"Why not? Remember how long it is since a cloth-barge went down the
Rhine. Think for a moment of the arduous life which these Barons lead,
hunting the boar, the bear, and the deer, tearing recklessly through
thicket and over forest-covered ground. Why, our noble friends must be
in rags by this time, or clad in the skins of the beasts they kill! They
will be delighted to see and handle a piece of well-woven cloth once
more."

For a full minute the merchant gaped aghast at this senseless talk so
seriously put forward; then a smile came to his lips.

"Prince Roland, I begin to understand you. Your words are on a par with
the practical joke you played upon me so successfully last night. Of
course, you know as well as I that the Barons will buy nothing. They
will take such goods as they want if you but give them opportunity. What
you say is merely your way of intimating it is none of my affair how the
goods are disposed of, so long as you hand over to me four thousand
thalers."

"Four thousand five hundred, if you please."

"I shall be quite content with the four thousand, regarding the extra
five hundred as paid for services rendered. Now, can I do anything
further to aid you?"

"Yes. I wish you to send a man on horseback to Lorch, there to await the
barge. Choose a man as silent as your captain; one whom you trust
implicitly, for I hope to send back with him four thousand five hundred
thalers, and also some additional gold, which I beg of you to keep
safely for me until I return."