Show OAN WIMID 0 S RCROCKErTAuaor 0 TekaidcvJ o Copyright 1S9S 1900 by S 11 Crockett CHAPTER XXII The Dropping of a Cloak so with the mounted guard 6f In Cossacks before him and be Prince Ivan carried his bride to I through the streets of her nay na-y great doors of the cathedral had rows wide open and tho leath urtnln withdrawn The altar and the lamps swing in tho vlnked no brighter than yellow J leaves sden through an nutum But as the cortege dismount organ began to roll and the within rose with a hush like jrhlch follows the opening of nat n-at night above tho Alia sonorous diapason of tho great ant disgorged Itself through orway In wave after wave of Tho Princess Margaret found again on her feet upheld on ffilde by brother and lover She first somewhat dazed with the accumulate disasters Slowly Ind came back Trice whore Was Maurice She bout Tho small glittering bf Prince Ivan black as sloes looking Into hers She remcm ow It was her own wedding two her brother and her enemy Carrying out their threat They ought her to the cathedral to pr against her wllh to the man ked But they could not She Itell them Already she was a then If she told them that Voild ride back and kill him that she should perjure herself an herself to hell than that anything than that But what to do Was over a poor girl en paret you must come with us cathedral It was tho voice i brother It Is necessary that ace should wed you now It long been promised and now delay no longer Besides the Death is in the city and this is hope to escape Come as on the tip of Margarets to cry out with wild words she had done at tho door of for parlor But tho thought of o of the torture and the death her She lifted her eyes and r at the top of tho steps were nltarles of the cathedral wait Bead the solemn procession Ill go she said Bald her hand on her brothers Id began the ascent of the long 1f stairs But even as she did lad her there broke a wave of the crying of many peopled pd and multitudinous like the which runs along a crowded hfaro when a wild charger from bonds threshes along antic flying harness And lot foot of the steps clad from head tin a cloak the sick Princess he whom the Black Death had leaped from her foaming and drawing sword followed up the stairway after thee the-e procession The Cossacks of Uscovlto guard looked at each not knowing whether to stand i vay or nod no-d there tho pursuer shouted set foot on tho lowest step 1 1 Surely that Is no womans whispered the people who earest and their lower Jaws a little further In sheer won t L pe wide steps of the Dom flew woman In tho flowing cloak je was pallid as death but her ere brilliant and her lips red j t sight of tho naked sword he Ivan plucked the blade from i J t i I 4r l am her husband I and Louis shrank a little bo 3 sister son he faltered What isIs is-Is it sudden madness or the of tho Black Death Princess Margaret cannot bo tll I cried the seeming Princess o Margaret I will slay the frho lays a hand on you I I lent to that word Margaret of jind broke from between her and Prince han and ran to 11 I woman laying her brow on ast The Prince of Muscovy ued calm and Immovable 1 why ho asked in a tone full Kempt Why cannot the Prin argaret be married use iald the woman In the oak fingering a string at her neck she Is married already I nm her husband The long blue cloak fell to the ground and the Sparhawk clad In closefitting squires dress stood be fore their astonished eyes A long low murmur gathering and sinking surged about the square Prince Louis gasped Margaret clung to her lovers arm and for the space of a score of seconds the wholo world stopped breathing Prince Ivan twisted his mustache as If he would pull It out by the roots So he said the Princess Is 1 married mar-ried is she And you are her husband hus-band Whom God hath joined and the rest of It Well we shall see wo shall see v He spoke gently meditatively almost I al-most caressingly Yes cried the Sparhawk defiantly defiant-ly 1 wo were married yesterday by Father Clement the Princes chaplain In the presence of the most noble Leo gold von Dessauor High Councillor of Plassenburg And my wIfethe Princess Joan where Is she gasped Prince Louis so greatly bewildered that he had not yet begun to be angry Ivan of Muscovy put out his hand Gently friend he said I will unmask this playacting springald This Is not your wife not the woman you wedded and fought for not the Lady Joan of Hohensteln but some baseborn brother who having her face hath played her part to mock and cheat and deceive us both Ho turned again to Maurice von Lynar I think we have met before Sir Masquer ho said with his usual suave courtesy I have therefore a double debt to pay Hither Ho beckoned to the guards who lined the approaches I presume sir so true a courtier will not brawl before ladles You recognize that you are in our power Your sword sir Tho Sparhawk looked all about tho crowded square Then he snapped his sword over his knee and threw the pieces down on the stone steps You are right I will not fight vainly vain-ly here he said I know It Is useless use-less Duthe raised his volcebe It known to all men that my name Is Maurice Count von Loen and that tho Princess Margaret Is my lawfully wedded wife She cannot then marry Ivan of Muscovy The Prince laughed easily and spread his hand with gentle deprecation depreca-tion as the guards seized tho Spar hawk and forced him a ifttlo space from the clinging hands of the Princess