The Prince of Graustark | Page 4

merely had stated--but over and over again--that
money couldn't buy everything in the world, referring directly to social
eminence and indirectly to their secret ambition to capture a Prince of
the royal blood for their daughter Maud. She had prefaced this opinion,
however, with the exceedingly irritating insinuation that Mr. Blithers
was not in his right mind when he proposed inviting the Prince to spend
a few weeks at Blitherwood, provided the young man could cut short
his visit in the home of Mr. and Mrs. King, who, he had asseverated,
were not in a position to entertain royalty as royalty was in the habit of
being entertained.
Long experience had taught Mr. Blithers to read the lip and eye
language with some degree of certainty, so by watching his wife's
indignant face closely he was able to tell when she was succumbing to
reason. He was a burly, domineering person who reasoned for every
one within range of his voice, and it was only when his wife became
coldly sarcastic that he closed his ears and boomed his opinions into
her very teeth, so to say, joyfully overwhelming her with facts which it
were futile for her to attempt to deny. He was aware, quite as much so
as if he had heard the words, that she was now saying:
"Well, there is absolutely no use arguing with you, Will. Have it your

way if it pleases you."
Eying her with some uneasiness, he cautiously inserted his thumbs in
the armholes of his brocaded waistcoat, and proclaimed:
"As I said before, Lou, there isn't a foreign nobleman, from the
Emperor down, who is above grabbing a few million dollars. They're
all hard up, and what do they gain by marrying ladies of noble birth if
said ladies are the daughters of noblemen who are as hard up as all the
rest of 'em? Besides, hasn't Maud been presented at Court? Didn't you
see to that? How about that pearl necklace I gave her when she was
presented? Wasn't it the talk of the season? There wasn't a Duke in
England who didn't figure the cost of that necklace to within a guinea
or two. No girl ever had better advertising than--"
"We were speaking of Prince Robin," remarked his wife, with a slight
shudder. Mrs. Blithers came of better stock than her husband. His
gaucheries frequently set her teeth on edge. She was born in Providence
and sometimes mentioned the occurrence when particularly desirous of
squelching him, not unkindly perhaps but by way of making him realise
that their daughter had good blood in her veins. Mr. Blithers had heard,
in a round-about way, that he first saw the light of day in Jersey City,
although after he became famous Newark claimed him. He did not
bother about the matter.
"Well, he's like all the rest of them," said he, after a moment of
indecision. Something told him that he really ought to refrain from
talking about the cost of things, even in the bosom of his family. He
had heard that only vulgarians speak of their possessions. "Now, there's
no reason in the world why we shouldn't consider his offer. He--"
"Offer?" she cried, aghast. "He has made no offer, Will. He doesn't
even know that Maud is in existence. How can you say such a thing?"
"I was merely looking ahead, that's all. My motto is 'Look Ahead.' You
know it as well as I do. Where would I be to-day if I hadn't looked
ahead and seen what was going to happen before the other fellow had
his eyes open? Will you tell me that? Where, I say? What's more,

where would I be now if I hadn't looked ahead and seen what a
marriage with the daughter of Judge Morton would mean to me in the
long run?" He felt that he had uttered a very pretty and convincing
compliment." I never made a bad bargain in my life, Lou, and it wasn't
guess-work when I married you. You, my dear old girl, you were the
solid foundation on which I--"
"I know," she said wearily; "you've said it a thousand times: 'The
foundation on which I built my temple of posterity'--yes, I know, Will.
But I am still unalterably opposed to making ourselves ridiculous in the
eyes of Mr. and Mrs. King."
"Ridiculous? I don't understand you."
"Well, you will after you think it over," she said quietly, and he
scowled in positive perplexity.
"Don't you think he'd be a good match for Maud?" he asked, after many
minutes. He felt that he had thought it over.
"Are you thinking of kidnapping him, Will?" she demanded.
"Certainly not! But all you've got to do is to say that he's the man for
Maud and I'll--I'll do