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Show JNI&$mHDI D S lCROCKETT.xWfcv-c TwArt&va&i I tight 1J l'.ij,J b H It I xKrtt I CHAPTEfl XVII Wife and Prleit M hat a right u tall myself the widow of (ho Dtiki iicnry of Kerns berg and Hohensiiln said Theresa ton l.)nar In rcpl in Lnnrad quee-Uoo quee-Uoo to whom he might thnnk for reeoue and heller "And tberiforc the mother of the IDueheu Joan? he continued Theresa shook her head ' .So ' she mid mil) I inn not her mother, but (ml tven that only In a hmo-her stepmother A promise to a dead ii an h kept m from claiming nr privileges save that of living unknown on mil desolate Ills of and and mint M) ton hi an of fleer In the sirvlce of the Dueheu Joan The fare of the Frlnre-Hllliop light d up Insiiataneoiiil) "Most surel), Hun 1 know him t)M he not com to Coiirtliml with in) IahI Desrauer tha Ambassador of Plasenhtirg The tndy of Ule Ilugen nodded In dlfferentl) "o, the laid I bellive ho went I to Court land with the imbass) from I lassenburg " "Indeed I was much drawn to him said the Prince eagerl), 'I remembir him mint vividly Ik wns of nn ollvo com) lesion til feature without color hut graven even an the tlreiks cut those of n young god on n gem ' v said Tin rem oii 1 Miar o renoly. 'he has hit fntlnra face an I carriage which are those alto of tie Duchess Joan . In the morning Joan camn to hltl the alien' good morrow while Wer I ncr von Uraeln stood lu the doorwa) with hla steel cap iloffed In hla hand nnd llorls and Jorlan lent the knee for a trleslly blessing Hut Thereia did not again npHar Mil night and darkness had wro ped the earth and lielng all alone ht listened to tht hea) pinnae of the breakera on the loach among which hla life had been I ro nearly aned The aoiind grew alow Ier and aimer after the storm until at last tho waveltt of thnt sheltered son lapsed on the shingle In n sort of breathing whlsier And so da passed nnd came main Long nights too, at first with hourly tendance an I then presently without Hut Joan ait no mort with the )oung man after that first watch IIiourIi his soul lonaed for her that ho mUht again tell her thnt sho was hli broth cr' wife and urgo lur to do her duty hy him who was her wedded husband bo Corira I contented himself and im Mlveil his conscience h) thinking I austero ttoiifhta of his mission and I high place In the hlernreh) of the only 1 Catholic nnd hioIIc Church Bo J that presently hi would rise up and i ketk Wtrner von Oraelii In order to I I unmade him to let him ro that lie i might proceed to Home at the com v H mand of the Holy Father whose ser It vnnt lie was B Hut Werner only laughed nnd put IB hlin off IE When we hare sure word of what IE your brother does at Kernsberg then II we will talk of this matter Till then It cannot lie hid from you thnt no hostage half so alnnhle can wo keep In hold " I Bo after many days It wai penultlcd ' to the Prince to walk abroad within I the narrow bounds of the Isla Rugen tin) Wordless Man guarding him at I fifty paces distance impassive nnd I Inevitable as an ambulant rock of the ,1 I seabiKird II As ho went Prlnio Conrad 8 eyes n, ' II glanced this way and thnt looking for n " menus of oscni u it they saw or I none for Wornir von Orscln with his In I ten men of Kirimberg and Iho two tit m- captains of Plnssi i burg wire not sol u dlers to mnku mlslnki It chanced ' I however that iiihiii a warm nn I grn ln clous afternoon when the breezes local I Lr W WW ,ncnl 1 k h w&Wi The,) I P ' Hy by 1 IrJ n the I Glanced this way and that looking itnlncd I for mc,n, c, etc,pe iiarlnd I plajed wnndcrltiKly among tin garden , jau I trees before losing theimohes In Hit I solemn aisles of Hie pli.es us In a I II I lared timple that Conrad slipping s I painfully westwards along the beach ., i)y I arrived at the place of his riscue an I r. ,, I descenllng tin steep haul of shingle 01 " I to look for any traces