Princess Maritza | Page 6

for my energies yonder, that is all. My own country despises
me. I hope for better things from the country of my adoption."
CHAPTER II.
MONSIEUR DE FROILETTE

At a turn of the road which had been deserted for some two hours past,
a man suddenly reined in his horse to a walking pace. He had ridden far,
for his dress was dusty, and the animal showed signs of fatigue. The
evening was stormy-looking, and there was a bite in the wind blowing
from the higher lands to the plain.
The road ran, with many a twist and turn, between dense woods on one
side, and rugged waste ground, with tangled patches of undergrowth,
on the other. Here and there a clearing had been made in the woods,
and a rough dwelling erected, but they were apparently deserted; there
were no signs of life about them this evening. The man rode easily, yet
with constant watchfulness. The times were unsettled and dangerous,
and the slightest unfamiliar sound instantly attracted his attention. He
was accustomed to be on the alert, and whatever thoughts held sway
behind his gloomy looks, they were not sufficiently absorbing to render
him careless for a moment.
Suddenly he pulled his horse to a standstill, turning sharply in his
saddle to look back upon the way he had come. Then he examined his
holster, and, moving his horse to a position which gave him a better
command of the road, sat quietly waiting.
The sound which had attracted his attention grew rapidly nearer, and
presently three riders came round the bend at a gallop, one some paces
in advance of his companions. He pulled up short, seeing the

motionless horseman by the roadside, scenting danger and ready for it;
but the next moment he raised his hat with pronounced courtesy, and
bowed low in his saddle.
"Pardon, monsieur," he said, "but one sees a possible enemy in so
unexpected an encounter."
"Unexpected, monsieur?"
"I said so. May I add fortunate, too?"
"Such enemies as you suggest seldom stand singly," was the rather
ungracious answer.
"And in these times wise men seldom ride alone, monsieur," came the
quick retort. "I travel with an escort myself, you see, Captain Ellerey. I
do not make a mistake, I think; you are Captain Ellerey of his Majesty's
Regiment of Chasseurs?"
"That is my name."
"And you are returning to Sturatzberg? Good! We can proceed
together," and without waiting for an assent to this arrangement, he
ordered his servants to go forward, and watched them until they had
disappeared. "Now, monsieur, we may go forward at our leisure."
"I have not the honor of--"
"My name. Ah, it is of small consequence. Jules de Froilette, at your
service. It is unknown to you?"
"I think so, but your face seems familiar," said Ellerey, as they went on
together.
"Ah, yes. I go to Court sometimes."
"And I but seldom, monsieur."
"Then you may have seen me in the streets of Sturatzberg. I know the

city well, and have nothing to hide. I have interests in this country, let
us say, in timber; it is the answer I give when I am questioned, for no
one respects a lazy man. A voluntary exile from my country, I have no
quarrel with France, nor she with me. In these days men are become
cosmopolitan, is it not so?"
"It looks like it in Sturatzberg," Ellerey replied.
"Monsieur is also an exile, and has no quarrel with his motherland?"
"At least I do not speak of it, Monsieur De Froilette."
"Pardon me, I am not inquisitive. You crave for excitement, so come to
Sturatzberg. The promise of adventure will ever attract men of spirit
and--"
"And the failures at home," suggested Ellerey.
"I was going to say men of courage," De Froilette answered, "but the
failures come, too, and succeed--sometimes."
"You are as doubtful of the reward as I am," said Ellerey, laughing.
De Froilette did not join in his merriment.
"A Captain of Horse is not to be despised," he said slowly, glancing
furtively at his companion.
"True, but he remains a Captain of Horse. I expected rapid events in
this country, and quick promotion for those who came out of the
struggle with their lives. Instead, we have an expedition against some
brigands' fastness, which is deserted when we arrive, or a troop to quell
a petty riot which has fizzled out when we get there, and that is all."
"And monsieur thirsts for more; the desperate encounter and the bloody
sword; for high place and Court favor."
"Is it too great an ambition?" Ellerey demanded. "Do we not all from
the bottom rung of the ladder look eagerly toward the top--the student

to the masters of his profession, the apprentice to the seat of