u--I love you--I love you!"

"I have won against the princes and the potentates! I was losing hope,
my Queen, losing hope. You were so far away, so unattainable. I would
brave a thousand deaths rather than lose this single minute of my life.
It makes me the richest man in all the world. How brave you are! This
night you have given up everything for my sake. You are fleeing with me,
away from all that has been dear to you."

"No, no. You must not be deluded. It is only for tonight, only till you
are safe from pursuit. I shall go back. You must not hope for more than
this hour of weakness, sweet as it is to me," she cried.

"You are going back and not with me?" he cried, his heart chilling.

"You know I cannot. That is why I hoped you would never know how much
I care for you. Alas, you have found me out! My love was made rash by
fear. You could never have escaped the vengeance of Axphain. I could not
have shielded you. This was the only course and I dared not hesitate. I
should have died with terror had you gone to trial, knowing what I knew.
You will not think me unwomanly for coming with you as I am. It was
necessary--really it was! No one else could have--" But he smothered the
wail in kisses.

"Unwomanly!" he exclaimed. "It was by divine inspiration. But you will
come with me, away from Graustark, away from every one. Say that you
will!"

"I cannot bear to hear you plead, and it breaks my heart to go back
there. But I cannot leave Graustark--I cannot! It would be Heaven to go
with you to the end of the world, but I have others besides myself to
consider. You are my god, my idol. I can worship you from my unhappy
throne, from my chamber, from the cell into which my heart is to
retreat. But I cannot, I will not desert Graustark. Not even for you!"

He was silent, impressed by her nobility, her loyalty. Although the joy
ebbed from his craving heart, he saw the justice of her self-sacrifice.

"I would give my soul to see your face now, Yetive. Your soul is in your
eyes; I can feel it. Why did you not let me stay in prison, meet death
and so end all? It would have been better for both of us. I cannot live
without you."

"We can live for each other, die for each other,--apart. Distance will
not lessen my love. You know that it exists; it has been betrayed to
you. Can you not be satisfied--just a little bit--with that knowledge?"
she pleaded.

"But I want you in reality, not in my dreams, my imagination."

"Ach,