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Show f JOANfiSliDiW V (Copyright, 18DS. 1900, by B. 11. Crockett.) W CHAPTER XX Continued. 9! "Bo good a fortune from bo wIeq a U soothsayer deserves thlat" H And' sho kissed tho Chancellor frank- BJ ljr on tho mouth, H "I caro for nothing now I have got- HI ten my will!" Bald the Princes Mar- J garet, nodding her head to tho Father J as ho went out. U For tho golden lamp was burning H Itself out, and without In tho dork tho J Alia said "Hushl" llko a mother who H soothes her children to sleep. I CHAPTER XXI. K A Perilous Honeymoon. M Never was day so largely asd glo- Kl . rlously bluo since Courtland was a 1 city as tho first morning of the mar- H riod life of Maurlco and MnrgatDt von Lynar, Count and Countess von Loen. The summer floods had subsided, and the tawny dyo had clean gono out of tho Alia, which was now as clear as aquamarine, nnd laved rather than fretted tho dark green piles C tho Summer Palace. Tho Princesses (so they said with out) wcro moro than over Inseparable Thoy wore constantly talking confl- Edcntlally togother, for all the world llko schoolgirls with a secret. "There Is something toward today," to-day," said a decent widow woman who lived In tho Konigstrasso to her neighbor. neigh-bor. "My son, who ns you know Is a chorister. Is gono to practlco tho i Wedding Hymn at tho cathedral. I am ; going thither to get n good place. I will not miss It, whatever It Is. Por-haps Por-haps they nro going to miko tho Princess Joan do penanco for her fault, In n whlto sheer with a candlo I in her hnnd a yard long! Tlmt would bo raro sport. I would not miss It for so much as four farthings!" And tho chorister's mother hobbled off, telling everybody sho mot tho same story. And so In half An hour tho news had spread all over tho city, and thcro began to be makings of qulto a rcspcctnblo crowd In tho Dom Plats of Courtland. It was half past eleven when tho archers of tho guard nppcarcd at tho entrance of tho. square which loads from tho palace. Behind them, rank upon rnnk could ho seen tho lances of the wild Cossncks of Prlnco Ivan's escort es-cort who had remained behind when tho Muscovlto army went back to tho Russian plains. Their dusky goafs- I hair tents, which had long covered the banks of tho Alia, bad now been truck nnd woro laded upon baggage-horses baggage-horses nnd sumptcr mules. Moanwhllo, In tho river palor of tho 8uinmcr Palace, tho two Princesses riSfc-i. woro tnlklngogcther oven as tho people peo-ple had said. Tho Princess Margaret sat on a low stool, leaning her elbow on her companion's kneo. And though ho sometimes looked away, it was not for long, and Maurice, meeting her over-recurrent gaze, found that ft new thing had como Into her eyes. . Presently a low tapping was heard at tho Inner door, from which a pass-ago pass-ago communicated with tho rooms of tho Princess Mnrgnrot. Tho Spar-hawk Spar-hawk would havo risen, for tho moment mo-ment forgetful of his disguise. Hut Iwltu a slight prcssuro of her arm upon up-on his kneo tho Princess rostrnlncd htm. "Enter!" sho called aloud In her clear, imperious volco. Thorn entored hurriedly and, closing clos-ing the door behind her, sho stood with the latch in her hand. "My Princess." he said in a volco that was little moro than a whisper, "I havo heard til news. They aro making tho cathedral cathe-dral ready for a wedding. Tho Cossacks Cos-sacks havo struck their tents. I think n ptot Is on foot to marry you this day f I lllllllfl ' "What shall we do? I had counted on I this one day." to Prlnco Ivan, and to carry you off with him to Moscow." Tho Sparhawk sprang, to his feet and laid his hand on tho placo wbero his eword-hllt should havo been. "Mover," ho cried; "It 1 Impossible! I Tho Princess Is" I He was about to add, "Sho Is mar- , rled already," but with a quick gesturo I of warning Margaret stopped him. j "Who told you this?" sho queried, 1 turning again to Thorn of Ilornholm. (V "Johanres Undo of tho Prince's guard told mc n moment ago," she an- 1 I swored. "He has Just returned from I 1 the Muscovite ramp." l "I thank you, Thorn I shall not for- A jet this faithful a ei." said Margaret. 