"
"Nothing is easier!" declared Duprez. "I was showing you how the bishop
goes, so--cross-ways," and he illustrated his lesson. "He is a dignitary
of the Church, you perceive. _Bien!_ it follows that he cannot go in a
straight line,--if you observe them well, you will see that all the
religious gentlemen play at cross purposes. You are very quick,
Mademoiselle Gueldmar,--you have perfectly comprehended the move of the
Castle, and the pretty plunge of the knight. Now, as I told you, the
queen can do anything--all the pieces shiver in their shoes before her!"
"Why?" she asked, feeling a little embarrassed, as Sir Philip came and
sat beside her, looking at her with an undoubtedly composed air of
absolute proprietorship.
"Why? _Enfin_, the reason is simple!" answered Pierre. "The queen is a
woman,--everything must give way to her wish!"
"And the king?" she inquired.
"Ah! _Le pauvre Roi!_ He can do very little--almost nothing! He can only
move one step at a time, and that with much labor and hesitation--he is
the wooden image of Louis XVI!"
"Then," said the girl quickly, "the object of the game is to protect a
king who is not worth protecting!"
Duprez laughed.
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