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Heavy-hearted and with bowed heads the people of Graustark saw the nineteenth fade in the night, the breaking of which would bring the crush of pride, the end of power At court there was the silent dread and the dying hope that relief ht come at the last hour Men, with pale faces and tearful eyes, wandered through the ancient castle, speechless, nerveless, miserable Brave soldiers crept about, shorn of pride and filled oe Citizens sat and stared aiht but the disaster so near at hand and so unavoidable The whole nation surged as if in the last throes of death To-morrow the potency of Graustark was to die, its doraced before the world

And, on the throne of this afflicted land sat the girl, proud, tender, courageous Yetive To all Graustark she was its greatest, its most devoted sufferer; upon her the blow fell heaviest There she sat, n the shadom for her love Beneath her throne, beneath her feet, cowered six souls, possessors of the secret Of all the people in the world they alone knew the heart of the Princess Yetive, they alone felt with her the weight of the sacrifice With wistful eyes, fainting hearts and voiceless lips five of the that she would not speak and that Graustark was dooainst that which they loved better than their lives--their country--were Dangloss, Quinnox, Allode, Ogbot and Dagmar To-morroould see the north torn fro of ho of hearts She sanctioned all this because she loved hi

Aware of her financial troubles and pursuing the advantage that his rival's death had opened to hien, renewed his ardent suit Scarce had the body of the murdered Prince left the domain before he made his presence marked She was compelled to receive his visits, distasteful as they were, but she would not hear his propositions Knowing that he was in truth the mysterious Michael who had planned her abduction, she feared and despised hien was too powerful to be antagonized at this critical ti and repulsive of ordeals Tact and policy were required to control the violent, hot-blooded young ruler froed for the quiet of the tomb; at other tiainst the ignominy to which she was subjected Worse than all to her were the insolent overtures of Gabriel How she endured she could not tell The tears of humiliation shed after his departure on the occasion of each visit revealed the bitterness that was torturing this proud martyr