; but as this person hung his head and the
brightness of the carriage lamps shone outward, the Prince could only see
it was a man. The Colonel followed his prisoner and clapped-to the door;
and at that the four horses broke immediately into a swinging trot.

'Gentlemen,' said the Colonel, after some little while had passed, 'if we
are to travel in silence, we might as well be at home. I appear, of
course, in an invidious character; but I am a man of taste, fond of books
and solidly informing talk, and unfortunately condemned for life to the
guard-room. Gentlemen, this is my chance: don't spoil it for me. I have
here the pick of the whole court, barring lovely woman; I have a great
author in the person of the Doctor--'

'Gotthold!' cried Otto.

'It appears,' said the Doctor bitterly, 'that we must go together. Your
Highness had not calculated upon that.'

'What do you infer?' cried Otto; 'that I had you arrested?'

'The inference is simple,' said the Doctor.

'Colonel Gordon,' said the Prince, 'oblige me so far, and set me right
with Herr von Hohenstockwitz.'

'Gentlemen,' said the Colonel, 'you are both arrested on the same warrant
in the name of the Princess Seraphina, acting regent, countersigned by
Prime Minister Freiherr von Gondremark, and dated the day before
yesterday, the twelfth. I reveal to you the secrets of the
prison-house,' he added.

'Otto,' said Gotthold, 'I ask you to pardon my suspicions.'

'Gotthold,' said the Prince, 'I am not certain I can grant you that.'

'Your Highness is, I am sure, far too magnanimous to hesitate,' said the
Colonel. 'But allow me: we speak at home in my religion of the means of
grace: and I now propose to offer them.' So saying, the Colonel lighted
a bright lamp which he attached to one side of the carriage, and from
below the front seat produced a goodly basket adorned with the long necks
of bottles. '_Tu spem reducis_--how does it go, Doctor?' he asked gaily.
'I am, in a sense, your host; and I am sure you are both far too
considerate of my embarrassing position to refuse to do me honour.
Gentlemen, I drink to the Prince!'

'Colonel,' said Otto, 'we have a jovial entertainer. I drink to Colonel
Gordon.'

Thereupon all three took their wine very pleasantly; and even as they did
so, the carriage with a lurch turned into the high-road and began to make
better speed.

All was bright within; the wine had coloured Gotthold's cheek; dim forms
of forest tree