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Show Bf S-I-CROCKkTT. H (Cotyrlght, 18S, 1900, by S. U. Crockett) W CHAPTER XI. Continued. .. Suddenly there passed n wavo over MJ A tho pcoplo who crowded the spacious ( Oora Plata ot Courtland. Tho many- Headed, parti-colored throng of worn-MJ worn-MJ en's tall coifs, gay fluttering ribands, H men's velvet caps, gallants' whlto feathers that shifted like the permuta-H permuta-H tlons of a kaleidoscope nil at onco IH Qxcd Itself Into a sea of white faces, LH from which presently arose a forest H of arms, flourishing kerchiefs and tossing caps. To this succeeded n HJ deep mouth-roar of Inirgherlsh wel-flj wel-flj como such as tho reigning Prlnco had flj never heard raised In his own honor. "Conrad Prince Conrad! God bless our Prince-Cardinal!" Tho legitimate ruler of Courtland, standing whore Joan had left him, wltli his sllm-walstcd Muscovites men- tor behind him, half turned to look. I And thoro on the highest placo stood his brother In tho scarlet of his now I dignity as It had como from tho Pope himself, his red btrctta held in his H hand, and his fair and noblo head erect as ho looked over tho folk to I where on tho slopo nbovc tho city I eatcs ho could still sec tho sun glint I and sparklo on the cuirasses and lanco fl heads of tho four hundred riders of jfl Kernsberg. H . But oven as tho Prince of Courtland fl looked back at his brother, tho wills- jfl per of tho tempter smote tho lattcr's flj "Had Prlnco Conrad been In your H place and you behind tho altar rails, H think you that the Duchess Joan would hnvo lied so cavalierly?" fl Uy this time the young cardinal had jfl descended till ho stood on tho other fl ldo ot tho Prince from Ivan of Mus- fl covy. "Vou tnko horso to follow your I brldo?" ho queried, smiling. "Is It a fashion of Kcrnsbcrg brides thU3 to A steal away?" Louis of Courtland broko out In a fl sudden-overboiling fury. fl "This is your doing!" ho cried; "I know It well. From her first coming fl my brldo had set herself to scorn me. My slstor know It. Vou know It. You W smllo as at a Jest. You would have 1 all tho lovo ot my wife, tho rule of I my folk, as well as tho acclaim of theso city swine. Listen 'Tho good Prlnco Conrad! God savo tho noblo I Prlnco!' It Is worth living for favor such as this." "Brother of mine," said tho young ' man gently, "as you know well, I nov I or sot oyes upon tho noblo Lady Joan i'beforo. Never spoke word with her, I 'held no communication by word or I "You wcro constantly with tho old I fox Dcsaatior, tho envoy ot Plasscn- burg who came from Kcmsborg, bringing with him that slim secretary. I By my faith, now, when I think of It, I Prlnco Ivan told mo last night ho was I as 111(0 this madcap girl as pea to pea somo fly-blown b-itnrd brother, doubtless!" fl Conrad shook his head. Ills brother had doubtless gono momentarily dls- tract with his troubles. I "Nay, deny It not! And smile not. I either lest I. spoil tho symmetry of I that fnco for your mummery and pro- I sessions. Ayo, If I havo to underlie I ton yoars' Interdict for It from your I friend tho most Holy Popo of Rome!" I "Do not forget there Is another I church In my country, which will lay I no Interdict upon you, Prlnco Louis," I laughed Ivan of Muscovy. "But to I horso wo loso time!" I "Brother," said tho Cardinal, laying I bis hand on his brother's arm, "on my I word as a knight ns n Prlnco of tho I :hurch I know nothing of tho mat- I tor. I cannot even guess what has I led you thus to accuse mo I" I r Tho Princess Margaret camo at I ' that momont out of tho cathedral and mm "This Is your doltiQl" he cried. ., I rati Impotuously to her favorlto broth-A broth-A or' I Ho put out his hand, She took It, - and Instead of kissing his bishop's . ' . is ring, ns In strict etiquette sho ought to ' J T havo done, sho cried out, "Conrad, do v you know what that glorious wench I has dona? Dared her husband's au- I thorlty at tho church door, leaped Into i tho saddlo, whistled up hor mon, cried 1 to all thoso Courtland gallants, 'Catch 1 mo who