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Show , (Copyright, 1888. 1900. by I. n. Crockett) H CHAPTER XX. Continued.. HH "So good a fortuno from ao wlso a HH soothsayer deserves this!" HH And 8ho kissed tho Chancellor frank- HH ly on tho tnoutlii HH "I caro for nothing now I have got- HH ten my wllll" said the Princes Mar- HH garct, nodding her head to tho Father HH as he went out. For the' golden lamp was burning HWj itself out, nnd without In tho dark tho HJ Alia said "Hushl" llko a mother who HHJ soothes her1 children to sleep. CHAPTER XXI. A Perilous Honeymoon. HHJ Never was day so largely aid glo- HHJ rlouBlybluo slnco Courtland was a HHJ city as tho first morning of the mar- HHj rlcd ilfo of Maurlco and Margatet von HH Lynar, Count nnd Countess von Loon. HHJ The summer floods had subsided, and HHJ tho tawny dyo had clean gono out of HHJ tho AUn, which was now as chtar as HJ aquamarine, and laved rather than HHJ fretted tho dark green piles of tho HHJ Summer Palace HHJ Tho Princesses (so thoy said with- HHJ out) woro more than over Inseparable. HHJ They wero constantly talking conD- HHJ Jontlally together, for all the world HHh llko schoolgirls with a secret. HHI "There Is something towad to- JHHJ day," said a decent widow woman who HHJ lived In tho Konlgstrasso to her neigh- HHJ bor. "My son, who ns you know Is a HHJ chorister, is gone to' practice tho HJ Wedding Hymn at the cathedral. I am HHJ going thither to get a 'good place. I HHj will not miss It, whatever it is. Per- HHJ haps they are going to make tho HHj Princess Joan do penanco for nor HH fault, In a whlto sheer with a candlo HHI in her hand a yard long! That would bo raro sport. I would not miss it for HH so much as four farthings!" And tho chorister's mother hobbled off, telling everybody she met tho HH same story. And so In half an hour HH tho news had spread all over the city, HH and thcro began to bo makings of qulto a respectable crowd In tho Dom Platz of Courtland. ' HH It was half past eleven when tho HH archers of tho guard appeared at tho BHj entrance of tho squafo which leads HHJ from tho palace. Behind them, rank IHB upon rank could be seen the' lances of IH the wild Cossacks of Prlnco Ivan's es- HHJ cort who had remained behind when HHJ tho Muscovite army went back to tho' flflj Russian plains, Tholr dusky goat's- HHJ a hair tents, which had long covered HHJ the banks of tho Alia, had now been struck and wero laded upon baggage-horses baggage-horses nnd sumptcr mule's. HW J Mcnnwhllo, In the river palor of tho HHE "summer Palnco, tho two Princesses wero talking together oven as, the pco-plo pco-plo had said. Tho Princess Margaret HHJ sat on a low stool, leaning her elbow HHJ on her companion's knee. And though HHJ alio sometimes looked nway, It was HHJ not for long, and Maurice, meeting HHJ hor over-recurrent gaze, found that a HHJ new thing bad corao Into her oyes. flfll Presently a low tapping was. heard flflH at tho Inner door, from which a pass- age communicated with tho rooms of tho Princess Margaret. Tho Spar-B Spar-B hawk would havo risen, for tho rao- HHJ ment forgetful of his dlsgulso. Out HHJ with a slight pressure of hor arm up- flfll on his knee tho Princess restrained BJ HHJ "Enter!" sho called aloud In her flflj clear, Imperious voice. flfll Thora entered hurriedly and, clos- flfll lng tho door behind her, sho stood with HHJ tho latch In her hand. "My Princess," HHl she said In a volco that was little more than a whisper, "I havo heard' H 111 news. They are making the cathe- dral ready for a wedding. Tho Cos-Hflfl Cos-Hflfl sacks havo struck tholr tents. I think J n plot Is on foot to marry you this day "What shall we do? I had counted on this one day." V to Prlnco Ivnn, nnd to carry you off ffl with him to Moscow." flBj ' Tho Spnrhnwlc sprang to his feet i Ind laid his hand on tho placo whore B 'iif. sword-hilt should havo been, flflj "Mover," ho cried; "It Is Impossible! Bfl nio Princess Is" BB Ho was