He spoke coldly and calmly, but his heart was beating with mingled wrath and pain, and even while he thus pronounced her doom, the exquisite face of Gloria floated before him like the vision of a perfect innocence ruined and betrayed. He realised that he possibly had an unusual character to reckon with in her,--and he had lately become fully aware that there was as much determination and latent force in the disposition of his son, as in the mother who had given him birth. Pale and composed, the young Prince heard him in absolute silence, and when he had finished, still waited a moment, lest any further word should fall from the lips of his parent and Sovereign. Then he spoke in quite as measured, cold and tranquil a manner as the King had done. “I need not remind you, Sir, that the days of tyranny are over. You cannot force me into bigamy against my will!” His father uttered a quick oath. “Bigamy! Who talks of bigamy?” “You do, Sir! I have married a beautiful and innocent woman,--she is my lawful wife in the sight of God and man; yet you coolly propose to give me a second wife under the ‘morganatic’ law, which, as I view it, is merely a Royal excuse for bigamy! Now I have no wish to excuse myself for marrying Gloria,--I consider she has honoured me far more than I have honoured her. She has given me all her youth, her life, her love, her beauty and her trust, and whatever I am worth in this world shall be hers and hers only. I am quite prepared”--and he smiled somewhat sarcastically,--“to make it a test case, and appeal to the law of the realm. If that law tolerates a crime in princes, which it would punish in commoners, then I shall ask the People to judge me!” “Indeed!” And the King surveyed him with a touch of ironical amusement and vague admiration for his audacity. “And suppose the people fail to appreciate the romance of the situation?” “Then I shall resign my nationality;” said the young man coolly; “Because a country that legalises a wrong done to the innocent, is not worth belonging to! Concerning the Throne,--as I told you before--I am ready to abandon it at once. I would rather lose all the kingdoms of the world than lose Gloria!” There was a pause, during which the King took two or three slow paces up and down the room. At last he turned and faced his son; his eyes were softer--his look more kindly. “You are very much in love just now, Humphry!” he said; “And I do not wish to be too hard on you in this matter, for there can be no question as to the extraordinary beauty of the girl you call your wife----” “The girl who _is_ my wife,” interrupted the Prince decisively. “Very well; so let it be!” said his father calmly; “The girl who _is_ your wife--for the present! I will give you time--plenty of time--to consider the position reasonably!” “I have already considered it,” he declared.