an all the rest of the servant brood!" he muttered, raising
his fist in a threatening manner--"no worse than yourself, you should have
said, proud lord. You receive bribes as well as we, take money wherever
you can get it, lend upon pledges, and practice usury like any Jew! Ah! we
know you, haughty count, the whole Mark of Brandenburg knows and detests
you, and it is a sin and shame that we must bow down before the Catholic
alien, the foreigner, the imperialist, the priest-ridden slave, and it is
a dreadful misfortune that the Elector himself bows down before him, and
acts as if Schwarzenberg were lord here, and he a mere servant. Well," he
comforted himself, letting his fist drop, "I can not alter it, and father
says what we can not alter we had better submit to, and profit by a
little, if we can. I will now guide these gentlemen bullies to the count's
cabinet."

Count Adam von Schwarzenberg had meanwhile opened the door to his little
private antechamber, and caused to enter his officiating equery and
chamberlain, von Lehndorf, as also his two pages in waiting.

"Lehndorf," he said, "what think you? Would it be possible to arrange a
small hunting party for to-day?"

"Most gracious sir," returned the chamberlain joyfully, "the weather seems
just made for that. A clear, bright October day, and the does and stags in
the park deserve that a couple of dozen of them should be shot down, for
they have grown so bold that they hardly show any longer their wonted fear
of man. Would your excellency believe that yesterday four does, under the
guidance of a powerful buck, were pleased to issue forth from the park
behind the castle and promenade a little in the worshipful towns of Berlin
and Cologne? Such a screaming as there was of the street boys, who pursued
the beasts, such a grunting of hogs, into whose styes the does sprang
without respect, and such a running of honorable city women, who were
struck with fear of being maltreated by the horned animals, who were
nevertheless not their husbands, and such a yelping of noble butcher dogs,
which probably took the does for calves gone mad! I swear, your
excellency, it was divine sport."

"You are a blustering fellow yourself," laughed the count, "and 'Who loves
to dance, ne'er lacks the chance.' If you are thus minded, we shall have a
little hunt to-day, and take it upon yourself to invite for us a few
worthy and suitable gentlemen who have fine horses and dogs."

"And will not y