Fiction > Book editions > London, 1888 - Prince Otto

148 PRINCE OTTO
'Alas, Herr von Gondremark, there is no
" or," ' said Seraphina.
'Kay, madam, give me time,' he replied.
' When first I saw you, you were still young ;
not every man would have remarked your
powers ; but I had not been twice honoured by
your conversation ere I had found my mistress.
I have, madam, I believe, some genius ; and I
have much ambition. But the genius is of the
serving kind ; and to offer a career to my
ambition, I had to find one born to rule. This
is the base and essence of our union ; each had
need of the other ; each recognised, master and
servant, lever and fulcrum, the complement of
his endowment. Marriages, they say, are made
in heaven : how much more these pure, labo-
rious, intellectual fellowships, born to found
empires ! Kor is this all. We found each other
ripe, filled with great ideas that took shape and
clarified with every word. We grew together-
ay, madam, in mind we grew together like twin
children. All of my life until we met was petty
and groping ; was it not — I will flatter myself
openly — it was the same with you ! Not till
then had you those eagle surveys, that wide
and hopeful sweep of intuition ! Thus we had
formed ourselves, and we were ready.'
' It is true,' she cried. ' I feel it. Yours
is the genius ; your generosity confounds your