There were four khaki-clad trumpeters from the Royal Horse Guards, the gay and resplendent uniforms which they should have donned today conspicuous2 for their absence. From their brazen3 bugles4 sounded another loud fanfare5, and then they separated, two upon each side of the aisle6, and between them marched three men.
One was tall, with gray eyes and had a reddish-brown beard. He was fully7 clothed in the coronation robes of Leopold. Upon his either hand walked the others—Lieutenant8 Butzow and a gray-eyed, smooth-faced, square-jawed stranger.
Behind them marched the balance of the Royal Horse Guards that were not already on duty within the cathedral. As the eyes of the multitude fell upon the man in the coronation robes there were cries of: "The king! Impostor!" and "Von der Tann's puppet!"
"Denounce him!" whispered one of Peter's henchmen in his master's ear.
The Regent moved closer to the aisle, that he might meet the impostor at the foot of the chancel steps. The procession was moving steadily9 up the aisle.
Among the clan10 of Von der Tann a young girl with wide eyes was bending forward that she might have a better look at the face of the king. As he came opposite her her eyes filled with horror, and then she saw the eyes of the smooth-faced stranger at the king's side. They were brave, laughing eyes, and as they looked straight into her own the truth flashed upon her, and the girl gave a gasp11 of dismay as she realized that the king of Lutha and the king of her heart were not one and the same.
At last the head of the procession was almost at the foot of the chancel steps. There were murmurs12 of: "It is not the king," and "Who is this new impostor?"
Leopold's eyes were searching the faces of the close-packed nobility about the chancel. At last they fell upon the face of Peter. The young man halted not two paces from the Regent. The man went white as the king's eyes bored straight into his miserable13 soul.
"Peter of Blentz," cried the young man, "as God is your judge, tell the truth today. Who am I?"
The legs of the Prince Regent trembled. He sank upon his knees, raising his hands in supplication14 toward the other. "Have pity on me, your majesty15, have pity!" he cried.
"Who am I, man?" insisted the king.
"You are Leopold Rubinroth, sire, by the grace of God, king of Lutha," cried the frightened man. "Have mercy on an old man, your majesty."
"Wait! Am I mad? Was I ever mad?"
"As God is my judge, sire, no!" replied Peter of Blentz.
Leopold turned to Butzow.
"Remove the traitor16 from our presence," he commanded, and at a word from the lieutenant a dozen guardsmen seized the trembling man and hustled17 him from the cathedral amid hisses18 and execrations.
Following the coronation the king was closeted in his private audience chamber19 in the palace with Prince Ludwig.
"I cannot understand what has happened, even now, your majesty," the old man was saying. "That you are the true Leopold is all that I am positive of, for the discomfiture20 of Prince Peter evidenced that fact all too plainly. But who the impostor was who ruled Lutha in your name for two days, disappearing as miraculously21 as he came, I cannot guess.
"But for another miracle which preserved you for us in the nick of time he might now be wearing the crown of Lutha in your stead. Having Peter of Blentz safely in custody22 our next immediate23 task should be to hunt down the impostor and bring him to justice also; though"—and the old prince sighed—"he was indeed a brave man, and a noble figure of a king as he led your troops to battle."
The king had been smiling as Von der Tann first spoke24 of the "impostor," but at the old man's praise of the other's bravery a slight flush tinged25 his cheek, and the shadow of a scowl26 crossed his brow.
"Wait," he said, "we shall not have to look far for your 'impostor,'" and summoning an aide he dispatched him for "Lieutenant Butzow and Mr. Custer."
A moment later the two entered the audience chamber. Barney found that Leopold the king, surrounded by comforts and safety, was a very different person from Leopold the fugitive27. The weak face now wore an expression of arrogance28, though the king spoke most graciously to the American.
"Here, Von der Tann," said Leopold, "is your 'impostor.' But for him I should doubtless be dead by now, or once again a prisoner at Blentz."
Barney and Butzow found it necessary to repeat their stories several times before the old man could fully grasp all that had transpired29 beneath his very nose without his being aware of scarce a single detail of it.
When he was finally convinced that they were telling the truth, he extended his hand to the American.
"I knelt to you once, young man," he said, "and kissed your hand. I should be filled with bitterness and rage toward you. On the contrary, I find that I am proud to have served in the retinue30 of such an impostor as you, for you upheld the prestige of the house of Rubinroth upon the battlefield, and though you might have had a crown, you refused it and brought the true king into his own."