of the disaster breeder I camo ldllenI) ,nn tu. Duchess was HI- I Joan gaslrg thouihifully out to sea a nll.ht I sho turned uulikly I earing the era, who I smitid of footsteps and at sight of the ,l, from Hrlnce-Blshop glancetl east slid wen eciired alon ,hB ,no" " " "" 1',ln '""" m. gjro Hut the proslmliv of Van I Irlcl and 'Lionel theencomiauliu I in s fwaierworn er of h 1 him jiebblea convlncid her of the awk wardness If not Impossibility of ee cape Conrad the prisoner gtwted Joan with the sweet gravity which had been characteristic of him as Conrad the prince and his eyts shone npon her with the same affectionate kindliness that had dwelt ln them as he looked upon his sister In thi pavilion of the roe-garden Hut after ono glance Joan looked steadily ana) across the steel grey sea Her feet turned In tlnctlvely to walk back towards the house and the l'rlnce turned with her If we are two fellow prisoners " said Conrad we ought to see more of earn other Is It not si "That wo may concert plans of escape es-cape said Joan v. on desire to con tlnue your pilgrimage I to return to my penile who alas think them selris bitiir off without me! They paced along together with their eye on the gtound the Wordless Man keeping n uniform distance behind them Then the 1'rlnco laughed n strange grating laugh like one who mocks at himself Tho world Is III arranged" he snld slowly ' my brother I ouls would havo made a far 1 1 Iter Churchman than 1 And atrange It Is to think that but n year ngo Hie knights and chief councillors coun-cillors of Cniirtlnnil came In mo to propose that because of his bodily weakness my brother should be do-posed do-posed nnd that 1 should lake over tho government and direction of affairs ' lie went on without noticing the en or rising In Joans cheik smiling a little In himself nnd Inlklng with more nnlmitlon "Then had I assented my brother might have been walking here with tonsured head by your side whllo I would doubllea have betu knocking at the galea of Kcrnabcrg seeking at tho spears point for a runaway bride" 'Nay!" cried Joan with sudden vehemence that would you not" An 1 as suddenly she stopped strlck en dumb by the sound of her own words The l'rlnce turned his head full upon her lie saw a face all suffused with hot hloshca hniighlleat pride struggling with nngr) tears In eyes that fairly blaxod iioii htm nnd n slender figure drawn up Into an attl Hide of defiance, nt sight of which something look lilm Instantly by tho throit ou mean you mean " hi stain rrtered ant for n inoniint was silent 'lor (lods sake tell mo what you mean! ' I mean nothing nt nil' said Joan stnmplng her foot In nngcr And turning upon her hrcl sho left hi in standing flkol In wonder nnd doubt upon tl margin of the son Then the wlft of Inula 1'rlnco of Cnurttand walked eastward In the house upon Hi Isle Ittigen with her face set ns sternly as for battle but her rether Up (inhering while Con rn I Cardinal and l'rlnce of Holy Church paced slowly to the west with, a bitter nnd downcast look iiihiii his ordlnarll) so sum) countenance For rate had leen exceeding cruel to those two Anl meanwhile right liauglilllv flew Hie red linn upon the citadel of Kerns I erg Never had the Iuly Duchess Joan of the Sword Hand npproven herself so brave and determined In her foresters dress of green velvet with the links of chain IhkI) nrmor glinting bcnenlh Its frogs nnd Inches sho went everywhere on foot At nil times of tho day she wns to bo seen nt the half moons wherein the cannon were fixed, or nn horseback scouring tho defenced posts along the city wall Mho seemed to know mlthcr fiar nor fatigue and tho noise of cheering fol lowed her about the Utile hill city like her shadow Thrco Ihero wire who know tho truth Peter lUIln lt I'lkkor nnd George tho Hussite And when tho guards were set tho lamia III and the bars drawn a stupid llolimstelner sit on watch nt the