Part 19 (2/2)

”Ay, I follow you”

”We ht--”

”I did,” said he

”Your cursed acuteness told you what I should do Well, leave me here a week--and there's another problem for you Do you find the answer?”

”Yes, I find it,” he answered, frowning heavily ”But if you did that, you'd have to fight me first--and kill me”

”Well, and if I had--or a score of men? I tell you, I could raise all Strelsau on you in an hour, and choke you with your lies--yes, your ospel truth,” he said--”thanks to my advice you could”

”I could ether to--”

”I' it, lad,” said he

”Then, in God's nao to Zenda and crush this Michael and bring the King back to his own again” The old fellow stood and looked at me for full a minute

”And the princess?” he said

I bowed ers and my lips

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and his voice sounded husky as he whispered low inof the's servant Coht him by the hand And the eyes of both of us et

CHAPTER 11

Hunting a Very Big Boar

The terrible te me will now be understood

I could so force Michael's hand that heI was in a position to bid hirasp on the crown--not for its own sake, but because the King of Ruritania was to wed the Princess Flavia What of Sapt and Fritz? Ah! but a man cannot be held to write down in cold blood the wild and black thoughts that storm his brain when an uncontrolled passion has battered a breach for them Yet, unless he sets up as a saint, he need not hate himself for the thanks that power to resist was vouchsafed to hiht and extort an unwilling hospitality frohtwhen I walked, unattended, to the princess's house, carrying a nosegay in my hand Policy made excuses for love, and every attention that I paid her, while it riveted reat city, orshi+pped her I found Fritz's inaarden for her mistress's wear, and prevailed on her to take irl was rosy with happiness, for Fritz, in his turn, had not wasted his evening, and no dark shadow hung over his wooing, save the hatred which the Duke of Strelsau was known to bear him

”And that,” she said, with a mischievous smile, ”your Majesty has made of no moment Yes, I will take the flowers; shall I tell you, sire, what is the first thing the princess does with the the back of the house, and aabove our heads stood open

”Madame!” cried the countess merrily, and Flavia herself looked out I bared own, and her hair was loosely gathered in a knot She kissed her hand to :