“Sir, as you now know all, I will frankly assure you that I think his Royal Highness has behaved honourably, and as a true man! Society pardons a prince for seducing innocence--but whether it will pardon him for marrying it, is quite another question! And that is why I repeat, he has behaved well. Though when he first told me he was married, I suffered a not-to-be-explained misery and horror; ‘For,’ said he--‘I have married an angel!’ Which naturally I thought (deducting a certain quantity of the enthusiasm of youth for the statement) meant that he had married a bouncing housemaid with large hands and feet. ‘That is well,’ I told him--‘For divorce is now made easy in this country, and you can easily return the celestial creature to her native element!’ At which I resigned myself to hear some oaths, for violent expletives are always refreshing to the masculine brain-matter. But his Royal Highness maintained the good breeding which always distinguishes him, and merely proceeded with his strange confession of romance,--which, as you, Sir, are now happily aware of it, I need not recapitulate. Your knowledge of the matter has lifted an enormous burden from my mind; Ach! Enormous!” He gave a deep breath, and drew himself up to his full height--squared his shoulders, and then, as it were stood firm, as though waiting attack. The King laughed good-naturedly, and took him by the arm. “Tell me all you know, Von Glauben!” he said; “I am acquainted with the gist and upshot of the matter,--namely, Humphry’s marriage; but I am wholly ignorant of the details.” “There is little to tell, Sir,” said Von Glauben;--“Of the Prince’s constant journeyings to The Islands we were all aware long ago; but the cause of those little voyages was not so apparent. To avoid the suspicion with which a Royal visitor would be viewed, the Prince, it appears, assumed to be merely one of the junior officers on his own yacht,--and under this disguise became known and much liked by the Islanders generally. He fell in love at first sight with the beautiful girl your Majesty saw yesterday--Gloria; ‘Glory-of-the-Sea’--as I sometimes call her, and they were married by the old parish priest in the little church among the rocks--the very church where, as her adopted father, Ronsard, tells me, he heard the choristers singing a ‘Gloria in Excelsis’ on the day he found her cast up on the shore.” “Well!” said the King, seeing that he paused; “And is the marriage legal, think you?” “Perfectly so, Sir!” replied Von Glauben; “Registered by law, as well as sanctified by church. The Prince tells me he married her in his own name,--but no one,--not even the poor little priest who married them,--knew the surname of your Majesty’s distinguished house, and I believe,--nay I am sure--” here he heaved an unconscious sigh, “it will bring a tragedy to the girl when she knows the true rank and title of her husband!”