"I will do anything you wish," replied Barney, "but I shall never
forgive myself for having caused you the long and tedious journey
that lies before us. It would be perfectly safe to go to the nearest
town and secure a rig."

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."