turnpike foot with command to H t nunc pnss ii on his llfi then nt last the lithe young Rpar- lntwk would mi lo his belt with tinge refreshful gumlng of air Into his lungs, nmld tho scarcel) subdiiid laughter of the captains of the host Nevertheless In tho face of brave words and braver ikeds provisions wnxtd Bear en and dear In Castlo Kernsbcrg and In the town below women gnw gaunt and hollow cheeked Thin the children ncqulrid eyes that steniid to slnnd out of hollow hol-low purple sockets Uut of nil, tho stout burghers grew thin And all thrco hi gan to dream of tho (lavs when tho hood fnrmfolk of tho black cm (I country down below Hum whero now Blood Hie Uaf) lodges of the Mils co vile and the while tints of Iho CourtlaniUrs used to come Into Kernsbtrg to market tho groat sol emncyvl oxin drawing carts full of country sausages nnd brown meal fresh from the mill to Imkn the wholesome whole-some bread or whin Iho stout mar ket women brought In the lappered milk and the bittitr and curds Ho Iho starting folk dreamed nrd diHamed anl woke and cried out curses on lit in that had waked them About this time the Sparhawh began be-gan to take counsel with himself and the Issue of his nedltallons the historian his-torian muat now relate It was In the outer chamber of He Duchess Joan which looks to the north thai tie thrte captains usually sit burl) IVnr Italia stiff haired (r facid ken MtPllkir lean nil Iritlon ' Humor within htm nil gone lo fighting Julcl, hli limbs mere bone and muscle I cer-tain cer-tain acrid and eaiistlc wit "'V thi cormr of his llpa on the wlckc and, a lllili back from these two org the Hussite a smaller man vetk sol emn even when he was making then laugh but nevertheless with n iVoud high look a stlt upper lip and Rnu tache so huge that he could III the ends behind his head on n wlnd)ay To them entered Hie 8pnfhnv settled frown of gloom upon hw ow nnd the hungtr which he shared 'StiaV ly with the others alreadv sharp king the falcon hook on his nojf aniljlilt. eiilng hla thin nostrtW" At slihUottlm Mi three hadi drew apart and AU'riSker began to ll of the atari that were rising In tit eastern dusk The dog-star Is while," he nalil 41 daotlcall) In m) ichooldnj ' used Joan looked steadily away across thi steel grey sea, to read In tho Ijttln tnnguo that It wai red'" hat Is this' cried tho Sparhnwlr. Do not decdvp me oti were nono of )ou talking of stars when I cams up the atalra For I heard Pcler Hal ta'a volco say 'Hy (lodi It must corao lo It and soon! And you Husstlo fleorge answered Mm 'Six dnyi will settle It ' W hot do ) on Keep from me? Out with HI Hpeak up. 111 o tlireo little men' It wai Ml Plkkcr who first found words lo answer ' We spoke Indeed of Iho stars, nn! said It was six days till the moon should be gom and that Iho tlmo would then hi rlie for n sally by tho by the Plassenbiirg gate!" 'Pshnwl" cried tho Bparhnwk "IJo to )our father confessor, not to me I am not n purblln 1 fool I havo cara, long enough It la true but at least Ilie) antwer to beer withal ton spoke of Hie wells I tell you I saw your heads move apart as I intered. and then, forsooth, thnt dolnrd Alt Plkkir (who ran nwi) In his youth from a ironk s cloister school with the nun that taught them stocking-mending) stocking-mending) must needs furbish up snail scrnpi of Latin and begin to prate about doe-stars red and dogslnrs white Faugh' Open )our mouths like men set truthful henrls behind them and let mo hear the worst! ' The three captains of Kirnsberg were sib nt a while, for heaviness was upon thtlr souls Then Peter Halla blurted out (IihI help list There Is but ten days more provtudcr In the clt) the river Is tumid and the wells are nlmost dried iil After this the Rparhawk sat awhile on tho low window seat watching the twinkling fires of the Muscovites and listening to the hum of tho (own bo-nentli bo-nentli Hie Castle (To be continued ) |
