The Lady of the Shroud - Bram Stoker (phonics reader txt) 📗

been made for the convenience of Members of the Council and

others.

 

The Voivode Peter Vissarion, obedient to the request of the Council,

was in attendance at the State House, waiting in the “Chamber of the

High Officers” until such time as he should be asked to come before

the Council.

 

The President put before the National Council the matter of the new

Constitution, outlining the headings of it as drawn up by the High

Court of National Law, and the Constitution having been formally

accepted nem. con. by the National Council on behalf of the people,

he proposed that the Crown should be offered to the Voivode Peter

Vissarion, with remainder to the “Gospodar Rupert” (legally, Rupert

Sent Leger), husband of his only child, the Voivodin Teuta. This

also was received with enthusiasm, and passed nem. con.

 

Thereupon the President of Council, the Archbishop, and the Vladika,

acting together as a deputation, went to pray the attention of the

Voivode Peter Vassarion.

 

When the Voivode entered, the whole Council and officials stood up,

and for a few seconds waited in respectful silence with heads bowed

down. Then, as if by a common impulse—for no word was spoken nor

any signal given—they all drew their handjars, and stood to

attention—with points raised and edges of the handjars to the front.

 

The Voivode stood very still. He seemed much moved, but controlled

himself admirably. The only time when be seemed to lose his self-control was when, once again with a strange simultaneity, all present

raised their handjars on high, and shouted: “Hail, Peter, King!”

Then lowering their points till these almost touched the ground, they

once again stood with bowed heads.

 

When he had quite mastered himself, the Voivode Peter Vissarion

spoke:

 

“How can I, my brothers, sufficiently thank you, and, through you,

the people of the Blue Mountains, for the honour done to me this day?

In very truth it is not possible, and therefore I pray you to

consider it as done, measuring my gratitude in the greatness of your

own hearts. Such honour as you offer to me is not contemplated by

any man in whose mind a wholesome sanity rules, nor is it even the

dream of fervent imagination. So great is it, that I pray you, men

with hearts and minds like my own, to extend to me, as a further

measure of your generosity, a little time to think it over. I shall

not want long, for even already, with the blaze of honour fresh upon

me, I see the cool shadow of Duty, though his substance is yet hardly

visible. Give me but an hour of solitude—an hour at most—if it do

not prolong this your session unduly. It may be that a lesser time

will serve, but in any case I promise you that, when I can see a just

and fitting issue to my thought, I shall at once return.”

 

The President of the Council looked around him, and, seeing

everywhere the bowing heads of acquiescence, spoke with a reverent

gravity:

 

“We shall wait in patience whatsoever time you will, and may the God

who rules all worthy hearts guide you to His Will!”

 

And so in silence the Voivode passed out of the hall.

 

From my seat near a window I could watch him go, as with measured

steps he passed up the hill which rises behind the State House, and

disappeared into the shadow of the forest. Then my work claimed me,

for I wished to record the proceedings so far whilst all was fresh in

my mind. In silence, as of the dead, the Council waited, no man

challenging opinion of his neighbour even by a glance.

 

Almost a full hour had elapsed when the Voivode came again to the

Council, moving with slow and stately gravity, as has always been his

wont since age began to hamper the movement which in youth had been

so notable. The Members of the Council all stood up uncovered, and

so remained while he made announcement of his conclusion. He spoke

slowly; and as his answer was to be a valued record of this Land and

its Race, I wrote down every word as uttered, leaving here and there

space for description or comment, which spaces I have since then

filled in.

 

“Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of the

Council of Justice and of National Law, Archimandrites, and my

brothers all, I have, since I left you, held in the solitude of the

forest counsel with myself—and with God; and He, in His gracious

wisdom, has led my thinking to that conclusion which was from the

first moment of knowledge of your intent presaged in my heart.

Brothers, you know—or else a long life has been spent in vain—that

my heart and mind are all for the nation—my experience, my life, my

handjar. And when all is for her, why should I shrink to exercise on

her behalf my riper judgment though the same should have to combat my

own ambition? For ten centuries my race has not failed in its duty.

Ages ago the men of that time trusted in the hands of my ancestors

the Kingship, even as now you, their children, trust me. But to me

it would be base to betray that trust, even by the smallest tittle.

That would I do were I to take the honour of the crown which you have

tendered to me, so long as there is another more worthy to wear it.

