‘What is the matter—has she met with any serious accident?’ inquired the minister in alarm.
‘She has met with that which is infinitely harder to bear to one of her pure mind, than any physical injury.’
‘Thou speakest in riddles—pray explain thyself?’ returned his lordship a little sharply, for he was getting impatient.
‘My mistress has been grossly insulted by one who has taken advantage of his high position,’ Geometrus proceeded to say, but evidently with much reluctance.
‘By whom—Prince Osbert?’ queried his lordship hastily.
‘No, my lord, the Emperor himself,’ answered Geometrus in a low voice, but firm; the tones of which betrayed also the pain it cost him to make the disclosure.
‘The Emperor!’ repeated Lord Divesdale in profound amazement.
‘The same,’ Geometrus replied laconically.
‘How—in what manner? Pray tell me in a reasonable way what thou knowest of it?’ exclaimed Divesdale impatiently.
‘The Emperor has been coming much of late to the Observatory. Last week he made a journey thither ostensibly to talk astronomy with Mistress Mercia. Yet I saw he looked annoyed at my entrance, and as if I had been an interruption to him. However, this day he came again, and as I was in the city at the time, he obtained good opportunity to say all he desired, presumably, for it finished with Mercia tearing herself out of his grasp and threatening to take his life if he detained her further.