If I Were King

the wild passion which had prompted him to spin his very soul into song burnt with a new, delicious strength of hope. He stared at her as a worshipper m

lady there who desire

ly from the gracious apparition

id earnestly, and again his eyes tr

him and touched him re

rand Constable of France, newly come to Paris from the Court of His Majesty of Provence. Remember thi

is queen, but at least they served to convince him of what he had already begun to assure hims

elation to the Lady Katherine from that of the lowly poet and gaolbird

therine, who descended the steps slowly. As she reached the last step, Olivier salut

lon felt a sudden strange sensation at his heart, exquisite p

d himself; "no dream co

is feet, divinely gracious in her surrender of dignity as

, "will you listen t

ht her white fingers an

therine. Would she know him for what he was, he wondered. He read no recognition in her sweet eyes. Katherine returned h

spirit fluttered with fierce exaltation. The Lord of Moncorbier, who was Grand Const

e pleade

would implore your clemency. His name is Fran?ois

led a cont

g room for me,

went on

But Thibaut was a tra

on fight him f

man. He risked his life with a ligh

ou know a

is man had seen me, thought

insol

igny. I went to this Villon and begged him to kill my enemy. He backed his love tale with hi

is brain so whimsical and so fantastic that it made him as dizzy for an instan

y chance love

sdain rippled over

I do not want him to die, though, indeed, life cannot be ve

as, indeed, all that this woman thought him to be, all that those with whom he had spoken had assured him he was, now was his chance to play the lover to his heart's desire. If the Grand Constable had the power to

woman? If I had stood

one as he did

gave a jo

ou should grant the p

apart with a magnificen

hackles him and we will do no more than banish him fro

ificent curtsey, and her ch

member your

his boldness waxed within him as a fire waxes wit

should have won your thoughts. For I am in h

girl's eyes, surprise

ghed, and her laughter was as fresh an

he saw you he loved you and

d prettily in a litt

e wind in the eaves. But you and I are pee

as, indeed, wardered by very different stars from t

eard much of the beauty and more of the p

irl's pale cheeks, and she fl

to my beauty, but I am

ith entreating hands, ple

e if I told you t

d to wake faint echoes among the roses as if every blo

lops. I care little to be flattered and less to be w

s if she had said all that she wanted to say,

your taproom bandit. I see what

laughter brighten

very infl

ught at h

u can stay the flowers from loving the soft air, or true men from loving hon

might in a realm of roses. There was something like

riding his sighs with a smile: then "There is a rhyme in my mind," she cried, "about moons and lovers," and s

is uns

may u

oes in

ge in

ery

ht and

s and

r the

very parchment which had cost him first a dinner and then a drubbing. He had fancied the words and the rhymes when he wrote them, but now they seemed to sound on his ears with t

dogg

lashed sco

, to the banished ballad-maker, as she moved a little further up the steps. Villon followed her. Let c

y do," he said, "t

rew graver as she looked

; and then, as Villon's eyes glowed questions, her voice rang

fire from bo

the sound of his voice jested,

ded to jest and

ointed out where, in the distance, beyond the walls of Paris, the pitched tents of the enemy fluttered their hostile flags. Her bosom heaved with great desire. "O

e looked at Joan of Arc when she bad

heart was full of joy at the thought of try

d his words and

ue for his wreath, every cour

rrace and she made to enter the pal

thousand thing

l smile

he said, "and I hav

ewe

e a dash f

nd he moved to do so, but the g

ancing wave, she entered the palace and left him standing there, dazed and ardent, as a man might be who had just bee

t," and on that text he wove the h

it. To-day all's different. I am the king's friend, it would seem, a court potentate, a man of mark.

ere was any one else in the world save himself and his beloved, and he was so wrapped in his sweet contemplations that he did not hear the tower door gen