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"Yes," said Tregar sadly, "Themar was a traitor." "I told him much," said Ronador, great drops of moisture standing forth upon his forehead. "It seemed that I must, to make him understand the urgent need of silencing Granberry forever. He cabled the news to Galituria and sold it. I am ill and discouraged. There is fever in my blood, Tregar, from this climate of eternal summer a fever in my head "
"It is one way out," admitted Tregar, "and by that way lies war with Galituria." He fell silent, plucking at his beard. "I fancy," he said at last, "that you will not go back to the music-machine." "It was and is my only means of following her." "Do so again," said the Baron dryly, "and the American yellow papers shall blazon your identity to the world.
"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.
"My mother," said Themar sullenly, "was of Galituria. There is hatred there for Houdania a century's feud " "And you in the employ of the rival province hunting this to earth! What a mess what a mess!" Followed a battery of merciless questions punctuated by the diabolic clank of metal. Themar had been deputed solely to report to Baron Tregar "And murder me!" supplemented Carl curtly.
So must the baffling twist of a man's brain complicate the destiny of a kingdom. And Rodobald was hale at sixty-five and mad as the hare of March. There had been much talk of it. Singular, was it not? Followed a sparkling anecdote or so of court life and shrugging reference to the jealous principality of Galituria that lay beyond in the valley.
A king so mad that the affairs of a nation must be administered by a prince regent your father? Must you add to all this the disgrace of breaking faith with Galituria and plunging your country into war? Your father is an old man. With but his life and the life of an aging madman between you and the throne, it behooves you to walk with a full recognition of your future responsibilities.
It seemed that I must make one final desperate effort to make her understand " With the memory of the eyes of Diane and Philip flashing messages of utter trust that day beneath the trees, the Baron sighed. "Ronador," he said kindly, "it would have been in vain." "And now," Ronador moistened his pallid lips, "there is a rumble of war from Galituria."
Later still, Carl planned to sell the secret to the rival province of Galituria, but the net closed in so rapidly and he fell to drinking so heavily, that brain and body revolted and the first shadow of insanity whispered another way " "To murder me!" flashed the girl. For the first time there was warmth and color in her face. Philip was glad. He had struck fire from her stony calm at last.
'Son of a prince regent nephew of a king trundles a music-machine about to win a beautiful gypsy! And Galituria and the Princess Phaedra will read with interest." Then he blazed suddenly with one of his infrequent outbursts of passion, "Is it not enough to have Galituria laughing at a mad king whose claim to the throne by our laws may not be invalidated by his madness?
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!
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