:--</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, will you not eat?"</p>
+<p>"I do not care to eat," she replied, and I could easily see that
+she was struggling to keep back the tears. "Let us resume our
+journey at once. I see the men-at-arms are waiting."</p>
+<p>Our rare days of sunshine had surely been weather-breeders. We
+were all under a dark cloud.</p>
+<p>We left Strasburg by the north gate, and, as the city fell back
+of us, Max, riding by my side, asked:--</p>
+<p>"What is the evil news that has cast this gloom over Yolanda and
+good Castleman? If our friends are in danger, I would not leave
+them at Metz, and you would not have me do so."</p>
+<p>"The evil news grows out of the war," I answered evasively. "I
+heard every word spoken by the herald and Castleman. The burgher is
+wise to hasten home. If he delays his journey even for a day, he
+may find Burgundy--especially Lorraine--swarming with lawless men
+going to the various rendezvous. He also tells me he has important
+papers that must be delivered in the castle before the duke arrives
+at Peronne."</p>
+<p>"It is strange," said Max, "that news of merely a general nature
+should produce so gloomy an effect; but, if you heard all that De
+Rose said, that must be the only cause."</p>
+<p>"I cannot say," I responded, "what the cause may be. All I know
+is that De Rose spoke of the impending war, and said that the duke
+was hastening to Peronne for the purpose of consummating the French
+marriage at once. There is now no reason why we should journey to
+Peronne. My air-castles have crumbled about my ears in fine
+shape."</p>
+<p>"I am not sorry, Karl," replied Max. "During the last fortnight
+I have changed. Should my marriage with the princess, by any
+marvellous chance, become possible, it would now be wholly for the
+sake of her estates, and I despise myself when I try to think that
+I wish to bring it about. Ah, Karl, it is now impossible even to
+hope for this marriage, and I tell you I am glad of it. We will see
+the world, then we will return to Styria; and I shall thank you all
+my life for having made a man of me."</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+<h3>DUKE CHARLES THE RASH</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Our caravan travelled with the mournfulness of a funeral
+procession. Early in the evening Max spoke to Yolanda:--</p>
+<p>"I hear your uncle desires Sir Karl and me to leave you at
+Metz."</p>
+<p>"Yes," she answered dolefully, hanging her head, "we part at
+Metz. I shall see you there before I leave, and then--and then--ah,
+Sir Max, I was wrong and you were right; there is no hope."</p>
+<p>"What of the lady who gave me the ring?" asked Max, in a feeble
+effort to banter her.</p>
+<p>"She would have made you very happy, Sir Max. Her estates would
+have compensated for all losses elsewhere."</p>
+<p>"You know, that is not true, Yolanda," said Max, earnestly.</p>
+<p>"I am not sure, Sir Max," responded the girl, "and do not wish
+to be sure. I will see you at Metz, and there we may part. It is
+our fate. We must not be doleful, Sir Max, we must be--we must
+be--happy and brave." Her poor little effort to be happy and brave
+was piteous.</p>
+<p>Castleman soon fell back with Yolanda, and Max rode forward
+beside me.</p>
+<p>At midnight we offsaddled by a stream in a forest and allowed
+our horses and mules to rest until sunrise. Then we took up our
+journey again, and by forced marches reached Metz one morning an
+hour before dawn. We waited in a drizzling rain till the gates
+opened, and, after a long parley with the warder, entered the city.
+We were all nearly exhausted, and our poor mules staggered along
+the streets hardly able to carry their burdens another step. Two
+had fallen a half-league outside of Metz; and three others fell
+with their loads within the city gates.</p>
+<p>Castleman had determined to stop with a merchant friend, and
+after what seemed a long journey from the gates we halted at the
+merchant's house. Our host left us in his parlor while he went to
+arrange for breakfast. When he had gone Castleman turned to
+me:--</p>
+<p>"You and Sir Max will, if you please, find good lodging at the
+Great Tun. My friend will send a man in advance to bespeak your
+comfort."</p>
+<p>Max and I rose to leave, and Yolanda offered him her hand,
+saying:--</p>
+<p>"It may be that we are to part here at Metz, but I will send for
+you soon and will see you before we leave, and--and--" She could
+not speak further; tears were in her eyes and her voice. It was not
+so easy after all to be happy and brave.</p>
+<p>"You will not fail to send for me?" asked Max, clinging to her
+hand.</p>
+<p>"I will not fail," she answered, looking up timidly and
+instantly dropping her eyes. "Of that you have better assurance
+than you will ever know."</p>
+<p>Castleman followed us to the street door and handed me a purse
+of gold.</p>
+<p>"I have expected to part from you here," he said, "and it may be
+so; but I fear I shall need your services still further. My mules
+are unfit to travel at present; they may never be fit to use;
+surely not within a fortnight. I must find other sumpter mules,
+wait for those I have to regain their strength, or leave my goods
+at Metz. My fortune is invested in these silks, and if I leave them
+here, I shall never see them again. In case the Duke of Lorraine
+succeeds in rallying his subjects against Burgundy, I shall find it
+difficult to buy sumpter mules on the eve of war, and may be
+compelled to remain in Metz until my own mules are able to travel.
+In that event may I depend upon you and Sir Max to escort my niece
+and my daughter to Peronne without me?"</p>
+<p>I answered promptly, though against my desires:--"You may depend
+on us."</p>
+<p>At midnight I was aroused by a knock at my door. I arose and
+admitted Castleman.</p>
+<p>"I will take you at your word, Sir Karl," said the burgher. "I
+cannot obtain sumpter mules, and I shall be ruined in fortune if I
+leave my silks at Metz. I have had word that the Duke of Burgundy
+leaves Ghent the day after to-morrow for Peronne. If he leaves late
+in the day, you may, by starting at once, reach Peronne Castle
+ahead of him. His journey will be shorter than yours by twenty-five
+leagues, but you will have a better road. If you travel with all
+haste, you may be able to take Yolanda, with--with the important
+papers, to the castle a half-day before my lord arrives there. Are
+you ready to begin the journey at once?"</p>
+<p>"We are ready," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"I will meet you at the Deutsches Thor Gate within an hour,"
+said Castleman. "My daughter and my niece will be there. Since you
+are to travel rapidly I advise a small retinue. Your squires have
+proved themselves worthy men, and I feel sure you will be able to
+protect your charges."</p>
+<p>"We'll not boast of what we shall do, good Castleman," said Max,
+"but we'll do our best."</p>
+<p>"If you reach Peronne after the duke arrives," said Castleman,
+"I advise you not to enter the gates of the city, but to leave
+Burgundy at once and with all the speed you can make. If you reach
+Peronne before the duke, I advise you not to tarry; but if you
+determine to remain, you will go to The Mitre--a quiet inn kept by
+my good friend Marcus Grote. I strongly advise you not to remain at
+Peronne; but if you do not see fit to follow my advice, I hope you
+will remain close at The Mitre until my return, which, I trust,
+will be within three weeks. Danger will attend you if you do not
+follow my suggestion. In any case, Sir Max, I hope you will not
+visit my house. My words may seem ungracious, but they are for your
+good and mine. When I return to Peronne, I shall be happy if you
+will honor my poor house; but until my return, untold trouble to
+many persons may follow your disregard of what I say."</p>
+<p>Castleman then departed, and we immediately arranged for the
+journey.</p>
+<p>Max and I, with our squires, were waiting at the Deutsches Thor
+Gate when Castleman arrived with Twonette, Yolanda, and a guide. I
+knocked at the door of the lodge to rouse the warder, who, of
+course, was asleep, and that alert guardian of a drowsy city came
+grumbling to the wicket.</p>
+<p>"What in the devil's name do you want at this time of night?" he
+growled. "The gates won't open till dawn."</p>
+<p>"Yes, they will," replied Castleman. "I have the burgomaster's
+order."</p>
+<p>"I open the gates only on an order from the governor of the
+citadel," said the warder.</p>
+<p>"I have not that, my good friend," responded Castleman, "but I
+have a hundred silver marks in my purse."</p>
+<p>"Let me see the burgomaster's order," said the worthy
+gatekeeper. "I am always glad to be accommodating."</p>
+<p>Castleman handed over the order and the purse, and the warder
+pretended to read the paper in the dark.</p>
+<p>"I'll open the gate to accommodate you and to please the
+burgomaster," he said.</p>
+<p>The gates screeched upon their hinges, and every link in the
+portcullis chain groaned as if it wished to alarm the city. When
+the portcullis was a-block, Max, myself, and the squires mounted
+our horses. Yolanda leaned down from her saddle and, placing her
+arms about Castleman's neck, kissed him. Twonette followed her
+example; then our small cavalcade passed out through the gate, and
+we entered on our long, hard race with the Duke of Burgundy.</p>
+<p>At dawn Yolanda called me to her side.</p>
+<p>"Our guide will conduct us to Cinq Voies on the Somme, eight
+leagues this side of Peronne," she said. "There we shall dismiss
+him. From Cinq Voies the road is straight to Peronne down the
+river. Shall we put our horses to the gallop?"</p>
+<p>To her last suggestion I objected:--</p>
+<p>"We have no relays. These horses must carry us to Peronne. In
+Styria we have an adage, 'If you would gallop on a long journey,
+walk your horse.'"</p>
+<p>"In Styria!" exclaimed Yolanda, laughing. "You told me you were
+from Italy."</p>
+<p>"So I am," I replied.</p>
+<p>"Now you say <i>we</i> have an adage in Styria," she returned,
+amused at my discomfiture. "I hope you have not been wandering from
+the path of truth in your long journey, Sir Karl."</p>
+<p>"No farther than yourself, Fr&auml;ulein," I answered.</p>
+<p>A frown came instantly to her face and, after a moment's
+hesitation, she retorted:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, but I am a woman; I am privileged to wander a little way
+from the narrow road. A man may protect himself with his sword and
+battle-axe, and need never stray. A woman's defence lies in her wit
+and her tongue." The frown deepened, and she turned sharply upon
+me: "But in what respect, pray, have I wandered? I have not spoken
+a word to you which has not been the exact truth. If I have left
+anything untold, it is because I do not wish to tell it, in which
+case, of course, you would not wish to pry."</p>
+<p>Her audacity amused me, and though I knew I ought to hold my
+tongue, I could not resist saying:--</p>
+<p>"I have asked no questions, Fr&auml;ulein."</p>
+<p>Yolanda cast a surprised glance toward me and then broke into a
+merry laugh.</p>
+<p>"That is to say <i>I</i> have asked too many questions. Good for
+you, Sir Karl! I have had the worst of this encounter. I will ask
+no more questions nor give you further cause to wander from the
+truth. Your memory, Sir Karl, is poor. 'To be a good liar, one must
+have a good memory,' as King Louis of France has said."</p>
+<p>"Ask all the questions you wish, Fr&auml;ulein," I responded
+penitently, "I will answer with the truth."</p>
+<p>"There is no need to ask questions," she said, giving me a side
+glance full of sauciness. "I already know all that I wish to
+know."</p>
+<p>I could not resist saying:--</p>
+<p>"Perhaps, Fr&auml;ulein, I know quite as much about you as you
+know about us."</p>
+<p>"There is little to know about me that is really worth while,
+but what little there is I sincerely hope you do not know," she
+replied half angrily. "If you do know anything which I have left
+untold, or if, in your vanity, you think you have discovered some
+great mystery concerning me, I advise you to keep your supposed
+knowledge to yourself. The day that I am made sure you know too
+much, our friendship ceases, and that, Sir Karl, would give me
+pain. I hope it would pain you."</p>
+<p>I at once began an orderly though hasty retreat.</p>
+<p>"I do not know to what you refer concerning yourself," I
+explained. "All I know about you is that you are Fr&auml;ulein
+Castleman, and a very charming person, whom I would have for my
+friend, if that be possible. I spoke but jestingly. I have often
+doubted that you are a burgher maiden, but there my knowledge
+ceases; and I am willing that it should so remain till you see fit
+to enlighten me."</p>
+<p>"There is little knowledge in doubt," said Yolanda, with a
+nervous laugh, "though a doubt usually precedes wisdom."</p>
+<p>Although I was looking at my horse's ears, I could see the light
+of her eyes as she watched me inquiringly. After a long pause she
+stroked her horse's mane with her whip, and said, musingly:--</p>
+<p>"A man should seek to know only the languages, philosophy, and
+other useful learning. Useless knowledge has cost many a man his
+head."</p>
+<p>After a long pause she turned to me with a broad smile:--</p>
+<p>"But it is usually not dangerous so long as it does not lodge in
+the tongue."</p>
+<p>I replied quickly:--</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, when my tongue makes a fool of me, I pray God I
+may lose it."</p>
+<p>"God save all fools by a like fate," she answered.</p>
+<p>I was sure she did not mean to include me in the category of
+fools.</p>
+<p>This conversation revealed to me two facts: first, I learned
+that by some means--possibly the ring Max wore--this girl, Yolanda,
+whoever she might be, knew Max. Second, I discovered in myself a
+dangerous propensity to talk, and of all sure roads to ruin the
+tongue is the surest. A man's vanity prompts him to be witty;
+hatred prompts him to cut his enemy, and his love of truth often
+prompts him to speak it at the wrong time. These three motives
+combined often prompt him to lose his head. Max and I were on
+dangerous ground, and one untimely error might make it
+perilous.</p>
+<p>We travelled rapidly, and near midnight of the second day out of
+Metz we reached Cinq Voies on the Somme. The village, consisting of
+a large inn, a church, a priest's house, and a farrier's shop, is
+situate at the meeting of five roads, from which the hamlet takes
+its name. One road led down from Cambrai and Ghent in the north,
+one from Liege in the northeast, and the one over which we had
+travelled from Metz came out of the southeast. Two roads led
+westward to Peronne. One followed the right bank of the Somme,
+passed Peronne, and thence on to Amiens. Another road followed the
+left bank of the Somme, touched Peronne, and thence ran
+southwesterly to Paris.</p>
+<p>When we reached Cinq Voies on the Somme--within eight leagues of
+Peronne--we halted for supper, very tired and weary. While supper
+was preparing, we held a consultation, and determined to rest there
+for the night. I advised against this course, believing that the
+duke would pass that way on his road from Ghent to Peronne. But
+Yolanda's sweet face was pinched by weariness, and Twonette was
+sound asleep. Our horses, I feared, might fail, and leave us
+hopelessly in the lurch. Therefore, I gave the command to
+offsaddle, and we halted at the inn for the night.</p>
+<p>Our host told me his house was full of guests who had arrived
+two hours before, but he found a room for Yolanda and Twonette, and
+told Max and me to sleep, if we could, on the tap-room floor. After
+an hour on the hard boards I went to the stable, and, rousing a
+groom, gave him a silver crown for the privilege of sleeping on a
+wisp of hay. I fell asleep at once and must have slept like the
+dead, for the dawn was breaking when one of our squires wakened me.
+I could not believe that I had been sleeping five minutes, but the
+dim morning light startled me, and I ordered the horses
+saddled.</p>
+<p>I hastened to the inn and wakened Max, to whose well-covered
+bones a board was as soft as a feather bed. While I was speaking to
+him, I heard a noise in an adjoining room and saw the door opening.
+Max and I barely escaped through an open arch when a commanding
+figure clad in light armor entered the tap-room.</p>
+<p>I had not seen Charles of Burgundy since he was a boy--he was
+then Count of Charolois--but I at once knew with terrifying
+certainty that I looked on the most dreaded man in Europe. He had
+changed greatly since I last had seen him. He was then beardless;
+now he wore a beard that reached almost to his belt, and I should
+not have recognized in him the young Count of Charolois. There was,
+however, no doubt in my mind concerning his identity.</p>
+<p>Even had I failed to see the angry scar on his neck, of which I
+had often heard, or had I failed to note the lack of upper teeth (a
+fact known to all Europe) which gave his face an expression of
+savagery, I should have recognized him by his mien. There was not
+another man like him in all the world, and I trust there never will
+be. His face wore an expression of ferocity that was almost brutal.
+The passions of anger, arrogance, and hatred were marked on every
+feature; but over all there was the stamp of an almost superhuman
+strength, the impress of an iron will, the expression of an
+exhaustless energy, and the majesty of a satanic bravery. If
+Yolanda was the daughter of this terrible man, and if he should
+discover that I had her hidden in the room above his head, I should
+never eat another breakfast. Truly, Max and I were on perilous
+ground.</p>
+<p>Max remained in concealment, and I climbed the stairs, two steps
+at a time, to Yolanda's room. I gently knocked, and received a
+sleepy response.</p>
+<p>"Rise at once," I whispered. "I must speak to you
+instantly."</p>
+<p>"Enter--we are already dressed," answered Yolanda.</p>
+<p>When I entered she had risen from the bed and was rubbing her
+eyes.</p>
+<p>"We were so tired we slept in our garments. Don't we show it?"
+said Yolanda.</p>
+<p>Her hands were above her head, vainly endeavoring to arrange her
+hair, which had fallen in a great tumble of dark curls over her
+shoulder. Rest had flushed her cheeks, and her lips and her eyes
+were moist with the dew of sleep. Though my business was urgent I
+could not resist exclaiming:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, Fr&auml;ulein, you surely are beautiful."</p>
+<p>"I thank you, Sir Karl," she answered, flashing a smile upon me.
+"You may kiss my hand."</p>
+<p>She offered me her hand and asked:--</p>
+<p>"But what is your news?"</p>
+<p>While she spoke I heard voices and the tramping of hoofs beneath
+the window in front of the inn, and turned to look. I quickly drew
+away from the window and beckoned Yolanda:--</p>
+<p>"Come here, Fr&auml;ulein."</p>
+<p>She came to my side, and as she looked out upon the road two men
+emerged from the inn door. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy.
+She clutched my arm and whispered excitedly:--</p>
+<p>"Watch them, Sir Karl! Note the road they take! If they go by
+the right, we shall take the left. We <i>must</i> reach Peronne
+Castle before the duke. Death itself hangs upon the issue, Sir
+Karl."</p>
+<p>I watched till the duke and all his people had left the inn;
+then I followed till I saw them take the road leading down the
+right bank of the Somme. When I returned to the inn, I paid the
+score, and gave each member of our little party a <i>boule</i> of
+bread to be eaten as we rode; and within five minutes after the
+duke's departure we were fording the Somme to take the left bank
+for Peronne.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+<h3>A RACE WITH THE DUKE</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Neither road clung to the river in all its windings, but at too
+frequent intervals both touched the stream at the same points. At
+places the roads hugged the Somme, separated only by its
+width--perhaps two hundred yards. These would be our danger points.
+I did not know them, and Yolanda's knowledge of the road was
+imperfect.</p>
+<p>Soon after leaving Cinq Voies, the road on the right bank--the
+one taken by the duke--gained a mile over the road on the left by
+cutting across a great bend in the river around which we had to
+travel. We therefore lost the duke's cavalcade at the outset.</p>
+<p>Hoping to pass the duke before the roads came again within sight
+of each other, we urged our horses to full speed. But the duke also
+was travelling rapidly, as we learned when we reached the first
+point of contact. Should the duke's men see us they would certainly
+hail. Four men in armor and two ladies, travelling the road to
+Peronne would not be allowed to pass unchallenged. Fortunately,
+just before the danger point, a clump of trees and underbushes grew
+between our road and the river. Max, who was riding a hundred yards
+in advance, suddenly stopped and held up his hand warningly. We
+halted immediately, and Max turned back to us, guiding his horse to
+the roadside to avoid raising a dust-cloud.</p>
+<p>We listened in silence, and I beckoned the squires to our sides.
+The men of our little party all dismounted and stood by their
+horses' heads, ready to strike the noses of the animals should they
+offer to salute the horses across the river with a neigh. Had not
+our danger been so great it would have been amusing to see each
+man, with uplifted hand, watching the eyes of his horse as intently
+as though they were the eyes of his lady-love. Yolanda laughed
+despite the danger, but covered her mouth with her hand when I
+frowned warningly.</p>
+<p>Presently we heard the tramping of horses and the voices of men
+across the river, and soon the duke approached at a canter. I could
+not help speculating on the consequences should His Grace know that
+Yolanda was watching him--if Yolanda were his daughter.</p>
+<p>That "if" would surely be the death of me.</p>
+<p>When the duke had passed a little way down the road, I peered
+through the bushes and saw the dust-cloud ahead of us.</p>
+<p>We could not venture from our hiding-place till the duke was out
+of sight, and by the delay we lost a good half-league in our race.
+I asked Yolanda if she knew how far it was to the next point of
+contact, She did not know, but I learned from a peasant that the
+river made a great bend, and that our road gained nearly a league
+over the other before each again touched the river. This was our
+great chance.</p>
+<p>We put our horses to their best; and when we again reached the
+river, Max, who was riding in advance, announced that the other
+cavalcade was not in sight. If it had passed, our race was lost; if
+it had not, we felt that we could easily ride into Peronne ahead of
+Duke Charles. At that point the roads followed the river within a
+stone's throw of each other for a great distance. If the duke had
+not reached this point, our need for haste was greater than ever
+before. We must be beyond the open stretch before the other
+cavalcade should come up to it.</p>
+<p>Our poor blown horses were loath to run, but we urged them to
+it. When we had covered half this open road, we took to the sod at
+the roadside to avoid raising a telltale cloud of dust. After a
+hard gallop we reached a forest where the road again left the
+river. Here we halted to breathe our horses and to watch the road
+on the right bank. After ten minutes we became uneasy and began to
+fear that the duke's cavalcade had passed us, but Max insisted that
+our fears were groundless.</p>
+<p>"Their dust could not have settled so quickly," he declared. "We
+should see at least traces of it. They cannot have passed."</p>
+<p>"One cannot help believing," said Yolanda, musingly, "that there
+are men who command the elements. One would almost say they make
+the rain to fall or to cease, the wind to rise or to drop, to suit
+their purposes, and the dust to lie quietly beneath their horses'
+feet. I pray God we may soon know, else I shall surely die of
+suspense."</p>
+<p>"There are also some persons, Fr&auml;ulein, whom God answers
+quickly," said Max, looking under his hand down the road. "Do you
+see yonder dust-cloud? It is a good two miles back of us."</p>
+<p>"It may not be the duke," said Yolanda, doubtingly.</p>
+<p>"Let us trust it is," said Max, "and lose no more time
+here."</p>
+<p>We watered our horses at a small brook and entered the forest,
+feeling that our race was won. The exultation of victory was upon
+Yolanda, and her buoyant spirits mounted to the skies. All fear and
+gloom had left her. She laughed and sang, and the sunshine of her
+humor filled all our hearts with delight. Since leaving Metz we had
+travelled so rapidly, and a cloud of uncertainty and fear was so
+constantly over us, that Yolanda had spoken little to Max or to any
+one; but now that victory was in her grasp, she intended to waste
+not one moment more in troubled thoughts and painful fears.</p>
+<p>"Ride beside me, Sir Max," she cried, beckoning him as if she
+were a great princess and he her page. Max spurred his horse to her
+side, and after a moment Twonette fell back with me. I overheard
+all that was said between Max and Yolanda, and though I do not
+pretend to quote accurately, I will give you the substance of their
+conversation.</p>
+<p>"I cannot help laughing," she said, suiting the action to the
+word, "over our tragic parting at Metz. We were separated a whole
+day!"</p>
+<p>"But we supposed it was to be for a very long time," said Max.
+"We--that is, I--feared I should never see you again. As it was,
+the day seemed long to me, Fr&auml;ulein."</p>
+<p>The girl laughed joyously. She had, you remember, offered Max to
+the Virgin at Strasburg. Perhaps part of her joy was because the
+Queen of Heaven had returned him to her.</p>
+<p>"I should like to try a separation for many days," she said.</p>
+<p>"You will soon have the opportunity," returned Max, with wounded
+vanity. She paid no heed to his remark, and continued:--</p>
+<p>"The second day would not seem so long to you. The third would
+be still shorter, and at the end of a fortnight--nay, at the end of
+a week--you would wonder how you were ever brought to fix your eyes
+on a poor burgher girl, even for a passing moment--you, a great
+lord. You see, I have no vast estates to hold you constant, such as
+those possessed by the forward lady who sent you the letter and the
+ring. Do you know, Sir Max, if I were very fond of you,--if I were
+your sweetheart,--I should be jealous of this brazen lady, very
+jealous."</p>
+<p>There was a glint in her eyes that might have caused one to
+believe the jealousy already existed.</p>
+<p>"Your raillery ill becomes you," said Max, half sullenly. "If I
+forget my rank and hold it of small account for your sake, you
+should not make a jest of it."</p>
+<p>You see, he had not entirely washed out of himself the
+ceremonious starch of Hapsburg.</p>
+<p>She glanced quickly toward him and answered poutingly:--</p>
+<p>"If you don't like my jesting, Sir Max, you may leave me to ride
+alone."</p>
+<p>"You asked me to ride with you," returned Max, "but if you have
+changed your mind and insist on being ill-tempered, I will--"</p>
+<p>She reached out her hand, and, grasping his bridle-reins, threw
+them over the pommel of her saddle.</p>
+<p>"Now let me see what you will do, my great Lord Somebody," she
+cried defiantly. "You shall not only ride beside me, but you shall
+also listen good-humoredly to my jests when I am pleased to make
+them, and bear with my ill-humor when I am pleased to be
+ill-humored."</p>
+<p>Max left the bridle-reins in her hand, but did not smile. She
+was not to be driven from her mood.</p>
+<p>"You are such a serious person, Sir Max, that you must, at
+times, feel yourself a great weight--almost burdensome--to carry
+about." She laughed, though his resentment had piqued her, and
+there was a dash of anger in her words. "Ponderous persons are
+often ridiculous and are apt to tire themselves with their own
+weight--no, Sir Max, you can't get away. I have your reins."</p>
+<p>"I can dismount," returned Max, "and leave you my horse to
+lead."</p>
+<p>He turned to leave his saddle, but she caught his arm, rode
+close to his side, and, slipping her hand down his sleeve, clasped
+his hand--if a hand so small as hers can be said to clasp one so
+large as his.</p>
+<p>A beautiful woman is born with a latent consciousness of her
+power over the subjugated sex. Max found in the soft touch of the
+girl's hand a wonderful antidote to her sharp words. She continued
+to hold his hand as compensation while she said, laughing
+nervously:--</p>
+<p>"Sir Max, you are still young. A friend would advise you: Never
+lose a chance to laugh, even though it be at your own expense.
+There will always be opportunity to grieve and be gloomy. I tell
+you frankly, Sir Max, I almost wept when I bade you good-by at
+Metz. Now, I am telling you my state secret and am giving you more
+than you have asked."</p>
+<p>Max joyfully interrupted her:--</p>
+<p>"I can forgive you all your raillery, Fr&auml;ulein, for that
+admission."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I confess it is a very important admission," she said, in
+half-comic seriousness, "but you see, I really did weep when I
+parted from my great mastiff, Caesar, at Peronne."</p>
+<p>The saucy turn was made so quickly that its humor took Max
+unawares, and he laughed.</p>
+<p>"There, there! Sir Max, there is hope for you," she cried
+exultantly. Then she continued, stealing a side glance at him, "I
+loved Caesar very, very much."</p>
+<p>There was a satisfying implication in her laughing words, owing
+to the fact that she had almost wept at Metz. Max was eager to take
+advantage of the opportunity her words gave him, for his caution
+was rapidly oozing away; but he had placed a seal on his lips, and
+they were shut--at least, for the time. His silence needed no
+explanation to Yolanda, and she continued laughingly:--</p>
+<p>"Yes, I almost wept. Perhaps I did weep. I will not say truly
+that I did not, Sir Max, but within an hour I was laughing at my
+foolish self and feared that you, too, would be laughing at me. I
+wondered if in all the world there was another burgher maiden so
+great a fool as to lift her eyes to a mighty lord, or to think that
+he could lower his eyes to her with true intent."</p>
+<p>At that point in the conversation I felt that the seal upon
+Max's lips would not stand another attack. It was sure to melt; so
+I rode to Yolanda's side and interrupted the interesting
+colloquy.</p>
+<p>Max supposed the girl to be of the burgher class, and if by any
+chance she were Mary of Burgundy, he might ruin his future, should
+he become too insistent upon his rank in explaining the reasons why
+he could not follow the path of his inclinations. He might make
+himself ridiculous; and that mistake will ruin a man with any
+woman, especially if she be young and much inclined to laugh.</p>
+<p>During the foregoing conversation we had been travelling at a
+six-mile canter. The day was warm, and I suggested breathing the
+horses in the shade of the forest.</p>
+<p>"I believe we are approaching the river," I said, "and we should
+rest the horses before taking a dash over the open road."</p>
+<p>Yolanda assented--in a manner she seemed to have taken command
+of the party--and we halted under the trees. Max rode forward to a
+point from which he could view the other road, and waved his hand
+to let us know that the duke was not in sight. We immediately put
+spurs to our horses and covered the stretch of open road by the
+river in a short, brisk gallop. On leaving the road again we saw no
+indication of the duke's cavalcade. Evidently the race was ours by
+an easy canter. From that point to within two miles of Peronne,
+Yolanda's song was as joyous as that of a wooing bird. The sun beat
+down upon us, and blinding clouds of dust rose from every plunge of
+our horses' hoofs; but Yolanda's song transformed our hot,
+wearisome journey into a triumphant march. Happiness seemed to
+radiate from her and to furnish joy for all.</p>
+<p>For a stretch of two miles up river from Peronne the roads
+approached each other, but, owing to an intervening marsh, they
+were fully half a mile apart. We, or at least Yolanda, had
+apparently forgotten the duke when, near the hour of eight in the
+morning, we approached the marsh; but when we entered the open
+country we saw, to our consternation, the duke's cavalcade within
+one mile of Peronne. Where they had passed us we did not know, nor
+did we stop to consider. They were five minutes ahead, and if we
+could not enter Peronne in advance of them, it were no worse had
+they been a day before us.</p>
+<p>Yolanda cast one frightened glance toward the duke's party, and
+struck her horse a blow with her whip that sent it bounding forward
+at a furious gallop. We reached the river and were crossing as the
+duke entered Cambrai Gate--the north entrance to the city. We would
+enter by the gate on the south known as the Somme Gate; Cambrai
+Gate was nearer the castle.</p>
+<p>The duke, I supposed, would go directly to the castle; where
+Yolanda would go I could not guess. From outside the Somme Gate we
+saw the duke enter Cambrai, but after we had passed under the arch
+we could not see him for a time because of intervening houses. The
+huge, grim pile of stone known as Peronne Castle loomed ominously
+on the opposite side of the small town. Yolanda veiled herself
+before passing under the gate and hastened, though without
+conspicuous speed, toward the castle.</p>
+<p>I afterward learned that there was but one entrance to the
+castle from the town. It was known as the Postern, though it had a
+portcullis and a drawbridge spanning the moat. To the Postern the
+duke took his way, as we could see at intervals by looking down
+cross streets. Yolanda did not follow him. She held her course down
+a narrow street flanked by overhanging eaves. Looking down this
+street, I could see that it terminated abruptly at the castle wall,
+which rose dark and unbroken sixty feet above the ground.</p>
+<p>At the end of this street a stone footbridge spanned the moat,
+leading to a strip of ground perhaps one hundred yards broad and
+two hundred long that lay between the moat and the castle wall. At
+either end of this strip the moat again turned to the castle. The
+Cologne River joined the moat at the north end of this tract of
+ground and flowed on by the castle wall to the Somme. In a grove of
+trees stood a large two-story house of time-darkened stone, built
+against the castle wall. One could not leave the strip of ground
+save by the stone footbridge, unless by swimming the moat or
+scaling the walls.</p>
+<p>When we reached the footbridge, Yolanda and Twonette, without a
+word of farewell, urged their horses across, and, springing from
+their saddles, hurriedly entered the house. Max and I turned our
+horses' heads, and, as we were leaving the footbridge, saw the
+duke's cavalcade enter the Postern, which was perhaps three hundred
+yards back and north of the strip on which stood the House under
+the Wall.</p>
+<p>To reach the Postern in the castle wall from the footbridge one
+must go well up into the town and cross the great bridge that spans
+the Cologne; then back along the north bank of the river by the
+street that leads to the Postern. From the House under the Wall to
+the Postern, by way of the Cologne bridge, is a half-hour's walk,
+though in a direct line, as the crow flies, it may be less than
+three hundred yards. Neither Max nor I knew whether our journey had
+been a success or a failure.</p>
+<p>We rode leisurely back to the centre of the town, and asked a
+carter to direct us to Marcus Grote's inn, The Mitre. We soon found
+it, and gave mine host the letter that we bore from Castleman.
+Although the hour of nine in the morning had not yet struck, Max
+and I eagerly sought our beds, and did not rise till late in the
+afternoon. The next morning we dismissed our squires, fearing they
+might talk. We paid the men, gave them each a horse, and saw them
+well on their road back to Switzerland. They were Swiss lads, and
+could not take themselves out of Burgundy fast enough to keep pace
+with their desires.</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding Castleman's admonition, Max determined to remain
+in Peronne; not for the sake of Mary the princess, but for the
+smile of Yolanda the burgher girl. I well knew that opposition
+would avail nothing, and was quite willing to be led by the unseen
+hand of fate.</p>
+<p>The evening of the second day after our arrival I walked out at
+dusk and by accident met my friend, the Sieur d'Hymbercourt. He it
+was to whom my letters concerning Max had been written, and who had
+been responsible for the offer of Mary's hand. He recognized me
+before I could avoid him, so I offered my hand and he gave me
+kindly welcome.</p>
+<p>"By what good fortune are you here, Sir Karl?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"I cannot tell," I answered, "whether it be good or evil fortune
+that brings me. I deem it right to tell you that I am here with my
+young pupil, the Count of Hapsburg."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt whistled his astonishment.</p>
+<p>"We are out to see a little of the world, and I need not tell
+you how important it is that we remain unknown while in Burgundy. I
+bear my own name; the young count has assumed the name of his
+mother's family and wishes to be known as Sir Maximilian du
+Guelph."</p>
+<p>"I shall not mention your presence even to my wife," he replied.
+"I advise you not to remain in Burgundy. The duke takes it for
+granted that Styria will aid the Swiss, or at least will sympathize
+with them in this brewing war, and I should fear for your safety
+were he to discover you."</p>
+<p>"I understand the duke recently arrived in Peronne?" I
+asked.</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Hymbercourt, "we all came yesterday
+morning."</p>
+<p>"How is the fair princess? Did she come with you?" I asked,
+fearing to hear his reply.</p>
+<p>"She is well, and more beautiful than ever before," he answered.
+"She did not come with us from Ghent; she has been here at the
+castle with her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret. They have lived
+here during the last two or three years. The princess met her
+father just inside the Postern, lovely and fresh as a dew-dipped
+rose."</p>
+<p>"She met her father just inside the Postern?" I asked, slowly
+dropping my words in astonishment. "She was in the castle yard when
+her father entered,--and at the Postern?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, she took his hand and sprang to a seat behind him,"
+answered Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"She met him inside the Postern, say you?" I repeated
+musingly.</p>
+<p>"What is there amazing about so small an act?" asked
+Hymbercourt. "Is it not natural that she should greet her father
+whom she has not seen for a year?"</p>
+<p>"Indeed, yes," I replied stumblingly, "but the weather is very
+hot, and--and I was thinking how much I should have enjoyed
+witnessing the meeting. She doubtless was dressed in gala attire
+for so rare an occasion?" I asked, wishing to talk upon the subject
+that touched me so nearly. Yolanda was in short skirts, stained and
+travel-worn, when she left us.</p>
+<p>"Indeed she was," answered Hymbercourt. "I can easily describe
+her dress. She loves woman's finery, and I must confess that I too
+love it. She wore a hawking costume; a cap of crimson--I think it
+was velvet--with little knots on it and gems scattered here and
+there. A heron's plume clasped with a diamond brooch adorned the
+cap. Her hair hung over her shoulders. It is very dark and falls in
+a great bush of fluffy curls. When her headgear is off, her hair
+looks like a black corona. She is wonderfully beautiful,
+wonderfully beautiful. Her gown was of red stuff. Perhaps it was of
+velvet like the cap. It was hitched up with a cord and girdle, with
+tassels of gold lace and--and--Sir Karl, you are not
+listening."</p>
+<p>"I am listening," I replied. "I am greatly interested. Her
+gown--she wore a gown--she wore a gown--"</p>
+<p>"Yes, of course she wore a gown," laughingly retorted
+Hymbercourt. "Your lagging attention is what I deserve, Sir Karl,
+for trying in my lame fashion to describe a woman's gear to a man
+who is half priest, half warrior. I do not wonder that you did not
+follow me."</p>
+<p>I had heard him, but there was another question dinning in my
+ears so loudly that it drowned all other sounds--"Who is
+Yolanda?"</p>
+<p>Yolanda was entering the door of the House under the Wall less
+than five minutes before I saw the duke pass through the Postern.
+Marcus Grote had told me there were but two openings to the castle,
+the Postern and the great gate on the other side of the castle by
+the donjon keep. To reach the great gate one must pass out by
+Cambrai or the Somme Gate and go around the city walls--an hour's
+journey.</p>
+<p>With an air of carelessness I asked Hymbercourt concerning the
+various entrances to the castle. He confirmed what Grote had said.
+Considering all the facts, I was forced to this conclusion: If the
+Princess Mary had met the duke at the Postern, Yolanda was not the
+Princess Mary.</p>
+<p>The next day I reconnoitred the premises, and again reached the
+conclusion that Yolanda could not have met the duke inside the
+Postern unless she were a witch with wings that could fly thither
+over the castle walls; ergo, she was not the princess. With equal
+certainty she was not a burgher girl.</p>
+<p>In seeking an identity that would fit her I groped among many
+absurd propositions. Yolanda might be the duke's ward, or she might
+be his daughter, though not bearing his name. My brain was in a
+whirl. If she were the princess, I wished to remain in Peronne to
+pursue the small advantage Max had assuredly gained in winning her
+favor. The French marriage might miscarry. But if she were not the
+princess, I could not get my Prince Max away from her dangerous
+neighborhood too quickly. I could not, of course, say to Max, "You
+shall remain in Peronne," or "You shall leave Peronne at once;" but
+my influence over him was great, and he trusted my fidelity, my
+love, and my ability to advise him rightly. I had always given my
+advice carefully, but, above all, I had given him the only
+pleasurable moments he had ever known. That, by the way, may have
+been the greatest good I could have offered him.</p>
+<p>When Max was a child, the pleasure of his amusements was
+smothered by officialism. My old Lord Aurbach, though gouty and
+stiff of joint, was eager to "run" his balls or his arrows, and old
+Sir Giles Butch could be caught so easily at tag or blind man's
+buff that there was no sport for Max in doing it. Everything the
+boy did was done by the heir of Styria, except on rare occasions
+when he and I stole away from the castle. Then we were boys
+together, and then it was I earned his love and confidence. At such
+times we used to leave the Hapsburg ancestry to care for itself and
+dumped Hapsburg dignity into the moat. But the crowning good I had
+brought to him was this journey into the world. The boy loathed the
+clinging dignities that made of him, at home, a royal automaton,
+tricked out in tarnished gold lace, faded velvets, and pompous
+airs. He often spoke of the pleasures I had given him. One evening
+at Grote's inn I answered:--</p>
+<p>"Nonsense, Max, nonsense," though I was so pleased with his
+gratitude I could have wept.</p>
+<p>"It is not nonsense. You have saved me from becoming a mummy. I
+see it all, Karl, and shudder to think of the life that might have
+been mine. I take no pleasure in seeing gouty old dependents
+bowing, kneeling, and smirking before me. Of course, these things
+are my prerogative, and a man born to them may not forego what is
+due to his birth even though it irks him. But such an existence--I
+will not call it living--saps the juice of life. Even dear old
+mother is compelled to suppress her love for me. Often she has
+pressed me to her breast only to thrust me away at the approach of
+footsteps. By the way, Karl," continued Max, while preparing for
+bed, "Yolanda one day at Basel jestingly called me 'Little
+Max.'"</p>
+<p>"The devil she did," I exclaimed, unable to restrain my
+words.</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Max, "and when in surprise I told her that it
+was my mother's love-name for me, she laughed saucily, 'Yes, I know
+it is.'"</p>
+<p>"The dev-- Max, you can't mean what you say?" I cried, in an
+ecstasy of delight over the news he was telling me.</p>
+<p>"Indeed I do," he returned. "I told her I loved the name as a
+sweet reminder of my mother."</p>
+<p>"What did she say?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"She seemed pleased and flashed her eyes on me--you know the way
+she has--and said: 'I, too, like the name. It fits you so well--by
+contraries.' Where could she have learned it, and how could she
+have known it was my mother's love-name for me?"</p>
+<p>"I cannot tell," I answered.</p>
+<p>So! here was a small fact suddenly grown big, since, despite all
+evidence to the contrary, it brought me back to my old belief that
+this fair, laughing Yolanda was none other than the great Princess
+of Burgundy. I was sure that she had gained all her information
+concerning Max from my letters to Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>It racks a man's brain to play shuttlecock with it in that
+fashion. While I lay in bed trying to sleep, I thought of the
+meeting between the duke and the princess at the Postern, and back
+again flew my mind to the conviction that Yolanda was not, and
+could not possibly be, the Princess Mary. For days I had been able
+to think on no other subject. One moment she was Yolanda; the next
+she was the princess; and the next I did not know who she was.
+Surely the riddle would drive me mad. The fate of nations--but,
+infinitely more important to me, the fate of Max--depended upon its
+solution.</p>
+<p>Castleman had told us to remain at the inn until his return, and
+had exacted from Max, as you will remember, a promise not to visit
+the House under the Wall, which we had learned was the home of our
+burgher friend. We therefore spent our days and evenings in Grote's
+garden near the banks of the river Cologne.</p>
+<p>One afternoon, while we were sitting at a table sipping wine
+under the shade of a tree near the river bank, Max said:--</p>
+<p>"I have enjoyed every day of our journey, Karl. I have learned
+the great lesson of life, and am now ready to go back to Styria and
+take up my burden. We must see our friends and say farewell to
+them. Then--"</p>
+<p>"You forget the object of our journey to Burgundy," I
+answered.</p>
+<p>"No, I have not forgotten it," he replied. "I had abandoned it
+even before I heard of the impending French marriage."</p>
+<p>"Not with my consent, Max," I answered almost fiercely. "The
+princess is not yet married, and no one can foresee the outcome of
+these present complications into which the duke is plunging. We
+could not have reached Burgundy at a more auspicious time. God's
+hand seems to have been in our venture. If evil befall the duke,
+there will be an open gate for you, Max,--a gate opened by
+fate."</p>
+<p>I could not, by my utmost effort, force myself entirely away
+from the belief that Yolanda was the princess, and I was near to
+telling Max of my suspicions; but doubt came before my words, and I
+remained silent. Before many days I was glad of my caution.</p>
+<p>"I knew," said Max, "that I would pain you, Karl, by this
+determination to return to Styria without so much as an effort to
+do--to do what we-- what you wished; but it must be as I say. I
+must leave Burgundy and go back to my strait-jacket. I have lived
+my life, Karl, I have had my portion of sweet joy and sweeter pain.
+The pain will give me joy as long as I live. Now for my duty to my
+father, my house, and my ancestors."</p>
+<p>"But your duty to all these lies here in Peronne," I answered,
+almost stifled by the stupendous import of the moment.</p>
+<p>"I suppose you are right," sighed Max, speaking gently, though
+with decision. "But that duty I'll shirk, and try to make amends in
+other ways. I shall never marry. That, Karl, you may depend upon.
+Styria may go at my death to Albert of Austria, or to his
+issue."</p>
+<p>"No, no! Max," I cried. He ignored my interruption.</p>
+<p>"Along with the countless duties that fall to the lot of a
+prince are a few that one owes to himself as a man. There are some
+sacrifices a man has no right to inflict upon himself, even for the
+sake of his family, his ancestors, or his state." He paused for the
+space of a minute, and, dropping his words slowly, continued in a
+low voice vibrant with emotion: "There is but one woman, Karl, whom
+I may marry with God's pleasure. Her, I may not even think upon;
+she is as far from me as if she were dead. I must sacrifice her for
+the sake of the obligations and conditions into which I was born;
+but--" here he hesitated, rose slowly to his feet, and lifted his
+hands above his head, "but I swear before the good God, who, in His
+wisdom, inflicted the curse of my birth upon me, that I will marry
+no other woman than this, let the result be what it may."</p>
+<p>He sank back into the chair and fell forward on the table,
+burying his face in his arms. His heart for the moment was stronger
+than his resolution.</p>
+<p>"That question is settled," thought I. No power save that of the
+Pope could absolve the boy from his oath, and I knew that the power
+of ten score of popes could not move him from its complete
+fulfilment. The oath of Maximilian of Hapsburg, whose heart had
+never coined a lie, was as everlasting as the rocks of his native
+land and, like Styria's mountain peaks, pierced the dome of
+heaven.</p>
+<p>If Yolanda were not the princess, our journeying to Burgundy had
+been in vain, and our sojourn in Peronne was useless and perilous.
+It could not be brought to a close too quickly. But (the question
+mark seems at times to be the greatest part of life) if Yolanda
+were Mary of Burgundy, Max had, beyond doubt, already won the
+lady's favor, unless she were a wanton snare for every man's feet.
+That hypothesis I did not entertain for a moment. I knew little of
+womankind, but my limited knowledge told me that Yolanda was true.
+Her heart was full of laughter,--a rare, rich heritage,--and she
+was little inclined to look on the serious side of life if she
+could avoid it; but beneath all there was a real Yolanda, with a
+great, tender heart and a shrewd, helpful brain. She was somewhat
+of a coquette, but coquetry salts a woman and gives her relish. It
+had been a grievous waste on the part of Providence to give to any
+girl such eyes as Yolanda's and to withhold from her a modicum of
+coquetry with which to use them. Taken all in all, Yolanda, whoever
+she was, would grace any station in life. But if she were not the
+princess, I would be willing to give my life--nay, more, I would
+almost be willing to take hers--rather than see her marry
+Maximilian of Hapsburg. Happiness could not come from such a
+union.</p>
+<p>Should Max marry a burgher girl, his father and mother would
+never look upon his face again. It would alienate his subjects,
+humble his house, and bring him to the level of the meanest noble
+on the Danube. To all these dire consequences Max was quite as wide
+awake as I. He had no intention of bringing them upon his house,
+though for himself he would have welcomed them. So I felt little
+uneasiness; but when a great love lays hold upon a great heart, no
+man may know the outcome.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+<h3>ON THE MOAT BRIDGE</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Awaiting Castleman's return, we remained housed up at The Mitre,
+seldom going farther abroad than Grote's garden save in the early
+morning or after dark. But despite our caution trouble befell us,
+as our burgher friend had predicted.</p>
+<p>Within a week Max began to go out after dark without asking me
+to accompany him. When he came into our room late one evening, I
+asked carelessly where he had been. I knew where he had been going,
+and had burned to speak, but the boy was twenty-two. Within the
+last few months he had grown out of my tutelage, and his native
+strength of character had taught me to respect him and in a certain
+way to fear him. From the promptness of his reply I thought that he
+had wished me to ask concerning his outgoing and incoming.</p>
+<p>"I have been to the bridge over the moat, near Castleman's House
+under the Wall," he answered.</p>
+<p>"What did you there?" I asked, seeing his willingness to be
+questioned.</p>
+<p>"I stood there--I--I--" He paused, laughed, and stammered on. "I
+looked at the castle and at the moat, like a silly fool,
+and--and--"</p>
+<p>"Castleman's house?" I suggested, helping him out.</p>
+<p>"Y-e-s," he answered hesitatingly, "I could not help seeing it.
+It is close by the bridge--not twenty paces distant."</p>
+<p>"Did you see any one else--except the house?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"No," he returned promptly. "I did not want to see any one else.
+If I had I should have entered the house."</p>
+<p>"Why, then, did you go to the bridge?" I queried.</p>
+<p>"I cannot answer that question even to myself," he replied.
+"I--I--there is a constant hungering for her, Karl, that I cannot
+overcome; it seems as if I am compelled to go to the bridge, though
+I know I should not. It is very foolish in me, I am sure,
+but--"</p>
+<p>"I heartily agree with you," I answered. "It is not only
+foolish, it is rash; and it may bring you great trouble."</p>
+<p>I did not deem it necessary to tell him that he was following in
+the footsteps of his race. I left him to suppose that he was the
+only fool of the sort that had ever lived. The thought would abate
+his vanity.</p>
+<p>"But I <i>must</i> go to the bridge," he continued, finishing
+the sentence I had interrupted, "and I do not see how there can be
+evil in it."</p>
+<p>"No, Max, it Is not wrong in itself," I said reprovingly; "but
+Castleman, evidently for good reasons, asked you to stay away from
+his house, and counselled us to remain close at the inn. It has
+also this evil in it for you, aside from the danger: it will make
+your duty harder to perform. When a man longs for what he may not
+have, he should not think upon it, much less act on it. Our
+desires, like covetousness and jealousy, feed upon themselves. We
+may, if we but knew it, augment or abate them at will."</p>
+<p>"I shall always think on--on my love for Yolanda," he replied.
+"I would not abate it one jot; I would augment it in my heart. But,
+Karl--you see, Karl, it is not a question of my own strength to
+resist. I need no strength. There is no more reason for you to warn
+me against this danger than to admonish a child not to long for a
+star, fearing he might get it. The longing may be indulged with
+impunity; the star and the danger are out of reach."</p>
+<p>I had nothing to say; Max was stronger and nobler than ever I
+had believed.</p>
+<p>Max continued to go to the bridge, and I made no effort to
+prevent him. Meddling mars more frequently than it mends, and when
+the Fates are leading, a man is a fool to try to direct their
+course. Whatever was to be would be. Fate held Max by the hand and
+was leading him. I almost feared to move or to speak in his
+affairs, lest I should make a mistake and offend these capricious
+Fates. The right or the wrong of his visits to the moat depended
+entirely upon the answer to my riddle, "Who is Yolanda?" and I
+dared not put it to the touch.</p>
+<p>On one occasion he returned from the bridge, and without
+lighting the lamp, sat on the arm of my chair. The moonlight
+streaming through the window illumined his head as with a halo. He
+tossed the damp curls from his face, and his eyes were aglow with
+joy. There was no need to tell me what had happened, but he told
+me.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Karl, I've seen the star," he cried triumphantly. He was
+but a boy-man, you must remember.</p>
+<p>"I was sure you would see her," I answered. "How did you bring
+the meeting about?"</p>
+<p>"I did not bring it about," he answered, laughing softly. "The
+star came to the child."</p>
+<p>"All things come to him that waits at the bridge," I replied
+sarcastically. He paid no heed to the sarcasm, but continued:--</p>
+<p>"She happened to be near the bridge when I got there, and she
+came to me, Karl,--she came to me like a real star falling out of
+the darkness."</p>
+<p>That little fact solved once more my great riddle--at least, it
+solved it for a time. Yolanda was not Mary of Burgundy. I had
+little knowledge of princesses and their ways, but I felt sure they
+were not in the habit of lurking in dark places or wandering by
+sluggish moats in the black shadow of a grim castle. A princess
+would not and could not have been loitering by the bridge near the
+House under the Wall. Castleman's words concerning Yolanda's
+residence under his roof came back and convinced me that my absurd
+theory concerning her identity was the dream of a madman.</p>
+<p>"She happened to be near the bridge?" I asked, with significant
+emphasis.</p>
+<p>"Perhaps I should not have used the word 'happened,'" returned
+Max.</p>
+<p>"I thought as much. What did she have to say for herself,
+Max?"</p>
+<p>"If I were not sure of your devotion, Karl, I should not answer
+a question concerning Yolanda put in such a manner," he replied;
+"but I'll tell you. When I stepped on the bridge, she came running
+to me from the shadow of the trees. Her arms were uplifted, and she
+moved so swiftly and with such grace one could almost think she was
+flying--"</p>
+<p>"Witches fly," I interrupted. My remark checked his flow of
+enthusiasm. After a long silence I queried, "Well?"</p>
+<p>Max began again.</p>
+<p>"She gave me her hand and said: 'I knew you would come again,
+Sir Max. I saw you from the battlements last night and the night
+before and the night before that. I could not, with certainty,
+recognize you from so great a distance, but I was sure you would
+come to the bridge--I do not know why, but I was sure you would
+come; so to-night I too came. You cannot know the trouble I took or
+the risk I ran in coming. You have not seen me for many days, yet
+you remember me and have come five times to the bridge. I was wrong
+when I said you would forget the burgher girl within a fortnight.
+Sir Max, you are a marvel of constancy.' At that moment the figures
+of two men appeared on the castle battlements, silhouetted against
+the moon; they seemed of enormous stature, magnified in the
+moonlight. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy. I recognized him
+by his great beard, of which I have heard you speak. Yolanda caught
+one glimpse of the men and ran back to the house without so much as
+giving me a word of farewell."</p>
+<p>"What did you say during the brief interview?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"Not one word," he replied.</p>
+<p>"By my soul, you are an ardent lover," I exclaimed.</p>
+<p>"I think she understood me," Max replied, confidently; and
+doubtless he was right.</p>
+<p>Once more the riddle was solved. A few more solutions and there
+would be a mad Styrian in Burgundy. My reflections were after this
+fashion: Princesses, after all, do wander by the moat side and
+loiter by the bridge. Princesses do go on long journeys with no
+lady-in-waiting to do their bidding and no servants ready at their
+call. Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy, thought I, and Max had been
+throwing away God-given opportunities. Had she not seen Max from
+the battlements, and had she not fled at sight of the duke? These
+two small facts were but scant evidence of Yolanda's royalty, but
+they seemed sufficient.</p>
+<p>"What would you have me say, Karl?" asked Max. "You would not
+have me speak more than I have already said and win her love beyond
+her power to withdraw it. That I sometimes believe I might do, but
+if my regard for her is true, I should not wish to bring
+unhappiness to her for the sake of satisfying my selfish vanity. If
+I am not mistaken, a woman would suffer more than a man from such a
+misfortune."</p>
+<p>Here, truly, was a generous love. It asked only the privilege of
+giving, and would take nothing in return because it could not give
+all. If Yolanda were Mary of Burgundy, Max might one day have a
+reward worthy of his virtue. Yolanda's sweetness and beauty and
+Mary's rich domain would surely be commensurate with the noblest
+virtue. I was not willing that Max should cease wooing Yolanda--if
+I might give that word to his conduct--until I should know
+certainly that she was not the princess. This, I admit, was cruel
+indifference to Yolanda's peace of mind or pain of heart, if Max
+should win her love and desert her.</p>
+<p>Because of a faint though dazzling ray of hope, I encouraged Max
+after this to visit the bridge over the moat, dangerous though it
+was; and each night I received an account of his doings. Usually
+the account was brief and pointless. He went, he stood upon the
+bridge, he saw the House under the Wall, he returned to the inn.
+But a night came when he had stirring adventures to relate.</p>
+<p>At the time of which I am writing every court in Europe had its
+cluster of genteel vagabonds,--foreigners,--who stood in high
+favor. These hangers-on, though perhaps of the noblest blood in
+their own lands, were usually exiles from their native country.
+Some had been banished for crimes; others had wandered from their
+homes, prompted by the love of roaming so often linked with
+unstable principles and reckless dispositions. Burgundy under
+Charles the Rash was a paradise for these gentry. The duke, who was
+so parsimonious with the great and wise Philip de Comines that he
+drove him to the court of Louis XI, was open-handed with these
+floating villains.</p>
+<p>In imitation of King Louis's Scotch guard, Charles had an
+Italian guard. The wide difference in the wisdom of these princes
+is nowhere more distinctly shown than in the quality of the men
+they chose to guard them. Louis employed the simple, honest, brave
+Scot. Charles chose the most guileful of men. They were true only
+to self-interest, brave only in the absence of danger. The court of
+Burgundy swarmed with these Italian mercenaries, many of whom had
+followed Charles to Peronne. Count Campo-Basso, who afterward
+betrayed Charles, was their chief. Among his followers was a huge
+Lombard, a great bully, who bore the name of Count Calli.</p>
+<p>On the evening of which I speak Max had hardly stepped on the
+bridge when Yolanda ran to him.</p>
+<p>"I have been waiting for you, Sir Max," she said. "You are late.
+I feared you would not come. I have waited surely an hour, though I
+am loath to confess it lest you think me a too willing maiden."</p>
+<p>"It would be hard, Fr&auml;ulein, for me to think you too
+willing--you are but gracious and kind, and I thank you," answered
+Max. "But you have not waited an hour. Darkness has fallen barely a
+quarter of that time."</p>
+<p>"I was watching long before dark on the battlements, and--"</p>
+<p>"On the battlements, Fr&auml;ulein?" asked Max, in surprise.</p>
+<p>"I mean from--from the window battlements in uncle's house. I've
+been out here under the trees since nightfall, and that seems to
+have been at least an hour ago. Don't you understand, Sir Max?" she
+continued, laughing softly and speaking as if in jest; "the longer
+I know you the more shamefully eager I become; but that is the way
+with a maid and a man. She grows more eager and he grows less
+ardent, and I doubt not the time will soon arrive, Sir Max, when
+you will not come at all, and I shall be left waiting under the
+trees to weep in loneliness."</p>
+<p>Max longed to speak the words that were in his heart and near
+his lips, but he controlled himself under this dire temptation and
+remained silent. After a long pause she stepped close to him and
+asked:--</p>
+<p>"Did you not want me to come?"</p>
+<p>Max dared not tell her how much he had wanted her to come, so he
+went to the other extreme--he must say something--and, in an excess
+of caution, said:--</p>
+<p>"I would not have asked you to come, Fr&auml;ulein, though I
+much desired it; but sober judgment would prompt me to wish
+that--that is, I--ah, Fr&auml;ulein, I did not want you to come to
+the bridge."</p>
+<p>She laughed softly and said:--</p>
+<p>"Now, Little Max, you do not speak the truth. You did want me to
+come, else why do you come to the bridge? Why do you come?"</p>
+<p>In view of all the facts in the case the question was
+practically unanswerable unless Max wished to tell the truth, so he
+evaded by saying:--</p>
+<p>"I do not know."</p>
+<p>She looked quickly up to his face and stepped back from
+him:--</p>
+<p>"Did you come to see Twonette? I had not thought of her. She is
+but drained milk and treacle. Do you want to see her, Sir Max? If
+so, I'll return to the house and send her to you."</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, I need not answer your question," returned Max,
+convincingly.</p>
+<p>"But I love Twonette. I know you do not come to see her, and I
+should not have spoken as I did," said Yolanda, penitently.</p>
+<p>Perhaps her penitential moods were the most
+bewitching--certainly they were the most dangerous--of all her many
+phases.</p>
+<p>"You know why I come to the bridge, even though I do not," said
+Max. "Tell me, Fr&auml;ulein, why I come."</p>
+<p>"That is what you may tell me. I came to hear it," she answered
+softly, hanging her head.</p>
+<p>"I may not speak, Fr&auml;ulein," he replied, with a deep,
+regretful sigh. "What I said to you on the road from Basel will be
+true as long as I live, but we agreed that it should not again be
+spoken between us. For your sake more than for mine it is better
+that I remain silent."</p>
+<p>Yolanda hung her head, while her fingers were nervously busy
+with the points of her bodice. She uttered a low laugh, flashed her
+eyes upon him for an instant, and again the long lashes shaded
+them.</p>
+<p>"You need not be <i>too</i> considerate for my sake, Sir Max,"
+she whispered; "though--though I confess that I never supposed any
+man could bring me to this condition of boldness."</p>
+<p>Max caught her hands, and, clasping them between his own, drew
+the girl toward him. The top of her head was below his chin, and
+the delicious scent from her hair intoxicated his senses. She felt
+his great frame tremble with emotion, and a thrill of exquisite
+delight sped through every fibre of her body, warming every drop of
+blood in her veins. But Max, by a mighty effort, checked himself,
+and remained true to his self-imposed renunciation in word and act.
+After a little time she drew her hands from his, saying:--</p>
+<p>"You are right, Max, to wish to save yourself and me from
+pain."</p>
+<p>"I wish to save you, Yolanda. I want the pain; I hope it will
+cling to me all my life. I want to save you from it."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps you are beginning too late, Max," said the girl,
+sighing, "but--but after all you are right. Even as you see our
+situation it is impossible for us to be more than we are to each
+other. But if you knew all the truth, you would see how utterly
+hopeless is the future in which I at one time thought I saw a ray
+of hope. Our fate is sealed, Max; we are doomed. Before long you
+shall know. I will soon tell you all."</p>
+<p>"Do you wish to tell me now, Fr&auml;ulein?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"No," she whispered.</p>
+<p>"In your own good time, Yolanda. I would not urge you."</p>
+<p>Max understood Yolanda's words to imply that her station in life
+was even lower than it seemed, or that there was some taint upon
+herself or her family. Wishing to assure her that such a fact could
+not influence him, he said:--</p>
+<p>"You need not fear to tell me all concerning yourself or your
+family. There can be no stain upon you, and even though your
+station be less than--"</p>
+<p>"Hush, Max, hush," she cried, placing her hand protestingly
+against his breast. "You do not know what you are saying. There is
+no stain on me or my family."</p>
+<p>Max wondered, but was silent; he had not earned the right to be
+inquisitive.</p>
+<p>The guard appeared at that moment on the castle battlements, and
+Max and Yolanda sought the shelter of a grove of trees a dozen
+paces from the bridge on the town side of the moat. They seated
+themselves on a bench, well within the shadow of the trees, and
+after a moment's silence Max said:--</p>
+<p>"I shall not come to the bridge again, Fr&auml;ulein. I'll wait
+till your uncle returns, when I shall see you at his house. Then
+I'll say farewell and go back to the hard rocks of my native
+land--and to a life harder than the rocks."</p>
+<p>"You are right in your resolve not to come again to the bridge,"
+said Yolanda, "for so long as you come, I, too, shall come--when I
+can. That will surely bring us trouble sooner or later. But when
+Uncle Castleman returns, you must come to his house, and I shall
+see you there. As to your leaving Peronne, we will talk of that
+later. It is not to be thought of now."</p>
+<p>She spoke with the confidence of one who felt that she might
+command him to stay or order him to go. She would settle that
+little point for herself.</p>
+<p>"I will go, Fr&auml;ulein," said Max, "soon after your uncle's
+return."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps it will be best, but we will determine that when we
+must--when the time comes that we can put it off no longer. Now, I
+wish you to grant me three promises, Sir Max. First, ask me no
+questions concerning myself. Of course, you will ask them of no one
+else; I need not demand that promise of you."</p>
+<p>"I gladly promise," he answered. "What I already know of you is
+all-sufficient."</p>
+<p>"Second, do not fail to come to my uncle's house when he invites
+you. His home is worthy to receive the grandest prince in the
+world. My--my lord, Duke Philip the Good, was Uncle Castleman's
+dear friend. The old duke, when in Peronne, dined once a week with
+my uncle. Although uncle is a burgher, he could have been noble. He
+refused a lordship and declined the Order of the Golden Fleece,
+preferring the freedom of his own caste. I have always thought he
+acted wisely."</p>
+<p>"Indeed he was wise," returned Max. "You that have never known
+the restraints of one born to high estate cannot fully understand
+how wise he was."</p>
+<p>Yolanda glanced up to Max with amusement in her eyes:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, yes! For example, there is poor Mary of Burgundy, who is to
+marry the French Dauphin. I pity her. For all we know, she may be
+longing for another man as I--I longed for my mastiff, Caesar, when
+I was away. By the way, Sir Max, are you still wearing the ring?"
+She took his hand and felt for the ring on his finger. "Ah, you
+have left it off," she cried reproachfully, answering her own
+question.</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Max. "There have been so many changes within the
+last few weeks that I have taken it off, and--and I shall cease to
+wear it."</p>
+<p>"Then give it to me, Sir Max," she cried excitedly.</p>
+<p>"I may not do that, Fr&auml;ulein," answered Max. "It was given
+to me by one I respect."</p>
+<p>"I know who the lady is," answered Yolanda, tossing her head
+saucily and speaking with a dash of irritation in her voice.</p>
+<p>"Ah, you do?" asked Max. "Tell me now, my little witch, who is
+the lady? If you know so much tell me."</p>
+<p>Yolanda lifted her eyes solemnly toward heaven, invoking the
+help of her never failing familiar spirit.</p>
+<p>"I see an unhappy lady," she said, speaking in a low whisper,
+"whose father is one of the richest and greatest princes in all the
+world. A few evenings ago while we were standing on the moat bridge
+talking, I saw the lady's father on the battlements of yonder
+terrible castle. His form seemed magnified against the sky till it
+was of unearthly size and terrible to look on--doubly terrible to
+those who know him. If she should disobey her father, he would kill
+her with his battle-axe, I verily believe, readily as he would
+crush a rebellious soldier. Yet she fears him not, because she is
+of his own dauntless blood and fears not death itself. She is to
+marry the Dauphin of France, and her wishes are of so small
+concern, I am told that she has not yet been notified. This
+terrible man will sell his daughter as he would barter a horse. She
+is powerless to move in her own behalf, being bound hand and foot
+by the remorseless shackles of her birth. She will become an
+unhappy queen, and, if she survives her cruel father, she will, in
+time, take to her husband this fat land of Burgundy, for the sake
+of which he wishes to marry her. She is Mary of Burgundy, and even
+I, poor and mean of station, pity her.
+She--gave--you--the--ring."</p>
+<p>"How did you learn all this, Fr&auml;ulein? You are not
+guessing, as you would have had me believe, and you would not lie
+to me. What you have just said is a part with what you said at
+Basel and at Strasburg. How did you learn it, Fr&auml;ulein?"</p>
+<p>"Twonette," answered Yolanda.</p>
+<p>That simple explanation was sufficient for Max. Yolanda might
+very likely know the private affairs of the Princess Mary through
+Twonette, who was a friend of Her Highness.</p>
+<p>"But you have not promised to visit Uncle Castleman's house when
+he invites you," said Yolanda, drawing Max again to the bench
+beside her.</p>
+<p>"I gladly promise," said Max.</p>
+<p>"That brings me to the third promise I desire," said Yolanda. "I
+want you to give me your word that you will not leave Burgundy
+within one month from this day, unless I give you permission."</p>
+<p>"I cannot grant you that promise, Fr&auml;ulein," answered
+Max.</p>
+<p>"Ah, but you must, you shall," cried Yolanda, desperately
+clutching his huge arms with her small hands and clinging to him.
+"I will scream, I will waken the town. I will not leave you, and
+you shall not shake me off till I have your promise. I may not give
+you my reasons, but trust me, Max, trust me. Give me your
+unquestioning faith for once. I am not a fool, Max, nor would I lie
+to you for all the world, in telling you that it is best for you to
+give me the promise. Believe me, while there may be risk to me in
+what I ask, it is best that you grant it, and that you remain in
+Peronne for a month--perhaps for two months, unless I sooner tell
+you to go."</p>
+<p>"I may not give you the promise you ask, Fr&auml;ulein,"
+answered Max, desperately. "You must know how gladly I would remain
+here forever."</p>
+<p>"I believe truly you want to stay," she answered demurely, "else
+I surely would not ask this promise of you. Your unspoken words
+have been more eloquent than any vows your lips could coin, and I
+know what is in your heart, else my boldness would have been beyond
+excusing. What I wish is that your desire should be great enough to
+keep you when I ask you to remain."</p>
+<p>"I may not think of myself or my own desires, Fr&auml;ulein," he
+answered. "Like the lady of Burgundy, I was shackled at my
+birth."</p>
+<p>"The lady of Burgundy is ever in your mind," Yolanda retorted
+sullenly. "You would give this promise quickly enough were she
+asking it--she with her vast estate."</p>
+<p>There was an angry gleam in the girl's eyes, and a dark cloud of
+unmistakable jealousy on her face. She stepped back from Max and
+hung her head. After a moment of silence she said:--</p>
+<p>"You may answer me to-morrow night at this bridge, Sir Max. If
+you do not see fit to give me the promise, then I shall weary you
+no further with importunity, and you may go your way."</p>
+<p>There was a touch of coldness in her voice as she turned and
+walked slowly toward the bridge. Max called softly:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda!"</p>
+<p>She did not answer, but continued with slow steps and drooping
+head. As her form was fading into the black shadow of the castle
+wall he ran across the bridge to her, and took her hand:--</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, I will be at the bridge to-morrow night, and I
+will try to give the promise you ask of me."</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+<h3>THE GREAT RIDDLE</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Max was cautious in the matter of making promises, as every
+honest man should be, since he had no thought of breaking them once
+they were given. Therefore, he wished to know that he could keep
+his word before pledging it. His lifelong habit of asking my advice
+may also have influenced him in refusing the promise that he so
+much wished to give; or perhaps he may have wanted time to
+consider. He did not want to give the promise on the spur of an
+impulse.</p>
+<p>When he had finished telling me his troubles, I asked:--</p>
+<p>"What will you do to-morrow night?"</p>
+<p>My riddle was again solved; Yolanda was the princess. Her words
+were convincing. All doubt had been swept from my mind. There would
+be no more battledore and shuttlecock with my poor brain on that
+subject. So when Max said, "I do not know what I shall do," I
+offered my opinion; "You surprise me, Max. You lack enterprise;
+there is no warmth in your blood. The girl cannot harm you. Give
+her the promise. Are your veins filled with water and caution?"</p>
+<p>"What do you mean, Karl?" cried Max, stepping toward me with
+surprise and delight in his face. "Are you advising me wrongly for
+the first time in my life?" Then there was a touch of anger in his
+voice as he continued: "Have I blood in my veins? Aye, Karl,
+burning, seething blood, and every drop cries wildly for this
+girl--this child. I would give the half of it to make her my wife
+and to make her happy. But I would not abate one jot of my
+wretchedness at her expense. As I treat her I pray God to deal with
+me. I cannot make her my wife, and if I am half a man, I would not
+win her everlasting love and throw it to the dogs. She all but
+asked me last night to tell her of my love for her, and almost
+pressed hers upon me, but I did not even kiss her hand. Ah, Karl, I
+wish I were dead!"</p>
+<p>The poor boy threw himself on the bed and buried his face in his
+hands. I went to him and, seating myself on the bed, ran my fingers
+through his curls.</p>
+<p>"My dear Max, I have never advised you wrongly. Perhaps luck has
+been with me. Perhaps my good advice has been owing to my great
+caution and my deep love for you. I am sure that I do not advise
+you wrongly now. Go to the bridge to-morrow night, and give Yolanda
+the promise she asks. If she wants it, give her the ring. Keep
+restraint upon your words and acts, but do not fear for one single
+moment that my advice is wrong. Max, I know whereof I speak."</p>
+<p>Max rose from the bed and looked at me in surprise; but my
+advice jumped so entirely with the longing deep buried in his heart
+that he took it as a dying man accepts life.</p>
+<p>The next evening Max met Yolanda under the trees near the
+bridge.</p>
+<p>"I may remain but a moment," she said hurriedly and somewhat
+coldly. "Do you bring me the promise?"</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Max. "I have also brought you the ring,
+Fr&auml;ulein, but you may not wear it, and no one may ever see
+it."</p>
+<p>"Ah, Max, it is well that you have brought me the promise, for
+had you not you would never have seen me again. I thank you for the
+promise and for the ring. No one shall see it. Of that you may be
+doubly sure. If by any chance some meddlesome body should see it
+and tell this arrogant lady of the castle that I have the keepsake
+she sent you, there would be trouble, Max, there would be trouble.
+She is a jealous, vindictive little wretch and you shall not think
+on her. No doubt she would have me torn limb from limb if she knew
+I possessed the jewel. When I touch it, I feel that I almost hate
+this princess, whose vast estates have a power of attraction
+greater than any woman may exert."</p>
+<p>There was real anger in her tone. In truth, dislike and aversion
+were manifest in every word she spoke of the princess, save when
+the tender little heart pitied her.</p>
+<p>"Now I must say good night and adieu, Sir Max, until uncle
+returns," said Yolanda. She gave Max her hands and he, in bringing
+them to his lips, drew her close to him. At that moment they were
+startled by a boisterous laugh close beside them, and the fellow
+calling himself Count Calli slapped Max on the back, saying in
+French:--</p>
+<p>"Nicely done, my boy, nicely done. But you are far too
+considerate. Why kiss a lady's hand when her lips are so near? I
+will show you, Fr&auml;ulein Castleman, exactly how so delicate a
+transaction is conducted by an enterprising gentleman."</p>
+<p>He insultingly took hold of Yolanda, and, with evident intent to
+kiss her, tried to lift the veil with which she had hastily covered
+her face. Max struck the fellow a blow that felled him to the
+ground, but Calli rose and, drawing his dagger, rushed upon Max.
+Yolanda stood almost paralyzed with terror. Max was unarmed, but he
+seized Calli's wrist and twisted it till a small bone cracked, and
+the dagger fell from his hand to the ground. Calli's arm hung limp
+at his side, and he was powerless to do further injury. Max did not
+take advantage of his helplessness, but said:--</p>
+<p>"Go, or I will twist your neck as I have broken your wrist."</p>
+<p>Max had gone out that evening without arms or armor. He had not
+even a dagger.</p>
+<p>When Calli had passed out of sight, Yolanda stooped, picked up
+his dagger, and offered it to Max, saying:--</p>
+<p>"He will gather his friends at once. Take this dagger and hasten
+back to the inn, or you will never reach it alive. No, come with me
+to Uncle Castleman's house. There you may lie concealed."</p>
+<p>"I may not go to your uncle's house, Fr&auml;ulein," answered
+Max. "I can go safely to the inn. Do not fear for me."</p>
+<p>Yolanda protested frantically, but Max refused.</p>
+<p>"Go quickly, then," she said, "and be on your guard at all
+times. This man who came upon us is Count Calli, the greatest
+villain in Burgundy. He is a friend of Campo-Basso. Now hasten to
+the inn, if you will not come with me to uncle's house, and beware,
+for this man and his friends will seek vengeance; of that you must
+never allow yourself to doubt. Adieu, till uncle comes."</p>
+<p>Max reached the inn unmolested. We donned our mail shirts,
+expecting trouble, and took turn and turn watching and sleeping.
+Next day we hired two stalwart Irish squires and armed them
+cap-a-pie. We meant to give our Italian friends a hot welcome if
+they attacked us, though we had, in truth, little fear of an open
+assault. We dreaded more a dagger thrust in the back, or trouble
+from court through the machinations of Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>The next morning Max sent one of our Irishmen to Castleman's
+house with a verbal message to Fr&auml;ulein Castleman. When the
+messenger returned, he replied to my question:--</p>
+<p>"I was shown into a little room where three ladies sat. 'What
+have you to say?' asked the little black-haired one in the
+corner--she with the great eyes and the face pale as a chalk-cliff.
+I said, 'I am instructed, mesdames, to deliver this simple message:
+Sir Max is quite well.' 'That will do. Thank you.' said the big
+eyes and the pale face. Then she gave me two gold florins. The
+money almost took my breath, and when I looked up to thank her,
+blest if the white face wasn't rosy as a June dawn. When I left,
+she was dancing about the room singing and laughing, and kissing
+everybody but me--worse luck! By Saint Patrick, I never saw so
+simple a message create so great a commotion. 'Sir Max is quite
+well.' I'm blest if he doesn't look it. Was he ever ill?"</p>
+<p>After five or six days we allowed ourselves to fall into a state
+of unwatchfulness. One warm evening we dismissed our squires for an
+hour's recreation. The Cologne River flows by the north side of the
+inn garden, and, the spot being secluded, Max and I, after dark,
+cooled ourselves by a plunge in the water. We had come from the
+water and finished dressing, save for our doublets, which lay upon
+the sod, when two men approached whom we thought to be our squires.
+When first we saw them, they were in the deep shadow of the trees
+that grew near the water's edge, and we did not notice their
+halberds until they were upon us. When the men had approached
+within four yards, we heard a noise back of us and turning saw four
+soldiers, each bearing an arquebuse pointed in our direction. At
+the same moment another man stepped from behind the two we had
+first seen and came quickly to me. He was Count Calli. In his left
+hand he held a parchment. Max and I were surrounded and
+unarmed.</p>
+<p>"I arrest you on the order of His Grace, the duke," said Calli,
+in low tones, speaking French with an Italian accent.</p>
+<p>"Your authority?" I demanded.</p>
+<p>"This," he said, offering me the parchment, "and this," touching
+his sword. I took the parchment but could not read it in the
+dark.</p>
+<p>"I'll go to the inn to read your warrant," I said, stooping to
+take up my doublet.</p>
+<p>"You will do nothing of the sort," he answered. "One word more
+from you, and there will be no need to arrest you. I shall be only
+too glad to dispense with that duty."</p>
+<p>I felt sure he wished us to resist that he might have a pretext
+for murdering us. I could see that slow-going Max was making ready
+for a fight, even at the odds of seven to two, and to avert trouble
+I spoke softly in German:--</p>
+<p>"These men are eager to kill us. Our only hope lies in
+submission."</p>
+<p>While I was speaking the men gathered closely about us, and
+almost before my words were uttered, our wrists were manacled
+behind us and we were blindfolded. Our captors at once led us away.
+A man on either side of me held my arms, and by way of warning I
+received now and then a merciless prod between my shoulder-blades
+from a halberd in the hands of an enthusiastic soul that walked
+behind me. Max, I supposed, was receiving like treatment.</p>
+<p>After a hundred paces or more we waded the river, and then I
+knew nothing of our whereabouts. Within a half-hour we crossed a
+bridge which I supposed was the one over the moat at the Postern.
+There we halted, and the password was given in a whisper. Then came
+the clanking of chains and creaking of hinges, and I knew the gates
+were opening and the portcullis rising. After the gates were opened
+I was again urged forward by the men on either side of me and the
+enterprising soul in the rear.</p>
+<p>I noticed that I was walking on smooth flags in place of
+cobble-stones, and I was sure we were in the bailey yard of the
+castle. Soon I was stopped again, a door opened, squeaking on its
+rusty hinges, and we began the descent of a narrow stairway. Twenty
+or thirty paces from the foot of the stairway we stopped while
+another door was opened. This, I felt sure, was the entrance to an
+underground cell, out of which God only knew if I should ever come
+alive. While I was being thrust through the door, I could not
+resist calling out, "Max--Max, for the love of God answer me if you
+hear!" I got no answer. Then I appealed to my guard:--</p>
+<p>"Let me have one moment's speech with him, only one moment. I
+will pay you a thousand crowns the day I am liberated if you grant
+me this favor."</p>
+<p>"No one is with you," the man replied. "I would willingly earn
+the thousand crowns, but if they are to be paid when you are
+liberated, I fear I should starve waiting for them."</p>
+<p>With these comforting words they thrust me into the cell,
+manacled and blindfolded. I heard the door clang to; the rusty lock
+screeched venomously, and then I was alone in gravelike silence. I
+hardly, dared to take a step, for I knew these underground cells
+were honeycombed with death-traps. I could not grope about me with
+my hands, for they were tied, and I knew not what pitfall my feet
+might find.</p>
+<p>How long I stood without moving I did not know; it might have
+been an hour or a day for all I could tell. I was almost stupefied
+by this misfortune into which I had led Max. I do not remember
+having thought at all of my own predicament. I cannot say that I
+suffered; I was benumbed. I remember wondering about Max and
+speculating vaguely on his fate, but for a time the thought did not
+move me. I also remember sinking to the floor, only half conscious
+of what I was doing, and then I must have swooned or slept.</p>
+<p>When I recovered consciousness I rose to my feet. A step or two
+brought me against a damp stone wall. Three short paces in another
+direction, and once more I was against the wall. Then I stopped,
+turned my back to the reeking stone, and cursed the brutes that had
+treated me with such wanton cruelty. It was not brutal; it was
+human. No brute could feel it; only in the heart of man could it
+live.</p>
+<p>By chafing the back of my head against the wall I succeeded in
+removing the bandage from my eyes. Though I was more comfortable, I
+was little better off, since I could see nothing in the pitiless
+black of my cell. I stretched my eyes, as one will in the dark,
+till they ached, but I could not see even an outline of the
+walls.</p>
+<p>A burning thirst usually follows excitement, and after a time it
+came to me and grew while I thought upon it. My parched throat was
+almost closed, and I wondered if I were to be left to choke to
+death. I knew that in Spain and Italy such refinement of cruelty
+was oftened practised, but I felt sure that the Duke of Burgundy
+would not permit the infliction of so cruel a fate, did he know of
+it. But our captors were not Burgundians, and I doubted if the duke
+even knew of our imprisonment. I suffered intensely, though I
+believe I could have endured it with fortitude had I not known that
+Max was suffering a like fate.</p>
+<p>I believed I had been several days in my cell when I heard a key
+turn in the lock. The door opened, and a man bearing a basket and a
+lantern entered. He placed the basket on the ground and, with the
+lantern hung over his arm, unfastened the manacles of my wrists. In
+the basket were a <i>boule</i> of black bread and a stone jar of
+water. I eagerly grasped the jar, and never in my life has anything
+passed my lips that tasted so sweet as that draught.</p>
+<p>"Don't drink too much at one time," said the guard, not
+unkindly. "It might drive you mad. A man went mad in this cell less
+than a month ago from drinking too much water."</p>
+<p>"How long had he been without it?" I asked of this cheering
+personage.</p>
+<p>"Three days," he responded.</p>
+<p>"I did not know that men of the north could be so cruel as to
+keep a prisoner three days without water," I said.</p>
+<p>"It happened because the guard was drunk," answered the fellow,
+laughing.</p>
+<p>"I hope you will remain sober," said I, not at all intending to
+be humorous, though the guard laughed.</p>
+<p>"I was the guard," he replied. "I did not intend to leave the
+prisoner without water, but, you see, I was dead drunk and did not
+know it."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps you have been drunk for the last three or four days
+since I have been here?" I asked.</p>
+<p>He laughed boisterously.</p>
+<p>"You here three or four days! Why, you are mad already! You have
+been here only over night."</p>
+<p>Well! I thought surely I <i>was</i> mad!</p>
+<p>Suddenly the guard left me and closed the cell door. I called
+frantically to him, but I might as well have cried from the bottom
+of the sea.</p>
+<p>After what seemed fully another week of waiting, the guard again
+came with bread and water. By that time my mind had cleared. I
+asked the guard to deliver a message to my Lord d'Hymbercourt and
+offered a large reward for the service. I begged him to say to
+Hymbercourt that his friends of The Mitre had been arrested and
+were now in prison. The guard willingly promised to deliver my
+message, but he did not keep his word, though I repeated my request
+many times and promised him any reward he might name when I should
+regain my liberty. With each visit he repeated his promise, but one
+day he laughed and said I was wasting words; that he would never
+see the reward and that in all probability I should never again see
+the light of day. His ominous words almost prostrated me, though
+again I say I suffered chiefly for Max's sake. Could I have gained
+his liberty at the cost of my life, nay, even my soul, I should
+have been glad to do it.</p>
+<p>But I will not further describe the tortures of my imprisonment.
+The greatest of them all was my ignorance of Max's fate. It was a
+frightful ordeal, and I wonder that my reason survived it.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+<h3>THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL</h3>
+<br>
+<p>To leave Max and myself in our underground dungeon, imprisoned
+for an unknown, uncommitted crime, while I narrate occurrences
+outside our prison walls looks like a romancer's trick, but how
+else I am to go about telling this history I do not know. Yolanda
+is quite as important a personage in this narrative as Max and
+myself, and I must tell of her troubles as I learned of them long
+afterwards.</p>
+<p>Castleman reached home ten days or a fortnight after our arrest,
+bringing with him his precious silks, velvets, and laces to the
+last ell. As he had predicted, they were quadrupled in value, and
+their increase made the good burgher a very rich man.</p>
+<p>Soon after Castleman reached the House under the Wall, Yolanda
+came dancing into the room where he was sitting with good Frau
+Katherine, drinking a bottle of rich Burgundy wine well mixed with
+pepper and honey.</p>
+<p>"Ah, uncle," she cried joyously, "at last you are at home, and I
+have a fine kiss for you."</p>
+<p>"Thank you, my dear," said Castleman, "you have spoiled my wine.
+The honey will now taste vinegarish."</p>
+<p>"You are a flatterer, uncle--isn't he, tante?" laughed Yolanda,
+turning to Aunt Castleman.</p>
+<p>"I am afraid he is," said the good frau, in mock distress.
+"Every one tries to spoil him."</p>
+<p>"You more than any one, tante," cried Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Tut, tut, child," cried Frau Katherine, "I abate his vanity
+with frowns."</p>
+<p>Yolanda laughed, and the burgher, pinching his wife's red cheek,
+protested:--</p>
+<p>"<i>You</i> frown? You couldn't frown if you tried. A clear sky
+may rain as easily. Get the peering glass, Yolanda, and find, if
+you can, a wrinkle on her face."</p>
+<p>Yolanda, who was always laughing, threw herself upon the frau's
+lap and pretended to hunt for wrinkles. Soon she reported:--</p>
+<p>"No wrinkles, uncle--there, you dear old tante, I'll kiss you to
+keep you from growing jealous of uncle on my account."</p>
+<p>"If any one about this house has been spoiled, it's you,
+Yolanda," said Frau Kate, affectionately.</p>
+<p>"When you speak after that fashion, tante, you almost make me
+weep," said Yolanda. "Surely you and uncle and Twonette are the
+only friends I have, and give me all the joy I know. But, uncle,
+now that you are at home, I want you to drink your wine quickly and
+give me a great deal of joy--oh, a great deal."</p>
+<p>"Indeed I will, my dear. Tell me where to begin," answered
+Castleman, draining his goblet.</p>
+<p>Yolanda flushed rosily and hesitated. At that moment Twonette,
+who had already greeted her father, entered the room.</p>
+<p>"Twonette will tell you," said Yolanda, laughing nervously.</p>
+<p>"What shall I tell him?" asked Twonette.</p>
+<p>"You will tell him what I want him to do quickly, at once,
+immediately," pleaded Yolanda. "You know what I have waited for
+this long, weary time."</p>
+<p>"Tell him yourself what you want quickly, at once, immediately,"
+answered Twonette. "I, too, have wants."</p>
+<p>"What do you want, daughter?" asked Castleman, beaming upon
+Twonette.</p>
+<p>"I want thirty ells of blue velvet for a gown, and I want you to
+ask permission of the duke for me to wear it."</p>
+<p>"Many noble ladies would not dare to ask so much of the duke,"
+suggested Castleman.</p>
+<p>"It is true, George," said Frau Kate, "that only noble ladies of
+high degree are permitted to wear velvet of blue; but it is also
+true that only your stubbornness has deprived our daughter of that
+privilege. She might now be noble had you not been stubborn."</p>
+<p>"I also want--" began Twonette.</p>
+<p>"You shall wear the duke's own color, purple, if you will hold
+your tongue about worthless matters and tell your father what I
+want," cried Yolanda, impetuously thrusting Twonette toward
+Castleman.</p>
+<p>"You tell him your own wants," answered Twonette, pouting. "Then
+perhaps his own daughter may have his ear for a moment or two."</p>
+<p>Yolanda laughed at Twonette's display of ill-temper.</p>
+<p>"Well, uncle, since I must tell my own tale, I will begin," said
+Yolanda, blushing. "I want you to go to The Mitre and ask a
+friend--two friends--of yours here to supper this evening. I have
+waited a weary time for you to give this invitation, and I will not
+wait another hour, nay, not another minute. We have a fat peacock
+that longs to be killed; it is so fat that it is tired of life. We
+have three pheasants that will die of grief if they are not baked
+at once. I myself have been feeding them this fortnight past in
+anticipation of this feast. We have a dozen wrens for a live pie,
+so tame they will light on our heads when you cut the crust. We
+shall have a famous feast, uncle. There will be present only tante,
+you, Twonette, our two guests, and myself. Now, uncle, the wine is
+consumed. Hurry to the inn."</p>
+<p>"My dear child," said Castleman, seriously, "you know that I am
+almost powerless to refuse any request you make, but in this case I
+must do so."</p>
+<p>"Ah, uncle, please tell me why," coaxed Yolanda, with trouble in
+her eyes and grief at the corners of her mouth.</p>
+<p>"Because you must see no more of this very pleasing young man,"
+answered Castleman. "I yielded to your wishes at Basel and brought
+him with us; I was compelled to send him with you from Metz; but
+now that our journey is over, I shall thank him and pay him an
+additional sum, since my goods are safe home, and say farewell to
+him. I believe he is a worthy and honorable young man, but we do
+not know who he is, and if we did--"</p>
+<p>"Ah, but <i>I</i> know who he is," interrupted Yolanda, tossing
+her head. "<i>We</i> may not know, but <i>I</i> know, and that is
+sufficient."</p>
+<p>"Do you know?" asked Castleman. "Pray tell me of him. The
+information was refused me; at least, it was not given. He is
+probably of noble birth, but we have nobles here in Peronne whom we
+would not ask to our house. We know nothing of this wandering young
+Max, save that he is honest and brave and good to look upon."</p>
+<p>"In God's name, uncle, what more would you ask in a man?" cried
+Yolanda, stamping her foot. "'Noble, honest, brave, and good to
+look upon!' Will not those qualities fit a man for any one's regard
+and delight any woman's heart? I tell you I will have my way in
+this. I tell you I know his degree. I know who he is and what he is
+and all about him, though I don't intend to tell you anything, and
+would inform you now that it's no business of yours."</p>
+<p>"Did you coax all this information out of him, you little
+witch?" asked Castleman, smiling against his will.</p>
+<p>"I did not," retorted Yolanda, leaning forward and lifting her
+chin defiantly. "I learned it soon after we reached Basel. I
+discovered it by--by magic--by sorcery. He will tell you as
+much."</p>
+<p>"By the magic of your eyes and smiles. That's the way you
+wheedled it out of him, and that's the way you coax every one to
+your will," said Castleman, laughing while Yolanda pouted.</p>
+<p>"I never saw a girl make such eyes at a man as you made at this
+Sir Max," said Twonette, who was waiting for her blue velvet
+gown.</p>
+<p>"Twonette, you are prettier with your mouth shut. Silence
+becomes you," retorted Yolanda, favoring Twonette with a view of
+her back. "Now, uncle," continued Yolanda, "all is ready: peacock,
+pheasants, wrens; and I command you to procure the guests."</p>
+<p>Castleman laughed at her imperious ways and said:--</p>
+<p>"I will obey your commands in all else, Yolanda, but not in
+this."</p>
+<p>The girl, who was more excited than she appeared to be, stood
+for a moment by her uncle's side, and, drawing her kerchief from
+its pouch, placed it to her eyes.</p>
+<p>"Every one tries to make me unhappy," she sobbed. "There is no
+one to whom I may turn for kindness. If you will not do this for
+me, uncle, if you will not bring him--them--to me, I give you my
+sacred word I will go to them at the inn. If you force me to do an
+act so unmaidenly, I'll leave you and will not return to your
+house. I shall know that you do not love me!"</p>
+<p>Castleman was not ready to yield, though he was sure that in the
+end he would do so. He also knew that her threat to go to the inn
+was by no means an idle word.</p>
+<p>Yolanda was not given to tears, but she used them when she found
+she could accomplish her ends by no other means. A long pause
+ensued, broken by Yolanda's sobs.</p>
+<p>"Good-by, uncle. Good-by, tante. Good-by, Twonette. I mean what
+I say, uncle. I am going, and I shall not come back if you will not
+do this thing for me. I am going to the inn."</p>
+<p>She kissed them all and started toward the door. The loving old
+tante could not hold out. She, too, was weeping, and she added her
+supplications to Yolanda's.</p>
+<p>"Do what she asks, father--only this once," said Frau Kate.</p>
+<p>"Only this once," pleaded Yolanda, turning her tear-moistened
+eyes upon the helpless burgher.</p>
+<p>"I suppose I must surrender," exclaimed Castleman, rising from
+his chair. "I have been surrendering to you, your aunt, and
+Twonette all my life. First Kate, then Twonette, and of late years
+they have been re&euml;nforced by you, Yolanda, and my day is lost.
+I do a little useless fighting when I know I am in the right, but
+it is always followed by a cowardly surrender."</p>
+<p>"But think of your victories in surrender, uncle. Think of your
+rewards," cried Yolanda, running to his side and kissing him. "Many
+a man would fight a score of dragons for that kiss."</p>
+<p>"Dragons!" cried Castleman, protestingly. "I would rather fight
+a hundred dragons than do this thing for you, Yolanda. I know
+little concerning the ways of a girl's heart, but, ignorant as I
+am, I could see--Mother, I never saw a girl so infatuated with a
+man as our Yolanda is with this Sir Max--this stranger."</p>
+<p>"There, tante," cried Yolanda, turning triumphantly to Frau
+Kate, "you hear what uncle says. Now you see the great reason for
+having him here--this Sir Max and his friend. But, uncle, if you
+think I mean to make a fool of myself about this man, put the
+notion out of your head. I know only too well the barrier between
+us, but, uncle mine," she continued pleadingly, all her wonted
+joyousness driven from her face, "I am so wretched, so unhappy. If
+I may have a moment of joy now, for the love of the Blessed Virgin
+don't deny me. I sometimes think you love me chiefly because I so
+truly deserve your pity. As for this young man, he is gentle,
+strong, and good, and, as you say, he certainly is good to look
+upon. Twonette knows that, don't you, Twonette? He is wise, too,
+and brave, even against the impulse of his own great heart. He
+thinks only of my good and his own duties. I am in no danger from
+him, uncle. He can do me only good. I shall be happier and better
+all my life long for having known him. Now, uncle?"</p>
+<p>"I will fetch him," exclaimed Castleman, seeking his hat. "You
+may be right or you may be wrong, but for persuasiveness I never
+saw your like. I declare, Yolanda, you have almost made me feel
+like a villain for refusing you."</p>
+<p>"I wish the world were filled with such villains, uncle. Don't
+you, tante?" said Yolanda, beaming upon the burgher.</p>
+<p>"No," answered the frau, "I should want them all for my
+husbands."</p>
+<p>"God forbid!" cried Yolanda, lifting her hands as she turned
+toward the door, laughing once more. "Tell them to be here by six
+o'clock, uncle. No! we will say five. Tell them to come on the
+stroke of five. No! four o'clock is better; then we will sup at
+six, and have an hour or two before we eat. That's it, uncle; have
+them here by four. Tell them to fail not by so much as a minute,
+upon their allegiance. Tell them to be here promptly on the stroke
+of four."</p>
+<p>She ran from the room singing, and Castleman started toward the
+front door.</p>
+<p>"The girl makes a fool of me whenever she wishes," he observed,
+pausing and turning toward his wife. "She coaxed me to take her to
+Basel, and life was a burden till I got her home again. Now she
+winds me around her finger and says, 'Uncle Castleman, obey me,'
+and I obey. Truly, there never was in all the world such another
+coaxing, persuasive little witch as our Yolanda."</p>
+<p>"Poor child," said Frau Kate, as her husband passed out of the
+door.</p>
+<p>Castleman reached The Mitre near the hour of one, and of course
+did not find us. At half-past four, Yolanda entered the great oak
+room where Twonette and Frau Kate were stitching tapestry.</p>
+<p>"Where suppose you Sir Max is--and Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda,
+with a touch of anger in her voice. "Why has he not come? I have
+been watching but have not seen him--them. He places little value
+on our invitation to slight it by half an hour. I am of half a mind
+not to see him when he comes."</p>
+<p>"Your uncle is downstairs under the arbor, Yolanda," said Frau
+Castleman, gently. "He will tell you, sweet one, why Sir Max is not
+here."</p>
+<p>Frau Katherine and Twonette put aside their tapestry, and went
+with Yolanda to question Castleman in the arbor.</p>
+<p>"Well, uncle, where are our guests?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"They are not at the inn, and have not been there since nearly a
+fortnight ago," answered Castleman.</p>
+<p>"Gone!" cried Yolanda, aflame with sudden anger. "He gave me his
+word he would not go. I'm glad he's gone, and I hope I may never
+see his face again. I deemed his word inviolate, and now he has
+broken it."</p>
+<p>"Do not judge Sir Max too harshly," said Castleman; "you may
+wrong him. I do not at all understand the absence of our friends.
+Grote tells me they went to the river one night to bathe and did
+not return. Their horses and arms are at the inn. Their squires,
+who had left them two hours before, have not been seen since. Grote
+has heard nothing of our friends that will throw light on their
+whereabouts. Fearing to get himself into trouble, he has stupidly
+held his tongue. He was not inclined to speak plainly even to
+me."</p>
+<p>"Blessed Mother, forgive me!" cried Yolanda, sinking back upon a
+settle. After a long silence she continued: "Two weeks ago! That
+was a few days after the trouble at the bridge."</p>
+<p>"What trouble?" asked Castleman.</p>
+<p>"I'll tell you, uncle, and you, tante. Twonette already knows of
+it," answered Yolanda. "Less than three weeks ago I was with Sir
+Max near the moat bridge. It was dark--after night--"</p>
+<p>"Yolanda!" exclaimed Castleman, reproachfully.</p>
+<p>"Yes, uncle, I know I ought not to have been there, but I was,"
+said Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Alone with Sir Max after dark?" asked the astonished
+burgher.</p>
+<p>"Yes, alone with him, after it was <i>very</i> dark," answered
+Yolanda. "I had met him several times before."</p>
+<p>Castleman tried to speak, but Yolanda interrupted him:--</p>
+<p>"Uncle, I know and admit the truth of all you would say, so
+don't say it. While I was standing very near to Sir Max, uncle,
+very near, Count Calli came upon us and offered me gross insult.
+Sir Max, being unarmed, knocked the fellow down, and in the
+struggle that ensued Count Calli's arm was broken. I heard the bone
+snap, then Calli, swearing vengeance, left us. Why Sir Max went out
+unarmed that night I do not know. Had he been armed he might have
+killed Calli; that would have prevented this trouble."</p>
+<p>"I, too, wonder that Sir Max went out unarmed," said Castleman
+musingly. "Why do you suppose he was so incautious?"</p>
+<p>"Perhaps that is the custom in Styria. There may be less danger,
+less treachery, there than in Burgundy," suggested Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"In Styria!" exclaimed Castleman. "Sir Karl said that he was
+from Italy. He did not tell me of Sir Max's home, but I supposed he
+also was from Italy, or perhaps from W&uuml;rtemberg--there are
+many Guelphs in that country."</p>
+<p>"Yes, I will tell you of that later, uncle," said Yolanda. "When
+Calli left us, Sir Max returned safely to the inn, having promised
+me not to leave Peronne within a month. This trouble has come from
+Calli and Campo-Basso."</p>
+<p>"But you say this young man is from Styria?" asked Castleman,
+anxiously.</p>
+<p>"Yes," replied Yolanda, drooping her head, "he is Maximilian,
+Count of Hapsburg."</p>
+<p>"Great God!" exclaimed Castleman, starting to his feet
+excitedly. "If I have brought these men here to be murdered, I
+shall die of grief; all Europe will turn upon Burgundy."</p>
+<p>Yolanda buried her face in Mother Kate's breast; Castleman
+walked to and fro, and sympathetic Twonette wept gently. It was not
+in Twonette's nature to do anything violently. Yolanda, on the
+contrary, was intense in all her joys and griefs.</p>
+<p>"Did Sir Max tell you who he is?" asked Castleman, stopping in
+front of Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"No," she replied, "I will tell you some day how I guessed it.
+He does not know that I know, and I would not have you tell
+him."</p>
+<p>"Tell me, Yolanda," demanded Castleman, "what has passed between
+you and this Sir Max?"</p>
+<p>"Nothing, uncle, save that I know--ah, uncle, there is nothing.
+God pity me, there can be nothing. Whatever his great, true heart
+feels may be known to me as surely as if he had spoken a thousand
+vows, but he would not of his own accord so much as touch my hand
+or speak his love. He knows that one in his station may not mate
+with a burgher girl. He treats me as a true knight should treat a
+woman, and if he feels pain because of the gulf between us, he
+would not bring a like pain to me. He is a strong, noble man, Uncle
+Castleman, and we must save him."</p>
+<p>"If I knew where to begin, I would try at once," said Castleman,
+"but I do not know, and I cannot think of--"</p>
+<p>"I have a plan," interrupted Yolanda, "that will set the matter
+going. Consult my Lord d'Hymbercourt; he is a friend of Sir Karl's;
+he may help us. Tell him of the trouble at the bridge, but say that
+Twonette, not I, was there. If Lord d'Hymbercourt cannot help us,
+I'll try another way if I die for it."</p>
+<p>Castleman found Hymbercourt and told him the whole story,
+substituting Twonette for Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"It is the work of that accursed Basso," said Hymbercourt,
+stroking his beard. "No villany is too black for him and his
+minions to do."</p>
+<p>"But what have they done?" asked Castleman. "They surely would
+not murder these men because of the quarrel at the bridge."</p>
+<p>"They would do murder for half that cause," replied Hymbercourt.
+"A brave man hates an assassin, and I am always wondering why the
+duke, who is so bold and courageous, keeps this band of Italian
+cut-throats at his court."</p>
+<p>"What can we do to rescue our friends if they still live, or to
+avenge them if dead?" asked Castleman.</p>
+<p>"I do not know," answered Hymbercourt. "Let me think it all
+over, and I will see you at your house to-night. Of this I am
+certain: you must not move in the matter. If you are known to be
+interested, certain facts may leak out that would ruin you and
+perhaps bring trouble to one who already bears a burden too heavy
+for young shoulders. We know but one useful fact: Calli and
+Campo-Basso are at the bottom of this evil. The duke suspects that
+the states adjacent to Switzerland, including Styria, will give aid
+to the Swiss in this war with Burgundy, and it may be that Duke
+Charles has reasons for the arrest of our friends. He may have
+learned that Sir Max is the Count of Hapsburg. I hope his finger is
+not in the affair. I will learn what I can, and will see you
+to-night. Till then, adieu."</p>
+<p>True to his promise, Hymbercourt went to Castleman's that
+evening, but he had learned nothing and had thought out no plan of
+action. Two days passed and there was another consultation. Still
+the mystery was as far from solution as on the day of its birth.
