| Show L JOAN Um hY S R CROCKETTAiiir tai rekaid rc b < Copyright 1898 1100 by B 1L Crockett ter CHAPTER XX Continued So good a fortune from so wise a I 9 oothsaycr deserves this I I And she kissed tho Chancellor frank f on the mouth I care for nothing nowI have got sn my will said the Princes Mar ret nodding her head to the Father 4 to he went out iFor tho golden lamp was burning self out and without In tho dOll tho Jla said Hush like a mother who othes her children to sleep CHAPTER XXI dip Ht A Perilous Honeymoon Never was day so largely and gJo toq lously blue since Courtland was a ant lty as tho first morning of the mar tj 1eJ life of Maurice and Margaret von Lynar Count and Countess von Loon Ing Iho summer floods had subsided and the he tawny dyp had clean gone out of Thu ae Alia which was now as clear as Quamarlnc and laved rather than I to retted the dark green piles of the ueo mmer Palace eta 5 The Princesses so they said with ai eut wore more than ever Inseparable any hey were constantly talking confl ace entlally together for all the world has ke 1 schoolgirls with n secretS secret-S There Is something toward to r said a decent widow woman who the 1 vcd In tho Konlgstrasso to her neigh pr My son who as you know Is a mn Kiorlstcr is gone to practice tho mms edding Hymn at the cathedral I am Ding thither to get a good place I I E in fill not miss It whatever it Is Person Per-son aps they are going to mllko the fists princess Joan do penance for her Iftiult < < in a white sheer with a candle and llajher hand a yard long That would for Ibe rare sport I would not miss It for had i ejmuch as four farthings re And tho choristers mother hobbled off telling everybody she met tho out 1 imo story And so in half an hour and ffee news had spread all over the city I Ejind there began to be makings of the Quito a respectable crowd in the Dom do iPlatz of Courtland fire It was half past cloven when the be archers of tho guard appeared at the entrance of the square which leads act e from tho palace Behind them rank sbt Upon rank could bo seen the lances of oa the wild Cossacks of Prince Ivans ese es-e Ort who had remained behind when The Itlje Muscovite army went back to the and Russian plains Their dusky goats tlr tents which had long covered lave to tle banks of the Alia had now been Ian li sifruck and were Inded upon baggage I to horses and sumpter mules B Meanwhile In the river palor of tho Ilch Summer Palace tho two Princesses city pro talking together even as the peat pea-t a fie had said Tho Princess Margaret of Mat on a low stool leaning her elbow Pare < m her companions knee And though SfSio sometimes looked away It was 11M riot for long and Maurice meeting of ier everrecurrent gaze found that a rely now thing had como Into her eyes lies Presently a low tapping was heard 000 as the inner door from which a pass ks ago communicated with tho rooms of i to the Princess Margaret Tho Spar and hawk would have risen for the mo t dt dent forgetful of his disguise Butted But-ted ark Ryrlth a slight pressure of her arm up bor f i his knee the Princess restrained ll mEnter Enter she called aloud in her f ear Imperious voice Thora entered hurriedly and close clos-e lag tho door behind her she stood with the latch in her hand My Princess ake said in a voice that was little eke more than a whisper I havo heard sla ilUjnows They are making tho cathe roe firal ready for a wedding The iCos for l Hicks havo struck their tents I thinking think-ing lalplot is on foot to marry you this day ax boo of gee t J i s tec thl n ace ads I I + I ih leB ors for T 4 t I I Pm I I iga i 1 I ICs II Fag a I I bop i lid fro tOW j ase Ills What shall we do I had counted on lad lec this one day Int to Prince Ivan and to carry you oft of with him to Moscow I The Sparhawk sprang to his feet MId laid his hand on tho place whereby where-by Ms swordhilt should have been Never ho cried it Is Impossible LOd Time Princess is I He was about to add Sho Is mar I an Hed already but with a quick gesture as t WC warning Margaret stopped him els Who told you this sho queried oat turning again to Thora of Bornholm Ny J Johannes Rode of tho Princes to P ward told me a moment ago sho anIs an-Is Ifwercd He has Just returned from Ida the Muscovite camp Ion JI thank you TIJOlUJ shall not for cut Mat this faUhfnlioii I snll ftlnrgarst w I Now you have my leave to gal The Princess spoke calmly and to tho oar oven little coldly Tho door closed upon the Swedish maiden Margaret and Maurlco turned to each other with one pregnant Instinct In-stinct and took hands Already I said Margaret faintly going back Into tho woman they might havo left us along a little longer long-er How shall we stet this What shall wo do I tau counted on this one day Margaret answered tho Sparhawk impulsively this shall not daunt us We would have told your brother Louis one day Wo will tell him now Duchess Joan is safe out of his reach Kornsberg is rovlctualed tho Musco vito army returned There Is no need to keep Up the masquerade any longer Whatever may como of it lot us go to your brother That will end It swiftly at nil events The Princess put away his restraining clasp and camo closer to him Nono sho cried you must not You do not know my brother Ho is wholly under the influence of Ivan of Muscovy Louis would slay you for having cheated him of his bride Ivan for having forestalled him with me But you cannot marry Ivan That were an outrage agalput tho laws of God and Man Marry Ivan she cried to tho full as Impulsively ng her lover not though they set ravens to pick the live flesh off my bones I But yet tho thought of torture and death for you that I cannot abide Wo must con tinue to deceive them Let mo think let me think ft Hastily sho barred the door which led out upon the corridor Then tak ing Maurices hand once more she led him over to tho window from which sho could see tho green Alia