"This indeed," thought John "is a man." Suzanne was near, and now
both he and his daughter turned away relaxing in no wise their looks of
grim resolution. "Here also is a woman as well as a man," thought John.
"I hope, Your Highness, that I may assign Mademoiselle Lannes and her
maid to one of the upper rooms," said von Arnheim in tones respectful,
but very firm. "Here also is another man," thought John.
"You may," said Auersperg shortly, "but let the peasant be sent to the
stables, where the other prisoners are kept."
Two soldiers were called and they took Picard away. Julie and Suzanne
followed von Arnheim to a stairway, and John was left alone with
medievalism. The man wore no armor, but when only they two stood in the
room his feeling that he was back in the Middle Ages was overpowering.
Here was the baron, and here was he, untitled and unknown.
Auersperg glanced at Julie, disappearing up the stairway, and then
glanced back at John. Over his heavy face passed the same slow cruel
smile that set all John's nerves to jumping.
"Why have you, an American, come so far to fight against us?" he asked.
"I didn't come for that purpose. I was here, visiting, and I was caught
in the whirl of the war, an accident, perhaps. But my sympathies are
wholly with France. I fight in her ranks from choice."
Auersperg laughed unpleasantly.
"A republic!" he said. "Millions of the ignorant, led by demagogues!
Bah! The Hohenzollerns will scatter them like chaff!"
"I can't positively say that I saw any Hohenzollern, but I did see their
armies turned back from Paris by those ignorant people, led by their
demagogues.
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