She had met
him, she said, on several occasions, and as he was a pleasant youth
and comely, when he had spoken to her of marriage she had not been
averse, now it was plain he had deceived her; and here she began
to cry bitterly and loudly.
Her story seemed probable enough, for any friend of the count who
had intended to carry off his daughter would naturally have begun by
ingratiating himself with her attendant. She was, however, placed
in confinement for a time. The count and countess were at once
removed to the fortress. Orders were given that the town should be
searched thoroughly, and any person answering to the description
which the governor was able to give of the supposed clockmaker should
be arrested, while parties of horse were despatched along all the
roads with orders to arrest and bring to Prague any craftsman or
other person accompanied by a young boy whom they might overtake
by the way. Several innocent peasants with their sons were pounced
upon on the roads and hauled to Prague; but no news was obtained
of the real fugitives, who quietly pursued their way undisturbed
further by the active search which was being made for them. The
anger of the emperor when he heard of the escape of the prize he had
destined for one of his favourite officers was extreme. He ordered
the count to be treated with the greatest rigour, and declared all
his estates and those of his wife forfeited, the latter part of
the sentence being at present inoperative, her estates being in a
part of the country far beyond the range of the Imperialist troops.
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