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Show (Coprrlght. 1M. 1900. by B. it. Crockett.) I CHAPTER XXI, Continued. At this point an offlcer camo swiftly swift-ly across tho parterre and stood with uncovered head by tho steps ot tho terrace, waiting for permission to as-vcend. as-vcend. The Prlnco summoned him Hflth a movement of his hand. "What news?" ho said; "have tho ladles yet left tho Summer Palace?" "No, ray lord," answered tho offlcr earnestly; "but Johannes Ilodo of tho Princess Margaret's household nas come with a message that the plnguo has broken out there, and that tho Lady Princess Is the first stricken." "Which Princess?" demanded Ivan, with an Instant Incision of tone. "Tho Lady Joan, Princess of Court-land, Court-land, your Highness," replied tho man, without, however, looking at the Prince of Muscovy. "The Lady Joan," cried tho Prlnco Louis, "she Is 111? Sho has brought tho Black Death with her? She Is stricken with tho plague? How for-tunato for-tunato that, so far, I" Ho clapped his hand upon his brow and shut his eyes as if giving wanks. "I sco It all now I" ho cried. "This tho reason tho Kernsborg traitors wero, so willing to give her up. It Is all o plot against my life. I will not go near. Let the court physicians be sent I Cause tho doors of tho Summer Sum-mer Palace to be sealed I Sot double guards! Permit nono to pass either ray, savo tho doctors only I And let T them change their clothes and perfume I, themselves with the smoke of sulphur beforo.they come out!" His voice mounted higher and higher high-er as ho spoke, and Ivan of Muscovy watched him without speaking, as with bands thrust out and distended nostrils k screamed and gesticulated. Prlnco Ivan had never seen a thorough thor-ough coward before, and tho breed Interested In-terested him. But when he had let tho Prlnco run on far enough to shamo hlm boforo his offlcor, ho roso quietly and stood In front of him. "Louis," ho said In a low volco, "listen to me this Is but a report It Is llko enough to bo falso; It Is certain cer-tain to bo exaggerated. Let us go at once , and find out." Prlnco Louis throw out his hands with a gesture of despair. "Not I not I!" ho cried., "You may go If you like, if you do not value your life. But I I do not feel well even now. Yesterday I kissed her hand. Ab, would to God that I had not! That Is It. I wondered what ailed mo this morning. Go stop tho court physicians! physi-cians! Do not let, them go to tho Summer Sum-mer Palaco; bring them hero to mo first. Your arm, officer; I think I yfrlll go to my room I am not well." Prlnco Ivan's countcnanco grow mot-tied, mot-tied, and greyish, and his teeth showed in tho sun llko a thin lino ot'dazzllng wh(to. ,Hp grasport. tho. ppltroon by tho wrist with a hnnd of steel. "Listen," ho said "no more of this; I wilt not have Itl I' will not waste my own tlmo and the "blood - of ' my father's soldiers for naught. This Is but some woman's trick to delay tho marriage I know It. Hcnrkon! I fear neither Black Death nor black devil; I will have tho l.ndy Margaret to-day If I havo to wed her on her deathbed! Now, I cannot enter your wife's cbam- ber alono. Yet go I must, If only to see what all this means, and you shall accompany me. Do you hoar, Prlnco Louis? I swear you shall go with me ' to the Summer Palaco, It I havo to drag you step by stop!" His grasp lay, llko a tightening clr- clo of iron about tho wrist of Prince Louis; his steady glance dominated I the weaker man. Louis drow in his I breath with a choking noise. "I will," ho gasped: "If I must I will go. But tho Death the Black B yu o w,th K Death! I am sick truly, Ivan, I am HV very H' "So am' I!" said Prlnco Ivan, smll- B tng grimly. "But bring his Highness k fea cup of wlno, and send hither Alexis K wio Deacon, my own physician." K Tho olUccr went out cursing tho Bt luscovlto cars that had listened to Hr such things, and also high Heaven H for giving such a Prince to his father- B' At tho Princess' door Prlnco Ivan Hr" tapped gently and In'cllno'd 