Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

180 HER ROYAL LOVER. CHAPTER XXIV. INDIGNATION OF THE KING. During the first eight days of her illness, Madame de Mineleko’s condition was so alarming, that they sent two or three dispatches a day, to the despairing husband. The king, very uneasy, on his part, sent several times a day to inquire after the invalid. Sometimes, he came alone, or accompanied by one of the young princesses, to inquire in person about the progress which the ambassadress’ physician said she was making. After terrible sufferings, the ninth day brought with it a perceptible change for the better; the fever abated, and the convalescent recovered her lucidity, and she was soon in a condi- tion to see her friends. The king was one of the first who requested the favor of being received. He wrote to Madame de Mineleko, “that he had some serious thing's to tell her.” : Charles Ferdinand had really reflected a great deal, during the long days in which the life of this woman, whom he loved with a genuine and deeply- rooted love, had been in danger. Thinking of his last interview with “that brute” (it was thus that, in his thoughts, he entitled the husband), he asked himself if this young woman could ever live again, in contact with such a man. As soon as Najeska Ivanowna had appeared at the Court of Thessally, the king had interested himself in this existence that everybody said was so un- happy. By all the questions which he had asked, here and there, it had been easy for him to conclude Gomichbooks. co