THE GREAT COURT SCANDAL

Evening Star, Issue 13004, 26 December 1906, Page 2

THE GREAT COURT SCANDAL

BEING CHAPTERS FROM THE SECRET HISTORY OF TO-DAY. By WmtiAM Le Qcecx. CHAPTER Xni. ths si.vx with -nil: nzv cravat. A secret service agent—one of the spies of tho craftv old Minister Hinckeldeym—had followed Claire from Treyea. Her accidental meeting with Leitoli had, lie declared, been prearranged. It was now said that sho, a Crown Pr. in-->s of the Imperial blood, had eloped with lover 1 The Court scandal was comAlone in her own room that night she sat for hours Bobbins, while the great castle was silent. She was now botn homeless and friendless! All tho desperateappeals siio had made to her father had been entirely unavailing. Ho was a. bard man alwavs. She had. he declared, brought a. shameful scandal upon this Imperial House, and ho would have nothing further to do with her. Time after time she stoutly denied the false and abominablo charge, trying to explain the dastardly plot against her, and tho combination of circumstances which led to iicr -meeting witn the Count at Protovin. But he would hear no explanation. Leitolf was hor lover, he declared, and all her excuses were utieTiV useless. Ho refused her his protection, and rast her out as no child of his. After long hours of tears and ceaseless sobbing a strange thought crossed her mind. True, she was unjustly condemned as having eloped with Carl ; yet. after all, was not even that preferable to the fate to -which her husband had conspired to relegate her? The whole of Europe would sav that she left the Court in company with a lover, and she hit her lip when she thought of-the cruel libel. Yet. supposing that they had no ground for this gossip, -was it. "not more "than likely that her enemies would seek to follow her and ?onfin© her in an asylum?

The- strange combination of circumstances had, however, given th/m good ground for declaring that sho had eloped, aud if such report got abroad, as it apparently had done, then her husband would be compelled to sue for ;i divorce. She held her breath. Her fingers clenched themselves into her palms at thought of it—a divorce on account of the man who had always, from her girlhood, been her true, loyal, and platonic friend! And if it was sought- to prove what was untruo'' Should she defend herself, and establish her innocence? Or would she, by refusing to make defenre, cbtain tho freedom from Court which -she sought? Early next morning, taking little Tgnathi a:<l tho bag containing her jewels, bu - . leaving the maid behind, sho diove from ti«? castle, gjancing back at it with Ive.avy lie-art as tho carriage descended into the ;iv<-n. fertile valley, gazing for the last lime upon that old homo shoioved *o v.ei! It was her last sight of it- She would acain look upon it, she sadlv t-'ld acEself. ~

The station-master at Rattenberg ravno iorward to mako his obeisance, and as certain military rnanojuvres were in rj-og.va? ind some troops were drawn up bef >ro tho station, both officers and men drew up and sainted. An old colonel, whom she had known well before her marriage, came, forward, and, bowing, offered to sea her to her compartment, expressing delight at hiving met her again. " Your Imperial Highness will nevor he forgotten here," declared tho galiar-t rtdfaoed, old fellow, who wore tier"*' white moustaches. "The poor are always won dering whether you are ever coming Lack. And at last your Highness is here! And going—where?" She hesitated. Truth to tell, she had i never thought of her destination. "I eo now to Lucerne, incognita." she replied, for want of something else to s;iy. and t&ey both walked on to the platform, ho carrying Henrietta's cheap little lea-.her bag fcontaining her jewels. The Colonel was not alone in remarking •within himself the plainness and cher.ixtess of Her Imperial Highness's eosl'nw. It had been remarked everywhere, but was supposed that she wore that very ordinary costame in order to pass incognita. The train took her to Innsbruck, and after luncheon at the buffet she contiii.!"J her journey to Lucerne, arriving there late in tho evening, and taking the hotel omnibus of tho Schweizerhot. There siic cave her name as tho Baroness Deitel, and declared that her luggage had been n.lv sent, a fact which, of course, aroused son>e suspicion within the mind of the shrewi clerk in tho bureau. Visitors without luggage arc never rpprcciated by hotelkeepers. Next day, however, she purchased a trunk, a fitted dressing bag, and a nam'-vr of necessaries, lingerie for herself and faiths little Princess, all of which were se:.t to the hotel, a fact that quickly i--e=:il - lished confidence. A good many people were staying in the place, as usual, ana very quickly, on account of her uncommon beauty and natural grace, people began to inquire who she. was. Bat tho reply was th3t she was Baroness Deitel, of Frankfort—that was all. From her frrnercal black they took her for ;i young widow, and many of the idle young men in tho hotel endeavored to make her acquaintance. But she spoke to no one. She occupied herself with hex child, and if alone in the hall sho always read a book or newspaper. The fact was that she was watching tho newspapers eagerly, wonderiiK' if they would give currency to tho falso report of her elopement. But as day after day went by and nothing appeared she grew more reassured, hoping that at least the Court at, Treysa had suppressed from the Press the foul lie that had spread from mouth to mouth. One paragraph she road, however, in a "Vienna paper, was very significant, ior it stated that the Crown Prince. Ferdinand of Marburg had arrived in Vienna at the inflation of the Emperor, who had driven to the station to meet him, and who had embraced him with marked cordiality. She read between the lines. Tho Emperor had called him to Vienna in order to hear his side of the story—in order to condemn her without giving her a chance to explain tbo trntH- r Xi»e no doubt, decide whether this fact of her leaving the Court should be announced to the public or not. Her surmise was not far wrong, for while Bitting in the big hall of the hotel after luncheon four days later 3he saw the. following telegram, 'headed ' A German Court Scandal; Startling Revelations.' Holding her breath, and knowing that two young Englishmen seated together and smoking were watching her. sho read as follows: "Renter's correspondent at Treysa telegraphs it has just transpired that a very grave and astounding scandal has occurred at Court. According to tho rumor—which he gives under all reserve—late, one night a week ago the Crown Princess Ferdinand escaped from the Palace, and, taking with ?Jer her child, the little Princess Iguatia, eloped to Austria, with Count Charles Leiielf, an official of the Court. A great sensation has been caused in Court circles in both Germany and in Austria. The Crown Princess, before her marriage, was, it. will be remembered, the Archduchess Claire, oalj daughter of the Archduke Charles of Austria, and notable at the Court of Vienna on account of her extreme beauty. It appears that for some time past at the Court of Treysa there have been rumors regarding the intimate friendship between tho C'town Princess and the Count, who was for fxroe time attache at the Austrian Era-htis-y in London. Matters culminated a short time ago, when it became known that the Count bad followed the Princess to Vienna, where she had gone to visit her father. She returned to Treysa for a few days, still followed by Leitoli, and then left under his escort, ■ and has not since been seen. " In Treysa the sensation caused is unor-