'his car to Mf listen. Louis fumbled with his golden Ht crucifix, and as tho Muscovite turned B', away his head ho pressed It furtively B to his Hps. Ever slnco ho set foot In K' the Summer Palace ho had bein mut- torlug tho prayers ot tho Church in a rapid undortone. "Prince Louis to seo Princess Joan!" Ivan nnswerod tho lou'-volccd challenge chal-lenge from within. Tho door opened slightly and then more widely. Ivan pushed his friend forward and they entered, Louis dragging ono foot after tho other towards tho shaded couch by hlch knelt tho Princess Margaret. Thora of Bornholm, pallid and blue-lipped, blue-lipped, stood beside her, swaying a lit-tlo lit-tlo but still holding, half unconsciously, unconscious-ly, a silver basin, Into which Margaret dipped u fine linen cloth, before touching touch-ing with it tho foam-llcckcd Hps of tho sufferer. Prlnco Ivan remained a little back, near to whero tho court physicians wero conferring together In stago whispers. As he passed, a tall, grey-skirted, long-bearded man, girt about the rulddlo with a silver chain, detachd himself from tho official group and approached Prlnco Ivan. After an Instinctive cringing movement of homage and salutation, ho bent to the young man's ear and whlspored half a dozen words. Prlnco Ivan nodded very slightly and tho man stole away as ho had come. No one In tho room had noticed tho Incident. Meanwhile Louis of Courtland, almost al-most as palo as Thora horsclf, his Hps bluo, his teeth chattering, his fingers clammy with porsplratlon, stood oy tho bod8ldo clutching tho crucifix. Presently a hand was laid upon his arm. He started violently at the touch. "It Is true a bad case," said Ivan In his ear. "Lot us get away; I must speak with you at once. Tho physicians physi-cians havo given their verdict. Thoy can do nothing!" With a gasp of relief Prlnco Louis faced about, and as ho turned ho tottered. tot-tered. I "Steady, friend Louis!" said Prince Ivan In his ear and passed his arm about his waist. Ho began to fear lest ho should havo frightened his dupo too thoroughly. "Sco how ho loves her!" murmured tho doctors ot healing, still conferring with their heads together. "Who would havo believed It possible?" "Nay, ho Is only much afraid," said Aloxls tho Deacon, tho Muscovlto doctor; doc-tor; "and small blamo to him, now that tho Black Death has como to Courtland. In half an hour wo shall hear tho death-rattle!" "Then there Is no need of us staying," stay-ing," said moro than ono learned doctor, doc-tor, and thoy moved softly towards tho door. But Ivan had possessed himself of tho key, and oven as tho hand of tho first was on tho latchot bar tho bolt was shot In his faco. And tho eyes of Aloxls tho Deacon glowed between his narrow red lids like sparks In tlndor as ho glanced at tho whitening faces of the learned men of Courtland. Without' tho door Ivan fixed Prlnco Louis with his will. "Now," ho said,- speaking In low, trenchant tones, "If this bo indeed tho Blnck Death (and it is llko It), thero is no safety for us hero. Wo must got without walls. In an hour thoro will bo such a panic in tho city as has not been for centuries. I offer you a way of escape. My Cossacks' stand horsed and ready without. Lot us go with them. But tho Princess Mnrgaret must come also!" "But but but " Louis still objected, ob-jected, "tho Princess Joan sho may dlo. That will reflect upon my honor it wo all desert her. My slstor will contlnuo to attend her. They aro friends. I will go with you . . ,. Margaret Mar-garet can remain and nurso her!" A light llko a spear point glittered momentarily under tho dark brows of tho 'Muscovite. "Listen, Prlnco Louis," ho said. "Your honor Is your honor. Joan of tho Sword Hand and hor Black Plagues aro your own affair. Sho Is your wife, not mine. I havo helped you to got her back no more. But tho Princess Margaret is my business. I havo bought hor with a prlco. And look you, sir, I will not rldo back to Russia empty-handed, that ovorv nottv boyar and starveling serf may scoff nt