Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 255: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

HER ROYAL LOVER. 247 ordered me to come to your majesty in order to learn at what hour, this evening, his imperial high- ness might have the honor of speaking to your majesty.” The empress appeared surprised. “This evening! is it so urgent, count? I confess that being somewhat fatigued, I would prefer to postpone the business until to-morrow.” “Your majesty will pardon meif I dare to insist. The prince told me that the communication which he has to make to your majesty cannot be ad- journed.” : “Goodness! you astonish me! I will say you even frighten me, count! Has something extraordinary happened?” Count de Schade was silent. “His imperial highness desires to communicate it himself to your majesty.” And, bowing respectfully, the count gained the door of the imperial apartment backwards. When the empress re-entered her private apart- ments, where she was going to receive the prince imperial, she became meditative, pre-occupied. What could the prince imperial have to communi- cate to her? She was losing herself in conjectures, not being able in anywise to imagine what it could be. Could it be some new betrothals? The third Princess of Thessaly, the gentle Mathilde, could she have been demanded for the Duke of Africa, who a long time since had been looking for a wife? Or, could this young man have fixed his choice on the second daughter of the Prince Imperial of Baby- lon? The old grandmother’s curiosity was much ex- cited. At this moment, in spite of her haughty pre- Eomicbooks.com