Show I ij lei d I 1 kt ite L J i 4 j S q P BIRMINGHAM AM S 1 ch q c I Peg CHAPTER XII XII Continued Continued 16 16 J was tired worried over- over I 1 di J CasimIr k deed and was drinking too much I i C soberest senses he d V ne In his not Dot understand Engl English h ver very well el j I certainly did not understand what ie Mid aid to him then But he readi readily y yEtI JU that Tommy should have haye havey EtI p y opportunity of e. e explaining hirato him him- tt to the kIng ting and Cal Calypso The Theto EO to he be said meant to travel with I It l e t party as ns far as ns Breslau Tomm Tommy Tommyd C the train He Hedd t ta did d tai talk k to him in dd uld have hare several se hours in which to toT toi all he be wanted Afterward he heild i 1 T that ild ld talk to the princess nil day b It he chose for three whole days dars t would fould be at least three da days day Ts s before e etry could leave Breslau try t fj 1 t f Vest SeIt ext morning Tommy and Janet larch Barch went to the Friedrich Strasse I 4 d lIon tion In good 1000 time for the train to lau iu They found the king and waiting for them CasImir sited ti red a few minutes later and saw dein em off The princess and Janet Church trav- trav ted fed ed together tog The king and Tommy Tomm rook look s their places In a smoking com com- Fortunately they had Iti It Iti i to themselves es As soon as ns the train U n flirted Tommy braced himself In an nn fort dort He wanted to get an nn t iNn of ot what was happening and he hens s J 1 ns gas quite determined to make his own o J position Sidon clear i It was the king who began the con con- conJ J I Im Tm glad he said Bald that we have have- I this carriage to ourselves es I want to toW toure W lire ure a little talk with you And I want to talk to you yon said By way of ot showing that this talk ns its going to be of a aery very ery serious kind kIndle le te stood up and set his back hack against tie the door of ot the compartment The ling settled down in a corner and lit liti litt I i t Are you or are you not really a aThe ang I 1 ng The king turned his cigar cIg-ar over between be be- teen tween his fingers thoughtfully That he said is rather a hard to answer I certainly was wasI wast I t king ling once If you JOU asked Casimir kid jd say I am kID king still since I haven't On the other ther hand the of the Entente powers If it IOu jou ask them would woul say that I am not noti nota a i king because they have ha definitely y ye e tined timed me out However However- here he railed ailed pleasantly It Pleasantly It doesn't really matter does oes it As I told you last i ht bt I r dont don't keep up an any kind of I Site Rte now You needn't remain stand stand- It kg up Id I'd much rather you vou sat downend down end were comfortable e Have a ci cigar ar Tommy sat down and took a Q i cigar Now Xo said the king lets talk bout Wout this unlucky Miss Temple bus lIus- iness cess Im I'm sorry to tell teU you ou that Cal Calypso pIs p so tu feels Is very ery strongly about it ab- ab strongly In fact I had the theY Y I ii t r 1 t 1 1 I The Prince Princess as and nd Janet Church Traveled Traveled Trav Trav- Traveled Together difficulty In getting her to art p this morning If I t hadn't come nt lb hh her ber er myself which I didn't pary par par- ar- ar y y want to do I shouldn't have havene ft able ne to get et he her l. l r into the train t I Sy Tor d olny tty fel felt that his opportunity t x lt t come comee lie He stood up Ull a again aln lIe lIei i lt firmer and nd more determined when Was as s standing k up uh 1 Want Dt to make It t Perfectly clear F ron o u h rh lie said that the t I l nm am not Lord orbe ys rs i I l know that y you youve some- some ir mixed S C toast me t tS rp with him you Jou ou and n i Casimir But Its It's a mistake It I b i Is 3 I AM l N NOT LOUD LORD NORt NOR- NOR NORI I t I that t ald the he king I Is exactly I t i t. t th told CuI Calypso You said as nM ase asme to io me e last night and 1 Ive Ic ve been Ung g it to her nil all da t day I l told hert her t Fou fOU knew nothing g about Miss iles l that at you'd oud never the trI teen seen 11 1 1 you'd tI never even heard of ot her that in fact YOU U ARE NOT LORD The king gave n a pleasant and smiling b Imitation lon of ot Tommys Tommy's em emphatic Phat ic assertion I 1 dont don't think you quite understand me even now I really reay am not Lord Norl s s The king waved his hand airily a tremendous comfort to me he said It gets us ou out of ot the Miss flies Temple difficulty and to tell ten the truth that the t affair was becoming se se- se- se rious