CHAPTER II.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7002, 18 January 1901, Page 4

CHAPTER 11.

'It -was an unpromising beginning, aasdr flSere were redl^eyej da the Palace for xn^ay Kuys to come/ .The Queen Regent cried m yrSlam tWPrincess. Perhaps the Prince Vimrtf would have cried, but that be waa 'm man, withfca man's instinctive feeling tbaft pi mßnWeibf convenienoe 5s seldomi co ter* jribfe m tfc.jbeems/ and that tiiere are nuany 'ways of niijifltittg the best of a. bad job. . For th<Hnißjriage had to be. 'The stait&emen Twpa^jjesolved upon-it, and in this ndn©century the wail of statesmen.' oouats ifor mane than the hearts of Princes and . princesaeß. War ttoeateoed, if the 01009 rwere nt* concluded, and war, at any cosb> jmast to-avoided. : "For your country V eafce, dear!" it2»jQueenjEbagent urged pathetically. " \R»( has my country ever ctone for me *h«fc 3fc «hwuid eonsicter it?" "the Princess •neWsred «oornfully. ; «fies» mother." •f3otn« «a» young, child; but, surely -you aOMoid tha* it i& umwontJry of a P4ebiicees of ouu House to talk like Ittet," ■ The Eainoeawdihougiht-a. moment ain^ iritibdßßw dk&>«ngry' woixDb. ; " True, mOßher j, lin^eorry., I oogjit not ,t» iwre. tffinopght it. Ilonow'ttihaJt I ougfab .to tbink ofr my coolnibry fleet; and whatever im Opod fanny oontotry I must d&." : "Ck»d blew you, my brave duld," eaiki 1 the Qneeaj Jle^int; aid* they cried, fox a

while, in each other's arms; and presently, «s though the tihougljfc had- suddenly struck .her, *he Queen Regent •eked'-^---"Are you quite sure *hat yon don't love Hun, darlingf ' "Quite sure, mtatier." . "But yoni don't dislike himy do you?" " No, mother. I neither like oar dislike 'Mra. He's just like any other stranger to me. '. ■■ ... . ■ - -. " Then love may come in tame, my sweet.fceaat." "I thank net. Love dees not come to order. One cannot say, '"Now I will fall Jin love,' as one says, : ' To-nigsht I 'will gt> to the opera.' And if love Wver comes to , me ■ " ■ i "But it will come, my child. I* will, and must, and shall." ■■' But thougih the Queen Regent interrupted/she could net console. The Princess continued to be bitter with her fate — bitter against the realities which they had) dragged her from the nursery to face. - "I wanted- to fall in love," she cried, "like the people in the story booke. And now lam told 1 that 'l most marro -w&etiher I am in love or not. Oh I it is a cruel, cruel world!" ; * And so the days passed and tihe wedding day arrived, and the streets of the capital were gay wi*h flags and uniforms, and "the bands played, and the bells rang out their joy peals, and the people cheered; wM'le the -music of the wedding march filled the gloomy adsles of the old ccvt2wdral> with* gjadmess, the Princess -oried to herself behind (her veil, becWise they had led hesuout to be married against her will, without Waiting for her to fall inwove.