he news caused
a sensation in their ranks, however, I could imagine how much greater
the surprise would be in Europe generally. Remembering this, one of my
first acts was to communicate with Ottilie, in order that she might hear
the sad intelligence from me personally, before receiving it from any
other source. For you to realise the effect that the finding of Max,
under such mournful circumstances, had upon me would be impossible.
Indeed, every one and everything around me seemed to share the
impression. The silent, almost deserted streets, the unhappy townsfolk
(though they were unhappy from another cause), and even the dull, leaden
sky overhead, seemed to mourn with me. We had won a great victory, it is
true, but at what a cost to me and to the nation of which I was now the
head!

The council being over, and the official communication of the news sent
forth to the world, I gave orders that Bertram should be admitted to my
presence. So far I had not had much opportunity of observing him; now,
however, I found him a tall, well-set-up young Englishman of the higher
middle class.

"Mr. Bertram," I said in English, "you may remember what my poor brother
said to me concerning you, just before he died. He said he trusted that
you would be as good a friend to me as you had been to him. May I hope
that you will enter my service, as he wished?"

"I will do so, if your Majesty really desires it," he answered. "Though
I scarcely know in what capacity I can serve you."

"You can do so by proving yourself my friend," I answered.

Traces of grief still remained upon his face. It was certain that the
affection he had shown to Max was genuine, and that he mourned him
almost as sincerely as I did myself.

"And now," I said, "I want you to tell me as much as you can of his life
since you first met him. Remember, I know nothing. It is all mystery to
me. Where did you meet him, and how does it come about that you're in
Pannonia together?"

Thereupon he furnished me with a summary of Max's life from the time
when they first met in Brazil, beginning with the unhappy diamond
expedition, and continuing until the moment was reached when Max fell
mortally wounded on the steps of the church in the market-square. From
his narrative, I was able to gather something, not only of Max's past
life, but also of the character of the man I had before me now. Never
once during his recital of the tale did he sound his own praises, or
represent him