"
King gave him a queer look. "By jove, that's odd. I was thinking of
that very thing when you spoke."
"The union would be of no profit to us in a pecuniary way, my
friend," explained the Count. "Still it is most desirable for other
reasons. Dawsbergen is not a rich country, nor are its people
progressive. The reigning house, however, is an old one and rich in
traditions. Money, my dear King, is not everything in this world.
There are some things it cannot buy. It is singularly ineffective
when opposed to an honest sentiment. Even though the young Princess
were to come to Graustark without a farthing, she would still be
hailed with the wildest acclaim. We are a race of blood worshippers,
if I may put it in that way. She represents a force that has
dominated our instincts for a great many centuries, and we are bound
hand and foot, heart and soul, by the so-called fetters of
imperialism. We are fierce men, but we bend the knee and we wear the
yoke because the sword of destiny is in the hand that drives us. To-
day we are ruled by a prince whose sire was not of the royal blood.
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