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Young Rupert, who looked a dare-devil, and could not have been more than twenty-two or twenty-three, took the lead, and made us the neatest speech, wherein my devoted subject and loving brother Michael of Strelsau, prayed me to pardon him for not paying his addresses in person, and, further, for not putting his Castle at my disposal; the reason for both of these apparent derelictions being that he and several of his servants lay sick of scarlet fever, and were in a very sad, and also a very infectious state.

"I have known better men than the duke do worse things than that for love." I could quite appreciate the remark, but I said: "There's something beside love, Marshal. Love's for the heart; is there nothing my brother might like for his head?" "I pray that you wrong him, sire." "Marshal, I'm leaving Strelsau for a few days. Every evening I will send a courier to you.

Fortunately the night, fine where we were, was wet and stormy at Strelsau; thus there were few people in the streets, and he was able to gain the door of my house still unremarked. Here, of course, a danger presented itself.

"And," I suggested, "while the King is here in Strelsau, on his throne, what grievance has he against his dear brother Michael?" "Are we to do nothing, then?" "We're to do nothing stupid," growled Sapt. "In fact, Fritz," said I, "I am reminded of a situation in one of our English plays The Critic have you heard of it? Or, if you like, of two men, each covering the other with a revolver.

Thus a great stir grew in all Strelsau, and men stood about the street gossiping when they should have gone to work, while women chattered in lieu of sweeping their houses and dressing their children.

"Since a cottage was not too small, a palace will not be too large," said he, catching her in his arms. Thus the heart of Princess Osra found its haven and its rest; for a month later she was married to the Grand Duke of Mittenheim in the cathedral of Strelsau, having utterly refused to take any other place for her wedding.

He came up, holding out his hand delicately gloved in pearl-gray kid, for young Anton was a leader of the Strelsau dandies. "Ah, my dear Fritz!" said he. "I am glad I hold no appointment at court. How dreadfully active you all are! I thought you were settled at Zenda for a month?" "The queen changed her mind suddenly," said I, smiling. "Ladies do, as you know well, you who know all about them."

James kept silence for a few minutes. Then he observed, "It will be very awkward to explain how the king was killed." "The story will need good telling," admitted Sapt. "And it will be difficult to make it appear that the king was killed in Strelsau; yet if my master should chance to be killed in Strelsau " "Heaven forbid, James! On all grounds, Heaven forbid!"

"The drunken dog!" he said; "but he's an Elphberg and the son of his father, and may I rot in hell before Black Michael sits in his place!" For a moment or two we were all silent; then Sapt, knitting his bushy grey brows, took his pipe from his mouth and said to me: "As a man grows old he believes in Fate. Fate sent you here. Fate sends you now to Strelsau."

For he chose to assume that the king had ridden to meet him out of excessive graciousness and courtesy towards the Grand Duke; so that he began, to the impatient king's infinite annoyance, to make a very long and stately speech, assuring his majesty of the great hope and joy with which his master awaited the result of the embassy; for, said he, since the king was so zealous in his cause, his master could not bring himself to doubt of success, and therefore most confidently looked to win for his bride the most exalted and lovely lady in the world, the peerless Princess Osra, the glory of the court of Strelsau, and the brightest jewel in the crown of the king, her brother.