Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

250 HER ROYAL LOVER, that Madame de Mineleko and the king were se- cretly married this morning.” The Empress of Hindustan uttered a terrible cry. “Madame de Mineleko and the King of Thessaly were secretly married this morning?” What! he, the husband of her Aline, of her adored dead Aline—he had dared to outrage the memory of this gentle princess to that extent? To unite himself to a nobody! a private individual! but this was a sacrilege! The empress was choking, rattling in the throat, she was in such a state that the prince imperial was completely terrified. The sovereign could no longer breathe; a yet more vivid redness was added to that which was habitual to her, and the blood, as- cending to her head, provoked such a paroxysm of coughing that the prince feared that his mother-in- law might succumb to an attack of apoplexy. Bounding toward the bell, he was about to ring it; but the empress was quicker than he. “Stop!” said she, in acommanding tone. “I am calm, and I wish to act; it is useless to interpose a third party in this affair. Answer my questions simply and rapidly. Is the fete terminated?” “Yes.” “Then everybody has retired?” 6¢ Yes.” “The King of Thessaly, also?” 6¢ Yes.” “ Alone?” “IT donot know. He is in his private apartments, and has given the most explicit command not to be disturbed.” “That order I will brave myself!” . “Qh! do not-create a scandal, your majesty.” Gomicbooks.co