Meanwhile, Frau Johann—a strangely subdued Frau Johann—had droopingly followed the chamois-hunter into the house.
"My friend, you must learn not to lose your head," said he, when she had timidly joined him in the otherwise deserted hall.
"Oh, but Your Majesty—"
"How many times must I remind you that His Majesty remains in 75 Salzbrück or some other of his residences when I am at Heiligengelt? If you cannot remember, I must look for chamois elsewhere than on the Weisshorn."
"I will not forget again, Your—I mean, I will do my best. Yet never before have I been so tried. To see your noble and high-born shoulders loaded down as if—as if you had been but a common Gepäckträger instead of——"
"A chamois-hunter? Don't distress yourself my friend. I have had a very good day's sport."
"It has given me a weakness of the heart, Your—sir. How can I again order myself civilly to those ladies, who——"
"Who have afforded peasant Max a few amusing hours. Be more civil than ever, for my sake, friend. And, by the way, do you happen to know the names of the ladies? That one of them is Miss Collison, I have heard; but the others——"
"They are mother and daughter, sir. The elder, who spoke, in her ignorance, such treasonable things from the window, is called by the 76 Miss Collinson 'Lady de Courcy'. The younger—the beautiful one—is also a miss; and I think her name is Mary. They talk together in English, and though I know few words of that language, I have heard 'London' mentioned not once, but many times between them. Besides, it is painted in big black letters on their boxes."
"You did not expect them here?"