An Uncrowned King: A Romance of High PoliticsGrier, Sydney C.
General
An Uncrowned King: A Romance of High Politics
Grier, Sydney C.
British -- Foreign countries -- Fiction; Kings and rulers -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Political fiction
themselves under my guidance, the troops had joined us, the Government
agent was seeking the means for flight. By my orders he was captured
and lodged in prison--I seemed to perceive at once what was to be
done. The telegraph-office was seized, no message allowed to be sent
but by my authority. To each of our candidates for the Assembly I
telegraphed what had happened, and his orders. A brief pause to
concert my plans with my chief supporters, and we were in motion
again. The news spread through the country like wildfire; in a short
time the whole army was with us, and the people were thronging to us
in enormous numbers. We marched to Bellaviste, and entered the city
without striking a blow. When we laid before the king our demands for
a change of Ministry and a new constitution, he preferred to abdicate
rather than grant them. We were nothing loath, and he has retired to
the south of France on a suitable income. A provisional government was
formed, and has remained in power, supported by the whole force of the
national sentiment, for nearly a year. The success of our movement was
due to its spontaneity. If we had prepared for it, Scythia would have
gained some inkling of our plan, and might have out-plotted us, but
she could not without any excuse interfere with the accomplished fact.
In the very first moment of our freedom we ranged Pannonia on our side
by making overtures to her for the conclusion of a commercial treaty
which had hitherto been hindered by the intrigues of Scythia. To
Scythia we were able to guarantee, through the good offices, secretly
exercised, of Pannonia, the regular payment of her interest, and the
gradual extinction of the debt itself, while the dismissed officials
received honourable terms. It was not easy to arrange all this, for at
first we found it difficult to obtain money, and the Thracians are
hot-blooded and had much to avenge, but I would not remain at their
head except with their promise to acquiesce in my decisions. Balancing
Pannonia against Scythia in this way, we have passed through a year of
national life, although Scythia refuses to recognise us, and has
worked upon our suzerain, Roum, to withhold from us up to the present
time the right we claim of choosing our own form of government.”
“Then, if that right were conceded, you would proclaim a republic?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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