Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 226: what you’re looking at

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

218 HER ROYAL LOVER. any hope of return, seems to him beyond his strength. As to Monsieur de Heiligenthal, who1n he designates the thief, the assassin of his joy, of his happiness, I should be much astonished if the am- bassador, as soon as he shall see himself at liberty, did not find the means some day or other to make him pay dearly for his infamous cowardice. I dare to tell you this, madam, because I know you to be kind and merciful. I have left there and I return here with the firm conviction that Monsieur de Mineleko is forever dedicated to misfortune, for he loves you still.” Najeska Ivanowna remained the whole evening buried in a profound reverie. This man, alone, here- after without wife, without children, since the law had taken them altogether away from him, occu- pied her thoughts almost exclusively. “The prince has appeared to me disheartened by the severity of the tribunal which leaves him only the right of seeing his children on rare occasions,” the advocate had said. Najeska Ivanowna had been incapable of hearing more; anintense pain oppressed her heart. The unhappy man! what a chastisement was bis! And bitter tears rising to her eyes, she wept over the sufferings of him by whom she herself had suffered so much. She also was about to leave her well-be- loved children, her little girls, all white and rosy -and already so affectionate. Oh! but not for long, she could not live without them. During the short sojourn that she was to make with her royal husband in one of the remote chat- eaus of the capital, Najeska Ivanowna, for greater security, had decided that she would leave these dear little beings with their nurses, whom she knew m Eomichooks:co