According to the account written by Halem himself, a certain Don Ramirez Arellano came into his cell at seven o’clock in the evening, when he was suffering imprisonment at the hand of the Inquisition, and told him that the King was graciously pleased to receive him, but warned him solemnly against any indiscretion. Halem wished to put on his uniform, with the stripes and decorations accorded to those who had followed Ferdinand to Valençay. But Arellano forbade it. “Nothing in the way of uniform,” he said—“nothing, nothing that may attract attention;” and he made him don his plain cap and jacket, and, accompanied by the alcalde and another man, they repaired to the palace.
“We reached the gallery,” writes Van Halem, “by unfrequented stairways, and, opening a coloured window, which was a secret door, came to the King’s private room, commonly called the camarilla.
“There Ramirez Arellano left us for a while, and I found that the other incognito was Villar Frontin, the King’s secretary. At the end of half an hour a fine-figured lady passed through the room, followed by Arellano. He nervously made a sign to the secretary and me to follow him, whilst the alcalde was to remain behind. When we all three arrived at the door of the salon, Arellano called out in a loud tone:
“‘Señor.’
“‘What is it?’ cried a voice from within.
“‘Here is Van Halem.’
“‘Enter.’
“So we entered, leaving Villar Frontin near the door outside.
“The King was quite alone; he was seated in the only chair in the room, but as we advanced he rose to his feet. The King’s dress is so familiar to his people, down to the cut of his trousers and the stud of his shirt-front, that there is no need to describe it.
“At a little distance from the chair was a large table, at which the King despatched business with his Ministers, and upon which were several papers, an inkstand, a writing-case, and a box of cigars.