entous
questions that an Emperor is called upon to decide. In all except the
highest rank personal preference has much to do with the selection of a
wife, but in the case of a king do you agree with me that State
considerations must be kept in view?"

"Undoubtedly, my Lord."

"This is a matter to which we three Electors have given the weightiest
consideration, finally agreeing on one whom we believe to possess the
necessary qualifications; a lady highly born, deeply religious,
enormously wealthy, and exceedingly beautiful. She is related to the
most noble in the land. I refer to Hildegunde Lauretta Priscilla Agnes,
Countess of Sayn. If there is any reason why your preference should not
coincide with ours, I beg you quite frankly to state it."

"There is no reason at all, your Lordships," cried Roland, with a deep
sigh of relief on learning that his fears were so unfounded. "I shall be
most happy and honored to wed the lady at any time your Lordships and
she may select."

"Then," said the Archbishop of Mayence, rising to his feet and speaking
with great solemnity, "you are chosen as the future Emperor of our
land."

X

A CALAMITOUS CONFERENCE

The prelate and his ward were met at the doors of Stolzenfels by the
Archbishop of Treves in person, and the welcome they received left
nothing to be desired in point of cordiality. There were many servants,
male and female, about the Castle, but no show of armed men.

The Countess was conducted to a room whose outlook fascinated her. It
occupied one entire floor of a square tower, with windows facing the
four points of the compass, and from this height she could view the
Rhine up to the stern old Castle of Marksburg, and down past Coblentz to
her own realm of Sayn, where it bordered the river, although the
stronghold from which she ruled this domain was hidden by the hills
ending in Ehrenbreitstein.

When she descended on being called to _mittagessen_, she was introduced
to a sister of the Archbishop of Treves, a grave, elderly woman, and to
the Archbishop's niece, a lady about ten years older than Hildegunde.
Neither of these grand dames had much to say, and the conversation at
the meal rested chiefly with the two Archbishops. Indeed, had the
Countess but known it, her presence there was a great disappointment to
the two noblewomen, for the close relationship of the younger to the
Archbishop of Treves rendered it impossible that she should be offered
the hono