Who Vho on earth Is Miss Temple asked Tommy desperately Oh an actress I believe said d the king smiling Or Or a dancer But It doesn't matter does It Lord Nor Nor- he heys y s 's s It se seems ms has foolishly promised to marry her Even that wouldn't ren really have mattered You could have kept her in the background background- Dont say you ou said Tomm Tommy Ive told you over and over again again that I am not Lord T s Of course youre you're not I know that and and Im I'm very glad of it It simplifies things Immensely for though Lord might have married Calypso so In spite of Miss l Temple Im I'm afraid Calypso wouldn't have married him Miss Temple wrote a letter to my daughter a n most pathetic letter begging begging begging beg beg- ging her not to take Lord Loll s 's sawa awa away from her It affected Calypso greatly There was something In It about a one ewe lamb and Cal Calypso ha having lots of ot flocks and herds it seemed to me rather an odd descrIption tion lion of a young youn man The patriarch used to quote that parable to me but then It always was was well well a ewe lamb That stuff never made much Impression on me me but Cal Calypso wept I when she read rend it She said that if It you'd promised to marr marry Miss Temple Tem Tem- TempIe pIe ph But nut I haven't So I told Calypso I told her that she must not mix you 1 0 up with Lord She said that even eyen if It you hadn't actually promised to marry her you had certainly stolen away her ber young affections I haven't said Tommy Of course not Their affections are seldom as young as all that At least that's my experience Those rhose ewe lambs are generally pretty well able to take care of or themselves But Dut of or course it would have been no good saying sa that to Cal Calypso or for tor the ithe matter of that to the patriarch The patriarch Is a n ner er very simple minded old man He believes in young oung affections and broken hearts and all that sort of or thin thing However fortunately we haven't got to ar argue ue with him and Cal Calypso along those lines All AB weve we've got to do Is make them believe belleve that you are not Lord Once they believe that all nB our difficulties van van- ish The marriage can cnn go on Do you ou mean to say said Tom Tom- m my that youre you're still willing to al allow allow allow al- al low me to marry your our daughter Of or course I am said the king king- kingI I alwa always s 's was I never neer took that Miss lIss Temple business In the least serious serious- ly Ir These things will happen Everybody Everybody Every Every- body except CU Calypso I SO and the patriarch knows that But it hasn't happened said Tommy Tom Tom- m ray my At least It hasn't happened to me It ma may possibly have happened to Lord s I dont don't know an anything anything any any- thing about that Just what I said r to Calypso and Just what you will have ha to sn say to the patriarch Then the only obstacle to the marriage e vanishes No It doesn't said Tomm Tommy At But nut theres there's another another another an an- least that one may other obstacle a much worse one If theres there's another said sullI the king for heavens heaven's sake dont don't let h her r write to Calypso Who Is she Dont Don't say Its It's Miss Church If It It Is were we're done I never ne saw baw Miss Church in m my may life till Ull yesterday Ia sail bald II I Tommy I thought it could hardly be her tier old for that She really Is rather mUter too sort of ot thing But nut if It It had been heen her it would have been heen awkward ver very awkward indeed Shed She'd have gone one In person to t the patriarch and nothing would w have have- you could have hn said straightened things out er If it isn't her It t doesn't really matter the other one une doesn't telegraph telegraph tele tele- so lon long as graph or write There isn't another one said Youve Just told me there Is and a u another the king klug You said much worse one I said another obstacle said Tommy Torn Tom another girl As a n matter not m my of fact theres there's no girl at all and und never never nev ue Is far fUI er was was- The obstacle I mean than any girl worse said possibly be worse of ot view orthe of or from the point the king the patriarch said Tommy The fhe o obstacle Is this Im only a curate I 1 do dont don't t regard that as on tin obstacle Our patriarch all said the king at celibacy of the tile the doesn't believe in I married himself but butI Isn't He lie i clergy clery the are und find pu- pu 1 I lots of or our priests hasn't the a slight slightest to It it objection not m my point matter matte