The Washington herald., 1914-11-29
(copyisht viL.)

=. countess OIdSd-uiOuShS VI
course, / was aware, in common
with all well-informed students of
contemporary politics, of the pas
sion which she had inspired in the
Young King of Servia-when l
I was astonished by receiving one
day a private letter from her, i'm
ploring me to come to Belgrade at
once to advise her on a matter of
the highest importance.
:. l lost no time in obeying the
summons.
1t was in the courtyard garden
of an old stone-walled Servian
house-more like a fortified farm
house than a private mansion-that
the revelation which was so soon
to startle the capitals of Europe
burst on my ears.
A fountain FLASHED into marble
basin strewn with rose leaves, and
the faint scent of myrtle and lem
on blossoms came from the curtain
of shrubs which screened the gate
way in the thick gray wall The
beautiful woman whose name was
the object of maledictions through
out a continent, reclined on a low
couch heaped with Oriental cush-
ions, and fixed her dark eyes on
me with a tragic intensity of ap-
peal, as she confessed her secret:
Alexander has asked me to be
his consort.
y I did not succeed in quite con-
. cealing the astonishment with
which heard this piece of news,
as vet unsuspected by Europe, and
ior which my friend Baron Roths
child would gladly have paid 10o,-
900 francs.
q refused him." the countess
added; 81 have refused him not
once but twice, yet he persists"
Kings ought to marry kings
children" | observed, as she SEEM
cd to wait for some expression of
opinion from me.
THAT is what l have told Alex
ander; and he has sworn upon the
crucifix in my presence that he will
marry only me"
Leave Servia. Spend year on
the Riviera-or in Paris-and he
may change his resolution"
The Servian's reply startled me.
Il cannot. At this moment l am
under secret arrest"
Under arrest"
., You forget that Alexander has
made himself master, and that rea-
sons of state cover a great deal in
Servia which they would not COW
or in France"
Twas staggered. A stranger Sit
uation had never encountered IN
all my strange experience.
He holds you prisoner until
YOU consent to become his queen!
Till 1 become his queen" she
corrected.
l sat still for a minute, consid-
cring. The chancelleries and the
public of Europe would never be-
lieve this story. They would think,
they were already thinking and
saving, that the countess was an
adventures, Turing the young King
TO his ruin.
There is one very simple solu-
tion," l said at last. Il will ar
range your escape"
"Impossible!' p she sighed.
The lovely Servian lowered her
glance, and began picking rose to
pieces with her delicate fingers.
He is my King" she murmur-
ed. He is the last of the dynasty
of Obrenovitch, which my family
have served faithfully for a hun
dred years. The one thing which
alarms me most in the whole situa-
ton is that l have been urged to
accept the Kings hand by Col.
Masileff."
Col. Masileff?"
:''Who is understood to be the
secret head of the party in favor of
Prince Peter Karageorgevitch."
| now understood the serious
ness of the affair, since it was clear
that whatever step was favored by
the supporters of the Karageorge-
witch claimant must be fraught
with some danger to the Obreno-
witch.
= rs Alexander aware of this
tact?"
81 have told him, but he consid-
ers it an excuse on my part. Per-
haps, if YOU were to warn him, he
might listen to you"
| did not much relish the task
of forcing my advice on head
strong youth intoxicated with love
and sovereignty. In the end l de-
cided to return from Belgrade
through Switzerland, and take an
opportunity of finding out some