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And so in silence the Voivode passed out of the hall

Froo, as with measured stepshe passed up the hill which rises behind the State House, and disappearedinto the shadow of the forestThen s so far whilst all was fresh in my mindInsilence, as of the dead, the Council waited, no lance

Alain to theCouncil, ravity, as has always been hiswont since age began to hamper the movement which in youth had been sonotableThe Members of the Council all stood up uncovered, and soremained while he made announcement of his conclusionHe spoke slowly;and as his ansas to be a valued record of this Land and its Race, Iwrote down every word as uttered, leaving here and there space fordescription or comment, which spaces I have since then filled in

"Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of the Councilof Justice and of National Law, Archimandrites, and my brothers all, Ihave, since I left you, held in the solitude of the forest counsel withracious wisdoto that conclusion which was froed inlife hasbeen spent in vain--that my heart and mind are all for the nation--myexperience, my life, my handjarAnd when all is for her, why should Ishrink to exercise on her behalf h the same shouldhave to combat my own ambition?For ten centuries o the ship, even as now you, their children, trust meButto me it would be base to betray that trust, even by the smallest tittleThat would I do were I to take the honour of the crohich you havetendered toas there is another more worthy to wear itWerethere none other, I should place myself in your hands, and yield myselfover to blind obedience of your desiresBut such an one there is; dearto you already by his own deeds, now doubly dear to , whereas I aand brave and true; but th and braveryare overForcontemplated as the crown of my lateryears a quiet life in one of our monasteries, where I can still watch thewhirl of the world around us on your behalf, and be a counsellor ofyoungeron stirringti all around usNorth andSouth--the Old Order and the New, are about to clash, and we lie betweenthe opposing forcesTrue it is that the Turk, after warring for athousand years, is fading into insignificanceBut fro, have crept towards our Balkans the htiercomposite PowerTheir march has been steady; and as they came, theyfortified every step of the wayNow they are hard upon us, and arealready beginning to s up the regions that we have helped to winfroatesBeatenback by the Irredentists of Italy, she has so enmeshed herself with theGreat Powers of Europe that she seenable toa foe of our statureThere is but one hope for us--the uniting of theBalkan forces to turn a masterly front to North and West as well as toSouth and EastIs that a task for old hands to undertake?No; thehandsand supple; and the brain subtle, as well as theheart be strong, of whomsoever would dare such an accomplishmentShouldI accept the crown, it would only postpone the doing of that which mustultimately be doneWhat avail would it be if, when the darkness closesoverof a newdynasty?You know thisto have hiin withhireat nation, wherein the principle of freedosThat nation has more than onceshown to us its friendliness; and doubtless the very fact that anEnglish, and could carry into our Governreat, would do muchto restore the old friendship, and even to create a new one, which wouldin ti British fleets to our

waters, and Britishbayonets to support our own handjarsIt is within h as yet unannounced to you, that Rupert Sent Leger has alreadyobtained a patent, signed by the King of England hiland, so that he can at once apply fornaturalization hereI know also that he has brought hither a vastfortune, by aid of which he is beginning to strengthen our hands for war,in case that sad eventuality should ariseWitness his late ordering tobe built nine other warships of the class that has already done sucheffective service in overthrowing the Turk--or the pirate, whichever hemay have beenHe has undertaken the defence of the Blue Mouth at hisown cost in a hich will ainst whatever use to which the Austrian athered in the Bocche di CattaroHe is already founding aerialstations on our highest peaks for use of the war aeroplanes which arebeing built for hiht sure I am that in his hands this splendid land and our noble,freedo people will flourish and become a power in the worldThen, brothers, let me, as one to whom this nation and its history andits future are dear, ask you to give to the husband of hter thehonour which you would confer on meFor her I can speak as well as fornity eitherWere I indeed King,she, as hter, would be a Princess of the worldAs it will be,she shall be co, and her race, which ismine, shall flourish in all the lustre of the new Dynasty

"Therefore on all accounts, my brothers, for the sake of our dear Land ofthe Blue Mountains,And make me happy in my retirement to the cloister"

When the Voivode ceased to speak, all still re their acquiescence in his enerousprayerThe President of the Council well interpreted the general hen he said:

"Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of theCouncils of Justice and National Law, Archireed that we prepare at leisure a fitting reply to theVoivode Peter of the historic House of Vissarion, stating our agreementwith his wish?"

To which there was a unanimous answer:

"It is"He went on:

"FurtherShall we ask the Gospodar Rupert of the House of Sent Leger,allied through his hter and onlychild of the Voivode Peter of Vissarion, to cost us, we confer on hiship ofthe Land of the Blue Mountains?"

Again came the answer: "It is"

But this tiantic trumpet, and thehandjars flashed

Whereupon the session was adjourned for the space of a day

THE SAME--_Continued_