Crumpling up the document in his hand, he was
about to fling it from him in a fury. What! This mere boy and girl had
baffled the authority of a king! Anon, his anger cooled--his
countenance cleared. Smoothing the paper out he read its contents
again,--then smiled.
"Well! Humphry has something of me in him after all!" he said. "He is
not entirely his mother! He has a heart,--a will, and a conscience,--
all three generally lacking to sons of kings! Let me be honest with
myself! If he had given way to me, I should have despised him!--'but
for Love's sake he has opposed me; and by my soul!--I respect him!"
CHAPTER XXIII
THE KING'S DEFENDER
Rumour, we are told, has a million tongues, and they were soon all at
work, wagging out the news of the Crown Prince's mysterious departure.
Each tongue told a different story, and none of the stories tallied. No
information was to be obtained at Court. There nothing was said, but
that the Prince, disliking the formal ceremony of a public departure,
had privately set sail in his own yacht for his projected tour round
the world. Nobody believed this; and the general impression soon gained
ground that the young man had fallen into disgrace with his Royal
parents, and had been sent away for a time till he should recognize the
enormity of his youthful indiscretions.
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