“At least it supplies a motive. I fancy Rozsnyo is the central point of a very pretty series of conspiracies, public and private, one within the other, which it will be my task to unravel.”
“I shall only be too glad to help you,” Von Tressen declared heartily.
“Very well, then. We will make a reconnaissance of Rozsnyo to-night.”
CHAPTER V
THE MYSTERY OF ROZSNYO
At about nine o’clock that evening the two friends set out through the forest for the Schloss Rozsnyo. They had been careful to utter no hint of their intention which might be overheard by Bela, Von Tressen’s soldier servant, and their nocturnal expedition was ostensibly to the feeding grounds of the deer, which in those regions are stalked at night.
A cloudy sky with occasional bright intervals suited their purpose well, and the forest paths had become sufficiently familiar to Von Tressen to enable him to guide his companion without difficulty across the wooded valley to the elevation on which Rozsnyo stood.
As they drew near the castle the moon shone out brilliantly for a few minutes, affording them, from their dark covert, a magnificent view of the romantic building perched high above them. A curious edifice blending, as it did, antique and modern styles of architecture, the rough solidity of the ancient fortified dwelling with the fantastic pretentiousness of the Gothic of yesterday. But the whole effect was picturesque enough, especially as seen by moonlight.
“A fine lair for a beast of prey,” was Galabin’s comment. “What if the inside should be as foul as the outside is fair?”
“Not an easy place to reconnoitre,” Von Tressen observed, having taken in with a professional scrutiny the situation of the castle and its points of approach.
“No,” Galabin replied; “the undertaking is by no means easy or safe, as the Chancellor gave me clearly to understand. Still, I mean to go through with it, although there is no reason why one need act with precipitation.”