agliostro had foretold, Minister Herzberg did not return
from Sans-Souci until late in the evening, and then found Wilhelmine's
letter in his cabinet.

Immediately the police were instructed to arrest Count St. Julien at the
hotel "King of Portugal."

An hour later the chief of the police came to say that the count had
already been gone two hours. He repeated the account of the host,
corroborated by the servants, of nine different counts having driven
away from the hotel.

Herzberg smiled. "We have to deal with a very clever scoundrel," said
he, "and it is no other than the so-called Count Cagliostro, who was
lately exposed as a bold trickster in Mittau and St. Petersburg, and
about whose arrest the Empress Catharine is very much exercised. It
would be very agreeable to the king to show this little attention to her
imperial highness, and trap the adroit pickpocket."

"We might succeed in catching him in his flight," remarked the chief.
"For the last six months the king has given orders that every passport
should be examined at the gates, and the route of the travellers noted
down, which is all registered and sent to the king. It would be very
easy to discover by which gate he departed, and his route, and then have
him pursued."

"That is well thought of, director; hasten to put it into execution,
and inform us of the result." He returned in an hour to the minister's
cabinet, shaking his head gravely. "Your excellency, it is very strange,
but he is a wizard. This man has driven out of the nine gates at the
same hour and minute."

Herzberg laughed. "This is one of his tricks, and by it I recognize the
great necromancer."

"Your excellency, this is no trickery, but witchery. It is impossible
for any one man to drive out of the nine gates at the same hour, in the
same carriage, with two large black trunks and a postilion blowing the
same melody, and provided with a correct passport, which he shows and is
recognized as Count St. Julien, who is going to Paris by Hamburg. Here
are the nine registers from the different gates, all the same, if I am
not bewitched and do not read straight."

"This trick does honor to the count," said Herzberg, smiling. "To-morrow
you shall accompany me to Sans-Souci and read aloud the registers to the
king. Do you think it will be impossible to pursue the count now?"

"I should be very happy to follow your excellency's judgment in this
matter, and arrest the rascal in any way that you c