152 PRINCE RICARDO.

 

‘*T wonder who she is?” the king went on,
speaking to himself. ‘That great booby,
Ricardo, saved her from wild birds, which were
just going to eat her. She was fastened to a
mountain top, but where? that’s the question.
Ricardo never has any notion of geography. It
was across the sea, he noticed that; but which’
sea,—Atlantic, Pacific, the Black Sea, the
Caspian, the Sea of Marmora, the Red Sea, the
Indian Ocean, the German Ocean, the Mediter-
ranean? Her ornaments were very peculiar ;
there was a broad gold sun on her breast.
I must look at them again some day. She
said she was being sacrificed to wild birds
(which her people worshipped), because there
was some famine, or war, or trouble in the
country. She said she was a Daughter of the
Sun; but that, of course, is absurd, unless——
By Jove! I believe I have it,” said the king,

-and he went into the royal library and was
looking for some old Spanish book, when his
secretary came and said that the Russian
Ambassador was waiting for an interview with
his Majesty.

“Dismal old Muscovite!”’ sighed the king.
‘*A monarch has not a moment to himself for
his private studies. Ah, Prigio! why wert thou
not borntoa private station? But Duty before
everything,” and wreathing his royal counte-
nance in smiles, his Majesty prepared to give
Count Snoreonski an audience.