“You pay us your cold tribute,” he cried, “but what do you know of the ardor, the passionate enthusiasm of a race as different from yours as the Latin from the Teutonic. Logic! We have as much as any men when our hearts are not on fire with our wrongs; but we would rather die, die, die--be crushed like an egg, if you will--than exist like slaves a generation longer.” He turned suddenly to Ranata, his face illuminated under its perpetual frown. “You--your Royal Highness”--he cried, “if you were our queen--you, who look born to sit on a throne as wisely as Maria Theresia, yet without her bigotry and obstinacy--you, who are so like Rudolf-- Ah! Why not? Why not?” “We will have our coffee in the next room,” said the Archduchess with cold severity, as she rose and led the way. “Úr Molnár, have you seen the river and Pest from the balcony?” XXI Fessenden and Ranata were alone in the Hungarian house. Upon the departure of the Independents--diverted and mollified--the Archduchess had dismissed her weary ladies-in-waiting; and Alexandra, after wandering down to the garden with her brother and friend, had stolen away to sleep until the hour to drive. “You heard!” said Ranata. “Do you doubt now that I could be queen in Hungary?” “I never doubted it; nor that your reign would be as exciting as brief. Hungary is now enjoying her days of halcyon peace. When your father dies she may not only have your cousin of Austria, and William, to reckon with, but King Karl of Roumania. It is the secret and persistent ambition of his life to win back to Roumania the lands it claims it owned before the conquest of Árpád, and one of these is not only Transylvania, but Hungary as far as the Theiss. He would join Austria in any attempt to crush Hungary, and he would be abetted by all the internal enemies of this country. Moreover, he hates William as only one strong personality can hate another, and at the first call of Hungary for the German Emperor, or for his second son, he would not wait for Austria. He is a big man in a small country, and has never yet had his opportunity; but when it comes he will grasp it, be sure of that. But have you not had enough of all this for one day?” “Yes--what a contrast you were! I never so fully realized the destiny of the American race. Your brain remains as cold as your eyes until the right moment comes to let the fires leap up. And then! Tell me--I have thought constantly of all that you said last night--it seems to me that you felt yourself safe enough in declaring that you would sacrifice everything for me--ambitions, fortune, country--because you knew the obligation never would confront you. It is I who would have to renounce all and follow you. Austria would expel us both, and could do you no harm.”