| Show d l11 BI SRCROCILTTAuIlaro 7lit + Rc7aly fo 111 right tsss tae + 1 by S 1 tmo keu 1 CHAPTER XXVI Keeps Troth ul tb Theresa e i hnt imr 1 rt < oInlo11 lIIlad without and Joan lntfo 111111 u ban from J Il t ruined fortlflca 15 b Itent JIlt thrlllod with a silea ft ost of hM l which their eyes IIts Eacheh thoughtsard Each had J scen tho bcatrng of the I others I t e d 10 knew Uej wire beloved 3hi Doth could altr that any more lhlDg t had gone out with As the ever < Jflichlns turn from the d use k us-e a ucauos their hands garden the a together Byes had sought drawn together OS dip of the eics 11crlng hall IIslened > for the finest Ih t They anothers In one mcunlng ies or and laKtu courage or lost Ices e from the droop of au eyelid or pe of as liable s quiver changed They knew Now all was 1blch they knew it Theresa von Lynar the lnd now who had given her beauty and men life like a little Valentines gift r the hand of the man she loved dent o that he should take or throw pleased him best Theresa i as ar met rinse two who lu a Unar ir new glory of renunciation wlit that they had plumbed the sscs of love when as yet they 1 taken no more than a single siding In the narrow seas She od looking at hem as they came tardier with a sympathy that was re than mere oU rauce von have faced the sunshine us she greeted them as they came awhile with mo lu the shade Ire I-re hero a bower where Maurice ed to playbefore he left me ue save I hath entered It since that luu t a imall rustic eight slded ge hatched with heather Its lat ditodows wide open and creeper bira to which Theresa led them It jjbcen well kept and when Joan lid herself within a sudden access lu Jemess for his lonely mother o dad offered herself like a sacrl upon an altar took possession of r or about the walls was fastened aid a-id childs pitiful armoury Home do swords of lath arrows winged th the cast feathers of the wood crooked bows the broken crock et a hundred imagined banquets se and many more were cai efully pt tin I place with Immediate and lov care Maurice would be back ala presently they seemed to say would take up his play just where left It here was silence In the arbor for ace a silence which no one of the ee MS anxious to break For Joan ught ot her promise Conrad of u and Theresa of her son It was list who spoke Somehow today It Is borne In upon that Kernsberg has fallen and that Beon Is In his euemjs hands loan started to her feet and thrust i i r lands a little out In front of her I if to ward off a blow I NOR can you Know that she ed WhoNo It cannot be I rnsberg was victualled for a year was filled with brave men My thins are staunch The thing Is possible tercsa von Ljnar with her eyes the waving ioilage which alter ell revealed and eclipsed the ruddy bes of the apples on the orchards e orchard-s slowly shoal her heard I cannot tell you how I know she d nevertheless I know Here Is aethlns which tells me She laid hand upon her heart Those who long alone beside the sea hear ees < and see visions But t It Is Impossible urged Joan u It be true why am I kept here flu go and die with my people It Is my sons will said Theresa tIh II i k I i I T ft I 1 1 i if i I I n p14 Kissed It e will humbly of i tho a lie son of Henry the Is s lIKe his fatherthere Con ds will dQ Ms wIll as a sImple were riot PoUon bitterly Dan statement of fact looked at tiiin llo xl < for d this woman and un the strongest tho first time that she than her Tf Slllrlt of allgroat than rher fathpr r And better than her illt anti parhalls because of this n her acrllco Hrrcd emulous h OWII breast aldllrn slw heresy VQ Pultl ooIK directly von andSa Ituir It Is Imo that myself Undlr ° 0rt each other I 4 Uo ori trni Duchess of Hoheix t I stein so i Inlll us your fathers son lives My COIIIlfict and COllllltioll or no effect are The DIN of the lmplre would cancel them will therefore tall III a rnouteut 1 110 thing Is Inulllo eltur rest until this I Wear that your son hall bl IlIliO Maurice sit 111 his fathers and place us h right and lUng Fur lIIe I ask the daughters nothing but 110rtloua grange such as this as solitary and as peaceful garden a to delve and u beach to Wall tier UPOII at eol As slue spoke Theresas eyes sudden Iy brlgiitelod A proud high loop sat 011 the fulness of her IIIJS which grad tally faded as some other thought asserted Its sUl1lemac She use and going IIlmlht to Joan for the first time she kissed her ou the brow Now tl0 I know she sad that you ae henry the Lions daughter That Is illfJIe1 as he would have spa Ken it U is greatly thought Yet It cannot bo It shall IR crIed Joan Imperious I ly I Nay returned Theresa von Ljuar Once on a time 1 would hate glen my right hand that for half a day for one hoiii men might have said of me that I was Henry thc Lions wife and my son his son It would have been right swept Ab God bow sweet It i would have beon she paused a mo ment as If consulting some unseen presence Xo have I lowed 1115 vow Here was I bidden 10 stay and here will I abide Maurice of Jtnlieiihteln shall sit In his fathers Hat ald loan firmly I have sworn it If I live I will see him settled there with my captains about him Veiner von Orseln Is an honest man HP will do him justice Von Dessnuer shall get him recognis ed and Hugo of PlasseiilmiK shall stand his sponsor before the Diet of the Empire I would It could ho so said Theresa The-resa wistfully If my death could cause this thing righteously to come to pass how gladly would I end life But I am hound hj an oath and my son Is bound because I am bound The tribunal Is not the Diet of Ilatlsbon but the tatthtuliipss of