“But I would get a permission from the King.”
“Rubbish, boy! He would not listen to you. He might as a man be ready to pardon your father; but as King he would feel that he could not. No; I must speak plainly to you: his Majesty will deal sternly with the prisoners, to make an example for his enemies, and show them the folly of attempting to shake his position on the throne.”
“Oh, Captain Murray! Captain Murray!” cried the boy.
“Look here, Frank lad. Your journey to meet the prisoners would be an utter waste of energy, and you would most likely miss them, for to avoid the possibility of attempts at rescue their escort would probably take all kinds of byways and be constantly changing their route.”
“But I should have tried to help my father, even if I failed.”
“Don’t run the risk of failure, boy,” said the captain earnestly. “Our only hopes lie in the Prince and Princess. The Prince would, I feel sure, spare your father’s life if he could, for the sake of his wife’s friend. But he is not king, only a subject like ourselves, and he will be governed by his father and his father’s Ministers. Now you see that you must not alienate our only hope by doing rash things.”
Frank looked at him in despair.
“Now do you see why I oppose you?”
“Yes, yes,” said the boy despondently. “Oh, how I wish I were wise!”
“There is only one way to grow wise, Frank: learn—think and calculate before you make a step. Now, look here, my boy. The Prince has plenty of good points in his character. He likes you; and he shall be appealed to through your mother and the Princess. Now, promise me that you will do nothing rashly, and that you will give up this project.”