 standard and final court of appeal in all matters of taste, elegance, and
high breeding. Hence it naturally happened that everybody, with any claims to
such an honour, was anxious to receive a ticket of admission; - it became the
test for ascertaining a person's pretensions to mix in the first circles of
society; and, with this extraordinary zeal for obtaining an admission, naturally
increased the minister's rigour and fastidiousness in pressing the usual
investigation of the claimant's qualifications. Much offence was given on both
sides, and many sneers hazarded at the minister himself, whose pretensions were
supposed to be of the lowest description. But the result was that exactly twelve
hundred cards were issued; these were regularly numbered, and below the device
engraved upon the card was impressed a seal bearing the arms and motto of the
Landgraves of X--.
    Every precaution was taken for carrying into effect the scheme, with all its
details, as concerted by Adorni; and the third day of the following week was
announced as the day of the expected fête.
 

                                  Chapter XIII

The morning of the important day at length arrived, and all Klosterheim was
filled with expectation. Even those who were not amongst the invited shared in
the anxiety; for a great scene was looked for, and perhaps some tragical
explosion. The undertaking of Adorni was known; it had been published abroad
that he was solemnly pledged to effect the arrest of The Masque; and by many it
was believed that he would so far succeed, at the least, as to bring on a public
collision with that extraordinary personage. As to the issue, most people were
doubtful, The Masque having hitherto so uniformly defeated the best-laid schemes
for his apprehension. But it was hardly questioned that the public challenge
offered to him by Adorni would succeed in bringing him before the public eye.
This challenge had taken the shape of a public notice, posted up in the places
where The Masque had usually affixed his own; and it was to the following
effect: - »That the noble strangers now in Klosterheim, and others invited to
the Landgrave's fête, who might otherwise feel anxiety in presenting themselves
at the schloss, from an apprehension of meeting with the criminal disturber of
the public peace, known by the appellation of The Masque, were requested by
authority to lay aside all apprehensions of that nature, as the most energetic
measures had been adopted to prevent or chastise upon the spot any such
insufferable intrusion; and, for The Masque himself, if he presumed to disturb
the company by his presence, he would be seized where he stood
