rs that
the company of guards which garrisoned the castle should parade at
one o'clock in the park, and that the servants should all, after their
dinner, be granted permission to watch the manoeuvres. By this means he
counted on drawing off any curious eyes and allowing Rudolf to reach the
forest unobserved. They appointed a rendezvous in a handy and sheltered
spot; the one thing which they were compelled to trust to fortune was
Rudolf's success in evading chance encounters while he waited. Mr.
Rassendyll himself was confident of his ability to conceal his presence,
or, if need were, so to hide his face that no strange tale of the king
being seen wandering, alone and beardless, should reach the ears of the
castle or the town.

While Sapt was making his arrangements, Queen Flavia came to the room
where Rudolf Rassendyll was. It was then nearing twelve, and young
Bernenstein had been gone half an hour. Sapt attended her to the door,
set a sentry at the end of the passage with orders that her Majesty
should on no pretence be disturbed, promised her very audibly to return
as soon as he possibly could, and respectfully closed the door after
she had entered. The constable was well aware of the value in a secret
business of doing openly all that can safely be done with openness.

All of what passed at that interview I do not know, but a part Queen
Flavia herself told to me, or rather to Helga, my wife; for although it
was meant to reach my ear, yet to me, a man, she would not disclose it
directly. First she learnt from Mr. Rassendyll the plans that had been
made, and, although she trembled at the danger that he must run in
meeting Rupert of Hentzau, she had such love of him and such a trust in
his powers that she seemed to doubt little of his success. But she began
to reproach herself for having brought him into this peril by writing
her letter. At this he took from his pocket the copy that Rischenheim
had carried. He had found time to read it, and now before her eyes he
kissed it.

"Had I as many lives as there are words, my queen," he said softly, "for
each word I would gladly give a life."

"Ah, Rudolf, but you've only one life, and that more mine than yours.
Did you think we should ever meet again?"

"I didn't know," said he; and now they were standing opposite one
another.

"But I knew," she said, her eyes shining brightly; "I knew always that
we should meet once more. Not how, nor where, but just that we should.