A Silver Brand — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

\ AWS sf ° ? ." A SILVER BRAND. «© ‘193 “I told him so, your highness, but he insisted that you would be more angry at the delay of the message than at any interruption. He bade me tell you he was one of your highness’ servants, his name was Seippel, and he came from the forest way.” The prince sat down his wine glass so suddenly that the clear musical ring of the glass sounded through the whole room, while he cried, sharply : ss Show him into the inner anteroom. I will be there at | once,” and he rose up promptly. | “Make yourself contented in my absence, Sebastian. The man has evidently something of importance to tell me. Nothing indeed from that source can be trivial.” “Humph !” nodded the cdunt, as the’door closed and left him alone; ‘‘it belongs to the wheel within a wheel, one - can read that, and sono doubt there is a lady in the question.” The prince strode forward: to the anteroom and opened the door upon a trembling, cowering figure. Poor timid. spirited Seippel could hardly hold himself from falling in @ quivering heap upon the floor, such utter terror had pos- session of him atthe very thought of speaking his evil tidings before that darkening face. “Well, idiot, out with your news,” exclaimed the prince, ~ hoarsely, reading in: that ashy, térror-stricken face the magnitude of the news the cowering lips trembled to speak. “She has killed herself I suppose; strange in- domitable spirit that dwelt within that frail temple. I think the sweeping out of the life of half mankind could not affect or startle me so. And yet I might have expected it. I might have expected it!” These last sentences were uttered disjointedly to him- self, and not with a thought of the listener. Strange as it might be this princely ruffian’s passion during these long bootless years for that fearless, defiant, scornful woman so completely in his ‘power, and yet so securely intrenched beyond his reach, was the one true, sincere and ~ earnest sentiment of his nature. Others, younger and fairer were but the playthings of an idle hour, a frivolous day, but her he loved, cruelly enough, but for all that loved sincerely. And now his knees shook, and his voice broke, as he re- q _ peated with whitening lips: “She has killed herself, then ?” Seippel wrung his hands wildly. co EComicbooks