"You must come with me to the manor?" said Katharina, as, with arms entwined about each other, they entered the castle. "I shall not allow you to stop longer in this lonely place."
"I wish you would take me with you," responded Marie. "I shall be very obedient and dutiful. If I do anything that displeases you, you must scold me, and praise me when I do what is right."
"And I am not to be asked if I consent to this abduction of my ward?"
here smilingly interposed Count Vavel.
"Why can"t you come with us?" innocently inquired Marie.
The other young woman laughed merrily.
"He may come for a brief visit; later we will let him come to stay always." Then she added in a more serious tone: "Count Vavel, you may rest perfectly content that your treasure will be safe with me. My house is prepared for a.s.sault. My people are brave and well armed. There is no possible chance of another attack from robbers like that from which you delivered me."
"Ludwig delivered you from robbers?" repeated Marie, in astonishment.
"When? How?"
"Then he did not tell you about his adventure? What a singular man!"
Here the vice-palatine interposed with: "What is this I hear? Robbers? I heard nothing about robbers."
"The baroness herself asked me not to speak of the affair," explained the count.
"Yes, but I did not forbid you to tell Marie, Herr Count," responded Katharina.
""Baroness"--"Herr Count"?" repeated Marie, turning questioningly from her guardian to their fair neighbor. "Why don"t you call each other by your Christian names?"
They were spared an explanation by Herr Bernat, who again observed:
"Robbers? I confess I should like to hear about this robbery?"
"I will tell you all about it," returned the baroness; "but first, I must beg the vice-palatine not to make any arrests. For," she added, with an enchanting smile, "had it not been for those valiant knights of the road I should not have become acquainted with my brave Ludwig."
"That is better!" applauded Marie, hurrying her "little mother" into the reception-room, where the wonderful story of the robbery was repeated.
And what an attentive listener was the fair young girl! Her lips were pressed tightly together; her eyes were opened to their widest extent--like those of a child who hears a wonderful fairy tale. Even the vice-palatine from time to time e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed:
"_Darvalia_!" "_Beste karaffia_!"--which, doubtless, were the proper terms to apply to marauding rascals.
But when the baroness came to that part of her story where Count Vavel, with his walking-stick, put to flight the four robbers, Marie"s face glowed with pride. Surely there was not another brave man like her Ludwig in the whole world!
"That was our first meeting," concluded Katharina laughingly, laying her hand on that of her betrothed husband, who was leaning against the arm of her chair.
"I should like to know why you both thought it best to keep this robbery a secret?" remarked Herr Bernat.
"The real reason," explained Count Vavel, "was because the baroness did not want her protege, Satan Laczi"s wife, persecuted."
"Hum! if everybody was as generous as you two, then robbery would become a lucrative business!"
"You must remember," Katharina made haste to protest, "that all this has been told to the matrimonial emissary, and not to the vice-palatine. On no account are any arrests to be made!"
"I will suggest a plan to the Herr Vice-palatine," said Count Vavel.
"Grant an amnesty to the robbers; not to the four who broke into the manor,--for they are merely common thieves,--but to Satan Laczi and his comrades, who will cheerfully exchange their nefarious calling for the purifying fire of the battle-field. I myself will undertake to form them into a company of foot-soldiers."
"But how do you know that Satan Laczi and his comrades will join the army?" inquired Herr Bernat.
"Satan Laczi told me so himself--one night here in the castle. He opened all the doors and cupboards, while I was in the observatory, and waited for me in my study."
It was the ladies" turn now to exhibit the liveliest interest. Each seized a hand of the speaker, and listened attentively to his description of the robber"s midnight visit to the castle.
"Good!" was Herr Bernat"s comment, when the count had concluded. "An amnesty shall be granted to Satan Laczi and his crew if they will submit themselves to the Herr Count"s military discipline."
CHAPTER V
The little servant, Satan Laczi, junior, interrupted the conversation.
He came to announce dinner. Lisette had not needed any instructions. She knew what was expected of her when a visitor happened to be at the castle at meal-times. Besides, she wanted to show the lady from the manor what she could do. Not since the count"s arrival at the Nameless Castle had there been so cheerful a meal as to-day. Marie sparkled with delight; the baroness was wit personified; and the vice-palatine bubbled over with anecdotes. When the roast appeared he raised his gla.s.s for a serious toast:
"To our beloved fatherland. Vivat! To our revered king. Vivat! To our adored queen. Vivat!"
Count Vavel promptly responded, as did also the ladies. Then the count refilled the gla.s.ses, and, raising his own above his head, cried:
"And now, another vivat to _my_ queen! Long may she reign, and gloriously! And," he added, with sudden fierceness, "may all who are her enemies perish miserably!"
"Ludwig, for heaven"s sake!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Marie, in terror. "Look at Katharina; she is ill."
And, indeed, the baroness"s lovely face was pallid as that of a corpse.
Her eyes were closed; her head had fallen back against her chair.
Ludwig and Marie sprang to her side, the young girl exclaiming reproachfully:
"See how you have terrified her."
"Don"t be frightened," returned Ludwig, a.s.suringly; "it is only a pa.s.sing illness, and will soon be over."
He had restored the fair woman to consciousness on another occasion; he knew, therefore, what to do now. After a few minutes the baroness opened her eyes again. She forced a smile to her lips, shivered once or twice, then whispered to Ludwig, who was bending over her with a gla.s.s of water:
"I don"t need any water. We were going to drink a toast; wine is required for that ceremony."
She extended her trembling hand, clasped the stem of her gla.s.s, and, raising it, continued: "I drink to your toast, Count Vavel! And here is to my dear little daughter, my good little Marie. May G.o.d preserve her from all harm!"
"You may safely drink to Ludwig"s toast," gaily a.s.sented Marie, "safely wish that the enemies of your Marie may "perish miserably," for she has no enemies."
"No; she has no enemies," repeated the baroness in a low tone, as she pressed the young girl closely to her breast.
A few minutes later, when Katharina had regained her usual self-command, she said:
"Marie, my dear little daughter, I know that our friend Ludwig is eager to discuss war plans with his emissary. Let us, therefore, give him the opportunity to do so, while we make our plans for quite a different sort of war!"