Arizona republican., 1899-01-29
CHAPTER x.

CHAPTER K
 Clarimond, with scarcely moro than Q nod and q hardclasp to Erie, who wait cd below, sprarg into the carriage which lad brought him from the palace and returned there at once. He chose to dine alone in lis own suite of cham ocrs, and at dinner drank q little more wine than usual. Afterward he went into his mothers apartments, where she was receiving a very select assemblage that chiefly consisted of the highest Saltravian nobility. Having saluted his mother he moved about the rooms for some time, and at length paused quite a while before Blanca d'lEstc, who was looking exceedingly handsome in a gown of blue satin embroidered with silver.
 The princess almost gave up expect ing you," she said, looking at him very earnestly with her sweet, infantile, china blue eyes.
 Am I so late?" said Clarimond.
 Not that, monsieur; but we feared pr, should say, her highness feared lest other attractions would dctain you. g
 He saw the sly innucndo, but chose to pretend that it escaped him.
 ''Rcally, l do not understand" he said. Other attractiCns?'
 Blanca flushed at her own boldness. And yet the courage of desperation pos scssed her soul That soul was no longer in bondage to the church new re- ligion had cnthrallcd it. Women have rarely found it difficult to love kings, and Clarimond if he had no royalty for
 T T 41 almost any wonan's heart. As it was he fired both the heart and imagination of Bianca q Este. In spirit she was at his feet with that sort of gcnuflcction which is tinctured by pang of intOzi- cated recklessness. And yet her mien (ice over flaIne) was calm enough as she now replied:
 II mean the handsome young Amer ican girl, monsieur, whom you honored so greatly this afternoon"
 You saw me?" Clarimond rather lightly said. And you think honored her? It seemed to me as if honors were easy, as one says in English whist!''
 "Oh, monsieur" Blanca cried; and while she looked. into his face, which of late had grown to her more than kingly had grown to her, indeed, almost like the face of a god-she ardently persist ed: For yOu to speak like that! For y0u to even hint that mere nobody should not be honored, and very greatly honored, by the least smile from you!'
 He watched her for a moment as though she half irritatcd, half shocked him. ''I am man." he then said, with great simplicity and gcntleness. 'IIow can 1 be more, and why should not dis like hearing it suggested that I am more?''
 You are king" replied Blanca. "You are king with q long ancestry of kings behind you!'
 He laughed softly and shrugged his shoulders, glancing about him at the walls of the festal room in which they stood, with it's panclings of white and gold, with it's huge clusters of wax lights for side chandeliers beaming above other huge clusters of prisms like stalactitcs, and with it's ceilings where cupids drove i'll chGriotS drawn by butterflies through gorgcs and over causeways of rosy and azure cloud.
 Ut means very little to be king, nOwadayS,H 2 he said. At least it means very little to me-"
 II am so sorry" she answered. q am so intensely sorry!'
 "You have been talking with my mother" he replied. Ut is easy to see that you are full of her views and pre- judiccs.''
 No, they are mine" she avcrred. Gall them what you please. Fl hate so to address you as monsieur but this is your command, and what can ono do but obey it? You arc royal, and mai esty' i5 your rightful form of address. And then the way in which you despise and nout all ceremonial! Oh, this is harder to bear still! You should have entered here, just as you should walk abroad. with your equerries, your gen tlcnacn in waiting An, it is terrible, terrible! It saddens me, it wounds me, to see you cast aside the rights and dig mites of your great birth. 1 do not wonder that your mother sorrows It is not mere pride that makes her feel as she does. It is q 3cnse-oh, pardon mo, for speak from the very inmost depths of my hcart.-a sense of your having been appointed by Heaven itself to rule over your people, and of your treating this holy mission as though it concerned some slight and pcltry ofice!''
 As Blanca q Este ended, the king took her hand in his own for q moment. He felt that it was trembling and he saw that there were tears in her bright wide, childish eyes.
 s'You are very sincere" he said, with 9 smile that was not exempt from a cer-