Leopold sat tapping his foot upon the carpet. It was all very well if he, the king, chose to praise the American, but there was no need for old von der Tann to slop over so. The king did not like it. As a matter of fact, he found himself becoming very jealous of the man who had placed him upon his throne.
"There is only one thing that I can harbor against you," continued Prince Ludwig, "and that is that in a single instance you deceived me, for an hour before the coronation you told me that you were a Rubinroth."
"I told you, prince," corrected Barney, "that the royal blood of Rubinroth flowed in my veins31, and so it does. I am the son of the runaway32 Princess Victoria of Lutha."
Both Leopold and Ludwig looked their surprise, and to the king's eyes came a sudden look of fear. With the royal blood in his veins, what was there to prevent this popular hero from some day striving for the throne he had once refused? Leopold knew that the minds of men were wont33 to change most unaccountably.
"Butzow," he said suddenly to the lieutenant of horse, "how many do you imagine know positively34 that he who has ruled Lutha for the past two days and he who was crowned in the cathedral this noon are not one and the same?"
"Only a few besides those who are in this room, your majesty," replied Butzow. "Peter and Coblich have known it from the first, and then there is Kramer, the loyal old shopkeeper of Tafelberg, who followed Coblich and Maenck all night and half a day as they dragged the king to the hiding-place where we found him. Other than these there may be those who guess the truth, but there are none who know."
For a moment the king sat in thought. Then he rose and commenced pacing back and forth35 the length of the apartment.
"Why should they ever know?" he said at last, halting before the three men who had been standing36 watching him. "For the sake of Lutha they should never know that another than the true king sat upon the throne even for an hour."
He was thinking of the comparison that might be drawn37 between the heroic figure of the American and his own colorless part in the events which had led up to his coronation. In his heart of hearts he felt that old Von der Tann rather regretted that the American had not been the king, and he hated the old man accordingly, and was commencing to hate the American as well.
Prince Ludwig stood looking at the carpet after the king had spoken. His judgment38 told him that the king's suggestion was a wise one; but he was sorry and ashamed that it had come from Leopold. Butzow's lips almost showed the contempt that he felt for the ingratitude39 of his king.
Barney Custer was the first to speak.
"I think his majesty is quite right," he said, "and tonight I can leave the palace after dark and cross the border some time tomorrow evening. The people need never know the truth."
Leopold looked relieved.
"We must reward you, Mr. Custer," he said. "Name that which it lies within our power to grant you and it shall be yours."
Barney thought of the girl he loved; but he did not mention her name, for he knew that she was not for him now.
"There is nothing, your majesty," he said.
"A money reward," Leopold started to suggest, and then Barney Custer lost his temper.
A flush mounted to his face, his chin went up, and there came to his lips bitter words of sarcasm40. With an effort, however, he held his tongue, and, turning his back upon the king, his broad shoulders proclaiming the contempt he felt, he walked slowly out of the room.
Von der Tann and Butzow and Leopold of Lutha stood in silence as the American passed out of sight beyond the portal.
The manner of his going had been an affront41 to the king, and the young ruler had gone red with anger.
"Butzow," he cried, "bring the fellow back; he shall be taught a lesson in the deference42 that is due kings."
Butzow hesitated. "He has risked his life a dozen times for your majesty," said the lieutenant.
Leopold flushed.
"Do not humiliate43 him, sire," advised Von der Tann. "He has earned a greater reward at your hands than that."
The king resumed his pacing for a moment, coming to a halt once more before the two.
"We shall take no notice of his insolence," he said, "and that shall be our royal reward for his services. More than he deserves, we dare say, at that."
As Barney hastened through the palace on his way to his new quarters to obtain his arms and order his horse saddled, he came suddenly upon a girlish figure gazing sadly from a window upon the drear November world—her heart as sad as the day.
At the sound of his footstep she turned, and as her eyes met the gray ones of the man she stood poised44 as though of half a mind to fly. For a moment neither spoke.
"Can your highness forgive?" he asked.
For answer the girl buried her face in her hands and dropped upon the cushioned window seat before her. The American came close and knelt at her side.
"Don't," he begged as he saw her shoulders rise to the sudden sobbing46 that racked her slender frame. "Don't!"
He thought that she wept from mortification47 that she had given her kisses to another than the king.
"None knows," he continued, "what has passed between us. None but you and I need ever know. I tried to make you understand that I was not Leopold; but you would not believe. It is not my fault that I loved you. It is not my fault that I shall always love you. Tell me that you forgive me my part in the chain of strange circumstances that deceived you into an acknowledgment of a love that you intended for another. Forgive me, Emma!"
