l they?" said Otto quickly,
unclosing his blue eyes.

"Nay," said the Abbot, gently; "not until thou art healed in body and
art ready and willing to go."

Three months and more had passed, and Otto was well again; and now,
escorted by One-eyed Hans and those faithful few who had clung to the
Baron Conrad through his last few bitter days, he was riding into the
quaint old town of Nurnburg; for the Emperor Rudolph was there at that
time, waiting for King Ottocar of Bohemia to come thither and answer
the imperial summons before the Council, and Otto was travelling to the
court.

As they rode in through the gates of the town, Otto looked up at the
high-peaked houses with their overhanging gables, the like of which he
had never seen before, and he stared with his round blue eyes at seeing
them so crowded together along the length of the street. But most of
all he wondered at the number of people that passed hither and thither,
jostling each other in their hurry, and at the tradesmen's booths
opening upon the street with the wonderful wares hanging within; armor
at the smiths, glittering ornaments at the goldsmiths, and rich fabrics
of silks and satins at the mercers. He had never seen anything so rich
and grand in all of his life, for little Otto had never been in a town
before.

"Oh! look," he cried, "at that wonderful lady; see, holy father! sure
the Emperor's wife can be no finer than that lady."

The Abbot smiled. "Nay, Otto," said he, "that is but a burgher's wife or
daughter; the ladies at the Emperor's court are far grander than such as
she."

"So!" said Otto, and then fell silent with wonder.

And now, at last the great moment had come when little Otto with his own
eyes was to behold the mighty Emperor who ruled over all the powerful
kingdoms of Germany and Austria, and Italy and Bohemia, and other
kingdoms and principalities and states. His heart beat so that he could
hardly speak as, for a moment, the good Abbot who held him by the hand
stopped outside of the arrased doorway to whisper some last instructions
into his ear. Then they entered the apartment.

It was a long, stone-paved room. The floor was covered with rich rugs
and the walls were hung with woven tapestry wherein were depicted
knights and ladies in leafy gardens and kings and warriors at battle.
A long row of high glazed windows extended along the length of the
apartment, flooding it with the mellow light of the autumn day. At
the further end