IV + 

The King Keeps His Appointment + 

Whether I had slept a minute or a year I knew not. I awoke with a start and a shiver; my face, hair and clothes dripped water, and opposite me stood old Sapt, a sneering smile on his face and an empty bucket in his hand. On the table by him sat Fritz von Tarlenheim, pale as a ghost and black as a crow under the eyes. + 

I leapt to my feet in anger. + 

тАЬYour joke goes too far, sir!тАЭ I cried. + 

тАЬTut, man, weтАЩve no time for quarrelling. Nothing else would rouse you. ItтАЩs five oтАЩclock.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩll thank you, Colonel SaptтБатАФтАЭ I began again, hot in spirit, though I was uncommonly cold in body. + 

тАЬRassendyll,тАЭ interrupted Fritz, getting down from the table and taking my arm, тАЬlook here.тАЭ + 

The king lay full length on the floor. His face was red as his hair, and he breathed heavily. Sapt, the disrespectful old dog, kicked him sharply. He did not stir, nor was there any break in his breathing. I saw that his face and head were wet with water, as were mine. + 

тАЬWeтАЩve spent half an hour on him,тАЭ said Fritz. + 

тАЬHe drank three times what either of you did,тАЭ growled Sapt. + 

I knelt down and felt his pulse. It was alarmingly languid and slow. We three looked at one another. + 

тАЬWas it druggedтБатАФthat last bottle?тАЭ I asked in a whisper. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know,тАЭ said Sapt. + 

тАЬWe must get a doctor.тАЭ + 

тАЬThereтАЩs none within ten miles, and a thousand doctors wouldnтАЩt take him to Strelsau today. I know the look of it. HeтАЩll not move for six or seven hours yet.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the coronation!тАЭ I cried in horror. + 

Fritz shrugged his shoulders, as I began to see was his habit on most occasions. + 

тАЬWe must send word that heтАЩs ill,тАЭ he said. + 

тАЬI suppose so,тАЭ said I. + 

Old Sapt, who seemed as fresh as a daisy, had lit his pipe and was puffing hard at it. + 

тАЬIf heтАЩs not crowned today,тАЭ said he, тАЬIтАЩll lay a crown heтАЩs never crowned.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut heavens, why?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe whole nationтАЩs there to meet him; half the armyтБатАФaye, and Black Michael at the head. Shall we send word that the kingтАЩs drunk?тАЭ + 

тАЬThat heтАЩs ill,тАЭ said I, in correction. + 

тАЬIll!тАЭ echoed Sapt, with a scornful laugh. тАЬThey know his illnesses too well. HeтАЩs been тАШillтАЩ before!тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, we must chance what they think,тАЭ said Fritz helplessly. тАЬIтАЩll carry the news and make the best of it.тАЭ + 

Sapt raised his hand. + 

тАЬTell me,тАЭ said he. тАЬDo you think the king was drugged?тАЭ + 

тАЬI do,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬAnd who drugged him?тАЭ + 

тАЬThat damned hound, Black Michael,тАЭ said Fritz between his teeth. + 

тАЬAye,тАЭ said Sapt, тАЬthat he might not come to be crowned. Rassendyll here doesnтАЩt know our pretty Michael. What think you, Fritz, has Michael no king ready? Has half Strelsau no other candidate? As GodтАЩs alive, man, the throneтАЩs lost if the king show himself not in Strelsau today. I know Black Michael.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe could carry him there,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬAnd a very pretty picture he makes,тАЭ sneered Sapt. + 

Fritz von Tarlenheim buried his face in his hands. The king breathed loudly and heavily. Sapt stirred him again with his foot. + 

тАЬThe drunken dog!тАЭ he said; тАЬbut heтАЩs an Elphberg and the son of his father, and may I rot in hell before Black Michael sits in his place!тАЭ + 

For a moment or two we were all silent; then Sapt, knitting his bushy grey brows, took his pipe from his mouth and said to me: + 

тАЬAs a man grows old he believes in Fate. Fate sent you here. Fate sends you now to Strelsau.тАЭ + 

I staggered back, murmuring тАЬGood God!тАЭ + 

Fritz looked up with an eager, bewildered gaze. + 

тАЬImpossible!тАЭ I muttered. тАЬI should be known.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs a riskтБатАФagainst a certainty,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬIf you shave, IтАЩll wager youтАЩll not be known. Are you afraid?тАЭ + 

