Count’s palace, and the expenses of his journey will be paid.”
The stewardess was the first to regain self-possession. At her signal all kneeled down by her side, reverently clasped their hands, and repeated the Lord’s Prayer three times, for peace and rest to the deceased. Only the porter and his son did not pray for the Count, but because of the general excitement no one noticed this. The porter, somewhat agitated, remained in his chair; the son drew back into the darkest corner of the kitchen. When praying was over, they surrounded the messenger. He had to sit in their midst and tell all that he knew about the sudden death of the Count, what was being said about it at the court, what consequences were likely to follow, and whether servitude under new rule might not be worse than it had been during his life.
The messenger did not know much more than he had already told, but he confirmed the news which the chaplain brought to the Pal-
