She did not move from his clasp, but into her large, lovely trusting eyes came a look of grief and terror, and her face grew ashy pale. “In what way?” she whispered faintly; “Tell me! I--I--cannot believe it!” “Gloria,--Gloria! My love, my darling! Do not tremble so! Do not fear! I have not deceived you in any evil way,--what I have done was for your good and mine; but now--now there is no longer any need of deception,--you may, and _shall_ know all the truth, my wife, my dearest in the world! You shall know me as I truly am at last!” She moved restlessly in his strong clasp,--she was trembling from head to foot, as if her blood was suddenly chilled. “As you truly are!” she echoed, with pale lips--“Are you not then what I have believed you to be?” And she made an effort to withdraw herself entirely from his embrace. But he held her fast. “I am your husband, Gloria!” he said, “and you are my wife! Nothing can alter that; nothing can change our love or disunite our lives. But I am not the poor naval officer I have represented myself to be!--though I am glad I adopted such a disguise, because by its aid I wooed and won your love! I am not in the service of the Crown Prince,--except in so far as I serve my own needs! Why, how you tremble!”--and he held her closer--“Do not be afraid, my darling! Lift up your eyes and look at me with your own sweet trusting look,--do not turn away from me, because instead of being the Prince’s servant, I am the Prince himself!” “The Prince!” And with a cry of utter desolation, Gloria wrenched herself out of his arms, and stood apart, looking at him in wild alarm and bewilderment. “The Prince! You--you!--my husband! You,--the King’s son! And you have married _me_!--oh, how cruel of you!--how cruel!--how cruel!” Covering her face with her hands, she broke into a low sobbing,--and the Prince, cut to the heart by her distress, caught her again in his arms. “Hush, Gloria!” he said, with an accent of authority, though his own voice was tremulous; “You must not grieve like this! You will break my heart! Do you not understand? Do you not see that all my life is bound up in you?--that I give it to you to do what you will with?--that I care nothing for rank, state or throne without you?--that I will let all the world go rather than lose you? Gloria, do not weep so!--do not weep! Every tear of yours is a pang to me! What does it matter whether I am prince or commoner? I love you!--we love each other!--we are one in the sight of Heaven!” He held her passionately in his arms, kissing the soft clusters of hair that fell against his breast, and whispering all the tenderest words of endearment he could think of to console and soothe her anguish. By degrees she grew calmer, and her sobs gradually ceased. Dashing the tears from her eyes, she looked up,--her face white as marble. “You must not tell Ronsard!” she said in faint tones that shook with fear; “He would kill you!”