Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-11-06
". a!
i CHAPTER THIRTEEN
:. -,
REAKFAST

6. ~
REAKFAST at Schloss
~ Lyndalberg was an in.
&S =. formal meal under the
reign Of Mechtllde.
Those who were socia.
bly, inclined appeared.
Those who loved not their species I'm.
til. the day was older ate in their
cooms.
Leopold had shown himself at the
table each morning, however, and set
the fashion. And the day after the
parting in the, garden he was earlier
even than usual. 1t was easy to be
early, as he had not been to bed that
night, but he had an extra incentive.
He could scarcely wait to see how
Helen Mowbray would meet him
whether she would still be cold or
whether sound advice from her mother
would have made her kind.
This was his last day at Lyndalberg.
BY his special request no programme
Of entertainment had been arranged,
and before coming down to breakfast
Leopold had been turning over in his
mind plan after plan for another
chance Of meeting the girl alone. He
had even written a letter, but had
torn 1t up because he was unable to
say on paper what was really in his
heart.
Breakfast passed, however, and when
she did not appear Leopold grew rest.
less. He did not ask for her before
the others, but when he and the baron
ess had strolled out together on the
terrace, where white peacocks spread
their jeweled tails. the emperor sought
some opportunity of bringing in the
name that filled his thoughts.
IL see the red October lilies are open
ing" he said. Miss Mowbray will be
interested. She tells me there's moth
ing like them in England"
'Ah. she has gone just too soon!'
sighed the baroness.
The emperor glanced quickly from
the mass of crimson flowers to his
hostess face. "Gone?" he repeated.
eyes," the baroness answered. '"They
must have reached Kronburg before
this. You know. they left their com.
panion there. Perhaps your majesty
did. not realize that they were leaving
here quite so early?"
He turned so white under the brown
/, tan the mountains had given that the
baroness was alarmed. She had taker
| Virginia's words as Virginia ha(
meant her to take them and therefore
supposed that formal farewell Of
some sort had been spoken. This i'm
preston did not prevent her from
guessing that there must have been &
misunderstanding, and she was tin
Cling with lively curiosity which sht
was obliged carefully to hide.
The romance which had been enact
ed under her eyes she believed to b,
largely of her own making, and, no
being bad hearted woman, she hat
grown fond of Virginia. She had ever
had pangs of conscience, and, though
she did not see the way for happ.
ending to the pretty drama. 1t dis
tressed her that the curtain should g,
down on sadness.
II did not know they were going a
ALL" Leopold answered frankly. will
ing to sacrifice his pride for the SAX,
Of coming quickly at the truth.
"Oh," exclaimed the baroness, II an
distressed! Miss Mowbray distinctly
said when begged that they would
wait, The emperor will understand
II do understand-now know they
have gone," he admitted. But Mis-:
Mowbray thinks she has some cause
Of complaint against me, and She:
mistaken. can't let such a mistake
go uncorrected. You say they must b,
at Kronburg before this. Are the.
staying on there?"
"l'm afraid not, your majesty. They
leave Kronburg for England today b!
the Orient express"
do you happen to remember a
what hour the train starts?''
II believe at 12."
Leopold pulled out his watch. 1t wa!
twenty minutes past IL. Forty times
sixty seconds and the girl would b,
gone!
The blood rushed to his face. Bar
ring accidents, he could catch her Il
he ordered his motor car and left a
once. But to cut short his visit a
Schloss Lyndalberg would be virtual.
to take the world into his secret. LIE
him allege important state business a
the capital If he chose, gossip would
still say that the girl had fed: that b.
had pursued her. The baroness knew
already. Others would chatter as Il
they knew. That was inevitable--if he
went.