were three lighted windows, and I saw his form
pass the first two of these, but from my station in the street could not
witness what was going on within. Looking about me, I found to my right
a narrow alley, occupied by an outside stairway. This I mounted, and
from its topmost step I beheld the interior of the large room on the
opposite side of the way.

"It appeared to me that Prince Roland had been expected, for the elderly
man seated at the table, his calm face toward me, showed no surprise at
the Prince's entrance. His Highness sat with his back towards me, and
for a time it seemed that nothing was going forward but an amiable
conversation. Suddenly the Prince rose, threw off his cloak, whisked out
his sword, and presented its point at the throat of the merchant.

"It was clear, from the expression of dismay on the merchant's face,
that this move on the part of his guest was entirely unexpected, but its
object was speedily manifested. The old man, with trembling hand, pushed
across the table to his assailant a well-filled bag, which the Prince at
once untied. Pouring out a heap of yellow gold, he began with great
deliberation to count the money, which, when you consider his precarious
situation, showed the young man to be old in crime. Some portion of the
gold he returned to the merchant; the rest he dropped into an empty bag,
which he tied to his belt.

"I did not wait to see anything more, but came down to the foot of the
stairs, that I might learn if Roland took his money to his dissolute
comrades. He came out, and once more I followed him, and once more he
led me to the Rheingold cellar. On this occasion, however, I took step
by step with him until we entered the large wineroom at the foot of the
stairs, he less than an arm's length in front of me, still under the
illusion that he was alone. Prince though he was, I determined to
expostulate with him, and if possible persuade a restitution of the
gold.

"'Your Highness!' I began, touching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Instantly he turned upon me with a savage oath, grasped me by the
throat, and forced me backward against the cellar wall.

"'You spying sneak!' he cried. 'In spite of my warning you have been
hounding my footsteps!'

"The moment I attempted to reply, he throttled me so as to choke every
effort at utterance. There now approached us, with alarm in his
wine-colored face, a gross, corpulent man, whom the Prince addressed as
proprietor of the pl