FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   >>  
would be a matter of opinion," laughed the Emperor. "I shall offer her a present of myself." The old man had been sitting with his chin sunk into his short neck, peering out from under his brows in a way he had; but he lifted his head suddenly, with a look in his eyes like that of an animal who scents danger from an unexpected quarter. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed. "You are your father's son, you are Rhaetian, and your standard of honor--" "I hope to marry Miss Mowbray," Leopold cut him short. The Chancellor's jaw dropped, and he grew pale. "I had dreamed of nothing as bad as this," he blurted out, with no thought or wish to sugar the truth. "I feared a young man's rashness. I dreaded scandal. But, forgive me, your Majesty, for you a morganatic marriage would be madness--" "A morganatic marriage I did think of at first. But on second thoughts I saw it would be ungrateful." "Ah yes, to the country which expects so much of you." "No, to the woman who has the right to all or nothing. I will make her Empress of Rhaetia." With a cry the Chancellor sprang up. His eyes glared like the eyes of a bull who receives the death stroke. His working lips, and the hollow sound in his throat alarmed the Emperor. "No, your Majesty. No!" he panted. "But I say yes," Leopold answered, "and let no man give me nay. I've thought it all out. I will make her a Countess first. Then, she shall be made my Empress." "Your Majesty, it is not possible." "Take care, Chancellor." "She has been deceiving you. She has neither the birth, the position, nor the name she claims to have, and I can prove it." "You are mad, von Breitstein," the Emperor flung at him. "That can be your only excuse for such words." "I am not mad, but I am old and wise, your Majesty. To-day you have made me feel that I am very old. Punish me as you will for my frankness. My work for you and yours is nearly done. Cheerfully will I submit to my dismissal if only this last effort in your service may save the ship of state from wreck. I would not make an accusation which I could not prove. And I can prove that the two English ladies who have been staying at Schloss Lyndalberg are not the persons they pretend to be." "Who has been lying to you?" cried Leopold, who held between clenched hands the temper he vowed not to lose with this old man. "To me, no one. To your Majesty, to society in Kronburg, two adventuresses have lied." The Emperor caught
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   >>  



Top keywords:

Majesty

 
Emperor
 

Chancellor

 
Leopold
 
thought
 

Empress

 

marriage

 

morganatic

 
laughed
 
excuse

Breitstein
 

adventuresses

 

frankness

 

Punish

 

opinion

 

caught

 

deceiving

 

sitting

 
present
 
claims

position

 

pretend

 

society

 

persons

 

Lyndalberg

 

ladies

 
staying
 
Schloss
 

temper

 
clenched

English

 
matter
 

effort

 
dismissal
 
submit
 

Cheerfully

 
peering
 

service

 

Kronburg

 
accusation

forgive

 

quarter

 

unexpected

 

danger

 

exclaimed

 

scandal

 
rashness
 

dreaded

 

madness

 

thoughts