Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-03

throne, even if his majesty should die
without heirs. The whole is to be kept
strictly secret.
Beautifully thought out cunningly
woven Because 1t would be a misfortune
for the land if Therefore, so ready, so
kind. so gracious. Therefore,!
They lay a document before me; they
offer NE pen-it has even been dipped into
the ink. l need only take the dipped pen,
need merely draw few lines. everything
will remain a secret and the land will be
saved from the misfortune Of
But do not accept the pr.hered pen! =.
His excellency, the minister Of state, has
departed with his errand entirely upper
formed. And they would have had such
pleasure in high places could they have
saved the land. few pen strokes by me
and 1t would have been done. What now?
Message after message; about my estab-
lishments. that are to be magnificent; the
title of my wife, which Is to be that of
countess of Sarns: about our future abid-
ing place, with the exception of the capital
any place on earth; ABOUT summer pal
ace and a winter palace; about hundred
great and greater things.
They behave as If I would sign at last. as
if my remuneration, the sacrifice of royal
throne, were the only trivial and petty mat
ter in it all, a bagatelle, especially as it is
to be kept secret.
And letters arrive, too From the king
gracious. kindly, brotherly letters 1t is as
l said. His majesty envies me my simple,
hidden happiness in private life with all his
heart. In all secrecy. of course! For his
royal envy of my unroyal happiness would
be a crime against the land that he Is to
make great and glorious.
Letters from my mother! My mother al
ways was a great woman. In these letters
she shows herself greater even than at that
moment of her tears She sends her
blessing. After this test am satisfied that
my mother will be able even to bear the
existence of lowly born grandchildren which
| will never pass under her eyes.
And the young queen has written to me-
wishing me joy. sincerely, sadly, hopelessly
mournful. And all wrote to me in a way
as if my remuneration were sure
I wrote to Miss Fritz. and asked her to
let Judica see no papers, and to read none
herself. for my sake. l do not read them
myself. and | have forbidden the count to
tell word of anything that may be
printed about the latest sensation at court.
1 am sure that they will drag my pure,
high love into the mud, so that disgust
would overwhelm me if l knew it. l am
sure that they have printed Judica's pic
ture. and every lady at court. well as
every maid servant, viii have made her re-
| marks about my darling's face.
How many who look at that angelic coun-
tenance will say: And he does it all for
that? For that? He could have had that
more easily"
I wonder what the Countess Thyra has to
say. PROBABLY the same as the rest. For
that" What would she say if she knew
that for that" L am to renounce the
throne. To renounce a royal throne for the
sake of q girl, for the sake of two blue
eyes, How she would despise me- she with
her sovereign strength How she must
despise me even nowi
must make up my mind must come to
a decision. If l do not sign and renounce
l sign my moral death sentence and re-
nounce my happiness.
On the one side love, lowliness happiness.
| purity, peace. perhaps recovery and escape
| from something horrible-on the other side
constant secret expectation, secret hops
! secret torture, secret sin, and the whole
chaos of the splendid nothingness of that
world that once seemed so dreadful to me-
/ to escape which once seemed to me to be
| the greatest happiness
| And since l would only be a misfortune
| for the land, would it not be better, more
| noble. more proud II I were to do the land
| this loving service with a few pen strokes
and make myself harmless? But l would
| then give them my own declaration that l
| am unworthy of the throne
And that is not true! May I libel and
deny myself?
l may not renounce. I cannot for nv own
| sake But it is not for me. 1t is for the
sake of the country.
Tonight l will climb the rocky path that
climbed with my father and that became
! his path to death. Perhaps heaven will give
| me sign. l wish that a hurricane wonld
| arise. that storms would try to tear me
\ down into the abyss. l would cling as INV
| father did. And If my arms should be
| strong enough to cling. to hold me betwiyt
heaven and chasm, then-I would not sign,
l would not renounce, knowing that a royai
| crown hangs over my head, that it must
| sink on my brows.
| 1t a cloudless starry night Tbare
\ was no breath of air
| climbed higher and higher till the day
| dawned. The peak of the White Emperor
| glowed like crown Of red gold A SHIN
| mer of 1t reached my head
| l need no other splendor for NV brow.
Above me the shining sky, dark mists be-
| low. will walk in the light
commanded the count to telegraph. Tha