“Surely, my dear, a moment’s thought would reveal it to you.  Remember how we came almost to the door of the prison, when a temporary reprieve was handed to us by that coarse reprobate, the Pfalzgraf.  Your suite of rooms was not yet ready, and thus we found bestowed upon us another free day; a day of untrammeled liberty, quite unlooked for.  Now, much may be done in a day.  An Empire has been lost and won within a few hours.  With this gift came a revelation.  That wine-blotched Pfalzgraf would have shown no consideration for you:  to him a prisoner is a prisoner, to be cast anywhere, lock the door, and have done, but a wholesome fear had been instilled into him by his overlord.  The Archbishop of Mayence had taken thought for your comfort, ordering that the best rooms in the Castle should be placed at your disposal.  Hence, after all that had passed, his Lordship felt no malignancy against you, and I dare say would have been glad to rescind the order for your imprisonment, were it not that he would never admit defeat.”

“Oh, Guardian, what an imagination is yours!  I am sure his Lordship of Mayence will never forgive me.”

“His Lordship of Mayence, my dear, is in a dilemma from which no one except yourself can extricate him.”

“His own cleverness will extricate him.”

“Perhaps.  Still, I’m not troubling about him.  My thoughts are much too selfish for that.  I wish you to lift me from my uncertainty.”

“You mean about Prince Roland?  I shall do whatever you ask of me.”

“I place no command, but I proffer a suggestion.”

“It shall be a command, nevertheless.”

“We have left your own prison far behind, and are approaching that of Prince Roland.  To the door of that detaining Castle I propose to lead you.  I am forbidden by my compact with the other Electors to see Prince Roland or to hold any communication with him.  The custodian of the Castle, who knows me well, will not refuse any request I make, even if I ask to see the young man himself.  He will therefore not hesitate to admit you when I require him to do so.  To take away any taint of surreptitiousness about my action, interfering, as one might say, with another man’s house, I shall this evening write to the Archbishop of Mayence, tell him exactly what I have done, and why.”

“Do you intend, then, that I should see Prince Roland and talk with him?”

“Yes.”

“My dear Guardian!” cried the girl, her face flushing red, “what on earth can I say to him?  How am I to excuse my intrusion?”

“A prisoner, I fancy, does not resent intrusion, especially if the intruder is—­” The old man smiled as he looked at the girl, whose blush grew deeper and deeper; then, seeing her confusion, he added:  “There are many things to say.  Introduce yourself as the ward of his Lordship of Cologne; reveal that your guardian has confided to you that Prince Roland is to be the future Emperor;