Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

HER ROYAL LOVER. * 125 “Could you, without too much fatigue, ascend this hill?’ demanded his majesty, “for it will be neces- sary for us to take a very steep little wooded path.” “| fear no bodily exercise,” said the young woman, smiling. As long as the king felt the indiscreet presence of the two grooms, he was the courteous gentleman, very correct and very ceremonious with the princess. But hardly had he disembarrassed himself of all external shackles, then, taking the arm of Madame de Mineleko, he passed it lovingly under his own. The contact of this round and lovely arm made the heart of the king palpitate, and Najeska Ivanowna felt also a strange and new happiness within her. They scarcely spoke, as if an agreeable embarrass- ment had taken possession of them. Is it this ab- sorption in each other which hinders them from hearing the rustling of a step in an alley, parallel to that which they are following? Or did they take this slight rustling for the warbling of some birds, who were mysteriously cooing in the branches? A good half-hour before the king and Madame de Mineleko had arrived to the Parc-aux-Cerfs, a cava- lier had entered. all alone, in the wooden alley which bordered upon the pavilion. Dismounted from his horse, which he had tied to a tree, he ap- peared to wait for some one. But the king and Madame de Mineleko, in this moment of happiness, were thinking nothing of spies! But this young man, however, whose soul was overflowing with hate and jealousy was a spy, and a very formidable one. Thus, this woman whom he loved to idolatry, this woman who always repulsed him, each time that he made advances, preferred Eomichbooks.com