A long hour passed, and still the king did not send for Michael, though the governor had lost no time in announcing his arrival. But at last, after he had waited what to him seemed a very long time, the summons came. The page who brought it looked grave, but beyond that his face betrayed nothing, and Michael hastened with a beating heart into the presence of the master whom he adored, but now, perhaps for the first time in his life, feared to meet. When he entered the beautiful, well-lighted room, whose painted windows looked out upon the Danube, he found King Matthias seated near an open window, in an arm-chair covered with yellow velvet, and looking more gloomy than he had ever seen him before. He was very plainly, almost carelessly, attired, and near him was his favourite scholar, the librarian Galeotti, who also looked melancholy and stood gazing at vacancy, as if he were trying to peer into the future. "Is it you?" said Matthias coldly; "you have kept me waiting a long time." "Mr. King," answered Michael, "I have been here for the past two hours, as you commanded." "Ah! true, I was forgetting; of course they announced you. Are you prepared for a long journey?" "A soldier is ready to march without much preparation," said Michael, with a great want of his usual alacrity. "I am ready to receive your Highness's orders." "Good," said the king. "You will start for Vienna in an hour's time then, with Mr. Galeotti here. He is going on a mission for me to the Emperor Friedrich; and until my friend has completed his business, which may perhaps take six months, you are not to leave him." Michael said nothing. "Well?" the king went on, in a tone of impatient annoyance. "Perhaps you don't fancy such an errand; you would prefer, no doubt, to be sent against Axamith,[16] who has effected a lodgment again in the north, as we hear, and is thieving and plundering like a swarm of grasshoppers." [Footnote 16: One of the Bohemian freebooters.] "Why should I deny it?" said Michael humbly, well knowing that the king liked the truth even when he was angry. "If Your Highness were disposed to send me on active service somewhere, I _should_ prefer it. But wherever you please to order me, I shall go with a good will; for my life belongs to my king." "Hm!" said Matthias, fixing his searching eyes upon the speaker; "may be so, but just at present your tongue does not speak the thoughts of your heart." "Sir! Your Highness!" "'Highness' I may be, but 'gracious' I am not to-day, am I, Mr. Michael Tornay? You have yourself to thank for it, for you have been putting bad wood on the fire,[17] and you have been going very near what is forbidden fruit." [Footnote 17: That is, you have been up to mischief.] "Forbidden fruit?" said Michael, exceedingly cast down by the king's cold treatment of him. "It is true I did not distinctly forbid it you, but I could not suppose you would take fire so quickly." Michael said nothing, and the king went on,--