1 1 "Now, you havo my leave to go!" The Princess spoke calmly, and to the car even a llttlo coldly. Tho door closed upon tho Swedish maiden. Margaret nnd Maurlco turned to each other with ons pregnant instinct in-stinct and took hands. "Already!" said Margaret faintly, going back' Into tho woman; "they might havo left us alone a llttlo longer. long-er. How shall wo meet this? What shall wo do? I htu counted on this ono day." N "Margaret," answorcd tho Sparhawk impulsively, '"this shay not daunt us. Wo would havo told your brother Louis one day. Wo will tell him now. Duchess Joan is safe out of his reach, Kornsberg Is rovlctualcd, tho Muscovlto Musco-vlto army returned. There is no need to keop up tho masquorado any longer. Whatover may como of it, lot us go to your brother. That will end it swiftly, at all events." The Princess put away his restraining clasp and came closer to him. "No no," sho cried; "you must not. You do not know my brother. 110 la wholly under tho Influence of Ivan of Muscovy. Louis would slay you for having cheated him of his bride Ivan for having forestalled him with mo." "But you cannot marry Ivan. That woro an outrago agalost tho laws of Clod and Man I" "Marry Ivan!" she cried, to tho full ns impulsively ns her lover; "not though they set ravens to pick tho llvo flesh off my bones! But yet tho thought of to-turn nnd death for you that I iddc. Wo must con- tlnuo to i o them. Let me think! let mu luinkl" Hastily Bho barred tho door which led out upon the corridor. Then taking tak-ing Maurice's hand onco moro she led him over to the window, from which sho could see tho green Alln cutting Its wny through tho city bounds and presontly escaping Into the yet green-cr green-cr corn Innds on Its way to tho sea. "It is for this ono day's delay that wo must plan. Tc-nlght wo will ccr-tnlnly ccr-tnlnly escape. I enn trust certnln of thoso of my household. I havo tried thorn before. j nnvo j Muurlco, you must bo taken III Ho down on this couch away from tho light. Thero is a rumor of tho Blnck Death in tho city wo must build on thnt. Thoy say an Astrakhan trader Is dead of It already. For ono day wo may stavo off with this. It is tho poor best wo can do. Llo down, I will call Thora. She Is staunch and fully to bo trusted.'' Tho Princess Margaret went to tho inner door and clapped her hands sharply. . Tho falr-halred Swedish maldon camo running to her. Sho had been waiting on such a signal. "Thora," said hor mistress In n quick whisper, "wo must put off this marriage mar-riage I would sooner dlo than marry Ivan. You havo that drug you spoko of that which gives tho nppearanco of sickness unto death without tho reality. re-ality. Tho Lady Joan must bo 111, vory 111 You understand, wo must decelvo oven tho Prlnco's physicians." Tho girl nodded with quick understanding, under-standing, and, turning, sho sped away up the Inner stairs to her own sleeping sleep-ing chnmber, tho koy of which (as was tho custom In Courtland) sho carried car-ried In her pocket. "This will nlso keep you from being suspected ns In public places you would havo been," whisperod Margaret to her young husband. "What Thorn thinks or knows does not matter. I enn trust Thorn with my life nny, with what Is far more, with yours." A light tap and tho girl re-entered, a tall phial In her hand. With a swift look at her mistress to obtain permis sion, sho went to tho couch upon which tho Sparhawk had lain down. Then with deft hand sho opened tho bottlo, and pouring n little of tho colorless color-less liquid Into a cup sho gavo It him to drink. In a few minutes a sickly pnllor overspread Maurlco von Lynnr's brow. His eyes nppeared Injected, tho lips paled to a groy whlto, beads