basket in his hand. Behind them came the chamberlain, who threw across the
count's shoulders his ermine-lined velvet mantle, and put into his hand
his plumed hat, trimmed with gold lace, and his embroidered gloves. The
count hastily placed the tall, pointed hat with its nodding plumes upon
his dark, curly hair, in which showed here and there a few silver streaks,
and grasped the long gloves firmly in his right hand, sparkling with
brilliant rings.

"Open the doors!" he said authoritatively, and the chamberlain flew before
him, and tore open both halves of the folding doors. The two halberdiers,
who stood near the door on the other side, raised their halberds, and
proclaimed with thundering voices, "His excellency and grace, count of the
empire and Stadtholder in the Mark!"

Through the two long apartments, on both sides of which was ranged a dense
crowd of people of all sorts--men and women, venerable magistrates in
solemn robes of office, and soldiers in their uniforms, poorly clad
citizens and fine-dressed gentlemen, bold-looking young ladies and
respectable matrons in white garbs of widowhood--through both these long
apartments flew, as it were, one sigh, one joyful breath of relief and
surprise, and all faces, the sad and bright, the eyes reddened by wine and
night watches, as well as those sparkling with avarice and passion, all
turned toward the lofty, full form of the Stadtholder, who, so proud and
so brilliant, so august and self-conscious, stood upon the threshold of
the door. He gave no salutation; not in the least did he incline his head,
but with one sharp look let his large, gray eyes glide up and down on both
sides; and this look sufficed to cause all heads to sink in reverence, to
bow the proud and humble necks, so deeply, so reverentially, that high and
low, old and young, poor and rich were now all one and the same--the
petitioners of the electoral minister, the almighty Stadtholder in the