"Then what do you request?" asked the Landgrave, trying to conceal, by his best pretence of dignity, his inward rage and chagrin. "I request nothing," said Dick. "I demand nothing. I merely offer to leave without harming you, on condition that you will not give any alarm of our departure, or orders for our pursuit." "Very well, I agree," said the Landgrave, with a readiness that made Dick laugh again. "Of course you do, for you think you can break the condition, and have us stopped by your guards before we are out of the city, or even out of the palace. I must provide against that." "I give you my word of honor, neither to leave this room nor to make any alarm, till daybreak." "It seems, one needs better assurance than the honor of a sovereign prince," said Dick, imitating the Landgrave's own words with a slight alteration. He then took from his pocket a phial given him at the riverside by Romberg, who had provided himself, on hearing of the trick played on the conspirators, with means of self-destruction in case of capture. Dick quickly took up a pitcher of water from the table, poured some of it into a glass, uncorked the phial with his teeth, and dropped a small portion of the liquid into the water. Meanwhile, Catherine, foreseeing Dick's plans, put on a hooded cloak, and gathered up her purse and what small things of value she desired to retain. "Drink this," said Dick to the Landgrave, from whom he had not for an instant taken his eyes. "What do you mean?" said the Landgrave, turning pale. "To make it easier for you to keep your princely word, your highness! Don't be afraid. It takes more than this quantity to kill a man. What is here will merely enable you to pass the few hours till daybreak in sleep. It would be a pity so great a prince should suffer from insomnia or ennui during that length of time! Drink, man! I am becoming a little bored with this place, myself." An impatient movement of the sword--which weapon Dick had so managed as to check every one of his highness's numerous impulses to rush upon him--ended Frederick's hesitation. He petulantly drank the contents of the glass, and handed it back to Dick, who motioned him to put it on the table and to go to the couch. "Call Antoine," said Dick to Catherine, following the Landgrave close to the couch on which the latter dropped. Noiselessly Catherine unlocked the door and let in the two servants. Gretel, as soon as she saw what was up, begged to be taken along, and found a cloak for herself in the room. Antoine, at Dick's whispered direction, took coverings from the bed in the alcove, and knotted them together so as to form a means of descent from the balcony. Meanwhile, Catherine had relocked the door and possessed herself of the phial, which Dick had placed on the table.