open to you, Baron. As soon as
the order is prepared, bring it me to sign."

"Madam," he said, "alone of all of us you do not risk your head in this
adventure. For that reason, and to prevent all hesitation, I venture to
propose the order should be in your hand throughout."

"You are right," she replied.

He laid a form before her, and she wrote the order in a clear hand, and
re-read it. Suddenly a cruel smile came on her face. "I had forgotten
his puppet," said she. "They will keep each other company." And she
interlined and initialled the condemnation of Dr. Gotthold.

"Your Highness has more memory than your servant," said the Baron; and
then he, in his turn, carefully perused the fateful paper. "Good!" said
he.

"You will appear in the drawing-room, Baron?" she asked.

"I thought it better," said he, "to avoid the possibility of a public
affront. Anything that shook my credit might hamper us in the immediate
future."

"You are right," she said; and she held out her hand as to an old friend
and equal.

CHAPTER IX

THE PRICE OF THE RIVER FARM; IN WHICH VAIN-GLORY GOES BEFORE A FALL

The pistol had been practically fired. Under ordinary circumstances the
scene at the council table would have entirely exhausted Otto's store
both of energy and anger; he would have begun to examine and condemn his
conduct, have remembered all that was true, forgotten all that was
unjust in Seraphina's onslaught; and by half an hour after would have
fallen into that state of mind in which a Catholic flees to the
confessional and a sot takes refuge with the bottle. Two matters of
detail preserved his spirits. For, first, he had still an infinity of
business to transact; and to transact business, for a man of Otto's
neglectful and procrastinating habits, is the best anodyne for
conscience. All afternoon he was hard at it with the Chancellor,
reading, dictating, signing, and despatching papers; and this kept him
in a glow of self-approval. But, secondly, his vanity was still alarmed;
he had failed to get the money; to-morrow before noon he would have to
disappoint old Killian; and in the eyes of that family which counted him
so little, and to which he had sought to play the part of the heroic
comforter, he must sink lower than at first. To a man of Otto's temper,
this was death. He could not accept the situation. And even as he
worked, and worked wisely and well, over the hated details of his
principality, he was secretl