Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-04-11

risk her reputation by paying a late
visit unchaperoned to him at his hunt
Ing lodge in the woods? You are, after
all, very poor Judge of character If
You dream that we shall see her there"
II shall see her, your majesty, and
you will see her unless the madness
you call love has blinded the eyes Of
your body as well as the eyes of your
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. I'll
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 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 l 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 CURLY,
"and pray understand now, IL 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
perious as 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
meter. yet he could play the part Of
the faithful servant, humbly loyal
through injustice and misunderstand-
Ing, and he played 1t 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 arch
of the Buchenwald Leopold spoke
again.
You have led me to suppose that
our call at the hunting lodge will be
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 are on such friendly !
terms, your majesty, that he didn't !
mind confessing he was to have a pref |
" actress ms his guest. He also an.
swered a few questions | asked con.
corning her freely and frankly. for to 7
do so he had TO tell me only what the .
world knows. How could he dream !
that the fiirtations or the visits of q |
Miss Jenny Brett could be of the |
slightest importance TO the emperor Of I
Rhaetia? Had he guessed. however,
that the entertainment he meant TO
offer her might be interrupted natural.
ly he would have taken some means 10
protect her from annoyance"
This nights work will give him
cause 10 pick a private quarrel with
me II he likes" said the emperor. con.
WINGED Of the chancellor's good faith.
II don't think he will choose. your
You are In a mood to be glad
II he did, fear. But, no: need not
fear. You will always remember Rhae.
tia and put her interests before your
own wishes"
You weren't as confident Of that a
few hours ago"
Even then I knew that when the
real test should be applied your mai.
nsty's cool head would triumph over
The hot impulse Of youth. But. see:
we're passing through the village Of
fast asleep already, every
dark. In sir or seven minutes
II this speed we shall he at the lodge
The emperor laughed shortly. add
smother seven minutes to your first
seven and we shall he out Of the lodge
lgain. with Chancellor Won Breitstein
! sadder and a wiser man than be
went tn"
Weakness was once more the part
or the old man to play. and. raising
Liz hands. psim upward. in a gesture
4 generous indulgence for his young
'overeIgn. he denied himself the pleas
ne Of retor1.