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Show II (Copyilght, lSkS. luoo. by H. H Croctietl i I CHAPTER XXVIII. Continued. "How could lie," demanded Joan, i tho soldier's daughter, sharply, "he i f was on duty t " "Well," answered Margaret, still re-sentful re-sentful and unconsoled, "he would not J havo dono thnt before we were married mar-ried 1 And It 11 only the llrst day wo havo been together, too, since slnco " And she burled her head In her kor- I chief. Then carao a knocking at tho door. "Enter!" cried .loan Imperiously, yet not a little glad of the Interruption. Werner von Orseln stood In tho portal. por-tal. "My lady," he said, "will you bid the Count von Loen leave his work nnd take some rest and sustenance. He thinks of nothing but his drill." "Oh, yes, he does," cried tho Princess Prin-cess Margaret: "how dare you say It, fellow? Ho thinks of me! Why, even now " She looked once more out of tho window, a smile upon her face. Instantly In-stantly she drew In her head again and sprang to her feet. "Oh, ho Is gone! I cannot see htm nnywhero!" sho cried, "and I novor so much as heard them go! Joan, I am going to find him. He should not have gono ,away without bidding mo goodbye! good-bye! It was cruel!" Sho flashed out of tho room, and 'V without waiting for tiring maid or coverture, cov-erture, she ran downstairs, dressed as I sho was In her light summer attlro. Joan stood a moment Bllent, looking after her with eyes In which flashed a tonder light. Werner von Orseln smiled broadly tho dry smllo of an ancient war captain who puts no bounds to tho vagaries of women. It was an experienced smile. " TIs well for Kcrnsberg, my lady," Bald Werner grimly, "that you are not tho Princess Margaret." "And why?" said Joan a llttlo hnughtlly. For she did not llko Conrad's Con-rad's sister to bo treated lightly oven by her chief captain. "Ah, love, lovo!" said Werner, nodding nod-ding his head sententlously. "It 1b well that I over trained you up to care for none of these things. Teach a maid to fence, and her honor needs no champion. cham-pion. Olvo her sword-cunnlng and you keep her from making a fool of herself her-self about tho first man who crosses her path. Strengthen her wrist, teach her to lungo nnd parry, and you strengthen her head. But you do credit to your Instructor. You have never troubled about tho follies of lovo. Thcreforo aro ye Joan of tho Sword Hand!" lr Joan sighed nnother sigh, very soft ly this time, and her eyes, bolng turned away from Von Orseln, were soft and Indefinitely hazy. "Yes," she answered, "I am Joan of tho Sword Hand and I never think of theso things!" Von Orseln saluted, with a faco ex-i ex-i prcsslonlcss ns a ntono. Ho marched to tho door, turned a third time and saluted and with heavy footsteps descended de-scended tho Htalrs. At tho outer door Prlnco Conrad was dismounting. Tho two men saluted each othor. "Is tho Duchess Joan within?" said Conrad, concealing his eagerness under un-der tho hauteur natural to a prince. "I havo Just left her!" answered tho chlof captain. Without a word Conrad sprang up the steps three at a time. Werner turned about and watched tho young man's firm, lithe figure till It had disappeared. dis-appeared. "Fulth of Saint Anthony I" ho murmured, mur-mured, "I am right glad our lady cares not for love. If sho did, and If you had not been a priest well, there might havo been trouble." CHAPTER XXIX. The Broken Bond. Above, in tho dusky light of tho upper up-per hall, Conrad and Joan stood holding hold-ing each other's hands. It was tho "Death alone shall turn me back this fyj time." t qrst time thoy had been nlono together slnco tho day on which thoy hod walked along tho sand dunos of Ru-gon. Ru-gon. Smco then they Boomed to bavo grown Inexplicably closo togethor. To Joan, Conrad now seemed much moro hor own the man who loved her, whom bIio loved than ho lind been , on the Island. To wntch day by day for his passing In martial rMlro brought back the knight of tho toirna-niont toirna-niont whoso whlto plumo sho had seen Htorm through the lifts when, a slim secretary, hIio had stood with beating heart "sd shining eves behind the chair of Leopold von Dessaucr, Ambassador Am-bassador of Plasscntiurg. Kor almost five minutes they stood thus without Rpeech; then Joan drew nway her hands. "You forget," she said smiling, "that was forbidden In tho bond." "My lady," he said, "was not tho bond for Isle Rugcn alono? Here we nro comrades In tho strife. Wo must save our fatherland, 1 have laid aside my priesthood. If 1 live, t shall appeal to tho Holy Father to loose me wholly from my vows." Smilingly she put bis eager argument argu-ment by. "It was of another vow I spoke. I am not the Holy Father, nnd for this I will not give you absolution. We are comrades, It Is true that and no more! To-morrow I ride to Kerns-berg, Kerns-berg, where I will muster every man, call down the shepherds from tho hills, and bo back with yon by tho Alia before be-fore tho Muscovlto can attack you. I. Joan of the Sword Hand, uromlse It!" She stamped her foot, milf In enrn-est enrn-est and half In mockery of the sonorous sonor-ous tiumo by which she was known. "I would rnther you wero Joan of tho Grange at Islo Hugcn, and 1 your Jerklned servitor, clenvlng the wood thnt you might bake the bread." "Conrad," said Joan, shaking her head wistfully, "such thoughts aro not wise for you and mo to harbor. Wo must stand to our dignities now when the enemy threatens nnd tho peoplo need us. Afterwards, nn It llko us, wo may step down together." "Joan," said Conrnd, very gravely, "do not fear for me. I havo turned