you kneel at night beside a cradle, a fear will fall upon you,

heavier than any shame; and when your child lies in the pain and

danger of disease, you shall hesitate to kneel before your Maker.'

'You look at the fault,' she said, 'and not at the excuse. Has

your own heart never leaped within you at some story of oppression?

But, alas, no! for you were born upon a throne.'

'I was born of woman,' said the Prince; 'I came forth from my

mother's agony, helpless as a wren, like other nurselings. This,

which you forgot, I have still faithfully remembered. Is it not

one of your English poets, that looked abroad upon the earth and

saw vast circumvallations, innumerable troops manoeuvring, warships

at sea and a great dust of battles on shore; and casting anxiously

about for what should be the cause of so many and painful

preparations, spied at last, in the centre of all, a mother and her

babe? These, madam, are my politics; and the verses, which are by

Mr. Coventry Patmore, I have caused to be translated into the

Bohemian tongue. Yes, these are my politics: to change what we

can, to better what we can; but still to bear in mind that man is

but a devil weakly fettered by some generous beliefs and

impositions, and for no word however nobly sounding, and no cause

however just and pious, to relax the stricture of these bonds.'

There was a silence of a moment.

'I fear, madam,' resumed the Prince, 'that I but weary you. My

views are formal like myself; and like myself, they also begin to

grow old. But I must still trouble you for some reply.'

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