"I am going to put my whole scheme in your possession," was my answer; and in the fewest words I told him what I had resolved, keeping back only such parts of the plan as touched the Countess Minna and myself personally.
He listened with rapt attention, his swarthy face drawn into thoughtful lines, and he did not interrupt me once. When I had finished, he remained silent a long while thinking it all over carefully.
"It is a shrewd scheme, Prince, very shrewd. There is only one difficulty."
"Well?"
"For you and me to keep alive sufficiently long to carry it through. The attempt last night will not be the last, and the efforts won't be confined to me. They have not touched you so far, probably because they feel it will strengthen their hands with the Countess Minna to get your open adherence to the plot. But when that has once been obtained, you will only be in the way, and you had better lay your account with that. But if we can keep our hearts beating and our throats unslit until the time of crisis comes, we shall win. By the sword of the archangel, but I like the scheme!"
"There is a meeting to-night at which I announce my formal adherence, and then I shall return to Gramberg to complete my arrangements."
"If you live to leave the town," he said grimly. "But you understand now the sort of men you are fighting. And what do you wish me to do?"
"Yours will be the most dangerous and, in some respects, I think the most difficult work of all—the post of honor. You must prepare the means by which the Duke Marx von Ostenburg can be got into our power, and you must be prepared to carry out the seizure the moment I give the signal. It had best be done on the very day of the court ball."
To my surprise he smiled and declared that that part of the business would not be difficult of accomplishment.
"I may need one man to help me, though I can probably do it all alone; and you will only have to say where you wish him carried."