+Yolanda was in tribulation, and declared that she would take the
+matter into her own hands. Her uncle dissuaded her, however, and
+she reluctantly agreed to remain silent for a day or two longer,
+but she vowed that she would give tongue to her thoughts and arouse
+all Burgundy in behalf of Max and myself if we were not soon
+discovered.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+<h3>PERONNE LA PUCELLE</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The next morning Duke Charles went down to the great hall of the
+castle to hear reports from his officers relating to the war that
+he was about to wage against the Swiss. When the duke ascended the
+three steps of the dais to the ducal throne, he spoke to
+Campo-Basso who stood upon the first step at the duke's right.</p>
+<p>"What news, my Lord Count?" asked Charles. "I'm told there is a
+messenger from Ghent."</p>
+<p>"Ill news, my lord," answered Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>"Out with it!" cried the duke. "One should always swallow a
+bitter draught quickly."</p>
+<p>"We hear the Swiss are gathering their cantons in great
+numbers," said Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>"Let the sheep gather," said Charles, waving his hands. "The
+more they gather to the fold, the more we'll shear." He laughed as
+if pleased with the prospect, and continued, "Proceed, my Lord
+Count."</p>
+<p>"The Duke of Lorraine is again trying to muster his subjects
+against Your Grace, and sends a polite message asking and offering
+terms of agreement. Shall I read the missive, my lord?"</p>
+<p>"No!" cried the duke, "Curse his soft words. There is no bad
+news yet. Proceed."</p>
+<p>"It is rumored, Your Grace," continued the count, "that
+Frederick, Duke of Styria, is preparing to aid the Swiss against
+Your Grace."</p>
+<p>"With his advice?" asked the duke. "The old pauper has nothing
+else to give, unless it be the bones of his ancestors."</p>
+<p>"It is said, Your Highness, that W&uuml;rtemberg will also aid
+the Swiss, and that Duke Albert will try to bring about a coalition
+of the German states for the purpose of assisting the Swiss, aiding
+Lorraine, and overthrowing Burgundy. This purpose, our informant
+tells us, has been fostered by this same Duke Frederick of
+Styria."</p>
+<p>"This news, I suppose, is intended for our ears by the Duke of
+Styria. He probably wishes us to know that he is against us," said
+Charles. "He wanted our daughter for his clown of a son, and our
+contempt for his claims rankles in his heart. He cannot inflame
+W&uuml;rtemberg, and W&uuml;rtemberg cannot influence the other
+German princes."</p>
+<p>The duke paused, and Campo-Basso proceeded:--</p>
+<p>"The citizens of Ghent, my lord, petition Your Grace for the
+restoration of certain communal rights, and beg for the abolition
+of the hearth tax and the salt levy. They also desire the right to
+elect their own burgomaster and--"</p>
+<p>"Give me the petition," demanded the duke. Campo-Basso handed
+the parchment to Charles, and he tore it to shreds.</p>
+<p>"Send these to the dogs of Ghent, and tell them that for every
+scrap of parchment I'll take a score of heads when I return from
+Switzerland."</p>
+<p>"We hear also, my lord," said the Italian, "that King Edward of
+England is marshalling an army, presumably for the invasion of
+France and, because of the close union that is soon to be between
+King Louis and Burgundy, I have thought proper to lay the news
+before Your Grace."</p>
+<p>"Edward wants more of King Louis' gold," answered Charles.
+"We'll let him get it. We care not how much he has from this crafty
+miser of the Seine. Louis will buy the English ministers, and the
+army will suddenly vanish. When King Edward grows scarce of gold,
+he musters an army, or pretends to do so, and Louis fills the
+English coffers. The French king would buy an apostle, or the
+devil, and would sell his soul to either to serve a purpose. Have
+you more in your budget, Sir Count?"</p>
+<p>"I have delivered all, I believe, my lord," answered
+Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>"It might have been worse," said the duke, rising to quit his
+throne.</p>
+<p>"One moment, my lord! There is another matter to which I wish to
+call Your Grace's attention before you rise," said the count. "I
+have for your signature the warrants for the execution of the Swiss
+spies, who, Your Highness may remember, were entrapped and arrested
+by the watchfulness of Your Grace's faithful servant, the noble
+Count Calli."</p>
+<p>"Give me the warrant," said the duke, "and let the execution
+take place at once."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt had been standing in the back part of the room,
+paying little attention to the proceedings, but the mention of
+Calli's name in connection with the Swiss spies quickly roused him,
+and he hurriedly elbowed his way to the ducal throne. A page was
+handing Charles a quill and an ink-well when Hymbercourt
+spoke:--</p>
+<p>"My Lord Duke, I beg you not to sign the warrant until I have
+asked a few questions of my Lord Campo-Basso concerning these
+alleged spies."</p>
+<p>"Why do you say 'alleged spies,' my Lord d'Hymbercourt?" asked
+the duke. "Do you know anything of them? Are they friends of
+yours?"</p>
+<p>"If they are friends of mine, Your Grace may be sure they are
+not spies," answered Hymbercourt. "I am not sure that I know these
+men, but I fear a mistake has been made."</p>
+<p>A soft cry, a mere exclamation, was heard behind the chancel in
+the ladies' gallery, which was above the throne, a little to the
+right. But it caused no comment other than a momentary turning of
+heads in that direction.</p>
+<p>"On what ground do you base your suspicion, my lord?" asked
+Charles.</p>
+<p>"Little ground, Your Grace," answered Hymbercourt. "I may be
+entirely wrong; but I beg the privilege of asking the noble Count
+Calli two or three questions before Your Grace signs the death
+warrant. We may avert a grave mistake and prevent a horrible
+crime."</p>
+<p>"It is a waste of valuable time," answered Charles, "but if you
+will be brief, you may proceed. Count Calli, come into
+presence."</p>
+<p>Calli stepped forward and saluted the duke on bended knee.</p>
+<p>"Your questions, Hymbercourt, and quickly," said Charles,
+testily. "We are in haste. Time between the arrest and the hanging
+of a spy is wasted."</p>
+<p>"I thank you, my lord," said Hymbercourt. He then turned to
+Calli, and asked, "When were these men arrested?"</p>
+<p>"More than a fortnight ago," answered Calli.</p>
+<p>"How came you to discover they were spies?" asked
+Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"I watched them, and their actions were suspicious," replied the
+Italian.</p>
+<p>"In what respect were they suspicious?"</p>
+<p>"They went abroad only at night, and one of them was seen near
+the castle several evenings after dark," responded Calli.</p>
+<p>"Is that your only evidence against them?" demanded
+Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"It is surely enough," replied Calli, "but if more is wanted,
+they were overheard to avow their guilt."</p>
+<p>"What were they heard to say and where did they say it?" asked
+Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"I lay concealed, with six men-at-arms, near the river in the
+garden of The Mitre Inn, where the spies had been bathing. We heard
+them speak many words of treason against our gracious Lord Duke,
+but I did not move in their arrest until the younger man said to
+his companion: 'I will to-morrow gain entrance to the castle as a
+pedler and will stab this Duke Charles to death. You remain near
+the Postern with the horses, and I will try to escape to you. If
+the gate should be closed, ride away without me and carry the news
+to the cantons. I would gladly give my life to save the
+fatherland.'"</p>
+<p>"Hang them," cried the duke. "We are wasting time."</p>
+<p>"I pray your patience, my Lord Duke," said Hymbercourt, holding
+up his hand protestingly. "I know these men whom Count Calli has
+falsely accused. They are not spies; they are not Swiss; neither
+are they enemies of Burgundy. Were they so, I, my lord, would
+demand their death were they a thousand-fold my friends. I stake my
+life upon their honesty. I offer my person and my estates as
+hostages for them, and make myself their champion. Count Calli
+lies."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt's words caused a great commotion in the hall. Swords
+and daggers sprang from the scabbards of the Italians, and cries of
+indignation were uttered by the mercenaries, who saw their crime
+exposed, and by the Burgundians, who hated the Italians and their
+dastardly methods. Charles commanded silence, and Campo-Basso
+received permission to speak.</p>
+<p>"Since when did my Lord d'Hymbercourt turn traitor?" said he.
+"His fealty has always been as loud-mouthed as the baying of a
+wolf."</p>
+<p>"I am a Burgundian, my lord," said Hymbercourt, ignoring the
+Italian and addressing Charles. "I receive no pay for my fealty. I
+am not a foreign mercenary, and I need not defend my loyalty to one
+who knows me as he knows his own heart."</p>
+<p>"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor needs no defence," said Charles.
+"I trust his honesty and loyalty as I trust myself. He may be
+mistaken; he may be right. Bring in these spies."</p>
+<p>"Surely Your Grace will not contaminate your presence with these
+wretches," pleaded Campo-Basso. "Consider the danger to yourself,
+my dear lord. They are desperate men, who would gladly give their
+lives to take yours and save their country. I beg you out of the
+love I bear Your Grace, pause before you bring these traitorous
+spies into your sacred presence."</p>
+<p>"Bring them before me!" cried the duke. "We will determine this
+matter for ourselves. We have a score of brave, well-paid Italians
+who may be able to protect our person from the onslaught of two
+manacled men."</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>On this same morning the guard had been to my cell with bread
+and water, and had departed. I did not know, of course, whether it
+was morning, noon, or night, but I had learned to measure with some
+degree of accuracy the lapse of time between the visits of the
+guard, and was surprised to hear the rusty lock turn long before
+the time for his reappearance. When the man entered my cell,
+bearing his lantern, he said:--</p>
+<p>"Come with me."</p>
+<p>The words were both welcome and terrible. I could not know their
+meaning--whether it was liberty or death. I stepped from the cell
+and, while I waited for the guard to relock the door, I saw the
+light of a lantern at the other end of a passageway. Two men with
+Max between them came out of the darkness and stopped in front of
+me. Our wrists were manacled behind us, and we could not touch
+hands. I could have wept for joy and grief at seeing Max.</p>
+<p>"Forgive me, Max, for bringing you to this," I cried.</p>
+<p>"Forgive me, Karl. It is I who have brought you to these
+straits," said Max. "Which is it to be, think you, Karl, liberty or
+death?"</p>
+<p>"God only knows," I answered.</p>
+<p>"For your sake, Karl, I hope He cares more than I. I would
+prefer death to the black cell I have just left."</p>
+<p>We went through many dark passageways and winding stairs to the
+audience hall.</p>
+<p>When we entered the hall, the courtiers fell back, leaving an
+aisle from the great double doors to the ducal throne. When we
+approached the duke, I bent my knee, but Max simply bowed.</p>
+<p>"Kneel!" cried Campo-Basso, addressing Max.</p>
+<p>"If my Lord of Burgundy demands that I kneel, I will do so, but
+it is more meet that he should kneel to me for the outrage that has
+been put upon me at his court," said Max, gazing unfalteringly into
+the duke's face.</p>
+<p>"Who are you?" demanded the duke, speaking to me.</p>
+<p>"I am Sir Karl de Pitti," I replied. "Your Grace may know my
+family; we are of Italy. It was once my good fortune to serve under
+your father and yourself. My young friend is known as Sir
+Maximilian du Guelph."</p>
+<p>"He is known as Guelph, but who is he?" demanded Charles.</p>
+<p>"That question I may not answer, my lord," said I, speaking in
+the Walloon tongue.</p>
+<p>"You shall answer or die," returned the duke, angrily.</p>
+<p>"I hope my Lord of Burgundy will not be so harsh with us,"
+interrupted Max, lifting his head and speaking boldly. "We have
+committed no crime, and do not know why we have been arrested. We
+beg that we may be told the charge against us, and we would also
+know who makes the charge."</p>
+<p>"Count Calli," said the duke, beckoning that worthy knight,
+"come forward and speak."</p>
+<p>Calli came forward, knelt to the duke, and said:</p>
+<p>"I, my lord, charge these unknown men as being Swiss spies and
+assassins, who seek to murder Your Grace and to betray
+Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"You lie, you dog," cried Max, looking like an angry young god.
+"You lie in your teeth and in your heart. My Lord of Burgundy, I
+demand the combat against this man who seeks my life by treachery
+and falsehood. I waive my rank for the sweet privilege of killing
+this liar."</p>
+<p>"My Lord Duke," I exclaimed, interrupting Max, "if my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt is in presence, I beg that I may have speech with
+him."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt stepped to my side, and the duke signified
+permission to speak.</p>
+<p>"My Lord d'Hymbercourt," said I, turning to my friend, "I beg
+you to tell His Grace that we are not spies. I may not, for reasons
+well known to you, give you permission to inform His Grace who my
+young companion is, and I hope my Lord of Burgundy will be
+satisfied with your assurance that we are honest knights who wish
+only good to this land and its puissant ruler."</p>
+<p>"Indeed, my Lord Duke, I was right," answered Hymbercourt.
+"Again I offer my person and my estates as hostages for these men.
+They are not spies. They are not of Switzerland, nor are they
+friends to the Swiss; neither are they enemies of Burgundy. I doubt
+not they will gladly join Your Lordship in this war against the
+cantons. These knights have been arrested to gratify revenge for
+personal injury received and deserved by this traitorous Count
+Calli."</p>
+<p>"It is false," cried Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>"It is true--pitifully true, my lord," returned Hymbercourt.
+"This young knight was at the moat bridge near Castleman's House
+under the Wall talking with a burgher maid, Fr&auml;ulein
+Castleman. Count Calli stole upon them without warning and insulted
+the maiden. My young friend knocked down the ruffian, and, in the
+conflict that ensued, broke Calli's arm. Your Grace may have seen
+him carrying it in a sling until within the last forty-eight
+hours.</p>
+<p>"For this deserved chastisement Count Calli seeks the young
+man's life by bearing false witness against him; and with it that
+of my old friend, Sir Karl de Pitti. It is Burgundy's shame, my
+lord, that these treacherous mercenaries should be allowed to
+murder strangers and to outrage Your Grace's loyal subjects in the
+name of Your Lordship's justice. Sir Maximilian du Guelph has
+demanded the combat against this Count Calli. Sir Maximilian is a
+spurred and belted knight, and under the laws of chivalry even Your
+Grace may not gainsay him."</p>
+<p>"My lord, I do not fight assassins and spies," said Calli,
+addressing the duke.</p>
+<p>"I do," cried Max, "when they put injuries upon me as this false
+coward has done. I will prove upon his body, my Lord Duke, who is
+the assassin and the spy. My Lord d'Hymbercourt will vouch that my
+rank entitles me to fight in knightly combat with any man in this
+presence. My wrists are manacled, my lord, and I have no gage to
+throw before this false knight; but, my Lord of Burgundy, I again
+demand the combat. One brave as Your Grace is must also be just. We
+shall leave Count Calli no excuse to avoid this combat, even if I
+must tell Your Grace my true rank and station."</p>
+<p>"This knight," said Hymbercourt, addressing Charles and
+extending his hand toward Max, "is of birth entitling him to meet
+in the lists any knight in Burgundy, and I will gladly stand his
+sponsor."</p>
+<p>"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's sponsorship proves any man," said the
+duke, who well knew that Campo-Basso and his friends would commit
+any crime to avenge an injury, fancied or real.</p>
+<p>"My Lord Duke, I pray your patience," said Campo-Basso,
+obsequiously. "No man may impugn my Lord d'Hymbercourt's honesty,
+but may he not be mistaken? In the face of the evidence against
+this man, may he not be mistaken? The six men who were with Count
+Calli will testify to the treasonable words spoken by this young
+spy."</p>
+<p>"Does any other man in presence know these men?" asked the duke.
+No one responded.</p>
+<p>After a little time Hymbercourt broke silence.</p>
+<p>"I am grieved and deeply hurt, my lord, that you should want
+other evidence than mine against the witnesses who make this
+charge. I am a Burgundian. These witnesses are Italians who love
+Your Grace for the sake of the gold they get. I had hoped that my
+poor services had earned for me the right to be believed, but if I
+may have a little time, I will procure another man whose word shall
+be to you as the word of your father."</p>
+<p>"Bring him into our presence," answered the duke. "We will see
+him to-morrow at this hour."</p>
+<p>"May I not crave Your Grace's indulgence for a half-hour?"
+pleaded Hymbercourt. "I will have this man here within that
+time."</p>
+<p>"Not another minute," replied the duke. "Heralds, cry the
+rising."</p>
+<p>"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! His Grace, the Duke of Burgundy, is about to
+rise. His Grace has risen," cried the herald.</p>
+<p>The duke left the hall by a small door near the dais.</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt was standing beside us when the captain of the guard
+approached to lead us back to our cells.</p>
+<p>"May we not have comfortable quarters, and may we not be placed
+in one cell?" I asked, appealing to Hymbercourt. "I have been
+confined in a reeking, rayless dungeon unfit for swine, and
+doubtless Sir Max has been similarly outraged."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt put his hand into his pouch and drew forth two gold
+pieces. These he stealthily placed in the captain's hand, and that
+worthy official said:--</p>
+<p>"I shall be glad to oblige, my lord."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt left us, and Campo-Basso, beckoning the captain to
+one side, spoke to him in low tones. The captain, I was glad to
+see, was a Burgundian.</p>
+<p>After we left the hall we were taken to our old quarters. The
+captain followed me into the cell, leaving his men in the
+passageway.</p>
+<p>"My Lord Count ordered me to bring you here," he said; "but I
+will, if I can, soon return with other men who are not Italians and
+will remove you to a place of safety."</p>
+<p>"Am I not safe here? Is my friend in danger?" I asked.</p>
+<p>The man smiled as though amused at my simplicity:--</p>
+<p>"If you remain here to-night, there will be no need to hang you
+in the morning. Our Italian friends have methods of their own that
+are simple and sure. But I will try to find a way to remove you
+before--before the Italians have time to do their work. I will see
+my Lord d'Hymbercourt, and if the duke has not gone a-hunting, we
+will induce His Grace to order your removal to a place of
+safety."</p>
+<p>"But if the duke is gone, cannot you get the order when he
+returns?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"That will be too late, I fear," he answered, laughing, and with
+these comforting remarks he left me.</p>
+<p>After two or three hours--the time seemed days--I heard a key
+enter the lock of my cell door. If the hand inserting the key was
+that of an Italian, I might look for death. To my great joy the man
+was my Burgundian captain.</p>
+<p>"The duke had gone a-hunting," he said, "and I could not find my
+Lord d'Hymbercourt; but Her Highness, the princess, asked me to
+remove you, and I am willing to risk my neck for her sweet sake. I
+am to place you in one of the tower rooms, out of the reach of our
+Italian cut-throats."</p>
+<p>"Will my young friend be with me?" I asked eagerly.</p>
+<p>"Yes," responded the captain.</p>
+<p>Again I met Max with a man-at-arms in the passageway outside my
+cell door, and we all went up the steps together. We were hurried
+through dark passages to a spiral stairway, which we climbed till
+my knees ached. But we were going up instead of down, and I was
+overjoyed to have the aching leave my heart for my knees.</p>
+<p>The room in which the Burgundian left us was large and clean.
+There were two beds of sweet straw upon the floor, and to my
+unspeakable joy there was a bar on the door whereby it could be
+locked from within. There were also two tubs of water for a bath.
+On a rude bench was a complete change of clothing which had been
+brought by some kind hand from the inn. On an oak table were two
+bottles of wine, a bowl of honey, a cellar of pepper, white bread,
+cold meat, and pastry. A soul reaching heaven out of purgatory must
+feel as we felt then. We were too excited to eat, so we bathed,
+dressed, and lay down on the straw beds.</p>
+<p>Before leaving us our captain had said:--</p>
+<p>"Do not unbolt your door except to the password 'Burgundy.'"</p>
+<p>We slept till late in the afternoon. When we wakened the sun was
+well down in the west, and we could see only its reflected glare in
+the eastern sky. There was but one opening in the room through
+which the light could enter--a narrow window, less than a foot
+wide. The light in the room was dim even at noon, but the long
+darkness had so affected our eyes that the light from the window
+was sufficient to illumine the apartment and to make all objects
+plainly discernible. There was little to be seen. The arched roof
+was of solid masonry; the walls were without a break save the
+narrow window and the door. Through the window we could see only a
+patch of sky in the east, reddened by the reflection of the sinking
+sun; but the sight was so beautiful that Max and I were loath to
+leave it even for supper.</p>
+<p>"We must eat before the light dies," said Max, whose young
+stomach was more imperious than mine, "or we shall have to eat in
+the dark. I have had more than enough of that."</p>
+<p>"Fall to," I said, as we drew the stools to the table. With the
+first mouthful of clean, delicious food my appetite returned, and I
+ate ravenously. Had the repast been larger I believe we should have
+killed ourselves. Fortunately it was consumed before we were
+exhausted, and we came off alive and victorious. After supper
+darkness fell, and Max sat beside me on the bench. He was very
+happy, for he felt that our troubles would end with the night. I
+put my arm over his neck and begged him to forgive me for bringing
+this evil upon him.</p>
+<p>"You shall not blame yourself, Karl," he protested. "There is no
+fault in you. No one is to blame save myself; I should not have
+gone to the bridge. I wonder what poor Yolanda is doing. Perhaps
+she is suffering in fear and is ignorant of our misfortune. Perhaps
+she thinks I have broken my promise and left Peronne. I can see her
+stamp her little foot, and I see her great eyes flashing in anger.
+Each new humor in her seems more beautiful than the last, Karl.
+Knowing her, I seem to have known all mankind--at least, all
+womankind. She has wakened me to life. Her touch has unsealed my
+eyes, and the pain that I take from my love for her is like a
+foretaste of heaven. I believe that a man comes to his full
+strength, mental and moral, only through the elixir of pain."</p>
+<p>"We surely have had our share of late," I said dolefully.</p>
+<p>"All will soon be well with us, Karl; do not fear. We shall be
+free to-morrow, and I will kill this Calli. Then I'll go back to
+Styria a better, wiser, stronger man than I could ever have been
+had I remained at home. This last terrible experience has been the
+keystone of my regeneration. It has taught me to be merciful even
+to the guilty, and gentle with the accused. No man shall ever
+suffer at my command until he has been proved guilty. Doubtless
+thousands of innocent men as free from crime and evil intent as we,
+are wasting their lives away in dungeons as loathsome as those that
+imprisoned us."</p>
+<p>"Calli will not fight you," I said.</p>
+<p>"If he refuses, I will kill him at the steps of the throne of
+Burgundy, let the result be what it may. God will protect me in my
+just vengeance. I will then go home; and I'll not return to
+Burgundy till I do so at the head of an army, to compel Duke
+Charles to behead Campo-Basso."</p>
+<p>"What will you do about Yolanda, Max?" I asked.</p>
+<p>The interference of the princess in our behalf had thrown more
+light on my important riddle, and once again I was convinced that
+she was Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"I'll keep her in my heart till I die, Karl," he responded, "and
+I pray God to give her a happier life than mine can be. That is all
+I can do."</p>
+<p>"Will you see her before you go?" I asked, fully intending that
+there should be no doubt on the question.</p>
+<p>"Yes, and then--" He paused; and, after a little time, I
+asked:--</p>
+<p>"And what then, Max?"</p>
+<p>"God only knows what, Karl. I'm sure I don't," he answered.</p>
+<p>We talked till late into the night, lay down on our soft, clean
+beds of straw, and were soon asleep.</p>
+<p>I did not know how long I had been sleeping when I was wakened
+by a voice that seemed to fill the room, low, soft, and musical as
+the tones of an Aeolian harp. I groped my way noiselessly in the
+dark to Max's bed and aroused him. Placing my hand over his mouth
+to insure silence, I whispered:--</p>
+<p>"Listen!"</p>
+<p>He rested on his elbow, and we waited. After a few seconds the
+voice again resounded through the room, soft as a murmured ave,
+distinct as the notes of a bird. Max clutched my hand. Soon the
+voice came again, and we heard the words:--</p>
+<p>"Little Max, do you hear? Answer softly."</p>
+<p>"I hear," responded Max.</p>
+<p>There was an uncanny note in the music of the voice. It seemed
+almost celestial. We could not tell whence it came. Every stone in
+the walls and ceiling, every slab in the floor seemed resonant with
+silvery tones. After Max had answered there was a pause lasting two
+or three minutes, and the voice spoke again:--</p>
+<p>"I love you, Little Max. I tell you because I wish to comfort
+you. Do not fear. You shall be free to-morrow. Do not answer.
+Adieu."</p>
+<p>"Yolanda! Yolanda!" cried Max, pleadingly; but he received no
+answer. He put his hand on my shoulder and said:--</p>
+<p>"It was Yolanda, Karl--ah, God must hate a child that He brings
+into the world a prince."</p>
+<p>For the rest of the night we did not sleep, neither did we
+speak. The morrow was to be a day of frightful import to us, and we
+awaited it in great anxiety.</p>
+<p>When the morning broke and the sun shot his rays through the
+narrow window, we carefully examined the floor and walls of our
+room, but we found no opening through which the voice could have
+penetrated. In the side of the room formed by the wall of the
+tower, the mortar had fallen from between two stones, leaving one
+of them somewhat loose, but the castle wall at that point was fully
+sixteen feet thick, and it was impossible that the voice should
+have come through the layers of stone.</p>
+<p>From my first acquaintance with Yolanda there had seemed to be a
+supernatural element in her nature, an elfin quality in her face
+and manner that could not be described. Max had often told me that
+she impressed him in like manner. The voice in our stone-girt
+chamber, coming as it did from nowhere, and resounding as it did
+everywhere, intensified that feeling till it was almost a
+conviction, though I am slow to accept supernatural explanations--a
+natural one usually exists. Of course, there are rare instances of
+supernatural power vested in men and women, and Yolanda's great,
+burning eyes caused me at times, almost to believe that she was
+favored with it.</p>
+<p>The voice that we had heard was unquestionably Yolanda's, but by
+what strange power it was enabled to penetrate our rock-ribbed
+prison and give tongues to the cold stones I could not guess,
+though I could not stop trying. Here was another riddle set by this
+marvellous girl for my solving. This riddle, however, helped to
+solve the first, and confirmed my belief that Yolanda was Mary of
+Burgundy.</p>
+<p>After breakfast Max and I were taken to the great hall, where we
+found Castleman standing before the ducal throne, speaking to
+Charles. The burgher turned toward us, and as we approached I heard
+him say:--</p>
+<p>"My lord, these men are not spies."</p>
+<p>"Who are they?" demanded the duke.</p>
+<p>Castleman gave our names and told the story of our meeting at
+Basel, after we had escorted Merchant Franz from Cannstadt. Then he
+narrated Max's adventure at the moat bridge, closing with:--</p>
+<p>"Count Calli grossly insulted Fr&auml;ulein Castleman, for which
+Sir Max chastised him; and no doubt, my lord, this arrest has been
+made for revenge."</p>
+<p>"Has the younger man name or title other than you have given?"
+asked Charles.</p>
+<p>The burgher hesitated before he answered:--</p>
+<p>"He has, my lord, though I may not disclose it to Your Grace
+without his permission, unless you order me so to do upon my
+fealty. That I humbly beg Your Grace not to do."</p>
+<p>"I beg Your Grace not to ask me to disclose my identity at this
+time," said Max. "I am willing, should you insist upon knowing who
+I am, to tell it privately in Your Grace's ear; but I am travelling
+incognito with my friend, Sir Karl de Pitti, and I beg that I may
+remain so. My estate is neither very great nor very small, but what
+it is I desire for many reasons not to divulge. These reasons in no
+way touch Burgundy, and I am sure Your Grace will not wish to
+intrude upon them. Within a month, perhaps within a few days, I
+will enlighten you. If you will permit me to remain in Peronne, I
+will communicate my reasons to you personally; if I leave, I will
+write to Your Grace. I give my parole that I will, within a month,
+surrender myself to Your Lordship, if you are not satisfied, upon
+hearing my explanations, that my word is that of an honorable
+knight, and my station one worthy of Your Grace's respect. I hope
+my Lord d'Hymbercourt and my good friend Castleman will stand as
+hostages for me in making this pledge."</p>
+<p>Both men eagerly offered their persons and their estates as
+hostages, and the duke, turning to the captain of the guard,
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Remove the manacles from these knights."</p>
+<p>The chains were removed, and the duke, coming down to the last
+step of the dais, looked into Max's face.</p>
+<p>Max calmly returned the fierce gaze without so much as the
+faltering of an eyelid.</p>
+<p>"All step back save this young man," ordered the duke, extending
+his open palm toward the courtiers.</p>
+<p>We all fell away, but the duke said:--</p>
+<p>"Farther back, farther back, I say! Don't crowd in like a pack
+of yokels at a street fight!"</p>
+<p>Charles was acting under great excitement. I was not sure that
+it was not anger since his mien looked much like it. I did not know
+what was going to happen, and was in an agony of suspense. Anything
+was possible with this brutish duke when his brain was crazed with
+passion.</p>
+<p>All who had been near the ducal throne moved back, till no one
+was within ten yards of Charles save Max. The duke wore a dagger
+and a shirt of mail; Max wore neither arms nor armor. After the
+courtiers stepped back from the throne a deep, expectant hush fell
+upon the room. No one could guess the intentions of this fierce,
+cruel duke, and I was terribly apprehensive for Max's safety. Had
+Max been armed, I should have had no fear for him at the hands of
+the duke or any other man.</p>
+<p>Charles stepped from the dais to the floor beside Max, still
+gazing fixedly into his face. The men were within four feet of each
+other. The silence in the room was broken only by the heavy
+breathing of excited courtiers. The duke's voice sounded loud and
+harsh when he spoke to Max, and his breath came in hoarse
+gusts:--</p>
+<p>"You are accused, Sir Knight, by credible witnesses of intent to
+murder me. For such a crime it is my privilege to kill you here and
+now with my own hand. What have you to say?"</p>
+<p>Charles paused for a reply, drawing his dagger from its sheath.
+When Max saw the naked weapon, I noticed that he gave a start,
+though it was almost imperceptible. He at once recovered himself,
+and straightening to his full height, stepped to within two feet of
+the duke.</p>
+<p>"If I plotted or intended to kill you, my lord," said Max, less
+moved than any other man in the room, "it is your right to kill me;
+but even were I guilty I doubt if my Lord of Burgundy, who is noted
+the world over for his bravery, would strike an unarmed man. If
+Your Grace wished to attack me, you would give me arms equal to
+your own. If you should kill me, unarmed as I am, you would be more
+pitiable than any other man in Burgundy. You would despise
+yourself, and all mankind would spurn you."</p>
+<p>"Do you not fear me?" asked the duke, still clutching the hilt
+of his unsheathed dagger.</p>
+<p>"I do not believe you have the least intent to kill me,"
+answered Max, "but if you have, you may easily do so, and I shall
+be less to be pitied than you. No, I do not fear you! Do I look it,
+my lord?"</p>
+<p>"No, by God, you don't look it. Neither have you cause to fear
+me," said Charles. "There is not another man in Christendom could
+have stood this ordeal without flinching."</p>
+<p>To a brave man, bravery is above all the cardinal virtue.
+Charles turned toward his courtiers and continued:--</p>
+<p>"There is one man who does not fear me--man, say I? He is little
+more than a boy. Men of Burgundy, take a lesson from this youth,
+and bear it in mind when we go to war."</p>
+<p>The duke began to unbuckle his shirt of mail, speaking as he did
+so:--</p>
+<p>"I'll soon learn who has lied. I'll show this boy that I am as
+brave as he."</p>
+<p>Charles turned to Calli.</p>
+<p>"Sir Count, did you not say this knight wished to kill me, even
+at the cost of his own life?"</p>
+<p>"I so said, my lord, and so maintain upon my honor as a knight
+and upon my hope of salvation as a Christian. I so heard him avow,"
+answered Calli.</p>
+<p>"I will quickly prove or disprove your words, Sir Count," said
+the duke, removing his mail shirt and throwing it to the floor.
+Then he turned to Max and offered him the hilt of his dagger: "If
+you would purchase my death at the cost of your life, here is my
+dagger, and you may easily make the barter. I am unarmed. One blow
+from that great arm of yours will end all prospects of war with
+your Switzerland."</p>
+<p>Max hesitatingly took the dagger and looked with a puzzled
+expression from it to the duke's face. Campo-Basso and his Italian
+friends moved toward their lord as if to protect him, but Charles
+waved them back with a protesting palm.</p>
+<p>"Switzerland is not my native land, Your Grace, nor do I seek
+your life. Take your dagger," said Max.</p>
+<p>"I offer you better terms," said Charles. "If you wish to kill
+me, I now give you safe conduct beyond the borders of
+Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"My lord, you are mistaken," said Max, impatiently, tossing the
+dagger to the floor and stepping back from the duke. A soft ripple
+of laughter was heard in the ladies' gallery.</p>
+<p>"No, it is not I that am mistaken," said Charles. "It is
+Campo-Basso and his friends. Count Calli, prepare to give the
+combat to this knight, whoever he may be, and God have mercy on
+your soul, for the day of your death is at hand."</p>
+<p>Another ripple of soft laughter came from the ladies'
+gallery.</p>
+<p>"I cannot fight him," wailed Calli. "I am suffering from a
+broken arm. My horse fell with me three weeks ago, as Your Grace
+well knows."</p>
+<p>"When your arm mends, you must fight and prove your cause, or by
+the soul of God, you hang! We'll make a f&ecirc;te of this combat,
+and another of your funeral. There shall be a thousand candles, and
+masses sufficient to save the soul of Satan himself. My Lord
+Campo-Basso, let not the like of this happen again. Vengeance in
+Burgundy is mine, not my Italians'. Heralds, dismiss the company.
+These men are free."</p>
+<p>All departed save Castleman, Hymbercourt, Max, and myself, who
+remained at the duke's request.</p>
+<p>"If you will remain at the castle, you are most welcome," said
+Charles, addressing Max and me.</p>
+<p>I would have jumped at the offer, but Max thanked the duke and
+declined.</p>
+<p>"We will, with Your Grace's permission, remain at Grote's inn
+for a short time and then ask leave to depart from Burgundy."</p>
+<p>The duke answered:--</p>
+<p>"As you will. I do not press you. If you change your mind, come
+to the castle, and you will be very welcome."</p>
+<p>He turned and, with brief adieu, left the great-hall by the
+small door near the dais. Castleman, Hymbercourt, and Max passed
+out through the great doors, and I was about to follow them when I
+was startled by the voice I had heard in the night:--</p>
+<p>"Little Max, Little Max," came softly from the ladies'
+gallery.</p>
+<p>I paused to hear more, but all was silent in the great hall. The
+words could have come from no other lips than Yolanda's--Mary's.
+True, I reasoned, Yolanda might be one of the ladies of the court,
+perhaps a near relative of the duke. Once the horrifying thought
+that he was her lover came to my mind, but it fled instantly. There
+was no evil in Yolanda.</p>
+<p>Max did not hear the voice. I intended to tell him of it when we
+should reach the inn, and I thought to tell him also that I
+believed Yolanda was the Princess Mary. I changed my mind, however,
+and again had reason to be thankful for my silence.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+<h3>A LIVE WREN PIE</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The next day came the invitation to sup at Castleman's, and we
+were on hand promptly at the appointed time--four o'clock. Before
+leaving the inn I had determined to ask Castleman to satisfy my
+curiosity concerning Yolanda. With good reason I felt that it was
+my duty and my right to know certainly who she was. She might not
+be Mary of Burgundy, but she surely was not a burgher girl, and in
+some manner she was connected with the court of Duke Charles.</p>
+<p>Max and I were sitting in the long room (it was on the ground
+floor and extended across the entire front of the house) with
+Castleman when Frau Kate entered followed by Yolanda and Twonette.
+The frau courtesied, and gave us welcome. Twonette courtesied and
+stepped to her father's side. Yolanda gave Max her hand and lifted
+it to be kissed. The girl laughed joyously, and, giving him her
+other hand, stood looking up into his face. Her laughter soon
+became nervous, and that change in a womanly woman is apt to be the
+forerunner of tears. They soon came to moisten Yolanda's eyes, but
+she kept herself well in hand and said:--</p>
+<p>"It has been a very long time, Sir Max, since last I saw
+you."</p>
+<p>"A hard, cruel time for me, Fr&auml;ulein. Your hot-headed duke
+gives strange license to his murderous courtiers," answered
+Max.</p>
+<p>"It has been a hard time for others, too," she responded. "Hard
+for uncle, hard for tante, hard for Twonette--very hard for
+Twonette." She spoke jestingly, but one might easily see her
+emotion.</p>
+<p>"And you, Fr&auml;ulein?" he asked smilingly.</p>
+<p>"I--I dare not say how hard it has been for me, Little Max. Do
+you not see? I fear--I fear I shall--weep--if I try to tell you. I
+am almost weeping now. I fear I have grown gray because of it," she
+answered, closing with a nervous laugh. Max, too, could hardly
+speak. She smiled up into his face, and bending before him stood on
+tiptoe to bring the top of her head under his inspection.</p>
+<p>"You may see the white hairs if you look carefully," she
+said.</p>
+<p>Max laughed and stooped to examine the great bush of fluffy dark
+hair.</p>
+<p>"I see not one white hair," he said.</p>
+<p>"Look closely," she insisted.</p>
+<p>He looked closely, and startled us all, including Yolanda, by
+putting his lips to the fragrant, silky mass.</p>
+<p>"Ah!" exclaimed Yolanda, stepping back from him and placing her
+hand to the top of her head on the spot that he had kissed. She
+looked up to him with a fluttering little laugh:--</p>
+<p>"I--I did not know you were going to do that."</p>
+<p>"Neither did I," said Max.</p>
+<p>Castleman and his wife looked displeased and Twonette's face
+wore an expression of amused surprise.</p>
+<p>After a constrained pause Frau Katherine said:--</p>
+<p>"Our guests are not in the habit of kissing us."</p>
+<p>"No one has kissed you, tante," retorted Yolanda, "nor do they
+intend to do so. Do not fear. I--I brought it on myself, and if I
+do not complain, you may bear up under it."</p>
+<p>"It certainly is unusual to--" began the frau.</p>
+<p>"Tante," cried Yolanda, flushing angrily and stamping her foot.
+Tante was silent.</p>
+<p>"Your words night before last brought marvellous comfort to us,
+Fr&auml;ulein," said Max. "Where were you, and how--"</p>
+<p>"My words? Night before last?" asked Yolanda, in open-eyed
+wonder, "I have not seen you since three weeks ago."</p>
+<p>"You called to me in my prison in the tower," said Max. "You
+called to me by the name you sometimes use."</p>
+<p>"Ah, that is wonderful," exclaimed Yolanda. "I wakened myself
+night before last calling your name, and telling you not to fear. I
+was dreaming that you were in danger, but I also dreamed that you
+would soon be free. Can it be possible that the voice of a dreamer
+can travel to a distance and penetrate stone walls? You almost make
+me fear myself by telling me that you heard my call."</p>
+<p>Like most persons, Max loved the mysterious, so he at once
+became greatly interested. He would have discussed the subject
+further had not Yolanda turned to me, saying:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, I have not greeted Sir Karl."</p>
+<p>She gave me her hand, and I would have knelt had she not
+prevented me by a surprised arching of her eyebrows. My attempt to
+salute her on my knee was involuntary, but when I saw the warning
+expression in her eyes, I quickly recovered myself. I bowed and she
+withdrew her hand.</p>
+<p>"Let us go to the garden," she suggested.</p>
+<p>The others left the room, but Yolanda held back and detained me
+by a gesture.</p>
+<p>"You would have knelt to me," she said almost angrily.</p>
+<p>"Yes, mademoiselle," I replied, "the movement was
+involuntary."</p>
+<p>"I once warned you, Sir Karl, not to try to learn anything
+concerning me. I told you that useless knowledge was dangerous. You
+have been guessing, and probably are very far wrong in your
+conclusion. But whatever your surmises are, don't let me know them.
+Above all, say nothing to Sir Max; I warn you! Unless you would see
+no more of me, bear this warning in mind. Yolanda is a burgher
+girl. Treat her accordingly, and impress the fact on Sir Max. Were
+I as great as the ill-tempered Princess of Burgundy, whose estates
+you came to woo, I should still despise adulation. Bah! I hate it
+all," she continued, stamping her foot. "I hate princes and
+princesses, and do not understand how they can endure to have men
+kneel and grovel before them. This fine Princess of Burgundy, I am
+told, looks--" She paused and then went on: "I sometimes hate her
+most of all. I am a burgher girl, I tell you, and I am proud of it.
+I warn you not to make me other."</p>
+<p>"Your warning, my lady, is--"</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein!" interrupted Yolanda, angrily stamping her foot,
+"or Yolanda--call me either. If I give you the privilege, you
+should value it sufficiently to use it."</p>
+<p>"Yolanda, I will sin no more," I responded. Her face broke into
+a smile, and she took my arm, laughing contentedly.</p>
+<p>I walked out to the garden--Yolanda danced out--and we sat with
+the others under the shade of the arbor vines. Castleman and Max
+drank sparingly of wine and honey, while I sipped orange water with
+Yolanda, Twonette, and Frau Kate.</p>
+<p>"What do you think of Burgundy, Sir Max?" asked the burgher.</p>
+<p>"I like Grote's inn well," answered Max. "I like the castle
+dungeon ill. I have seen little else of Burgundy save in our
+journey down the Somme. Then I saw nothing but the road on the
+opposite bank. Had I tried to see the country I should have failed;
+the dust-cloud we carried with us was impenetrable." He turned to
+Yolanda, "That was a hard journey for you, Fr&auml;ulein."</p>
+<p>"No, no," she cried, "it was glorious. The excitement was worth
+a lifetime of monotony; it was delightful. I could feel my heart
+beat all the time, and no woman is sure she lives until she feels
+the beating of her heart."</p>
+<p>I suspected a double meaning in her words, but no trace of
+self-consciousness was visible in her face.</p>
+<p>"I have often wondered, Fr&auml;ulein, if the papers reached the
+castle before the duke arrived?" asked Max.</p>
+<p>"What papers?" queried Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Why, the papers we made the mad race to deliver," answered
+Max.</p>
+<p>"Oh, y-e-s," responded the girl, "they arrived just in
+time."</p>
+<p>"And were delivered at the gate?" I suggested.</p>
+<p>A quick, angry glance of surprise shot from Yolanda's eyes, and
+rising from her chair she entered the house. Twonette followed her,
+and the two did not return for an hour. I was accumulating evidence
+on the subject of my puzzling riddle, but I feared my last batch
+might prove expensive. I saw the mistake my tongue had led me into.
+Many a man has wrecked his fortune by airing his wit.</p>
+<p>When Yolanda returned, she sat at a little distance from us,
+pouting beautifully. The cause of her unmistakable ill-humor, of
+course, was known only to me, and was a source of wonder to Max. At
+the end of five minutes, during which there had been little
+conversation, Max, who was amused at Yolanda's pouting, turned to
+her, and said:--</p>
+<p>"The Fates owe me a few smiles as compensation for their frowns
+during the last three weeks. Won't you help them to pay me,
+Fr&auml;ulein?"</p>
+<p>Her face had been averted, but when Max spoke she turned slowly
+and gave him the smile he desired as if to say, "I am not pouting
+at you."</p>
+<p>Her act was so childlike and her face so childishly beautiful
+that we all smiled with amusement and pleasure. Yolanda saw the
+smiles and turned on us, pouting though almost ready to laugh. She
+rose from her chair, stamped her foot, stood irresolutely for a
+moment, and then breaking into a laugh, drew her chair to our
+little circle--next to Max--and sat down.</p>
+<p>"Tante, is supper never to be served?" she asked. "I am
+impatient to see the live wren pie."</p>
+<p>"Live wren pie?" asked Max, incredulously.</p>
+<p>"Yes. Have you never seen one?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Surely not," he replied.</p>
+<p>"Ah, you have a treat in store," she exclaimed, clapping her
+hands enthusiastically. "Uncle carves the pie, the wrens fly out,
+you open your mouth, and the birds, being very small, fly down your
+throat and save you the trouble eating them. They are trained to do
+it, you know."</p>
+<p>A chorus of laughter followed this remarkable statement. Max
+leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, looked at the
+ground for the space of half a minute, and said:--</p>
+<p>"I was mistaken in saying that I had never partaken of the dish.
+While at Basel I foolishly opened my mouth, and a beautiful little
+bird flew down my throat to my heart."</p>
+<p>Frau Castleman coughed, and the burgher moved in his chair and
+swallowed half a goblet of wine. Twonette laughed outright at the
+pretty turn Max had made upon Yolanda, and I ridiculously tried to
+keep my face expressionless. Yolanda laughed flutteringly, and the
+long lashes fell.</p>
+<p>"That was prettily spoken, Sir Max," she said, smiling. "No
+Frenchman could improve upon it. You are constantly surprising
+me."</p>
+<p>"Are Frenchmen apt at such matters, Fr&auml;ulein?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"I have known but few Frenchmen," she responded. "You know
+Burgundy and France are natural enemies, like the cat and the dog.
+I have little love for the French. I speak only from hearsay."</p>
+<p>"You will do well to learn to like them," I suggested. "Burgundy
+itself will soon be French, if the Princess Mary weds the
+Dauphin."</p>
+<p>By speaking freely of the princess, I hoped Yolanda might
+believe that, whatever my surmises were concerning her identity, I
+did not suspect that she was Mademoiselle de Burgundy.</p>
+<p>Yolanda sighed, but did not answer. Silence fell upon our little
+party, and after a long pause I turned to Twonette:--</p>
+<p>"I remember that Franz told me at Basel, Fr&auml;ulein Twonette,
+that you and this famous Princess Mary of Burgundy were
+friends."</p>
+<p>"Yes," answered Twonette, with an effort not to smile, "she has,
+at times, honored me with her notice."</p>
+<p>"Out of that fact grows Twonette's serene dignity," laughed
+Yolanda. "On the strength of this acquaintance she quite lords it
+over us at times, and is always reminding me of the many haughty
+virtues of her friend as a pattern that I should follow. You see, I
+am incessantly confronted with this princess."</p>
+<p>I thought it was a pretty piece of acting, though the emphasis
+of her dislike for the princess was unmistakably genuine.</p>
+<p>"The duke has graciously invited us to the castle," I said, "and
+I hope to have the honor of seeing the princess."</p>
+<p>When I spoke of the duke's invitation, I at once caught
+Yolanda's attention.</p>
+<p>"You will not meet the princess if you go to the castle," said
+Yolanda. "She is an ill-natured person, I am told, and is far from
+gracious to strangers."</p>
+<p>"I do not hope for such an honor," I replied. "I should like
+merely to see her before I leave Burgundy. That is all the favor I
+ask at her hands. She is a lady famed throughout all Europe for her
+beauty and her gentleness."</p>
+<p>"She doesn't merit her fame," responded Yolanda, carefully
+examining her hands folded in her lap, and glancing nervously
+toward Max.</p>
+<p>"Do you know Her Highness?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"I--I have heard enough of her and have often seen her," she
+replied. "She usually rides out with her ladies at this hour. From
+the upper end of the garden you may soon see her come through the
+Postern gate, if you care to watch."</p>
+<p>"I certainly should like to see her," I answered, rapidly losing
+faith in my conclusion that Yolanda was the princess.</p>
+<p>The Castlemans did not offer to move, but Yolanda, springing to
+her feet, said, "Come," and led the way.</p>
+<p>The upper end of the garden, as I have told you, was on the
+banks of the Cologne at a point where it flowed into the castle
+moat. The castle wall, sixty feet high at that point, bordered the
+west side of the garden. The moat curved along the right side, and
+the river flowed past the upper end. Castleman's house faced south,
+and stood on the lower end of the strip of ground that lay between
+the castle wall and the moat. The Postern was perhaps three hundred
+yards north from the upper end of Castleman's garden. Since it was
+on the opposite side of the river, one could reach the Postern,
+from Castleman's house, only by going up to the town bridge and
+back to the castle by the street that followed the north side of
+the Cologne.</p>
+<p>We all walked to the upper end of the garden, and stood leaning
+against the low stone wall at the river's edge. We had waited
+perhaps ten minutes when we heard a blare of trumpets and saw a
+small cavalcade of ladies and gentlemen ride from the castle and
+pass over the drawbridge.</p>
+<p>"The lady in scarlet is the duchess," said Castleman.</p>
+<p>"She is English," remarked Yolanda, "and loves bright
+colors."</p>
+<p>"Which is the princess?" I asked of Yolanda, feeling that I also
+was acting my part admirably. To my surprise she answered
+promptly:--</p>
+<p>"She in blue with a falcon on her shoulder. Am I not right,
+uncle?"</p>
+<p>"Yes," responded Castleman. Twonette confirmed the
+statement.</p>
+<p>My air-castles fell noiselessly about my head. My dreams
+vanished like breath from a cold mirror, and the sphinx-like face
+of my great riddle rose before me in defiance.</p>
+<p>After the cavalcade had passed I found myself with Yolanda a
+dozen paces from the others.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein," I said, "I want to confess I thought you were
+the Princess Mary of Burgundy."</p>
+<p>Yolanda laughed softly.</p>
+<p>"I was sure you had some such absurd notion. I supposed you had
+seen her, and had believed she was Yolanda, the burgher girl; that
+mistake has often been made. You may see this princess at the
+castle, and I warn you not to be deceived. I have the great honor,
+it is said, to resemble Her Highness as one pea resembles another.
+I have been told that she has heard of the low-born maiden that
+dares to have a face like hers, and she doubtless hates me for it,
+just as I bear her no good-will for the same reason. When two women
+greatly resemble each other, there is seldom good feeling between
+them. Each believes the other is stealing something of her
+personality, and a woman's vanity prompts her to resent it. If you
+make the mistake with the princess that you made with me, I warn
+you it will not be so easily corrected."</p>
+<p>My poor riddle! My stony sphinx! My clinging hallucination!
+Again I should have it with me, stalking at my side by day, lying
+by me at night, whirling through my brain at all times, and driving
+me mad with its eternal question, "Who is Yolanda?" The solution of
+my riddle may be clear to you as I am telling you the story. At
+least, you may think it is, since I am trying to conceal nothing
+from you. I relate this history in the order of its happening, and
+wish, if possible, to place before you the manner in which this
+question of Yolanda's identity puzzled me. If you will put yourself
+in my place, you will at once realize how deeply I was affected by
+this momentous, unanswered, unanswerable question, "Who is
+Yolanda?" and you will understand why I could not see the solution,
+however clear you may believe it to be to yourself.</p>
+<p>We soon went in to supper and, after the peacock, the pheasants,
+and the pastries were removed, we were served with a most delicious
+after-dish in sparkling glass cups. It was frozen orange-water
+mixed with wine of Burgundy. I had never tasted a dish so
+palatable. I had dined at the emperor's table in Vienna; I had
+lived in Italy; I had sojourned in the East, where luxuries are
+most valued and used, but I had never partaken of a more delicious
+supper than that which I ate at the house of my rich burgher
+friend, George Castleman. There might have been a greater showing
+of plate, though that was not lacking, but there could have been no
+whiter linen nor more appetizing dishes than those which good Frau
+Kate gave us that evening.</p>
+<p>After the frozen wine had disappeared, a serving-maid brought in
+a stoneware pan covered with a snowy pastry, made from the whites
+of eggs and clear sugar. At its entry Yolanda clapped her hands and
+cried out with childish delight. When the pan was placed before
+Castleman, she exclaimed:--</p>
+<p>"Be careful, uncle! Don't thrust the knife too deep, or you will
+kill the birds."</p>
+<p>Uncle Castleman ran the point of the knife around the outer edge
+of the crust, and, with a twist of the blade, quickly lifted it
+from the pan, when out flew a dozen or more wrens. Yolanda's
+delight knew no bounds. She sprang from her chair,
+exclaiming:--</p>
+<p>"Catch them! Catch them!" and led the way.</p>
+<p>She climbed on chairs, tables, and window shelves, and soon had
+her hands full of the demure little songsters. Max, too, was
+pursuing the wrens, and Twonette, losing part of her serenity,
+actually caught a bird. The sport was infectious, and soon fat old
+Castleman was puffing like a tired porpoise, and sedate old Karl de
+Pitti was in the chase. Frau Katherine grabbed desperately at a
+bird now and then, but she was too stout to catch one and soon took
+her chair, laughing and out of breath. Yolanda screamed with
+laughter, and after she had caught six or seven birds and put them
+in the cage provided for them, she asked Max to lift her in his
+arms that she might reach one resting on a beam near the ceiling.
+Max gladly complied, and Yolanda, having caught the bird,
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Now, Sir Max, open your mouth."</p>
+<p>"I have already swallowed one," said Max, laughing, "and I will
+swallow none other so long as I live."</p>
+<p>As Max lowered her to the floor her arm fell about his neck for
+an instant, and the great strong boy trembled at the touch of this
+weak girl.</p>
+<p>Out to the garden we went again after supper, and when dusk
+began to fall, Yolanda led Max to a rustic seat in the deep shadow
+of the vines. I could not hear their words, but I learned afterward
+of the conversation.</p>
+<p>When I thought Yolanda was the princess, I was joyful because of
+the marked favor that she showed Max. When I thought she was a
+burgher girl, I felt like a fussy old hen with a flock of ducks if
+he were alone with her. She seemed then a bewitching little ogress
+slowly devouring my handsome Prince Max. That she was fair,
+entrancing, and lovable beyond any woman I had ever known, only
+added to my anxiety. Would Max be strong enough to hold out against
+her wooing? I don't like to apply the word "wooing" to a young
+girl's conduct, but we all know that woman does her part in the
+great system of human mating when the persons most interested do
+the choosing; and it is right that she should. The modesty that
+prevents a woman from showing her preference is the result of a
+false philosophy, and flies in the face of nature. Her right to
+choose is as good as man's.</p>
+<p>If Yolanda's wooing was more pronounced than is usual with a
+modest young girl, it must be remembered that her situation was
+different. She knew that Max had been restrained from wooing her
+only because of the impassable gulf that lay between them. Ardor in
+Max when marriage was impossible would have been an insult to
+Yolanda. His reticence for conscience' sake and for her sake was
+the most chivalric flattery he could have paid her. She saw the
+situation clearly, and, trusting Max implicitly, felt safe in
+giving rein to her heart. She did not care to hide from him its
+true condition. On the contrary she wished him to be as sure of her
+as she was of him, for after all that would be the only
+satisfaction they would ever know.</p>
+<p>I argued: If Yolanda were the princess, betrothed to the
+Dauphin, the gulf between her and Max was as impassable as if she
+were a burgher girl. In neither case could she hope to marry him.
+Therefore, her girlish wooing was but the outcry of nature and was
+without boldness.</p>
+<p>The paramount instinct of all nature is to flower. Even the
+frozen Alpine rock sends forth its edelweiss, and the heart of a
+princess is first the heart of a woman, and must blossom when its
+spring comes. All the conventions that man can invent will not keep
+back the flower. All created things, animate and inanimate, have in
+them an uncontrollable impulse which, in their spring, reverts with
+a holy retrospect to the great first principle of existence, the
+love of reproduction.</p>
+<p>Yolanda's spring had come, and her heart was a flower with the
+sacred bloom. Being a woman, she loved it and cuddled it for the
+sake of the pain it brought, as a mother fondles a wayward child.
+Max, being a man, struggled against the joy that hurt him and, with
+a sympathy broad enough for two, feared the pain he might bring to
+Yolanda. So this unresponsiveness in Max made him doubly attractive
+to the girl, who was of the sort, whether royal or bourgeois,
+before whom men usually fall.</p>
+<p>"I thought you had left me, Sir Max," she said, drawing him to a
+seat beside her in the shade.</p>
+<p>"I promised you I would not go," he responded, "and I would not
+willingly break my word to any one, certainly not to you,
+Fr&auml;ulein."</p>
+<p>"I was angry when I heard you had left the inn," she said, "and
+I spoke unkindly of you. There has been an ache in my heart ever
+since that nothing but confession and remission will cure."</p>
+<p>"I grant the remission gladly," answered Max. "There was
+flattery in your anger."</p>
+<p>The girl laughed softly and, clasping her hands over her knee,
+spoke with a sigh.</p>
+<p>"I think women have the harder part of life in everything. I
+again ask you to promise me that you will not leave Peronne within
+a month."</p>
+<p>"I cannot promise you that, Fr&auml;ulein," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"You will some day--soon, perhaps--know my reasons," said
+Yolanda, "and if they do not prove good I am willing to forfeit
+your esteem. That is the greatest hostage I can give."</p>
+<p>"I cannot promise," answered Max, stubbornly.</p>
+<p>"I offer you another inducement, one that will overmatch the
+small weight of my poor wishes. I promise to bring you to meet this
+Mary of Burgundy whom you came to woo. I cannot present you, but I
+will see that Twonette brings about the meeting. I tell you, as I
+have already told Sir Karl, that it is said I resemble this
+princess, so you must not mistake her for me."</p>
+<p>When Max told me of this offer I wondered if the girl had been
+testing him, and a light dawned on me concerning her motives.</p>
+<p>"I did not come to woo her," answered Max, "though she may have
+been a part of my reason for coming. I knew that she was affianced
+to the Dauphin of France. Her beauty and goodness were known to me
+through letters of my Lord d'Hymbercourt, written to my dear old
+friend Karl. Because of certain transactions, of which you do not
+know and of which I may not speak, I esteemed her for a time above
+all women, though I had never seen her. I still esteem her,
+but--but the other is all past now, Fr&auml;ulein, and I do not
+wish to meet the princess, though the honor would be far beyond my
+deserts."</p>
+<p>"Why do you not wish to meet her?" asked Yolanda, with an air of
+pleasure. Max hesitated, then answered bluntly:--</p>
+<p>"Because I have met you, Fr&auml;ulein. You should not lead me
+to speak such words."</p>
+<p>Yolanda touched Max's arm and said frankly:--</p>
+<p>"There can be no harm, Max. If you knew all,--if I could tell
+you all,--you would understand. The words can harm neither of us."
+She hesitated and, with drooping head, continued: "And they are to
+me as the sun and the south wind to the flowers and the corn. You
+already know all that is in my heart, or I would not speak so
+plainly. In all my life I have known little of the sweet touch of
+human sympathy and love, and, Max, my poor heart yearns for them
+until at times I feel like the flowers without the sun and the corn
+without the rain,--as if I will die for lack of them. I am almost
+tempted to tell you all."</p>
+<p>"Tell me all, Yolanda," entreated Max, "for I, too, have
+suffered from the same want, though my misfortune comes from being
+born to a high estate. If you but knew the lonely, corroding misery
+of those born to a station above the reach of real human sympathy,
+you would not envy, you would pity them. You would be charitable to
+their sins, and would thank God for your lowly lot in life. I will
+tell you my secret. I am Maximilian of Hapsburg."</p>
+<p>"I have known it since the first day I saw you at Basel,"
+answered Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"I have felt sure at times that you did," responded Max, "though
+I cannot think how you learned it. Will you tell me of
+yourself?"</p>
+<p>The girl hung her head and hesitated. Once she lifted her face
+to speak, but changed her mind.</p>
+<p>"Please don't ask me now. I will tell you soon, but not now, not
+now. Be patient with me. I do pity you. I do, I do. If we could
+help each other--but we cannot, and there is no use longing for it.
+I sometimes fear that your attitude is the right one, and that it
+is best that we should part and meet no more."</p>
+<p>The proposition to part and meet no more was good in theory, but
+Max found that the suggestion to make a fact of it frightened
+him.</p>
+<p>"Let us not speak of that now," he said. "The parting will come
+soon enough. You will surely deem me cold and unworthy,
+Fr&auml;ulein, but you cannot understand. One may not call a man
+hard and selfish who plucks out his eye for the sake of a
+God-imposed duty, or who deliberately thrusts away happiness and
+accepts a life of misery and heartache because of the chains with
+which God bound him at his birth."</p>
+<p>"Ah, I do understand, Max; I understand only too well," answered
+the girl.</p>
+<p>I have often wondered why Max did not suspect that Yolanda was
+the Princess Mary; but when I considered that he had not my reasons
+to lead him to that conclusion, I easily understood his blindness,
+for even I was unconvinced. Had I not overheard Castleman's
+conversation with Yolanda on the road to Strasburg, after meeting
+De Rose, the supposition that the burgher girl travelling
+unattended with a merchant and his daughter could possibly be the
+Princess Mary would have been beyond the credence of a sane man.
+The thought never would have occurred to me. Even with Castleman's
+words always ringing in my ears, I was constantly in doubt.</p>
+<p>"There is no reason why one should deliberately hasten the day
+of one's thralldom," said Yolanda, softly. "If one may be free and
+happy for an hour without breaking those terrible chains of God's
+welding, is he not foolish to refuse the small benediction? The
+memory of it may sweeten the years to come."</p>
+<p>"To woman, such a memory is sweet," answered Max, striving to
+steel his heart against the girl. "To men, it is a bitter
+regret."</p>
+<p>To me he had spoken differently of his pain.</p>
+<p>"Then be generous, Little Max, and give me the sweet memory,"
+said the girl, carried away by the swirling impulse of her
+heart.</p>
+<p>"You will not need it," answered Max. "Your lot will be
+different from mine."</p>
+<p>"Yes, it will be different, Max--it will be worse," she cried
+passionately, almost in tears. "I think I shall kill myself when
+you leave Burgundy." She paused and turned fiercely upon him, "Give
+me the promise I ask. I demand at least that consolation as my
+right--as a poor return for what you take from me."</p>
+<p>Max gently took her hand, which was at once lost in his great
+clasp.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, I will not leave Burgundy within a month,
+whatever the consequences may be," he said tenderly.</p>
+<p>"Upon your honor?" she asked, joyously clapping her hands.</p>
+<p>"Every promise I make, Fr&auml;ulein, is on my honor," said Max,
+seriously.</p>
+<p>"So it is, Little Max, so it is," she answered gently. Then they
+rose and came to the table where Castleman and I were sitting.</p>
+<p>Yolanda had gained her point and was joyful over her
+victory.</p>
+<p>Frau Katherine was asleep in a high-backed chair. Twonette slept
+in a corner of the arbor, her flaxen head embowered in a cluster of
+leaves and illumined by a stray beam of moonlight that stole
+between the vines.</p>
+<p>"I am going in now. Come, Twonette," said Yolanda, shaking that
+plump young lady to arouse her. "Come, Twonette."</p>
+<p>Twonette slowly opened her big blue eyes, but she was slower in
+awakening.</p>
+<p>"Twonette! Twonette!" cried Yolanda, pulling at the girl's hand.
+"I declare, if you don't resist this growing drowsiness you will go
+down in history as the 'Eighth Sleeper,' and will be left snoring
+on resurrection morn."</p>
+<p>When Twonette had awakened sufficiently to walk, we started from
+the arbor to the house. As we passed from beneath the vines, the
+frowning wall of the castle and the dark forms of its huge towers,
+silhouetted in black against the moon-lit sky, formed a picture of
+fierce and sombre gloom not soon to be forgotten.</p>
+<p>"The dark, frowning castle reminds one of its terrible lord,"
+said Max, looking up at the battlements.</p>
+<p>"It does, indeed," answered Yolanda, hardly above a whisper.
+Then we went into the house.</p>
+<p>"We hope to see you again for supper to-morrow evening, don't
+we, uncle?" said Yolanda, addressing Max and me, and turning to
+Castleman.</p>
+<p>"Yes--yes, to-morrow evening," said the burgher,
+hesitatingly.</p>
+<p>Max accepted the invitation and we made our adieux.</p>
+<p>At the bridge over the Cologne we met Hymbercourt returning to
+his house from the castle. While we talked, the cavalcade of ladies
+and gentlemen that we had watched from Castleman's garden cantered
+up the street.</p>
+<p>"You will now see the princess," said Hymbercourt. "She comes
+with the duke and the duchess. They left the castle at five, and
+have been riding in the moonlight."</p>
+<p>We stepped to one side of the street as the cavalcade passed,
+and I asked Hymbercourt to point out the princess.</p>
+<p>"She rides between the duke--the tall figure that you may
+recognize by his long beard--and the page carrying a hooded
+falcon," he answered.</p>
+<p>Surely this evidence should have put my mind at rest concerning
+my hallucination that Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy; but when we
+reached the inn and Max told me of his conversation with Yolanda
+the riddle again sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. I felt that I
+was growing weak in mind. Yolanda's desire to tell Max her secret,
+and her refusal; her longing for human sympathy, and the lack of
+it; her wish that he should remain in Peronne for a month--all
+these made me feel that she was the princess.</p>
+<p>I could not help hoping that Hymbercourt was mistaken in
+pointing out Her Highness. She rode in the shadow of the buildings
+and the moon was less than half full. Yolanda might have wished to
+deceive us by pointing out the princess while we watched the
+cavalcade from Castleman's garden. The burgher and Twonette might
+have been drawn into the plot against us by the impetuous will of
+this saucy little witch. Many things, I imagined, had happened
+which would have appeared absurd to a sane man--but I was not sane.
+I wished to believe that Yolanda was the princess, and I could not
+get the notion out of my head.</p>
+<p>Yolanda's forwardness with Max, if she were Mary of Burgundy,
+could easily be explained on the ground that she was a princess,
+and was entitled to speak her mind. I was sure she was a modest
+girl, therefore, if she were of lowly birth, she would have
+hesitated to speak so plainly to Max. So, despite overwhelming
+evidence to the contrary, I refused to be convinced that Yolanda
+was not Mademoiselle de Burgundy. I loved the thought so dearly
+that I could not and would not part with it. That night, while I
+lay pondering over the riddle, I determined to do no more guessing,
+and let the Fates solve it for me. They might give me the answer
+soon if I would "give it up."</p>
+<p>The next evening we went to Castleman's house, but we did not
+see Yolanda. Frau Kate said she was indisposed, and we ate supper
+without her. It was a dull meal,--so much does a good appetite wait
+upon good company,--and for the first time I realized fully the
+marvellous quality of this girl's magic spell. Max, of course, was
+disappointed, and we walked back to The Mitre in silence.</p>
+<a name="415.jpg"></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="Images/415.jpg"><img src="Images/415.jpg"
+width="40%" alt=""></a><br>
+<b>MAX.</b></p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+<h3>A BATTLE IN MID AIR</h3>
+<br>
+<p>A day or two after the supper of the wren pie, Max bought from a
+pedler a gray falcon most beautifully marked, with a scarlet head
+and neck, and we sent our squires to Hymbercourt, asking him to
+solicit from the duke's seneschal, my Lord de Vergy, permission to
+strike a heron on the marshes. The favor was easily obtained, and
+we went forth that afternoon to try the new hawk.</p>
+<p>The hours passed quickly. The hawk was perfectly trained, and as
+fierce as a mountain wildcat. Its combats in mid air were most
+exciting. It would attack its prey and drive it back to a point
+nearly over our heads. There it waged the battle of death. It had
+killed three herons, all of which had fallen at our feet, and we
+were returning home when a fourth rose from the marsh. We were on a
+side road or path, perhaps five hundred yards from the main
+highway.</p>
+<p>At the moment Max gave wing to his bird, two ladies and three
+gentlemen came up the road, returning to Peronne, and halted to
+witness the a&euml;rial combat. That they were of the court, I
+could easily see by their habits, though the distance was so great
+that I could not distinguish their faces.</p>
+<p>Never did hawk acquit itself more nobly. It seemed to realize
+that it had a distinguished audience. The heron opened the battle
+desperately, and persisted in keeping its course to the south. The
+hawk, not ready for battle till the prey should be over our heads,
+circled round and round the heron, constantly striking, but
+carefully avoiding the <i>coup de grace</i>. After the birds had
+flown several hundred yards away from us, and were growing small in
+the distance, the heron, less hardy than its knightly foe, showed
+signs of weariness and confusion. It changed its course, still
+flying away from us. This did not suit the hawk, and it continued
+circling about its faltering prey with a vicious swiftness well
+calculated to inspire terror. Its movements became so rapid that it
+appeared to describe a gray circle about the heron. These circles,
+with the heron as the centre, constantly grew smaller, and after a
+time we could see that the birds were slowly but surely approaching
+us.</p>
+<p>When they were almost over our heads, the hawk rose with
+incredible swiftness above its prey, and dropped like a bolt of
+gray lightning upon the heron. Then followed a struggle that lasted
+while the birds fell three hundred feet. When within fifty feet of
+the ground the hawk suddenly spread its wings and stood motionless
+in mid air, watching its vanquished foe as it fell to a spot within
+ten yards of where we stood. The movement of the falcon in
+descending to us can only be described as a settling or gradual
+sinking, with outstretched, motionless wings. When Max piped, the
+bird flew to its master's wrist and held down its beak for the
+hood.</p>
+<p>At the close of the battle, the gentlemen of our little audience
+clapped their hands, and the ladies waved their kerchiefs. Max and
+I raised our caps and reined our horses toward the main road. As we
+approached, the ladies and one of the gentlemen resumed their
+journey toward Cambrai Gate, but the others awaited us. When we
+reached them we found, to our surprise, Duke Charles and my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"Ah, it is our unknown knight who was so eager to fight Count
+Calli," exclaimed the duke.</p>
+<p>"And still eager, Your Grace," answered Max. He uncovered upon
+approaching the duke, but after a moment said, "By Your Grace's
+leave," and resumed his cap. I, of course, remained uncovered. The
+duke showed surprise and irritation as he answered:--</p>
+<p>"Since you do not see fit to tell us who you are, you should
+have the grace to remain uncovered."</p>
+<p>Max glanced quickly at the duke's face, and removed his cap, as
+he answered, smiling:--</p>
+<p>"If it pleases Your Grace, I will remain uncovered even though I
+be the Pope himself."</p>
+<p>The duke saw the humor of the situation and replied:--</p>
+<p>"One who owns so noble a hawk may remain covered in any man's
+presence. Never have I seen so rare a battle in mid air. The soul
+of Roland himself must inhabit the bird."</p>
+<p>"Will Your Grace accept the hawk?" Max asked.</p>
+<p>"Gladly," answered the duke, "though I hesitate to deprive you
+of a bird to which you must be attached."</p>
+<p>"Do not hesitate to give me that pleasure, my lord," answered
+Max. "The bird is yours. His name is Caesar. I will send him to the
+castle this evening."</p>
+<p>"Do not send him," suggested the duke. "Double your kindness by
+bringing him to-morrow at the noon hour, after the morning
+audience. We must now follow the princess. Adieu, messieurs."</p>
+<p>The duke touched his cap, and we bent almost to our horses'
+manes.</p>
+<p>Charles and Hymbercourt rode forward at a brisk canter, and Max
+and I followed slowly. We entered Cambrai Gate three or four
+minutes after the duke and the princess.</p>
+<p>Max, eager to exhibit his hawk to Yolanda, proposed that we ride
+directly to Castleman's house.</p>
+<p>While we were crossing the Cologne bridge we saw the duke's
+party enter the castle by the Postern, and as we turned a corner
+toward Castleman's the ladies looked in our direction and the
+gentlemen lifted their caps.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda will be delighted when she sees my hawk," said Max.</p>
+<p>I did not answer, but I thought that Yolanda would not see the
+bird that evening, since she had just entered the castle with her
+father. I was in great glee of spirits; I had at last trapped the
+young lady. If she were not at Castleman's house there could be but
+one answer to my riddle. I did not merely believe that I should not
+find her there; I knew I should not.</p>
+<p>Max and I hitched our horses, and when Castleman's front door
+opened, lo! there stood Yolanda. Never in all my life have I taken
+such a fall.</p>
+<p>Somewhat out of breath, Yolanda exclaimed:--</p>
+<p>"Ah, Sir Max and Sir Karl, I saw you coming and ran to give you
+welcome."</p>
+<p>She was in an ecstasy of glee, strangely out of proportion to
+the event, and there was a look of triumph in her eyes.</p>
+<p>After we entered the house Yolanda's laughter continued, and if
+it ceased for a moment it broke out again without a pretext. She
+was always pleased to see Max, and never failed to show her
+pleasure in laughter more or less; but Max's presence could hardly
+account for her high merriment and the satisfaction she seemed to
+feel, as if a great victory had been gained. My sense of utter
+defeat had nothing but Yolanda's peculiar conduct to comfort
+it.</p>
+<p>To the arbor we went, Yolanda carrying the hawk on her shoulder
+and caressing it with her cheek. In the garden, when our adventures
+were related, Yolanda, all excitement, could not keep her chair,
+but danced delightedly like a child and killed a score of imaginary
+herons.</p>
+<p>She stroked the falcon's wings, and when I said, "My lord the
+duke has graciously consented to accept the bird," she turned upon
+Max, exclaiming in mock anger:--</p>
+<p>"The duke has graciously consented to accept the bird! I should
+think it required little grace to accept such a gift, though much
+to give it. Why don't you give the bird to me, Sir Max, if you are
+eager to part with it?"</p>
+<p>"I would gladly have given it to you, Fr&auml;ulein," answered
+Max, "had I supposed you could use it on the duke's marshes. Only
+nobles practise the royal sport of falconry."</p>
+<p>Yolanda glanced quickly from Max to Castleman, turned her face
+to the bird upon her shoulder, and said, with a touch of
+dignity:--</p>
+<p>"We receive small favors from court once in a while, don't we,
+uncle? We are not dirt under the nobles' feet, if we are plain
+burgher folk, are we, uncle?"</p>
+<p>"Don't you know, Fr&auml;ulein, what great pleasure I should
+have taken in giving you the bird?" asked Max.</p>
+<p>Yolanda bent her head to one side, placed her cheek against the
+falcon's wing and pouted. Her pout was prettier even than her
+smile, and that is saying a great deal.</p>
+<p>After a few minutes Yolanda started to walk up the garden path
+and Max followed her, leaving the Castlemans and me under the
+arbor. Yolanda, still pouting, carried Caesar on her shoulder,
+lavishing caresses on the bird that excited Max's bitterest envy.
+Max spoke at intervals, but she answered only to the bird. After
+many futile efforts to make her speak, he said:--</p>
+<p>"If you won't talk to me, I'll go back to the arbor."</p>
+<p>She turned to the bird: "We are willing, Caesar, aren't we--if
+he can go."</p>
+<p>Max laughed and started toward the arbor.</p>
+<p>"Tell him to come back, Caesar. Tell him to come back,"
+exclaimed Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"I take no orders from a bird," declared Max, with pretended
+seriousness. Then she turned toward him and her face softened. She
+smiled and the dimples came, though there was a nervous tremor in
+the upturned corners of her mouth that belied her bantering air and
+brought Max quickly to her side. I saw the pantomime, though I did
+not hear the words; and I knew that neither Max nor any other man
+could withstand the quivering smile that played upon Yolanda's lips
+and the yearning invitation that was in her eyes. If Max did not
+soon take himself away from Burgundy and lead himself out of this
+temptation, I feared that in the end he would cast aside his
+ancient heritage, rend his sacred family ties, and forego
+everything he possessed in response to this mighty cry of nature,
+offering the one chance in life for happiness.</p>
+<p>"Now you will give me the bird--I know you will," exclaimed
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>A remnant of the pout still hovered about her lips, doing battle
+with the dimples of a smile.</p>
+<p>"I have already given him to the duke," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"Tell the duke the bird escaped, or died suddenly of an
+apoplexy. Tell him anything you like, but give me the hawk," said
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Would you have me lie, Fr&auml;ulein?" asked Max, amused at her
+persistency. "I cannot do that, even for you. If you insist upon
+having the bird, I may go to the duke and withdraw my gift."</p>
+<p>"Would you do that for me, Sir Max?" she asked, eagerly.</p>
+<p>"Ay, and a great deal more, Fr&auml;ulein. I tremble at the
+thought of what you could make me do," he answered.</p>
+<p>"In the fiend's name, let the duke have the bird," cried
+Yolanda. "He will pout more than I if you don't. He is of a sullen
+nature."</p>
+<p>"Do you know the duke?" asked Max, suspecting for the first time
+that Yolanda might be more intimate about the court than he had
+supposed.</p>
+<p>"I have heard much of him from those who know him," answered
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>So the duke got Caesar.</p>
+<p>The next morning Hymbercourt came to the inn to accompany us to
+the castle. While we were sipping a mug of wine at a garden table,
+he said:--</p>
+<p>"I do not want to be officious in your affairs, but I am
+convinced that it will be well for you to tell the duke who you
+are. If you do not see fit to do so, it were wise in you to leave
+Burgundy at your earliest convenience."</p>
+<p>"I cannot leave within a month," said Max. I knew the cause of
+his detention, and, ignoring his remark, turned to
+Hymbercourt:--</p>
+<p>"Do you want to give the reasons for your advice?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, I am quite willing," he answered, "but I would not have my
+words repeated."</p>
+<p>"Of that you may rest assured," I answered.</p>
+<p>"If you do not tell the duke who you are," said Hymbercourt, "he
+will soon learn it from our Italian friends, who have the fiend's
+own energy in the pursuit of vengeance. They will discover who you
+are, and you will lose the advantage of a frank avowal. Duke
+Charles admires Sir Max, but our liege lord is capricious and can
+easily fancy that others are plotting to injure him. I am sure that
+he will now receive the Count of Hapsburg graciously if you tell
+him that Sir Max is that person. What he would do were he to learn
+the fact highly colored by his Italians, I cannot say. These
+mercenaries have a strange influence over His Grace, and there is
+not a nobleman in Burgundy who does not fear them."</p>
+<p>"How will the duke feel concerning the old proposition of
+marriage?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"That, I hope, will be of no moment now, since the duke is
+arranging for the immediate celebration of this marriage with the
+Dauphin. I am given to understand that His Grace, the Bishop of
+Cambrai, secretary to the duke, has received orders to draught a
+letter to King Louis expressing our lord's pleasure. King Louis is
+so eager for the marriage, which will once more bring Burgundy to
+the French kingship, that Duke Charles deems it sufficiently
+courteous to express his intentions to Louis, rather than to
+request the king's compliance. The duke's contempt for the king of
+France is so great that he causes the letter to be written in
+English, a language which Charles loves because of the English
+blood in his veins, and which Louis, with good reason, hates."</p>
+<p>"Has this letter been despatched?" I asked, concealing as well
+as I could my deep concern.</p>
+<p>Max heard Hymbercourt's statement without even a show of
+interest. Had he suspected that Hymbercourt was speaking of
+Yolanda's marriage, there surely would have been a
+demonstration.</p>
+<p>"No," answered Hymbercourt, "the letter has not been sent, but
+the duke will despatch it at once. It will probably be the chief
+business of this morning's audience. The duke wants the marriage
+celebrated before he leaves for Switzerland. That will be within
+three or four weeks. I am not informed as to the details of the
+ceremony, but I suppose the princess will be taken to St. Denis,
+and will there be married. The unfortunate princess, doubtless, has
+not yet been told of her impending fate, though she may have heard
+of it by rumor. There will be tears and trouble when she learns of
+it, for she has a strong dash of her father's temper. But--" He
+shrugged his shoulders as if to say that her tears would count for
+nothing.</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt's words took the heart out of me; and when he left
+us for a moment, I urged Max to leave Burgundy at once.</p>
+<p>"I must see Yolanda and ask her to release me from my promise
+before I go," he said.</p>
+<p>"You are surely not so weak as to allow a burgher girl to hold
+you?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"The girl does not hold me," he answered. "I was so weak as to
+give my promise, and that holds me."</p>
+<p>"She will give you your release if you demand it," I
+suggested.</p>
+<p>"If she does, I will go with you to-morrow. It is time that we
+were out of Burgundy. I will forego even my combat with Calli to
+get away. I should not have given Yolanda my promise; but she is so
+persuasive, and I pity her, and--and, oh! Karl, I--the trouble is,
+I love her, and it is like death to part from her forever. That is
+my weakness."</p>
+<p>The poor, suffering boy leaned forward on the table and buried
+his face in his arms.</p>
+<p>"That isn't your weakness, Max, it's your strength," I
+responded. "Few men are so unfortunate as to escape it. God must
+pity those who do. It may be well to tell the duke who you are. If
+he is displeased, we may leave Burgundy at once. If he receives you
+graciously, we may remain and you may fight this Calli. That is the
+one duty that holds you in Peronne."</p>
+<p>My heart was hardened with years, and its love of just vengeance
+was stronger than young Max could feel. Besides, he was possessed
+by a softer passion; and though he felt it his pleasant duty to
+fight Calli, vengeance held second place in his breast.</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt returned, and we started for the castle accompanied
+by our squires; all riding in fine state.</p>
+<p>We arrived at the great hall before the duke had arisen from the
+morning audience, and waited unobserved in the back part of the
+chamber. Our Irish squire, Michael, carried Caesar, hooded and
+belled. He was held by a golden chain that we had bought from a
+goldsmith, notwithstanding our purse was growing dangerously
+light.</p>
+<p>There was a great stir in the hall as we entered. The courtiers
+were buzzing like a swarm of bees discussing a new queen. Evidently
+matters of importance had been under consideration. Campo-Basso, my
+Lord de Vergy, seneschal of Burgundy, and the Bishop of Cambrai,
+clerk to the duke, were standing on the second step of the dais,
+each with hand resting on knee, and leaning eagerly toward the
+duke. Charles and these councillors were speaking in low tones, and
+the courtiers of less degree were taking advantage of the
+intermission in public business to settle the great question among
+themselves. Each petty courtier felt that he could offer a
+suggestion that would be of great value, could he but gain the
+duke's ear.</p>
+<p>After a little time, Charles saw Hymbercourt with us, and sent a
+page to fetch him. Hymbercourt left us, and soon we saw him in
+whispered conversation with the duke. Soon after Hymbercourt had
+gone to the ducal throne, Calli, with two Italians, stopped four
+paces from where we were standing. He gazed insolently at Max, and
+said in Italian to his companions:--</p>
+<p>"There is the loutish outlander, who boasted before the duke
+that he would fight me. He is a big callow fellow, and it would be
+a shame to stick the swine."</p>
+<p>Max, who understood the Italian language sufficiently to grasp
+Calli's meaning, flushed angrily, but I touched his arm and he
+turned his back upon the fellow. Then I spoke in tones that Calli
+could not fail to hear:--</p>
+<p>"Never turn your face from a cowardly foe, Max. He will, if he
+can, stab you in the back. Your revenge will come when you send his
+soul to hell."</p>
+<p>Calli grasped his dagger hilt and muttered something about the
+duke's presence. The incident determined us in the course Max
+should take. He should tell the duke who he was, remain in Burgundy
+to kill this fellow Calli, and to meet such other fortune as the
+Fates might have in store for him.</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt and the duke spoke together for the space of five
+minutes, evidently discussing a parchment that Charles held in his
+hand. Then the duke resumed his seat, and handed the parchment to
+the Bishop of Cambrai, when all save His Reverence stepped from the
+dais to the floor. A herald commanded silence, and the bishop
+spoke:--</p>
+<p>"It is the will of our most gracious lord that I announce to the
+court the impending marriage of Her Grace, the Princess,
+Mademoiselle de Burgundy, to the princely Dauphin of France, son to
+our lord's royal ally, King Louis. His Grace of Burgundy hopes
+within three weeks to open his campaign against the Swiss, and it
+is his intention to cause the marriage ceremony to take place
+before his departure. When the details have been arranged, they
+will be announced to the court."</p>
+<p>The bishop had barely stopped speaking when the shutter in the
+chancel of the ladies' gallery above the throne opened, and a voice
+rang through the vast audience hall, like the tones of an alarm
+bell:--</p>
+<p>"Make one more announcement, please, my Lord Bishop. Say that if
+this wondrous ceremony is to come off within three weeks, the
+Dauphin of France must be content with a dead bride."</p>
+<p>No one saw the face of the speaker. The shutter closed, and a
+deep silence fell upon the room. The duke sprang angrily to his
+feet; his face was like a thunder-cloud. He looked toward the
+ladies' gallery, and stood for a moment like the incarnation of
+wrath. A puzzled expression followed the glare of anger; and within
+a moment he laughed, and waved his hands to the heralds, directing
+them to cry the rising. The audience was dismissed, and the
+courtiers left the hall, laughing in imitation of their lord and
+master.</p>
+<p>Nothing could be more indicative of cruelty than the laughter
+that followed the passionate protest of the unhappy princess. To
+the duke, and of course to his courtiers, the girl's suffering and
+the fate that was in store for her were mere matters of mirth. They
+laughed at her pain as savages laugh at the agonies of a tortured
+victim.</p>
+<p>I was so startled by the cry of the princess that for a time I
+could not think coherently. My first clear thought was of Yolanda.
+If she were the princess, this sacrifice that is practised without
+a protest throughout the world had come home to me, for Yolanda had
+nestled in my heart. That she, the gentle, the tender, the
+passionate, the sensitive, should be the victim of this legalized
+crime; that she, innocent of all fault, save that she had been born
+a girl, should be condemned to misery because the laws of chivalry
+and the laws of God, distorted by men to suit their purposes,
+declared her to be the chattel of her father, moved me as I was
+never moved before. My sympathy for this rare, sweet girl, so
+capable of joy, so susceptible to pain, almost brought tears to my
+eyes; for I could not help thinking that she was the suffering
+princess.</p>
+<p>When the courtiers had left the great hall Hymbercourt, Max, and
+I approached the duke. Hymbercourt and I made obeisance on bended
+knee, but Max saluted the duke with a low bow. After the duke had
+spoken, Max said:--</p>
+<p>"I hope Your Grace has not forgotten your promise to honor me by
+accepting the falcon you admired yesterday."</p>
+<p>"I have not, my unknown friend," answered the duke.</p>
+<p>Max took the bird from Michael and offered it to Charles, who
+accepted the gift graciously. I looked toward Hymbercourt and he,
+understanding my unspoken word, again bent his knee before the
+duke:--</p>
+<p>"My gracious lord, it is the desire of this young knight that he
+be presented to you in due form under his own name and title,
+though he would humbly ask that he be permitted to retain the name
+by which he is known in Burgundy. His reasons for so doing are
+good, though they would not interest Your Grace. Have I my lord's
+permission to present him?"</p>
+<p>"In God's name, yes!" exclaimed the duke, stirred by some
+irritation, but spurred by curiosity.</p>
+<p>"My lord," said Hymbercourt, speaking to the duke and extending
+his hand toward Max, "it is my great honor to present to Your Grace
+his highness, Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg."</p>
+<p>"By the just God, my lord, you certainly have given us a
+surprise," said the duke, stepping back and making no offer of his
+hand to Max. He passed the falcon to a page, and continued, "What
+business have these men at my court?"</p>
+<p>"None, Your Grace, absolutely none," answered Max, standing
+proudly before the duke and steadfastly meeting his gaze. "It was
+my desire to see the world and to learn something of its people
+before I undertook to govern my own. My country is not rich and fat
+like this great land of Burgundy. I have neither the means nor the
+inclination to travel in state; so my dear friend and instructor,
+Sir Karl de Pitti, undertook to guide me and teach me in this
+journey to the outer world. I would rather have missed seeing all
+other countries than Burgundy, and of all the princes of the world
+Your Grace was and is to me the most interesting. Your hand is the
+strongest, your courage the bravest, and your land the richest in
+Europe. We heard at Metz that you were here in Peronne; and now, my
+lord, you understand what business I have in Burgundy."</p>
+<p>I had never given the boy credit for so much adroitness. What
+the duke's intentions were, immediately after Hymbercourt presented
+Max, I could not have told, but his words sounded ominous, and the
+expression of his face was anything but pleasant. Max, though not
+quarrelsome, was not given to the soft answer that turneth away
+wrath; but on this occasion discretion came to his rescue, and he
+made the soft answer with a dignity and boldness that won Charles's
+respect. The duke's face softened into a half-smile,--if anything
+so hard as his face can be said to soften,--and he offered his hand
+to Max. He withdrew it almost instantly from Max's grasp, and
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Are you sure my armament against Switzerland is no part of the
+reason for your presence in Burgundy?" Like all highly pugnacious
+men, he was suspicious. "I have been told your father is a friend
+to the Swiss."</p>
+<p>"Does Your Grace mean to ask if I am here in the capacity of a
+spy, as Calli has charged?" asked Max, lifting his head and looking
+boldly into the duke's face.</p>
+<p>"I do not know," said the duke, hesitatingly. "I do not say you
+are. I do not think you are, but--"</p>
+<p>"I am glad Your Grace does not think we are spies, and am
+pleased to believe that you would not put so great an insult upon
+us," answered Max, "else we should ask permission to leave Burgundy
+at once. I am sure my lord knows we are not spies. If Your Lordship
+had a son, would you send him forth as a spy for the sake of
+Burgundy? Much less would you do it for another land. Your Grace is
+misinformed. My father is not a friend to the Swiss; neither does
+he hate them, though perhaps he has better cause to do so than has
+Your Grace. Your quarrel with the Swiss is over a few cart-loads of
+sheepskins. These same Swiss took from my father our ancient
+homestead, the old Castle of Hapsburg, and the surrounding
+territory of Aargau."</p>
+<p>"I have heard of the spoliation, and have often wondered at your
+father's meek submission," said the duke, with an almost
+imperceptible sneer. Like Richard the Lion-hearted, of England,
+butchery was this duke's trade, and he despised a man who did not
+practise it on all possible occasions. A pretext for a quarrel is
+balm to the soul of a hero.</p>
+<p>"The mountains of Switzerland, my lord, are the graveyard of
+foreign soldiers," Max replied. "Old Hapsburg Castle is a mere
+hawks' crag, as its name implies, and the half-score of mountain
+peaks my father lost with it are not worth the life of his humblest
+subject. He loves his people, and would not shed their blood to
+soothe his wounded pride. The man who makes war should fight in the
+front rank."</p>
+<p>"There is where I fight, young sir," returned Charles.</p>
+<p>"The world knows that fact, my lord," responded Max. "My father
+cannot fight at the head of his army, therefore, he makes war only
+in defence of his people's hearths. It is possible that after
+consulting with my friend, Sir Karl, I may ask the honor of serving
+with Your Grace against these Swiss who despoiled my house. Is Your
+Grace now satisfied that we are not Swiss spies? And are we welcome
+to sojourn for a time in Peronne? Or shall we leave Burgundy and
+return to my father in Styria, to tell him that you turned a guest
+and a friend from your door?"</p>
+<p>"You are very welcome, Sir Count, and you, Sir Karl," answered
+the duke, giving his right hand to Max and familiarly offering me
+his left. This hard duke had been beaten into a gracious mood by
+Max's adroit mixture of flattery and boldness.</p>
+<p>A soft answer may turn away wrath, but it may also involve the
+disagreeable necessity of turning the other cheek. If it be not
+tempered by spirit, it is apt to arouse contempt. The duke remained
+silent for the space of a minute or two. He was evidently
+struggling to suppress a good impulse. Then he turned to me and
+said, laughingly:--</p>
+<p>"By my soul, Sir Karl, you have brought us a Roland and a
+Demosthenes in one. Where learned you your oratory, Sir Count?"</p>
+<p>"From a just cause, my lord," quickly retorted Max.</p>
+<p>"I fear I have had the worst of this encounter, Hymbercourt,"
+said the duke, smiling, "and I see nothing left for me but
+apology."</p>
+<p>"I sincerely hope Your Grace will not embarrass us by
+apologizing," said Max.</p>
+<p>Charles hesitated, gave a short laugh, and apologized by placing
+his hand on Max's shoulder.</p>
+<p>"Let us go into the little parley room," he said "Hymbercourt,
+lead the way with Sir Max; Sir Karl and I will follow
+presently."</p>
+<p>Max and Hymbercourt passed out at a small door near the throne,
+and the duke turned to me:--</p>
+<p>"I like the boy's modest boldness, and I hope that I may induce
+him and you to accompany me against the Swiss. I would not accept
+his offer made on the spur of the moment, but if, on talking it
+over with him, you make up your minds to come with me, I will make
+it well worth your while. This war will be but a May-day outing.
+We'll speak on the subject again. Meantime, I understand that you
+and Sir Max wish to remain incognito at Peronne?"</p>
+<p>"We do, Your Grace," I responded. "I fear it will be impossible
+to accept the honor you have offered, but, as you have graciously
+said, we will, if you wish, speak of it again."</p>
+<p>"I am content," said the duke. "Let us follow Hymbercourt."</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+<h3>SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The duke and I passed through the door by which Max and
+Hymbercourt had left the hall, and entered a narrow passageway
+eight or ten yards long, having two doors at the farther end. The
+door to the right, I soon learned, led to the little parley room
+where Max and Hymbercourt had gone. The door to the left opened
+into a staircase that led to the apartments of the duchess. A
+narrow flight of stone steps that led from the ladies' gallery
+opened into the passage, and, just as the duke entered in advance
+of me, two ladies emerged from the stairs. They did not see me in
+the shadow, and supposed that the duke was alone. The taller, who I
+soon learned was the duchess, hastened down the passage and through
+the door leading to her apartments. The smaller I at once
+recognized. She was Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Father, you cannot mean to send me into France," she cried,
+trying to detain the duke. "Kill me, father, if you will, but do
+not send me to that hated land. I shall not survive this marriage a
+fortnight, and if I die, Burgundy will go to our cousin of
+Bourbon."</p>
+<p>"Don't hinder me, daughter," returned the duke, impatiently.
+"Don't you see we are not alone?"</p>
+<p>Yolanda turned in surprise toward me, and the duke said:--</p>
+<p>"Go by the right door, Sir Karl. I will be with you at once. I
+wish to speak with the duchess."</p>
+<p>He hurriedly followed his wife and left me alone with
+Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, my intrusion was unintentional," I stammered. "I
+followed the duke at his request."</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein!" exclaimed the girl, lifting her head and
+looking a very queen in miniature. "Fr&auml;ulein! Do you know,
+sir, to whom you speak?"</p>
+<p>"I beg your pardon, most gracious princess," I replied. "Did you
+not command me to address you as Fr&auml;ulein or Yolanda?"</p>
+<p>"My name, sir, is not Yolanda. You have made a sad mistake,"
+said the princess, drawing herself up to her full height. Then I
+thought of Yolanda's words when she told me that she resembled the
+princess as one pea resembles another.</p>
+<p>The girl trembled, and even in the dim light I could see the
+gleam of anger in her eyes. I was endeavoring to frame a suitable
+apology when she spoke again:--</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein! Yolanda! Sir, your courtesy is scant to give me
+these names. I do not know you, and--did I not tell you that if you
+made this mistake with the princess you would not so easily correct
+it? That I--you--Blessed Virgin! I have betrayed myself. I knew I
+should. I knew I could not carry it out."</p>
+<p>She covered her face with her hands and began to weep, speaking
+while she sobbed:--</p>
+<p>"My troubles are more than I can bear."</p>
+<p>I wished to reassure her at once:--</p>
+<p>"Most Gracious Princess--Yolanda--your secret is safe with me.
+You are as dear to me as if you were my child. You have nestled in
+my heart and filled it as completely as one human being can fill
+the heart of another. I would gladly give my poor old life to make
+you happy. Now if you can make use of me, I am at your
+service."</p>
+<p>"You will not tell Sir Max?" she sobbed.</p>
+<p>She was no longer a princess. She was the child Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"As I hope for salvation, no, I will not tell Sir Max," I
+responded.</p>
+<p>"Sometime I will give you my reasons," she said.</p>
+<p>"I wish none," I replied.</p>
+<p>After a short pause, she went on, still weeping gently:--</p>
+<p>"If I must go to France, Sir Karl, you may come there to be my
+Lord Chamberlain. Perhaps Max should not come, since I shall be the
+wife of another, and--and there would surely be trouble. Max should
+not come."</p>
+<p>She stepped quickly to my side. Her hand fell, and she grasped
+mine for an instant under the folds of her cloak; then she ran from
+the passage, and I went to the room where Max and Hymbercourt were
+waiting.</p>
+<p>After a few moments the duke joined us. Wine was served, but
+Charles did not drink. On account of the excessive natural heat of
+his blood he drank nothing but water. His Grace was restless; and,
+although there was no lack of courtesy, I fancied he did not wish
+us to remain. So after our cups were emptied I asked permission to
+depart. The duke acquiesced by rising, and said, turning to
+Max:--</p>
+<p>"May we not try our new hawk together this afternoon?"</p>
+<p>"With pleasure, Your Grace," responded Max.</p>
+<p>"Then we'll meet at Cambrai Gate near the hour of two," said the
+duke.</p>
+<p>"I thank Your Grace," said Max, bowing.</p>
+<p>On our way back to the inn, I told Max of my meeting with the
+princess, and remarked upon her resemblance to Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"You imagined the resemblance, Karl. There can be but one
+Yolanda in the world," said Max. "Her Highness, perhaps, is of
+Yolanda's complexion and stature,--so Yolanda has told me,--and
+your imagination has furnished the rest."</p>
+<p>"Perhaps that is true," said I, fearing that I had already
+spoken too freely.</p>
+<p>So my great riddle was at last solved! The Fates had answered
+when I "gave it up." I was so athrill with the sweet assurance that
+Yolanda was the princess that I feared my secret would leap from my
+eyes or spring unbidden from my lips.</p>
+<p>I cast about in my mind for Yolanda's reasons in wishing to
+remain Yolanda to Max, and I could find none save the desire to win
+his heart as a burgher girl. That, indeed, would be a triumph. She
+knew that every marriageable prince in Europe coveted her wealth
+and her estates. The most natural desire that she or any girl could
+have would be to find a worthy man who would seek her for her own
+sake. As Yolanda, she offered no inducement save herself. The girl
+was playing a daring game, and a wise one.</p>
+<p>True, there appeared to be no possibility that she could ever
+have Max for her husband, even should she win his heart as Yolanda.
+In view of the impending and apparently unavoidable French
+marriage, the future held no hope. But when her day of wretchedness
+should come, she would, through all her life, take comfort from the
+sweetest joy a woman can know--that the man she loved loved her
+because she was her own fair self, and for no other reason. There
+would, of course, be the sorrow of regret, but that is passive,
+while the joy of memory is ever active.</p>
+<p>When Max and I had departed, the duke turned to Hymbercourt and
+said:--</p>
+<p>"The bishop's letter is not sufficiently direct. It is my desire
+to inform King Louis that this marriage shall take place at
+once--now! <i>Now</i>! It will effectually keep Louis from allying
+with Bourbon and Lorraine, or some other prince, while I am away
+from home. They all hate me, but not one of the cowards would say
+'Booh!' unless the others were back of him. A word from Louis would
+kindle rebellion in Liege and Ghent. This war with Switzerland is
+what Louis has waited for; and when I march to the south, he will
+march into Burgundy from the west unless he has a counter
+motive."</p>
+<p>"That is but too true, my lord," said Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"But if my daughter marries the Dauphin, Louis will look upon
+Burgundy as the property of the French kingship in the end, and the
+marriage will frighten Bourbon and Lorraine to our feet once more.
+This hypocrite, Louis, has concocted a fine scheme to absorb
+Burgundy into his realm by this marriage with my daughter. But I'll
+disappoint his greed. I'll whisper a secret in your ear,
+Hymbercourt,--a secret to be told to no one else. I'll execute this
+treaty of marriage now, and will use my crafty foe for my own
+purposes so long as I need him; but when I return from Switzerland,
+I will divorce my present duchess and take a fruitful wife who will
+bear me a son to inherit Burgundy; then King Louis may keep the
+girl for his pains."</p>
+<p>The duke laughed, and seemed to feel that he was perpetrating a
+great joke on his rival.</p>
+<p>"But your brother-in-law, Edward of England, may object to
+having his sister divorced," suggested Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"In that case we'll take a page from King Louis' book," answered
+Charles. "We'll use gold, Hymbercourt, gold! I shall not, however,
+like Louis, buy Edward's ministers! They are too expensive. I'll
+put none of my gold in Hastings's sleeve. I'll pension Shore's
+wife, and Edward will not trouble himself about his sister. He
+prefers other men's sisters. Do not fear, Hymbercourt; the time has
+come to meet Louis' craft with craft."</p>
+<p>"And Your Grace's unhappy daughter is to be the shuttlecock, my
+lord?" suggested Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"She will serve her purpose in the weal of Burgundy, as I do. I
+give my life to Burgundy. Why should not this daughter of mine give
+a few tears? But her tears are unreasonable. Why should she object
+to this marriage? Even though God should hereafter give me a son,
+who should cut the princess out of Burgundy, will she not be queen
+of France? What more would the perverse girl have? By God,
+Hymbercourt, it makes my blood boil to hear you, a man of sound
+reason, talk like a fool. I hear the same maudlin protest from the
+duchess. She, too, is under the spell of this girl, and mourns over
+her trumped-up grief like a parish priest at a bishop's
+funeral."</p>
+<p>"But, my lord, consider the creature your daughter is to marry,"
+said Hymbercourt. "He is but a child, less than fourteen years of
+age, and is weak in mind and body. Surely, it is a wretched fate
+for your daughter."</p>
+<p>"I tell you the girl is perverse," interrupted the duke. "She
+would raise a storm were the Dauphin a paragon of manliness. He is
+a poor, mean wretch, whom she may easily rule. His weakness will be
+her advantage. She is strong enough, God knows, and wilful enough
+to face down the devil himself. If there is a perverse wench on all
+the earth, who will always have her own way by hook or by crook, it
+is this troublesome daughter of mine. She has the duchess wound
+around her finger. I could not live with them at Ghent, and sent
+them here for the sake of peace. When she is queen of France she
+will also be king of that realm--and in God's name what more could
+the girl ask?"</p>
+<p>"But, my lord, let me beg you to consider well this step before
+you take it. I am sure evil will come of it," pleaded
+Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"I have considered," answered the duke. "Let me hear no more of
+this rubbish. Two women dinning it into my ears morning, noon, and
+night are quite enough for my peace of mind. I hear constantly,
+'Dear father, don't kill me. Spare your daughter,' and 'Dear my
+lord, I beg you not to sacrifice the princess, whom I so love.'
