FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43  
44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   >>   >|  
revented Casimir from seeing me go up the narrow turret corkscrew with my little white burden. Then I heard voices beneath, and I knew, as if I had seen it, that my father stood up straight at the salute. Presently the voices lowered, and I knew also that the Duke Casimir was unbending as he did to none else in his realm save to the Hereditary Justicer of the Wolfmark. But I had my hands full with the little Princess. I dared not go down the stairs. I dared not for a moment take my palm off her mouth. For as like as not she would call out for the Duke Casimir to come and deliver her from my cruelty. So I stuck to my post, even though I knew that I angered her. The morning was warm for a winter's day in Thorn, and I pulled open my brown blanket and wrapped her coseyly within it, chilling myself to the bone as I did so. It seemed ages before the Duke strode down the stair again, and took his way across the yard, with my father, in black, after him. For so he was used to dress when he went to the Hall of Judgment, to be present and assist at the discovery of crime by means of the Minor and Extreme Questions. Then, so soon as they were fairly gone, I took my hand from the mouth of the Little Playmate, and carried her down-stairs; which as soon as I had done, she slapped my face soundly. "I will never, never speak to you any more so long as I live, rude boy--common street brat!" she said, biting her under-lip in ineffectual, petulant anger. "Listen, never as long as I live! So do not think it! Upstart, so to treat a lady and a Princess!" And with that she burst into tears. CHAPTER V THE BLOOD-HOUNDS ARE FED But the Princess-Playmate spoke to me again. I was even permitted to call her Helene. Me she addressed uniformly as "Hugo Gottfried." But neither her name nor mine interfered with our plays, which were wholly happy and undisturbed by quarrelling--at least, so long as I did exactly what she wished me to do. On these terms life was made easy for me from that day forth. No longer did I wistfully watch the children of the street from the lonely window of the Red Tower. They might spit all day on the harled masonry at the foot of the wall for aught I cared. I no longer desired their society. Had I not that of a real Princess, and if my companion was inclined to be a little wayward and domineering--why, was not that the very birthright of all Princesses? Helene and I had great choice of plays
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43  
44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Princess
 

Casimir

 
Helene
 

stairs

 
father
 
voices
 
street
 

Playmate

 

longer

 

permitted


addressed

 

Gottfried

 

uniformly

 

HOUNDS

 

ineffectual

 

petulant

 

biting

 

common

 

Listen

 

CHAPTER


Upstart

 

desired

 

harled

 

masonry

 
society
 
birthright
 

Princesses

 

choice

 

domineering

 

companion


inclined

 
wayward
 
wished
 

quarrelling

 

undisturbed

 

interfered

 

wholly

 

lonely

 

children

 
window

wistfully
 
present
 

deliver

 

moment

 
cruelty
 

winter

 

pulled

 

morning

 

angered

 
Wolfmark