Omaha daily bee., 1897-08-15
ion to you sir" he said, with touch

mention to YOU SIR" he said, with touch
of constraint in his tone.
The king paused in his walk and looked
sharply at him. "Ah of course he said
nodding. Did you see Lord Middleton
The duke could not hide start. LORD
Middleton, sir?" he faltered.
The king smiled coldly, "The letter. he
said twas from him, 1 SUPPOSE
My lord rallied himself. mo, sir, it was
not" he answered with a flash of spirit 1T
purported to be from him"
Yet you went-wherever you went-think-
ing to see him?" his majesty continued,
smiling rather disagreeably.
81 did," my lord answered, his tone be-
traying his agitation. But TO do nothing to
the preidice of your service, sir, and what
could to further your interests-short or CIV
ing him up. He is my relative"
The king shrudded his shoulders.
"And for years" my lord cried warmly,
was my intimate friend"
The king shrugged his shoulders again.
1--WE have fought that out before he said,
with a sigh of WEAKNESS. And more than
once. For the rest, in that connection and
whatever others may say, Lord Shrewsbury
has no ground to complain OF me-"
II have cause, sir, to do far otherwise!'
the duke answered in a tone suddenly
! changed and so full of emotion that it was
not difficult to discern that ne had forgotten
my presence, which was not wonderful, rs
| stood behind him in the shadow OF the
doorway, whittier out Of modesty | had re-
treated God knows l remember it," he
continued. Were it not for tnat-if l were
not bound to your majesty by more than
common ties of gratitude 1 should not be
today in service whichfor which l am
unfit. The daily duties of which, performed
by other men with Indifference or appetite,
fill me with pity and dista3te! the risks at
tending which, speak without ceremony.
sr-male me play the coward with myself
hundred times day!'
Caesar" the king said quietly, "let's none
but Caesar call him cowardv'
Kindly as the words were uttered. and in
tone differing much from that which the
king had hitherto used, the duke took no
heed of them. Others wish for my place;
God knows wish they had it," he cried, his
agitation growing rather than decreasing.
Every hour, sir, / pray to be quit of the
faction and perjury in which live! Every
hour l loathe more deeply the work have
TO do and the people with whom | have to
do it, | never go to my Office but my
gorge rises, nor leave it but / see the end.
And yet | must stay in it! | must stay
in it! | tell you. SIR he continued, i'm
petuouely, ION the day that you burned
those letters you but fred me from one
slavery to fling me into another"
'Yet an honest one." said the king, in a
peculiar tone.
My lord threw up his hands. "You have
right to say that, sir. But If any one
else-or. no, II forgot myselfr
Something has disturbed you" said the
| king, intervening with much kindness.
Take time! And in the meanwhile listen
to me. AS to the general distaste you eX-
| press for my service. I will not. and / do
not, do you the injustice to attribute it
! whatever you say yOurseh-to your fears of
| what may happen in a possible event; |
! mean ianclen regime restitue. If such
I fears weighed so heavily with you, you
/ would neither have signed the invitation to
me nor come to me eight yeaIs ago. But
! take 1t, with perhaps some apprehension
Of this kind you have-and this is the real
| gist OF the matter-a natural distaSte for
! affairs and a natural proneness to be on
! good terms with ALL rogues as well as good
| men. 1t irks you to sign a death warrant,
| to send one TO Newgate and another to-
| bah. l forgot the names OF your prisons
! to know that your friends abroad are not
as well placed at st. Germans Us they were
at st. James! You have no care to push
! an advantage, no anxiety to ruin a rival
you would rather trust man than bind
I him. In word, my lord, you have nc
taste for public life in dangerous and
! troubled times such as these, although, per-
/ force, you have played high part in it"
"Sir!" the duke cried, with an anxiety
and eagerness that touched me, you know
me better than 1 know myself You see
! my failings, my unfitness, and surely, see
! ing them so clearly you will not refuse to
"Release you" the king said smiling
THAT does not follow. For consider, my lord
you are not the only one in the world who
/ pu!sues perforee a path for which he has
little taste. To be king OF England has
higher sound than to be stakeholder OF Ho
! land. But to be king and no king, to SET
your way clearly and be thwsgted by those
who see no foot in the field; to have France
| by the throat and be bafiied for the lack o
| 10000 men or 100000 guilders; above all
to be served by men who have made use o.
you-who have one foot on either shore, ant
having betrayed their old master to gain theil
ends. would now betray you to save theil
necks-this. too, forms no bed of roses. Blu
| lie on it, l lie on it," he concluded
phlegmatcally and as he spoke he took
pinch of snuff I'm fine. my lord" he con
tinued, ito be high, or what the world call,
high, Is to be unhappy"
The duke sighed. You sir. have thos,
qualities which fit you for your part" h
| said. sadly II have not"
Have II"
The king said no more. but The gestur,
| with which he held out his hands. as II b,