Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

HER ROYAL LOVER. 109 His majesty invites also the Ambassador of Cau- casus.” Najeska Ivanowna was disturbed at the name of her husband, but a royal invitation is a command; she could not refuse it. “The ambassador, like myself, will be more than . honored by the command of his majesty,” responded she. Then the three ladies, abandoning the stiffness of ceremony, commenced a more familiar conversation upon every-day topics. There are moments where nothing seems more delightful than the few hours snatched from the forced etiquette of the court, for it is in vain that one is of royal blood, one cannot always keep oneself hoisted on the stiff and affected — diapason of convenances. The ambassadress was astonished at the pleasure which she experienced from this visit. She was surprised to be able to talk so gaily, won by the contagious felicity of the young girls who, in order to change the current of the gloomy thoughts of the ambassadress, conversed on every subject. They spoke of the new Ambassadress of the Netherlands, arrived the day before; of the ridiculous costume that the old grandmistress had worn ata recent reception. Approaching a subject which was dear to her, the eldest princess especially talked a great deal, for she had much to say on this subject, of her adored fiance, George of Pattenpouff, a fiance who, after long deliberations between the king and his mother-in-law, the tyranncial Empress of Hindustan, had been granted to the young princess notwithstanding the inferiority of his rank —a son born of a morganatic marriage. The Emperor of Babylon had made many objec- tions against such a misalliance, but love, and also Eomichooks.com —