him in cold blood?"

"He shall not murder him at all, your highness," said Lieutenant
Butzow quietly. "Give me your sword, Lieutenant Schonau. I place you
under arrest. What you have just said will not please the Regent
when it is reported to him. You should keep your head better when
you are angry."

"It is the truth," growled Schonau, regretting that his anger had
led him into a disclosure of the plot against the king's life, but
like most weak characters fearing to admit himself in error even
more than he feared the consequences of his rash words.

"Do you intend taking my sword?" asked Schonau suddenly, turning
toward Lieutenant Butzow standing beside him.

"We will forget the whole occurrence, lieutenant," replied Butzow,
"if you will promise not to harm his majesty, or offer him or the
Princess von der Tann further humiliation. Their position is
sufficiently unpleasant without our adding to the degradation of
it."

"Very well," grumbled Schonau. "Pass on into the courtyard."

Barney and the girl remounted and the little cavalcade moved forward
through the ballium and the great gate into the court beyond.

"Did you notice," said Barney to the princess, "that even he
believes me to be the king? I cannot fathom it."