“
Rose 2
, ” I 4
answered , laying down my 4
egg-spoon , “ why in the world 3
should I 4
do anything ?
My 4
position is a comfortable one .
I 4
have an income nearly sufficient for my 4
wants ( no one 6
’s income is ever quite sufficient , you 2
know ) , I 4
enjoy an enviable social position : I 4
am brother to
Lord Burlesdon 5
64 , and brother-in-law to
that charming lady 2
,
71 .
Behold , it is enough ! ”
“ You 4
are nine-and-twenty , ” she 2
observed , “ and you 4
’ve done nothing but -- ” “ Knock about ?
It is true .
does n’t need to do things . ”
This remark of mine rather annoyed Rose 2
, for everybody 9
knows ( and therefore there can be no harm in referring to the fact ) that , pretty and accomplished as she 2
herself 2
is , is hardly of the same standing as the Rassendylls 0
.
Besides her 2
attractions , she 2
possessed a large fortune , and Robert 5
was wise enough not to mind about her 2
ancestry .
Ancestry is , in fact , a matter concerning which the next observation of Rose 2
’s has some truth .
“ Good families 10
are generally worse than any others , ” she 2
said .
Upon this I 4
stroked my 4
hair : I 4
knew quite well what she 2
meant .
“ I 2
’m so glad Robert 5
’s is black ! ” she 2
cried .
At this moment Robert 5
( who rises at seven and works before breakfast ) came in .
He 5
glanced at : her 2
cheek was slightly flushed ; he 5
patted it caressingly .
“ What ’s the matter , my 5
dear ? ” he 5
asked .
“ She 2
objects to my 4
doing nothing and having red hair , ” said I 4
, in an injured tone .
“ Oh !
of course he 4
ca n’t help his 4
hair , ” admitted Rose 2
.
“ It generally crops out once in a generation , ” said .
“ So does the nose .
Rudolf 4
has got them both . ”
“ I 2
wish they did n’t crop out , ” said Rose 2
, still flushed .
“ I 4
rather like them myself 4
, ” said I 4
, and , rising , I 4
bowed to the portrait of Countess Amelia 11
.
uttered an exclamation of impatience .
“ I 2
wish you 5
’d take that picture away , Robert 5
, ” said she 2
.
“ ! ” he 5
cried .
“ Good heavens ! ”
I 4
added .
“ Then it might be forgotten , ” she 2
continued .
“ Hardly -- with Rudolf 4
about , ” said Robert 5
, shaking his 5
head .
“ Why should it be forgotten ? ”
I 4
asked .
“ Rudolf 4
! ” exclaimed , blushing very prettily .
I 4
laughed , and went on with my 4
egg .
At least I 4
had shelved the question of what ( if anything ) I 4
ought to do .
And , by way of closing the discussion -- and also , I 4
must admit , of exasperating my 4
strict little sister-in-law
2 a trifle more -- I 4
observed : “ I 4
rather like being an Elphberg 65
myself 4
. ”
When I 4
read a story , I 4
skip the explanations ; yet the moment I 4
begin to write one , I 4
find that I 4
must have an explanation .
For it is manifest that I 4
must explain why was vexed with my 4
nose and hair , and why I 4
ventured to call myself 4
an Elphberg 66
.
For eminent as , I 4
must protest , the Rassendylls 0
have been for many generations , yet participation in their 0
blood of course does not , at first sight , justify the boast of a connection with the grander stock of the Elphbergs 1
or a claim to be one of that Royal House 1
.
For what relationship is there between Ruritania 12
and Burlesdon 13
, between the Palace at
Strelsau 15
14 or the Castle of
Zenda 17
16 and Number 305 Park Lane , W. 18
?
Well then -- and I 4
must premise that I 4
am going , perforce , to rake up the very scandal which Lady Burlesdon 2
wishes forgotten -- in the year 1733 , George II 19
.
sitting then on the throne , peace reigning for the moment , and the King 19
and the Prince of Wales 20
being not yet at loggerheads , there came on a visit to the English Court 21
a certain prince , who was afterwards known to history as
Rudolf the Third of
Ruritania 12
22 22 .
The prince 22
was a tall , handsome young fellow , marked ( maybe marred , it is not for
me 4
to say ) by a somewhat unusually long , sharp and straight nose , and a mass of dark-red hair
67 -- in fact , the nose and the hair which have stamped the Elphbergs 1
time out of mind .
He 22
stayed some months in England , where
he 22
was most courteously received
23 ; yet , in the end , he 22
left rather under a cloud .
For he 22
fought a duel ( it was considered highly well bred of him 22
to waive all question of his 22
rank ) with a nobleman 24
, well known in the society of the day , not only for his 24
own merits , but as the husband of
a very beautiful wife 11
24 .
In that duel Prince Rudolf 22
received a severe wound , and , recovering therefrom , was adroitly smuggled off by the Ruritanian ambassador , who had found
him 22
a pretty handful
25 .
The nobleman 24
was not wounded in the duel ; but the morning being raw and damp on the occasion of the meeting , he 24
contracted a severe chill , and , failing to throw it off , he 24
died some six months after the departure of Prince Rudolf 22
, without having found leisure to adjust his 24
relations with his 24
wife -- who , after another two months , bore
an heir 26
to the title and
estates of
the family of
Burlesdon 13
28 27 11 .
This lady 11
was the Countess Amelia 62
, whose picture wished to remove from the drawing-room in
Park Lane 30
29 ; and was James 24
, fifth Earl of
Burlesdon 13
60 and twenty-second Baron Rassendyll 61
, both in the peerage of England 23
, and a Knight of the Garter 59
.