тАЬSir!тАЭ + 

тАЬCome, lad, there, there; but itтАЩs your life, you know, if youтАЩre knownтБатАФand mineтБатАФand FritzтАЩs here. But, if you donтАЩt go, I swear to you Black Michael will sit tonight on the throne, and the king lie in prison or his grave.тАЭ + 

тАЬThe king would never forgive it,тАЭ I stammered. + 

тАЬAre we women? Who cares for his forgiveness?тАЭ + 

The clock ticked fifty times, and sixty and seventy times, as I stood in thought. Then I suppose a look came over my face, for old Sapt caught me by the hand, crying: + 

тАЬYouтАЩll go?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, IтАЩll go,тАЭ said I, and I turned my eyes on the prostrate figure of the king on the floor. + 

тАЬTonight,тАЭ Sapt went on in a hasty whisper, тАЬwe are to lodge in the palace. The moment they leave us you and I will mount our horsesтБатАФFritz must stay there and guard the kingтАЩs roomтБатАФand ride here at a gallop. The king will be readyтБатАФJosef will tell himтБатАФand he must ride back with me to Strelsau, and you ride as if the devil were behind you to the frontier.тАЭ + 

I took it all in in a second, and nodded my head. + 

тАЬThereтАЩs a chance,тАЭ said Fritz, with his first sign of hopefulness. + 

тАЬIf I escape detection,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬIf weтАЩre detected,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬIтАЩll send Black Michael down below before I go myself, so help me heaven! Sit in that chair, man.тАЭ + 

I obeyed him. + 

He darted from the room, calling тАЬJosef! Josef!тАЭ In three minutes he was back, and Josef with him. The latter carried a jug of hot water, soap and razors. He was trembling as Sapt told him how the land lay, and bade him shave me. + 

Suddenly Fritz smote on his thigh: + 

тАЬBut the guard! TheyтАЩll know! theyтАЩll know!тАЭ + 

тАЬPooh! We shanтАЩt wait for the guard. WeтАЩll ride to Hofbau and catch a train there. When they come, the birdтАЩll be flown.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the king?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe king will be in the wine cellar. IтАЩm going to carry him there now.тАЭ + 

тАЬIf they find him?тАЭ + 

тАЬThey wonтАЩt. How should they? Josef will put them off.тАЭ + 

тАЬButтБатАФтАЭ + 

Sapt stamped his foot. + 

тАЬWeтАЩre not playing,тАЭ he roared. тАЬMy God! donтАЩt I know the risk? If they do find him, heтАЩs no worse off than if he isnтАЩt crowned today in Strelsau.тАЭ + 

So speaking, he flung the door open and, stooping, put forth a strength I did not dream he had, and lifted the king in his hands. And as he did so, the old woman, Johann the keeperтАЩs mother, stood in the doorway. For a moment she stood, then she turned on her heel, without a sign of surprise, and clattered down the passage. + 

тАЬHas she heard?тАЭ cried Fritz. + 

тАЬIтАЩll shut her mouth!тАЭ said Sapt grimly, and he bore off the king in his arms. + 

For me, I sat down in an armchair, and as I sat there, half-dazed, Josef clipped and scraped me till my moustache and imperial were things of the past and my face was as bare as the kingтАЩs. And when Fritz saw me thus he drew a long breath and exclaimed: + 

тАЬBy Jove, we shall do it!тАЭ + 

It was six oтАЩclock now, and we had no time to lose. Sapt hurried me into the kingтАЩs room, and I dressed myself in the uniform of a colonel of the Guard, finding time as I slipped on the kingтАЩs boots to ask Sapt what he had done with the old woman. + 

тАЬShe swore sheтАЩd heard nothing,тАЭ said he; тАЬbut to make sure I tied her legs together and put a handkerchief in her mouth and bound her hands, and locked her up in the coal cellar, next door to the king. Josef will look after them both later on.тАЭ + 

Then I burst out laughing, and even old Sapt grimly smiled. + 

тАЬI fancy,тАЭ said he, тАЬthat when Josef tells them the king is gone theyтАЩll think it is because we smelt a rat. For you may swear Black Michael doesnтАЩt expect to see him in Strelsau today.тАЭ + 

I put the kingтАЩs helmet on my head. Old Sapt handed me the kingтАЩs sword, looking at me long and carefully. + 

тАЬThank God, he shaved his beard!тАЭ he exclaimed. + 

тАЬWhy did he?тАЭ I asked. + 

тАЬBecause Princess Flavia said he grazed her cheek when he was graciously pleased to give her a cousinly kiss. Come though, we must ride.тАЭ + 

