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Show CHAPTER XXVIII. Continued. "How could he," demanded Joan, tho soldier's daughter, sharply, "ho was on dulj'" "Well," answered Margaret, iitlll resentful re-sentful nnil uncotiholed, "ho would not havo dono that before wo wero married! mar-ried! And It Is only the first day wo havo been together, too, since since " And she bulled her hend In hor kor-chief. kor-chief. Then came n knocking nt the door. "Knter!" cried Joan Imperiously, yet not n llttlo glad of the Interruption. Werner von Orselu stood In tho portal. por-tal. "M Indv," he said, "will jott bid tlio Count von I.oen leave his work nnd take unite rest nnd sustennuco. Ho things of nothing but Ills drill " "Oh, ves, he does." cried the Princess Prin-cess Mnrgnret; "how dnie ou say II, fellow? He thinks of me! Whj.even now ' She looked once more out of the window, ii smile upon her face. Instantly In-stantly she drew In hct bead again and nprnng to her feet "Ob, ho Is gone! I enuiiot see blm an whero!" she cried, "and I never so much ns heard them go' Joan, 1 am going to dud him. He should not hnvo gone.nwny without bidding mo goodbye! good-bye! It was cruel"' She (lushed out of the room, nnd without waiting for thing maid or cov-f-rttire, she ran downstairs, dressed ns Bho wus In bet light summer ntllrc. Joan stood a moment silent, looking nfter her with ejes In which Hashed n tender light Wei tier von Orselu smiled bioadlj the ill) snillo ol nn nnclcnt war rnptnlu who puts no bounds to the vngnrles of women. It wns an experienced smile. , " 'TIs will for Kernsberg. my lady," I said Werner grimly. "Hint vou nro not the Princess Margaret." "And wh?" t,nld Joan n little ( hanghtllv Tor she did not llko Conrad's Con-rad's sister to bo treated lightly oven I bv her chief eopluln "Ah love, love'" said Werner, nodding nod-ding his head seutentlouHlv. "It Is I well that I ever trained .vou up to euro for none of these things Teach a maid I to fence nnd her honor needs no champion cham-pion Olvn her sword-cunnlng nnd jott I keep her ftotn making n fool of her-I her-I self nlioul tho first man who crosses hor path. Strengthen her wrist, tench her to lunge ntnV parry, and )ou strengthen her head Hut jou do credit lo jour Instructor You have never troubled nliuut the folllet of love. Theieforo nro je Jo.ni of the Sword Hnnd!" Jonn sighed another sigh, very soft Iy this tltiie, nnd her ecs, being turned nvvay from Von Orseln, weio Foft nnd Indefinitely hury. "Yes," she nnswered, "I nm Jonn or Ilia Sword Hnnd nnd I never think or these tilings!" Von Orseln saluted, with n faco expressionless ex-pressionless ns n stone. Ho mnrched to tho door, turned n third tlmo nnd saluted nnd with heavy footsteps descended de-scended tho stnlrs. At the outer door Prince Conrnd was dismounting Tho two men tnluted each other. "Is the Duchess Joan within?" sold Conrnd. concealing his eagerness tin der the hauteur natural to u prince. "I lime Just left her!" nnswered the chief captnln. Without a word Com od sprang up tho steps three nt a lime. Werner turned nbout and watched tho joung mnn's firm, lithe (lguro till It had disappeared. dis-appeared. "r'nlth of Saint Anthony!" ho murmured. mur-mured. "I am right glad our huly cares not for love if k1,0 did, and If you hnd not been a priest well, theio might huve been double." CHAPTEn XXIX. The Broken Bond. Above. In the dusky light of the up-per up-per hull, Conrnd nnd Joun stood hoM-lnr? hoM-lnr? each other's hnnds. It wns the I I 1 WW I j 'Death alone shall turn me back this time." 9rst time they had been nlono together ilnco the day on which thoy hud w nlked along the sand dunes of Hu-gen. Hu-gen. Since then they seemed to