ed during his regency. Executives and judiciary, following the
example of their chief, had become tyrannical and corrupt. For ten
years there had been small joy in Lutha.

There had been whispered rumors off and on that the young king was
dead these many years, but not even in whispers did the men of Lutha
dare voice the name of him whom they believed had caused his death.
For lesser things they had seen their friends and neighbors thrown
into the hitherto long-unused dungeons of the royal castle.

And now came the rumor that Leopold of Lutha had escaped the Castle
of Blentz and was roaming somewhere in the wild mountains or ravines
upon the opposite side of the plain of Lustadt.

Peter of Blentz was filled with rage and, possibly, fear as well.

"I tell you, Coblich," he cried, addressing his dark-visaged
minister of war, "there's more than coincidence in this matter.
Someone has betrayed us. That he should have escaped upon the very
eve of the arrival at Blentz of the new physician is most
suspicious. None but you, Coblich, had knowledge of the part that
Dr. Stein was destined to play in this matter," concluded Prince
Peter pointedly.

Coblich looked the Regent full in the eye.

"Your highness wrongs not only my loyalty, but my intelligence," he
said quietly, "by even so much as intimating that I have any guilty
knowledge of Leopold's escape. With Leopold upon the throne of
Lutha, where, think you, my prince, would old Coblich be?"

Peter smiled.

"You are right, Coblich," he said. "I know that you would not be
such a fool; but whom, then, have we to thank?"

"The walls have ears, prince," replied Coblich, "and we have not
always been as careful as we should in discussing the matter.
Something may have come to the ears of old Von der Tann. I don't for
a moment doubt but that he has his spies among the palace servants,
or even the guard. You know the old fox has always made it a point
to curry favor with the common soldiers. When he was minister of war
he treated them better than he did his officers."

"It seems strange, Coblich, that so shrewd a man as you should have
been unable to discover some irregularity in the political life of
Prince Ludwig von der Tann before now," said the prince querulously.
"He is the greatest menace to our peace and sovereignty. With Von
der Tann out of the way there would be none powerful enough to
question our right to the throne of Lutha--after poor Leopold passes
away."