第60章 V THE TRAITOR KING(1)

IN HIS CASTLE at Lustadt, Leopold of Lutha paced nerv-ously back and forth between his great desk and the window that overlooked the royal gardens. Upon the opposite side of the desk stood an old man--a tall, straight, old man with the bearing of a soldier and the head of a lion. His keen, gray eyes were upon the king, and sorrow was written upon his face. He was Ludwig von der Tann, chancellor of the kingdom of Lutha.

At last the king stopped his pacing and faced the old man, though he could not meet those eagle eyes squarely, try as he would. It was his inability to do so, possibly, that added to his anger. Weak himself, he feared this strong man and envied him his strength, which, in a weak nature, is but a step from hatred. There evidently had been a long pause in their conversation, yet the king's next words took up the thread of their argument where it had broken.

"You speak as though I had no right to do it," he snapped.

"One might think that you were the king from the manner with which you upbraid and reproach me. I tell you, Prince von der Tann, that I shall stand it no longer."The king approached the desk and pounded heavily upon its polished surface with his fist. The physical act of vio-lence imparted to him a certain substitute for the moral courage which he lacked.

"I will tell you, sir, that I am king. It was not necessary that I consult you or any other man before pardoning Prince Peter and his associates. I have investigated the matter thoroughly and I am convinced that they have been taught a sufficient lesson and that hereafter they will be my most loyal subjects."He hesitated. "Their presence here," he added, "may prove an antidote to the ambitions of others who lately have taken it upon themselves to rule Lutha for me."There was no mistaking the king's meaning, but Prince Ludwig did not show by any change of expression that the shot had struck him in a vulnerable spot; nor, upon the other hand, did he ignore the insinuation. There was only sorrow in his voice when he replied.

"Sire," he said, "for some time I have been aware of the activity of those who would like to see Peter of Blentz re-turned to favor with your majesty. I have warned you, only to see that my motives were always misconstrued. There is a greater power at work, your majesty, than any of us--greater than Lutha itself. One that will stop at nothing in order to gain its ends. It cares naught for Peter of Blentz, naught for me, naught for you. It cares only for Lutha. For strategic purposes it must have Lutha. It will trample you under foot to gain its end, and then it will cast Peter of Blentz aside. You have insinuated, sire, that I am ambitious.

I am. I am ambitious to maintain the integrity and freedom of Lutha.

"For three hundred years the Von der Tanns have labored and fought for the welfare of Lutha. It was a Von der Tann that put the first Rubinroth king upon the throne of Lutha.

To the last they were loyal to the former dynasty while that dynasty was loyal to Lutha. Only when the king at-tempted to sell the freedom of his people to a powerful neighbor did the Von der Tanns rise against him.

"Sire! the Von der Tanns have always been loyal to the house of Rubinroth. And but a single thing rises superior within their breasts to that loyalty, and that is their loyalty to Lutha." He paused for an instant before concluding. "And I, sire, am a Von der Tann."There could be no mistaking the old man's meaning. So long as Leopold was loyal to his people and their interests Ludwig von der Tann would be loyal to Leopold. The king was cowed. He was very much afraid of this grim old war-rior. He chafed beneath his censure.

"You are always scolding me," he cried irritably. "I am getting tired of it. And now you threaten me. Do you call that loyalty? Do you call it loyalty to refuse to compel your daughter to keep her plighted troth? If you wish to prove your loyalty command the Princess Emma to fulfil the prom-ise you made my father--command her to wed me at once."Von der Tann looked the king straight in the eyes.

"I cannot do that," he said. "She has told me that she will kill herself rather than wed with your majesty. She is all Ihave left, sire. What good would be accomplished by rob-bing me of her if you could not gain her by the act? Win her confidence and love, sire. It may be done. Thus only may happiness result to you and to her.""You see," exclaimed the king, "what your loyalty amounts to! I believe that you are saving her for the impostor--Ihave heard as much hinted at before this. Nor do I doubt that she would gladly connive with the fellow if she thought there was a chance of his seizing the throne."Von der Tann paled. For the first time righteous indigna-tion and anger got the better of him. He took a step toward the king.

"Stop!" he commanded. "No man, not even my king, may speak such words to a Von der Tann."In an antechamber just outside the room a man sat near the door that led into the apartment where the king and his chancellor quarreled. He had been straining his ears to catch the conversation which he could hear rising and falling in the adjoining chamber, but till now he had been unsuccess-ful. Then came Prince Ludwig's last words booming loudly through the paneled door, and the man smiled. He was Count Zellerndorf, the Austrian minister to Lutha.

The king's outraged majesty goaded him to an angry retort.

"You forget yourself, Prince von der Tann," he cried.

"Leave our presence. When we again desire to be insulted we shall send for you."As the chancellor passed into the antechamber Count Zellerndorf rose and greeted him warmly, almost effusively.

Von der Tann returned his salutations with courtesy but with no answering warmth. Then he passed on out of the palace.

"The old fox must have heard," he mused as he mounted his horse and turned his face toward Tann and the Old Forest.