Adventure Magazine Cover — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

680 ment of her hand, still keeping her eyes fixed on Gisdel, as if he alone occupied the crowded room. The stinging words of open insult were greeted with a murmur of disapproval, but only a streak of scarlet, suddenly visible on Caroline’s delicately molded cheeks, revealed that she heard. Gisdel set his lips. He felt he could have struck his mother on the mouth for her cruel taunt. Here he was, the guest of the woman he loved, and the Queen, forgetting what she owed to her position, throwing aside all conventionality, had tracked him in a mad fit of jealousy to spoil his pleasure and revile Caroline openly before her friends. He never credited for one moment the plea of urgent business or grave news. That, of course, was a very transparent excuse for depriving him of Mademoiselle de L’Isle’s society on this her birthday-night. Hora- tia had overstepped all limits, forcing her- self upon this company to make him an open laughing-stock in the eyes of his sub- jects. He could picture their merriment if he rose and left at her command. “Tied to - his mother’s apron-strings!”—that was what they would say. And Caroline—how she would despise him should he fail to defend her from the Queen’s spite! He rose and addressed his mother in an angry tone, knowing instinctively that the Wine gave him artificial courage. “‘T must decline to be disturbed,”’ he said grandly, “‘and I am surprised at this un- called-for intrusion. Unless you apologize to my hostess for your abusive language, I will know the reason why. I am King, and, as such, I command you to retire, and to seek some way by which you can wipe out this offense against good taste! An insult to Mademoiselle de L’Isle is an insult to the Throne!” The words were received by shouts of “Bravo!’’ bursting from the guests in un- expected unison. Instantly they took the cue from the King and turned in uproarious disapproval upon the haughty figure of the royal peace- breaker. Some disrespectful utterances were hurled in Horatia’s direction, and as she caught the evil mutterings her blood rose and her brain grew dizzy with its weight of passion. “God help you, Gisdel,” she cried, ‘if you stand by that woman and let me go Adventure alone! You are lost forever—you have courted your own downfall. I give up the game; I leave you to your fate; I, your mother, must hand you over to these devils who hold you in their clutches. You think you are surrounded with friends! Poor duped fool, you do not see the gates of hell closing upon you!” Caroline winced at the words and, stretch- ing out protesting hands, swayed as if about to fall. But the action was merely the sub- tle movement of a dancer, who could make her pliable body respond at will to her the- atrical desires. Gisdel put his arm about her, believing that by its support she was snatched from the borderland of insensibility. Then she spoke, and her marvelous voice, clear, melodious, intense, startled the Queen into a fresh realization of the actress’s magnetic power. “We are devils!’ she cried, her eyes sweeping the long table with a look that appeared to comprise individually each man and woman present. “The Queen has said it, and the Queen can not lie. Perhaps that is why she has joined us this evening. It is a suitable abode for one whose red crimes are the talk of Europe and the scandal of our land!” The terrible words turned Gisdel cold. Suddenly he feared for his mother. His arms fell to his side as he flashed a look of anger at the woman who dared to throw down the gauntlet in return and openly revile a royal personage in his presence. Horatia saw the swift change. But the hostess, fired by much wine and intoxicated by success, had overstepped the mark and did not mean to spare her enemy. “Yes,” continued Caroline, ‘and if my love for our King has caused his mother pangs of jealous pain, it is as nothing to the untold agonies she has inflicted for years upon suffering humanity!” The speaker hurled the words at Horatia and, leaving her throne-like chair, stood at the corner of the table within an inch of the Queen-Mother. As Gisdel watched these women face to face a horrible fear possessed him. Wildly he asked his conscience how the evening would end—the evening of rev- elry which he had planned with so much pleasure! He longed to move between them, and lead his mother away, but terror rooted him to the spot. He could not even speak; his tongue felt paralyzed and his lips were stiff and dry. GomicdooksEeo S|