The Prince of Graustark

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The Prince of Graustark

Project Gutenberg's The Prince of Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon #17 in our series by George Barr McCutcheon
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Title: The Prince of Graustark
Author: George Barr McCutcheon
Release Date: August, 2004 [EBook #6353] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on November 29, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK
BY
GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON
Author of "Graustark", "Beverly of Graustark," etc.
With Illustrations by A.I. KELLER
1914

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I
MR. AND MRS. BLITHERS DISCUSS MATRIMONY
II TWO COUNTRIES DISCUSS MARRIAGE
III MR. BLITHERS GOES VISITING
IV PROTECTING THE BLOOD
V PRINCE ROBIN is ASKED TO STAND UP
VI THE PRINCE AND MR. BLITHERS
VII A LETTER FROM MAUD
VIII ON BOARD THE JUPITER
IX THE PRINCE MEETS MISS GUILE
X AN HOUR ON DECK
XI THE LIEUTENANT RECEIVES ORDERS
XII THE LIEUTENANT REPORTS
XIII THE RED LETTER B
XIV THE CAT IS AWAY
XV THE MICE IN A TRAP
XVI THREE MESSAGES
XVII THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
XVIII A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
XIX "WHAT WILL MY PEOPLE DO"
XX LOVE IN ABEYANCE
XXI MR. BLITHERS ARRIVES IN GRAUSTARK
XXII A VISIT TO THE CASTLE
XXIII PINGARI'S
XIV JUST WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED

ILLUSTRATIONS
Her eyes were starry bright, her red lips were parted. Frontispiece "You will be her choice," said the other, without the quiver of an eye-lash.
"I shall pray for continuous rough weather."
The dignified Ministry of Graustark sat agape.
CHAPTER I
MR. AND MRS. BLITHERS DISCUSS MATRIMONY
"My dear," said Mr. Blithers, with decision," you can't tell me."
"I know I can't," said his wife, quite as positively. She knew when she could tell him a thing and when she couldn't.
It was quite impossible to impart information to Mr. Blithers when he had the tips of two resolute fingers embedded in his ears. That happened to be his customary and rather unfair method of conquering her when an argument was going against him, not for want of logic on his part, but because it was easier to express himself with his ears closed than with them open. By this means he effectually shut out the voice of opposition and had the discussion all to himself. Of course, it would have been more convincing if he had been permitted to hear the sound of his own eloquence; still, it was effective.
She was sure to go on talking for two or three minutes and then subside in despair. A woman will not talk to a stone wall. Nor will she wantonly allow an argument to die while there remains the slightest chance of its survival. Given the same situation, a man would get up and leave his wife sitting there with her fingers in her ears; and, as he bolted from the room in high dudgeon, he would be mean enough to call attention to her pig-headedness. In most cases, a woman is content to listen to a silly argument rather than to leave the room just because her husband elects to be childish about a perfectly simple elucidation of the truth.
Mrs. Blithers had lived with Mr. Blithers, more or less, for twenty- five years and she knew him like a book. He was a forceful person who would have his own way, even though he had to put his fingers in his ears to get it. At one period of their joint connubial agreement, when he had succeeded in accumulating a pitiful hoard amounting to but little more than ten millions of dollars, she concluded to live abroad for the purpose of educating their daughter, allowing him in the meantime to increase his fortune to something like fifty millions without having to worry about household affairs. But she had sojourned with him long enough, at odd times, to realise that, so long as he lived, he would never run away from an argument--unless, by some dreadful hook or crook, he should be so unfortunate as to be deprived of the use of both hands. She found room to gloat, of course, in the fact that he