r heroes of emperors. But he felt that
everything was not lost. In his pious belief in the Almighty, he
thought, as did his son, of the hand of God. If it must be so, it was
right. God's will was inscrutable.

And grateful to the empress, grateful for the light that shone before
him, he bent his knees to the crucifix on the wall and prayed for his
two sons. He prayed long for the son who was to bear his crown, but
longer for the soul of the child of his own blood, whose loss would be
the grief that would always be as wormwood in the depths of his soul,
which was now outpoured in gratitude....

9

_From the Diary of Alexa Duchess of Yemena, Countess of Vaza._

"--_November_, 18--.

"The crown-prince has not come with the emperor. Professor Barzia
forbade it, because he considered that the big hunting-parties with
which the emperor wishes to divert his thoughts from his grief for our
little prince would be too fatiguing for my sweet invalid. Still, I hear
from Dutri that he is making distinct progress and has already resumed
his daily morning rides.

"It is all over with me. Poor sinful heart within me, die! For, after
this last flower of passion that blossomed in you, I wish you to die to
the world. For the sake of the purity of my imperial flower, I wish you
now to die. Nothing after this, nothing but the new life which I see
lifting before me....

"And yet I am still young; I look no older in my glass than I did a year
ago. I have no need to abdicate my feminine powers unless I wish to. And
that is how every one looks at it, for I know that they whisper of the
Duke of Mena-Doni, as though he would be happy to replace my adored
crown-prince in my affections. But it's not true, it's not true. And I'm
so glad of it, that they do not realize me and do not know anything,
that they do not understand that I want to let my imperial love fade
away in purity and wish to cherish no earthly love after it.

"Dear love of my heart, you have raised me to my new life! You were
still a sin, but yet you purified me, because you yourself were purified
by the contact of that sacred something which is in majesty. Oh, you
were the last sin, but already you were purer than the one before! For I
have been a great sinner: I have immolated up all my sinful woman's life
to consuming passion; and it has left nothing but ashes in my heart!
Great scorching love of my life for him who is now d