Part 6 (2/2)

”Your pardon, my lord,” he said; ”your form of address was so new and unexpected, it for the moment bound my tongue.”

The old man bowed. ”I think I understand, Sire,” he said, with a smile that, for an instant, softened amazingly his stern face. ”Yet, believe me, one says it to you very naturally”-and his glance strayed deliberately to the wall opposite, where hung a small copy of the Great Henry's portrait in the uniform of the Red Huzzars. ”It is very wonderful,” he commented;-”and I fancy it won you instant favor and, even now, may be, makes us willing to accept you as our King. Sometimes, Your Majesty, sentiment dominates even a nation.”

”Then I trust sentiment will be content with the physical resemblance and not examine the idol too closely.”

The Count smiled again; this time rather coldly.

”The first duty of a king is to look like one,” he said; ”and sentiment demands nothing else;” and, with placid insistence, he laid the proclamation on the table beside Armand.

The latter picked it up and read it-and put it down.

”My lord,” he said, ”I prefer not to exercise any prerogative of kings.h.i.+p until the Royal Council has examined the Book of Laws and confirmed my t.i.tle under the decrees.”

The faded blue eyes looked at him contemplatively.

”I a.s.sumed there was no question as to the Succession,” he remarked.

”Nor did I mean to intimate there was,” Armand answered.

”Then, with all respect, Sire, I see no reason why you should not sign the proclamation.”

Armand shook his head. ”May be I am foolish,” he said; ”but I will not a.s.sume the government until after the Council to-morrow-it will do no harm to delay the proclamation for a few hours. And, in the interim, you will oblige Her Royal Highness and me by keeping this key, which she removed from King Frederick's watch chain, but a moment before you came.”

The Count nodded and took the key.

”I recognize it,” he replied. ”I know the lock it opens.”

”Good,” said Armand; ”the box is at the Palace, and doubtless you also know what it contains. For reasons you may easily appreciate, I desire to avoid any imputation that the Book has been touched since His Majesty's demise. You will produce this key at the meeting to-morrow, explaining how and where you got it; and then, in the presence of the Council, I shall open the box and if, by the Laws of the Dalbergs, I am Head of the House, I will enter into my heritage and try to keep it.”

The Prime Minister got up; gladness in his heart, though his face was quite impa.s.sive. He had come in doubt and misgiving; he was easy now-here was a man who led, a man to be served; he asked no more-he was content.

”I understand,” he said; ”the proclamation can wait;” then he drew himself to his full height. ”G.o.d save Your Majesty!” he ended.

III THE ROYAL COUNCIL

Count Epping was the last of the five Ministers to arrive at the Council, the following morning. He came in, a few minutes before the hour, acknowledged with grave courtesy, but brief words, the greetings of the others, and when his secretary had put his dispatch box on the table he immediately opened it and busied himself with his papers. It was his way-and none of them had ever seen him otherwise; but now there seemed to be a special significance in his silence and preoccupation.

The failure of the Court Journal to appear that morning had broken a custom that ante-dated the memory of man, and the information which was promptly conveyed to the Ministers that it was delayed until evening, and by the personal order of the Prime Minister, had provoked both amazement and expectancy. It could mean only that the paper was being held for something that must be in that day's issue, and as they had promptly disclaimed to one another all responsibility, the inference was not difficult that it had to do with the new King's first proclamation.

”The Count was at the Castle last evening,” Duval, the War Minister, had remarked, ”and I a.s.sumed it was to submit the proclamation and have it signed.”

Baron Retz, the Minister of Justice, shrugged his shoulders.

”May be you a.s.sumed correctly,” he remarked.

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