Certain it is that from childhood everything had prospered with this duke.  His people had expected great things of him when he was only crown prince, and he did not disappoint them when he came to the throne.  Every one had loved him.  Under his leadership the army had marched from one victory to another.  While he held the sceptre one abundant harvest followed another, and he had married the most beautiful and most virtuous daughter of the mightiest prince in the kingdom.

In the midst of a hot conflict, and at the moment that his own army sent up a shout of victory, he met his death.  Everything that the heart of man could desire had been accorded to him, except the one joy of possessing a son and heir.  But he had left the world in the hope that that wish, too, would be fulfilled.

Black banners floated from the battlements of the castle, the columns at its entrance were wreathed in crape, the gold state-coaches were painted black, and the manes and tails of the duke’s horses bound with ribbons of the same sombre hue.  The master of the hunt had the gaily-colored birds in the park dyed, the schoolmaster had the copy-books of the boys covered with black, the merry minstrels in the land sang only sad strains, and every subject wore mourning.  When the ruby-red nose of the guardian of the Court cellar gradually changed to a bluish tint during this time, the Court marshal thought it only natural.  Even the babies were swaddled in black bands.  And besides all this outward show, the hearts too were sad, and saddest of all was that of the young widowed duchess.  She also had laid aside all bright colours, and went about in deepest mourning, only her eyes, despite the Court orders in regard to sombre hues, were bright red from weeping.

She would have wished to die that she might not be separated from her husband, save for a sweet, all-powerful hope which held her to this world; and the prospect of holy duties, like faint rays of sunshine, threw their light over her future, which would otherwise have seemed as dark as the habits of the Court about her.

Thus five long months passed.  On the first morning of the sixth month cannon thundered from the citadel of the capital.  One salvo followed another, making the air tremble, but the firing did not waken the citizens, for not one of them had closed an eye the foregoing night, which, according to the oldest inhabitants, had been unprecedented.  From the rocky district on the north shore of the lake, where Misdral lived, a fearful thunder-storm had arisen, and spread over the city and ducal palace.  There was a rolling and rumbling of thunder and howling of wind, such as might have heralded the Day of judgment.  The lightning had not, as usual, rent the darkness with long, jagged flashes, but had fallen to the ground as great fiery balls which, however, had set nothing aflame.  The watchmen on the towers asserted that above the black clouds a silver-white mist had floated,