Carmichael's question or my own. What do you mean by
Gretchen?"
"I love her," nobly. "And well for you, my uncle, that you come as you
do. I would have married her! Wrong her? What was a crown to me who,
till now, have never worn one save in speech? _You_ have been the king."
"Bodies must have heads, kingdoms must have kings. I have tried an
experiment, and this is the result. I wanted you to be a man, a human
man; I wanted you to grow up unfettered by power; I wanted you to mingle
with peoples, here and there, so, when you became their head physician,
you could ably minister to their political diseases. And all this fine
ambition tumbles down before the wooden shoes of a pretty goose-girl.
Nothing makes so good a philosopher as a series of blunders and
mistakes. I am beaten; I admit it. I did my best to save you from this
tangle; but it was written that you should put your foot in it. But on
top of this you have made a greater mistake than you dream of, nephew.
The Princess Hildegarde is as fine a woman as ever your Gretchen. Mr.
Carmichael will agree to that," maliciously.
Carmichael gave no sign that he understood; but there was no mistaking
the prince regent's inference, however. The recipient of this compliment
stubbornly refused to give the prince the satisfaction of seeing how
neatly the barb had gone home.
Pages:
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259