The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-11-05

seiRneur has been put to sleep, but |
couldn't sleep. Come. we'll 90 up on
the wall"
They mounted on to the city wall Just
by the gate and leaned against the
molderlng parapets. Below lay Lake
Talti in the moonlight. and beyond It
the masses of the mountains. Yet while
Sophy talked Dunstanbuiy's eyes sell
dom left her face-uay once or twice
he caught himself not listening. but
only looking tracing how she had
grown from Sopby Crouch IN her soul
lery to this. He had never forgotten
the strange girl. Once or twice he and
Basil had talked Of her He had re.
sented Lady Meg's brusque and un.
ceremonious dismissal of her protege.
In his memory. half overgrown, had
lain the mark on Sophy's cheek. Now
here she was. I'm Kravonia, Of all places
Baroness Dobrava. Of all peoplel And
what else. who knew? The train of
events which had brought this about
was strange. yet his greater wonder
was for the woman herself.
"And here we arel" she ended. with
woful smile. III monseigneur lives
think we shall win. For the moment
we can do no more than hold Volseni.
/ think we can do that But presently.
when he's better and can lead us, we
shall attack Down in Slavna they
won't like being ruled by the countess
and Stenovics as much as they expect.
Little by little we shall grow stronger"
Her voice rose little. "At last mon
seigneur will sit firm on his throne"
she said. "Then we'll see what we can
do for Kravonla It's a fine country
and rich. Lord Dunstanbury. and out
side Slavna the people are good ma
terial. We shall be able to make 1t
very different II monseigneur lives"
"And. If notf" he asked in a low
voice.
"What is II to me except for mon
seigneur? If he dies Her hands
thrown wide in gesture of despair
ended her sentence.
If she lived and worked for Kravonia
II was for nonseigneur's sake. With
out him, what was kravonia TO herr
Such was her mood. Plainly she took
no pains to conceal II from Dunstan
bury. The next moment she turned to
him, with a smile. you think ] talk
strangely, saying. Wen do this and
thatr Yes. mn must. and it's sudden
ly become strange to me to say ito
say 1t TO you. because you've brought
back the old things to my mind. and all
this is so out of keeping with the old
things-wlth Sophy Crouch and Julia
Dnhgua and oh IN nnt nntfl
you came II didn't seem strange. Ev-
erythlng that has happened since ]
came to this country seemed to leap up
to ito bring II about naturally and ir-
resistibly. forgot till just now how
funny 1t must sound to you-and how
how bad. suppose. Well. you must
, accustom yourself to Kravonia. Its
not Essex. you know"
"If the king lives?" he asked.
'T shall be with monseigneur II he
lives" she answered.
; Yes. II was strange. Yet already,
, even now when he had known her
again for half an hour. had seen heI
and talked to her-gradually and in
sidiously II began to seem less strange
I less fantastic. more natural Dunstan
bury had 10 give himself a mental
shake to get back 10 Essex and TO SO
, phy Crouch. VOlseni set old and gray
, amid the hills. the king whose breath
struggled with his blood for life, the
, beautiful woman who would be with
/ the king n and so long as he lived
r these were the present realities he saw
3 in vivid immediate vision. They made
: the shadows of the past seem NOT In
. deed dim--they kept all their distinct
{ ness OF outline In memory-but In theil
4. turn fantastic and In no relation TO thu
actual. Was that the air Of Kravonit
!. working on him or was II n womant
{ voice, the palid pride OF a womani
!. | facef
( "In Slavna they call me q witch" sh,
n said, "and tell terrible tales about thi
1 little mark-my red star-but here II
|: Volseni they like me-yes. and cal
r win over Slavna, too, II get the op
Z portunity. No. shan't be a weakness
9 to monseigneur II he lives"
'G you'll be-
d "His wife?" she interrupted. yes
She smiled agaln-nay, almost laughed
I "That seems worst Of all-worse thal
|, anything else2"
Dunstanbury allowed himself to smil
too. "well, yes, Of course that's true,
he said. "Out OF Kravonia anyhow
What's true in Kravonia really don
know yet"
~ suppose it's true in Kravonia, toe
\ but what tell you is monseigneur'
y will about me-"
Z He looked hard at her "You lov
himT he asked
Y "As my life, and more" said Soph
simply.
At last Dunstanbury ceased to loo
Z at her. He laid his elbows on the bal
Elements and stood there, his eye
roaming over the lake In the valley
the mountains beyond. Sophy left hi
d side and began to walk slowly up an
's down the rugged, uneven. overgrow