havo drown Inexplicably closo togothor. To Joan, Conrnd now hiemed much moro her own tho mnn who loved her, whom she loved than ho had been on tho Island To watch day by ilny for his imsslng lu martial nt-'lro brought back tho knight of tho to una-merit una-merit whose white plumo sho had seon storm through the lUts when, a slim kOorMary, sho had stood with beating heart wul t.hlulng eves behind the i. iiy a. it. i nn chair or Icojoll von Desaucr, All-bassndor All-bassndor of I'lasKetitiurg. For nlnio-n live minutes ihej stood thus wlthotit speech, then Jonn drew away her Imnriw. "Yiju forget'," she suld smiling, "thnt was forbidden In the bond." "My lad) " lie said, "wns not the bond for Isle Itugeu nlone? Here we nto coturndts lu the strife Wo must save our fntherlniul I have laid aside my priesthood. If I live, I shall appeal to tho Holy Father to loose mo wbollj from tn vows." Smillnglv she put his eager argument argu-ment li "It wns of nnyllici vow I spoke 1 nm not the llol) Pn titer, and for this I will not give jou absolution. We are coiiirai'it. It Is true that and no moro! To-morrow I ride to Kernsberg Kerns-berg win re I will muster every man, cull down the shepherds from the hills, and be burl, with vou bj Hie Alia he roro the Muxcovlte eati atinek ou I Jonn or Hip Sword Hand promise It'" ShO mumped her root, half In earn est nnd half In mocker; of tlio suitor ous nnmo by which she was known "I would rnther jou were Joan of tho (linage nt Isle Kngen, and l your Jorklned rervltor cleaving the wood Hint vou might buke the bread" "Conrnd " snhl Joan, slinking her head wlstftillv. "such thoughts nro not wise fm .vou uml me to harbor We must st'itid to our dignities now when the eueni) threatens nnd the people need us Ariel words, nn II like us we may step down together." "Joan" said Conrnd. very gravely, "do not Tear for me. I havo turned once from n career I never chose. Dentil alone shall turn me back this time" "I knew It" she nnswered! "1 never doubted It Hut what shall we do with this pooi lnveslrk bible of ours?" And she told him of her Interview Hint morning with Ills sister Conrnd laughed gentlj, ;el with sjiiipnthy. "I.etve me Von Orseln, nnd do oil take the oiiug man." said Conrnd; "then Margaret will go with jou willing; will-ing; and glndlj " "Hut she will want lo telurii that Is, If Maurice conies too." "Isl"' Unpen''" suggested Com nil "Semi jour ten men who know the road If they could eaitj off Joan of the Suord Hand, the; should hnvo no illlllciilij with HCTlo Mnrgnret or Court-hind Court-hind ' Mkuelnsped her hands with plcns- n" unconscious Hint Im-jBkid Im-jBkid her TWWrWml now stood HrroUd by tho bound of her own mime. ' "Oil, they will huve no tumble, will Hiey no!''' she said In her own heart, and smtled "Isle llugen? Tliniik jou, my very dear brother nnd sister. You would get rid of me, separate me fioin Maurice while ho Is lighting for jour precious princedoms. Whnt Is n conn try In comparison wllh a husband? I would not enro a dolt which country I belonged to. so long ns I hod .Maurice with me!" A moment or two Conrnd nnd Jonil discussed the details of (he rupture, whlln more softlj than before Mnrgnret Mnr-gnret retired to the door Sho would hnvo slipped out altogeiher, but that something happened Just them which frozo her to the spot A trumpet blew without once, twice nnd thrice. In short nnd stirring blasts. Hurdly hnd tho echoes died ttwny when she heard hor brother sny. "Adieu, best beloved! It Is thu signal which tells me Hint Prluro I vim Is within a day's mnrch or Courtlniid. I bid jou good-bje, good-bje, anil If If we should never meet ngaln, do not forget Hint I loved jou loved jou ns none elso could love'" Ho held