As for Rudolf 22
, he 22
went back to Ruritania 12
, married a wife 31
, and ascended the throne , whereon his 22
progeny in the direct line
32 have sat from then till this very hour -- with one short interval .
And , finally , if you 33
walk through the picture galleries at Burlesdon 13
, among the fifty portraits or so of the last century and a half , you 34
will find five or six , including that of the sixth earl 35
, distinguished by long , sharp , straight noses and a quantity of dark-red hair ; these five or six have also blue eyes , whereas among the Rassendylls 0
dark eyes are the commoner .
That is the explanation , and I 4
am glad to have finished it : the blemishes on honourable lineage are a delicate subject , and certainly this heredity we 36
hear so much about is the finest scandalmonger in the world 3
; it laughs at discretion , and writes strange entries between the lines of the “ Peerages ” .
It will be observed that , with a want of logic that must have been peculiar to herself 2
( since we 37
are no longer allowed to lay it to the charge of her 2
sex ) , treated my 4
complexion almost as an offence for which I 4
was responsible , hastening to assume from that external sign inward qualities of which I 4
protest my 4
entire innocence ; and this unjust inference she 2
sought to buttress by pointing to the uselessness of the life I 4
had led .
Well , be that as it may , I 4
had picked up a good deal of pleasure and a good deal of knowledge .
I 4
had been to a German school 38
and a German university 39
, and spoke German as readily and perfectly as English ; I 4
was thoroughly at home in French ; I 4
had a smattering of Italian and enough Spanish to swear by .
I 4
was , I 4
believe , a strong , though hardly fine swordsman 68
and a good shot 69
.
I 4
could ride anything that had a back to sit on ; and my 4
head was as cool a one as you 40
could find , for all its flaming cover .
If you 41
say that I 4
ought to have spent my 4
time in useful labour , I 4
am out of Court 42
and have nothing to say , save that had no business to leave me 4
two thousand pounds a year and a roving disposition .
“ The difference between you 4
and Robert 5
, ” said , who often ( bless her 2
! )
speaks on a platform , and oftener still as if she 2
were on one , “ is that he 5
recognizes the duties of his 5
position , and you 4
see the opportunities of yours . ”
“ To a man of spirit 44
, Rose 2
, ” I 4
answered , “ opportunities are duties . ”
“ Nonsense ! ” said she 2
, tossing her 2
head ; and after a moment she 2
went on : “ Now , here ’s Sir Jacob Borrodaile offering
you 4
exactly what
you 4
might be equal to
45 . ”
“ A thousand thanks ! ”
I 4
murmured .
“ He 45
’s to have an Embassy 46
in six months , and Robert 5
says he 5
is sure that he 45
’ll take you 4
as an attache 56
.
Do take it , Rudolf 4
-- to please me 2
. ”
Now , when puts the matter in that way , wrinkling her 2
pretty brows , twisting her 2
little hands , and growing wistful in the eyes , all on account of an idle scamp like
myself 4
, for whom
she 2
has no natural responsibility
4 , I 4
am visited with compunction .
Moreover , I 4
thought it possible that I 4
could pass the time in the position suggested with some tolerable amusement .
Therefore I 4
said : “ , if in six months ’ time no unforeseen obstacle has arisen , and Sir Jacob 45
invites me 4
, hang me 4
if I 4
do n’t go with Sir Jacob 45
! ”
“ Oh , Rudolf 4
, how good of you 4
!
I 2
am glad ! ”
“ Where ’s he 45
going to ? ”
“ He 45
does n’t know yet ; but it 72
’s sure to be a good Embassy 47
. ”
“ Madame 2
, ” said I 4
, “ for your 2
sake I 4
’ll go , if it ’s no more than a beggarly Legation .
When I 4
do a thing , I 4
do n’t do it by halves . ”
My 4
promise , then , was given ; but six months are six months , and seem an eternity , and , inasmuch as they stretched between me 4
and my 4
prospective industry ( I 4
suppose attaches 48
are industrious ; but I 4
know not , for I 4
never became attache to
Sir Jacob 45
or anybody else
57 ) , I 4
cast about for some desirable mode of spending them .
And it occurred to me 4
suddenly that I 4
would visit Ruritania 12
.
It may seem strange that I 4
had never visited that country 12
yet ; but ( in spite of a sneaking fondness for the Elphbergs 1
, which led him 49
to give me 4
, , the famous Elphberg name of Rudolf ) had always been averse from my 4
going , and , since his 49
death , my 4
brother , prompted by
Rose 2
5 , had accepted the family 50
tradition which taught that a wide berth was to be given to that country 12
.
But the moment Ruritania 12
had come into my 4
head I 4
was eaten up with a curiosity to see it 12
.
After all , red hair and long noses are not confined to the House of
Elphberg 1
1 , and the old story seemed a preposterously insufficient reason for debarring myself 4
from acquaintance with a highly interesting and important kingdom 12
, one which had played no small part in European history , and might do the like again under the sway of a young and vigorous ruler , such as
the new King 51
was rumoured to be
51 .
My 4
determination was clinched by reading in _ The Times _ that Rudolf the Fifth 51
was to be crowned at Strelsau 52
in the course of the next three weeks , and that great magnificence was to mark the occasion .
At once I 4
made up my 4
mind to be present , and began my 4
preparations .
But , inasmuch as it has never been my 4
practice to furnish with an itinerary of my 4
journeys and in this case I 4
anticipated opposition to my 4
wishes , I 4
gave out that I 4
was going for a ramble in the Tyrol 54
-- an old haunt of mine 70
-- and propitiated Rose 2
’s wrath by declaring that I 4
intended to study the political and social problems of the interesting community which dwells in
that neighbourhood 54
55 .