The Prisoner of Zenda | Page 9

matter caught
him again.
"Fritz, Fritz!" he cried, "a thousand crowns for a sight of brother
Michael's face when he sees a pair of us!" and the merry laugh rang out
again.
"Seriously," observed Fritz von Tarlenheim, "I question Mr.
Rassendyll's wisdom in visiting Strelsau just now."

The King lit a cigarette.
"Well, Sapt?" said he, questioningly.
"He mustn't go," growled the old fellow.
"Come, colonel, you mean that I should be in Mr. Rassendyll's debt,
if--"
"Oh, ay! wrap it up in the right way," said Sapt, hauling a great pipe out
of his pocket.
"Enough, sire," said I. "I'll leave Ruritania today."
"No, by thunder, you shan't--and that's sans phrase, as Sapt likes it. For
you shall dine with me tonight, happen what will afterwards. Come,
man, you don't meet a new relation every day!"
"We dine sparingly tonight," said Fritz von Tarlenheim.
"Not we--with our new cousin for a guest!" cried the King; and, as Fritz
shrugged his shoulders, he added: "Oh! I'll remember our early start,
Fritz."
"So will I--tomorrow morning," said old Sapt, pulling at his pipe.
"O wise old Sapt!" cried the King. "Come, Mr. Rassendyll--by the way,
what name did they give you?"
"Your Majesty's," I answered, bowing.
"Well, that shows they weren't ashamed of us," he laughed. "Come,
then, cousin Rudolf; I've got no house of my own here, but my dear
brother Michael lends us a place of his, and we'll make shift to entertain
you there;" and he put his arm through mine and, signing to the others
to accompany us, walked me off, westerly, through the forest.
We walked for more than half an hour, and the King smoked cigarettes
and chattered incessantly. He was full of interest in my family, laughed

heartily when I told him of the portraits with Elphberg hair in our
galleries, and yet more heartily when he heard that my expedition to
Ruritania was a secret one.
"You have to visit your disreputable cousin on the sly, have you?" said
he.
Suddenly emerging from the wood, we came on a small and rude
hunting-lodge. It was a one-storey building, a sort of bungalow, built
entirely of wood. As we approached it, a little man in a plain livery
came out to meet us. The only other person I saw about the place was a
fat elderly woman, whom I afterwards discovered to be the mother of
Johann, the duke's keeper.
"Well, is dinner ready, Josef?" asked the King.
The little servant informed us that it was, and we soon sat down to a
plentiful meal. The fare was plain enough: the King ate heartily, Fritz
von Tarlenheim delicately, old Sapt voraciously. I played a good knife
and fork, as my custom is; the King noticed my performance with
approval.
"We're all good trenchermen, we Elphbergs," said he. "But
what?--we're eating dry! Wine, Josef! wine, man! Are we beasts, to eat
without drinking? Are we cattle, Josef?"
At this reproof Josef hastened to load the table with bottles.
"Remember tomorrow!" said Fritz.
"Ay--tomorrow!" said old Sapt.
The King drained a bumper to his "Cousin Rudolf," as he was
gracious--or merry--enough to call me; and I drank its fellow to the
"Elphberg Red," whereat he laughed loudly.
Now, be the meat what it might, the wine we drank was beyond all
price or praise, and we did it justice. Fritz ventured once to stay the

King's hand.
"What?" cried the King. "Remember you start before I do, Master
Fritz--you must be more sparing by two hours than I."
Fritz saw that I did not understand.
"The colonel and I," he explained, "leave here at six: we ride down to
Zenda and return with the guard of honour to fetch the King at eight,
and then we all ride together to the station."
"Hang that same guard!" growled Sapt.
"Oh! it's very civil of my brother to ask the honour for his regiment,"
said the King. "Come, cousin, you need not start early. Another bottle,
man!"
I had another bottle--or, rather, a part of one, for the larger half
travelled quickly down his Majesty's throat. Fritz gave up his attempts
at persuasion: from persuading, he fell to being persuaded, and soon we
were all of us as full of wine as we had any right to be. The King began
talking of what he would do in the future, old Sapt of what he had done
in the past, Fritz of some beautiful girl or other, and I of the wonderful
merits of the Elphberg dynasty. We all talked at once, and followed to
the letter Sapt's exhortation to let the morrow take care of itself.
At last the King set down his glass and leant back in his chair.
"I have drunk enough," said he.
"Far be it from