"Your majesty will march yourself!" cried Count Platen.
"I will do my duty," interrupted the king with dignity; "when my soldiers take the field, my place is amongst them. Send mounted orderlies to my adjutant-general, to the chief of the general staff, and to the commandant of the corps of engineers," he said to Lex; "and you, my dear count, hasten and bring back the other ministers as quickly as possible!"
Count Platen and Lex departed.
The king remained alone.
He sat motionless before his table, as if lost in thought. His head sank down deeper and deeper, and occasionally a heavy sigh came from his labouring breast; then he put back his head, and raised his sightless eyes to heaven in silent enquiry.
Both the folding doors were suddenly thrown open, and the groom of the chambers exclaimed:
"Her majesty the queen!"
George V. roused himself, and stood up.
The queen hastily entered the cabinet, and walked up to her husband, who stretched out his hands towards her, and kissed her on the forehead.
Queen Marie was about forty-five years of age, her figure was tall, and still possessed its youthful elasticity, and her movements were extremely graceful. Her face, surrounded by abundant light brown hair, no longer had the fresh rosy colouring and childish features which appeared in her large half-length portrait, taken at the time of her marriage when Crown Princess, which was hanging over the king's writing table; but her pure, expressive, and intelligent face was still beautiful, and her dark grey eyes sparkled with goodness and animation. But now those eyes were full of care and uneasiness, and there was painful excitement in her voice as she said, looking up at her husband: