Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 266: what you’re looking at

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

258 HER ROYAL LOVER. ing around her. “Never, never more will she see him again!” Is there not, with all those who love, with women especially, a sensitive and delicate flower, a sort of invisible power, a moral loadstone adapted to fore- . warn them of unknown dangers and secret snares? It is aspecies of second-sight, prescience, which is commonly termed presentiment. And her disquietude, her anguish, recommences, with her despair and her fears. The time passes, however, terrible in its rapidity as thunder and lightning; Najeska Ivanowna arises again, erect and stiff as a specter; she recommences her promenade, which she wishes to make as long as the night which surrounds her. But, at last, fatigue is stronger than anxiety, sleep with its inex- tricable nets, envelop her; her eyelids, reddened by watching and weeping, grow heavy: she becomes drowsy; she sleeps. She was sleeping profoundly, when a second time repeated raps near her startled her out of sleep. some one standing at the head of the bed, witha candle in hand, endeavors to make her arise. Najeska Ivanowna trembles. Heavens! is it he? Alas! it was only her maid. “] beg a thousand pardons, Madame la Princess,” said this girl, “but the grandmistress of the palace is in the adjoining room; she prays your highness to grant her a few moments conversation.” Najeska Ivanowna, terrified. feels that some ter- rible events are entangling her on every side. Un- consciously, mechanically, she answers: “Tell Madame de Langweilig that she may wait until to-morrow; I will then give her the audience which she desires,” ¥ | oa “ea ~~ ma m Gomicbooks:. co