“You blunder there, Herr Bennett,” said the king, with a touch of dignity that was worthy of his royal pretensions. “You are the cause—I am the victim.”
Cousin Fritz had been dancing impatiently round the room.
“You waste time, Cousin Rudolph,” he cried recklessly. “You can’t stand here and put down a revolution by a royal edict. You don’t hold a card in your hand that is worth drawing to. Leave the table and the stakes to the winners and wait for better luck.”
King Rudolph, with a gesture of despair, turned toward the dwarf.
“Treachery from friends and wisdom from the mouths of fools! It’s all of a piece! Go on, Cousin Fritz! What do you suggest? Your advice is as valuable to-night as that of the men who have pushed me toward this precipice.” The king glanced pointedly at Bennett and the two loyal courtiers who lurked in the background.
“Your only chance, Cousin Rudolph,” said the dwarf coolly, stepping forward and bending his knee with solemn mockery before the king, “is to follow my guidance. Your guards have proved false, and within another ten minutes the hirelings of Wilhelm will be at yonder door. What will happen then, who can say? A brother who would seize your crown will not hesitate to take your life. But his lawlessness will not find favor long with the good people of Hesse-Heilfels. To-night they follow the lead of evil counsellors. To-morrow they will see the horror of their deeds. To-morrow, Cousin Rudolph, you will again be king in their hearts. To-night they serve your rival’s schemes.”
“But this is hardly to the point, Cousin Fritz,” said the king gently. “You may speak the truth, but to-morrow has not come. We must act, and act at once.”
“Follow me, then,” cried the dwarf, springing to his feet and seizing the hand of Princess Hilda. “Hark! Hear that? They are coming toward us. Quick now! There is no time to lose.”
Drawing the princess with him, Cousin Fritz disappeared behind a heavy curtain that concealed a portrait of a famous Schwartzburger, who had held the throne of Hesse-Heilfels nearly two centuries ago. When King Rudolph, Bennett, and the two courtiers drew the curtain aside, the portrait had disappeared and a black hole in the wall met their eyes. Out of the darkness came the voice of Cousin Fritz.
“Come on! Come on! Don’t stop to draw cards. This isn’t poker. Do you hear me? We aren’t playing jack-pots, your majesty. We’re making history.”