about to add, "Sho Is mar- BS rled already," but with a quick gesture J of warning Margaret stopped htm. . BfJ "Who told you this?" sho querlod, J turning again to Thorn of nornholm. flfll "Johannes Rodo nf tho Prince's guard told mo a moment ngot" she an-sworcd. an-sworcd. "IIo has Just returned from B the Muscnvlto camp." Hflfl "I thank you, ThornI shall not' for gefi this fnlthfulnes?," snld Mnrgamt. "Now, you havo my leave to go!" The Princess! spoke cnlmly, and to tho oar oven a little coldly. Tho door closed upon tho Swedish maiden. Mnigaretand Maurlco, turned to each other with one pregnant instinct in-stinct and took hnnds. "Already!" said Margaret faintly, going back Into tho woman; "thoy might havo left us alone a little longer. long-er. How shall we iwcot' this? .What shall wo do? I btu counted on this ono day." "Margaret," answered tho Sparhawfc impulsively, 'tils shall not daunt us. We would havo told your brother Louis ono day. Wo will tell him now. Duchess Joan is snfo out of his reach, Kernsborg Is re victualed, tho Musco-vlto Musco-vlto army returned. Thero Is no need to keep up the masquerado any longer. Whatever may come of It, let us go to your brother. That will end" it swiftly, at all events." Tho Princess" put away his restraining clasp and camo closer to him. "No no," sho cried; "you must not. .You do not know my brother. Ho is wholly under the Influence of Ivnn 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 1 wero an outrago agalntrt tho laws of Ood and Man!" "Marry Ivnn!" sho cried, to tho full as impulsively as hor lover; "not though they sot ravens to pick the live flesh off . my bones! But yet tho thought of torture and d6ath for you that I cannot nbldo. Wo must con-tinuo con-tinuo to decelvo them. Let mo thlnkl let mo think!" Hastily sho barred tho door which led out upon the corridor. Then taking tak-ing Maurice's" hand once more sho led him over to tho window, from which sho could soo tho green Alia cutting Its way through tho city bounds nnd presently escaping Into tho yet greener green-er corn lands on Its way to tho sea. "It Is for this one day's delay that we must plan. To-night we will certainly cer-tainly cacapo. I can trust certain of thoso of my household. I havo tried them before. i hayc it. Maurlco, you must bo taken ill llo down on this couch away from tho light. There Is a rumor of tho Black Death in tho city wo must build on' that. Thoy say an Astrakhan trader Is dead of It already. For ono day.wo may stavo off with this. It Is the poor best we can do. Llo down, I will call Thora. Sho Is staunch and fully to bo trusted." Tho Princess Margaret went to tho Innor door nnd clapped hor hands sharply. , Tho falr-halred Swedish maiden camo running to hor. Sho had boon waiting on such a slgnnl. "Thora," said hor mistress In n quick whisper, "wo, must put off this marriage mar-riage , I would sooner die than marry Ivnn. You havo that drug you spoko of that which gives tho nppenranco of sickness unto death without tho ro-nlity. ro-nlity. Tho Lady Joan must bo Ilf, very 111 You understnnd, wo must decelvo oven tho Prlnco's physicians." Tho girl nodded with quick understanding, under-standing, and, turning, sho sped nway up tho Innor stnlrs to hor .own sleop-, lng chamber, tho Hoy of which (as was tho custom In Courtland) sho carried car-ried In her pocket. , , "This will also keep you from lielng suspected as in public, places you would have boen," whispered Margaret to her young husband. "What Thora thinks or knows does not matter. I can trust Thora with my llfo nay, with what Is far more, with yours;" A light tap and tho girl re-entered, a tall phial In her hand. With n swift look at her mistress to obtain permis sion, sho went to, tho couch upon which tho S'parhawk had lain down. Then with doft hand sho opened tho bottlo, nnd pouring n llttlo of tho colorless color-less llquldjnto a cup sho gavo It him to drink. In a fow minutes a sickly pallor overspread Maurlco von