ted her; she would die before
hurt should come to him.

There were wheels in the street--quick-rolling wheels. They seemed to
stop a few doors away, then to roll on again past the house. The girl's
head was raised; the old woman, engrossed in her stewing, took no heed.
The girl's straining ear caught a rapid step outside. Then it came--the
knock, the sharp knock followed by five light ones. The old woman heard
now: dropping her spoon into the pot, she lifted the mess off the fire
and turned round, saying: "There's the rogue at last! Open the door for
him, Rosa."

Before she spoke Rosa had darted down the passage. The door opened and
shut again. The old woman waddled to the threshold of the kitchen.
The passage and the shop were dark behind the closed shutters, but the
figure by the girl's side was taller than Bauer's.

"Who's there?" cried Mother Holf sharply. "The shop's shut to-day: you
can't come in."

"But I am in," came the answer, and Rudolf stepped towards her. The
girl followed a pace behind, her hands clasped and her eyes alight with
excitement. "Don't you know me?" asked Rudolf, standing opposite the old
woman and smiling down on her.

There, in the dim light of the low-roofed passage, Mother Holf was
fairly puzzled. She knew the story of Mr. Rassendyll; she knew that he
was again in Ruritania, it was no surprise to her that he should be in
Strelsau; but she did not know that Rupert had killed the king, and
she had not seen the king close at hand since his illness and his beard
impaired what had been a perfect likeness. In fine, she could not tell
whether it were indeed the king who spoke to her or his counterfeit.

"Who are you?" she asked, curt and blunt in her confusion. The girl
broke in with an amused laugh.

"Why, it's the--" She paused. Perhaps the king's identity was a secret.

Rudolf nodded to her. "Tell her who I am," said he.

"Why, mother, it's the king," whispered Rosa, laughing and blushing.
"The king, mother."

"Ay, if the king's alive, I'm the king," said Rudolf. I suppose he
wanted to find out how much the old woman knew.

She made no answer, but stared up at his face. In her bewilderment she
forgot to ask how he had learnt the signal that gained him admission.

"I've come to see the Count of Hentzau," Rudolf continued. "Take me to
him at once."

The old woman was across his path in a moment, all defiant, arms akimbo.

"Nobody can see the count. He's not here," she blurted out