+God's mercy! I say I am tired of it! This marriage shall take place
+at once! Now, now, now, do you hear, Hymbercourt? Tell the bishop
+to write this letter in English. We will make the draught as bitter
+as possible for Louis. He hates the sight of an English word, and
+small wonder. Direct the bishop to make the letter short and to the
+point. Tell him to say the marriage shall take place <i>now</i>.
+Have him use the word <i>now</i>. Do you understand?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, my lord," answered Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"Order him to fetch the missive immediately to the apartments of
+the duchess. It shall be read, signed, and despatched in the
+presence of my daughter and my wife, so that they may know what
+they have to expect. I'll see that I'm bothered no more with their
+tears and their senseless importunities."</p>
+<p>"I'll carry out your instructions," said Hymbercourt, bowing and
+taking his leave.</p>
+<p>The duke went to his wife's parlor and fell moodily into a
+chair. The duchess was sitting on a divan, and the princess was
+weeping in her arms. After a long silence, broken only by Mary's
+half-smothered sobs, the duke turned sharply upon the women:--</p>
+<p>"For the love of God, cease your miserable whimpering," growled
+his lordship. "Is not my life full of vexations without this deluge
+of tears at home? A whimpering woman will do more to wear out the
+life of a man than a score of battling enemies. Silence, I say;
+silence, you fools!"</p>
+<p>Mary and the duchess were now unable to control themselves.
+Charles rose angrily and, with his clenched hand raised for a blow,
+strode across the room to the unhappy women. Clinging to each
+other, the princess and Duchess Margaret crouched low on the divan.
+Then this great hero, whom the world worships and calls "The Bold,"
+bent over the trembling women and upbraided them in language that I
+will not write.</p>
+<p>"God curse me if I will have my life made miserable by a pair of
+fools," cried the duke. "I am wretched enough without this useless
+annoyance. Enemies abroad and disobedience in my own family will
+drive me mad!"</p>
+<p>The women slipped from the divan to the floor at the duke's
+feet, and clung to each other. The duchess covered the princess to
+protect her from the duke's blow, and, alas! took it herself.
+Charles stepped back, intending to kick his daughter, but the
+duchess again threw herself on Yolanda and again received the blow.
+By that time the duke's fury was beyond all measure, and he stooped
+to drag his wife from Yolanda that he might vent his wrath upon the
+sobbing girl. The duchess, who was a young, strong woman, sprang to
+her feet and placed herself between Yolanda, lying on the floor,
+and the infuriated duke.</p>
+<a name="416.jpg"></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="Images/416.jpg"><img src="Images/416.jpg"
+width="75%" alt=""></a><br>
+<b>THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.</b></p>
+<p>"You shall not touch the child, my lord!" cried the duchess.
+"Though she is your child, you shall not touch her if I can help
+it. Twice, my lord, you have almost killed your daughter in your
+anger, and I have sworn to prevent a recurrence of your brutality
+or to die in my attempt to save her."</p>
+<p>She snatched a dagger from her bosom, and spoke calmly: "Now
+come, my lord; but when you do so, draw your dagger, for, by the
+Virgin, I will kill you if you do not kill me, before you shall
+touch that girl. Before you kill me, my lord, remember that my
+brother of England will tear you limb from limb for the crime, and
+that King Louis will gladly help him in the task. Come, my husband!
+Come, my brave lord! I am but a weak woman. You may easily kill me,
+and I will welcome death rather than life with you. When I am out
+of the way, you may work your will on your daughter. Because I am
+your wife, my brother has twice saved you from King Louis. You owe
+your domain and your life to me. I should sell my life at a
+glorious price if my death purchased your ruin. Come, my lord!"</p>
+<p>The duke paused with his hand on his dagger; but he knew that
+his wife's words were true, and he realized that his ruin would
+follow quickly on the heels of her death.</p>
+<p>"You complain that the world and your own family are against
+you, my lord," said the duchess. "It is because you are a cruel
+tyrant abroad and at home. It is because you are against the world
+and against those whom you should protect and keep safe from evil.
+The fault is with you, Charles of Burgundy. You have spoken the
+truth. The world hates you, and this girl--the tenderest, most
+loving heart on earth--dreads you as her most relentless enemy. If
+I were in your place, my lord, I would fall upon my sword."</p>
+<p>Beaten by his wife's just fury, this great war hero walked back
+to his chair, and the duchess tenderly lifted Mary to the
+divan.</p>
+<p>"He will not strike you, child," said Margaret. Then she fell to
+kissing Yolanda passionately, and tears came to her relief.</p>
+<p>Poor Yolanda buried her face in her mother's breast and tried to
+smother her sobs. Charles sat mumbling blasphemous oaths. At the
+expiration of half an hour, a page announced the Bishop of Cambrai
+and other gentlemen. The duke signified that they were to be
+admitted; and when the bishop entered the room, Charles, who was
+smarting from his late defeat, spoke angrily:--</p>
+<p>"By the good God, my Lord Bishop, you are slow! Does it require
+an hour to write a missive of ten lines? If you are as slow in
+saving souls as in writing letters, the world will go to hell
+before you can say a mass."</p>
+<p>"The wording was difficult, Your Grace," replied the bishop
+obsequiously. "The Lord d'Hymbercourt said Your Grace wished the
+missive to be written in English, which language my scrivener knows
+but imperfectly. After it was written I received Your Lordship's
+instructions to use the word 'now,' so I caused the letter to be
+rewritten that I might comply with your wishes."</p>
+<p>"Now" is a small word, but in this instance it was a great one
+for Yolanda, as you shall soon learn.</p>
+<p>"Cease explaining, my Lord Bishop, and read me the missive,"
+said the duke, sullenly.</p>
+<p>The bishop unfolded the missive, which was in a pouch ready for
+sealing. Yolanda stopped sobbing that she might hear the document
+that touched so closely on her fate. Her tear-stained face, with
+its childlike pathos, but served to increase her father's
+anger.</p>
+<p>"Read, my Lord Bishop! Body of me, why stand you there like a
+wooden quintain?" exclaimed the duke. "By all the gods, you are
+slow! Read, I say!"</p>
+<p>"With pleasure, my lord," answered the bishop.</p>
+<p>/# "To His Majesty, King Louis of France, Charles, Duke of
+Burgundy and Count of Charolois, sends this Greeting:--</p>
+<p>"His Grace of Burgundy would recommend himself to His Majesty of
+France, and would beg to inform the most puissant King Louis that
+the said Charles, Duke of Burgundy, will march at the head of a
+Burgundian army within three weeks from the date of these presents,
+against the Swiss cantons, with intent to punish the said Swiss for
+certain depredations. Therefore, the said Charles, Duke of Burgundy
+and Count of Charolois, begs that His Majesty of France will now
+move toward the immediate consummation of the treaty existing
+between Burgundy and France, looking to the marriage of the
+Princess Mary, Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the princely Dauphin,
+son to King Louis; and to these presents said Charles, Duke of
+Burgundy, requests the honor of an early reply.</p>
+<p>"We recommend Your Majesty to the protection of God, the Blessed
+Virgin, and the Saints." #/</p>
+<p>"Words, words, my Lord Bishop," said Charles. "Why waste them on
+a graceless hypocrite?"</p>
+<p>"I thought only to be courteous," returned the bishop.</p>
+<p>"Why should we show King Louis courtesy?" asked the duke. "Is it
+because we give him our daughter to be the wife of his
+bandy-shanked, half-witted son? There is small need for courtesy,
+my Lord Bishop. We could not insult this King Louis, should we try,
+while he sees an advantage to be gained. Give me the letter, and I
+will sign it, though I despise your whimpering courtesy, as you
+call it."</p>
+<p>Charles took the letter, and, going to a table near a window,
+drew up a chair.</p>
+<p>"Give me a quill," he said, addressing the bishop. "Did you not
+bring one, my lord?"</p>
+<p>"Your Grace--Your Grace," began the bishop, apologetically.</p>
+<p>"Do you think I am a snivelling scrivener, carrying quill and
+ink-well in my gown?" asked the duke. "Go to your parlor and fetch
+ink and quill," said Charles, pointing with the folded missive
+toward Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"A page will fetch the quill and ink, my lord," suggested the
+duchess.</p>
+<p>"Go!" cried the duke, turning angrily on the princess. Yolanda
+left the room, weeping, and hastened up the long flight of steps to
+her parlor. It was the refinement of cruelty in Charles to send
+Yolanda for the quill with which he was to sign the instrument of
+her doom.</p>
+<p>Still weeping, Yolanda hurried back with the writing materials,
+but before entering the room she stopped at the door to dry her
+tears and stay her sobs. When she entered, she said:--</p>
+<p>"There is the quill, father, and there is the ink."</p>
+<p>She placed them before the duke and stood trembling with one
+hand on the table. After a moment she spoke in a voice little above
+a whisper:--"You will accomplish nothing, my lord, my father, by
+sending the letter. I shall die before this marriage can take
+place. I am willing to obey you, but, father, I shall die. Ah,
+father, pity me."</p>
+<p>She fell upon her knees before the duke and tried to put her
+hands about his shoulders. He repulsed her, and, taking up the
+quill, signed the letter. After he had affixed his signature and
+had sealed the missive with his private seal, he folded the
+parchment and handed it to the bishop, saying:--</p>
+<p>"Seal the pouch, my lord, and send Byron, the herald, here to
+receive our personal instructions."</p>
+<p>"The herald has not yet returned from Cambrai, my lord," said De
+Vergy, who stood near by. "He is expected between the hours of five
+and six this evening."</p>
+<p>"Leave the letter, my lord," said Charles, "and send Byron to me
+when he arrives. I shall be here at six o'clock to give him full
+instructions."</p>
+<p>The letter was deposited in a small iron box on the table, and
+the duke left the room, followed closely by the lords and
+pages.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+<h3>THE CROSSING OF A "T"</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Yolanda and her stepmother remained on the divan in silence for
+fully an hour after the duke had left. The duchess was first to
+speak.</p>
+<p>"Be resigned, sweet one, to your fate. It is one common to
+women. It was my hard fate to be compelled to marry your father. It
+was your mother's, poor woman, and it killed her. God wills our
+slavery, and we must submit. We but make our fate harder by
+fighting against it."</p>
+<p>Yolanda answered with convulsive sobs, but after a while she
+grew more calm.</p>
+<p>"Is there nothing I can do to save myself?" she asked.</p>
+<p>"No, sweet one," answered the duchess.</p>
+<p>"Has God put a curse upon women, mother?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Alas! I fear He has," answered Margaret. "The Holy Church
+teaches us that He punishes us for the sin of our mother Eve, but
+though He punishes us, He loves us, and we are His children. He
+knows what is best for us here and hereafter."</p>
+<p>"He certainly is looking to my <i>future</i> good, if at all,"
+sighed Yolanda. "But I do believe in God's goodness, mother, and I
+am sure He will save me. Holy Virgin! how helpless a woman is." She
+began to weep afresh, and the duchess tried to soothe her.</p>
+<p>"I believe I will pray to the Virgin. She may help us," said the
+girl, in a voice that was plaintively childlike.</p>
+<p>"It is a pious thought, Mary," answered the duchess.</p>
+<p>Yolanda slipped from the divan to the floor, and, kneeling,
+buried her face in her mother's lap. She prayed aloud:--</p>
+<p>"Blessed Virgin, Thou seest my dire need. Help me. My prayer is
+short, but Thou, Blessed Lady, knowest how fervent it is." The
+duchess crossed herself, bowed her head, and murmured a fervent
+"Amen."</p>
+<p>Yolanda rose from her prayer with a brighter face, and exclaimed
+almost joyfully:--</p>
+<p>"It was impious in me to doubt God's love, mother. I do believe
+I heard the Blessed Virgin say, 'Help is at hand.' At least, I felt
+her words, mother."</p>
+<p>Yolanda moved about the room aimlessly for several minutes and
+by chance stopped at the table. She started to take up the quill
+and ink-well to carry them back to her parlor, which was in Darius
+(Darius was the name of the tower that rose from the castle
+battlements immediately above Castleman's House under the Wall),
+and her eyes rested on the small iron box in which the letter to
+King Louis had been deposited. An unconscious motive, perhaps it
+was childish curiosity, prompted her to examine the missive. She
+took the pouch from the box and found it unsealed. She listlessly
+drew out the missive and began to read, when suddenly her face grew
+radiant with joy. She ran excitedly to her mother, who was sitting
+on the divan, and exclaimed:--</p>
+<p>"Oh! mother, the sweet Blessed Virgin has sent help!"</p>
+<p>"In what manner, child?" asked the duchess, fondling Yolanda's
+hair while the girl knelt beside her.</p>
+<p>"Here, mother, here! Here is help; here in this very letter that
+was intended to be my undoing. I cannot wait to thank the Holy
+Mother." She crossed herself and buried her face in her mother's
+lap while she thanked the Virgin.</p>
+<p>"What is it, Mary, and where is the help?" asked Margaret,
+fearing the girl's mind had been touched by her troubles.</p>
+<p>"Listen!" cried Yolanda.</p>
+<p>Her excitement was so great that she could hardly see the words
+the bishop's scrivener had written.</p>
+<p>"Listen, listen! Father in this letter first tells the king that
+he--that is, father, you understand--is going to war with
+Lorraine--no, with Bourbon. I am wrong again. Father is so
+constantly warring with some one that I cannot keep track of his
+enemies--against the Swiss. See, mother, it is the Swiss. He says
+he will go--will start--will begin the war--no, I am wrong again. I
+can hardly see the words. He says he will march at the head of a
+Burgundian army--poor soldiers, I pity them--within three weeks.
+Ah, how short that time seemed when I heard the letter read an hour
+ago. How long it is now! I wish he would march to-morrow. Three
+long weeks!"</p>
+<p>"But, my dear, how will that help you?" asked the duchess. "In
+what manner will--"</p>
+<p>"Do not interrupt me, mother, but hear what follows. Father says
+he will march in three weeks and 'begs that His Majesty of France
+will <i>now</i> move toward the immediate consummation of the
+treaty existing between Burgundy and France looking to the marriage
+of the Princess, Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the princely
+Dauphin, son to King Louis.' In that word 'now,' mother, lies my
+help."</p>
+<p>"In what manner does help lie in the word 'now,' child?" asked
+the duchess.</p>
+<p>"In this, mother. 'Now' is a little word of three letters,
+n-o-v. See, mother, the letter 'v' is not perfectly made. We will
+extend the first prong upward, cross it and make 't' of it, using
+the second prong as a flourish. Then the letter will read, 'begs
+that His Majesty of France will <i>not</i> move toward the
+immediate consummation of the treaty.' What could be more natural
+than that my father should wish nothing of importance to occur
+until after this war with Switzerland is over? The French king, of
+course, will answer that he will not move in the matter, and his
+letter will throw father into a delightful frenzy of rage. It may
+even induce him to declare war against France, and to break off the
+treaty of marriage when he returns from Switzerland. He has often
+done battle for a lesser cause. It will at least prevent the
+marriage for the present. It may prevent it forever."</p>
+<p>"Surely that cannot be; King Louis will immediately explain the
+mistake to your father," suggested Margaret.</p>
+<p>"But father, you know, will not listen to an explanation if he
+fears it may avert blows," returned Yolanda; "and he will be sure
+not to believe King Louis whose every word he doubts. I shall enjoy
+King Louis' efforts to explain. 'Hypocrite,' 'liar,' 'coward,'
+'villain,' will be among father's most endearing terms when
+speaking of His Majesty. If by chance the error of 'not' for 'now'
+be discovered, the Bishop of Cambrai and father will swear it is
+King Louis who has committed the forgery. But should the worst
+come, our 't' will have answered its purpose, at least for the
+present. The bishop may suffer, but I care not. He did his part in
+bringing about this marriage treaty, bribed, doubtless, by King
+Louis' gold. In any case, we have no reason to constitute ourselves
+the bishop's guardians. We have all we can do to care for
+ourselves--and more."</p>
+<p>She sprang to her feet and danced about the room, ardently
+kissing the letter she had so recently dreaded.</p>
+<p>"Mary, you frighten me," said the duchess. "If we should be
+discovered in changing this letter, I do believe your father would
+kill us. I do not know that it would be right to make the
+alteration. It would be forgery, and that, you know, is a crime
+punishable by death."</p>
+<p>"<i>We</i> shall not be discovered," said Mary. "You must have
+no part in this transaction, mother. Father would not kill me; I am
+too valuable as a chattel of trade. With my poor little self he can
+buy the good-will of kings and princes. I am more potent than all
+his gold. This alteration can be no sin; it is self-defence. Think
+how small it is, mother. It is only a matter of the crossing of a
+'t.' But I care not how great the crime may be; I believe, mother,
+I would commit murder to save myself from the fate father wishes to
+put upon me."</p>
+<p>"You frighten me, child," said Margaret. "I tremble in terror at
+what you propose to do."</p>
+<p>"I, too, am trembling, mother," sighed Yolanda, "but you must
+now leave the room. You must know nothing of this great crime."</p>
+<p>The girl laughed nervously and tried to push her mother from the
+room.</p>
+<p>"No, I will remain," said the duchess. "I almost believe that
+you are right, and that the Virgin has prompted you to do this to
+save yourself."</p>
+<p>"I know she has," answered Yolanda, crossing herself. "Now leave
+me. I must waste no more time."</p>
+<p>"I will remain with you, Mary," said Margaret, "and I will
+myself make the alteration. Then I'll take all the blame in case we
+are discovered."</p>
+<p>Margaret rose, walked over to the table, and took up the quill.
+She trembled so violently that she could not control her hand.</p>
+<p>"No, mother, you shall not touch it," cried Yolanda, snatching
+the parchment from the countess and holding it behind her. "If I
+would let you, you could not make the alteration; see, your hand
+trembles! You would blot the parchment and spoil all this fine plan
+of mine. Give me the quill, mother! Give me the quill!"</p>
+<p>She took the quill from Margaret's passive hand and sat down at
+the table. Spreading the missive before her, she dipped the quill
+in the ink-well, and when she lifted it, a drop of ink fell upon
+the table within a hair's breadth of the parchment.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Blessed Virgin!" cried Yolanda, snatching the missive away
+from the ink blot. "If the ink had fallen on the parchment, we
+surely had been lost. I, too, am trembling, and I dare not try to
+make the alteration now. What a poor, helpless creature I am, when
+I cannot even cross a 't' to save myself. Blessed Virgin, help me
+once more!"</p>
+<p>But help did not come. Yolanda's excitement grew instead of
+subsiding, and she was so wrought upon by a nameless fear that she
+began to weep. Margaret seated herself on the divan and covered her
+face with her hands. Yolanda walked the floor like a caged wild
+thing, uttering ejaculatory prayers to the Virgin. Again she took
+up the quill, but again put it down, exclaiming:--</p>
+<p>"I have it, mother! There is a friend of whom I have often told
+you--Sir Karl. He will help us if I can bring him here in time. If
+father has left the castle, I'll take the letter to my parlor and
+fetch Sir Karl. He is a brave, strong old man and his hand will not
+tremble."</p>
+<p>Yolanda left the room and soon returned.</p>
+<p>"Father has gone to the marshes," she whispered excitedly. "We
+have ample time if I can find Sir Karl."</p>
+<p>She took the missive, the ink, and the quill to her parlor in
+Darius Tower, and hurried to Castleman's house. How she got there I
+will soon tell you.</p>
+<p>She found Twonette sewing, and hastily explained her wishes.</p>
+<p>"Run, Twonette, to The Mitre, and fetch me Sir Karl. I don't
+want Sir Max to know that I am sending. I think Sir Max has gone
+falconing with father; I pray God he has gone, and I pray that Sir
+Karl has not. Tell Sir Karl to come to me at once. If he is not at
+the inn send for him. If you love me, Twonette, make all haste.
+Run! Run!"</p>
+<p>Twonette's haste was really wonderful. When she found me her
+cheeks were like red roses, and she could hardly speak for lack of
+breath. For the first and last time I saw Twonette shorn of her
+serenity.</p>
+<p>The duke had not invited me to go hawking, and fortunately I had
+stayed at home cuddling the thought that Yolanda was the Princess
+Mary, and that my fair Prince Max had found rare favor in her
+eyes.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda wants you at my father's house immediately," said
+Twonette, when I stepped outside the inn door. "The need is urgent
+beyond measure." Whereupon she courtesied and turned away. Twonette
+held that words were not made to be wasted, so I asked no
+questions. I almost ran to Castleman's house, and was taken at once
+to a large room in the second story. It was on the west side of the
+house immediately against the castle wall. The walls of the room
+were sealed with broad oak panels, beautifully carved, and the west
+end of the apartment--that next the castle wall--was hung with silk
+tapestries. When I entered the room I found Yolanda alone. She
+hurriedly closed the door after me and spoke excitedly:--</p>
+<p>"I am so glad Twonette found you, Sir Karl. I am in dire need.
+Will you help me?"</p>
+<p>"I will help you if it is in my power, Yolanda," I answered.
+"You can ask nothing which I will not at least try to do."</p>
+<p>"Even at the risk of your life?" she asked, placing her hand
+upon my arm.</p>
+<p>"Even to the loss of my life, Yolanda," I replied.</p>
+<p>"Would you commit an act which the law calls a crime?" she
+asked, trembling in voice and limb.</p>
+<p>"I would do that which is really a crime, if I might thereby
+serve you to great purpose," I answered. "God often does apparent
+evil that good may come of it. An act must be judged as a whole, by
+its conception, its execution, and its result. Tell me what you
+wish me to do, and I will do it without an 'if'--God giving me the
+power."</p>
+<p>"Then come with me."</p>
+<p>She took my hand and led me to the end of the room next the
+castle wall. There she held the draperies to one side while she
+pushed back one of the oak panels. Through this opening we passed,
+and the draperies fell together behind us. After Yolanda had opened
+the panel a moment of light revealed to me a flight of stone steps
+built in the heart of the castle wall, which at that point was
+sixteen feet thick. When Yolanda closed the panel, we were in total
+darkness. She took my left hand in her left and with her right arm
+at my back guided me up the long, dark stairway. While mounting the
+steps, she said:--"Now, Sir Karl, you have all my great secrets--at
+least, they are very great to me. You know who I am, and you know
+of this stairway. No one knows of it but my mother, uncle, aunt,
+Twonette, and my faithful tire-woman, Anne. Even my father does not
+know of its existence. If he knew, he would soon close it. My
+grandfather, Duke Philip the Good, built it in the wall to connect
+his bedroom with the house of his true friend, burgher Castleman.
+Some day I'll tell you the story of the stairway, and how I
+discovered it. My bedroom is the one my grandfather occupied."</p>
+<p>The stairway explained to me all the strange occurrences
+relating to Yolanda's appearances and disappearances at Castleman's
+house, and it will do the same for you.</p>
+<p>After we had climbed until I felt that surely we must be among
+the clouds, I said:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda, you must be leading me to heaven."</p>
+<p>"I should like to do that, Sir Karl," she responded, laughing
+softly.</p>
+<p>"I would gladly give my life to lead you and Max to heaven,"
+said I.</p>
+<p>"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered gently, pressing my hand and
+caressingly placing her cheek against my arm. "I dare not even
+think on that. If he could and would take me, believing me to be a
+burgher girl, he would truly lead me to heaven."</p>
+<p>After a pause, while we rested to take a breath, I said: "What
+is it you want me to do, Yolanda? I am unarmed."</p>
+<p>"I shall not ask you to do murder, Sir Karl," she said, laughing
+nervously. I fancied I could see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes as
+she continued: "It is not so bad as that. Neither is there a dragon
+for you to overthrow. But I shall soon enlighten you--here we are
+at the top of the steps."</p>
+<p>At the moment she spoke I collided with a heavy oak partition,
+in which Yolanda quickly found a moving panel, and we entered a
+dimly lighted room. I noticed among the furniture a gorgeously
+tapestried bed. A rich rug, the like of which I had seen in
+Damascus, covered the floor. The stone walls were draped with silk
+tapestry, and a jewelled lamp was pendant from the vaulted ceiling.
+This was Yolanda's bedroom, and truly it was a resting-place worthy
+of the richest princess in Christendom. I felt that I was in the
+holy of holies. I found difficulty in believing that the childlike
+Yolanda could be so important a personage in the politics of
+Europe. She seemed almost to belong to me, so much at that time did
+she lean on my strength.</p>
+<p>Out of her sleeping apartment she led me to another and a larger
+room, lighted by broad windows cut through the inner wall of the
+castle, which at that point was not more than three or four feet
+thick. This was Yolanda's parlor. The floor, like that of the
+bedroom, was covered with a Damascus rug. The windows were closed
+by glass of crystal purity, and the furniture was richer than any I
+had seen in the emperor's palace.</p>
+<p>Yolanda led me to a table, pointed to a chair for me, and drew
+up one for herself. At that moment a lady entered, whom Yolanda ran
+to meet. The princess took the lady's hand and led her to me:--</p>
+<p>"Sir Karl, this is my mother. As you already know, she is my
+stepmother, but I forget that in the love I bear her, and in the
+sweet love she gives to me."</p>
+<p>I bent my knee before the duchess, who gave me her hand to kiss,
+saying:--</p>
+<p>"The princess has often spoken to me of you, Sir Karl. I see she
+has crept into your heart. She wins all who know her."</p>
+<p>"My devotion to Her Highness is self-evident and needs no
+avowal," I answered, "but I take pleasure in declaring it. I am
+ready to aid her at whatever cost."</p>
+<p>"Has the princess told you what she wants you to do?" asked the
+duchess.</p>
+<p>I answered that she had not, but that I was glad to pledge
+myself unenlightened. I then placed a chair for the duchess, but,
+of course, remained standing. Yolanda resumed her chair, and
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Fetch a chair, Sir Karl. We are glad to have you sit, are we
+not, mother?"</p>
+<p>"Indeed we are," said Margaret. "Please sit by the table, and
+the princess will explain why she brought you here."</p>
+<p>"I believe I can now do it myself, mother," said Yolanda, taking
+a folded parchment from its pouch.</p>
+<p>"See, my hand is perfectly steady. Sir Karl has given me
+strength."</p>
+<p>She spread the parchment before her, and, taking a quill from
+the table, dipped it in the ink-well.</p>
+<p>"I'll not need you after all, Sir Karl. I find I can commit my
+own crime," she said, much to my disappointment. I was, you see,
+eager to sin for her. I longed to kill some one or to do some other
+deed of valiant and perilous villany.</p>
+<p>Yolanda bent over the missive, quill in hand, but hesitated. She
+changed her position on the chair, squaring herself before the
+parchment, and tried again, but she seemed unable to use the quill.
+She placed it on the table and laughed nervously.</p>
+<p>"I surely am a great fool," she said. "When I take the quill in
+my hand, I tremble like a squire on his quintain trial. I'll wait a
+moment, and grow calm again," she added, with a fluttering little
+laugh peculiar to her when she was excited. But she did not grow
+calm, and after she had vainly taken up the quill again and again,
+her mother said:--</p>
+<p>"Poor child! Tell Sir Karl what you wish him to do."</p>
+<p>Yolanda did so, and then read the missive. I did not know the
+English language perfectly, but Yolanda, who spoke it as if it were
+her mother tongue, translated as she read. I had always considered
+the island language harsh till I heard Yolanda speak it. Even the
+hissing "th" was music on her lips. Had I been a young man I would
+doubtless have made a fool of myself for the sake of this beautiful
+child-woman. When she had finished reading the missive, she left
+her chair and came to my side. She bent over my shoulder, holding
+the parchment before me.</p>
+<p>"What I want to do, but can't--what I want you to do is so small
+and simple a matter that it is almost amusing. I grow angry when I
+think that I cannot do so little a thing to help myself; but you
+see, Sir Karl, I tremble and my hand shakes to that extent I fear
+to mar the page. I simply want to make the letter 't' on this
+parchment and I can't. Will you do it for me?"</p>
+<p>"Ay, gladly," I responded, "but where and why?" Then she pointed
+out to me the word "nov" in the manuscript and said:--</p>
+<p>"A letter 't,' if deftly done, will make 'not' instead of 'nov.'
+Do you understand, Sir Karl?"</p>
+<p>I sprang to my feet as if I had been touched by a sword-point.
+The thought was so ingenious, the thing itself was so small and the
+result was so tremendous that I stood in wonder before the daring
+girl who had conceived it. I made no answer. I placed the parchment
+on the table, unceremoniously reached in front of the duchess for
+the quill, and in less time than one can count three I made a tiny
+ink mark not the sixteenth part of an inch long that changed the
+destinies of nations for all time to come.</p>
+<p>I placed the quill on the table and turned to Yolanda, just in
+time to catch her as she was about to fall. I was frightened at the
+sight of her pale face and cried out:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda! Yolanda!"</p>
+<p>Margaret quickly brought a small goblet of wine, and I held the
+princess while I opened her lips and poured a portion of the drink
+into her mouth. I had in my life seen, without a tremor, hundreds
+of men killed, but I had never seen a woman faint, and the sight
+almost unmanned me.</p>
+<p>Stimulated by the wine Yolanda soon revived; and when she opened
+her eyes and smiled up into my face, I was so joyful that I fell to
+kissing her hands and could utter no word save "Yolanda, Yolanda."
+She did not at once rise from my arms, but lay there smiling into
+my face as if she were a child. When she did rise she laughed
+softly and said, turning to the duchess:--</p>
+<p>"'Yolanda' is the name by which Sir Karl knows me. You see,
+mother, I was not mistaken in deeming him my friend."</p>
+<p>Then she turned suddenly to me, and taking my rough old hand in
+hers, lifted it to her lips. That simple act of childish gratitude
+threw me into a fever of ecstasy so great that death itself could
+have had no terrors for me. He might have come when he chose. I had
+lived through that one moment, and even God could not rob me of
+it.</p>
+<p>Yolanda moved away from me and took up the parchment.</p>
+<p>"Don't touch it till the ink dries," I cried sharply.</p>
+<p>She dropped it as if it were hot, and the duchess came to me,
+and graciously offered her hand:--</p>
+<p>"I thank you with my whole heart, not only for what you have
+done, but for the love you bear the princess. She is the one I love
+above all others, and I know she loves me. I love those who love
+her. As the French say, '<i>Les amies de mes amies sont mes
+amies.'</i> I am a poor helpless woman, more to be pitied than the
+world can believe. I have only my gratitude to offer you, Sir Karl,
+but that shall be yours so long as I live."</p>
+<p>"Your Grace's reward is far too great for the small service I
+have rendered," I replied, dropping to my knee. I was really
+beginning to live in my sixtieth year. I was late in starting, but
+my zest for life was none the less, now that I had at last learned
+its sweetness through these two gracious women.</p>
+<p>When we had grown more composed, Yolanda explained to me her
+hopes regarding the French king's answer to the altered missive,
+and the whole marvellous possibilities of the letter "t" dawned
+upon my mind. The princess bent over the parchment, watching our
+mighty "t" while the ink was drying, but the process was too slow
+for her, so she filled her cheeks and breathed upon the writing.
+The color returned to her face while I watched her, and I felt that
+committing a forgery was a small price to pay for witnessing so
+beautiful a sight. Yolanda's breath soon dried the ink, and then we
+examined my work. I had performed wonders. The keenest eye could
+not detect the alteration. Yolanda, as usual, sprang from the
+deepest purgatory of trouble to the seventh heaven of joy. She ran
+about the room, singing, dancing, and laughing, until the duchess
+warned her to be quiet. Then she placed her hand over her mouth,
+shrugged her shoulders, walked on tiptoe, and spoke only in
+whispers. Margaret smiled affectionately at Yolanda's childish
+antics and said:--</p>
+<p>"I think the conspirators should disperse. I hope, Sir Karl,
+that I may soon meet you in due form. Meantime, of course, it is
+best that we do not know each other."</p>
+<p>After examining the missive for the twentieth time, Yolanda
+placed it in its pouch and turned to the duchess.</p>
+<p>"Take it, mother, to the iron box, and I will lead Sir Karl back
+to Uncle Castleman's," she said.</p>
+<p>The duchess graciously offered me a goblet of wine, and after I
+had drunk, Yolanda led me down the stairway to the House under the
+Wall. While descending Yolanda called my attention to a loose stone
+in the wall of the staircase.</p>
+<p>"The other end of this stone," she said, "penetrates the wall of
+the room that you and Sir Max occupied the night before you were
+liberated. The mortar has fallen away, and it was here that I spoke
+to you and told you not to fear."</p>
+<p>Here was another supernatural marvel all too easily
+explained.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+<h3>PARTICEPS CRIMINIS</h3>
+<br>
+<p>That evening after supper Max and I walked over to Castleman's.
+The evening was cool, and we were sitting in the great parlor
+talking with Castleman and Twonette when Yolanda entered. The room
+was fully fifty feet long, and extended across the entire front of
+the house. A huge chimney was built at the east end of the room,
+and on either side of the fireplace was a cushioned bench. A
+similar bench extended across the entire west end of the room. When
+Yolanda entered she ran to me and took my hand.</p>
+<p>"Come, Sir Karl, I want to speak with you," she said.</p>
+<p>She led me to the west end of the room, sat down on the
+cushioned bench, and drew in her skirts that I might sit close
+beside her.</p>
+<p>"I want to tell you about the missive, Sir Karl," she whispered,
+laughing and shrugging her shoulders in great glee. "Mother
+returned it to the box, and when I left you I hurried back and
+haunted the room, fearing that some one might meddle with the
+parchment. Near the hour of six o'clock father entered. I was
+sitting on the divan, and he sat down in his great chair, of course
+taking no notice of me--I am too insignificant for so great a
+person to notice, except when he is compelled to do so. I was
+joyful in my heart, but I conjured up all my troubles that I might
+make myself weep. I feared to show any change in myself, so I
+sobbed aloud now and then, and soon father turned angrily toward
+me. 'Are you still there?' he asked. 'Yes, father,' I answered, as
+if trying to stifle my sobs. 'Are you really going to send that
+cruel letter to King Louis?'"</p>
+<p>"Cruel, indeed," I interrupted.</p>
+<p>"Ah, yes! Well, father made no reply, and I went over to him and
+began to plead. I should have wanted to cut my tongue out had I
+succeeded, but I had little fear. Father is not easily touched by
+another's suffering, and my tears only hardened his heart. Well, of
+course, he repulsed me; and soon a page announced Byron the herald
+and the Bishop of Cambrai. Father took the packet from the iron
+box, and put his fingers in the pouch, as if he were going to take
+out the letter. He hesitated, and during that moment of halting I
+was by turns cold as ice and hot as fire. Finally his resolution
+took form, and he drew out the missive. I thought I should die then
+and there, when he began to look it over. But after a careless
+glance he put it back in the pouch, and threw it on the table in
+front of the bishop. I could hardly keep from shouting for joy. He
+had failed to see the alteration, and in case of its discovery, he
+might now be his own witness against King Louis, should that crafty
+monarch dare to alter my father's missive by so much as the
+crossing of a 't'. If father hereafter discovers anything wrong in
+the letter, he will be able to swear that King Louis was the evil
+doer, since father himself put the letter in the pouch with his own
+hands. Father will never suspect that a friend came to me out of
+far-away Styria to commit this crime."</p>
+<p>"I rejoice that I came," I said.</p>
+<p>"And I," she answered. "I feared the bishop would read the
+letter, but he did not. He tied the ribbon, softened the lead wafer
+over the lamp flame, and placed it on the bow-knot; then he stamped
+it with father's small seal. When it was finished I did not want to
+laugh for joy--when one is very happy one wants to weep. That I
+could safely do, and I did. The bishop handed the letter to Byron,
+and father spoke commandingly: 'Deliver the missive to the French
+king before you sleep or eat, unless he has left Paris. If he has
+gone to Tours, follow him and loiter not.' 'And if he is not in
+Tours, Your Grace?' asked Byron. 'Follow him till you find him,'
+answered father, 'if you must cross the seas.' 'Shall I do all this
+without eating or sleeping?' asked Byron. Father rose angrily, and
+Byron said: 'If Your Grace will watch from the donjon battlements,
+in five minutes you will see me riding on your mission. When Your
+Grace sees me riding back, it will be, I fear, the ghost of
+Byron.'</p>
+<p>"It was a wearisome task for me to climb the donjon stairs, but
+I knew father would not be there to watch Byron set out, and I felt
+that one of the family should give him God-speed; so alone, and
+frightened almost out of my wits, I climbed those dark steps to the
+battlements, and gazed after Byron till he was a mere speck on the
+horizon down toward Paris. I pray God there may be a great plenty
+of trouble grow out of the crossing of this 't'. Father is always
+saying that women were put on earth to make trouble, so I'll do
+what little I can to make true His Lordship's words." She threw
+back her head, laughing softly. "Is it not glorious, Sir Karl?"</p>
+<p>"Indeed, Princess--" I began, but she clapped her hand over my
+mouth and I continued, "Indeed, Yolanda, the plan is so adroit and
+so effective that it fills me with admiration and awe."</p>
+<p>"I like the name Yolanda," said she, looking toward Max, who was
+sitting with Twonette on one of the benches by the chimney.</p>
+<p>"And I, too, like it," I responded. "I cannot think of you as
+the greatest and richest princess in Europe."</p>
+<p>"Ah, I wish I, too, could forget it, but I can't," she answered
+with a sigh, glancing from under her preposterously long lashes
+toward Max and Twonette.</p>
+<p>"How came you to take the name Yolanda?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"Grandfather wished to give me the name in baptism," she
+answered, "but Mary fell to my lot. I like the present arrangement.
+Mary is the name of the princess--the unhappy, faulty princess.
+Yolanda is my name. Almost every happy hour I have ever spent has
+been as Yolanda. You cannot know the wide difference between me and
+the Princess Mary. It is, Sir Karl, as if we were two persons."</p>
+<p>She spoke very earnestly, and I could see that there was no
+mirth in her heart when she thought of herself as the Princess
+Mary; she was not jesting.</p>
+<p>"I don't know the princess," I said laughingly, "but I know
+Yolanda."</p>
+<p>"Yes; I'll tell you a great secret, Sir Karl. The Princess Mary
+is not at all an agreeable person. She is morose, revengeful,
+haughty, cold--" here her voice dropped to a whisper, "and, Sir
+Karl, she lies--she lies. While Yolanda--well, Yolanda at least is
+not cold, and I--I think she is a very delightful person. Don't
+you?"</p>
+<p>There was a troubled, eager expression in her eyes that told
+plainly she was in earnest. To Yolanda the princess was another
+person.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda is very sure of me," I answered.</p>
+<p>"Ah, that she is," answered the girl. You see, this was a real
+case of billing and cooing between December and May.</p>
+<p>A short silence followed, during which Yolanda glanced furtively
+toward Max and Twonette.</p>
+<p>"You spoke of your grandfather," said I, "and that reminds me
+that you promised to tell me the story of the staircase in the
+wall."</p>
+<p>"So I did," answered Yolanda, haltingly. Her attention was at
+the other end of the room.</p>
+<p>"Do you think Twonette a very pretty girl?" she asked.</p>
+<p>"Yes," I answered, surprised at the abrupt question. I caught a
+glimpse of Yolanda's face and saw that I had made a mistake, so I
+continued hastily: "That is--yes--yes, she is pretty, though not
+beautiful. Her face, I think, is rather dollish. It is a fine
+creation in pink and white, but I fear it lacks animation."</p>
+<p>"Now for the stairway in the wall," said Yolanda, settling
+herself with the pretty little movements peculiar to her when she
+was contented. "As I told you, grandfather built it. Afterward he
+ceded Peronne to King Louis, and for many years none of our family
+ever saw the castle. A few years ago King Louis ceded it to my
+father. Father has never lived here, and has visited Peronne only
+once in a while, for the purpose of looking after his affairs on
+the French border. The castle is very strong, and, being here on
+the border at the meeting of the Somme and the Cologne, it has
+endured many sieges, but it has never been taken. It is called
+'Peronne La Pucelle.'</p>
+<p>"Father's infrequent visits to the castle have been brief, and
+all who have ever known of the stairway are dead or have left
+Burgundy, save the good people in this house, my mother, my
+tire-woman, and myself. Three or four years ago, when I was a
+child, mother and I, unhappy at Ghent and an annoyance to father,
+came here to live in the castle, and--and--I wonder what Sir Max
+and Twonette find to talk about--and Twonette and I became friends.
+I love Twonette dearly, but she is a sly creature, for all she is
+so demure, and she is bolder than you would think, Sir Karl. These
+very demure girls are often full of surprises. She has been sitting
+there in the shadow with Sir Max for half an hour. That, I say,
+would be bold in any girl. Well, to finish about the staircase: my
+bedroom, as I told you, was my grandfather's. One day Twonette was
+visiting me, and we--we--Sir Max, what in the world are you and
+Twonette talking about? We can't hear a word you say."</p>
+<p>"We can't hear what you are saying," retorted Max.</p>
+<p>"I wish you were young, Sir Karl," whispered Yolanda, "so that I
+might make him jealous."</p>
+<p>"Shall we come to you?" asked Max.</p>
+<p>"No, no, stay where you are," cried Yolanda; then, turning to
+me, "Where did I stop?"</p>
+<p>"Your bedroom--" I suggested.</p>
+<p>"Yes--my bedroom was my grandfather's. One day I had Twonette in
+to play with me, and we rummaged every nook and corner we could
+reach. By accident we discovered the movable panel. We pushed it
+aside, and spurring our bravery by daring each other, we descended
+the dark stairway step by step until we came suddenly against the
+oak panel at the foot. We grew frightened and cried aloud for help.
+Fortunately, Tante Castleman was on the opposite side of the panel
+in the oak room, and--and--"</p>
+<p>She had been halting in the latter part of her narrative and I
+plainly saw what was coming.</p>
+<p>"Tante Castleman was--was--It was fortunate she--was in--" She
+sprang to her feet, exclaiming: "I'm going to tell Twonette what I
+think of her boldness in sitting there in the dark with Sir Max.
+Her father is not here to do it." And that was the last I heard of
+the stairway in the wall.</p>
+<p>Yolanda ran across the room to the bench by the fireplace and
+stamped her foot angrily before Twonette.</p>
+<p>"It--it is immodest for a girl to sit here in the deep shadow
+beside a gentleman for hours together. Shame, Twonette! Your father
+is not here to correct you."</p>
+<p>Castleman had left the room.</p>
+<p>Twonette laughed, rose hurriedly, and stood by Yolanda in front
+of Max. Yolanda, by way of apology, took Twonette's hand, but after
+a few words she coolly appropriated her place "in the deep shadow
+beside a gentleman." A princess enjoys many privileges denied to a
+burgher girl. When a girl happens to be both, the burgher girl is
+apt to be influenced by the princess, as the princess is apt to be
+modified by the life of the burgher girl. Presently Yolanda
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Please go, Twonette, and mix a bowl of wine and honey. Yours is
+delicious. Put in a bit of allspice, Twonette, and pepper, beat it
+well, Twonette, and don't spare the honey. Now there's a good girl.
+Go quickly, but don't hurry back. Haste, you know, Twonette, makes
+waste, and you may spoil the wine."</p>
+<p>Twonette laughed and went to mix the wine and honey. I walked
+back to the other end of the room, and sat down by a window to
+watch the night gather without. I was athrill with the delightful
+thought that, all unknown to the world, unknown even to himself,
+Max, through my instrumentality, was wooing Mary of Burgundy within
+fifty feet of where I sat. He was not, of course, actively pressing
+his suit, but all unconsciously he was taking the best course to
+win her heart forever and ever. Now, with a propitious trick of
+fortune, my fantastic dream, conceived in far-off Styria, might yet
+become a veritable fact. By what rare trick this consummation might
+be brought about, I did not know, but fortune had been kind so far,
+and I felt that her capricious ladyship would not abandon us.</p>
+<p>Yolanda turned to Max with a soft laugh of satisfaction, settled
+her skirts about her, as a pleased woman is apt to do, and said
+contentedly:--</p>
+<p>"There, now!"</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, you are very kind to me," said Max.</p>
+<p>"Yes--yes, I am, Sir Max," she responded, beaming on him. "Now,
+tell me what you and Twonette have been talking about."</p>
+<p>"You," answered Max.</p>
+<p>A laugh gurgled in her throat as she asked:--</p>
+<p>"What else?"</p>
+<p>"I'll tell you if you will tell me what you and Sir Karl were
+saying," he responded.</p>
+<p>"Ah, I see!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands gleefully. "You
+were jealous."</p>
+<p>"I admit it," he answered, so very seriously that one might have
+thought him in earnest. "And you, Fr&auml;ulein?"</p>
+<p>"I jealous?" she responded, with lifted eyebrows. "You are a
+vain man, Sir Max. I was not jealous--only--only a tiny bit--so
+much--" and she measured the extent of her jealousy on the pink tip
+of her little finger. "I am told you were falconing with the Duke
+of Burgundy to-day. If you go in such fine company, I fear we shall
+see little of you."</p>
+<p>"There is no company finer than--than--" Max checked his
+tongue.</p>
+<p>"Say it, Max, say it," she whispered coaxingly, leaning toward
+him.</p>
+<p>"Than you, Fr&auml;ulein." The girl leaned back contentedly
+against the wall, and Max continued: "Yes, his lordship was kind to
+me, and most gracious. I cannot believe the stories of cruelty I
+hear of him. I have been told that on different occasions he has
+used personal violence on his wife and daughter. If that be true,
+he must be worse than the brutes of the field, but you may be sure,
+Yolanda, the stories are false."</p>
+<p>"Alas! I fear they are too true," responded the girl, sighing in
+memory of the afternoon.</p>
+<p>"He is a pleasing companion when he wishes to be," said Max,
+"and I hear his daughter, the princess, is much like him."</p>
+<p>"Heavens!" exclaimed Yolanda, "I hope she is like him only when
+he is pleasing."</p>
+<p>"That is probably true," said Max.</p>
+<p>"There is where I am really jealous, Max--this princess--" she
+said, leaning forward and looking up into his face with
+unmistakable earnestness.</p>
+<p>"Why?" asked Max, laughing.</p>
+<p>"Because men love wealth and high estate. There are scores of
+men--at least, so I have been told--eager to marry this princess,
+who do not even know that she is not hideous to look upon and
+vixenish in temper. They would take her gladly, with any deformity,
+physical, mental, or moral, for the sake of possessing
+Burgundy."</p>
+<p>"But I am told she is fair and beautiful," said Max.</p>
+<p>"Believe it not," said Yolanda, sullenly. "Whoever heard of a
+rich princess who was not beautiful? Anne and Joan, daughters of
+King Louis, are always spoken of as paragons of beauty; yet those
+who know tell me these royal ladies are hideous. King Louis has
+nicknamed Joan 'The Owlet' because she is little, ill-shapen, and
+black. Anne is tall, large of bone, fat, and sallow. He should name
+her 'The Giantess of Beaujeu'; and the little half-witted Dauphin
+he should dub 'Knight of the Princely Order of House Rats.'"</p>
+<p>That she was deeply in earnest there could be no doubt.</p>
+<p>"I hope you do not speak so freely to others," said Max. "If His
+Grace of Burgundy should hear of your words he might--"</p>
+<p>"I hope you will not tell him," said Yolanda, laughing. "But
+this Mary!" she continued, clinging stubbornly to the dangerous
+topic. "You came to woo her estates, and in the end you will do
+so."</p>
+<p>I am convinced that the girl was intensely jealous of herself.
+When she feared that Max might seek the Princess Mary, her heart
+brooded over the thought that he would do so for the sake of her
+wealth and her domains.</p>
+<p>"I have told you once, Fr&auml;ulein, what I will do and what I
+will not. For your own sake and mine I'll tell you no more," said
+Max.</p>
+<p>"If I were a great princess," said Yolanda, pouting and hanging
+her head, "you would not speak so sharply to me." Evidently she was
+hurt by Max's words, though they were the expression, not of his
+displeasure, but of his pain.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein, forgive me; my words were not meant to be sharp.
+It was my pain that spoke. You torture me and cause me to torture
+myself," said Max. "To keep a constant curb on one's ardent longing
+is exhausting. It takes the heart out of a man. At times you seem
+to forget that my silence is my great grief, not my fault. Ah,
+Fr&auml;ulein! you cannot understand my longing and my
+struggle."</p>
+<p>"I do understand," she answered plaintively, slipping her hand
+into his, "and unless certain recent happenings have the result I
+hope for, you, too, will understand, more clearly than you now do,
+within a very short time."</p>
+<p>She covered her face with her hands. Her words mystified Max,
+and he was on the point of asking her to explain. He loved and
+pitied her, and would have put his arm around her waist to comfort
+her, but she sprang to her feet, exclaiming:--</p>
+<p>"No, no, Little Max, let us save all that for our farewell. You
+will not have long to wait."</p>
+<p>Wisdom returned to Max, and he knew that she was right in
+helping him to resist the temptation that he had so valiantly
+struggled against since leaving Basel.</p>
+<p>All that I had really hoped for in Styria, all our fair dreams
+upon the castle walls of Hapsburg, had come to pass. Max had,
+beyond doubt, won the heart of Mary of Burgundy, but that would
+avail nothing unless by some good chance conditions should so
+change that Mary would be able to choose for herself. In such case,
+ambition would cut no figure in her choice. The chains of duty to
+family, state, and ancestry that bound Max's feet so firmly would
+be but wisps of straw about Yolanda's slender ankles. She would
+have no hesitancy in making her choice, were she free to do so, and
+states might go hang for all she would care. Her heart was her
+state. Would she ever be able to choose? Fortune had been kind to
+us thus far; would she remain our friend? She is a coquette; but
+the heart of a coquette, if truly won, is the most steadfast of
+all.</p>
+<p>Twonette brought in the wine and honey; Castleman soon returned
+and lighted the lamp, and we all sat talking before the small blaze
+in the fireplace, till the great clock in the middle of the room
+chimed the hour of ten. Then Yolanda ran from us with a hurried
+good night, and Max returned with me to the inn.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>I cannot describe the joy I took from the recurring thought that
+I was particeps criminis with the Princess of Burgundy in the
+commission of a crime. At times I wished the crime had been greater
+and its extenuation far less. We hear much about what happens when
+thieves fall out, but my observation teaches me that thieves
+usually remain good friends. The bonds of friendship had begun to
+strengthen between Yolanda and me before she sought my help in the
+perpetration of her great crime. After that black felony, they
+became like links of Milan chain. I shared her secrets, great and
+small.</p>
+<p>One day while Yolanda and I were sitting in the oak room,--the
+room from which the panel opened into the stairway in the wall,--I
+said to her:--</p>
+<p>"If your letter 't' causes a break with France, perhaps Max's
+opportunity may come."</p>
+<p>"I do not know--I cannot hope," she responded dolefully. "You
+see, when father made this treaty with France, he was halting
+between two men in the choice of a husband for me. One was the
+Dauphin, son to King Louis, whom father hates with every breath he
+draws. The other was the Duke of Gelders, whom father really likes.
+Gelders is a brute, Sir Karl. He kept his father in prison four
+years, and usurped his domain. He is a drunkard, a murderer, and a
+profligate. For reasons of state father chose the Dauphin, but if
+the treaty with France is broken, I suppose it will be Gelders
+again. If it comes to that, Sir Karl--but I'll not say what I'll
+do. My head is full of schemes from morning till night, and when I
+sleep my poor brain is a whirl of visions. Self-destruction,
+elopement, and I know not what else appeal to me. How far is it to
+Styria, Sir Karl?" she asked abruptly.</p>
+<p>"Two or three hundred leagues, perhaps--it may be more," I
+answered. "I do not know how far it is, Yolanda, but it is not far
+enough for your purposes. Even could you reach there, Styria could
+not protect you."</p>
+<p>"I was not thinking of--of what you suppose, Sir Karl," she said
+plaintively.</p>
+<p>"What were you thinking of, Yolanda?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"Of nothing--of--of--a wild dream of hiding away from the world
+in some unknown corner, at times comes to me in my sleep--only in
+my sleep, Sir Karl--for in my waking hours I know it to be
+impossible. The only pleasant part of being a princess is that the
+world envies you; but what a poor bauble it is to buy at the
+frightful price I pay!"</p>
+<p>"I have been on mountain tops," I answered philosophically, "and
+I find that breathing grows difficult as one ascends."</p>
+<p>"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered tearfully, "I believe I'll go
+upstairs and weep."</p>
+<p>I led her to the moving panel and opened it for her. Without
+turning her face she held back her hand for me to kiss. Then she
+started up the dark stone steps, and I knew that she was weeping. I
+closed the panel and sat on the cushioned bench. To say that I
+would have given my old life to win happiness for her but poorly
+measures my devotion. A man's happiness depends entirely on the
+number and quality of those to whom his love goes out. Before
+meeting Yolanda I drew all my happiness from loving one
+person--Max. Now my source was doubled, and I wished for the first
+time that I might live my life again, to lay it at this girl's
+feet.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+<h3>TRIAL BY COMBAT</h3>
+<br>
+<p>Max had waited until Calli's arm was mended to bring up the
+subject of the trial by combat; but when he would have taken it
+before the duke, I dissuaded him by many pretexts, and for a few
+days it was dropped. But soon it was brought forward in a most
+unpleasant way. Max and I were in the streets of Peronne one
+afternoon, and as we approached a group of ragged boys, one of them
+cried out:--</p>
+<p>"There is the fellow that challenged Count Calli, but won't
+fight him!"</p>
+<p>Max turned upon the boy, caught him roughly by the shoulder, and
+asked him where he got his information. The frightened boy replied
+that his father was a hostler in the duke's stables, and had heard
+Count Calli say that the fellow who had challenged him was "all
+gauntlet but no fight."</p>
+<p>We at once sought Hymbercourt, who, on being closely questioned,
+admitted that the Italians in the castle were boasting that the
+stranger who seemed so eager to fight when Calli's arm was lame,
+had lost his courage now that the arm was healed.</p>
+<p>Of course I was in a deal of trouble over this combat, and
+heartily wished the challenge had never been given, though I had
+all faith in Max's strength and skill. I, who had fought constantly
+for twenty years, had trained him since his tenth birthday. I had
+not only trained him; I had introduced him to the lists at
+eighteen--he being well grown, strong of limb, and active as a
+wildcat. I waged him against a famous tilt-yard knight, and Max
+held his own manfully, to his great credit and to my great joy. The
+battle was a draw. My first great joy in life came a few months
+afterward, when Max unhorsed this same knight, and received the
+crown of victory from the queen of the lists.</p>
+<p>But this combat would be a battle of death. Two men would enter
+the lists; one would die in the course.</p>
+<p>Max could, with propriety, announce his title and refuse to
+fight one so far beneath him as Calli; but even my love for the boy
+and my fear of the outcome, could not induce me to advise this. The
+advice would have been little heeded had I given it. Max was not
+one in whose heart hatred could thrive, but every man should have a
+just sense of injury received, and no one should leave all
+vengeance to God. In Max's heart this sense was almost judicial.
+The court of his conscience had convicted Calli of an unforgivable
+crime, and he felt that it was his God-appointed duty to carry out
+the sentence.</p>
+<p>While I had all faith in Max's strength and skill, I also knew
+Calli to be a strong, time-hardened man, well used to arms. What
+his skill was, I could not say, but fame proclaimed it great. It
+would need to be great to kill Max, boy though he was, but
+accidents are apt to happen in the lists, and Calli was
+treacherous. I was deep in trouble, but I saw no way out but for
+Max to fight. So, on the morning after our conversation with
+Hymbercourt, Max and I sought admission to the duke's audience.
+Charles had been privately told of our purpose and of course was
+delighted at the prospect of a battle to the death.</p>
+<p>A tournament with, mayhap, a few broken heads furnished him
+great enjoyment; but a real battle between two men, each seeking
+the other's life, was such keen pleasure to his savage,
+blood-loving nature, that its importance could hardly be measured.
+Charles would have postponed his war against the Swiss, I verily
+believe, rather than miss this combat between Max and Calli.</p>
+<p>The duke hurried through the business of the morning, and then
+turned toward Max, signifying that his time had come. Max stepped
+before the ducal throne, made his obeisance, and said:--</p>
+<p>"May it please Your Highness to recall a wage of battle given by
+me some weeks ago, in this hall and in this august presence, to one
+who calls himself Count Calli? The cause of my complaint against
+the said Calli I need not here rehearse. I have waited to repeat my
+defiance until such time as Count Calli's arm should mend. I am
+told that he is now strong; and, most gracious Lord Charles, Duke
+of Burgundy, I again offer my wage of battle against this said
+knight and demand the trial by combat."</p>
+<p>Thereupon he drew an iron gauntlet from his girdle and threw it
+clanking on the stone floor. The gauntlet lay untouched for the
+space of a minute or two; and the duke turned toward Calli and
+Campo-Basso, who stood surrounded by their Italian friends at the
+right of the throne. After a long pause Charles said:--</p>
+<p>"Will Count Calli lift the gage, or shall we appoint a court of
+heraldry to determine whether or no the combat shall take
+place?"</p>
+<p>There was a whispered conversation among the Italians, after
+which Campo-Basso addressed the duke.</p>
+<p>"My most gracious lord," said he, "the noble Count Calli is
+loath to lift the gage of an unknown man, and would make bold to
+say that he will not do so until he is satisfied that he who so
+boastingly offers it is worthy in blood, station, and knighthood to
+stand before him."</p>
+<p>"For all that I will stand surety," said Hymbercourt, turning to
+the duke and to Campo-Basso.</p>
+<p>"The Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor is beyond reproach," replied the
+Italian, "but Count Calli must have other proof."</p>
+<p>Hymbercourt was about to make an angry reply, but he was
+silenced by the duke's uplifted hand.</p>
+<p>"We will ourself be surety for this knight," said Charles.</p>
+<p>"We cannot gainsay Your Lordship's surety, most gracious duke,"
+returned Campo-Basso; "but with all meekness and humility we would
+suggest, with Your Grace's permission, that when a man jeopards his
+life against another he feels it his right to know at least his
+foe's name."</p>
+<p>"Count Calli must content himself with knowing that the knight's
+name is Sir Maximilian du Guelph. If Count Calli is right and his
+cause just, God will give him victory, and the whole world shall
+know of his deed. If he is in the wrong and his cause unjust, may
+God have mercy on his soul."</p>
+<p>A long pause ensued during which Max stood before the duke, a
+noble figure of manly beauty worthy the chisel of a Greek sculptor.
+The shutter in the ladies' gallery was ajar and I caught a glimpse
+of Yolanda's pale, tear-stained face as she looked down upon the
+man she loved, who was to put his life in peril to avenge her
+wrong.</p>
+<p>"We are wasting time, Count Calli," spoke the duke. "Take up the
+gage or demand a court. The charge made by Sir Max will certainly
+justify a court of chivalry in ordering the combat. The truth or
+falsity of that charge you and Sir Max must prove on each other's
+bodies. His desire to remain unknown the court will respect; he has
+ample precedent. If you are convinced by the word of our Lord
+d'Hymbercourt and myself that he is of birth and station worthy to
+engage with you in knightly and mortal combat, you can ask no more.
+Few courts of chivalry, I take it, would hold the evidence
+inconclusive. Take up or leave the gage, Sir Count, and do one or
+the other at once."</p>
+<p>Calli walked over to the gauntlet and, taking it from the floor,
+held it in his right hand while he bent his knee before the duke.
+He did not look toward Max, but turned in the direction of his
+friends and tucked the gauntlet in his girdle as he strode
+away.</p>
+<p>"We appoint this day twelve days, on a Sunday afternoon, for the
+combat," said Charles. "Then these men shall do their endeavor,
+each upon the other; and may God give victory to the right!"</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>That evening, as usual, Max and I were at Castleman's. Yolanda
+did not come down till late, but when she came she clung silently
+to Max, and there was a deep pathos in her every word and glance.
+As we left, I went back and whispered hurriedly to her:--</p>
+<p>"Have no fear, dear one. Our Max will take no harm."</p>
+<p>My words were bolder than my heart, but I thought to comfort
+her.</p>
+<p>"I have no fear, Sir Karl," she said, in a trembling voice.
+"There is no man so strong and brave as Max. He is in the right,
+and God is just. The Blessed Virgin, too, will help him. It would
+be sacrilege to doubt her. I do not doubt. I do not fear, Sir Karl,
+but, oh, my friend--" Here she buried her face on my breast and
+wept convulsively. Her words, too, had been bolder than her
+heart--far bolder.</p>
+<p>The brooding instinct in me--the faint remnant of mother love,
+that kind Providence has left in every, good man's heart--longed to
+comfort her and bear her pains. But I was powerless to help her,
+and, after all, her suffering was wholesome. In a moment she
+continued, sobbing while she spoke:--</p>
+<p>"But--oh! if by any mischance Max should fall; if by treachery
+or accident--oh, Sir Karl, my heart is breaking. Do not let Max
+fight." These words were from her woman's heart. "His station will
+excuse him, but if the affair has gone too far for him to withdraw,
+tell him to--to leave Burgundy, to run away, to--"</p>
+<p>"Yolanda, what are you saying?" I asked. "Would you not rather
+see him dead than a coward?"</p>
+<p>"No, no, Sir Karl," she cried, wrought almost to a frenzy by her
+grief and fear. "No, no, anything but dead."</p>
+<p>"Listen to reason, Yolanda," I answered. "I, who love Max more
+than I love the blood of my heart, would kill him with my own hand
+rather than have cause to call him coward and speak the truth."</p>
+<p>"No, no," she cried desperately, grasping my hand. "Do not let
+him fight. Ah, Sir Karl, if you bear me any love, if my grief and
+unhappy lot have touched your heart, even on the smallest spot, I
+pray you, do this thing for me. Do not let Max fight with this
+Count Calli. If Max falls--"</p>
+<p>"But Max will not fall," I answered boldly. "He has overthrown
+better men than Calli."</p>
+<p>"Has he? Ah, tell me, has he? He is little more than a boy. I
+seem older than he at times, and it is hard to believe what you
+say, though I know he is strong, and that fear has no place in his
+heart. Tell me, whom has he overthrown?"</p>
+<p>"Another time, Yolanda," I responded soothingly, "but this I say
+now to comfort you. Calli is no match for our Max. In the combat
+that is to come, Max can kill him if he chooses, barring accidents
+and treachery. Over and above his prowess, his cause, you know, is
+just, and for that reason God will be with him."</p>
+<p>"Yes, yes," sobbed Yolanda, "and the Virgin, too."</p>
+<p>The Virgin was a woman in whom she could find a woman's
+sympathy. She trusted God and stood in reverent awe of Him; but one
+could easily see that the Virgin held her heart and was her refuge
+in time of trouble. When I turned to leave she called me back,
+saying:--</p>
+<p>"I have a mind to tell Max the truth--to tell him who I am."</p>
+<p>"I would not do so now," I answered, fearing, perhaps with good
+reason, the effect of the disclosure on Max. "After the combat, if
+you wish to tell him--"</p>
+<p>"But if he should fall?" said the girl, beginning to weep again
+and clinging desperately to my arm. "If he should fall, not knowing
+who I am?"</p>
+<p>"Max will not fall, Yolanda. Dismiss that fear from your
+heart."</p>
+<p>My bold words served a double purpose. They at least partially
+satisfied Yolanda, and they strengthened me.</p>
+<p>Of course Max and I at once began to prepare for the combat. The
+charger we had captured from the robbers on the Rhine now came to
+our hand as if sent by Providence. He was a large, active horse,
+with limbs like steel. He was an intelligent animal, too, and a
+good brain is almost as valuable in a horse as in a man. He had
+evidently borne arms all his life, for when we tried him in the
+tilt-yard we found him trained at every point.</p>
+<p>There was no heavy plate at the Peronne armorer's large enough
+for Max, so Hymbercourt dropped a hint to Duke Charles, and His
+Grace sent two beautiful suits to our inn. One was of Barcelona
+make, the other an old suit which we judged had come from Damascus.
+I tried the latter with my sword, and spoiled a good blade.
+Although the Damascus armor was too heavy by a stone, we chose it,
+and employed an armorer to tighten a few nuts, and to adjust new
+straps to the shoulder plates and arm pieces.</p>
+<p>We caused lists to be built outside the walls, and Max worked
+eight hours a day to harden himself. He ran against me, against our
+squires, who were lusty big fellows, and now and then against
+Hymbercourt, who was a most accomplished knight.</p>
+<p>Yolanda was prone to coax Max not to fight, and her fear showed
+itself in every look and gesture. Her words, of course, could not
+have turned him, but her fears might have undermined his
+self-confidence. So I pointed out to her the help he would get from
+encouragement, and the possible hurt he would take were her fears
+to infect him. After my admonition, her efforts to be cheerful and
+confident almost brought tears to my eyes. She would sing, but her
+song was joyless. She would banter Max and would run imaginary
+courses with him, taking the part of Calli, and always falling dead
+at Max's feet; but the moment of relaxation brought a haunting,
+terrified expression to her eyes. The corners of her sweet mouth
+would droop, effacing the cluster of dimples that played about her
+lips, and the fair, childish face, usually so joyful, wore the mask
+of grief. For the first time in her life real happiness had come,
+not within her grasp, but within sight; and this combat might
+snatch it from her.</p>
+<p>Once when I was helping Max to buckle on his armor for a bout at
+practice, he said:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda seems to treat this battle as a jest. She laughs and
+banters me as if it were to be a justing bout. I wonder if she
+really has a heart?"</p>
+<p>"Max, I am surprised at your dulness," I said. "Do you not see
+her manner is assumed, though her fear is small because of her
+great faith in your prowess?"</p>
+<p>"I'll try to deserve her faith," answered Max.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>When at last the day arrived, Max was in prime condition. At the
+inn we carefully adjusted the armor and fitted it on him. One of
+our squires led the charger, carefully trapped, to the lists, which
+had been built in an open field outside the town, west of the
+castle.</p>
+<p>Max and I, accompanied by Hymbercourt and two other friends,
+rode down to Castleman's, and Max entered the house for a few
+minutes. Yolanda had told him that she would not be at the lists,
+and Max felt that it were better so.</p>
+<p>Twonette and her father had gone to the lists when we reached
+the House under the Wall, but Yolanda and Frau Kate were awaiting
+us. There was a brief greeting and a hurried parting--tearful on
+Yolanda's part. Then we rode around to the Postern and entered the
+courtyard of the castle. Crossing the courtyard, we passed out
+through the great gate at the keep, and soon stood demanding
+admission to the lists.</p>
+<p>The course was laid off north and south, the sun being in the
+southwest. The hour of battle was fixed at four o'clock, and the
+combat was to continue till sundown, if neither champion fell
+before that time. The pavilion for the duke and the other
+spectators was built at the west side of the false lists--a strip
+of ground ten feet wide, extending entirely around the true lists,
+but separated from it by a barrier or railing three feet high.</p>
+<p>It was an hour after we left Castleman's house before Max and I
+entered the false lists. As I expected, the princess was sitting in
+the pavilion with her father and Duchess Margaret. A veil partly
+concealed her features, and when Max rode down the false lists to
+make his obeisance before the duke and the duchess, he could not
+know that the white face of Yolanda looked down upon him. I was
+sorry to see the princess in the pavilion, because I knew that if
+an untoward fate should befall Max, a demonstration would surely
+follow in the ducal gallery.</p>
+<a name="417.jpg"></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="Images/417.jpg"><img src="Images/417.jpg"
+width="40%" alt=""></a><br>
+<b>MAX AT THE GATE OF THE LISTS.</b></p>
+<p>At the gate of the true lists, Max was met by a priest, who
+heard his oath, and by a herald, who read the laws and the
+agreement relating to the combat. A court of heraldry had decided
+that three lances should be broken, after which the champions, if
+both alive, should dismount and continue the fight with battle-axes
+of whatever weight they might choose. If either knight should be
+disabled, it was the other's right to kill him.</p>
+<p>After Max had entered the true lists the gates were closed, and
+Hymbercourt, myself, and our squires stood outside the barrier at
+the north end of the false lists,--the north being Max's station on
+the course.</p>
+<p>Max sat his charger, lance in rest; Calli waited in the south,
+and these two faced each other with death between them.</p>
+<p>When all was ready the heralds raised their banners, and the
+duke gave the word of battle. There was a moment of deep silence,
+broken by the thunder of tramping hoofs, as horses and men rushed
+upon each other. Calli and Max met in mid-course, and the din of
+their contact was like the report of a cannon. Each horse fell back
+upon its haunches; each rider bent back upon his horse. Two tough
+yule lances burst into a hundred splinters. Then silence ensued,
+broken after a moment by a storm of applause from the pavilion.</p>
+<p>The second course was like the first, save that Max nearly
+unhorsed Calli by a marvellous helmet stroke. The stroke loosened
+Calli's helmet by breaking a throat-strap, but neither he nor his
+friends seemed to notice the mishap, and the third course was begun
+without remedying it. When the champions were within ten yards of
+each other, a report like the discharge of an arquebuse was heard,
+coming apparently from beneath the pavilion. I could not say whence
+the report came--I was too intent upon the scene in the lists to be
+thoroughly conscious of happenings elsewhere--but come it did from
+somewhere, and Max's fine charger plunged forward on the lists,
+dead. Max fell over his horse's head and lay half-stunned upon the
+ground.</p>
+<p>Above the din rose a cry, a frantic scream, that fairly pierced
+my heart. Well I knew the voice that uttered it. The people in the
+pavilion rose to their feet, and cries of "Treachery! treachery!"
+came from all directions. Calli was evidently expecting the shot,
+for just before it came he reined in his horse, and when Max fell
+the Italian instantly brought his charger to a standstill and began
+to dismount with all the speed his heavy armor would permit. When
+safely down, he unclasped his battle-axe from the chain that held
+it to his girdle and started toward Max, who was lying prone upon
+the ground. Cries of "Shame! shame!" came from the pavilion, but no
+one, not even the duke, dared to interfere; it was Calli's right to
+kill Max if he could.</p>
+<p>I had covered my eyes with my hand, thinking that surely the
+boy's hour had come. I removed my hand when I heard the scream, and
+I have thanked God ever since for prompting me to do that little
+act, for I saw the most beautiful sight that my eyes have ever
+beheld. Calli had reached his prostrate foe and was standing over
+him with battle-axe uplifted to deal the blow of death. At that
+same moment Yolanda sprang from the duke's side, cleared the low
+railing in front of the ducal box, and jumped to the false lists
+six or eight feet below. Her gown of scarlet and gold shone with
+dazzling radiance in the sunlight.</p>
+<p>Calli was facing the pavilion, and Yolanda's leap probably
+attracted his attention. However that may have been--perhaps it was
+because of Calli's haste, perhaps it was the will of God--the blow
+fell short, and Calli's battle-axe, glancing from Max's helmet,
+buried itself in the hard ground. While Calli was struggling to
+release his axe, Yolanda cleared the low barrier of the true lists,
+sped across the intervening space like a flash of red avenging
+flame, and reached Max not one second too soon, for Calli's axe was
+again uplifted. She fell upon Max, and had the axe descended she
+would have received the blow. Calli stepped back in surprise, his
+heel caught on the toe of Max's iron boot, he fell prone upon his
+back, and the weight of his armor prevented him from rising
+quickly. The glancing blow on Max's helmet had roused him, and when
+he moved Yolanda rose to her knees beside him.</p>
+<p>"Let me help you," she cried, lifting Max's mailed hand to her
+shoulder; Max did so, and by help of the frail girl he drew himself
+to his knees and then to his feet. Meantime, Calli was attempting
+to rise. I can still see the terrible picture. Calli's panting
+horse stood near by with drooping head. Max's charger lay quivering
+in the convulsions of death. Calli, whose helmet had dropped from
+his head when he fell, lay resting on his elbow, half risen and
+bareheaded. Max stood deliberately taking his battle-axe from his
+girdle chain, while Yolanda still knelt at his feet. Battle-axe in
+hand, Max stepped toward Calli, who had risen to his knees. The
+expression on the Italian's face I shall never forget. With bared
+head and upturned face he awaited the death that he knew he
+deserved. Max lifted his battle-axe to give the blow. I wondered if
+he would give it. He lowered the axe, and a shout went up from the
+pavilion:--</p>
+<p>"Kill him! Kill him!"</p>
+<p>He lifted the axe again, and a silence like the hush of death
+fell upon the shouting audience. Again Max hesitated, and I
+distinctly heard Yolanda, who was still upon her knees,
+whisper:--</p>
+<p>"Kill him! Kill him!"</p>
+<p>Then came the shouts of a thousand voices, thrilling me to the
+marrow:--</p>
+<p>"Kill him! Kill him!" and I knew that if I were standing in
+Max's shoes, Calli would die within a moment. I also remember
+wondering in a flash of thought if Max were great enough to spare
+him. Again the battle-axe came slowly down, and the din in the
+pavilion was deafening:--</p>
+<p>"Kill him! Kill him!"</p>
+<p>Again the battle-axe rose; but after a pause, Max let it fall to
+the ground behind him; and, turning toward the girl, lifted her
+with his mailed hands to her feet. When she had risen Max looked
+into her face, and, falling back a step, exclaimed in a voice
+hushed by wonder:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda!"</p>
+<p>His words coming to the girl's ears, like a far-away sound, from
+the cavernous recesses of his helmet, frightened her.</p>
+<p>"No, no, my name is not Yolanda. You are mistaken. You do not
+know me. I--I am the princess. You do not know me."</p>
+<p>Her words were prompted by two motives: she wished to remain
+unknown to Max, and she feared lest her father should come to know
+that a great part of her life was spent as a burgher girl. Her
+hands were clasped at her breast; her face was as pale as a gray
+dawn; her breath came in feeble gusts, and her words fell haltingly
+from her lips. She took two steps forward, her eyes closed, and she
+began to fall. Max caught her and lifted her in his strong arms. On
+great occasions persons often do trivial acts. With Yolanda held
+tightly in the embrace of his left arm, Max stooped to the ground
+and picked up his battle-axe with his right hand. Then he strode to
+the north end of the lists and placed the girl in my arms.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda," he said, intending to tell me of his fair burden.</p>
+<p>"No, Max," I whispered, as he unfastened his helmet. "Not
+Yolanda, but the princess. The two resemble each other
+greatly."</p>
+<p>"Yolanda," returned Max, doggedly. "I know her as a mother knows
+her first-born."</p>
+<p>Not one hundred seconds had elapsed between the report of the
+arquebuse and the placing of Yolanda in my arms; but hardly had Max
+finished speaking when a dozen ladies crowded about us and took
+possession of the unconscious princess.</p>
+<p>After the duke had set on foot a search for the man who had
+fired the arquebuse, he came down to the false lists and stood with
+Hymbercourt and me, discussing the event. Campo-Basso said that his
+heart was "sore with grief," and the Italians jabbered like
+monkeys. One of them wanted to kiss Max for sparing his kinsman's
+life, but Max thrust him off with a fierce oath. The young fellow
+was in an ugly mood, and if I had been his enemy, I would sooner
+have crossed the path of a wounded lion than his. He was slow to
+anger, but the treachery he had encountered had raised all of Satan
+that was in him. Had he stood before Calli thirty seconds longer
+that treacherous heart would have ceased to beat.</p>
+<p>While we were standing in the false lists, speaking with the
+duke, an Italian approached Max, bowed low, and said:--</p>
+<p>"The noble Count Calli approaches to thank you for your mercy
+and to extol your bravery."</p>
+<p>Max turned his head toward the centre of the course, and saw
+Calli surrounded by a crowd of jabbering friends who were leading
+him toward us. A black cloud--a very mist from hell--came over
+Max's face. He stooped and took his battle-axe from the ground. I
+placed my hand on the boy's arm and warningly spoke his name:--</p>
+<p>"Max!" After a pause I continued, "Leave murder to the
+Italians."</p>
+<p>Max uttered a snort of disdain, but, as usual, he took my
+advice. He turned to Campo-Basso, still grasping his
+battle-axe:--</p>
+<p>"Keep that fellow away from me," he said, pointing toward Calli.
+"My merciful mood was brief. By the good God who gave me the
+villain's life, I will kill him if he comes within reach of my
+axe."</p>
+<p>An Italian ran to the men who had Calli in charge, and they
+turned at once and hurried toward the south gate of the lists. All
+this action was very rapid, consuming only a minute or two, and
+transpired in much less time than it requires to tell of it.</p>
+<p>While our squires were removing Max's armor, I heard the duke
+say:--</p>
+<p>"Arrest Calli. We will hold him until the shot is explained. If
+he was privy to it, he shall hang or boil." Then the duke, placing
+his hand on Max's shoulder, continued: "You are the best knight in
+Christendom, the bravest, the most generous, and the greatest fool.
+Think you Calli would have spared you, boy?"</p>
+<p>"I am not Calli, my lord," said Max.</p>
+<p>"You certainly are not," returned the duke.</p>
+<p>Visions of trouble with France growing out of Yolanda's "t," and
+of a subsequent union between Max and the princess, floated before
+my mind, even amidst the din that surrounded me. Taking the
+situation by and large, I was in an ecstasy of joy. Max's victory
+was a thousand triumphs in one. It was a triumph over his enemy, a
+triumph over his friends, but, above all, a triumph over himself.
+He had proved himself brave and merciful, and I knew that in him
+the world had a man who would leave it better and happier than he
+found it.</p>
+<p>Calli was arrested and brought to the duke's presence. Of course
+he denied all knowledge of the shot that had killed Max's horse.
+Others were questioned, including three Italian friars wearing
+cassocks and cowls, who bore a most wondrous testimony.</p>
+<p>"Your Grace," said one of the friars, "we three men of God can
+explain this matter that so nearly touches the honor of our fair
+countryman, the noble Count Calli."</p>
+<p>"In God's name, do so," exclaimed the duke.</p>
+<p>"This is the explanation, most gracious lord. When the third
+course was preparing, we three men of God prayed in concert to God
+the Father,"--all the friars crossed themselves,--"God the Son, and
+God the Holy Ghost, to save our countryman, and lo! our prayers
+were most graciously answered; for, noble lord, at the moment when
+this most valiant knight was about to kill our friend, we each
+heard a report marvellously like to the discharge of an arquebuse.
+At the same instant a fiery shaft descended from the palm of a
+mighty hand in the heavens, and the horse of this valiant and most
+generous knight, Sir Max, fell dead, stricken by the hand of
+God."</p>
+<p>I had no doubt that this absurd explanation would be received
+with scorn and derision; but the friar knew his audience, and I did
+not. His statement was not really accepted as true, but it was not
+cast aside as utterly absurd. I saw that it might easily be
+believed.</p>
+<p>"Why did not others see your wondrous shaft from the hand of
+God?" I asked.</p>
+<p>"Because, noble lord," answered the friar, "our eyes were
+looking upward in prayer. All others were fixed on this worldly
+combat."</p>
+<p>The explanation actually seemed to explain.</p>
+<p>Just then the men who had been sent out to seek evidence
+concerning the shot returned, and reported that no arquebuse was to
+be found. The lists were surrounded by an open field, and a man
+endeavoring to escape would have been seen.</p>
+<p>"Did you search all places of possible concealment for an
+arquebuse?" asked the duke.</p>
+<p>"All, my lord," answered the men, who were Burgundians and to be
+trusted.</p>
+<p>Faith in the friars absurd story was rapidly gaining ground, and
+several of the Italian courtiers, emboldened by encouragement,
+affirmed upon their hope of salvation and their knightly honor that
+they, too, had witnessed the descent of the shaft from heaven.
+Touch a man on his superstitions, and he will believe anything you
+tell him. If you assure him that an honest friend has told you so
+and so, he may doubt you, but tell him that God tells you, and he
+will swallow your hook. If you would have your lie believed, tell a
+great one.</p>
+<p>Charles, more credulous and gullible than I should have
+believed, turned to Hymbercourt. He spoke reverentially, being, you
+understand, in the presence of a miracle:--</p>
+<p>"This is a wondrous happening, my lord," said the duke.</p>
+<p>"If it happened, Your Grace," returned Hymbercourt, "it
+certainly was marvellous."</p>
+<p>"Don't you think it did happen? Do not you believe that this
+bolt came from the hand that was seen by these worthy friars?"
+asked the duke.</p>
+<p>"The shaft surely did not come from a just God, my lord,"
+returned Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"Whence, then, did it come?" asked the duke. "No arquebuse has
+been found, and a careful scrutiny has been made."</p>
+<p>"Aye!" echoed the friars. "Whence else did it come? Whence, my
+Lord d'Hymbercourt, whence?"</p>
+<p>I had noticed our Irish servant Michael standing near one of the
+friars. At this point in the conversation the Irishman plucked me
+by the sleeve, pointed to a friar, and whispered a word in my ear.
+Like a stone from a catapult I sprang on the friar indicated, threw
+him to the ground, and drew from under his black cassock an
+arquebuse.</p>
+<p>"Here is the shaft from God!" I exclaimed, holding the arquebuse
+up to view. Then I kneeled on the prostrate wretch and clutched his
+throat. Anger gathered in my brain as lightning clusters about a
+mountain top. I threw aside the arquebuse and proceeded to kill the
+canting mendicant. I do not know that I killed him; I hope I did. I
+cannot speak with certainty on that point, for I was quickly thrown
+away from him by the avenging mob that rushed upon us and tore the
+fellow limb from limb. The other friars were set upon by the
+populace that had witnessed the combat from without the lists, and
+were beaten so unmercifully that one of them died. Of the other's
+fate I know nothing, but I have my secret desires.</p>
+<p>"Kill the Italians! Murder the assassins! Down with the
+mercenaries," cried the populace, who hated the duke's guard. The
+barriers were broken down, and an interesting battle ensued. Surely
+the people got their full satisfaction of blood and excitement that
+day. The Italians drew their swords, but, being separated, they
+were at a disadvantage, though their assailants carried only
+staves. I expected the duke to stop the fight, but he withdrew to a
+little distance and watched it with evident interest. My interest
+was more than evident; it was uproarious. I have never spent so
+enjoyable a day. The fight raged after Max and I left, and there
+was many a sore head and broken bone that night among the Italian
+mercenaries of the Duke of Burgundy.</p>
+<p>When Max and I returned to Peronne, we went to the noble church
+of St. Jean and offered our humble gratitude. Max, having thrown
+off his anger, proposed to buy a mass for the dead friar; but I was
+for leaving him in purgatory where he belonged, and Max, as usual,
+took my advice.</p>
+<p>On reaching the inn, Max cried loudly for supper. His calmness
+would have done credit to a hardened warrior. There was at least
+one hardened warrior that was not calm. I was wrought almost to a
+pitch of frenzy and could not eat, though the supper prepared by
+Grote was a marvel in its way. The old man, usually grave and
+crusty, after the manner of German hosts, actually bent his knee to
+Max and said:--</p>
+<p>"My poor house has entertained kings and princes; but never has
+it had so great an honor as that which it now has in sheltering
+you."</p>
+<p>That night the duke came with Hymbercourt to honor us at the
+inn. Each spoke excitedly and warmly. Max seemed to be the only
+calm man in Peronne.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+<h3>YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?</h3>
+<br>
+<p>After these adventures we could no longer conceal Max's
+identity, and it soon became noised about that he was Count of
+Hapsburg. But Styria was so far away, and so little known, even to
+courtiers of considerable rank, that the fact made no great stir in
+Peronne. To Frau Kate and Twonette the disclosure came with almost
+paralyzing effect.</p>
+<p>The duke remained with us until late in the night, so Max and I
+did not go over to the House under the Wall. When we were alone in
+our room, Max said:</p>
+<p>"The Princess Mary has treated me as if I were a boy."</p>
+<p>"She saved your life," I returned. "Calli would certainly have
+killed you had she not acted quickly."</p>
+<p>"I surely owe her my life," said Max, "though I have little
+knowledge of what happened after I fell from my horse until I rose
+to my feet by her help. I complain of her conduct in deceiving me
+by pretending to be a burgher maiden. It was easily done, Karl, but
+ungraciously."</p>
+<p>"You are now speaking of Yolanda," I said, not knowing what the
+wishes of the princess might be in regard to enlightening him. He
+looked at me and answered:--</p>
+<p>"Karl, if a woman's face is burned on a man's heart, he knows it
+when he sees it."</p>
+<p>"You know Yolanda's face, certainly, and I doubt if Yolanda will
+thank you for mistaking another's for it."</p>
+<p>"I have made no mistake, Karl," he answered.</p>
+<p>"I am not so sure," I replied. "The girl you placed in my arms
+seemed taller by half a head than Yolanda. I noticed her while she
+was standing. She seemed rounder and much heavier in form; but I,
+too, thought she was Yolanda, and, after all, you may be
+right."</p>
+<p>"I caught but a glimpse of her face, and that poorly," said Max.
+"It is difficult to see anything looking downward out of a helmet;
+one must look straight ahead. But the glimpse I had of her face
+satisfied me."</p>
+<p>"Do not be too sure, Max. I once took another man for myself."
+Max laughed. "I am sure no one could have told us apart. He was the
+Pope, and I his cousin. Yolanda herself once told me--I believe she
+has also told you--that she has the honor to resemble the
+princess."</p>
+<p>I did not wish to lie to Max, and you will note that I did not
+say the princess was not Yolanda. Still, I wished him to remain
+ignorant upon the important question until Yolanda should see fit
+to enlighten him. I was not sure of her motive in maintaining the
+alias, though I was certain it was more than a mere whim. How great
+it was I could not know. Should she persist in it I would help her
+up to the point of telling Max a downright falsehood. There I would
+stop.</p>
+<p>We spent two evenings at Castleman's, but did not see Yolanda.
+On the first evening, after an hour of listlessness, Max
+hesitatingly asked:--</p>
+<p>"Where is Yo--that is, the princess has not been here this
+evening."</p>
+<p>"The princess!" exclaimed Frau Kate. "No, she has not been here
+this evening--nor the duke, nor the king of France. No titled
+person, Sir Count, save yourself, has honored us to-day. Our poor
+roof shelters few such."</p>
+<p>"I mean Yolanda," said Max. Good-natured Frau Kate laughed
+softly, and Twonette said, with smiling serenity:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda's head will surely be turned, Sir Count, when she hears
+you have called her the princess. So much greatness thrust upon her
+will make it impossible for us to live with her."</p>
+<p>"She rules us all as it is, sweet soul," said Castleman.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda is ill upstairs, Sir Count," said Frau Kate. "She
+wanted to come down this evening, but I commanded otherwise.
+Twonette, go to her. She will be lonely."</p>
+<p>Twonette rose, courtesied, and departed. This splendid bit of
+acting almost made me doubt that Yolanda was the princess, and it
+shook Max's conviction to its very foundation.</p>
+<p>I wish to warn you that the deception practised upon Max by
+Yolanda will seem almost impossible, except on the hypothesis that
+Max was a very simple fellow. But the elaborate scheme designed and
+executed by this girl, with the help of the Castlemans and
+myself,--all of whom Max had no reason to distrust,--would have
+deceived any man. Max, though simple and confiding where he
+trusted,--judging others' good faith by his own,--was shrewd for
+his years, and this plan of Yolanda's had to be faultless, as it
+really was, to mislead him.</p>
+<p>On the morning of the fourth day after the trial by combat,
+Yolanda made her appearance at Castleman's, looking pale and
+large-eyed. Max and I had walked down to the House under the Wall
+before going to dine with the duke. Soon after we were seated
+Twonette left, and within five minutes Yolanda came suddenly upon
+us in the long parlor. She ran to Max, grasping both his hands. For
+a moment she could only say, "Max, Max," and he remained
+silent.</p>
+<p>When she recovered control of her voice she said:--</p>
+<p>"How proud we are of you, Sir Max! Uncle and aunt have told me
+how brave and merciful you were at the combat."</p>
+<p>"Your Highness surely knows all that can be told on the subject,
+since you were there and took so active a part in the adventure,"
+answered Max. "It is I who should be grateful, and I am. I owe my
+life to Your Highness."</p>
+<p>"You honor me too much, Sir Max," said Yolanda, looking up with
+surprise and bowing low before him. "Let my elevation be gradual
+that I may grow accustomed to my rank. Make of me first a great
+lady, and then, say, a countess. Afterward, if I prove worthy, call
+me princess."</p>
+<p>"We will call you a princess now, Your Highness," answered Max,
+not to be driven from his position.</p>
+<p>"Very well," cried Yolanda, with a laugh and a sweeping
+courtesy. "If you will have me a princess, a princess I'll be. But
+I will not be the Princess of Burgundy. She saved your life, and I
+am jealous of her--I hate her."</p>
+<p>She stamped her foot, and the angry gleam in her eyes was
+genuine. There could be no doubt that she was jealous of the
+princess. I could not account for her unique attitude toward
+herself save on one hypothesis: she was, even to herself, two
+distinct persons. Yolanda was a happy burgher girl; Mary was a
+wretched princess. The two widely differing conditions under which
+she lived were so distinct, and were separated by a gulf so broad,
+that to her the princess and the burgher girl were in no way
+related.</p>
+<p>With change of condition there was always a change of person.
+The unhappy princess would come down the stairway in the wall; God
+would kindly touch her, and lo! she was transformed into a happy
+Yolanda. Yolanda's light feet would climb the dark stone steps, and
+God was once more a frowning father. There must also be added Max's
+share in her emotions. Perhaps she feared the princess as she would
+have dreaded a rival; since she longed with all her passionate,
+tender heart to win Max for herself only. It would have been an
+easy task, as princess, to win him or any man; but if she could win
+him as Yolanda, the burgher girl, the prize would be the greatest
+that could fall to a woman.</p>
+<p>The true situation dawned upon me as I stood before Max and
+watched Yolanda. I thought of her adroit plan to make trouble with
+France, and I wanted to shout for joy. The impossible might yet
+happen. God's hand surely had been in our journeying to Burgundy.
+Max might yet win this peerless princess, this priceless girl; or,
+reverse it if you choose, Mary of Burgundy might win this peerless
+man, and might at the same time attain the unutterable joy of
+knowing that she had won him for her own sake.</p>
+<p>Perhaps her yearning had led her to hope that he might in the
+end be willing to fling behind him his high estate for the sake of
+a burgher girl. Then, when she had brought him to that resolution,
+what a joy it would be to turn upon him and say: "I am not a
+burgher girl. I am Princess Mary of Burgundy, and all these things
+which you are willing to forego for my sake you may keep, and you
+may add to them the fair land of Burgundy!" Her high estate and
+rich domains, now the tokens of her thralldom, would then be her
+joy, since she could give them to Max.</p>
+<p>While these bright hopes were filling my mind, Yolanda was
+playing well her part. She, too, evidently meant to tell no lies,
+though she might be forced to act many. Her fiery outburst against
+the Princess of Burgundy astonished Max and almost startled me.
+Still, the conviction was strong with him that Yolanda was
+Mary.</p>
+<p>"If--if you are the princess, Yo--Yolanda," said Max, evidently
+wavering, "it were ungracious to deceive me."</p>
+<p>"But I <i>am</i> the princess," cried Yolanda, lifting her head
+and walking majestically to and fro. "Address me not by that low,
+plebeian name, Yolanda."</p>
+<p>She stepped upon a chair and thence to the top of the great oak
+table that stood in the middle of the room. Drawing the chair up
+after her she placed it on the table, and, seating herself on this
+improvised throne, lifted one knee over the other, after the manner
+of her father. She looked serenely about her in a most amusing
+imitation of the duke, and spoke with a deep voice:--</p>
+<p>"Heralds!"</p>
+<p>No one responded. So she filled the office of herald herself and
+cried out:--</p>
+<p>"Oyez! Oyez! The princess now gives audience!" Resuming the
+ducal voice, she continued, "Are there complaints, my Lord
+Seneschal?" A pause. "Ah, our guards have stolen Grion's cow, have
+they? The devil take Grion and his cow, too! Hang Grion for
+complaining." A pause ensues while the duke awaits the next report.
+"The Swiss have stolen a sheepskin? Ah, we'll skin the Swiss. My
+Lord Seneschal, find me fifty thousand men who are ready to die for
+a sheepskin. Body of me! A sheepskin! I do love it well."</p>
+<p>Yolanda's audience was roaring with laughter by this time, but
+her face was stern and calm.</p>
+<p>"Silence, you fools," she cried hoarsely, but no one was silent,
+and Max laughed till the tears came to his eyes. Yolanda on her
+throne was so irresistibly bewitching that he ran to her side,
+grasped her about the waist, and unceremoniously lifted her to the
+floor. When she was on her feet, he raised her hand to his lips and
+kissed it, saying:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda or Mary--it's all one to me. There is not another like
+you in all the world."</p>
+<p>She drew herself up haughtily: "Sir, this indignity shall cost
+you dear," and turning her back on him she moved away three or four
+paces. Then she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. His face had
+lost its smile, and she knew the joke had gone far enough; so the
+dimples began to cluster about the quivering corners of her mouth,
+the long black lashes fell for a moment, a soft radiance came to
+her eyes, and she asked:--</p>
+<p>"Which shall it be, Sir Max, Yolanda or the princess?"</p>
+<p>"Yolanda," cried Max, huskily, while he held out his hands to
+her. Quick as the movement of a kitten, she sprang to him and
+allowed his arms to close about her for one brief moment. While one
+might count ten she rested her head on his breast, but all too
+quickly she turned her face to his and whispered:--</p>
+<p>"Are you sure? Is it Yolanda?"</p>
+<p>"Yes, yes, Yolanda. Thank God! it is Yolanda," he replied,
+placing his hand before his eyes. She slipped from his arms, and
+Max, too deeply moved to speak, walked over to the window and
+looked out upon the frowning walls of Peronne the Impregnable.
+There was irony for you!</p>
+<p>Probably Max was not sure that Yolanda was Yolanda; but, if he
+was, conviction had come through his emotions, and it might be
+temporary. He was, however, soon to be convinced by evidence so
+cunningly constructed that he was compelled to abandon the
+testimony of his own eyes and accept that of seemingly
+incontestable facts.</p>
+<p>"We are to dine privately with the duke at twelve o'clock," I
+said, while Max was standing at the window.</p>
+<p>"Indeed?" asked Yolanda, arching her eyebrows; surprise and
+displeasure evident in her voice. She glanced at the great clock,
+then looked toward Max, and said:--</p>
+<p>"It lacks but thirty minutes of that time now, and I suppose I
+shall soon lose you."</p>
+<p>Max turned from the window, saying:--"Yes, we must go, or we
+shall be late."</p>
+<p>"Does the princess dine with you?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"I do not know, Fr&auml;ulein," answered Max. Thereupon Yolanda
+left the room pouting, and we took our departure, having promised
+to return to Castleman's after dinner.</p>
+<p>We went at once to the castle; and thirty minutes after leaving
+Castleman's we were in the small parlor or talking room of Duchess
+Margaret, where the famous letter to the king of France had been
+signed by Duke Charles. When we entered we saw the duchess and the
+princess sitting upon the divan. The duke was in his great oak
+chair, and Hymbercourt and two other gentlemen were standing near
+by. I made obeisance to Charles on bended knee. He rose to receive
+Max, and, after a slight hesitation, offered his hand,
+saying:--</p>
+<p>"You are welcome, my Lord Count."</p>
+<p>A year had passed since I had heard Max addressed as "my lord,"
+and the words sounded strange to my ears. I turned quickly toward
+the princess, expecting to see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes, but
+Yolanda's ever present smile was wholly lacking. The countenance of
+the princess was calm, immovable, and expressionless as a mirror. I
+could hardly believe that it was the radiant, bedimpled, pouting
+face I had just seen at Castleman's, and for the first time in all
+my experience I realized that I was face to face with a dual
+personality. The transformation was so complete that I might easily
+have been duped had I not known beyond peradventure the identity of
+Yolanda and Mary.</p>
+<p>After the duke had kindly saluted Max, His Grace presented us to
+the ladies. When the princess rose to receive us, she seemed at
+least half a head taller than Yolanda. Her hair was hidden, and her
+face seemed fuller. These changes were probably wrought by her
+head-dress, which towered in two great curved horns twelve inches
+high. She wore a long, flowing gown that trailed two yards behind
+her, and this added to her apparent height. Max had seen Yolanda
+only in the short skirts of a burgher girl's costume.</p>
+<p>When Max rose, after kneeling before the princess, he gazed into
+her eyes, but the glance he received in return was calm and cold.
+Yolanda was rich, red wine, hot and strong; the princess was cold,
+clear water. The one was exhilarating, at times intoxicating; the
+other was chilling. The face of the princess, though beautiful, was
+touched with disdain. Every attitude was one of dignity and
+hauteur. Her words, though not lacking intelligence, were
+commonplace, and her voice was that of her father's daughter.
+Yolanda was a girl; the princess was a woman. The metamorphosis was
+complete, and Max's hallucination, I felt sure, would be cured. The
+princess's face was not burned on his heart, whatever might be true
+of Yolanda's. I can give no stronger testimony to the marvellous
+quality of the change this girl had wrought in herself than to tell
+you that even I began to doubt, and wonder if Yolanda had tricked
+me. The effect on Max was instantaneous. After looking into the
+princess's face, he said:--</p>
+<p>"I wish to thank Your Highness for saving my life. I surely had
+been killed but for your timely help."</p>
+<p>The situation bordered on the ridiculous.</p>
+<p>"Do not thank me, my Lord Count," responded the princess, in
+cold and measured words. "I should have done the same for any man
+in your hard case. I once saved a yokel in like manner. Two common
+men were fighting with staves. One would have beaten the other to
+death had I not entered the lists and parted them. Father feared a
+similar exhibition on my part and did not wish me to attend your
+combat. He says now that I shall go to no more. I certainly made
+myself ridiculous. I enjoy a fair fight, whatever the outcome may
+be, but I despise murder. My act was entirely impersonal, Sir
+Count."</p>
+<p>"On the lists I addressed Your Highness as 'Yolanda,'" said Max.
+"Your resemblance to one whom I know well was so great as to
+deceive me."</p>
+<p>I was eager to take Max away from the dangerous situation, but I
+could not. The duke, the courtiers, and myself had moved several
+paces from Max and the princess. I, however, kept my eyes and ears
+open to what occurred between them.</p>
+<p>"Yes," returned the princess, haughtily, "I remember you so
+addressed me. I have heard of the person to whom you refer. She is,
+I believe, a niece of one Castleman, a burgher of Peronne. I know
+Castleman's daughter--a simple creature, with no pretence of being
+else. It has been said that--what do they call her? Yolanda, I
+believe--resembles me in some respects and is quite proud of the
+distinction. I am sure I thank no one for the compliment, since she
+is a low creature, but I accept your apology, my Lord Count."</p>
+<p>"I do not apologize, Your Highness," answered Max, in tones of
+equal hauteur. "You probably do not know the lady of whom you
+speak."</p>
+<p>The princess seemed to increase by an inch or two in stature as
+she drew herself up, and answered:--</p>
+<p>"Of course we do not know her."</p>
+<p>"If you knew her, Your Highness would apologize," retorted
+Max.</p>
+<p>Seeing the angry color mounting to his face, I stepped to his
+side and joined in the conversation. Presently dinner was
+announced, and I rejoiced when we parted from the princess. Turning
+our faces toward the ladies, we moved backward from the room, and
+went with the duke to the dinner hall.</p>
+<p>Compared with Castleman's daily fare, the duke's dinner was
+almost unpalatable. We had coarse beef, coarse boar's meat, coarse
+bread,--not black, but brown. Frau Kate's bread was like snow. The
+sour wine on the duke's table set our teeth on edge, though it was
+served in huge golden goblets studded with rare gems. At each
+guest's plate was a jewelled dagger. The tablecloth was of rich
+silk, soiled by numberless stains. Leeks and garlic were the only
+vegetables served.</p>
+<p>Nothing of importance occurred at the table, but after dinner
+the duke abruptly offered Max a large sum of gold to accompany him
+to Switzerland. Max thanked His Grace and said he would give him an
+answer soon. The duke urged an early reply, and Max said:--</p>
+<p>"With Your Grace's permission we will attend to-morrow's morning
+audience, and will make our answer after Your Lordship has
+risen."</p>
+<p>Charles acquiesced, and we soon left the castle. The duke, as I
+have already told you, was very rich. Hymbercourt once told me that
+he had two hundred and fifty thousand gold crowns in his coffers at
+Luxembourg. That was probably more than the combined treasuries of
+any two kings in Europe could show. Max and I were short of money,
+and the sum that the duke offered seemed enormous. Neither Max nor
+his father, Duke Frederick, had ever possessed as much money at one
+time.</p>
+<p>While we were leisurely walking across the courtyard toward the
+Postern, three ladies and two gentlemen, accompanied by outriders
+and pages carrying falcons, rode by us and passed out through the
+Postern. We followed, and overtook them at the town end of the
+drawbridge, where they had halted. When we came up to them, we
+recognized the duchess and the princess. The duchess bowed
+smilingly, but the princess did not speak, though she looked in our
+direction.</p>
+<p>The cavalcade turned to the left, and went up a narrow street
+toward Cambrai Gate, evidently bound for the marshes. Max and I
+walked straight ahead toward the Cologne bridge, intending, as we
+had promised, to go back to Castleman's. Two hundred yards up the
+street I glanced back, and saw a lady riding through the Postern,
+back to the castle. I knew at once that the princess had returned,
+and I was sure of meeting Yolanda,--sweet, smiling, tender
+Yolanda,--at the dear old House under the Wall. I did not like the
+princess; she was cold, haughty, supercilious, and perhaps tinged
+with her father's cruelty. I longed ardently for Yolanda to come
+out of her skin, and my heart leaped with joy at the early
+prospect.</p>
+<p>I was right in my surmise. Yolanda's sweet face, radiant with
+smiles and soft with dimples, was pressed against the window-pane
+watching for us when we crossed the moat bridge at Castleman's
+door.</p>
+<p>"To see her face again is like coming back to heaven; isn't it,
+Karl?" said Max.</p>
+<p>Yolanda ran to the door and opened it.</p>
+<p>"I am glad you did not stay with her," she said, giving a hand
+to Max and to me, and walking into the room between us. She was
+like a child holding our hands.</p>
+<p>I had seen the world and its people in all its phases, and I
+prided myself on my shrewdness, but without my knowledge of the
+stairway in the wall, I would have sworn that Yolanda had played a
+trick on me by leading me to believe that she was the Princess
+Mary. Even with full knowledge of all the facts, I found myself
+doubting. It is small cause for wonder, therefore, that Max was
+deceived.</p>
+<p>"Uncle is at the shop," said Yolanda. "Tante is at a neighbor's,
+and Twonette, of course, is asleep. We three will sit here on this
+bench with no one to disturb us, and I shall have you both all to
+myself. No! There! I'll sit between you. Now, this is
+delightful."</p>
+<p>She sat between us, crossed her knees--an unpardonable crime,
+Frau Kate would have thought--and giving a hand to Max and to me,
+said contentedly:--</p>
+<p>"Now, tell me all about it."</p>
+<p>I was actually on the point of beginning a narrative of our
+adventures, just as if she did not already know them,--so great was
+the spell she had thrown over me,--when Max spoke:--</p>
+<p>"We had a poor dinner, but a kind host, therefore a fine feast.
