Part 34 (2/2)
He gave a deep breath, and drew himself up to his full height--squared his shoulders, and then, as it were stood firm, as though waiting attack.
The King laughed good-naturedly, and took him by the arm.
”Tell me all you know, Von Glauben!” he said; ”I am acquainted with the gist and upshot of the matter,--namely, Humphry's marriage; but I am wholly ignorant of the details.”
”There is little to tell, Sir,” said Von Glauben;--”Of the Prince's constant journeyings to The Islands we were all aware long ago; but the cause of those little voyages was not so apparent. To avoid the suspicion with which a Royal visitor would be viewed, the Prince, it appears, a.s.sumed to be merely one of the junior officers on his own yacht,--and under this disguise became known and much liked by the Islanders generally. He fell in love at first sight with the beautiful girl your Majesty saw yesterday--Gloria; 'Glory-of-the-Sea'--as I sometimes call her, and they were married by the old parish priest in the little church among the rocks--the very church where, as her adopted father, Ronsard, tells me, he heard the choristers singing a 'Gloria in Excelsis' on the day he found her cast up on the sh.o.r.e.”
”Well!” said the King, seeing that he paused; ”And is the marriage legal, think you?”
”Perfectly so, Sir!” replied Von Glauben; ”Registered by law, as well as sanctified by church. The Prince tells me he married her in his own name,--but no one,--not even the poor little priest who married them,--knew the surname of your Majesty's distinguished house, and I believe,--nay I am sure--” here he heaved an unconscious sigh, ”it will bring a tragedy to the girl when she knows the true rank and t.i.tle of her husband!”
”How came _you_ to make her acquaintance? Tell me everything!--you know I will not misjudge you!”
”Indeed, Sir, I hope you will not!” returned the Professor earnestly;--”For there was never a man more hopelessly involved than myself in the net prepared for me by this romantic lover, who has the honour to be your son. In the first place, directly I heard this confession of marriage, I was for telling you at once; but as he had bound me by my word of honour before he began the story, to keep his confidence sacred, I was unable to disburden myself of it. He said he wanted to secure me as a friend for his wife. 'That,' said I firmly, 'I will never be! For there will be difficulty when all is known; and if it comes to a struggle between a pretty fishwife and the good of a king--ach!--mein Gott!--I am not for the fishwife!'”
The King smiled; and Von Glauben went on.
”Well, he a.s.sured me she was not a fishwife. I said 'What is she then?'
'I tell you,' he replied, 'she is an angel! You will come and see her; you will pa.s.s as an old friend of her sailor husband; and when you have seen her you will understand!' I was angry, and said I would not go with him; but afterwards I thought perhaps it would be best if I did, as I might be able to advise him to some wise course. So I accompanied him one afternoon in the past autumn to The Islands (he was married last summer) and saw the girl,--the 'Glory-of-the-Sea.' And I must confess to your Majesty, my heart went down before her beauty and innocence in absolute wors.h.i.+p! And if you were to kill me for it, I cannot help it--I am now as devoted to her service as I am to yours!”
”Good!” said the King gently;--”Then you must help me to console her in Humphry's absence!”
Professor Von Glauben's eyes opened widely, with a vague look of alarm.
”In his absence, Sir?”
”Yes! I am sending him abroad. He is quite willing to go, he tells me.
His departure will make all things perfectly easy for us. The girl must remain in her present ignorance as to the position of the man she has really married. The sailor she supposes him to be will accompany the Prince on his yacht,--and it must be arranged that he never returns! She is young, and will easily be consoled!”
Von Glauben was silent.
”_You_ will not betray the Prince's ident.i.ty with her lover,” went on the King, ”and no one else knows it. In fact, you will be the very person best qualified to tell her of his departure, and--in due time, of his fict.i.tious death!”
They were walking slowly under the heavy shadow of crossed ilex boughs,--and Von Glauben came to a dead halt.
”Sir,” he said, in rather unsteady accents; ”With every respect for your Majesty, I must altogether decline the task of breaking a pure heart, and ruining a young life! Moreover, if your Majesty, after all your recent experiences,”--and he laid great emphasis on these last words, ”thinks there is any ultimate good to be obtained by keeping up a lie, and practising a fraud, the lessons we have learned in these latter days are wholly unavailing! You began this conversation with me by speaking of a straight line of conduct, which should avoid other people's crooked curves. Is this your Majesty's idea of a straight line?”
He spoke with unguarded vehemence, but the King was not offended. On the contrary, he looked whimsically interested and amused.
”My dear Von Glauben, you are not usually so inconsistent! Humphry himself has kept up a lie, and practised a fraud on the girl----”
”Only for a time!” interrupted the Professor hastily.
”Oh, we all do it 'only for a time.' Everything--life itself--is 'only for a time!' You know as well as I do that this absurd marriage can never be acknowledged. I explained as much to Humphry; I told him he could guard himself by the morganatic law, provided he would consent to a Royal alliance immediately--but the young fool swore it would be bigamy, and took himself off in a huff.”
”He was right! It would be bigamy;--it _is_ bigamy!”, said the Professor; ”Call it by what name you like in Court parlance, the act of having two wives is forbidden in this country. The wisest men have come to the conclusion that one wife is enough!”
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