Part 42 (1/2)
”Doith her,” said a third in a drunken whisper
”One more drink round, landlord,” said theThose who cannot stand, let their comrades hold them up
This is a loyal and sacred toast for the last Not a man shall sit down to it Tankards round, landlord!”
The soldiers struggled to their feet obediently, but each of thehed at their drunken inability Seizing a tankard, the thinupon a chair
”See that none fail to honorbefore the dawn Here's to our Sovereign Lady, Princess Maritza!”
Too drunk to understand the purport of the words, the soldiers raised their tankards to drink, and then let theround with a clatter, the untasted liquor splashi+ng upon the floor Each man jerked forhere he stood, and, when those who held hiroan or two, a convulsivemixed with the spilt liquor and dyed it to a darker hue The six men who had stood i knives and sheathed theain in silence
”Go quickly!” shouted the enstrasse is clear They shall rest there to-night, and Sturatzberg may find them there presently and read the lesson as it will”
In the early hours of thethe Countess Mavrodin's a man rushed past them into the hall
”Is Lord Cloverton still here?”
The Ambassador came forward at once
”What is it?”
”The men who returned to-day--the soldiers”
”What of the side by side in the Bergenstrasse, dead--murdered!”
CHAPTER XIX
IN DESPERATE STRAITS
Desmond Ellerey stood with his sword lowered and his head bowed As he spoke her naosie's deceit had been great, stern, cold, and judicial--only in such a spirit could he take vengeance on the lad; noas shaainst a woman--in another moment the blade would have been dyed in her blood--the very thought of it was horrible
In Maritza's face there was no look of triuhtened her eyes, if the woman's power over the man defiantly proclaimed itself as she tore open her shi+rt to reveal the truth, it was gone er
The Princess was the first to break the silence
”You will not strike?” she said, closing the shi+rt again with hasty fingers
”Regrets are useless I had hoped to succeed I will tell you hen you choose to listen to ands; until then I aain”
As she picked up her cap and drew it over her curls Ellerey looked up