+The duke has asked us to go to Switzerland with him. Judging by the
+enormous sum he offers for our poor services, he must believe that
+he will need no other help to conquer the Swiss."</p>
+<p>"Yes--yes, that is interesting," said Yolanda, hastily, "but the
+princess--tell me of her."</p>
+<p>"She is a very beautiful princess," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"Yes--I suppose she is," answered Yolanda. "I have it dinned
+into my ears till I ought to believe it; but tell me of her manner,
+her conversation, her temper. What of them?"</p>
+<p>"She is a most beautiful princess," answered Max, evidently
+intending to utter no word against Her Highness, though as a matter
+of fact he did not like her at all. "I am sure she deserves all the
+good that fame speaks of her."</p>
+<p>Yolanda flung our hands from her, sprang to her feet, and faced
+us angrily.</p>
+<p>"That's the way with all men. A rich princess, even though she
+be a cold devil, is beautiful and good and gentle and wise and true
+and quick of wit. Men care not what she is if her house be great
+and rich and powerful. If her domains are fat and broad, she
+deserves 'all the good that fame speaks of her.' She can win no man
+for herself. She cannot touch a man's heart; she can only satisfy
+his greed. You went to the castle, Sir Max, to see this princess.
+You want Burgundy. That is why you are in Peronne!"</p>
+<p>The girl's passionate outburst was sincere, and showed me her
+true motive for deceiving Max. Her plan was not the outgrowth of a
+whim; it was the result of a tremendous motive conceived in the
+depths of her soul. She had found the man she loved, and was taking
+her own way to win him, if she could, for herself. She judged all
+men by the standard that she had just announced. She would never
+believe in the love of a man who should woo her as Princess Mary of
+Burgundy.</p>
+<p>Her words came near accomplishing more than she desired. When
+she stopped speaking, Max leaned forward and gently took her
+hand.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda, this princess is nothing to me, and I swear to you
+that I will never ask her to marry--"</p>
+<p>A frightened gleam came to the girl's eyes when she understood
+the oath that Max was about to take, and she quickly placed her
+hand over his mouth. Max was swearing too much.</p>
+<p>"You shall not make that oath, Little Max," she said. "You shall
+not say that you will never marry her, nor shall you say that you
+will never marry any one else. You must remain free to choose the
+right wife when the right time comes. You must tread the path that
+God has marked out for you. Perhaps it leads to this princess; no
+one can tell. If so, you must accept your fate, Sir Max." She
+sighed at the mere thought of so untoward a fate for Max.</p>
+<p>"I need make no oath not to marry the princess," answered Max.
+"She is beyond my reach, even though I were dying for love of
+her."</p>
+<p>"And you are not dying for love of her, are you?" asked Yolanda,
+again taking the seat between Max and me.</p>
+<p>"No," he responded.</p>
+<p>"Nor for love of any woman?" she asked, looking toward Max.</p>
+<p>"I'll not say that," he replied, laughing softly, and taking her
+hands between his.</p>
+<p>"No, no," she mused, looking in revery out the window. "No, we
+will not say that."</p>
+<p>I have always been as unsentimental as a man well can be, but I
+believe, had I been in Max's place, I should have thrown away my
+crown for the sake of Yolanda, the burgher girl. I remember
+wondering if Max would be strong enough finally to reach the same
+conclusion. If he should be, my faith in Yolanda's powers led me to
+believe that she would contrive a plan to make him her husband,
+despite her father, or the devil and all his imps.</p>
+<p>There is a power of finesse in the feminine mind that no man may
+fully compass, and Yolanda, in that respect, was the flower of her
+sex. That she had been able to maintain her humble personality with
+Max, despite the fact that she had been compelled to meet him twice
+as princess, proved her ability. Of course, she had the help of
+good old Castleman and his sweet Frau Kate, serene Twonette, and
+myself; but with all this help she probably would have failed
+without the stairway in the wall.</p>
+<p>When we left Castleman's, I did not bring up the subject of Mary
+and Yolanda. Max walked silently beside me until we had nearly
+reached the inn, when he said:--</p>
+<p>"I am almost glad I was wrong, Karl. I would not have Yolanda
+other than she is. At times, wild thoughts suggest themselves to
+me; but I am not so weak as to give way to them. I drive them off
+and clench my teeth, determined to take the misery God doles out to
+me. I am glad we are soon to leave Burgundy. The duke marches in
+three days, and it is none too soon for me."</p>
+<p>"Shall not we return to Burgundy?" I asked. "I want you to see
+Paris and Brussels, and, if possible, London before we return to
+Styria. Don't you think it best that we come back to Peronne after
+this war?"</p>
+<p>"You are right, Karl; we must come back," he answered. "I do not
+fear Yolanda. I am not weak."</p>
+<p>"I sometimes wonder if we know our strength from our weakness,"
+I suggested. "There is doubtless much energy wasted by
+conscientious men striving in the wrong direction, who fancy they
+are doing their duty."</p>
+<p>"You would not have me marry Yolanda?" asked Max, a gleam of
+light coming to his eyes.</p>
+<p>"I do not know, Max," I responded. "A rare thing has happened to
+you. You have won a marvellous love from a marvellous woman. She
+takes no pains to conceal it. She could not hide it if she would.
+What you feel, only you and God know."</p>
+<p>"Only God," cried Max, huskily. "Only God. I cannot measure
+it."</p>
+<p>"My dear boy," said I, taking his arm, "you are at a point where
+you must decide for yourself."</p>
+<p>"I have decided," returned Max. "If my father and mother were
+not living, I might--I might--bah! there is but one life for me. I
+am doomed. I make myself wretched by resistance."</p>
+<p>"When we return to Peronne, you will know your mind," I answered
+soothingly.</p>
+<p>"I know my mind now," he answered. "I know that I would give
+half the years of my life to possess Yolanda; but I also know the
+fate that God has marked out for me."</p>
+<p>"Then you know more than many a wise man thrice your age can
+boast," said I.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>The duke's armies had been gathering throughout Burgundy. Men
+had come in great numbers to camp near Peronne, and the town was
+noisy with martial preparations. Contrary to Hymbercourt's advice,
+the duke was leaving Peronne Castle guarded by only a small
+garrison. Charles had great faith in the strength of Peronne the
+Impregnable, and, although it was near the French border, he
+trusted in its strength and in his treaty with King Louis. He knew
+from experience that a treaty with Louis would bind that crafty
+monarch only so long as it was to his interest to remain bound; but
+Louis' interest in maintaining the treaty seemed greater than
+Burgundy's, and Charles rested on that fact. Peronne was to be left
+captained by the duchess and Mary, and garrisoned by five score
+men-at-arms, who were either too old or too young to go to war.</p>
+<p>Without discussing the duke's offer, Max and I decided to accept
+it, though for different reasons. Max needed the gold; he also
+sniffed battle, and wanted the excitement and the enterprise of
+war. I had all his reasons, and still another; I wanted to give
+Yolanda time to execute her plans.</p>
+<p>The war with Switzerland would probably be short. Max would be
+with the duke, and would, I hoped, augment the favor with which
+Charles already honored him. Should Yolanda's letter make trouble
+with France, Duke Charles might be induced, through his personal
+feelings, to listen to Max's suit. If Charles returned from
+Switzerland victorious--and no other outcome seemed possible--he
+would no longer have reason to carry out the marriage treaty with
+France. It had been made largely for the purpose of keeping Louis
+quiet while Charles was absent. Anything might happen; everything
+might happen, while Max was with Charles in Switzerland and Yolanda
+at home making trouble with France.</p>
+<p>The next day, by appointment, we waited on the duke at the
+morning audience. When we entered the great hall, the urgent
+business had been transacted, and half a score of lords and
+gentlemen stood near the dais, discussing some topic with the duke
+and with one another. We moved near the throne, and I heard Charles
+say to Campo-Basso and Hymbercourt:--</p>
+<p>"Almost three weeks have passed since our message to France, and
+we have had no answer. What think you, gentlemen, of the
+delay?"</p>
+<p>"His Majesty is not in Paris, or delays answering," said
+Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"By the Host, if I could think that King Louis were holding
+Byron and delaying an answer, I would change my plans and march on
+Paris rather than on Switzerland."</p>
+<p>"I fear, my lord," said Campo-Basso, with a sympathetic desire
+to make trouble, if possible, "that His Majesty delays an answer
+while he frames one that shall be elusive, yet conciliatory. King
+Louis, Your Grace knows, thinks many times before each word he
+speaks or writes."</p>
+<p>"If he has intentionally delayed this answer, I'll give him
+cause to think many times <i>after</i> his words," said
+Charles.</p>
+<p>Conversations of like nature had occurred on several occasions
+since the sending of the missive to Louis, and they offered the
+stormy duke opportunity to vent his boastfulness and spleen. While
+Charles was pouring out his wrath against his brother-in-law,
+Byron, the herald, appeared at the door of the great hall. He
+announced himself, and, when ordered to approach, ran to the dais,
+kneeled on the second step, and placed a small sealed packet in the
+duke's hand.</p>
+<p>"Did you find King Louis at Paris?" asked the duke, addressing
+Byron.</p>
+<p>"I did, my lord."</p>
+<p>"Paris is but thirty leagues distant, and you certainly have had
+sufficient time since leaving us to journey across Europe and back.
+Did not I command you to make haste?"</p>
+<p>"You did, my lord," answered the herald. "King Louis put me off
+from day to day, always promising me an answer, but giving it only
+yesterday afternoon when the sun was half below the horizon."</p>
+<p>Charles nervously broke the seals of the package, and attempted
+to read the letter. He failed, and handed it to Campo-Basso,
+saying:--</p>
+<p>"Read the missive. I already know its contents, but read, my
+lord, read."</p>
+<p>Campo-Basso read the letter.</p>
+<br>
+<p>"To Our Most Illustrious Brother Charles Duke of Burgundy, and
+Count of Charolois:--</p>
+<p>"We recommend us and send Your Grace greeting. We are anxious to
+pleasure our noble brother of Burgundy in all things, and heartily
+desire the marriage between our son and the illustrious Princess of
+Burgundy, but we shall not move toward it until our said noble
+brother shall return from Switzerland, nor will we do aught to
+distract his attention from the perilous business he now has on
+hand. We pray that the saints may favor his design, and would
+especially recommend that our noble brother propitiate with prayers
+and offerings the holy Saint Hubert. We, ourselves, have importuned
+this holy saint, and he has proved marvellously helpful on parlous
+occasions.</p>
+<p>"Louis, R."</p>
+<p>The duke's anger was terrible and disgusting to behold. When his
+transports of rage allowed him to speak, he broke forth with oaths
+too blasphemous to write on a white page.</p>
+<p>"The fawning hypocrite!" he cried. "He thinks to cozen us with
+his cheap words. The biting insult in his missive is that he takes
+it for granted that we are so great a fool as to believe him. Even
+his recommendation of a saint is a lie. The world knows his
+favorite saint is Saint Andrew. King Louis spends half his time
+grovelling on his marrow bones before that saint and the Blessed
+Virgin. He recommends to us Saint Hubert, believing that his holy
+saintship will be of no avail."</p>
+<p>Charles was right. Sir Philip de Comines, seneschal to King
+Louis, afterward told me that His Majesty, in writing this letter
+to the Duke of Burgundy, actually took counsel and devoted much
+time and thought to the choice of a baneful or impotent saint to
+recommend to his "noble brother of Burgundy." Disaster to Louis had
+once followed supplication to Saint Hubert, and the king hoped that
+the worthy saint might prove equally unpropitious for Charles.
+Yolanda's wonderful "t" was certainly the most stupendous single
+letter ever quilled. Here were the first-fruits of it.</p>
+<p>"Were it not that these self-sufficient Swiss need to be
+blooded, I would turn my army against France to-morrow," said the
+duke.</p>
+<p>"And have Bourbon and Lorraine upon Your Lordship's back from
+the east, Ghent rebelling in the north, and the Swiss pouring in
+from the south," interrupted Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"You are certainly right, my Lord d'Hymbercourt," replied
+Charles, sullenly. "They surround us like a pack of starved wolves,
+ready to spring upon us the moment we are crippled. Burgundy stands
+alone against all Europe."</p>
+<p>"A vast treasure, my lord, attracts thieves," said Hymbercourt.
+"Burgundy is the richest land on earth."</p>
+<p>"It is, indeed it is," replied the duke, angrily, "and I have no
+son to keep it after me. But France shall not have it; that I swear
+upon my knighthood. Write to France, my Lord Bishop of Cambrai, and
+tell King Louis that my daughter shall not marry his son. Waste no
+words, my Lord Bishop, in what you call courtesy. We need no double
+meaning in our missives."</p>
+<p>Those who heard the duke's words knew that he was committing a
+costly error, but no one dared to suggest as much. One might, with
+equal success, have flung soft words at a mad bull. Truly that
+"t"--but I will speak of it no more, though I have a thrill of joy
+and mirth even now when I think of it.</p>
+<p>After many explosions, the duke's pent-up wrath found vent, and
+began to subside. Espying Max and me he called us to the
+throne.</p>
+<p>"Have you concluded to join us in our little holiday excursion
+against these mountain swine?" asked His Grace, addressing us.</p>
+<p>"We have, my lord. We shall be proud to serve under the banner
+of so brave a prince," I answered.</p>
+<p>"'We have' would have been sufficient, Sir Karl," answered the
+duke, still surly from the dregs of his wrath. "We hear so many
+soft words from France that we despise them in the mouths of honest
+men."</p>
+<p>The duke then turned to his seneschal, De Vergy, and spoke in
+tones that were heard all over the room:--</p>
+<p>"My lord, Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, and Sir Karl de Pitti
+have consented to join our banners. Enroll them in places of honor,
+my Lord Seneschal. See that they are supplied with horses,
+accoutrements, and tents for themselves and their squires, and
+direct my Lord Treasurer to pay to them upon demand a sum of money
+of which he shall be duly notified."</p>
+<p>When the duke stopped speaking, a murmur of approval ran through
+the audience--though the Italians had no part in it. The murmur
+grew clamorous and soon a mighty shout filled the vaulted
+roof:--</p>
+<p>"Long life to the noble Count of Hapsburg! Burgundy and Styria
+forever!"</p>
+<p>To me, the words seemed delightfully prophetic. Soon afterward
+the audience was dismissed, and Max and I had the great honor of
+being asked to join the duke's council. A council to the Duke of
+Burgundy was indeed a veritable fifth wheel. He made his own plans
+and, right or wrong, clung to them. He would, on rare occasions,
+listen to Hymbercourt,--a man of few words, who gave advice as if
+he were lending a crown,--but the suggestions of others antagonized
+him.</p>
+<p>The question before the council this morning was: Should the
+duke's army carry provisions, or should it take them from the
+countries through which it was to pass? Charles favored the latter
+course, and it was agreed upon. The people of non-belligerent
+states should be paid for the provisions that were taken; that is,
+theoretically they should be paid. The Swiss should furnish
+provision, gratis, and that doubtless would be terribly
+practical.</p>
+<p>On each of the three evenings intervening between the day of
+this council and the departure of the army, we saw Yolanda at
+Castleman's. She was always waiting when we arrived. She had
+changed in many respects, but especially in her attitude regarding
+Max. She was kind and gentle, but shy. Having dropped her familiar
+manner, she did not go near him, but sat at a distance, holding
+Twonette's hand, and silently but constantly watching him, as if
+she were awaiting something. Her eyes, at times, seemed to be
+half-indignant interrogation points. At other times I could see in
+them doubt, waiting, and hope--hope almost tired with yearning.</p>
+<p>It was no small love that she wanted from Max. She had
+hoped--perhaps I should say she had longed with little hope--that
+he would, for the sake of the burgher girl, Yolanda, be willing to
+turn his back on his family and his land. But now he was leaving,
+and her dream was about to close, since Max would probably never
+come back to her.</p>
+<p>Not the least painful of Yolanda's emotions was the knowledge
+that she could insure Max's return by telling him that she was the
+Princess of Burgundy. But she did not want this man whom she loved
+so dearly, and who, she knew, loved her, if she must win him as
+princess. She was strangely impelled to reject a reprieve from a
+life of wretchedness, unless it came through the high court of
+love.</p>
+<p>Max, in speaking to me about his return, had wavered many times.
+One day he would return; the next, he would swallow the bitter
+draught fate had in store for him. He was a great, honest soul, and
+to such the call of duty is compelling.</p>
+<p>On the evening before our departure we went to sup with
+Castleman. On our way down to the House under the Wall, Max
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Karl, my duty is clear. I must not return to Peronne. If I do,
+I fear I shall never leave it."</p>
+<p>I did not answer; but I had resolved that he should return, and
+I intended that my resolution should become a fact. Yolanda was not
+present at supper, but she appeared soon after we had risen. We sat
+under the dim light of a lamp in the long room. Yolanda was on the
+cushioned bench in the shadow of the great chimney, silently
+clasping Twonette's hand. Twonette, of course, was silent and
+serene. Castleman and I talked disjointedly, and Max sat
+motionless, gazing through the window into the night. After
+greeting us, Yolanda spoke not a word; but ever in the deep shadow
+I could see the glow of her eyes looking toward Max. That his heart
+was filled with a great struggle, I knew, and I believed that
+Yolanda also knew.</p>
+<p>We had many preparations to make before our departure next
+morning at dawn, so after an hour Max and I rose to leave.
+Twonette, leaving Yolanda, came to us, and the Castlemans all gave
+us a hearty God-speed. Yolanda sat wordless in the shadow. I went
+to her and gave her my hand.</p>
+<p>"Farewell, Fr&auml;ulein," I said.</p>
+<p>Max followed me closely, and I stepped aside to make way for
+him. The girl rose and stood irresolute before him. I went to the
+Castlemans, who were standing at a distance.</p>
+<p>"Fr&auml;ulein--" said Max. But she interrupted him, extending
+her hands, which he clasped.</p>
+<p>"Have you no word for me, Sir Max?" she asked pathetically,
+tears springing to her eyes. "Are you coming back to me? Have you
+the right to come into my life as you have done, and to leave me?
+Does God impose but one duty on you--that of your birth?"</p>
+<p>"Ah, Fr&auml;ulein," answered Max, huskily, "you know--you know
+what I suffer."</p>
+<p>"I surely do know," she responded, "else I would not speak so
+plainly. But answer me, Sir Max. Answer my question. It is my right
+to know upon what I may depend. Will you come back to me?"</p>
+<p>The imperious will of the princess had come to the rescue of
+Yolanda, the burgher girl.</p>
+<p>Max paused before speaking, then grasped her hands fiercely and
+answered:--</p>
+<p>"Before God, Fr&auml;ulein, I will come back to you, if I
+live."</p>
+<p>Yolanda sank upon the cushioned bench, covered her face with her
+hands, and the pent-up storm of sobs and tears broke forth as Max
+and I passed out the door.</p>
+<p>Yolanda had won.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+<h3>MAX GOES TO WAR</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The next morning at dawn our army marched. Although Duke Charles
+would not encumber himself with provisions for his men, he carried
+a vast train of carts filled with plate, silk tents, rich rugs, and
+precious jewels; for, with all his bravery, this duke's ruling
+passion was the love of display in the presence of foreigners.</p>
+<p>I shall not give the story of this disastrous war in detail;
+that lies in the province of history, and my story relates only to
+Max and Yolanda, and to the manner in which they were affected by
+the results of the war.</p>
+<p>We marched with forty thousand men, and laid siege to the city
+of Granson, in the district of Vaud. The Swiss sent ambassadors
+under a flag of truce, begging Charles to spare them, and saying,
+according to my friend Comines, that "there were among them no good
+prisoners to make, and that the spurs and horses' bits of the
+duke's army were worth more money than all the people of
+Switzerland could pay in ransoms, even if they were taken." Charles
+rejected all overtures, and on the third of March the brave little
+Swiss army sallied against us, "heralding their advances by the
+lowings of the Bull of Uri and the Cow of Unterwalden, two enormous
+instruments which had been given to their ancestors by
+Charlemagne."</p>
+<p>God was against Charles of Burgundy, and his army was utterly
+routed by one of less than a fourth its size. I was with Charles
+after the battle, and his humiliation was more pitiful than his
+bursts of ungovernable wrath were disgusting. The king of France,
+hoping for this disaster, was near by at Lyons.</p>
+<p>A cruel man is always despicable in misfortune. Charles at once
+sent to King Louis a conciliatory, fawning letter, recanting all
+that he had said in his last missive from Peronne, and expressing
+the hope that His Majesty would adhere to the treaty and would
+consent to the marriage of Princess Mary and the Dauphin at once.
+In this letter Yolanda had no opportunity to insert a disturbing
+"t." Louis answered graciously, saying that the treaty should be
+observed, and that the marriage should take place immediately upon
+the duke's return to Burgundy.</p>
+<p>"We have already forwarded instructions to Paris," wrote King
+Louis, "directing that preparations be made at once for the
+celebration of this most desired union at the holy church of St.
+Denis. We wondered much at Your Grace's first missive, in which you
+so peremptorily desired us not to move in this matter till your
+return; and we wondered more at Your Lordship's ungracious reply to
+our answer in which we consented to the delay Your Grace had
+asked."</p>
+<p>Well might King Louis wonder. Charles also wondered, and cursed
+the stupidity of the Bishop of Cambrai, who had so "encumbered his
+letter with senseless courtesy as to distort its meaning."</p>
+<p>Charles despatched letters to Peronne and Ghent, ordering
+immediate preparations for the marriage. As usual, poor Mary was
+not considered of sufficient importance to receive notice of the
+event that concerned her so vitally. Others would prepare her, as
+one might fatten a lamb for slaughter. The lamb need not be
+consulted or even informed; the day of its fate would be sufficient
+for it. I was in despair. Max, in his ignorance, was
+indifferent.</p>
+<p>After a short delay, the duke gathered his wrath and his army
+and laid siege to the town of Morat, announcing his intention to
+give no quarter, but to kill all, old and young, men, women, and
+children. The Swiss were prepared for us. "The energy of pride was
+going to be pitted against the energy of patriotism." Again
+disaster fell upon Charles. Thousands of his army were slain, and
+thousands fled in hopeless rout. His soldiers had never wanted to
+fight, and one man defending his hearth is stronger than half a
+score attacking it.</p>
+<p>The loss of this battle drove Charles back to Burgundy. With a
+few of his train, including Max and myself, he retired to the
+Castle of La Riviera. Here he learned that Ren&eacute;, Duke of
+Lorraine, had mustered his forces and had laid siege to Nancy,
+which city Charles had taken from Duke Ren&eacute;, some years
+before, and had garrisoned with Burgundians and English. Upon
+hearing this unwelcome news, Charles began the arduous task of
+collecting another army. He was compelled to leave the neighborhood
+of Switzerland and fly to the rescue of Nancy.</p>
+<p>The first of January found us before Nancy, but our arrival was
+three days too late. The city had capitulated to Duke Ren&eacute;.
+On the fifth of January a battle was fought before Nancy, but
+Fortune had turned her back for all and all on this cruel Duke of
+Burgundy and Count of Charolois. The disasters at Granson and Morat
+were repeated. At nightfall Charles could not be found. I supposed
+that he had escaped, but the next morning his body was found by a
+washerwoman, frozen in the ice of a pond. He had been killed
+through the machinations of Campo-Basso. Duke Ren&eacute;
+magnanimously gave Charles regal burial, and dismissed his
+followers without ransom. You may be sure I was eager to return to
+Peronne.</p>
+<p>Fortune, in turning her back upon Charles, had turned her
+smiling face toward Max. Her ladyship's smiles were too precious to
+be wasted, so we made post-haste for Peronne, I spurred by one
+motive, Mary of Burgundy, Max by another--Yolanda. His heart had
+grieved for her in castle, in camp, and in din of battle. He had,
+unknown to me, formed a great and noble resolution; and there was
+no horse swift enough to keep pace with his desire when we started
+for Peronne.</p>
+<p>I was the first to announce the duke's death. The dark news was
+given by me to the duchess and the princess in Margaret's parlor.
+These poor women tried to grieve, but they were not hypocrites, and
+they could not weep. Each had received at Charles's hands only
+ill-usage and cruelty, and in their hearts they must have felt
+relief at his death.</p>
+<p>"It was sure to come," said Margaret. "The duke's bravery led
+him always into danger. It is God's will, and it must be
+right."</p>
+<p>The princess walked to the window, and said nothing, until I was
+about to leave; then she turned to me nervously and asked:--</p>
+<p>"Did--did Sir Max come with you?"</p>
+<p>I looked at her in surprise, and glanced inquiringly toward the
+duchess.</p>
+<p>"My mother knows all, Sir Karl," said the princess,
+reassuringly. "There have been many things which I could not have
+done without her help. I have made many rapid changes, Sir Karl,
+from a princess to a burgher girl, and back again, and I should
+have failed without my mother's help. I surely mystified you often
+before you knew of the stairway in the wall. Indeed, I have often
+hurried breathless to Uncle Castleman's house to deceive you.
+Mother invented a burgher girl's costume that I used to wear as an
+under-bodice and petticoat, so, you see, I have been visiting you
+in my petticoats. I will show you some fine day--perhaps. I have
+but to unfasten a half-score of hooks, and off drops the
+princess--I am Yolanda! I throw a skirt over my head, fasten the
+hooks of a bodice, don my head-dress, and behold! the princess once
+more. Only a moment intervenes between happiness and wretchedness.
+But tell me, Sir Karl, have you ever told Sir Max who I am?"</p>
+<p>"Never, Your Highness--"</p>
+<p>"Yolanda," she interrupted, correcting me smilingly.</p>
+<p>"Never, Yolanda," I responded. "He does not even suspect that
+you are the princess. I shall be true to you. You know what you are
+doing."</p>
+<p>"Indeed I do, Sir Karl," she replied. "I shall win or lose now
+in a short time and in short skirts. If Max will wed me as Yolanda,
+I shall be the happiest girl on earth. If not, I shall be the most
+wretched. If he learns that I am the princess, and if I must offer
+him the additional inducement of my estates and my domains to bring
+him to me, I shall not see him again, Sir Karl, if I die of grief
+for it."</p>
+<p>I knew well what she meant, but I did not believe that she would
+be able to hold to her resolution if she were put to the test. I
+was, however, mistaken. With all my knowledge of the girl I did not
+know her strength.</p>
+<p>We reached Peronne during the afternoon and, of course, went
+early the same evening to Castleman's.</p>
+<p>We were greeted heartily by the good burgher, his wife, and his
+daughter. Twonette courtesied to Max, but when she came to me, this
+serene young goddess of pink and white offered me her cheek to
+kiss. I, who had passed my quasi-priestly life without once
+enjoying such a luxury, touched the velvet cheek with my lips and
+actually felt a thrill of delight. Life among the burghers really
+was delicious. I tell you this as a marked illustration of the fact
+that a man never grows too old to be at times a fool. Twonette
+slipped from the room, and within fifteen minutes returned. She
+went directly to Max and said:--</p>
+<p>"Some one is waiting for you in the oak room above."</p>
+<p>She pointed the way, and Max climbed the stairs two steps at a
+time. I thought from his eagerness he would clear the entire flight
+at one bound. To his knock a soft voice bade him enter. The owner
+of the voice was sitting demurely at the farthest end of the room
+on a cushioned bench. Her back rested against the moving panel that
+led to the stairway in the wall. She did not move when Max entered.
+She had done all the moving she intended to do, and Max must now
+act for himself. He did. He ran down the long room to her,
+crying:--</p>
+<p>"Yolanda! Yolanda!"</p>
+<p>She rose to greet him, and he, taking her in his arms, covered
+her face with kisses. The unconscious violence of his great
+strength bruised and hurt her, but she gloried in the pain, and was
+passive as a babe in his arms. When they were seated and half calm,
+she clutched one of his great fingers and said:--</p>
+<p>"You kept your word, Little Max. You came back to me."</p>
+<p>"Did you not know that I would come?" he asked.</p>
+<p>"Ah, indeed, I knew--you are not one that makes a promise to
+break it. Sometimes it is difficult to induce such a man to give
+his word, and I found it so, but once given it is worth
+having--worth having, Little Max."</p>
+<p>She smiled up into his face while she spoke, as if to say, "You
+gave me a deal of trouble, but at last I have captured you."</p>
+<p>"Did you so greatly desire the promise, Yolanda?" asked Max,
+solely for the pleasure of hearing her answer.</p>
+<p>"Yes," she answered softly, hanging her head, "more than any
+<i>man</i>, can know. It must be an intense longing that will drive
+a modest girl to boldness, such as I have shown ever since the day
+I first met you at dear old Basel. It almost broke my heart when
+father--fatherland--when Burgundy made war on Switzerland." The
+word "land" was a lucky thought, and came to the girl just in the
+nick of time.</p>
+<p>Max was too much interested in the girl to pay close attention
+to any slips she might make about the war with Switzerland. It is
+true he was now a soldier, and war was all right in its place; but
+there are things in life compared with which the wars of nations
+are trivial affairs. All subjects save one were unwelcome to
+him.</p>
+<p>"Now I am going to ask a promise from you, Fr&auml;ulein," said
+Max, loosening his hand from her grasp and placing his arm about
+her waist. She offered no objections to the new situation, but
+blushed and looked down demurely to her folded hands.</p>
+<p>"It will, I fear, be very easy for you, Max, to induce me to
+promise anything you wish. It will be all too easy, for I am not
+strong, as you are." She glanced into his face, but her eyes fell
+quickly to her hands.</p>
+<p>"I shall soon leave you again, Fr&auml;ulein, and what I wish is
+of such moment that I--I almost fear to ask."</p>
+<p>"Yes, Max," she murmured, gently reaching across his knee, and
+placing her hand in his by way of encouragement.</p>
+<p>"It is this, Fr&auml;ulein. I am going back to Styria, and I
+want to carry with me your promise to be my wife," said Max,
+softly.</p>
+<p>The girl's head fell over against his shoulder, and she clasped
+his free hand between both of hers.</p>
+<p>"I will ask my father's consent," said Max. "I will tell him of
+you and of my great love, which is so great, Fr&auml;ulein, that
+all the world is nothing beside it and beside you, and he will
+grant my request."</p>
+<p>"But if he doesn't, Max?" asked the face hidden upon his
+breast.</p>
+<p>"If he does not, Fr&auml;ulein, I will forego my country and my
+estates. I will come back to you and will work in the fields, if
+need be, to make you as happy as you will make me."</p>
+<p>"There will be no need for that, Max," she answered, tears of
+happiness slowly trickling down her cheeks, "for I am rich."</p>
+<p>"That I am sorry to hear," he responded.</p>
+<p>"Don't you want to know who I am before you wed me?" she asked,
+after a long pause. She had almost made up her mind to tell
+him.</p>
+<p>"That you may tell me when you are my wife," said Max. "I
+thought you were the Princess Mary, but I am almost glad that you
+are not. I soon knew that I was wrong, for I knew that you would
+not deceive me."</p>
+<p>The girl winced and concluded to postpone telling her momentous
+secret. She was now afraid to do so. As a matter of fact, she had
+in her heart a healthy little touch of womanly cowardice on small
+occasions. After a long, delicious pause, Max said:--</p>
+<p>"Have I your promise, Fr&auml;ulein?"</p>
+<p>"Y-e-s," she answered hesitatingly, "I will be your wife if--if
+I can, and if you will take me when you learn who I am. There is no
+taint of disgrace about me, Max," she added quickly, in response to
+the look of surprise on his face. "But I am not worthy of you, and
+I fear that if your father but knew my unworthiness, he would
+refuse his consent to our marriage. You must not tell him of my
+boldness. I will tell you all about myself before you leave for
+Styria, and then, if you do not want me, you may leave me to--to
+die."</p>
+<p>"I shall want you, Yolanda. I shall want you. Have no doubt of
+that," he answered.</p>
+<p>"With the assurance that there is no stain or taint upon me or
+my family, do you give me your word, Max, that you will want me and
+will take me, whoever I am, and will not by word or gesture show me
+that you are angry or that you regret your promise?"</p>
+<p>"I gladly give you that promise," answered Max.</p>
+<p>"Did you ever tell a lie, Little Max?" she asked banteringly,
+"or did you ever deliberately break a promise?"</p>
+<p>"Did I ever steal or commit wilful murder?" asked Max,
+withdrawing his arm.</p>
+<p>"No, Max; now put it back again," she said.</p>
+<p>After a long pause she continued:--</p>
+<p>"I have lied."</p>
+<p>Max laughed and drew her to him.</p>
+<p>"Your lies will harm no one," he said joyously.</p>
+<p>"No," she responded, "I only lie that good may come of it."</p>
+<p>Then silence fell upon the world--their world. Was not that hour
+with Max worth all the pains that Yolanda had taken to deceive
+him?</p>
+<p>Yolanda and Max came down to the long room, and she, too, gave
+me her cheek to kiss.</p>
+<p>Twonette had prepared a great tankard of wine and honey, with
+pepper and allspice to suit Yolanda's taste, and we all sat before
+the great blazing yule fire, as joyful and content as any six
+people in Christendom. Twonette and Yolanda together occupied one
+large chair; Twonette serenely allowing herself to be caressed by
+Yolanda, who was in a state of mind that compelled her to caress
+some one. Gentle Frau Kate was sleeping in a great easy chair near
+the chimney-corner. Max sat at one side of the table,--the side
+nearest Yolanda,--while Castleman and I sat by each other within
+easy reach of the wine. I knew without the telling, all that had
+occurred upstairs, and the same light seemed to have fallen upon
+the Castlemans. Good old George was in high spirits, and I could
+see in his eye that he intended to get drunk and, if possible, to
+bring me, also, to that happy condition. After many goblets of
+wine, he remarked:--</p>
+<p>"The king of France will probably be upon us within a fortnight
+after he hears the sad news from Nancy."</p>
+<p>Yolanda immediately sat upright in her chair, abandoning
+Twonette's soft hand and softer cheek.</p>
+<p>"Why do you believe so, uncle?" she asked nervously.</p>
+<p>"Because he has waited all his life for this untoward event to
+happen."</p>
+<p>"Preparations should be made to receive him," said Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"Ah, yes," replied Castleman, "but Burgundy's army is scattered
+to the four winds. It has given its blood for causes in which its
+heart was not. We lack the strong arm of the duke, to force men to
+battle against their will. King Louis must be fought by policy, not
+by armies; and Hymbercourt is absent."</p>
+<p>"Do you know aught of him, Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda.</p>
+<p>"I do not, Fr&auml;ulein," I answered, "save that he was alive
+and well when we left Nancy."</p>
+<p>"That, at least, is good news," she replied, "and I make sure he
+will soon come to Burgundy's help."</p>
+<p>"I am sure he is now on his way," I answered.</p>
+<p>"What can Burgundy do?" she asked, turning to Castleman and me.
+"You will each advise--advise the princess, I hope."</p>
+<p>"If she wishes my poor advice," I responded, "she has but to ask
+it."</p>
+<p>"And mine," said Castleman, tipping his goblet over his
+nose.</p>
+<p>"If we are to have clear heads to-morrow," I suggested, "we must
+drink no more wine to-night. The counsel of wine is the advice of
+the devil."</p>
+<p>"Right you are, Sir Karl. Only one more goblet. Here's to the
+health of the bride to be," said Castleman.</p>
+<p>Yolanda leaned back in her chair beside Twonette, and her face
+wore a curious combination of smile and pout.</p>
+<p>On the way to the inn, Max, who was of course very happy, told
+me what had happened in the oak room and added:--</p>
+<p>"I look to you, Karl, to help me with father."</p>
+<p>"That I will certainly do," I answered. I could not resist
+saying: "We came to Burgundy with the hope of winning the princess.
+Fortune has opened a door for you by the death of her father. Don't
+you wish to try?"</p>
+<p>"No," said Max, turning on me. A moment later he added, "If
+Yolanda were but the princess, as I once believed she was, what a
+romance our journey to Burgundy would make!"</p>
+<p>My spirits were somewhat dampened by Castleman's words
+concerning the French king. Surely they were true, since King Louis
+was the last man in Europe to forego the opportunity presented by
+the death of Charles. Should the Princess Mary lose Burgundy just
+at the time when Max had won her, my disappointment would indeed be
+great, and Max might truly need my help with his father.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr style="width: 35%;">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+<h3>A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI</h3>
+<br>
+<p>The next day Castleman and I were called to the castle, and
+talked over the situation with the duchess and the Princess Mary.
+In the midst of our council, in walked Hymbercourt and Hugonet.
+They were devoted friends of Mary.</p>
+<p>Our first move was to send spies to the court of France; so two
+trusted men started at once. Paris was but thirty leagues distant,
+and the men could reach it in fifteen hours. Half a day there
+should enable them to learn the true condition of affairs, since
+they carried well-filled purses to loosen the tongues of Cardinal
+Balau and Oliver the Barber. The bribery plan was Mary's, and it
+worked admirably.</p>
+<p>Within forty-eight hours the spies returned, and reported that
+King Louis, with a small army, was within fifteen leagues of
+Peronne. He had quickly assembled the three estates at Paris, all
+of whom promised the king their aid. In the language of the
+chancellor, "The commons offered to help their king with their
+bodies and their wealth, the nobles with their advice, and the
+clergy with their prayers." This appalling news set Peronne in an
+uproar.</p>
+<p>Recruiting officers were sent out in all directions, the town
+was garrisoned, and fortifications were overhauled. Mary was again
+in trouble, and the momentous affairs resting on her young
+shoulders seemed to have put Max out of her mind. I expected her to
+call him into council and reveal herself, but she did not.</p>
+<p>On the day after we learned of King Louis' approach, the
+princess called Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Castleman, and myself to her
+closet and graciously asked us to be seated about a small
+table.</p>
+<p>"I have formed a plan that I wish to submit to you," she said.
+"I'll send to King Louis an invitation to visit me here at Peronne,
+under safeguard. When he comes, I intend to offer to restore all
+the cities that my father took from him, if he will release me from
+the treaty of marriage, and will swear upon the Cross of Victory to
+support me against my enemies, and to assist me in subduing Ghent,
+now in rebellion. What think you of the plan?"</p>
+<p>"Your Highness is giving King Louis nearly half your domain,"
+suggested Hymbercourt.</p>
+<p>"True," answered the princess, "but it is better to give half
+than to lose all. Where can we turn for help against this greedy
+king? When Burgundy is in better case, we'll take them all from him
+again."</p>
+<p>"Your Highness is right," answered Hymbercourt. "But what
+assurance have you that King Louis will accept your terms?"</p>
+<p>"Little, my lord, save that King Louis does not know our
+weakness. Oliver has by this time told him that he has news of a
+vast army collecting within twenty leagues of Peronne. If Louis
+accepts our terms, Oliver and the cardinal are each to receive
+twenty thousand crowns out of our treasury at Luxembourg. My father
+fought King Louis with blows; I'll fight His Majesty with his own
+weapon, gold. That is the lesson my father should have
+learned."</p>
+<p>I rose to my feet during her recital and looked down at her in
+wonder.</p>
+<p>"Yolanda"--I began, but corrected myself--"Your Highness needs
+no councillor. I, for one, deem your plan most wise, and I see in
+it the salvation of Burgundy."</p>
+<p>The other councillors agreed with me most heartily.</p>
+<p>"I have still another plan which I hope may frighten King Louis
+into accepting our terms. During the conference which I hope to
+hold with His Majesty, I shall receive a message from my mother's
+brother, King Edward of England. The missive, of course, will be
+directed to my father, since the English king cannot yet know of
+the duke's death. The messenger will be an English herald, and will
+demand immediate audience, and--and--however, I'll keep the
+remainder of that plan to myself."</p>
+<p>A broad smile appeared on the faces of all present. Hugonet
+gazed at the princess and laughed outright.</p>
+<p>"Why did not your father take you into his council?" he
+asked.</p>
+<p>"I should have been no help to him," she responded. "A woman's
+wits, dear Hugonet, must be driven by a great motive."</p>
+<p>"But you would have had the motive," answered Hugonet.</p>
+<p>"There is but one motive for a woman, my lord," she
+answered.</p>
+<p>Hugonet unceremoniously whistled his astonishment, and Yolanda
+blushed as she said:--</p>
+<p>"You shall soon know."</p>
+<p>Mary's plan for an interview with Louis succeeded perfectly. He
+came post-haste under safe conduct to Peronne.</p>
+<p>Whatever may be said against Louis, he did not know personal
+fear. He had a wholesome dread of sacrificing the lives of his
+people, and preferred to satisfy his greed by policy rather than by
+war. Gold, rather than blood, was the price he paid for his
+victories. Taken all in all, he was the greatest king that France
+ever had--if one may judge a king by the double standard of what he
+accomplishes and what it costs his people. He almost doubled the
+territory of France, and he lost fewer men in battle than any
+enterprising monarch of whom I know.</p>
+<p>Within forty-eight hours of receiving the safe conduct, King
+Louis was sitting beside Mary on the dais of the ducal throne in
+the great hall. She was heavily veiled, being in mourning for her
+father. At her left stood Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Max, and myself. At
+the king's right stood Cardinal Balau and Oliver the Barber, each
+anticipating a rich reward in case Louis should accept Mary's
+terms. Back of them stood a score of the king's courtiers. Many
+questions of state were discussed; and then Hymbercourt presented
+Mary's offer to King Louis. The king hesitated. After a long pause
+he spoke, looking straight ahead, at nothing; as was his
+custom.</p>
+<p>"We will consult with our friends and make answer soon," he
+said, speaking to nobody.</p>
+<p>Louis seemed to think that if he looked at no one and addressed
+nobody, when he spoke, he might the more easily wriggle out of his
+obligations later on.</p>
+<p>Mary had caused to be drawn up in duplicate a treaty in
+accordance with the terms that she had outlined at our little
+council. It was handed to Oliver when the king rose to retire to a
+private room, to discuss the contents with his councillors.</p>
+<p>At the moment when King Louis rose to his feet, a herald was
+announced at the great hall door.</p>
+<p>"A message from His Majesty, King Edward of England," cried the
+Burgundian herald. Louis resumed his seat as though his feet had
+slipped from under him.</p>
+<p>"We are engaged," answered Mary, acting well a difficult part.
+"Let the herald leave his packet, or deliver it later."</p>
+<p>A whispered conversation took place between the Burgundian
+herald and the Englishman. Then spoke the Burgundian:--</p>
+<p>"Most Gracious Princess, the English herald has no packet. He
+bears a verbal message to your late father, and insists that he
+must deliver it to Your Highness at once."</p>
+<p>"Must, indeed!" cried Mary, indignantly. Then turning to the
+king: "These English grow arrogant, Your Majesty. What has the
+herald to say? Let him come forward. We have no secrets from our
+most gracious godfather, King Louis."</p>
+<p>The English herald approached the ducal throne, but did not
+speak.</p>
+<p>"Proceed," said Mary, irritably.</p>
+<p>"With all deference, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald,
+"the subject-matter of my message is such that it should be
+communicated privately, or at Your Highness's council-board."</p>
+<p>"If you have a message from my good uncle, King Edward, deliver
+it here and now," said the princess.</p>
+<p>"As you will, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald. "King
+Edward has amassed a mighty army, which is now awaiting orders to
+sail for France; and His Majesty asks permission to cross the
+territory of Burgundy on his way to Paris. He will pay to Your
+Highness such compensation as may be agreed upon when His Majesty
+meets you, which he hopes may be within a month. His Majesty begs a
+written reply to the message I bear."</p>
+<p>Mary paused before she answered.</p>
+<p>"Wait without. My answer depends upon the conclusions of His
+Majesty, the King of France."</p>
+<p>The herald withdrew, but in the meantime Louis had descended to
+the floor and was busily conning the treaty that Mary had caused to
+be written. He was whispering with Cardinal Balau and Oliver, and
+was evidently excited by the news he had just heard from England.
+When he resumed his seat beside Mary, he said:--</p>
+<p>"By this treaty, which is simple and straightforward, Your
+Highness cedes to me certain cities herein named, in perpetuity;
+and in consideration thereof, I am to be with you friend of friend
+and foe of foe. I am to aid you in subduing your rebellious
+subjects, and to sustain you in your choice of a husband. I am also
+to release you from the present contract of marriage with my son,
+the Dauphin."</p>
+<p>"That is all, Your Majesty," said the princess. "It is short and
+to the point."</p>
+<p>"Indeed it is, Your Highness, and if you will answer King Edward
+and will deny him the privilege of crossing Burgundy, I will sign
+the treaty, and will swear upon the true cross to keep it
+inviolate."</p>
+<p>Mary could hardly conceal her exultation, but she answered
+calmly:--</p>
+<p>"Will Your Majesty sign now?"</p>
+<p>Louis and Mary each signed the treaty, and the piece of the true
+cross upon which the oath was to be made was brought before them,
+resting on a velvet pillow. Now there were many pieces of the true
+cross, of which Louis possessed two. Upon one of these he held the
+oath to be binding and inviolate; it was known as the Cross of
+Victory. Upon the other his oath was less sacred, and the sin of
+perjury was venial.</p>
+<p>I stood near the throne, and, suspecting Louis of fraud, made
+bold to inquire:--</p>
+<p>"Most humbly I would ask Your Majesty, is this the Cross of
+Victory?"</p>
+<p>The king examined the piece of wood resting on the cushion and
+said:--</p>
+<p>"By Saint Andrew, My Lord Cardinal, you have committed an error.
+You have brought me the wrong piece."</p>
+<p>The Cross of Victory was then produced, with many apologies and
+excuses for the mistake, and the oath was taken while Mary's tiny
+hand rested on the relic beside King Louis' browned and wrinkled
+talon. When the ceremony was finished, the king turned to Mary and
+said:--</p>
+<p>"Whom will Your Highness select for a husband?"</p>
+<p>"My father sometime had treaty with Duke Frederick of Styria,
+looking to my marriage with his son Maximilian, and I shall ratify
+the compact."</p>
+<p>Max was about to speak, but I plucked him by the sleeve.</p>
+<hr style="width: 25%;">
+<p>Now I shall hasten to the end. The king took his departure
+within an hour, carrying with him his copy of the treaty. The
+audience was dismissed, and the princess left the great hall by the
+door back of the throne, having first directed Hymbercourt,
+Hugonet, Max, and myself to follow within five minutes, under
+conduct of a page. Castleman excused himself and left the hall.</p>
+<p>The page soon came to fetch us, and we were taken to Mary's
+parlor, adjoining her bedroom in Darius tower. From the bedroom, as
+you know, the stairway in the wall descends to Castleman's house.
+In the parlor we found Mary, the Duchess Margaret, and several
+ladies in waiting. All the ladies, including Mary, were heavily
+veiled. When we entered, Mary addressed Max:--</p>
+<p>"Sir Count, you doubtless heard my announcement to the king of
+France. It was my father's desire at one time to unite Styria and
+Burgundy by marriage. I myself sent you a letter and a ring that
+you doubtless still possess. Are you pleased with my offer?"</p>
+<p>Max fell to his knee before the princess:--</p>
+<p>"Your Highness's condescension is far beyond my deserts. There
+are few men who could refuse your offer, but I am pledged to
+another, and I beg Your Highness--"</p>
+<p>"Enough, enough," cried the princess, indignantly. "No man need
+explain his reasons for refusing the hand of Mary of Burgundy."</p>
+<p>Astonishment appeared on all faces save mine. I thought I knew
+the purpose of Her Highness. Max rose to his feet, and Mary
+said:--</p>
+<p>"We'll go downstairs now, and, if you wish, Sir Count, you may
+there say farewell." She whispered a word to her mother, and led
+the way into her bedroom. The duchess indicated that Max and I were
+to follow. We did so, and Margaret came after us.</p>
+<p>"We'll go down by these steps," said the princess, leading us to
+the open panel. "The way is dark, and you must use care in
+descending, Sir Count, but this is the nearest way to the
+ground."</p>
+<p>Max started down the steps and Mary followed close at his heels.
+I followed Mary, and Duchess Margaret came after me.</p>
+<p>When we had descended twenty steps, the upper panel was closed
+by some one in the bedroom, and the stairway became inky dark. Ten
+steps further, I stumbled and almost fell over a soft obstruction
+on the stairs. I stooped and examined it. Fearing that the duchess
+might fall when she reached it, I took it up. It was a lady's
+head-dress and veil. A few steps farther I picked up a lady's
+bodice and then a skirt. By the time I had made this collection,
+Max and Mary had reached the moving panel at the foot of the
+stairs. I heard it slide back, and a flood of light came in upon
+us. Yolanda, in burgher girl's costume, sprang over the cushioned
+seat into Castleman's oak room. Max followed, and I, with an armful
+of woman's gear, helped the duchess to step to the cushion and
+thence to the floor. Max stood for a moment in half-vexed surprise,
+but Yolanda, two yards off, laughed merrily:--</p>
+<p>"You promised, Sir Max, that you would show no anger when you
+learned who I was, and you said you would neither lie, steal, nor
+commit murder."</p>
+<p>The Castlemans stood near by, and the duchess and I joined them,
+forming an admiring group. Max did not reply. He held out his arms
+to the girl, and she ran to them. So closely did he hold her that
+she could hardly move. She did, however, succeed in turning her
+face toward us, and said poutingly:--</p>
+<p>"Why don't you leave the room?"</p>
+<br>
+<p>THE END</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy
+
+Author: Charles Major
+
+Release Date: April 16, 2004 [EBook #12057]
+[Date last updated: September 15, 2004]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOLANDA: MAID OF BURGUNDY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charlie Kirschner and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+YOLANDA
+
+MAID OF BURGUNDY
+
+_By_ CHARLES MAJOR
+
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+
+CHARLOTTE WEBER DITZLER
+
+_MCMV_
+
+1905.
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER I
+A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS
+
+CHAPTER II
+KNIGHTS-ERRANT
+
+CHAPTER III
+YOLANDA THE SORCERESS
+
+CHAPTER IV
+DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY
+
+CHAPTER V
+WHO IS YOLANDA?
+
+CHAPTER VI
+DUKE CHARLES THE RASH
+
+CHAPTER VII
+A RACE WITH THE DUKE
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+ON THE MOAT BRIDGE
+
+CHAPTER IX
+THE GREAT RIDDLE
+
+CHAPTER X
+THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL
+
+CHAPTER XI
+PERONNE LA PUCELLE
+
+CHAPTER XII
+A LIVE WREN PIE
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+A BATTLE IN MID AIR
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS
+
+CHAPTER XV
+THE CROSSING OF A "T"
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+PARTICEPS CRIMINIS
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+TRIAL BY COMBAT
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+MAX GOES TO WAR
+
+CHAPTER XX
+A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+MAX AND YOLANDA
+KARL AND MAX AT HAPSBURG CASTLE
+MAX
+THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY
+MAX AT THE GATE OF THE LISTS
+
+
+
+YOLANDA
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A CASTLE AMONG THE CRAGS
+
+Like the Israelites of old, mankind is prone to worship false gods, and
+persistently sets up the brazen image of a sham hero, as its idol. I
+should like to write the history of the world, if for no other reason
+than to assist several well-established heroes down from their
+pedestals. Great Charlemagne might come to earth's level, his
+patriarchal, flowing beard might drop from his face, and we might see
+him as he really was--a plucked and toothless old savage, with no more
+Christianity than Jacob, and with all of Jacob's greed. Richard of
+England, styled by hero-worshippers "The Lion-hearted," might be
+re-christened "The Wolf-hearted," and the famous Du Guesclin might seem
+to us a half-brutish vagabond. But Charles of Burgundy, dubbed by this
+prone world "The Bold" and "The Rash," would take the greatest fall. Of
+him and his fair daughter I shall speak in this history.
+
+At the time of which I write Louis XI reigned over France, Edward IV
+ruled in England, and his sister, the beautiful Margaret of York, was
+the unhappy wife of this Charles the Rash, and stepmother to his gentle
+daughter Mary. Charles, though only a duke in name, reigned as a most
+potent and despotic king over the fair rich land of Burgundy. Frederick
+of Styria was head of the great house of Hapsburg, and Count Maximilian,
+my young friend and pupil, was his heir.
+
+Of the other rulers of Europe I need not speak, since they will not
+enter this narrative. They were all bad enough,--and may God have mercy
+on their souls.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Most of the really tragic parts in the great drama of history have been
+played by women. This truth I had always dimly known, yet one does not
+really know a fact until he feels it. I did not realize the extent to
+which these poor women of history have suffered in the matter of
+enforced marriages, until the truth was brought home to me in the person
+of Mary, Princess of Burgundy, to whose castle, Peronne La Pucelle, my
+pupil, Maximilian of Hapsburg, and I made a journey in the year 1476.
+
+My knowledge of this fair lady began in far-off Styria, and there I
+shall begin my story.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In times of peace, life in Hapsburg Castle was dull; in times of war it
+was doleful. War is always grievous, but my good mistress, the Duchess
+of Styria, was ever in such painful dread lest evil should befall her
+only child, Maximilian, that the pains of war-time were rendered doubly
+keen to those who loved Her Grace.
+
+After Maximilian had reached the fighting age there was too little war
+to suit him. Up to his eighteenth year he had thrice gone out to war,
+and these expeditions were heart-breaking trials for his mother.
+Although tied to his mother's apron strings by bonds of mutual love, he
+burned with the fire and ambition of youth; while I, reaching well
+toward my threescore years, had almost outlived the lust for strife. Max
+longed to spread his wings, but the conditions of his birth held him
+chained to the rocks of Styria, on the pinnacle of his family's empty
+greatness.
+
+Perched among the mountain crags, our castle was almost impregnable; but
+that was its only virtue as a dwelling-place. Bare walls, stone floors,
+sour wine, coarse boar's meat, brown bread, and poor beds constituted
+our meagre portion.
+
+Duke Frederick was poor because his people were poor. They lived among
+the rocks and crags, raised their goats, ploughed their tiny patches of
+thin earth, and gave to the duke and to each man his due. They were
+simple, bigoted, and honest to the heart's core.
+
+Though of mean fortune, Duke Frederick was the head of the great House
+of Hapsburg, whose founders lived in the morning mists of European
+history and dwelt proudly amid the peaks of their mountain home. Our
+castle in Styria was not the original Castle Hapsburg. That was built
+centuries before the time of this story, among the hawks' crags of
+Aargau in Switzerland. It was lost by the House of Hapsburg many years
+before Max was born. The castle in Styria was its namesake.
+
+To leaven the poor loaf of life in Castle Hapsburg, its inmates enjoyed
+the companionship of the kindest man and woman that ever graced a high
+estate--the Duke and Duchess of Styria. Though in their little court,
+life was rigid with the starch of ceremony, it was softened by the
+tenderness of love. All that Duke Frederick asked from his subjects was
+a bare livelihood and a strict observance of ceremonious conventions.
+Those who approached him and his son did so with uncovered head and
+bended knee. An act of personal familiarity would have been looked on as
+high treason. Taxes might remain unpaid, laws might be broken, and there
+was mercy in the ducal heart; but a flaw in ceremony was unpardonable.
+
+The boar's meat and the brown bread were eaten in state; the sour wine
+was drunk solemnly; and going to bed each night was an act of national
+importance. Such had been the life of this house for generations, and
+good Duke Frederick neither would nor could break away from it.
+
+Of all these painful conditions young Max was a suffering victim. Did
+he sally forth to stick a wild boar or to kill a bear, the Master of the
+Hunt rode beside him in a gaudy, faded uniform. Fore-riders preceded
+him, and after-riders followed. He was almost compelled to hunt by
+proxy, and he considered himself lucky to be in at the death. The bear,
+of course, was officially killed by Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, no
+matter what hand dealt the blow. Maximilian, being the heir of Hapsburg,
+must always move with a slow dignity becoming his exalted station. He
+must, if possible, always act through an officer; I verily believe that
+Duke Frederick, his father, regretted the humiliating necessity of
+eating his own dinner.
+
+Poor Max did not really live; he was an automaton.
+
+Once every year Duke Frederick gave a tournament, the cost of which, in
+entertainments and prizes, consumed fully two-thirds of his annual
+income. On these occasions punctilious ceremony took the place of rich
+wine, and a stiff, kindly welcome did service as a feast. These
+tournaments were rare events for Max; they gave him a day of partial
+rest from his strait-jacket life at the little court among the crags.
+
+I shall give you here ten lines concerning myself. I am Italian by
+birth--a younger son of the noble House of Pitti. I left home when but
+little more than a boy. Journeying to the East, I became Sir Karl de
+Pitti, Knight of the Holy Order of St. John, and in consequence I am
+half priest, half soldier. My order and my type are rapidly passing
+away. I fought and prayed in many lands during twenty years. To be
+frank, I fought a great deal more than I prayed. Six years out of the
+twenty I spent in Burgundy, fighting under the banner of Duke Philip the
+Good, father to Charles the Rash. My mother was a Burgundian--a
+Walloon--and to her love for things German I owe my name, Karl. During
+my service under Duke Philip I met my Lord d'Hymbercourt, and won that
+most valuable of all prizes, a trusted friend.
+
+Fifteen years before the opening of this story I grew tired of fighting.
+How I drifted, a sort of human flotsam, against the crags of Styria
+would be a long, uninteresting story. By a curious combination of events
+I assumed the duties of tutor to the small count, Maximilian of
+Hapsburg, then a flaxen-haired little beauty of three summers. I taught
+him all that was needful from books, and grounded him fairly well in
+church lore, but gave my best efforts to his education in arms.
+
+Aside from my duties as instructor to the young count, I was useful in
+many ways about the castle. By reason of the half of me that was
+priestly, I could, upon occasion, hear confession, administer the holy
+sacrament, and shrive a sinner as effectively as the laziest priest in
+Christendom. I could also set a broken bone, and could mix as bitter a
+draught as any Jew out of Judea. So, you will see, I was a useful member
+of a household wherein ancestry took the place of wealth, and pride was
+made to stand for ready cash.
+
+The good duke might have filled his coffers by pillaging travellers, as
+many of his neighbors did; but he scorned to thrive by robbery, and
+lived in grandiose but honest penury.
+
+Max took readily to the use of arms, and by the time he was eighteen,
+which was three years before our now famous journey to Burgundy, a
+strong, time-hardened man might well beware of him. When the boy was
+fourteen or fifteen, I began to see in him great possibilities. In
+personal beauty and strength he was beyond compare. His eyes were as
+blue as an Italian sky, and his hair fell in a mass of tawny curls to
+his shoulders. His mother likened him to a young lion. Mentally he was
+slow, but his judgment was clear and accurate. Above all, he was honest,
+and knew not fear of man, beast, or devil. His life in Styria, hedged
+about by ceremonious conventions, had given him an undue portion of
+dignity and reticence, but that could easily be polished down by
+friction with the rougher side of the world. Except myself and his
+mother, he had never known a real friend.
+
+To Max the people of the world were of two conditions: a very small
+class to whom he must kneel, and a very large number who must kneel to
+him. Even his mother addressed him publicly as "My Lord Count." On rare
+occasions, in the deep privacy of her closet, mother-love would get the
+better of her and break through the crust of ceremony. Then she indulged
+herself and him in the ravishing, though doubtful, luxury of calling him
+"Little Max." No one but I, and perhaps at rare intervals Duke
+Frederick, ever witnessed this lapse from dignity on the part of Her
+Grace, and we, of course, would not expose her weakness to the world.
+
+This love-name clung to Max, and "Little Max," though somewhat
+incongruous, was pretty when applied to a strapping fellow six feet two
+and large of limb in proportion.
+
+When the boy approached manhood, I grew troubled lest this strait-jacket
+existence in Styria should dwarf him mentally and morally. So I began to
+stir cautiously in the matter of sending him abroad into the world. My
+first advances met with a rebuff.
+
+"It is not to be thought of," said the duke.
+
+"Send the count out to the rude world to associate with underlings?
+Never!" cried the duchess, horrified and alarmed.
+
+I had expected this, and I was not daunted. I renewed the attack from
+different points, and after many onslaughts, I captured the bailey of
+the parental fortresses; that is, I compelled them to listen to me. My
+chief point of attack was Max himself. He listened readily enough, but
+he could not see how the thing was to be done. When I spoke of the
+luxuries of Italy and Burgundy, and told him of deeds of prowess
+performed daily throughout the world by men vastly his inferior, his
+eyes brightened and his cheek flushed. When I talked of wealth to be won
+and glory to be achieved in those rich lands, and hinted at the barren
+poverty of Styria, he would sigh and answer:--
+
+"Ah, Karl, it sounds glorious, but I was born to this life, and father
+and mother would not forgive me if I should seek another destiny. Fate
+has fixed my lot, and I must endure it."
+
+I did not cease my lay; and especially was the fat land of Burgundy my
+theme, for I knew it well. Max would listen in enraptured silence. When
+he was eighteen, I wrote, with deep-seated purpose, several letters to
+my friend Lord d'Hymbercourt, who was at the time one of the councillors
+of Charles the Rash, Duke of Burgundy. In those letters I dwelt at
+length on the virtues, strength, and manly beauty of my pupil.
+
+I knew that Charles often negotiated with other states the marriage of
+his only child and heiress, Princess Mary. This form of treaty appeared
+to be almost a mania with the rash Burgundian. I also knew that in no
+instance had he ever intended to fulfil the treaty. His purpose in each
+case was probably to create a temporary alliance with that one state
+while he was in trouble with another. His daughter would inherit a
+domain richer than that of any king in Europe, and the duke certainly
+would be contented with nothing less than the hand of an heir to a
+crown. Suitors for the fair Mary came from every land. All were
+entertained; but the princess remained unbetrothed.
+
+A few broad hints in my letters to Hymbercourt produced the result I so
+much desired. One bright day our castle was stirred to its
+foundation-stones by the arrival of a messenger from Duke Charles of
+Burgundy, bearing the following missive:--
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"To His Grace, Duke Frederick of Styria, Elector of the Holy Roman
+Empire, and Count of Austria; Charles, Duke of Burgundy and Count of
+Charolois, sends greeting:--
+
+"The said Duke Charles recommends himself to the most puissant Duke
+Frederick, and bearing in mind the great antiquity and high nobility of
+the illustrious House of Hapsburg, begs to express his desire to bind
+the said noble House to Burgundy by ties of marriage.
+
+"To that end, His Grace of Burgundy, knowing by fame the many virtues
+of the young and valiant Count of Hapsburg, son to His Grace, Duke
+Frederick, would, if it pleasures the said illustrious Duke Frederick,
+suggest the appointment of commissioners by each of the high contracting
+parties for the purpose of drawing a treaty of marriage between the
+noble Count of Hapsburg and our daughter, Princess Mary of Burgundy. The
+said commissioners shall meet within six months after the date of these
+presents and shall formulate indentures of treaty that shall be
+submitted to His Grace of Styria and His Grace of Burgundy.
+
+"The lady of Burgundy sends herewith a letter and a jewel which she
+hopes the noble Count of Hapsburg will accept as tokens of her esteem.
+
+"May God and the Blessed Virgin keep His Grace of Styria in their
+especial care."
+
+Signed with a flourish. "CHARLES."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+This letter did not deceive me. I did not think for a moment that
+Charles meant to give his daughter to Max. But it answered my purpose by
+bringing Max to a realization of the nothingness of life in Styria, and
+opening his eyes to the glorious possibilities that lay in the great
+world beyond the mountain peaks.
+
+Burgundy's missive produced several effects in the household of Castle
+Hapsburg, though none were shown on the surface. I was glad, but, of
+course, I carefully concealed the reasons for my pleasure from His
+Grace. Duke Frederick was pleased to his toes and got himself very drunk
+on the strength of it. Otherwise he smothered his delight. He "was not
+sure"; "was not quite disposed to yield so great a favor to this
+far-away duke"; "the count is young; no need for haste," and so on. The
+duke had no intention whatever of sending such messages to Burgundy; he
+simply wished to strut before his little court. Charles most certainly
+would receive a pompous and affirmative answer. The poor duchess, torn
+by contending emotions of mother-love and family pride, was flattered by
+Burgundy's offer; but she was also grieved.
+
+"We do not know the lady," she said. "Fame speaks well of her, but the
+report may be false. She may not be sufficiently endued with religious
+enthusiasm."
+
+"She will absorb that from Your Grace," I answered.
+
+Her Grace thought that she herself was religious and tried to impress
+that belief on others; but Max was her god. In truth she was jealous of
+any woman who looked on him twice, and she kept at the castle only the
+old and harmless of the dangerous sex. She would have refused Burgundy's
+offer quickly enough if her heart had been permitted to reply.
+
+The effect of the letter on Max was tremendous. He realized its
+political importance, knowing full well that if he could add the rich
+domain of Burgundy to the Hapsburg prestige, he might easily achieve the
+imperial throne. But that was his lesser motive. Hymbercourt's letters
+to me had extolled Mary's beauty and gentleness. Every page had sung her
+praises. These letters I had given to Max, and there had sprung up in
+his untouched heart a chivalric admiration for the lady of Burgundy. He
+loved an ideal. I suppose most men and every woman will understand his
+condition. It was truly an ardent love.
+
+Max kept Hymbercourt's letters, and would hide himself on the
+battlements by the hour reading them, dreaming the dreams of youth and
+worshipping at the feet of his ideal,--fair Mary of Burgundy, his
+unknown lady-love.
+
+Before the arrival of the messenger from Duke Charles, Max spoke little
+of the Burgundian princess; but the message gave her a touch of reality,
+and he began to open his heart to me--his only confidant.
+
+There seemed to have been a reciprocal idealization going on in the
+far-off land of Burgundy. My letters to Hymbercourt, in which you may be
+sure Max's strength and virtues lost nothing, fell into the hands of
+Madame d'Hymbercourt, and thus came under the eyes of Princess Mary.
+That fair little lady also built in her heart an altar to an unknown
+god, if hints in Hymbercourt's letters were to be trusted. Her maidenly
+emotions were probably far more passive than Max's, though I have been
+told that a woman's heart will go to great lengths for the sake of an
+ideal. Many a man, doubtless, would fall short in the estimation of his
+lady-love were it not for those qualities with which she herself
+endows him.
+
+Whatever the lady's sentiments may have been, my faith in Hymbercourt's
+hints concerning them were strengthened by Mary's kindly letter and the
+diamond ring for Max which came with her father's message to Styria.
+They were palpable facts, and young Max built an altar in his holy of
+holies, and laid them tenderly upon it.
+
+Duke Frederick, with my help, composed a letter in reply to Burgundy's
+message. It required many days of work to bring it to a form sufficient
+in dignity, yet ample in assent. The missive must answer "yes" so
+emphatically as to leave no room for doubt in Burgundy's mind, yet it
+must show no eagerness on the part of Styria. (Duke Frederick always
+spoke of himself as Styria.) Burgundy must be made to appreciate the
+honor of this alliance; still, the fact must not be offensively
+thrust upon him.
+
+The letter was sent, and Charles of Burgundy probably laughed at it.
+Duke Frederick appointed commissioners and fixed Cannstadt as the place
+of meeting. Whatever Duke Charles's reasons for making the offer of
+marriage may have been, they probably ceased to exist soon afterward,
+for he never even replied to Duke Frederick's acceptance. For months
+Castle Hapsburg was in a ferment of expectancy. A watch stood from dawn
+till dusk on the battlements of the keep, that the duke might be
+informed of the approach of the Burgundian messenger--that never came.
+After a year of futile waiting the watch was abandoned. Anger, for a
+time, took the place of expectancy; Duke Frederick each day drowned his
+ill-humor in a gallon of sour wine, and remained silent on the subject
+of the Burgundian insult.
+
+Max's attitude was that of a dignified man. He showed neither anger nor
+disappointment, but he kept the letter and the ring that Mary had sent
+him and mused upon his love for his ideal--the lady he had never seen.
+
+A letter from Hymbercourt, that reached me nearly two years after this
+affair, spoke of a tender little maiden in Burgundy, whose heart
+throbbed with disappointment while it also clung to its ideal, as tender
+natures are apt to do. This hint in Hymbercourt's letter sank to the
+tenderest spot in Max's heart.
+
+On Max's twenty-first birthday he was knighted by the emperor. A grand
+tournament, lasting five days, celebrated the event, and Max proved
+himself a man among men and a knight worthy of his spurs. I had trained
+him for months in preparation for this, his first great trial of
+strength and skill. He was not lacking in either, though they would
+mature only with his judgment. His strength was beyond compare. A man
+could hardly span his great arm with both hands.
+
+Soon after Max was knighted, I brought up the subject of his journey
+into the world. I was again met by parental opposition; but Max was of
+age and his views had weight. If I could bring him to see the truth, the
+cause would be won. Unfortunately, it was not his desires I must
+overcome; it was his scruples. His head and his heart were full of false
+ideas and distorted motives absorbed from environment, inculcated by
+parental teaching, and inherited from twenty generations of fantastic
+forefathers. In-born motives in a conscientious person are stubborn
+tyrants, and Max was their slave. The time came when his false but
+honest standards cost him dearly, as you shall learn. But in Max's heart
+there lived another motive stronger than the will of man; it was love.
+Upon that string I chose to play.
+
+One day while we were sunning ourselves on the battlements, I touched,
+as if by chance, on the theme dear to his heart--Mary of Burgundy. After
+a little time Max asked hesitatingly:--
+
+"Have you written of late to my Lord d'Hymbercourt?"
+
+"No," I answered.
+
+A long pause followed; then Max continued: "I hope you will soon do so.
+He might write of--of--" He did not finish the sentence. I allowed him
+to remain in thought while I formulated my reply. After a time I said:--
+
+"If you are still interested in the lady, why don't you go to Burgundy
+and try to win her?"
+
+"That would be impossible," he answered.
+
+"No, no, Max," I returned, "not impossible--- difficult, perhaps, but
+certainly not impossible."
+
+"Ah, Karl, you but raise false hopes," he responded dolefully.
+
+"You could at least see her," I returned, ignoring his protest, "and
+that, I have been told, is much comfort to a lover!"
+
+"Indeed, it would be," said Max, frankly admitting the state of his
+heart.
+
+"Or it might be that if you saw her, the illusion would be dispelled."
+
+"I have little fear of that," he returned.
+
+"It is true," I continued, "her father's domains are the richest on
+earth. He is proud and powerful, noble and arrogant; but you are just as
+proud and just as noble as he. You are penniless, and your estate will
+be of little value; your father is poor, and his mountain crags are a
+burden rather than a profit; but all Europe boasts no nobler blood than
+that of your house. Lift it from its penury. You are worthy of this
+lady, were her estates multiplied tenfold. Win the estates, Max, and win
+the lady. Many a man with half your capacity has climbed to the pinnacle
+of fame and fortune, though starting with none of your prestige. Why do
+you, born a mountain lion, stay mewed up in this castle like a purring
+cat in your mother's lap? For shame, Max, to waste your life when love,
+fortune, and fame beckon you beyond these dreary hills and call to you
+in tones that should arouse ambition in the dullest breast."
+
+"Duke Charles has already insulted us," he replied.
+
+"But his daughter has not," I answered quickly.
+
+"That is true," returned Max, with a sigh, "but the Duke of Burgundy
+would turn me from his gates."
+
+"Perhaps he would," I replied, "if you should knock and demand surrender
+to Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg. Take another name; be for a time a
+soldier of fortune. Bury the Count of Hapsburg for a year or two; be
+plain Sir Max Anybody. You will, at least, see the world and learn what
+life really is. Here is naught but dry rot and mould. Taste for once the
+zest of living; then come back, if you can, to this tomb. Come, come,
+Max! Let us to Burgundy to win this fair lady who awaits us and
+doubtless holds us faint of heart because we dare not strike for her. I
+shall have one more sweet draught of life before I die. You will learn a
+lesson that will give you strength for all the years to come, and will
+have, at least, a chance of winning the lady. It may be one chance in a
+million; but God favors the brave, and you have no chance if you remain
+perched owl-like upon this wilderness of rock. Max, you know not what
+awaits you. Rouse yourself from this sloth of a thousand years, and
+strike fire from the earth that shall illumine your name to the end
+of time!"
+
+"But we have no money for our travels, and father has none to give me,"
+he answered.
+
+"True," I replied, "but I have a small sum in the hands of a merchant at
+Vienna that will support us for a time. When it is spent, we must make
+our bread or starve. That will be the best part of our experience. A
+struggle for existence sweetens it; and if we starve, we shall deserve
+the fate."
+
+After three days Max gave me his answer.
+
+"I will go with you, Karl," he said; "you have never led me wrong. If we
+starve, I shall not be much worse off than I am here in Styria. It hurts
+me to say that the love of my father and mother is my greatest danger;
+but it is true. They have lived here so long, feeding on the poor
+adulation of a poor people, that they do not see life truly. I have had
+none of the joys and pleasures which, my heart tells me, life holds. I
+have known nothing but this existence--hard and barren as the rocks that
+surround me. I must, in time, return to Styria and take up my burden,
+but, Karl, I will first live."
+
+After this great stand, Max and I attacked first the father fortress and
+then the mother stronghold. The latter required a long siege; but at
+last it surrendered unconditionally, and the day was appointed when Max
+and I should ride out in quest of fortune, and, perhaps,
+a-bride-hunting. Neither of us mentioned Burgundy. I confess to
+telling--at least, to acting--a lie. We said that we wished to go to my
+people in Italy, and to visit Rome, Venice, and other cities. I said
+that I had a small sum of gold that I should be glad to use; but I did
+not say how small it was, and no hint was dropped that the heir to
+Styria might be compelled to soil his hands by earning his daily bread.
+We easily agreed among ourselves that Max and I, lacking funds to travel
+in state befitting a prince of the House of Hapsburg, should go
+incognito. I should keep my own name, it being little known. Max should
+take the name of his mother's house, and should be known as Sir
+Maximilian du Guelph.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At last came the momentous day of our departure. The battlements of the
+gate were crowded with retainers, many of them in tears at losing "My
+young Lord, the Count." Public opinion in Castle Hapsburg unanimously
+condemned the expedition, and I was roundly abused for what was held to
+be my part in the terrible mistake. Such an untoward thing had never
+before happened in the House of Hapsburg. Its annals nowhere revealed a
+journey of an heir into the contaminating world. The dignity of the
+house was impaired beyond remedy, and all by the advice of a foreigner.
+There was no lack of grumbling; but of course the duke's will was law.
+If he wished to hang the count, he might do so; therefore the grumbling
+reached the duke's ears only from a distance.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+KNIGHTS-ERRANT
+
+The good mother had made a bundle for her son that would have brought a
+smile to my lips had it not brought tears to my eyes. There were her
+homely balsams to cure Max's ailments; true, he had never been ill, but
+he might be. There was a pillow of down for his head, and a lawn
+kerchief to keep the wind from his delicate throat. Last, but by no
+means least, was the dear old mother's greatest treasure, a tooth of St.
+Martin, which she firmly believed would keep her son's heart pure and
+free from sin. Of that amulet Max did not stand in need.
+
+We followed the Save for many leagues, and left its beautiful banks only
+to journey toward Vienna. At that city I drew my slender stock of gold
+from the merchant that had been keeping it for me, and bought a
+beautiful chain coat for Max. He already had a good, though plain, suit
+of steel plate which his father had given him when he received the
+accolade. I owned a good plate armor and the most perfect chain coat I
+have ever seen. I took it from a Saracen lord one day in battle, and
+gave him his own life in payment. Max and I each bore a long sword, a
+short sword, and a mace. We carried no lance. That weapon is burdensome,
+and we could get one at any place along our journey.
+
+I was proud of Max the morning we rode out of Vienna, true
+knights-errant, with the greatest princess in Europe as our objective
+prize. Truly, we were in no wise modest; but the God of heaven, the god
+of Luck, and the god of Love all favor the man that is bold enough to
+attempt the impossible.
+
+My stock of gold might, with frugality, last us three months, but after
+that we should surely have to make our own way or starve. We hoped that
+Max would be successful in filling our purses with prize money and
+ransoms, should we fall in with a tournament now and then; but, lacking
+that good fortune, we expected to engage ourselves as escorts to
+merchant caravans. By this kind of employment we hoped to be housed and
+fed upon our travels and to receive at each journey's end a good round
+sum of gold for our services. But we might find neither tournament nor
+merchant caravan. Then there would be trouble and hardship for us, and
+perhaps, at times, an aching void under our belts. I had often
+suffered the like.
+
+Ours, you see, was not to be a flower-strewn journey of tinselled prince
+to embowered princess. Before our return to Styria, Max would probably
+receive what he needed to make a man of him--hard knocks and rough
+blows in the real battle of life. Above all, he would learn to know the
+people of whom this great world is composed, and would return to
+Hapsburg Castle full of all sorts of noxious heresies, to the
+everlasting horror of the duke and the duchess. They probably would
+never forgive me for making a real live man of their son, but I should
+have my reward in Max.
+
+To Max, of course, the future was rosy-hued. Caravans were waiting for
+our protection, and princes were preparing tournaments for our special
+behoof. _We_ want for food to eat or place to lay our heads? Absurd! Our
+purses would soon be so heavy they would burden us; we should soon need
+squires to carry them. If it were not for our desire to remain
+incognito, we might presently collect a retinue and travel with herald
+and banner. But at the end of all was sweet Mary of Burgundy waiting to
+be carried off by Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg.
+
+Just what the boy expected to do in Burgundy, I did not know. For the
+lady's wealth I believe he did not care a straw--he wanted herself. He
+hoped that Charles, for his own peace, would not be too uncivil and
+would not force a desperate person to take extreme measures; but should
+this rash duke be blind to his own interests--well, let him beware! Some
+one _might_ carry off his daughter right from under the ducal nose. Then
+let the Burgundian follow at his peril. Castle Hapsburg would open his
+eyes. He would learn what an impregnable castle really is. If Duke
+Charles thought he could bring his soft-footed Walloons, used only to
+the mud roads of Burgundy, up the stony path to the hawk's crag, why,
+let him try! Harmless boasting is a boy's vent. Max did not really mean
+to boast, he was only wishing; and to a flushed, enthusiastic soul, the
+wish of to-day is apt to look like the fact of to-morrow.
+
+We hoped to find a caravan ready to leave Linz, but we were
+disappointed, so we journeyed by the Danube to the mouth of the Inn, up
+which we went to Muhldorf. There we found a small caravan bound for
+Munich on the Iser. From Munich we travelled with a caravan to Augsburg,
+and thence to Ulm, where we were overjoyed to meet once more our old
+friend, the Danube. Max snatched up a handful of water, kissed it, and
+tossed it back to the river, saying:--"Sweet water, carry my kiss to the
+river Save; there give it to a nymph that you will find waiting, and
+tell her to take it to my dear old mother in far-off Styria."
+
+Do not think that we met with no hard fortune in our journeying. My gold
+was exhausted before we reached Muhldorf, and we often travelled hungry,
+meeting with many lowly adventures. Max at first resented the
+familiarity of strangers, but hunger is one of the factors in
+man-building, and the scales soon began to fall from his eyes. Dignity
+is a good thing to stand on, but a poor thing to travel with, and Max
+soon found it the most cumbersome piece of luggage a knight-errant
+could carry.
+
+Among our misfortunes was the loss of the bundle prepared by the
+duchess, and with it, alas! St. Martin's tooth. Max was so deeply
+troubled by the loss of the tooth that I could not help laughing.
+
+"Karl, I am surprised that you laugh at the loss of my mother's sacred
+relic," said Max, sorrowfully.
+
+I continued to laugh, and said: "We may get another tooth from the first
+barber we meet. It will answer all the purposes of the one you
+have lost."
+
+"Truly, Karl?"
+
+"Truly," I answered. "The tooth was a humbug."
+
+"I have long thought as much," said Max, "but I valued it because my
+mother loved it."
+
+"A good reason, Max," I replied, and the tooth was never afterward
+mentioned.
+
+From Ulm we guarded a caravan to Cannstadt. From that city we hoped to
+go to Strasburg, and thence through Lorraine to Burgundy, but we found
+no caravan bound in that direction. Our sojourn at Cannstadt exhausted
+the money we got for our journeys from Augsburg and Ulm, and we were
+compelled, much against our will, to accept an offer of service with one
+Master Franz, a silk merchant of Basel, who was about to journey
+homeward. His caravan would pass through the Black Forest; perhaps the
+most dangerous country in Europe for travellers.
+
+Knowing the perils ahead of us, I engaged two stout men-at-arms, and
+late in February we started for Basel as bodyguard to good Master Franz.
+Think of the heir of Hapsburg marching in the train of a Swiss merchant!
+Max dared not think of it; he was utterly humiliated!
+
+Our first good fortune at Muhldorf he looked on as the deepest
+degradation a man might endure, but he could not starve, and he would
+not beg. Not once did he even think of returning to Styria, and, in
+truth, he could not have done so had he wished; our bridges were burned
+behind us; our money was spent.
+
+By the time we had finished half our journey to Basel, Max liked the
+life we were leading, and learned to love personal liberty, of which he
+had known so little. Now he could actually do what he wished. He could
+even slap a man on the back and call him "comrade." Of course, if the
+process were reversed,--if any one slapped Max on the back,--well,
+dignity is tender and not to be slapped. On several occasions Max got
+himself into trouble by resenting familiarities, and his difficulties at
+times were ludicrous. Once a fist fight occurred. The heir of Hapsburg
+was actually compelled to fight with his fists. He thrashed the poor
+fellow most terribly, and I believe would have killed him had not I
+stayed his hand. Another time a pretty girl at Augsburg became familiar
+with him, and Max checked her peremptorily. When he grew angry, she
+laughed, and saucily held up her lips for a kiss. Max looked at me in
+half-amused wonder.
+
+"Take it, Max; there is no harm in it," I suggested.
+
+Max found it so, and immediately wanted more, but the girl said too many
+would not be good for him. She promised others later on, if he were
+very, very good. Thus Max was conquered by a kiss at the wayside.
+
+The girl was very pretty, Max was very good, and she helped me
+wonderfully in reducing his superfluous dignity. Her name was Gertrude,
+and we spoke of her afterward as "Gertrude the Conqueror." She was a
+most enticing little individual, and Max learned that persons of low
+degree really may be interesting. That was his first great lesson. I had
+some trouble after leaving Augsburg to keep him from taking too many
+lessons of the same sort.
+
+Our contract with Franz provided that we should receive no compensation
+until after his merchandise had safely reached Basel, but then our
+remuneration was to be large. Max had no doubt as to the safe arrival of
+the caravan at Basel, and he rejoiced at the prospect. I tried to reduce
+the rosy hue of his dreams, but failed. I suggested that we might have
+fighting ahead of us harder than any we had known, though we had given
+and taken some rough knocks on two of our expeditions. Max laughed and
+longed for the fray; he was beginning to live. The fray came quickly
+enough after we reached the Black Forest, and the fight was sufficiently
+warm to suit even enthusiastic Max. He and I were wounded; one of our
+men-at-arms was killed, and Franz's life was saved only by an heroic
+feat of arms on Max's part. The robbers were driven off; we spent a
+fortnight in a near-by monastery, that our wounds might heal, and again
+started for Basel.
+
+During the last week in March we approached Basel. Max had saved the
+merchant's life; we had protected the caravan from robbery; and good
+Franz was grateful. Notwithstanding our sure reward, Max was gloomy. The
+future had lost its rosiness; his wound did not readily heal; Basel was
+half a hundred leagues off our road to Burgundy. Why did we ever come to
+Switzerland? Everything was wrong. But no man knows what good fortune
+may lurk in an evil chance.
+
+At the close of a stormy day we sighted Basel from the top of a hill,
+and soon the lights, one by one, began to twinkle cosily through the
+gloaming. All day long drizzling rain and spitting snow had blown in our
+faces like lance points, driven down the wind straight from the icy
+Alps. We were chilled to the bone; in all my life I have never beheld a
+sight so comforting as the home lights of the quaint old Swiss city.
+
+Franz soon found a wherry and, after crossing the Rhine, we marched
+slowly down the river street, ducking our heads to the blast. Within
+half an hour we passed under a stone archway and found ourselves snug in
+the haven of our merchant's courtyard. Even the sumpter mules rejoiced,
+and gave forth a chorus of brays that did one's heart good. Every tone
+of their voices spoke of the warm stalls, the double feed of oats, and
+the great manger of sweet hay that awaited them. Before going into the
+house Max gave to each mule a stroke of his hand in token of affection.
+Surely this proud automaton of Hapsburg was growing lowly in his tastes.
+In other words, nature had captured his heart and was driving out the
+inherited conventions of twenty generations. Five months of contact with
+the world had wrought a greater cure than I had hoped five years would
+work. I was making a man out of the flesh and blood of a Hapsburg. God
+only knows when the like had happened before.
+
+Max and I were conducted by a demure little Swiss maid to a large room
+on the third floor of the house, overlooking the Rhine. There was no
+luxury, but there was every comfort. There were two beds, each with a
+soft feather mattress, pillows of down, and warm, stuffed coverlets of
+silk. These were not known even in the duke's apartments at Hapsburg
+Castle. There we had tarnished gold cloth and ancient tapestries in
+abundance, but we lacked the little comforts that make life worth
+living. Here Max learned another lesson concerning the people of this
+world. The lowly Swiss merchant's unknown guest slept more comfortably
+than did the Duke of Styria.
+
+When we went down to supper, I could see the effort it cost Max to sit
+at table with these good people. But the struggle was not very great;
+five months before it would have been impossible. At Hapsburg he sat at
+table with his father and mother only; even I had never sat with him in
+the castle. At Basel he was sitting with a burgher and a burgher's frau.
+In Styria he ate boar's meat from battered silver plate and drank sour
+wine from superannuated golden goblets; in Switzerland he ate tender,
+juicy meats and toothsome pastries from stone dishes and drank rich
+Cannstadt beer from leathern mugs. His palate and his stomach jointly
+attacked his brain, and the horrors of life in Hapsburg appeared in
+their true colors.
+
+On the morning of our second day at Basel, Franz invited us to be his
+guests during our sojourn in the city. His house was large, having been
+built to entertain customers who came from great distances to buy
+his silks.
+
+Max and I had expected to leave Basel when our wounds were entirely
+healed, but we changed our minds after I had talked with Franz. The
+conversation that brought about this change occurred one morning while
+the merchant and I were sitting in his shop. He handed me a purse filled
+with gold, saying:--
+
+"Here is twice the sum I agreed to pay. I beg that you accept it since I
+shall still be in your debt."
+
+I knew by the weight of the gold that it was a larger sum than I had
+ever before possessed. I did not like to accept it, but I could not
+bring myself to refuse a thing so important to Max.
+
+"We should not accept this from you, good Franz, but--but--"
+
+"The boy saved my life and my fortune," he interrupted, "and I am really
+ashamed to offer you so small a sum. You should have half of all
+my goods."
+
+I protested and thanked him heartily, not only for his gift, but also
+for his manner of giving. Then I told him of our intended journey to
+Burgundy--of course not mentioning the princess--and asked if he knew of
+any merchant who would soon be travelling that way.
+
+"There are many going down the river from Basel to Strasburg," he
+answered, "and you may easily fall in with one any day. But there will
+soon be an opportunity for you to travel all the way to Burgundy. I
+know the very man for your purpose. He is Master George Castleman of
+Peronne. He comes every spring, if there is peace along the road, to buy
+silks. We now have peace, though I fear it will be of short duration,
+and I am expecting Castleman early this season. He will probably be here
+before the first of May. He is a rich merchant, and was one of the
+councillors of Duke Philip the Good, father to the present Duke of
+Burgundy. Years ago Duke Philip built a house for him abutting the walls
+of Peronne Castle. It is called 'The House under the Wall,' and
+Castleman still lives in it. He refused a title of nobility offered him
+by Duke Philip. He is not out of favor with the present duke, but he
+loves peace too dearly to be of use to the hot-headed, tempestuous
+Charles. Duke Charles, as you know, is really King of Burgundy--the
+richest land on earth. His domain is the envy of every king, but he will
+bring all his grandeur tumbling about his head if he perseveres in his
+present course of violence and greed."
+
+At that moment Max joined us.
+
+"I hear this Duke Charles has no son to inherit his rich domain?" I
+observed interrogatively.
+
+"No," answered Franz. "He has a daughter, the Princess Mary, who will
+inherit Burgundy. She is said to be as gentle as her father is violent.
+Castleman tells me that she is gracious and kind to those beneath her,
+and, in my opinion, that is the true stamp of greatness."
+
+Those were healthful words for Max.
+
+"The really great and good have no need to assert their qualities," I
+answered.
+
+"Castleman often speaks of the princess," said Franz. "He tells me that
+his daughter Antoinette and the Princess Mary have been friends since
+childhood--that is, of course, so far as persons so widely separated by
+birth and station can be friends."
+
+I briefly told Max what Franz had said concerning Castleman, and the
+young fellow was delighted at the prospect of an early start
+for Peronne.
+
+In Max's awakening, the radiance of his ideal may have been dimmed, but
+if so, the words of Franz restored its lustre. If the boy's fancy had
+wandered, it quickly returned to the lady of Burgundy.
+
+I asked Franz if Duke Charles lived at Peronne.
+
+"No, he lives at Ghent," he answered; "but on rare occasions he visits
+Peronne, which is on the French border. Duke Philip once lived there,
+but Charles keeps Peronne only as his watch-tower to overlook his old
+enemy, France. The enmity, I hope, will cease, now that the Princess
+Mary is to marry the Dauphin."
+
+This confirmation of a rumor which I had already heard was anything but
+welcome. However, it sensitized the feeling Max entertained for his
+unknown lady-love, and strengthened his resolution to pursue his
+journey to Burgundy at whatever cost.
+
+I led Franz to speak of Burgundian affairs and he continued:--
+
+"The princess and her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret, live at Peronne.
+They doubtless found life at Ghent with the duke too violent. It is said
+that the duchess is unhappily wedded to the fierce duke, and that the
+unfortunate princess finds little favor in her father's eyes because he
+cannot forgive her the grievous fault of being a girl."
+
+While Franz was talking I was dreaming. A kind providence had led us a
+half-hundred leagues out of our road, through wounds and hardships, to
+Basel; but that quiet city might after all prove to be the open doorway
+to Max's fortune. My air-castle was of this architecture: Max would win
+old Castleman's favor--an easy task. We would journey to Peronne, seek
+Castleman's house, pay court to Antoinette--I prayed she might not be
+too pretty--and--you can easily find your way over the rest of
+my castle.
+
+Within a fortnight Max and I had recovered entirely from our wounds, and
+were abroad each day in the growing warmth of the sunshine. We did not
+often speak of Castleman, but we waited, each day wishing for his
+speedy advent.
+
+At last, one beautiful evening early in May, he arrived. Max and I were
+sitting at our window watching the river, when the little company rode
+up to the door of the merchant's shop. With Castleman were two young
+women hardly more than girls. One of them was a pink and white young
+beauty, rather tall and somewhat stout. Her face, complexion, and hair
+were exquisite, but there was little animation in her expression. The
+other girl had features less regular, perhaps, but she was infinitely
+more attractive. She was small, but beautiful in form; and she sprang
+from her horse with the grace of a kitten. Her face was not so white as
+her companion's, but its color was entrancing. Her expression was
+animated, and her great brown eyes danced like twinkling stars on a
+clear, moonless night.
+
+The young women entered the house, and we saw nothing more of them for
+several days.
+
+When we met Castleman, he gladly engaged our services to Peronne, having
+heard from Franz of our adventures in the Black Forest. We left the
+terms to him, and he suggested a compensation far greater than we should
+have asked. The sum we received from Franz, together with that which we
+should get from Castleman, would place us beyond want for a year to
+come. Surely luck was with us.
+
+After Castleman's arrival our meals were served in our room, and we saw
+little of him or of Franz for a week or more. Twice I saw Castleman ride
+out with the young women, and after that I haunted the front door of
+the house. One bright afternoon I met them as they were about to
+dismount. Castleman was an old man and quite stout, so I helped him from
+his horse. He then turned to the fair girl of pink and white, saying:--
+
+"Antoinette, daughter, this is Sir Karl de Pitti, who will accompany us
+to Peronne."
+
+I made my bow and assisted Fraeulein Antoinette to the ground. The other
+young lady sprang nimbly from her saddle without assistance and waited,
+as I thought, to be presented. Castleman did not offer to present her,
+and she ran to the house, followed by serene Antoinette. I concluded
+that the smaller girl was Fraeulein Castleman's maid. I knew that great
+familiarity between mistress and servant was usual among the
+burgher class.
+
+The smaller girl was certainly attractive, but I did not care for her
+acquaintance. Antoinette was the one in whose eyes I hoped to find
+favor, first for myself and then for Max. By her help I hoped Max might
+be brought to meet the Princess of Burgundy when we should reach
+Peronne. I had little doubt of Max's success in pleasing Antoinette; I
+was not at all anxious that he should please the smaller maid. There was
+a saucy glance in her dark eyes, and a tremulous little smile constantly
+playing about her red, bedimpled mouth, that boded trouble to a
+susceptible masculine heart. Max, with all his simplicity, though not
+susceptible, had about him an impetuosity when his interest was aroused
+of which I had learned to stand in wholesome dread. I was jealous of any
+woman who might disturb his dreams of Mary of Burgundy, and this little
+maid was surely attractive enough to turn any man's head her way if she
+so desired.
+
+Later in the afternoon I saw Fraeulein Antoinette in the shop looking at
+silks and laces. Hoping to improve the opportunity, I approached her,
+and was received with a serene and gracious smile. Near Antoinette were
+the saucy brown eyes and the bedimpled mouth. Truly they were
+exquisitely beautiful in combination, and, old as I was, I could not
+keep my eyes from them. The eyes and dimples came quickly to Antoinette,
+who presented me to her "Cousin Fraeulein Yolanda Castleman." Fraeulein
+Yolanda bowed with a grace one would not expect to find in a burgher
+girl, and said with the condescension of a princess:--
+
+"Sir Karl, you pleasure me."
+
+I was not prepared for her manner. She probably was _not_ Antoinette's
+maid. A pause followed my presentation which might have been meant by
+the brown-eyed maid as permission to withdraw. But I was for having
+further words with Antoinette. She, however, stepped back from her
+cousin, and, if I was to remain, I must speak to my lady Fraeulein
+Yolanda Castleman or remain silent, so I asked,--
+
+"Do you reside in Basel, Fraeulein?"
+
+"No, no," she replied, with no touch of bourgeois confusion, "I am a
+Burgundian. Uncle Castleman, after promising Twonette" (I spell the name
+as she pronounced it) "and me for years, has brought us on this long
+journey into the world. I am enjoying it more than any one can know, but
+poor uncle lives in dread of the journey home. He upbraids himself for
+having brought us and declares that if he but had us home again, nothing
+could induce him to start out with such a cargo of merchandise."
+
+"Well he may be fearful," I answered. "Where one's greatest treasure is,
+there is his greatest fear, but peace reigns on the road to Burgundy,
+and I hope your good uncle's fears are without ground save in his love."
+
+"I hear you are to accompany us, and of course we shall be safe," she
+said, the shadow of a smile playing suspiciously about her mouth and
+dancing in her eyes.
+
+"Yes, I am to have that great _honor_," I replied, bowing very low. I,
+too, could be sarcastic.
+
+"Does the--will the--the gentleman who is with you accompany us?" asked
+Fraeulein Yolanda. So! These maidens of Burgundy had already seen my
+handsome Max! This one would surely be tempting him with her eyes and
+her irresistible little smile.
+
+"Yolanda!" exclaimed serene Twonette. Yolanda gave no heed.
+
+"Yes, Fraeulein," I responded. "He goes with us. Do you live in Peronne?"
+
+"Y-e-s," she replied hesitatingly. "Where is your home and your
+friend's?"
+
+"Yolanda!" again came in tones of mild remonstrance from Fraeulein
+Antoinette. The dimples again ignored the warning and waited for
+my answer.
+
+"We have no home at present save the broad earth, Fraeulein," I
+responded.
+
+"You cannot occupy it all," she retorted, looking roguishly up to me.
+
+"No," I responded, "we are occupying this part of the earth at present,
+but we hope soon to occupy Burgundy."
+
+"Please leave a small patch of that fair land for Twonette and me," she
+answered, in mock entreaty. After a short pause she continued:--
+
+"It seems easier for you to ask questions than to answer them."
+
+"Fraeulein," I responded, "your question is not easily answered. I was
+born in Italy. I lived for many years in the East, and--"
+
+"I did not ask for your biography," she said, interrupting me. I did not
+notice the interruption, but continued:--
+
+"I spent six years in your fair land of Burgundy. My mother was a
+Walloon. I dearly love her people, and hope that my home may soon be
+among them."
+
+The girl's face had been slightly clouded, but when I spoke lovingly of
+the Walloons, the dimples again played around her mouth and a smile
+brightened her eyes.
+
+"I also am a Walloon," she answered; "and your friend? He surely is not
+Italian: he is too fair."
+
+"The Lombards are fair," I answered, "and the Guelphs, you know, are of
+Lombardy. You may have heard of the Houses of Guelph and of Pitti."
+
+"I have often heard of them," she answered; then, after a short
+silence,--"I fear I have asked too many questions." A gentle, apologetic
+smile lighted her face and won me instantly. I liked her as much as I
+admired her. I knew that she wanted me to speak of Max, so to please her
+I continued, even against my inclination:--
+
+"My young friend, Sir Maximilian du Guelph, wanted to see the world. We
+are very poor, Fraeulein, and if we would travel, we must make our way as
+we go. We have just come from Ulm and Cannstadt, passing through the
+Black Forest. Sir Max saved the life of our host, and in so doing was
+grievously wounded. Good Master Franz rewarded us far beyond our
+deserts, and for the time being we think we are rich."
+
+"The name Maximilian is not Italian," observed Yolanda. "It has an
+Austrian sound."
+
+"That is true," I responded. "My name, Karl, is German. Few names
+nowadays keep to their own country. Your name, Yolanda, for example,
+is Italian."
+
+"Is that true?" she answered inquiringly, taking up a piece of lace. I
+saw that the interview was closing. After a moment's hesitation Yolanda
+turned quickly to me and said:--
+
+"You and your friend may sup with us this evening in the dining room of
+our hostess. We take supper at five."
+
+The invitation was given with all the condescension of a noble lady.
+Twonette ventured:--
+
+"What will father say, Yolanda?"
+
+"I can guess what uncle will say, but we will give him his say and take
+our own way. Nonsense, Twonette, if we are to journey to Peronne with
+these gentlemen, our acquaintance with them cannot begin too soon. Come,
+Sir Karl, and--and bring your young friend, Sir Maximilian."
+
+It was clear to my mind that, without my young friend, Sir Maximilian, I
+should not have had the invitation. Yolanda then turned to Franz and his
+silks, and I, who had always thought myself of some importance, was
+dismissed by a burgher girl. I soothed my vanity with the thought that
+beauty has its own prerogatives.
+
+Without being little, Yolanda was small; without nobility, she had the
+_haute_ mien. But over and above all she had a sweet charm of manner, a
+saucy gentleness, and a kindly grace that made her irresistible. When
+she smiled, one felt like thanking God for the benediction.
+
+That evening at five o'clock Max and I supped with Frau Franz. The good
+frau and her husband sat at either end of the table, Castleman, his
+daughter, and Yolanda occupied one side, while I sat by Max opposite
+them. If Castleman had offered objection to the arrangement, he had
+been silenced.
+
+I was especially anxious that Max should devote himself to Twonette,
+but, as I had expected, Yolanda's attractions were far too great to be
+resisted. There was a slight Walloon accent in her French and German (we
+all spoke both languages) that gave to her voice an exquisite cadence. I
+spoke to her in Walloonish, and she was so pleased that she seemed to
+nestle toward me. In the midst of an animated conversation she suddenly
+became silent, and I saw her watching Max's hand. I thought she was
+looking at his ring. It was the one that Mary of Burgundy had given him.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+YOLANDA THE SORCERESS
+
+Several days passed, during which we saw the Castlemans frequently. One
+evening after supper, when we were all sitting in the parlor, Yolanda
+enticed Max to an adjoining room, on the excuse of showing him an
+ancient piece of tapestry. When it had been examined, she seated herself
+on a window bench and indicated a chair for Max near by. Among much that
+was said I quote the following from memory, as Max told me afterward:--
+
+"So you are from Italy, Sir Max?" queried Yolanda, stealing a glance at
+his ring.
+
+"Yes," returned Max.
+
+"From what part, may I ask?" continued the girl, with a slight
+inclination of her head to one side and a flash from beneath the
+preposterously long lashes toward his hand.
+
+"From--from Rome," stammered Max, halting at even so small a lie.
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl said you were from Lombardy," answered the girl.
+
+"Well--that is--originally, perhaps, I was," he returned.
+
+"Perhaps your family lives in both places?" she asked very seriously.
+
+"Yes, that is the way of it," he responded.
+
+"Were you born in both places?" asked Yolanda, without the shadow of a
+smile. Max was thinking of the little lie he was telling and did not
+analyze her question.
