第12章 IV BARNEY FINDS A FRIEND(2)

"It was through his efforts that you escaped before, you will recall. I have seen Fritz and learned from him the way, so that if your majesty does not recall it it will make no difference, for I know it well, having been over it three times already since I came here, to be sure that when the time came that they should recapture you I might lead you out quickly before they could slay you.""You really think that they intend murdering me?""There is no doubt about it, your majesty," replied the old man. "This very bottle"--Joseph touched the phial which Stein had left upon the table--"contains the means whereby, through my hands, you were to be slowly poisoned.""Do you know what it is?"

"Bichloride of mercury, your majesty. One dose would have been sufficient, and after a few days--perhaps a week --you would have died in great agony."Barney shuddered.

"But I am not the king, Joseph," said the young man, "so even had they succeeded in killing me it would have profited them nothing."Joseph shook his head sadly.

"Your majesty will pardon the presumption of one who loves him," he said, "if he makes so bold as to suggest that your majesty must not again deny that he is king. That only tends to corroborate the contention of Prince Peter that your majesty is not--er, just sane, and so, incompetent to rule Lutha. But we of Tann know differently, and with the help of the good God we will place your majesty upon the throne which Peter has kept from you all these years."Barney sighed. They were determined that he should be king whether he would or no. He had often thought he would like to be a king; but now the realization of his boy-ish dreaming which seemed so imminent bade fair to be almost anything than pleasant.

Barney suddenly realized that the old fellow was talking.

He was explaining how they might escape. It seemed that a secret passage led from this very chamber to the vaults be-neath the castle and from there through a narrow tunnel below the moat to a cave in the hillside far beyond the structure.

"They will not return again tonight to see your majesty,"said Joseph, "and so we had best make haste to leave at once. I have a rope and swords in readiness. We shall need the rope to make our way down the hillside, but let us hope that we shall not need the swords.""I cannot leave Blentz," said Barney, "unless the Princess Emma goes with us.""The Princess Emma!" cried the old man. "What Princess Emma?""Princess von der Tann," replied Barney. "Did you not know that she was captured with me!"The old man was visibly affected by the knowledge that his young mistress was a prisoner within the walls of Blentz.

He seemed torn by conflicting emotions--his duty toward his king and his love for the daughter of his old master. So it was that he seemed much relieved when he found that Barney insisted upon saving the girl before any thought of their own escape should be taken into consideration.

"My first duty, your majesty," said Joseph, "is to bring you safely out of the hands of your enemies, but if you command me to try to bring your betrothed with us I am sure that his highness, Prince Ludwig, would be the last to censure me for deviating thus from his instructions, for if he loves another more than he loves his king it is his daughter, the beautiful Princess Emma.""What do you mean, Joseph," asked Barney, "by referring to the princess as my betrothed? I never saw her before today.""It has slipped your majesty's mind," said the old man sadly; "but you and my young mistress were betrothed many years ago while you were yet but children. It was the old king's wish that you wed the daughter of his best friend and most loyal subject."Here was a pretty pass, indeed, thought Barney. It was sufficiently embarrassing to be mistaken for the king, but to be thrown into this false position in company with a beau-tiful young woman to whom the king was engaged to be married, and who, with the others, thought him to be the king, was quite the last word in impossible positions.

Following this knowledge there came to Barney the first pangs of regret that he was not really the king, and then the realization, so sudden that it almost took his breath away, that the girl was very beautiful and very much to be desired.

He had not thought about the matter until her utter im-possibility was forced upon him.

It was decided that Joseph should leave the king's apart-ment at once and discover in what part of the castle Emma von der Tann was imprisoned. Their further plans were to depend upon the information gained by the old man during his tour of investigation of the castle.

In the interval of his absence Barney paced the length of his prison time and time again. He thought the fellow would never return. Perhaps he had been detected in the act of spying, and was himself a prisoner in some other part of the castle! The thought came to Barney like a blow in the face, for he realized that then he would be entirely at the mercy of his captors, and that there would be none to champion the cause of the Princess von der Tann.

When his nervous tension had about reached the breaking point there came a sound of stealthy movement just outside the door of his room. Barney halted close to the massive panels. He heard a key fitted quietly and then the lock grated as it turned.

Barney thought that they had surely detected Joseph's duplicity and had come to make short work of the king before other traitors arose in their midst entirely to frustrate their plans. The young American stepped to the wall behind the door that he might be out of sight of whoever entered.

Should it prove other than Joseph, might the Lord help them! The clenched fists, square-set chin, and gleaming gray eyes of the prisoner presaged no good for any incoming en-emy.

Slowly the door swung open and a man entered the room.

Barney breathed a deep sigh of relief--it was Joseph.