Marriages such as he contemplated are made
every year in Europe. Do you suppose that the royal marriages you read
about in the newspapers are made with the consent of the poor little
princes and princesses? Your laws are one thing, Mr. Barnes; our
courts are another. Need I be more explicit?"
"I think I understand," he said slowly. "Poor wretches!"
"Prince Ugo is of royal blood. I am not too far beneath him. In my
country his word is the law. The marriage that was to have been
celebrated to-day at Green Fancy would have bound me to him forever.
It would have been recognised in my country as legal. I have not the
right of appeal. I would not even be permitted to question his right
to make me his wife against my will. He is a prince. His will is law."
"Isn't love allowed to enter into a--"
"Love?" she scorned. "What has love to do with it? There isn't a queen
in all the world who loves--or loved, I would better say,--the man she
married. Some of them may have grown afterwards to love their kings,
because all kings are not alike. You may be quite sure, however, that
the wives of kings and princes did not marry their ideals; they did
not marry the men they loved. So, you see, it wouldn't have mattered
in the least to Prince Ugo whether I loved him or hated him.
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