s at all aU As AB a r of fact I Im I'm m not a n Roman olic curate Catholic Catholic Cath Cath- and Im I'm marry I If I like perfectly free to That wouldn't have mattered how said anyhow anyhow any any- the king kins The patriarch would have all absolved soled you from vow an any y you might have m made ads Hes He's terri ter ter- ri call y powerful In that sort of ot w and way can give ghe you absolution for practically prato anything The trouble about him Isn't that life t he tion but that cant can't give gl absolu absolu- How V sometimes he wont ow can cnn a cess curate marry narry a It prIncess prin prIn- said Tommy point If she my really realy y i Is s a princess She is said the king From the point of view of oC a any on one a who le legitimate g it mate theories she's accepts most certainly I a ro royal nl princess But nut I 1 hope needn't sa say that I dont don't attach any Importance to the fact We are living in a world that line has been mode made safe sate e fo for r democracy and nobody cares a pin for those old-fashioned old Ideas Theres There's nothing to pr prevent prent ent any princess from marrying g an English marC marquis ls But nut Im I'm not an En English lIsh marquis said Bald Tomm Tommy n. n I keep on telling you that and you wont won't believe e me It Isn't that I dont don't believe you ou said the time king Its sign simply 1 that I find It very very hard to remember However Ho the main thing Is not t to let un any old old- j ill I t V y yell ell L' L r rn 1 n y I IAre Are You or Are You Not Really a aKing aKing aKing King fashioned Ideas about disparity of ot rank trouble you The whole matter j has been lIeen arranged I 1 wish I knew kne who arranged that I am to marry a princess Well said the king There were several people In It I was one Wh Why Why did you ou make such an extraordinary arrangement arrangement arrangement arrange arrange- ment There were a good many reasons said the king klug I couldn't go back to toL L myself The League of Nations Nations Nations Na Na- wouldn't let me mc Im I'm not sure that I want to even If It they would Im I'm earning much more In the Mascotte Mascotte Mas Mas- cotte than you'll ever get et out ont of Lys Lys- L s 's tria trig But nut Id I'd be glad to see Cal Calypso back on her ancestral throne It'll be some sort of provision for her poor girl irl and she hates dancing in the Mascotte You Yon ma may think I ought to provide for her but I cant At least Id I'd much rather not Im I'm earning a I good enough salary but the cost of living Is terrific We middle class professional professional pro pro- men men that's that's the class I belong belong be he- Ion long to now now are are being squeezed out of existence everywhere in Europe I That's the reason I want to s see Calypso I so safely married and on a throne But wh why did you ou choose me the I I I dI didn't nt choose e c you ou The fact Is that the knew ver very well that II they couldn't get a n king at nt all nil unless f he was an nn l Englishman n lI hman The Entente flowers powers would have turned down nn any anyone anyone one else And the L wanted a king nil all of them Theres There's the patriarch patriarch pa pa- for Instance He hates playIng playing play play- In Ing second fiddle to a n man who's hos merel merely an archimandrite but butI has taken to wearing a n hold gold chain round his neck much thicker er than o our r I patriarchs Of course as ns soon fOOn as ns Lys Lys- L s 's tria gets back Into the position of an nn Independent kingdom our patriarch will he be top dog of the two Then there are fire the There pre ore are eight or ten all nil counts lend and theres there's the rest of the aristocracy The They're re nobodies in a n large lurge republic like I e n but hut the they're re reer er very Important important tant people In Besides the they shout like having ln a n court to hang You ton cant can't Imagine how those fellows love dressing up In uniforms putting on swords and attending state balls bails And AnI the fi way the they eat I assure you ou n a bullock roasted whole and a n couple of pigs 1 go no distance at a n supper supper supper sup sup- per table In It used to he a n frightful expense e ec e to me I needn't tell Ie President doesn doesn't t do you wt o t th the that kind of thing He lIe cant can't I poor poor wont won't run to It It 1 fellow Ills His salary a I That's another r example of the straitened strait strait- ened circumstances of ot the r middle classes wh the L I still dont don't see why chose me said Tommy If the they did ld era TO pro DE BE CONTINUED I |