Come, man, you don't meet a new relation every day!" "We dine sparingly tonight," said Fritz von Tarlenheim.
"Not we--with our new cousin for a guest!" cried the King; and, as Fritz shrugged his shoulders, he added: "Oh! I'll remember our early start, Fritz." "So will I--tomorrow morning," said old Sapt, pulling at his pipe.
"O wise old Sapt!" cried the King.

"Come, Mr.Rassendyll--by the way, what name did they give you ?" "Your Majesty's," I answered, bowing.
"Well, that shows they weren't ashamed of us," he laughed.

"Come, then, cousin Rudolf; I've got no house of my own here, but my dear brother Michael lends us a place of his, and we'll make shift to entertain you there;" and he put his arm through mine and, signing to the others to accompany us, walked me off, westerly, through the forest.
We walked for more than half an hour, and the King smoked cigarettes and chattered incessantly.

He was full of interest in my family, laughed heartily when I told him of the portraits with Elphberg hair in our galleries, and yet more heartily when he heard that my expedition to Ruritania was a secret one.
"You have to visit your disreputable cousin on the sly, have you ?" said he.
Suddenly emerging from the wood, we came on a small and rude hunting-lodge.

It was a one-storey building, a sort of bungalow, built entirely of wood.