Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-09
Never before?" / asked eagerly.


She laughed low.
You speak as IL you would be
pleased to hear me say Yes to that"
she said.
would Yes he truc?'
YES" l just heard her breathe, and
she went on in an instant: BE careful.
Rudolf: be careful, dear. He will be
mad now"
What, Michael? If Michael were the
worst
What worst is thereT'
There was yet chance for me. Con
trolling myself with Il mighty effort. /
took my hands off her and stood Il
yard or two way. l remember now the
note of the wind in the elm trees out
side.
IF / We're not the king" | began.
IF / were only a private gentleman
Before | could finish her hand was in
mine.
IF you were Il convict in the prison
of Streslau you would be my king" she
said
And under my breath l groaned.
God forgive me- and, holding her
mana III lulnP. l Silu dSdli.
IF | were not the king
Hush hushr' she whispered. 81
don't deserve til don't deserve to be
doubted. All. Rudolf, does Il woman
who marrics without love look on the
man as l look OH you:''
And she hid her face from me.
For more than Il minute we stood
there together, and |. even with my
arm about her, summoned up what
honor and conscience her beauty and
the tolls that | waS in had left me.
'Flavia." | said in Il strange. dry
voice that seemed not my own, Il am
not
AS | Spoke-as she raised her eyes to
me-thcre was IL heavy step on the
gravel outside, and Il man appeared nj
the window. \ little cry burst from
Flayia us she spranG back from me-
My half finished sentence died on my
lips. Sapt stood there, bowling low, but
with stern frown on his face.
"a thousand pardOnS. sire" said he,
but his cminence the cardinal has
waited this quarter of an hour to offer
his respectful alden TO your majesty"
l met his eye full and square. and
read in it an angry warning. How
| long he had been Il listener | knew not,
but he had come i'll upon us in the nick
OF time.
We must not keep his emnence
waiting" said |.
But Flayia. in whose love there lay
no shame. with radiant eyes and blush
l,,l
She said nothing, but no man could
have missed her meaning who had
ever seen = woman i'll the eXaltation
of love. A sour vet sad smile passed
over the old soldiers face. and there
was tenderness in his voice rs. bending
| to kiss her hand, he said:
I'm joy and sorrow. in good times
| and bad, God save your royal high
| ness"'
He paused and added, glancing at
| me and drawing himself ur 80 military
| erectneSS:
But before all comes the king-God
save the king
Aud Flavia caught at my hand and
kissed it. murmuring:
amen, Good God, amen
We went into the ballroom again.
| Forced to receive adieus. | was sep,
arated from Flayia. Every one when
he left me went to her. Sapt was out
| and in of the throng and where ne
had been glanceS, smiles and whis
pers were rife. I doubted not that,
| true to his relentless purpose, he was
| spreading the news that he had learn
| ed. To uphold the crown and beat
Back Michael-that was his one re-
solve. Flavia, myself-aye, and the
real king in Ienda-were pieces in his
game. and pawnS have no business
with passions. Not even at the walls
Of the palace did he stop, for when at
| last | handed Flavia down the broad
marble steps and into her carriage
there was a great crowd awaiting us,
and we were welcomed with deafening
| cheers. What could l do? Had 1
spoken then they would have refused
| to believe that was not the king; they
might have believed that the king had
run mad. BY Sapt's devices and my
own ungoverned passion l had been
| forced on. and the way back had
| IioSoo pNhihu iie' anu .ne pdSsloh nthi
drove me in the same direction as the
devices seduced me-. faced all Strel-
sau that night as the king and the ac-
cepted sutton of the Princess Flavia.
| At last at in the morning, when
the cold light of dawning day began to
steal in. was in my dressing room,
and Sapt alone was with me. l sat
like man dazed, staring into the fire.
He pulled at his pipe. Fritz was gone
to bed. having almost refused to speak
to me. On the table by me lay rose.
1t had been in F,lavia's dress, and as