Lynar's brow; (,Hls oyes ( appeared Injected, tho lips, pnlcd to a" groy whlto, beads of perspiration stood on tho forohend, and his wholo countonnnco took on tho huo nnd expression of mortal sickness. sick-ness. "Now," Bald Thora, when sho had finished, "will tho noblo lady deign to swallow ono of thoso pellicles, nnd In ten' minutes not a leech In tho country wll bo ablo to proounco that- sho Is not 'sufforlng from a dangerous, disease." dis-ease." "You aro sure, Thora," said tho Princess Mnrgarot -almost fiercely, laying her hand, on tho tlrowoman's wrist, "that there Is no harm In all this? Itomember, on your llfo bo It!" Tho placid, flaxon-halred woman' turned with tho llttlo silver box in her hand. "Dangor thoro Is, dear mistress," sho said softly, "hut not, I think, so great danger' hs wo nro nlrendy In. But I will provo my honesty " Sho took first a llttlo of tho liquid, and Immediately after swallowed ono of tho .whlto pellicles sho had given to Maurlco. ''It will bo as well," sho snld, "when tho Prlnco's wlseacro physicians como, tha( thoy should find anothor sickening sicken-ing of tho same disease." Thora, of. Dornliolm passed about tho cduch and took tip a wnltlng-mald's Etatlon sonio way behind. "All Is ready," sho snld softly. "Wo will forestall thorn," nnswered tho Princess. "Thorn, send nnd bid Prlnco l.ouls coma hither, quickly," r "And shnll I nlso nsk 'lilm to send hither his most skilled doctors of heal- IngT" added the girl. "I will des- ' patch Johannes Rode. He will go quickly and answer as I bid htm with discretion and without asking questions." ques-tions." .And with the noiseless tread peculiar pecu-liar to most blonde women of large 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 faco of tho Sparhawk. Even sho who had seen tho wonder was amazed and almost frightened by the ghii8tly effect the drug had wrought in Buch short space. "You are euro that you do not feel any 111 effects you are perfectly well?" sho said, with (tremulous anx-loty anx-loty In her voice. The Sparhawk smiled and nodded reassuringly up at her. "Novor bettor," ho said. "My norves sxo Iron, my muscles steel. I feel as if, for' my Margaret's sake, I could vanquish an army single-handed!" Tho Princess rose from hor place and unlocked tho main door. "Wo will bo ready for them," she said. "All must appear as though we had no motlvo for concealment.", ' And; having ' drawn the curtains somewhat closer, sho kneeled down "You are sure, Thora," said the ' Princess Prin-cess Margaret, almost fiercely, "that there Is no harm In this?" , again by the' bed-head. There was no sound in tho room as the youthful husband hus-band and wife thus waited their fate hand in band, save only tho soft continuous con-tinuous slbtlance of their whispered converse, and from without tho deeper deep-er noto of tho Alia sapping tho Palace' walls. Tho Princes of Courtland and Muscovy, Mus-covy, lnsopnrablo,,as tho Princesses, wero on tho pleasant, croepor-shaded torraco which looks over the rose-garden rose-garden of the palaco of Courtland down upon tho bluo sea plain of tho'Dalttc, now stretching bluo black from vorgo to vergo under tho Imminent "sun of noon. "You would desert me, Ivan," Prlnco Louis was saying, In a tono at onco appealing and childishly aggressive;' "you would leavo me In the hour of need. You would take away from' mo ray slstor Margaret, who nlono has' Influence In-fluence with tho Princess,' my wlfo!" "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 obscrvo none ' of tho rules. Speak her' soft, prnlso her' eyelashes surely thoy aro .worthy of all pralso; givo her a pot lamb for a playmato. Feed her with conserves of honoy and splco. Surely such comfits would mollify even Joan of tho Sword' Hand!" "Tush! you flout rae Ivnn oven you. Everyone ' despisds ' mo slnco slnco sho flouted mo. Tho woman Is a tigress, I toll you. Every time she looks at mo her eyes flick across mo llko a whlp-lasht" (To bo continued.) , |