once from a career I novcr chose. Death alono shall turn mo back this tlmp." "I knew It," sho answered; "I never doubted It. But what shall wo do with this poor lovesick bride of ours?" And she told him of her Interview that morning with his sister. Conrad laughed gently, yet with sympathy. "Leave mo Von Orseln, and do you take tho young man," said Conrad; "then Margaret will go with you willingly will-ingly nnd gladly." "But sho will want to return that Is, If Maurlco comes, too." ."Isle Uugen?" suggested Conrad. "Send your ton men who know the road. If they could carry oft Joan of the Sword Hnnd, they should have no difficulty with llfTle Margaret of Court-land." Court-land." Joan clasped her luiiuls with pleasure pleas-ure and relief, all unconscious that Immediately Im-mediately behind her Mnrgarot hnd entered softly and now stood arrested by tho sound of her own name. "Oh, thoy will havo no trouble, will thoy not?" she said In her own benrt, and smiled. "Islo Uugen? Thank you, my very dear brother and sister. You would get rid of mo, soparatc me from Maurlco while ho is fighting for your precious princedoms. What Is a country coun-try in comparison with a husband? I would not caro a dolt which country I belonged to, so long ns I had Maurice with mo!" A moment or two Conrnd and Joan discussed the details of tho capture, while moro softly than before Margaret Mar-garet retired to tho door. Sho would havo slipped out altogether, but that something happened Just thorn which froze her to tho spot. A trumpet blow without onco, twice nnd thrice, In short and stirring blasts. Hardly had tho echoes died away when she heard hor brother say, "Adieu, best beloved! It Is tho signal which tells me that Prlnco Ivan is within a day's march of Courtlnnd. I bid you goodbye, good-bye, nnd If If wo should never meet again, do not forget that I ldvcd you loved 'you as nono else could lovo!" Ho held out his hand. Joan stood rooted to the spot, her lips moving, but no words coming forth. Then Margaret Mar-garet heard n hoarso cry break from her who had contemned lovo. "I cannot lot you go thus!" sho cried. "I cannot keep the vow! It Is too hard for mo! Conrad! , I am but a weak woman nfter all!" And In a moment tho Princess Margaret Mar-garet saw Joan tho cold, Joan of tho Sword Hand, Joan' Duchess of Kcrnsberg Kcrns-berg and Hoheusteln in the arms of her brother. Whereupon, not being of sot purpose an eavesdropper, Margaret went out and shut tho door softly. Tho lovers had neither heard her come nor go. And tho wlfo of Maurlco von Lynar was smiling very sweetly ns sno went, but In her eyes lurked mischief. Conrad descended tho stair from tho apartments of tho Duchess Joan, divided di-vided between tho certainty that his lips bad tasted the unutterable Joy and tho fear lest his soul had sinned the unpardonnblo sin, A moment Joan steadied horsolf by tho window, with her hand to her breast ns If to still tho flying pulses of her heart. Sho took u stop forwnrd that sho might look onco more upon him cro he went. But, changing her purposo In tho very act, she turned nbout nnd found horsolf faco to fare with tho Princess Mnrgiret. who was smiling subtly. "You hnvo granted my request?" sho said softly. Joan commanded horself with difficulty. diffi-culty. "What request?" sho asked, for sho had forgotten. "Thnt Maurice and I should first go with you to Kernsborg and afterwards to Plas8enhirg." "I cannot go," Joan murmured, thinking think-ing aloud. "I cannot rldo tos Kerns-berg Kerns-berg and leave him In tho front of danger!" "A man must not be hampered by affection In tho hour of danger!" "Do you know," said Joan, "that Prlnco Ivan and his Muscovites nro within a day's march of Courtlnnd, and that Prlnco Conrnd bas already gono forth to meet them?" "What?" cried Margaret, "within a day's march of tho city? I must go nnd And my husband." "Wait!" said Joan. "I seo my way. Your husband shnll come hither." She went to the door nnd clapped her hands. "Send hither Instantly Werner von Orsoln, Alt Pikkor nnd the Count von Loon." She wnltcd with tho latch of tho door In her hnnd till sho heard their footstops upon tho stair, They entered en-tered together nnd snluted. "Gentlemen," said Joan, "tho enemy Is at tho gato of tho city. Wo shall need every man. Who will rldo to Kernsborg and bring back succor?" "Your highness," said Wemor von Orseln, respectfully, "If tho enemy be so near, and n battle Imminent, tho man Ib no soldier who would willingly be nbscnt. But wo nro your servants. Choose you ono to go; or, If It seem good to you, more than ono. Bid us go, nnd on our heads It shall bo to escort you safely to Kcrnsberg nnd bring back reinforcements." Tho Princess enme closer to Joan and slipped n hand Into hers, "Von Lynnr shall go!" said Joan. Whereat Maurice held down his "A man must not be hampered by affection af-fection In the hour of dangerl" head, Margaret clapped her hands, and the other two stood stolidly awaiting Instructions, as became their position. "At what hour shall I depart, my lady?" said Maurice. "Now! So soon as you can get the horses ready!" "But your Graco must hnvo tlmo to mako her preparations!" "I am not going to Kcrnsberg. I stay hero!" snld Joan, stating a fact. Werner von Orseln was .Just going out of the doori confiding to Alt Plkker that as soon ns ho saw tho PrlnccBS put her hand In thelri lady's he know they wero safe. At the sound of Joan's words he was startled Into crying out loudly, "What?" At the samo tlmo ho faced about with the frown on his fnce which ho wore when he corrected an Irregularity in the ranVs. (To bo continued.) |