the emperor for the Duke of Xara:

"I wish your imperial highness to proceed to Altara to-morrow.

"OSCAR."

The telegram did not come as a surprise, but was the natural
consequence of the resignation of the government and of the emperor's
return, for the emperor did not wish to leave the scene of the disasters
without the consolation that the heir-apparent was about to replace him.

After a moment spent with the empress, Othomar withdrew to his own
apartments. He sent for his equerry, Prince Dutri, and consulted with
him shortly and in a few words, after which the equerry hurried away
with much ado. In his dressing-room Othomar found his valet, Andro, who
had been warned by one of the chamberlains and was already busily
packing up.

"Don't pack too much," he said, as the valet rose respectfully from the
trunk before which he was kneeling. "It would only be in the way...."

So soon as he had said this, he failed to see the reason. Nor did the
valet seem to take any notice of it: kneeling down again before the
trunk, he continued to pack what he thought fit. It would be quite right
as Andro was doing it, thought Othomar.

And he flung himself into a chair in his study. One of the windows was
open; a single standard lamp in a corner gave a dim light. The furious
downpour raged outside; a humid whiff of wet leaves drifted indoors.

The prince was tired, too tired to summon Andro to pull off his tight
patent-leather boots. He was wearing the white-and-gold uniform of a
colonel of the throne-guards, the imperial body-guard; the chain of the
order of the Imperial Orb hung round his neck; other decorations studded
his breast. The reception at the imperial chancellor's still whirled
before his eyes; in his brain buzzed, mingling with the rain, the
inevitable conversations about the crisis, the government, the house of
peers. He saw himself the crown-prince, always the crown-prince, always
too condescending, too affable, not sufficiently natural, not simple,
not easy like Herman; and he saw Herman moving easily through the rooms
of the chancellor's palace, asking quite simply to be introduced to the
ladies, now by Count Myxila and again by an equerry. And he envied his
cousin, who was a second son. Herman did not cause the atmosphere around
him to freeze at once, as did he, with the cold imperial look of his
crown-princedom.

He saw the ministers, the ministers