“I shall above all things seek to come to an understanding with Father Silvio, and impress upon the Emperor’s pious, zealous father confessor the extent of glory and blessing to be acquired in behalf of the Church and holy faith by wresting the Mark out of the hands of a heretic, and bestowing it upon a believing, true Catholic, such as the Stadtholder in the Mark.  The father has the Emperor’s ear, and, I believe, is favorably disposed toward me.  I shall use every means for enlisting his favor, and it would be well to have some funds at my disposal for this purpose.  Father Silvio, noble and pious though he be, loves money, and is not inaccessible to jewels and valuable gifts.  He has in his apartments at Vienna costly collections of precious stones and rare gold and silver plate, and it affords him high gratification to add a few valuable pieces to them.”

“We will take care of that,” said Count Adam, smiling.  “Choose out of our casket of gems a few things worthy the pious father’s acceptance, and for money you can draw upon the bankers Fugger of Nuremberg.  I recently deposited with them considerable sums, in case of emergency.  They are safer there than here in this starved-out Mark, among the desperadoes of Berlin and Cologne, who have no affection for me, and perhaps some day may take it into their heads to demand relief from me for their poverty and want, and plunder me to enrich themselves.  Among such a gaunt, hungry populace we must be prepared for everything, and it is wise to be insured against mishaps.  In these present evil days, however, nothing but money can raise an army, and only he who has money can aspire to being a general.”

“The little Elector of Brandenburg has no money!” cried Count Adolphus, “for which God be praised!  He, therefore, can be no general.  His troops and his land belong to us, and, like the Margrave of Jaegerndorf and the Elector of the Palatinate, the deposed Elector of Brandenburg may soon be a wanderer in foreign lands, exposing his humiliation to the whole German Empire.  Nowhere will he find compassion, nowhere sympathy, for he is a dangerous foe to all, and all will profit by his fall.  Dear, honored father, let me depart this very hour for Regensburg, in order to obtain the Emperor’s approval of our weighty plans, and to return to you the earlier with plenipotentiary powers.”

“You are right, Adolphus, haste makes speed, and we must strike while the iron is hot.  Set off, my son, this very hour if you choose.  It will not be necessary for me to write to the Emperor by you.  You know perfectly how to interpret my thoughts, and your spoken word is better than my written one.  God speed you, then, my son, I shall expect daily dispatches from you, acquainting me with the progress of your negotiations.”

“I shall write, father, and make use of the ciphers agreed upon between us.  You have preserved the key, have you not?”

“I have preserved it in my head,” replied the count, pointing to his forehead.  “Important secrets should never be committed to paper, and I say with Charles V, ’If one carries a great secret in his head, he should burn his very nightcap, that it may not betray him.’  Truly may it be said of us two that we carry an important secret in our heads.  Instead of a nightcap I have burned the cipher key, that it may not one day betray us!”