Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

HER ROYAL LOVER. 181 that this household was not happy. “As for the rest, he is the best of men,” the indifferent said, in speak- ing of the prince, “but with 2 temper!—with a temper! In fact, was it not for his superior intelli- gence, for his diplomatic qualities, he would never have retained the important positions which were intrusted to him. The history of his duels, of his jealousies, of his brutalities, were all known tothe king. If all the young men smitten with the young lady’s beauty, and coming like bewildered butterflies, to flutter around this brilliant light, were not dead, it was certainly not the husband’s fault, who would have ardently desired to lodge a bullet in the bodies of all. Was not that notorious scandal, with the unhappy H——, scarcely extinguished, before a second, of the same character, this time with a royal prince, had been upon the eve of breaking out. For this affair, the government had given the ambassador a severe rap on the knuckles, and had sent him to another post, for change of air. But he remained the same everywhere; the Prince of Mineleko was incorrigi- ble. Several times already, the ambassador had tried the favor of his imperial master. If they had closed their eyes to his conduct, it was only on ac- count of the high rank, the great capacities of the prince. Caucasus needed intelligent men, to repre- sent it in foreign parts; besides, in this country, where they are accustomed to bears and boors, do they not treat the people and their inferiors, like beasts of burden? Knowing how to take Mineleko, his intimate friends understood how to frustrate the most of the conflicts, in which he engaged so audaciously, All were pleased to pity and admire the beautiful ~_ Gcomicbooks.com