Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-02


manage, imagine, every new day of
my reign. Well, / thank you for your
lecture, GEtts stnaG;'' and with his odd
smile fading a little, yet not wholly dy-
ing, he dropped Bianca's hand and
passed from her presence.
He had detested the idea lis enter
tainment tonight. Its limitations in
the way of asking only certain guests
disguised him Like all the receptions
given by his mother since her appear
ance in his realm, it positively reelzed
with what he held to be the worst
creeds of caste. There were present
several mobiles, on this particular occa-
sion, who had only deigned to come, as
Clarimond well knew, at the eager so
| licitation of the princess They were
mostly men past middle age, and their
young king had Mortified them by his
liberalisms. They held his person sa-
cred, and were inflexible in their fealty
to him, never forgetting that their an
| cestors, through centuries back, had
fought and died in the service of his.
But they abhorred his modernity of
ideas, and had suffered keen pangs at
the audacious changes wrought in their
land. Political no less than social
| and physical, these changes had affect
| ed them with mingled melancholy and
| horror Two or three of them had
chosen to hide their chagrin amid the
gayeties of Paris, where their great
wealth and princely Saltravian birth
1 had secured welcomes for them among
| the most exclusive sets. One of these
latter, a man about forty years old,
| with black, flashing eyes, olive skin and
| a little curly beard and moustache, held
an exceptional position as cousin twice
removed from the king His fortune
was very large, and he passed most Of
his year in the French capital, whence
he had but lately returned. He had
been for a long time past one of the bit
| terest of the malcontents; he was iras-
chile, and VIGOROUSLY naughty to all
interiors While the king had made
his first tour through the ballroom
every eye had sought his own and every
head had bowed But it had struck
him, however vaguely, that this partic-
lar nobleman had bowed with certain
distinct stiffness. AS Clarimond now
drew near his mother. he fixed his eyes
full on the handsome, swarthy face at
her side, and said, with an accent of
quiet good humor:
"Ah, Philibert, so you're back once
again2" At the same moment he put
| forth his hand.
Prince Philibert advanced, and taking
the kings hand in his own with a rev.
erent droop of the head, firmly, even res
onantly, kissed 1t. A smile of proud
pleasure swept over the face Of
| Princess Brindisi. This was the imme-
mortal usage of the saltravian court
for a peer or peeress, on returning
after an absence and being addressed
by the king, to give his hand an obeisant
kiss.
But Clairmond, meanwhile, grew
white with anger. He had long ago
forbidden all such forms of self humili-
alton on the part of his courtiers.
Prince Philibert well knew this fact,
and what he had just done favored of
the most overt defiance.
/ The crystal-gray eyes of the king met
the dark and brilliant ones of his sub
ject. Prince he said, with some
curtness, ST supposed you were aware
that dislike, and indeed have vetoed,
all this flourish on the part of M
friends"
Philibert, while he stood moveless as
statue with both hands behind him,
and while he looked, in his evening
dress, decorated by several orders that
betokened his great rank, figure OF
striking distinction, answered, COM
posedly and gravely:
pardon me, your majesty, but I only
fulfilled usage that is many centuries
old"
This answer, in the circumstances,
bristled with clear revolt. The king
started, and looked at his mother, who
gently inclined her head, as If in COM
plete approval of the words just
uttered.
Taking few quick steps toward the
princess, and passing Philibert's un-
stirred figure, Clarimond leaned his
lips close to the lady's cheek and shot
out one low, determined sentence:
"You have gone too far, madam-too
far, as you will perceivel'
In another moment he turned and
spoke to Philibert.
"You are insolent," he said, land most
meaningly So"
The prince gave slight shudder, and
seemed about to respond.
mot a wordl'' commanded the king,
; and his voice, though loud, was wholly
calm. 81 dismiss you from the palace
, Do not presume to enter it again, on
l pain of exile"
/
! then, growing almost CHASTITY, STAN
mered forth in reply:
eff I wore a sword, as my fore
fathers did, would break it and dror
the fragments at your majesty's feet"
With glittering eyes, the king curled
his lip. Better if you thought less
about deporting yourself like the pei
tenor in a French grand opera, mon
| Sieur. and spent vOur heroicS in a
more wholesome form. There are
throngs of hungry beings in saltravis
that need the forty thousand francs
am told you flung away on single
night, last month, at a Partisan gaming
; table"
These words, pronounced with bell
. like clearness, penetrated far. The
-. guests who heard them rapidly
' whispered them to others who had not
heard. A dead silence followed, while
. the ladies' .huddled tOUether in alarm