Down the corridor behind them a tall figure approached on silent, noiseless feet. At sight of the two at the window seat it halted. It was the king.
The girl looked up suddenly into the eyes of the American bending so close above her.
"I can never forgive you," she cried, "for not being the king, for I am betrothed48 to him—and I love you!"
Before she could prevent him, Barney Custer had taken her in his arms, and though at first she made a pretense49 of attempting to escape, at last she lay quite still. Her arms found their way about the man's neck, and her lips returned the kisses that his were showering upon her upturned mouth.
Presently her glance wandered above the shoulder of the American, and of a sudden her eyes filled with terror, and, with a little gasp of consternation50, she struggled to free herself.
"Let me go!" she whispered. "Let me go—the king!"
Barney sprang to his feet and, turning, faced Leopold. The king had gone quite white.
"Failing to rob me of my crown," he cried in a trembling voice, "you now seek to rob me of my betrothed! Go to your father at once, and as for you—you shall learn what it means for you thus to meddle51 in the affairs of kings."
Barney saw the terrible position in which his love had placed the Princess Emma. His only thought now was for her. Bowing low before her he spoke so that the king might hear, yet as though his words were for her ears alone.
"Your highness knows the truth, now," he said, "and that after all I am not the king. I can only ask that you will forgive me the deception52. Now go to your father as the king commands."
Slowly the girl turned away. Her heart was torn between love for this man, and her duty toward the other to whom she had been betrothed in childhood. The hereditary53 instinct of obedience54 to her sovereign was strong within her, and the bonds of custom and society held her in their relentless55 shackles56. With a sob45 she passed up the corridor, curtsying to the king as she passed him.
When she had gone Leopold turned to the American. There was an evil look in the little gray eyes of the monarch57.
"You may go your way," he said coldly. "We shall give you forty-eight hours to leave Lutha. Should you ever return your life shall be the forfeit58."
The American kept back the hot words that were ready upon the end of his tongue. For her sake he must bow to fate. With a slight inclination59 of his head toward Leopold he wheeled and resumed his way toward his quarters.
Half an hour later as he was about to descend60 to the courtyard where a trooper of the Royal Horse held his waiting mount, Butzow burst suddenly into his room.
"For God's sake," cried the lieutenant, "get out of this. The king has changed his mind, and there is an officer of the guard on his way here now with a file of soldiers to place you under arrest. Leopold swears that he will hang you for treason. Princess Emma has spurned61 him, and he is wild with rage."
The dismal62 November twilight63 had given place to bleak64 night as two men cantered from the palace courtyard and turned their horses' heads northward65 toward Lutha's nearest boundary. All night they rode, stopping at daylight before a distant farm to feed and water their mounts and snatch a mouthful for themselves. Then onward66 once again they pressed in their mad flight.
Now that day had come they caught occasional glimpses of a body of horsemen far behind them, but the border was near, and their start such that there was no danger of their being overtaken.
"For the thousandth time, Butzow," said one of the men, "will you turn back before it is too late?"
But the other only shook his head obstinately68, and so they came to the great granite69 monument which marks the boundary between Lutha and her powerful neighbor upon the north.
Barney held out his hand. "Good-bye, old man," he said. "If I've learned the ingratitude of kings here in Lutha, I have found something that more than compensates70 me—the friendship of a brave man. Now hurry back and tell them that I escaped across the border just as I was about to fall into your hands and they will think that you have been pursuing me instead of aiding in my escape across the border."
But again Butzow shook his head.
"I have fought shoulder to shoulder with you, my friend," he said. "I have called you king, and after that I could never serve the coward who sits now upon the throne of Lutha. I have made up my mind during this long ride from Lustadt, and I have come to the decision that I should prefer to raise corn in Nebraska with you rather than serve in the court of an ingrate71."
"Well, you are an obstinate67 Dutchman, after all," replied the American with a smile, placing his hand affectionately upon the shoulder of his comrade.
The two men put spurs to their mounts, and Barney Custer galloped75 across the northern boundary of Lutha just ahead of a troop of Luthanian cavalry76, as had his father thirty years before; but a royal princess had accompanied the father—only a soldier accompanied the son.
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1
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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fanfare
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| n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布 | |
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aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hisses
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| 嘶嘶声( hiss的名词复数 ) | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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25
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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42
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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43
humiliate
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| v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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46
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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47
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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48
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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49
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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50
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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51
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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52
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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53
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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54
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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56
shackles
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| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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58
forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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60
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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64
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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70
compensates
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的第三人称单数 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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71
ingrate
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| n.忘恩负义的人 | |
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72
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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73
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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75
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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76
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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