the massy barricades at the doors, the grated windows, and the sentinels who
mounted guard upon all the avenues which led to her apartments, satisfied her
sufficiently that she was a prisoner.
    The third morning after her arrival brought her a still more unwelcome proof
of this melancholy truth, in the summons which she received to attend a court of
criminal justice on the succeeding day, connected with the tenor of its
language. Her heart died within her as she found herself called upon to answer
as a delinquent on a charge of treasonable conspiracy with various members of
the university of Klosterheim against the sovereign prince, the Landgrave of
X--. Witnesses in exculpation, whom could she produce? Or how defend herself
before a tribunal where all alike, judge, evidence, accuser, were in effect one
and the same malignant enemy? - In what way she could have come to be connected
in the Landgrave's mind with a charge of treason against his princely rights,
she found it difficult to explain, unless the mere fact of having carried the
Imperial despatches in the trunks about her carriages were sufficient to
implicate her as a secret emissary or agent concerned in the Imperial diplomacy.
But she strongly suspected that some deep misapprehension existed in the
Landgrave's mind; and its origin, she fancied, might be found in the refined
knavery of their ruffian host at Waldenhausen, in making his market of the
papers which he had purloined. Bringing them forward separately and by
piecemeal, he had probably hoped to receive so many separate rewards. But, as it
would often happen that one paper was necessary in the way of explanation to
another, and the whole, perhaps, were almost essential to the proper
understanding of any one, the result would inevitably be - grievously to mislead
the Landgrave. Further communications, indeed, would have tended to disabuse the
Prince of any delusions raised in this way. But it was probable, as Paulina had
recently learned in passing through Waldenhausen, that the ruffian's illness and
delirium had put a stop to any further communication of papers; and thus the
misconceptions which he had caused were perpetuated in the Landgrave's mind.
    It was on the third day after Paulina's arrival that she was first placed
before the court. The presiding officer in this tribunal was the governor of the
fortress, a tried soldier, but a ruffian of low habits and cruel nature. He had
risen under the Landgrave's patronage as an adventurer of desperate courage,
ready for any service, however disreputable, careless alike of peril or of
infamy. In common with many partisan officers who had