Rupert would come to the lodge!" And the Colonel's face expressed a lively pleasure at the idea.
Six o'clock struck and the King did not appear. A few moments later a message came from the Queen, requesting our presence on the terrace in front of the château. The place commanded a view of the road by which the King would ride back, and we found the Queen walking restlessly up and down, considerably disquieted by the lateness of his return. In such a position as ours every unusual or unforeseen incident magnifies its possible meaning and invests itself with a sinister importance which would at ordinary times seem absurd. We three shared the Queen's feelings, and forgetting the many chances of the chase, any one of which would amply account for the King's delay, fell to speculating on remote possibilities of disaster. He might have met Rischenheim—though they had ridden in opposite directions; Rupert might have intercepted him—though no known means could have brought Rupert to the forest so early. Our fears defeated common sense, and our conjectures outran possibility. Sapt was the first to recover from this foolish mood, and he rated us soundly, not sparing even the Queen herself. With a laugh we regained some of our equanimity, and felt rather ashamed of our weakness.
