THE PURPLE DIAMOND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21113, 22 February 1932, Page 14

THE PURPLE DIAMOND.

By RALPH~*TREVOR.

(COPYRIGHT.)

I Author of " Under Suspicion,** •** The Deputy Avenger," etc. I I

A STORY OF THRILLING ADVENTURE. i ■ ■

CHAPTER. XXlV.—(Continued,) The words had left .Avis' lips almost before she realised what she was saying. Having realised her indiscretion, a note of alarm leapt into her voice: "Pardon, Your Majesty. I should not have spoken like that. I am sorry." " But. T'm not a bit sorry," he said, gaily. " Why shouldn't you say what you feel. Yes, I was right—right after all; you're a woman in a, million." And then His Majesty forgot himself and his arms closed around her. 'He could fed her trembling, but now he felt he hadn't the courage "to kiss her. How foolish ho looked holding her like that. Her face was pale but her eyes shone. It was stupid of him. He had never kissed anyone but Mr«bel. 'lhere he was, off again. Always Mabel — A discreet cough beside him caused him to glance round swiftly in alarm. The Lord Chamberlain stood there looking flushed and uncomfortable. His Majesty's arms dropped limply. " I hope I do not intrude, Your Majesty," said the Lord Chamberlain, " but Prince Charimagne is at the Palace. He seeks an audience with Your Majesty." " Oh, does he," declared His Majesty, petulantly. " Then let him wait. lam engaged." " But you must see him," protested Alys, excitedly, and her voice trembled n s she spoke. "It might be something important." His Majesty cast her a startled glanco. Perhaps she was right. " Well, don't forget. I shall expect you to-morrow night—seven o clock, ho said to Alys. And as he> followed the Lord Chamberlain back to the Palace he was thinking: •' Now what the devil does this fellow want butting in here —and just when I was getting along so nicely, too ? " CHAPTER XXV. JN WHICH HIS MAJESTY FACES FACTS. Prince Charimagne was an attractive man in the early thirties. He had a decidedly soldierly bearing. He had been educated at 6xford, and spoke English fluently. He had a great admiration for the English and all things English, and few realised more than he did how backward his own country was by comparison. Though. lie was the younger son he Jiad 'always cherished an ambition to becpme Karonia's ruler on the death of his father, but feeling that his brother Paulparatus would.after formally retaining his possess on of the throne stone of his ancestors for the requisite time, succeed to the throne, he had for many years lost interest in the project. He had, as a consequence, spent a considerable amount of his time abroad, and it had been only when he h;.d heard from his mother that brother Paul had developed absurdly republican ic!eas that he had revived the ideal that had once possessed him. It had been due to Prince Charimagne s aid that Stolicquaram had taken the purple diamond to London, for it had become knswn that Prince Paul had decided to destroy the jewel and endeavour - to break tie old tradition for ever. Prince Charimagne, when he had entrusted the stone to the loyal Count, had never imagined that events were to turn out as they had done. So long as the diamond iemained safe from his elder /brother tha throne of Karonia was safe. Prince Charimagne had not thought it , advisable to follow Stolicquaram to London, even though he had heard that Prince Paul had followed immediately it . became known that the jewel had disappeared. » He had trusted the Count implicitly and when the news reached him that the diamond was no longer in Stolicquaram s possession, he had not felt unduly apprehensive. All that mattered was that Paul had not secured it.

other King I've ever met, or probably ever will meet, and, if you ask me, that s one of the reasons why I can t predict success for him." " Sit down," commanded the King, and Prince Charimagne sat down. " Now, what is it you want?" " Yon place me in a rather difficult position, Your Majesty," Prince Charimagne began. " I was hoping that, you and I might, become very good friends.' " I'm always willing to accent friendship when it is sincere," said the King. " Well. I should like you to know that I am sincere—very; but now that you've accepted me as a friend, I trust, you will not. be annoyed if I am sometimes rather frank." " I like frankness, too," returned His Majesty, who was thinking: "He's not really "a bad sort of fellow at all—rather different from his brother. Funny how brothers can be so unlike! He a good appearance, he speaks nicely. I ve no doubt he's much more cultured than 1 am. But what the devil is his game?" "May I smoke?" inquired His Highness. taking out his gold cigarette case. His Majesty nodded his assent. When the cigarette was lighted and His Majesty had preferred his old friend, the pipe, he continued: "Oh, by the way, a our Majesty, I had the pleasure of meeting your wife when I was in London. His Majesty nearly dropped his pipe in sheer amazement, and if his pipe did not drop, his jaw most certainly did. Now, how could His Highness have met Mabel ? Clement Antiss was instantly on his guard. For the first time since this extraordinary business began, Mabel had been brought to light. Mr. Antiss rather felt like the skeleton that has been discovered in the cupboard. " You met my wife!" he excjaimed, incredulously. " Yes," went on the Prince. "I met her at the office of a gentleman I employed—unsuccessfully, of course —to trace the whereabouts of the purple diamond. She was greatly distressed at the loss of her husband. Of course, I did not know then what I know now. I did not know that 1 ho lady's husband was yourself. The Prince's voice became musing and rather low. "What a charming woman she is;, too.' Although our meeting was brief she affected me very considerably. One could not help feeling sorry for her It was as though all the. accumulated tragedy of the aces had descended on her shoulders, and the light of life was but dimlv flickering in her eyes." His Highness paused, effectively. The King was visibly moved. Gone was the irritation in his tone; gone the arrogance that he had consciously brought, to his position. He was no longer the King of Karonia—he was just a rather human little man with an infinity of regret stamped upon his face. " It. is curious you should have met. her." said His Majesty, quietly. " I was hoping . . . (h,lt . . . He. could not finish what he had begun to say. " Do yon mean yon "were hoping to forget her—to drop out of her life altogether v.-ithont so much as an adieu . His Majesty nodded, dumbly. " But surely you could not do that. Surely you would not have the heart to be so unnaturally cruel to a woman who loves you as she does. Can t you realise what, your disappearance means to her ? " I'd rather not discuss that," intimated the King. . . . . " But you must discuss it, insisted His Highness. "It is much more important than any of your royal duties. If I msy say so, it is your first and only duty." , , , " But surely I could bring her here . That was my* intention when once everything had been settled," he lied. " Do you think that would be quite fair to her?" the Prince parried, swiftly. " Do you' honestly think she's the type of woman who could accommodate herself to the claims \vhich must be made on her as Queen of this realm ? You knowshe would be unhappy. I am not. suggestii g that you are not fitted for Kingship Init I do maintain that you owe your first ;lut.y to the woman you marmd. You must remember that she will always be your wife. Nothing can alter that. You may persuade our Lord Chancellor to libsrate you according t- our Karonian law, but you are morally and spiritually bound to Mabel Antiss. The King's pipe had never established itself as a working model. It remained gripped tightly in his small hand, a cold, comfortless thing. Clement Antiss was moveiJ—deeply. He had nevpr considered Mabel :in this light before, yet he knew 'that this perfectly frank young man was speaking the truth. " Wliat do you advise me to do? he asked, resignedly. , , " Vmi nlaro me in a difficult, position,

