The Kings of the East: A Romance of the Near Future

“This answer to your loving letter, my dear sister, is for your own eyes alone. It seems to me (I hope I am mistaken, and that I detect a criticism where none was intended) that I can read between the lines something that is not exactly a distrust of my husband, but a fear lest his terrible trials may have rendered him less regardful of me. In no case but yours would I condescend to notice such a suspicion; but I like to think of you, the wife of Cyril’s beloved brother, as a dear sister of my own, and I cannot bear that you should be in any doubt as to my happiness. When my beloved’s trial came upon him, I said to him (I am almost ashamed now to write it) that he must be content, instead of ruling the world, to make one woman happy, and this is what he does. Do you realise what that means? He bends all his powers, his whole mind, to please a woman whose life has been so desolate that for years it seemed the height of bliss, unattainable bliss, to be near him, to belong to him. Do you wonder my joy is so great that I look upon it with trembling? That such a man should devote himself to ensure the happiness of one whose only claim is that she loves him—it is wonderful! How can you say that I have given up everything for him? I have done nothing—nothing. You would do far more for your Carlino; why should you think it strange in me?

“Besides, my sister, I have given up nothing that I care for. Court life has had no attractions for me since I left girlhood behind, at seventeen, and although Michael was quite willing—even desirous—that I should return to Thracia, I can see that it is better not. It is characteristic of him to wish to go his own way, and earn his own experience, and a mother’s anxieties and counsel would quickly become irksome to him. There is nothing to regret there, you see. I was cradled in romanticism (alas! my education and my fate were sadly incongruous), and now at last I am happy. I have the society of the man I love and of a few faithful friends, the affectionate loyalty of these poor Arabs, and freedom from the cares of civilisation and state. The Arabs, indeed, have transferred their allegiance from myself to Cyril, and I rejoice in the change. We are both studying their language, for I am anxious to be able to do something to raise the condition of the women and girls, but he has no need of anything to bring him into close touch with the men. Under his direction they are beginning to build themselves more permanent houses instead of their wretched huts, as well as to repair the ruined walls of the fortress in case of need. He is interested also in improving their system of irrigation, so as to utilise much of the water that is at present wasted, and says that he is a candidate for the honour of making two bunches of dates grow where only one grew before.

“Nor are we shut off altogether from the old life. You may have heard that we sent poor Stefanovics (who found the desert insupportable) and his wife back to Brutli, to serve as a means of communication with our friends in the world, and superintend our arrangements for visitors, and they do their work admirably. That good, droll Mr Hicks paid us a visit before returning to America, and the Chevalier Goldberg intends to brave the terrors of the desert before long. Our last visitor was dear Fred Mansfield, whose affection for my husband brings the tears to my eyes. I can see, however (is not this candid of me?), that he has improved immensely since he has found himself in a more responsible position. He has gained enormously in readiness and the habit of command since he was removed from the shadow of Cyril’s personality. His open-air life suits him, and he has earned golden opinions from the Chevalier and his confidential agent. Please let Phil hear this. Fred tells us that he hopes to visit England and bring her back with him next year, and he showed us the plans for his house. How I shall delight to see her again!

“You hint at our visiting Europe. I am foolishly nervous, I dare say, but I cannot feel that Cyril is safe anywhere outside the desert. I have visions of treachery on the part of the Powers if they knew he was within their reach. Still, if he wishes to make the attempt, he will hear nothing against his plan from me, even should he decide to visit Thracia incognito, as Michael has suggested. At present we are planning a trip to Palmyra, which, with the help of the Arabs, we hope to accomplish without difficulty, posing as English tourists—not for the first time in our lives, you will remember. The opportunity will be valuable, in allowing my husband to make acquaintance with the sheikhs of other tribes than ours, who have shown a strong disposition to invite him to become their head.

“It is a curious thing that the Arabs refuse to believe in Cyril’s illness for a moment. According to them, he has been treated with dire ingratitude by the Jews, and to mark his displeasure has retired into the desert, whence he will emerge at the head of an Arab host on the occasion of some great crisis, and carry all before him. Oh that this might indeed be the case! Day by day, as I pray for it, I vow upon my knees that should he ever regain his old powers I will be no hindrance to his schemes. These few months have had more happiness crowded into them than I could ever have anticipated, and I will show that I also can be unselfish. But alas! there is no hope. One terrible day—I have told this to no one on earth but yourself—when the news of the Scythian seizure of Jerusalem arrived, I thought he would have gone out of his mind. He walked up and down the room for a long time, muttering and moving his hands as if he was addressing an assembly, then he turned suddenly to me, looking like his old self. ‘Paper, Ernestine!’ he cried. ‘They thought I was done for, did they?’ I gave him the paper, he sat down, burning with eagerness, and made a few marks upon the first sheet—a kind of plan. Then he began to dig the pen into the paper, and at last threw it down in despair. ‘It’s all gone, Ernestine, but for a moment I saw the whole thing.’ He called Paschics, and told him to write and advise the Chevalier to make the best terms he could for a Jewish Legislature sitting at Nablûs, and since then he has never once alluded, at least in my hearing, to the affairs of Palestine. It is unspeakably sad. At ordinary times he appears perfectly contented, rides with me, hunts with Banics and the Arabs, plans improvements for the place, reads aloud to us in the evenings, but when the mail comes in——! Ah, my dear sister, pray that you may never know such sorrow as I endure then. He reads of all that is going on—without him: he sees that he is forgotten where he was once supreme. He goes up to the ruined colonnade, at the summit of the palace, and spends hours there alone. Once I crept up after him; he was gazing out over the desert as Napoleon looked out upon the sea from the cliffs of St Helena. He does not know I saw him, for I dared not disturb his mournful reverie. I am only too well aware that I cannot comfort him, and he would not wish me to behold him in his desolation. I can but pray for him, and pretend to notice nothing when he returns, full of kindness, and apologises for his long absence. He has been reading his letters, he says. On the subject of politics we never open our lips to one another.—Believe me to be, my dear Nadia, your loving sister,

Ernestine.”