FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   >>  
he boy loves me to distraction. _Midnight._ M. Giron was very cold and distant during the afternoon's lessons. I had previously lunched with him at his studio and we were very gay then. I teased him unmercifully about "his royal _demi-mondaine_," as the masses painted me. Frederick Augustus was very gallant at dinner and told me, before a table full of people, that he would take pleasure in sleeping with me tonight. I have too bad a conscience to deny myself to him. But I ran over to the opera for half an hour and ordered M. Giron to my box. "I got over my vexation," he said,--"got over it because I reflected that you are the Princess Royal and that I would be a fool to take your love seriously. Henceforth I will regard it a passing adventure and let it go at that, for if I thought it the great passion of my life, I would despair, indeed." "Find a closed cab," I whispered, my heart in my mouth; "I must see you alone. I will be at the northern side-exit in five minutes." Cabby was ordered to drive slowly along unfrequented side streets. We lowered the curtains. "So you don't love me?" I wailed. Burying my face on Richard's chest I cried as if my heart would break. "Not love you?" he breathed. "If I loved you not, I would die, Louise." "Then why those cruel words?" "Good heavens," he cried, "haven't I the right to be jealous? I said what I said to hear you say that you love me." "And you will always love me?" "Always, dearest," and he covered my face and neck with burning kisses. Ten minutes later I was again seated at the opera. I hear Frederick Augustus in the corridor. * * * * * DRESDEN, _August 16, 1902_. A horrible night. Lucky that Frederick Augustus was more than half drunk when he sought "His Imperial Pleasure-trove," as he likes to call me, for I often talk in my sleep and--I dreamt of Richard. I dreamt of my enemies, too. They stole him from me. He was of the past like Henry, Romano and the rest. In a second dream he jilted me--cast me off like a garment, old or out of fashion. Lucretia, who sleeps in the next room, heard me cry out in terror, heard me denounce the King, Tisch--everybody. And Frederick Augustus snored. * * * * * DRESDEN, _October 1, 1902_. Princes and noblemen have ever sought their own advantage of me. To them I was always the milch-cow, or Phryne, outright. Ric
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   >>  



Top keywords:

Frederick

 

Augustus

 

dreamt

 

sought

 

ordered

 
DRESDEN
 

minutes

 

Richard

 

heavens

 
Imperial

Pleasure

 
kisses
 

burning

 

August

 

covered

 

seated

 

corridor

 

dearest

 

jealous

 

Always


horrible

 

snored

 

October

 

denounce

 

terror

 

Princes

 

noblemen

 

Phryne

 

outright

 

advantage


sleeps

 
Louise
 

enemies

 

Romano

 

garment

 
fashion
 

Lucretia

 

jilted

 

pleasure

 

people


sleeping

 

tonight

 

gallant

 

dinner

 

conscience

 

vexation

 
reflected
 

painted

 

masses

 

afternoon