The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-14
CHAPTER III.

And all his men ran out. the king s
guard doing nothing to hinder them,
and jumped on their horses, and set
ting them at gallop hurried after the
count. He, riding furiously, turned
toward the town of Zenda, and the
whole company swept down the hill.
and reaching the town. clattered ana
dashed through 1t at full gallop. neither
drawing rein nor turning to right nor
left, and again they reused the bishop
of Modenstein. and he turned In his
bed. wondering what the. rush OF
mounted men meant. But they, gallop-
Ing still, mounted the opposite hill and
came to the castle of Festenburg with
their horses spent and foundered. In
they all crowded. close on one anothers s
heels: and the bridge was drawn up.
and there in the entrance they stood
looking at one another, asking mutely
what their master had done, and who
was the lady whom he carried wrapt in
the coverlet. But he ran on till he
reached the stairs, and he climbed
them. and entering room in the gate
tower. looking over the moat, he laid
the Princess Osra on q couch. and.
standing over her, he smote one hand
upon the other. and he swore loudly:
"Now. as God lives. Zenda will have.
and her l will have; and 1t shall be her
husband whom she must, if she WILL
proclaim a cheat in Strelsau."
Then he bent down and lifted the
coverlet from her face. But she did
not stir nor speak. nor open her eyes
For she had fallen into q swoon as they
rode, and did not know what had be-
fallen her, nor where she had been
brought. nor that she was now in the
castle of Festenburg and in the power
of desperate man. Thus she lay
still and white, while Count Nikolas
stood over her and bit his nails in rage.
And it was then just on midnight.
On being disturbed for the third
time the bishop of Modenstein. whose
temper was hot and cost him continual
prayers and penances from the mas
terry it strove to win over him, was
very impatient: and since he was at
once angry and half asleep. 1t was long
before ne would or could understand
the strange and monstrous news with
which his frightened host came tremb-
ling and Quaking to his bedside in the
dead of night. A servant-girl, stam-
mered the frightened fellow had run
down half-dressed and painting from
the castle Of Zenda. and declared that.
whether they choose to believe her or
not-and indeed she could hardly be-
lieve such thing herself. although she
had seen with her own eyes from her
own window-yet Count NikolaS, of
Festenburg. had come to the castle
that evening. had spoken with Princess
Osra, and now Ohey might call her
liar if they choose) and carried Off
the princess with him on his horse to
Festenburg, alive or dead, none knew:
and the men-servants were amazed
and terrified, and the soldiers were at
their wits end. talking big and threat
ening to bring ten thousand men from
Strelsau and not leave one stone upon
another at Festenburg. and what not.
But all the while for all their big talk
nothing was done; and the princess
was at Festenburg, alive or dead, or in
what strait none knew. And finally,
nobody but one poor servant-girl had
had the wit to run down and rouse
the town.
The bishop of Modenstein sat up in
his bed and he fairly roared at the
innkeeper:
''Are there no men. then, in the town
who can fight. fool?'
None, none, my lord--not against
the count Count Nikolas is terrible
man. Please God he has not killed the
princess by now"
Saddle my horse" said the bishop.
''and be quick about it." And he leapt
out Of bed with sparkling eyes. For
the bishop was young man, but lit
tie turned of thirty, and he was a
noble of the old house of Hentzau Now
some of the Hentzaus (of whom history
tells Of many have been good and some
have been bad; and the good fear God
while the bad do not; but neither the
good nor the bad fear anything in the