cutting its way through the city bounds and presently escaping Into the yet greener green-er corn lands on Its way to tho sea It Is for this ono days delay that we must plan Tonight we will cer tainly escape I can trust certain of those of my household I havo tried them before + i have It > Maurice you must be taken 11I110 down on this couch away from the light There Is a rumor of tho Black Death In the citywe must build on that They say an Astrakhan trader Is dead of It alread already For one day we may stave off with this It Is tho poor best wo can do Lie down I will call Thora Sho Is staunch and fully to bo trusted Tho Princess Margaret went to tho Inner door and clapped her hands sharply Tho falrhalred Swedish maiden came running to her Sho had been waiting on such a signal Thorn said her mistress in a quick whisper we must put oft this marriage mar-riage I would sooner die than marry Ivan You have that drug you spoke atthat which gives the appearance of sickness unto death without the reality re-ality Tho Lady Joan must be 111 very 111 You understand we must deceive even the Princes physicians The girl nodded with quick understanding under-standing and turning she sped away up tho Inner stairs to her own sleep Ing chamber tho key of which as was the custom In Courtland she carried car-ried in her Docket This will also keep you from being suspected as in public places you would havo been whispered Margaret to her young husband What Thora thinks or knows does not matter I can trust Thora with my life nay with what Is far more with yours A light tap and the girl reentered a tall phial In her hand Within swift look at her mistress to obtain permission permis-sion she went to the couch upon which the Sparhawk had lain down Then with deft hand she opened the bottle and pouring a little of tho colorless color-less liquid into a cup she gave It him to drink In a few minutes a sickly pallor overspread Maurice von Lynars brow His eyes appeared Injected tho lips paled to a grey white beads of perspiration stood on tho forehead and his whole countenance took on the huo and expression of mortal sickness sick-ness Now said Thora when she had finished will tho noblo lady deign to swallow ono of heso pellicles and In ten minutes not a leech In tho country will bo able to pronounce that she Is not suffering from a dangerous disease dis-ease You aro sure Thora said the Princess Margaret almost fiercely laying her hand on the tirewomans wrist that there Is no harm In all this Remember on your life be ItI The placid flaxenhaired woman turned with tho little silver box In her hand Danger there Is dear mistress sho said softly but not I think so great danger as wo are already In But I will prove my honesty She took first a little of tho liquid and Immediately after swallowed ono of tho white pelllcles she had given to Maurice It will bo as well she said when tho Princes wiseacre physicians come that they should find another sickening sicken-ing of tho samo disease Thora of Bornholm passed about tho couch and took up a walting maids station some way behind All Is ready she said softly We will forestall them answered tht Princess Thora send and bid PrinceLouis come hither quickly And shall I also ask I him to send hither his most skilled doctors of heal o T mgr added the girl I will deB patch Johannes Redo Ho will go quickly and answer as I bid him With discretion and without asking questions ques-tions And with tho noiseless tread peculiar pecu-liar to most blonde women of largo physique Thora disappeared through tho private door by which she had entered en-tered The Princess Margaret kneeled down by tho couch and looked into tho face of tho Sparhawk Even sho who had seen tho wonder was amazed and almost frightened by tho ghastly effect tho drug had wrought in such short space You are sure that you do not feel any ill effects you arc perfectly well sho said with tremulous anxiety anx-iety In her voice The Sparhawk smiled and nodded reassuringly up at her Never better ho said My nerves aro iron my muscles steel I feel as if for my Margarets sake I could vanquish an army singlehand ed edTho Tho Princess rose from her place and unlocked tho main door We will bo ready for them she said All must appear as though we had no motive for concealment And having drawn tho curtains somewhat closer sho kneeled down f X11i I i You arc sure Thora said the Princess Prin-cess Margaret almost fiercely that there Is no harm In this I again by the bedhead Thoro was no sound in tho room as the youthful husband hus-band and wife thus waited their fato hand In band save only tho soft continuous con-tinuous sibilance of their whispered converse and from without tho deeper deep-er note oftbo Alia sapping tho Palace walls The Princes ofCourtland and Mus covy inseparable as the Princesses were on tho pleasant creepershaded terrace which looks over the rose garden of tho palace of Courtland down upon tho blue sea plain of tho Baltic now stretching blue black from verge to verge under tho imminent sun of noonYou You would desert me Ivan Prince Louis was saying in a tone at onto appealing and childishly aggressive you would leave mo In tho hour of need You would take away from mom mo-m sister Margaret who alone has Influence In-fluence with tho Princess my wife I But you do not try to court tho lady with any proper fervor objected object-ed Ivan half humoring and half irritating Irri-tating his companion you o servo hef none of the rules Speak her soft pralso her eyelashes surely they aro worthy of all praise give her a pet lamb for a playmate Feed her with conserves of honey and spice Surely such comfits would mollify even Joan of the Sword Hand Tushyou flout mo Ivan oven you Everyone despises mo slnco since she flouted me The woman is a tigress I tell you Every time she looks at mo her eyes flick across me like a whiplash ITo ITo I-To be continued |
