were to lead me over the mountains
to the frontier, and at the time he sent word secretly to the guard on
the frontier that I was a spy sent by the Roman Emperor, who had been
finding out the affairs of Transylvania and would now like to get back
unseen. These rascals stopped me on the way, robbed me of all my money
and papers, and dragged me off to Karlsburg. There, it is true my
innocence was proved, but my money and my papers were lost. And now
Kapi asserts that I had actually sold him all my property and had
nothing left but this leather pouch."

"Be comforted," replied the angered Prince. "I will give you full
satisfaction."

"Your Highness owes it to his own authority," replied Balassa, by way
of urging on the Prince. "These nobles act as arbitrarily as if there
were nobody in authority over them."

"Do not be disturbed. I will soon prove to them that there is a Prince
in Transylvania." Apafi left the audience room very much excited.

Over the heads of two powerful men who stood in Teleki's way, the
storm was already threatening.

CHAPTER X

THE LIEUTENANT OF THE ROUNDS

Clement put his pen behind his ear and read over the beautiful verses
he had just written. There were two hundred stanzas all ending in
"was," except one that ended in "were."

As Apafi always repented if he had hurt anybody's feelings, so in the
case of the traveling student Clement, he did not rest until he had
made up to him for the disgrace inflicted. And this he did by making
the inoffensive poet Lieutenant of the Rounds.

In those days there were many duties connected with this office, all
of which Clement calmly let slip while he wrote chronicles and epics
in abundance. Now his glance rested upon an epic in which he had
related the victory of Apafi at Neuhauesel. This poetic musing had so
engrossed Clement's power of thought that an entire week had passed
since his serving-man had run away carrying off his master's spurred
boots, and he had not yet pursued the faithless servant in spite of
his office as Lieutenant of the Rounds. He kept persistently going
around in the same circle; when he looked for his boots, he remembered
that his servant had stolen them, and when he started to go after his
servant he became aware that he had no boots. Under these
circumstances where could he make a beginning! So he set himself down
and wrote verses without end.

His room had not been swept for a week, so there was no lack of dust
a