To-morrow morning continue
your march along the Lahn as far as Limburg, and there await my arrival.
We will enter Frankfort by the north gate instead of from the west."
The Archbishop sat on his horse for some minutes, watching the departing
force, then called Roland to his right hand, and Hildegunde to his left,
and thus the three set out on the short journey to Sayn.
"Your Highness," began the Archbishop, "I find myself in a position of
some embarrassment. I think explanations are due to me from you both.
Here I ride between two escaped prisoners, and I travel away from,
instead of towards, their respective dungeons. My plain duty, on
encountering you, was to place you in custody of a sufficient guard,
marching you separately the one to Pfalz and the other to Ehrenfels.
Having accomplished this I should report the case to my two colleagues,
yet here am I actually compounding a misdemeanor, and assisting
prisoners to escape."
"My Lord," spoke up Roland, "I am quite satisfied that my own
imprisonment has been illegal, therefore I make no apology for
circumventing it.
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