can!' and lo! nt this moment H sho Is riding straight for Komsbcrg. b and now our Ivouls must cntch her. A s glorious wedding! I would I had been i by her side" SI "So, then, madam, you know ot jfjl this?" said hor elder brother, glower- tBi Ing upon her from beneath hls heavy brows. "Nay!" trilled tho gay Princess, "I only wish I had. Then I, too, would 'have been riding with them such n Jest ns never was, It would havo been. Good-bye( my forsaken brother! Joy bo with you on this your bridal Journey. Jour-ney. Tnko Prince Ivan with you, and Conrad nnd I will keep tho kingdom against your return with your prlzo gentled on your wrist." So, smiling nnd kissing hor hand, tho Princess Margaret waved hor brother and Prlnco Ivan off. Tho Muscovito turned often In his saddlo ns If to carry with him the picture sho made of saucy countennnco and dainty flguro ns sho stood looking up Into tho faco of tho Cardinal Prlnco Conrad. Con-rad. "What In heaven's name Is tho moaning of all this I do not understand under-stand In tho least?" ho was saying. "Hnsto you and unrobe, Brother Con," sho suld; "this grandeur of yours daunts mo. Then, in tho summer sum-mer parlor, I will tell you all!" "I cannot go bnck to Courtland dishonored," dis-honored," said Prince Louis to Ivan of Muscovy, as they stood on tho green bank looking down on tho rushing river, broad and brown, which had so lately been tho Fords of Alia. Tho river had risen almost as It seemed upon tho very heels of tho four hundred hun-dred horsemen of Kornsberg, and tho ironclad knights and men-at-arms who followed tho Prlnco ot Courtland could not faco tho yeasty swirl of tho flood. ' Prlnco Ivan stood n moment silent. Then his cyos glanced over his companion com-panion with a certain sovcro nnd nmused curiosity. If thoro was anything any-thing bo contemptuous as that eye-blink eye-blink in tho open scorn of all the burghers of Courtlnnd, Princo Louis was to bo excused for any hesitation In facing his subjects. Tho mntter of Prlnco Wasp's meditation medi-tation ran somo what thuswiso: "Thou man, fashioned from n scullion's nail-parlng, nail-parlng, and cocked upon a horso, what can I mnko of thee? Thou, to havo a country, n crown, a wlfo! Gudgeon cats stickloback, Jackplke cats gudgeon gud-geon and grows fat, till at the last tho sturgeon In his armour cats him. I will fatten this Jack. I will feed him llko tho gudgeons of Kcrnsberg and Hohensteln, baited with a dainty fly Indeed, black-tipped, with sleoves gay as cranes' wings, and answering to tho namo of 'my lad Joan. But wnlt I must bo wnry, and havo a enro lest I shadow his water." So saying within his heart, Prlnco Wasp becamo exceedingly thoughtful and of a demuro countcnuncc. "My lord," ho snld, "this day's work will not go well down In Court-land, Court-land, I fear me!" Princo Louis started quickly as tho Wasp's sting touched him. "And, pray, Prlnco Ivnn," ho snld, "what could I havo done that I havo left undono? Speak plainly, slnco you aro so prodigal of smiles suppressed, so witty with covert words and shoulder shoul-der tappings!" "My Iuls," snld Prlnco Wasp, lay ing his hand upon tho arm of his companion com-panion with an affectation of tendor-ness, tendor-ness, "I flout you not I mock you not And If I speak harshly, It Is only that I lovo not to sco you In your turn flouted, mocked, scorned, made light ot beforo your own pcoplo! "Ever sines I camo first to Court-land Court-land with tho not dlshonorablo hopo of carrying back to my fnthor a princess prin-cess of your house, nono havo been so amlablo together as you and I. We havo been oven as David and Jonathan." Jona-than." Tho Prlnco Louis put out a hand, which apparently Ivnn did not see, for ho continued without taking It. "Yet what havo I gained either of solid good or oven of tho lighter but not less agrceablo matter ot my lady's favor? So far as your sister Is concerned, con-cerned, I have wasted my time. If I consider a union of our peoples, already al-ready ono In heart, your brother works against us both; tho Princess Margaret