| Show loantatu d flollle I fire a ores sad S R CROCKETTX lllbKJr of UfJ Raill < re c ry of CHAPTER VII tied the and the unn In the Summer Palace emenb with a beating heart Johnnn ius tutor gas ot Knocked at tho door of ftio er palace said a mascullno volco C ufi Paa i with startling suddenness s tailing opening the door and grasping t g C ° mps rS the secretary suddenly d flue W r reIS himself In tho presence of II latter tau of tho tournament have business with me MinIng J I I j alrT said the prince courte i I turning upon the youth a regard ock Osle t dignity and condescension Tho d mnas L of Johann pyrmont trembled coinit Lfoll moment his tongue refused and It Ifce FnIe I come he said at last to convey documents to the lurMt noble rtz has I i of Courtland and Wllna He dot C j euerite j a J courage as ho spoke for he therei f carefully rehearsed this speech feet oli tlSsucr I am acting as sccrc I I In ore t to i the ambassador lieu of a o fifteejj x These aro the proposals con alliance between the realms ammog I Jled by our late master the spertyo I a Karl before his death and te t their j It Is hoped to bo ratified and carom 10 sweat car-om between Courtland and Plas ratotol Irg under his successors thee e 20th oil ass Helene and her husband stall fairhaired Prince took the I ompaty I i from the hand of Johann Pyr and laid them on a desk be oa t I M ant 1 lira without however breaking Is anotj lifalsslooil ItallstsJ stood regarding the youth splendid blushes came and went as hoI r zone ol I Irresolute before him modest lad said tho prlnco toll Lab Sme to-ll this Ingenuousness Is parity rly charming In a secretary of it Spriif dos I must see more of him a Ilk idenly a thought appeared to Into i his mind ft la also by did I not hear that you came online i by way of Kernsberg he said ipleted I blushes ceased and a certain showed under the tan which d valua cad the young mans face as honed prnco continued to gaze fixedly days I He could only bow In assenteD board assent-eD doubtless you would see the the less Joan 1 he continued Is dented i very beautiful They say so 10 eicepi I do not think so I never thought In Hunt It at all answered the secre entile e prince laughed throwing back lead a little s prop I at Is surely a strange story to has pIa g here to Courtland he said and eq lher the lady Is to come as aero l a twe a-ero long I Especially strange ty Bel 11 me who taut will ask your pardon said Johann out C ont your Highness must bear ice i me I have never done an era er-a just of such moment before having strict ily spent my life among soldiers he was on his guard now in a present m For diplomacy and word vestors I have no skillno nor any Ilk While t erythng cu have chosen your trade the to cl gely then smiled the prlnco to iwlllcl aim such tastes Wherefore are po tot a soldier 11 the Tl am I am cried Johann eager es was at least as much as it is allowed t was I te of myof my strength to be pass doubt not young sir that you earat I ono of tho mighty army of ad is been n which they say continually soda 3tindi the Duchess of Hohen let that I said the prince m ended deed you arc in great error my said Johann Pyrmont with T cow I earnestness and obvious slncer the ds I never in my lIfo said one sin ty throe lIord of love to the Lady Joanne Joan-ne area nor to any other woman sures ° said a now voice from the s grooi ay that of tho Princess Margar 0 ot but doubtless you took great coml ure In teaching them foreign cus s And I am persuaded you did ant oof ell too I in 8 Prince left his desk for the last w tlmo and came smiling towards aS the cramp tyiing o x I t r I I I hl g f i f ft1i tl f H < 1t J i 4 l5i tJ fl tt Ht PfJ B r 0271f I 7ff 1 < I f t i 1 < h h l oi1 r X F i f J > t n 1 I 0 world why because rOil are ready to fall down and worship this young man or any other should be compelled to do likewise And right prlncessllko she looked as she pouted her proud little lips and with her foot patted the pollbhed oak But she went on again to her brother If you have done with this noble youth I have a fancy to hear him tell of the countries wherein he has sojourned And in addition 1 have promised to show him the carp In the ponds You have It seems tome to-me spent half the day in each others society Tho tolerant prince laughed Ho was evidently accustomed to his sisters sis-ters whims and knowing how perfectly perfect-ly harmless they were he never interfered in-terfered with them I A good day to you ho said to the young man by way of dismissal If I do not see you again before you leave you must promise me to comeback come-back to the wedding of tho Duchess Johanna In that event you must do mo the honor to bo my guest on that occasion I hopo to be your guest most noblo prince said tho secretary looking up at him quickly as he went through the door it was a singular look For a moment mo-ment it checked and astonished the prince so much that ho stood still on I tho threshold Whero have I seen a look like that before he mused as he cast his memory back Into the past without success Surely never on any mans face before Which after all was likely enough But putting tho matter aside as curious curi-ous but of no consequence the prince rodo away toward that part of tho city from which tho towers of the minister loomed up A couple of priests bowed low before him as he