Were there none other, I should place myself in your hands, and yield

myself over to blind obedience of your desires. But such an one

there is; dear to you already by his own deeds, now doubly dear to

me, since he is my son by my daughter’s love. He is young, whereas I

am old. He is strong and brave and true; but my days of the

usefulness of strength and bravery are over. For myself, I have long

contemplated as the crown of my later years a quiet life in one of

our monasteries, where I can still watch the whirl of the world

around us on your behalf, and be a counsellor of younger men of more

active minds. Brothers, we are entering on stirring times. I can

see the signs of their coming all around us. North and South—the

Old Order and the New, are about to clash, and we lie between the

opposing forces. True it is that the Turk, after warring for a

thousand years, is fading into insignificance. But from the North

where conquests spring, have crept towards our Balkans the men of a

mightier composite Power. Their march has been steady; and as they

came, they fortified every step of the way. Now they are hard upon

us, and are already beginning to swallow up the regions that we have

helped to win from the dominion of Mahound. The Austrian is at our

very gates. Beaten back by the Irredentists of Italy, she has so

enmeshed herself with the Great Powers of Europe that she seems for

the moment to be impregnable to a foe of our stature. There is but

one hope for us—the uniting of the Balkan forces to turn a masterly

front to North and West as well as to South and East. Is that a task

for old hands to undertake? No; the hands must be young and supple;

and the brain subtle, as well as the heart be strong, of whomsoever

would dare such an accomplishment. Should I accept the crown, it

would only postpone the doing of that which must ultimately be done.

What avail would it be if, when the darkness closes over me, my

daughter should be Queen Consort to the first King of a new dynasty?

You know this man, and from your record I learn that you are already

willing to have him as King to follow me. Why not begin with him?

He comes of a great nation, wherein the principle of freedom is a

vital principle that quickens all things. That nation has more than

once shown to us its friendliness; and doubtless the very fact that

an Englishman would become our King, and could carry into our

Government the spirit and customs which have made his own country

great, would do much to restore the old friendship, and even to

create a new one, which would in times of trouble bring British

fleets to our waters, and British bayonets to support our own

handjars. It is within my own knowledge, though as yet unannounced

to you, that Rupert Sent Leger has already obtained a patent, signed

by the King of England himself, allowing him to be denaturalized in

England, so that he can at once apply for naturalization here. I

know also that he has brought hither a vast fortune, by aid of which

he is beginning to strengthen our hands for war, in case that sad

eventuality should arise. Witness his late ordering to be built nine

other warships of the class that has already done such effective

service in overthrowing the Turk—or the pirate, whichever he may

have been. He has undertaken the defence of the Blue Mouth at his

own cost in a way which will make it stronger than Gibraltar, and

secure us against whatever use to which the Austrian may apply the

vast forces already gathered in the Bocche di Cattaro. He is already

founding aerial stations on our highest peaks for use of the war

aeroplanes which are being built for him. It is such a man as this

who makes a nation great; and right sure I am that in his hands this

splendid land and our noble, freedom-loving people will flourish and

become a power in the world. Then, brothers, let me, as one to whom

this nation and its history and its future are dear, ask you to give

to the husband of my daughter the honour which you would confer on

me. For her I can speak as well as for myself. She shall suffer

nothing in dignity either. Were I indeed King, she, as my daughter,

would be a Princess of the world. As it will be, she shall be

companion and Queen of a great King, and her race, which is mine,

shall flourish in all the lustre of the new Dynasty.

 

“Therefore on all accounts, my brothers, for the sake of our dear

Land of the Blue Mountains, make the Gospodar Rupert, who has so

proved himself, your King. And make me happy in my retirement to the

cloister.”

 

When the Voivode ceased to speak, all still remained silent and

standing. But there was no mistaking their acquiescence in his most

generous prayer. The President of the Council well interpreted the

general wish when he said:

 

“Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of the

Councils of Justice and National Law, Archimandrites, and all who are

present, is it agreed that we prepare at leisure a fitting reply to

the Voivode Peter of the historic House of Vissarion, stating our

agreement with his wish?”

 

To which there was a unanimous answer:

 

“It is.” He went on:

 

“Further. Shall we ask the Gospodar Rupert of the House of Sent

Leger, allied through his marriage to the Voivodin Teuta, daughter

and only child of the Voivode Peter of Vissarion, to come hither to-morrow? And that, when he is amongst us, we confer on him the Crown

and Kingship of the Land of the Blue Mountains?”

 

Again came the answer: “It is.”

 

But this time it rang out like the sound of a gigantic trumpet, and

the handjars flashed.

 

Whereupon the session was adjourned for the space of a day.

 

THE SAME—Continued.

September 10, 1907.

 

When the National Council met to-day