It was delicious to see Courtney roused, once in his life.  Choking back my laugh, I answered: 

“You have not put it half strongly enough.  You may be a fool, as you say—­there’s no doubt that I’ve been a colossal one.”

“You ought to be in an asylum for weak-minded instead of in that uniform,” he ejaculated.

“But, thanks to you, I’m in the uniform and not in the asylum,” I answered.

“Pray God you have sense enough, now, to keep in the one and out of the other,” he retorted.

“Amen, Courtney, old man,” said I, “Amen!”

Then I sprang away and into saddle—­waving my hand to him as he came hastily to the door to stay me.

XII

LEARNING MY TRADE

The next month was the busiest of my life—­not excepting those at the Point.  I was learning to be Royal, and I was starting a generation and a half behind time.  My hardest task was in meeting the Nobility.  I had been bred a soldier and had despised the politician—­secretly, however, as is necessary for the Army officer in America; but no rural candidate at a Fall election ever worked harder to ingratiate himself with the people and to secure their votes, than did I to win favor with the Lords and high officers of State.  And, with it all, I could feel no assurance of success—­for they were courtiers, and I had not yet learned to read behind their masks; though, here, Bernheim was invaluable.  Indeed, he was a wonder.  I have yet to find him miss his guess.

There were constant Cabinet meetings to attend, at which my views were expected; and this entailed a study of conditions and policies absolutely new to me.  Then, I was delegated frequently by the King to represent him on occasions of ceremony; and, for them, I needed careful coaching.  In fact, there were a thousand matters which occupied me to exhaustion.  And, through it all, I was trying to get familiar with the organization and administration and methods of the Valerian Army, so as to be fitted to discharge the duties of my high rank.  I confess this was my most congenial labor.  If I might have been simply a soldier Archduke, I think I would have been entirely satisfied.

After a few weeks I had taken up my residence in the Epsau Palace—­one of my recent inheritances—­and there maintained my own Archducal Court.  It was a bit hard for me to take myself seriously and to accept calmly the obsequious deference accorded me by everyone.  I fear I smiled many times when I should have looked royally indifferent; and was royally indifferent when I should have smiled.  I know there were scores of instances when I felt like kicking some of the infernally omnipresent flunkeys down the stairs.  But I did not; for I knew that the poor devils were doing only their particular duty in the manner particularly proper.