тАЬIs all safe here?тАЭ + 

тАЬNothingтАЩs safe anywhere,тАЭ said Sapt, тАЬbut we can make it no safer.тАЭ + 

Fritz now rejoined us in the uniform of a captain in the same regiment as that to which my dress belonged. In four minutes Sapt had arrayed himself in his uniform. Josef called that the horses were ready. We jumped on their backs and started at a rapid trot. The game had begun. What would the issue of it be? + 

The cool morning air cleared my head, and I was able to take in all Sapt said to me. He was wonderful. Fritz hardly spoke, riding like a man asleep, but Sapt, without another word for the king, began at once to instruct me most minutely in the history of my past life, of my family, of my tastes, pursuits, weaknesses, friends, companions, and servants. He told me the etiquette of the Ruritanian court, promising to be constantly at my elbow to point out everybody whom I ought to know, and give me hints with what degree of favour to greet them. + 

тАЬBy the way,тАЭ he said, тАЬyouтАЩre a Catholic, I suppose?тАЭ + 

тАЬNot I,тАЭ I answered. + 

тАЬLord, heтАЩs a heretic!тАЭ groaned Sapt, and forthwith he fell to a rudimentary lesson in the practices and observances of the Romish faith. + 

тАЬLuckily,тАЭ said he, тАЬyou wonтАЩt be expected to know much, for the kingтАЩs notoriously lax and careless about such matters. But you must be as civil as butter to the cardinal. We hope to win him over, because he and Michael have a standing quarrel about their precedence.тАЭ + 

We were by now at the station. Fritz had recovered nerve enough to explain to the astonished station master that the king had changed his plans. The train steamed up. We got into a first-class carriage, and Sapt, leaning back on the cushions, went on with his lesson. I looked at my watchтБатАФthe kingтАЩs watch it was, of course. It was just eight. + 

тАЬI wonder if theyтАЩve gone to look for us,тАЭ I said. + 

тАЬI hope they wonтАЩt find the king,тАЭ said Fritz nervously, and this time it was Sapt who shrugged his shoulders. + 

The train travelled well, and at half-past nine, looking out of the window, I saw the towers and spires of a great city. + 

тАЬYour capital, my liege,тАЭ grinned old Sapt, with a wave of his hand, and, leaning forward, he laid his finger on my pulse. тАЬA little too quick,тАЭ said he, in his grumbling tone. + 

тАЬIтАЩm not made of stone!тАЭ I exclaimed. + 

тАЬYouтАЩll do,тАЭ said he, with a nod. тАЬWe must say Fritz here has caught the ague. Drain your flask, Fritz, for heavenтАЩs sake, boy!тАЭ + 

Fritz did as he was bid. + 

тАЬWeтАЩre an hour early,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬWeтАЩll send word forward for your MajestyтАЩs arrival, for thereтАЩll be no one here to meet us yet. And meanwhileтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬMeanwhile,тАЭ said I, тАЬthe kingтАЩll be hanged if he doesnтАЩt have some breakfast.тАЭ + 

Old Sapt chuckled, and held out his hand. + 

тАЬYouтАЩre an Elphberg, every inch of you,тАЭ said he. Then he paused, and looking at us, said quietly, тАЬGod send we may be alive tonight!тАЭ + 

тАЬAmen!тАЭ said Fritz von Tarlenheim. + 

The train stopped. Fritz and Sapt leapt out, uncovered, and held the door for me. I choked down a lump that rose in my throat, settled my helmet firmly on my head, and (IтАЩm not ashamed to say it) breathed a short prayer to God. Then I stepped on the platform of the station at Strelsau. + 

A moment later, all was bustle and confusion: men hurrying up, hats in hand, and hurrying off again; men conducting me to the buffet; men mounting and riding in hot haste to the quarters of the troops, to the cathedral, to the residence of Duke Michael. Even as I swallowed the last drop of my cup of coffee, the bells throughout all the city broke out into a joyful peal, and the sound of a military band and of men cheering smote upon my ear. + 

King Rudolf the Fifth was in his good city of Strelsau! And they shouted outside: + 

тАЬGod save the king!тАЭ + 

Old SaptтАЩs mouth wrinkled into a smile. + 

тАЬGod save тАЩem both!тАЭ he whispered. тАЬCourage, lad!тАЭ and I felt his hand press my knee. + 