|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 105
"What to you is this girl who seems to have charmed von Arnheim?" he
asked.
"Her brother has become my best friend. She has charmed me as she has
charmed von Arnheim, and as she charms all others whom she meets. And I
am pleased to tell Your Highness that the spell she casts is not alone
her beauty, but even more her pure soul."
Auersperg laughed in an ugly fashion.
"Youth! Youth!" he exclaimed. "I see that the spell is upon you, even
more than it is upon von Arnheim. But dismiss her from your thoughts.
You go a prisoner into Germany, and it's not likely that you'll ever see
her again."
Young Scott felt a sinking of the heart, but he was not one to show it.
"Prisoners may escape," he said boldly, "and what has been done once can
always be done again."
"We shall see that it does not happen a second time in your case. Von
Arnheim will dispose of you for the night, and even if you should
succeed in stealing from the ch�teau there is around it a ring of German
sentinels through which you could not possibly break."
Some strange kink appeared suddenly in John's brain--he was never able
to account for it afterward, though Auersperg's manner rasped him
terribly.
"I mean to escape," he said, "and I wager you two to one that I do."
Auersperg sat down and laughed, laughed in a way that made John's face
turn red. Then he beckoned to von Arnheim.
"Take him away," he said. "He is characteristic of his frivolous
democracy, frivolous and perhaps amusing, but it is a time for serious
not trifling things."
John was glad enough to go with von Arnheim, who was silent and
depressed. Yet the thought came to him once more that there were princes
and princes. Von Arnheim led the way to a small bare room under the
roof. John saw that there were soldiers in the upper halls as well as
the lower, and he was sorry that he had made such a boast to Auersperg.
As he now saw it his chance of escape glimmered into nothing.
"You should not have spoken so to His Highness," said von Arnheim. "I
could not help but hear. He is our commander here, and it is not well to
infuriate one who holds all power over you?"
"I am but human," replied John.
"And being human, you should have had complete control over yourself at
such a time."
"I admit it," said John, taking the rebuke in the right spirit.
"You're to spend the night here. I've been able to secure this much
lenity for you, but it's for one night only. Tomorrow you go with the
other prisoners in the stables. Your door will be locked, but even if
you should succeed in forcing it don't try to escape. The halls swarm
with sentinels, and you would be shot instantly. I'll have food sent to
you presently."
He spoke brusquely but kindly. When he went out John heard a huge key
rumbling in the lock.
CHAPTER XIV
A PROMISE KEPT
The room in which John was confined contained only a bed, a chair and a
table. It was lighted by a single window, from which he could see
numerous soldiers below. He also heard the distant mutter of the cannon,
which seemed now to have become a part of nature. There were periods of
excitement or of mental detachment, when he did not notice it, but it
was always there. Now the soldiers in the grounds were moving but
little, and the air pulsed with the thud of the great guns.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|