mo saying, 'Ho helped tho Prlnco ot Courtland to win his wlfo, but ho could not bring back ono himself.' Tho wholo city, tho wholo country from herb to Moscow know for what causo I havo so long sojourned lnyour capital. capi-tal. Now, Prlnco Louis, will you havo mo go as your frlond or as your ono-my?" ono-my?" "Ivan Ivan, you aro my friend. Do not speak to mo so! Who elso Is my frlond If you desort mo?" ,"Then give mo your slstor!" Tho prlnco cast up his hand with a little gesture ot despair. "Ah," ho sighed, "you do not know Margaret! Sho Is not In my gift, or you should havo. had her long ago! Oh, theso troubles, theso troubles! When will they be nt an end?" "Thoy nro at an end now," said Prince Ivan consolingly, "Call your slstor out of tho chamber on a pre-toxt. pre-toxt. In ten minutes wo shall bo at tho cathedral gates. In another ten she and I can bo wedded according to your Roman custom. In halt an hour wo shall all bo outsldo tho walls. It you fear tho Infection you need not come near her. I will do all that Is noccssary. And what moro natural? Wo will bo gono boforo tho panic breakB you to ono of your hill castles If you do not wish to como with us to Moscow." "And the Princess Joan?" tailored tho coward!. "Sho Is In good bunds," said the prlnco, truthfully for onco. "I ptedgo you my word ot honor sho Is no danger. Call your sister) " Even as ho spoko ho tupped llfhtly, turned tho key In tho lock and whispered, whis-pered, "Now!" to (ho Prlnco of 'Court-land, 'Court-land, "Toll the Princess Margaret I would speak with her!" said Prlnco l.ouls. "For a moment only!" ho added, fear-lug fear-lug that otherwise sho might not come. lbero was a stir in tho sick cbam-hoi cbam-hoi nd thon quick steps wero heard coirjng lightly across tho floor. The faci of tho princess appeared at tlyj doo.. "Well?" sho said haughtily to hor brother. Prlnco Ivan sho did not seo. for ho had stepped back Into tho link of tho corridor. Louis beckoned his sister without. "I must speak a word with you," ho said. "I would not hnvo these fellows hear us!" Sho stepped out unsuspectingly. unsuspect-ingly. Instantly tho door was closed behind her. A dark flguro slid between. be-tween. Prlnco Ivnn turned tho Tcoy and laid his hand upon her arm. "Help!" sho cried, struggling; "help mol For God's grace, let mo go!" But from behind camo four cossacks of tho Prlnco's rctlnuo who half-carried, half-carried, half-forced hor along toward tho gates at which tho Muscovite horses stood ready saddled. And as Margaret was carried down tho passage pas-sage tho alarmed servitors stood "Helpl" she cried, struggling. aloof from her cries, seeing that Prlnco Louis himself was with her. Yet sho cried out unceasingly In her anger and fear, "To mo, men of Court-land! Court-land! Tho cossacks carry mo off I will not go! O, God, that Conrad were herot I will not bo silent! Maurice, savo me!" But tho people only shrugged their shoulders oven when they heard as did tho guards and tho gentlcmon-ln-waiting, tho underlings and tho very portors at tho palaco gates. For thoy said, "Thoy aro strange folk, theso Courtland princes and princesses, of ours, with their marriages and giving In marriage. Thoy can neither wed nor bed llko other peoplo, but must bo taken by force. Well, happily It Is no business of ours!" Then at- tho stnjr foot sho sank down by tho sundial, almost fainting with tho sudden alarm and fear, crying for tho last tlmq nnd yot moro piercingly, pierc-ingly, "Maurice! Maurice! Como to mo, Maurice!" Then abovo them in tho palaco thero began a mighty clamor, tho noise of blows stricken and the roar of many voices. But Ivan of Muscovy was neither to bo hurried nor flurried. Impasslvo and determined, determin-ed, ho swung himself -Into the saddle. His black charger changed his feet to tako his weight and looked about to welcome him for ho, too, knew his master. "Glvo tho princess to me," ho commanded. com-manded. "Now assist Prlnco Louts into his saddle To tho cathedral, all of you!" ' (To bo continued.) |