The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-15
IAN-.AIASE

y, really true that father and Uncle Raoul have had row and that the Marvilion people won't come here this summer?"
 Evadne's face changed. She did not like to think of the bad understanding between her brother Boris and his devoted friend Raoul, Grand Duke of Marvilion.
 The romantic marriage of Raoul vop Bo remar, formerly nicknamed ''The Swash- buckler" with Edmee, Grand Duchess of Marvilicn in her own right had been the cause of the greatest delight to his cousin and friend, Boris, who at the same time married the King of Lascania's only daugh- ter.
 The Swashbuckler, having outgrown his reckless youth, proved an ideal ruler, Un- der him Marvilion, smallest and least pow erful of the three countries, forged ahead and prospered exceedingly.
 The point was that the law of succession in Lascania excluded the female line Boris thought that as he had married the King of Lascanias only daughter one of his sons, if not himself, ought to be king of that country. The subjects of the Swashbuckler did not see it. Marvilion lies between Las cania and Kiistria, and with those two countries joined over her head Maryili ,n must soon be reduced to vassalage. They determined that Marvilion and Lascania should be joined, and that their grand duke, the adored Swashbuckler, should rule over both.
 Since the great war Lascania was quite ready to accept this arrangement. The Swashbuckler had joined the cause of the allies from the first against the central pow CTS, and had led victoriously into the field his own splendidly equipped little army and that of Lascania.
 Boris of Kilistria, on the other hand, had remained neutral until it was quite clear on which side victory was to be. Then he de- clared war, too late to be of service to the allies, but by no means too late to incur the spite of Nordernreich. Boris felt that his politics had been failure.
 
 The hotel at Veros, after it's winter clos ing, was not thrown open. Whitewashers and painters had been at work, wood had been vanished, flower boxes filled. The fat red duvets, after being aired in the sum- shine for week, had been pumped up on all the snowy beds, little as it seemed that the prevailing weather conditions made their use probable.
 Rastitch, the prosperous owner of the Kron Prinz, stood out in the white road which flowed past the old hostelry upon the landward side with the air of one ex- pecting guests. He was smoking a pipe and chatting with a group of walters, who loiinged about the porch, making the most of the leisure of which there would be so little in the course of the next three months. His wife sat knitting beneath the roses which clustered over the trellis.
 sT have been fearing lean season." mino host was saying, 'for the war taxes have come hard upon us all. But our king seems to have done the right thing after all in letting these Norderners come back into his favor. Twenty rooms taken for ths space of a month In the ambassadors name! It is good indeed! By the way, must not forget to speak to Mistitch when l see him of the matter of private passes"
 Private passesv' echoed his wife.
 "The young gentleman, Won Reulenz, who came to engage the rooms, said he supposed the king would not refuse passes for the members of the embassy to enter the grounds as Floremar at their pleasure. will tell him l doubt it much. Myself do not believe it will be permitted while the princess Evadne is at Water Gate. Since her betrothal. to the young Pannonian king and its sad end she has liked to lead her life so very private"
 "You can hardly wonder at that" sighed his wife, shaking her head as she turned the foot of huge stocking.
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