Part 30 (1/2)
CHAPTER XX.
IN WHICH ”HIS MAJESTY” EXHIBITS THE EMOTIONS OF A ROYAL BOSOM, AND MRS. RUSSELL IS DAZZLED BY A BRILLIANT PROSPECT.
On the following morning there was great excitement in Mrs. Russell's room. This was caused by one of the female attendants, who had come with the announcement that they were to be honored in a short time by a visit from ”His Majesty the King.”
”The King!” exclaimed Mrs. Russell, as soon as Dolores had translated this. ”What King? Who is he?”
”The King!” said Dolores. ”He can only be one--one single person--Don Carlos--King Charles.”
”King!” cried Mrs. Russell, ”and coming here! Oh dear! what shall I do? And my dresses! and my jewels! and my toilet articles! Oh, what ever--ever--ever will become of poor me!”
”Oh, auntie, it is useless to think of that,” said Katie. ”You are a prisoner, and no one knows that so well as the 'King,' as he calls himself.”
Mrs. Russell, however, felt different, and continued her lamentations until ”His Majesty” himself appeared. Great was their surprise at finding this exalted personage to be no other than their Carlist chief; but they felt still greater surprise when ”His Majesty” began to address them in English, with an accent which, though foreign, was still familiar.
”We have called, ladies,” said he, with a magnificent bow, ”to wish yez all a good-marnmin', an' to ax afther yer healths.”
The ladies murmured some reply which was not very intelligible, in which, however, the words ”Your Majesty” occurred quite frequently.
”His Majesty” now seated himself upon the only seat in the room, namely, an oaken bench, and then, with a wave of his royal hand, said:
”Be sated, ladies, be sated. Let's waive all farrums an' cirimonies, an' howld conversation like frinds. _Be_ sated, we beg; it's our r'y'l will, so it is.”
The ladies looked at one another in meek embarra.s.sment. There was nothing for them to sit on except the rough couches where they had slept; and finally, as there was nothing else to be done, they sat there, Mrs. Russell being nearest to ”His Majesty,” while Katie and Dolores sat farther away, side by side, holding one another's hands, and looking very meek and demure indeed.
”On sich occasions as these,” said ”His Majesty,” ”we love to dhrop all coort cirimonial, an' lave behind all our bodygyards, an' n.o.bles, an' barr'ns, an' chamberlains, an' thim fellers, an' come in to have a chat like a private gintleman.”
”Oh, 'Your Majesty!'” said Mrs. Russell, in a languis.h.i.+ng tone, ”how very, very nice it must be!”
”It is that, bedad; that's thrue for you,” said ”His Majesty.” ”An'
sure it's meself that's the proud man this day at findin' that yez can put a thrue interpretation on our r'y'l Majesty.”
”Ah, sire,” sighed Mrs. Russell, whose eyes fell in shy embarra.s.sment before the dazzling gaze of ”His Majesty.”
”Ax,” resumed ”His Majesty,” ”that seemed like thrayson to our r'y'l person have unfortunately compilled us to detain yez; but we hope it 'll be all right, an' that ye'll be all well thraited. We thrust we'll be able to come to terrunos av a satisfactory character.”
A murmur followed from Mrs. Russell.
”Aifairs av state,” continued ”His Majesty,” ”doesn't allow us to give full an' free play to that jaynial timpiramint that's our chafe an' layding fayture. It's war toime now, so it is, an' our r'y'l moind's got to be harsh, oystayre, an' onbinding. War wid our raybellious subjix compile us to rayjuice thim to obejience by farree av arrums.”
”An' now, madame an' ladies,” continued ”His Majesty,” after a brief pause, ”I hope yez won't feel alarrumed at what I'm going to say nixt. Ye see, our Prime Ministher has conveyed to our r'y'l ear charges against your worthy husband av a traysonable nature.”
”My husband!” exclaimed Mrs. Russell. ”What! my John? Oh!”
”Yis,” said ”His Majesty.” ”I'm towld that he's been pa.s.sing himself off as Lord John Russell, the Prime Ministher av England, an' as the spicial amba.s.sador exthraardinary from our r'y'l cousin, the Quane av England, to invistigate the state av affairs in Spain, wid an' oi to raycognition av our r'y'l claims. As such we've honored him wid an'
aujence, an' communicated to him siviral state saycrits av a highly important nature. At that toime he wint an' he tuk onjew advantage av our confidince to desayve our r'y'l moind. Upon the discovery av this offince I felt the kaynist sorrow, not for him, ladies, but for you; an' it's for your sakes that I now come here, to a.s.sure you av my tinder sympathy, an' also to ax about the fax. Is he Lord John Russell?”
Mrs. Russell had at first felt ready to faint at this woful disclosure, but she felt the eye of majesty resting on her, and she saw something there that rea.s.sured her. She afterward told Katie, in confidence, that she could understand exactly how Queen Esther had felt when Ahasuerus held out his sceptre.
”Ah, sire!” she replied. ”Oh, Your Most Gracious Majesty! He isn't quite a lord, sire, it's true, but he's a gentleman.”