+
+"No," he answered, in simple honesty, "you see I could not be born in
+two places. That would be impossible."
+
+"Perhaps it would be," replied Yolanda, with perfect gravity. Max was
+five years her senior, but he was a boy, while she had the self-command
+of a quick-witted woman, though she still retained the saucy
+impertinence of childhood. Slow-going, guileless Max began to suspect a
+lurking intention on Yolanda's part to quiz him.
+
+"Did not Sir Karl say something about your having been born in Styria?"
+asked the girl, glancing slyly at the ring.
+
+"No, he did not," answered Max, emphatically. "I suppose I was born in
+Rome--no, I mean Lombardy--but it cannot matter much to you, Fraeulein,
+where I was born if I do not wish to tell."
+
+The direct course was as natural to Max as breathing. The girl was
+startled by his abruptness. After a pause she continued:--
+
+"I am sure you are not ashamed of your birthplace, and--"
+
+He interrupted her sharply:--
+
+"I also am sure I am not ashamed of it."
+
+"If you had permitted me to finish," she said quietly, "you would have
+had no need to speak so sharply. I spoke seriously. I wanted to say that
+I am sure you have no reason to feel ashamed of your birthplace, and
+that perhaps I ought not to have asked a question that you evidently do
+not want to answer. Uncle says if my curiosity were taken from me, there
+would be nothing left but my toes."
+
+Her contrition melted Max at once, and he said:--
+
+I will gladly tell you, Fraeulein, if you want to know. I was born--"
+
+"No, no," she interrupted, "you shall not tell me. I will leave you at
+once and see you no more if you do. Besides, there is no need to tell
+me; I already know. I am a sorceress, a witch. I regret to make the
+confession, but it is true; I am a witch."
+
+"I believe you are," answered Max, looking at her admiringly and seating
+himself beside her on the window bench. He had learned from Gertrude of
+Augsburg and many other burgher girls that certain pleasantries were
+more objectionable to them in theory than in practice; but this burgher
+girl rose to her feet at his approach and seemed to grow a head taller
+in an instant. He quietly took his old place and she took hers. She
+continued as if unconscious of what had happened:--
+
+"Yes, I am a sorceress." Then she drew her face close to Max, and,
+gazing fixedly into his eyes, said solemnly:--
+
+"I can look into a person's eyes and know if they are telling me the
+truth. I can tell their fortunes--past, present, and future. I can tell
+them where they were born. I can tell them the history of anything of
+value they have. Their jewellery, their--"
+
+"Tell me any one of those things concerning myself," interrupted Max,
+suddenly alive with interest.
+
+"No, it is too great a strain upon me," answered the girl, with amusing
+gravity.
+
+"I entreat you," said Max, laughing, though deeply interested. "I
+believe you can do what you say. I beg you to show me your skill in only
+one instance."
+
+The girl gently refused, begging Max not to tempt her.
+
+"No, no, I cannot," she said, "good Father Brantome has told me it is
+sinful. I must not."
+
+Half in jest but all in earnest, Max begged her to try; and, after a
+great deal of coaxing, she reluctantly consented to give a very small
+exhibition of her powers. Covering her face with her hands, she remained
+for the space of a minute as if in deep thought. Then, making a series
+of graceful and fantastic passes in the air with her hands, as if
+invoking a familiar spirit, she said in low, solemn tones:--
+
+"You may now sit by me, Sir Max. My words must not be heard by any ears
+save yours."
+
+Max seated himself beside the girl.
+
+"Give me your word that you will tell no one what I am about to do and
+say," she said.
+
+"I so promise," answered Max, beginning to feel that the situation was
+almost uncanny.
+
+"Now, place in my hand some jewel or valued article of which I may
+speak," she said.
+
+Excepting his sword and dagger, Max owned but one article of value--the
+ring Mary of Burgundy had given him. He hesitatingly drew it from his
+finger and placed it in the girl's hand. She examined it carefully,
+and said:--
+
+"Now, give me your hand, Sir Max." Her hand was not much larger than a
+big snowflake in early spring, Max thought, and it was completely lost
+to sight when his great fingers closed over it. The velvety softness of
+the little hand sent a thrill through his veins, and the firm,
+unyielding strength of his clasp was a new, delicious sensation to the
+girl. Startled by it, she made a feeble effort to withdraw her hand; but
+Max clasped it firmly, and she surrendered. After a short silence she
+placed the ring to her forehead, closed her eyes, and drew her face so
+near to Max that he felt her warm breath on his cheek. Max was learning
+a new lesson in life--the greatest of all. She spoke in soft whispers,
+slowly dropping her words one by one in sepulchral tones:--
+
+"What--do--I see--surely I am wrong. No--I see clearly--a lady--a great
+lady--a princess. She smiles upon a man. He is tall and young. His face
+is fair; his hair falls in long, bright curls like yours. She gives him
+this ring; she asks him to be her husband--no--surely a modest maiden
+would not do that." She stopped suddenly, snatched her hand from Max,
+returned the ring and cried, "No more, no more!"
+
+She tossed her hands in the air, as if to drive off the spirits, and
+without another word ran to the parlor laughing, and threw herself on
+Uncle Castleman's knee. Max slowly made the sign of the cross and
+followed the little enchantress. She had most effectually imposed on
+him. He was inclined to believe that she had seen the ring or had heard
+of it in Burgundy before the princess sent it; but Yolanda could have
+been little more than a child at that time--three years before. Perhaps
+she was hardly past fourteen, and one of her class would certainly not
+be apt to know of the ring that had been sent by the princess. She might
+have received her information from Twonette, who, Franz said, was
+acquainted with Mary of Burgundy; but even had Yolanda heard of the
+ring, the fact would not have helped her to know it.
+
+After our first evening with the Castlemans we got on famously
+together. True, Max and I felt that we were making great concessions,
+and I do not doubt that we showed it in many unconscious words and acts.
+This certainly was true of Max; but Yolanda's unfailing laughter, though
+at times it was provoking, soon brought him to see that too great a
+sense of dignity was at times ridiculous. He could not, however, always
+forget that he was a Hapsburg while she was a burgher girl, and his good
+memory got him many a keen little thrust from her saucy tongue. If Max
+resented her sauciness, she ran away from him with the full knowledge
+that he would miss her. She was much surer that she pleased and
+delighted him than he was that he pleased her, though of the latter fact
+she left, in truth, little room for doubt.
+
+Max was very happy. He had never before known a playmate. But here in
+Basel the good Franz and his frau, Yolanda, Twonette, fat old Castleman,
+and myself were all boys and girls together, snatching the joys of life
+fresh from the soil of mother earth, close to which we lived in rustic
+simplicity.
+
+Since we had left Styria, our life, with all its hardships, had been a
+delight to Max, but it was also a series of constantly repeated shocks.
+If the shocks came too rapidly and too hard, he solaced his bruised
+dignity with the thought that those who were unduly familiar with him
+did not know that he was the heir of the House of Hapsburg. So day by
+day he grew to enjoy the nestling comfort of a near-by friend. This, I
+grieve to say, was too plainly seen in his relations with Yolanda, for
+she unquestionably nestled toward him. She made no effort to conceal her
+delight in his companionship, though she most adroitly kept him at a
+proper distance. If she observed a growing confidence in Max, she
+quickly nipped it by showing him that she enjoyed my companionship or
+that of old Franz just as much. On such occasions Max's dignity and
+vanity required balm.
+
+"Oh, Karl," he said to me one evening while we were preparing for bed,
+"it seems to me I have just wakened to life, or have just got out of
+prison. No man can be happy on a pinnacle above the intimate friendships
+of his fellow-man and--and woman."
+
+"Yes, 'and woman.' Well put, Max," said I.
+
+Max did not notice my insinuation, but continued:--
+
+"I have lived longer since knowing these lowly friends than in all the
+years of my life in Styria. Karl, you have spoiled a good, stiff-jointed
+Hapsburg, but you have made a man. If nothing more comes of this journey
+into the world than I have already had, I am your debtor for life. What
+would my dear old father and mother say if they should see me and know
+the life I am leading? In their eyes I should be disgraced--covered
+with shame."
+
+"When you go back to Hapsburg," I said, "you can again take up your
+old, petrified existence and eat your husks of daily adulation. You will
+soon again find satisfaction in the bended knee, and will insist that
+those who approach you bow deferentially to your ancestors."
+
+"I shall, of course, return to Hapsburg," he said. "It is my fate, and
+no man can change the destiny to which he was born. I must also endure
+the bowing and the adulation. Men shall honor my ancestors and respect
+in me their descendant, but I shall never again be without friends if it
+be in my power to possess them. As I have said, that is difficult for
+one placed above his fellow-man."
+
+"There is the trouble with men of your degree," I answered. "Friends are
+not like castles, cities, and courtly servitors. Those, indeed, one may
+really own; but we possess our friends only as they possess us. Like a
+mirror, a friend gives us only what we ourselves give. No king is great
+enough to produce his own image unless he stands before the glass."
+
+"Teach me, Karl, to stand before the glass," said Max, plaintively.
+
+"You are before it now, my dear boy," I answered. "These new friends are
+giving you only what you give them. With me, you have always been before
+the glass."
+
+"That has been true," said Max, "ever since the first day you entered
+Hapsburg. Do you remember? I climbed on your knee and said, 'You have a
+big, ugly nose!' Mother admonished me, and I quickly made amends by
+saying, 'But I like you.'"
+
+"I well remember, Max," I responded. "That day was one of mutual
+conquest. That is the prime condition of friendship: mutual conquest and
+mutual surrender. But you must have other friends than me. You see I am
+not jealous. You must have friends of your own age."
+
+"I now realize why I have hungered all my life," said Max, "though I
+have never before known: I longed for friends. Is it not strange that I
+should find them among these low-born people? It surely cannot be wrong
+for me to live as I do, though father and mother would doubtless deem it
+criminal."
+
+"These good burgher folk are making you better and broader and
+stronger," I answered. "But there is one thing I want to suggest: you
+are devoting too much of your time to the brown-eyed little maid. You
+must seek favor with Twonette. She is harmless, and through her you may,
+by some freak of fortune, reach the goal of your desires. With the
+prestige of your family and the riches of Burgundy, you may become the
+most powerful man in the world, save the Pope."
+
+"Perhaps Fraeulein Yolanda is also acquainted with the Princess Mary,"
+responded Max, half reluctantly speaking Mary's name.
+
+"No," I answered, "she is not." I asked her if she were. She laughed at
+the suggestion, and said: 'Oh, no, no, the princess is a very proud
+person and very exclusive. She knows but one burgher girl in Peronne, I
+am told. That one is Twonette, and I believe she treats her most
+ungraciously at times. I would not endure her snubs and haughty ways as
+Twonette does. I seek the friendship of no princess. Girls of my own
+class are good enough for me. "Twonette, fetch me a cup of wine."
+"Twonette, thread my needle." "Twonette, you are fat and lazy and sleep
+too much." "Twonette, stand up." "Twonette, sit down." Faugh! I tell you
+I want none of these princesses, no, not one of them. I hate princesses,
+and I tell you I doubly hate this--this--' She did not say whom she
+doubly hated. She is a forward little witch, Max. She laughed merrily at
+my questions concerning the princess, and asked me if we were going to
+Burgundy to storm Mary's heart. 'Who is to win her?' she asked. 'You,
+Sir Karl, or Sir Max? It must be you. Sir Max is too slow and dignified
+even to think of scaling the walls of a maiden fortress. It must be you,
+Sir Karl.' The saucy little elf rose from her chair, bowed low before me
+and said, 'I do liege homage to the future Duke of Burgundy.' Then she
+danced across the room, laughing at my discomfiture. She is charming,
+Max, but remember Gertrude the Conqueror! Such trifling affairs are well
+enough to teach a man the a-b-c of life but one with your destiny ahead
+of him must not remain too long in his alphabet. Such affairs are for
+boys, Max, for boys."
+
+"Do not fear for me, Karl," answered Max, laughingly. "We are not apt to
+take hurt from dangers we see."
+
+"Do you clearly see the danger?" I suggested.
+
+"I clearly see," he responded. "I admire Fraeulein Yolanda as I have
+never admired any other woman. I respect her as if she were a princess;
+but one of the penalties of my birth is that I may not think of her nor
+of one of her class. She is not for me; she is a burgher maiden--out of
+my reach. For that reason I feel that I should respect her."
+
+The attitude of Max toward Yolanda was a real triumph of skill and
+adroitness over inherited convictions and false education. She had
+brought him from condescension to deference solely by the magic of her
+art. Or am I wrong? Was it her artlessness? Perhaps it was her artful
+artlessness, since every girl-baby is born with a modicum of that
+dangerous quality.
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Karl," added Max. "I may underrate the power of
+this girl. As you have said, she is a little witch. But beneath her
+laughter there is a rare show of tenderness and strength, which at
+times seems pathetic and almost elfin. You are right, Karl. I will
+devote myself to Twonette hereafter. She is like a feather-bed in that
+she cannot be injured by a blow, neither can she give one; but
+Yolanda--ah, Karl, she is like a priceless jewel that may be shattered
+by a blow and may blind one by its radiance."
+
+But Max's devotion to Twonette was a failure. She was certainly willing,
+but Yolanda would have none of it, and with no equivocation gave every
+one to understand as much. Still, she held Max at a respectful distance.
+In fact, this Yolanda handled us all as a juggler tosses his balls. Max
+must not be too attentive to her, and he must not be at all attentive to
+Twonette. In this arrangement Twonette acquiesced. She would not dare to
+lift her eyes to one upon whom Yolanda was looking!
+
+Here was illustrated the complete supremacy of mind over matter.
+Castleman, Twonette, Franz and his frau, Max and I, all danced when the
+tiny white hand of Yolanda pulled the strings. A kiss or a saucy nod for
+Castleman or Twonette, a smile or a frown for Max and me, were the
+instruments wherewith she worked. Deftly she turned each situation as
+she desired. Max made frequent efforts to obtain a private moment with
+her, that he might ask a few questions concerning her wonderful
+knowledge of his ring--they had been burning him since the night of her
+sorcery--but, though she knew quite well his desire to question her, she
+gave him no opportunity.
+
+During the time that Castleman was buying his silks, the members of our
+little party grew rapidly in friendship. In culture, education, and
+refinement, the Castlemans were far above any burghers I had ever known.
+Franz and his wife, though good, simple people, were not at all in
+Castleman's class. They felt their inferiority, and did not go abroad
+with us, though we supped daily with them. Each evening supper was a
+little fete followed by a romp of amusement, songs, and childish games
+in the frau's great parlor.
+
+The Castlemans, Max, and I made several excursions into the mountains.
+Yolanda and Twonette were in ecstasy at the mountain views, which were
+so vividly in contrast with the lowlands of Burgundy.
+
+"These mountains are beautiful," said patriotic Yolanda, "but our
+lowlands raise bread to feed the hungry."
+
+On one occasion we rode to the Falls of Schaffhausen, and often we were
+out upon the river. During these expeditions Yolanda adroitly kept our
+little party together, and Max could have no private word with her.
+
+I had never been so happy as I was during the fortnight at Basel while
+Castleman was buying silk. I was almost a child again; my fifty odd
+years seemed to fall from me as an eagle sheds his plumes in spring. We
+were all happy and merry as a May-day, and our joyousness was woven from
+the warp and woof of Yolanda's gentle, laughing nature. Without her, our
+life would have been comfortable but commonplace.
+
+During all this time Max pondered in vain upon the remarkable manner in
+which Yolanda had divined the secret of his ring. He longed to question
+her, but she would not be questioned until she was ready to answer.
+
+On a certain morning near the close of our sojourn in Basel, Max, after
+many elephantine manoeuvres, obtained Yolanda's promise to walk out with
+him to a near-by hill in the afternoon. It was a Sabbath day, and every
+burgher maiden in Basel that boasted a sweetheart would be abroad with
+him in the sunshine. Max could not help feeling that it was most
+condescending in him, a prince, to walk out with Yolanda, a burgher
+maiden. Should any one from Styria meet him, he would certainly sink
+into the ground, though in a certain way the girl's reluctance seemed to
+place the condescension with her.
+
+After dinner, which we all took together that day, she put him off with
+excuses until drowsy Uncle Castleman had taken himself off for a nap.
+Then Yolanda quickly said:--
+
+"Fetch me my hood, Twonette. I shall not need a cloak. I am going to
+walk out with Sir Max."
+
+Twonette instantly obeyed, as if she were a tire-woman to a princess,
+and soon returned wearing her own hood and carrying Yolanda's.
+
+"Ah, but you are not to come with us," said Yolanda. She was ready to
+give Max the opportunity he desired, and would give it generously.
+
+"But--but what will father say?" asked Twonette, uneasily.
+
+"We shall learn what he says when we return. No need to worry about that
+now," answered Yolanda. Twonette took off her hood.
+
+Max and Yolanda climbed the hill, and, after a little demurring on the
+girl's part, sat down on a shelving rock at a point where the river view
+was beautiful. As usual, Yolanda managed the conversation to suit
+herself, but after a short time she permitted Max to introduce the
+subject on which he wished to talk.
+
+"Will you tell me, Fraeulein," he asked, "how you were enabled to know
+the history of my ring? I cannot believe you are what you said--a
+sorceress--a witch."
+
+"No, no," she answered laughingly, "I am not a sorceress."
+
+"You almost made me believe you were," said Max, "but I am slow of wit,
+as you have doubtless observed. I told Sir Karl you said you were a
+sorceress, and he said--"
+
+"You gave me your word you would not tell!" exclaimed Yolanda.
+
+"Neither did I tell aught save that you said you were a sorceress. He
+laughed and said--"
+
+"Yes, yes, what did he say?" eagerly queried the girl.
+
+"He said--I am sure you will not take amiss what he said?" responded
+Max.
+
+"No, no, indeed no! Tell me," she demanded eagerly.
+
+"He said you were a witch, if brown eyes, dimpling smiles, and girlish
+beauty could make one," answered Max.
+
+"Ah, did he say that of me?" asked the girl, musingly. After a pause she
+continued, "That was kind in Sir Karl and--and evidently sincere." After
+another pause devoted to revery she said: "Perhaps I shall be his friend
+sometime in a manner he little expects. Even the friendship of a
+helpless burgher girl is not to be despised. But he is wrong. I am not
+beautiful," she poutingly continued. "Now let us examine my face." She
+laughed, and settled herself contentedly upon the stone, as if to take
+up a serious discussion. "I often do so in the mirror. Vain? Of course
+I am!"
+
+"I am only too willing to examine it," said Max, laughingly.
+
+"My mouth," she said, pursing her lips and lifting her face temptingly
+for his inspection, "my mouth is--"
+
+"Perfect," interrupted Max.
+
+She looked surprised and said, "Ah, that was nicely spoken, Little Max,
+and quickly, for you."
+
+"'Little Max'!" exclaimed the young man. "Where heard you that name? No
+one save my mother has ever used it; no one but Karl and my father has
+ever heard her speak the words. Did Karl tell you of it?"
+
+"Karl did not tell me," she responded, "and I never heard any one speak
+the name. The name fits you so well--by contraries--that it came to me,
+perhaps, by inspiration."
+
+"That hardly seems possible," returned Max, "and your knowledge of how I
+received the ring is more than remarkable."
+
+"Let us talk about my face," said the girl, full of the spirit of
+mischief, and wishing to put off the discussion of the ring. "Now, my
+eyes, of which Sir Karl spoke so kindly, are--"
+
+"The most wonderful in the world," interrupted Max. "They are brilliant
+as priceless jewels, fathomless as deep water, gentle and tender as--"
+
+"There, there, Little Max," she cried, checking with a gesture his flow
+of unexpected eloquence. "I declare! you are not so slow as you seem. I
+will tell you just how much of a sorceress I am. I thought to flatter
+you by saying a great lady had given you the ring, and lo, I was right
+unless you are adroitly leading me to believe in my own sorcery. Is she
+a great lady? Come, tell me the story."
+
+She unconsciously moved nearer to him with an air of pleasant
+anticipation.
+
+"Yes, it was a great lady, a very great lady who gave me the ring," he
+said most seriously.
+
+"And was I right in my other divination?" she asked, looking down and
+flushing slightly. "Did--did she wish to marry you? But you need not
+answer that question."
+
+"I will gladly answer it," returned Max, leaning forward, resting his
+elbow on his knees and looking at the ground between his feet. "I hoped
+she did. I--I longed for it."
+
+"Perhaps she possessed vast estates?" asked the girl, a slight frown
+gathering on her brow.
+
+"Yes, she possessed vast estates," said Max, "but I would gladly have
+taken her penniless save for the fact that I am very poor, and that she
+would suffer for the lack of luxuries she has always known."
+
+"But how could the lady have felt sure you were not seeking her for the
+sake of her estates?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"She could not know," answered Max. "But I sought her for her own sake
+and for no other reason."
+
+"What manner of person was she?" asked Yolanda. "Was she dark or light,
+short or tall, plain of feature or beautiful, amiable of temper or
+vixenish? Was she like any one you have ever seen?"
+
+She spoke in deep earnest and looked eagerly up to his face.
+
+"She was beautiful of feature," answered Max. "Her eyes and her hair
+were dark as yours are. She was short of stature, I have been told."
+
+Yolanda laughed merrily: "I declare, Sir Max, you were in love with a
+lady you had never seen. It was her estate you loved."
+
+"No, no," said Max, earnestly. "I ardently desired--"
+
+"Perhaps if you were to see her, your enthusiasm would vanish," said
+Yolanda, interrupting him almost sharply. "My magic tells me she is a
+squat little creature, with a wizened face; her eyes are sharp and
+black, and her nose is a-peak, not unlike mine. That, she is sour and
+peevish of temper, as I am, there can be no doubt. And, although she be
+great and rich as the Princess of Burgundy, I warrant you she is not one
+whit handsomer nor kinder in disposition than I."
+
+Max started on hearing Mary of Burgundy's name, but quickly recovering
+himself said:--
+
+"I would not wish her better than you in any respect. You wrong both
+yourself and the lady to speak as you do. Those who know her say the
+lady has not her like in all the world."
+
+A soft light came to Yolanda's face as he spoke, and she answered
+slowly:--
+
+"Doubtless the lady had like news of you, and is curious to know what
+manner of man you are. She too may have dreamed of an ideal."
+
+"How do you know she has never seen me?" asked Max, who had not fully
+caught her reply when she spoke of the fact that he had never seen the
+lady of the ring. "I shall surely come to believe you are a sorceress."
+
+"No, I am not," she answered emphatically. "You shall carry that jest no
+further. A moment since you said those who know her say so and so, and
+you believed she was short of stature. Had you ever seen the lady, you
+would know if she were tall or short. You would not be in doubt upon so
+important a matter as the stature of your lady-love."
+
+The reasoning and the reasoner were so irresistible that Max was easily
+satisfied.
+
+"But you have spoken of the lady as in the past. I hope she is not
+dead?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"No," answered Max, gravely, "our fathers did not agree. That is, her
+father was not satisfied, and it all came to nothing save a--a
+heartache for me."
+
+It was well that Max was looking at the ground when she turned the soft
+radiance of her eyes upon him, else he might have learned too much. His
+modesty and honesty in admitting frankly that the lady's father was not
+satisfied with the match pleased her and she sat in silence, smiling
+contentedly. After a time she turned almost fiercely upon him:--
+
+"Do you know what I should do, Sir Max, were I in your place?"
+
+"What would you do, Fraeulein?" queried Max.
+
+"I would show the lady that I was worthy of her by winning her, even
+though she were on a throne, guarded by a thousand dragons. I am a
+woman, Sir Max, and I know a woman's heart. The heart of a princess is
+first the heart of a woman. Be sure the lady will thank you and will
+reward you if you fight your way to her and carry her off against all
+the world."
+
+"But how is that to be done, Fraeulein?" asked Max, carelessly. In truth,
+Mary of Burgundy was not uppermost in his heart at that moment.
+
+"That is for a man to say and for a man to do," she responded. "A woman
+knows only how to wait and to long for one who, alas! may never come.
+She will wait for you, Sir Max, and when you come to her, she will place
+her hand in yours and go with you wherever you wish to take her. Of
+this, at least, my powers of sorcery are sufficient to assure you. Do
+not fear! do not fear!"
+
+She spoke earnestly, as if from the depths of a personal experience. Her
+eyes glowed with the light of excitement and her face was radiant. Max
+turned to her and saw all this beauty. Then he gently took her hand and
+said huskily:--
+
+"If I thought she were like you, Fraeulein, I would gladly go to the end
+of the world to win from her even one smile."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, withdrawing her hand, "we must have no
+more such speeches from you. They are wrong coming from one of your
+degree to a burgher girl of Peronne, if she be an honest girl. Our
+stations are too far apart."
+
+"That is true, Fraeulein," answered Max, sorrowfully, "but I mean no
+disrespect. I honor you as if you were a princess"--here his tones took
+energy and emphasis--"but I meant what I said, Fraeulein, I meant what I
+said, and though I shall never say it again, I know that I shall mean it
+all the days of my life."
+
+The expression in her eyes as she looked up at him was one of mingled
+pleasure and amusement. It seemed to say, "Do not be too sure that you
+will never say it again," but she said nothing. After a moment she
+suggested:--
+
+"Shall we return, Sir Max?" They rose, and as they started back to Basel
+he remarked:--
+
+"The words 'Little Max' on your lips sounded sweet to me, Fraeulein.
+They bring home to me the voice of my mother, and though I should not
+care to hear another speak them, still, the words are very pretty on
+your lips, and I like them."
+
+Yolanda glanced quickly up to him with radiant eyes. He caught the
+glance, and the last vestige of his ideal, Mary of Burgundy, left his
+heart, driven out by the very real little enchantress that walked by
+his side.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+DOWN THE RHINE TO BURGUNDY
+
+Notwithstanding the idle, happy life we were leading, I was anxious to
+begin our journey to Burgundy. Just what would--or could--happen when we
+should reach that land of promise--perhaps I should say of no promise--I
+did not know. I hoped that by some happy turn of fortune--perhaps
+through Twonette's help--Max might be brought to meet Mary of Burgundy.
+I had all faith in his ability to please her, or any woman, but what
+advantage he could gain by winning her regard I could not guess. The
+lady's personal preference would cut no figure in the choosing of a
+husband. Her father would do that for her, and she would be powerless
+against the will of a man whose chief impulses were those of a mad bull.
+This arrogant duke, without so much as a formal withdrawal, had ignored
+Duke Frederick's acceptance and had contracted his daughter's hand to
+the Dauphin of France, who was a puny, weak-minded boy of fourteen.
+
+Should Max and I go to Burgundy and say to Charles, "This is Maximilian
+of Styria, to whom you offered your daughter in marriage," his answer
+might be a sword thrust. Should the duke learn of our unbidden presence
+in his domain, his love for making enemies would probably bring us into
+trouble. Therefore, though I ardently wished to begin the journey, I had
+no real cause to hope for good results, though there were many reasons
+to fear the outcome of our adventures.
+
+One may well ask why I continued in a course so dangerous. My answer is:
+A man travels the road of his destiny. The Fates sometimes hunt out a
+man for their purposes and snatch him from his hiding-place in the
+by-ways, but they usually choose from the scenes of great events their
+victims or their favorites. The man who fears to be their victim is
+seldom chosen for their favorite. I should rather be their victim than
+be overlooked; and what I should have chosen for myself I desired for
+Max. I had no future save in him; I had been overlooked in the by-ways.
+
+At the time of our journeying all Europe turned on a Burgundian pivot,
+and the Fates were busy in that land. It was the stage of the world, on
+which the strong, the great, and the enterprising of mankind were
+playing; and I hoped that Max, who was strong and enterprising, would
+find his part in this Burgundian drama. I was willing to risk
+sacrificing him, though he was dearer to me than the blood of my heart,
+if I might stand even a small chance to make him great.
+
+At strange variance with my philosophy, I had faith in Max's luck. It
+was more than faith; it was a fixed, intuitive conviction that he would
+win. For these reasons, all growing out of what I felt rather than what
+I reasoned, we continued our dangerous and apparently useless journey.
+When a man feels himself led by an unseen hand, he should gladly follow.
+There is an intuition that is better than reason.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One bright morning in May we began our journey down the Rhine. My fears
+had no place in Max's heart, and his self-confidence was to me a
+harbinger of good fortune. A man may do anything that he knows he can
+do; failure never disappoints him who expects it.
+
+We left Basel by the west gate and took the road for Strasburg, leading
+down the west bank of the Rhine. That was not the most direct route to
+Peronne, but it was the safest because of the numerous river towns
+wherein we might lie safely by night. The robber barons whom we had to
+fear along the river were at least not pilfering vagabonds, such as we
+should meet across country. Against the open attack of a brave foe we
+felt that we could make a good defence. Our fighting force consisted of
+Max, myself, and two lusty squires. We had also a half-score of men who
+led the sumpter mules.
+
+Castleman had purchased two beautiful chargers in Basel, pretending that
+he wished to take them to Peronne for sale. He asked Max to ride one and
+offered the other for my use. I was sure that his only reason for buying
+the horses was his desire to present them to us, which he afterward did.
+Max named his charger "Night," because of its spotless coat of black.
+Yolanda rode a beautiful white mare which we re-christened "Day."
+Castleman bestrode an ambling Flemish bay, almost as fat as its master
+and quite as good-natured, which, because of its slowness, Yolanda
+dubbed "Last Week."
+
+We travelled slowly down the Rhine, enjoying the scenery and filling our
+hearts with the sunshine of the soft spring days. Our cautious merchant
+so arranged our lodging-places that we were never on the road after
+dark. His system caused much delay, as we often rested a half-day in a
+town that we might be able to lodge there over night. In this deliberate
+manner of proceeding, life was a sweet, lazy holiday, and our journey
+was like a May outing. We were all very happy--almost ominously so.
+
+After the explanation between Max and Yolanda on the hill at Basel she
+made no effort to avoid him, and he certainly did not avoid her. They
+both evidently rested on his remark that he would never again speak
+upon a certain subject. They fully understood each other's position.
+
+Max knew that between him and the burgher maiden there could be no
+thought of marriage. She, it seemed, was equally aware of that fact. All
+that he had been taught to value in life--father, mother, family and
+position, his father's subjects, who would one day be his, his father's
+throne, on which he would one day sit--stood between him and Yolanda.
+They stood between him and the achievement of any desire purely personal
+to himself and not conducive to the welfare of his state. He felt that
+he did not belong to himself; that his own happiness was never to be
+considered. He belonged to his house, his people, and his ancestors.
+
+Max had not only been brought up with that idea as the chief element in
+his education, but he had also inherited it from two score generations
+of men and women that had learned, believed, and taught the same lesson.
+We may by effort efface the marks of our environment, but those we
+inherit are bred in the bone. Yolanda was not for Max. He could not
+control his heart; it took its inheritance of unbidden passion from a
+thousand scores of generations which had lived and died and learned
+their lesson centuries before the House of Hapsburg began; but he could
+control his lips and his acts.
+
+With Max's growing love for Yolanda came a knightly reverence which was
+the very breath of the chivalry that he had sworn to uphold. This spirit
+of reverence the girl was quick to observe, and he lost nothing by it in
+her esteem. At times I could see that this reverential attitude of Max
+almost sobered her spirits; to do so completely would have been as
+impossible as to dam the current of a mountain stream.
+
+On the evening of our first day out of Basel we were merrily eating our
+suppers in a village where we had halted for the night, when I remarked
+that I had met a man, while strolling near the river, who had said that
+war was imminent between Burgundy and Switzerland. My remark immediately
+caught Yolanda's sharp attention.
+
+"Yes," said I, "we left Switzerland none too soon. This man tells me, on
+what authority I know not, that a herald will soon be sent by Duke
+Charles carrying defiance to the Swiss. What of value the duke expects
+to obtain from barren Switzerland outside of Basel, I do not know.
+Fighting for fighting's sake is poor sport."
+
+"Forbear your wise saws, Sir Karl, and tell me what the man said,"
+demanded Yolanda.
+
+"He told me," I replied, "that he had heard the news at Metz, and that
+it was supposed Duke Rene would muster his forces in Lorraine and turn
+them against Burgundy in case of war with Switzerland."
+
+"I predicted evil when Burgundy took Nancy from Lorraine," cried
+Yolanda, excitedly. "The hollow conventions made with Lorraine after the
+capture of that city were but the promises of a man under duress. The
+only ties that will bind a narrow man are those of immediate
+self-interest. There can be no lasting treaty between France and
+Burgundy so long as King Louis covets Flanders and is able to bribe our
+neighbors. These conventions between Burgundy, Lorraine, Bourbon, and
+St. Pol will hold only so long as Burgundy does not need them."
+
+"That is surely true, Fraeulein," I said.
+
+"Yes," she continued, "and should Burgundy suffer any great misfortune
+or be crippled for an hour, those small states would be upon his back
+like a pack of wolves, and he would be ruined. Lorraine, Bourbon, and
+St. Pol do not see that Burgundy alone stands between them and the
+greedy maw of France. Should King Louis survive my--my Lord of Burgundy
+five years, these dukes and counts will lose their feudal rights and
+become servile vassals of France, not in name, as now they are, but in
+sorry fact."
+
+I was so astonished at this tempestuous outburst from an unexpected
+quarter, and was so surprised at discovering an intimate knowledge of
+great affairs in a simple burgher maid, that I dropped the piece of meat
+I held in my fingers and stared in wonder across the table at Yolanda. I
+had known from the first hour of meeting her that the girl's mind was
+marvellously keen; but that a maid of seventeen or eighteen, in her
+position, should have so firm a grasp of international affairs and
+should possess so clear a conception of the troublous situation in
+western Europe, astounded me.
+
+In eastern Europe, where we were not blinded by neighborly hatred and
+local jealousies, the truth of Yolanda's statement had long been
+apparent. We carried our prophecy further and predicted that the
+headlong passions of Charles the Rash would soon result in his death or
+overthrow.
+
+My point in dragging in this heavy load of political lore is this: In
+case of the death of Charles of Burgundy, the future of western Europe
+would depend on the brains and the bravery of the man who should marry
+the Princess Mary. I felt that Max was chosen of God for that destiny.
+Should he succeed in defending Burgundy against France, he would become
+the most powerful man in Europe. No event save death could keep him from
+achieving the imperial crown.
+
+If the existing treaty of marriage between Mary and the Dauphin of
+France were carried out, and if the Dauphin as king should possess
+one-half the wisdom of his father, Louis, all western Europe would soon
+be France. If this treaty were to fail and the Princess Mary espouse a
+man capable of defending her territory, Burgundy would still remain a
+wall of protection to the smaller states of the Rhine.
+
+A long silence followed Yolanda's outburst, but her words had so
+astonished me that my supper for the evening was finished. Castleman
+plied his knife industriously; Yolanda nibbled at a piece of meat
+between her dainty fingers, and Twonette gazed serenely out of the
+open window.
+
+Yolanda's words and Castleman's constraint filled me with wonder. There
+was to me a mystery about this little beauty that had not been touched
+on by my friend from Peronne. I hoped to gain information on the point
+by inducing Yolanda to talk. She was willing enough.
+
+"Fraeulein," I said, "I quite agree with you. It is a matter of surprise
+to me that these noblemen you mention do not see the truth as you
+state it."
+
+"They are fools, Sir Karl, sodden fools," exclaimed Yolanda. "You could
+buy their souls for a sou. King Louis buys them with an empty promise
+of one."
+
+"Why does not Duke Charles buy them?" I asked. "'Tis said he has
+enormous quantities of ready gold in Luxembourg Castle."
+
+"Because, Sir Karl," she responded almost savagely, "bribery is the
+weapon of a coward. The Duke of Burgundy uses his money to pay
+soldiers."
+
+"But, Fraeulein," I answered, "the duke has for years--ever since before
+his father's death--been wasting his money, sacrificing his soldiers,
+and despoiling his land by wars, prosecuted to no good end. He has
+conquered large territory, but he has paid for it with the blood of his
+people. Neither they nor he are the better because of those accessions,
+and the duke has made enemies who will one day surely wrest them from
+him. A brave prince should not fear to be called a coward because of an
+act that will bring peace and happiness to his subjects and save their
+lives, their liberties, and their estates. That great end will ennoble
+any means. The subjects of Burgundy are frugal and peace-loving. They
+should be protected from the cruel cost of useless war. I would not
+criticise Duke Charles, whose bravery is beyond compare, but for the
+sake of his people I could wish that his boldness were tempered with
+caution. Policy, not blows, appears to me the only way out of his
+present and imminent danger."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Sir Karl," answered Yolanda, "but I advise you
+to keep your views to yourself when you reach Burgundy. Should they come
+to the duke's ears, you might lose yours."
+
+"Indeed, Fraeulein, your warning is unnecessary," I responded laughingly.
+"I already know the disposition of the duke toward those who disagree
+with him. His ungovernable passions will surely lead him to a terrible
+end. Bravery, if wise, is one of the noblest attributes of men. The
+lack of wisdom makes it the most dangerous. Duke Charles ought to temper
+his courage with love for his people. He should fight, when he must,
+with wise bravery. If he should die, God pity the poor people of
+Burgundy unless their princess choose a husband both wise and brave."
+
+"But she will not be allowed to choose," cried Yolanda, passionately.
+"Her freedom is less than that of any serf. She is bound hand and foot
+by the chains of her birth. She is more to be pitied than the poorest
+maiden in Burgundy. The saddest of all captives is she who is chained to
+a throne."
+
+"That surely is the bitterest draught fate offers to mortal man," sighed
+Max.
+
+"Yes," whispered Yolanda, huskily. "One cannot rebel; one may not even
+kill one's self when one is condemned to live. One can do nothing but
+endure and wait in haunting fear and, in rare moments, hope against a
+million chances."
+
+Evidently she meant us to know that she sorrowed for Max's martyrdom,
+though how she had learned of his true station in life I could
+not guess.
+
+"It is strange," said I to Castleman, when Yolanda and Twonette had left
+us, "that Fraeulein Yolanda, who seems to be all laughter and
+thoughtlessness, should be so well informed upon the affairs of princes
+and princesses, and should take this public matter so much to heart."
+
+"Yes, she is a strange, unfortunate girl," answered Castleman, "and
+truly loves her native land. She would, I believe, be another Joan of
+Arc, had she the opportunity. She and her father do not at all agree. He
+wholly fails to comprehend her."
+
+"Is her father your brother?" I asked. I felt a sense of impertinence in
+putting the question, but my curiosity was irresistible.
+
+"Yes," answered Castleman, hesitatingly; then, as if hurrying from the
+subject, he continued, "Her mother is dead, and the girl lives chiefly
+under my roof."
+
+I wanted to ask other questions concerning Yolanda, but I kept silent. I
+had begun to suspect that she was not what she passed for--a burgher
+girl; but Castleman was a straightforward, truthful man, and his words
+satisfied me. I had, at any rate, to be content with them, since
+Yolanda's affairs were none of mine. Had I not been sure that Max's
+training and inheritance gave him a shield against her darts, she and
+her affairs would have given me deep concern. At that time I had all the
+match-making impulses of an old woman, and was determined that no woman
+should step between Max and the far-off, almost impossible Princess
+of Burgundy.
+
+When we resumed our journey the next morning Yolanda was demure, grave,
+and serious; but the bright sun soon had its way with her, and within a
+half-hour after leaving the village she was riding beside Max, laughing,
+singing, and flashing her eyes upon him with a lustre that dimmed the
+sun--at least, so Max thought, and probably he was right. That evening
+Max told me much of Yolanda's conversation.
+
+The road we were travelling clung to the Rhine for several leagues. In
+many places it was cut from the bank at the water's edge. At others it
+ran along the brink of beetling precipices. At one of these Max guided
+his horse close to the brink, and, leaning over in his saddle, looked
+down the dizzy heights to the river below.
+
+"Please do not ride so near the brink, Sir Max," pleaded Yolanda. "It
+frightens me."
+
+Max had little of the braggadocio spirit about him, but no rightly
+constituted young man is entirely devoid of the desire to "show off" in
+the presence of timid and interesting ladies. Without that spirit of
+"show-off," what would induce our knights to meet in glorious
+tournaments? Without it, what would our chivalry amount to? Without it,
+why should a peacock spread its tail? I do not belittle it, since from
+this spirit of "show-off" arises one great good--respect for the opinion
+of our fellow-man. So Max, with a dash of "show-off" in his disposition,
+laughed at Yolanda's fears and answered that he was in no danger.
+
+"It is very brave in you, Sir Max, to go so near the brink," said
+Yolanda, ironically, "but do you remember what Sir Karl said concerning
+'wise bravery'? There can be no need for your bravery, and therefore no
+wisdom in it. Were there good reason why you should go near the brink, I
+should despise you if you refused; but there is no reason and, since it
+frightens me, I wish you would remain in the road."
+
+"Gladly I will," answered Max, reining his horse beside her.
+
+"Do you know," said Yolanda, with as much seriousness as she could
+easily command, "that your friend, Sir Karl, is a philosopher? His
+phrase, 'wise bravery,' clings to me. I certainly wish the Duke of
+Burgundy would learn it and take it to heart."
+
+"I have heard many conflicting stories concerning this Duke Charles,"
+said Max. "Some persons say he is all that is brave and noble; others
+declare that he is fierce, passionate, and bad. I wonder which I shall
+find him to be?"
+
+"Do you expect to take service with him?" asked Yolanda, half sadly. At
+the mention of the duke's name all smiles and dimples fled
+incontinently.
+
+"No," answered Max, "I think I shall not take service with the duke. In
+truth, I don't know what I shall do. For what purpose I am going to
+Burgundy I am sure I cannot say."
+
+A short silence ensued, which was broken by Yolanda, speaking archly:--
+
+"Perhaps you are going to Burgundy or to France to win the lady who gave
+you the ring?" Max was surprised, and flushed as he answered:--
+
+"That would be an impossible thought, Fraeulein. If you but knew who the
+lady is, you would understand that such a hope on my part were a
+phantasy. But I have no such hope or wish. I do not now want to win the
+lady of the ring."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," said Yolanda, protestingly, "you must not basely
+desert this lady-love whom you have never seen. If trouble should come
+to her, whoever she is, you must hasten to her rescue and carry her
+away. The best opportunity to rob, you know, comes in the midst of a
+melee. Take her, Sir Max. I wish you success."
+
+"Do you really wish me success, Fraeulein?" asked Max, looking straight
+ahead. He was not at all flattered by her good wishes concerning the
+lady of the ring.
+
+"Indeed I do," responded the girl, joyously; "I will pray to the Virgin
+and ask her to help you to win this fair lady who gave you the ring."
+
+"I thank you for your good wishes," returned Max, "though I could easily
+be satisfied with less enthusiasm on the subject."
+
+"Indeed? Why, may I ask?"
+
+"Because, Fraeulein--because I had hoped--" Max ceased speaking, and,
+leaning forward, smoothed his horse's mane.
+
+Yolanda waited for a moment and then, turning her face toward Max,
+asked:--
+
+"You had hoped for what, Sir Max?"
+
+"I had hoped for nothing, Fraeulein," he answered. "I am satisfied as
+matters now stand between us. Your words at supper last evening rang in
+my ears all night, 'Chained to a throne; chained to a throne.' I knew
+you referred to my unhappy lot when you spoke, though how you guessed
+the truth concerning my station I do not know."
+
+A surprised little smile spread over her face, but he did not see it. He
+was still smoothing his horse's mane.
+
+"You cannot know the terrible truth of your words," continued Max. "I
+will tell you a part of my secret, Fraeulein. All my life I have been cut
+off--chained to a throne--from the fellowship of men and the love of
+friends. Karl is the only friend I have ever known save my mother until
+I met you and your good people. Only the good God can know how I have
+longed and hungered since childhood for friendship; even for
+companionship. I did not know what I yearned for until since my arrival
+at Basel. Truly it is not good for man to be alone, even though he be
+upon a throne. I am not upon a throne, Fraeulein, but I am near one--a
+small, barren throne, whose greatest attribute is its ancestry. My home
+is a sad, lonely place--how lonely even you, who have guessed so
+shrewdly and who speak so eloquently, cannot know. You should thank God
+for your lowly birth and your lowly friends."
+
+"I do," the girl answered, with a queer, half-sad, half-amused
+expression upon her face which Max could not interpret.
+
+"But we cannot break the chains that have been welded a thousand
+years--that have grown stronger and tighter with each generation," said
+Max. "You truthfully said, 'One may only endure.'"
+
+"I also said that at rare moments one may hope," she answered, with
+drooping head.
+
+"Not I, Fraeulein. I may not even hope. I am doomed," answered Max.
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," responded the drooping head.
+
+After a prolonged silence Max said, "I am sure the secret of my station
+is safe with you."
+
+"You need not doubt, Sir Max," she responded. "You cannot know how safe
+it is." She turned brightly upon him and continued, "Let me invoke my
+spirits, Sir Max." She raised her eyes, saint-fashion, toward heaven,
+and spoke under her breath: "I hear the word 'hope,' Sir Max, 'hope.' It
+is very faint, but better faint than not at all."
+
+"I tell you there is no hope for me, Fraeulein," responded Max,
+desperately. "It is cruel in you to say there is. It is doubly cruel to
+speak jestingly."
+
+"I speak earnestly," said Yolanda. "There is hope. If you win the lady
+who gave you the ring, you will be happy. I do not jest."
+
+"You do. You mock me," cried Max. "I tell you, Yolanda, there is in all
+the world no woman for me save--save one upon whom I may not think."
+Yolanda's face grew radiant, though tears moistened her eyes. "Even
+though it were possible for me to defy my parents, to turn my face
+against my country, my people, and the sacred traditions of my house, by
+asking her to share my life, there could be only wretchedness ahead for
+her, and therefore unhappiness for me. The dove and the eagle may not
+mate. Consider the fate of sweet Agnes Bernauer, who married Duke Albert
+and perished in the Danube. I tell you, Fraeulein, I am hopeless. When I
+return to my people, I shall do so knowing that life thereafter will be
+something to endure, not a blessing to thank God for."
+
+"No, no, Sir Max," murmured the girl, "you do not know."
+
+Max turned upon her almost angrily:--
+
+"A man knows when he lives; a man knows when he is dying, and a man, if
+he be worthy of the name, knows when he loves a woman. I am not sure
+that the sun shines, Fraeulein, than I am that I shall not forget this
+woman nor cease to sorrow for her all the days of my life."
+
+"You must not speak such words to me, Sir Max," said Yolanda,
+reprovingly. "I, too, must live and be happy if--if I can."
+
+She turned her face away from Max and, touching her horse with her whip,
+passed a few feet ahead of him. If there were tears in her eyes, she did
+not wish Max to see them. After several minutes of silence he spurred
+his horse to her side.
+
+"I did not intend to speak, Fraeulein. I once said I would never speak
+again. I should not have spoken now, though I have told you only what
+you already know. I ask no favor in return, not even a touch from
+your hand."
+
+"You shall have that at least, Sir Max," she answered, impulsively
+reining her horse close to Max and placing her hand in his.
+
+"Still, you wish me to win the lady who sent me the ring?" asked Max.
+
+"Yes," returned Yolanda, softly. "It will mean your happiness and
+mine--" Suddenly checking herself, she explained: "I shall be happy if
+you are. A man cannot know how happy a woman may be for another's sake."
+
+I felt no desire to reprove Max when he told me of his day's adventure
+with Yolanda, since I could in no way remedy the evil. In fact, Max was
+growing out of my jurisdiction. He had listened to my lectures and
+advice since childhood and had taken them kindly, because my authority
+grew out of my love for him and his love for me. He was a boy when we
+left Styria, but he was a man when we were journeying down the Rhine.
+Though the confidential relations between us had grown closer, my advice
+was gradually taking the form of consultation. I did not seek his
+confidences, and he gave them more freely, if that were possible, than
+ever before. I did not offer my advice so readily, but he sought it more
+frequently. Max told me the sorrowful little story of the day, and I did
+not comment on it. I simply led him in another direction.
+
+"Fraeulein Yolanda's words have given me food for thought," I said. "So
+long as Duke Charles lives, there can be no union between Burgundy and
+Hapsburg; but at the pace he is travelling he will surely receive his
+_coup de grace_ before long, and I hope you will meet and know the
+princess before the tragedy occurs. Then declare yourself and back your
+claim with the duke's proposal, which has never been withdrawn. That the
+people of Burgundy hate France and this French marriage there can be no
+doubt. They are fools for so doing, but we may easily profit by their
+lack of wisdom. In the event of the duke's death the inclinations of the
+princess will be half the battle. So long as he lives they are no part
+of it. If, by the help of Twonette, you should be so fortunate as to
+meet the princess, our dream may be realized, and our house may become
+the greatest in Europe."
+
+"I suppose you are right, Karl," answered Max. "You are always right;
+but I have no heart in this matter, and I hope nothing will come of it.
+I have never known you to be so cold-blooded as in this affair."
+
+"If you are to be hot-blooded, or even warm-blooded, you must turn your
+back on your house and cast from you the duties and privileges of your
+birth," I observed.
+
+"You are right," he answered irritably. "But it will be difficult for me
+to please one woman while thinking of another. Ah, Karl, I am growing
+tired of this Burgundian dream. Dream? It is almost a nightmare."
+
+Max's words did not alarm me; he was "chained to a throne." He would not
+fail me if the hour of good fortune should come.
+
+"Your thoughts of another woman will not stand in your way," I said.
+"Experience is more necessary in dealing with women than in any other of
+life's affairs, and this episode with Yolanda is what you need to
+prepare you for--for what I pray you may have to do."
+
+"Karl, please do not talk of this--this--my feeling for Yolanda as an
+episode," he said, speaking almost angrily. "It is a part of my life,
+and will be my sorrow as long as I live."
+
+The boy's anger warned me that if I would lead him, I must do it gently.
+
+"I believe, Max, you speak truly," I said; "but it will not be an
+unmixed evil. Good will come of it, since the image of a pure woman
+injures no man's heart. It keeps him in the narrow way and guides his
+hand for righteousness."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+WHO IS YOLANDA?
+
+Next morning Yolanda came to breakfast smiling, bedimpled, and sparkling
+as a sunlit mountain brook. Max, who was gloomy, took her sprightliness
+amiss, thinking, no doubt, that her life also ought to be darkened by
+the cloud that he thought was over-shadowing him. There was no doubt in
+my mind that Yolanda had inspired a deep and lasting passion in Max,
+though he was, I hoped, mistaken in the belief that it would darken his
+life. But I would not give a kreutzer for a young fellow who does not
+feel that life is worthless without his lady-love.
+
+Yolanda did not take kindly to clouds of any sort, and she soon
+scattered those that Max had conjured up. After we had resumed our
+journey Max fell back to ride with her.
+
+"Sir Max," she said, "if you allow yourself to become The Knight
+Doleful, I will not only cease having speech with you, but I will
+laugh at you."
+
+The latter she did then and there. This from a burgher girl of Peronne
+to a prince of the House of Hapsburg! The good duke and duchess would
+have swooned with horror had they known of it. Max was inclined to be
+angry, but, unfortunately for his ill-humor, he caught a glimpse of her
+face, and he, too, laughed.
+
+"I fear I am a great fool," he said. Yolanda did not contradict him. She
+simply shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "That unfortunate condition
+is apt, at times, to overtake the best of men."
+
+Soon our little cavalcade came together, and we rode, laughing, and all
+talking at once, for a league or more.
+
+Our road had parted from the river at one of its great bends, and for an
+hour we had been slowly climbing a long hill. When we reached the top,
+we unsaddled for dinner in the shade of a tree by the wayside. A hundred
+yards from the road was a dense copse of undergrowth and bushes on the
+edge of the forest. Off to the east flowed the majestic Rhine, a league
+distant, and to the north ran the road like a white ribbon, stretching
+downhill to the valley and up again to the top of another hill, distant
+perhaps a half-league.
+
+While we were eating dinner, a cloud of dust arose from the hilltop
+north of us, and immediately began descending in our direction. At
+intervals, in the midst of the dust-cloud, we caught glimpses of men on
+horseback riding at full gallop. This unwelcome sight brought our dinner
+to an end. I at once ordered the sumpter mules taken to the copse on
+the forest's edge, and directed every man to look to his arms and armor.
+I asked Twonette and Yolanda to go with the mules, and Yolanda
+became angry.
+
+"_I_ go with the mules? Sir Karl, you forget yourself," cried the young
+lady, drawing herself up with the dignity of a princess royal. Twonette
+ran as rapidly as her feet could take her to seek refuge with the mules,
+but Yolanda, with flashing eyes, declared:
+
+"I will remain here."
+
+I felt that an apology was due to this burgher girl.
+
+"I will gladly apologize later, Fraeulein, but now I have only time to
+beg that you will conceal yourself. These men probably are robbers. If
+they see you, we shall be compelled to fight them, however great their
+numbers. If we find their force too large for us, we may easily ransom
+the mules and their packs, but we could make no terms for you. If they
+are Black Riders, they will prefer a little gold to a great deal of
+silk, but they will prefer you and Fraeulein Twonette to a great deal
+of gold."
+
+"I would not pay them one piece of gold," cried Yolanda, defiantly.
+"Give me an arquebuse. I will help you fight."
+
+The brave little heroine astonished me.
+
+"Would you prefer that Max or your good uncle and perhaps some of our
+poor mule-leaders should be killed by these pigstickers," I asked, "or
+would you compound with them in some reasonable way? Shall we
+fight them?"
+
+"No, no," she answered, "wise bravery is better. I suppose I shall learn
+the lesson some day."
+
+While the troop of horsemen were under the crest of the hill, Yolanda
+ran across the open to a place of concealment beside Twonette. Hardly
+was she hidden when the dust-cloud rose from the brink of the hill, and
+five men, well though roughly armed, galloped up to us and drew their
+horses back upon their haunches.
+
+"What have we here?" demanded the captain, a huge German. Their grimy
+armor and bearded faces besmeared with black marked them as Black
+Riders. I was overjoyed to see that they numbered but five.
+
+"What is that to you?" I asked, putting on a bold front, though I feared
+our mule-leaders would make but a sorry fight should we come to blows.
+
+"That depends on what you have," responded our swart friend, coolly.
+"Whatever you have, so much it is to us."
+
+"What will you take in gold, my good man, and let us go our way in peace
+with our cargo of silks?" asked Castleman.
+
+"By your leave, friend," said I, interrupting the negotiations, "I am
+in command when fighting is to be done. Let me settle with this fellow."
+
+"Settle now, if you are so keen," cried the big German, drawing his
+sword and spurring his horse upon me. I could not have withstood the
+unexpected onrush, and certainly would have met with hard blows or
+worse, had not Max come to my rescue. I hurriedly stepped back, and the
+German, in following me, rode near a large stone by the roadside. He
+had, doubtless, passed the stone many times in his travels up and down
+the road, but the thought probably had never occurred to him that it
+would be the cause of his death. The most potential facts in our lives
+are usually too insignificant to attract attention.
+
+When the German charged me, Max sprang upon the stone and dealt the
+swart ruffian a blow such as no man may survive. Max's great battle-axe
+crushed the Black Eider's helmet as if it were an egg-shell, and the
+captain of our foes fell backward, hanging by his stirrups. One of our
+squires shot one of the robbers, and the remaining three took flight.
+Max caught the captain's horse, and coolly extricated the dead man's
+feet from the stirrups. Then he thrust the body to the roadside with the
+indifference of a man whose life has been spent in slaughter. Among his
+many inheritances, Max probably had taken this indifference, together
+with his instinctive love of battle. He was not quarrelsome, but he
+took to a fight as naturally as a duck takes to water.
+
+When the robbers had left, Yolanda came running from her hiding-place.
+She was not frightened; she was aglow with excitement. She, too, must
+have inherited the love of battle. Twonette was trembling with fear.
+
+"Ah, Sir Max, it was beautifully done," said Yolanda. "You sprang upon
+the rock with the quickness of a panther, and the blow was dealt with
+the strength of a lion. I saw it all. When your battle-axe rose above
+the robber's head, death was written on the steel. It was beautiful to
+see you kill him, Sir Max. Strength is always beautiful in the eyes of a
+woman, but it is doubly so when used in her defence and linked with
+'wise bravery.' I thank you, Sir Karl, for teaching me that word. Sir
+Max, I--I cannot thank you now."
+
+She stopped speaking and covered her face with her hands. In a moment
+she partly recovered composure and smiled her gratitude through a little
+shower of tears. Max was, of course, aglow with pleasure at Yolanda's
+praise, but he bore his honors meekly. He did not look upon his
+tremendous feat of arms as of much importance.
+
+Fearing the return of the Schwartreiter with reenforcements, we lost no
+time in resuming our journey, Max and Yolanda quickly finished their
+dinner, but Castleman, Twonette, and myself did not care to eat.
+
+Within ten minutes after Max had killed the captain of the Black Riders
+we were on our road travelling downhill, very joyful in our victory and
+very proud of our knight, Sir Max. We left the dead men by the roadside,
+but took with us two fine horses as compensation for our trouble. The
+captain's great charger Max appropriated for his own. He will appear
+again in this chronicle.
+
+We rode silently but joyfully. Twonette slowly recovered from her
+fright, and the pink crept back to her cheeks. The pink had not left
+Yolanda's cheeks, nor had her nerves been disturbed by the adventures of
+the morning. Max tried hard to suppress his exuberance of spirit, and
+Yolanda laved him in the sunshine of her smiles.
+
+Within three hours we were safely housed at a village by the Rhine.
+Castleman, finding me alone, said:--
+
+"You, Sir Karl, and Sir Max little know the value of the friend you have
+made this day."
+
+"I thank you, good Castleman," I answered, hardly liking so great an air
+of condescension on the part of a burgher. An afterthought suggested
+that perhaps Castleman had not referred to himself as the friend we had
+made. Strange thoughts and speculations had of late been swarming in my
+mind until they had almost taken the form of a refrain, "Who is
+Yolanda?" Though the question repeated itself constantly by day and by
+night, I received no whisper of an answer.
+
+We travelled slowly, and it was not until the second day after our
+conflict with the Black Riders that we found ourselves near Strasburg. A
+league from the city gates we met Raoul de Rose, a herald of the Duke of
+Burgundy. Yolanda recognized his banner at a distance and hastily veiled
+herself. Twonette remained unveiled.
+
+We halted, and De Rose, who was travelling alone, safe under a herald's
+privileges, drew rein beside Castleman and me, who had been riding in
+advance of our cavalcade. While Castleman was talking to De Rose,
+Yolanda and Twonette rode forward, passing on that side of the highway
+which left Castleman and me between them and the herald.
+
+"Ah, good Castleman," said De Rose, "you are far from home these
+troublous times."
+
+"Your words imply bad news, monsieur," returned Castleman. "I have
+already heard hints of trouble, though all was quiet when I
+left Peronne."
+
+"When did you leave?" asked the herald.
+
+"More than two months ago," answered Castleman.
+
+"With our rapidly moving duke, two months is ample time to make a deal
+of trouble, to gain victories, and to compel peace among his
+quarrelsome neighbors," answered De Rose. "It is publicly known that I
+carry defiance to the Swiss. They cannot comply with Burgundy's terms,
+and war will surely follow. Our duke will teach these Swiss sheep to
+stop bleating, and when this war is finished, the dominion of Burgundy
+will include the Alps. Duke Charles will have fresh ice for his dinner
+every day--ice from the mountain tops."
+
+"That is all he will get from the barren Swiss land, I fear," remarked
+Castleman.
+
+"But if he wants it?" answered De Rose, shrugging his shoulders.
+
+"Yes," returned Castleman, "if the duke wants it, God give it him; but I
+am sorry to see war with so peaceful a people as the Swiss."
+
+"There are many persons in Burgundy foolish enough to agree with you,"
+answered De Rose, laughingly, "but for my part, the will of my master
+is my will."
+
+"Amen!" said the cautious burgher.
+
+De Rose smiled, and said:--
+
+"There is but one will in Burgundy, and that will be done."
+
+"Where is the duke?" asked Castleman.
+
+"He is at home in Ghent," answered the herald.
+
+"Is he to remain there?" asked the burgher, displaying a sudden
+interest.
+
+"I believe he goes soon to Peronne to look after his affairs, on the
+French border, and to see the duchess and the princess before leaving
+for Switzerland. It is also publicly known that the duke, while at
+Peronne, intends to arrange for the immediate marriage of the princess
+to the Dauphin. He wishes to tie the hands of King Louis before making
+war elsewhere, and he is going to Peronne to cause this marriage to be
+celebrated before he leaves Burgundy."
+
+"Sacred God!" exclaimed the usually phlegmatic burgher. "We must hasten
+home. Farewell, Monsieur de Rose. Your news indeed is bad--your news
+of war."
+
+Castleman urged "Last Week" to an unwonted pace, and drew rein beside
+Yolanda. I followed slowly, and unintentionally overhead him say:--
+
+"Your father will soon be in Peronne. The duke leaves Ghent within a day
+or two."
+
+"Holy Virgin!" cried Yolanda, excitedly. "We must make all haste, good
+uncle. Hereafter we must travel night and day. We must double our
+retinue at Strasburg and hasten forward regardless of danger and
+fatigue. I wish we were across Lorraine and well out of Metz. If this
+war begins, Lorraine will surely turn upon Burgundy."
+
+"I begged you not to come upon this journey," said Castleman,
+complainingly.
+
+"I know you did, uncle," returned Yolanda, repentantly.
+
+"But you would come," continued Castleman, determined to give vent to
+his feelings. "I could not dissuade you, and now if the duke leaves
+Ghent--if your father reaches Peronne--before we return, God help
+us all."
+
+"Yes, dear uncle," said Yolanda, humbly; "as usual, I was at fault. I
+have been a source of trouble and danger to you nearly all my life, and
+you, of all persons in the world, I would make happy."
+
+I was riding ten paces behind Castleman, but the wind came toward me,
+and I was an involuntary listener. What I had heard was of such
+tremendous import to Max that I could not bring myself to rein back my
+horse, though I despised myself for listening. I believe that moment
+was, of all my life, the greatest test of my love for Max. No less a
+motive could have induced me to become an eavesdropper. Castleman was
+silent for a short time, and then I heard him say:--
+
+"You have also brought me happiness, Yolanda, and I shall be wretched
+when your father takes you from me. Twonette is not dearer to me than
+you. Whatever befalls, I shall still thank God for the happiness He has
+given me in you."
+
+"Ah, uncle, your kind words almost break my heart," said Yolanda,
+placing her kerchief to her eyes. "I wish you would not forgive me for
+having brought you into this hard case. I wish you would upbraid me. I
+will pray to the Blessed Virgin night and day to protect you from this
+trouble my wilfulness has brought upon you. Never again will I be
+wilful, dear uncle, never again--with you. At Strasburg I will make an
+offering to the Virgin."
+
+"Make her an offering of this young man on whom you are smiling,"
+suggested Castleman. "I would have left him at Basel but for your
+wilfulness and entreaties. We know nothing of him save that he is big,
+honest, brave, gentle, and good to look upon. I have already warned you
+against the great favor you show him. I shall not do so again. I advise
+that we leave him at Metz."
+
+"I will do as you advise," said Yolanda, mournfully. "I will offer even
+this, my first great happiness, to the Virgin. Surely it will
+propitiate her."
+
+This conversation almost deprived me of the power to think. In a dimly
+conscious fashion, I wondered whether Castleman could possibly have
+meant the Duke of Burgundy when he told Yolanda that her father would
+soon be at Peronne. I could find no other meaning for his words, and I
+was almost ready to believe that the brown-eyed, laughing Yolanda was
+none other than the far-famed Mary of Burgundy, whose tiny hand was
+sought by every nation of Europe having a marriageable king or prince.
+
+Kings in their dotage and princes in their nonage wooed her. Old men
+and babes eagerly sought the favor of this young girl, and stood ready
+to give their gold, their blood, and the lives of their subjects on even
+the shadow of a chance to win her. The battle-field and the bower alike
+had been wooing-ground for her smiles. After all this, she had been
+affianced to the Dauphin of France, and her father would bring the
+marriage about within a few weeks. To this girl I had thought to be
+gracious, and had feared that I might be too condescending. I then
+realized what a pitiable ass a man may make of himself by giving his
+whole time and attention to the task.
+
+Of course I was not sure that Yolanda was the princess. Her father,
+spoken of by Castleman, might be, and probably was, a great lord in the
+duke's train. Yolanda might be the love-daughter of Charles of Burgundy.
+Many explanations might be given to Castleman's remarks; but I could not
+help believing that Yolanda was the far-famed Burgundian princess. If
+so, what a marvellous romance was this journey that Max and I had
+undertaken, and what a fantastic trick fate had played in bringing these
+two from the ends of the earth to meet in the quaint old Swiss city. It
+seemed almost as if their souls had journeyed toward each other, since
+the beginning of time.
+
+That the princess should be abroad with Castleman and his daughter
+unattended by even a lady-in-waiting seemed improbable--almost
+impossible.
+
+My wavering mind veered with each moment from the conviction that
+Yolanda was the princess to a feeling of certainty that she was not, and
+back again. That she was the princess seemed at one moment indubitably
+true; the next moment it appeared absurdly impossible. Still,
+Castleman's words rang in my ears.
+
+I was glad that Max was riding a hundred yards behind me. My first
+determination was that he should know nothing of what I had heard. My
+second was that he and I should leave the party at Metz. If I were to
+disclose to Max my suspicions concerning Yolanda, I well knew that it
+would be beyond my power or that of any man to prevent his journeying
+to Peronne.
+
+This meeting with the princess far from home, one might suppose, was the
+event of all others that I desired, but the situation presented many
+points to be considered. If we should conduct Yolanda to Peronne and
+should reach that city after the duke's arrival, there would be untold
+trouble for us, if (oh, that mighty if!) she were the Princess Mary. I
+was thoroughly frightened, since I could not know what trouble I might
+bring to Max. We might, with comparative safety, visit Peronne at a
+later period; but I sincerely hoped that Yolanda would offer Max to the
+Virgin when we reached Metz.
+
+If Yolanda were the princess, and if the duke with his intentions
+regarding her immediate marriage, should reach Peronne and find his
+daughter absent, his wrath against all concerned would be unappeasable.
+If he should learn that she had been absent from Peronne on this
+journey, even though she reached home before her father, Castleman would
+probably lose his head for the crime of taking her, and all concerned in
+the journey might meet with evil fortune. Any of these catastrophes
+might occur if she were the princess. If she were not the princess, some
+other great catastrophe, hinted by Castleman and dreaded by Yolanda,
+might happen; and it is well for disinterested persons to remain away
+from the scene of impending trouble.
+
+Aside from all these good reasons for cutting short our journey to
+Peronne, was the fact that our motive for going there had ceased to
+exist. The princess was soon to become the wife of the Dauphin. If
+Yolanda were not the princess, there was still good reason why we should
+abandon her at Metz. She was dangerously attractive and was gaining too
+great a hold on Max. We were under contract to escort Castleman to
+Peronne, and no danger should prevent us from fulfilling our agreement;
+but if Castleman should voluntarily release us, our obligation
+would cease.
+
+As we passed under the portcullis at Strasburg, Max spurred his horse
+to Yolanda's side. She neither lifted her veil nor gave any sign of
+recognition. The news of impending war had been discussed, and Max
+supposed Yolanda was frightened. He spoke reassuringly to her, and she
+answered:--
+
+"I thank you, Sir Max, but our danger is greater than you know."
+
+It was four o'clock when we reached Strasburg, where we stopped at The
+Cygnet. Soon after we entered the inn, Twonette and Yolanda went forth,
+heavily veiled, and walked rapidly in the direction of the cathedral.
+Yolanda was going to make her offering to the Virgin of the man she
+loved; surely woman could make no greater.
+
+When Yolanda and Twonette had gone, Castleman asked me to assist him in
+procuring a score of men-at-arms. They might be needed in crossing
+Lorraine from Strasburg to Metz.
+
+"I shall travel night and day till we reach home," said Castleman. "I
+have news of war that hastens us, and--and it is most important that
+Yolanda should deliver certain papers at the castle before the duke
+arrives at Peronne. If she reaches the castle one hour or one minute
+after the duke, the results will be evil beyond remedy."
+
+"I sincerely hope there may be no delay," I answered, believing that the
+papers were an invention of Castleman's.
+
+"Yes," responded the burgher; "and, Sir Karl, I deem it best for all
+concerned that you and Sir Max part company with us at Metz. I thank you
+for your services, and hope you will honor us by visiting Peronne at
+some future time. But now it is best that you leave us to pursue our
+journey without you."
+
+Castleman's suggestion was most welcome to me, and I communicated it to
+Max when I returned to the inn. He was sorrowful; but I found that he,
+too, felt that he should part from Yolanda.
+
+Castleman and I found the burgomaster, to whom we paid five hundred
+guilders (a sum equal to his entire annual salary), and within an hour a
+troop of twenty men-at-arms awaited us in the courtyard of The Cygnet.
+Castleman barely touched his meat at supper, though he drank two bottles
+of Johannesburg; Max ate little, and I had no appetite whatever.
+
+When Yolanda returned, I said:--
+
+"Fraeulein, will you not eat?"
+
+"I do not care to eat," she replied, and I could easily see that she was
+struggling to keep back the tears. "Let us resume our journey at once. I
+see the men-at-arms are waiting."
+
+Our rare days of sunshine had surely been weather-breeders. We were all
+under a dark cloud.
+
+We left Strasburg by the north gate, and, as the city fell back of us,
+Max, riding by my side, asked:--
+
+"What is the evil news that has cast this gloom over Yolanda and good
+Castleman? If our friends are in danger, I would not leave them at Metz,
+and you would not have me do so."
+
+"The evil news grows out of the war," I answered evasively. "I heard
+every word spoken by the herald and Castleman. The burgher is wise to
+hasten home. If he delays his journey even for a day, he may find
+Burgundy--especially Lorraine--swarming with lawless men going to the
+various rendezvous. He also tells me he has important papers that must
+be delivered in the castle before the duke arrives at Peronne."
+
+"It is strange," said Max, "that news of merely a general nature should
+produce so gloomy an effect; but, if you heard all that De Rose said,
+that must be the only cause."
+
+"I cannot say," I responded, "what the cause may be. All I know is that
+De Rose spoke of the impending war, and said that the duke was hastening
+to Peronne for the purpose of consummating the French marriage at once.
+There is now no reason why we should journey to Peronne. My air-castles
+have crumbled about my ears in fine shape."
+
+"I am not sorry, Karl," replied Max. "During the last fortnight I have
+changed. Should my marriage with the princess, by any marvellous
+chance, become possible, it would now be wholly for the sake of her
+estates, and I despise myself when I try to think that I wish to bring
+it about. Ah, Karl, it is now impossible even to hope for this marriage,
+and I tell you I am glad of it. We will see the world, then we will
+return to Styria; and I shall thank you all my life for having made a
+man of me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+DUKE CHARLES THE RASH
+
+Our caravan travelled with the mournfulness of a funeral procession.
+Early in the evening Max spoke to Yolanda:--
+
+"I hear your uncle desires Sir Karl and me to leave you at Metz."
+
+"Yes," she answered dolefully, hanging her head, "we part at Metz. I
+shall see you there before I leave, and then--and then--ah, Sir Max, I
+was wrong and you were right; there is no hope."
+
+"What of the lady who gave me the ring?" asked Max, in a feeble effort
+to banter her.
+
+"She would have made you very happy, Sir Max. Her estates would have
+compensated for all losses elsewhere."
+
+"You know, that is not true, Yolanda," said Max, earnestly.
+
+"I am not sure, Sir Max," responded the girl, "and do not wish to be
+sure. I will see you at Metz, and there we may part. It is our fate. We
+must not be doleful, Sir Max, we must be--we must be--happy and brave."
+Her poor little effort to be happy and brave was piteous.
+
+Castleman soon fell back with Yolanda, and Max rode forward beside me.
+
+At midnight we offsaddled by a stream in a forest and allowed our horses
+and mules to rest until sunrise. Then we took up our journey again, and
+by forced marches reached Metz one morning an hour before dawn. We
+waited in a drizzling rain till the gates opened, and, after a long
+parley with the warder, entered the city. We were all nearly exhausted,
+and our poor mules staggered along the streets hardly able to carry
+their burdens another step. Two had fallen a half-league outside of
+Metz; and three others fell with their loads within the city gates.
+
+Castleman had determined to stop with a merchant friend, and after what
+seemed a long journey from the gates we halted at the merchant's house.
+Our host left us in his parlor while he went to arrange for breakfast.
+When he had gone Castleman turned to me:--
+
+"You and Sir Max will, if you please, find good lodging at the Great
+Tun. My friend will send a man in advance to bespeak your comfort."
+
+Max and I rose to leave, and Yolanda offered him her hand, saying:--
+
+"It may be that we are to part here at Metz, but I will send for you
+soon and will see you before we leave, and--and--" She could not speak
+further; tears were in her eyes and her voice. It was not so easy after
+all to be happy and brave.
+
+"You will not fail to send for me?" asked Max, clinging to her hand.
+
+"I will not fail," she answered, looking up timidly and instantly
+dropping her eyes. "Of that you have better assurance than you will
+ever know."
+
+Castleman followed us to the street door and handed me a purse of gold.
+
+"I have expected to part from you here," he said, "and it may be so; but
+I fear I shall need your services still further. My mules are unfit to
+travel at present; they may never be fit to use; surely not within a
+fortnight. I must find other sumpter mules, wait for those I have to
+regain their strength, or leave my goods at Metz. My fortune is invested
+in these silks, and if I leave them here, I shall never see them again.
+In case the Duke of Lorraine succeeds in rallying his subjects against
+Burgundy, I shall find it difficult to buy sumpter mules on the eve of
+war, and may be compelled to remain in Metz until my own mules are able
+to travel. In that event may I depend upon you and Sir Max to escort my
+niece and my daughter to Peronne without me?"
+
+I answered promptly, though against my desires:--"You may depend on
+us."
+
+At midnight I was aroused by a knock at my door. I arose and admitted
+Castleman.
+
+"I will take you at your word, Sir Karl," said the burgher. "I cannot
+obtain sumpter mules, and I shall be ruined in fortune if I leave my
+silks at Metz. I have had word that the Duke of Burgundy leaves Ghent
+the day after to-morrow for Peronne. If he leaves late in the day, you
+may, by starting at once, reach Peronne Castle ahead of him. His journey
+will be shorter than yours by twenty-five leagues, but you will have a
+better road. If you travel with all haste, you may be able to take
+Yolanda, with--with the important papers, to the castle a half-day
+before my lord arrives there. Are you ready to begin the journey
+at once?"
+
+"We are ready," answered Max.
+
+"I will meet you at the Deutsches Thor Gate within an hour," said
+Castleman. "My daughter and my niece will be there. Since you are to
+travel rapidly I advise a small retinue. Your squires have proved
+themselves worthy men, and I feel sure you will be able to protect
+your charges."
+
+"We'll not boast of what we shall do, good Castleman," said Max, "but
+we'll do our best."
+
+"If you reach Peronne after the duke arrives," said Castleman, "I advise
+you not to enter the gates of the city, but to leave Burgundy at once
+and with all the speed you can make. If you reach Peronne before the
+duke, I advise you not to tarry; but if you determine to remain, you
+will go to The Mitre--a quiet inn kept by my good friend Marcus Grote. I
+strongly advise you not to remain at Peronne; but if you do not see fit
+to follow my advice, I hope you will remain close at The Mitre until my
+return, which, I trust, will be within three weeks. Danger will attend
+you if you do not follow my suggestion. In any case, Sir Max, I hope you
+will not visit my house. My words may seem ungracious, but they are for
+your good and mine. When I return to Peronne, I shall be happy if you
+will honor my poor house; but until my return, untold trouble to many
+persons may follow your disregard of what I say."
+
+Castleman then departed, and we immediately arranged for the journey.
+
+Max and I, with our squires, were waiting at the Deutsches Thor Gate
+when Castleman arrived with Twonette, Yolanda, and a guide. I knocked at
+the door of the lodge to rouse the warder, who, of course, was asleep,
+and that alert guardian of a drowsy city came grumbling to the wicket.
+
+"What in the devil's name do you want at this time of night?" he
+growled. "The gates won't open till dawn."
+
+"Yes, they will," replied Castleman. "I have the burgomaster's order."
+
+"I open the gates only on an order from the governor of the citadel,"
+said the warder.
+
+"I have not that, my good friend," responded Castleman, "but I have a
+hundred silver marks in my purse."
+
+"Let me see the burgomaster's order," said the worthy gatekeeper. "I am
+always glad to be accommodating."
+
+Castleman handed over the order and the purse, and the warder pretended
+to read the paper in the dark.
+
+"I'll open the gate to accommodate you and to please the burgomaster,"
+he said.
+
+The gates screeched upon their hinges, and every link in the portcullis
+chain groaned as if it wished to alarm the city. When the portcullis was
+a-block, Max, myself, and the squires mounted our horses. Yolanda leaned
+down from her saddle and, placing her arms about Castleman's neck,
+kissed him. Twonette followed her example; then our small cavalcade
+passed out through the gate, and we entered on our long, hard race with
+the Duke of Burgundy.
+
+At dawn Yolanda called me to her side.
+
+"Our guide will conduct us to Cinq Voies on the Somme, eight leagues
+this side of Peronne," she said. "There we shall dismiss him. From Cinq
+Voies the road is straight to Peronne down the river. Shall we put our
+horses to the gallop?"
+
+To her last suggestion I objected:--
+
+"We have no relays. These horses must carry us to Peronne. In Styria we
+have an adage, 'If you would gallop on a long journey, walk
+your horse.'"
+
+"In Styria!" exclaimed Yolanda, laughing. "You told me you were from
+Italy."
+
+"So I am," I replied.
+
+"Now you say _we_ have an adage in Styria," she returned, amused at my
+discomfiture. "I hope you have not been wandering from the path of truth
+in your long journey, Sir Karl."
+
+"No farther than yourself, Fraeulein," I answered.
+
+A frown came instantly to her face and, after a moment's hesitation, she
+retorted:--
+
+"Ah, but I am a woman; I am privileged to wander a little way from the
+narrow road. A man may protect himself with his sword and battle-axe,
+and need never stray. A woman's defence lies in her wit and her tongue."
+The frown deepened, and she turned sharply upon me: "But in what
+respect, pray, have I wandered? I have not spoken a word to you which
+has not been the exact truth. If I have left anything untold, it is
+because I do not wish to tell it, in which case, of course, you would
+not wish to pry."
+
+Her audacity amused me, and though I knew I ought to hold my tongue, I
+could not resist saying:--
+
+"I have asked no questions, Fraeulein."
+
+Yolanda cast a surprised glance toward me and then broke into a merry
+laugh.
+
+"That is to say _I_ have asked too many questions. Good for you, Sir
+Karl! I have had the worst of this encounter. I will ask no more
+questions nor give you further cause to wander from the truth. Your
+memory, Sir Karl, is poor. 'To be a good liar, one must have a good
+memory,' as King Louis of France has said."
+
+"Ask all the questions you wish, Fraeulein," I responded penitently, "I
+will answer with the truth."
+
+"There is no need to ask questions," she said, giving me a side glance
+full of sauciness. "I already know all that I wish to know."
+
+I could not resist saying:--
+
+"Perhaps, Fraeulein, I know quite as much about you as you know about
+us."
+
+"There is little to know about me that is really worth while, but what
+little there is I sincerely hope you do not know," she replied half
+angrily. "If you do know anything which I have left untold, or if, in
+your vanity, you think you have discovered some great mystery concerning
+me, I advise you to keep your supposed knowledge to yourself. The day
+that I am made sure you know too much, our friendship ceases, and that,
+Sir Karl, would give me pain. I hope it would pain you."
+
+I at once began an orderly though hasty retreat.
+
+"I do not know to what you refer concerning yourself," I explained. "All
+I know about you is that you are Fraeulein Castleman, and a very charming
+person, whom I would have for my friend, if that be possible. I spoke
+but jestingly. I have often doubted that you are a burgher maiden, but
+there my knowledge ceases; and I am willing that it should so remain
+till you see fit to enlighten me."
+
+"There is little knowledge in doubt," said Yolanda, with a nervous
+laugh, "though a doubt usually precedes wisdom."
+
+Although I was looking at my horse's ears, I could see the light of her
+eyes as she watched me inquiringly. After a long pause she stroked her
+horse's mane with her whip, and said, musingly:--
+
+"A man should seek to know only the languages, philosophy, and other
+useful learning. Useless knowledge has cost many a man his head."
+
+After a long pause she turned to me with a broad smile:--
+
+"But it is usually not dangerous so long as it does not lodge in the
+tongue."
+
+I replied quickly:--
+
+"Fraeulein, when my tongue makes a fool of me, I pray God I may lose it."
+
+"God save all fools by a like fate," she answered.
+
+I was sure she did not mean to include me in the category of fools.
+
+This conversation revealed to me two facts: first, I learned that by
+some means--possibly the ring Max wore--this girl, Yolanda, whoever she
+might be, knew Max. Second, I discovered in myself a dangerous
+propensity to talk, and of all sure roads to ruin the tongue is the
+surest. A man's vanity prompts him to be witty; hatred prompts him to
+cut his enemy, and his love of truth often prompts him to speak it at
+the wrong time. These three motives combined often prompt him to lose
+his head. Max and I were on dangerous ground, and one untimely error
+might make it perilous.
+
+We travelled rapidly, and near midnight of the second day out of Metz we
+reached Cinq Voies on the Somme. The village, consisting of a large inn,
+a church, a priest's house, and a farrier's shop, is situate at the
+meeting of five roads, from which the hamlet takes its name. One road
+led down from Cambrai and Ghent in the north, one from Liege in the
+northeast, and the one over which we had travelled from Metz came out of
+the southeast. Two roads led westward to Peronne. One followed the right
+bank of the Somme, passed Peronne, and thence on to Amiens. Another road
+followed the left bank of the Somme, touched Peronne, and thence ran
+southwesterly to Paris.
+
+When we reached Cinq Voies on the Somme--within eight leagues of
+Peronne--we halted for supper, very tired and weary. While supper was
+preparing, we held a consultation, and determined to rest there for the
+night. I advised against this course, believing that the duke would pass
+that way on his road from Ghent to Peronne. But Yolanda's sweet face
+was pinched by weariness, and Twonette was sound asleep. Our horses, I
+feared, might fail, and leave us hopelessly in the lurch. Therefore, I
+gave the command to offsaddle, and we halted at the inn for the night.
+
+Our host told me his house was full of guests who had arrived two hours
+before, but he found a room for Yolanda and Twonette, and told Max and
+me to sleep, if we could, on the tap-room floor. After an hour on the
+hard boards I went to the stable, and, rousing a groom, gave him a
+silver crown for the privilege of sleeping on a wisp of hay. I fell
+asleep at once and must have slept like the dead, for the dawn was
+breaking when one of our squires wakened me. I could not believe that I
+had been sleeping five minutes, but the dim morning light startled me,
+and I ordered the horses saddled.
+
+I hastened to the inn and wakened Max, to whose well-covered bones a
+board was as soft as a feather bed. While I was speaking to him, I heard
+a noise in an adjoining room and saw the door opening. Max and I barely
+escaped through an open arch when a commanding figure clad in light
+armor entered the tap-room.
+
+I had not seen Charles of Burgundy since he was a boy--he was then Count
+of Charolois--but I at once knew with terrifying certainty that I looked
+on the most dreaded man in Europe. He had changed greatly since I last
+had seen him. He was then beardless; now he wore a beard that reached
+almost to his belt, and I should not have recognized in him the young
+Count of Charolois. There was, however, no doubt in my mind concerning
+his identity.
+
+Even had I failed to see the angry scar on his neck, of which I had
+often heard, or had I failed to note the lack of upper teeth (a fact
+known to all Europe) which gave his face an expression of savagery, I
+should have recognized him by his mien. There was not another man like
+him in all the world, and I trust there never will be. His face wore an
+expression of ferocity that was almost brutal. The passions of anger,
+arrogance, and hatred were marked on every feature; but over all there
+was the stamp of an almost superhuman strength, the impress of an iron
+will, the expression of an exhaustless energy, and the majesty of a
+satanic bravery. If Yolanda was the daughter of this terrible man, and
+if he should discover that I had her hidden in the room above his head,
+I should never eat another breakfast. Truly, Max and I were on
+perilous ground.
+
+Max remained in concealment, and I climbed the stairs, two steps at a
+time, to Yolanda's room. I gently knocked, and received a
+sleepy response.
+
+"Rise at once," I whispered. "I must speak to you instantly."
+
+"Enter--we are already dressed," answered Yolanda.
+
+When I entered she had risen from the bed and was rubbing her eyes.
+
+"We were so tired we slept in our garments. Don't we show it?" said
+Yolanda.
+
+Her hands were above her head, vainly endeavoring to arrange her hair,
+which had fallen in a great tumble of dark curls over her shoulder. Rest
+had flushed her cheeks, and her lips and her eyes were moist with the
+dew of sleep. Though my business was urgent I could not resist
+exclaiming:--
+
+"Ah, Fraeulein, you surely are beautiful."
+
+"I thank you, Sir Karl," she answered, flashing a smile upon me. "You
+may kiss my hand."
+
+She offered me her hand and asked:--
+
+"But what is your news?"
+
+While she spoke I heard voices and the tramping of hoofs beneath the
+window in front of the inn, and turned to look. I quickly drew away from
+the window and beckoned Yolanda:--
+
+"Come here, Fraeulein."
+
+She came to my side, and as she looked out upon the road two men emerged
+from the inn door. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy. She clutched my
+arm and whispered excitedly:--
+
+"Watch them, Sir Karl! Note the road they take! If they go by the right,
+we shall take the left. We _must_ reach Peronne Castle before the duke.
+Death itself hangs upon the issue, Sir Karl."
+
+I watched till the duke and all his people had left the inn; then I
+followed till I saw them take the road leading down the right bank of
+the Somme. When I returned to the inn, I paid the score, and gave each
+member of our little party a _boule_ of bread to be eaten as we rode;
+and within five minutes after the duke's departure we were fording the
+Somme to take the left bank for Peronne.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A RACE WITH THE DUKE
+
+Neither road clung to the river in all its windings, but at too frequent
+intervals both touched the stream at the same points. At places the
+roads hugged the Somme, separated only by its width--perhaps two hundred
+yards. These would be our danger points. I did not know them, and
+Yolanda's knowledge of the road was imperfect.
+
+Soon after leaving Cinq Voies, the road on the right bank--the one taken
+by the duke--gained a mile over the road on the left by cutting across a
+great bend in the river around which we had to travel. We therefore lost
+the duke's cavalcade at the outset.
+
+Hoping to pass the duke before the roads came again within sight of each
+other, we urged our horses to full speed. But the duke also was
+travelling rapidly, as we learned when we reached the first point of
+contact. Should the duke's men see us they would certainly hail. Four
+men in armor and two ladies, travelling the road to Peronne would not be
+allowed to pass unchallenged. Fortunately, just before the danger point,
+a clump of trees and underbushes grew between our road and the river.
+Max, who was riding a hundred yards in advance, suddenly stopped and
+held up his hand warningly. We halted immediately, and Max turned back
+to us, guiding his horse to the roadside to avoid raising a dust-cloud.
+
+We listened in silence, and I beckoned the squires to our sides. The men
+of our little party all dismounted and stood by their horses' heads,
+ready to strike the noses of the animals should they offer to salute the
+horses across the river with a neigh. Had not our danger been so great
+it would have been amusing to see each man, with uplifted hand, watching
+the eyes of his horse as intently as though they were the eyes of his
+lady-love. Yolanda laughed despite the danger, but covered her mouth
+with her hand when I frowned warningly.
+
+Presently we heard the tramping of horses and the voices of men across
+the river, and soon the duke approached at a canter. I could not help
+speculating on the consequences should His Grace know that Yolanda was
+watching him--if Yolanda were his daughter.
+
+That "if" would surely be the death of me.
+
+When the duke had passed a little way down the road, I peered through
+the bushes and saw the dust-cloud ahead of us.
+
+We could not venture from our hiding-place till the duke was out of
+sight, and by the delay we lost a good half-league in our race. I asked
+Yolanda if she knew how far it was to the next point of contact, She did
+not know, but I learned from a peasant that the river made a great bend,
+and that our road gained nearly a league over the other before each
+again touched the river. This was our great chance.
+
+We put our horses to their best; and when we again reached the river,
+Max, who was riding in advance, announced that the other cavalcade was
+not in sight. If it had passed, our race was lost; if it had not, we
+felt that we could easily ride into Peronne ahead of Duke Charles. At
+that point the roads followed the river within a stone's throw of each
+other for a great distance. If the duke had not reached this point, our
+need for haste was greater than ever before. We must be beyond the open
+stretch before the other cavalcade should come up to it.
+
+Our poor blown horses were loath to run, but we urged them to it. When
+we had covered half this open road, we took to the sod at the roadside
+to avoid raising a telltale cloud of dust. After a hard gallop we
+reached a forest where the road again left the river. Here we halted to
+breathe our horses and to watch the road on the right bank. After ten
+minutes we became uneasy and began to fear that the duke's cavalcade had
+passed us, but Max insisted that our fears were groundless.
+
+"Their dust could not have settled so quickly," he declared. "We should
+see at least traces of it. They cannot have passed."
+
+"One cannot help believing," said Yolanda, musingly, "that there are men
+who command the elements. One would almost say they make the rain to
+fall or to cease, the wind to rise or to drop, to suit their purposes,
+and the dust to lie quietly beneath their horses' feet. I pray God we
+may soon know, else I shall surely die of suspense."
+
+"There are also some persons, Fraeulein, whom God answers quickly," said
+Max, looking under his hand down the road. "Do you see yonder
+dust-cloud? It is a good two miles back of us."
+
+"It may not be the duke," said Yolanda, doubtingly.
+
+"Let us trust it is," said Max, "and lose no more time here."
+
+We watered our horses at a small brook and entered the forest, feeling
+that our race was won. The exultation of victory was upon Yolanda, and
+her buoyant spirits mounted to the skies. All fear and gloom had left
+her. She laughed and sang, and the sunshine of her humor filled all our
+hearts with delight. Since leaving Metz we had travelled so rapidly, and
+a cloud of uncertainty and fear was so constantly over us, that Yolanda
+had spoken little to Max or to any one; but now that victory was in her
+grasp, she intended to waste not one moment more in troubled thoughts
+and painful fears.
+
+"Ride beside me, Sir Max," she cried, beckoning him as if she were a
+great princess and he her page. Max spurred his horse to her side, and
+after a moment Twonette fell back with me. I overheard all that was said
+between Max and Yolanda, and though I do not pretend to quote
+accurately, I will give you the substance of their conversation.
+
+"I cannot help laughing," she said, suiting the action to the word,
+"over our tragic parting at Metz. We were separated a whole day!"
+
+"But we supposed it was to be for a very long time," said Max. "We--that
+is, I--feared I should never see you again. As it was, the day seemed
+long to me, Fraeulein."
+
+The girl laughed joyously. She had, you remember, offered Max to the
+Virgin at Strasburg. Perhaps part of her joy was because the Queen of
+Heaven had returned him to her.
+
+"I should like to try a separation for many days," she said.
+
+"You will soon have the opportunity," returned Max, with wounded vanity.
+She paid no heed to his remark, and continued:--
+
+"The second day would not seem so long to you. The third would be still
+shorter, and at the end of a fortnight--nay, at the end of a week--you
+would wonder how you were ever brought to fix your eyes on a poor
+burgher girl, even for a passing moment--you, a great lord. You see, I
+have no vast estates to hold you constant, such as those possessed by
+the forward lady who sent you the letter and the ring. Do you know, Sir
+Max, if I were very fond of you,--if I were your sweetheart,--I should
+be jealous of this brazen lady, very jealous."
+
+There was a glint in her eyes that might have caused one to believe the
+jealousy already existed.
+
+"Your raillery ill becomes you," said Max, half sullenly. "If I forget
+my rank and hold it of small account for your sake, you should not make
+a jest of it."
+
+You see, he had not entirely washed out of himself the ceremonious
+starch of Hapsburg.
+
+She glanced quickly toward him and answered poutingly:--
+
+"If you don't like my jesting, Sir Max, you may leave me to ride alone."
+
+"You asked me to ride with you," returned Max, "but if you have changed
+your mind and insist on being ill-tempered, I will--"
+
+She reached out her hand, and, grasping his bridle-reins, threw them
+over the pommel of her saddle.
+
+"Now let me see what you will do, my great Lord Somebody," she cried
+defiantly. "You shall not only ride beside me, but you shall also
+listen good-humoredly to my jests when I am pleased to make them, and
+bear with my ill-humor when I am pleased to be ill-humored."
+
+Max left the bridle-reins in her hand, but did not smile. She was not to
+be driven from her mood.
+
+"You are such a serious person, Sir Max, that you must, at times, feel
+yourself a great weight--almost burdensome--to carry about." She
+laughed, though his resentment had piqued her, and there was a dash of
+anger in her words. "Ponderous persons are often ridiculous and are apt
+to tire themselves with their own weight--no, Sir Max, you can't get
+away. I have your reins."
+
+"I can dismount," returned Max, "and leave you my horse to lead."
+
+He turned to leave his saddle, but she caught his arm, rode close to his
+side, and, slipping her hand down his sleeve, clasped his hand--if a
+hand so small as hers can be said to clasp one so large as his.
+
+A beautiful woman is born with a latent consciousness of her power over
+the subjugated sex. Max found in the soft touch of the girl's hand a
+wonderful antidote to her sharp words. She continued to hold his hand as
+compensation while she said, laughing nervously:--
+
+"Sir Max, you are still young. A friend would advise you: Never lose a
+chance to laugh, even though it be at your own expense. There will
+always be opportunity to grieve and be gloomy. I tell you frankly, Sir
+Max, I almost wept when I bade you good-by at Metz. Now, I am telling
+you my state secret and am giving you more than you have asked."
+
+Max joyfully interrupted her:--
+
+"I can forgive you all your raillery, Fraeulein, for that admission."
+
+"Yes, I confess it is a very important admission," she said, in
+half-comic seriousness, "but you see, I really did weep when I parted
+from my great mastiff, Caesar, at Peronne."
+
+The saucy turn was made so quickly that its humor took Max unawares, and
+he laughed.
+
+"There, there! Sir Max, there is hope for you," she cried exultantly.
+Then she continued, stealing a side glance at him, "I loved Caesar very,
+very much."
+
+There was a satisfying implication in her laughing words, owing to the
+fact that she had almost wept at Metz. Max was eager to take advantage
+of the opportunity her words gave him, for his caution was rapidly
+oozing away; but he had placed a seal on his lips, and they were
+shut--at least, for the time. His silence needed no explanation to
+Yolanda, and she continued laughingly:--
+
+"Yes, I almost wept. Perhaps I did weep. I will not say truly that I did
+not, Sir Max, but within an hour I was laughing at my foolish self and
+feared that you, too, would be laughing at me. I wondered if in all the
+world there was another burgher maiden so great a fool as to lift her
+eyes to a mighty lord, or to think that he could lower his eyes to her
+with true intent."
+
+At that point in the conversation I felt that the seal upon Max's lips
+would not stand another attack. It was sure to melt; so I rode to
+Yolanda's side and interrupted the interesting colloquy.
+
+Max supposed the girl to be of the burgher class, and if by any chance
+she were Mary of Burgundy, he might ruin his future, should he become
+too insistent upon his rank in explaining the reasons why he could not
+follow the path of his inclinations. He might make himself ridiculous;
+and that mistake will ruin a man with any woman, especially if she be
+young and much inclined to laugh.
+
+During the foregoing conversation we had been travelling at a six-mile
+canter. The day was warm, and I suggested breathing the horses in the
+shade of the forest.
+
+"I believe we are approaching the river," I said, "and we should rest
+the horses before taking a dash over the open road."
+
+Yolanda assented--in a manner she seemed to have taken command of the
+party--and we halted under the trees. Max rode forward to a point from
+which he could view the other road, and waved his hand to let us know
+that the duke was not in sight. We immediately put spurs to our horses
+and covered the stretch of open road by the river in a short, brisk
+gallop. On leaving the road again we saw no indication of the duke's
+cavalcade. Evidently the race was ours by an easy canter. From that
+point to within two miles of Peronne, Yolanda's song was as joyous as
+that of a wooing bird. The sun beat down upon us, and blinding clouds of
+dust rose from every plunge of our horses' hoofs; but Yolanda's song
+transformed our hot, wearisome journey into a triumphant march.
+Happiness seemed to radiate from her and to furnish joy for all.
+
+For a stretch of two miles up river from Peronne the roads approached
+each other, but, owing to an intervening marsh, they were fully half a
+mile apart. We, or at least Yolanda, had apparently forgotten the duke
+when, near the hour of eight in the morning, we approached the marsh;
+but when we entered the open country we saw, to our consternation, the
+duke's cavalcade within one mile of Peronne. Where they had passed us we
+did not know, nor did we stop to consider. They were five minutes ahead,
+and if we could not enter Peronne in advance of them, it were no worse
+had they been a day before us.
+
+Yolanda cast one frightened glance toward the duke's party, and struck
+her horse a blow with her whip that sent it bounding forward at a
+furious gallop. We reached the river and were crossing as the duke
+entered Cambrai Gate--the north entrance to the city. We would enter by
+the gate on the south known as the Somme Gate; Cambrai Gate was nearer
+the castle.
+
+The duke, I supposed, would go directly to the castle; where Yolanda
+would go I could not guess. From outside the Somme Gate we saw the duke
+enter Cambrai, but after we had passed under the arch we could not see
+him for a time because of intervening houses. The huge, grim pile of
+stone known as Peronne Castle loomed ominously on the opposite side of
+the small town. Yolanda veiled herself before passing under the gate and
+hastened, though without conspicuous speed, toward the castle.
+
+I afterward learned that there was but one entrance to the castle from
+the town. It was known as the Postern, though it had a portcullis and a
+drawbridge spanning the moat. To the Postern the duke took his way, as
+we could see at intervals by looking down cross streets. Yolanda did not
+follow him. She held her course down a narrow street flanked by
+overhanging eaves. Looking down this street, I could see that it
+terminated abruptly at the castle wall, which rose dark and unbroken
+sixty feet above the ground.
+
+At the end of this street a stone footbridge spanned the moat, leading
+to a strip of ground perhaps one hundred yards broad and two hundred
+long that lay between the moat and the castle wall. At either end of
+this strip the moat again turned to the castle. The Cologne River joined
+the moat at the north end of this tract of ground and flowed on by the
+castle wall to the Somme. In a grove of trees stood a large two-story
+house of time-darkened stone, built against the castle wall. One could
+not leave the strip of ground save by the stone footbridge, unless by
+swimming the moat or scaling the walls.
+
+When we reached the footbridge, Yolanda and Twonette, without a word of
+farewell, urged their horses across, and, springing from their saddles,
+hurriedly entered the house. Max and I turned our horses' heads, and, as
+we were leaving the footbridge, saw the duke's cavalcade enter the
+Postern, which was perhaps three hundred yards back and north of the
+strip on which stood the House under the Wall.
+
+To reach the Postern in the castle wall from the footbridge one must go
+well up into the town and cross the great bridge that spans the Cologne;
+then back along the north bank of the river by the street that leads to
+the Postern. From the House under the Wall to the Postern, by way of the
+Cologne bridge, is a half-hour's walk, though in a direct line, as the
+crow flies, it may be less than three hundred yards. Neither Max nor I
+knew whether our journey had been a success or a failure.
+
+We rode leisurely back to the centre of the town, and asked a carter to
+direct us to Marcus Grote's inn, The Mitre. We soon found it, and gave
+mine host the letter that we bore from Castleman. Although the hour of
+nine in the morning had not yet struck, Max and I eagerly sought our
+beds, and did not rise till late in the afternoon. The next morning we
+dismissed our squires, fearing they might talk. We paid the men, gave
+them each a horse, and saw them well on their road back to Switzerland.
+They were Swiss lads, and could not take themselves out of Burgundy fast
+enough to keep pace with their desires.
+
+Notwithstanding Castleman's admonition, Max determined to remain in
+Peronne; not for the sake of Mary the princess, but for the smile of
+Yolanda the burgher girl. I well knew that opposition would avail
+nothing, and was quite willing to be led by the unseen hand of fate.
+
+The evening of the second day after our arrival I walked out at dusk and
+by accident met my friend, the Sieur d'Hymbercourt. He it was to whom my
+letters concerning Max had been written, and who had been responsible
+for the offer of Mary's hand. He recognized me before I could avoid him,
+so I offered my hand and he gave me kindly welcome.
+
+"By what good fortune are you here, Sir Karl?" he asked.
+
+"I cannot tell," I answered, "whether it be good or evil fortune that
+brings me. I deem it right to tell you that I am here with my young
+pupil, the Count of Hapsburg."
+
+Hymbercourt whistled his astonishment.
+
+"We are out to see a little of the world, and I need not tell you how
+important it is that we remain unknown while in Burgundy. I bear my own
+name; the young count has assumed the name of his mother's family and
+wishes to be known as Sir Maximilian du Guelph."
+
+"I shall not mention your presence even to my wife," he replied. "I
+advise you not to remain in Burgundy. The duke takes it for granted that
+Styria will aid the Swiss, or at least will sympathize with them in this
+brewing war, and I should fear for your safety were he to discover you."
+
+"I understand the duke recently arrived in Peronne?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," answered Hymbercourt, "we all came yesterday morning."
+
+"How is the fair princess? Did she come with you?" I asked, fearing to
+hear his reply.
+
+"She is well, and more beautiful than ever before," he answered. "She
+did not come with us from Ghent; she has been here at the castle with
+her stepmother, the Duchess Margaret. They have lived here during the
+last two or three years. The princess met her father just inside the
+Postern, lovely and fresh as a dew-dipped rose."
