"I did not know that. Is that the reason he has been in such a hurry to storm the town?"
"You too will receive such an order from the Turkish Council of State. Under the pretext that this order has already come it will be an easy matter to prevail on the Pasha to abandon the siege of Klausenburg."
"I will try it, Anna. I will do it," replied Apafi, pacing back and forth in the tent. "I owe it to my people. Better abandon those walls than force my way through with fire and sword."
"You must not do that either," answered his clever wife. "There are ways and means of getting possession of the stronghold beside taking it by storm."
Apafi stood still and looked at his wife inquiringly. She drew him to her and whispered as follows: "Before you reached the walls of Klausenburg, I commissioned Raldi and several other of our faithful followers to try to win the garrison over to our side; this morning our spies brought me word that the infantry are so won over to us by promises and the force of circumstances that at the first sound of the drum from here they are ready to open the gates and give themselves up to you, bag and baggage. The cavalry alone cannot then offer further resistance."
Apafi in amazement said, "You certainly were created for a prince."
Anna took her husband gently by the arm, led him to the throne and made him take his seat.
"The sceptre is no toy, Apafi," she said, earnestly. "Never forget that posterity and eternity sit in judgment on princes. Every deed and every word of a ruler may mean safety or destruction to millions. Therefore consider everything that you say or do. Now I am going. Be firm."
Anna kissed her husband on the brow and as she did so her glance fell on the roll of parchment of the traveling student.
"What kind of campaign plan is this?" she asked, taking up the parchment.