The Spectator., 1916-04-07

brother-not of royal blood. but the bastard of serving woman--Freder- | ick, he is called. It may be within the purpose of my foster brother that that boy shall be brought up as the king, in case I, myself, should fall He is not fit to rule. He is not your king But signed hereunto Is the name and the seal, unmistakable, done in my blood and his, of your king, Michael the First, and of your future king, Michael the Second, my son. He is as yet toe young fully to know the gravity of these presents. But by this sign you shall know your ruler, shall these presents come to you, we'll be- loved.
 Tn the name of God, amen! Mi. chael, Rex"
 Below this signature of Michael the Good" said the measured voice of Count Frederick, there is another signature-'Michael the Second, Rex Gentlemen, there are two signatures to these scripts, and there are two seals"
 A sigh of wonder, almost of conster- nation, came from those assembled. The only protest was from the hud- died object in the farther corner of the room, where still remained Mi chael, the drunken.
 What then, the guard" he shrieked. Treason to me-after him, men! This pretender-what is it that he says? What proof has he?-what proof?"
 This proof, sir!" said Count Fred. orick, coldly, and approached to him the broad page of the parchment sheet.
 Michael gazed stupidly at what he saw, uncomprehending. Others gazed also, and at first could make nothing of what was there. Count Frederick went on:
 T recall now. as see this page" said he, "this writing of the king, my father-you hear me, gentlemen-my father!
 T recall that saw him place be- meath the great seal, that other seal done in his own blood. I saw him draw the blood from his own arm and put his thumb in it, and place 1t here, thus sealing this document with the unmistakable seal-the one alone which cannot show a mistaken iden- tity.
 And here, gentlemen, beneath that other line of signature, which you have heard and seen, there is another, smaller, a very small seal of a simi- lar sort! It is the print of human thumb-the thumb of boy, of baby "a baby then, a man now-who re- calls that scene vaguely. And here is the proof. Gentlemen, recall now, it was my father made this mark: but 1t was his great hands which took my little one and dipped my thumb in the blood which he drew from my arm, and set it here below that name which he has written, Michael the Second
 Gentlemen, who then is your king?'"
 Even yet they could not grasp the full significance of what they heard, and again the voice of Count Freder- lck resumed:
 Co, now, gentlemen, send out your agents quickly. Bring here those men Of science skilled in the reading of such things as these. It was Bertillon who developed that science of infalli- bio Identification. It was he who showed that each man carries with him. in his person, from his cradle to his grave, that unmistakable seal which identifies him infallibly.
 Now bring here your men of sci ence. Here is my hand as God made it, and as my father held it in his so many years ago. Small then-larger and stronger now! God grant it be strong enough today to do what my father did. and do it we'll. And may my mind have justice and liberty before 1t always, as those things were before his.
 "Gentlemen, you know the history of this kingdom as we'll as I. You know the long regency following the Gretzhoffen war. You know why that regency was established. Rumor was that King Michael died like a king. in his own bed. The truth was other wise. He was murdered here in the vault below by the men of his own foster brother.
 If that be true-and as God is my witness. believe it to be true-then we well may guess which boy was brought up under the regent to take the place of king. That was not my self-others. relatives of mine, reared me, as you know, until am what you know. And wonder man-this drunken | waster-not even the son of lawful wedlock. never tho son of queen | that man. he was the one accepted as your king! Treason. you say-why, there was treason to every human be- l ing who lived on Gretzhoffen soil. when that pretender took the throne! AS for you. sir." and he stepped over to lay an iron hand on the shoul- | der of the covering man who sank
 back upon his seat. your day is done.