+
+"She met her father just inside the Postern?" I asked, slowly dropping
+my words in astonishment. "She was in the castle yard when her father
+entered,--and at the Postern?"
+
+"Yes, she took his hand and sprang to a seat behind him," answered
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"She met him inside the Postern, say you?" I repeated musingly.
+
+"What is there amazing about so small an act?" asked Hymbercourt. "Is it
+not natural that she should greet her father whom she has not seen for
+a year?"
+
+"Indeed, yes," I replied stumblingly, "but the weather is very hot,
+and--and I was thinking how much I should have enjoyed witnessing the
+meeting. She doubtless was dressed in gala attire for so rare an
+occasion?" I asked, wishing to talk upon the subject that touched me so
+nearly. Yolanda was in short skirts, stained and travel-worn, when
+she left us.
+
+"Indeed she was," answered Hymbercourt. "I can easily describe her
+dress. She loves woman's finery, and I must confess that I too love it.
+She wore a hawking costume; a cap of crimson--I think it was
+velvet--with little knots on it and gems scattered here and there. A
+heron's plume clasped with a diamond brooch adorned the cap. Her hair
+hung over her shoulders. It is very dark and falls in a great bush of
+fluffy curls. When her headgear is off, her hair looks like a black
+corona. She is wonderfully beautiful, wonderfully beautiful. Her gown
+was of red stuff. Perhaps it was of velvet like the cap. It was hitched
+up with a cord and girdle, with tassels of gold lace and--and--Sir Karl,
+you are not listening."
+
+"I am listening," I replied. "I am greatly interested. Her gown--she
+wore a gown--she wore a gown--"
+
+"Yes, of course she wore a gown," laughingly retorted Hymbercourt. "Your
+lagging attention is what I deserve, Sir Karl, for trying in my lame
+fashion to describe a woman's gear to a man who is half priest, half
+warrior. I do not wonder that you did not follow me."
+
+I had heard him, but there was another question dinning in my ears so
+loudly that it drowned all other sounds--"Who is Yolanda?"
+
+Yolanda was entering the door of the House under the Wall less than five
+minutes before I saw the duke pass through the Postern. Marcus Grote had
+told me there were but two openings to the castle, the Postern and the
+great gate on the other side of the castle by the donjon keep. To reach
+the great gate one must pass out by Cambrai or the Somme Gate and go
+around the city walls--an hour's journey.
+
+With an air of carelessness I asked Hymbercourt concerning the various
+entrances to the castle. He confirmed what Grote had said. Considering
+all the facts, I was forced to this conclusion: If the Princess Mary had
+met the duke at the Postern, Yolanda was not the Princess Mary.
+
+The next day I reconnoitred the premises, and again reached the
+conclusion that Yolanda could not have met the duke inside the Postern
+unless she were a witch with wings that could fly thither over the
+castle walls; ergo, she was not the princess. With equal certainty she
+was not a burgher girl.
+
+In seeking an identity that would fit her I groped among many absurd
+propositions. Yolanda might be the duke's ward, or she might be his
+daughter, though not bearing his name. My brain was in a whirl. If she
+were the princess, I wished to remain in Peronne to pursue the small
+advantage Max had assuredly gained in winning her favor. The French
+marriage might miscarry. But if she were not the princess, I could not
+get my Prince Max away from her dangerous neighborhood too quickly. I
+could not, of course, say to Max, "You shall remain in Peronne," or "You
+shall leave Peronne at once;" but my influence over him was great, and
+he trusted my fidelity, my love, and my ability to advise him rightly. I
+had always given my advice carefully, but, above all, I had given him
+the only pleasurable moments he had ever known. That, by the way, may
+have been the greatest good I could have offered him.
+
+When Max was a child, the pleasure of his amusements was smothered by
+officialism. My old Lord Aurbach, though gouty and stiff of joint, was
+eager to "run" his balls or his arrows, and old Sir Giles Butch could be
+caught so easily at tag or blind man's buff that there was no sport for
+Max in doing it. Everything the boy did was done by the heir of Styria,
+except on rare occasions when he and I stole away from the castle. Then
+we were boys together, and then it was I earned his love and confidence.
+At such times we used to leave the Hapsburg ancestry to care for itself
+and dumped Hapsburg dignity into the moat. But the crowning good I had
+brought to him was this journey into the world. The boy loathed the
+clinging dignities that made of him, at home, a royal automaton, tricked
+out in tarnished gold lace, faded velvets, and pompous airs. He often
+spoke of the pleasures I had given him. One evening at Grote's inn I
+answered:--
+
+"Nonsense, Max, nonsense," though I was so pleased with his gratitude I
+could have wept.
+
+"It is not nonsense. You have saved me from becoming a mummy. I see it
+all, Karl, and shudder to think of the life that might have been mine. I
+take no pleasure in seeing gouty old dependents bowing, kneeling, and
+smirking before me. Of course, these things are my prerogative, and a
+man born to them may not forego what is due to his birth even though it
+irks him. But such an existence--I will not call it living--saps the
+juice of life. Even dear old mother is compelled to suppress her love
+for me. Often she has pressed me to her breast only to thrust me away at
+the approach of footsteps. By the way, Karl," continued Max, while
+preparing for bed, "Yolanda one day at Basel jestingly called me
+'Little Max.'"
+
+"The devil she did," I exclaimed, unable to restrain my words.
+
+"Yes," answered Max, "and when in surprise I told her that it was my
+mother's love-name for me, she laughed saucily, 'Yes, I know it is.'"
+
+"The dev-- Max, you can't mean what you say?" I cried, in an ecstasy of
+delight over the news he was telling me.
+
+"Indeed I do," he returned. "I told her I loved the name as a sweet
+reminder of my mother."
+
+"What did she say?" I asked.
+
+"She seemed pleased and flashed her eyes on me--you know the way she
+has--and said: 'I, too, like the name. It fits you so well--by
+contraries.' Where could she have learned it, and how could she have
+known it was my mother's love-name for me?"
+
+"I cannot tell," I answered.
+
+So! here was a small fact suddenly grown big, since, despite all
+evidence to the contrary, it brought me back to my old belief that this
+fair, laughing Yolanda was none other than the great Princess of
+Burgundy. I was sure that she had gained all her information concerning
+Max from my letters to Hymbercourt.
+
+It racks a man's brain to play shuttlecock with it in that fashion.
+While I lay in bed trying to sleep, I thought of the meeting between the
+duke and the princess at the Postern, and back again flew my mind to the
+conviction that Yolanda was not, and could not possibly be, the Princess
+Mary. For days I had been able to think on no other subject. One moment
+she was Yolanda; the next she was the princess; and the next I did not
+know who she was. Surely the riddle would drive me mad. The fate of
+nations--but, infinitely more important to me, the fate of Max--depended
+upon its solution.
+
+Castleman had told us to remain at the inn until his return, and had
+exacted from Max, as you will remember, a promise not to visit the House
+under the Wall, which we had learned was the home of our burgher friend.
+We therefore spent our days and evenings in Grote's garden near the
+banks of the river Cologne.
+
+One afternoon, while we were sitting at a table sipping wine under the
+shade of a tree near the river bank, Max said:--
+
+"I have enjoyed every day of our journey, Karl. I have learned the great
+lesson of life, and am now ready to go back to Styria and take up my
+burden. We must see our friends and say farewell to them. Then--"
+
+"You forget the object of our journey to Burgundy," I answered.
+
+"No, I have not forgotten it," he replied. "I had abandoned it even
+before I heard of the impending French marriage."
+
+"Not with my consent, Max," I answered almost fiercely. "The princess is
+not yet married, and no one can foresee the outcome of these present
+complications into which the duke is plunging. We could not have reached
+Burgundy at a more auspicious time. God's hand seems to have been in our
+venture. If evil befall the duke, there will be an open gate for you,
+Max,--a gate opened by fate."
+
+I could not, by my utmost effort, force myself entirely away from the
+belief that Yolanda was the princess, and I was near to telling Max of
+my suspicions; but doubt came before my words, and I remained silent.
+Before many days I was glad of my caution.
+
+"I knew," said Max, "that I would pain you, Karl, by this determination
+to return to Styria without so much as an effort to do--to do what we--
+what you wished; but it must be as I say. I must leave Burgundy and go
+back to my strait-jacket. I have lived my life, Karl, I have had my
+portion of sweet joy and sweeter pain. The pain will give me joy as long
+as I live. Now for my duty to my father, my house, and my ancestors."
+
+"But your duty to all these lies here in Peronne," I answered, almost
+stifled by the stupendous import of the moment.
+
+"I suppose you are right," sighed Max, speaking gently, though with
+decision. "But that duty I'll shirk, and try to make amends in other
+ways. I shall never marry. That, Karl, you may depend upon. Styria may
+go at my death to Albert of Austria, or to his issue."
+
+"No, no! Max," I cried. He ignored my interruption.
+
+"Along with the countless duties that fall to the lot of a prince are a
+few that one owes to himself as a man. There are some sacrifices a man
+has no right to inflict upon himself, even for the sake of his family,
+his ancestors, or his state." He paused for the space of a minute, and,
+dropping his words slowly, continued in a low voice vibrant with
+emotion: "There is but one woman, Karl, whom I may marry with God's
+pleasure. Her, I may not even think upon; she is as far from me as if
+she were dead. I must sacrifice her for the sake of the obligations and
+conditions into which I was born; but--" here he hesitated, rose slowly
+to his feet, and lifted his hands above his head, "but I swear before
+the good God, who, in His wisdom, inflicted the curse of my birth upon
+me, that I will marry no other woman than this, let the result be
+what it may."
+
+He sank back into the chair and fell forward on the table, burying his
+face in his arms. His heart for the moment was stronger than his
+resolution.
+
+"That question is settled," thought I. No power save that of the Pope
+could absolve the boy from his oath, and I knew that the power of ten
+score of popes could not move him from its complete fulfilment. The oath
+of Maximilian of Hapsburg, whose heart had never coined a lie, was as
+everlasting as the rocks of his native land and, like Styria's mountain
+peaks, pierced the dome of heaven.
+
+If Yolanda were not the princess, our journeying to Burgundy had been in
+vain, and our sojourn in Peronne was useless and perilous. It could not
+be brought to a close too quickly. But (the question mark seems at times
+to be the greatest part of life) if Yolanda were Mary of Burgundy, Max
+had, beyond doubt, already won the lady's favor, unless she were a
+wanton snare for every man's feet. That hypothesis I did not entertain
+for a moment. I knew little of womankind, but my limited knowledge told
+me that Yolanda was true. Her heart was full of laughter,--a rare, rich
+heritage,--and she was little inclined to look on the serious side of
+life if she could avoid it; but beneath all there was a real Yolanda,
+with a great, tender heart and a shrewd, helpful brain. She was somewhat
+of a coquette, but coquetry salts a woman and gives her relish. It had
+been a grievous waste on the part of Providence to give to any girl such
+eyes as Yolanda's and to withhold from her a modicum of coquetry with
+which to use them. Taken all in all, Yolanda, whoever she was, would
+grace any station in life. But if she were not the princess, I would be
+willing to give my life--nay, more, I would almost be willing to take
+hers--rather than see her marry Maximilian of Hapsburg. Happiness could
+not come from such a union.
+
+Should Max marry a burgher girl, his father and mother would never look
+upon his face again. It would alienate his subjects, humble his house,
+and bring him to the level of the meanest noble on the Danube. To all
+these dire consequences Max was quite as wide awake as I. He had no
+intention of bringing them upon his house, though for himself he would
+have welcomed them. So I felt little uneasiness; but when a great love
+lays hold upon a great heart, no man may know the outcome.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ON THE MOAT BRIDGE
+
+Awaiting Castleman's return, we remained housed up at The Mitre, seldom
+going farther abroad than Grote's garden save in the early morning or
+after dark. But despite our caution trouble befell us, as our burgher
+friend had predicted.
+
+Within a week Max began to go out after dark without asking me to
+accompany him. When he came into our room late one evening, I asked
+carelessly where he had been. I knew where he had been going, and had
+burned to speak, but the boy was twenty-two. Within the last few months
+he had grown out of my tutelage, and his native strength of character
+had taught me to respect him and in a certain way to fear him. From the
+promptness of his reply I thought that he had wished me to ask
+concerning his outgoing and incoming.
+
+"I have been to the bridge over the moat, near Castleman's House under
+the Wall," he answered.
+
+"What did you there?" I asked, seeing his willingness to be questioned.
+
+"I stood there--I--I--" He paused, laughed, and stammered on. "I looked
+at the castle and at the moat, like a silly fool, and--and--"
+
+"Castleman's house?" I suggested, helping him out.
+
+"Y-e-s," he answered hesitatingly, "I could not help seeing it. It is
+close by the bridge--not twenty paces distant."
+
+"Did you see any one else--except the house?" I asked.
+
+"No," he returned promptly. "I did not want to see any one else. If I
+had I should have entered the house."
+
+"Why, then, did you go to the bridge?" I queried.
+
+"I cannot answer that question even to myself," he replied. "I--I--there
+is a constant hungering for her, Karl, that I cannot overcome; it seems
+as if I am compelled to go to the bridge, though I know I should not. It
+is very foolish in me, I am sure, but--"
+
+"I heartily agree with you," I answered. "It is not only foolish, it is
+rash; and it may bring you great trouble."
+
+I did not deem it necessary to tell him that he was following in the
+footsteps of his race. I left him to suppose that he was the only fool
+of the sort that had ever lived. The thought would abate his vanity.
+
+"But I _must_ go to the bridge," he continued, finishing the sentence I
+had interrupted, "and I do not see how there can be evil in it."
+
+"No, Max, it Is not wrong in itself," I said reprovingly; "but
+Castleman, evidently for good reasons, asked you to stay away from his
+house, and counselled us to remain close at the inn. It has also this
+evil in it for you, aside from the danger: it will make your duty harder
+to perform. When a man longs for what he may not have, he should not
+think upon it, much less act on it. Our desires, like covetousness and
+jealousy, feed upon themselves. We may, if we but knew it, augment or
+abate them at will."
+
+"I shall always think on--on my love for Yolanda," he replied. "I would
+not abate it one jot; I would augment it in my heart. But, Karl--you
+see, Karl, it is not a question of my own strength to resist. I need no
+strength. There is no more reason for you to warn me against this danger
+than to admonish a child not to long for a star, fearing he might get
+it. The longing may be indulged with impunity; the star and the danger
+are out of reach."
+
+I had nothing to say; Max was stronger and nobler than ever I had
+believed.
+
+Max continued to go to the bridge, and I made no effort to prevent him.
+Meddling mars more frequently than it mends, and when the Fates are
+leading, a man is a fool to try to direct their course. Whatever was to
+be would be. Fate held Max by the hand and was leading him. I almost
+feared to move or to speak in his affairs, lest I should make a mistake
+and offend these capricious Fates. The right or the wrong of his visits
+to the moat depended entirely upon the answer to my riddle, "Who is
+Yolanda?" and I dared not put it to the touch.
+
+On one occasion he returned from the bridge, and without lighting the
+lamp, sat on the arm of my chair. The moonlight streaming through the
+window illumined his head as with a halo. He tossed the damp curls from
+his face, and his eyes were aglow with joy. There was no need to tell me
+what had happened, but he told me.
+
+"Ah, Karl, I've seen the star," he cried triumphantly. He was but a
+boy-man, you must remember.
+
+"I was sure you would see her," I answered. "How did you bring the
+meeting about?"
+
+"I did not bring it about," he answered, laughing softly. "The star came
+to the child."
+
+"All things come to him that waits at the bridge," I replied
+sarcastically. He paid no heed to the sarcasm, but continued:--
+
+"She happened to be near the bridge when I got there, and she came to
+me, Karl,--she came to me like a real star falling out of the darkness."
+
+That little fact solved once more my great riddle--at least, it solved
+it for a time. Yolanda was not Mary of Burgundy. I had little knowledge
+of princesses and their ways, but I felt sure they were not in the habit
+of lurking in dark places or wandering by sluggish moats in the black
+shadow of a grim castle. A princess would not and could not have been
+loitering by the bridge near the House under the Wall. Castleman's words
+concerning Yolanda's residence under his roof came back and convinced me
+that my absurd theory concerning her identity was the dream of a madman.
+
+"She happened to be near the bridge?" I asked, with significant
+emphasis.
+
+"Perhaps I should not have used the word 'happened,'" returned Max.
+
+"I thought as much. What did she have to say for herself, Max?"
+
+"If I were not sure of your devotion, Karl, I should not answer a
+question concerning Yolanda put in such a manner," he replied; "but I'll
+tell you. When I stepped on the bridge, she came running to me from the
+shadow of the trees. Her arms were uplifted, and she moved so swiftly
+and with such grace one could almost think she was flying--"
+
+"Witches fly," I interrupted. My remark checked his flow of enthusiasm.
+After a long silence I queried, "Well?"
+
+Max began again.
+
+"She gave me her hand and said: 'I knew you would come again, Sir Max. I
+saw you from the battlements last night and the night before and the
+night before that. I could not, with certainty, recognize you from so
+great a distance, but I was sure you would come to the bridge--I do not
+know why, but I was sure you would come; so to-night I too came. You
+cannot know the trouble I took or the risk I ran in coming. You have not
+seen me for many days, yet you remember me and have come five times to
+the bridge. I was wrong when I said you would forget the burgher girl
+within a fortnight. Sir Max, you are a marvel of constancy.' At that
+moment the figures of two men appeared on the castle battlements,
+silhouetted against the moon; they seemed of enormous stature, magnified
+in the moonlight. One of them was the Duke of Burgundy. I recognized him
+by his great beard, of which I have heard you speak. Yolanda caught one
+glimpse of the men and ran back to the house without so much as giving
+me a word of farewell."
+
+"What did you say during the brief interview?" I asked.
+
+"Not one word," he replied.
+
+"By my soul, you are an ardent lover," I exclaimed.
+
+"I think she understood me," Max replied, confidently; and doubtless he
+was right.
+
+Once more the riddle was solved. A few more solutions and there would be
+a mad Styrian in Burgundy. My reflections were after this fashion:
+Princesses, after all, do wander by the moat side and loiter by the
+bridge. Princesses do go on long journeys with no lady-in-waiting to do
+their bidding and no servants ready at their call. Yolanda was Mary of
+Burgundy, thought I, and Max had been throwing away God-given
+opportunities. Had she not seen Max from the battlements, and had she
+not fled at sight of the duke? These two small facts were but scant
+evidence of Yolanda's royalty, but they seemed sufficient.
+
+"What would you have me say, Karl?" asked Max. "You would not have me
+speak more than I have already said and win her love beyond her power to
+withdraw it. That I sometimes believe I might do, but if my regard for
+her is true, I should not wish to bring unhappiness to her for the sake
+of satisfying my selfish vanity. If I am not mistaken, a woman would
+suffer more than a man from such a misfortune."
+
+Here, truly, was a generous love. It asked only the privilege of giving,
+and would take nothing in return because it could not give all. If
+Yolanda were Mary of Burgundy, Max might one day have a reward worthy of
+his virtue. Yolanda's sweetness and beauty and Mary's rich domain would
+surely be commensurate with the noblest virtue. I was not willing that
+Max should cease wooing Yolanda--if I might give that word to his
+conduct--until I should know certainly that she was not the princess.
+This, I admit, was cruel indifference to Yolanda's peace of mind or
+pain of heart, if Max should win her love and desert her.
+
+Because of a faint though dazzling ray of hope, I encouraged Max after
+this to visit the bridge over the moat, dangerous though it was; and
+each night I received an account of his doings. Usually the account was
+brief and pointless. He went, he stood upon the bridge, he saw the House
+under the Wall, he returned to the inn. But a night came when he had
+stirring adventures to relate.
+
+At the time of which I am writing every court in Europe had its cluster
+of genteel vagabonds,--foreigners,--who stood in high favor. These
+hangers-on, though perhaps of the noblest blood in their own lands, were
+usually exiles from their native country. Some had been banished for
+crimes; others had wandered from their homes, prompted by the love of
+roaming so often linked with unstable principles and reckless
+dispositions. Burgundy under Charles the Rash was a paradise for these
+gentry. The duke, who was so parsimonious with the great and wise Philip
+de Comines that he drove him to the court of Louis XI, was open-handed
+with these floating villains.
+
+In imitation of King Louis's Scotch guard, Charles had an Italian guard.
+The wide difference in the wisdom of these princes is nowhere more
+distinctly shown than in the quality of the men they chose to guard
+them. Louis employed the simple, honest, brave Scot. Charles chose the
+most guileful of men. They were true only to self-interest, brave only
+in the absence of danger. The court of Burgundy swarmed with these
+Italian mercenaries, many of whom had followed Charles to Peronne. Count
+Campo-Basso, who afterward betrayed Charles, was their chief. Among his
+followers was a huge Lombard, a great bully, who bore the name of
+Count Calli.
+
+On the evening of which I speak Max had hardly stepped on the bridge
+when Yolanda ran to him.
+
+"I have been waiting for you, Sir Max," she said. "You are late. I
+feared you would not come. I have waited surely an hour, though I am
+loath to confess it lest you think me a too willing maiden."
+
+"It would be hard, Fraeulein, for me to think you too willing--you are
+but gracious and kind, and I thank you," answered Max. "But you have not
+waited an hour. Darkness has fallen barely a quarter of that time."
+
+"I was watching long before dark on the battlements, and--"
+
+"On the battlements, Fraeulein?" asked Max, in surprise.
+
+"I mean from--from the window battlements in uncle's house. I've been
+out here under the trees since nightfall, and that seems to have been at
+least an hour ago. Don't you understand, Sir Max?" she continued,
+laughing softly and speaking as if in jest; "the longer I know you the
+more shamefully eager I become; but that is the way with a maid and a
+man. She grows more eager and he grows less ardent, and I doubt not the
+time will soon arrive, Sir Max, when you will not come at all, and I
+shall be left waiting under the trees to weep in loneliness."
+
+Max longed to speak the words that were in his heart and near his lips,
+but he controlled himself under this dire temptation and remained
+silent. After a long pause she stepped close to him and asked:--
+
+"Did you not want me to come?"
+
+Max dared not tell her how much he had wanted her to come, so he went to
+the other extreme--he must say something--and, in an excess of
+caution, said:--
+
+"I would not have asked you to come, Fraeulein, though I much desired it;
+but sober judgment would prompt me to wish that--that is, I--ah,
+Fraeulein, I did not want you to come to the bridge."
+
+She laughed softly and said:--
+
+"Now, Little Max, you do not speak the truth. You did want me to come,
+else why do you come to the bridge? Why do you come?"
+
+In view of all the facts in the case the question was practically
+unanswerable unless Max wished to tell the truth, so he evaded
+by saying:--
+
+"I do not know."
+
+She looked quickly up to his face and stepped back from him:--
+
+"Did you come to see Twonette? I had not thought of her. She is but
+drained milk and treacle. Do you want to see her, Sir Max? If so, I'll
+return to the house and send her to you."
+
+"Fraeulein, I need not answer your question," returned Max, convincingly.
+
+"But I love Twonette. I know you do not come to see her, and I should
+not have spoken as I did," said Yolanda, penitently.
+
+Perhaps her penitential moods were the most bewitching--certainly they
+were the most dangerous--of all her many phases.
+
+"You know why I come to the bridge, even though I do not," said Max.
+"Tell me, Fraeulein, why I come."
+
+"That is what you may tell me. I came to hear it," she answered softly,
+hanging her head.
+
+"I may not speak, Fraeulein," he replied, with a deep, regretful sigh.
+"What I said to you on the road from Basel will be true as long as I
+live, but we agreed that it should not again be spoken between us. For
+your sake more than for mine it is better that I remain silent."
+
+Yolanda hung her head, while her fingers were nervously busy with the
+points of her bodice. She uttered a low laugh, flashed her eyes upon
+him for an instant, and again the long lashes shaded them.
+
+"You need not be _too_ considerate for my sake, Sir Max," she whispered;
+"though--though I confess that I never supposed any man could bring me
+to this condition of boldness."
+
+Max caught her hands, and, clasping them between his own, drew the girl
+toward him. The top of her head was below his chin, and the delicious
+scent from her hair intoxicated his senses. She felt his great frame
+tremble with emotion, and a thrill of exquisite delight sped through
+every fibre of her body, warming every drop of blood in her veins. But
+Max, by a mighty effort, checked himself, and remained true to his
+self-imposed renunciation in word and act. After a little time she drew
+her hands from his, saying:--
+
+"You are right, Max, to wish to save yourself and me from pain."
+
+"I wish to save you, Yolanda. I want the pain; I hope it will cling to
+me all my life. I want to save you from it."
+
+"Perhaps you are beginning too late, Max," said the girl, sighing,
+"but--but after all you are right. Even as you see our situation it is
+impossible for us to be more than we are to each other. But if you knew
+all the truth, you would see how utterly hopeless is the future in which
+I at one time thought I saw a ray of hope. Our fate is sealed, Max; we
+are doomed. Before long you shall know. I will soon tell you all."
+
+"Do you wish to tell me now, Fraeulein?" he asked.
+
+"No," she whispered.
+
+"In your own good time, Yolanda. I would not urge you."
+
+Max understood Yolanda's words to imply that her station in life was
+even lower than it seemed, or that there was some taint upon herself or
+her family. Wishing to assure her that such a fact could not influence
+him, he said:--
+
+"You need not fear to tell me all concerning yourself or your family.
+There can be no stain upon you, and even though your station be
+less than--"
+
+"Hush, Max, hush," she cried, placing her hand protestingly against his
+breast. "You do not know what you are saying. There is no stain on me or
+my family."
+
+Max wondered, but was silent; he had not earned the right to be
+inquisitive.
+
+The guard appeared at that moment on the castle battlements, and Max and
+Yolanda sought the shelter of a grove of trees a dozen paces from the
+bridge on the town side of the moat. They seated themselves on a bench,
+well within the shadow of the trees, and after a moment's silence
+Max said:--
+
+"I shall not come to the bridge again, Fraeulein. I'll wait till your
+uncle returns, when I shall see you at his house. Then I'll say farewell
+and go back to the hard rocks of my native land--and to a life harder
+than the rocks."
+
+"You are right in your resolve not to come again to the bridge," said
+Yolanda, "for so long as you come, I, too, shall come--when I can. That
+will surely bring us trouble sooner or later. But when Uncle Castleman
+returns, you must come to his house, and I shall see you there. As to
+your leaving Peronne, we will talk of that later. It is not to be
+thought of now."
+
+She spoke with the confidence of one who felt that she might command him
+to stay or order him to go. She would settle that little point
+for herself.
+
+"I will go, Fraeulein," said Max, "soon after your uncle's return."
+
+"Perhaps it will be best, but we will determine that when we must--when
+the time comes that we can put it off no longer. Now, I wish you to
+grant me three promises, Sir Max. First, ask me no questions concerning
+myself. Of course, you will ask them of no one else; I need not demand
+that promise of you."
+
+"I gladly promise," he answered. "What I already know of you is
+all-sufficient."
+
+"Second, do not fail to come to my uncle's house when he invites you.
+His home is worthy to receive the grandest prince in the world. My--my
+lord, Duke Philip the Good, was Uncle Castleman's dear friend. The old
+duke, when in Peronne, dined once a week with my uncle. Although uncle
+is a burgher, he could have been noble. He refused a lordship and
+declined the Order of the Golden Fleece, preferring the freedom of his
+own caste. I have always thought he acted wisely."
+
+"Indeed he was wise," returned Max. "You that have never known the
+restraints of one born to high estate cannot fully understand how
+wise he was."
+
+Yolanda glanced up to Max with amusement in her eyes:--
+
+"Ah, yes! For example, there is poor Mary of Burgundy, who is to marry
+the French Dauphin. I pity her. For all we know, she may be longing for
+another man as I--I longed for my mastiff, Caesar, when I was away. By
+the way, Sir Max, are you still wearing the ring?" She took his hand and
+felt for the ring on his finger. "Ah, you have left it off," she cried
+reproachfully, answering her own question.
+
+"Yes," answered Max. "There have been so many changes within the last
+few weeks that I have taken it off, and--and I shall cease to wear it."
+
+"Then give it to me, Sir Max," she cried excitedly.
+
+"I may not do that, Fraeulein," answered Max. "It was given to me by one
+I respect."
+
+"I know who the lady is," answered Yolanda, tossing her head saucily and
+speaking with a dash of irritation in her voice.
+
+"Ah, you do?" asked Max. "Tell me now, my little witch, who is the lady?
+If you know so much tell me."
+
+Yolanda lifted her eyes solemnly toward heaven, invoking the help of her
+never failing familiar spirit.
+
+"I see an unhappy lady," she said, speaking in a low whisper, "whose
+father is one of the richest and greatest princes in all the world. A
+few evenings ago while we were standing on the moat bridge talking, I
+saw the lady's father on the battlements of yonder terrible castle. His
+form seemed magnified against the sky till it was of unearthly size and
+terrible to look on--doubly terrible to those who know him. If she
+should disobey her father, he would kill her with his battle-axe, I
+verily believe, readily as he would crush a rebellious soldier. Yet she
+fears him not, because she is of his own dauntless blood and fears not
+death itself. She is to marry the Dauphin of France, and her wishes are
+of so small concern, I am told that she has not yet been notified. This
+terrible man will sell his daughter as he would barter a horse. She is
+powerless to move in her own behalf, being bound hand and foot by the
+remorseless shackles of her birth. She will become an unhappy queen,
+and, if she survives her cruel father, she will, in time, take to her
+husband this fat land of Burgundy, for the sake of which he wishes to
+marry her. She is Mary of Burgundy, and even I, poor and mean of
+station, pity her. She--gave--you--the--ring."
+
+"How did you learn all this, Fraeulein? You are not guessing, as you
+would have had me believe, and you would not lie to me. What you have
+just said is a part with what you said at Basel and at Strasburg. How
+did you learn it, Fraeulein?"
+
+"Twonette," answered Yolanda.
+
+That simple explanation was sufficient for Max. Yolanda might very
+likely know the private affairs of the Princess Mary through Twonette,
+who was a friend of Her Highness.
+
+"But you have not promised to visit Uncle Castleman's house when he
+invites you," said Yolanda, drawing Max again to the bench beside her.
+
+"I gladly promise," said Max.
+
+"That brings me to the third promise I desire," said Yolanda. "I want
+you to give me your word that you will not leave Burgundy within one
+month from this day, unless I give you permission."
+
+"I cannot grant you that promise, Fraeulein," answered Max.
+
+"Ah, but you must, you shall," cried Yolanda, desperately clutching his
+huge arms with her small hands and clinging to him. "I will scream, I
+will waken the town. I will not leave you, and you shall not shake me
+off till I have your promise. I may not give you my reasons, but trust
+me, Max, trust me. Give me your unquestioning faith for once. I am not a
+fool, Max, nor would I lie to you for all the world, in telling you that
+it is best for you to give me the promise. Believe me, while there may
+be risk to me in what I ask, it is best that you grant it, and that you
+remain in Peronne for a month--perhaps for two months, unless I sooner
+tell you to go."
+
+"I may not give you the promise you ask, Fraeulein," answered Max,
+desperately. "You must know how gladly I would remain here forever."
+
+"I believe truly you want to stay," she answered demurely, "else I
+surely would not ask this promise of you. Your unspoken words have been
+more eloquent than any vows your lips could coin, and I know what is in
+your heart, else my boldness would have been beyond excusing. What I
+wish is that your desire should be great enough to keep you when I ask
+you to remain."
+
+"I may not think of myself or my own desires, Fraeulein," he answered.
+"Like the lady of Burgundy, I was shackled at my birth."
+
+"The lady of Burgundy is ever in your mind," Yolanda retorted sullenly.
+"You would give this promise quickly enough were she asking it--she
+with her vast estate."
+
+There was an angry gleam in the girl's eyes, and a dark cloud of
+unmistakable jealousy on her face. She stepped back from Max and hung
+her head. After a moment of silence she said:--
+
+"You may answer me to-morrow night at this bridge, Sir Max. If you do
+not see fit to give me the promise, then I shall weary you no further
+with importunity, and you may go your way."
+
+There was a touch of coldness in her voice as she turned and walked
+slowly toward the bridge. Max called softly:--
+
+"Yolanda!"
+
+She did not answer, but continued with slow steps and drooping head. As
+her form was fading into the black shadow of the castle wall he ran
+across the bridge to her, and took her hand:--
+
+"Fraeulein, I will be at the bridge to-morrow night, and I will try to
+give the promise you ask of me."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE GREAT RIDDLE
+
+Max was cautious in the matter of making promises, as every honest man
+should be, since he had no thought of breaking them once they were
+given. Therefore, he wished to know that he could keep his word before
+pledging it. His lifelong habit of asking my advice may also have
+influenced him in refusing the promise that he so much wished to give;
+or perhaps he may have wanted time to consider. He did not want to give
+the promise on the spur of an impulse.
+
+When he had finished telling me his troubles, I asked:--
+
+"What will you do to-morrow night?"
+
+My riddle was again solved; Yolanda was the princess. Her words were
+convincing. All doubt had been swept from my mind. There would be no
+more battledore and shuttlecock with my poor brain on that subject. So
+when Max said, "I do not know what I shall do," I offered my opinion;
+"You surprise me, Max. You lack enterprise; there is no warmth in your
+blood. The girl cannot harm you. Give her the promise. Are your veins
+filled with water and caution?"
+
+"What do you mean, Karl?" cried Max, stepping toward me with surprise
+and delight in his face. "Are you advising me wrongly for the first time
+in my life?" Then there was a touch of anger in his voice as he
+continued: "Have I blood in my veins? Aye, Karl, burning, seething
+blood, and every drop cries wildly for this girl--this child. I would
+give the half of it to make her my wife and to make her happy. But I
+would not abate one jot of my wretchedness at her expense. As I treat
+her I pray God to deal with me. I cannot make her my wife, and if I am
+half a man, I would not win her everlasting love and throw it to the
+dogs. She all but asked me last night to tell her of my love for her,
+and almost pressed hers upon me, but I did not even kiss her hand. Ah,
+Karl, I wish I were dead!"
+
+The poor boy threw himself on the bed and buried his face in his hands.
+I went to him and, seating myself on the bed, ran my fingers through
+his curls.
+
+"My dear Max, I have never advised you wrongly. Perhaps luck has been
+with me. Perhaps my good advice has been owing to my great caution and
+my deep love for you. I am sure that I do not advise you wrongly now. Go
+to the bridge to-morrow night, and give Yolanda the promise she asks.
+If she wants it, give her the ring. Keep restraint upon your words and
+acts, but do not fear for one single moment that my advice is wrong.
+Max, I know whereof I speak."
+
+Max rose from the bed and looked at me in surprise; but my advice jumped
+so entirely with the longing deep buried in his heart that he took it as
+a dying man accepts life.
+
+The next evening Max met Yolanda under the trees near the bridge.
+
+"I may remain but a moment," she said hurriedly and somewhat coldly. "Do
+you bring me the promise?"
+
+"Yes," answered Max. "I have also brought you the ring, Fraeulein, but
+you may not wear it, and no one may ever see it."
+
+"Ah, Max, it is well that you have brought me the promise, for had you
+not you would never have seen me again. I thank you for the promise and
+for the ring. No one shall see it. Of that you may be doubly sure. If by
+any chance some meddlesome body should see it and tell this arrogant
+lady of the castle that I have the keepsake she sent you, there would be
+trouble, Max, there would be trouble. She is a jealous, vindictive
+little wretch and you shall not think on her. No doubt she would have me
+torn limb from limb if she knew I possessed the jewel. When I touch it,
+I feel that I almost hate this princess, whose vast estates have a
+power of attraction greater than any woman may exert."
+
+There was real anger in her tone. In truth, dislike and aversion were
+manifest in every word she spoke of the princess, save when the tender
+little heart pitied her.
+
+"Now I must say good night and adieu, Sir Max, until uncle returns,"
+said Yolanda. She gave Max her hands and he, in bringing them to his
+lips, drew her close to him. At that moment they were startled by a
+boisterous laugh close beside them, and the fellow calling himself Count
+Calli slapped Max on the back, saying in French:--
+
+"Nicely done, my boy, nicely done. But you are far too considerate. Why
+kiss a lady's hand when her lips are so near? I will show you, Fraeulein
+Castleman, exactly how so delicate a transaction is conducted by an
+enterprising gentleman."
+
+He insultingly took hold of Yolanda, and, with evident intent to kiss
+her, tried to lift the veil with which she had hastily covered her face.
+Max struck the fellow a blow that felled him to the ground, but Calli
+rose and, drawing his dagger, rushed upon Max. Yolanda stood almost
+paralyzed with terror. Max was unarmed, but he seized Calli's wrist and
+twisted it till a small bone cracked, and the dagger fell from his hand
+to the ground. Calli's arm hung limp at his side, and he was powerless
+to do further injury. Max did not take advantage of his helplessness,
+but said:--
+
+"Go, or I will twist your neck as I have broken your wrist."
+
+Max had gone out that evening without arms or armor. He had not even a
+dagger.
+
+When Calli had passed out of sight, Yolanda stooped, picked up his
+dagger, and offered it to Max, saying:--
+
+"He will gather his friends at once. Take this dagger and hasten back to
+the inn, or you will never reach it alive. No, come with me to Uncle
+Castleman's house. There you may lie concealed."
+
+"I may not go to your uncle's house, Fraeulein," answered Max. "I can go
+safely to the inn. Do not fear for me."
+
+Yolanda protested frantically, but Max refused.
+
+"Go quickly, then," she said, "and be on your guard at all times. This
+man who came upon us is Count Calli, the greatest villain in Burgundy.
+He is a friend of Campo-Basso. Now hasten to the inn, if you will not
+come with me to uncle's house, and beware, for this man and his friends
+will seek vengeance; of that you must never allow yourself to doubt.
+Adieu, till uncle comes."
+
+Max reached the inn unmolested. We donned our mail shirts, expecting
+trouble, and took turn and turn watching and sleeping. Next day we hired
+two stalwart Irish squires and armed them cap-a-pie. We meant to give
+our Italian friends a hot welcome if they attacked us, though we had, in
+truth, little fear of an open assault. We dreaded more a dagger thrust
+in the back, or trouble from court through the machinations of
+Campo-Basso.
+
+The next morning Max sent one of our Irishmen to Castleman's house with
+a verbal message to Fraeulein Castleman. When the messenger returned, he
+replied to my question:--
+
+"I was shown into a little room where three ladies sat. 'What have you
+to say?' asked the little black-haired one in the corner--she with the
+great eyes and the face pale as a chalk-cliff. I said, 'I am instructed,
+mesdames, to deliver this simple message: Sir Max is quite well.' 'That
+will do. Thank you.' said the big eyes and the pale face. Then she gave
+me two gold florins. The money almost took my breath, and when I looked
+up to thank her, blest if the white face wasn't rosy as a June dawn.
+When I left, she was dancing about the room singing and laughing, and
+kissing everybody but me--worse luck! By Saint Patrick, I never saw so
+simple a message create so great a commotion. 'Sir Max is quite well.'
+I'm blest if he doesn't look it. Was he ever ill?"
+
+After five or six days we allowed ourselves to fall into a state of
+unwatchfulness. One warm evening we dismissed our squires for an hour's
+recreation. The Cologne River flows by the north side of the inn garden,
+and, the spot being secluded, Max and I, after dark, cooled ourselves by
+a plunge in the water. We had come from the water and finished dressing,
+save for our doublets, which lay upon the sod, when two men approached
+whom we thought to be our squires. When first we saw them, they were in
+the deep shadow of the trees that grew near the water's edge, and we did
+not notice their halberds until they were upon us. When the men had
+approached within four yards, we heard a noise back of us and turning
+saw four soldiers, each bearing an arquebuse pointed in our direction.
+At the same moment another man stepped from behind the two we had first
+seen and came quickly to me. He was Count Calli. In his left hand he
+held a parchment. Max and I were surrounded and unarmed.
+
+"I arrest you on the order of His Grace, the duke," said Calli, in low
+tones, speaking French with an Italian accent.
+
+"Your authority?" I demanded.
+
+"This," he said, offering me the parchment, "and this," touching his
+sword. I took the parchment but could not read it in the dark.
+
+"I'll go to the inn to read your warrant," I said, stooping to take up
+my doublet.
+
+"You will do nothing of the sort," he answered. "One word more from
+you, and there will be no need to arrest you. I shall be only too glad
+to dispense with that duty."
+
+I felt sure he wished us to resist that he might have a pretext for
+murdering us. I could see that slow-going Max was making ready for a
+fight, even at the odds of seven to two, and to avert trouble I spoke
+softly in German:--
+
+"These men are eager to kill us. Our only hope lies in submission."
+
+While I was speaking the men gathered closely about us, and almost
+before my words were uttered, our wrists were manacled behind us and we
+were blindfolded. Our captors at once led us away. A man on either side
+of me held my arms, and by way of warning I received now and then a
+merciless prod between my shoulder-blades from a halberd in the hands of
+an enthusiastic soul that walked behind me. Max, I supposed, was
+receiving like treatment.
+
+After a hundred paces or more we waded the river, and then I knew
+nothing of our whereabouts. Within a half-hour we crossed a bridge which
+I supposed was the one over the moat at the Postern. There we halted,
+and the password was given in a whisper. Then came the clanking of
+chains and creaking of hinges, and I knew the gates were opening and the
+portcullis rising. After the gates were opened I was again urged forward
+by the men on either side of me and the enterprising soul in the rear.
+
+I noticed that I was walking on smooth flags in place of cobble-stones,
+and I was sure we were in the bailey yard of the castle. Soon I was
+stopped again, a door opened, squeaking on its rusty hinges, and we
+began the descent of a narrow stairway. Twenty or thirty paces from the
+foot of the stairway we stopped while another door was opened. This, I
+felt sure, was the entrance to an underground cell, out of which God
+only knew if I should ever come alive. While I was being thrust through
+the door, I could not resist calling out, "Max--Max, for the love of God
+answer me if you hear!" I got no answer. Then I appealed to my guard:--
+
+"Let me have one moment's speech with him, only one moment. I will pay
+you a thousand crowns the day I am liberated if you grant me
+this favor."
+
+"No one is with you," the man replied. "I would willingly earn the
+thousand crowns, but if they are to be paid when you are liberated, I
+fear I should starve waiting for them."
+
+With these comforting words they thrust me into the cell, manacled and
+blindfolded. I heard the door clang to; the rusty lock screeched
+venomously, and then I was alone in gravelike silence. I hardly, dared
+to take a step, for I knew these underground cells were honeycombed
+with death-traps. I could not grope about me with my hands, for they
+were tied, and I knew not what pitfall my feet might find.
+
+How long I stood without moving I did not know; it might have been an
+hour or a day for all I could tell. I was almost stupefied by this
+misfortune into which I had led Max. I do not remember having thought at
+all of my own predicament. I cannot say that I suffered; I was benumbed.
+I remember wondering about Max and speculating vaguely on his fate, but
+for a time the thought did not move me. I also remember sinking to the
+floor, only half conscious of what I was doing, and then I must have
+swooned or slept.
+
+When I recovered consciousness I rose to my feet. A step or two brought
+me against a damp stone wall. Three short paces in another direction,
+and once more I was against the wall. Then I stopped, turned my back to
+the reeking stone, and cursed the brutes that had treated me with such
+wanton cruelty. It was not brutal; it was human. No brute could feel it;
+only in the heart of man could it live.
+
+By chafing the back of my head against the wall I succeeded in removing
+the bandage from my eyes. Though I was more comfortable, I was little
+better off, since I could see nothing in the pitiless black of my cell.
+I stretched my eyes, as one will in the dark, till they ached, but I
+could not see even an outline of the walls.
+
+A burning thirst usually follows excitement, and after a time it came to
+me and grew while I thought upon it. My parched throat was almost
+closed, and I wondered if I were to be left to choke to death. I knew
+that in Spain and Italy such refinement of cruelty was oftened
+practised, but I felt sure that the Duke of Burgundy would not permit
+the infliction of so cruel a fate, did he know of it. But our captors
+were not Burgundians, and I doubted if the duke even knew of our
+imprisonment. I suffered intensely, though I believe I could have
+endured it with fortitude had I not known that Max was suffering a
+like fate.
+
+I believed I had been several days in my cell when I heard a key turn in
+the lock. The door opened, and a man bearing a basket and a lantern
+entered. He placed the basket on the ground and, with the lantern hung
+over his arm, unfastened the manacles of my wrists. In the basket were a
+_boule_ of black bread and a stone jar of water. I eagerly grasped the
+jar, and never in my life has anything passed my lips that tasted so
+sweet as that draught.
+
+"Don't drink too much at one time," said the guard, not unkindly. "It
+might drive you mad. A man went mad in this cell less than a month ago
+from drinking too much water."
+
+"How long had he been without it?" I asked of this cheering personage.
+
+"Three days," he responded.
+
+"I did not know that men of the north could be so cruel as to keep a
+prisoner three days without water," I said.
+
+"It happened because the guard was drunk," answered the fellow,
+laughing.
+
+"I hope you will remain sober," said I, not at all intending to be
+humorous, though the guard laughed.
+
+"I was the guard," he replied. "I did not intend to leave the prisoner
+without water, but, you see, I was dead drunk and did not know it."
+
+"Perhaps you have been drunk for the last three or four days since I
+have been here?" I asked.
+
+He laughed boisterously.
+
+"You here three or four days! Why, you are mad already! You have been
+here only over night."
+
+Well! I thought surely I _was_ mad!
+
+Suddenly the guard left me and closed the cell door. I called
+frantically to him, but I might as well have cried from the bottom
+of the sea.
+
+After what seemed fully another week of waiting, the guard again came
+with bread and water. By that time my mind had cleared. I asked the
+guard to deliver a message to my Lord d'Hymbercourt and offered a large
+reward for the service. I begged him to say to Hymbercourt that his
+friends of The Mitre had been arrested and were now in prison. The
+guard willingly promised to deliver my message, but he did not keep his
+word, though I repeated my request many times and promised him any
+reward he might name when I should regain my liberty. With each visit he
+repeated his promise, but one day he laughed and said I was wasting
+words; that he would never see the reward and that in all probability I
+should never again see the light of day. His ominous words almost
+prostrated me, though again I say I suffered chiefly for Max's sake.
+Could I have gained his liberty at the cost of my life, nay, even my
+soul, I should have been glad to do it.
+
+But I will not further describe the tortures of my imprisonment. The
+greatest of them all was my ignorance of Max's fate. It was a frightful
+ordeal, and I wonder that my reason survived it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL
+
+To leave Max and myself in our underground dungeon, imprisoned for an
+unknown, uncommitted crime, while I narrate occurrences outside our
+prison walls looks like a romancer's trick, but how else I am to go
+about telling this history I do not know. Yolanda is quite as important
+a personage in this narrative as Max and myself, and I must tell of her
+troubles as I learned of them long afterwards.
+
+Castleman reached home ten days or a fortnight after our arrest,
+bringing with him his precious silks, velvets, and laces to the last
+ell. As he had predicted, they were quadrupled in value, and their
+increase made the good burgher a very rich man.
+
+Soon after Castleman reached the House under the Wall, Yolanda came
+dancing into the room where he was sitting with good Frau Katherine,
+drinking a bottle of rich Burgundy wine well mixed with pepper
+and honey.
+
+"Ah, uncle," she cried joyously, "at last you are at home, and I have a
+fine kiss for you."
+
+"Thank you, my dear," said Castleman, "you have spoiled my wine. The
+honey will now taste vinegarish."
+
+"You are a flatterer, uncle--isn't he, tante?" laughed Yolanda, turning
+to Aunt Castleman.
+
+"I am afraid he is," said the good frau, in mock distress. "Every one
+tries to spoil him."
+
+"You more than any one, tante," cried Yolanda.
+
+"Tut, tut, child," cried Frau Katherine, "I abate his vanity with
+frowns."
+
+Yolanda laughed, and the burgher, pinching his wife's red cheek,
+protested:--
+
+"_You_ frown? You couldn't frown if you tried. A clear sky may rain as
+easily. Get the peering glass, Yolanda, and find, if you can, a wrinkle
+on her face."
+
+Yolanda, who was always laughing, threw herself upon the frau's lap and
+pretended to hunt for wrinkles. Soon she reported:--
+
+"No wrinkles, uncle--there, you dear old tante, I'll kiss you to keep
+you from growing jealous of uncle on my account."
+
+"If any one about this house has been spoiled, it's you, Yolanda," said
+Frau Kate, affectionately.
+
+"When you speak after that fashion, tante, you almost make me weep,"
+said Yolanda. "Surely you and uncle and Twonette are the only friends I
+have, and give me all the joy I know. But, uncle, now that you are at
+home, I want you to drink your wine quickly and give me a great deal of
+joy--oh, a great deal."
+
+"Indeed I will, my dear. Tell me where to begin," answered Castleman,
+draining his goblet.
+
+Yolanda flushed rosily and hesitated. At that moment Twonette, who had
+already greeted her father, entered the room.
+
+"Twonette will tell you," said Yolanda, laughing nervously.
+
+"What shall I tell him?" asked Twonette.
+
+"You will tell him what I want him to do quickly, at once, immediately,"
+pleaded Yolanda. "You know what I have waited for this long,
+weary time."
+
+"Tell him yourself what you want quickly, at once, immediately,"
+answered Twonette. "I, too, have wants."
+
+"What do you want, daughter?" asked Castleman, beaming upon Twonette.
+
+"I want thirty ells of blue velvet for a gown, and I want you to ask
+permission of the duke for me to wear it."
+
+"Many noble ladies would not dare to ask so much of the duke," suggested
+Castleman.
+
+"It is true, George," said Frau Kate, "that only noble ladies of high
+degree are permitted to wear velvet of blue; but it is also true that
+only your stubbornness has deprived our daughter of that privilege. She
+might now be noble had you not been stubborn."
+
+"I also want--" began Twonette.
+
+"You shall wear the duke's own color, purple, if you will hold your
+tongue about worthless matters and tell your father what I want," cried
+Yolanda, impetuously thrusting Twonette toward Castleman.
+
+"You tell him your own wants," answered Twonette, pouting. "Then perhaps
+his own daughter may have his ear for a moment or two."
+
+Yolanda laughed at Twonette's display of ill-temper.
+
+"Well, uncle, since I must tell my own tale, I will begin," said
+Yolanda, blushing. "I want you to go to The Mitre and ask a friend--two
+friends--of yours here to supper this evening. I have waited a weary
+time for you to give this invitation, and I will not wait another hour,
+nay, not another minute. We have a fat peacock that longs to be killed;
+it is so fat that it is tired of life. We have three pheasants that will
+die of grief if they are not baked at once. I myself have been feeding
+them this fortnight past in anticipation of this feast. We have a dozen
+wrens for a live pie, so tame they will light on our heads when you cut
+the crust. We shall have a famous feast, uncle. There will be present
+only tante, you, Twonette, our two guests, and myself. Now, uncle, the
+wine is consumed. Hurry to the inn."
+
+"My dear child," said Castleman, seriously, "you know that I am almost
+powerless to refuse any request you make, but in this case I must
+do so."
+
+"Ah, uncle, please tell me why," coaxed Yolanda, with trouble in her
+eyes and grief at the corners of her mouth.
+
+"Because you must see no more of this very pleasing young man," answered
+Castleman. "I yielded to your wishes at Basel and brought him with us; I
+was compelled to send him with you from Metz; but now that our journey
+is over, I shall thank him and pay him an additional sum, since my goods
+are safe home, and say farewell to him. I believe he is a worthy and
+honorable young man, but we do not know who he is, and if we did--"
+
+"Ah, but _I_ know who he is," interrupted Yolanda, tossing her head.
+"_We_ may not know, but _I_ know, and that is sufficient."
+
+"Do you know?" asked Castleman. "Pray tell me of him. The information
+was refused me; at least, it was not given. He is probably of noble
+birth, but we have nobles here in Peronne whom we would not ask to our
+house. We know nothing of this wandering young Max, save that he is
+honest and brave and good to look upon."
+
+"In God's name, uncle, what more would you ask in a man?" cried Yolanda,
+stamping her foot. "'Noble, honest, brave, and good to look upon!' Will
+not those qualities fit a man for any one's regard and delight any
+woman's heart? I tell you I will have my way in this. I tell you I know
+his degree. I know who he is and what he is and all about him, though I
+don't intend to tell you anything, and would inform you now that it's no
+business of yours."
+
+"Did you coax all this information out of him, you little witch?" asked
+Castleman, smiling against his will.
+
+"I did not," retorted Yolanda, leaning forward and lifting her chin
+defiantly. "I learned it soon after we reached Basel. I discovered it
+by--by magic--by sorcery. He will tell you as much."
+
+"By the magic of your eyes and smiles. That's the way you wheedled it
+out of him, and that's the way you coax every one to your will," said
+Castleman, laughing while Yolanda pouted.
+
+"I never saw a girl make such eyes at a man as you made at this Sir
+Max," said Twonette, who was waiting for her blue velvet gown.
+
+"Twonette, you are prettier with your mouth shut. Silence becomes you,"
+retorted Yolanda, favoring Twonette with a view of her back. "Now,
+uncle," continued Yolanda, "all is ready: peacock, pheasants, wrens; and
+I command you to procure the guests."
+
+Castleman laughed at her imperious ways and said:--
+
+"I will obey your commands in all else, Yolanda, but not in this."
+
+The girl, who was more excited than she appeared to be, stood for a
+moment by her uncle's side, and, drawing her kerchief from its pouch,
+placed it to her eyes.
+
+"Every one tries to make me unhappy," she sobbed. "There is no one to
+whom I may turn for kindness. If you will not do this for me, uncle, if
+you will not bring him--them--to me, I give you my sacred word I will go
+to them at the inn. If you force me to do an act so unmaidenly, I'll
+leave you and will not return to your house. I shall know that you do
+not love me!"
+
+Castleman was not ready to yield, though he was sure that in the end he
+would do so. He also knew that her threat to go to the inn was by no
+means an idle word.
+
+Yolanda was not given to tears, but she used them when she found she
+could accomplish her ends by no other means. A long pause ensued, broken
+by Yolanda's sobs.
+
+"Good-by, uncle. Good-by, tante. Good-by, Twonette. I mean what I say,
+uncle. I am going, and I shall not come back if you will not do this
+thing for me. I am going to the inn."
+
+She kissed them all and started toward the door. The loving old tante
+could not hold out. She, too, was weeping, and she added her
+supplications to Yolanda's.
+
+"Do what she asks, father--only this once," said Frau Kate.
+
+"Only this once," pleaded Yolanda, turning her tear-moistened eyes upon
+the helpless burgher.
+
+"I suppose I must surrender," exclaimed Castleman, rising from his
+chair. "I have been surrendering to you, your aunt, and Twonette all my
+life. First Kate, then Twonette, and of late years they have been
+reenforced by you, Yolanda, and my day is lost. I do a little useless
+fighting when I know I am in the right, but it is always followed by a
+cowardly surrender."
+
+"But think of your victories in surrender, uncle. Think of your
+rewards," cried Yolanda, running to his side and kissing him. "Many a
+man would fight a score of dragons for that kiss."
+
+"Dragons!" cried Castleman, protestingly. "I would rather fight a
+hundred dragons than do this thing for you, Yolanda. I know little
+concerning the ways of a girl's heart, but, ignorant as I am, I could
+see--Mother, I never saw a girl so infatuated with a man as our Yolanda
+is with this Sir Max--this stranger."
+
+"There, tante," cried Yolanda, turning triumphantly to Frau Kate, "you
+hear what uncle says. Now you see the great reason for having him
+here--this Sir Max and his friend. But, uncle, if you think I mean to
+make a fool of myself about this man, put the notion out of your head. I
+know only too well the barrier between us, but, uncle mine," she
+continued pleadingly, all her wonted joyousness driven from her face, "I
+am so wretched, so unhappy. If I may have a moment of joy now, for the
+love of the Blessed Virgin don't deny me. I sometimes think you love me
+chiefly because I so truly deserve your pity. As for this young man, he
+is gentle, strong, and good, and, as you say, he certainly is good to
+look upon. Twonette knows that, don't you, Twonette? He is wise, too,
+and brave, even against the impulse of his own great heart. He thinks
+only of my good and his own duties. I am in no danger from him, uncle.
+He can do me only good. I shall be happier and better all my life long
+for having known him. Now, uncle?"
+
+"I will fetch him," exclaimed Castleman, seeking his hat. "You may be
+right or you may be wrong, but for persuasiveness I never saw your like.
+I declare, Yolanda, you have almost made me feel like a villain for
+refusing you."
+
+"I wish the world were filled with such villains, uncle. Don't you,
+tante?" said Yolanda, beaming upon the burgher.
+
+"No," answered the frau, "I should want them all for my husbands."
+
+"God forbid!" cried Yolanda, lifting her hands as she turned toward the
+door, laughing once more. "Tell them to be here by six o'clock, uncle.
+No! we will say five. Tell them to come on the stroke of five. No! four
+o'clock is better; then we will sup at six, and have an hour or two
+before we eat. That's it, uncle; have them here by four. Tell them to
+fail not by so much as a minute, upon their allegiance. Tell them to be
+here promptly on the stroke of four."
+
+She ran from the room singing, and Castleman started toward the front
+door.
+
+"The girl makes a fool of me whenever she wishes," he observed, pausing
+and turning toward his wife. "She coaxed me to take her to Basel, and
+life was a burden till I got her home again. Now she winds me around her
+finger and says, 'Uncle Castleman, obey me,' and I obey. Truly, there
+never was in all the world such another coaxing, persuasive little witch
+as our Yolanda."
+
+"Poor child," said Frau Kate, as her husband passed out of the door.
+
+Castleman reached The Mitre near the hour of one, and of course did not
+find us. At half-past four, Yolanda entered the great oak room where
+Twonette and Frau Kate were stitching tapestry.
+
+"Where suppose you Sir Max is--and Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda, with a
+touch of anger in her voice. "Why has he not come? I have been watching
+but have not seen him--them. He places little value on our invitation
+to slight it by half an hour. I am of half a mind not to see him when
+he comes."
+
+"Your uncle is downstairs under the arbor, Yolanda," said Frau
+Castleman, gently. "He will tell you, sweet one, why Sir Max is
+not here."
+
+Frau Katherine and Twonette put aside their tapestry, and went with
+Yolanda to question Castleman in the arbor.
+
+"Well, uncle, where are our guests?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"They are not at the inn, and have not been there since nearly a
+fortnight ago," answered Castleman.
+
+"Gone!" cried Yolanda, aflame with sudden anger. "He gave me his word he
+would not go. I'm glad he's gone, and I hope I may never see his face
+again. I deemed his word inviolate, and now he has broken it."
+
+"Do not judge Sir Max too harshly," said Castleman; "you may wrong him.
+I do not at all understand the absence of our friends. Grote tells me
+they went to the river one night to bathe and did not return. Their
+horses and arms are at the inn. Their squires, who had left them two
+hours before, have not been seen since. Grote has heard nothing of our
+friends that will throw light on their whereabouts. Fearing to get
+himself into trouble, he has stupidly held his tongue. He was not
+inclined to speak plainly even to me."
+
+"Blessed Mother, forgive me!" cried Yolanda, sinking back upon a
+settle. After a long silence she continued: "Two weeks ago! That was a
+few days after the trouble at the bridge."
+
+"What trouble?" asked Castleman.
+
+"I'll tell you, uncle, and you, tante. Twonette already knows of it,"
+answered Yolanda. "Less than three weeks ago I was with Sir Max near the
+moat bridge. It was dark--after night--"
+
+"Yolanda!" exclaimed Castleman, reproachfully.
+
+"Yes, uncle, I know I ought not to have been there, but I was," said
+Yolanda.
+
+"Alone with Sir Max after dark?" asked the astonished burgher.
+
+"Yes, alone with him, after it was _very_ dark," answered Yolanda. "I
+had met him several times before."
+
+Castleman tried to speak, but Yolanda interrupted him:--
+
+"Uncle, I know and admit the truth of all you would say, so don't say
+it. While I was standing very near to Sir Max, uncle, very near, Count
+Calli came upon us and offered me gross insult. Sir Max, being unarmed,
+knocked the fellow down, and in the struggle that ensued Count Calli's
+arm was broken. I heard the bone snap, then Calli, swearing vengeance,
+left us. Why Sir Max went out unarmed that night I do not know. Had he
+been armed he might have killed Calli; that would have prevented
+this trouble."
+
+"I, too, wonder that Sir Max went out unarmed," said Castleman musingly.
+"Why do you suppose he was so incautious?"
+
+"Perhaps that is the custom in Styria. There may be less danger, less
+treachery, there than in Burgundy," suggested Yolanda.
+
+"In Styria!" exclaimed Castleman. "Sir Karl said that he was from Italy.
+He did not tell me of Sir Max's home, but I supposed he also was from
+Italy, or perhaps from Wuertemberg--there are many Guelphs in
+that country."
+
+"Yes, I will tell you of that later, uncle," said Yolanda. "When Calli
+left us, Sir Max returned safely to the inn, having promised me not to
+leave Peronne within a month. This trouble has come from Calli and
+Campo-Basso."
+
+"But you say this young man is from Styria?" asked Castleman, anxiously.
+
+"Yes," replied Yolanda, drooping her head, "he is Maximilian, Count of
+Hapsburg."
+
+"Great God!" exclaimed Castleman, starting to his feet excitedly. "If I
+have brought these men here to be murdered, I shall die of grief; all
+Europe will turn upon Burgundy."
+
+Yolanda buried her face in Mother Kate's breast; Castleman walked to and
+fro, and sympathetic Twonette wept gently. It was not in Twonette's
+nature to do anything violently. Yolanda, on the contrary, was intense
+in all her joys and griefs.
+
+"Did Sir Max tell you who he is?" asked Castleman, stopping in front of
+Yolanda.
+
+"No," she replied, "I will tell you some day how I guessed it. He does
+not know that I know, and I would not have you tell him."
+
+"Tell me, Yolanda," demanded Castleman, "what has passed between you and
+this Sir Max?"
+
+"Nothing, uncle, save that I know--ah, uncle, there is nothing. God pity
+me, there can be nothing. Whatever his great, true heart feels may be
+known to me as surely as if he had spoken a thousand vows, but he would
+not of his own accord so much as touch my hand or speak his love. He
+knows that one in his station may not mate with a burgher girl. He
+treats me as a true knight should treat a woman, and if he feels pain
+because of the gulf between us, he would not bring a like pain to me. He
+is a strong, noble man, Uncle Castleman, and we must save him."
+
+"If I knew where to begin, I would try at once," said Castleman, "but I
+do not know, and I cannot think of--"
+
+"I have a plan," interrupted Yolanda, "that will set the matter going.
+Consult my Lord d'Hymbercourt; he is a friend of Sir Karl's; he may help
+us. Tell him of the trouble at the bridge, but say that Twonette, not
+I, was there. If Lord d'Hymbercourt cannot help us, I'll try another way
+if I die for it."
+
+Castleman found Hymbercourt and told him the whole story, substituting
+Twonette for Yolanda.
+
+"It is the work of that accursed Basso," said Hymbercourt, stroking his
+beard. "No villany is too black for him and his minions to do."
+
+"But what have they done?" asked Castleman. "They surely would not
+murder these men because of the quarrel at the bridge."
+
+"They would do murder for half that cause," replied Hymbercourt. "A
+brave man hates an assassin, and I am always wondering why the duke, who
+is so bold and courageous, keeps this band of Italian cut-throats at
+his court."
+
+"What can we do to rescue our friends if they still live, or to avenge
+them if dead?" asked Castleman.
+
+"I do not know," answered Hymbercourt. "Let me think it all over, and I
+will see you at your house to-night. Of this I am certain: you must not
+move in the matter. If you are known to be interested, certain facts may
+leak out that would ruin you and perhaps bring trouble to one who
+already bears a burden too heavy for young shoulders. We know but one
+useful fact: Calli and Campo-Basso are at the bottom of this evil. The
+duke suspects that the states adjacent to Switzerland, including Styria,
+will give aid to the Swiss in this war with Burgundy, and it may be
+that Duke Charles has reasons for the arrest of our friends. He may have
+learned that Sir Max is the Count of Hapsburg. I hope his finger is not
+in the affair. I will learn what I can, and will see you to-night. Till
+then, adieu."
+
+True to his promise, Hymbercourt went to Castleman's that evening, but
+he had learned nothing and had thought out no plan of action. Two days
+passed and there was another consultation. Still the mystery was as far
+from solution as on the day of its birth. Yolanda was in tribulation,
+and declared that she would take the matter into her own hands. Her
+uncle dissuaded her, however, and she reluctantly agreed to remain
+silent for a day or two longer, but she vowed that she would give tongue
+to her thoughts and arouse all Burgundy in behalf of Max and myself if
+we were not soon discovered.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+PERONNE LA PUCELLE
+
+The next morning Duke Charles went down to the great hall of the castle
+to hear reports from his officers relating to the war that he was about
+to wage against the Swiss. When the duke ascended the three steps of the
+dais to the ducal throne, he spoke to Campo-Basso who stood upon the
+first step at the duke's right.
+
+"What news, my Lord Count?" asked Charles. "I'm told there is a
+messenger from Ghent."
+
+"Ill news, my lord," answered Campo-Basso.
+
+"Out with it!" cried the duke. "One should always swallow a bitter
+draught quickly."
+
+"We hear the Swiss are gathering their cantons in great numbers," said
+Campo-Basso.
+
+"Let the sheep gather," said Charles, waving his hands. "The more they
+gather to the fold, the more we'll shear." He laughed as if pleased with
+the prospect, and continued, "Proceed, my Lord Count."
+
+"The Duke of Lorraine is again trying to muster his subjects against
+Your Grace, and sends a polite message asking and offering terms of
+agreement. Shall I read the missive, my lord?"
+
+"No!" cried the duke, "Curse his soft words. There is no bad news yet.
+Proceed."
+
+"It is rumored, Your Grace," continued the count, "that Frederick, Duke
+of Styria, is preparing to aid the Swiss against Your Grace."
+
+"With his advice?" asked the duke. "The old pauper has nothing else to
+give, unless it be the bones of his ancestors."
+
+"It is said, Your Highness, that Wuertemberg will also aid the Swiss, and
+that Duke Albert will try to bring about a coalition of the German
+states for the purpose of assisting the Swiss, aiding Lorraine, and
+overthrowing Burgundy. This purpose, our informant tells us, has been
+fostered by this same Duke Frederick of Styria."
+
+"This news, I suppose, is intended for our ears by the Duke of Styria.
+He probably wishes us to know that he is against us," said Charles. "He
+wanted our daughter for his clown of a son, and our contempt for his
+claims rankles in his heart. He cannot inflame Wuertemberg, and
+Wuertemberg cannot influence the other German princes."
+
+The duke paused, and Campo-Basso proceeded:--
+
+"The citizens of Ghent, my lord, petition Your Grace for the restoration
+of certain communal rights, and beg for the abolition of the hearth tax
+and the salt levy. They also desire the right to elect their own
+burgomaster and--"
+
+"Give me the petition," demanded the duke. Campo-Basso handed the
+parchment to Charles, and he tore it to shreds.
+
+"Send these to the dogs of Ghent, and tell them that for every scrap of
+parchment I'll take a score of heads when I return from Switzerland."
+
+"We hear also, my lord," said the Italian, "that King Edward of England
+is marshalling an army, presumably for the invasion of France and,
+because of the close union that is soon to be between King Louis and
+Burgundy, I have thought proper to lay the news before Your Grace."
+
+"Edward wants more of King Louis' gold," answered Charles. "We'll let
+him get it. We care not how much he has from this crafty miser of the
+Seine. Louis will buy the English ministers, and the army will suddenly
+vanish. When King Edward grows scarce of gold, he musters an army, or
+pretends to do so, and Louis fills the English coffers. The French king
+would buy an apostle, or the devil, and would sell his soul to either to
+serve a purpose. Have you more in your budget, Sir Count?"
+
+"I have delivered all, I believe, my lord," answered Campo-Basso.
+
+"It might have been worse," said the duke, rising to quit his throne.
+
+"One moment, my lord! There is another matter to which I wish to call
+Your Grace's attention before you rise," said the count. "I have for
+your signature the warrants for the execution of the Swiss spies, who,
+Your Highness may remember, were entrapped and arrested by the
+watchfulness of Your Grace's faithful servant, the noble Count Calli."
+
+"Give me the warrant," said the duke, "and let the execution take place
+at once."
+
+Hymbercourt had been standing in the back part of the room, paying
+little attention to the proceedings, but the mention of Calli's name in
+connection with the Swiss spies quickly roused him, and he hurriedly
+elbowed his way to the ducal throne. A page was handing Charles a quill
+and an ink-well when Hymbercourt spoke:--
+
+"My Lord Duke, I beg you not to sign the warrant until I have asked a
+few questions of my Lord Campo-Basso concerning these alleged spies."
+
+"Why do you say 'alleged spies,' my Lord d'Hymbercourt?" asked the duke.
+"Do you know anything of them? Are they friends of yours?"
+
+"If they are friends of mine, Your Grace may be sure they are not
+spies," answered Hymbercourt. "I am not sure that I know these men, but
+I fear a mistake has been made."
+
+A soft cry, a mere exclamation, was heard behind the chancel in the
+ladies' gallery, which was above the throne, a little to the right. But
+it caused no comment other than a momentary turning of heads in that
+direction.
+
+"On what ground do you base your suspicion, my lord?" asked Charles.
+
+"Little ground, Your Grace," answered Hymbercourt. "I may be entirely
+wrong; but I beg the privilege of asking the noble Count Calli two or
+three questions before Your Grace signs the death warrant. We may avert
+a grave mistake and prevent a horrible crime."
+
+"It is a waste of valuable time," answered Charles, "but if you will be
+brief, you may proceed. Count Calli, come into presence."
+
+Calli stepped forward and saluted the duke on bended knee.
+
+"Your questions, Hymbercourt, and quickly," said Charles, testily. "We
+are in haste. Time between the arrest and the hanging of a spy
+is wasted."
+
+"I thank you, my lord," said Hymbercourt. He then turned to Calli, and
+asked, "When were these men arrested?"
+
+"More than a fortnight ago," answered Calli.
+
+"How came you to discover they were spies?" asked Hymbercourt.
+
+"I watched them, and their actions were suspicious," replied the
+Italian.
+
+"In what respect were they suspicious?"
+
+"They went abroad only at night, and one of them was seen near the
+castle several evenings after dark," responded Calli.
+
+"Is that your only evidence against them?" demanded Hymbercourt.
+
+"It is surely enough," replied Calli, "but if more is wanted, they were
+overheard to avow their guilt."
+
+"What were they heard to say and where did they say it?" asked
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"I lay concealed, with six men-at-arms, near the river in the garden of
+The Mitre Inn, where the spies had been bathing. We heard them speak
+many words of treason against our gracious Lord Duke, but I did not move
+in their arrest until the younger man said to his companion: 'I will
+to-morrow gain entrance to the castle as a pedler and will stab this
+Duke Charles to death. You remain near the Postern with the horses, and
+I will try to escape to you. If the gate should be closed, ride away
+without me and carry the news to the cantons. I would gladly give my
+life to save the fatherland.'"
+
+"Hang them," cried the duke. "We are wasting time."
+
+"I pray your patience, my Lord Duke," said Hymbercourt, holding up his
+hand protestingly. "I know these men whom Count Calli has falsely
+accused. They are not spies; they are not Swiss; neither are they
+enemies of Burgundy. Were they so, I, my lord, would demand their death
+were they a thousand-fold my friends. I stake my life upon their
+honesty. I offer my person and my estates as hostages for them, and
+make myself their champion. Count Calli lies."
+
+Hymbercourt's words caused a great commotion in the hall. Swords and
+daggers sprang from the scabbards of the Italians, and cries of
+indignation were uttered by the mercenaries, who saw their crime
+exposed, and by the Burgundians, who hated the Italians and their
+dastardly methods. Charles commanded silence, and Campo-Basso received
+permission to speak.
+
+"Since when did my Lord d'Hymbercourt turn traitor?" said he. "His
+fealty has always been as loud-mouthed as the baying of a wolf."
+
+"I am a Burgundian, my lord," said Hymbercourt, ignoring the Italian and
+addressing Charles. "I receive no pay for my fealty. I am not a foreign
+mercenary, and I need not defend my loyalty to one who knows me as he
+knows his own heart."
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor needs no defence," said Charles. "I trust
+his honesty and loyalty as I trust myself. He may be mistaken; he may be
+right. Bring in these spies."
+
+"Surely Your Grace will not contaminate your presence with these
+wretches," pleaded Campo-Basso. "Consider the danger to yourself, my
+dear lord. They are desperate men, who would gladly give their lives to
+take yours and save their country. I beg you out of the love I bear Your
+Grace, pause before you bring these traitorous spies into your sacred
+presence."
+
+"Bring them before me!" cried the duke. "We will determine this matter
+for ourselves. We have a score of brave, well-paid Italians who may be
+able to protect our person from the onslaught of two manacled men."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On this same morning the guard had been to my cell with bread and water,
+and had departed. I did not know, of course, whether it was morning,
+noon, or night, but I had learned to measure with some degree of
+accuracy the lapse of time between the visits of the guard, and was
+surprised to hear the rusty lock turn long before the time for his
+reappearance. When the man entered my cell, bearing his lantern,
+he said:--
+
+"Come with me."
+
+The words were both welcome and terrible. I could not know their
+meaning--whether it was liberty or death. I stepped from the cell and,
+while I waited for the guard to relock the door, I saw the light of a
+lantern at the other end of a passageway. Two men with Max between them
+came out of the darkness and stopped in front of me. Our wrists were
+manacled behind us, and we could not touch hands. I could have wept for
+joy and grief at seeing Max.
+
+"Forgive me, Max, for bringing you to this," I cried.
+
+"Forgive me, Karl. It is I who have brought you to these straits," said
+Max. "Which is it to be, think you, Karl, liberty or death?"
+
+"God only knows," I answered.
+
+"For your sake, Karl, I hope He cares more than I. I would prefer death
+to the black cell I have just left."
+
+We went through many dark passageways and winding stairs to the audience
+hall.
+
+When we entered the hall, the courtiers fell back, leaving an aisle from
+the great double doors to the ducal throne. When we approached the duke,
+I bent my knee, but Max simply bowed.
+
+"Kneel!" cried Campo-Basso, addressing Max.
+
+"If my Lord of Burgundy demands that I kneel, I will do so, but it is
+more meet that he should kneel to me for the outrage that has been put
+upon me at his court," said Max, gazing unfalteringly into the
+duke's face.
+
+"Who are you?" demanded the duke, speaking to me.
+
+"I am Sir Karl de Pitti," I replied. "Your Grace may know my family; we
+are of Italy. It was once my good fortune to serve under your father and
+yourself. My young friend is known as Sir Maximilian du Guelph."
+
+"He is known as Guelph, but who is he?" demanded Charles.
+
+"That question I may not answer, my lord," said I, speaking in the
+Walloon tongue.
+
+"You shall answer or die," returned the duke, angrily.
+
+"I hope my Lord of Burgundy will not be so harsh with us," interrupted
+Max, lifting his head and speaking boldly. "We have committed no crime,
+and do not know why we have been arrested. We beg that we may be told
+the charge against us, and we would also know who makes the charge."
+
+"Count Calli," said the duke, beckoning that worthy knight, "come
+forward and speak."
+
+Calli came forward, knelt to the duke, and said:
+
+"I, my lord, charge these unknown men as being Swiss spies and
+assassins, who seek to murder Your Grace and to betray Burgundy."
+
+"You lie, you dog," cried Max, looking like an angry young god. "You lie
+in your teeth and in your heart. My Lord of Burgundy, I demand the
+combat against this man who seeks my life by treachery and falsehood. I
+waive my rank for the sweet privilege of killing this liar."
+
+"My Lord Duke," I exclaimed, interrupting Max, "if my Lord d'Hymbercourt
+is in presence, I beg that I may have speech with him."
+
+Hymbercourt stepped to my side, and the duke signified permission to
+speak.
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt," said I, turning to my friend, "I beg you to
+tell His Grace that we are not spies. I may not, for reasons well known
+to you, give you permission to inform His Grace who my young companion
+is, and I hope my Lord of Burgundy will be satisfied with your assurance
+that we are honest knights who wish only good to this land and its
+puissant ruler."
+
+"Indeed, my Lord Duke, I was right," answered Hymbercourt. "Again I
+offer my person and my estates as hostages for these men. They are not
+spies. They are not of Switzerland, nor are they friends to the Swiss;
+neither are they enemies of Burgundy. I doubt not they will gladly join
+Your Lordship in this war against the cantons. These knights have been
+arrested to gratify revenge for personal injury received and deserved by
+this traitorous Count Calli."
+
+"It is false," cried Campo-Basso.
+
+"It is true--pitifully true, my lord," returned Hymbercourt. "This young
+knight was at the moat bridge near Castleman's House under the Wall
+talking with a burgher maid, Fraeulein Castleman. Count Calli stole upon
+them without warning and insulted the maiden. My young friend knocked
+down the ruffian, and, in the conflict that ensued, broke Calli's arm.
+Your Grace may have seen him carrying it in a sling until within the
+last forty-eight hours.
+
+"For this deserved chastisement Count Calli seeks the young man's life
+by bearing false witness against him; and with it that of my old friend,
+Sir Karl de Pitti. It is Burgundy's shame, my lord, that these
+treacherous mercenaries should be allowed to murder strangers and to
+outrage Your Grace's loyal subjects in the name of Your Lordship's
+justice. Sir Maximilian du Guelph has demanded the combat against this
+Count Calli. Sir Maximilian is a spurred and belted knight, and under
+the laws of chivalry even Your Grace may not gainsay him."
+
+"My lord, I do not fight assassins and spies," said Calli, addressing
+the duke.
+
+"I do," cried Max, "when they put injuries upon me as this false coward
+has done. I will prove upon his body, my Lord Duke, who is the assassin
+and the spy. My Lord d'Hymbercourt will vouch that my rank entitles me
+to fight in knightly combat with any man in this presence. My wrists are
+manacled, my lord, and I have no gage to throw before this false knight;
+but, my Lord of Burgundy, I again demand the combat. One brave as Your
+Grace is must also be just. We shall leave Count Calli no excuse to
+avoid this combat, even if I must tell Your Grace my true rank
+and station."
+
+"This knight," said Hymbercourt, addressing Charles and extending his
+hand toward Max, "is of birth entitling him to meet in the lists any
+knight in Burgundy, and I will gladly stand his sponsor."
+
+"My Lord d'Hymbercourt's sponsorship proves any man," said the duke,
+who well knew that Campo-Basso and his friends would commit any crime to
+avenge an injury, fancied or real.
+
+"My Lord Duke, I pray your patience," said Campo-Basso, obsequiously.
+"No man may impugn my Lord d'Hymbercourt's honesty, but may he not be
+mistaken? In the face of the evidence against this man, may he not be
+mistaken? The six men who were with Count Calli will testify to the
+treasonable words spoken by this young spy."
+
+"Does any other man in presence know these men?" asked the duke. No one
+responded.
+
+After a little time Hymbercourt broke silence.
+
+"I am grieved and deeply hurt, my lord, that you should want other
+evidence than mine against the witnesses who make this charge. I am a
+Burgundian. These witnesses are Italians who love Your Grace for the
+sake of the gold they get. I had hoped that my poor services had earned
+for me the right to be believed, but if I may have a little time, I will
+procure another man whose word shall be to you as the word of
+your father."
+
+"Bring him into our presence," answered the duke. "We will see him
+to-morrow at this hour."
+
+"May I not crave Your Grace's indulgence for a half-hour?" pleaded
+Hymbercourt. "I will have this man here within that time."
+
+"Not another minute," replied the duke. "Heralds, cry the rising."
+
+"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! His Grace, the Duke of Burgundy, is about to rise.
+His Grace has risen," cried the herald.
+
+The duke left the hall by a small door near the dais.
+
+Hymbercourt was standing beside us when the captain of the guard
+approached to lead us back to our cells.
+
+"May we not have comfortable quarters, and may we not be placed in one
+cell?" I asked, appealing to Hymbercourt. "I have been confined in a
+reeking, rayless dungeon unfit for swine, and doubtless Sir Max has been
+similarly outraged."
+
+Hymbercourt put his hand into his pouch and drew forth two gold pieces.
+These he stealthily placed in the captain's hand, and that worthy
+official said:--
+
+"I shall be glad to oblige, my lord."
+
+Hymbercourt left us, and Campo-Basso, beckoning the captain to one side,
+spoke to him in low tones. The captain, I was glad to see, was a
+Burgundian.
+
+After we left the hall we were taken to our old quarters. The captain
+followed me into the cell, leaving his men in the passageway.
+
+"My Lord Count ordered me to bring you here," he said; "but I will, if I
+can, soon return with other men who are not Italians and will remove
+you to a place of safety."
+
+"Am I not safe here? Is my friend in danger?" I asked.
+
+The man smiled as though amused at my simplicity:--
+
+"If you remain here to-night, there will be no need to hang you in the
+morning. Our Italian friends have methods of their own that are simple
+and sure. But I will try to find a way to remove you before--before the
+Italians have time to do their work. I will see my Lord d'Hymbercourt,
+and if the duke has not gone a-hunting, we will induce His Grace to
+order your removal to a place of safety."
+
+"But if the duke is gone, cannot you get the order when he returns?" I
+asked.
+
+"That will be too late, I fear," he answered, laughing, and with these
+comforting remarks he left me.
+
+After two or three hours--the time seemed days--I heard a key enter the
+lock of my cell door. If the hand inserting the key was that of an
+Italian, I might look for death. To my great joy the man was my
+Burgundian captain.
+
+"The duke had gone a-hunting," he said, "and I could not find my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt; but Her Highness, the princess, asked me to remove you,
+and I am willing to risk my neck for her sweet sake. I am to place you
+in one of the tower rooms, out of the reach of our Italian cut-throats."
+
+"Will my young friend be with me?" I asked eagerly.
+
+"Yes," responded the captain.
+
+Again I met Max with a man-at-arms in the passageway outside my cell
+door, and we all went up the steps together. We were hurried through
+dark passages to a spiral stairway, which we climbed till my knees
+ached. But we were going up instead of down, and I was overjoyed to have
+the aching leave my heart for my knees.
+
+The room in which the Burgundian left us was large and clean. There were
+two beds of sweet straw upon the floor, and to my unspeakable joy there
+was a bar on the door whereby it could be locked from within. There were
+also two tubs of water for a bath. On a rude bench was a complete change
+of clothing which had been brought by some kind hand from the inn. On an
+oak table were two bottles of wine, a bowl of honey, a cellar of pepper,
+white bread, cold meat, and pastry. A soul reaching heaven out of
+purgatory must feel as we felt then. We were too excited to eat, so we
+bathed, dressed, and lay down on the straw beds.
+
+Before leaving us our captain had said:--
+
+"Do not unbolt your door except to the password 'Burgundy.'"
+
+We slept till late in the afternoon. When we wakened the sun was well
+down in the west, and we could see only its reflected glare in the
+eastern sky. There was but one opening in the room through which the
+light could enter--a narrow window, less than a foot wide. The light in
+the room was dim even at noon, but the long darkness had so affected our
+eyes that the light from the window was sufficient to illumine the
+apartment and to make all objects plainly discernible. There was little
+to be seen. The arched roof was of solid masonry; the walls were without
+a break save the narrow window and the door. Through the window we could
+see only a patch of sky in the east, reddened by the reflection of the
+sinking sun; but the sight was so beautiful that Max and I were loath to
+leave it even for supper.
+
+"We must eat before the light dies," said Max, whose young stomach was
+more imperious than mine, "or we shall have to eat in the dark. I have
+had more than enough of that."
+
+"Fall to," I said, as we drew the stools to the table. With the first
+mouthful of clean, delicious food my appetite returned, and I ate
+ravenously. Had the repast been larger I believe we should have killed
+ourselves. Fortunately it was consumed before we were exhausted, and we
+came off alive and victorious. After supper darkness fell, and Max sat
+beside me on the bench. He was very happy, for he felt that our troubles
+would end with the night. I put my arm over his neck and begged him to
+forgive me for bringing this evil upon him.
+
+"You shall not blame yourself, Karl," he protested. "There is no fault
+in you. No one is to blame save myself; I should not have gone to the
+bridge. I wonder what poor Yolanda is doing. Perhaps she is suffering in
+fear and is ignorant of our misfortune. Perhaps she thinks I have broken
+my promise and left Peronne. I can see her stamp her little foot, and I
+see her great eyes flashing in anger. Each new humor in her seems more
+beautiful than the last, Karl. Knowing her, I seem to have known all
+mankind--at least, all womankind. She has wakened me to life. Her touch
+has unsealed my eyes, and the pain that I take from my love for her is
+like a foretaste of heaven. I believe that a man comes to his full
+strength, mental and moral, only through the elixir of pain."
+
+"We surely have had our share of late," I said dolefully.
+
+"All will soon be well with us, Karl; do not fear. We shall be free
+to-morrow, and I will kill this Calli. Then I'll go back to Styria a
+better, wiser, stronger man than I could ever have been had I remained
+at home. This last terrible experience has been the keystone of my
+regeneration. It has taught me to be merciful even to the guilty, and
+gentle with the accused. No man shall ever suffer at my command until he
+has been proved guilty. Doubtless thousands of innocent men as free from
+crime and evil intent as we, are wasting their lives away in dungeons as
+loathsome as those that imprisoned us."
+
+"Calli will not fight you," I said.
+
+"If he refuses, I will kill him at the steps of the throne of Burgundy,
+let the result be what it may. God will protect me in my just vengeance.
+I will then go home; and I'll not return to Burgundy till I do so at the
+head of an army, to compel Duke Charles to behead Campo-Basso."
+
+"What will you do about Yolanda, Max?" I asked.
+
+The interference of the princess in our behalf had thrown more light on
+my important riddle, and once again I was convinced that she
+was Yolanda.
+
+"I'll keep her in my heart till I die, Karl," he responded, "and I pray
+God to give her a happier life than mine can be. That is all I can do."
+
+"Will you see her before you go?" I asked, fully intending that there
+should be no doubt on the question.
+
+"Yes, and then--" He paused; and, after a little time, I asked:--
+
+"And what then, Max?"
+
+"God only knows what, Karl. I'm sure I don't," he answered.
+
+We talked till late into the night, lay down on our soft, clean beds of
+straw, and were soon asleep.
+
+I did not know how long I had been sleeping when I was wakened by a
+voice that seemed to fill the room, low, soft, and musical as the tones
+of an Aeolian harp. I groped my way noiselessly in the dark to Max's bed
+and aroused him. Placing my hand over his mouth to insure silence, I
+whispered:--
+
+"Listen!"
+
+He rested on his elbow, and we waited. After a few seconds the voice
+again resounded through the room, soft as a murmured ave, distinct as
+the notes of a bird. Max clutched my hand. Soon the voice came again,
+and we heard the words:--
+
+"Little Max, do you hear? Answer softly."
+
+"I hear," responded Max.
+
+There was an uncanny note in the music of the voice. It seemed almost
+celestial. We could not tell whence it came. Every stone in the walls
+and ceiling, every slab in the floor seemed resonant with silvery tones.
+After Max had answered there was a pause lasting two or three minutes,
+and the voice spoke again:--
+
+"I love you, Little Max. I tell you because I wish to comfort you. Do
+not fear. You shall be free to-morrow. Do not answer. Adieu."
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!" cried Max, pleadingly; but he received no answer. He
+put his hand on my shoulder and said:--
+
+"It was Yolanda, Karl--ah, God must hate a child that He brings into
+the world a prince."
+
+For the rest of the night we did not sleep, neither did we speak. The
+morrow was to be a day of frightful import to us, and we awaited it in
+great anxiety.
+
+When the morning broke and the sun shot his rays through the narrow
+window, we carefully examined the floor and walls of our room, but we
+found no opening through which the voice could have penetrated. In the
+side of the room formed by the wall of the tower, the mortar had fallen
+from between two stones, leaving one of them somewhat loose, but the
+castle wall at that point was fully sixteen feet thick, and it was
+impossible that the voice should have come through the layers of stone.
+
+From my first acquaintance with Yolanda there had seemed to be a
+supernatural element in her nature, an elfin quality in her face and
+manner that could not be described. Max had often told me that she
+impressed him in like manner. The voice in our stone-girt chamber,
+coming as it did from nowhere, and resounding as it did everywhere,
+intensified that feeling till it was almost a conviction, though I am
+slow to accept supernatural explanations--a natural one usually exists.
+Of course, there are rare instances of supernatural power vested in men
+and women, and Yolanda's great, burning eyes caused me at times, almost
+to believe that she was favored with it.
+
+The voice that we had heard was unquestionably Yolanda's, but by what
+strange power it was enabled to penetrate our rock-ribbed prison and
+give tongues to the cold stones I could not guess, though I could not
+stop trying. Here was another riddle set by this marvellous girl for my
+solving. This riddle, however, helped to solve the first, and confirmed
+my belief that Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy.
+
+After breakfast Max and I were taken to the great hall, where we found
+Castleman standing before the ducal throne, speaking to Charles. The
+burgher turned toward us, and as we approached I heard him say:--
+
+"My lord, these men are not spies."
+
+"Who are they?" demanded the duke.
+
+Castleman gave our names and told the story of our meeting at Basel,
+after we had escorted Merchant Franz from Cannstadt. Then he narrated
+Max's adventure at the moat bridge, closing with:--
+
+"Count Calli grossly insulted Fraeulein Castleman, for which Sir Max
+chastised him; and no doubt, my lord, this arrest has been made
+for revenge."
+
+"Has the younger man name or title other than you have given?" asked
+Charles.
+
+The burgher hesitated before he answered:--
+
+"He has, my lord, though I may not disclose it to Your Grace without his
+permission, unless you order me so to do upon my fealty. That I humbly
+beg Your Grace not to do."
+
+"I beg Your Grace not to ask me to disclose my identity at this time,"
+said Max. "I am willing, should you insist upon knowing who I am, to
+tell it privately in Your Grace's ear; but I am travelling incognito
+with my friend, Sir Karl de Pitti, and I beg that I may remain so. My
+estate is neither very great nor very small, but what it is I desire for
+many reasons not to divulge. These reasons in no way touch Burgundy, and
+I am sure Your Grace will not wish to intrude upon them. Within a month,
+perhaps within a few days, I will enlighten you. If you will permit me
+to remain in Peronne, I will communicate my reasons to you personally;
+if I leave, I will write to Your Grace. I give my parole that I will,
+within a month, surrender myself to Your Lordship, if you are not
+satisfied, upon hearing my explanations, that my word is that of an
+honorable knight, and my station one worthy of Your Grace's respect. I
+hope my Lord d'Hymbercourt and my good friend Castleman will stand as
+hostages for me in making this pledge."
+
+Both men eagerly offered their persons and their estates as hostages,
+and the duke, turning to the captain of the guard, said:--
+
+"Remove the manacles from these knights."
+
+The chains were removed, and the duke, coming down to the last step of
+the dais, looked into Max's face.
+
+Max calmly returned the fierce gaze without so much as the faltering of
+an eyelid.
+
+"All step back save this young man," ordered the duke, extending his
+open palm toward the courtiers.
+
+We all fell away, but the duke said:--
+
+"Farther back, farther back, I say! Don't crowd in like a pack of yokels
+at a street fight!"
+
+Charles was acting under great excitement. I was not sure that it was
+not anger since his mien looked much like it. I did not know what was
+going to happen, and was in an agony of suspense. Anything was possible
+with this brutish duke when his brain was crazed with passion.
+
+All who had been near the ducal throne moved back, till no one was
+within ten yards of Charles save Max. The duke wore a dagger and a shirt
+of mail; Max wore neither arms nor armor. After the courtiers stepped
+back from the throne a deep, expectant hush fell upon the room. No one
+could guess the intentions of this fierce, cruel duke, and I was
+terribly apprehensive for Max's safety. Had Max been armed, I should
+have had no fear for him at the hands of the duke or any other man.
+
+Charles stepped from the dais to the floor beside Max, still gazing
+fixedly into his face. The men were within four feet of each other. The
+silence in the room was broken only by the heavy breathing of excited
+courtiers. The duke's voice sounded loud and harsh when he spoke to Max,
+and his breath came in hoarse gusts:--
+
+"You are accused, Sir Knight, by credible witnesses of intent to murder
+me. For such a crime it is my privilege to kill you here and now with my
+own hand. What have you to say?"
+
+Charles paused for a reply, drawing his dagger from its sheath. When Max
+saw the naked weapon, I noticed that he gave a start, though it was
+almost imperceptible. He at once recovered himself, and straightening to
+his full height, stepped to within two feet of the duke.
+
+"If I plotted or intended to kill you, my lord," said Max, less moved
+than any other man in the room, "it is your right to kill me; but even
+were I guilty I doubt if my Lord of Burgundy, who is noted the world
+over for his bravery, would strike an unarmed man. If Your Grace wished
+to attack me, you would give me arms equal to your own. If you should
+kill me, unarmed as I am, you would be more pitiable than any other man
+in Burgundy. You would despise yourself, and all mankind would
+spurn you."
+
+"Do you not fear me?" asked the duke, still clutching the hilt of his
+unsheathed dagger.
+
+"I do not believe you have the least intent to kill me," answered Max,
+"but if you have, you may easily do so, and I shall be less to be
+pitied than you. No, I do not fear you! Do I look it, my lord?"
+
+"No, by God, you don't look it. Neither have you cause to fear me," said
+Charles. "There is not another man in Christendom could have stood this
+ordeal without flinching."
+
+To a brave man, bravery is above all the cardinal virtue. Charles turned
+toward his courtiers and continued:--
+
+"There is one man who does not fear me--man, say I? He is little more
+than a boy. Men of Burgundy, take a lesson from this youth, and bear it
+in mind when we go to war."
+
+The duke began to unbuckle his shirt of mail, speaking as he did so:--
+
+"I'll soon learn who has lied. I'll show this boy that I am as brave as
+he."
+
+Charles turned to Calli.
+
+"Sir Count, did you not say this knight wished to kill me, even at the
+cost of his own life?"
+
+"I so said, my lord, and so maintain upon my honor as a knight and upon
+my hope of salvation as a Christian. I so heard him avow,"
+answered Calli.
+
+"I will quickly prove or disprove your words, Sir Count," said the duke,
+removing his mail shirt and throwing it to the floor. Then he turned to
+Max and offered him the hilt of his dagger: "If you would purchase my
+death at the cost of your life, here is my dagger, and you may easily
+make the barter. I am unarmed. One blow from that great arm of yours
+will end all prospects of war with your Switzerland."
+
+Max hesitatingly took the dagger and looked with a puzzled expression
+from it to the duke's face. Campo-Basso and his Italian friends moved
+toward their lord as if to protect him, but Charles waved them back with
+a protesting palm.
+
+"Switzerland is not my native land, Your Grace, nor do I seek your life.
+Take your dagger," said Max.
+
+"I offer you better terms," said Charles. "If you wish to kill me, I now
+give you safe conduct beyond the borders of Burgundy."
+
+"My lord, you are mistaken," said Max, impatiently, tossing the dagger
+to the floor and stepping back from the duke. A soft ripple of laughter
+was heard in the ladies' gallery.
+
+"No, it is not I that am mistaken," said Charles. "It is Campo-Basso and
+his friends. Count Calli, prepare to give the combat to this knight,
+whoever he may be, and God have mercy on your soul, for the day of your
+death is at hand."
+
+Another ripple of soft laughter came from the ladies' gallery.
+
+"I cannot fight him," wailed Calli. "I am suffering from a broken arm.
+My horse fell with me three weeks ago, as Your Grace well knows."
+
+"When your arm mends, you must fight and prove your cause, or by the
+soul of God, you hang! We'll make a fete of this combat, and another of
+your funeral. There shall be a thousand candles, and masses sufficient
+to save the soul of Satan himself. My Lord Campo-Basso, let not the like
+of this happen again. Vengeance in Burgundy is mine, not my Italians'.
+Heralds, dismiss the company. These men are free."
+
+All departed save Castleman, Hymbercourt, Max, and myself, who remained
+at the duke's request.
+
+"If you will remain at the castle, you are most welcome," said Charles,
+addressing Max and me.
+
+I would have jumped at the offer, but Max thanked the duke and declined.
+
+"We will, with Your Grace's permission, remain at Grote's inn for a
+short time and then ask leave to depart from Burgundy."
+
+The duke answered:--
+
+"As you will. I do not press you. If you change your mind, come to the
+castle, and you will be very welcome."
+
+He turned and, with brief adieu, left the great-hall by the small door
+near the dais. Castleman, Hymbercourt, and Max passed out through the
+great doors, and I was about to follow them when I was startled by the
+voice I had heard in the night:--
+
+"Little Max, Little Max," came softly from the ladies' gallery.
+
+I paused to hear more, but all was silent in the great hall. The words
+could have come from no other lips than Yolanda's--Mary's. True, I
+reasoned, Yolanda might be one of the ladies of the court, perhaps a
+near relative of the duke. Once the horrifying thought that he was her
+lover came to my mind, but it fled instantly. There was no evil
+in Yolanda.
+
+Max did not hear the voice. I intended to tell him of it when we should
+reach the inn, and I thought to tell him also that I believed Yolanda
+was the Princess Mary. I changed my mind, however, and again had reason
+to be thankful for my silence.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A LIVE WREN PIE
+
+The next day came the invitation to sup at Castleman's, and we were on
+hand promptly at the appointed time--four o'clock. Before leaving the
+inn I had determined to ask Castleman to satisfy my curiosity concerning
+Yolanda. With good reason I felt that it was my duty and my right to
+know certainly who she was. She might not be Mary of Burgundy, but she
+surely was not a burgher girl, and in some manner she was connected with
+the court of Duke Charles.
+
+Max and I were sitting in the long room (it was on the ground floor and
+extended across the entire front of the house) with Castleman when Frau
+Kate entered followed by Yolanda and Twonette. The frau courtesied, and
+gave us welcome. Twonette courtesied and stepped to her father's side.
+Yolanda gave Max her hand and lifted it to be kissed. The girl laughed
+joyously, and, giving him her other hand, stood looking up into his
+face. Her laughter soon became nervous, and that change in a womanly
+woman is apt to be the forerunner of tears. They soon came to moisten
+Yolanda's eyes, but she kept herself well in hand and said:--
+
+"It has been a very long time, Sir Max, since last I saw you."
+
+"A hard, cruel time for me, Fraeulein. Your hot-headed duke gives strange
+license to his murderous courtiers," answered Max.
+
+"It has been a hard time for others, too," she responded. "Hard for
+uncle, hard for tante, hard for Twonette--very hard for Twonette." She
+spoke jestingly, but one might easily see her emotion.
+
+"And you, Fraeulein?" he asked smilingly.
+
+"I--I dare not say how hard it has been for me, Little Max. Do you not
+see? I fear--I fear I shall--weep--if I try to tell you. I am almost
+weeping now. I fear I have grown gray because of it," she answered,
+closing with a nervous laugh. Max, too, could hardly speak. She smiled
+up into his face, and bending before him stood on tiptoe to bring the
+top of her head under his inspection.
+
+"You may see the white hairs if you look carefully," she said.
+
+Max laughed and stooped to examine the great bush of fluffy dark hair.
+
+"I see not one white hair," he said.
+
+"Look closely," she insisted.
+
+He looked closely, and startled us all, including Yolanda, by putting
+his lips to the fragrant, silky mass.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed Yolanda, stepping back from him and placing her hand to
+the top of her head on the spot that he had kissed. She looked up to him
+with a fluttering little laugh:--
+
+"I--I did not know you were going to do that."
+
+"Neither did I," said Max.
+
+Castleman and his wife looked displeased and Twonette's face wore an
+expression of amused surprise.
+
+After a constrained pause Frau Katherine said:--
+
+"Our guests are not in the habit of kissing us."
+
+"No one has kissed you, tante," retorted Yolanda, "nor do they intend to
+do so. Do not fear. I--I brought it on myself, and if I do not complain,
+you may bear up under it."
+
+"It certainly is unusual to--" began the frau.
+
+"Tante," cried Yolanda, flushing angrily and stamping her foot. Tante
+was silent.
+
+"Your words night before last brought marvellous comfort to us,
+Fraeulein," said Max. "Where were you, and how--"
+
+"My words? Night before last?" asked Yolanda, in open-eyed wonder, "I
+have not seen you since three weeks ago."
+
+"You called to me in my prison in the tower," said Max. "You called to
+me by the name you sometimes use."
+
+"Ah, that is wonderful," exclaimed Yolanda. "I wakened myself night
+before last calling your name, and telling you not to fear. I was
+dreaming that you were in danger, but I also dreamed that you would soon
+be free. Can it be possible that the voice of a dreamer can travel to a
+distance and penetrate stone walls? You almost make me fear myself by
+telling me that you heard my call."
+
+Like most persons, Max loved the mysterious, so he at once became
+greatly interested. He would have discussed the subject further had not
+Yolanda turned to me, saying:--
+
+"Ah, I have not greeted Sir Karl."
+
+She gave me her hand, and I would have knelt had she not prevented me by
+a surprised arching of her eyebrows. My attempt to salute her on my knee
+was involuntary, but when I saw the warning expression in her eyes, I
+quickly recovered myself. I bowed and she withdrew her hand.
+
+"Let us go to the garden," she suggested.
+
+The others left the room, but Yolanda held back and detained me by a
+gesture.
+
+"You would have knelt to me," she said almost angrily.
+
+"Yes, mademoiselle," I replied, "the movement was involuntary."