/ But when he discovered that someone else had laid claim to the throne, Prince Charlmagne felt that something ought to be clone c.bout it. He realised that, so far as the peopje were concerned, nothing mattered save fhat the conditions attaching to the purple diamond bad been fulfilled. The Ivaronians were sticklers 'for tradition. And when he heard that the new King was an Englishman he felt . that for the time being all would be well. But. Prince Charlmagne was not too sure in his heurt that all would be well for very long. He was not sure whether any Englishman—admirable though he might be—could ever hope to understand the peculiar conditions which had always marked Ivaronian life. On his arrival in Kasana. he had gone straight to the house of Monsieur Dialog, the editor of The Royalist, and there be had sent for Stolicquaram. The Count had explained how matters stood, and nlso how lie could do nothing to dissuade Antiss from continuing with the project \vhen onco the Englishman had satisfied the conditions attaching to his possession of the diamond. Stolicquaram had, quite frankly, admitted that under the circumstances he> considered he had acted with wisdom. He emphasised that it bad been a difficult, as well as a, delicate situation, and that he dare not let Antiss fall into Paul's hands. 7 Prince Charlmagne, with creditable broad-mindedness, had whole-heartedly agreed. The Count had acted wisely, but the difficulty now confronting them, especially in view of the fact that Prince Paul and his fellow republicans had fled the country, was how to persuade Antiss that it was impossible for him to continue as Karonia's King. It wag with this end in view fhat His Highness sought an audience with His Majesty. He had never seen Antiss before. but he had met Mabel in the office of Mr. Towers in London. This fact, he considered, might, when the occasion presented itself, be turned into a weapon of some account.' His Majesty was in a. thoroughly bad humour when Prince Charlmagne was announced, and His Highness could not, probably, have come at a worse time. His Highness bowed. " I am sorry to trouble Your Majesty," he began, " but as I have but lately returned to my native Karonia, I felt that I ought to pay my respects to you." This was the first occasion Prince Charlmagne had seen Clement Antiss and he was not impressed. The man was too small; too thin, despite the good cut of the suit, he was wearing. He did not ]ook like a, monarch, but in these days of discrepancies, His Highness reflected, ''there were that did. Stolicquaram had hinted that His Majesty was tenacious; fhat despite his appearance he knew how to make up his mind, and that he " had ideas," and His Highness, having been broadly educated before going t,p Oxford, felt that there was something to •be .'aid for business acumen in a King. His Majesty fixed His Highness with a cold stare. /' " You could have. left your card," he retorted, sharply. "But now that you ire here I suppose I'll have to hear what you've got to say. But I'm a busy man, Prince, so make it snappy." His Highness smiled. " There's something rather likeable about, the little .■ f iellow," ho thought. "He talks like no !pi®. V ' . • mi ■

Your Majesty. If I were to answer your inquiry honestly you might think that I was trying to take advantage of your emotions." M " 1 am prepared to overlook that. " Then I should advise you to give up this project, and to return to your normal mode of life. You'll be far happier in the long, run, for I can't see you being happy here without your wife to comfort and jonsole you. Being a King—especially ii King of Karonia—is a difficult task. Yen.. were warned, I think, before you started from England. You may have found things fairly easy so far, but you don't know our people. They are. as variable as your English climate. They may acclaim you to day and curse you tomorrow. But we who are of Karonia, know how to handle them. It requires firmness; it requires tact. It needs, too, an infinite understanding of our country's cond tions. Please don't think I am un-« grateful to you. I shall always remember that it, was you who broke down the republican revolt' that, was slowly simmering. Karonia will always remember you for that." " You speak as if I were no longer T\inp." broke out- Antiss. 4t Until f choose to tuk« my leave, plea.se remember my position." It was a spark of the new Antiss who had been born when he had decided to accept the throw of Fate's dice. . -j i " Pardon, Your Majesty, said the Prince, humbly. " I hoped I w - as merely stating the case." (To be concluded to-morrow.)