m, arrange his own affairs
before Henry was even seen by your pleasure-loving monarch? Yes; to
the impostor and to Francis, Charles is in Austria; to us--for now you
share my secret--is he in Spain, where by swift riding he may be found,
and yet interdict in this matter."

"Then why--haven't you ere this fled to the emperor with the news?"

"Last night I had determined to get away, when first I was assaulted by
an assassin of the impostor, and next detained by his troop and brought
back to the castle. I had even left on foot, trusting to excite less
suspicion, and hoping to find a horse on the way, but fortune was with
the pretender. So here am I, closely watched--and waiting," he added
grimly.

The listener's demeanor was imperturbability itself. He knew why the
other had taken him into his confidence, and understood the silent
appeal as plainly as though words had uttered it. Perhaps he duly
weighed the perils of a flight without permission from the court of the
exacting and capricious monarch, and considered the hazards of the trip
itself through a wild and brigand-infested country. Possibly, the
thought of the princess moved him, for despite his irony, it was his
mocking fate to entertain in his breast, against his will, a covert
sympathy for the gentler sex; or, looking into the passionate face of
his companion, he may have been conscious of some bond of brotherhood,
a fellow-feeling that could not resist the call upon his good-will and
amicable efforts. The indifference faded from Caillette's face and
almost a boyish enthusiasm shone in his eyes.

"_Mon ami_, I'll do it!" he exclaimed, lightly. "I'll ride to the
emperor for you."

Silently the jester of the duke wrung his hand. "I've long sighed for
an adventure," laughed Caillette. "And here is the opportunity.
Caillette, a knight-errant! But"--his face falling--"the emperor will
look on me as a madman."

"Nay," replied the duke's _plaisant_, "here is a letter. When he reads
it he will, at least, think the affair worth consideration. He knows
me, and trusts my fidelity, and will be assured I would not jest on
such a serious matter. Believe me, he will receive you as more than a
madman."

"Why, then, 'twill be a rare adventure," commented the other.
"Wandering in the country; the beautiful country, where I was reared;
away from the madness of courts. Already I hear the wanton breezes
sighing in Sapphic softness and the forests' elegiac murm