I shall not prevent you, but--I must then do what I think best."
His voice sounded hard as ever, but there was a tone underlying his
words which fairly frightened the ambassador.
"For God's sake, Falkenried, what do you mean?"
"Do as you choose. You diplomats have peculiar ideas of honor at times,
with which ordinary mortals may not agree--I leave it to you."
"I shall be silent, I give you my word," answered Wallmoden, to whom
Falkenried's words were enigmatical, for Adelheid's confession was
unknown to him. "I had really decided on that before you came. The name
of Falkenried shall not be exposed to scorn or derision through me."
"Well and good, then we need not discuss the subject farther," said
Falkenried. Then, after a short pause, he began on quite a different
subject. "You have prepared the duke for what I bring him? What does
he say about it?"
Here was again the old, iron impenetrability which closed the door
against all inquiry. The change was a welcome one to the ambassador, who
was here, as elsewhere, the diplomat, and disliked nothing more than
unnecessary candor and straightforwardness, and who would never have
thought of giving all this information to Falkenried, had not the danger
of his friend learning it elsewhere been very great. Now no matter what
happened, he could say to the father, "I told you.
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