She would have little sympathy with him in his trouble, unless he could persuade her of his innocence of the charges that were being made against him. Taking into consideration, too, that on that very morning he had quarrelled with her, and brutally told her that he heartily wished himself rid of her, it was at present, scarcely wisdom to seek her advice. While his mind was thus filled with gloomy thoughts, the silence was broken by Prince Osbert who was accompanying him to the palace. ‘Here’s a pretty pickle, to be sure!’ exclaimed the prince, ‘a nice position for a royal Emperor to be found interfering with his lady astronomer, and she threatening his life to make him release her. What thou canst do to re-establish thy reputation is about as clear as mud to me, for by my conscience, I cannot see a way at all!’ ‘What a prating fool thou art, Osbert! I can plainly see unless thy tongue is kept from wagging thou wilt ruin me by thy talk. Say nothing at all about the lady having been detained by me. I don’t mean to own to that part of it. Let us declare that she deliberately turned upon me when I expostulated with her upon her idleness; that will give the matter a better appearance.’ ‘Aye, truly, a better one for thee! But thinkest thou, cousin, that the House will believe thee? I guess, they will sooner take Mercia’s word: remember its lady members, how bravely they defend their sex at all times. I wouldn’t give a sixpence for thy reputation after they have handled thy case.’ ‘What care I for the good opinion of a handful of women? What are they in my vast dominions? Nothing, truly, nothing! Nevertheless, a monarch’s virtue, should be, like Cæsar’s wife, above suspicion: so Osbert, good cousin, thou must help me in this matter, and swear to all I tell thee.’ ‘Commit perjury! No thanks, not if I know it. I cannot tell a lie—I’m another Juvenile Washington. Besides, Felicitas, it goes against the grain to do a dirty trick to any lady, least of all, our peerless Mercia. ‘She is a lady of untarnished reputation, with whom I would strongly recommend thee to make thy peace. Indeed, the ways of Emperors with their lady-subjects are quite too much for me—I cannot comprehend them.’ ‘Heartless, thou ever wert, Osbert, pray try to realise my situation, and give up thy attitudes and play-acting proclivities. Now, remember, I had no hold on her person, when you two dropped upon us—I was merely expostulating with her.’ ‘I’ll have nothing to do with the matter at all, I shall say I was seized with sudden blindness at that moment and saw nothing.’ ‘Idiot, wilt thou keep to that?’ inquired Felicitas gloomily. ‘Yes, I will stick to that, wild horses shall not drag other from me.’ ‘No one will believe thee.’ ‘No one would believe the other thing, so it comes to the same for thee,’ returned Osbert lightly. ‘What other thing?’ inquired Felicitas.