The Washington herald., 1919-10-06


bearing and Of good report A queen
sweet and beautiful, but abhorring
those who. in the least. digress from
the straight and narrow path. and
intent above all else. in preserving
her own immaculate purity.
The Lady Of the Bedchamber, Count
ess Irrna Won Wildenort, daughter of
noble sire, who spent his life in
improving his domains and serving his
neighbors, but who lived alone and
self-centered. leaving his children TO
grow up with little of his advice and
not too much expression OF his affec-
ton. DR.. Gunther. physician TO the
queen. a man straightforward and
truthful. whose wife and daughters
never appeared at court
There, with Countess Brinkinstein,
the high-priestess OF etiquette and de-
corum: Bruno. Countess Irma's broth
er. and others, who appear less promi-
nently, were the characters, the inter
ninglfng Of whose lives furnishes a
story Of the expiating of sin. full of
warning TO those who are on the brink
1of wrongdoing and replete with sug-
Gestion to the self-sancti6ed
The story opens with the birth OF a
prince in the royal household. A nurse
from the Highlands is found m WAL
purga wife of Hansai. an humble
peasant whom the queen kissed upon
her arrival. and this being so contrary
to the etiquette Of the court is taken
up by the scandal monEers and re-
corded IN the newspapers. offending
the king and awakening his thought
that the queen Is weak and sentinnen-
tai
Countess 1rma, because OF her on
cial position. has access at all times
to the young princes apartments, and
II is soon apparent that she is fast
attaining royal favor. One day the
king lays his hand upon hers and
looks al her in such a manner that
Walpurga tells her il is improper. but
is advised to attend to her own affairs.
and the countess, writing 10 a friend.
boasts that the king prefers her above
all others. and that he has given her
feather from an eagle that he shot
Later. when they are alone to-
Eether, the King asks the countess.
| if when they are by themselves he
may call her his true comrade"
and makes remarks implying that
the Queen and he are not in closest
harmonS
The devotion Of his wife. how
ever, is abundantly attested by a
mighty struggle through which
she passes. She was a Protestant
and the King a Catholic and out uI
/ lo.e to him she resolves to give
up her religion. but instead OF
pleasing his Majesty. this only
makes him angry because he takes
II to be another token OF her weak
ness. and he gets DR.. Gunther to
dissuade her from such a course. He
also sends flowers every day to
Countess Irma. who is flattered. but
away down in her heart she is Of
Tended, and she writes her friend
that she feels herself altogether
alone in the world.
Socn after this the King goes on
hunting trip and he asks the
Queen to have the countess write
TO him about the baby prince. The
Queen begins to be suspicious OF
her husband and the scandal con
cerninE the relations OF the King
and Irma increases.
In the midst of the turmoil the
countess is called home to her
father. but he and she did not un-
derstand each other. and when
the King and the ladies OF the court
requests that she return to them,
Irma after some hesitation complies.
and one day near a statue Of liberty
for which the countess was the
model. the King clasps her in his
arms and imprints the kiss Of
eternity" upon her lips. Later at a
ball he tells her that she is beau
tiful and that he loves her. and she
consoles herself with the thought
that the priest gave him to the
Queen but Nature gave him to her"
At an opportune moment her
brother Bruno tells lrma that her
actions are the talk OF the town
and the best way out of the matter
Is for her to get married. Col. Won
Bronnen, a noble courtier. proposes
to her, but is rejected, and the
countess begins to realize that: Tt
Is hell to be conscious OF guilt and
yet remain beside a pure and happy
creature"
In the meantime. walpurga COM
pletes her term of service, and be-
fore leaving for home calls upon
1rma, who gives her a bag OF gold
won at the gaming table the night
before.
lands. every one at first patronized
Walpurga and Hansai. but receiv-
ing no favors at their hands, the
people show that human nature Is
the same there as at court, for
they circulate all sorts Of scanda-
lous tales concerning them, but
when the happy couple purchase
an extensive freehold" the rood
wishes of all their old friends 20
with them to their new abode. At
this juncture. some one at court
writes to lrma's father. Informing
him that she is the Kings mis-
tress" and at the news he is fa-
tally stricken. but before he passes
away he presses his hand to his
daughters brow and she inter
prcts the act as setting, there the
mark of Cain and wears a ban
dage over IL forever after.
IrpIa is row in a terrible state
of mind ana when the King writes
to her: II alone can kiss away
the shadows that cloud your brow