The question gave a hint of the line to take. "Did you notice anything odd about him, then?"
"It’s not for me to talk, of course; but my wife thought he was a bit strange in his head."
"Poor old fellow," I replied in a tone of commiseration.
"Ah, I thought as much," was the answer with a note of self-satisfaction. "My wife isn’t often wrong. Are you in charge of him so to speak?"
"He is in my charge just at present; but I’m not his keeper, if that’s what you mean? He’s as harmless as a child; but he fancies himself a desperate conspirator. He’s a noble."
"He told us that, but we didn’t believe him."
"It’s true; and of course his people are well able to pay handsomely for anything that is done for him."
The bait was taken readily. "I shall be glad to help of course if I can."
"If he’s still at the house, you can. I want to get on to the city and send his friends out for him. If you could look after him meanwhile, you can name your own price, and I’ll pay you something on account of it."
"I suppose he really is harmless. I mean he wouldn’t be likely to give any trouble if we kept him in the house?"
"Oh, no chance of it. And certainly not, if you or I were in the room with him. Although of course I must get on to the city. I suppose two or three twenty mark pieces would pay you for a lost day?"
"I should think it would be worth five," he replied with Teutonic aptitude for driving a bargain.
"It’s a lot of money; but we’ll make it the five with an extra one for the wife, if she looks well after him. I always like the wife to have something."
We came in sight of the house soon after that, and with intense satisfaction I saw the Baron sitting by the door basking in the sunlight. Fearing that possibly he might take fright when he saw me and run away, or do something to scare the farmer from the bargain, I gave the latter a couple of gold pieces as an earnest, and sent him on ahead to get the Baron up into a room.
There was no difficulty. He went up to the Baron, who greeted him with a condescending smile. They spoke together, and I breathed a sigh of fervent thanksgiving when the two went indoors.
That load was lifted from my shoulders, and I followed to the house after an interval. Over a hearty meal I heard that the Baron had been put to bed, where he had fallen fast asleep. I did my utmost to ingratiate myself with both the farmer and his wife, and laughed as heartily as he himself did when he told her how he had treated me in the barn; and with a promise that they should be relieved of their charge as soon as possible, I set off in the farmer’s cart for the nearest station on my way back to the city, to relieve Althea’s anxiety and send her out to her father’s assistance.