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The Baron coldly heard the passionate avowal through to the end. "And the Princess Phaedra?" he begged formally. "What of her? What of the marriage that is to dissolve the bitter feud of a century between Houdania and Galituria, this marriage to which already you are informally bound?" "It is nothing to me. I shall marry Miss Westfall." "So!" The Baron matched his heavy fingertips. "So!
"Theodomir, Miss Westfall, was a lovable, willful, over-democratic young crown prince of Houdania who, many years ago, refused the responsibilities of a royal position whose pomp and pretensions he despised quoting Buddha and fled to America where in the course of time he married, divorced his wife and later died incognito.
There had been intrigue and dishonor of a sort in the letter to Houdania, but not this Oh, God! not this horrible, beckoning Circe with infamous eyes and scarlet robes luring him to the uttermost pit of the black Inferno. But Diane had flashed and mocked him as a child when he was sensitive and lonely. She had always mocked the memory of his mother.
"Why did you serve in my cousin's house without the knowledge of the Baron?" "If if the secret was harmful to Houdania," blurted Themar desperately, spurred to confession by the clank of the metal in Carl's hand, "I I could sell the paper to Galituria!" The nature of the admission was totally unexpected. Carl whistled softly. "Ah!" said he, raising expressive eyebrows.
"Curvilinear grace is all very well but " "Shut up!" said Sherrill viciously. "Have you ever met this king-pin I'm exploiting?" "I've seen him," said Car. "Once when he was riding up the mountain road to Houdania with a brilliant escort and one er other time. Think I told you I'd spent a month or so in a Houdanian monastery several years ago, didn't I, Dick?" "Yes," said Dick. "That's why I asked.
The candlestick loomed strangely forth from the still grayness; the bottle took form; the yellowed paper glimmered on the table. Carl stirred and a spasm of mirthless laughter shook him. "So," he said, "Philip Poynter loses and I I write to Houdania!" So from the bottle rose a phantom of glittering gold and temptation to grow in time to a wraith of gigantic proportions.
For every letter in the alphabet, four symbols had been used interchangeably but whether they pointed up or down or right or left, their significance was the same. There were no word divisions. When at last Ronador's frantic message to the Baron lay before him, Carl was grateful for the quiet monastery days in Houdania with Father Joda. They had given him an inkling of the language.
"What did he hope to gain by writing to Houdania?" asked the girl a little bitterly. "Money!" said Philip firmly. "He fancied he could frighten them and put a heavy price upon his silence. Later when his letter to Houdania was ignored he altered his plans. If he could prove that you were the daughter of Theodomir and not of Norman Westfall then the great estate of his uncle would revert to him.
"There was always tradition " she reminded. Ronador's reply was sincere and gallant. Diane was lovelier than any princess, he said, and in Houdania, tradition had been replaced years back by a law which granted freedom. "Though to be sure," he added bitterly, "each generation seeks to break it. Tregar tried, urging me persistently for diplomatic reasons to take a wife of his choosing.
Smiling, the ancient Greek at the Baron's elbow unmasked, to show the cheerful face of Mr. Poynter. "Prince," said Mr. Poynter, "I sincerely trust I have made no error in transcribing the Regent's Hymn for our excellent musicians. Having heard it so many times in your presence in Houdania, I could not well forget.
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