I shall not be with you, and you may as well
understand it now. I've told you a hundred times that money isn't
everything, and it is as cheap as dirt when you put it alongside of
tradition, honour, pride and loyalty. Those Graustarkians would take
you by the nape of the neck and march you out of their castle so
quick that your head would swim. You may be able to buy their prince
for Maudie to exhibit around the country, but you can't buy the
intelligence of the people. They won't have you at any price and they
won't have me, so there is the situation in a nutshell. They will
hate Maudie, of course, but they will endure her for obvious reasons.
They may even come to love and respect her in the end, for she is
worthy. But as for you and me, William,--with all our money,--we
will find every hand against us--even the hand of our daughter, I
prophesy. I am not saying that I would regret seeing Maud the
Princess of Graustark--far from it. But I do say that you and I will
be expected to know our places. If you attempt to spend your
declining years in the castle at Edelweiss you will find them reduced
to days, and short ones at that.
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