+
+"I once warned you, Sir Karl, not to try to learn anything concerning
+me. I told you that useless knowledge was dangerous. You have been
+guessing, and probably are very far wrong in your conclusion. But
+whatever your surmises are, don't let me know them. Above all, say
+nothing to Sir Max; I warn you! Unless you would see no more of me, bear
+this warning in mind. Yolanda is a burgher girl. Treat her accordingly,
+and impress the fact on Sir Max. Were I as great as the ill-tempered
+Princess of Burgundy, whose estates you came to woo, I should still
+despise adulation. Bah! I hate it all," she continued, stamping her
+foot. "I hate princes and princesses, and do not understand how they can
+endure to have men kneel and grovel before them. This fine Princess of
+Burgundy, I am told, looks--" She paused and then went on: "I sometimes
+hate her most of all. I am a burgher girl, I tell you, and I am proud of
+it. I warn you not to make me other."
+
+"Your warning, my lady, is--"
+
+"Fraeulein!" interrupted Yolanda, angrily stamping her foot, "or
+Yolanda--call me either. If I give you the privilege, you should value
+it sufficiently to use it."
+
+"Yolanda, I will sin no more," I responded. Her face broke into a smile,
+and she took my arm, laughing contentedly.
+
+I walked out to the garden--Yolanda danced out--and we sat with the
+others under the shade of the arbor vines. Castleman and Max drank
+sparingly of wine and honey, while I sipped orange water with Yolanda,
+Twonette, and Frau Kate.
+
+"What do you think of Burgundy, Sir Max?" asked the burgher.
+
+"I like Grote's inn well," answered Max. "I like the castle dungeon ill.
+I have seen little else of Burgundy save in our journey down the Somme.
+Then I saw nothing but the road on the opposite bank. Had I tried to see
+the country I should have failed; the dust-cloud we carried with us was
+impenetrable." He turned to Yolanda, "That was a hard journey for you,
+Fraeulein."
+
+"No, no," she cried, "it was glorious. The excitement was worth a
+lifetime of monotony; it was delightful. I could feel my heart beat all
+the time, and no woman is sure she lives until she feels the beating of
+her heart."
+
+I suspected a double meaning in her words, but no trace of
+self-consciousness was visible in her face.
+
+"I have often wondered, Fraeulein, if the papers reached the castle
+before the duke arrived?" asked Max.
+
+"What papers?" queried Yolanda.
+
+"Why, the papers we made the mad race to deliver," answered Max.
+
+"Oh, y-e-s," responded the girl, "they arrived just in time."
+
+"And were delivered at the gate?" I suggested.
+
+A quick, angry glance of surprise shot from Yolanda's eyes, and rising
+from her chair she entered the house. Twonette followed her, and the two
+did not return for an hour. I was accumulating evidence on the subject
+of my puzzling riddle, but I feared my last batch might prove expensive.
+I saw the mistake my tongue had led me into. Many a man has wrecked his
+fortune by airing his wit.
+
+When Yolanda returned, she sat at a little distance from us, pouting
+beautifully. The cause of her unmistakable ill-humor, of course, was
+known only to me, and was a source of wonder to Max. At the end of five
+minutes, during which there had been little conversation, Max, who was
+amused at Yolanda's pouting, turned to her, and said:--
+
+"The Fates owe me a few smiles as compensation for their frowns during
+the last three weeks. Won't you help them to pay me, Fraeulein?"
+
+Her face had been averted, but when Max spoke she turned slowly and gave
+him the smile he desired as if to say, "I am not pouting at you."
+
+Her act was so childlike and her face so childishly beautiful that we
+all smiled with amusement and pleasure. Yolanda saw the smiles and
+turned on us, pouting though almost ready to laugh. She rose from her
+chair, stamped her foot, stood irresolutely for a moment, and then
+breaking into a laugh, drew her chair to our little circle--next to
+Max--and sat down.
+
+"Tante, is supper never to be served?" she asked. "I am impatient to see
+the live wren pie."
+
+"Live wren pie?" asked Max, incredulously.
+
+"Yes. Have you never seen one?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"Surely not," he replied.
+
+"Ah, you have a treat in store," she exclaimed, clapping her hands
+enthusiastically. "Uncle carves the pie, the wrens fly out, you open
+your mouth, and the birds, being very small, fly down your throat and
+save you the trouble eating them. They are trained to do it, you know."
+
+A chorus of laughter followed this remarkable statement. Max leaned
+forward, rested his elbows on his knees, looked at the ground for the
+space of half a minute, and said:--
+
+"I was mistaken in saying that I had never partaken of the dish. While
+at Basel I foolishly opened my mouth, and a beautiful little bird flew
+down my throat to my heart."
+
+Frau Castleman coughed, and the burgher moved in his chair and swallowed
+half a goblet of wine. Twonette laughed outright at the pretty turn Max
+had made upon Yolanda, and I ridiculously tried to keep my face
+expressionless. Yolanda laughed flutteringly, and the long lashes fell.
+
+"That was prettily spoken, Sir Max," she said, smiling. "No Frenchman
+could improve upon it. You are constantly surprising me."
+
+"Are Frenchmen apt at such matters, Fraeulein?" I asked.
+
+"I have known but few Frenchmen," she responded. "You know Burgundy and
+France are natural enemies, like the cat and the dog. I have little love
+for the French. I speak only from hearsay."
+
+"You will do well to learn to like them," I suggested. "Burgundy itself
+will soon be French, if the Princess Mary weds the Dauphin."
+
+By speaking freely of the princess, I hoped Yolanda might believe that,
+whatever my surmises were concerning her identity, I did not suspect
+that she was Mademoiselle de Burgundy.
+
+Yolanda sighed, but did not answer. Silence fell upon our little party,
+and after a long pause I turned to Twonette:--
+
+"I remember that Franz told me at Basel, Fraeulein Twonette, that you and
+this famous Princess Mary of Burgundy were friends."
+
+"Yes," answered Twonette, with an effort not to smile, "she has, at
+times, honored me with her notice."
+
+"Out of that fact grows Twonette's serene dignity," laughed Yolanda. "On
+the strength of this acquaintance she quite lords it over us at times,
+and is always reminding me of the many haughty virtues of her friend as
+a pattern that I should follow. You see, I am incessantly confronted
+with this princess."
+
+I thought it was a pretty piece of acting, though the emphasis of her
+dislike for the princess was unmistakably genuine.
+
+"The duke has graciously invited us to the castle," I said, "and I hope
+to have the honor of seeing the princess."
+
+When I spoke of the duke's invitation, I at once caught Yolanda's
+attention.
+
+"You will not meet the princess if you go to the castle," said Yolanda.
+"She is an ill-natured person, I am told, and is far from gracious to
+strangers."
+
+"I do not hope for such an honor," I replied. "I should like merely to
+see her before I leave Burgundy. That is all the favor I ask at her
+hands. She is a lady famed throughout all Europe for her beauty and her
+gentleness."
+
+"She doesn't merit her fame," responded Yolanda, carefully examining her
+hands folded in her lap, and glancing nervously toward Max.
+
+"Do you know Her Highness?" I asked.
+
+"I--I have heard enough of her and have often seen her," she replied.
+"She usually rides out with her ladies at this hour. From the upper end
+of the garden you may soon see her come through the Postern gate, if you
+care to watch."
+
+"I certainly should like to see her," I answered, rapidly losing faith
+in my conclusion that Yolanda was the princess.
+
+The Castlemans did not offer to move, but Yolanda, springing to her
+feet, said, "Come," and led the way.
+
+The upper end of the garden, as I have told you, was on the banks of the
+Cologne at a point where it flowed into the castle moat. The castle
+wall, sixty feet high at that point, bordered the west side of the
+garden. The moat curved along the right side, and the river flowed past
+the upper end. Castleman's house faced south, and stood on the lower end
+of the strip of ground that lay between the castle wall and the moat.
+The Postern was perhaps three hundred yards north from the upper end of
+Castleman's garden. Since it was on the opposite side of the river, one
+could reach the Postern, from Castleman's house, only by going up to the
+town bridge and back to the castle by the street that followed the north
+side of the Cologne.
+
+We all walked to the upper end of the garden, and stood leaning against
+the low stone wall at the river's edge. We had waited perhaps ten
+minutes when we heard a blare of trumpets and saw a small cavalcade of
+ladies and gentlemen ride from the castle and pass over the drawbridge.
+
+"The lady in scarlet is the duchess," said Castleman.
+
+"She is English," remarked Yolanda, "and loves bright colors."
+
+"Which is the princess?" I asked of Yolanda, feeling that I also was
+acting my part admirably. To my surprise she answered promptly:--
+
+"She in blue with a falcon on her shoulder. Am I not right, uncle?"
+
+"Yes," responded Castleman. Twonette confirmed the statement.
+
+My air-castles fell noiselessly about my head. My dreams vanished like
+breath from a cold mirror, and the sphinx-like face of my great riddle
+rose before me in defiance.
+
+After the cavalcade had passed I found myself with Yolanda a dozen paces
+from the others.
+
+"Fraeulein," I said, "I want to confess I thought you were the Princess
+Mary of Burgundy."
+
+Yolanda laughed softly.
+
+"I was sure you had some such absurd notion. I supposed you had seen
+her, and had believed she was Yolanda, the burgher girl; that mistake
+has often been made. You may see this princess at the castle, and I warn
+you not to be deceived. I have the great honor, it is said, to resemble
+Her Highness as one pea resembles another. I have been told that she has
+heard of the low-born maiden that dares to have a face like hers, and
+she doubtless hates me for it, just as I bear her no good-will for the
+same reason. When two women greatly resemble each other, there is
+seldom good feeling between them. Each believes the other is stealing
+something of her personality, and a woman's vanity prompts her to resent
+it. If you make the mistake with the princess that you made with me, I
+warn you it will not be so easily corrected."
+
+My poor riddle! My stony sphinx! My clinging hallucination! Again I
+should have it with me, stalking at my side by day, lying by me at
+night, whirling through my brain at all times, and driving me mad with
+its eternal question, "Who is Yolanda?" The solution of my riddle may be
+clear to you as I am telling you the story. At least, you may think it
+is, since I am trying to conceal nothing from you. I relate this history
+in the order of its happening, and wish, if possible, to place before
+you the manner in which this question of Yolanda's identity puzzled me.
+If you will put yourself in my place, you will at once realize how
+deeply I was affected by this momentous, unanswered, unanswerable
+question, "Who is Yolanda?" and you will understand why I could not see
+the solution, however clear you may believe it to be to yourself.
+
+We soon went in to supper and, after the peacock, the pheasants, and the
+pastries were removed, we were served with a most delicious after-dish
+in sparkling glass cups. It was frozen orange-water mixed with wine of
+Burgundy. I had never tasted a dish so palatable. I had dined at the
+emperor's table in Vienna; I had lived in Italy; I had sojourned in the
+East, where luxuries are most valued and used, but I had never partaken
+of a more delicious supper than that which I ate at the house of my rich
+burgher friend, George Castleman. There might have been a greater
+showing of plate, though that was not lacking, but there could have been
+no whiter linen nor more appetizing dishes than those which good Frau
+Kate gave us that evening.
+
+After the frozen wine had disappeared, a serving-maid brought in a
+stoneware pan covered with a snowy pastry, made from the whites of eggs
+and clear sugar. At its entry Yolanda clapped her hands and cried out
+with childish delight. When the pan was placed before Castleman, she
+exclaimed:--
+
+"Be careful, uncle! Don't thrust the knife too deep, or you will kill
+the birds."
+
+Uncle Castleman ran the point of the knife around the outer edge of the
+crust, and, with a twist of the blade, quickly lifted it from the pan,
+when out flew a dozen or more wrens. Yolanda's delight knew no bounds.
+She sprang from her chair, exclaiming:--
+
+"Catch them! Catch them!" and led the way.
+
+She climbed on chairs, tables, and window shelves, and soon had her
+hands full of the demure little songsters. Max, too, was pursuing the
+wrens, and Twonette, losing part of her serenity, actually caught a
+bird. The sport was infectious, and soon fat old Castleman was puffing
+like a tired porpoise, and sedate old Karl de Pitti was in the chase.
+Frau Katherine grabbed desperately at a bird now and then, but she was
+too stout to catch one and soon took her chair, laughing and out of
+breath. Yolanda screamed with laughter, and after she had caught six or
+seven birds and put them in the cage provided for them, she asked Max to
+lift her in his arms that she might reach one resting on a beam near the
+ceiling. Max gladly complied, and Yolanda, having caught the
+bird, said:--
+
+"Now, Sir Max, open your mouth."
+
+"I have already swallowed one," said Max, laughing, "and I will swallow
+none other so long as I live."
+
+As Max lowered her to the floor her arm fell about his neck for an
+instant, and the great strong boy trembled at the touch of this
+weak girl.
+
+Out to the garden we went again after supper, and when dusk began to
+fall, Yolanda led Max to a rustic seat in the deep shadow of the vines.
+I could not hear their words, but I learned afterward of the
+conversation.
+
+When I thought Yolanda was the princess, I was joyful because of the
+marked favor that she showed Max. When I thought she was a burgher girl,
+I felt like a fussy old hen with a flock of ducks if he were alone with
+her. She seemed then a bewitching little ogress slowly devouring my
+handsome Prince Max. That she was fair, entrancing, and lovable beyond
+any woman I had ever known, only added to my anxiety. Would Max be
+strong enough to hold out against her wooing? I don't like to apply the
+word "wooing" to a young girl's conduct, but we all know that woman does
+her part in the great system of human mating when the persons most
+interested do the choosing; and it is right that she should. The modesty
+that prevents a woman from showing her preference is the result of a
+false philosophy, and flies in the face of nature. Her right to choose
+is as good as man's.
+
+If Yolanda's wooing was more pronounced than is usual with a modest
+young girl, it must be remembered that her situation was different. She
+knew that Max had been restrained from wooing her only because of the
+impassable gulf that lay between them. Ardor in Max when marriage was
+impossible would have been an insult to Yolanda. His reticence for
+conscience' sake and for her sake was the most chivalric flattery he
+could have paid her. She saw the situation clearly, and, trusting Max
+implicitly, felt safe in giving rein to her heart. She did not care to
+hide from him its true condition. On the contrary she wished him to be
+as sure of her as she was of him, for after all that would be the only
+satisfaction they would ever know.
+
+I argued: If Yolanda were the princess, betrothed to the Dauphin, the
+gulf between her and Max was as impassable as if she were a burgher
+girl. In neither case could she hope to marry him. Therefore, her
+girlish wooing was but the outcry of nature and was without boldness.
+
+The paramount instinct of all nature is to flower. Even the frozen
+Alpine rock sends forth its edelweiss, and the heart of a princess is
+first the heart of a woman, and must blossom when its spring comes. All
+the conventions that man can invent will not keep back the flower. All
+created things, animate and inanimate, have in them an uncontrollable
+impulse which, in their spring, reverts with a holy retrospect to the
+great first principle of existence, the love of reproduction.
+
+Yolanda's spring had come, and her heart was a flower with the sacred
+bloom. Being a woman, she loved it and cuddled it for the sake of the
+pain it brought, as a mother fondles a wayward child. Max, being a man,
+struggled against the joy that hurt him and, with a sympathy broad
+enough for two, feared the pain he might bring to Yolanda. So this
+unresponsiveness in Max made him doubly attractive to the girl, who was
+of the sort, whether royal or bourgeois, before whom men usually fall.
+
+"I thought you had left me, Sir Max," she said, drawing him to a seat
+beside her in the shade.
+
+"I promised you I would not go," he responded, "and I would not
+willingly break my word to any one, certainly not to you, Fraeulein."
+
+"I was angry when I heard you had left the inn," she said, "and I spoke
+unkindly of you. There has been an ache in my heart ever since that
+nothing but confession and remission will cure."
+
+"I grant the remission gladly," answered Max. "There was flattery in
+your anger."
+
+The girl laughed softly and, clasping her hands over her knee, spoke
+with a sigh.
+
+"I think women have the harder part of life in everything. I again ask
+you to promise me that you will not leave Peronne within a month."
+
+"I cannot promise you that, Fraeulein," answered Max.
+
+"You will some day--soon, perhaps--know my reasons," said Yolanda, "and
+if they do not prove good I am willing to forfeit your esteem. That is
+the greatest hostage I can give."
+
+"I cannot promise," answered Max, stubbornly.
+
+"I offer you another inducement, one that will overmatch the small
+weight of my poor wishes. I promise to bring you to meet this Mary of
+Burgundy whom you came to woo. I cannot present you, but I will see that
+Twonette brings about the meeting. I tell you, as I have already told
+Sir Karl, that it is said I resemble this princess, so you must not
+mistake her for me."
+
+When Max told me of this offer I wondered if the girl had been testing
+him, and a light dawned on me concerning her motives.
+
+"I did not come to woo her," answered Max, "though she may have been a
+part of my reason for coming. I knew that she was affianced to the
+Dauphin of France. Her beauty and goodness were known to me through
+letters of my Lord d'Hymbercourt, written to my dear old friend Karl.
+Because of certain transactions, of which you do not know and of which I
+may not speak, I esteemed her for a time above all women, though I had
+never seen her. I still esteem her, but--but the other is all past now,
+Fraeulein, and I do not wish to meet the princess, though the honor would
+be far beyond my deserts."
+
+"Why do you not wish to meet her?" asked Yolanda, with an air of
+pleasure. Max hesitated, then answered bluntly:--
+
+"Because I have met you, Fraeulein. You should not lead me to speak such
+words."
+
+Yolanda touched Max's arm and said frankly:--
+
+"There can be no harm, Max. If you knew all,--if I could tell you
+all,--you would understand. The words can harm neither of us." She
+hesitated and, with drooping head, continued: "And they are to me as the
+sun and the south wind to the flowers and the corn. You already know all
+that is in my heart, or I would not speak so plainly. In all my life I
+have known little of the sweet touch of human sympathy and love, and,
+Max, my poor heart yearns for them until at times I feel like the
+flowers without the sun and the corn without the rain,--as if I will die
+for lack of them. I am almost tempted to tell you all."
+
+"Tell me all, Yolanda," entreated Max, "for I, too, have suffered from
+the same want, though my misfortune comes from being born to a high
+estate. If you but knew the lonely, corroding misery of those born to a
+station above the reach of real human sympathy, you would not envy, you
+would pity them. You would be charitable to their sins, and would thank
+God for your lowly lot in life. I will tell you my secret. I am
+Maximilian of Hapsburg."
+
+"I have known it since the first day I saw you at Basel," answered
+Yolanda.
+
+"I have felt sure at times that you did," responded Max, "though I
+cannot think how you learned it. Will you tell me of yourself?"
+
+The girl hung her head and hesitated. Once she lifted her face to speak,
+but changed her mind.
+
+"Please don't ask me now. I will tell you soon, but not now, not now. Be
+patient with me. I do pity you. I do, I do. If we could help each
+other--but we cannot, and there is no use longing for it. I sometimes
+fear that your attitude is the right one, and that it is best that we
+should part and meet no more."
+
+The proposition to part and meet no more was good in theory, but Max
+found that the suggestion to make a fact of it frightened him.
+
+"Let us not speak of that now," he said. "The parting will come soon
+enough. You will surely deem me cold and unworthy, Fraeulein, but you
+cannot understand. One may not call a man hard and selfish who plucks
+out his eye for the sake of a God-imposed duty, or who deliberately
+thrusts away happiness and accepts a life of misery and heartache
+because of the chains with which God bound him at his birth."
+
+"Ah, I do understand, Max; I understand only too well," answered the
+girl.
+
+I have often wondered why Max did not suspect that Yolanda was the
+Princess Mary; but when I considered that he had not my reasons to lead
+him to that conclusion, I easily understood his blindness, for even I
+was unconvinced. Had I not overheard Castleman's conversation with
+Yolanda on the road to Strasburg, after meeting De Rose, the supposition
+that the burgher girl travelling unattended with a merchant and his
+daughter could possibly be the Princess Mary would have been beyond the
+credence of a sane man. The thought never would have occurred to me.
+Even with Castleman's words always ringing in my ears, I was
+constantly in doubt.
+
+"There is no reason why one should deliberately hasten the day of one's
+thralldom," said Yolanda, softly. "If one may be free and happy for an
+hour without breaking those terrible chains of God's welding, is he not
+foolish to refuse the small benediction? The memory of it may sweeten
+the years to come."
+
+"To woman, such a memory is sweet," answered Max, striving to steel his
+heart against the girl. "To men, it is a bitter regret."
+
+To me he had spoken differently of his pain.
+
+"Then be generous, Little Max, and give me the sweet memory," said the
+girl, carried away by the swirling impulse of her heart.
+
+"You will not need it," answered Max. "Your lot will be different from
+mine."
+
+"Yes, it will be different, Max--it will be worse," she cried
+passionately, almost in tears. "I think I shall kill myself when you
+leave Burgundy." She paused and turned fiercely upon him, "Give me the
+promise I ask. I demand at least that consolation as my right--as a poor
+return for what you take from me."
+
+Max gently took her hand, which was at once lost in his great clasp.
+
+"Fraeulein, I will not leave Burgundy within a month, whatever the
+consequences may be," he said tenderly.
+
+"Upon your honor?" she asked, joyously clapping her hands.
+
+"Every promise I make, Fraeulein, is on my honor," said Max, seriously.
+
+"So it is, Little Max, so it is," she answered gently. Then they rose
+and came to the table where Castleman and I were sitting.
+
+Yolanda had gained her point and was joyful over her victory.
+
+Frau Katherine was asleep in a high-backed chair. Twonette slept in a
+corner of the arbor, her flaxen head embowered in a cluster of leaves
+and illumined by a stray beam of moonlight that stole between the vines.
+
+"I am going in now. Come, Twonette," said Yolanda, shaking that plump
+young lady to arouse her. "Come, Twonette."
+
+Twonette slowly opened her big blue eyes, but she was slower in
+awakening.
+
+"Twonette! Twonette!" cried Yolanda, pulling at the girl's hand. "I
+declare, if you don't resist this growing drowsiness you will go down in
+history as the 'Eighth Sleeper,' and will be left snoring on
+resurrection morn."
+
+When Twonette had awakened sufficiently to walk, we started from the
+arbor to the house. As we passed from beneath the vines, the frowning
+wall of the castle and the dark forms of its huge towers, silhouetted in
+black against the moon-lit sky, formed a picture of fierce and sombre
+gloom not soon to be forgotten.
+
+"The dark, frowning castle reminds one of its terrible lord," said Max,
+looking up at the battlements.
+
+"It does, indeed," answered Yolanda, hardly above a whisper. Then we
+went into the house.
+
+"We hope to see you again for supper to-morrow evening, don't we,
+uncle?" said Yolanda, addressing Max and me, and turning to Castleman.
+
+"Yes--yes, to-morrow evening," said the burgher, hesitatingly.
+
+Max accepted the invitation and we made our adieux.
+
+At the bridge over the Cologne we met Hymbercourt returning to his house
+from the castle. While we talked, the cavalcade of ladies and gentlemen
+that we had watched from Castleman's garden cantered up the street.
+
+"You will now see the princess," said Hymbercourt. "She comes with the
+duke and the duchess. They left the castle at five, and have been riding
+in the moonlight."
+
+We stepped to one side of the street as the cavalcade passed, and I
+asked Hymbercourt to point out the princess.
+
+"She rides between the duke--the tall figure that you may recognize by
+his long beard--and the page carrying a hooded falcon," he answered.
+
+Surely this evidence should have put my mind at rest concerning my
+hallucination that Yolanda was Mary of Burgundy; but when we reached
+the inn and Max told me of his conversation with Yolanda the riddle
+again sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. I felt that I was growing weak
+in mind. Yolanda's desire to tell Max her secret, and her refusal; her
+longing for human sympathy, and the lack of it; her wish that he should
+remain in Peronne for a month--all these made me feel that she was
+the princess.
+
+I could not help hoping that Hymbercourt was mistaken in pointing out
+Her Highness. She rode in the shadow of the buildings and the moon was
+less than half full. Yolanda might have wished to deceive us by pointing
+out the princess while we watched the cavalcade from Castleman's garden.
+The burgher and Twonette might have been drawn into the plot against us
+by the impetuous will of this saucy little witch. Many things, I
+imagined, had happened which would have appeared absurd to a sane
+man--but I was not sane. I wished to believe that Yolanda was the
+princess, and I could not get the notion out of my head.
+
+Yolanda's forwardness with Max, if she were Mary of Burgundy, could
+easily be explained on the ground that she was a princess, and was
+entitled to speak her mind. I was sure she was a modest girl, therefore,
+if she were of lowly birth, she would have hesitated to speak so plainly
+to Max. So, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I refused to
+be convinced that Yolanda was not Mademoiselle de Burgundy. I loved the
+thought so dearly that I could not and would not part with it. That
+night, while I lay pondering over the riddle, I determined to do no more
+guessing, and let the Fates solve it for me. They might give me the
+answer soon if I would "give it up."
+
+The next evening we went to Castleman's house, but we did not see
+Yolanda. Frau Kate said she was indisposed, and we ate supper without
+her. It was a dull meal,--so much does a good appetite wait upon good
+company,--and for the first time I realized fully the marvellous quality
+of this girl's magic spell. Max, of course, was disappointed, and we
+walked back to The Mitre in silence.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A BATTLE IN MID AIR
+
+A day or two after the supper of the wren pie, Max bought from a pedler
+a gray falcon most beautifully marked, with a scarlet head and neck, and
+we sent our squires to Hymbercourt, asking him to solicit from the
+duke's seneschal, my Lord de Vergy, permission to strike a heron on the
+marshes. The favor was easily obtained, and we went forth that afternoon
+to try the new hawk.
+
+The hours passed quickly. The hawk was perfectly trained, and as fierce
+as a mountain wildcat. Its combats in mid air were most exciting. It
+would attack its prey and drive it back to a point nearly over our
+heads. There it waged the battle of death. It had killed three herons,
+all of which had fallen at our feet, and we were returning home when a
+fourth rose from the marsh. We were on a side road or path, perhaps five
+hundred yards from the main highway.
+
+At the moment Max gave wing to his bird, two ladies and three gentlemen
+came up the road, returning to Peronne, and halted to witness the
+aerial combat. That they were of the court, I could easily see by their
+habits, though the distance was so great that I could not distinguish
+their faces.
+
+Never did hawk acquit itself more nobly. It seemed to realize that it
+had a distinguished audience. The heron opened the battle desperately,
+and persisted in keeping its course to the south. The hawk, not ready
+for battle till the prey should be over our heads, circled round and
+round the heron, constantly striking, but carefully avoiding the _coup
+de grace_. After the birds had flown several hundred yards away from us,
+and were growing small in the distance, the heron, less hardy than its
+knightly foe, showed signs of weariness and confusion. It changed its
+course, still flying away from us. This did not suit the hawk, and it
+continued circling about its faltering prey with a vicious swiftness
+well calculated to inspire terror. Its movements became so rapid that it
+appeared to describe a gray circle about the heron. These circles, with
+the heron as the centre, constantly grew smaller, and after a time we
+could see that the birds were slowly but surely approaching us.
+
+When they were almost over our heads, the hawk rose with incredible
+swiftness above its prey, and dropped like a bolt of gray lightning upon
+the heron. Then followed a struggle that lasted while the birds fell
+three hundred feet. When within fifty feet of the ground the hawk
+suddenly spread its wings and stood motionless in mid air, watching its
+vanquished foe as it fell to a spot within ten yards of where we stood.
+The movement of the falcon in descending to us can only be described as
+a settling or gradual sinking, with outstretched, motionless wings. When
+Max piped, the bird flew to its master's wrist and held down its beak
+for the hood.
+
+At the close of the battle, the gentlemen of our little audience clapped
+their hands, and the ladies waved their kerchiefs. Max and I raised our
+caps and reined our horses toward the main road. As we approached, the
+ladies and one of the gentlemen resumed their journey toward Cambrai
+Gate, but the others awaited us. When we reached them we found, to our
+surprise, Duke Charles and my Lord d'Hymbercourt.
+
+"Ah, it is our unknown knight who was so eager to fight Count Calli,"
+exclaimed the duke.
+
+"And still eager, Your Grace," answered Max. He uncovered upon
+approaching the duke, but after a moment said, "By Your Grace's leave,"
+and resumed his cap. I, of course, remained uncovered. The duke showed
+surprise and irritation as he answered:--
+
+"Since you do not see fit to tell us who you are, you should have the
+grace to remain uncovered."
+
+Max glanced quickly at the duke's face, and removed his cap, as he
+answered, smiling:--
+
+"If it pleases Your Grace, I will remain uncovered even though I be the
+Pope himself."
+
+The duke saw the humor of the situation and replied:--
+
+"One who owns so noble a hawk may remain covered in any man's presence.
+Never have I seen so rare a battle in mid air. The soul of Roland
+himself must inhabit the bird."
+
+"Will Your Grace accept the hawk?" Max asked.
+
+"Gladly," answered the duke, "though I hesitate to deprive you of a bird
+to which you must be attached."
+
+"Do not hesitate to give me that pleasure, my lord," answered Max. "The
+bird is yours. His name is Caesar. I will send him to the castle
+this evening."
+
+"Do not send him," suggested the duke. "Double your kindness by bringing
+him to-morrow at the noon hour, after the morning audience. We must now
+follow the princess. Adieu, messieurs."
+
+The duke touched his cap, and we bent almost to our horses' manes.
+
+Charles and Hymbercourt rode forward at a brisk canter, and Max and I
+followed slowly. We entered Cambrai Gate three or four minutes after the
+duke and the princess.
+
+Max, eager to exhibit his hawk to Yolanda, proposed that we ride
+directly to Castleman's house.
+
+While we were crossing the Cologne bridge we saw the duke's party enter
+the castle by the Postern, and as we turned a corner toward Castleman's
+the ladies looked in our direction and the gentlemen lifted their caps.
+
+"Yolanda will be delighted when she sees my hawk," said Max.
+
+I did not answer, but I thought that Yolanda would not see the bird that
+evening, since she had just entered the castle with her father. I was in
+great glee of spirits; I had at last trapped the young lady. If she were
+not at Castleman's house there could be but one answer to my riddle. I
+did not merely believe that I should not find her there; I knew I
+should not.
+
+Max and I hitched our horses, and when Castleman's front door opened,
+lo! there stood Yolanda. Never in all my life have I taken such a fall.
+
+Somewhat out of breath, Yolanda exclaimed:--
+
+"Ah, Sir Max and Sir Karl, I saw you coming and ran to give you
+welcome."
+
+She was in an ecstasy of glee, strangely out of proportion to the event,
+and there was a look of triumph in her eyes.
+
+After we entered the house Yolanda's laughter continued, and if it
+ceased for a moment it broke out again without a pretext. She was always
+pleased to see Max, and never failed to show her pleasure in laughter
+more or less; but Max's presence could hardly account for her high
+merriment and the satisfaction she seemed to feel, as if a great victory
+had been gained. My sense of utter defeat had nothing but Yolanda's
+peculiar conduct to comfort it.
+
+To the arbor we went, Yolanda carrying the hawk on her shoulder and
+caressing it with her cheek. In the garden, when our adventures were
+related, Yolanda, all excitement, could not keep her chair, but danced
+delightedly like a child and killed a score of imaginary herons.
+
+She stroked the falcon's wings, and when I said, "My lord the duke has
+graciously consented to accept the bird," she turned upon Max,
+exclaiming in mock anger:--
+
+"The duke has graciously consented to accept the bird! I should think it
+required little grace to accept such a gift, though much to give it. Why
+don't you give the bird to me, Sir Max, if you are eager to part
+with it?"
+
+"I would gladly have given it to you, Fraeulein," answered Max, "had I
+supposed you could use it on the duke's marshes. Only nobles practise
+the royal sport of falconry."
+
+Yolanda glanced quickly from Max to Castleman, turned her face to the
+bird upon her shoulder, and said, with a touch of dignity:--
+
+"We receive small favors from court once in a while, don't we, uncle?
+We are not dirt under the nobles' feet, if we are plain burgher folk,
+are we, uncle?"
+
+"Don't you know, Fraeulein, what great pleasure I should have taken in
+giving you the bird?" asked Max.
+
+Yolanda bent her head to one side, placed her cheek against the falcon's
+wing and pouted. Her pout was prettier even than her smile, and that is
+saying a great deal.
+
+After a few minutes Yolanda started to walk up the garden path and Max
+followed her, leaving the Castlemans and me under the arbor. Yolanda,
+still pouting, carried Caesar on her shoulder, lavishing caresses on the
+bird that excited Max's bitterest envy. Max spoke at intervals, but she
+answered only to the bird. After many futile efforts to make her speak,
+he said:--
+
+"If you won't talk to me, I'll go back to the arbor."
+
+She turned to the bird: "We are willing, Caesar, aren't we--if he can
+go."
+
+Max laughed and started toward the arbor.
+
+"Tell him to come back, Caesar. Tell him to come back," exclaimed
+Yolanda.
+
+"I take no orders from a bird," declared Max, with pretended
+seriousness. Then she turned toward him and her face softened. She
+smiled and the dimples came, though there was a nervous tremor in the
+upturned corners of her mouth that belied her bantering air and brought
+Max quickly to her side. I saw the pantomime, though I did not hear the
+words; and I knew that neither Max nor any other man could withstand the
+quivering smile that played upon Yolanda's lips and the yearning
+invitation that was in her eyes. If Max did not soon take himself away
+from Burgundy and lead himself out of this temptation, I feared that in
+the end he would cast aside his ancient heritage, rend his sacred family
+ties, and forego everything he possessed in response to this mighty cry
+of nature, offering the one chance in life for happiness.
+
+"Now you will give me the bird--I know you will," exclaimed Yolanda.
+
+A remnant of the pout still hovered about her lips, doing battle with
+the dimples of a smile.
+
+"I have already given him to the duke," answered Max.
+
+"Tell the duke the bird escaped, or died suddenly of an apoplexy. Tell
+him anything you like, but give me the hawk," said Yolanda.
+
+"Would you have me lie, Fraeulein?" asked Max, amused at her persistency.
+"I cannot do that, even for you. If you insist upon having the bird, I
+may go to the duke and withdraw my gift."
+
+"Would you do that for me, Sir Max?" she asked, eagerly.
+
+"Ay, and a great deal more, Fraeulein. I tremble at the thought of what
+you could make me do," he answered.
+
+"In the fiend's name, let the duke have the bird," cried Yolanda. "He
+will pout more than I if you don't. He is of a sullen nature."
+
+"Do you know the duke?" asked Max, suspecting for the first time that
+Yolanda might be more intimate about the court than he had supposed.
+
+"I have heard much of him from those who know him," answered Yolanda.
+
+So the duke got Caesar.
+
+The next morning Hymbercourt came to the inn to accompany us to the
+castle. While we were sipping a mug of wine at a garden table,
+he said:--
+
+"I do not want to be officious in your affairs, but I am convinced that
+it will be well for you to tell the duke who you are. If you do not see
+fit to do so, it were wise in you to leave Burgundy at your earliest
+convenience."
+
+"I cannot leave within a month," said Max. I knew the cause of his
+detention, and, ignoring his remark, turned to Hymbercourt:--
+
+"Do you want to give the reasons for your advice?"
+
+"Yes, I am quite willing," he answered, "but I would not have my words
+repeated."
+
+"Of that you may rest assured," I answered.
+
+"If you do not tell the duke who you are," said Hymbercourt, "he will
+soon learn it from our Italian friends, who have the fiend's own energy
+in the pursuit of vengeance. They will discover who you are, and you
+will lose the advantage of a frank avowal. Duke Charles admires Sir Max,
+but our liege lord is capricious and can easily fancy that others are
+plotting to injure him. I am sure that he will now receive the Count of
+Hapsburg graciously if you tell him that Sir Max is that person. What he
+would do were he to learn the fact highly colored by his Italians, I
+cannot say. These mercenaries have a strange influence over His Grace,
+and there is not a nobleman in Burgundy who does not fear them."
+
+"How will the duke feel concerning the old proposition of marriage?" I
+asked.
+
+"That, I hope, will be of no moment now, since the duke is arranging for
+the immediate celebration of this marriage with the Dauphin. I am given
+to understand that His Grace, the Bishop of Cambrai, secretary to the
+duke, has received orders to draught a letter to King Louis expressing
+our lord's pleasure. King Louis is so eager for the marriage, which will
+once more bring Burgundy to the French kingship, that Duke Charles deems
+it sufficiently courteous to express his intentions to Louis, rather
+than to request the king's compliance. The duke's contempt for the king
+of France is so great that he causes the letter to be written in
+English, a language which Charles loves because of the English blood in
+his veins, and which Louis, with good reason, hates."
+
+"Has this letter been despatched?" I asked, concealing as well as I
+could my deep concern.
+
+Max heard Hymbercourt's statement without even a show of interest. Had
+he suspected that Hymbercourt was speaking of Yolanda's marriage, there
+surely would have been a demonstration.
+
+"No," answered Hymbercourt, "the letter has not been sent, but the duke
+will despatch it at once. It will probably be the chief business of this
+morning's audience. The duke wants the marriage celebrated before he
+leaves for Switzerland. That will be within three or four weeks. I am
+not informed as to the details of the ceremony, but I suppose the
+princess will be taken to St. Denis, and will there be married. The
+unfortunate princess, doubtless, has not yet been told of her impending
+fate, though she may have heard of it by rumor. There will be tears and
+trouble when she learns of it, for she has a strong dash of her father's
+temper. But--" He shrugged his shoulders as if to say that her tears
+would count for nothing.
+
+Hymbercourt's words took the heart out of me; and when he left us for a
+moment, I urged Max to leave Burgundy at once.
+
+"I must see Yolanda and ask her to release me from my promise before I
+go," he said.
+
+"You are surely not so weak as to allow a burgher girl to hold you?" I
+asked.
+
+"The girl does not hold me," he answered. "I was so weak as to give my
+promise, and that holds me."
+
+"She will give you your release if you demand it," I suggested.
+
+"If she does, I will go with you to-morrow. It is time that we were out
+of Burgundy. I will forego even my combat with Calli to get away. I
+should not have given Yolanda my promise; but she is so persuasive, and
+I pity her, and--and, oh! Karl, I--the trouble is, I love her, and it is
+like death to part from her forever. That is my weakness."
+
+The poor, suffering boy leaned forward on the table and buried his face
+in his arms.
+
+"That isn't your weakness, Max, it's your strength," I responded. "Few
+men are so unfortunate as to escape it. God must pity those who do. It
+may be well to tell the duke who you are. If he is displeased, we may
+leave Burgundy at once. If he receives you graciously, we may remain and
+you may fight this Calli. That is the one duty that holds you
+in Peronne."
+
+My heart was hardened with years, and its love of just vengeance was
+stronger than young Max could feel. Besides, he was possessed by a
+softer passion; and though he felt it his pleasant duty to fight Calli,
+vengeance held second place in his breast.
+
+Hymbercourt returned, and we started for the castle accompanied by our
+squires; all riding in fine state.
+
+We arrived at the great hall before the duke had arisen from the morning
+audience, and waited unobserved in the back part of the chamber. Our
+Irish squire, Michael, carried Caesar, hooded and belled. He was held by
+a golden chain that we had bought from a goldsmith, notwithstanding our
+purse was growing dangerously light.
+
+There was a great stir in the hall as we entered. The courtiers were
+buzzing like a swarm of bees discussing a new queen. Evidently matters
+of importance had been under consideration. Campo-Basso, my Lord de
+Vergy, seneschal of Burgundy, and the Bishop of Cambrai, clerk to the
+duke, were standing on the second step of the dais, each with hand
+resting on knee, and leaning eagerly toward the duke. Charles and these
+councillors were speaking in low tones, and the courtiers of less degree
+were taking advantage of the intermission in public business to settle
+the great question among themselves. Each petty courtier felt that he
+could offer a suggestion that would be of great value, could he but gain
+the duke's ear.
+
+After a little time, Charles saw Hymbercourt with us, and sent a page to
+fetch him. Hymbercourt left us, and soon we saw him in whispered
+conversation with the duke. Soon after Hymbercourt had gone to the
+ducal throne, Calli, with two Italians, stopped four paces from where we
+were standing. He gazed insolently at Max, and said in Italian to his
+companions:--
+
+"There is the loutish outlander, who boasted before the duke that he
+would fight me. He is a big callow fellow, and it would be a shame to
+stick the swine."
+
+Max, who understood the Italian language sufficiently to grasp Calli's
+meaning, flushed angrily, but I touched his arm and he turned his back
+upon the fellow. Then I spoke in tones that Calli could not fail
+to hear:--
+
+"Never turn your face from a cowardly foe, Max. He will, if he can, stab
+you in the back. Your revenge will come when you send his soul to hell."
+
+Calli grasped his dagger hilt and muttered something about the duke's
+presence. The incident determined us in the course Max should take. He
+should tell the duke who he was, remain in Burgundy to kill this fellow
+Calli, and to meet such other fortune as the Fates might have in
+store for him.
+
+Hymbercourt and the duke spoke together for the space of five minutes,
+evidently discussing a parchment that Charles held in his hand. Then the
+duke resumed his seat, and handed the parchment to the Bishop of
+Cambrai, when all save His Reverence stepped from the dais to the
+floor. A herald commanded silence, and the bishop spoke:--
+
+"It is the will of our most gracious lord that I announce to the court
+the impending marriage of Her Grace, the Princess, Mademoiselle de
+Burgundy, to the princely Dauphin of France, son to our lord's royal
+ally, King Louis. His Grace of Burgundy hopes within three weeks to open
+his campaign against the Swiss, and it is his intention to cause the
+marriage ceremony to take place before his departure. When the details
+have been arranged, they will be announced to the court."
+
+The bishop had barely stopped speaking when the shutter in the chancel
+of the ladies' gallery above the throne opened, and a voice rang through
+the vast audience hall, like the tones of an alarm bell:--
+
+"Make one more announcement, please, my Lord Bishop. Say that if this
+wondrous ceremony is to come off within three weeks, the Dauphin of
+France must be content with a dead bride."
+
+No one saw the face of the speaker. The shutter closed, and a deep
+silence fell upon the room. The duke sprang angrily to his feet; his
+face was like a thunder-cloud. He looked toward the ladies' gallery, and
+stood for a moment like the incarnation of wrath. A puzzled expression
+followed the glare of anger; and within a moment he laughed, and waved
+his hands to the heralds, directing them to cry the rising. The
+audience was dismissed, and the courtiers left the hall, laughing in
+imitation of their lord and master.
+
+Nothing could be more indicative of cruelty than the laughter that
+followed the passionate protest of the unhappy princess. To the duke,
+and of course to his courtiers, the girl's suffering and the fate that
+was in store for her were mere matters of mirth. They laughed at her
+pain as savages laugh at the agonies of a tortured victim.
+
+I was so startled by the cry of the princess that for a time I could not
+think coherently. My first clear thought was of Yolanda. If she were the
+princess, this sacrifice that is practised without a protest throughout
+the world had come home to me, for Yolanda had nestled in my heart. That
+she, the gentle, the tender, the passionate, the sensitive, should be
+the victim of this legalized crime; that she, innocent of all fault,
+save that she had been born a girl, should be condemned to misery
+because the laws of chivalry and the laws of God, distorted by men to
+suit their purposes, declared her to be the chattel of her father, moved
+me as I was never moved before. My sympathy for this rare, sweet girl,
+so capable of joy, so susceptible to pain, almost brought tears to my
+eyes; for I could not help thinking that she was the suffering princess.
+
+When the courtiers had left the great hall Hymbercourt, Max, and I
+approached the duke. Hymbercourt and I made obeisance on bended knee,
+but Max saluted the duke with a low bow. After the duke had spoken,
+Max said:--
+
+"I hope Your Grace has not forgotten your promise to honor me by
+accepting the falcon you admired yesterday."
+
+"I have not, my unknown friend," answered the duke.
+
+Max took the bird from Michael and offered it to Charles, who accepted
+the gift graciously. I looked toward Hymbercourt and he, understanding
+my unspoken word, again bent his knee before the duke:--
+
+"My gracious lord, it is the desire of this young knight that he be
+presented to you in due form under his own name and title, though he
+would humbly ask that he be permitted to retain the name by which he is
+known in Burgundy. His reasons for so doing are good, though they would
+not interest Your Grace. Have I my lord's permission to present him?"
+
+"In God's name, yes!" exclaimed the duke, stirred by some irritation,
+but spurred by curiosity.
+
+"My lord," said Hymbercourt, speaking to the duke and extending his hand
+toward Max, "it is my great honor to present to Your Grace his highness,
+Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg."
+
+"By the just God, my lord, you certainly have given us a surprise," said
+the duke, stepping back and making no offer of his hand to Max. He
+passed the falcon to a page, and continued, "What business have these
+men at my court?"
+
+"None, Your Grace, absolutely none," answered Max, standing proudly
+before the duke and steadfastly meeting his gaze. "It was my desire to
+see the world and to learn something of its people before I undertook to
+govern my own. My country is not rich and fat like this great land of
+Burgundy. I have neither the means nor the inclination to travel in
+state; so my dear friend and instructor, Sir Karl de Pitti, undertook to
+guide me and teach me in this journey to the outer world. I would rather
+have missed seeing all other countries than Burgundy, and of all the
+princes of the world Your Grace was and is to me the most interesting.
+Your hand is the strongest, your courage the bravest, and your land the
+richest in Europe. We heard at Metz that you were here in Peronne; and
+now, my lord, you understand what business I have in Burgundy."
+
+I had never given the boy credit for so much adroitness. What the duke's
+intentions were, immediately after Hymbercourt presented Max, I could
+not have told, but his words sounded ominous, and the expression of his
+face was anything but pleasant. Max, though not quarrelsome, was not
+given to the soft answer that turneth away wrath; but on this occasion
+discretion came to his rescue, and he made the soft answer with a
+dignity and boldness that won Charles's respect. The duke's face
+softened into a half-smile,--if anything so hard as his face can be said
+to soften,--and he offered his hand to Max. He withdrew it almost
+instantly from Max's grasp, and said:--
+
+"Are you sure my armament against Switzerland is no part of the reason
+for your presence in Burgundy?" Like all highly pugnacious men, he was
+suspicious. "I have been told your father is a friend to the Swiss."
+
+"Does Your Grace mean to ask if I am here in the capacity of a spy, as
+Calli has charged?" asked Max, lifting his head and looking boldly into
+the duke's face.
+
+"I do not know," said the duke, hesitatingly. "I do not say you are. I
+do not think you are, but--"
+
+"I am glad Your Grace does not think we are spies, and am pleased to
+believe that you would not put so great an insult upon us," answered
+Max, "else we should ask permission to leave Burgundy at once. I am sure
+my lord knows we are not spies. If Your Lordship had a son, would you
+send him forth as a spy for the sake of Burgundy? Much less would you do
+it for another land. Your Grace is misinformed. My father is not a
+friend to the Swiss; neither does he hate them, though perhaps he has
+better cause to do so than has Your Grace. Your quarrel with the Swiss
+is over a few cart-loads of sheepskins. These same Swiss took from my
+father our ancient homestead, the old Castle of Hapsburg, and the
+surrounding territory of Aargau."
+
+"I have heard of the spoliation, and have often wondered at your
+father's meek submission," said the duke, with an almost imperceptible
+sneer. Like Richard the Lion-hearted, of England, butchery was this
+duke's trade, and he despised a man who did not practise it on all
+possible occasions. A pretext for a quarrel is balm to the soul of
+a hero.
+
+"The mountains of Switzerland, my lord, are the graveyard of foreign
+soldiers," Max replied. "Old Hapsburg Castle is a mere hawks' crag, as
+its name implies, and the half-score of mountain peaks my father lost
+with it are not worth the life of his humblest subject. He loves his
+people, and would not shed their blood to soothe his wounded pride. The
+man who makes war should fight in the front rank."
+
+"There is where I fight, young sir," returned Charles.
+
+"The world knows that fact, my lord," responded Max. "My father cannot
+fight at the head of his army, therefore, he makes war only in defence
+of his people's hearths. It is possible that after consulting with my
+friend, Sir Karl, I may ask the honor of serving with Your Grace against
+these Swiss who despoiled my house. Is Your Grace now satisfied that we
+are not Swiss spies? And are we welcome to sojourn for a time in
+Peronne? Or shall we leave Burgundy and return to my father in Styria,
+to tell him that you turned a guest and a friend from your door?"
+
+"You are very welcome, Sir Count, and you, Sir Karl," answered the duke,
+giving his right hand to Max and familiarly offering me his left. This
+hard duke had been beaten into a gracious mood by Max's adroit mixture
+of flattery and boldness.
+
+A soft answer may turn away wrath, but it may also involve the
+disagreeable necessity of turning the other cheek. If it be not tempered
+by spirit, it is apt to arouse contempt. The duke remained silent for
+the space of a minute or two. He was evidently struggling to suppress a
+good impulse. Then he turned to me and said, laughingly:--
+
+"By my soul, Sir Karl, you have brought us a Roland and a Demosthenes in
+one. Where learned you your oratory, Sir Count?"
+
+"From a just cause, my lord," quickly retorted Max.
+
+"I fear I have had the worst of this encounter, Hymbercourt," said the
+duke, smiling, "and I see nothing left for me but apology."
+
+"I sincerely hope Your Grace will not embarrass us by apologizing," said
+Max.
+
+Charles hesitated, gave a short laugh, and apologized by placing his
+hand on Max's shoulder.
+
+"Let us go into the little parley room," he said. "Hymbercourt, lead the
+way with Sir Max; Sir Karl and I will follow presently."
+
+Max and Hymbercourt passed out at a small door near the throne, and the
+duke turned to me:--
+
+"I like the boy's modest boldness, and I hope that I may induce him and
+you to accompany me against the Swiss. I would not accept his offer made
+on the spur of the moment, but if, on talking it over with him, you make
+up your minds to come with me, I will make it well worth your while.
+This war will be but a May-day outing. We'll speak on the subject again.
+Meantime, I understand that you and Sir Max wish to remain incognito
+at Peronne?"
+
+"We do, Your Grace," I responded. "I fear it will be impossible to
+accept the honor you have offered, but, as you have graciously said, we
+will, if you wish, speak of it again."
+
+"I am content," said the duke. "Let us follow Hymbercourt."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+SIR KARL MEETS THE PRINCESS
+
+The duke and I passed through the door by which Max and Hymbercourt had
+left the hall, and entered a narrow passageway eight or ten yards long,
+having two doors at the farther end. The door to the right, I soon
+learned, led to the little parley room where Max and Hymbercourt had
+gone. The door to the left opened into a staircase that led to the
+apartments of the duchess. A narrow flight of stone steps that led from
+the ladies' gallery opened into the passage, and, just as the duke
+entered in advance of me, two ladies emerged from the stairs. They did
+not see me in the shadow, and supposed that the duke was alone. The
+taller, who I soon learned was the duchess, hastened down the passage
+and through the door leading to her apartments. The smaller I at once
+recognized. She was Yolanda.
+
+"Father, you cannot mean to send me into France," she cried, trying to
+detain the duke. "Kill me, father, if you will, but do not send me to
+that hated land. I shall not survive this marriage a fortnight, and if I
+die, Burgundy will go to our cousin of Bourbon."
+
+"Don't hinder me, daughter," returned the duke, impatiently. "Don't you
+see we are not alone?"
+
+Yolanda turned in surprise toward me, and the duke said:--
+
+"Go by the right door, Sir Karl. I will be with you at once. I wish to
+speak with the duchess."
+
+He hurriedly followed his wife and left me alone with Yolanda.
+
+"Fraeulein, my intrusion was unintentional," I stammered. "I followed the
+duke at his request."
+
+"Fraeulein!" exclaimed the girl, lifting her head and looking a very
+queen in miniature. "Fraeulein! Do you know, sir, to whom you speak?"
+
+"I beg your pardon, most gracious princess," I replied. "Did you not
+command me to address you as Fraeulein or Yolanda?"
+
+"My name, sir, is not Yolanda. You have made a sad mistake," said the
+princess, drawing herself up to her full height. Then I thought of
+Yolanda's words when she told me that she resembled the princess as one
+pea resembles another.
+
+The girl trembled, and even in the dim light I could see the gleam of
+anger in her eyes. I was endeavoring to frame a suitable apology when
+she spoke again:--
+
+"Fraeulein! Yolanda! Sir, your courtesy is scant to give me these names.
+I do not know you, and--did I not tell you that if you made this mistake
+with the princess you would not so easily correct it? That
+I--you--Blessed Virgin! I have betrayed myself. I knew I should. I knew
+I could not carry it out."
+
+She covered her face with her hands and began to weep, speaking while
+she sobbed:--
+
+"My troubles are more than I can bear."
+
+I wished to reassure her at once:--
+
+"Most Gracious Princess--Yolanda--your secret is safe with me. You are
+as dear to me as if you were my child. You have nestled in my heart and
+filled it as completely as one human being can fill the heart of
+another. I would gladly give my poor old life to make you happy. Now if
+you can make use of me, I am at your service."
+
+"You will not tell Sir Max?" she sobbed.
+
+She was no longer a princess. She was the child Yolanda.
+
+"As I hope for salvation, no, I will not tell Sir Max," I responded.
+
+"Sometime I will give you my reasons," she said.
+
+"I wish none," I replied.
+
+After a short pause, she went on, still weeping gently:--
+
+"If I must go to France, Sir Karl, you may come there to be my Lord
+Chamberlain. Perhaps Max should not come, since I shall be the wife of
+another, and--and there would surely be trouble. Max should not come."
+
+She stepped quickly to my side. Her hand fell, and she grasped mine for
+an instant under the folds of her cloak; then she ran from the passage,
+and I went to the room where Max and Hymbercourt were waiting.
+
+After a few moments the duke joined us. Wine was served, but Charles did
+not drink. On account of the excessive natural heat of his blood he
+drank nothing but water. His Grace was restless; and, although there was
+no lack of courtesy, I fancied he did not wish us to remain. So after
+our cups were emptied I asked permission to depart. The duke acquiesced
+by rising, and said, turning to Max:--
+
+"May we not try our new hawk together this afternoon?"
+
+"With pleasure, Your Grace," responded Max.
+
+"Then we'll meet at Cambrai Gate near the hour of two," said the duke.
+
+"I thank Your Grace," said Max, bowing.
+
+On our way back to the inn, I told Max of my meeting with the princess,
+and remarked upon her resemblance to Yolanda.
+
+"You imagined the resemblance, Karl. There can be but one Yolanda in the
+world," said Max. "Her Highness, perhaps, is of Yolanda's complexion and
+stature,--so Yolanda has told me,--and your imagination has furnished
+the rest."
+
+"Perhaps that is true," said I, fearing that I had already spoken too
+freely.
+
+So my great riddle was at last solved! The Fates had answered when I
+"gave it up." I was so athrill with the sweet assurance that Yolanda was
+the princess that I feared my secret would leap from my eyes or spring
+unbidden from my lips.
+
+I cast about in my mind for Yolanda's reasons in wishing to remain
+Yolanda to Max, and I could find none save the desire to win his heart
+as a burgher girl. That, indeed, would be a triumph. She knew that every
+marriageable prince in Europe coveted her wealth and her estates. The
+most natural desire that she or any girl could have would be to find a
+worthy man who would seek her for her own sake. As Yolanda, she offered
+no inducement save herself. The girl was playing a daring game, and
+a wise one.
+
+True, there appeared to be no possibility that she could ever have Max
+for her husband, even should she win his heart as Yolanda. In view of
+the impending and apparently unavoidable French marriage, the future
+held no hope. But when her day of wretchedness should come, she would,
+through all her life, take comfort from the sweetest joy a woman can
+know--that the man she loved loved her because she was her own fair
+self, and for no other reason. There would, of course, be the sorrow of
+regret, but that is passive, while the joy of memory is ever active.
+
+When Max and I had departed, the duke turned to Hymbercourt and said:--
+
+"The bishop's letter is not sufficiently direct. It is my desire to
+inform King Louis that this marriage shall take place at once--now!
+_Now_! It will effectually keep Louis from allying with Bourbon and
+Lorraine, or some other prince, while I am away from home. They all hate
+me, but not one of the cowards would say 'Booh!' unless the others were
+back of him. A word from Louis would kindle rebellion in Liege and
+Ghent. This war with Switzerland is what Louis has waited for; and when
+I march to the south, he will march into Burgundy from the west unless
+he has a counter motive."
+
+"That is but too true, my lord," said Hymbercourt.
+
+"But if my daughter marries the Dauphin, Louis will look upon Burgundy
+as the property of the French kingship in the end, and the marriage will
+frighten Bourbon and Lorraine to our feet once more. This hypocrite,
+Louis, has concocted a fine scheme to absorb Burgundy into his realm by
+this marriage with my daughter. But I'll disappoint his greed. I'll
+whisper a secret in your ear, Hymbercourt,--a secret to be told to no
+one else. I'll execute this treaty of marriage now, and will use my
+crafty foe for my own purposes so long as I need him; but when I return
+from Switzerland, I will divorce my present duchess and take a fruitful
+wife who will bear me a son to inherit Burgundy; then King Louis may
+keep the girl for his pains."
+
+The duke laughed, and seemed to feel that he was perpetrating a great
+joke on his rival.
+
+"But your brother-in-law, Edward of England, may object to having his
+sister divorced," suggested Hymbercourt.
+
+"In that case we'll take a page from King Louis' book," answered
+Charles. "We'll use gold, Hymbercourt, gold! I shall not, however, like
+Louis, buy Edward's ministers! They are too expensive. I'll put none of
+my gold in Hastings's sleeve. I'll pension Shore's wife, and Edward will
+not trouble himself about his sister. He prefers other men's sisters. Do
+not fear, Hymbercourt; the time has come to meet Louis' craft
+with craft."
+
+"And Your Grace's unhappy daughter is to be the shuttlecock, my lord?"
+suggested Hymbercourt.
+
+"She will serve her purpose in the weal of Burgundy, as I do. I give my
+life to Burgundy. Why should not this daughter of mine give a few tears?
+But her tears are unreasonable. Why should she object to this marriage?
+Even though God should hereafter give me a son, who should cut the
+princess out of Burgundy, will she not be queen of France? What more
+would the perverse girl have? By God, Hymbercourt, it makes my blood
+boil to hear you, a man of sound reason, talk like a fool. I hear the
+same maudlin protest from the duchess. She, too, is under the spell of
+this girl, and mourns over her trumped-up grief like a parish priest at
+a bishop's funeral."
+
+"But, my lord, consider the creature your daughter is to marry," said
+Hymbercourt. "He is but a child, less than fourteen years of age, and is
+weak in mind and body. Surely, it is a wretched fate for your daughter."
+
+"I tell you the girl is perverse," interrupted the duke. "She would
+raise a storm were the Dauphin a paragon of manliness. He is a poor,
+mean wretch, whom she may easily rule. His weakness will be her
+advantage. She is strong enough, God knows, and wilful enough to face
+down the devil himself. If there is a perverse wench on all the earth,
+who will always have her own way by hook or by crook, it is this
+troublesome daughter of mine. She has the duchess wound around her
+finger. I could not live with them at Ghent, and sent them here for the
+sake of peace. When she is queen of France she will also be king of that
+realm--and in God's name what more could the girl ask?"
+
+"But, my lord, let me beg you to consider well this step before you take
+it. I am sure evil will come of it," pleaded Hymbercourt.
+
+"I have considered," answered the duke. "Let me hear no more of this
+rubbish. Two women dinning it into my ears morning, noon, and night are
+quite enough for my peace of mind. I hear constantly, 'Dear father,
+don't kill me. Spare your daughter,' and 'Dear my lord, I beg you not to
+sacrifice the princess, whom I so love.' God's mercy! I say I am tired
+of it! This marriage shall take place at once! Now, now, now, do you
+hear, Hymbercourt? Tell the bishop to write this letter in English. We
+will make the draught as bitter as possible for Louis. He hates the
+sight of an English word, and small wonder. Direct the bishop to make
+the letter short and to the point. Tell him to say the marriage shall
+take place _now_. Have him use the word _now_. Do you understand?"
+
+"Yes, my lord," answered Hymbercourt.
+
+"Order him to fetch the missive immediately to the apartments of the
+duchess. It shall be read, signed, and despatched in the presence of my
+daughter and my wife, so that they may know what they have to expect.
+I'll see that I'm bothered no more with their tears and their senseless
+importunities."
+
+"I'll carry out your instructions," said Hymbercourt, bowing and taking
+his leave.
+
+The duke went to his wife's parlor and fell moodily into a chair. The
+duchess was sitting on a divan, and the princess was weeping in her
+arms. After a long silence, broken only by Mary's half-smothered sobs,
+the duke turned sharply upon the women:--
+
+"For the love of God, cease your miserable whimpering," growled his
+lordship. "Is not my life full of vexations without this deluge of tears
+at home? A whimpering woman will do more to wear out the life of a man
+than a score of battling enemies. Silence, I say; silence, you fools!"
+
+Mary and the duchess were now unable to control themselves. Charles rose
+angrily and, with his clenched hand raised for a blow, strode across the
+room to the unhappy women. Clinging to each other, the princess and
+Duchess Margaret crouched low on the divan. Then this great hero, whom
+the world worships and calls "The Bold," bent over the trembling women
+and upbraided them in language that I will not write.
+
+"God curse me if I will have my life made miserable by a pair of fools,"
+cried the duke. "I am wretched enough without this useless annoyance.
+Enemies abroad and disobedience in my own family will drive me mad!"
+
+The women slipped from the divan to the floor at the duke's feet, and
+clung to each other. The duchess covered the princess to protect her
+from the duke's blow, and, alas! took it herself. Charles stepped back,
+intending to kick his daughter, but the duchess again threw herself on
+Yolanda and again received the blow. By that time the duke's fury was
+beyond all measure, and he stooped to drag his wife from Yolanda that he
+might vent his wrath upon the sobbing girl. The duchess, who was a
+young, strong woman, sprang to her feet and placed herself between
+Yolanda, lying on the floor, and the infuriated duke.
+
+"You shall not touch the child, my lord!" cried the duchess. "Though she
+is your child, you shall not touch her if I can help it. Twice, my lord,
+you have almost killed your daughter in your anger, and I have sworn to
+prevent a recurrence of your brutality or to die in my attempt to
+save her."
+
+She snatched a dagger from her bosom, and spoke calmly: "Now come, my
+lord; but when you do so, draw your dagger, for, by the Virgin, I will
+kill you if you do not kill me, before you shall touch that girl. Before
+you kill me, my lord, remember that my brother of England will tear you
+limb from limb for the crime, and that King Louis will gladly help him
+in the task. Come, my husband! Come, my brave lord! I am but a weak
+woman. You may easily kill me, and I will welcome death rather than life
+with you. When I am out of the way, you may work your will on your
+daughter. Because I am your wife, my brother has twice saved you from
+King Louis. You owe your domain and your life to me. I should sell my
+life at a glorious price if my death purchased your ruin. Come,
+my lord!"
+
+The duke paused with his hand on his dagger; but he knew that his
+wife's words were true, and he realized that his ruin would follow
+quickly on the heels of her death.
+
+"You complain that the world and your own family are against you, my
+lord," said the duchess. "It is because you are a cruel tyrant abroad
+and at home. It is because you are against the world and against those
+whom you should protect and keep safe from evil. The fault is with you,
+Charles of Burgundy. You have spoken the truth. The world hates you, and
+this girl--the tenderest, most loving heart on earth--dreads you as her
+most relentless enemy. If I were in your place, my lord, I would fall
+upon my sword."
+
+Beaten by his wife's just fury, this great war hero walked back to his
+chair, and the duchess tenderly lifted Mary to the divan.
+
+"He will not strike you, child," said Margaret. Then she fell to kissing
+Yolanda passionately, and tears came to her relief.
+
+Poor Yolanda buried her face in her mother's breast and tried to smother
+her sobs. Charles sat mumbling blasphemous oaths. At the expiration of
+half an hour, a page announced the Bishop of Cambrai and other
+gentlemen. The duke signified that they were to be admitted; and when
+the bishop entered the room, Charles, who was smarting from his late
+defeat, spoke angrily:--
+
+"By the good God, my Lord Bishop, you are slow! Does it require an hour
+to write a missive of ten lines? If you are as slow in saving souls as
+in writing letters, the world will go to hell before you can say
+a mass."
+
+"The wording was difficult, Your Grace," replied the bishop
+obsequiously. "The Lord d'Hymbercourt said Your Grace wished the missive
+to be written in English, which language my scrivener knows but
+imperfectly. After it was written I received Your Lordship's
+instructions to use the word 'now,' so I caused the letter to be
+rewritten that I might comply with your wishes."
+
+"Now" is a small word, but in this instance it was a great one for
+Yolanda, as you shall soon learn.
+
+"Cease explaining, my Lord Bishop, and read me the missive," said the
+duke, sullenly.
+
+The bishop unfolded the missive, which was in a pouch ready for sealing.
+Yolanda stopped sobbing that she might hear the document that touched so
+closely on her fate. Her tear-stained face, with its childlike pathos,
+but served to increase her father's anger.
+
+"Read, my Lord Bishop! Body of me, why stand you there like a wooden
+quintain?" exclaimed the duke. "By all the gods, you are slow! Read,
+I say!"
+
+"With pleasure, my lord," answered the bishop.
+
+"To His Majesty, King Louis of France, Charles, Duke of Burgundy and
+Count of Charolois, sends this Greeting:--
+
+"His Grace of Burgundy would recommend himself to His Majesty of France,
+and would beg to inform the most puissant King Louis that the said
+Charles, Duke of Burgundy, will march at the head of a Burgundian army
+within three weeks from the date of these presents, against the Swiss
+cantons, with intent to punish the said Swiss for certain depredations.
+Therefore, the said Charles, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Charolois,
+begs that His Majesty of France will now move toward the immediate
+consummation of the treaty existing between Burgundy and France, looking
+to the marriage of the Princess Mary, Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the
+princely Dauphin, son to King Louis; and to these presents said Charles,
+Duke of Burgundy, requests the honor of an early reply.
+
+"We recommend Your Majesty to the protection of God, the Blessed Virgin,
+and the Saints."
+
+"Words, words, my Lord Bishop," said Charles. "Why waste them on a
+graceless hypocrite?"
+
+"I thought only to be courteous," returned the bishop.
+
+"Why should we show King Louis courtesy?" asked the duke. "Is it because
+we give him our daughter to be the wife of his bandy-shanked,
+half-witted son? There is small need for courtesy, my Lord Bishop. We
+could not insult this King Louis, should we try, while he sees an
+advantage to be gained. Give me the letter, and I will sign it, though I
+despise your whimpering courtesy, as you call it."
+
+Charles took the letter, and, going to a table near a window, drew up a
+chair.
+
+"Give me a quill," he said, addressing the bishop. "Did you not bring
+one, my lord?"
+
+"Your Grace--Your Grace," began the bishop, apologetically.
+
+"Do you think I am a snivelling scrivener, carrying quill and ink-well
+in my gown?" asked the duke. "Go to your parlor and fetch ink and
+quill," said Charles, pointing with the folded missive toward Yolanda.
+
+"A page will fetch the quill and ink, my lord," suggested the duchess.
+
+"Go!" cried the duke, turning angrily on the princess. Yolanda left the
+room, weeping, and hastened up the long flight of steps to her parlor.
+It was the refinement of cruelty in Charles to send Yolanda for the
+quill with which he was to sign the instrument of her doom.
+
+Still weeping, Yolanda hurried back with the writing materials, but
+before entering the room she stopped at the door to dry her tears and
+stay her sobs. When she entered, she said:--
+
+"There is the quill, father, and there is the ink."
+
+She placed them before the duke and stood trembling with one hand on the
+table. After a moment she spoke in a voice little above a whisper:--"You
+will accomplish nothing, my lord, my father, by sending the letter. I
+shall die before this marriage can take place. I am willing to obey you,
+but, father, I shall die. Ah, father, pity me."
+
+She fell upon her knees before the duke and tried to put her hands
+about his shoulders. He repulsed her, and, taking up the quill, signed
+the letter. After he had affixed his signature and had sealed the
+missive with his private seal, he folded the parchment and handed it to
+the bishop, saying:--
+
+"Seal the pouch, my lord, and send Byron, the herald, here to receive
+our personal instructions."
+
+"The herald has not yet returned from Cambrai, my lord," said De Vergy,
+who stood near by. "He is expected between the hours of five and six
+this evening."
+
+"Leave the letter, my lord," said Charles, "and send Byron to me when he
+arrives. I shall be here at six o'clock to give him full instructions."
+
+The letter was deposited in a small iron box on the table, and the duke
+left the room, followed closely by the lords and pages.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE CROSSING OF A "T"
+
+Yolanda and her stepmother remained on the divan in silence for fully an
+hour after the duke had left. The duchess was first to speak.
+
+"Be resigned, sweet one, to your fate. It is one common to women. It was
+my hard fate to be compelled to marry your father. It was your mother's,
+poor woman, and it killed her. God wills our slavery, and we must
+submit. We but make our fate harder by fighting against it."
+
+Yolanda answered with convulsive sobs, but after a while she grew more
+calm.
+
+"Is there nothing I can do to save myself?" she asked.
+
+"No, sweet one," answered the duchess.
+
+"Has God put a curse upon women, mother?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"Alas! I fear He has," answered Margaret. "The Holy Church teaches us
+that He punishes us for the sin of our mother Eve, but though He
+punishes us, He loves us, and we are His children. He knows what is best
+for us here and hereafter."
+
+"He certainly is looking to my _future_ good, if at all," sighed
+Yolanda. "But I do believe in God's goodness, mother, and I am sure He
+will save me. Holy Virgin! how helpless a woman is." She began to weep
+afresh, and the duchess tried to soothe her.
+
+"I believe I will pray to the Virgin. She may help us," said the girl,
+in a voice that was plaintively childlike.
+
+"It is a pious thought, Mary," answered the duchess.
+
+Yolanda slipped from the divan to the floor, and, kneeling, buried her
+face in her mother's lap. She prayed aloud:--
+
+"Blessed Virgin, Thou seest my dire need. Help me. My prayer is short,
+but Thou, Blessed Lady, knowest how fervent it is." The duchess crossed
+herself, bowed her head, and murmured a fervent "Amen."
+
+Yolanda rose from her prayer with a brighter face, and exclaimed almost
+joyfully:--
+
+"It was impious in me to doubt God's love, mother. I do believe I heard
+the Blessed Virgin say, 'Help is at hand.' At least, I felt her
+words, mother."
+
+Yolanda moved about the room aimlessly for several minutes and by chance
+stopped at the table. She started to take up the quill and ink-well to
+carry them back to her parlor, which was in Darius (Darius was the name
+of the tower that rose from the castle battlements immediately above
+Castleman's House under the Wall), and her eyes rested on the small iron
+box in which the letter to King Louis had been deposited. An unconscious
+motive, perhaps it was childish curiosity, prompted her to examine the
+missive. She took the pouch from the box and found it unsealed. She
+listlessly drew out the missive and began to read, when suddenly her
+face grew radiant with joy. She ran excitedly to her mother, who was
+sitting on the divan, and exclaimed:--
+
+"Oh! mother, the sweet Blessed Virgin has sent help!"
+
+"In what manner, child?" asked the duchess, fondling Yolanda's hair
+while the girl knelt beside her.
+
+"Here, mother, here! Here is help; here in this very letter that was
+intended to be my undoing. I cannot wait to thank the Holy Mother." She
+crossed herself and buried her face in her mother's lap while she
+thanked the Virgin.
+
+"What is it, Mary, and where is the help?" asked Margaret, fearing the
+girl's mind had been touched by her troubles.
+
+"Listen!" cried Yolanda.
+
+Her excitement was so great that she could hardly see the words the
+bishop's scrivener had written.
+
+"Listen, listen! Father in this letter first tells the king that
+he--that is, father, you understand--is going to war with Lorraine--no,
+with Bourbon. I am wrong again. Father is so constantly warring with
+some one that I cannot keep track of his enemies--against the Swiss.
+See, mother, it is the Swiss. He says he will go--will start--will begin
+the war--no, I am wrong again. I can hardly see the words. He says he
+will march at the head of a Burgundian army--poor soldiers, I pity
+them--within three weeks. Ah, how short that time seemed when I heard
+the letter read an hour ago. How long it is now! I wish he would march
+to-morrow. Three long weeks!"
+
+"But, my dear, how will that help you?" asked the duchess. "In what
+manner will--"
+
+"Do not interrupt me, mother, but hear what follows. Father says he will
+march in three weeks and 'begs that His Majesty of France will _now_
+move toward the immediate consummation of the treaty existing between
+Burgundy and France looking to the marriage of the Princess,
+Mademoiselle de Burgundy, with the princely Dauphin, son to King Louis.'
+In that word 'now,' mother, lies my help."
+
+"In what manner does help lie in the word 'now,' child?" asked the
+duchess.
+
+"In this, mother. 'Now' is a little word of three letters, n-o-v. See,
+mother, the letter 'v' is not perfectly made. We will extend the first
+prong upward, cross it and make 't' of it, using the second prong as a
+flourish. Then the letter will read, 'begs that His Majesty of France
+will _not_ move toward the immediate consummation of the treaty.' What
+could be more natural than that my father should wish nothing of
+importance to occur until after this war with Switzerland is over? The
+French king, of course, will answer that he will not move in the matter,
+and his letter will throw father into a delightful frenzy of rage. It
+may even induce him to declare war against France, and to break off the
+treaty of marriage when he returns from Switzerland. He has often done
+battle for a lesser cause. It will at least prevent the marriage for the
+present. It may prevent it forever."
+
+"Surely that cannot be; King Louis will immediately explain the mistake
+to your father," suggested Margaret.
+
+"But father, you know, will not listen to an explanation if he fears it
+may avert blows," returned Yolanda; "and he will be sure not to believe
+King Louis whose every word he doubts. I shall enjoy King Louis' efforts
+to explain. 'Hypocrite,' 'liar,' 'coward,' 'villain,' will be among
+father's most endearing terms when speaking of His Majesty. If by chance
+the error of 'not' for 'now' be discovered, the Bishop of Cambrai and
+father will swear it is King Louis who has committed the forgery. But
+should the worst come, our 't' will have answered its purpose, at least
+for the present. The bishop may suffer, but I care not. He did his part
+in bringing about this marriage treaty, bribed, doubtless, by King
+Louis' gold. In any case, we have no reason to constitute ourselves the
+bishop's guardians. We have all we can do to care for ourselves--and
+more."
+
+She sprang to her feet and danced about the room, ardently kissing the
+letter she had so recently dreaded.
+
+"Mary, you frighten me," said the duchess. "If we should be discovered
+in changing this letter, I do believe your father would kill us. I do
+not know that it would be right to make the alteration. It would be
+forgery, and that, you know, is a crime punishable by death."
+
+"_We_ shall not be discovered," said Mary. "You must have no part in
+this transaction, mother. Father would not kill me; I am too valuable as
+a chattel of trade. With my poor little self he can buy the good-will of
+kings and princes. I am more potent than all his gold. This alteration
+can be no sin; it is self-defence. Think how small it is, mother. It is
+only a matter of the crossing of a 't.' But I care not how great the
+crime may be; I believe, mother, I would commit murder to save myself
+from the fate father wishes to put upon me."
+
+"You frighten me, child," said Margaret. "I tremble in terror at what
+you propose to do."
+
+"I, too, am trembling, mother," sighed Yolanda, "but you must now leave
+the room. You must know nothing of this great crime."
+
+The girl laughed nervously and tried to push her mother from the room.
+
+"No, I will remain," said the duchess. "I almost believe that you are
+right, and that the Virgin has prompted you to do this to save
+yourself."
+
+"I know she has," answered Yolanda, crossing herself. "Now leave me. I
+must waste no more time."
+
+"I will remain with you, Mary," said Margaret, "and I will myself make
+the alteration. Then I'll take all the blame in case we are discovered."
+
+Margaret rose, walked over to the table, and took up the quill. She
+trembled so violently that she could not control her hand.
+
+"No, mother, you shall not touch it," cried Yolanda, snatching the
+parchment from the countess and holding it behind her. "If I would let
+you, you could not make the alteration; see, your hand trembles! You
+would blot the parchment and spoil all this fine plan of mine. Give me
+the quill, mother! Give me the quill!"
+
+She took the quill from Margaret's passive hand and sat down at the
+table. Spreading the missive before her, she dipped the quill in the
+ink-well, and when she lifted it, a drop of ink fell upon the table
+within a hair's breadth of the parchment.
+
+"Ah, Blessed Virgin!" cried Yolanda, snatching the missive away from the
+ink blot. "If the ink had fallen on the parchment, we surely had been
+lost. I, too, am trembling, and I dare not try to make the alteration
+now. What a poor, helpless creature I am, when I cannot even cross a 't'
+to save myself. Blessed Virgin, help me once more!"
+
+But help did not come. Yolanda's excitement grew instead of subsiding,
+and she was so wrought upon by a nameless fear that she began to weep.
+Margaret seated herself on the divan and covered her face with her
+hands. Yolanda walked the floor like a caged wild thing, uttering
+ejaculatory prayers to the Virgin. Again she took up the quill, but
+again put it down, exclaiming:--
+
+"I have it, mother! There is a friend of whom I have often told you--Sir
+Karl. He will help us if I can bring him here in time. If father has
+left the castle, I'll take the letter to my parlor and fetch Sir Karl.
+He is a brave, strong old man and his hand will not tremble."
+
+Yolanda left the room and soon returned.
+
+"Father has gone to the marshes," she whispered excitedly. "We have
+ample time if I can find Sir Karl."
+
+She took the missive, the ink, and the quill to her parlor in Darius
+Tower, and hurried to Castleman's house. How she got there I will
+soon tell you.
+
+She found Twonette sewing, and hastily explained her wishes.
+
+"Run, Twonette, to The Mitre, and fetch me Sir Karl. I don't want Sir
+Max to know that I am sending. I think Sir Max has gone falconing with
+father; I pray God he has gone, and I pray that Sir Karl has not. Tell
+Sir Karl to come to me at once. If he is not at the inn send for him. If
+you love me, Twonette, make all haste. Run! Run!"
+
+Twonette's haste was really wonderful. When she found me her cheeks were
+like red roses, and she could hardly speak for lack of breath. For the
+first and last time I saw Twonette shorn of her serenity.
+
+The duke had not invited me to go hawking, and fortunately I had stayed
+at home cuddling the thought that Yolanda was the Princess Mary, and
+that my fair Prince Max had found rare favor in her eyes.
+
+"Yolanda wants you at my father's house immediately," said Twonette,
+when I stepped outside the inn door. "The need is urgent beyond
+measure." Whereupon she courtesied and turned away. Twonette held that
+words were not made to be wasted, so I asked no questions. I almost ran
+to Castleman's house, and was taken at once to a large room in the
+second story. It was on the west side of the house immediately against
+the castle wall. The walls of the room were sealed with broad oak
+panels, beautifully carved, and the west end of the apartment--that next
+the castle wall--was hung with silk tapestries. When I entered the room
+I found Yolanda alone. She hurriedly closed the door after me and spoke
+excitedly:--
+
+"I am so glad Twonette found you, Sir Karl. I am in dire need. Will you
+help me?"
+
+"I will help you if it is in my power, Yolanda," I answered. "You can
+ask nothing which I will not at least try to do."
+
+"Even at the risk of your life?" she asked, placing her hand upon my
+arm.
+
+"Even to the loss of my life, Yolanda," I replied.
+
+"Would you commit an act which the law calls a crime?" she asked,
+trembling in voice and limb.
+
+"I would do that which is really a crime, if I might thereby serve you
+to great purpose," I answered. "God often does apparent evil that good
+may come of it. An act must be judged as a whole, by its conception, its
+execution, and its result. Tell me what you wish me to do, and I will do
+it without an 'if'--God giving me the power."
+
+"Then come with me."
+
+She took my hand and led me to the end of the room next the castle
+wall. There she held the draperies to one side while she pushed back one
+of the oak panels. Through this opening we passed, and the draperies
+fell together behind us. After Yolanda had opened the panel a moment of
+light revealed to me a flight of stone steps built in the heart of the
+castle wall, which at that point was sixteen feet thick. When Yolanda
+closed the panel, we were in total darkness. She took my left hand in
+her left and with her right arm at my back guided me up the long, dark
+stairway. While mounting the steps, she said:--"Now, Sir Karl, you have
+all my great secrets--at least, they are very great to me. You know who
+I am, and you know of this stairway. No one knows of it but my mother,
+uncle, aunt, Twonette, and my faithful tire-woman, Anne. Even my father
+does not know of its existence. If he knew, he would soon close it. My
+grandfather, Duke Philip the Good, built it in the wall to connect his
+bedroom with the house of his true friend, burgher Castleman. Some day
+I'll tell you the story of the stairway, and how I discovered it. My
+bedroom is the one my grandfather occupied."
+
+The stairway explained to me all the strange occurrences relating to
+Yolanda's appearances and disappearances at Castleman's house, and it
+will do the same for you.
+
+After we had climbed until I felt that surely we must be among the
+clouds, I said:--
+
+"Yolanda, you must be leading me to heaven."
+
+"I should like to do that, Sir Karl," she responded, laughing softly.
+
+"I would gladly give my life to lead you and Max to heaven," said I.
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered gently, pressing my hand and caressingly
+placing her cheek against my arm. "I dare not even think on that. If he
+could and would take me, believing me to be a burgher girl, he would
+truly lead me to heaven."
+
+After a pause, while we rested to take a breath, I said: "What is it you
+want me to do, Yolanda? I am unarmed."
+
+"I shall not ask you to do murder, Sir Karl," she said, laughing
+nervously. I fancied I could see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes as she
+continued: "It is not so bad as that. Neither is there a dragon for you
+to overthrow. But I shall soon enlighten you--here we are at the top of
+the steps."
+
+At the moment she spoke I collided with a heavy oak partition, in which
+Yolanda quickly found a moving panel, and we entered a dimly lighted
+room. I noticed among the furniture a gorgeously tapestried bed. A rich
+rug, the like of which I had seen in Damascus, covered the floor. The
+stone walls were draped with silk tapestry, and a jewelled lamp was
+pendant from the vaulted ceiling. This was Yolanda's bedroom, and truly
+it was a resting-place worthy of the richest princess in Christendom. I
+felt that I was in the holy of holies. I found difficulty in believing
+that the childlike Yolanda could be so important a personage in the
+politics of Europe. She seemed almost to belong to me, so much at that
+time did she lean on my strength.
+
+Out of her sleeping apartment she led me to another and a larger room,
+lighted by broad windows cut through the inner wall of the castle, which
+at that point was not more than three or four feet thick. This was
+Yolanda's parlor. The floor, like that of the bedroom, was covered with
+a Damascus rug. The windows were closed by glass of crystal purity, and
+the furniture was richer than any I had seen in the emperor's palace.
+
+Yolanda led me to a table, pointed to a chair for me, and drew up one
+for herself. At that moment a lady entered, whom Yolanda ran to meet.
+The princess took the lady's hand and led her to me:--
+
+"Sir Karl, this is my mother. As you already know, she is my stepmother,
+but I forget that in the love I bear her, and in the sweet love she
+gives to me."
+
+I bent my knee before the duchess, who gave me her hand to kiss,
+saying:--
+
+"The princess has often spoken to me of you, Sir Karl. I see she has
+crept into your heart. She wins all who know her."
+
+"My devotion to Her Highness is self-evident and needs no avowal," I
+answered, "but I take pleasure in declaring it. I am ready to aid her at
+whatever cost."
+
+"Has the princess told you what she wants you to do?" asked the duchess.
+
+I answered that she had not, but that I was glad to pledge myself
+unenlightened. I then placed a chair for the duchess, but, of course,
+remained standing. Yolanda resumed her chair, and said:--
+
+"Fetch a chair, Sir Karl. We are glad to have you sit, are we not,
+mother?"
+
+"Indeed we are," said Margaret. "Please sit by the table, and the
+princess will explain why she brought you here."
+
+"I believe I can now do it myself, mother," said Yolanda, taking a
+folded parchment from its pouch.
+
+"See, my hand is perfectly steady. Sir Karl has given me strength."
+
+She spread the parchment before her, and, taking a quill from the table,
+dipped it in the ink-well.
+
+"I'll not need you after all, Sir Karl. I find I can commit my own
+crime," she said, much to my disappointment. I was, you see, eager to
+sin for her. I longed to kill some one or to do some other deed of
+valiant and perilous villany.
+
+Yolanda bent over the missive, quill in hand, but hesitated. She
+changed her position on the chair, squaring herself before the
+parchment, and tried again, but she seemed unable to use the quill. She
+placed it on the table and laughed nervously.
+
+"I surely am a great fool," she said. "When I take the quill in my hand,
+I tremble like a squire on his quintain trial. I'll wait a moment, and
+grow calm again," she added, with a fluttering little laugh peculiar to
+her when she was excited. But she did not grow calm, and after she had
+vainly taken up the quill again and again, her mother said:--
+
+"Poor child! Tell Sir Karl what you wish him to do."
+
+Yolanda did so, and then read the missive. I did not know the English
+language perfectly, but Yolanda, who spoke it as if it were her mother
+tongue, translated as she read. I had always considered the island
+language harsh till I heard Yolanda speak it. Even the hissing "th" was
+music on her lips. Had I been a young man I would doubtless have made a
+fool of myself for the sake of this beautiful child-woman. When she had
+finished reading the missive, she left her chair and came to my side.
+She bent over my shoulder, holding the parchment before me.
+
+"What I want to do, but can't--what I want you to do is so small and
+simple a matter that it is almost amusing. I grow angry when I think
+that I cannot do so little a thing to help myself; but you see, Sir
+Karl, I tremble and my hand shakes to that extent I fear to mar the
+page. I simply want to make the letter 't' on this parchment and I
+can't. Will you do it for me?"
+
+"Ay, gladly," I responded, "but where and why?" Then she pointed out to
+me the word "nov" in the manuscript and said:--
+
+"A letter 't,' if deftly done, will make 'not' instead of 'nov.' Do you
+understand, Sir Karl?"
+
+I sprang to my feet as if I had been touched by a sword-point. The
+thought was so ingenious, the thing itself was so small and the result
+was so tremendous that I stood in wonder before the daring girl who had
+conceived it. I made no answer. I placed the parchment on the table,
+unceremoniously reached in front of the duchess for the quill, and in
+less time than one can count three I made a tiny ink mark not the
+sixteenth part of an inch long that changed the destinies of nations for
+all time to come.
+
+I placed the quill on the table and turned to Yolanda, just in time to
+catch her as she was about to fall. I was frightened at the sight of her
+pale face and cried out:--
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!"
+
+Margaret quickly brought a small goblet of wine, and I held the princess
+while I opened her lips and poured a portion of the drink into her
+mouth. I had in my life seen, without a tremor, hundreds of men killed,
+but I had never seen a woman faint, and the sight almost unmanned me.
+
+Stimulated by the wine Yolanda soon revived; and when she opened her
+eyes and smiled up into my face, I was so joyful that I fell to kissing
+her hands and could utter no word save "Yolanda, Yolanda." She did not
+at once rise from my arms, but lay there smiling into my face as if she
+were a child. When she did rise she laughed softly and said, turning to
+the duchess:--
+
+"'Yolanda' is the name by which Sir Karl knows me. You see, mother, I
+was not mistaken in deeming him my friend."
+
+Then she turned suddenly to me, and taking my rough old hand in hers,
+lifted it to her lips. That simple act of childish gratitude threw me
+into a fever of ecstasy so great that death itself could have had no
+terrors for me. He might have come when he chose. I had lived through
+that one moment, and even God could not rob me of it.
+
+Yolanda moved away from me and took up the parchment.
+
+"Don't touch it till the ink dries," I cried sharply.
+
+She dropped it as if it were hot, and the duchess came to me, and
+graciously offered her hand:--
+
+"I thank you with my whole heart, not only for what you have done, but
+for the love you bear the princess. She is the one I love above all
+others, and I know she loves me. I love those who love her. As the
+French say, '_Les amies de mes amies sont mes amies.'_ I am a poor
+helpless woman, more to be pitied than the world can believe. I have
+only my gratitude to offer you, Sir Karl, but that shall be yours so
+long as I live."
+
+"Your Grace's reward is far too great for the small service I have
+rendered," I replied, dropping to my knee. I was really beginning to
+live in my sixtieth year. I was late in starting, but my zest for life
+was none the less, now that I had at last learned its sweetness through
+these two gracious women.
+
+When we had grown more composed, Yolanda explained to me her hopes
+regarding the French king's answer to the altered missive, and the whole
+marvellous possibilities of the letter "t" dawned upon my mind. The
+princess bent over the parchment, watching our mighty "t" while the ink
+was drying, but the process was too slow for her, so she filled her
+cheeks and breathed upon the writing. The color returned to her face
+while I watched her, and I felt that committing a forgery was a small
+price to pay for witnessing so beautiful a sight. Yolanda's breath soon
+dried the ink, and then we examined my work. I had performed wonders.
+The keenest eye could not detect the alteration. Yolanda, as usual,
+sprang from the deepest purgatory of trouble to the seventh heaven of
+joy. She ran about the room, singing, dancing, and laughing, until the
+duchess warned her to be quiet. Then she placed her hand over her mouth,
+shrugged her shoulders, walked on tiptoe, and spoke only in whispers.
+Margaret smiled affectionately at Yolanda's childish antics and said:--
+
+"I think the conspirators should disperse. I hope, Sir Karl, that I may
+soon meet you in due form. Meantime, of course, it is best that we do
+not know each other."
+
+After examining the missive for the twentieth time, Yolanda placed it in
+its pouch and turned to the duchess.
+
+"Take it, mother, to the iron box, and I will lead Sir Karl back to
+Uncle Castleman's," she said.
+
+The duchess graciously offered me a goblet of wine, and after I had
+drunk, Yolanda led me down the stairway to the House under the Wall.
+While descending Yolanda called my attention to a loose stone in the
+wall of the staircase.
+
+"The other end of this stone," she said, "penetrates the wall of the
+room that you and Sir Max occupied the night before you were liberated.
+The mortar has fallen away, and it was here that I spoke to you and told
+you not to fear."
+
+Here was another supernatural marvel all too easily explained.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+PARTICEPS CRIMINIS
+
+That evening after supper Max and I walked over to Castleman's. The
+evening was cool, and we were sitting in the great parlor talking with
+Castleman and Twonette when Yolanda entered. The room was fully fifty
+feet long, and extended across the entire front of the house. A huge
+chimney was built at the east end of the room, and on either side of the
+fireplace was a cushioned bench. A similar bench extended across the
+entire west end of the room. When Yolanda entered she ran to me and
+took my hand.
+
+"Come, Sir Karl, I want to speak with you," she said.
+
+She led me to the west end of the room, sat down on the cushioned bench,
+and drew in her skirts that I might sit close beside her.
+
+"I want to tell you about the missive, Sir Karl," she whispered,
+laughing and shrugging her shoulders in great glee. "Mother returned it
+to the box, and when I left you I hurried back and haunted the room,
+fearing that some one might meddle with the parchment. Near the hour of
+six o'clock father entered. I was sitting on the divan, and he sat down
+in his great chair, of course taking no notice of me--I am too
+insignificant for so great a person to notice, except when he is
+compelled to do so. I was joyful in my heart, but I conjured up all my
+troubles that I might make myself weep. I feared to show any change in
+myself, so I sobbed aloud now and then, and soon father turned angrily
+toward me. 'Are you still there?' he asked. 'Yes, father,' I answered,
+as if trying to stifle my sobs. 'Are you really going to send that cruel
+letter to King Louis?'"
+
+"Cruel, indeed," I interrupted.
+
+"Ah, yes! Well, father made no reply, and I went over to him and began
+to plead. I should have wanted to cut my tongue out had I succeeded, but
+I had little fear. Father is not easily touched by another's suffering,
+and my tears only hardened his heart. Well, of course, he repulsed me;
+and soon a page announced Byron the herald and the Bishop of Cambrai.
+Father took the packet from the iron box, and put his fingers in the
+pouch, as if he were going to take out the letter. He hesitated, and
+during that moment of halting I was by turns cold as ice and hot as
+fire. Finally his resolution took form, and he drew out the missive. I
+thought I should die then and there, when he began to look it over. But
+after a careless glance he put it back in the pouch, and threw it on
+the table in front of the bishop. I could hardly keep from shouting for
+joy. He had failed to see the alteration, and in case of its discovery,
+he might now be his own witness against King Louis, should that crafty
+monarch dare to alter my father's missive by so much as the crossing of
+a 't'. If father hereafter discovers anything wrong in the letter, he
+will be able to swear that King Louis was the evil doer, since father
+himself put the letter in the pouch with his own hands. Father will
+never suspect that a friend came to me out of far-away Styria to commit
+this crime."
+
+"I rejoice that I came," I said.
+
+"And I," she answered. "I feared the bishop would read the letter, but
+he did not. He tied the ribbon, softened the lead wafer over the lamp
+flame, and placed it on the bow-knot; then he stamped it with father's
+small seal. When it was finished I did not want to laugh for joy--when
+one is very happy one wants to weep. That I could safely do, and I did.
+The bishop handed the letter to Byron, and father spoke commandingly:
+'Deliver the missive to the French king before you sleep or eat, unless
+he has left Paris. If he has gone to Tours, follow him and loiter not.'
+'And if he is not in Tours, Your Grace?' asked Byron. 'Follow him till
+you find him,' answered father, 'if you must cross the seas.' 'Shall I
+do all this without eating or sleeping?' asked Byron. Father rose
+angrily, and Byron said: 'If Your Grace will watch from the donjon
+battlements, in five minutes you will see me riding on your mission.
+When Your Grace sees me riding back, it will be, I fear, the ghost
+of Byron.'
+
+"It was a wearisome task for me to climb the donjon stairs, but I knew
+father would not be there to watch Byron set out, and I felt that one of
+the family should give him God-speed; so alone, and frightened almost
+out of my wits, I climbed those dark steps to the battlements, and gazed
+after Byron till he was a mere speck on the horizon down toward Paris. I
+pray God there may be a great plenty of trouble grow out of the crossing
+of this 't'. Father is always saying that women were put on earth to
+make trouble, so I'll do what little I can to make true His Lordship's
+words." She threw back her head, laughing softly. "Is it not glorious,
+Sir Karl?"
+
+"Indeed, Princess--" I began, but she clapped her hand over my mouth and
+I continued, "Indeed, Yolanda, the plan is so adroit and so effective
+that it fills me with admiration and awe."
+
+"I like the name Yolanda," said she, looking toward Max, who was sitting
+with Twonette on one of the benches by the chimney.
+
+"And I, too, like it," I responded. "I cannot think of you as the
+greatest and richest princess in Europe."
+
+"Ah, I wish I, too, could forget it, but I can't," she answered with a
+sigh, glancing from under her preposterously long lashes toward Max
+and Twonette.
+
+"How came you to take the name Yolanda?" I asked.
+
+"Grandfather wished to give me the name in baptism," she answered, "but
+Mary fell to my lot. I like the present arrangement. Mary is the name of
+the princess--the unhappy, faulty princess. Yolanda is my name. Almost
+every happy hour I have ever spent has been as Yolanda. You cannot know
+the wide difference between me and the Princess Mary. It is, Sir Karl,
+as if we were two persons."
+
+She spoke very earnestly, and I could see that there was no mirth in her
+heart when she thought of herself as the Princess Mary; she was
+not jesting.
+
+"I don't know the princess," I said laughingly, "but I know Yolanda."
+
+"Yes; I'll tell you a great secret, Sir Karl. The Princess Mary is not
+at all an agreeable person. She is morose, revengeful, haughty, cold--"
+here her voice dropped to a whisper, "and, Sir Karl, she lies--she lies.
+While Yolanda--well, Yolanda at least is not cold, and I--I think she is
+a very delightful person. Don't you?"
+
+There was a troubled, eager expression in her eyes that told plainly she
+was in earnest. To Yolanda the princess was another person.
+
+"Yolanda is very sure of me," I answered.
+
+"Ah, that she is," answered the girl. You see, this was a real case of
+billing and cooing between December and May.
+
+A short silence followed, during which Yolanda glanced furtively toward
+Max and Twonette.
+
+"You spoke of your grandfather," said I, "and that reminds me that you
+promised to tell me the story of the staircase in the wall."
+
+"So I did," answered Yolanda, haltingly. Her attention was at the other
+end of the room.
+
+"Do you think Twonette a very pretty girl?" she asked.
+
+"Yes," I answered, surprised at the abrupt question. I caught a glimpse
+of Yolanda's face and saw that I had made a mistake, so I continued
+hastily: "That is--yes--yes, she is pretty, though not beautiful. Her
+face, I think, is rather dollish. It is a fine creation in pink and
+white, but I fear it lacks animation."
+
+"Now for the stairway in the wall," said Yolanda, settling herself with
+the pretty little movements peculiar to her when she was contented. "As
+I told you, grandfather built it. Afterward he ceded Peronne to King
+Louis, and for many years none of our family ever saw the castle. A few
+years ago King Louis ceded it to my father. Father has never lived here,
+and has visited Peronne only once in a while, for the purpose of
+looking after his affairs on the French border. The castle is very
+strong, and, being here on the border at the meeting of the Somme and
+the Cologne, it has endured many sieges, but it has never been taken. It
+is called 'Peronne La Pucelle.'
+
+"Father's infrequent visits to the castle have been brief, and all who
+have ever known of the stairway are dead or have left Burgundy, save the
+good people in this house, my mother, my tire-woman, and myself. Three
+or four years ago, when I was a child, mother and I, unhappy at Ghent
+and an annoyance to father, came here to live in the castle, and--and--I
+wonder what Sir Max and Twonette find to talk about--and Twonette and I
+became friends. I love Twonette dearly, but she is a sly creature, for
+all she is so demure, and she is bolder than you would think, Sir Karl.
+These very demure girls are often full of surprises. She has been
+sitting there in the shadow with Sir Max for half an hour. That, I say,
+would be bold in any girl. Well, to finish about the staircase: my
+bedroom, as I told you, was my grandfather's. One day Twonette was
+visiting me, and we--we--Sir Max, what in the world are you and Twonette
+talking about? We can't hear a word you say."
+
+"We can't hear what you are saying," retorted Max.
+
+"I wish you were young, Sir Karl," whispered Yolanda, "so that I might
+make him jealous."
+
+"Shall we come to you?" asked Max.
+
+"No, no, stay where you are," cried Yolanda; then, turning to me, "Where
+did I stop?"
+
+"Your bedroom--" I suggested.
+
+"Yes--my bedroom was my grandfather's. One day I had Twonette in to play
+with me, and we rummaged every nook and corner we could reach. By
+accident we discovered the movable panel. We pushed it aside, and
+spurring our bravery by daring each other, we descended the dark
+stairway step by step until we came suddenly against the oak panel at
+the foot. We grew frightened and cried aloud for help. Fortunately,
+Tante Castleman was on the opposite side of the panel in the oak room,
+and--and--"
+
+She had been halting in the latter part of her narrative and I plainly
+saw what was coming.
+
+"Tante Castleman was--was--It was fortunate she--was in--" She sprang to
+her feet, exclaiming: "I'm going to tell Twonette what I think of her
+boldness in sitting there in the dark with Sir Max. Her father is not
+here to do it." And that was the last I heard of the stairway in
+the wall.
+
+Yolanda ran across the room to the bench by the fireplace and stamped
+her foot angrily before Twonette.
+
+"It--it is immodest for a girl to sit here in the deep shadow beside a
+gentleman for hours together. Shame, Twonette! Your father is not here
+to correct you."
+
+Castleman had left the room.
+
+Twonette laughed, rose hurriedly, and stood by Yolanda in front of Max.
+Yolanda, by way of apology, took Twonette's hand, but after a few words
+she coolly appropriated her place "in the deep shadow beside a
+gentleman." A princess enjoys many privileges denied to a burgher girl.
+When a girl happens to be both, the burgher girl is apt to be influenced
+by the princess, as the princess is apt to be modified by the life of
+the burgher girl. Presently Yolanda said:--
+
+"Please go, Twonette, and mix a bowl of wine and honey. Yours is
+delicious. Put in a bit of allspice, Twonette, and pepper, beat it well,
+Twonette, and don't spare the honey. Now there's a good girl. Go
+quickly, but don't hurry back. Haste, you know, Twonette, makes waste,
+and you may spoil the wine."
+
+Twonette laughed and went to mix the wine and honey. I walked back to
+the other end of the room, and sat down by a window to watch the night
+gather without. I was athrill with the delightful thought that, all
+unknown to the world, unknown even to himself, Max, through my
+instrumentality, was wooing Mary of Burgundy within fifty feet of where
+I sat. He was not, of course, actively pressing his suit, but all
+unconsciously he was taking the best course to win her heart forever and
+ever. Now, with a propitious trick of fortune, my fantastic dream,
+conceived in far-off Styria, might yet become a veritable fact. By what
+rare trick this consummation might be brought about, I did not know, but
+fortune had been kind so far, and I felt that her capricious ladyship
+would not abandon us.
+
+Yolanda turned to Max with a soft laugh of satisfaction, settled her
+skirts about her, as a pleased woman is apt to do, and said
+contentedly:--
+
+"There, now!"
+
+"Fraeulein, you are very kind to me," said Max.
+
+"Yes--yes, I am, Sir Max," she responded, beaming on him. "Now, tell me
+what you and Twonette have been talking about."
+
+"You," answered Max.
+
+A laugh gurgled in her throat as she asked:--
+
+"What else?"
+
+"I'll tell you if you will tell me what you and Sir Karl were saying,"
+he responded.
+
+"Ah, I see!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands gleefully. "You were
+jealous."
+
+"I admit it," he answered, so very seriously that one might have thought
+him in earnest. "And you, Fraeulein?"
+
+"I jealous?" she responded, with lifted eyebrows. "You are a vain man,
+Sir Max. I was not jealous--only--only a tiny bit--so much--" and she
+measured the extent of her jealousy on the pink tip of her little
+finger. "I am told you were falconing with the Duke of Burgundy to-day.
