Is it
safe, I wonder? Ah, yes, here it is."
He drew from his inner pocket the queen's letter. "Now if the
king hadn't been a fool!" he murmured regretfully, as he regarded
it.
Then he walked across to the window and looked out; he could not
himself be seen from the street, and nobody was visible at the
windows opposite. Men and women passed to and fro on their daily
labors or pleasures; there was no unusual stir in the city.
Looking over the roofs, Rupert could see the royal standard
floating in the wind over the palace and the barracks. He took
out his watch; Rischenheim imitated his action; it was ten
minutes to ten.
"Rischenheim," he called, "come here a moment. Here--look out."
Rischenheim obeyed, and Rupert let him look for a minute or two
before speaking again.
"Do you see anything remarkable?" he asked then.
"No, nothing," answered Rischenheim, still curt and sullen in his
fright.
"Well, no more do I. And that's very odd. For don't you think
that Sapt or some other of her Majesty's friends must have gone
to the lodge last night?"
"They meant to, I swear," said Rischenheim with sudden attention.
"Then they would have found the king. There's a telegraph wire at
Hofbau, only a few miles away.
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