Emma von der Tann had heard that it was always well to humor maniacs

and she thought of it now. She would put the scheme to the test.

"The reason that I fear to have you go to the village," she said,

"is that I am quite sure they would catch you and shave off your

beard."

Barney started to laugh, but when he saw the deep seriousness of the

girl's eyes he changed his mind. Then he recalled her rather

peculiar insistence that he was a king, and it suddenly occurred to

him that he had been foolish not to have guessed the truth before.

"That is so," he agreed; "I guess we had better do as you say," for

he had determined that the best way to handle her would be to humor

her--he had always heard that that was the proper method for

handling the mentally defective. "Where is the--er--ah--sanatorium?"

he blurted out at last.

"The what?" she asked. "There is no sanatorium near here, your

majesty, unless you refer to the Castle of Blentz."

"Is there no asylum for the insane near by?"

"None that I know of, your majesty."

For a while they moved on in silence, each wondering what the other

might do next.

Barney had evolved a plan. He would try and ascertain the location

of the institution from which the girl had escaped and then as

gently as possible lead her back to it. It was not safe for as

beautiful a woman as she to be roaming through the forest in any

such manner as this. He wondered what in the world the authorities

at the asylum had been thinking of to permit her to ride out alone

in the first place.

"From where did you ride today?" he blurted out suddenly.

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