"A pity we had not a legion of such angels!" said the Bishop as he laid his hand in fatherly fashion on his shoulder.
The Archduchess motioned Nigel to her side.
"Believe me, Colonel Charteris, I am mighty glad that you have come through the battle unscathed; though you make not the figure of bravery you did at Vienna!"
"I am ashamed, your Highness, to meet your eye in such mean clothing, but the Swede gave us no time to pack our valises, and, after all, one's own skin with a live man within is better than a coat of many colours upon a corpse."
The sun broke out in the eyes of the Archduchess.
"How you do take me at my word! You say nothing of surprise at finding me at Halberstadt? Does nothing surprise you?"
"Your Highness spoke of nunneries at our last meeting, and I find you in a Bishop's palace. In a nunnery I could not picture your radiance. Here you are in your own place, and under the tutelage of the Church, no less."
"Still the courtier of our camps! And have you met again our cousin Ottilie?" She flung the question at him carelessly, or so it seemed, as if she were indifferent as to the answer.
"That have I, your Highness!" he answered, looking straightly into the eyes of the Archduchess. And whether it was that he was fordone with his toils, his sudden remembrance of the Wartburg brought the colour back into his pale cheeks.
"So!" said the Archduchess. "There have been passages of arms between you! Ottilie is fortunate that she is not an Archduchess." There was a shadowy pretence of petulance in the princess's tone. "Did we not stipulate that you were our own cavalier?"