COUNTESS ELLENBURG PRAYS
risy. When he spoke to her, there were in his mouth no such words as plans or schemes or hopes or ambitions no, nor claims nor rights. It was always, "the possibilities we are compelled to contemplate"
—"the steps we may be forced into taking"—"the necessities of mere self-defence" "the interests of the kingdom"—"the supreme evil of civil strife"— which last most respectable phrase meant that it was much better to jockey the Prince out of his throne than to fight him for it. Colonel Stafnitz bit his lip and gnawed his mustache during these interviews. The Countess—saw and hated him. She turned back to Stenovics's church-going phrases and impassive face. Throughout the whole affair the General probably never once mentioned to her in plain language the one and only object of all their hopes and efforts. In the result business took rather longer to transact —the church-going phrases ran to many syllables; but concessions must be made to piety. Nor was the Countess so singular; we should often forego what we like best if we were obliged to define it accurately and aloud.
After one of these conferences the Countess always prayed; it may be presumed that she prayed against the misfortune of a cast-iron terminology. Probably she also urged her views for prayer is in many books and mouths more of an argument than a petition— that all marriages were on one and the same footing, and that Heaven knew naught of a particular variety named in some countries morganatic. Of the keeping of contracts, made contrary to the presumed views of Heaven, we are all aware that Churches—and sometimes States, too—are apt to know or count nothing.
Such were the woman and her mind. Some pity may go out to her. In the end, behind all her prayers,
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