"
Roland went over the bridge, and so reached his room on the other side.
He glanced around several times to satisfy himself he was not spied
upon, and laughed at the apprehension of the Archbishop. Entering his
room, he lit a lamp, took off his cloak and flung it on the bed, then
unbuckled his sword-belt and hung it and the weapon on a peg, placing
his cloak above them. He was startled by a loud knock at the door, and
stood for a moment astonished, until it was repeated with the stern
warning:
"Open in the name of the Archbishop!"
The young man strode forward, drew back the bolt, and flung open the
door. An officer, with two soldiers behind him, came across the
threshold, and at the side-motion of the officer's head a soldier closed
and bolted the door. Roland experienced a momentary thrill of
indignation at this rude intrusion, then he remembered he was a
mechanic, and that his line must be the humble and deferential.
"You came to-night from the Imperial Palace. What were you doing there?"
"I was trying to gain admission, sir.
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