The Greylock | Page 8

of the younger prince. How constantly he was in disgrace
with the duchess! And the accidents that had already happened in the
eleven years of his life were too numerous to count. While bathing he
had ventured too far out into the lake and had been nearly drowned;
once, while riding in the ring, he had been thrown over the barriers by
an unmanageable horse; indeed the Court-physician was certain to be
called from his night's rest at least once a month, to bind up bloody
wounds in the young prince's bead, or bruises on his body.

No one, save the Seneschal of the Royal Household, and the Master of
Ceremonies bore the unruly boy any malice, but every one pitied him
as an ill-starred child. With what relentlessness his evil destiny pursued
him was first made clear when a stone house, which he, together with
some other boys, had built, fell down on top of him. When they drew
him out from under the blocks and stones he was unconscious, and the
Major-domo, who had been attracted by the cries of George's
companions, carried him into the prince's room, laid him on the bed,
and watched by him until the physician was called.
The old nurse, Nonna, aided the Majordomo, and these two faithful
souls confided their anxiety to one another. They recalled the unlucky
signs that had accompanied his entrance into the world, and Pepe
expressed his fear that the unfortunate child would not come to life
again.
"'Tis very sad," he continued, "but I doubt not it would be better for the
ducal family if Heaven were now to remove him, for an early death is,
after all, preferable to a long life of vexation and misery."
The boy heard this conversation word for word, for, although he could
move neither hand nor foot, and kept his eyes closed, his hearing and
understanding were wide awake.
Old Nonna had shed many tears during good Pepe's speech, and he was
trying to comfort her when George suddenly sat up, rubbed his eyes
with the back of his hands, stretched himself, and then, agile as a brook
trout, sprang out of bed.
The two old people screamed in their astonishment, then laughed
louder in their joy; but the Court physician, who was just entering the
room, looked very much disgusted and disappointed, for he saw the
beautiful prospect of saving the life of one of the royal children
dissolve before his very eyes.
At the time of this accident the Duchess was away from home. On her
return she forced herself to reprove George for his recklessness before
she yielded fully to her motherly affection. When George threw his
arms around her neck and asked her if it were really true that he was an
ill- starred child, and would never have anything but bad luck as long
as he lived, she nearly burst into tears. But she restrained herself, called
Pepe and Nouna a couple of old geese, and the "signs," which they had
talked about, stupid nonsense. Then she left the room hurriedly and

George thought that he heard her crying outside. He had gathered from
her tone that she was not convinced of what she was saying, and was
only trying to quiet his fears, and from that hour he, too, regarded
himself as a child destined to adversity. This was indeed unfortunate,
yet it had its compensation, for each morning he anticipated an
unhappy day, and when in the evening he looked back on nothing but
pleasure and sunshine, he went to bed with a heart full of gratitude for
the good which he had enjoyed but which did not rightfully belong to
him. From this time his mother had him more carefully guarded than
before, she herself even followed him about anxiously, like a hen who
has hatched a duckling, and forbade him to build any more
stone-houses.
The noble Duchess was just then weighed down with other cares. One
of her neighbors, a king, who had often been defeated in battle by her
husband and her husband's father, thought it an excellent opportunity,
while the duchy of the Greylocks was ruled only by a woman and her
Councillors, to invade the land, and win back some of the provinces
which he had formerly lost. Moustache, her Field-marshal, had led
forth the army, and a battle was now imminent, which like all other
battles, must end either in victory or defeat.
One day a messenger came from the camp, bringing a letter from the
brave marshal, who demanded more troops, saying that the enemy far
out-numbered him. Then the Prime Minister called the Great Council
together, from which, of course, the Duchess could not be absent, and
during the time that she presided over the Councillors'