"It is often good policy to lead trumps," said Maximilian, not without a sneer.
"In whist, but not in all games, Your Majesty. I hold mine for the present. But—is your indulgence for the old man quite exhausted?"
"Not quite, though slightly strained, I will confess," Maximilian said, tempering the words with half a smile.
"Then I have one, and only one, more important question to ask, 245 venturing to remind you first that, to the best of my belief, I have acted solely in your interest. If I feel that such a step as you contemplate would be my death blow, it is simply because I love you and love Rhaetia before all else. Tell me, Your Majesty, this one thing. If it were proved to you that the lady you know as Miss de Courcy was, not only not the person she pretended to be, but in other respects unworthy of your love—unworthy in a way that no man can forgive—what would you do then?"
"You speak of impossibilities."
"But if they were not impossibilities?"
"In such a case I would do as other men do—spend the rest of my life in trying to forget a lost ideal."
"I thank Your Majesty; that is all I now ask. I suppose—you will continue your journey?"
"Yes, I continue my journey as far as Wandeck, where I hope to find Lady and Miss de Courcy."
"Then, Your Majesty, when I have expressed my deep gratitude for your forbearance—even though I failed to be convincing—I will trouble you 246 no longer."