+If you go in such fine company, I fear we shall see little of you."
+
+"There is no company finer than--than--" Max checked his tongue.
+
+"Say it, Max, say it," she whispered coaxingly, leaning toward him.
+
+"Than you, Fraeulein." The girl leaned back contentedly against the wall,
+and Max continued: "Yes, his lordship was kind to me, and most gracious.
+I cannot believe the stories of cruelty I hear of him. I have been told
+that on different occasions he has used personal violence on his wife
+and daughter. If that be true, he must be worse than the brutes of the
+field, but you may be sure, Yolanda, the stories are false."
+
+"Alas! I fear they are too true," responded the girl, sighing in memory
+of the afternoon.
+
+"He is a pleasing companion when he wishes to be," said Max, "and I hear
+his daughter, the princess, is much like him."
+
+"Heavens!" exclaimed Yolanda, "I hope she is like him only when he is
+pleasing."
+
+"That is probably true," said Max.
+
+"There is where I am really jealous, Max--this princess--" she said,
+leaning forward and looking up into his face with unmistakable
+earnestness.
+
+"Why?" asked Max, laughing.
+
+"Because men love wealth and high estate. There are scores of men--at
+least, so I have been told--eager to marry this princess, who do not
+even know that she is not hideous to look upon and vixenish in temper.
+They would take her gladly, with any deformity, physical, mental, or
+moral, for the sake of possessing Burgundy."
+
+"But I am told she is fair and beautiful," said Max.
+
+"Believe it not," said Yolanda, sullenly. "Whoever heard of a rich
+princess who was not beautiful? Anne and Joan, daughters of King Louis,
+are always spoken of as paragons of beauty; yet those who know tell me
+these royal ladies are hideous. King Louis has nicknamed Joan 'The
+Owlet' because she is little, ill-shapen, and black. Anne is tall, large
+of bone, fat, and sallow. He should name her 'The Giantess of Beaujeu';
+and the little half-witted Dauphin he should dub 'Knight of the Princely
+Order of House Rats.'"
+
+That she was deeply in earnest there could be no doubt.
+
+"I hope you do not speak so freely to others," said Max. "If His Grace
+of Burgundy should hear of your words he might--"
+
+"I hope you will not tell him," said Yolanda, laughing. "But this Mary!"
+she continued, clinging stubbornly to the dangerous topic. "You came to
+woo her estates, and in the end you will do so."
+
+I am convinced that the girl was intensely jealous of herself. When she
+feared that Max might seek the Princess Mary, her heart brooded over the
+thought that he would do so for the sake of her wealth and her domains.
+
+"I have told you once, Fraeulein, what I will do and what I will not. For
+your own sake and mine I'll tell you no more," said Max.
+
+"If I were a great princess," said Yolanda, pouting and hanging her
+head, "you would not speak so sharply to me." Evidently she was hurt by
+Max's words, though they were the expression, not of his displeasure,
+but of his pain.
+
+"Fraeulein, forgive me; my words were not meant to be sharp. It was my
+pain that spoke. You torture me and cause me to torture myself," said
+Max. "To keep a constant curb on one's ardent longing is exhausting. It
+takes the heart out of a man. At times you seem to forget that my
+silence is my great grief, not my fault. Ah, Fraeulein! you cannot
+understand my longing and my struggle."
+
+"I do understand," she answered plaintively, slipping her hand into his,
+"and unless certain recent happenings have the result I hope for, you,
+too, will understand, more clearly than you now do, within a very
+short time."
+
+She covered her face with her hands. Her words mystified Max, and he was
+on the point of asking her to explain. He loved and pitied her, and
+would have put his arm around her waist to comfort her, but she sprang
+to her feet, exclaiming:--
+
+"No, no, Little Max, let us save all that for our farewell. You will not
+have long to wait."
+
+Wisdom returned to Max, and he knew that she was right in helping him to
+resist the temptation that he had so valiantly struggled against since
+leaving Basel.
+
+All that I had really hoped for in Styria, all our fair dreams upon the
+castle walls of Hapsburg, had come to pass. Max had, beyond doubt, won
+the heart of Mary of Burgundy, but that would avail nothing unless by
+some good chance conditions should so change that Mary would be able to
+choose for herself. In such case, ambition would cut no figure in her
+choice. The chains of duty to family, state, and ancestry that bound
+Max's feet so firmly would be but wisps of straw about Yolanda's slender
+ankles. She would have no hesitancy in making her choice, were she free
+to do so, and states might go hang for all she would care. Her heart was
+her state. Would she ever be able to choose? Fortune had been kind to us
+thus far; would she remain our friend? She is a coquette; but the heart
+of a coquette, if truly won, is the most steadfast of all.
+
+Twonette brought in the wine and honey; Castleman soon returned and
+lighted the lamp, and we all sat talking before the small blaze in the
+fireplace, till the great clock in the middle of the room chimed the
+hour of ten. Then Yolanda ran from us with a hurried good night, and Max
+returned with me to the inn.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I cannot describe the joy I took from the recurring thought that I was
+particeps criminis with the Princess of Burgundy in the commission of a
+crime. At times I wished the crime had been greater and its extenuation
+far less. We hear much about what happens when thieves fall out, but my
+observation teaches me that thieves usually remain good friends. The
+bonds of friendship had begun to strengthen between Yolanda and me
+before she sought my help in the perpetration of her great crime. After
+that black felony, they became like links of Milan chain. I shared her
+secrets, great and small.
+
+One day while Yolanda and I were sitting in the oak room,--the room from
+which the panel opened into the stairway in the wall,--I said to her:--
+
+"If your letter 't' causes a break with France, perhaps Max's
+opportunity may come."
+
+"I do not know--I cannot hope," she responded dolefully. "You see, when
+father made this treaty with France, he was halting between two men in
+the choice of a husband for me. One was the Dauphin, son to King Louis,
+whom father hates with every breath he draws. The other was the Duke of
+Gelders, whom father really likes. Gelders is a brute, Sir Karl. He kept
+his father in prison four years, and usurped his domain. He is a
+drunkard, a murderer, and a profligate. For reasons of state father
+chose the Dauphin, but if the treaty with France is broken, I suppose it
+will be Gelders again. If it comes to that, Sir Karl--but I'll not say
+what I'll do. My head is full of schemes from morning till night, and
+when I sleep my poor brain is a whirl of visions. Self-destruction,
+elopement, and I know not what else appeal to me. How far is it to
+Styria, Sir Karl?" she asked abruptly.
+
+"Two or three hundred leagues, perhaps--it may be more," I answered. "I
+do not know how far it is, Yolanda, but it is not far enough for your
+purposes. Even could you reach there, Styria could not protect you."
+
+"I was not thinking of--of what you suppose, Sir Karl," she said
+plaintively.
+
+"What were you thinking of, Yolanda?" I asked.
+
+"Of nothing--of--of--a wild dream of hiding away from the world in some
+unknown corner, at times comes to me in my sleep--only in my sleep, Sir
+Karl--for in my waking hours I know it to be impossible. The only
+pleasant part of being a princess is that the world envies you; but what
+a poor bauble it is to buy at the frightful price I pay!"
+
+"I have been on mountain tops," I answered philosophically, "and I find
+that breathing grows difficult as one ascends."
+
+"Ah, Sir Karl," she answered tearfully, "I believe I'll go upstairs and
+weep."
+
+I led her to the moving panel and opened it for her. Without turning her
+face she held back her hand for me to kiss. Then she started up the dark
+stone steps, and I knew that she was weeping. I closed the panel and sat
+on the cushioned bench. To say that I would have given my old life to
+win happiness for her but poorly measures my devotion. A man's happiness
+depends entirely on the number and quality of those to whom his love
+goes out. Before meeting Yolanda I drew all my happiness from loving one
+person--Max. Now my source was doubled, and I wished for the first time
+that I might live my life again, to lay it at this girl's feet.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+TRIAL BY COMBAT
+
+Max had waited until Calli's arm was mended to bring up the subject of
+the trial by combat; but when he would have taken it before the duke, I
+dissuaded him by many pretexts, and for a few days it was dropped. But
+soon it was brought forward in a most unpleasant way. Max and I were in
+the streets of Peronne one afternoon, and as we approached a group of
+ragged boys, one of them cried out:--
+
+"There is the fellow that challenged Count Calli, but won't fight him!"
+
+Max turned upon the boy, caught him roughly by the shoulder, and asked
+him where he got his information. The frightened boy replied that his
+father was a hostler in the duke's stables, and had heard Count Calli
+say that the fellow who had challenged him was "all gauntlet but
+no fight."
+
+We at once sought Hymbercourt, who, on being closely questioned,
+admitted that the Italians in the castle were boasting that the stranger
+who seemed so eager to fight when Calli's arm was lame, had lost his
+courage now that the arm was healed.
+
+Of course I was in a deal of trouble over this combat, and heartily
+wished the challenge had never been given, though I had all faith in
+Max's strength and skill. I, who had fought constantly for twenty years,
+had trained him since his tenth birthday. I had not only trained him; I
+had introduced him to the lists at eighteen--he being well grown, strong
+of limb, and active as a wildcat. I waged him against a famous tilt-yard
+knight, and Max held his own manfully, to his great credit and to my
+great joy. The battle was a draw. My first great joy in life came a few
+months afterward, when Max unhorsed this same knight, and received the
+crown of victory from the queen of the lists.
+
+But this combat would be a battle of death. Two men would enter the
+lists; one would die in the course.
+
+Max could, with propriety, announce his title and refuse to fight one so
+far beneath him as Calli; but even my love for the boy and my fear of
+the outcome, could not induce me to advise this. The advice would have
+been little heeded had I given it. Max was not one in whose heart hatred
+could thrive, but every man should have a just sense of injury received,
+and no one should leave all vengeance to God. In Max's heart this sense
+was almost judicial. The court of his conscience had convicted Calli of
+an unforgivable crime, and he felt that it was his God-appointed duty to
+carry out the sentence.
+
+While I had all faith in Max's strength and skill, I also knew Calli to
+be a strong, time-hardened man, well used to arms. What his skill was, I
+could not say, but fame proclaimed it great. It would need to be great
+to kill Max, boy though he was, but accidents are apt to happen in the
+lists, and Calli was treacherous. I was deep in trouble, but I saw no
+way out but for Max to fight. So, on the morning after our conversation
+with Hymbercourt, Max and I sought admission to the duke's audience.
+Charles had been privately told of our purpose and of course was
+delighted at the prospect of a battle to the death.
+
+A tournament with, mayhap, a few broken heads furnished him great
+enjoyment; but a real battle between two men, each seeking the other's
+life, was such keen pleasure to his savage, blood-loving nature, that
+its importance could hardly be measured. Charles would have postponed
+his war against the Swiss, I verily believe, rather than miss this
+combat between Max and Calli.
+
+The duke hurried through the business of the morning, and then turned
+toward Max, signifying that his time had come. Max stepped before the
+ducal throne, made his obeisance, and said:--
+
+"May it please Your Highness to recall a wage of battle given by me some
+weeks ago, in this hall and in this august presence, to one who calls
+himself Count Calli? The cause of my complaint against the said Calli I
+need not here rehearse. I have waited to repeat my defiance until such
+time as Count Calli's arm should mend. I am told that he is now strong;
+and, most gracious Lord Charles, Duke of Burgundy, I again offer my wage
+of battle against this said knight and demand the trial by combat."
+
+Thereupon he drew an iron gauntlet from his girdle and threw it clanking
+on the stone floor. The gauntlet lay untouched for the space of a minute
+or two; and the duke turned toward Calli and Campo-Basso, who stood
+surrounded by their Italian friends at the right of the throne. After a
+long pause Charles said:--
+
+"Will Count Calli lift the gage, or shall we appoint a court of heraldry
+to determine whether or no the combat shall take place?"
+
+There was a whispered conversation among the Italians, after which
+Campo-Basso addressed the duke.
+
+"My most gracious lord," said he, "the noble Count Calli is loath to
+lift the gage of an unknown man, and would make bold to say that he will
+not do so until he is satisfied that he who so boastingly offers it is
+worthy in blood, station, and knighthood to stand before him."
+
+"For all that I will stand surety," said Hymbercourt, turning to the
+duke and to Campo-Basso.
+
+"The Lord d'Hymbercourt's honor is beyond reproach," replied the
+Italian, "but Count Calli must have other proof."
+
+Hymbercourt was about to make an angry reply, but he was silenced by the
+duke's uplifted hand.
+
+"We will ourself be surety for this knight," said Charles.
+
+"We cannot gainsay Your Lordship's surety, most gracious duke," returned
+Campo-Basso; "but with all meekness and humility we would suggest, with
+Your Grace's permission, that when a man jeopards his life against
+another he feels it his right to know at least his foe's name."
+
+"Count Calli must content himself with knowing that the knight's name is
+Sir Maximilian du Guelph. If Count Calli is right and his cause just,
+God will give him victory, and the whole world shall know of his deed.
+If he is in the wrong and his cause unjust, may God have mercy on
+his soul."
+
+A long pause ensued during which Max stood before the duke, a noble
+figure of manly beauty worthy the chisel of a Greek sculptor. The
+shutter in the ladies' gallery was ajar and I caught a glimpse of
+Yolanda's pale, tear-stained face as she looked down upon the man she
+loved, who was to put his life in peril to avenge her wrong.
+
+"We are wasting time, Count Calli," spoke the duke. "Take up the gage or
+demand a court. The charge made by Sir Max will certainly justify a
+court of chivalry in ordering the combat. The truth or falsity of that
+charge you and Sir Max must prove on each other's bodies. His desire to
+remain unknown the court will respect; he has ample precedent. If you
+are convinced by the word of our Lord d'Hymbercourt and myself that he
+is of birth and station worthy to engage with you in knightly and mortal
+combat, you can ask no more. Few courts of chivalry, I take it, would
+hold the evidence inconclusive. Take up or leave the gage, Sir Count,
+and do one or the other at once."
+
+Calli walked over to the gauntlet and, taking it from the floor, held it
+in his right hand while he bent his knee before the duke. He did not
+look toward Max, but turned in the direction of his friends and tucked
+the gauntlet in his girdle as he strode away.
+
+"We appoint this day twelve days, on a Sunday afternoon, for the
+combat," said Charles. "Then these men shall do their endeavor, each
+upon the other; and may God give victory to the right!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That evening, as usual, Max and I were at Castleman's. Yolanda did not
+come down till late, but when she came she clung silently to Max, and
+there was a deep pathos in her every word and glance. As we left, I went
+back and whispered hurriedly to her:--
+
+"Have no fear, dear one. Our Max will take no harm."
+
+My words were bolder than my heart, but I thought to comfort her.
+
+"I have no fear, Sir Karl," she said, in a trembling voice. "There is no
+man so strong and brave as Max. He is in the right, and God is just. The
+Blessed Virgin, too, will help him. It would be sacrilege to doubt her.
+I do not doubt. I do not fear, Sir Karl, but, oh, my friend--" Here she
+buried her face on my breast and wept convulsively. Her words, too, had
+been bolder than her heart--far bolder.
+
+The brooding instinct in me--the faint remnant of mother love, that kind
+Providence has left in every, good man's heart--longed to comfort her
+and bear her pains. But I was powerless to help her, and, after all, her
+suffering was wholesome. In a moment she continued, sobbing while
+she spoke:--
+
+"But--oh! if by any mischance Max should fall; if by treachery or
+accident--oh, Sir Karl, my heart is breaking. Do not let Max fight."
+These words were from her woman's heart. "His station will excuse him,
+but if the affair has gone too far for him to withdraw, tell him to--to
+leave Burgundy, to run away, to--"
+
+"Yolanda, what are you saying?" I asked. "Would you not rather see him
+dead than a coward?"
+
+"No, no, Sir Karl," she cried, wrought almost to a frenzy by her grief
+and fear. "No, no, anything but dead."
+
+"Listen to reason, Yolanda," I answered. "I, who love Max more than I
+love the blood of my heart, would kill him with my own hand rather than
+have cause to call him coward and speak the truth."
+
+"No, no," she cried desperately, grasping my hand. "Do not let him
+fight. Ah, Sir Karl, if you bear me any love, if my grief and unhappy
+lot have touched your heart, even on the smallest spot, I pray you, do
+this thing for me. Do not let Max fight with this Count Calli. If
+Max falls--"
+
+"But Max will not fall," I answered boldly. "He has overthrown better
+men than Calli."
+
+"Has he? Ah, tell me, has he? He is little more than a boy. I seem older
+than he at times, and it is hard to believe what you say, though I know
+he is strong, and that fear has no place in his heart. Tell me, whom has
+he overthrown?"
+
+"Another time, Yolanda," I responded soothingly, "but this I say now to
+comfort you. Calli is no match for our Max. In the combat that is to
+come, Max can kill him if he chooses, barring accidents and treachery.
+Over and above his prowess, his cause, you know, is just, and for that
+reason God will be with him."
+
+"Yes, yes," sobbed Yolanda, "and the Virgin, too."
+
+The Virgin was a woman in whom she could find a woman's sympathy. She
+trusted God and stood in reverent awe of Him; but one could easily see
+that the Virgin held her heart and was her refuge in time of trouble.
+When I turned to leave she called me back, saying:--
+
+"I have a mind to tell Max the truth--to tell him who I am."
+
+"I would not do so now," I answered, fearing, perhaps with good reason,
+the effect of the disclosure on Max. "After the combat, if you wish to
+tell him--"
+
+"But if he should fall?" said the girl, beginning to weep again and
+clinging desperately to my arm. "If he should fall, not knowing who
+I am?"
+
+"Max will not fall, Yolanda. Dismiss that fear from your heart."
+
+My bold words served a double purpose. They at least partially satisfied
+Yolanda, and they strengthened me.
+
+Of course Max and I at once began to prepare for the combat. The charger
+we had captured from the robbers on the Rhine now came to our hand as if
+sent by Providence. He was a large, active horse, with limbs like steel.
+He was an intelligent animal, too, and a good brain is almost as
+valuable in a horse as in a man. He had evidently borne arms all his
+life, for when we tried him in the tilt-yard we found him trained at
+every point.
+
+There was no heavy plate at the Peronne armorer's large enough for Max,
+so Hymbercourt dropped a hint to Duke Charles, and His Grace sent two
+beautiful suits to our inn. One was of Barcelona make, the other an old
+suit which we judged had come from Damascus. I tried the latter with my
+sword, and spoiled a good blade. Although the Damascus armor was too
+heavy by a stone, we chose it, and employed an armorer to tighten a few
+nuts, and to adjust new straps to the shoulder plates and arm pieces.
+
+We caused lists to be built outside the walls, and Max worked eight
+hours a day to harden himself. He ran against me, against our squires,
+who were lusty big fellows, and now and then against Hymbercourt, who
+was a most accomplished knight.
+
+Yolanda was prone to coax Max not to fight, and her fear showed itself
+in every look and gesture. Her words, of course, could not have turned
+him, but her fears might have undermined his self-confidence. So I
+pointed out to her the help he would get from encouragement, and the
+possible hurt he would take were her fears to infect him. After my
+admonition, her efforts to be cheerful and confident almost brought
+tears to my eyes. She would sing, but her song was joyless. She would
+banter Max and would run imaginary courses with him, taking the part of
+Calli, and always falling dead at Max's feet; but the moment of
+relaxation brought a haunting, terrified expression to her eyes. The
+corners of her sweet mouth would droop, effacing the cluster of dimples
+that played about her lips, and the fair, childish face, usually so
+joyful, wore the mask of grief. For the first time in her life real
+happiness had come, not within her grasp, but within sight; and this
+combat might snatch it from her.
+
+Once when I was helping Max to buckle on his armor for a bout at
+practice, he said:--
+
+"Yolanda seems to treat this battle as a jest. She laughs and banters me
+as if it were to be a justing bout. I wonder if she really has a heart?"
+
+"Max, I am surprised at your dulness," I said. "Do you not see her
+manner is assumed, though her fear is small because of her great faith
+in your prowess?"
+
+"I'll try to deserve her faith," answered Max.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When at last the day arrived, Max was in prime condition. At the inn we
+carefully adjusted the armor and fitted it on him. One of our squires
+led the charger, carefully trapped, to the lists, which had been built
+in an open field outside the town, west of the castle.
+
+Max and I, accompanied by Hymbercourt and two other friends, rode down
+to Castleman's, and Max entered the house for a few minutes. Yolanda had
+told him that she would not be at the lists, and Max felt that it were
+better so.
+
+Twonette and her father had gone to the lists when we reached the House
+under the Wall, but Yolanda and Frau Kate were awaiting us. There was a
+brief greeting and a hurried parting--tearful on Yolanda's part. Then we
+rode around to the Postern and entered the courtyard of the castle.
+Crossing the courtyard, we passed out through the great gate at the
+keep, and soon stood demanding admission to the lists.
+
+The course was laid off north and south, the sun being in the southwest.
+The hour of battle was fixed at four o'clock, and the combat was to
+continue till sundown, if neither champion fell before that time. The
+pavilion for the duke and the other spectators was built at the west
+side of the false lists--a strip of ground ten feet wide, extending
+entirely around the true lists, but separated from it by a barrier or
+railing three feet high.
+
+It was an hour after we left Castleman's house before Max and I entered
+the false lists. As I expected, the princess was sitting in the pavilion
+with her father and Duchess Margaret. A veil partly concealed her
+features, and when Max rode down the false lists to make his obeisance
+before the duke and the duchess, he could not know that the white face
+of Yolanda looked down upon him. I was sorry to see the princess in the
+pavilion, because I knew that if an untoward fate should befall Max, a
+demonstration would surely follow in the ducal gallery.
+
+At the gate of the true lists, Max was met by a priest, who heard his
+oath, and by a herald, who read the laws and the agreement relating to
+the combat. A court of heraldry had decided that three lances should be
+broken, after which the champions, if both alive, should dismount and
+continue the fight with battle-axes of whatever weight they might
+choose. If either knight should be disabled, it was the other's right
+to kill him.
+
+After Max had entered the true lists the gates were closed, and
+Hymbercourt, myself, and our squires stood outside the barrier at the
+north end of the false lists,--the north being Max's station on
+the course.
+
+Max sat his charger, lance in rest; Calli waited in the south, and these
+two faced each other with death between them.
+
+When all was ready the heralds raised their banners, and the duke gave
+the word of battle. There was a moment of deep silence, broken by the
+thunder of tramping hoofs, as horses and men rushed upon each other.
+Calli and Max met in mid-course, and the din of their contact was like
+the report of a cannon. Each horse fell back upon its haunches; each
+rider bent back upon his horse. Two tough yule lances burst into a
+hundred splinters. Then silence ensued, broken after a moment by a storm
+of applause from the pavilion.
+
+The second course was like the first, save that Max nearly unhorsed
+Calli by a marvellous helmet stroke. The stroke loosened Calli's helmet
+by breaking a throat-strap, but neither he nor his friends seemed to
+notice the mishap, and the third course was begun without remedying it.
+When the champions were within ten yards of each other, a report like
+the discharge of an arquebuse was heard, coming apparently from beneath
+the pavilion. I could not say whence the report came--I was too intent
+upon the scene in the lists to be thoroughly conscious of happenings
+elsewhere--but come it did from somewhere, and Max's fine charger
+plunged forward on the lists, dead. Max fell over his horse's head and
+lay half-stunned upon the ground.
+
+Above the din rose a cry, a frantic scream, that fairly pierced my
+heart. Well I knew the voice that uttered it. The people in the pavilion
+rose to their feet, and cries of "Treachery! treachery!" came from all
+directions. Calli was evidently expecting the shot, for just before it
+came he reined in his horse, and when Max fell the Italian instantly
+brought his charger to a standstill and began to dismount with all the
+speed his heavy armor would permit. When safely down, he unclasped his
+battle-axe from the chain that held it to his girdle and started toward
+Max, who was lying prone upon the ground. Cries of "Shame! shame!" came
+from the pavilion, but no one, not even the duke, dared to interfere; it
+was Calli's right to kill Max if he could.
+
+I had covered my eyes with my hand, thinking that surely the boy's hour
+had come. I removed my hand when I heard the scream, and I have thanked
+God ever since for prompting me to do that little act, for I saw the
+most beautiful sight that my eyes have ever beheld. Calli had reached
+his prostrate foe and was standing over him with battle-axe uplifted to
+deal the blow of death. At that same moment Yolanda sprang from the
+duke's side, cleared the low railing in front of the ducal box, and
+jumped to the false lists six or eight feet below. Her gown of scarlet
+and gold shone with dazzling radiance in the sunlight.
+
+Calli was facing the pavilion, and Yolanda's leap probably attracted his
+attention. However that may have been--perhaps it was because of Calli's
+haste, perhaps it was the will of God--the blow fell short, and Calli's
+battle-axe, glancing from Max's helmet, buried itself in the hard
+ground. While Calli was struggling to release his axe, Yolanda cleared
+the low barrier of the true lists, sped across the intervening space
+like a flash of red avenging flame, and reached Max not one second too
+soon, for Calli's axe was again uplifted. She fell upon Max, and had the
+axe descended she would have received the blow. Calli stepped back in
+surprise, his heel caught on the toe of Max's iron boot, he fell prone
+upon his back, and the weight of his armor prevented him from rising
+quickly. The glancing blow on Max's helmet had roused him, and when he
+moved Yolanda rose to her knees beside him.
+
+"Let me help you," she cried, lifting Max's mailed hand to her shoulder;
+Max did so, and by help of the frail girl he drew himself to his knees
+and then to his feet. Meantime, Calli was attempting to rise. I can
+still see the terrible picture. Calli's panting horse stood near by with
+drooping head. Max's charger lay quivering in the convulsions of death.
+Calli, whose helmet had dropped from his head when he fell, lay resting
+on his elbow, half risen and bareheaded. Max stood deliberately taking
+his battle-axe from his girdle chain, while Yolanda still knelt at his
+feet. Battle-axe in hand, Max stepped toward Calli, who had risen to his
+knees. The expression on the Italian's face I shall never forget. With
+bared head and upturned face he awaited the death that he knew he
+deserved. Max lifted his battle-axe to give the blow. I wondered if he
+would give it. He lowered the axe, and a shout went up from the
+pavilion:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+He lifted the axe again, and a silence like the hush of death fell upon
+the shouting audience. Again Max hesitated, and I distinctly heard
+Yolanda, who was still upon her knees, whisper:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+Then came the shouts of a thousand voices, thrilling me to the marrow:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!" and I knew that if I were standing in Max's shoes,
+Calli would die within a moment. I also remember wondering in a flash of
+thought if Max were great enough to spare him. Again the battle-axe came
+slowly down, and the din in the pavilion was deafening:--
+
+"Kill him! Kill him!"
+
+Again the battle-axe rose; but after a pause, Max let it fall to the
+ground behind him; and, turning toward the girl, lifted her with his
+mailed hands to her feet. When she had risen Max looked into her face,
+and, falling back a step, exclaimed in a voice hushed by wonder:--
+
+"Yolanda!"
+
+His words coming to the girl's ears, like a far-away sound, from the
+cavernous recesses of his helmet, frightened her.
+
+"No, no, my name is not Yolanda. You are mistaken. You do not know me.
+I--I am the princess. You do not know me."
+
+Her words were prompted by two motives: she wished to remain unknown to
+Max, and she feared lest her father should come to know that a great
+part of her life was spent as a burgher girl. Her hands were clasped at
+her breast; her face was as pale as a gray dawn; her breath came in
+feeble gusts, and her words fell haltingly from her lips. She took two
+steps forward, her eyes closed, and she began to fall. Max caught her
+and lifted her in his strong arms. On great occasions persons often do
+trivial acts. With Yolanda held tightly in the embrace of his left arm,
+Max stooped to the ground and picked up his battle-axe with his right
+hand. Then he strode to the north end of the lists and placed the girl
+in my arms.
+
+"Yolanda," he said, intending to tell me of his fair burden.
+
+"No, Max," I whispered, as he unfastened his helmet. "Not Yolanda, but
+the princess. The two resemble each other greatly."
+
+"Yolanda," returned Max, doggedly. "I know her as a mother knows her
+first-born."
+
+Not one hundred seconds had elapsed between the report of the arquebuse
+and the placing of Yolanda in my arms; but hardly had Max finished
+speaking when a dozen ladies crowded about us and took possession of the
+unconscious princess.
+
+After the duke had set on foot a search for the man who had fired the
+arquebuse, he came down to the false lists and stood with Hymbercourt
+and me, discussing the event. Campo-Basso said that his heart was "sore
+with grief," and the Italians jabbered like monkeys. One of them wanted
+to kiss Max for sparing his kinsman's life, but Max thrust him off with
+a fierce oath. The young fellow was in an ugly mood, and if I had been
+his enemy, I would sooner have crossed the path of a wounded lion than
+his. He was slow to anger, but the treachery he had encountered had
+raised all of Satan that was in him. Had he stood before Calli thirty
+seconds longer that treacherous heart would have ceased to beat.
+
+While we were standing in the false lists, speaking with the duke, an
+Italian approached Max, bowed low, and said:--
+
+"The noble Count Calli approaches to thank you for your mercy and to
+extol your bravery."
+
+Max turned his head toward the centre of the course, and saw Calli
+surrounded by a crowd of jabbering friends who were leading him toward
+us. A black cloud--a very mist from hell--came over Max's face. He
+stooped and took his battle-axe from the ground. I placed my hand on the
+boy's arm and warningly spoke his name:--
+
+"Max!" After a pause I continued, "Leave murder to the Italians."
+
+Max uttered a snort of disdain, but, as usual, he took my advice. He
+turned to Campo-Basso, still grasping his battle-axe:--
+
+"Keep that fellow away from me," he said, pointing toward Calli. "My
+merciful mood was brief. By the good God who gave me the villain's life,
+I will kill him if he comes within reach of my axe."
+
+An Italian ran to the men who had Calli in charge, and they turned at
+once and hurried toward the south gate of the lists. All this action was
+very rapid, consuming only a minute or two, and transpired in much less
+time than it requires to tell of it.
+
+While our squires were removing Max's armor, I heard the duke say:--
+
+"Arrest Calli. We will hold him until the shot is explained. If he was
+privy to it, he shall hang or boil." Then the duke, placing his hand on
+Max's shoulder, continued: "You are the best knight in Christendom, the
+bravest, the most generous, and the greatest fool. Think you Calli would
+have spared you, boy?"
+
+"I am not Calli, my lord," said Max.
+
+"You certainly are not," returned the duke.
+
+Visions of trouble with France growing out of Yolanda's "t," and of a
+subsequent union between Max and the princess, floated before my mind,
+even amidst the din that surrounded me. Taking the situation by and
+large, I was in an ecstasy of joy. Max's victory was a thousand
+triumphs in one. It was a triumph over his enemy, a triumph over his
+friends, but, above all, a triumph over himself. He had proved himself
+brave and merciful, and I knew that in him the world had a man who would
+leave it better and happier than he found it.
+
+Calli was arrested and brought to the duke's presence. Of course he
+denied all knowledge of the shot that had killed Max's horse. Others
+were questioned, including three Italian friars wearing cassocks and
+cowls, who bore a most wondrous testimony.
+
+"Your Grace," said one of the friars, "we three men of God can explain
+this matter that so nearly touches the honor of our fair countryman, the
+noble Count Calli."
+
+"In God's name, do so," exclaimed the duke.
+
+"This is the explanation, most gracious lord. When the third course was
+preparing, we three men of God prayed in concert to God the
+Father,"--all the friars crossed themselves,--"God the Son, and God the
+Holy Ghost, to save our countryman, and lo! our prayers were most
+graciously answered; for, noble lord, at the moment when this most
+valiant knight was about to kill our friend, we each heard a report
+marvellously like to the discharge of an arquebuse. At the same instant
+a fiery shaft descended from the palm of a mighty hand in the heavens,
+and the horse of this valiant and most generous knight, Sir Max, fell
+dead, stricken by the hand of God."
+
+I had no doubt that this absurd explanation would be received with
+scorn and derision; but the friar knew his audience, and I did not. His
+statement was not really accepted as true, but it was not cast aside as
+utterly absurd. I saw that it might easily be believed.
+
+"Why did not others see your wondrous shaft from the hand of God?" I
+asked.
+
+"Because, noble lord," answered the friar, "our eyes were looking upward
+in prayer. All others were fixed on this worldly combat."
+
+The explanation actually seemed to explain.
+
+Just then the men who had been sent out to seek evidence concerning the
+shot returned, and reported that no arquebuse was to be found. The lists
+were surrounded by an open field, and a man endeavoring to escape would
+have been seen.
+
+"Did you search all places of possible concealment for an arquebuse?"
+asked the duke.
+
+"All, my lord," answered the men, who were Burgundians and to be
+trusted.
+
+Faith in the friars absurd story was rapidly gaining ground, and several
+of the Italian courtiers, emboldened by encouragement, affirmed upon
+their hope of salvation and their knightly honor that they, too, had
+witnessed the descent of the shaft from heaven. Touch a man on his
+superstitions, and he will believe anything you tell him. If you assure
+him that an honest friend has told you so and so, he may doubt you, but
+tell him that God tells you, and he will swallow your hook. If you would
+have your lie believed, tell a great one.
+
+Charles, more credulous and gullible than I should have believed, turned
+to Hymbercourt. He spoke reverentially, being, you understand, in the
+presence of a miracle:--
+
+"This is a wondrous happening, my lord," said the duke.
+
+"If it happened, Your Grace," returned Hymbercourt, "it certainly was
+marvellous."
+
+"Don't you think it did happen? Do not you believe that this bolt came
+from the hand that was seen by these worthy friars?" asked the duke.
+
+"The shaft surely did not come from a just God, my lord," returned
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"Whence, then, did it come?" asked the duke. "No arquebuse has been
+found, and a careful scrutiny has been made."
+
+"Aye!" echoed the friars. "Whence else did it come? Whence, my Lord
+d'Hymbercourt, whence?"
+
+I had noticed our Irish servant Michael standing near one of the friars.
+At this point in the conversation the Irishman plucked me by the sleeve,
+pointed to a friar, and whispered a word in my ear. Like a stone from a
+catapult I sprang on the friar indicated, threw him to the ground, and
+drew from under his black cassock an arquebuse.
+
+"Here is the shaft from God!" I exclaimed, holding the arquebuse up to
+view. Then I kneeled on the prostrate wretch and clutched his throat.
+Anger gathered in my brain as lightning clusters about a mountain top. I
+threw aside the arquebuse and proceeded to kill the canting mendicant. I
+do not know that I killed him; I hope I did. I cannot speak with
+certainty on that point, for I was quickly thrown away from him by the
+avenging mob that rushed upon us and tore the fellow limb from limb. The
+other friars were set upon by the populace that had witnessed the combat
+from without the lists, and were beaten so unmercifully that one of them
+died. Of the other's fate I know nothing, but I have my secret desires.
+
+"Kill the Italians! Murder the assassins! Down with the mercenaries,"
+cried the populace, who hated the duke's guard. The barriers were broken
+down, and an interesting battle ensued. Surely the people got their full
+satisfaction of blood and excitement that day. The Italians drew their
+swords, but, being separated, they were at a disadvantage, though their
+assailants carried only staves. I expected the duke to stop the fight,
+but he withdrew to a little distance and watched it with evident
+interest. My interest was more than evident; it was uproarious. I have
+never spent so enjoyable a day. The fight raged after Max and I left,
+and there was many a sore head and broken bone that night among the
+Italian mercenaries of the Duke of Burgundy.
+
+When Max and I returned to Peronne, we went to the noble church of St.
+Jean and offered our humble gratitude. Max, having thrown off his anger,
+proposed to buy a mass for the dead friar; but I was for leaving him in
+purgatory where he belonged, and Max, as usual, took my advice.
+
+On reaching the inn, Max cried loudly for supper. His calmness would
+have done credit to a hardened warrior. There was at least one hardened
+warrior that was not calm. I was wrought almost to a pitch of frenzy and
+could not eat, though the supper prepared by Grote was a marvel in its
+way. The old man, usually grave and crusty, after the manner of German
+hosts, actually bent his knee to Max and said:--
+
+"My poor house has entertained kings and princes; but never has it had
+so great an honor as that which it now has in sheltering you."
+
+That night the duke came with Hymbercourt to honor us at the inn. Each
+spoke excitedly and warmly. Max seemed to be the only calm man
+in Peronne.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+YOLANDA OR THE PRINCESS?
+
+After these adventures we could no longer conceal Max's identity, and it
+soon became noised about that he was Count of Hapsburg. But Styria was
+so far away, and so little known, even to courtiers of considerable
+rank, that the fact made no great stir in Peronne. To Frau Kate and
+Twonette the disclosure came with almost paralyzing effect.
+
+The duke remained with us until late in the night, so Max and I did not
+go over to the House under the Wall. When we were alone in our room,
+Max said:
+
+"The Princess Mary has treated me as if I were a boy."
+
+"She saved your life," I returned. "Calli would certainly have killed
+you had she not acted quickly."
+
+"I surely owe her my life," said Max, "though I have little knowledge of
+what happened after I fell from my horse until I rose to my feet by her
+help. I complain of her conduct in deceiving me by pretending to be a
+burgher maiden. It was easily done, Karl, but ungraciously."
+
+"You are now speaking of Yolanda," I said, not knowing what the wishes
+of the princess might be in regard to enlightening him. He looked at me
+and answered:--
+
+"Karl, if a woman's face is burned on a man's heart, he knows it when he
+sees it."
+
+"You know Yolanda's face, certainly, and I doubt if Yolanda will thank
+you for mistaking another's for it."
+
+"I have made no mistake, Karl," he answered.
+
+"I am not so sure," I replied. "The girl you placed in my arms seemed
+taller by half a head than Yolanda. I noticed her while she was
+standing. She seemed rounder and much heavier in form; but I, too,
+thought she was Yolanda, and, after all, you may be right."
+
+"I caught but a glimpse of her face, and that poorly," said Max. "It is
+difficult to see anything looking downward out of a helmet; one must
+look straight ahead. But the glimpse I had of her face satisfied me."
+
+"Do not be too sure, Max. I once took another man for myself." Max
+laughed. "I am sure no one could have told us apart. He was the Pope,
+and I his cousin. Yolanda herself once told me--I believe she has also
+told you--that she has the honor to resemble the princess."
+
+I did not wish to lie to Max, and you will note that I did not say the
+princess was not Yolanda. Still, I wished him to remain ignorant upon
+the important question until Yolanda should see fit to enlighten him. I
+was not sure of her motive in maintaining the alias, though I was
+certain it was more than a mere whim. How great it was I could not know.
+Should she persist in it I would help her up to the point of telling Max
+a downright falsehood. There I would stop.
+
+We spent two evenings at Castleman's, but did not see Yolanda. On the
+first evening, after an hour of listlessness, Max hesitatingly asked:--
+
+"Where is Yo--that is, the princess has not been here this evening."
+
+"The princess!" exclaimed Frau Kate. "No, she has not been here this
+evening--nor the duke, nor the king of France. No titled person, Sir
+Count, save yourself, has honored us to-day. Our poor roof shelters
+few such."
+
+"I mean Yolanda," said Max. Good-natured Frau Kate laughed softly, and
+Twonette said, with smiling serenity:--
+
+"Yolanda's head will surely be turned, Sir Count, when she hears you
+have called her the princess. So much greatness thrust upon her will
+make it impossible for us to live with her."
+
+"She rules us all as it is, sweet soul," said Castleman.
+
+"Yolanda is ill upstairs, Sir Count," said Frau Kate. "She wanted to
+come down this evening, but I commanded otherwise. Twonette, go to her.
+She will be lonely."
+
+Twonette rose, courtesied, and departed. This splendid bit of acting
+almost made me doubt that Yolanda was the princess, and it shook Max's
+conviction to its very foundation.
+
+I wish to warn you that the deception practised upon Max by Yolanda will
+seem almost impossible, except on the hypothesis that Max was a very
+simple fellow. But the elaborate scheme designed and executed by this
+girl, with the help of the Castlemans and myself,--all of whom Max had
+no reason to distrust,--would have deceived any man. Max, though simple
+and confiding where he trusted,--judging others' good faith by his
+own,--was shrewd for his years, and this plan of Yolanda's had to be
+faultless, as it really was, to mislead him.
+
+On the morning of the fourth day after the trial by combat, Yolanda made
+her appearance at Castleman's, looking pale and large-eyed. Max and I
+had walked down to the House under the Wall before going to dine with
+the duke. Soon after we were seated Twonette left, and within five
+minutes Yolanda came suddenly upon us in the long parlor. She ran to
+Max, grasping both his hands. For a moment she could only say, "Max,
+Max," and he remained silent.
+
+When she recovered control of her voice she said:--
+
+"How proud we are of you, Sir Max! Uncle and aunt have told me how
+brave and merciful you were at the combat."
+
+"Your Highness surely knows all that can be told on the subject, since
+you were there and took so active a part in the adventure," answered
+Max. "It is I who should be grateful, and I am. I owe my life to Your
+Highness."
+
+"You honor me too much, Sir Max," said Yolanda, looking up with surprise
+and bowing low before him. "Let my elevation be gradual that I may grow
+accustomed to my rank. Make of me first a great lady, and then, say, a
+countess. Afterward, if I prove worthy, call me princess."
+
+"We will call you a princess now, Your Highness," answered Max, not to
+be driven from his position.
+
+"Very well," cried Yolanda, with a laugh and a sweeping courtesy. "If
+you will have me a princess, a princess I'll be. But I will not be the
+Princess of Burgundy. She saved your life, and I am jealous of her--I
+hate her."
+
+She stamped her foot, and the angry gleam in her eyes was genuine. There
+could be no doubt that she was jealous of the princess. I could not
+account for her unique attitude toward herself save on one hypothesis:
+she was, even to herself, two distinct persons. Yolanda was a happy
+burgher girl; Mary was a wretched princess. The two widely differing
+conditions under which she lived were so distinct, and were separated by
+a gulf so broad, that to her the princess and the burgher girl were in
+no way related.
+
+With change of condition there was always a change of person. The
+unhappy princess would come down the stairway in the wall; God would
+kindly touch her, and lo! she was transformed into a happy Yolanda.
+Yolanda's light feet would climb the dark stone steps, and God was once
+more a frowning father. There must also be added Max's share in her
+emotions. Perhaps she feared the princess as she would have dreaded a
+rival; since she longed with all her passionate, tender heart to win Max
+for herself only. It would have been an easy task, as princess, to win
+him or any man; but if she could win him as Yolanda, the burgher girl,
+the prize would be the greatest that could fall to a woman.
+
+The true situation dawned upon me as I stood before Max and watched
+Yolanda. I thought of her adroit plan to make trouble with France, and I
+wanted to shout for joy. The impossible might yet happen. God's hand
+surely had been in our journeying to Burgundy. Max might yet win this
+peerless princess, this priceless girl; or, reverse it if you choose,
+Mary of Burgundy might win this peerless man, and might at the same time
+attain the unutterable joy of knowing that she had won him for her
+own sake.
+
+Perhaps her yearning had led her to hope that he might in the end be
+willing to fling behind him his high estate for the sake of a burgher
+girl. Then, when she had brought him to that resolution, what a joy it
+would be to turn upon him and say: "I am not a burgher girl. I am
+Princess Mary of Burgundy, and all these things which you are willing to
+forego for my sake you may keep, and you may add to them the fair land
+of Burgundy!" Her high estate and rich domains, now the tokens of her
+thralldom, would then be her joy, since she could give them to Max.
+
+While these bright hopes were filling my mind, Yolanda was playing well
+her part. She, too, evidently meant to tell no lies, though she might be
+forced to act many. Her fiery outburst against the Princess of Burgundy
+astonished Max and almost startled me. Still, the conviction was strong
+with him that Yolanda was Mary.
+
+"If--if you are the princess, Yo--Yolanda," said Max, evidently
+wavering, "it were ungracious to deceive me."
+
+"But I _am_ the princess," cried Yolanda, lifting her head and walking
+majestically to and fro. "Address me not by that low, plebeian
+name, Yolanda."
+
+She stepped upon a chair and thence to the top of the great oak table
+that stood in the middle of the room. Drawing the chair up after her she
+placed it on the table, and, seating herself on this improvised throne,
+lifted one knee over the other, after the manner of her father. She
+looked serenely about her in a most amusing imitation of the duke, and
+spoke with a deep voice:--
+
+"Heralds!"
+
+No one responded. So she filled the office of herald herself and cried
+out:--
+
+"Oyez! Oyez! The princess now gives audience!" Resuming the ducal voice,
+she continued, "Are there complaints, my Lord Seneschal?" A pause. "Ah,
+our guards have stolen Grion's cow, have they? The devil take Grion and
+his cow, too! Hang Grion for complaining." A pause ensues while the duke
+awaits the next report. "The Swiss have stolen a sheepskin? Ah, we'll
+skin the Swiss. My Lord Seneschal, find me fifty thousand men who are
+ready to die for a sheepskin. Body of me! A sheepskin! I do love
+it well."
+
+Yolanda's audience was roaring with laughter by this time, but her face
+was stern and calm.
+
+"Silence, you fools," she cried hoarsely, but no one was silent, and Max
+laughed till the tears came to his eyes. Yolanda on her throne was so
+irresistibly bewitching that he ran to her side, grasped her about the
+waist, and unceremoniously lifted her to the floor. When she was on her
+feet, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, saying:--
+
+"Yolanda or Mary--it's all one to me. There is not another like you in
+all the world."
+
+She drew herself up haughtily: "Sir, this indignity shall cost you
+dear," and turning her back on him she moved away three or four paces.
+Then she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. His face had lost its
+smile, and she knew the joke had gone far enough; so the dimples began
+to cluster about the quivering corners of her mouth, the long black
+lashes fell for a moment, a soft radiance came to her eyes, and
+she asked:--
+
+"Which shall it be, Sir Max, Yolanda or the princess?"
+
+"Yolanda," cried Max, huskily, while he held out his hands to her. Quick
+as the movement of a kitten, she sprang to him and allowed his arms to
+close about her for one brief moment. While one might count ten she
+rested her head on his breast, but all too quickly she turned her face
+to his and whispered:--
+
+"Are you sure? Is it Yolanda?"
+
+"Yes, yes, Yolanda. Thank God! it is Yolanda," he replied, placing his
+hand before his eyes. She slipped from his arms, and Max, too deeply
+moved to speak, walked over to the window and looked out upon the
+frowning walls of Peronne the Impregnable. There was irony for you!
+
+Probably Max was not sure that Yolanda was Yolanda; but, if he was,
+conviction had come through his emotions, and it might be temporary. He
+was, however, soon to be convinced by evidence so cunningly constructed
+that he was compelled to abandon the testimony of his own eyes and
+accept that of seemingly incontestable facts.
+
+"We are to dine privately with the duke at twelve o'clock," I said,
+while Max was standing at the window.
+
+"Indeed?" asked Yolanda, arching her eyebrows; surprise and displeasure
+evident in her voice. She glanced at the great clock, then looked toward
+Max, and said:--
+
+"It lacks but thirty minutes of that time now, and I suppose I shall
+soon lose you."
+
+Max turned from the window, saying:--"Yes, we must go, or we shall be
+late."
+
+"Does the princess dine with you?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"I do not know, Fraeulein," answered Max. Thereupon Yolanda left the room
+pouting, and we took our departure, having promised to return to
+Castleman's after dinner.
+
+We went at once to the castle; and thirty minutes after leaving
+Castleman's we were in the small parlor or talking room of Duchess
+Margaret, where the famous letter to the king of France had been signed
+by Duke Charles. When we entered we saw the duchess and the princess
+sitting upon the divan. The duke was in his great oak chair, and
+Hymbercourt and two other gentlemen were standing near by. I made
+obeisance to Charles on bended knee. He rose to receive Max, and, after
+a slight hesitation, offered his hand, saying:--
+
+"You are welcome, my Lord Count."
+
+A year had passed since I had heard Max addressed as "my lord," and the
+words sounded strange to my ears. I turned quickly toward the princess,
+expecting to see a sparkle of mirth in her eyes, but Yolanda's ever
+present smile was wholly lacking. The countenance of the princess was
+calm, immovable, and expressionless as a mirror. I could hardly believe
+that it was the radiant, bedimpled, pouting face I had just seen at
+Castleman's, and for the first time in all my experience I realized that
+I was face to face with a dual personality. The transformation was so
+complete that I might easily have been duped had I not known beyond
+peradventure the identity of Yolanda and Mary.
+
+After the duke had kindly saluted Max, His Grace presented us to the
+ladies. When the princess rose to receive us, she seemed at least half a
+head taller than Yolanda. Her hair was hidden, and her face seemed
+fuller. These changes were probably wrought by her head-dress, which
+towered in two great curved horns twelve inches high. She wore a long,
+flowing gown that trailed two yards behind her, and this added to her
+apparent height. Max had seen Yolanda only in the short skirts of a
+burgher girl's costume.
+
+When Max rose, after kneeling before the princess, he gazed into her
+eyes, but the glance he received in return was calm and cold. Yolanda
+was rich, red wine, hot and strong; the princess was cold, clear water.
+The one was exhilarating, at times intoxicating; the other was chilling.
+The face of the princess, though beautiful, was touched with disdain.
+Every attitude was one of dignity and hauteur. Her words, though not
+lacking intelligence, were commonplace, and her voice was that of her
+father's daughter. Yolanda was a girl; the princess was a woman. The
+metamorphosis was complete, and Max's hallucination, I felt sure, would
+be cured. The princess's face was not burned on his heart, whatever
+might be true of Yolanda's. I can give no stronger testimony to the
+marvellous quality of the change this girl had wrought in herself than
+to tell you that even I began to doubt, and wonder if Yolanda had
+tricked me. The effect on Max was instantaneous. After looking into the
+princess's face, he said:--
+
+"I wish to thank Your Highness for saving my life. I surely had been
+killed but for your timely help."
+
+The situation bordered on the ridiculous.
+
+"Do not thank me, my Lord Count," responded the princess, in cold and
+measured words. "I should have done the same for any man in your hard
+case. I once saved a yokel in like manner. Two common men were fighting
+with staves. One would have beaten the other to death had I not entered
+the lists and parted them. Father feared a similar exhibition on my part
+and did not wish me to attend your combat. He says now that I shall go
+to no more. I certainly made myself ridiculous. I enjoy a fair fight,
+whatever the outcome may be, but I despise murder. My act was entirely
+impersonal, Sir Count."
+
+"On the lists I addressed Your Highness as 'Yolanda,'" said Max. "Your
+resemblance to one whom I know well was so great as to deceive me."
+
+I was eager to take Max away from the dangerous situation, but I could
+not. The duke, the courtiers, and myself had moved several paces from
+Max and the princess. I, however, kept my eyes and ears open to what
+occurred between them.
+
+"Yes," returned the princess, haughtily, "I remember you so addressed
+me. I have heard of the person to whom you refer. She is, I believe, a
+niece of one Castleman, a burgher of Peronne. I know Castleman's
+daughter--a simple creature, with no pretence of being else. It has been
+said that--what do they call her? Yolanda, I believe--resembles me in
+some respects and is quite proud of the distinction. I am sure I thank
+no one for the compliment, since she is a low creature, but I accept
+your apology, my Lord Count."
+
+"I do not apologize, Your Highness," answered Max, in tones of equal
+hauteur. "You probably do not know the lady of whom you speak."
+
+The princess seemed to increase by an inch or two in stature as she drew
+herself up, and answered:--
+
+"Of course we do not know her."
+
+"If you knew her, Your Highness would apologize," retorted Max.
+
+Seeing the angry color mounting to his face, I stepped to his side and
+joined in the conversation. Presently dinner was announced, and I
+rejoiced when we parted from the princess. Turning our faces toward the
+ladies, we moved backward from the room, and went with the duke to the
+dinner hall.
+
+Compared with Castleman's daily fare, the duke's dinner was almost
+unpalatable. We had coarse beef, coarse boar's meat, coarse bread,--not
+black, but brown. Frau Kate's bread was like snow. The sour wine on the
+duke's table set our teeth on edge, though it was served in huge golden
+goblets studded with rare gems. At each guest's plate was a jewelled
+dagger. The tablecloth was of rich silk, soiled by numberless stains.
+Leeks and garlic were the only vegetables served.
+
+Nothing of importance occurred at the table, but after dinner the duke
+abruptly offered Max a large sum of gold to accompany him to
+Switzerland. Max thanked His Grace and said he would give him an answer
+soon. The duke urged an early reply, and Max said:--
+
+"With Your Grace's permission we will attend to-morrow's morning
+audience, and will make our answer after Your Lordship has risen."
+
+Charles acquiesced, and we soon left the castle. The duke, as I have
+already told you, was very rich. Hymbercourt once told me that he had
+two hundred and fifty thousand gold crowns in his coffers at Luxembourg.
+That was probably more than the combined treasuries of any two kings in
+Europe could show. Max and I were short of money, and the sum that the
+duke offered seemed enormous. Neither Max nor his father, Duke
+Frederick, had ever possessed as much money at one time.
+
+While we were leisurely walking across the courtyard toward the Postern,
+three ladies and two gentlemen, accompanied by outriders and pages
+carrying falcons, rode by us and passed out through the Postern. We
+followed, and overtook them at the town end of the drawbridge, where
+they had halted. When we came up to them, we recognized the duchess and
+the princess. The duchess bowed smilingly, but the princess did not
+speak, though she looked in our direction.
+
+The cavalcade turned to the left, and went up a narrow street toward
+Cambrai Gate, evidently bound for the marshes. Max and I walked straight
+ahead toward the Cologne bridge, intending, as we had promised, to go
+back to Castleman's. Two hundred yards up the street I glanced back, and
+saw a lady riding through the Postern, back to the castle. I knew at
+once that the princess had returned, and I was sure of meeting
+Yolanda,--sweet, smiling, tender Yolanda,--at the dear old House under
+the Wall. I did not like the princess; she was cold, haughty,
+supercilious, and perhaps tinged with her father's cruelty. I longed
+ardently for Yolanda to come out of her skin, and my heart leaped with
+joy at the early prospect.
+
+I was right in my surmise. Yolanda's sweet face, radiant with smiles and
+soft with dimples, was pressed against the window-pane watching for us
+when we crossed the moat bridge at Castleman's door.
+
+"To see her face again is like coming back to heaven; isn't it, Karl?"
+said Max.
+
+Yolanda ran to the door and opened it.
+
+"I am glad you did not stay with her," she said, giving a hand to Max
+and to me, and walking into the room between us. She was like a child
+holding our hands.
+
+I had seen the world and its people in all its phases, and I prided
+myself on my shrewdness, but without my knowledge of the stairway in the
+wall, I would have sworn that Yolanda had played a trick on me by
+leading me to believe that she was the Princess Mary. Even with full
+knowledge of all the facts, I found myself doubting. It is small cause
+for wonder, therefore, that Max was deceived.
+
+"Uncle is at the shop," said Yolanda. "Tante is at a neighbor's, and
+Twonette, of course, is asleep. We three will sit here on this bench
+with no one to disturb us, and I shall have you both all to myself. No!
+There! I'll sit between you. Now, this is delightful."
+
+She sat between us, crossed her knees--an unpardonable crime, Frau Kate
+would have thought--and giving a hand to Max and to me, said
+contentedly:--
+
+"Now, tell me all about it."
+
+I was actually on the point of beginning a narrative of our adventures,
+just as if she did not already know them,--so great was the spell she
+had thrown over me,--when Max spoke:--
+
+"We had a poor dinner, but a kind host, therefore a fine feast. The duke
+has asked us to go to Switzerland with him. Judging by the enormous sum
+he offers for our poor services, he must believe that he will need no
+other help to conquer the Swiss."
+
+"Yes--yes, that is interesting," said Yolanda, hastily, "but the
+princess--tell me of her."
+
+"She is a very beautiful princess," answered Max.
+
+"Yes--I suppose she is," answered Yolanda. "I have it dinned into my
+ears till I ought to believe it; but tell me of her manner, her
+conversation, her temper. What of them?"
+
+"She is a most beautiful princess," answered Max, evidently intending to
+utter no word against Her Highness, though as a matter of fact he did
+not like her at all. "I am sure she deserves all the good that fame
+speaks of her."
+
+Yolanda flung our hands from her, sprang to her feet, and faced us
+angrily.
+
+"That's the way with all men. A rich princess, even though she be a cold
+devil, is beautiful and good and gentle and wise and true and quick of
+wit. Men care not what she is if her house be great and rich and
+powerful. If her domains are fat and broad, she deserves 'all the good
+that fame speaks of her.' She can win no man for herself. She cannot
+touch a man's heart; she can only satisfy his greed. You went to the
+castle, Sir Max, to see this princess. You want Burgundy. That is why
+you are in Peronne!"
+
+The girl's passionate outburst was sincere, and showed me her true
+motive for deceiving Max. Her plan was not the outgrowth of a whim; it
+was the result of a tremendous motive conceived in the depths of her
+soul. She had found the man she loved, and was taking her own way to win
+him, if she could, for herself. She judged all men by the standard that
+she had just announced. She would never believe in the love of a man who
+should woo her as Princess Mary of Burgundy.
+
+Her words came near accomplishing more than she desired. When she
+stopped speaking, Max leaned forward and gently took her hand.
+
+"Yolanda, this princess is nothing to me, and I swear to you that I will
+never ask her to marry--"
+
+A frightened gleam came to the girl's eyes when she understood the oath
+that Max was about to take, and she quickly placed her hand over his
+mouth. Max was swearing too much.
+
+"You shall not make that oath, Little Max," she said. "You shall not say
+that you will never marry her, nor shall you say that you will never
+marry any one else. You must remain free to choose the right wife when
+the right time comes. You must tread the path that God has marked out
+for you. Perhaps it leads to this princess; no one can tell. If so, you
+must accept your fate, Sir Max." She sighed at the mere thought of so
+untoward a fate for Max.
+
+"I need make no oath not to marry the princess," answered Max. "She is
+beyond my reach, even though I were dying for love of her."
+
+"And you are not dying for love of her, are you?" asked Yolanda, again
+taking the seat between Max and me.
+
+"No," he responded.
+
+"Nor for love of any woman?" she asked, looking toward Max.
+
+"I'll not say that," he replied, laughing softly, and taking her hands
+between his.
+
+"No, no," she mused, looking in revery out the window. "No, we will not
+say that."
+
+I have always been as unsentimental as a man well can be, but I believe,
+had I been in Max's place, I should have thrown away my crown for the
+sake of Yolanda, the burgher girl. I remember wondering if Max would be
+strong enough finally to reach the same conclusion. If he should be, my
+faith in Yolanda's powers led me to believe that she would contrive a
+plan to make him her husband, despite her father, or the devil and
+all his imps.
+
+There is a power of finesse in the feminine mind that no man may fully
+compass, and Yolanda, in that respect, was the flower of her sex. That
+she had been able to maintain her humble personality with Max, despite
+the fact that she had been compelled to meet him twice as princess,
+proved her ability. Of course, she had the help of good old Castleman
+and his sweet Frau Kate, serene Twonette, and myself; but with all this
+help she probably would have failed without the stairway in the wall.
+
+When we left Castleman's, I did not bring up the subject of Mary and
+Yolanda. Max walked silently beside me until we had nearly reached the
+inn, when he said:--
+
+"I am almost glad I was wrong, Karl. I would not have Yolanda other
+than she is. At times, wild thoughts suggest themselves to me; but I am
+not so weak as to give way to them. I drive them off and clench my
+teeth, determined to take the misery God doles out to me. I am glad we
+are soon to leave Burgundy. The duke marches in three days, and it is
+none too soon for me."
+
+"Shall not we return to Burgundy?" I asked. "I want you to see Paris and
+Brussels, and, if possible, London before we return to Styria. Don't you
+think it best that we come back to Peronne after this war?"
+
+"You are right, Karl; we must come back," he answered. "I do not fear
+Yolanda. I am not weak."
+
+"I sometimes wonder if we know our strength from our weakness," I
+suggested. "There is doubtless much energy wasted by conscientious men
+striving in the wrong direction, who fancy they are doing their duty."
+
+"You would not have me marry Yolanda?" asked Max, a gleam of light
+coming to his eyes.
+
+"I do not know, Max," I responded. "A rare thing has happened to you.
+You have won a marvellous love from a marvellous woman. She takes no
+pains to conceal it. She could not hide it if she would. What you feel,
+only you and God know."
+
+"Only God," cried Max, huskily. "Only God. I cannot measure it."
+
+"My dear boy," said I, taking his arm, "you are at a point where you
+must decide for yourself."
+
+"I have decided," returned Max. "If my father and mother were not
+living, I might--I might--bah! there is but one life for me. I am
+doomed. I make myself wretched by resistance."
+
+"When we return to Peronne, you will know your mind," I answered
+soothingly.
+
+"I know my mind now," he answered. "I know that I would give half the
+years of my life to possess Yolanda; but I also know the fate that God
+has marked out for me."
+
+"Then you know more than many a wise man thrice your age can boast,"
+said I.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The duke's armies had been gathering throughout Burgundy. Men had come
+in great numbers to camp near Peronne, and the town was noisy with
+martial preparations. Contrary to Hymbercourt's advice, the duke was
+leaving Peronne Castle guarded by only a small garrison. Charles had
+great faith in the strength of Peronne the Impregnable, and, although it
+was near the French border, he trusted in its strength and in his treaty
+with King Louis. He knew from experience that a treaty with Louis would
+bind that crafty monarch only so long as it was to his interest to
+remain bound; but Louis' interest in maintaining the treaty seemed
+greater than Burgundy's, and Charles rested on that fact. Peronne was to
+be left captained by the duchess and Mary, and garrisoned by five score
+men-at-arms, who were either too old or too young to go to war.
+
+Without discussing the duke's offer, Max and I decided to accept it,
+though for different reasons. Max needed the gold; he also sniffed
+battle, and wanted the excitement and the enterprise of war. I had all
+his reasons, and still another; I wanted to give Yolanda time to execute
+her plans.
+
+The war with Switzerland would probably be short. Max would be with the
+duke, and would, I hoped, augment the favor with which Charles already
+honored him. Should Yolanda's letter make trouble with France, Duke
+Charles might be induced, through his personal feelings, to listen to
+Max's suit. If Charles returned from Switzerland victorious--and no
+other outcome seemed possible--he would no longer have reason to carry
+out the marriage treaty with France. It had been made largely for the
+purpose of keeping Louis quiet while Charles was absent. Anything might
+happen; everything might happen, while Max was with Charles in
+Switzerland and Yolanda at home making trouble with France.
+
+The next day, by appointment, we waited on the duke at the morning
+audience. When we entered the great hall, the urgent business had been
+transacted, and half a score of lords and gentlemen stood near the dais,
+discussing some topic with the duke and with one another. We moved near
+the throne, and I heard Charles say to Campo-Basso and Hymbercourt:--
+
+"Almost three weeks have passed since our message to France, and we have
+had no answer. What think you, gentlemen, of the delay?"
+
+"His Majesty is not in Paris, or delays answering," said Hymbercourt.
+
+"By the Host, if I could think that King Louis were holding Byron and
+delaying an answer, I would change my plans and march on Paris rather
+than on Switzerland."
+
+"I fear, my lord," said Campo-Basso, with a sympathetic desire to make
+trouble, if possible, "that His Majesty delays an answer while he frames
+one that shall be elusive, yet conciliatory. King Louis, Your Grace
+knows, thinks many times before each word he speaks or writes."
+
+"If he has intentionally delayed this answer, I'll give him cause to
+think many times _after_ his words," said Charles.
+
+Conversations of like nature had occurred on several occasions since the
+sending of the missive to Louis, and they offered the stormy duke
+opportunity to vent his boastfulness and spleen. While Charles was
+pouring out his wrath against his brother-in-law, Byron, the herald,
+appeared at the door of the great hall. He announced himself, and, when
+ordered to approach, ran to the dais, kneeled on the second step, and
+placed a small sealed packet in the duke's hand.
+
+"Did you find King Louis at Paris?" asked the duke, addressing Byron.
+
+"I did, my lord."
+
+"Paris is but thirty leagues distant, and you certainly have had
+sufficient time since leaving us to journey across Europe and back. Did
+not I command you to make haste?"
+
+"You did, my lord," answered the herald. "King Louis put me off from day
+to day, always promising me an answer, but giving it only yesterday
+afternoon when the sun was half below the horizon."
+
+Charles nervously broke the seals of the package, and attempted to read
+the letter. He failed, and handed it to Campo-Basso, saying:--
+
+"Read the missive. I already know its contents, but read, my lord,
+read."
+
+Campo-Basso read the letter.
+
+"To Our Most Illustrious Brother Charles Duke of Burgundy, and Count of
+Charolois:--
+
+"We recommend us and send Your Grace greeting. We are anxious to
+pleasure our noble brother of Burgundy in all things, and heartily
+desire the marriage between our son and the illustrious Princess of
+Burgundy, but we shall not move toward it until our said noble brother
+shall return from Switzerland, nor will we do aught to distract his
+attention from the perilous business he now has on hand. We pray that
+the saints may favor his design, and would especially recommend that our
+noble brother propitiate with prayers and offerings the holy Saint
+Hubert. We, ourselves, have importuned this holy saint, and he has
+proved marvellously helpful on parlous occasions.
+
+"Louis, R."
+
+The duke's anger was terrible and disgusting to behold. When his
+transports of rage allowed him to speak, he broke forth with oaths too
+blasphemous to write on a white page.
+
+"The fawning hypocrite!" he cried. "He thinks to cozen us with his cheap
+words. The biting insult in his missive is that he takes it for granted
+that we are so great a fool as to believe him. Even his recommendation
+of a saint is a lie. The world knows his favorite saint is Saint Andrew.
+King Louis spends half his time grovelling on his marrow bones before
+that saint and the Blessed Virgin. He recommends to us Saint Hubert,
+believing that his holy saintship will be of no avail."
+
+Charles was right. Sir Philip de Comines, seneschal to King Louis,
+afterward told me that His Majesty, in writing this letter to the Duke
+of Burgundy, actually took counsel and devoted much time and thought to
+the choice of a baneful or impotent saint to recommend to his "noble
+brother of Burgundy." Disaster to Louis had once followed supplication
+to Saint Hubert, and the king hoped that the worthy saint might prove
+equally unpropitious for Charles. Yolanda's wonderful "t" was certainly
+the most stupendous single letter ever quilled. Here were the
+first-fruits of it.
+
+"Were it not that these self-sufficient Swiss need to be blooded, I
+would turn my army against France to-morrow," said the duke.
+
+"And have Bourbon and Lorraine upon Your Lordship's back from the east,
+Ghent rebelling in the north, and the Swiss pouring in from the south,"
+interrupted Hymbercourt.
+
+"You are certainly right, my Lord d'Hymbercourt," replied Charles,
+sullenly. "They surround us like a pack of starved wolves, ready to
+spring upon us the moment we are crippled. Burgundy stands alone against
+all Europe."
+
+"A vast treasure, my lord, attracts thieves," said Hymbercourt.
+"Burgundy is the richest land on earth."
+
+"It is, indeed it is," replied the duke, angrily, "and I have no son to
+keep it after me. But France shall not have it; that I swear upon my
+knighthood. Write to France, my Lord Bishop of Cambrai, and tell King
+Louis that my daughter shall not marry his son. Waste no words, my Lord
+Bishop, in what you call courtesy. We need no double meaning in our
+missives."
+
+Those who heard the duke's words knew that he was committing a costly
+error, but no one dared to suggest as much. One might, with equal
+success, have flung soft words at a mad bull. Truly that "t"--but I will
+speak of it no more, though I have a thrill of joy and mirth even now
+when I think of it.
+
+After many explosions, the duke's pent-up wrath found vent, and began to
+subside. Espying Max and me he called us to the throne.
+
+"Have you concluded to join us in our little holiday excursion against
+these mountain swine?" asked His Grace, addressing us.
+
+"We have, my lord. We shall be proud to serve under the banner of so
+brave a prince," I answered.
+
+"'We have' would have been sufficient, Sir Karl," answered the duke,
+still surly from the dregs of his wrath. "We hear so many soft words
+from France that we despise them in the mouths of honest men."
+
+The duke then turned to his seneschal, De Vergy, and spoke in tones that
+were heard all over the room:--
+
+"My lord, Maximilian, Count of Hapsburg, and Sir Karl de Pitti have
+consented to join our banners. Enroll them in places of honor, my Lord
+Seneschal. See that they are supplied with horses, accoutrements, and
+tents for themselves and their squires, and direct my Lord Treasurer to
+pay to them upon demand a sum of money of which he shall be duly
+notified."
+
+When the duke stopped speaking, a murmur of approval ran through the
+audience--though the Italians had no part in it. The murmur grew
+clamorous and soon a mighty shout filled the vaulted roof:--
+
+"Long life to the noble Count of Hapsburg! Burgundy and Styria forever!"
+
+To me, the words seemed delightfully prophetic. Soon afterward the
+audience was dismissed, and Max and I had the great honor of being asked
+to join the duke's council. A council to the Duke of Burgundy was indeed
+a veritable fifth wheel. He made his own plans and, right or wrong,
+clung to them. He would, on rare occasions, listen to Hymbercourt,--a
+man of few words, who gave advice as if he were lending a crown,--but
+the suggestions of others antagonized him.
+
+The question before the council this morning was: Should the duke's army
+carry provisions, or should it take them from the countries through
+which it was to pass? Charles favored the latter course, and it was
+agreed upon. The people of non-belligerent states should be paid for the
+provisions that were taken; that is, theoretically they should be paid.
+The Swiss should furnish provision, gratis, and that doubtless would be
+terribly practical.
+
+On each of the three evenings intervening between the day of this
+council and the departure of the army, we saw Yolanda at Castleman's.
+She was always waiting when we arrived. She had changed in many
+respects, but especially in her attitude regarding Max. She was kind and
+gentle, but shy. Having dropped her familiar manner, she did not go near
+him, but sat at a distance, holding Twonette's hand, and silently but
+constantly watching him, as if she were awaiting something. Her eyes, at
+times, seemed to be half-indignant interrogation points. At other times
+I could see in them doubt, waiting, and hope--hope almost tired
+with yearning.
+
+It was no small love that she wanted from Max. She had hoped--perhaps I
+should say she had longed with little hope--that he would, for the sake
+of the burgher girl, Yolanda, be willing to turn his back on his family
+and his land. But now he was leaving, and her dream was about to close,
+since Max would probably never come back to her.
+
+Not the least painful of Yolanda's emotions was the knowledge that she
+could insure Max's return by telling him that she was the Princess of
+Burgundy. But she did not want this man whom she loved so dearly, and
+who, she knew, loved her, if she must win him as princess. She was
+strangely impelled to reject a reprieve from a life of wretchedness,
+unless it came through the high court of love.
+
+Max, in speaking to me about his return, had wavered many times. One day
+he would return; the next, he would swallow the bitter draught fate had
+in store for him. He was a great, honest soul, and to such the call of
+duty is compelling.
+
+On the evening before our departure we went to sup with Castleman. On
+our way down to the House under the Wall, Max said:--
+
+"Karl, my duty is clear. I must not return to Peronne. If I do, I fear I
+shall never leave it."
+
+I did not answer; but I had resolved that he should return, and I
+intended that my resolution should become a fact. Yolanda was not
+present at supper, but she appeared soon after we had risen. We sat
+under the dim light of a lamp in the long room. Yolanda was on the
+cushioned bench in the shadow of the great chimney, silently clasping
+Twonette's hand. Twonette, of course, was silent and serene. Castleman
+and I talked disjointedly, and Max sat motionless, gazing through the
+window into the night. After greeting us, Yolanda spoke not a word; but
+ever in the deep shadow I could see the glow of her eyes looking toward
+Max. That his heart was filled with a great struggle, I knew, and I
+believed that Yolanda also knew.
+
+We had many preparations to make before our departure next morning at
+dawn, so after an hour Max and I rose to leave. Twonette, leaving
+Yolanda, came to us, and the Castlemans all gave us a hearty God-speed.
+Yolanda sat wordless in the shadow. I went to her and gave her my hand.
+
+"Farewell, Fraeulein," I said.
+
+Max followed me closely, and I stepped aside to make way for him. The
+girl rose and stood irresolute before him. I went to the Castlemans, who
+were standing at a distance.
+
+"Fraeulein--" said Max. But she interrupted him, extending her hands,
+which he clasped.
+
+"Have you no word for me, Sir Max?" she asked pathetically, tears
+springing to her eyes. "Are you coming back to me? Have you the right to
+come into my life as you have done, and to leave me? Does God impose but
+one duty on you--that of your birth?"
+
+"Ah, Fraeulein," answered Max, huskily, "you know--you know what I
+suffer."
+
+"I surely do know," she responded, "else I would not speak so plainly.
+But answer me, Sir Max. Answer my question. It is my right to know upon
+what I may depend. Will you come back to me?"
+
+The imperious will of the princess had come to the rescue of Yolanda,
+the burgher girl.
+
+Max paused before speaking, then grasped her hands fiercely and
+answered:--
+
+"Before God, Fraeulein, I will come back to you, if I live."
+
+Yolanda sank upon the cushioned bench, covered her face with her hands,
+and the pent-up storm of sobs and tears broke forth as Max and I passed
+out the door.
+
+Yolanda had won.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+MAX GOES TO WAR
+
+The next morning at dawn our army marched. Although Duke Charles would
+not encumber himself with provisions for his men, he carried a vast
+train of carts filled with plate, silk tents, rich rugs, and precious
+jewels; for, with all his bravery, this duke's ruling passion was the
+love of display in the presence of foreigners.
+
+I shall not give the story of this disastrous war in detail; that lies
+in the province of history, and my story relates only to Max and
+Yolanda, and to the manner in which they were affected by the results
+of the war.
+
+We marched with forty thousand men, and laid siege to the city of
+Granson, in the district of Vaud. The Swiss sent ambassadors under a
+flag of truce, begging Charles to spare them, and saying, according to
+my friend Comines, that "there were among them no good prisoners to
+make, and that the spurs and horses' bits of the duke's army were worth
+more money than all the people of Switzerland could pay in ransoms, even
+if they were taken." Charles rejected all overtures, and on the third of
+March the brave little Swiss army sallied against us, "heralding their
+advances by the lowings of the Bull of Uri and the Cow of Unterwalden,
+two enormous instruments which had been given to their ancestors by
+Charlemagne."
+
+God was against Charles of Burgundy, and his army was utterly routed by
+one of less than a fourth its size. I was with Charles after the battle,
+and his humiliation was more pitiful than his bursts of ungovernable
+wrath were disgusting. The king of France, hoping for this disaster, was
+near by at Lyons.
+
+A cruel man is always despicable in misfortune. Charles at once sent to
+King Louis a conciliatory, fawning letter, recanting all that he had
+said in his last missive from Peronne, and expressing the hope that His
+Majesty would adhere to the treaty and would consent to the marriage of
+Princess Mary and the Dauphin at once. In this letter Yolanda had no
+opportunity to insert a disturbing "t." Louis answered graciously,
+saying that the treaty should be observed, and that the marriage should
+take place immediately upon the duke's return to Burgundy.
+
+"We have already forwarded instructions to Paris," wrote King Louis,
+"directing that preparations be made at once for the celebration of this
+most desired union at the holy church of St. Denis. We wondered much at
+Your Grace's first missive, in which you so peremptorily desired us not
+to move in this matter till your return; and we wondered more at Your
+Lordship's ungracious reply to our answer in which we consented to the
+delay Your Grace had asked."
+
+Well might King Louis wonder. Charles also wondered, and cursed the
+stupidity of the Bishop of Cambrai, who had so "encumbered his letter
+with senseless courtesy as to distort its meaning."
+
+Charles despatched letters to Peronne and Ghent, ordering immediate
+preparations for the marriage. As usual, poor Mary was not considered of
+sufficient importance to receive notice of the event that concerned her
+so vitally. Others would prepare her, as one might fatten a lamb for
+slaughter. The lamb need not be consulted or even informed; the day of
+its fate would be sufficient for it. I was in despair. Max, in his
+ignorance, was indifferent.
+
+After a short delay, the duke gathered his wrath and his army and laid
+siege to the town of Morat, announcing his intention to give no quarter,
+but to kill all, old and young, men, women, and children. The Swiss were
+prepared for us. "The energy of pride was going to be pitted against the
+energy of patriotism." Again disaster fell upon Charles. Thousands of
+his army were slain, and thousands fled in hopeless rout. His soldiers
+had never wanted to fight, and one man defending his hearth is stronger
+than half a score attacking it.
+
+The loss of this battle drove Charles back to Burgundy. With a few of
+his train, including Max and myself, he retired to the Castle of La
+Riviera. Here he learned that Rene, Duke of Lorraine, had mustered his
+forces and had laid siege to Nancy, which city Charles had taken from
+Duke Rene, some years before, and had garrisoned with Burgundians and
+English. Upon hearing this unwelcome news, Charles began the arduous
+task of collecting another army. He was compelled to leave the
+neighborhood of Switzerland and fly to the rescue of Nancy.
+
+The first of January found us before Nancy, but our arrival was three
+days too late. The city had capitulated to Duke Rene. On the fifth of
+January a battle was fought before Nancy, but Fortune had turned her
+back for all and all on this cruel Duke of Burgundy and Count of
+Charolois. The disasters at Granson and Morat were repeated. At
+nightfall Charles could not be found. I supposed that he had escaped,
+but the next morning his body was found by a washerwoman, frozen in the
+ice of a pond. He had been killed through the machinations of
+Campo-Basso. Duke Rene magnanimously gave Charles regal burial, and
+dismissed his followers without ransom. You may be sure I was eager to
+return to Peronne.
+
+Fortune, in turning her back upon Charles, had turned her smiling face
+toward Max. Her ladyship's smiles were too precious to be wasted, so we
+made post-haste for Peronne, I spurred by one motive, Mary of Burgundy,
+Max by another--Yolanda. His heart had grieved for her in castle, in
+camp, and in din of battle. He had, unknown to me, formed a great and
+noble resolution; and there was no horse swift enough to keep pace with
+his desire when we started for Peronne.
+
+I was the first to announce the duke's death. The dark news was given by
+me to the duchess and the princess in Margaret's parlor. These poor
+women tried to grieve, but they were not hypocrites, and they could not
+weep. Each had received at Charles's hands only ill-usage and cruelty,
+and in their hearts they must have felt relief at his death.
+
+"It was sure to come," said Margaret. "The duke's bravery led him always
+into danger. It is God's will, and it must be right."
+
+The princess walked to the window, and said nothing, until I was about
+to leave; then she turned to me nervously and asked:--
+
+"Did--did Sir Max come with you?"
+
+I looked at her in surprise, and glanced inquiringly toward the duchess.
+
+"My mother knows all, Sir Karl," said the princess, reassuringly. "There
+have been many things which I could not have done without her help. I
+have made many rapid changes, Sir Karl, from a princess to a burgher
+girl, and back again, and I should have failed without my mother's help.
+I surely mystified you often before you knew of the stairway in the
+wall. Indeed, I have often hurried breathless to Uncle Castleman's house
+to deceive you. Mother invented a burgher girl's costume that I used to
+wear as an under-bodice and petticoat, so, you see, I have been visiting
+you in my petticoats. I will show you some fine day--perhaps. I have but
+to unfasten a half-score of hooks, and off drops the princess--I am
+Yolanda! I throw a skirt over my head, fasten the hooks of a bodice, don
+my head-dress, and behold! the princess once more. Only a moment
+intervenes between happiness and wretchedness. But tell me, Sir Karl,
+have you ever told Sir Max who I am?"
+
+"Never, Your Highness--"
+
+"Yolanda," she interrupted, correcting me smilingly.
+
+"Never, Yolanda," I responded. "He does not even suspect that you are
+the princess. I shall be true to you. You know what you are doing."
+
+"Indeed I do, Sir Karl," she replied. "I shall win or lose now in a
+short time and in short skirts. If Max will wed me as Yolanda, I shall
+be the happiest girl on earth. If not, I shall be the most wretched. If
+he learns that I am the princess, and if I must offer him the additional
+inducement of my estates and my domains to bring him to me, I shall not
+see him again, Sir Karl, if I die of grief for it."
+
+I knew well what she meant, but I did not believe that she would be
+able to hold to her resolution if she were put to the test. I was,
+however, mistaken. With all my knowledge of the girl I did not know
+her strength.
+
+We reached Peronne during the afternoon and, of course, went early the
+same evening to Castleman's.
+
+We were greeted heartily by the good burgher, his wife, and his
+daughter. Twonette courtesied to Max, but when she came to me, this
+serene young goddess of pink and white offered me her cheek to kiss. I,
+who had passed my quasi-priestly life without once enjoying such a
+luxury, touched the velvet cheek with my lips and actually felt a thrill
+of delight. Life among the burghers really was delicious. I tell you
+this as a marked illustration of the fact that a man never grows too old
+to be at times a fool. Twonette slipped from the room, and within
+fifteen minutes returned. She went directly to Max and said:--
+
+"Some one is waiting for you in the oak room above."
+
+She pointed the way, and Max climbed the stairs two steps at a time. I
+thought from his eagerness he would clear the entire flight at one
+bound. To his knock a soft voice bade him enter. The owner of the voice
+was sitting demurely at the farthest end of the room on a cushioned
+bench. Her back rested against the moving panel that led to the
+stairway in the wall. She did not move when Max entered. She had done
+all the moving she intended to do, and Max must now act for himself. He
+did. He ran down the long room to her, crying:--
+
+"Yolanda! Yolanda!"
+
+She rose to greet him, and he, taking her in his arms, covered her face
+with kisses. The unconscious violence of his great strength bruised and
+hurt her, but she gloried in the pain, and was passive as a babe in his
+arms. When they were seated and half calm, she clutched one of his great
+fingers and said:--
+
+"You kept your word, Little Max. You came back to me."
+
+"Did you not know that I would come?" he asked.
+
+"Ah, indeed, I knew--you are not one that makes a promise to break it.
+Sometimes it is difficult to induce such a man to give his word, and I
+found it so, but once given it is worth having--worth having,
+Little Max."
+
+She smiled up into his face while she spoke, as if to say, "You gave me
+a deal of trouble, but at last I have captured you."
+
+"Did you so greatly desire the promise, Yolanda?" asked Max, solely for
+the pleasure of hearing her answer.
+
+"Yes," she answered softly, hanging her head, "more than any _man_, can
+know. It must be an intense longing that will drive a modest girl to
+boldness, such as I have shown ever since the day I first met you at
+dear old Basel. It almost broke my heart when father--fatherland--when
+Burgundy made war on Switzerland." The word "land" was a lucky thought,
+and came to the girl just in the nick of time.
+
+Max was too much interested in the girl to pay close attention to any
+slips she might make about the war with Switzerland. It is true he was
+now a soldier, and war was all right in its place; but there are things
+in life compared with which the wars of nations are trivial affairs. All
+subjects save one were unwelcome to him.
+
+"Now I am going to ask a promise from you, Fraeulein," said Max,
+loosening his hand from her grasp and placing his arm about her waist.
+She offered no objections to the new situation, but blushed and looked
+down demurely to her folded hands.
+
+"It will, I fear, be very easy for you, Max, to induce me to promise
+anything you wish. It will be all too easy, for I am not strong, as you
+are." She glanced into his face, but her eyes fell quickly to her hands.
+
+"I shall soon leave you again, Fraeulein, and what I wish is of such
+moment that I--I almost fear to ask."
+
+"Yes, Max," she murmured, gently reaching across his knee, and placing
+her hand in his by way of encouragement.
+
+"It is this, Fraeulein. I am going back to Styria, and I want to carry
+with me your promise to be my wife," said Max, softly.
+
+The girl's head fell over against his shoulder, and she clasped his free
+hand between both of hers.
+
+"I will ask my father's consent," said Max. "I will tell him of you and
+of my great love, which is so great, Fraeulein, that all the world is
+nothing beside it and beside you, and he will grant my request."
+
+"But if he doesn't, Max?" asked the face hidden upon his breast.
+
+"If he does not, Fraeulein, I will forego my country and my estates. I
+will come back to you and will work in the fields, if need be, to make
+you as happy as you will make me."
+
+"There will be no need for that, Max," she answered, tears of happiness
+slowly trickling down her cheeks, "for I am rich."
+
+"That I am sorry to hear," he responded.
+
+"Don't you want to know who I am before you wed me?" she asked, after a
+long pause. She had almost made up her mind to tell him.
+
+"That you may tell me when you are my wife," said Max. "I thought you
+were the Princess Mary, but I am almost glad that you are not. I soon
+knew that I was wrong, for I knew that you would not deceive me."
+
+The girl winced and concluded to postpone telling her momentous secret.
+She was now afraid to do so. As a matter of fact, she had in her heart a
+healthy little touch of womanly cowardice on small occasions. After a
+long, delicious pause, Max said:--
+
+"Have I your promise, Fraeulein?"
+
+"Y-e-s," she answered hesitatingly, "I will be your wife if--if I can,
+and if you will take me when you learn who I am. There is no taint of
+disgrace about me, Max," she added quickly, in response to the look of
+surprise on his face. "But I am not worthy of you, and I fear that if
+your father but knew my unworthiness, he would refuse his consent to our
+marriage. You must not tell him of my boldness. I will tell you all
+about myself before you leave for Styria, and then, if you do not want
+me, you may leave me to--to die."
+
+"I shall want you, Yolanda. I shall want you. Have no doubt of that," he
+answered.
+
+"With the assurance that there is no stain or taint upon me or my
+family, do you give me your word, Max, that you will want me and will
+take me, whoever I am, and will not by word or gesture show me that you
+are angry or that you regret your promise?"
+
+"I gladly give you that promise," answered Max.
+
+"Did you ever tell a lie, Little Max?" she asked banteringly, "or did
+you ever deliberately break a promise?"
+
+"Did I ever steal or commit wilful murder?" asked Max, withdrawing his
+arm.
+
+"No, Max; now put it back again," she said.
+
+After a long pause she continued:--
+
+"I have lied."
+
+Max laughed and drew her to him.
+
+"Your lies will harm no one," he said joyously.
+
+"No," she responded, "I only lie that good may come of it."
+
+Then silence fell upon the world--their world. Was not that hour with
+Max worth all the pains that Yolanda had taken to deceive him?
+
+Yolanda and Max came down to the long room, and she, too, gave me her
+cheek to kiss.
+
+Twonette had prepared a great tankard of wine and honey, with pepper and
+allspice to suit Yolanda's taste, and we all sat before the great
+blazing yule fire, as joyful and content as any six people in
+Christendom. Twonette and Yolanda together occupied one large chair;
+Twonette serenely allowing herself to be caressed by Yolanda, who was in
+a state of mind that compelled her to caress some one. Gentle Frau Kate
+was sleeping in a great easy chair near the chimney-corner. Max sat at
+one side of the table,--the side nearest Yolanda,--while Castleman and
+I sat by each other within easy reach of the wine. I knew without the
+telling, all that had occurred upstairs, and the same light seemed to
+have fallen upon the Castlemans. Good old George was in high spirits,
+and I could see in his eye that he intended to get drunk and, if
+possible, to bring me, also, to that happy condition. After many goblets
+of wine, he remarked:--
+
+"The king of France will probably be upon us within a fortnight after he
+hears the sad news from Nancy."
+
+Yolanda immediately sat upright in her chair, abandoning Twonette's soft
+hand and softer cheek.
+
+"Why do you believe so, uncle?" she asked nervously.
+
+"Because he has waited all his life for this untoward event to happen."
+
+"Preparations should be made to receive him," said Yolanda.
+
+"Ah, yes," replied Castleman, "but Burgundy's army is scattered to the
+four winds. It has given its blood for causes in which its heart was
+not. We lack the strong arm of the duke, to force men to battle against
+their will. King Louis must be fought by policy, not by armies; and
+Hymbercourt is absent."
+
+"Do you know aught of him, Sir Karl?" asked Yolanda.
+
+"I do not, Fraeulein," I answered, "save that he was alive and well when
+we left Nancy."
+
+"That, at least, is good news," she replied, "and I make sure he will
+soon come to Burgundy's help."
+
+"I am sure he is now on his way," I answered.
+
+"What can Burgundy do?" she asked, turning to Castleman and me. "You
+will each advise--advise the princess, I hope."
+
+"If she wishes my poor advice," I responded, "she has but to ask it."
+
+"And mine," said Castleman, tipping his goblet over his nose.
+
+"If we are to have clear heads to-morrow," I suggested, "we must drink
+no more wine to-night. The counsel of wine is the advice of the devil."
+
+"Right you are, Sir Karl. Only one more goblet. Here's to the health of
+the bride to be," said Castleman.
+
+Yolanda leaned back in her chair beside Twonette, and her face wore a
+curious combination of smile and pout.
+
+On the way to the inn, Max, who was of course very happy, told me what
+had happened in the oak room and added:--
+
+"I look to you, Karl, to help me with father."
+
+"That I will certainly do," I answered. I could not resist saying: "We
+came to Burgundy with the hope of winning the princess. Fortune has
+opened a door for you by the death of her father. Don't you wish
+to try?"
+
+"No," said Max, turning on me. A moment later he added, "If Yolanda were
+but the princess, as I once believed she was, what a romance our
+journey to Burgundy would make!"
+
+My spirits were somewhat dampened by Castleman's words concerning the
+French king. Surely they were true, since King Louis was the last man in
+Europe to forego the opportunity presented by the death of Charles.
+Should the Princess Mary lose Burgundy just at the time when Max had won
+her, my disappointment would indeed be great, and Max might truly need
+my help with his father.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A TREATY WITH LOUIS XI
+
+The next day Castleman and I were called to the castle, and talked over
+the situation with the duchess and the Princess Mary. In the midst of
+our council, in walked Hymbercourt and Hugonet. They were devoted
+friends of Mary.
+
+Our first move was to send spies to the court of France; so two trusted
+men started at once. Paris was but thirty leagues distant, and the men
+could reach it in fifteen hours. Half a day there should enable them to
+learn the true condition of affairs, since they carried well-filled
+purses to loosen the tongues of Cardinal Balau and Oliver the Barber.
+The bribery plan was Mary's, and it worked admirably.
+
+Within forty-eight hours the spies returned, and reported that King
+Louis, with a small army, was within fifteen leagues of Peronne. He had
+quickly assembled the three estates at Paris, all of whom promised the
+king their aid. In the language of the chancellor, "The commons offered
+to help their king with their bodies and their wealth, the nobles with
+their advice, and the clergy with their prayers." This appalling news
+set Peronne in an uproar.
+
+Recruiting officers were sent out in all directions, the town was
+garrisoned, and fortifications were overhauled. Mary was again in
+trouble, and the momentous affairs resting on her young shoulders seemed
+to have put Max out of her mind. I expected her to call him into council
+and reveal herself, but she did not.
+
+On the day after we learned of King Louis' approach, the princess called
+Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Castleman, and myself to her closet and graciously
+asked us to be seated about a small table.
+
+"I have formed a plan that I wish to submit to you," she said. "I'll
+send to King Louis an invitation to visit me here at Peronne, under
+safeguard. When he comes, I intend to offer to restore all the cities
+that my father took from him, if he will release me from the treaty of
+marriage, and will swear upon the Cross of Victory to support me against
+my enemies, and to assist me in subduing Ghent, now in rebellion. What
+think you of the plan?"
+
+"Your Highness is giving King Louis nearly half your domain," suggested
+Hymbercourt.
+
+"True," answered the princess, "but it is better to give half than to
+lose all. Where can we turn for help against this greedy king? When
+Burgundy is in better case, we'll take them all from him again."
+
+"Your Highness is right," answered Hymbercourt. "But what assurance have
+you that King Louis will accept your terms?"
+
+"Little, my lord, save that King Louis does not know our weakness.
+Oliver has by this time told him that he has news of a vast army
+collecting within twenty leagues of Peronne. If Louis accepts our terms,
+Oliver and the cardinal are each to receive twenty thousand crowns out
+of our treasury at Luxembourg. My father fought King Louis with blows;
+I'll fight His Majesty with his own weapon, gold. That is the lesson my
+father should have learned."
+
+I rose to my feet during her recital and looked down at her in wonder.
+
+"Yolanda"--I began, but corrected myself--"Your Highness needs no
+councillor. I, for one, deem your plan most wise, and I see in it the
+salvation of Burgundy."
+
+The other councillors agreed with me most heartily.
+
+"I have still another plan which I hope may frighten King Louis into
+accepting our terms. During the conference which I hope to hold with His
+Majesty, I shall receive a message from my mother's brother, King Edward
+of England. The missive, of course, will be directed to my father, since
+the English king cannot yet know of the duke's death. The messenger will
+be an English herald, and will demand immediate audience,
+and--and--however, I'll keep the remainder of that plan to myself."
+
+A broad smile appeared on the faces of all present. Hugonet gazed at the
+princess and laughed outright.
+
+"Why did not your father take you into his council?" he asked.
+
+"I should have been no help to him," she responded. "A woman's wits,
+dear Hugonet, must be driven by a great motive."
+
+"But you would have had the motive," answered Hugonet.
+
+"There is but one motive for a woman, my lord," she answered.
+
+Hugonet unceremoniously whistled his astonishment, and Yolanda blushed
+as she said:--
+
+"You shall soon know."
+
+Mary's plan for an interview with Louis succeeded perfectly. He came
+post-haste under safe conduct to Peronne.
+
+Whatever may be said against Louis, he did not know personal fear. He
+had a wholesome dread of sacrificing the lives of his people, and
+preferred to satisfy his greed by policy rather than by war. Gold,
+rather than blood, was the price he paid for his victories. Taken all in
+all, he was the greatest king that France ever had--if one may judge a
+king by the double standard of what he accomplishes and what it costs
+his people. He almost doubled the territory of France, and he lost fewer
+men in battle than any enterprising monarch of whom I know.
+
+Within forty-eight hours of receiving the safe conduct, King Louis was
+sitting beside Mary on the dais of the ducal throne in the great hall.
+She was heavily veiled, being in mourning for her father. At her left
+stood Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Max, and myself. At the king's right stood
+Cardinal Balau and Oliver the Barber, each anticipating a rich reward in
+case Louis should accept Mary's terms. Back of them stood a score of the
+king's courtiers. Many questions of state were discussed; and then
+Hymbercourt presented Mary's offer to King Louis. The king hesitated.
+After a long pause he spoke, looking straight ahead, at nothing; as was
+his custom.
+
+"We will consult with our friends and make answer soon," he said,
+speaking to nobody.
+
+Louis seemed to think that if he looked at no one and addressed nobody,
+when he spoke, he might the more easily wriggle out of his
+obligations later on.
+
+Mary had caused to be drawn up in duplicate a treaty in accordance with
+the terms that she had outlined at our little council. It was handed to
+Oliver when the king rose to retire to a private room, to discuss the
+contents with his councillors.
+
+At the moment when King Louis rose to his feet, a herald was announced
+at the great hall door.
+
+"A message from His Majesty, King Edward of England," cried the
+Burgundian herald. Louis resumed his seat as though his feet had slipped
+from under him.
+
+"We are engaged," answered Mary, acting well a difficult part. "Let the
+herald leave his packet, or deliver it later."
+
+A whispered conversation took place between the Burgundian herald and
+the Englishman. Then spoke the Burgundian:--
+
+"Most Gracious Princess, the English herald has no packet. He bears a
+verbal message to your late father, and insists that he must deliver it
+to Your Highness at once."
+
+"Must, indeed!" cried Mary, indignantly. Then turning to the king:
+"These English grow arrogant, Your Majesty. What has the herald to say?
+Let him come forward. We have no secrets from our most gracious
+godfather, King Louis."
+
+The English herald approached the ducal throne, but did not speak.
+
+"Proceed," said Mary, irritably.
+
+"With all deference, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald, "the
+subject-matter of my message is such that it should be communicated
+privately, or at Your Highness's council-board."
+
+"If you have a message from my good uncle, King Edward, deliver it here
+and now," said the princess.
+
+"As you will, Most Gracious Princess," said the herald. "King Edward has
+amassed a mighty army, which is now awaiting orders to sail for France;
+and His Majesty asks permission to cross the territory of Burgundy on
+his way to Paris. He will pay to Your Highness such compensation as may
+be agreed upon when His Majesty meets you, which he hopes may be within
+a month. His Majesty begs a written reply to the message I bear."
+
+Mary paused before she answered.
+
+"Wait without. My answer depends upon the conclusions of His Majesty,
+the King of France."
+
+The herald withdrew, but in the meantime Louis had descended to the
+floor and was busily conning the treaty that Mary had caused to be
+written. He was whispering with Cardinal Balau and Oliver, and was
+evidently excited by the news he had just heard from England. When he
+resumed his seat beside Mary, he said:--
+
+"By this treaty, which is simple and straightforward, Your Highness
+cedes to me certain cities herein named, in perpetuity; and in
+consideration thereof, I am to be with you friend of friend and foe of
+foe. I am to aid you in subduing your rebellious subjects, and to
+sustain you in your choice of a husband. I am also to release you from
+the present contract of marriage with my son, the Dauphin."
+
+"That is all, Your Majesty," said the princess. "It is short and to the
+point."
+
+"Indeed it is, Your Highness, and if you will answer King Edward and
+will deny him the privilege of crossing Burgundy, I will sign the
+treaty, and will swear upon the true cross to keep it inviolate."
+
+Mary could hardly conceal her exultation, but she answered calmly:--
+
+"Will Your Majesty sign now?"
+
+Louis and Mary each signed the treaty, and the piece of the true cross
+upon which the oath was to be made was brought before them, resting on a
+velvet pillow. Now there were many pieces of the true cross, of which
+Louis possessed two. Upon one of these he held the oath to be binding
+and inviolate; it was known as the Cross of Victory. Upon the other his
+oath was less sacred, and the sin of perjury was venial.
+
+I stood near the throne, and, suspecting Louis of fraud, made bold to
+inquire:--
+
+"Most humbly I would ask Your Majesty, is this the Cross of Victory?"
+
+The king examined the piece of wood resting on the cushion and said:--
+
+"By Saint Andrew, My Lord Cardinal, you have committed an error. You
+have brought me the wrong piece."
+
+The Cross of Victory was then produced, with many apologies and excuses
+for the mistake, and the oath was taken while Mary's tiny hand rested on
+the relic beside King Louis' browned and wrinkled talon. When the
+ceremony was finished, the king turned to Mary and said:--
+
+"Whom will Your Highness select for a husband?"
+
+"My father sometime had treaty with Duke Frederick of Styria, looking
+to my marriage with his son Maximilian, and I shall ratify the compact."
+
+Max was about to speak, but I plucked him by the sleeve.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Now I shall hasten to the end. The king took his departure within an
+hour, carrying with him his copy of the treaty. The audience was
+dismissed, and the princess left the great hall by the door back of the
+throne, having first directed Hymbercourt, Hugonet, Max, and myself to
+follow within five minutes, under conduct of a page. Castleman excused
+himself and left the hall.
+
+The page soon came to fetch us, and we were taken to Mary's parlor,
+adjoining her bedroom in Darius tower. From the bedroom, as you know,
+the stairway in the wall descends to Castleman's house. In the parlor we
+found Mary, the Duchess Margaret, and several ladies in waiting. All the
+ladies, including Mary, were heavily veiled. When we entered, Mary
+addressed Max:--
+
+"Sir Count, you doubtless heard my announcement to the king of France.
+It was my father's desire at one time to unite Styria and Burgundy by
+marriage. I myself sent you a letter and a ring that you doubtless still
+possess. Are you pleased with my offer?"
+
+Max fell to his knee before the princess:--
+
+"Your Highness's condescension is far beyond my deserts. There are few
+men who could refuse your offer, but I am pledged to another, and I beg
+Your Highness--"
+
+"Enough, enough," cried the princess, indignantly. "No man need explain
+his reasons for refusing the hand of Mary of Burgundy."
+
+Astonishment appeared on all faces save mine. I thought I knew the
+purpose of Her Highness. Max rose to his feet, and Mary said:--
+
+"We'll go downstairs now, and, if you wish, Sir Count, you may there say
+farewell." She whispered a word to her mother, and led the way into her
+bedroom. The duchess indicated that Max and I were to follow. We did so,
+and Margaret came after us.
+
+"We'll go down by these steps," said the princess, leading us to the
+open panel. "The way is dark, and you must use care in descending, Sir
+Count, but this is the nearest way to the ground."
+
+Max started down the steps and Mary followed close at his heels. I
+followed Mary, and Duchess Margaret came after me.
+
+When we had descended twenty steps, the upper panel was closed by some
+one in the bedroom, and the stairway became inky dark. Ten steps
+further, I stumbled and almost fell over a soft obstruction on the
+stairs. I stooped and examined it. Fearing that the duchess might fall
+when she reached it, I took it up. It was a lady's head-dress and veil.
+A few steps farther I picked up a lady's bodice and then a skirt. By the
+time I had made this collection, Max and Mary had reached the moving
+panel at the foot of the stairs. I heard it slide back, and a flood of
+light came in upon us. Yolanda, in burgher girl's costume, sprang over
+the cushioned seat into Castleman's oak room. Max followed, and I, with
+an armful of woman's gear, helped the duchess to step to the cushion and
+thence to the floor. Max stood for a moment in half-vexed surprise, but
+Yolanda, two yards off, laughed merrily:--
+
+"You promised, Sir Max, that you would show no anger when you learned
+who I was, and you said you would neither lie, steal, nor
+commit murder."
+
+The Castlemans stood near by, and the duchess and I joined them, forming
+an admiring group. Max did not reply. He held out his arms to the girl,
+and she ran to them. So closely did he hold her that she could hardly
+move. She did, however, succeed in turning her face toward us, and said
+poutingly:--
+
+"Why don't you leave the room?"
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy, by Charles Major
+
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