of perspiration stood on tho forohond, and his wholo cauntcnanco took on tho lino and expression of mortal sickness. sick-ness. "Now," snld Thorn, when sho had finished, "will tho noblo lady deign to swallow ono of these pellicles, and In ten minutes not n leech In tho country will bo nblo to pronounco that sho Is not suffering from a dangerous disease" dis-ease" "You nro sure, Thora," said tho Princess Mnrgaret almost fiercely, lading her hand on tho tirewoman's wrist, "that thcro Is no harm In nil this? Ilomembcr, on your life bo 111" Tho placid, flaxcn-hnlrcd woman turned with the llttlo silver box in her linml "Danger there Is, dear mistress," sho said softly, "but not, I think, so great danger ns wo aro already in. But I will provo my honesty " She took first a llttlo of the liquid, and Immediately after swallowed ono of tho white pellicles sho had given to Maurice. "It will bo as well," she said, "when tho Prince's wlseacro physicians como, that they should find another flcken-Ing flcken-Ing of tho snmo dUrase" Thora of Bornholm passed about tho couch and took up n waltlng-mald's Btatlon sorno wny behind. "All Is rendy," she Fnld softly. "We will forcstnll them." answered the Princess. "Thora, send and bid Prlnco I.ouls comn hlthor quickly." "And shall I also iihk him to nend hither his most skilled doctors of heal- pHHHHHHHHHJH? Intr added the girl. "I will despatch des-patch Johanries Hod. 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 lnrgo physique, Thora disappeared through tho private door by which sho bad entered. en-tered. Tho Princess Margaret kneeled down by tho couch and looked into the face of tho Sparhawk. Even sho who had seen tho wonder was nmnzed and almost frightened by tho ghastly effect tho drug had wrought in such short space. "You aro suro that you do not feci any ill effects you aro porfoctly well?" sho Bald, with tremulous anxiety anx-iety in her rolcc. The Sparhawk smiled and nodded reassuringly up at her. "Never hotter," ho said. "My nerves aro Iron, my muscles steel. 1 feel aa if, for my Margaret's Bako, I could vanquish an army single-handed!" Tho Princess rose from hor place and unlocked tho main door. "We will be ready for them," she said. "All must nppear as though we had no motlvo for concealment." And, having drawn the curtains somewhat closer, sho kneeled down "You are sure, Thora," said tho Princess Prin-cess Margaret, almost fiercely, "that there I no harm In this?" again by tho bed-head. Thcro was no sound In tho room as tho youthful husband hus-band and wlfo thus waited tholr fato hand In band, savo only tho soft continuous con-tinuous slbllanco of their whispered convcrso, and from without tho deeper deep-er noto of tho Alia sapping tho Palace walls. Tho Princes of Courtland and Muscovy, Mus-covy, inseparable as tho Princesses, were on tho pleasnnt, crccpcr-shadcd torraco which looks ovor tho rose-garden rose-garden of tho palace of Courtland down upon tho bluo sen plain of tho Baltic, now stretching bluo black from verge to vcrgo under tho Imminent sun of noon. "You would desert mo. Ivan." Prince Louis was saying, In a tono nt onco appealing and childishly aggrosslvo; "you would leavo mo In tho hour of need. You would tako away from mo my sister Margaret, who alono has Influence In-fluence with tho Princess, my wlfo!" "But you do not try to court tho lady with nny proper fervor," objected object-ed Ivan, half humoring and half irritating irri-tating his companion; "you observe nono of the rules. Speak hor soft, pralso her eyelashes surely they nro worthy of all pralso; glvo her a pot lamb for a playmate. Feed her with conserves of honoy and spice. Suroly such comfits would mollify oven Joan of tho Sword Hand!" "Tush I you flout mo, Ivan oven you. Evoryono despises mo since slnco sho flouted mo. Tho woman la a tigress, I tell you. Every tlmo she looks at mo her eyes flick across me llko a whlp-lash!" (To bo continuod.) |