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As the eyes of the multitude fell upon the man in the coronation robes there were cries of: "The king! Impostor!" and "Von der Tann's puppet!" "Denounce him!" whispered one of Peter's henchmen in his master's ear. The Regent moved closer to the aisle, that he might meet the impostor at the foot of the chancel steps. The procession was moving steadily up the aisle.
A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it.
As Barney Custer rode up Margaretha Street toward the royal palace of the kings of Lutha, a dust-covered horseman in the uniform of an officer of the Horse Guards entered Lustadt from the south. It was the young aide of Prince von der Tann's staff, who had been sent to Blentz nearly a week earlier with a message for the king, and who had been captured and held by the Austrians.
But his fears were not for himself so much as for the daughter of old Von der Tann, and for all that might befall that princely house were these three unhung rascals to gain Lutha and have their way with the weak and cowardly king who reigned there. If he could but reach Von der Tann's ear and through him the king before the conspirators came to Lutha! But how might he accomplish it?
"The American will never again menace you he was arrested in Burgova as a spy and executed. He is dead; but not so are Von der Tann's ambitions.
The boys had both brown, wavy hair Percy's being the lightest and that two young officers of the staff should, at such a time, desire to dye their hair struck the man almost dumb with astonishment. Ralph smiled. "No wonder you are surprised, but we have an important mission to carry out, and it is essential that we should be completely disguised. We are going as spies into Von der Tann's camp.
At any rate, it should not be difficult to persuade Leopold of the possibility of such a thing. "Under the circumstances Leopold is almost convinced that his only hope of salvation lies in cementing friendly relations with the most powerful of Von der Tann's enemies, of which you three gentlemen stand preeminently in the foreground, and of assuring to himself the support of Austria.
But that is not necessary you conform perfectly to the printed description of you with which the kingdom is flooded. Were that not enough, the fact that you were discovered with old Von der Tann's daughter is sufficient to remove the least doubt as to your identity." "You are governor of Blentz," cried Barney, "and yet you say that you have never seen the king?" "Certainly," replied Maenck.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the town, von der Tann's Bavarians had begun the fight. In order to understand the persistent vigour of the French on this side, we must note the decisions formed by their headquarters on August 31 and early on September 1.
"You gave it to me to cut a hole in the window of the garage where I stole the automobile," he said. "I forgot to return it. Now do you know who I am?" Emma von der Tann's eyes showed her incredulity; then, act by act, she recalled all that this man had said and done since they had escaped from Blentz that had been so unlike the king she knew. "When did you assume the king's identity?" she asked.
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