Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-05-18


"Shall you he there. sirT'
"Ask no questions. DO what tell
you. Say the hsll Ia close or what you
Will. That Is all ask of you"
And may 1 escape by the door. sir,
when have opened itf'
Eyes. quick as your legs win carry
you one thing more. Garry this note
20 madame-oh. it's In French; you
can't read it-and charge her, for the
sake of all our lives, not TO fail In what
II orders"
The man was trembling, but had to
trust TO what he had OF courage and to
what he had OF honesty. I dared not
wait. for feared that tie king would
die.
When the fellow was gone, / called
Sapt and Fritz to me and unfolded the
plan that I had formed. Sapt shook
his head over it,
why can't you waltz" he asked.
@~Ths king may die"
Michael will be forced 70 act before
that"
Then" said I. ''the king may live"
''Well. and II he doesY"
"For a fortnight7" / asked simply.
And Sapt bit his mustache.
Suddenly Fritz Won Tarlenhelm laid
his hand on my shoulder.
Let US 30 and make the attempt"
said he.
II mean you to go-don't be afraid
said l.
aye. but do you stay here and take
care OF the princess?"
A CLEAN came into old Sapt's eve.
I'VE should have Michael one way
or the other thea" be chuckled. where
as II you 30 and are killed with tho
king what will become OF those OF US
who are leftf"
They viii serve Queen Flavia." said
/ "and I would 70 God I could be one
OF them"
A pause followed Old Sapt broke It
by saying sadly, yet with an unmeant
drollery that set Fritz and me laugh
ing:
why didn't old Rudolf III. marry
your-grcat-gr grandmother. was itf'
Come" said I; 1T is the king we
are thinking about"
1T is true" said Fritz
Moreover" I went on. II have been
an impostor for the profit OF another.
but will not be one for my own, and
II the king is not alive and on his
throne before the day OF betrothal
comes I VIII tell the truth. come what
may"
"You shall go. lad" said Sapt.
Here is the plan 1 had made: 4
strong party under Sapts command
was TO steal up 20 the door OF the
chateau. If discovered prematurely.
they were 90 Kill anyone who found
them with their swords. for wanted
no noise Of firing. IL all went we'll.
they would be at the door when To-
ham opened IL They were TO rush in
and secure the servants II their mere
presence and the use OF the kings
name were not enough. At the same
moment-aDd on this hinged the plan
woman's cry was 10 ring out loud
and shrill from Antoinette de Man
bans chamber. Again and again she
was 20 cry; Help. helpl Michael.
hclpr and thon 10 utter the name OF
young Rupert Hentzau. Then, as we
hoped Michael, In fury, would rush
out o. his apartments opposite and
fan alive into the hands OF Sapt. Stin
the cries would 90 on. Ny men would
let down the drawbrldge and IL would
&c strange II Rupert, hearing his name
thus taken In vain. did not descend
from where re slept and seek 90 cross.
De Gautet might or might not come
with him. That must be left to
chance
And when Rupert set his foot on the
drawbriGgc? There was my part. for
was minded for another swim In the
moat; and. lest l should grow weary.
1 had resolved TO take with me n small
wooden ladder on which l could rest
my arms in the water-and my feet
when left 1t. would rear IL against
the wall just by the bridge. and when
the bridge was across / would STEALTH
~ creep on 70 it--and then II Rupert
or De Gautet crossed In safety IL would
be my misfortune, not my fault. They
dead, two men only would remain, and
for them we must trust to the con-
fusion we had created and TO a sud-
den rush We should have the keys
OF the door that led 60 the Gil impor-
tant rooms. Perhaps they would rush
out II they stood by their orders,
then the kings life hung on the swift
ness with which we could force the
outer door, and ! thanked God that not
Rupert Hentzau watched. but Detch-
ard. For though Detchard was a cool
man, relentless and no coward, he had
neither the dash nor the recklessness
OF Rupert. Moreover. he, If any one
OF them, really loved Black Michael,
and IL might be that he would leave
Bersonin to guard the king and rush
across the bridge 10 take part in the
ARRAY on the other side
So planned-desperateiy And that
our enemy might be the better lulled to
security / gave orders that our resi-
dence should be brilliantly lighted
from top to bottom, as though we were
engaged in revelry. and should so be
kept all night, with music playing and
people moving to and fro. Strakencz
would be there. and he was to conceal
our departure. IL he could, from Fla
via. And IL we came not again by the