Prin-cess I am an easy man ho said gently as he clicked his dagger to and fro In Its sheath When I like a woman I would as lief marry her widow as maid Prince Louis continued Ivan turning to the Prince we are keeping these holy men needlessly as well as disappointing the good folk of Court land of their spectacle There is no need that wo should stand here any longer We have matters to discuss with this gentleman and his wife Have I your leave to bring them together to-gether In the palace We may have something to say to them more at leisure But the Prince of Courtland made no answer He moved his hand angrily an-grily and began to descend the stairs towards the waiting horses Prince Ivan turned toward Maurice You will follow under escprt of these gentlemen of my staff he Bald with smiling equality of courtesy there la no need to discuss Intimate family affairs before half the rabble of Courtland He bowed to Maurice as If ho had been Inviting him to a feast Maurice looked about the crowded square over the pennons of tho Cossacks He knew there was no hope either in flight or In resistance All the approaches ap-proaches to tho square had been filled up with armed men I will follow ho answered briefly Hitherto we have had to do with the summer palace by tho river a building of no strength and built more as a pleasure house for tho princely family than as a place of permanent habitation But the Castle of Court land was a structure of another sort Set on a low rock In the center of tho town its walls rose continuous with its foundations equally massive i and Impregnable to the height of over seventy feet For tine first twen tyfive neither window nor grating broke the grim uniformity of that mighty wall of rock Above that line only a few small openings halfclosed with Iron bars evidenced the fact that a great prince had his dwelling within with-in The main entrance to the Castle was through a gateway closed by a grim irontoothed portlcullls Then a I short tunnel led to another and yet stronger defensea deep natural fosse which surrounded tho rock on all sides and over which a drawbridge conducted con-ducted into the courtyard of tho castle Tho Sparhawk know very well that ho was going to his death as he rode through the streets of the city of Courtland but none would have discovered dis-covered from his bearing that there was aught upon his mind of graver concern than tho fit of q doublet or perhaps the favor of a pretty maid of honor But with tho Princess Margaret Mar-garet it was different In these last crowded hours she had quite lost her old gay defiance Her whole heart was fixed on Maurice and the tears would not be bitten back when she thought of the fate to which he was I going with so manly a courage and so fine an air They dismounted In the gloomy court yard and Maurice slipping quickly from his saddle caught Margaret Mar-garet In his arms as she drdpped nervously from the saddle She clung to him closely knowing that It might be for the last tlmo Maurice Maurice she murmured can you forgive mot I have brought you to this Hush sweetheart ho answered In her ear bo my Own dear princess Do not let them see Bo my bravo girl They cannot divide our love Come I beg of you said tho dulcet dul-cet voice of Prince Ivan behind them I would not for all Courtland break In upon tho billing and cooing of such turtledoves were It not that their affection blinds them to the fact that tho menatarms and scullions aro witnesses wit-nesses to these pretty demonstrations Tarry a little sweet valentines tlmo and place wait for all things The Princess commanded herself II T t I Y I h I Hi Till death do you part quickly In another moment she wap Margaret of Courtland Even the Prince of Muscovy might spare a lady his Insults at such n time she said The Prince bared his head and bowed low Nay ho said very courteously you mistake Princess Margaret 1 Insult you not I may regret your taste but that Is a different matter Yet even that may amend My quarrel Is with this gentleman and It is one of some standing I bellevo My sword Is at your service sir said Maurice von Lynar firmly Again you mistake returned tho Prince more suavely than ever you have no sword A prisoner and if I may say so without offense a spy taken redhand cannot fight duels The Prince of Courtland must settle this matter When Ills Justlccr is satisfied I shall most willingly take up my quarrel quar-rel with whatever is left of the most noble Count Maurice von Lynar To this Maurice did not reply but with Margaret still beside him ho followed fol-lowed Prince Louis up the narrow ancient stairway called from Its shape The Couch Into the gloomy audience chamber of the Castle of Courtland They reached tho hall and then at last as though restored to power by his surroundings Prince Louis found his tongue A guard he cried hither Berg holt Kampcnfeldt Conduct the Princess Prin-cess to her privy chamber and do not permit her to leave It without my permission I would speak with this fellow alone Ivan hastily crossed over to Prince Louis and whispered in his ear In the meantime ere tho soldiers of the guard could approach Margaret cried out In a loud clear voice I take you all to witness that I Margaret of Courtland am tho wife of this man Maurice van Lynar Count von Loen Ho Is my wedded husband and I love him with all my heart You have forgotten the rest fair Princess suggested Prince Ivan subtltlll death you do part To bo continued |