passed and the people standing still to watch his broad shoulders and erect carriage said one to another Alas alas the truest prince of them allto be thus thrown away And these were the words the secretary sec-retary heard from a couple of guards who stood at tho gate of the rose garden gar-den as they too stood looking pensively pen-sively after tho prince Walt said Johann Pyrmont to himself wait I will yet show them whether ho Is thrown away or not w I The rose garden of the summer palace of Courtland was a paradise made for lovers whisperings Its bowers were creepertangled I Trees met over paths bedded with fallen petals a shade In sunshine a shelter in rain delightful In both It was natural that so fair a princess prin-cess taking such a sudden fancy to a young man should find her way where tho shade was deepest and the labyrinth most entangled Do you know she began that I might well have lodged you in a dungeon dun-geon cell for that which In another had been lire Insolence They were pacing a long dusky avenue ave-nue of tall yew trees The secretary turned toward her the blank look of ono whose thoughts have been faraway far-away But the princess rattled on heedless of his mood Nevertheless I forgive you she said after all I myself asked you to teach mo your foreign customs If any ono be to blame it is I But ono I thing I would impress upon you sir secretary do not practice these outland out-land peculiarities before my brothers Either of them night look with prejudice preju-dice upon such customs being observed observ-ed geaerally throughout the city I came back chiefly to warn you It was with an effort that tho secretary sec-retary detached hlmsolf sufficiently from his reveries Upon the Interview in tho summer palace to understand what tho princess was driving at All this mighty pother all because be-cause I kissed her on tho cheek he thought A Princess of Courtland is no such mighty thingand why should I I not Oh of course I had forgotten again I am not now the person I was But what need to tell with what infinite In-finite condescension the princess took the young mans hand and read his fortune dwelling frowningly on tho lines of love and life You have too pretty a hand for a man sho said Why is it hard here and here That Is from tile sword grip said Uio secretary with no small pride 1I1 Do you then fence well I wish I see you she cried clapping < < > How splendid it would Ja bout between you and that Is the Prince Ivan mean Ho would give a i sitting here teaching o hands and bid each n Bearland They rd say a custom Could bo more v I like it t I I umds 4 I 4 f 1I14f ytJ i t f1 j J fJ ii i > 6jifkf0 r o Then Ybtl are the Count von Loon said tho princess r seem to have heard that name somewhere Tell me are you tho Count vvn Ioen I am certainly the heir to thai title said the secretary grilling within with-in and wishing himself a thousand miles away I must go directly and tell my brother He twill be back from The cathedral by this time I am sure ho did not know And the estates aro they kt your solo right T The estates aro extensive They are not encumbered so far as I know They aro all in ray own right explained ex-plained the newly styled count with perfect truth A new thought seemed to strike the princess as ho was speaking But so young so handsome she murmured so apt a pupil at love Then aloud she said You are not deceiving de-ceiving me1 You are not alreadj betrothed Not to any woman said the deceitful de-ceitful count picking his words with exactness The gay laugh of tho princess rang out prompt as an echo I did not expect you to be engaged engag-ed to a man sho cried But now conduct me to tho entrance of my I I 1 11 r3 trr 7 sr4 I GaS l 1ft Found himself face to face with Prince Wasp chambers hero she reached him her hand I like you she said frankly looking at him with unflinching unflinch-ing eyes I am of the house of Courtland and we aro accustomed to say what we think tho women especially I pecially And before I carry out this wretched contract and marry tho j Prince Wasp I will run away and wed i a dogwhipper But perhaps I may I do better than either sho said in her heart nodding determinedly as she looked at tho handsome youth before be-fore her who now stood with his downcast eyes upon the ground They wore almost out of the yew tree walk and the voice of the princess prin-cess carried far like that of most very Impulsive persons It reached the I ears of a gay young fashionable who had just dismounted at the gate which led from the rose garden Into the wing of the palace inhabited by the Princess Margaret and her suite Now said the princess I will show you how apt a pupil I make Tell me whether this is according to the best traditions of Plassenburg And taking his face between her hands she kissed him rapidly upon either cheek and then upon the lips There she said I wonder what my noble brothers would say to that I will show them that Margaret of Courtland can choose both whom she wlll kiss and whom she will marry And flashing away from him like a strongwinged bird sho fled upward Into her chambers Then somewhat dazed by the rapid succession of emotions emo-tions Johann tho secretary stepped out of the green gloom of the yew treo walk Into tho broad glare of tho September sun and found himself face to face with Prince Wasp To bo continued |
