Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 220: what you’re looking at

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

cons 212 HER ROYAL LOVER. most valuable part of the young lady’s fortune, and one can imagine the small income there would be derived from such a property situated in a place as isolated as savage; scarcely enough for herself and daughters to subsist on. Madame de Mineleko (we will continue to call her thus) referred to all these details, but the king grew impatient. “Oh! what is your fortune to me! all the circum- stances outside of yourself are of such slight impor- tance to me, that I do not wish to hear them spoken of. Your interest, henceforth, will alone concern me; leave me the care of occupying myself with it.” Some days later, the king sent for the notary of the royal household, and imparted to him, confiden- tially, the projected marriage. “T wish to make a donation to my future wife,” said he. “Draw up a legal deed.” The notary obeyed. The king, who knew how far Najeska Ivanowna pushed her delicacy, did not at first mention the subject to her, fearing that she might refuse the gift. Later, when the king’s marriage became a celebrated case, upon which all the tittle-tattle of silly, unoccupied minds alighted, each was pleased at least to render justice and homage to the abso- lute disdain for money which Najeska Ivanowna had given proof of. Despite the envy which her lofty fortune brought on her, despite the malevolent tattle, the unjust re- proaches which public malignity rained upon her, the princess remained impregnable upon the gub- ject of disinterestedness. In all these incidents, these conferences, the prin- cess gave proof of an unique delicacy. comichbooks.com