the present ruler.

"'This consideration exerted a great influence upon the Empress, who
counseled her son to acquiesce. The young man was led to a boat then in
waiting by the river steps of the Palace, and so conveyed down the Main
to the Rhine, which was reached just after daybreak. Without landing,
and keeping as much as possible to the middle of the river, the party
proceeded down the Rhine, past Bingen, to the foot of the crag on which
stands the castle of Ehrenfels. The Prince was taken up to the Castle,
where he now remains.

"'The Archbishops from their revenues allot to him seven hundred thalers
a month, in addition to his maintenance. It is impossible for him to
escape from this stronghold unaided, and as the Emperor takes no
interest in the matter, and the Empress has given her consent, he is
like to be an inmate of Ehrenfels during the pleasure of the
Archbishops, who doubtless will not elect him to the throne in
succession unless he proves compliant to their wishes. The Prince being
a young man of no particular force of character'" (the merchant paused
in his reading, and looked across at his _vis-à-vis_ with a smile, but
the latter appeared to be asleep), "'he will probably succumb to the
Archbishops, therefore merchants are advised to base no hopes upon an
improvement in affairs, even though the son should succeed the father.
Despite the precautions taken, the arrest and imprisonment of the
Prince, and even the place of his detention, became rather generally
known in Frankfort, but the news is in the form of rumor only, and
excites little interest throughout the city.'

"There, Sir Roland, what do you say to that?"