ne save in speech? _You_ have been the king."

"Bodies must have heads, kingdoms must have kings. I have tried an
experiment, and this is the result. I wanted you to be a man, a human
man; I wanted you to grow up unfettered by power; I wanted you to mingle
with peoples, here and there, so, when you became their head physician,
you could ably minister to their political diseases. And all this fine
ambition tumbles down before the wooden shoes of a pretty goose-girl.
Nothing makes so good a philosopher as a series of blunders and
mistakes. I am beaten; I admit it. I did my best to save you from this
tangle; but it was written that you should put your foot in it. But on
top of this you have made a greater mistake than you dream of, nephew.
The Princess Hildegarde is as fine a woman as ever your Gretchen. Mr.
Carmichael will agree to that," maliciously.

Carmichael gave no sign that he understood; but there was no mistaking
the prince regent's inference, however. The recipient of this compliment
stubbornly refused to give the prince the satisfaction of seeing how
neatly the barb had gone home.

"But, Mr. Carmichael, what is _your_ interest in Gretchen?"

Carmichael trembled with joy. Here was an opening for a double shot. "My
interest in her is better than yours, for I have not asked her to become
a king's mistress."

His royal highness bit his lip.

"Uncle!" cried the king, horrified at this revelation.

"Mr. Carmichael evidently has applied his ear to some keyhole."

"No, thank you! The window was open. My clerk heard you plainly."

"Uncle, is this damnable thing true?"

"Yes. What would you? You were determined to make a fool of yourself.
But rest easy. She is ignorant where this offer came from, and,
moreover, she spurned it, as Mr. Carmichael's clerk will affirm. Oh,
Gretchen is a fine little woman, and I would to God she was of your
station!" And the mask fell from the regent's face, leaving it bitter
and careworn. "Our presence is known in Dreiberg; it has been known for
three days at least. And in coming up here I had another errand. Oh, I
haven't forgotten it. In the street there are at least ten soldiers
under the sub-chief of the police; rather a curious conjunction."

The king turned white. So it had come at last!

Carmichael ran to the rear window. He shrugged. "There's half a dozen in
the garden, too."

"Is there any way to the roofs?"

"None that would serve you."

"Mr. Carmichael," said the