Now she turned upon him, her eyes flashing
with indignation.
"Do you forget, sir, that you address the king?" she cried. "That
you are without honor I have heard men say, and I may truly believe
it now that I have seen what manner of man you are. The most
lowly-bred boor in all Lutha would not be so ungenerous as to take
advantage of his king's helplessness to heap indignities upon him.
"Leopold of Lutha shall come into his own some day, and my dearest
hope is that his first act may be to mete out to such as you the
punishment you deserve."
Maenck paled in anger. His fingers twitched nervously, but he
controlled his temper remarkably well, biding his time for revenge.
"Take the king to his apartments, Stein," he commanded curtly, "and
you, Lieutenant Butzow, accompany them with a guard, nor leave until
you see that he is safely confined. You may return here afterward
for my further instructions. In the meantime I wish to examine the
king's mistress."
For a moment tense silence reigned in the apartment after Maenck had
delivered his wanton insult.
Emma von der Tann, her little chin high in the air, stood straight
and haughty, nor was there any sign in her expression to indicate
that she had heard the man's words.
Barney was the first to take cognizance of them.
"You cur!" he cried, and took a step toward Maenck. "You're going to
eat that, word for word.
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