a womans heart Have I been loyal to my prince these man years so that now shame sits on mj hiow as qlndly as a crown of bay that I should fall him now Low he lies and I may never stand beside his sepulchre No son of mine shall sit In his high chair But If in any sphere of sinful or Imperfect spirits be It bell 01 purgatory he and I shall encounter think you for an empire I would meet him shamed And when he says Woman of my love hast thou Kent thy troth shall I be compelled to t answer No But urged Iota this thing Is your sons birthright M > father for purposes of state bound my happiness happi-ness toa man I loathed I have cast that bond to the winds The fathers cannot hind the children no more can you disinherit jour son Theresa yon L > nur smiled a sad wise smile Infinitely patient Infinitely Infinite-ly I remote All she sell you think so You are young You have 1 never loved You are his dam1 liter not his wife One day jou shai brow if God Is good to you At this Joan milled 111 her turn She knew what she Knew You may think m know returned return-ed Theresa her calm eyes on the girls face hut what I mean by loving lov-ing is another matter The band you broke you did not make I keep the vow I made With clear eye undnlled brain willing hand I made It because he willed it Let my son Maurice break It If be cnu If ho willas you brave broken joins Only let him never more cal Theresa von Lynar mother I Joan rose to depart Her Intent had not been fliaken though she was lnipiei ed by the noblo heart of the woman who had h11 her fathers wife Hut she also bad vowed a vow and that vow sh would keep Tho Sparhawk should vet be the Eagle of Kenibborg and she Joan a home keeping housewife nested in quietness quiet-ness a harn door fowl about lit orchards or-chards of Isle Iliigen Madam she huicl jour word is your word lint to Is that of nan of Kernsberg It mar be that out of the unseen tlier mar leap a chance which shall bring all to pass the things which we both elehiio without with-out breaking vows or loosing of the bands ot obligation For me being 110 more then a daughter I will keep Duke Henrys will only In that which Is Just And I snld Theresa von L lIar will keep It just i or unjust t went out Yet Joan Mulled as she been countered and For she bad checkmated In sacrifice She had meta than her own and a nature greater with the truly noble that Is the pleas lira of pleasures All the while Conrad sat very still listening with full lunr to that which rouccli him to Interrupt It rId not But within his heart be said Woman when she Is true woman Is greater worthier fuller than any mana Author himself Pet were It the Holy near Christ haps becaiiho they draw the Son through Mary the Mother But Theresa von Ljnar sat silent and watched the girl I1S she went down tbo long path time leafy alternate light branches spatteilng and tallow upon her lender figure Con sharply upon Then she mined rail she rrd CirHnal8Uc 1 And now is I said ° what han you been saying to my hiisbiinil s di ihtor I I IUlo h t < n lli11K her that I love her Hliswciod < mad clmply 110 felt that what ht had llmened to gave I his won m a 1 right to he nngwcrca And what I pray you have princes of Holv Chinch to do with love They seek after hmeulj things do neither marry liar art given In mar rlage III IUlow said Conrad humbly and without taMng tho least offense I know It well Dint I huvo put oft the armor I have not proven Tho burden Is too great for mo 1 am a soldierI I was trained a soldier yet because I was born after m > brother Louis I must perforce become both Priest and huh ciiidlual HaUler a thousand times would I he a manat arms and carry a piUo Then am I to understand that as a soldier you told the Duchess Joan that you loved her or that as a priest you forbade the banns Or did you wholly forget the circumstance that once on a time you yourself married her to jour brother I did Indeed forget said Conrad with slnccie penitence jet you must I not blame mu too surely I I was car vied out of myself The duchess then rejected your suit with cortumeiy Conrad was silent How should a great lady listen to her husbands brother and a priest I RilllllV I I l Mc1 II t r 1 I It shall not be cried Joan Imperiously Imperi-ously Theresa went on luiuniaclcbb What said the Lady Joan when you told her that you loved her The words she spoke I cannot repeat re-peat but when she ended I set my lips to her garments hem as reverently reverent-ly I as ever to holy bread The slow smile came again over the face of Theresa von Ljnar tho smile of a warworn veteran who watches time children at their drill You do not need to tell me what she answered my lord she said for the first time leaving out the ecclesiastic ecclesi-astic title I know I Conrad Blared a the woman She told you that she loved you from the first How know you tl l he faltered None must hear I r secret none must guess It Theresa von Lynar laughed a little mellow laugh In which a keen ear might have dotectci how richly and pleasantly her laugh must once have sounded to her lover when her pulses beat to tho tune of gladness and the unbound heart Do you think to deceive me Theresa The-resa whom Henry tho Lion loved Have I been these many weels with you two In the hamslid rot seen this Prince Com1 I knew 1 It that night of the storm when M to bent her over the couch on which you lay I love yet say boldly and you think great things of jour love But she loved first as she will love most and jour boasted lon will never overtake hersno not though you loo her all jour life Well ivluut do rOil propose pro-pose to do To be contlrucd |
