Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-06-09

mind. That she is now at the lodge ]
know, for the prince assured me with
his own lips that she had promised to
motor out alone with him and dine"
You mean he told you that his
friend the actress had promised. III
stake my life even he didn't dare to
say Miss Mowbray."
HE said Miss Brett, the actress. it's
true, but when he called upon her at
her hotel, where he and l met to dis
cuss a matter which is no secret to
your majesty, he asked for Miss Now
bray. And the message that came
down heard. 1t was that Miss Now
bray would be delighted to see his
royal highness. This left no doubt in
my mind that after giving out that she
would leave today the lady had re-
mained in Kronburg for the express
purpose Of meeting her dear friend the
prince, the handsomest and best dress
ed young man In Europe-after your
majesty, Of course. And it was quite
natural for her to hope that, as she was
supposed to be gone and you were fol-
lowing her, this evenings escapade
would never be discovered
"Please spare me your deductions,
chancellor" said the emperor curtly,
land pray understand now, If you
have not understood before, that am
with you in this expedition not to
prove you right, but wrong, and moth
ing you can say will convince me that
the princes actress and Miss Mowbray
are one. If we find woman at the
hunting lodge 1t will not be the lady
We seek unless she has been kidnapped,
and as you will presently be obliged
to eat every word you've spoken the
fewer such bitter pills you provide for
yourself to swallow the better"
Thus snubbed by the young man
whom he had held in his arms, an i'm
perlous us well as an imperial infant,
the old statesman sought sanctuary In
silence. But he had said that which
had been in his mind to say, and he
was satisfied. Meekness was not his
metler, yet he could play the part Of
the faithful servant, humbly loyal
through injustice and misunderstand-
Ing, and he played it now, because he
knew 1t to be the one effective role.
He sat beside the emperor with bowed
head and STOPPING shoulders which
suggested the weakness Of old age, his
hands clasped before him, and from
time to time he sighed patiently.
AS they glided under the dark arcn
Of the Buchenwald Leopold spoke
again.
"You have led me to suppose that
our call at the hunting lodge will be a
surprise visit to the prince. That Is
the case, isn't it?''
Count Won Breitstein would have pre-
ferred that the question had not been
asked. He had intended to convey the
impression which the emperor had re-
ceived, but he had not clothed it In
actual statement. Luckily the prince
was as clever as he was good looking,
and he could be trusted as an actor
otherwise the old man would have
been still more reluctant to commit
himself.
"Were our visit expected we should
not be likely to find the lady," said he
''The prince and l are on such friendly
terms. your majesty, that he didn't
mind confessing he was to have pret
ty actress as his guest. He also an
swered a few questions asked con
cerning her freely and frankly, for to
do 80 he had to tell me only what the
world knows. How could he dream
that the fiirtations or the visits OF a
Miss Jenny Brett could be OF the
slightest Importance to the emperor OF
Rhaetla? Had he guessed, however
that the entertainment he meant to
offer her might be interrupted natural
" he would have taken some means to
protect her from annoyance"
This nights work Will give him
cause to pick private quarrel with
me II he likes" said the emperor. con
vinced Of the chancellors good faith.
81 don't think he will choose, your
majesty. You are in mood to be glad
If he did, fear. But, no; need moi
fear. You will always remember Rhae
tia and put her interests before your
own wishes"
"You weren't as confident Of that q
few hours ago."
Even then I knew that when the
real test should be applied your maj
esty's cool head would triumph ovei
the hot impulse Of youth. But, see
we're passing through the village OF
Inseleden, fast asleep already, every
| window dark. In six or seven minutes
at this speed we shall be at the lodge.
The emperor laughed shortly. add
another seven minutes to your first
seven and we shall be out Of the lodge
again, with Chancellor Won BreitsteiI
a sadder and a wiser man than he
went in."
Meekness was once more the par
| for the old man to play, and. raising
his hands, palm upward, in gesture
of generous indulgence for his younl
sovereign, he denied himself the pleas
ure Of ret0rt.
The hunting lodge in the wood, now
| the property Of the chancellor's &c
commodating young friend, had unit
recently belonged to Rhaetian semi
royal prince who had been compelled
by lack of sympathy among his cred
itors to sell something and had prompt
ly sold the thing he cared for least
The present owner was keen sports
man and, though he came seldom tt
the place. had spent a good deal OF
4 money in repairing the quaint rustic
house.
Years had passed since the emperor
had done more than pass the lodge
gates, and now the outlines Of the low
rambling structure looked strange t.
him silhouetted against spanglet
sky. He was glad Of this, for he hat
spent some joyous days here as boy
] and he wished to separate the old i'm