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By and by he resumed his chair. What should he do? Where should he begin? Suppose the chancellor should look at the situation adversely, from the duke's angle of vision, should the duke learn? There was but one thing to do and that was to go boldly to Herbeck and lay the matter before him frankly. Neither Jugendheit nor Ehrenstein wanted war.
"Why do you always rouse me in this fashion, Herbeck? You know how distasteful all this is to me." "Your highness knows that I look only to the welfare of the country. In the old days it was a foregone conclusion that this alliance was to be formed.
This supernal insight, which overlooked all things but results, set the duke wondering if Herbeck was truly all human. If only he could catch him at fault once in a while! Count von Herbeck remained at his desk, his face as inscrutable as ever, his eyes without expression, and his lips expressing nothing.
Gretchen sadly viewed her wooden shoes and roughened hands. "Never mind your hands and feet; your face will open any gate or door for you." "I have never been to the palace. Will they not laugh and turn me out?" "If they try that, demand to see his excellency, Count von Herbeck, and say that you came from forty Krumerweg." Gretchen shuddered with a mixture of apprehension and delight.
"As all affairs are. Is there no way of changing the king's mind?" "Read the letter, Count," said the ambassador. Herbeck hunted for the postmark: Bavaria. He read the letter. There was nothing between the lines. It was the work of rather an irresponsible boy. "May I take this to her highness?" asked the chancellor. "I'm afraid " "I promise its contents will not go beyond her eye."
Count von Herbeck is a great statesman, but he made a terrible mistake this time. Listen. As sure as we are in this room together, I believe that she whom we call the princess is not the daughter of the grand duke." Carmichael sat down on the edge of the bed, numb and without any clear idea where he was. From the stony look on his face, Grumbach might have carried the head of Medusa in his hand.
"So your royal highness will understand," said Herbeck, "that it was the simplest move I could make, and the safest. Were it known, or had it been known this morning, that the king of Jugendheit and the prince regent had entered Dreiberg in disguise and had been lodged in the Stein-schloss, there would have been a serious riot in the city. So I had you arrested as spies.
"They are waiting outside." "The duke agrees. He will give us an audience at eight-thirty. I had a time of it!" "Did you mention my name "No. I went roundabout. I also obtained his promise to say nothing to Herbeck till the interview was over. Again he demurred, but his curiosity saved the day. Now, Hans, the full story." Grumbach spread out on the bed the contents of the bundle.
"By my orders, father," said Hildegarde, who gathered that this privileged visitor must be Gretchen of the Krumerweg. "Admit her." "Truly we are becoming socialists," said the duke, appealing to Herbeck, who replied with his usual grim smile. Gretchen was ushered in. Her throat was a little full as she recognized the three most important persons in the grand duchy. Outwardly she was composed.
But there was no dream in his eyes; they were cold with implacable anger. He held a letter in his hand and tossed it to Herbeck. "I shall throw ten thousand men across the frontier to-night, let the consequences be what they may." "Ten thousand men?" The dream was shattered. War again? "Read that. It is the second anonymous communication I have received within a week.
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