'Long live our king Charles XIIIth!' cried the assembled warriors with one voice, and every sword leaped from its scabbard. While most of the officers distributed themselves through the soldiers' barracks, to prepare them for the great movement, Duecker chose, from among those who remained, the ambassadors who should accompany him to the duke. Arwed found himself one of the number, and the delegates immediately repaired to the duke's quarters. The sentinels refused them entrance. The discussion which this occasioned brought out the valet-de-chambre, Koepstorf, the favorite and confidant of the young prince. 'It is impossible, your excellency, to announce you now,' said he to Duecker. 'His grace is so shaken by the intelligence of the king's death that he has yielded himself up entirely to his sad feelings, and cannot turn his attention to anything else. The gentlemen must come again to-morrow morning.' 'My God!' cried Duecker, 'you desire a delay of many hours, when Sweden's fate, perhaps, hangs upon as many moments. In consequence of the king's death, the duke is lawful heir to the crown. We have opened the way to the throne for him. The army is upon his side. He has only to make his appearance and harangue the troops, and they will call him to the royal station, in the possession of which he will be protected by his good right. But if he delay, his aunt will gain possession; and, once upon the throne, she will thence obtain the power to maintain herself there. I conjure you, friend, to present all this to your lord, and beseech him to hear the representations of his true supporters, and not neglect the favorable moment which for him, perhaps, may never occur again.' 'I will do what I can,' answered Koepstorf, shrugging his shoulders and going in. There stood the well disposed warriors, patiently waiting to ascertain if the young prince would stoop to take the crown which they were desirous of laying at his feet. The valet-de-chambre was gone a long time. The cold morning wind blew keenly from the direction of Sweden, and they wrapped themselves close in their mantles. At length they heard the trampling of horses near them, and a troop of some ten horsemen trotted hastily by them and took the way towards Stroemstadt. 'Do you know what that means?' asked Kolfaert of the general. 'It is colonel Baumgardt, who, by the command of the fieldmarshal, goes to meet and arrest the baron von Goertz.' 'Right!' cried Duecker with bitterness. 'A crime more or less, is of no consequence, when a crown is to be usurped, and it is highly politic to rob the prince of his best supporters. He is, however, little troubled by all this, as it seems, and will perhaps patiently wait until he is himself arrested in his own quarters.'