out his hand. Joan stood rooted to tho spot, her lips moving, but no words coming forth Then Miir guret heard a hoarse rry break from , her who hnd conl (tuned love. "Icnnnot lot jou go thus'" she cried , "I cannot keep the vow' It Is too hiitd for me! Conrad' I am but a weak woman nfter all'" And In a moment the I'tlncum Margaret Mar-garet saw Joan the cold. Joan of Hie Sword Hand. Jonn Dm Inss of Kernsberg Kerns-berg and Hoheusteln In Hiu arms of her brother. Whereupon, not being of set purpose nn eavesdropper, Murguret went out and shut the door softlj Tho lovers had neither heard her (nine nor go And tho wire of .Mam Ice von l.yunr wns smiling very sweet Ij us sno went, but In her ejes lurked mischief Conrad descended ihe stulr from tho apartments of the Dudiess Joan, divided di-vided between the cerluintj Hint his lips hnd tasted the unutterable Joy nnd tho fenr lost his soul hud sinned the unpardonnblo sin. A moment Joan steadied herself by Iho window, with her bund to her hrenst ns If to still the lljlng pulses of her heart. She took n step forward that alio might look once mure upon him ero ho went. Hut, changing her put pose In tho very net, sho turned about and found herself face to face with tho Princess Mnrgnret who wns smiling subtly "You have granted my request? sho snld soft. Joan commanded hersoir with dllll-cully. dllll-cully. "What request?" sho askod, for bIio had forgotton. "That Maurice nnd I should first gn with jou to Kernsberg and afterwards to Plnssenbtirg." "I cannot go," Joan murmured, thinking think-ing aloud. "I cannot lido to Kernsberg Kerns-berg and leave him In tho front of dnngor!" "A mnn must not bo hampered by affection In the hour of d.inger'" "Do jou know," snld Joan, "that Prince Ivnn nnd his Muscovites nro within a day's march of Courtlniid, and Hint Prince Conrnd bus alreadj gone forth to meet them?" "Wlint?" cried Mnrgnret, "within n day's mnrch of tho eltj? I must go nnd Mini my husband " "Wnlt" suld Joan. "I see my wny. Your hiisbnnd shall como hither." She went to the door and clnpped hor hnnds "Send hither Instnntly Werner von Orseln, Alt Plkker nnd tho Count von l.oen." She walled with the Inlch or the door In her hnnd till she henrd their rootsleps upon the stair, They entered en-tered together a ml saluted. "Oontlemen," snld Jonn, "tho enemy Is nt the gate or the cltj. Wo shall need every mnn. Who will rido to Kernsbetg nnd bring back succor?" "Your highness." snld Werner von Orseln, respecthillj. "ir the enemy bo so nenr, nnd n buttle Imminent, the mnn Is no soldier who would wlllluglj be absent Hut we nre jour seivnnts Choose jou one to go, or, ir It seem good to j on. mote lliuii one Hid us go. nnd on our heads It shnll lie lo escort jou snfely to Keinsberg nnd bring back reinforcements Thn Prlnress came closer to Joan and slipped n hand Into hers "Von I.jnnr shall go' ' snld Jonn. Wheieat Maurice held down his A mi "A man muit not be hampered by affection af-fection In the hour of dannerl" bond, Mnrgnret chipped her hands, nnd Hie other two siood stolidly uwnktlng Instructions, ns became their position. "At whnt hour shnll I depart, my lady?" snld Maurice. "Now! So soon us jou enn get Hie horses rend) !" "Hut jour (Jrnco must havo tlmo to make her preparntlons!" "I nm not going to Kernsberg. 1 stay heie!" said Jonn, stnllng u fact. Werner Ton Orseln was just going out of thu door, confiding to Alt Plkker that ns soon ns ho saw thn Princess put her hand In their Indy's ho know they were snfe. At tint sound of Joan's words he wns startled Into crying out loudly, "Whnt?" At tho snmii time he faced nbout with thn frown on his face which ho wore when ho corrected mi Irregularity In the ranks. (To he continued.) |