mou6. It is die solo topic of conversation. The Crown Princess was greatly beloved by the people, but her elopement has entirely negatived her popularity, as the scandalis considered utterly unpardonable. The Crown Prince has Jeft hurriedly for Vienna, in order to confer with 1 the Emperor, who, ! it is rumored, has issued an edict withdrawing from the Princess her title and all her rights as an Imperial Archduchess, and her decorations, as well as forbidding her to use the Imperial anus. The excitement in the city of Treysa is intense, but ai the Court cirelo everything is, of course, denied, the King -having forbidden tlic Press to mention or comment upon the matter in any way. Router's correspondent, however, has from private sources within the Palace been able to Gul>stantiate tho above report, which, vague though it may be, is no doubt true; and the details of which are already known in all the Courts of Europe. It is thought probable in Treysa that the Crown,. Prince Ferdinand will at once seek a divorce, for certain of the Palace servants, notably tho lady-in-waiting, the Countesa Do Trauttenberg, have come forward and made some amazing statements. A Council of Ministers is convened for to-morrow, at which His Majesty will preside." "La Trauttenberg:" exclaimed the Princess, bitterly, lietwren her teeth. "The spy! I wonder what Iks she has invented?" She saw the two Englishmen with their ores still upon her. therefore ."lie tried to control her feelings. What she had read was surely sufficient to cause her blood to boil within her —inr.ot.ent as, she was. "I am no longer popular with tho people!" she thought to herself. "They, too, believe ill of me. My enemies have, shu"! triumphed." Sho reread the telegram, with its l>old heading—tlie announcement whkh had startled Europe two days bo tote —and then with a low sigh replaced the paper upon the table. This crisis she had foreseen. The Court had given those facts to the Press conespendent because they intended to hound her down as an infamous and wortldcsa woman —because they had consj>ired to drive her out- of Treysa. and victory was now theirs. But none of the crowd in the Schwoizcrhof ever dreamed that the cheaply-dressed, demure little widow was the notorious wo. wan whom ail tho world was at that moment discussing—the Royal woman who had boldly cast aside a crown. What 6he read caused her to bito her lips to the blood. She returned to ht'r room, and sat for an hour plunged in bit't-r tears. All the world was against her. aim sho lwid no single jwreon in Whom to confide or of whom to seek assistance. That night, acting upon a sudden impulse, she took little Ignatia with her. and left by the mail by way of iialc for Paris, where she might the better conceal herself and the. grief that was slowly consuming her brav.j young heart. The journey was long and tedious. There waa no wagon-lit. and tho child, tired out, grew peevish and restless. Nevertheless, half an hour before noon next day the express ran at last into the U.uo do TKst. and an elderly, t;ood-naturcd. grave-looking man in black, wTiii a. bright red tie, took her dressing bag ;vnd gallantly assisted her to alight. She was unused ro travelling with the public, for a. lloyal saloon, with bowing servants and attendants, had always been at her disposal: therefore, when ilic courteous old fellow held out his hand for her bag. she quite mechanically save it to him. Next instant-, however, oven before she had realised it. the man had disappeared into tho crowd of alighting passengers. The truth flashed upon her in a second. All her magnificent jewels had been stolen.! (To be continued.)