irl
would have been free to tell me that I was a brute."

"Why, no. No man is free even to tell you that you're a fool, sire. The
divinity hedges you."

I laughed shortly and bitterly. What he said was true enough.

"There is, however, nothing to prevent you from seeing these things for
yourself, just as though you were one of the rest of us," he pursued.
"Ah, here's the river. You'll row me across?"

"Yes. Get into the boat there."

We got in, and I pulled out into mid-stream. It was almost daylight now,
but there was still a grayness in the atmosphere that exactly matched
the tint of Wetter's face. Noticing this suddenly I pointed it out to
him, laughing violently.

"You are Lucifer, Son of the Morning," I cried. "How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, Son of Morning!"

"I wouldn't care for that if I had the trick of falling soft," said he.
"Learn it, O King, learn it! On what padded bed falls William Adolphus!"

My laugh broke again through the morning loud and harsh. Then I laid
myself to the oars, and we shot across to the bank of Waldenweiter. He
shook my hand and sprang out lightly.

"I must change my clothes and have my scene, and then to Forstadt," said
he. "Good-day to you, sire. Yet remember the lesson of the moralist.
Learn to fall soft, learn to fall soft." With a smile he turned away,
and again I watched him mount the slope of Waldenweiter.

In such manner, on that night at Artenberg, did I, having no wings to
soar to heaven and no key wherewith to open the door of it, make to
myself, out of dance, wine, night, and what not, a ladder, mount
thereby, and twist the door-handle. But the door was locked, the ladder
broke, and I fell headlong. Nor do I doubt that many men are my masters
in that art of falling soft.

CHAPTER XXII.

UT PUTO, VESTIS FIO.

The next morning all Artenberg had the air of being rather ashamed of
itself. Styrian traditions had been set at naught. Princess Heinrich
considered that the limits of becoming mirth had been overstepped; the
lines of her mouth had their most downward set. Nothing was said because
the King had led the dance, but disgrace was in the atmosphere. We had
all fallen from heaven--one may mean many things by heaven--and landed
with more or less severity, according to the resources of padding with
which Nature furnished us. To Varvilliers' case, indeed, the metaphor is
inadequate; he had a parachute, sailed to earth gaily with never a
bruis