Royal Palace for the purpose of
selling a second-hand sword?"

"Oh, no, my lord."

"Do not be so free with your titles. Call me Lieutenant."

"Well, Lieutenant, sir; I hope to get orders for a hundred, or perhaps a
thousand of these weapons."

"Where did you go after leaving the Palace?"

"I went to the residence of that great Prince of the Church, the
Archbishop of Cologne."

"Ah! You did not succeed in seeing his Lordship, I suppose?"

"Pardon me, Lieutenant, but I did. His Lordship is keenly interested in
both weapons and armor."

"Did he give you an order for swords?"

"No, Lieutenant; he seems to be a very cautious man. He asked me to
visit him in Cologne, or if I could not do that, to see his general, now
in Frankfort. You understand, Lieutenant, the presence of the three
Archbishops with their armies offers me a great opportunity, by which I
hope to profit."

The officer looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Where next did you go?"

"I went to the house of a merchant in the Fahrgasse."

"Ah, that tale doesn't hold! Merchants are not allowed to wear swords."

"No, Lieutenant, but a merchant on occasion can supply capital that will
enable a skilled workman to accept a large contract. If I should see the
general of his Lordship to-morrow, and he gave me an order for, say, two
thousand swords, I have not enough money to buy the metal, and I could
not ask for payment until I delivered the weapons."

"Did the merchant agree to capitalize you?"

"He, too, was a cautious man, Lieutenant. He wished first to see the
contract, and know who stood responsible for payment."

"Wise man," commented the officer; "and so, disheartened, I suppose, you
returned here?"

"No, Lieutenant; the day has been warm, and I have traveled a good deal.
I went from the merchant's house to the Rheingold tavern, there to drink
a tankard of wine with my comrades, a score of men who have formed what
they call the ironworkers' guild. I drank a tankard with them, and then
came direct here, where I arrived but a few moments ago."

The officer was more and more puzzled. Despite this young man's
deferential manner, his language was scarcely that of a mechanic, yet
this certainly was his own room, and he had told the absolute truth
about his wanderings, as one who has nothing to fear.

The Lieutenant stood for a space of time with eyes to the floor, as
silent as the soldiers behind him. Suddenly he looked up.