despises me, Prince Conrad thwarts us." "I think not so," pnswered Prlnco Louis "I cannot think so of my brother, broth-er, with all his faults. Conrad Is n bravo soldier, a good knight, though, ns Is tho custom or our houso, It Is his lot to bo no moro than a prlnco-bishop!" Tho Wasp laughed n little hard laugh, clear and Inhuman as tho snap and rattlo ot Spanish castanets. "Louis, my good friend, your simplicity, sim-plicity, your lack of gutlo, do you wrong, most grievous! You (Judge others as you yourself are. Do you not seo that Conrad, your brother, must pay for his red hat? Ho must enrn his cnrdlnnlate. And tho clear ambition of your brother Is to mnko you chlof cat's-paw ontlflca. Consider Con-sider It, good Louis." And the Prlnco of Muscovy twirled his moustacho and smiled condescendingly condescend-ingly bctweon his Angers. Thon, as If ho thought suddenly of somotblng else, and made a now calculation, ho laughed a Inugh. quick and short ns tho bark of n dog. "Ha!" ho cried, "truly wo order things bettor In my country. I hnvo brnthors, ono, two, three. Thoy nro grnnd dukes, highnesses very serono. Ono of them has this province, another anoth-er this sinecure, yet unothnr waits on my fnthor. My fnthor dies and I well, I am In my fatl "replace. What will my brnthp-' - -"-ono highnesses then? They will tnko cae ono of the clearest road nnd tho shortest short-est for tho frontier, or by tho Holy Icon of Moscow, thcro will very speedily bo certain now tablets In tho funeral vault of my fathers." Tho Prlnco ot Courtland started. "This thing I could never Imnglno ot Conrad my brother. Ho loves me. Ho ever cared but for his books, and now that ho is a priest ho hath forsworn for-sworn knighthood and tournamoats and wnrs." "Poor Louis," said Ivan, sadly, "not to sco that onco n soldier always a soldier. But 'tis n good fault, n gen erous lillti Jtiess of the eyes. Ho hath already the lovo ot your people. Ho has won nlrendy the voice that speaks from every altar and presbytery. In a little, when ho has bartered away your power for hla cardlnnl's hat, h may bo mado a greater than yourself, an elector ot tho emplro, tho right- Stood on the green bank looking down on the rushing river, hand man of SIxtus, as his uncle Adrian was before him." "I am suro that Conrad would do nothing against his fathorland or to the hurt of his prlnco nnd brother!" snld Prlnco Louis, but ho spoke In a wavering voice, llko ono moro than half convinced. ''Again," continued Ivnn, without heeding him, "thero is your wife. I am suro that if ho had been the prlnco and you tho priest well, Bho hod not slept this night In the Castle of Kernsberg!" "Ivan. If you love me, be silent," cried the tortured Prlnco of Courtlnnd, Court-lnnd, setting his hnnd to his brow. "This Is mere idle dreaming of a fool. How learned you theso things? I mean, how did tho thoughts come Into your mind?" "I learned tho matter from tho Princess Mnrgaret, who In the brief spaco of n day became your wlfo's con-fldante!" con-fldante!" "Did Margaret tell it you?" Tho Prlnco Ivan laughed a short, self-depreciatory laugh. "Nuy, truly," ho said, smiling sadly, "you and I aro In ono despite, I-ouls. Your wlfo scorns you mo, my sweetheart. sweet-heart. Did Margaret tell mo? Nay, vorlly! Yet I learned It, nevertheless, neverthe-less, oven more certainly because she did tt bo vehemently. But, after nil, I dnro say all will end for tho best." "How so?" demanded Prlnco Louis haughtily. "Why, I havo heard that your papa at Homo will dlssolvo this marriage which Indeed Is no moro than ono In name. Ho has dono moro than that already tor his own nephew. Ho will nbsolvo your brotlier from his vows. Then you can bo tho monk and ho tho king. There will bo a now mnr-rloge, mnr-rloge, nt which doubtless you shall hold tho scrvlco book and ho tho lady's hand. Thon wo shull havo no ridings bnck to Kernsberg. with four hundred lances, at a word from a girl's scornful mouth. And tho Alia down thero may rlsn or fall nt Its pleasure, and neither hurt nor hinder any!" (To bo continued.) |