Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

34 HER ROYAL LOVER. Najeska Ivanowna fell in love immediately with Heiligenthal, with whom she danced at all the balls; what more was necessary for this young heart? Although she knew that her father destined her for the Prince of Mineleko, a man nearly forty years old, already occupying an exalted position, and who had been appointed ambassador to the capital of Flanders, some promises were quickly exchanged between her and Heiligenthal. The idea of this marriage arranged between them was kept secret; no one knew of it, not even the families interested. All, until then, seemed to go according to their desires; but who can count on happiness here below? - Upon his return in the world, the Prince of Narish resumed his gambling habits. A great number of his evenings were passed at the baccarat-tables of some of the prominent clubs of Nice. He had al- ready met with some heavy losses; it was an ad- monition, he realized it, for each time he promised himself to extricate himself from this terrible pas- sion; but each time he was more violently carried away by it. One evening, notwithstanding the animation of the play, and although he was winning, the prince appeared more anxious than ever; the unhappy man comprehended that he was upon the brink of an abyss’in which all was going to be ingulfed; his fortune and that of his daughter. He wished to withdraw ; vain efforts; he was nailed to this place by an invisible power. All changed; by some hazard of the cards the entire fortune of the prince passed into the hands of hisadversary ; desperate, he resisted still this inconstant goddess, who, deaf to his wishes, dragged him in a deeper precipice, for, this time, his home will remain there if in twenty-four hours Gomicbooksrco