The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-17
THE END.
A QUEEN IN EXILE.
A Tragical Scene i'm Daudet,s New
Novel of "I.es ROis en- Exile.o

mover or "lIes KOis en- Exile.''
.. TThe Literary World.l
Christian gradually falls lower and
lower; he finds his companions among
doubtful characters, and involves him
self in financial difficulties which
only the generosity of an old
general whom he had once
driven from his kingdom prevents
from reducing him to abject poverty. He
sells the decoration which had hitherto
been the pride of great mobiles, and the
"cross of Illyria" becomes the property
of any bourgeois who is able to pay the
price. Frederique protests, threatens,
pleads--but all in vain. At length the
Dalmatian Assembly announces that if
Christian will abjure his claim to the
throne, his estates will be made over into
his control. After some hesitation he
signs the document, but is discovered by
the Queen in the very act. Then fol-
lows scene Of great dramatic effect To
the remonstrance Of Frederique the
King turns deaf ear. She hastens from
the room and returns leading the little
Leopold.
Frederique, without a word, dragged
the child to the feet of Christian I, and
suddenly kneeling, placed him before
her, clasping his little hands in her own.
"The King will not listen to me; perhaps
he will listen to you, lara. Come, say
after me-my father" The timid voice
repeated: "My father-my father-my
king, l conjure you-do not rob your
child, do not take from him the crown
which he should one day wear. Remem-
ber that it is not yours alone; that it
comes from above; that it comes g.
God, who for 600 years has given it into
the care of the house of Illyria. God
wills that be king, father-it is my
heritage, my own, you have no right to
take it away from me-" The little
prince accompanied the eager mur-
mur with the imploring glances
of one at prayer; bus Chris
tian turned away his head, shrugged his
shoulders, and raging, although seeming
ly calm, muttered between his teeth,
"Wildness unseemingly - turn the
child's head" Then he walked to the
door. With one bound the queen stood
before him, glanced at the table which
no longer held the parchment, aud knew,
with blush Of shame, that the act of
infamy had been signed. "Christian" He
continued to advance. She stepped for
ward as if to follow, then suddenly ex-
claimed, every welll SO be it." He
paused and beheld her upright before the
open window, her feet upon the narrow
stone coping, one arm clasping her child
and the other upiifted in menace toward
the departing figure Of the king. The
moonlight streamed in over the group.
''To the king of the opera, the queen of
the tragedy" she said in grave and
terrible voice. "Burn instantly what you
have Just signed, take oath upon the
cross that you viii never again attempt
such a deed-or your race is ended,
broken. Your wife and child there
below upon the pavement" And in her
words, her lovely form leaning out into
space, there was such determination that
the terrified King sprang forward to hold
her back: "Frederiquep At his fathers
cry and the trembling of the arm which
upheld him, the child--eyen then with
out the window-thought that all
was over and that they were to die. He
had not a word, not a nurmyr, since he
was to depart in his mothers embrace.
He simply clasped his little hands about
the queens neck, and turning his head
toward her flowing hair, closed his beau
tiful eyes in dread Of the fall. Christian |
resisted no further. The resignation, the
courage of the infant king, who already
his future role so well,
even to diel-his heart was beating rap
idly. He threw the document which he |
held upon the table and sank sobbing
into a chair. Frederique, still defiant,
read it through from the first line to the
signature, then held it to candle, burn ,
ing it to her fingers, cast the blackened |
fragments upon the table, and went
away to place her son in hed-her SON |
who already slept in his heroic attitude
pf 4 suicide. ftfra