"'In that case, your excellence, we will change the carriage.'

"The prince was half-disposed to break the rascal's bones
himself; but, besides that this would have compromised his
dignity, he saw, from the countenances of those who stood
loitering round the carriage, that it would be a very imprudent
step. He descended; they threw his baggage down upon the
pavement, and after about an hour's delay, brought out a
miserable dislocated carriage and two broken-winded horses.

"Under any other circumstances the Prince would have been
generous--would have been lavish; but he had insisted upon his
right, he was resolved not to be conquered. Into this
ill-conditioned vehicle he therefore doggedly entered, and as
the new driver had been forewarned that there would be no
_buona-mano_, the equipage started amidst the laughter and
jeers of the mob.

"This time the horses were such wretched animals that it would
have been out of conscience to expect anything more than a walk
from them. It took six more hours to go from Pontedera to
Empoli.

"Arrived at Empoli the driver stopped, and presented himself at
the door of the carriage.

"'Your excellence sleeps here,' said he to the prince.

"'How! are we at Florence?'

"'No, your excellence, you are at the charming little town of
Empoli.'

"'I paid twelve piastres to your master to go to Florence, not
to Empoli. I will sleep at Florence.'

"'Where is the paper?'

"'To the devil with your paper!'

"'Your excellence then has no paper?'

"'No.'

"'In that case, your excellence now will sleep at Empoli!'

"In a few minutes afterwards the prince found himself driven
under a kind of archway. It was a coach-house belonging to an
inn. On his expressing surprise at being driven into this sort
of place, and repeating his determination to proceed to
Florence, the coachman said, that, at all events, he must
change his horses; and that this was the most convenient place
for so doing. In fact, he took out his horses, and led them
away.

"After waiting some time for his return, the prince called to
Frantz, and bade him open the door of this coach-house, and
bring somebody.

"Frantz obeyed, but found the door shut--fastened.

"On hearing that they were shut in, the prince started from the
carriage