Kings at Arms

A lady, haughty and fierce in her natural character, but schooled to at least the outward show of a cold patience by long years of training in submission to the wills of men, sat in a little private dining-room of her palace at Stockholm and frowned with an air of discontent and pride at her companion, a gentleman, elderly but much younger than herself, who stood by the fireplace and looked on the ground; he also had an air by no means well satisfied, but though he was only a minister...
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A lady, haughty and fierce in her natural character, but schooled to at least the outward show of a cold patience by long years of training in submission to the wills of men, sat in a little private dining-room of her palace at Stockholm and frowned with an air of discontent and pride at her companion, a gentleman, elderly but much younger than herself, who stood by the fireplace and looked on the ground; he also had an air by no means well satisfied, but though he was only a minister and she was a Queen he had never been as much in the background as she, nor so forced to subdue an imperious spirit, for she was a woman, and women had never counted for much in Sweden.They did not like each other. Count Piper, the late King's minister, and Eleanora Edwiga, the late King's mother; she knew that she owed to him her forced retirement from the brief-prized power that she had held as Regent, and he thought her very presence in the palace was vexatious and that her place was in retirement with her prayer-book and her embroidery, but for the moment they were in the same position and might be useful to each other, therefore, tacitly ignoring mutual dislike, they became allies."I do not know," said the Queen, "why we talk about these things, for, of course, the King will do as he wishes."She spoke with a certain chill triumph, and Count Piper knew that her words meant, "If I cannot rule my grandson, neither can you;" he also knew that she spoke from pure malice, and that she found every use in discussing the affairs that composed her life."Naturally, Madame," he answered quietly, "the King will do as he likes. It is for us to find out what he does like."The old woman gave him a long and rather bitter look."Do you not know?" she asked."No, Madame," smiled Count Piper."Well, I do," replied the Queen sharply. "He likes just what any boy of eighteen likes," she glanced at the table with covers for three, elegant but not splendid. "And he is late for dinner," she added, and the love of old age for trifles showed in her acid tone.Count Piper seemed faintly amused."It would be strange if His Majesty should be ordinary-considering his lineage," he replied. "And he was very carefully trained."The Queen was hit through her pride in her husband and her son."Karl's breed will show later," she said stiffly, "for the moment he is-as I said-eighteen."