Yet, soon they were after us, and we heard them reach the first landing as we sped up to the last.

There was a confused din through all the house, and it seemed now to echo muffled and vague through the walls from the street without.

I was conscious of it, although I paid no heed to anything but reaching the room where the king--where Rudolf--was.

Now I was there, Bernenstein hanging to my heels.

The door did not hold us a second.